The Family Bible

I may have mentioned before that I am not very religious. I totally support everyone's right to their own beliefs - and I feel very strongly that no one has the right to enforce their beliefs on anyone else. So when I tell you I bought a bible you might be surprised.  Actually in my lifetime I have owned two bibles and read the bible from cover to cover - because how else could I justify forming an opinion on it?

However, this blog is not about religion, and not so much about a bible as about a family.

I have always loved books, and in particular old books. For one thing second hand books are cheaper than new and as a child I read so much, I couldn't afford to support my habit. I frequented the library on a regular basis, but also bought used books and then traded them back once I had finished them. But I always wondered about the people who had owned these books before me.

This is all very boring but I mention it to explain why I often stopped by a used bookstore in North West London where I lived in the early 1960s. I don't remember the name of the store, nor its exact location, but it was somewhere between Camden Town and Gospel Oak / Hampstead Heath area. It is most likely not there now. It was, like all other used books stores, dusty and curious. It had tables outside loaded down with old books. probably they were carefully arranged at the beginning of the day, but by evening they were in total disarray. Very much like these two stores in the same area. Primrose Hill Books on the Left, and Black Gull Books on the right.

I often bought books there and that is where I found the Family Bible. I paid about one shilling for it. What attracted me to the bible was the fact that it was old, leather bound and well worn. It had a story locked inside its pages, I don't mean the story most would associate with a bible but a story about the family who owned it.

Front flyleaf inscription

The family in question were Marshall-Weir. The bible was given to Nancy Marshall by her father, one would assume on the occasion of her marriage, but for whatever occasion, it was in 1838 - I know that because of the inscription on the front flyleaf.

Even more interesting were the inscriptions on the leaf between the old and new testaments. I am guessing five children born to Nancy Marshall and her unnamed husband Mr. Weir, over a period of 10 years. It is interesting too, to notice how the handwriting changed slightly over the course of the same 10 years - I do believe they were all written by the same person, but there is a difference.

When I left Ireland to move to the US 1994, I left almost everything I owned. I told my sons they were free to use, sell or dump it all.


My younger son chose to hold on to that old bible, probably for the same reason I had kept it for almost 30 years, it held a record of a family's existence and despite ending up on the side of the road in a London bookstore, they once valued it.

Imagine my surprise, 21 years later, when my son emailed me with photos of the bible. I was surprised that he still had it. I was even more surprised when he followed up with information he had dug up on the family. In particular the third child listed - the middle child, John Marshall Weir.

The obituary listed the birthplace and that information narrowed down further searches until eventually my son had established the family home as Tullymurry House in Newry, County Down, Ireland and further digging led him to The Irish Landmark Trust who now manage the house. (Read about The Irish Landmark Trust here.) They put him in touch with the current owner of the house.

What we knew from the Bible:

Actually the only things we knew for sure are that John Marshall gave his daughter Nancy the bible in 1838. We know that 5 children were born during the period 1839 to 1849 - and we are assuming that the bible was given to Nancy on the occasion of her marriage - presumably to a man called Weir and they parented those 5 children.

The inscription on the bible says:

Nancy Marshall

from her father

John Marshall

Belfast 28th August

1938

These emails were from the current owner of the Marshal Weir home to my son.

November 1st 2015:

Very many thanks indeed for contacting Irene at the Irish Landmark Trust to establish whether the bible in your possession originally belonged to John Marshall Weir who in the nineteenth century was the owner of Tullymurry House, Donaghmore, Newry, County Down.
Your extremely interesting email has been forwarded to me since my family are the current owners of Tullymurry following its purchase by my grandfather from the Marshall family in 1895.
After the property's extensive renovation a few years ago the family entered into a beneficial arrangement with the Irish Landmark Trust who now manage Tullymurry for holiday lets. The renovation of the house was done very sympathetically in order to retain most of the original features and atmosphere and a few of the Marshall family artifacts still remain in situ including the two century old dining room table and an alchove in the kitchen where John Marshall kept pills and potions for his homeopathic medical practice.
In order to have a 'professional' verdict on whether we are indeed talking about the same John Marshall I have referred your email with its images to a lady historian in Northern Ireland who following years of research on the Marshall family is a leading authority on such matters. I am hoping to receive the lady's feedback very shortly and will then be back in touch with you.
You may wonder why anyone would carry out research on an unrelated family but the Marshalls belonged at the time to the relatively small circle of influential 'gentry' in Northern Ireland and were extensive landowners. Interestingly one of Marshalls married into the Pirrie family famous because William James Pirrie was a partner and the chief engineer at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast responsible for building the Titanic before it fatefully set sail early in the last century under the flag of the White Star Line.
Once again very many thanks for contacting Irene and you will hear from us shortly,

Kind regards
Richard McMinn

December 5th 2015:

I apologise for the further delay in coming back to you caused by an unexpectedly long stay in hospital. I've only today been able to have an in depth phone conversation with the lady historian who as I indicated earlier is the absolute authority on the history of the Marshall/Weir families in Ulster and has been numerous times to Tullymurry.

All along I have been very conscious that before accepting your most generous offer to physically relocate the family bible to Tullymurry House that we needed firstly to go through a proper verification process. Mrs Hamill, the lady historian, has meanwhile taken enormous trouble to go back through her files and review her own notes on the Marshall family in the earlier part of the nineteenth century. Whilst she admits to having a small number of unresolved genealogical gaps - which are typical in this sort of situation - she is very comfortable with the concept of considering Tullymurry as the  'rightful home' for the bible.

In deep gratitude and quiet excitement I therefore accept your extremely gracious offer to let us have the 'return' of the family bible for it to take a place of honour at Tullymurry House.

          

I exchanged emails with Mrs Hamill, the historian referenced in the emails, and she gave me the following information:

"The Bible was given to *Anne/Nancy above by her father John Marshall of 5 Donegall Street, Belfast. This was at the time of her marriage to Silas E. Weir in 1838. John Marshall was the uncle of John Marshall who married Charlotte Weir and who lived at Tullymurry House until his death in 1866. 

When Anne/Nancy married Silas Ebenezer Weir (born 1785-DIED 21/10/1866) on 28^th August 1838, she left Belfast and moved to the Weir’s family business at James Street, Cookstown, Co.Tyrone.  The business was that of Drapers, Silk Merchants, Merchant Tailors, Dressmakers, Cabinet makers and upholsters.  Silas was also the treasurer of the Loan Fund Office.

Silas had a brother James who had a business in Belfast, so it is likely that she met Silas in Belfast.   Some of the Weirs had already emigrated to the United States and were established in business there.

Children born to Silas and Anne/Nancy, were

1839 – William died aged 37 on 16^th September 1877. Buried in Donaghendry Cemetery, Cookstown.

1842 – Susan Marshall Weir, died on 1st February 1933 in 43a Elsham Road. Kensington. London aged 90.  Susan and her sister Elizabeth had already lived in London in the 1880’s but Susan returned to run the family business in Cookstown, after her brother emigrated to USA in 1893.  When her mother died on 1^st March 1870 aged 58, being the eldest girl, Susan was most likely given the Bible, and this she had in her possession when she died in London.

1845 – John Marshall Weir – emg. To USA.  You already have the details of his ‘golf fame’.

1847 – Elizabeth – last found in London in 1891 but cannot trace her.

1849 – Annie was definitely alive in 1870 at the time of her mother’s will. May have gone to Australia with her brother James.

1852 – James – died in Australia 7^th October 1914.

Notes – Silas Ebenezer Weir died 21^st October 1866.

Anne/Nancy (nee Marshall) died 1^st March 1870.

Together with their son William – they are buried in Cookstown.

The Weirs of Cookstown and Belfast and the Weirs of Tullymurry could well be cousins as the topography of Ireland at the time was that families moved as landlords released land.

However, the tangible link to the Bible is that of the Marshalls of Belfast whose roots were Annabane and Tullymurry House. "

The logistics for getting the bible to its home in Tullymurry House, where it will be on display finally got underway.  As the parties involved were spread across three countries, it took time, however on a visit to Dublin, Maud Hamill met up with my son and he passed the bible to her.

Ben Palmer passes the bible to Maud Hamill

Maud then transported it up to Tullymurry House, appropriately on St Patrick's Day 2016 where it is finally at home and on display, having been shuffled around for well over a century.

Inkkas - more than just unusual footwear

I absolutely love these shoes. I have bought three pairs for myself, one of these I gave to my daughter, a pair for my 16 year old grandson who is a fashion leader in his circle, and one pair for my daughter's mother in law.

However, these are not just beautiful and very comfortable footwear. Inkkas have a mission that I totally support.

If you go to this link you can read all about it, here is an excerpt:


Read about Trees For The Future here.

My grandson in the center - great shoes!

I am fanatical about recycling, I own a hybrid car and I am very conscious of the damage we are doing to this planet. I worry about my grandchildren and what they will be left to deal with due to the greed and stupidity of previous generations, including my own. Therefore I will do my best to support business that also care for the planet.

On the left, my grandson wearing his Inkkas. Below my three pairs. I may have mentioned before that I am also very fond of socks, so they too are on display below. You can read my blog about socks here. And, in case you are interested, I now buy my socks from amazon.com and finally found socks that not only fit, but there is a massive amount of really cool socks to choose from.

So, if you want to buy Inkkas (and if you don't, why on earth not?)  Go here.

If you want to buy cool socks, Go here.

Planning for the future

.. the only thing you can be absolutely sure of, death.

I know, morbid. But avoiding being morbid will not make a damn bit of difference to the outcome. It is so much more sensible, and considerate of those who will be left behind, to deal with the details well in advance.  Mind you, who is to say how far in advance you are actually planning? My point is, take care of everything while you have all your faculties.




What if you ...

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
 - Dylan Thomas 1914 - 1953

What if you descend into dementia, or wind up in a coma?

Things to think about:

1. Last Will & Testament - most especially if you have children (who do you want to care for them?)
2. Financial Power of Attorney - so that your next of kin can access your funds and handle your financial matters.
3. Medical Power of Attorney - so that your next of kin can make medical decisions on your behalf, and be kept informed of all your medical details, otherwise the medical confidentiality law could prevent this.
4. Living Will - do you want to be kept alive under any circumstances, or have the plug pulled when you are clearly not going to recover and your next of kin cannot make those decisions for you.
5. Long Term Care Insurance - the sooner you get this, the cheaper it is, and if you leave it too long you just might not qualify - if you show any signs of cognitive impairment, you will be refused. 
6. Named Beneficiaries for all of your assets - this avoids the long and costly probate procedure.
7. Life Insurance of course - everyone knows that.
8. And finally - most finally - funeral arrangements.

And naturally, do make sure your next of kin are aware of your wishes and plans and where to find the documents when the time comes - because we all know, it will come.

My husband and I had taken care of 1 - 7 some time ago, # 8 was delayed but finally got around to it this week. It wasn't that we didn't want to do it, it wasn't that we were procrastinating. We actually made one failed attempt a number of years ago - failed because the 'gentleman' we met with at our local funeral parlor was not only a total gouger, he was also extremely obnoxious - I did not want my children to have to deal with such a creature while also dealing with grief. He tried to convince us that the average cost was 300% greater than we already knew it to be (my husband is very frugal and always does detailed research before buying anything). As we walked out he followed us bringing the price down with every step.

We finally did get around to it. I took the day off work and we met up with an extremely nice lady at Austin Cremations. I feel very comfortable letting her deal with my children when the time comes, I know she will take good care of them.

Because what we were actually paying for was Funeral Insurance, we had to go through the legal rigmarole of signing a contract. We paid in full for a cremation, one for each of us, and also added extra to cover the cost of the large number of death certificates that are required to make many of the items in the list above useful. The time it took to go through this process for each of us, allowed us to peruse the 'goodies' on display. Jewelry and art that can either hold ashes or fingerprints of the dearly departed. See below for photos.


Obviously the jewelry and what my husband irreverently referred to as salt-shakers, only hold a very small portion of the ashes. The large traditional urns and the interesting books which turned out to be a container for ashes, apparently hold what is left after the fire and the grinder. Yes, I looked it up, after a body is cremated, the chunks of bone are ground up and that is what you get in your urn.


If cremation sounds a bit gory to you, surely being buried in the ground to rot and be devoured by insects is no less so? Plus cremation is cheaper, and on balance, I believe it is more Eco friendly.

Austin Cremations worked perfectly for our needs. We do not want any funeral ceremony or services, we want the absolute least fuss. just whip the body away, turn it into ashes and let that be the end. My husband wants his ashes to go into the ocean, the gulf will do fine, the tides will keep him moving in the element he loves most. Personally, I really do not care. I want them not to mourn my passing but celebrate my life!

I would love to think that my ashes could be scattered on some site relevant to my love of the history of the West. The Alamo, or some of the most beautiful place on earth - Sedona Valley in Arizona, Zion Park in Utah. But ultimately, I want my children to have no extra expense, and the minimum of grief. I wasn't sure about the legality of such a thing so I asked Google, and amazingly, it is possible to scatter ashes in National Parks under Federal Jurisdiction.

Naturally there are rules and regulations but it is possible! That includes Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon. Who would have thought?  Here is a link to National Park Service Search Results for ashes.

Here is a wiki on cremation

and some articles on End of Life Planning:

New York Times

Huffington Post

National Hospice & Palliative Care Org

Art

Jewelry and table decorations

mini urns - for sharing. What Larry referred to as salt shakers

assorted urns

New Year Resolutions

It is that time of year again. If you think it is too late to start talking about New Year Resolutions in mid February, don't forget that this is the Chinese New Year. Besides, resolutions should be an all year thing. There is no good reason to only make an effort to achieve a personal goal or two at the beginning of a new year.


Almost everyone resolves to get healthier, lose weight, exercise, drink more water. How long does it last? I think that depends on how much money you invest and how much you really want it. If you join a gym and pay a big fat membership fee, it is very difficult to let that resolution slide, at least for about 6 weeks.

Here are some interesting statistics, from StatisticBrain.com:

• Resolution maintained through first week: 75%
• Past two weeks 71%
• Past one month 64%
• Past six months 46%

And what is the number one resolution? Yes, Lose Weight. And, according to wikipedia, the most common reason for participants failing their New Year's Resolutions was setting themselves unrealistic goals (35%), 33% didn't keep track of their progress and 23% forgot about it.

Of course, if you want it badly enough you will make it happen. The trick is not to make resolutions just for the sake of it, give the matter thought and only resolve to make changes that are realistic and achievable.

This year I joined the masses and resolved to lose that weight, again. Yes, I have tried and failed many times, and tried and succeeded just a few times.


The one thing I learnt from my attempts futile and effective, I need to be held accountable, not just to myself. I need someone else to look at the scales with me at least once a week.

Other things that keep me on track are:

• If it costs money - I absolutely hate waste of any kind, and wasting money is just not acceptable. 
• I need the support of those with whom I live - that is very important, if I feel that I am inconveniencing my husband it makes it much harder.
• Not only do I need to know that I am not inconveniencing him, I need a cheer leader, someone to keep me motivated as the ounces very slowly drop off. Because that is the hardest, half a pound at a time for all that struggle.
• I need to get into the right state of mind, be mentally prepared.

However, I think I have found a diet that will not only work, but will continue to work after I have finally achieved my goal weight, that is, will keep me there and prevent me from piling it all back on again.

The Ideal Protein Diet - it covers many of the requirements. It definitely costs money, my husband recommended it, so his support is already there. I get to weigh in every week and it is convenient as I pass the door of the clinic I attend on my why home from work.

Now that I have made my resolution public, I absolutely cannot abandon it - I will post more information after I have made some progress, but so far, so good.

Got an embarrassing itch?

Or worse? Next question, do you use wet wipes? If so, you might reconsider. In fact, I strongly urge you to check out the ingredients in any baby wipes or wet wipes you use on children. I used EWG's Skin Deep to do just that.

I mentioned before that I am not a germaphobe, but I don't like germs, yet here I am back in the toilet region again, for a very good reason. I didn't know that wet wipes could contain ingredients that were skin irritants. Not only wet wipes but also baby wipes.

To clarify, I am talking about the US here, that is not so much the case in Europe and Japan where formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing ingredients in cosmetics or personal care products are either banned or very limited. This article expands on that and other ingredients, not only in personal care products, but many other products including foods,that have proved to be harmful.

I decided to blog about this, despite the fact that it is a somewhat embarrassing topic, in the hopes of preventing others from the same pain. And I do believe there is benefit in pushing yourself outside your comfort zone once in a while.

It did amaze, and disturb me to discover that I was using formaldehyde to clean my private, and quite sensitive areas. Unfortunately for me, I discovered this fact after, long after, I developed an allergy to the ingredients that should never have been wiped on the skin of a living creature. I now worry about all my makeup and soaps - and just about anything else I am likely to apply to my skin and leave for any period of time.

I think I was suffering for about a year - at first low level discomfort, and I was self medicating for what I was convinced was hemorrhoids - they didn't get better, in fact they got worse, until one day the discomfort suddenly became horrendous pain. I could scarcely walk. The allergic reaction I was experiencing was raw blistered skin - like a very bad burn. I have seen it compared to poison ivy which I have been lucky enough to avoid, if it feels like that I will continue to do all in my power to avoid it.

As soon as it was suggested to me that the wet wipes were the probably cause, I stopped using them. It took a full three weeks before I was pain free. Three weeks of carefully cleansing with warm water and Vaseline, and then applying a zinc oxide cream - yes, diaper rash cream.

A google search turned up a lot of people who had suffered the same appalling reaction. And a number of interesting articles on the subject. On top of that, there is a class action lawsuit for false advertising and misrepresentation regarding the flushability of these wipes (read about it here).

Science Daily , CBS, even Reuters and also, many very negative reviews on Amazon.com

Here are some excerpts from some of the web sites I googled.

I looked up the ingredients used in my wet wipes, and also one brand of baby wipes. Below is a description of each ingredient, some are non toxic and some are most definitely not. I included all of them for completeness. I suspect if I did this for all my make up, shampoo, conditioner and soaps, I might never use these items again.

Baby wipes:

Propylene Glycol
The FDA has categorized propylene glycol as "Generally Recognized as Safe."
Even with prolonged direct exposure, there is little to no skin irritation or sensitization. It subsides quickly once the area is flushed.

Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice
Use of topical aloe vera is not associated with significant side effects. Oral ingestion of aloe vera, however, may cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea which in turn can decrease the absorption of drugs. IARC studies have found aloe vera to be carcinogenic in animals, and state that it is a possible carcinogenic in humans as well.

Tocopheryl Acetate
Tocopheryl acetate is a form of vitamin E, a natural skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant. It is the ester of acetic acid andtocopherol and is often used as an alternative to pure tocopherol (or undiluted vitamin E) because it is considered more stable and less acidic.

Peg-75 Lanolin:
This ingredient is a chemically-modified form of lanolin, a fat-like sebaceous secretion of sheep. Lanolin is listed in the PETA's Caring Consumer guide as an animal-sourced product.
Function(s): Surfactant - Cleansing Agent

DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE:
This ingredient is a synthetic surfactant produced on the basis of fatty acids derived from coconut oil.
Function(s): Hair Conditioning Agent; Surfactant - Cleansing Agent; Surfactant - Foam Booster;Surfactant - Hydrotrope; FOAM BOOSTING; SKIN CONDITIONING

POLYSORBATE-20:
Polysorbate 20 (Tween 20) is a surfactant and emulsifier used in cleaners and personal care products.
Function(s): Fragrance Ingredient; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent; Surfactant - Solubilizing Agent

Citric acid
is an excellent chelating agent, binding metals. It is used to remove limescale from boilers and evaporators. It can be used to soften water, which makes it useful in soaps and laundry detergents. By chelating the metals in hard water, it lets these cleaners produce foam and work better without need for water softening. Citric acid is the active ingredient in some bathroom and kitchen cleaning solutions. A solution with a 6% concentration of citric acid will remove hard water stains from glass without scrubbing. In the industry, it is used to dissolve rust from steel. Citric acid can be used in shampoo to wash out wax and coloring from the hair.

Disodium Phosphate
It is used in conjunction with trisodium phosphate in foods and water treatment. In foods, it is used to adjust pH. Its presence prevents coagulation in the preparation of condensed milk. Similarly, it is used as an anti-caking additive in powdered products. It is used in desserts and puddings, e.g. Cream of Wheat to quicken cook time, and Jell-O Instant Pudding for thickening. In water treatment, it retards calcium scale formation. It is also found in some detergents and cleaning agents.

Disodium Edta
The FDA permits this ingredient to be used as a food preservative, and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel has assessed it as safe to use in OTC personal care products. Clinical tests have shown that standard concentrations of the ingredient do not irritate, sensitize or penetrate the skin. Though clinical data indicates that disodium EDTA is not well absorbed by the skin, it has been shown to enhance the dermal penetration of other ingredients contained in a product. Thus, cosmetic formulators must exercise caution when combining it with other ingredients potentially harmful if absorbed by the skin.

ETHYLENE BRASSYLATE:
Ethylene brassylate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient in the artificial musk family; also known as Musk T.
Function(s): Fragrance Ingredient; MASKING; TONIC

2-BROMO-2-NITROPROPAN-1

This one scared me so much I took a screen shot from EWG's search results, remember this is Baby Wipes, would you wipe this on any part of your baby's body? (Link here to the website page in case you can't read the screen shot.)

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate is used as a preservative in cosmetic formulations; it is acutely toxic by inhalation and should not be used in products that can be aerosolized or inhaled.

Cottonelle wipes

Sodium Chloride
table salt

Sodium Benzoate
Sodium benzoate is a sodium salt that is present at extremely low levels in berries, apples, plums, cinnamon, and several other natural foods. There’s nothing scary about the chemical in these items. But lab-synthesized sodium benzoate (and its close relative, benzoic acid) are a different story. When these preservatives are added to foods and to the interior of metal cans that contain beverages or liquid foods, they can have a detrimental effect on your health.
For example, a small percentage of people are hypersensitive to sodium benzoate and can experience asthmatic attacks, hives, or other allergic reactions when they consume the preservative. A more common problem, however, is the combination of sodium benzoate and citric acid and/or ascorbic acid (vitamin C). When these ingredients get together, they form benzene, a cancer-causing chemical associated with leukemia and other blood cancers.

AMODIMETHICONE:
Amodimethicone is a silicon-based polymer.
Function(s): Hair Conditioning Agent

Phenoxyethanol,
Other HIGH concerns: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards; Other MODERATE concerns: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive); Other LOW concerns: Data gaps
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products.
Function(s): Fragrance Ingredient; Preservative

Malic Acid
Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula C4H6O5. It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the pleasantly sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L- and D-enantiomers), though only the L-isomer exists naturally. The salts and esters of malic acid are known as malates. The malate anion is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle.

Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
Very little information is available regarding Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, although according toTriNature.com, it is a foaming agent that is derived from glucoside from coconut and corn. It is also used as a natural replacement for the ingredient known as sodium laureth sulfate, or SLES. It is seen in cosmetics and personal care products as a surfactant, most often in cleansing formulas such as mild facial washes and special sulfate-free shampoos (FaceProducts-Online).

Safety Measures/Side Effects:

No studies were found that reported any negative side effects regarding the use of Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, although it is not reviewed by the Cosmetics Database or EWG. It is considered a milder form or alternative to sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate. (Sodium lauryl sulfate has been linked to cases of contact dermatitis and other irritation, in part because of its ability change the structure of proteins, while sodium laureth sulfate does not cause this reaction but can still be irritating.)

Polysorbate 20
Polysorbate 20 is a polysorbate surfactant whose stability and relative nontoxicity allows it to be used as a detergent and emulsifier in a number of domestic, scientific, and pharmacological applications.

Lauryl Glucoside
Lauryl glucoside is a surfactant used in cosmetics. It is a glycoside produced from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
Fragrance/Parfum

Sorbic Acid

About SORBIC ACID: Sorbic acid is a naturally occuring and synthetically produced compound used as a preservative.
Function(s): Fragrance Ingredient; Preservative

On the bus

When I was a kid the main mode of transport for our family was bus, tram or bicycle. Even after my father got his first car I usually took the bus wherever I needed to go, as do most people in Dublin to this day. Dubliners complain about public transport but actually, compared with most other cities I have lived in, it is very good and inexpensive. Possibly the only city with a better public transportation system is London. Certainly Austin TX, where I now live, is way behind the times in this respect. We are only now getting sidewalks and the recent addition of a commuter train is sadly under utilized. Americans are very attached to their cars, Texans more especially, their cars and their pickup trucks.

When I visit Seattle I stay with my son in Bellevue, but usually I am there for work, so I take the bus every morning and every evening. Seattle has a really good public transport system, and busing it is kind of nostalgic for me, particularly as the Seattle weather is similar to that in Dublin.

One thing about traveling on a bus during rush hour, you get a lot of time to observe people and to think about what you are observing.

In this picture from 1952 it is possible to see the bar
Photo from Irish History links 

When I was a kid, the buses didn't have doors, people jumped on and off at stop lights, or the tardy chased after the bus and jumped on as it pulled away. There was even a cool way to dismount from a moving bus. There was a bar in the center of the opening, you held on to that bar until you had the perfect spot to dismount, then let go, landing in a run equating to the speed of the bus at the time of letting go the bar. That is a skill long since lost.

People chatted at the bus stop, formed an orderly queue and never, ever jumped the queue. There was a bus driver and a bus conductor on every bus. The conductor walked up and down the aisles of both decks, collecting fares and issuing tickets. From time to time an inspector would get on and go through the bus punching tickets to verify everyone had paid their fare, and that it was the correct fare. The inspectors had perfected the moving mount and dismount of the bus.

Dublin today

While on the bus, people chatted, or children hastily finished homework. If there were adults standing and children seated, and those children didn't immediately stand to give an adult their seat, more than one person would chastise them and force them to do so. Young men were the next line of seat surrenderers, after that older men. All elderly women had a seat, any seats left were take by elderly men, then younger women. You get the picture I am sure.

Needless to say, no one had electronic devices, least of all smart phones.

Now I observe old women, some unable to move without the aid of a cane, standing while children and apparently healthy young men and women remain seated. Everyone is glued to the screen of their smart phone.Texting, reading or playing games. No one talks and certainly no one volunteers their seat to someone in need. At the bus stops it is a free for all, there are no unwritten rules. And, no bus conductor. Back in the days of the conductor, the driver was in a separated cab, not to be disturbed by anything. Now the driver is seated by the door, he doesn't even take the fares, but monitors people as they get on to ensure they either use their ticket to electronically pay the required amount, or place the exact cash in the every hungry machine - it you don't have the correct amount, you better have more because you won't get change, and you won't get on without paying.

And so, we have disposed of the conductor, the inspector and added a door to prevent unscheduled mounting or dismounting, however cool and agile they might have been.

Seattle bus

The buses in Seattle are not double deckers, like in Dublin, they are double length, with an accordion type join in the middle - to allow it to safely turn corners. It gives me considerable amusement to watch the passengers in the seats in that section of the bus, there is a circular plate with seating mounted on, and as the bus turns the corner, the circle turns and so do the seats, and the passengers unlucky enough to be seated there. It is almost like a somewhat pathetic ride at a fun fair and it makes texting, reading or game playing quite difficult, I know because on occasion I have been unfortunate enough to have been seated in one of those swiveling seats.

The job of a QA Engineer

"Four years ago I couldn't spell engineer, now I are one." Used to be a funny saying a long time ago. Now I really are an engineer and have been for a lot longer than four years.

I won't go into how I got there, but my path brought me through 'Application Developer'.


There are some definitions out there, but to me an Application Developer is someone who develops applications using libraries that a real developer has created to make developing applications easy. I don't know about easy, but it was fun. And it still is. I never quite got over that feeling of amazement when some piece of code I write actually performs as I expected.

When I came to America (read my book to find out how I got here), the most important thing to me was to find a job, any job. I was quite prepared to wait tables if necessary. In fact, in the first year, I ended up with three jobs, yes, at the same time.  I taught horseback riding (yes, I am qualified to do that) on Saturday. At night I did the books for a window treatment company, and during the day I was a Software Quality Assurance Engineer. Never heard of that job before I got it.  But like I said, any job!



I went to a job fair and handed my resume out to everyone. Long story short I got an interview and was offered the choice of Customer Service Engineer or Quality Assurance Engineer. The second sound really interesting so I chose that. What a fortunate choice.

The first few weeks I had to scramble to figure out the jargon. Hell, I was just learning to speak American, speaking QA on top of that was not easy. But I got it. I figured out what a Test Plan was, established that, while very boring, it was also very necessary. And best of all, I got to program.

Writing tests is a whole lot easier, and more fun, than what I call 'real programming'. You, the QA Engineer, decide what you want to write and how you want to write it, rather than have a designer tell you what to do. You get to know and understand, and experience, the entire application. A developer only works on one small part, and frequently is totally ignorant as to how their contribution is incorporated into the whole.

The down side is that you are the last line of defense, after you is the USER. And no matter how many defects you find and are responsible for preventing the USER from encountering, you are held responsible for those few that escape into USER land.

Believe me, there is no one, not even the USER, who feels worse about the escapees. We live to catch those bugs. The ones that get away (and we know there will be many of them) are the ones we live in terror of. They are the bugs that define who we are to the rest of our colleagues.

The only person who knows about the bugs you catch and prevent from getting out are the developers  whose bug you managed to catch - and the good developers know and appreciate your work - after all, you prevented them from looking bad. Everyone knows about the bugs that get away.

So, I hear you ask, why do we do it?  I know why I do it. I love programming but I know that I am not good enough at it to be a programmer, and truth be told, I like being involved in the entire production. I like all of the side shows associated with QA but still get to write code, and it doesn't have to be highly efficient, just has to catch those bugs and exercise as much of the real code as possible. But I am also a little bit OCD, OK, may a lot OCD - and I am a Virgo.

Most of all I don't want to use applications that keep crashing, returning errors or just flat 'don't work' and I get a huge amount of satisfaction from making sure that my customers (yes, I think of them as mine) are protected from the same unpleasant experiences.

You are more than welcome! It is my great pleasure.

Words of Advice

borrowed from Mishi's Gathering

Here are some of the things I would tell my younger self:

1. Yes, use the words 'fuck off' much more frequently
2. It is OK to dream, but it is up to you to make your dreams come true.
3. If you are not happy with your life, change it!
4. Fear is no excuse 
5. If you can't afford it, don't buy it.
6. Save!
7. Buying the cheapest is not always the best choice
8. Don't settle for second best
9. Never, ever excuse abuse of any kind. 
10. Don't waste time hanging with people who put you down
11. It is better to be alone than with someone who doesn't treat you right
12. Love your body and your mind - you only have them for a limited time
13. If you don't love you, how can you expect anyone else to?
14. It is never too late
15. Look for the silver lining - it is always there
16. Everything happens for a reason
17. Make every experience a lesson - learn the lesson
18. Accept people for who they are
19. The only person you should try to change is yourself
20. Karma - pay it forward
21. "... there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so ..." (Hamlet)

And back in 2002, my son listed the things he had learned from me:

1. Always say thank you
2. Don't spit
3. Eat the chocolates I don't like
4. Put rubbish in your pocket (not on the ground)
5. Be good to people but don't let them push you about
6. Respect women
7. Never let anyone hurt the people who are close to you
8. It is good to be early
9. Listen
10. Try not to sulk
11. Let people make their own mistakes, be ready to pick them up
12. Be big enough to admit you are wrong
13. Enjoy every day

If you don't understand # 3, you don't know me well enough. If you are curious, ask.

Texas

Here is the thing about Texans, they are convinced that everything in Texas is not just bigger, it is better than anywhere else.  This is an enlargement of the American attitude that America is better than everywhere else. Texans are Texan first, but they are still American.

Don't get me wrong. I love America, and I love Texas. I am American by choice and proud of it, and Texan, I believe, from a previous life. But I was born and brought up in Ireland (I got here as fast as I could),

I have lived and worked in England, Canada and the US, and traveled all over Europe and America. I still think America is great - but I know that other countries, while they may be different, are also great (and some, not so much), I do believe that Americans are remarkably spoilt, though they do not realize it. I also know that a large percentage of Americans have never been outside of America, and equal percentage of Texans have never been outside of Texas. How could they? working Americans don't get enough vacation time to do much traveling, and it takes a long time to get out of Texas.

One of the many things Americans do that irritates non-Americans, is to declare their champions to be champions of the world. Of course they mean champions of America but as America is their world... A perfect example is the World Series. As Wikipedia explains,

"The World Series is the annual championship series of (MLB) in North America" 

Notice, the NORTH AMERICA in that description? Americans will tell you, that 'World Series' is just a name, but the rest of the world do get offended. Why is it not 'North American Series' or 'United States Series'. I have to admit that World Series does have a nice ring to it.

Things Texans talk about - I came across this recently, it is missing a few BIG discussion points, these would most definitely vie for the number one spot: How bad their allergies are, and how it hasn't rained in such a long time. And, on the very rare occasion that the big sky becomes overcast for more than an hour, how hard it is to deal with grey skies. No sympathy from an Irish person on that score!

I have to admit to enjoying (while not entirely agreeing with) this list of things Americans do that drive Brits nuts. However, as I am not a Brit, I guess it is OK for me to disagree. I personally take it as a compliment if someone says they like my accent, usually I feel the same about theirs, and the only problem I have with their spelling is that I now can't spell either in English English, nor American English, but American English spelling is most definitely more logical. And, in their defense, BBC America also published this list of things Brits do that drive Americans nuts, and I wholeheartedly agree with it.

Here is an Irishman's view of what he finds irritating. And while it makes amusing reading - perhaps if you are not American, I don't agree with all he says. He does qualify his remarks with the fact that it is impossible to generalize about a country with a population of 300 million.  He also finishes up his article with a list of the things he loves about Americans.

I agree with him on the fact that most Americans will not accept constructive criticism from anyone, not even a close friend. They will ask you for advice, but be careful that you don't give them any home truths that sting, because they do not want that and they don't appreciate it. Here again, I am generalizing, I have met many who don't resent constructive criticism. My wonderful husband for one. But I have met some who did not appreciate my 'down home truths'.

I think my biggest single complaint is that most Americans - at least the ones I have known, complain too much. Taxes, economy, weather, politics, traffic and of course, allergies. And lots of other things besides. I have also noticed that many of them believe that all Americans are the same, or similar. Yet I have noticed that people in the South are like a different nationality when compare with people in the East, similarly there is a big difference between Californians and natives of Alabama for instance. In fact they almost speak different languages.

Here is an article (the religious overtones aside) by an American, listing the differences he observed between Ireland and America. What I find interesting about this article is the fact that he is comparing what he observed in Ireland, to the small part of America that he is familiar with. There is the rub - so few people are familiar with all of the myriad cultures that make up America.  Yet everyone, including most Americans tend to lump all of these cultures together when making a comparison or a statement. Not all of his observations are correct, I don't think he spent much time in Ireland and I suspect he didn't get outside Dublin.

This article from Irish Central is extremely accurate, it lists some more realistic points where Ireland differs.

All of this research was a result of my mulling over how different things are here, but how many Americans I have met who appear to make the assumption that every other country is the same as the US.

But then I realized I was making the same mistake my wonderful Texans make, I was looking only at Texas and thinking it is typical of America, and of course it is not. So my intention of listing the differences get swept away in the knowledge that each State has its own culture, and to class anything as American is flat wrong. That is the same as saying all Europeans - anyone who has traveled in Europe will testify - each country has its own identity and its own culture.

I still think Texans need to see the silver lining, and perhaps they can't because they just don't have enough clouds?

Here are some of my other blog entries dealing with the unexpected difficulties encountered when becoming American:

Will I ever speak Kentucky
I didn't grow up here
The Language Barrier
Silver Linings