Specimens

My mother collects insects. I'm not sure where she picked up the hobby, but we have always had some sort of specimen lying around the house. We kids have started bringing home interesting ones that we find, like a beautiful intact praying mantis. She had bought a number of different ones including some incredibly creepy ones. The first time you see a hairy Goliath Bird-Eating Spider, you realize why so many people are afraid of arachnids.
But she doesn't just collect the creepy ones. She has some beautiful butterflies that she has collected throughout the years. Moths and butterflies of every shape and color imaginable. They always remind me of the sheer beauty of nature. Many of them are framed and hung on the walls. Nature as art. So when I found this artist on Roadside Scholar, I thought of my mother.

I'll have to check prices and see about purchasing one of these incredible and incredibly large butterflies for her. The artist is Michelle Stitzlein and she creates her beautiful bugs using objects that she finds. Those wings are mostly made with piano keys. (that should give you some idea of the scale of these pieces)

I love found art (art made from found materials) and these just speak to me. I'll have to look into them for my mother. Just gorgeous. Michelle has a number of other found art sculptures on her website. The teapot is a little more up my alley.

My Christmas Present

When I was 20 I fell in love with this photograph. The subject is poet Charles Baudelaire and the photographer is Felix Nadar. The original photograph is owned by the musee d'Orsey in Paris. It was copied here without permission, for which I will probably get in trouble. But when I have the money, I'm going to the musee d'Orsey just to see this photo. I want to see it in the flesh. When I first saw it I realized that it represented so perfectly my idea of passion and madness and poetry and writing. Nadar captures it beautifully.

I mention this photograph because it is a perfect lead into what has to be the most exciting library news I've had in a long time. (yes there is exciting library news). A virtual European online library has been created. And it is currently beta testing. I read the BBC each morning and they mentioned that the site was having problems keeping up with users. So of course I had to add to the strain. http://www.europeana.eu/ for anyone interested.

This is currently a 2 million plus volume virtual library that contains some of the greatest treasures of Europe, including the photo displayed above. There are history museum that have contributed. Art museums that have digitalized photos and paintings. Libraries that have digitalized hundreds of thousands of books. Archives that have opened their doors virtually. For a librarian, this is as close to heaven as it gets. The National Libraries of almost all European nations have opened their doors to this project. The goal is to digitize 10 million items for the public to access from anywhere in the world.

The site has been up and running since November 20th. The project is run out of the National Library of the Netherlands. Virtual libraries are an increasing phenomenon and with good reason. So many people are turning to the internet to get information. They might as well make it good information. For an archivist this is a chance to get delicate works out there for use, while still maintaining the integrity of the original. Speaking for librarians, the goal of a book or artwork is to be used. This allows use from anywhere across the world. Geography is no longer a constraint to access to information. We have gone from closed privileged libraries, where books were literally chained to the shelves, to this virtual library where anyone, anywhere can access any information they need. Let's hope it gets used and gets increased funding. As for me, I'm in heaven.

(Sorry about the frequent postings but the office is slow today and this was just too good to pass up.)

Merry Christmas and Sensational Saturnalia

Any of my friends will tell you, because I've said it often myself, that I'm a recovering Catholic. I was raised Catholic, attending Catholic schools, and went to mass every week. (during school twice a week) At 16 I decided I wasn't going to church anymore. I just no longer believed. My mother persuaded me to continue until I was 18 and then she would never mention it again. I went until 18 and she has never said a word about it again. I love her for that.

So Christmas is an odd time for me. I love the festivities and the cheer of Christmas. I'm not huge on the commercial side of it but I do love wrapped gifts. I'm not a shopper but I actually like buying gifts for people. But the religous part of the whole holiday kind of escapes me. Over the years I've paid it less and less attention. I just love getting together with family and spending time.

So this year I'm focusing on what I do love about the season. Strangely it's the same thing that the pagans used to love about this time of year, the lengthening of days. Jeff and I joke that we are phototropic. We love the sun. And particularly love the warmth (Yes I still have no idea why I'm in the midwest in winter. Makes no sense to me). So the sun's return is a reason to celebrate. The ancient pagan religions of Rome celebrated Saturnalia to honor Saturn, the god of sowing. The holiday was to bring about the return of the sun and the return of agriculture. A statue of Saturn, which was bound throughout the year was untied. It was a seven day festival (Dec 17-23) that included visiting family, gift-giving (particularly gifts of candles), and decorating. In Rome it was a week of sheer debauchery: feasting, drinking, dancing, gifts, and merry-making.

Over the decades the worship of Saturnalia changed to Sol Invictus (meaning Unconquered Sun) which was celebrated on December 25th, which is the first day the lengthening of days can be noticed. Many of the traditions of Saturnalia moved to this new holiday including gift giving, decorating the greenery, and candles. When Christians began to rise in power they wanted to find a day to celebrate Jesus's birth. Since no one knew exactly when that was, the early Christian leaders set it for December 25th. They figured that since people were already celebrating, then it would be simpler to add new (more Christian) traditions in. This worked, slowing ending Saturnalia and Sol Invictus, and bringing about the modern ideas of Christmas.

So this Christmas, as I celebrate with family and friends, it will be the return of the sun (son, hmmm) that I am thinking of. My idea is that we are either moving away from summer or towards it. Tomorrow I celebrate that we are visibly moving towards it. Merry Christmas all. And Happy Saturnalia.

Christmas excitement

I should be wrapping gifts right now. They are sitting unwrapped right next to the scissors, rolls of tape, and brightly colored paper. At least I've bought most of the gifts. This year has been odd. I'm really excited about Christmas but I haven't been incredibly excited about the consumer side of Christmas. I'm not a huge shopper but normally I love present buying. This year I just can't get into it. But I'm still excited about getting together. 

My family is huge. I'm one of five kids and when we, along with spouses and children, get together it is dangerous levels of family. And a little chaos is good for me occasionally. I'm incredibly excited to see everyone. Susan Sarandon did a movie many years ago called "Safe Passage". The movie is a pretty good drama but what I love about it is it shows the chaos of a big family well. We are normally all talking at the same time, and a couple of us will be quoting movies (not often the same movie). It's madness but in a good way. :-) 

We only buy for one family member now so shopping is much easier. I have one member of the family who was drawn for me. I'm to fill a stocking for that person. They will then open my gifts and try to guess who gave them the stocking. It's a fun game and buying gifts for everyone would make me go broke. Us kids all said that stockings were our favorite part of Christmas. We would all wait in the living room, normally from 4:30 or 5 in the morning until our parents woke up at 7. Then we could rip into our stockings. And then after that we hit the presents under the tree. But the anticipation of opening those stockings is one of my favorite Christmas memories. We would all be camped out on the couches, with the younger two relegated to the floor. And we would talk in whispers and peek at the stockings. I was magical. 

So I really should be wrapping those gifts. But instead I'm doing what I do every night lately. Playing WoW. Tonight we took on Halls of Lightning. I'm only 78 so this was a tougher instance than I've done before. Luckily I'm running with four very experienced level 80 guild members. We cleared every boss up until the last one. I died quickly on Loken and the others went down slower. But it was a wipe. As we reentered the instance we hit a lag spike. No one could move. I was kicked off the game and when I reentered the instance it had now reset. Grrr. Too late to continue tonight. 

Holiday Parties Done Right

I've had a couple holiday parties this year. I had a work party which my boss provides for us. It was a lot of fun but my work group is not very close knit so I need a few drinks to get me through. I had a potluck party that I was hosting so that was a lot more stress and work than normal. We've had other parties that were mostly just sitting around talking. And those were fun. But my favorite party so far was the one last night. The one that took place entirely at my computer.

My guild for World of Warcraft has monthly meetings and they are always a lot of fun. But the holiday party was great. We got dressed up in our winter gear (for me just a hat so far) and played Hide and Seek. Jeff has always said that it is more fun to play games while talking. And this was definately the case. We started out in Shattrath gathered in a group. The officers of the guild were not there though. They were already hiding in each of the main cities. We had nine people stashed away in Ironforge, Stormwind, Darnassus, The Exodar, Dalaran, and Shattrath. They were all hidden by trees and they were all dancing. (that didn't always make them easier to find) The rule was we had to find all nine and open trade with them. Then they gave us a present. (and some nice gifts too. I got enough gems to socket my gear) The first three to complete the entire race got prizes. (Really nice prizes). Now I have to say that there are a lot of hiding places in those cities. I should know I scoured each of them last night. I even got to go to a city I'd never been to before (The Exodar).

I'll tell you that I didn't win. I didn't even come close but I had a ball. Guildies were running everywhere, chatting, and posting about our presents. The officers, if we ran past, would tease us until we found them. It was great. And easily the best holiday party I have had this year. I'm sure my sister who reads this will tease me (goodhumoredly) about how much of a geek I am but in a family that's motto is "embrace your nerdiness" it won't be too taken too seriously. And I still had a blast.

Biophilia

I'm reading The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. In the book Weiner, an NPR journalist, travels around the world looking for the happiest places. One of the places he starts his journey at is in Switzerland. He is trying to figure out why the Swiss are so happy when he stumbles upon a word that sums up beautifully one of the things that makes me the happiest: biophilia. 

Have you ever gone walking in the woods? It doesn't matter what mood you have when you enter the woods. If you allow yourself to just be part of the woods you will walk out happier. There is a strange sense of peace we get when you are surrounded by nature. I never realized that there was a word for this feeling. The official definition is "the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life". Biophilia was coined by Edward O. Wilson in 1984. Perhaps this could explain why deeply urban dwellers seem to be less happy. There is simply less contact with the natural world. 

This is something I had noticed on my own many times. We took a cruise in October which was wonderful. But I noticed that I was starting to get irritable by the third day. We had been off the boat but Key West was mostly city, and Cozumel was mostly rushed. By Belize, Jeff and I were both frustrated and snapping. Then this little fellow came into my life. 

We were up walking on the deck when we found him. He appeared young and injured and I watched him for over three hours unsure of what to do to help. Mostly I wanted to protect him from people coming over and disturbing him. My hope is that with rest he would be strong again. I sketched him from afar and watched him. And my soul was soothed. The crew captured him (at the request of some other cruisers) and hopefully helped him off the boat to a rehabilitation clinic. That is my only hope. I cried as he was taken away assuming they would kill him. Now I don't know. I have no idea what species he is. If anyone knows, please leave a comment with it. All I know is that spending some time watching and protecting him, made me feel like myself again. I had missed that contact with nature. 

Just One More Book

I'm passionate about children's books. When I was young I was in love with picture books. As I grew older I moved to chapter books. And now that I'm an adult I love them both. I still pick up the occasional chapter book but it is really picture books that bring me back to the children's section. The blending of words and illustration is just magical to me. So many of my favorite books were picture books. Arnold Lobel, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Robert McClusky, P.D. Eastman...etc were the guides of my childhood and the passion of my adult life. And I'm constantly on the lookout for more stories. 

So when one of my favorite blogs (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast), pointed out a children's book podcast, I had to check it out. And I'm so glad I did. Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis have created the podcast "Just One More Book". The two, who are married, sit down before work at their favorite coffee house and review the books they and their children love. They interview authors, illustrators, and agents. And they are one of the strongest voices in the kid's lit world. The podcast comes out regularly and is available free through iTunes or through their website, among other spots. They give a summary of the story, discuss their reactions to the book, and talk about why it works. They do not review books they don't like. 

The passion these two have for children's books is contagious. I have been listening to the backlog of podcasts from the website at work. And I've been really excited about checking out the stories they have mentioned plus many others. I find that there are a ton of books out there that I simply don't know about. Sites like Just One More Book or Seven Impossible Things... remind me of all the new and unique books and artists that are out there. Then I hit the library and gather as many as I can. The ones I love I'll eventually purchase. I like having my own little library to lend from. 

So I have two requests for you my dear readers. First, if you enjoy children's books listen to an episode or two of Just One More Book and see what you think. It's free and lots of fun. My second request is because of an old curiosity I have. Whenever I am trying to get to know someone I always ask two questions. The first is name two places you have always wanted to travel to. And  the second is name your favorite children's book. So I extend that invitation, the same way Mark Blevis does at the end of every podcast. Tell me what your favorite kids books is. And in a post next week, I'll list mine. 

Beyond the Gift of the Magi

When I was in middle school we read The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. I'm sure it was right around Christmas. This was a charming short story so different from the Shakespeare and Poe that we had been working on. First and foremost it was funny, and secondly it was written for people like me. This was simple story, told well. it told about real people, struggling to make a living, and about love in a way that wasn't preachy. A couple years later I picked up my parent's illustrated copy of The Ransom of Red Chief and laughed along at the two bumbling kidnappers and their "boisterous" charge. (at the time Red Chief seemed cute. Now he seems more demon spawn) But these two short stories were refreshingly fun and wonderful stories.

But I never pushed on with O. Henry (actually named William Sydney Porter). I stopped with those up until now. Lately I've been bad about bringing a book to work. I just don't think about it in the mornings. So when I'm in the office for lunch I have nothing to read. And lately I haven't been writing. So I have been going to one of my favorite websites, Literature Network, for some light reading. This great site includes short stories and novels done by any author whose work is now public domain. And that I was happy to see included O. Henry.

I thought I had read the best of his stuff but I was very wrong. All of his short stories are wonderful. They all have the same charm and humor that his most famous two have. I have been treated to Cupid Ala Carte, The Third Ingredient, To Him Who Waits, The Princess and the Puma, among others. Most of his stories have a fun twist at the end that the reader can't see coming. And all of them are so well written. Now O. Henry was a southerner, writing right after the Civil War, so some of his ideas are dated. But the themes of his stories are all about regular people, living regular lives. They are rich with love stories and bank robberies and cowhands and city life. These, along with PG Wodehouse, are some of my favorite stories recently. For a quick read, there is simply nothing better.

Curses

My older sister has this amazing belief in serendipity that I happen to envy. She seems to believe that things happen for a reason and that they happen at just the right time for her. For example, when she is looking for a job, suddenly that is the time that she strikes up just the right conversation with someone and they mention that they are looking for someone. And of course it is exactly what she's always wanted to try. I am a little envious of that belief but perhaps a little more envious of the fact that it normally seems to work for her.

In the last year or so I've come to the belief that Murphy's Law seems to be the law of the land. I'm not saying that I'm cursed but I notice certain negative patterns. It is normally the moment when I think that the neighbors will be quiet and I can sleep, that one of them comes how loud with a stereo blaring. Or the instant that I think to myself that my job is pretty good, then the world's most frustrating projects get dropped on my desk. It seems to always be when I'm optimistic that the world brings me back down to earth.

What got me thinking about this was a post that I did before about driving in snow. I had said that I was feeling very confident about this winter. That I knew I could handle the snow. That was apparently the moment that Mother Nature laughed and decided to see what she could throw at us. For the record I have been driving every day. I have not hidden away but this year has really been a doozy for me so far. The awful trek home from Iowa City was followed by snow every other day it seems like. Yesterday we had 4 inches. On Sunday we had well below freezing temps and a dusting of snow. Tomorrow is the kicker. We'll see how I do. They are predicting freezing rain. (my nemisis)

I'm sure I can handle it but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I wonder if part of this is not a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since I'm worried about the weather I just happen to notice it. Since I'm thinking about how frustrating my job has been, it becomes that way again. The lack of positive thinking colors anything that happens. Perhaps that is my sister's secret. She simply doesn't worry about what's coming and so is pleasantly suprised when it turns out well.

I'm actually surprised by this post. I have normally been a rather optimistic person. I'm not sure where this feeling of being cursed comes from. That's something for me to work on while I drive home on ice tomorrow.

Book Review: Lolita

When Vladimir Nabokov published his controversial novel in 1955 it was in Paris, not in the U.S. where he had been living for some time. The novelist had published nine novels in Russia before moving to the US. No American publisher would touch the novel calling it salacious and filthy. Today it is a regularly banned book and still incites controversy whenever it is read.

I'm not sure where I picked up a copy of the novel. It has been listed as one of the greatest books ever written and among the most disgusting. As a big believer that books, of all natures, should be read I decided that I had to choose for myself which category it best fit into. I had originally planned to read the book for Banned Book Week in September but was busy and didn't pick it up until early November. Even with that it took me almost a month to pull through.

The story of course, for those who don't know, follows Humbert Humbert as he lusts after his 12 year old step-daughter. Humbert has a particular fancy for young girls (10-14) which in now days society would have him listed on the sex offender registry in every state. He meets Lolita with her mother at their home, manages to marry said mother, and then when the mother is killed picks up his "daughter" and abducts her on a cross country trek.

While Nabokov's prose style is tough the book is very well written. But that, for me, didn't make up from the fact that it is not an easy subject matter to read. This story is basically the repeated rape of a young girl told through the eyes of her rapist. While I am not shocked by the contents nor would I discourage anyone from reading the book, it will not go on my best books of all time list.

Nabokov's true strength in this novel is the use of narrator. By having Humbert narrate his own story we get a chance to see more clearly the mind of a pedophile and rapist. Even Humberts attempts to justify his behavior make him more hated to the reader. Nabokov has created an anti-hero to rival Alex from A Clockwork Orange. This is the most powerful part of the novel. While Nabokov said that he never wrote moralistic fiction, there is a distinct moral to the novel as Humbert goes to meet the man that pulled his Lolita from him. Humbert, when confronting him, calls the man a rapist and defiler and I defy any reader to not see the exquisite irony in those words.

Voltaire is attributed as saying "I disapprove of what you say but I defend to the death your right to say it." (the quote was actually made up by a later author but attributed to Voltaire's attitude) But this quote works perfectly for my opinion on this piece. I disliked the subject matter of the book, enjoyed the writing, and was mildy ill while reading but I will never say that people can't or shouldn't read this book. It is powerful in many ways and well worth reading. Just be warned that this will create some pretty strong emotions, in yourself and others.

Endangered Species

Warning: I'm up on my soapbox again. 

Okay here's where I get political. I really should have reversed these last two posts. Because by the time you finish reading this you'll be mad enough that you'll need the previous post just for cleansing. At least I hope you'll be angry. I certainly am. 

The Bush Administration, which has been a joke so far, has decided to leave us with one final parting shot. As if this administration couldn't get any worse, they drop this on us. The Endangered Species Act has been changed. The current ruling requires that government scientists do an independent review of all building, mining, or logging projects to see how much they will affect the wildlife species in the area. The current administration has changed that so that these independent reviews are no longer required. Instead the builder and the company building can do a review. 

Really, the company that wants to build a business will do their own review of the environmental impact? Now I work close enough to those type of businesses to know that this is a joke. These companies won't do any review or if they do they'll just say that everything is okay. The bottom line is the only thing that matters for these companies. In Iowa we have over 400 streams and rivers that are on the state's impaired waters list. And those are the ones that the government reviews. Can you imagine how many there would be if no one was watching? 

If you haven't figured it out I'm a huge supporter of animal rights. I choose not to eat meat for a number of reasons (mostly taste) but also because of the way animals are treated before being turned into food. I am appalled at the constant sprawl of our cities as they push animals out further and further. And the ones that end up in the city, are considered pests. Now many of these species have lost one of the few protections they had. 

Ask a coal power plant whether they pollute. I've seen the ads for clean coal. There is simply no such thing. But they will say they don't. Ask the factory hog farm if they are good for the environment. They'll say yes. Then look around at the lists of acceptable contaminants that we list for our water, air, land.... And be afraid. 

Obama has already said that he will overturn this ruling. And I hope that this happens. If not it will be a poor future for the next generation. Diversity is the life force of this planet. Unless we start protecting it, there will be nothing left. 

A Bear in His Natural Habitat....a Studebaker

Again big bonus points for recognizing that quote. 

I had to post this. With all the holiday stress I needed to post something fun. Jeff will kill me for it but it really does fit him. That is where I see him 90% of the time he is home.

And Knowing is Half the Battle

Okay, I'm going to sound old and crotchety for a moment but....leave my childhood alone!!!! I grumbled a little when Care Bears returned to the stores. I outright laughed when I saw Strawberry Shortcake toys. I even cast aspersions on the Transformer movie with its new merchandise (Hello Bumblebee is a Beetle). But this has now gone too far. They are making a live action film of G.I. Joe. Why can't you leave my childhood in peace????

I've always been a big believer in new stories and new ideas so this premise is pretty repulsive to me on that level. Why can't movie makers come up with their own ideas rather then raid old 80s cartoons? But beyond that, why must every cartoon or toy I ever loved be recycled into some variation of itself and sold to today's kids. I know what will happen. This movie will come out amid a flurry of merchandising. All the kids toys will be huge, hulking, muscle bound figures, completely unlike the more lifelike and honestly more fun figures that I collected as a child. Oh fear not, my parent's basement still holds Snakeyes and Duke figures. With their little attachable guns and backpacks. (Strange that I loved this show, even as a pacifist all the way back then).

To add insult to injury I have found that Brendan Fraser will be in the film. Now I love Brendan. I think he can have amazing depth as an actor (See School Ties or Gods and Monsters) But everything he does lately becomes something of a joke. He is brilliant at campy material. And it looks like G.I. Joe will be a cross between the Mummy and X-Men (both fun movies in their own right). I'm just not sure I'm going to be willing to sit through it with another of my favorite childhood memories.

I'm dreading the fact that eventually I will find out that they are making some odd Smurfs movie or be walking through the toy store to find Thundercats figures (of course this time the Twins will look like they've been doing steroids for years). And again I know I sound old and a little cranky but why can't they leave my favorite shows alone. Transformers was great fun as a cartoon. We had all the original METAL characters. I grew up with those characters. And now a new generation has claimed them as their own. Perhaps the one good thing out of this new movie is that they will release all the old cartoons on DVD. Then I can relive bits of my childhood.

Source:Life

Google has been doing some amazing things in the last couple of years. And I'm not just talking about the new data center they are building here in Iowa. (my office helped bring the company in). Des Moines was recently added to the street view images which is pretty incredible. I can literally walk down any of the streets in Des Moines all from the comfort of my desk. Here for example is my favorite lunch place. When I talk about Lucca for lunch, this is where I mean.

Google has also been great about putting book content online. Bookstores and publishers are grumbling, but I still say that the more information that is out there, the better. Education and knowledge are simply the most important resources we have. Without education, society simply isn't possible. So all of these books are now becoming increasingly available online, thanks to Google and it's gigantic servers. (the environmental aspect of servers and data centers I won't get into)

But my favorite new thing that Google has done recently is Life. The company has posted thousands of old Life Magazine photos on their image search. These are original pictures pulled straight from the magazine and searchable by all. To find old Life images, go to Google, click on image search, type in your subject words, and then type source:life. This will search only the Life Magazine pictures. You can also access the entire archive from the image search page. This is a rather impressive archive and a wonderful treasure trove for a history fan.

As I'm a huge Walt Disney fan I searched for him in the Life photos. And luckily, no single person, spent more time getting photographed for Life than Disney did. All interesting shots. Here is perhaps the most famous one going around. This is mostly because it shows Disney smoking. Since the man was a pack a day or two pack a day smoker, I'm only surprised that more photos don't show him that way.

Here are some great photos of early Disneyland and the building of Disneyland. I was in history heaven.

And here is perhaps my favorite picture I've ever seen of Disney. This reminds me of why he was a creative genius. Even if he didn't draw Mickey Mouse (Ubb Iwerks did most of those drawings) he still had a hand in everything. He was naturally curious and just loved what he did.

Is it cold in here or is it just me?

Winter is fully upon us. With snow and wind and cold. Saturday was one of those days that was pretty chilly and I decided to spend bundled up in the house. Jeff and I woke up late (stupid Ny-Quil) and went out for lunch. I was still feeling bad so we just ran out to our neighborhood bar and grill. Then to the store.

And then we headed home with the idea that we would do some light cleaning and waste the rest of the cold day playing WoW. I started with some laundry and when I came downstairs I was freezing. I thought it was because I had taken my sweatshirt off but even putting that on didn't help. I glanced at the thermostat. 67 degrees. Now we keep the house at 73. I know most people would be roasting but we love it. In fact ours read that it was set for 73 but the temp was actually 67. Something was clearly not right.

Yep, the furnace had conked out. Well not conked out completely. It was trying to turn on, just no fire. Needless to say we were not happy. Now I sit at home in slippers and sweatshirts even when it is 73. We called the repair place and they told us that they would contact one of their repair people. That was at 2:30. I bundled up a little better and went back to cleaning. Finally around four I started playing. Still no word from the repair guy. At six were were starting to get worried. The temp was at 65 and the furnace was still trying to kick on. We turned it off completely.

At 6:30 Jeff called again. Neither one of us could believe that they would get a repair person out to us that night. Not at 6:30 on a Saturday. But at 7:30 he finally arrived. This poor man had been running since 8 that morning. He had two more stops that night. The problem was our control box. I guess the kind we have normally die after five years. Ours had lasted us 13. We gave him some extra money for coming that day and reveled in the warmth of the house. Somehow when you're warm, a $500 repair bill doesn't seem that bad. But all night I thought about that guy, out still running service calls. And I'd like to think I was a little less whiny after that.