My 1977 Datsun 280Z as it wasa when I first got it 

Friday Night

So, it's Friday night. Like any normal red-blooded American male I should be out getting blitzed and getting laid, but here I am sitting at the Barge alongside the 737 line in Renton, bored out of my skull. Once every two weeks, we have a "Down" day, when there is no airplane in our position, and today happens to be that day. This is the day when they clean up and do maintainence and that kind of stuff, but since I am a "problem solver", it doesn't give me much to do.
I would sure rather be home with my sweetie sippin' a TNT and cuddling on the couch than sitting here trying to stay awake. So here is a Friday nught Poem about falling in love:

Cartography
Cartographers of old the world described
As being flat, and so defined
the Earth had edges
And if you sailed beyond the maps
Beyond the ken of man
you might come to the end of the Earth

Columbus sphericality supposedly proved
Or Magellan if you prefer, but not until
from space did astronauts with photographs
The azure globe did prove (Unless you
a modern Ludite profess)

I have always held the rational view
that Science conclusively proves as fact
the Earth is round.
Until, that is,
One Friday night
I slipped my tether
and fell off the edge of the Earth.

Second Shift

So, I'm stuck here on second shift for another couple of weeks. The hours are 4:30 until 1:00 AM. Being a former country boy, it goes against my other 56 years of experience. When you have gotten up early (5:30) for over 50 years, your body resists this radical of a change. Right now I should be unwinding from a day's work and relaxing after dinner. Instead, I have just barely gotten in to the work shift. My body is SO CONFUSED!

The people that adjust to this shift love it. I was talking to Ralph earlier, and he said he always prefers second. He said that the idea of starting off his day with a loud annoying ringing in his ears was not the way he preferred to start his day. I am no great friend of the alarm clock, and he certainly has a point. I mean it is nice to just wake up when you wake up, with no fretting about the alarm.

The major problem with being on second shift is I hardly ever get to be with my wife. Carol works days, so she gets up at 5:30. I don't get home until around 1:30, so by the time I unwind and get to bed it is usually around 3:00. I leave for work at 4:00, she gets off at 4:45. The only time we see each other is Saturday and Sunday, and even then out schedules dont mesh.

I guess if you have been married for like 20 years, it would be OK, in fact might even be a good thing, but the fact is that Carol and I are coming up on our second aniversary, so we are still newlyweds. We have gone through a hell of a lot in those two years, but we are still getting used to each other, and I would really like to be there to support her when things go wrong.

Shipside support is like I heard flying an SR-71 described "Extended periods of boredom interrupted by short periods of complete panic." Either I am looking for something to do, or I am running around like my hair was on fire.

Well, break time is over, so I had better stop blogging and start slogging.

Here I am at the top of the Pyramid at Tula, Mexico 

Al's Rant

If you are at all into the Aerospace industry, you may have noticed recently that Harry Stonecipher resigned as CEO of the Boeing Company. What may be percieved as a setback by Wallstreet was actually cheered on the factory floor! Never have I seen a CEO that was so universally disliked by the people that worked for him.
The supposed reason for his resignation was that he was having a consentual affair with another executive at work. Give me a break! A little history lesson here. Boeing bought out McDonald Douglas a few years back. When they did, some hand picked executives came with Harry to the Boeing Company.
Since they joined the Boeing Company, there have been multiple major ethics violations, causing the resignation of Phil Condit, the jailing of others, sensure by Congress and other Government Organizations. Almost universally, the individuals that were involved were the very same individuals that arrived at Boeing on Harry Stoneciphers coat tails.
Harry has been running with the dogs, and we are supposed to believe he is resigning because of some catting around?
Harry isn't a feline, he is the head dog.