Icewind's Ramblings

Crashes in Life are sometimes like a computer You may have to pick yourself up and re-boot To get things on track again Ice

End of October The sleepy brown woods seem to Nod their heads to the winter. Yellows and grays . . . Paint the sad skies today. Woke up one morning The wind through the window Reminded me that Winter Was just ‘round the bend. Somehow I just didn’t see It was coming . . . It took me by surprise again. Lyrics by Dan Fogelberg These last couple of weeks before the snow fell this is pretty much what it felt like here in Anchorage. Ice

It’s that time again for the Fall classic of America’s pastime, the World Series. Many people from young boys to men collect baseball memorabilia from cards to baseballs and programs from the games.   With some people it may be an obsession in all of the collectables gathered over the years.   There are businesses that swap and trade items and even gatherings for autographs of your favorite players. Some people never outgrow that childhood obsession but I must say . . . If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you're probably a loser.   If you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols.     If you're a grown man . . . they're pictures of men.   Enjoy the games but be careful of how you display your treasures! Ice

We all hear it . . . we see it in the changes as we walk through our daily routines.   Sometimes it subtle when it lasts for several weeks but here in Alaska things seem to be in a much faster progression and sometimes it just jumps out at you. I have been thinking a lot about change lately and what brings on those variances that make up our lives.   Do we bring it on ourselves or by chance did we allow it to just happen unaware that in an instant (or over a longer period) things changed. In my life music has always taken me to many places and in my ipod I have a collection of things that I constantly listen to during my travels or just in my car going between places.   I have certain music that I listen to every morning that hopefully sets the mood of my day and others that I pull up from times gone by that bring back certain memories or events in my life and the music that was associated with those times. Music is dear to us and we tend to hold onto it while techn...

Never take advice from anyone with no investment in the outcome. Ice

Finishing up another week with work and the remodeling ongoing to the master bathroom I am tired but things moving forward if ever so slowly. This is the weekend for fun times, costumes, and for some a trick or two.  Hopefully everyone will be safe and not party too much and try to fly home too fast like this one last year . . . For those of you who are on Daylight Savings Time this is the weekend to “Fall Back” an hour on Saturday night giving you that little extra sleep. For our trick or treater’s here in Alaska it is time to put those costumes on over the winter gear as we are quite cold this year but without the ground covered in snow like so many other falls before. Have fun, keep the kids safe and have a great weekend . . . as you can be anyone you wish for at least one night! Ice

Alaskan Seasons roll on by Fall by John Denver (from Season Suite on the Rocky Mountain High Album) Reflections on the water like shadows in my mind Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time The falling leaves are whispering winter's on it's way I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind And more than that it's oh so sad to see the summer end And though the changing colors are a lovely thing to see If it were mine to make the change I think I'd let it be But I don't remember hearing . . . anybody asking me Here are a couple more pictures as the fall season comes to an end and winter’s grip has not quite taken hold.  This week the weather has been slightly above average with temperatures in the 50’s, some fog, and hopefully sunshine later this week if the fog burns off.  More photos from ADN and me. Photo by Tom Miller In this Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 photo, boaters a...

Originally appeared in the September 2003 issue of Esquire Do you remember this photograph?  In the United States , people have taken pains to banish it from the record of September 11, 2001. The story behind it, though, and the search for the man pictured in it, are our most intimate connection to the horror of that day. Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN#ixzz0QruXC4RU   Falling Man. Taken by Richard Drew at 9:41:15 a.m., on September 11, 2001 In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it.  If he were not falling, he might very well be flying.  He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air.  He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion.  He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him.  His arms are by his side, only slightly out rigged.  His left le...

So here was my What-If thought about 911. What if the two hijacked planes, American Flight 11 and United 175, had plunged into those north and south towers at 8:46 and 9:03, killing all aboard, causing extensive damage and significant death tolls, but neither tower had come down? What if, as a Tribune columnist called it, photogenic "scenes of apocalypse" had not been produced?  What if, despite two gaping holes and the smoke and flames pouring out of the towers, the imagery had been closer to that of 1993 when the  World Trade Center was bombed in the basement parking lot of the hotel?   What if there had been no giant cloud of destruction capable of bringing to mind the look of "the day after" . . . no images of crumbling towers worthy of Independence Day ? Eight years later the American spirit of rebuilding had completed renovations to those twin towers and corporations would be back working away with only faint thoughts of that fateful Tuesday.  The f...

That could be a series of topics that I may develop into my blog but for now my thoughts reflect the time spent with our elders and other seniors compared to our own days on Earth. I had a pleasant surprise this past weekend when I received a phone call by one of my distant family members who was in Alaska for the start of a two week vacation consisting of a week by railroad glass domed ‘Wilderness Explorer” cruise cars and the second week on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing south from Whittier to Vancouver along the inside passage with stops in several cities. I had just returned from the lake when I received the phone call from my ‘uncle’ Aubrey.  He and his wife were traveling with a church group of friends from Florida , Georgia , and Tennessee .  They had just arrived in Alaska after an all day trek across country.  They had left Florida in the early morning with stops/plane changes in Atlanta and Salt Lake City before arriving in Anchorage in late aft...

Or when will they come up with waterproof phones? What would you do . . . when you've dropped your cell phone in the toilet? Sometimes we get in a hurry and do stupid things and recently I did one that gave me a pause . . . as in should I or shouldn’t I? I was in my office and it was the typical morning with several phones ringing at the same time, the office phone, 2 cell phones, and a fax machine. I had tried to go to the bathroom several times and it just was not happening so I figured I would do the next best thing since the restroom is only about ten feet from my desk. Yes, it’s fun right after one of my chili eating, Chinese or sushi eating lunches. I happily did my thing and turned the water on to wash my hands as I reached across the toilet, bent down to flip the handle as I watched one of my two cell phones fly out of my shirt pocket doing a two and a half gainer before hitting the water with a near perfect splash. There is t...

One of the great things about having a non-specific blog is that I can write about whatever I want, when I want. As an observer of life and things around me it makes for a fascinating outlook on many different things. What a difference a few days makes! The rain we had constantly for most of the summer stopped Friday afternoon, much to our delight, though the news weather experts seen to have been stuck in the mode of predicted light showers through the evening hours all summer. You look at the 5 or 7 day forecast and it has constantly shown clouds, rain or both. Normal times I think summer is the best for me . . . maybe not this summer with the rain and all but the fishing and outdoors in mild temperatures is great. I enjoy autumn with the wind in the trees, the changing colors, and the brisk feel in the air. I love getting up in the morning, walking outside, and having a cold blast of air hit me in the face. If I could choose any season to live out the rest of my l...