Sherrie Memorial

I've not been blogging much lately; stuff has been happening.

Not the least, of course, has been the passing of Sherrie Orpwood on Friday, December 18, 2009 ... which I briefly noted here.

Today was her Memorial Ceremony, and it was much more difficult ... personally ... than I had expected.

There were about 40 people in attendence. A dozen were there specifically because we knew Sherrie in the context of IPSC/USPSA competition, and most of us knew Sherrie and Lorin as a couple who worked the stages ... especially the Jungle Run ... together.

The rest of the folks at Sherrie's Memorial were Family, and Friends from work.

Sherrie and Lorin were 'second marriages', and I was not always clear on who was the progeny of Sherrie, or Lorin. So forgive me if I get the citatations wrong. The people at the ceremony were so loving in their paeans to Sherrie, I will always think of them as if she was their blood-mother/grandmother, and Lorin their blood father/grandfather.

Sherrie's son lead the ceremony, and I was impressed by his ability to control his emotions as he spoke of the love this woman.

Sherrie's husband, Lorin, found it difficult not to be overwhelmed by his grief. I sympathized with this; I'm not good at thinking of the deceased as "gone to a better place". All I can think of is the void their absence creates in this place, in which I reside.

Me and funerals (or 'Memorial Services') don't get along to good. They beat me up, and I whine a lot.

When the moment came for personal eulogies, I both dreaded, and desired to speak. I was too emotional, knew that I would not be able to give credit to this good woman, so I declined to present my eulogy. It was very simple, and perhaps I can give it now; because if I could write my eulogy, instead of speak it, it would sound something like this:

I've known Sherrie for something like ten or twelve years. I'm not sure how long. But in all that time, I have met them outside of a shooting range fewer times than I can count on the fingers of my thumbs.

I have heard many family members speak of the way that Sherrie and Lorin served to combine their families in comfort and in love, to the benefit of each family member. And I have heard tje the people who worked with Sherrie describe how effective she was as an on-line sales representative, because "she loved her customers".

But I knew Sherrie and Lorin in the context that they were always together.

They were a couple.

Their purpose was not to complete one another, but to BE with one another.

The best thing they did together in public, and the joint venture of which they were most proud, was that they first designed and implemented the "Jungle Run" stage in "Dundee Croc Matches" for several consecutive years.

Lorin and Sherrie both competed in USPSA competition from time to time. But that wasn't really very attractive to them. What they really enjoyed was designing and building a challenging stage, and then runnimg competitors through the stage to win, or lose it all ... Sherrie and Lorin were great advocates of encouraging competitors to seek their greatest rewards by "pushing the envelope", and they were always fair when evaluating the performance of each competitor.

But I couldn't give this Eulogy, because I was much to emotional at the Memorial Ceremony. Because my Significent Other ("SWMBO") is dealing with Lung Cancer, I was unable to control my emotions.

The USPSA people who were at Sherries's Memorial, besides myself, were:
Mike McCarter and Tom Chambers:
Bill and Nancy Marrs, Paul, and Jonathon (N.L.N.)
Caryn and Ron Shepherd.


When the service was over, I immediately grabbed my coat, draped it over my shoulders, and headed for the door. On the way out I noticed Caryn, then Rob Shepherd. I shook hands with both of them with out breaking stride, and in the process mentioned something like "too close to home, I can't deal with it'.

I would have loved to stay to talk to people who knew Sherrie and Lorin, but in truth I was far too emotional to communicate

Sandie is too vulnerable to the ... whatever ... that Sherrie experienced, and I cannot stand around and quietly discuss Sherrie without thinking about Sandie at the same time. This is, indeed too close to the areas in which I perceive myself as too vulnerable, and I am not prepared to deal with the prospect of loss at this time.

Lorin, I do hope that you understand that my running away was not because I care the less for your loss, or for the untimely loss of your lady Sherrie.

It's just that it is all close to home, and I am unable to control the emotions ... any more than were you, today.

Sorry, Pal. I know what you were going through, and I now how hard it is to deal with it when your nerve endings are prominent and you cannot handle the pain of the most unlikely comment... it's all pain, Lorin, and if I could take your pain into myself to spare you ... I would not have the strength; I could not, and I would not, take your pain.

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Merry Christmas!

For all of our friends, relatives and neighbors ... Sandie and I hope that you have the safest and most rewarding Christmas Ever.

Jerry and Sandie

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Sherrie Of The Jungle

It is with great sorrow that I must inform you that Sherrie of the Jungle, "The Princess of the Universe", has passed away from complications of Cancer.

Sorry, I'm not completely certain that her cancer is the direct cause of her death. But she was always so vital, so energetic, I cannot imagine that she is the victim of a less virulent and evil cause.

This is one of the most difficult things for me to do, to describe the passing of a magnificent Lady.

Sherrie Orpwood, and her husband Loren, have given much of their time and energy in the presentation of excellent USPSA/IPSC competition in the Jungle Run of the Dundee "Croc Match" and other matches. This is a measure of their devotion to the sport of Practical Shooting, but it is not the full measure of their contribution.

When SWMBO was diagnosed with Cancer in 2008, Sherrie and Loren revealed that Sherrie had been fighting Breast Cancer for over a year, but chose not to announce their battle until it became clear that they could offer encouragement to Sandie and to me by offering their experiences to help us deal with the pain of cancer in the context of their own battle.

During the past 18 months, they have been among the most stalwart supporters by the example of their experience, and the lessons they have learned. Sherrie, by her determination to "beat this thing"; Loren, by his loving support of Sherrie.

Now, Sherrie has lost the final battle, and her excellence may best be demonstrated by the contribution they have made in terms of time, originality and effort devoted to the creation of an excellent competitive challenge presented by the Jungle Run at Dundee matches.

Here they are, in the moment of their greatest glory ... other than their devotion to each other, and to the sport which they most loved:

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Courage and Determination

I was hiding out in the stairwell alcove of the building next door to my office when I heard a familiar sound:

Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.

Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.

Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.

Slow, repetitive, predictable, I knew without looking the source of the noise.

It was The Old Man with the Walker.

I've seen him before, but I've heard him more times than I've seen him. Usually he comes through the halls of my office building about this time every day, but today, rainy and cold as it was, he was bypassing my office building and was instead bypassing the office building and traversing the sidewalk between the buildings.

Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.

The Scrape was his walker dragging as he ended the four-phase cycle of a step.

The Clunk was when he put the front wheels down to roll, and advance a few inches along his designated slow-speed highway.

The Rattle was when he picked up the front legs of the walker, and the crazy-wheels on those two legs wobbled momentarily in the air.

The scuff was when he moved one foot forward a few inches to take another step.

Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.

Have you ever seen an inch-worm? An inch-worm is Blazing Saddles compared to The Old Man with the Walker.

I first saw him today probably 30 yards up the sidewalk, inch-worming his way along. He was dressed in faded dungarees, sort-of-white sneakers, and a yellow rain-coat with a blue hood pulled over his head. It wasn't raining at the moment, but it was NorthWest Rain Forest raining for most of the day. Still, he chose to walk along the path instead of short-cutting through the building.

I've never talked to him. I've never stared at him as he passed by the door to my office ... instead I paid him the left-handed compliment of ignoring him as he made his painful way.

Today, it took maybe three minutes to traverse the maybe-thirty-yards to pass my non-observation point. He was hunched over, skinny-legged, and in his parka-hidden crooked posture I discerned a man of probably Methuselah-age. Or perhaps Methuselah's grandfather.


As he finally passed my observation point at a sub-snail pace, I watched him covertly. He couldn't see me, and in truth all I saw of him was his knobby hands clutching the handles of his walker.


His walker was not the elegant and expensive design which includes both a fold-down seat on which he could rest, and a wire basket in which he could carry his books.

Instead, he had the absolute cheapest, basic model ... a tubular aluminum frame, handles to grip, and small wobbly wheels in the front.







It was my impression that all that he could afford, and it was good enough because it enabled him to walk from place to place ... which he clearly could not do without some kind of mechanical aid.

Not looking to impress anybody, not asking for help, not trying to evoke any kind of sympathy from anyone, The Old Man with the Walker was just getting from Point "A" to Point "B" to go about his business.

He had a small, cheap pack hanging from his scrawny shoulders, so I could only assume that he was a Student at this University. God only knows what he thought he could learn in a College, that he had not already learned from the proverbial School of Hard Knocks. It was my thought that he had already been knocked about in life as much as anyone has, but here he is carrying his maximum load on his back just trying to get from one classroom to another in the ten minutes hiatus between classes.


Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff.


As I watched him move to the West slower than the sun settling in for a well-deserved nights sleep, I thought a thought of actually engaging in a conversation.

I don't know what he would have said, because I don't now anything about The Old Man with the Walker. But I can imagine what I might have said, if I were a better person than I am, and (equally unlikely) he felt the need to apologize for his agonizing, slow but noisy way:

"Don't worry about it, Old Man. We all do the best we can. But I doubt that any of us could claim to do it with the Courage to confront and defeat our impediments so inevitably, and the determination to live our life with such grace as you."

But I didn't say that, and couldn't have said it, and in my mind I would have wished to express my admiration more perfectly.

Still a better man might have said something, and said it more precisely.

In the actual event, I only watched The Old Man with the Walker slowly wend his way toward home, or to his next class, or anyway he wanted to go. He had a better handle on his life than I do, and even though I can move faster and more quietly, I could never do so with the dignity that this Old Man with the Walker demonstrated.

There are people in our world who live every day with pain, and are 'handicapped' so that they cannot move and function with as much unconscious, unaware skill.

But none of us contain one small bit as much grace as The Old Man with the Walker.

Every time I hear that Scrape, Clunk. Rattle, scuff, I think about the pain he must overcome, every day and every way.

And I am humbled.

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Blue Jacket

I have been informed that my son has been awarded early promotion and the "Blue Jacket" in the Navy.

Ben is a Master at Arms, stationed at the San Diego Naval Station in California.

You may be aware that early promotion is awarded for exemplary achievement, which is a very important thing to get because along with the rank comes more responsibility, more challenging duties, and a raise in pay.

The "Blue Jacket" is awarded quarterly in a command, so the recipient is referred to as "Blue Jacket of the Quarter". Recipients must perform extra duties, including off-duty study, so it's not just an 'atta-boy' which most service members can expect to receive. All recipients of that award in the command may then compete for "Blue Jacket of the Year", which (again) is awarded to only one member of that command in the year.

I'm very proud of my son for his achievement, not only because it proves what I've always known ... that he is an exceptional man with developing leadership potential ... but also because it indicates that his commander is impressed by his devotion to duty and willingness to make the extra effort to be the best in his chosen profession.

When Ben chose to join the Navy I was concerned, as any parent would be, for the safety of a child who chooses the military during time of war.

Ben is a man now. Happily married with five children (the last two, twins) he has proven that he has left the nest and making his own way in the world. I realized that long before his commander did, I guess, but it never hit me so emphatically as it has now.

He originally joined the navy because his career choice was in Law Enforcement, and he believed that a tour of duty as a Master at Arms would eventually lead to a career as a policeman. He told me that one factor in his decision was that he admired my (short and quite involuntary) term of military service. [Cringe! I never wanted him to join the military because of my influence.]

Now ... I'm not sure if he will complete his tour and then look for a compatible civilian career, or if he will consider this recognition as a clear sign that there is a viable and attractive career for him in the Military.

Not that it matters what I would wish for him to choose, but I have full confidence that whatever choice he makes, he will be successful.

And I'll always be proud of him, no matter what he does.

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The Ultimate Marksman

News Release from USPSA:

History Channel Now Seeking The ultimate Marksmen For Its First Competition Show!­

If you are skilled with a pistol, rifle or any other firearm, you could win $100,000 in prizes on TV’s first marksmanship competition show. The History Channel and the producers of "The Ultimate Fighter" are looking for anyone with mind-blowing shooting skills and a big personality to take on exciting physical challenges with multiple guns and mystery projectile weapons.

In each episode, contenders will face team and elimina­tion challenges inspired by real events in history, from Wild West shootouts to modern-day sniper ­missions. Every challenge will reveal the weapons, technologies and tactics of a different era, while hi-speed cameras capture the skillful execution of each test. If you’re in good physical shape, have mastered a firearm and can adapt to new weapons and demanding physical situations, you could be America ’s first “Top Shot.”­

APPLY TODAY!­
To apply, email TopShotCasting@gmail.com ­with your name, city/state, phone number, a recent photo of yourself and a brief explanation of why you should be on the show. Deadline to apply is January 18, 2010. For more information, visit www.pilgrimfilms.tv and click on “CASTING” or call 818-728-3729 TODAY!­
­

* Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, a resident or citizen of the United States

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SWMBO report, December

If it ain't one thing, it's another.

Sound familiar?

When SWMBO was released from the hospital at the end of November, her oncologist didn't send her home with a prescription for antibiotics. Reason? No bacterial infection was detected in her lab tests.

But she still had the sharp, burning pain in her side, which did NOT go away after several days at home. The doctor had prescribed a powerful pain killer, but she couldn't take enough of it to get her through the day ... it was only 8 pills a day, because it contained Tylenol and the doctor was worried about liver damage. (NOTE: Tylenol contains acetaminophen which is counter-indicated for certain people, especially those with existing liver problems)

She had an appointment with a G.I. specialist on Wednesday, and he tentatively diagnosed her with 'ulcerative colitis' which is serious business ... and for which there is (according to the Mayo Clinic) no known cure.

But there are treatments for the symptoms, among which are ... antibiotics.

She came home with a one-week prescription ... four pills a day. The first night she couldn't sleep and spend the night sitting up on her couch, and sometime in the night she was overcome with nausea.

Thursday she cut the ingestion of antibiotics back by one pill, and was able to sleep through the night.

Friday she was feeling better, and this morning she was resting comfortable. Her voice is now stronger, she can concentrate on paying her bills, and her eyes were bright and shiny again.

I've been staying with her most of the past week, which has been good for both of us. I can help her get through the days and nights, which is a much more positive thing for me to do than staying at my home and worrying about her.

The short term looks good. I don't know when her next doctor appointment is, but hopefully she will by then be able to deal with the symptoms and the doctors can get a better understanding of what is happening to her.

Other than some 'helpful' medications which she can take at home, there's not a lot of treatment being directed toward her Cancer. Instead, they're treating the side-effects of the medications, and the side-effects of those medications.

But she's coming back, regaining her strength, and her quality of life is much better than it was this time last week.

Hopefully, we'll both be back on our feet next week and we can pay more attention to our normal daily activities.

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PJTV - PJTV Daily - Warmists Give Climategate the Cold Shoulder

PJTV - PJTV Daily - Warmists Give Climategate the Cold Shoulder

"What do Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and the Center for American Progress have to say about the growing Climategate scandal?"

This interview addresses the concept of "Global Warming" not just within context of "global warming is caused by man-made issues", but in the context that "Global Warming" is actually a current and on-going process.

Quotes from interviewed self-professed Global-Warming Supporters:

"Cherry-picking"

"We're right, you're wrong!"

"We've got ... the polar bears ..."

"The underlying data no longer exists."

"I don't think there was an intend to deceive ..."

"If you are prone to believing that Climate Change doesn't exist you're grasping for emails to make that point."

"... as it pertains to 1 the issue of climate change, we've got so much observable data ..."

"What kind of investigation are you looking for, exactly?"

"I think that you and I can agree that the issue of climate change -- is settled."

The interviewers don't seem to accept that the issue of climate change is settled. They insist that "global warming does not exist within the last ten years" and "the hottest decade in history was in the 1930's" (which suggests that "carbon emissions" are not the root cause of "global warming" or "Climate Change", because industrial and "Internal Combustion Engine" "Carbon Emissions" were demonstrably in the 1930's than in the 21st Century).

The PJTV interviews were interesting, but not intrinsically convincing ... for either side of the question.

However, one thing is clear: those who are convinced that "Climate Change" exists, and especially if they are caused by humanocentric activities in the 20th and 21st century, are all-too eager to jump on to the "The Issue Is Settled" bandwagon.

This is not consistent with the Scientific Method, which has clearly definable steps. Here is an explanation of if the fifth and final step in one description of the Scientific Method:

5. Draw Conclusions from your data.
- Here, it is stated directly whether the hypothesis was supported or disproven.
- If your hypothesis is supported, it should be repeated, since one of the basic foundations of the scientific method is that it is repeatable. The more an experiment is repeated, the more valid the results are. However, if there is a hypothesis that is supported by many experiments and a lot of data, we call that hypothesis a theory.
- The word theory is often misused in everyday language. Theory and hypothesis are not synonyms, a hypothesis is just an educated guess that perhaps has been supported once or twice by an experiment. A theory was once a hypothesis, but is now supported by a lot of data and is accepted as being correct, until new information is discovered to disprove it.

Note that the last sentence emphasizes the possibility that a "theory" is accepted as being correct, until new information is discovered to disprove it.

What we have here is a 'theory', the proponents of which strive diligently to dissuade any effort to disprove it.

This is not Science. This is religion, in that it is Faith Based. As such, it introduces a new panoply of "Gods" and stigmatizes anyone who would dispute it.

It is Western Jihad.

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Mishs "Global Economic Trend Analysis" has much to say upon this, based upon a careful and thorough examination of the material in the 60MB 156MB "hacked files". A few examples, but please read the whole thing (it's not all that long):

It's now official. Much of the hype about global warming is nothing but a complete scam.

Thanks to hackers (or an insider) who broke into The University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and downloaded 156 megaybytes of data including extremely damaging emails, we now know that data supporting the global warming thesis was completely fabricated.

Inquiring minds are reading Hacked: Hadley CRU FOI2009 Files on The Reference Frame by Luboš Motl, a physicist from the Czech Republic.

Since the CRU is staffed by credible scientists who welcome peer review, we would naturally expect an "open source" approach to validating data. Right?

Maybe not; here's just one email which strongly infers that "peer review" is something to be avoided at all costs -- up to and including destroying emails which might suggest nefarious intent:

From: Phil Jones p.jones@uea.ac.uk
To: "Michael E. Mann" mann@meteo.psu.edu
Subject: IPCC & FOI
Date: Thu May 29 11:04:11 2008

Mike,

Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re AR4? Keith will do likewise. He's not in at the moment - minor family crisis.

Can you also email Gene and get him to do the same? I don't have his new email address.

We will be getting Caspar to do likewise.

I see that CA claim they discovered the 1945 problem in the Nature paper!!
Cheers
Phil

Okay, but at least they had solid computer programs which provided consistent results and forecasts based upon the "observable data" which they had gathered through (at least) recent years. Right?

Well, perhaps not absolutely positively data which "has been supported once or twice by an experiment."

Here is an evaluation of the code, based on observations of a programmer ("Harry"?) who has been tasked with validating undocumented code used to predict weather patterns, using the original data.

Go ahead, read it.

Harry --- speaking as a professional Programmer and Systems Analyst, I can only say ... "I Feel Your Pain."

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