Sunday, November 16, 2008
Utah can be pretty close to Paradise
I hadn't looked at this site in a while, and decided I needed to re-read and see what I was thinking when I last posted. I have decide Utah is probably OK, and has its good points. I have been back three weeks now, have started a new job, have flown both my gliders, and even have a few pictures of me flying my hang glider now. The new job is doing customer service and some telephone sales with GuitarCenter.com. I have always enjoyed music, and this gives me an opportunity to help other people enjoy making music, by selling musical instruments to them, and by helping them get past the pitfalls of ordering things online. I also realized I had missed being around a lot of my friends, including my wife. One of the newer Utah residents, who is a skier and hang glider pilot has a blog titled: "Just Another Day in Paradise." I am enjoying reading Ryan's posts, as his outlook on life is quite a bit different than mine. That is all for now. We'll see how I feel in a month or so.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Super Taco Fridays
Two days ago, I came to the realization I don't think I can go back to live in Utah. If I had been going to go back to Utah, I had planned to leave here on January 03, 2009. That would have put me back in time to resume my studies to become an FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. Technically I wouldn't be Licensed, I would be Certificated, but most people call it a license. If I were going to leave in January, I would now have nineteen more Super Taco Fridays to go, before I left. See my Super Taco Fridays post on GliderMike's Adventures for an explanation of Super Taco Fridays. If I were to leave in January, I would have a minimal amount of cash on hand.and would have to be able to get a job to support myself while I went to school, if I didn't return to Utah. If I go somewhere other than Utah, I would have to start from scratch, as the A&P schools all have their own curriculum, and will not transfer credit from some other school. Most programs start from scratch every fall semester, which means I am here a lot more than an additional nineteen Super Taco Fridays. This also means I don't have a clue at the moment how many Super Taco Fridays I have to go. Putting a pencil to everything, I think it will take nearly another year and a half from now to be able to survive for two years without getting a real job. We'll see how long I make it. I didn't get any of the positions I had applied to with the mail mission, and I only have one application available within the next four months. I am definitely going to do some research before I apply for another position, and have all the information I need to act like I know how to do the job, based on whatever interview I will be doing.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Randon Acts of Kindness - Not
A friend had a post a while back he had titled "Random Acts of Kindness." This post is unfortunately about the opposite thing. Our vehicles here at the post office are pretty junky. Recently, they have both been in the maintenance shop at the same time. Yesterday, both vehicles were in the maintenance shop. There are drop boxes around the base for people to mail letters, without having to come to the post office. The loop around the base to collect the mail at all the drop boxes is 22 kilometers long. With both vehicles down, we had several options to use to collect the mail at the drop boxes. We (actually, one of us) could (1) take the bus, (2) walk, (3) hitch hike, (4) ride a bicycle, or (5) get someone who works at "area" to carry one of us around to the drop boxes. The company groups some of the bases together in groups, with a manager over the entire group. Our base is a core of one of the groups, and the management facility for this core is called "area."
Today was the second time the "mail run"had been done on bicycle. Reggie, one of my co-workers, has done it on a bicycle both times. The company furnishes us with bolo ties, and red neck truck driver hats, both of which have the company logo on them. We are required by company policy to wear both at all times when we are outside. This version of "outside" is not to be confused with "OUTSIDE," which is "OUTSIDE" the base. Our supervisor took a photo of Reggie collecting the mail at the front door of the post office, and sent it in to upper management. The response was not "Atta Boy," but was "Why isn't he wearing his bolo tie?" No "Atta Boys," no "Keep up the good work," no "That is dedication!" Only," Why isn't he wearing a bolo tie?" This is a worse insult than the "Chicken or Pasta" insult bestowed upon us a few days before Christmas! I know it is straying from the path of seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha, if I don't wish the upper management well, but I hope the upper management reaps what they sew. Fortunately, not every department of this company has upper management like ours.
Only twenty more Super Taco Fridays to go!!!!
Today was the second time the "mail run"had been done on bicycle. Reggie, one of my co-workers, has done it on a bicycle both times. The company furnishes us with bolo ties, and red neck truck driver hats, both of which have the company logo on them. We are required by company policy to wear both at all times when we are outside. This version of "outside" is not to be confused with "OUTSIDE," which is "OUTSIDE" the base. Our supervisor took a photo of Reggie collecting the mail at the front door of the post office, and sent it in to upper management. The response was not "Atta Boy," but was "Why isn't he wearing his bolo tie?" No "Atta Boys," no "Keep up the good work," no "That is dedication!" Only," Why isn't he wearing a bolo tie?" This is a worse insult than the "Chicken or Pasta" insult bestowed upon us a few days before Christmas! I know it is straying from the path of seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha, if I don't wish the upper management well, but I hope the upper management reaps what they sew. Fortunately, not every department of this company has upper management like ours.
Only twenty more Super Taco Fridays to go!!!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ethics
I've thought a little more about the interview I talked about in the previous post, and talked to a couple more people about it. One of my friends reminded me that when the time sheet auditors come around the company recommends we use a "cheat sheet" to be sure we give the correct answers to the questions they might ask. The "cheat sheet" term is used by everyone in the company, including the people who do the time sheet training. We hand write the hours, any pertinent information, and any changes to our time sheets over here. In the time sheet classes, we are told to carry our "cheat sheets" with us, in case we are audited by the government compliance people. A better name for the time sheet "cheat sheet" in an ideal world might be an "time sheet information page." I seriously doubt if I could have any impact toward changing the name of the "cheat sheet."
I realized why the HR guy was bent about me having a copy of the SOP's with me at the interview. It is because this company sees any written aid to an interview as a "cheat sheet." If it weren't for the fact I need the money so desperately to get out of debt, and go back to school to finish the training to get my FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic's rating, I am not sure how long I could continue to work for a company that views ethics in such a different manner as I do. I don't think I will ever be able to tolerate working for a company which I view as unethical again after I leave here. On a recurring basis, there has been talk during orientation and from upper management about "core values" with this company. When the "core values" include a "cheat sheet" it is time to be concerned, in my honest opinion. I guess I'm also getting paranoid, as I went thru both blogs, and made sure there was no mention of the name of the company I am working for. If I did mention the company name, it could be inferred I am giving away company secrets, and that IS a terminable offense.
I realized why the HR guy was bent about me having a copy of the SOP's with me at the interview. It is because this company sees any written aid to an interview as a "cheat sheet." If it weren't for the fact I need the money so desperately to get out of debt, and go back to school to finish the training to get my FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic's rating, I am not sure how long I could continue to work for a company that views ethics in such a different manner as I do. I don't think I will ever be able to tolerate working for a company which I view as unethical again after I leave here. On a recurring basis, there has been talk during orientation and from upper management about "core values" with this company. When the "core values" include a "cheat sheet" it is time to be concerned, in my honest opinion. I guess I'm also getting paranoid, as I went thru both blogs, and made sure there was no mention of the name of the company I am working for. If I did mention the company name, it could be inferred I am giving away company secrets, and that IS a terminable offense.
What's fair on a job interview?
I did a phone interview for a mail transportation foreman position today. This company, like most companies doing business with the US Government, has a large group of SOP's (standard operating procedures.)
I decided I needed to do some homework for this interview, as I had done two other interviews within the last couple of weeks, and felt inadequately prepared for both of them. For this one, I checked out a set of SOP's dealing with transportation so I could be better prepared. I had the SOP's with me during the interview, and made it known to the three people doing the interview I had them with me. The HR representative was the last person to ask questions, and he asked if my supervisor was in the office with me, and I responded no, I was alone. He then commented he thought it wasn't fair for me to have the SOP's with me, as there were other candidates who would be interviewing, who would not have the SOP's with them. I commented I thought it was part of being prepared as best as I could. He is going to check with his manager, to see what the manager thinks, and will get back to me later today.
I talked to my supervisor afterward, and told him about the interview and the deal with the SOP's. He suggested I probably should have not mentioned I had the SOP's with me.
I happened to see the Chief Warrant Officer, who is in charge of oversight of our post office, and told him about it. His opinion was I had done the correct thing, as it wouldn't be in writing if you were required to memorize it. I said true, but this company is sort of funny about stuff, and the HR guy was very not impressed with the situation. My thoughts were, this will either land me the job, or get me fired. Chief said, "No, no, no. The only thing that should get you fired, are a violation of General Order Number One, being disrespectful, or striking someone." I really value the opinions of Chief. He is close to my age, and is a career military officer. He attained his current rank because he uses his head for something other than a hat rack. I have not known him to talk down to anyone, or to give bad advice.
As part of operations security, I won't mention any one's names on any of my posts. The thinking is, names could fall into the wrong hands, and family or friends could be tricked into giving information useful to the enemy, or the enemy could use the information to cause harm, either physically or mentally, to family or friends. A lot of the "commercials" on Armed Forces radio and television are about OPSEC procedures. I agree with the military recommendations about OPSEC, as better to be safe than sorry. When I receive personal mail, I destroy names and addresses on the packages, and keep the envelopes and cards when I receive personal mail.
I decided I needed to do some homework for this interview, as I had done two other interviews within the last couple of weeks, and felt inadequately prepared for both of them. For this one, I checked out a set of SOP's dealing with transportation so I could be better prepared. I had the SOP's with me during the interview, and made it known to the three people doing the interview I had them with me. The HR representative was the last person to ask questions, and he asked if my supervisor was in the office with me, and I responded no, I was alone. He then commented he thought it wasn't fair for me to have the SOP's with me, as there were other candidates who would be interviewing, who would not have the SOP's with them. I commented I thought it was part of being prepared as best as I could. He is going to check with his manager, to see what the manager thinks, and will get back to me later today.
I talked to my supervisor afterward, and told him about the interview and the deal with the SOP's. He suggested I probably should have not mentioned I had the SOP's with me.
I happened to see the Chief Warrant Officer, who is in charge of oversight of our post office, and told him about it. His opinion was I had done the correct thing, as it wouldn't be in writing if you were required to memorize it. I said true, but this company is sort of funny about stuff, and the HR guy was very not impressed with the situation. My thoughts were, this will either land me the job, or get me fired. Chief said, "No, no, no. The only thing that should get you fired, are a violation of General Order Number One, being disrespectful, or striking someone." I really value the opinions of Chief. He is close to my age, and is a career military officer. He attained his current rank because he uses his head for something other than a hat rack. I have not known him to talk down to anyone, or to give bad advice.
As part of operations security, I won't mention any one's names on any of my posts. The thinking is, names could fall into the wrong hands, and family or friends could be tricked into giving information useful to the enemy, or the enemy could use the information to cause harm, either physically or mentally, to family or friends. A lot of the "commercials" on Armed Forces radio and television are about OPSEC procedures. I agree with the military recommendations about OPSEC, as better to be safe than sorry. When I receive personal mail, I destroy names and addresses on the packages, and keep the envelopes and cards when I receive personal mail.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Pilots and Piano Players
I finally heard from the Englishman who also claimed to be a piano player in a brothel. He said he thought it sounded a lot more interesting than the IT he actually does, so that is why he used piano player as an occupation.
On another note, I checked out another glider website, called SoaringSpace, and have added a link to it in my links area. Gloria is the owner/moderator of the site. The site has a forum used by some of us who prefer "solar/gravity powered" flight. If you aren't sure of what I mean by saying solar/gravity powered flight, I will attempt to give a brief explanation. The various weather systems and associated winds that happen on this planet are caused by heating from the Sun, coupled with the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth rotates, areas which had previously been heated by the Sun, begin to cool off. Different objects heat and cool at different rates, and affect the air around them as they heat and cool. As an object warms up, it also warms the air around it, and as it cools off, it also cools the air around it. Warmer air is less dense than cooler air, and is therefore lighter in comparison to the cooler air. Due to the various geographical features of the planet the air will either flow to a higher elevation as it warms, or flow to a lower elevation as it cools. The resulting mountain breezes and valley breezes or land breeze and sea breeze are the wind. But you might say, there are no mountains where I live, or I am not close to the ocean. Even a slight change in elevation can cause the mountain/valley breeze situation, and a small body of water will still cause some land/sea breeze. When I was flying hot air balloons on a regular basis, I saw the effect of a mountain/valley breeze one morning in Western Oklahoma very vividly. The wind at one thousand feet off the ground had been doing about twenty miles an hour out of the South. I dropped down into a creek area that was at the south end of a horseshoe shaped bowl, that was higher on the North side than the South side. The bowl was probably five miles in diameter. The elevation differential was probably a maximum of two hundred feet between the top of the ridge (using the term ridge very loosely) to the North, and the bottom of the bowl to the South where I was. I was able to move to the South, albeit at an extremely slow pace, for about thirty minutes, due to the fact the cool air was still settling into the lower area. As the Sun continued to get higher, the ground started to warm up, and the cooler air started warming up and would eventually go the opposite direction. As the ground starts to warm up during the day, the air close to the ground also starts to warm up, and become less stable, causing a decrease in the friction between the earth and the layers of moving air above it. This is a very brief over-simplified explanation of part of the reason the wind can be very calm in the early morning, and calm in the late evening, yet be quite breezy during the heat of the day. As a balloonist, I became a micro-meteorologist, and a student of the local geography of wherever I happened to be. As a glider pilot, I have learned to apply the same principles to be able to make a judgement as to the "soarability" of a potential flying site. The most difficult part (for me) of transitioning from being a balloon pilot to a glider pilot, is that many of the various conditions I either find desirable or undesirable when flying a balloon, are the opposite when applied to flying gliders. When flying the balloon I want stable air, and when flying the glider, I desire unstable air.
On another note, I checked out another glider website, called SoaringSpace, and have added a link to it in my links area. Gloria is the owner/moderator of the site. The site has a forum used by some of us who prefer "solar/gravity powered" flight. If you aren't sure of what I mean by saying solar/gravity powered flight, I will attempt to give a brief explanation. The various weather systems and associated winds that happen on this planet are caused by heating from the Sun, coupled with the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth rotates, areas which had previously been heated by the Sun, begin to cool off. Different objects heat and cool at different rates, and affect the air around them as they heat and cool. As an object warms up, it also warms the air around it, and as it cools off, it also cools the air around it. Warmer air is less dense than cooler air, and is therefore lighter in comparison to the cooler air. Due to the various geographical features of the planet the air will either flow to a higher elevation as it warms, or flow to a lower elevation as it cools. The resulting mountain breezes and valley breezes or land breeze and sea breeze are the wind. But you might say, there are no mountains where I live, or I am not close to the ocean. Even a slight change in elevation can cause the mountain/valley breeze situation, and a small body of water will still cause some land/sea breeze. When I was flying hot air balloons on a regular basis, I saw the effect of a mountain/valley breeze one morning in Western Oklahoma very vividly. The wind at one thousand feet off the ground had been doing about twenty miles an hour out of the South. I dropped down into a creek area that was at the south end of a horseshoe shaped bowl, that was higher on the North side than the South side. The bowl was probably five miles in diameter. The elevation differential was probably a maximum of two hundred feet between the top of the ridge (using the term ridge very loosely) to the North, and the bottom of the bowl to the South where I was. I was able to move to the South, albeit at an extremely slow pace, for about thirty minutes, due to the fact the cool air was still settling into the lower area. As the Sun continued to get higher, the ground started to warm up, and the cooler air started warming up and would eventually go the opposite direction. As the ground starts to warm up during the day, the air close to the ground also starts to warm up, and become less stable, causing a decrease in the friction between the earth and the layers of moving air above it. This is a very brief over-simplified explanation of part of the reason the wind can be very calm in the early morning, and calm in the late evening, yet be quite breezy during the heat of the day. As a balloonist, I became a micro-meteorologist, and a student of the local geography of wherever I happened to be. As a glider pilot, I have learned to apply the same principles to be able to make a judgement as to the "soarability" of a potential flying site. The most difficult part (for me) of transitioning from being a balloon pilot to a glider pilot, is that many of the various conditions I either find desirable or undesirable when flying a balloon, are the opposite when applied to flying gliders. When flying the balloon I want stable air, and when flying the glider, I desire unstable air.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Dubai,UAE
I'm in Dubai today. I got here yesterday evening, and will leave early in the morning for Baghdad, and hopefully, Balad the same day The hotel here in Dubai is a nice place, and the food isn't bad. The fruit salad they serve at most meals is tasty, as the fruit is fresh, more so than what we usually get in Utah. The 'bacon' for breakfast is from the same place on a cow that it would be on the other animal they don't even talk about here, unless they are cursing someone! I'll really be glad to get all the orientation drills done, and get to work. Time goes by a lot faster when you have something to do. I'll close for now.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Going Back to Iraq
This morning when I was checking mail, and etc. I was somehow miraculously able to retrieve or re-capture this blog. I had created it nearly two years ago when I was in Iraq, and immediately forgot the password, and was never able to log in again until this morning. Any photos that happen on this blog will be done from somewhere not totally in control of the United States. If I told you exactly where I am in any of the photos I will post here, I would have to ......... Well, lets just leave it at that.
I'm doing the last of the packing and projects before leaving for Houston in the morning for a week of orientation in preparation to go back to Iraq. While looking through my blog profile this morning, I noticed the "piano player in a brothel" occupation was highlighted in blue. I clicked on it, and discovered some bloke claiming to be from London in the UK also claims to be a "piano player in a brothel". Doing a little more research, the chap has apparently been to Iraq, and is also a skydiver. I don't think he has been jumping very long, but he has evidently made a jump since I have. My freefall jump # 1201 was either two or three years ago out of Chris Santacroce's trike, and it had been more than 5 years previous since I had done jump # 1200. I will have to post to a skydiving forum in the UK to see if I can contact the bloke. His blog is www.anonymouslemming.blogspot.com for anyone else who might be curious.
I'm doing the last of the packing and projects before leaving for Houston in the morning for a week of orientation in preparation to go back to Iraq. While looking through my blog profile this morning, I noticed the "piano player in a brothel" occupation was highlighted in blue. I clicked on it, and discovered some bloke claiming to be from London in the UK also claims to be a "piano player in a brothel". Doing a little more research, the chap has apparently been to Iraq, and is also a skydiver. I don't think he has been jumping very long, but he has evidently made a jump since I have. My freefall jump # 1201 was either two or three years ago out of Chris Santacroce's trike, and it had been more than 5 years previous since I had done jump # 1200. I will have to post to a skydiving forum in the UK to see if I can contact the bloke. His blog is www.anonymouslemming.blogspot.com for anyone else who might be curious.
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