White House Down Finale

Beginning to middle....

...to the very end.

The Operator

Here is my niece's husband (my nephew by marriage). He did a wonderful job. As somebody in the group said "This ain't his first rodeo."  The guy knew what he was doing. He started out hesitantly because he had not taken down a structure of this size and my sister had a lot of money invested in that machine he was operating. Okay - it is an excavator.

After the first twenty minutes or so he had relaxed and boy did he go to town.

It was not a sad day. I had family there and we bonded even more. There were stories told that my niece had not heard before.

White House Down

It is a big house. From the back you can see the basement level, first floor and upstairs, then the attic. From the front - the sidewalk is just a little lower than the road and walks right into the front porch on the first floor. The house was built on a slope. This is about how the house looked back in the late 60's or early 70's.

The furnace was installed in 1968 or so. It is still there. An oil furnace. The only bathroom is the little window at the top in the middle. I never once remember the toilet overflowing or not flushing. Never once did we have a stopped up sink that I can recall. I guess gravity may be the best thing when dealing with that stuff because it all flows downhill, right?

The back porch on the right was rebuilt with new steps, etc. The wrap-around porch - you can see partly on the left had to all go and we were left with only a porch on the front of the house. My brother  re-roofed and re-floored the front porch. I helped him. He is an S.O.B. to work with. We laugh about it now, but back then he was not a pleasant person. I refused to work with him on anything, ever again. He is very loving towards me always hugging me etc. We have a good relationship, now.

Today is going to be a very, very emotional time. And we are going to be right out in the street almost for all the neighbors to witness this White House Down event. There is going to be some crying, I know. It will probably be me. I don't care. There was a lot of love in that house. A lot of strength. Like my older sister said - "It is like my Mom dying all over again."  This was HER house. She is buried a few hundred yards from this house.

This was the first house she ever felt "at home" in because she was finally safe. No more getting kicked out because my dad didn't pay the rent or the house was being condemned. Oh, yes. Many of the houses we lived in were condemned when my family left. Fortunately for me, I came along late in life and this was my third house by six years old and this one was purchased by my older sister. My Mom had a home for life, now.

We just neglected it. A few touch ups here and there, but then nothing. It fell apart. Especially since my Mom passed in 2000. It has set empty except for a few raccoons and squirrels, I guess. A neighbor called the county inspector and they are making us take it down. Sigh.

It is true that we have abandoned the house after 13 years. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. It is one of those things where you want to have a piece of your past to go back to. Even if it is an empty shell. It is filled with memories.

I gotta go. I have to load up my car with gloves, a chair, rakes and a broom. Some goodies for the workers to snack on. Beer for the neighbor letting us sit on his property to record the event and watch.

I am sick, I tell you. Just sick.

The last nerve

After years of working, I know that I should know better. It happened again today. I let it all get to me. I got totally frazzled.

I am still trying to unwind. I tried wine. Nothing. Just gave me a flippin' headache.

The house I grew up in since I was six years old to about 26 years old is getting leveled tomorrow. Family is gathering at a neighbor's house. I plan to video tape it.

I am not in a good place.

Slammed!

I have been crazy busy at work and with the postings about The Wall, this topic is about a week behind. On the 18th the big "A" (red fruit that Eve ate) released an update. Within education there were a lot of devices and some of them were set to automatically download. It was chaos for a day or so, pure chaos. It does go to show you what can happen, though.

http://www.vistaone.com/amx/the-initial-impact-of-ios-7-on-education-networks/

The above photo is a gauge of a port that monitors traffic passing through my filter appliances. If it gets to 100% (and it did, I just did not get the chance to capture the photo at that time) - my appliance drops packets. What that means - certain web pages can slip by unfiltered. So, if somebody is trying to go to facebook and their district does not allow it - they can get there. Until they change the screen or click on anything that refreshes the page. By that time, chances are; their next request will be properly filtered. (I used facebook as an example, but you can imagine what sites could be accessed if even for one full screen shot. UGH!)

Not a catastrophe, but this gauge read this for an hour at a time, then dropped down to the regular 0.4 - 0.5 range for ten minutes or so (class changes) and then it was boom! - right back up there.

For a global gauge of the Internet, you can go here:

http://www.akamai.com/html/technology/dataviz1.html

http://www.internettrafficreport.com/

POW/MIA Ceremony

I did not get to see it, but the veteran I spoke to at The Wall told me I could see the performance on YouTube. It is a ten minute video.    Lorain High School Army Junior ROTC - POW/MIA Table Ceremony.   The show was a couple of hours before we arrived that day. (The YouTube video is NOT at the Tuscarawas county location I was at that day.)

We also missed a huge group of bikers who were showing their respects to one of the members who died on the first day The Wall was on display.  He was coming to join in the biker rally for The Wall. I pass the spot where he was killed a couple of times - there is a POW/MIA flag, wreath and flowers.

The above display has 37 panels. One for each soldier lost from Tuscarawas County.

A moment for Tommy

The photo above is my seven year old great nephew pointing out one of the names that my brother-in-law searched for at The Wall. Let's take a moment for Tommy.

After his service duty, my brother-in-law went on to marry, work and raise a family. The American dream. He now has grandchildren. He brought his grandson to see The Wall and to thank Tommy. Because of Tommy, some of us live the American dream.  The lucky ones. Thank-you Tommy. On this day, you were not forgotten.

http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/19831/THOMAS-O-GREEN

Knock, Knock

"Honey, would you see who is at the front door?"

I figured we may need something a little lighter today - it's Friday!

And, I know it is an optical illusion, but doesn't that look like a bare leg sticking out from behind the grill on the right?  You will have to click the picture to see it.

LOL!

You will always be a HERO

Looking for Jan

She had been kneeling there a long time and I was drawn to her. I went over and asked her if she had found the name she was looking for. She shook her head no, silently.

She had the correct panel, she just could not locate the name. I have circled his name - it is at the bottom right of the panel she is searching. I helped her locate the name. She would only tell me he was a friend. I did not ask for more. She did not want to talk and I let her be.

http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/37599/JAN-H-NELSON

Names

Over 58.000 names. My brother-in-law had a couple of names he wanted to search for. They give you a paper with the panel that the name is displayed on. There are two sides: East and West. His card would say W8, we would find the 8th panel. Then the name is number 124. There are dots on the side to count by tens. We counted down 120 and then you only have ten names in that section. The name you are looking for is number four into the section, but there are still so many it is easy to get lost in the sea of names.

We found the first one. My brother-in-law and I and his seven year old grandson. My brother-in-law told me the boy was 18 (the name we were searching for). He had to walk away and his grandson asked me where he was going. I said "It is very hard for him." My sister could not even come over. She said it took her husband a long time before he even talked about Viet Nam. She said that it was far too emotional for her to handle so she stayed back with the three year old grandson.

The above photo I made by taking a picture of the shiny granite display of three servicemen. It was facing the wall. I was able to capture the wall in the reflection and surprisingly - no people in the frame. The crowd had dwindled by this time.

Speaking to an organizer of the wall he said that an entire military group failed to show for the event. They were the ones who were supposed to guard the wall at night.

I have more pictures and more stories. These are too important to throw into one long post. I want to give each one a little bit of time and space here.

Intense

Thr Travelling Wall

Going here today.  Not to the real one, the traveling one.

It started yesterday. Sister 1944 wanted a sister to go with her to the genealogy picnic. I said "Sure". I wasn't doing anything. I got myself up and ready, made my calico beans and went. I don't know what has happened to me over the past few years but I have become a super-charged extrovert. This is a 180 from when I was growing up as a shy, bashful introvert. How does that happen? I have no idea.

Regardless, my medication (that I have taken for maybe a  year, now) has exacerbated the extrovertism. Ha, that isn't a word. But,you get the idea.

Gabapentin is the generic name. Here is a list of side effects.  I seriously think it would have been easier to print things that it "DOES NOT" do.

Hyperactivity. Oh, yeah. I got that one covered. It started about 11 o'clock. It did not stop until I was by myself in the car on the way home at 4:30. Sometimes I wonder if my brother-in-law just wants to tell me to shut the f@ck up. My sister laughs with me. I think he just tolerates us. (Seriously I think he really enjoys his wife laughing and having a good time. She is under a lot of stress right now). I certainly am the one to entertain.

I was the bingo caller at the picnic. When they said they were going to start the bingo game I automatically got up to call. Sister 1944 asked me how I knew I was going to be the caller, I just gave her my incredulous look. Like "Seriously? Who else would do it? Who else has this big of a mouth?"

We stopped on the way home to visit another sister and brother. The laughter did not stop. Sister 1944 was getting a headache from laughing so much. The movie "The Mask" with Jim Carey comes to mind. When he spins and says "Somebody stop me!"  That is truly what I feel like because I feel like I cannot stop myself. I am like a runaway train or a bouncing ping pong ball.

In the car by myself,  I do calm down a little bit. Not much, though. I crank the music and sing. Maybe I should begin to cut the caffeine intake. Sigh.

Anyway, sister 1944's husband was a marine in the Viet Nam war. They said they are coming to my neck of the woods today to visit with their grandson and if I wanted to go. I said "I'm not doing anything,  I'm in!"

We will go today and I will definitely be curbing my hyperactivity today. When I read that there would be clergy and counsel available I began a slow panic. Oh, no. I can't handle the crying. I am going to be bawling like a baby and I don't know one soul who passed away in the war. None that I can think of anyway. No cousins, either. Oh dear. The other side effect to the medicine:  Over-reacting too quickly, and too emotional. Oh, dear, dear, dear. I am done for. Focus, I  must focus. I need super glue for my mouth because I know I will be going up to people, hugging them and asking them to tell me all about their lost loved one.

I'm talking complete strangers, here. I have no fear. If somebody is freaked out by my actions, I read the environment, back-pedal and move on to the next victim..err, person.

The vocation of counseling does run in my family. I have three relatives in the therapy area. We seem to know what to say and when to listen. The drawback is we fall victim to the emotional vampires. People (co-workers) who unload all their problems and issues onto us. Then they feel better and we become depressed - zapped of our energy. They sucked the energy right out of us when they go on and on about their problems. How does a therapist do it?

Relaxation

This photo was taken last month. I was visiting my "north" friends (previous co-workers). This friend has had this little camper on the lake for maybe more than 15 years. She was going to sell it once but I am so glad she did not. It is a beautiful spot by the lake.

Across the way there is their big shelter house. The president of the board of this campsite had a son getting married. The wedding party arrived in big decked out golf carts. The photo is dark, but you can see them a little bit parked on the lakeside of the big white tent.

This day was hot. The weather today won't reach above 65º Fahrenheit in my neck of the woods. I have an outdoor genealogy picnic to attend. My jacket is clean and ready.

I have made my calico beans that a lot of my family enjoys. Here is a similar recipe to what I use for my calico beans.  I am running behind or I would look up my recipe and post it. Gotta go!

Passing time

Sitting in my car while waiting for my daughter to get her lunch break at work. The parking lot across the road is Walletmart. My daughter works at the national gaming store. It suits her.

This day was extremely hot.

That is not the case, today. The cold front and rain has moved in. I am so surprised I have no headache or sinus pressure. A lot of folks were complaining yesterday.

It is weird that sometimes I will get it and other times - nope.

I am going with sister 1944 tomorrow to a genealogy picnic. I guess I need to wash my jackets and wear one of them. Brrr.

I get blood drawn today. I drank so much water yesterday I had to get up during the night three times! Drinking lots of water makes it easier for them to draw blood.

Connected

Three hours in the hotbox yesterday. I had to stand on a chair. My back was about to give out. I grabbed an empty desk from the hallway. The secretary was more than nice and accommodating. I was about to kick the custodian. I guess his cleaning supplies were in the filing cabinet that I had to stand in front of to access this network.

He kept coming in while I was standing on the chair, opening a drawer getting a spray bottle out, then he would come back two minutes later and put the bottle back. Another few minutes there he was opening the drawer again, getting out (I swear) the same bottle. Then yep...two minutes later putting it back.

Finally I snapped at him, "Why don't you just pull out the whole drawer?"  He said "No, that's okay. I'll just work around you."

Once I obtained the desk and sat a little away from the filing cabinet he never came back. What a dork!

Then the speech therapist who was in the little room behind where I was working felt the need to tell me her life story. I heard all about her yellow jacket stings while she was mowing, all about her dogs, all about her daughter...it went on and on. I try to be polite but gee whiz!

I did take one five minute break and went out to the car and turned the A/C on me full blast. It saved my sanity, I think.

Anyway, I finally had success. I moved on to the next site after that and it was warm in the room, but at least there was some form of A/C running because this school had the equipment in the secretary's office. The secretary and principal there were also very nice.

I went home hot, dirty and sticky - but happy. Oh, the dirt accumulates over the years on this equipment. Needless to say nobody cleans it because they are kind of afraid of it. Or, I think that is the reason.

My chunky dog

Chong (a.k.a. Chunky) gives me a grin as I snap his picture yesterday.

I think I am going to be in a sweltering "hot box" today as I am scheduled to travel to a tiny elementary school where the only A/C is in the Principal's office and that is not where my equipment is.

To top it off, I have to stand on a chair to reach my equipment. Some insightful person perched the equipment high up on the wall behind a large row of filing cabinets. We may be talking "hours" and I don't think I am going to fare very well. I am certain the sweat will be dripping down into my eyes and to stand on a chair for a couple of hours is not the best position to be in for a lengthy period of time.

And I have to use my personal cell phone. I am thinking I will tell my home office I cannot get "service" out there. As I take this elementary down (dis-connect it from the Internet) they lose their building telephone service that requires the Internet to work. That part may last only a half hour or so, but the other stuff - more intense configuration will need me to converse with my home office and I don't believe the school will let me have their cordless telephone for that length of time.

I will see what "mood" I am in when I get out there and how much my back can take while I teeter on a chair and try to work in this hot box.

It will be me and grumpy cat today. I can already feel the headache begin.

My office is anxious to have this resolved so I cannot postpone it until Friday when the forecast states the temps will be in the mid-60's. Rats.

They missed

Local technology meeting today, where I faced the firing squad again.

If they aimed at me today - they missed. I had my shields up. The elephant in the room (filter) was not even mentioned. I don't know if they felt sorry for me or did not have the balls to mention it. I was ready. I was keeping my cool until I walked into the building.

I was loaded for bear.

Big sigh of relief. I did not have to use my ammunition. I spoke little and smiled a lot.

When I walked into the meeting room they did say "Peruby, you are walking into a hostile environment."  I thought to myself,   'Sigh. Here we go.'   I smiled and said  "I'm used to it."  They said "Oh?" I said "Yeah, nineteen years - I think I can handle hostile."

I smiled and sat down. The subject was changed and the meeting commenced.

I had to leave the meeting early to attend to another matter so my going out to lunch with the crew was avoided. I was not going. It may be a long time before I go again with them.

I'll stick to my ladies night out. Forget the tech guys. I am not the only girl in the tech group, a couple of other gals try to make it but for the most part - it's the boys club.

Nyet!

Up against it again

I will be up against a firing squad at a meeting again tomorrow. The sh!tstorm that happened over the past month has stalled out and is left sitting right in my lap.

My organization has me taking care of other stuff besides the filter these days. I am running around from school to school trying to get them connected to fiber (all this was supposed to be completed two years ago) but the telco took their sweet slow time.

Now the schools are screaming - and they are being charged for the fiber but we don't have them connected. So, as you can see - me getting out there and connecting them is kind of dire.

I am going to work all morning on my mental state. I must be positive. I must not falter one iota and get upset. I will just smile and take notes and tell them I will "Look into that".  That is the best I can do. They don't care that I have other stuff on my plate. They only see their predicament. Well, some of them. Two or three that are like fire truck sirens. Me, me, me! I'm coming through - I have an emergency!

We all have emergencies. We all have fires that need put out.

Get over yourself.

If I even go to the meeting. I plan on it - because I don't want them saying I was afraid to face them and ducked out. I will go with my head held high. I never shrink away.

The only thing that will keep me from the meeting is if I get direct orders to skip it and go to a school, which just may be the case with all this fiber going in.

I want (need) to show at this meeting. I need to show them they do not win. Not on my watch. I will be there supporting myself and my work. It is imperative that I show them I can take it.

Busy at work

 

 Been busy at work trudging through the mountain of e-mails that I tried to ignore over my vacation. I took care of the little and quick things all morning yesterday and then drove to a school to make a connection.

I (and my superiors) are not responding to the sh!tstorm about the filter at this time. I am letting all the users who like to jump and point fingers get everything out of their system first and then I will calmly analyze the situation. Once the dust settles.

Right now there is just too much going on.

I've been reading a book in the evenings. "Sisterland" by Curtis Sittenfeld. It is okay. It was hard for me to get into it, now I just want to finish it. 

I read the first two books in the "Jack Reacher" series over vacation but I can see how they can get repetitious. There are 18 in that series and if I judge by the first two, it is really the same story being spit out over and over again. I have not see the movie, yet. I find it funny that Cruise was chosen to be the huge bulk of a man - Reacher. Sigh - Hollywood.