Sunday Morning Coming Down

I had done what I thought was the proper thing of setting my alarm clock back one hour for daylight savings time "fall back". When we woke up on Sunday morning I thought "it sure is awfully bright outside for 7:20 a.m." Well, it turns out that if you change the time backwards on a clock, and the clock automatically adjusts for daylight savings time, then you wake up at 7:20 a.m. when it is actually 8:20 a.m.

So, we missed getting up in time to get to church for our usual service. We hadn't had a "slow Sunday" morning in a very long time. We had breakfast and watched a couple of shows we had recorded.

The sun was shining, which hadn't happened for most of the month of October. We saw stats on the news last night that October in Fort Worth was the cloudiest in recorded history. I looked at the remote thermometer and it was showing 75 outside. What a perfect morning for a motorcycle ride.

I got the bike warmed up, put all my safety gear on, and put in earbuds to listed to the mp3 player on my phone. The riding music for this morning would be the album "The Legend of Johnny Cash".

The ride was so perfect and the weather beautiful. I started the music before I left the house and just let the album play continuously on the ride.

What came together in a wonderful moment of timing was the song "Sunday Morning Coming Down" playing while I was riding on one of the most beautiful stretches of road. Slow winding turns through red and golden leafed trees running along the country road.

What a relaxing and rejuvenating morning.

... listening for Zebras

I was driving around last weekend in my 98 F-150. Pulled through the drive in a Sonic to get some drinks to take home. I looked down and I noticed that the temperature gauge on the truck was rising up around the "H" end of the dial. Not good.

Being that I am an electrical designer I immediately think of things that could be going wrong from an electrical point of view. Could there be an issue with a resistor, the wiring, the temperature sensor somewhere in the engine block? What is going on that I can fix with my knowledge.

I get home, check the coolant level, and add about a gallon and a half of water to the radiator. Problem solved.

I have known that I have a slow leak in the heater core that needs to be dealt with, but for some reason I could not put that fact together with the temperature gauge.

The saying goes "when you hear the sound of hooves, think of horses not zebras". The most basic explanation for a problem is typically the cause of the problem.

Blog Block

I have been trying to come up with a new topic to write about here. Haven't thought of anything pertinent at the moment.


Since the trip to Alaska I have been very busy at work. Too busy. I hear tell of an economy that is not doing well and industries that are struggling. Apparently I am in an industry that is not having those problems.

This is the first weekend that I have been able to breathe and not worry about all I am responsible for at work. We mowed the lawn Friday afternoon. I played some cards on Friday night. Went out to breakfast with my family, and ran a few errands. Did some house cleaning.

I guess I am at a melancholy point in the year. Our vacation time has already passed, so I don't have that to look forward to. The summer here in Fort Worth is fairly hot, so being outside isn't particularly enjoyable. I didn't get as much motorcycle riding in this spring as I would have liked, and now it is fairly hot for that also. NFL Football season is coming up, but nothing along those line to watch right now.




I hope to write of merrier times, of reasonable work schedules, of comfortable days and of plans for good times ahead.





Please stay tuned.

First Ride of the Season

This is my sweet clean ride. My 1982 Honda Silverwing GL500 Interstate. I've been doing some maintenance on it (oil change, flush radiator, updated some wiring).

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Cheryl and I rode it to Fed Ex and to the Post Office last night. It was just a little chilly around 7:00, but nothing that cuddling together can't fix.

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The bike rode very nice and smooth. The latest additions I have installed are a voltage/temperature/clock meter set, and throttle grip paddle to ease the wrist strain, and some nice chrome helmet hooks to let us lock up the helmets with the saddle bags left on.

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I hope to get out more often now that the nice spring weather has arrived.

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Not much content here for this post, but I just wanted to share a little of my life's hobbies.

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The Cigar and the License Plates

I've been known to enjoy a cigar from time to time. The quiet peace of evening, smoke, and conversation with a good friend make for some of the best times in life. I look back fondly on the memories of time that I have spent in the quiet of such evenings.

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Once I was given a gift by a former manager. He knew of my fondness of enjoying cigars. He was traveling through England for a few weeks. When he got back to work he brought a small box over to my desk. Inside was a genuine Cuban Montecristo cigar. Since Cuban cigars are illegal to bring into the country and quite desirable I was very appreciative. I knew that what I now had was special and would treat it as such.

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I carefully kept the cigar in my humidor. The temperature maintained as close to 70 degrees as possible. The humidity level near 70%. I would protect and preserve this cigar for a very special occasion.

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The months passed, and I would check on this special prize every once in a while. Refill the water to keep the humidity just right. Waiting for that special occasion when I would indulge in this fine gift.

As time went on I started noticing some small spots on the side of the cigar. The wrapper was also starting to peel away in certain locations. I thought that maybe it was getting too humid where it was stored so I tried to dry it out a little over time. Those efforts failed. In the end (several years after receiving the cigar) it was falling apart and ended up a complete loss. It was never smoked.

This now ties into the story of the license plates.

We have two boys. When I was required to travel away from home I would always try to find something to bring back for them. On one occasion, I found a set of license plates with their names as seen in the picture. I had a similar one mounted under the back of my bicycle seat when I was growing up and pictured them having the same. I once again wanted to save these for a proper time to present them. Maybe the next time they get new bicycles would be perfect. It would go so much better on a new bike than the old ones they are riding now.

New bikes came and went. I never seemed to find the "perfect" time to put the plates on the new bikes.

Now our oldest son has graduated high school and moved out to live on his own. Our youngest son is a sophomore in high school and will be learning to drive in the near future. There never was the "perfect" opportunity that I had envisioned. The chance has come and gone. Now I sit here writing about this with two license plates still in my desk drawer. The enjoyment of them receiving these gifts would have been so much more lasting of a memory.

Don't delay the chance to give, to share, to bless someone, and to enjoy the opportunities that life gives us at the moment they arrive.

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If you delay, all you might end up with is two small license plates.

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The Magical Power of Cellophane

I have become aware of a phenomenon that has been a part of my life for a very long time. Only recently have I been able to decipher the true power behind this.

I have long known that there is some sensory perception that different beings on this earth have that others may not have. Some would call this a "sixth sense". Others might define this as having "divine sight". But, I have found a potential solution to these theories.

The beings that I believe have the most sensitive perception of this power are canines. Dogs. Mutts. Any part of the species. I cannot say the same for cats, as I don't know too many cats, and the ones I do know seems really pretentious to me.

Since we now know the receptors of these signals are dogs, I can now divulge the source of the signal transmission that transcends modern logic. Cellophane.

Cellophane was invented in the 1900's by Swiss chemist Jacques E. Brandenberger while employed by Blanchisserie et Teinturerie de Thaon. There must have been some madness to the inspiration of his invention.

The magic power of the Cellophane is released when it breaks the bonds of connection with a semi-soft surface. The "energy" that comes from this strange magnetic/magical bonding is the source of my discovery. The product line that is now commercially available that I have been utilizing for this experiment is marketed under the name of "Veggie Slices". I have been using this product since I started on Weight Watchers several weeks ago.

When I pull back on the Cellophane of the "Veggie Slice" the "energy", or whatever magical source of power it really is, is released. This power emminates through the volume of my house. The canine receptors receive this energy and are summoned to the source. Within mere seconds of my pulling back the Cellophane there are three dogs immediately located at my feet. They look up at me, eyes very alert and open, and stare at me in wonder, as if I were the commander of some magical realm that they could only dream of.

I do not have a plan to harness this power. At this point in my scientific discovery I cannot determine if the world is ready for this news. If this type of power and control were to fall into the wrong hands, I dare say this could lead to the development of a weapon that would render our sourcest canine warning systems useless.

For now I will continue to experiment with this power. For those of you that read this posting, if there is ever any evidence that I have been taken against my will, please keep this information to yourselves as I do not with any ill will on my good friends.

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Week 3 of the Infiltration

I had my third WW meeting on Monday. The good news is that I have lost 7.4 pounds so far over the past two weeks. The bad news is that I know I have lost more than that, I just gained pieces of it back over the weekends. That's the bad part of having my meeting on a Monday.

The large group of ladies (not group of large ladies!) is seeming to tolerate my infiltration. They do notice me sitting off to the side, eating my sandwich and drinking coffee from a Styrofoam cup. I was wearing a tie today, so they might have even thought I was "The Man".


I got a gold star for making my first 5 pound weight goal. There were only two of us in this meeting that got stars. When the stars were passed out, I saw some flashes of jealousy in people's eyes. They say that it is easier for men to lose weight when first starting out. I guess I'll also hit that plateau sometime in the coming weeks. I do feel better even after just losing this much. Haven't started walking for exercise yet. I don't want to get all healthy too quickly!

After I left the meeting I felt like there was a hushed buzzing back in the meeting room. Are they planning some type of a coup? Will they spike my coffee with pure cane sugar while I am weighing in? Why are there chocolate chips in my sandwich? How did all this loose change make it's way into my pockets?


As my mission continues I will keep you all posted. Carb Master Delta - Out!!!

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The Eagle and The Chicken

A man once found an eagle's egg and put it in the nest
of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched and grew up with the rest
of a brood of chicks and though he didn't look at all the same.
He scratched the earth for worms and bugs and played the chicken's games.

The eagle clucked and cackled, he made a chicken's sound;
He thrashed his wings, but only flew some two feet off the ground.
That's high as chickens fly, the eagle had been told.
The years passed and one day when the eagle was quite old.

He saw something magnificent flying very high
And making great majestic circles up there in the sky.
He'd never seen the likes of it. "What's that?" he asked in awe,
While he watched in wonder at the grace and power he saw.

"Why that's an eagle," someone said, "He belongs up there, it's clear.
Just as we, since we are chickens, belong earthbound down here."
The old eagle just accepted that, most everybody does.
And he lived and died a chicken, for that's what he thought he was.


Never believe that you have limitations.

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Encyclopedia Brown and the case of the striped patio

It was the summer of 1997, and my family was enjoying the "salad years", as they call them. Our two boys were 6 and 3. We had built a nice covered patio that provided a shaded haven in our back yard. We had some cherry trees for shade and a nice green lawn.


Our oldest son had his first two wheeled bicycle. Since we didn't trust the street traffic in front of the house we had figured a way for our oldest to ride his bike on a small loop in the back yard. The route went longways across the patio, around the metal shed, through the two cherry trees, and back around to the patio to start again. There was a small rut worn in the lawn after a few weeks of riding, but we were happy with the kids being outside.


During this time, as with all the rest of our married life, we had at least one dog.


The challenge of the backyard riding loop had some conflict with the lawn area where the dog(s) would relieve themselves of their previously digested food. Piles of this scattered the yard.


Although I tried to keep the yard clean, there were instances when bicycle tire met with pile, and the brown mess became strewn all about. Filled tire tread became a rotating applicator on the surface of the concrete. There was an array of light brown striping all across the patio.


Determined to keep this situation from happening, I became the daily cleaner of the yard, as well as the bike tires and the patio surface. I scrubbed that patio with soapy water and a push broom. I felt that for the happiness of our boys, and the cleanliness of our yard and house, I had succeeded in this master plan.

As the days went on I realized that these stripes were reappearing on the patio, and at an alarming rate! I went back out, scrubbed the patio again, and cleaned all the dog residue from the yard. We are good to go once again.

A few days later I noticed the brown stripes happening again. Confused as to how this was happening I decided to view the process of the boy's actions, instead of trying to figure out how it was happening from the final result. I waited for our boy to go outside and ride his bike, and watched from behind the curtain at the patio door.

What I saw I could not have deduced as any part of my curious puzzle. There was the boy, making his laps through the yard, leaning over the handlebars with a keen eye on the front tire of the bicycle. With the tactile concentration of a Kamikaze diving his Zero towards a prime military target at full speed, he was deliberately hitting every single dog pile in sight.

Ever since then I have learned to never assume that any puzzle or problem has any elements that think or perform in a logical manner. In life, always factor in for the illogical. And, while you are at it, you should always factor in for dealing with lots of dog piles.

What is it worth to you?

There are certain people in this life that try to focus on one thing as what "defines" them. Some people are obsessed with their bodies and health. Some people focus solely on collecting objects (cars, houses, "shiny" things). Some only think about their careers and how to make it to that next rung up the corporate ladder (I work with some of these). Some are all about money, making money, having money, making more money.

I was taken back recently by a news article I read. A German named Adolf Merckle had started in business in 1967 when he took over his family business, which employed about 80 people. Since then the business had grown, and done very well. With his leadership the company is now a conglomerate of 120 separate companies that at present employ around 100,000 people and have revenues of 30 billion euros. In 2007 he is listed in the top 50 richest people on the Forbes list.

Adolf's companies have fallen on hard times recently, as many companies have. He asked for help from several banks to obtain loans to help keep these companies viable. He did not find any banks that were willing to help him.

With his identity being solely focused on building his companies, he did not think there was anything else more important in life.




I wonder if this was still in his thoughts when he left his home on Monday night and intentionally walked in front of a speeding train?




What he thought defined him as a person were the companies he ran. Did he have any hobbies? Did he have a favorite movie? Did he do anything for himself?

I feel that we need to have a balance in our lives. We cannot focus on one thing and expect that to define who we are as a person.

We can have a job, or a career, but it should be something that we enjoy doing. If you enjoy what you do, it doesn't seem as much like "work". I was once told that the secret of succeeding in business is "Find something that you would enjoy doing any other day of the year, and then get someone to pay you to do that".

We can build our lives around appearances, but when it comes down to it the only other people that focus on our appearances are other people that obsess about their appearances. Those who focuses on appearances always believe that they aren't as good looking as everyone else.

We can buy "things", and try to have "more" and "better" than other people. In the end, when you are gone, all you have done is given your loved ones "chores" to deal with what you left.


The bottom line is that we need a balance of things in our life. Family, friends, pets, movies, food, games, camping, sunlight, beaches. No one thing is meant to define who we think we are.


So I now turn that question back to you .... what do you find that's "of worth"?

WW and the 11th floor invasion

I have decided to commit to the challenge of losing weight. This is not solely for the want of being lighting, feeling better, or any sense of vanity that I might have. You might say that I have a financial interest in losing weight.

My wife and I are presently planning a cruise to Alaska. One of the excursions we are planning on taking is a helicopter ride out to land on one of the glaciers. Once we are there we can get out and walk around. Well, since not everyone weighs the same, but the helicopter only has a certain number of seats, there is a 250 lb. limit per person without having to book a second seat and pay a weight surcharge. I am presently hovering around 260 lbs, and I don't want to pay extra for my additional weight, or deny some other person the opportunity of riding the helicopter out to the glacier. I would be upset if I was not able to fly out to the glacier based on someone else being overweight.

As chance would have it, last month one of the ladies I work with mentioned that in January we were starting a Weight Watchers at Work meeting. If we get 20 people or more we can have it hosted in our building. It would make it very convenient to meet, weigh in, and be accountable to each other for proper eating habits and food ideas. I thought this would be a good thing, and a way to motivate myself to stick with a weight loss program, and possibly an eating lifestyle change.

Today was the introductory meeting. I met up with my friend, and two of her girlfriends from her floor, and we all rode the elevators down to the 11th floor. As I walked into the conference room with them I noticed a few other ladies that I recognized. I thought to myself that this was good. There would be other people that I know in the group. I moved to the back of the conference room. More ladies. I sat and the back table of the room. This is where I found myself in a situation I realized I had not been before. 26 Ladies ..... 1 Man. Me.

As we listened to the instructor, I realized that any of my usual "jokes" that I could have thrown out would not have been well accepted in the present company. I think I really had a good feel of what being a "minority" is like. There was one moment that I really had to hold myself back from raising my hand. The instructor had asked if there were any nursing mothers in the room. I realized that I will have to face these women for the next 17 weeks. Best not to be "that guy" on week 1. Apparently if you are a nursing mother, you get some extra points each week. I'll keep that fact in my hip pocket in case I need it for a joke later.

I will update you as I work on this challenge. Hopefully if I show that I can do it then maybe someone out there that doesn't think they can make a change will be inspired to give it a try. I'll also update you on the secrets that I discover from continuing to infiltrate the "land of women".

Coffee and Decorations

We took down our Christmas decorations. The house seems much bigger now. It also seems a little more empty. The colors and lights that brightened our home during Christmas are now replaced with slightly parted blinds and a sea of properly selected neutral colors. The coffee even seems to have a slightly less festive taste.

We prepare our minds to go back to work after the holidays. The presents are all put away, the newness somewhat worn off. We will have the pictures saved on our cameras and computers, but will only see them as they rotate through on our screen savers.

What we do have now is the blessings of our friends and family, the security of employment, the ability to sustain ourselves, and the memories of the less busy times that we have just shared.

May you all have a full and rewarding new year.