Merry Christmas!

We've all been dreaming of a White Christmas and this year we get our wish. A week of snow and being almost, but not quite, snowed in has been frustrating. But it has also helped us remember what the season is all about. All our plans of Christmas dinner, who's house to go to, and so on have all been snowed out; leaving us to spend time with family, connect more closely with family and help those less fortunate than we are. Even when we could get out, last minute shopping gave way to driving for "meals on wheels" bringing a little hot meal and brief visit to folks who can't get out even in the best of weather.

So we are grateful that we have our health, our family and our sense of humor!

Snow Team 8!

For a week we have been under steadily worsening weather. Rain, then thaw then colder and colder weather. Now sub-freezing temps and steady snow. The result has been a slowly growing paralysis. Early on in this event, the roads "in town" have been pretty good, but the last 1/2 mile has grown unpassable. I have been fortunate in that I have been able to telecomute (the whole 2 miles to my office). I also have the Yukon that can get about if needed. Finally, today, everything ground to a halt.

All day long the TV has been filled with "Storm Team 8" reporting on the arctic blast. The local weatherman is pretty sharp and has been spot on with predictions, but I really don't see the benefit of live coverage from a slightly frozen reporter at a highway overpass reporting "it's snowing here . . . and it's hard to drive." Then five minutes later, from the other side of town, another reporter: "It's really windy here, and it's snowing . . . and now back to you for more doppler 8000 radar . . ."

Those of you in the midwest, or even east of the Cascades probably think "Geez, what's the big deal? we get that kind of weather every winter, all winter." Yup. But the difference is that we don't. Sure, part of the problem we have is that "people don't know how to drive in snow." But that's not the whole story. The rest of the story is that we, the municipal "we" are not prepared for it. Because here in the Willamette valley, it does not snow like this "every winter, all winter." So we don't have the kind of snow handling equipment that Missoula or Denver or even Bend have available to them. Drivers don't generally have chains or snow tires unless they plan on going to the mountains - because we don't get much snow!

I also think it is easier to drive where you get a hard pack snow with temps well below freezing as opposed to temps hovering around freezing - turning the snow in to a partly melted, very slick mess.

Well the prediction is that it is going to get colder, and more snow coming as the "Arctic Blast" coverage continues. The big question: Are we dreaming of a white Christmas? Time will tell.

Why Here?

I have been asked the question, why post the Africa Video here? What happened to the Africa blog? Answer: It is still there, just has not been updated for a long time. For those who have never seen it and want to, it is here: "Out of Africa"

Africa Video

I had made a video to go into a presentation I gave about africa. Alas, though it would play on my laptop, the projector would not show it! Anyway, here it is:

Buy American

A good friend forwarded me the email quoted below. Now those who know me well know how I feel about the whole "viral email" phenomenon. The main problem I see is that the "facts" in those emails are often sketchy at best. I have not done even the basic Snopes search of the claims in the email. But given the current economic climate, I think it is worth a thinking about. I'll share some thoughts at the end.

The findings are as follows..... 1. Ford- $1 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team service s and office space to displaced government employees. 2. GM- $1 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of vans, suv's, and trucks. 3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack. 4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept. 5. Volkswagen-Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation, funded initial with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC. 6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross. 7. Audi-Nothing. 8. BMW-Nothing. 9. Daewoo- Nothing. 10. Fiat-Nothing. 11. Honda- Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001 12. Isuzu- Nothing. 13. Mitsubishi-Nothing. 14. Nissan-Nothing. ; 15. Porsche-Nothing.20 Press release with condolences via the Porsche website. 16. Subaru- Nothing. 17. Suzuki- Nothing. 18. Toyota-Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001. Condolences posted on the website Whenever the time may be for you to purchase or lease a new vehicle, keep this information in mind. You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and / or American based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States . It's OK for these companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this. Say thank you in a way that gets their attention..

For me, the point is not whether the facts are accurate. It is also not that foreign car companies should have done something for America following 9/11. They would no doubt say that they have their own problems and American companies are not starting foundations in -- for example -- Korea to help with whatever their problems may be.

The point, at least for me is this: We have a choice. Yeah, you say, so what?

We are in serious economic times. I don't think that American consumers can buy us out of this problem, some would argue that rampant consumerism helped get us into this mess in the first place. But if you are buying a car, or bottled water, or a t-shirt, shouldn't you think about buying from an American manufacturer first. Better yet, one that is local to you if you have the chance.

Nathaniel

Today was my cousin Nathaniel's funeral. He died after a long battle with cancer. There is so much I could say, regrets, loss, hope and comfort for his wife and kids. All totally inadequate, and not something that really belongs out on the web. But since the family gathered 3,000 miles away, and I could not be there, I will fling this prayer to the aether:

Go in peace Nathaniel . . .

Sunday

Karylinn continues to get better each day. But not nearly as better as she would like. When we first got home, even rolling over in bed was painful. Now it seems to be better and she can get up and about -- a little bit -- without so much pain. But it is definitely slow going.

So what's the prognosis? Her doctor says that 80% of patients get 80% better right away. We know she is not in that category. There is also a very small percentage who don't ever get better. but those folks have no relief at all right after surgery. Karylinn did have relief, so that's not her category either. What the doctor says is that the nerve has been hammered for a long time, is angry, and is going to take time to heal. Or, as my Dad more colorfully put it: "If an elephant has been standing on your foot, it's going to hurt for a while even after the elephant moves." Good point.

So the next question is: how is the improvement going to be? Slow and steady? Or better fast and then taper off? The doctor says he thinks that a lot of patients have gradual improvement for a while and then suddenly turn the corner. That's what he thinks will happen here. We will know more after Tuesday when we see him again.

Homecoming.

It has been a long haul, but Karylinn gets to go home today. She is still having more pain than expected and her doctor is concerned about it. As I understand the report, she is having continued fallout from the tear in the nerve sack and loss of spinal fluid. He is confident that she is past the worst of it but the healing can take a long time -- two to eight weeks.

Before anyone asks, I'll answer. No, I don't know what that means. Unfortunately I have not been able to be there when the doctor was there the last couple of times. Karylinn is really good at capturing that kind of detail, but when you are the one on your back alternating between pain and pain meds, it's bound to affect what you can take in. Hopefully I will get a chance to talk direct to the doctor later today.

Thursday and Hospital

Sigh.

Let me say that again SIGH

It's Thursday and we were hoping that Karylinn would come home today. While it could happen, it certainly will not be before noon as once predicted. This morning she had a lot of pain when the physical therapist was there. (Didn't get the meds ahead of the pain - Oops) But the doctor also is apparently not ready to release her.

I had court and so was not able to be there when the doctor was in. He will be checking in on her this afternoon and hopefully we will get some better news then. Until we do, continued prayers, good wishes, hot buttered karma or whatever would be great.

--Patton

Surgery Results

Karylinn's surgery went well with a "Comma But"

The disk bulge was larger than expected and all removed successfully. The nerves were freed up well and when she woke up, felt no more pain in the leg, though the back incision was painful.

Comma but, there was a complication going in. What happened is that of the muscles and ligaments that had to be moved out of the way, there was one that adhered to the sack containing the nerves. There was a tear that caused some spinal fluid to leak. The good news is that the repair was good. The bad news is that in order for the repair to heal, she needs to stay flat on her back for two days.

So we're here at the hospital until Wednesday at least. Fam, you know how to reach me

Surgery Again

Who's surgery? No, No, not me.

For some time, Karylinn has been dealing with quite a lot of lower back pain. While I had thought that I had become a pain in her "side" it turns out there is a medical reason.
Seriously, she has a herniated disk affecting her L4 L5 and S1 vertebrae. She has been suffering with this off and on since about a year ago. A couple of weeks back, we met with a surgeon and Monday is the day. The plan is to remove the parts of the disk that is impinging on her nerves and grind down the bone in places where the nerve channel is narrowed.

While many patients who have this surgery are out of the hospital the same day, that is not a prediction and the decision of when she goes home will depend on how she does. Apparently almost all patients have a good result over time and a high percentage get immediate relief.

Any thoughts and prayers that you can send along will be gratefully received. Prayers for steady, skillful hands for Dr. Button and strength and healing for Karylinn are on my list!

I will keep you posted when we have news.

Oregon Star Party

It has finally come time to be a big boy and admit that there will be no Oregon Star Party this year, not for me. For those who don't know, OSP is one of the best gatherings of astro geeks in the northwest. It consists of 500 to 800 amateur astronomers (some years closer to 1,000) gathering in the desert to enjoy the night sky. http://oregonstarparty.org

This year, well now that the decision is made, it seems so obvious. The stars will always be there and Sam needs all of us. Amanda's at school and can't really help out, so why was this hard? I think it has something to do with the wish that I will wake up soon and this will all be a bad dream.

Anyway, the good news is I get to spend the afternoon with Sam tomorrow. Today I heard how he has been learning to navigate the halls at Legacy Emanuel in a wheel chair under his own power. Naturally, we want the whole wobbly legs thing to get better, but this I've got to see!

-- Patton

The Report

For the last two weeks I have been waiting for the accident report from the State Police. While it is probably not the most important thing, I still need to know what happened to Sam and me. Sound crazy? "Uh Dude, you know you were in an accident right? And, you already told us what happened?" Well, yes. My head didn't get busted that bad.

But I don't actually know what happened! My memory of the accident consists of snapshots: [click] Car in my lane. [click] end of the cables just before impact [click] airbag in my lap, people telling me what to do . . .. But, did I remember it right? Did anyone else see the "brown car." How about a license plate number? Anyone who has ever had a fender bender knows what happens. As the shock of it goes away, you get out of the car, turn to the next person, and say: "Wow! What just happened!" I've seen the accident site, looked at the car and I think i know what happened "off road." But I have not been able to "ask" the guy behind me what he saw.


So I've been frustrated, and today more so. The State Police say that I can have a courtesy copy of the report, but the Trooper in charge of my accident was on vacation. I have no problem with that, but I'm still frustrated. The office manager was going to give me a partial report. She thought the only thing missing was my statement from the hospital, but I know what I said. I called her back to say I was coming down, she went on vacation too. Again, nothing wrong with that . . ..

Today, the Trooper was back, he called my cell phone. I'm thinking, great! Now we're in business! But, no. It turns out that what is missing is one witness statement alright, but not mine. Someone left a phone number and he has been unable to make contact. Just a bunch of phone tag. It could be until next Saturday at this point. "Ok, I hear that there were several witnesses . . . a couple of off duty police officers . . . ?" Well they were far enough back that they didn't see anything, just a cloud of dust in the median, and that's why they stopped.

So I guess I'll wait. I know the trooper is doing what he can, and it did help a bit to talk with him today. At least I know what's going on. But no one who saw the accident stopped? I know there was someone behind me in my lane. I don't know how far, but with the traffic, probably not more than 100 feet, and I think a lot less. Didn't see anything? Or just didn't bother to stop? Or maybe, like me, it all happened so fast that they think they didn't see anything, slowed down and saw others stopping behind and so went on their way. [Sigh]

In my fantasy world, someone was on their way somewhere really important, like to the hospital to have a baby, so they could not stop. But on the way, they saw the accident, caught up with the "brown car" and got a license number. Now, healthy baby in arms, they don't know what to do with the license number so they check the internet every day . . ..

Hey, I said it was a fantasy! Still, maybe I'll put some key words in this post.

-- Patton

New Head Shot

Ok, since you are here, you can see my new head shot over there to the left. Don't remember the old one? Yeah, looks pretty much the same. Except the shirt is a different plaid . . . and the glasses are missing . . . Oh, and a little hair.


Ok, that's not really a necessary consequence of my accident. Yeah, I had a head laceration, and I had suggested to the E.R. nurse that since Sam had some of his shaved, then could she do mine? She convinced me that the staple sutures would not be a good look and I should wait for them to come out. While waiting Sam's brother had his head done. By Amanda! Poor guy. The things a brother will do for solidarity. Well, since Cameron did his, as soon as the staples were done I shaved mine too. Right now my plan is to leave it that way until he leaves the hospital, but I give me permission to change that plan too. Actually I kind of like it, but it makes for a lot to shave!

So What's New???

For the folks that find their way here on purpose, the title to this post is a dumb question. For accidental visitors, some explanation is in order. And for the intentional, you may be looking for more details.

First things first: why might there be accidental visitors? Because to make it easy to find for the intended audience if they lose the url, this blog is searchable. That also means that Blogger's "next blog" link could bring anyone here from anywhere in the world.

Speaking of accidental . . .

Two weeks ago, August 3rd to be exact, I had a serious car accident. My nephew Sam (from my wife's side) and I were in my Miata on the interstate when I got cut off by another driver. While I was able to keep from hitting the other car, I could not keep my car out of the median or out of the cable barrier that separates the north lanes from the south. Sam and I were both injured. I was unconscious for a time and lost a lot of blood; but was released from the hospital after overnight observation. Sam is far worse. He sustained a brain injury, spent the time between then and now in the trauma ICU. Fortunately, while he was touch and go for a while, he has been transferred to a regular hospital room and when evaluations are complete, he will be transferred again to a hospital with a pediatric rehab unit.

Since there were so many people who wanted to know, and since I had pre-existing blogs, I was tasked with setting up a place to share info about Sam's condition. http://sam-update.blogspot.com tells more than you wanted to know about how he is and a little more about the accident itself. If you are wondering "so how are you?" My first answer is: it's not about me at this point. I am recovering, still breathing as though I am at altitude, but now it's only when I walk up steep hills or try to work out. (Feels like being at 6,500 ft on Mt Hood rather than 13,500 ft on Mauna Kea.) The other answer is this blog. I think I am going to put some stuff here, kind of "for me" but in a place that will not distract anyone from Sam. What this blog is not is something to keep anyone who already has my phone number from calling! (You know who you are ;-)

Love to all

--Patton

Life as it happens

I keep having reflections on life the universe and everything. While we know the answer is 42, I thought I'd just share the latest.

Yesterday we had tickets to see Lyle Lovett at McMennamin's Edgefield. For those not from here, The McMennamin brothers keep buying building in the Portland area and turning them into brewpubs. But calling Edgefield a "brewpub" is a massive understatement and nearly dismissive. The property has a movie theater, upscale restaurant in addition to the pub, executive golf course, and oh yeah, they make wine too. But that's not the point.

You see, the summer concert series is out on the lawn. There are folding chairs for the folks in the front rows, blankets and beach chairs for everyone else. We were among the "everyone else" and found a patch of grass to stage left. The only problem was that the ground flattens out where we were, and the view was blocked unless you at least got on your knees. Sure, you could peek between heads here and there, but still not great.

So here is my moment of clarity: Lyle is not a particularly attractive man. No offense Lyle, but in spite of the opinion of Julia or Mary Chapin Carpenter, you just don't do it for me. So why was I there? To hear the music of course. Why, then would I make myself uncomfortable to see over the heads of other concert goers?

Instead, I relaxed in my chair (chairlet really) and noticed that it was an absolutely stunning northwest evening as the temperature slowly dropped from mid 70s to high 60s, no humidity, no bugs. The red sun behind the trees shimmered through the branches. The ones closest to the sun were rimmed in red and even the first aid tent looked great in the evening colors. Higher up the light breeze stirred the birch leaves against the shocking blue sky and made them flicker - first golden green, then black then back again. Higher still, contrails cross the sky, also gold like the reflections off the wings. Meanwhile I enjoy the excellent beer and the music. I didn't have to see Lyle more than once to know that he was wearing a tan suit, while almost everyone else was in black or navy, and music really does sound better live.

All around it was a great concert, a beautiful evening, and I could hardly see a thing.

Patton

Another test

So, here is a lovely picture of the neighbor's house. Yup, you heard that right. Why??

Well, I have not been able to find software for the palm that can read and resize photos from my camera. I tried "Paint" by MobiSystems" but their tech support said there was a problem with

high res images. Well, Ok since my camera puts out a 3000x2000 image, maybe that's fair.

So I found that the camera can make a copy of an image at 640x480! Well Yee Ha! Then I can import it to the palm, edit if needed with Paint, and post. Uhhh, nope. Oh, I can get it on the Palm ok, but Paint still fails. So the next task will be to see if there is a camera setting that is messing with the image format in a "Bad Way".

Until then, the picture is as created by the camera. If nothing else, and if this works, then I'm stuck with choosing pictures on the tiny screen of the camera. (As opposed to the less tiny screen of the Palm). But at least I'll be in business.
- -
Patton

Here we go again

So it's late. It's Thursday. And it' s high time i left. But since no one is reading this, I can take a bit of time and practice my blogging "skills" on my PALM ® device.

By skills, of course, I'm not referring to my ability to string words together in a row. I either can or can't. It's about keying it all in.
==========
Well, what is invisible to the reader is that was really too hard. And though I said this was Thursday, and you see that this post is Friday, don't be fooled. Thursday was a week ago and I just could not imagine finishing the post . . . So what changed? So glad you asked.

In the intervening week, I have gotten a Universal Wireless Keyboard (Full size, Compact Design). Hey, I don't make this stuff up! That's what the package says. I tried taking a picture of it. If possible I'll send it with this post. When collapsed, it is larger than the Palm, though close to the size of the hard shell case. Open, well, it works. My fingers are used to something bigger, this is an elf keyboard. But it means I can type into my Palm and Blog from Africa . . So it's a big step.

See the Africa Blog for more. We don't go until the end of the month, but planning is happening. It's at

http://patton-africa.blogspot.com

- -
Patton

Just Earth

File(s) Attached
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This is a test post. I want to see how it works from my handheld. If you re able to read this, then not too bad!

Finding a way to Blog.

Ok,

Faithful readers will have noticed that I am less than the faithful
blogger. Faithful readers? Who is this guy talking about?

Exactly!! You go the point perfectly. However, I'm leaving the
continent soon. In fact, I'll be leaving the country in the summer. So
what is a guy to do? Well, try blogging via email. This one is a
simple test. Sitting in the kitchen, at home, where I could blog the
normal way, I will instead send an email. And that email will also have
a picture (Nothing fancy here. Just a little something I like, and
apropos of nothing.) The only question is: will it work??

Lets find out . . . shall we?