December...

Well December has arrived... and here in Western Pennsylvania it's arrived with White Christmas weather. As I may have mentioned in the past, I am not overly fond of snow. It does, however, make the bleak, post autumn landscape look wonderful, but snow almost always accompanied by outside temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I tend to prefer temperatures above 60, actually 70 and above, but I am willing to be a little flexible. There are other negative aspects of snow as well. Snow creates a walking and driving hazard, which isn't much of a problem for me, but since there are a lot of people that don't know how to walk and drive in the snow, I have to go around them, or go much slower than necessary. Snow means I have to spend more time preparing to go some where than just getting in the car and going. I have to add a few layers of clothing, shovel the walk, scrape the car, and wait for the car to warm up. As bad as snow is, don't get me started on ice! Anyway, today we have plenty of snow and a little ice, and it made the drive to work less than pleasant. It was exciting a few times, when the car slid unexpectedly, but in the morning before my brain has kicked in, I could do without that type of excitement. Today is also the day that Two has scheduled to take his driver's test to get his license. This is his second attempt, and he is extremely opposed to rescheduling. His school's annual semi-formal dance is this Saturday, and he would like to have his license so he can drive to and from and pick up his date without needing another "licensed driver" to ride shotgun. I don't blame him for his desires, because I had a similar desire when I was his age. I remember it well... (add chimes and a fade out as we go back in time....) I went to the driver testing station my grandfather full of confidence just a scant few days before the a big dance, and a big first date. We waited in a long line, and after about an hour, my number was called, and away I went. A few minutes later, my confidence was deflated, and I was feeling like a loser... because I had failed my driver's test. I was told I couldn't take the test again until the next day, which was only 1 day before the dance. The good news is that after a second day, and an even longer line I passed the test, got the license and drove to the dance. So here back in present day, I am hoping history will repeat itself, and Two will succeed today. If not, he won't be able to take the test tomorrow, as there is now a longer waiting period between tests (I believe it's a week), and you have to schedule your testing time, instead of just waiting in line. Please think good thoughts, say a quick little prayer, and cross your fingers with me and hope that all goes well this afternoon at 3PM, in the snow, in December, a few scant days before the big dance. Later Lou

It's snowing!!!

Ok, that "!!!" in the title isn't a exhaltation, it's a exclaimation!

This is what I saw when I went outside this morning:

BTW: When I was snapping this picture, Scrappers, my second cat, decided to investigate the going's on outside, and was fascinated with the falling white flakes.

I mean, I thought we were experiencing global warming, and the ice caps were melting... why in heck is it snowing in Western PA in mid November!?! Ok enough of my complaining, for now. Later Lou

Winter

Winter has arrived in Western Pennsylvania. This past week has been full of snow, and ice, the first real bit of winter this season. All of December, and most of January were very mild this year, almost like an extended autumn. We didn't get the severe winter that a lot of the mid-west got with the ice storms and heavy snow falls, but still enough to throw a couple of snowballs, and if I really wanted to I could probably make a snowman. I have family in the north west side of the state of Missouri and I got an Email from them a few weeks ago telling everyone that they were without power, and that they were sending the Email with the laptop's battery reserve. They said that the storm was so bad, that many stores ran out of product, and fuel stations were sold out, and they had been heating their home with portable kerosene heaters. So far, that kind of weather hasn't hit here, and I am being selfish, and hoping it doesn't in the future either! I will update you when I hear from them again. This past weekend my son, Josh, went to a Boy Scout function that was a two and a half hour drive up into the "mountains" of western PA to a small place called Heritage Reservation in Farmington, PA. Of course this little adventure of his also happened to be the weekend of the worst of our winter weather. I made it there and back both times (drop off/pick up) ok, and I only got stuck once. It happened when I went to pick him up on Sunday. I drove into the camping area, and to get to the spot we agreed to meet, I had to go over a small hill that ended in a small dead end parking area. As soon as I started down the slope I realized I had made a big mistake, but it was too late. I had passed the point of no return. At the bottom of the slope in the parking area, I got turned around with the help of the camp ranger pushing the front of my car while I backed into an empty parking spot. Josh met me and I began back up the slope, and only made it half way. I backed back down the slope and tried a second run, but only made it to the same spot. I believe I was an amusing specticle to watch, and when I stopped trying a group of young scouts jumped out of a nearby truck and pushed my car the rest of the way up the hill. Maybe I should consider winter tires? My new HHR came with "All Season" tires, and although it handles pretty well in the wet and slushy roads, it just doesn't have enough grip to get up an snow and ice covered hill... unless I get enough momentum going first. I guess I should stop calling my HHR "new"... I have had it for 6 months, and it definitatly has "wear" marks. :-) I will tell you more about those in a future post.

Winter Death

A man died. A man, that I knew. A man that went to the same school as I did, and rode the same bus to and from school each day as I did, and graduated in the same year (1983) as I did. A man, who as a boy, stayed over night at my home at one of my birthday parties, at which another boy threw up, down the stairway. A man who stayed close to home, as I did, after school. A man who I would see occassionally, and who would take the time to stop and talk with me. A man who once offered to help me find a job at his company when I was struggling to get my career started. This man died, suddenly, without illness, without warning, without finishing his life. I will not bump into him any longer at the supermarket, or hear about him from mutual aquantences. I will not see him at the next high school reunion. I went to the funeral home, where his body was laid for viewing. I stood in a long line to say my last words, and pay respects to his family. I thought I would recognize some of the faces. I thought I would see people from school, or people that we both knew, however I didn't recognize any of them, and I was overwhelmed. As I looked over the long line and I realized that this man had touched many, many lives, other than mine. Many of those lives touched more profoundly than mine. I made my way slowly to the front, and I looked that the pictures, the flowers, and the people. I stopped short of the casket, and was greeted by his older sister, whom I didn't know. We talked briefly, and she said his death was quick and painless. I stopped at the casket and said good-bye, and whispered that I was sorry we didn't know each other better. I told his father, mother, and brother that I was truly sorry for their loss. Then I left quickly. I was ashamed... I was ashamed that this man was in my life, every day for over 10 years when we were going to school, and I didn't take the time to get to know him. I did know from the few times we spent time together he was a good man, with a great heart. A man who would give his last dime if it would help you. I didn't know his family, and I didn't know if he had a wife, kids or other loved one. How could I have been so selfish as to not know more about such a good person? A person who I literally grew up with! I am 39, and soon to be 40, and I realizing that even though I have been around for more than a couple of years, that life is really short, and you should live it to the fullest... You can't know the future. You don't know whether you have 50 years, or 50 minutes of life left... So live! Take the time to get to know that person who's on the edge of your life, and it will make your life bigger! Later Lou I cannot change the past, but I can learn from it.

Winter Storm

Today here in Western, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. We are expecting a "Winter Blast" with snow accumulation upto 8 inches. It's supposed to be the worst accumulation we have had all winter... Let me tell you we have already had quite a bit, so for this to be the worst it must be going to be pretty bad. According to the National Weather Service, it does appear like a big storm is approaching, and at the time of this writing we are just seeing the beginnings of the storm. I have been hearing about this storm since last night. It's making the headlines and all of the local talk shows this morning are gabbing about it. My nine year old daughter went out with a friend to see the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie." Her friend's parents told her that there would be a big storm coming and possibly a school delay this morning. Everyone knows about this storm.... Well, I get into work this morning, turn on my computer, and I find the following picture on my computer:

Now that's a great picture... Nice flowers, and nice to think that soon here in the Pittsburgh area, we will be seeing green leaves, grass, and maybe some flowers... This picture is our "weekly company picture". Our company is headquartered in Israel, and the main office here in the US is in Dallas, so they probably don't realize that Punxsutawney Phil said there would be 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!

Last week here at work, we had a gentleman from our HR department come in to our office, and reviewed the results of "employee survey" the company did in 2004. It basically showed that we are "happier" than we were two years ago, but we are still unhappy. They haven't yet figured out that if you give a pay increase, even a small one, not just a one time "bonus" that it can go a long way to improving "morale".

So I guess what I am saying is the results of the survey and the weekly company picture did not improve my morale this week... Instead it made me feel even more like the company is out of touch with me. They keep saying they understand and that they are going to improve things, but I don't think they really are... Why should they? The survey said we are happier than we were two years ago!

I am going to go back and look at the pretty picture again... Maybe if I look at it again, it will lift my spirits...

Later Lou