Shannon Curtis

Kathy and I got to see and hear Shannon Curtis at the Caterina Winery. She's very good. Wonderful voice. She's from Los Angeles and this is the second time she's played in Spokane. There were maybe 30 people in the place--not that it could hold many more. I bought her CD and it turns out her music is licensed under Creative Commons and we are free to copy and share. Awesome!

A Well Developed Bedside Manner

So I go see a doctor about an unusual crusty bit of skin on my stomach. She looks at it and declares it seborrheic keratosis, a benign form of skin tumor. "They're also called age barnacles," she says. And then with a smile full of pity that only a young person can afford to wear, "Saw-reeee." She enthusiastically retrieved "the nitro" and informed me she could freeze it. "It'll slough off in a couple of weeks." What the heck. I've never had anything frozen off before although I thought I came close when I was stationed at Minot. So I stood and raised my shirt. And with no warning about how this was going to feel like a zillion needle sticks she gives me a zillion needle sticks. "The first one is the worst. I have to do this three times." No, pretty much all three hurt just as much as the other. No warning either about the huge blister that arose the following day. And two weeks later the angry looking, scarlet-faced age barnacle has yet to slough off. All in all a most satisfying medical
experience.

Last Day of Pool

The days of summer are waning and the weather is cooling off. So I heated the pool until the water got to 85 degrees and Josh and Steph had their cousins Trevor and Parker over for the last day of pool. What a bunch of fun-loving, goofy kids. I burned some burgers and dogs and we had a great afternoon.

Lost in Spokane

I was really looking forward to my Orienteering class. But I couldn't find it.

The Last Report OnThe Miracles At Little No Horse

A wonderfully complex story. I especially appreciated the character Nanapush; his wit, wisdom, and a remarkably and unusually humorous story of his death. The switching between Agnes and Father Damien was confusing, but I guess that would be expected of a woman in a man's role. Her spiritual life is a mixture of religion, secrets, sex, deception and humor. Nanapush's use of Father Damien's secret just to win a chess game speaks volumes about his character.
And then what better revenge (and insurance?) for an Ojibwe as that of Fleur Pillager patiently working her way into the life of the man responsible for exploiting the people of the reservation, becoming his wife, leaving him after getting pregnant, and forcing his child to be born and raised on the reservation.

Well, There's Yer Problem...

For the last ten days I've been having one flat after another on my rear tire. It began with a couple of industrial-sized staples that put several holes in the tube. Rather than patch it, I replaced it. Then the real trouble started. I kept getting flats and three times the hole in the tube was in the same spot. No matter how closely I examined the inside of the tire, I couldn't find any reason for the punctures. So I thought I had some bad tubes. Bought new tubes. Still got flats. Sometimes I'd go for two days. Sometimes I'd go for two hours. Very frustrating. Finally took the wheel into the bike shop. The experienced mechanic quickly showed me the glass embedded in the outside of the tire that would slowly work in and puncture the tube. Since I had so much glass he recommended a new tire. So happy now...