Edmonton Wednesday

Today was the last day of the conference and it was over at lunch time. I did some shopping then went to see Borat with a couple other people, very funny movie, totally offensive to every group! Then I packed then went and had dinner and hung out with Terri from Webster and Geoffry from Wayne State in Michigan.

We come back to St Louis tomorrow, here are todays pictures

November 8, 2006

Tuesday in Edmonton

Today my focus was on student worker training and management, I had lunch with a great group of people who shared some great ideas, then after the session I talked with some other people and got more great ideas and shared some of our own information. Tonight was the conference gala at the Jubilations dinner theater. It was an interesting show and a nice dinner. Not a lot of pictures from today, but a few.

Tuesday, November 7

edmonton Monday

It's late and its been a long day, but a good one, I learned a lot at the sessions today, stuff I plan on using soon. Outside the sessions talked with some great people about relevant topics such as illegal download, student employee management and retention and beer :)

Saw one of the theme rooms and hung out in the Sherlock Holmes bar where there was some interesting music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E8sx6I8efs

There was more snow overnight but I haven't been outside today. Weird thing, at dinner I had a sandwich and fries, the waitress asked if I would like gravy with my fries. Yes, its real gravy, like beef gravy, served on the side, surprisingly good! I took a picture.

Overall a good day.

Pictures are updated

Saturday, November 4
Sunday, November 5
Monday, November 6

Edmonton Update (day 2)

Yesterday was a fun day. Terri and I did some sightseeing and shopping. Then we had a digital scavenger hunt for the conference. After that we had the opening event at the waterpark here in the mall. Terri and I both spent a lot of time in the huge wave pool but then we both braved the HUGE water slides! ) Yes, we both did, I don't think there are any pictures of that (thank goodness). That was pretty much the end of day two. Today starts the technical sessions where we learn lovely things! :)yesterdays pictures are up. More later!

Edmonton

I arrived in Canada yesterday, Edmonton Alberta. My first time out of the country. It was a long day of traveling, got to the airport in St. Louis just before 7am, arrived in Edmonton around 5pm I think.

Terri and I got lost only once on the way to the hotel so we're doing better than usual. We are staying at the Fantasyland Hotel in the West Edmonton Mall, its fabulous! There is a waterpark which we will be going to) a sea lion show, 21 movie theaters and everything else you can think of! We didn't see much last night, we were too tired, we had dinner then crashed.

The conference starts this afternoon but we are going to get some sight seeing in before that.

I am going to try to post pictures at least one a day, they can be found here http://lenzfamily.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46671

how ironic is it that animal crackers and bacos are vegan?

shutup and hangup

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My first blues game

Went to my first hockey game Friday night. It was fun, we won! no fights but two players crashed into the glass and knocked a peice out.

take your screaming kids outside

I was in wal-mart today and almost from the moment I walked in the door I heard this kid screaming bloody murder. At first I thought that he must have gotten hurt, such was the volume of his cries. When the screaming went on for 5 minutes, then 10, then continued for the entire 45 minutes I was in the store, I was ready to harm the kid myself, and the adult in charge of him/her. You could hear this kid throughout the entire store, it took every ounce of willpower I posses to not follow those screams and tell the mother/father/guardian to shut the kid up or take him outside.
Back when I was a kid, we knew better than to make a scene in public. If we started to act up, and by this I mean the beginnings of a whine, we were asked "do you want to go outside?" the answer was no. We didn't want to go outside, because outside was a nice spanking. You behaved in public, you did not embarrass your parents by making a scene, whether it be in the grocery store, church or another adults house.
Now I don't think the parents are embarrassed, they will get pissy if you confront them about their misbehaving child, get indignant and angry.
Now given, I don't expect Wal-Mart to be a peaceful place, but damn, that was ridiculous.

These are the times that try men's souls

• These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. --Thomas Paine
• Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. -JFK
• Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country --???

These are patriotic quotes meant for wartime, I think they are appropriate in our time of crisis.

What are you doing to help?

Proud American?

Throughout this Katrina disaster I am swinging back and forth between being disgusted with America with the violence, chaos and lack of response in NOLA and being proud of the mother who swims 30 minutes through floodwaters while in labor to get help for her sick son. Today, I am humbled. Countries that are still struggling to recover from the Tsunami in December are sending aid to the US.
Help started to come to NOLA today, and with the arrival of the calvalry its easy to say "yeah, look how we take care of our people, we rock." Let us not forget though, that many of the people there have been waiting on this help with NOTHING for 5 days now. 5 days may not seem like a long time, however, think about this, you are thirsty, you go get a drink. You are hungry, you grab a snack or get dinner. I grew up poor and I know others have as well, more so than I did. But I cannot even begin to grasp not having water to drink. Watching my baby scream from hunger and thirst and know there is nothing I can do about it.
Airlifts of supplies should have started on Monday as soon as the winds were safe for flying. National guard should have been on the streets as well. FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers should have been at the levies fixing them, reinforcing them BEFORE they broke.
Of course, I sit here, in my nice quite, safe home, full of the dinner I just ate, self righteous in my indignation with the response. What have I done? Little. I blog my rants, I have contacted the Red Cross to volunteer my time, I have organized information on resources and sent them to my colleagues and friends. I wish I could go and personally help each person find their way back to some degree of normalcy. I also wish I could bitchslap those who are shooting at the rescurers and taking police away from search and rescue because of their violence and greed.
So, am I proud to be an American? In general yes, I couldn't imagine being anything else. I am however, disappointed in the American government and some Americans.

Katrina Help

I found out today one of my co-wokers family is in New Orleans and he has not been able to get in touch with them. I founds some sites for him and thought I might as well post them here as well. When I find out what area his family is in I'll post that and their names as well, just in case.

• http://littlecoop.100megsfree5.com/katrina/
• http://katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
• http://www.nola.com/
• http://www.hurricanekatrinasurvivors.com/

Other tips I've found online:

• The Sun Herald is setting up an “IÂ’m OK Line” for folks who left the area to phone in and let their relatives know where they evacuated to. ItÂ’s a toll free number and the information will be printed in the paper and posted online. You can call (866) 453-1925.

• People can also try amateur (ham) radio to send messages inquiring about loved ones into the areas. To find a local (to you) ham who can pass these messages, contact a club near you ( http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml). You can also locate nearby hams by searching by city name or zipcode, at (http://www.qrz.com/i/names.html). Hams often have a lot of backup power (huge batteries, generators), so they can transmit during power outages.

• I read several places that sending text messages to cell phones is working even when incoming and outgoing calls do not work.

Katrina

I can't figure out my fascination with natural disasters and the destruction they cause. There is not enough detail or pictures of this hurricane to please me.

Desiderata

If you have never read a poem by Max Ehrmann called, Desiderata, I feel that you must do so now, I have copied the text of the poem below.

This poem has special meaning to me, a line, near the end of this poem, is engraved on my father's tombstone. "Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you perceive him to be". As a child, when my father died, I did not know what this meant, only that it came from a poem my mother told me was my father's favorite. I have read the Desiderata many times over the year, in whole, and in part and feel that in some ways it has guided my life and gave me a greater insight into the father I barely knew. I grew up in the South, very Baptist south, the quote my mother had place on my father's tombstone, created somewhat of a scandal, but as in all things my mother stood her ground, saying it was what needed to be done. I rarely get the chance to visit my father's grave as I live several hundred miles away now, but everytime I do, I see this quote and feel a little bit better about the path I have taken in my life. I feel at once, sad, inspired and closer to my father when I read the Desiderata, I think I will hang it on my office wall now though, so it can be that beacon of light to guide me through my days. And perhaps, one day, it will watch over me in eternity as well.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Apathy

I got into a conversation today regarding how my generation is so apathetic. The conversation started about the war in Iraq, how it is so like Vietnam, the person I was having the talk with grew up during that time. I said, the only reason people are not out in the streets protesting and burning flags like they did then is because this generation, my generation, is so apathetic.

Generation X they call us, from my research we are born between 1965 and 1981, though I'd target the middle of that range more closely. Today we are ages 40-25, we are the heart of modern society. These however are the terms that come to mind when I think of my generation:
-apathy
-disinterest
-self-centered
-uninvolved

Back to the war in Iraq, is it that we don't care that our countrymen(and women) are being slaughtered? That innocent children are dying because of our occupation? No, we care, we just don't see how it directly effects our life, therefore we will do nothing about it.
If it is not right in front of our face, blocking the view of the TV or computer, its not relevant.

We are disgusted by society; its excesses and hypocrisy, yet we are avid consumers. We must have the best, the most, the fastest of everything. Screw the environment, we are not having kids anyway. The birthrate in the US has fallen almost 17% since 1990 and more than 44% since 1957, the height of the baby boomer generation.
(my goodness I'm a geek, using statistics in a blog, oh well, I've gone this far, I might as well cite my source. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005067.html)

I think the most motivated I've seen our generation, as a whole was this time last year (2004) as the election neared. We feared Bush and what he stood for, we rallied behind Kerry, but, once again, we failed to be committed enough to follow through, Bush won. The War in Iraq continues. We sit and blog.

nothing to say.

you know you're a geek when...

its 11pm and you are making database forms for fun. :)

and the world, will be a better place...

naps are great. i love naps. work is stressful right now and busy. that's okay, looking forward to the weekend.

dog days

heat index is 108 currently. wowzer. It's only 92 degrees out, humidity is 67%. High tomorrow is supposed to be 102. Guess I won't be doing any yard work this weekend.
Granny said that during dog days the snakes go blind and will bite anything they can.

being an adult

being an adult. the responsible one. the one to give the lecutres instead of receiving them. weird.