Cleaning Viruses from this House

Well. I've had me a day. It started off with an alarming alarm bringing all sorts of mayhem.

My penance for setting off the security alarm was a large load of very hard tasks. I had to vacuum all 3 floors of this place. A daunting task. I've no idea when the last time this place was vacuumed before today.

The vacuum has a red light/green light thing that lets you know when you've sufficiently vacuumed an area. Sometimes it seemed like it took 10 minutes to get the green light in especially vacuum-needy areas.

After about 4 hours of heavy duty vacuuming I thought I was done. But then I was told I also had to vacuum the stairs. This involved a 20 foot vacuuming extension thing.

After the vacuuming I was given something called a Swiffer, or something like that, to mop the wood floors with. It was a daunting task.

And then I was given wet paper towels and told to dust all surfaces. This took another couple hours. I believe I cleaned areas that had not been cleaned before.

And then I was given a toothbrush and cleaning solution to scrub all the light switch fixtures. That was really too much.

After all that cleaning I went to my Tropical Zone to eat a couple potato chips with catsup. And then I was ordered to mow the lawn. I did not get to use the power mower. I had to use the old-fashioned push mower that I think they got from a garage sale.

Finally I had paid my debt to the local society and was allowed to go up to my computer to do something constructive. A few minutes later I did something totally destructive. I clicked on an MSNBC Breaking News Alert. This was a spam thing. This quickly spun out of control. By the time I realized I'd been attacked it was too late. I hit the power down button, but not quick enough.

When I re-started the computer all was well, for about a minute. Then the screen went blue with a message at the center telling me that a virus had been detected and I needed to run a virus scan.

This was a scam to get me to buy some Russian/Ukrainian's bogus anti-virus program. Basically it's a hold a gun to your head and pay up or you ain't gonna have control of your computer again type thing.

Six hours later, I think I have things back working. I think.

While I was trying to get this working again I was summoned downstairs again by my taskmaster sister. This time to have the tastiest cedar plank BBQed salmon I've ever had, along with a very very good salad and a dessert from heaven in the form of grilled peaches with toasted coconut and vanilla bean ice cream.

I came back up here about a half hour later and a half hour after that I think I have this back working right again. I hope.

I hate computers and all they put us through. And the evil people who do evil deeds with their computers. Bad boys.

A Big Foot Sasquatch in Georgia?

Some guys in Georgia, the state, not the country being invaded by Russia, claim they found a Bigfoot in a wooded area in northern Georgia.

They stuck the supposed Sasquatch in a freezer. That's it in the photo. There will be a news conference in California this coming Friday to present DNA and photo evidence.

Now, growing up in the Pacific Northwest I've been witness to Sasquatch/Big Foot hoaxes all my life. Some have been pretty convincing. The modern era Big Foot sightings began in 1924 with a series of sightings in Washington at a location later dubbed Ape Canyon. The Sasquatch phenomenon went worldwide when road workers in northern California discovered huge foot prints, hence Big Foot.

And now some Goobers in Georgia have moved the Big Foot/Sasquatch myth to the east coast with some interesting evidence in a freezer.

The Pacific Northwest Native American tribes had Sasquatch legends that pre-dated the arrival of the White Man. In 1840 a preacher named Elkanah Walker reported Indian myths about hairy giants who stole their salmon and smelled bad.

The 1924 Sasquatch encounters involved 4 miners claiming to having been attacked by a gang of Sasquatches hurling big rocks at their cabin.

In 1941 a Canadian named Jeannie Chapman, and her kids, claimed to have escaped a 7 foot tall Sasquatch trying to get in their house in Ruby Creek, British Columbia.

Starting in the 1940s people in Fouke, Arkansas, in the Boggy Creek area, started seeing a Sasquatch-like creature. These reports became the basis of the movie The Legend of Boggy Creek.

In 1955 another Canadian, this one William Roe, was in a hidden spot near Mica Mountain in B.C. when he claimed to have gotten a real close-up view of a female Sasquatch. (How he determined it was a girl, I do not know. Breast? Lack of male equipment?)

In 1958 two construction workers, Leslie Breazale and Ray Kerr, 45 miles northeast of Eureka, California claimed to have seen a Sasquatch. 16 inch tracks were found.

In 1967, once more in northern California, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed a supposed Sasquatch at Bluff Creek, CA in what would become the most famous or infamous images of a Sasquatch.

In 1970 a family of Sasquatches was seen on several occasions by a San Diego shrink named Dr. Baddour and his family near their home in Alpine, California.

In 1995 a TV film crew filmed what they believed was a Sasquatch at Jedediah Smith State Park in California.

In 2005 2 minutes and forty seconds of supposed Sasquatch footage was taken by a ferry operator named Bobby Clarke on the banks of the Nelson River in Norway House, Manitoba.

In 2006 a woman from Dechambault Lake in Saskatchewan was driving to Prince Albert, in the same province, and claimed to see a Sasquatch on the side of the highway at Torch River. Several men from the nearby village searched near the sighting and found Big Footprints and a Big Tuft of brown hair. Photos were taken.

In 2007 a hunter named Rick Jacobs caught an image on an automatically triggered camera near Ridgway, Pennsylvania of what he thought was a Sasquatch. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission said the creature in the photo appeared to be a bear with a bad case of mange.

In July of 2008 some berry-pickers in northern Ontario reported seeing a Sasquatch.

And now in August of 2008 we have those Georgians who claim to have found a dead Sasquatch in the woods in northern Georgia, somehow drug it out of the woods and stuck it in a freezer, finally providing definitive evidence, after all these years, that there really are Big Foot Sasquatches. All to be revealed at a press conference this Friday in California.

I can hardly wait.

Security Alarm Thwarts Paper Retrieval

Last night I was told that due to an attempted break-in of my sister's car and that car's alarm going of in the middle of the previous night, that the security alarm of this house had been armed and no doors were to be opened until it was dis-armed.

So.

When I was told not to open a door I figured that would not happen because I was no longer opening the front door to get the morning paper because I made too much noise walking across the floor to get to the door that is directly above the downstairs sleeping zone. My solution had been to read the paper a day late.

But, I got up this morning the latest of any day I've been here. Past 6. I knew my sister is off today and likely sleeping in. I went downstairs, made coffee, then thought since my sister was sleeping in late maybe I could read the paper.

So, to prevent making any noise I tried a new technique. I laid on the wood floor and slithered over to the front door like a snake, thus displacing my weight over a large surface area. This seemed to work. No squeaks. No loud pops.

After a couple minutes of slithering I made it to the front door. I stood up and super slowly and quietly unlocked the door.

And then opened it.

All hell broke loose. First a high-pitched screaming noise, followed by a machine gun rat-a-tat-tat boom boom noise, then more high-pitched screaming. Then me in a panic, almost fainting.

Kristin came up the stairs and turned off the alarm about the same time the police arrived.

My sister came up the stairs about 10 minutes later and said something about wanting DNA testing done to prove I'm actually related to her.

So, with 7 days to go before I return to Texas, my daily Washington humiliations continue.

Olympic Testicular Cancer

That's an American Olympic swimmer named Eric Shanteau in the photo. He has testicular cancer. That is not currently being treated.

I was over at Lulu's, up in her attic, making magnets, earlier today. She had the TV on to the Olympics.

The first thing I saw was some women's swimming event. I know the Olympic coverage has gotten mileage out of personalizing an athlete's story, if there is a story to tell. So, for the women they focused on a Pole who had been in a car wreck in which her brother had died. After we heard all about that sad story and saw the race take place we couldn't figure out if the Pole was one of the swimmers.

It was confusing. But Lulu and I are easily confused.

And then it was time for the men to swim. The sad story to tell for the men was about a guy named Eric Shanteau who found out he had testicular cancer shortly before the Olympics were to begin. He opted out of immediate surgery in order to swim in the Olympics.

That's fine. But the way they made this sound so heroic and brave grated on me. First off, testicular cancer, caught early, is highly curable.

Second off, risking your life, even if the threat is highly curable, in order to swim, does not seem all that heroic to me.

Being in Iraq or Afghanistan. That seems heroic. Finding out you had testicular cancer while in Iraq and opting to continue your tour of duty, rather than seeking treatment, would seem foolish to me, not heroic.

But what really grated on me, about the way they covered the story of the Olympic swimmer's testicular cancer, is how they went on and on about it, how brave he was, how heroic, such an inspiration.

Full disclosure, I am testicular cancer survivor. I know it's no picnic. And the surgery Eric is postponing is not a pleasant thing. But every day you leave that cancer growing in your body is one more day it has a chance to metastasize to another part of your body.

What bugged me really bad about how NBC milked this story is they could have used this as an opportunity to tell their viewers what they needed to do, self-exam wise, to early detect if they have a problem.

I figured out I had a problem when I saw a testicular cancer storyline on the TV show St. Elsewhere. Ironically, I believe, on NBC. That was soon followed by a story in the Seattle P-I about the, then, little talked about cancer. From both the TV show and the P-I, I was fairly certain I had cancer, before I visited a doctor.

I'm sure at least one of NBC's viewers who was watching NBC's full of pathos vignette about the Olympic swimmer, has testicular cancer and does not know it. Telling the viewers that they need to check regularly for any odd lump in that special zone and to get that lump looked at immediately would have been what is known as a public service. Instead NBC chose to milk and exaggerate this guy's story for their own self-serving purposes.

And don't get me started on the non-stop yapping of the commentators while the people are swimming. My belief is if you don't need that narration when you are watching something in person. And if you wouldn't allow some bore to go on and on and on in your TV viewing room while you're trying to watch something, then the same principle should apply to how this type thing is covered on TV.

And have I mentioned before that Bob Costas needs to be fired and taken off TV?

Fresh Cheekiness From Chesapeake Energy

From Chesapeake Propaganda Minster, The Most Hated Woman in Fort Worth, Texas, Julie Wilson (no kidding):

Good morning!

We thought you’d like to have a heads-up on an exciting event:

Chesapeake will be spudding Fort Worth’s first downtown well this Friday, August 15.

Trinidad Rig #111 – the same turquoise rig that drilled the Pearson site (aka the “Trinity Trails” site near Colonial) will be drilling the Westgate 1-H on the south edge of downtown behind the old red brick Star-Telegram warehouse off Lancaster. We’ll be doing preliminary work and rigging up from Tuesday to Thursday and turning the drillbit on Friday morning.

The initial well will be drilled westerly, not actually under downtown. Key mineral owners for the first well include UPRR, J. Don Williamson, World Life Insurance, Richard May, Robert Ritter, Champion Parts, Ron Investments, and Harmony Realty Corp. Future wells from this site could develop the minerals underneath City Hall, the Convention Center, the Fort Worth Club, portions of Sundance Square, and other parts of downtown. Chesapeake plans to develop the balance of Downtown from our four other sites in the area, including our “Ron” site - located behind the Ashton Depot, the "Dakota" site - located northwest of Downtown near the railroad tracts and Dakota St., the "Henderson Bazaar" site - located at the intersection of Jacksboro Highway and Henderson St., and the "Fourth Street" site - located just east of I-35W and south of 4th St.

This Trinidad is one of the newer, quieter, and more attractive rigs in our fleet. Because this location will have such high visibility from the highway as well as downtown, we want you to know that we’re paying special attention to the noise and aesthetics. Frankly, the noise shouldn’t be an issue as this is close to the active train tracks as well as the highway, but we will nonetheless be very mindful of neighbors and install sound blankets. We will be restricting our construction traffic to avoid business commuter times (curtailing from 7 – 9 am and 4 - 7 pm). The city-approved traffic route is from I-30 to Lancaster to Lamar. As with other wells, the drilling here should take about 18-24 days. We are only drilling one well here at this time, so the rig will move off in early September.

Because we anticipate interest in this location will be high – and the location convenient - we’ll offer a series of “rig tour” times for civic leaders, city staff, and council members. Although we don’t know yet exactly what time the drilling will commence on Friday, we will hold a small inaugural tour at 2 pm for those who’d like to be present on the exciting first day. If you would like to participate, please let us know, as space will be limited. Otherwise, we will send you a schedule of other tours so you can select a convenient date and time.

Hope to see you soon!

Julie H. Wilson

Vice President - Corporate Development
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
301 Commerce St. #600Fort Worth, TX 76102
Main: 817-870-1250
Direct: 817-870-5656
Cell: 817-929-6270
julie.wilson@chk.com

My Mount Rainier Birthday Present

Usually I don't get any birthday presents. I don't expect such things. I usually get a card from my favorite aunt and my mom and dad.

But today I got the best birthday present ever. All my years living in Washington I'd never seen Mount Rainier up close. Except from the air.

All the past times I've gone to Mount Rainier National Park, hoping to see The Mountain, it's been cloudy.

But today Kristin, Kristin's mom, Janet, and I went to Paradise in Mount Rainier NP. We hiked a bit towards The Mountain. Made it to Myrtle Falls.

The Mountain sort of teased us with a little exposure.

And then to the oohs and aahs of all watching, The Mountain appeared in all its glory. I had no idea this is what it looked like from the ground level vantage point, up close.

In the photo above you sort of see Kristin sort of waving her arms on the wooden bridge over the top of Myrtle Falls. With The Mountain behind her.

The second photo is Myrtle Falls, without Kristin waving her arms, and with The Mountain partly exposed.

I drove the entire loop through the park, entering at the southwest Nisqually entrance, exiting at whatever the north exit/entrance is called. I'd forgotten how adventurous mountain highways can be.

A fun day. And now I'm being ordered to eat pie. Demanding women.

Happy Birthday August 11 Leos

Like Nancy Reagan and Gar the Texan I am a super strong believer in absolutely everything that has anything to do with Astrology, including Horoscopes.

I don't make a move in any direction at any time without consulting my Horoscope. Or Astrologist.

So, each year on my birthday, which is today, I very warily check Horoscopes focusing on this specific day.

It will take me awhile to process all the contradictory and good things that are apparently going to happen to me this year.

I don't know why I remain such a fervent Astrology Believer. Maybe it's my bad memory. But it seems like last year's birthday Horoscope prediction were very optimistic. Yet the year between last year's August 11 and this year's really was not the best of times. In some ways it was the best of times, though. I guess relying on Horoscopes to predict ones future is fraught with possible confusions.

Anyway, here is a sampling of my future from today's various Horoscopes....

IF AUG. 11 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You're a powerful Leo! You have a lot of energy and drive. You genuinely like people and are always involved with people at some level. You're an excellent researcher because you cannot resist seeking the truth of things. You're very comfortable with an audience; indeed, you like to perform. This year will focus on partnerships and close friendships.

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Today's birthday (Aug. 11): You'll be quite satisfied with what you get and give this year. You get into shape physically over the next 10 weeks. Someone wants to make you part of the family in September. Your career picture shapes up nicely through the fall. Virgo and Sagittarius are your fans. Lucky numbers: 30, 50, 11, 22 and 17.

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Your fiery energy makes almost everything a bit more exciting today, from driving to work to eating dinner. You may just mix up your routines, or you may decide to shake things up in a big way!

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Everything points to your taking the initiative this day. You will have more support than you thought possible. This is a lucky day and energies are in your favor for whatever you want to accomplish. Your career, practical vision and skills are of central importance to you. You are organized and deliberate in this area of life. Your reputation and image are a source of concern and you do everything you can to make them solid. Interestingly enough, if you look around, you will find your job security is more secure than ever. You may find that over the past few months you have gained a new group of friends. These are people that have similar goals to your own--you will help each other to reach goals. Your life seems to be moving in very positive ways.

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This is an excellent time to create a co-operative attitude with your co-workers, employers or employees depending on your status. You may have to play peacemaker or matchmaker at this time and bring people together. This will bring a sense of satisfaction as well as a relief from any tension that has precipitated your involvement.

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Cheerful cooperation the 11th may put you in a very good mood and IS your best day to 'ask for favors.' A long talk near the 13th to 15th may help you to see a 'selfish interest' forming in 'family dynamics' and thereby 'avoid' an upcoming clash/problem. Act upon it by or before the full moon this 16th. A 'big project' may feel like 'biting off more than you can chew,' near the 15th to 17th.

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The world you inhabit is merely a reflection of the thoughts in your head and once you come to terms with that fact you can start changing your life for the better. The more positive vibrations you send out this year, the more wonderful things you'll get back.

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Being famous isn't everything, but to you it means a lot. You like people to realize you're someone special from the moment they meet you.

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IF AUGUST 11 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: When you're hot, you're hot. For the next few months, your effervescent charm can be a valuable asset if you are seeking a new job, changing careers or diligently looking for that special someone. People will overlook your shortcomings and accentuate the positive, so it is easy reach your goals. Mid-October through mid-November is an especially good time to make major changes in your life or to hook up with influential and beneficial people. In January you may meet up with fascinating people, but don't rock the stable boat you have built by changing partners or jobs then.

Heading for Paradise on Mount Rainier

God willing and weather permitting, Kristin, Kristin's mom, Janet and myself will be heading to Mount Rainier today.

That is, if Janet gets all her sewing tasks done.

The forecast today is for drizzle followed by early morning clearing. Near as I can tell we have skipped the drizzle and I can see clearing to the southeast in the direction of The Mountain.

We hope to be able to go on the hike that leads from Paradise to the top of Mount Rainier. No, we are not planning on hiking to the top. Not today. Or tomorrow.

It is a little more than 70 miles from here to Paradise. I'm thinking we are closer to Paradise than most people on the planet. In more ways than one.

Tacoma Sweat Shop Exploiting Seniors

The day my Mom and Dad left, Kristin's mom arrived. During my Mom and Dad's visit they had an extensive task list that they had to complete each day.

My 70-something Dad had to dig up rhododendrons. Two of them. They were huge. Dad fixed doors, doorbells, car lights, built a raspberry patch complete with a trellis system. And for his biggest project my Dad converted a broom closet (some say this was an ironing board closet, the truth is in dispute) into a huge spice cabinet. I'm likely forgetting a lot of what my dear old Dad did here.

Meanwhile my Mom was tasked, with Dad's already overworked help, to can, jam and otherwise process a large amount of various fruits. Mom and Dad's day would start early and last late.

And, if all that were not enough, Mom and Dad also cooked dinner while they were here.

And then Kristin's mom, Janet, shows up. Janet is a renowned world class quilter in town to attend an International Quilters Convention in Seattle at the Washington State Convention Center. Despite her elevated credentials, Janet was immediately tasked with re-doing all the curtains in this house. It's a big house. Janet has been working on her various sewing projects for hours, using a primitive sewing machine. Janet was also tasked with sourcing the material. This required a long trip to Puyallup that was so exhausting that Janet's daughter ended up bedridden with a migraine. Meanwhile, Janet was a trooper and kept on sewing.

Yes, Janet trooped on. Motivated by things like the promise of Marionberry Pie. That failed to materialize, even after Janet worked for a few hours on the promise of that pie.

Isn't there some Federal agency that tries to prevent this type of abuse of Old Folks?

I don't mind the sweatshop conditions and tasks I'm put through. I'm relatively young and can handle it for the most part. But the workloads that my Mom and Dad and now Kristin's mom, Janet, have been put through, is just unseemly.

She is making some nice curtains though.

The Collapse of the Wall

Big Ed, in Big Texas, this morning emailed me a link to a shocking story in the New York Times about the collapse of the Wall.

Wall Arch that is. In Arches National Park. One of my favorite places on the planet, of what little of the planet I have seen.

The last time I was in Arches National Park was shortly before I moved to Texas, in 1998, I think. We'd spent several days in Moab, exploring Arches NP and Canyonlands NP. It was a group of 6 or 8, hard to remember. From Moab we went houseboating on Lake Powell.

The first picture is from the New York Times showing Wall Arch before and after the collapse. When I was at Arches in 1998 the trail under Landscape Arch was no longer open due to a large chunk of rock falling from that unlikely fragile looking arch.

I am almost certain the above photo shows Wall Arch in 1998. That is Big Ed's Big Sister, Lydia, in the foreground, with his nephew and niece being followed by Big Ed's Big Twin, Wally and his little wife, Wanda. I believe that is Wall Arch behind them. I could be wrong.

The arch below is the aforementioned Landscape Arch. With Wally and Wanda and Big Ed standing in front of it. I just looked it up and it is still standing, 17 years after it lost a large chunk of its midsection. Some suspect the weight loss made the arch stronger.

There is a longstanding myth that Landscape Arch was supposed to be named Delicate Arch, while the state symbol of Utah, shown below, was supposed to be named Landscape Arch. I always believed this myth to be true, due to Landscape Arch looking so delicate, while Delicate Arch seems like an unlikely addition to the rocky landscape. Below is one of my favorite photos, Delicate Arch in the background, me and someone who's name escapes me right now, next to me. This picture and the one above it were taken with my now antique Casio digital camera. I bought it way back in 1997 for the appalling price of $599. I was young and stupid. But, I did take a lot of pictures with that old camera.