Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A matter of perspective
Last Sunday was Mothers Day, and a Sunday. I don't know if that always lines up, but I suppose it does. We had planned on going up to my parents farm after church and visiting for a bit. This happened, and then that happened, and then it was sort of late, and my frustration level was up two or three notches above too much coffee. We finally got on the road, and I drove too fast. I like to drive fast, and always have. I do not know of many thrills in this life that compare. Being older, and having my wife along, and not having my radar detector, I chose to moderate this proclivity. Some. I did let her stretch out her legs on the interstate, and made the horses talk to me a couple of times. Once off of the four lane after Carthage, and heading north on a very straight road I know so very well, I just went a little fast. I remembered, and recalled, days of a hot rod Lincoln on that road, and coming down from 100+ at the first tree line to keep from bottoming out the shocks as the road fell away, and then back up for a bit, and then down for a hard left turn. Mostly my imagination this day. But as I made the hard left, my wife said the GPS says I should go to the right. Now I knew in my heart that this is just wrong. I have been this way many times. But That GPS has proven my facts wrong before, so a hard brake, and back to the intersection and on through to what would have been a right at the hard left. My wife says you just passed the road. I say: "That was a dirt road", we can't take it, I will parallel it at the next blacktop. We do, and sure enough tractors and implements that take up the whole road keep appearing. I try to make up time by going just above uncomfortable. More implements and hard stops. Suddenly we are on the gravel, and I am believing this is shorter, but not faster. Up over a rise, and we are on a dirt road with ruts so deep that if a wheel were to go in, we would be high centered, and stuck there, and probably be broken, until a large truck came to pull us out while the hillbillies laughed. Having grown up where roads are often bad, I made it about a mile down this road (being shorter) to an impasse, where a tree had fallen across the road, and the GPS said I only had a thousand yards to go to the highway. I considered going to the field to go around, but thought better of it, and turned back. Once again through the ruts big enough to take a proper bath in. Back onto the blacktop, and south. (remember I had wanted to go north) and just considered it a bad deal. When we got back to the wrong town, and got back on the road, and came to where the road actually came out, I found I had made the right move. The ruts on that last hill down to the highway were monstrous, and would have required a four wheel drive big big truck to negotiate.I think I should rely on my instincts more. I have become dependent on this tech stuff. Oddly enough, my mood was much better than it had been in days. My wife noticed and asked why. After some thought, I decided that it had been a bad plan, but well played. Sort of an adventure. We overcame obstacles, and made the goal. The only thing that could have improved it at all would have been a cop on my tail.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Full of Myself
Well, here I am again. Wife is out. Son who lives here gone. Just me and the small screen. I haven't been putting my thoughts down lately, because they are thoughts of anxiety and uncertainty. Not my normal self. Generally, I find humor in the juxtaposition of normal circumstances crossed with a chaos philosophy I seem to work within. I had some blood taken last Friday for cancer tests, and will know the results mid-morning Friday to come. It has been six months since my last go around with this, and my last results were not horrible, or comforting, as far as that goes. I have had some troubles associated with the last rounds of radiation, and fear the worst. I suppose this is a way to get that WOW what was I thinking feeling when the results all come back with low numbers. My dad says "Why worry". Sounds right, but doesn't seem to work for me. I brood. And, I suppose it serves me right, after all of those years of not paying any attention at all to my health. I really only became "Vincible" three years ago. It is relatively new thought for me. In my heart I know I will be fine, regardless of which way the test goes. The worry is not the twist your hands, self introspection, sort of brooding I see in others. More of a steam vessel concept. Set for ten lbs. and the pressure is 9.6 lbs. Small jolts seem to break the seal, and tiny bursts of steam escape without my permission. It seems like a stupid way of dealing with it when you think about it. Not so very productive in any way. Yet, here I am. I can't think of a worst way to deal with this. (With the possible exception of my friend Verne, who has this and just chooses to ignore it) I am an angry man it seems. That fellow who we all see, and think, Man what made that happen. It is totally arrogant on my part to have this attitude I suppose. I did not design this plan. I wasn't there when the foundations of the earth were laid. Who the heck gave me permission to have any thoughts on this in the first place. Shaking my fist at the sky is just pitiable. Writing it down does not help either. The truth is: I am glad I was born, and happy I got this far. I feel very fortunate to have had the life put before me. I suppose I could have acted better at times, but then I wouldn't know the depths of being sorry, or feeling foolish when I made really stupid mistakes. I truly have been blessed, and if I never get older, I certainly got more than I deserve. I have a few regrets, but am not fully prepared to make reparations, and will just have to count of the grace of my friends in these matters. Assuming the worst. If I get better, and win the lottery, then this will just be a moment of weakness and indecision. It only deserves posting because of the contrast to the glitter that truly has been the bulk of my life. I once had a man tell me that my promotion over him was just and right, and had nothing to do with being deserved. It was just part of my path. I don't know exactly what that means, but have thought on it at times when things went my way for no reasonable explanation. Just possibly I should use the light of that epiphany on this time as well.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Where will I live
Baby Bear
The three bears had been having some trouble recently and had ended up in family court. Mama and Papa bear were splitting up, and baby bear had to decide who he was going to live with.
So, the judge wanted to talk to baby bear to see what he thought about living with either of his parents. When he asked baby bear about living with his father, baby bear said "No, I can't live with Papa bear, he beats me terribly."
"OK," said the judge, "then you want to live with your mother, right?"
"No way!" replied baby bear, "She beats me worse than Papa bear does."
The judge was a bit confused by this, and didn't quite know what to do. "Well, you have to live with someone, so is there any relatives you would like to stay with?" asked the judge.
"Yes," answered baby bear, "my aunt Bertha bear who lives in Chicago."
"You're sure she will treat you well and won't beat you?" asked the judge.
"Oh definitely," said baby bear, "the Chicago Bears don't beat anybody."
The three bears had been having some trouble recently and had ended up in family court. Mama and Papa bear were splitting up, and baby bear had to decide who he was going to live with.
So, the judge wanted to talk to baby bear to see what he thought about living with either of his parents. When he asked baby bear about living with his father, baby bear said "No, I can't live with Papa bear, he beats me terribly."
"OK," said the judge, "then you want to live with your mother, right?"
"No way!" replied baby bear, "She beats me worse than Papa bear does."
The judge was a bit confused by this, and didn't quite know what to do. "Well, you have to live with someone, so is there any relatives you would like to stay with?" asked the judge.
"Yes," answered baby bear, "my aunt Bertha bear who lives in Chicago."
"You're sure she will treat you well and won't beat you?" asked the judge.
"Oh definitely," said baby bear, "the Chicago Bears don't beat anybody."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Industrial Terrorist
5 18 94
Yesterday, a small, smelly spot in the east parking lot by the old office building was brought to my attention. When I walked over there, it was apparent that the ground was saturated with human waste. The bricks actually gave way under my feet. On investigation, it turned out that the sanitary sewer for human waste to the Publicly Owned Treatment Facility was blocked big time. If you know how this thing is constructed, it's an amazing concept. The piping is over a foot in diameter in most places. When it goes into the man holes for distribution, the spaces are over five feet in diameter. Every thing from the street back into our rest rooms was plugged up twelve feet deep, which caused the sewage to back up to the surface at the lower parking lot. I called A.J. Allen Co. to get some help with the situation. The secretary from there was now involved. She helped find her boss, who was glad to come right over and evaluate the problem. We decided we would have to dig, so we called the one call operator for locations of utilities in areas where one has to dig. She is person number four. She calls the Midwest Power supervisor who authorizes the job and sends two people right over in a truck to check the power situation out. The one call operator next calls the Water works supervisor, who sends a truck and a person to see if we are going to dig next to any water lines. Next comes the several phone services, the Gas Company, City of Des Moines maintenance crews to check on storm drain locations, and sewer placement. I'm not sure if anyone else came, but we finally decided it was safe to call the back hoe in. His supervisor authorized it, and he came right over. We pulled the brick up and found the man hole we wanted and called the person from Smith's Sewer Service to put his high pressure hose down into the smelly mess. After a couple hours of sweat the first bundle of shop towels came bursting down the line. ( Did I mention Larry P., and Elmer M. were out to help earlier on) Several more attempts and we could finally see the bottom of the big manhole in the shipping lot. The bottom was covered with hundreds of shop towels and human waste. Now, if this happened at your house, and you found out that your kids, or your wife, or your neighbor had done it, you would probably put a stop to it. I mean right now!
All of the people who take the time to read this note, and talk it over with someone else will have eventually become involved. This is not a simple prank. It couldn't have cost more if the person had taken a gun and robbed a store. He would have gotten something out of it then. This person is involved in the crime I asked you to be aware of and report just last week. If you know who is doing this, and remain silent, you are part of the problem. This person is a criminal, and is costing every person around him more than they should want to contribute. Turn them in. Don't even think twice about it. They deserve no consideration at all. If you let these people have a say in your life, you are jeopardizing your own future. They certainly won't stop if you don't stop them. Don’t let yourself be terrorized by hoodlums.
Steve Forrester
Yesterday, a small, smelly spot in the east parking lot by the old office building was brought to my attention. When I walked over there, it was apparent that the ground was saturated with human waste. The bricks actually gave way under my feet. On investigation, it turned out that the sanitary sewer for human waste to the Publicly Owned Treatment Facility was blocked big time. If you know how this thing is constructed, it's an amazing concept. The piping is over a foot in diameter in most places. When it goes into the man holes for distribution, the spaces are over five feet in diameter. Every thing from the street back into our rest rooms was plugged up twelve feet deep, which caused the sewage to back up to the surface at the lower parking lot. I called A.J. Allen Co. to get some help with the situation. The secretary from there was now involved. She helped find her boss, who was glad to come right over and evaluate the problem. We decided we would have to dig, so we called the one call operator for locations of utilities in areas where one has to dig. She is person number four. She calls the Midwest Power supervisor who authorizes the job and sends two people right over in a truck to check the power situation out. The one call operator next calls the Water works supervisor, who sends a truck and a person to see if we are going to dig next to any water lines. Next comes the several phone services, the Gas Company, City of Des Moines maintenance crews to check on storm drain locations, and sewer placement. I'm not sure if anyone else came, but we finally decided it was safe to call the back hoe in. His supervisor authorized it, and he came right over. We pulled the brick up and found the man hole we wanted and called the person from Smith's Sewer Service to put his high pressure hose down into the smelly mess. After a couple hours of sweat the first bundle of shop towels came bursting down the line. ( Did I mention Larry P., and Elmer M. were out to help earlier on) Several more attempts and we could finally see the bottom of the big manhole in the shipping lot. The bottom was covered with hundreds of shop towels and human waste. Now, if this happened at your house, and you found out that your kids, or your wife, or your neighbor had done it, you would probably put a stop to it. I mean right now!
All of the people who take the time to read this note, and talk it over with someone else will have eventually become involved. This is not a simple prank. It couldn't have cost more if the person had taken a gun and robbed a store. He would have gotten something out of it then. This person is involved in the crime I asked you to be aware of and report just last week. If you know who is doing this, and remain silent, you are part of the problem. This person is a criminal, and is costing every person around him more than they should want to contribute. Turn them in. Don't even think twice about it. They deserve no consideration at all. If you let these people have a say in your life, you are jeopardizing your own future. They certainly won't stop if you don't stop them. Don’t let yourself be terrorized by hoodlums.
Steve Forrester
Time Capsule for thoughts
1 1 00 Steve Forrester
These things appear to be self evident, and intuitively obvious.
1. Do not interrupt a conversation to make corrections when two other persons are speaking.
2. When only two persons are speaking, always wait until you are sure the other person has stopped speaking before you give your opinion about what they were saying. The conversation will never get where the first person was going if you divert it by interjecting your thoughts about a portion of the topic, or fail to accept the suppositions. You can always go back to correct the person when they are done. This is how proper conversation is supposed to happen. Cutting one another off mid thought makes for argument. (Summation is critical)
3. Listen the way you want to be listened to.
4. Ask for clarification if you do not understand the whole thought, but not until you have listened all the way.
5. Very often group conversation dynamics are faintly disguised pecking order contests. One-Up, Drop of the Name, Put downs, Over the head, Shot to the heart, Manly defamation, Emasculation, Head trip, Who’s your Mother, to name a few. Don’t play if you can’t stand to lose.
6. Actions speak volumes, words are deceitful. If you don’t act the way you speak, everyone knows, and assumes you are trying to mislead them by your statements. If you act the way they believe is right in the first place, it is difficult to make them believe you are misleading them, no matter how many words.
7. If you want something out of the conversation, let the other person think they are giving you a gift. Really appreciate it. Never beg or plead. If you must trade something, begin your offers at 10% of the Street Value. If you must have the item, and it is a bargaining situation, only go to 80% of the value, unless they are the only possessor of the item or information. If it is a common item, and you must pay full price, just go to K-Mart and close the negotiations. You loose all bargaining face if you pay the full price. The only time to do this, is to set the person up for a future gig.
8. Sharing your intimate thoughts gives people power over you.
9. People who you currently trust may in the future betray you.
10. When in doubt, go with your heart. It may mislead you, but you have to go with the percentages. If you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t believe in anybody else.
11. Always defer to your master. He would not be your master if he were not better. Never speak against him.
12. If your master fails you, find another one, or wait until he is deposed.
13. Give your all. Never give up. Overcome at all costs. Make them prove you wrong.
14. Never fear to fail. If you truly fail, you have been beaten and must accept it. Trying is more important than winning.
15. Ask advice from a broken man. He knows where he went wrong.
16. Ask advice from a great man. He knows where he went right.
17. Never betray a friend. If he betrays you, you were not his friend. You can still be friendly, but you can never be his friend again. If you betray him, you loose part of your soul. It will never be the same again. Know that you can never be friends again, and be a better friend the next time. This will haunt you forever.
18. A dog is always glad to see you.
19. If you are in despair, seek your friends. If you are honest with them, and they give you the advice of Jobs friends or wife, you have gone to the wrong friends. If you have a new perspective after talking with them, you made the right choice.
20. Respect other peoples personal space, and their property.
21. Stay away from gifts and obligations.
22. Make someone happy.
23. Overcome your natural instincts to obsess on mistakes. Choose to be happy.
24. Marry for love. Never Quit.
25. Brush your teeth.
26. Eat Well.
27. Travel.
28. Travel more.
29. Watch the Dawn’s early light.
30. Respect your parents.
31. Respect the elderly.
32. Learn something every day.
33. Try harder than anyone else, and choose wisely what you try.
34. Submit only if you have exhausted all of your resources.
35. Lay on your back on the hood of an old car on a moonless night & watch shooting stars. (Say money, money, money before the star flames out)
36. Build a fire in the woods, and sleep by it.
37. Get lost as often as possible. You never know what you might find.
38. Speak to people in the bazaar’s, they are almost always friendly.
39. Eat at the road-houses, and talk to the farmers.
40. Listen to good music.
41. Share your music with your friends.
42. Listen very carefully to what they say.
43. Hug your children, no matter what age they are.
44. Arm wrestle with a friend.
45. Write letters, send e-mail’s, call, walk over, drive by, drop in, keep in touch with people you care about.
46. Embrace the goofy, stupid, unkempt, un-lovely people you are related to. It isn’t easy, but it’s right.
47. Open up your house to your friends. Make them feel welcome.
48. Ride a motorcycle in the rain.
49. Come home to the place that feels like home.
These things appear to be self evident, and intuitively obvious.
1. Do not interrupt a conversation to make corrections when two other persons are speaking.
2. When only two persons are speaking, always wait until you are sure the other person has stopped speaking before you give your opinion about what they were saying. The conversation will never get where the first person was going if you divert it by interjecting your thoughts about a portion of the topic, or fail to accept the suppositions. You can always go back to correct the person when they are done. This is how proper conversation is supposed to happen. Cutting one another off mid thought makes for argument. (Summation is critical)
3. Listen the way you want to be listened to.
4. Ask for clarification if you do not understand the whole thought, but not until you have listened all the way.
5. Very often group conversation dynamics are faintly disguised pecking order contests. One-Up, Drop of the Name, Put downs, Over the head, Shot to the heart, Manly defamation, Emasculation, Head trip, Who’s your Mother, to name a few. Don’t play if you can’t stand to lose.
6. Actions speak volumes, words are deceitful. If you don’t act the way you speak, everyone knows, and assumes you are trying to mislead them by your statements. If you act the way they believe is right in the first place, it is difficult to make them believe you are misleading them, no matter how many words.
7. If you want something out of the conversation, let the other person think they are giving you a gift. Really appreciate it. Never beg or plead. If you must trade something, begin your offers at 10% of the Street Value. If you must have the item, and it is a bargaining situation, only go to 80% of the value, unless they are the only possessor of the item or information. If it is a common item, and you must pay full price, just go to K-Mart and close the negotiations. You loose all bargaining face if you pay the full price. The only time to do this, is to set the person up for a future gig.
8. Sharing your intimate thoughts gives people power over you.
9. People who you currently trust may in the future betray you.
10. When in doubt, go with your heart. It may mislead you, but you have to go with the percentages. If you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t believe in anybody else.
11. Always defer to your master. He would not be your master if he were not better. Never speak against him.
12. If your master fails you, find another one, or wait until he is deposed.
13. Give your all. Never give up. Overcome at all costs. Make them prove you wrong.
14. Never fear to fail. If you truly fail, you have been beaten and must accept it. Trying is more important than winning.
15. Ask advice from a broken man. He knows where he went wrong.
16. Ask advice from a great man. He knows where he went right.
17. Never betray a friend. If he betrays you, you were not his friend. You can still be friendly, but you can never be his friend again. If you betray him, you loose part of your soul. It will never be the same again. Know that you can never be friends again, and be a better friend the next time. This will haunt you forever.
18. A dog is always glad to see you.
19. If you are in despair, seek your friends. If you are honest with them, and they give you the advice of Jobs friends or wife, you have gone to the wrong friends. If you have a new perspective after talking with them, you made the right choice.
20. Respect other peoples personal space, and their property.
21. Stay away from gifts and obligations.
22. Make someone happy.
23. Overcome your natural instincts to obsess on mistakes. Choose to be happy.
24. Marry for love. Never Quit.
25. Brush your teeth.
26. Eat Well.
27. Travel.
28. Travel more.
29. Watch the Dawn’s early light.
30. Respect your parents.
31. Respect the elderly.
32. Learn something every day.
33. Try harder than anyone else, and choose wisely what you try.
34. Submit only if you have exhausted all of your resources.
35. Lay on your back on the hood of an old car on a moonless night & watch shooting stars. (Say money, money, money before the star flames out)
36. Build a fire in the woods, and sleep by it.
37. Get lost as often as possible. You never know what you might find.
38. Speak to people in the bazaar’s, they are almost always friendly.
39. Eat at the road-houses, and talk to the farmers.
40. Listen to good music.
41. Share your music with your friends.
42. Listen very carefully to what they say.
43. Hug your children, no matter what age they are.
44. Arm wrestle with a friend.
45. Write letters, send e-mail’s, call, walk over, drive by, drop in, keep in touch with people you care about.
46. Embrace the goofy, stupid, unkempt, un-lovely people you are related to. It isn’t easy, but it’s right.
47. Open up your house to your friends. Make them feel welcome.
48. Ride a motorcycle in the rain.
49. Come home to the place that feels like home.
Unreliable Press
6 2 94
Don Brown
200 Ton South Danly
We are having daily problems, electrically, with the southern most 200 ton Danly press on the East side of the Press room. This is one of the presses that came up from Dresden Tenn., at the closing of our plant there. It has an antiquated two cam, rotary cam protection system,which has been wired in such a way as to use the same cam twice, when what is really needed is a four cam limit switching assembly. Beyond that, the starters, and switchgear in the main control box are so beat up that it is a wonder they work at all. What is needed, is to get a new box, and start over. ( with programmable controllers ) The trouble shooting on a press like this is like looking for wheels with a flash light. It can be done, but it might take an hour, or it might take a day. The deal is, I need to rewire this press, and it is going to cost about $5,100. I have attached the non- inventory request for outside purchases necessary for the rewire. The labor should be about 55 man hours for the electricians, @ $19.84/hr. This adds up to $1,091. This press will never be reliable until this work is done. Please request an AFE to upgrade the wiring on this old press. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please call me.
Steven Forrester
Plant Engineer
Dico Inc.
Des Moines Ia
Don Brown
200 Ton South Danly
We are having daily problems, electrically, with the southern most 200 ton Danly press on the East side of the Press room. This is one of the presses that came up from Dresden Tenn., at the closing of our plant there. It has an antiquated two cam, rotary cam protection system,which has been wired in such a way as to use the same cam twice, when what is really needed is a four cam limit switching assembly. Beyond that, the starters, and switchgear in the main control box are so beat up that it is a wonder they work at all. What is needed, is to get a new box, and start over. ( with programmable controllers ) The trouble shooting on a press like this is like looking for wheels with a flash light. It can be done, but it might take an hour, or it might take a day. The deal is, I need to rewire this press, and it is going to cost about $5,100. I have attached the non- inventory request for outside purchases necessary for the rewire. The labor should be about 55 man hours for the electricians, @ $19.84/hr. This adds up to $1,091. This press will never be reliable until this work is done. Please request an AFE to upgrade the wiring on this old press. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please call me.
Steven Forrester
Plant Engineer
Dico Inc.
Des Moines Ia
BUMS
At 12:45 PM. today, I called the Des Moines Metro Police regarding a homeless person who was down on the ground at the levee west of the factory, apparently experiencing some sort of personal gravity storm. Upon seeing him, I decided that he didn't need a rescue unit, but, he did need picked up. I waited at the gate at Wabash and SW 17th street, and guided the police to the person when they came. When we approached the person, ( Male, 200 lbs., Caucasian, bearded, Grey shirt, blue jeans ) he tried to run away, but was unsuccessful. The police apprehended the young man, gave him silver bracelets, and he left with them. As you know this is an ongoing problem on our property. Almost weekly similar incidents happen. I have mixed feelings when I see a young man hauled off like that. I don't want to deal with them personally, but, then again I feel almost guilty adding to their existing problems. Another day, another bum.
Steven Forrester
Plant Engineer
Dico Inc.
Des Moines Ia.
Steven Forrester
Plant Engineer
Dico Inc.
Des Moines Ia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)