Icewind's Ramblings

The global coordination of fans mourning in public was fascinating and the reporting of his death possibly even more telling about our society. How did Michael Jackson's death affect the internet's performance? Media has changed over the last 15 years as we see how technology has forced its way into our lives. Newspapers a long flag bearer of how we received our news and information as almost quietly dieing off as the digital age hammers us with new products, formats, and something else to occupy our time. I really didn’t think I would post anything else about Michael Jackson for several reasons . . . the first I really just don’t care about all of the hype within his lifetime both good and bad. Another is his persona like Elvis, left little to wonder about as both stars dimmed from all the craziness in each life. I like most of mine and younger generations grew up with the singer but with that said I don’t understand how the mystique stayed alive, ...

Today I am sitting at a stop light waiting for the light to change and look in my side mirror and see this car approaching but not slowing down to stop. I could see the young girl looking down and realized she was using her phone to text message someone as she rear ended the car in front of her which was beside me. She had looked up just before impact so luckily she had started to brake just before hitting with some force to the vehicle. No one was hurt but I am sure both felt lucky that it turned out ok but not without more drama and comedy. The guy that was hit was upset and rightly so as he was minding his own business waiting like me for the light to change. The young girl on the other hand was also slightly upset for what ever reason, that fateful phone call to the parents about the accident, or that realization that messing with the phone had totally changed her day and possibly her life. I am not sure which but she got out of her car just as the guy did a...

I think that sometimes when you wake up in the morning and hear that first song on the radio or player in your car or home seems to set the mood for the day. That can sometimes be both a blessing and an omen for things to come as music has many meanings and can bring forth several depending on when you might hear it or what happens to you in the short term. Today carried with it a little of both as I jumped into my rig (Alaskan for truck) and headed off to work. Within about ten seconds Jackson Brown’s Running on Empty came on the radio. I smiled thinking about my youth and the excitement from seeing a JB concert live and up close. I have always enjoyed the excitement that the song seemed to bring out in many people. It had enthusiasm and made you tap a toe or get into a rhythm. Another smile came to me. Running on Empty I listened as I made my way to the freeway and just let the music embrace my soul and give me that lift needed to st...

Many of you know over the last couple of years that I have enjoyed and been fascinated by the squirrels that have taken up roost at my last couple of houses I have lived in. Squirrels are just so fascinating in how they interact with each other, birds which may share a bird feeder, and my family. Then there is the dog, Gus who now has a ‘doggie door’ so he can go in and outside while we are working or away for a few hours. My bird feeder is just outside the new door a few steps away across the deck, hanging over the side. The birds and squirrels can get to the feed and do so in relative safety with Gus just lurching his way up the railing and barking his displeasure of them eating ‘his’ peanuts. The Blue Jays and the Robbins play tag team luring Gus away from the feeder while the mate flies up and gets the food and off to the nest. It is funny how they work Gus to the point he tires of running back and forth and lies down under the feeder and watches the wildl...

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. ~William James It is funny to me how sometimes people get defeated by a poor attitude. It might even be a little sad that someone lets conditions, people, and other influences take away that which is yours alone to choose. I have experienced in my field that it takes 10 positive people to bring up the one negative person but when there is that one “sour grape” around it may only take one negative person to bring down a group of people. It can spread like a cancer within the group and may need to be ‘cut out’ to bring harmony back to the masses. Over the weekend we passed the summer solstice where the sun reaches it’s most northern point in its orbit thereby bringing us our ‘longest’ day of the year giving Alaskans our most daylight hours crossing back to losing a few seconds at first then minutes as we go into fall and back to winter. ...