Nice guys finish last?

It's been a long time since my last post. People say that writing your thoughts is therapeutic. I can certainly use some of that.

Where to start? Here I sit again, upset and depressed. Alone again. Frankly, I'm feeling sorry for myself and uncertain how to pull out of it. That would take energy and there is simply no wind in my sails right now.

A friend used to say "nice guys finish last." I dismissed that statement plenty of times. Now I'm starting to wonder. I'd love to prove it wrong!

My wife moved out a few weeks ago. I miss her very much, even though I'm terribly disappointed in her recent decisions. Wife 2.0 has followed the lead of Wife 1.0, deciding the risk of being alone is more attractive than staying with me. Both offered explanations apparently intended to let me down easily. I can accept those excuses and draw additional conclusions from my observations. Certainly there are obvious issues I won't explain here. The tough part is recognizing the common denominator is me, myself, and I.

What was my role in both personal disasters? In both cases I'm told I'm a great guy and anyone would be lucky to have me. Those assertions sound awfully hollow right now. If that's true, why run away? Am I that boring? Are my kids really that troublesome? Or did both wives really need to "find themselves" or pursue selfish agendas? It's not like I was abusive or inattentive. Hell, according to a friend I was a damned saint. Absent concrete answers, assuming there is such a thing, I'm left with tentacles of doubt invading more of my thoughts and actions.

I've always been determined to find the positive in every situation. Crises often present opportunity to those with the mindset to see it. Hopefully I can find the silver lining this time. So far I'm not seeing it.

The wounds are pretty fresh right now, so perhaps I'm not seeing things clearly. All I know is I've been a damed saint and I'm feeling like the loser again. Perhaps nice guys really do finish last.

Hobbies Gone Bad

Yes, I admit it, I am a licensed ham radio operator as well as a communications guy for Civil Air Patrol.  As a self-described "gadget geek" I am still a relatively normal person, ha ha!  Ham radio is definitely the "geekiest" of my hobbies.  However, my involvement in the hobby is limited because some hams scare me.  There are some disturbingly weird people with ham tickets.

We have all seen the weirdoes.  25 year old cars covered with enough antenna masts to turn a porcupine green with envy.  Rusty cars with call sign stickers on them resembling a classic ransom note.  Slobs with Bat Belts full of radios, longing for an opportunity to be "official."  I could go on for days but there is no need.  Hamsexy.com has it covered.  

The observant folks at Hamsexy.com are ever vigilant for what they call whackers, as well as other general purpose displays of radio related goober factors.  The site includes some bona-fide "oh my God" material.  Their observations are not limited to ham radio operators.  Anyone possessing an unhealthy obsession with radios, emergency lighting, or similar pursuits has an equal opportunity for recognition on their site.  That means freak-shows who are too lazy, stupid, or ignorant to earn their Technician license can still earn their 15 minutes of Hamsexy.com fame.

Lest I appear to be a complete radio luddite, let me clarify that a basic install is perfectly fine.  If you need a radio or two, no problem.  It can be done without venturing into gooberville.

As a side note: it's a shame there isn't a similar site memorializing security guards.  During my time in law enforcement and security work I witnessed a wealth of wanna-be behavior resembling that featured at Hamsexy.com.  To be fair, not all guards are wanna-be goobers.  Some are, and they parade their wanna-be-ness in all it's hilarious and sometimes alarming glory.

How I miss the days when I first discovered radio, chatting with my friends, tinkering with gadgets, and having a good time.  Once I left Southern California I've had to venture outside my circle of friends into the larger, goober-rich, world of radio.  Shudder.

Hobbies are a great way to explore your interests, have some fun, or even serve your community.  Some people just need to get a grip, learn some balance, and get a life.  If they can do that, hams like me can embrace our hobby in a more public way.  

CFL - Yeah right...

I drank the Kool-Aid on Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL's).  SInce it's getting hard to find plain old incandescent lights at the store I bought a few few packs of CFL's instead.  At first I thought they were OK, but the color cast of the lights takes a little getting used to.

All went well for a few months.  Then winter weather arrived.  The darn CFL bulbs take forever to reach a decent intensity when it is cold outside.  For instance, I have a CFL for my back patio.  It is primarily used to light things up while the dog is outside doing her business.  These jaunts usually last a few minutes.  The problem with the CFL is that the dog is done before the light is bright enough to see anything.  USELESS!!  It's the same in my garage.

I'm all for saving energy and dollars, but if a light bulb doesn't illuminate a room or area promptly it is annoying as heck.  Given my poor night vision I want light the instant I hit the switch.

This particular batch of Kool-Aid has a funny after-taste.

Search & Rescue

The wild ride is over!  It worked!

Those of you who know me are aware that I am very active in Civil Air Patrol.   For those who don't know, CAP is the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary with several Congressionally mandated missions.  One of those missions is search and rescue (SAR).  That is where I focus my efforts.

As you might guess, you don't just grab a few people with the intent to find missing people.  You need to train and practice so you know what you are doing.  In that spirit I recently planned a large Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX).  It took months of planning and coordinating efforts with a variety of people who ensured we had a place to hold the SAREX, funding from the Air Force, that we had sufficient practice missions to challenge our teams, adequate communications, the list goes on.

Last weekend it all came together.  Months of preparation culminated in a great exercise.  More than 110 people participated, including visitors from the local sheriff's SAR team.  Many people earned or renewed certification in their various specialties.  It was all done safely, efficiently, and under budget.  We received high marks from visiting officials.

It was a great learning experience.  I'm glad it's done for now, but look forward to doing it again someday.  

Election Depression

It's been a few weeks since the election.  I've been in hiding from political blogs and news, with only occasional forays into the political landscape.  Those have been largely limited to commiserating with like-minded friends at work.

I'm back.

Some might feel conservatives (that doesn't include all Republicans by the way) should just go away and be quiet, staying out of the way like good losers.  I couldn't disagree more.  We don't have to be sore losers, but we do have a duty to stand up for our beliefs.  We must remember our nation is not a pure democracy, it is a Republic intended to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority.  No group should be shoved into irrelevance, and no group should allow it to happen to themselves or their opposition.

So, if you are a Conservative, now is the time to support and defend your vision!  Support leaders who promise to take us in the right direction, and hold them accountable when they take office.  Defend it from those who would change the principles our founding fathers created for our nation. Oppose those who would take our nation in the wrong direction.  Make your voice heard loud and clear, make sure the current congressional Representatives and Senators know we have not gone away.  Write letters, call their offices, pester them mercilessly so they don't gain the false sense of security that comes with only hearing from their supporters.

We are down, but not out.  

Don't blame me!

A few years ago the "Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry" bumper stickers were all the rage for left leaning looneys.  I suspect that today's election results will inspire someone to fire up the presses again, churning out "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain" bumper stickers.  If so, I will buy one and display it proudly.  I firmly believe there will be many reasons to hold my head high during the next 4 years, as I deny credit for the Obama policies.

An Obama presidency will be sort of like allowing an untrained mechanic to tinker with the parts on an airliner.  I don't want to ride on that thing!  

If McCain somehow wins today, I will be stunned but relieved.  It just doesn't look promising at the moment.  That doesn't mean I agree with all of McCains policies, just that they are far less dangerous.

It's been a while

Last post was in September!  It has been too long.  

So here it is.  My obligatory blog posting.  Now I can drive around town and let people flip me off since they don't like my "Vote NoBama" sticker.  That's their famous liberal tolerance at work.  ;-)  Big fun!