I felt the earth move under my feet...

An earthquake with its epicenter near Richmond Virginia measuring 5.8 on the richter scale rumbled up the east coast this afternoon. Buildings in Manhattan were evacuated and the tunnels were closed for a bit. Wasn't quite sure what I was feeling until it was over. Wow!

Thankfully there is little damage and it appears that everyone in this area is ok. Here's to a quiet and uneventful evening.



Room with a View-Las Vegas Part I

Another adventure---three nights in Vegas for a leadership training event. Arrived at midnight at Caesar's Palace. The place was hopping and the slots were ching-chinging. Morning brought desert sunshine and a reason for me to walk about until the seminar began. Vegas is like no other place on the planet except for maybe Disney World and the wookie bar in Star Wars, entirely and sadly what is seen as quintessentially American by foreign visitors. Volcanos erupting, Roman Gods,the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the desert and just so many things out of kilter and wild. Yes, this is Las Vegas. Looking for Elvis and George Clooney, I went to my meeting and came out after dinner to this..

Elvis and George Clooney were nowhere to be found, just me walking in the masses of people moving from casino to casino----by the way, are we still in a recession? Given the amount of folks walking the streets, I think it is a good indication that we are albeit slowly moving forward...

Flash 55-Question

Inka dink dinka …Do you know how to make a blue screen go away? Can you stop the inka dinka song my hard drive has to play as it starts its’ day? How about the klonk when I roll into the bumper of what I thought was a moving car? Ding a ling inka dinkado.



Hopefully your week was better than mine...if you can tell it in 55 words, go see the g-man!

Washington Tea Party 2009

Warning---This post breaks a rule I set up long ago when a number of my friends were going into teaching and law school...."never discuss tenure or politics." There will be no photos or quotes that can make one think I may mean something else.The following is my response from an email from a friend that discussed his participation in the above noted event.

"Very cool. A great example for your daughters regarding our ability as Americans to speak freely and express our opinions.
However, I must first make certain you understand I voted for Obama and second, I believe healthcare rather than global warming or China’s surging economy, is something we must pay attention to now. The reality is that it won’t matter if we don’t have water to drink (southwest) or are drowning because of flooding (east coast)because the vast majority of us will not be able to pay for healthcare when we need it. Given our recent financial downfall and the amount of boomers getting ready to go into retirement—how is it that the current system can pay and not effect the younger population? The insurance industry has been one of the strongest lobbyists in our great DC—it is based on greed and not about treatment—Obama has not proposed a plan and that is largely due to the fact, call me crazy, but he has things like the financial system and the economy to figure out. That is not to say he should propose a plan and that is why so many people are up in arms.
We are an ageing economy. The real issue is if we don’t start thinking about what we can do and provide for the rest of the world we are &**^! What makes us as Americans believe that the rest of the world should provide the money necessary to feed our lifestyles? Healthcare certainly will not be part of the whole economic package –I am fairly certain that foreign countries, given the last eight years, will be very hesitant when it comes to funding our healthcare needs. So let’s just say I will join the march when it is about solidarity—not socialism---but rather about the best brains and the best ideas to move this very amazing country forward. Send ideas as opposed to the signs and the rhetoric—let’s get going before we live in a country that is not ours. Hugs -c "

Enough said. Hope and peace to you and yours wherever they are.

Keep on keeping on...

You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.- Unknown

I think, therefore, I am, a bit crazy. It is part of my charm. Dealing with an economy we haven’t witnessed in our lifetime, I find myself trying to make it all work. No easy task. A constant quest…”What’s the next trend, the next angle mixed with “who cares” I want to hike and live in the country.” How do I integrate all those personalities to get to where I want to be and still feel alive? Taking a breath, my body on the board watching the horizon, I ask, “Can I stand up and ride?”

I know I am not alone. We are all jugglers. Suddenly, it occurs to me I have been here before, the waves crashing at my feet, taunting me. What choice do I have? I paddle, watching the waves, listening to the diverse voices blending with the surf. I am not going to wait for the perfect wave. I taste the salt and keep moving. Progress.