Journal

12/7-Several hours of the sun, the most in two weeks.35F The dog and I walk the roads near Hearts Content in morning.The notable silence in this part of the state is due to the low population and the lack of air traffic. I sometimes hear the low rumble of a commercial jet far overhead but their flight paths are generally too high to be heard and local aircraft are almost non existent. Occasionally the emergency helicopter from Erie lands at the hospital to transport a patient, and in spring and summer there is pesticide spraying to control black flies, but those few flights are rare. The silence here reminds me of those days immediately following the 9-11 attack in New York, when all flights were cancelled and which for that short time period offered the only silence I had heard in decades living near the eastern cities. Today I hear the yelping of wild turkeys in the distance; they sound somewhat like wild dogs when far off, and call to reassemble the flock if they are scattered. It reminds me of Joe Huttos film "My Life As a Turkey"  in which he discovered their aversion to sawed off tree trunks as well as other sensitivities in the turkey mind that humans were unaware of. Such knowledge of course requires tremendous patience and commitment, which even he admits he did not know he would need before beginning his study. Will researchers like Jane Goodall and Hutto become more rare as the attention span of humanity shortens?
12/8-To post office and bank in morning, then walk four miles in Russell with Beth. Very cold wind today, with flurries until dusk, when snow becomes steady.
12/11- About nine inches total accumulation this morning, with more predicted. The persistent lake effect of clouds and snow showers has settled onto the county, so a white Christmas is assured this year. B. and I shop Jamestown then I walk the dog near the Conewango, where I discover a small 'dogleg' tributary that flows inland and parallels the main flow for a quarter mile before emptying back into the river near 5th street bridge. I had never noticed this ten yard wide flow because it is hidden behind woods and houses some 200 yards off the sidewalk, and I had never occasioned myself to trespass. Yet there is a well trodden path here easily followed once one know it is there, and the dog and I scamper through the snow in the woods just minutes from the road. No doubt the local children and fishermen use this path in the spring.

Journal

12/4- Sunday-Walk the woods atop Mohawk Avenue. Clouds, 40F It is more pleasant air today than yesterday, although in Warren in December such changes are subtle and only by small accounts more agreeable. No hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania allows the dog and I to move freely. As we exit the car we hear the whirring thump of a natural gas engine pushing the natural gas through underground pipes. These pumps are relatively quiet-unlike the large diesel engines that push oil within similar pipes-and they burn the same gas which they help to extract to power their own existence. Sometimes I am startled by the starting of a jack pump miles from civilization when a sensor trips the pump, but generally the oil and gas extraction is unobtrusive to a hiker-except during the initial drilling and bulldozing of access roads.

       Otherwise the woods is unusually still this afternoon, silent of even a slight breeze, and we are too far from town to hear the noise. A few juncos and chickadees trill and chatter from the hemlocks, and a solitary goldfinch passes in the distance- unusually late for this time of year. The dog enjoys running during autumn for it is cool and the ground is not yet covered with snow. She explores every smell unnoticed by me and sometimes dashes into the woods after a chipmunk or squirrel, following the scents for hundreds of yards then rejoining me further down the trail. Despite her age she is still able to run ten miles and remains wholly acclimated to the woods. No doubt her small size would make her vulnerable to coyotes were she alone, but I suspect she would not yield easily.

      The ground is a spongy brown mass of fallen leaves showing scarcely an inch of open soil. It is mostly oaks here so the pattern is angular, crisscrossing shapes flattened by the rain. Here and there a twig with three or four leaves has been blown down, and those leaves show hints of green where the chlorophyll had not receded. Now they appear youthful among the other leaves as they take that much longer to decay. I notice that fallen logs retain a trace of snow and I assume that that is because they are raised higher than the warmer ground. The tops of rock and a few leaves that are not touching the earth also show some snow, but not all of them and not in every direction. Probably there was a heavy squall in this small area yesterday that did not touch further on. A single crow calls out as we approach, warning whatever animals are within earshot; it is the alarmist of the woods, like a siren in town calling us to a fire. 

    12/5-  Clouds, some drizzle 38F. Do charts at the office then walk Betts Park.11:30. Walk two more miles with Beth at 1:30 We experience a few precious minutes of sunlight and snap a quick photograph of our shadows,  possibly the last time we shall see them for another week or more. 

    12/6- Clouds, hazy sun then rain by 2:30. I walk a circular route through town to the office in morning. It is an unexpected sound to hear water gurgling beneath the road near sewer drains, for I forget that they are there and that the streams are underground in town. Even this small city has a thousand miles of unseen pipes. I once asked retired workers from the refinery whether anyone there knew the purpose and connection of the thousands of pipes in that facility, and both immediately named one supervisor whom they suspected did. Probably such knowledge is accumulated over years like that of a surgeon or lawyer who learns the intricacies of the profession through long experience. On Irvinedale road I pass a road killed doe, but they are uncommon in town considering that there are woods on every side. Some hunters complain that regulations have decimated the deer population, yet I hear enough success stories to know that luck and skill have influential roles. Probably patience is also lacking in the former. One house in town shows a sign reading "It's About Jesus" which of course is only partially true. Rather, "It's About Love" would be a more accurate statement regardless of where one finds the inspiration. At another house the homeowner is collecting leaves for what will probably be the last time before winter. He pushes them to the road where the city vacuums them up for disposal.

      At the office a 'drug rep' as they are called buys access to 20 minutes of the doctors time by purchasing lunch for the staff. So twice a week the pharmaceutical companies spend some $70-$80 per meal to try to influence the physician to prescribe their latest medicine. In some offices-and there are thousands across the country- that would be five days a week for smaller or larger staffs contributing to the 'hidden' cost of healthcare. Until a few years ago the companies spent more millions on pens and magnets and other trinkets, but laws were passed to limit that form of bribery, so now television and magazine ads have prevailed.

Journal

     12/3/16
                 Clouds and intermittent drizzle and snow showers. 38F Walk 5 miles near Frewsburg. Hunting season and a quagmire of mud on the dirt roads confines the dog and I to macadam. Beth is babysitting today for a friend. After leaving the bank two years ago she has been much happier care taking the elderly and cleaning houses part time. Presently she is replacing the kitchen cupboard doors- all of it hands-on labor that she loves.
                  The higher elevations show light accumulation this afternoon, but two weeks ago I yet saw an occasional red legged grasshopper or sulfur butterfly, so Autumn has been mostly clear and pleasant. There are a few fresh dandelions in the yard and a rare goldenrod or yellow vetch plant shows color despite the snow. The latter are beacons within the drab landscape and had likely been late bloomers. I pass an old bulldozer parked on someone property that appears to be at least 50 years old yet looks as if it is used occasionally. Old weather beaten equipment like this appeals to me because it shows a long history and obviously has seen good care to have lasted so long. In truth I do not know if such things were better built decades ago or simply have been well maintained, but in this disposable age of disposable attitudes these old machines are a treasure. On that account is refreshing to see video from Cuba where the people have been forced to preserve their cars, which over time have become valuable antiques to the rest of the world.

Writing

(I have decided to resume my journal after years of neglect, and shall present it here when inspiration permits. Methinks I have been intellectually stagnant of late, and the thought of winter depresses me, so writing regularly helps clarify my thinking.)

    12-2-2016- Clouds, intermittent drizzle. 40F.   Walk Warren at noon. I have not walked though town in months, preferring nature and solitude generally, but there is something new and fresh after such a long absence, and the less traveled roads offer a relaxed, familiar place- and pace- by which to reconnect with my pen. I notice immediately that both time and distance are shortened by the wonderful, distracted immersion that creative thought demands, and I am already less troubled by the winter skies. Perhaps that is the best advice for anyone looking to find a sincere occupation: do that which engages you so completely that time flies.

      As I look out over the town after living here for ten years, I realize that I cannot fairly judge it without first admitting and dismissing my own moods and biases about life in general. That is, town is not responsible for what I bring to it, and to call it poor, or conservative, or wealthy, or liberal, or friendly or unfriendly, would demand that I first define those things in myself. The Allegheny River that divides this town is a better measure of my shifting opinions. The river at least reflects my human frailties from an ageless direction.

       As towns go it is less than 10,000 persons by last census, and traffic rarely backs up at the stoplights. People who have passed their lives here tell me that it is a small town in the sense that people know one another, which from my perspective of one who has lived most of his life near the eastern cities, both encourages concern for ones neighbors and inhibits people from addressing the potential problems of nepotism. Despite the impersonal alienation of a metropolitan area, there is a greater opportunity in a larger city to embrace ideas of truth and justice independent of personal feelings. In that regard impartiality is easier when one does not personally know ones neighbor. Of course as I write that statement I realize that there are good, noble people in both places and also the corrupt and unprincipled, and when there is a critical mass of either persuasion social history is determined.

       As I cross back over the river at the end of four miles I pause to watch the pigeons fly over the buildings and circle back to a wire near the bridge. None of them are the same individuals I had watched ten years ago, although in truth I feel mostly unchanged in this sacred, mysterious place from which my words arise. In this place I am an observer of my own life passing by, independent of the outside world, where writing remains a stable force springing from a realm I have sometimes called heaven. Regardless of how dry and lifeless words can be sometimes, at their best they have cajoled and inspired and angered and frustrated me, and made me laugh and cry and feel wholly alive. For those reasons I have resumed my journal today.

           

Random Babbling

    - Another 300 pound patient in the office is getting a sleep study to determine why he is not sleeping well... I have remarked on this flagrant waste of money before because it has become the norm rather than the exception in healthcare spending. There is no cost control nor common sense nor self responsibility in many facets of the business. Unnecessary tests and medications rather than simple lifestyle changes are as responsible for high costs as the overpaid CEO's and other inflated charges. When I see a 90 year old person get a thousand dollars worth of tests to determine that 'yes, you are old and will die sooner than later',  I wonder why that person has not reconciled their own mortality long before. As the true costs have begun to be transferred to individuals with higher deductibles and premiums, I think people are finally getting their heads out of the sand. Unfortunately they are still expecting things to paid by others rather than taking responsibility for their own lives. There will Have to be cost controls and individual accountability factored into healthcare or the system will  implode or bankrupt the country. Sooner or later people will Have to accept that 'yes' I will exercise and watch my weight and not smoke and drink or else I will Not expect everyone else to pick up the tab. Sooner or later the elderly will have to say 'yes, I am ready to die' before I expect others to keep me alive for another 6 months. I am not holding my breath.
    - Another disgruntled husband in Jamestown, NY shot his wife dead rather than face his own pathetic weak ego, and so more innocent lives have been devastated because he wasn't able to control his own mind as much as he wanted to control his wife. Sorry dude, your violent anger and hatred exposed your feeble inner life more than you will ever realize. Your lack of courage and ability to control yourself is all too common in testosterone flooded macho men who lash out at others rather than face their own inadequacies. So the guy hid in an attic for a couple days then stabbed the police dog who found him ( recovering fortunately) and eventually turned himself in. Now he faces a 2nd degree murder charge, which unfortunately means only 15 years to life in New York state-far too lenient for taking a life. The dead wife had obtained a protection from abuse order so no way this guy did not premeditate taking his pistol to her workplace and shooting her in the head on the sidewalk. This is who the guy was over for years...in his core.
  - While I have always been impressed by how the small brains of insects are able to coordinate all the functions of flight, I am astounded by their ability to instantaneously compensate their aerodynamic requirements while mating. The male carries the female in many species, including butterflies, dragonflies, houseflies and others, in some cases with both individuals flapping their wings as they maneuver. Not bad for a small group pf neurons... 

Post Election Thoughts

   -The vote in Warren County went 68% Trump, and while I voted Hillary primarily for healthcare and green energy reasons, I understand the frustration people have against the current government-and America generally- in which they feel the rich and powerful make the rules and hoard the profits. Voters feel a sense of injustice for the same reason that the jury voted to acquit O.J. Simpson in 1995; the historical record of oppression was on trial..Not O.J... So the blue collar working class and others are fed up with Washington and did what they thought was right. As for Trump himself, Peter Thiel summed up the national divide up well when he said that his supporters take him "seriously but not literally", while everyone else takes him literally but not seriously. Which means for instance that building a wall may not mean literally building a wall rather getting something serious done about immigration policy. We shall see what parts of the spin relate to reality. 

  - During the campaign I saw 'Vote Trump' signs in front of  beautiful houses, but I am not sure what definition of 'MakeAmericaGreatAgain' those homeowners thought had failed them; the America they inhabited looked  quite prosperous to me. And I saw signs in front of run down houses whose occupants probably worked two jobs to pay the bills, but they also had satellite dishes on the roof and pizza boxes in the trash. So neither were those homeowners as oppressed as they may have believed. For every 'lowering' of living standard that America has experienced through the loss of jobs, a Chinese or Mexican workers living standard has been raised, so the flux and flow of jobs is nothing new regardless of how painful it is to individuals. America has a deep safety net that many world citizens do not. The disaffected American worker justifiably wonders why billions of tax dollars are wasted overseas in wars and other places while his own life position seems to be stagnating. The income and education gap is real, and we'll see how much a billionaire can truly relate to the working class.

   -Like most elections, this one did not contain analytical discussions so much as sound bites with simple explanations and solutions that appealed to the powerlessness people feel within their own lives. In the Twitter age half truths sound great in a few sentences. I know a  Trump supporter who  emphatically claimed that trucks could never run on natural gas because they would never produce enough power to haul freight. A simple Google search of 'natural gas trucks' exposes the absurdity of that claim. So 'bomb the shit' out of ISIS sounds like a great solution to someone who has never researched the long troubled history of the middle east. It sounded great to the second George Bush who never thought beyond the first invasion wave. If only life were so simple. 

   -President elect Trump described his first transitional meeting with Obama productive and that they had "great chemistry". I believe it. Trump in 2004 admitted that "In many cases I probably identify more as a democrat" and Obama is a careful thinker who knows that he has to insure a smooth transfer of power.  Trumps daughter Ivanka is friends with Hillarys daughter Chelsea and I suspect that both will be positive influences behind the scenes. 

 

 

Computers

         Found some funny 'truths' about computers written years ago:

1~  "We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire woks of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true."
                                                                                          - Robert Wilensky, 1997

2~ " Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot proof programs and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning".
                                                                                            - Rick Cook  1989

3~ "To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer."
                                                                                            - The Farmers Almanac  1978
             

  Shopping and looking up information on Google have become much easier since the internet...but the vulnerabilities to finances, electrical grid etc.as well as the misinformation and propaganda and sheer glut of noise and distraction seem to me to have not really benefited humanity much. I sometime think that the tech industry has perpetrated a massive scam on the world with promises of an improved lifestyle, when in fact they have profited massively while introducing a new set of problems. As always there is no changing human nature, so the power of technology to aid such 'revolutions' as the 'Arab spring' also helps ISIS types to recruit mass murderers with the click of a mouse.