1:33 a.m. - 2003-06-14
Down the Road
On the bus today, one woman reading her manual for training novice parachuters and getting them to work as a team. She was on the chapter on what to do if something goes wrong in the air. Stay calm and keep the group focussed on finding a solution. Hmmmm...hurtling toward the ground at about the speed of a bullet and your parachute doesn't open or it tangles with the parachute of that cute guy you said you were dying to meet. Got your wish didn't you? Why panic?
Next a couple of women discussing the trip one had just taken to Africa. Six weeks, three countries and three safaris. Zanzibar seemed to be the highlight of the expedition with Kenya running a close second. I've known a number of people who have travelled there and it is inevitable that they fall in love with the continent - it must be truly unique.
Enjoying the sun and exercise at lunch with my original walking partner. Talk today turned to dealing with being part of the sandwich generation. Those of us still responsible for children but also needing to be aware of taking care of our parents needs as they age too. Coping with the death of one or both. Chatting about the males in our homes and their ideas of housecleaning. Not a pretty sight.
Work today? Started out with doughnuts being brought in by one of the team. Neither the student I share the phone with or I were invited to join in with the group. They spent close to an hour talking loudly about everything but work. The student finally went to see what was going on and returned with food in hand. Why don't you go get one? No that's fine, I don't want to see any more waistline than I've got already.
The discman I've been using can be used as a regular radio too, so I've been auditing a couple of new stations here. The hip-hop and R & B station - 96.5 FM - is ok, but it doesn't have much variety in its collection. Hip hop and rap for sure, maybe a little rhythm but nothing I would consider the Blues and I do know the blues, even if I don't come from Memphis. Some really good pieces, but some pretty unique ones too. "I'll make your body smoke like a real good cigar" - how romantic is that? The lyrics are quite sexually explicit - very little is left to the imagination. The other station - PEAK 107.3 - is rock and techno, I really liked it. The DJ's were funny too, playing a lot of practical jokes on their listeners but never being unkind or crude. One artist played on both stations was Shawn Desmond - great voice. I also heard one song from Evanescence that I think I'll want to track down.
Most of the work day was spent helping C do a project that was identical to one I was told I had about a day to complete. She's been working on her assignment for over a week. She finally asked B if she could have my undivided attention to complete it. She just doesn't have enough technical background to determine what she's looking at. Counting the time I've stopped and helped her over the past week in with today means I've probably put in two full days on it too. I don't mind except that I have the feeling I'm going to be blamed for not training her well enough after I leave. It's taken me nearly a decade to learn as much as I do - I can't convey all of that in a few days time to someone who is struggling just to learn the language the scientists use. Frustrating.
Talked a bit with one of the male students. His major at university is archaeology. Specialization - Meso-American cultures. We chatted a bit about different sites in the province and about some of the training he has received in the actual techniques used to recover artifacts. One of my friends' daughter has her Masters in that discipline and I learned a lot just listening to her mom talk about some of her adventures in Central America. It was interesting to hear this young guy's perspective on things. I suggested he read James Michener's book "The Source" for a really good fictional read about an archaeological dig. It's well researched and reflects the attitudes and technical knowledge of the last century. Number one son borrowed it a while back so I'll have to see where he is in it before I offer it to this young man.
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