What’s Gotta Go

Did you know that it is physiologically impossible for your to keep your eyes open when you sneeze?  I remember learning this years ago and trying my best to prove that little fact wrong.  Go ahead, try it.  I tried and tried to no avail.  Your body is simply wired to protect your eyes by closing them when you sneeze.

Now that wouldn’t seem like a big deal normally, and it isn’t; but, when driving this can be a hazard when the sneeze comes at the most inopportune time.  Of course, is there ever really an opportune time for a sneeze?  Your eyes close for that split second right when that moron starts to cut you off and you have even less time to react.  How about when the brake lights fire up in front of you with a sudden stop and that sneeze takes away your timing so you are forced to slam on your brakes to avoid an all to sudden meeting with the bumper in front of you.

Yep, sneezing when driving is definitely something that’s gotta go.

During the summer I enjoy driving my little convertible, for the sun, the air, etc.  If I have to get in the car and drive, having the top down makes it so much more enjoyable.  That is, until I get behind a vehicle that is out of tune and belching out a big black cloud of exhaust.

Vehicles in general are ruining our air, so I will not argue that point.  Cars with combustible engines are a great convenience and a necessary evil in our current way of life, so I am not saying we should all ditch them and walk.  We should minimize our driving as much as possible.  What I am ranting about today is the car so far out of tune or burning oil that the noxious fumes are stepped up to a level that is obvious to everyone around.

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Yesterday a neighbor (the wife) was seriously hurt in a bike/car accident.  She is in intensive care under sedation for a week, on a ventilator and banged up pretty bad.  There are many broken bones in her face and chest, but at this point doctors are hopeful for a good prognosis.  She has a long road of recover ahead of her, and we are all nervously praying and hoping for no brain damage, which we won’t know until at least a week from now when they try to wake her.

I was trying hard to think of a funny topic I felt like writing this morning, but this situation has weighed so heavily on me I just couldn’t get my mind around anything else.  We never like to hear about someone getting hurt, but when it is so close to home and people we care about, the distress is much harder.  Nothing is harder than when your immediate family is affected, but friends come in a close second.  I can’t even imagine what her husband is going through right now.

What to do to help the family is always difficult at this point.  They have extended family close by, so their kids are being well taken care of.  The husband is a school administrator, so he is able to take time off during the summer to do whatever he needs to at the hospital.  I just never know whether to contact someone or just not bother them during their time of grief.  This family has many friends in the neighborhood and area, so I know they are being hit from angles with offers of support; yet, I don’t want to say nothing and have them no realize we are here if they need us.

Unfortunately I have had many extended hospital experiences with various family members.  I know what matters to me most is having ways to pass the time.  That may sound callous, but when you are in for the “long haul” you will have a lot of time on your hands that you need to fill with something other than fretting about the one you care about in pain.  For someone that is less familiar with staying at bedside for an extended time, it may come across as insensitive if I were to offer to them a batch of movies and a way to watch them.  Yet, that is exactly what I would like to do for this friend.

Another difficulty is wanting to know the latest status, especially when there is not much to tell.  The last thing this friend needs is a constant stream of calls from various people wanting to know what is going on.  Retelling the details of what you do know, plus expressing that you don’t know anything else knew can be very frustrating.  I was grateful that his extended family had the foresight and tech savvy to put up a blog yesterday for status updates.  Now friends and family can visit the site, express their support and concern all in one location without interfering hourly.
So for now, I have left my comments on their blog of support and I will sit back and wait.  The most likely time they will need help is when he is awake and coming home; then we can step in and do everything that friends can and should do in times of need.   Perhaps in a day or two I will see about the movie thing, when he has had a chance to process everything he will need to do and the time to fill waiting.  If you have a chance, say a little prayer for her speedy recovery.  Her name is Jill; loved wife and mother of four.

Back to a lighter topic today, which of course comes back to something to do with driving.  I try not to always lean to my driving rants, but because I often write first thing in the morning after having driven in to work, that is what is most prevalent on my mind.

Today, manhole covers.  I view these as necessary to our modern sewage convenience, yet those city planners and road workers have a way of making them far more involved in my daily drive than need be.  We all abhor potholes and the bumpy ride they can give us, but what about those fixtures that were intentionally installed as part of the street?  How is it a little extra planning and a little care in the workmanship to make sure these don’t add to the shock treatment our cars get from the daily commute.

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Mitt Romney’s religion continues to get slapped around by rival campaigns, and it really is no surprise.  Politics in general seems to bring out the worst in people, doing whatever they think is necessary to propel their candidate ahead of others.  Problem is, Mitt really is a good guy with great values and a sincere desire to improve our country with his leadership.  You may not agree with all his standpoints on issues, but it is hard to question his character.
Do I think he will win?  I really don’t know.  But taking cheap shots at him has more than a few candidates nervous about the possible backlash.  The problem is, other than pointing out differences on platform issues, there is not much to bring him down; so, the underhanded personal attacks begin.

What has me started on this?  This article in the Boston Globe actually takes a fairly non-partisan view summarizing some of what has happened of late.  I am really not all that riled up about it, but it bothers me of course.  It’s more like a casual, continual annoyance at the character of so many in politics and religious positions of leadership.
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I confess, I am clueless when it comes to buy and selling stock. Oh, I understand the general idea is to buy low and sell high, but beyond that I am pretty much in the dark. If I could ever get enough money together that I felt like I could invest in some significant way, I would trust someone to do it for me that knows much better how to watch and use trends.

An article today about yet another big drop in the Dow for a variety of reasons reminded me of just how volatile the market can be, and why I don’t like to take risks with it.

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Qwest is notorious for somehow managing to bungle every phone change I have ever been involved in.  I know it isn’t just me either, because I have talked to many others in the same situation.  For being a high tech service company, if there is a way to screw up an install or change order, they will do it.

Today my company is moving into our brand new building.  This is not a long distance move mind you, literally just across the parking lot.  We scheduled the transfer of our phone lines and DSL to the new building to be done during 8-12 this morning.  The first surprise is that they tech just before 9 am, so I was hopeful to see a new side of Qwest.  Nope, the old Qwest reared its ugly head.

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“School’s for the summer.”  I remember when those song lyrics brought joy to my ears as I headed into a few months of blissful lack of responsibility and carefree fun.  These days it makes me feel empathy for my wife trying to fill the day with activities to keep our kids engaged and out of trouble.  A busy kid is a happy kid, for the most part anyway.  The day after school was out, my 8 year old was up early getting his chores done so he could play all day with his friends, from the moment they were allowed to until dinner.

Aside from the kids needing something to do, school being out does mean no more having to time my commute to avoid the crossing guards and lights at the school on my common route to work.  At least this is what I thought; so far whoever is in charge of turning off the crossing lights for the season hasn’t done their job.  They are timed based on the school schedule, but obviously not for the year.  I would imagine that someone is in charge of turning off the system during the summer and back on for the school year.

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I have four kids, which means I have four distinct little personalities that are growing in my home.  Each is unique in the way they approach life, especially trying out new things.  My oldest boy is disabled, so he is of course different than the norm, but the others fall into more typically known categories.

The second boy is all boy.  He is aggressive, loud, physical and charges into things head on, resulting in many bumps and bruises along the way.  I consider this part of life, and figure I just need to be ready for whatever may happen.  I just cross my fingers and hope we avoid any major breaks or cuts.  This is how kids learn their capabilities, where they end, and why boundaries can be important.  This is hard for some parents to realize, and some never learn, preferring to isolate their kids from ever experiencing consequences.
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