Monthly Archives: November 2010

Sunday night – different corner

Peaceful day working around the house.. not much to relate.. Last night was nice.. Friend Homer had a very nice 60th birthday party. It was a really interesting mix of 5-=60 year old proto-hippies, artists and every manor of craftsperson. .. There were actually two parties.. one upstairs with food..

and one downstairs with tools. Here’s Homer sweeping the bed of his 5 axis router… which we later used as a dance floor.

He’s a looking good at 60.. no ?

ere are many of the party goers moving the router gantry out of the way.. It took us all to move the thing.. but it saved us starting up the generator to have the computer do it.   Good bonding ..

Wudn’t cha’ know my camera ran out of juice just before we sang Happy Birthday.. but I did get a picture of homers fish-shaped cake.

This morning we all took it easy.. I found myself sitting in a corner of our house that I don’t recall ever having sat in… (in 30 years.. seems unlikely).. But I looked around and saw my house from a differnt vantage.. and a different eye..

I’ll spare you pictures of cleaning the old lab.. , cleaning the new lab, cleaning the front hall, cleaning the garage, bringin in wood..

This afternoon, new friend Cole came over.. he’s doing a school project.  for SBHS. a very cool computer controlled water droplet, time stopping thing ….   I met Cole when his dad came out to see the Timecycle.

I liek the fact that local kids call me up to help on things like this.. .. Turns out it’s an interesting project. I helped Cole program his microcontroler and helped him get started soldering.. He’s still out there wiring.. doing a really good job, too !

Oh.. I did make some very good progress on my new tesla coil.. I finished the enclosure, cutouts and mechanical assembly. I’m now working on the internal comonent placement. With any luck, I can get it done the week after next..

So.. that’s it for the day.. and the weekend…

I do want to tell folks that a week from today we will be markign the 4th anniversary of Sam’s death. It’s a hard time of the year… yet.. everyday is still hard.. I want to let folks know that as the week goes on I may … I may what… ? .. I don’t know what to expect of myself or of the day..  It never pays to expect..

Please keep us in your hearts this week.

night all.. nite sam..
-me

Staurday eveining – to e or not to e

I don’t know if any of you have noticed ut my keyoard has not enn making the letter
” very well for the last several days..   Oh… hmm.. that’s ” as in  log, all, at , ox,  oat,   luster, rick , lack,  rain, an, ark
as the list shows .. not having the letter ” soes NOT mean that the spell checker will flag my error…   anyone reading this log regularly will recognize that spelling is not one of my strengths.. In fact.. I’m a it dyslexic. all words look funny to me.. I’m guessing the spellchecker flags aout one out of ten  words i type.. .. usually I can figure out which word I mean.. ut.. sometimes.. even the list of suggestions is confusing.

Sometimes it’s fun .. I often get costumers instead of customers.. peruse for pursue,
lead before led… and I’m never sure if laid or layed will get you raised eye rows….. and if I sing my letters.. don’t e surprised.

I wonder what would happen if we all started deleting letters from our keyoard every so often.. Think of the laor we’d save.. maybe someone could write an iphone app to tell us how much our caron footprint would e reduced if we started shaving letters from the alphaet.

oh well.. est e going…
ye for now

nite all , nite sam
-me

Thursday night – Vetrans Day


Thoughtful Veteran’s Day folks. I was listening to Pres Obama speaking from South Korea this morning. He was talking to the troops there about the sacrifices and achievements of the US Military around the world. He was specifically addressing his comments to the service men and women who were stationed on the Korean peninsula. He said that often Veterans never get to see the good that they bring about.. He told the crowd there that they were free because of the work and sacrifices of the folks who , like my dad, served in the Korean war..

That got me thinking about my dad’s service.. He was inthe Navy twoce. He signed up first time when he was 17 .. and the second when he was 19 or 20. He spent his time in a tiny rocket ship (not the space going kind 🙂 ) off the coast of japan. He used to tell us stories aout how cold and crazy it was in that little oat on that big ocean. He told us about explosions and fire fights.. and crazy partying…  He still likes to tlak aout it..

I foudn these pictures I’d scanned for him for his 80th birthday.. it’s cool seeing him here. I can’t imagine what life was like for him then..


Thanks for your service, Dad.. We love you very much !

And to all you other veterans out there today.. thanks for your service too !..

lets all keep working to make war not the answer..

nite all, nite sam
-me

Tuesday night – 25 years ago …

25 years ago this very night, Diane Lou Mariano agreed to be my wife !. Diane was doing her masters of Electronics at Southampton University while I worked at IBM’s UK Labs in Hursley. We were living in Winchester in southern England. I chose today because my lucky numer was (and still is ) 911… We were busy on Sept 11, but decided today , Nove 9th would work just as well because in england.. they write the dates backwards from us. There today is 9/11
   We went to the Chessil Rectory. an old 16th century Rectory that was a really nice resturant.. After dinner we walked home along the river ..it was raining a little. I got down on my knee and asked Diane to marry me.. I slipped a ring on her finger that I had made out of steel in my blacksmithing class.. not too pretty.. it not bI ad for soemthing you made with a hammer and fire.. Tasked her to marry me.. then we traded places.. she got down on her knee and asked me.. I think she had to put the ring on my little finger to get it to fit..
   We’ve covered many. many miles in the past 25 years.. a wonderful mix of love and laughter and tears.. i wouldn’t trade a moment of it.
   I feel so lucky to have found my mate.. ! I love you Diane.

note folks, nite sam
-me