Hello from Vinalhaven Island, Maine. The good news is I didn't have to use the emergency barf bag (a big zip lock I found in my purse) as I conscientiously sucked down three pieces of hard candy ginger - expired, who knew? - as we were ferried to this island off the coast of Maine. The ferry was small, and the weather was overcast and rainy. I was not hopeful. However, like everything else about this trip so far, the rainbow which appeared in Holbrook, Arizona over Joe & Aggie's Mexican Restaurant (our favorite), on the very first day of the trip was a definite omen immediately seized upon by the superstitious (me).
We had our first trip interaction last night with the local population. We ate at the local bar and hangout which was an obvious institution. Upon arriving, there was an uproarious bar scene following every pitch of the Red Sox game against the Angels. Walking into the dining room, and I'm using the term very, very loosely, there were only a couple of empty tables. The rest were occupied with extended families as well as a table of young people. Smart enough to know the one waitress we spotted, who was running between the bar and the restaurant, wouldn't have time to seat us, we grabbed a couple of menus and seated ourselves.
Immediately, the busy waitress appeared with an Ipad. I'm thinking, "Wow, how impressive is that in this burg - a waitress taking orders electronically." However, instead of asking for food orders, she began reading a trivia question. (What woman took over representation of this rock musician in the 1980's after he was fired by his band and later married him?) From uproarious, the room went to dead silence listening to the question. It was somewhat unnerving until Drake leaned across to me and said, "That's Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, right?" I said, "Hell, I don't know, but it's a good guess." After a couple of minutes, the table across from us, looked up in frustration, and one of occupants said, "Do you know the answer?" We shrugged and gave them Drake's guess. Well, we were right, and we became instant consultants at the local Friday night trivia game.
It was a good start in Vinalhaven. I confess all we did was reorg and cooking today - I made chilli as well as chocolate chip cookies while we regrouped. Drake did all the laundry, and we messed around with our stuff consolidating and repacking. I admit graduation from Yale was glorious, but exhausting. Plus, we arrived in New Haven a day early breaking our rule about not driving more than 350 miles a day. Instead, we drove 1100 miles in two days to spend a few more hours with THE SMARTEST WOMAN AT YALE UNIVERSITY who now officially has two Masters' Degrees. We win the sweepstakes. Our daughter has more education than we do, and a better job at age 29 than we ever had... Every parents' dream.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
What did You Want for Christmas in 1983?
I love to read magazines, and our nomadic lifestyle precludes paper magazine subscriptions. Yes, I know now days you can 'subscribe' online, but I still find it difficult to 'read' a magazine on-line. I even have a Zinio subscription to use in a pinch. When in Sun City, I can find bins of magazines for the grand sum of $.25 per magazine. What you find IN the bins is sometimes startling. Point in fact, last week I found a 1961 Good Housekeeping, and, yes, it's filled with Jacqueline Kennedy! The most common magazine, which I sometimes think reproduces while we aren't looking, is National Geographic.
On the last magazine run to the bins, I found a 1983 Saturday Evening Post. Now, this 1983 mag was a far cry from its heyday publication during the the first 30 years of the 20th century. The 'real' Saturday Evening Post published from 1821 until 1969 when it was killed off by television. The 1983 magazine I found was actually just a 'nostalgia' issue. Those issues published sporadically throughout the 1970's and 1980's.
The Saturday Evening Post became famous for its cover art. Can anyone say "Norman Rockwell, and before Rockwell was "Charles Gibson". Gibson originated the 'Gibson Girl', a pre-movies ideal of the modern American girl next door who wore sensible clothes, no corset, rode a bicycle, used small amounts of make-up, and viewed herself as part of the larger world. The Post also published short stories, but those offerings were considered more popular works than literary (that field was covered by the New Yorker and Collier's). The notable exception was F. Scott Fitzgerald who published in the Saturday Evening Post.
So, back to my 1983 Saturday Evening Post. I bought it to see what America looked like 32 years ago. There was a profile of Willard Scott, already the 'beloved' weather man of the Today Show. An editorial was bemoaning the lack of 'commitment' between young people. (Boy, those young people are always a source of constant disappointment to the older generation, aren't they?) The article which really, really grabbed my attention was "Electronic Gift Giving - Batteries Not Included". The subtitle was: 'Our choice of high-tech offerings you may want to plug into your Christmas shopping list'
The first product was 'Component TV'. A Proton (yes, really) 600M 19" color monitor with a high resolution picture and a home computer hook-up to the 600T video tuner could accommodate 105 cable channels! It retailed for ONLY $1050. (That's about $2500 in a today's dollars.) Then, there's digital sound which has just been 'improved' to no longer have a stylus but instead uses laser technology. Forget LP's, in 1983 it's palm sized discs featuring shiny surfaces that send digital messages to the player. Each disc is in the $20 range (about $48 in 2015).
There are also available for the 1983 Christmas season computer phones with microprocessors that remember numbers and have a speaker - only $350 for the Genesis AT&T model. My two favorite gifts were: the Seiko Talking Watch (which SEP compared to the 'Dick Tracy' watch of the comic strip.) On the talking watch 8 seconds of sound could be recorded and played back at a set time all for just $195 ($463 today.)
My big winner of 1983 was the cutting edge electronic game: Monty Plays Scrabble! This was a hand held scrabble game which was NOT inactive beyond the 'hint' function if you let the device randomly select your letters. Up to three people could play, and it came with a 12,000 word (politically correct) dictionary. In later years, you could 'upgrade' the
dictionary with add-ons to bring the dictionary up to 44,000 entries. (FYI - that's roughly one-fourth of the current words available to an English speaker. I wonder which ones were left out of the Monty dictionary?) Monty had a few drawbacks: It didn't display the game board since it only had an 8x4 character LCD display. You had to draw the board with paper and pencil or use the traditional game board. As far as I could tell, the biggest plus was you didn't have to carry all those pesky wooden tiles with you and a paper dictionary for disputes. This was 'scrabble on the go' circa early 1980's
Casio also had an entertainment entry in 1983 using microprocessors in its $200 electronic keyboard (with an built in cassette player, already passe' at the time). The keyboard could simulate additional musical instruments as well as 16 beguiling background rhythms. I've heard these, and oh, you never forget them. This high-tech addition to the keyboard world quickly jumped into the organ market, and there are still churches out there with tango rhythms to embellish the hymns.
'Notebook' computers are in their infancy. The first available for the consumer market were packed into medium sized hard case briefcases, and had to have an external power supply (ie plugged into the wall). The newest models of 1983 "have a full keyboard, a large 40 column LCD display and built in word processing and communication programs" (They don't mean email.) These are marketed for traveling journalists - meaning let the company pop for this - because they cost $799 ($1900 in 2015).
Finally, video learning is touted in this 1983 magazine as the 'new genre' in the video game market. Video games are disparaged as "having at least one redeeming factor - they help develop coordination. Few, however, deserve the hours of attention some young users give them." (We are talking about Astron Belt and Donkey Kong, Jr to name a couple). The new video teacher is Basic Number Facts. It "combines flashy fun with educational qualities". You'd think they could have found a better name - oh, yeah, I want to play number facts with a teacher.
As I flipped through the magazine, I especially noted the advertisements. Yes, we were already a consumption society. I came across the "Itty Bitty Booklight", a product I still have. There was also the 'Best Little Bullshit Scraper in Texas!' with *shit* censored out of the title. It's only $9.95 (plus p & h).
Obviously, 'shipping' is not something used for such a low priced product. It was made of heavy cast steel, weighed 3 pounds and you pushed it into the ground at a door entrance as a shoe cleaner. A full page ad of 'Toast Your NFL Team' by purchasing mugs, tankards, plaques, tote bags or even the tankard lamp with a free key ring thrown in for with every purchase looked pretty much like the tasteless sports items available in 2015 until I noticed there were no Titans or Ravens, and very few of the logos were unchanged. There were still personal ads, much more genteelly phrased, Currier and Ives prints and Hummel figurines. And the topper: Yes, you could buy a Christmas fruitcake shipped through the mail in 1983 just showing the more things change, the more they remain the same. I wonder if any of those fruitcakes are still being re-gifted?
On the last magazine run to the bins, I found a 1983 Saturday Evening Post. Now, this 1983 mag was a far cry from its heyday publication during the the first 30 years of the 20th century. The 'real' Saturday Evening Post published from 1821 until 1969 when it was killed off by television. The 1983 magazine I found was actually just a 'nostalgia' issue. Those issues published sporadically throughout the 1970's and 1980's.
The Saturday Evening Post became famous for its cover art. Can anyone say "Norman Rockwell, and before Rockwell was "Charles Gibson". Gibson originated the 'Gibson Girl', a pre-movies ideal of the modern American girl next door who wore sensible clothes, no corset, rode a bicycle, used small amounts of make-up, and viewed herself as part of the larger world. The Post also published short stories, but those offerings were considered more popular works than literary (that field was covered by the New Yorker and Collier's). The notable exception was F. Scott Fitzgerald who published in the Saturday Evening Post.
So, back to my 1983 Saturday Evening Post. I bought it to see what America looked like 32 years ago. There was a profile of Willard Scott, already the 'beloved' weather man of the Today Show. An editorial was bemoaning the lack of 'commitment' between young people. (Boy, those young people are always a source of constant disappointment to the older generation, aren't they?) The article which really, really grabbed my attention was "Electronic Gift Giving - Batteries Not Included". The subtitle was: 'Our choice of high-tech offerings you may want to plug into your Christmas shopping list'
The first product was 'Component TV'. A Proton (yes, really) 600M 19" color monitor with a high resolution picture and a home computer hook-up to the 600T video tuner could accommodate 105 cable channels! It retailed for ONLY $1050. (That's about $2500 in a today's dollars.) Then, there's digital sound which has just been 'improved' to no longer have a stylus but instead uses laser technology. Forget LP's, in 1983 it's palm sized discs featuring shiny surfaces that send digital messages to the player. Each disc is in the $20 range (about $48 in 2015).
There are also available for the 1983 Christmas season computer phones with microprocessors that remember numbers and have a speaker - only $350 for the Genesis AT&T model. My two favorite gifts were: the Seiko Talking Watch (which SEP compared to the 'Dick Tracy' watch of the comic strip.) On the talking watch 8 seconds of sound could be recorded and played back at a set time all for just $195 ($463 today.)
My big winner of 1983 was the cutting edge electronic game: Monty Plays Scrabble! This was a hand held scrabble game which was NOT inactive beyond the 'hint' function if you let the device randomly select your letters. Up to three people could play, and it came with a 12,000 word (politically correct) dictionary. In later years, you could 'upgrade' the
dictionary with add-ons to bring the dictionary up to 44,000 entries. (FYI - that's roughly one-fourth of the current words available to an English speaker. I wonder which ones were left out of the Monty dictionary?) Monty had a few drawbacks: It didn't display the game board since it only had an 8x4 character LCD display. You had to draw the board with paper and pencil or use the traditional game board. As far as I could tell, the biggest plus was you didn't have to carry all those pesky wooden tiles with you and a paper dictionary for disputes. This was 'scrabble on the go' circa early 1980's Casio also had an entertainment entry in 1983 using microprocessors in its $200 electronic keyboard (with an built in cassette player, already passe' at the time). The keyboard could simulate additional musical instruments as well as 16 beguiling background rhythms. I've heard these, and oh, you never forget them. This high-tech addition to the keyboard world quickly jumped into the organ market, and there are still churches out there with tango rhythms to embellish the hymns.
'Notebook' computers are in their infancy. The first available for the consumer market were packed into medium sized hard case briefcases, and had to have an external power supply (ie plugged into the wall). The newest models of 1983 "have a full keyboard, a large 40 column LCD display and built in word processing and communication programs" (They don't mean email.) These are marketed for traveling journalists - meaning let the company pop for this - because they cost $799 ($1900 in 2015).
Finally, video learning is touted in this 1983 magazine as the 'new genre' in the video game market. Video games are disparaged as "having at least one redeeming factor - they help develop coordination. Few, however, deserve the hours of attention some young users give them." (We are talking about Astron Belt and Donkey Kong, Jr to name a couple). The new video teacher is Basic Number Facts. It "combines flashy fun with educational qualities". You'd think they could have found a better name - oh, yeah, I want to play number facts with a teacher.
As I flipped through the magazine, I especially noted the advertisements. Yes, we were already a consumption society. I came across the "Itty Bitty Booklight", a product I still have. There was also the 'Best Little Bullshit Scraper in Texas!' with *shit* censored out of the title. It's only $9.95 (plus p & h).
Obviously, 'shipping' is not something used for such a low priced product. It was made of heavy cast steel, weighed 3 pounds and you pushed it into the ground at a door entrance as a shoe cleaner. A full page ad of 'Toast Your NFL Team' by purchasing mugs, tankards, plaques, tote bags or even the tankard lamp with a free key ring thrown in for with every purchase looked pretty much like the tasteless sports items available in 2015 until I noticed there were no Titans or Ravens, and very few of the logos were unchanged. There were still personal ads, much more genteelly phrased, Currier and Ives prints and Hummel figurines. And the topper: Yes, you could buy a Christmas fruitcake shipped through the mail in 1983 just showing the more things change, the more they remain the same. I wonder if any of those fruitcakes are still being re-gifted? Sunday, April 26, 2015
Canada, here we come!
It’s
been like Christmas around here. I shop
almost exclusively on the computer.
First, my feet hurt so badly walking around on concrete to shop means a
big time pain increase. Second, I know
my sizes and brands and materials as well as what styles look good on me. Third, I always save money. Therefore, it’s been a constant stream of
stuff I need for the coming six months.
We aren’t going to have an ‘address’ to receive mail until September 1st. I don’t buy just clothes on-line. I buy cosmetics, my probiotic, shoes,
underwear, travel books, Drake’s shoes, embroidery kits, Sarah’s graduation
gift, Jay’s graduation gift, wine, a purse, and an Elite cooler bag.
That cooler bag is made in Dallas
My feet are really bad. I’m having lots of pain which escalates when
I’m ‘on’ them for long periods of time.
Well, that’s what touring and hiking is all about, so I’m expecting ice
packs, a big martini, and my feet ‘up’ during evenings for a lot of this upcoming trip. Drake will want to watch the Rangers, no
matter where we are most nights, and we don’t like to eat a huge restaurant meal
late anyway. Gosh, are we old people or
what?
Anyway, the point is I’m planning on
cooking for a few nights at the places where we are staying for 5 or 7
days. I’ve been acquiring crock pot
recipes which take 6 to 10 hours to cook. (And, I don't appreciate all you cookinistas laughing at my crock pot plan. I know who you are.) Anyway, MY plan is to put something in the crock pot as
I’m leaving the house for a day of sightseeing.
Even if we don’t eat it that night, if you have a soup or a chicken or a roast to work with, each one will be good for several types of quick
meals. Thus, the extra cooler since there’s
a period where we are one day’s drive between multi-day stays, and I don’t want
to keep replacing cold staples.
The planning on this trip has been very
extensive. We’ve done this enough now to
know having what you want with you AND being able to put your hands on it
immediately is crucial. Usually, we just
unload our entire cargo trailer the day we arrive at wherever we will be
staying for a few months. This time, we
will be working mainly out of the trailer, and unloading as few items as possible
when we are only staying for a few days or a week in a place.
We are taking probably one-fourth the amount of stuff we
usually travel with since all the places are 'furnished. The bikes are going to travel inside the trailer
instead of on top of the car. (Here we are at Craters of the Moon, with Drake taking a pic of the trailer with mounted bikes and me from the top of a lava mountain. I graciously let him struggle to the top with the camera while I waited on ground as 'perspective'.) It's much
easier to decide to ‘ride’ on a whim if Drake isn't bench pressing them
over his head twice every time we want to take a spin. (In the next picture we are being inspected by the army because the 1788 lighthouse we wanted to look at is now inside an army base in Virginia. Had to prove we weren't geriatric terrorists.)
 |
| For the Canada trip, Drake is going to bungee the bikes one of each side INSIDE the trailer. |
Additionally, he's rigged a clothes bar to hang our extra clothes inside garment bags. We want to be able to get to the
tool containers, the toiletry tub, the embroidery tub, the kitchen tub, the
electronics tub, the spice box (a plastic shoe boxed size container with a handle
on top), the bike bag, the ironing board and iron (which has its own train
case), the ‘files’, the office/stationery tub, and the exercise bag all of which will be inside the trailer with the bikes and clothes.
I don’t expect to need my linens until Colorado
We have ‘tasks’ broken down between Drake and I as we get
ready to head out of Arizona
Surprisingly, the tough pack are the clothes. We contend with multiple seasons, and those
‘bridge’ seasons can sometimes be unseasonably cold. In Fraser ,
Colorado
Then, there are the specialty items. We are bringing lots of bottles of wine to
share with our friends and family as we celebrate our way to Connecticut
Is this all worth it? Definitely. I need to get out of the Sun City routine. I need to get out of the desert because I miss green plants and large green trees, and I don't want to do 115 degrees. My favorite thing about traveling is not just about seeing all the new stuff and meeting new people. It is just as much about getting up to a unique day almost every day. Every day is an adventure, well, not on the scale of canoeing the Amazon, but pretty adventurous all the same. I also guarantee that my blog will be reinvigorated. This is going to be a great trip. Get ready, Canada, here we come.
Is this all worth it? Definitely. I need to get out of the Sun City routine. I need to get out of the desert because I miss green plants and large green trees, and I don't want to do 115 degrees. My favorite thing about traveling is not just about seeing all the new stuff and meeting new people. It is just as much about getting up to a unique day almost every day. Every day is an adventure, well, not on the scale of canoeing the Amazon, but pretty adventurous all the same. I also guarantee that my blog will be reinvigorated. This is going to be a great trip. Get ready, Canada, here we come.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Wrinkles Strike Back
I've been obsessing about my wrinkles. I think it has something to do with being 65 this year. There are momentous birthdays in our lives which affect us whether we acknowledge it or not. Remember turning five and heading to kindergarten? What a day that was... Suddenly, just because we were five, we entered a completely new world, and by doing so discovered pretty quickly the world we stepped out of was also subtly altered. Perhaps that's why so many moms cry as they leave their children at the school door for the first time.
Then, there's 10, or what I think of at the double digit birthday. I felt becoming a double digit like ALL the adults I admired made me part of their special club. I definitely couldn't be called a 'baby' anymore. This is the first time I contemplated being an adult. I could actually visualize myself as a 'grown up'.
Next, was 13, or becoming a teeny bopper. While the first double digit birthday was mostly positive, our culture has a lot of negative energy directed at teenagers. Moody, unresponsive, messy, unfocused, uncontrolled or even uncontrollable are a few of the adjectives hurled at kiddos whose inner hormonal turmoil makes them feel they are no longer in control of their own bodies. I've talked to lots of people who grew seven or eight inches seemingly overnight. Not only did their bodies actually hurt, but they even injured themselves repeatedly. They couldn't get a grip on their own body space because it was changing so quickly. Banged elbows and knees, spilled glasses at the dinner table, and actually tripping over yourself are common experiences of teens in growth spurts. No wonder it's a big celebration exiting the teen years. Becoming 21 is heralded as the start of adulthood. Oddly, we celebrate the onset of our supposed adulthood by getting blitzed with our well meaning friends. Woo Hoo! Have another tequila shot! It's hilarious that no one over the age of 40 thinks a 21 year old is an adult except at a bar.
Oldsters still think of twenty somethings as kids, and parents still valiantly try to retain parental clout long past 21. Our son-in-law hit 30 today. Wow! Thirty means, hey, I'm a full fledged adult - back off, Mom and Dad. No one can possibly think of a person who is 30 as a 'kid' anymore. This birthday hits some folks very hard. The ones who have not achieved any of their dreams, or who have achieved them and found them hollow find age 30 a mental minefield. For others, it's a relief to have their decisions and judgments validated by their age.
Lordy, Lordy _________________ (fill in the blank) is 40! I've actually seen flashing portable signs planted in front yards announcing the start of middle age for the poor, unsuspecting soul to all the neighbors and passersby. This is when black party decorations make their appearance. It's as if age 40 puts one of your feet into your own grave. Since a 40 year old is obviously in the prime of life in a life span of 80+ years, the 40th birthday party draped in black crepe paper is just fun, fun, fun. I can remember comforting myself at age 40 with the following rationale: "I can't possibly be one of those fuddy duddy middle aged stick in the muds; I have a kindergartner!" Like that makes a difference. When you're 40+, you're middle aged; it's not the new '30'.
Then, BANG, age 65 hits like the tsunami of the teen years. Sign up for Medicare. Are you collecting Social Security yet? You're retiring soon, right? Better get that knee joint replaced; it's only going to get worse. Think about downsizing, and get that will or trust in order. Thinking about the dementia statistics at this point in your life will send you into a fetal ball. Life feels like it's accelerating downhill with no brakes.
Maybe trying to minimize my wrinkles with specialty cream is me trying to apply non-existent brakes. At least I'm not contemplating hair dye or a face lift. (Well, I'm actually thinking about buying spray on/wash out hair dye and spraying my one lock of conspicuously clumped white hair over my left eye to match my daily outfit.) However, upon further reflection, the hair dye spray idea seems a bit over the top. A little too punk for my advanced age? I'm just glad I'm not totally gray since I could never chain myself to the permanent hair dye routine. One silver lining to living in Sun City, Arizona is here we are 'youngsters' - yes, I've actually been called a youngster. Inside my heart, though, I know I'm not young.
My last realization is the final life milestone is death. "She/he was _____ years old when he/she died. It's a lottery; you never know when your number will be called. Unfortunately, we are all automatically enrolled; we didn't even have to buy a ticket. Maybe these wrinkles aren't so bad after all....
Then, there's 10, or what I think of at the double digit birthday. I felt becoming a double digit like ALL the adults I admired made me part of their special club. I definitely couldn't be called a 'baby' anymore. This is the first time I contemplated being an adult. I could actually visualize myself as a 'grown up'.
Next, was 13, or becoming a teeny bopper. While the first double digit birthday was mostly positive, our culture has a lot of negative energy directed at teenagers. Moody, unresponsive, messy, unfocused, uncontrolled or even uncontrollable are a few of the adjectives hurled at kiddos whose inner hormonal turmoil makes them feel they are no longer in control of their own bodies. I've talked to lots of people who grew seven or eight inches seemingly overnight. Not only did their bodies actually hurt, but they even injured themselves repeatedly. They couldn't get a grip on their own body space because it was changing so quickly. Banged elbows and knees, spilled glasses at the dinner table, and actually tripping over yourself are common experiences of teens in growth spurts. No wonder it's a big celebration exiting the teen years. Becoming 21 is heralded as the start of adulthood. Oddly, we celebrate the onset of our supposed adulthood by getting blitzed with our well meaning friends. Woo Hoo! Have another tequila shot! It's hilarious that no one over the age of 40 thinks a 21 year old is an adult except at a bar.
Oldsters still think of twenty somethings as kids, and parents still valiantly try to retain parental clout long past 21. Our son-in-law hit 30 today. Wow! Thirty means, hey, I'm a full fledged adult - back off, Mom and Dad. No one can possibly think of a person who is 30 as a 'kid' anymore. This birthday hits some folks very hard. The ones who have not achieved any of their dreams, or who have achieved them and found them hollow find age 30 a mental minefield. For others, it's a relief to have their decisions and judgments validated by their age.
Lordy, Lordy _________________ (fill in the blank) is 40! I've actually seen flashing portable signs planted in front yards announcing the start of middle age for the poor, unsuspecting soul to all the neighbors and passersby. This is when black party decorations make their appearance. It's as if age 40 puts one of your feet into your own grave. Since a 40 year old is obviously in the prime of life in a life span of 80+ years, the 40th birthday party draped in black crepe paper is just fun, fun, fun. I can remember comforting myself at age 40 with the following rationale: "I can't possibly be one of those fuddy duddy middle aged stick in the muds; I have a kindergartner!" Like that makes a difference. When you're 40+, you're middle aged; it's not the new '30'.
Then, BANG, age 65 hits like the tsunami of the teen years. Sign up for Medicare. Are you collecting Social Security yet? You're retiring soon, right? Better get that knee joint replaced; it's only going to get worse. Think about downsizing, and get that will or trust in order. Thinking about the dementia statistics at this point in your life will send you into a fetal ball. Life feels like it's accelerating downhill with no brakes.
Maybe trying to minimize my wrinkles with specialty cream is me trying to apply non-existent brakes. At least I'm not contemplating hair dye or a face lift. (Well, I'm actually thinking about buying spray on/wash out hair dye and spraying my one lock of conspicuously clumped white hair over my left eye to match my daily outfit.) However, upon further reflection, the hair dye spray idea seems a bit over the top. A little too punk for my advanced age? I'm just glad I'm not totally gray since I could never chain myself to the permanent hair dye routine. One silver lining to living in Sun City, Arizona is here we are 'youngsters' - yes, I've actually been called a youngster. Inside my heart, though, I know I'm not young.
My last realization is the final life milestone is death. "She/he was _____ years old when he/she died. It's a lottery; you never know when your number will be called. Unfortunately, we are all automatically enrolled; we didn't even have to buy a ticket. Maybe these wrinkles aren't so bad after all....
Friday, March 27, 2015
Spring Training Report for the Texas Rangers from the Smith Fanatics
If you don't think modern major league baseball is all about pitching, witness the 2014 Texas Ranger's season. By the beginning of the season two of our five starting pitchers were gone. Within a few weeks another was lost to Tommy John surgery, and those still standing were stressed and inconsistent. Paired with other injuries, which set an all time major league baseball record for disabled list games missed, (See http://grantland.com/the-triangle/texas-rangers-historic-injury-woes/) the Rangers were 67 and 95 and finished last in the division. Almost a complete turnaround from the 2013 season.
So, the good news about the 2015 Rangers is they won't be THAT bad this upcoming season, but the loss of Darvish for the entire season, and based on what I've seen of Tommy John recovery, part of the next, is making the 2015 season a disappointment in the making. In my opinion, because of the still stressed starting pitching staff, (missing Darvish, Harrison, and Perez), lack of left handed relief pitching, and a repaired Feliz untested closing for an entire season, this is not a play-off team without a significant amount of good luck, or as baseball people say, we need 'lightening in a bottle'.
This Spring Training has actually been much more fun for us than the "set clubs" we have witnessed in the past. There's not much joking and kidding around in the dugout because so many of the players are grinding constantly trying to win one of the open roster spots on the team. Also, the new manager, Banister, is stoic compared to Ron Washington's exuberant attitude and that's being reflected in the dugout. Keep in mind Jon Daniel's said in last night's interview contractual obligations may affect any of the team's personnel decisions, and Drake and I are not privy to all those nuances. However, that said, Let's start with the outfield: There are three outfield spots open, one starting position and two reserve (backup) positions.
Young 25 year old Ryan Rua, a homegrown prospect, with some successful Ranger performance last fall, is the front runner for making the team. He's been fun to watch, and he's been constantly improving this Spring. Following him, are four other candidates, Jake Smokinski, 26, signed before last year after being released by the Nationals also had fall success with the Rangers. Then, there's Nate Schierholtz, a retread, who is 31 and has bounced around a variety of National League clubs. He was the last Spring Training invitee signed by the Rangers. Two younger long shots are Carlos Peguero, a 27 year old who looks eerily like a young Nelson Cruz. He hits for power and has a similar trajectory of being a late bloomer. Finally, there's Delino DeShields, Jr., yes, he's the major leaguerer's son, who is only 22. He's a Rule 5 draftee from the Houston Astos. If he doesn't make our major league roster, we have to offer him back to the Astros.
Drake's prediction is the final two slots will go to Shierholtz and Smolinski - with Peguero being sent to Triple A to continue working on this strikeout problem. DeShields will be sent back to the Astros. Drake feels DeShields is not ready for prime time, and the Rangers don't have the luxury of developing him into a big leaguer while part of the major league roster. My prediction is Smolinski and DeShields will make the club with Shierholtz released and Peguero sent down. I think Daniels will not let DeShields get away. Since, the season is already compromised, we do have the luxury of developing DeShields.
Some last thoughts about the outfield. Martin looks healthy and is getting himself ready for the season. Drake's analysis is he's ready to be the lead off hitter. He's showing much more plate discipline than he has in the past. We all know he can bunt, and he's fast. Chin Soo Choo, or Jon Daniel's brain fart as I like to term him, has shown nothing this Spring. Or, as Drake puts it, he's shown the continuing tendency to be fragile with nagging injuries. That's why we both think Peguero will be in Triple A to start the season, so he can fine tune his game. He'll be ready for the call-up if Choo goes down. Why Daniels ever thought this loser was worth a 7 year multi-million dollar contract is beyond either of us.
Let's talk about the infield. The starting positions are set here. (Fielder, Odor, Andrus, and Beltre). Fielder looks like Fielder - showing power, a great presence at the plate, even beating the extreme shift teams like to play against him. With his plate threat we also have to accept a mediocre glove at first base, and not so hot speed on the base paths. However, he puts butts in the seats which we will need to hold the fan base while we hang on during this rough patch. Beltre looks very good, but he is 36 on April 7th, and his age is going to start working against him over the long, long season. Andrus looks in the best shape ever, and he's had a sparkling Spring Training. (The club is so serious this Spring even the irrepressible Elvis can't lighten the mood.) The best news for the future is Mr. Odor has also had a great Spring and isn't showing any signs of sophomore slump.
The real news for the Ranger infield is who will be the utility players on the team. There are four candidates left standing for two spots. One roster spot is for a middle infielder, and one roster spot is for a corner infielder. Defensive skills are the paramount factor for these team slots. The four candidates are: Adam Rosales, a familiar name to Ranger fans, seems to have the corner infielder spot locked. That leaves three players competing for the middle infielder spot: Elliot Johnson, Ed Lucas and Thomas Field. These are all new names to the Rangers. It's a toss up as to which one will get it at this point. Drake would lean toward Thomas Field because of his combination of offense/defense, but the other two can also play the corner positions. This may be a good example where the contractual obligations will call the shots. All I know is these are the type of players who hang onto the edge of major league baseball, and each Spring Training finds them desperately grinding away to grab that $500,000 salary, the major league minimum.
Turning to the pitching, it's not all bad news. The starting rotation is almost set - four out of the five will be - Lewis, Holland, Gallardo, and Detwiler with Nick Martinez having the inside line over Nick Tepesch on the fifth slot after his fabulous performance last night against the Rockies. Both Gallardo and Lewis are veterans fine tuning their wares, but both will be solid during the season. Holland is being brought along slowly in terms of stamina, but he will be ready for prime time. Detwiler is a retread from the National's who could return to top form or be a disappointment - time will tell. Martinez looks to be an up and coming starter who Drake thinks is poised for a break out season.
Our bullpen is a muddle. The 7th and 8th inning set up men and the closer are set: Tolleson, Scheppers, and Feliz. After that, well, there's only one left handed reliever in the bullpen - an interesting side armer called Claudio who has a 65 mph change up he can throw for a first pitch strike. Oh, he's got a lock on the left handed specialist role. Don't be surprised to see a late trade for another left handed reliever. (Drake thinks Bryan Matusz from the Orioles.) The other two or three spots are hard to call. They can come from any combination of relief specialists, or candidates who fail to make the starting rotation. Young rotation prospects are usually sent to Triple A. Management wants them to continue to work as starters. Basically, the last two or three spots are up for grabs.
Finally, let's talk catchers. That's pretty set with Chirinos being the everyday catcher and veteran Corporan being the back up. One really exciting young catcher we saw this spring was Alfaro - sent back this week to AA - a tremendous young player with all five tools.
That's the report from Spring Training. The fun this year will be watching the young pitchers as well as seeing Odor play his second season. Hopefully, Fielder will deliver the home runs he's famous for since Mitch Moreland, who's looked great this spring, will be protecting his back as the DH, the fifth hitter, and the first base reliever. Drake's overall assessment is the starting line up will be good, but the Ranger's final place in the division will be based on the success of the starting pitching. He predicts a third place finish, and I agree, because of a shaky starting rotation. If all three veterans are solid and we get good performances from the youngsters Detwiler, Martinez and Tepesch, we could rise in the division. Keep in mind 'magic' (lightening in a bottle) happens for some team. The Rangers need some of that lightening to be contenders.
So, the good news about the 2015 Rangers is they won't be THAT bad this upcoming season, but the loss of Darvish for the entire season, and based on what I've seen of Tommy John recovery, part of the next, is making the 2015 season a disappointment in the making. In my opinion, because of the still stressed starting pitching staff, (missing Darvish, Harrison, and Perez), lack of left handed relief pitching, and a repaired Feliz untested closing for an entire season, this is not a play-off team without a significant amount of good luck, or as baseball people say, we need 'lightening in a bottle'.
This Spring Training has actually been much more fun for us than the "set clubs" we have witnessed in the past. There's not much joking and kidding around in the dugout because so many of the players are grinding constantly trying to win one of the open roster spots on the team. Also, the new manager, Banister, is stoic compared to Ron Washington's exuberant attitude and that's being reflected in the dugout. Keep in mind Jon Daniel's said in last night's interview contractual obligations may affect any of the team's personnel decisions, and Drake and I are not privy to all those nuances. However, that said, Let's start with the outfield: There are three outfield spots open, one starting position and two reserve (backup) positions.
Young 25 year old Ryan Rua, a homegrown prospect, with some successful Ranger performance last fall, is the front runner for making the team. He's been fun to watch, and he's been constantly improving this Spring. Following him, are four other candidates, Jake Smokinski, 26, signed before last year after being released by the Nationals also had fall success with the Rangers. Then, there's Nate Schierholtz, a retread, who is 31 and has bounced around a variety of National League clubs. He was the last Spring Training invitee signed by the Rangers. Two younger long shots are Carlos Peguero, a 27 year old who looks eerily like a young Nelson Cruz. He hits for power and has a similar trajectory of being a late bloomer. Finally, there's Delino DeShields, Jr., yes, he's the major leaguerer's son, who is only 22. He's a Rule 5 draftee from the Houston Astos. If he doesn't make our major league roster, we have to offer him back to the Astros.
Drake's prediction is the final two slots will go to Shierholtz and Smolinski - with Peguero being sent to Triple A to continue working on this strikeout problem. DeShields will be sent back to the Astros. Drake feels DeShields is not ready for prime time, and the Rangers don't have the luxury of developing him into a big leaguer while part of the major league roster. My prediction is Smolinski and DeShields will make the club with Shierholtz released and Peguero sent down. I think Daniels will not let DeShields get away. Since, the season is already compromised, we do have the luxury of developing DeShields.
Some last thoughts about the outfield. Martin looks healthy and is getting himself ready for the season. Drake's analysis is he's ready to be the lead off hitter. He's showing much more plate discipline than he has in the past. We all know he can bunt, and he's fast. Chin Soo Choo, or Jon Daniel's brain fart as I like to term him, has shown nothing this Spring. Or, as Drake puts it, he's shown the continuing tendency to be fragile with nagging injuries. That's why we both think Peguero will be in Triple A to start the season, so he can fine tune his game. He'll be ready for the call-up if Choo goes down. Why Daniels ever thought this loser was worth a 7 year multi-million dollar contract is beyond either of us.
Let's talk about the infield. The starting positions are set here. (Fielder, Odor, Andrus, and Beltre). Fielder looks like Fielder - showing power, a great presence at the plate, even beating the extreme shift teams like to play against him. With his plate threat we also have to accept a mediocre glove at first base, and not so hot speed on the base paths. However, he puts butts in the seats which we will need to hold the fan base while we hang on during this rough patch. Beltre looks very good, but he is 36 on April 7th, and his age is going to start working against him over the long, long season. Andrus looks in the best shape ever, and he's had a sparkling Spring Training. (The club is so serious this Spring even the irrepressible Elvis can't lighten the mood.) The best news for the future is Mr. Odor has also had a great Spring and isn't showing any signs of sophomore slump.
The real news for the Ranger infield is who will be the utility players on the team. There are four candidates left standing for two spots. One roster spot is for a middle infielder, and one roster spot is for a corner infielder. Defensive skills are the paramount factor for these team slots. The four candidates are: Adam Rosales, a familiar name to Ranger fans, seems to have the corner infielder spot locked. That leaves three players competing for the middle infielder spot: Elliot Johnson, Ed Lucas and Thomas Field. These are all new names to the Rangers. It's a toss up as to which one will get it at this point. Drake would lean toward Thomas Field because of his combination of offense/defense, but the other two can also play the corner positions. This may be a good example where the contractual obligations will call the shots. All I know is these are the type of players who hang onto the edge of major league baseball, and each Spring Training finds them desperately grinding away to grab that $500,000 salary, the major league minimum.
Turning to the pitching, it's not all bad news. The starting rotation is almost set - four out of the five will be - Lewis, Holland, Gallardo, and Detwiler with Nick Martinez having the inside line over Nick Tepesch on the fifth slot after his fabulous performance last night against the Rockies. Both Gallardo and Lewis are veterans fine tuning their wares, but both will be solid during the season. Holland is being brought along slowly in terms of stamina, but he will be ready for prime time. Detwiler is a retread from the National's who could return to top form or be a disappointment - time will tell. Martinez looks to be an up and coming starter who Drake thinks is poised for a break out season.
Our bullpen is a muddle. The 7th and 8th inning set up men and the closer are set: Tolleson, Scheppers, and Feliz. After that, well, there's only one left handed reliever in the bullpen - an interesting side armer called Claudio who has a 65 mph change up he can throw for a first pitch strike. Oh, he's got a lock on the left handed specialist role. Don't be surprised to see a late trade for another left handed reliever. (Drake thinks Bryan Matusz from the Orioles.) The other two or three spots are hard to call. They can come from any combination of relief specialists, or candidates who fail to make the starting rotation. Young rotation prospects are usually sent to Triple A. Management wants them to continue to work as starters. Basically, the last two or three spots are up for grabs.
Finally, let's talk catchers. That's pretty set with Chirinos being the everyday catcher and veteran Corporan being the back up. One really exciting young catcher we saw this spring was Alfaro - sent back this week to AA - a tremendous young player with all five tools.
That's the report from Spring Training. The fun this year will be watching the young pitchers as well as seeing Odor play his second season. Hopefully, Fielder will deliver the home runs he's famous for since Mitch Moreland, who's looked great this spring, will be protecting his back as the DH, the fifth hitter, and the first base reliever. Drake's overall assessment is the starting line up will be good, but the Ranger's final place in the division will be based on the success of the starting pitching. He predicts a third place finish, and I agree, because of a shaky starting rotation. If all three veterans are solid and we get good performances from the youngsters Detwiler, Martinez and Tepesch, we could rise in the division. Keep in mind 'magic' (lightening in a bottle) happens for some team. The Rangers need some of that lightening to be contenders.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Expanding Freaked Out by Electrons - a Guest Blog
Boy, do I have smart friends. This dude is one of the smartest, and I've known him since he was Drake's college roommate our sophomore year at OU. Back in those days, Dale, the only guy I knew from Kingfisher, Oklahoma, drove an MG, and drank REAL (and for our college incomes EXPENSIVE) hooch. He left Oklahoma with an engineering degree in metallurgy, but that was only the start. He has a master's
from somewhere I don't remember, spent over ten years swashbuckling around the world while being a gainfully employed ex-pat in Saudi before, during and after the first Gulf war. (You should hear him talk about that experience.) THEN, he landed in Cambridge where he got a PhD. Now he's settled in Bartelsville, OK raising a family and coping with eldercare problems just like the rest of us. Sigh... Anyway, here's another angle of his about the Electronic Revolution swirling around us which he was gracious enough to share.
 |
| Drake and Dale, 1972 - practicing those 'get a job' handshakes |
There is a lot of new knowledge zipping around as
electrons in the ether these days.
electrons in the ether these days.
But there is a lot of old knowledge that is going to be lost.
You have probably read about the great winnowing of knowledge that took place
when people changed from scrolls to bound books. The monks who copied the old
manuscripts picked and chose which ones were worth their trouble and the cost of
the vellum. Hundreds of old Greek and Roman manuscripts were lost forever,
crumbled into dust as the scrolls decayed, many now known only by reputation.
when people changed from scrolls to bound books. The monks who copied the old
manuscripts picked and chose which ones were worth their trouble and the cost of
the vellum. Hundreds of old Greek and Roman manuscripts were lost forever,
crumbled into dust as the scrolls decayed, many now known only by reputation.
Something similar, although less drastic, happened when Gutenberg started
the movable type revolution. Not all those gilt-edged illuminated hand-
lettered manuscripts got into print. Some of those old rare books survived dusty old
libraries in Oxford, Cambridge and the Italian universities. Many did not.
the movable type revolution. Not all those gilt-edged illuminated hand-
lettered manuscripts got into print. Some of those old rare books survived dusty old
libraries in Oxford, Cambridge and the Italian universities. Many did not.
I fear the digital revolution will create another great winnowing of knowledge. Not
everything is going to be scanned and digitized. And some of what is digitized will
become unreadable as electronic storage devices change. (When was the last time
you read something off of a 5-1/2 inch floppy? Or even a 3-1/4 inch "hard" disk? I
have files from the 90's that it would take a CIA cryptographer to decipher).
everything is going to be scanned and digitized. And some of what is digitized will
become unreadable as electronic storage devices change. (When was the last time
you read something off of a 5-1/2 inch floppy? Or even a 3-1/4 inch "hard" disk? I
have files from the 90's that it would take a CIA cryptographer to decipher).
And how permanent are the latest electronic storage systems? Is the tightening spiral
of obsolescence played out? Or is there more to come. And if so, what will we lose of
our last 20 years of literature?
of obsolescence played out? Or is there more to come. And if so, what will we lose of
our last 20 years of literature?
Interesting thoughts, no?
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Freaked Out by Electrons
When one travels, one can not possibly subscribe to hard copy magazines. The magazines would never catch me. I like magazines. At one point in my life our family subscribed to Time, Sports Illustrated, Texas Monthly, Reader's Digest, American Heritage, Southern Living, Highlights, and Zoo Books. Our house overflowed with magazines. Add in the catalogs these magazine subscriptions generated, and we were awash in glossy paper. I never lacked for bathroom reading.
Everyone jokes about reading in the bathroom, but it often saved my sanity in an 1100 square foot house. My family lived on top of one another, and the idea of privacy was laughable. The bathroom was the only reliable place no one would walk in on you, make requests, or issue hop to it orders. Reading magazines on the throne was the excuse as to why I was in there 'so long'. My mother actually encouraged reading; she used to walk around the house with scraps of paper in her pockets, so she could bookmark the ten or so books I was reading that routinely littered her tiny house. She bought Time and Sports Illustrated as Christmas gifts for Drake and I for more than 20 years.
I satisfy my craving for the shiny pages by buying used magazines at the Thrift Store Shopping Mall. (We have a 'strip center' about 8 blocks from the Sun City house which is composed entirely of thrift stores. We call the place 'Jan's Amusement Park'.) At least two or three of the stores sell all kinds of used magazines for $.25 each. A year old Allure magazine is how I learned I was out of touch with the beauty world. By sheer chance, I picked up an American Heritage magazine - didn't really pay much attention to how old it was - history doesn't usually change. However, as I was reading along (history of Supermarkets if you want to know), it suddenly dawned on me there were no websites or links to the internet anywhere in the magazine. Guess what the date was of the magazine? 1985!
It started me thinking how much the Electronic Revolution has changed our lives, and how quickly it has happened. Historically speaking, Americans are very, very good at adaptation. Supermarkets are a great example of our adaptation skills. It took less than 20 years for Americans to move away from Mom/Pop grocery stores where food was sold in bulk, packaged for customers, then handed over to them all the while 'running a tab' with the owner. The new supermakets were stores filled with prepackaged goods patrons self selected from aisles of products, brought to one clerk who tabulated the total and collected money for those groceries right on the spot. Several other technologies had to go hand in hand for supermarkets to take hold - also big changes - such as AFFORDABLE home electric refrigeration, economical packaging, and cars to carry home those groceries.
My point is Americans embrace change at a frightening rate of speed. The underlying fear of change is always there even when we are wholeheartedly wallowing in it. The Electronic Revolution certainly qualifies as fast change. The fear of that change is being acted out in our popular culture. We are acting out our fears of the brave new electronic world barreling down on us with visions of violence, end of the world science fiction, and escapism (ie reality TV).
I started getting curious about the electronic timeline. If there were no websites in 1985, then when did they start? So.... I did ONLINE research, of course. Every library worth its salt is busily scanning in information, both past and present, as fast as they can punch buttons. Here's what I found.
"History of the internet." Computer Act!ve 21 June 2012. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Are you freaked out yet? I was. Looking at the significant, albeit, superficial timeline, my first question is 'what's next?'. This timeline also seems to point to the idea one must learn to use electronic devices; otherwise, you could become an anachronism in your own lifetime. For every 'new' device, there are a whole slew of 'things', 'jobs' and even entire industries which no longer exist or which are 'converting to electrons'. Newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, road maps, almanacs, house telephones, film cameras, and wrist watches to name a few. Think about that. Do you know ANYONE under the age of 80 who doesn't own a mobile phone, or a P.C., a laptop, a tablet, or a gaming system? I'm wrapped in electrons, and I love it. As I 'log into' my medical portal, shop, read, research, or stream, sometimes it feels like invisible electrons are connecting my physical person to these devices. Hmmm....perhaps that's what's next. I can imagine it; can't you?
Everyone jokes about reading in the bathroom, but it often saved my sanity in an 1100 square foot house. My family lived on top of one another, and the idea of privacy was laughable. The bathroom was the only reliable place no one would walk in on you, make requests, or issue hop to it orders. Reading magazines on the throne was the excuse as to why I was in there 'so long'. My mother actually encouraged reading; she used to walk around the house with scraps of paper in her pockets, so she could bookmark the ten or so books I was reading that routinely littered her tiny house. She bought Time and Sports Illustrated as Christmas gifts for Drake and I for more than 20 years.
I satisfy my craving for the shiny pages by buying used magazines at the Thrift Store Shopping Mall. (We have a 'strip center' about 8 blocks from the Sun City house which is composed entirely of thrift stores. We call the place 'Jan's Amusement Park'.) At least two or three of the stores sell all kinds of used magazines for $.25 each. A year old Allure magazine is how I learned I was out of touch with the beauty world. By sheer chance, I picked up an American Heritage magazine - didn't really pay much attention to how old it was - history doesn't usually change. However, as I was reading along (history of Supermarkets if you want to know), it suddenly dawned on me there were no websites or links to the internet anywhere in the magazine. Guess what the date was of the magazine? 1985!
It started me thinking how much the Electronic Revolution has changed our lives, and how quickly it has happened. Historically speaking, Americans are very, very good at adaptation. Supermarkets are a great example of our adaptation skills. It took less than 20 years for Americans to move away from Mom/Pop grocery stores where food was sold in bulk, packaged for customers, then handed over to them all the while 'running a tab' with the owner. The new supermakets were stores filled with prepackaged goods patrons self selected from aisles of products, brought to one clerk who tabulated the total and collected money for those groceries right on the spot. Several other technologies had to go hand in hand for supermarkets to take hold - also big changes - such as AFFORDABLE home electric refrigeration, economical packaging, and cars to carry home those groceries.
My point is Americans embrace change at a frightening rate of speed. The underlying fear of change is always there even when we are wholeheartedly wallowing in it. The Electronic Revolution certainly qualifies as fast change. The fear of that change is being acted out in our popular culture. We are acting out our fears of the brave new electronic world barreling down on us with visions of violence, end of the world science fiction, and escapism (ie reality TV).
I started getting curious about the electronic timeline. If there were no websites in 1985, then when did they start? So.... I did ONLINE research, of course. Every library worth its salt is busily scanning in information, both past and present, as fast as they can punch buttons. Here's what I found.
1969 - The first internet link is created between two universities in California
1972 - A similar system starts to be used to send emails
1980 - The ethernet cable is introduced. It is still widely used today
1985 - The first .com web address is registered, www.symbolics.com
1986 - The term internet is used as a shortening of internetwork
1990 - Tim Berners-Lee coins the phrase 'world wide web'
April 1993 - Mosaic web browser is launched, displaying text and images together for the first time
June 1993 - The HTML-programming language, which is used to create web pages, is released
1995 - Yahoo is founded and the dot-com boom begins
1996 - Hotmail is launched. There are 342,081 websites online
1998 - Google opens its first office in a garage in California
2001 - Pope John Paul II sends the first papal email
2005 - Video-sharing site You Tube goes live
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
Are you freaked out yet? I was. Looking at the significant, albeit, superficial timeline, my first question is 'what's next?'. This timeline also seems to point to the idea one must learn to use electronic devices; otherwise, you could become an anachronism in your own lifetime. For every 'new' device, there are a whole slew of 'things', 'jobs' and even entire industries which no longer exist or which are 'converting to electrons'. Newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, road maps, almanacs, house telephones, film cameras, and wrist watches to name a few. Think about that. Do you know ANYONE under the age of 80 who doesn't own a mobile phone, or a P.C., a laptop, a tablet, or a gaming system? I'm wrapped in electrons, and I love it. As I 'log into' my medical portal, shop, read, research, or stream, sometimes it feels like invisible electrons are connecting my physical person to these devices. Hmmm....perhaps that's what's next. I can imagine it; can't you?
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