October 2005 Archives

Mary came over to cut my grass, trim my bushes, and cut down some tree limbs that were too close to the house. In so doing, she discovered a hornet's nest attached to the back corner of the house by the guest room. My mother always complained of finding the flying beasts in that bedroom. I always told her she was imagining things.

This nest is enormous. I have no idea how to remove it as the residence appears well occupied. That corner of the house is so high up that the wasp spray will not even reach. So, I guess I'll have to call an exterminator or a beast removal company.

I guess if you grow up in an abusive relationship, you just don't know any better. You assume that, what others know to be abuse, is normal, is like everyone's life. And I suppose that if your relationship slowly becomes poisoned with abuse, you don't realize it. It just begins to seem normal.

But abuse is abuse.

At the technology conference I just attended, I saw several people who lived in abuse. They continue to use Windows! Their machines were giving them fits. One presenter's machine totally crashed minutes before the presentation. He couldn't use it at all. But what upsets me sooooo much, all of the people who continue to be abused by Windows don't even know they are abused! They think it's normal.

The presenter commented that it happens all the time. It didn't seem to shock or even mildly surprise him.

If my Mac were to crash, I would be stunned beyond belief. It would be such an out-of-the-ordinary experience that I would be completely beside myself. Yet, as is typical of abusive relationships, not only do these abused people find the abuse normal, they adamantly defend their desire to be in the abusive relationship with Windows. I just don't get it!

For god's sake people: Windows hasn't had a new idea in years! Windows doesn't work. Ditch it! Buy a Mac and end the cycle of abuse!!!!!

I really love Denver. It has the feel of a big city in many ways but seems to lack some of the things I hate about Atlanta. The airport is but one example. Atlanta's airport is horrendously too crowded. The TSA people were literally just yelling at all of the passengers going through security clearance. Denver's airport on the other hand is beautiful, open, spacious, and not at all crowded. The whole energy of the space is positive and welcoming.

Denver as a city still retains its quaint charm amid the skyscrapers. Beautiful old buildings with architectural charm abound. I was also impressed by the lack of graffiti. I went hiking all around Red Rock--the perfect place to deface. In the 3 hour hike I only saw one tiny word written on the rock. Walking, biking, and jogging trails are simply everywhere, so pervasive as to suggest a law requiring them. And best of all, they are frequented. The people seem to respect and value nature.

The Rockies, of course, are without proper description. Even the awesome and spectacular pictures I took are a woefully inadequate depiction of the natural beauty in this place. Clean air. Planes with unending sky as far as the eye can see. The Rockies. As one of the park rangers exclaimed, "It's nothing short of the face of God!"

Since the concierge did such a good job yesterday, again this morning, I asked where I should visit. I wanted to see lakes with snowcapped Rockies reflecting in the water. These young people know their wilderness. I had another awesome day of spectacular beauty. From cloudless sunny weather to intense snow storms, the weather was as unexpected as the beauty of Bear and Nymph Lakes in Estes Park in the Rocky Mountains.

Hiking into the woods the .5 mile was not too difficult, even though it was a steady uphill grade. However, in process I had a terrible low blood sugar "episode." Thank god I had chocolate with me otherwise the search party would be still looking for my remains. Because this was such an exhausting ordeal turning my leg muscles into jelly, I didn't go on to the other lakes, even though I so wanted to.

I thought I was going to get high on the fresh smell of the mountains. Pine was the predominant scent. Ahhh! Like Christmas in October! But my favorite experience was a brief little chat with a tiny older lady from Florida. She was all wrapped up in a heavy coat, gloves, scarf, and hat, squinting as the snow gently pelted her radiant face as she stood at the edge of the lake. She was physically by the water's edge but her spirit had been transported into heaven. She was beaming. Seeing how incredibly happy she was in this very beautiful place was just a delight I will not soon forget.

I asked the concierge at the hotel what I should do this afternoon now that the conference is over. She said I needed to go to Red Rock, which is less than an hour from the hotel. She said the amphitheater is amazing. She could tell from my reation I wasn't impressed, having no desire to see an amphitheater. She said, "Trust me. This place is gorgeous." Indeed, indeed it is.

On the verge of the Rockies, at the edge of town, sticking from the earth as if violently thrust there by an unseen long absent force are sheer, jagged red rocks. Climbing on them is a $999.00 fine and/or 180 days in jail. This place is spectacular.

The conference is over, and this is really the first chance I've had to be "out and about." I am stunned. Denver is having a beautiful, colorful Fall!

I plan to head off to the mountains later this afternoon.

More to come later. Lots more!

I've spent the last 2 sessions listening to Gary S. Stager, who is an excellent speaker and thinker. His first session, Beyond 1:1 Computing - An Expert Perspective on What Students Might Do, was thought-provoking. He even spoke briefly of the technology debacle in Cobb County, correctly pointing the finger at the small number of small-minded men that had "other" ideas.

Here are a couple of ideas to come back to in the future:

• "The computer mediates a conversation with yourself."
• "Laptops are by nature portable so to even have a discussion about taking them home is absurd. Think of this as trombone rental."
• "Students come to us in school with incredible technology skills and we start complaining they need to learn better hand-writing?! We need to stop thinking up 1,000 meaningless things to test."
• "Parents used to believe they could control the information their child has access to. Today kids have knowledge that the adults value."
• "When you give teachers professional tools, they behave differently, professionally."
• "The computer should primarily be an intellectual laboratory and a vehicle for self-expression."
• "We have an obligation to build on our students' fluency in technology."
• "The biggest problem we have with technology is our using it passively: to just look up information!"
• "We need to plaster it on every wall in the classroom: 'Edit it one more time and make it shorter.'."
• "Why are we wasting time teaching keyboarding in 7th grade? When I was in 7th grade I was learning programming because I had a teacher with vision."
• "In the absence of celebration there is this focus on the forces of darkness."

His session on podcasting was equally as good. I'm looking forward to hearing him talk about using technology as a tool to teach math through meaningful problem solving that would be otherwise impossible.

Yes, I am sitting here in the Denver Convention Center at the NSBA's T+L2 Conference. I just finished listening to Neil Gershenfeld from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms. God I love hearing people who challenge me to think. Neil's work is on the cutting edge, literally. He is working on bridging the gap between digital technology and fabrication--sort of making laser printers that don't print, they cut, they fabricate, they manufacture.

He stated this will be the next phase in the digital revolution: the fabrication revolution: people being able to make whatever they want for a market of one. He showed an example of a student at MIT who manufactured a screambody. She could scream into the body, which no one could hear. Then, later, when in an appropriate location, she could release the scream. What a hoot--so to speak.

The implications for personal fabrication are huge: instead of purchasing a bike that was manufactured by someone else in another place, you design your own and have it fabricated right there. Or, if your not up for designing your own, just have a friend email you theirs and fabricate it yourself. I sort of see this as a new extreme breed of printer.

He said this is a new type of post digital self expression. He said we have historically had an unnatural divide between self expression and fabrication and need to marry the two. The digital revolution will allow us to do this. MIT has started fabrication field labs all over the world thus helping remote areas of the world skip the industrial revolution step and go straight to a manufacture society on a local level, small scale, highly specific to the needs of a community.

He stated that he believes molecular assemblers are only 20 years out. When he started talking about personal fabrication, I immediately thought about my post a couple weeks ago about my desire to manufacture my own clothing, fabric, etc. Hah! I was "cutting" edge and didn't know it!

His website is here.

I hadn't been on the ground in Denver for an hour before I was on the phone to the Apple stpre at Cherry Creek Mall--a really nice mall by the way. I visited it last year when I left my computer charger in Atlanta.

Yes! They had 1 last white video 60 gig iPod. I bribed the hotel shuttle driver to speed over to the Apple store. I now have it loading all of my data!!

"When it rains, it pours." Tonight I went to dinner with friends. We went to a restaurant to which two of them have been several times before, but which was new to me. (Two new restaurants in one month!) Blue Pointe, a trendy place, had a wonderful energy and great food. I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the evening's announcement. A new little one is on its way!

This will be mom and dad's first! Congratulations!

I've had a busy, productive day thus far. I just decided to take a break and run get a quick bite for lunch. The cloudless, 65º day is marked by the distinctive angle of sunlight only seen in the Fall. Gorgeous!

As I pulled into the fast food restaurant, suddenly and unexpectedly I caught the very distinctive glimpse of my grandmother in an elderly lady peering out of the window taking in the beautiful day. Aside from my grandmother, I have never seen anyone hold her head in that way: held slightly back, tilted slightly up and to the side, gazing up...with a gentle smile on her face and her mind in a beautiful, peaceful place. This was a look I knew well. My grandmother always had this expression when, as a child, I would play the piano for her.

The experience was so unexpected, so uncommon, so powerful. My eyes instantly filled with tears. For just one second, I was with her again. This post celebrates the love that is her memory.

Ruth Cleveland Tyson
March 5, 1903 - March 4, 1995

No one else will particularly think what I'm about to write is of any note. However, I find it amazing. The movie I posted on October 19th was created in Motion. The original file, compressed in the DV codec, was 75.5 megabytes! To put it on the web, the file that you actually see in the post, I exported it using the H.264 codec, thereby shrinking the file to a mere 1.5 megabytes.

Now, if that's not notable enough, I just exported it using the 3GPP codec. Now, amazingly, the file is only 220KB!! It now lives happily on my cell phone where I can actually play it! Tell me Windows Media Player will do that! I dare ya! QuickTime rocks!

Last night I ate at a wonderful restaurant in downtown Decatur: Feast. The food was great, the prices reasonable. Interestingly, everything is priced individually. So, if you want one vegetable, you purchase just one. Everything is priced in a small serving size and a large.

The atmosphere was also wonderful, old exposed brick. I'm not sure how old the building actually is, but it has a great sense of character. Additionally, the space is located directly across the street from the historic Decatur train depot, which dates all the way back to the Civil War!

Thumbs up!

As you can tell from the subtitle of my blog, I want to promote substantive, meaningful, authentic living. Today on NPR I heard something that resonated with me. The person speaking in essence said that we have nothing if we have information, knowledge, a story to tell, wealth, etc. and choose not to share them with others. Meaningfulness and context come from the experience of sharing, of giving to others that which we have.

I think one can ponder the nature of interconnectedness and meaningfulness, or not....

This is my first experience with the Apple program Motion. I created this for work. This was easy to figure out, but then I haven't really done much with it yet. It's awesome! Now, what makes this utterly scream in my opinion is the file size and clarity of the video! Using H.264 compression, this video is ready for you to watch on your iPod and only consumes a tiny 1.4 megabytes!! That's unbelievable!

I had never heard of this, but it's a great tool. Like Google, you search. However, you search for specific products. Better yet, the search result tells you what the item is actually selling for on the street. Very nice! I used it today to save about $400.00 on a piece of audio technology!

Check out Froogle!

I was all decorated for Halloween. But enough is enough. There were 5 giant spider webs attached to my house and 1 to the mail box. I've already blogged about the huge spider. Well, it had a baby. However, junior spider, like mama spider, was also equally as huge.

I went to Publix to buy some spider nerve gas. I couldn't find any spider poison. I talked with the lady stocking the shelves. She was a hoot! She immediately knew I was talking about the huge yellow and black spiders. Her eyes grew as large as her hand animations when she told me that if they see your teeth, they will write you name in their web, and the next time you walk by the web they will leap onto your jugular vein, refusing to let go until you lie quivering dead on the ground!

I came home and forthwith nuked them all off of the face of the earth!

So, today I have installed all of the software Apple gave me as an ADE. I've been using Final Cut Pro ever since it first came out. Here, in it's latest iteration, Final Cut Pro Studio, I am blown away: Final Cut Pro 5, LiveType 2, Motion 2 (which I just launched for the 1st time--WOW!), Compressor 2, DVD Studio Pro 4, Cinema Tools (which I doubt I will ever use), Apple Qmaster (nice! distributed network rendering?!), and Sountrack Pro 2 (which I confess, I had already installed and been using).

The first thing that blows me away is that they would give me all of this as an ADE! Totally, outrageously awesome gift! And next, I am blown away with how spectacular these products are (or have become)! I need to clone myself to have the time to get creative!

I am horrified to report that the spider about which I originally reported on October 2nd is even larger, probably about 4 inches long now! This thing is a danger to god and man!

I don't know if spiders hibernate during the winter or just die, but it's time for this thing to go! Bring on the first frost!

I probably need a category called "Stop & Think!" If I had one, this article, which I read today in a magazine I had never heard of before, Adbusters, would go in that category. This is important.

As we strive to navigate this increasingly precarious world, we're faced with an unexpected and frightening realization: the information we rely on is confusing, full of uncertainty and fundamentally distorted. Day after day, we turn to the media for the facts we need to survive - about the risks of going out in the sun, drinking milk, or riding the tube to work. But inevitably, in our search for answers, we stumble.

The stories get twisted, the lessons lost in the fog of mental pollution produced by the multi-billion dollar marketing industry, and in the bias of the mega-corporate press. We can't be expected to filter the science from the science for hire. The news from the PR. The reality from the entertainment and hype. So, too often, we simply surrender to the vastness of the problem.

The consequences of this surrender are grave: we start making bad decisions about the food we eat, the products we buy, the politicians we support. Consider terrorism. What is the cost of our media's silence - and our collective ignorance - on the backstory, the possible root causes of Islamist terrorism? Debating these would seem like a basic first step in working towards reconciliation. Yet, five years on, facile rhetoric about "evildoers" and "freedom-haters" is the best our leaders can muster.

It all points to the broader concern that, collectively, we may be losing the ability to understand the world around us. Information flows - so mediated, filtered and spun from the top-down - are becoming detached from reality. The disconnect is so serious that it can make us question our own sanity. And in turn, we ply ourselves with Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil.

The media should be a tool that allows us explain things to each other; a beacon to turn to when we're losing clarity of mind. Instead, as it now stands, it obscures the picture further.

This is floating around the internet:

Bush, when asked what he thought about Roe v. Wade, responded that he didn't care how people got out of New Orleans.

I have been waiting for some time now for Apple to produce a video iPod. I envision using one to wirelessly connect to the TV/display device. That's still to come I'm sure!--hopefully in the not too distant future. Someone will make a fortune when they figure out how to wirelessly send that much bandwidth without causing us all to glow in the dark!

I wanted the iPod to play movies, both those generated by Hollywood and individuals on their computers. Having the capacity to download movies on demand to the iPod will be very cool. Stream and watch them off the internet. I'm sure that's in the works sooner than the wireless display connectivity from the iPod to the display.

Hello! The obvious never occurred to me: downloading TV shows! This has real potential for me. I would never sit in front of a TV and watch a program. But in those times when having this iPod, this portable TiVo, would keep my down time, my waiting time, my workout time from feeling less than productive, I would watch a TV program. Well, I'm really not as interested in TV as I am programs like 6 Feet Under and the like.

Here, today, it all begins. This has huge implications for video content distribution. The faster the bandwidth gets, the more things will change. I've always wanted to watch programs from HBO or other premium channels, but I flat refuse to pay the insane cost of basic cable and premium cable as well just to get the premium channels! I had it years ago. My cable bill, with high speed internet, was around $150 a month. Hell no! I don't watch TV much at all! I canceled it.

Reasonably priced content subscriptions on my video iPod? Now, that's awesome! Apple did it again!

I always seem to want things that have not been created yet. For example, for almost a whole year now, I've been waiting for this book:

"Apple Pro Training Series : Encyclopedia of Visual Effects (Apple Pro Training Series)" (Damian Allen)

Peachpit Press has been dragging their feet on this thing! Every 3 months I go to the bookstore to see if the book is now out. Inevitably the publication date is then pushed out another 3 months. So now, the book is scheduled to be released in December. Yeah, right! We'll see.

Since I seem to want to read book not yet printed, perhaps I should start writing them!

I hate it. My interests are frequently ahead of their time. For example: I want to be able to log in to a web site and design my own clothing, say...a shirt. Can that be done now? I mean, I want to make the fabric, decide the cloth, the color, the patterns, the design. I mean, how hard can this be? You simply connect the web interface up to the machines that spin the cloth. The fabric, once made heads off to the cutters. Am I crazy, or is this not possible?!

Give me control over the clothes I wear! I hate these blasted labels--other people charging me a bloody fortune for their designs, their fabric choices, their logos! Yuck!

I was in a meeting in DC. The fire alarm went off. We had to evacuate the building. It was raining outside. Everyone crowded under the small canopy over the doorway. My phone rang. The dermatologist was calling with the lab results from the spot he had removed from my back 4 days earlier. Damn! It was basil cell carcinoma. I figured I had no chance of avoiding it as I grew up on the coast and was always half-baked: so to speak!

I definitely must return to this city and just tour. I want to see the 3,000 cherry trees in bloom by the Jefferson Memorial as I head off to all of the incredible museums and galleries in this amazing city.

The flight back to Atlanta was uneventful. We left Washington in rain and arrived to a cool, beautiful sunny day in Atlanta.

Things I didn't know: the Washington Monument has been cleaned exposing the fact that it is built from 2 colors of marble. Apparently the monument was started, about a third completed, money ran out and about 20 years passed before construction continued. During this time, the quarry from which the marble came was deeper and the marble at the lower level was darker. No exact matches could be found close enough to ship it to the construction site as all that was available at the time was horse and buggy.

After a wonderful breakfast we attended sessions, in the Chinese Room, presented by each of the vendors making donations to our schools. The ceiling in the room was designed in such a way that you could clearly hear with astounding clarity everything people said in any location of the room. As the meeting began we had a fire drill!

Lunch was just as delightful as breakfast. The afternoon was spent writing the grant to receive the $10,000 donation from Intel Corporation each school received.

At 5:30pm we all boarded 2 buses and had an evening tour of the monuments around Washington. Even in the drizzling rain, this was a wonderful time. I had not seen the World War II monument and especially like how well it fits the space on the mall.

We stopped at the National Press Club for dinner. Terry Smithson, from Intel, mentioned that a contact in the White House had reserved the main ballroom for us. The food was just incredible. On the way back to the Mayflower, we stopped at the Lincoln Memorial.

Even though the weather was less than cooperative, raining rather persistently, I trekked up to the monument. Though it doesn't show well in the photograph, the view from the Lincoln Memorial across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument was spectacular in the low-hanging, rain-filled sky.

This has been nothing short of a first class event, a very special time I will never forget.

Off to Hartsfield/Jackson airport this morning. The flight had several SODA (Schools of Distinction Awards) winners on board. In fact, I sat next to another principal from a different winning school. In front of us was a group from an elementary school winner. They busied themselves posing and taking pictures of Flat Stanley as he made his award-winning trip. (Late, those of us from my school, talked of kidnapping him and sending a ransom note to the little kindergartners including a picture of Flat Stanley being held above a shredder.)

The landing at Reagan Internaltion was a bit tortuous, having to speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down, bank hard this way then that way, then ultimately swooping in to the airport! Heavens! I've only been to Washington twice before, and this was the first time I flew in to town.

The Mayflower is a spectacular, historic hotel, a complete class act! The Grand Ballroom, where the event was main event held was held, was spectacular! It had been used continuously for the Presidential inagural balls until the Reagan administration, when the balls became so large as to no longer fit in the gorgeous space. The ballroom was lined with banners for each school stating what category they won. I was able to bring ours back to school and will post it in our school lobby.

We had to rush off to the Dirksen Senate Building for a picture with Johnny Isakson, senator from Georgia, and the Sunday School teacher for several of my students. He was personable. I was amazed that he took time out of his schedule for the picture.

The event, or black tie gala, as it was called, was extraordinary. The Chairman of the Board of Intel, Craig Barrett, spoke, along with the folks from Scholastic, the sponsors of the event. Craig spoke of his strong advocacy for public schools. He listed five points as critical to the success of this institution, the first was that teachers need to be paid significantly more. He stated that he knew of no other profession in which a person could dedicate 30 years of service and not make $100,000 a year.

Twenty schools were selected from over 3,300 applicants as the winners in 10 categories, each category having an elementary and secondary winner. My school won the secondary category for Technology Innovation. Each of the winning schools is completely amazing, making astounding contributions to the children in their care. I was so impressed!

Terry Smithson and Bernadette Grey hosted the evening and introduced each of the representatives from each company who is making substantial donations to the schools. The total amount being distributed to the 20 winning schools is an unbelievable $5,000,000.00. The company representatives then announced the two winning schools in each one of the 10 categories.

The following people joined us at our dinner table: Dr. Mike Hall, Deputy Superintendent for Technology from the Department of Education for the state of Georgia; Scott Campbell, Vice President at Dell and former Cobb County resident; Bernadette Grey, at Scholastic; a representative from Senator Isakson's office, and her guest; the five representatives from our school. The evening was very much the academy awards of education, just spectacular!

I believe that room exits in our world for deep thinking, doubt, and respectful disagreement. In a culture that is not quick to embrace these complex notions, I tend to stand out. I say all of this because I recently heard the very end of a program in the Infinite Mind series on NPR. I caught the end of a conversation with Charles Kimball, author of When Religion Becomes Evil. He articulates 5 warning signs:

1. Absolute truth claims
2. Blind obedience
3. Establishing the "ideal" time
4. The end justifies any means
5. Declaring Holy War

I purchased the book today and plan to read it soon. In addition to the above 5 chapter titles, the author also has two additional chapters in his book, the first and last: Is Religion the Problem, and An Inclusive Faith Rooted in a Tradition. "Charles is professor of religion and chair of the department of religion at Wake Forest University. An ordained Baptist minister who received his Th.D. from Harvard University in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies, Dr. Kimball is the author of three books about religion in the Middle East." I am eager to read his book as I feel it timely.

Tomorrow I head off to Washington. I'll be staying at the Mayflower, a Renaissance Hotel. I don't know if the event is actually being held in this facility or not. This photos at their website are rather impressive, especially the 360º panoramas. The black tie gala is scheduled for tomorrow evening, after pictures with both of Georgia's senators.

I will be heading off to Washington, D.C. this week to receive a major award from Intel and Scholastic for technology innovation. I'm getting excited. I understand we will all be staying in a 5 star hotel that's just a couple of blocks from the White House.

The theme development continues. Three of the four now work more than less. The summer theme, the flowers, will be the last one developed. In fact, I may well wait until summer time to create it.

The other pages (links off of the main page) will be fixed up "soon."

The dermatologist thought that it wasn't skin cancer, but he wasn't sure. Therefore, I had a little minor out-patient surgery today. So far the area on which he worked doesn't hurt <knocking on the wooden legs to the table>. The biopsy will tell all.

In the last few weeks three people that are close to me, two friends and one family member, have experienced extreme difficulty, one catastrophic event happening as recently as last night. I am talking about the kinds of problems that affect one for a lifetime. These are the times that we admit powerlessness as I can do nothing overt to help.

I pray that out of the tragedy and the devastating pain, fear, heartache, and loss that each has experienced will spring the power for each person to reinvent his/her life and find new security, happiness, hope, and love. I believe God answers prayers.

OK, so 2 of the 4 user-selectable themes, available in the sidebar, now work: Autumn and Winter. I am going to have to rebuild the Spring/Summer theme and make it the Spring theme. A new Summer theme will come later. MT 3.2 made so many template tag changes that impact basic CSS page layout, that I will have to completely reconstruct my previous Spring/Summer template in order for it to work again.

And, yes, I know that the Cams, About, and the Links pages have "exploded." It's not as serious as it looks--just a little CSS makeover is needed. In time they too will be up and working again. But I am delighted to have conquered the basic concepts of user theme selection. It was no small task for me. And I highly recommend this article posted by Paul Sowden at A List Apart on Alternate Style Sheets. Without what this teenager posted, I would never have been able to figure this out! Ever!

If we don't have Fall soon, with cooler weather to kill off the bugs, this spider is going to become so large it will stop attaching its web to my house and start wrapping my house in its web! This creature is huge! Enough already!!

Well, despite the fact that I sit here in the unseasonable heat, it's time for the Autumn CSS--out with the Spring/Summer CSS and in with the Autumn look. Eventually I plan to have four seasonal (or not) themes from which the user can pick to display my blog, much the same way as Mike Davidson so brilliantly implemented. My only problem is that MT 3.2 made some fundamental template tag changes in the blog setup.

I had the pre MT3.2 template tags down! This new way is a little obscure to me yet. And I am horrified by the horrendously messy and needlessly long and convoluted CSS file that comes with the basic install.

Why must they have changed it so?! I'm not convinced it's better, even though you can now download a CSS style catcher plugin. Hey, that's just for wimps! :o)

My next door neighbors, a young cute couple, suddenly decided to rent their house and move to Vinings of all places! They will be renting their house to another young couple. The girl is a med student at Emory in neuropathology. They will be living there for 2 years while she finishes school. Hopefully this means they will not be wild party animal types! I will miss my current neighbors. They were quiet, friendly, and nice.

Brief history of the house next door:

1. Single quiet (reclusive, really) engineer who lived there for many years before I moved in to my house. He was fired for accidentally airing porn on the TV station at which he worked. He was nice enough but had a terrible habit of backing up in his front yard before driving out of the driveway. His doing this killed the grass in his front yard. He let a homeless man live under his carport for a while.
2. A lesbian couple (one very friendly, out-going, and just a whole lot of fun, the other unsettlingly quiet, even when spoken to) moved in next. I later learned that the quiet one had some mental health issues, stopped working, ruined their credit, and they lost the house, in which they had started numerous renovation projects. Note that all of the projects were only started. None of them were ever finished. So, the house required about $50,000 worth of work when they moved out: reinstalling kitchen cabinets, putting a dishwasher in where they took out the old one, etc...
3. My current neighbors, who, by the way, were recently married. He is a young attorney, and she is a receptionist for a psychic hypnotherapist. Kinda odd, but cool odd...

The tree outside my second floor bedroom has normally been every vivid fall color one can image by now. At this time every year, its leaves have fallen. Here, on October 1st, the leaves on it are still green. My walks in the forest and parks are marked by many leaves along the path–all of them brown. They just turn brown and fall from the trees. This has been an unusually hot and colorless fall. How sad.