Thoughts from a Local

Not Again. . .Google!

2011-07-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

I seem to harp on Google a lot. . .They apparently need a bit more. . .The drove the alley behind our house with StreetView. . .and somehow managed to photograph everything behind the six foot fence. . .We have town rules, ordinances to cover things like fence height, set-backs and privacy. . .I just never thought I could case my own home online so easily. . .The tragic thing is many people do not believe there is a right to privacy or personal property. Their claim being that these are outdated concepts and should be relegated to the past. . .except when it effects them personally. Oh well. . .Land of the Free, because of the Brave. . .

Hope and Change?

2011-02-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Many of my friends believe they voted for Hope and Change in 2008, only to be faced with a change that seemed very much like the previous iteration they hoped was gone. Their change so far has resulted in increased healthcare premiums, continued loss of jobs and devaluation of their homes. And guess what, it is only going to get better, isn't it?

If the same-ol', same-ol' isn't working, then maybe it is time for a change. . .That means different things to people in different areas of our country. In failed nation state California what can we do? Our State is bankrupt, has no accountability and our legislature passes bills into law actually written by lobbyists.

Don't get upset, don't align with the machine. . .any of them. . .All politics is local. If you believe, pray. Even if you don't, God is there whether you admit it or not. Talk to each other, encourage and edify each other and things can be changed. Grassroots is not a party, it is about neighbors talking to neighbors, families talking amongst themselves, deciding what they will not stand for and who to vote for or against!

Help each other weather the economic storm. Our Grandparents and Great-Grandparents did. Look at yourself in mirror and ask: Do I need the latest and greatest, or are gadgets, social media simply a time-suck that allows me to allay my own fear by feeding the delusion that I am connected and relational with people and inanimate gadgets? If you can look back at yourself, say yes and start into some self-reliance, self-accountability, self-responsibility then bravo, you have taken a step toward being the Westerner you were meant to be.

Hard question, good answers, better course of action!

Next: On to Victory Gardening and Urban Homesteading.

Preparing for Spring

2011-02-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in quite a while. It happens. Life catches you, spins your a round and leaves you headed in a different direction. Now I am settled, working together with mi Amor on our Urban Homestead. Urban Homestead, what a concept! Although ours, like those who covet and trademark the term, is in the SUBURBS. Pasadena like Los Altos is a suburb. Enough of that.

Today we are finalizing our seed starting plan, getting the orders out and purchasing complete. Our goal is everything from seed this year! That was a challenge. We had settled on the wonderful seeds from Baker Creek after visiting their Petaluma Seed Bank last year. Great seeds, great selection all GMO free. You should order their catalog just for the sense of seed overwhelm you will get from the first, second and twentieth pass through it. Unfortunately we cannot use them as our sole provider, as a number of the seeds we selected from the print catalog are "Out of Stock". Thats alright, we'll still use them and supplement with seeds from Botanical Interests and a local company Renee's Garden. That is our goal for tonight!

We are putting together a seed starting area in the office of all places. We saw a small letter to the editor with accompanying smaller photo of some shelving used by a reader in Wisconsin. Black metal wire shelving, with non-LED rope lights zip-tied underneath the tray for soil warmth, and fluorescent light fixtures hanging on chains above. The chains allow the lights to be raised as needed to maintain a two inch distance above the seedlings. Cool!

They used standard white light tubes, no special grow lighting. That was a stressful topic for me these past months. Here in the lovely San Francisco Bay Area there are numerous suppliers of grow lights and indoor propagation equipment. . .all quite expensive, especially when the crop you with to start is tomatoes or squash. . .So thank God for leading me to the knowledge of regular old tubes at less than a third the price! That is our task for Thursday and Friday of this week. I will post up some photos of the process.

Green and green in the Valley

2009-06-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in a Starbucks in Palo Alto, enjoying some extra burnt coffee and working remotely. At the next table is a woman and man who obviously were colleagues over the years catching up on their latest. It turns out that she is the VP of Operations for a start-up that makes a $10K + rack that reduces vibration and extends the life of disc drives etc. Some of the interesting things she said was that companies need data centers, people need data centers. . .companies have them. It was as if it was the first time she had ever heard of a data center? They have been talking about the engineer who invented it, her opinion that he is zealous but ignorant. Then their concept that there just are no good VP of Sales anywhere. They are on channels now, and how they can paint it green and gain some green funding. Interesting to hear. It has been a chore to keep from laughing at somethings they have said. They are focused on Rackables, it sounds like they are focused on the Rack part of Rackables.

Entrepreneurship is not dead, but is alive and well here in the Silicon Valley.

Defense Spending vs. Defense Squandering

2009-01-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

The government needs to scrutinize defense. Starting with development and procurement. The rise of the Military Industrial Complex was warned by our 34th president Dwight D. Eisenhower. We are living that warning now. Defense funding is a hole we pour money into with no positive result. This needs to be re-vamped and during the scrutiny any actions which by their nature were criminal either by commission or omission should be prosecuted to the fullest expense of the law no matter where the blame lies. We put our trust in our elected leaders, appointed officials and members of the armed forces.

The mission of our military should be to defend our country, it's constitution and the citizens. Let it be organized, trained and equipped for that mission in the best possible manner.

Made in America

2009-01-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

Lets talk about the economy, seriously. In my opinion we need to rebuild America by bringing back the concept of "Made in America". There is a need to create jobs, we all know that. When has the government ever created an actual job? In three decades they have helped large corporations send jobs to other countries and bring in cheap goods to feed our population's increased pathology of "Entitled Materialism". What is needed is tax benefits to business, starting with small business. So small businesses can survive, expand and hire. Small business is the engine of the American economy and the largest portion of citizens are employed by a small business. For all business there should be tax benefits and incentives to manufacture, assemble and sale products that are Made in America.

The government should work to rebuild American business by equalizing tariffs so that imported goods are on a par with America goods in those same foreign markets. This will help ease the transition and help American business create jobs to manufacture/assemble and sell those American made goods.

The government can reduce Visas and eliminate all tax benefits for companies that outsource labor offshore. Let us look at the need for skilled technology workers. . .it is a fallacy promoted to allow the importation of lower paid foreign workers. I've been in technology for twenty years, a good portion dealing with outsourcing/offshore. I've worked as an internal resource managing work outsourced by the company I worked for: as a manager dealing with budget vs. productivity and the push RiF employees and replace them with H1B contractors; as a member of an outsourced service provider, providing managed services onshore/offshore to American companies wanting to slash cost, primarily through labor. What I have seen is the steady decline in capability and the acceptance of this less able workforce. When your on-call Linux Systems Administrator needs to ask how to reboot a web server, something is not right. . .

The best thing for Americans is a strong American economy. We need to look inward and reverse some of our globalist policies, and focus on America and Americans. Lets change directions, rebuild and grow American.

What are you thoughts?

These are mine. . .Thoughts from a Local

Hope vs. Hype

2009-01-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

I have been uneasy about our country and the direction it is going for the last 20 years. Starting with the first President Bush, President Clinton and finally the failing of our last President Bush. Our new President Obama has the opportunity to do well, and I am willing to give him the chance. There is however TOO MUCH hype, and not enough reality. The economy, the Long War, social division amongst the citizens are all things that need to be taken care of.

So let us each look in the proverbial mirror and start with that person in the mirror. Here are suggestions for three things each of us can work towards as individuals:

Courtesy - the new President is Mr President, President Obama or the President of the United States (POTUS). He is not your homey, the messiah, your Barack, the One. He is the President of the United States. The same goes for the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King. All throughout our country people refer to "Martin" as if they were his intimate. If I had known the man within that second ring of intimacy, I would have called him Doctor King unless he requested I do otherwise. Has Doctor King asked you to refer to him as "Martin"?
Realize - President Obama has his own ideas, plans and goals for his presidency and our country. This is a given. It is also a fact that he is the leader of the executive branch of our government, which is constitutionally designed to ensure a balance of power between the three branches. What this means to President Obama is that he will have to contend with Congress and it's own agenda, just as every president has before him. What is accomplished will be done through the consensus of multiple branches of our government.
Unity - We hear this word everywhere, yet on the very day when an man with more melanin that many Americans takes the oath of office as POTUS, many people are repeating a little limeric about "Rosa", "Martin" and "Barack". . .Some of the people are proclaiming victory for them. . . If we were truly unified the proclamation would be about "Us" and the new step we have taken. What about a woman as POTUS? That very issue divided us in the last election. Many used gender against Governor Palin.

To close this entry I will do as our new President did and quote the timeless words of the Apostle Paul. This is from his letter to the Galatians chapter 3, verse 28, where it is written:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female."

It seems to me that we still have a long way to go to reach the point that Paul the apostle spoke of. So breathe deeply, smile and greet your neighbors, the sun will rise again tomorrow, but the only thing in life matters is how you live it this very moment! What do you think?

These have been. . .Thoughts from a Local

What Should We Do?

2008-10-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

What Should We Do?

First - We need to just stop. Each one of us needs to stop whatever we are doing, take two deep breaths and look in the mirror. There you will see the person who needs to change. The person who needs to be that kinder, gentler human who is tolerant of other people's beliefs and views and accepts that life is driven by the choices we each make and the thoughts we entertain, the words we choose to speak and the deeds we choose to put into action. Everything starts with you and emanates outward.

Next - Look around at your home, your family. They are immediately impacted by you. Your attitudes, speech and actions have a direct effect on your household and the people immediately surrounding you. Think of this: If you are angry and bitter, and speak only negative things in your house; How will your spouse, children, even your pets respond to that? Think conversely of what would happen if you intentionally thought, spoke and acted the opposite?

The most difficult challenge is fighting human nature with this counter-intuitive approach. Now I am not proselytizing, trying to convince you the reader of the validity of my personal faith. I am telling you the truth that every major belief system held dear to people on our planet, the striving toward personal peace, the love of your neighbor, and basic respect for others

So, lets break it into those simple steps that we humans delight in so. What would Do? Is it Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King? The probability is high that each would not be shocked by the way our society has gone. Each taught that humans need to fight and overcome their own nature or fall into darkness. Each taught that love triumphs over divisiveness.

A last note for today. Don't think that we are alone, political divisiveness has stirred up racial, ethnic and regional strife all around the world. Politics is a fight, but let that fight occur in the ring, not across every breath we take. When the fight is over, let it go until the next bought.

The Better Angels of our nature?

2008-10-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

If you have been following my blog the past year you will have seen me occasionally slide down into the darker side of human nature: anger, blame and a little rage. All of these are natural, human predilections. We blame others for any misstep or trauma, we become angry when something occurs that is outside of our personal control, and we become enraged when we feel insulted or put upon by others we consider to be opposed to our personal beliefs or view of life. We as a species are intelligently evolved to a point where we accept no personal responsibility or accountability for our thoughts, words or deeds. Therein lies the problem and the thing we must overcome. Our own nature.

Part of the problem in my opinion is that we have become lazy and would rather have someone else do for us or decide for us allowing us to more easily justify the world around us. We allow ourselves to be divided and continuously fed a diet of venomous dissension by politicians, the media and the various advertising and public relations organizations. Their goal is to segment We the People into easily categorized bites allowing for better control.

That is a pretty dark view coming from a Reagan republican and former Marine. But sit back, breath deeply and think on it. We he People listen to talk radio, watch TV or read pundit's view here on the Internet. Do these pundits, news anchors or politicians speak any truth? Or do they just rail against someone or something or other, stirring up anger and bile against it? Control of the populace was never an American ideal.

American society has changed drastically over the last two decades. This has been driven primarily by the advances in technology that allow instantaneous, worldwide communication. It has also given a voice to each person with web access. This great new frontier is neither new, nor a frontier. It is simply an acceleration of communication and a shortening of the news cycle.

My contention is that this acceleration did in no way abolish common courtesy and basic civility. We decided to abolish it by choice. We have allowed ourselves to be nudged and guided along with a little social engineering here and there. True. But at it's base, it was each of our decisions.

Look at the current presidential administration. In a time of great crisis, the opportunity to unify the citizens of our country and heal the wound left from September 11th was given to them. A great moment in our history was cast down to allow for adolescent partisanism, and the other side of the aisle joined in heartily. As if any accountability could be shifted or spread thinly amongst them as a whole fooling We The People into ignoring it completely.

Since that one great moment has come and left what has occurred? Only more of same. The presidential election has brought out bitter venom you never knew lived so deep within you. Be truthful. It has, hasn't it? It is human nature. At a time when we need most to be united as rulers of this country, yes I said rulers, We The People. At this time we are more divided, divisive and on the road to ruin and subjugation.

We have to stop all of it, each one of us and turn from it. If not, what is to stop our society from devolving, and becoming something the likes of what we see in post-Saddam Iraq? Where human life is of little value, corporations and foreign entities dictate the rule of law and economic life and the media is controlled by force.

Until next time. . .Thoughts from a Local.

Patriotic Grace

2008-10-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. The election morass, financial debacle, and endless chain of venomous indignities that are spouted here in the Blog sphere have caused worn me down. I have worked diligently to hold to my mandate of not listening to talk radio, politician's manipulations, and other people's divisive diatribes.

I have been failing miserably. Not through my own efforts, but from a lack of respect for my views from those around me. I became engrossed in what they call "Politics". But is it simply that, or is it the use of the word by those who subscribe to the view of New America? Politics is a fight, as it should be, but civility, courtesy and the basic values that we held as Americans are gone. We must regain them.

I just now finished reading Peggy Noonan's book "Patriotic Grace: How We Lost it and How We Can Recover It". I found myself agreeing with her as she called for unity and open arms toward each other. Her criticism of the current administration, congress and the media was in line with my own thinking and her gut feeling that something else will happen in America (9-11) sits right with me.

If you read it with any partisanship whatsoever, conservative or liberal you will miss the point entirely. Do read it, and listen to your own monologue: is it in agreement? I have seen good reviews and a nice interview with TIME online.

So read this, and see if you don't wish that our leaders would be adults, that more civility wasn't the norm, that someone would stand up and say "Oops", that there would be a national discussion about the issues: economy, civil and national defense, healthcare, energy.

I surely do.

Those are Thoughts from a Local.

McCain doesn't e-mail?

2008-09-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

As we know, the Social Networking sphere that is twitter, friendfeed, facebook, and various blogs is dominated by Obama-ites. I wade through this morass twice a week, Monday and Thursday mornings, seeking new technology and shining ideas. Occasionally I find them, most commonly they aren't there. This morning during my search I find some talk about the fact that John McCain doesn't use e-mail. This and a few other comments by McCain have caused the Obama-ites to jump up screeching about the tech president and the old school out of touch McCain.

And now the rest of the story. . .

It turns out the reason John McCain doesn't write e-mails, or surf the Internet to all hours of the night is simple, and mechcanical. The man does not have full use of his arms. Typing for any period of time causes the man excruciating pain. Why is this? It turns out it all goes back to his being "held in a rat hole in North Vietnam" and that torture that they claim never occurred. Not only does he not type, but apparently he cannot lift his arms high enough to come his own hair.

These are things he does not like to discuss nor allow anyone to focus upon. So no real defense, no Dateline piece showing the facts. Just private physcial and psychological pain that the man doesn't like to known by. As we speak, Obama-ites are saying it is "Playing the POW card". It would be if it we a staunch defense, played out openly and loudly in the press. Have you seen or heard it? No.

The difference here is that the Obama-ite will play the "Race Card" at any given opportunity. It is for their shame that they they do it. Here is a shocker to anyone who wishes Ronald Reagan were in the race. . .Obama had changed my views. Obama has given me a new found respect for the Rev. Al Sharpton. WHAT? Yes, thats what I said. The why? The why is that the Rev. Al, though diametrically opposed to my political views is consitent in his own. The man stands for what he stand for and sticks to his views. That is why I can respect him.

Go Sarah!

2008-08-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

People are aghast at Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. Why? She is a woman, a mother, a conservative, from a moderate upbringing socio-economically. Why? Because she is the antithesis of the shining star of hope and change. No not Jesus, I am talking about Barrack Obama.

Palin has a distinctive background: the first woman governor of Alaska, an independent-minded reformer elected in 2006. She is 44 years old and the mother of five children, including a son with Down syndrome born in April. She opposes abortion rights, is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and touts moose burgers as a favored cuisine. She calls herself "a hockey mom."

A critical portions of that description are "independent-minded reformer".

Now in our little slice of surreality she has already been slighted by the likes of Leo Laporte. The most heinous fault I see mentioned on twitter and FriendFeed is that she is a '"creationist". Now this is where the surreality comes into play: If you have any belief system that is at all spiritually based, then there is a creation story. So in the progressive world we live in here in the San Francisco Bay Area, should a personal belief system be denegrated, belittled and be reason for personal insult? No it shouldn't, but that is the surreality of our world here.

Why? I have seen her in the news for nearly two years now. I think she would make a good chief executive. Can you see John McCain cleaning up some mess and having a moderate presidency: Followed by her running and being the first woman president?

A woman, as president? And Why Not?

Thats all for now. . .Thoughts from a Local.

Yay! 3-Day Weekend!

2008-08-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

So is anyone doing something fun for the 3-Day weekend?

We are hanging around the homestead.

My wife works at a private school, so Friday and Tuesday are work days for her.

My usual SOP for Labor Day has been round up the guys and leave on Wednesday or Thursday, come back Sunday. So we get wherever we are going a day or two before any crowd, and we come home the day before and miss the traffic!

Last year my brother Tim and I went to Arizona. First to the Cabela's store in Glendale, then up through Flagstaff to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. We saw a tourist trap Meteor Crater along the way. It was a LOT of F-U-N. Then we came back down the 40, went over the Hoover Dam and through Death Valley. Such a beautiful road trip! Man.

In 2006, Tim, our friend Ray and I went to Vancouver B.C. to see the aquarium!

It is a tradition that goes back over a decade. Crazy, seat-of-the-pants road trip that starts in the middle of the night and goes some where far, FAR away.

The times they are a changing. . .

So where are you going?

That's all for now. . .Thoughts from a Local.

The demise of Whole Foods

2008-08-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

I loved Whole Foods. For years I shopped at the store on Stevens Creek in Cupertino. I enjoyed going to the meat counter, talking with the dude with dreads he always wore tucked up under a watch cap. Hearing about his new baby. Getting product suggestions in the vitamin section. Seeking some delightful cheese from one of the cheese mongers. It was a good and enjoyable experience that always yielded grocery shopping success.

No longer. One year ago Whole Foods moved across Stevens Creek into a new, larger building. I knew it was coming, having talked to the people I had dealt with for years. What I did not expect was that in this new building, Whole Foods was a new store. With new people. I saw no one I recognized from across the street! Employees at Whole Foods have not only their name on their badge, but the year they started working there. The trend I noticed was that all the employee's badges had 2007 on them. None of them had worked at the old store? Strange. Another thing is that they aren't friendly, courteous or customer focused. They are arrogant.

That sounds like a rant and it is, but I expect customer service, courtesy and a focus on me, the customer, at a store that is competing for my grocery dollar. At the "New" Whole Foods what I get is brusqueness, arrogance and discourteous treatment. The last time we were shopping there, an employee kept encroaching on us, with a duster sticking out of his pocket a foot or so that kept jabbing wife without so much as an "Excuse Me". I am no hot headed reactionary, but this calm, mature forty-three year old wanted to revert to the twenty year old Marine and remind this grocery clerk that manners are important. . .

This Saturday was the last straw. We went shopping for groceries and Whole Foods was celebrating the one year anniversary of the store opening. We braved the parking lot and went inside through the ice tea sample barkers straight to produce and the beginning of our list. We paused to talk and check the list when this produce employee nearby began to merchandise some fruit. We were standing within a foot of a large display. This gentleman came close to making physical contact and pushing us aside as he began to stock the display right next to us, reaching around us as if we were in his way. A surly look on his face, he made eye contact and without a word continued. No "excuse me", just an unacceptable violation of personal space. That was enough. I looked at my wife who was aghast and said "There is nothing on the list that we can't get at home" and walked out vowing never to return to Whole Foods.

Now you may think this is an isolated set of incidents, at a single store, perhaps just one employee. No, it is not. I have had various acts of arrogance, discourtesy and physical contact with Whole Foods employees numerous times over the past three years in more than one store. In the "Los Altos" store two female deli employees walking abreast bumped into my then eighty-six year old Grandfather nearly knocking him over without appearing to even notice they had done so. It was only my standing behind him, holding his arm that prevented his fall from the impact. That same visit a cluster of Whole Foods corporate people swarmed through an aisle we were shopping on and did the same thing, except more than one gave us a look of disdain, as if We were in their way.

Now did I speak to anyone about any of this you ask? Yes I did. As a matter of fact I spoke to someone from Whole Foods corporate with an accompanying entourage who was in the old Cupertino store. He Identified himself as the "Presdident" of the region. He listened to me, conversed and asked a few questions and then took my contact information. Promising to call me later in the week, I never heard from anyone about the matter.

But Saturday was the last straw. So, as for me and my family, we will give not a single family grocery dollar to Whole Foods. Not only that, but I am more than willing to tell you and anyone else about it. Don't belive me, then lets go on a tour and within ten minutes we will either witness it, or be first person to it.

There you have it, Thoughts From A Local.

Obama Superstar?

2008-07-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

I happened to be home sick this morning instead of my usual up and at'em 0600 routine. I read Matt Sanchez's latest post about Der Spiegel's declaration that Obama is a Superstar. Der Spiegel claims that Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says that he backs Obama's plan for troop withdrawls. However CNN reports that a spokesman for PM Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

I remember Der Spiegel from my time in Germany in the mid-1980s. The Cold War was at its zenith, Ronald Reagan was president and I wore camouflage. Der Spiegel was anything but objective, factual and interested in independent reporting then either. Their bent has always been to the far left.

So why should anyone expect any different today?

That is Sunday morning's Thoughts from a local.

Flagging and the Demise of Craig's List.

2008-07-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the List, and I have met and like Craig. The sad fact is that this once wonderful website for selling, buying, finding, exchanging people, places and things is no longer that. The community based moderation has let a thousand Tyrants decide what is appropriate and what is to be "Flagged and Deleted" based on their personal perspective and not the site Terms Of Use. Yet SPAM and 3rd Party solicitations in response to posts are rampant. It is not limited to a small segment of the List, it is in every corner. A gaggle of people will say "No, thats not true, the community is policing itself" and they are wrong.

I have had postings "Flagged and Deleted" from the "For Sale" category, "Community" category, "Gigs" category, in timeframes from the same hour as posted to four days afterwards. All were similar to other posts not deleted. They were definitely within the TOU. I have followed the instructions to repost and been deleted again. I followed the suggested trail down the rabbit hole into the "Flag Help Forum" which is user Hell. Filled with interesting characters who will pontificate on why you were deleted for reasons such as "OBO is an auction", "your picture isn't good enough". . ."You deserve to be flagged".

I do not have a solution, and don't know if there truly is one. But there it is.

Pickensplan.com?

2008-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this? I just saw a commercial on the History Channel about it. T. Boone Pickens has a plan at pickensplan.com to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and oil based energy in general. He highlights the increase in foreign oil that we buy and that next year we will spend 700 billion dollars on it. A HUGE transfer of wealth. It is a good read, and I agree with the content. I've been a conservationist my entire life and a conservative as long as I can remember. I do not see either party as having a realistic policy.

So, talk amongst yourselves, here is a topic: Can we give up dependency on foreign oil, continue to be a society of gas guzzling hypocrites without drilling domestically? I don't think so. I think we will have to drill here at home because we are a society without the concept of personal responsibility. The "Victim" mentality is rampant in our culture. It is fostered by the media, corporations and government. Why? Because if it is not your fault, then you do not have the desire to change. These groups manipulate this for control and socially engineering the populace to accept higher gas prices, lower mileage automobiles, and self-serving politicians.

There you have it. Thoughts from a local.

Slacking and 4th of July

2008-07-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've slacked on posting. . .

Tomorrow, 4th of July. Yay! Go America!

People will eat, drink and watch fireworks. Do you remember the reason? A written Declaration of Independence was signed and sent to the King of England informing him of our independence. It would take seven more years of the War for Independence before a treaty was ratified recognizing the American nation. In those early years the common thinking was that a man with his personal firearm would in time of crisis step forward and be force enough to defend the nation.

My ancestors like many others did. I am thankful for the things that are given to me as the result of their sacrifice, overcoming of fear and self. The names are written in the rolls, and in a few cases etched on monuments.

Celebrate 4th of July, and remember the cause and the people who fought for it.

I wish I was a Punk Rocker with Flowers in My Hair

2008-06-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

Interesting lyric. Sandi Thom, a young British singer sang those lyrics in her anthem "I Wish I was a Punk Rocker". She goes on "I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair, in 77 and 69 revolution was in the air. I was born too late, into a world that doesn't care, oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair. . ." The song speaks to the apathy and demise of our culture. Is longing for a better time nostalgic or deluded? Without understanding of the time you wish for is delusional, understanding and longing with some grief can be both healthy and activating.

What do you wish for?

Digital Photography and Backing Up Data

2008-06-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Morning everyone! I was just in my morning routine, drinking coffee, checking email, perusing the newsfeeds. One I check regularly is the Pervasive Data Center written by Gordon Haff. The title of the current post is "Backing up digital photos in the field". Seemingly irrelevant to data center, being an amateur photographer this piqued my interest. Nice common sense article!

I have had my own troubles, self-caused, in backing up digital images. I have a process taking images from camera to laptop, to storage, into the workflow and then out again into storage for archive. By the time I looked at back up and archive I had 90 gigs of images. I went right down to Fry's in Sunnyvale and bought Seagate 160 gb external HDDs from the impulse buy pallets. Nice. I always liked Seagate and relied on them for quite a number of years.

These were USB externals. This seemed like a good ready storage solution to keep images on hand while I am editing them. Sometimes they get piled up. My plan was to go from camera to laptop to external, keeping only the files I was working on loaded on the desktop HDD. Then once the editing was complete, I would archive the entire pre and post process plus finished product images to two DVDs. Cool, seemed like a good solution. So I start pushing stuff to one of the external drives. I get about 90 gigs on it, then suddenly it starts having I/O errors or the drive is not detected.

Hmmm, strange? I went to Seagate support, searched on the forums and discovered it is a known and common issue. When I contacted Seagate I was pushed to Data Recovery. Data recovery hung up on me when I was not simply going to purchase data recovery services. . .I added my own issue to their support forums and now six months later have had no response.

The drive was less than six months old and comes with a one year warranty. The issue is common enough for them to post a common errors entry in their support and user forum, the drive is under warranty and appears to be an actual hardware failure. . .At the very least they should replace the drive. If it truly is a known issue caused by a manufacturing defect then they are responsible for the damages aren't they? So data recovery should not be an extreme expense for the customer.

This experience has caused me to lose all faith in Seagate and determine to never again give them my money. Those are Thoughts from a Local.

The Decline of American

2008-06-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest problems facing our country is the decline of American. The icons of American to the world are George W Bush, the Clintons, Barack Obama, McDonald's and MTV. Not one of them represents what is means to be American to me. To me it is perseverance, self-sacrifice, an indomitable spirit, a generous hand and an open heart. There is a great scene in The Wind and The Lion where Brian Keith playing the role of Teddy Roosevelt says:

"The American grizzly is a symbol of the American character: strength, intelligence, ferocity. Maybe a little blind and reckless at times... but courageous beyond all doubt. And one other trait that goes with all previous. Loneliness. The American grizzly lives out his life alone. Indomitable, unconquered - but always alone. He has no real allies, only enemies, but none of them as great as he. The world will never love us. They respect us - they might even grow to fear us. But they will never love us, for we have too much audacity! And, we're a bit blind and reckless at times too."

That is what it means to be American and I am OK with it. Whether it is stomping Islamists in Afghanistan, toppling Sadaam Hussein in Iraq, giving disaster aid in Myanmar. There are things that need to be done, and people who reach out their hands for help. Some little guy who is being trampled or killed and needs our help. Darfur, we should have sent in a Marine Expeditionary Brigade because there were people being massacred and some that needed killing. We have always been the good guys and we need to be so again.

The growth of corporate control in government (read military industrial complex) and lack of personal responsibility or loyalty has pushed us down a slippery slope to the consumer aligned, instant gratification, what are you going to do for me next society that we are today. Watch some Anime with your younger brother sometime and see how strangely familiar the cyberpunk society is compared with the world we live in. The quick buck at the expense of everything else. . .That is where we are.

This was never the American Dream. What can be done? Is it even possible to change? I think we can. What it will take is each person working outwards from them self. A grassroots movement that gains inertia until it can't be stopped. We have to make choices and accept some sacrifice in our own lives.

I have hope. I watch "Reclaiming your American Dream" and found myself wanting to cheer at some points. I've started reading Will Marre's American Dream Project Blog. He has some good things to say about what you can do. The Slow Food movement in Italy. Quality over quantity. Buy local, meet your neighbors, be honest to yourself and those around you. Taste and enjoy life while you have it. It was given to you for just that purpose.

All this from a Reagan Republican, former Marine, businessman? Yes. A conservative American who believes in God, family and country and the conservation of all of them.

Thats all for now. Thoughts from a Local.

Something Completely Different

2008-06-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

You know, I am always going on about something: My Wife, Politics. Fine. Lets talk about something completely different and F-U-N. Tacos. No, not Taco Bell, not the taco you had at some 1960s place, and definitely not that thing you had at Chevy's. I am talking about a Taco like the one you get in the afternoon from that lady who sells them from her roadside stand in El Rosario in Baja Norte. Elegant in their simplicity. Carna Asada Taco. Meat, some onion, a little cilantro, on two tiny corn tortillas. Good stuff. She has salsa, both kinds, red mild and green medium for you with a bowl of with a lime wedge to squeeze over the taco, and radishes to eat on the side. That and a bottle of ice cold Coca-Cola to wash it down while you are standing on the side of the Trans-Peninsular Highway. Heaven!

At home I go to the Los Altos Taqueria, which is not actually in Los Altos, but in Mountain View. Mmmm, good stuff. Almost, almost. No radishes and they put the salsa on when the plate. A nice reminder of Baja.

And that was something completely different, but really good.

History Channel -- Battle 360

2008-06-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the History Channel show Battle 360? It is good! The first season chronicles the battle history of the USS Enterprise CV-6. The Big-E fought throughout the entire war in the Pacific. The show uses veteran commentary and computer graphics to tell the story of each phase of the Pacific War and the Big-E's part in it.

The show is sponsored by Enterprise Rental Car. In each episode there is a mid-show break, where the founder of Enterprise Rental Car, Jack Taylor tells the viewer he is proud to sponsor the show. Enterprise Rent-a-Car takes its name from the aircraft carrier. Jack Taylor was a fighter pilot aboard the ship. Very interesting.

I cannot wait to see what they do for the next season!

Are you a Hummingbird?

2008-06-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched a hummingbird? Hummingbirds are constantly in motion, looking at this flower or that, drinking nectar here and there, watching other hummingbirds. Always flapping their wings at a frantic pace. Their tiny hearts beating at incredible speed, as if to burst. They rarely land, stop and rest.

Are you a hummingbird? A majority of people are. They are Blackberry in hand, emailing, texting, attending every meeting, taking copious notes and sending follow up emails to as many as possible. Doing their best to be busier than those around them. . .Why? Society expects it. Their bosses expect it. The perception is you cannot be productive and successful unless you are. This behavior is rewarded with bonuses and promotions to greater responsibility and authority. The hummingbird then watches for hummingbird activity to ensure "productivity" and "success" in the organization.

Lets examine the opposite. Everyone knows someone at work. They may be quiet, annoyed with meetings and come and go more as they please. They want to know the requirements, look at the task, see the solution and complete it in their own timing. That is usually quicker and more efficient, requiring less effort than perceived necessary by colleagues and management. This person is a Doer, they get things done. They are highly productive for the company and leave time for living their own life.

In today's culture where appearance outweighs accomplishment or ability, companies are full of hummingbirds. They are always in the office, in every meeting, highly visible, expending great amounts of time and energy accomplishing what for the company? Which would you rather be surrounded by, hummingbirds or doers?

There is a move to change this. It is called Result-Only Work Environment (ROWE). It is as simple as it sounds: Results are the Only thing that matters. It is being championed by Jody Thompson and Cali Resslet of CultureRX. They have a book titled Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It. Best Buy has embraced it for corporate employees. Once implemented real productivity shines brightly, quickly changing the balance from hummingbirds to doers. Some of the benefits of ROWE are flexible work hours and locations which decrease commute and office footprint. WoW, by increasing productivity and efficiency we can help turn business green.

Who would have thought. . .do a search and check it out.

Weddings

2008-06-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Man, are they stressful! We only had six people including ourselves and the minister. It was still hugely stressful. That was February, now we are finally having a reception, although we are not calling it that. It is a Paella Party, we are putting on ourselves. Everything from money, to cooking and serving to finding the gi-hugic paella pan online. This has been just as stressful! Man! Favors were the big thing. I thought "Favors" err what??? I have no clue. My lovely and delightful wife did, but wanted my input and suggestions. . .to which I said "err, what???"

I am laughing about it now, but we were in a bit of strife and discontent for a few days last week until she decided what to get, bought the materials and assembled them. I helped a little as I was directed. But it was a huge load of bricks off of her. I love her, but it was making me berserk!!!

Man. . .I always tell clients in a gentle voice that positive change is the most difficult. I keep telling myself that. It turns out I know what I'm talking about.

Thats all the thinking for the moment.

I am Ironman

2008-06-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

I just saw that movie on Friday night with the wife and brother. I was a little worried. I was pleasantly surprised. Robert Downey Jr. was outstanding in the starring role. Nice industry-politico statement too. Although I do not believe we are supplying both sides in the global war on humanity. I do believe that we have allowed what Dwight David Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex gain far too much power over the political employees of We the People. Overall a great movie. I can't wait for the sequel.

The biggest surprise of the night was Gwyneth Paltrow. In my opinion she always appeared too skinny, too pale, just not real. There has been some genetic level change in her. We talked about this after the movie. She looked good. The freckles, a little color, it all worked and made her real. Weird huh?

They did hit the original Black Sabbath anthem for the closing credits.

OK, thats it from me. Thoughts from a Local.

A Real American Hero

2008-06-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

Jack Lucas died. He had cancer. It was not his first fight.

He was big for his size when he forged his Mom's signature to enlist in the Marine Corp. It was 1942 and was also 14 years old. After boot camp he qualified as a machine gunner and was assigned to train new Marines. That wasn't what he signed up to do, so he went UA. That is Unauthorized Absence. AWOL to the layman, but in the Naval Service it is UA. He made his way to Hawaii. stowing away. Talked his way into a unit there saying his orders were lost. Then, when his buddies were about to ship out for some Island, he went UA again. He turned himself in later to an officer onboard and was added to the muster roll in 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. He landed on Iwo Jima with his buddies. Two days later they were creeping through a ravine when in his own words:

"A couple of grenades rolled into the trench," Lucas said in an Associated Press interview shortly before he received the medal from President Truman in October 1945. "I hollered to my pals to get out and did a Superman dive at the grenades. I wasn't a Superman after I got hit. I let out one helluva scream when that thing went off."

His book "Indestructible" details his life leading up to and after that day on Iwo Jima. He survived, having severe wounds that included over 250 pieces of shrapnel in his body. He went on to finish high school, graduate from university, became a United States Army officer and paratrooper.

Jacklyn H. Lucas lived a full an extraordinary life that inspired many a boy and man to do their utmost for themselves and our country. He is of a generation we do not see the likes of much any more. Self-sacrificing, aggressive, American boy with a love of country. There is one place you can see him still.

I was a seventeen year old boy, stepping off the bus onto the yellow foot prints. Jack Lucas inspired me to raise my right hand, strive and join the band of brothers. God receive him into your charge, he is surely in Heaven because he had served his time in hell.

Semper Fi.

Monday!!!

2008-06-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, no actually Tuesday. It was a good Monday though! I did not however get my Green Business and Technology Blog launched. Man! I did start it off this morning. I had total block, bad. So, it did seem like Monday.

Thats all from me.

Marriage -- Convictions

2008-05-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be great. It is. I thought it would take effort, compromise and understanding. It does. What I did not think was that it would push me to compromise my principles so much.

I work towards transparency in all aspects of life. This means that good, bad or ugly are all available to those who would look. If I have done wrong I expect my friends and family to say something to me about it privately. If I have, I will make amends, ask forgiveness and turn from whatever it is I have done. If I have not done wrong and it is simply an opinion then I may not heed that advice and counsel.

I have found that this goes contrary to my experience so far in marriage. Interesting. I would have liked to have known this prior. To have worked it out prior. Now in the midst of the very early stages, it must be dealt with.

Yes, I am wrong in some instances here under review. I make no case about them. What I do make a strong case for is the continuence of my openess, to allow criticism, counsel, and correction from those I care about and respect. This I will not bend from. Although my conviction is not heard. . .

Thoughts from a confused Local.

The McClellan Book

2008-05-28T09:12:00.001-07:00

This morning in Mike Carney's Blog at US News and World Report, he posted an excerpt from the new book. As an example, I have to agree with the excerpt. Here it is,

"The vast majority of our elected officials are good people. But they are caught up in an endless effort to manipulate public opinion to their advantage. Driven by partisan interests, they engage in deception, whether intentionally or not (and I believe in most cases the deception is, in fact, unintentional or subconscious). It is all part of the political propaganda effort to advance one's causes.

Then the media go to work. Focused on covering the conflicts and controversies, the winners and losers, of the perpetual campaign, the press amplifies the talking points of one or both parties in its coverage, thereby spreading distortions, half-truths, and occasionally outright lies in an effort to seize the limelight and have something or someone to pick on. And by overemphasizing conflict and controversy and by reducing complex and important issues to convenient black-and-white story lines and seven-second sound bites, the media exacerbate the problem, thereby making it incredibly hard even for well-intentioned leaders to clarify and correct the misunderstandings and oversimplifications that dominate the political conversation. Finally, it becomes much more difficult for the general public to decipher the more important truths amid all the conflict, controversy, and negativity. For some partisans, that is fine because they believe they can maneuver better in such a highly politicized environment to accomplish their objectives. But the destructive potential of such excessively partisan warfare would later crystallize my thinking.

In the fall of 2002, Bush and his White House were engaging in a carefully orchestrated campaign to shape and manipulate sources of public approval to our advantage. We'd done much the same on other issues -- tax cuts and education -- to great success. But war with Iraq was different. Beyond the irreversible human costs and the substantial financial price, the decision to go to war and the way we went about selling it would ultimately lead to increased polarization and intensified partisan warfare. Our lack of candor and honesty in making the case for war would later provoke a partisan response from our opponents that, in its own way, further distorted and obscured a more nuanced reality. Another cycle of deception would cloud the public's ability to see larger, underlying important truths that are critical to understand in order to avoid the same problems in the future.

And through it all, the media would serve as complicit enablers. ... the media would neglect their watchdog role, focusing less on truth and accuracy and more on whether the campaign was succeeding."

I think states it well enough.

Excerpt credit Mike Carney US News and World Reports
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/05/mcclellan-descr.html

Google = Something less than nice

2008-05-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Another Memorial Day has past, Google of course did not make a special logo. They have some sort of statement about not doing for this or that reason. It is just too bad. In the old Soviet system, for some of the things they have done, certain Google-ites would have received the bullet to the back of the skull in the dank corridor of Lefortovo. But alas, that is for the most part over, and they are all in the relative safety of a free and capitalist country.

The question is why would you not honor this holiday when you honor others? Who at Google has not benefited from the sacrifice made by other Americans willing to go in harm's way to preserve our way of life, and business? Every single one of them, disingenuous all.

Still, we've stood up for them, some have given all.

Remember that when you are in the hammock at 30,000 feet.

Green???

2008-05-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

You know, I have been in this technology thing for a couple of decades. I am a San Francisco native, born here, raised here. I heard the Doors on KFRC 610AM, had Angel Flights in High School, loved the Ramones when no one knew who they were. I have recycled, sorted, car-pooled since I was a kid. I am also a Reagan Republican, believe in trickle down economics. You can see it in action today in sites like http://www.kiva.org. Although to suggest it as such would probably bring vehement opposition and retaliation. Oh well, bring it!

What does this all mean? Where does it all lead? What is this guy talking about?

I am talking about authenticity, genuineness, being real, being transparent. That is something talked about, espoused and marketed quite a lot today isn't it? I challenge you to just be that. Real change will not happen unless it starts within yourself. Everything around you radiates from the manner is which you live your life. I do not believe that we are some random occurrence. I believe we everything was originally created through intelligent design, and that design had a Designer. You believe what you will, I won't force my system upon you.

I will however point out things in our society I see that are disingenuous, less than authentic, hypocritical. No, politicians are in that profession, they are compelled to lie, cheat and steal to get elected and remain on that gravy train. They cannot help but become disingenuous, and encourage divisiveness amongst the population. Smaller groups are easier to sway. Lets leave them out. I am talking about larger movements, waves of thought that come and go in our society.

Look at the Green movement. Good idea, B-A-D implementation. We have been talking about this for decades. We will have a global warming period that precedes a global cooling period. That is the cycle of our planet. We cannot control it, we are only humans. We can go into space, we can prevent Polio, we can destroy a cubic mile in a nanosecond, we can cause each other to cough and aspirate on smog. We cannot change the course of our planet.
We can change what we do as individuals, as families, neighborhoods, Cities, States and our Country. That is what we can do. Why aren't we doing it? Money. Not the lack of it, but the desire to keep it.

Lets look at a few things we could do but don't?

Carpooling -- That is a no brainer! It has existed since the post WW2 era. Then it was men carpooling to work, sharing the driving, economizing. It was also a socializing group. What has replaced it? Here it is SMUG pollution. People driving their hybrids, only the driver in the vehicle, in the Carpool lane. Thats not right! Carpooling is for carpools. Not everyone could get a hybrid, could fit a hybrid.
Recycling -- Great idea! We've had it since I was a boy. Does anyone remember those commercials with the Indian man, a tear in his eye, looking at litter? Recycling! No trash on the road. What happened? The local garbage company through it's exclusive contract with your municipality charges you to pick up your recycling. It is a city mandate isn't it? They charge for collection, recycle and gain that as revenue.
Reducing Electricity -- Have you seen those wonderful commercials that PG&E has? They show a computer room lined with racks, each filled with servers. Then they haul off nearly all except one rack and tell you they can do this for you. . .The truth? They have no plan, no program to do this. They do have a process wherein the customer fills out some forms listing each computer, then when they take it out of service, PG&E awards them a stipend in the $150 range for reducing power. No metric, no measurement, none. No real savings or reduction in power. This one makes no sense to me? Real efficiency in computing power, consolidation, hardware, software and storage virtualization will result in dramatic savings!

Oh well. Rant over.

Check out my new

Green Business and Technology Blog

launching on Monday June 2nd1

Who Knew

2008-02-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

That getting married would be so stressful?No, she does not stress me out, my lovely bride-to-be. Everyone else is a little stressful. My Mom is incredibly stressful! Funny. I do have an axe, and have chopped at every line she has tried to fasten to my ankle to prevent the loss of me. But it is incredibly funny. I have asked friends and acquaintances about it and they agree that it was a stressful time in their lives also. One said that by the time she reached her wedding day it was simply a blur. All of this shared knowledge has made me feel less weak over the situation.

It is now 48 hours and thirteen minutes until the wedding. I cannot wait for Saturday, mid-morning, when the last person is on their way home, and Crystal, the newly minted Wife and I, the newly minted Husband, will turn off our mobile phones and RunnOft for a few days.

Man.

Huh

2007-11-27T23:05:00.000-08:00

As I let out a long sigh.

So, my buddy Ray is over for TV night. Watched Bones, The Unit, hung out. Put on the DVR'd new Weaponology episode "Tracing the history of the United States Marines". They fill with footage and there it is, a soldier in the Army. Man. . .and then came the next sigh. Then they are talking about Belleau Wood and again, the Army. Then the snipers, they have to talk about them of course. . .what is that, a CETME with a scope? Yeah, they have had those at 29 Palms for years. . .NOT. It is a video of a Spanish guy now. . .

Amazing. The shows on these various channels can be so entertaining, and so inaccurate. Do they actually have anyone with any knowledge? Apparently not.

Oh well.

Hate and Intolerance

2007-10-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

There is an aweful lot of talk about Hate and Intolerance today. But here is the thing, there are things that should cause a visceral reaction, and things that you should not tolerate. The question becomes, "What do I Hate, who can I not Tolerate?"

What I Hate is hypocrisy, deception and lack of integrity. If you are Gay, fine be gay, I do my own thing, do not force it on me. If you are elected, you are my employee, do what is in my best interest, not yours. If you have to speak, don't simply say what you think I want to hear, and do what you want.

I cannot tolerate disingenuous people. If you are bad fine, admit it, get on with being bad and do not whine when John Law comes after you or you are incarcerated. If you are fat, admit it, exercise, drink water and eat healthy or die. If you are retired, but still collecting your pay, do some work. Simple. That sums it up nicely.

Those things occur in the world, it is human nature, and the nature of weakness to be and do so. I do not tolerate that these things exist or occur, but I do accept that other people will think, say or act that way. It is so easy to slide into this too; pad your resume, get some Botox, spend a little too much on your Visa to keep up appearances, or speak without regard to action. We all deal with this on a moment by moment basis. There is no belief system that I am aware of that condones it, is there?

My best trial, test and challenge is from my almost spouse. Not her specifically, but her work/living situation. She went to Spain with the intent and directed purpose to be trained and mentored in evangelistic missionary work. That was the plan, the actual is that she works as a shop girl in the missionary leader's art gallery. I could rail against them, laying out a strong case for something. First of all that is not me, second it would not do any good. That small bit of leaven has deep roots in that organization it seems.

I must say that through the trial, it has been a positive experience. One that she would not have had, had this organization not been so disingenuous and hypocritical. The personal growth in her is amazing. Since I will be her husband I could not be happier. . .The only thing that would have promoted stronger character growth is if she had spent four years in the Marine Corp.

So there it is. Thoughts from a Local. Semper Fi.

My Heroes have Always Been Cowboys. . .

2007-07-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

My heroes have always been cowboys. Two in particular. They both represented the American Spirit, and the Western Soul. neither was born a Westerner, both began life as Midwesterners. Both came to California, became stars, and upheld values that we as Americans had always held sacred.

One was the silver screen icon of everything that is American. Rugged individualism, honor, the greatness of the American heart. The other, was a lifelong hero, whether saving faltering swimmers in the old Rock River, defending Hollywood from the red menace, to stating and working his entire life toward eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons, the downfall of the Soviet Union and the freedom of millions of people trapped in slavery behind the iron curtain.

Why do I suddenly have this reminiscence? I have been thinking back to my own youth, adulthood and the things that I hold dear. It is not what I see around me today. Our country is no longer the place that they fought to preserve.

I think the answer to the question, "Who one the Cold War?" is that no one really is the winner. The advent of Marxist-Leninist dogma and the indirect action taken by it's proponents has had a direct effect on the America that we live in today. No, the communists did not do it. But they did open the door to allow this change. Front organizations , such as the ACLU were set up to perform this indirect action. They did not make change, they created the atmosphere for change. Starting with their landmark cases about "Civil Liberties", they opened the door for the basic tenets of Western society to begin unraveling. This insidious movement outlasted it's sponsor, and has left a lasting impact on it's enemy, America.

Now, this is not some rant by an extremist political hack. I am a lifelong Republican, middle of the road, classical liberal, believing in personal responsibility, a small role for the federal government, a strong national defense, economic policy that removes barrier for American business and a foreign policy that protects our own interests.

I am a San Francisco Native, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, proudly served in the military. As did most of my friends. We came from middle class backgrounds where keeping your word, and doing the right thing are important virtues. Where did that go? That puts me in some contention with some of the ancestors. But it does put me in good company.

We live in an America that has been radically changed from the country that the founding fathers envisioned. The danger for us is in simply accepting the ways things are. At the advent of the 21st century, you cannot simply say it is the democrats, or it is the republicans. To be truthful, you must say there is little difference between the two. Neo-Conservatives, or Neo-Liberals, either is just as self-serving and disingenuous.

The problem is that the great society created a dependency class of citizens and a push towards socialism. Next was the coming of the definitive political class that has no clear party boundary and is primarily focused on keeping the public informed with the information that supports their own power and empire building. They are not representatives of the people, by the people and of the people. I am not happy about the political class.Lastly, the push from every front and every media outlet to socially engineer the public self-perception in to a European style of servile citizenship.

I think the lyric is fitting "Where is my John Wayne?" He is gone, with Dutch Reagan after a life of service. I do not think we will see their like again in my lifetime.

My heroes will always be cowboys. . .

D-Day

2007-06-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

I looked for a news story, a sign, some point of reference on the major websites, and found none. No special google logo, no top story, nothing. Why? Because we are a nation that forgets, and a citizenry does not care about issues beyond our own personal sphere. "Man, that is a harsh statement!" No, it is historical fact. Lets examine them?

What did George Washington have to say about it?

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

Our first president, father of the country, had to fight tooth and nail to stay in the field, continue the fight, obtain supplies and preserve the army. All in the cause of winning our independence. Why? You ask, this is George Washington? He faced a public that remained predominantly apathetic to the cause of liberty, and was for the most part not stalwart enough to fight to defend their own homes and families.

George Washington faced political opposition from a congress that after the first year of the war, was refilled with people whose ideal was self-aggrandizement and personal gain. This is witnessed even to some of the other "founding fathers", even the sainted Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson who as then Governor of Virgina, when asked by General Nathaniel Greene, commanding the Southern Army, to call out the Virgina Militia to aid in the campaign against Cornwallis in North Carolina and Virginia, refused on grounds that the militia would not be used except in the home state. Thank God for a few patriots who mustered themselves and joined for the battles at Guilford Courthouse where the Virginians held the line against British regulars in volley after volley, and hand to hand combat. Are they remembered? No, Jefferson is sainted.

George Washington faced opposition and hypercritical stories in the press. His every decision, every movement was scrutinized by armchair warriors of every ilk. His removal was lobbied for on numerous occasions.

After that first American War, veterans returned home, those that had a home, or struck out to try and build a life for themselves after experiencing the terrible side of humanity. . .They were shunned, ignored and belittled. By that same citizenry did not care about issues beyond their own personal sphere.

So, when I see the sacrifice of those that came before us ignored, or belittled, whether it be the War of Independence, or Iraq: I see that it is nothing new. And any veteran who see this same thing, can count him or herself in the company of George Washington, and the Americans who stood with him.

Tuberculosis

2007-05-30T12:05:00.001-07:00

Have you heard this story? The man knew he had some form of Tuberculosis. Was told not to fly on a commercial flight because there is a danger to others. What does he do? He does it anyways, because he is going on his honeymoon to Greece. Read the story, and tell me, if someone intentionally endangered the health, well being and potentially the lives of a large number of people, is that OK? I think not, both morally and ethically it is and was wrong. This man in pursuit of his own desires, sought to deprive others of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

However, this ""I'm a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person," told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. "This is insane to me that I have an armed guard outside my door when I've cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing." No sir, you knowingly flew to Europe, then evaded authorities to sneak back in to the US. How many people did you put at risk? How many people were exposed? You are very fortunate indeed.

How would this be treated if at the behest of some organization, this man with fore knowledge, transporting with disregard for the spread of, a germ, or poison that could harm other people? Anyone might properly regard that as a criminal act. If he were doing it at the behest of some nebulous organization, some small number of operators might well have shot him full of holes, pumped him full of lead and disposed of the hazardous body. The public being blissfully unaware of the tragedy they had been saved from.

Read the story there:

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2007/05/29/0530meshtb.html

Blogging

2007-05-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

OK, blogging. What is it, where did it come from? I have had that discussion with more than one person this week. It is whatever you want to write and share with friends, family or the world. Your thoughts, feelings, ideas. It is one of the reasons the World Wide Web was created in the first place. So write, share, and participate.

12 Year Olds

2007-05-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to work for twelve year olds? The thought never crossed my mind. . .And now I do. They are not physically twelve years old. Truly. But, if you close your eyes and listen to them, you are sure that you are there. It is not a recipe for business success.

Time

2007-03-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Time is a wonderous thing. It moves at varying speeds, depending on our level of interest and intensity. Have you noticed that? I am involved in a the start-up division of a consulting firm. It is privately held, already profitable, has big name partners and clients (Accenture, SAP, Bell South, Best Buy to name a few). We have a compelling story, proven success and excellent client testimonials. I am enjoying the new gig, the people, my boss, and the work. But it is new, and time is moving slowly as we build the business and fill the pipeline.

At the same time I have been in a long-distance relationship that started to increase speed and go downhill al at the same time. It was nice, she is nice. But in the past month she has begun to transition from the job and life she has known since college to a new arena of missions in Spain. This transition started over a year ago, and has been in-progress the entire time I have known her. In these last weeks she has told me what are relationship is not. What it is not is me she will come home from Spain to, what it is not is leading to marriage, what it is not is committed to each other, what it is not is us being best friends? She has apologized for hurting me and asked my forgiveness. What she has not done, is to take back anything she said. Nor to assure me of anything.

Time has gone ever so slowly and painful with this.

Europe

2007-02-14T02:52:00.000-08:00

Man, was it expensive last week! Not like in large chunks, but Europe nickle and dimed the heck out of me this week! .50 Euro for pay Toiletten in Autobahn stops, those were the best. And no re-entry. Ha! It cost me two entries at one. The Grand Hotel in Copenhagen, not so good. The arms on the desk chair came off when I went to pull it out from under the desk, and the next morning, when I opened the inner door to my room, the handle came off in my hand, and the other side followed by falling off. That was actually pretty hilareous! Now, don't get me wrong, I like to travel, and I enjoy Europe. It was just a few little things that lessened the experience.

So, I went on business. It was a day trip to Emmaboda, in Southern Sweden. Nanji and I looked at things, weighed the options, and decided to road trip it. We all flew in to Frankfurt on Saturday (Nanji, Sandeep and I) and met up, picked up a rental car, and away we went. We couldn't wait to get on the Autobahn and drive a hundred miles an hour. Sandeep does not drive a stick, so he was relegated to passenger status. We put a good scare in him along the way, getting up to 200 kilometers per hour. . .That first night we slept in Copenhagen at the Grand Hotel, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and got some sleep. All of this was right around the main train station and the amusement park Tivoli, that Rick Steves always mentions. I had always pictured it as more of an open area, lush and park like. It isn't. It is smack in the middle of the city. Copenhagen seemed like a cool city.

Sunday morning we got up, packed the car, and left. We spent a little time getting coffee and taking some pictures then off we went. We took the E20 across the Oresund Bridge to Sweden. It is a pretty cool suspension bridge. The Oresund crossing starts with a tunnel, then the bridge. Once we were in Sweden, we began taking smaller and smaller class roads and drove through the countryside towards our destination, Emmaboda.

Emmaboda is in a region called the "Kingdom of Glass" because of the many glass works there, some going back to the beginning of the 18th century we were told. The town itself has a population of 5,000, of whom 1,200 work for ITT Flygt. It is like a big family, or tribal group. Good people. We were there to have a meeting on Monday, that should have been two days. But oh well, planning is planning and if you aren't the planner, there you are.

We reached Emmaboda on Sunday evening near dinnertime. As I said, it was a nice drive. I will post some pictures up on my Flickr page in a few days. Sweden was cool. The word I would say most decribes what we saw was quaint. There were many farms and small villages along the way. We found a historical windmill along the route and it caused quite a bit of excitement with the guys. We arrived in time to unpack, get settled, eat, hit the grocery store and talk over the next day. The others who came from the U.S. did not arrive until 0115 in the morning Monday morning. Man, that is harsh! We stayed at the Hotel Amigo, which was a nice place. Again, cool people.

Monday we had our meetings and walk through with ITT Flygt. That is a good company, efficient and effective. So those lasted all day, putting the kyebosh on Nanji and my plans to bail and get a few hours of driving in Monday night. So the three of us ate together. Sandeep and I had reindeer. Hmmm, hmmm, it was smooth! Then we hung out in Sandeep's room and had a great after-action review of the day's meetings. I have to say that the time there was fruitful.

Tuesday morning, Nanji and I had breakfast at the hotel and took off for Germany. The drive yesterday was epic. I have to be better disciplined about eating schedules. It is a challenge, and this trip showed me that I need to work on that. The drive was long but fun. We screamed down the road like we were being chased! It was heck of fun! Once we got to Frankfurt, it took a while to find the hotel. It turned out taht I made the reservation for Wednesday night, not Tuesday. We were fortunate that they had two rooms left. they were both smoking rooms though. Mine smelled like meat gone a bit rancid and Nanji's smelled like an ashtray. We survived though. We were both pretty tired and just crashed.

This morning we got some grub and turned the car in. Nanji's flight was at 11, mine isn't until 210, so I have another two hours to go. So, that was my trip. Fun. Weird. Lame. Exhilirating.

Hindsight

2007-01-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

We all know about hindsight. If we had known what we know now, we would not have done that stupid thing we did. . .I had a great example of that last night.

It was one of those Winter days: Just warm enough to go stir-crazy at home, no one I knew free to do anything. I did what I do, threw some things in my day pack, grabbed my camera gear, and some coff-ay in my favorite travel cup and took off. I used the digital decision maker (a Quarter), and heads I go South, tails I go North. Tails it was, so I got on the 101 and drove Northbound. After a few last moment delays from friends not telling me 'No", it was already 2:30 in the afternoon and I was determined to go somewhere and do something.

Up the 101 I went, getting off at the Cesar Chavez exit, going up Potrero and down to the Best Buy off Harrison. Ahh, I felt pulled in by the gravity of a new CD to listen to while driving. Yep. Then back to the Starbuck's on Florida. Coff-ay and the WiFi. Cool. I ended up sitting in there for way too long! So I realize it is past time for grubbin, and I need to get gas! Down I went on the 17th to get gas at that station where all the "interesting" characters stand around at 16th and Van Ness. . .I get blocked from making that right turn on Van Ness so I go straight and decide to cut down the Capp St.

I turn on Capp, get halfway down the block and the street is blocked by some parade, procession of people with orange headdresses, sashes, banners, flags and a large portrait of some guy, Indian dude, long hair, white clothing, orange sash over it. This procession is marching with that, drumming drums, over a hundred people. So I pull over to the side of the street to let them pass. . .As this crowd flows by me I make eye contact with a woman who has looked at me. . .BAM!!! It is the actress-Ex! I could not believe it. I mean amazing. I always felt judged by her. Then she thought of me as a "Zealot". O-Kay. . .Then BAM, there she is in that procession with an orange headdress on.

What this is about is seeing an Ex, doing something that seems so contrary?

Holidays

2006-12-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

Ah, the holidays are upon us again. This year I just not that excited. You have to know that my view of the holidays season is somewhat cynical. First, I am a Christian, I believe. But I also know that Christmas in December is not Jesus birthday, he was born in the Spring. Second, I am done with the whole consumer based society driven not by need, want, or desire, but by Madison Avenue, et al. The one good part about that is the post Christmas sales. They are both hideous and a wonderful adventure in post-World War 2 American consumer culture.

That said, I love a nice Christmas tree. It is fresh and armoatic during the Winter, when the house is all shut up. I like having family and friends over to celebrate, and enjoy each other's company. That I like. That I love.

This year, my gathering for friends is on New Year's Day. We are going to watch that 1977 classic, "Star Wars" in all its restored, digitized, added scene splendor. And I will server spicey desert region oriented grub, from meat on a stick, to couscous, naan, something heck of spicey, and some spinach and vegetable dishes. And we will play a little Battlefront, the first one. "Die Rebel Scum!"

Balloon Bomb?

2006-12-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

I was watching an interesting program on TV this lazy, rainy afternoon. They were showing the Japanese balloon bomb program in World War 2. The interesting fact is this: Of the 9,000 balloon bombs launched by the Japanese, only 300 of the estimated 1,000 that reached the United States have been found. That means there are potentially 700 of them lying in the woods somewhere between Washington State and Michigan!

Have you ever thought about that? Did you even know about this chapter of World War 2 history?

Romans?

2006-11-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

What a concept. From the Romans we get the concept of barbarians, or civilized and civilization. The celebration of brutality and genocide. Interesting. We get the majority of our Western religious dogma: Poverty, servitude, and the inconsequentially of man. All these precepts held dear as Holy writ are, the dictates of Late Roman bureaucracy.

Amazing isn't it? Barbarians. The Celts in Western Europe lived in a society with de-centralized government, wealth and charity. Family and community were held up, children and older people were treasured. Hmmm, sounds like those values that we hold dear doesn't it?

I knew these things, true. But I am enjoying Terry Jones' Barbarian Lives, on the History Channel. Quite good viewing.

So Romans: A society based on the aggrandizement of the few, or the one. Where selfish indulgence reigns. It makes more sense, the revulsion that first century Jews held for Romans, and the Roman way of life.

It is so true, that he who writes the history, writes the future.

Social Engineering

2006-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Social Engineering. This is a great term. Do you know what it is? It is "The Art and Science of getting people to comply with your wishes". What does that mean? It means manipulating people to do what you want, or think in a manner or in a direction that you want them to. The absolute best example of this is the Rise of Nazism. Probably the most far reaching and publicly visible example in today's society is "The Da Vinci Code". A novel. Except that it is good fiction, wrapped around some historical fact. And it puts forth a very convincing story, if left simply to those facts that the author has provided for the reader. Now an upcoming major feature film.

So, what is the result when asking a sample of readers? A good portion of them think it is plausible. Interesting. It is making a good line for travel agents, the tour of Da Vinci Code sites in Paris. All the information used as "Fact" by the author in the novel are not. The primary theme of the "Holy Grail" being a bloodline of Jesus in France is taken from a 1982 book. This theory put forth in this book hangs on evidence put forth in documentary and human form. The "Priory of Sion", protecting the secret of the "Holy Grail" for so many centuries. A hoax. A minor political party, registered in the 1950s. Sion, is a hill near the leader's home town. It goes one and on.

So much so now that with the approach of the lucrative feature film, the 1982 book's authors are now suing the film and author. Delightful. Bad scientists, suing the social engineers for using a spin-off of their hypothesis.

What do you think? Have you read the book? Do you really know it is a novel? Or do you believe the author, when he states on the page that these organizations are real, and the history is fact?

San Francisco

2006-01-25T23:57:00.000-08:00

I was born there. My Grandparents (Dad's parents) lived there for over fifty years. The last part of their lives in a house on Elizabeth Street in the Noe Valley. My other Grandparents (Mom's parents) met there during World War Two. Grandpa was at the Presidio, and Grandma worked at Woolworth's. Her parents, my Great-Grandparents had a house in the Haight. I have a photo of Grandpa and Grandma standing on the steps in front of the Great-Grandparents house. After the war, they settled in the East Bay.

When I was a child we lived there, in a house on Trumbull Street. I would spend time with my Grandparents in the city. My Grandfather had retired, and had three things that drove him: 1. Used books, and hunting for them; 2. Finding new ethnic restaurants, Grandpa you see was a foodie; genealogy, Grandpa was into the family history which can be traced back to 1673, the time that we set foot in British America to take possession of a land grant and claim the promise of a new continent.

Now, to this little boy, all three of those subjects were of intense interest. My love of reading was fostered by him, and encouraged with that old paperback edition of some classic. My first C.S. Forrester novel "Commodore Hornblower" was a paperback edition that was probably thirty years old when he gave it to me in the early seventies. Ferdinand the Bull, Curious George, and a wonderful set of antique encyclopedias were always waiting for me in my Grandparents home. Food, by the time I was ten years old, I had experienced Cantonese Chinese, Hunan Chinese, Russian, Italian, German, Wonderful Jewish Deli, Nicaraguan, Mexican, Spanish, Moroccan, Greek, Polish, French, Basque, and Scandinavian food. All of these places, a new and different culture to experience. Many of the places were owned by people who were natives of those far and distant lands. Each morphed as I grew, and changed. The first time I saw and heard Shakespeare performed was on stage at ACT in the Geary Theater. It was a field trip, a matinee, the play was "Julius Caesar" and I loved it. I next saw Voltaire's, "The bourgeois Gentleman". I fell for the theater at eleven.

What is the point of all this rambling about family, food, books? The point is about San Francisco, the city that I was born in, the city that I spent a portion of my childhood in, a city that I both love and dislike immensely. The city that easily forgets its own past, and glosses over the actions of some, and emblazons the actions and ideals of others as iconic. People say that New York is "America's City". It is the link to the old world, to Europe. But all that has past, San Francisco is the end of the West, the link to the East, a city where anyone can come and be who they are, not who they imagine people expect them to be. That is the ideal.

The reality? San Francisco is as bad as New York, Chicago, Detroit, any place you care to look. Politics there have nothing to do with representation of the people, just pandering to small, loud special interest groups. Public decency, common courtesy, genuine kindness are rare there. The most discourteous, time-wasting, hypocritical people are those that most greatly espouse their own opinions, positions, and rights over the majority of people. That is my city, and any city. Yes, there is great theater, opera, food, scenery, but what city does not entertain these things? Even Little Rock, Arkansas has that. Well, reality is for Mark Burkett shows isn't it?

I will just love San Francisco, its diverse cultures, its great food and the wonderful memories that it holds in my mind and in my heart. That cannot change, because it is in my history, and only I am allowed to write it.

New Year

2006-01-25T23:41:00.000-08:00

It is a new year, and a new start. Isn't that always the tome? Life is what you make of it. For me, what is old is new again. I am in transition, back to the way that I was in the phase before this one. I have been working in the ambulance industry, and have the opportunity to leave, and return to consulting. That is something I enjoy. The challenge of providing that outside pair of eyes, to see the way clear of a problem, to make clear the method to improve and means to increase that business. That has been my business. My own tendencies are to be too extreme. Either to dictatorial: brusk, assertive and short; Or the reserve, and form an emmotional response. Niether are best for business or life. The change, the reduction, the tempering of this is just that, gained through the tempering of experience.

That I am quite grateful for. The lessons learned, through trials and tribulations I have experienced through my own decisions, are lessons that I am very glad to have learned. I must say that I do wish I wasn't such a stubborn, hard-headed person. It is good to be able to stay the course, to stand when everyone else runs. Then again, the ability to swiftly assess the situation, and bend like the reed is equally important. Again, a lesson learned through hard-headed lessons. Ha!

To wrap things up, new year, new start, new opportunities. I am excited about this year of recovery, restoration and re-building!

The Sound of Music

2005-11-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

I liked that film. I always thought that Julie Andrews was hot, in a girl next door way, with some hidden naughtiness that lingered just under the surface. I know, I know, that may be a little over the top, but what would you the reader rather have me do: A. Give it to you watered down with concessions taken for propriety; or B. Just give it to you the way I see it?

I think B. And that is what you will get from me. So back to Julie Andrews. . .I met her at a talk she gave in San Jose a couple of years ago. She is still attractive, although my Mom's age. So where does this all come from? This sudden obsessing about "The Sound of Music" and Julie Andrews? This past Tuesday they released the "40th Anniversary Edition" on DVD with six hours of additional footage. I have no clue what that would be, but it is there. So I first saw that commercial, then my great TiVo at home had grabbed "Passport to Europe" with Samantha Brown. Another very pretty blonde. In this particular episode, which we watched over coffee this morning, was set in Salzburg. Aha, the a second tie in to "The Sound off Music".

So here is the ever cute and funny Samantha Brown, in Salzburg, taking a tour of the sites used in the movie. Speaking with the tour guide, our lovely host Samantha reveals that she played a part in the play while in High School. So again, yet another connection. This has turned into an episode of James Burke's show hasn't it? So our lovely host learns from her tour guide that most Austrians have never seen the movie. It had only been shown a couple of times, and never in the local language. That was a strange and weird fact.

The Sound of Music. It does sound weird, it does sound strange that your old warrior should be interested in it. But there it is. Read between the lines and you find the thread.

There it is, thoughts from a local.

Veteran's Day

2005-11-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today is Veteran's Day. A day to honor and remember all Americans who have served our country. My Grandfather, who lives with me in my home, and I are both veterans. He serving in the Army and later Army Air Corps beginning in 1940. We decided that today we have the day off, and will relax, drink some coffee and make a lovely brunch for ourselves. A stellar idea if you ask me!

We did just that. Started off with some great strong coffee and relaxed. To prepare for our brunch, we ran down the street to the grocers. When we were in the checkout line, something surprising and wonderful happened. The checker asked my Grandfather if he was a veteran. He replied yes, he was in the second world war, in Europe. This checker then proceeded to tell my grandfather how grateful she was for what he had done and thanked him for serving our country.

This was quite amazing and heart-warming. It made me think, of all the people, men and women who have served in our country's military. My Grandfather, my Great-Grandfather, the ancestors going back to the war of Independence. My friends, nearly all served our country at one time or another. We served, not from some economic necessity, not under any sort of duress, and even against the objection of some of our parents. We served because we thought it was the thing to do. We grew up, progeny of parents who were products of the Fifties and Sixties. Parents who lived through and participated in the Sixties and Seventies as adults. We joined because we felt something, deep within ourselves, a duty to give back something for the lives we lived as children. We felt a common desire to serve.

Did you serve? The Peace Corps? The Marine Corps? I served in the latter, and wouldn't mind serving in the former? But that is for another time, when I grow up someday.

Here is an even better question: Did you thank a veteran today? Whether he or she is 86 or 26, that person served you. Whatever that veteran did, they put their own life on hold, to serve our country. They may not have wanted to do what they did, to put themselves in harms way. But they did, and their sacrifice is exactly what allows you the freedom and liberty to speak your mind, to support or be critical of our country, its leadership, to live your life unhindered by anything but your own energies and desires.

So you should find a veteran and say thank you. Because they are the root cause of any success that you have ever had in your life.

Semper Fi.

Blame

2005-11-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed how quickly people are to assess blame to things that happen in their lives? If there was only a short pause, a deep breath or two, and then that lovely self-analysis, blame would disappear wouldn't it? I mean, what does it matter? What matters is that people derive immense value from the ability to point the finger at someone else, alleviating any possibility that they will have to look inward and examine themselves.

So, does a person really like themselves? Really have a positive self-image if they are quick to assess blame? No, they do not. If you have a positive self-image. If you are self-aware. If you know who you are as a person, and are comfortable, and happy with yourself, you will not have that reaction.

I firmly believe that there is cause and effect. Your life is the product of the choices you make. On a superficial level, that is easy to refute. So we must look a little deeper. Suppose you are in the Mission, visiting a dance club, you have parked four blocks away from this dance club. As you leave, spilling out with the rest of the club patrons at 3am, maneuvering back to your car, you happen across some near-do-wells who are lying in wait for: An inebriated club-patron, to relieve of their immediate possessions and perhaps automobile using whatever force is necessary. In the process of the near-do-wells accomplishing their objectives to meet their goal, you are left in the gutter, severely injured with traumatic injuries, in an altered state of consciousness. Where does the "Blame" lie for your situation?

The near-do-wells are responsible for their attack, the damage inflicted, and the property stolen. But looking back, were you as an individual responsible in any way for your situation? Yes, you were. You made the choice to go to the dance club, driving alone, parking four blocks away, and drinking enough that you were inebriated. The attack, damage and property loss is simply coincidental to your own choices.

Those are my thoughts

My Interests

2005-10-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I wrote a nice piece about what interests me, something with a little depth. Not too much, but enough I thought to flesh out that particular piece of my profile here. Nope, way too many characters for the limit. . .Here it is unabridged.

God, Home, Family, knowledge, exploring, learning. These things I am interested in. I enjoy going to church, to conferences, spending time with other belivers. The thing that I really love though is simply communing with God. Meditating on His word, on the story of what He has done and wants to do. To know what He thinks of me. That I love.

I like to work around my home. Whether it is changing the color of a wall, or mulching one of my rose beds. I like doing it. The simple act of watering is peaceful and meditative. It allows me to let all the cares of the day slip away, and I contemplate the wonder and beauty of life. That is what gardeing does for me. Painting a wall, yes, I enjoy that too. I like to TiVo different programs on HGTV or TLC, and gain inspiration from them. Here and there I will see something that I want to do in my home, and I will sit with it, make a plan, gather the materials and do it! Something that I have come to enjoy immensely is sharing my home with people that I care about: Friends, family. I enjoy cooking dinner and watching a DVD together on a Saturday evening in my home. That is something close to my heart.

My family is very important to me. I have a wonderfully diverse, American family. The heritage, the history of my ancestors in America is the story of America itself. My paternal line came to this country in 1673. They fought for its Independence, and were among the founders of our nation. They fought on both sides in that trial by fire that was the Civil War. My maternal line is Polish, my great grandparents coming to America as children, and Hispanic, my Grandmother's ancestors being from Spain and France through Mexico and Texas and American Indian. They came to the "New World" more recently for the most part. Great-Grandpa's ancestors fought in their country's war of Independence against Mexico. Casting off the old world for the new. They made their lives in that singular place, Texas. They nearly all gone home now. My maternal Grandfather is the last one. He lives on the opposite side of my home from me. It helps when he falls asleep with his TV on.

I enjoy curling up in bed with a mini-maglight and a good book. That is a little piece held over from childhood, except I don't have to put the flashlight under the covers. My favorite genre is historical fiction. Something like C.S. Forester's classic series chronicalling the adventures of "Horatio Hornblower". Or W.E.B. Griffin's varous series "The Corps" or the "Brotherhood of War", there are characters and topics that I can relate to in my own life. I will devour professional topics also. I have been very happy with "Brand HiJack", "The Project Manager's Blackbook", and my fav, "The Servant Leader".

I like the outdoors. I enjoy riding my old mountain bike in the hills near my home. I like to walk, or "hike" in the same venue near my home, or anywhere. I really like taking roadtrips. In that case, it may well be the journey and not the destination. And the company. My favorite roadtrip destination so far though is Baja. A grueling 800 mile drive South to the Bahia de los Angeles. Then, a relaxing, and peaceful stay at Doc's Camp Gecko just South of the town. Ahhh, white sands, warm blue water, wonderful!

I have always been an explorer. I have always felt at home in places not my own. In the mountains, the forest, the desert, in other countries. I have a thirst for exploration. Even if it is just an evening stroll on University Avenue in Palo Alto, I like to get out and do. I am working to open up my ability to travel, to explore more than I have been able to do the past few years. I am a cross between Rick Steves and Lonely Planet in my travel style. I do tend to go low to the ground, working to blend in as much as possible. I have always had a modicum of success in doing this. It helps with my career also: Managing relationships with offshore vendors. At each encounter, I have come aways with friendships that has outlasted the project or employment. My list includes some of the typical destinations: Italy, France, Germany, Brazil. But also there are also some more exotic places I would like to see: The Silk Road, in Western China. Guadalcanal in the Soloman Islands. And many spots that are close to my heart because they are my history: Texas, Tennesse, North Carolina, Virginia, England, Scotland, Poland, Spain. I have a list, and of course an orbitz account, tracking the best fares available. . .I will just keep ticking things off of my list.

There is never a time when you may stop learning. If you were to do so, you may as well die, or at least turn to stone to maintain your usefullness for something. I am always looking to improve myself, my knowledge, my abilities. In the end, it all comes down to you. Who you are and what you do about it. Knowledge is power, truly. "My people perish for lack of knowledge" He Himself said. So make good choices, keep your lamp burning bright and fed.

So now you have a look into me: My interests, things that I enjoy. Perhaps it has painted a picture of who I am, or is that canvas still incomplete? I will continue to paint that picture and share the journey as it unfolds.

Who I am.

2005-10-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

First, I know who I am, and what I am about, and I am happy with me. This self-realization did not come overnight, it was something that I grew into learning things about myself experentially. I know that I will never stop learning, or growing, but the rough edges are chipped away, it is minute adjustments now.

Second, I like most everyone I meet, and get along with most everyone. I do have great difficulty tolerating idiocy. I especially cannot stand hypocrisy. I have a steadfast faith and a solid belief system and set of values that are quite old school. People, or events may try me, but will fail to change those core beliefs and values. Other people's beliefs and opinions are theirs, not mine, and I respect the holders right to them, I may not accept those beliefs or opinions.

Third, I have accepted that I am on a journey, walking a path that has been set before me. I will walk that path, doing my best not to be distracted by things along the way. But keeping myself focussed on the destination.

That is me. You may take these statements and apply them to my life, it will make perfect sense. Usually. I have stumbled a number of times along the way. I have strayed from the path more than once. These things make me human.

There is is.

The Seventies

2005-10-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Where were you in the seventies?

We had a great discussion about that at work last week. I was the only one that was alive in the seventies. What sparked it all was "The End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones". I was covering the phones in the station one Sunday and brought that in on DVD to watch with the on-duty crew. Good movie by the way! We were discussing the Ramones, and the origin of punk.

Punk has a good following still, but the fan base at large is missinformed, and truly ignorant about the origins. Interesting. I did a survey of the predominantly 20-somethings that make up the headcount at work. The common given is that the Sex Pistols started it all. Some of them do not even know who The Ramones are.

So there we were, on a quiet, calm Sunday afternoon, watching "The End of the Century". As I said, a good movie. The interview and comments by members of other bands including the Clash were excellent. The story of The Ramones July, 1976 gig in London is an eye-opener to most. The anectdote of the members of the Clash being pulled up through a window to meet The Ramones backstage, or the story about Johnny Rotten being frightened that The Ramones would beat him up. That was classic!

Where were you in the seventies?

I was in middle school and began high school in the seventies. I went to homecoming where the band played Disco covers, and I was nattily atired in a pinstriped, Angel's Flight suit. I listened to Blitzkrieg Bop, and thought "That was something!". Then the Sex Pistols came to America, the news media had a frenzy, and it wasn't prudent to be a "Punk", and vomit randomly, or stick safety pins through your face. That wasn't Punk, it was trash, taken over by the pop culture svengalis, and twisted to extreme for shock value and dolleros. Safer to listen to Michael Jackson "Off the Wall" in my house then.

Where were you in the seventies?

I had a huge crush on a pretty brunette, who was two years older than I. Kathleen Killips. She was pretty, probably still is. Girls were different in the seventies. There were not the strutural modification and enhancement options available then as there are now. I liked that.

I remember the end of the seventies, and was glad to see them go.

First Post

2005-10-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is my first post. The concept of blogging has developed quite a bit hasn't it? I have resisted it until now. Originally it was supposed to be the private journal, revealed to friends, or even the world. Now, it has morphed into the new grapevine. We have the ability to share our views, opinions, insider secrets with the world. Is that a good idea, or no? In my own opinion, it is a good idea, but must be taken with that proverbial "grain of salt". Too much information on the Internet is simply taken as fact, as truth. NOT. The same as cherished folk stories, passed down from generation to generation, or the urban legend told around the campfire to frighten, intrigue the teller's audience, so is the Internet.

So there it is, my first Blog posting. More to follow,

Greer.