At the risk of boring the world

I have to get something off my chest. I need to thank one of my high school teachers; one I didn't properly appreciate all those years ago.

I have hated studying mathematics since I was in 4th grade. That was when they came out with 'new math' and something about new math and I never ever clicked.

We would get reading assignments in math classes, and no matter how hard I tried I could never make any sense out of the text explanation of the math concepts. Didn't matter, grade school, high school, college...math text books might as well have been written in any number of foreign languages, but not English.

I hated math.

I had a little fun with geometry, shapes were cool. Trig, on the other hand was absolute nonsense.

In college, I passed two pre-calculus classes, another in "intuitive" calculus, and other mathematically oriented courses in statistical analysis (oh, I hated that one) , and chemistry, physics, even ecology classes that required strong mathematical skills.

Most of the credit for my surviving those belongs to a high school teacher of mine, Orville Keith Miller. OK or Keith Miller was someone I knew through the church where I grew up before I had him for class. Keith was not the most adept at social skills (sorry Keith) and that was apparent even to a high school junior.

Yet, he turned my life around, partly because he was direct, honest, caring, and forthright, if not polished and tactful.

When a junior at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs Iowa in 1970, OK was my algebra teacher. I was bright enough to slide by and was doing just that. One Sunday during coffee hour after church, OK said to my mother (her words to me, I don't know what Keith actually said), "It's a crying shame that Jim isn't as smart as your other boys."

Now, if you wanted to get my Mom riled, the best way was to criticize one of her cubs. But, this momma bear was bright enough to know that going directly into combat with the criticizer was not going to get anywhere. Rather, she sat me down, and said, "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

It's just occurred to me that those two, the teacher and the parent, may have cooked up a plot to get me to actually put forth some effort and learn. (Mom was a pretty good applied psychologist in her day.) One way or the other, whether by accident or whether in collusion with Mom, Keith Miller made me learn math whether I liked it or not.

I never have learned to like mathematical studies. But guess what I make my living doing?...working with numbers.

My job involves analyzing data about inventories, projecting inventory consumption, predicting how historic demand patterns will translate into future demands. My responsibilities dealing with math extend into the millions and billions of dollars.

So Mr. Miller, OK, Keith, I want to publicly thank you for the solid grounding I received. I was much too hard on you in my own mind all those years ago. You contributed dramatically to the success of my career.

I've tried finding Mr. Miller on line. He's long since deservedly retired from my alma mater, ALHS. Anybody who can get this post to him....I'd be grateful.

JRE

Time for Christmas shopping

Guess what time it is?!

At least it's a Friday night this time.

Before starting this note, I took advantage of the quiet to begin Christmas shopping. Bought a few things online but not via Amazon so far. Some years I've accomplished all shopping via Amazon.

I bought Sue a new laptop for Halloween. Spent less than $400 and it's an awesome machine! It's up and working as our Den system now, but have to put a bunch of our software on it tomorrow. The old Den desktop system was getting too slow for every day use, but we've kept it around as a file server for the home network. The new machine has Windows 7; looks different from XP, but sure was a dream when I went to connect the new box to the network...easiest network install I've ever experienced.

Soggy, gray fall here. Among the wettest Octobers on record for Chicagoland. Also among the coolest. I sure hope this isn't a sign for winter/snow ahead.

Stupid being up on a "school night". I usually do this insomnia thing on a Friday.

1) Having a good time at work. New software is working. Now trying to slowly but surely bend the culture to support better forecasting methods that the software supports.

2) Family is all good, even if details could be better. Rob is not in a 'perfect' job. He's been put on a second shift position. Laura is doing well professionally and is working toward a new boyfriend. Sue's co-workers include many too sick to work right now, and the same with me. Don't know if it's really H1N1 but just know there's stuff going around and it looks to be a long winter. Nobody among us Eilers on sick call for the moment.

3) Doing battle with my company proscribed long-term maintenance drug provider. They goofed and sent the wrong stuff rather than calling when they had a vague instruction in a prescription. So, they've billed for and have been paid for the wrong stuff and want to be billed and paid again when a more precise prescription is sent for the right stuff......we'll see who wins this. Want to bet? I can be pretty tenacious. Remember, I specialize in getting the right material to the right place at the right time.

4) Still warm and fuzzy from our vacation. Had a ball (if you couldn't tell) and have come home relaxed and worked the last week and a half with the benefit of the refreshment.

So, except for some relatively minor windmill tilting, stuff is good here.

If you haven't checked in for awhile, be sure to keep reading in the blog (Facebookers, that's http://jimeilers.blogspot.com/ ) There is a selected set of pictures from the vacation trip posted last week. Just a few of many, many now in our archives here.

JRE

Pictures from vacation

Lots and lots of pictures from Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. Here's a sampling.
Many historic buildings, people, craftsmen, and some time for nature too.















The silversmith at Colonial Williamsburg















A couple of law breakers suffering their punishment















We were lucky enough to see General Washington at Williamsburg















A regiment was drilling while we were there as well
















These buildings are at Jamestown, reproductions of buildings dating from the 17th century















This home dates from the time of the American Revolution when Williamsburg was the capitol of Virginia.















A kitchen from the late 18th century on an early plantation. In Virginia, kitchens were commonly a seperate building from living quarters.














A representation of a Powhatan village at Jamestown. I always thought Powhatan was Pocahontas' dad....he was. The title Powhatan was the big chief, but it was also the name of the people he ruled.















Ships moored at Jamestown' on the James River some 50 miles inland from Chesapeake Bay














The chamber were the House of Burgesses met in Williamsburg. It was here that Richard Henry Lee introduced the resolution for independency that was unanimously adopted.

Our trip was mostly about history, but you know us....we have to get our nature fix as well.















Look closely at the base of the grass plants. There are a gillion mussels there. We canoed in the York River estuary at low tide.















These fiddler crabs are about two inches long. They were everywhere at low tide.















The York River estuary inland from Chesapeake Bay.















Shoreline along the York River

Ahhh vacation #2

Here's a short installment. Here is Sue, the Captain of the Canoe on the York River estuary above it's entry into the Chesapeake.

We're having a ball.

Ahhhhh.......vacation

Ready to go play tourist. Feels great to relax and know that I don't have to report for duty for a whole, blessed week.

Sue is mostly packed. I have the camera/computer bag organized, but have yet to start putting my clothes together. Still winding down from work.

Everybody we know who has been to Williamsburg has told us they really enjoyed it. I promise pictures, but not so many as to be tiresome.

Seems to be a pattern here

So, it's 4 a.m. on a Friday night/Saturday morning and here I am again.

Kind of a fun evening last night. I got home from work to find Sue playing with Nathan ( no surprise there as Friday is sitting for the grandson day). Then not long after Laura's boyfriend Kip came around, then after that Amanda (Nathan's mom) came by, then Sue was feeding everybody, then eventually Laura came home from work too. Nothing in all that activity that's a bit remarkable, and that's just the way I like it. Family activity of the normal sort. Couldn't have scripted it better.

A week from now Sue and I will be getting up (well, maybe not quite this early) and leaving for the airport to fly to Virginia for vacation. Looking forward to the trip.

Things at work are changing. New roles for people. Not all sorted out yet, but fresh opportunities on the horizon.....not bad changes, just new roles and responsibilities.

The fox was back Wednesday evening. Sue and Laura haven't seen him in the flesh yet, so they're jealous. The cats spotted a critter sometime after dark and we thought it might have been the fox, but when we turned on the back yard lights we found it to be a skunk instead. Ah, quality critters here!