October 7, 2009

On Caring for Animals: Follow-Up Edition

It came to my attention today that I left you hanging back in August with the On Caring for Animals post.  How exceedingly rude of me! Not only that, it was a heavy, HEAVY post full of tragedy and self-examination on a level that rivaled the Books of Job and Lamentations.

So what has happened since August 23rd?  Lots…

Eddie and I moved forward with working for the Humane Society of Lincoln County volunteering to clean cages and assist with adoptions at our nearby PetSmart.  While Eddie has thrived and found a great purpose with this volunteer work… as predicted my emotions got the better of me.  I helped him a couple of times and while I did fine when I was there when I would leave I would become very emotional.  Also, the area in which we work is so small that we really got in each other’s way more than helping each other complete the cleaning tasks.   I guess my emotional state is what made me step back the most though.  While I understand no-kill shelters like HSLC  do a WONDERFUL work I still felt exceedingly sorry and responsible for each cat I cared for.  The thought that some may live in the shelter or foster care for the rest of their lives simply because they’re too old, not physically attractive enough to catch anyone’s eye, or  are handicapped in some way breaks my heart in two.  Again, this does not reflect upon the great care they get in the shelter it reflects upon my seeming lack of ability to detach to a healthy extent from the animals.  My generous stores of untapped maternal love just comes flowing out along with all the emotions that come along with it.   I just want with all my heart and soul for each animal to find a loving home, and my emotions soar to unhealthy levels knowing that many will not ever get the loving home they deserve.

The second thing I feared came true…Eddie fell in love with a kitten, and when I say fell in love it was head over heels….heart and soul, because he found an Abber clone in terms of personality. Labor Day weekend he informed me that he wanted to bring her home…at first to foster, and then…if all goes well to adopt.

Let’s just say I was having none of it, because I had vowed that we were not bringing another cat home.  Uh…uh…no way.  I had made up mind.

I stood my ground for nearly a month  However, my made-up mind…evidently…is no match for Eddie’s relentless powers of emotional manipulation.

So…a week ago Ruby arrived at our home:

Ruby's First Night Home

Eddie’s Blog Post tells how it all transpired.

She is sweet and EXTREMELY affectionate as much or more so than our late Abber.  Actually,  right now she’s making it dang near impossible to write this blog post, because she’s sitting in my lap desperately vying for my attention and walking on my keyboard.

So, we are yet again a crazy 5-cat family.  We have more kitty love, cat hair, and kitty litter bills than we can stand.  Yet, I’m strangely okay with it.  They are wonderful substitutes for the children we’ve never been able to have, and they don’t talk back (well, maybe some), they don’t go out and not come in until all hours of the night, and they won’t require college funds which in this day and age requires a second mortgage.  They give us lots of love for 15 to even 20 years before they say their eternal goodbyes (the hardest part).  We also feel good knowing that we have given each of them the gift of a comfortable life.  A couple of our kitties were just minutes from certain death if we had not come along.

I am adamant, though that five is the limit…I’ve made up mind.

Oh geez…who am I kidding?

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September 14, 2009

Book Review: The Shack

I’m a little behind the times on this one which is my norm for books.  If a best-selling book is not readily available at my local library branch or if a friend doesn’t have a copy I can borrow it usually takes me a while to get a hold of a blockbuster.  Since bookshelf space is currently at a premium at our house, and books can be a big drain on a budget I’m very selective of the books that I buy.

The book The Shack by William P. Young came out in 2008 and caused quite a stir in theological circles. The book was highly recommended to me by a former boss.  He even loaned the book to me at the time, but because I had a lengthy to-read stockpile of books borrowed from several other friends I returned the book to him as he had other friends eagerly waiting to read the book.

Well, a few weeks ago I was at Cousin Brack and Donna’s house.  Donna and I frequently do book exchanges because we have similar tastes in books.  She broke out the The Shack and asked me if I had read it.  I said, “No’, but since I had read many takes on the book I wanted to read it myself.

Now, critics have attacked the theological soundness of the book, and if you were reading it from a purely theological standpoint the book would probably hit you the wrong way.  A theologian I am not, so I read the book with the mindset that it was fiction and some of it was probably going to be purely allegorical.  Read in that light it did not disturb me that God was portrayed as a sassy black woman, Jesus a common middle Eastern-looking carpenter, and the Holy Spirit a Asian woman with fairy-like attributes.  I have read my share of Christian allegory via John Bunyan and C. S. Lewis, and I found The Shack to be similar to what I’ve read by these authors.

Actually, I think God perfectly timed this read for me.  I have not a lost a child by a senseless, violent act, but I have asked God the same questions the main character, Mack, asked God in relation to my inability to have children.  I have also had a difficult time coming to grips with why God allows suffering in this world.  On a logical level I know we live in a fallen world and because of that suffering occurs as a by-product of the fall; however, my heart has had a difficult time accepting why a loving God would allow suffering…especially the suffering of the most innocent among us.  This book spoke to me deeply on that level and on several other levels.  There were times I thought the author was going to say that there are many paths to God, but when the question is directly posed the author simply says through the God character that people have come to Him from many different religions by stating that they were Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus etc. not that they came through those religions.  There is also lots of reference to reconciliation by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and whether or not God reconciled the whole world to Himself at that moment, or if that reconciliation was reserved for people who accepted the gift of reconciliation.  It goes a little off the tracks for me at that point because Young does say through the God character that God reconciled the whole world through Christ’s sacrifice, but the path of reconciliation is a two-way highway.  The discussion stops there, and the discussion never occurs as to what happens to the person who doesn’t accept that reconciliation.  With the risk of imposing a little bit of a spoiler here the main character meets his dead father in his vision of Heaven.  Earlier in the book Mack describes his father in detail as a very abusive, alcoholic father that he had to escape from as a young teenager.  His father dies shortly after this and you assume he has died unrepentant…the author does not elaborate on those details.  The God character often alludes to the fact that He is “very fond” of everyone, and when directly questioned about whether unrepentant murderers will be in Heaven you get the impression from the author that they will.

Now, from what I’ve read about the author he is openly a Christian Universalist.  In a nutshell, Christian Universalists believe that when Christ died on the cross  He completely reconciled everyone to God even folks who never accept and/or outright reject this reconciliation. Everyone makes it to Heaven simply because of what Christ accomplished on the cross.  This is opposed to Unitarian Universalists who believe, basically, that if you dream up a way to God it is acceptable.  All paths lead to God, and we all make it to Heaven in the end.

This assertion of a Christian Universalist worldview directly by the author and vaguely in illustrations in the book is part of the reason evangelicals got so fired up in opposition to this book…that and the fact that the author does not directly address sin and hell.  I’d say their objection would be more justified if the author was writing a non-fiction book on theology.  Some believe that the book is heretical based simply on the fact that the author proclaims to be a Christian Universalist.  Personally, I found it far from heretical…a little “out there” at times, but in my humble opinion definitely not heretical.

Now, with the objective review out of the way I’ll give you my subjective review:

I loved it.

It’s definitely in the top three books I have read all year.  The story is very compelling, and honestly, who among us has not desired a vivid vision of God where He answers our most difficult questions?  Even though it was a small book (just under 200 pages) it took me a good week to read, because I kept re-reading what I had just read in order to wrap my brain around it.

The best attribute of the book is its emphasis that knowing God does not come from understanding His actions, but through a relationship with Him.  The importance of relationships both with God and with our loved ones, I believe, the is mission statement of the book.  The book did not change my beliefs in any way, but it changed the way I look at my life and my relationships especially with God.

I would highly recommend that everyone read The Shack and draw their own conclusions.  It’s definitely not an easy read, but it will challenge you both intellectually and spiritually…something I always find refreshing in book.

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August 23, 2009

On Caring for Animals…

We witnessed something heart rending on Wednesday, and while my fragile emotions can’t handle telling you the gory details I will simply say we watched a kitten die after being hit by a car.  Just saying that much is enough to get the tears flowing again.  It was horrible beyond explanation.  Fortunately, my husband had the fortitude to deal with it all including the painful duty of giving that little one a respectable burial.

I felt so utterly sad and horrible that evening (complete with chest pains) and immensely angry.  Angry that so many people consider companion animals as disposable items not much more than a cup or a paper bag…when you’re done with them chuck them out the door, because they’re animals right…they can fend for themselves.

Meeting someone with that attitude makes me want to deck them right on the spot.  I really feel deep down in my heart that you cannot trust someone who doesn’t have any feelings towards animals.  I’m not talking about hunters (most of whom respect animals)  I’m talking about people who could care less if their animals are left three days without food or water, or worse yet. the ones who get some sort of thrill out of abusing and killing animals just for the fun of it.  To me…it speaks of unchecked evil in the heart, and I could never befriend or trust them.

I’m not so far off the deep end about animals that I don’t eat meat, but I’m telling you, if I had to do the killing I would be a vegetarian.  I deal with a lot of mixed feelings on the subject.  Sometimes I do feel like a hypocrite.  I know God put certain animals on the earth for human consumption…because our bodies need protein which is very hard to find outside of meat products.  I also know that God put certain creatures on this earth to be companions to humans as evidenced by the fact they are inherantly dependent on humans for a healthy life.  Dogs and cats are a prime example.

I love my cats so much that they are like children to me, and since I never had children it only makes sense I feel this way, but even if I had had children I know my feelings would be  the same.  I have been this way since I was a child.  In a way I wish I were tougher, because I don’t know how to shake off things like what happened the other night.  It haunts me acutely for weeks, and even then I never ever forget it.  My dad accidentally hit my cat with a car back when I was ten years old, and I still can relive that awful memory in my mind like it was yesterday including the fact that I made my dad feel like a complete heel when he already felt bad enough already.  He loved that cat too.

I wish I could quit thinking about that kitten buried in my backyard, but I still see it terrified, flailing and dying on the side of the road .  I find myself wishing to God we could have been 30 seconds earlier, and maybe we could’ve rescued it before it was hit.  However, that was not God’s plan for that little one for whatever reason.

My husband has been convicted to start volunteering with the group that runs the adoption center at our local PetSmart.  Wednesday made that conviction even stronger for him.  So, for the past two days we’ve gone to PetSmart and talked with the volunteers to get idea about what volunteering entails.  The enormity of the homeless pet population in the Charlotte area (especially cats) is overwhelming.  Most of the volunteers foster cats though that’s not a requirement to be a volunteer…to come in and clean cages and play with the animals.

For me just feeding and interacting is a big emotional investment for me.  I have huge reserves of untapped maternal instinct that come gushing out when I see homeless animals, and there are days I cannot even go into a PetSmart adoption center without it becoming an emotional meltdown.   So, to me, volunteering is a huge step.  My husband, on the other hand, lives to go and see the kitties.  It doesn’t make him as sad as it does me, but he always wants to bring one or more home (another potential pitfall of volunteering).

That’s the problem…we have four that we dearly love, but with our busy lifestyle it’s about all we can handle.  For about a year we had five, and to me it was too much.  The lady we talked to last night has 21–some her personal animals and some foster.  I just cannot imagine that many in one house even though I’ve met people who manage that many well.

So, I’m not sure how well I’m going to do with volunteering.  After being there for an hour last night and an hour today I feel very emotionally spent and overwhelmed.  I wish I were a person who could just bask in the fact that I am doing good for the animals I care for there instead of focusing on the fact that the older ones will probably never find forever homes, and even some of the kittens will grow up and live forever in a foster home/shelter situation.

So, now I have to decide I can do it and still remain emotionally intact.  Wish me luck…

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August 17, 2009

Julie and Julia

Watch out…here comes one of my movie reviews!

My husband and some of his friends decided last night that they’d go  see the movie District 9.  Since they were meeting at a theater near Ballantyne it made no sense for us to go to church in South Charlotte…have hubby drive me back home to Northwest Charlotte…and then he drive back to South Charlotte for the movie.  Since I’m not into sci-fi movies so much I decided that I’d go see Julie and Julia.  First, we ate a wonderful lunch at City Tavern, did some browsing at Stonecrest Shopping Center, and then I made my way over to the Regal Cinemas since Julie and Julia started approximately 35 minutes before hubby’s movie.

I was not enthusiastic about this at first, because I don’t like to do movies alone.  I love sharing the movie experience with someone.  I think the last time I saw a movie alone was sometime back the 1990s when I went to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame to kill time while waiting for Eddie as he attended Promise Keepers at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (no women allowed).  I think of movies as social affairs…the more the merrier.

Well, I didn’t have to worry about being alone, because the theater was smack full!  The attendees were mostly women and elderly folks, but I’ve never watched a movie with a more pleasant group of people.  It was much better than a theater full of crying kids, or rowdy teenagers which is what Eddie and I usually experience.  I wasn’t sure how good the movie was going to be, because I’ve read some mixed reviews about it.  One reviewer called it a “total bore” while others said it was “delightfully funny” etc. etc.  I’ve learned to take reviewers’ opinions with a grain of salt, because they are basically paid snobs.  I never liked snobs in school, and I certainly don’t like them now.  They take up valuable space in the world in my opinion.

Anyway, Julie and Julia is based on two true stories…the story of Julia Child and the story of Julie Powell.  Both are passionate about cooking, and both want to write in some capacity. Julia Child first aspires to master French Cooking, and then to write a cookbook on French cuisine (in English…evidently…according to the movie before Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking there were no French cuisine cookbooks written in English).  Julie Powell dislikes her job as a clerk for a government agency, and would like become a writer.  Julie discovers the world of blogging and decides to blog her way through through Julia Child’s cookbook in a year…cooking the recipes and blogging about the experience.  Both have supportive husbands who support them in doing what they love.  Both have been secretarial workers, and both struggle to reach their culinary and literary goals.  One of the many things I liked about the movie was how it stayed true to the facts of  of Julia’s and Julie’s lives.  While there is humor and drama…it was real.  Some of the things you think might happen don’t, but it’s still a very inspiring movie, and makes you want to find and pursue your true passion.  For more on the plot go here.

The acting…OH MY…THE ACTING!

Meryl Streep is one of the best actresses I’ve ever seen.  She is so versatile and totally pours herself into any role.  She can make you fall in love the character if you’re supposed to love them…like in this movie, or she can make you tremble with fear in the presence of the character…e.g. Devil Wears Prada.  She becomes the character, and her portrayal of Julia Child is no different.  You really forget it’s Meryl Streep on the screen.  I think this might possibly be her best role yet, and it’s my opinion that she at least deserves an Oscar nomination for her role if not an out-right Oscar for Best Actress.

Amy Adams is my new favorite young actress.  She plays a great old-fashioned, all-American girl, and reminds me of actresses from the 1940-50′s era.  She does a great job of portraying the 30-year-old office worker who wants more for her life than just answering calls and filling out insurance forms all day.  I found myself having so much in common with her character .

The supporting actors do a wonderful job too.  It’s a very well rounded cast.

While I think I could’ve watched a movie on the biography of Julia Child alone the story of Julie Powell made it relatable to today’s young woman.

To sum it up…I was feeling kind of depressed today over various things, but after I saw Julie and Julia I feel inspired to pursue my passion(s) again.  I think that’s a testament that a feel-good movie has done it’s job.

Here’s the trailer:

Oh, and how did my hubby like District 9?   Well….the adjectives are too colorful to print in my blog.  Let’s just say he gave it 1 out of 5 stars.  I really think he would’ve loved Julie and Julia a whole lot better, because even though he’s a man’s man he really likes a good chick flick….wink, wink.

Bon Apetite!

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August 13, 2009

My Love/Hate Relationship with Transcription

Sometimes I hate transcription…yes, I said it…sometimes I HATE transcription.  There are days I would rather clean chemical toilets for a living than have to sit down and transcribe an interview with a person who has a very poor grasp of the English language at best.

Well, maybe I’m taking it too far (because I never want to clean a chemical toilet), but having to transcribe a difficult dictator (in medical transcription) or a poorly conducted interview…or a less than articulate interviewee (in media transcription)…is pretty much the equivalent of cleaning a chemical toilet.

Okay, enough of the toilet talk…

There are also the days when I slept poorly the night before or I just don’t feel good that it seems like I’m back at day one of transcribing.  Then there are days that I feel like I was born to transcribe.  The dictators/interviewees are great, and my hands seem to fly across the keys as if I’m infused with some super-human typing talent.

Now, back to the bad days…how do I know when it’s not going to be a good transcription day?  Here are just a few examples:

  • I put extra spaces between words.  It feels like my thumb is made of lead. When I hit the space key for some inexplicable reason I keep it on the space key a few milliseconds too long, and I end up with two or three spaces between words.  I’m at a loss to explain this phenomenon.  It happened to me again just a few days ago.  I got so disturbed that I started Googling neurological disorders, because there was nothing I could do to stop the extra spaces…even with fierce concentration.  I was tired that day, but I was beginning to think I was getting ready to have a stroke or something.
  • I’m asked to transcribe an inner city kid’s interview or a kid from some rural area in the South. Don’t get me wrong.  I love spoken word poets, and country kids who come from remote areas like I did, but OH MY WORD…trying to decide how the words (and what words) are going come rolling out of their mouths is next to impossible!  Once you become a seasoned transcriptionist you start to anticipate speech patterns…especially in well-spoken people.  But when you are put in the situation where you either can’t understand a subject well and/or the person uses a lot of regional slang in their speech it sets up a very frustrating transcription session, because you can never achieve “flow” in transcription.
  • Trying to transcribe in a very cold work environment. I currently work in an area where there is lots of expensive high-tech video equipment.  Because this equipment needs to be kept as cool as possible they keep our department as cool as possible.  Temperatures can range from the mid to lower sixties.  I’ve pretty well acclimated to the mid sixties, but when it gets to the lower sixties my fingers become nothing more than numb, useless appendages extending from my hands…not conducive to transcription.  I’m thinking about investing in those hand warmers that hunters use…the ones that you take out of the pack and smack to activate.  Yes, that’s a good idea.
  • Trying to t ranscribe in a noisy environment. I have transcribed in all sorts of environments…medical records departments with and without windows, in the comfort of my own home, in a private office, in a “steno pool” where five transcriptionists were crammed in a room not much larger than your average-sized master bedroom and in a corporate “cube world.”   I have recently moved out of a semi-private office back into a “cube world”.  Working in a busy television production environment our “cube world” sometimes resembles more of a newsroom…depending on the challenges and deadlines of the day.  So, that is not always conducive to easy transcription.  I have done what I can to cope.  I recently invested in a pair of noise-reducing ear phones, and that has helped a bit when I’m trying to meet a deadline while people are shouting at each other over their cubes.  I’ve also learned to tune people out…a trait that causes my husband great irritation at times.
  • Trying to transcribe in a distracting environment. This kind of goes along with the noisy environment, but because there is usually a more human element to it I thought it deserved a separate elaboration.  In my nineteen years of transcription I have always had to work with folks who truly don’t understand what it takes to do what I do.  In my current job I have a  “slash” (/) job meaning there’s more to my title than just “transcriptionist”.  I’m also an administrative assistant.  For me these two different parts of my job require two different mindsets.  For the administrative assistant side I have to switch to a multi-task mindset.  I will often have two or three things cooking, but because I have to wait for input, signatures, and approvals I start one thing…get that going…and go to the next item on my list…you get the point.   For the transcription side of  my job I have to switch my mindset to a focused, tune-everything-else-out, mindset to be sure I turn out a quality product that does not include snippets of what my next-door-cube neighbor said to me while I was transcribing.  (I actually caught myself the other day transcribing what someone had just said to me…yikes!  Glad I caught that one!).  So, at times  it’s very difficult to try and balance the two sides of my job.  Because I’m an “admin” people are always coming to my desk asking this and that.  It’s a cross I must bear.  I love the admin. side of my job, and really, I excel at it.  It’s opened up talents I never new I had, but it is different from how I’ve had to operate in the past when “transcription by the pound” was how I got paid.  How I handle the distraction is by letting folks know I have a deadline. That usually works, because we all work on deadlines, and telling them I will handle their request during the “admin” part of my day usually does the trick if it’s not urgent.  I try to divide my days between admin and transcription (when possible), and that seems to help; however, I always deal with the human element who doesn’t understand why I can’t check their expense report and transcribe at the same time.  I cope with this by gently educating them about what I do even when deep down inside I wish I could just shoo them away from my desk with a broom.

There are other things that can cause you to hate transcription, but that’s my short (albeit long) list of what can make transcription miserable if you don’t learn coping techniques to offset them.  My biggest coping technique is telling myself that I’m just having a bad day, and tomorrow will be better…and usually it is.  The only times I’ve ditched a transcription job out of hate was when everyday was horribly the same…unrealistic expectations, very poor dictators, very poor transcription environment, and difficult people.  If every day is a living hell then it’s time to decide whether or not  the job or the workplace is for you.  If you like your transcription job 90% of the time then it’s what you should be doing.  If not, it’s time to move on to greener transcriptionist pastures or on to another career.

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August 11, 2009

New Sprouse House Weather Blog

My hubby, Eddie, has really taken a shine to weather blogging which is kind of interesting, because I’m the weather buff in our family…a trait that was passed down from my father.  When I talk to my dad on the phone (or even in person) we almost always start out our conversations by talking about the recent weather.  We’re always comparing precipitation, the temperatures, the intensity of storms etc.

I really thought all this weather talk probably bored the socks off my husband, because I’ve never known him to be a weather geek.  In turn all that weather talk must have been contagious, because now he’s blogging about it.  After he bought me the gift of a home weather station he did all the setting up (although I did help him put up the huge PVC pipe pole for the wind meter in our backyard).  He even took the additional step of setting up a website where folks could access our weather stats including current conditions, daily stats, weather radars, and even access to our weather cam!

If you know my husband you know that not only does he not do things halfway he tends to go well beyond what is necessary….sometimes much to my consternation, but mostly to my delight.

Well, last week he decided that the old site was just too boring and needed some pizazz.  He’s added a few cool new features; so pop on over to our new weather site and see what’s new and improved.  Let us know what you think!  We’re always looking for feedback.  We’d also like to know what’s shakin’ in your neck of the woods weather-wise.

As I think of weather-related things I will be contributing to the blog portion of the site.

Happy weather watching!

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July 30, 2009

Engrish Funny

I was introduced to the lingustic oddity called “Engrish” a couple of years ago when some of our video production staff returned from an Asian trip.  They brought all sorts of printed material back that while written in English made no sense whatsoever and/or did not convey what it was intended to convey.  The result is usually very funny. This is how Wikipedia defines Engrish:

Engrish refers to non-standard variations of English often found in East Asian countries. Spelling may also be non-standard. While the term may refer to spoken English, it is more often used to describe written English, for which problems are easier to identify and publicize. The term arises from an ambiguity between the “r” and “l” sounds in the spoken Japanese language, although the Chinese language frequently sees the “l” substituted for “r” in foreign loanwords. Engrish is found on everything from poorly translated signs, menus, and instruction manuals to bizarrely worded advertisements and strange t-shirt slogans. Usage of the term ranges from the affectionate to the pejorative. Country-specific terms, such as Japlish or Janglish for Japan, Konglish for Korea, and Chinglish for China also exist.

One of my co-workers, a videographer, was a guest at a dinner in an Asian country.  His first name is Brian (although he actually goes by his middle name of Tracy), but when he arrived at his assigned seat at the dinner the place card read as this:  Brain Tracy…

Now, that’s an easy typo to make even for a well-written English-speaking person, but since he was in an Asian country he and I both suspect that Engrish came into play.  Well, this week I found a website that features all things Engrish.   Here are a few examples:

A shop sign:

An odd directional sign:

Oh, and please beware of rogue burgers:

Forget the burgers…I’m in the mood for some sort of Asian cuisine:

Uh, then again…maybe not.  I’ve always found Mixed sea food Iraq government office surface to be kind of bland.  Maybe something more spicy?

Uhhhh….no.  Spicy Grandmas give me indigestion.  Besides if I keep eating like this I’m going to end up in a place like this when I get old:

Oh no…that doesn’t sound like a nice place at all!

If you’re like me and just can’t get enough of this stuff visit:

http://engrishfunny.com/ Just be forwarned that some of the stuff can be a little risque, although not intentionally…it’s just a side effect of Engrish!

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July 18, 2009

Savoring Summer

I love summer…I really do…I think more now than I did when I was a kid. That kinda stinks in a way, because now I don’t have two months to play outside and do all the summery things I want to do. I spend most of my summer days sitting in a work cubicle instead of out in the fresh air and sunshine, but I do try and find the time in the evening or on the weekends just to savor the season.

When I was younger Summer was a magical time. While my mother didn’t entertain me and my brother every single day…we were country kids and could entertain ourselves just fine thank-you-very-much…she ensured that we had lots of summer days full of good clean family fun.

In our hometown there were two major industries Olin (which later changed it’s name to Ecusta) and DuPont. My dad worked for DuPont. Back then I didn’t think too much about the fact that the DuPont plant sat right smack dab in the middle thousands of acres of private forest with trails, two rivers, waterfalls, camping, a lake, and a whole farm for the employees to enjoy. It was a normal thing for me. The company also threw a picnic every summer which was something akin to a county fair, and it was all free to the employees and their immediate families. I cannot tell you how much cotton candy, snow cones, and hamburgers I ate on the picnic day while still having the constitution to ride the scrambler without puking.

As a kid I didn’t realize that most companies didn’t offer these amenities to their employees and how blessed we really were. Olin/Ecusta had a smaller version of what DuPont had, and it was called Camp Straus (which is now an upscale residential development called Straus Park). That’s where my husband’s family hung out in the summers, because his parents worked for Ecusta. They always had a huge 4th of July picnic which most of the county attended, because nearly everyone in the county was a friend or family member of someone who worked at Ecusta.

During the Summer we would spend two or three days at Lake D.E.R.A. (Dupont Employees Recreational Area), and it was just about the most fun a kid could have…especially when they added the paddleboats! My mom would pack us a picnic lunch, and we would stay at the lake until my dad got off work at 4:30, and he would stop by to see what we were up to. Sometimes we’d go to the lake later in the afternoon and have a picnic supper so dad could enjoy the lake for a while after putting in a hard day’s work as an industrial mechanic. Come to think of it…it must have been pretty tortuous for the employees working days at the plant to look out the front door and see their kids living up at the lake, but again, I think they were mostly grateful that they worked for such a generous employer. Folks who were fortunate enough to get a job at DuPont hardly ever quit because the pay was so good, and the benefits very generous. Same went for Ecusta.

Those definitely were the days! As the years rolled by American companies started getting more and more foreign competition. With subsequent off-shoring of manufacturing the massive perks we had slowly slipped away as I entered my teen years. Now, both industries have left the area. They have torn down the DuPont plant and are now in the process of tearing down the Ecusta plant to make way for a large retail/residential center.

DuPont actually sold most of their land to the state, and it is now DuPont State Forest. If you’re ever in the Brevard, North Carolina area you should visit it, and you can experience most of what I did in the summertimes of my youth. Lake D.E.R.A. is still there but sits unaccessible to the public at this time, and no longer hosts giggling kids and happy campers. The docks are falling in, and it is actually a sad portrait of what has happened to American Industry and the American Economy. I think the state has future plans to open it back up, but right now the lake is quarantined due to EPA monitoring to be sure the demolition of the plant did not cause longterm contamination of the lake.

Anyway, I said all that to say that I did envision such summers for my children. I dreamed of taking them to the lake and doing all the fun summer things my parents did with with me. This did not happen for me as I’m not a mother, and instead of living in a wonderful mountain town I live in the hectic city. However, I still face summer with child-like excitement and awe. I visit my hometown often, and other areas which literally scream “It’s summer. Come and enjoy me!” When I can’t do those things I go outside to my backyard around dusk and savor the feel of Summer. I listen to the cicadas and watch the sunset…even though these sounds are mixed with street noise and planes passing overhead.

So take some time to savor Summer…even if you wish you had little ones to do summer things with…try being a kid yourself. I’ve made a concerted effort to do that this summer, and it’s the best gift I could’ve given myself.

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June 27, 2009

Summertime, and the Livin’s Easy…NOT!

You know, Summer is supposed to be an easy-going laid back time.  Somewhere along the way…oh say, around 1987…I missed the boat on easy summertime living, and I’ve never caught it since.  I graduated in 1987, and two days after graduation went to work in a grocery store which meant working every major holiday for nearly a year until I decided that going to college might be a good idea.  Then I went to college full time and worked part time.  That killed two more summers for me.  After that I got married in June of 1990, worked part time for the next month and a half, and then got a full time job.  I have worked full time continuously for 19 years.  Since I haven’t had children I’ve never had even a maternity leave that just happened to fall in the summer.

Yes, I’m whining a little, but the older I get the more I love Summer.  However, I’m forced to enjoy it from a work cubicle, and occasionally I get to walk by a window and long wistfully for tire swings and swimming holes.

This summer so far has been especially busy.  Between home improvement projects, workplace and job description changes (which includes moving my office/cubicle), and normal housework obligations it seems I can hardly catch a breath of Summertime air.

We did enjoy a wonderful two days in a cabin along the New River in Virginia for our anniversary last week, but it seemed we barely got there when we had to leave.  I wanted to stay there at least a month or so basking in the tranquility.  Look below and you’ll see why:

IMGP2519

Would you want to leave?   Actually, I’m thankful for those days, because we unplugged and just enjoyed Summer’s grandeur and each other.  Oh, I long for simplicity.  I would give up every piece of technology I own to live simply.  I’m not sure my husband could, but I would…in a heartbeat.

Right now things are changing rapidly, and I’m a little powerless to do anything about it.  I am facing quite a bit of change at work which has not been voluntary.  I am glad that I still have a job, but I’m a little apprehensive about all it entails.  I will most likely be moving away from what I’m comfortable in doing (transcription) into a more demanding administrative role than I’ve had before.  While I don’t easily embrace change I know that it is inevitable. My faith in God tells me it’s all in his plan.  Nothing stays the same forever, and God allows change in order to open up new opportunities for us either currently or down the road.

My  regret is that life seems to be passing by so quickly, and I’m not able to savor it like I want to.   I want to spend more time with my husband and parents.  I want to be there to see our newborn nephew grow and change, but alas, I am where I am.

I’ll just have to savor the little moments that I get.

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June 12, 2009

Concerning Chocolate Covered Things, Lamps, and Nonsensical Customer Service E-mails

I have run across several things word-related lately…too many to count.  I always say to myself, “Oh my gosh…got to blog about that”, but then I get distracted by chocolate covered raisins and/or malted milk balls, and the idea is gone…poof!

Whoppers and choc. covered raisins

Yes, I have food issues…what else is new?  I also have a cool new lamp from my new favorite store, IKEA.  IKEA, where have you been all my life?

New Ikea LampSee the malted milk balls and chocolate covered raisins got me off track…anyhoo, back to the real subject of this post…words!

Something wild has happened in this technological age. We are becoming more and more reliant on the printed word…or dare I a coin a new phrase and say “e-printed” word?  Our love affair with the printed word is flourishing in the 21st century…e-mail, texting, Twitter, Facebook, blogging, and the internet in general are so driven by printed words.  Unfortunately, it has revealed the fact that maybe the public/private school systems have delved too much into social studies and have not spent nearly enough time on the basics like English.   Now, I’m far from perfect when it comes to spelling and grammar, but at least I have a basic grasp of spelling and sentence structure.  I tend to laugh off most gaffes, but my husband got a reply e-mail from our cable provider the other day that butchered English composition to pieces.  I nearly spit Lipton Mango-Mandarin iced tea all over my screen when I read it.   Here is what it said:

Dear Mr. Sprouse,

Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable Email Support.

I understand that you would like to know about is that you will not receive an e-bill ftrom your
bank any more.

I apologize for the inconvenience and would be glad to assist you.

The letter which you receive states that you were receiving the bill from your bank which will stop
from June, 30th 2009 and to receive a bill you will have to register to PayXpress.

However, you can continue to pay the bill through your bank and the only thing is that you will not
be receiving an ebill from your bank.

That is the formal letter from Time Warner which is not a fraud as it is a notice regarding that.

We value you as a customer, and please feel free to E-mail us again or contact our Live Chat at the
following link: (removed protection of the innocent—Vicki)

Customer Support is available 24×7.

Sincerely,
Louis

Wow, the only thing about that letter that gave me any comfort was the statement that customer support is available 24 x 7.  I can only hope they speak better than they write *bursts out in laughter*.

Hey, if you can’t teach ‘em to write then point out their mistakes in your blog…that’s what I always say.

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