Witness

I taught kindergärtners the past two days. I have witnessed a few things. here are three in no particular order that had me grinning at one point or another (don't judge, somethings are funny, especially in hind sight).

• A little girl had just gotten a drink of water, and stated to no one in particular "There is a lot of water in the sea."
• A boy accidentally spilled his milk on the floor. After I had replaced it and arranged for it to be cleaned up, the youth said, "I didn't see that coming."

The third needs a little introduction, given that I may find a deluge of mail telling me how uncaring I am. Or, perhaps, how mean I am. Honestly, it wasn't my fault. I really am sympathetic to the various digestive, respiratory, and cardio-pulmonary systems of the students I teach. That said, here is the third thing I witnessed.

• At the end of the day, I had bus duty. That meant that I and several other teachers watched the kids while they waited for the buses. That was going well apart from being cold and more than a little windy. Then, just as the final bus was rounding the corner in to view, a couple little boys in the line for the last bus called to me. One of them had been in my class today. After a little bit of talking at the same time, I gathered that the little boy from my class had to go to the bathroom. I looked at the bus coming up, then back to him. "Can't you hold it?" The answer was part grown, part moan, "Nooooo!" I looked to the principal and tried to get her attention, to tell her we needed to hold the bus for a minute or two. She didn't hear me. I turned back to check on the boy and his expression of consternation and, perhaps, pain changed to surprise and anguish. His entire body gave a slight convulsion and a dark stain began to grow on his pants, and then the flood really let go. The whole time he was trying to stem the flow with his fingers, which apparently on served to accelerate the flow, as you might with a garden hose...this merely made the spectacle a little less interesting than those waterworks outside those Las Vegas Hotels...instead of simply flowing down his trowsers, it came out away from his body and was caught by the wind. It spattered onto the pants leg of his friend. It left an interesting pattern on the ground, since it was not a completely free flow. With the flow of urine came the flow of tears. It was about this time, as my eyes took in and my brain cataloged the spectacle, that the principal turned her attention to the yowling mass that was three boys distressed over a natural body process in a most socially un-natural place! I stated the obvious. She said get him to the office to see if we could get a hold of someone to pick him up. Until then she would hold the bus. I pointed to the office, but made no attempt to grab his hand...or touch him. He followed. When we got in the office. I asked him if he still needed to use the bathroom. He said, "No." I guess that should also have been obvious. Still, I thought I should ask. And, he DID look like he was feeling better. We got the secretary on the case. I asked him if he wanted to wash his hands. He said, "Yes." His mom DID come and get him. Everything seems to have ended well. I, however, am left with an interesting visual, which I will probably never forget: that fountain of urine flowing from the pants of a young boy in the wind.

And I thought teaching would not be very exciting...what was I thinking? This is THE place to be!!

Busy Weekend

We went to Seattle to speak with the Bishop from Burundi. He happened to be in town and we thought it might be a chance to impress upon him our sense of urgency. We ended up spending a few hours discussing the adoption and things to expect in country.

Some of the things we learned were that the Bishop is working tirelessly to bring our kids home. (I say ours because we are not the only family with a child in Burundi anymore) However, his wish to help is not always enough. Others are helping, too. There are several ministers and government workers who are working to bring this adoption about. They may not have the same urgency that we do, but things are moving along. The next step is to be able to convince the state department that everything is on the up-and-up.

Other than that, we learned that culture and language differences have been and will continue to be a major barrier. When trying to get the answer to what we thought was a simple question, we ended up having to rephrase and re-word the question several times before we finally found the correct sequence of words to get the answer we wanted. For instance, we wanted to know who was BB's primary care giver. Because the Bishop is in charge of paying for BB's care, his answer was, "I am." It took several times, but finally we arrived at, "Who puts the food in his (BB's) mouth?" We finally got the answer. A young lady who attends a local college. So, one step closer...right?

We ended up staying for dinner and then driving home, where we arrived late.

Yesterday, we had a long slow morning. We ended up going to a local fruit stand. Dagdagan Fruit Stand. They have a delightful stand with a small hay bale maze filled with pumpkins. We bought some gourds and pumpkins and then brought them home to decorate our doorstep...and we my eventually dine on a few of them.

As we drove back toward Yakima to get a few items, we saw the Oscar Meyer Weiner-mobile...I just had time to clock one shot as it rocketed past.

And here is Cora as we walk in toward one of the stores we visited yesterday. I ended up buying a new jacket on Saturday. Cora got new shoes and we basically had a good weekend. I hope the rest of the week continues that trend for us and everyone!

Long Ago...

Long ago, I had hoped to put my slim abilities as a writer to use. I had hoped to mate them with my paltry photographic skills and become a photo-journalist. I took classes as such, until the almighty cost of schooling became my nemesis. So, I put education on the back burner and began seeking a trade. I was a pretty good KOA Kampground person. I made a fair gas station clerk. I thought I had promise as a sandwich artist at one time. I even managed to work at a pet store.

I eventually managed to locate a job at a mill and then at a photography studio where I ran machines that developed other people's pictures. I returned to the mill. There I managed to work for a few years until one day I got poked in the eye and decided that mill work was unsafe. Finally, people around me convinced me that since I liked history so much, maybe I should become a teacher. I put some thought into it. Well, a little (since I am lazy, and a little says a lot). I decided that, yes, that might be a good idea. Certainly it has less potential for parting me with my parts than working in a mill with cutting edges all around.

So, here I am, about 8 years later. I am a substitute teacher. I enjoy subbing, while looking for a full time job as a history teacher. Recently, I signed up with a couple other districts and have been happy as a clam and busy as a beaver. Though my old district seems to find it difficult to let me get the other jobs. I don't mind.

Today, I am to work at one of those other districts. This one does not use the on-line program that the other two use. They call subs. I got a call the other day asking me if I would sub there. I said ,"sure!" The lady told me I needed to be there at 7:15am. I thought I'd make sure I was there on time and showed up at 7:10am. She looked at me and asked when she had told me to be there. I said, "715." "Oops! I forgot this week was conference week! You are two hours early!" So, I walked back out to the truck and came home. So, here I sit waiting a little longer to go to work. On the bright side I will get a little more caffeine in my system than I would have otherwise...still, it may make for a longer day.

I have been ruminating on a post for my other site for two weeks now. I want to make it a particularly involved one, since it seems to invite more than just a cursory inspection. Usually the accidents I deal with are from sparse documents of reports. This one, however, came with some forty or more pages of report. Then, if that weren't enough, I got a second report on the same aircraft...slightly smaller, but mostly different info than the first. Given my fondness for the Boeing B-29, of which the aircraft that crashed was an example, I decided to work a little harder on it. I have thus been digesting various texts concerning this WWII behemoth of the air and its gigantic engines, trying to decide the best way to approach this crash. So, while I keep mentioning it on Facebook and in e-mails, the article is still in its infancy. Awaiting final development, it sits in my computer, stirring slightly.

Given this weekend's complex schedule, I may not finish it this weekend either. So, it will have to wait forlornly for me to write it a few more days. And so it seems that I am still managing to put my writing skills, poor though they are, into some semblance of use. So, that long ago dream of writing may not have been given up for dead. It may have transformed some, but it is still there...even if I am not getting paid (monetarily) for it, the personal satisfaction I derive from comments and letters I receive concerning the blog I write about aircraft losses in Washington State seem to make it worth the effort.

Pictures! And Narrative.

Looks like I finally managed to get my pictures up again. I guess I just needed to catch my computer by surprise. Above you see one of my wonderful nephews on my shoulders. This was at my Sister and BIL's birthday party. She is older than he...guess he got a wildcat feral cat...I don't think she quite qualifies as a cougar.

My lovable sister likes for everyone to participate in somewhat humiliating games when she has a party. This was no exception. This time we were given "handicapts." Note the guy with the glasses? He's blind. The guy next to him, in the Florida shirt, is mute (did the tape over his mouth give it away?). I had small rubber balls shoved in my shoes to simulate some sort of foot malady. We were to all go into a store and buy a pack of gum and then take a picture in the store...hence the picture below.

Below, the mute guy is carrying the blind guy.

All in all, it was a very fun day and we got to spend some time with friends and family that we don't often get to see.

I managed to put up hooks for our new pots last week. I like to have them within reach...it might not look very pretty, but they are useful!

My sister got dogs and below you see the product of that choice.

I tore the corn out of the garden and put the stalks around the front door for Halloween. I think they look good and scary. The 9 year-old neighbor girl thought it was only "SO-SO" scary...I think she thought she was being generous. Still she lied to save my feelings...sweet, ain't she?

I have been busy this week. And sick. Well, not totally sick. A little sick. I think I am handling the thing remarkably well. I know I have mentioned it before, but I think it is weird how when I have a cold I stay awake and can't sleep at night, but during the day I feel fine.

I guess, I should give a narrative, since that is what I advertised in the title of this post...of course, maybe that was simply a clever ploy to gain readers. No, probably didn't work anyway.

We may get the chance to meet the Famous Bishop from Burundi again this weekend. I won't get into it much, but we are hoping to get some concrete details about BB. I hope we get a good chance to grill him on things like "What does he eat, OTHER than bread?" and "What size of clothing does he wear?" and most importantly, "When are we going to get him?"

So, when we got our phones last month there was a rebate. A significant rebate. I had gotten the rebate page and the associated necessities (Proof of purchase, receipt, etc.) and sent them away, after having Cora check to make sure I was not missing anything. Today I got a card in the mail explaining that they would not give us the rebate because we did send the receipt. I DID send the receipt. So, I drove into the Sprint Store and asked if they could print me out another darned receipt (I wanted them to help me, so I did not use the choice words I wanted to). To my surprise they had not problem with it and even filled it out for me. To top it off they filled out two for me so I can at least get one...fine by me. I was more than a little annoyed by Sprint's antics, because you know that has to be a gimmic for them to get out of sending off semi-large sums of money...who keeps that receipt. OK, some people do, but I am not THAT organized, and I think those bastards were expecting me to be pathetic and give up. HA HA HA! They were wrong!

Well, Survivor is on...I gotta go watch Russel weed out the rest...I don't like him, but he seems to be doing a decent job.

Challenges

I got the opportunity to teach high school today. It was math. I am pretty much useless in anything above algebra, so I was happy when most of the classes simply began working quietly. Sure there was a low buz around the room, but most seemed to be on task, so I let it go.

At one point, though, one of the kids asked me why I did not have a better grasp of math. I said that I chose history for its remarkable, and, honestly, noble lack of higher math.

He wanted to know how much history I knew. He wanted to ask me a question about history. I usually tell kids that history is such a big subject that it keeps us historians humble. We can only KNOW a very small portion of history, and even then, it is a relatively loose "KNOW." I went ahead and played ball though, figuring, how much can a high schooler know? If I were a betting man, I would have cleaned the table. He asked me a simple one. "How did WWI begin?" Of course, my "simple" might not be everyone else's "simple." Obviously, the political, economic, and social underpinnings of WWI were very complicated, but in a nutshell, I handed him a simple narrative, which he took wide-eyed. He said, "We just talked about it in class this morning...and you got it!!" I should hope so, I have been in school long enough. Also, I read that stuff for fun. Kinda like shooting fish in a barrel...with a 16" naval gun...can't miss.

I had some time to look on-line while they did their work. I got a job for tomorrow and am filled up for the week now. I also read a fun short book on-line about the Chrysler plant and it's role in aircraft engine production during WWII...hmmm, obviously I AM a hardcore historian, if that's fun.

I got home and collapsed in my chair for an hour...I think I am in the midst of a cold. Of course, my colds only truly show themselves at night. I caught this one in the act and have been hitting it with Airborne vitamins and have found some cold meds that help. I always have trouble sleeping with a cold, no matter how good I feel during the day. Last night, I woke up about 45 minutes after going to bed. Could not sleep. I was experiencing drainage...probably more than you want to know. Still, I took another dose of cold meds and was able to get back to sleep by 330AM. Six O'clock came WAYYYYYY too early. Tonight I have sore muscles and my sinuses seem to be filling with viscous fluid...perhaps the consistency of molasses...maybe cold honey, but without the sweets. Oh, the joys of teaching!

No Photos

I have been trying to post some pictures, but due to computer issues and apparently Blogger issues, I have not.

This weekend was spent, at least partially, with family. We went down and celebrated a double birthday party with my sister and BIL (that's brother-in-law for those of you who are abbreviationally-disinclined). My sister will be...dare I say it in such a public forum? Hmmm, such a hard decision, but I know she will see it and it may cause some embarrassment (I hope)...oh, o.k., she will be 30 (Wow, isn't that ANCIENT?) years old. Wow!! I know we still have a couple days, Sis, but, Happy Birthday!

As usual, my sister had fun and games planned for her victims guests. I hope to post some of the pictures here...her game involved giving each player an embarrassing handicap, and then giving them a task to complete in a public setting. Some were given the gift of muteness and had their mouths taped shut. Others were deaf and wore ear plugs, or were blind and had to have their eyes covered. Still others were forced to put small rubber balls in their shoes to simulate bad feet. I was the latter and still have bruises in the arches of my feet...thanks Sis! Despite the discomfort, it was a fun game and it showed that I would be a horrible helper to a blind person. Sorry Caleb.

Yesterday (and today), I subbed for a kindergarten teacher. I like kinders, because if something isn't working you can toss it and draw something or tell them a story and they still learn something. You don't need a degree in history to teach kindergärtners!

Well, hopefully my computer issues will mend themselves and Blogger will get its shit together and everyone will see some pictures soon!

until next time!

Realizations

I lost a cousin recently. He was older than I and we had never had much time to get to know each other. Still, I always thought I would get that chance to know him better. I guess I was wrong. My uncle asked me to be a pall bearer, and I was honored to accept. I had to take a day off from work but did not begrudge that.

Apart from the standard reminder of your own mortality that funerals give you, there were some other realizations I experienced during the funeral service. Here are a few, in no particular order.

• I and a select few of my relations seem to have gotten all the looks (I didn't say they were going to be deep realizations! I am fairly shallow after all, but I am smart enough to not specify which ones got what, I'll let you guess).
• I and a surprising few probably got all the brains (Did I mention I have difficulty being humble?).
• I should probably feel more at home at the local Wal-Mart.
• It is easier to make it through a funeral without tears when you have not seen the person for a decade or so.
• Despite the formal occasion and somber mood I had the STRONG urge to stand up and question the minister about the type of airplane out of which my cousin REALLY jumped (No, that was not the cause of death, so don't ask).
• I am a little picky about historic "facts" being bandied about carelessly. When the minister mentioned that my grandparents came out west over the Oregon Trail, I had to fight the urge to look up and confirm on my phone my distinct suspicion that the railroads put the Oregon Trail out of business long before the turn of the previous century (Sure enough, by 1883 it was not being used, and my grandparents were not born until after 1910).
• 43 is too young to die, for that matter, anything under 117 is probably just a little too young.
• I prefer the "new" sharing stories about the dead to the "old" sinners repent or you'll end up where this guy is approach to funeral services.
• Even though you can count on someone to stand up with an anecdote that appears to have no tie-in to the dead person at all except in the teller's head.
• Most people have formal funeral attending clothing that is 15-30 years out of date.
• I regret not listening to my mother tell me who "those old boring people" were (I was totally wondering the whole time who the hell everyone was).
• We should probably have more family reunions, since the only time we see family is when someone dies (don't want the sight of family members to become a reminder that we will all eventually die, and might make Thanksgiving depressing).
• Some of my family try to put the "fun" back in funeral, no matter what.

Being a pall bearer again lead me to some other realizations:

• As a pall bearer, I have come to realize that all Coffins must be made to protect the occupant from radiation, because they feel like they are made of lead.
• Being short does NOT make you a good pall bearer.
• Being short does not keep people from asking you to be a pall bearer.
• If you have been a pall bearer with another person more than once, that other pall bearer will remember the time you (the shortest and youngest pall bearer) stepped in a hole some 20 years ago carrying a casket.
• That other pall bearer will also gladly relate that former incident willingly to the other pall bearers, who might not know of your previous pall bearing experiences.
• Other pall bearers don't feel comfortable with the possibility of receiving 1/5th the weight of the casket, but 1/6th the weight is acceptable.
• Pall bearers are pretty good with fractions.
• I'd rather be a pall bearer if I could hold the coffin with my right hand.
• The occupant of the casket probably won't complain if they are dropped.
• His widow might.
• Hearses probably don't need windows in the back...
• Pall Bearers do NOT get to keep the boutonnière.
• At least one of the pall bearers seemed disappointed that pall bearers do not keep the boutonnière.
• I was not disappointed that I was not going to be able to keep the boutonnière, even though I think it really set my ensemble off!.

Wonderful Day!

Cora and I have a glass top stove. We have had some old Revere Ware for years. Unfortunately, our Revere Ware is, well, less than suitable for a flat top stove (i.e., dented, round bottomed and old.). We decided to get a set of flat bottomed pots. We did. They are wonderful.

Cora made dinner. Pork Chops and quinoa. Honestly, I think I could eat it every day!

A couple years ago, I happened to find a bottle of wine that was a 1999 vintage. I bought it. I don't remember my exact thoughts, but I thought it might be nice to have. Tonight we opened it. It was VERY good. Having aged ten years...well, it did it good! So, it has been a very good day!

Teaching

Yesterday I taught a science class for freshmen, I will not mention which High School it was. They were to watch a movie and take notes. Simple. The movie was Africa, The Serengeti. James Earl Jones narrated it. I enjoyed it. I collected the notes at the end of the period and they went on their way.

The beginning described Herbivores and Carnivores. Here are some of the notes I got, with all of the misspellings and punctuation. Enjoy!

• Hermivares eat plants and do not eat other speices like animals (meat)
• Carnivores eat harnivores like animals the oppsite of the hermivares. they kill to eat.
• Herbavaes eat plants but carnivores eat herbibares.

Remember this movie was about Africa. There were LIONs on the movie, but the following student apparently saw a different movie. To the best of my knowledge there are no tigers anywhere NEAR Africa, so I was mildly surprised to see the next one:

• When an animal is hunted down the male tigar is the first to eat, after that the baby tigars start to feed on them, and when they are down the boltures, and hienas start to feed.

Here are some more about lions. The movie declared that Lions will mate every 25 minutes for three to four days. Day and night, without eating. Some students took more from it than others.

• Lions mate like every 25 minss.
• Lions mate 20 mins, 3-4 times a week to get the female pregnant.
• Lions play with there babies like byiting.

Here are the rest. Enjoy.

• Any kind of herds can run up to 500 miles
• Bigger animals CAN [underlined] be pretty dominant.
• Giraffes dont migrate they feed on organism tha live by their
• Graiffes do not migrant they stay were they come from.
• Monkeys feed of eachother
• Monkeys eat everything they see at the jungle.
• Lepords kill at least 3 people a year [The movie actually mentioned that the village in question had lost three children to leopards in the last month.]

And finally, my favorite:

• Rinos mark there teritory with fluids

Great Evening

Cora and I went out for our tenth anniversary. We went to Red Lobster. Only the second time I've ever been...I think the same for her. We were going to go to a movie, but decided to go to the book store instead. We bought a movie there and came home and relaxed. It was a good way to spend the evening...and the coffee ice cream helped, too!

Cora, thank you for being my wife these ten years. Without you, well, I'd likely be a very unhappy soul. You make everything right. I love the fact that we laugh every day. I enjoy the verbal sparring and even the arguments, but best of all is just knowing you'll be there at the end of the day. I love you!

Fifteen Years!

Who knew, fifteen years ago today, that I would marry the girl I was going to go see "Quiz Show" with that night. I didn't. I had to be back in Sunnyside in time for the graveyard shift at K-Mart, so I was worried about being late. Still, how often did a guy like me get a chance to go out on a date with such a lovely young redhead? NOT VERY...before that night.

I have to say, I am honored that such a wonderful person has seen fit to spend her life with me. I know most of you think I might be a bit verbose and egotistical, bit in reality, I can't believe how lucky I am. I sometimes worry that one day she'll wake up and realize her mistake, but, if she hasn't done that after fifteen years together...well,I think my chances are good.

Tomorrow is our tenth wedding anniversary. Yes, we got married five years after our first date. I wanted to do some special things for this wonderful woman. I had big plans...well, big for me. However, we have been in a kind of no man's land with the adoption. "Will it happen in June?" "Will we travel in July?" "Will we be leaving just as school starts?" etc. So, I have not had the opportunity I'd hoped to make this big anniversary as big as it should be, no travelling, no big presents (read: car or small island), and since the kid isn't here, yet, no family picnic. Let me just say, though, for the record, that I am married to the single best human being on this planet. I am a lucky man.

So, thank you, Cora for going out with me that night. I don't clearly recall whether the movie had a plot or not, do you? I do remember holding your hand that night, though. I suppose things fade with time, but I can't help but remember that night and many others since...I guess the important things linger. I love you!

Isn't That a Pickle?

Alright, I told you we planned on doing it this weekend. We didn't...but I DID today! I made my first pickles. And, because apparently it's important, they are dill...I think.

Yes, I really LIKE garlic.

I worked a half-day today...at Wapato. If half of a day is two hours, they WOO HOO! That's what I did. Ok, actually, I got paid for a half-day just for showing up at the Substitute Orientation. We watched a couple videos and learned a little about the district.

I learned that there is a "Substitute Institute" in Utah. How sad is that? I am a substitute because I have not found a permanent job, yet. Who wakes up one morning and says "I want to go to the 'Substitute Institute' and become the world's best sub!" Really! Who says that? I like it, but I really want a permanent job...still, SOMEONE thought they needed a school for subs...huh...gives you something to think about, I guess.

I learned that Wapato pays A LOT for subs...almost $200 a day after you have subbed 30 days at beginning pay...and those days don't have to be consecutive. Then, as I was driving away from there I got a call from Selah Junior High. I have the rest of the week to work! That makes me and the wife very happy! It means I am no longer a loser!!

So, on the way back I stopped and picked up the last few pickling supplies. Some spices and some vinegar. I came home and began the work of cleaning and heating the jars. Then I worked on cleaning and preparing the veggies. And then measuring out the appropriate amounts of water and vinegar and salt...according to the recipes. The lady at the grocery store seemed particularly worried I might not have a recipe. I assured her I did.

By the way, I recommend AGAINST poking you nose ANYwhere near a pot of boiling vinegar. It reminded me why I was never fond of canning when I was a kid. I must have lost a few brain cells and gotten used to the concentrations of boiled vinegar fumes, even with open windows, because when Cora came in she started coughing and wheezing. She came out of the house while I was in the backyard boiling those suckers and hoping they'd seal.

They did! I put a few peppers and garlic cloves in to help flavor them. I hope they turn out, since the recipes I had were a little less than forthcoming on some instructions, while others had what I needed, but were different in other areas...weird. Anyway, they looked pretty right after I poured the vinegar on.

So I have work for the rest of the week! Awesome! It was a good day!

Elvis Presley, Responsible For Debauchery?

I found this site. The person posts letters from history that seem interesting. This latest is a doozy! You can go to the site called Letters of Note: here, or you can see the letter concerning Elvis: here. Now, I know where all the juvenile crimes come from...It comes from the mid-1950s when teenagers watched Elvis perform. More recent crimes would seem to come from teenagers watching Elvis on You Tube! I don't know, you be the judge!

The Time Draws Near

The past few days I have left my laptop open. The other day the screen finally cracked. I attempted to mend it. First super glue. Didn't work. Then super glue and some styrene...no good. Finally, I did what any good redneck would do: I cut up a beer can and took some super glue and used it to mend my computer. I'd have used duct tape, but there isn't enough room.

Then another crack opened. This precluded me closing it.

I have since been using a can of bug spray to make my beloved Toshi to hibernate.

Here is another of the cracks

This morning the battery finally died. I got up and noted that the charging light was still on...it hasn't stopped all day...the end is nigh.

Today we bought some canning supplies, since I harvested these! I want to make some pickles. Cora has promised to help during this first try! I will let you know how it goes.

The power flickered tonight. I lit some candles and just as I picked one up I got searing pain and I swear I heard a sizzle. I burned my thumb on the candle, because the flame was right on the section of glass my thumb touched. Instead of dropping the damned thing I set it down. It took more than a little self control. But, having done so, let out a scream! I now have a lovely blister forming. Yowsa!

You Know How It Is

You know how it is when you get a song stuck in your head? I have been dealing with that all week. I don't mind, since it is a decent song...ok, I really like this song.

So, I finally downloaded it last night. I also downloaded a couple of others. But, it is this one that sticks in my head. This morning I decided to see if there was a video that goes with it. There is. Now, providing your computer allows it, have a look at this video. Listen to the song and tell me if you like it.

Old Friend

We met in the Fall of 2005. I needed some help working on my Master's Degree. You had the tools to help. True, I paid for your services at first, but I think we both came to love each other in our own way. We have enjoyed many, many hours of special time together. Still, all relationships must end. Sometimes the relationship ends with both parties growing apart. Other relationships die when both partners discover someone else. I have been faithful, though, and you have remained true to me. Sure we have had our difficulties, but we worked through them. Still, I fear our time together is coming to an end. Old friend, you don't look well. You are slower to react than you once were. You forget things. Sometimes you simply stop and look confused. I wish you no harm, my dear friend Toshi, but the end is near.

You are showing signs of death already. Your screen is no longer capable of closing completely. You have cracks throughout your structure. Your keys only work with exactly the right attention. Your "A" key is especially finicky. You came to me with 40 gigs of hard drive, but somehow in the interim you now have 55...how does that happen? How about your battery life? Do you remember that at one time you were supposed to have an hour worth of battery? Remember that? What do you have now? 45 seconds? 2 minutes at best?

Do you remember when you used to play You Tube videos and the sound worked? What about the days when you could play a DVD? Remember those? I know, we have been through hard times, like the time you got some sort of liquid spilled on you. I believe it was wine (I expected you to appreciate it more). After that your left control key stopped working, as did your function key. Since then I have been unable to control your screen brightness, use your built in mouse pad, and a number of other things. And what is this thing with me typing a whole sentence and your screen showing the first three letters of that sentence for a very long time? It's a good thing I don't look at the screen when I type... Then all of a sudden the rest of the sentence shows up from nowhere! What IS that!?!

So, my friend, I will begin backing you up every night to the portable hard drive and when you die...I will mourn you very much, but Cora will mourn you too, since it will mean I have to share her computer with her...

Yes, your death will be an inconvenience, but I will miss you, too. We've had good times together. Remember that video with the dancing cowboy? Was he a dancer or was he drunk? I think you even had a ripple of electrons over that one! Remember all those nights I stayed up late typing papers? Your spell-check never failed me. You and I operate very well together, but our time grows short. Please, I beg of you, last just a while longer!