Pay it Forward

Snow storms are getting rare in Missouri. To the point where even the threat of 2 inches will shut down schools and cause runs on bread and milk. So when 'Winter Storm Q,' by the way, naming winter storms is dumb . . . unless you name them all Victor Fries or Robert Drake, I'd be OK with that, anyway, when Q came along and dropped 11 inches on Columbia, this town went post-apocalyptic. I kept waiting to see Denzel Washington stroll by to shoot some cats . . . Book of Eli? Anyone? I liked it . . .

11 inches followed by ice is one thing, but the fact that it came down so incredibly fast is what threw everyone for a loop. This was compete madness. My attempt to pick my daughter up from daycare was foiled by my arch-nemesis, Gravity. Snow covered hills, great for sledding, not so great for front wheel drive.

My decision was this: turn around, get home, and assess the situation further. After a slow and treacherous drive in whiteout conditions I finally made it to the entrance to my neighborhood. Foiled again! Curse you gravity! To get to my street you have to go down a hill and back up.

You remember  the Wii Fit Ski Jump Game? Imagine that, only instead of jumping at the end and it being awesome, instead you just get stuck with spinning tires and that burning rubber smell. Not nearly as fun. Add to the awesomeness the complete jerk that, when he got his giant white van stuck, in the middle of the road, at the bottom of the hill, decided to just leave it and walk home. Thanks dude.

So, since everyone was at a stand-still and no one was going anywhere for a while, I pulled my car to the curb (out of the way, see? Are you paying attention white vanny jerk-guy?) and started hoofing it home. 2, maybe 3 blocks, not a bad walk even with snow and sleet. My wife joined me on foot as she was 3 cars down.

So there we were. At home, out of the mess. No cars, no little girl. Not cool.

The babysitter said everything was fine on her end and, worst case scenario, Emma could spend the night there. Reassured, it was time to suit up. I put on my sweatpants, the jeans my wife won't let me wear in public, Bass Pro hoodie, and the boots I use when I'm Santa. Let's do this. On a mission, we set out with our trusty snow shovels, ice scrappers, and a bag of ice melt with the sole intention of getting at least 1 of our cars to the house. On the way we meet up with our neighbors who are headed down the hill to help.

I love the fact that so many people were out to help. Random people, no last names, just Toms, Robs, and Adams appearing out of nowhere to lend a hand. We cleared at least 15 cars, digging them out, getting them unstuck, helping them get out of the middle of the road, getting them around the white van (jerk) and pushing them up the hill. One of those cars we got up the hill was my wife's. After doing this for 3 hours, we all needed a break.

After a nap, some hot chocolate, and a couple of coughing fits to get all the exhaust fumes out of my lungs, it was time to get back at it. It was almost 6 at this point, and luckily, someone who will not be named called that van in and had it towed . . . that helped out immensely. A few more cleared cars and I was able to get my car back home.

With both cars back we discussed how we should get Emma back home. Now, I have 2 feelings about this. 1. I want my daughter home safe and sound. 2. I don't want to get stranded on the road somewhere with her in the back seat. Our babysitter assured us it was no problem to have her spend the night. She also mentioned her street was a mess with abandoned cars littered everywhere. So we decided that leaving her there was best.

I don't feel bad about leaving her there. She was safe, she spends over 8 hours there every day during the week, and getting stuck with her would be awful. That being said, I also feel horrible about it. You would think a night without kids would be a lively affair, but no, we did nothing that night. Nothing but send text messages back and forth to the babysitter to see how she was doing. then a somber march to bed at 9 o'clock.

Emma did just fine. When Friday morning came I went off to work while my wife prepared to go get her. I got a text that she had picked Emma up. When we asked how much we owed the babysitter for watching her overnight she said not to worry about it, pay it forward. Her neighbors cleared off her driveway because they know she has 4 kids of her own and her husband was away on business. Sometimes, people are just awesome.

Sure enough, a half hour after the text, I got the call. She was stuck in the middle of our babysitter's road. Luckily, she was able to get into the driveway and our good friends Leigh and Michael that live right down the road from the babysitter's were able to get there in his 4-wheel-drive and give them a lift home. So now, everyone is home, and we only down one car.

Pay it Forward. I'd like to say we paid it forward plenty by helping out all those cars down and back up the hill. But I don't think Pay it Forward has a 1-to-1 cost. It's more of a way of doing things. Something I need to incorporate more.

And, of course, I should get a book on it too.

After a simple catalog search, I'd like you to meet selection #19: 1,000 Mitzvahs by Linda Cohen. Mitzvah is a Hebrew word meaning an act of human kindness.

Stay safe out there folks, and remember to avoid the white vans that life puts in your way.

wooden boxes, magic clouds, and minor apocalypses

2012 was not the end of the world, *and there was much rejoicing*, but for me, 2013 sure does feel like the apocalypse (albeit a minor one).

Work is absolutely crazy . . . we'll leave it at that.

Throw on top of that a little flu/plague infestation, a garage door revolt, and a leaky basement. needless to say it's been a little stressful.

In times like this, the best solution to stress is a nice distraction by a good book. And while my instincts are pulling me towards Tolkien or Orson Scott Card, I'm looking at you The Lost Gate, this time I've decided to take a different route. I've checked out Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I've never read Atlas Shrugged, I tried to listen to the audiobook last Fall as my wife and I made the trek to Western Nebraska, sadly, she nixed that plan after about 20 miles.

A little Fiction vacation is just what I need. But I'm not totally abstaining from Non-Fiction.

I've made 2 selections for the Non-Fiction quest:
First, Children's Furniture Projects by Jeff Miller. I do not have the skill or patience to make my daughter a toy chest, but I can at least make photocopies of the plans for one, it's the thought that counts right?

Also, Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution, by Charles Babcock. I teach two classes at the library, one about using Android devices and the other about current mobile technologies. In both of these classes I mention cloud storage and I don't think I'm explaining it in a way that they are able to understand it, hopefully this will help with that.

The gift that keeps on giving

The holidays are over, The Sickness has run amok through my household and everyone is finally on the up and up, and college bowl season is officially done after that truly awful national championship game. That means it's back to the grindstone! And I'm pretty excited about my next selection: Guide to Missouri Vegetable Gardening by James A. Fizzell. 

I orginally got this book for my wife, but after reading it I am so pumped for starting a garden I can hardly wait till Spring. I have a tiller on the way and I am going to go nuts!

And I feel fine. . .

Twas the week before Christmas and no one was gloom, even though soon we would all meet our doom.

10 years ago, I was working at a Wal-Mart in Moscow, Idaho. Oddly enough, working the overnight shift in the receiving department was not as glamorous as it sounds. But it did provide me with the opportunity to witness a very witty discussion about 2012, the Mayan calendar, and the end of the world.

One gentleman commented he would take a bunch of sleeping pills when he went to bed December 20th, so he could sleep through the end of the world. Another said he would spend his remaining years collecting guns and ammo. I simply smiled and went about my work.

Seasonable for most of the week, then a slight chance of DOOM!

I don't put much stock in the Mayan's calendar, but I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic scenarios, especially if they involve removing the heads the risen dead or helping a gasoline rich community fend off mohawk wielding bandits.

So, imagine my delight when fate led my next random book selection to the shelf populated with self-defense. Meet Selection #16: Self-Defense: Steps for Survival by Katy Mattingly.

No, I will not be taking photos of me trying out the moves they illustrate.

I've only thumbed through it, but I have not found the bandit or zombie sections yet, I'm sure it's in there.

Failure is not an option . . . wait, nevermind, yes it is

I have failed. I have read zero non-fiction in almost a month. Forget, non-fiction, aside from some Elder Strolls blog posts I've hardly read anything at all.

But it's all good. When you are attempting a project as large as this, failure should not be feared. In fact, failure should be expected and welcomed. Bad things happen if you worry about failing and you actually fail. There is that instinct to just throw your hands up and give up. But if you anticipate failing, I think you are much better to deal with it when it actually happens.

Because I knew this would happen, I am much more willing to dust myself and get back to it. . . not now of course, that would just be silly. I'm in survival mode at this point. Hunker down, survive Christmas, re-assess the situation when the New Year's confetti clears.

Minecraft

With Santa season looming I have this mixed bag of excitement and dread. This has led to comfort gaming. Comfort gaming is that magical time where you play a game with no goals, no princesses to save, no aliens to defeat, no checkpoints, and no storylines to follow.

My comfort game is Minecraft. I will spend hours on end, ignoring the entire world while I collect cobblestone, turn sand into glass, and build structures that have no concept of gravity or physics. The simple and slightly OCD nature of Minecraft is very relaxing, but also extremely time consuming and distracting. My non-fiction reading has dropped to nil this past week. I'd like to blame at least a little bit of that on family that is visiting from out of town, but no, it's all Minecraft.

I's 5:00 somewhere in Minecraft.

Next week will be a monster. A new library branch opens, and that means a busy week for the IT department. And just as we recover from that, then Thanksgiving happens, my hours increase, and there is a good chance I'll be shut down for the rest of the year.

My gut says this is time to take a break, but maybe this is a great time to use reading as my comfort. That makes a lot more sense that building a 47-story-high castle with indoor lavaflows and patrolling Snow Golems. Maybe I need to set an aggressive goal to keep me honest? How about 5 straight days of reading 20 pages? Then next weekend I can build to my heart's content and maybe recreate Middle Earth in cube form like I've always wanted to do.

Nightmares, Bohemians, and jolly old elves

I may not enjoy Halloween, but I do have a tradition for Halloween. Every year I sit down and watch Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Why? One: I love this movie. and Two: once Halloween is out of the way it means that Santa season is fast approaching.

I do feel sorry for Thanksgiving, its sad that a season gets bushwhacked like that. But this year Santa arrives on November 10th and no matter how much complaining I hear about Christmas arriving so early . . . I love it!

Being Santa brings a joy that I have not experienced in any other job, ever. Will I have to deal with screaming toddlers, shrieking babies, smelly diapers, annoying and pushy parents, and beard pulling brats all while sweating in a felt suit with a fake white beard strapped to my chin? Yes. And I'll do it with a smile on my face because of that one kid that tells me what the want for Christmas and then squeals with delight when I tell them, 'I'll see what I can do if you're good.'

It's the little things that make it worth wile.

On a sad note, I've turned in my video game book, Extra Lives: Why video games matter by Tom Bissell. I enjoyed it immensely and I wish i could go back and re-play most of the games that were mentioned.

Onward and upward, not rain, nor snow, nor part-time jobs of dressing up as a jolly old elf will keep me from my non-fiction quest. Meet Selection #15: Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939 by Virginia Nicholson.

Has the devil put aside for me, for me, for meeeeeeeee....

Here is what I know about Bohemians: Queen made a rhapsody for them, and Ewan McGregor played one in Moulin Rouge. . . that's about it. Hopefully I'll learn some more about them soon.