I spent the night away from home recently and actually watched “normal” television. (I must say, I couldn’t get back to a “no cable” household quickly enough to suit me.) However… while I was there, I noticed something that I found simply shocking… something that may have “snuck up” on those who watch TV all the time…

I’d noticed (and I think even blogged) about the fact that so many commercials lately seem to be for medications. A few months ago when I was watching TV elsewhere, I was just floored by the number of commercials that were advertising drugs…in a non-specific way. I mean, you see people in fields of flowers with butterflies and happy families and the announcer says something like “Ask your doctor if DRUG X might be right for you!” Now, it never says what the ailment is, never says much other than giving you the visual impression that life will be much sweeter if you are on this particular chemical. It sounds just like heaven… up until the last seconds when a fast-talking, lower voiced announcer whispers about all the reactions, adversities and horrors you may encounter if you take said miracle drug.

To me, that whole concept is mortifying. Simply horrid!

But this visit… it got worse. (more…)

I was going through some of my old files today. I carry my 500 gig external drive with me on long trips, and this seemed like a perfect time to clean up and remove duplicates. I’m also looking at creating “Binders” in Adobe of my published articles, my essential documents and my business portfolio. If it works well, I may create one for my fiction pieces — current, past, complete and still underway. And, I may swap over my many formats of journals (since 1979 when I started keeping journals) into a binder organized in date order. Yeah, I know, … it’s anal-retentive… but I like being organized and I like being able to “lay my hands” on what I want when I want it. I may be a minimalist with the physical stuff in my life, but my “digital” belongings are getting rather overwhelming… so I am “cleaning” virtual house. (more…)

The virtual tour phenomenon has gone pocket-sized and portable in the form of Video Virtual Tour Podcasts. Cutting edge real estate agents are now offering virtual tours in new, smaller and easier-to-use platforms, says Internet Marketing Consultant Angela Parker of www.WickedWordCraft.com, who specializes in helping real estate clients find new, innovative ways to market homes.

“As our society becomes more mobile, our demand for information follows suit,” said Parker. “The real estate industry must meet these demands by creating new, more convenient ways to deliver what clients need and want when they are shopping for a new home.” (more…)

As a real estate agent, technology is important to you. You use it every day to conduct
business, do research, access potential clients and to communicate. You know technology use is growing. What you may NOT know is that technology and home offices are quite possibly one of the biggest selling points a house can offer.

While family size is still declining, the number of people working full-time or part-time from home (and those executives that need full-office access from home) is on the rise. (more…)

The health problems that I thought were fixed have returned, and the timing kinda sucks, since I’m still out in the Rockies. But, I’m taking this time to do a bit more research on the Tablet PC I’ve been salivating over for several months and I’ve discovered (and been reading like mad about) the new UMPC products (Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers). Computing is an exciting field at the moment. Things are really “hopping” and I’m fascinated with the new breakthroughs. Now, I think I know why I’ve not already purchased the Tablet PC.

The Tablet is the first Technology advance/toy that I’ve wanted for an extended period of time that I’ve NOT purchased. Usually, I’ll salivate for a week or so, then bite the bullet and buy the device. Not so this time. And now I think I know why…

If you want to learn more about UMPCs as a general “class” of machines, you can visit the Microsoft site. If you want to learn a bit more about the individual models of UMPCs, you may want to hit some of the user and fan sites that are springing up all over. For instance, I found the following sites in my perusing last night when I couldn’t sleep:

http://umpc.com/
http://www.umpcbuzz.com/

You may also want to check out the following news release – http://www.mil-embedded.com/news/db/?2873 - the first mention of a “rugged” UMPC for the Military market, which makes all kinds of sense to me.

One device the OQO can be reviewed online here. And the Samsung device is now available (but on backorder) at BestBuy.com. You can read the PDF Owner’s Manual online to get the details. However, that model is a Celeron chip and the memory and HD space is lower than some of the other options available on, for instance, the EO by TabletKiosk. And, although the batterylife of the EO-V7110 seems to be problematic in the first release, the rest of the reviews on this particular little gem are pretty exciting. See a review here. What turns my crank about this one? It’s a Centrino chip for starters. (I despise celeron anything) Then try a 100 GB HD – at 7200 speed! (an upgrade, of course) or a 160 GB HD (at 5400 – for the same price) *decisions, decisions* and up to 1GB DDR2 SODIMM! (also an upgrade). But that means I’d have a pretty cool little mobile Tablet PC with a touch screen, 100 GB of fast-access storage space (or 160 gigs running a bit slower) and a mass amount of onboard RAM in something that I can slip into a smallish purse – or the side of my backpack when I’m on the road. HEAVEN! :O)

For those of you that don’t need or want a “souped-up” version, you can get one of these little beauties for under $1K. (My version more than doubles the price.) But another big reason that I think these little beauties will sell is a lower price point than the current tablet PCs and a price point more “in keeping” with the current laptop market — but adding the additional size and functionality convenience factors.

Although I don’t think these devices are perfected by any stretch, I think this is a whole new breed of device that mesh pretty closely to my definition of ideal. I also believe with a better battery life, that it may be a perfect choice for real estate professionals, agents and brokers — as well as techno loving writers such as…. ME! These little devices have the advantages of the “write-on” screen of the tablet PC operating system and the connectivity required of most brokers and agents in the field.

As these become a little less obscure and blend more into the mainstream, I fully expect these devices (labeled Origimi Devices) to become the mobile professional’s best friend. I also expect a serious upswing of adoption by the teen and early 20’s market for entertainment devices with the bonuses of online connectivity and office/classroom productivity. With the capability of keyboard and larger monitor, these devices may even become the “main computer” for many folks. The touch-screen also allows thumb-input for when you don’t have the time or desire to hook up a keyboard.

For now, keep an eye on these new devices… exciting things are happening in the mobile world!

While “cleaning house” on my hard drive today, I found a list of VA resources. Since these are not recently compiled, some links may not work.

(more…)

I was talking to a client today, and a professional peer, and BOTH of my parents about public education. I’ve been talking to a lot of people about education lately. And, one of these enlightened individuals made a comment that resonated in my mind. The person said, “I feel that what I’m doing, by sending my kids to public school, is nearly child abuse.”

That really sang out.

I have a peer that mentioned a sign in front of her own children’s elementary school in Florida yesterday that read: “May 24 – Early dissmissel.” Today, she was going to get a photo, but apparently one of the teachers at that school was alert. It’s a shame that’s not true at all schools.

And I’d like to make a call for anyone else that has this type of “oh, my God!” photo from outside (or inside) their respective schools. So, send them to me!…in the meantime,…
Want to see the results of our educational system in more practical, work-a-day examples? View my peer’s photo of her local McDonalds. The person that put this up? Probably a student or former student of public education.

I’ll be writing more on this, as I talk to more people. You know, I thought that education was just MY hot button, but most of the parents and grandparents I’ve spoken to lately feel the same way. And, most of them agree that throwing more money at education is making the problem worse, not better.

I’ve heard comments that state “We hand them a calculator and a spell-checker and wonder why they can’t do math or spell.” And I’ve heard “Have you noticed the projects that the teachers assign? They are ludicrous! There is no real research, there is no real converging of thoughts or relating one topic to real life!” A client told me about his daughter’s 9th grade project in class. They read a book and then brought in food that was mentioned in the book as a major school project. And what was the food that the children prepared? Bologna sandwiches! The book was not related to historical references, to modern society (and the woes of that society) or any other tangible “learning” experience. Nope, it was a book they read and then they made bologna sandwiches. I shared my own story about my 16 year old reading Black Beauty ALOUD in class, so work after the test isn’t to “challenging” — (God forbid!)

Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing the notebook my son is keeping on his last three weeks of school. Once the testing is over (the testing that leads to cash rewards for the school system) the education — what little there was to begin with — is gone. I plan to post the results of this three-week survey here on my blog. My mother says that my children will probably not be able to attend the Russell County School System after my little online fits about the sorry state of the education there. I disagree. It’s a PUBLIC school system, and if I need to go and park myself in the classes for “parental observation” of the educational process, write letters to the editor and continually keep the local and state board of education aware of the goings-on from a parental perspective, I can do that.

I believe that, overall, the elementary school in Russell County is good (the one my daughter attends), but the high school… that’s another story. A scary story. I know that the majority of the individuals with school-aged children are just trying to survive. I know many of these parents are single parents to boot. I know that many parents don’t have the time or the energy to fight a system that’s failing our children. And, I know that this problem is indicative of other, even more invasive problems in our modern society… but I am only one person, and I have a limited amount of time to spend. So I will continue to report what I see and to challenge the “status quo” where my children are concerned.

I’m not really easy to keep quiet and I don’t really sit down and play nice when I’m passionate about something. And, education is my “something” and things need to change. They need to change now. If government should not be given the responsibility for things it doesn’t do well — then the government (and unions) should get the heck out of the education business (and several other businesses, like health care and retirement… but I won’t go there right now). For now, give me parental choice. Let me CHOOSE what schools my children attend and let it be up to the schools to get funding based on performance by MY standards and other parent’s standards… not by a bogus test that monopolizes the school year and intimidates the educators and rules the administration. Let the schools return to a place of learning, not a place of politics and “shell games” with our collective future in the balance.

Right now, children freak out when handed a word problem. They don’t know what to do if the formulas aren’t spoon-fed. They can’t do worksheets with multiple concepts. And… they can’t think for themselves and work out problems with multiple-concept applications. It’s too challenging, it’s too difficult, and it’s too hard to MEASURE on a standardized test. And, case-in-point, McDonalds and many fast food places don’t ring up actual prices – they push buttons with PICTURES of food and then the change is delivered — because most of our young people can’t MAKE change anymore. An example? While in Wendy’s recently, my grandmother handed the cashier a $50 bill. The girl rang it in as a $10 and when my grandmother questioned this, she replied “Yeah, I know, but making change from a $50 is too hard, so I’ll just give you back $40 and ring it up as a $10.” Does that make sense to you? Me neither! *rolls eyes*.

If we are to encourage our children to be survivors and good citizens, we must teach them to be problem solvers, not rote equation writers. We have eliminated memorization, we have removed the need to learn to spell, to learn multiplication tables, to learn formulas and conversions and other USEFUL information for daily life. I love technology, but what happens to these children if technology isn’t available at fingertip access? What if they find themselves in a situation where they must problem solve on the fly? What if there is no calculator, no program, no Internet, no spell check. What if there is a problem and they only have the information stored in their brains to help them solve it?

I do not underestimate the job of being an educator in today’s climate. I feel for these individuals. They must stay between a rock and a hard place, trying to teach to the test, keep the administration happy, be babysitters and try to work in teaching a little something in between other duties. I wouldn’t want their job. I respect teachers. But I believe that what’s happening is driving away the best instincts of our best teachers, tying both arms behind their backs and blindfolding them… and then asking why they don’t teach with enthusiasm. Teachers need the support of parents, and they need to be less “handled” by the administration and the government. They need to be allowed to TEACH. Teaching is an art that requires passion. We can’t expect good results when we strip the occupation and these fine individuals of both.

The new Treo with the Palm OS has now been released. The Treo 700P hit the streets earlier this week in limited distribution. Right now, it’s available for Sprint and Verizon users, leaving those Cingular fans among us, still feeling a bit chilly.

The reported advantages of the new device include…

The better screen offered by the Treo 650, as compared to the limited resolution of the Treo 700w edition. It also enables the faster wireless broadband access and Sprint is reportedly going to enable the phone to be used as a laptop modem. Now, if that’s the case, I may have to invest in one, once it’s available in my area. I’ll need either a card purchase to enable wireless Internet on the Tablet PC I have my eye on… or I’ll need a phone which will serve double-duty.

You can also text an incoming caller while on the phone with a current call. Kinda cool, but in my case, not something I’d use. I don’t like text messages, I prefer IM.

My primary concern with the Treo as a phone “class” at this time, is a notable “dropped” call rate in more remote areas. I’ve been able to compare this to an extremely basic Nokia that my father has while we are out in the mountains of Colorado. He tends to stay connected to his calls, whereas mine, on the Treo 600 and on the Treo 650 (I’ve tested both models) seem to drop constantly. Now, since we are both on the same network, I have to raise an eyebrow at the phone itself.

Hopefully the new Treo 700p will show an improvement in this area. If not, I may not purchase the 700p.

Saturday was my day to write and I did just that. I went up in the trails around Shavano and I rode the four-wheeler as high as I could, until the snow banks blocked my path completely. Then I just absorbed the surroundings a bit. Once saturated, I started back down the path I’d traveled.

Every time I saw an inspiring spot, I’d stop and pull out my pencil and notebook and write until the words quit coming. Then, I’d hop back on the 4 wheeler and descend a bit more until I saw my next inspiring spot…

Doing this over the course of ten hours resulted in a tremendous amount of back story, history, theme and plot progression for my current story. I also managed to make it back down to the foot of the mountain, just over 7 miles below where the snow stopped me. I was thrilled with the progress and the working environment. Then, on Sunday, I spent much of the day at the computer looking up historically accurate names, events, and the interplay of local happenings during the “backstory” period of my novel. And today (Monday) I visited one of the actual “ghost towns” that I hope to bring to life and got up high enough in the mountains nearby to actually take a few shots of some old mines.

It’s been a tremendously effective use of my time. Tomorrow, however, is a “traditional” work day, so all my notes and the two books I bought about the history of the ghost town and the surrounding township, will have to stay “on hold” while I earn a living. You know, right now, I think I could easily take a year off work and just stay right HERE and get the tangles in the story, the meat of the plotline and the honing of the history complete and created. If I could just stay here and not feel the urge to work on “income producing” work like I do at home… I’d probably get a book finished in a year. And, chances are it would be a well-researched and possibly even an interesting book.

But, I purchased my ticket home this morning. My wonderful hubby has been more than patient while I came out to write, research and find my professional direction. He’s taken care of two children, managed the house, paid the bills, worked a full time job and never ONCE complained to me about leaving him with all that to do.

Yes, I’ve worked hard while I was out here. I’ve also discovered this part of the country in little known and “nuance” ways that I’d never get with simply photos and online research. It’s been time well spent. I hope to spend a day in the Salida library before I go and want to plan a trip to Leadville to tour the Mining history museum. I also need to learn a bit more about the railroad history for this area to make sure that my novel is historically accurate.

I’m having a blast! I’m really enjoying this process. Writing this go-round has been more challenging than most previous stints — but I love the challenge and the results.

Our neighbor showed Pops and me the way to the ghost town and to the nearby cemetery. It was just the type of stuff I was seeking. I’ll upload the photos when I have more time and more energy. I have quite a few to share. But, for now, it’s time to catch some zzzzzz’s before my first client appointment tomorrow a.m.

I’m not-so-proud to say that my own elementary school… Edna L. Toliver School in Danville, Kentucky was displaying THIS earlier today:

It’s stuff like this… and I don’t just mean the spelling of “Scool” — but also the spelling of “Libary” that just makes me beam with pride. And yes, I’m sure that throwing more money at this “Reading First” school will help improve the spelling issues. I’m sure it will… aren’t you?

*Rolls eyes*

Yesterday Pops and I “took for the hills.” I’d planned to only work two days per week and to write for 1-2 days per week (solid) with regular writing even on off days. However, I’ve been working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, much to my dismay.

Today, however is a writing day and I’ll be headed off with a notebook and a pen, rather than a laptop to work on my writing in a prettier environment than the camper can offer.

But, before I go…

I thought I’d tell you that there are more photos uploaded to the Colorado Photo Blog. Yesterday we saw more deer, a couple grouse and a neighbor saw mountain sheep (I’ll upload a photo of those from him soon). The day was wonderful. We walked as far up Taylor Mountain as we could get — which wasn’t far, considering the snow line. I did make it to where the tree line ended for the first time, around 12K feet. That’s the highest I’ve ever been, and unlike last year, I didn’t get ill. (Which made me really happy).

It’s beautiful up there, and I took lots of photos in the hope that I could capture some of it, but the photos are always lacking when compared to the first-hand view — but the pics are still pretty amazing. I won’t be around for Father’s Day this year (Pops will still be here and I’ll be back home), so I gave him his present up on Taylor Mountain (which seemed appropriate, since Pop’s loves that mountain best. He calls it his mountain.

Today, I’m packing a lunch and a dinner in my backpack and heading off to find a pretty place to sit and write for hours. I’ll take a hat today, since I burned my face a bit yesterday. My ears are getting better and my throat is less sore, so I’m excited to spend some solo time out on a mountainside. Maybe I write slower than I can type… but who cares?!?! Today is going to be wonderful!

Only the government (and dishonest car mechanics) try to convince you that when you have something horribly broken, that you can fix it by throwing more money at it.
Case in point, I just got a copy of a press release from Kentucky Rep Mike Harmon’s Office (I’ll cut and paste it below for those of you who want to see it). It states that educating our children is a priority of the 2006 General Assembly. So far, sounds pretty good… then I read on.

I see statements like:

The most important part of educating our students is ensuring that we have qualified personnel in our classrooms…the General Assembly needed to do more to ensure they are adequately compensated.

I feel that maybe rather than increasing salaries, we should increase expectations. To heck with CATS testing… I am tired of school systems dedicated solely to teaching to a bogus exam. Why not try…. EUREKA!…. Teaching!?!?!

Why not actually teach every day of the school year? Why not teach age-appropriate material (rather than, for instance, having a 16-year old excellent reader spend two weeks in his English class reading Black Beauty aloud?) Call me crazy, but why not spend that time actually CHALLENGING the kids to learn something new?

If some of the kids need a book on the level of Black Beauty — give it to them (and SHAME on our school system for allowing that to happen in the first place) — but don’t make ALL the children read that same book. How HARD would it be to assign reading that is done outside of school and then break down the class into 2-3 level-appropriate groups to discuss their level appropriate books?

If I were the teacher in that class (and I have no professional teaching background at all) — I’d select three books of different levels with similar primary themes and assign them to my class based on reading level. They would read the books for HOMEWORK and then return to class to discuss the thematic similarities and differences as a whole class. Yeah, it may be a bit more difficult to teach that way than to have a whole class drone on reading aloud from a book targeted for 9-year-olds… but if a person doesn’t want to teach, why are they THERE?

How about HCR 214 which “directs a study on how to effectively provide assistance to schools not meeting established goals for student achievement to be completed by the Interim Join Committee on Education by December 1, 2006.” How about I just share the notebook my son is keeping for my edification right now? How about the course of his “coursework” over the last three weeks of school — after the tests, when the teachers quit teaching — be offered. Skip the expensive study — have your kids keep notes on what they are actually DOING in school. Drop by and have a surprise visit as a legislator. These are public schools — just GO THERE and see what’s happening.

Heck, if everyone did that enough, maybe the “free days” and the days at the park (my daughter had her THIRD full day at the park yesterday). The biggest concern we, apparently, should have about her education is whether or not she’s getting enough sunscreen to avoid burning.

HJR 145 – Develop a strategy to improve student’s understanding of the Constitution and the democratic process. Yeah, let’s do that. Maybe these kids will get angry enough that they will actually go out and vote. Maybe with another study, they will learn to be less apathetic about the system and they will believe that they actually matter as individuals in a democracy. Yup, explain to them how the Electoral College works, exactly, and hope they still have the urge to participate in that system. Give them the history about how presidents can, and have, lost the popular vote and still win the presidency. Yeah, that will give them a reason to want to participate. Great idea! And let’s throw some more money at the system and have some more studies on this one too! OR… maybe we could have a class on governmental change and how to create that on a grass roots level. Maybe our “civics” courses should show how things are and how, historically, change has occurred and how change can be implemented NOW. Hmmmm… but I’ll bet that wouldn’t be supported, would it?

HB 589 – Health Education – Dangers of UV rays. Yeah, this one needs to be given to the teachers that keep kids outside all day rather than teaching them at the end of the school year. Note previous mention of my Son’s sunburn one day last week from an “all day out” and the above mention of the third day in less than two weeks for my fair-skinned daughter. Yeah, and maybe this education needs to be given (as a requirement) to the teachers as well. Personally, I’ve taught my own children about this. Even at 8, Alex understands.

HB 197 – End of course examinations – Hmmmm. What a novel thought. Actual FINAL EXAMS that count. Wait… hold on… didn’t we already have these? I could swear that when I went to school we actually had final exams during the last week of school –and unlike TODAY’s “finals” — they were CUMULATIVE exams and the COUNTED (big time) on the final grade in every class. My son tells me that his “final exams” — the few that are being given, are over new material or, per the teachers “don’t count unless everyone does poorly” — yeah, that one left me scratching my head too. Final exams people. It’s pretty self-evident, IMHO.

HB 646 – Wellness and Physical Activity Program – Cost 2.5 million. This is going to be, what? Education on how we should get regular physical activity? Why not just HAVE regular physical activity as a part of the morning regimen at school? Why study it more? What are we going to do, use more VIDEOS to teach healthy lifestyles? And what does this actually DO? Look it up. It creates another commission. Lovely, and effective, I’m sure. Trickle down, theory, anyone? Yeah, me neither.

I’ll just leave my thoughts on the Teacher Pay Protection bill silent. I won’t mention my feelings about a society in a condition that this even occurs to legislators. For now, I’m pushing away from the computer and going on a hike. For now, I’m going to try to push the sorry state of Kentucky Education and the equally sorry situation wherein Kentucky Politicians continue to chase their tail (or get indicted) out of my mind. Right now, I’ll take a deep breath.

And can someone out there tell me, again, how it’s NOT all about the money? Anyone??

*Breathe in, Breathe out, Breathe in….*

Read the Full Press Release Here:

by State Representative Mike Harmon

Educating our children a priority of 2006 General Assembly

This session, we moved forward on a number of education issues that will help ensure that our children – no doubt Kentucky’s most precious natural resource – receive a quality education that prepares them to not only enter the job market, but to conquer it.

As I have said in previous columns, the most important part of educating our students is ensuring that we have qualified personnel in our classrooms and schools. However, although we have some of the finest educators in the nation, the General Assembly needed to do more to ensure they are adequately compensated. By providing salaries that are competitive with neighboring states, we can attract new faces to our classrooms while keeping the educators we have now.

This session we were able to include a much awaited teacher pay increase in the budget. Specifically, the budget includes a 2 percent pay raise for teachers in this upcoming fiscal year and an additional $3,000 increase in 2007-08. Classified employees will also receive a pay raise of 2 percent during 2006-2007 and 5 percent the next year.

The budget also includes full funding for the Read to Achieve Program, a program aimed at improving Kentucky’s literacy rates. A $50 million bond issue was included within the two-year spending plan to be used towards putting more computers in the hands of public school students. We also moved to reopen the KAPT (Kentucky Affordable Prepaid Tuition) program for new enrollment this fall. KAPT provides parents, family members and those interested in a child’s future to contribute to a college account at today’s rates, wagering on future tuition increases.

In addition to the budget, we also passed several other pieces of education and child-related legislation. Here are a few summaries of these bills:

HB 79 – Retirement Contributions for Certified Employees called to active duty. Requires a local board of education to grant a leave of absence to a certified employee who is a member of a state National Guard or a Reserve component ordered to active military duty by the President of the . The local boards of education are also required to pay the employee’s retirement contribution for the period of active military duty.

SB 51 – Teacher Pay Protection. This legislation will require any teacher or school employee who is assaulted while at work to continue receiving pay and benefits for up to 100 days after the assault. A doctor’s statement will be required as proof that the teacher or employee cannot return to work for them to receive paid leave offered under SB 51.

SB 130 – Student testing. Under the provisions of SB 130, the state would pay for and require all high school juniors to take the ACT, commonly required as a college entrance exam, under Senate Bill 130. The measure would allow sophomores, juniors and seniors to take the WorkKeys test, geared toward students who do not plan to attend college. Students’ testing fees would be paid by the Department of Education the first time they take the ACT and/or the WorkKeys tests.

HCR 214 – Student Achievement Goals. Directs a study on how to effectively provide assistance to schools not meeting established goals for student achievement to be completed by the Interim Joint Committee on Education by December 1, 2006.

HJR 145 – Civics Education. Requires the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Board of Education, Education Professional Standards Board and other P-16 partners to develop strategies and a timeline for improving Kentucky students’ knowledge and understanding of the Constitution of the , and the democratic processes.

HB 341 – Education Technology. Directs the Department of Education to conduct a study to determine costs, benefits, feasibility, and implications of adoption of specifications for statewide education data designed to facilitate the exchange of information among different instructional and administrative software applications at the local, state, and federal levels.

HB 589 – Health Education. Encourages public schools to include age-appropriate education on the risks associated with exposure to ultraviolet rays within the existing health curriculum. House Bill 589 also requires the Kentucky Department of Education to provide instructional resources, including information from national standards and health organizations.

HB 197 – End-of-course examinations. Creates a pilot program in approximately ten schools throughout the state for standardized end-of-course examinations in Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry. The pilot program is set to take place during the 2007-2008 public school year.

HB 646 – Governor’s Wellness and Physical Activity Program. HB 646 establishes a health, wellness and fitness program for Kentucky that would promote a healthy lifestyle among our citizens. While the program is not specific to children, younger Kentuckians are a targeted audience as the number of Kentucky children diagnosed with diabetes and lifestyle-related health disorders has increased dramatically. The estimated cost to implement the initiative is $2.5 million.

While I intend to continue updating you on what we accomplished this session, I hope you will not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information on our work, to share your thoughts or regarding a state government matter. I can be reached at home or through the toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181.

You know, there’s something to be said about being a Southerner. I never really gave it any thought before.

Sure, I figured that folks in the larger cities were rude and obnoxious. The thing is, that’s never been proven with the clients I’ve had from the “big cities” — so I’d pretty much let that idea go. I figured that people were people, no matter where they reside.

Well, I think I was wrong…

You know, in Kentucky we say “please” when we ask for a favor… even one as small as passing the salt across the table. In my homestate, for all its foibles and educational issues right now, people still say “thank you” when you do them a “good turn.”

Back home, when someone comes to visit you offer food and beverage. It’s just a given. You never ask people to stand, you scurry to get them a seat. Men open doors — and women say “thank you” when that happens.

Now, maybe Pops is right, maybe it’s a bit different out here in the west… in the land of the rugged individualist and “cowboy” mentality. I dunno. All I know is that I miss “thank you” and hearing “bless you” when someone sneezes.

I’ve been able to get online with my laptop, while here on retreat. My father, on the other hand, … not so much. I’ve been a bit frustrated with the download speeds (read this as “impossible to download large files at all”) and I always am amazed/shocked to learn how dependent I am on the Internet. Five minutes doesn’t expire here at the camper without me having the urge to look something up, jot something down, send something out, or check on something on the Internet.

So, I was doing ok and had decent signal strength… until the RV slot next to us (and between us and the office where the wi-fi lives) filled up with our neighbor. Then, signal strength plummeted. We are lucky to get one or two bars (for those of you that know wi-fi meters).

Pops and I looked online for an antenna to help draw in the signal. We ordered one — one that was going to cost nearly $200, including the shipping and handling, but I was desperate. So I ordered it and paid extra for fast delivery. Today marked the SIXTH day since the order was placed, and still no antennae. So I called the company (radiolabs.com) and they informed me that my antenna had not yet been sent!! It was on back order and they really couldn’t tell me when they would get the part they needed back in, nor did they bother to inform me of this at any time within the six days since I ordered it.

ARRUUUGGHHH!!!

So Pop and I drove into town and he got a little creative. We ended up making our own for a fraction of the cost. Want to know how? Read on…

We went to the local computer store and purchased a USB Wi-Fi dongle. We got a 10′ USB extension. Pops got up on top of the camper (I really shoulda had my camera, but alas, I didn’t think of it), He took the USB dongle plugged up to the USB extension. I’d double wrapped it in a heavy gauge zip lock baggie plastic. (Hey, I had zip lock baggies and a pair of scissors… nuff said). And he borrowed some electrical tape from a neighbor (the one next door, no less!).

Then he taped the baggie-covered USB dongle to the FM antennae and taped the extension cord down the length of the FM antenna and we then snaked it into window and it plugged into the USB on the back of his desktop. Thankfully, the measurements were right… otherwise it wouldn’t have worked. The 10′ on the USB is about maxed — beyond that you start losing signal strength.

However, if you are looking for this type of booster for a camper, RV or even a Van or vehicle… it just might work for you. It works great for us.

Since we were searching the Internet for a solution to this problem… and couldn’t find one… I figured I’d share it to help out the next guy.

Price? About $60.

Have fun!

My mother sent me the following news release via email, while I’m out here in Colorado. It’s probably one of the few things that could possibly get my dander up in such a relaxed and beautiful place.

It’s nice to know that a few people with personal agendas, who were hell-bent to cut the legs out from other good, existing programs are rewarded with the moneys they were seeking. And I truly appreciate MY tax dollars being used to do so. It makes me proud and happy.

Can you hear the irony dripping from my fingers as I type this? (more…)

This morning, I expected to be sore. I wasn’t. The walk yesterday seemed only beneficial. So, Pops and I were planning to go for our morning walk around the campground and then take off on the 4-wheeler for the early part of the day. I was then going to come back and do a bit of writing and possibly even write a column that’s due later this week. It was a good plan.

But plans had to change…

In the middle of this really windy walk this morning, my ears really started hurting. Now, since I got here, I’ve been waking up with a sore throat (but it’s gone within an hour or so) and one ear (my left) started feeling stuffy, weird, and then a bit tender. But the wind helped to push this along, I’m afraid.

Pops says I’ve got an ear infection — but, honestly, it’s been so many years since I’ve had one (probably over 20 years), that I’m not sure. By the time the walk was over, my whole head hurt. And I spent the last half of the walk holding my ears shut so the wind didn’t make them hurt more. Not exactly my best walk to date.

So I emailed my doctor for advice, and encouraged Pops to go on 4-wheeling without me. I was really hoping to see the ghost town this morning, I had a though about including a bit of history that involved such a remote place for my current story — and actually SEEING one sure would help. I had also talked with Pops about riding up with me to the top of a mountain path (or as far as we could get before hitting snow) and then letting me walk back down. I really LOVE the walk down!

But, all that will have to wait until my ears are in better shape (which I hope is really soon). I wonder if the elevation has anything to do with this? Right now, aside from a light throbbing, they feel like they have water in them. And they only really hurt when wind hits them or when I press behind them. Yeah, I know… If it hurts when you do that, don’t do that.

So, today, I’ll write a bit more than I’d planned. Tomorrow is a work day (probably 12-14 hours long), but maybe the ears will be back to normal by Wednesday… so we can 4-wheel together then. Maybe I’ll do a bit of work today to get caught up too. I have agreed to take on two new clients after June 1st and think that I will be able to finish up some existing projects between now and then to clear the time for new projects. I think it will be July before I take on anymore, I don’t want to get back home from this and immediately overwhelm myself again with work. I like having a schedule with a bit of flexibility. I like not working day and night. I’d like to do that regularly, not just when I’m on retreat.

Go figure, it’s more fun (and much easier) to come down the mountain than it is to climb up. Yesterday (Sunday), Pops and I took a couple hours to climb and explore a nearby trail. It was pretty pathetic going up…

Walk a hundred yards, huff and puff for five minutes… walk 50 yards, huff and puff… walk 200 yards then get winded and have to stop for five minutes. Needless to say, it took awhile to get up. We walked up the trail — a fairly comfortable incline, despite the “huff and puff” episodes — for just over an hour and a half. I took photos (of course) and added them to my Colorado Photo Blog. The sights were really nice going up… (more…)

Yesterday I wrote. All day I wrote.

Today is “errand and chore” day – I have laundry to do, we are going to clean up the 5th wheel, vacuum and clean the bathroom and scrub the stovetop… but yesterday, Pops went 4 wheeling with a neighbor and I was left to write to my heart’s content.

And write I did… nearly 13 pages on a new story. And not just rough pages either, they have been edited through the first initial pass. It’s a dozen full pages and a partial (the 13th) with some “spill-over” paragraphs.

Yesterday, it didn’t seem so important to determine where life was headed, I was having fun finding out where life was headed for my characters. Yesterday there were no literal mountains to climb, there were literary ones. And the “what am I going to do with my life” got put on hold for several hours.

And overnight I must have worked some of this out in my dreams. I’m a firm believer that dream-time is used to sort and to let the subconscious do it’s thing (something that it does well) and to make waking hours a bit less stressed and a bit more sane.

But I’ve noticed lately that over the last few weeks, probably a couple months or so, that my dreams aren’t the fanciful flights of weirdness that dreams usually are. I no longer find myself in imaginary houses that I somehow know well, or people I consider my friends and family that are unidentifiable upon waking (but who seem to be a mixture of several people I know). Nope, lately, my dreams have been pretty vanilla. I haven’t been flying. I haven’t been falling. I’ve spent my dreamtime doing average day things, dealing with people I actually know and working out issues that are crystal clear (and are the same ones, not even disguised, that I work on in my waking hours.)

Simply said, my dreams have been fairly boring extensions of my daily life lately.

I think it’s because I’ve been exhausting myself when conscious, and my dream time has been altered to give me a bit of sane time. *shrug* Either way, I think I’ve figured out a few things. I’ve been thinking alot about the things I wrote in Friday’s Blog — the things that I pieced together — and I think that perhaps I’ve already selected my mountain. I selected it some time back, but didn’t realize that the decision had already been made until this weekend.

You see, I’ve been writing for years. Even when I worked at the hospital, I spent my time finding new ways to communicate information, ideas and support to cancer patients, the family of those patients and the donors that helped to support our initiatives and our programs. For me, writing is one form of communication. Communication is what I’m all about. Writing is my favorite form, but not the only one I use.

So perhaps the mountain isn’t a writing career. Perhaps the mountain is a mountain of communication — and as I go up the mountain, I prefer the views from the “writing side” of the mountain. That would be MY side of the mountain. But one doesn’t scale a mountain up the sheer cliffs (unless one likes heights and working much harder than is necessary to get the same results.) I prefer to start at the base of my mountain and circle it, climbing
in elevation gradually and seeing the views from all sides and from different heights. But, by doing this, when I reach the “writing” side, I get all excited.

Those are my favorite views. But, since I enjoy the other views too, I feel selfish to want to limit my views to just that one. And, that side of my mountain is a bit more treacherous. The footholds are a bit less stable. There’s loose gravel. And, I can see that so many, historically, that have tried to scale just that side of the mountain are lying in heaps at the bottom.

So, I get worried and scared and feel that maybe I’m not the best mountaineer afterall, and I ease to the other side and pick up the path that circles around the mountain. I enjoy all the views and I gaze in wonder from each successive level — until I come back to the writer’s side of the mountain. This side always takes my breath away. I stay and climb here a bit, until I feel the first foothold give, the first gravel sprays down the side… and then I ease over and circle the mountain again. And the higher I get on the mountain, the better I like the view — but they are ALL good views.

So, with all that said, I think that maybe my life isn’t in need of selecting a mountain. I think that’s already accomplished. I’m enjoying my calling… so much so that I feel guilty from time to time — in between bouts with fear and doubt when I hit the writing side of the mountain.

But a wise person once said “Do something that scares you every day.” So, I plan to write something, anything that is fiction every day. Writing on the blog is not scary. Writing articles is not scary. Writing websites is not scary. Writing brochures, property descriptions, ad copy, ghost-writing… none of that scares me. But fiction… that’s scary and exhilarating at the same time. THAT moves me. Now, sometimes my non-fiction excites me, if I’m in a groove. If the words are flowing and I’m feeling the energy build… but non-fiction is easy for me. It’s not the same rush, because it’s not the same challenge. And I love the research portion of non-fiction, and was worried for many years that I’d lose that if I “made it all up” — but the truth is, I used the Internet multiple times during my intensive writing day yesterday. I had to look up when Labor Day happened, the meaning of certain character’s names, I had to see a virtual tour of a loft apartment in an unfinished state. I had to look up information about how factory windows in a certain time period usually looked. And there were dozens of other quick, but essential bits of information I needed to congeal my ideas into a feasible adventure in fiction.

You know, the mountain metaphor has really helped me. Climbing up and looking out and over, has put my life in perspective and has given me the much needed “AH-HA!” moments that I came here hoping to find. But I thought I’d have to dig deeper inside of me to find them. I thought I just needed to get away from the daily demands – even the ones I adore – in order to give myself the stretches of time needed to sort it all out. Uninterruptedtime. Long, luxurious blocks of time. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had those.

And I’m beginning to think that I need to finish out the cabin on the farm and retreat to THERE a day or two a week to write. If I can’t do it where the phone rings and the kids squeal, where my husband asks questions and clients email me- then perhaps I need to decide that it’s important enough to me, that I’m important enough to grab ahold and claim certain large blocks of time in my own life. Maybe it’s time I feel less guilty for doing what I want to do, and I learn to balance what I want (what my soul really needs) with what everyone else needs from me. Maybe now, I can do that. We have been here a week (tomorrow) and I’m making so much inner progress. I’m writing more than I’ve written in ages, and I’m finding options and solutions to continue this progress when I return to my “normal” life.

I also think a retreat like this every year is probably something I need to be able to keep my writing fresh and keep my energy flowing. Time will tell, but it seems to be the answer I was seeking. I’m starting to feel more certain. I’m starting to enjoy the path I’m on and I’m beginning to recognize that it’s the path I’ve chosen, not one that I’ve simply stumbled onto. And I think I’m going to be much less “freaked out” when I realize that I do enjoy the scenery from all sides of this particular mountain – and that’s ok, it’s not a requirement that I stick to a single side and scale just one cliff. But now, maybe I can also be ok with spending a bit more time on the scary side of my mountain, realizing that I can still circle through the other sides and make another, and another, and another pass at the writing side without fear that the writing side of the mountain will disappear if I take my eyes off it for a few minutes. I now feel confident that that side will remain in that same place, and it’s only me that circles around- it’s inevitable, having chosen THIS particular mountain, that I’ll be able to locate the writing side again, and I’ll be able to do so any time I want.

That brings me a great deal of relief.

I must say, I had a blast yesterday. And right now, I’m probably going to go and write a bit more before Pops wakes up.

Yes, I have laundry to do today, I have cleaning that needs accomplished, and I plan to go down to the shower house and soak under a hot shower until my entire body prunes up. (I promised myself that I’d do that today, since here in the camper, our hot water must be conserved or the shower turns cold before soap is rinsed from my hair.)

And I will do all these things today… but right now, while the place is still quiet, and even before I get breakfast or a shower….l think I want to go and “peek in” on my characters and see what they are up to. Samantha and her Nana need to have a real “heart-to-heart” conversation… and I think this morning is when they need to have it.

Have a great weekend!

When we filled up the tank on the Truck last, we had to wait. There was a trucker there tanking up. And when he was finished, Pops motioned me over to look at the pump and this is what I saw:
Now, it’s not bad enough that the poor guy, an independent trucker, had to fork out this kind of cash… but to be told to do so in the smallest bill?

Geeze!

When gasoline prices top $3.00 per gallon, I think references to paying with small bills should probably disappear from the pumps, don’t you?

Today was my first day “off” since we arrived on Monday. Monday was spent traveling here and getting set up in the RV park. Tuesday was spent working on client projects, as was Wednesday and Thursday. So, today was my first day of freedom!

Pops and I took a trip on the 4-wheeler up into the mountain passes. (I uploaded a slew of new photos onto the Colorado Photo Blog to go along side the few shots I made on the way into Salida.)

And, I must admit publicly that my client was right, it would have been a crime to come back out to Colorado again this year without a decent camera. That client, Alpharetta real estate agent and camera buff, Jeff Aughey, send me one of his cameras to borrow for the trip. He had to fuss for me to finally accept (He started out trying to give it to me, but I
refused and we finally agreed to a temporary loan). Now, I’m probably going to end up buying one just like this one. It’s a tiny little “fit in the palm of your hand” Cannon with 7.1 megapixels. It’s wonderful. I had to call Jeff tonight to tell him that he was right and how much I appreciated the loan. (Thanks again, Jeff!) (more…)