Bloomin' Fleurs

     I talked to Rosemary L. (my sister) earlier, inquiring about Drew L. (her number two son) who lives in Okinawa with his daughter Tricia.  He was unaffected by the giant earthquake, which was far enough away from Okinawa that damage was minimal (I don't know about any damage from a tsumani).  A relief to everyone. 
     Since I haven't anything more to say about the quake -- either witty or profound or enlightening -- I'll just ignore it.  (Although watching television and seeing people walking on the beach -- in spite of the tsumani warnings -- reminded me that Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' can sometimes lead to a useful culling of the herd)
   The crocuses are in full bloom with the earliest ones starting to fade.  Daffodils are blooming everywhere (although our particular plants seem to be retarded) and the tulips are in leaf and starting to show buds. 

--- "Consider the daffodil.  And while you're doing that, I'll be over here going through your stuff." Jack Handey ---

    I'm back on my bicycle as of today.  I rode down town for a couple of errands -- about 11 miles round-trip.  The short lay-off caused me to lose some of my keen bicycling edge, although I'm not back to where I was a few months ago.  Then, on one occasion, I was passed by a girl with magenta hair, wearing flip-flops and smoking a cigar.  (But even then, not to be immodest, I passed a guy riding no-hands and playing a guitar)   The ride bothered my hand a bit -- it's still bruised -- but shifting positions on the handle bars provided adequate relief.   The ride was uneventful with excellent riding weather.  Scattered clouds, no rain, light breeze and cool -- a perfect day to be on a bike. 
   Yesterday I drove about 20 miles north to visit a friend Terry L.  We were frequent climbing partners for 10 years or so, and we've always been good friends.  He was my best man when dw and I married.  Over the last few years we've been out of touch, save the occasional phone call or Christmas card and a visit was long overdue.  It was an excellent visit.  He and his wife built a lovely house on the Clark River and he has the life he has always wanted.  He is something of a recluse, though not in a tousled-hair mad-gaze way, and seems quite content to spend his days messing with his books and reading (he's a book scout with a large -- 2000 books or so -- library of collectable books).  He's an autodidact and remains the only person I know who read "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained" only because he thought he should. 

    --- Malt does more than Milton can, to justify God's ways to man ---

    A couple of days ago dw and I watched "American Splendor" a movie about and by Harvey Pekar (who wrote the same named illustrated novel series)  It's an excellent movie.  I'm presently reading "the Polysyllabic Spree" by Nick Hornby --- a collection of essays.  Not his finest work, in my opinion, but still a good read.  DA

And I'm reading Patricia Cornwell's "Portrait of a Killer"... really, which would you rather read???  What's a polysyllabic spree?  Probably should read the book and find out, eh?  "American Splendor" was worth watching even if I didn't know who Harvey Pekar was in the beginning.  We also watched "My Favorite Year" with Peter O'Toole - one of my favorite movies and hard to believe it was made in 1982.  That's 29 years ago!!!  Yikes.  That's all.  dw

  

"Crash" -- Bicyclist Nonpareil

   Riding home after my Thursday session at the gym, I had an event on my bicycle.  At one point on my usual route home I cut through an alley and go a half-block on a sidewalk (avoiding two stop lights).  Thursday a storm drain was blocked, forming a large puddle that was over the curb and covering part of the sidewalk.  I proceded along (slowly)  -- perhaps not giving the location all of the attention it required --  aiming for the wheelchair cut-out in the curb.   With the puddle and all, I missed the cut-out, hit the curb  at an angle, and got dumped off my bike onto the sidewalk.  No real damage was done.  I bruised my hand and hip (and have been stiff for the last three days), and the bike was untouched.  (the handlebars got skewed but I just held the front wheel and twisted them back).   I found it difficult to maintain my image of a cool bicycling dude while laying on the sidewalk with my feet in a mud puddle.  The image was further tarnished with the slow-motion epic of standing up.  (cue sound effects:  murmured curses, moans and groans).  The rest of the ride went well -- largely because I didn't stiffen up for a couple of hours.  An instructional moment I didn't really want. 
   Otherwise the week has been uneventful.  dw has been working nearly every day.  (as usual a mixed "blessing").  Two Wisconsin friends have each gotten wheaton terrier puppies and have been sending cute puppy pics.  I've finished a painting that I'm undecided about.  It might get painted over.  I read "Beatrice and Virgil" by Yann Martel.  (the author of "The Life of Pi")  It's sort of a novel about a novel about a holocaust play (and not as convoluted as that sounds) -- I thought it was good, but not nearly as good as "Pi".  And that's my literary criticism for the moment. And so it goes.  DA

     "I got nothin'."  Well, maybe I could comment on the puppy photos.  They were pretty cute.  Still not getting a pet, though, as we are gone too often.  And yes, I have been working more lately.  Complained I wasn't getting enough hours and now I am getting plenty.  Be careful what you wish for...  It's a good thing that I'm working as it keeps me busy.  Other than that not much is going on and I am eagerly awaiting a sign of spring/summer that doesn't involve a lot of rain.  So far no luck but I have enjoyed the blooming daffodils and crocuses that are popping up in the middle of the yard.  And with that I will say adieu.  dw

Blizzard of 2011 Reprise

  We woke up to a scant inch of snow this morning but by the time I left for the gym at 8:30 it had started to melt.  Of some interest, the snow area seemed to be limited to a radius of a couple of miles centered on N. Portland.  The rest of Portland, including the West Hills (1000+ feet higher than the rest of the city) didn't get any snow.  I had expected some trouble getting over the West Hills to get to a doctor's appointment scheduled after the gym, but I had no trouble at all. 
   The doctor said it's all good with my heart.  All the tests came out positive except for tri-glycerides so I'm now expected to swallow four capsules of fish oil every day. 
   I went to the store to get the fish oil capsules and to get my prescriptions refilled -- more on that in a moment.  I was looking at the bottles of fish oil -- making sure that whatever I bought wasn't made in China (as far as I'm concerned, if it's made in China it's probably not worth eating, and it might even be toxic) -- anyway, while looking I discovered that one can still buy bottles of liquid cod-liver oil.  The same foul horror I was forced to swallow when I was a child.  A chill went up my spine.  I picked up a bottle and looked at it with the same morbid fascination I would have toward an oozing carbuncle.  I can still remember, nearly 60 years after the fact, the thick fishy oil coating my throat and mouth. 
   On a related note.  One of my prescriptions -- Plavix -- has seen a price increase of 23% in six months.  My cost was $100 with my insurance picking up the rest of the $440 price.  Could that increase be related to the drug company's patent that is due to expire at the end of the year?   Might things like this have something to do with the rapid rise in health care costs? 
   Otherwise not much is happening.  dw has been working more often.  I've been exercising and doing some things (art stuff  and other projects) around the house.  The weather has been typical late winter early spring -- wet and gloomy with an occasional hour or two of sunshine.  Reading:  I finished Pliny and some unexceptional mysteries and now I don't have anything at hand that's interesting.  Tomorrow I'll go to the library and look for something.  DA

Blizzard of 2010-11...NW Style

After nearly a week of dire forecasts last night the Great Blizzard finally struck.  The forecast started with the storm coming noon Wednesday and a total accumulation of 4 to 8 inches on the valley floor -- then it was due Wednesday afternoon and 2 to 7 inches -- then Wednesday evening and 2 to 5 inches.  It finally snowed early this morning (Thursday) with a total of 2 inches of snow -- and it stayed warm and sunny enough today that the roads cleared by themselves with no freezing (hurrah).
   I had already canceled a doctor's appointment (still a reasonably good idea since I would have had to drive over the West Hills and that would have been a hassle this morning) -- the appointment wasn't critical (it concerns continuing adjustment to my heart meds) so delaying it a week didn't matter. 
   And concerning the heart meds:  I went to get refills today for the first time this year (starting a new insurance deductable season) and was stunned with sticker-shock (over $100 for one of the three).  I guess I should be proud that in today's economy I'm helping drug companies maintain their critical bottom line.
   dw drove to work this morning and when she called to announce her safe arrival, she said the drive was quicker than normal -- due to the light traffic (people staying home because of the snow) -- And for snow belt readers, you need to understand that Portland drivers don't get snow.  They either drive as if the pavement is dry -- turning their cars into giant pin-balls bouncing off other cars and buildings (actually that's fun to watch -- as long as you're uninvolved) --  Or they drive as if the snow on distant mountains is going to leap onto the pavement in front of them, sending them into a death skid that will only stop when they crash into the river and drown.  Snow brings untold terrors to Portlanders. 
   As snow storms go this was a pretty good one.  It started early so we woke up to a winter wonderland, and then it was melted by 11 a.m.  DA

Valentine's Day

   Usually not a big ticket manufactured event at chez DA@dw.  And it wasn't this year.  dw worked yesterday, so the festivities were limited to her gift to me of a selection of small bags of flavored chips and a few other samples of junk food-type stuff.  It was great and I quickly inhaled it all.  I got dw some flowers and four pieces of nice chocolate.  (cards from both to both).  Today we went out to dinner at a neighborhood fish restaurant (The Fishwife).  We both got fish & chips and a beer.  Nothing fancy about the place but the food was moderately priced and good, if not worth driving any distance for.   We got a card from Laurie L. which was a pleasant surprise
   As a new feature (I'm getting a little desperate):  I've just started reading "The Letters of the Younger Pliny" which I'm hoping will be as entertaining as Tacitus.  And I just finished reading  "The Golden Ratio" -- "the story of phi, the world's most astonishing number"   If I continue with this feature I suspect I'll only note the
a-list books.  The "well, isn't that special"  sort of book.  DA

     Yeah, yeah, yeah, high brow reading.  I don't even know who Tacitus is!.  I'm reading 'Blacklist' by Sarah Paretsky - a stunning achievement from one of the most compelling writers in American crime.  It says so right there on the back cover so it must be true.  Beats the ACLS manual (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) which I renew certification of on Thursday and have been spending every day since NOT studying or preparing.  Procrastination is my new mantra - maybe I should try reading Young Pliny.  It's got to be better than reading how to do rescue breathing?  Dinner was fried fish and fried chips and creamy tartar sauce and cole slaw.  Delish.  Chocolates for dessert.  Have a great day.  dw
  

Nothing Changes

   Next week perhaps I'll create an adventure, since we're not having any real ones.  The high-light of my week was losing a crown.  Fortunately I didn't swallow it so no unpleasant adventures were required to save it.  Went to the dentist and had it glued back on.  We took the books into Powells to sell -- I got about half of what I had hoped for.  Oh well.  The day after we were selling the books I read in the paper that Powells was laying off 31 employees so perhaps I was lucky to get what I did. 
   I'm continuing my gym sessions.  Went in today and got spanked on a climb I should have done easily.  Not a stellar day, although the bike ride there and back was pleasant:  Nice weather (just a little cool) and light traffic.  
   dw was turned down for a job she had applied for.  The job wasn't a particularly good fit (because of scheduled hours and location) but the rejection is still upsetting.  It all could be a lot worse, but still ...DA

     Yeah, the job market is not good.  Why am I even looking?  Because I have not been getting enough hours at my current per diem job.  Hearing that Powells laid off 31 employees makes me question the rhetoric that the economy is improving, if slowly.  Well not in Wessel World and it's frustrating.  On a more cheerful note (and because I cannot remember if it was in a previous blog) I will brag about my quick escape from the Blizzard of 2011.  I was in Madison when Part I of a two part blizzard struck 22 states in the middle of the country.  My return to Portland was scheduled for Wed - smack dab in the middle of Part II which mentioned 22 inches of additional snow so I called Delta and found an early flight - that Tuesday afternoon.  Fortunately my traveling light habit allowed me plenty of time to get ready and hop on board and get back to Portland via Minneapolis without any problems.  My flight was the only one leaving that Tuesday  - all others were cancelled so I lucked out.   That was a good thnig or I could still be there...
     My only regret is not being in Wis. when the Packers won the Super Bowl.  I think I could hear the cheers from here (not including my own, of course).  Good times.  dw

Home Again

   Amid huzzahs and hurrahs, balloons and fireworks illuminating the pellucid evening sky, dw returned on Tuesday (a day early).  She got an earlier flight because of the great winter Storm of the Century -- which does seem to be quite a storm.  Otherwise absolutely nothing of interest has happened.  We walked yesterday, making a point to pass and gawk at the oak damaged house.  I went to the gym a couple of times which isn't any more interesting than usual.  And so it goes.  DA

     Yes, I have arrived safely back in the land of green grass, sun, 40 degree and a rare blooming daffodil.  True, we saw two blooming daffodils yesterday when we were walking.  Had to be in the world's most unique microclimate because there is nothing blooming anywhere else.  It's all good.  Checked in with Steve to see if I really missed Stormageddon and I did.  Twelve plus inches of snow fell in the 24 hours since I left Madison at 3pm on Tues.  Amazing.  Hope everyone is safe and warm back there and enjoying the snow days.  dw