My wife calls me by a new name...

Seems I am really old now, I am Ha-ra-bo-ji now. I remember seeing my father-in-law once in his traditional clothing very much like the older man on the bench in the picture.

In keeping with the ancient one's desires we went to see UP and in Digital 3D, which was very cool. A family story, an adventure, and a love story... and we liked it, and noticed the children all enjoyed it, too.

Between Walt Kowalski and Carl Fredrickson I could have this old man stuff nailed, I know just how to act - like I matter and still exist. They built this world and may have to put it back together or at least fill some sandbags.

If you want it, just do it...

I have been wandering my mind and those of several others, looking for more than I have - it does seem like I am behind and never going to catch up - those obstacles keep getting in my way. The speed bumps on our street were softened today - more angle so you can roll over them at higher speeds and not bump, my wife will be happier. I ran into the bumpy changes in retirement accounts for Unions and organizations demanded by the Economic Stimulus Program - trying to build more cushion since the Market fled with the MSM and government panic. It seems that retirements have to be approved or that the retirement accounts have to be approved by the watchdogs in government before new retirements will be allowed to start. Control, more control, not fun...

Speaking of retirement, I have talked to two retirees, and one is making forty-two dollars an hour sitting at home instead of twenty-five dollars an hour sitting at work. His medical is going to rise soon, but that seems to be all he has to worry about in the near future - he has been dying of cancer for over ten plus years - he says he is way ahead of that game and has been blest. Another retiree told me that retirement was so you could spend more time with your grandchildren than you did with your children. I hear the sound of guilt there, but more time is interesting as an idea. I have worked twenty and twenty-five hours part-time a few times since 1994 and had lots of time for my own activities - art, jogging, chasing long legged red heads (okay, I didn't chase any, really) bad poetry and way too long letters. Except for making my week go too fast, and giving me plenty of money for paying bills I am not sure that full time employment is a real life improvement for this old elder man. My wife says something about when the mortgage is paid off, and that will be quicker than she thinks since all debts paid off mean that much is shifted to paying off the remainder.

The promise of Summer arrived today, saw it coming last night and woke to wonder of wonders, so I rode the Trusty Triumph and thought strange things: Drive By Work Day. When I looked at what I accomplished; with 257 circs, training the new guy and moving the ILLs out, in and onto the Internet and into our catalog and overdue notices and restrictions applied (more things getting in the way of circulation?) and the library lightly cleaned and visited by two DOC supervisors for effect, I could have been out on the motorcycle chasing long legged red heads. Or in reality, just making my day on the bike just too cool to ever stop grinning about.

In the more serious side of my errant thoughts is that sneaking hunch that I don't need the government as much as they really need me, cause I am not afraid of much except the Lord. So when Kevin passed the link to LIVE FREE OR DIE that he had picked up from GeekWithA.45. and I downloaded the Adobe copy to pass around to the computer free folks. Strange to think that there are people without computer access all the time... I am still reading about the Revolutionary War and Whys and Ways. Although another Robin Hood stands close in the background for picking up and getting lost in...

My younger neighbor, all Army, cut three yards and they all looked good when I got home, so I had to kiss my wife good-bye, eat my dinner and pull my mower out to play catch up - and don't you know it does look better now. But I still warmly remember riding my motorcycle back from work, so smooth, so wild under control, and the great grin that loves leaning deeper into those turns I stopped at the Credit Union to pick up checks and saw a little scooter my wife needs to zoom around town upon (nah, a Honda Rebel with attitude is what I think she needs). More bikes out this afternoon, and I suspect that many folks cut their work day short in order to be there when I rode by and flash me that secret squirrel inverted V sign. The promise of more Sunshine tomorrow, so I go jogging, rifle shooting for qualifications and love of the fusion of me, rifle and target, edging the walks, trimming the trees and cleaning up. I haven't figured out if old people don't see the dust because of poor eye sight, or they understand that life is about living not just cleaning up things that don't move enough to knock the dust off.

Speaking of which, get out there and dance - knock that dust off... before some one thinks you need dusted. The Cactus Patch doll in the picture was made by my wife in 1985, given to my mother same time, and until yesterday never dusted nor washed - but she's clean and fresh again, arms open for a big hug.

ILS Quarterly Training Conference...

Close the library for two days, go to Federal Way, Palisades Retreat and meet with all the other Library Keepers and the Gang of Three (Go3). Budget boredom, no money maybe less, keep the library open even if we can't buy more books, keep the libraries open - once the doors close it is over, they don't re-open. Policies and procedures in the afternoon session, and a tearful farewell from one retiring Library Keeper, Virginia. She said good things about all of us that have been working with her - mostly so far away - she used to call me and tell me she supported some of my more foolish risky statements of discord with the establishment - when I am wrong is it easiest to see when I am leading others astray. She is good people and won't be replaced easily.

Final session was of a DVD from the surveillance cameras in the library at the West Complex of the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla. Tough guy heaven, new buildings for the old Concrete Mama stuff... The temporary fill was Joyce, coming down from Airway Heights to keep the library open, she did and while distracted by a reference question about five of the twenty some patrons worked on an attack on another patron. The attacker walked across the entire library, put a book down on a shelf, and wound up and struck the victim from behind. The blow was for shock (worked) couldn't have done more than dislocate the jaw - but didn't. The attacker then wrapped the victim up in his t-shirt put him in a headlock and then beat on him for two minutes in the corner of the library. One of the attacker's partners, perhaps in more ways than one, sat in a chair facing the whole thing, not missing a blow. One other was close to a filled book cart and moving a little to maintain some blocking of the staff member's view of the library, where the fight was quietly going on. The fifteen or so patrons and two inmate workers kept quietly doing the library thing while glancing once in a while to the struggle. Suddenly two inmates come in from outside the library, all the patrons shift far from the fight in one corner and the first two officers show up and start giving orders to the fighters. The attacker lets victim go, victim starts beating up the attacker, more officers arrive, book shelves are being pushed over and around and books are hitting the floor, victim is hitting the attacker. More officers arrive, restraining and cuffing attacker then victim and walking them out and off to segregation cells. The remaining officers pat search all the inmate patrons and workers, clear them out, look for weapons and get statements from the staff about the fight. She saw only the last thirty seconds of the fight, missing the first two minutes (long enough that a deadly attack would have worked) and thinking the response team was quick during those last thirty seconds of fight. There are two cameras in that library, a panic button in the staff office she knew nothing about, and we watched the attack over and over and discussed what could be done to improve security in the library - better view, staying in the library not in office or workrooms, and of course more staff (which isn't going to happen during penny pinching seasons). Valuable training, very valuable.

I got out of my Earl is a loner mode, went for a motorcycle ride and filled my tank up, the Sun is out and it is cool and so is the Trusty Triumph and I. I ride back and stay for dinner at the Retreat (not normal conduct - Earl is a home boy and never stays - but Virginia doesn't notice). After I help move a table, set some stuff around and look at the preparations. You don't think we were going to allow Virginia to quietly slip into that fabled land of Retirement without embarrassing her. Invited old co-workers, gathered presents, letters from the Secretary of State and the Governor, a great scrapbook made by Joyce, pictures by Earl and Doug over the years, and others. About seven, Jeannie cons (prison reference!) Virginia into coming to the Library to play a board game and the Game is On! Surprise Party, three daughters and a grand-daughter have traveled miles in Virginia's van to attend and all of us and the tears start again, the jokes and tales of the troubles told. Jeannie is her old jolly self and cutting up, Doug has brought some decent drinking whiskey, and there is wine and Lemonaide for me. A cake doesn't last after appropriate picture taking and this social stuff isn't bad (says the guy hiding in the corner) but then it is in honor of Virginia, twenty-four years of institutional library service and she has done a fine job. The governor should have come, but then it wouldn't have been as much fun, would it?

Shooting again? where's the football?

I know there is a game today, and the Seahawks are playing the Packers, and I am supposed to want to support the local team, but my dream is the Packers going all the way this year and then Bret retiring at the height of his career. I didn't so I expect I know something of the sad state of not walking off with the laurel around one's crown. So I dropped my wife off to attend a function and I went off to shoot and vent the paper targets. Had lots of fun, wasn't as good as I should be but it is the start of the new shooting year and I will progress. I had to laugh, about the bite on the web of my shooting hand, haven't had that in awhile. Well the game calls, I will clean up two pistols and iron my shirts while I watch and eat lunch. It should be a great game, they practice more than I do and are certainly professional and entirely too serious about today.