Personal
Personal reflections, comments about things I've been doing, etc.
Road Trip
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 04/09/2011 - 07:31In an hour or two, my youngest daughter Fiona and I will set off on a road trip. We are driving from Connecticut to Virginia, where my middle daughter Miranda will be giving her senior piano recital as her senior project in ceramics is on display.
It has been a long time since I did a long road trip like this. The price of gas cuts back on my interest in these sorts of trips, and having a nine year old in the car for eight hours is also daunting. However, road trips can be great fun, and hopefully, a good experience for Fiona.
We’re going to be driving straight down today and straight back tomorrow. Not a lot of time to dilly dally and check out different places along the way. We might stop at one or two places to get a little local flavor, but it seems as if this is harder and harder to do.
Local flavor is has mostly been replaced by national franchises along the way. I thought of this yesterday as I stopped for some BBQ in Meriden CT. It was authentic Carolina BBQ served from a trailer of a man who cooks it for the love of it. You could taste the smoke in the meat, and it was nothing like you get at a large chain.
So, we prepare for the road trip and hope to get some local flavor along the way. Tune in tomorrow when I hope to provide an update.
And So, It Begins A New
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 16:54Saturday morning, I sat up front at the Beecher Road School South Auditorium to see a production of The Wizard of Oz. Fiona, my youngest daughter, was a narrator in the rainbow chorus. The floor was mostly filled with young kids with the parents in seats behind us. A few other parents joined me on the floor so they could take better pictures of their young stars and sitting next to me was Mairead, my eldest daughter.
Mairead commented about how it seemed strange to be on this side of the fourth wall as she watched her youngest sister perform. She compared the experience to her childhood performances. It was a good production, with more effort put into scenery and props than many children productions have.
Afterward, we talked about going down to Virginia, where Miranda, my middle daughter is finishing up her senior year of college. Her senior exhibition in painting was last month. Opening on Tuesday will be her senior exhibition in ceramics and next Sunday will be her senior piano recital.
What role will arts and performances take in the life of Fiona? Will it lead her in a direction similar to her sister Miranda? Will Fiona find other paths? As I reflect on the day, the words of William Carlos Williams comes to mind. About a red wheel barrow he once said, “So much depends...”
Perhaps the prop of a cow carried across the stage during the cyclone is a lot like that red wheel barrow. And so, it begins a new...
Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit and the Google YMCA
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 06:28Okay, each month, I start off with Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit, harkening back to a simple time when such invocations were believed to bring good luck for the month. My last month seemed pretty lucky, but it also was very tiring.
Now, I look forward to April. The month starts off with April Fools day and a search for fun little pranks. Google, like they usually do, has come up with some good ones.
As a start, go to Google Search, and type helvetica. Nice. Unfortunately wingdings doesn’t seem to work the same way.
Perhaps more important is the announcement of Google Motion. It makes a lot of sense as Google’s response to Microsoft Kinect.
Now, I just need to crank up The Village People’s song YMCA for when I write my next memo. I’m sure there are some other great pranks out there. Let me know any you find.
Saturday in Washington, DC
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 12:58I am in Washington, DC for the National Association of Community Health Center’s annual Policy and Issues Forum. Yesterday, I was on a panel and spoke about social media and health care. I’m told it was well received, and had some great discussions afterwards. Later, we had a nice dinner.
I did not sleep all that well, which is often the case when I travel. This morning, I got up and walked over to Dupont Circle and watched a little bit of the Washington marathon. On my way, I passed various embassies and think tanks, like the Brookings Institute and the Carnegie Institute.
Back at the hotel, I watched as a dog walker stopped to take pictures of a cherry trees.
LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
My old computer continues to be a bit flaky and has been crashing on me from time to time, so this is my second attempt to write this blog post. I am writing now, between sessions at the conference. Later, I will perhaps walk around DC a little more, before unwinding at the end of the day.
Stress
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 20:28This morning, I went to a program on stress reduction at work. (You can read a little bit about it on the blog I write at for work, Healthy Communities Online.) I have a lot more to write about that, later.
While I was there, I turned off my cellphones, and only later found that Fiona was sent home to Papa’s house with a fever of 102. Kim stayed home much of last week with Fiona fighting a cold and was a bit stressed about it.
Meanwhile, I’m reading about Isabella Oleschuk, a 12 year old girl that disappeared from the town next to mine yesterday morning.
The best article I’ve found so far is A Story About Bullying, Survival and a Missing Child.
Beyond my neighborhood, people are trying to put their lives back together in the midst of fighting in Libya and the destruction in Japan.
Maybe it is time for a little more stress reducing meditation, and perhaps a prayer or two.
