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All posts tagged work
As a pleasant diversion (and out of curiosity) I left early for work Wednesday morning and made a trip out to Letha House Park in Medina County, the site of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association's observatory. I wanted to see what progress had been made on the new driveway and parking lot for the park. I also figured I could enjoy a little nature walk around the pond and wetland area there, a little respite before the workday –and night– began. There was no progress on the lot except that a giant digging machine had been removed. The day was sunny and surprisingly hot. Walking slowly, dressed in shorts and tee shirt, I sweated as I moved along the path to the wildlife area. Dragonflies (yes, again) were everywhere so naturally I started shooting photos of them.
I also encountered a bird that flitted from perch to perch obviously trying to evade me but not wanting to go very far. I figured it was a mother and didn't want to tip me off about the location of her nest. Later I was able to confirm that it was a female red-winged blackbird. This particular bird was holding an insect in her beak, obviously a meal for her offspring, as I photographed her watching me.
Note: At home that night I found my camera no longer wished to talk to my PC. Haven't yet fixed it but I can do what many others do… offload the photos from Compact Flash using a media reader.
Ugh! It's been an uncomfortable few days. My cold symptoms kept shifting (in typical fashion) ranging from the sore throat at the beginning, coughing and sneezing yesterday, to a fever and headache today. Misery during a week of velvety blue skies by day and clear comfortable nights. The view out the windows is of perfection –those aforementioned blue skies set off by a foreground of lush green trees– but I've stayed indoors. Besides the beauty of the days, I missed a golden opportunity to do some stargazing last night. Friends set up telescopes 10 minutes from my place of work and on a night when I was scheduled to be there til sunset! In fact, I left work early last night and called in sick today which, for me, is extremely rare. I figure with all the virus fears people have these days, my co-workers were happy I stayed away! I'm also glad I stayed home because it was not a good day for me.
I kept the TV off for most of the day, preferring to keep the top of my head from popping off by sitting in the subdued light of a quiet room. I did get to see half of a film I recorded from Sundance Channel: How to Cook Your Life; She Who Must Be Obeyed had taken the day off by pre-arrangement, and wanted to watch something. She became involved with the film as did I. I'd seen a bit of it the other night and was intrigued enough to want to see more. The documentary centers on Edward Espe Brown, a chef and buddhist priest, but it's really about our relationship with food. It was the segment on breadmaking that captivated me in the preview and, as it happens, it was bread that started Brown on his life's journey. Interesting to me is the prevalence of people involved in spiritual practice and breadmaking. I hope to see the balance of the film tonight. As a baker myself, will likely order Brown's classic, The Tassajara Bread Book.
My symptoms seem to be moderating. I'm feeling a bit peaked right now but then, I haven't eaten all day. Tomorrow's a scheduled day off for me so I'm hoping I can complete my recovery in time for the weekend.
Not much to write except to say the day started off nicely. The garden area tended by She Who Must Be Obeyed is sprouting beautiful new green. It has been cool and wet so my favorite foliage plants, the hostas, are looking very good.
To take a break from a day full of frustrations –installing a new server machine ought to be easy for me, but when the manufacturer and vendor strip it of all documentation, well, it isn't easy– I ate a quick Taco Bell lunch and headed for the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village. The Center is nestled in a beautiful suburban metropark and features exhibits and a lovely courtyard dominated by a large water feature. Wild and captive (injured) birds are in residence in the open and are both fun to view and easy to photograph.
I'm glad I took time out to enjoy a little open air and wildlife. The afternoon wasn't nearly as frustrating as the morning since I pretty much resigned myself to the fact I wouldn't finish the installation today! Left work for home and, hopefully, a good weekend. Viewing these photos tonight brought back good feelings of a lunch hour well spent.
A server upgrade did not go well last night. The email system was properly installed, could be accessed from the Web, but could not send or receive messages — the SMTP server was mashed. I worked til 11:00 PM trying to revive the beast but finally gave up and went home. I thought it would be a stressful morning and day but things went quite differently. A calm came over me as I drove cross-country towards work. I enjoyed the brightening day and the mists and dew-bright fields of rural areas, the diamond reflections off a meandering river in its valley off the side of the road.
On other mornings I've wanted to stop on my commute to photograph and enjoy some of the scenes. Between not having enough time and finding no place to park the car, those stops never happened. This morning was different. I had passed too many beautiful scenes this day; there was enough time to spare; I had my camera with me (as always); and I really didn't care if I wound up a little late arriving to tend to a sick computer. Seeing a likely spot as I passed, I turned the car around, found a parking spot (a miracle, actually) and emerged to try and record some of the beauty I had been so enjoying.
Dew-dotted spider's webs backlit by the rising sun are easy to enjoy but devilishly difficult to photograph, especially with no tripod at hand. Focus is difficult and the drops are brilliant compared with the dark backgrounds that let them shine. No matter, I enjoyed the sights. I even found one that, for all the world, looked like a Native American dream catcher.
Then it was back to the car and off to work. The email server? The vendor's tech support spent about two hours finding and repairing the problem. My improptu photographic experience cost no time or inconvenience in getting the mail through. As I upload this item, just before retiring for the night, I feel good… better than I have for days. What a way to start the day! I really must do that more often.
Something happened with our PC systems –something to do with the change to Daylight Saving Time– that did not go well at all. So yesterday I arrived at the office to be asked casually by someone, "did you notice how all the computer clocks are off?" The clocks were off by an hour or two, or more, or even a day or so. Ulp! I still don't know what happened to the computers but I did spend a full 12-hour day shutting off security on each of the 50 or so computers, correcting the clocks, installing Microsoft updates and patches (hoping that helps), and turning security back on. All that while people were in the building. Odd, though, the PCs went through the change from DST to Standard Time last fall with no issues at all. I'm still investigating the incident and trying to find out what to do to avoid its repeating. I'd love it if the world's governments would finally just give up on this "saving time" business and stick with Standard Time year 'round; there are many good reasons to do that.
The unexpected additional work hours did, however, have a small bright side — I generated enough compensatory time off that I was able to stay home for the better part of the day. I used that time to create Web presence for the Big Publishing Project. Tomorrow I see and (presumably) approve proofs of the job and nearly all of my work on that 20-page, full-color beauty will be complete. I'm looking forward to some time off during my time off.
It's looking like the skies may be clear this weekend for a re-scheduled observatory public night. So, instead of kicking back and relaxing Saturday night, I'll probably be in a cold, dark dome keeping a century-old telescope aimed at the planet Saturn. Thing is, thinking about that right now makes it seem like a chore; I'm so very tired. There is, however, something about hearing "WOW!" and "COOL!" and "It's so beautiful!" from folks enjoying their first good look at Saturn that recharges my spirit.
It was a beautiful morning at nearby Hinckley Lake where I went to enjoy the quiet early day. It's a needed respite which will help me prepare for the long day ahead; a day which will include working til about midnight on a computer server that is on its last legs. Here we see the early sun shining through mists rising from the still surface of the lake. How I would have loved to spend more time there and how I would love to go out tonight — the skies should be wonderful for astronomy. Alas, I must work to earn an income. Money may not buy happiness, but it helps!










