Happy New Year

The end of 2009.....a year of changes, excitement, injury, love, etc.

Let's all look back with great memories and forward to another beautiful year.

Happy New Year everyone!

One Arm Wonder

Tumbling, rolling, landing, sliding, stopping. Pain and disorientation. Help on the way. Foot restraints pried off. Goggles gently removed. Pain to levels previously unknown, or at least forgotten.

The time: about 12:05pm on 12/23/09. The location: Copper Mountain Ski Area. The participant: Me.

I caught an edge funny on my snowboard as I tried to make a turn near the bottom of the run. My left arm got caught (extended) between me and the ground as I tumbled. Once in the clinic, confirmation that I had messed it up. My left elbow was dislocated (not even close to where it should have been) and I had rediscovered what a pain level of 10 really is.

Thanks to my great friend John for driving Linda to get us (Daniel and I were taking a day together) through the very nasty weather and icy roads. Five and a half hours after the initial pain we were finally on the road back home. Today it is very stiff, but an x-ray confirmed nothing is broken. "Just" some torn ligaments and a whole bunch of swelling.

So, this year for Christmas, Santa in our house is a one arm wonder and I can't type to well either. Percoset, do your thing!

Imagry

Kudos to Dean Koontz's ability to paint a picture with words. I was reading his novel "Breathless" earlier today and ran across this passage that almost had me on the floor. So here goes (once again, credit to Dean Koontz, and his copyright).

"...After a silence, he heard the thinnest of whistles -- and his heart clenched for a moment, until he realized that the sound was his own flatulence ... Henry listened to his oscillating butt whistle as it diminished to a final peep ,... The unfortunate consequences of his rectal recital prevented Henry from remaining in the closet."

I've been to a piano recital, but never a rectal recital. Do they serve punch at these, who do they get to perform, how much practicing is needed before the performance?

Sometimes...

Sometimes I have nothing to say, so unlike many others, I don't say anything. I learn a lot by just listening, things like who likes to talk just to make sure everyone knows they are there, who really has a valuable point of view, who has trouble understanding the most basic concepts of what was just said by someone else. There's more as well, but I want to focus on the last one today. Part of my job is to attend reviews and meetings and provide technical opinions, assistance, etc. In many of these meetings, someone who does the same job I do (he hired me to the new job) is there as well, let's call him Gordy for ease of reference. The meeting is moving forward, the speaker leading the meeting is mid-stride in his presentation and has been VERY clear in the interactions of X and Y, or the use of the widget, and Gordy stops him and says something like, "I don't understand. Does X go before Y or does R somehow play into it?" At least half the time I want to answer the question for the speaker so he can move on. Does Gordy really not understand, or does he want to justify his being in the meeting by speaking up every few minutes? My attack on these meetings goes more like this. Listen and absorb and understand what is being presented. Jot down a couple of items that I need clarified or that just don't make sense. Don't get me wrong, I will speak up and even argue the point, if it is warranted, but 9.75 times out of 9.8 that is not required. So, my question to myself as this continues to play out, is "Does this just mean I have a better grasp on understanding than many others (Gordy is a Technical Fellow by the way, a big deal at LM), or am I the one not getting it? I keep getting asked to by program people to come review widget XYZ's test plan or help them decide on whether or not X really does go before Y, or to give them a professional opinion and guidance (and permission) to help them out. I try not to feel superior, because I know that there is a whole bunch that Gordy knows that I don't, but sometimes it is REALLY difficult.

And so we end a post on why Stu is such a smarty pants, and maybe why he is often so quiet.

Inflammatory

An "unbiased" report, yeah right.! I found this article inflammatory at best. See what you think.

3 Arrested At Lockheed-Martin in Sunnyvale

Bay Area Indymedia

06 October 09

At 1:30pm Fr. Louis Vitale & a newlywed couple from Albuquerque were arrested for trespassing when the three were not able to finish distributing their fliers on the sidewalk allegedly belonging to Lockheed- Martin.

The three peace activists had been distributing fliers to drivers, holding a “Just Married: Love Disarms” banner, and singing prayers at LM for 30 minutes.

The just-married couple are Marcus Page and Chelsea Collonge, who have been working for peace and nuclear abolition through dialog and prayer-actions since 2007, primarily at nuclear weapons sites in New Mexico and Nevada. Yesterday's peace demonstration included fliers for LM workers, picket signs, and songs from the Raging Grannies.

The first week of October is International Keep Space For Peace Week. LM has helped produce and launch communication technology that the U.S. Air Force uses to kill people through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) in the Middle-East.

Leading up to the October 5th prayer-action at Sunnyvale, two of the Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists had been holding vigils at other locations in California during the prior two weeks. These activities helped prepare Chelsea Collonge and Marcus Page for their wedding vows. They were married on Saint Francis' Day (October 4th) in Berkeley. Yesterday's peace vigil and prayer-action at LM included a dozen other participants. During negotiations with LM security personnel, Chelsea said, “My grandfathers worked here for 30 years, that's why I care about the current employees here. I wish to speak with them about the weapons work they do here.”

Aware of the large number of corporate and military offenders breaking international laws throughout California, newlyweds Chelsea & Marcus have joined local people in peace vigils as listed at tna.lovarchy.org.

The three TNA activists were cited and released by 3:00. Their arraignment is scheduled for November 16th.

Let's take each RED point in order:

1. They "were not able to finish..." Duh, usually an arrest interrupts shat is happening in an attempt to stop it. My guess is that they were disturbing the traffic flow which is not real good to begin with at that gate (I've been there). And, as to the alleged ownership of the sidewalk, it is either LM or Navy property, their are probably happy LM decided to deal with it.

2. Yeah, some LM assets are used to "kill people" but that killing is done in the battlefield. The greater use of said assets is that they SAVE the lives of those who serve. But, alas, one cannot put a number on how many lives were saved by one technology or another, so it's not news.
3. Just because you grandfather (or any other relative) worked for LM for any number of years does not make one an expert. And, the LM employees you want to "talk" to already know what they make, and are proud of it.

4. And finally, what happened to allegedly? The sidewalk is allegedly owned, but by god there are a large number of companies and governmetn agencies flaunting international laws. Nice peice of news to end the article with, or is that opinon? It is so hard to tell these days.

To finish it off ----- RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT ----- I am really not at all happy with this "news" agency.

Top 10

Top 10 from Letterman recently (Credit to CBS). Enjoy.


Top 10 signs the Head of NASA is NUTS:

10.Before each liftoff, he licks the launch pad

9.Commutes to work in the Lunar Rover

8.Freaked out when he heard GM was closing Saturn

7.Takes his coffee with two sugars and a splash of rocket fuel

6.Wants to rename headquarters "Cape Kardashian"

5.Hasn't removed his space helmet since 1996

4.Wants to rename Venus "Derek"

3.Announced he wants to fake another moon landing by 2015

2.Put all his money on the Mets to win the World Series

1.It wouldn't be a company picnic if he didn't drop his pants and fire a rocket

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/top_ten/top_ten_popup.php?origin=Late+Show+Top+Ten&year=2009&month=10&day=07&elm=0&cat=content_top_ten

Ahhhhh, California

So, I've never been one to complain about Colorado drivers, but, this week in California (Silicon Valley) has brought back the memories of driving in CA. Ohhhhh, what a feeling, driving 75 mph with about a car length at most in front and behind you, with no real worries that someone will muck up the flow. Even in the boat of a rental car I had (Ford Flex, kind of like an SUV, but low slung to the ground).

Now I am at the San Jose airport waiting for my flight to board, and what did I see? Something from the past. Something I haven't seen at an airport in many many years. San Jose airport has an outdoor observation deck. You can head outside and watch the planes come and go. Alas, the one downside, it is also the smokers balcony.....no fresh air.

And finally, I have noticed on my recent, and more frequent trips here how diverse a population this area contains, and how non-diverse Colorado suburbia really is. Granted, there are some accent issues to deal with as non-native speakers communicate with you. But, I'm sure if I went to their home country I would not be able to even consider speaking the language, yet alone speak it like a native.

Time to shut down the machine and get ready to board. I do love free wifi in the airport, great idea guys.

Stall #1

This morning, here at work, I had to take a moment to recycle some of my morning's coffee. I wandered down the hall to the men's room to take care of business. As I approached the door I could hear the echoing sound of a fairly loud conversation taking place inside said room. My initial thought is that someone was chatting with a coworker whilst standing at the urinal. I went in and did not see anyone at the urinals, but the conversation continued. Okay, I thought, it must be some guys conversing through the stall walls, a little odd, but not unheard of. Alas, when I looked at the stall doors, only one door was closed... You guessed it, the guy was on his cell phone while on the crapper. From the conversation it sounded like work and like he was talking to his boss. I did my business, made sure the urinal right outside his stall flushed, then washed my hands and made sure the loud towel dispenser did it's deed as well (should have used the blowers but didn't think fast enough). I don't get it; did he make the call? Or, did he answer the call? Or, better yet, was he on the call when he went in? I wonder if he'll finish the call before getting up, the toilets have auto-flush, so I'm sure the other party would figure it all out by then if still in conversation. One would think the echo chamber would be enough to make him wonder. The stall dweller had better make sure he's not making his own sound effects. It almost makes me wish I needed to make some myself in the stall next door. Dude, let them leave a message then call them back!

What??????

What is the world coming to...

I just saw this (click here) article and had to share.

Even the mice aren't safe anymore.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!

Today is Mom's birthday, yet another milestone. I won't reveal the age here, it's just not like me to do so.

Have a wonderful day. Hugs and kisses from me and my family to you.

What a Way to Go

If it's your time, you may as well go out in a glaze of glory. Story HERE.

PETA Strikes Again

It seems that PETA ('People Eating Tasty Animals' if you ask some that I know) is having a conniption fit over the President killing a fly during an interview. See the Reuters version of the story HERE.

They call this presidential swatting of a fly an execution. Shall I have them over for a steak dinner to watch me execute some more? Do they remember where flies usually spend their time in the pasture? Should we go ahead and fill their offices with some more if it, since a lot of it seams to be spewing from their mouths? OMG!

I guess it's yet one more reason to remind us how uncommon, common sense really is.

Ages Ago...

Ages ago in a land far far away an incredible event occurred. One that had happened similarly before and that would happen similarly again many times after, but this one time was unique. This event as it was, changed the world as we know it, has guided lives courses, inspired and enraged through the years. The event, you ask. A child was born on this day in 1966. This child grew up to become my best friend, one that so many of us can count on at any time. What we have is unique, as is what he gives to the rest of us. He is celebrating the event with his wife and some friends in Las Vegas. An event I was not able to attend, so with this note.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN, J CAS, EAGLE ONE, MY BROTHER!

Great Day

Great looking day today. The plan is to nurse a sick son, Linda is getting a Pedicure with Ginger, I will mow the grass if it dries out enough, and will break out the rototiller in the planter box so we can add some more color and life to the back yard. Of course it may just be fodder for Huck's paws and jaws, we'll see. Time with the family before another business trip all next week. Have a great day yourself.

Anything and Everything or Nothing

What do I want to write about this evening? Not much on my mind really. Linda is officially accepted into graduate school, so life as we know it will come to an end :-) and a new life will begin (like every other day). My niece is graduating from college in May. I introduced Linda to my family (sister, mom and dad) when I first met Becky, a few weeks after she was born. She is going to work for the same very large corporation that I do, in another state, doing something completely different, but I've still got to say WOOHOO! great job Becky, I'm proud of you. I get to take Daniel camping this weekend with a bunch of other boy scouts, but it means I will miss some of the time that my mom and dad will be here on their way to Becky's graduation. Time to wind down from a day that was all over the map, but that is a different post that may or may not happen.

Ahhhh!

That first sip of coffee in the morning......Ahhhhhhh
Quiet time when no one else is awake......Ahhhhhhh
Chance for some needed rain today......Ahhhhhhh
Love in my heart and a smile in my eyes......Ahhhhhhh

Plan on having yourself a great day, I do......Ahhhhhhh

Life on the Outside

I had NO idea how much weight I was carrying on my shoulders with being on call 24/7 for over 10 years. I am having such an amazing time seeing all new areas of the company, not worrying about a page in the middle of the night or needing to go in on the weekend. WOW! Who knew! I've got a lot to learn, but I've also got a lot to offer, which is why I was chosen for the job. Hubble Space telescope, Juno mission to Jupiter, Commercial satellite for the Japanese, the next generation of manned missions (Orion) the list goes on and on. What a blast (no puns please). My life in general has changed for the better, and I can see great things in my future career with the company as I make and maintain contacts, become known as as expert, participate on independent review teams.....WooHoo!

It's Been a Long Time

It's been a long time since I last changed jobs. I have taken on new assignments, tasks, etc. but not a new job. I am excited, on edge, a little trepidation there too. I get the whole clean slate thing, but I also have to re-prove myself and my abilities. The nice thing about my new job is that my role is as an expert, and I am expected to be an expert, and will be assumed to be an expert. I get to prove them right. I am an expert, I do know what I am doing and I do have more than valid opinions. This new job will be technical in nature, but not hands-on, daily grind, work this section of code, troubleshoot this problem kind of job. Instead, as a test engineering expert, I will provide insight and oversight to programs, helping with both the big picture and the finer details. I will be stepping immediately into the shoes of one of my team of three, taking over for him as he goes out on medical leave as early as my first day on the job. Big shoes to fill, lots to learn asap, up an running from the start, go make it happen. Woohoo! One more week, finalizing stuff from the old position, packing boxes, saying good-bye to long term colleagues who, since we are a small community when you think of it, I will see again. Then, Wham! right into it on March 9. Time to take some skills out of the back closet and start polishing them. Think good thoughts for me.

It Has Begun

For any of you who haven't heard, we've started a company. Projects by Objective LLC was formed in January of 2009. The three founding members have given themselves titles (Stu Sweet, Chief Operating Officer, John Carmichael, Chief Executive Officer, Ginger Carmichael, Chief Administrative Officer). We have purchased a domain (http://www.projectsbyobjective.com/) and are working on getting the web site built up (right now it takes you to GoDaddy where we purchased the domain).

What do we do? We step in with our expertise, knowledge, backgrounds and contacts to provide solutions for small to medium sized companies who don't have the manpower, contacts, skill set, etc. to provide the solution for themselves. We are working on a contract for our first client company and will move forward with that companies projects soon.

As a company, we will sub-contract parts of the projects our to our various contacts with the expertise and experience we need at that time. If you are interested in contracting your services with us, drop a comment on my blog with contact info and areas of expertise and I'll get back to you for more information. We'll keep anyone we feel we can trust to get the job done and done right on file, so we can use your skills when the projects come along. If you are a small company looking for some specific help or ideas, drop me a comment and I will get back with you asap. More to come, especially once we get our company web site up and running.

I Got the Job!

For those of you that heard, this is not necessarily all new, for those that haven't I will spell it out. I applied for and interviewed for a position as a Test Engineering Subject Matter Expert for all of Space System Company with LM. Last week I got a phone call from Central Recruiting telling me I had been selected. Well, today it's official. I received the official offer letter via email this afternoon. I plan to sign and return it tomorrow morning, accepting the offer as presented. I am excited about this change in career direction, the new and exciting adventure, and the possibilities. Of course the promotion with more money doesn't hurt either. What this means is that I shouldn't have to be on call for tests all the time and that I can spend more time traveling, etc. with my family and doing exciting things with them. I do not know when I start the new job yet, but expect it will be around March 2nd. Here's to a new adventure in my career. Woohoo!