Saying goodbye to a furry friend.
Sam the Pointer
This is Sam the Pointer. We rescued him in the fall of 2003, from a group of people that found 22 shorthair pointers in deplorable conditions. Sam was about a year old, and was bottle fed for 3 days to see if he would make it. He weighed in at a paltry 27 pounds. (he is 60 in this photo)
Sam hung in there, and was nursed to healthy enough state to be adopted, and he won us the minute we met him. Something about that all black head.
Today, Wednesday February 29, 2012, Sam left us. He just could not fight the tumor on his heart, and we had to let him go. We shed a lot of tears, and he is already missed, the other two dogs know, but I think they understand too. Sam was the perfect example of why rescues make the most awesome pets, and he gave us eight great years. We will miss you.
Wordless Wednesday
The house this year, with the lighted balls in trees
Judging a Lego League Robotics competition, and what I learned.
What a Saturday. I caught wind of the NC FIRST Lego League through a series of Tweets, and found out the Regional competition was happening on November 19th, and needed volunteers. I ended up being a judge, and had a ball. 39 teams of 9-14 year old kids, from around the area of Winston-Salem and Greensboro were competing for a chance at 12 slots into the state competition in January. Each team competes in three areas, Core Values, Project, and Robotics. I was a judge in the Core Values, and what an experience. The three Core Values of FLL are Inspiration, Teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism ™.
To observe the three Core Values, each team had to perform a task in front of the judges (we were divided into pairs, and there were 4 sets of judges for CV.) . That task was to build a model tower or house out of newspaper, tape, staples, and 2 ballpoint pens. In 3 minutes. As a team. The kids did not know what the task was until they walked in the room, and we told them the task, then pressed go on the stopwatch. What a gas to watch them perform. On average, these kids had been together as a team since beginning of school year, yet some teams have had only 4 weeks to be together. This is pretty high stress on this bunch. I was blown away by how well most of the teams did, and several were able to complete the task and have a standing tower or house model.
Next up was a Q&A session that allowed us to see how the team acted with each other in a somewhat rapid fire session of questions and answers, to see if everyone helped participate or if one kid answered for the group. Was great study in the group dynamic. After the Q&A they had to move on to the next judging station, which was either the Project or the Robotics side of the judging competition.
Projects were done as a team, and the best way to describe it is a Science Fair type project. All teams in the state compete with the same Question (this year’s dealt with food safety) and once again, each member had to contribute and know the subject matter. Third judging area was the technical parts of the robotics, and if they knew how to program, construct, and problem solve the Lego Mindstorm NXT robots.
After the morning judging sessions, it was on to the competitions. Prior to the competitions, we judges scored the top 16 teams in our three areas, and then set out to observe the teams in action. The competition is the thing these kids work so hard for. Each team’s robot has 2 and a half minutes to complete a series of tasks. (Competition tasks were given in advance) I learned its harder than you think to make a program work the way you want it to! There were 3 rounds of competition with the highest score counting.
I learned so much about these kids. They show a genuine interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and as an engineering type, that makes me happy. The enthusiasm for the projects, the teamwork shown by these kids could be an example for us as adults to remember. One other thing I was struck by was how supportive of teammates these kids were. They were genuinely caring and there for each other. Yes, there were some teams that had built the camaraderie better than the others, including 1 team that had been together for just a week, but there was a sense of belonging together and true friendships being made. This is why programs like NC FIRST LL are desperately needed in our society.
I will be back again to help out, any way I can.
Wordless Wednesday
Charleston SC clouds, taken Oct 8, 2011
Forgive me for being an ass, but…
Has someone ever told you that? Or said it in various forms with dick replacing ass or some other derogatory self descriptor that usually a person is called when they say something critical.
Personally the best response came from a friend who was told that very thing, and the response was, well if you were not one, you would not have to apologize for it. I think it has boiled down to our inability as humans to really deliver constructive criticism or other negative conversation. Do we think it deflects any bad feelings? Does saying that absolve the person of any guilt or repercussions for the words that follow that statement and the daggers they can become? I do not think so.
Those words are not a shield. What does work, however, is thinking about what you are wanting to say long before you utter that statement. If you are in a conversation that is becoming contentious, and you have to sling something hurtful, wouldn’t it be better to temper that thought, and really see if it is worth saying? I doubt very seriously the person on the receiving end of that phrase will think any higher of you for apologizing in advance for what you are going to say. Seems to me you should not say it!
One. A musing on lyrics.
The song One by Creed popped up on my random playlist today, and it’s rather pointed message got me thinking. Unity and being one population of humanity. We have splintered ourselves in the name of striving for betterment of ourselves, and look where we are. I am interested in what you all think. Can we go back to working for the good of the whole, or the sum of all of the parts, so that those parts can all be better?
Copyright Creed
“One”
Affirmative may be justified
Take from one give to another
The goal is to be unified
Take my hand be my brother
The payment silenced the masses
Sanctified by oppression
Unity took a backseat
Sliding further into regression
One, oh one,
The only way is one
One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don’t try and change my mind
Society blind by color
Why hold down one to raise another
Discrimination now on both sides
Seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny
When all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end
We meet our fate together
One, oh one,
The only way is one
One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don’t try and change my mind
[x3]
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don’t try and change my mind
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don’t try and change my mind
SOCS: Food glorious food
Oh food, how I adore thee. Am writing this post from what I consider to be one of the best places to eat in the USA, Charleston, SC. The options are limitless, and it seems that as you walk the historic part of the town the smells that waft onto the street tease your nose with hints of the treats that wait within.
Charleston has it’s own vibe. Elegance mixed with hoodies and flip-flops. Little alleyways that are cobblestone that have music and laughter spilling out of narrow doors with the spicy scent of shrimp and grits. Busy main streets with restaurants on every corner that promise everything from local produce to sushi worthy of LA. Pastries, beer joints, and what may be my favorite diner breakfast. I’ll get back to healthy on Tuesday. It’s been a couple of hours, I need a bite.
SOCS: Its the little things, and how to deal
As a SAHD over the last 17 months, I have learned things about myself and how I handle the little things. I am still learning. In the work outside the home world, when things are flying all over and 15 people are pulling you in 20 directions, you can get by with closing your door for 5 minutes and breathing. Being at home requires the same thing sometimes, and you have to allow yourself to do that.
This morning, the prompt for this post occurred. Laundry day, along with two projects The Kid has due tomorrow, and a host of Sunday afternoon activities to attend, the washer is not starting. Clothes loaded, soap in, and buttons pushed, all for nothing. Error codes abound. Earlier in life, this may have resulted in a good old adult meltdown, but being with The Kid has prompted me to just roll with things a little better. Make it work. So I may have to wash some unmentionables by hand. I suggested to Wife that the dishwasher is available, but she didn’t think that was as funny as I did.
So rolling with the little bumps that happen day to day. I am learning that it doesn’t spell the end of the world. We all have clean undies for tomorrow.
The List of an Accident Prone person
This post from the lovely and gracious Katt, has a blurb on it about her dumbest injuries. Well, after reading that, and making a comment, she challenged me to list my forays into idiocy, that may or may not have resulted in a trip to the local ER. Over my lifetime, in various incarnations, I have had 120 or so stitches, but the only bones I have broken have been various toes, and a finger on my left hand.
My accident prone ability has led me to injure myself in unique ways:
- Had a 1.5 inch finish nail driven into hand by gas powered nailer. The nail hit a knot in the wood I was nailing and did a u-turn, right into my hand. (Adult age)
- Tripped over a dog while running around in driveway, and fell into side of house. Corner made of rough brick met my head. Had to have that one stitched up. (Child age)
- Fell off moving vehicle on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, SC. On Easter Weekend, at the old beach music festival they had there in the 80′s. I have road rash scars in various places. (college, need I say more?)
- Sliced small part of thumb off chopping an onion. (Adult)
- Dumped FULL pot of freshly made coffee onto self as a 5 year old. The day after my mom came home from hospital after giving birth to my brother. 2nd & 3rd degree burns. (Child)
- No real feeling in pads of 4 fingers on left hand, as I burnt them on a bread pan at work. (Adult)
There are others, that may or may not be wise to tell about here… Some stories are best left for in person telling.
Wordless Wednesday
This will represent a happy spot