Wow! 54 Already

When last heard from, the Gare Bear had recently turned 53. Well, that brings up what happens when you turn 54. Time starts flying by so quickly that you can't imagine where all the time goes.

But I do know this. I now have one less year to make something interesting happen in my life. I've gotten into a routine of doing my crazy 12-hour shifts and just trying to recover in between while reviving one of my favorite hobbies -- that being handloading cartridges and shooting whenever I can. Unfortunately, it really cut into my bicycle riding which hasn't been good for the beltline. But, what I did do was procure my Colorado concealed handgun permit, which I consider to be a great privilege, especially being stationed in Boulder County, the self proclaimed capitol of the known liberal universe.

So, now, before I go harass elk this hunting season, I have a goal of getting back in shape. For those of you who have never done it, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do is pack out deer and elk from the back country, especially when the terrain is steep, rocky, muddy (that's the worst), or cold and snowy. It really makes one appreciate some of the hardships that native americans and early settlers had to deal with just to stay alive. Which leads me to another thought about early settlers -- when I look at much of the terrain of the west, I just marvel at the fact that those intrepid souls of yesteryear had the guts, toughness, and maybe stupidity to try to navigate the terrain by horse- or oxen-drawn wagons. You can't even negotiate much of it with modern 4-wheelers or off road vehicles. Some of the canyons and ravines can't even be traversed on foot. But the deer and elk do it like they are out for their morning jog. So, who's the higher species?

Interesting things going on, just for the record:
Obama vs. McCain.
Unprecedented financial crisis and debate over bailouts.
Interesting legal battles over Second Amendment now that the supreme court has rendered an opinion.
First Black presidential candidate. First female vice-presidential candidate. And it isn't Jesse Jackson or Hillary Clinton. You gotta love it.

Enuf for now.

Turning 53

Here's what happens when you turn 53. You realize you have to do something about that one ear getting older before you drive everyone nuts asking "What'd you say? You take a job that involves 12 hour shifts and you wonder why, on the day after your 3rd work day in a row, that you sleep in for several hours on the next day off. You realize that early retirement is only 6-1/2 years away and that you, along with many others in your baby boomer generation, will never be able to retire because your group is too big, has too much money, and somehow and some way all your money will be sucked right out of your wallet. You realize that you're feeling way too young for AARP but some of those membership benefits start to look good. You start to wonder when some major health disaster will befall you or your loved ones -- as you start to realize that others in your age group are either dropping like flies -- or as it begins to seem everyone has some type of cancer or something.

Here's what doesn't happen when you turn 53. You don't feel any older than when you were 18. You can still ride your bicycle 95% of what you could when you rode much more often 20 years ago. You don't feel any less horny. You may have more employment opportunities as employers realize that workers older than 40 or so have a better work ethic than many younger workers. So, the way I look at it, I think I still have a good 20 years to hope, dream, change, look for new opportunities. And I often pray that I can be a blessing to those around me.

KitchenAid Facts and Opinions

KitchenAid Facts and Opinions It took five years on on-again off-again finances to save up money for my gas stove but I finally did it and with Linda's help, we really went all out (at least all-out for us). We got a freestanding gas cooktoop/oven and a microwave/vent hood/convection oven. Both are KitchenAid Architect II series. We suffered a little bit of anxiety and consternation to find the cooktop/oven ranked at the bottom of the Consumer Reports list, but the good news is that the things CR ranked low seem to be non-issues, as long as the reliability is as good as it should be for spending that much money.The touchscreen menus are great. The automated cooking time and sensor cooking seem to be reliable and accurate. Both cooktop/oven and microwave/vent hood/convection oven appear to be smart (not just offering a bunch of options, but options that seem to work). This is somewhat surprising because we live at just about 5000 ft. elevation which is the cutoff point for high altitude cooking. I have not yet made any high altitude adjustments for cooking time but the stuff we have made so far came out perfect. The microwave oven adjusts itself to really cook at settings other than 100% -- i.e. 40% power is really 40% not just high power 40% of the time. This will make a difference cooking some things like oatmeal and eggs, but once you get used to it, it's a good advancement in overall cooking controllability. You know those rotisserie chickens they sell at the grocery store? The gas/convection oven on the freestanding cooktop/oven can cook them as good or better, without injecting them with anything with just the touch of a couple menu buttons. The microwave -- say you want to cook two baked potatoes -- just select the menu item, select two, and hit start. Perfect baked potatoes without even guessing at or entering a time.Our initial impressions of the units are very favorable. If you are purchasing kitchen appliances, definitely take a look at KitchenAid Architect II

Blogger's Block or Something

Here I sit, contemplating my last blog entry. I just don't feel motivated to post a new blog -- is it that nothing interesting is happening? Or has job stability squashed my need to feel creative. Well, maybe that's not the case because I have been bending some strings on my new Martin D16 guitar -- which does involve elements of creativity for me as I learn. Then there's this new gas stove that's coming today. When I get it up and running that may stir some creativity since I love to cook and I've been trying to save money for a new stove for the last 5 years (while the current stove slowly disintegrated into a frustrating piece of garbage). So, look forward to a new stove blog coming soon -- along with some new goodies. Now that I have a gas stove, I can get a really good wok and really make some quick, easy, healthy stuff.

In the meantime, I'm off to the couch to catch a quick nap and listen to Michelle's Father's Day CDs.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Cool storm this evening. Didn't hit us but pounded someone nearby. Reminds me of one of my favorite Ray Bradbury stories "Something Wicked This Way Comes". This story is the best description of why I don't like carnivals. Never have. Probably never will. But Bradbury nailed it.

What Day Is It?

Now for the evening news from this mid-52ish three-time dad (but not grandpa yet :-) Hey, I thought riding my bicycle up Mount Evans was a challenge. Then I tried 12-hour rotating shifts. Interesting observation, however. Working that last 2 hours of a 12-hour shift, whether day shift or night shift, has a lot in common with the mental effort it takes to ride up Mount Evans, Hall Ranch Hwy. 7 side or ride an unexpected 15 miles extra without enough water. So, besides riding for my heart, I'm now riding to sharpen my mental focus. Now, where did I misplace those last three weeks? Bottom line -- much to be said for a regular paycheck and working in an environment where I'm not fighting the weather on a day-to-day basis.

May your pedal strokes be round and your hydration pack full.

WF6

I chose to step out of retirement and enter the world of ultrapure specialty gasses. I must say I'm very grateful to the management for hiring me and to my neighbor for recommending me. After a long (and surprisingly productive) day of safety training, I will now jump into the fray of helping manufacture Tungsten Hexaflouride. WF6 or "Wolf" as some call it is used in the manufacture of computer chips.

I'm beginning to think that this latest chapter in my career saga will be very interesting and may last long enough to give me some pre-retirement stability. Not that I'm thinking retirement -- but the stability part seems nice.

On a different note, a new restaurant experience. We went to Casa Grande Mexican restaurant a few evenings ago. It's fairly new to Longmont. But it's a strange restaurant in a strange building. Casa Grande shares the ground floor of a 3-story condominum building in a more or less industrial part of Longmont. The whole thing seems out of place. The upper floor(s) are these really high-dollar (outrageously so) condominiums. Get this -- in Longmont -- $450,000 for a 1600 sq. ft. condo that overlooks the mountains but also has a great view of some nearly defunct manufacturing facilities and their mostly empty parking lots. There's an underground parking garage and an elevator. Besides paying the outrageous price, then you pay annual dues. But you can eat at the Casa Grande or at an Asian Restaurant, or buy insurance or securities on the ground floor. We will go for the Asian food next time.

Casa Grande's food was O.K. but that's all. It was a nice place to sit and talk -- because no one was there -- underneath the overpriced and un-sold condos. It seemed like forced California-ism. Interesting, but strange.