8 December 2013 Tiny bubbles

Cassi Creek:  We are fortunately and well positioned beneath the southern edge of the winter storm system that left Texas for the Mid-Atlantic and North East.

          Expanding the radar image shows us to be much too close to the bands of freezing precipitation that are likely to cause heavy ice damage.

          I don’t pretend to understand the fluid mechanics that drive our oceans and our atmosphere.  I can take small bites of it from time to time and seemingly fit them into the various maps and projections. 

          In today’s small bit of probably misinformation, it seems that the various high and low pressure centers of rotation and frontal formations are sort of like bubbles that migrate along the jet streams, spinning off smaller bubbles that directly affect localities.  Some bubbles bring good, some bad weather. 

          There is no correlation between fluid mechanics and Don Ho’s song

7 December 2013 Counting down the numbers.

Cassi Creek:  The Pearl Harbor Survivors’ Association disbanded at the end of 2011.  The members were becoming unable to travel to Pearl Harbor for the annual commemoration.  While I was unable to find exact and accurate numbers, the estimated number of survivors is about 3000. 

          Given the rate at which WWII veterans are dying, I would assume that by 2021 there would be no more Pearl Harbor survivors living. 

          Last year, the local newspaper made no mention of the attack upon Pearl Harbor.  This year, there was a comparison to the WTC/Pentagon attacks of 2001.  As the years roll by, the emphasis provided by, our vantage points adjust how we view our history.  

6 December 2013 Watch this space

 Something may or may not occur in this space.

5 December 2013 But he has a great personality

Cassi Creek:  I began this journal, blog, or call it what you will in 2009.  At that point in time I was returning to school in order to audit classes.  Among other things that surfaced was the seeming difference in the behavior of students in my undergraduate years compared to today’s undergraduates. 

          We took copious notes during lectures.  Today, the students expect to have power point slide shows prepared for them to view when they aren’t playing online games, or  engaged in some other on-line activity.  We were adept at the use of a card catalog for research purposes.  Today, search engines replace those long silent drawers of cards. 

          We assumed that everything in the textbooks, everything in the lectures, and all lab procedures and results were likely to be on an exam.  Asking” will this be on the exam?” would have been ignored by even the newest TA. 

          To this date, I’ve not missed a day in adding some bit or piece of trivia, opinion, or other useless verbiage to these files.  I do it partly as a means to assess how my response to medication is progressing.  Based on the tremors present today, I’m having sort of a less effective day. 

          The news yesterday was encouraging, there may be less deficit present than I expected to find.  I may be encountering normal aging along with Parkinson’s.  The least encouraging results yesterday put my frontal lobe performance at the overall mean.  Not where I’d choose to be if I had the option, but I don’t, and it could be much worse. 

          As for the personality assessment, I have no idea what that will indicate.  I’m not suicidal, an alcoholic, likely to start physical encounters for thrills.  I seemed to fall outside the target population the survey seemed designed to identify.  I’ll get a copy of all this since my last neuro visit the next time I go to VA.  Until then…

4 December 2013 Neither a mad dog nor English

Cassi Creek:  ran a battery of neuro-psychology studies today.  Essentially this will establish the baseline that can be used to determine whether or not I develop dementia and with what rapidity. 

          The entire process was reminiscent of the College Boards we took as kids.  Shape a is most like shape….

The next number in the series is (pattern recognition and spatial relationships.) 

There was a marked decrease in grip an dexterity  - left weaker than right, that has been present since 1998. 

          The evaluators seemed please with the results as they plugged them into the statistical manipulator and compared my results to the subset of the populace who have undergone these batteries at VA. 

          “Keep doing what you’re doing.” 

3 December 2013  Limited edition

Cassi Creek:  Little going on today.  Unlikely that I will resolve any internationally or nationally significant problems. 

2 December 2013 Gore-Tex morning

Cassi Creek:         The alarm, annoying and inevitable pulled me into sufficient consciousness that I could hear rain.  My immediate response was to slap the snooze button and hope that it would still be raining when the bonus time expired.  It was, but I shoved myself into vertical and staggered into the day.  B

          By the time I headed out for the hike with Mike, there was only slight mist and drizzle.  I was layered up under the new, replacement, shell parka and it kept me dry and warm.  I need to adjust the hood so that it doesn’t fall over my face.  Other than that, I’m happy with it.  I liked the configuration on the old Mt. Guide Parka better – pass through pockets can be quite helpful.  However, that model is long gone, Bean was nice enough to replace it and I can live with this new piece of gear. 

          There is hope and reason to believe that the work needed to get the house into more marketable condition will begin before  long.  Weather has not been conducive to some of the chores.  Fingers crossed.