Retirement

Discovering the golden years!

This is the first sunrise of the New Millennium.

My motto was out the gate in 98! I didn't make it. I found it was difficult to bring myself to take the retirement step.
In part this was because I enjoyed what I was doing at work and in part it was because I didn't know what I would do between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm everyday. A simple fear of the unknown.

What is the right time to retire and how do you know? Friends have told me that you know when the time has come. In November of 1999 I reached this point. I enjoyed my responsibilities at Goddard and I feel that I was making a contribution building a productive Technology Commercialization Office. However I felt like I reached the point of diminishing returns. And I was losing enthusiasm for these activities in part because there was very little GSFC management support for their value. My last month at NASA is recounted in Prelude Too Retirement.

Freedom and discovery is the watch word of this new phase of my life. Just like the rest of my life it is up to me to make the most of it. Instead of fearing the unknown I need to explore it. There are many activities that I have enjoyed that I haven't had enough time to pursue. I have tried my hand at painting, but was time constrained because it take clumps of hours to really get into it. While commuting I have enjoyed listening to booktapes in particular various courses by the Learning Company. I'd like to continue listening to their tapes while I paint or puzzle.

There are 168 hours in a week. If I start by assuming that I would do the same things I do now outside the "work hours" then I have 12 times 5 or 60 hours a week to plan. Of that 60 hours I now spend 1.5 hour times 5 or 7.5 hours a week commuting. While commuting I have spent much of that time listening to audio tapes. Some of the tapes are book tapes, but others are lectures from the Teaching Company. I could continue that and maybe increase the time a little more to say 10 hours. I might augment this by taking other courses, perhaps at George Mason University.

Jan 1
On December 30 and 31 Bonnie and I helped Rhett and Kerry make some improvements to the townhouse that Rhett purchased on December 28. We removed wallpapered and painted. The main emphasis was on the kitchen and the study. I watched part of the Rose Bowl Parade and enjoyed the Space Floats. In the evening we went to Gloria Susman's for dinner and of course some music. I played the miniature violin that I received from my brother David for Christmas.

Jan 2
We went to church and then went out to brunch with Jim and Jane. Carol wanted have a chance to see them. Later in the day the Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins to finish the season at 10 wins and 6 loses. They now go on to the playoffs.

Jan 3
This was really the first day of retirement, because it was the first day that I would have been going to work if I had not retired. I spent the early hours of the day on the Internet, updating waynerhudson.com and Aerospace Technology Commerce (a web site where I archive aerospace news as I read it. I plan to keep this up, I don't expect my life long interest in Space Technology and Science to vanish. In fact I should now have more opportunity to read and study in detail. Bonnie and I ate breakfast together. I tried working the crossword puzzle in the Post and had fair success. We went to the Gym to workout. I worked on a jigsaw puzzle and listened to a lecture on Modern European History. In the afternoon I went to the Doctor. Dr. Kaufman has recently retired and Dr. Long has taken over his practice. I liked and felt comfortable with Dr. Long. I gave him an update to my records from my recent NASA physical and we scheduled a physical for February 14. In the afternoon Scott and I went to see Galaxy Quest and enjoyed it very much. In the evening I watched the Wizards defeat Golden State.

Jan 4
Updated Aerospace Technology Commerce webpage, exercised at Gym, worked jigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzle, listened to lectures of Modern European History, got a Chess lesson, tried playing the game Civilization, and worked on printing photos. VT lost to Florida State in the sugar bowl, they were just out played by better athletes. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted Prelude2Retirement. I also helped Bonnie's mom straighten out her investment accounts and helped Bonnie take down Xmas lights. It was shirtsleeve weather. Started cleaning up my study, there is alot to do. Scott worked late because there was a Y2K problem with dbGenie.

Jan 5
Spent the morning getting Nina a new pair of shoes. Repeated the round of activities listed above. Went to the Gym in the afternoon. Weather is getting colder. Started cleaning out my office. It is a big project, there is old stuff that needs to be sorted through-- old tax returns and receipts and NASA memorabilia. I also started reading a trip through time. One page a day. Time to start planning next years vacation.

Jan 6
Major focus of the day was cleaning out the closet and the various boxes of stuff brought from work. Did major discarding of old tax records and pre 1990 tax submissions. Rebuilt the closet shelf so that it can hold clothes with out the sag. Moved records into secret compartment. This resulted in almost emptying the closet. Now if I can get rid of the bed and get myself a table, I'll have really improved the office. Discovered specialized packing material that has major possibilities as a future artwork. Displayed sample artwork on kitchen floor for Bonnie's students to view.

Jan 7
This was Carol Otto's last day visiting us for Christmas, she leaves for Florida tomorrow. Dumped all my old records. Continued Updating Aerospace Technology Commerce webpage, exercised at Gym, worked jigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzle, and listened to lecture of Modern European History. I rediscovered Dr. HTML and have used free sample of the service to analyze ATC. There aren't many breaks in last six months but before that more were found. Rhett suggested that I learn to program in JAVA. I got a reference from Mark for the book that he used to learn JAVA. He just recently got certified.
Bonnie and mother played music in the afternoon and we played scrabble in the evening.

Jan 8
Ordered JAVA book and also a CD dictionary. Today we take Carol to airport.
I used the results of Dr. HTML to upgrade ATC. Apparently Yahoo drops their new stories after three months.
Great football Titan won on kickoff runback on last play. Redskins beat Detroit.

Jan 9
Duke beats Maryland to go 2-0 in the ACC. Crosswords get harder Monday through Saturday. I am really enjoying Chessmaster chess lessons. I think that they will help me be a better player.

Jan 10
Back to the Gym. Received records from NASA today. I need to submit info to move TSP to my IRA. My original plan is to transfer into Vanguard 500 Index, but I think that I might need to shift more resources into the Internet arena. This is especially true because AOL Time Warner deal. Enjoyed "The Crossings" about how George Washington won his first victory at Trenton.

Jan 11
Completed first crossword puzzle, this is quite an accomplishment so early in my retirement. I also received the JAVA book I ordered. Time to start studying, it will be a major challenge. I also moved the bed out of my study so I now have much more room to work. I would like to get a table so that I can have my painting materials here also.

Jan 12
Sent in the request to transfer my TSP to my IRA. Also sent a letter requesting reimbursement from my home owner insurance company for the broken water line. It turned out that I had some mistakes in my crossword puzzle so I was crowing to soon. Started studying JAVA, it is very interesting. Duke beat Georgia Tech at home.

Jan 13
I need to start planning our vacation. I would prefer to go to Italy, but since this is the year of jubilee the crowds might be tremendous. Alternates are Spain and Turkey. All these places have trips in May and October basically for temperature reasons.

Jan 14
I have taken to having tea every afternoon at about 4. I have enjoyed eating the cookies that Kendra gave me for Xmas at that time.

Jan 15
Helped Rhett move in to his new townhouse. Rhett is having problems getting cable connected, so he can't setup his computer. At his apartment he had a cable modem which gave him optimum Internet connection..

Jan. 17
Ordered The American Heritage Dictionary for the computer. It was highly recommended by Red Pencil. It pronounces many words. It also has a word search capability that helps find those words when you have a mental block about an approximate spelling. It can also be used for crossword puzzles; i.e. if you know the 3rd and 7th letters of a word it will give you all the words that meet that criteria.

Jan. 18
This was supposed to be the day that my reimbursement for my annual leave was going to be forwarded to me. It wasn't in the mail or at the bank. Naturally I am anxious to get this money either invested or use it to offset my home equity loan.

Jan. 19
Drafted Investment disclosure form. I need to check it next week and then send it in. Attended a Smithsonian lecture on the McCarthy era and National Internal Security. It was interesting there is a lot of new information from the old Soviets. There were real spys. Duke beat NC State in overtime -- great game!

Jan. 20
We had a big snow and I got to use the glacier annihilator. Dance classes were supposed to start tonight but they were postponed by the snow. Getting some progress on Java. Kendra suggested a program called TextPad that facilitates writting programs. Carol called about some health insurance concerns. Her insurance changed and we are trying to help her understand what is going on.

Jan. 21
Finished chapter 2 of the Java book. Although some aspects of the language seem unnatural to me because I have been thinking in an "algebraic" context for 45 years, I can begin to see the power and the beauty of this language. It is very fascinating to study. When I cleaned out my study I moved the firebox that my mother used for her important papers into the closet. I soon discovered that I missed using it as a footrest. This gave me the idea to build replacement footrest. I designed it using 1/2 inch doles and 1x2's. I believe that it is very ergonomic also.

Jan. 22
Got a call from Karlin's Office, I need to have a statement from a Doctor that I am fit enough to have cataract surgery. I am trying to get Dr. Smith at NASA to fax a note to Karlin with the required statement. I built an ergonomic foot rest to go under my computer desk. I used a wood dole and 1x2 design that is light weight and (I think) innovative. Duke beat Wake Forest to set the record for the most successive ACC wins at 28 and still running.

Jan. 23
Weekly report on the status of my retirement. This is sort of a self report card.
I am starting to think of my retirement in an academic context, with each activity as the equivalent of a "course". So far I have started courses in Physical Exercise and Fitness, Modern European History, Jigsaw Puzzles, Crossword Puzzles, Chess, Java Programing, Current Aerospace Technology, Investment Studies, Readings in Contemporary Thought, Digital Photography, Retirement Management, and Spontaneous Art Projects. I might be approaching overload.

Physical Fitness -- Exercise 4 to 5 days each week, including 30 min of cardiovascular and 30 min of weight lifting.
Modern European History -- I have completed the First World War
Jigsaw Puzzles -- I am about 20% done with the Shuttle Puzzle in terms of pieces
Crossword Puzzles -- I am cutting back from working the puzzle every day to maybe working a puzzle once a week.
Chess -- I have finished five of the lessons in Chessmaster 7000 and I work a daily chess puzzle.
Java Programming -- I have finished all the exercises in Chapter Two and an into Chapter Three
Current Aerospace Technology -- I spend about an hour a day updating the HATCH page.
Investment Studies -- I have updated records and initiated thinking about portfolio modifications.
Readings in Contemporary Thought -- Reading Scientific American more thoroughly, reading Daniel Boorstin's "The Seekers", Peter Cochrane's "Tips for Time Travelers and William Calvin's "The Cerebral Code".
Digital Photography -- I am working on a Twachtman like series on the path intersection in the glade near my home.
Retirement Management -- Completed paperwork for financial reporting to government and for transfer ot TSP to IRA.

And I plan to start courses in ballroom dancing, painting, and Physics (working through the Fineman Lectures) in the future.
I am also considering writing a handbook on retirement. I also need to focus more on home maintenance projects like doorknob installation.

Jan 24
Yesterday I completed the second footrest or "hypotafoot". I scaled it down a bit. I plan to give it to Rhett for his birthday. Plan to see twelve "Angery Men" at Reston Community Center.

Jan 25
There was a surprise big snowstorm overnight. It was a Noreaster. It dropped over 20 inches on Raleigh and an equal amount of Columbia MD. Further west in Reston we got roughly half that amount. It was an opportunity to plow out the drive, which I enjoyed. The temperature was in the mid-twenties so the snow was dry and could be blown easily, by myself and by the wind which was substantial. I plowed out twice. I also built a book holder using plywood, doles and 1x2s, which I call the hypotabook.

Jan 26
Worked on making final arrangements for near term medical activities. There was a lot of confusion involved in getting everything sorted out to have cataract surgery next Wednesday, Feb 2. The initial instructions that I got were vague. They needed bloodwork, an EKG and a note of from a physician certifying me as ready for this surgery. Interestingly there was an article in the JAMA this month saying how ludicrous it is to have this requirement for such minor surgery. What this really means is that you need to have a preop physical, although they don't say that specifically. The EKG needs to be taken within 3 months and the bloodwork should be within a month of the surgery. But the hardest thing to get is the Doctor's release. They don't like taking the responsibility especially unless they actually have given you a physical.

Jan 27
Have advance in Modern European History up to WWII. Had sonogram and biopsy of my prostrate as a result of high PSA in November physical. I'll get results next week. Reading Red Mars a book Kim Stanley Robinson on Mars colonization. It deals with the Psychological and Sociological issues associated with the colonization. Took first dancing lesson -- The fox trot. Received check for left over annual leave. I need to decide whether to pay down my mortgage or invest it in the market.

Jan 28
Market was off sharply. Could be a good buying opportunity for the tech stocks. I am thinking of selling off my European Mutual Index Fund and buying more Science and Technology.

Jan 29
Celebrated Rhett's 30th birthday. Gave Rhett a hypotafoot for his present. Also gave him a portable workbench, has cake, song and went to see a performance of the Twelve Angry Men. Play was pretty good.

Jan 30
Superbowl Sunday another ice storm cause the cancellation of many parties including the one that we were invited to. Got a chance to use the Annihilator a couple of times. I have had a problem with is stalling. It could be that the spark plug needs to be cleaned, I give it a try. I was unable to get the sunday crossword puzzle finished. Some of the word I have a hard time imagining that I would ever have made the association required.

Jan 31
Mark has surgery today to take ligament from one knee and splice them into the other knee. Talked to Kendra and Mark in the evening and it seems that all went well so far. I think the challenge for Mark will be to have the patience to condition his knee gradually and carefully. Discovered that Chessmaster 7000 has a mode where it plays through historic games move by move. I found it very informative.

Feb 1
Tomorrow I have a lens replacement because of cataracts in my right eye. I am scheduled for 8:00 in the morning. Finished up reading Chapter 3 of the JAVA text. I need to do the homework problems. I feel that I am about half way through Shuttle Puzzle. I made some modifications to the hypotofoot design to make it more stable.

Feb 2
My surgery went smoothly. We arrived at the Surgery Center at 6:30 and they took me right away and gave me an IV and three doses of five different kinds of eye drops. I was awake during the operation, but all I could see was a bright light. I couldn't feel anything even pressure. At the end of the operation I had a brief moment when I could see through the new lens and it looked very clear. Tomorrow I go to the doctor to get the bandages off and have my eye checked. It is hard to do anything for very long because of the patch and the fact that my glasses don't seat correctly on my face.

Feb 3
I need to find out how much my activities will need to be restricted while my eye is healing. When can I go back to snowblowing and exercising. I also need to find out when I can get some new glasses so that I can read. Scott drove me over to the mall and I was able to get new glasses at Lenscrafters. The eye doctor said everything was in good shape, but my eye sight may change over the next six weeks. Unfortunately I didn't get back in time for my dance class. Duke beat North Carolina in overtime at Carolina.

Feb 5
I think we have made a decision to vacation in Spain this year. bonnie needs to confirm her orchestra rehearsal schedule and I need to get some final details on optional tours. On this particular trip there seems to be quite a few.

Feb 7
Went back to Doctor Karlin for one week check up and he declared that my eye was responding very well. He adjusted my prescription and my eye sight is terrific. I have to minimize my weight lifting for three weeks until my eye completely heals.

Feb 8
I am on so many different kinds of medicine I am not sure that I am smart enough to keep them all straight. I have two kinds of medicine for my right eye to help it heal. Two kinds of medicine for keeping my eyeball pressure down. Zucor for cholesterol control and Cipron antibacterial to attack the theoretical infection in my prostrate. The doctors say there are no know interactions between these medicines, I just hope there are no unknown ill effects.

Feb 9
Duke lost a home game to Maryland. Maryland played very well, Juan Dixon was unstoppable.

Feb 10
Dancing class finished up the foxtrot and started the cha cha. We need to practice more to build muscle memory.

Feb 11
Bonnie and I went to Tysons did a little bit of shopping. Bonnie has had gift certificates for over a year finally she spent them on some new drinking glasses. We also had a gift certificate for a meal at Marzianos. We have tried to get in there a few months ago, but finally made it today. It was a great meal.

Feb 12
Physical Fitness -- right now I am limited to cardiovascular exercise for three weeks.
Modern European History -- I finished the last lecture yesterday. I ordered lectures on Egyptian history.
Jigsaw Puzzles -- I am about 80% done with the Shuttle Puzzle, but the toughest part remains.
Crossword Puzzles -- I tried working the Sunday puzzle but really didn't get much done last week.
Chess -- I worked the daily chess puzzle and I have worked through some of the classic games.
Java Programming -- I have finished Chapter Three and am hung up on the exercises at the end of the chapter.
Current Aerospace Technology -- I spend about an hour a day updating the HATCH page.
Investment Studies -- I have updated records and initiated thinking about portfolio modifications.
Readings in Contemporary Thought -- Reading Scientific American more thoroughly, reading Daniel Boorstin's "The Seekers", finished Peter Cochrane's "Tips for Time Travelers.
Digital Photography -- I am working on a Twachtman like series on the path intersection in the glade near my home, I also took some self portraits after my eye examination.
Retirement Management -- Completed paperwork for financial reporting to government and for transfer ot TSP to IRA.
Popular Reading -- I have just about finished off Red Mars.
Woodworking -- I have invented a series of hypotenuse products, that invoke the practical applications of the hypotenuse and a certain style that incorporates a simplicity of design. So far I have three products the hypotofoot, hypotobook and the hypototray.

Feb 14
I had a physical with Dr. Long. It included blood work and chest xray. One item that I want to follow up on is getting a blood pressure measuring instrument so that I can determine my blood pressure. My blood pressure may be on the border line. Closing in on finishing Shuttle Puzzle.

Feb 15
Made reservations for October trip to Athens. Found some interesting web pages that give us a good idea of what we would want see in Athens.

Feb 16
Purchased a blood pressure machine and have been baselining my blood pressure throughout the day. I am doing this because I believe it is much more accurate than the on time measurement that the nurse takes at the doctor's office. I finished the Shuttle Puzzle today. I need to get back to work on JAVA which I have been neglecting since my operations. I may want to build a web page that has all my medical vita, that way I could access it even out of the country.

Feb 17
Dance classes have been going well. So far we learned the fox trot and the cha cha. I had an idea for a business, I think that the a dance CD could be created that would have the examples of types of music and have different speeds. This would allow the student to start with a "slow" cha cha and then as they got better they could move to a faster beat. There should be a market for this kind of thing. Since apparently there is a market for dance lessons. I bet people would be more likely to practice at home if they had the music.

Feb 18
I have taken a couple of new pictures of the path in the glade. I want to get pictures over a couple years, so that I get all seasons, times of day and kinds of weather.

Feb 20
Bonnie and I went to Richmond to join Kendra at the Richmond Home and Garden show. It was nice to be able to see her and it was a nice show.

Feb 22
Contacted TSP. I was told that my application for transferring my TSP into an IRA has been received they are projecting that the funds will be transferred on March 9. Last night was Vestry Meeting, we are focusing on the vestry "charter". I was asked to head the churches' building and grounds committee. I am also interested in internal communications via internet. And I have signed up to participate in the committee considering what to do with the UCP's buildings. This building group meets Feb 23.

Feb 23
I'm not sure if I mentioned that I was getting involved in the McCain campaign. I had started out as a Bill Bradley fan, intuitively I believe in a non establishment candidate. Someone who is able to think about new ideas. I think three things killed off his candidacy. He wants to have big ideas, which I think history has shown to be big mistakes largely because of the law of unintended consequences. People don't want Lyndon Johnson. Second he can never attract the female vote because they associate Bill with decades of their husbands avoiding household chores by watching sports on TV. And third he won't take my advice and make the case for the majority of Americans who have been left out of the economic expansion. This is a fact that is ignored by all candidates and the media. I think the country needs a hero, someone who they can trust and respect. John McCain is that candidate.
I volunteered to be a part of the building committee.

Feb 24
I spent sometime developing the Vestry email list and also a Vestry Bulletin Board. The people I showed it to liked it. A synchronous communications is the secret to efficiency. I want to develop a history of church attendance at UCP. This will be important information for determining the new building needs. We learned the waltz in dance class. It seems so much easier and I can hear the beat, one, two three,....
I revived the painting "Path to the Tetons" which I had started several years ago. I want to rework most of it.

Feb. 25
I had wanted to go downtown today because I want to try to go to Washington every Friday. But Bonnie had a teaching job so we postponed it. We will go next week on Bonnie's birthday. So I stayed home and began working on income taxes. I have to get Bonnie to tally up her earnings. Next year I want to get her to try keeping record using Quicken. Amtax is a good program, using the conversion from 98, I was half done in an instant. Form C and D are the hard part. On thing I miss about going to NASA is that I don't hear any good jokes. I guess I need a joke a day web site.

Feb 26
Scott did his taxes. I wanted to help him but he insisted on doing it himself. The McCain campaign pass out flyers at grocery stores and at the Metro. I declined! I hate having someone poke a flyer at me. I would rather try using email which I did. My idea which the campaign rejected was to send out an email suggesting that friends and family consider McCain and if they liked him that they also send out an email to their friends and relatives. Duke lost to St. Johns. St. Johns had a couple players that were unstoppable -- their point guard Barkley I believe and a forward who had a hot hand. We went to see "Fiddler on the roof" at TJHS. It was good.

Feb 27
Bonnie finished her business books so I entered them into form C. She earned a record amount this year. At this point it looks like we won't owe much in additional taxes. I talked to Dave today and discussed visiting Cindy and him the week before Easter. David advised me to hold out for $3.7billion for ATC and make sure that when I talk about sell that the price doesn't sound negotiable. I ordered all of Bones gifts from Amazon, so now when the UPS man rings the bell she can get excited knowing that has just had a gift delivery. Another advantage is that if her gifts don't come it is not my fault.

Feb 28
I started working on the implementation of the hypototray. The idea is that this is a tray that you can use when eating a meal at your computer. It sits right on top of the keyboard. I'll probably give Bonnie one for her birthday. I'll need to work on it I also spent more time working on income tax. Because of this I am falling behind on my projects. I was inspired today to begin Feinman's Physics Text. This will be a project that could take a decade.

Feb 29
Voted for McCain in Va primary. I read today that February has 28 days because Augustus Caesar created a month for himself and wanted to have his month have as many days as July which was named for Julius. So Augustus sold a day for February. I think we should increase the number of days in Feb to 30. I think they later stole another day from February when it was determined that the year was still to long. It could have 31 in leap year. How about taking a day from both Jan and Mar. I would also like to rename October to Wayneber.

Mar 1
John McCain lost primaries in Virginia and Washington State. AS a result Bush has pulled into the lead.
Reviewed the results of the blood tests from my recent physical with Dr. Long. Everything looked good particularly my LDL which was reduced from 147 to 77. This is supposed to greatly reduce my risk of heart attack and stroke. The doctor was also please to see that the measurement I made of my Blood Pressure over several days and at different times during the day indicated that on the average it was 127/78. It occurred to me today that perhaps this page might have some interest to people who would like to retire vicariously. I wonder if I could charge for their pleasure.

Mar 2
Worked on finishing up Federal Income Tax. It looks so far like withheld tax will cover the bill. We finished up the Waltz in dance class. Next week the Rumba.

Mar 3
Bonnies birthday is today. We went into Washington DC to see the IMAX movie on the Galapigoes Island. Later we went out to eat and then came home for gifts and cake. Bonnie got an eggbeater from Scott and I gave her dance CDs, gardening books and a lecture series on Ancient Egypt. In the afternoon I found the data on church attendance at UCP and copied it into my computer. I started analyzing it to determine church attendance and facility loads.

Mar 4
Duke beat North Carolina at Cameron. It was Chris Carawell's last game. Work on creating Bonnie's birthday web page. Tonight dinner with the quartet. Gorw-rt side and put down grab grass killer and fertilizer.

March 5
Last night's birthday party was very nice. Worked on analyzing up data on UCP attendance. There is some missing data and a lot of variance. Attendance seems to have varied between 250 and 350, it may have dropped off a little but it didn't increase for sure. There was also a UCP building meeting in the afternoon on planning to eventually build a new church. This would probably mean selling one or more of our buildings.

March 6
The Gym renovation is over and attendance was up. Bonnie and I have continued to go to the Gym every week day morning. I have also started to put in a couple hours a day out in the yard the weather has been very nice. Our Rhodedenrums look very bad, I guess the drought has gotten to them. I also came up with the idea to planting hollys on the common land between the back edge of my property and Lawyers Rd. I wish I would have thought of doing this twenty years ago.

March 7
I completed Bonnie and my income tax today. Also went to church office and downloaded all their attendance data. I'm compiling some church and Sunday School attendance graphs for the new building committee. It appears that Sunday School attendance maybe the driver for new construction. I watered all the Rhods, but it maybe too late. I have been raking the yard and I replanted the grass over the area where it was dug up to put in the new water pipe. At the Gym I started a petition to have the cubby holes returned for storing coats, books, etc when at the gym.

March 9
Learned the rumba in dance class. We also had the first New Building committee. We formed subcommittees.

March 10
So far my efforts to get the church interested in using email and web bulletin boards has been going slow. It might take years if ever. Many people have email, they just read it only once a week. Also everyone is so busy.

March 14
This week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) I have been attending a series of lectures at the Teaching Company on Early European History 8,000BCE to 2000BCE. This is a taping of lectures that the company sells. they are very happy to have an audience. I have another interest in finding a way to put these lectures online. In today's newpaper the CEO of MicroStrategies announce a donation of $100M to support an Internet University. There is a natural connection here. There are several weeks of lectures in the next few months on Greek Tragedies and also great Composers with Professor Greenberg.

March 15
Today the TSP fund finally transfered to Vanguard. I want to transfer it to the VTSMX.

March 16
Got back to the Gym and found that the cubbyholes had arrived, they are plastic boxes???
Today the beginning of the NCAA basketball tournament. Does it get any better? I need to work on Nina's Income Tax. Because she made so much money she will have to pay taxes which will be difficult for her to deal with. Today is the last dance class, we review what we learned. Also have meeting of Ad Hoc Building Subcommittee.

March 17
Yesterday I purchase a couple hollies to plant behind the fence. I had previously transplanted several volunteer hollys behind the fence (between the backyard and Lawyers Road). I am hoping that in time the hollys will fill that area and provide a nice sight barrier. A similar project between our yard and our neighbours has worked well. Worked on the UCP workday work schedule for March 25. I need to go over to SL today to review some of the jobs. Duke plays a late game tonight.

March 18
Worked on the back fence. One of the 4x4 posts broke off or was eaten off by termites. Also several of the fence modules are rotting. I dug a post hole because the ground was wet and the digging was fairly easy. So far the new hollies are doing ok. We need about six fence sections replaced.

March 19
Today Rhett took us to see Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center. It is a great play. Duke was able to beat Kansas, but it was a close game. Shane Battier was great, for my money I think he is going to be a great player in the NBA. He has such a complete game and plays smart 40 minutes a game. Next Duke plays Florida and then the must beat the winner of Oklahoma State and Seton Hall.

March 20
Finished reading Dune Messiah and purchased the rest of the Dune series. I've also been trying to read Norman Mailers Ancient Nights, but I'm bogging down.

March 21
Finished Carol Otto's Income Tax, called her to tell her that she will have to pay capital gains for the Smith Barney stocks that we sold last year. She has make more money in the last year than she did in the decade previously with Smith Barney, and the market wasn't anyway nearly as good.

March 23
Had a meeting of the Ad Hoc New Church Building Committee. I'm concerned that the group isn't doing the Do Dillegence necessary to really have a detailed analysis that is convincing. I have done an analysis of the attendance over the past five years. It basically shows no growth, so why are we wanting to build a new church?

March 24
We had a work session at Redeemer and in a three hour period we were able to rake all the leaves in the grounds. There were twelve people who worked for three hours, so that is 36 person hours. Duke lost to Florida in NCAA tournament. Florida's ten man attack seemed to wear Duke down. Although it can also be said that Duke couldn't make the three point shot and more than anything else that seems to be the determining factor in college basketball.

March 25
Had a successful Church Work Day although only sixteen workers showed up they worked hard and we got a considerable amount of work done. We painted the two kitchens, we plastered the water damage in the sanctuary, mounted a bulletin board and outdoors we cleaned out the front flower bed, replaced the handicapped parking signs, and fixed the concrete bumpers. We didn't get the windows washed, we didn't get the beds mulched and we didn't get the parking lot stripped. The front flowerbed took six people working for three hours. Interesting this is half the work effort of raking all of Redeemer.

Michigan beat Iowa State in an excellent basketball game and Wisconsin beat Purdue.

March 26
Florida beat Oklahoma State and North Carolina beat Tulsa
Forte is something really special.

March 27
I went back over to the church and put down Turfbuilder/Halts. I also submitted my bill of materials.
I have got to put a cap on how much of my time is getting spent on church building activities, say ten hours a week.

March 28
Have you visited the Glade recently. I think it is growing well. Spring is coming and the Path is turning green.

Yesterday I made an accidental discovery, that may rank as one of my greatest accomplishments. I had
noticed that the coffee bag was very well designed to reseal and keep the coffee fresh. So I got the inspiration to use the bag to keep my fig newtons fresh. The fignewton bag is terrible and since I only eat three fig newtons every day I
have a problem keeping them fresh. When I tried this idea out I discovered that fig newtons had taken on a delicious coffee taste.

I have been trying to decrease my coffee consumption. It is now down to one cup a day. I drink quarter cups. So far no head aches at all. I have also started drinking rice milk.

March 31
Bonnie and I spent the morning trying to mitigate the damage to the Hunters Woods sanctuary by the leaky roof. All we could do was try to touch up the worst areas. We painted a sealer over the actual stains and in the end it looks better. However the damage to the sanctuary is very sever. While we were preparing the site for painting we notices considerable dirt or saw dust coming from the ceiling. I have no idea what the source is but it is definitely bad news. Based on our experience it would take about 40 hours of experienced painters to repaint the sanctuary.

April 1
Went to a Smithsonian Associates series of lectures on "How the Brain Learns". It started on Friday evening and went all day on Saturday. It was coordinated by the National Institute of Mental Health. The lecturers are active researchers in this field and the program is part of a public outreach program. It was very enjoyable. In the evening we had dinner with the Jacobs and then went on to the Kennedy Center for a National Symphony Orchestra Concert which included a Brunch Violin Concerto and a Sibelius Symphony.

April 2
Cut the grass for the first time this year. I also put down some lime to try neutralizing our very acid soil. I watched the tape delayed semifinals of the NCAA tournament and watched Florida and Michigan State win. I am looking forward to the final on Monday.

Bonnie's mother is going to write me a concerto in appreciation of my work on her investments and taxes.

April 3
Went to the Gym as usual on week days, the number of new people is increasing following the renovation. Installed new handicaped signs at Hunters Woods Church. Purchased Droid Development kit to work on when I go to visit David and Cindy in Ohio. In the evening met with the worship committee to discuss new building requirements. They want accoustics. Michigan State beat Florida in a great game.

April 4
Bonnie took bid on renovating the Studio. It would cost $25k to add wall board. Tried Priceline.com for the first time. I got a good deal paying 38% of the cash registar cost. Wizards are improving, playing together better working harder. They beat the nets. Worked on TNT poster. Have been gradually working on replacing the backyard fence section by section. Worked on TNT Backboard. I am trying to capture the onset of spring on the Twackman retrospective path website.

April 5
Enjoying Green Mars, second in trilogy about the colonization of Mars. It deals with the terraforming of Mars. Met with Meg Moore on the Christian Education Requirements, storage is key. Cable guy came to install cable modem. He wasn't keen on climbing around in the attic so he gave us the necessary cable and I ran it from the library closet up thru the attic down into Scott's bedroom closet. The cable guy needs to come back to make connections. I started a new jigsaw puzzle. I found that it works well for me to work on a puzzle while I am listening to lecture tapes.

April 6
Replanted grass along the driveway. The liming seems to be helping make the lawn more healthy. Azalias are beginning to open up. I want to get a picture when they are fully open to put on the Hudson family home page. We had a good meeting of the Ad Hoc New Building Committee. We began to discuss the content of the report back to the parish.

April 7
Creating a medical web site that has pictures of me at the gym. I finished nailing down the new sections of the back fence. I still need to redistribute some of the piles of leaves behind the fence. Some of the new hollies I planted may have died others are ok so far. Quantum Physics Lectures are very good, I only have a few more to go. In afternoon I worked on repairing the rain damage in the SL sanctuary. We dined at the Cinncinnati Cafe which is a new restaurant at Hunters Woods, good food.

April 8
Oversaw a girl scout work day at church, we made some progress cleaning up the yard. I watched parts of the Masters. Received Federal Income Tax return. Watched King Lear on PBS. I have been trying to find a tape of this for a long time and was please to discover that it was on television. Also make preparations for TNT day at the church tommorrow.

April 9
Time and Talent Day at church. I thought it went well. Watched the Masters.

April 10
Discussed new building requirements with Sue Richardson. Created a photo vitual photo wlak from Soapstone to Howland.

April 11
Got car safety inspection. Went to see the Reduced Shakespear Company at the Reston Community Center.

April 12
I had my blood checked tomake sure that ZOCOR isn't having a bad effect on my liver. Scott's cable modem was installed today. I got a copy of Cliff Notes on King Lear a play I have never quite understood.

April 13
Worked on space requirements for the new church. Developed spreadsheof m Completed lecture series on relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Green Mars is getting interesting UCP Ad Hoc Bld meeting. Got UCP domain name.

April 14
Made measurement of square feet for HW and SL. Went to the mall. Stock market is in free fall. This will be a big opportunity in the NASDAQ which is down 25% right now.

April 15
Rainy day developed church maps. Redskins drafted Aryington and Sanders. Developed a spreadsheet that allows church analysis by comparing the existing building and the planned new church building.

April 16
Took Bonnie to Airport, she is off to bring her mother back to Ohio.

April 17
Very rainy day about 2" of rain in last 24 hours. Started to listen to the Greek Civilization Series. Vestry meeting - TNT review.

April 18
Reviewed Scotts tour information for RussiaListened to second Greek tape. Spent time getting ready to go to Ohio. Scott and I went to eat at Taste of the World.

April 19
Spent day driving to Ohio. Stayed with Dave and Cindy. Make change of selling TRP European Fund and buying TRP Science and Technology Fund.

April 20
I brought R2D2 Lego robot with me. Dave and I spent most of the day assembling it. Bonnie and Carol arrived home to Ohio yesterday. They came to dinner at Dave and Cindy's today.

April 21
Visited Aunt Katherine and Uncle Frank for lunch- we had a retro picnic lunch. Then Bonnie, Dave and I went to visit Aunt Lee at the nursing home. Uncle Bob came by later and we got to see and talk to him also.

April 22
Spent the day with Guzics and Geeses. Dave's son Jason is cute.

April 23
Drove back to VA.

Week of April 24 - 30
Eye appointment, healing from cataract surgery going well. Finally got cable modem installed. It does work much faster, but there is a problem transfering some jpgs. They get damaged in transfer, we are trying various modifications to solve problem. Listening to Greek Lectures, working on plantation jigsaw puzzle. Got eye glass prescription updated. Worked on loading Ohio pictures onto a web page. Facilities group met discussed actual building requirements. Holly project having mixed results, a few of the transplanted hollies are dying. Kendra came in third in skate race in GA. Scott had Reston Choir Concert. Rhett dropped by on his ype home from VA Tech.

Week of May 1 - 7
Ordered a new printer Epson 1270 which is the highest rated printer for printing photographs. Started going to the driving range, muscle memory has faded. Printer arrived about one day after ordering. Scott is looking for a new job. He has posted his resume online and gotten several responses and interviews. Scott got a reponse from Irene saying that she will meet him in St. Petersburg. Practiced putting at Reston Course, they have made major improvements. Finished lectures on Greek Culture up to time of Alexander. Dave sent me photo's of John Rd. I want to try drawing it myself. I finally returned to Redeemer to tear down the old handicapped signs and replace them. I also purchase some paint to repaint the part of the South Lakes sancutary that was damaged by water leak. Scott and I went to see the Gladiator. Rick Elliot drafted a report on new church building situation. Rhett, Scott and I went to Bonnie's Spring Orchestra Concert.

Week of May 8 - 14
Spent much of the week at Teaching Company Lectures of King Arthur and Chivalry. UCP board canceled may 20 work day. REI plans to stay in their current building. On the commute to and from Arthur I have begun to listen to the Egyption Lecture Series. Worked on comments on the new church building report. Ordered classic Arthur literature. Scott job search continuing. Scott is having problems making arrangements for Irene to travel to St. Petersburg. Bonnie, Scott and I went to visit Rhett and help him with some household chores - leveling the AC, edging flower beds, planting Euyenmous, raising the chantilier.

Week of May 15 -21
Vestry meeting - results of the Time and Talent Day - inputs have not been sorted. Elections are coming up for various church committee boards. We are dealing with an issue of gay participation on the church board. Completed reading Coach K's new book on Leading from the Heart. Worked on doing a power point drawing of John Rd House. The photo's helped, I think I am getting closer. Drawing the trees in will be a problem I'm not sure how to do. Sent to Dave for his comments. Kendra was here for the weekend. She came for a skate race. Donut and Woody came also. Kendra won all three of the races 20K, 10K and 5K. She had a bad fall and got some bad road burn and her car conked out on her. Something is wrong with the idle and the ignition. Presented New building report to the parish and it was well received.

Week of May 22-28
Professor Greenberg is lecturing on the four composers starting with Haydn and Mozart this week. There are eight lectures on each composer each 45 minutes long. Prof Greenburg does four lectures a day. Bonnie attended one of the Haydn lectures. While commuting to the lectures I have been listening to Egyption History. Scott got a job offer supporting the USGS internal computing group will pay 10k more than current salary. Scott also got a job offer with Vcampus a company that provides internet training for companies. Kendra and Mark visited with Donut and Woody. Kendra won the 10k race. We went to visit Rhett.

Week of May 28- June 3
Prof Greenburg continued with lectures series on Tchaikowsky and Stravinsky. I really fell in love with the music of Stravinsky and ordered a couple CDs. May 31 would have been my dad's 88 birthday. finished reading Dune vol 3. Got book From Mind to Molecule which is on latest brain research. Finish up Egyption History. Next on deck I move on to history of the Hellenistic age. We went to Reston Bible Church and really enjoyed the minister.

Week of June 4-10
This week there was a 24 lecture series on Greek Tradgey. Scott started his new job.
Bob Lipp retirement party. Ordered a series of new tapes including History of Rome, Business Statistics, British Comedy, Thomas Jefferson, and Anatomy.

Week of June 11-17
This week I am not going to lectures. I am still finishing up Helenistic History. I have started watching the Anatomy videos.
I have been going to the driving range every few days. What I am trying to do is improve the consistency of my shots. My method is to hit about fifty shots starting with the 3Wood and then hitting 3 iron, 7 iron and pitching web. This is a simulation of the a round of golf.

Week of June 18-24
On June 19 I suffered a complete Computer Crash. It took quite a bit of time most of the next week to get it repaired. It turned out that the memory blew out and needed to be replaced. I continued listening to British Drama and watching the Anatomy video. At the end of the week I was ready to reestablish my life after the computer crash.

Week of June 25-July 1
I was busy downloading new software to replace what was lost in the computer crash. I have to do a better job of backing up. among other things I lost IRS and checking account records. We bought some new furniture for Bonnie's computer and got the computer room organized. Finished listening to British Drama and started listening to lectures on Thomas Jefferson. Started Bonsai tree. Went to hear a series of TCO lectures on CS Lewis. I was surprised how interesting this subject actually was. I purchased Lewis's Space Trilogy and read "Mere Christianity".

Week of July 2- 8
Got checkbook straightened out. Enjoyed grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm half way through the final book in the Mars Trilogy-Blue Mars. Read Chapter of Memory Book. Sold WWWFX and bought JAMX. Finished Jefferson tapes and started listening to U.S. Economic History audio tapes. I resigned from the Vestry and the Building and Grounds Committee. Watched tape on the stomach. Finished "Out of the Silent Planet" the first book in the CS Lewis trilogy.

Week of July 9 -15
Donut and Woody spent the week with us while Mark and Kendra took their vacation in Wisconsin. Bonnie and I celebrated our 36 wedding anniversary with a dinner at the Serbian Crown. Completed reading "Mere Christianity". Listened to lectures on Theories of History and continued with lectures on Anatomy. I have also been listening to the sermons of Mike Minter the senior pastor at Reston Bible. We have enjoyed walking the dogs twice a day.

Week of July 16 - 22
Attended TCO lectures on the Christian Reformation. This is a subject that many people have heard of but most know very little about. I was shocked to get a clear historic perspective on the Reformation. Bonnie went to Milwaukee for a violin teaching clinic.
I have been using Priceline.com to buy groceries and gasoline. I have been gettin gasoline at 16 cents below the pump price. And groceries on priceline canbe purchased at about 50%.

Week of July 23-29
Rhett successfully defended his dissertation on the 20th and we took him out for a celebration dinner. Finished series of lectures on the Legacy of Economics. Also listen to a series of lectures on the chemistry of the brain.

Return to the Hudson Family Home Page

Wayne R. Hudson

whudson@erols.com