Twas the Night Before

'Twas the night before school . . . and I'm feeling a bit blue. It's funny, but I get like this every year. I really like my job and I like to think that I'm a good teacher. Yet every year I get those "post vacation blues." So, here I am again at 8:40 pm on the night before the first day of school and I'm feeling a sadness come over me. Okay, I've been feeling it all day (ask Sean, I'm pretty sure he's been tip toeing around most of today). But I need to be thankful. Sean reminded me that I have a job and there are those in this country who have been out of work for some time. I also am reminded that this year I start out with a smaller class size than the past few years. Of course, I work with a fabulous bunch of teachers in a wonderful school. So, on this night before school, I am changing my tune and counting my blessings. Go away blues!

Dust and Diesel

My face is very sunburned right now...

Why?

I spent the day with some folks from work at the Diesel National's in Englishtown, NJ.

They have a 1/4 mile drag strip there, and the basic idea is that if it runs on diesel you can race it.

This is one of the things I love about this country. Americans have a need to race each other. It could be a lawnmower, a wheelchair or a golf cart, no matter. If it has wheels on it, someone is getting challenged to a duel. This was evidence by the fact that I witnessed 2 dump trucks race each other today. One of the highlights was the "R.V" class race - there was only one participant and yes he did proceed to race his very large pink motorhome down the track. The garbage truck race event regretfully had no participants this year.

We had a tent set up with all sorts of parts, filters a few display engines and I spent most of the morning answering questions, shaking hands and giving out free stuff. (People love free stuff)

One thing I learned about truckers today is that they are a proud group. They love their trucks.

I spent some time walking though the parking lot (which was a sea of all kinds of beautiful trucks) It didn't take long for them to recognize the "Cummins" logo on my shirt.

"You work with Cummins?"

"Sure"

"You gotta see my truck...."

I had a great time talking with these guys. If you think waxing a car is tough - try a whole truck.

Anyway, I took some pics

Here is the link

Trucks

School

School is back in session. All 25 of my kiddos arrived on Tuesday morning. Some looked scared. Some looked lost. Some looked tired. And then there were the few who came barreling into the room and haven't stopped since. I've received the usual question of "how did your first week go?" To be honest, it was one of the better first weeks that I've had in a few years. As I said, there are the few little stinkers who never stop talking or moving. I do have an aide in my classroom this year. She is assigned to a student who has some behavior needs. He's not a screamer (like one I had 2 years ago) or a true ADHD child (I have 4 last year). At this point, he's been fine. We're still figuring out what his exact needs are. My aide is fabulous. Very calm and unobtrusive. Sometimes I forget she's in the room. But overall I don't have the major overt behavior problems that I've had for the past 2 years. I think most of the issues this year will be more along the academic lines. I have a few children who are quite low in their reading and math abilities. But with the help of quite a few support staff, I think we can move them along. The first week sped by and I came away with a sore throat from talking all day and sore feet from standing all day, but I felt good. So, let's hope and pray that this is a sign for a good year.

Whack a mole

These past few weeks have been crazy. I have done it again and scheduled myself with too much stuff to do. I am now tired. Staying up late to watch the Olympics hasn't helped things much either.

Did you ever feel like work is similar to a game of "Whack a Mole?" You know - you whack one problem down, and another one pops up. Yup, thats my life right now! Oh well, better than having no work.

This weekend I am going to hang crown molding in the study. I have been convinced that the best way to do this is to use the pre-fab stuff and not the real deal. Our friend Bill tried to hang the real kind and almost lost his mind. To do this, you need a machine called a "compound miter saw." This sounds like it would be a fun object to own. "Kids, don't touch your father's compound miter saw!" What a fun thing to say.

We went to Baltimore this past weekend. My good friend, and "sister from another mister" Nikki asked me to come down and sit in with the worship team. She is the worship leader at Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia MD. We had a blast. Besides laying down some funky grooves - the kind where you have to bob your head at a slight angle, we had an awesome time of worship. Nikki's voice has literally made me cry before, she has more vocal control than anyone I know. We spent an evening in the inner harbor, which happened to be packed with hoards of Yankee's fans (Yankees were playing the Orioles.) I just don't get a whole game of baseball.

I just cant sit there. I know it's a great american tradition, but I would never subject myself to the traffic problems the affection for this game creates. Having said that, if you think baseball is boring, try watching a game of cricket.

I took some pictures - here they are.

Sean.

A day in the life...

Marci and I took a little road trip yesterday. Not because we wanted to, but because I had to see a customer, 4 hours away from home. I knew it was going to be a long day in the car by myself (This happens a lot in my job) so I asked her if she wanted to come along for the ride. Originally, she turned me down, as the prospect of sitting in the car for that amount of time I'm sure wasn't that appealing, I could hardly blame her. We woke up the next day, and she told me that she had thought about it and decided she wanted to go.
Great! I was glad, we get to spend the day together, and I don't have to be all alone.

A funny thing happens to Marci when she goes for a long ride in the car. We usually start out chatting, listening to the radio. Then after about half an hour, she gets really quiet, and this straight ahead stare seems to creep its way onto her face. As I glance over occasionally, I can see that her long eyelashes are starting to slowly bob up and down, getting gradually lower and lower. I smile to myself. I know what is happening, I've seen this before time and again.
Then I offer the usual "Are you getting sleepy sweetheart?"
I always get the same response: " I'm getting sleepy, I think I need a nap"

Then, she pushes her seat back, folds her arms, takes a deep breath and lights out.
Invariably, her head falls to the right side and she's fast asleep.

This past trip yesterday, was a true testament to the power of the "sleeping car"
We left at 8 AM, and she was out by 8:30.
I took a picture.


Do you fall victim to this phenomenon?
She woke up around 35 mins. later, and told me I had to pull the car over at the nearest rest stop for a potty break. (That is another event that seems to happen on all our road trips)

Anyway, we had a great time. I helped fix a customers 140 ton crane, and 2 hours later we turned around made the trip home.

Vegas, Baby!!

I spent a few days last week in Las Vegas. A group of us from work attended Conexpo 2008 Basically the largest construction equipment convention in the galaxy. We flew out last wednesday, and I came home on saturday. To say that the convention was rather large would be a complete understatement. Massive, gargantuan, completely impressive would be words better suited to describe the show, it was awesome. It took 2 days of solid walking to see everything I needed to see, and I still didn't see everything.
Needles to say that by the end of it, I was pretty tired.

We also had an opportunity to spend some time walking around 'Vegas.
What an experience that was, so here are my observations.

1: Las Vegas was built by an alien civilization, determined to extract as much money as possible from the human race. They needed this money to help re-finance the unfolding sub-prime mortgage disaster on their own planet.
2: The aliens have also constructed some kind of time altering mechanisim flux capacitor thingy that makes time, well, irrelevant. (That way you spend more money)
3: Elvis apparently has many brethren that look just like him. My opinion is that they are undercover alien FBI agents, keeping an eye on us humans.
4: The alien logistics, and zoning committee that picked the site for Las Vegas construction did a lousy job. Somehow, they picked the middle of the desert. Don't they know we humans require large amounts of water for survival?
5: After the Chief of the zoning committee was fired for this mistake, they just built Hoover dam, and solved that problem. Ah - free electricity too!!! Brilliant!!!
6: During the test and market research phase of their project, they also discovered that as long as you have cocktail waitresses feeding the humans free alcohol, they tend to keep putting more and more money into their slot machine-money collection systems.
7: Make it big and shiny, with lots of sparkly lights and neon, and the humans just keep coming back!!! Moohahahah.....

Well, it seems to be working - quite well actually.
I was almost suckered in, until I hit a 777 on the 25c slot machine, and took them for $12.50.
HAHAHAHA.
I got my money out before they could get any more of it. Take that you freaks.

So, also thanks to my company for putting us up in a very swanky hotel. I have vowed to return someday, I just find those big neon lights strangely attractive.....

Sean.

The Venetian, outside




Caesars Palace (E.T. HQ)

Safety Training

This week at work was our "annual safety refresher course."
So, for the entire day on Tuesday I sat through a class learning how to be more safe.
I have been so busy at work lately that I was not looking forward to giving up a whole day listening to the basics of CPR, first aid, industrial accident prevention, how to use a defribulator, etc etc.
I was doing fine, sitting in class allowing my mind to wander all around the universe (like it usually does) when the words "this next presentation will be extremely graphic" snapped me back to earth.
To say the next 45 minutes after that was graphic would be an understatement. We were forced to watch a video of what happens to someone when they come into contact with 7200 volts.
Trust me when I say, its not fun. I had to sit through about 35 slides of what 3rd degree burns look like, with detailed descriptions of infection, pus, "charred skin"
After what seemed like long enough, I had to leave the room. I couldn't take it.
Keep in mind, I was sitting amongst a group of tough guys. Most of them are members of our service crew. These are men that work on big equipment all day, with big manly tools and wrenches. They think nothing of working outside in the freezing cold, or the scorching summer heat pulling large engines to pieces and putting them back together. All of them bear the mark of tough mechanics, big thick-skinned hands and fingers, usually with a permanent grey stain from the oil and grease. Manly men. They drive big service trucks full of cool tools and hammers. They get the job done, pain, weather, dirt, blood or not.

And then there's me. Sitting in my nice pressed pants and ironed white business shirt, with my shoes nicely polished for work. I get upset because the black ink on my deskpad calendar sometimes makes my cuff's a little dirty when I type. The sleeves on my shirt always have a nice crisp pressed line running from the shoulder to the wrist. I like that, and when I see it in the office bathroom mirror it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. I may even twist my outstreched arm a little and take another look at how nice and straight it is today. I like my cubicle nice and organized, I personalized it with a few toys and gadgets I've found in my travels and things from home, you know so that you can have that nice blend of professional but fun. I guess I hope that my co-workers walk past it and think to themselves, "wow, what a nice cubicle, the perfect blend of professional, but yet fun!" And don't you dare get into my company car with dirty, oily shoes, there may be floormats there, but they need to be clean.

I suppose these guys would call me a "suit" If I were them, I'd call me a "suit" too.

As one would suspect with a room full of tough guys, watching the pictures soon became a contest of who could watch longer without cringing, or looking away.
There's them - stonefaced, emotionless.
There's me: "Seriously, I think I am going to pass out, I cant watch this anymore, I am feeling lightheaded, oh that is just nasty, please someone get me some water, just breathe, breathe man!!"
And then, I have to get up and walk out, I just cant look any more, and the commentary is even worse. There is no escape. Words like, infection, blood, pus, pain, gangrene, fill the air around me.
I tried to make it look like I needed to go to the bathroom, but I think the fact that I was covered in sweat, breathing heavily and as white as a ghost gave me away. Maybe my comment "I cant watch this anymore" didn't help either as I bolted out.

After about 10 minutes in the cool air outside, I felt better.
Now I had to go back in and face my destiny.
As I stepped back inside, one of the guys said "Hey Sean, you missed the best part"
Raucous laughter filled the room.
A hearty slap on the back from our service manager made me feel a little better.

Mechanics: 1
Suits: None

Fortunately for me, all of these big strong guys are really great guys. They will do anything to get the job done. I am amazed many times at their level of experience, pride and dedication to their company, and craft. In an age where everything is run by a computer somewhere, there is something to be said for folks who use their own hands all day, everyday to make a living.


Well, I feel safer I guess. I have a new regard for electricity. I learned how to use the heart defribulator that they have at the mall.

So be safe
And remember:
"A safe worker is a happy worker"
(Taken from a factory I visited in Mexico)

Sean.

Planes, trains and cranes?

So this past week I had the opportunity to go on a little adventure. And since people are always asking me what I do for a living, this little story will help clear things up.

In a nutshell, I sell Cummins industrial diesel engines. Big ones, small ones, new ones, reconditioned ones, for everything from road paving equipment, agricultural machines, military equipment, power generators, cranes, forklifts, dump trucks, mining equipment, logging equipment, hydraulic pump equipment etc etc etc.

A few weeks ago, one of our customers asked me if it would be possible to re-power (in simple terms, replace the engine) in a container stacker. That machine looks like this:


The job of this equipment is to run around a rail yard, and unload containers off of trains, and onto and army of waiting trucks.

Cool, isn't it.

That's the neat part of what I get to do, one day I'm in a rail yard, the next day I'm in a factory. One day I found myself in the bottom of an open pit coal mine, standing in the bucket of a huge shovel.

Well, the only issue with this project is that the machine is located out in Columbus, Ohio - a 6 hour drive from home.

"That's no problem" our customer, Keith told me.
"We'll just fly out on my plane"
"Your plane?"
"Yes" he replied, "I have three of them, you know"

Next thing I know, Wednesday morning I am standing outside a hangar at Lancaster Airport, ready to board.

Here is his airplane:

Sweeeeeet.

So we flew, first class, all the way to Ohio in just under 2 hours. Flying in a small plane is much more fun. You really feel like you can reach out and touch the clouds.Mike (our resident engineer) came along for the trip, here we are sitting in the back seat.


The flight back was even better, we flew out in between these beautiful, huge, puffy, cumulus clouds. They were like giant castles in the sky.


Anyway, here are a few more pictures of the Crane. Mike and I had to climb up to the top of the thing to take a look at their electronic setup. This is the view from up above, where the driver sits - not for those afraid of heights!!!


Here is the engine compartment, this is what we are going to take out and replace with a shiny new Cummins.

Anyway, so there is a day in my job. Here is the shameless plug for our corporate website:

www.cummins.com

Big thanks to Keith for being a great guy, and a class act.

Sean.

Back to School

Reality is setting in as I type this. Tomorrow is the first day of school. My full class of 25 students will arrive in the morning. I'm ready for them physically, but mentally, I'm not so sure. With just moving into our house and all of the busy-ness that comes with that, I feel that I could use a bit more time off. We spent the entire Labor Day weekend either at Home Deport or painting. The word labor fits quite well this year. Welcome to home ownership! There is always something to be done. But I love it and am so thankful to have this home of ours. And yes, in spite of the lack of enthusiasm I feel about going back to school, I am very thankful for a rewarding and great career that I have. So, off to bed I go, for a good night's sleep to be ready for the first day of school.

p.s. We've had requests for some photos of the interior of the house. We'll get some of those up here soon.