tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584092538662835062024-03-14T04:04:00.497-06:00Stephen's Life BlogA Day in the LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-64589945135941990882012-09-21T15:26:00.000-06:002012-09-21T15:35:26.456-06:00Existential TimeIn two days I will turn 40. Half my life ago I was insecure, yet confident in my ability to overcome it. As long as I got my work done then I would achieve. I've contributed - but don't felt like I've led. My skills continue to be limited only to the point where I have been able to teach myself. No conference in the past 17 years of work has taught me skills of actually writing development codes or to design. I've missed out on a technical collaborative process by externalities of lack of resources both in money and time. I've used many a work around to accommodate those limitations.<br />
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But what have I achieved professionally?<br />
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Awards from the previous decade? Affected change in the way people think about their built environment? Educated someone on the value of long-range planning?<br />
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Does this matter in an environment where your personal wealth is the measuring stick?<br />
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I'm not wealthy. I can't point to something physical on the ground and say - I built that. My heart lies in the need to be a maker and a doer - but my limited skills allow me to write and cobble together other's ideas into somewhat coherent thought.<br />
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The problem is that any confidence I exhibit professionally usually get the placating response of "Stephen's just passionate."<br />
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I am passionate. I want to contribute and be part of the group. I think I lead well.<br />
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I just have problems seeing the positive results. My boredom leads my mind to wander to examining my deficiencies. It's my fault that I'm bored. It's my fault that I'm not seen as an innovator - just a troublemaker who, if we just tolerate his spouting language enough - we can get him to do his work. He's a pushover. He doesn't take risks.<br />
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The worst I've ever felt about this kind of thing happened when I was working at a major airline at DFW Airport. I had left France early from the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Normandy Remembrance so I could keep my job instead of taking the summer to travel around. It was 1994 and that summer Woodstock '94 was occurring. We saw a lot of people my age travelling to New York state and back for the festival. A young attractive woman came off of the plane and asked me where her connecting flight was located. Her t-shirt proclaimed her recent visit to Woodstock. I asked her how the festival was.<br />
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"It was fantastic. You should have been there."<br />
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She said this with the disdain in her voice that said to me - 'I can see you have sold out to have a job in a white button down shirt and a polyester tie.'<br />
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To this day, I'm not sure if I have sold out. I've sacrificed a lot of free time and potential experiences to chalking them up to being "too expensive, too time consuming. I have responsibilities." No risks involved. The most massive risk I've taken was to quit a job without another one lined up. Providence with with me on that one.<br />
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We're constantly bombarded with notions from religion and self-help books, that we need to be happy with our blessings, our lot in life. Yet, we are looked at through the lens of our accomplishments, our productivity, our usefulness get others what they want. I have my own ambitions and my own doubts. The hypocrisy in my own self and recognizing it in others is almost unbearable. I want to rage against it, but I don't because I'll be told to "suck it up." That's just how the world works.<br />
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It shouldn't though. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-23357072451709093212012-07-11T23:42:00.000-06:002012-07-11T23:42:27.704-06:00Midnight on the Firing LineThere is ever increasing worry that once you make a plan, that there is really no ability to guide or control it. I was once asked how could one plan a community/society/etc in a capitalistic environment. Truly you can't. There is inherent freedom to make choices, mistakes or innovations in our environment or society in which nothing can absolutely control. Therefore we're back to the guiding question - how can one plan?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">You have to rely on the decisions that you make. You have to let go of the points in your life where the pain of a decision has cost you emotional time. Where the plan has failed. The organic nature and chaos of the event can only seek to control you through embedding into your memory. You have to look at the point as an event where two conical surfaces meet - each ever expanding outwards from the event. One leading to the past. The other to the future. The choices we make determine where on the conical surface our lives take.</span><br />
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Memory is our ability to mark time of the past. Planning is our attempt to mark time of the future.<br />
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There are many memories that I would like to remove - in such a way that is similar to the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." I have too many emotions tied up with them. In another vein, I have too many daydreams that distract me from getting things accomplished - becoming more successful - tapping into my creative side which has been buried quite significantly.<br />
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As a futurist or a planner, I cannot allow myself to believe in predestination. If I allowed myself to believe that there is a pre-determined destiny for any of us then looking to the future or attempting to plan for it doesn't seem to be very worthwhile. We succeed or fail based on our decisions within our own path. I will take or choose not to take a path. I may (and will fail) - but it will be of my own choosing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-181021661137902382012-05-12T00:16:00.001-06:002012-05-12T00:16:24.383-06:00Is There Anything Left to Say?There is nothing left to say. Sounds have been muffled by frustration or embarrassment. Silence will speak for those who are too afraid or too lazy to speak.<br />
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Written words have lost their meanings into pixelated ellipses into the end of the margin.<br />
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Surrounded by communication at every opportunity, we are becoming ever increasingly isolated behind artificial glow.<br />
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Ending transmission...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-69012253845113033962011-11-28T13:00:00.001-06:002011-11-28T13:00:23.276-06:00Planners Must Speak for the DisadvantagedQuotation from Dwight H. Merriam, FAICP - former president of APA.<br />
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The planner's clients, Merriam said, "are the poor, they are the disenfranchised, they are people who live far away but wish to be our neighbors, they are the old, they are the young, they are the people working two and three jobs who have no time to go to public hearings or run a blog, they are the people who need our help in processing and applying complex information, they are the generations not yet born, they are the people who will live on this earth 50 years and 100 years and 200 years and 500 years from now."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-45812595454814254292011-11-21T12:46:00.001-06:002011-11-21T13:14:43.054-06:00Just Give It a RestA city I used to work for announced this week that they need an overhaul of their tree preservation ordinance after studying the issue for over eighteen months. I think that's great. The previous three that I had worked on there had been diluted and not implemented to such a degree that they weren't going to get the goals of the program accomplished.<br />
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The goals were simple: Save big, healthy trees. Preserve wetland areas. Focus on original Cross Timbers Old Growth Forests. Design new development in such a way so as to save trees rather than plant new ones.<br />
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But, you could pay your way out of doing this. Paying a fee cost less than paying for a designer, an arborist and an engineer to look at best way to design around trees.<br />
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So the committee has new goals - which sound similar to the old goals, but with a new mission to implement them with a new ordinance.<br />
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The problem comes from the "don't touch my property" nutjobs out there.<br />
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Really?<br />
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For once and for all give it a rest. The invisible hand of economics saying that if you let the market dictate - then the altruism of the market will save us from ourselves has been thoroughly slapping us in the face for the past three years and was digging out our wallets prior to that.<br />
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Regulations on design and preservation must be part of the development process. Otherwise we will grade our land to look like the endless wastes of the inner city interstate system. There will be no places. Only commerce. There will be no shade or habitat. Only vast stretches of turf and concrete. One generating more heat, the other sucking down water we can't afford to raise a crop we harvest once a week and throw away.<br />
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Arguments against regulations are like asking for the government to leave only you alone and bother everyone else. You are not special. Your property - for how much it is worth - is not unique and special. We all have to live with rules. You live with the regulations of a City and pay the City taxes because you enjoy the amenities that a City brings. Paved roads. Sidewalks. Street lights governing traffic. Police protection. Fire protection. Ordered and managed water and wastewater systems so we don't drown in a cesspool of our own making. Your trash is taken away somewhere you don't have to look at it. You play on the recreation fields and shop in the stores that are close by because the City worked hard to make sure they are there instead of going down the road by thirty miles.<br />
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We live in a managed and ordered society by our own tacit agreement. Your freedoms are not being taken away. Your freedom is to leave at anytime. Our freedom is to make sure that there are such things as Cross Timbers Old Growth Forest to be preserved for the future. That is what marks a great society instead of a selfish one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-69878783023129871702011-08-04T11:17:00.000-06:002011-08-04T11:17:15.057-06:00Time-Space SynaesthesiaRemember this post: <a href="http://sacwho.blogspot.com/2007/01/time.html">Time</a> That was written in 2006. In it, I described my ability to visualize time. Recently however, I've been able to place that ability into some perspective. In 2009, some researchers in Scotland have been able to test for this ability and label it as a form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaesthesia">Synaesthesia</a>. Roughly defined, its is a neurological condition in which regions of the brain may have a hyper connectivity resulting in multiple senses intertwined and mixed. Almost 54 types of these conditions have been noted and researched. <br />
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But we're here to talk about time. This article: <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2009/11/the_cognitive_benefits_of_time-space_synaesthesia.php"><em>The Cognitive Benefits of Time-Space Synaesthesia</em></a><em> </em>summarizes the research and also makes some connections to other visualization abilities which I have including internal mapping and the ability to visualize two dimensional drawings in three dimensional space.<br />
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Like the subject of the article, I visualize my location within a frame of reference. If I'm thinking of Sunday then across the divide is Wednesday/Thursday. I do have a heightened ability to remember events in my life and have significant recall of very specific items within that event, however I am not hyperthymestic. I cannot have total recall of everything which occured on a particular day. I remember enough as it is. Further information clogging up the bandwidth would be too much.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-3464269010410966592011-08-04T10:58:00.000-06:002011-08-04T10:58:19.027-06:00Nothing is Quite What is Seems - In the City of DreamsIt is not easy explaining the impressive heat to a four year old who wants to go outside and play in the park. We have to change our language to fit the situation as it is presented to us. Our vocabulary must, by necessity change in order for us to be first, understood - and then to impart some comprehension to the four year old. This ability we as a communicative species to change our language must be able to be scaled to any other situation. Professional jargon, sports, spontaneous discussions of minutia. How do we filter it all and present it cognitively to others?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-84401513326028931062011-07-14T14:54:00.000-06:002016-08-03T20:30:03.106-06:00Longest Period Off in Five YearsHello there blogsphere (or at least anyone at all interested in what I write). It's been seven months since my last post on here and it seems like a lifetime has passed. Since January, I've been to Boston and Maine; I've worked many, many hours in both my primary job and my consulting work; and we're now only weeks away from having a third son. All of this is exciting in its own way I suppose, but it can be rather overwhelming. <br />
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My best accomplishment in the past several months was last Saturday cleaning the entire house and having it ready for friends to come over. I'm not as completely OCD as many people - I've mellowed out quite a bit from college where I would freak out over classwork and clean my apartment until 2am because it was something I could control.<br />
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I don't require complete order in the house - but there comes a time when I need some amount of order or I start to go a little anxious. The best way I can describe the feeling is claustrophobia. I also get anxious when there are too many things stacked on top of other things - and when I reach for something - the whole lot comes tumbling down. <br />
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But the house is clean now. <br />
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at least relatively so.<br />
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Baby report is that he's head down now after several weeks breech loaded. We talked with the midwife and I was not comfortable with having a home birth with a breech baby. I've been pretty in line with the homebirth experience - but if there is risk of cutting off of oxygen to the baby during delivery (pinched cord, cord wrapped around neck) I'm not willing to risk it.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-42550556094856279052011-01-28T15:31:00.000-06:002011-01-28T15:31:54.002-06:00The Worry SwitchIf I could have a super power it wouldn't be anything like heat vision or flying or superstrength. It would be the ability to turn off my inner brain which obsesses over worrying.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-72543609401093097562010-12-23T13:27:00.000-06:002010-12-23T13:27:20.318-06:00Developing Purpose and VisionApproximately six years ago I took a training course for Planning Directors which was led by Paul Zucker, a planning consultant out of California. One of his visioning processes asks several questions which I don't think I've fully fleshed out. I thought that today I would finally write out some of my honest answers to these and see where it leads me.<br />
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<strong>What mission in life absolutely obsesses you?</strong><br />
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The constant struggle to provide order out of chaos. Classification, cataloging and bringing defined space to an entropic world.<br />
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<strong>What is your dream about your work?</strong><br />
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I dream about working with a team of uniquely innovative designers, planners and policy makers which would teach me techniques, technology and provide me with challenges to provide housing, recreation and public space that people would recognize and enjoy for generations.<br />
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<strong>About what do you have a burning passion?</strong><br />
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I have a burning passion to learn more about architecture and design and the integration of the white space between buildings. Ever since Environmental Design classes at Texas A&M University where we attempted to examine why people behave in certain built environments, it's been a passion of mine to seek out those places which allow people to natrually inhabit without feeling claustrophobic or false. I would love produce a social demographic study of these spaces and produce a metric indicator showing why its economically, socially and environmentally sustainable to create these places.<br />
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<strong>What work do you find absorbing, involving, enthralling?</strong><br />
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I enjoy teaching others about planning and why having a holistic interdisiplinary viewpoint to the built environment can lead to exciting and nuanced experiences for people.<br />
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<strong>What is your personal agenda? What do you want to prove?</strong><br />
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Diversity is not an enemy. Caring about the welfare of people, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties is important (via JFK) and that everyone has a right to inhabit places which are safe, comfortable and sustainable.<br />
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<strong>How would you describe the ultimate objective for your organization?</strong><br />
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To provide service equitably among the population of the City. <br />
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<strong>If you overhear a conversation about your team one year/two years/three years down the road, what do you want people to be saying about us?</strong><br />
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They have moved the community from a reactive suburb to a proactive redevelopment community. They have engaged the local population, involved challenging ideas and produced high, but achievable expectations. They work compassionately, throroughly, and with great humor and aplomb.<br />
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<strong>What would it be like around here if you were really excited about coming to work every day?</strong><br />
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I would have the technology and the training for me to use it. I wouldn't have to be always making the "workaround" acheive my goals. Projects would be assigned with enough resources and support to involve dedicated individuals from multiple departments.<br />
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<strong>If you could create the ultimate work environment, how would you describe it? </strong><br />
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It would look something like this: <img id="fullResImage" src="http://innov8dt.com/files/soflo2.jpg" style="height: 387px; width: 580px;" /><br />
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<strong>What would we be doing that would have you excited about being a part of it?</strong><br />
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We would be conducting the initial data gathering for a comprehensive city plan. Not a new land use plan, but a managed growth and redevelopment plan. The new economic paradigm doesn't foresee growth in unplanned sprawl events anymore. Infill and redevelopment which are tied to the market demand on an area are the driving forces. The plan would identify (through public involvement and city stakeholder involvement) a set of indicators which could be used to measure whether or not the plan and the subsequent implementation policies derived from the plan are working. Therefore, very specific points can be shown that the policies implemented are achieving the success desired. <br />
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<strong>What does your ideal organization look like?</strong><br />
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Multi-talented, diverse and team oriented, rather than top-down management. Director - first of equals and maintains vision, direction and final veto. City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission are involved specifically as facilitators of the process in order to promote buy-in and to help demonstrate the necessity of unified vision, values and policies needed to provide implementation direction.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-9574237651253214902010-08-24T22:38:00.000-06:002010-08-24T22:38:26.700-06:00The Beginning of the JourneyTomorrow night, Alexander and I will begin reading <i>The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</i>. We read <i>The Hobbit</i> almost a year and a half ago. I remember reading the series for the first time when my friend Rusty Thrower gave them to me when I was in Elementary School. I read them again in High School when I was working at Six Flags and once again during the summer working for Delta Air Lines during college. I always would take an evening shift and come home around midnight or so. Since it was difficult to get to sleep, I'd make a sandwich, listen to some <a href="http://www.patrickohearn.com/">Patrick O'Hearn</a> music and read the books. The music is so ingrained with reading the stories for me that I will most likely put some tapes in the deck upstairs and listen to the music as I read them aloud to Alex. We just finished <i>The Princess Bride</i> last night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-62610968949845333072010-08-12T12:08:00.000-06:002010-08-12T12:08:49.726-06:00Getting a TicketInsert "RANT MODE" here.<br />
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Yesterday afternoon I received a speeding ticket going to an appointment. It was for going 44 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. The officer was friendly and to be honest, quick in his citation writing. I have no complaints about him at all. I have three complaints however with the City I received the ticket in however. <br />
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<ol><li>Arterial roads with 30 MPH speed limits. The Texas Department of Transportation sets speed limits on roads by measuring the speed of vehicles travelling down the road. It takes the 85th percentile of those speeds and then sets the limit. The limit may be modified up to 5 MPH above or below the 85th percentile. This way the road is driven according to its function. The road I was on in is a functional class minor arterial. There are numerous collector roads from the surrounding subdivisions that feed into the road. It is a link in the frankly dysfunctional east/west arterial system of the City. Only three roads within the City Limits travel completely through the City without a disconnection. Two other disconnected roads fill a 2.5 mile gap between two of the major arterials. There is a significant amount of population living within that 2.5 mile gap. This situation shows a lack of ability and will to adequately finance and construct arterial roads through the City. Only now is one of the primary arterials being widened through - there are two major sections which have not been widened at this point - (both in the City which I received my ticket). My point being - more functional arterials = greater mobility = faster (but not unsafe) speeds through the community.</li>
<li>The police vehicle which pulled me over was a Ford Expedition with no discernible markings whatsoever. While, I'm not debating the fact that a police force should be able to have unmarked vehicles - using them for the sole purpose of traffic control is primarily a revenue generator and not speed enforcement. A marked police car sitting at the same point on the road would "show force" that the City means business about the 30 MPH speed limit on that street. I would have double checked my speed instead of driving quickly to my appointment. I would have complied. No problem. I make a mistake in front of an unmarked car and immediately I owe $175 to the City. There is a difference between enforcement and revenue. It works in Code Enforcement - my department will issue a notice of violation - a "hey watch what you're doing" and provide you an opportunity to comply prior to issuance of a citation. A marked police car does the same thing. I honestly didn't know I was going over the speed limit. I fully realize that - but I'm not given the opportunity to correct my actions prior to punishment for infraction because the City is in a revenue mode.</li>
<li>The final issue I have is the Municipal Court. I got up this morning, read the information on the back of my citation and headed to the Municipal Court to receive my paperwork to begin the process of defensive driving. The citation clearly states that I would lose all privileges of defensive driving if I don't contact the Court prior to the deadline written on the citation. There is not anywhere listed on the citation that I have to wait four to five days prior to contacting the Court to allow the citation to be entered into the computer. So I arrive at 8:00am (by the way, the citation states the office hours are M-F 8:00am to 4:30pm - the sign on the door says 7:00am - ugh, I'm late to work for this?) and I arrive to find out that my citation written a day earlier is not in the system and they can't get my paperwork together to allow me to pay my administrative costs and begin to get the ticket dismissed. I'll have to come back next week. I'm attempting to be a model citizen by doing my diligence in getting things accomplished and this is how I'm treated. Again, my community has automated ticket writing instruments which allow officers to write tickets, print a citation to the defendant and the information is transmitted wirelessly to the primary computer server and entered into the system. The City in which I received the citation has a contract for police enforcement with an adjacent smaller city - does the smaller city know they have a substandard system?</li>
</ol>Again this is not a rant against the Police Officer who issued me a ticket (other than his bad handwriting which is almost impossible to read on the triplicate form he gave me) but against the system of management set up in the City which allows these things to occur. Better roads designed for higher (but safe speeds); marked police cars for traffic enforcement to ensure safety and compliance instead of punishment; and the utilization of technology to allow the necessary bureaucracy to function on a more efficient basis. These things make a better community - instead of one where form over function seems to be the course of order.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-77354454554763996012010-08-06T11:00:00.002-06:002010-08-12T12:11:32.745-06:00Oklahoma TripWe had a lovely time in Oklahoma. We stayed at the Sheraton Downtown - which was much nicer than many people posted on review websites. It was especially nice since we paid Priceline.com prices for it. <br />
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We arrived in town on Friday July 23rd in the early afternoon - I was surprised by the shortness of the trip. I had thought it would take longer. Driving to Austin is much more harrowing. We checked into the hotel and went for a (hot) walk around the Bricktown area just adjacent to the downtown.<br />
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Bricktown was originally a storage warehousing district located adjacent to the conjunction of railroad lines at the southeast corner of downtown. It was named Bricktown because of the proliferation of red brick structures. In 1993 a public referendum allowed economic development funding through taxes and bond sales for the redevelopment of the district. The plan was to create a multi-use entertainment district centered around a minor league baseball park. Additional effort was placed to create a link throughout the district by way of a canal. The canal, constructed below street grade allows for pedestrianism separated from the streets and a brief respite from the driving heat of the day. Water taxi boats ride up and down the canal.<br />
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Primarily composed of restaurants - there is little retail - the area felt a little abandoned on an early Friday night. Most of the restaurants are not especially geared towards families and more to adults - which is fine. I did overhear conversations that the place gets really crowded on baseball game nights and post 8:00pm weekends. Sonic corporate headquarters is located there as well as a large movie theater. Very little housing is located in the district - which to my jaundiced eye makes me wonder about it's long-term sustainability. <br />
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We ate at a restaurant overlooking the baseball field and then went back to the hotel for swimming in the small, but adequate pool. Alexander found a friend to play with and Ford was fascinated that he could touch the bottom of the pool. There was a lot of wind that evening which was nice. We sat and watched the cranes building the new Devon Energy building - which from what I understand will be in the top 30 tallest buildings in the United States.<br />
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Saturday morning we met our friends Connie, Heather, Ali and Drew and their son Gibson at the Oklahoma Zoo. The zoo is rather large in acreage. I think it is larger than the Fort Worth Zoo. We had a terrific time. My favorite part was feeding the parakeets nectar in the bird enclosure. I had at one time five sitting on my arms and shoulders. The birds freaked Alexander and Ford slightly - so we went to the petting area where they were able to pet sheep and goats. <br />
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The guys thoroughly enjoyed the bats and nocturnal creatures area, Grizzly Bears and the gorillas. <br />
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After lunch we parted with Connie and her family and went to the Science Museum right next door to the Zoo. All of us (including Ford) were able to ride Segways. Alexander and Ford climbed up a two story treehouse; Alex enjoyed working a robotic arm and lying on a bed of nails.<br />
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That evening, we went to the Thomas' home in Yukon and had a great dinner and friendship conversation. The guys played Wii and we enjoyed the company.<br />
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Sunday we checked out of the hotel and went to the Oklahoma National Monument - the park setting at the location of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The area affected Meredith quite considerably. She was moved by the chairs and the reflecting pond. I was interested in the design and decisions made to incorporate the reality of the terroristic act into the space and the reclamation of the space integrating into the downtown. There is a open plaza in front of the museum in which sidewalk chalk is provided for children to draw on specially provided sidewalk areas. It was haunting in the warm morning air with church bells ringing and echoing through the downtown.<br />
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Later we went back to Bricktown to ride the water taxi through the canal system and then ate some terrific barbecue. Alexander and Ford shared a smoked bologna sandwich which was testing their boundaries a bit.<br />
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We drove south and made a quick tour of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. I quite liked the way the campus was part of the southern area of town. I didn't see the level of private development surrounding the campus that I've seen around Texas A and M and the University of Texas, however.<br />
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That afternoon we arrived in Davis and checked into our hotel/cabin area near Turner Falls. We drove up to the lookout over the falls and finalized our decision that we didn't want to go there - it looked extremely crowded and a little dirty. We did drive over to the Chickasaw National Park in Sulphur, OK and drove through several of the park areas. Free to access, there were several areas on the creek areas which were small waterfall areas and lots of families swimming. We checked out the Junior Ranger Station were Alex and Ford made paper lizards and received their workbooks that once finished, would allow them to receive badges and patches declaring them "official" junior park rangers.<br />
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We went to the nature center to begin filling the workbooks; watched a short film about the park, and then walked up a 3/4 mile trail to one of the original natural springs which fed the creeks in the area. Sulphur gets its name from the more sulphur/bromide springs which come from the lower rock formations and aquifers in the area. Each of the remaining five springs in the area has a different mixture of minerals in the water coming from the different geologic strata. Each week, the park service tests the waters for ecoli and other biologics to assure the quality of water for swimming and for drinking - as many people come to the area to fill water bottles of the stuff. The water coming out of the ground is approximately 68 degrees so it was gloriously cold in the heat of the afternoon. <br />
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We went back to the cabin and had a light dinner and watched movies anticipating our big day of swimming.<br />
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Monday at 9:00 am we arrived back at the national park. We had a waterfall called "Little Niagra" all to ourselves for over an hour. We stayed there walking over the waterfalls climbing up the side of the boulders placed there 70 years previously. The water was cold, but it was fantastic. I took to occasionally jumping off of the waterfall into the 7'+ deep pool underneath. It was fun watching others arriving at the creek and taking their first steps into the cool water and then making the plunge. <br />
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We eventually convinced Alex to jump into the water with me from the waterfall. He said afterwards that the best part was jumping - the worst part was landing in the cold water.<br />
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Later we loaded back into the car and drove south to look at the rest of the national park area and went to a swimming /picnic area on a point in the Lake of the Arbuckles. All of us got into the lake which was much warmer in comparison to the creeks. The lakebed was very stony and we all had fun dredging up rocks from underneath our feet and tossing them across the surface of the water. There was much teaching of the proper size and shape of skipping stones and the correct angle they should be thrown in.<br />
<br />
That evening we showered and went to Ardmore for dinner. Looking around, we settled on Two Frogs near the interstate and had a terrific cajun dinner. Ford ate a child's plate of fettucini alfredo which was almost the size of his head.<br />
<br />
Afterwards we drove through a thunderstorm back to the cabin and saw a full double rainbow. We ate fried pies and went to bed.<br />
<br />
Tuesday we packed up and drove completely around Lake Murray. I was disappointed with the lodge, as my memory had it as a much nicer place. It was fairly run-down and had a musty smell. The privately-owned play area was very expensive for the time and activities they had. We climbed to the top of the tower on the lake and took pictures.<br />
<br />
We arrived back home a little afternoon and had lunch at our favorite steak place in Roanoke. For a small vacation, we were able to do a lot of stuff and were happy with going to Oklahoma City that we want to make a return trip to see some of the other museums and activities. Chickasaw National Park will be a definite return trip as well.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-25701670545435920722010-07-21T18:45:00.000-06:002010-07-21T18:45:04.570-06:00Going to OklahomaWe will be going to Oklahoma City on Friday. This will be an adventure in of itself. It will be somewhere none of us have been (for me, many years) and we're not going to be visiting any immediate family members. We're going to see some long-time family friends. Their oldest daughter is exactly my age minus one hour. I've always thought that was a cool thing - to know someone almost your exact age. Growing up - I used to think of her as a twin sister that I knew about but didn't get to grow up with. I haven't seen her since we were quite young. So, its an adventure unto itself.<br />
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We're planning on going to the Zoo, the Science Museum, the Memorial downtown and Bricktown during our two days there. We're also going to stay a couple of evenings in Davis, OK and go to the Chickasaw Nation National Park and go swimming in the waterfalls they have there.<br />
<br />
On the way back we might stop at Lake Murray and check out the lake and cabins for a possible future camping trip.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-70469714882151569662010-07-12T12:44:00.000-06:002010-07-12T12:44:26.160-06:00"The purity of our surrender will fascinate them. They will conclude that we looked into the abyss... and decided that we liked what we saw in there."<a href="http://kunstler.com/blog/2010/07/where-have-we-been-where-are-we-going-1.html">James Kunstler's</a> usual hyperbole is watered down today. I can see the image he visualizes more clearly now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-63687139399472379002010-07-06T08:05:00.000-06:002010-07-06T08:05:14.962-06:00The Cycle of Self-DestructionIt's come to this. I can't ignore the facts that are staring me in the face. I've attempted to write in this space about my thoughts about things in particular, planning and life and not dwell on my own failings and insecurities but I have got to kick myself in the butt to do something. <br />
<br />
I awoke at 3am last night with both of my arms sore from laying on them, my feet sore from standing during the day supporting a weight I'm uncomfortable walking around with. I have blood glucose issues that are controlled well with diet and meds but those cause me to have miserable digestive distress that I quickly "take a break" which extends through a weekend filled with indulgences, excuses and regrets. <br />
<br />
266. Eight pounds <strong>heavier</strong> than when I restarted last week. All from one weekend. I'm killing myself slowly. I fear what I'm doing to myself - which leads to anger and hatred of myself - which leads to paranoia and anxiety of what others probably think of me - which then leads to additional self-loathing because I feel that comes across as arrogance to think that anyone cares that much - which then leads to additional anger at myself for the self-pitying useless wretch that I've become at this point. <br />
<br />
I'm hampered by indecision and bound by guilt. Guilt of spending too much money, guilt of not spending enough, of wasting time and working too hard. Of overthinking too many things and not thinking enough. Of focusing on the details and missing the view and of wiping it down and thinking it done. Of depending too much on others and not delegating enough.<br />
<br />
I'm ready to rend myself into two. Need a Me(2) to accomplish the projects and allow the time to relax. I'm not claiming that what I'm feeling is anything special or unique or even worthwile mentioning. It is important to me because this is what is happening to me right now and failing to do anything about it is my own damn fault.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-86041705638155823012010-06-16T14:58:00.000-06:002010-06-16T14:58:26.138-06:00For the last time...Ok, here's the real deal.<br />
<br />
I am tired of seeing people use the following terms incorrectly. There are always comments about our government that we're living in socialism etc. I was once called a communist and a fascist in the same meeting. How could that be possible? Here's my distilled primer:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Communism = bad; dictorial; oppressive; murdered millions of people; far left<br />
<br />
Socialism = not necessarily bad but can be misused; on the left; higher involvement of government in society to ensure equal access to services outside of the market's ability.<br />
<br />
Liberalism = not bad; on the left; progressive; higher defense of civil rights and civil liberties; cares about the welfare of people and ideas.<br />
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Conservativism = not bad; on the right; traditional; higher defense of individual over the collective; higher defense of capitalism and free market.<br />
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Libertarianism = not necessarily bad, but difficult to implement; reduction or removal of government from most activities; prides the individual over the collective; swings both left and right based on other philosophies; may be mixing with anarchists.<br />
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Tea party = not necessarily bad, but incredibly misinformed; possibly insane; on the right and leaning further. Not enough cohesion to address or solve anything.<br />
<br />
Fascist = bad; may include references to Nazi's; National socialism (which is different from actual socialism); reactionary; dictorial; murdered millions of people; far right.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-47723000301718299062010-05-28T08:48:00.001-06:002010-05-28T09:11:35.859-06:00Action and ReactionNever before in my life have I felt more incapable of making changes for the betterment of others. Its amazing how bad the economy really is for most people. I've got a friend who was not joking when he told me that he's worried about food purchases. Fort Worth is $77M in the red, Dallas is $130M in the red. My City, while not that extreme is looking at further cuts in budget, examining tax increases and possibly the reduction in services. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I'm employed and have something useful to contribute to the community - but reading on a daily basis our societal inability to course correct enough to help more people really gets me down.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Our current administration was built on the Hope for a Change. Processes continue to be slow - accountability for those who are at fault remains ineffective especially for the clean up efforts in the Gulf.</li>
<li>Courtesy and basic human politeness had deteriorated to such a degree in personal interaction as to be non-existant. </li>
<li>News media have de-evolved from bringing concise, important information to tabolid trivia and sensationalistic gossip and conjecture.</li>
<li>We react to problems rather than act toward solutions.</li>
</ul>That has been my struggle with being on the left of many policy and social aspects of life. The progressive norm has been to point out the evils of injustice and inequality. Solutions have been few and far between. Many of the solutions proposed and implemented are variants of the compromise with the status quo - rather than making wholesale change. I have attempted in my job to point out the problems - but have brought forward a variety of solutions. Unfortunately, many solutions depend on the efforts of others either disinterested, frightened, or unwilling to make the change.<br />
<br />
As a pronouced futurist, one who was always looking as to what will happen in the next week, month and decade - it has become harder for me to envision a holistic atmosphere of improvement. Even the small increments of positive change have become slogs through mire - unfunded directions to do more with less resources, less time, and ultimately less results. <br />
<br />
I've been known to be risk-adverse. I like to plan and come up with alternatives and solutions prior to problems occuring - but as the past year and a half has shown in my own life decisions, if pressed I can make a sea change - stick with my principles and live with the results. Subsequent actions by others in my previous job have shown that this was the best move forward for me. <br />
<br />
On the other hand however - QuikTrip is offering $0.49 32oz soft drinks again. So that's a happy.<br />
<br />
"Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline." - R.E.M.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-10557519642004449602010-05-11T09:15:00.000-06:002010-05-11T09:15:17.466-06:00Pardon the InterruptionIt's been almost four months since I've posted to this blog. In that time I've started and stopped diets three times. I've restarted again this time using Livestrong.com as my calorie counter, exercise log and it will even track my glucose levels - that is if I keep up entering them. <br />
<br />
In the past several months we've gone to my sister's wedding, had a really nice time at a high school friend's housewarming party and had Meredith's parents stay with us for a week. Alexander and Ford had a program at their school for Fathers in which they had myself and both grandfathers attend - which was special. <br />
<br />
This summer is getting booked up with Vacation Bible Schools (three at last count); swimming lessons; and other things. Goals I want from the summer:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Go on vacation. We're thinking about going to Oklahoma for vacation. Turner Falls for two nights and two nights in Oklahoma City. Later in the late summer (September timeframe) we might go to Galveston for a long weekend.</li>
<li>Do some outdoor movies in the backyard.</li>
<li>Have a party (just because)</li>
<li>Get an estimate on redoing the kitchen (wallpaper, countertops, refinish cabinets and doors.</li>
<li>Get new tires for the Accord.</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-48168958260243208342010-01-20T13:53:00.000-06:002010-01-20T13:53:21.269-06:00I Wish I Could Rant Like This:From a conversation on The Huffington Post with Andres Duany:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"Duany began by identifying three concurrent crises that he traced directly to the American lifestyle: Peak oil (the likelihood that we've already consumed more than half the planet's petroleum in barely 100 years), the housing bubble, and global climate change. "It's where we live, the size of our houses, the distances we drive for work, commerce, play--everything."<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">And it's all a vicious circle. The reason our houses are so big (and inefficient), he says, is because we have eliminated a healthy civic life. We build homes with giant foyers because we have no public squares. We need media rooms because it's not easy or pleasant to drive to a multiplex theater, cross a parking lot through an ocean of cars, and pay a fortune for popcorn. We build bars in our basements because there are no neighborhood pubs. We have giant refrigerators and ever-growing storage needs because shopping is both far away and unpleasant (hello, Costco). The result? We heat and air-condition unused rooms in oversized unpleasant houses. And because our home bars and foyers are empty and our media experiences private, we're lonely, to boot."<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Here's the link: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-bauer/american-suburbia-vs-the_b_426989.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-bauer/american-suburbia-vs-the_b_426989.html</a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-33380476406431075602009-12-31T17:10:00.000-06:002009-12-31T17:10:10.494-06:00Wish I CouldWish I could:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>say the truth in all things.</li>
<li>end the negative and retain the positive.</li>
<li>relax.</li>
<li>stop the internal struggle against entropy.</li>
<li>lose the weight.</li>
<li>finish this senten....</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-76773990282867788162009-11-28T14:17:00.002-06:002009-12-04T14:57:41.005-06:00South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee 2009 Day SevenFriday was awash in sunshine. A bit cold perhaps, but not the threatening weather we had thought. Driving north through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spartanburg</span> and approaching the Mountains was a treat for us an the guys, who had never seen real mountains before. Ford kept asking where the mountains were for the first couple of hours. <div><br /></div><div>Because of the rock fall on top of Interstate 40 at the Tennessee / North Carolina border, we had planned an alternate route north of the Interstate through the French Broad River valley. Meredith of course loved the term and thought of every opportunity for me to keep seeking out my French Broad. </div><div><br /></div><div>We stopped for an hour or so in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Asheville</span>, NC. This is the Austin of Appalachians. Lots of trendy restaurants, bars, hipster places - so hipster that by accident, we wandered into a head shop called "Wonderland". One would think that a statue of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland would have been a big hint...so we enjoyed looking at the tie-dyed t-shirts.</div><div><br /></div><div>We walked along Church Ave and came about back to the main city center right along a 1967 London double-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">decker</span> bus. The bus had been put into a parcel of land (permitted as a mobile food vendor) for a coffee shop. You buy your coffee on the first level and can sit outside or on the second deck. They had to use a crane to place the bus in its current location. Meredith enjoyed their coffee.</div><div><br /></div><div>I thoroughly enjoyed the landscape architecture of the public park surrounding the civic structures of the City and County buildings. We will be coming back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Asheville</span>. Next time - to see the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Biltmore</span> Estate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Taking the Dixie Hwy northeast to Tennessee turned out to be our best decision yet this trip. There was lots of mountains and valleys to look at, nice roads that wound through the trees. Small towns including Hot Springs, NC on the Appalachian Trail (we're coming back there also) and opportunities to ride white water rafting along the French Broad River.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reaching Tennessee, we headed to the southeast towards <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Gatlinburg</span>, TN. There were lots of RV camping and cabin rentals along the way. Reaching <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Gatlinburg</span>, we found a public parking space and began walking through the main drag of the City. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Gatlinburg</span> can only be described as a cross between a Carnival Midway and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. T-shirt shops, candy stores, mini-golf, barkers, street performers, people smoking and lo, the literally tens of pancake houses as far as the eye can see. Meredith especially wanted to come to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Gatlinburg</span> as it was were her parents had honeymooned almost 50 years previously. They had ridden on a ski lift up the mountain where they had their picture taken. So we rode up the mountain. It wasn't until I was sitting down on the chair with Alexander when I noticed that this was a real ski lift with only a metal bar and a rather slick-worn seat between you and the 15 to 30 foot drop to the road/mountain below. I ended up with a death grip on Alex and couldn't turn around to check on Meredith and Mr. Bouncy Ford. I had visions of having to fish him off of the side of the mountain.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, we moved slowly and obviously we all survived. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later, we took in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">streetside</span> magic/comedy show. Alexander wanted to purchase the floating dollar trick and the "peeing raccoon" trick. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up driving through Pigeon Forge and seeing yet more Pancake Houses and "As Seen on TV" stores. We stayed that night in Knoxville, ate at a nice local restaurant and looked forward to the next day. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-20319634808818656462009-11-25T11:54:00.003-06:002009-12-04T14:17:42.075-06:00South Carolina 2009 Days Four, Five and Six<div>Ford has caught a slight cold. It's frustrating because he's normally very healthy. The other night he was coughing once every 15 seconds which made it difficult for him to go to sleep and me to stay asleep. It's also annoying that there is literally nothing we can purchase to help him with the cough. Everything over the counter now reads "not for children under 4 years of age". We did get him some nasal medicine and some vapor rub for his chest. Luckily we hit it rather hard and fast and it didn't bother him too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up going to the Edventure museum in Colombia and climbed around Ed the three story kid. You can climb into his head, chest cavity and eventually slide out his bowels. All in the name of science!</div><div><br /></div><div>Other areas of the museum the guys really enjoyed, including climbing on a fire truck, playing indoor hockey and looking at different forms of communication. I think the museum needs a little money to update and rework some of their exhibits which have had a little too much play.</div><div><br /></div><div>That afternoon we went to Saluda and went to a farm and food festival. Local businesses, organizations and restaurants had booths. Our favorite of course, was Shealy's BBQ. We told them that we had driven 1000 miles just for their BBQ. They gave us six bottles of their sauce as samples. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday we spent mostly around the house. I prepped my brine for the Turkey. The guys and I walked about a mile and a half to the boat launch in the neighborhood. That afternoon, Meredith, Ford and I went shopping in Lexington. Alexander stayed home with his grandparents. Almost on our way home, we received a phone call from her father which began with the words: "There's been an accident." Your heart is racing because you're thinking about ambulances, surgery and other disasters. The accident was Grandmama opening the refrigerator and spilling out an entire bowl of cranberry sauce onto the kitchen floor. It basically exploded from there with sauce appearing under the cabinets, in the fridge, under the fridge... Our job was to buy more cranberries on the way home. Our thoughts were even more relaxed when we knew that our son wasn't involved in creating the accident at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday being Thanksgiving, I awoke early enough to roast the turkey with enough time for other things to be cooked in the oven. The turkey was a rousing success. Grandmama's sister's family The Mewbournes came over and we enjoyed taking photos, Alex showing them the video games and playing with Helena who is almost one year old. That evening, I began to stress about the weather in North Carolina and Tennessee for our next leg of our trip and tempered that stress with watching a rather good Texas A&M/Texas football game. A&M at least showed up.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-1745858800417249642009-11-22T14:01:00.002-06:002009-11-22T14:17:21.061-06:00South Carolina 2009 Day Two and ThreeYesterday we had a slow day recovering from the drive. We went out on the Rentzes' boat and saw the bald eagle on his roost around the corner on the river. We also saw lots of the new houses (and ones for sale) along the shoreline. It was a bit chilly, but lots of fun. Ford fell asleep on the boat ride. Yesterday evening we went to Shealy's BBQ in Batesburg-Leesville. For the past several years, Shealy's has been the prime restaurant destination for our trips to South Carolina. The BBQ comes in three forms: Mustard based (which is the traditional midlands of South Carolina version) Vinegar which hales from the north and east portions of the State; and then there is hash which is a shredded pork with a little more of a thick gumbo consistency and is served on rice. I go for the mustard based - which ranks right up there with Texas BBQ Brisket as my favorite two.<br /><br />We went to Church this morning and had a nice discussion in the couple's bible study class about teachers and their responsibilities and roles in Christianity. Ford and Alexander had a nice time talking about being thankful in their Sunday school classes.<br /><br />We're going to do a little shopping tomorrow and then on Tuesday we're off to Columbia to check out the Children's Museum. We are still looking at going through Tennessee next weekend for our drive back.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258409253866283506.post-20569491716911606472009-11-21T11:27:00.002-06:002009-11-21T11:37:27.698-06:00South Carolina 2009 Day OneWe left Keller at 5:03am on Friday morning. Exactly eighteen hours (12:00am EST) we arrived in South Carolina. We stopped several times for coffee, potty breaks and running around time. The weather started out sort of rough leaving Texas right up to Tyler we were in a downpour with thunderstorms in the area. Once we got to Mississippi and stopped at the traveler's station on the eastern bank of the river, the sun was shining.<br /><br />We sort of "teched up" for the trip. We had Alexander's new DSi, Ford had his Leapster 2, and we had our portable DVD player for the trip. All of these helped out in the long trip during the day. Meredith had also packed snacks for us which made the travelling much easier.<br /><br />The hardest part of the trip was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There was a five mile back up of traffic on the east side of town. A large dump truck had lost a wheel, swerved across three lanes of traffic and slammed front end first into the center concrete divider. It also lost much of its load. Many people were very impatient and were driving on the rumble strips and down the median attempting to avoid the long traffic lines.<br /><br />Once we were through that, Birmingham and Atlanta traffic wasn't too bad. Only about 10:00pm CST did Ford really start getting annoyed with the trip. A brownie from Quiktrip helped out that situation quite well.<br /><br />We arrived right at the stroke of midnight and fell into bed as soon as we all brushed teeth. I probably wouldn't attempt to make the trip in one day again as it was a bit exhausting, but we now have had all of Saturday to rest and enjoy Papa and Grandmama's company. This afternoon we're looking forward to a boat ride and Shealey's BBQ in Batesburg-Leesville.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0