Betsy and I met in seminary, and I've always known that she would be good preacher if she wanted to manifest that particular charism--so I was pleased that she finally took my invitation to preach at COTM this week. I think she did a marvellous job. Here is a link to the lessons for the day.
While Betsy preached and John Hill presided downstairs, I was in the Sunday School space doing church with the kids for the morning. We do this every so often--it's a good way of showing them (and the adults) how much they matter to us.
Here is a link to the leaflet in case you're curious.
PS for you techies out there. This is one of those videos where I really wished I had a "fill" light coming in from the camera's left side. I have sometimes used a video light, but it tends to really annoy my parishioners (those that have to read at the ambo, at least) so I'm afraid Betsy appears a little backlit in this video. Life and liturgy are all about compromise!
-t
Showing posts with label Betsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betsy. Show all posts
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Summer
As my Paternity leave (June, July, and August) draws close, I'm finding it harder and harder to concentrate on church-land. Yet, of course, there is lots to get done at the last minute before I leave. There are major decisions to be made about lots of little things. The Rectory needs repairs. The AC units in the church need servicing. I need to write a fundraising appeal letter that will go out this summer. I need to review our mailing list. Etc., etc.
But the summer is already starting. Toronto just springs to life as patios open and people start walking around in shorts and flip-flops. Me, I whip out my Hawaiian shirts and kilt (but not at the same time--my wife would kill me). I also start up my summer recreation projects--of which I have two: softball and sailing.
The softball season has started well. I meet up with a very, very informal group of guy and gals that meet on Monday nights in a local park to play ball and drink beer. It's not a very serious game, and we don't ask that people be good, but they do have to try! I've noticed that my skills are where I left them, they didn't degrade much over the winter break, which is nice. My hitting, in particular, is rapidly improving with practice.
Me lounging on the foredeck of my friend's boat the Peregrine.
The other weekly commitment I have in the summer is sailing. I crew for a friend as we race every Wednesday. Tonight was our second race of season, and we did pretty well. As usual, I serve on the foredeck (front of the boat) while the skipper manages the tiller (rudder) and another crew member handles the sail trimming. Tonight we also had an additional sailer at mid-ship. On our first race, we beat one boat out of the 7 we race against in our division. Tonight we beat two.
Now, in deserves mention that our boat is at a significant disadvantage. The rating system that handicaps different boat designs so that they can compete fairly in the same race is really not designed for short-course, inner-harbour sailing like the Wednesday night racing series at QCYC. The Peregrine (a roughly 7,000 lbs. 27 foot Catalina) has to race against Tanzer 22's (3,000 lbs) and Abbott 22's (also around 3,000 lbs). We can hold our own in heavy wind and distance, but these short courses in freaky Toronto inner-harbour wind favour smaller boats. It's just a fact. So we have to work very, very hard to be competitive.
So this summer Skipper Dave and his brave crew have a plan. First, we took several hundred pounds off the boat. Extra anchors, the water heater, and many other non-essential items were stowed on-shore. Next, we installed bubble levels in strategic locations so that we can see how the boat sits level fore and aft. We can move crew around the boat to change the weight balance to trim the boat favorably. We are also getting a new, custom sail (which should arrive in the next week). We've worked on rigging a whisker pole on deep reaches. We are working on getting our tacks smoother and our tacks sharper. These are relatively minor adjustments, but they have already made a huge difference. We are within sight of being in the middle of the fleet.
It seems like I'm asking a lot from Betsy and Henry--Monday and Wednesday nights--but on the other hand it's pretty much the only exercise I get. Betsy likes to say that I am a lot happier when I get to play softball and race on the Peregrine. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that going outside and running around makes me a better father. And I do look after Henry when Betsy goes to book club or the gym!
Anyway, it's summer in Toronto and pretty soon I'm going to have a lot of time to be with Henry while Betsy works on her dissertation. Maybe I can get some more exercise by taking the little guy on walks? It's gonna be a great summer!
-t
But the summer is already starting. Toronto just springs to life as patios open and people start walking around in shorts and flip-flops. Me, I whip out my Hawaiian shirts and kilt (but not at the same time--my wife would kill me). I also start up my summer recreation projects--of which I have two: softball and sailing.
The softball season has started well. I meet up with a very, very informal group of guy and gals that meet on Monday nights in a local park to play ball and drink beer. It's not a very serious game, and we don't ask that people be good, but they do have to try! I've noticed that my skills are where I left them, they didn't degrade much over the winter break, which is nice. My hitting, in particular, is rapidly improving with practice.
The other weekly commitment I have in the summer is sailing. I crew for a friend as we race every Wednesday. Tonight was our second race of season, and we did pretty well. As usual, I serve on the foredeck (front of the boat) while the skipper manages the tiller (rudder) and another crew member handles the sail trimming. Tonight we also had an additional sailer at mid-ship. On our first race, we beat one boat out of the 7 we race against in our division. Tonight we beat two.
Now, in deserves mention that our boat is at a significant disadvantage. The rating system that handicaps different boat designs so that they can compete fairly in the same race is really not designed for short-course, inner-harbour sailing like the Wednesday night racing series at QCYC. The Peregrine (a roughly 7,000 lbs. 27 foot Catalina) has to race against Tanzer 22's (3,000 lbs) and Abbott 22's (also around 3,000 lbs). We can hold our own in heavy wind and distance, but these short courses in freaky Toronto inner-harbour wind favour smaller boats. It's just a fact. So we have to work very, very hard to be competitive.
So this summer Skipper Dave and his brave crew have a plan. First, we took several hundred pounds off the boat. Extra anchors, the water heater, and many other non-essential items were stowed on-shore. Next, we installed bubble levels in strategic locations so that we can see how the boat sits level fore and aft. We can move crew around the boat to change the weight balance to trim the boat favorably. We are also getting a new, custom sail (which should arrive in the next week). We've worked on rigging a whisker pole on deep reaches. We are working on getting our tacks smoother and our tacks sharper. These are relatively minor adjustments, but they have already made a huge difference. We are within sight of being in the middle of the fleet.
It seems like I'm asking a lot from Betsy and Henry--Monday and Wednesday nights--but on the other hand it's pretty much the only exercise I get. Betsy likes to say that I am a lot happier when I get to play softball and race on the Peregrine. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that going outside and running around makes me a better father. And I do look after Henry when Betsy goes to book club or the gym!
Anyway, it's summer in Toronto and pretty soon I'm going to have a lot of time to be with Henry while Betsy works on her dissertation. Maybe I can get some more exercise by taking the little guy on walks? It's gonna be a great summer!
-t
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Home again
We're now home with Henry. There is a fire in the fireplace and cooking smells coming from the kitchen. Henry is still in his car-seat carrier deal from the trip--he seems to like it so there is no reason to take him out just yet. Betsy is playing with her iphone--returning messages and e-mails, no doubt.
Life feels very, very good. I feel extremely grateful to all the people that were praying for us and wishing us well. I'm also grateful to our midwives, doctors, and nurses for their excellent care. Particularly I want to mention Dr. Kingdom, a good Anglican (he goes to St. Paul's, Bloor Street), who was the OB on call that did Betsy's surgery. Super competent and attentive. He also wishes that midwifery care was better integrated into the medical system as it is in the UK and the US. In fact, his own children were delivered by midwife in the UK. He was the first one at the hospital to really take us seriously (initially the nurses at the time didn't properly understand the urgency that our midwife was trying to convey). But he knew what he was looking at and got her into the OR STAT.
We also were treated to some excellent nursing care. Francis, Wendy, and Sue were particularly patient with our late-night feedings and such.
And, of course, our midwives were great. Our primary midwife Tia has been great, and Marlene, our backup, was a wonderful and extremely helpful participant in the birth.
So, now we are just settling back into something like what our normal life will become!
-t
Life feels very, very good. I feel extremely grateful to all the people that were praying for us and wishing us well. I'm also grateful to our midwives, doctors, and nurses for their excellent care. Particularly I want to mention Dr. Kingdom, a good Anglican (he goes to St. Paul's, Bloor Street), who was the OB on call that did Betsy's surgery. Super competent and attentive. He also wishes that midwifery care was better integrated into the medical system as it is in the UK and the US. In fact, his own children were delivered by midwife in the UK. He was the first one at the hospital to really take us seriously (initially the nurses at the time didn't properly understand the urgency that our midwife was trying to convey). But he knew what he was looking at and got her into the OR STAT.
We also were treated to some excellent nursing care. Francis, Wendy, and Sue were particularly patient with our late-night feedings and such.
And, of course, our midwives were great. Our primary midwife Tia has been great, and Marlene, our backup, was a wonderful and extremely helpful participant in the birth.
So, now we are just settling back into something like what our normal life will become!
-t
Monday, December 21, 2009
Birth Story Pre-Posting
Betsy gave birth to our son, William Henry Moss (we'll call him "Henry") on Saturday afternoon at 1:34 PM. He was 8lbs 6oz. of joy right from the get go. He was born at home, which was an awesome and beautiful experience, but then Betsy developed a rare and unforeseeable complication that required her to go into the hospital for surgery. The surgery was successful and hopefully she will be able to come home tomorrow (Tuesday). I've been with her and Henry in the hospital, but I'm just coming home to take a shower, nap and post this update.
Big thanks to everyone for their prayers and concern. It means a lot to us that so many people have been apart of this time in our lives. I'll be able to share more details and lessons learned and other blog-worthy tid-bits after we've had a chance to get our bearings again. Right now I'm just gonna go down for a nap!
-t
Big thanks to everyone for their prayers and concern. It means a lot to us that so many people have been apart of this time in our lives. I'll be able to share more details and lessons learned and other blog-worthy tid-bits after we've had a chance to get our bearings again. Right now I'm just gonna go down for a nap!
-t
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thoughts from a Tuesday
A busy day that started with some e-mails and phone calls and then the Trad Com (BCP Communion) service at Messiah. I regretted not transferring the Feast of Holy Cross to a Sunday, but at least I was able to transfer it to today! Not surprisingly, I had plenty to preach about on the Patronal Feast of OHC! A pleasant lunch with some of my parishioners followed.
In the early afternoon I drove down to Diocesan HQ for a meeting related to the Back to Church Sunday initiative. Bishop Poole was leading the meeting, but Bishop Johnson did stop by briefly to share some thoughts about the project. I couldn't help noticing that he was wearing a really flattering suit. And I admit thinking, "I wonder how many suits he had to buy when he became bishop?" Lol. He also shared that a new grand child was to be born immanently. Good for him.
After the meeting it was back to Messiah for a staff meeting. It went longer than usual, which I should have anticipated given that Eric is new on staff and it's the beginning of the church's programme year. We prayed briefly, then we debriefed last Sunday and planned for the next. Much of our time ended up focusing on the Confirmation Service/Bishop's Visitation/Back-to-Church Sunday marathon that will be September 27th! Now we've added a bouncy castle. Because everybody loves the bouncy castle! We also beginning to talk about the Christmas Pageant (yeah, really!).
In November Eric is going to the "Music that Makes Community Conference" in Atlanta. I've talked about paperless singing on this blog from time-to-time, and these conferences put on by the All Saints Company (the people that gave the world St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco) are the place to go to learn about that. I'm thrilled that Eric is going. In fact, he wanted to go long before he was called to COTM. It's a three day conference/workshop teaching the techniques of so-called "paperless singing." It's a method of congregational worship that recovers much older methods of making music in community. It uses techniques like call-and-response, lining, rounds, etc. to get a congregation singing together. Inevitably it feels much more organic, free, and intimate than head-in-hymnal, everybody-follow-the-organ, style singing.
Needless to say, I'd love to go to this conference. The only problem is that the same week I'm going to this year's Preaching College at St. Clement's. This is an invitation-only intensive four-day workshop for preachers. I'm wondering whether I can miss the last half-day and take the red-eye to Atlanta? The other option is to attend the same conference a few months later in January in San Francisco. I love San Francisco--but at that point I'll have a new baby at home and (probably) no desire to travel! Besides, there is a nice synergy that will happen if Eric and I are BOTH at the same conference. I had such a blast the last time I went to an All Saints Company conference, I'd love to share that with one (or more) of my worship staff.
One of the things I love about Eric that we have a shared language for talking about liturgy. I have yet to come up with anything (a term, a hymn, a resource, anything) that he doesn't know about. I suspect he may have a better liturgical library than I do! Going to a conference like this will only take that shared language to the next level: shared experience!
So I'm trying to figure out how to make that trip work!
Lots of other challenges at work. Many of which I just can't talk about for obvious reasons. Suffice it to say, my plate is full.
Meanwhile, Betsy's belly is getting bigger. She's feeling great except for a little bit of joint soreness in her hips. She's been getting good advice via Facebook about that. We are both reading and studying pregnancy stuff like the nerds we are!
The weather in Ontario is starting to turn cool. It makes me think about the need to schedule a firewood delivery and do more canning. Maybe we'll get the farmer's market again this weekend...
-t
In the early afternoon I drove down to Diocesan HQ for a meeting related to the Back to Church Sunday initiative. Bishop Poole was leading the meeting, but Bishop Johnson did stop by briefly to share some thoughts about the project. I couldn't help noticing that he was wearing a really flattering suit. And I admit thinking, "I wonder how many suits he had to buy when he became bishop?" Lol. He also shared that a new grand child was to be born immanently. Good for him.
After the meeting it was back to Messiah for a staff meeting. It went longer than usual, which I should have anticipated given that Eric is new on staff and it's the beginning of the church's programme year. We prayed briefly, then we debriefed last Sunday and planned for the next. Much of our time ended up focusing on the Confirmation Service/Bishop's Visitation/Back-to-Church Sunday marathon that will be September 27th! Now we've added a bouncy castle. Because everybody loves the bouncy castle! We also beginning to talk about the Christmas Pageant (yeah, really!).
In November Eric is going to the "Music that Makes Community Conference" in Atlanta. I've talked about paperless singing on this blog from time-to-time, and these conferences put on by the All Saints Company (the people that gave the world St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco) are the place to go to learn about that. I'm thrilled that Eric is going. In fact, he wanted to go long before he was called to COTM. It's a three day conference/workshop teaching the techniques of so-called "paperless singing." It's a method of congregational worship that recovers much older methods of making music in community. It uses techniques like call-and-response, lining, rounds, etc. to get a congregation singing together. Inevitably it feels much more organic, free, and intimate than head-in-hymnal, everybody-follow-the-organ, style singing.
Needless to say, I'd love to go to this conference. The only problem is that the same week I'm going to this year's Preaching College at St. Clement's. This is an invitation-only intensive four-day workshop for preachers. I'm wondering whether I can miss the last half-day and take the red-eye to Atlanta? The other option is to attend the same conference a few months later in January in San Francisco. I love San Francisco--but at that point I'll have a new baby at home and (probably) no desire to travel! Besides, there is a nice synergy that will happen if Eric and I are BOTH at the same conference. I had such a blast the last time I went to an All Saints Company conference, I'd love to share that with one (or more) of my worship staff.
One of the things I love about Eric that we have a shared language for talking about liturgy. I have yet to come up with anything (a term, a hymn, a resource, anything) that he doesn't know about. I suspect he may have a better liturgical library than I do! Going to a conference like this will only take that shared language to the next level: shared experience!
So I'm trying to figure out how to make that trip work!
Lots of other challenges at work. Many of which I just can't talk about for obvious reasons. Suffice it to say, my plate is full.
Meanwhile, Betsy's belly is getting bigger. She's feeling great except for a little bit of joint soreness in her hips. She's been getting good advice via Facebook about that. We are both reading and studying pregnancy stuff like the nerds we are!
The weather in Ontario is starting to turn cool. It makes me think about the need to schedule a firewood delivery and do more canning. Maybe we'll get the farmer's market again this weekend...
-t
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Betsy's Return
Yesterday Betsy's flight was delayed many times. She didn't finally step through the sliding glass doors of international arrivals at Toronto Pearson until about 12:10 A.M. last night! I greeted her there with a poster that said "Yeah Betsy!" and had various slogans on it like, "It's all Greek to her," and "The icon of loveliness," and so forth. We were both utterly exhausted when we got home, so both decided to take it easy today. I have a couple of things to do at work, but have basically decided that this morning belonged to me and the wife and I haven't seen in nearly two months!
Anyway, we are safe and sound and together again. When I left her Betsy was alternating between light housework and watching some talk show called "Motherhood."
Today I've got an ARC meeting. And have been fielding a few e-mails and phone calls.
-t
Anyway, we are safe and sound and together again. When I left her Betsy was alternating between light housework and watching some talk show called "Motherhood."
Today I've got an ARC meeting. And have been fielding a few e-mails and phone calls.
-t
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Project Updates
Betsy completed the difficult and worrisome trip across the border into Macedonia (FROY) yesterday (Thessaloniki to Ohrid). It was mainly scary because there was so little information available about how to make this trip. We couldn't even get maps for her GPS. When all was said and done she made the trip safely and even met a few fellow travellers who helped with translation and advice. You can read about the train adventure on her travel blog. I was particularly amused by the giant bath towel origami swan that was waiting on her hotel bed.
One of the really neat things she told me when we last spoke a few days ago is that she can now feel the baby moving--no doubt about it. In fact, she was at a hotel pool one day and looked down and could see the little mossling pushing against her belly and making its shape change. This was a big relief for her, and for me. Something about being able see and feel the baby moving is very reassuring!
I'm pretty well recovered from my trip and have been working very hard on two major projects--the HCM/OHC Websites and my tube amplifier. I've been blogging more about the website, but the Tube Amp has seen good progress as well. The only problem is that I keep finding myself missing small but critical parts. The sort of rare and specific stuff that you can't just pick up at Radio Shack. (Ever searched through bins looking for a 47uF 250V Capacitor?) Luckily there are lots of websites on line for buying these kinds of odd parts.
"Didn't your kit come with everything I needed to make a tube amp," you might ask? Sure, it came with everything I needed but not everything I wanted. The initial design is so simple and open to improvement and modification that it is very difficult not to tinker. So at the this point I'm doing all kinds of mods like upgraded transformers, capacitors, and the potentiometer, substantially modifying the AC/DC conversion part of the circuit, and making other changes, as well. For instance, in the original design the inrush current into the four vacuum tubes is uneven, they sort of start glowing in sequence rather than in parallel. This is because, effectively, the circuit trace on the PCB connecting these tubes and providing the electricity to the "heaters" is too thin. Solution--connect the last pair of these pins with the first pair of these pins, thus giving the juice a more even in-rush. Another tip, adding small capacitors between each pair of heater pins to even out juice. But making these mods I just mentioned required some very intricate soldering work. So far all my solders have checked out with an ohms meter--but I do wonder how much time I'm going to have to spend debugging this amp!
I spent a good part of today scanning old photographs from the Order's archives. More of that do. lots of downtime as the scans commence, so I'm reading David McCullough's book 1776 to fill the time.
The Monastery is very quiet. Silence reigns as everyone is on retreat. Quite nice, actually, though I am looking forward to things getting social again.
-t
One of the really neat things she told me when we last spoke a few days ago is that she can now feel the baby moving--no doubt about it. In fact, she was at a hotel pool one day and looked down and could see the little mossling pushing against her belly and making its shape change. This was a big relief for her, and for me. Something about being able see and feel the baby moving is very reassuring!
I'm pretty well recovered from my trip and have been working very hard on two major projects--the HCM/OHC Websites and my tube amplifier. I've been blogging more about the website, but the Tube Amp has seen good progress as well. The only problem is that I keep finding myself missing small but critical parts. The sort of rare and specific stuff that you can't just pick up at Radio Shack. (Ever searched through bins looking for a 47uF 250V Capacitor?) Luckily there are lots of websites on line for buying these kinds of odd parts.
"Didn't your kit come with everything I needed to make a tube amp," you might ask? Sure, it came with everything I needed but not everything I wanted. The initial design is so simple and open to improvement and modification that it is very difficult not to tinker. So at the this point I'm doing all kinds of mods like upgraded transformers, capacitors, and the potentiometer, substantially modifying the AC/DC conversion part of the circuit, and making other changes, as well. For instance, in the original design the inrush current into the four vacuum tubes is uneven, they sort of start glowing in sequence rather than in parallel. This is because, effectively, the circuit trace on the PCB connecting these tubes and providing the electricity to the "heaters" is too thin. Solution--connect the last pair of these pins with the first pair of these pins, thus giving the juice a more even in-rush. Another tip, adding small capacitors between each pair of heater pins to even out juice. But making these mods I just mentioned required some very intricate soldering work. So far all my solders have checked out with an ohms meter--but I do wonder how much time I'm going to have to spend debugging this amp!
I spent a good part of today scanning old photographs from the Order's archives. More of that do. lots of downtime as the scans commence, so I'm reading David McCullough's book 1776 to fill the time.
The Monastery is very quiet. Silence reigns as everyone is on retreat. Quite nice, actually, though I am looking forward to things getting social again.
-t
Monday, August 3, 2009
My Wife the Photographer
Betsy is finished with her language programme in Athens, so the second part of her trip (research) has begun. That means travelling, mostly by herself, all over Greece and into Macedonia (the part that is in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, not the province in Greece). You can read about the details of her trip on her travel blog.
Before she left we bought her a second camera, a discrete little point-and-shoot canon sureshot along with a small tripod. It honestly seemed a little redundant to me to bring two digital cameras, but they have turned out to be very complementary. For instance, when visiting sites she has often given a friend her point-and-shoot while she takes charge of the DSLR. Also, there is a lot of sensitivity in some places about looking too professional when you are taking pictures of the art. In low light situations it simply isn't practical or advisable to try to set up the DSLR for a tripod shot. The point and shoot, on the other hand, can be deployed quickly and discretely.
She has been taking hundreds and hundred of pictures of churches like this one:
as well as some more artistic shots like this one:
I'm very proud and her and her pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of them when she returns...
-t
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
It Makes the Heart Glad...
This picture just pleases me in a million ways. Look at that smile!
You can follow Betsy's Studies/Travel this summer of her travel blog...
-t
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Canada Day
Started my Canada day saying Mass. There was another first-time visitor. My, my, that service seems to be suddenly growing, now, little by little. All the more reason not to suspend it while I'm away. Right now I'm trying to find the right priest to do it for me while I'm away.
after that was the usual e-mail and errands, then a lunch meeting with the Stewardship Committee. it was a very enjoyable time, actually, sitting on the deck of my favourite pub and talking about a lot of things beyond the stewardship campaign. Back to the church for a little while and then sailing.
The wind was light, so the sailing was far from nail biting, but it was pleasant weather to be on a boat in the Inner Harbour. Lots of other people had similar ideas about how to spend the holiday.
I really missed Betsy last night and today. Hard to believe I won't see her again until mid-August! She seems to be enjoying her programme in Athens, though.
Incidentally, for my birthday (coming up on Friday) someone gave me the equivalent of a gift certificate to buy a kit to put together my own tube amplifier. I've been wanting to take on a project like this for a long time, so I'm really looking forward to creating the sort of pure amp that audiophiles dream about. It's going to require learning a lot of new things, which is part of the point!
-t
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Betsy's New Blog
BTW, Betsy has a new blog to chronicle her adventures this summer: Betsy Abroad. She'll be in Athens taking more Byzantine Greek and then travelling around Greece and Macedonia looking at things relevant to her research. She won't be back in Toronto until August 15th.
In the meantime, until I go to Holy Cross in mid-July I'll be resisting the worst of my bachelor instincts to order pizza every night! Though, actually, I did manage to cook for myself last night (Fajitas). I can cook--but it's hard to motivate myself to cook for one!
-t
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A Little Surprise for the World...
Yep... This means what you all think it means...
The Mossling is due Dec. 14th. Mom and baby are doing great!
-t
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
CCC Update
A busy day--and not over. Before heading to work I did some house cleaning. Then we had a meeting of the CCC (Christ-Centred Character) Initiative. I have talked about that much lately, but our continues to develop an Anglican-Christian response to the Character Development Movement that has taken hold in the secular and Catholic school boards. Today we created a first draft of a grant application. We also ate doughnuts and spoke of our goals for the next year. One of the interesting things we want to create is a library (a real library, not just virtual) of Christian Education resources. Right now a lot of folks just head into the Anglican Book Centre and look at what's for sale. A much better approach is to have a Diocesan library where people can go and check stuff out and even talk to a live librarian. So far as I know, Toronto doesn't have one of those (yet).
After the meeting I attended to various phone calls and e-mails and paperwork. Then, gasp I cleaned off my desk. Most of the stuff on it simply needed to be either tossed or filed. The results (a desk mostly free of clutter) is extremely satisfying. How long will it last?!
I'm missing Betsy. Weird how different life at home is without her. It's kind of boring! She comes back Sunday afternoon...
-t
After the meeting I attended to various phone calls and e-mails and paperwork. Then, gasp I cleaned off my desk. Most of the stuff on it simply needed to be either tossed or filed. The results (a desk mostly free of clutter) is extremely satisfying. How long will it last?!
I'm missing Betsy. Weird how different life at home is without her. It's kind of boring! She comes back Sunday afternoon...
-t
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Ceiling Fan
Monday I installed a ceiling fan in Betsy's office. This is a very satisfying item to cross off the Honey-Do list. Installation was not straightforward as the electrical junction box in the ceiling was merely attached to the side of a joist rather than under it--it was never meant to carry the weight of a fan. So on the advice of a friend wise in such things I ended up screwing the mounting bracket for the fan into the joist a few inches off center from the junction box. That left a nasty looking hole in the ceiling. So next I used scissors to cut a piece of cardboard to fit the hole perfectly. I took that downstairs and traced the pattern onto a piece of thin scrap wood. I cut it with a handy scroll saw that Betsy gave me for my birthday a while back. Betsy happened to be painting something white, so I had her paint the patch to approximately match the ceiling. Voila! She has a fan in her office. After that it's time to crack open a beer and watch football.
-t
-t
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Göreme
The bus trip to Cappadocia was pretty challenging--12 1/2 hours, cramped and hot. This was no tourist bus--this is simply the way most people in Turkey would get from Istanbul to Cappadocia. It was just one step up from the "Chicken Buses" I've ridden in Nepal and Mexico. Although there was no livestock, we smelled like some when we finally arrived in Göreme. Our hotel room is actually carved out of some of the soft rock this area of the world is famous for. After lunch and a nap we explored some of the area on a serious (2 hour) horseback ride up the valley ridges and through farm land and villages . Seeing the fig orchards and vineyards was very satsifying.
Back in town, we had a late supper and are now heading to bed. A local dish is meat cooked in a clay jar. The waiter brings the jar over to your table and carefully breaks it apart with a hammer (attempting to keep the shards out of the food). Very nice. People are friendly and the food is good. Tomorow we'll see the ancient rock carved churches and monasteries up close. They even have cities carved entirely underground.
A few pics...
Betsy on horseback
Monk Cells carved into the hillside
Breaking open a clay cooking jar to reveal meaty goodness
-t
Back in town, we had a late supper and are now heading to bed. A local dish is meat cooked in a clay jar. The waiter brings the jar over to your table and carefully breaks it apart with a hammer (attempting to keep the shards out of the food). Very nice. People are friendly and the food is good. Tomorow we'll see the ancient rock carved churches and monasteries up close. They even have cities carved entirely underground.
A few pics...
-t
Monday, July 14, 2008
Betsy's Blog
Betsy started a blog to write about our travels and adventures this summer. You can find it here. Here's an article that I particularly liked.
She has a bunch of pictures of the cats that hang around the university residences to accompany the article. Apparently she is enjoying herself!
-t
Small Cat Safari
With dozens of years in the industry, Queen’s Elms Residence is able to combine our expertise with your dreams to create a perfect safari. We listen to your needs and desires and are especially equipped to eliminate any unwanted rodents such as mice.
Spend the day rambling through the bush and across the grassy planes. You may wish to be escorted by trackers and a guide who will give you insight into their fascinating culture and way of life. These uniformed workers who appear at various stations around the Elms Residence are unable to answer any questions about life either within or beyond the limits of Elms, yet they are retained for the unique insight into the life patterns of the small cats breed in their nature reserve. Their dedication alone preserves the high concentration of tabbies, medium, and short haired cats.
Your best opportunities to see cats within this preserve are in the vicinity of trash bins, on windowsills, and behind the shrubberies. (source)
She has a bunch of pictures of the cats that hang around the university residences to accompany the article. Apparently she is enjoying herself!
-t
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Life Without the Wife
We had a long but great staff meeting today. I'm really happy having Kerrie on board--she fits the team perfectly. We spent about three hours hashing through all kinds of projects. One of the things that made me really happy was the large amount of time spent on strategic initiatives--for instance, we are already talking about a meeting we will have in September to plan the year's calendar. The result of a more strategic view is much more room for creativity and exploration. I'm loving it. Things are flowing nicely! I would be interested to read a study about how time is spent in staff meetings. Intuitively, I would think about third of the time should be spent talking about the past, a third on the future, and a third on the present.
Betsy is getting along fine in Belfast. We have been talking on Skype and it works well for us. I even get to see a video feed from the camera on her laptop. She is still getting used to the time difference.
I've logged about 20 hours on Grand Theft Auto--which has gotten me about 25% through the game. I have to say that it gets more entertaining as it goes along and one learns the fundamental skills of the game (driving and shooting, mostly). The missions become more challenging and more interesting.
I'm also still mind-boggled at the amount of detail in the game. For instance, I took a character to a comedy club to earn their friendship, and Ricky Gervais did a stand up routine. Yes, the real voice and routine of Ricky Gervais. How's that for random?
Otherwise, I'm surviving Betsy's absence okay. I do miss her, though. I keep thinking I'm going to see her at the end of the day...
-t
Betsy is getting along fine in Belfast. We have been talking on Skype and it works well for us. I even get to see a video feed from the camera on her laptop. She is still getting used to the time difference.
I've logged about 20 hours on Grand Theft Auto--which has gotten me about 25% through the game. I have to say that it gets more entertaining as it goes along and one learns the fundamental skills of the game (driving and shooting, mostly). The missions become more challenging and more interesting.
I'm also still mind-boggled at the amount of detail in the game. For instance, I took a character to a comedy club to earn their friendship, and Ricky Gervais did a stand up routine. Yes, the real voice and routine of Ricky Gervais. How's that for random?
Otherwise, I'm surviving Betsy's absence okay. I do miss her, though. I keep thinking I'm going to see her at the end of the day...
-t
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tay and Betsy in Istanbul?
Betsy is thinking of traveling to Istanbul this summer for research. It may be possible for her take her favorite sherpa, Father Tay. Since most of Betsy's research is going to take her to more obscure parts of Turkey, Greece, and possibly Georgia, this is probably my only opportunity to visit Istanbul for several years, at least, so it's hard to turn down.
So I've been learning about Istanbul. It's Europe's most populous city: a place where East and West meet geographically and culturally. The city seems to be jam packed with interesting cultural and religious sites to see.
I've also made contact with the Anglican Church in Istanbul: Christ Church. This seems like a thriving parish with a strong ministry to refugees.
Stay tuned for more developments....
-t
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