Election

Oh thank God, I don't need to move to Mexico (Canada is too cold)stay tuned for photos, Kyle has been at Obama headquarters for the past 2 weeks aned has credentials to join them at Grant Park

Back to Ollie

A while ago I introduced you briefly to Ollie, my then kitten, now, in Diana's description the man-cat. The photo I posted then was one shot quickly before he bolted for his hiding place behind the dryer. He now struts with a swagger and thinks that the squirt gun that for a time was effective in modifying his behavior is a joke. He literally climbs the walls and window frames, and I am pretty certain that there is nowhere in our house that he hasn't been. If there isn't it must be because there is nothing there that interests him. He has sent instant messages when I have left my computer unattended for a moment and turned the computer off by unplugging it.This past week has found Ollile making huge strides in his abilities, so much so that I am contemplating cabinet locks and the like. He has learned to open drawers and cupboards, in search of his beloved string that he likes to chase. And this morning was the topper. I was home alone, and while generally comfortable with this, am alert to noises and things that might indicate danger. I was reading the paper when I heard a thud and a light went on upstairs...yes, Ollie now knows how to turn on the lights. A short time later I heard a door slam and found Ollie shut in a bedroom. I don't think precocious is something desirable in a cat.

Today was the last day of the Beaverton Farmers Market for this year, I have mixed emotions, I will miss hanging with my new friends and chatting with the people who come through, but it will be nice to have some days to sleep in. I will look for new opportunities to see my market friends like Lisa's "Mother Hubbard's Cupboard bazaar in Hubbard Oregon. weekends between November 14- December 14. And as for the Beaverton Farmers Market, thanks to the "honker" to limiting himself to single honks today, we all appreciate it.

The Honker and other memories of summer The first day of fall, wow, where did the summer go? Saturday marked the 20th week of Art Court at the Beaverton Farmers' Market...that is where my summer went. It has been a great experience, I have met a number of interesting new friends, done a lot of people watching (people zoo as Denny calls it), and learned more about my glass and how people relate to it. Beaverton First United Methodist Church which is adjacent to the market opened their lawn to artists for the first time this year and from my perspective it is a great addition to the market, market management opinion not withstanding.

Saturdays from 7 am - 3 pm for in my case 18 of the past 20 weeks leaves me with many memories, among the most vivid is the "honker", mostly because his location was closer to mine last week than any other week. There is a market faithful shopper who arrives in her non-descript white car each week, parks and goes about her shopping. The rub is that her elderly and apparently grouchy husband stays in the car. Shortly after she leaves him he begins honking the horn...over and over again. She appears to be a serious market devotee because it goes on and on for a good long time. My time at this years' market is winding down, and I will miss it and my market friends. Best wishes especially to Cyndi who is having surgery this week done by my second cousin Matt, small world.

I promise to post more regularly, I have a lot to tell you about including the most incredible birthday party ever (Linda's on August 2). Andrew and Diana coming back to Portland, Ollie whom you have met via photo who is now 6 months old are things that come to mind.

GAS!

We just finished a huge glass weekend in Portland. The Glass Art Society's annual conference was here. GAS is an international group that counts among its members most of the "celebrities" of the glass world. This conference was attended by perhaps 1,800 people from all over the world, including a large contingent from Australia, and it was held 10 minutes from my home! It was a real treat to spend two days surrounded by people who share my fascination with glass. To top the weekend off we did the tour of Bullseye's factory Sunday afternoon. WOW! Here are a some of my observations from GAS:

- While it was great that it was so close to home there are drawbacks to this as well. Since I cold do my normal life and still participate I was distracted by things like grocery shopping--geez, where were my priorities?

- Portland really is a great city, it took comments from the out-of-towners to remind me of this

- A surprising number of my glass working compatriots won't try something that they haven't learned in a class.

- There is just not enough time in a day, days in a week... to try all of the new ideas I have

- The sessions were, for the most part quite good, but the programs put on locally by the Oregon Glass Guild and Bullseye are equally good but in smaller doses rather than two days of multiple simultaneous sessions

Next year's conference is in Corning NY, I just might go.

INTRODUCING

Ollie

An accidental "prank call"

I got home from Seaside this afternoon to discover that our phone line wasn't working. I took great pride in checking each phone and then, following the process that I had observed Dan going through the last time this happened I opened the box outside and plugged in a phone to see if the problem was in or out of the house before I placed a trouble call to Quest. Full of confidence and not wearing the reading glasses that I seem to need more than in the past I dialed the number to place the call. I have made enough calls to help lines in recent years that it didn't surprise me when I couldn't understand the initial greeting from the person who answered my call, but when she said "what can we do for you?" I said "our phone line is dead." She asked me to repeat this a couple of times and then said "this is a funeral home". If only I had made the call yesterday.

Good News!.

I just talked with my friend Linda who has been dealing with a glioblastoma, the vilest of all brain tumors for most of the past year. Fortunately her incredible team of care givers has found a treatment that is working for her. The last time we talked however her insurance company had decided that they didn't care to pay for it, and by the way she owed them $200,000 for the treatments they had already paid for and would be responsible for the ongoing $22,000 per MONTH for future treatments.

Thanks to her physicians and the insurance commissioner in her state, Regence has reconsidered and will cover her treatment. Linda has registered for a triathalon in August, my money is on her to win.

Wow, it is hard to believe it has been almost a month since I have added a post to this, but when I think about where I have been in that month, maybe not (Medford and Seaside X 2 each, Arizona and Spokane). The good news is that I am home (except for a day trip) for the next week and a half, have done some nice reorganization of my studio space and am ready to rock and roll. We (Dan and I) attended the Oregon Glass Guild meeting tonight, something that always gets me thinking about new and different things to do so I am ready to go, except that the NCAA basketball games start again tomorrow and for once "my" bracket is doing quite well. So...I'll be bouncing between the TV and my studio tomorrow, as usual with too many ideas and too lilttle time.

The OGG (Oregon Glass Guild) meeting tonight was interesting to me at several different levels, good ideas about photos, relationships with galleries, and general glass marketing, but also in another entirely different direction. The photographer's studio in which we met is the husband of one of two of the teamed teachers who were pivotal in the education of my kids and their peers. While both of these great educators have retired from Portland Public Schools, their impact was great and it was nice to be able to pass along a greeting to someone who added value to our family some twelve years ago.

I think tomorrow is the day.

We've had a string of very nice days, sunny, 60 degrees, rain at night (how perfect is that?) I think tomorrow is the day that my daffodils will start blooming. They are bulging and looking increasingly yellow. Daffodil bloom marks the arrival of spring and I can't wait. Daffodils and the fact that today I delivered a series of commissioned glass pieces that had been the source of angst for at least three months have my outlook soaring.

An End In Sight

After weeks of cold wet weather we finally had a break. Yesterday it was nice enough that we were able to bicycle to lunch. What a treat! For me the best part of more temperate weather is that I have been able to get out to work with my glass. It feels great! The kiln is running right now for the fourth time in as many days and I have stowed all of my new treasures from the Bullseye glass sale last month. LIfe is good.

Vacation Learning

Recently returned from a nice winter break, a cruise along the west coast of Mexico. We have become frequent cruisers, I think we average 1.5 per year. Spoiled? Yes. Feeling guilty about it? No. I recall reading that the definition of stupidity or insanity or...name the affliction is to repeat something you have done before and expect different results. I have compiled a list of axioms that I hope to remember when preparing for future cruise vacations.

- I will not be happy with a pre-cruise stay at a Doubletree Hotel. They are part of the Hilton chain, for my job I spend many nights in Hilton properties and therefore have some free nights at their hotels. Haven't met a Doubletree yet that met my meager expectations, note to self: Don't stay at Doubletree.

- I will gain weight on a cruise. Despite the rigor of my pre-cruise diet I will succumb to the feeding frenzy that cruises evoke.

- I can adopt anon-ship activity level that matches my increased eating, but need to be sure to avoid things like the knee strain I earned on day one of our most recent trip.

- There are never enough sea days for me on a cruise, and also never enough time to do everyting I want to do on the ship.

- The Norwalk virus is way more prevalent than we are led to believe. We are three for three on our most recent cruises. We haven't gotten it, but the ship-wide endemic infection has happened on each of them, on tow different cruise lines. My strategy of washing my hands and using sanitizer at every opportunity and not touching anything I don't need to...railings, buttons, my face, etc. seems to work.

- I will pack too much. Fully half of what I took with me didn't see the light of day.

- January in Cabo San Lucas is NOT snorkeling season. Talk about COLD!

- And my final observation, that may become a photo essay campaign-- Speedos should be illegal. Every cruise and most ports seem to have at least one, a guy in his 70's or beyond who thinks he needs to grace the entire ship/beach with views of him parading around in his, my most recent example locked his hands behind his head as he strolled to be sure there was no blocked view. What are they thinking? Where are their wives?

Happy Holidays? Yes Indeed!

My glass and things like this blog have taken a back seat, actually a seat in the back row of the bus lately, my kids have been home! My younger son Kyle who lives in Washington DC, and my older son Andrew and his wife Diana who live in Nagai Japan have been here for the past two and a half weeks. It's been great having them around, but unfortunately they all leave this weekend.

I have unfinished business from my last post...

He really didn't know howWith the many opportunities I have to critique them I have my own opinions about what is and isn't necessary in airline flight attendant patter. The first on my list of "really not helpful" is the instructions that go something like "insert the metal clip in the buckle and pull on the loose strap to tighten the seatbelt across your lap". I mean really, the only people who don't know how to buckle a seatbelt are from third world countries and don't speak English, right? On a recent flight there was a 20-something young man sitting next to me, judging by the book he was reading, a native English-speaking college student. To my amazement he couldn't figure out how to fasten his seatbelt. He poked the metal clip at the buckle in a variety of ways, all except the right way. I stand corrected, not everyone knows how to buckle a seatbelt, probably because airpland seatbelts are pretty primative compared to current automobile varieties. I still maintain that telling people how to do is isn't necessary, it didn't help him.

Jobs for jokers or not I am all for enjoying our jobs. Where I work we engage in "bowling" during every holiday season that spawns small round chocolates. We have a verrry long hallway, and are able to create a 60 foot alley with a seasonally appropriate target at the end, most recently a Santa that we try to roll the candy to. It's a nice harmless way to have a few laughs with a distraction that lasts just a few minutes.

There are some jobs suitable for jokers and clowns, waiters, perhaps. There are others whose services I depend or may depend on in the future in which I really don't want jokers. This list includes surgeons, accountants, lawyers and PILOTS.

With the new larger planes on my most frequent flying route has come a new set of pilots. A couple of times lately I have had a joker for a pilot. He has a stuffed penguin hanging on what would be the rear view mirror of a car, OK, I can let him have that. As the doors are closed he plays the sound of a train whistle and says "all aboard, welcome aboard the Portland Trailblazer Express" and some other train-type stuff. Shouldn't he be doing some pre-flight checklist stuff? Fast forward to the beginning of descent, agaoin the train whistle..."next stop Portland station, exit to the left, platform one". Again isn't there something more important that he should be doing? If it was a flight attendant, maybe, but pilot, no!

Whew!

It's been a busy couple of months, but it looks like now I can focus on my usual last minute shopping and baking that I seem to do this time of the year. My travel for the year is finished and I have delivered all but one of my glass orders --Julie, I promise to work on it next week.

I spend a lot of time sitting on airplanes, so much so that the airline sends me cookies every year at this time, lovely shortbread dipped in chocolate. In celebration of the fact that I have two full weeks ahead when I won't be airborn I want to reflect on a few of my recent observations about flying:

- Bigger is NOT better

- He really didn't know how...?p>

- Jobs for jokers or not

Bigger...Most of my flights are a one hour trip from Portland to Medford. It is a trip I do so often it has become just a commute, something I've been doing off and on for a dozen years, and regularly for the past seven or eight years. When I first started making this trip the Medford airport had two airlines, with a handful of flights, zealous security even before 9/11 but otherwise pretty low-keyed.

Now there must be six or seven airlines serving Medford with flights to quite a variety of destinations with a now standing room only terminal.

My airline of choice has responded to the increase in traffic to Medford by using bigger planes for a couple of flights daily and decreasing the number of flights. The first time I was on a jet rather than my accustomed Bombari Q 200 I thought I had "arrived". It was fast, smooth and quiet, what more could I ask for? Well, as I have had more experience with the big planes I now know that indeed, bigger is not better. The airline has systems that work extremely well for small planes, you carry (or in my case drag) your suitcase out to the plane and put it on a cart just before you climb the stairs to board. At the other end it is waiting on a cart just outside the door as you get off, simple, easy and efficient. With the bigger planes, guess what? There are way more bags on the cart for them to load and unload so there goes the efficient thing. The bigger planes also can use the jetways, those tubes that serve as ramps from the terminal to the plane...think 70 tired cranky people standing in the tube while their suitcases are unloaded and hoisted up to a platform and then placed in the tube where a scramble ensues for who can grap their bag and get out fastest...

Big planes bring more people to get ahead of me in the rental car lines when I arrive and again in the security line on my way home. All in all, despite the 30% reduction in flight time the trip takes me about 40 minutes longer than it used to. So much for progress.

"He didn't know" and "Jokers" will follow...

Good News!

Had a call from my friend Linda who is undergoing treatment for a very nasty brain tumor tonight. I picked up the phone and heard "buy stock in Genentech". It was Linda with news of her MRI today. It showed significant tumor reduction, this after two doses of her new chemo. This is a very good day.