Cats and Computers

Riordin has a need for warmth and he hates it when I am working on my computer, as I was last evening.


Usually, he crawls into my lap, or face, and tries to get between me and the computer screen.

But while I was away for a moment--he decided to take extreme action and placed himself directly on the keyboard.

I was getting some help from a site I was working with and had to step away for some additional information and when I returned, my keyboard was being used--by a feline.

Some days it doesn't seem fair--but when I picked him up, he was definitely very warm.

So I smiled and enjoyed the moment with him.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fault and Responsibility

Our society is missing the boat when it comes to the issue of personal responsibility. That is probably why 40,000 new laws went into effect on January 1st, because we place the responsibility for the actions of an individual on the wrong people.

An article in the Baltimore Sun the other day really got me going and highlighted for me how backwards we have become.

The article is about a local congressman who is facing problems associated with an incident last summer when an underage intern was allowed to have alcohol at a party.

There is a lot of finger pointing in the article about who is to blame and who was reprimanded and how such a travesty could occur--that a 20 year old might get a drink of alcohol at a party. The article goes on to say that the Representative's Chief of Staff was reprimanded and further suggests that one aide was fired for the incident. The firing part was later determined to be untrue.

Here is the problem.

What about the underage drinker? They certainly knew the law and that they should not drink alcohol at functions. Why is the responsibility for wrong doing being deftly shifted away from the responsible party? There was almost no mention of the underage drinker in the entire article and their name was not mentioned at all.

That seems to be the way our society works. Instead of holding the guilty responsible, laws are passed which shift the responsibility to others. In this case, we are dealing with a 20-year old who is able to vote and serve in the military, own property and serve on a jury. Yet, the blame rests on the person holding the party.

That is wrong!

Think about how much better life would be people were responsible for their actions.

Instead of someone suing because the coffee burned their tongue, they would realize that coffee by definition is hot and can burn.

I have tried to read the warnings and labels on many products--the type is too small and all they are really trying to tell me is: Don't be stupid. But still it seems that if I am stupid and hurt myself for some reason, others are responsible.

We need a society where people stand up and say, "I did that and it wasn't very smart." That same society can also allow people to say "I'm sorry and it won't happen again" without threatening dire consequences, unless of course they do it again.

So my response to the article simple is--the writer missed the real culprit and the rose is being pinned on all the wrong people.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

January Freeze

Winter's grip is firmly on us at this point. The mild temperatures of December have been lost with the changing of the calendar into January.

Ugh!

Really cold. Twelve degrees of cold this morning on the thermometer outside of the house.

I am really glad I got the Christmas lights down off the outide of the house on Monday when it was warmer. Chris and I spent last evening beginning to pack up the indoor seasonal decorations. My back really feels the weight of each box which I forced up the ladder into the attic. And it was cold in the garage last evening as the temperatures were beginning to fall.

But, I am looking forward to the dawn, because on cold mornings like this the dawn is usually pretty spectacular.

A new day and new promise.

The news last evening was reporting how we had not seen a cold snap like this since January last year. It seems weird to say last year already when referring to 2011, since we are just four days into 2012.

I knew that winter was coming--I guess it had to arrive sometime. I had been enjoying the low bills from the local electric company--I guess those are over as well.

I continue to be amazed at how much of my life is tied to the weather, even though I am not a farmer. I use the weather to predict the mess I'll face driving to work and what I should wear. I use the weather to help me decide what kind of afternoon activity I will choose to participate in.

Yesterday, when some snow flakes began to fall, it was amazing to hear everyone that I work with suddenly interested in the weather--specifically the snow. I guess there is something exciting about the first snowfall of the year--although it turned out to be just a few wayward flakes dancing in the morning air.

From my standpoint, I know that to get to spring there must be a winter. So let's get on with it. Football is finally winding down and Oriole Spring Training is not far off. In about 75 days, it will be pretty much over and the grip of winter will bbe gone and we will be well into the springtime growing season.

So even with frigid outdoor temperatures, there is a silver lining: Springtime is not far off!!

Oh yeah--115 days until pool opening Saturday. See? I knew Springtime was coming.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Most Popular Posts of 2011

I reviewed my blog's statistics for 2011and it was interesting to find that an area that I have been ignoring was responsible for some of the most popular posts of 2011, that would be wine reviews and reviews of wineries. I have been limiting my wine reviews to a program called CellarTracker, which I use to monitor my wine cellar.The other popular area pertains to reviews of concerts. I wrote four concert reviews during the year and two of them wound up in the top five.

The most popular posts written during 2011, in terms of hits, were

1. Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 -- Review

2. An Evening with Josh Groban

3. Sheldrake Point Vineyard

4. Surfboard Poppop

5. Dynamic Duo Create Memorable House Concert Evening

From my perspective though, I find it much harder to decide the best post of 2011 from the 430 posts that I wrote during the year.  I find that parts of the year are a bit fuzzy and others stand out clearly in my memory. The posts from St Lucia and St Vincent were certainly the most interesting in terms of travel, but I was amused by my out the hotel window series.

But, in reviewing the entries, I really enjoyed reliving the experiences described in The Turtles of Tobago Cays.

I wrote seven poems this year--mostly, I notice late in the year as I lose touch with summer. Of the seven, October Night was my favorite.

I tried to find my favorite image of 2011--but there just too many for me to narrow down. Sunsets of St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines contain not a few of my favorites. But the image of the fence in the sand in On the Beach, Again really appeals to me. Although the best was probably taken by Chris and published in Image of the Weekend from Assateague.

The post which I reused was When One Plus One is One and I think it worked really well as the message for the wedding that I did during the year.

So all in all--I am glad that I don't have to pick just one favorite or best. It's my blog after all and I get to set the rules.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 2, 2012

1. Happy New Year--don't forget to write 201"2" on everything you do for the next year.

2. I read a scary item in the news about 40,000 new laws taking effect yesterday across the nation. Really--can anyone keep track of all of the laws we have on the books? Some of them can be found at the article titled 40,000 State Laws to Become Reality in 2012. A more complete list is at New Laws Ring in the New Year.

               a. One of the new laws is that anyone 11 or under in Colorado who appears to have sustained a head injury during an sporting event will be forced to sit out the rest of a game until they can be examined. OK--here is my take--just forced to sit out? Why don't they require immediate medical attention or something more drastic? And who is making the decision on whether the the child has sustained a head injury?

                b. A law in California will require gay and lesbian history to not be overlooked in public schools. Really? And what is the purpose of this law--to rewrite history yet again?

3. 2011 ended with some really enjoyable and mild weather. I believe we will soon be paying for all of that nice weather when the worst that winter can throw at us arrives.

4. Resolutions? Do we really need resolutions to help start the year? We discussed a few in church yesterday that resonated with me and that I will be attempting for the year ahead. If you want to hear more about them, go to the website and click on More.
             
               a. More desire, less duty
               b. More trust, less panic
               c. More aprons, less bibs
               d. More friends, less acquaintances
               e. More compassion, less apathy

5. The county that I live in has wasted over $250,000 trying to buy a piece of land for a new school. They began planning to build before settlement--really, why can't our government officials use the same common sense that the rest of us use when buying land. It is not ours until after settlement. I am happy about the school not coming to my neighborhood, by the way.

6. When should the Christmas decorations come down? I'm planning on starting today--although we have already put the Christmas dishes back into storage.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy New Year 2012

And so it begins--2012.

Who knows where we will be this time next year? And for most of us it really does not matter. The year ahead will do its thing and we will wind our way through its twists and turns and emerge at New Year's Day 2013 different than we are today and hopefully better for the experience. Sadly, that will not be the case for all of us.

I know that to start the year, I have to put away the decorations from last year. It seems every year begins that way--having to clean up the mess from the Christmas season and the holidays.

Chris and I got a start on that yesterday and received a bit of help from Riordan--the cat who came back. He crawled up into the empty cupboard as we were swapping Christmas dishes for the everyday dishes. I thought it was cute in that he at least wanted to give us a bit of assistance. Or was he trying stop us from putting away Christmas.

Well the dawn is breaking and 2012 is itching to begin.

As the old TV show used to state:"And away we go!"

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sliding into 2012 and Recreating Self

I love the end of the year because it is a natural time to review whats been going on in life and to plan for the year ahead. Some people call them resolutions--I prefer to think of them a goals.

Da Boys

I had a goal of being of being lighter at the end of 2011 than I was at the beginning--and amazingly enough, I am. Not as light as I was in the middle of the year--but overall lighter. Success.

Some of the goals for 2012 include travel--Houston, Sarasota, Orlando and somewhere else yet to be determined.

And other as yet to be determined goals, will undoubtedly arise over the next few days.

Each year could be considered a new beginning. A chance--or a natural opportunity to recreate myself.

Lucas in His Helmets

I was reviewing the images of 2011, and ran across one from Christmas Eve--Jeremy and the boys. I reminded me that we have a really cool family and that for 2012, I want to continue to make he family closer together so I can enjoy things like major Nerf gun wars in the yard and everything else that goes with getting together.

 And so, for the last blog entry of 2011, I want to leave with this image of Lucas in his makeshift helmets. I think he looks a lot like a Star Wars rebel fighter.

But he has it down and this is my resolution for 2012--take each day as it comes, smile a lot and try to brighten the day of those around me. Don't worry too much about the small stuff and when the big stuff comes--duck or put make sure I have a good hard hat, so it rolls off.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Endings and Beginnings

2011 is almost gone to assume its place in the history of the world. I tend to think of it now in terms of endings--the things that happened and that are done, gone, and hopefully not forgotten.

Today, for instance, I know people who are ending their careers--they are retiring after decades (yes decades, like four or five) of service to this country. On one hand, it seems like an ending.

But it is a beginning, too--a chance to start over and begin the next chapter of their lives. I am sorry to see them go, but I am excited for them and the opportunities that they face for the future.

I look back on the year and I recall some of the great events and moments that we will remember years into the future--like ending our involvement in Iraq, the end of Usama bin Laden, the Arab Spring which saw millions free themselves from tyranny, Libya and Gaddafi, the end of the US space shuttle program, the Japanese earthquake, the Maryland earthquake, and the world population exceeding 7 billion--just to recall a few.

There were deaths of many great people--famous with notoriety as well as not so famous and close and personal.

But there were also births--those clean slates of humanity ready, whether they want to or not, to lead us into the future in a few decades.

Endings followed by beginnings.

There was sadness--but there was also joy.

For my family, 2011 was a great year. We grew closer together, we celebrated, we traveled together, and we at times walked with each other in the face of some really serious and deadly diseases to provide each other support.

I found heroes in our family--those who stepped up to the challenge of cancer, or other disease on a daily basis and said to themselves--I am better than that and this is not going to beat me. I know--I take that approach every day with my NDPH.

Will 2012 be better? God alone knows.

But I know this--it will be full of endings and each ending will be accompanied by a beginning.

So good-bye 2011, your time has run its course. Hello 2012--what promise do you hold?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Do you believe in angels or God?

What an interesting question posed by and 18 year old Austin, Texas teen on December 19th--who subsequently died on Christmas of a heart attack. The question was posed at the end of a You Tube video (in two parts) that described his life and how he had cheated death three times. I believe the video was his attempt provide comfort to those who love him as he knew his time was short and also to be a means to provide hope to those who are afraid of death and do not know God.

The teen's name is Ben Breedlove and he answered the question simply, "I do." He should know, had died already twice--possibly three times during his short life.

I watched the videos this remarkable teen produced. They are on You Tube and are titled simply: This is my story (part 1), and This is my Story (part 2).

I was impressed with this young man who I believe had a pretty good idea that his days were numbered and wanted to leave us a message of hope.

I am also heartened by the media coverage associated with his life and passing.

I have talked to not a few people lately who say they are spiritual--but in my mind don't have a good grasp of the full implication of what they are saying when they use the word. I am glad they are spiritual, that is a start. My hope and prayer is that they move from an impersonal spiritualism into a deeper relationship with God.

Maybe Ben will help some of them to come to that place.

The Christmas season is a good time to find a closer relationship with God. What a great way to start the New Year--knowing the creator of the universe.

Happy New Year and God bless you!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The In Between Week

This week is the in between week, the week sandwiched between Christmas and New Years. It is a week full of recovery from Christmas and planning for the New Year celebrations. It is amazing what kind of things happen during the week which continue to keep us busy.

I did have the chance to check out some of the gifts I received. The Photoshop program for the images I collect seems really cool. I also enjoyed test flying my radio controlled hawk--but it was raining too hard outside to actually try to fly it for real.

The excitement for the day was to see the Tin Tin movie and enjoy the big screen bringing to life the boy reporter that Patrick enjoyed so much as a child. It was nice to go to a movie during a weekday afternoon. And since it was raining it both got me out of the house and encouraged a walk around the mall--which I fully circumnavigated.

I will be reading through my 2011 blogs this week and coming up with the best images and stories of the year mostly as a way of recapping my activities and thoughts.

I will continue to enjoy the in between week--but I am working two days, unlike other years. I did a better job of scheduling my use or lose leave this year. I remain amazed at the mild nature of  December 2011's weather for Maryland.  Despite the rain yesterday--temperatures continue to be mild and overall pleasant. I am sure that the storms of winter will soon be upon us--but I have to continually remind myself that we are really experiencing a pleasant time weather-wise.  It makes the promise of spring--now less than 90 days away, very real.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD