Say What?

I left work on Wednesday (my Friday) with some good news for a change. The insubordination charges against me have been reduced to a non-event. My supervisor and I talked about it and I told him that I was disappointed that so much time had been put into something which was so wrong from the outset and that it was my belief that no necessary changes would result from it. It was a good outcome for me but I was always looking at the larger picture and for me that would have meant a thorough investigation of not only my actions but the actions of the supervisor who created the scenario which caused all of this to happen. At some point in the future (when I retire) I'll publish the blog I've written about this matter and the associated back and forth letters between myself, my union, and management. I don't currently work for an agency (it's not a company although they like to think we are) which is at all cozy with the idea of allowing the truth to be spoken as it sort o...

This Memorial Day as all the others for the past couple decades found me sucking up holiday pay at work. I was plugged into the radar at Polar High when Barry came in to help me out. When it slowed down we got to chatting and he mentioned that he'd been to a one hour Memorial Day ceremony earlier in the day put on by the city of Northfield. He felt it was important to actually take some time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday. My guess is he's in a very small minority of people who actually do that. Too many of us allow the meaning of the day to become overshadowed by sunshine, BBQs, beer, and fun. I'm guilty. I got home from work and took the pups for a walk then proceeded to get on my bike for an overdue ride. Having spent nearly all of last weekend working in the yard, I was in desperate need of an endorphin fix. I got my fix but not without a hiccup to begin my ride. I was descending a hill within a mile of home, on my way out, when I noticed that my rear brake ...

Okay, Tim d, the new profile photo is up. It's not exactly a current photo as it was taken a few years ago but I'm looking a bit tired in it having just completed an epic (for me) ride. So the way I figure, the fact that I'm looking a bit worn out in the photo should make up for the reality that it's a few years old and it should give a good approximation of what I look like. But then, you only see me at work and I'm always tired at work. Um, speaking of blog photos—Tim, Rob? Oh yeah, Tim...I just saw yours tonight Hmm. With Tammy's new job, our schedules don't mesh as nicely as they used to. I'm definitely going back to Friday/Saturday off next year. I took off Wednesday from work so we could take our annual trip together to Gerten's Greenhouse and buy the bulk of the flowers for our gardens. This is the longest we've waited to put our flowers in but since this spring has been so cool we didn't feel like taking any chances with frost. ...

I previously wrote about Rachel's trip to Seattle last March with the youth group from Prince of Peace Church. I kept forgetting to ask her about the video of her at Pike Place Fish Market catching a fish. No, not with a reel but with her hands as one of the workers threw it to her. She just sent me a link to the video. She totally missed the first toss but did much better on the second attempt. Here you go . (I just found out, unless you have a Facebook account you won't be able to view the video.) I'd like to welcome a friend from work to the blogosphere:  Rob . Rob and I have worked together for 20 years. One could easily mistake Rob for a dyed in the wool liberal but he's more well rounded than that. I've learned a lot from him over the years and I'd like to think I've at times given him a perspective he may not have otherwise considered. He's our wordsmith at work and probably the most well-read person I know. Anyway, I've been suggesting to R...

It's been a busy couple days off. I worked the all-night shift on Tuesday night which worked out well for me as my brother Bryan was in town from Oregon and we were able to spend most of the day together on Wednesday. It was four years ago that he was last out here. We, siblings, refer to him as Bryan but he actually goes by Dave with most everyone else. My Dad's Name was Peter David Gilmore. My understanding is that my father preferred to be called Dave rather than Peter. My brother's name is David Bryan Gilmore and since people referred to my dad as Dave, for some reason my brother's name shifted from Dave to his middle name of Bryan. I think there was some concern that we couldn't have two Daves in the same house. Bryan is a photographer and he's been on the road for the past two weeks visiting relatives and photographing his journey. I enjoy photography as well but he's on a whole other level than me. I think we both thought it would be nice to get out...

If the hate which is being spoon-fed to young minds in the Middle East is akin to a cancer on that part of the world, I'd have to say that the patient is terminal; at least insofar as there is any hope for a civilized people to rise up. I don't want to suggest that more violence in that part of the world is the answer but it would seem that anything less than removing those who are infecting their next generation of people with a core of hatred is not going to be enough. It would be nice to think that young people would eventually revolt against the older establishment and find the truth for themselves but I fear that that is pie in the sky thinking. Or is it?

I got up this morning and the first thing I thought about was getting in my truck and going to look for my cross. I fed the pups then scarfed down a bowl of Trix and was on my way. There were quite a few bikers on the road and I was wishing I was one of them. I knew it wouldn't be long before they'd be wet as rain showers were a sure thing—just a matter of when. I drove to a point where I thought I may have been when I snagged my cross while trying to remove a bug/bee from inside my jersey yesterday. I seem to recall being on a downhill when it happened but I couldn't be sure. I no more pulled over and turned off my truck when my phone rang. It was Tammy. She offered a prayer that I'd find it and with that, I was on my way. If the cross fell straight down it would be on or near the road. If I caught it when I snagged the necklace while tossing aside the bug/bee then it would likely be well off to the right and possibly in the tall grass beyond the gravel shoulder. I...

Keith came by the house yesterday to set up the desk he made for our den. Tammy begins working from home (telecommuting) in the next couple of weeks so we needed an additional desk to accommodate the equipment she'll be using. Keith made the desk to match the corner unit he did for the other side of the den minus the upper cabinets. Rachel has been working overtime studying for her APUSH (Advanced Placement U.S. History) exam. She's been getting together regularly with friends in study groups and quizzing each other. They had the test today from 8am to noon. Miss Clark, her teacher, took all of their cellphones from them before the test began. What Miss Clark didn't know was that all the kids had set the alarms on their phones to go off at noon when the test was over. It made for a good laugh. Rachel won't get the results back until mid-July. Provided she does well enough on the test it will count as credit for college. She said it was very tough. I got a letter i...

I finally got around to taking my bike apart, cleaning it and putting it back together yesterday afternoon. In the process of doing that I noticed that my bike pump which straps to the frame for repairs on the road was missing a key part. The rubber grommet on the head which creates an airtight seal had worked its way off. Had I flatted with it like that I'd have been dead in the water. I took a trip to Flanders Bros bike shop in south Minneapolis last night to pick up a new pump. Of course, I can't just buy a new head for the pump I already have but I would if I could. I hadn't taken the Crosstown since they began construction on it. I'm not sure what the time table for completion is but it's quite a project. Lake Street was also torn up. Not only that but there were some killer potholes all over the road. I think I'll avoid both those roads for a while. We were doing our thing at church last night (tattoos and painting nails) when I heard somebody behind m...

If it's Friday it must be raining. And it is. I went out riding this morning knowing that I wouldn't stay dry, and I didn't. 20 miles into my ride the skies opened up. I don't mind a little rain when I'm biking but I found myself in a heavy downpour with lightning strikes close by. A bit unnerving when you're out on the highway with no shelter nearby. I'm trying to stay motivated to get out and do stuff but it hasn't been easy with the depressing weather we've been having. I was able to get out and mow our lawn yesterday for the first time this season. All the lawns around are greening up very quickly. Look a little closer and you can see buds on the trees. Rachel is in a Billy Joel phase. She and Katrina are in the kitchen baking marshmallow rice crispy treats and listening to his music. They know all the lyrics to We Didn't Start the Fire . Quite impressive. Tammy doesn't like Billy Joel. I dunno—I like some of his stuff but I think ...