Jury Duty

I have Jury Duty Today, tomorrow, and Thursday.

To me, it is usually a three day vacation. My job is one of almost constant crisis of one kind ot another This plug won't mate with that piece of equipment? Where is this connector located in the aircraft, and what job installs it? I am supposed to hook up to this piece of equipment, but it is not there. When does it get installed?

Stuff that needs an immediate answer to a production problem in real time. No "I'll get back to you on that later." Later is five minutes from now. Some things cannot be answered immediately, and need to be forwarded to Engineering or Planning. But they still need to be monitored. When can we expect this to be resolved?

To me, Jury Duty is like a vacation. Instead of being there at 6:00, I reported at 8:30 today, 9:00 tomorrow, so I get to sleep in. Bring a book, sit in a nice warm building, plug in my i-pod and zone out.

So far I have not been chosen to serve on a jury. I was empanelled once, but I was juror number 16 in a trial that required six jurors. Numbers one through six sat in the box, and the rest of us were replacements for them if they were challenged by the Prosecution or Defense, so the likelihood of my serving were slim to none. Sent home early.

An hour and a half for lunch. Right across the street is the Columbia Tower, which has an atrium with about 20 different shops serving food. Any one of them is probably better than the offerings of the food service at work. Industrial swill VS takeout.

I was in the mood for Thai, so it was Thai Chicken with Basil, with sides of Phad Thai and sticky rice. Not the best I've ever had, but OK. Enough time left over for a leisurely stroll through downtown.

Jury Duty pays a whopping $10 a day, but I get payed my regular salary anyway. Parking is about $20 a day, so I lose $10 a day.

But to me, that's a pretty cheap vacation.

God

It was slow at work today, so I had a little time to think.

When I get a little time to think, there is no telling where my head will take me.

I ended up on God.

Not the concept. I have gone through the whole philosophical/religious train of philosophy, explored it thoroughly, and come to the conclusion that God exists, however unknowable such an entity must be.

It was the word itself that caught my interest.

GOD

What an ugly word. I mean, if you choose to make the leap of faith that accepts the existence of a being that in an act of will, caused the cosmos into existence, there ought to be a word, an identity that reflects the power and Majesty of that being.

What do we commonly use?

God

A guttural short, disagreeable sounding word. I mean, it should sing, it should reflect power and song and beauty and unfathomable mystery.

I went and searched the etymology of the word, and found it descended through German, tracing it's roots through Proto-Indeo-European history.

I still don't like it.

It doesn't sing.

Manhattan Transfer and other stuff

This week was so hectic, I forgot to report on the Manhattan Transfer show last weekend.

It was great. Not for everyone, but just what we wanted. Swing jazz vocals, Route 66, Tuxedo Junction, Birdland. I would glance over at Mrs A, ans she would be over there tapping a toe with a big grin on her face. Music that makes you feel good and puts a smile on your face. A good fun evening.

On the other end of the spectrum, L & L called and said that they were being evicted and wanted to move in with us. The same ones that just stiffed me for a $200.00 loan, and $150.00 for a used big screen TV. The ones that screamed obscenities at Mrs A over the phone. The ones that have repeatedly disrespected us for the last five years.

Mrs A called me at work so I could be the bastard. I had no problem saying "Hell NO!!!"

So right now I am probably being burned in effigy, tried an convicted EN Absentia and generally reviled. Such is the price of having standards.

I get to work both days this weekend. And next weekend, and next........

I made reservations for Tower of Power on May the 2nd, and Karrin Allyson on the 23rd. A couple of things to look forward to.

On The Road Again

The truck is back on the road again.

Yesterday when I got home, the sun was shining and the skies were blue. Sure, the temperature was only 42, but I figure I wasn't likely to get anything better in the near future, so I donned my old jeans and sweatshiry and down vest and went out to brave the elements.

My philosophy for working on cars is simple: Always do the easiest thing first. With electrical problems you can end up chasing stuff all over the place, so if you try the easiest thing first. So I took apart all of the connections at the battery, cleaned them all and put it back together. Got in the truck, and it started right up.

I put the battery charger on it for an hour and called it good.

This does not address the ultimate problems.

Why did a brand new battery go dead?

I know the bearings are going out in the alternator, but it is still alternating. Is it time to bite the bullet and get a new one?

It started right up this morning, and everything looks fine. It better start up this afternoon, or I will put a rag in the filler pipe, light it up and push it over a cliff.

You hear that, truck?

I'm not messing around anymore!

When Will it Ever End?

It snowed again today.

Twice.

Once before I had to drive to work, once right before I had to drive home. The roads weren't bad, which I am thankful for, since I sill have not gotten the truck running.

Tonight it is supposed to get down into the 20's, so the water hanging around from the snow will be turning to ice. It will make for a crappy drive in the morning.

I'm sure getting sick of the winter weather. Just when I think it is going to turn, here comes another blast of cold weather. The cold is expected to stay around for a couple more days.

Bah, Humbug!

It Might Have been a Joke

Mrs A and I are going to Jazz Alley tomorrow to see Manhattan Transfer. A good show, a good meal, and a good night out.

I went to the Jazz Alley home page to check out what was coming up.

There are three shows in May I want to see. I can't get the time off to see all three, so decisions have to be made. Tower of Power is coming and Saturday the 2nd of May would be good. Keiko Matsui is coming, and Saturday the 16th would work out. Karrin Allyson is coming, and Saturday the 23rd would work out.

Thing is, I can't get the time off for all of them. As I have said, I work seven days a week right now with every third weekend off.

Mrs A has been after me to go see a funky Jazz Band, and Tower of Power must have their picture next to the definition of Funky Jazz Band. Keiko Matsui is such a dynamic performer, and a world class keyboardist. Karrin Allyson we went and saw as our first date ever.

Damn. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I was deciding what to do, when it occurred to me that this was a perfect situation to play a joke on Mrs A.

Scenario:

Dear, I want you to sit down, I have somethhing to tell you.

This has not been an easy decision for me, but I want to be honest with you. I really wouldn't want for you to find out from someone else, so I want to be honest with you. Not telling the truth is the same as telling a lie, so I want to be upfront with you.

Then I tell her about the concerts and what my decision was.

But then I decided I would rather live.

Dave's Dead

Sometimes things are just inexplicably bad and wrong.

We got the news today that one of our co-workers was in the hospital and will not survive. He contracted Pneumococcal Meningitis. This is seriously bad sh&*. Pneumococcal bacteria get into the spinal fluid. It has a 25% fatality rate if caught in time, but has a whole list of really bad side effects, like hydrocephalism, paralysis and retardation. It has a very short window for treatment without side effects.

I have known Dave for a quite a few years. A friendly outgoing guy with a real positive attitude and lots of things he was interrested in. He was always quick to Join in a conversation on almost any subject and always had a positive spin on things. On the weekends he was one of a group of musicians and musician wannabes who got together to jam..

He had a loving family and leaves a wife and a couple of teenage kids.

I never have heard anyone who had a bad thing to say about Dave.

They kept him on life support long enough to donate his organs, and then pulled the plug.

I hope the people who got his organs appreciate what a great guy Dave was.

I can see him so clearly in my mind, with a big grin and suppotive attitude.

I can think of a whole bunch of people I would rather see leave this planet.

Sometimes there is no good explanation for things.

Monday

It was sure nice to have a weekend off. Not that a lot happened. I slept a lot.

I slept eleven hours on Friday night. Woke up and did a little housekeeping. Got together the stuff to do our taxes, and then took a nap. V and DIL came by for a visit and brought along my ex father-in-law. I have always liked and respected him. Probably stayed married to the ex a lot longer than I would have otherwise because I liked her family.

My cousin Lynn came over, and we all had a pleasant evening of conversation and visiting.
Sunday was also real laid back. As ambitious as I got was to go get a haircut. It was just what I needed.

I didn't get around to working on the truck. We didn't take a drive, we just hung around and enjoyed each others company and laid back.

I got a summons for Jury Duty. To me it will be the fourth time have been called up for Jury Duty , but never get empaneled. When they question prospective jurors they always ask if anyone is related to a lawyer, and I tell the my brother is the Renton City Attorney and they kick me off. So I plan on going and being bored out of my skull for three days.

Eighteen Down, One to Go

I have now worked eighteen days in a row, but tomorrow is Friday, and I have the weekend off. I don't know what we are going to do. Mrs A wants to go someplace, but hasn't expressed any desired destination.
I'm kinda leaning towards Deception Pass. Far enough away to be "away" but close enough to not be a major expedition. Wonderful scenery, some nice trails to hike. There is a small seafood selling place along the way. Fresh caught shrimp, fresh clams, Dungeness Crab meat.
We will probably detour to Anactortes to the Rock Fish Cafe, which serves very good seafood, and also happens to be the public outlet for Anecortes Brewing who happen to make an excellent Porter. No hurries, no worries.
I had a rude awakening this morning. When I got up and peeked out the drapes, there was about 2" of fresh snow on the ground, and it was still coming down. Mrs A and V elected to stay home. I borrowed the HHR and went to work. The roads were terrible. It had rained, then frozen, and then snowed on top of it. Lots of tire spinning going on. I live four miles from work and saw a half a dozen cars either in accidents or off the road. The roads are clear now, but it is supposed to freeze tonight, and any water left over from today will be ice in the morning.
I hereby order Winter to be over. Executive decision.

Damn Truck

I am thoroughly convinced that mechanical things have a malevolent streak. For example the house knew I was sick, and tired from working many days on end, so that is why the plumbing chose to plug up right now.

The same goes for vehicles. Last night when I got off work, the truck would not turn over. A friendly co-worker gave me a jump, but when I turned the key, it would only click, not turn over. The guy had a tow strap, so we just hooked it up and at 5mph in second gear, popped the clutch and it started up. I was going to stop at my mom's on the way home, but didn't dare shut the engine off, not sure it would start up again.

There are several possible reasons for this. The battery could be down. The relay for the starter could be bad, or the starter could be going out. The battery could be down because the alternator is going out. The bearings have been making noises for several months, but it was still alternating, so I haven't done anything about it.

The result is that I am driving the Z for now, because I am just too damn tired to do anything about the truck. Not that I mind driving the Z. I love driving the Z, and have been wanting to drive it for some time, but was waiting for the weather to turn a little nicer. The Z is a lot of car. It wants to go fast and corner fast and zip around. I am surprised I have never gotten a ticket in it.

So I am in no hurry to fix the truck.

On another front, I called my cousin Kelly in Texas. We talked for an hour and a half, and barely scratched the surface. After all, we haven't talked in about ten years. It is great to hear that he is doing well. He manages some properties for his folks and plays music in his spare time with friends. I'll have to find out more about his musical connections next time I talk to him.

It will be soon.

Six more days until a day off.

Triple Hump Day

No, I am definitely not talking about sex.

The first hump day is because It is Wednesday, and it is downhill from here to the weekend. This is mostly symbolic, since I am working both days this weekend.

The second Hump Day is a little more relevant because it is day 10 of my 19 days without a day off. About now I can start looking forward to having next weekend off. Probably will be too tired to do much, but any time off right now is a good thing.

Third hump day is because I am over the hump with my cold. I feel well enough that I didn't take any NyQuil last night, and left the Robitussin at home. But then again, I have stomach cramps and diarrhea today, so I don't dare to cough.

Nasty SH#&

I can fix just about anything.

Wiring, no problem. Appliances, I can generally do just about anything, sometimes better than the supposed pros they send out.

Construction, love it.

Plumbing. Hate it. I can do it, but I would rather go to the dentist, and I hate the dentist.

The upstairs shower wasn't draining well. So I pulled off the drain cover and fished out some stuff, used the plunger to get out a bunch more. Mrs A poured some Drano in the drain. Result: It totally plugged the drain.

Damn I hate plumbing.

When I got home, I stopped and read the paper, and fortified myself with a beer. I knew this was going to be nasty. Went and got the ladder and set up under the drain for the upstairs bath. Pulled apart the drains and of course took a sower of nasty water. Pulled the trap and plumbing apart. There were shapeless hairy things hanging out of the drain pieces. Pulled it out, and manually (That is MANUALLY, as in using my fingers) pulled the stuff I could get to out. While supressing my gag reflex.

Cleaned out all the pieces of pipe, reassembled them and went upstairs to check it out. It worked, but leaked a little underneath. Had to tighten a couple of fittings, and everything works just fine.

But, man do I feel icky all over. I will have to take an extra long shower tonight to get right of the nasty feeling.

Damn I hate plumbing.

Facebook

First of all, I don't really care for social networking computer systems. They all seem to me to be, well kinda sophomoric. But that may just be my anti-social curmidgeonly side speaking.

Carol and I are road crew for a Christian rock band, Morning Light. They mostly do shows at detention facilities. The message, while consistently Christian, is more oriented towards "Hey, we can have a whole lot of fun without drugs and alcohol". Since the band and crew are mostly recovered drug users and alcoholics, they know what they are talking about.

John McBride is the leader of the group, although his wife, April is the heart and soul. They recently created a Facebook account, and sent us an e-mail asking us to check it out. So Wednesday night I went to check it out, and as those things go, you have to have an account to view an account. So I did.

When I created the account, there was a thing to add friends, which was gleaned from our e-mail contacts list. I noticed one of Mrs As friends, so I added her. I also saw my Uncle in Mexico, so I added him.

On another side vein, I have a cousin that I grew up with that I lost contact with about ten years ago, and I have been trying to find him for a couple of years.

On an impulse, I searched for him, and lo and behold, got a hit. Not sure that it was the same person, I sent a message asking if this was my cousin. The reply was that indeed, it was.

I sent him my e-mail address, and he replied and sent me his.

I will be giving him a call soon, and look forward to a long conversation getting caught up. So much has happened.

I'll probably have to set aside a couple of hours for THAT phone call.

I think the time difference is a couple of hours, so I'll have to take that into account.

So maybe Facebook isn't a total waste of electrons.

Hangin' Tough

I have the crud, but it has been manageable.

Nyquill by night. Robitussin by day.

Keeps the critters away.

I have managed to make it to work and get through the day. I have been busy enough to keep myself occupied, and take a slug of junk every four hours. By the time I get home, I don't have a whole lot of energy left. Go to bed early and with the help of a generous slug of Nyquill, get a decent night's sleep.

I get a little better every day.

I will make it through.

And that's Final

Like usual, I got things wrong. Working seven days a week gets me so out of touch with things I sometimes don't know if I'm afoot or horseback.

The debate tournament at Stanford was not Regionals, as I had thought, but a National level tournament. Nationals isn't until the end of the year.

So V. brought home a sparkely. It says "2009 STANFORD NATIONAL INVITATIONAL EXCELLENT CONGRESSIONAL SPEAKER".

He does not know exactly where he placed in finals, just "Somewhere between sixth and thirtieth". In other words he didn't win a medal, but that's not all that important to me. More important is that he put in the time and effort and concentration to achieve a goal. It took a lot of focus and dedication to get up at zero dark thirty on Saturdays, stay out late, travel all over, not let himself get down when he didn't do as well as he thought he should.

So congratulations to V.

It Just Ain't Fair

I woke up Saturday with a sore throat and stuffed up head.

I finally get a couple of days off and I feel like crap. I spent the whole day on the couch yesterday. Will probably do the same today.

I also haven't been sleeping well. Wake up choking from all the nasty stuff in my throat. Maybe it is time to break out the Nyquill.

V. called from San Jose this morning to say he did well in the first part of the debate Tournament. Good enough to come back for the second part today. He was really jazzed when he called. We congratulated him and told him we were very proud of him, wished him best of luck in the finals. I guess all the time and effort we have invested are proving worth the investment. Up until now, it has just been local braggin' rights, but West Coast Regionals is a different thing. Maybe I will have to start thinking about Nationals.

So he will be in the back of my mind all day today. Sure hope everything goes well.

Fly Away!

V is in San Jose for a regional Debate thing this weekend.

This is the first time he has travelled by himself. We took him to the airport and watched while he checked himself in, and walked with him to the security check-in. Told him to call us when he got in.

This is a big thing for him. First time getting himself through the stupidity of the airport and security, meeting people in the boarding area, traveling without family.

I have this weekend off. Two whole days! Nineteen days without a day off. The first thing I plan to do is sleep in tomorrow. But I also know that when your body gets used to getting up at zero dark thirty, I am going to wake up tomorrow at zero dark thirty. I hope I will be able to heave a sigh of relief, turn over, and go back to sleep.

Mrs A is going to meet her sis for lunch, so I will have the middle of the day to myself. If the weather is halfway decent, I plan on working on Frankenhealey. I'd like to get the waterpump on, hoses connected, radiator, fan and belts back on so that I can start it up, and maybe even get the idle set on the Dellorto's. But maybe not.

When she gets back, It would be nice to take a shower together and.......well never mind.

Naps will be taken, regardless.

Mrs A has been really bummed lately. Her daughter and partner borrowed a couple of hundred bucks from us because they had fallen behind on the rent. They promised to repay when they got their income tax return. They got the income tax return, and of course there were a lot of reasons they could not pay us back. She takes this as a very serious breach of conduct. I don't expect a lot from my fellow human beings, so it is no better or worse than what I expect. Never loan money you cannot afford to write off. She acts like it is a personal failure on her part.

Plus whenever the daughter blows us off she trys to make her mom feel like it is her fault. Mrs A trys to pay me for the money that I got stiffed for, but of course I won't let her, because it isn't her fault. But it severely bums her out. She obsesses about how it must be her fault and everything. She looses sleep over it.

I stopped off and bought her flowers on the way home last night because I know how upset she is, and I love her and hate to see her so bummed, and want to show her how much I love her.

It helped some. Maybe having a little time to spend together this weekend will help.

Got a lot of stuff to try and cram into two days.

At last

The chairs I ordered six weeks ago came in today. They are very nice and comfortable. They could be a little taller, but that's OK since they have adjustable arms, adjustable back support, adjustable foot support ring. AND WHEELS! Oh, and they spin like a bar stool.
My back and neck will be grateful.
The second at last is I made the final payment on the motor home today. That frees up an extra couple of hundred bucks a month that can be used for other things, like gas for the motor home. We need to sit down and try to sketch out some preliminary plans for going camping. I am still thinking about adding a tow bar to the front of the S10 so we can tow it along and use it when we get where we are going.
And the last is not an at last, just the last thing on my mind for this morning. One of the guys I have worked with for the last year got his layoff notice today. So far the Company is playing by the rules in the contract. That is, Contractors go first. This Engineer is a Contractor, so he is one of the first to go. I hate to see him go, but them's the rules and the chances you take when you become a contractor.

Booked

I went on line and booked V's flight to and from San Jose' last night.

$275 round trip. A fair amount of money that was not budgeted, but well within my means. I hope he has a great experience. I was never given the opportunities he has been given. I hope he appreciates what he has been give.

I'm still working every day, without a day off. Hopefully I will get at least one day off this coming weekend. It becomes a little more of a struggle every day to get out of bed.

R came by today with "i". He is growing so fast. He has a couple of teeth, and more on the way. He wore out my legs playing "horsey". I love little kids. Most of them. There are a few that set my teeth on edge. But to see a happy baby with all that curiosity and sense of adventure reminds me that our perceptions become jaded as we grow older. What a wonder to see the world through the eyes of a child.

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday

Not.

Up at zero dark thirty to go down to work. I needed to get in to do my usual weekly statistical stuff. How many of what and how long it took. Can't do statistical trends without statistics.

After five hours, I had enough and skipped out. Six days until a day off.

Some of the people in the regular group have complained that the P8-A guys are hogging all of the overtime. So we are throwing next weekend open to whoever wants it. I might actually get two days off if we have any takers. But they have to be willing to sit in my chair and do my job. The fact that none of them have ever done it or know what it entails might discourage most of them. There are a couple of them that I would very much like to see try, because their idea of a good day at work is one in which they don't have to do anything or answer any questions.

So I am home early, having a couple of beers and getting ready to watch the Stupor Bowl.

I don't really care who wins, as long as it isn't the guys in the stripes. Or whoever paid them the most.

If I can just stay awake.

Just a Nice Day

So far this has been a hunker down kind of winter.
About the time I took off for Christmas, the weather turned to crap. Unusually cold temperatures, snow that came and stayed, torrential rains and flooding. Hell, Latteland was cut off by road from the rest of the world for like a week.
Just stay home and take care of the house and family. Very little chance to enjoy anything. Just hunker down and take care of stuff.
Today was just a nice day.
No temperatures in the sixties or anything, but sunshine and temps in the 50's. But good enough that I could get out and change the oil in the truck.
This might be a nasty chore to some, but to me it is a positive affirmation. I could go out and do something I don't mind doing. No freezing fingers, no rain in the face, just a chance to do something that needed to be done. I just loved the chance to lay under a car on a piece of cardboard, working on a car.
A feeling of accomplishment that helped a lot to get rid of the "hunker down" mentality.
Now if it would just hang around long enough that I could accomplish something on Frankenhealey, I would be, if not happy exactly, satisfied in a simple elemental way.

Five Hour Energy

I have tried several of the energy drinks. Red Bull, Sobe No Fear, Amp. First of all, being diabetic, there aren't a lot of choices. Most of them have massive amounts of sugar which rules them out.
I don't care for them because they are also based on a lot of caffeine, and I don't particularly like the wired feeling. Yeah, they will keep you awake, but I don't like the jumpy way they make you feel. Or the crash afterwards.
So far Five Hour Energy seems to work pretty well. But I only use a half of the little bottle at a time. It picks me up without making me feel wired. But I don't care what they say about no crash, there is always a debt to be payed. It is not a drool-in-the-keyboard crash, more a slower let down.
I find that if I take a half a bottle at lunch, it gets me through the afternoon,, but when I get home, I can still take a nap.
Naps.......good.

First Place!

A Regional Debate Tournament was held at The Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma last weekend.
V. took first place.
I am so proud of him! It only goes to show what he can do if he puts his mind to it.
Now if we could just get him to transfer some of that focus to the rest of his studies.
He is due to go to Stanford for a tournament in two weeks. All the details are mighty sparse, except the part where I pay for airfare and food. We have to book the flight. There are a couple of impediments. First of all, his ability to participate hinges on his Final in one of his subjects. The teacher just got married and is on his honeymoon, so we won't know if he is eligible until later this week. Then the whole trip is still under budgetary review, and we won't know for sure that the funds have been approved until the 29th.
All of this translates into our not being able to book a flight until the last minute. Which, of course, translates into more expense.
It's not the money. It just should have all been thought out and planned well in advance.
I guess it shows that I am not a real impulsive person.
I love a well thought out plan.
I just very seldom see one.

On Sunday?!?!?

Yep.
I am down here at work on Sunday.
And will probably be here seven days a week for a quite a while. like until April. While it sucks to be working on the weekend, it does have it's positive side.
Time and a half Saturday, double time Sunday.
I'm not in it just for the money, however. I genuinely love what I do. The weekends are good, because there aren't a lot of managers around, so there is less feeling of someone looking over your shoulder. And there are a couple of managers that get off on doing things like timing people's potty breaks. Fortunately I don't work for any of them. I can kinda tell them to go stuff it if they get in my face. And have.
Once this week, one of them snuck up behind me when I was at lunch and made a remark that if I was going to play solitaire, they could just send me back to the office. After looking him in the eye, I pointed to the time on the computer screen. See the time? It is 11:35. I have a 40 minute lunch break, which begins at 11:00..
Hey, I was just giving you shit!
And I'm giving it right back! And by the way, I get an extra three minutes on my lunch break, since you disturbed me during lunch.
It was all done in humor, but does remind me that they have their eye on me.
So today I am here, wearing about a half a dozen different hats, weaving back and forth between jobs, and pretty much enjoying myself.
And earning a little money towards a vacation when the current bird leaves the factory.
I stopped and bought myself some 5 Hour Energy last night. I'm OK at the moment, but if I hit the wall this afternoon, I'll try it out. It is mainly Vitamin B12. Maybe I should go on line and see what massive doses of B12 will do for (or t0) you.
Time to get back at it.

Internet at last

The Cable guy came out today, and I think we finally have things fixed.

For once, the system actually went down while the tech was here. After checking every connection from the drop to the TVs and modem, he went outside and replaced the cable from the phone pole to the house, and Viola! everything works just fine.

They never suspected it might be the cable, but then it never screwed up when they were here before.

Territoriality

I read a book back in the 70's called "The Territorial Imperative" I believe it was by Robert Aubrery, but am not sure the name is exactly right. The point of the book is that territorial behavior is an instinctive drive that powers a lot of behavior in the animal kingdom. We all have heard of and understand a lot of this drive. If you have ever owned a pet, you know how they are driven to define their territory by marking it's boundary.
The book goes on to suggest that a lot of human behavior is driven from this very basic instinctual drive.
I remember an incident on the farm in Idaho. A developer had bought up a piece of property to the north of us, and was planning to subdivide it into five acre "ranchettes". One day we noticed someone in our pasture setting a line of stakes. We went out to inquire what they were doing. They said that they had surveyed the property, and the fenceline was some twenty feet too far to the north, and they were reclaiming the property.
The fenceline had been in place and was the accepted boundary between the two pieces of property for over fifty years. We pointed out to them that the laws of adverse possession stated that if the boundary had been accepted and observed for a certain period of time it was legally the boundary between the two pieces of property.
We also let them know that we would defend the boundary be all legal means. They were trespassing on our property and needed to leave. We also let the know that we would defend the boundary by means of our negotiators, misters Smith and Wesson, and if necessary, Remington and Winchester. They left and the matter was settled.
I had a similar dispute with one of my neighbors, settled the same way.
How much of this was driven by a basic instinctual need, and how much by rationality?
Last night at work, one of the shop people (a known asshat) told my second shift counterpart that the chair he was sitting on belonged to the shop, and was reserved for their use ONLY. Rather than cause a fight, he gave up the chair and went back to the office. He sent me an e-mail, so I needed to act on it this morning. Admitted, we had borrowed the chair, but there were six chairs in the area, and very seldom were all six in use. I forwarded the e-mail to the factory manager along with the comment that we need to work together.
He in turn sent out an e-mail to all of his managers that they needed to do their best to accommodate us.
This is a new situation for the shop and us. We have never had a presence on the factory floor, so everyone needs to learn how all the new relationships work, why we are there, and what we can offer. One of the first possible reactions is to just shut us out. I am doing a fairly good job on first shift, because I have a lot of connections with the shop. They still don't understand why I am there and what I am doing, but because they see me accepted by people they respect, they accept my presence.
Unfortunately, my second shift counterpart does not have the history with the shop that I do. So the shop people are defending their territory.
First we need to establish our right to be there, then we need to work with them to show our worth, and show the that we are trustworthy, and then develop relationships.
Admittedly a long process, but first we have to establish our right to be there.
When I first went out to connect up our equipment, someone had spread drawings and equipment over our area. I asked them to move so that I could hook up equipment. I pointed out the signs that said it was my area. They were less than pleased an remarked that they just might disconnect my equipment. I suggested that it might not be a good move, moved them out and hook up my equipment. The next day, they had occupied part of the area, and I moved them over to the unoccupied area, and actually helped them solve their problem. I haven't had a problem since. I have actually had a couple of shop people come by and thank me for helping them with their problems.
Like I said, it is a process of establishing out right to be there, and our right to the territory.
And did I mention that this is something I believe in and love to do?
A long term plan of mine is coming to fruition, but still needs lots of work.
It's what I do.

F$%^ing Internet

I have been fighting with my Internet connection for months.
Literally months.
Multiple calls to Comcast. A couple of service calls.
I called and bitched yesterday, and told them that if the couldn't fix their problem, I would go find another service provider. They credited me with a month's service, and the Tech came out today. He replaced every splice and connection between where the cable comes to my house and the modem, as well as all the terminations for the TV.
Twenty minutes after he left, we lost service. The tech said if we had another problem, it had to be at the pole, which has to be accessed from the next street over.
Not my problem.
As soon as the service went out, I called Comcast and let them know. They will be sending out a service tech again on Wednesday.
As soon as I got off the phone, service came back.
Everything will probably be fine when the service tech shows up on Wednesday.
Ah, the wonders of modern technology.

Sending Monkeys to Stanford

V. is a Debate Team rising star. He is expected to go to Nationals, But he flirts with Academic suspension. He could have gone to State last year, except that his grades kept him out of participation. He would have been the first from his High School to ever go to State.
Now he has been asked to go to Stanford for a regional event.
No one doubts his qualifications, except once again he is flirting with Academic Suspension. Because of the tough economic times, we are expected to come up with the airfare and food money, which will probably run between two and three hundred bucks. It's not like I can't afford it, it's just his slacker attitude that gets to me. He will stay up until three in the morning playing WOW, but he can't seem to spare an hour to do homework.
His teachers all say the same things, he is super bright, has sooo much ability. One even went as far as saying that you only meet a student with a mind of his quality once maybe every fifteen years. I countered with "You can have a car with a thousand horsepower, but if you can't get it to the street, it is use less."
At any rate, they are going to send the monkey to Stanford.
I just have to shell out the bananas.

Holy Dingleberries, Batman, It's Raining Fire!

I was sitting here, minding my own business, working away, when I caught a small flash out of the corner of my eye. By the time I turned my head, it was gone.
WTF?
I swear I was not hallucinating at the time.
Then it happened again.
It was raining red, molten metal through the ceiling.
Right over one of the engineers. For some real reason he got real excitable.
They are doing some construction work on the roof of out office area which involves cutting and welding. When you are welding, little balls of molted metal fly and drip all over the place. They were rolling under a support beam and burning through the ceiling, and raining down into the office below.
Nothing like it raining fire in your office to generate a little excitement.
Yesterday, it was the GREAT POWER OUTAGE.
Around noon, all the power in our area suddenly went out. Since we all work on computers, this also became known as the great nap time. No lights, no power, no way to work even if you wanted to.
Ah, the smell of raining dingleberries in the morning!

Lock Picking

Once before, I explained about "Loiding" a lock, or using a credit card to gain entry to a locked door.
Here at work I have an additional skill. I can pull lock tumblers. Say you are moving into a new desk, and the key has disappeared for the new desk. You can go back to your old desk and pull all the tumblers out of the old desk, and install them in the new desk.
One of the standard tools available in the tool room is a rivet gauge. You use this to find the depth of a hole through layers of sheet metal so you know what grip length to use on a rivet. The end of it has a hook. It turns out this tool works very well as a tumbler remover for some locks.
A little beyond where the Key goes in the lock, there is a spring tensioned retaining lug. It is like a tumbler, but can't be engaged by the key.
If you insert the rivet gauge as far as it will go with the hook in the same direction as the teeth of the key and push up, it will depress the retainer, and the tumbler will come out.
Reverse the process to insert the tumbler into the other lock.
Amaze your family and friends with this newfound skill. Be cautious where and how you practice this skill, as it is frowned upon by some people.
As a side note, the tumbler design and depth must be exactly the same on both locks for this to work. It takes a little practice to get it down.

Last Moving (for now)

I put the canopy back on the truck, evicting a couple of pallets, and we went off to move the last of R's stuff from Tacoma. Everything went smoothly, and we were back home and unloaded in about three hours.
Mrs A. had a great time playing with "i". In the last couple of weeks he has gotten the whole crawling and pulling himself up and standing by himself thing down pat. They had a great time playing fetch with the dog.
At work today, I managed to scrounge up enough equipment to get the two work stations working out on the floor. Now if we would just get a couple of chairs. I have alreaady committed to work Saturday. And so it begins. From here on out through the middle of April, it will probably be seven days a week, with maybe every third Sunday off.
While I am excited to get back to the chaos and pressure, I feel like I am waiting and holding my breath, knowing the storm will come.

More Moving

I am helping R move the last of her stuff today from Tacoma. It is going in out basement for now. This of course means I get to move it at least one more time after this.
This is the result of owning a pickup truck. I wanted a truck to haul things to the dump, and go get pellets for the pellet stove. I forgot that it also means that everyone you know will have a moment when they remember "Hey, Al has a pickup!"
They also usually do not have Insurance. I am a generous, caring supportive person, but when it comes to loaning my truck to an uninsured person, I have to draw the line. There is just too much at risk.
So this morning I have to go out and put the canopy back on the truck, since it is raining out and most of the stuff we will be moving is in cardboard boxes. Then the drive down to Tacoma, and unloading.
Mrs A will have babysitting duties, so we need to make this a quick trip. Last time, "i" figured out that mom was gone after about two hours, and he really pitched a fit. Hope Mrs A. doesn't have to go through that again.
The water is finally receding. There was no way out of Latteland except for airplane for a bout a week. No way over the mountains, no way south. Lots f rivers here recorded historical high levels. Landslides and avalanches. No one in my family was in any immediate danger, and I don't know of any crisis, so we weathered the last month well, if not entirely pleasantly.
The last month has certainly been interesting and entertaining, if not entirely pleasant.

On the Move

Today I am moved back out to the P8-A line. Temporarily I am squatting in an upstairs area. I am supposed to be out on the floor, but currently have no chair or phone, and the cumputer drop is too far away from my work area to connect to. I also need a router or splitter which has not been provided.
I have been running around all morning hooking things up and scrounging equipment. You think that when the Company moves you into a different area, you should be able to walk in, drop your laptop in the docking station and go to work.
You would be wrong.

Do Gooder Seminar

I hate it when Manageent gets a wild hair up their ass and decides we need to go to some "Educational" seminar.
Today was an all day seminar called "Working at the speed of trust". The main point is that distrust has a very real economic penalty in the business world.
If you can trust others, you don't have to spend as much time double checking everything. Like this is rocket science or something. Give me a big "DUH!"
Mind you, I work for a company that majored in obfuscation. If our upper management makes a statement, the first thing you always have to do is ask yourself "What is the real agenda here?"
It is not an open environment. Underneath everything is an attitude of controlling the flow of information.
I do understand that some things, like the P8-A are sensitive, and subject to ITAR restrictions, but a lot of what we do is just commercial. I have been told that I cannot talk to my own wife about things that are common knowledge at work. Hey, it's not like I was giving out sensitive information to the press.
So, here we are attending an all day task that is supposed to teach us how great it is to talk straight and build an atmosphere of trust, while our management eats, sleeps and breathes obfuscation.
A mixed message at best.
And a total waste of one day of my life.
At least I got paid for it.

Back To Work

I took off the two weeks at the end of December, and the second of January. When I originally did this, it was with the idea that I could spend some time just by myself. While it is a good thing that I took the time off, the whole time by myself thing didn't work out so well.
I had a total of four hours by myself.
I had to come back to work to rest up from the Holidays.
Take yesterday fr'instance. R and "i" and the sperm donor came by for a visit. It was good having them over, and it was a nice visit. Twenty minutes after they left the phone rings. They are in downtown Renton with a flat. No jack, no spare. It is pouring down snow, and the roads are treacherous. Dad to the rescue.
Go dig out a universal jack and a star wrench. Go dig out the HHR and hit the road. Jack up car, remove flat tire. Leave R and "i" with the car, go in search of gas station. Found one with an air station. Air up tire, and discover that there is a hole in the tire. The hole is at a location that already has a plug in it. Sperm donor bought the tires at a used tire place. They appear to be in practically new condition, except for the minor matter of a bad previous repair. A can of Fix-z-Flat, go back and install the repaired tire. Sperm donor offers me a snort off a bottle of brandy. I did not say "Hey, maybe instead of the bottle of brandy you should have bought a #$%^&*( jack." But the thought did cross my mind. I just told them that they needed to take care of business and go straight home, no screwing around, because I didn't know how long the temporary fix would last.
Did I mention that the roads were nasty? I travelled maybe three miles total, during which I saw multiple abandoned vehicles, a spun out bus, a spun out aid car, a spun out cop car, and an ambulance that was having a very difficult time getting up a mild slope.
Did I also mention that I do not have studded tires or four wheel drive?
By this morning the weather had warmed and the roads were mostly show free. At least snow free enough that I could not justify another day of vacation.

New Years

First of all, I make the same New Year's resolution every year.
I resolve to make no New Year's resolution. I make it and therefore break it at the same time.
I get up and have a cigarette and a beer for breakfast, kick the dog, yell at Mrs A, and watch football. Get all that stuff out of the way, and then the year can be normal.
USC kicked Nebraska's butt in the Rose Bowl.
In fact PAC 10 teams are undefeated in bowl play.
HAH! Take that!
The West Coast gets dissed in sports most of the time. So seeing them go undefeated in Bowl play has to make the Sports Cognoscenti sit up and take notice.
Granddaughter and great grandson stopped by today. He is such a happy baby. Lots of grins and giggles. Nothing like a happy baby to make all things right with the world.
What a great way to start out the New Year!

Happy New Year

We have the house to ourselves.
The Utah bunch are with the other side of the family, and V. has gone over to his dads for a couple of days. Mrs A never did get out of her robe today, and took a four hour nap this afternoon while I vegged.
Yesterday I went down and got a ton of pellets for the pellet stove.
Tonight I doubt if we make it until midnight.
A thrill a minute.
Just the way I want it right now.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year.

Are The Hollidays Over YET?

Someone save me!
I am being drowned in Family!
They have taken me down and I can't get back up.
The Gang of Five arrived a week ago from Utah, and spent three days with us before going over to the other side (the dark side?) to stay for a while. They went with us over to my brother's place for Christmas Eve and had a great time, then went over to R & R's dads place for Christmas Day. They came back over here yesterday.
Christmas Eve, after I just got home, I got a three alarm rescue call from Rose. She and the sperm donor had gotten in a big fight and she got out and took "i" with her. Unfortunately they were in the middle of nowhere and it was snowing like crazy. I needed to go rescue her. So I fired up the car and took off to go find her. Fortunately she had been rescued by passers-by and dropped off at Jack-in-the-box. It was pretty easy for her to get a ride. I mean, Christmas Eve, a single woman with an infant walking in a snowstorm. What mean hearted person could leave them out there?
So she spent Christmas eve and Christmas Day, and a couple of more with us. "i" is recovering from a cold, so he was cranky and not sleeping well. He woke me up several times each night, so I was running short on sleep. The night he left, I couldn't sleep at all, and then the Utah bunch came back the next day.
We took them out for a late lunch and a movie. Man was it crazy out. Every person in Latteland was at the mall, and the traffic was horrendous. Hours spent getting nowhere. But lunch was good, and then we took them to see "The Day the Earth Stood Still" in IMAX. I wasn't impressed with the movie. In fact I fell asleep during part of it. But I was so tired from lost sleep that I was walking around in a daze all day.
Luckily, I got a decent night's sleep last night, so I am only semi-comatose today.
The snow is finally gone, so Mrs A can get around on her own again. She was relieved to be able to go to work today.
When everyone got situated today after Mrs A got home from work the women went down to spend the afternoon at the mall. The two teenage boys are up taking over the world on WOW, and I have the house pretty much to myself.
A few moments to catch my breath.
I hear the couch calling.

Snowed In

We live most of the way up a hill, at about 400 feet in elevation on a six hundred foot high hill. The consequence is that we have limited choices of how to get around. The safest way is to go the rest of the way up the hill to the main street, and then go down.
It's that whole getting up to go down thing that doesn't work so well. I have a route that goes around to a gentle slope to get most of the way. Unfortunately it is on back streets, and we have about a foot of snow, and I don't think I have enough ground clearance in the HHR. The street at the end of the block is plowed, but steep. I do not have chains or studded tires. But front wheel drive with new tires is almost as good, and we do fine if we can just make it to the main road.
We managed to make it in to town on Saturday to get groceries.
Just like every other living soul in the area. It was a madhouse. It took us about four hours to make three stops, most of it standing in checkout lines.
Unfortunately I have run out of smokes and beer.
Oh well, now is as good a time as any to quit.
Both local tire stores have sold out of studded snow tires. I figured I would slide down off the hill today and get some tires, but that idea didn't work out so well.
The snow is supposed to stick around for another week or so.
Mrs A is getting cabin fever already. Our son drove up from Utah, and she worried the whole time he was on the road. He is on his way over here, and will be staying with us for a couple of days, through Christmas. Then will be going over to help his dad with some kind of project.
Three day cooped up with him and his wife and three kids will be quite enough thank you.

Snow Weenies

No, no, not constructions of snow that look like weenies.
People that go into stupidity at the first sign of snow. Mrs A is a snow weenie. After two snowflakes, she crawls under the bed and hides. She will not go any further than to let the dog out to pee.
Me, not so much. I always have the snow day plan.
Yesterday it snowed all day. I think we had about five inches. Then the temperature this morning was 25. When I went to work yesterday morning, the streets were just fine. When I got off of work, not so great. I don't have any trouble getting around, all by myself. It's the snow weenies that don't understand how to drive in the snow that cause me grief. I live up on the side of a hill, so getting home can be a challenge. Yesterday the truck didn't make it all the way home.
Going up the hill, first I had a Chrysler 300C do a 360 right in front of me, and steering around him depleted a quite a bit of my momentum.
Then there were a group of kids at the crosswalk halfway up the hill pushing the walk button so the light changed and caught people coming up the hill. Then lastly, as I got to the last hundred yards, there were about a dozen cars scattered all over the road and no way through. I just turned around and went back down the hill, and headed North. The next street up the hill was partly blocked with stalled out cars and very steep, covered with a sheet of ice. So much for plan B.
Plan C is the one that is guaranteed to work. At the bottom of the hill below our house is a playfield with a small parking lot. Leave the truck down there. It is about a quarter mile uphill to the house. Then the truck is on the level for the next morning, so I can just walk down the hill, jump in the truck and hit the road.
When I get off of work today I will be home until the 5th of January. I just hope I can get the truck home today. Then I will not HAVE to leave home any time soon. I hope the roads are good enough to do a little running around. We are running short on milk and bread, and I'd like to get to the booze emporium to pick up a couple of bottles. We don't keep liquor around much, but it is nice to have around the Holidays.
It is one of my traditions to get a bottle of Harveys Bristol Creme Sherry for the Holidays. And Hot Buttered Rums are a given on Christmas Eve.
Think of it as Antifreeze.
SKOAL!

Isaiah

This is the current wallpaper on my laptop. It always brings a smile to my face every time I turn on the computer. Since I didn't have anything much to blog about today, I thought I'd share it.

Cool It

I was thinking the other day.
A dangerous proposition at best, for me. No telling where it may lead.
I was thinking about evolution.
Various creatures evolve different physical characteristics to deal with the environment. Thick fur for a cold environment, blubber for the same. Long legs for wading birds. Long necks for giraffes. The list goes on and on.
If you study the animals from North Africa, they have also evolved some traits that help them deal with their environment. For instance, the elephant has these huge ears. What is their purpose? Cooling. They are large and thin and mobile. The elephant flaps them around to dissipate heat.
According to prevalent theory, man evolved in that same environment. So what unique characteristics did we evolve to better help us deal with out environment? We are not large, not quick, not ferocious, have no fangs or claws.
We do have a disproportionately large head. And a disproportionally large brain to go in it. What function does this organ perform?
Cooling.
It is a big radiator for the body. You lose more body heat from your head than any other area of your body. That's what it does.
Nature, evolution, or God gave us this organ as a cooling tower.
It is merely an accident that, having this large organ to hang our hats on, it developed intelligence. Since it took a lot of gray matter to cool our blood, it accidental turned out that it could serve a dual purpose.
Cooling was it's initial purpose.
Intelligence was merely a by-product.

Lighting Up The Town

No, no, no. Not like that.
The Christmas village that goes on the mantle over the fireplace. I finally got off of my butt and dug it all out of the boxes and put it up this weekend. Getting it all set up requires a real Rube Goldberg of wires daisy-chained, since there are eight buildings. Unfortunately, when I turned on the third building, I blew a circuit breaker.
The town is on the same circuit as the TV and surround system. I have never had a problem before. Maybe there is a short in the wiring. I'll have to experiment when I get home tonight.
The village has a book shop, a newspaper, a couple of taverns, a church. A couple of homes. A bunch of figurines. A guy and his wife in a one-horse sleigh, a guy carrying firewood, kids making a snowman, a boy throwing a snowball, and yes, a dog peeing on a pile of trash.
Oh, and I also put up the tree, although Mrs A did the decoration.
It is butt-freezing cold up here right now, or what passes for it here in Latteland. A lot of people wouldn't think much of 21 degrees, but for around here it is unusual. It snowed a little Saturday night, like maybe an inch. Of course V. was at a debate. so he didn't get home until after 9:00. It had just started snowing when I left to pick him up, and the street was white by the time I got home.
The streets are pretty much bare and dry around here, but as you get out towards the foothills, the streets are not as good. Lots of spinouts and fender benders. The cold is supposed to stay around for the next couple of weeks. The long term forecast even predicts possible snow on Christmas Eve.
We very seldom have a white Christmas here, so it would be nice from that perspective. Even if I do have a pretty long drive on Christmas Eve, out to my brothers place.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

No More Depressing Crap

Sorry about the depressing crap this week. My head was stuck in a depressing place, and I just needed to work my way through it.
I went out and bought some St. John's Wort last night. It helps me during the long dark days this time of year. Interesting stuff. It increases your sensitivity to light. They way they found this out was that cows who ate it got sunburned. Who ever thought of a cow getting sunburned.
For some people, it increases your sensitivity to light so that your body is more sensitive to what sunlight you DO get. It isn't effective for everyone, but IT works for me. Even if the effect is all in my head, it doesn't matter, because it's my head that has the problem.
This weekend I will put up the tree and decorations. My favorite is putting together the Christmas village. It had about eight lighted buildings and a bunch of figurines. It goes on the mantle above the fireplace and is about five feet long.
Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Uncle Steve

About 50 years ago, my Uncle Steve, right before Christmas, took down his 30.06 hunting rifle, put the cold blued steel barrel in his mouth, and blew his brains out, all over the ceiling and back wall of the apartment in which he was living with his wife and six kids.
It made quite a mess. Every once in a while I hear my Uncle Gil talk about how much trouble it was to clean up. It seems to me that it will never be really cleaned up.
Nobody really knows why he did this.
We all want to make sense of things. Life without reason descends to chaos.
He had been shot in WWII. The shot through his jaw had taken out a big piece of his jaw, and part of his tongue. He always spoke with a thick sound to his speech because of the missing part of his tongue.
He was a very intelligent man, and never had a problem finding a job. But he never could stay with one thing. As soon as anything confrontational happened, he confronted it face forward and straight up. Usually it meant he got fired. His statement was usually “You can’t push us Smiths around.”
But I always felt a lot of it was because he felt less because of his injuries. They went a lot deeper than his thick speech.
As my cousins grew up, they moved from town to town. I remember visiting them in California, Oregon and Washington. I remember my cousin Kelly, in responding to a survey asking what was his hometown “Every city on the West Coast.”
Uncle Steve was a casualty of WWII the same as anyone who was killed at Normandy or Iwo Jima. It just took a little longer for the bullet to reach his brain.
We understand a lot more now about post-traumatic stress syndrome. Given what we know now, could it have been prevented?
No one can answer that question. Change can only be worked if a person is willing, and I am pretty sure he would have refused any help.
Still I wonder what went through his mind in those last seconds when he curled his big toe around the trigger and pushed.
He left a widow and six kids.
The damage of that instant of selfish behavior goes on and on.
I loved my Aunt Anne. I spent a lot of time at her house. She had two sons about my age, Steve and Kelly. I never got along with Steve, but Kelly and I became as close as brothers. We both had a bent towards art and humor. We went together a lot of places and had a great time together.
I was working at a hospital as an orderly when they admitted Aunt Anne into emergency with a heart attack. I knew which room she was in, so I passed in the hallway every once in a while just to hear the heart monitor beep.
Late on my shift, I went by the room, and there was no beep. I went to the front desk to ask why, and found out that she had passed away.
I had to call home to tell my mom that her sister had passed away. Not the easiest thing I have had to do, but a hard thing for a 16 year old.
Six orphans.
We tried to spread them around the family. Kelly became my brother. Various other family members took the other kids. It just didn’t work.
A man and his wife came forward and offered to adopt all of them, but only as a group. Only if they all agreed to it. The killer was that they could have no contact with our family.
I lost contact with all of them for about ten years, when Kelly and I got back together. For the next several years, we were as close as we had ever been. But things happen in life, and we are not in touch.
Kelly is one of the best scrimshaw artists in the world. He has won many awards for his work. He has supported himself with his art his whole life. His work is incredibly beautiful. And I miss his sense of humor and unique perspective.
A bullet on Normany.
A bullet in Seattle.
A tile tips, and strikes a tile, which strikes a tile.
Does it ever end?

Bah Humbug

I am having a real hard time getting in the Holiday Spirit this year.
We don't have any lights or decorations up. I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet.
Two people I knew slightly at work died last week. Not good buddies or anything, but people I had worked with a little here or there. Both were in their forties and had wives and kids. Kinda puts the damper on any celebrating.
I have been battling with arthritis in my neck. It hurts all the time. I have been to the doctor multiple times about it. Their answer in "Yes, you have arthritis in your neck. Take two percocet and call me in the morning." I will not take Percocet at work, because I wouldn't be worth a happy crappy if I did. I also don't like to drive if I take it. I also will not take more than one at a time unless I absolutely have to. During the day, I usually take 600 mg of ibuprofen , but it really doesn't do a very good job. When I do take it, I never get anything done. I haven't done anything on Frankenhealey in a couple of months now.
Oh well, enough whining and complaining.

Damn Kids Anyway

Not that anyone but me really cares, but I have been working on a book for several years. Parts of what I have written please me, parts do not.
There is a link to it over there on the side bar. It is titled "STAR". I have not added anything to it for several months. I have it on a portable drive. I have been working on a couple of new chapters, and was about ready to add them to the blog.
My little red memory stick that I had the book on disappeared.
We're talking hundreds of hours of work here.
Disappeared.
V. borrowed it without my permission.
I bought him his own portable memory so he could transport his school projects around, but he lost that, so therefore it was OK to borrow and lose mine, too.
I suppose it is partly my fault for not backing up the memory stick, for not storing it on my hard drive, for leaving the memory stick laying around.
But still, he should know better.
I will have to go into the blog and chapter by chapter copy it out of the blog and load it on to a new memory stick, reformat it, make corrections. The unpublished stuff is just lost.
Damn Kids Anyway

Finally!

Things are back to normal.
It has been Hell for me the last several months. There is nothing I hate more than sitting around with nothing to do. Or doing things that have no significance. It makes for a very long day.
I can usually rummage around and come up with something to do, but it is usually a medium to long tern project, the kind I usually keep on the back burner to fill in time. The chaos and fire that I feed on just isn't there. It makes it hard to get up in the morning and come to work.
Now things are at last returning to where I can get up in the morning and look forward to having enough to do most every day.
This is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view. The fact that I am reacting to emergent production problems means that something went wrong. That's not a good thing. Except to me. As long as it isn't disastrously bad, I enjoy problem solving, and having a continuous stream of solvable problems present themselves is where I live. I dance on the thin ice, skirt the edges of the fire. I stick my neck out and pull it back just in time.
Now things have returned to their normal state, and things are back in their proper places, and I am as busy as I want to be.
I go home at night tired from having worked, not tired from sitting around all day. I sleep better at night.
My neck, which was driving me crazy with arthritis has calmed down, too.
I guess to me stress from not working is worse than stress from working.

How Do You Spell Relief?

R-A-T-I-F-Y
The SPEEA Union Members have ratified the new four year contract offer.
The prospects of being on strike during the Holidays has been lurking in the background of my consciousness for months now, so resolution of the negotiations is a big relief.
It's not like it occupied my every waking moment, because I'm just not built that way. I'm not a particularly gifted worry-wart. I made my plans and put things in place so I averted any possibility of going into panic mode. But I didn't forget about it.
Now that things have been finally resolved for sure, it is a relief. I felt like I had been kinda holding my breath waiting for things to resolve themselves.
Whew!

Christmas News

Mrs A is in Christmas heaven right now.
Her son, Rick and family are flying up from Utah for two weeks at Christmas. We don't see nearly ehough of them. They are a stable, enjoyable bunch, and consequently don't receive enough attention from us. The ones that are unstable, in crisis, hurting and in chaos get all the attention. Because they are stable and reliable, we don't expend as much energy on them as on the others. We have always felt a little guilty that we don't pay them more attention.
They will spend most of their time here, so we need to make some plans, figure out how to house them, figure out menus and entertainment.
I will enjoy the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the grandkids. I almost always get along well with children. Mrs A will tell you that this is most likely because I am just a big kid myself. I don't deny this, because I think it is a good thing to have a sense of wonder like a child. Sometimes this is not a good thing. Like when I think "I wonder what would happen if...?" Bad things can happen after that.
Just yesterday I was wondering.
I have this paint additive that makes the Z turn from emerald green to cobalt blue depending on the direction of the light. It is a powder of very fine crystals. I was wondering what would happen if you put some of the powder in the microwave. Now that I had this thought, I wonder if I can resist the urge to find out.
If I am going to do this, it should be done before the guests arrive.
But then, maybe there are some questions that don't need to be answered.

Bad Blogger

I haven't been around much lately. First because I was busy with Thanksgiving, then because I was just plain lazy.
We had Thanksgiving at our house for a small group. R and "i" and the sperm donor, and his two other kids.
My grand daughter A and her guy and baby. And of course the three of us.
Turkey and dressing and riced potatoes. Cranberries and R's pasta salad. Wine, beer and run for those so inclined. Apple pie and cheesecake for dessert.
A very mellow day of family and conversation.
Mrs A and I work well together in the kitchen. We don't get in each other's way, need very little conversation to get things done. I love the way we work together in the kitchen.
Friday was officially declared a "lazy day", and other than finishing up cleaning up the kitchen, we didn't do much. Watched TV, read, talked and just relaxed. Neither one of us has any desire to participate in the monument to greed that follows Thanksgiving.
People trampled to death, gunfire, fistfights, near riots.
For what?
A bunch of meaningless crap that will be broken, used up and forgotten in five years. What a monument to materialistic mindless superficial values. Are we reduced to a pack of snarling dogs fighting over the largest bone? Thanksgiving reduced to a cult of "I got mine"?
I cannot change the world. All I can do is resolve to keep the spirit of the Holidays in my heart.
Peace on Earth.
Good will to man.
I understand that we are in difficult times. Banking collapse (another monument to greed). Foreclosures. Unemployment. War. Our own government violating human rights. Terrorism.
Difficult times bring out both the best and worst in us.
All we can do, is each one of us make a personal decision to be the best person we know how to be.

Grazing Day

Also known as our group potluck. A day dedicated to eating all day long. No telling what may show up.
I am currently dining on Deer Dip. And yes, for you citified squeamish types, it is made with real deer. Venison hamburger with beans and mushrooms in a cheese sauce, served with tortilla chips. Good stuff.
I brought in my usual egg rolls. By 9:00 I was told that I needed to go home and make more.
There is smoked Atlantic Salmon. There is home made chili, and cheese and meats and crackers and several types of pie and cake and sweet rolls.
And to top it off, Ezell's chicken. For those of you who don't know about Ezell's, when Oprah is in town, she has her cast party catered by Ezell's. She has gone on TV and told everyone that if they are in Latteland, make sure and stop in at Ezell's. It is good chicken, but I wouldn't go THAT far. Of course I live a couple of blocks from it and we have it a couple of times a week.

Turkeys

Nowadays you have a lot of choices when you get a turkey for turkey day. It used to be that you could just go to the store and get a turkey. There were two kinds, the frozen ones and the unfrozen ones. They were pretty easy to tell apart.
Now things are not so clear cut.
Organic turkey? As opposed to what? Inorganic turkey? Inorganic turkey would be crafted of never-living matter. Not particularly appetizing, at least to me. Seems to me, all turkeys are organic by default.
Free range turkey? What does that mean? I'll guarantee you it is not what the image seems to represent. Turkeys are not allowed to range free on large parcels of land. The regulations are vague and there isn't really any enforcement of the vague rules.
I believe I saw some no-hormone added turkey. I have no idea what this means.
Wild Turkey. Now there's something I understand.
Comes by the fifth. Picture of a turkey on the front. Will make you stand up and gobble.
Pass the Turkey, please.

Drama

The drama continues.......but at least I am one step removed from it.
My grand daughter and daughter were living together in Tacoma. R just had a baby, and A just delivered. Because of just having a baby, A had been short on a couple of house payments, so she decided to rent out the spare bedroom.
This is when my daughter decided to move out, because it is a small house and it would be just too much closeness.
She called yesterday to tell me that my grand daughter had caught the new room mates smoking crack in their bedroom. They were completely unapologetic, saying "We rented the room, we can do what we want". Grand daughter called the police, who told them that since the couple had paid rent on the room, they couldn't just be chucked out in the street.
Grand daughter was beside herself. I was pretty upset having crackheads in the room next to my great grandson. I have to help R move the last of her stuff, and was planning to make life very uncomfortable for the room mates when I went down to help her recover the last of her stuff. I was sitting contemplating my choice of weapons. I needed something I could legitimately carry to use while moving, but would effectively eliminate any resistance. I had figured I had ample reason to have a come-along for securing the load, It has a nice big turnbuckle on the end of a strap that might cause someone to rethink their stand.
I called R back to get the latest, and to me GREAT relief I found out that the grand daughter had gone to visit a sympathetic judge, and gotten a restraining order. Said crackheads cannot come within 100 yards of the house without a Police escort, and then only to retrieve their possessions.
I am proud of my grand daughter. She is only 19, but she handled things in the best was possible.
She did the right thing, the right way.
I wouldn't have been so mature.

Snip n' Slip

I went in yesterday and had the stitches removed in my mouth. Since I have had a life-long morbid fear of dentists, any trip to the jawbreaker is fraught with peril. When I go to the dentist, bad things can happen.
They quite ofter cause me pain and trauma. AND I PAY THEM TO DO THIS.
So of course when I let them know I was going in, one of my co-workers said "So I hear you're going in to have your stitches ripped out".
Bad image, that.
I replied "I wouldn't choose to put it that way. Let's say I am going in for a little snip and slip and leave it at that".
Much easier to face.

Still looking

I paid half of the strike fund out to pay down the new engine for the truck.
Next I need to start looking at vacations. I will have to delay the vacation until mid-April. There is a pause in the production schedule then, so I will have a couple of weeks when I can lay back and catch up with myself. Plus, with the anticipated overtime between now and then, I can add a good bit to the budget.
We haven't decided where to go, just some place sunny.

Decisions, decisions

Now that the possibility of a strike has pretty much passed, that suddenly puts me in a position I have seldom experienced. Having been fiscally responsible, I prepared for a strike by stuffing money in a strike fund. It isn't huge or anything. Just enough to pay a couple of months house and car payments.
This money is now available for other things.
But which things?
My first impulse is to pay off then engine I just bought for the truck. This would be the adult, responsible thing to do. Therefore it is unlikely I will do this.
The fun thing to do would be to take the money and go on a trip, vacation to some sunny place, which I am inclined to do. Fun, but not very responsible.
So I think we are going to compromise. Go 50/50. Half to pay bills, half to play.
I need to start figuring out how to get the most bang for my buck.

Union Contract

SPEEA and Boeing have come to a tentative agreement for a new contract. The Union is recommending that the Membership accept the offer. Very seldom does the membership trump the leadership, so I am expecting the contract to easily pass.
I have to compliment both sides for negotiating the best possible deal given the circumstances. After all of the early posturing and bombast, they did an effective job of representing their interests.
Is it an outstanding contract? No.
Is it a crappy contract? No.
Is it fair and reasonable? Absolutely.
I am relieved. As I mentioned before, I had already started a strike contingency fund, and had saved up enough for a couple of months. I was dreading the whole on-strike-and-picketing thing.
Of course I haven't seen the entire offer yet, but I seriously doubt that there are any hidden bombs in the text. Mind you, I will read the entire thing just to make sure.
Trust your fellow man, but count your change.

Glowing Plastic

I got my truck back yesterday.
I think I heard my credit card scream in pain when I paid for it.
Besides a complete remanufactured engine, as long as they had it out, I had them replace the clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, hoses and belts and radiator. The final bill was around $5,500.00. In my opinion it is money well spent, because I now am under warranty for three years. Sure I could have purchased a different vehicle for less that that, but whatever vehicle I got would come with the old 30/30 warranty. Thirty feet or thirty seconds, whichever comes first.
So now I have a three year 100,000 mile warranty.
But I think my Visa card glows in the dark.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Things are going to be a little different for the Warren Family this Christmas.
We normally have a gift exchange among the adults. Everyone puts their name in a hat, and you withdraw a name. There is a minimum amount you can spend. It keeps shopping to a minimum, and instead of everyone buying for everyone, you only have to buy one gift. I am all in favor of less complicated, and you get one nice gift instead of a bunch of smaller gifts. You can put in as a couple or as individuals.
This year there will be no gift exchange.
Instead, each person is going to make a cash donation, and the funds will be donated to the food bank. With the economy in shambles and a lot of people doing without basic necessities, there is a lot of pressure on the available resources. Fewer people are giving, and more people are in need.
There is no minimum, just give what you can afford.
I believe it was my older brother's idea, and it has been enthusiastically embraced by the whole family.
It makes me proud to be a member of my family.
Of course the kids will still get presents, but it's all about the kids anyway.

Whole Lotta Nothin'

Goin' on.
They might be done with the truck tomorrow, late. Even if they are, I don't know if I'll be in any shape to go get it, because I have a dentist's appointment tomorrow. Dental surgery to remove a dead root of a tooth. Not going to be any fun.
So even if they get the truck done, I will probably be on pain killers and in no shape to drive. Just what I woulld need. Spend thousands of dollars on the truck and then crash it. I think I'll pass and wait until Thursday.
The new engine comes with a three year 100,000 mile warrantee, so I will be set for at least three years, which is worth the investment to me. With the upgrades to the suspension, new wheels and tires, I will now have to think about upgrading the stereo.
Things at home are fine, no major problems.
It's about time.

Concert Critique

What can I say?
What an incredible show!
The light show alone was worth the price of admission. Last year the light show was good, but they have all new fixtures this year, and as an Engineering type, and roadie, the whole thing left me in awe. And new pyrotechnics.
Oh yeah, and there was music, too.
Incredible screaming guitar, battling keyboard, orchestra rock and roll opera music.
Words can in no way really describe it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG3Fvi1pJh4&eurl=http://privacyofthemind.com/

TSO!!!

Tomorrow is the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at Key Arena.
I have tickets on the floor this year. Five of us are going . I can't wait. Pyrotechnic light show screaming guitar Christmas Extravaganza!
By the time I get home tomorrow night I will be walking in a daze.
Can't wait.

Books: The Eleventh Man by Ivan Doig

I read a lot.
I probably have 1,000 books in my library, which I go through and purge occasionally when I run out of shelf space. I have six book cases. Currently they are stuffed to the gills. I will probably go through them sometime soon and get rid of the stuff I no longer want. The decision gate is "Will I ever read this again?"
My reading material covers the spectrum. Except for trashy romance novels. They just don't do anything for me. Fantasy, science fiction, history, westerns, murder mysteries, even some humor. Include Shakespeare and the Bible.
If I didn't have a book I would be reduced to reading cereal boxes and soup can labels.
I just finished a new book by one of my favorite authors, Ivan Doig. I'm not sure how to describe his books. I think they fall into "Modern Literature". He has some serious Cred. Most of his stories are set in Montana on the eastern slope of the Rockies, and evoke such a sense of time and place that they could almost be history if they weren't novels.
I love the way Doig makes the words get up and dance around on the page. He doesn't just tell a story, although that is his primary task. They way he puts his words together is such a joy to observe. Even without a plot, it would be worthwhile just to get into the ebb and flow of a master craftsman at the peak of his craft.
"The Eleventh Man" is a display of wordsmanship at it's best. It was a book that I intentionally read slowly, like sipping a fine wine so I could enjoy the individual each glassful of words, roll them over on the tongue of my mind before going to the next mouthful of words.
I didn't want the book to end. I will go back and reread it many times in the future, which is the true test for me.
It is not a book for everyone, but if you have an appreciation of the English Language and craftsmanship with words, it is beautiful example of the writers art.
On another note, I am reading "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini. It is a fun and entertaining fantasy by a relatively young writer of fantasy. Not the deepest nor best, but entertaining, and well enough crafted that it all fits together and flows nicely. If you like Fantasy and dragons, it is a fun and entertaining read. I should warn you though, that it is the third book in a series, so you really should read the earlier two first "Eragon" and "Eldest". They will keep you entertained for a long good while when the weather turns cold and the rain is coming sideways.
So For those Fall/Winter evenings when you want to snuggle up to a book with a fire in the fireplace and maybe a glass of wine, you now have a couple of suggestions for reading material.

History

Even though I don't usually use my blog to voice my political opinions, I couldn't help but take a moment to reflect on the election.
This is truly an historic occasion. Obama has been given a mandate by the American People. A strong message has been sent that we expect change. I would not have his job for all the gold in China. Nor power or prestige. I wish him the very best in a difficult situation. Clearly changes need to be made in the direction our country is travelling. The populace has felt for some time that the Government is not listening. Why get involved when all they are going to do is tell you to sit down and shut up, and any other option is not patriotic.
I believe you will see a wave of people volunteering to help out, because they sense that there is something good doing on here and they want to be a part of it.
Clearly, people felt strongly enough that they have already joined. Voter turnouts were high. We all participated in the process. I believe this is not just an election, but a turning point in the path of The United States. Maybe the world.
If asked, I would not have bet that we would see a multi-racial man in the White House. It is a measure of how far we have come as a nation when the mandate of this great nation is handed to a multi-racial individual. Obama is truly a man of the world. I think his election has done more to improve the image of the country than any event in the last eight years.
My thoughts and prayers will be with him as he tries to find the best path through our present difficulties. I pray he finds the strength to keep his eye on the goals and not be discouraged by the inevitable nay-sayers, that he has the support and advice he needs to make the most informed decisions. That his party and cabinet supply him with the best information, and that he listens to the right people.
I am proud of our country and our people.

And now we return you to our normally scheduled sarcasm.

Just Relax and Think of England

That's what a famous English Lady 's opinion of sex was. I sure feel sorry for her. I am much more of the fireworks and earthquake opinion.
But right now I guess I'll just relax and make the best of it, because the verdict came in on the truck, and it needs a new engine. The engine will cost more than the truck is worth, but I will have to spend the same amount of money whether I put in the engine, or go get another used truck. If I get another used truck, there is no guarantee that the engine won't blow up in six months, but if I get the new engine at least it will be warranteed. The truck should be good for another 100,000 miles.
So I'm getting screwed no matter what I do.

Chaos

Big day today.
Of course there is the Minor matter of the election, who will lead the country through the next four years of challenges. I don't use this venue for dispensing my political point of view, so I won't get into the whole election thing. I will just be glad that it is over and we can get on with the business of it.
My truck went into the shop last night. I am almost completely sure it has a blown head gasket, but anxiously await the diagnostics from the shop. To me it is a minimum $1200.00. If the head itself is cracked, it will push the cost up to the point of wondering whether it is worth it, or do I just write it off? I just put a grand into wheels and tires and another four hundred into suspension. At what point do I give up on it?
The negotiations are under full steam between SPEEA and the Company. At this point I have not heard anything much, good or bad. I expect the company to try to lowball everything. They have to at least test the mood of the members. If they attempt to lowball us, I am quite sure the membership is ready to vote for a strike. There are plenty of opportunities on the table. Once again, outsourcing is front and center. Given the disaster that resulted from the 787 outsourcing plan, it would not be unreasonable to hope that Boeing has learned a lesson about the quality of outside design resources. They have admitted that the outsource plan was a failure, and a change in strategy would be appropriate for any future work. Wages, COLA, Insurance, Offloading, Retirement, Time off Overtime compensation. Every issue you can think of is on the table.
And last but not least, today is my Mom's Birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I'll see you after work.

This is Normal?

Things are back to normal, or at least a version of normal.
The IAM is back from strike, so everyone is running around in circles trying to figure out where they are,
When in trouble
When in doubt
Run in circles
Scream and shout.
So I don't expect anything to get accomplished today, or maybe this week.
At least there are a lot more people to talk to.