Morning Stars

I was out running in the pre-dawn hours this morning and chanced to see Venus and Saturn in conjunction before the clouds rolled in and hazed the sky over. What a beautiful sight, especially with Orion just to the right of the pair, beginning its rise to its usual place of prominence in the winter sky. I hope that y'all got the chance to see them also. Now off to work and another day of wrestling with the myriad amount of details associated with keeping the K-12 community connected and data flowing...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Good Woman - Cat Power - You Are Free (03:59)]

What A Week

We managed to pull off the All-Staff Day with only about two weeks prep time and I must say that it was prettty doggone good! It did take the efforts of a lot of dediated, hard-working people who scarificed their personal lives for the last week, as well as Jeanne and I putting in I do not know how many long nights working and worrying over all of the details but, in the end, it got done. Jeanne did a fantastic job pulling everyone and everything together; she has some great leadership abilities and of course she is exceptional working with people. Everyone loves her and would do anything for her and I do not think that anyoine else could have pulled this off anywhere near as well as she did, if at all. The new and improved sound system worked like a champ, though we still have yet to get the projection system totally ironed out yet. But, the Boss was impressed and was generous in his praise, especially for our Assistants that really did all of the hard work. THAT was appreciated by everyone, especially those of us that usually get all of the praise and don't deserve it all. We do have one Hell of a team of good folks and this really demostrated that to everyone. Now t catch up on my sleep and maybe even dream a little bit about...O' ja...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (03:44)]

Back In My Groove, Almost

I finally got up this morning and ran again, after a hiatus of almost three weeks! I do not know why, but I just have been unable to get motivated. Hopefully I can now put that behind me, but I am sure that my funk is linked to the recent cooling off of things and now that we are on the upswing again (at least I think that we are, but it seems that one can never be too sure, you know;-) my overall attitude should improve. Anyway, feeling tired but pumped and ready to hit the day head on, so 'til l8r...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Crush - Jennifer Paige - Jennifer Paige (03:23)]

I Have Been to the Mountain...

We managed to survive the retreat intact, but the expected tension was indeed there and it really spoiled some of the fun that we could have had. The professional collaboration with the schools' staff was great though and we did manage to have fun with the staff barbeque on Monday. I had four grills going at one time as well as cranking out some home-made ice cream; all-in-all we fed twenty-five folks and did so in fine fashion. Everyone ate, drank and made merry and then followed it up with a couple of hours of karaoke. It sure did make for a bleary early morning work session on Tuesday, O' ja...vertu svalur

[Listening to: White Flag - Dido - Life For Rent (03:40)]

Upwards and Onwards

Well, the phone system re-configuration is almost complete, the sun is shining, and I am three days into a week without my friend. What an empty feeling this week has left in me; I cannot wait until things return to normal. This weekend we are all off to our annual retreat with our small-school Superintendents in the mountains of Oregon and I am certain that it will be fun as usual. There is no doubt that we shall be under close scrutiny from all sides while together there and it therefore will be more important than ever that we act most correctly. Hmm...what a wickedly wonderful thing this life is; O, ja...vertu svalur

[Listening to: I Don't Blame You - Cat Power - You Are Free (03:05)]

Just Another Day In The Life...

In this era of gigabit networking over laser beams you would think that we would have the transmission of voice over copper lines down to a science, but then you would be...WRONG!!! Having spent another day watching and listening to technicians try to unjumble the mess that they have created out of our telephone system I am still awe-struck by the experience. I suppose that I should derive some small comfort from the knowledge that we do not understand everything about the way that the universe works after all, but then again I am trying to keep an office up and doing business. Well, we did manage to get the majority of the system functional and there is always tomorrow. I am beginning to think that I need a vacation before school starts myself, so perhaps I will follow Marianna's example and get out of town for a week. Hmmm, now if I can only figure out when...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Werewolf - Cat Power - You Are Free (04:08)]

Off to Paradise...Finally

Okay, well the day is almost gone but I am finally out of here and headed off to Mt. Rainier for what is left of the weekend. Cy'all and, of course,...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Free - Cat Power - You Are Free (03:34)]

Weekend Put On Hold...For Now

Well, it appears as if the mountains will have to wait at least one more day. The phone system vendor did a less than stellar job of re-configuring our system and we shall now have to continue the work tomorrow morning. At least the group hike up to Muir is not until Sunday, so that will not be jeopardized. I also got the chance to speak to Claudia's daughter, who recently graduated from high school, this evening. She has experessed an interest in becoming a fire fighter so I had the opportunity to impart to her my perspective on that career. She actually found it funny that after over twenty years of fire and rescue work, my one overall comment on my experience was that it was "a rock-solid blast", but then that is indeed it in a nutshell and she got it straight up. I hope that it leads her to explore it further, for there is no better career in the world, as long as you have the mentality for it. So, until tomorrow...vertu svalur

Just Another Weekend in Paradise

Just got finished talking with Julie and Carrie and we are all set to get together on Sunday and hike back up to Camp Muir. I know that this seems like it is getting old, but what fun it is and it will be great to see them again and spend the day catching up on "things". Anyway, after spending a week on this emotional roller coaster I could stand a strong dose of outdoor therapy. Besides, it is about time to start shopping (see Marianna, I really do shop when in a funk;-) for a new board for the upcoming season and that always puts me in a good mood. cya and, of course,...vertu svalur

[Listening to: The First Cut Is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow - The Very Best of Sheryl Crow (03:47)]

The View From Not-Quite-The-Top

What a fantastic day on Mt. Rainier! I did manage to get over the night before and up and on the trail on time. The climb up to Pebble Creek was easy and I certainly could tell the difference that a month of conditioning has made. The trek from there up to Camp Muir was strenuous, but I did make some acquaintances along the way and sharing the day with these new-found friends certainly made the experience that much more memorable. The weather was picture-postcard perfect - temperature in the 70's, clear azure-blue skies, not a breath of wind and an inexhaustible supply of sunshine...absolutely fantastic! On such a day I can think of no more beautiful and serene place to be than high up on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier. I lounged at camp Muir for a bit, talked with some of the other hikers and climbers, then reluctantly started down. I met Sheila and Cathy as I was running and skating down the upper snowfields and hiked/ran/slid/skated the rest of the way down with them. I always enjoy meeting new friends and some of the nicest that I have met have been while hiking and climbing. In fact, I have just received an e-mail from Julie and am now planning on returning to the mountain next weekend to join her an Carrie on a hike back up to Muir. What a great summer this has turned out to be; spending most of my weekends camping, hiking, and climbing; meeting some truly special people; and enjoying life as much as I can. Well, once again it is getting late and slumber beckons as another work week trails just behind the looming sunrise. So, until next time...vertu svalur, y'all;-)

[Listening to: Sunrise - Norah Jones - Feels Like Home (03:25)]

Off To The Mountain...Almost

I shall be hitting the road as soon as I get the new phone system up and running tomorrow so I may not have the chance to post again before I return. The weather promises to be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and I plan on getting an early start and climbing up as far as I can before having to bail off, certainly at least as far as Camp Muir. I cannot think of a more beautiful place to spend a sunny, blue-sky day than on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier. I only hope that y'all have at least as good a weekend as this one promises to be...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Love Bites - Def Leppard - Hysteria (04:17)]

And What A Thoughtful Friends She Is...

Marianna is a doll for taking the time and trouble to translate some posts on her page so that I can start learning some Icelandic, hopefully without me causing some kind of international incident by my crude attempts;-) Though if nothing else, it shall undoubtedly be fun...O, ja...vertu svalur

[Listening to: My Immortal - Evanescence - Fallen (04:24)]

My Thanks To A New Friend...

Please note that I have put up a "self-portrait" picture in my profile. I have also added a place for links to "My Friends" pages on the sidebar to the right. For the inspration to finally make these changes, I must thank Marianna, my new-found Icelandic friend, whose page is at the top of the list (actually it is the entire list for right now;-) But, for now the night grows long and the dawn draws nigh, so 'til the morrow...vertu svalur (that's Icelandic for "bCool", you know;-)

[Listening to: I'm With You - Avril Lavigne - Let Go (03:43)]

Working For The Weekend (Again)

I just found out that my weekend hike on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier will be solo, again. I might drop Julie a line and see if she would like to join me, but then again, perhpas I shall just wing it and see who I meet this time. At any rate, it should be an absolute blast! I am certain that the weather will be perfect and I will be on the slopes early. Too much fun...bCool

[Listening to: Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Conner - Faster Than the Speed of Night (05:16)]

Working on The Weekend

All in all, not too bad, two new servers up and running, network prepped for Server 2003, the first 2003 domain controller on-line, catching some rays while the software loads and taking in the air show at the same time.  Boy, networking is sure tough work sometimes;-)...bCool

[Listening to: The Way You Love Me - Faith Hill - Breathe (03:07)]

What a Year It Will Be...

An update to the previous weekend's post; I was actually successful in making contact with Julie by e-mailing Rainier Mountaineering and having them forward it along to her.  She summits this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how she did.  I have also talked Larry, an OSPI staffer in our office, into climbing Rainier with me next year this time.  Jeanne and I were talking the other day and we are going to get a bunch together to whitewater raft, skydive, parasail and anything else that the group has left on their lifetime "I wanna do this before I get too old" lists.  Sounds like an interesting year coming up.  Anyway, here I am, missing Victoria and John, trying to squeeze all of the fun out of life that I can, and still babysitting three little kittens.  cya...bCool

From Atop A Mountain...

I could not have picked a more beautiful day to hike on Mt. Rainier, crystal-blue skies, lots of sunshine, no wind, and absolutely perfect temperature. I also could not have lucked upon a better time to climb up than I did, as I ran into two great gals, Julie and Carrie, on the trail. We passed each other on the trail several times before we chanced to talk and then ended up talking as we hiked and before I knew it, we were climbing together. We are all of the same generation and enjoyed chatting as we climbed, so much so in fact that we ended up climbing most of the way to Camp Muir before time dictated that we end the day. We then spent a while up around 8,700 foot elevation, resting, chatting, and eating. We then climbed down and parted ways at the parking lot, after noting that all three of us drove the same SUV, Chevy Blazers! They really did make the day for me as it gave me someone to share the experience with and I would enjoy hiking climbing with them again sometime. They also kept my pace down to where I had one of the best days I have ever had hiking and managed not to over-exert my recovering hamstring! Unfortunately I did not get any contact info for them before they left! Well, I do love a challenge, so I will have to figure out some way to contact them. Julie was conditioning for the American Lung Assoc. of Washington's annual Mt. Rainier summit climb next weekend. What a great cause and a great excuse to climb the mountain; you can bet that I shall be there for this event next year. Anyway, time for bed, gotta work tomorrow. Cya...bCool

[Listening to: Thousand Miles from Nowhere - Dwight Yoakam - Dwight Live (04:29)]

Just Another Day In the Life...

Interesting day...started it with a good run and kept on Victoria's (that's my daughter) heels the whole way, I don't think that she was expecting that. I told her that I would beat her at least once before our summer is up...we shall just have to wait and see;-) It looks as if I shall have this weekend all to myself on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier; everyone else has plans and I am determined to get in some hiking above Paradise, even if it is by myself; too cool! Besides, I need to scout out some good back country snowboarding spots that Barrett told me about, so first Paradise Glacier and then perhaps the Pinnacle Peak area; way COOL!!! Work was hectic, but the camaraderie was great and the day was over before I knew it. It really is the people that you work with, not the work that you do, that makes the job what it is, or isn't. Of course, some are better than others, but then that is a story for another day, so until l8r...bCool

[Listening to: My Immortal - Evanescence - Fallen (04:24)]

'Til The Morn

Time now for sleep, to slip into the shadowy world of our dreams where we can indulge ourselves in the lives and loves that we dare not let intrude into our conscious world...bCool

[Listening to: Love Bites - Def Leppard - Hysteria (04:17)]

Now this song really tugs at one's heart strings...le sigh

[Listening to: Dreaming of You - Selena - Dreaming of You (05:18)]