Saturday, July 05, 2008

What A Blast! (Literally!)


Another Fourth of July has come and gone.

Once again, I helped with the fireworks and a few other things for "The Party on the White House Lawn". Rick and his family put their all into this gig every year. Their last name is White aka the name of the party. They spend a lot of time... and money getting ready for the party. They deal with the mess during and after, year after year. The party seems to get better each go 'round. This year was the thirteenth year.

There was a crowd from the start this year. I'm not sure I recall a year when the turn out has been this good. Part of the bargain is that you bring a covered dish or dessert and Rick provides the hot dogs, burgers and suds (beer). I think we had food coming out our ears this year. At one point early on, I tried to count the number of guests. I was well over 80 and that didn't include those that were at the front of the food line that I couldn't see.

It seems the last few years, we have fought rain at some point during the day. There would be a quick shower mid afternoon. Just enough to crank up the humidity. This year the weather guessers smiled on us. Forecasts called for a twenty percent chance of rain which bumped up to thirty percent between three and six o'clock. Weather radar showed rain showers and heavy storms to our south, but we remained rain-free all day. About six-thirty(ish), the temperature was in the mid-seventies, with a nice breeze. Perfect for the launch festivities at dark.

We hung out at the pool as long as we could before having to go prep the launch site. The water was cool when you first got in. That's not such a bad thing though, when you're one of the folks on the launch crew for the fireworks show. Only one cell phone got damaged this year... that we know of. People tend to get thrown in the pool. The throw ers.. don't always take time to find out if the throw ees have any valuables in their pockets before the throw ing takes place.

The fireworks went off without a hitch this year. I mentioned the breeze earlier because a gentle breeze blows the smoke out of the area. We had one party a few years ago where the air was moist and stagnant. The smoke hung low across the launch site. Shots from the ground displays or low aerial shells got lost in the haze. All you could see was a colored flash. We had a nice sized crew this year. We didn't have to have one or two people racing around to launch mortors. I usually end up being one of the ones racing, but I don't mind. Its fun. We always have the attention of the local police, but usually its because they come to watch. All of us that help with the party try to make things as safe as possible for the guests. The police see this and don't give us any trouble.

Even though I didn't get home about three this morning and I didn't sleep well thanks to my sore back, I chalk this year up as a great party. Rick, Delores (AKA Mrs White or Rick's Mom), Tam and the gang deserve a round of applause for hosting a great party. A party that now seems to keep the whole town entertained.

Great Job! Keep up the good work! It was a blast! (Literally!)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day


I changed my MySpace Profile, www.myspace.com/captcurt31, in honor of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day that we are to reflect deeply on what our military forces have given for each one of us.

My father and all of my uncles served in various branches of the service. I listened to my Uncle Don tell stories from his service in Korea. I watched his eyes tear up any time any patriotic song was played. He's gone now, but he was one of the most patriotic people I knew.

There's something special about those who have served in the military. They develop a bond that few others experience throughout their lives. I see men (and women), well into their years, some with disabilities brought home from far off lands when they were just young men. They come out to share their experience whenever the oppurtunity arises. They wear their pride in their service as a medal of honor. Well they should, for many of them were not asked to serve, they were told they had to go. They did what had to be done.

I salute the men and women of today's armed forces. They choose to enlist and make the sacrifices required of them. Many of them joined during times of peace, when the military was a way to get hands-on training and an education. Many, who could have ended their service when their hitch was up, reenlisted and have been back to conflict areas two or three times. Many have gone to fight and made the ultimate sacrifice.

If you are a family member of a serviceman or woman, I salute you as well. You know the risks your husband, wife, brother, sister, son or daughter face. I would guess many a night are spent awake after hearing some story on the news about an incident involving U.S. troops. You endure many long days and nights waiting for them to return home.

To all who serve, those who's loved ones serve currently or who's loved ones gave their final breath in service, whether in war or peace...

Thank you for all that you do/have done.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

What a gas...

I had to call the fire department this evening around 9:15ish. Out of nowhere, I started smelling natural gas. I heat my house with natural gas, so I immediately started checking around the stove and in the basement. It seemed strongest at the back of the house, but not so much in the basement.

I opened the door to check outside and "WOW!" I grabbed my coat and a flash light and headed out. The neighbors have been doing some major construction so I though maybe they broke some line somewhere. Nope, It was coming from somewhere else and whereever it was... It wasn't good.

I called 911. The fire and police departments came down. The police officer who was first on scene noticed it immediately. I noted to the 911 dispatcher and to the officer that there is a gas well across the river that might have popped off. A check in and around the houses found nothing, so they sent a police cruiser over to the well site. He called back that it was really bad over there. The fire department had 911 call the well operators to have them check on it.

The smell slowly broke down, but I had a pretty good dose of it in my house. These are the times when I wish I'd already been able to replace the old windows and doors in this place. I turned up the ceiling fan in the kitchen and opened a window out on the back porch to help blow out the smell, without drafting out too much of my green out of my wallet in heating costs.

Things seem ok now. Hopefully, whatever caused it is remedied and this doesn't become a nightly thing.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Right out of Dilbert...

So here we are, the four of us, sitting in my boss' office. The meeting was called to fine tune details of a multi-phase project that we are trying to get approved. It will give us full redundant power, new environmental controls and some other items desperately needed in the Data Center.

I guess the first thing you need to understand is that, as Project Manager, I was just brought into this project recently. The second thing is that, no matter how hard he tries, my boss does not understand electrical loading and proves it frequently. During a meeting a couple weeks ago, we were discussing what all was entailed in putting this new electrical system in. The electrician laid out all the equipment he was going to need to put in. Having experience in power distribution for amp racks, cameras, lighting and other goodies, I quickly recognized a problem. We were about to embark on putting two very large transformers into the same room as our sensitive equipment, servers, switches and such. These items like clean stable power and are do not like to be exposed to stray electromagnetic interference and heat. These two transformers are basically huge wire wound magnetic fields generators that produce enough heat to fry your breakfast. We won't even get into the noise switching gear that goes in with them to kick everything over to the generators in the event of power failure. Let's just call putting all this stuff in the Data Center space "a bad idea at best".

At this point, I'll let you in another little fact. There is an office in the Network Services space just outside the Data Center. There has been noone put into this office since it was vacated by its previous tenant. This has been because of not wanting to have any one Network Services employee be given prefernce over the other (also known as preventing bad feelings). As the equipment was spelled out on the white board before us, I immediately sensed impending doom from two fronts. The first being: "Where the heck is all this stuff going to fit in an already crowded Data Center?" Secondly, and no less important: "What kind of heat and interference are we going to inject into the room with this equipment?" We are already doubling the size of the air handler to a 20 ton unit.

My brain immediately clicks on a solution that will fix our power equipment concerns AND solve the problem with who gets that spare office. "Put all this gear in the spare office." I state, almost like I knew what I was doing. "Its wall is the outside block wall of the Data Center, making it the perfect place for an Electrical Room." Bells and whistles go off. Lights begin to flash and the room is abuzz with chatter as everyone agrees that would solve all our issues. Heat, Electromagnetic Noise, Radio Frequency Interference and Vibration all become non-issues as the room is on building ventilation and its outside the concrete walls of the Data Center, yet close enough to meet codes and wiring requirments.

Back to today's meeting. We are going over the details again. The project now has gone from replacing the HVAC Unit and some wiring to a full five, yes count 'em five, phases. My boss proclaims in a very loud voice "I'm glad I thought of using that office as an electrical room!" I didn't say a word. I didn't have to. The electrician and the guy that deals with our facilities both turned and looked right at me like "He stole your idea as his own!?" I guess these guys don't read Dilbert. I knew the boss would do that. It made him look like a genius to the directors because he was solving a bunch of issues with a room we already had built. HAHA! That's the way it goes. We all got a good chuckle out of it after he left the room.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Lunar Eclipse

Last night we had a lovely lunar eclipse. I thought at first we wouldn't be able to see it due to cloud cover. The clouds broke and the moon stayed clearly visible for about 2 hours. I took a lot of photos with my Canon Powershot 560 camera varying ISO and other settings just to see what kind of night pictures it took.

I had almost forgotten about the eclipse when the phone rang. It was Mom calling to ask if I'd seen the moon yet. I jumped outside real quick and found it to be way too cold to stand out without protection for my hands and feet. I went back in and put on some warmer clothes then grabbed the camera and tripod. I'm tinkering with Photoshop to throw a few of the images together to see the progression. I didn't get quite as many good pictures as i would have liked.

Dad found my telescope while they were cleaning out closets at their place. I should have brought it down to my place and taken the pictures through it. They would have come out much better. Oh well, live and learn. I really hadn't thought that we'd even be able to see the sky due to the expected cloud cover.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Some days ya just feel old

Did you ever have one of those days where you just feel old? Today is one of those days for me.

I was sitting at home messing around on the computer last night, when Mom informed me that an old family friend had passed away about 10:30pm. “Lilly” was 97. She had been one of my grandmother’s closest friends in later years. As we discussed Lilly’s last few years, it brought back memories of my grandmother just before she passed away. Just like Grandma, Lilly too had dementia which greatly affected her daily life. As the mind went away, the past became the present. Memories long laid dormant by age, suddenly sprang to life. With Grandma, it was the coal furnace. Any time she got cold, the coal must be running low in the furnace. Lilly had similar things that came to the forefront. Lilly had broken her hip recently and had been taken to a personal care home. Her health was never really the same after that. It seems that trauma to the body weakened the frail hold that the mind had on its current reality.

As we talked, I thought about things of the past. Have you ever been part of a church or local organization for a long period of time? You get to know the families of those involved. As the years pass, new people come and go, but there are always those certain individuals that remain part of the scene. It was this way at our church. Lilly was the last of my grandmother’s generation. In our discussion, we found that Clint is the only person remaining between Lilly and Mom/Dad’s generation. This realization was a bit rough for Mom, even more so, with her recent bouts with Cancer. As it is with everything, the old generation passes the torch to the next. I myself found myself feeling old.

I don’t think much about Grandma and Grandpa anymore. It’s been a long time since they passed away. Lilly’s passing has brought back memories, both happy and sad. I’ll go to the funeral home for calling hours and such. Our families have been friends for almost all of my 40 years. I know her family will miss her, but just like with my grandma, Lilly’s mind is now free from the confusion of the dementia. Her body is free from pain. She is now in a far better place.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Another weekend passes


This weekend was a long weekend due to President's Day. I work for a government contractor and they declared today a paid holiday. Almost any day to take off and still get paid, is as good a reason as any to avoid the office.

It turned out to be a nice weekend to get things done. I started out Saturday morning with getting the oil changed in the truck, washing the truck and getting my hair cut. I came home. Took a break, then headed off to clean the bathroom. I cleaned up the kitchen a little, emptying the dishwasher and loading up my soup bowls.

Sunday, I continued picking things up around the house. I took the afternoon off to go up to Mom and Dad's to watch the Daytona 500 in High Def on their new flat screen tv. I am still amazed at the brilliance of color and the amount of detail you can see. Fox did their typical funky job of broadcasting a race. They haven't quite got the hang of it yet. Camera mounts were shoddy, allowing the cameras to wiggle and bobble when the cars roared past. Shot direction was pourly chosen with a couple of occassions during the pre-show catching their own cameramen out of position or shooting other camerman who were goofing off. Hopefully, they will get it together in time.

I came home after the race. I spent an hour or so surfing the net while waiting for the new Knight Rider TV Movie to come on. I enjoyed the old Knight Rider and was interested to see how the new show went over. There have been multiple attempts, failures is more like it, to create new Knight Rider shows. This one seemed the best I've seen so far. The Mustang seemed to pull of KITT successfully. I'm not sure about Val Kilmer as the voice of KITT though. At times, his voice lost the steady, emotionless strength of a computer and became kind of wishy washy. Some of the new technologies onboard were pretty cool. The ananamorphic armor skin that was self-healing and could change color and features of the exterior of the car was interesting. We didn't get to see many more of KITT's weapons other than its anamorphic armor and its high speed mode. If the show becomes a series, it will be interesting to see how they shake KITT down.

The show ended and I came back to the computer to kill some time. I wasn't very tired and didn't feel like reading. I looked at my MySpace page and thought "Ya know, I don't even know if anyone looks at this thing anymore, but I'm getting tired of the eagle background." I proceded to come up with a Knight Rider themed page using the Mustang as the center piece. I ended up monkeying with photoshop until almost 2 in the morning. I finally came up with something I liked, although I still may redo KITT again. I blurred him to make him fit into the page better, but when I saved it to the profile, he came out too blurred. At 2 am, I was too tired to post the changes to my account, so I left the eagle fly one more night.

Today, Monday, I got up to freezing rain and snow, again. I poked around and posted the redone MySpace Profile. I spent the morning talking to a couple of friends. During one conversation, I got a good laugh. It turns out there appears to be a rumor out there of the demise of my single status. I assure you that this is NOT the case. I don't know where these rumors start. This one is a stretch at best. It gets even better since I'm not talking to the individual that I'm supposed to be getting hitched with. Oh well, just more fuel on the never ending fires of life.

I'll close here for tonight and see what tomorrow brings. I wouldn't be surprised to find more snow and ice.