My Last Post of the Year

Well here we are.  One year is about to end and another about to begin.  I'm having a quiet evening here at home, like I usually do.  And I'm glad that I'm not in Las Vegas for this one, as that not only is the weather there colder than it is here, they're going to have a higher concentration of crazies than my quiet neighborhood here will.

As is usually my custom, I'm not going to make any resolutions.  There are some things I want to do next year, and I'm going to call them goals.  I'm also going to reserve the right to let those goals be overcome by events.

One.  I have a new state to explore and to write about.  I have already made some visits Downtown to people watch.  Most casinos are great for people-watching as are airports, but with casinos what you see is simultaneously entertaining and depressing.  But there's more to Nevada than casinos.  There's ghost towns.  There's a national park up by Ely.  There's some scenery in southern Utah and the Arizona Strip.  I need to make use of the opportunity to see these things as that it won't be for another six to eight months before I decide what's going to happen house-wise.  I have Nevada tags on the truck but am keeping the Arizona driver's license since Nevada law allows me to do that since I own property in Arizona.

Two.  Mark is moving to Chattanooga.  I want to get out there and see him.  I don't know if that will happen as that I haven't yet accrued vacation, and I'd like the finances to recover some.  Once January is behind me I'm hoping that it will. 

Three.  I really need to, in my spare time, start writing the essays to complete the "Money Series" that I started a long time ago.  That will take some more offline research, but the trouble I have is that there are too many things I like to do and not enough hours in the day to do them. 

Four.  My apartment is livable, but needs some furniture.  I figure on visiting thrift stores to help me out with this.  For starters I need some chairs and a computer table.  A new computer table can be scored for $40 if you know where to look, and I may pick one up when I'm back "apartment" (not "home"!) next week if that chain exists up there and they still have some in stock.

Five.  I want to tour the Hoover Dam.  I have toured it before, but that was back in 1986.  I'd really like it if I could wander around unescorted to check it out, but I'll have to settle for escort.  Besides, where I work, I can wander around unescorted and walk inside life-size spacecraft mockups, and few people get to do that. 

I'm sure I could come up with more, but will stop here with that. 

 

* * * * * * *

Our wedding will be in the not too distant future.  I'm not going to announce the date here but I'll announce it after it's happened.  Fortunately we are not being bombarded with unsolicited advice on what we should do.  We're going to do it our way.  Period.

 

* * * * * * *

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

 

The Winds of Change, or, Politicians At War with Their Own Country

The winds of change obviously blew hard for me this year, and from the looks of things I am not the only one being affected by them. 

I forgot to pass along that they are now blowing for Mark back in San Jose. 

First, the backstory.

For over 20 years Mark has worked for a firm based in Campbell, CA.  This firm was acquired some years back by a company in Tennessee, and the parent company, aside from some interventions, left his acquired company pretty much alone.  This company has operated in a tech park within the city of Campbell, providing jobs for engineers, technicians, machinists, scientists, and the like.

About eight months ago the City of Campbell decided that they didn't like the industries there who are renting it out.  They didn't want microwave tubes, specialized materials, and prosthetics being built there anymore.  They instead wanted "green" industries.  You know, those industries that build solar panels or batteries for electric cars.  The city told them to either change their product lines or pay higher fees.  Mark's parent company decided to do neither.  They instead are responding by closing the plant and laying off some 200 people.  I'm sure other folks are being laid off. 

Yes, you read that right.  The City of Campbell is forcing companies to lay off hundreds of workers since the companies there aren't building the "right" products.

Mark and his wife are one of the few lucky ones.  As I type this, they are preparing to respond to a job offer that they got from Tennessee.  They will keep their salaries and will get a generous relocation package.  I told Mark he's doing the right thing though he may not know it for six months or so.  So sometime next year, I'm guessing March, they are headed to some beautiful country in a state populated by some of the nicest people in the country.

Meanwhile, you have to wonder what the City of Campbell is thinking.  Do they think Tesla's going to move in there to build a plant?  (Last I heard, their next expansion is in Reno).  Do they think Solyndra is going to come back, and this time make it?  Have they any idea about what kinds of hazardous materials are going to used in this facility for "green" industry? 

It is a shame that politicians are waging war against our personal freedoms by telling us what kind of light bulbs to use, what kind of food we should eat, that we can't be trusted with arming ourselves, and that we should gleefully welcome the confiscation of what we have earned so that it can be re-distributed to people who are in the country illegally.  It's bad enough that they're doing this as it is. 

Now the politicians are waging war against employment.

Christmas in Tucson

Well my new employer decided to give everyone a paid vacation this year for Christmas.  It does not count against vacation balances.  He (the company founder/president/owner) wanted all of us out of there effective 5:00 PM 12/23 and doesn't want us back until Monday morning, the 5th of January.  It's the first year he's done this and as far as I know most of my co-workers have left town like I did. 

I drove down here on the 24th, and traffic was pretty much kind to me until I got to Phoenix.  It was a backed-up mess in the opposite direction and thick in my direction, though we were held up by a multicar accident at the Warner exit.  Maybe Santa Claus will be giving some parties an insurance settlement and other parties a lawsuit.  Aside from that it was a good ride.

I'm kicking back here for most of these days, though I figure on working on the house some.  I wasn't motivated to do that yesterday.  I was instead more interested in admiring the lady who will become my wife next month.

Speaking of which, we're getting the marriage license this afternoon as soon as she gets off work.  After that I should book my tickets from Vegas to here, and hopefully Southwest will give me a good fare as a wedding present.  The date's been set; we're getting married in a small private ceremony on 1/24. 

As for what I've seen in Las Vegas.......I should devote some posts to what that place is like.  In a few ways I enjoy being there but in other ways I don't.  I can't complain about the entertainment or the dining.  I can complain about other things, but I don't feel much like complaining today. 

On another front, Franz called me yesterday.  We hadn't talked in some time so there was some catching up.  His employer was sold to a group of investors, and the new management is having sweeping layoffs even though the balance sheet and backlog of contracts hasn't been this good in a long time.  He thought he was going to get it in the last round but there's another one coming and he'll find out if he has that target painted on his back.  I can get him in to where I am now working.  He's been a satellite engineer longer than I was one, and would be a great fit.  If he comes to Vegas then maybe we could split rent on a house or an apartment. 

That's going to be it for now. 

Merry Christmas!

Home Sweet Apartment

On 11/24 I became a renter for the first time since 1991.  I signed a four-month lease, and I spent three days making visits to the apartment while continuing to rent the room that I had in the residence inn.  On Thursday morning 11/27, Thanksgiving Day, I checked out of the long-term inn and drove to Tucson for the annual customary turkey dinner.  On Sunday I drove back to begin residing in my apartment here in North Las Vegas, which is just a handful of miles from where I'm working.

I am still not yet where I want to be as far as living here goes.  For one, I've had to make several trips for supplies, such as pots & pans, groceries, cleaning items, toilet paper, wastebaskets, etc..  There's a lot of effort in existing.  One night it was Walmart Hell.......having to stand in a long line so that I could part with $100 for stuff that I need in order to support my existence.  The next night it was Supermarket Hell.............having to stand in a long line so that I could eat normal food in order to support my existence.  The next night?  Walgreens Hell, so that I could buy supplies that I somehow forgot to buy at Walmart, and to get behind someone who wanted to argue with the cashier about sale prices or expired ads or maybe even about the serial numbers on the dollar bills that he got back in change. 

Then it's Internet Hell, since Cox Communications decided to send me my modem via FedEx, where the package was promptly stolen from in front of my front door since I wasn't there during the day to sign for it, and then I had to go stand in a long line at their so-called "Solutions Center" to get a modem which the so-called customer service representative didn't want to give me since "we already sent you one by FedEx!".  A threat of cancelling the service changed his mind about not wanting to give me a modem, but the bastards at Cox do not provide you connecting cables so that you can use your modem, and their Technical Support has no idea why you would want a connecting cable in the first place.  So then it's back to Walmart Hell to buy the cable, and to waste more time in a long line because someone at Cox who is in severe need of a violent beating thinks you don't need to have a connecting cable supplied with the modem (have they hired a lot of ex-EarthLink people?)

Then it was Mattress Hell..........the process of having to buy a bed since the air mattress that I bought during Walmart Hell was murder on my back.  At least this wasn't so much of a Hell as the other Hells, but it still consumed evening time that would have been better spent relaxing, but something I couldn't do because of all the other Hells going on.

On top of that, I've been barraged by a lot of phone calls from people who think I have lots of free idle time to yak yak yok yok yibble yibble on the phone, when I really need some down time.  These are calls from people who know of me from my former employer who were laid off before I was, hoping that I can help them get into where I'm at now, and these aren't people I ever heard of in the first place........but they heard that I found work, and to be honest I can't blame them for trying to get back in the workforce..........but............I simply do not have 60 minutes of free time to waste on the blasted phone, when I really need that time to talk to Sheila.  Yes, my new firm is hiring, but I haven't been there long enough to have "street cred". 

Anyway............I now have a bed to sleep in.  I have pots and pans.  And I finally was able to cook my first home cooked meal in this place, which was a welcome relief from Fast Food Hell where you're always stuck behind some cretin who has no idea why he's there in the first place, and who has to ask the cashier thirty or forty questions about what a hamburger is or what a taco is and who invented it and then isn't sure if he really wants to eat something in the first place. 

And it's home sweet apartment...........being away from Sheila, the kids, my cats, and the comforts of a real home in Arizona where the City Council has absolute hatred for people who want to contribute to society.

No, I'm not in a cheery mood these days.

Back from the Trashcan

I left Las Vegas yesterday for a drive back to Tucson.  I spent my final night at the extended stay on Tropicana Avenue Wednesday night, which is obviously part of that giant traschcan that Bob Self was referring to. 

The drive from there to here or vice versa is about 8 hours.  There is some of the most beautiful desert scenery between Wickenburg and Wikieup along US93.  Between Kingman and the Colorado River, it's rather desolate.  Between Phoenix metro and Wickenburg it ain't the greatest but it ain't the worst either.

Anyway, it's really nice to be home again.  Although in a few weeks I'll be an official Nevada resident, I think in my heart Tucson will always be my home.  I can see living in Las Vegas for the next few years, but the more I think about the real estate market both there and here, the more I think I'll be keeping the house in Tucson to come back here to retire.  In the meantime I've signed a lease on an apartment in North Las Vegas that is ten minutes away from where I am now working, and I might end up liking it there a whole lot more since I won't have to deal with I-15 anymore on a daily basis.

I will leave Tucson early Sunday morning and try to make it back to my new digs while there's still some daylight left.  I need to get the air mattress set up (which will do for a bed until I buy one) and there are some things I will need, like food and supplies. 

As for my new job............it really is the neatest thing I've ever done in my life.  Already I am wearing more than one hat in my job.  Last week I was playing mechanical engineer one task for a day, and the next day I was playing materials science engineer  on another.  I've been researching history on some stainless steel items that will fly in space next year, and I had to sift through reports making sure that the steel was properly treated and processed for spaceflight.  When I return on Monday I'll be helping out with electrical verification.

Meantime, I am enjoying time with Sheila.  We met with the Pastor to plan our wedding.  We're trying to keep it as simple as possible, but there's still some work that has to be done for this.

The honeymoon will come some time later.  I can see where we might get a suite one night at one of the Strip hotels, and then drive US66 from Kingman to Flagstaff.  We've been wanting to do that for some time but life's events keep getting in the way. 

I'd like to think that things will settle down a lot once the wedding is behind us.

Back to the Workforce

I returned to the workforce last Monday, reporting at 8:00 AM.  I immediately was taken to the executive office area (ultra modern looking, like you see in the movies!) for clear-in processing by Human Resources.  There were a lot of documents to sign, including benefits and 401k authorizations.  The HR lady commented that it was like trying to buy a house.  I don't remember clear-in taking as long as it did since the last time I had to do it was in 1999, and I'm sure more laws regarding employment have been passed since then so there's more that a company has to make you sign.

After that I was then taken for some briefings on some internal procedures.  That was rather painless as that my previous employer had this way of over-engineering the presentation to where it took longer to go thru all of that.  Then it was a visit to the company cafeteria, as that the coffee and cookies are free and it's customary for people there to take a coffee break.......I'll say that it's encouraged by management, and hey, if they want me to grab some coffee on their nickel then I'll take it.

At that point it was time to start my new assignment.  I was given some reading material on one of our hot projects and ten minutes into reading this I knew that I had made the right choice in accepting their offer.  Well, it was the offer I most wanted to get out of the existing possibilities, but it was nice to have that feeling re-confirmed.

I could write a few pages on what we are doing, but company policy will not allow that.  No, it's not classified or anything like that; it's that what we're doing is proprietary and the potential for industrial espionage is there.  I could name this employer and direct you to their website, but I'm not going to do that.  Those family and friends who need to know already know.

I will say this:  I am doing the neatest job that I've ever gotten to do in my life!  Mark back in San Jose was right when he predicted this.  He admitted being tempted to send in a resume to this firm.

* * * * * * *

There is naturally a collection of concerns that one has when undergoing a transition like this.  I'm not worried about losing this job or anything like that, even though the industry can be brutal.  I think we're the best at what we do so I have confidence in this company.

The concern though is whether or not I will be able to afford a house in the Las Vegas valley.  The market here is taking off and the market in Tucson is not.  I have heard some chatter that it is picking up in Tucson, but people who want to leave the People's Republic of California are more likely to land in Las Vegas than they are in Tucson.  There is no state income tax here and the climate is business-friendly.  In Tucson, the city council is doing all they can to discourage business, no doubt a consequence of their left-wing leanings.........meaning that they view all for-profit businesses and corporations as evil, and thus these enterprises must be punished with taxes, fees, and bureaucracy.

The upshot of that means that Tucson is on its way to becoming a retirement community, with only service-oriented industries.  The high tech jobs are disappearing.  They're going to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, Huntsville and other places.  So, that translates into a dismal housing market in Tucson.

Now I could sell and get some money out of my house.  Not as much as I'd like, of course.  The value was nearly doubled in 2004 but when the foreclosure wave emerged prices dropped to 2000 levels....the year that I bought my house. 

Las Vegas was hit harder by the bubble burst than most other cities.  I think the typical house ran up to $400k and a lot of people moved here from southern California.  Then the bubble burst, with Vegas having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation and those who kept their houses found out that they owed more money on their house than what it was worth (this hit Phoenix metro as well).

The crash here has since happened, but it's picking up again.  This new wave started in California, and quickly migrated to over here, and it might be picking up some in Phoenix. 

So the big concern here is, will I be able to afford a house here should I sell in Tucson?

 

* * * * * * *

One option is to keep the house in Tucson and rent it out.  I could easily clear a good chunk more in rent than what I'm paying on my mortgage.  That scenario of course would mean returning in Tucson when I'm really ready to retire.  Sheila loves the house, and I do too.  The lot sizes in Vegas though are small....you have to wonder why they don't build rowhouses like you see in Philadelphia and cram 'em in.  I personally wish my back yard in Tucson was bigger than it is, but it would be even smaller in Vegas.  I might have room for a BBQ grill and a few lounge chairs and that's it. 

So the second concern here is, the quality of house I could get here if I could get one.

 

* * * * * * *

The third concern is the school situation.  I had a good chat with the chief of security at my new employer.  He said that if kids are in the mix, live either in Henderson or in Summerlin.  If kids are not in the mix, then any good neighborhood would do.

We've already been looking at Henderson.  It would mean for a longer commute for me, but we're talking 20 minutes.  My boss lives in Henderson and loves it.  Henderson is also among the top five safest cities in the country, as reported by the FBI. 

The kids of course, are a little apprehensive about the move.  I won't interrupt a school year and I need to know that we'll be able to make it here as a family before I commit to a move.

However, I'm also prepared for the possibility that I'll be making frequent visits to Tucson for two years.  That is not to my liking nor is it to Sheila's, but if there's another boom here in housing prices that is not reflected in Tucson then we'll definitely have to hang on to the house.

* * * * * * *

Fourth concern.

I'm living in a state with legalized gambling.  As related in the previous post, there was a time in my life when I thought gambling was great as hot buttered popcorn and bottled beer, but I don't think that way now.  After coming up here for a BTO concert in 2002, I found myself being against legalized gambling for the first time in my life.

What had happened was that I had stayed Downtown, where BTO was playing on a stage set up at Fremont Street between the then Fitzgerald's and the Four Queens.  During my time there, I was constantly hit up on by panhandlers.  I got tired of it.  After the concert, Bob Self made the pronouncement that "The whole town is a trashcan!" and although I was laughing at it, I realized where he was coming from.

That Sunday morning, after gassing up for the return home, I saw this destitute guy walking around in a daze.  I'm thinking, this town sure has sure destroyed a lot of people.  When I got back to Arizona there was an election later on with three ballot measures seeking to expand Indian gaming in the state.

In the past I would have voted yes on these.

I voted no on all three, since I'm thinking about what I saw in Vegas and also thinking, not in my state.

I do have something of a libertarian streak in me and I believe that a state has the right to legalize gambling.  I've done some research as to why Nevada legalized it in 1931, and I want to do a little more reading on this. 

As for gambling itself.......I did discover one minor benefit.

I was Downtown yesterday for people-watching, and I stopped off at the Four Queens for a Coors Light.  The bartender informed me that if I put ten dollars into the video poker machine that was embedded into the counter right in front of me, he could "comp" me the beer....meaning that it's "free" if you gamble.  Otherwise, he'd have to charge me $4.50.

I got to thinking, what's to stop me from leaving the bar before I gamble away the ten dollars?  What are they gonna do about it?  So I fed ten smackers into the machine and went at it......slowly playing a quarter a hand.  I was slow and deliberative in playing my hand.  Once I was down to $7.50 in the machine I quit playing, although I pretended to be carefully studying the cards every time the bartender looked over at me.

When I was done, I cashed out. 

By my reckoning I paid $2.50 for that beer instead of $4.50, and had a little entertainment along the way.

 

* * * * * * *

That is going to be it for now.

No.....Not the Whole Town

Yesterday Sheila and I did some driving around and we saw some neighborhoods west of here that we liked.  They looked a lot like my neighborhood in Tucson, with the only drawback that I could think of was that it would take me some time to get to work since I'd be further away from the freeway.  I'll need to explore a little more of North Las Vegas and Henderson.  There's plenty of time for that later on, as that my next few days will be spent making sure that my new digs will have the utilities turned on effective my move-in date of 11/24.  I may rent where I'm at now for that whole week in the event that something goes wrong.  I'm thinking it might take two trips from "here" to "there" to move the things I've acquired since I arrived here.

Sheila is back in Tucson, and me, I feel like I'm away from home on a business trip, like I've been so many times before.  I spent several weeks in San Diego once when I was managing a satellite tracking facility that was set up at Qualcomm.  I spent three weeks in the Waco area of Texas providing launch support.  I've had three trips to Japan, the middle one being five weeks.  I've had more trips to Los Angeles than I can remember.  I am no stranger to hotel rooms or long term residence inns, but there is no place like home, and I look forward to being in my own bed Thanksgiving weekend.

A lot of people who know me are somewhat on the envious side that I have a job in Las Vegas and they don't.  I know of some people here who really enjoy living here.  If I could have one of those houses in a nice neighborhood like I saw yesterday, I could enjoy it here, and not miss my house in Tucson since I would have an equivalent or better one here. 

I can understand why someone who doesn't live here would love to vacation here.  Las Vegas is famous all the world over; I'm sure due to legalized gambling and the movies that feature this city.  In the mid 80s I really wanted to come here bad for a trip to see what it was all about.  I got to do that in 1986 and again in 1993, and although I enjoyed it, the reality is that three days in a casino district is enough and you want to be somewhere else.

I might be in the minority here, but I'm thinking that the Las Vegas of the 50s and 60s was in some ways a lot better.  The slot machines were mechanical and paid out in coins.  I've read where silver dollars circulated here.  I'm sure Glitter Gulch, a nickname for Downtown, was quite the exciting place to be.   All of that's changed now.  In some ways I like the change and in other ways I don't.

I'm sure that Sheila and I will be having lots of date nights Downtown.  There are a few places on the Strip that she still wants to check out.  She hasn't yet been inside the "Pyramid" (Luxor Hotel).  There's still Venice and the Bellagio to check out (I've been to the real ones in Italy).  I plan to take her there on her future visits.  When the kids come for the weekend, I want them to see the saxophone player Downtown, Carl Ferris, who performs there almost every night.  I might just end up being one of the few residents who vacations here from time to time.

As for gambling........a few words here.

There was a time in my life, such as in my early college years, that I thought gambling was great.  I wasn't yet 21 but I couldn't wait until I was so that I could go to Nevada and gamble.  I saw Nevada as a quick means to make a lot of money real quickly, and to have fun doing it.

At the age of 19 we went to Nebraska, in the summer of 1978, and I remember begging my dad to try out a slot machine since there was this chance of getting a whole lot of free money out of it (we had stopped in Reno for gas).  He relented and put in a quarter, or maybe it was a dollar bill, came up empty, and then asked me if I was happy.  We were then on our way to Nebraska.

On the return leg of that trip, we had stopped in Winnemucca.  I knew that I wasn't old enough, but I really wanted to try out some slot machines that were across the street from where we were staying.  I announced my plans.......my dad was going to go ahead and let me learn the lesson while my mom cautioned me to be safe since Nevada has a higher crime rate.

I walked into that casino, acting like I owned the place.  I went to the cashier and asked to buy a roll of nickels.  She said "good luck to you" as she handed me the roll, and I went on my way to make some free money.....or so I thought.

I went at it with a nickel slot machine.  At one point the security guard was looking at me, like maybe I wasn't really old enough to be playing the machine......which I wasn't.  I glared back at him with a "you leave me the **** alone!" look and he never came over to challenge me.  I continued at it, getting small payouts here and there.

Then I ran out of nickels.  They were all gone.  After the course of ten minutes or fifteen minutes or whatever it was, I had lost $2.00.  I then decided to walk back across to the motel.  I felt like I was cheated.  The casino was rigged.  They cheated me out of two dollars, and I was somewhat torqued over that.  The bastards stole that money off of me, and I wasn't going to get it back.

It wasn't until some years later that I gambled again in Nevada, although legally.  I probably should tell you some more gambling stories in the posts ahead.

As for whether or not I'm gambling now.........let's just say that as a soon to be resident, I tend to view casinos more for their dining and buffets and people watching more than for anything else.

I can't see the point in gambling, as that it's a good way to be separated from your money.

"The Whole Town's a Trashcan!"

Years ago at a BTO concert in Las Vegas, which is where I am at now, I got to hang around with the band during their meet & greet, and chit-chat with them and with their then merchandise manager, Bob Self.  I've known Bob for several years.  We knew each other in San Jose, we met again in Vegas, he's now in Colorado and I'm now here back in Vegas.  We're still in touch, mainly via the forum on Randy Bachman's website, and we've spoken on the phone as well.

Anyway, this show was on Fremont Street, between the corners of what used to be the Fitzgerald and what is now still the Four Queens.  After the show, at one point, Bob's wife asked "Honey, where's the trash can?".  Ole Bob, crusty and loveable as he is (he looked like Danny DeVito 25 years ago) said "The whole town's a trashcan!".  I still laugh at that; he doesn't remember saying that, and I was with Sheila along Fremont Street earlier this afternoon where I told her this was where Bob called the town a trashcan.

We have been here for two days, and in some ways Bob was right.  We were in North Las Vegas apartment hunting yesterday morning and found the place, and we went to the Strip after that.  I wanted her to see New York New York, which has that neat inside area with the bars and restaurants.  Our being impressed with that area of North Las Vegas though was eclipsed with what else we saw on the Strip.

The Strip isn't anything like it used to be in the mid-80s when I first saw it, and it's changed from when I last saw it in 2008.  It seems as if they're demolishing hotels and rebuilding new ones faster than Major League Baseball does with ballparks and as modern as it might look, I really don't like it.  I don't like the sleaze factor that you see, and Bob's quote about the whole town being a trash can kept coming back.  I told Sheila that too much more of that and I would be wanting to go back to Tucson to retire.

Today we went to Downtown.  Both of us saw Fremont Street before they remodeled the whole thing.  Both of us are glad in one way that they did it but sad in another way that they did.  I've always liked Downtown; and it was nice to stroll up and down Fremont and people-watch.  We had a nice buffet at Main Street Station although there's only so much of Fremont Street that you can take too.  We figure on being back there from time to time when she comes up to visit.  She'll be up for my birthday next month.

As for the move.....today we learned that we got the lease, and I move in on 11/24.  The place where I'm at now is functional and will do, but the apartment will be much better and I'll be glad to be out of where I'm at now.  There are eating places within walking distance, but once I'm in NLV I plan on eating home cooked meals again.

It will be a spartan existence.  I'll be sleeping on an air mattress until I buy a bed and have it delivered.  I have no furniture up here so I might be sitting in lawn chairs or a beanbag chair.  We don't want to start moving things up here until we're really sure this is where we want to be.  I figure that I'll be with this firm for some time, but I'll admit I'm going to see how it all works out with them.  My previous employer has gotten worse with how they are treating their people, and I'm hearing similar stories with other companies.  I did not sense that with the firm that I'm joining though I do expect that the job will be intense......in a good sort of way. 

We think some areas of North Las Vegas are great places to live.  We also think the same thing of Henderson.  The further you are from the casino districts, the better off you are, and it would be like living in Scottsdale.  I'm not sure though if the move will be permanent.  The Tucson housing market isn't the greatest right now for a seller, and the market here may pick up again (the bubble burst big here in 2009). 

Sheila goes home tomorrow, and I've got four days on my hands where I'm going to have to get inventive on things to do until I start my new job.  I might start writing lyrics again, though I also could see exploring the area some.  I could do the dam tour, but I think I'll wait until Sheila comes back before I do that.  I might drive out to Pahrump to see what's there, or I might go to Rhyolite...which I last saw in 1993.

Las Vegas is known for coin shows and perhaps I should go to one this weekend if there is one going on.  There is always something going on here.

But I might also stay in and read, as that Bob's quote might come back to me again if I go out.

The Next Chapter in Life Starts Tomorrow!

It's been a frantic week. 

I arrived home from San Jose Wednesday evening.  I took I-40 back and drove US 66 in both Barstow and Needles.  The stretch from Ludlow to Mountain Springs Road exit I-40 was closed, but I couldn't have driven that and made it back to Tucson that night.  I was worn out something good, and immediately had to start preparations for a long stay in Las Vegas.

I have booked a month at a residence inn a mile or so off the Strip.  Under Nevada law, if I stay 30 days there then I don't have to pay the 12% tax because then I'm considered a resident.  I will be spending some time looking for an apartment and I'm either going to land somewhere near Nellis or I'm going to land in Henderson.  Once an address is figured out, I'll apply for a Nevada driver license and get Nevada tags on the truck.  I might wait though until early January before I declare myself a resident there.

In addition to all of that, some things around the house decided to start self-destructing.  Sheila's pleased as punch with the new dishwasher, but it brought forth a problem that a needed a plumber to fix.  Sheila knew the right one.  We had to bring him back yesterday when the downstairs toilet started leaking, and while he was there we discovered roots returning to attack my cleanout line.  This guy was good; he charged me less than I was prepared to pay, and I told Sheila from here on out he's our plumber.

This afternoon the latch mechanism failed in one of the downstairs doors.  I've changed that lock a few times over the years I've owned the house, but this one defied every attempt at home repair.  I had to call a locksmith.......and this one was good too!  I got off with a $65 repair when I thought I was going to have to pony up two bills.  So we have a new locksmith of choice, if we decide to keep the house.  If.

The hot tub still needs fixing but that's a future repair. 

I needed new tires on my truck, that was taken care of yesterday.

Ring shopping has wrapped up. 

With all of the above and lodging stays in California, I am dreading what the credit card balances will be when the bill comes.  Fortunately I've got a good pile of money in the bank.  I can pay them off in full, but I'm thinking that I'm going to have to apply for a Southwest Airlines Visa to start racking up points.  I'll be flying back to Tucson once a month and perhaps driving once a month as well.

I would be lying to you if I told you that all of this was easy.  It isn't.  The relocation to Tucson was a whole lot easier since I wasn't moving a whole lot of stuff.  In fifteen years not only did I buy a house and live in it, I bought things to fill it up.  That stuff now has to be moved up to Nevada if we decide later next year that's our new home, or we sell it so it doesn't have to be moved. 

The job itself?  That I'm not worried about.  It literally is an area of engineering where I can make a difference that's going to benefit the planet.  It is advanced technology, innovative, and it's something that not everyone gets to work on.  It's better than being a satellite engineer, which I once was.  I'll be working on spacecraft.  It's going to be challenging.  It's also going to be a great deal of fun.  And, I'll be living in a city where most folks in the rest of the world want to visit.  I will actually get to live there.

Yes, I'm going to miss Tucson.  I'm going to miss a lot of the people here, even if over the next six months I'm back here.  I'm going to miss some fabulous Mexican restaurants and the southern Arizona attractions.

But I'll tell you what is really great. 

I have a fiancée who has literally surpassed every girl of my dreams that I could possibly have dreamt up.  She's been a wonderful source of support.  She's encouraging me to go forward with this venture.  She's prepared for a relocation to Nevada.  And she's going to become my wife early next year.  I'm getting two wonderful kids as part of the package too. 

I'm now going to sign. 

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

Barstow, CA, 11/4/14

Greetings from Barstow, CA!  I started my drive home to Tucson this morning and decided to take I-40 on the way back.  I felt too tired to push on to Needles, so I stopped here while there was still some daylight left.  I exited CA 58 at Main Street, which is the old 66, and I think I will do one more drive down Main Street before the Interstate again as that it's neat seeing these old motels dedicated to the 66 buff.

It is tempting to jump off of I-40 at Ludlow and to repeat that stretch between there and Needles, but that would make for a longer day......and besides, Sheila's not with me to help me enjoy it.  I did feel a sense of joy taking Main Street in instead of I-15.  I think the old 66 is a neat road, whether you're on the main drag of a small town or out in the middle of the desert. 

* * * * * * *

The start date of my new job is 11/17.  I will be in Tucson for just a few days, before leaving for Las Vegas on Sunday.  Sheila is riding up with me and flying back to Tucson on Wednesday night.  The hope is to have a new apartment located and rented, but I anticipate staying in an extended stay inn for two weeks or so while I wait for utilities to be turned on.  I will drive home for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, and with each return to my new digs I'll haul more things up in my truck.

I will not be able to say very much about my new job.  Although I could identify my new employer, what we're working on is of a proprietary nature.  Yes, you could read about it on their website as well as in some trade publications, but you won't read about it here. 

* * * * * * *

I'm watching election returns on Fox News as I type this.  They are projecting that the Republicans will take control of the Senate, with at least 52 seats.  This isn't really a surprise, and it's not a final number until the Louisiana runoff, but no matter how you slice this it's a reflection of voter anger.

Some eck-spurts are saying that it's a referendum on incumbency, but Republican incuments seem to be doing very well as I type this (with the exception of the Kansas Governor).  I think voters are just plain angry at the White House.

Ebola's been deliberately imported into the country, and the President is refusing to follow the lead of several nations overseas who have closed their borders to the Ebola countries.  Putin has invaded the Ukraine.  ISIS terrorists are beheading American and British journalists.  Health care coverage is being dropped for more people and those who still have it are facing stiffer premiums. 

The Great Leader Messiah isn't leading, but is often seen smiling while riding his girlie bike and wearing mom jeans. 

Yes, this is a referendum on Obama.

The big question here is, are the Republicans capable of recognizing it?  Are they going to stop Obama?  Or are they going to roll over for him, like they have done for the last six years?

The Democrats have demonstrated that they shouldn't be allowed to remain in charge and the Republicans have not demonstrated that they should be trusted to take their place. 

In the meantime, look for an Imperial Presidency that hasn't been seen since the days of Nixon.

 

* * * * * * *

I'm now going to call it a night. 

The Fat Lady has Sung!

One week ago I was informed that I had a job offer being tendered to me by one of the potential employers that I had interviewed with.  Last Monday, after careful consideration, I accepted the offer.  I'm not yet ready to make it public with who.  Let's just say that I underwent the drug screening yesterday and today I started a vacation of sorts that I promised myself.

Sheila is staying in my house in Tucson, and I'm in a motel room in Banning, CA, this evening.  I'm going up to San Jose to visit my parents, Mark, and some other folks.  My stay there will not be for very long.  I need to be back in Tucson on the 8th as that a good friend there has invited us over for dinner to celebrate. 

My new position is going to be an exciting one, but does carry with it some risks.  I'll be working in the private spaceflight segment of the aerospace industry.  There have been two significant failures recently, one of them today, which is to say that the business isn't exactly an easy one.  Then again, it never has been.  It never was.  A lot of hard lessons were learned in the early days.  My concern right now is the available expertise.  Many engineers with the experience and know-how have been forced into early retirement and those replacing them are re-inventing a lot of wheels.  My new employer is picking up people who were downsized; my new boss was forced out a few years back.

In a strange twist, we both worked for the same company back in Silly-Con Valley, on the same projects, but we never crossed paths.  He knew of me and I knew of him.  I called Chip a few weeks back to ask about him, and was told that if he offers me a job to take it.......which I did.

My start date is being worked out and I won't know what it is for a week or so.

Also, I'll be relocating to the Las Vegas, Nevada area.  The plan is for me to be in an apartment for six months or so while Sheila gets my house ready for sale.  Tucson real estate isn't exactly the greatest right now and she may be down there for another six months after that.  We're preparing for the possibility that the house may not sell right away, but regardless, I'm putting some money into it to get it where we want it.

There's also the possibility that we may rent it out, and return to Tucson in five years or so to retire there.  Or, we might retire in Henderson, Nevada (I think we'll still check out Ely and possibly Pahrump).  There are some things I like about Nevada but there are others that I don't.  Vegas has the entertainment and the dining, but there are drawbacks.  One problem with big cities is that they have big city problems.  I have verified that the traffic/commute isn't all that bad as long as the Strip is not involved. 

There is more to tell, but that will have to wait for another time.

I've had my forced sabbatical, and I learned that I was not ready for retirement, though I'll admit that earlier this year the though of retiring was tempting.

My plans are to be in the workforce for several more years and then to go out when I'm ready to go out. 

That's it for now.

The Fat Lady Ain't Sung Yet

I had thought a week ago that at this time next week, which is now, that I might have something to pass along regarding my situation.  I don't know when I will have something to say on this.  Once I can say something, I'll tell the whole story.  This opera ain't over yet.

* * * * * *

The shooting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was on my mind earlier today.  My thoughts and prayers are with our northern neighbors.  What happened was a senseless act of terrorism, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper isn't afraid to call it that.

Had it happened down here, President Obama would have called it "workplace violence". 

 

* * * * * * *

What is also emerged in the news (if you know where to look) is that two soldiers were run down in another act of terrorism in Quebec.  I didn't know that until I looked at the webpage for the Montreal Gazette in trying to learn more about what had happened in Ottawa.

It is unknown at this time if these events are connected or related in any way.

What is known is that they are happening.  My gut feel is that we're in for more of these.

* * * * * * *

The latest scuttlebutt on President Obama's Executive Order on "amnesty" for illegal aliens is that it will happen after the elections.  I think it's likely that there will be a runoff for Louisiana's Senate seat and that this order will come after that.

He has to know that we don't want this, and the Republican National Committee has to know the same thing, but don't expect the Republicans to do very much in addition to pretending that they don't like the amnesty. 

They said on Day One of the Obama presidency that they wanted him to "succeed".

 

* * * * * * *

That's all for now.

Happy Birthday Fred Turner! (plus some odds and ends)

I'd like to wish C.F. (Fred) Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame a most happy birthday!  I've already emailed him, but I'm still going to give him a shout here as well.

* * * * * * *

As is with the case with last month, this month is threatening to have a different ending than what I envisioned when it started.  Yes, this is all due to the machinations behind the scenes, and my thinking is that I will be presented with what will be a difficult decision.......but a nice problem to have.  With what I know right now, I have it in my mind which way I want this to go, but there's some more information which needs to be gathered.  The decision has been made to gather that information.

Either way, I figure I'll come out ahead.  I just don't know which way will get me further ahead.

* * * * * * *

As I write this, Ebola is very much in the news.  Conspiracy theorists will tell you that the Obama administration wants this on our shores very badly, which explains why first brought in two Americans with it over here for treatment, and then still refuses to ban incoming travel from west Africa even though we've had three cases here emerge within the past two weeks, with more to come.  Conspiracy theorists need to be regarded as such, but every now and then they are going to be right, and my concern right now is that they are right on this one. 

We're being told by the CDC (Center for Disease Control, though that should stand for Center for Disease Confusion) director that it's safe to ride the bus since you can't catch Ebola from the guy sitting next to you who has it.  The CDC director is also saying that if you have Ebola, to not ride the bus, as that you might give it to the guy who's sitting next to you.

This situation, more than anything, illustrates the level of contempt that President Obama has for this country. 

Do you think now that the government should take over health care?  Do you think now that we should have a "single payer" health care system, given the way that Ebola is being (mis)managed?

When will you wake up?  What will it take?

* * * * * * *

That's it for now.

Here are some songs written and sung by Fred Turner:

Can You Feel It  (other Brave Belt tunes will follow this)

Blue Collar

Give it Time (live version, Winnipeg, 5/31/10)

Not Fragile

Blue Moanin'

Madison Avenue

Neutral Zone

Away from Home

Givin' it All Away  (written by Blair Thornton, vocals shared with Randy Bachman.....but I figured this would be a great last song)

The Machinations Behind the Scenes

It is very tempting right now to spill the beans over the latest exciting news.  As it is, it's best that I keep quiet about this until the right time.  Let's just say that the undercurrents and how I fell into them will make one heck of a story if this boat I'm on gets me to the destination that it's threatening to get me to.

Once this is over, I'll tell the story.

I do believe that the hand of the Good Lord is in all of this.

End of Month Situation Report, plus Odds and Ends.

If there's one thing that this month has taught me, is that what you think might happen at the beginning of the month may not be the same as what you think might happen when you reach the end of the month.  I'm talking specifically about the machinations that have been going on behind the scenes that I can't talk about.  In and of themselves they do suggest a light at the end of the tunnel, but at this time I don't know where the other end of that tunnel is.

Once this is over, I'll go into more detail as to what took place.  I don't know when I'll be able to do that, so please stay tuned.

* * * * * * *

The monsoon season, I think, is over.  We had an extension of it thanks to the help of a hurricane which spared Tucson from the intense rain and flooding that other areas got.  Phoenix got some flooding at the front end of the month, and I've been told they got some more a week or so ago.

I should be better informed of things like these days as far as local events go, and I try to be, but my main source of information for southern Arizona now wants to start charging for that information.  As that most of their so-called "news" is editorial opinion in the first place, I'm not paying the charge.

* * * * * * *

I think Sheila and I will end up getting married shortly after the first of the next year.  I've been more focused on fighting my forced retirement than on most other things these days.  There isn't going to be a big wedding anyway.  She doesn't want anyone there except us and the pastor.  I'm not sure, but I think state law here might require a pair of witnesses, and there are about ten people I'd like to see show up for this one.  I'd like for Mark to be the best man, as he was for my previous wedding, but if he can't make it then I've got someone else picked out who will gladly do it.

 

* * * * * * *

The honeymoon won't happen right away after the wedding.  I haven't forgotten that we'd like to do US66 for this one.  If it can be arranged, I'd like to pick up the Main Street of America in Santa Fe, and then take as much of we can of it over to Kingman, and then swing up to Las Vegas for the finale.

* * * * * * *

And that is going to be it for this entry.

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

40 Years Ago Today

Forty years ago I was a high school student in Randolph, NJ.  I was attending Randolph High School and had recently discovered this new band called Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  I was in my junior year, a move away from New Jersey was on the horizon, and some weeks previously I had completed the written examination for my ham radio license.

It was Friday, a Friday the 13th at that, and I was waiting for the FCC to send me my license.  It had been maybe four weeks or so since I had taken the written test.  That was preceded two weeks prior by my Morse Code test.  I knew that the FCC would take anywhere from four to six weeks to send me my license, and on that Friday, I looked over at a then-classmate of mine named Steve Bxxx and said, "I wonder if the FCC has sent my license yet?"

In those days, getting a ham license was different than it was today.  My uncle Keith was my "Elmer", or ham radio mentor if you will.  I had developed an interest in ham radio that summer and was studying the Morse Code.  I had some familiarity with electricity and theory by then, but I still studied that, as well as rules and regulations, since half of the test would be on the rules and regs.

Uncle Keith said that when I was ready for the Morse Code test, he couldn't do it since he was a relative.  He suggested contacting a local ham.  I knew of one, a Mr. William H. Rawson, K2AX, out of nearby Dover.  I looked him up in the phone book, called him up, introduced myself, and would he be willing to administer the examination?

He said yes, and a few days later I was at his house.  With a 1 x 2 callsign he had been a ham for several years, and an Extra Class one at that.  He administered a Morse Code test, with the requirement that I demonstrate proficiency at five words per minute.  I passed the test, whereupon he signed the paperwork that he, as a volunteer examiner, had certified my proficiency, and he had mailed off the paperwork to the FCC.

Some two weeks later, I was back at his house for the written portion.  It was a simple test, with half of it devoted to simple theory.  It's been so long that I can't remember what the specific questions were but I think I had to understand the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.  I had to know what frequencies that a Novice Class License could operate on.  I may have been questioned on the relationship between wavelength and frequency.  And I may have had to know how to calculate series and parallel resistance in an electric circuit.

So, a few weeks after that, it's Friday the 13th on a September afternoon, and I'm wondering where my license is, and if it's going to be in the mailbox at home; waiting for me.

Unbeknownst to me that afternoon, the FCC had already acted.  I was issued my license, effective 9/13/74, for the callsign WN2WVB.  However, I wasn't going to get it for another week.  It arrived one week later, and when it did, Uncle Keith drove over from Long Island to help me get set up.

My first QSO, or "contact", was with Mr. Rawson.  I was nervous at the last half of it and missed some of the Morse Code he had sent me, but the gist of it was congratulations, and to now get going and contact some more people.  That was on or about 9/22/74, and later on that weekend I was on the air.  The second QSO after that was a local one, and one later that night was with a novice ham in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Here I am forty years later, and my license is still active.  I've been on and off the air in several cycles since then.  Due to moves later on in high school, my callsign was changed to WN4ROS, then WN6MPP, and when I upgraded I became WA6MPP for many years.  I climbed my way up the ham radio ladder, getting my Extra Class license in 1983. 

Throughout the years in this hobby, I've made some good friends, and have talked to hams in more countries than I can remember.  And on this anniversary, I'm thinking, I need to get back into it......once the work situation is resolved.

Things have changed in that hobby over the years.  For all examinations since my Novice, I had to appear at the FCC in San Francisco to take the code and written tests.  These days, volunteer examiner committees administer the tests, and I think the Advanced Class license was phased out.  Frequency bands for phone (what we call "voice") have been adjusted, and some new bands have been created. 

But some things won't change:  the thrill of speaking to someone in a foreign country.  The camaraderie that you find in a local ham radio club.  The fun of building a low power transmitter and seeing if it works. 

Yes..........I need to get back into this.

Sunday Evening, 8/31/14

I probably ought to have a post that's going to tell the two or three readers that I have what's going on in my life these days, and what I'm doing to keep busy. 

I am these days, considering myself as "between jobs".  If anything, I have realized that at this point in my life, I'm not ready for retirement, even if I have managed to find enjoyment in my time off.  I have caught up on a lot of reading and have had some fun in working on my coin collection.  I've picked up the guitar again and have gotten my chops back, and I may start a new songwriting project even though I should finish those that I started some time ago.  But songs can take time to develop.

So what's happening on the job search front?  Plenty.  I am not at liberty at this point in time to disclose the machinations that are going on behind the scenes, other than to say that there are machinations.  If for some reason in my next post I'm able to tell you something, then I'll also tell you what else had been going on.  Right now it's stay tuned.

Now for some other observations.

* * * * * * *

In some conversations that I've had with my father and with Sheila, both of them independently brought up this feeling that the nation will be at war soon.  I passed that along to a good friend of mine who agreed with that, and even went so far as to say that the nation needs a war in order to get back that sense of unity that we once had.

He wasn't advocating that we go start a war somewhere, and neither were Sheila or my father.  The feeling is, and I'm beginning to suffer from that as well, is that we are due for another terror attack on our country.

The King of Saudi Arabia (who our President bows down to) has stated that terrorist actions against the United Kingdom and the United States are coming and coming soon.  We've had generals state that we need to do something about ISIS, a group that no one had heard about until recently.

What is President Obama doing?

He has admitted that there is no strategy, which is possibly the first time in his life that he's told the truth about anything.  No strategy.  None.

His defenders are praising him for being brilliant, for not advertising his strategy, even though he has no strategy in the first place.

However, his defenders are squirming because instead of having a strategy, that he's doing fundraisers, out on the golf course, or out riding this girlie bike while wearing a pair of mom jeans.

As for that coming war itself, it will not be a war that Obama wants to win, but it will be a war falling into the lap of his successor.

 

* * * * * * *

The Arizona primary elections were held last Tuesday.  From what I can tell the Establishment Republicans, who along with ISIS are a threat to our national security, didn't get all of the candidates that they wanted, but they got a few of who they wanted the most.

One of them is Martha McSally, who is running once more for Congress against incumbent Ron Barber.

I'm no Ron Barber fan, but I'm going to be brutally honest and state that I want to see him win.

Martha McSally, when she first ran two years ago, stated in her campaign that she deserved the seat because she was the first female Colonel to lead a flight squadron in the Air Force.  Hello?  Air Force service is a plus, and most (but not all) bird colonels I've met were great people.  One of the best bosses I ever had was a bird colonel. 

But what Martha McSally isn't telling you is that her supporters, when she lost the special primary to Jesse Kelly, went behind the scenes to support Ron Barber and to sabotage the Kelly campaign.  The Establishment Republicans here came out to voice their support for Barber, and even though McSally wasn't one of them, she wasn't supporting Kelly either.  She wanted him to lose so that she could run again in November against Barber, which she did.  She narrowly lost that election and my conscience is clear in telling you that I did not vote for her.

Two years later, McSally's back at it, and with the support of the Republican National Committee.  You know, that Committee that is on record for stating that they wanted to see President Obama succeed. 

This time around, Martha McSally isn't taking any positions on the burning issues.  Two years ago she was in favor of "amnesty" for illegal aliens, but she's not taking a stand on that issue this year.  She also isn't stating her position on the Second Amendment.  Her ads feature testimonials from people who know her who tell you what a great person she is, but her ads do not state in any way what her position on Obamacare is.  She simply isn't taking any positions.  We don't know what she stands for because she's not going to tell us.

At least, those people who speak about her aren't telling us. 

They probably don't know either.

 

* * * * * * * *

In the race for governor, Doug Ducey has won the nomination, much to the chagrin of the Republican National Committee.  We know where Doug Ducey stands on the issues, and I agree with his stand on all of them. 

However, Doug Ducey isn't running against President Obama for the governor's chair.  He isn't telling us what he plans to do for Arizona. 

It seems to me that Arizona has an opportunity to attract businesses from other states which would bring us jobs.  He might want to capitalize on that and take some lessons from Rick Perry of Texas.

* * * * * * *

That's it for this evening.

Time for Some Tunes!

We did this kind of post once before, and I think it's time to do it again:  a selection of tunes that I hope you will enjoy as much as I do.  These are all YouTube links; if you want to come back to this blog you'll have to hit that "return" arrow that's in your browser.

I apologize for any ads that you're forced to endure.  In picking these out, I have tried to select links where there aren't any ads, but the Google Boyz have a way of sneaking them in there anyway.  Look at the bright side......they didn't make you pay to come here, or to watch these.

 

* * * * * * *

Our first selection for this evening is from Randy Bachman.  I've linked to it before in a previous post, but I thought it would be a good leadoff for this collection.  Its' from his Survivor album, released in 1978, and it's the leadoff track.  You might notice a Beach Boys influence in this one.

Just a Kid

* * * * * * *

Next up is April Wine.  This is track #2 off of their Harder....Faster.... album, which was released in 1979.  This was released as a single in 1980 in Canada as well as stateside.  I think it's better known up there than down here.  It's a longtime favorite of mine.

Say Hello

 

* * * * * * *

The third selection for this evening is from the Smithereens.  This is a interesting song, in my opinion.  Well structured, with an interesting concept about having to leave something behind.

House We Used to Live In

 

* * * * * *

The fourth song is a classic from Foreigner.  It was one of Hal's favorite tunes due to its science fiction theme.  It remains in Foreigner's set list to this day, testifying to its staying power. 

Starrider

* * * * * * *

The next tune is one that comes from an album that I do not own, and I'm going to have to get off of my sitting end to rectify that situation.  From north of border, where a lot of good music comes from, we have Kim Mitchell!

Lager and Ale

* * * * * * *

Now we're at side two, and the first track for side two has to come from a vinyl album that had its song positioned at side two, right?  That's how I see it.

So..........this next one is from Tom Petty's solo effort Full Moon Fever, from 1989.  This is one of my favorite albums. 

Feel A Whole Lot Better

* * * * * * *

This next one is a bit difficult to play on guitar, and if you don't believe me then give it a try and let me know how you make out.  Its claim to fame is that it was the B-side to the BTO single "Let it Ride".  It is from the album Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, released December 1973.

Tramp

 

* * * * * * *

This next song is an old classic from Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

 

Run Through the Jungle

* * * * * * *

This next one is what you call a song.  As Greg Kihn would say, they don't write 'em like that anymore.  I'd like to think that I can write one like this.  It's from one of the best albums ever recorded, American Woman, by The Guess Who.

Proper Stranger

* * * * * * *

Our final song this evening is from the Smithereens.  One this one we have a rare vocal by Jim Babjak.  And I'll admit, this one has influenced a song that I've co-written that's called "Junkyard Road".  "Junkyard Road", of course, is the closing track of the first album that we did, that hasn't been recorded yet.  Maybe one day it'll be on YouTube.

Anyway.........I thought of this song when I was doing yesterday's post.  I like not only the song but I wish this burger chain would open up here in Tucson.

White Castle Blues

* * * * * * *

 

That's all folks!

 

 

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat!



Boycott Burger King? or, the Law of Unintended Consequences

In the business headlines today it was announced that Burger King is in talks to buy Tim Horton's, a well-known chain in Canada, and that BK will move its headquarters to our northern neighbor and become a Canadian corporation for tax reasons.  This is a move that is called a "tax inversion", which means that the acquiring company obtains a tax benefit by leaving the United States for a country where the corporate income tax rate is lower.  This is due to somewhat recent changes in the tax code.  Corporate income taxes are hiked since those hiking them think that the corporations aren't doing their "fair share", and by hiking their taxes the government gets more money in the process.

This seems like a good idea to Joe and Jane Citizen and it seems like an even better idea to the government taxmasters.  Make the corporations pay more; they've got the money, right?  But as is often the case where what seems like a new law is a good idea, that new law fails to take into account what I call the Law of Unintended Consequences. 

The Law of Unintended Consequences, in the instance of increasing corporate tax rates, can have two obvious results.

The first result is higher prices passed on to the consumer.  Think about this for a minute.  A corporation isn't in business to provide you with some sort of service.  A corporation is in business to make money.  Oh, there are some enterprises out there who are very customer-service oriented and they see their revenue as an indication as to how they are succeeding in providing customer service, but even those corporations are not going to remain in business if expenditures outpace revenues.  Corporate beancounters are all well too familiar with the "cost of doing business", and although they accept that as a reality, another reality is that they are going to keep that under control.  Increased costs will be passed along to the consumer of the product if those increased costs are seen as remaining for any foreseeable future.  Higher prices for the product is the most likely consequence of increased corporate tax rates. 

The next obvious consequence is what you're seeing happen with Burger King.  It's nothing new as that it's had precedent for several decades in one sense.  Increasing the corporate tax rate to something that the corporation is not willing to live with can and will result in that corporation relocating its headquarters in some cases and relocating its state of incorporation in many other cases.

How many of you have heard the term "Delaware corporation"?  I use to work for one.  The corporate headquarters were in southern California, and later on in Maryland, but for legal (tax) reasons the corporation was incorporated within the State of Delaware.  A corporation doesn't incorporate in Delaware because the CEOs want to live there.  The corporation incorporates there because Delaware doesn't charge them as much to incorporate there as California does.  (When I was living in San Jose, I heard frequent ads on the radio encouraging business execs to incorporate in Nevada for similar reasons). 

But this second consequence isn't limited to where a corporation files their articles of incorporation.  Corporations will also migrate to states that are more business friendly.  Governor Rick Perry of Texas has mounted efforts to bring corporations to Texas, where residents do not pay state income tax and where the regulations not as burdensome.  Huntsville, Alabama has seen major defense companies expand there while contracting facilities that are elsewhere (as in California).  A good friend of mine back in San Jose works for a company based in Tennessee, and the parent in Tennessee seems to be making preparations for work to be done there and not in California. 

So if regulation and tax rates are having the unintended consequence of corporate assets from one state to another, is it really a surprise that the bigger corporations who have overseas assets would want to base in other countries if the tax rates upon them here are hiked?  Corporate lobbyists warned our lawmakers what would happen if their tax burdens were increased.  They said they would up and leave if the new tax rates are too high.  That might have been seen as threats and bluffing, but corporate CEOs are beholden to the bottom line so that institutional investors such as mutual funds will invest in their companies.  Reduced profits leads to reduced investment.  They can only pass along so much of their cost of doing business to the consumer.  Eventually, a  point is reached to where their corporate lawyers discover ways to legally pay lower tax rates, which is why tax inversions are now becoming popular.

Now let's get back to Burger King.

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio is now calling for a boycott of Burger King.  He wants consumers to go to Wendy's or White Castle.  He's calling for people to patronize companies based in his state, and he very likely wants you to think that he's eating there too.

First of all, United States Senators aren't known for going for fast food meals unless they're on the campaign trail and they want to be photographed at one.  They eat in their own private cafeteria or have their staffers bring food to their offices.  Oh, I'm sure there are a few who like the occasional Big Mac or the Chinese takeout, but when they go on their lunch break they're not going to walk around in public until they find themselves at a Wendy's.  It's simply beneath them to do that.

Second, as far as boycotting goes, I'll eat where I damn well please.  I may or may not go to Burger King.  I normally don't here in Tucson since Burger Kings in this town tend to have bad service (if you can call it service in the first place), and plus, since we have Culver's, Freddy's Steakburgers and In-N-Out the odds of my going to BK aren't that great in the first place.  However, I've been known to stop off at them while on the road, as that the BK restaurants outside of Tucson seem to have decent service and I happen to like flame-broiled Whoppers. 

Third, why is the Senator surprised at what Burger King is doing?  If a corporation can reduce their expenses by basing themselves in Canada, why wouldn't they go there?  Canada will not be raising their tax rates, especially if they're collecting unintended revenue from American corporations relocating there.  They might be tempted to lower corporate tax rates in order to attract more outside investment.

I don't particularly like to see the corporations here move overseas.  I want to make that clear.

However, if you have a bunch of Tax Nazis in the government who want to confiscate more money from them since they can't get the budget under control, can you blame them?

Will Obama be Impeached? (or, the Fallacy of Appeal to Fear)

The past few days has the news from Organized Media as well as from other outlets chattering about the possibility of Obama being impeached.  This chatter is no doubt driven from speculation that he is about to issue an Executive Order where he will grant amnesty to several million illegal aliens, using the excuse that it's necessary to bypass Congress since Congress has not passed the so-called "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" legislation that he so desperately wants.  The arrival within the past months of children from Central America has made headlines for the past few weeks as the Border Patrol has been tasked with dealing with this influx, and that no doubt is catalyzing the situation.

Impeachment talk is also being driven by the decision from House Republicans, led by Speaker Boehner, to start the processing of a lawsuit against President Obama.  Obama seems to be bothered not one whit about the lawsuit and doesn't care if it happens or not.  I don't have any reason to believe that he would care about the verdict going against him, and he certainly seems, by his actions, to be begging for an impeachment.

The thinking among the Democrats is that impeachment proceedings against the President will motivate their base to come out to the polls and vote to protect control of the Senate by the Democrats.  From what I have been reading lately, a lot of incumbent Democrat Senators are worried about being voted out.  From my Qualitative Reasoning and Logic class that I had several years ago at San Jose State, the argument suffers from the Fallacy of Appeal to Fear.  Simply stated, the argument is "you Democrats, you better come out and vote for us because if you don't Obama will be impeached".  Do you see the Appeal to Fear here?  The tactic has been used before, as in by the Republicans in 2006 when they told their voters "you better come out and vote for us because if you don't Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker of the House".  They could not provide a legitimate reason for being allowed to continue controlling the House, so they had to use the Fallacy of Appeal to Fear.

The Republicans lost control of the House in the 2006 midterm, and the Democrats fear losing the Senate in this year's midterm.  Thus like their Republican counterparts, it seems as if they can't come up with any valid reasons to be allowed to retain control of the Senate, and thus the return of the Fallacy of Appeal to Fear.  They are stating in their fundraisers that we'd better vote for them or Obama will be impeached.

In this instance, we have something different here.  I don't think the Republicans wanted Pelosi as Speaker but I do think the Democrats, especially Obama himself, do want the House to take up Articles of Impeachment.  The Republicans seem to be aiding and abetting this by pressing forward with their lawsuit.  However, that should not be taken in any way that the Republicans necessarily want to begin the impeachment process, and here's why.

The Republicans tried that in 1998 against Bill Clinton.  They presented four Articles of Impeachment against a sitting President who won re-election, alleging obstruction of justice and perjury, and succeeded in getting the impeachment part of the process done.  However, impeachment is not the removal of an elected official.  It's more like a criminal indictment, and the actual process of prosecution and conviction take place in another chamber.....the Senate in this case.  The trial takes place in the Senate, and at the end of the trial the vote takes place.  Clinton was impeached, but he was not convicted.....and in case you haven't read the Constitution, you need two thirds of the Senators to vote in favor of conviction before the President or a federal judge can be removed from office.  Clinton of course, was not convicted, and finished out the remainder of his term.  The Republicans lost.

The memory of that loss is still freshly resident within the minds of the Republican Establishment.  They do not see this as a winnable fight, and even if they did, I'm not convinced that they have the political will to do so.  It would be so much easier for them to sit back and do nothing while Obama shreds the Constitution.  Oh, they might issue a token protest here and there, but it's easier to do nothing.  They would gladly allow the President to take us further down the road in this handbasket that we're all in.

Additionally, what if Obama does issue a blanket amnesty to the illegal aliens?  News flash: the Establishment Republicans want amnesty too!  They lost the House in 2006 while trying to be better champions for amnesty than the Democrats were.  They tried again to help the Democrats pass this the next year.  The Establishment Republicans in the Senate helped their fellow Democrats in the Senate pass a bill earlier this year.  So if Obama does go forward with amnesty, guess what?  Those Establishment Republicans who are in favor of this, while knowing all along that the voters don't want it, all know damn well that Obama's fingerprints, and not theirs, will be all over the amnesty.

In a way, it's clever.  Amnesty becomes law of the land by Executive Order, and the Establishment Republicans escape credit for an unpopular idea.  They then become positioned to campaign on the promise of "we'll repeal amnesty", hoping that the electorate will have no memory of the "we'll repeal Obamacare" promise that we heard four years ago.

But let's get back to the impeachment thing for a minute.

I am hearing the argument that Obama will do everything he can to provoke impeachment proceedings against him.  He's going to wait until on or about Labor Day before he does this, which will give him some time to figure out how far he wants to go in his Executive Order.  He knows that no matter how far he goes, there will be no retaliation from the so-called opposition party, but he needs to figure out how far he can go before he acts.  He may not care if he loses the Senate, and he might want to for all we know as that this will give him two more years to pick fights that he knows he will win.

So where's the downside to him in all of this?  None, if he doesn't care about losing the Senate. 

However, in the long term, he may be destroying his own party from within. 

I don't see that bothering him any since he knows his own party will never give him the credit for that. 

He'll still be their Adored Leader.

Sunday, 7/27/14.

I haven't posted as much as I thought I would be with all this time off.  I almost weighed in with my thoughts about what's going on in Ukraine and with the border, but didn't feel the motivation to do so.  There's some chatter this weekend that the Obama administration is going to issue an executive order tomorrow that will grant refugee status to five million or so who are in this country illegally, and I guess if I want to I can weigh in with my two cents' worth on that.  I have a belief that Obama will do it, though more for ulterior reasons than in helping out a future voting bloc for his party.

As it is, I'm still undergoing this transition of sorts.  I'm finding things to do with the coin collection to help me keep busy, and I'm looking online for work.  I haven't heard of any movement from the Colorado opportunities and so last week's focus was on contracting opportunities in Phoenix. 

If I were to have my druthers, I'd rather work locally, but I'm not sure there's much in the way of work here.  Two of my former co-workers who were forced out/let go months before I was have just now been picked up by another aerospace firm here in Tucson.  Both of them are in contract-to-hire positions and I think I was in the running for one of them.  That one firm was letting go of people last year but with them now having contract openings, it suggests that things are picking up in that segment of the industry.

They also have operations in Phoenix metro, and as of last week I learned that I was on the "short list" of the candidates they are considering.  I would have to temporarily live in Phoenix out of a long term residence inn type hotel, or a one bedroom apartment for six months while Sheila runs things here in Tucson.  We're hoping for Phoenix anyway as that I can come home on some weekends and Sheila can come up on the other weekends.  That would give me time to figure out where in Phoenix I would want to live in case the firm decides to hire me after the contract is finished.  And logistically, it would be easier to move there than to Colorado. 

A lot of people in Tucson hate Phoenix, but I'm not one of them.  Likewise, a lot of people in Phoenix hate Tucson, but I think the hate that Tucson has for Phoenix is borderline vitriolic while the Phoenicians tend to look down their noses at Tucson and leave it at that.  As far as I'm concerned, I've really got better ways to expend energy than to hate a city that's a two to three hour drive away and a city that I don't pass through all that often.  I mean, they're there, they're out of sight, they're some distance away.......why waste mental energy hating them?

As for Tucson, I really enjoyed many of my years here, but if an offer were to come from Phoenix I'd move there in a minute.  The City Council has been suffering from an anti-business attitude for several years and it's getting to where the high tech firms don't want to come here.  California has its Silicon Valley and Arizona has its Silicon Desert.  Phoenix is adding jobs while Tucson is chasing them away.  Why not move to Phoenix?

One drawback to Phoenix is the heat.  It's worse there than it is here.   The Valley of the Sun is roughly 1200 feet above sea level while Tucson is roughly 2500.  Phoenix also doesn't get as much rain, so the desert looks a little more desolate.

As for positives, it's closer to Flagstaff, Roosevelt Lake, the Grand Canyon, and Prescott.  And, they've got jobs.  Not to mention I have friends up there already.

If a contract position should be offered me from up there, I won't waste very much time in signing. 

That said, I'll still look around here.

45 Years Ago Today......

Forty-five years ago today I stood on the banks of the Indian River (not technically a river, but a lagoon) and watched the liftoff of Apollo 11, carrying three astronauts to the moon.  It was a clear beautiful morning and the liftoff proceeded without a hitch.  The entire family was there, as were several thousand spectators.  We had a clear view of the Saturn V.  It was far enough away that the noise of the liftoff took several seconds to get to us.

We watched it climb skyward.  We were seeing proof of what a great nation America was.  We were doing something then that no one else had ever done before, and that no one else, at that time, could do.  Oh, you might say that the Soviets could have done that too, and if they had made that a priority they might have done it.....but some 45 years later we are still the only nation who ever did it.

The space program at that time, especially where we lived, was a very big thing back then.  Many of us schoolchildren wanted to be astronauts when we grew up.  We figured that we would be going to Mars, and having manned space voyages to other places in the solar system.  Four days later, in the evening, millions of us gathered around television sets worldwide so that we could see live, the images of the greatest human achievement ever undertaken.

As I reminisce on these events, I think about where we are going as a nation, and wondering, what happened?  I ask myself, are the schoolchildren even taught any more that this nation placed several men on the moon, and then brought them all back alive?  Are they even aware that we did this?

Think about it.  This was an achievement that eclipsed the first flight of the Wright brothers, although that event in and of itself started a sequence of events that got us to the moon.  Bigger and better airplanes were designed and built, and we climbed higher and higher, reaching for the moon.  Nowadays, it seems as if nothing ever happened.

I think the youth of today can tell you all about Justin Bieber and explain to you what "twerking" is.  They can tell you how many friends they have on Facebook and they can explain to you how to "tweet" and what the Kardashians are up to.  But can they tell you who Wilbur and Orville Wright was, and what they did?  Do they even know that Neil Armstrong actually existed, and what he did?

It's a sad observation that I make that American exceptionalism is ill regarded by many of our nation's so-called leaders.  Yes, I get that there are other nations on the planet and that many of them have made contributions that continue to this day, to benefit the very nation that I live in.  I really don't see anything wrong with national pride, be it whether you're from Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, England......or even the US of A. 

I just don't understand why more people aren't reflecting on the events of 1969, and why we aren't doing great things any more.

A Move to Colorado?

Yesterday I got an email from Chip regarding employment opportunities at his employer (and my former employer) in Colorado.  Seems as if they're having trouble filling some positions there, and it's gotten to the point to where corporate management is offering referral bonuses to their employees if those they refer get hired.  We talked on the phone some last night, and after discussing this with Sheila I decided to pull that trigger.

Chip found eleven openings which he thought I would be suited for.  I agreed with most of them, and applied for all, via his referral.  I also found some others which I think would be a good fit.  All of these are in satellite engineering, and in my career the most fun I ever had was in being a satellite engineer.  I recall in this blog, somewhere in the past, I wouldn't mind being a satellite engineer again if I could.

I've got some work to do this weekend, identifying those other openings I could be a fit for.  With a holiday weekend, I don't see much happening.  I'll have to wait until Chip is back at work on Monday so that he can refer me for those other positions.

Chip and I have a friendship that has gone back for almost 30 years.  He was a co-worker in my very first assignment back at that firm, and one real good guy to work with too.  We discovered a lot of common interests and in the fall of 1986 both of us took up guitar playing and songwriting, and we even went on to form a garage band.  We both thought it would be neat if we could break the Bay Area club scene with our original songs, but as it is we kept the day jobs.  He still practices his guitar quite a bit, and me, well you would think I would have picked it up a few times this week but I've been busy trying to sort out my future.

I sometimes think about the what ifs.  What if some of our songs had made it?  What if we had suddenly emerged out of nowhere with our band and our songs?  What if we had recorded a couple of albums?

Knowing what I now know about the rock and roll business, I can tell you that I am glad that we did *NOT* make it.  This is based upon a lot of my inside knowledge of what went on behind the scenes with the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive....knowledge that wasn't readily available in 1986.

Those guys made sacrifices that most folks are incapable of imagining.  Lots of broken promises, backstabbing, failed marriages, deals gone bad........I look at all of that and I tell myself I'm glad I wasn't part of that.  I guess if we had made it we'd now be playing the county fair and casino circuit, and not having a market for any new product since the record company executives are signing other bands and FM radio has gone "corporate", for lack of a better term. 

Anyway.....getting back to my situation, and Colorado.

I'd be up for a move to the Rocky Mountain State.  It's something I once considered in the early 1990s when I thought Colorado Springs would be a great place to live.  I got to go there in 1994 to do a satellite test that had me out there for eight days, which gave me a chance to check the place out.

The openings though are in Denver metro.  I don't particularly like the politics of Denver and the politics of Colorado.  But there's lots of great scenery, and lots of hunting, hiking and fishing.  I don't like cold weather very much but it has been so miserably hot here in Tucson as of late and I'm thinking that my tolerance of it just might be reaching its end.

Sheila would go for Colorado in a minute.  She would also be OK with the Pacific Northwest (and I like Portland) but right now Colorado is sounding very good. 

Meantime, I am pursuing contracting opportunities in Phoenix and Tucson, as well as direct hire opportunities in Phoenix.  I know Phoenix is always a few degrees hotter than here but I have some friends there, and a move there would be doable as well.

But I think I'll see what's shakin' in Denver.

Saturday, 6/28/14

Well now.....I am day two of this "retirement", "sabbatical", being out of work.....whatever it is I want to call it.  There is finally time to start reading all those emails that have been coming in for the past few months since I posted my resume on (site withheld).  In the past I was only glancing at them here and there, not having time to read all of them.  Now I've got time and have been going thru them.  This morning I applied for another contract position; one here in Tucson.  It's with a medical device manufacturer.  We'll see where that one goes.

My mood has been both up and down as of late.  One moment I am excited about having this block of time off and thinking that I just might enjoy retirement and stay in it.  Another moment later on I am stressed about how I'm going to do this, how I'm going to handle this, and feeling a sense of anxiety that was almost as bad as the anxiety I had earlier this year when I was starting up that new assignment.   I guess I can expect more of this as the days drag on. 

Sheila came over last night to watch an old Hawaii Five-O episode with me, after which we went out to the back patio for a long talk.  There is one employer in Florida that is looking for engineers, primarily in Orlando and we were discussing that (one of their recruiters contacted me some weeks back).  I haven't been to Orlando since 1986 when I was with my then supervisor, Clarence "Lumpy" Smith, who unfortunately is no longer with us.  We were talking about Florida, and he said that if he had to leave California he would try to land in Florida, and I agreed.  My then firm needed engineers at the Eastern Test Range near Patrick AFB and I thought about it a lot.  I decided against it as that I saw that the work would be drying up in 18 months, and I wasn't going to go out there if I had to be looking for another job that soon.

Later on, in the 1989-1990 timeframe I was making some trips out to St Pete and I found myself wanting to get a job with that company, which of course didn't happen as that was overcome by other events.  In mid-1991 they had an opening that I would have been perfect for; it was with a satellite project I was well familiar with.  I would have gotten the job if I had applied for it, hands down.  But at that time, like there is now, I was engaged and things then were stable and there wasn't really a need to pursue that opportunity.

Now I am learning that there are opportunities out there, and I have been discussing those with Sheila.

Sheila doesn't like Florida and doesn't want to live there.  My preference is to remain in Arizona, but the reality is that you have to go where the money is if you're going to work and right now there is money in Florida too.  One issue though with Florida is the distance of move and the other is that it's further away from my parents.  I can get to San Jose a whole lot easier from here than I can from there, when I get that phone call that's going to come one day that I am needed in San Jose.

Sheila has green-lighted my contacting that recruiter again, and I think I will call her (the recruiter, that is) on Monday to apprise her that I am available.  Phoenix though would be preferable, and much easier to deal with.  Having once worked for that employer I don't know if they would bridge my prior service or not but that's a discussion that can be had later if need be.

I do know one thing.  I am much more open to the idea of leaving Tucson than I was six months ago.  It would obviously be easier to remain here for everyone involved,  but as I said up above, you have to go where the money is.