Monthly Archives: September 2014

Thursday night – retirement party

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my head is spinning right now because of how hard I’m working.. I’m not saying I’m being efficient.. but my brain is full.. and I must be working close to 15 hour days.. I’m not really complaining because I’m liking ( most of )  what I’m doing now.. even though it’s too much to ever get done.. no rest of rhte wicked as they say

It was from that pace that I dropped into 2 hours of exactly the opposite tonight when I went to my friend Betsy’s  very nice retirement party..   She’d gathered a really nice small  group of friends at the Bearded Frog in Shelburne We sat and ate and drank ad talked about the crazy times we’d all had at work for the last 30 years or so..

 

Most of the talk was actually about what she and her husband Michael are planning to do now.. Lots of talks of travel, boats, convertibles visits to kids, grand kids, beaches, museums…

It was nice  to hear about all that fun and leisure..   I tried to imagine myself doing that stuff…    why not ? .. it sounds really fun

but at the same time, it so hard to imaging slowing down..

hmmm

well.. I wish betsy and michael all the best.. they are clearly happy !.. All the best you guys ! and congratulations ..!

 

 

 

 

Wednesday night – tales from the Playa

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So busy now.. it’s 12L15 AM and I’m just finishing up my work day..  tired byt happy..

Max is in town and it’s wonderful to see him. Haven’t really spoken with him much since his trip out to burning man. He told us about 3 hours of storied=s about his epic trip out west, the burn and the trip back..   Just getting there  in their 5 ton 6 wheel surplus troop carrier was a novel in itself.. it included

  • the alternator frying a few hours into the trip
  • a new bout not perfect alternator jury rigged in with a hand made mount
  • driving with an average top speed of 55 mph
  • the engine burning out in Wyoming
  • getting help from the ‘Steel Soldiers’ online forum to find a new engine many hours away in utah
  • arraigning to get that engine to Wyoming and fitted in to the trukck
  • meanwhile renting a Ryder truck to take max, most of the crew and their belongings to black rock Nevada
  • the compressor failing between Utah and Wyoming (all the breaks and controls on this thing are air powered.. ) they did rolling stops for the last full day of driving.. no real breaks
  • the truck finally making i to black rock on Thursday night and running out of diesel 100 yards form the entrance
  • maxi running around at night trying to find diesel. ultimately siphoning it by mouth from a friends truck..
  • running out to the truck just before it got toed, filling it with fuel, but taking an hour to bleed the now air filled fuel lines
  • getting it started,.. but having no compressor to release the 6 wheels disk breaks
  • max coming up with the brilliant idea to use the air in the spare tire to pressure the brake controls .. which released the brakes,
  • by that time the folks had changed at the gate, and wouldn’t let them back in.. though they finally persuaded the to..
  • between the gate and the camp, the thing overheated again because the brakes had reengaged and it was fighting them,
  • re-pressurizing them with the tires, getting to camp and sleeping for a whole day
  • getting just enough of their LEDs functioning to get a night drive license from the department of  mutant vehicle  (the DMV out there)
  • having all the light electronics shorted out by an ill aimed Champagne spray…
  • throwing dummy Christmas lights all over the thing
  • .. and having a wonderful two nights at the burn after all that !!!
  • driving it triumphantly around the playa

i was so happy to hear about  his and his teas inventiveness getting this truck out there.. and so happy he enjoyed himself.. that’s my boy !!!

i do love my kids !

 

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

here are some of max’s pictures from his trip

Tuesday night – colander

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I determined today that I don’t have a calendar… I have a colander. In that some of the stuff sticks and some of   it leaks through just like the thing you use to drain spaghetti.

 

I had three massive Calendar failures today. Not affecting today per se… But about future commitments. I’m getting lots of requests to do speaking  engagements and I always look at my calendar and say yes or no based on what’s there. I never take the time to look at what’s happening the day before or after. Unfortunately I had to decline a really nice opportunity to go to the West Coast to see two events because I had said yes to something closer to home.

 

I also found I had agreed to be in vermont and in ny  next Monday. That involve some clever surgery to be able to allow me to be in two places at once.. But i managed to work it out

My rule is to stick with the thing I say yes to first… Otherwise I would go crazy trying to juggle things.

Things were so much better when i had an organized person helping me figure out what i was doing ( i miss y ou Jleigh !)

 

Now, where am i supposed to be right now ? .. In bed i thunk.. Let me check

Nite all, nite sam

-me

 

Monday night – Know a Vermont Science Teacher ?

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OK.. I have  a topic tonight that is near and dear to my heart.

Do you know a great Science teacher teaching in Vermont.. or… maybe you , yourself are a great Science teacher her in the Green Mountains. In either case, we need your help.

I belong to a group called VASE , the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering. Its a group of about 50 senior scientists and engineers from Academia and Industry. Our mission is to help promote science and scientific literacy here in Vermont… In essence, we’re supposed to be science-y. !

Two years ago we created the VASE Science Grant program. Our working title for the project was ‘Science Santa’ .. Our idea is to provide small ($500-$1000) grants to support hands on science in the classroom. Our goal is to make it really easy for teachers to buy science equipment for their classrooms without having to go fight the very tight budgets that all of our schools have.  You can read all about the program here.

 

So far, the program has been very successful. We’ve given away money to help buy 3D Printing maple taps,Knex Motors,classroom  DNA Sequencers, underwater robots.. and a ton of other cool stuff. We’ve had the chance to meet with the teachers and the students from around the state that have used thee grants to put more science.. and more fun.. into their classrooms..

 

,

 

Applying for the grants is really easy. The teacher needs only to fill out a simple form. All we ask for in return is a simple write up of what happened with the equipment.. and a short YouTube length video of the results.

So.. here’s why I’m writing tonight.We still need more applicants for this years grants.. The deadline is October 20th.. we really want to get this money into the right hands.

Please take a minute to send this link (or this post) to your favorite science teacher or principal right now… (yes now !)

again.. here’s the link

 

OK.. now gotta slee

nite all. nite sam

-me