Here we are at the end of year that has proven tumultuous for myself as well as for a lot of other people, if you take into account the play that was on the world stage. As for what's gone on in that side of things; I've commented on it enough over the course of the past year, and will instead in this posting take a look back at what happened for me, and where it looks like I'm going.
One year ago today I was still employed by that private spaceflight firm in North Las Vegas. The future for the enterprise looked promising as that it had been less than two weeks earlier that we were going to expand. Sixteen new hires were reporting for work on the 4th of January, that first Monday back from Christmas vacation. This was mainly to staff up a newly created department that our Test team was going to help out. I had re-established a friendship with the Propulsion Manager who was one of the first friends I had made down here in Arizona in early 1999. As much as I hated living in Las Vegas, there was something to look forward to, even if at that time I was planning on finding work in Arizona so that I could return home.
Well, things turned out differently. Fourteen or fifteen out of those sixteen were laid off one hour after reporting for work. The owner decided not to expand the Propulsion department, and the buzz going around was that things were going to get worse. The next day at 4:30, forty of us were rounded up and laid off since "not enough money was coming into the company", which no one bought since the owner was financing it out of money he made from another business. Ron and I later on went out to the Fiesta Station to talk about this over iced tea at the food court that they had. We were not happy about it, but the upshot that he was going home to his wife in Florida and I was going home to Sheila. There was the matter of setting up unemployment from the State of Nevada, which both of us qualified for the full benefit since we had worked there for one year.
Before I even had a chance to digest all of this, I received a call from a medical device firm here in Tucson who needed a test engineer. The phone interview went well and I was brought in for one afternoon. I felt I had done well, and one of the managers, as she was walking me out, told me "by the way, don't wear that suit on your first day here. We wear jeans." That told me that her panel vote was going to be in favor of making an offer, and that must have been the way the rest of them felt as that I got the phone call the very next day.
That meant for one last trip up to Nevada to get my things, which was at that time the nicest problem that I could have, and Sheila and I drove up for that last one. The apartment was emptied out, and we stayed that last night at Fiesta Station, after which the next morning we had the final walk-through by the apartment management. Not one nickel was withheld from my security deposit. It was given back to them in the same state that it had been given to me. It was then the drive home, and the frantic process of getting an Arizona license plate back on my truck.
The work at the medical device firm went well. I didn't think about what I had gotten myself into and if I was in over my head or not. I dove right into it, took over a project in its infancy, and went from there. Things fell into place as I discovered some innovations as I was developing my process for how I was going to help get this one over the goal line. When it came time to test, we were ahead of schedule. Yes, I padded the test time somewhat, but by 20% so that we had margin in case of equipment failure or issues, which did arise.
After that I was done, and I started my sabbatical, thinking that I would be back early next year when they had another round of upgrades. I was told in a phone call that budgets have been frozen, and that they weren't bringing in contractors next year. This forced me to look more seriously. I mean, I was looking just in case, but I amped that up some after that phone call.
Well, I can now report that I accepted an offer of employment earlier this month. This is a test position very similar to what I was doing with medical devices, but this time around it's with radio transmitters running the spectrum from HF (high frequency) to satellite uplinks. It's a great job for a ham radio licensee with a degree in electrical engineering, and it's going to pay me well too. The past few weeks have been spent filling out paperwork to get this set up. A background check has been started on me. It's unclear if it will take a few weeks or a few months.
In that event, the nature of the offer does allow me to pursue contract work while I'm waiting. I don't know if that will happen. Through some other sources, there is reliable information that this should be done by the end of next month. And at that time I'll be ready. I've already got some ideas on how to streamline things.
On the personal front, I have been extremely grateful these past few weeks to have been home.....meaning that I'm extremely grateful that I'm not waking up in an apartment in North Las Vegas......that I'm instead waking up in my own bed, next to Sheila. I've told some friends recently and I'll tell you this here........I will never again take being or living at home for granted. My exile lasted over a year. Of all the blessings that the good Lord has allowed me to enjoy, the blessing of home, family and marriage is the one that I've been appreciating the most lately.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Electronic Kitbuilding and Experimentation
Years ago when I was living in California I was active in a ham radio club. We met monthly, and after the club business was taken care of there was a guest speaker. (I was a guest speaker one month, but that's not what this entry will be about). One guest speaker was a YL, ham radio slang for "young lady", and most ham radio operations who are OMs (OM means "old man", regardless of your age) will tell you that the hobby needs more YLs. (XYL is "ex-young lady", which means "wife").
Well that speaker was technically an XYL, but we'll regard her as a YL in this post. Her talk was on QRP, which means "low power (operation)", and about how she built her own transmitters and experimented with QRP, and her experiences with using it.
QRP is one of those niche interests, among several, that can be found in ham radio. A longtime friend of mine was into it, and me, for all those years I was active I would run with an input power of 100 watts, which is definitely not QRP. I remember talking to one ham who was only using one watt of power, and his signal was surprisingly good. It wasn't pegging my meter or anything like that, but I had 100% copy of him on the 40 meter band. He was in the L.A. area and I was in San Jose, and he was hearing me as good as I was hearing him.
Anyway, what the YL said was that some hams didn't want to waste their time talking to her. A lot of hams are into DX, that is, "distance", which means that you want to hams who are very far away, and yes, working DX is quite the thrill. But the seed that she planted in my mind then, was to get into experimenting with electronics, and a few days after her talk I was at one of the surplus electronic parts stores in Silicon Valley (All-Tronics? Haltek?) getting integrated circuits to experiment with on a breadboard. I also realized that I would need a power supply, so I visited a Radio Shack, bought a book on how to build power supplies, and I spent a week or so in the garage building one of my own.
I'm going to backtrack a little bit here as that I wasn't new to building things. I built my first radio in 1974, a very simple crystal set that could only receive one station. I built a second one later on that year, as part of a class in high school. It was finished in January 1975, and to my amazement it worked, and using the instructions I was able to align the IF (intermediate frequency) cans to where it worked fine. I still have it, it's in the garage, and probably what I ought to do sometime is build another one that's similar to it.
But let's get back to the later years. I built that power supply, and used it for experimenting with some simple computer circuits, and that went on until some life changing events that visited me during the last few months of 1998. The power supply moved with me to Arizona in early 1999, and it is still with me as that I figured that it would be useful in some future endeavor. Earlier this evening, I went out to the garage to look at it, after finding a notebook that I started to document my projects and experiments.
So why is this now happening?
I've been thinking a lot about getting back into shortwave listening these past few weeks, and I'm also thinking of resuming my ham radio hobby. Right now the house is a little on the crowded side, but eventually one of the stepdaughters is going to move out, and that will give me a chance to reclaim one of the bedrooms as my "radio room". Until then, I might be able to operate out of the master bedroom, which although is a little cramped, I think I can set up a table and get one of my transceivers back into commission.
And, I'm now thinking, maybe it's time I build a QRP transmitter, and see what I can do with it.
I've been spending the past few days visiting websites about transmitter design. Eventually I would like to homebrew my own transmitter, but existing QRP kits can be had for $40 or so, and I'm thinking that I should purchase one of these kits and have some fun with it. Of course, my intention is to build one of my own, and to see what I can do with that.
Next month, I might be in San Jose again, and if that happens I plan on visiting my favorite surplus stores with a list of parts to look for. In the meantime, I'll be combing thru some boxes of parts that I already have, to see if I can jury rig a small transmitter, just for the fun of it.
Well that speaker was technically an XYL, but we'll regard her as a YL in this post. Her talk was on QRP, which means "low power (operation)", and about how she built her own transmitters and experimented with QRP, and her experiences with using it.
QRP is one of those niche interests, among several, that can be found in ham radio. A longtime friend of mine was into it, and me, for all those years I was active I would run with an input power of 100 watts, which is definitely not QRP. I remember talking to one ham who was only using one watt of power, and his signal was surprisingly good. It wasn't pegging my meter or anything like that, but I had 100% copy of him on the 40 meter band. He was in the L.A. area and I was in San Jose, and he was hearing me as good as I was hearing him.
Anyway, what the YL said was that some hams didn't want to waste their time talking to her. A lot of hams are into DX, that is, "distance", which means that you want to hams who are very far away, and yes, working DX is quite the thrill. But the seed that she planted in my mind then, was to get into experimenting with electronics, and a few days after her talk I was at one of the surplus electronic parts stores in Silicon Valley (All-Tronics? Haltek?) getting integrated circuits to experiment with on a breadboard. I also realized that I would need a power supply, so I visited a Radio Shack, bought a book on how to build power supplies, and I spent a week or so in the garage building one of my own.
I'm going to backtrack a little bit here as that I wasn't new to building things. I built my first radio in 1974, a very simple crystal set that could only receive one station. I built a second one later on that year, as part of a class in high school. It was finished in January 1975, and to my amazement it worked, and using the instructions I was able to align the IF (intermediate frequency) cans to where it worked fine. I still have it, it's in the garage, and probably what I ought to do sometime is build another one that's similar to it.
But let's get back to the later years. I built that power supply, and used it for experimenting with some simple computer circuits, and that went on until some life changing events that visited me during the last few months of 1998. The power supply moved with me to Arizona in early 1999, and it is still with me as that I figured that it would be useful in some future endeavor. Earlier this evening, I went out to the garage to look at it, after finding a notebook that I started to document my projects and experiments.
So why is this now happening?
I've been thinking a lot about getting back into shortwave listening these past few weeks, and I'm also thinking of resuming my ham radio hobby. Right now the house is a little on the crowded side, but eventually one of the stepdaughters is going to move out, and that will give me a chance to reclaim one of the bedrooms as my "radio room". Until then, I might be able to operate out of the master bedroom, which although is a little cramped, I think I can set up a table and get one of my transceivers back into commission.
And, I'm now thinking, maybe it's time I build a QRP transmitter, and see what I can do with it.
I've been spending the past few days visiting websites about transmitter design. Eventually I would like to homebrew my own transmitter, but existing QRP kits can be had for $40 or so, and I'm thinking that I should purchase one of these kits and have some fun with it. Of course, my intention is to build one of my own, and to see what I can do with that.
Next month, I might be in San Jose again, and if that happens I plan on visiting my favorite surplus stores with a list of parts to look for. In the meantime, I'll be combing thru some boxes of parts that I already have, to see if I can jury rig a small transmitter, just for the fun of it.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Cowboy Coffee
On one of the forums I frequent, I found this recipe that someone posted. The post is quoted in its entirety below the *s. I'll have to give it a try sometime.
I drink a couple of cups a week... usually black. But when camping we just throw the grounds in the water, boil and settle the grounds with cold water. It's horrible. Here's the recipe!
Cowboy coffee isn't known for tasting good, because many people make it using this recipe. If you want to taste truly awful coffee, just follow these steps:
* * * * * * *
I drink a couple of cups a week... usually black. But when camping we just throw the grounds in the water, boil and settle the grounds with cold water. It's horrible. Here's the recipe!
Cowboy coffee isn't known for tasting good, because many people make it using this recipe. If you want to taste truly awful coffee, just follow these steps:
- Disregard the coffee-to-water ratio guidelines, because the coffee won’t be good enough for the ratio to matter. Just add some grounds to a pot and fill it with water.
- Place the pot on the fire and bring the water to boil. When done correctly, the grounds will float to the top, so most of them aren’t being brewed, and the pot will boil over.
- After burning your hand while trying to adjust the pot so that it doesn’t boil over again, let the “coffee” sit for a few more minutes.
- Remove the pot from the fire, and sprinkle a handful of cold water into it. Not only will the cold water help the grounds settle on the bottom, but it will also give the appearance that you know what you’re doing. Perhaps you’ll recover some of the dignity you lost in Step 3.
- Serve the coffee. There are two strategies for this step. You might pour your cup first, so you have as few grounds as possible in your mug. Alternatively, you can save yours till last, hoping that the coffee will be gone by the time you get to your cup.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
KMOX Radio, St. Louis
That one night back in high school where I discovered that I could tune in distant radio stations at night will forever remain special to me. I was able to get all sorts of stations. WCFL in Chicago. CBM in Montreal. WWWE in Cleveland. WWVA in Wheeling. WJR Detroit. And more were to follow that night.
The prize catch of them all was KMOX St. Louis. That was the most distant signal I got that night, and certainly the westernmost. I remembered that station from a road trip when I was not even a teenager, as that the family favorite baseball team was the St. Louis Cardinals, and their games were carried on KMOX. On one trip we stopped to take in a Cardinals game. This was back in the era of Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. Curt Flood and Orlando Cepeda. Nelson Briles and Steve Carlton. They were America's team in their day.
We had to resume the trip, so after catching the last half of the first game (it was a double header) and the first half of the second game, it was back on the road. We listened to the game on KMOX as we continued on to Kansas.
I hadn't heard KMOX since then, until that one night. KMOX was the standout catch, and I hadn't heard KMOX since then..........until last night.
I've been spending some nights tuning in those distant stations. The radioscape here, of course, is different. I've been getting stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, and other places. Stations from Mexico have been tuned in and identified (my Spanish has gotten quite rusty over the years but it has been a help). But the one station I had been most wanting to get, KMOX, just wasn't coming in. I have checked on those nights set aside for listening, checking 1120 kHz, but nothing. Oh, there is a station in Utah on that frequency that I can get almost every night, but I would null them out to see if KMOX was there.
Last night wasn't set aside for radio listening. Several nights are spent laying upstairs in bed with Sheila. She's watching her favorite shows and I'm working on some favorite novels. Lots of time we talk. I enjoy being with her and I very much enjoy being married to her.
Anyway, it was time to check the garage, and I thought, I'm going to go out there and turn on the radio to see if KMOX is there. It was almost the top of the hour, when station IDs take place, and I didn't want to miss out if they were there.
This time, there was a signal on 1120. Utah had been nulled out and the signal that I had was weak to fair, but copyable. I thought I had heard a mention of KMOX but I wasn't sure. There were some local commercials, some local weather, and I'm thinking, that might be the type of weather one would expect in St Louis this time of year.
I continued listening, and then got a definite ID. It was them! I was hearing KMOX for the first time since high school! I then came back inside, and making use of a distance calculator, I learned that they were some 20 miles further away than KOMO out of Seattle, which I got a week or so ago. KMOX held in steady, but I couldn't stay long as that I was tired and bedtime was fast approaching.
Long distance radio listening, called DXing within the hobby circles, is one hobby that I've indulged in off and on over the years. Winter is the "season" for AM broadcast band DXing, and I've been doing plenty of it during this sabbatical. Logging KMOX here has been a goal since I've resumed this, and I figured sooner or later I would get them. KMOX has been heard in Europe and in South Africa. I knew they would be heard here sooner or later.
Now if I can only get a positive log on WWL from New Orleans.
The prize catch of them all was KMOX St. Louis. That was the most distant signal I got that night, and certainly the westernmost. I remembered that station from a road trip when I was not even a teenager, as that the family favorite baseball team was the St. Louis Cardinals, and their games were carried on KMOX. On one trip we stopped to take in a Cardinals game. This was back in the era of Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. Curt Flood and Orlando Cepeda. Nelson Briles and Steve Carlton. They were America's team in their day.
We had to resume the trip, so after catching the last half of the first game (it was a double header) and the first half of the second game, it was back on the road. We listened to the game on KMOX as we continued on to Kansas.
I hadn't heard KMOX since then, until that one night. KMOX was the standout catch, and I hadn't heard KMOX since then..........until last night.
I've been spending some nights tuning in those distant stations. The radioscape here, of course, is different. I've been getting stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, and other places. Stations from Mexico have been tuned in and identified (my Spanish has gotten quite rusty over the years but it has been a help). But the one station I had been most wanting to get, KMOX, just wasn't coming in. I have checked on those nights set aside for listening, checking 1120 kHz, but nothing. Oh, there is a station in Utah on that frequency that I can get almost every night, but I would null them out to see if KMOX was there.
Last night wasn't set aside for radio listening. Several nights are spent laying upstairs in bed with Sheila. She's watching her favorite shows and I'm working on some favorite novels. Lots of time we talk. I enjoy being with her and I very much enjoy being married to her.
Anyway, it was time to check the garage, and I thought, I'm going to go out there and turn on the radio to see if KMOX is there. It was almost the top of the hour, when station IDs take place, and I didn't want to miss out if they were there.
This time, there was a signal on 1120. Utah had been nulled out and the signal that I had was weak to fair, but copyable. I thought I had heard a mention of KMOX but I wasn't sure. There were some local commercials, some local weather, and I'm thinking, that might be the type of weather one would expect in St Louis this time of year.
I continued listening, and then got a definite ID. It was them! I was hearing KMOX for the first time since high school! I then came back inside, and making use of a distance calculator, I learned that they were some 20 miles further away than KOMO out of Seattle, which I got a week or so ago. KMOX held in steady, but I couldn't stay long as that I was tired and bedtime was fast approaching.
Long distance radio listening, called DXing within the hobby circles, is one hobby that I've indulged in off and on over the years. Winter is the "season" for AM broadcast band DXing, and I've been doing plenty of it during this sabbatical. Logging KMOX here has been a goal since I've resumed this, and I figured sooner or later I would get them. KMOX has been heard in Europe and in South Africa. I knew they would be heard here sooner or later.
Now if I can only get a positive log on WWL from New Orleans.
Friday, November 11, 2016
So Why Did The Donald Win?
The most interesting election in my lifetime is now behind us, and we're watching a transition get under way. There has been lots of interesting speculation on talk radio, the newspapers, internet forums, and the foreign press. Some folks are looking at at what went wrong, while others are trying to figure out what went right. Why did Trump win? I've touched on it in my previous entry, but I want to expound on this further. Here are the reasons why, in no particular order.
(1) Hillary Clinton wasn't exactly likeable. Ever since she became prominent in 1992, half the country has hated her. Books I've read on 1980s Arkansas politics strongly suggest she wasn't exactly well liked there either. When the rest of the nation knew about her, there was a lot of chatter about her being Co-President. I remember a conversation with a taxi driver in Rome that took place in 1995, who made a snide remark about "Presidente Hillary". So, even the Europeans could see right through her.
(2) Serial betrayal of their base by the Republican Establishment. For years we heard their message that if we would just give them a chance, we would get a lot of great results. They promised us conservative judges. We got David Souter on the Supreme Court, and a Harriet Miers nomination. They promised us a secure border. They tried to join forces with the Democrats and force "amnesty" down our throats instead. They said they would defend the Constitution, and instead we got the Senate Majority leader Trent Lott saying that talk radio ran the country and that something needed to be done about that. It got well past the point to where they could be trusted, much less given credibility. All members of the Republican Establishment wanted President Obama to "succeed", and many of them voted for Hillary.
(3) Widespread hate for Organized Media and a repudiation of their way of thinking. Rush Limbaugh calls them the "drive-bys"; I call them "Organized Media" and have for years as that it connotates a sinister purpose like the term "Organized Crime" does. Organized Media talks down to us. They act like they are visionary, that they know what's best for us, that we're just a bunch of stupid uneducated dumptrucks who need our freedoms taken away since we don't know how to properly use them.
They are in meltdown over this election. They are also in denial. You have Van Jones telling CNN that this was a "whitelash", which is a cheap shot and an attempt to suggest that there was a racial component involved in supporting Trump. He has to know that this is a cheap shot, but he runs with it; CNN lets him run with it, and they arrogantly think that we're too stupid to figure all of this out.
I despise Organized Media, they are the ones misusing their freedoms. In spite of that statement, I honestly want them to continue going down this road in the hopes that more of the masses will wake up to what they're doing.
(4) Trump connected to the people. No, he didn't connect to that part of the country that voted for Hillary, but he connected to that part of the country that counted. I wasn't on board his train at the start. I voted for someone else in the primary. I wasn't sure he was for real. He is still technically an unknown quantity to me, but I found that preferable to a known evil, and that's why I voted for him.
Now I want him to make America great again.
(5) The country has been heading on the wrong direction, and you'd have to be stoned on marijuana to not be aware of this. Really, are millions of more Americans on food stamps going in the right direction? Home ownership at a 51 year low an improvement? Well, that would be seen as an improvement by those who think that the State should own all property and distribute it as they see fit, but in my mind that view can only be seriously entertained by those who think they are entitled to assets that they were too lazy to earn.
(6) Multinational trade agreements are much more of an issue than Organized Media and the fatass politicians realize. Now personally, I think a free trade agreement between the United States and Canada makes a lot of sense. Standard of living of the two nations is practically on par. NAFTA? There is no doubt that Mexico is still a developing country, and if she would make proper use of her resources and rid herself of institutionalized corruption, she would be a great asset to a trade pact.
Mexico's not there yet.
(7) This was a repudiation of the Obama agenda. Trump won the primary because his supporters knew that Jeb wouldn't fix it, and Rubio wasn't going to stop. Jeb was proud of the similarity of stances that he had to Hillary, and Rubio was fixated on shoving "amnesty" down our throats. We didn't want more of the same! We wanted it to end!
(8) Big Hollywood actors threatening to leave the country. We heard this in 2000, and they didn't leave. We heard it again in 2004, and we gave them another reason to leave. We were hearing it again this time around.
Well what the hell were we supposed to do? Give in to these Hollywood millionaires and beg them to stay? Do they really think that the rest of us are just as stupid as their fans who fawn all over them?
This time, will you just shut the firetruck up and make good on your promise? Leave, and don't come back!
If I think about it long enough, I could come up with some more reasons, but I think I will instead observe our sorry-ass Organized Media wring their hands and moan about how the rest of us (that is, the real world) just doesn't get it.
(1) Hillary Clinton wasn't exactly likeable. Ever since she became prominent in 1992, half the country has hated her. Books I've read on 1980s Arkansas politics strongly suggest she wasn't exactly well liked there either. When the rest of the nation knew about her, there was a lot of chatter about her being Co-President. I remember a conversation with a taxi driver in Rome that took place in 1995, who made a snide remark about "Presidente Hillary". So, even the Europeans could see right through her.
(2) Serial betrayal of their base by the Republican Establishment. For years we heard their message that if we would just give them a chance, we would get a lot of great results. They promised us conservative judges. We got David Souter on the Supreme Court, and a Harriet Miers nomination. They promised us a secure border. They tried to join forces with the Democrats and force "amnesty" down our throats instead. They said they would defend the Constitution, and instead we got the Senate Majority leader Trent Lott saying that talk radio ran the country and that something needed to be done about that. It got well past the point to where they could be trusted, much less given credibility. All members of the Republican Establishment wanted President Obama to "succeed", and many of them voted for Hillary.
(3) Widespread hate for Organized Media and a repudiation of their way of thinking. Rush Limbaugh calls them the "drive-bys"; I call them "Organized Media" and have for years as that it connotates a sinister purpose like the term "Organized Crime" does. Organized Media talks down to us. They act like they are visionary, that they know what's best for us, that we're just a bunch of stupid uneducated dumptrucks who need our freedoms taken away since we don't know how to properly use them.
They are in meltdown over this election. They are also in denial. You have Van Jones telling CNN that this was a "whitelash", which is a cheap shot and an attempt to suggest that there was a racial component involved in supporting Trump. He has to know that this is a cheap shot, but he runs with it; CNN lets him run with it, and they arrogantly think that we're too stupid to figure all of this out.
I despise Organized Media, they are the ones misusing their freedoms. In spite of that statement, I honestly want them to continue going down this road in the hopes that more of the masses will wake up to what they're doing.
(4) Trump connected to the people. No, he didn't connect to that part of the country that voted for Hillary, but he connected to that part of the country that counted. I wasn't on board his train at the start. I voted for someone else in the primary. I wasn't sure he was for real. He is still technically an unknown quantity to me, but I found that preferable to a known evil, and that's why I voted for him.
Now I want him to make America great again.
(5) The country has been heading on the wrong direction, and you'd have to be stoned on marijuana to not be aware of this. Really, are millions of more Americans on food stamps going in the right direction? Home ownership at a 51 year low an improvement? Well, that would be seen as an improvement by those who think that the State should own all property and distribute it as they see fit, but in my mind that view can only be seriously entertained by those who think they are entitled to assets that they were too lazy to earn.
(6) Multinational trade agreements are much more of an issue than Organized Media and the fatass politicians realize. Now personally, I think a free trade agreement between the United States and Canada makes a lot of sense. Standard of living of the two nations is practically on par. NAFTA? There is no doubt that Mexico is still a developing country, and if she would make proper use of her resources and rid herself of institutionalized corruption, she would be a great asset to a trade pact.
Mexico's not there yet.
(7) This was a repudiation of the Obama agenda. Trump won the primary because his supporters knew that Jeb wouldn't fix it, and Rubio wasn't going to stop. Jeb was proud of the similarity of stances that he had to Hillary, and Rubio was fixated on shoving "amnesty" down our throats. We didn't want more of the same! We wanted it to end!
(8) Big Hollywood actors threatening to leave the country. We heard this in 2000, and they didn't leave. We heard it again in 2004, and we gave them another reason to leave. We were hearing it again this time around.
Well what the hell were we supposed to do? Give in to these Hollywood millionaires and beg them to stay? Do they really think that the rest of us are just as stupid as their fans who fawn all over them?
This time, will you just shut the firetruck up and make good on your promise? Leave, and don't come back!
If I think about it long enough, I could come up with some more reasons, but I think I will instead observe our sorry-ass Organized Media wring their hands and moan about how the rest of us (that is, the real world) just doesn't get it.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
The Donald Wins It!
I didn't think it was really going to happen. Organized Media went all out for Hillary, as did the welfare class, the Silicon Valley titans, and even some members of the Republican Establishment. I honestly thought that there would be some vote-rigging in five states. My home state, as I write this, hasn't yet been called.
My gut feel in this, is that this is more of a rebellion against the Establishment than it is support for Trump. Well, there are also a lot of people out there who don't like Hillary. Some in her own party either stayed home and voted for others, while others voted for Trump more in order to keep her out of the White House.
Not being able to return to the White House isn't, in my mind, going to bother Bubba any. There's no shortage of babes out there who would try to be that one who gets to satisfy him. Personally I have thought for a long time that he was more qualified to be an assistant manager at Burger King than he was President, but Ross Perot didn't think so and was able to siphon votes away from Bush 41.
So, what's next?
Expect a lot of university protests and riots in California.
Do not expect court filings from the Hillary camp.
Her political career is over.
My gut feel in this, is that this is more of a rebellion against the Establishment than it is support for Trump. Well, there are also a lot of people out there who don't like Hillary. Some in her own party either stayed home and voted for others, while others voted for Trump more in order to keep her out of the White House.
Not being able to return to the White House isn't, in my mind, going to bother Bubba any. There's no shortage of babes out there who would try to be that one who gets to satisfy him. Personally I have thought for a long time that he was more qualified to be an assistant manager at Burger King than he was President, but Ross Perot didn't think so and was able to siphon votes away from Bush 41.
So, what's next?
Expect a lot of university protests and riots in California.
Do not expect court filings from the Hillary camp.
Her political career is over.
Monday, November 7, 2016
As Predicted......Hillary Will Skate
I figured I was going to be proven right in my last posting about there not being an indictment brought against Hillary "What Difference Does it Make" Clinton. I didn't think it would happen this soon. The announcement yesterday by FBI Director Comey effectively squashes any chance of criminal charges. It spares President Obama any repercussions of having to pardon Hillary on his last day in office, which he may do anyway just to be on the safe side, but the upshot here is that Hillary will walk.
It is unfortunate that there are going to be other repercussions from this. I've read where the FBI has had a lot of agents resign over this, and more are sure to follow. When you put your heart and soul into investigating something and then have your work consigned to the trashcan, that has to be demoralizing. Yes, I've had that happen to me as an engineer due to program cancellations and stretchouts. You get to where you want to work on something else.
Anyway, the big day is tomorrow. I will offer no predictions on that one. My gut is telling me that The Donald has the momentum, but if Hillary has the machines rigged in five key states, it's in the bag for her, and knowing that she will never fear indictment for anything criminal that she does, she may be encouraged to implement the fix. That is, if the fix really exists, and I have no way of knowing if it does or not.
One other scenario may play out.
If The Donald wins the electoral votes that he needs, is it really in the bag for him? What are the chances that his electors are more beholden to the Republican Establishment than they are to the will of the electorate? What's going to stop them from voting for Hillary? I bring this up as a possibility as that I have no way of knowing if any of them are "Never Trumpers". There is already one Hillary elector in Washington state who's declared that he is not going to vote for Hillary.
Maybe another question is, are there other Hillary electors who won't vote for her?
That's extremely unlikely in my opinion, but it may only take a small handful to throw the election to the House.
It is unfortunate that there are going to be other repercussions from this. I've read where the FBI has had a lot of agents resign over this, and more are sure to follow. When you put your heart and soul into investigating something and then have your work consigned to the trashcan, that has to be demoralizing. Yes, I've had that happen to me as an engineer due to program cancellations and stretchouts. You get to where you want to work on something else.
Anyway, the big day is tomorrow. I will offer no predictions on that one. My gut is telling me that The Donald has the momentum, but if Hillary has the machines rigged in five key states, it's in the bag for her, and knowing that she will never fear indictment for anything criminal that she does, she may be encouraged to implement the fix. That is, if the fix really exists, and I have no way of knowing if it does or not.
One other scenario may play out.
If The Donald wins the electoral votes that he needs, is it really in the bag for him? What are the chances that his electors are more beholden to the Republican Establishment than they are to the will of the electorate? What's going to stop them from voting for Hillary? I bring this up as a possibility as that I have no way of knowing if any of them are "Never Trumpers". There is already one Hillary elector in Washington state who's declared that he is not going to vote for Hillary.
Maybe another question is, are there other Hillary electors who won't vote for her?
That's extremely unlikely in my opinion, but it may only take a small handful to throw the election to the House.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
The October Surprise of October Surprises
While out on a day trip yesterday I learned that the FBI is re-opening their investigation into what is largely called the Hillary Clinton email scandal. As most of you know, FBI Director James Comey held a news conference last July announcing that he would not recommend charges against Hillary "What Difference Does it Make?" Clinton. This came a few days after a so-called accidental meeting on the tarmac at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix between Bill "I Did Not Have Sex with That Woman" Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch where we are told that they only discussed grandchildren. They discussed grandchildren? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and it snows in Death Valley in the summertime.
Now for reasons that are known at this time only to Director Comey and God, the investigation is being re-opened. There has been, of course, a lot of speculation about this, with theories being posted on the internet and social media, and discussion on talk radio and cable news channels. I am not going to offer any speculation as to why this happening, but I will offer speculation as to what's down the road on this. I don't very often make predictions because I might be wrong more often than I would be right, but on this one I'm going to be upfront on this and tell you that I very much want to be wrong on what I'm about to say.
No matter how bad or how damaging the information to be revealed is, Hillary Clinton will not be indicted.
I will say this again.
Hillary Clinton will not be indicted.
There are two reasons why.
One: she enjoys the protection of Organized Media. Organized Media very much wants her in the White House no matter how corrupt she is. Organized Media, that self-appointed Fourth Branch of Government has an agenda, and they want to see it carried out. They know that the Donald won't carry it out, or at least, have no reason to believe that he will carry it out, and they've been in the tank with her for far too long to get out of that tank and throw her under the bus.
Of course, Organized Media isn't quite the monopoly on news that it used to be, and if you know were to go you can get other opinions and perspectives on things. But the support of Organized Media is, lots of times, a formidable obstacle when it comes to elections, and they've been known to publish known false stories in order to advance their agenda. But the support of Organized Media isn't the only factor here in why Hillary will not be indicted.
The second reason she won't be is that Hillary enjoys the support of the Establishment Republicans. If you doubt me on this, then do some googling on Republicans who have announced they are going to vote for Hillary. There's a former President said to be on that list, we have Republican Senators up for re-election who have said they are going to vote for her, and we have Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen who have said they are going to vote for her.
You have heard of the "Never Trumpers", haven't you? Your very own beloved Organized Media has told you about them on more than one occasion.
With the support of the Establishment Republicans firmly in place, Hillary also knows that she will not be impeached, even if she is indicted, which she won't be.
Do you honestly think that Speaker Ryan will allow an impeachment vote to reach the floor of the House for a vote? And even if he does, will there be 67 votes in the Senate to convict her? Do you think for one moment, that the public "Never Trumpers" in the Senate will vote to convict? They're on her side!
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly stated that no matter what President Obama does, impeachment is off the table. One surprise I can identify at this time is that he hasn't (yet) made a similar announcement regarding Hillary, although he's going to wait until the votes (including the fraudulent ones) have all been counted.
Impeachment, in my mind, is an impossibility.
Indictment, although not impossible, is extremley unlikely, in my opinion.
I think it would be much easier to get the Beatles back together than it would be indict Hillary Clinton.
Now for reasons that are known at this time only to Director Comey and God, the investigation is being re-opened. There has been, of course, a lot of speculation about this, with theories being posted on the internet and social media, and discussion on talk radio and cable news channels. I am not going to offer any speculation as to why this happening, but I will offer speculation as to what's down the road on this. I don't very often make predictions because I might be wrong more often than I would be right, but on this one I'm going to be upfront on this and tell you that I very much want to be wrong on what I'm about to say.
No matter how bad or how damaging the information to be revealed is, Hillary Clinton will not be indicted.
I will say this again.
Hillary Clinton will not be indicted.
There are two reasons why.
One: she enjoys the protection of Organized Media. Organized Media very much wants her in the White House no matter how corrupt she is. Organized Media, that self-appointed Fourth Branch of Government has an agenda, and they want to see it carried out. They know that the Donald won't carry it out, or at least, have no reason to believe that he will carry it out, and they've been in the tank with her for far too long to get out of that tank and throw her under the bus.
Of course, Organized Media isn't quite the monopoly on news that it used to be, and if you know were to go you can get other opinions and perspectives on things. But the support of Organized Media is, lots of times, a formidable obstacle when it comes to elections, and they've been known to publish known false stories in order to advance their agenda. But the support of Organized Media isn't the only factor here in why Hillary will not be indicted.
The second reason she won't be is that Hillary enjoys the support of the Establishment Republicans. If you doubt me on this, then do some googling on Republicans who have announced they are going to vote for Hillary. There's a former President said to be on that list, we have Republican Senators up for re-election who have said they are going to vote for her, and we have Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen who have said they are going to vote for her.
You have heard of the "Never Trumpers", haven't you? Your very own beloved Organized Media has told you about them on more than one occasion.
With the support of the Establishment Republicans firmly in place, Hillary also knows that she will not be impeached, even if she is indicted, which she won't be.
Do you honestly think that Speaker Ryan will allow an impeachment vote to reach the floor of the House for a vote? And even if he does, will there be 67 votes in the Senate to convict her? Do you think for one moment, that the public "Never Trumpers" in the Senate will vote to convict? They're on her side!
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly stated that no matter what President Obama does, impeachment is off the table. One surprise I can identify at this time is that he hasn't (yet) made a similar announcement regarding Hillary, although he's going to wait until the votes (including the fraudulent ones) have all been counted.
Impeachment, in my mind, is an impossibility.
Indictment, although not impossible, is extremley unlikely, in my opinion.
I think it would be much easier to get the Beatles back together than it would be indict Hillary Clinton.
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Bombing of the Republican Office in North Carolina
The Republican office in Orange County NC was firebombed over the weekend. Organized Media hasn't had a whole lot to say about this. Hillary "What Difference Does it Make?" Clinton has spoken out against it, as well she should, but she really should consider asking her supporters to join her in this.
Looking at online comments on the Yahoo boards and sound clips from Organized Media, you would think this incident is the fault of Donald Trump and his supporters. One yoyo even suggested that the Trump supporters did this in order to generate sympathy for the Republican party (oh please!)
I'm going to give the Trump supporters this: they are not going to take to the streets for a protest designed to escalate into a riot. They won't be throwing rocks at police officers and setting fires to police cars. They won't be smashing storefront windows downtown. They won't be looting Nike stores to steal Air Jordans and they won't be trashing convenience stores that they steal beer from.
Yet Hillary's supporters seem to think that Trump supporters are what's wrong with the country.
Go figure.
Looking at online comments on the Yahoo boards and sound clips from Organized Media, you would think this incident is the fault of Donald Trump and his supporters. One yoyo even suggested that the Trump supporters did this in order to generate sympathy for the Republican party (oh please!)
I'm going to give the Trump supporters this: they are not going to take to the streets for a protest designed to escalate into a riot. They won't be throwing rocks at police officers and setting fires to police cars. They won't be smashing storefront windows downtown. They won't be looting Nike stores to steal Air Jordans and they won't be trashing convenience stores that they steal beer from.
Yet Hillary's supporters seem to think that Trump supporters are what's wrong with the country.
Go figure.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
A Favorite Silicon Valley Attraction (and more)
I've been up here in San Jose for almost a week. There has been a lot to do in terms of people to visit and necessary family things that need to be done. Until today I haven't had the opportunity to go out and visit a place purely for pleasure, until this afternoon.
The place that I visited was Weird Stuff Warehouse in Sunnyvale. I've known about this place for several years and visited it a few times when I was living and working here. It's a museum of old abandoned surplus computers and peripherals, except that if you come across an exhibit that you really like, you can purchase it and take it home. I've gotten an old computer monitor there before, and a power supply for use in some electronics experiments, even though I've built a power supply.
I was telling myself that I needed to drop in look around when I got up here, and before meeting Franz and his new bride for dinner I did just that.
I wanted to spend more time hanging around, and maybe my next visit here I will. I picked up a surplus surge protector that I intend to use in my garage, because during this sabbatical I see spending some time in my garage doing some more experimenting.
I have it in mind to build a low power transmitter for ham radio use, though the idea of building an FM radio transmitter is also lurking back in the recesses of my mind.
The drive up here last week was a blessing, in the sense that it was uncomplicated. Oh, the luggage key did break in the Samsonite suitcase that I bought, so I had to wear the same clothes on day two of my drive here, but fortunately my parents had a Samsonite key.
I don't normally lock my suitcases, but I had to before leaving Quartzsite, in order to comply with California's laws regarding transport of a firearm. I couldn't get my gun case to lock, so I locked up my revolver in the main luggage.
Now the gun case is locking, and the revolver is safely there, until I'm back across the state line in Arizona.
There's no doubt that California's laws cause great inconvenience to the gang members whenever they transport their guns, but everyone knows that they don't want any trouble with the police so they very much cheerfully comply.
This was my first time meeting Franz' wife Diane. My regret was that Sheila wasn't there to meet them too.
I think Franz did as well as I did in getting the wife that he got.
I'm already homesick and missing Tucson. I wanted to leave Friday but rain is in the forecast, and I don't like having to go through Pacheco Pass in that kind of weather. So, it looks like I'm out of here on Saturday, but if it rains then I'll be here a while longer. I may not want to leave on a Sunday and thus have to share the road with those nice wonderful super-considerate southern California drivers on their way back to the smogberry trees in Los Angeles, so I may hang around here a while longer.
I guess that I'm supposed to comment on the latest in the Presidential campaign, and about what Trump said some 20 years ago when he had no idea he would run for President.
I'm not going to defend what he said. I'm convinced that he regrets it, just as I regret saying some things I said back in junior high, high school, or college. Yes, I have skeletons in my closet too. As do you.
What gets me is that those who are going to great lengths to appear genuinely outraged about this can't wait to vote for the wife of a serial rapist.
I'm thinking that I will be in San Jose again for Thanksgiving, and possibly also for Christmas.
I don't particularly like San Jose, but I spent several years here and in one way this place is part of my being. I got my degree here and I came away with some lifelong friends.
This place isn't a trashcan, though I do frequently think the state is as morally bankrupt as they are financially.
The place that I visited was Weird Stuff Warehouse in Sunnyvale. I've known about this place for several years and visited it a few times when I was living and working here. It's a museum of old abandoned surplus computers and peripherals, except that if you come across an exhibit that you really like, you can purchase it and take it home. I've gotten an old computer monitor there before, and a power supply for use in some electronics experiments, even though I've built a power supply.
I was telling myself that I needed to drop in look around when I got up here, and before meeting Franz and his new bride for dinner I did just that.
I wanted to spend more time hanging around, and maybe my next visit here I will. I picked up a surplus surge protector that I intend to use in my garage, because during this sabbatical I see spending some time in my garage doing some more experimenting.
I have it in mind to build a low power transmitter for ham radio use, though the idea of building an FM radio transmitter is also lurking back in the recesses of my mind.
* * * * * * *
The drive up here last week was a blessing, in the sense that it was uncomplicated. Oh, the luggage key did break in the Samsonite suitcase that I bought, so I had to wear the same clothes on day two of my drive here, but fortunately my parents had a Samsonite key.
I don't normally lock my suitcases, but I had to before leaving Quartzsite, in order to comply with California's laws regarding transport of a firearm. I couldn't get my gun case to lock, so I locked up my revolver in the main luggage.
Now the gun case is locking, and the revolver is safely there, until I'm back across the state line in Arizona.
There's no doubt that California's laws cause great inconvenience to the gang members whenever they transport their guns, but everyone knows that they don't want any trouble with the police so they very much cheerfully comply.
* * * * * * *
This was my first time meeting Franz' wife Diane. My regret was that Sheila wasn't there to meet them too.
I think Franz did as well as I did in getting the wife that he got.
* * * * * * *
I'm already homesick and missing Tucson. I wanted to leave Friday but rain is in the forecast, and I don't like having to go through Pacheco Pass in that kind of weather. So, it looks like I'm out of here on Saturday, but if it rains then I'll be here a while longer. I may not want to leave on a Sunday and thus have to share the road with those nice wonderful super-considerate southern California drivers on their way back to the smogberry trees in Los Angeles, so I may hang around here a while longer.
* * * * * * *
I guess that I'm supposed to comment on the latest in the Presidential campaign, and about what Trump said some 20 years ago when he had no idea he would run for President.
I'm not going to defend what he said. I'm convinced that he regrets it, just as I regret saying some things I said back in junior high, high school, or college. Yes, I have skeletons in my closet too. As do you.
What gets me is that those who are going to great lengths to appear genuinely outraged about this can't wait to vote for the wife of a serial rapist.
* * * * * * *
I'm thinking that I will be in San Jose again for Thanksgiving, and possibly also for Christmas.
I don't particularly like San Jose, but I spent several years here and in one way this place is part of my being. I got my degree here and I came away with some lifelong friends.
This place isn't a trashcan, though I do frequently think the state is as morally bankrupt as they are financially.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Sunday Evening, 10/2/16
My last day of the contract on Friday went very well, and although I am glad to be getting some time off I also felt some regret in having to go out. I chatted with some other managers there and was told by all of them that they want to see me back next year when things ramp up. It will be something of a drain financially but it won't break us as that I've had two years worth of house payments in the bank for the last several years just in case. As stated last time, I will be keeping in touch with my boss, and if there's an indication that the up and coming project slips or gets cancelled (which I doubt that it will be) then yes, I might have to do some serious looking.
In the meantime, I have been resuming my radio hobby, and picking up where I started some 40+ years ago in high school, and that is, tuning in distant radio stations on the AM broadcast band and identifying them. I can't recall if I ever told the story of how I got into this, and if I don't see where I have told the story then I'll have to address that in a near-future post. With winter approaching, the "season" for medium-wave (AM broadcast band) DXing (long distance listening) is starting to kick into gear, and I've already logged some good catches.
So far the easternmost station I've gotten is KFAB out of Omaha. I remember getting WWL out of New Orleans when I was in San Jose but I haven't gotten them here yet, but I think I will before too long. Another one I'd like to get here is KMOX, which I heard when I was in high school back in New Jersey, and getting them again would bring back some memories. One station that I was pleased to get was KLPZ out of Parker, AZ, which runs only 58 watts at night. They came in one night last week but the conditions must have been unusual as that I haven't gotten them since, though I think it was KHEY out of El Paso that I was getting last night on the same frequency.
Some lower power stations out of Oklahoma and Texas have also been logged, as well as a high power border blaster out of Ciudad Acuña Mexico. I'm fairly certain that I've also gotten with regularity XEP out of Ciudad Juaréz on 1300, but I'll have to listen to their internet stream to make sure it's really them (though who else could it be?).
I'll be taking the radio with me when I'm on the road next week. Maybe in San Jose I'll be able to log stations out of British Columbia, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. I may also tune the shortwave bands some, but I haven't heard very much here aside from time signals and the rantings of Brother Stair, who is as of today conveniently forgetting about his rapture predictions he recently made about it happening this weekend.
On the coin collection front, I've done some organizing and sorting, and I plan on returning some rolled coin from my box searches to the bank in drips and drabs as that I think it might be bad form to drop them all off at once. Well, I'm not taking them back to the source bank, but I do take them back to three other branches. I try to use only one or two banks as a "source" and two others as a "sink".
Sheila has tomorrow off, and we'll be spending some time together before I leave Tuesday morning. Regrettably she doesn't have vacation time on the books to come with me, and I'm not sure how long I will be gone. I'm thinking of two more trips to San Jose this year after this one. On the way back from this one there might be a detour to Las Vegas to visit with some friends I have there, though to be honest I might want to get home sooner to be with Sheila.
In the meantime, I have been resuming my radio hobby, and picking up where I started some 40+ years ago in high school, and that is, tuning in distant radio stations on the AM broadcast band and identifying them. I can't recall if I ever told the story of how I got into this, and if I don't see where I have told the story then I'll have to address that in a near-future post. With winter approaching, the "season" for medium-wave (AM broadcast band) DXing (long distance listening) is starting to kick into gear, and I've already logged some good catches.
So far the easternmost station I've gotten is KFAB out of Omaha. I remember getting WWL out of New Orleans when I was in San Jose but I haven't gotten them here yet, but I think I will before too long. Another one I'd like to get here is KMOX, which I heard when I was in high school back in New Jersey, and getting them again would bring back some memories. One station that I was pleased to get was KLPZ out of Parker, AZ, which runs only 58 watts at night. They came in one night last week but the conditions must have been unusual as that I haven't gotten them since, though I think it was KHEY out of El Paso that I was getting last night on the same frequency.
Some lower power stations out of Oklahoma and Texas have also been logged, as well as a high power border blaster out of Ciudad Acuña Mexico. I'm fairly certain that I've also gotten with regularity XEP out of Ciudad Juaréz on 1300, but I'll have to listen to their internet stream to make sure it's really them (though who else could it be?).
I'll be taking the radio with me when I'm on the road next week. Maybe in San Jose I'll be able to log stations out of British Columbia, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. I may also tune the shortwave bands some, but I haven't heard very much here aside from time signals and the rantings of Brother Stair, who is as of today conveniently forgetting about his rapture predictions he recently made about it happening this weekend.
On the coin collection front, I've done some organizing and sorting, and I plan on returning some rolled coin from my box searches to the bank in drips and drabs as that I think it might be bad form to drop them all off at once. Well, I'm not taking them back to the source bank, but I do take them back to three other branches. I try to use only one or two banks as a "source" and two others as a "sink".
Sheila has tomorrow off, and we'll be spending some time together before I leave Tuesday morning. Regrettably she doesn't have vacation time on the books to come with me, and I'm not sure how long I will be gone. I'm thinking of two more trips to San Jose this year after this one. On the way back from this one there might be a detour to Las Vegas to visit with some friends I have there, though to be honest I might want to get home sooner to be with Sheila.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Another Transition for Me
My contract with my current employer ends on Friday. The project I was assigned to officially ends that day, and product launch I'm told is already happening. There is a lull in projects so I am officially out of work when I go home on Friday.
The good news is that I've been assured that there will be more work for me early next year, and that I'll get a phone call offering another contract position. My boss and I had a good talk about this, and we'll be in touch every other week or so to see what's in his crystal ball.
As for me, there is a rationale for taking a three to four month sabbatical. I could certainly use a sabbatical right now, but not one that long, of course. The agency that placed me has already started a search on my behalf, and I've already been in some conversations with recruiters. It's prudent to cover all bases and to learn what else is out there. What I really want to do here is leverage my recent experience into my next position, though I could do the same with my experience in a private spaceflight company.
That industry is kicking into gear, but it is not without its complications, as SpaceX showed us in a pad test a few weeks back. SpaceX won't quit; we'll be hearing plenty more from them. We'll also hear from Blue Origin.
So, what am I going to do?
I'm going to look at what else is out there, but not before I spend some time with my parents in San Jose. It's long past time for me to get up there and I figure on two more trips up there before the end of the year, if I decide on the sabbatical option. My present boss is extremely credible and if he says he'll have more work for me next year then I'll believe him. Another manager there told me he'd hire me on the spot if he had anything for me.
Yet I am one of those who feels the need (most of the time) to have something to do. I've been re-kindling my interest in the radio hobby and I'm thinking once again of purchasing a new shortwave receiver.
I could also go back into songwriting, but I don't have anything to write about, unless I decide to do something with the lyrics I wrote some time back about Jackrabbit Road, which if it exists, I'm not sure where.
Anyway........that's what it is.
Love, peace, and chicken grease!
The good news is that I've been assured that there will be more work for me early next year, and that I'll get a phone call offering another contract position. My boss and I had a good talk about this, and we'll be in touch every other week or so to see what's in his crystal ball.
As for me, there is a rationale for taking a three to four month sabbatical. I could certainly use a sabbatical right now, but not one that long, of course. The agency that placed me has already started a search on my behalf, and I've already been in some conversations with recruiters. It's prudent to cover all bases and to learn what else is out there. What I really want to do here is leverage my recent experience into my next position, though I could do the same with my experience in a private spaceflight company.
That industry is kicking into gear, but it is not without its complications, as SpaceX showed us in a pad test a few weeks back. SpaceX won't quit; we'll be hearing plenty more from them. We'll also hear from Blue Origin.
So, what am I going to do?
I'm going to look at what else is out there, but not before I spend some time with my parents in San Jose. It's long past time for me to get up there and I figure on two more trips up there before the end of the year, if I decide on the sabbatical option. My present boss is extremely credible and if he says he'll have more work for me next year then I'll believe him. Another manager there told me he'd hire me on the spot if he had anything for me.
Yet I am one of those who feels the need (most of the time) to have something to do. I've been re-kindling my interest in the radio hobby and I'm thinking once again of purchasing a new shortwave receiver.
I could also go back into songwriting, but I don't have anything to write about, unless I decide to do something with the lyrics I wrote some time back about Jackrabbit Road, which if it exists, I'm not sure where.
Anyway........that's what it is.
Love, peace, and chicken grease!
Monday, September 5, 2016
Searching Thru Boxes of Coins
As of late I have resumed an activity that's part of my coin collecting hobby. I've purchased rolls of coins at banks before and gone through them when I've gotten home. The goodies are cherry-picked out and the rest find their way back to circulation. I've also acquired coins to look thru by paying for my cash purchases in whole dollar increments, though when there's been a lot of roll hunting and purchasing then it's time to win the "War on Change", meaning that I pay in exact change until the amount of change on hand has been drawn down to my liking. But when you do something different, like what I have resumed, coins are now bought by the box.
Let me explain that some.
A roll of cents contains 50 coins. I have bought $3 or $5 worth of cent rolls to look thru. I've also roll-searched nickels and half dollars. But upon reading the posts in the Coin Community Forum, I learned that there were avid box searchers out there. I've read about guys buying $2000 worth of half dollars from the bank to look for silver halves. I know of people searching through boxes of nickels and cents, looking for rarities. Yes, there are dime box searchers looking for that silver dime or two that has somehow escaped capture. I don't read very much about box searchers getting quarters, but it does happen. I'm sure that somewhere out there, there are a few who search through boxes of small dollar coins, looking for NIFC (Not Intended for Circulation) coins, and yes, there are plenty of those to be had with smalll dollars and half dollars as well.
Well as I am writing this I am presently going through a box of cents. This isn't, in my mind, your ordinary box of cents. I traded for this with a friend in Massachusetts. I have noticed that in previous visits to the northeast, that your chances of scoring wheat cents is better than here in the southwest, but that's not all. You get more Canadian cents than you do here, and I save most of them that I find as that they're not being made any more. But the real reason for going through an East Coast box is that coins minted out of Philadelphia are the dominant mint encountered, and the Philly mint throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s produced some cents with a rare die variety that wasn't produced out west on the Denver cents. You'll have to google "WAM" and Lincoln cents if you wish to know more about this.
The box I'm working on now is my fourth from the East Coast, and I think I may have finally scored one of these varieties. I now need to get over to my local favorite coin shop for an evaluation, and if they concur then I might sell the coin. I can't find anything (yet) on eBay on 1998 WAM cents, and research thus far suggests that the variety for this year is not as rare as it is for other years.
As for other denominations of boxes, I've done them for all except the small dollar coins, and I've kept records on a spreadsheet as to what I have found.
My intention is to report these in future posts.
Let me explain that some.
A roll of cents contains 50 coins. I have bought $3 or $5 worth of cent rolls to look thru. I've also roll-searched nickels and half dollars. But upon reading the posts in the Coin Community Forum, I learned that there were avid box searchers out there. I've read about guys buying $2000 worth of half dollars from the bank to look for silver halves. I know of people searching through boxes of nickels and cents, looking for rarities. Yes, there are dime box searchers looking for that silver dime or two that has somehow escaped capture. I don't read very much about box searchers getting quarters, but it does happen. I'm sure that somewhere out there, there are a few who search through boxes of small dollar coins, looking for NIFC (Not Intended for Circulation) coins, and yes, there are plenty of those to be had with smalll dollars and half dollars as well.
Well as I am writing this I am presently going through a box of cents. This isn't, in my mind, your ordinary box of cents. I traded for this with a friend in Massachusetts. I have noticed that in previous visits to the northeast, that your chances of scoring wheat cents is better than here in the southwest, but that's not all. You get more Canadian cents than you do here, and I save most of them that I find as that they're not being made any more. But the real reason for going through an East Coast box is that coins minted out of Philadelphia are the dominant mint encountered, and the Philly mint throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s produced some cents with a rare die variety that wasn't produced out west on the Denver cents. You'll have to google "WAM" and Lincoln cents if you wish to know more about this.
The box I'm working on now is my fourth from the East Coast, and I think I may have finally scored one of these varieties. I now need to get over to my local favorite coin shop for an evaluation, and if they concur then I might sell the coin. I can't find anything (yet) on eBay on 1998 WAM cents, and research thus far suggests that the variety for this year is not as rare as it is for other years.
As for other denominations of boxes, I've done them for all except the small dollar coins, and I've kept records on a spreadsheet as to what I have found.
My intention is to report these in future posts.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
To New Mexico and Back
On Friday, 7/29/16, Sheila and I did something that we haven't done for a long time. We went on a road trip. We had been kicking it around a few weeks before it happened because we weren't sure that it would happen at all. Life complications have been rising up it seems, like it's some sort of whack-a-mole game, except that the moles were popping up just as a weekend was about to get underway.
There was something that needed taking care of that morning, and we knew that was coming so our appointment to take care of that was at 9:00 AM. Once that was done, we packed for a long weekend, and then it was off to Deming, New Mexico.
One reason why we went there was because it was Sheila's choice. Another was that we hadn't yet gone out that way together. And one reason why I was pleased with the choice was that it was a chance to see if that New Mexico style of cuisine was the same as what I can get here in Tucson at Poco & Mom's.
Our intention going out there was to stay in Deming for one night, and make it up as we went along from there. I wanted to fit in City of Rocks State Park and Silver City, but Silver City was at first uncertain since they were getting slammed by afternoon thunderstorms; courtesy of the 2016 Monsoon Season. We rolled into Deming on Friday afternoon, and after a one hour rest we walked over to a Mexican restaurant that was nearby.
The food there was good, but the booth was a little on the cramped side. We both ordered a combo plate, and true to New Mexico style, we were asked the State Question, which is "red or green?" That's referring to the color of salsa that you want. I think they consider one of them to be "mild" (I can't remember which one) and the other to be "hot". I think most folks not familiar with New Mexico style would consider one to be "hot" and the other to be "rocket fuel". I went green for my choice as did Sheila.
The next morning we had the lodging-provided complimentary breakfast, after which we checked out and then pointed my truck in the direction of Silver City. We knew that City of Rocks State Park would be on the way via a ten mile detour down a state highway, and when we found that road we turned.
I had known of City of Rocks via a friend of mine who once camped there. I had seen some pictures of it, but with a place like that the pictures don't do it justice. It's best appreciated by being there and wandering around. We were there for an hour or so before we left for Silver City, passing throuh Hurley and Bayard on the way.
We arrived around lunchtime, and per a recommendation from a co-worker we looked for Jalisco's Cafe and found it downtown. Again, it was that New Mexico style, which is my favorite, and this time I had the meat enchilada plate. Per local custom enchiladas in New Mexico are served with a fried egg on top of them and it's over easy unless you tell them you want it scrambled or you don't want it at all. I personally think eggs are best scrambled, which is how I make mine when I make them, but quando in Roma you do what the Romans do and I had it over easy.
The food at this place was absolutely delicious, and better than what we had in Deming. I came away glad that Poco & Mom's here in Tucson was equal to Jalisco's. After lunch we walked around downtown Silver City, which is a neat place to walk around in, and after that we searched for lodging.
Had we done our due diligence we would have stayed downtown. I instead checked out the places we saw on our way in, and as the saying goes, they were very proud of their lodging. Both places, owned by the same outfit and next to each other, had some remodeling going on, and if anything they should have not allowed themselves to suffer from the amount of greed that they do. As it was, a nasty thunderstorm was on the way, and I figured we would drive down to Lordsburg and spend the night there.
Now if you go back and read my previous posts, you'll know that Lordsburg has come up before here. I've done lots of fireworks runs to that place over the years, and I even dream about the place on occasion. I wouldn't call it the crown jewel of New Mexico but I wouldn't call it an armpit or a trashcan either. The town has been losing people over the decades. That said, you won't see any grafitti there, and you can walk around to your heart's content and not be hassled by panhandlers.
After a night there, we drove around it some, and again, if I had done my due diligence, I would have had us eat at this place called Ramona's Cafe which along the old US 70 when it was the main drag. What used to be the main drag of Lordsburg fell into abandonment long ago, when I-10 was built roughly a mile south of where US 70 used to be.
We left Lordsburg in midmorning and took I-10 on the way home, though maybe next time we'll take that active part of US 70 on up to Safford and then US 191 back to I-10. Who knows, we tend to make up our trips as we go along, since it's more fun doing it that way.
As for The Land of Enchantment, Sheila wants to go back in a few weeks. I'm game, but there's possible overtime at work for the next few weeks so I don't know if I'll have my off Fridays off. Perhaps the next visit to our neighboring state will take us to Las Cruces, or Hatch.
We'll figure something out the next time we're there.
There was something that needed taking care of that morning, and we knew that was coming so our appointment to take care of that was at 9:00 AM. Once that was done, we packed for a long weekend, and then it was off to Deming, New Mexico.
One reason why we went there was because it was Sheila's choice. Another was that we hadn't yet gone out that way together. And one reason why I was pleased with the choice was that it was a chance to see if that New Mexico style of cuisine was the same as what I can get here in Tucson at Poco & Mom's.
Our intention going out there was to stay in Deming for one night, and make it up as we went along from there. I wanted to fit in City of Rocks State Park and Silver City, but Silver City was at first uncertain since they were getting slammed by afternoon thunderstorms; courtesy of the 2016 Monsoon Season. We rolled into Deming on Friday afternoon, and after a one hour rest we walked over to a Mexican restaurant that was nearby.
The food there was good, but the booth was a little on the cramped side. We both ordered a combo plate, and true to New Mexico style, we were asked the State Question, which is "red or green?" That's referring to the color of salsa that you want. I think they consider one of them to be "mild" (I can't remember which one) and the other to be "hot". I think most folks not familiar with New Mexico style would consider one to be "hot" and the other to be "rocket fuel". I went green for my choice as did Sheila.
The next morning we had the lodging-provided complimentary breakfast, after which we checked out and then pointed my truck in the direction of Silver City. We knew that City of Rocks State Park would be on the way via a ten mile detour down a state highway, and when we found that road we turned.
I had known of City of Rocks via a friend of mine who once camped there. I had seen some pictures of it, but with a place like that the pictures don't do it justice. It's best appreciated by being there and wandering around. We were there for an hour or so before we left for Silver City, passing throuh Hurley and Bayard on the way.
We arrived around lunchtime, and per a recommendation from a co-worker we looked for Jalisco's Cafe and found it downtown. Again, it was that New Mexico style, which is my favorite, and this time I had the meat enchilada plate. Per local custom enchiladas in New Mexico are served with a fried egg on top of them and it's over easy unless you tell them you want it scrambled or you don't want it at all. I personally think eggs are best scrambled, which is how I make mine when I make them, but quando in Roma you do what the Romans do and I had it over easy.
The food at this place was absolutely delicious, and better than what we had in Deming. I came away glad that Poco & Mom's here in Tucson was equal to Jalisco's. After lunch we walked around downtown Silver City, which is a neat place to walk around in, and after that we searched for lodging.
Had we done our due diligence we would have stayed downtown. I instead checked out the places we saw on our way in, and as the saying goes, they were very proud of their lodging. Both places, owned by the same outfit and next to each other, had some remodeling going on, and if anything they should have not allowed themselves to suffer from the amount of greed that they do. As it was, a nasty thunderstorm was on the way, and I figured we would drive down to Lordsburg and spend the night there.
Now if you go back and read my previous posts, you'll know that Lordsburg has come up before here. I've done lots of fireworks runs to that place over the years, and I even dream about the place on occasion. I wouldn't call it the crown jewel of New Mexico but I wouldn't call it an armpit or a trashcan either. The town has been losing people over the decades. That said, you won't see any grafitti there, and you can walk around to your heart's content and not be hassled by panhandlers.
After a night there, we drove around it some, and again, if I had done my due diligence, I would have had us eat at this place called Ramona's Cafe which along the old US 70 when it was the main drag. What used to be the main drag of Lordsburg fell into abandonment long ago, when I-10 was built roughly a mile south of where US 70 used to be.
We left Lordsburg in midmorning and took I-10 on the way home, though maybe next time we'll take that active part of US 70 on up to Safford and then US 191 back to I-10. Who knows, we tend to make up our trips as we go along, since it's more fun doing it that way.
As for The Land of Enchantment, Sheila wants to go back in a few weeks. I'm game, but there's possible overtime at work for the next few weeks so I don't know if I'll have my off Fridays off. Perhaps the next visit to our neighboring state will take us to Las Cruces, or Hatch.
We'll figure something out the next time we're there.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Remembering Jeff Handt
Jeff Handt is likely someone that you never heard of. Knowing him as well as I did, he likely would have wanted it that way. I had known him for several years, although it wasn't until 2012 that I began to develop a friendship with him.
Jeff was a regular at my church. He sang in the choir, he helped the church out with helping to get it ready to be closed after the Sunday service. He did a lot of volunteer work for the City of Tucson and he did a lot of other things that were behind the scenes. That was the way that he wanted it. He wanted no special recognition of his contributions.
As I said, we began to develop a close friendship with him. He told me that he was dying and that the doctors couldn't tell him how long he had. He had several medical issues which he related to me. I began visiting him frequently, where we would bear each other's burdens. By observing him adhering to the faith in the adverse circumstances that he faced, he bolstered my faith. The guy just wouldn't quit. He related a lot of stories to me about how, through his circumstances, he made a powerful statement to those medical professionals who cared for his needs.
Without having met Sheila at the time, he told me after the first time seeing her with me in church, that I needed to get down on my knee and propose marriage to Sheila. At that time he saw something in her that some other close friends of mine saw, who also told me that it would be good for me to make Sheila my wife, which I later on did.
When circumstances forced me into a temporary relocation to Las Vegas, I wasn't able to keep up the frequent visits with him. I know that he had a close friendship with someone else who I also became close with during that terrible summer of 2014. That friendship with that individual went back to 1968. Jeff was one to wisely maintain his friendships, something which I haven't been the greatest at doing sometimes. When I was back in Tucson, I visited him as time allowed, and my plans for this afternoon were to visit him again, upon learning that he was being transferred from hospice to an assisted living facility.
At church this morning, it was announced in prayer that he passed away this past Monday. It was all I could do to not break down in an uncontrollable release of emotion when I heard that. I did not take that very well, and I still am in a funk over this, but I know that he is in a better place right now.
Jeff Handt taught me some important things about life. No matter how bad it gets, to hang on to your faith, and keep going. He said I needed to abandon the word "hate" in my vocabulary, as that I told him I hated living in Las Vegas and that I hated that place with a passion. He didn't tell me to stop referring to it as "Trashcan", but he wanted to see me to not stated that I hated Las Vegas with a passion. He said the word "hate" is wrong, and I knew he was right, and so I try to describe my experience there as something that I disliked intensely.
He also knew about life, and what it was really all about, although his quality of life was nowhere near what most of the rest of us are accustomed to. I have become aware that the simple pleasures are important, (I learned that from one of my cats believe it or not), and he was able to enjoy those. He introduced me to the books written by Louis L'Amour, loaning me some novels, which I returned, and thus exposing me to the Western genre of novels that I came to enjoy.
With all the crap that is going on in the world......and I could write plenty about that.........the disintegration is happening all around us............I feel the need to reflect on what he taught me.
As sad as I am that I didn't get to have that one last visit with him, I have comfort in knowing that he's in a much better spot.
Until I see him again there, I'm going to miss him from time to time.
Jeff was a regular at my church. He sang in the choir, he helped the church out with helping to get it ready to be closed after the Sunday service. He did a lot of volunteer work for the City of Tucson and he did a lot of other things that were behind the scenes. That was the way that he wanted it. He wanted no special recognition of his contributions.
As I said, we began to develop a close friendship with him. He told me that he was dying and that the doctors couldn't tell him how long he had. He had several medical issues which he related to me. I began visiting him frequently, where we would bear each other's burdens. By observing him adhering to the faith in the adverse circumstances that he faced, he bolstered my faith. The guy just wouldn't quit. He related a lot of stories to me about how, through his circumstances, he made a powerful statement to those medical professionals who cared for his needs.
Without having met Sheila at the time, he told me after the first time seeing her with me in church, that I needed to get down on my knee and propose marriage to Sheila. At that time he saw something in her that some other close friends of mine saw, who also told me that it would be good for me to make Sheila my wife, which I later on did.
When circumstances forced me into a temporary relocation to Las Vegas, I wasn't able to keep up the frequent visits with him. I know that he had a close friendship with someone else who I also became close with during that terrible summer of 2014. That friendship with that individual went back to 1968. Jeff was one to wisely maintain his friendships, something which I haven't been the greatest at doing sometimes. When I was back in Tucson, I visited him as time allowed, and my plans for this afternoon were to visit him again, upon learning that he was being transferred from hospice to an assisted living facility.
At church this morning, it was announced in prayer that he passed away this past Monday. It was all I could do to not break down in an uncontrollable release of emotion when I heard that. I did not take that very well, and I still am in a funk over this, but I know that he is in a better place right now.
Jeff Handt taught me some important things about life. No matter how bad it gets, to hang on to your faith, and keep going. He said I needed to abandon the word "hate" in my vocabulary, as that I told him I hated living in Las Vegas and that I hated that place with a passion. He didn't tell me to stop referring to it as "Trashcan", but he wanted to see me to not stated that I hated Las Vegas with a passion. He said the word "hate" is wrong, and I knew he was right, and so I try to describe my experience there as something that I disliked intensely.
He also knew about life, and what it was really all about, although his quality of life was nowhere near what most of the rest of us are accustomed to. I have become aware that the simple pleasures are important, (I learned that from one of my cats believe it or not), and he was able to enjoy those. He introduced me to the books written by Louis L'Amour, loaning me some novels, which I returned, and thus exposing me to the Western genre of novels that I came to enjoy.
With all the crap that is going on in the world......and I could write plenty about that.........the disintegration is happening all around us............I feel the need to reflect on what he taught me.
As sad as I am that I didn't get to have that one last visit with him, I have comfort in knowing that he's in a much better spot.
Until I see him again there, I'm going to miss him from time to time.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
I Didn't Think They'd Do It.......But They Did!
For the past week or so I've been following British politics with respect to the "Brexit" referendum. The so-called pundits and eck-spurts weren't taking the "Leave" campaign seriously, suggesting that the voters wouldn't dare vote for this, and afterwards this would all be settled and the European Union would continue on as before. I'll be honest and state that I didn't think that they'd actually do it either, even though I wanted to see the "Leave" folks win this one.
No one of course, asks me for advice in these sorts of things, and I likely wouldn't have given it anyway as that I'm a citizen of the U.S. and not of the U.K., and therefore it's not like I have a place to tell them how they should run their country. But if pressed, I might have told them to go ahead and vote "Leave" anyway while they had this chance, because their fatass politicians likely would not allow them this kind of vote in the future.
It should of course, go without saying, that the bureaucrats in the EU aren't happy about this. They have spent decades building their own empire, starting out as a trade union and marching slowly towards the creation of a European superstate bent on tearing down borders and sovereignty of the member states. A trade union makes sense to me, but that wasn't what the fatass politicians running it wanted. Their actions and attitude lent credence to the conspiracy theorists claiming that the end goal was one big giant world government. If that was what was really their goal, their march toward that goal line has ended as that the ball has been fumbled and now the other side has it.
In the aftermath, we now have momentum going to other movements over there who want their countries back. There are Dutch, French and Germans who no longer wish to carry the water for the Greeks, Portuguese and Italians, and they are understandably frustrated at why this Union has been shoved down their throats. They too want to vote on this, and the fatass politicians have to be greatly concerned about this.
As for where Europe goes from here, I think we'll see a shrunken European Union before the elites start building it back up again. The European Parliament will try to sneak in binding legislation that will prohibit future referenda as they build it back up again.
I don't personally think the elites want the EU to become the World Government, but I do see them wanting to become a de facto United States of Europe, and they'd be OK with the U.S.E. being one of six or seven superstates that has long been the goal of communitarians worldwide.
Stay tuned, folks. The fatass politicians aren't going to graciously accept this.
No one of course, asks me for advice in these sorts of things, and I likely wouldn't have given it anyway as that I'm a citizen of the U.S. and not of the U.K., and therefore it's not like I have a place to tell them how they should run their country. But if pressed, I might have told them to go ahead and vote "Leave" anyway while they had this chance, because their fatass politicians likely would not allow them this kind of vote in the future.
It should of course, go without saying, that the bureaucrats in the EU aren't happy about this. They have spent decades building their own empire, starting out as a trade union and marching slowly towards the creation of a European superstate bent on tearing down borders and sovereignty of the member states. A trade union makes sense to me, but that wasn't what the fatass politicians running it wanted. Their actions and attitude lent credence to the conspiracy theorists claiming that the end goal was one big giant world government. If that was what was really their goal, their march toward that goal line has ended as that the ball has been fumbled and now the other side has it.
In the aftermath, we now have momentum going to other movements over there who want their countries back. There are Dutch, French and Germans who no longer wish to carry the water for the Greeks, Portuguese and Italians, and they are understandably frustrated at why this Union has been shoved down their throats. They too want to vote on this, and the fatass politicians have to be greatly concerned about this.
As for where Europe goes from here, I think we'll see a shrunken European Union before the elites start building it back up again. The European Parliament will try to sneak in binding legislation that will prohibit future referenda as they build it back up again.
I don't personally think the elites want the EU to become the World Government, but I do see them wanting to become a de facto United States of Europe, and they'd be OK with the U.S.E. being one of six or seven superstates that has long been the goal of communitarians worldwide.
Stay tuned, folks. The fatass politicians aren't going to graciously accept this.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Benchmark Hunting
Some of you may know what a benchmark is. Others of you may not. Some might think of a benchmark in terms of a software reference, while others might think of it in terms of a survey marker. The latter is what I think of when I think of the term "benchmark".
I first heard of benchmarks back when I was a junior in high school, back at Randolph High School. I'm very sure that this came up in a geology class, when we were watching a film that spent a few moments on benchmarks. I thought that they were cool, but I wouldn't be seeing any as that you had to know where one was in order to go look at one, and plus I was thinking they were all way out west somewhere, a region of the country that I would not get to for some time.
As it was, I ended up out west sooner than I would have thought, when my dad accepted a transfer to California. I was into ham radio by then, and I wanted to upgrade from the Novice class license that I held. In those days if you wanted to upgrade, you had to go to the nearest FCC field office, which in my case was at the U.S. Customhouse in San Francisco on Battery Street.
My dad drove me up there for this, and after we had parked we walked over to find the Customhouse. It was an easy find, a huge gray building, multistory, and from its looks it was built in the 1930s or so. I happened to notice a disk on the corner of the building at the base, and it was a benchmark! I thought that was pretty cool, seeing that there. I pointed it out to my dad. From that film I thought benchmarks were all out where wild animals lived and that you weren't going to find any in a city. We then entered the building, I took the test that I studied very hard for, passed it, and got my upgraded license some six weeks later.
There were future visits to the Customhouse as I upgraded my license, working my up to the General Class, then Advanced, and then the Extra Class in June 1983. I had forgotten about that benchmark as that I was more concentrated on passing those tests so that I could make the top of the line as far as ham radio was concerned, as that I wanted to talk to other hams in places like Tokyo and Blagoveshchensk.
Fast forward now to 2000. Or maybe 2001. In those days I made several drives up to what is now the Ironwood Forest National Monument. I knew the owners of a property up there and had permission to be on their land for hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing as long as I left the place just as clean or cleaner than before getting there. (I know that I did at least two camping trips there). This was up on Silverbell Road, somewhere between Marana and the old Silverbell Mine. A lot of it was BLM land before it became a national monument (aside from the properties that some folks had) and it was a really great place to take some pictures.
One day on one of those excursions, I would notice these manmade concrete squares every other mile or so. They were roughly fifteen inch squares, and I either pulled over to look at one of them, or maybe it was a relief stop. When I got up to take a closer look, it was a benchmark! It told me the elevation like the one in San Francisco did, and it too was placed there by the U.S. Geological Survey. I saw several more of them up and down Silverbell Road, all of them being these concrete settings with the disk embedded in the top.
I didn't think about benchmarks for years after that, until day at work during my lunch break, I thought of them for some reason and went online to learn more about them. I learned that they're scattered all over the country, and that there were a few between where I worked then and home, and one day a few weeks later I stopped off to look at one.
I started thinking about them a month or so ago. I mean, they're out there in some interesting places, and seeing as how I like the outdoors they were giving me one more excuse to get out there, along with the hiking, hunting and fishing. I learned where the ones on my side of town were by going online, and when Sheila wanted to go for a walk in Udall Park, I remembered that there was one there. I printed out its data sheet, and after an early evening meal we went over to the park. There was enough daylight, and it was a nice walk trying to find the thing. A handheld GPS receiver would have sped up the search, but from taking readings from an app on my phone I was able to locate it.
We took some pictures of it, thought it was cool, and then went home.
I have since spent more time online researching them. Last night I created an account on Geocaching.com and I logged my find. I spent today's lunch break looking at GPS receiver reviews, and I'm thinking about getting one in the near future. I know, I've said before that a handheld police scanner was going to be my next toy, and I haven't forgotten that. That said, if I take up deer hunting again I am really going to want a GPS receiver out there with me so I will know where I am. (I'm also interested in knowing just how far above sea level I'm at.)
I plan to spend some more time researching GPS receivers, as that I'd like to get out and find some more benchmarks. I don't see myself taking up geocache hunting, though I might see what it's all about. A good friend of mine here is into it, and I'll have to pick his brain about GPS handhelds.
In the meantime, here is a closeup shot of Saturday's find. I should have taken a few of the monument itself, but I didn't.
Oh well.
Next time.
I first heard of benchmarks back when I was a junior in high school, back at Randolph High School. I'm very sure that this came up in a geology class, when we were watching a film that spent a few moments on benchmarks. I thought that they were cool, but I wouldn't be seeing any as that you had to know where one was in order to go look at one, and plus I was thinking they were all way out west somewhere, a region of the country that I would not get to for some time.
As it was, I ended up out west sooner than I would have thought, when my dad accepted a transfer to California. I was into ham radio by then, and I wanted to upgrade from the Novice class license that I held. In those days if you wanted to upgrade, you had to go to the nearest FCC field office, which in my case was at the U.S. Customhouse in San Francisco on Battery Street.
My dad drove me up there for this, and after we had parked we walked over to find the Customhouse. It was an easy find, a huge gray building, multistory, and from its looks it was built in the 1930s or so. I happened to notice a disk on the corner of the building at the base, and it was a benchmark! I thought that was pretty cool, seeing that there. I pointed it out to my dad. From that film I thought benchmarks were all out where wild animals lived and that you weren't going to find any in a city. We then entered the building, I took the test that I studied very hard for, passed it, and got my upgraded license some six weeks later.
There were future visits to the Customhouse as I upgraded my license, working my up to the General Class, then Advanced, and then the Extra Class in June 1983. I had forgotten about that benchmark as that I was more concentrated on passing those tests so that I could make the top of the line as far as ham radio was concerned, as that I wanted to talk to other hams in places like Tokyo and Blagoveshchensk.
Fast forward now to 2000. Or maybe 2001. In those days I made several drives up to what is now the Ironwood Forest National Monument. I knew the owners of a property up there and had permission to be on their land for hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing as long as I left the place just as clean or cleaner than before getting there. (I know that I did at least two camping trips there). This was up on Silverbell Road, somewhere between Marana and the old Silverbell Mine. A lot of it was BLM land before it became a national monument (aside from the properties that some folks had) and it was a really great place to take some pictures.
One day on one of those excursions, I would notice these manmade concrete squares every other mile or so. They were roughly fifteen inch squares, and I either pulled over to look at one of them, or maybe it was a relief stop. When I got up to take a closer look, it was a benchmark! It told me the elevation like the one in San Francisco did, and it too was placed there by the U.S. Geological Survey. I saw several more of them up and down Silverbell Road, all of them being these concrete settings with the disk embedded in the top.
I didn't think about benchmarks for years after that, until day at work during my lunch break, I thought of them for some reason and went online to learn more about them. I learned that they're scattered all over the country, and that there were a few between where I worked then and home, and one day a few weeks later I stopped off to look at one.
I started thinking about them a month or so ago. I mean, they're out there in some interesting places, and seeing as how I like the outdoors they were giving me one more excuse to get out there, along with the hiking, hunting and fishing. I learned where the ones on my side of town were by going online, and when Sheila wanted to go for a walk in Udall Park, I remembered that there was one there. I printed out its data sheet, and after an early evening meal we went over to the park. There was enough daylight, and it was a nice walk trying to find the thing. A handheld GPS receiver would have sped up the search, but from taking readings from an app on my phone I was able to locate it.
We took some pictures of it, thought it was cool, and then went home.
I have since spent more time online researching them. Last night I created an account on Geocaching.com and I logged my find. I spent today's lunch break looking at GPS receiver reviews, and I'm thinking about getting one in the near future. I know, I've said before that a handheld police scanner was going to be my next toy, and I haven't forgotten that. That said, if I take up deer hunting again I am really going to want a GPS receiver out there with me so I will know where I am. (I'm also interested in knowing just how far above sea level I'm at.)
I plan to spend some more time researching GPS receivers, as that I'd like to get out and find some more benchmarks. I don't see myself taking up geocache hunting, though I might see what it's all about. A good friend of mine here is into it, and I'll have to pick his brain about GPS handhelds.
In the meantime, here is a closeup shot of Saturday's find. I should have taken a few of the monument itself, but I didn't.
Oh well.
Next time.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Some Random Thoughts, 5/18/16.
I've seen headlines on the Drudge Report about the long wait times at security screenings at O'Hare International Airport and a few other airports as well. Also, three thousand bags failed to make their flights at Sky Harbor in Phoenix last week.
So......we have a government agency, TSA, doing the screens. We accept that as a consequence of 9/11.
My question is........just how many of the people who missed their bags and their flights can't wait for the government to take over health care?
Let's say we have someone who makes $50,000 a year, and it costs him a dollar to buy a loaf of bread.
Then we have someone else who makes $100,000 a year, and it costs him two dollars to buy a loaf of bread.
Is he better off than the first guy?
My answer is the first guy is better off. He's in a lower tax bracket.
The point here, is that the fatass politicians desire inflation so that they can confiscate a higher percentage of wealth from those loyal subjects they have contempt for. Sure, the dollars are worth less, but their percentage is upped so that the real value of what they take is increased.
While on the subject of wealth, I sometimes hear about the rich "not doing their fair share", and thus need to have their taxes increased. This makes sense to most folks as that they have a lot of extra money that they don't really need.........or so we're told by the Keynesians and especially by the 47% who pay no income tax.
There's one thing that they haven't told us.
Just what is their "fair share"? Is it a dollar amount? Is it a percentage?
Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer to this.
And while we're on the subject of the rich, those folks who complain about them not doing their "fair share" say that money needs to be taken from the rich, since the rich are made evil by mere possession of that money. These self-appointed do-gooders say that they want to take this money from the rich so that they can give it to the poor, or more accurately, they want appointed government bureaucrat do-gooders to do the redistribution of this wealth since they know what's best for the masses.
So if it's money that is making the rich evil, then if we take it from them and give it to the poor, won't that make the poor people "evil"? Do we really want to go around and make everyone else "evil"?
I could ask if taking money from the rich will turn them into "good" people, and I could also ask if this redistribution will make only the rich "good" and everyone else "evil", but I might be more likely to get an answer to my "fair share" question raised above, and I think getting the Beatles back together would be easier than getting that answer.
Just what does it take be "rich", anyway? Is it really the mere possession of money? If say, the line is drawn at having $100,000 at a bank, does that mean that the person who only has $99,999 in the bank not "rich"? If he's not rich, then is he poor?
OK, let's re-define this in terms of stocks.
Today the stock is worth $100,000. Tomorrow the stock market has a sell-off, but let's say that our rich stockholder was smart and only lost one dollar. His stock is then worth $99,999.
Is he now poor?
One final thought.
If you're going to ask the Good Lord for a gift, then consider asking Him for the gift of wisdom.
If you have wisdom, then you'll have the means of getting most of the other gifts you could have asked for.
So......we have a government agency, TSA, doing the screens. We accept that as a consequence of 9/11.
My question is........just how many of the people who missed their bags and their flights can't wait for the government to take over health care?
* * * * * * *
Let's say we have someone who makes $50,000 a year, and it costs him a dollar to buy a loaf of bread.
Then we have someone else who makes $100,000 a year, and it costs him two dollars to buy a loaf of bread.
Is he better off than the first guy?
My answer is the first guy is better off. He's in a lower tax bracket.
The point here, is that the fatass politicians desire inflation so that they can confiscate a higher percentage of wealth from those loyal subjects they have contempt for. Sure, the dollars are worth less, but their percentage is upped so that the real value of what they take is increased.
* * * * * * *
While on the subject of wealth, I sometimes hear about the rich "not doing their fair share", and thus need to have their taxes increased. This makes sense to most folks as that they have a lot of extra money that they don't really need.........or so we're told by the Keynesians and especially by the 47% who pay no income tax.
There's one thing that they haven't told us.
Just what is their "fair share"? Is it a dollar amount? Is it a percentage?
Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer to this.
* * * * * * *
And while we're on the subject of the rich, those folks who complain about them not doing their "fair share" say that money needs to be taken from the rich, since the rich are made evil by mere possession of that money. These self-appointed do-gooders say that they want to take this money from the rich so that they can give it to the poor, or more accurately, they want appointed government bureaucrat do-gooders to do the redistribution of this wealth since they know what's best for the masses.
So if it's money that is making the rich evil, then if we take it from them and give it to the poor, won't that make the poor people "evil"? Do we really want to go around and make everyone else "evil"?
I could ask if taking money from the rich will turn them into "good" people, and I could also ask if this redistribution will make only the rich "good" and everyone else "evil", but I might be more likely to get an answer to my "fair share" question raised above, and I think getting the Beatles back together would be easier than getting that answer.
* * * * * * *
Just what does it take be "rich", anyway? Is it really the mere possession of money? If say, the line is drawn at having $100,000 at a bank, does that mean that the person who only has $99,999 in the bank not "rich"? If he's not rich, then is he poor?
OK, let's re-define this in terms of stocks.
Today the stock is worth $100,000. Tomorrow the stock market has a sell-off, but let's say that our rich stockholder was smart and only lost one dollar. His stock is then worth $99,999.
Is he now poor?
* * * * * * *
One final thought.
If you're going to ask the Good Lord for a gift, then consider asking Him for the gift of wisdom.
If you have wisdom, then you'll have the means of getting most of the other gifts you could have asked for.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Catching up, April 2016
I regret to be posting that my uncle Tony passed away last week. He was a member of the Greatest Generation.....those who went overseas in World War II to defend our freedoms. I was aware that he was on board a plane that was shot down behind enemy lines, and spent six weeks in the care of the Yugoslavian resistance.........but I had no idea that he had earned two Purple Hearts. He didn't tell us that when he was discussing his experience with my cousin Tom and myself when I was in Iowa several years ago.
I also regret not having met him many more times. He spent his postwar career in the Nebraska Highway Department, while I was growing up in Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, and other places. He inspired confidence in those that he met, which is a trait that should be much more common than it is today.
Goodbye Tony.
I am now over two months into my new job, and the longer I'm there, the more that I enjoy it. It's challenging to simultaneously develop forty......yes forty.......test protocols simultaneously. They are almost ready for dry runs. I see twenty of them being done by close of business on Wednesday and the remainder by the close of business Friday.
A really good place to stop off at if you're ever passing thru Tucson is the Triple T truck stop right off I-10 at the Craycroft exit. This was established in 1950 or so when there wasn't an I-10. The highway was the old Arizona State 86, which still exists east of Tucson, but used to take travelers from Tucson right to the New Mexico state line.
They're open 24/7/365, and breakfast as well as lunch are served all day. I was there Friday morning meeting a longtime friend for breakfast, and I had the Cowboy Omelette. It was devastating in a very good way.........so filling that I didn't bother with lunch.
The chain truck stops are good places to eat, as that there's a lot of competition amongst Love's, Pilot, and Petro to serve home style cooking for those who are on the road for long periods of time.
TTT, which stands for Tucson Truck Terminal, is an independent, and remains one of my favorite places to eat.
I am really still amazed to be back home in Tucson. Every time I get to go to TTT or to one of the fine Mexican restaurants here, or to church, or even if I'm driving around, I feel this gratitude about being back home, and it may be a long while before it wears off..........if it ever does.
I'm still doing yardwork, and the yard is showing signs of getting to where I want it. It will be an ongoing thing. If just one cubic inch of the garbage can is empty, it means that I haven't done enough yardwork.
I also am itching to resume getting my coin collection better organized. I am itching to buy a box of nickel and sort thru them, and that just might happen within a week.
That is it for now.
Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat!
I also regret not having met him many more times. He spent his postwar career in the Nebraska Highway Department, while I was growing up in Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, and other places. He inspired confidence in those that he met, which is a trait that should be much more common than it is today.
Goodbye Tony.
* * * * * * *
I am now over two months into my new job, and the longer I'm there, the more that I enjoy it. It's challenging to simultaneously develop forty......yes forty.......test protocols simultaneously. They are almost ready for dry runs. I see twenty of them being done by close of business on Wednesday and the remainder by the close of business Friday.
* * * * * * *
A really good place to stop off at if you're ever passing thru Tucson is the Triple T truck stop right off I-10 at the Craycroft exit. This was established in 1950 or so when there wasn't an I-10. The highway was the old Arizona State 86, which still exists east of Tucson, but used to take travelers from Tucson right to the New Mexico state line.
They're open 24/7/365, and breakfast as well as lunch are served all day. I was there Friday morning meeting a longtime friend for breakfast, and I had the Cowboy Omelette. It was devastating in a very good way.........so filling that I didn't bother with lunch.
The chain truck stops are good places to eat, as that there's a lot of competition amongst Love's, Pilot, and Petro to serve home style cooking for those who are on the road for long periods of time.
TTT, which stands for Tucson Truck Terminal, is an independent, and remains one of my favorite places to eat.
* * * * * * *
I am really still amazed to be back home in Tucson. Every time I get to go to TTT or to one of the fine Mexican restaurants here, or to church, or even if I'm driving around, I feel this gratitude about being back home, and it may be a long while before it wears off..........if it ever does.
* * * * * * *
I'm still doing yardwork, and the yard is showing signs of getting to where I want it. It will be an ongoing thing. If just one cubic inch of the garbage can is empty, it means that I haven't done enough yardwork.
I also am itching to resume getting my coin collection better organized. I am itching to buy a box of nickel and sort thru them, and that just might happen within a week.
* * * * * * *
That is it for now.
Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat!
Monday, March 21, 2016
Does Your Vote Even Matter Any More?
Josef Stalin has one quote credited to him that I think about any time there's an election. "It doesn't matter who votes. What matters is who counts the votes." This axiom rang true when Lyndon Johnson first ran for the Senate in a special election in 1941. Seeing as how that worked against him then, he was able to use it to his advantage when he ran again for the Senate in 1948. I have heard of this working against Bill Clinton when he ran for Congress in 1974 and it wouldn't surprise me if there were several other examples.
We are now in the midst of the most interesting Presidential election in my lifetime, and although I am thinking of the Stalin quote, there is another axiom that I am going to bring forth as that the process it describes is currently in use by the leadership of the two major parties this time around.
It doesn't matter how you vote. If we don't like your vote, we can change the outcome.
On the Democratic side, they have had their safeguard against the will of the voter for several years. That safeguard is called "superdelegates". Culled from the party elite, the superdelegates are not selected by any primary or caucus. They exist to select the nominee at their convention, and if for some reason they don't like who their voters selected, the superdelegates are there to act in what they consider to be in line with the best interests of the party. The reality here, is that they will act in what they consider to be in line with their own interests. As of yet they have not had occasion to defy the will of their voters, but we are seeing that they are setting the stage for the coronation of Hillary "What Difference Does it Make?" Clinton. In those instances where challenger Bernie Sanders has won a state's primary, Hillary gets more delegates thanks to these superdelegates.
On the Republican side, they use a different process to make my axiom a reality if need be. They don't bother with superdelegates. They instead use rules. The rules are subject to change and can be changed one day before their convention if such changes are necessary to protect their elite. One rule we've been hearing about lately is this "Rule 40", which states that a candidate can not be present on the first ballot unless he or she has won at least eight state primaries. As I write this, both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will qualify for this, but no other candidate will. This is a problem for the Republican Establishment as they don't like who their voters are going for, and amending this rule is being openly discussed. We've already had two delegates make public statements along the lines of the voters not really having any say, and with Organized Media encouraging a contested convention (it's good for ratings) it's an open secret that this is what they are trying to do.
This unfortunately isn't confined to the nomination process. How many court rulings have overturned voter-passed ballot measures where 2/3 or more of the voters have approved the measure? How many state laws have been overturned by a federal court, even if those laws have been favored by 80% of the voters? Would you like to count them? I'm not going to this evening as that I have an early bedtime these days, and plus, I think I've made my point.
Tomorrow is the day for the Arizona primary. Through an oversight on my part I failed to re-register as an independent, so my Republican registration, which I took out four years ago to defeat Mitt Romney is still valid. I have already made up my mind as to who I'm going to vote for, but as I go in , I go in with the foreknowledge that the Republican Establishment will find a way to overturn my vote.
In all likelihood, it will be an exercise in futility, but I'm going to go ahead with this. It's a matter of conscience, and it's a matter of honoring those who gave their lives on the battlefield so that I can waste my vote on the winner (or second place finisher depending on how it all plays out). I do know that neither of the two front-runners will be nominated at the convention. The Establishment is letting us know that the fix is in place. They're just not letting us know who they will select for us.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright will always be best known for a controversial quote that he made about this country.
The Republican National Committee feels very much the same way about the will of the voter.
I guess that's fair, as that that's how I feel about the Republican Establishment.
We are now in the midst of the most interesting Presidential election in my lifetime, and although I am thinking of the Stalin quote, there is another axiom that I am going to bring forth as that the process it describes is currently in use by the leadership of the two major parties this time around.
It doesn't matter how you vote. If we don't like your vote, we can change the outcome.
On the Democratic side, they have had their safeguard against the will of the voter for several years. That safeguard is called "superdelegates". Culled from the party elite, the superdelegates are not selected by any primary or caucus. They exist to select the nominee at their convention, and if for some reason they don't like who their voters selected, the superdelegates are there to act in what they consider to be in line with the best interests of the party. The reality here, is that they will act in what they consider to be in line with their own interests. As of yet they have not had occasion to defy the will of their voters, but we are seeing that they are setting the stage for the coronation of Hillary "What Difference Does it Make?" Clinton. In those instances where challenger Bernie Sanders has won a state's primary, Hillary gets more delegates thanks to these superdelegates.
On the Republican side, they use a different process to make my axiom a reality if need be. They don't bother with superdelegates. They instead use rules. The rules are subject to change and can be changed one day before their convention if such changes are necessary to protect their elite. One rule we've been hearing about lately is this "Rule 40", which states that a candidate can not be present on the first ballot unless he or she has won at least eight state primaries. As I write this, both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will qualify for this, but no other candidate will. This is a problem for the Republican Establishment as they don't like who their voters are going for, and amending this rule is being openly discussed. We've already had two delegates make public statements along the lines of the voters not really having any say, and with Organized Media encouraging a contested convention (it's good for ratings) it's an open secret that this is what they are trying to do.
This unfortunately isn't confined to the nomination process. How many court rulings have overturned voter-passed ballot measures where 2/3 or more of the voters have approved the measure? How many state laws have been overturned by a federal court, even if those laws have been favored by 80% of the voters? Would you like to count them? I'm not going to this evening as that I have an early bedtime these days, and plus, I think I've made my point.
Tomorrow is the day for the Arizona primary. Through an oversight on my part I failed to re-register as an independent, so my Republican registration, which I took out four years ago to defeat Mitt Romney is still valid. I have already made up my mind as to who I'm going to vote for, but as I go in , I go in with the foreknowledge that the Republican Establishment will find a way to overturn my vote.
In all likelihood, it will be an exercise in futility, but I'm going to go ahead with this. It's a matter of conscience, and it's a matter of honoring those who gave their lives on the battlefield so that I can waste my vote on the winner (or second place finisher depending on how it all plays out). I do know that neither of the two front-runners will be nominated at the convention. The Establishment is letting us know that the fix is in place. They're just not letting us know who they will select for us.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright will always be best known for a controversial quote that he made about this country.
The Republican National Committee feels very much the same way about the will of the voter.
I guess that's fair, as that that's how I feel about the Republican Establishment.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Leap Year Day 2016
Greetings, and welcome to Leap Year Day for 2016. Most of the time it comes around only once every four years. There are exceptions. The year 1900 didn't have one and neither will 2100. Year 2000 did, as that the rule is that the century year has to be divisible by 400 before it qualifies for a 29th of February.
Anyway, as of one week, I have been in the new job. It's working out well so far though I'll be glad when the training is behind me and I'm doing some real work. I have sat in on two meetings and been able to provide engineering input. The tradecraft of engineering itself doesn't change all that much from company to company, but processes defined by work instructions can and will contain a different recipe, if you will, as for getting something done. There are still change orders and design reviews, but technical requirements and specifications are developed differently and we have a different set of standards that we have to abide to.
I am still somewhat overwhelmed by all of this. My new employer has been rated as one of the best 100 companies in the world to work for, which is a vast improvement over having to leave two of the worst 100 companies in the world to work for. I am transitioning back to a 9/80 work schedule, which means every other Friday off, which helps the work-life balance. I am learning a great deal about the specialized medical devices that we develop and manufacture, and even though I am no longer a satellite engineer or developing test requirements for circuit cards, I am now part of the global war on cancer, and I think what I'm doing is very important. I have this eagerness to delve right into things and to move the company forward. I am in the capacity of a contractor, but I hope this leads to a long term job.
I still get the occasional nightmare that I'm back in Las Vegas. I hated the place, and still do, and it may be a while before I am back. That could be next year sometime as that Sheila and I really did enjoy exploring the small towns of Nevada, and I'd really like to see Rhyolite again.
One other note, and this is getting us back to the topic of February 29th. My father-in-law had his birthday today, which is something he doesn't get to have as much as most of the rest of us do. We were over there earlier this evening for a celebration.
That's all I have for now. I owe a phone call that's long overdue, and I also want to turn in early.
Anyway, as of one week, I have been in the new job. It's working out well so far though I'll be glad when the training is behind me and I'm doing some real work. I have sat in on two meetings and been able to provide engineering input. The tradecraft of engineering itself doesn't change all that much from company to company, but processes defined by work instructions can and will contain a different recipe, if you will, as for getting something done. There are still change orders and design reviews, but technical requirements and specifications are developed differently and we have a different set of standards that we have to abide to.
I am still somewhat overwhelmed by all of this. My new employer has been rated as one of the best 100 companies in the world to work for, which is a vast improvement over having to leave two of the worst 100 companies in the world to work for. I am transitioning back to a 9/80 work schedule, which means every other Friday off, which helps the work-life balance. I am learning a great deal about the specialized medical devices that we develop and manufacture, and even though I am no longer a satellite engineer or developing test requirements for circuit cards, I am now part of the global war on cancer, and I think what I'm doing is very important. I have this eagerness to delve right into things and to move the company forward. I am in the capacity of a contractor, but I hope this leads to a long term job.
I still get the occasional nightmare that I'm back in Las Vegas. I hated the place, and still do, and it may be a while before I am back. That could be next year sometime as that Sheila and I really did enjoy exploring the small towns of Nevada, and I'd really like to see Rhyolite again.
One other note, and this is getting us back to the topic of February 29th. My father-in-law had his birthday today, which is something he doesn't get to have as much as most of the rest of us do. We were over there earlier this evening for a celebration.
That's all I have for now. I owe a phone call that's long overdue, and I also want to turn in early.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
The Move from Nevada is Completely Complete
The move is now finished! The credit card billing addresses were finally updated; the electricity to the apartment is now shut off, and this morning I visited the Motor Vehicle Department to register the truck back into Arizona, and once again there is an Arizona plate on the rear (Arizona does not issue a front plate).
When I first moved here in 1999, I couldn't wait to get the California plates off the truck. I went in one morning to re-register, and they made me surrender the back plate (they let me keep the front) and I went to get the driver license taken care of in another visit.
Nevada also made me surrender the back plate when I registered the truck there in December 2014. It was faded from years of exposure from the desert sun so it wasn't collectible, in my opinion. To my surprise, MVD didn't want the Nevada plates, but offered to have them destroyed if I wanted. I wanted to keep both of them to add to my license plate collection, and they will be eventually displayed in my garage (I rotate the display frequently) and I'm glad to be adding a new Nevada design to the collection.
The Nevada common plate currently in use is a decent design, and looked good on the truck, and in one way I regret that it's no longer there. There is no shame in having a Nevada plate on your vehicle like there would be if you had a California plate. Of course, the commemorative Las Vegas plate that is offered by Nevada advertises that you live in Trashcan and like it, and I'm not sure that it's a good thing if you drive a vehicle adorned like that out of Clark County.
In other news, the background check on me is now done, and I report to my new employer this coming Monday at 8:00 AM. The commute is the only drawback, however I'm good friends with two of the managers of Quik Trip, and one of them delights in distributing $2 bills for me. I've been a fan of the $2 bill for several years, and now that I'm back in the Old Pueblo I'll be ordering straps of these from my Wells Fargo branch. I'll see if I can get Eisenhower dollars since he likes those as well. It's free advertising for his store and he's told me on occasion that his customers get a kick out of the "odd" money.
Tomorrow morning there is one more visit to MVD to get my title updated (I'm adding Sheila to it), after which I finally get to goof off a little. I'm having lunch with Tim O, who is one of the first friends that I made in Arizona. I've also got a lot of yardwork to do, and I plan on getting some of that in as well.
It's really great to be home. There are a few more people I need to reconnect with.
You *can* go home again!
When I first moved here in 1999, I couldn't wait to get the California plates off the truck. I went in one morning to re-register, and they made me surrender the back plate (they let me keep the front) and I went to get the driver license taken care of in another visit.
Nevada also made me surrender the back plate when I registered the truck there in December 2014. It was faded from years of exposure from the desert sun so it wasn't collectible, in my opinion. To my surprise, MVD didn't want the Nevada plates, but offered to have them destroyed if I wanted. I wanted to keep both of them to add to my license plate collection, and they will be eventually displayed in my garage (I rotate the display frequently) and I'm glad to be adding a new Nevada design to the collection.
The Nevada common plate currently in use is a decent design, and looked good on the truck, and in one way I regret that it's no longer there. There is no shame in having a Nevada plate on your vehicle like there would be if you had a California plate. Of course, the commemorative Las Vegas plate that is offered by Nevada advertises that you live in Trashcan and like it, and I'm not sure that it's a good thing if you drive a vehicle adorned like that out of Clark County.
In other news, the background check on me is now done, and I report to my new employer this coming Monday at 8:00 AM. The commute is the only drawback, however I'm good friends with two of the managers of Quik Trip, and one of them delights in distributing $2 bills for me. I've been a fan of the $2 bill for several years, and now that I'm back in the Old Pueblo I'll be ordering straps of these from my Wells Fargo branch. I'll see if I can get Eisenhower dollars since he likes those as well. It's free advertising for his store and he's told me on occasion that his customers get a kick out of the "odd" money.
Tomorrow morning there is one more visit to MVD to get my title updated (I'm adding Sheila to it), after which I finally get to goof off a little. I'm having lunch with Tim O, who is one of the first friends that I made in Arizona. I've also got a lot of yardwork to do, and I plan on getting some of that in as well.
It's really great to be home. There are a few more people I need to reconnect with.
You *can* go home again!
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Time to Catch Up!
This month has been something of a whirlwind. On Wednesday the 3rd I went in for an onsite interview at the medical device firm, and faced two panel interviews. The first panel was on the friendly side and the second one was a little more tough. I have done panel interviews before, and while I personally don't like them it's not like you have a choice when you need to find some work. I must have acquitted myself well, as that the very next day I learned that I had landed the job, and I accepted the offer on the spot. The tentative start date is the 22nd, which meant that I had to make one more quick trip to Las Vegas to empty out the apartment.
Sheila was able to come with me on this one, and she was a great help. We arrived on the afternoon of 9th, spent a good chunk of the 10th cleaning it out and getting ready to hand it over to the leasing office, and we were back in Tucson on the evening of the 11th. Both of us were dog tired the next few days, but the important thing is, is that I am back in Tucson, I will be returning to the workforce sooner rather than later (thanks to the intervention of the Good Lord), and I have my hands full unpacking and re-arranging things. The house is crowded and I've been busy going thru boxes and closets and downsizing. There's also been plenty of yardwork and much more plenty of that to do, but I'm overwhelmed in a good sense as that I have finally returned home, and am no longer in Trashcan......excuse me........Las Vegas.
I could write some more about what's been on my mind from all of this, but I feel the need to finish processing the move and getting control of the yard.
It's really good to be home.
Sheila was able to come with me on this one, and she was a great help. We arrived on the afternoon of 9th, spent a good chunk of the 10th cleaning it out and getting ready to hand it over to the leasing office, and we were back in Tucson on the evening of the 11th. Both of us were dog tired the next few days, but the important thing is, is that I am back in Tucson, I will be returning to the workforce sooner rather than later (thanks to the intervention of the Good Lord), and I have my hands full unpacking and re-arranging things. The house is crowded and I've been busy going thru boxes and closets and downsizing. There's also been plenty of yardwork and much more plenty of that to do, but I'm overwhelmed in a good sense as that I have finally returned home, and am no longer in Trashcan......excuse me........Las Vegas.
I could write some more about what's been on my mind from all of this, but I feel the need to finish processing the move and getting control of the yard.
It's really good to be home.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Monday, 1/25/16
It's been really good to have been home these past several days. I have done a lot of yardwork, a lot of reading, and there's been some movement on the employment front.
I had a telephone interview with a local firm this afternoon. As far as I can tell it went well, but you don't really know until you get that call that asks you to come in for a face to face interview. These phone calls are usually a screening of sorts, to see if you might be a fit. I had to pass one before going to Texas and before going to Nevada. I have no hard numbers as to the percentage of people who pass these, aside from the Texas employer stating that 10% of the phone screens make it to the next round.
And speaking of interviews, I may be having one on Saturday in Las Vegas. I was talking to a friend of mine still at my former employer, and what's happening is that a small company in Texas that wants to orbit cubesats (micro satellites) wants to interview the people who laid off earlier this month, to the point to where they are sending some managers out. They may be coming to Tucson to interview some more, as that three of us who were laid off have homes here. As it is, I have to drive back tomorrow to take care of some things, and bring down another truckload of my personal items. I was going to return on Friday, but that's being pushed back to Monday, so I don't have to fight the traffic returning to Phoenix on Sunday.
Also, I'm being courted to apply for some contract positions in Albuquerque as that someone out there needs engineers with experience in installing and testing equipment used in satellite ground stations, which I've done in Japan and San Diego.
My spirits this time around are a lot better than they were the last time I was going through this. I have a peace of mind that I didn't have in the summer of '14. No, the first few days of this weren't easy, but I just don't have the anxiety about things this time around.
Anyway, it's back to Trashcan for a few days. I hope to have lunch with some friends that I have there, and I plan to treat myself to a visit Downtown to people watch. I may also make a run up to Rhyolite for some more photography.
That's going to be it for this evening.
I had a telephone interview with a local firm this afternoon. As far as I can tell it went well, but you don't really know until you get that call that asks you to come in for a face to face interview. These phone calls are usually a screening of sorts, to see if you might be a fit. I had to pass one before going to Texas and before going to Nevada. I have no hard numbers as to the percentage of people who pass these, aside from the Texas employer stating that 10% of the phone screens make it to the next round.
And speaking of interviews, I may be having one on Saturday in Las Vegas. I was talking to a friend of mine still at my former employer, and what's happening is that a small company in Texas that wants to orbit cubesats (micro satellites) wants to interview the people who laid off earlier this month, to the point to where they are sending some managers out. They may be coming to Tucson to interview some more, as that three of us who were laid off have homes here. As it is, I have to drive back tomorrow to take care of some things, and bring down another truckload of my personal items. I was going to return on Friday, but that's being pushed back to Monday, so I don't have to fight the traffic returning to Phoenix on Sunday.
Also, I'm being courted to apply for some contract positions in Albuquerque as that someone out there needs engineers with experience in installing and testing equipment used in satellite ground stations, which I've done in Japan and San Diego.
My spirits this time around are a lot better than they were the last time I was going through this. I have a peace of mind that I didn't have in the summer of '14. No, the first few days of this weren't easy, but I just don't have the anxiety about things this time around.
Anyway, it's back to Trashcan for a few days. I hope to have lunch with some friends that I have there, and I plan to treat myself to a visit Downtown to people watch. I may also make a run up to Rhyolite for some more photography.
That's going to be it for this evening.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Coming Home
Yesterday I loaded up the truck and drove a good chunk of my possessions back to Tucson. I will be here for a week or so, and I will need two more trips up to my apartment to empty it out and have the bed and loveseat donated to the church for their annual garage sale later this year. They have storage for it and can send someone over. I have to have this all done by March 7.
While that is going on, I have recruiters looking on my behalf. There are possibilities in Phoenix metro as well as in Tucson. I'd be open to a contract job in Yuma or Las Cruces. Our neighboring state of New Mexico is pursuing private spaceflight and if I have to leave Arizona, New Mexico wouldn't be a bad place to be. New Mexico style Mexican cuisine is my favorite variety of Mexican food. We have a pair of restaurants here that serve it, and we can get Mexico City sytle and Sonora style as well.
As for this transition..........I'm doing better than I thought I would. I think being at home with wife and family is making all the difference in the world. The first few nights were rough and I didn't sleep well. I slept OK last night, but obviously needed that two hour nap that I fell into this afternoon.
In a situation like this, it's easy to ask the question "why?". Why did I have to go to Nevada in the first place if all it came to was a return to Arizona?
Well, what I acccomplished was getting back into the workforce and staying there for another year. I got to write design requirements for a spacecraft that's been in the planning stages for some time. I made some very good friends while there. I spent a lot of time Downtown people-watching, observing those being separated from their money as well as scam artists and street performers. I got to see and meet the Smithereens. I guess I can now reveal that my last boss is a relative of one of the members, and he's here in Tucson too.
There were those times when Sheila was able to come up. The high point was that drive we did to Reno, passing thru the small towns such as Beatty, Goldfield, Tonopah, and Hawthorne. I wouldn't mind doing that drive again and maybe we will someday.
As I said, I am home in Tucson, and I am very glad to be here. I will likely hang here and go up for a few days near the end of the month to take care of things there, like paying utilities and the rent that I'm obligated for. Hopefully on the last trip Sheila can come up with me so that she can help me with some of the things.
I am not bitter about what happened, though I can't say I care for the way in which we were 86ed. The new hires who were let go after one hour of service were harder hit. Some came with their families, acquired places to live, and were looking forward to the new dreams they were promised.....only to have the rug pulled out from under them. They get as much severance as I do.......zero. But they can't file for unemployment since they worked in the state for the sum total of one hour.
Eventually, the company owner will decide to go forward with his dream of a spacecraft, the dream he's pursued for several years. But in this age of information that we live in, he and his staff may find it difficult to attract the talent that he will need. This is the second mass layoff in the company history, and that could have some unintended consequences down the road.
While that is going on, I have recruiters looking on my behalf. There are possibilities in Phoenix metro as well as in Tucson. I'd be open to a contract job in Yuma or Las Cruces. Our neighboring state of New Mexico is pursuing private spaceflight and if I have to leave Arizona, New Mexico wouldn't be a bad place to be. New Mexico style Mexican cuisine is my favorite variety of Mexican food. We have a pair of restaurants here that serve it, and we can get Mexico City sytle and Sonora style as well.
As for this transition..........I'm doing better than I thought I would. I think being at home with wife and family is making all the difference in the world. The first few nights were rough and I didn't sleep well. I slept OK last night, but obviously needed that two hour nap that I fell into this afternoon.
In a situation like this, it's easy to ask the question "why?". Why did I have to go to Nevada in the first place if all it came to was a return to Arizona?
Well, what I acccomplished was getting back into the workforce and staying there for another year. I got to write design requirements for a spacecraft that's been in the planning stages for some time. I made some very good friends while there. I spent a lot of time Downtown people-watching, observing those being separated from their money as well as scam artists and street performers. I got to see and meet the Smithereens. I guess I can now reveal that my last boss is a relative of one of the members, and he's here in Tucson too.
There were those times when Sheila was able to come up. The high point was that drive we did to Reno, passing thru the small towns such as Beatty, Goldfield, Tonopah, and Hawthorne. I wouldn't mind doing that drive again and maybe we will someday.
As I said, I am home in Tucson, and I am very glad to be here. I will likely hang here and go up for a few days near the end of the month to take care of things there, like paying utilities and the rent that I'm obligated for. Hopefully on the last trip Sheila can come up with me so that she can help me with some of the things.
I am not bitter about what happened, though I can't say I care for the way in which we were 86ed. The new hires who were let go after one hour of service were harder hit. Some came with their families, acquired places to live, and were looking forward to the new dreams they were promised.....only to have the rug pulled out from under them. They get as much severance as I do.......zero. But they can't file for unemployment since they worked in the state for the sum total of one hour.
Eventually, the company owner will decide to go forward with his dream of a spacecraft, the dream he's pursued for several years. But in this age of information that we live in, he and his staff may find it difficult to attract the talent that he will need. This is the second mass layoff in the company history, and that could have some unintended consequences down the road.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
A Forced Transition
This week my employer carried out a mass execution. Fourteen new hires were laid off Monday morning one hour after reporting for work, and yesterday before closing 40 of us were let go. We had been told in December that 2016 was going to be a growth year for the company and most of us went home for Christmas break not thinking anything abnormal was going to happen. Events this week have proven otherwise, and a lot of us are in the process of undergoing forced transitions.
The type of business the company is engaged in is very risky, and all of us knew that. A lot of us kept our homes in the states we came from, knowing that we might have to go back. I even kept my Arizona driver license as that I wasn't sure how long my stay in Nevada was going to be.
It goes without saying that we didn't like the outcome, but most of knew going in that this was always a possibility. In one way it's numbing and in another way it's a relief. I think this robs us of the opportunity to realize our full potential, and now we have to figure out how we can do that elsewhere.
I'll admit that last night was rough. I did not sleep well in spite of possession of legally prescribed sleep aids that I sometimes use, and when I did sleep I had some dreams that were not to my liking. I had some errands to do this morning and this afternoon and one of them was meeting with the pastor of the church I had been attending for several months. That was a very good discussion and I'm glad we had that talk.
Tomorrow I begin the process of filing for unemployment. Ron looked into it and I will qualify having been here for over a year. I will have to transfer that to Arizona when I return to Tucson and resume the job search there. I also have to start the process of breaking the lease and moving my things back to where they belong. It will take two, and possibly three trips.
What I look forward to most is living with my wife and family again.
The type of business the company is engaged in is very risky, and all of us knew that. A lot of us kept our homes in the states we came from, knowing that we might have to go back. I even kept my Arizona driver license as that I wasn't sure how long my stay in Nevada was going to be.
It goes without saying that we didn't like the outcome, but most of knew going in that this was always a possibility. In one way it's numbing and in another way it's a relief. I think this robs us of the opportunity to realize our full potential, and now we have to figure out how we can do that elsewhere.
I'll admit that last night was rough. I did not sleep well in spite of possession of legally prescribed sleep aids that I sometimes use, and when I did sleep I had some dreams that were not to my liking. I had some errands to do this morning and this afternoon and one of them was meeting with the pastor of the church I had been attending for several months. That was a very good discussion and I'm glad we had that talk.
Tomorrow I begin the process of filing for unemployment. Ron looked into it and I will qualify having been here for over a year. I will have to transfer that to Arizona when I return to Tucson and resume the job search there. I also have to start the process of breaking the lease and moving my things back to where they belong. It will take two, and possibly three trips.
What I look forward to most is living with my wife and family again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)