August 2nd:
I make my call to the HP Technical Support Center as I don’t want to believe it will take a whole week to enter my laptop into the system. I’m connected with Lucien. Since this is my third call, I’m getting used to the routine and am ready for all of Lucien’s questions. Finally, we get to the support part I’ve been trying to get too in my last two calls. Lucien has me try a number of things, all of which I had the intelligence to do on my own at home. However, I’m gracious and realize that if I’m to get help, I need to repeat all the steps anyway. Then Lucien asks me if I have a screwdriver! I respond affirmatively and soon my mind is recalling a commercial on TV. In the ad, a doctor dressed in scrubs, is speaking on the phone. He’s giving instructions on where to make an incision. The scene switches to the other end of the phone. A man is standing in his kitchen holding a household knife, asking “shouldn’t you be doing this?” That is exactly how I feel, but none the less, I obey Lucien’s instructions. I remove the panel he indicates, and look inside the bowels of the laptop. Here I see circuit boards. Two are placed in a piggy back manner. I’m instructed to move the tiny clips from each side and when I do, the first board pops up. I pull this one out, repeat the procedure for the second board and reverse them. The laptop still has the pinstripe down the display.
Next I remove the panel for the hard drive. I lift the black ribbon as instructed and it tears a bit. I’m flustered now. Lucien is trying to be patient but I can’t figure out how to pop out the hard drive. I tell him how uncomfortable I am and that I am worried about destroying my warranty. He calms me and tells me it’s OK. I fasten all the screws back in place. I’m given some reference numbers and told the hardware people will call me later. I give several phone numbers so they have no excuse in not reaching me later. Someone does call by afternoon and arrangements are made for my computer to take a little trip in for repair. I’m told that I will be without my laptop for about nine business days. I can live with that as long as I get it fixed. I’ve had this thing a month and already it has become one of my most valued tools.
After work I head to Peddlar’s Daughter in Nashua for a Numega get-together. Kelly-Sue initiated this one. My Connie has good news! She got a job at the Talking Phone Book. I am so relieved for her. She is such a fine lady and worked for me so well. She deserves a break. A number of people have been successful in finding employment. Unfortunately, some of my dearest friends are still suffering under rejection. It is a hard time for everyone. I wasn’t sure I wanted to come this evening, but seeing everyone has given me a boost and it’s late before I head for home.
As I leave the pub, I am surprised at the oppressive heat this time of the evening. By now things usually begin to cool off. As I zip my jacket and put on the helmet, the sweat is starting to trickle down my face. At each traffic light, I find it hard even to breath. By the time I reach the by-pass in Milford, I can finally feel cool air. It must be at least 10 degrees cooler here than in the city and I’m thankful that I’m heading to the coolness of the woods. As I ride along Stony Brook that last stretch to home, the coolness generated by the water of the brook is refreshing. If I had a few more miles of this, I would continue on past home for the pure enjoyment of the evening.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Interludes
The morning is glorious! I decide to ride into work on the motorcycle. It’s always a big production when I take the bike, especially if I plan to go to the gym after work. I haul out all the stuff I need, lay in on the park bench near the drive, and then try to pack everything in the saddlebags or on the luggage rack. My arms are loaded with lunch, purse, gym bag, jacket, helmet and gloves and I bang out the front door. Two of my neighbors are out for their morning walk and they say hello. They come into the drive and ask if I can help them out. They’ve spotted a baby bird that has fallen from a nest. They ask if I have anything with which they might pick it up. I head back into the house and Andy finds a small box. Perfect!
One of the neighbors I have known for years. Her name is Anne. I don’t really know the other woman. We are introduced to each other. Anne tells me Lynn, lives in the house up on the hill once owned by Norm. Anne asks me how things are going. I ask if she’s heard about the lab closing. I mention this because she knows a number of people who were laid off. She used to work with them at another technology company. Both Ann and Lynn are interested in the story, but I’m going to be late for work. Lynn suggests a company to mention to people now looking for work. Anne tells me that her daughter, Grace, now works at e-Copy. I know a number of people who work there, including some past employees, but it is always nice to have another contact. I thank them, wish them luck with the bird, and then I’m on my way.
It is always bittersweet riding into work on such a beautiful day. The morning air is refreshing and the urge to keep going is strong. In the end, I always do the right thing, put my signal on, and turn into the parking lot. This morning, at a stop light, I pull up alongside a small yellow school bus. Since school is out for the summer, I wonder where this bus is headed. Summer camp possibly? I look up into the windows and a small boy is looking down at me with curiosity in his face. I smile at him and he smiles back broadly. He is the only child on the bus and is sitting directly behind the driver. It could be that the driver is Mom and the poor kid is relegated to riding a bus during his summer vacation. Here I was feeling bad for myself at having to turn into the parking lot on such a great riding day. Things could be worse. I could be sitting on a bus, going nowhere all day long.
I take my lunch out to the picnic table I had Bill move to the front of the building. Someone has moved it to the parking lot from the grass while I was away on vacation. I sit in the sun and eat my lunch while reading a book. After the first half hour, I move to the grass and sit in the shade of one of the pines. It’s pretty quiet around here. The traffic is light. There is a small breeze, which feels good after sitting in the sun. I put the book down, lean back on my hands and close my eyes. I just want to be still, feel the breeze on my face and listen to the quite sounds.
My hour is up all too soon and I head back in. The days are not as they used to be. I’ve resigned myself to that fact. Not too many people can say they once had a job they loved and people they loved working with. Is it possible that this can happen more than just once in a lifetime? I can only hope.
I head to the gym after work, and put some effort into the workout. I’ve become grumpy toward the end of the day and the workout is a way to exorcise my demons. I’m not very successful. At home Andy has prepared supper on the grill and has things set out on the deck. Since the house is hot, eating outside makes sense but the flies are annoying me. I’m not good at hiding the fact that my mood is sour and by the time supper has ended, we begin a verbal sparring. I quit first, because I realize I’m at fault and there is no excuse for it. Andy doesn’t hold it against me and after the dishes he presents me with a Mojito. I accept the peace offering. Things never look so bad after a Mojito.
One of the neighbors I have known for years. Her name is Anne. I don’t really know the other woman. We are introduced to each other. Anne tells me Lynn, lives in the house up on the hill once owned by Norm. Anne asks me how things are going. I ask if she’s heard about the lab closing. I mention this because she knows a number of people who were laid off. She used to work with them at another technology company. Both Ann and Lynn are interested in the story, but I’m going to be late for work. Lynn suggests a company to mention to people now looking for work. Anne tells me that her daughter, Grace, now works at e-Copy. I know a number of people who work there, including some past employees, but it is always nice to have another contact. I thank them, wish them luck with the bird, and then I’m on my way.
It is always bittersweet riding into work on such a beautiful day. The morning air is refreshing and the urge to keep going is strong. In the end, I always do the right thing, put my signal on, and turn into the parking lot. This morning, at a stop light, I pull up alongside a small yellow school bus. Since school is out for the summer, I wonder where this bus is headed. Summer camp possibly? I look up into the windows and a small boy is looking down at me with curiosity in his face. I smile at him and he smiles back broadly. He is the only child on the bus and is sitting directly behind the driver. It could be that the driver is Mom and the poor kid is relegated to riding a bus during his summer vacation. Here I was feeling bad for myself at having to turn into the parking lot on such a great riding day. Things could be worse. I could be sitting on a bus, going nowhere all day long.
I take my lunch out to the picnic table I had Bill move to the front of the building. Someone has moved it to the parking lot from the grass while I was away on vacation. I sit in the sun and eat my lunch while reading a book. After the first half hour, I move to the grass and sit in the shade of one of the pines. It’s pretty quiet around here. The traffic is light. There is a small breeze, which feels good after sitting in the sun. I put the book down, lean back on my hands and close my eyes. I just want to be still, feel the breeze on my face and listen to the quite sounds.
My hour is up all too soon and I head back in. The days are not as they used to be. I’ve resigned myself to that fact. Not too many people can say they once had a job they loved and people they loved working with. Is it possible that this can happen more than just once in a lifetime? I can only hope.
I head to the gym after work, and put some effort into the workout. I’ve become grumpy toward the end of the day and the workout is a way to exorcise my demons. I’m not very successful. At home Andy has prepared supper on the grill and has things set out on the deck. Since the house is hot, eating outside makes sense but the flies are annoying me. I’m not good at hiding the fact that my mood is sour and by the time supper has ended, we begin a verbal sparring. I quit first, because I realize I’m at fault and there is no excuse for it. Andy doesn’t hold it against me and after the dishes he presents me with a Mojito. I accept the peace offering. Things never look so bad after a Mojito.
Patience is a Virtue
I have often lamented that my patience could use improvement. Being patient means waiting out the tiresome habits of others. My husband tries my patience. It often seem deliberate to me. When I need assistance with something, I had better be ready to wait as help will not arrive until he has completed whatever task is currently occupying his time. As a young mother, I was often frustrated waiting for little ones to finish a chore. Children are so easily distracted by the world around them. If an ant crosses their path, you can be sure it will be followed; its body studied and the purpose of its mission discovered.
In my more pious days, I often prayed to the Lord for more patience. What the Lord bestowed upon me were more ways to practice at being patient. “Lord” I would lament, “just bless me with patience as I don’t have time for practice.” But practice it was to be. So that I would get plenty of it, the Good Lord saw fit to set me down with 130 people for whom I would need the ultimate practice in patience. They are all very fine people, but they never seem happy or satisfied. They are too cold. They are too hot. There is a hum in the ceiling above them. My in-box fills daily with complaint upon complaint. It is part of my work to iron out their complaints. It’s never ending. I cease to have compassion for their plight.
Recently I came upon this definition of patience:
Patience is quiet hope and trust that things will turn out right. You wait without complaining. You are tolerant and accepting of difficulties and mistakes. You picture the end in the beginning and persevere to meet your goals. Patience is a commitment to the future. [1]
I’m supposed to picture the end in the beginning? Persevere? A commitment to the future? What a revelation! If I had understood this definition of patience sooner I would not have wasted so much valuable time with being frustrated at my circumstance. In my personal life, my friends are finding me critical and annoyed at their every word. In my professional life, I’m intolerant of what appears to me to be half hearted efforts.
It seems I have been looking at this patience thing all wrong. Recently I decided to wait out a situation rather than demand a result immediately. I will wait to see how it unfolds. I didn’t know that was being patient! I thought I was being self-disciplined. I recognize that I do have a goal in mind. I want this person to come around to my way of thinking. I will try this perseverance thing. If the definition above is correct, I will be gratified when my goal is met.
The waiting without complaining will take effort. I complain to vent frustration. I will need a plan to overcome my habit of complaining. Possibly holding the goal before me will help me focus. Reason seems to indicate that your focus will drive your actions toward that end.
In motorcycle training courses you are told again and again to look where you want the motorcycle to go. If you do so the motorcycle will go there without fail. Once you focus on the object you are trying to avoid, you will surely hit it. This seems a good analogy to use for patience as well!
[1] http://www.virtuesproject.com/virtueslist.html#patience
In my more pious days, I often prayed to the Lord for more patience. What the Lord bestowed upon me were more ways to practice at being patient. “Lord” I would lament, “just bless me with patience as I don’t have time for practice.” But practice it was to be. So that I would get plenty of it, the Good Lord saw fit to set me down with 130 people for whom I would need the ultimate practice in patience. They are all very fine people, but they never seem happy or satisfied. They are too cold. They are too hot. There is a hum in the ceiling above them. My in-box fills daily with complaint upon complaint. It is part of my work to iron out their complaints. It’s never ending. I cease to have compassion for their plight.
Recently I came upon this definition of patience:
Patience is quiet hope and trust that things will turn out right. You wait without complaining. You are tolerant and accepting of difficulties and mistakes. You picture the end in the beginning and persevere to meet your goals. Patience is a commitment to the future. [1]
I’m supposed to picture the end in the beginning? Persevere? A commitment to the future? What a revelation! If I had understood this definition of patience sooner I would not have wasted so much valuable time with being frustrated at my circumstance. In my personal life, my friends are finding me critical and annoyed at their every word. In my professional life, I’m intolerant of what appears to me to be half hearted efforts.
It seems I have been looking at this patience thing all wrong. Recently I decided to wait out a situation rather than demand a result immediately. I will wait to see how it unfolds. I didn’t know that was being patient! I thought I was being self-disciplined. I recognize that I do have a goal in mind. I want this person to come around to my way of thinking. I will try this perseverance thing. If the definition above is correct, I will be gratified when my goal is met.
The waiting without complaining will take effort. I complain to vent frustration. I will need a plan to overcome my habit of complaining. Possibly holding the goal before me will help me focus. Reason seems to indicate that your focus will drive your actions toward that end.
In motorcycle training courses you are told again and again to look where you want the motorcycle to go. If you do so the motorcycle will go there without fail. Once you focus on the object you are trying to avoid, you will surely hit it. This seems a good analogy to use for patience as well!
[1] http://www.virtuesproject.com/virtueslist.html#patience
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