My Mother Has Passed

Five days ago my mother has passed.  I knew some four weeks ago she was slowing down.  She got COVID some three weeks ago, which she recovered from, but she did not recover from the two falls that she got shortly after that.  Falls in that age bracket are sometimes the beginning of the end, which was true in her case.  She was given two weeks to two months, the next day it was one to two weeks, the next day after that she was given one week, and then it was a few days.

My brother and sister were able to make it down here in time.  It was a hard week for all of us.  As I am writing this, I am still dealing with arrangements and other matters related to this.  I have been off of work for these past two weeks, with the exception of yesterday since there wasn't anything to do on the home front (and I felt the need to start working on getting back to the status quo ante). 

We take comfort in knowing that she is with the Lord.  

I regret that due to her dementia, I was not able to have "deep" conversations with her like I was able to many years ago.  To be honest, she was very difficult to deal with this past year.  We were able to get her into assisted living last January, and that was not easy.  

As stated before, I am still working on arrangements.  I am taking today off of work in an effort to get them finalized.  

No comment at this time on the election results.  

And Now Pete Rose is Gone

This afternoon I learned that Pete Rose passed away.  I remember seeing him in person at Candlestick Park with the Big Red Machine.  Baseball was great in those days.  The Reds were great.  I rooted for them in the 1975 World Series and when I saw them at Candlestick.

Somewhere along the way, I lost my interest in baseball.  It started coming back when I was in my early 30s, and that was after Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for gambling.  And when the players went on strike in 1994, that was it for me.  They came off the strike the next year and and I went on strike as a fan and have been on strike since.  (This is coming from someone who still refuses to rent from Hertz, due to their previous association with OJ Simpson.  And I have no idea why people say I'm stubborn.)  But let's get this back to Pete Rose.

There is no doubt he was one of the greatest baseball players of all time.  I remember him running to first base when he drew a walk.  From what I have read he adopted a derisive nickname and made it his own.  There was never a Charlie Hustle before and there will never be another one.  

When the gambling allegations surfaced, I'm thinking..........say it ain't so, Pete.  The investigation went on for many months, and I read that Rule 21, prohibiting gambling from the players, was conspicuously posted on the door of every clubhouse.  In other words, Pete Rose had no excuse.  Gambling problem?  Yeah, we learned he had one.  But it went deeper than that.  There was tax evasion and shady behavior on his part.  The man who I saw run to first base upon drawing a walk was doing a different kind of hustling off the field.  I was disappointed, and I agreed with the ban.

For some time, I thought MLB was going to cave, and reinstate him.  To their credit, they haven't.  In my opinion MLB isn't exactly an honest enterprise and a large part of that is due to continued fan support, which I've touched upon in a few posts from many years back.

Anyway........someone who became as controversial as OJ Simpson, but in a different way, is no longer with us.  

I hope that anyone he was ever a role model to will restrict their emulation to passionate execution in what they do for a living, and not in what Rose did off the field.

Some Genealogical Musings

Most of the updates here have been on the Parker family, which has its own page.  I am thinking of creating a "Genealogy Main" page as the first stop for anyone who stumbles here looking for information on my research.  There is the intention of creating pages for Pierson, Pilkington, and Bonsall family histories.  There are some families on my mother's side I want to research as well.  I sometimes wonder if I'm opening a can of worms here on my Parker research, as that I am learning that it just wasn't my third great grandfather's family who migrated to Indiana and then Kansas.  One of his brothers' families migrated as well, along with his younger sister's.  And earlier I learned today that some of his cousins came too.

A year or so ago I started tracing downwards as many known descendants of William Riley Parker, mainly to learn where they went after settling in Kansas.  I may have to reach back even farther and go back to his grandfather.  That will shed a lot more light on the migrations of this family, along with the Hodges who migrated with them.  

If the information gets big enough it will justify its own website, as if I really want to be taking on other projects in addition to what I have going now.  This blog started out mainly as a chronicle of my random thoughts and life experiences, and now side pages are popping up.  I'd like to do a side page of my foreign banknote collection, alongside the "Ugly Money" page, which also needs updating.  

I probably shouldn't be doing this until I retire, and the problem with retirement right now is that I'm having so much fun in my job to where I don't want to give it up.  I am nearing the end of my career, I am in my groove as a Senior Product Test Engineer, and it's giving me plenty of satisfaction.  Yes, I sometimes miss being a satellite engineer, where I learned a great deal about orbiting satellites, and got to go to Japan three times and Italy once in that capacity.  

As for retirement, I have picked out a date, but am not making it public.  I may delay it a few months.  I can see pulling it ahead if the company re-organizes into a structure that I don't like.  Management changes at the very top of the corporate structure have taken place, and some have taken place at lower levels.  I am concerned with business units becoming too big to manage unless they are broken down into more manageable segments, which defeats the purpose of consolidating them into larger units which they say we need in order to meet our corporate goals.

OK, I just looked at the clock, and I've decided that I should shut up and call it a night.  This transmission is now officially coming to an end.  

8/10/24: Checking In, Some Catching Up.

I think this post is going to be more of checking in than catching up.  A lot of the work done here on this blog has been on the genealogy pages that have been created, as I dig up family history when time permits.  Time doesn't permit as often as I would like.  I am catching up on some projects around the house and yard, as that I am trying to keep the "To Do" list from exceeding twenty items.  Today's dragon was finally getting this new computer commissioned, and getting some files transferred over from the old computer.  

We have been in the middle of a good monsoon season here.  I have not been on the air as often as I would like as that it's never wise to operate during a thunderstorm.  It's wiser yet to have the antenna down, the feedline disconnected, and the rig unplugged.  I know a few folks who have taken some direct lightning strikes.  Lightning is going to go where it wants to go, but there's no need to invite it, so my antennas are lowered.  

I could comment on the current political landscape, but I don't feel like it.  

I think that will be it for now.

Trump Dodged a Bullet. Literally

Yesterday afternoon news broke of a "security incident" at a Trump rally in Butler, PA.  Then it was Trump being shielded and evacuated because shots were fired.  Some time after that, it became an "apparent assassination attempt".  With confirmed reports of a dead shooter some 130 yards away, then it became "assassination attempt".  And later on, we were stunned with how close this assassination attempt came close to succeeding.  Former President Donald Trump literally dodged a bullet.

As with any event of this nature, we are seeing everything from conspiracy theories to blame to speculation and the cold hard facts, as best as we can know them right now, are leaving more questions than answers.

I can see where the conspiracy theorists are going to be hard to disagree with on some things.  Just how was it that the shooter got to within 130 yards of the former President?  Just how was it that he knew that this would be outside the security perimeter?  There seem to be credible witness statements that the gunman was seen some sixty seconds before the first shot was fired, with some trying to draw attention to the situation from law enforcement.......so why wasn't the shooter taken out before he fired the first shot?

These are legitimate questions.  As to whether or not they will be answered to satisfaction is another matter.  

All of that aside........I am angry that this happened.  

May God save our nation.

The Squirrel is Shorting out the Transformer

I was one of the millions who watched (most of) the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.  I had meant to watch the whole thing but was sidetracked.  Approximately thirty minutes into it I realized it was on.  I tuned in on an online audio stream and couldn't believe it.

Is that Joe Biden murmuring?  Is that really him?  Holy smokes, he isn't sounding good!  I then went to an online video stream to watch the rest of it.  And I still couldn't believe it.  Biden's movements and facial expressions reminded me of an old Star Trek episode.  The Corbomite Maneuver.  Captain Kirk and crew are facing off what they think is a malevolent alien.  The movements of Biden and his facial expressions reminded me of Balok..........or rather..........that puppet who was purported to be Balok.  That blank look.  That scowl.  Only capable of side to side movements.  Blank, vacuous eyes, staring straight out into nowhere.  

Trump, on the other hand, kept his cool.  Biden kept trying to bait him.   Trump wouldn't take the bait.  Biden made some ridiculous claims, one of which that he has created "thousands of millions of jobs".  (That's billions, for those of you who are in Rio Linda.)  He made some other claims, which he was called out for.  And then it was finished.

Organized Media went into meltdown within a New  York minute.  Most debates I have watched in the past, in my opinion, had no real clear-cut winner, but this one?  To put it mildly, Trump cleaned Biden's clock.  This wasn't a good night for Biden.  The whole nation got to see the real Joe Biden, and it wasn't pretty.

Since then there has been a war erupting within the Democratic Party.  Some of the donors and some of the power brokers in elected office want Joe Biden out of the race.  I wasn't sure if this were a passing hissy fit or not, but as I write this over one week later, the momentum for that doesn't seem to be diminishing.

Now some of us have been telling you for four plus years that Biden isn't mentally fit for the office.  Organized Media told us otherwise.  They spent these past four years not covering the mental state of the President, nor even questioning it.  "We know what's best for you, so shut up!  Nothing to see here!"  And now there are cracks in the dam, and it's anybody's guess as to whether or not Joe Biden will step down from the ticket or even be forced out of office.

The situation is amongst the most bizarre I've ever remembered seeing in my life.  My longtime friend Birdman has a great analogy that applies here.  It's like watching a squirrel short out a transformer.  As grotesque as it is, you can't help but watch it in morbid fascination.  

I Have Learned a Hard Lesson

Last week the recently purchased Hewlett-Packard computer done went and crapped the bed.  The good news is that it is under warranty.   The bad news is:  we may have lost everything.  

The last backup was done in mid-February, so it isn't a total loss.  I'm going to have to rebuild some spreadsheets on my ham radio activities.  A Word document on William Riley Parker is going to have to be redone.  No new photos were taken.  

The new machine was taken to a local firm who I've done business with for 20 years, and they had never seen anything like this before, with that kind of problem.  My guess is that the hard drive somehow thought it no longer had an operating system.  If that's the case, and the files are still there, then we've gotten away with something.

If not.............then the mission is to learn the lesson, and move on.

Back up early..............back up often.

Sunday, 6/2/24: Just Checking In

I haven't had very much to blog about this past six weeks, as that the activity here has been adding to the family history pages.  I have it in mind to create few more.  I find history fascinating, and as I learn about the migrations of my ancestors I end up learning some details that were too far down in the weeds for any high school or college course.  

As for my research itself, I've found that some of what I thought was right may not be right.  For a year or so I would have claimed John Webb Sr of Philadelphia as a 6th great grandfather, but one of the reliable websites has dissolved the connection to being the father-in-law of one of my Pilkington forbears.  Now that Pilkington did marry a Webb.........there's no doubt about that........it's that we're now not certain who her father was.

Weatherwise, we hit the century mark a few days ago, and it's still a dry heat.  The monsoon will be starting up anywhere from three to five weeks from now, and we have to take what rain we can get.  You wouldn't think that a desert would get any rain, but this one does.  It's just not a lot of it.   

That's it for this entry.  

The Passing of O.J. Simpson

Two days ago news broke that former football player, actor, and Hertz spokesman O.J. Simpson passed away from a battle with cancer.  For those of us who were around and of adult or somewhat adult age, he was known for being arrested for the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.  This was a really bizarre case and millions were following it.

When the murder first made the news, I didn't know or didn't care at that time who had done it.  As the events unfolded, O.J. found himself on the very short list of suspects, and he was expected to turn himself in.  On that particular Friday, I had the day off from work as that I had been working long hours testing a communications satellite, and I went to the beach.  As I was listening to the radio on the way to the beach, the presumption was that he was going to turn himself in.

After I got home from my outing, I turned on the tube, and a most bizarre spectacle was unfolding.  It was on almost all of the channels.  A slow moving white Bronco was being "chased" by about thirty police cars on the 405 freeway, with police and news helicopters in attendance.  I immediately grabbed a blank videotape, loaded it, and began taping.  This was history and I wanted my own record of it.

It was known that O.J. was in the Bronco.  There was talk that he had been on the cellphone and was going to kill himself.  My guess is that half of the nation was watching this, garnering an audience of a size that hadn't been seen since the first Moon landing.  And yes, I had that morbid curiosity about whether or not he was going to kill himself.  The Bronco eventually found its way to O.J.'s house on 360 North Rockingham, and then it was another 45 minutes, or so it seemed, before O.J. was arrested.

The trial itself went on to be known as the "Trial of the Century".  I didn't watch very much of it, even though I thought Marcia Clark was well north of attractive.  What I do remember is being glad that I was going to Italy for a long vacation and I wouldn't have to hear about the trial for four weeks.  When I was overnighting near Heathrow on the return leg I figured I'd turn on the telly and see what British television was all about, and there it was, the O.J. Simpson trial.  I think I lasted all of thirty seconds before going downstairs to the bar and trying some of the beer.  

I also remember listening to the final argument that Christopher Darden had made.  I didn't listen to what Johnnie Cochran had to say; I had no use for him then and I never did after that.  The next day at work, we were gathered around the radio to listen to the verdict, and were stunned at the "not guilty".  

Now you can make the argument that the prosecution botched the case.  There were some things that they could have done better.  You can also make the argument that Judge Ito lost control of the trial, which in my opinion, he did.  But upon reading Chris Darden's book, there was the statement that the defense savaged the first witness on national television, and no witness after that wanted the center of attention.

It also didn't help matters any that detective Mark Fuhrman denied ever using the word "nigger" in all his life, which he was later proven to have done so.  And with that, there were some people who believe that he planted the DNA and the glove.  I don't personally believe that he did that but I can't prove to you that he didn't.  What I do know is that O.J. became a suspect when he was told that his ex-wife was murdered.  He didn't ask which one as that he had two of them, and he didn't ask about the details.  

All of that said, O.J. vowed to spend the rest of his life searching for the "real killer", and he was diligent in checking out lots of golf courses in his search.  He had more legal troubles after that, lost a civil trial, and was resident at a correctional facility in Lovelock, Nevada.  I was hoping that he would have remained there for a lot longer than he did, but that's not how it turned out.

Regardless, O.J. is now dead.  

One rule that I imposed upon myself about ten years ago was to not celebrate misfortune happening to anyone else.  I am trying very hard right now to live by that rule, but it was all I could do to not jump up and down for joy over this and celebrating it.  Even though it's now two days since I learned about this, there's that part of me that wants to live this one up.  And it's difficult to live by that rule.

That said...........I think I can say that we haven't had that good of a day since Charles Manson died.

My Old Job is Available.......if I want it

 For a number of years, I have been subscribed to job alerts.  No, I am not looking right now, but I remain subscribed as that I think it's to my advantage to know what the market is like for my field.  Without that, I still have sense that it is on the hot side of things, as that I get lots of email from recruiters.  I think things in the industry have slowed down some from where they were six months ago, which I'm going to attribute to the upcoming election.  

What's now happening is that the old job that I've had twice down in Sorry Vista, excuse me, Sierra Vista, is back open.  I worked at Fort Huachuca testing communication systems for a mix of customers who wanted that lab down there to certify their systems.  My first gig down there was from May 2017 to January 2018, for Engility when they had that contract.  Engility lost the contract to Jacobs, and with the changeover being held up for reasons I don't understand Jacobs wasn't able to start on that until May 2019.  Between those gigs, I worked for a local firm that had me working on aircraft security systems and later on, hardware to monitor aircraft engines.  That work came to an end as Jacobs was ramping up, and so I went back down there.

Relations between Jacobs and the government officer who oversaw that contractor weren't the greatest.  He too lost his job when Jacobs came in, and after a furlough he went over to the government side and had to take a pay cut.  I think he had it in for Jacobs and was doing everything he could to make it hard on them.  He succeeded in one way; he forced Jacobs into a position to where they had to lay off personnel, and I was affected.  At that time I was negotiating with a local company that worked in manned spaceflight, and the transition happened in such a way that there was no disruption in my income stream.

Now those jobs down there are again open.  There's no doubt that if I applied for my old job, I would be quickly interviewed and get an offer.  (I'm unclear as to if Jacobs has this contract or not).  I really enjoyed working for Jacobs, but I can't say that I was enjoying the dysfunctional situation that they inherited from Engility.  Jacobs treated me very well, especially the manager who hired me, and yes, I would work for him again in a minute...........except............that I'm in a great situation where I'm at right now, and I just don't have the inclination to update my resume.  If I have my way, my next job is retirement, and then coming back to where I'm at now as a part time contractor (and my employer has told me they would love to have me back).  

As for retirement, as I've said before........not this year.  That crystal ball that I can't see thru isn't telling me anything (as if an inanimate object could do so in the first place).  I have a rough date picked out, which I'm keeping to myself, mainly because if I were to announce it now when that would be then something would emerge to make me change the date.  

Interestingly enough, my most recent former employer is looking for people too.  I am in regular touch with them, as that I'm close to a few people who are still there.  The number of them that I knew though is dwindling as that they've had a 60% turnover since I left.  I was telling someone a few weeks back, I worked at Jack-in-the-Box a long time ago and we had turnover, but it wasn't as bad as in the office I used to work in.

With that, I'm going to call it a post.  

Some Catching Up, and Some Thoughts

 The past few weeks have been something of a whirlwind here.  There were some things on the family side to take care of, which I will not get into here, and with that has come a lot of mental processing.  I'm not going to go into details.  It went a whole lot smoother than it could have otherwise.  

As for what I have been doing, well it's been ham radio, work, and research on my family history.  I have it in mind to create some pages here about that and to update them from time to time.  I also want to add some other pages.  But getting back to the family history, I want to create pages to document what I know of my Parker, Pilkington, and Bonsall roots.  There is a lot of documentation out there on these lines.  I have some charts to work on and more research to do.  

As for work, I am enjoying my new assignment much more than I've enjoyed some others.  Yes, I think about retirement, but with my current gig I don't see that happening this year.  Next year all bets are off as far as that goes.  I told myself a long time ago I'll retire when it's no longer fun, and folks, engineering is still fun.  

And with that I will bring the first entry of this year to a close.