Posted inHome life

Qwest technical support produces gripes…then grins

I've had an interesting relationship with my off-and-on friend, Qwest. Back in August 2007 I was writing an irritated blog post, "Qwest, I'm waiting for DSL...still waiting...," about how the communications company was stiffing my efforts to get broadband to our neighborhood.Then in January 2008, after writing a pleading letter to the Qwest CEO, I got all ecstatic in "I'm the DSL King of the World!" I'd managed to get DSL installed in our rural south Salem area, freeing myself -- and many others -- from the frustrations of dial-up and satellite Internet.I'm still going through Qwest ups and downs.…
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Posted inSalem

Wings of Wonder — beautiful butterflies in Independence, Oregon

First off, if you're looking for a video that shows butterfly sex (and why wouldn't you be?) -- you've found it!Disclaimer: there is a human variety of "butterfly sex," and there is the authentic kind, what butterflies themselves do. This blog post is all about authenticity.Yesterday my wife and I took visiting relatives, my sister and brother-in-law, to a wonderful local attraction that we'd never been to before: Wings of Wonder in Independence, Oregon. If you love butterflies (and who doesn't?) this is a must-see if you're in the area.For us rural south Salemites, getting to Wings of Wonder was…
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Posted inSalem

Salem to Silverton: a trip from boring to charming

It's only about 28 miles from my house in rural south Salem to Silverton. But it seemed like light years yesterday, as we traveled from Oregon's stodgy conservative capital to a charming progressive small town.Amazingly, Laurel and I had never been to the Oregon Garden, which opened ten years ago. With my sister and brother-in-law visiting from California, we were finally drawn to check out Silverton's prime attraction. Well, let's say #2 attraction. Because Silverton's Stu Rasmussen is the first openly transgender mayor in the United States, and he's gotten a lot of attention since being elected last November.Including the…
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Posted inScootering

Motorcycling is as dangerous as you make it

As noted before, when people hear that I'm getting a Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter, the response often is: "But motorcycles are so dangerous!" (The Burgman is as big and powerful as a mid-sized motorcycle, so I'll refrain from saying scootering in this post and stick with "motorcycling.") Danger needs to be a consideration in everything we do in life. The risk of motorcycling certainly has to be taken into account by both aspiring riders and those who care about them. But here's why I believe it's truer to say, "Motorcycling is as dangerous as you make it." Before deciding to…
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Posted inScootering

Let loose the person you really are

I want to get as much mileage as possible out of the Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter that will be coming my way in a few weeks. And I'm not just talking about how much gasoline I put in the tank.There's a lot of blogging possibilities with motorized two-wheeling. So I've added a "scootering" category to HinesSight in anticipation of sharing fresh views of life as it will appear through my Shoei helmet.Presently I'm in a philosophizing mode, because my main reason for wanting a maxi-scooter (meaning, a big one) is pretty darn profound: I want to let loose the Brian…
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Posted inHealth

Quality of life in allocating health care resources

Imposing title for a blog post. It may sound kind of boring, but before we die each of us -- more than likely -- is going to face the bioethical question, "What kind of life is worth living, and at what cost?"Back in the 1980s I lived and breathed health policy issues. That was my job. Also, my passion. Recently I got to reminiscing about the days when I worked with Portland psychiatrist Ralph Crawshaw and Senate president John Kitzhaber (who later became Oregon's governor) on a project that laid the foundation for the Oregon Health Plan. Getting into spring…
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Posted inScience

Craziness of creationists shown by 47-million-year-old fossil

Oh, Ida, it's so nice to meet a relative -- albeit a distant one. Really distant. As in 47 million years ago. Scientists hailed Tuesday a 47-million-year-old fossil of an ancient "small cat"-sized primate as a possible common ancestor of monkeys, primates and humans.Scientists say the fossil, dubbed "Ida," is a transitional species, living around the time the primate lineage split into two groups: A line that would eventually produce humans, primates and monkeys, and another that would give rise to lemurs and other primates.I love the idea, better termed "reality," that my ancestors include all sorts of other creatures.…
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Posted inEntertainment

Coach — the biggest jerk ever on Survivor

I was so happy Coach (real name, Benjamin Wade) got voted off Survivor Tocantins this week. My wife and I have watched every episode of Survivor over the years. We've seen some real jerks, such as the infamous Jonny Fairplay and Randy Bailey.But I've never screamed so often at the TV, Vote him off! Get rid of him! Don't trust him! My wife and I couldn't stand Coach from the beginning. He's the most irritating sort of person: someone who blabs on and on about how truthful, upright, honest, courageous, and strong he is. I wouldn't be surprised if Coach…
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Posted inHome life

Jet lagging my way through post-vacation blues

I realize that life can't be arithmetic'ized. Still, every time we come home from a vacation I mentally calculate the value of a numberless equation:All the rushing around to get ready to leave + dealing with all that has to be done when we get back - the relaxation of the vacation = how much reduction in stress? I'm pretty sure the value to the right of the equals sign is positive. Meaning, the psychological benefit of a vacation is worth all the work involved in the pre- and post- days. But leaving Maui and returning to Oregon last Wednesday…
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Posted inRecreation

Our gripes about Maui

Sure, we've been on Maui for ten days, enjoying the great mid- 80's weather on Napili Bay while Portland, Oregon is 54 degrees and rainy today -- according to the Honolulu paper. We check the mainland weather report daily, because our friends always lie about how nice it was back home while we were gone. "Oh, you missed some great weather. Sunny every day, didn't rain a bit." Yeah, right, I think to myself, not wanting to let them know that I'm on to their Hawaii vacation envy.But things are definitely not totally paradisaical here. We've accumulated some pretty serious…
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Posted inRecreation

Meaningful Maui musings

I can't believe that I called a post from three years ago, "Meaningless Maui musings." I'm rectifying this error now with a change from "less" to "ful" in the title.Because sitting on Napili Beach -- the lovely crescent in the middle of the photo -- for several hours each day offers plenty of time for deeply important ponderings about life.Some of which, I'm pleased to see, are the same as my 2006 musings. I say "pleased" because doing the same things is a big part of what I love about returning to Napili Bay almost every year.I call this an…
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Posted inFamily

More granddaughter photos — can’t help it!

OK, I've hit the blog post trifecta: three consecutive days of Maui granddaughter photos. Each evening I sit down at my laptop and think, "Really should write about something significant."Then a voice inside my head screams, What's more significant than an oh-so-cute two year old girl who is the one and only offspring of your one and only child?At which point I bow to inevitability, plug my camera's card into a USB port, and start downloading the newest pictures. Here they are... Me and Evelyn waiting to board the Sugar Cane Train. The Hawaiian fashion police weren't able to give…
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Posted inFamily

Photos of Maui maiden and grizzled Granddad

I'm powerless. Am in the grip of an irresistible force of nature. Must obey! Cannot blog about anything else until I post more photos of my oh-so-cute granddaughter, Evelyn. It's what grandfathers are drawn to do by karma, destiny, kismet, fate. And especially... love. I haven't seen Evelyn for more than twelve months. So it's been great to spend some Maui time with Celeste and Patrick's engaging two year old. Usually being the doting granddad camera-wielder, I don't appear in many shots. But here's an iPhone photo of my daughter, Evelyn, and me. This is Evelyn's first time at a…
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Posted inFamily

My granddaughter bonds with a baggage cart

Today I saw my two year old granddaughter, Evelyn, for the first time in a year. Proud granddad that I am, I'm pleased to report that within a few minutes of meeting up with her at the Maui airport I could tell that her good looks, charm, and intelligence are going to qualify her for a terrific career as an ... Airport baggage handler. Well, they get pretty good tips, so she could do worse in life.But I think Evelyn would be willing to work for free, given how much fun she had pushing the cart around. She took off…
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Posted inHealth

Time to panic about swine (H1N1) flu?

I'm trying to decide how concerned I should be about the potential swine flu (officially called H1N1) pandemic. There's so many things to panic about -- the economy, global climate change, whether Jack Bauer is going to survive his exposure to a lethal bio agent and come back for another season of "24."I've got to prioritize my anxieties. So where should swine flu reasonably place on a holy shit! list of potential freakouts? I'd say, about halfway. Nearer the bottom at the moment; could rise considerably higher this fall and winter if H1N1 returns in a more virulent form.Back in…
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