It's always good to start the day with a good deed. I was lucky that my day started this way. Read on...
This morning as I was biking onto campus (after a pick-up stop at the Jack-in-the-Box), I was flagged down by a lady on foot. She and her son (who was staying in the dorms) were here in Flagstaff for his freshman orientation. She was staying off campus, and was a little turned around as to where she was, and where she should be going. To top it off, she had left her orientation schedule back in her hotel room. Since my Jamie is an orientation leader, I whipped out my cell to inquire where the parents group was to meet, and walked with her to the Union.
As we walked along, she was in complete awe of the kindness she had encountered in Flagstaff and related several stories of how helpful people were- not just on campus, but out in the community as well. She immigrated from Armenia 20 years ago, and had lived in an LA suburb ever since. Her son was some big athelete and had had offers from much more well-known schools (I am paraphrasing a bit), but his HS coach was an NAU Alum, and he had encouraged him to try a smaller school, with more personal attention.
She shared with me how fortunate she felt about his decision to come to NAU, and that surely the Holy Spirit was at work here. (God bumps!) I assured her that Flagstaff was a lovely place for her son to be going to school, and that she could rest easy (as if a parent ever does!) because the community was wonderful, and her perception of it was spot-on.
We reached the parents' meeting place in the Union so I bid her adieu and she gave me a hug and a "God bless" and I rode off across campus to work feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
It is so wonderful to see the town that I love so much appreciated by strangers for all its' unique qualities: friendliness, helpfulness, kindness, and natural beauty. This ain't LA or PHX, and I hope to heck it never becomes anything like those places. And people need to know that there are still places in our country like Flag.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
No, I haven't died...
...I have just been extraordinarily busy with my new job (looovvvee it), being an empty-nester, etc. The last 9 months have included the following highlights:
1. Celebrated 1 year car-free, yahoo!
2. Sent my son off to college- no kids at home, boo-hoo:(
3. 5 day Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon
4. Natural Bridges camping trip
5. Lotsa hiking
6. Saw Bruce Springsteen in concert
7. Adopted another Boxer, Madigan, from Boxer Rescue in PHX
8. Parents Weekend at the U of A
9. Bike to Work Week, and LAB "Bicycling 101" certification :)
10. Purchased 2 more folding bikes- bringing total to 4, and qualifying me as an "enthusiast"
11. Replaced all the PCs at my work with new PCs- extraordinary to be able to do this, given the economy. But the ERI is expanding. They treat me really well.
12. Went camping/hiking in Zion
13. Toured Best Friends Animal Sanctuary- lots bigger than it used to be! Thanks to "Dogtown", they are getting lots of exposure.
14. Backpacking trip to the White Mountains in a few weeks.
15. Started sewing
All in all, life is good, busy and fulfilling. Me and mine are happy and healthy.
Just updated my transportation expenses since going car-free last March, and see that I have passed the $1000 mark- $1022.50 in 15 months. Average monthly transportation costs: $68.17!
1. Celebrated 1 year car-free, yahoo!
2. Sent my son off to college- no kids at home, boo-hoo:(
3. 5 day Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon
4. Natural Bridges camping trip
5. Lotsa hiking
6. Saw Bruce Springsteen in concert
7. Adopted another Boxer, Madigan, from Boxer Rescue in PHX
8. Parents Weekend at the U of A
9. Bike to Work Week, and LAB "Bicycling 101" certification :)
10. Purchased 2 more folding bikes- bringing total to 4, and qualifying me as an "enthusiast"
11. Replaced all the PCs at my work with new PCs- extraordinary to be able to do this, given the economy. But the ERI is expanding. They treat me really well.
12. Went camping/hiking in Zion
13. Toured Best Friends Animal Sanctuary- lots bigger than it used to be! Thanks to "Dogtown", they are getting lots of exposure.
14. Backpacking trip to the White Mountains in a few weeks.
15. Started sewing
All in all, life is good, busy and fulfilling. Me and mine are happy and healthy.
Just updated my transportation expenses since going car-free last March, and see that I have passed the $1000 mark- $1022.50 in 15 months. Average monthly transportation costs: $68.17!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The surreal life...
This is so strange, but I had to get it down before I forgot the details...Read on:
You know if you are reading this that my kids both left for school last week, and I am living alone for the first time in 20+ years. My only change in routine has been to make sure the doors are locked before going to bed- when the kids were home, the last one to bed was in charge of locking the doors.
This morning at about 3:30, I heard an interior door open and a young womans' voice speaking to someone. Since I have always told my daughter that if she finds herself in a situation where she and/or her friends are drinking, to be smart- don't drive, don't get into a car with someone who has been drinking, just come home and be safe. I called Jamies' name and rolled out of bed and walked into the living room.
A young woman was lying on the floor next to my leather chair, naked except for a bra, apparently intoxicated. An older man was standing a few feet away, fully dressed. I shouted at the man to "get out, get out!" and pointed to the door. He protested, "she said this was her house!" She mumbled something to the effect that it "was too, her house!" I reinterated that it definitely WAS NOT her house, and ran and opened and unlocked the front door so that they could leave or I could run for help. The man dashed out, but the girl was apparently too intoxicated to follow. She proceeded to wander around the house, looking for her clothes (which were not there).
At this point I grabbed my cell phone that was charging in the living room, and dialed 911. When the girl realized that I was calling the police, she took off out the open door, naked. I could see the man still lurking outside, and they headed down the street as I stayed on the line with Flagstaff PD dispatch.
Police arrived about 5 minutes later with the pair in custody, and asked me to identify them, which I did. They asked if I wanted to press charges against them. The officer proceeded to explain that the man (who was from Italy, go figure) and the woman had met in a bar and she invited him back to her house, which is apparently somewhere in Southside. He said that she would be charged with underage drinking no matter what, as she was just 19. The man was 32 (I had thought him more about 45). I replied that HE was certainly old enough to know better- they came in through a window that was painted shut, knocked over a shelf with paint and crafts stuff, knocked over several of my bikes, and he dropped an (apparently) used condom on the floor (ick!!!)
In the meantime, I had called my daughter Jamie to come home since I was pretty shook up. By the time she showed up, the girl was saying that "someone" who lived in the house said it was ok for them to be there. Jamie and I both denied knowing this girl, and stated that presently, no one but me lived in the house and Jamie never, ever told anyone that it was ok to break into her Moms' house!
The girl (who had produced an ID that said she was a 36 year old woman, and found some pants, btw) kept protesting her arrest to the police, saying that she hadn't threatened or hurt me (as if that makes breaking into my house in the middle of the night ok!) and should not be arrested. I told the police that if she was 36, I wanted some of what she was taking, because she looked great! And if she was 36, she DEFINITELY knew better, so maybe this would be a wake-up call for her.
In the meantime, another police officer arrived (bringing the total to 3 cops, 2 cop-cars. A Flagstaff crime-wave!) He then proceeded to take photos of everything- this is the funny part- after they left, and I was cleaning up the mess in the workroom, he called and asked if I had touched anything yet. Jamie said that I was in mid-cleanup, and he replied that there was no film in the camera (Flagstaffs' finest in action!). So no photos, just the police written accounts.
By now it was after 5, so Jamie and I laid down to try to sleep (no good). So after she left to go back to school, I got up and came to work. This experience gets more surreal, the more I think about it. Some observations:
1. If I had had a gun, I wouldn't have used it. Ditto for the baseball bat.
2. My dog is worthless- Pecos did not even wake up until the police came into the house, THEN he barked his head off!
3. People make some really bad choices sometimes. This was one of those times that these two probably will not forget.
4. I am a very sound sleeper.
5. That God is good, and he held me and got me through something that had the potential to be very bad.
6. That I can pray with compassion for those who have done me wrong.
7. That I have an awesome daughter, who will jump out of bed at 4 in the morning to come be with me when I need her (she rode her bike from campus)
8. That my chance of having another breakin while I am asleep have gone down tremendously.
9. That I need a better cell-phone, with longer battery life.
10. That can deal with fear, but not let it dictate how I live my life.
11. That I am definitely getting another Boxer... and maybe a roomate.
You know if you are reading this that my kids both left for school last week, and I am living alone for the first time in 20+ years. My only change in routine has been to make sure the doors are locked before going to bed- when the kids were home, the last one to bed was in charge of locking the doors.
This morning at about 3:30, I heard an interior door open and a young womans' voice speaking to someone. Since I have always told my daughter that if she finds herself in a situation where she and/or her friends are drinking, to be smart- don't drive, don't get into a car with someone who has been drinking, just come home and be safe. I called Jamies' name and rolled out of bed and walked into the living room.
A young woman was lying on the floor next to my leather chair, naked except for a bra, apparently intoxicated. An older man was standing a few feet away, fully dressed. I shouted at the man to "get out, get out!" and pointed to the door. He protested, "she said this was her house!" She mumbled something to the effect that it "was too, her house!" I reinterated that it definitely WAS NOT her house, and ran and opened and unlocked the front door so that they could leave or I could run for help. The man dashed out, but the girl was apparently too intoxicated to follow. She proceeded to wander around the house, looking for her clothes (which were not there).
At this point I grabbed my cell phone that was charging in the living room, and dialed 911. When the girl realized that I was calling the police, she took off out the open door, naked. I could see the man still lurking outside, and they headed down the street as I stayed on the line with Flagstaff PD dispatch.
Police arrived about 5 minutes later with the pair in custody, and asked me to identify them, which I did. They asked if I wanted to press charges against them. The officer proceeded to explain that the man (who was from Italy, go figure) and the woman had met in a bar and she invited him back to her house, which is apparently somewhere in Southside. He said that she would be charged with underage drinking no matter what, as she was just 19. The man was 32 (I had thought him more about 45). I replied that HE was certainly old enough to know better- they came in through a window that was painted shut, knocked over a shelf with paint and crafts stuff, knocked over several of my bikes, and he dropped an (apparently) used condom on the floor (ick!!!)
In the meantime, I had called my daughter Jamie to come home since I was pretty shook up. By the time she showed up, the girl was saying that "someone" who lived in the house said it was ok for them to be there. Jamie and I both denied knowing this girl, and stated that presently, no one but me lived in the house and Jamie never, ever told anyone that it was ok to break into her Moms' house!
The girl (who had produced an ID that said she was a 36 year old woman, and found some pants, btw) kept protesting her arrest to the police, saying that she hadn't threatened or hurt me (as if that makes breaking into my house in the middle of the night ok!) and should not be arrested. I told the police that if she was 36, I wanted some of what she was taking, because she looked great! And if she was 36, she DEFINITELY knew better, so maybe this would be a wake-up call for her.
In the meantime, another police officer arrived (bringing the total to 3 cops, 2 cop-cars. A Flagstaff crime-wave!) He then proceeded to take photos of everything- this is the funny part- after they left, and I was cleaning up the mess in the workroom, he called and asked if I had touched anything yet. Jamie said that I was in mid-cleanup, and he replied that there was no film in the camera (Flagstaffs' finest in action!). So no photos, just the police written accounts.
By now it was after 5, so Jamie and I laid down to try to sleep (no good). So after she left to go back to school, I got up and came to work. This experience gets more surreal, the more I think about it. Some observations:
1. If I had had a gun, I wouldn't have used it. Ditto for the baseball bat.
2. My dog is worthless- Pecos did not even wake up until the police came into the house, THEN he barked his head off!
3. People make some really bad choices sometimes. This was one of those times that these two probably will not forget.
4. I am a very sound sleeper.
5. That God is good, and he held me and got me through something that had the potential to be very bad.
6. That I can pray with compassion for those who have done me wrong.
7. That I have an awesome daughter, who will jump out of bed at 4 in the morning to come be with me when I need her (she rode her bike from campus)
8. That my chance of having another breakin while I am asleep have gone down tremendously.
9. That I need a better cell-phone, with longer battery life.
10. That can deal with fear, but not let it dictate how I live my life.
11. That I am definitely getting another Boxer... and maybe a roomate.
Friday, June 27, 2008
My last day...
at the Library. Very bitter-sweet. I am going to miss this place and all the people that I have known. Start my new job on Monday. Excited and terrified.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The best day of my life!
No, probably not the best, but one that will stand out for a long time in my mind. Gods' blessing have been showering down on me. What happened today?
1. Went to lunch with my daughter
2. Went to do a quick tour of my new jobsite, and was issued keys to the entire School of Forestry- and I don't start there for 2.5 weeks!
3. Got to choose my office, and got the keys for that.
4. They insisted on reimbursing me for the books I bought from Amazon (CSS and Joomla)
5. I was told to pick out a laptop, and they would order it for me asap.
6. Was told that staff were strongly encouraged to participate in field research- basically going camping with the ERI and doing cool stuff- and getting paid!
7. I get a student worker if I want one.
8. Went back to my office and found out I had won a new Bike Friday Tikit- how cool is that!
I really can't handle any more good things happening today, but if they do, I'll keep you posted!
1. Went to lunch with my daughter
2. Went to do a quick tour of my new jobsite, and was issued keys to the entire School of Forestry- and I don't start there for 2.5 weeks!
3. Got to choose my office, and got the keys for that.
4. They insisted on reimbursing me for the books I bought from Amazon (CSS and Joomla)
5. I was told to pick out a laptop, and they would order it for me asap.
6. Was told that staff were strongly encouraged to participate in field research- basically going camping with the ERI and doing cool stuff- and getting paid!
7. I get a student worker if I want one.
8. Went back to my office and found out I had won a new Bike Friday Tikit- how cool is that!
I really can't handle any more good things happening today, but if they do, I'll keep you posted!
Friday, June 6, 2008
My head is about to explode!
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! Holiday weekend, Luke graduating, visitors, etc. Somewhere in there I whipped off an application and sent my resume to the Ecological Research Institute here at NAU, applying for a Senior Systems Analyst position. Luckily I was checking my email while I was off for a few days- they wanted to interview me at 8:30am on Tuesday, June 3. At 8:15am on Wednesday, they called to get permission to check my references. At 5pm they called to get permission to contact my supervisor. Mike talked with them at 1:30pm on Thursday. They called me at 2:15 and offered me the job.
I slept on it and tried (unsuccessfully) to negotiate a better salary, but in the end I stepped out in faith and accepted their offer. I am now excited and terrified.
I slept on it and tried (unsuccessfully) to negotiate a better salary, but in the end I stepped out in faith and accepted their offer. I am now excited and terrified.
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