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ARCHIVES: may - sep 99 | nov - dec 99 || jan 2000 | feb 00 | mar 1-16 00 | current pages

26 mar 00 | Busy Weekend | Nice to get a lot of things done this weekend; work in the yard ~more cutting and stacking wood; clearing brush and playing leap frog with returning from our cliff in East Haddam

vehicles (finally got me truck back after a re-built transmission); a productive trip to the town dump (found a perfectly good 10 speed bicycle with a flat tire ...the lady said she didn't know where to get it fixed!); Bruce got a lot of yard raked and we finally got some of those sign sandwich boards moved. Now, when I was working with the chain saw, I heard a couple of rocks hit the yard. Sure enuf' two kids were on the cliff behind the house watching hawks and just up to no nevergood. I yelled at 'em but later they were at it again when I was clearing up the brush.

So ...off in the pick-up truck and a run-ramble thru the woods until I get to the cliff (don't try this at home) from behind. Two startled teens, I'll tell you that! But I ought to thank 'em, cuz it got me up to the top of the cliff and got me enamoured of the view.
After I finished working I went back up and did the water sketch I have here (in two parts) as the sun set.
dancers

We even went out with David and Dierdre and saw Pilobilus Dance Theatre (who don't have a website) at the Schubert in New Haven with dinner at the Anchor Restaurant (a place somehow spared being discovered by yuppie scum. maybe the prices are too low; I'm not complaining). But as usual, they were fantastic! During one piece I took off my glasses (I'm really near-sighted) and watched as a woman danced around the stage. I was struck by the movements; didn't know the name of the dance but immediately thought of watching single celled micro-organisms under a 'scope. Imagine my surprise to find the work called Pseudopodia. The second part of the performance was also very exciting, including one new work and an ambitious coreographed work by Moses Pendleton, wet and nearly nekkid ending! Overall the evening was fresh and alive!

BTW: in looking for the pix of a pseudopod, I came across this great Online Biology Book & Glossary written by M. J. Farabee from Estrella Mtn Community College, in Tempe AZ
| The Gay Superbowl | Hate to admit it but I watched most of the Oscars on the telly tonight. I imagine the self-righteous moralizers were fuming as one after another film got awards which dealt with subjects of which the so-called religious right would disapprove. Boys Night Out, American Beauty, and Cider House Rules all deal with topics such as abortion, gender identity, homophobia, recreational drug use. And the Isolationists didn't fare too well, either what with Hanoi Jane Fonda giving an award to a renowned Polish filmmaker, and Warren Beatty getting special recognition. And I don't like to admit it but, yes, this does make me feel better about things a little. But I was enthralled with this awards show (this time).
| The Gov's Mental Health Blue Ribbon Panel |
19 mar 00 | East Haddam Land Trust | Thought I'd give a plug for one of the local organizations that works hard at preserving what people come to my home town to enjoy. It's also a good excuse to reflect a little on land conservation philosophy; The East Haddam Land Trust has spoken well on this subject, so I'll quote from their homepage's mission statement.

"Some people are under the impression that land conservation groups such as land trusts are out to acquire any piece of land they can to keep development from occurring.

"While maintaining the rural character of East Haddam is central to our mission, trying to protect every piece of undeveloped land in town is counter-productive. Some pieces lack the attributes that make others worth protecting. Balance is important, and there's a need for development as well as conservation. Some land is simply better suited for development. While the East Haddam Land Trust’s Board of Directors will always consider every potential gift, they are not in the habit of protecting land simply for the sake of protecting land.

The East Haddam Land Trust is a local, private, all-volunteer, non-profit, tax-exempt land conservation organization incorporated in Connecticut in 1979.

Its purpose is to conserve and hold in trust for the people the natural resources of the town of East Haddam - woodlands, fields, lakes, rivers, open spaces - and the plant and animal life thereon.

Its goals are to acquire natural areas and conservation easements through donations and purchases so the town of East Haddam can preserve its valuable natural resources. In addition, the land trust seeks to foster understanding and enjoyment of our natural areas by sponsoring hikes, canoe trips, wildlife programs, and other activities in our preserves and other natural areas. Although many of the natural areas tend to be land, the land trust also focuses on protecting other resources such as Eightmile River, Roaring Brook, Moodus River, Chapman Pond, Salmon River, Salmon Cove, and Succor Brook.
| "Beefcake" & Bob Mizer | Bruce and I went to see "Beefcake" last night at Trinity College. It is an idealized history of Bob Mizer and the Athletic Model Guild. The film is a hoot, presenting what is a not completely idealized romp into the life of the sexual underground's bad boys in the 1950s.

According to JT's Stockroom "...Mizer started his own business, The Athletic Model Guild (AMG), in 1945 and worked successfully as a professional photographer until the United States Postal Service threatened to revoke the 2nd Class Mail Permit of Strength and Health magazine if they continued to run ads placed by the AMG studios. The threat was successful. Strength and Health magazine would no longer run the AMG’s ads, creating the impetus for Mizer to begin publishing the Physique Pictorial." In the 1950s, with McCarthyism in full swing, the
<<< left: One of Bob Miser's Models, 1950 || || right: An A & F model, 1999 >>>
effect of the coyly suggestive physique magazines was Scandalous!

The film shows that Mizer's obsessive energies ~photographing male near-nudes~ helped in creating a small cottage industry for Mizer and his entire family: brother as accountant; his mother making and selling posing straps; his dad working the mail room. ...not to mention the occasional "employment" of one of the models he'd photographed.

The efforts of Mizer and other physique photographers of the day ~as a result of numerous obscenities trials~ eventually resulted in the much more relaxed social attitudes that exist today making it possible for Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch to hawk their wares with nonchalance.

18 mar 00 | Issues raised at work on a typical day | Maybe it's 'cuz I haven't anything dramatic to report; maybe it's 'cuz I want to share with you how varied and complex peoples' issues can be. SO herewith I am going through an anonymized selection of the different things that clients and staff bring to me to get addressed on a typical day:

AFTERNOON WARD VISITS: 1200: WARD 1: Patient reports that nursing staff revealed confidential medical information to another agency without permission. While ward staff deny this, a photocopy of a letter is presented and signed by staff. This means starting the paperwork to conduct a work rules violation inquiry. 1240: PHONE CALL 1: from mother of a man in correctional facility whose property has not yet been returned by our facility. Also says that DOC was never notified of "time served" while at facility, Call ward staff to locate property and call forensics liaison to make sure DOC is informed of length of stay here. 1315: PHONE CALL 2: An employee who reports case manager has been reviewing mail being sent out by one of her patients. Turns out this is authorized to prevent harassing letters from going to a specific person, who has complained to the hospital. All other mail can go out. 1325: WARD 2: Meet with man who needs to call out of state to a former employer and to an outside agency who has worked with him. Social worker could do this instead of me but he says he doesn't trust her. Wait while he completes his phone calls. 1350: WARD 3: Meet with ward staff to talk about situation involving patient whom they want to involuntarily medicate. Court must be petitioned to implement this process. 1400: Meet with man in question. He asks about the process. Confused about material provided by his attorney, which is missing some important pages (i.e. that describe how the process works) and of who has the final authority to force medications if the Court allows this. 1415: Another patient wants to use ward copier and staff disagree with request. Turns out she wants to have several copies of a thick document done right away. Need to arrange for another way to get this done but called on overhead paging system to a different ward. 1435: WARD 4: A woman complains that a former roommate is harassing her. When speaking with me she seems calm and reasonable and protests vehemently that she "...never does anything wrong to provoke..." the other woman. I agree to try talking with staff (whom she also alleges never listen to her) and to speak with other woman to get the problem resolved. 1440: Before I can talk with staff, two other women come up to me and ask to talk about the complainant. They allege that the grievant has been stealing property from other patients and that she began to harass the former roomate after she'd reported this to staff. They ask that they not be identified out of fear of being harassed themselves. 1455: Ward staff report that complainat has (at least 3 time) has been caught stealing other people's property and is regularly observed goading and harassing the other woman. Staff ask if I will confront complainant about these facts. I instead agree to meet some ward staff and the complainant to discuss this matter the next day. 1515: WARD 5: A man complains that he is being restricted to two cigarettes a day. Discuss matter with nursing and note that patient's chart has a medical doctor's order restricting this due to pending surgury, 1520: Meet with another man about his request to be tranferred to a "quieter" ward. Agree to speak with hospital Transfer committee member about the request after doing a chart review. 1540: STAFF OFFICE: Meet with social worker about a Legal Aid complaint maintaining the hospital has failed to release him to a less restrictive setting. The case is complicated. Community agencies have been stalling and since his is a "high profile case" it is likely the media will pay attention to what happens when he does get discharged. 1615: WARD 4: A man has asked about getting the ward staff and doctor to visit his children this weekend. Agree to discuss with nursing staff who report that approval has already been granted. 1630: WARD 3: Meet with nursing staff who want to know what to do about patient's "unreasonable" copying requests. Some ideas are discussed including offering the woman carbon paper to make single copies of letters and that large copying requests (more than 10 consecutive pages) would be done by social worker or myself. Report this to complainant who finds this agreeable. 1645: OFFICE: Prepare for upcoming meeting with committee to discuss mental health and advocacy services. The meeting starts at 1700 and usually lasts for 3 hours.

This may seem hectic but it's no unusual. Maybe not (appreciate your opinions). Other days I may spend an hour or more with one person talking strategy about going to probate court or identifying self-help resources in the community. But this glimpse into a typical afternoon shows how complex some of the issues that come up any given day can be.

archives: may - sep '99 | nov - dec '99 | jan 2000 | feb 00 | mar 1-16 00
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Catch you on the rebound!

~Will Brady

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about "Short Notes"

"Short Notes" was the title of a column I wrote while working for a newspaper in the Adirondack Mountains some years ago. The format was similar to what you'll find here, except augmented with pictures and maps. The subject matter shall sometimes be personal, at other times comments on events or situations of which I am aware. Comments, suggestions welcomed but not always acted upon.

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