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How
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A Month in 206 McKenna
How does one describe what one does
for a living? Since my job is so varied, I thought
I'd set down a sample of what I accomplished
at SPU this month ― so, in no particular order . . .
In late January I submitted the
business school's 2011-12 Time Schedule to
Student Academic Services. This year I
prepared the schedule in December and turned it over
to the two Associate Deans to edit. It then
came back to me to communicate it to the university.
In February, I proofed the returned copy, made
additional changes, and turned in the second draft.
I participated in three faculty
candidate interviews for a new position in Business
Ethics. The school hired Rev. Dr. Bruce Baker.
Bruce had been with us as an adjunct and has a
one-year appointment with us this year.
I desktop published the
study guide for Jeff Van Duzer's book,
Why
Business Matters to God. CIB Director
John Terrill wrote, "Thanks Dick.
Sorry to rush you with this... I really like what
you've done to make it dance. Again, my (our)
sincere thanks."
I launched the website for the
new
Master of Arts in Social and Sustainable Management.
Someone else had designed it, but I needed to
update it.
I designed personal web sites
for Drs. Baker, Mason, and Steinke.
I taught the BUS 3620 Management
Information Systems unit on web design, and tutored
numerous students in my office through the web
design process.
I staffed "my" computer lab from
time to time when one or other of my Lab Assistants
was out.
I ordered and installed a few
new printers and scanners for CIB and the lab.
The Spring registration
edition of the
SBE Undergraduate eNews got published on time
via email and the web.
I moved my "personal" data (over
13 years worth) from \\matthew\sl8 to my secure SPU My
Documents folder.
I mail merged the undergraduate
admission decision information and sent out batch
emails to admitted, provisional, and denied
students.
And I taught my monthly "Technology
Tip" lesson to the SBE faculty.
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Seniors Connor Lang (103) and Xavier Williams
(130) Make it to State
Only two BCS wrestlers made it to
State. Connor had one win and Xavier had two.
I followed them to the Tacoma Dome for the first day Mat
Classic XXIII.
Connor had wrestled before but he
was too light to compete in prior years. I call Conner
"Mr. Lang" because of his maturity.
For the X-man, Xavier, this was his
second trip to State. He did not win on Saturday
and earned 8th place in his 16-man 130 pound 1A bracket.
He is the last BCS wrestler to have been on one of
Nathanael's teams.
I equivocate about shooting BCS
wrestling again next year. But I suspect I will.
I got strong encouragement from a Christian coach from
Nooksack Valley. And the WIAA paid me $125 for being
their official photographer at the 1A Region I
championships at BCS this month.
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A Valentine
Gift to
Remember
Mother of Pearl Banded Lid Resin Toilet Seat - Standard
Size
"This beautiful toilet seat has a high gloss durable
finish and is enhanced by a band of Mother of Pearl
across the lid that complements endless decors. The
chrome plated hinges offer a sophisticated polish.
Measures approximately 16 1/3" L x 14 3/4" W x 1 3/4" H
and fits standard toilet bowls. Installs easily with the
included hardware. Wash with mild soap."
This was Nancy's Valentine gift to me. And much
appreciated it was.
 My
gift to her was a metal tin of Valentine chocolates.
But as I have done in the past, she got it on the 15th
because the same item is twice the cost the day before.
Annie and JB got less elaborate boxes.
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BREAKING NEWS:
Dad Suffers "Massive" Stroke
On the morning of March 1st, Randy
discovered dad in a disabled state in his bed around
8:30 a.m. It was a 911 moment. The CT scan
at Swedish/ Cherry Hill revealed that a large blood clot
had caused a stroke in his right frontal lobe, and
related damage to the right hemisphere of dad's brain
had been extensive. The right brain damage
severely impacts his left side functions including
movement and speech.
Randy was with him through most of
the day and dad tried to communicate with him. His
nurse reported that after Randy went home, dad called
out "Randy help!" a few times. Don and I visited him in
the evening, but he did not wake, although I spoke very
loudly to him. All three of his sons will return
to the hospital on Wednesday the 2nd, the day before his
92nd birthday. His prognosis is very grave.
We have been called to discuss "end of life issues" with
his neurologist. Brain swelling over the next few
days is an expected, and often fatal, complication. [ I
wonder if very recent multiple tooth extractions led to
this crisis. ]
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Nate
Races in Idaho and at
the "Last Chance" Indoor Meet
For once it was Nathanael's first race of
the season instead of his last, which qualified him for the GNAC
Conference Championships in Nampa, Idaho, on February 18-19th.
He was seeded 15th out of 18 but ran dead last with a
2:02.13 on Saturday. I assume he was
tired after he ran the 800m in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR)
on Friday night. The video showed him boxed in. But
his teammate, Nate Seely won the 800m again this year with a
1:54.35.
1:58.96 (UW Invite), 2:01.98 (UW Indoor
Open), 2:02.13 (GNAC), and 2:02.18 on February 26th at the "Last
Chance" Open were his 800m times this indoor season.
High school teammate Kyle Fremd from Central
Washington University (below) did not qualify for the
championships as an individual, but ran well in the DMR (where
Nate and SPU just beat Kyle and CWU), and in the 4x400m where
his team took 2nd well ahead of SPU. Bruce Fremd sent this
photo.
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A Diet that Seems to be Working
QFC has a "buy 10 get $3 off plus a $3
coupon" special on until March 1st. And they are unloading their Chunky
Soup, probably because it's got "Official Soup of the NFL" on it.
I'm buying ten cans of soup every time I walk past QFC.
This soup is going to my office and I'm having one can for lunch
each workday. I'll have bought six months worth of soup
before the sale ends.
And for the first time in weeks, I'm losing
weight. Two cups of soup is less than 400 calories, and
more importantly, 60 or fewer grams of carbohydrates.
I reason that I can enjoy a $5 foot long
Subway sandwich or a can of soup for only $0.70. And I
recall "A Scout is Thrifty." Coupled with walking 30,000 plus
steps each week, I feel like I'm on a better trajectory.
My visit with Dr. Kelley on February 8th
revealed that I'd slipped on my diet ― a fact of which I was
well aware. My "Chunky Soup Diet" is a step in the right
direction.
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 Mom
on Her Pain Meds
The Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen pain pills
that mom got on 2/21/2011 have changed her behavior greatly.
About the 23rd, Jean began to hallucinate both with sights and
sounds. On the 25th and 26th we have not given her any
more pain pills ― first, because
she is complaining much less about her aches and pains,
especially about those in her legs, and second, because her
hallucinations have continued and have even increased.
In the wee hours of Saturday the 26th, she
got up by herself three times -- something she has done only
rarely over the past few years. She got into her wheel
chair in her stocking feet and twice rolled into our master
bedroom area. And at 6:00 a.m. I found her lying on the
living room sofa (without her sox). She'd gotten out of
bed and navigated the length of the first floor on her own and
gotten out of her wheel chair and onto the sofa while we slept.
For the past hour tonight (the 26th) she's
been regaling me with a long tale of unseen visitors.
While in bed, she "read" (very clearly and loudly) a rambling
newspaper-styled account of populations of Indian tribes and
villages, roads and distances, and a date was mentioned in the
1860s. She said she could not read more because she could
not turn the page. I recorded a few minutes of her
monologue on tape. She seemed a bit upset because the
visitors (a couple, a man in red, a child, mice, birds, Don's
dog, and more) would not reply but were content to listen to
her.
Now she's "reading" a blank piece of paper.
"Beside being already being built belly
down under catch all river land by springs. Bring along a number
of individual make-up made with microdots under such bad
circumstances you may not supply enough aerodynamic individuals
to firm down the four and the totally different difficult the
new making grounds (tieack) someone ... ruled out macaroon ice
chips until a Pharaoh and accountability can't be determined.
. . ." (And she continued faster than I could type.)
I'm afraid to leave her alone because she seems to be quite
energized! Normally she'd be happy to go to bed at night.
Right now she thinks we're in Canada or Alaska and she's trying
to use the phone by my desk.
Finally, to bed. It's 1:05 a.m. on
Sunday the 27th. She's still wired and talking. The
"people" in the room aren't asking her questions. But she
wants to answer them..
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Bits
and Pieces
Jeannie Beth did not receive a part in the BCS spring
musical, Godspell, but after seeing it
performed at SPU, she volunteered for the Stage Manager
position. I have no objection if she does not run
Track this spring.
One
area of photography I'm often asked to help with is
passport photos. I took one of Tom Disher.
(If my gig with SBE goes south, maybe I could get on at
the DMV?!) Tom had a job interview with JET (The Japan Exchange and
Teaching Programme). We will hear in April if he will be
offered a job. If so, he and Annie will extend their
honeymoon to Japan for 2011-12.
Nancy is out buying interior doors at the end of
February. I count a need for six on the main
floor, five on the second floor, and one for Annie's
attic (plus 2 for the attic cubbies.) I'm not
about to expect any for the basement. On the 26th,
Annie shopped with Nancy for doors and bought closet
doors for Nathanael and Jeannie Beth and a Dutch door
for the gym.
I learned this month that my
friend Rev. Randy Working has advanced prostate cancer.
He is a pastor, writer, artist...
At the end of February, we are at
Jeremiah 15:10 on Saturday mornings. It's hard to
pick a summary verse, but Jeremiah 15:1a comes close.
Then the LORD said to me: "Even if Moses and Samuel
were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to
this people."
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My
quote from January
“[T]he success of Sputnik seemed to come out of nowhere.
It seemed to confirm that their German scientists were
far ahead of our German scientists.”
The Washington Times
Editorial, Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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 Annie
is 24
Ginger and Susan brought a fudge
cake, and Nathanael came home from SPU for a birthday
party for Annie on the 27th. Kristen Ashpole and
Tom Disher had slept over on Saturday night so the whole
weekend was one long party.
For her birthday we got Annie a
Tiffany-styled lamp that was on their wedding registry a
JC Penney.
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