SEIZE THEM!

Usually when you hear the term "SEIZE THEM" it is typically followed by a term like "scurvy naves" and is being said by someone like Black Beard.
I am often humbled by life and how everything can change so quickly.  We often make plans and as we are executing them something inevitably happens.  Often, it is just a minor pothole that we may not have expected, and it may only slow us down for a few seconds.  Other times that pothole can cause you to blow a tire that compromizes a brake line and next thing you know you are free falling off of a cliff on Mount Everest.  You  never see it coming, and as it is unfolding you are just shocked and stunned as to how you got here.  Then, as you realized that there is no good way to get out of the situation other than to ride it out.
As an adult, this is just how it goes.  There are times that I just want to be 7 years old again sipping some hot cocoa and making s'mores on a camp fire on a cool fall night.  But, then I remember that I would be living with my parents, and I would not be able to drive a car, or sit on my back deck and toke on a wonderful cigar whilst sipping on some of the finest whiskey that ever came from Tennessee.
I have had an interesting year, with many great triumphs, met many great new people, and got the chance to further my career.  I was able to enjoy my work, and get to see some great places this year, including my own house for a good portion of it.
It was not all roses and butterflies though.  This past month has been a tough one.  The most amazing person I know had to go under the knife yet again to try to regain control of her life.  It has been extremely difficult to see such a strong person once again be humbled to the fact that they are human, and that they cannot do some things on their own.  Having to help her these past 4 weeks reconfirms what I know.  I love her uncondtionally, and truly in sickness and in health.  Secondly, that I am NOT ever going to pursue a career in nursing or health care of any sort.
During this time, I had to deal with the sudden loss of a close family friend that I have known for over 3 decades.  She was my second mother and always looked after me as if I was one of her own.  Although she will be missed by almost everyone she ever met, we should not ever wish for her to be back in her earthly form with us, but know that she is smiling down on us from the heavens, and will be waiting for us at the gates of Heaven with open arms followed shortly by some of the best food you will ever taste. 
8 days later, I found out that one of my close friends who has been batteling cancer and kidney failure for the past 6 months had made is hast stand and that it was time to throw in the towel.  He had spent 20 years proudly serving the United States Marine Corps and retired as a Gunnery Sargent.  He fought hard at everything he had ever done, and he knew when a battle was not worth fighting.  He lived his life by this motto:  You had better stand for something or you will fall for anything.  He was a wonderful person to have as my friend for the last 11 years of my life.  He was a very outspoken man in many areas and we had many discussions over the years where we had to agree to disagree.  He did not hold a grudge, and had the ut most respect for anyone who deserved it.  He was not afraid to call you out if he thought you were wrong.  Gunny, you will be missed, but I am a better man for having known you. I am sure by now he has made his precence known in the afterlife, and that he has already gone and gotten his CCW and a new bike and will be cruising around on his Hog until we can all meet again.
I am so greatful to have a wife who is so understanding that she did not even think twice when it came to allowing me to attent the services to celebrate the life and times of these two great people, even though she herself needed me just as much.  She was not able to attend, but she made sure that everything was taken care of. 
The two solo road trips I took to attend the services, I had plenty of time to reflect on what these people meant to me, and think about how I am living my life.
(By this point, I am sure anyone reading this is scratching their head regarding the title and intro of this about pirates capturing someone)
These two individuals who are no longer with us spent a combined 11 decades on this earth.  At times it seems as if it is not nearly long enough for either of these wonderful people, but we must remember to celebrate them for who they are and what they stood for.
I think the biggest spiritual growth I have taken away from the events of this December is this:  SEIZE THEM!  The "Them" I am referring to is anything that you have ever wanted to do.  Skydiving, climbing a mountain, or getting a shiny new sports car.  Life is never long enough for anyone.  If there is something you are thinking you should do, then you should do it.  You may not have tomorrow to do it.  You may not be able to do it right now, but figure out what you need to do to get the ball rolling so tht you can make the most of your time, and do things that you enjoy. 
And now for an excerpt from the closing remarks from one of the guest speakers at DJ's service: (I do not remember it word for word)
Although her flame no longer burns, that does not mean that we are all now living in darkness.  We often extinguish lights as the dawn approaches.
I shall not say Rest In Peace to either of these souls as I know that neither of them is resting.
They are already busy making Heaven a better place for all who are there, and for all who will be there soon.
Ok, time to put this soap box away for the rest of the year. I promise

Your smartphone does not make you smart...

Wow, I forgot where I put this soapbox for the past few months. Hold on a moment while I blow the dust off of this. *coughing*

I remember the days when you only talked on the phone when it was connected to a wall, and you hated calling anyone with a bunch of 8's, 9's or 0's because it took so long for the dial to come back around.  My best friend had a number ending in 8007 UGH!  

Now, smartphones are becoming more and more annoying common every day.  I have seen people using food stamps to pay for their groceries whilst talking on a smartphone.  They can be a great tool if used properly.  If not, they can make you become a complete tool.  

I am not talking about the guys that are doing dumb things with their smartphones.  We all do that, and even though that may be dumb, it does not always make you a tool.

I remember a buddy in college that got one of the first phones that could access the internet on his phone.  We are sitting at a bar trying to pick up girls and he is worried about if someone sent him an email.  Put down your phone and look around you!  There is no reason you need to be checking your email at a bar unless, well never!

I was working with one of my colleagues who recently got a smartphone issued by our company.  I was trying to give him some on the job training and every time his email beep went off his phone came out and he was buried in his phone replying to the email and not taking advantage of learning from the expert in the field.  Same thing when a text comes in.  I can understand the text a bit more, but if you need to respond because your wife just got into a major Barney, then OK, fine.  Just ask me to pause...

It is rather interesting sitting in a conference room when a corporate wide email comes in anymore.  Everyone pulls out their smartphone to see what it is, only to shrug it off and stick the phone in their pocket until it beeps again.  Except me.  I got annoyed with how often the email beep goes off and silenced it.  Heck, I even turned off push email service to save battery life.  My phone only checks my email when I open the app.  I check it about once every hour or so, which should be sufficient for an email response because...IT IS EMAIL!  If they need an answer now, pick up the phone and call.  I may let it go to voicemail, but I will get back to you.  

It is even more fun when ONE person in the room gets an email and watch everyone pull out their phone to see that it wasn't theirs since everyone in our office has the same ringtones since they have no clue how to customize their smartphone.

So, please do remember to use your smartphone wisely and not to turn your friends off because you got an important email at supper time.  One of my friends said something to the effect of this:  It is a good thing not everyone has a smartphone.  Someone has to honk when the light turns green! Humorous, yes, but it is not exactly the best time to use your smartphone.  See one of my other soapbox posts for a rant about driving...

I will admit that I am not the best with this all the time and occasionally I will pay more attention to my phone than the company I am with.  If you see me doing this, please swat me.


Time for me to get off my soap box.

Soapbox Derby

A few years back I was watching a special about The Audubon, that infamous highway in Germany that has no speed limits, at least on the parts outside of urban areas.  There were 2 things that really caught my eye about this road and the Germans - First, they make it a point to "Drive Right" as they call it.  What is meant by that is to drive in the right lane, only hang out in the left lane to pass.   I believe I heard that there are traffic cameras that will issue a fine if you do not follow this rule, however I am not 100% sure if that is true.  Secondly, Germans have the idea that driving is an important enough task that we should do nothing else when behind the wheel, except for maybe listen to some music - Bach or Mozart perhaps.  When the German cars first came to the US they were not too popular because there were no cup holders in the cars.  It seems that quite a few German cars (and other European, such as Saab) that the cup holders are an afterthought because of this philosophy.

Recently  whilst in the UK, I had driven from Manchester to Grimsby.  It is around a 2 hour trip on the motorways.  Keep in mind, the Brits drive on the "Proper" side of the road, or the wrong side to us Americans.  One thing that I quickly noticed, if I did not pass and get out of the passing lane as soon as I could then I would often get honked at, headlights flashed at me, or have drivers aggressively pass me on the wrong side and then cut me off.  It is about being aware of your surroundings.  I was sure not to talk on the cell phone whilst in the UK just because I wanted to be sure that I was focused on driving.  Also, my CDMA cell phone did not work in the UK, so that was the other deciding factor.  I rather enjoyed driving in the UK for the month that I was there.  The worst part about driving there was when I had to come back home.  Upon my return, I discovered that there are a LOT of people driving on the American roads that do not Drive Right.  I had to strongly resist the urge to honk, wave, flash and cut them off as I did not want to get a ticket for road rage or aggressive driving.  I get so frustrated driving around (which I drive around 30,000 miles a year for work, mostly highways) because of distracted drivers.  We need to remember driving is a privilege and a huge responsibility to make sure that we are all safe on the roads.  When possible, try to put down your technology, focus on driving and most of all, please be sure to keep out of the passing lane.


Time for me to get off my soap box.

Somebody's Soapbox

Sample Swagelok Fittings

Well, I have been tossing the idea around in my head about posting a blog.  I have been doing quite a bit of international traveling lately and I stumbled upon a soap box on the side of the road, so here I go.  Most of what I feel like writing about is things I have seen that are different or strange to me - for instance - Yesterday I saw a guy playing the game jacks using a bunch of spare Swagelok fittings.  Well, not the whole fittings, just the nuts on the end.  He was sitting quietly in his space with a bunch of these laid out in front of him, then he would pick one up, throw it in the air and attempt to pick up the rest of the fittings and then try to catch the one he threw in the air.  It intrigued me because I have not played jacks, or even thought about playing jacks, in probably 20 years.  Besides, each time I played jacks, I usually had more fun trying to get as many jacks spinning as I could before I was put in the corner for throwing the ball at my twin sister and giving her a bruise.  I have noticed that when I get bored, I usually find my self resorting to entertaining myself with some form of technology (iPod, iPhone, TV, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) however, this gentleman was quite content to just sit there and play with his jacks Swageloks.  I almost sat down and joined him, except I did not have any spare fittings to play with.  That, and the fact that it would not look good if a customer walked by and saw me blatantly wasting time.

I'm going to get off my soap box now.  Stay tuned, you can rest assured that I am going to leave it in a safe place, and I will return sometime.