Five Long Years

Since my Uncle Jerry passed away. In some ways it seems like yesterday. At the same time it seems like a lifetime ago. I miss him like crazy.

I have the best co-workers in the world.

I do. I absolutely do. The best, I love them.

My 41st year has been off to a rocky start. It started with a short but violent bout of gastric disaster of some kind. Sorry, I am not enough of a nurse yet to say exactly what it was, except evil. That laid me low for a couple of days and seemed like a bad omen. So I forced myself to go to school (sick as a dog) for my first A&P class and the subway line I take to school had a meltdown causing me to be late to my first class (grrr). Then because of the piles of un-shoveled snow, we couldn't get in the main exit, further delayong me. Then I had another class the next day and went to the wrong classroom. Late again, I find my way to the right class and the Pharmacology professor assigns 12 chapters and a quiz the next week. On the first class. Great. The next day, the subways were all screwed up and I was late again for A&P lab. Just to be consistant, I was again late to my 8:00 AM Nutrition class this morning. It's been the kind of week where everything that can go wrong did. Plus I am feeling old and fat and cranky.

So why do I love my coworkers so? This afternoon they dragged me and another worker having a birthday down to the lunch room and fed us cake. And they sang to us. And they took up a collection to send me to go get a massage. (Which it looks like I need!) I was so overwhelmed! I mean, I know these guys are great. They are funny and quirky and each of them has something interesting or cool about them. But I just wasn't expecting this. I guess I really needed it. So, now I feel lucky again! And I am!

41

Is the answer.... A snowy birthday in NYC. Whoohoo! School starts again Monday. Anatomy & Physiology II, Nutrition and Pharmacology, here I come. Should be an interesting semester. I passed my CPR for Professional Rescuers certification yesterday. The class was fun. Progress is being made. Slowly but surely.

Privacy vs. Honesty

This privacy issue has been on my mind a lot lately. There are many stories I long to tell here. Some of them do not belong entirely to me. They involve others who may be impacted negatively if I choose to write about the events. I would like my blog to be a complete and honest record of my life, observations, joy, pain, feelings, and ideas. I would love it if it were interesting or useful in any way to someone else. But most of all I do not wish to cause harm to others out of some misguided attempt at self-expression.

Where to draw the line? I am afraid to write on the death of my brother. I do not wish to hurt my family. I miss him desperately but is the story mine to tell? Not entirely, I am afraid. How much can one talk about work or personal relationships without crossing that line that gets one fired or divorced? Is my blog less valid if I do not? I suspect it does lose something and that troubles me.

If there is any doubt that pain can be caused by too much disclosure, consider Justin. I just found this vblog and I remember Justin from way back. Justin is a true pioneer of the net. I remember Justin's links ten years ago when the web was in it's infancy. I worked at SUNY Stony Brook and had high speed internet access at work along with NCSA Mosaic. Surfing was just getting started. Justin ran a list of interesting links. Justin was a blogger before anyone called it that. Now he has exposed his heart and soul in a vblog. He wrangles with the same issues (much more eloquently). Wanting to relate and yet somehow driving people away by doing so. He is paying a price for his honesty. His piece touched me as much as anything I have seen on the web in a long time. Perhaps I am gullible but I feel he is absolutely telling exactly how he is feeling. Is it worth the amount of pain he had to feel to make it? Will it help him to have expressed those feelings? Will it help someone else? Will someone close to him see it and be moved to give him an ear or a hug or a bunch of hugs or just hold his hand? I sure as hell hope so. I wish I could but I can't. What he needs is analog not digital.

I digress.

In my life - I just came back from a weekend in Indiana with my Mom. A very interesting experience to say the least. It was great to see her. I miss her very much. It was good to see that she is safe and well.

More to come...

More Dylan!!!!

Here is another amazing vblog from Dylan. The coolest videoblogger in the world. She has great musical taste, too.
Youngest Videoblogger In The World! : Record Player

I also fount this absolutely amazing piece done by her dad about the response to Dylan's first vblog. You must look at this it is so great!

Cherish Your Children

Lately, I have been trying to do a better job of keeping in touch with old friends. This is something I am very bad at. I truly regret this because I love my friends and think of them often. I just always seem to be doing it at 11:30 at night which makes it sort of impolite to call. Anyway, I have been trying to track down and email some folks I have been missing. I recently got back in touch with a great woman friend whom I consider to be one of my most important mentors early in my Information Technology career, Anne Chelius.
As it turns out, Anne has also gone through a transition away from IT. She has a very exciting new venture called "Cherish Your Children". Her new company provides parent coaching. I didn't even know such a thing existed.
I am very excited for Anne! If I had children, which I do not, but if I did, Anne would be one of first people I would turn to for advice. You see, I have met each of Anne's five children; most of them when they were still teenagers. They are a true tribute Anne's parenting skills. These are some of the most well rounded, confident, well adjusted people I have met. I also know how busy Anne back then. Somehow, she managed to be supermom while running several businesses, being the President of a professional association, and active in several other associations. If anyone has something to offer today's stressed out, time and sleep deprived parents, it is Anne. Best of luck to Anne and I hope anyone who might be interested follows the link and check out her company.

Winter Vacation

I spent last week on Mt Washington winter camping at the Harvard Cabin run by the Harvard Mountaineering Club near Huntington Ravine. There were times I felt quite chilly, but I must admit I had a good time! After about a week in the tent, though, boy did that hot shower feel good!! Listened to the Tsunami reports on NPR while hiking and was amazed at the scale of the disaster. Spent a beautiful new year with one of the most amazing starry nights I have ever seen. Contradictions, contradictions. Wishing you all a very, very happy new year.

Very cold water! 

Me on Mount Washington 

Huntington Ravine 12/28/04 

Some more Tsunami relief links:

International aid organizations:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
United Nations' World Food Programme
Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders (donate!)
CARE International
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

UK/Europe:
Disasters Emergency Comittee (DEC) - comprises a raft of aid agencies, including the below and others
British Red Cross
Save the Children UK

North America:
American Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
Save The Children

Anders Jacobsen: Webloggers: Give to tsunami victims and I'll give too!

NPR : Tsunami Relief: Where to Give

Hi, I just got from vacation on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. I want to tell you all about it but, first, at the risk of jumping on the bandwagon... Please consider giving, if you can, to one of these agencies providing relief for the victims of last weeks devastating tsunami. Here is some information from NPR with a list of organizations:
NPR : Tsunami Relief: Where to Give