Sam's Rants 'n' Raves

Time for a rant...

2009-07-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

I know I'm entering this a little late... BUT I'm tired of the exagerated statements about Michael Jackson's value as a human being. He was, perhaps, one of the greatest entertainers we'll ever see. That's a very subjective statement, completely in the eye of the beholder. He has contributed tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars to charity. Having said that, I also must say he had significant problems in life. I'm not one to say everyone should "fit in", but the man admitted to sleeping with children; children that were not his own; children whose parents did not know he was sleeping with them; children that were helpless to say "no" to this icon. I'm not implying any sexual activity... but sharing a bed with another person's child, without the parents knowledge is simply wrong. And Michael Jackson admitted to doing that on several occasions.

I think we would all agree Michael Jackson was a unique individual. He was an extremely talented child who was subjected to parental abuse, sexual situations at an early age with his brothers in hotel rooms on the road while touring with the "Jackson Five." I don't think anyone could experience all that and NOT be negatively affected by it.

I don't pitty him; I don't hate him; and I don't believe he deserves the time and attention he's receiving in his death... because the way he lived his life was not nearly on par with so many other, more deserving people. People like President Ronald Reagan, Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, and so many others that never got the recognition for living their lives with honor, courage, dignity and integrity. I don't believe Michael Jackson's life was honorable, courageous or dignified. And most importantly he lacked the integrity required to defend himself of child molestation charges... but he din't lack the money to pay off the accuser and make the whole case collapse for lack of a witness.

My $.02.

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled...

2008-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I've rock and rolled. Few people know this about me, but I once played in a band, professionally. Now, one MUST remember that "professionally" only means that I got paid for it, not that I was any good. I was decent, but not good enough to make a decent living. And when I "rocked", it wasn't rocking at all... more like playing cumbias and ranchettas; don't try looking up Ranchetta, it's not listed in Wikipedia... but it is a type of Mexican music, very popular in California, Texas and Mexico.

It's also been a long time since I've written. So, when I last posted I had done the dishes, but not the Carburator. Update: Carburator is rebuilt, engine sounds incredible (I'm very proud of my work on that engine), but the transmission was giving me problems. Latest update: Transmission is 90% rebuilt (not by me, but by some very good friends.) I've also done some more work on the Ghia's interior. It's been a good week for the Ghia. And I cooked dinner tonight; Grilled chicken, Hollandaise Sauce, rice and corn. Dishes are not done.

This is all the update I have in me tonight; I will write tomorrow and maybe, if I'm motivated enough, post some pics. G'night.

Took a few days off...

2008-09-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

So I didn't roll too long. I'm pacing myself. I signed up for "FaceBook" tonight; looking for an old friend whom, I'm told, has an account. I'm amazed at the connectivity and number of data-bases that are at work to support finding SO MANY people. Having said all that... this website might be a good example of "too much" of a good thing. I'm really not comfortable having so much of my personal information open to the public. I did limit quite a bit of stuff... but still, I wonder how many hackers have invested their time "working" facebook.

This week has been brutal. I realized last night when I got home that I had put in 42 hours at work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm not complaining; I do enjoy my job, but I don't have the energy when I get home to do things I enjoy doing. And that sucks. So I didn't post anything, didn't check mail and I didn't do the dishes!

I did the dishes tonight. But I didn't re-build carburator on my Karmann Ghia

I miss driving this car... it's good for me; I'm a better driver when I'm in it because it forces to me to pay attention; I care about how I drive it and how hard I drive it... I can not say that about all my other cars. Speaking of the "others", I'm down to four now. The Bug convertible is gone... a distant and fond memory. Tha Cobalt is too... more distant and not nearly as fond.

On that note, it's time to go to bed and dream about driving the Ghia... with my lady. ;)

Surprise! I'm back again... following through.

2008-09-15T19:26:00.001-07:00

Speaking of following through... I told a young man some time ago: "If you need help, give me a call and I'll do what I can." I've spoken those words to many people over the years but have rarely been called upon for help. Well I got a call from that young man and I managed to help him out after an hour or two and a few phone calls. Without going into too much detail, this young man has been an adult less than a year and he's (truly) on his own.

I've known many a kid, out of High School, living at home or living at school, still getting help from the parents and slowly easing their way into adulthood. AND I firmly believe that's the way it should be. Kids should not be in so much of a rush to be on their own. I have my 18 year old still living at home and I hope she stays put for a few more years, finishes college and THEN get married or pierce something other than her ears or whatever else she thinks she wants to do (at the time) to make herself feel like an adult.

College is a good milestone in life to pass before being on your own. I believe this to be true because of the educational value of college, as opposed to trade school, because college will/should develop critical thinking and should develop the student. I would bet my pay-check that most people graduating college have matured significantly... not because of the facts they've learned, but because of the way they've learned to think about things. Try explaining this to an 18 year old.

The problem with a kid right out of High School is that they don't know what they don't know... but believe they know enough. Dangerous combination. And often by the time they realize they are in extremis, the problem they have has been stewing for a while and is not easily solved. The young man's problem was solved today and more importantly, I think he learned from this experience. Experience is the best teacher, but it's not cheap.

Check back tomorrow... I'm on a roll.

I'm back! (again...)

2008-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile... life's been busy, when isn't it? But I have gotten back to the place where I want to write again. This is the place where I clearly know what I want to do with my life (for the moment anyway) and can see HOW to get there. The problem always is sticking with the plan. Isn't that the way with most things in life? Following through seems to be the hardest of things. And for another time in my life, I'm committed to following through. We'll see how long it lasts.

In order to keep this blog going and make it a routine; I've got to come up with some things to write about. I've decided to start out with the Presidential election. I've never watched elections too closely, but it seems to me that this one is a bit more emotional than previous elections. I firmly believe everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I must say that it irks me to no end when people pass off their opinion as superior. I've been especially iritated lately with the Palin and Obama comparisons. Most of these comparisons fall well short of anything meaningful. I stumbled accross the "Matt Damon interview", you may have seen it on youtube. And I couldn't help myself... I had to respond to some of the comments. the next day my e-mail was full of poorly written attacks on my character, intelligence and judgement. I love a good arguement. So I returned fire; concentrating my efforts on one particularly emotional person.

I've got to admit that I enjoy pushing people's buttons. I'm not proud of it and know it's not right, but it's something I picked up (and enjoy) during my time in the military. Anyone who has spent some time in the military knows that if someone in a: submarine, squadron, ship, etc. lets it be known that something bothers them, they will surely be bothered often. It's cheap entertainment. I rarely indulge anymore, having matured quite a bit over the years. But when the opportunity presents itself under the right circumstances, I must say I enjoy it.

Time to get on with the rest of my plan to follow through with doing what's important in life. For today that's getting my house organized, fixing a light on my Excursion that my wife has been putting up with for too long, mowing the lawn and finally: spendig some time with my girls.

I'll be back tomorrow...

It's been a while...

2007-09-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

This is my 2nd attempt to write today. My first ended when I lost all I had written. My fingers seemed to move faster than my brain.

We got up this morning and headed down to the local Farmer's Market. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning. We picked up some fresh corn, green beans, cucumber, pumpkins and home made suckers for the girls. Oh, and some salsa. I had reservations about the salsa... we make pretty good salsa (when I say "we" I mean Alisa, but "we" are a team...) but it was really good and was hungry.

After the market we went to the opening of a Sweet and Sassy. The girls had a blast; got their hair done, took a stroll on a cat walk, got a goody bag and took a ride in a very big pink limo! Fun was had by all...

I spent a good portion of Thursday and Friday going through old files trying to find something for a friend... no luck finding the file, but I did come accross some interesting pics...

This is me close to the end of my days on submarines... it's a different kind of place to work. A lot of people have asked me over the years what's it's like to be under water, how deep did we go, etc. The answers: It's like any other place with a lot of work and no windows, except it's a lot smaller. As for how deep we could go... All I can say is deeper than 400 feet. Four hundred feet is plenty deep and the only way you really know how deep you are is if you look a a depth gauge... so it really doesn't matter. As for all the other stuff? Trust me, you REALLY don't want to know.

Here's me returning my first salute. Look closely and you'll see my brother (the one wearing the blue business suit with all the awards...). This was the end of my commissioning ceremony. It's a naval tradition to have sideboys line up when officers arrive or depart the ship. The tradition has carried forward in ceremonies and my brother stood in as one of the sideboys that day. That meant a lot to me. I'm blessed to have a brother as good as him, I really don't deserve it.

One last pic today...
This is the love of my life. Again, I really don't deserve her and thank God each day for blessing me with her love and patience. We've been together nearly 25 years... started dating in November of 1982. I'm really looking forward to the next 25 years with her.

Life's good.

My bikes...

2007-07-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is long over due (like so many things in my life), but here they are... a few pics of the bikes.

This first one is the RD. It is a very beautiful bike, as bikes go.

Here are a couple of the Katana. I also think this bike is gorgeous.

You really can't see the lines on this bike from this first pic, but trust me... they are nice.

This next pic (and the last I think) shows the lines a bit better. But going through the pics I have, I realize I'm not that happy with them and need more. But I'm posting the two that do the bike some justice.

The last pic here shows the License plate from my truck... BIG FUN. The truck lives up to its plate.

This last pic is my wife's car. I was a little apprehensive about buying any car with a bud vase. But it has turned out to be a good choice. It's a lot of fun. Not much else to say... I'll be posting more pics of my other cars soon. This week is going to be crazy, so it might be a while before I post again.

I'm learning to manage expectations. :)

An update...

2007-07-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Anastasia is making her home her own. I talked with her today and learned she's getting her first furniture delivered. I remember that experience; Alisa and I bought a kitchen table. It lasted 15 years, not bad for a table... especially considering the number of moves we subjected it to.

The picture to the left was taken at dinner the night before the wedding. If you look closely you'll see the girls all looking in different directions; a result of too many cameras at the occasion.

The positive side of so many cameras was all the pictures I got from that week. I'm going through them slowly and I'll post more later.

I've also promised in the past to post more pics of my bike. I need to wait till I transfer them from my laptop to the desktop. But when I do I'll post some of the Suzuki and at least one of the RD. The RD is something very special to me. I first rode on the bike when I was around 10. Not really sure how old I was, but 10 is a close enough guess. The RD was bought by my father when he was stationed in Oregon back in 1977. He modified it to make it a real quick road bike. I get comments on the bike when I ride it, always favorable. It has never been laid down and always treated well... well is relative. I think a bike like that is meant to be ridden fast. The think about riding a 30 year old bike fast is that it's beginning to be a little less forgiving. The brakes are not what they used to be and the power band is really narrow... which means the power comes on all of sudden and hits like a jet being put into afterburner. Really. The bike demands all of your attention when riding it. I also give it a lot of attention after I ride it, when it's time to wash it. My Dad used to have this ritual with his Vette. He'd wash it then sit back on a lawn chair and have a beer while admiring the car. A Vette is a car that I can spend hours looking at. The RD has the same attraction. It is really a beautiful piece of machinery.

Well it's late and I've got to sleep at some point. More later.

More wedding pics...

2007-07-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'm going to keep this short, there is ice cream to be eaten and a movie to be watched!

I think this first pic is... well I'll reserve comment and let you think what you will.

This picture was taken during the dollar dance, a Mexican tradition where guests pay money to dance with the bride and groom. The thought behind it is to give the young couple some starting out money... it's always fun. I used to play in a band when I was in High School and for the first year out of school. We played an Oldies progression for dollar dances at weddings; a medley of "Daddy's home", "Tears on my pillow", etc. The cool thing about it was we could play the same songs over and over again, without it getting too monotonous... Mexican weddings can be HUGE!

I apologize for bouncing around and showing pics out of sequence... but as I roll through these pics I'm trying to balance showing you all the lovely bride, some of my other daughters and others that I think would be interesting to show. This pic is a decent one of the "little ones", Ava and Angelina. Having two sets of daughters so far apart in age is interesting. Capturing good pics with both of them smiling, not picking at something, etc. is no small feet. We caught them looking cute a few times.

Another pic of the Maid of Honor... she really did her job that day and the days leading up to the wedding. She kept Anastasia on track (for the most part), ensured the Best Man had his toast written and memorized her own toast. All things considered, Anastasia made the best choice for her Maid of Honor that day. My daughters make me so proud. I've been blessed more than I deserve.

I love this picture. It captures DN2's joy and sadness in DN1's marriage and impending move. As I said yesterday... bitter sweet.

I'm going to stop now... after one last pic. Me and DN2 in a candid moment, caught by my Mom. I don't get a chance to sit down with the girls as often as I'd like. I missed far too much of their lives... but I digress. Good night!

Anastasia's married and out on her own...

2007-07-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Words cannot adequately describe the experience... my daughter is now grown up and living on her own. I remember Anastasia dancing in the first apartment Alisa and I shared as newlyweds; it doesn't seem all that long ago. There are gaps in my memories of her childhood from too many deployments and not enough father/daughter time when not deployed. It's a bitter/sweet time for any father; she's grown up, strong, independent, intelligent and beautiful... but she's also moving away.

I think starting this post with Stasia in her wedding dress is very appropriate, every bride should be so lucky to be as radiant and beautiful as her that day. She is very much her mother's daughter.

I'm smiling in this picture, something that doesn't happen too often. I smile more than people realize when I'm with my girls... I know I have a lot to smile about.

Here is Anastasia the morning of her wedding day. She had her nails done (all ten!) and her hair too... hours at the salon with her mother, grandmothers, sisters, aunt and cousin. It was quite the production. I'm not sure it was worth it, her smile brings out her beauty more than any color or curl can.

Here's Stasia and Ava... no comment is needed.

Another rare pic of me smiling... I'm with DN2, Amanda. She's very much her father's daughter and that's not always a good thing. She's got a lot to overcome given her pre-disposition for acting like me, but she's got enough of her mother in her to give her some balance.

The last pic is the wedding party. From left to right: Best man, Ryan; SIL, Alex; DN2, Anastasia; DN2, Amanda; Niece, Anika; Bottom row: DN4, Angelina; DN3, Ava.

The little girls were somewhat amused by the whole event. Ava even gave a toast at the reception, concluding with a little song: "Stasia and Alex sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g..." you know the rest.

All in all it was a good day. A day I will never forget... well, at least I haven't forgotten it yet. (paraphrased from Dr. Seus' "Did I ever tell you how lucky you are")

More pics tomorrow.

I'm back again...

2007-07-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

The opening pic is me and my girls... I've got quite a few pics from the last two weeks... more on that later.

Well it's been a while and so much has happened since my last post. To summarize my life in the last two months:
1. I rented my house in Maine.
2. I drove about 5,000 miles... in 4 days.
3. I moved my family to Omaha, Nebraska (1,500 of the 5,000 miles with two small children in the Excursion with me, my 17 year old daughter driving her car behind me, my 19 year old daughter in her car behind her and my lovely wife driving her car at the tail end of the group of five vehicles (I was towing one of my cars with my Excursion)).
4. My daughter got married.

There's so much more, but this is a blog and not a Soap Opera.

I orginally tried putting some pics into a draft document in MS Word and cutting and pasting to the blog editor... someone I know well does that with much more success than I experienced tonight. When I figure it out, I'll post more.

Giving in to temptation...

2007-05-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a QUICK update. I bought a bike. Here it is.

Still rolling... a bit slower these days.

2007-05-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, my sense of duty is not what it used to be; not much is what it used to be.

On that note, there are some things in life that are consistent and always true. A mother's love is one of them. Same can be said of a father's love. There are some things that seem eternal, but are not. Tiger Woods won his 57th golf tournament today... he's arguably the best golfer this world has ever seen; certainly the best playing right now. But his reign will end some day. The things that endure are almost exclusively about values.

One enduring truism that I've talked with my co-workers about this week is a child's impression of their parents. It seems a universal truth that a child first thinks that their parents know everything, then they think they know nothing and slowly they realize the parents know something that they don't know and finally they realize the wisdom the parents posses.

The funny thing about the child/parent phenomenon is the kids don't see it till they become parents themselves. It's truly a case of poetic justice.

The RD has been in the garage these days... mostly.

I took the bike out for a ride yesterday. I hadn't ridden it in 3 days due to rain and longer than normal working hours... etc. But there was a break in the weather yesterday and I had nothing better to do... well nothing that I wanted to do anyway. So I continued my relationship with the RD. I see my interaction with the bike as a relationship. The bike is 30 years old and it's not stock. Anyone who has ever spent time with any vehicle that has been "altered" for speed's sake knows that things are never the same... they are better in my opinion. There's an old saying that with cars and bikes you can have any two of the following: speed, reliability or economy. The RD is incredibly quick and thus far reliable... but it's not so good on gas. I ran out of gas (the main tank) after riding a short 84 miles. When I lost power (on the freeway) the thought occurred to me that I was out of gas, but I dismissed it quickly since I had only gone 84 miles! But on close inspection after pulling over I realized I was dry. I shifted over to the reserve and motored on. The bike gets about 30-35 mpg... not great for a motorcycle. I'm sure I'll have more to say about the bike in the future...

Transitions

I've been thinking about why I'm so bad at doing some things... I think part of it is that I'm good with ideas, not so good at executing ideas. One of my mantras with the young division officers that I worked with on my last ship was: Do less so you can make sure more gets done. The idea here was for them to delegate more and walk around more to ensure that what they delegated was in fact getting done the way they wanted it to... and ultimately the way our CO wanted it.

So the bottom line here is I need to transition back into doing things for myself and making the time to do what's important to me. This blog is important, I know that, but I'm slowly starting to think more about how it can be important to my girls.

Stay tuned...

So I've had a request to post pics... I know the blog is not very visually appealing at this point. I need to work through some technical stuff first, but as soon as that happens, I'll have them up.

I'm on a roll...

2007-04-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of my original reasons for posting was to tell me girls about my day here and give them some perspective about what I'm doing, etc. The topic for today is duty. I know I'm not on firm ground with this subject since I stopped posting early on, but I'm working on it.

The concept of duty is an interesting one. Webster gives several definitions related to vocation; military, responsibilities associated with occupation, etc. But Webster also defines it as a moral obligation. Websters defines moral as principles of right and wrong. So given the two definitions of duty and moral, I believe duty is an obligation to do the right thing. I think that's a straight forward way to think about it. I'm all about being straightforward, unambiguous and generally blunt.

I started this post on Sunday, but obviously did not finish it. I failed in my duty to my girls. When I started this blog I said I'd post more than I have been, and therefore have not lived up to that obligation. It's a moral obligation because I should do what I say, especially when it comes to my girls. I need to be the example, the role model... the consistent voice who follows through with what I say. I'm pretty familiar with my shortcomings and I'm working (slowly) to correct them. So I'm on a roll; even it's a slow roll.

I've got the RD back!

I picked up the RD today and spent too much time riding it around on my way home. I really should've just rode home and put it in the garage, but I waited a long time to get it back and I HAD to give into my desires to a certain extent. Anyone who has ever ridden a bike knows what I'm talking about. I have never been a guy who drives a vehicle to get from point a to point b. I think that's a waste of time... to not enjoy the trip. I enjoy driving everyone of my vehicles, some more than others. I'm currently driving my 2000 Ford Excursion. I brought it out to Omaha since it could EASILY carry all my stuff and my motorcycle with ease. The downside to driving that beast is that it gets about 11 or 12 miles per gallon no matter how I drive. I'm putting $100 every two weeks in gas and have never filled it up. But I digress.

I'm now poised to ride the RD to work daily. I'm happy about the gas savings to be sure, but more importantly I know I'll arrive each day to work with a grin on my face that only comes from truly enjoying my time on the bike. I almost feel sad for those people that pick a vehicle based on cost, gas mileage, Consumer Reports or other factors that preclude them from experiencing the joys that I've experienced. I guess that some people will never or possibly could ever feel that way about driving. So sad.

So in closing...

What's your duty? It's a rhetorical question; one that can only be answered by yourself and should only be answered to yourself. I'm wondering if my girls feel any sense of duty about anything or to anyone. It's part of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Kids are by nature self-centered, which is fine for them. Adults must realize the bigger picture and know when their immediate gratification must be put on hold so to realize a greater good (read greater gratification).

Same time, same place tomorrow... I really will post on Tuesday night, if only to tell you about my first ride into work!

Getting back in the groove...

2007-04-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog it was meant to be a way to communicate with my girls. I fell short of the mark in a few ways. I have not posted as much as I had intended and I have not put down all the thoughts and lessons I would like to convey.

So in an effort to correct this shortcoming... I'm here now (and hopefully tomorrow) to pass on some more thoughts on life in general and thoughts about my everyday life.

Decision making 101

Know when to go with your gut and when to resist your urges and think about a decision. There are lots of decisions to make in life. Those decisions can be segregated in various ways but one way to do it is to look at decisions based on the nature of the choice to be made. There are decisions that should be based on emotion... who to marry, what to wear and what to eat, to name a few. There can be some level of reason mixed with the previous examples since you probably shouldn't marry an axe murderer, wear shorts in the middle of winter (Amanda) or eat fried food before riding roller coasters or flying an aerobatic plane near its limits. Reason would probably influence your feelings about those decisions, but ultimately your feelings will determine your choice.

Knowing when to go with your gut is something that is learned with experience. I know I want a new motorcycle. My father and brother recently bought new bikes and I'm feeling the "Spring Fever" like never before. But I also know that this feeling will pass and more importantly I know that I may be buying a house in the next month or two. I know that I'll feel more strongly about buying a house for my family than buying a bike for myself. The harder part is identifying and acknowledging the feelings for what they are and more importantly their place in your priorities. Kids have a hard time understanding this concept. "But I want to" is a common phrase in my home. My youngest says it... my six year old says it often and my 17 year old does it even more. I've heard it lately from my 19 year old and have tried to talk to her about it. But she's still feeling her way through some decision making that she should be thinking through. But that's another thing all together.

How is this applicable in our daily lives? I think about getting up each day and know I don't always want to get up and go to work. I have not missed a day of work in years. In fact I can't remember a day when I didn't go to work when I was supposed to. I guess that's a function of the military... we can't just call in sick. But it is what it is and that's something to think about. I would never even consider not going to work because I didn't feel like it. My desire to do my job is more powerful than the desire to sleep. I would hope that work ethic (a type of determination) gets instilled in my girls. There are very few things in life that are more powerful than determination. Love is one of them, but love itself can inspire determination... I think part of why I go to work is to provide for my family. It's a dual edged sword because a big part of what I did in the military had me leaving my family for months at a time. That sucked. No other way of saying it, but it was the price to pay for being paid. It provided the wife and girls a home, cars, Dooney and Burk (sp?) hand bags and endless Victoria Secret's bras.

I got a bit side tracked... but I think I'm going to leave it as I typed it... it's the way I think and that's one of my goals here... to give my girls an insight to how I think.

Getting warm here...

It was 80 degrees here today. Not a cloud in the sky and little to no wind. Perfect weather for riding a motorcycle. I went to check on my bike today and was told the required part would be in the shop on Monday and the bike fixed as soon as the part arrived. I've hear that before, so I'm thinking Thursday's a realistic expectation for getting my RD back. I asked the owner of the shop how much the red Daytona 650 was... $6,400 was the answer. I thought that wasn't half bad. The caveat on that is that it was two years old and had nearly 8,000 miles on it. The thing to realize here is, as my brother so aptly put it, little old ladies don't ride sport bikes to church on Sundays. I can't imagine anyone putting 8,000 easy miles on a bike like that. There's a lot to be said for buying new in the motorcycle world.

With that thought in mind, I left the Triumph shop and set out to find the nearest Yamaha shop... but I was willing to find a Kawasaki or Suzuki shop as well. I got about half a mile down the road and thought I can't do it. It's like going to the grocery store when you're hungry. Not good. I turned the truck around and headed back to my temporary home. On the way back I drove through a great little neighborhood and saw a really nice house for sale. Kharma was the word of the day.

That's all I got to say about that... stay tuned for more R&R... same time, same place.

Life lesson from a father to a daughter...

2007-04-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

All guys are dogs. I've told my daughters that for years and I believe it. I must qualify some things in that statement though. I know I'm going to get some "Feedback" from a good friend of mine who will no doubt provide a strong counter point.

The animal instinct in guys is strong. Guys are most often immature and focused on one thing during their adolescent years. These are the dangerous years when young girls dream of their version of Prince Charming and guys dream of their version of Miss July. The thing girls must know is that all guys are dogs in the sense that they have an urge to have sex with every girl they meet. Obviously some urges are stronger than others and over time they mature to the point where they can control those urges... but they (I too in my day) have that urge.

That urge will cause a guy to say whatever, do whatever, be whatever it takes to attain his goal. Some are more successful than others. Some are better equipped than others... before you go down an unintended road, I'll qualify that statement by saying some are better looking, have a better command of the English language, or are simply more sensitive.

I'm not saying I'll lock away my two youngest girls and let them out when they're 25 and completed their graduate schooling. Not at all. I think it's important for girls to date in High School and they should date more than one guy. They need to gain some experience with guys... so they can learn, first hand, that guys play games; say and do things to gain an advantage in the relationship. The thought here is that if they have little or no experience they'll be ill prepared to deal with the more experienced guys they'll meet in college.

My two oldest girls are not girls at all... young ladies at this point. They are both very intelligent, mature (one more so than the other... but I think that's a function of age), independent and more beautiful than I am comfortable with at times. I really like the fact that they both enjoy driving a car with a manual transmission. I don't like the fact they both drive faster than my wife... which is to say they drive too much like me. But I digress...

The point to this post is that all guys are dogs. Some can mature and aspire to be a German Shepard; loyal, protective and smart. Others are the opposite and more still varying degrees between the extreme... but they are all dogs.

At some point, after they marry, settle down and have daughters (I'm not sure a guy that only has sons can fully appreciate my point... unless he has granddaughters) will they understand and keep the dog in themselves in check. It's about maturity and making responsible choices about their actions and the ramifications of those actions; knowing the impact their actions have on woman.

I often wonder what kind of father-in-law I'll be. I love my daughters more than they know and more than I can fully appreciate. A young man will not win me over with words. He'll have to earn my respect over time. Time is the one thing that really defines a man and his intentions. If he respects her, not only on the first few dates, but over the span of their courtship, and cares for her in their marriage by showing his love, providing for their family and being "That guy" (to borrow a phrase from my brother) to her... I may come to appreciate him for his part in my daughters happiness. But until that time they are all dogs.

Timing is an interesting thing...

2007-04-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

I read my father's blog today and was pleasantly surprised to see my brother had posted on his own blog after taking some time off. The post was very good and I highly suggest reading it (that's a direct hint at my daughters.) It's kind of ironic that we both blogged on the same night after not doing so for so long. I think there's some good lessons for me in what my brother wrote.

I don't think I have the same report with my daughters that my brother has with his son. Maybe it's a gender thing or maybe it's a function of my personality... but whatever the reason, I wish I had that kind of relationship where my daughters actively listened to what I had to say. It may be a function of their age too. Lex had a great post the other day about a conversation with his eldest daughter... another good read (hint hint).

More tales of the Air Force...

The fire alarm sounded at work today and we all filed out of the office (which isn't as easy as it sounds... those of you who know where I work probably know what I'm talking about) and proceeded to our gathering point. I'm relatively new here so I followed the crowd and was surprised (yet again) that we were heading over to the O'club across the street. I was further surprised that we (folks in the plans shop at USSTRATCOM) gather in the bar. If only the alarm had gone off a little later in the day it would have made all the difference.

Only on an Air Force base would a military unit gather at a bar during a fire.

The RD may be done tomorrow...

I made my daily call to the motorcycle shop today. A little background is in order; I took the bike into the shop almost three weeks ago to get the brakes bled (a relatively simple procedure that should not have taken more than an hour.) You may have realized that I took the bike into the shop nearly THREE WEEKS ago... the frustrating part was each day there would be excuses. I choose this word carefully since the people at the front desk did not actually take the time to talk to the mechanic and find out why it was taking so long. They took the path of least resistance and gave me an excuse. I'll admit it worked for two days, but it only frustrated me after that. I finally talked to the mechanic today and found out he had not even worked on the bike this week. The same week that the owner, his wife, his daughter and some other kid in the front office told me "tomorrow, gauranteed!", "Probably later today" and "He's just having trouble bleeding the rear brake." Truth is he hasn't even tried bleeding the rear brake yet since he's not even put it back together yet. I suppose the life lesson here is:
1. Never completely trust the first report.
2. Talk directly with the mechanic if possible.
3. Don't be one of those people who give excuses... it's poor form.

That's all I've got to say about that.

I'm back!

2007-04-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

This post is far overdue.

So much has happened since my last post and I'll be covering the highlights over the next week (I need to pace myself.) But a quick overview: I spent time with my girls, finished my Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies, worked on my house, moved to Omaha, Nebraska and started a new job.

The time in between school and my new job was good. I never felt like I was getting enough done around the house and worse... never changed my behavior to get more done, but I really enjoyed my time with the girls.

So, on with some specific observations since my last post. The Air Force is not the Navy. An obvious statement that stands alone on its own merit, but a statement that requires some elaboration. My current assignment is with a Joint Command; it has Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines on staff. The Command is located on an Air Force base and because of that, I've been exposed (such an appropriate word) to their culture.

The first thing that I noticed was "Retreat". This is a custom that the Air Force observes at all their installations. At 4:30 pm every day the base installation plays music on loudspeakers and everyone stops what they are doing (including people driving their cars) and faces the nearest flag and salutes or stands at attention. This concept is not unfamiliar, the Navy has a similar tradition where we retreat the colors (The American Flag) and play the same music the Air Force does, but we do it at sunset. We actually take the flag down, salute and carry on. The Air Force simply plays the music and salutes... the flag stays up. I'm not sure where it's written, but there is a requirement for the American Flag to be taken down at sunset OR have a light on the flag so that it remains illuminated till the sun comes back up. I'm told (I don't think it's true, but it illustrates the culture of the Air Force rather well) that the Air Force figured they could save a lot of money and time if they install automatic lights and just not bother bringing the flag down each day. The Navy on the other hand, sticks to traditions. It may be a bit more labor intensive, but it's what we believe is right.

My first reaction to "Retreat" at Offutt Air Force Base...
"What's that?"
A nearby retired Air Force type said "Retreat!"
I said "Retreat from what?" My further thought was "Don't retreat! Don't give up the base! The Navy is here now, we can stop them!"
He said "You know, saluting the colors."
I was confused, but didn't feel the need to take the conversation further.

I asked my father about it later, after all he spent twenty two years in the Air Force and would surely have the answer. That's the way the Air Force does it was the answer. Some people may think that's not a good answer, but it was very appropriate.

There are more examples of my cultural education with the Air Force and the other services. I'll post more.

The sport of cheerleading

2007-01-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about Cheerleading as a sport, but I do know that I didn't think it was a sport when I was in High School. My experiences with the sport are limited to watching the cheerleaders in high school (and dating one of them) and now include my second daughter's (Amanda) time on the "Varsity" cheer squad at her school. My third daughter (Ava) also has done one season in the local Youth Football League, but that's on different level.

I guess the major difference is the Cheerleading competitions. I'm guessing most people have seen these on ESPN or have even seen the movie Bring it on. These competitions are a mix of dance and gymnastics with a little cheering thrown in for flavor. I'm not putting it down at all, it's incredible to see these kids (boys and girls) move around the floor for 3 minutes from one stunt to the next, keeping in step and rhythm to music that has obviously been heavily edited (and sped up) while smiling. I don't work out much and may have a skewed view of things but I imagine it must be a lot like running a half mile, in make-up and keeping a smile on your face. Not for me. But my daughter certainly likes it and she's pretty damn good at it too.

The physical demands of any sport is what makes it a sport. I love pool/billiards, but don't think it's a sport. I like golf, sometimes and have mixed feelings about it being a sport, but fall on the side of sport if only because there is hitting involved.

I'm writing now to rave about my daughter's squad this last weekend. They entered a competition and did very well, despite some bad luck. One of the girls on the squad twisted her ankle during their performance and as a result the performance was halted. They had the opportunity to continue on after the girl was evaluated and had her ankle taped. She showed a tremendous amount of courage to go back out and compete in front of a large audience and continue in a competition, under obvious pain... and keep a smile on their face. After taking the mat to complete their routine, all the girls smiled, kept their composure and gave a great performance. Other teams had problems that day, but not all kept their cool.

Sports are supposed to build teamwork and a desire to win WHILE instilling sportsmanship. I think the Cheerleaders from Brunswick demonstrated great sportsmanship because they adapted their routine to accommodate the injured cheerleader and performed superbly despite the last minute changes. They are great athletes, in every sense of the word.

Political Rant...

2007-01-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

I logged on today and got the normal AOL greeting with some news, entertainment, sports, etc. The thing that caught my eye was a snippet about President Ford and his ratings of the Presidents within his lifetime. He rated Eisenhower number 1 and made some other comments about Carter, Reagan, Clinton, George H. Bush, but didn't want to comment on George W. Bush since he said he didn't know him that well.

AOL also had a poll for subscribers to take which asked who was the best and who was the worst President. Clinton was ranked the best from the AOL subscribers... makes me sad that I'm a part of that grouping. I think Reagan was the best, not so much for what he knew, he was famous (notorious?) for not knowing details, but for what he accomplished. I think he did have an awful lot to do with winning the Cold War. It was a long battle that every President since WWII had a part in, but Reagan chose to build up the military and escalate the spending war when the Soviets were least able to bear the cost (no pun intended... well maybe a little.) We won the Cold War based on our economy and Reagan knew we could defeat the Soviets in a spending war. He changed the nature of the war and in doing so, won it.

I thought Clinton was the worst. I think that for a couple of reasons. He got caught and lied to us. I'm not faulting him for doing what he did, but when he got caught he didn't man up and be honest about it. It would have been a little easier to deal with if he had admitted to his actions. At least Nixon had a strong foreign policy record, Clinton... not so much.

The poll also gave the option of posting comments. I got sucked into this political forum discussing why President Bush was the worst and the war in Iraq... and my blood pressure started to rise. The posts were definitely lacking in facts and full of ill-informed opinions. There was one post that struck me as being similar to Kanye West's comment that "Bush hates black people." The person said President Bush was sending troops over to Iraq to get murdered, nothing more. The comment struck me in two ways:
-Do people really believe this? Are Americans so naive to believe that the President would intentionally try and kill soldiers? I happy to say I don't remember the name of the lady who lost her son in Iraq and has taken to spreading half-truths and comparing Hussein to President Bush... but apparently her message is being received, even if it's not based in fact.
-Why does he believe this? I think part of the problem is Americans have a short attention span and don't spend the time necessary to learn the facts of the war in Iraq. Americans do love a good bandwagon though and are all about jumping on one when it comes by and sounds good. To many liberals are driving too many bandwagons that are based on bad information.

I think I once said I'd stay away from political rants... but I felt strongly about the polls and the comments that followed them. Most of America needs to get an education. War is an extension of Politics (Clausewitz) and war necessarily needs the support of the people. The government needs to do a better job of educating Americans so we'll have the support we need to make the world safer (some people equate that with "winning" in Iraq.)

I had a discussion with a lady a few weeks ago on the war and she made the comment that we spent hundreds of billions of dollars on this war and we could have solved world hunger for $50 billion. I think she's naive to a large degree. We didn't start this war, but we are capable of ending it. As for world hunger being solved for $50 billion, she doesn't understand that realities of infastructure and corruption in Africa where most of the hunger is at. The situation is kind of like leftovers we all have at the end of a meal... people are starving in Africa, but I have no way of getting the food to them that I've cooked. Fifty billion dollars would not buy the security or the build the roads necessary to deliver that food. Sad to say that most Americans just don't understand the realities of the world outside of our borders.

Behind the curve...

2007-01-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Well it started off with good intentions, as many things do, and lost some steam this last week... but I'm back. I really am committed to doing this thing for the reasons I previously mentioned.

On that note, I am going to start my rant about American drivers. I really think there is a distinct culture with respect to driving in the United States. The heart of that culture is the feeling that we pay taxes, these are "Our roads" and we tend to drive like we own them. Which is not to say that we all drive the same, not at all. We treat our cars differently and in the same vein we treat the road (and other drivers differently.) Another important distinction here is that Europeans (Germany, France, Italy) don't drive like we do. They do drive a lot more aggressively and a lot safer. Statistics can be skewed in so many ways, so when I say safer, I'm getting my numbers from the World Health Organization. You can interpret the numbers for yourself here.

There are some commonalities to the way people in America drive:

-The self proclaimed "Fast drivers." These people will often form a moving road block because they insist on being in and staying in the left lane. The result is a group of cars all bumper to bumper going down the interstate at something higher than the speed-limit. They hang out in the far left lane and nobody wants to leave the lane from fear someone will take "Their place." The result is the entire interstate now is moving at the pace of the lead car in that moving road block. It kills me.

-Competitive/aggressive driving. I'll admit I'm somewhat guilty of this condition. This condition manifests itself by drivers driving to stay ahead of the pack. They position their car, not with a particular speed in mind, but position relative to the body of traffic around them. What differentiates them from the previous group is their desire to break ahead of the moving road block. They will try and find a way around it. I'm sure these people are type A's who are competitive at everything. I speak from experience here.

-Paranoid driving. These people know the speed limit and watch their speed more than they watch the road. I'm not one for stereo types, but USUALLY older people fall into this category (My father is an exception.) They usually hang out in the middle or right lanes. I don't really have a problem with this group of people unless I'm behind them just prior to them entering or leaving the interstate. They don't seem to have any idea that the word "Yield" means. They confuse the word with "Stop". They also don't seem to understand what the merging lane was intended for either. Their fear may be, in part, caused by competitive drivers leaving the interstate (and crossing a solid white line) early.

These are three general groups that we all fall into to some extent or another. They all have their own problems, but I think on the whole we could be much better drivers if we do a couple of simple things:

-Keep right except to pass. It's a simple rule, easily applied and it reduces traffic. I would also submit that it would reduce the amount of "aggressive driving" occurrences.

-Maintain a safe distance between vehicles. The two second rule works well.

-Merge onto the interstate at the speed of traffic. By merging into traffic at the same speed, you reduce the odds of hitting someone or them hitting you. If you are going the same speed, you'll only hit someone if you drive into them from the side.

My $.02.

A new addition to our family... a silver Chevy Cobalt!

2007-01-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my first post that I love to drive and do a lot of driving. I put a a little over 22,000 miles on my Miata in less than 8 months. There are a couple of caveats to that statement... in those 8 months I also put about 5 thousand miles on my Karmann Ghia and I took a vacation to California for almost 3 weeks, which is to say that I drove a lot more than just the 22,000 in the Miata.

I traded it in on a 2007 Chevy Cobalt two days ago. I loved the Miata; it was quick, handled very well (on dry pavement), was fantastic on a clear, warm day and it was just fun. Even though I loved the car, I needed to trade it in and get a "reasonable" car for my daughter. I essentially had 3 cars that only I drove and the other 3 drivers in the family had to share 2 cars and a gas guzzling Ford Excursion. Not quite an equitable distribution of resources. The bottom line was my wife had a legitimate complaint about me and my toys. So I weighed the pros and cons of each car and my relative adoration for them and it was an easy decision to make.

The Chevy Cobalt will be driven by my oldest daughter, Anastasia, and she's already turned over the 98 Sabaru Legacy she was driving to my second oldest daughter, Amanda. The Cobalt is a very good car. I bought a stripped version with zero options. But even the base model is equipped with a CD player, an information display that gives her the miles to empty, average MPG, average speed (I'll be checking that from time to time) and other "Cool" bits of information. I realize cool is a relative term and for a guy that loves cars, I'm hard to impress in this area. I did give her the chance to test drive a Cobalt before I bought one for her, time well spent to ensure she likes it before handing over cash.

Since she had already driven a Cobalt I saw no need to drive one before buying, something the salesman had a hard time wrapping his hands around. Buying cars can be an enjoyable experience if you are somewhat masochistic or enjoy toying with car salesmen. I've bought over a dozen cars in my life and have the drill down to a well established process that works for me. I do a lot of research before I ever step foot on a car lot, which car meets my needs, will a used work?, etc. Once I get to the dealership all I want to know is what they will give me for my car (if I'm trading) and what is the cost of their car. The process usually throws the car salesman off his game. My wife also likes this process and has bought some of our cars herself. She, like me, also loves cars and knows a thing or two about them. It's always funny to see a salesman presume to show her how things work on a car or what features a particular car may have. She has put a guy in his place once or twice by correcting them on specifics on a car. I love that. Since Dad is a retired GM employee (EDS is a subsidiary) I got a great deal on the purchase price of the car. I didn't disclose that fact until I had a trade-in value in writing for the Miata. At the end of the day I think I got a good deal; both my two older daughters have safe and economical cars they can afford to drive and insure and I still have at least two cars that I love and will continue to drive.

A quick post...

2007-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank everyone for their nice comments on my second post. I'm at school right now between classes and without getting into too many details I'll just say that balancing my work and other issues is kicking my butt these days. I will find time soon (tomorrow afternoon looks free) to properly respond to the comments. I did change the settings to allow anyone to comment and will post more when I find the time. I'm reading about 800 pages a week for school and doing my best to keep up with other responsibilities, but at least 3 or 4 posts a week is still the plan.

Thanks again for all your support.

Anything worth doing...

2006-12-31T19:54:00.000-08:00

I thought it was a good idea at 0130 when I clicked on the link to create this blog, but one day into the experience and I'm having second thoughts. I have to re-think why I'm doing this, what I want to get out of it, what am I going to write about and who is my target audience. If I didn't think of those things first or didn't care about them, then I might as well have a diary and save you all the pain of reading my rants.

So I'll start with why. I think I'm doing it because I have a lot of pent up anger about the way Americans drive their cars, especially on highways and Interstates. I know that sounds weird, but I spend about 8 hours a week commuting between Rhode Island and Maine. I've been driving since I was about 13 and take some pride in my driving skills. I admit to speeding, in fact I think it's my duty to speed on an Interstate that was designed to be driven at 75 miles an hour, but is limited to slower speeds because someone a long, long time ago thought speed kills. They were wrong by the way, but I'll stop this rant and focus on why I'm doing this blog. So besides the ranting about American drivers I also want to be able to allow my two older daughters a way to read my thoughts and know more about me. I spend far too much time away from home and I have not been the best father, but this may be a way for them to get to know me better. And any means to that end is worth pursuing. One final reason for doing a blog is to improve my writing. I like to write when I'm interested in the subject and writing may be something I'd like to do later on when I decide what I want to do when I grow up.

What I want to get out of it is somewhat obvious and directly related to the reasons for doing a blog in the first place. I want this blog to be cathartic, to ease my frustration with careless drivers each week, I want my daughters to get to know me better and I want to improve my writing. Pretty simple goals that this blog may help me achieve.

I think I want to focus my writing on cars and things related to cars. I own seven street legal (I use that term loosely) vehicles: 1974 VW Karmann Ghia, 1977 Yamaha RD400, 1992 Chevy Camaro, 1998 Sabaru Legacy GT, 2000 Ford Excursion, 2004 Sabaru Legacy GT and a 2005 Mazda Miata. I love cars; they are not a means to get from point a to point b. They are much more than that for me, I truly enjoy driving my cars. The Camaro is a real sleeper. It looks stock but has a built crate motor in it and can light the tires up all the through 3rd gear. The suspension is completely aftermarket, tubular A-arms, Hotchkis trailing arms, yada yada yada. The Ghia probably gets more attention than all my other cars combined, I always have people giving me a thumbs up sign and appreciative smiles. It's been partially restored and has a decent paint job with nice rims; it's a good looking car. The Miata is my daily driver. I like it because it's reliable, good on gas and it handles exceptionally well on dry pavement. The car doesn't do well in the snow. Along with the car stuff I'll post about anthing that sparks my interest and I feel is worth my time and that might be of some interest to either my daughters or anyone else who may stumble by... I don't want to re-hash political stuff for a couple of reasons. I don't think I read enough to speak intelligently about the current events most people like to talk about. I know I'll rant in the (near) future about the people who want to pull out of Iraq but know little to NOTHING about the whole situation. So I'll stear clear of politics (but reserve the right to rant a little when I see something that gets me going.)

The audience part is tricky. I don't know how people stumble onto blogs in the first place but I'm hoping to apeal to my daughters and to anyone who may have an interest in cars or what's on my mind that day or week. Which brings me to another part of the audience question... how often will I post. My father, Exile in Portales, posts daily, even multiple times per day. Another accomplished blogger, Neptunus Lex, also posts quite often. I don't see myself being able to do this, but I think I'll be posting at least 3 or 4 times per week. The frequency is important because the people that read blogs tend to read the same blogs. There is always some surfing going on and blogs that fall off the daily reading list while others get added, but there are sites that each person likes to read routinely. Their reading list will be a function of their interests and how often the sites are updated. Having said all that, I have no target audience... I'm just hoping my daughters tune in once in a while.

Two posts written in two days. I'm on schedule.

Hello, yeah it's been awhile, not much... how are you?

2006-12-29T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well, if you know the lyric I quoted you're probably old enough to understand some of my rants and raves that I'll be "Blogging" about in the future. I don't mean to sound jaded, but younger people won't get it. I'm getting ahead of myself (I often do), so I'll start off with a short biography.

I'm a happily married father of FOUR girls. I'm also a Naval Officer. It wasn't my first choice in careers years ago, but it's worked out and I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to do something I'm proud of and provide a good life for my family. My profession is very rewarding, more so than I think I'm able to convey. I've had the opportunity to: work on a nuclear submarine, spend a year of my life underwater (not all at once), get paid to go to college, get paid to fly airplanes, and lead men and women on some of the most sophisticated warships the world has known. The previous sentence needs explaining, I spent time as an enlisted sailor prior to earning my commission and I spent time flying planes after getting commissioned, but chose to become a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). Not everyone chooses to stop flying and become a SWO, it may have been the best or worst professional choice of my life... the jury is still out.

All that being said, this blog will be like most others... my opinions of the world as I see it, but not about my work. Although I reserve the right to tell a few sea stories now and again, because that's what we (Navy men and women)do when we get bored and have nothing else to talk about.

My father has a blog ( Exile in Portales )and my brother has a blog ( AF_CaptBuck ) so I have been kicking around the idea for a while. Not sure why I chose now to start one, but I have a little bit of extra time this week and I think I'll have more time over the next year that'll allow me to actually do this... more than once a quarter anyway.

Well it's 0200 (2:00 am for you civilians) and I think this is a decent begining, I'll post more later today and get around to doing a profile, posting a pic of myself, etc. etc. This should be interesting, even cathartic I hope.