Where did the time go?

This morning's snowfall brought me up sharp with the thought that its WINTERY...not the summer of the SO recent thoughts and the Oh SO too busy life.

On the slippery commute, interupted by those who cannot seem to drive with a slip of snow and slickness (its NOT dry pavement folks), punctuated by red and blue flashing lights, I had some time to reflect on the whirlwind that the last 8 months have been.

Off time, firewood permits and woodcutting, stacking the little blue S-10 to its capacity with firewood, cut off the slash piles, unloaded and stacked for splitting down to stove size later.

Turkey hunting on a friend's ground and very successfully to boot! Some time in the hills with a rifle, around trips to the Land of the Rising Sun, but no deer to fill the freezer with.

 The occasional peek into the woods that soothe my soul and refresh my mind.  Even ONE trip out on the water...very short trip...mostly spent playing tug boat captain with my old boat for another boaters broken boat.

All of those things rammed into and around an incredibly heavy, every expanding workload...hiring 5 folks wasn't enough, 15 more followed and STILL the workload climbs past capacity.  As it turns out...various minor models are NOT Red, Blue and Green Legos...and do NOT fit together that way.  Integration is the watchword, the curse and the muttered password, said with rolling eyes.

My boys and I spent the last few evenings checking out the trucks and preparing them for the forecast foul weather...shovels, tire chains, flashlights, gloves (axes, chainsaws, ropes, logging chains, peavy and safety gear in mine) sandbags and raingear.  Its seldom that we cannot get where we need to go, in spite of the conditions of the roads and other drivers.

Ah well... such is life, today will pass, safely one hopes and tomorrow will come.

Jobs, work and steady employment!

Having been at the same Salt Mine for just shy of two decades, I sometimes regard management, managers and the whole idea of direction a bit askance. ( Lots of !WHAT! were they THINKING????)

After the last 6 years of extreme stress and unending toil, dismaying new discoveries, incessant globe trotting and not nearly enough sleep, I've suddenly found myself doing something I hadn't chosen to do. Apparently several of the management types decided that they needed an experienced Sr Manufacturing Engineer to attempt to side-step some of the hassles that have befallen the previous program.

I was shanghaied.

Much to my surprise things are much better, while not by any means laid back, I have some control of the trajectory short of turning in my badge and I get to choose the folks who will be working on my assigned work-package.

Per the last visit with the Doc, the BP is down 20 points or so...I'm sleeping again (well sorta) and I see daylight NOT through a window but actually walking about in it producing Vitamin D the old fashioned way. At least I will as soon as the Deluge ends.

It appears that there MIGHT be something TO this gig after all!

While the financial strictures of the program tell me that we will be doing anything and everything with very little resources, I'm confident that we DO know how to make THIS project work and be a moneymaker in spite of a very Scotch bid to get the work.

I'm working on the initial estimates to get the workload, to spec out and hire a crew and get down to doing what we are known the world over for... making flying machines. This time for the USAF, a very demanding customer.

I've even been told that a smile has crossed my visage in the last few weeks.

What next, Sunshine?

Life and busy-ness

There are some times that there are just NOT enough hours in the day... It will be that I'll be back. Just might take a bit. sleep(a bit), work, drive between the two. That about covers the daily activities.

I'll be back (as a semi-famous actor/governator once said).

Sometimes

Sitting at my desk on Sunday grinding on mandatory training, not neglected, just not made high enough priority to shoehorn into incredibly BUSY days. Thinking of all the places I would RATHER be today...Woods, Lakes, Rivers, Mountains....just about ANYWHERE but a desk.

Yesterday I was here as well, listening to the growl of radials and the snarl of big V-12s powering the warbirds up and out of the pattern to come around and then thundering down over the crowds. Saturday was General Aviation Day at the local airport, leavened with a large dose of the wonders from a bygone era. One of the local successful folks has a flying collection of the wonders of those days, mostly in flying condition unless the parts to return them to the skies are made of Unobtainium or are just too difficult to handle and too dangerous for Modern Sensibilities. Fah.

After work I went over to the source of the beautiful sounds, just as the doors were closing, shutting away the sleek lines and unbridled power. I'll have to get over there next weekend when some of the others will be flying, along with some visitors.

Thinking back to the travels of late, I was AT the site of the birth of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries A6M Zero, an unassuming concrete clock tower, now the site of the MRJ and the MHI portion of the Boeing 787. This shot was one sunny evening, just before the sun fled below the hills across the bay. The light was surreal and crisp enough to stop and take a minute to appreciate it.

Now where factories stood making the nimble aircraft, while the B-29s tried to remove that capacity, a new generation of aircraft takes shape. Maybe its irony that the same Boeing that designed the B-29 to reach the Empire of Japan, now works with the same companies it built bombers to destroy in order to further the reaches of aviation.

That minute nearly cost me the walk to the main station instead of the spur train, but with a steady jog I made it just as the bell for the doors rang. In Japan, when the doors close, the train GOES. The walk is not a bad one and until recently it was leavened by the glow of a beer machine on the corner near the station. The demise of the beer machine is all the more reason to jog to the spur train.

Back to my training so I can get OUT of here and go see the marvels of a by-gone era...

Bugs.

Bleah.
Viruses are nasty critters, with consequences no less.

After four hours in the RAW weather leading up to First Flight I thought that I had a small cold. NOT SO. I had/have a BIG cold that has transmogrified itself into a sinus infection. YUCK. This has NOT been my year for staying well, I have used up about 3 years worth of nasty-sickness time in one shuffle of 3 serious illnesses. Stress must have something to do with weakened immune systems.

This to shall pass, though being restricted to my bed bores me to tears and even sick I see all the stuff I think I should be doing. the 9.3x57 loading program languishes as does the 300 Win Mag load development and the 30-06 load development. Since I managed to get through the season with out seeing the critters that were legal THEN AND THERE... AND were in range there is an emptiness in my freezer and a hollow in my soul. Illness stole elk season as well, hence my well-and-truly-sick-and-tired-of-being-sick rant.

Not near enough time in the woods, too much at work and not enough to quell the need in my soul for peace and greenery. A few ducks so far, but not the elk roasts or venison chops nor the sausage I so crave.

Think I need to re-think some priorities. Maybe now with things finally underway in a noticeable manner, work will ease its insatiable demands just a touch. Give us veterans of the salt mines a minute to breath before being flung back into the pit.

A lootery (lottery) would be really nice to win just about now. Of course one has to play to win. Aahhh you say..that is a key component. What would i do? Sleep until I was done sleeping, get up and start a pot of coffee and take a LONG, hot shower, then consider all the "stuff" that fills my waking dreams, pick one and start on it. Pretty simple really. A few things in the Buy-It-Now column just to set the stage. Nothing much more beyond living life.

Time for more coffee today.

Not any warmer...

Its the end of a chilly week, work has been mayhem all week, big announcements, lots of busy-ness and long hours. After sleeping until the body announced "enough sleeping" instead of the alarm, I scooted around for the day. Went out and about, stopped to help a friend with frozen pipes meeting with limited success, hit work and discovered that after all the hoo-rah and shouting...I didnt need to be there after all. So I fought my way through the shopping madness traffic and tried hit the woods for a while.

Tomorrow I will be up when i awaken and try this again...no other chores tomorrow. Just me and the trees...and HOPEFULLY an unwary blacktail buck.

Looked out a few minutes ago..no snow SO far.