September, 2004

September 30, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. 10:08 p.m. (the debate still rages but my interest fades). Here are my thoughts and scores on the debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry. First, let me say that both were far inferior to what I anticipated and that I am sorely disappointed that we can not produce better candidates.

Not even a 3 of 5 average for either candidate. Pretty sad showing. I hope it wasn’t broadcast overseas.

September 24, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Another foggy morning and a beautiful day.

Peace Train was a popular song back when. I still listen to it now and then. Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) re-recorded it recently. He was permitted in the country only two months ago. I found one of his web sites this morning and spent some time looking through it. Anyone looking through his site would be hard pressed to see any links to terrorism. His thoughts appear focused entirely on charity work and his religion. Royalties from his music are used for his charitable works. The pages of favorable comments about his new release of Peace Train rekindled fond memories enough that I was willing to puchase it. Unfortunately, it is not currently available. I don’t know why. He may have pulled it from the market, the servers may be overwhelmed with requests, or his site may have been sabatoged or ordered to remove it. Why we would prevent a man such as him entry into our country is beyond belief.

Following this same unhappy thought, last night I read in the newspaper about John Gilmore. Mr. Gilmore is a wealthy Libertarian. He attempted to board a plane and refused to show a government issued photo id. The screener would not let him board as it is the law. Gilmore requested to see the law. The screener replied: can't, its a secret. Gilmore was told he could board if he was frisked and wanded. Again, Gilmore requested to see the law. Of course it is also secret. The matter is now in court. It seems simple enough to show a photo id when boarding a plane and I do not object myself. However, when lists are made and can not be appealed, there is a real danger present. I recall during my days in the army a clerk having a fellow transferred to Alaska just for fun. One call to a buddy of his in Chicago and the transfer came through. The person being transferred was never told how it came to pass. This abuse of power was rather benign but, I can imagine that same clerk being in the position of adding names to a list today. That makes me cringe. If it is beyond appeal, and you can not determine who added your name to the list, and why it was added, then you have a Kafka scenario similar to his story in The Trial. Chilling.

I just did a search on switchboard.com for Dave Weeks. I found entries for:

Augusta, Ga (2)
Athens and Guysville, Oh (2)
Naperville, Il
Albuquerque, Ca
Fair Oaks, Ca
Sandy, Or
Dayton, Or
Forest,Va
Detroit, Mi

The thought occurred to me that these issues are really resonating within me. I wondered why. Years ago I tried to sum up the essence of myself. On my site under profile it has nearly always said something like, “Personal interests: children, music, and travel.” Cat Stevens as mentioned earlier is one of my favorite artists. If he has done something wrong then prove it in public and shame on him. Otherwise, leave him alone. The second story is also about a man wanting to travel. I have literally driven from coast to coast and flown back and forth several times. I sincerely enjoy travel. Look up to the top of this page, it is one of my tabs. How dare anyone try to restrict anyone from travel. If the guy is bad, prove it and then lock him up. Otherwise, let him board the plane. The third item and most important by far are my family and children. Start a draft if you really want to see me upset. The whispers that I am hearing is that we will head for Iran shortly after the election and bring back a draft. Heaven help us if this is true.

September 23, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. The last couple of days have been beautiful, foggy in the mornings, but wonderful throughout the day.

Just like Santa, our government is making lists. That makes me a little nervous. You and I most often will not know of the existence of such lists. Even less likely will we know if our name is on one, and if so, how it came to be. It seems to me that our intelligence agencies can spend their time looking inward and trying to root out the bad ones within, or they can get out into the world where they may just do something constructive. Don’t think it can happen to you? Here is a story of one well known person who recently found himself on such a list. I strongly encourage you to read the Monitor article it refers to.

Yusuf Islam (that would be Cat Stevens of Tea for the Tillerman fame) is one of my favorite artists of all time. He was recently attempting to fly from London to Washington. The U.S. diverted his plane to Bangor, Maine. US transportation and immigration officials are accusing him of associating with banned terrorists groups. A trial? No. We will just deport him. After you read this article about Cat published in the Monitor (widely respected as one of the most objective newspapers in the world), you have to begin asking… why? Perhaps more to the point, is what can you about it? I for one intend to vote in a few weeks.

September 22, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Autumnal Equinox today at 11:25 EST.

September 20, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Back to work today. The weather was so nice and my memories of the weekend were still vivid so it wasn’t so bad today going back to work. A project I’ve worked on for the last two years is beginning to pay dividends. My work sometimes takes a long time before we realize the payback. We added a client that has about 10k users and hope to get another one signed soon that will add another 15k.

Last night when we got home I spent several hours with a neighbor that was having computer problems. When I finally got to check my email I found that Dennis posted a comment on my new site. I think it should be easy enough to use for any average person and I look forward to others talking about what goes on in their lives.

September 19, 2004 — Morehead, Kentucky. We all ate breakfast together, said our goodbyes and headed home. Route 2 above Huntington was blocked due to high water. Route 7 on the Ohio side was also reported under water so we drove Interstate to Charleston and then back up through Ravenswood. The weather was spectacular again today and it was a really pleasant drive back. We know that the water has caused a lot of suffering to a lot of people these last couple of days but outside of our little detour, we have not had to contend with it. Jeanie and I both enjoyed ourselves this weekend and realized when we got home how fortunate we.

September 18, 2004 — Morehead, Kentucky. By the time we made it to Morehead yesterday the rain had stopped and the sun started shining. We found Nick and Kate at a student talent show and ended up taking them to a little Italian place in town. The food wasn't so good but it was really nice to see them. Today, Nick took us to see a large rock nearby. At the top you can see better than 180 degrees of wilderness. It was one of the more isolated views I can imagine in these parts. Joe and Angie stopped in and we took a tour of the campus, ate, and then when back to the hotel and played cards a bit. The weather was bright and sunny without being too hot all day. In all, it was a really pleasant day. We all have a little better sense of what it is like for Nick where he is. The campus seems pretty quiet and should offer plenty of opportunity for Nick to think and study. Life doesn’t offer many such occasions.

A couple of months back we all had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with Steve and Mary Ellen. Seeing a little of the daily routine takes away many concerns that parents are bound to have. Jeanie and I both feel better after having spent a little time in Natick, MA and Morehead, KY.

September 17, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Steve called this evening and announced that he got the job. Of couse we are thrilled and happy for him and Mary Ellen.

Hurricane Ivan is being felt in these parts today. It has been raining heavy for hours. Our pond was already full from the last one and has been overflowing its banks for over an hour. Water is up to the back porch at my inlaws house. Larry’s house is taking in water. Jeanie and I plan to take a map on our trip to Morehead, Kentucky later today (parents weekend at MSU) as we expect detours from the water. We are expecting it to continue like this for another day and a half. For those of you who know the bridge that leads into Chester, this will give you a guage of where the water level was.

Here is part of a long windy note I started to send to Dennis this morning and felt that others may have an interest as well so I’m posting it for all to see.

A person I work with sent me a link to a site that questions what happened to Flight 77 on 9/11 at the Pentagon. It is a large (~3000k) flash file so be prepared to wait until it downloads if you want to see it. Kind of like what really happened to JFK or Jimmy Hoffa. I have to admit that it did raise a few questions in my mind. Assuming that everything they say is true, the biggest question that comes to my mind is “Why?”. After watching the flash movie a couple of times, I did a Google search on Flight 77. Wow! Others have noticed as well. Great reading if you are totally bored or intrigued by anomolies.

September 12, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Nice weather here today and yesterday. Just mowing grass and relaxing and reading a little between naps.

“Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. Therefore give yourself fully to your endeavors, decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths. Remain steadfast… and one day you will build something that endures; something worthy of your potential.”–Epicetus, Roman Teacher, Philosopher 55-135 A.D.

September 11, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Happy Birthday Mary Ellen!

“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”–Ancient Proverb

September 10, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. What a day. I made an appointment to have a Rhino Liner sprayed on the bed of my truck. The first time I inquired, they told me it would take a half a day. When I made the appointment, they said I should drop it off at 8:00 a.m. and pick it up at 2:00 p.m. They wanted to let it have a couple of hours to dry properly. OK, fair enough. When I dropped it off, there was only one guy working and it was obvious that they had messed up the schedule. I offered to bring it back another day. Nope, we can do it but it would be 2:30 or 3:00 before they would have it done. Fine. I walked to the mall to catch a bus (which is an adventure in itself) to within a couple of blocks of where Laurie works so I can have a vehicle for the day. I don't want to rush things at the garage so I return the car at 2:45, walk the couple of blocks to catch the bus back and then walk from the bus stop to the garage. It is about a quarter to four when I return to the garage. The guy is looking pretty frazzled and says it will be another hour or hour and a half. I ask if I can see how it is going. Sure he replies. He had prepared the truck (scratched up the paint and applied some chemicals) but had not sprayed anything yet. What can I do at that point? OK, I'll be back. I walked down the road and returned a few minutes before 5:00 and another guy is there who says that they are nearly done. It was 5:55 before they gave me the keys. It is still a little tacky the guy tells me so leave the tailgate down. Rather than the six and seven layers of spray they promised, I'm betting that I got one thick coat. I've got a few drips of the stuff hanging from the rails to support my thought. Oh well, it looks pretty nice and has a warranty for so long as I own the truck and I only paid the full cost of $402.75. My goal was to protect the bed of the truck and am not really concerned about the looks. I had planned to change the oil today so I take it to Walmart and they say an hour and a half… at the express oil lube lane. Fine with me, what is another hour or so at this point. I notice that the top of the truck has black gunk on it and it doesn't look like it is coming off too easily. If that stuff doesn't come off, watch out! Jeanie, Joe, and Angie are headed in to town to meet me for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse so I just walk down there put our name on the list. We have a nice meal, pick up the truck and then head for home where we played a few games of 500. Everthing got done that I intended for the day and we had a pleasant evening, it just seems that I had to do an awful lot of walking and have a lot of patience today.

Did you notice the apostrophes and quotes on this site. Depending on your browser, your fonts, the text size you have chosen, and the phase of the moon, they may look like those found on a typewriter or what you will see used in any book or magazine you pick up. Take another close look. Are you able to see the difference between this (') and this (’)? How about between this ("quote") and this (“quote”)? If not, enlarge your text size (in IE, choose view, text size, larger). Unless I’ve accidently missed one somewhere, you will find that I use the latter through this site. Who would guess that such a small detail could become an issue in a presidential election. By the way, the character used for inches is actually a double prime and is slighty different still (see an example in my next sentence).

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most freightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God this is within us. It is not just in some of us. It is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”–Nelson Mandela (From his 1994 Presidential Inaugural Address) Marianne Williamson, (from her book A Return to Love)

September 09, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Our TV stopped working yesterday so today we bought another one (32″) today and will see about getting the other fixed. It appears to be a power supply problem. Probably a 29¢ part went bad that will cost $50 to replace. This is only the second TV that I have ever purchased. I would just as soon lived without one but Jeanie still enjoys it.

Hurricane Frances is still dumping rain on us. Everything is soggy and the roads are flooded so I’ll have to take the high water route in to work this morning.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”–Margaret Mead

September 08, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. You have read about the school in Russia taken by terrorists and of the 300+ people (mostly children) who were killed. Most people I know just throw up their hands and say they are all crazy, thank God they don’t live there, and go on about their affairs. Any sane person should be asking why? I did just that today, inside of two minutes on the Internet, and came back with a much different outlook on the whole sordid affair. A bit of history is appropriate so bear with me.

The area where this occurred is settled by two groups of people. The land of Ingushetia is mostly Muslim. The land of Ossetia is mostly Christian Orthodox. Ossetians are relatively new to the area and come from Iranian ancestry. I didn’t take the time to learn how long the Ingush people had been there but believe it to be much longer. Beginning on February 22, 1944 Stalin moved some 600,000 Ingush to Central Asia where a quarter of them perished within five years. In round numbers that would be 150,000 people. Put another way, three times as many people as we lost in Vietnam. That many people out of a population smaller than any of a hundred U.S. cities. In 1956 the deportees returned to find their homes taken by the Ossets. Violence finally errupted in 1982. Tanks nearly destroyed Vladikavkaz (the North Ossetian capital). In 1992 another hostage situation caused further violence.

The Ossetians have typically favored Russia. The Ingush lean towards the Chechens. This tragedy has been a long time in the making and unfortunately, is probably far from over. Take a look at the eyes of Putin since this occurred. He is not the same person as before.

I have read that East Germany has had numerous similar land claim problems in court every since the reunification. Imagine what happens when the Russians took the land after WWII and drove off the West Germans. They live on the land for fifty years and then give it back. This is not something abstract. I can easily imagine people not much older than I who could recall living in a nice home as a child and being driven off at gunpoint. Today, they decide to drive back to find the old homestead and see a couple who bought it back in the 50’s, paid a 30 year mortgage off, raised a family there and feel that they rightfully own the place. Imagine that both families could have a legal title to the land. Who rightfully owns it? A similar situation has kept Israel and Palestine at odds for my entire life (although that one in particular goes way way back with more twists than anyone can recall). You will hear similar stories about South Africa and likely hundreds of places around the world.

Of course I do not condone what was done, but now I better understand how it could happen. Many years of built up anger and resentment most likely contributed to this particular event. Lessons can be learned from it. Wherever people honestly feel that they have been wronged over a long period of time, they tend to rise up and lash out at whoever is convenient. We can continue trying to police the world (this tactic doesn’t seem to be working) or, we can look for ways to make life good enough for people so that they are not so willing to strap a bomb on their backs out of desperation or revenge. It doesn’t seem to me that it would take that much. In fact, I’ll wager a nickle that it would be cheaper over the long haul.

“People learn more and learn better in an environment where they are part of a mix of people where there are substantial differences with people not like themselves.”–Lee C. Bollinger (President, Columbia University)

September 07, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. I’ve started reading a new book titled The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende. She is another South American author who has found success in writing, particularly in Europe. She is also the neice of Chile’s assassinated President Salvador Allende. You find my choice odd? Well, how do you go about selecting something to read? Believe me, I’ve read stranger things for more bizarre reasons.

“The world as we see it is only the world as we see it. Others may see it differently.”–Albert Einstein

September 06, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. For years we bought milk by the gallon about every other day. After Joe and Steve moved out, we started buying it by the half gallon and not quite so frequently but often enough that it seldom went bad. With Nick away at college, even a half gallon has proved to be too much. Today I bought a quart.

Writers, I’ve installed a content management system (CMS) for my site. It will take away the tedium of worrying about the technical aspects of formatting a page and get me out of the loop. You will be able to post anything you like without me being involved (after the initial registration). WordPress (the CMS I've chosen) has a lot of nice features that I like and automates things like the RSS newsfeed. For the curious who can not wait, you may see it and start using it now. NOTE: I'm still setting it up so it will change substantially before it replaces this page. If you want to try it out, you should be able to add comments without any trouble. If you register, wait a day and I'll set up as a separate category and permit you to post as you please.

September 05, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Another bright and beautiful day here today. This evening I finally finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It was a bit of a struggle for me to enjoy reading it. I would not rush out to buy it again.

September 04, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Here are a few photos provided by Stephanie from her travels in Egypt. She will add a better description shortly (I just made up the text for now) so check back in a week or two. If you have high speed access (or are really patient or really want to see the detail) you may click on any of the photos and get an enlarged version. It requires Flash to display properly. You might as well download it if you don't already have it as I intend to make use of this every time I get a group of photos. If you have a dialup, please wait just a moment and the images will arrive.

Sleeping in. The first I looked at the clock this morning it was 9:06 a.m. That from a guy who is normally up at 5:30 during the week and no later than 7:00 on the weekends. I heard Jeanie get up and she claims to have got out of bed at 8:55 Can I claim that I was awake before 9:00 or should I just enjoy the thought of sleeping in till 9:00?

September 03, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Drat! I bought a new lawn mower less than a week ago. Today I was mowing and the engine seized up. My Dad taught me to mow grass long before I was nine years old. Forty five years at least (probably a couple of years longer) I've been mowing grass. Back then we had a reel type of mower that I used before memory. The two and a half horsepower gasoline powered rotary mower with a rope is the one I recall Dad teaching me to use. That was the first motorized engine I was permitted to operate and I was both excited and a little freightened by it. Dad was a mechanic so it was instilled into me pretty good about the importance of oil. Dad even worked at a mower shop for a few years on the side and opened his own mower shop when he retired. Yes, you can be assured that the new mower still had the 20 oz. of oil in it that came with it in the box.

UPDATE: a happy ending. I took the mower back and they exchanged it. No questions asked. You could easily count on one hand the number of items I’ve ever returned to any store in my life. Thank you to Tractor Supply Co. of Gallipolis, Ohio for making my day.

September 02, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie stopped in for a visit last night. It is always a treat to spend time with them.

Parkersburg, WV. President Bush announced that he will return to Parkersburg, WV. I happen to work there and take a little walk through town on my break each afternoon. Today at about 3:00 p.m. there was a line of people waiting to get tickets. People I talked with at work said that it stretched around the block when the came to work in the morning. This will be his second visit to Parkersburg.

Denver, Colorado. News provided by Russell, a former coworker now living in Denver. It is now illegal to steal free newspapers in Colorado (think about that for a bit if you're not already laughing). Being a political year I have to throw a few things in. Colorado is contemplating how it dispenses electoral votes. If there were enough signatures on a citizen initiated petition, we may have to vote on distributing electoral votes based upon the percentage of votes. So not only would we be a battleground state (hey you’re right smack of two hot ones) we could vote one way, recount our votes and change it the other way, only to have them redistributed based upon how the constitutional amendment vote turns out.

Obviously you’re aware of the latest big Colorado news—Kobe charges are dismissed. Much of Colorado is relieved as now we don’t have to put up with the media. Its sad how that was handled mind you. I’ve worked with plenty of rape victims (was in Men Stopping Rape while in college and have met many vicitms since) and know the pain and problems it can cause. Mind you I have no idea if he was guilty or not—I never paid much attention to the case so I am mostly unaware of the facts. I do know that the court let her down by releasing what they did.

OK, I’m going to leave you with a bunch of quotes from six year olds that ought to amuse you. ED Note: Angie will start her student teaching with a kindergarten class and Mary Ellen is already a teacher so this seems ever so appropriate. Thanks Russell.

1. “Better to be safe than… punch a 5th grader.”
2. “Strike while the… bug is close.”
3. “It’s always darkest before… Daylight Saving Time.”
4. “Never underestimate the power of… termites.”
5. “You can lead a horse to water but… how?”
6. “Don’t bite the hand that… looks dirty.”
7. “No news is… impossible.”
8. “A miss is as good as a… Mr.”
9. “You can’t teach an old dog new… maths.”
10. “If you lie down with dogs, you’ll… stink in the morning.”
11. “Love all, trust… me.”
12. “The pen is mightier than the… pigs.”
13. “An idle mind is… the best way to relax.”
14. “Where there’s smoke there's… pollution.”
15. “Happy the bride who… gets all the presents.”
16. “A penny saved is… not much.”
17. “Two’s company, three’s… the Musketeers.”
18. “Don’t put off till tomorrow what… you put on to go to bed.”
19. “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and… you have to blow your nose.”
20. “There are none so blind as… Stevie Wonder.”
21. “Children should be seen and not… spanked or grounded.”
22. “If at first you don’t succeed… get new batteries.”
23. “You get out of something only what you… see in the picture on the box.”
24. “When the blind leadeth the blind… get out of the way.”
25. And the favourite: “Better late than… pregnant.”

September 01, 2004 — Alfred, Ohio. At a nursing home, a group of senior citizens were sitting around talking about their aches and pains. “My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee,” said one. “I know what you mean. My cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee,” replied another. “I can’t turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck,” said a third. “My blood pressure pills make me dizzy,” another contributed. “I guess that’s the price we pay for getting old,” winced an old man. Then there was a short moment of silence. “Thank God we can all still drive,” said one woman cheerfully.

Joe and Angie were over and provided the story you just read. It was just too good to pass over. Thanks Joe. Last night they joined us at Bob Evans for dinner. The senior menu is beginning to tempt me and we all had a good time talking about it. It is now less than a year before I can order from it and last night I was tempted to lie about my age. It doesn’t seem likely that I'll be able to resist the temptation. I’ve been giving thought to the tactical aspects of doing this. I’m going to have to pay attention to a couple of my favorite places to eat and see how it works. I thought maybe I could have Jeanie lie for me. I’d order from the regular menu and then have Jeanie say something like “He can’t eat all of that, he means this one” and have her point to the senior menu. The trouble with that is she is so much younger than me and it may cause some suspicion about my age. I’ve got the same thing with lunch. I generally have lunch with a guy much younger than Jeanie. I might just try it on my own some day. The nagging question in the back of my mind is, what happens if you try it and they card you?

Of course I know it would be wrong to even consider such thoughts. These days, I am able to resist most temptations, even when I know I could get away with something. That wasn’t always the case with me. In later years, just knowing that something is wrong has been enough to prevent me from doing it. I ask that you pray for me as I don’t think that I will be able to resist this one on my own. A little lie here, another one there, and before you know it I’d be on that slippery slope of becoming a politican.