ManCaveAlpha
Suck it Up!
Let Me Ask this Question Again
Oct 8th
On Friday morning I was on a conference call with a number of important people who were trying to find a way to reduce our company’s budget. We had already determined where our focus lies. We have an application that will be decommissioned over the next two years and as we wind down, our maintenance cost should be diminishing. We needed the information, the hard numbers, to negotiate with the vendor thus reducing the cost.
On a side note, I always seem to find myself in these meetings where many people are asking questions and I am the one that is providing the information and the answers.
Anyway, as I explained three, basic, simple steps to “reduce the footprint”, “avoid the cost”, “slash the budget”, there seemed to be some confusion about how this work would benefit and who would do the actual work. I should have seen the bus coming. I don’t mind though. The feeling of being a productive corporate citizen emboldened me whilst slackers filled Love Park in Philadelphia with myriad complaints in their Occupy Wall Street gathering.
As the meeting went on, I explained the work required and when I could have it completed. Next Friday was my self-imposed More >
Man Melting Metal
Oct 6th
About eight years ago, as I was settling into my newly built home, I wanted what most men want; a workshop to complete projects, tinker, and get away. My previous home simply lacked the square footage to accommodate such an environment. I was constantly rearranging, storing away, and dragging out workshop power equipment. But now, I had the room in the basement to make a sizable place to do all that my heart desired. The basement was laid out in a simple rectangle with an outcropping beneath the family room. It would be easily separated with a framed wall from the rest of the basement.
As I researched what I would need to complete my dream workshop, the search for a lathe revealed information that was previously unknown to me but nonetheless lead me to query “What is this wizardry?” I had stumbled upon the metal lathe. I was simply fascinated. Although metal and wood shop were requisites growing up in school, I had never paid much attention to metal, instead focusing my desires to create a perfectly smoothed, hand crafted piece of furniture that I had created. Within a month of my new discovery, I stumbled upon a series of More >
5 Things to do today that will make you feel better
Oct 5th
I don’t know where you might be geographically located, but here outside of Philadelphia, the brilliant sun is shining early and the forecast for the next seven days is extraordinary. After what seems like two weeks of clouds and periodic rain, the only certainty is that the lawn needs mowing again. Watching a sunrise has different effects on everybody but I find that it is almost always positive for the people I know. It is a fresh beginning, a new start, a promise from some power that we never completely understand.
Sometimes we all seem to get stuck in ruts in our lives and our daily routines that wear us down and make us feel worn out, even early in the morning. Below are some simple suggestions that will help you overcome that feeling and hopefully make you have a better day than yesterday.
Change your routine.
If you drive back and forth to work each day on the same route, you might consider go a different way. You might notice something along the route you have never seen before. This new route may be quicker than the old way you went. What this does is change your daily programming and makes you More >
The Days of Old
Oct 4th
About ten years ago, I had the best job I believe I ever had. I was subcontracting for an IT outfit at a major pharmaceutical company outside of Philadelphia. They had just recently merged with another large pharma company. They had two of almost everything and positions, processes, and applications would be slashed to the bare minimum. Not to worry. I was skilled. My short six-month contract was to consolidate two problem management databases into one working system. I took this assignment with vigor and, as always, was going to do this job well. Let’s see how that turned out.
Where life forces go to be drained
First off, when two large companies merge and the people moving into the empty cubicles in your area are management consultants, most people become fearful of losing their job. I found this almost comical on a daily basis. A large consulting company whose name did and still does begin with “A”, was there to manage the change and integration. These people always reminded me of the Borg on Star Trek. They replicate. Since everyone was afraid of losing their jobs, and the fact that I sat in the same general area as the Borg, no More >
Bernanke’s Motivation
Jul 14th
Proverbs 26:20 — Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
This morning I listened to the US House Financial Services Committee senior member Ron Paul question Ben Bernanke as to whether he thought gold was money. Interestingly enough, after a pause, Ben Bernanke stated no. I am reassured that he considers it an asset though. When asked further, why then do central banks hold it, why not diamonds, he simply responded tradition. To understand in greater detail the motivations of Ben Bernanke would require much more time and effort that I am willing to put forth. Although having a knowledge of what the federal reserve is and the organizations member would be very enlightening to most. It is a cartel compromised of major banks to limit competition. It also has the ability to privatize profit and socialize loss. This is becoming more and more clear everyday during the debt ceiling debate. During the financial crisis of 2008, which in my opinion has only been postponed and remains unresolved, the federal reserve played an enormous role to protect its members and socialize the losses resulting from its own bad behavior. More >
Group of Thugs
Jun 16th
“The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.” –Proverbs 18:24
Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I was very busy with work and had errands to run after, specifically, tilling my sister’s small plot in her backyard for some plants that she is late getting in. Nonetheless, I finished it, had something to eat and headed home much later than usual.
When I turned the news on to see what was happening in the world, I was dismayed to find the Greeks in an uproar again. Apparently there is not enough money to go around and there probably won’t be more coming in anytime soon. In a nutshell, the government has to stop spending and the recipients of the spending, those promised lavish entitlements, are not happy about it. Retirement at 50 may no longer be the dream of every Greek worker.
The Greeks Riot
I began to ponder the question, again, as to who is responsible for our own well being? I would think every individual would take that as a personal responsibility. Apparently I was wrong. There are many now who have collectively sought gain by force, not only in Greece but in many places.
The world, more and more each More >
Greater Love
May 27th
“Greater love hath no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
It is the unofficial kickoff of the summer season again and with it brings family gatherings or a long weekend and trips to favorite vacation places. Some will take a longer vacation with hard earned days off from work. Most will try and relax. Grills will be alight, the beer will flow, and friends will laugh. Children get the taste of soon having the days without the worry of school. Others will work at essential tasks such as hospitals, firehouses, and police stations. To them, I am thankful.
Some families will be somber as they miss their loved ones who can no longer celebrate the holiday. They are the families of the fallen. Some recent, some more distant, but no less painful. The remembrance is sometimes happy as friends and family recount the life and good times of the fallen. Perhaps of the honorable life lived prior to the ultimate sacrifice. While sad, it is often a celebration of life well lived.
As I grow older and more reflective, I appreciate each day more than the one before. This year will be much different for More >
Grounded
May 20th
Today is a sad day for me as this post is all about my airplane. Why so sad you ask? Well, I must sell my airplane for dissolution of my marriage. Yes folks, she never liked the fact that I had an airplane at all. So my lost could be your gain. I purchased this aircraft in 2007. I originally did not particularly care for the paint job, but it came to grow on me especially since it generated many comments at the airports we flew into. I was also using this plane to get my instrument rating. It is an excellent IFR platform. The only thing this plane does not have is an autopilot. I preferred to learn how to fly IFR by hand as I thought it would be a good foundation. I know some IFR pilots who definitely rely on the AP just a little too much. Another thing about this plane is that the Airspeed Indicator is in MPH not knots. This takes a little getting used to. The inner ring has a knot conversion. I simply trained my eye to look there. It could also be simply upgraded to a newer one. If it works, More >
Steady as she goes
May 5th
I am reminded this week of how purposeful it is for someone to stick to what they planned on doing and do it well in the face of criticism and adversity. I find this to be true on a national scale as with the hunt for Osama bin Laden, as well as my own personal life as I attempt to build a business from the ground up. When someone sees the end result of countless hours work, I would hope they are amazed at what is revealed to them. I believe the appreciation is what is now missing in our culture. It is not completely gone, but it is not nearly as prevalent as it once was.
I say this because my observations of late have been that the culture now is almost completely desirous of instant gratification. I also find myself asking if I, in fact, am off base in this assumption. As a father, I see my children doing things that I would have never dared to do. It is more an aspect of respect than anything else. I am not saying that my children are disrespectful. I am merely pointing out that the uncertainty for them to act More >