Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City (Postcard Series)

Aerial view from Wikipedia

The Joy of Watches (Part 3)

The Watches of Switzerland

Trippy!

February 1, 1992

Wisconsin State Journal, 2/1/1992

Sitting at the kitchen table and looking out the window, I cringe at the sight of the soffit above the garage door.  I notice too much peeling paint and water discoloration and think about major dollar going into major exterior house repairs.

Later in the afternoon, we go with Larry and Martha to a spaghetti supper at the high school, a fundraiser for the choral group.  Bowling afterwards is not an option -- no open lanes at the Sport Bowl until midnight -- so we return to the house to eat ice cream and chat.

January 29, 1992

#10 on the Billboard Hot 100

I've been so eager to keyboard past calendar boxes into our new computer that I find myself neglecting the present.  Tonight I make some sort of wild mis-stroke which narrows the margins drastically.  In my frustration, I end up linking all of my calendar files together but somehow manage to clear up the problem by the time I turn off the power.

Andy makes the strangest remark.

"You make me sad, Dad."

Because of my ranting at the computer?

Because I left him all alone to watch TV in the bedroom?

Earlier in the day, Diane Peterson interview for the children's librarian position and does very well. But I don't think we'll see her come to Middleton.  I'm sure she is making substantially more than we can offer.

Grand Central Terminal, New York City (Postcard Series)

Tuesday, January 28, 1992

SI

I spent most of the morning on the computer, inputting calendar notes or playing solitaire.  The afternoon is routine.  The special board meeting to discuss a director evaluation pilot goes much longer than I expected.  When I return home, shortly before ten, I'm surprised to find Andy is still awake and acting as though bedtime is still hours away.  After I put him to bed -- no protest -- I sit at the kitchen table and eat graham crackers and drink milk.  JoAnna cries out for me.  I expect her to have another anxiety attack, but she just wants my presence.

Monday, January 27, 1992

I get to work early and complete the list of questions we will use for the interviews.  It's not as agonizing a task as I though it would be.

After a fairly productive day, I pick up the boys at daycare.  JoAnna has a series of evening commitments and isn't expected back until 10 or so.  After giving both boys a bath -- separately -- I lose myself on the computer.  When JoAnna returns home, Andy is still up.

William Schumann (1919-2013) Warren High School Class of 1937

Activities:  Latin Club (1, 2); German Club (3); Hi-Y (3).

Sunday, January 26, 1992

With Eddie still a little bit under the weather, I'm pretty much housebound.  JoAnna spends much of the afternoon doing doors, so even going outside with Andy to build a snowman is easier said than done.

At the beginning of the Super Bowl, I call my folks.  They seem surprised that we don't have the game on.  And except for a quick check of the score late in the fourth quarter, that's the way it remains.  No commercial fest for me.

The "Men on Football" segment of In Living Color is funny.  The actors imply that both Richard ere and Carl Lewis are gay.

Saturday, January 25, 1992

JoAnna leave for Portage around 10.  I plan to go grocery shopping in the morning but need to walk around a fussy Eddie guy.  He has another ear infection, and this time the antibiotic seems to be taking longer to kick in.  As it turns out, I'm not able to get out of the house until after JoAnna returns home.  Then Andy and I go to Cub Foods.  That's pretty much the highlight of the day   I start to feel the need to do something special with Andy.  I also need to do something to shake these winter blahs.

Grant's Tomb, New York City (Postcard Series)

Grant's Tomb National Memorial

The Joy of Watches (Part 2)

The top 10 Swiss watchmakers in the world.

Little Church Around the Corner, New York City (Postcard Series)

Streetscapes/The Little Church Around the Corner; It Traces Its Nickname To a Funeral Snub. (The New York Times, 4/5/1998)

a.k.a The Church of the Transfiguration (Wikipedia)

Union Terminal and Concourse, Cincinnati (Postcard Series)

History of Cincinnati Union Terminal

Now the Cincinnati Museum Center

Wednesday, January 22, 1992

The interview schedule is finally starting to take shape.  Diane is willing to move up her time by three weeks.  After having two candidates decline an interview because they had already been offered jobs, I feel a desperate need to speed up the entire hiring process.  Vincent sound somewhat effeminate over the phone, but I can't let that color my judgment.

Today I provide round-trip taxi service to daycare. When I pick up the boys, Eddie appears to have just run out of patience.  He scrunches his face and lets out a wail as soon as he sees me.  Once I hold him for awhile, he's his usual and happy charming self.

It's dinner preparation time once we get home.  Later on, JoAnna and I discuss Don Damon's and Julie Brunnette's opinion of libraries.  They still see the building as Julie Sherman's library, the type of juvenile thinking you'd expect from these two troglodytes.

The Joy of Watches (Part 1)

The Swiss Watch Industry -- A Short Tale of History

Governor's Mansion, Albany, New York (Postcard Series)

Welcome to the New York State Executive Mansion

Tuesday, January 21, 1992

JoAnna calls to ask if I'd bring a couple of computer documents to her office.  It's not a problem; I'm going downtown anyway.  I meet with other members of the Education  Section executive board to get us thinking as a group again and discuss program ideas for the fall conference.  I eat lunch at home and return to the library at 2.  I work straight through until 1-.  More comp time.

Monday, January 20, 1992

Yesterday I stopped at the library to pick up the rest of our computer.  I also went through my mail so I could jump right into more important tasks today.  Business booms during the late morning and into the early afternoon.  The phone rings constantly.

"Are you open today?"

(It's Martin Luther King Day.)

We expect to be inundated throughout the day, but the great mass of humanity never appears.  From midafternoon on, the library is unusually underpopulated.  I stay until nearly 8, working on too many different things at one time.  Mostly I want to get my Nuts and Bolts handout materials organized.  Unfortunately, I make very little forward progress.

Sunday, January 19, 1992

We eat breakfast, pack the van, and hit the road by 10:30.  The road is snow-covered and probably slippery to Washburn, a 12-mile stretch.  After that conditions are variable.  The dusting of snow that fell earlier during the morning creates a white-out effect whenever cars, and especially trucks, pass in the opposite direction.  I drive as far as Stevens Point, where we stop for take-out at McDonald's and to put some air in a much too soft left rear tire.  We return to Middleton at 5, and the boys are so happy to see us.  It's obvious, though, that they had a great time with Cindy and Mayra.  In fact, Eddie starts to fuss when Mayra approaches the front door to leave.

Saturday, January 18, 1992

During breakfast, we decide whether or not to go skiing.  Bowling is offered as an alternative, but for all we know, the closest lanes may be in Ashland, a half hour drive from our weekend retreat.  Even though weather conditions are blustery and below zero, the presence of a bright sun in a clear blue sky is enough to convince us to go cross-country skiing.  Great choice.  We ski a very easy lap at Mt. Ashwabay.  JoAnna and I take a scenic, more intermediate route on the return trip to the chalet.  I feel so exhilarated by the 10K loop that I'm ready to hit the trail again.  But I control my urge to overexercise.  Back in Bayfield, we eat midafternoon lunch at the New Mariner -- Italian is their specialty -- after which couples retreat to their respective rooms for an afternoon of privacy.  JoAnna and I soak in the whirlpool and then make love.

Dinner is a nearly 3-hour, 5-course affair at the house.  We adjourn to Barb and Chuck's room for cards and talk.  We're a tired crew, and the gathering is a relatively brief one.

Friday, January 17, 1992

After driving the boys to daycare, I cash my check at the credit union and return home a half hour past our scheduled departure time.  Not a problem.  Barb and Chuck have not yet arrived.  We pack the van and leave shortly before ten, stopping at McDonald's to pick up breakfast, which includes 9 orders of hash browns.  I only drive the first 50 miles; then Chuck volunteers to take over.  His driving makes me -- and everyone else -- so nervous, but I don't argue.  We meet the Blumenfelds and Cieslewiczs in Minocqua to eat lunch at Bosacki's.

The Rittenhouse bed-and-breakfast in Bayfield is an eye-opening establishment.  Beautifully appointed rooms.  Cozy, snowbound setting.

After unpacking, we meet for supper.  Maggie's, the only real choice at this time of year, has a long waiting list, so we walk 3 blocks in -20 degree cold to Marty's, a typical bar and while away some time.  We spend a half hour at the bar once we get back to Maggie's, waiting for a cluster of tables that will seat ten.  In the meantime, we continue to drink and jabber away.  Dinner itself is a wonderful group experience.  We have so much fun.  Back at the Inn, we gather in Barb and Chuck's room to play 60s Trivial Pursuit, and I dazzle the group with my answers -- notably the "Hog Farm" response.

Thursday, January 16, 1992

By the time I stop at the library to pick up my meeting files, I'm already a little behind schedule.  Ilene mentions that the printer isn't working, and I can't figure out how to get the message to print onscreen.  Nonetheless, I get to Oregon for the LINK meeting at one minute after nine, and everyone is still milling around drinking coffee and eating donuts.  We breeze through the agenda, and after a stop at the credit union to learn why my TYME card won't work, I'm only an hour late for the WLA finance committee meeting.

Back at Middleton, I and other city department heads meet with the mayor.  Naturally, he has news of a crisis.  Why else would we be all be together?  The city's health insurance premiums have increased 36%.

JoAnna meets with her campaign staff during the evening while Andy and I go grocery shopping.

Wednesday, January 15, 1992

I laze around this afternoon, not getting much done as I drift into a deep reverie listening to Getz-Gilberto and reading the liner notes from Del Shannon's greatest hits CD.   One of the last paragraphs hits me full in the face.  I'd forgotten that he committed suicide 2 years ago.  While taping selected songs off the disk, I am especially impressed with "Stranger in Town".  It practically screams for a movie treatment, even in 1992.

This morning I took Eddie to the doctor and -- guess what?! -- he didn't have chickenpox.  Dr. Ellis is quite sure how to diagnose the rash.  It could be a viral infection, an allergy.  Even though Eddie now has the green light to go back to daycare, I decide to stay home.

You're Golden on the Broadway LImited

from National Geographic (1952)

Tuesday, January 14, 1992

I get up early, determined to pack in as much as possible into the workday.  Before the Dane County librarians meeting at Verona, I stop by the library to look through my mail and anything else that seems to need my attention.  The meeting is a quickie, and on the way home I stop at Half Price Book and find nothing that makes me instantly grab for my wallet.  I keep to my office during the afternoon, taking care of various odds and ends, and leave at 4 to pick up Eddie.

For some reason, I feel on the edge of a precipice with Sandy on the board, but maybe it's John I need to keep an eye on.  John, the stunning no-show at the holiday party.

I'm happy to report that Sandy is no Julie Brunnette council clone.  She seemed genuinely shocked that the library received no increase in books.  And she seems sympathetic to our staffing needs at a time when library use is threatening to make basket cases of us all.

I stay to work on a variety of tasks and that's my problem -- flitting from one to the next, never being able to get a focus.

Phoebe Kay Strandburg Marinoble (1939-2013) Warren High School Class of 1958

 Warren Times Observer obituary

50 Years Ago Today: Wisconsin State Journal Trumpets Midwest Storm

Sunday, January 12, 1992

The sun is again obscured by gray clouds that looks like someone's dingy laundry.  During the early afternoon, John, Laurie, and Nina stop by to help JoAnna do a lit drop.  JoAnna spends at least an hour with John mapping strategy. While she rest, I finish getting dinner ready.

Funny how so far I missed I've missed the big news, JoAnna's first words to me in the morning.

"We have a sick little boy."

Eddie is plastered with red speckles.  Chickenpox.  For the most part, he's in a good mood, but his body is covered from head to toes.  After supper, I give him a baking soda bath.  The pox hasn't peaked yet.  I give Andy and bath, too, and tell him a story.

I go to bed early since I want to get in a few hours at work before JoAnna leaves.

January 11, 1992

I started some of the chores yesterday -- like washing -- which gave me more free time today.  It doesn't work out that way, mostly because JoAnna's campaign planning takes up so much time.  I make an offhanded remark about having to do so much, and JoAnna immediately calls me to account.  After all, I already stated my support.  No fair making caustic comments, even in jest.

During an unseasonably mild and sunny afternoon, Andy and I go to the park.  Eddie's been cranky since before lunch, so JoAnna puts him to bed.

Zenith TV: A quart of things to think about before you buy a television set

from National Geographic (1953)

Magazine advertising of the 1950s

Municipal Stadium, Cleveland (Postcard Series)

Seating capacity:  78,189

Demolished in 1996

Now the site of Cleveland Browns Stadium

Zenith: Achieved in the tradition of Quality

from National Geographic (1952)

Friday, January 10, 1992

I meet with Donovan at his office in the morning.  With 2 1/2 months to go until our workshop, it appears to be in good shape as far as preparations are concerned.  We review our notes for each of the dozen or so sections of our 2-day presentation.

During the return trip to Middleton, I'm tempted to make a stop at Half Price Books.  I resist; I still have enough music to tape without adding to it.

The afternoon at the library is relatively quiet.

The family goes to Pizza Hut for supper.

Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York (Postcard Series)

Demolished in 1953

Saratoga Springs:  Grand and Gilded

Saratoga Springs:  Sunny and Sax-y.

from National Geographic (1962)

Advertising Hall of Fame (2002)

Coca-Cola: Get that Refreshing New Feeling

from National Geographic (1962)

Boardman Hall and the Library, Cornell University (Postcard Series)

Boardman Hall, demolished in 1959 to make room for a new, larger research library building.

Its neighbor, Stimson Hall, constructed in 1903 and still standing

From the Cornell University website.  This building was named after Lewis A. Stimson, M.D. for his efforts toward the establishment of a medical college at Cornell University. Stimson Hall proportionally modeled its now demolished neighbor, Boardman Hall.

Tuesday, January 7, 1991

A hectic morning doing chores.  I think about a drive to Half Price Books, but I figure I have enough other music to tape for the time being.  I get to work shortly before one and, except for a 10-minute break to pick up pictures at Walgreen's and down a couple of small cans of V8, I work straight through until 9.

High School, Sharon PA (Postcard Series)

Opened in the fall of 1924

Monday, January 6, 1992

TIME

Typical Monday.  Newspaper column then doing all I can to get a fast start on the week.  I pick up the boys at daycare.  Eddie goes to bed early.  Andy and I are playing Yahtzee when JoAnna returns home.

Betty Lyle (1925-2012) Warren High School Class of 1943

Reticent . . . conscientious . . . inconspicuous . . . always ready with a giggle.