The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
- Philip Larkin
Rainforest
The forest drips and glows with green.
The tree frog croaks his far-off song.
His voice is stillness, moss and rain
drunk from the forest ages long.
We cannot understand that call
Unless we move into his dream
Where all is one and one is all
and frog and python are the same.
We with our quick dividing eyes
measure, distinguish and are gone.
The forest burns, the three-frog dies,
yet one is all and all are one.
- Judith Wright
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
More greenness...
The Trees
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Glowing Green
Do you know those days in Spring when the trees have leafed into their yellow-green (green-yellow) glory, the flowers are blooming every which way, and the rain drips like diamonds from the leaves and petals?
The sun cracks through the clouds and infuses the air with a green glow, crowning everything with illumination.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The sun cracks through the clouds and infuses the air with a green glow, crowning everything with illumination.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Bike Update
Last week Friday I rode my bike, carrying rain gear, but no rain. Today, I took my rain gear out because it was supposed to be 65 degrees and lovely. Long around 3:30... starts raining. (It was warm - but not lovely.) Fortunately, the rain was light and stopped from Auburn on down to Algona... still had to battle a headwind, but at least no rain!
After the next 3 days of rain, I'll be back on my bike Friday, which will - just in time! - bring my monthly total to 106. (It's 88 right now.) Month 1: check! Bike-to-work month starts next Monday.
Whee!
After the next 3 days of rain, I'll be back on my bike Friday, which will - just in time! - bring my monthly total to 106. (It's 88 right now.) Month 1: check! Bike-to-work month starts next Monday.
Whee!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
In-destructible
My church has been busy imploding lately, with lots of name-calling, he said/she said, disrespect, and other very non-UU values. It's been great. This all culminated today in a congregational meeting.
First step forward: the original resolutions were done away with into a single resolution seeking to dissolve the board and name an interim board. This was good, because of the original resolutions, 3 were illegal by our by-laws, and the last was using a technical point to invalidate the election, but was use to censure our leadership. Yuck.
Second step forward: the comments from people were largely very civilized. Most people looked beyond the he said/she said (although many criticized the tone of recent emails). Several had very, very good observations. At least a few said they wanted to be sure everyone understood that when today was over, this issue is CLOSED. I spoke, against the resolution, and for solutions:
a) create clear website policies
b) modify the by-laws to correct current problems and future behaviors
c) utilize the healthy congregations team to correct some of the respect issues.
d) give some time for this to work
Third step forward: a new motion introduced, to require the 2009/2010 board members to go to mediation, find a way forward, and present it to the congregation. A-men. Make the board clean up the board mess.
Motion passed, meeting adjourned.
In the end, the congregation behaved and represented itself very well. In the end, the face-to-face and more structured interaction gave us a chance to talk respectfully to one another. Would that we had done so all along! We could have saved a lot of time and heartache.
First step forward: the original resolutions were done away with into a single resolution seeking to dissolve the board and name an interim board. This was good, because of the original resolutions, 3 were illegal by our by-laws, and the last was using a technical point to invalidate the election, but was use to censure our leadership. Yuck.
Second step forward: the comments from people were largely very civilized. Most people looked beyond the he said/she said (although many criticized the tone of recent emails). Several had very, very good observations. At least a few said they wanted to be sure everyone understood that when today was over, this issue is CLOSED. I spoke, against the resolution, and for solutions:
a) create clear website policies
b) modify the by-laws to correct current problems and future behaviors
c) utilize the healthy congregations team to correct some of the respect issues.
d) give some time for this to work
Third step forward: a new motion introduced, to require the 2009/2010 board members to go to mediation, find a way forward, and present it to the congregation. A-men. Make the board clean up the board mess.
Motion passed, meeting adjourned.
In the end, the congregation behaved and represented itself very well. In the end, the face-to-face and more structured interaction gave us a chance to talk respectfully to one another. Would that we had done so all along! We could have saved a lot of time and heartache.
Cycling update
955 miles to go. I rode yesterday and today!
My goal for April is only 100 miles. Bike to work month (May): over 200. Thereafter, we see. Good to be on my way!
My goal for April is only 100 miles. Bike to work month (May): over 200. Thereafter, we see. Good to be on my way!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The difference between my cats:
When Katja takes over a pillow, she takes mine:
When Crook takes a pillow, he takes the one next to me, so he can purr in my ear and make me pet him.
Cheers!
When Crook takes a pillow, he takes the one next to me, so he can purr in my ear and make me pet him.
Cheers!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Down the rabbit hole...
Today:
1) I go to book tickets for me and my sister to go to Wisconsin. The two tickets, plus a rental car, are quoted at $1,003. Expedia verifies the price; I say "purchase." I get the message my card was not charged because the price changed, and my new price is $1,923 + 75 for the rental car. No, thanks, I don't think I'll purchase that.
2) I call 1-800-EXPEDIA. I figure this is a better idea than trying to buy a different ticket and getting stung again. The lady finds that if she adds a hotel for 1 night for me, the package price becomes $1,051.84. Right. I add a hotel, and the price drops $950. Who is benefitting from this racket? We review the itinerary - twice - $1,051.84. After I get off the call, I check my itinerary. There are now two. The hotel (for 3 nights) + flight is $1,065; the car rental is $75, or a total of $1138. My second bait-and-switch of the day. Nice job, Expedia.
3) I send an email. They can't do refunds via email; please call.
4) I call after I get home from work. The woman says she can rebook the package for the right price. Then she realizes I have two itineraries, one for the flight/hotel, one for the car. Oh, she says, I can just cancel the hotel reservation for you (since I didn't need it anyway). The airplane fare is fixed, and I will get a $238 refund for the hotel. My total bill - flight + car rental - is now $900. Note: the prior travel agent I talked to said I could not cancel the hotel.
Please explain to me what part out of any of this makes any sense? Is the travel industry really this screwed up now, where they try to gouge me for $950 that I later wind up getting for $150 cheaper than the original quote, because I ADD services? Or is Expedia figuring that if they don't raise the price until you're ready to purchase, you'll go ahead and buy it anyway?
Shopping at Expedia today was like shopping at a used-car lot: you have to watch out for how you're going to get screwed.
1) I go to book tickets for me and my sister to go to Wisconsin. The two tickets, plus a rental car, are quoted at $1,003. Expedia verifies the price; I say "purchase." I get the message my card was not charged because the price changed, and my new price is $1,923 + 75 for the rental car. No, thanks, I don't think I'll purchase that.
2) I call 1-800-EXPEDIA. I figure this is a better idea than trying to buy a different ticket and getting stung again. The lady finds that if she adds a hotel for 1 night for me, the package price becomes $1,051.84. Right. I add a hotel, and the price drops $950. Who is benefitting from this racket? We review the itinerary - twice - $1,051.84. After I get off the call, I check my itinerary. There are now two. The hotel (for 3 nights) + flight is $1,065; the car rental is $75, or a total of $1138. My second bait-and-switch of the day. Nice job, Expedia.
3) I send an email. They can't do refunds via email; please call.
4) I call after I get home from work. The woman says she can rebook the package for the right price. Then she realizes I have two itineraries, one for the flight/hotel, one for the car. Oh, she says, I can just cancel the hotel reservation for you (since I didn't need it anyway). The airplane fare is fixed, and I will get a $238 refund for the hotel. My total bill - flight + car rental - is now $900. Note: the prior travel agent I talked to said I could not cancel the hotel.
Please explain to me what part out of any of this makes any sense? Is the travel industry really this screwed up now, where they try to gouge me for $950 that I later wind up getting for $150 cheaper than the original quote, because I ADD services? Or is Expedia figuring that if they don't raise the price until you're ready to purchase, you'll go ahead and buy it anyway?
Shopping at Expedia today was like shopping at a used-car lot: you have to watch out for how you're going to get screwed.
Friday, April 2, 2010
A journey of 1000 miles...
gets done one day at a time.
I set myself a goal of riding 1,000 miles between April 1 and September 30. This is actually quite a reasonable goal, but now it's out there, and I gotta do it!
Kathy & I rode yesterday, which was 18 miles. 982 to go!
I set myself a goal of riding 1,000 miles between April 1 and September 30. This is actually quite a reasonable goal, but now it's out there, and I gotta do it!
Kathy & I rode yesterday, which was 18 miles. 982 to go!
Kudos / Scary
I don't know whether to be pleased or ashamed by my Macy's bill. I have a $383 (current) balance with them. As I went to pay the bill this morning, I noticed it gives the balance, minimum payment due ($13), payment due date. Below this it has a "minimum payment warning."
"If you make no additional charges using this card and each month you pay only the minimum payment, you will pay off the balance shown on this statement in about 10 years." (my emphasis) "And you will end up paying an estimated total of $823."
"If you make no additional charges and each month you pay $15, you will pay off the balance shown on this statement in about 3 years and you will end up paying an estimated total of $541. (Savings = $282)."
Okay, so first of all: if you don't get why paying the minimum is a bad idea, then let this guide you.
On the flip side, somewhere the math is wrong... I don't think the minimum payment goes below $10. Just doing the straight math, paying $13 twelve times a year for 10 years is $1560. Even accounting for a lower minimum payment as the balance goes down, it's higher than $823. The second calculation seems correct: $15 X 12 X 3 = $540.
Regardless, friends, let this be a beautiful moment of a retailer that is explaining the danger that is using your credit card to buy things you can't afford.
"If you make no additional charges using this card and each month you pay only the minimum payment, you will pay off the balance shown on this statement in about 10 years." (my emphasis) "And you will end up paying an estimated total of $823."
"If you make no additional charges and each month you pay $15, you will pay off the balance shown on this statement in about 3 years and you will end up paying an estimated total of $541. (Savings = $282)."
Okay, so first of all: if you don't get why paying the minimum is a bad idea, then let this guide you.
On the flip side, somewhere the math is wrong... I don't think the minimum payment goes below $10. Just doing the straight math, paying $13 twelve times a year for 10 years is $1560. Even accounting for a lower minimum payment as the balance goes down, it's higher than $823. The second calculation seems correct: $15 X 12 X 3 = $540.
Regardless, friends, let this be a beautiful moment of a retailer that is explaining the danger that is using your credit card to buy things you can't afford.
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