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Subject: Postcard from Portland
Dear Family and Friends,
Here's a new day. O Pendulum move slowly!
--Harold Munro
Please accept our apologies for not getting out a PfP last month. As you
will read below, I was out of town on business during the beginning of
February. Between a demanding schedule at work and an increasingly
active tot at home, it is becoming more difficult to allocate time to
keeping up with email and publishing these labors of love. My thanks to
those friends who expressed concern when they noticed they hadn't
received an installment last month. We shall endeavor to not disappoint.
And I do mean "we" - I would not be able to produce these journals
without the help that Liz provides.
O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
--Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind.
Last Sunday we were treated to what is known locally as a "sun break".
These all-too-rare phenomena are a welcome palliative which serve to
renew our hope that spring will return. While Elisha napped and I
started on this PfP, Liz took advantage of the opportunity to do a bit
of gardening. The crocuses were in bloom, as were some shrubs! And the
tulips and irises show new growth. These harbingers of Spring reaffirm
the promise of a Phoebus [1] homecoming. It will be a most welcome
respite from the rain. February was the fourth wettest on record!
And speaking of sunshine in our lives, I'll segue into the tidings about
Elisha :-)
The BIG news is... she's walking! My prophecy from the last PfP has
indeed come true. I am reminded of the old adage, "be careful what you
wish for...". Unless she's mesmerized by Teletubbies [2] on the tube,
she's off exploring the environment. Liz and I must get more gates. As
things now stand, it's impossible for us to sit down to a meal if Elisha
chooses not to be in her highchair. Her newfound mobility is accompanied
by a case of shpilkes [3] and a curiosity that neither knows bounds nor
will breach any lapse in our constant vigilance. Elisha has also scaled
Mount Never-rest - the flight of stairs is an obstacle no more. She's
gotten quite good at this exercise. We plan to enroll her next year in
the annual race up the Empire State Building [4] :-)
Now that she has mastered the art of motility, simple walking no longer
suffices. She likes to don her denim hat while wandering about and has a
penchant for picking up a toy or two to propagate to the parlour, privy
or wastebin. If she weren't so cute... ;-) She's already started to try
her hand (foot?) at running. So far, it's 1-2-boom! (face plant) By the
next PfP we're certain we'll be struggling to keep up with her.
An unwelcome but expected consequence of her increased confidence is the
greater risk of injury. So far, the worst she's inflicted on herself is
a minor shiner. Poor baby :-(
Our poor progeny has also been beset with more ear infections and a bout
with the flu. Kenanhora [5], Liz and I didn't catch it from her - and
Elisha is now fully recovered.
She has become a "little person", as Liz and I say. Her personality is
now developing even more quickly than her physical attributes and
prowess. One smile from her washes away all of the emotional grime we
accumulate at work.
Speaking of which...
I earlier alluded to how busy I've been. Last November, ADP Product
Marketing launched a new initiative which has now become known as "Elite
Plus!(TM)" [6]. The intent was to make ADP's menu system easier to use
and to provide additional standard reports. Their idea of how this
should be accomplished left much to be desired. The new product was to
be rolled out at NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association [7]), the
huge yearly show where companies (like ADP) who market to that industry
show off their latest and greatest. For the past two years my assignment
has been to add value to Reflection, a terminal emulator produced by WRQ
which ADP resells. As such, I became a principal player in this new
product. To shorten a long story, I'll say simply that final specs were
not codified until two weeks before NADA. Two mind-numbing weeks. A
concerted effort on the part of all the developers on the project
succeeded in making a big splash at the convention. I left for NADA on
the 3rd of February to help set up for the show and to train the
Marketing Sales Reps on the new product. The show opened Saturday (the
6th) and I left on Sunday. The main reason for being at the show for the
first two days was to be available to fix anything that broke. But since
my presentation skills are well known (they call me "demo boy" around
the office *sigh*), I was also called upon to exhibit Elite Plus! to
current and prospective clients. The dealers were very excited about the
product and now Product Marketing is promising volume shipments in June!
We've still got our work cut out for us - no rest for the weary I tell
ya' (I worked 13-15 hours/day at NADA).
Liz has started a new job with an agency that provides therapists on an
on-call basis. If they're able to give her enough hours, she'll leave
her previous employer. She is working towards getting a position
involving children and early intervention - either in the school system
or in private practice. This will free her from the restrictions
Medicare has imposed on the SNFs (skilled nursing facilities) in which
she currently works. She has started accumulating CEs (continuing
education units) which will facilitate her transition to providing
treatment for children. Liz flew to California and on the 19th of
February attended a class on oral-motor therapy for children.
Last Saturday Liz and I finally celebrated Valentine's Day (two weeks
late). We were unable to get a sitter on the 14th. And the following
weekend was ruled out since Liz had just gotten back from her class. But
it was worth the wait. Rather than go back to L'Auberge, we tried out
the Avalon on the excellent advice of a coworker. It was the best meal
we've had in Portland! Since ADP was paying for most of the meal [8],
Liz and I opted for the Winter Tasting Menu - a feast featuring five
courses, each with their own wine pairing:
First Course
Seared Astoria Spot Prawns
with yellowfoot chanterelles,
fried leeks and
ginger carrot sauce
'97 Caymus Conundrum
Second Course
Crispy-Skinned Atlantic Salmon
with salmon ham risotto,
tempura onion rings, curry oil
and lemongrass beurre blanc
'96 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay
Third Course
Hamhock and Pear Ravioli
with vegetable "confetti"
in oxtail consomme
'96 Willakenzie Gamay Noir
Fourth Course
Ellensburg Lamb "En Croute"
with spicy herbs, wild mushrooms
and natural juices
'95 Stags' Leap Petite Syrah
Fifth Course
Caramelized Banana
and Chocolate Chip Souffle
with toasted coconut creme angliase
Presidential 10 year Tawny
And with that, I'll clear the table and make room for next month. Our
plans include spending Passover with the Herring/Woldoff/Pregel clan -
but this year in Ohio at Richard and Missy's house! It will be fun to
watch Elisha interact with her cousin Alex (5 months younger than she).
we love and miss you all,
Sandy, Liz and Elisha
[1] as in "Apollo, the god of the sun." (Greek Mythology)
[2] *sigh* It's her favorite show.
[3] nervous energy - akin to ants in the pants (Yiddish)
[4] http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_specialevents_runup.cfm?CFID=149603&CFTOKEN=16403166 (we just missed it this year)
[5] Knock on wood. Literally, "there should be no evil eye." (Yiddish)
[6] Previously referred to (by me) as Lipstick On A Pig.
[7] http://www.nada.org/
[8] I got an "on the spot" award for my Elite Plus!/NADA efforts!
_________________________________________________________________
Data harvested from http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=pqr
CLIMATIC SUMMARY FOR PORTLAND OREGON
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
303 AM PST MON FEB 01 1999
...TEMPERATURE...
HIGH YESTERDAY... 49
LOW YESTERDAY... 38
MEAN TEMP........ 44 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 3
NORMAL HIGH FOR TODAY... 48
NORMAL LOW FOR TODAY... 35
RECORD HIGH FOR TODAY... 61 SET IN 1986
RECORD LOW FOR TODAY... 1 SET IN 1950
...DEGREE DAY DATA...
HEATING
YESTERDAY... 21 DEPARTURE... -3
MONTH....... 677 DEPARTURE... -110
SEASON...... 2276 DEPARTURE... -338
COOLING
YESTERDAY... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
MONTH....... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
SEASON...... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
...PRECIPITATION...
YESTERDAY............. 0.17
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH... 6.62
NORMAL MONTH TO DATE.. 5.35
TOTAL FOR THE YEAR.... 6.62 TOTAL SINCE OCT 1... 26.59
NORMAL YEAR TO DATE... 5.35 NORMAL FROM OCT 1... 19.49
...WIND DATA IN MPH...
AVERAGE WIND SPEED YESTERDAY... 6.9
FASTEST 2-MIN WIND YESTERDAY... 21 FROM 280 DEGREES
PEAK WIND GUST YESTERDAY....... 28 FROM 290 DEGREES
...ASTRONOMICAL DATA...
SUNRISE TODAY...732 AM PST
SUNSET TODAY...517 PM PST
SUNRISE TOMORROW...731 AM PST
SUNSET TOMORROW...518 PM PST
JAN CLIMATOLOGICAL REPORT FOR PORTLAND OREGON
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
303 AM PST MON FEB 01 1999
TEMPERATURE DATA......
(DEGREES F)
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE.... 42.9 OR 3.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 47.9
AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 37.8
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE WAS 57 ON DAY 29
LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 27 ON DAY 4
HEATING DEGREE DAYS (BASE 65) COOLING DEGREE DAYS
MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 677 MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 0
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -110 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 0
SEASONAL TOTAL (JUL-JUN). 2276 SEASONAL TOTAL (JAN-DEC) 0
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -338 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 0
PRECIPITATION DATA....
..RAIN..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 6.62 OR 1.27 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
TOTAL SINCE JANUARY 1ST..... 6.62 OR 1.27 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS 1.45 INCHES ON DAY(S) 17-18
..SNOW..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 0.0
TOTAL FOR THE SEASON........ 0
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL WAS INCHES ON DAY(S) __ __
..NUMBER OF DAYS..
WITH .01 INCHES OR MORE 22 HIGHS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
WITH .10 INCHES OR MORE 17 HIGHS 90 DEGREES OR WARMER 0
WITH .50 INCHES OR MORE 4 LOWS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 6
WITH 1.00 INCHES OR MORE 1 LOWS 0 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
SKY CONDITION......... SEA LEVEL PRESSURE............
NUMBER OF DAYS CLEAR .. 31 HIGHEST 30.56 INCHES ON DAY 08
NUMBER OF DAYS PTCLDY .. 0 LOWEST 29.43 INCHES ON DAY 17
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY .. 0
WIND DATA.............
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY WIND SPEED WAS 7.4 MPH
THE FASTEST TWO-MINUTE WIND WAS... 34 MPH FROM 190 DEGREES
THE HIGHEST PEAK WIND GUST WAS.... 40 FROM 220 DEGREES
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
745 PM PDT SUN JAN 10 1999
...NEW DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE EUGENE AIRPORT...
THE DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPEATURE FOR THE EUGENE AIRPORT WAS BROKEN THIS
AFTERNOON WHEN THE THERMOMETER CLIMBED TO 60. THE OLD RECORD WAS 58 DEGREES
SET IN 1945.
CLIMATIC SUMMARY FOR PORTLAND OREGON
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
255 AM PST MON MAR 01 1999
...TEMPERATURE...
HIGH YESTERDAY... 55
LOW YESTERDAY... 42
MEAN TEMP........ 49 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 3
NORMAL HIGH FOR TODAY... 54
NORMAL LOW FOR TODAY... 37
RECORD HIGH FOR TODAY... 67 SET IN 1981
RECORD LOW FOR TODAY... 22 SET IN 1971
...DEGREE DAY DATA...
HEATING
YESTERDAY... 16 DEPARTURE... -3
MONTH....... 592 DEPARTURE... -7
SEASON...... 2868 DEPARTURE... -345
COOLING
YESTERDAY... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
MONTH....... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
SEASON...... 0 DEPARTURE... 0
...PRECIPITATION...
YESTERDAY............. 0.13
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH... 8.73
NORMAL MONTH TO DATE.. 3.71
TOTAL FOR THE YEAR.... 15.35 TOTAL SINCE OCT 1... 35.32
NORMAL YEAR TO DATE... 9.06 NORMAL FROM OCT 1... 23.34
...WIND DATA IN MPH...
AVERAGE WIND SPEED YESTERDAY... 10.4
FASTEST 2-MIN WIND YESTERDAY... 32 FROM 280 DEGREES
PEAK WIND GUST YESTERDAY....... 44 FROM 280 DEGREES
...ASTRONOMICAL DATA...
SUNRISE TODAY...649 AM PST
SUNSET TODAY...557 PM PST
SUNRISE TOMORROW...648 AM PST
SUNSET TOMORROW...559 PM PST
FEB CLIMATOLOGICAL REPORT FOR PORTLAND OREGON...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
831 AM PST MON MAR 01 1999
TEMPERATURE DATA......
(DEGREES F)
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE.... 43.6 OR EXACTLY NORMAL
AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 49.2
AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 38.1
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE WAS 55 ON DAY 28 #
LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 31 ON DAY 20
HEATING DEGREE DAYS (BASE 65) COOLING DEGREE DAYS
MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 592 MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 0
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -7 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 0
SEASONAL TOTAL (JUL-JUN). 2868 SEASONAL TOTAL (JAN-DEC) 0
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -345 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 0
PRECIPITATION DATA....
..RAIN..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 8.73 OR 4.88 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL..COR
TOTAL SINCE JANUARY 1ST..... 15.35 OR 6.15 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL..COR
GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS 1.52 INCHES ON DAY(S) 26-27
..SNOW..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... MM
TOTAL FOR THE SEASON........ M
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL WAS INCHES ON DAY(S) __ __
..NUMBER OF DAYS..
WITH .01 INCHES OR MORE 23 HIGHS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
WITH .10 INCHES OR MORE 19 HIGHS 90 DEGREES OR WARMER 0
WITH .50 INCHES OR MORE 6 LOWS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 2
WITH 1.00 INCHES OR MORE 3 LOWS 0 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
SKY CONDITION......... SEA LEVEL PRESSURE............
NUMBER OF DAYS CLEAR .. MM HIGHEST 30.47 INCHES ON DAY 01
NUMBER OF DAYS PTCLDY .. MM LOWEST 29.19 INCHES ON DAY 06
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY .. MM
WIND DATA.............
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY WIND SPEED WAS 12.1 MPH
THE FASTEST TWO-MINUTE WIND WAS... 39 MPH FROM 220 DEGREES
THE HIGHEST PEAK WIND GUST WAS.... 46 FROM 220 DEGREES
REMARKS...
RECORDS...
4TH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD FOR THE PORTLAND AIRPORT.
THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED OF 12.1 MPH TIES THE SECOND WINDIEST MONTH ON
RECORD SET IN 1989.
--
Sandy, Liz & Elisha Tigard, Oregon School of Herring
webfeet@herring.org bigfish@sns-access.com http://www.herring.org/
And that's the news from Portland
where everything is green, rolling stones gather moss,
and the rainfall is always above average.
Most Recent Update: Thursday, 14-Oct-2004 17:16:34 PDT
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