starting to get healthy

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Medical News

So I went to the Doctor yesterday expecting yet another diagnostic procedure because that is what I was told it was when I set up the scheduling. Then I get there and they tell me that this was the actual full procedure, the neurotomy, at last! So I was pretty excited.

The procedure was a little harder than before because I have a bit of a sore throat and the process requires me to lay face down, putting pressure on my throat. After I was given all kinds of warnings that I could expect a lot more soreness this time etc. So I made sure all I did when I got home was just sit around and watch TV.

But this morning I feel pretty much normal, or at least the normal I have been feeling for the past couple of years. So if this is the worst I can expect, and then it will only get better I am really excited.

School Closings

So District 11 finally bit the bullet last night and voted for some actual school closings and consolidation. Which meant the boys school, Buena Vista, will close. However, the Montessori program will continue at another location, not that far away. So they will be able to remain in the program. So, is it an ideal solution? No, but it is the best solution given the circumstances. The boys will not have to change schools, and will continue to get the fine education they are getting. We just won't be able to walk to school any more.

Family Health

Emily is beginning to get better. She has actually had 2 full consecutive nights in her own bed! She's still a little touchy, but that may be due to her not getting the same focused attention from me that she expects. She's used to weekend Dad, who is willing to just sit around and play with her. Not weekday morning Dad, who actually wants to get some things done. But I think she has definitely turned the corner on her illness.

And I have pretty much recovered from all of my various cold/flu symptoms as well. So hopefully this week will provide the respite that we needed to get the family well again.

Catching up

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

So I am on a week long work furlough so I won't be posting nearly as much as normal. The Memorial Service went very well I thought. And Emily is slowly recovering from a particularly brutal ear infection/cold virus that had her sitting at 102-103 for 2 days straight. I am taking advantage of the time off to get some rest for both of us, keeping everyone healthy.

The Memorial Service went quite well, with special thanks to Forrest for stepping up and conducting the kind of service I think Manny would have wanted. There was the proper mix of reverence and humor for the occasion. And of course thanks to all the friends and family who aided in the preparation, set up and clean up, we could not have done it without your help.

Emily had a couple of real bad nights Thursday and Friday, then started to at least sleep a little better. Today she is on her second long nap, getting lots of rest. She was her normal self for a while but just doesn't like it when Daddy is doing something on the computer.

So I might do some yard projects, nothing huge just some things I have been thinking about for a while, while I have some time off and the weather is so nice. Tomorrow I have yet another procedure for my neck (hopefully the last before they do the actual neurotomy. But this week I am keeping it low key for my time off, just trying to get myself and Emily healthy. I have 2 more weeks, one in March and one in April, and might be more ambitious for those.

Manny Memorial service

Manny

Yesterday as I dropped off Emily I noticed her looking across the street at Connie's house, and for some reason my thoughts turned to Manny. How good he could be with the kids. And especially the way he acted when holding "Baby Em" as he called her. And a tear came to my eye for a moment. At that moment I realized that while I have written about all the care he received, and have posted pictures and news updates, I haven't really spoke about him here. So this will be a memorial post of sorts.

Manny wasn't much older than me, in fact he was younger than my brother Dan by about 6 months. So while he was treated as a father or stepfather figure by Kim and her siblings, for me he fell more into the category of an older brother. Honestly we had very little in common. We liked different sports, different hobbies etc. We had our moments where we disagreed (sometimes very vocally). But deep down we had a level of respect between us.

My fondest memories are playing games. Whether it was Bocce ball, or Ladder ball, or card games, if there was one thing we had in common it was an enjoyment of these games. And a healthy competitive streak whenever we played made the games fun. And for a few years (before life and my wrist problems took their toll) we had golf. I wasn't the best golfer (in fact far far from it), but Manny humored me out on the course, just enjoying the time in the sun. In fact some of my co-workers still talk about that guy I brought golfing with them one time.

And I learned from him. When we first moved into our house I would have been hard pressed to show even the most rudimentary of carpentry skills. But I spent enough time with Manny when he worked on our house that I learned. I learned enough, some by trial and error, but mostly by watching Manny at work, because Manny was a skilled craftsman. And there aren't a lot of rooms in our house where we can't see his handiwork.

I'll miss him, his humor in the face of pretty much anything. His desire to just live and enjoy life. And I know that my kids will miss out not having him around as a potential teacher of things that they won't learn from me. But I know that I am richer for having had him in my life, and that the family is immensely richer for having him around. Farewell Manny, and thank you for all you did.

Friday Night Lights recap

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

(First an aside, today when I dropped off the boys at school, I let Emily walk to Daniels classroom as I have been doing lately. And when she rounded the corner a group of girls was walking to their classroom and they all just stopped and collectively let loose and "awww how cute!". This isn't the first time it's happened, but it never ceases to amaze me and I thought I would comment on it.)

Another excellent episode this week. We saw poor Saracen get relegated to the bench, with all that entails. We saw the 4 stooges (Riggins brothers plus Street and Herc) figure out how to buy a house so they could flip it. We saw the Taylor's have to deal with the teenage tattoo. And last we saw the continuing struggles of Tyra, as she gets swept away by Cash.

I think we all saw the Saracen benching coming. It was bittersweet as it came after he scored the winning touchdown. And he handled it about as well you would expect him to handle it: sullen withdrawn anger, attempts to quit, but realizes that he can't really do that. I still like to think that there will be redemption for Matt at some point, that his new found relationship with his estranged mom will help him through this until he comes off the bench to save the day. But you never know, this show isn't always that predictable.

Street is back for his half of the season. And we see him scrambling to bring in some money so he can be a good father to his son. The travails of how he gets the money and the joy of working with the Riggins boys and Herc injects some serious comedy into the show. And you see what a magnetic personality Street has, why he was such a dynamic leader on the field etc. Unfortunately that magnetism doesn't translate to romance for him as it is clear that his girlfriend is done trying to just scrape by as a waitress and is running home to her parents.

The trauma of Julie's tattoo once again showed off the strengths of the show: Tami & Eric. Their response, both initially, and after consideration, are just so dead on. And the final change of heart shows a strength of character and faith in their own parenting skills, that you just want to give them a great big pat on the back. Because in the end it is just a tattoo to Julie, not a gateway to trouble.

Which leads to the Tyra saga. We see poor Landry torturing himself over a lost friendship and relationship. We see Tyra falling back to her troubled wild ways. And we see how easy it is for Cash to lure her back to those ways. The bottom line for Tyra is her romantic streak. She dreams of leaving her circumstances behind, and still believes that some heroic figure can do that for her, rather than working hard to do it herself. We can only hope that the inevitable crash is softer for her this time around.

Weekend Recap

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

We had a good weekend. I think we have pretty much all the ducks in a row that we need to make sure the Memorial service goes without a hitch. We got some serious cleaning done in the basement, in the never ending battle of parents v. kid's clutter. And we had some fun as well, knocking out 2 movies from our Netflix Queue and having a nice dinner out Friday night. So it was a good 3 day weekend.

While I haven't necessarily been doing all of the organizing I have been keeping the ball rolling on getting the Service organized. This last week I was able to help Connie get the Eagle's Lodge for the service. Then we got the Obituary* submitted on Saturday. And then Kim & I went out to Sam's and priced all of the food and materials we will need for the pot luck after the service. And then our friend Maida put together the program for us to pass out at the service (thanks again Maida). And Megan and I created a flier to hang out at his favorite haunts. All in all I think we are in good shape to make sure this is a nice occasion, and that Connie will feel that we did all that she wants for him.

Kim & I reclaimed the basement, moving all of our pending yard sale items to the shed, and cleaning the rest. Along with some stern lectures and discussion with the boys about keeping things picked up, standing up to visiting kids who aren't obeying the rules etc. The basement area is actually quite nice when it's picked up, it just becomes a battle when we get too lax on the kids picking it up.

Kim & I got some nice parent time every night as well. Connie was gracious enough to watch the kids Friday night while we had a dinner out. And we were able to take some time to watch a couple of movies on other nights as well.

So a good, long weekend. Next weekend will be busy busy busy, with preparations and then the service itself. But then I get a week off from work.

*Postscript (I noticed this morning that we didn't pay for the Obituary to be available online so here it is)



Manuel "Manny" Moore
December 25, 1963 - February 8, 2009

Manuel passed away peacefully after a brief illness following a cardiac arrest. Manuel was born in Colorado Springs and was a lifelong resident of Manitou Springs and the Westside. He was proud to be a Colorado Native.

He is survived by the love of his life Connie Newland, his mother Margaret Moore, sister Michelle Mendoza, brother Tyrone Moore. His Nephews Juan and Dominic, and Nieces Brittany and Briana. Connie's children Dennis (Megan) Newland, Kim (Michael) Newland, Tammy (Jeremy) Simmons and 9 grandchildren. Numerous Aunts, Uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father Oscar L. Moore and sister Pamela Moore.

Manuel was an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting, fishing and telling stories around a roaring fire. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He lived life to the fullest. Though he was with us a short time he touched many lives and will be greatly missed.

A Memorial Service will be held Sunday February 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM at the Eagle's Aerie 1050 S. 21st St. Colorado Springs Colorado 80904

More discourse on the negative side of the Reagan Revolution

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

First of all, an apology. I apologize and now regret my voting for Reagan and supporting him and his philosophies, which eventually grew into the destructive Me-First, society second ethos of the current Republican Party. I don't think anyone could have foreseen these effects (except my beloved Socialist Grandmother, who openly despised Reagan). I won't go into another of my long rants today, instead I came across 2 links that illustrate for me the truly disastrous impact of this ethos.

An illustration of why it is bad for private companies to take over what was formerly governmental duties.

The whole idea of private corporations running prisons has always seemed nonsensical to me. I have always felt that law enforcement and incarceration are things that should be handled by the government, it should not be a profit making enterprise. How this ties into the 'Reagan Revolution' is the idea that government is bad, private enterprise is good, and the best option in almost all cases to running any government department was to turn it over the seemingly more efficient private enterprise. This idea does 2 things. First, it brings a profit making ethos into arenas that just don't make sense as a place to turn a profit. Second, it creates an atmosphere where private companies see a justification for corrupting public officials. Thus you get Haliburton, innumerable Defense Contractor corruption cases, and cases like this. It feels almost Third World, where corrupt government officials turn over their duties to the highest bidder.

And here is, finally, a response to more know nothing nonsense.

Another aspect of the 'Reagan Revolution' is the idea that, since the government is inherently bad (a self fulfilling prophecy based on the above comment), then someone else must be held responsible if something goes wrong. Well the whole idea of blaming immunization is akin to this. I have to blame someone if my child is autistic, it can't just be fate, or scientific odds catching up to me. And if I have to blame someone, then who better than the government, or some similar authority? It's a me-first ethos that says I shouldn't have to accept the hand that fate has dealt me. Which is great for encouraging a Horatio Alger attitude about work and bettering your position. But it's bad for society because people put themselves first, 'it's my wallet that the government wants to dig in when it charges taxes'. It's the government or Doctors fault that my kids got dealt a bad hand, 'someone has to be blamed, because it certainly isn't my fault'.

District 11 School board meeting

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

SO I went to the public meeting last night, stayed for all 2 hours of the public speakers. I was impressed by most of the speakers, not just the Buena Vista ones. They all made good cases for keeping their schools open. And the speakers who were not focused on a specific school were also mostly good.

But here's the thing, the problem: the people who were there, the people who have been galvanized to do something, those were the people who already cared. They are the people who voted for the Mill Levy in November, and past years. They are the ones who already support neighborhood schools. They are not the problem.

The problem, for lack of a better scapegoat, is the Doug Bruce's of this town. The people who oppose any taxes, no matter what they are used for or what the consequences of failing to increase the taxes. And they are the majority of the voters in District 11. They don't care that their schools are archaic and falling apart. To them it is only about their wallets, not about the greater community. And some of these people with kids don't send them to District 11, they send them to other districts or private schools. And to me this is the real cost and result of the 'Reagan Revolution'. And it makes me angrier and angrier with each passing year. I can hope that this past election signaled a sea change in the electorate, but I can't guarantee it will last or stick (or roll down to our community).

Friday Night Lights review

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Week 4 was just as strong as you could hope for. We saw a fitting departure for Smash. Tami slowly figuring out how to handle Buddy and the boosters. Coach figuring out how to handle the challenge of super freshman. And Tyra crushing poor Landry, again.

I was glad to see how they handled Smash's departure. I can only hope that they handle some of the others as well next season. Because that will be the real key to the shows future. The core of the shows cast: Riggins, Tyra, Matt, Landry, Lyla are all Seniors and while they can justify a few of them sticking around for life after high school, you can hope most of them move on.

Once again, the place where the show really shines is how it handles the Taylor's. How they handle conflict between each other, and how they support each others conflicts with other people. And they keep learning how to cope,and change. Tami figured out she wasn't going to beat the Boosters, so she found a way to give in and co-opt their ability at the same time. And Eric did the same thing: he couldn't fight the inevitable rise of Super Freshman, so he figured out how to make it work out best for him and the team.

As for the star crossed relationships, I don't care that much for that part of the show. But I do feel more than a little sorry for poor Landry. But should we be all that surprised at Tyra? Like Riggins she has all the support to rise above her roots and background, but that's a very powerful pull.

Manuel Moore Rest In Peace

Manuel Moore
December 1963 to February 2009
Rest In Peace

Interesting week

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

In the midst of all of my ranting, and reading and getting angry about the events in our nation's capital, the grim economic news hit closer to home than was really comfortable. When I got to work yesterday there was some serious tension in the air. And then my boss came over and told me that there had been a round of layoffs, and that there would be a meeting that went into more detail later in the day. So tensions were running high all morning, as more people were let go. Eventually we had our meeting, I knew at that point that I still had a job but it was still stressful. I can't go into detail what all was said, but suffice to say that management made some fairly deep cuts, with the goal of not having to make more in 3 months when another fiscal quarter ends. And that there were some people pretty high up the ladder who felt the pain as well.

I went through a year of periodic cuts at the same company back in 2002, and I have to say that this one was handled much better, made more sense, and I feel there was more thought put into this. And I still think the company is equipped to handle the current climate, provided things don't go a lot farther south.

So Kim & I talked, we will have to make a few adjustments. We are no longer going to take our planned big summer vacation. Instead we will focus on saving our nest egg. And hope to take an extended vacation next year. Part of the reasoning is there will be some forced time off at my company that will use my paid time. Plus the scuttlebutt at Kim's work is the union may go on strike when the contract runs out in May. So this is definitely the time to plan on saving and focusing on work, not vacation spending.

In the midst of all this personal news Senate Republicans continued to act as if the failed Republican ideology and practices of the last 40 years were the only possible way to rescue us from this mess. This in the face of overwhelming evidence and every reasonable economist arguing differently (including the most recent Nobel Prize winner). And while the Colorado Springs City Council heard that they will have to cut even deeper from the budget, including probable cuts from the police and fire departments. So I get more than a little angry when I hear someone argue that 'we just need to cut more taxes and encourage people to buy more houses'. The bottom line is that this crash is because of policies like this, that have bankrupted governments, concentrated wealth in the hands of a few, and when the bottom dropped out, there was no safety net. While this is a worldwide crisis it will not be felt nearly as badly in sensible nations where there is a health care and educational safety net. But in the US, where health care is not a given, and education is not a priority, when people lose their jobs they lose their health care. And when local governments lose money, it is education and public safety that suffer.

So the thing that this country needs is a re-education to rid ourselves of this ridiculous Republican ideology that has overtaken our public discourse. The best government is not the one that governs least. The best government is the one that cares for all people, makes certain that their basic needs are taken care of: health care, education, public safety, transportation and infrastructure. That was a given when I grew up, but 40 years of continuous Republican spin has taught a different ideology: less government is better, competition will make everything better, the free market will save everything. Historians would have begged to differ, but they were ignored. It is only now, in the face of overwhelming evidence, that the media and the people are gradually starting to learn the truth. I can only hope that it is not too late for a lot more people.

Back to some politics

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

So the Spineless Senate Democrats appear to be in danger of blowing the vote on the Stimulus package (you'll have to scroll a little to see the article). And I read more and more about how the Republicans are winning the spin on this issue. And I am worried that when all is said and done what gets passed will not amount to a hill of beans. And all I hear from the Republican side is 'lower taxes'.

Well here's my response: Kim & I made a little more money last year than the year before, and yet we have to pay a substantially larger amount of taxes to the State of Colorado. This may seem like an argument for lowering taxes, but it isn't because I know that Colorado already has a ridiculously low tax rate compared to other states, and yet the state is already having to cut large chunks of projects etc from the budget. So if the taxes are so high (when they aren't) where is all that money going? It's not helping pay for health care, or education or bridges or law enforcement because the level of those services are quite low here. I think the reality is that all of this money is ending up in overpaid sweetheart contractors who are paid to do the work that used to be done more efficiently by the government.

I am angry about this whole idea that the government is the devil, and it is almost a civic duty to pay lower and lower taxes. The real economic fact is that the Middle class families have to work harder now than they did 40 years ago, for a smaller piece of the pie. I know my parents saved, and cut budgetary corners to an extent, but when it came time they were able to send all of us kids to college (and pay for me to go to a ritzy private school). Now, with a family of the same size and comparable salary there is no way I can envision that happening. And the level of education and governmental services that I can expect for myself has declined (while my taxes are also supposedly declining but actually aren't).

Friday Night Lights

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

I have written about this show in the past, and I was overjoyed when I got the chance to watch it again. There was some fear, I was worried about the possibility of it turning into more of a soap opera. Especially when it turned out that most of the 'kids' were coming back, because the key to a 'believable' show like this is transition. But, after 3 episodes, I have to say I am very impressed and pleased.

I think that they have gone back to their roots to a large extent, with the plot points being more 'small town'. I am still waiting for some of the characters to move on, and some new characters, especially kids, to come in, but I think that will happen eventually.

The core of this show, the part that makes it sing, is the relationship between Coach Taylor and his wife. And they have hit that out of the park so far this season (If I can use a baseball metaphor when talking about a football show). Their relationship just seems so real to me. They argue, but they know it's not an end of the world to do so. They just feel and act like real people.

This last episode set up some interesting things. The big question as far as football is if (or when) the wunderkind J.D. McCoy takes over at QB. The football scenes from this week set up the very plausible scenario of him playing, getting just brutalized, and Saracen getting to save the day. Or J.D. tries to avoid playing because he realizes he isn't ready either.

I will keep posting on this for this season, because I want people to watch. I won't refrain from spoilers because I think that it isn't so much the surprises that make this show great, it is the characters and how they interact, like my other fave show Mad Men.

Weekend Recap & Super Bowl thoughts

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Overall a nice weekend. I stayed home on Friday night, my theoretical every other week game got cancelled again, and while I thought of going to see a movie I decided I would rather just stay home and relax. We got some things done, got the boys signed up for swim lessons, got a number of house projects completed. And we got the house nice and clean for a party that never happened. And I got to watch another well played Super Bowl.

I decided that we (the boys and I) need something to do on Saturdays, out of the house, otherwise we all just sit around in our pajamas and veg. Which is nice, but gets boring after a while. So Saturday I signed them up for Saturday morning swim lessons for February, and if they go well, will do the same in March. Then in April Indoor soccer will start back up again. They boys are excited, especially Daniel.

Then Kim & I got the final touches on the kitchen finished. She had picked up a counter top during the week, and we put that up, allowing us to move the Microwave, and clear off the top of the dishwasher. Which eliminates the moving trash pile that the dishwasher always becomes. And we get more counter space next to the stove for cooking, overall a really nice change, and that finally completes our kitchen project as we planned a while back.

Then we got a lot of cleaning done around the house for the party... and no one came. Well my mom and Connie showed up, and Austin showed up later, but no one else showed. Which made for a quiet party, allowing me to focus on the game, and was actually nice for my Mom, who is recovering from a cold, and Connie, who got a break from Tammy and the kids.

NFL Thoughts

Really an excellent game. Maybe not the best officiated game I have ever seen, but a good game overall. I enjoyed watching it, and the commercials were decent as well.

I was not surprised to see the Steelers win, although the manner in which they did it was surprising. You have to give the Cardinals credit for standing up when they had to with the 2 goal line stands and the safety. And Warner did what was expected of him, in a way it was like the infamous Patriots Super Bowl where he threw that horrible interception, it was just a perfectly timed defensive stunt, and just about any QB in the world makes the same mistake. Crazy that Harrison was able to return it for a TD though, no excuses for that.

In retrospect my pledge to sit back an enjoy football this year, and not let it stress me out, was a success. Yeah, I had a few lapses, but overall it was a good season, I enjoyed football for football again, which was really the goal.

Summing up, a good weekend, capped by an enjoyable game. Got some good work done around the house, had some good time with the kids. And now things can settle down, with no major events for 2 months. Good time to focus on other things, like getting myself in shape. And continuing household projects.