All posts by djones

council, quiet zone, railroad, whistle

Tooting Tuesday

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Today was a day to consider tooting. (No, not that kind of tooting.) The kind trains do as they creep or race past roadway intersections. Our city and two neighboring cities (well, neighboring for out here – they are within 45 miles of here) are sponsoring an engineering “Quiet Zone” study to see if we can kill the train horns at our intersections.

For those who are not familiar with the mishmash of federal, state, and local regulations on train whistling, consider that here in Colorado any train – street intersection is regulated by or involves all these govenmental and regulatory bodies:

  • RSA – Railroad Safety Administration (federal)
  • County Governement (local)
  • Local (City) Government (local)
  • PUC – Public Utilities Commission (state)
  • CDOT – Colorado Department Of Transportation (state)
  • Railroads – Union Pacific and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe here
What brings it all to a head here is that there are 20-35 coal trains a day through town. We have five crossings here in our little town. The RSA requires that each train approaching a crossing have a long-long-short-long whistle pattern before/at intersection at 96-110 dBA. At those levels, the whistle can be heard miles from the intersection. As you might guess, the populace is not real happy about the noise pollution. Especially since the number of trains may double in the next year or two as the alternative clean air routes force more trains out here to rural areas and the consumption of coal continues to increase. A few years ago, the annoyance factor was considerably less since the old law was 85-90 dBA and the number of trains was less than 7.
So if we can install the equipment and controls to reduce the risk of a vehicle-train collision to below the national average, we can implement a so called “Quiet Zone” where the trains are no longer mandated to toot all the time. Tonight was a preliminary public meeting and presentation by the engineering firm doing the study, mainly to introduce us to what the acceptable technologies are to reach the required risk levels.
The real issue is cost. It could be as cheap as $300,000 per intersection to as much as $2,000,000 per intersection. Needless to say, with 5 intersections, our annual budget of $18,000,000 won’t cover those kind of additional costs. So, it is time to see what the exact cost will be and then see what we can exchange with the railroads to get the project done. The next few months will tell what the chances are.
There has been one meeting with all the concerned parties from the list above and there is another one scheduled for the 18th to get the final numbers settled for required signalling. Then we can see if the railroads are really serious about talking turkey. After all, they can simply tell us where to go if they so desire. There seems to be something the city controls that they want for a project of their own, so we’ll see what kind of horse trading we can do.
So what did you waste your day doing? It had to have been a bit less dry than mine. (If not, you have my sympathies.) 
P.S. I did issue a proclamation for Go Green Week here today. That was exciting if only to talk to the high schoolers behind the effort. The older I get, the younger they look. They were amazed to find out that clear back in the early 1970’s when I was in high school here, I was co-chairperson of the very first Earth Day celebration. Yet another perfectly worthless claim to fame. (I’m not sure whether they were amazed that I was involved in Earth Day or that anyone could be so old as to have attended high school that long ago.)
geese, Molly, robins, walk, weather

Blue Monday

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L headed back to the mountains today, so it was up to me to console the mournful Molly. We tried a sneaky trick this time – we had Molly out in the back yard playing while we loaded L’s truck. It meant Molly didn’t catch on to the impending departure of her mistress quite as soon. In order to cheer both Molly and myself up, we went for a nice long walk this afternoon after L left. If Molly is tired enough, she doesn’t get a chance to mope because she is busy sawing logs as she snores away, usually at my feet in my office.

While we were walking, it was once again borne home to me just how much the climate change has got the flora and fauna confused this year. The robins are still here in mass. There will  not be a first robin of spring here since they never left. This is the first time in my memory that the robins have not left for the winter to return in the spring. It is really strange to see hundreds of robins in the trees and on the grasses in January and February in this area. I even saw a few pairs mating today. Makes me wonder what is going to happen to the population if they all get fooled into early mating and subsequent egg laying while it is still freezing at night and we may get weeks of extended cold.

Yet another sign that the climate is driving the birds loony is that Canadian geese are circling in the late afternoons. The characteristic Vs of geese honking and circling the corn fields and river ponds is not usually heard at this time of the year. They have apparently not completed their southward migration and are instead hanging around in the fields edging town and on the river bottom. Normally they come flying south in November and December and aren’t seen again until spring. Not this year.

I could continue with a long and boring compendium of odd fauna behaviors related to the climate upset, but you get the picture. Things are a bit strange out here in the hinterlands. The weather is changing, air streams and the resultant rain patterns are changing, and the plants and animals are duly confused.

I’ll close with a couple of pictures of Molly.

First we have Molly laying forlornly by the fireplace in the library:

But then I asked her if that was a squirrel making noise outside:

That got her attention. Note all of her chew toys on the floor. (You didn’t really think I’d leave a hamburger sitting on the floor did you? And you surely didn’t think that Molly would not snarf it if I did leave it did you?)

food, party, Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday

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L and I spent the afternoon/evening at a Super Bowl party. It was a classic Super Bowl party – food, food, and more food. And of course beer and liquor and pop and coffee. The party started two hours before kick-off with tables of food including everything from cocktail weenies in BBQ sauce to hot wings to cold cuts to cheese platters to chips and dips and cookies and … Basically enough food to feed four times as many people as were at the party.

Then at halftime, the hostess rolled out the tenderloin of beef and pulled pork and baked beans and salads and … But even all that didn’t supply the bite that broke the proverbial camel’s back and led to that absolutely stuffed feeling. For that purpose, there was a chocolate cake with extra rich chocolate frosting covered in shaved chocolate. Rich enough to cause diabetic coma at twenty paces. Of course, I just had to have a piece. It was indeed the proverbial overdoing it. As a result, I still feel stuffed hours later.

Just so you understand, I have been a diabetic for decades. So when a party where there will be an over abundance of food is in my future, I plan ahead both by nature and by necessity. That is why I was out with Molly the wonder dog early this afternoon and put in 7-8 miles walking before getting ready for the party. The extra 3-4 miles meant I could eat later at the party without being overly watchful of what I was eating. Besides, it made Molly happy to stay at home and catch a nap. But even all that preparation will do nothing for that overstuffed feeling.

It was so nice to visit and banter with the acquaintances and  friends at the party. With L and I living so far apart during the week, our joint social life has gone down the tubes. On the weekends when we see each other, we are generally tied up with family and each other to the exclusion of our friends and acquaintances.  Add to that the fact that we are at the age where most of us (L, I, friends, and acquaintances) have already lost our fathers and have mothers that are struggling with various medical issues, and it can be even more daunting to get the crew together. One of our friends at the party could only drop in for a bit since her mother was hospitalized last night and she needed some sleep and to go see her mother again. It all conspires to mean that it can require the phases of the moon and the stars to align just right for us all to be able to get together.

One of the things I enjoyed most at the party was looking across the room and into the the other room and seeing L and some others talking and laughing. It was too far away to have any clue of what they were talking or laughing about, but just the sight of L with her head thrown back laughing is one of my favorite things to see in all the world. It reminds me of the really neat young girl I first met way back when in biology class . Really makes me wish I could make her laugh all the time. And to see her talking with such evident animation and enjoying herself warms my heart. (Can you tell that I really love my wife?)

Time to get some other things done. How was your super Sunday?

numerology, stupid saturday

Stupid Saturday

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Saturday has once more arrived meaning it is time for yet another piece of stupidity. Today we will look at a piece of entertainment from Paul Sadowski‘s Site . For those of you who are believers in name and numerology, now is the time to quit reading and leave.

OK, you are still here. No griping if your universe turns to unpalatable dust even as you read. My commentary on each section will be in italic font. Here is the output of the name analysis of my full name from the aforementioned site:

You entered:XXXXX XXX XXXXX

There are 14 letters in your name.
Those 14 letters total to 58
There are 7 vowels and 7 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:


Welsh Male Attractive. A translation of the Welsh name Deiniol.
Irish Male Attractive. A translation of the Gaelic name Domhnall.
Hebrew Male God is my Judge. The biblical prophet and writer of Book of Daniel was a teenager when taken to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 BC. He survived two death sentences: (a lions’ den and a fiery furnace.); Frontiersman Daniel Boone.
Biblical Male Judgment of God; God my judge

(OK, nothing that can’t be found on two hands and a few toes coupled with a good dictionary thus far. Notice that there are no uncomplimentary terms in the descriptions. Nothing like “your name means scum of the earth or carrion eater.”)

Your number is: 4
The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.
The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.
The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.
If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

(Once again, note the absence of true negatives. Note also the broad and meaningless brush strokes. You could even fit a manic schizophrenic under the description. Being a 4, I could be anything from a milquetoast to a dictator and fit the description. Come to think of it, I *was* once called a “fat-headed asshole dictator by a former council member with an open mike.” That was the beginning of her end.)


Your Soul Urge number is: 9
A Soul Urge number of 9 means: 
With a 9 Soul Urge, you want to give to others, usually in a humanitarian or philanthropic manner. You are highly motivated to give friendship, affection and love. And you are generous in giving of your knowledge and experience. You have very sharing urges, and you are likely to have a great deal to share. Your concern for others makes you a very sympathetic and generous person with a sensitive and compassionate nature.
You are able to view life in very broad and intuitive terms. You often express high ideals and an inspirational approach to life. If you are able to fully realize the potential of your motivation, you will be a very self-sacrificing person who is able to give freely without being concerned about any return or reward.
As with all human beings, you are prone to sometimes express the negative attitudes inherent to your Soul Urges. You may become too sensitive and tend to express emotions strongly at times. There can be significant conflict between higher aims and personal ambitions. You may resent the idea of giving all of the time and, in fact, if there is too much 9 energy in your nature you may reject the idea. You may often be disappointed in the lack of perfection in yourself and others.

(Once again a set of meaningless attributes that most people would be happy to have applied to themselves. Nothing about the tendency to crush others beneath your heel or your desire to picture your enemies naked at a Mary Kay convention.)



Your Inner Dream number is: 22
An Inner Dream number of 22 means: 
You dream of being a master organizer and a builder of monumental projects; of guiding a truly huge endeavor. Your secret fantasy is to think big and imagine what could be done for the world. You may also dream of the huge rewards.

(Anyone not happy to have this bit of pablum applied to them? My secret fantasy is to become ruler of the world. I have been held back thus far only by the inability to find a side kick with an appropriately awesome name. Any volunteers?)

(As you can tell, I’m not overly impressed with the analysis of my name. Are you any more impressed when you give it your name? Remember to use your maiden name if married, etc.)

(For something really stupid, check this poor fellow out. Warning – may be offensive!)

hidden agenda, meeting

Hidden Agendas

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Have you ever had a meeting where the real agenda is hidden and you are trying to figure out what the heck is going on from the first words? I have and, to be blunt about it, it sucks.

I was in such a meeting recently. There was an ostensible agenda in place. The opening conversations actually seemed relevant to the stated purpose of the meeting, and then … it went to heck in a hand basket. Sensible suggestions were ignored and there were long winded cases of verbal diarrhea around every answer. After wasting an hour in inane volleys, I had somewhat figured out what the hidden topic of the meeting was and could put 2 and 2 together to figure out why it was not being brought up directly.

So being the blunt character I am, I flat out asked the question: “Why are we tap dancing around what seems to be a pink elephant sitting in the corner? Don’t we have to figure out how to handle A before we proceed further?” You would have thought I’d farted and the gas masks were in short supply.

Turns out that the people who had called the meeting (part of another political body) had cut an under the table deal with A and were now trying to get an alternative plan in place and then somehow leave it to me to handle the A issue and weasel them out of the under the table agreement. Which is interesting in and of itself since I have nothing officially to do with A.

I can’t disclose more about the topic at hand, but it makes me real unhappy when people try to use me like that. Why not be straightforward and honest? Admit you did something idiotic and that it will have to fixed before the long range plan can go forward. I am a lot more likely to try and help if I am not forced to delve into the slime of your mind and dealings with nothing more than a flashlight.

You ever have meetings like that?