Idle Musings

2001-05-28T16:25:00.000-04:00

For what it's worth. We've got a new address;

2001-05-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

Hi, welcome back. The server has been down for most of the week. No, I’m not a fictional character created by someone else.
On to the news. We had our proctologist’s exam from the NYCTA people this week. We have a whole bunch of issues to sort out. Anybody out there have a good, easy way to remove scratches from Aluminum?
I finally have my boss thinking in terms of systems of parts, not an assembly of parts. This is a big step forward.
There are changes going on here. More news when they become finalized.
Bruce may be calling today or tomorrow, so I won’t be online. I’ll check everything early morning, but my normal times will be devoted to waiting for the phone to ring.

2001-05-23T19:17:00.000-04:00

Last night in an exchange of emails, I may have offended a friend. If I did, let me apologize.

Today, we were descended upon by a pack of inspectors. I was running around all morning attending meetings and trying to get things done. Sheesh…
Then the Remenance Meter decided to spill it’s guts, it actually started to smoke the plywood some of it is mounted on.
The day from heck!

2001-05-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

Today was lots of fun –NOT! I had to rework two documents, totaling over ninety-five pages. And more of pictures. I got the first one done and off for review (proofreading is my problem) by 1:30 this afternoon and the second one off by 2:30. (Yes, I have a better machine now, I love that 256 MEG of RAM.) The documents come back about an hour after I send them and I do the final edits, print, (pictures, remember) and copy the results. Out of there by 3:30. The longer document needed three questions answered, a table changed that someone set my machine up not to edit, and one change. The second was easier. Only two changes and another table. This worked because I was using two PC’s a co-op and a partridge in a pear tree.

I will say my piece here. “Kaycee” lowered the expectations of truth in our communities, and in doing so, lowered our ability to help each other. I have seen several instances where web communities have helped other people in need. I needed moral support before my grandson was born. It was there. Another time a friends’ son broke his leg. There was an outpouring of support, money, information, logistics.
There will be a lowering of the trust that is evidenced here. There will be an increase in the number of hoaxes we see here. There will be less trust here. I hope “Debbie” gets some help. She needs it. I also hope we can get back to the trust we had, so that we can go back to the help.

2001-05-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

We had the grandson over the weekend. When we took him out to lunch, we ran into a coworker of mine. After intros all around, doesn’t the little stinker climb right into this guy arms. We have to teach that little one about trusting too much.
Other than that, not much going on. Our audit at work is now scheduled for Wednesday, so tomorrow is going to be spent getting ready for that.

2001-05-20T18:37:00.000-04:00

And then there is this

2001-05-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

Here is a piece that gives thought.

2001-05-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

We have scroll. It’s about my great*2 grandfather. It lists his battles, and where he died in 1864, in the battle of Cold Harbor. His daughter was my great-grandmother. I never met her – she died while Mom was carrying me.
The scroll helps me know where I came from. These are my people.
After study, it appears that looks are deceiving. From birth dates and such, it appears that Tim O’Regan got Margaret Clancy pregnant, then joined the Union army. There is no evidence that he ever saw his daughter.

2001-05-18T19:11:00.000-04:00

The inspection went well, except for one small point. It seems a newly minted Manufacturing Engineer caused a change to the assembly drawing. This change was not submitted to the customer, a contractual commitment. Oops! Now everything produced before January is rejected. Talk about cause and effect! We’ll have another, tougher inspection next week.
My boss invited (command performance) me to a meeting about relays this morning. That started an exchange that got hot and heated. I held my own, and more. There is a fundamental difference in paradigms between the “new” people and the people who designed the product. The “new” people are of the idea that, if the piece parts are to the print, and assembled correctly, then the relay will work. The Designers had a different idea. They thought that the mass production of parts to a “close enough” tolerance was economical. However, in the back of their minds was the thought that the assembler would customize the part as needed.
The two paradigms can be expressed as follows:
Original Designers:
Design: Belt and suspenders.
Production: Assign work into three classes;
1 Apprentices
2 Journeyman
3 Master Craftsman

“New“ People:
Design: Belt and suspenders.
Production: Assign workers into three classes;
1 Simple
2 Moderate
3 Complex

Note the different concepts, a complex assembly process can be taught to most workers over time. The Master Craftsman has been through a winnowing process. He is the “best of the best”. Of course you cannot run a factory on the first paradigm when you product had been designed to the second.

Anyhow, I brought that idea forward. The room went quiet. The meeting tried to start up again, but there was no heart in it.

Later, at lunch, I followed my normal routine: heat lunch, get fork, napkins, retrieve lunch, goto table, open book, start lunch, read. Shortly, my boss comes over and asks if he can join me. This is a guy who drinks a can of Slimfast in his office. We talk about this and that, then he comes to the point. I have caused a change in the way the “new” people think.
I’ll charge this day as good.

2001-05-17T19:00:00.000-04:00

This is an exchange between JHR and myself about upstate New York. (ed. note: italics used to add information not available at the time of the exchange, personal touches left out.)

John: Blackberries in the Oatka Valley came in late May or early June. And the wild strawberries, do you remember those?
My grandparents had a "place"(you remember what that means) on the next bluff over from "Chimney Bluffs". Propane, imported well water, down quilts in a not quite finished cottage. A rain catch for washing water, and God help you if there was no rain.
The road fell down the bluff a number of years ago. The place burned down.
But, my summer home never left me. We took the kids, and moved them to Wyoming County. They got a good education, went on to serve Uncle Sam, and at least one came home. He lives in Leroy. The second comes home in August.
The call of the eastern country never seems to diminish.

JHR: Yes, I am yet another John. John Henry Ricketson, as a matter of fact. Class of '48 at Canandaigua Academy. I use JHR as there are a helluva lot of Johns out there, but not as many JHRs. Helps my readers keep things sorted out.
Yes - I well remember blackberries. My Granddad raised them as one of his cash crops on the Farm, up the hill from us. They were blackberries - black raspberries, not the wild bramble berries. Redolent of a distinctive aromatic perfume that smelled like they tasted, and vice-versa. I remember a few wild strawberries. They were rare around Bristol Springs, where I lived until I was ~6.
I also fondly remember taking refuge from the August heat in the cool, damp, shady depths of the forest. Picking the occasional wintergreen leaf to chew on, or the rare wintergreen berry. Finding lady slippers, trilliums - all the beautiful and wondrous things to be found in the forest.
We never had a Summer Place. Summer on the Farm was work from can see to can't see. Not from any misguided Puritan ethic, but because it took a lot of hard work to stay alive and well during the '30s. Some didn't. Those that were left were worth keeping, though! Canandaigua Lake was a ten-minute drive, so we sometimes got to go there for a swim at dusk, when the day's work permitted. Granddad was not a harsh man.
I remember Sundays, and the Church across the road from the Farmstead. Had a Hellfire-and-Brimstone preacher, The Reverend Radcliffe. He wore a claw hammer coat and stripy pants as a matter of course. (I suspect he even did the chores in that rig.)
Too bad about the demise of your Summer Place. Things inevitably change, unfortunately. I went back to Canandaigua once, in '83, for my 35th HS reunion. Very strange. Walked down familiar streets, now unfamiliar, yet the same in many ways. Flashbacks as in a waking dream. I haven't been back since. I'm afraid I wouldn't even recognize it. Certainly there is no one left to recognize me.
Nevertheless, the appeal is still there. That's Home. You may take the boy out of Upstate - but never the Upstate out of the boy - or man! Should I ever win the lottery Big Time, one of my prime priorities would be to buy back the Farm and enjoy summers there. Then see that it was passed on to someone who would love it as much as I.

2001-05-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

The .gif is fixed now. Thanks Dan!.

2001-05-16T18:31:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we get inspected by a UL Inspector and I hear he is a beast! He is here to inspect my area. And, how many people can answer his technical questions? Who else, but the guy who has been doing these devices for twenty years. I am not looking forward to this. I can dance for the customer, but I don’t like to. This guy is also on contract, so he has things to prove.
About eight years ago, I was in New York doing an on-site inspection of relays. I started my inspection and found some tape unraveling. As this is a safety device, we don’t want anything moving that shouldn’t be moving. The rate I was finding this caused me to call down the Resident Engineer (RE). I told him I wanted to send the relays back to Rochester for a sort and fix. He didn’t want to make that call. He called back to Rochester, and talked to the Project Management Office (PMO). On the conference call that followed, I adamantly held to the opinion that these relays be returned to Rochester for a fix. The PMO finally agreed.
(NOTE: These things are worth about $450, and there were sixteen-hundred fifty of them.)
Well, the relays came back, the engineers put their heads together and put out a fix, and the relays were repaired, maybe.
A few weeks later, John goes back to New York City, starts seeing the same problem and we do it all again. Yup, back to Rochester again. (Remember that $450*1650 number?)
Finally a true fix is put in place. A fix that had been suggested all those weeks ago.
The finale to this story is, the PMO was promoted to a VP. We received many more contracts from NYC Transit. When the news of my promotion got out, he was heard to say; “He cost me more money than anyone else. But at least I’ll never ship relays three times again.”
I never let the Inspector near the defective work. I danced. “Equipment problems”, “I don’t feel good”, or anything else I could think of.
We had fouled up and corrected it. With out the customer knowing. Was the customer hurt? No, the failure mode was benign. Did the Company benefit? Yes! Did it cost? Yes but, I still am the only person to reject that quantity of work, TWICE.

On another note, there will be a new .gif over there to the right. The site has been reactivated. If you need help, inspiration, or comfort, go visit the writings of a great young woman. For all that I can see, for all that I can learn, this woman is one of the articulate people I have ever read.

2001-05-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

She died yesterday. A young woman, who, in her few short years gave more people more inspiration than people three times her age. She will be missed.

2001-05-14T17:11:00.000-04:00

“An aliterate is someone who can read, but chooses not.“ Tom Syroid, May 14, 2001.

This is something that I do not understand. I was pushed into reading by my first grade nun. She pushed me. This was not unusual for the early Sixties. Sister Eucharia watched over me. And my mother’s teacher, Sister Dorthea, who was principal made me learn. I was a stubborn first grader. I fought reading all through first grade. Then, in second grade, I was doing poorly with reading.
The good Sister Eucharia called me into her room. I was scared. She told me that I had to learn. If I didn’t, I would be brought back to the first grade.
That got me going. I was reading Dante’s Inferno when I was in sixth grade.
Sean Sr. had a problem with reading. As a father, I had a huge problem with that. We saw the problem, and tried to address it. In the City Schools, we were put off. In the country schools, we had to fight. At the final interview, the school councilor was astounded when he told us that Sean Sr. was LD. We did the arm pump and said “yes!” We were so excited.
Sean went on to become the father of a great child.

I don’t know if this will work.
Ya’all take care now.

2001-05-12T23:02:00.000-04:00

Long day, I’ll comment later. I’m learning, but it’s a steep learning curve.

2001-05-11T21:03:00.000-04:00

We’ve got the baby tonight, so we went out to dinner at the Red Lobster. This kid is amazing. With all the problems he has had, he’s as personable and charming as can be. There were two couples seated in the booth behind us. Young people having dinner before going to their prom. Well, during the dinner, as two-year-olds are wont to, he was looking around and saw them. Then he found a nice way to get their attention. (Hey, turn on the smile, that’ll get ‘em). Well-I swear he was flirting with the girls. They loved it too.
Afterwards, we ran into a childhood friend of Kathy’s. We visited while they were waiting to be seated. And Sean started to flirt with her and her mother. And he started to make friends with her college freshman son.
He is a wonder, and a miracle.

Things will be short around here this weekend. I’m learning lots of things and I have to study. Quick apology, the server was down last night, so this is late.

2001-05-10T19:16:00.000-04:00

If I had any more fun today, I would have had brain failure. This morning another Engineer and I met with a metallurgist at a company we do business with. We were talking magnetics, heat treating methods, and other fun stuff. We talked for about an hour and I learned many things, about how processing the raw stock changes the magnetic performance and how the magnetic anneal will not necessarily give you what you need. (Why did this company let this type of knowledge get away?)
On the way back to work the other engineer asked me how I got my understanding and knowledge. I told him about my high school courses, (Biology, Chemistry {College Board optional , thirty-two of us took the Board at age 15, 8 got 800, the rest between 775 and 799, [no, I didn’t get 775 ]}, Physics, Math through Integral Calculus, all the rest needed for a Liberal Arts degree, plus Band ( Marching, Concert, Dance, Pit, Drum Line, Combos), Drama (West Side Story, Carousel, Kismet, Showboat), even Music Theory). Then, college. (Music for 25 hours, Math for 25 hours, assorted other courses that don’t add up to a degree.) He was shocked.
Anyway, we get back to work and I find out that one of our vendors made a part out of the wrong material. Worse, there is no good way to sort these things. The material all has the same appearance, and is plated to boot. Check for a weight difference? Nope, same density. So, my boss calls me upstairs and hands it to me. The whole thing, including any testing that might have to be done. The problem here is that it is in the magnetic circuit of a relay. Oops, there’s that word again. My first thought was to use the meter I have just got up and running. No joy there. I thought and thought. Well, the problem is the high remenance in the wrong material. Oh, we magnetize things here. Hit the part with a full magnetizing charge, put them on a Gaussmeter, and your mother’s brother is named Robert.

I have more, but maybe later.

2001-05-09T18:49:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day. I was called into the boss’s office and told to close the door. He then proceeded to give me my annual review. First, I have only worked for him for three months. Second, he gave me a five percent raise, over what I was offered in the first three weeks of employment. So, I had no great expectations.
I have a way I work. I don’t go running to the boss with every problem. I usually try to work things out at my level, with my own solutions. (Yes, I work for a company didn’t invest for ten years and mismanaged for fifteen.) I tell my boss when he has loaded me down with too much. (Too much = I can’t get anything done well!) I tend to look for root causes and fix those. When I go to my boss with an issue, I try to also bring him answers, or at least alternatives. I have been working this way for ten years.
My boss proceeded to tell me all these things that I know about myself. I’m thinking that I have messed up royally. I’m going to be put on probation.
Finally, he cuts to the chase. He’s giving me a raise. A big raise. One at the top of the scale. The look on my face must have given me away. He told me that I was working the way he wanted his people to work.
It seems many of my coworkers are afraid to make a decision. I’m not. The only decisions I have left to others are those to spend money. And that’s the way the system is set up. I can spend so much, and then I have to get approval. And that’s the way the system should be set up.

2001-05-08T18:23:00.000-04:00

I’m going to be moving this site sometime in the future. To do that I’ll need to find a host, get a registry entry, and I don’t know what else. I thank all the people who have written me encouragement in this endeavor.

On the Union front, the new contract looks very good. The pension for the first tier employees went way up, disability payments were up, a lot of the benefits that the non-union employees enjoy will be shared by the bargaining unit employees. There is a wage increase, with a larger (both percentage and absolute) increase for the second tier employees. And there are no attacks on the “Language” of the contract. (The “Language” sets the relationship between the Company and the Union, the work rules and responsibilities both parties have to each other.) This is the first time a contract this “benign” has come before the membership.
There is a down side to this contract. The first tier employees will have to take a cut in their free medical coverage. Now, most of these people have had medical coverage provided for them for over twenty years. And these same people are now at an age where they are using more health care for themselves. Cancer, heart disease, all types of illnesses are showing up. Now these people are being asked to increase their co-pay or increase their premiums.
The second tier people have not been in a Union long. They want something that was said by the new Plant Manager to come true. They want to be ten percent below the first tier. They want a pension. They want fully paid health care. They do not know what a hardship it is to be in a strike.
Which means that it might not pass. Let me explain. There are two ways to get a contract to pass a membership vote. The first is the classic “buy the vote” method. Put enough money into a contract, and it will pass. The second is a little subtler. Nothing is very good, nothing is very bad. There is normally a very good provision in a contract. Thing like a long contract, a no-layoff provision, or any other goodie that is wanted.
This contract does not have that “goodie”, and it does not have a lot of money. The pay increase will be eaten up by the medical cost. And the rising price of gas is not offset. And the increased price of food, and child care and housing. And saving for a pension.
So, I fear for this contract.

2001-05-07T17:40:00.001-04:00

A friend came back to work today. She was out with cancer for about ten months. She still has several rounds of chemo to go through. She's put on about forty pounds because of the steroids she must take. But, she came into work today. Why? She needs her medical insurance and the company threatened to fire her if she didn't come in Feh!
The Company and the Union came to an agreement Friday, so I didn't have to cross a picket line.
We have had beautiful weather here. Right now, it's seventy-five and clear. Last year on the seventh of May it was forty-six and wet.

2001-05-07T17:40:00.000-04:00

2001-05-06T22:11:00.000-04:00

This is the weekend from Hell. I cannot start my machine. Brian and Tom help me get to this point. I may have an announcement tomorrow. We’ll see.
Later: It starts, thanks to Brian.
We're going to look at something else.

2001-05-05T18:28:00.000-04:00

I killed my machine today.
Scrubed it down to bare metal, and reinstalled.

2001-05-04T16:50:00.000-04:00

Hi. There is nothing on the Union front as of 4:30PM, EDT. We shall see.

This weekend, I will be trying to move back into the land of the amateur computer geeks. I BOUGHT A LINUX OS. Mandrake 7.2 to be exact. We’ll be having fun all weekend. Besides, I need something to keep my mind off of what Monday morning may bring.
The good thing is that I won’t be alone. The guys of the Daynotes Gang will be around to help if I blow up my system.
A dozen years ago, I had a computer and very few purchased programs. I wrote all the applications myself. Some of them were Basic, some were machine code.
We’ll see what developes.

2001-05-03T17:49:00.000-04:00

I spoke last night about the Union Contract under negotiation at work.
The way this is supposed to work is this. The Company has a position beyond which it will not go. Either in the area of work rules, or wages and benefits. The bottom line and the competition should drive this bottom line. The Union tries to find this bottom line and drive a bargain as close to that line as possible. It also tries to address “abuses” by the Company, usually caused by weak or missing language. No Union leader will tell you the first part, but it is true.
Some times the bottom line does not control the bottom line. At times Companies employ people who must control everything. When these people are involved in labor negotiations it is an unmitigated disaster for everyone. The same goes for a Union leader who thinks he is better than anyone else is.
At our company, we had management types over the past ten years that thought those doing the work didn’t know anything. All was done by rote.
Not true! This company had no documentation as to how to do anything, just what the end product has to be. The company forced into place many work rules that actually hurt the company.
Now, this Company is trying to overcome these things. But the Union mentality is still that “they are out to get us”. There is also the problem that the Company has been told how much money they have to work with. It isn’t much.
So, I fear a labor action, a strike. You see, I was once the treasurer to this local Union. My father was one of the first officers of this Union. But, if there is a strike this weekend, I’ll have to cross that picket line and go to work.
I have kept myself out of the discussions, the arguments and such. It is not right for me to comment on issues to people who trusted me to take care of their money.
There is also the matter of replacement workers. They can be hired permanently now. So, there is a chance that I could lose many friends of a quarter century.
It looks like both sides loose.

2001-05-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

I'm doing this one on the fly. I left because West Wing was on. It's over 70F here. We're going up to 90F tommorow.
I can't sleep, so I'm posting - sigh.

2001-05-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

Today, Kathy went back to work. Then Mom came home from the hospital. She’s on a Nitroglycerin patch and a nebulizer. Then wanted to go out to celebrate her being sprung. We got home at seven thirty tonight.
I had some three hundred data points to enter into a spreadsheet and analyze them. Did I mention I’m a two fingered wonder?
The other thing, is the Union Contract at work. I was a Union Negotiator for the past six years. I removed myself from all that when I changed jobs on January First. I did this with the eyes wide open and full knowledge yada, yada, yada.
The may be a work stoppage next week.
More later.

2001-05-01T18:20:00.000-04:00

It’s good to solve a problem by yourself, with only a few hints along the way.
I had recently destroyed the template To the About Me spot. I have spent over two weeks finding my mistakes. Go look. It’s not a graphics’ guy type of place, but I like it.
Like Dave Farquhar, I have become dissatisfied with the quality of service on some of the “free” webhosting services. I will be moving my site in the next few months. More details to follow.
A short post tonight, I have much data entry to do tonight.

2001-04-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

I come from a line of DIY people. My dad was always handy. My parents moved in with my Mother's Mother in 1948 to help with my Grandfather. He was dying from cancer. They stayed on, and when I showed up in 1952, they had two options, move or add on. As the economy was not good for the railroad industry, Dad decided to add on.
He dug the basement, laid the foundation, built the walls, put in the plumbing, ran the electric and did the finish work. The addition was about 10' by 15" by three stories. He built custom cabinets in the kitchen, with his own unique cabinet design.

So, when Kathy and I bought a city house in 1978, we found that we either spent a lot of money (that we didn't have) or got into the "sweat equity" fun. The bathroom had to be done. Kathy was pregnant with number two and we needed a working bathroom. As purchased, the toilet took four hours to fill and the tub (old cast iron clawfoot type, no shower) took eight house to fill, IF you brought your own hot water. This bathroom sat on a concrete slab on the second floor.
So, first I measure where the supporting wall that carried the pipes up to the second floor. And measure, and measure. Then try to chip the tiles laid in that concrete out. then chip down through the concrete to find the pipes. And correct. Chip out the drain pipe to the stack and chip out a link to the wall.
All the while I'm doing the hard work, I'm looking at design. Gotta move the sink, there's no room between the sink and toilet, and Kathy's pregnant. And I have to open a hole in the closet next to the bathroom to put in a shower. Arrange for a place to take showers, go to the head and sundry bits a pieces. Run the copper, solder all the connections. Then I get a couple of friends to move out that claw foot tub. It weighed a young ton! Pull up the old drain line, we still have a toilet, I have a pregnant wife here.
New Years' Eve 1979, about 10:30 in the evening, cut the last two connections to the old galvanized pipe and solder in the new connections. We have water, both hot and cold!
Total time was four months, working part time when I got home from work (ten hour days). Total cost was about $500.
I'll tell you some more about that house some other time.

Mom had a "chemical stress test" today. No results yet.

2001-04-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

There is another thing. My son Bruce called last night. His ship, the Rodney Davis, took down a drug ship. The take was 14 tons worth of coke. That’s a half a BILLION worth of drugs. I am proud

2001-04-29T18:16:00.000-04:00

I remember remodeling the kitchen on Post Ave. My Dad was alive then. We removed a supporting wall under the bathroom and the kids’ room. I was nailing in the header to replace the bearing wall, when Dad came in. He never thought that I could earn a living using my hands. He came in, sat down and watched while I tacked in the beam. He was very surprised, when I started to hammer a nail right handed! (I am a southpaw).
That kitchen had the last nail driven by Dad.

2001-04-28T18:38:00.000-04:00

Now we have mail. I started this with this:

I had the happy situation where the Local Union didn't care what the International Union said. If I did anything wrong, it was moving the Local Union to disaffiliate, and then take a job with the company.
I watched the largest Foundry between Boston and Chicago close down. (Ours). Ditto a large machine shop. (Both did defense work.)
The two operations are long gone.
I used to say that the US was well protected by the company I worked for. I cannot say that any more.

To which Bruce responded:

The whole thing enacted out across the nation is terrible. I can hardly believe that our "leaders" in Washington don't have enough foresight to see where this is headed.
It was clear to your Dad in the 60s...
Well, maybe they do know where we are headed and don't care because of their own purely personal interests plus they probably believe it won't get too bad before they are long gone from this Earth.
Ugh.
Sincerely,
Bruce W. Edwards
e-mail: Bruce@BruceEdwards.com
Web: http://www.bruceedwards.com/

And I responded:

These losses were accrued in the early 1990's. Bush the First?
And Reagan.

And he responded:

I guess your son sounds similar to me? I'll have to check your site again, but I think I remember you mentioning that he is in the military. I bet he has a lot of comments regarding the current situation there.
Well, I am under the impression that the loss of industry started well before that when the stage was set by U.S. industry getting too fat and happy and losing its competitive edge to the modernizing of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, at first (and now China) to name just a few. This caused inefficiencies in the work force that would not have happened if foreign competition had been there all along. That is an interesting thing to think about: What if there were viable foreign competition in the late 1940s on up? Would that have forced U.S. industry to stay competitive with the result there would have been far more industry still in the U.S. today, or would it have caused the flight from the U.S. to occur even sooner?
Thus, industry did what was logical from a perspective that rewards only short term profit. Unfortunately, no political leaders of the two main parties today seem to be really interested in policies designed to keep industry within the U.S. It seems most main steam Republicans and Democrats were for NAFTA, for example. (Not draconian laws, but policies that would make staying in the U.S. more attractive). Also, it seems that vast majority of the populace will not support these measures since they will have to pay higher prices for a little loyalty. That's a shame.
Bush #1 was not a good president, IMHO.
Overall, I do believe Reagan was a good one in that he truly did have a consistent moral and ethical vision that was very little swayed by all the "advisors" around him, not to mention his political adversaries. If he had listened to them, he would have been similar to Bush I. I truly believe Reagan was instrumental in the quick collapse of the Soviet empire at that time. Think of the typical waffling politicians (Bush I, Clinton or Carter, for recent examples) and how they would have behaved in the 1980s if they were in Reagan's shoes. Compromise, compromise, compromise and that would have enabled the Soviets to keep on going.
I am closer to your age than your son, I believe as I am now 41 and voted for Reagan both times. I vividly remember the (in my opinion) disgrace and impotence of the country in the 1970s and Reagan stood for something that, to me was reasonable and moral. I will admit I was terribly disappointed that he compromised his position in the Iran/Contra affair and that was a disappointment. But, on the whole, he was a lot less hypocritical and far more consistent to his true beliefs than any other politicians in my politically cognizant memory (which would be Nixon on up).
My jury is still out on Bush II being a man of consistent character or just any other typical politician - regardless of Republican or Democrat persuasion. So far, Bush II seems to be doing a good confident job. Especially compared to expectations. Also, his reversal of such things like the Arsenic regs that Clinton did not find important enough to do anything about until two days before leaving office, will certainly help industry and in some small way, help keep jobs in the U.S. by not having even more costs to pass into the products still made here.
Now, all that is beside the point of true conservatism in the U.S. Most Republicans are not truly conservative. In my mind, a conservative is one who fights for the rights and responsibilities as defined in the U.S. Constitution. And the Constitution severely limits the power of the Federal government. Republicans and Democrats don;t really seem concerned with upholding the Constitution they are sworn to uphold, do they?
So, interestingly enough. it seems the rational part of the Libertarian party is closest to the Constitutional roots with a few Green (yes I said Green) party adherents in this vein too with their concern over free trade and globalization. Globalization does not = conservative in my book.

Sincerely,
Bruce W. Edwards
e-mail: Bruce@BruceEdwards.com
Web: http://www.bruceedwards.com/

2001-04-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

I got a call from Kathy today. She was at the hospital (not the hospital of ill repute) with my Mom. Mom was having trouble breathing. After tests, the Doctors decided to do a CAT scan and admit her for observation. I can pretty well guess what the CAT scan will show. A cardiac edema. You see, she’s eighty five, arthritic and diabetic. She’s almost legally blind. Last December, she had surgery to remove a blood clot in her leg. She’s on blood thinners, Insulin, and a few other incidental medications. These have all been checked for interactions by her family Doctor. (She was what is now called a Med. Tech. in the thirty’s, in Toronto.) She doesn't get around much.
Why am I writing calmly now, when only a week ago I was running around like I was lost? It really is simple. This time I am not surprised. I know my Mom is getting to the end of her run. Not today, not tomorrow, but sooner than later. We’ve even talked about her wishes. Such things as, her dress, the minister, no resuscitation orders, that sort of things.
All of us must eventually face the mortality of our parents. Kathy and I did that last fall when we moved from rural NY (our neighbors were cows! ) to the suburbs of Rochester. This way we’re only ten or fifteen minutes form Mom, rather than over an hour away. Our timing was good, as this is the second time in five months she’s been in the hospital.
Oh yes, we did offer to find an apartment complex we could both move into. She refused to leave her house of seventy-eight years. Yup, except for a few years in the forty’s, she’s lived in the same house. And, now, I think she shall until she dies.
News Flash: There are no clots in the lungs! Her condition is listed as stable. Bah! She’s felt this way since Wednesday and wouldn’t go to the ER, EVEN THOUGH HER DOCTOR ORDERED HER TO! Arrg!

2001-04-26T19:10:00.000-04:00

As you can see, there is a new link on the left. Go read the last week’s worth of entries. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Then go and read the last month of stuff, I’ll wait. Go read the last year of her writings, I’ll wait. I’ll wait because what ever I have to say is not worth one tenth of her wisdom. I’ll wait, because, if you have limited time, her information will make you a better person. I’ll just amuse you.

Kathy IS feeling much better. Her Mom took her out shopping today. And we heard from Bruce last night. He’s in Porto Vearta, Mexico. He is also well.

2001-04-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

Kathy is doing better. Today she went over to her Mother’s and watched a VCR tape that her parents put together. The tape is all the 16mm film her Dad shot over her childhood. I guess there are some glitches, still, so I won’t see it for a while.
Kathy’s Dad is a funny type guy. When he was working, he rose to the head of the Organic Chemical R&D division of a company known around here as “The Big Yellow Box”. When Kathy and I married in 197ermph, he felt that I was not worthy of his daughter. I did a lot to prove that. We got pregnant immediately, I lost my job, and we wouldn’t let Dad take care of us.
Over the intervening years Charlie and I fought and made up. In 1998, he helped me compose a tight, well-structured resume that got me my present job.
Tonight, we hope to hear from our Navy son, Bruce. More later (I hope)

2001-04-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

This will be quick. Kathy is feeling better, still recovering. I need to learn a Doctorate in Physics in a week or less. Humh. I don't think so.
Anybody know a Dr. of Physics on call...

2001-04-23T19:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight, its just warm, period. Temperature in the 80's, humidity in the "wring out the air" range. Kathy went out and drove some today. She still moves slowly, but is much improved.
Problems at work today. How much torque must you put on a 2-56 screw to ensure that the screw stays put. Sounds easy right? Wrong! There are not standards that go down that far.Sheech!
The power supplies that power the remenance meter keep blowing up. Eight fuses on one unit alone. I may have to buy a UPS for them. Oh well.

2001-04-22T17:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight its warm applesauce. That's to make my wife's stomach muscles feel better

2001-04-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

You know, everyone has heroes. I have two. I will tell you about one.
The first, of course, is my father. He was born in 1915, premature, and sickly. My grandmother said his first bed was a shoebox. He was delivered at his home. He had rheumatic fever as a child, when he learned to spit using the muscles around his saliva glands. He went on to become a master machinist, and a manufacturing engineer. With his bad heart, he was not allowed to be conscripted in the military in 1942, instead he worked eighty hours a week at war industry. And kept a garden that was over an acre. The tools he had for the garden were all hand tools. He fed his family, (my mother and, later, my sister), and his parents. After WW2 he continued to do his work at “the Signal Works” until I was born. Then the economy got to his job. We were living with my mother’s mother. My parents had a choice: buy a house or stay. They stayed. And while my father was on a “short” (i.e. thirty-two hours) week, he and some friends built an addition to my grandmothers’ house. Basement to roof, they hand dug the basement, built the foundation, framed the addition, closed it in, finished it, roofed it, and did all the services. I can remember being sent up for my nap, my father, sweaty and dirty, giving me a kiss. I was about two.
Later he rebuilt the bathroom. We only had one, so he built one in the basement. Then he gutted the main bathroom and rebuilt it from scratch. While doing all this, he was the Local Union Secretary. This involved negotiations. In 1966 the company to approached him to become a Manufacturing Engineer. This happened at home. It was the first time I heard my Dad swear. The air was blue.
Eventually, the contract was settled and Dad went to work as a ME. He did this because his heart would not allow him to keep hauling the bar stock his job, as a machinist, required him to do.
At this time, I entered High School.
My Dad worked hard to send me to school, every time there was a fund-raiser – he would pull the required amount from his wallet. He would not try to get his co-workers to contribute.
Eventually, my parents and I went to Ireland with the band. My Dad swung in with help. Not money, but sweat and effort. He helped raise over $10K, four times!
When I was in college, he thought nothing of driving three hours (one way) to see me perform.
In the beginning of 1971, he went to the hospital with an infection. The infection was not identified for many weeks and took more weeks to treat, about thirteen, all told.
(A little bit of background. My father was Missouri Synod Lutheran, my mother is German-Irish).
On March 6, 1971 my Dad told me he was going to convert! I told him how to do that and keep the information from my mother. On July 3rd, 1971, their Thirtieth Anniversary, he went into the church where they were married and surprised my Mom!
Shortly before this happened, Dad found out that he had testicular cancer. The operation was performed and he had to undergo radiation therapy. The summer I met my wife was spent taking him to the radiologist.
Time went on. Kathy and I got married. The upshot of that is Dad and Mom paid for the wedding.
In 1976, Dad needed a valve replacement in his heart. The surgery was successful. But Dad was not the same person. He got tired quicker. He was not as alert.
In 1978, we bought a house. By this time we had two children. I wanted to expand the ki9\tchen, so we began demolition over Christmas ’79. Dad liked to come over and watch me fumble. There is a nail in that kitchen that was labeled “DJVogt 12/08/79”. That was the last nail my father ever drove home.
Dad retired at the end of February, 1980.
On March 6th, 1980, as we were watching “The Wizard of Oz”, we got a phone call. Dad had collapsed. We sped to the hospital, but by the time we got there, there was nobody home. He died the following day, but for me he had already died.
I miss him. But…
He showed me how to take adversity. He showed me how to be a man.

2001-04-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

Kathy is recovering well. The Doctor has called with the news that her blood work up is fine. However, the hospital lost the chest film. Bah. I hate hospitals.

Here’s a find. We’re out of salt. We haven’t bought salt in over two years. Imagine that.

Kathy just found out that the warm mashed potatoes feel good on her belly.

I never promised you a good post

There are times to slow down

John

2001-04-20T19:28:00.000-04:00

For those of you who want to know, Kathy is doing better. She even wants to drive tomorrow. But I will not allow a person who just had her gall bladder removed to control a vehicle through the road construction around here. Especially getting to our place. Also she had to go back to the hospital for more blood work and X-rays to look for infection. The offices are closed at this point and still no word. I hate them all.

Dedicated to Tom

As you might know, I work with electro-mechanical relays. Not there nice mini jobs, but things a big a hard cover book. These kids can have as many as 6 NO contacts and 6 NC contacts. We use them in railroad signaling and protection. Think of a big one-bit computer with no CPU, only memory (RAM is the relay(s) and ROM is the wire) and I/O ability.
We adjust these things to activate and deactivate at very precise currents. On some of these devices, we push the design limits. For the particular models, we need the best magnetic qualities in the magnetic structure possible.
The first job I received after my promotion involved one of these relays. I suggested testing for parts to produce these models. Only, in a fit of cleaning, our only testing equipment was scrapped. OOPS!
Other engineers were running around looking for commercial equipment to do the testing. They found it at the $100K-$125K range – nothing less. With a lead time of sixteen to twenty weeks. This running around went on for about a month. Then I looked at our abilities and people, did a little math and put together a proposal. We could do this, mostly in house and much cheaper. How much cheaper? $12.5-$15K. That much cheaper? No, that much cost. (Nothing like putting your neck out.) Last month my boss asked me (told me) to accelerate the schedule. Make April 20th the day. I told him if we hadn’t proved the concept by then, I would admit defeat.
Today is the twentieth. IT WORKS!!!
Note to new readers: I started in the stockroom. I have not taken any college classes since 1973. I have no degree (other than “hard knocks”). I bullied my into this job and gave up union seniority that would have made sure that I would retire from here.
I DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. I did my new job.
And they said it couldn’t be done.
And Im still working on the Email.

2001-04-19T18:02:00.000-04:00

OK, Kathy's home now, a little scare this morning. A small fever, maybe indicating an infection. But, this afternoon she's free to go. I'm now in fetch and carry mode for a while.Oh well, I don't mind. For all you new people out there, I have a small bio over here.
And yes Marcia, I'm working on the email address.

2001-04-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

I promised you a story. At a little after twelve on Tuesday morning, I took my wife to the ER of a local hospital. Our Physician wanted her seen because of severe pain in the upper abdomen. The ER was not crowed this night, so she was moved to an examining room quickly. After the change to the high style gown (you know the one that leaves nothing to the imagination), I was allowed in to see her.
I was appalled at the condition of the public areas of this ER. There were piles of dust and debris on the floor, as if someone had swept, but not picked up. Day old comic strips, brown paper, dust bunnies. As I entered my wife’s room, I was shocked to see that the castors on the hospital bed were severely corroded. There was a bed in the hallway next to her room that had the plastic cover on the mattress torn and peeling painting on the walls. Then, after I gave her a glass of ice chips, I saw blood on the table.
Now I am not a Medical Technician, but I know enough to not leave blood on an ER table.
This experience really disgusts me.
For those of you who do not know, Rochester, NY was once the model that was to be used for all medical care in the US. At that time we had six full hospitals, ER’s, OR’s, the works. Today we have two or three. The hospital my wife went to last night was affiliated with a very prestigious teaching hospital. And this is the service we get. Not even following basic protocol.
I am saddened that we have sunk to this level.

2001-04-17T15:14:00.000-04:00

I hate hospitals. I really hate hospitals. My experience is that is where you go if you dying. I saw my grandfather go in, and die. I saw my father go in, and die, I saw my only sister go in, and die. I saw my other Grandmother go in, and die. I went at age eight, in Qubec City of all places, and almost died. I hate hospitals.
Last night I took my wife, my soul mate of over thirty years (over twenty-six married) to the hospital. She was in horrible agony, vomiting hard. Today the good Doctors have given her pain pills, sent her home and scheduled her for sugery in the morning. I have had no sleep in the past thirty-six hours, and fear that I shall have none until this is over. I must do all the supporting things she does, and that’s a lot.
She's sleeping now. Thats good. I hope she can sleep through until tomorrow.
I hate hospitals.
I do have to thank the friends I complained about last week. They are still the community that was forged in the past years. That is a good thing.
I still hate hospitals.

2001-04-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

OK, I think I can form an opinion now. I am NOT a member of the Daynotes Gang Back Channel I am not good enough, smart enough, literate enough, nor do I have the requisite knowledge to join. Hell, I wanted to drill out a hard drive! Now, we have grown men, flaming each other like children. Do I support discussion? Yes. Do I encourage the exchange of opinion? Yes. Do I support personal attacks on others? No.
I see true contrition that the argument got out of hand. I see true hurt. I see ignoring the situation. I see anger. I see intelligent men trying to salve their pride instead of doing what should be done.
I see a young man rising above the fray. Twice in a week. And I wonder if the young are truly better than we, the older ones are. I have seen this group go from about four or five people to it’s present twenty-seven. I am disappointed in see the feet of clay.
I have seen this wonderful collection of individuals help one of their own – no questions asked. I have also seen them help a small reader with a REALLY dumb idea. All through the “Back Channel”. One would call another and then the ideas would start flowing.
As a consumer of the information, I want this exchange of ideas continued. As a short time member, I felt that I was part of a community of ideas. I tried to contribute and learn. We, as a world community must be above this crap. By we, I mean all of us, producers and consumers. I will be mailing this to certain parties.

2001-03-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

What a time! I’m so involved with relearning stuff I first studied in high school and learning new stuff, that I forget to post. Calculus, Magnetics, eddy currents, and more. A new thing is going on at work. I am running a project that is worth $12. I’m ahead of schedule and under budget. This is so unusual at the firm that I work for that VPs and such are congratulating me. Of course, my boss is going nuts with leaving a MAJOR project, such as this is, in the hands of a person who doesn’t have any business education! (I also don’t have a college degree.) Oh Well.
A true story. I started on this quest for a better job in May of 1998. I was afraid that the company I work for was going to out-source itself to death. So, figuring that the best time to look for a job is when you have one, I went job shopping. After a year of calling in debts, I had a plane reservation to a city frequented by a daynoter . I was two days from getting on that plane, when I received the phone call. The company is going through a restructuring, your plane ticket has been canceled. So what did I do. I had been dealt a busted straight. I made curves. I took a day of vacation. Called the President of the Company and bluffed. I had an offer with the competition. I need an offer now. I’m giving you the right of first refusal.
It took time for all this to settle out, but I was made an offer in November 1999. And when I started the job on Jan.1, 2001 I found my first paycheck 5% bigger than I had agreed to. Well…
That’s all for now
John

2001-03-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am again. My Mother had laser surgery on he eye today. She thinks that the vision is better, so I’m happy. She’s 85+, diabetic and – old. Kathy took her to the clinic, actually, they went last night. With the snow we have, I’m glad that they stayed at a motel last night.
Still working the stats and the Remenance Meter. Whoo whoo. Things I haven’t done in thirty years.

2001-02-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

OK! I’ve been tardy. With all the new tasks at work, I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed with what I have to do. Re-Learn the magnetic laws, re-learn statistics. Re-learn basic writing. At work, I am a golden boy, But I need to learn things I knew thirty and forty years ago. Use it or loose it! I have lost it. But I will get it back. Yup, I will

2001-02-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

/rant
The fool Amtrak engineer misread the signal! The engine should have had a "cab signal"! Then, if the idiot can't read the signals, the train would have stooped. But NO! Amtrak only uses that on the corridor from Washington to New York. This is going to cost the American taxpayer $75,000 PER PASSENGER. Because some idiot engineer couldn’t understand that a red signal meant stop!
/end rant

2001-02-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

Well I am now in trouble. Besides the data verification ( more on that later), I am now team leader for some new remenance measuring equipment. I haven't studied this stuff for thirty years!!

2001-02-14T20:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry ‘bout that. I’ve been doing validation testing and ALL THE MATH THAT GOES WITH IT!!!! Things I haven’t done for thirty years. I said that I don’t have a college education, but I do have an education. A very good education.
But, I haven’t used a lot of it in thirty years or more. I was given this job because I had that education, but – use it or lose it !
We’re talking measuring currents of less than 3.5 mA and resistance of less than 27.5 mili-Ohms. Wheew. And then verify that measurement. With all this collecting data and then trying to correlate it, I’m done in.
With that I’m going to call it a night.
John

2001-02-10T14:06:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a day. I need to verify a new piece of test equipment. Fifty data points on the old stuff and fifty on the new. Times 12 data points per unit. Times five copies of each type of unit. Times nine types of units. Whew! Did I say that I was a Math Major. This is a project! And the prototype failed the test. So I have to go into work tomorrow. And figure out what is going on.

2001-02-08T22:34:00.000-05:00

I had to use the recover disk today
'Nuff said

2001-02-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

Well, the double posts are easy to explain – STUPID!! I copied the post into Word and copy and paste. OOPS!! Write the thing first. Edit as needed. Then get on line, copy, paste then post, and publish. DUH!
How to get rid of it, now there’s the rub. I think I need to write the site's owner and ask. After all it is space that I shouldn’t have used. And a few other issues that I need to address

2001-02-06T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I sent Tom an email today to comment on the loss of the book contract. Between Landon, the tooth, the book and generally being behind; he didn't get it. Or - my sarcasam is to off the wall for him to get it. Hmm- Tom's intelegent, resourseful and funny. Oops - I missed the point. But he missed a little time bomb I planted too.
On other things, the younger boy got home today. We worked hard to find a flight from Seattle east that didn't make him get to the airport at an ungodly hour - 22:00 hrs. So along comes Mother Nature with the storm on the East Coast. Oh Well! He came in only an hour later than planned.He even got to us last night to tell us about the delay. Granted 23:15 02/05/01, but the thought was there.
Watching this son with his nephew, I am amazed at how quickly he has grown up. Only four short years. And he has learned so much. When he first learned about Jr., all he could do was heap derision on his brother. Today, all he could do was play with his nephew. He doesn't understand all about Sean Jr., but he will.
John

2001-02-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

/rant
These things arn't supposed to happen!! A few miles outside of Syracuse, NY an Amtrak Metroliner hit a freight on the CSX mainline between Albany and Buffalo.Story here. This line is fully signaled and has Centralized Train Control (CTC). The trick to these things is simple. Detect the train and ensure that the train is seperated by enough room to stop if there is a problem up ahead. Keep other trains out of the "saftey bubble" and everything's ok. There are interlocks all over the place in this system.Even the individual components are designed to be "fail safe". The design is built to withstand failure. I think there will be more blame here than can be spread around.
/end rant.
This is very important to me. Last week I ripped an aplications engineer for selecting the incorrect relay for an application.This time it wasn't a safety issue, but who knows? Did he look at the documentation? No.
Busy tommorow. Don't know if I'll be here.
John

2001-02-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

Shelley was talking about snow. Where we are, the snow is a constant.

2001-02-04T17:07:00.000-05:00

We had the baby today. He’s so funny. With the tongue popping in and out of his mouth.
Bruce comes home on Tuesday. He’ll be home for about two weeks. Needless to say, we’re excited. We’ll take Jr. with us to the Buffalo Airport (cheaper by $200 USD) to greet him.

2001-02-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

Is anybody there...

2001-02-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

Hi all!
The company I work for,Alstom, is a huge conglomorate. We build power systems, distribution systems, TRAIN CONTROL systems.
/rant
Why is it that we think that kids like Tom's son or my grandson are unhappy. My limited experience says that these kids think all this is normal. I remember forty years ago - I had my appendix taken out in Quebec City. I threw symptoms at Ste. Anne DeBoubre, about an hour North of the city then. We went down to Quebec City and the Doctors' wouldn't let me on the plane. Over to Jeffery Hale Memorial Hospital to have it removed. My memories are: I wanted to be asleep, the french speaking kid in the other bed (who jumped on the RIGHT side of the bed after I had been awake fo an hour, a pidgon deciding that my eight year older sister's head would make a good perch to P$%p, and telling my Mother to "Hold On" as we crossed railroad tracks (she had just recovered from gall bladder surgury.) A week after surgury, we drove home. I don't remember felling unhappy.
/end rant

2001-02-01T20:21:00.000-05:00

I was shut out the last two nights. Corrected the link to the bio (I think)
Yup, that did it. Oh well. Let me tell about a typical day. I go in at 6:30 AM. Put out the fires that started overnight. Then read e-mail - maybe. produce a process or two. Create a validation test or two. Write reports on tests conducted earlier. Pull out my thirty year old Physics learning.
Does this sound like I need Chaos Theory? Nah - just modern business theory. Did I mention I work for a job shop? Thats being run like we turn out 100s of K's of copies of a product? This is FUN! (NOT!)
I'm gonna have to learn how to do all this in word anywho. Gotta learn how to capture all those links!
Have a good one,
John

2001-01-29T19:39:00.000-05:00

Well I got the prelimininary bio up today. This should get you there.

2001-01-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Hi there! We're back. Toronto was nice. The city, like all things Canadian; was CLEAN. The only thig that saddened me was the Ontairo Science Centre.Now, I've been there several times over the past thirty-five years, and the place has agged over the years. The cloud chamber is busted, many interactive exibits are inoperative and have had the operating handles removed. But the wife and I got a chance to relax for a day. From what you ask? As soon as I figger out how to do a few things, I'll Tell you.

2001-01-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

We're going to Toronto this afternoon.

2001-01-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

Hi! I'm John and I have never done a Journal or a Diary before. I'll be blathering about the need for Rail Transportation, My Life, and other subjects.
I hope you all will read my blatherings