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Monday

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31
Dec 12

Travel day

Up and at ’em and at ’em and at ’em. Finished the packing, had a brunch with my father-in-law at a local diner. Packed up the car and he took us to the airport. They put on a wonderful Christmas, my in-laws.

Shame about the traveling though. This trip started with a four hour drive. Figure in the time from the parking spot to the airport, the airport wait, the two hours in the plane and then the 45 minutes or so to their home and you have an entire day of travel. On the other hand, a full day of travel means moving something like nine degrees to the north. It snowed on me there.

The downside to a lovely visit, though, is the return trip. So we packed our bags with all of our things and Christmas plunder — Santa was far too good, as I was not — and then went through the tiny local airport, onto the windy tarmac and into the tiny plane.

We landed in Atlanta, the plane took off late but landed more or less on time. Caught the shuttle to the car and saw this:

And that’s what happens when you move nine degrees south in latitude.

Tonight we had barbecue and celebrated the new year with friends. One of them used the word “bifurcated” in a conversation about 1980s music — you can tell he’s in a doctoral program. Another discussed the capabilities of his kevlar vest. He works with the ABI. The fire chief stopped by, because he is a friend of the host. One woman pronounced every song her favorite. Another guy, a financier, managed the impossible task of being in three different conversations in two different physical locations of the party.

Most of that was before the counting down and the silly string and noisemakers.

We all decided that it was beyond time for 2012 to be gone. In that boundless optimism that comes along when you’re through with one year some resolved that 2013 can only be better.

It started out with momentum, after all. We laughed at Mayans and watched the Senate, kicking and screaming, doing something resembling their job. At a party full of blue collar and white collar people, it was good to see people who still work hard, believe in themselves and what they do. That’s what a new year’s optimism is all about, belief in one’s self.

Good to have when you’re going around the sun.

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24
Dec 12

A week of ornaments, day 6

Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a lovely holiday planned, and much joy and peace to give and receive.

Some of our favorite ornaments …

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” — Matthew 2:10

What are your favorite ornaments? Write about them in the comments.

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17
Dec 12

This plumbing has happened before, this plumbing will happen again

For the seventh time in our two-plus years in the house I undertook a plumbing chore this evening. The working mechanism in the tank of one of our toilets had forgotten how to turn off — a plastic tab having turned to dust or what have you — which threatened an overflow and so on.

The good news is that this is the third one of these I’ve replaced in the last 18 months. At least it is easy.

The big thing is keeping everything dry. You have to drain the tank, and then climb between the cabinet and the porcelain and work your way through two plastic bolts. These were made in China, of course, so they are the best plastic money can buy.

And then there’s the water dripping, because a little drip is better than a lot of sponge drying. After that the new device, which will surely find some way to crumble before 2014 arrives, goes in.

Seen another way this is really an exercise in defying the Mayans, who were big on plumbing:

A water feature found in the Maya city of Palenque, Mexico, is the earliest known example of engineered water pressure in the new world, according to a collaboration between two Penn State researchers, an archaeologist and a hydrologist. How the Maya used the pressurized water is, however, still unknown.

“Water pressure systems were previously thought to have entered the New World with the arrival of the Spanish,” the researchers said in a recent issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. “Yet, archaeological data, seasonal climate conditions, geomorphic setting and simple hydraulic theory clearly show that the Maya of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, had empirical knowledge of closed channel water pressure predating the arrival of Europeans.”

I had no idea I’d find that story when I started the Mayan joke.

Anyway, after a few attempts, the washer was seated. The newest fine plastic from China was in place and tightened.

Also replaced some light bulbs in the other bathroom, because electricity with wet hands is fun for everyone! And because if you’re going to one of the home improvement stores you may as well combine your misery. The bulbs are on the primary aisle when you walk in and the cheap plumbing stuff isn’t far away. Naturally, since I knew exactly what I needed tonight, I ran into two staffers who offered to help.

“Yes. Can you just wait here? Soon enough something I don’t understand will inevitably break in my house.”

We did our Christmas cards tonight. I was responsible for the stamps and the return address. The cards look great, because my lovely bride picked them out. I think everyone most in our address book is getting one.

Everyone else is getting an email with a JPG attachment.

Then I made a Christmas card for Allie. I’ll put it here tomorrow.

Tonight I also added several new banners for the blog. Many of the new ones are a departure from the thin 900 by 200 pixel design. Tell me what you think. (And reload to see more. Or see them all in one place, here.) My next trick will be to organize them in something that resembles a seasonal classification.

Oh, hey, there are new things on the Samford journo blog:

Maps that tell stories

A few lessons from Newton media coverage

You saw the Newtown picture now read the story behind it

There’s also Twitter and Tumblr and this, the complete Star Trek trailer.

See you tomorrow. Remember: Allie’s Christmas card will be here.

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10
Dec 12

Squall line

Raking the leaves. Trying to wrap up the backyard since most of the stuff has turned dry, brown, crinkly and become a victim of gravity. There was just a cardinal nibbling on the last of the bird feeder goodies and the neighbor’s dog barking whenever I opened a new lawn bag.

We are experimenting with a new leaf disposal system this year. Take a garbage can, remove the bottom, line it with a bag and shovel those offending former instruments of photosynthesis.

Works pretty well. It is my favorite system yet, perhaps. You just have to keep the bag from collapsing. And you’re constantly smashing the leaves down to push out the air to make more room. When you’re done you just pull the garbage can up over the bag.

I had three piles to move and three bags to fill. And I was racing this:

So I filled the three bags, getting two of the piles of leaves out of the yard. The bags were so heavy it was a struggle to get them to the curb. Got in just in time. We had almost an inch of rain in just over an hour. Thick, dense, can’t see the back of the property kind of rain.

And then the cold front moved in.

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3
Dec 12

A difference in need

Much as you don’t want anyone to have to go, but I do love to hear the success stories from people’s encounters with modern medicine.

This young lady, for example, lost four fingers in a car crash. Now she has a working hand again. Three decades ago this was only television and a sound effect, but she may still be playing softball:

Two weeks ago, Higdon received a $112,000 myoelectric prosthetic hand that will enable her to do many of the things she did before.

She’s already learned how to pick up a cup and pick up a softball – a sport near and dear to her heart, and she’s eager to learn how to do more.

Higdon and her mother said they’re thankful for the opportunity she’s been given by the generosity of the Inner Wheel USA Foundation, a Rotary affiliate that has picked up most of the tab for the advanced prosthetic hand.

“My insurance paid next to nothing on this,” said Higdon’s mother, Judie Cummings.

Naturally there is video:

Speaking of hospitals, a new law shows you which ones to watch out for:

The law also honors the memory of Denton’s son, Mike, who died at age 42 from an infection acquired after knee surgery in 2002.

Mike Denton never really healed after that surgery, his father said; he would eventually spend seven weeks at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital before he died.

“It was a traumatic experience, to say the least,” Denton said from his home recently. “At least we got to be with him that long. They never could turn it around.”

The experience moved Denton to sponsor legislation to require Alabama’s hospitals to collect and report healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The Alabama Department of Public Health is responsible for analyzing the data and making the results available to the public.

“It ought to give the public information that they should know about the track record of infectious diseases in the facilities,” Denton said.

First they came for the money and electronics. And then they came for the copper. And now … I try to attach some larger meaning, some economic indicator, to stories like these

Missouri Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst says thieves are actually targeting those big bundles of hay that are left out in fields prior to being harvested, hauling them off and selling the valuable commodity.

“Of course, no one brands their hay so if you hook onto it with your tractor or your pickup and make it out the gate, then it’s impossible to prove where the hay came from,” Hurst said.

With winter approaching and grass dying out, the price for fresh hay to feed livestock is on the rise, and Hurst says that makes unguarded bales a tempting target.

Of course, without hay being branded in some way, it is also only a matter of time until someone commits hay fraud.

You might have noticed the story of the New York police officer Lawrence DePrimo giving shoes to the homeless man. Well, turns out that Jeffrey Hillman isn’t homeless. (Don’t worry. He didn’t build that.)

Also, he’s shoeless again. All weather shoes get in the way of panhandling, you know:

Mr. Hillman, 54, was by turns aggrieved, grateful and taken aback by all the attention that had come his way — even as he struggled to figure out what to do about it.

“I was put on YouTube, I was put on everything without permission. What do I get?” he said. “This went around the world, and I want a piece of the pie.”

God bless America.