Future Mailman

The upcoming generation of young people, from time to time, do something extraordinary in my eyes, and occasionally exceed my expectations of them. I will admit, I'm somewhat critical of the 'gaming' generation, just as my elders were critical of my generation. When we see them take advantage of the latest innovations to make life easier, it makes them suspect, and we feel they are lazy, or looking for the simpler solution, rather than getting results through hard work. That might be true, or they might be smarter. Regardless, one such young man who has amazed me is our paper boy. He's in his early teens, and though I don't know him personally, he seems like your 'run of the mill' 15 year old boy. Recently, with the amount of snow dumped on us, it has crippled the city. Snow plows are sitting until the worst is passed, banks are closed, other public operation are on hold, linemen for the utilities can't get to the locations to fix the problems, everything has just froze to a standstill. The exception - our paper boy. I fully did not expect to receive our newspaper yesterday due to the dangerous conditions, but to my surprise, as I'm out trying to tunnel a path through the winter wonderland, there sits my newspaper! After being slightly in awe, I analyzed this kid in my mind. He seems to have that 'attack the task at hand' mentality. Under normal conditions, I'm usually just pulling out of stage 2 REM sleep, as I hear noise coming from my front porch, which usually stirs the dog to action. When I say, "action", I mean he lifts his head from his pillow to let out a couple of mandatory barks, because that's what he's supposed to do. Then he falls back asleep for a couple more hours. Enough about the faux canine. The paperboy surpasses the mailman, when it comes to reliability. It doesn't hurt matters that he's built kind of like a snow plow. I'm sure this young man would make a fine employee for whatever he decides to do with his life. I would only hope he would get a job with the US mail, and become our future mailman.

Symmetry

Symmetry is a very important feature of many man made things as well as items found in nature. Not only is it for physics to operate precisely, it is also aesthetically pleasing. In nature, there are quite a few things that are not symmetrical, but man, in order to complete a project, needs symmetry to insure, whatever said project, will have a measure of success. Humans are symmetrical, or are they? Two arms, two legs, two ears, one nose centered in your face. It seems that way. A closer look at myself, and I begin to wonder. When I wear a stocking cap, I can see the left side of my head is flatter than the right side. My right shoulder is quite a bit lower than my left. When I'm being fitted for a suit jacket, the tailor adds a shoulder pad to the right side, lengthens the right sleeve, and then has to adjust the buttons on the front of the coat. When looking down at my feet, my left foot points straight ahead, the right foot points to the right. The big toe on my left foot is wider than the big toe on the right. I have 3 out of 4 wisdom teeth. Top and bottom on the right side of my mouth, just the top on the left side. My right arm is obviously thicker than my left, since I'm right handed. And to finish off my blatant appearance, when I smile, the right cheek has a dimple, the left has nothing. It's a miracle I can even function. Apparently I have enough oddities happening on both sides of my body to balance myself out. There is a Japanese term that best describes the state I find myself. That term is 'wabi sabi'. It basically means to find the beauty in imperfection and chaos. I've definitely nailed down the imperfection and chaos, the beauty part of it might be somewhat of a stretch.

Fertilization

Farmers are always looking for ways to boost their yield. One method they use utilizes manure from their animals. Now these animals have to be herbivores in order for this natural fertilizer to work. If you used manure from a carnivore or omnivore, it would actually acidify the soil and would create an imbalance in the soil. In short, nothing will grow. Many of us are backyard farmers. We don't have acres to cultivate, only a small plot in the backyard to grow some seasonal vegetables, and some herbs. Which also means, there's a very good chance we don't have cattle either. So our natural fertilizer supply is not readily available. Then a thought popped into my head. Do you know what a 'vegan' is? It's a person who does not eat or use animal products - an herbivore. Do you see where I'm going with this? I was wondering if a vegan could just fertilize his own garden? Yeah, there's the indecent exposure issue to handle, but that can be easily remedied. Once again, I may be on the cutting edge of something revolutionary:) An additional thought. When we die, our body is decomposed by maggots - nature's garbage men. When a vegan dies, do they just turn into a mushroom?

Mr. Suh

Yes, I'm much older, but this young man has earned my respect. Ndamukong Suh has made such an impact on the Nebraska football program, it's going to be exciting to watch over the next few years. I can't wait to see him play on Sundays, and see how teams adjust to this extraordinary athlete. He may alter the game at the next level, who knows? All the hardware he's picked up this year was well deserved. You couldn't ask for a more respectful young man to be so deserving. I've been following some online speculations, and everyone is unanimously picking him to go #1 or #2 in the NFL draft. It appears he will likely go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or the Cleveland Browns. If he's still up for grabs after the second pick, then the Detroit Lions or the St. Louis Rams. Currently, I'm not much of a fan of any of those mentioned, but will likely be converted, depending on where Mr. Suh takes up residence. The Green Bay Packers are my favorite NFL team, but I prefer to follow players more than teams. I just like to see an all around good athlete succeed for whatever franchise he represents. Thanks to Mr. Suh, he's piqued my interest in pro football - next year. Until that time, lets display to Arizona, the 'House of Spears' coming to inflict negative yardage, along with turnovers and injuries. San Diego is such an ideal place for a good old fashioned Nebraska blackshirt pounding! My condolences to the road kill Wildcat when the SUH-nami hits!

The Work Force

At the age of fourteen I entered the workforce. I started mowing a few lawns for cash. I technically entered the workforce at the age of sixteen. A friend recommended me for a job at Village Inn as a busboy. I still haven't forgave him. I also worked for a lawn service for a season and a lawn mower repair shop, before finally settling into my current trade, at the age of eighteen. After a three year apprenticeship, I've tried to hone my skills to be the best I can possibly be at my occupation. I'm not really in competition with anyone per se, even though we do bid against one another for the same jobs. I try to not be judgmental, and pick apart another's work. But over the years, after working for several different floor covering stores, and currently for myself, I've noticed there are different types of tradesmen, who are considered peers, that appear to be at a different level than myself. It may be their level of ambition, skill, care, love of the trade, money, whatever the motive. I've been taught to do work for others as you would want it in your own home. So I try to do a top notch job every time, and if there is a revolutionary way I've figured to accomplish something, I make it known to the tile world. We are constantly bombarded with 'new and improved' products. Those I'm skeptical until they've been on the market for a time, to prove their worth, then I'll test them out. I usually let the more adventurous try it first. It appears to me, the ones who are first to hop on a bandwagon, are the same ones who are looking to turn a quick buck. Which brings me to my breakdown of the workforce. First, there are those who truly enjoy what they do, and go the extra mile to not only do it right, but pay attention to minute details, that, in the end, make the job brilliant. Then there's the installers who are in it solely for the money. There is money to be made in volume, so they only pursue those jobs where they can cover large areas with minimal effort and employees. All they really see is dollar signs. Third, there is the tradesman (a.k.a. the company man), who may be a good installer in his own respect, but lacks the drive to excellence. He shows up for work every day, takes a break at ten, regardless of where he's at, or how much he's accomplished, puts in his eight and punches out. He's really not moved by compliments or criticisms, only the clock. This brings us to our final observation. The person who neither cares about the trade, or his workmanship, or the company he happens to be employed at, only a paycheck. Unfortunately there happens be to more folks like that than you would care see. I personally try to establish a standard within my company, and, unknowingly have set a standard in the area. It's reassuring when architects call you to get product and procedure information to specify on their blueprints. It's also nice when the tile suppliers run into a problem, they call me to get a suggestion or solution. I'm not trying to flaunt my arrogance, rather express my appreciation for those who are concerned with doing things right, and maintaining a standard of integrity within the trade.

Famous? Really?

My wife and I have had this discussion a few times. How do people become famous when they've done absolutely nothing to merit such accolades? This topic first came up when one of the Kardashian girls was in the news for no other reason than being famous. Famous for what, I'm not sure. Paris Hilton is another person of superstar status, and the only accomplishment she's had are amateur sex tapes. Other people do that and they're arrested. What makes these people so desirable to the public, that launches them to stardom, outside of a name they've inherited? They have no talent, they've done nothing of special merit, they haven't participated in any type of philanthropic work, they haven't even rescued a cat from a tree. I just don't see the enthrallment. People like this would be treated like a middle class citizen in my presence. There would be no special treatment, and I would demand respect from such individuals. I wouldn't be harsh, but definitely firm. And whining and crying just turn me into a cold piece of granite. There would be absolutely no sympathy on my behalf if complaining were part of the equation. I understand certain people need their ego stroked from time to time, and some actively pursue rock star status, but until you've proven yourself a genuine human being with something tangible to offer mankind, please step to the back of the line, and wait your turn.

Annoyance?

My wife, oldest daughter, and myself, make it a point to pick up on things people say incorrectly, and misspellings wherever they may be found. I'm sure we've all been corrected at one time or another on our use of grammar or spelling. In our house, we try to correct the wrongdoing, and make it a point to not err in the future, AND make jest at those who do. One of my favorites (and this is not directed at one single person, but several abusers), is the word 'unthaw'. "I think I'll take the turkey out of the freezer to unthaw it". The word 'thaw', means to become liquid, or soft as a result of warming. By adding the prefix 'un', by definition, one is reversing the process of thawing by freezing. So what you're basically saying is, "I'm going to take the turkey out of the freezer and freeze it". Doesn't make much sense, but it is fun to laugh afterwards.

Boys vs. Girls

Growing up in my neighborhood, there was always plenty of kids to hang out with. There was an endless supply of mischief to get into. In a three block radius of my house, there was enough boys to put together two baseball teams, and we didn't even have to invite the kids who were no good. Of course they came along, we weren't heartless, and 'yes', we even let them play. But girls were another story. As one of the older kids on the block, I had to set the precedent, and make sure girls were not invited to mess up our game. Chances are, they didn't even know how to play the game, and we didn't have time to stand around and teach them. Had to be home before the street lights came on, you know. Everyone knows they throw like a girl and hit like a girl. Well duh, they're girls. Every once in awhile, a girl, who also happened to be a good athlete, would catch our attention. When I was very young (kindergarten & first grade), I lived in the Benson area. There were two buddies I spent most of the daylight hours playing with. Trevor, who happened to be the fastest kid in our class, and Bill, who happened to live across the street. There was one house I had to pass on the way to Trevor's, and a girl named Christine lived there. She was one of the exceptions. She happened to be the third fastest kid in class, and she had a tree in her front yard we would occasionally climb. So she was allowed to join the 'He-man Woman Haters Club' for about 98% of our activities. We didn't invite her to write her name in the dirt with urine. But she could kick, throw, and run. All good qualities a young boy is looking for in a girl. But then I reached an age where girls were no longer shunned for being a girl. All of a sudden, you wanted girls to throws like girls. How else were we males to impress the opposite sex, if the girls were as good as we were? There came a day, when I left the neighborhood gang of 'boys only', and wanted to hang out with girls too. They were prettier, and didn't smell nearly as bad as the boys in the neighborhood. Dynamics changed, and I relenquished my title to the younger boys on the block. I guess it's all part of growing up. To this day, I still witness the competition between boys and girls. Having daughters, I see them challenging themselves, and boys, to do whatever boys are allowed to do, but would like to keep it among boys. It's rather amusing to see this develop, and the kids don't even realize that someday the girls won't care about the competition, and the boys will be allowed to emerge as boys, and try to impress the girls. You can't really observe this ritual, until you've gone through it yourself, and then know what you're looking for.

Inspirational

We visited the Hot Shops over the weekend, to check out the local artists, and support their craft. It's amazing to see the different art forms and different styles. You can really see what inspires people to create by viewing their artwork. Some are moved by nature, the seasons, man's creation, religion, and other people they find interesting. Then they interpret what they see in their mind and transfer that vision to another medium, whether it be paper, wood, bronze, glass, fabric, etc., etc. Obviously famous people inspire artists to create, but interesting people also inspire, i.e. Mona Lisa. I am neither famous, infamous, or apparently that interesting. The only artist inspired to draw me, happens to be a cartoonist. What does that tell you? He's portrayed me as a carrot, the moon, and Charlie Brown. I'm so flattered. If he's famous someday, maybe those cartoons will go for lots of money! Maybe even a hundred dollars!

I'm Bored

I'm not really bored. I just happen to be quoting my children more often than I like to hear. What happened to imagination and entertaining yourself? Why do children need to be entertained every waking minute of the day? I can see the effect it has on their schoolwork due to our being lenient on entertaining our children. Growing up in northwest Omaha, being the child of blue collar parents with no money management skills, the entertainment provided by my parents took the form of chores. It kept me occupied and out of their hair, and taught me to not whine about having nothing to do. I remember one occasion where my stepfather salvaged lumber from an old garage that he planned to use to build a shed. I was taught the joy of pulling nails at about the age of seven. What seemed to be an eternity, was actually a weekend. I was in a safe environment, supervised by a parent, and occupied my otherwise wasted time, learning how a hammer works. At the time, the chore is grievous. Looking back, the experience was invaluable. My hard work did not go without reward though. After the shed was built, my stepfather made me a pair of stilts from some of the remaining wood. I got several years worth of enjoyment from those stilts. To this day, hard work is part of my make up. As an adult, I can't remember a time where I was bored. Life continually requires my full attention and effort. There is just no time to be bored. If there was an opportunity, I would probably take it. I feel the need to be doing something for fear I waste more time than usual, and feel guilty afterward. I guess that's why I have stuck with a trade for over 25 years now. I would go absolutely insane sitting at a desk, day after day, staring at the same scenery. Chances are, I would be bored.

First Snow

I always appreciate the first snow of the year. Yesterday didn't really count. That was just a dusting - a teaser, so to speak. I like a significant amount, the kind of snowfall that requires snow removal. It comes to earth so gracefully and forms a beautiful blanket. Maybe you've noticed, after a good dose of snow, it acts like a sound deadening device. I notice this because we live within a mile of the interstate, and can hear a constant drone of traffic in the spring and fall when there are no leaves on the trees yet. But when it snows, the noise goes away. It may be from less traffic also. Either way, I welcome it. Some memorable winters growing up were the blizzard of 1975. I believe we received 18" of snow that year. The drifts were amazing! Our garage happened to be situated close to our lot line and our neighbor had a chain link fence between the two yards. There happened to be a drift from the roof of our garage sloping into our neighbor's yard. After a few days of frigid temps and the sun baking? a hard crust on the snow, I was ready for some real adventure. I was 10 at the time, so I didn't weigh a whole lot. I started in the neighbor's yard and carefully walked up the snowdrift, stepping as light as I could, so as to not break thru the crust of the drift. My goal - the roof of the garage! It had never been done before, and naysayers said it could not be done. I made it about halfway when the snow gave out from under my feet, and I shot down into the drift. I have a vivid memory of looking up out of the fissure, and the rim of the snow was about 6 to 12 inches above my head. There was no panic, I thought this was the coolest thing ever. So I had to dig my way out. Now the perfect drift was no longer perfect. I tried a couple of more times further down the drift, but with no success. I would break thru the snow and sink to my thighs. So the naysayers were right. Another year (happened to be my junior year in high school), we had 30 days of below zero temps, for the high! A couple of friends happened to enjoy ice fishing, so I thought this would be another incredible adventure. The ice was so thick, everyone drove their car out to their destination. I remember sitting in the front seat of my buddie's Chevelle, watching our tip ups from the warmth of the car. Prior to that though, we had to drill holes for our tip ups. We had only a spoon auger, powered by Kevin. After three holes, and an hour later, Kevin had had enough. The shallowest spot was 36", the deepest 42"! That sucked! Sorry, no nicer way to put it. Another year, after being married, but before children, I went inner tubing with friends at Suicide Hill in Spring Lake Park in South Omaha. It was a blast! I came home with the biggest black eye you've ever seen! Remember how Rocky Balboa looked after getting pounded by Apollo Creed? Ditto. My eye hit the back of another person's head while launching down the hill, over a killer jump. Those are just a few of the memorable years of playing in the snow. I have a few more, but I'll save them for another entry. Winter doesn't seem quite so long if you get out there and play in the snow:)

Naturally Funny

Everyone enjoys a good laugh once in awhile, or least they should. And there's nothing funnier than something that occurs at the spur of the moment. Many people forget that it doesn't have to be vulgar to be funny. For instance, the first time a toddler eats a bowl of spaghetti. We've all witnessed that, and more spaghetti makes it into the hair, the lap, the floor, than into the mouth, not to mention the beautiful saucy red complexion the child is donning. Get the picture? Some other favorites that deserve honorable mention are, giving the dog a spoonful of peanut butter, when an old person lets out an audible stinker in the grocery store, when someone slips and falls (provided they're not hurt) with some form of liquid in their hands. These are gems that should put a smile on our face. Spontaneous combustion is not planned or forced, neither should spontaneous laughter. What fun is it if you know it's coming? It all amounts to being in the right place at the right time. It also helps if your friends or family members are a bit accident prone. So get out there and live life, and when someone steps in dog doo, or little kids run into one another and topple like bowling pins, recognize this as 'funny', and don't forget to laugh.