New stuff

Hey all...

I've added some new, semi-permament content, some gadgets scattered about the page, there's a pic of the day slot at the bottom, as well as some other stuff. Feel free to comment on them, I plan on swapping the unpopular things out on occasion. I'm also considering reducing the space alloted to posts so the stuff on the bottom of the page doesn't get forgotten. Or I can just remind everyone to scroll down to see daily content. Or move that stuff up??? Comments? More to come soon.....

I'm back. Really... Is anybody still there???

Well, after disappearing for more than a month, I"m back. A lot happened, travelled back east to Virginia for 2 weeks to help take care of my second youngest, and work was Work. I've had more adventures in Handymanland, this time involving basement water and drywall repair, and I think I've gotten the whole writing thing figured out. (Okay, maybe not the last...)

On the subject of writing... Imperfect hope still hold my primary attention, though I've not done any work on it for most of the summer. No changes to the major storyline, which I suppose is good news, considering I usually change everything when I come back to a project like this. I'll post more on writing later as I get more into the rhythm of it...

I've always felt that blogging should be more than an open diary of what's happening this week, and as I've looked back on the last few posts, I've realized that that is exactly what I've been doing. It's a factor of my mindset of the moment. Instead, I'd prefer blogging to be an expression of creative exercise. Pick something in my brain and run with it. Preferably scissors, point up. Figuratively. So.....

You can't escape politics right now, every other ad on tv is something attacking somone else over their position. I dislike politics. Or at least, the hatred that comes with todays version of it. Express an opinion at work that someone else disagrees with, and you get a five minute diatribe on how stupid you are for believing that. Dare to offer a counterpoint to someone elses view, and the venom that follows is beyond belief.

Part of my problem is that i'm a member of the most hated group of people, the (whisper it...) Moderates. I don't buy lock stock and barrel the arguments of either party, and that pisses them off. Just because I believe in strong national security doesn't mean I want to gut the educational system, just because I'm pro-education doesn't mean I advocate free government care for life for everyone (except those who make more than a nationally decided upon threshhold of success). Energy policy, Social Issues, so on. Mine is a pathway of deliberate, reasoned choices, rather than blind adherance to party line.

I was very disappointed in the tone of what has been coming out of both campaigns. But it's typical, I guess. There's not much I can do about it. Or is there... I have to admit that I tend to bury my head under a rock when the mud starts slinging, maybe I need to throw a few rocks myself at the mudslingers. Wonder it that'd do any good.....

Anyway, next post will be about fun. Anything but politics. I hope.....

TTFN,
Jim

Now what...

Well, it seems that the summer of new crises is coming to a close. Or at least, so it seems. Things are returning to a more normal (as if anything is ever 'normal' around me) state here in colorado, between family health and issues and such. We have had to change our vacation plans, whereas we had planned to go to mexico to visit the ranchito, check up on our horses and visit my brother in law and new nephew, now we're probably going to fly out to visit Irma's dad in LA. For once, it's not going to be an emeregency someone's sick or worse visit, and that's the main reason we're doing it, Senor Antonio is doing well in his apartment, and has asked Irma a couple of times "When are you coming to see me). We're actually thinking of driving, mostly so we can set our own pace getting there...

With the abatement of serious chaos, I'm getting back to practicing writing, and champing at the bit to get back to Imperfect hope. I'm holding off, though, I want to rethink a plot line. In the meantime, I'm warming up with description practice and outlining a short story that I may work on in between Imperfect Hope segments. More on that later as I get a better handle on what my overactive imagination is up to.....

Work is still insane. Work is still grinding me down. Work is... I guess that's why it's called work.

Anyway... Life update complete. When I next write (later this week, I promise myself), I'll be creative.

For now, keep those cards and letters coming.....

TTFN,
Jim

Progress?

Okay. Writing hasn't been high on my list of priorities these last couple of months. I'm still writing, though. Perhaps a break was needed, perhaps I just let stress get ahead of me. At any rate, I'm getting back to Imperfect Hope. I promise. (hear that, Jim? You promised it!)

Where do I restart? I'd stopped at a natural break point way back when, protagonists having dealt with their first crisis and were beginning a recovery, but... Soon the deadlier problem will reveal itself. I shouldn't have too many problems getting my writing back up to speed, but... Starting can take on a life of it's own. So I'm rereading what I've done so far, without (hear that, Inner Critic) Without editing, the goal being, when I catch up to where I left off, I should be "in the right mindset".

In the meantime, real life goes on. May have to drive out to Salt Lake in a couple of weeks to pick up Omar's (Irma's brother) kids to spend a few weeks with us, their mom is still in a hospital and facing long rehab after her brain surgery. Omar's been hanging in there, but it can't be easy, splitting his time between work on the ranch, nights at the hospital with his wife, and trying to take care of the kids. The kids are looking forward to a vacation... Lets hope Irma and I are up to the challenge.

Anyway... Back to the grind...

Clear skies,
Jim

Woodpeckers and Trainees

We've always had woodpeckers in our neighborhood. Many mornings I've awakened to the machinelike pounding on ours, or our neighbors homes. Most mornings I smile, for whatever reason I like woodpeckers, I suppose they're not doing that much damage to the house, and after all, they're really just marking their territory. Or to put it another way, trying to attract a mate. Something about pounding your head against a block of wood in order to attract a mate strikes a chord with me. I'm just sayin.....

Speaking of pounding your head against a block of wood... For years, we've had a developing shortage of controllers nationwide, national management kept assuring us that "trainees were in the pipeline, don't worry." Well, they're here. 15 trainees, brand spanking new out of the academy at Oklahoma City. Most of them have gotten two years of associate degree work from one of the aviation related universities before going to the academy. 15 trainees. Wow.

Guess what our training department has them doing. Sitting in the control room, taking turns watching 2 or 3 printers spit out strips. (Flight plan and informational). What do they do? Look at the strips, and decide if they need to be delivered to controllers. Maybe one in twenty has any pertinence, the rest get tossed. Keep in mind, that before the arrival of the trainees, a supervisor would wander by the printer every 15 minutes or so and check for usefullness. Now, a trainee (with 2 years college, and 4 months academy screen and training) sits... Rat-a-tat-a-tat......

It used to be that flight data (the position he's filling now) had a purpose, we used to process flight plans manually on occasion, relay flight information to surrounding facilities, and actually do things that made sense. I spent a year on printers, and in doing so I learned the area in and out. HOwever, we've gone digital in almost all ways flight data, so the human touch is taken out. Nothing to pass, no flightplans to copy, coordination to complete, nothing. nada. Sit and watch the printer..... Rat-a-tat-a-tat.....

Why??? Because the training department hadn't foreseen the arrival of trainees. They've got other training programs that just can't be postponed, so the trainees, rather than get denver center specific instruction and training that would get them on the track to start being useful in 3 or 4 years, sit and watch and wait for the phase 3 training class to start in 9 months. Rat-a-tat-a-tat.....

So yesterday I had to provide training to one of our new future controllers. He's bright, young, enthusiastic. He's had 2 years college in minnesota, and passed the academy ready to jump in. And I got to explain to him what it was that our managers and instructors want him to do for the next 9 months. I watched the hope drain out of his eyes, watched the despair fill them. I tried to find useful things for him to do for the next 9 months, practice on URET (digital flight plan information) so he'll be fluent in it's use when he actually starts training, suggested he spend as much time as possible observing controllers at work. I hope the training department wakes up and moves their class date up, though... Boredom leads to attrition.....

Anyway..... Rat-a-tat-a-tat.....

Clear skies,
Jim

Tornadoes and stuff

If you've read or seen the news lately, you've likely heard about the several tornadoes that struck northeastern colorado today. Most of them, including the most destructive one, were several to a few dozen miles northeast of us here, but one was spotted south of town. It lead to a challenging day.

First, the ludicrous. The tornado closest to longmont was spotted right around noon, and sirens went off town wide. I suspect many people around town were puzzled, many knew what was going on, and many just missed it entirely. Here at denver center, though, you would think that people who work on a daily basis with constant awareness of the weather and it's impact would understand. However, when the P.A. announcement went off telling all non essential personnel to proceed to the basement, and controllers to the control room (which is, I suppose, being in the center of the building and away from windows is a safe as one can be on the ground floor), what do a sizeable majority of staffers, managers, and other non-essentials do? Head for the windows or outside to LOOK FOR THE TORNADO!. Gah!!!!!

Anyway, the tornado sighting was just the mid point of a long and difficult day. Weather started building around 930 am, which is unusual. By 1100 am, there were lines of thunderstorms across eastern colorado, western nebraska and kansas forming up, much like the slats of venetian blinds. Thus far, aircraft could make there way through, but as the weather began filling in, the planes had to deviate further and further off course to get around it.

TMU, traffic management unit, tried to keep up. Once again, they seemed to be about an hour behind the real weather situation. As a result, they had sectors west of denver aiming aircraft at holes in the line of weather that had already closed. Nothing like a 120 degree about face and 100 mile detour to eat up gas.....

By early afternoon, the line had closed up, and nothing was getting through... Except tmu kept trying pathfinders, who would fly 100 miles east of denver, then head 125 miles north or south to find a way round. Oh well. (I'm sensing a pattern, and it's not just my cynical attitude)

Anyway... We got through it. Afterward, we began getting the reports on the damage in Platteville and points north. It wasn't pretty. Guess we had it pretty easy after all.....

Getting my writing back in swing, though I mostly have just done some exercises trying to get my rhythm back. Blurbs will follow soon. I promise.

Keep those cards and letters and comments coming....

Clear skies,
Jim

May showers and such

May. Writing wise, I still haven't gotten back into the rhythm I had up to march, though I have actually done some rewriting. Word count is still about the same, and to be honest, I'm paying no attention to the deadline right now, I just don't need any new pressures. The inner critic has been happy though, he got to dump another entire scene and rework it, it came out tighter and much more relavent.

Why did I let him out? The scene in question seemed very weak, and it's content will directly impact future scenes and chapters, so I felt that I had to rework it in order to keep my continuity going once I do charge back in. It feels better, so I"m happy with the IC's work.....

I"ve started rereading some older novels in my library, still haven't found any of my old darkover books, might still try the library. Anyone have any suggestions for new writers I might find enjoyable?

I mentioned pressure. The fact is, sometimes life gets dirty. I've had to focus full time on work challenges (o/t is going to be a fact of life very soon, with our staffing shortages reaching a critical level.) YOu know it's bad when your Traffic Management Unit puts out a restriction on surrounding centers, not because of bad weather, but because an area is understaffed and can't handle normal traffic. Guess the airlines are going to start putting pressure on FAA management to DO SOMETHING FAST. Like they didn't have 10+ years warning that the retirements were going to peak in the next two years.....

Besides work, it's spring yard fix up time. ANother round of handymanitis had me digging up some cracked irrigation pipes in the front yard, stuff the original house builders really didn't do a good job on. Front yard is mostly dont and ready to go, I've a pair of sprinkler heads in the back to repair (One got whacked by the turf-aerator guys, despite the yellow flag marking it). Thankfully, we've had rain (and snow) the last couple of weeks, so I"ve not had to rush the repair jobs.

Oh. New Truck. Vaquera, my 9 1/2 year old ford ranger, has been replaced by a brand new nissan Frontier club cab. I"m still contemplating the name.....

Anyway, more to come soon. Drop me a line and say hello.....

Clear skies,
Jim