Good News for a NOT Good Reason

I am coming back to Colorado, this weekend, for anywhere from over a week to a month or so. Linda's dad is doing very poorly post cancer surgery and she needs to be bedside with him in CA. As such I need to come back and be a parent to the boys while she is gone. They did great for the extended time she was just away, but that situation is not ideal and they need a parent present as they are just teenagers. So, not a good reason, we are continuing to pray for Richard and his recovery, but I am happy that I get to spend some more time with my sons instead of up here in Winnipeg, so far away and so out of touch with their lives.

Time to Brag

I am truly sorry I could not be at the AHS Performing Arts Awards Ceremony last night. Even more so now that I know Danny received five awards. From his peers he was chosen as Top musician-wind ensemble and Top musician-jazz band; from the staff he was chosen for the Directors' award; he was chosen for the Woody Herman jazz award and received a plaque for this one, and finally as an All State Band participant.

WOW! As his dad I get to have a bias, but the recognition from the director and staff and his peers brings it all home. GREAT job Danny!! Proud Dad here!!

Below is the photo of the awards that he sent me.

A Schedule?...

The phrase used often in Aerospace Test is once a schedule is printed it is obsolete. Once again we are proving this to be the case. One of many tasks I have these days is to coordinate with outside test laboratories to ensure we have a time slot for the box we are building and testing. On the cover, not a big deal. But, after the 4th or 5th email saying, here are new dates, ones credibility flies out the window. I guess part of the problem is that the project managers push with optimism, and see with schedule driven glasses, and those of us doing the work find it takes a bit longer to put the paperwork together, gather the materials, do the work on the box, and close out the paperwork. This is NEVER a two hour process, not even the paperwork part. Oh Well.

So I updated my schedule this afternoon, based purely on speculation since we are not actually into the first test yet that is supposed to be completed tomorrow (not going to happen), and somehow, magically, I came out with the same test dates at the remote facility. How did I do that?!?!?! It was actually pretty easy, I put some realism (and weekend work) into a schedule that was not mine to maintain until this week. Now I control it, and I can track it better. Also, the drive time that HAD to be 3 days a couple of months ago when we started planning, is actually a 26 hour drive. a two driver team and BAM, one day trip, amazing how quickly I can use that time. :-), let them load the truck and drive on the weekend, and BAM BAM, schedule still works. woohoo!!

Once again I am proving that what I do is not rocket science (nor rocket surgery) BUT having a history of experience doing this a number of time sure does help.

I'm Back in the Saddle Again...

Ever notice how we could document our lives with short snippets of song? With extra effort we could probably stick to a single genre and make life a musical in the process. Please, let's not though  :-)

As my flock of readers already knows, I am back in Winnipeg. I got out of Colorado just before the snow storm hit this last weekend, whew! I have had more than my fill of  snow, so I was happy to not encounter ANY on my very long drive back here.

It was a GREAT visit to Colorado!! I got to see Danny perform two different nights. I got to help honor the outgoing senior band students and see a few tears flow down faces of parents (that will be me next year). I enjoyed taking both my sons to dinner and a movie, dinner other nights, and a bout of 3 handed hearts. The weather cooperated and I was able to add a little color to my arms and legs during a round of golf one fine Sunday, and I was pleasantly surprised at the seeming quality of my game.

I had a little time to see a few of my friends, but, as expected, there is never enough time to see all of them that I want. I ran into a past coworker and heard some of the horror stories that made me feel much better about having left "that" place and program.

But, now I am back in the Saddle, back in Winnipeg, providing as much value as I can to the company I work for here, and my parent company back home as well. I will say without reservation that I will be truly happy the day I leave here with all my stuff, to never have to live here again. I would say never visit, but work may require some business trips back, but short ones I think I can deal with.

THAT was a GOOD Day!!

I can feel it in my sore muscles today, and I am sure John can feel it in the tendonitis thing he has going on, but despite the pains of the aftermath, yesterday playing golf was awesome. My game was fairly solid, considering how long since I last played and how seldom I really do play, I am pretty happy with 5 or 6 pars on the day and only two real bad, blow up in my face, holes.

The day started with an overcast sky (tee time at 0849 hrs) but the sweatshirt was off before teeing off on number 1. We picked up a forth in Jeff, a nice gentleman who put up with our antics and had fun right along with us. Overcast skies and some wind hit us about hole 6 through 8 or 9, then the sun burned through and the wind died off and Oh My, what a day. It was a little slow going with the group in front of us holding us back. We had to wait for them to clear our landing zone on almost every hole before John or I could tee off.

We had the pleasure/displeasure of watching John boom a long drive to the left side rough, then blast an 8 iron to about 14 feet from the pin on a par 5. His eagle put missed by less than an inch for a tap in birdie (ouch, that eagle would have been nice). I was pretty happy being on in 3 and 2 putting for par with that one, considering my errant second shot that ended up pin high but 40 yards left of the green.

The sunscreen did it's job on this Canadian White skin I am wearing, so just a little color on the exposed areas, but no real burn. A few short naps through the afternoon, dinner and then by 9 I was falling asleep watching whatever it was that was on the tube. After nodding off 8 or 10 times I gave up on the fight (not sure why I was fighting it) and then CRASHED into bed.....Ahhhhhh.

THAT was a GOOD Day!!

The Weekend

The weekend is finally here. The one thing about these trips to Colorado is that the get really really busy and it gets hard to actually get everything in that I should. For example, I haven't set up an appointment, therefore I haven't gone to the Dr since I left for Canada in September/October.

This morning John and I get to babysit the maid service they have hired to come clean the house. This evening, there will be 10 or more of us gathering to feast on finger foods, drink adult beverages and lose at poker, or at least everyone else will be losing at poker   :-).

Then there is Sunday. We will start our outdoor church service at approximately 8:49 with the ceremonial flipping of the peg followed promptly with a white dimpled ball sitting on said peg. Moments later, following a waggle or two, said ball will be forcefully presented to the thin air and made to fly and roll about 250 or more yards in the intended direction. What better way to worship than spending time with family outside in God's beauty, enjoying the sunshine, and chasing the orb around the field.

My God does not take attendance, does not require one to sit silently on uncomfortable seats for hours on end listening to interpretations of a book or to hear someone tell me over and over that I am wrong. Instead, I choose to look for beauty and love and life outside, on the golf course or elsewhere. My beliefs are my own, and since they are my own and personal, I do not need to convince others to change to be more like me. Occasionally I am sure my parents wonder where they went wrong since I do not believe the same as they do. My response is that they did nothing wrong. That somehow, through all the thoughts and ideas thrown at me in various "churches" over the years I learned to think for myself. I will live life here today to the best of my ability.

This is one of those rare moments where Stu shares his beliefs. It does not happen, ever. Why? because it is really none of your damn business, it is personal and mine and I like to keep it that way. Stu Out.

So ....

• So much of what I do is NOT rocket science
• So many of those I interact with at work could not rocket science their way out of a paper bag
• So much of rocket science is really sales and communication, not engineering
• So, I am not really a rocket scientist..........I do satellites, not rockets, but I still do space stuff :-)
• So many independent reviewers that have never actually done the work
• So much for meaningful reviews that truly help the product and the success thereof
• So true what they say .............. Who? and What do they say? I don't know
• Sew ---- A needle pulling thread  (sing it like Julie Andrews)
• So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999 (actually tomorrow night)
• So, a horse walks into a bar.........
• So-so

That is all

What to Write Today??

Winding up my work day today I am thinking, hey, I should take a few minutes to write in my blog. Then the blank white paper stares at me as I think, "but what to write?" Hmmmmm, what to write.

Think, think, think, think, think...........

Oh look a spider

think, think, think, think, think ..............

I've got nothing..........

Dear reader, this blog post has been cut short due to lack of inte.........