Everyday is Groundhog Day

Engineer's Week 2014

2014-02-17T10:25:00.002-06:00

From Wikipedia:

Engineer: A professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics, and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost.[1][2] The word engineer is derived from the Latin roots ingeniare ("to contrive, devise") and ingenium("cleverness").[3][4]

This week is Engineer's Week. When I was going to college, engineer's week was during St. Patrick's day. St. Patrick is the patron saint of engineers. There's also a little proof that he was an Engineer.

St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland
Snakes are related to worms
Engineers use worm gears
Therefore: St. Patrick was an Engineer.
QED

I decided I wanted to be an Engineer when I was quite young. My dad was in construction and like most fathers wanted his kids to do better than him. He tried to teach his eldest to visualize a 3D representation of the corner of the room. My brother just couldn't get it, but I got it and so an engineer I was destined to be.

The next fortuitous event for me was during my first year in college. I decided to apply for an ROTC scholarship (that will be the subject of another blog). I applied for a civil engineering scholarship, but the faculty approached me about getting a "hip pocket" scholarship in electrical engineering. Basically, I got the money to pay for college without having to compete with other students. I didn't mind, I would tear apart my electronic toys to see how they worked, so I was much more "wired" to be an electrical engineer any way.

I am very proud to be an Engineer and wouldn't trade it for any other occupation, so Happy Engineer's Week to all my engineer friends.

50

2014-02-10T12:18:00.001-06:00

I know I'm not alone in this, heck my entire graduating class from High School, was probably born the same year I was. But this is my blog so they can crow on their own.

Being 50 this year won't be as bad as I thought. I share this distinction with several worthwhile and fantastic things. I watched the Grammy salute to the Beatles last night. They are by far my favorite band and arrived in this country the year I was born. I have all their albums, mostly in digital form. I once even wrote a love letter to my now wife using the lyrics from a Beatles' song.

My all time favorite car is the mustang. It was the first car I ever owned. Unfortunately it had issues and my brother made my mom "give" it away. My car was primer grey and I love it more than life. I got another in 1979, and it lasted until the heater core went out and cost more than the car to replace. I got another in 1995 on my way home from England, it was the second favorite car I owned. Next year I'll get a 2015, which is the official 50 year car, but the Mustang actually made its first appearance in late 64.

Finally the very first desktop personal computer, Programma 101 was debuted at the 1964 World's Fair. NASA purchased many of these computers to do calculations for the 69 Moon landings.

So you see, all my favorite things, from cars to music to computers and space had their beginning the year I was born. Makes me down right proud to be 50!

Superbowl; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2014-02-03T12:30:00.001-06:00

I will admit, I watch the Superbowl, for a couple of reasons; 1) Everyone else does, and 2) Commercials. I believe this Superbowl however was mediocre at best and I think a lot of America believes so too.

So let's do a Good, Bad, Ugly for this Superbowl.

The Good: Not much! Obviously the Seahawks won a very impressive victory. Their defense was unstoppable. There were a couple of good commercials. I especially liked the Radio Shack 80's commercial. Always heartwarming are the Budwiser commercials that feature Clydesdales and puppies. The Tebow T-Mobile contract commercials were just smart.

The Bad: Can you say the Broncos? Not sure what happened to the team that beat my KC Chiefs twice in three weeks, but they couldn't get started at all. I'm sure it didn't help that their first snap ended in a safety. The party I attended was full of folks who said, up until 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, that Denver was a slow starting team.... I was not impressed with the vast majority of the other commercials. Surprised they spent the money they did for that drivel.

The Ugly: Did you hear me say the Broncos? Nuff Said.

The Business of Life

2014-01-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Watching Downton Abbey the other day, Mr. Carson made a statement that struck me deeply; "The business of life is the acquisition of memories."

As folks have often said, when the end comes, it won't matter what you've made, or the achievements you've accomplished, but the memories you have shared.

So the quote flashed like a light bulb. Now to figure out how to change my life to work at its proper business.

Technology is Cool

2014-01-19T17:23:00.003-06:00

I admit I love technology. I have an iPhone, iPad, iPod. We have four computers for three people, blu ray, programmable thermostats, you name it.

According to iTunes I have hundreds of apps for my iStuff. But there are only a few I can't live without.

1. Evernote:

The tag line for Evernote is:

Remember Everything

It is a great app as a container for all your information. It's available for iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Mac. All share the information so you're never without your "knowledge".

2. Notability:

I primarily use notability to take notes on pdf files. I can print powerpoint slide shows at work to pdf and take notes on the pdf. The thing I like about Notability is I can write on my iPad and the notes show up.

3. Facebook:

Need I say more.

4. Gas Cubby: As the name implies, you track mileage and gas usage. It supports multiple vehicles and you can also log service to your vehicle.

5. Time Master: It's a time tracking app that allows you to track the time you spend on tasks. I use it to track my time at work.

There you have it, the apps I can't live without. I have others, but these would drive me insane should they disappear.

Superpowers HO!

2014-01-13T05:30:00.000-06:00

Watching all the new programs on TV, i.e. Avengers, Big Bang, etc. I've developed a list of superpowers I'd like.

1. Eidetic memory :

Eidetic memory (/aɪˈdɛtɪk/), commonly referred to as photographic memory or total recall, is an inconclusively disputed ability to recall images, sounds or objects in memory with great precision, and is not acquired through mnemonics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidetic_memory.

2. Access to a "Jarvis" program i.e., from Iron Man

I know its not really a superpower, but it would be cool to have access.

3. A computer chip installed in my brain, ala Intelligence.

The stuff he can do with the chip is truly awesome.

4. The ordinary stuff like invisibility, healing powers, telekinesis, super strength, etc.

Social Media and Football

2014-01-06T10:19:00.001-06:00

They say football is a game of inches.

What I find difficult to believe is that a referee 30 yards away from a 6'-0", 250lb player who is "hiding" the football to keep from getting stripped, can accurately spot the ball so that the difference is inches.

They also take great ceremony to conduct the check.

The measurement is useless. They should just give the first down if the team comes close.

Speaking of useless, I have lots of pages I "liked" in facebook that request that I additionally "like" various posts and causes. So I pound the like button as if my life depended on it. But I was thinking the other day, why? Most are political sites that really can not influence members of Congress or the President. If they could, the budget crisis wouldn't have been one and debt limits increases would not be needed.

Social media is supposed to allow the "little" person to have a greater say in the issues of the day, but they don't.

I'll keep pounding the like button.....

TIL

2013-08-12T19:39:00.002-05:00

Some things I learned:

If you purchase pork chops prior to July 24th, you should freeze them before August 12th.

Good thing I had some fillets, actually one more than I needed. So I had fillet matignon . Sounds fancy doesn't? It was really good. Google it if you don't know what it is.

Also had red beans and rice. You can't go wrong with red beans and rice.

Yum!

Project Finale

2013-08-11T19:51:00.002-05:00

Ok.

I know some of you thought I'd never finish, but I have.

I learned some things since the last update:

You should use gloves when staining.

This makes clean up much easier.

I stained the shelf board.

and glued and stapled the magazine racks to the board.

The final project looks like this:

Found out that the board is really warped, so no rolling objects.

Saturday Checklist

2013-06-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

Laundry dropped off--Check
Gas in car--Check
Front lawn weeded and mowed--Check

Sill to come

Vacuum car--
Finish bills--
Start dinner--
Solve world hunger--

Not bad for a Saturday.

I don't want to be a Superhero

2013-06-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

So yea,

As a kid, we all wish to be a superhero. Watched Iron Man 3 the other day, good movie and yes it would be cool to have the suit. Imagine the things you could do. Fly!, take bullets like superman, do anything you want.

I want Jarvis. Really how cool would it be to have a computer that answers your every need. Siri doesn't even come close.

What's with drivers

2013-05-31T16:08:00.000-05:00

I guess I've lived long enough now.

I've been witness to two wrecks of poor drivers in the last couple of months and the other day I noticed, as I was being passed like I was sitting still, that the vast majority of the offenders were disabled vets. Now I'm a disabled vet and I try to drive responsibly, but this was really disturbing to me.

I won't even get into the the number that were on the phone or texting at 6:00am.

Project 3

2013-05-27T20:01:00.001-05:00

Well finally got around to the project again. Stained the holders for the shelf. Cut the shelf, need to sand and stain it.

Pictures to follow.

Reverse Groundhog Day

2013-01-22T21:37:00.001-06:00

OK.

So I was thinking, I do love winter and technically its winter (Jan), but it was 71 today. Now that's not winter. But being in South Texas you rarely get a true winter day, EVER! So is that reverse groundhog day? Probably not.

I'm watching Big Bang Theory, and I've noticed that everyone sleeps on their back perfectly in the center of their bed. No one does that! I sleep on my side and toss and turn all night long, and don't get me started on my wife.

Random thoughts, groundhog day and tokyo scallions.

Project 2

2012-11-27T22:36:00.000-06:00

OK. We don't use the front door of the house... We use the garage door, so that's where we'll start. Here's the door.

So you have to figure we'll put the shelf on the wall just as you come through the door.

Lots of issues here. Light switch is in the way. Alarm panel is in the way, and at Christmas the decorations get in the way.

So let's see about the wall opposite the door.

That doorway you see is the downstairs bathroom and the wife says she'd bump her head on the way out if we put it there.

This is the wall to the left of the bathroom wall. Its probably the best location for the shelf.

Dolphin picture will have to go though.

Project

2012-11-26T19:03:00.000-06:00

I have a project that I will be writing about the next several days as I attempt to recreate this:

I will be showing how I do each part and then finish the project.

To start with I have the following:

I also have a very large board that's out in the garage. I have two more of the holders so I can put in the three seen above.

Keep visiting to see my progress and get the play-by-play.

Retired?

2012-11-25T21:13:00.001-06:00

I "retired" in Nov 2007. After 20 years in the military. Unfortunately, I have/had two kids in college, so I couldn't just "retire". Now I'm not saying that I don't enjoy work, but this last week I had off I really got a feeling of what it would be like to really retire. Might have been the excitement of the holidays and the decorating I did, but I wish it could last forever.

Its weeks like this that make me think of opening my own business, but I can never think of what I want to do. There is cooking. I seem to be getting good at that. The wife says I should apply for Master Chef, but I KNOW I'm not that good.

I could do the real engineer thing, but that is really something that would take more time effort and money than I have now. I would love to open a Christmas Store (go figure) complete with a Christmas tree lot. I think that would be fantastic.

Well, I have another 13 years before I can even think about "retiring" for good.

Twelve Days of Christmas

2012-11-24T20:15:00.001-06:00

We live in an amazing world. I've always wondered what the twelve days of Christmas represented. Turns out is religiously based (who knew, it was never taught to me in church). It begins on Christmas day and ends on Jan 5th. From Wikipedia: "This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide." also: "Twelfth Night is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January."

All this through a simple search. Still drives me crazy when my family asks a search type question when they all have smart phones and could look things up themselves.

Haappppy Biirrrthhdayyy!

2012-11-23T19:55:00.000-06:00

Some good memories watching some classic Rankin and Bass:

Yep Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns. Rankin and Bass were the Christmas special gurus when we were growing up.

There's a reason why these are still classics. I have the movie on DVD and I might on BluRay, but I'll have to check.

Also finished by living room decorations. This is our normal configuration. I still need to do the outside decorations and the forest of inflatables. I still have to work the formal living room though, its hardly decorated at all.

Tradition

2012-11-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

I guess I like the holidays because of tradition. All my favorite traditions happened around the holidays. I remember my mom getting up very early on Thanksgiving to cook the turkey and it would take hours. Now it doesn't seem to take the same amount of time as it did then, but I attribute that to better ovens.

At Christmas, we always went to the neighbors for a party, usually on Christmas eve. Which is why I love our night before the night before Christmas parties we started three years ago.

We have some traditions that we started after the wife and I got married. Some we cheat on, sometimes the tree and decorations for Christmas happen before Thanksgiving.

My Excuse Obviously when the kids were smaller we had additional traditions about when we went to see what Santa brought.

We started a new tradition tonight, not sure if we'll keep it or not. Its the pizza on Thanksgiving eve tradition. Ordered from Pizza Hut, promised in half hour came in hour and 10 minutes.

Its tough to keep traditions going if you only just start them, but I'll think about this more while I'm waiting for Santa.

I still believe.

Little Martha Stewart

2012-11-20T19:39:00.000-06:00

Don't ask me why and for goodness sake don't ask the wife, but every year at this time of year, I become little Martha Stewart. I decorate, with candles and runners and everything. I also bake.

Well, at least my family loves me.

Its Hot!

2012-07-02T22:35:00.002-05:00

People who know me know I like winter, could be why when the temp goes above 72 degrees, I sweat like a pig.

BTW: did you know that phrase comes from the smelting industry?

Anyway 72 is my point. But seeing as I live in South Texas, it seems its always 72. Which is why I always want to live here:

AH! The Things We Remember

2012-05-30T15:36:00.002-05:00

I was in the shower thinking, its where I always think for some reason. I realized it was Wednesday. Then without warning I was taken back in time to when my parents first started giving us allowances. We'd get them on Wednesday, that's when my dad got paid.

Anyway I vividly remember leaning against our refrigerator as my parents discussed what was expected for the dollar. I wasn't really paying attention, I just kept thinking...I'm gonna get RICH!

Now you know we didn't get rich and by and by the allowance went away, but it is interesting what you think about in the shower.

Eureka!

2012-05-29T12:00:00.002-05:00

I've got it figured out now, I'm suffering from "Social Jet Lag". My sleep clock is not in sync. So I wonder if my boss will let me sleep in on workdays.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/10/health/social-jet-lag-obesity/index.html

Memorial Day

2012-05-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

On this Memorial Day, I realized I come from a family of veterans. My maternal grandfather, my father, my brother and I all served in the military. Thankfully none of us paid the ultimate sacrifice for our service.

The military is a family. We brother's in arms, feel the loss of each member we lose during military operations. It takes a toll. But it re-enforces the price of the freedom we enjoy today. Despite what one may think of the reasons we send our men and women off to war, we must remember it takes a special spirit to sign up and know that each day you may be asked to give your life for others.

So please on this memorial day, take time to remember the fallen, and give your favorite veteran a hug. Its the least you can do.