Framing the Dialogue

Random Thoughts

Jackson Dismayed

That title is how the excerpt from my local paper described Rev. Jesse “blackmail” Jackson’s feelings over the Recording Academy’s (Grammy Awards) decision to pare down the number of awards handed out this year.

Grammy Controversy: Rev. Jesse Jackson Enters Fray Over Cut Categories

Since Jackson has absolutely nothing to do with the music industry (or any industry or anything for that matter) I can only surmise that it has been too long since he got any press and decided this may work.  Jackson DEMANDED a meeting with CEO Neil Portnow to discuss his demands or threatened boycott or to “occupy” the grammys.  Portnow acquiesced to Jackson’s blackmail as have so many others in the past. 

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My 10,000 Steps

Perhaps not as widely used as “drinking 8 glasses of water each day” or “an apple a day…”, the belief that taking ten thousand steps each day will pave the way towards total health is almost as well known.  On many levels that makes sense to me.  I have a relatively new position where I work that entails a fair amount of walking 2-3 times per week with some climbing slopes included.  I had been doing this for a few months and I noticed something weird.  I was able to tighten one more belt hole, my pants got a little bigger, and I didn’t gasp for air when I strode up a steep slope.

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I Got By With A Little Help From Some Strangers

As part of my job duties I inspect dams to ensure that they are in decent shape and maintained.  I am trying to be vague as I really don’t care to divulge what I do for a living or for whom.  The inspections are visual and generally take about 45 minutes for the field work each depending on the size of the dam.  I was out yesterday and got four done (just the field work) and it was around noon.  I had one more that I wanted to tackle before settling down to write up my reports.  It was about an hour away and like to get my field work done so I postponed lunch and headed toward the dam.

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Detours

I walked Colorado Street twice a day every day to/from school for eight years. This was the site of many snowball fights and an occasional monkey ball fight.

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Today’s Hottest Jobs

Kiplinger writers Martha Craver and Michael DeSenne have done the impossible and uncovered 10 hot jobs in an era of high unemployment. Even more unlikely one of the professions, and number four no less, is my profession. The “jobs” are ranked by the number of job seekers for every position open environmental engineers only have 1.15 active job seekers per opening according to Kiplinger. I was happy to see the 10-year growth projection at 31 percent though I don’t see a move to another employer in my future.

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Cradle to Grave

My son recently bought a new bed. You’ll have to bear with me on this one, but I was thinking about that and its implications about growth and where we sleep or more importantly what we sleep on. He has lived on his own for years now, but still used his single bed much as he has since he was probably two years old. His move up to a double bed seemed like a life step. I know it’s just a bed, but think about what we sleep on.

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Update 1 – Fat, Drunk, and Stupid

This is the second year in a row that my wife convinced me to go somewhere that I really didn’t want to go and it again involved the group Train.  This time instead of the opening act for John Mayer, Train played after a Pittsburgh Pirate home game against the San Diego Padres.  The Pirates had been fairly hot and recently even had first place in the division.  I have never really been a big baseball fan, but I do enjoy going to the ballpark.  I should say used to as it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a game.  It may stem, at least partially, from the fact that I had a brief stint as one of poor souls who cleaned up after ball games.  I was in high school and I think I lasted two or three home stands.  If I close my eyes I can still conjure up the odor of stale beer, peanut shells, and damp popcorn.  Brrrrrrrr.

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Liberty Quotes

What better way to celebrate the Independence of the United States than a collection of quotes from some of the great minds that contributed to our country’s history…

“Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should. Happy Fourth of July.”

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End of the World Commencement

We recently had the good fortune of attending the graduation ceremony for our oldest as he moves from university life to working life. This is even more gratifying for him as he has secured gainful employment in a field that he loves. Congratulations Kevin!

The ceremony was full of pomp and circumstance befitting the achievements of the now former students. Professors in robes, loud trumpets blared, and around 250 graduated in their blue cap and gowns. Speeches were made and diplomas (really just place holders until the real ones are mailed this week) were handed out. The university is a Catholic school and I would say fairly conservative for a college these days and this was the graduation from only the business school which, in general, is even a little more conservative.

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Re: Treads

Money is a little tight, but my car needed new tires.  Even though I made it through the winter in decent shape I was always concerned that I’d lose one of my tires at an inopportune moment.  I am not sure what an opportune moment would be to lose a tire…perhaps if one blows just as you pull into the bay at a tire dealership.  There are a lot of options and you can pay as little as $75 per tire to well in the hundreds of dollars.  I really wanted to fall between the two and closer to the lower end.  The problem then is that I’d be doing this again in two years.  Tires just don’t last like they used to. 

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