What you know vs what you do

At one point in my career I was feeling overpaid for what I was actually doing... like any monkey could do what I do, when a friend said to me "They don't pay you for what you do, they pay you for what you know".

I've thinking about it... I know a lot of things now, but it isn't like I'm some great repository of knowledge, I don't *do* anything that anyone else couldn't do... but I know what makes me different, is the experiences I've had and learned from.

The other night I had the pleasure of helping an old friend with something that I had previously worked on.

Something that I had spent hours, nay possibly a few days bashing my head against, tearing my hair out, and attempting to manhandle into place.  The golden nugget at the end of it all, was learning that you didn't just have to make the right changes... but that in order to actually see the changes, you had to completely clear your browser cache.

So yes, what I *do* may only take seconds, and may seem trivial once you know it... but knowing that you need to do those things, especially those small important details is what makes you worth your weight in gold.

Work in progress

Remember that the objective of working is the value of what you do -- not the hours put in.  ~Dad

Thoughts on getting older

It was weird, as I waded through the legal jargon spelling out the representative agreement, and the documents giving my brother power of attorney should something happen to one or both of our parents... I realized it didn't feel personal.  It was like the documents I was signing were for someone else, I mean *my* parent's are "Mom" and "Dad"... who are these people?

When I got to the section dictating the resolution of conflicts I knew that "these people" were one and the same with my parents.  I could see the dissolution of the legal mumbo jumbo into a striking clarity with the statement:

 " ...and any conflicts shall be resolved by coin toss"

Waitaminute... whaaaaat?!?

There they are, those are definitely my parents you're talking about. *smirk* I can just imagine the consternation of the person drafting this document... the mental grinding of gears as they stumble through it while reading it this time, and every time after *satisfied grin*. It doesn't fit the standard, and I like to think of it as a very Canadian, passive aggressive way of throwing a wrench in the works *sticks out tongue*

As Dad said chuckling when we talked about it later... I know you guys are smart kids, and I trust you to make decisions in our best interest. If there's a conflict it's probably because you're both right, and there's no point in agonizing over it.

It echoed this sentiment, something he used to say all the time ...

"Do something! Even if it's wrong..."

It hearkens back to the oldest form of decision making, let whatever gods may be decide the outcome of my fate.

Eating leftovers. So much easier with a microwave

I'm the first person to go "Really? $70 to install that for me? I bet we could probably do it..."

Long ago, my father tried ever so hard to teach me that your time is worth something.  So while you might be *able* to do something (like changing the oil in your car). You should assume that your time is worth at least $30/hr and if it takes you any longer than that (plus parts) then it's actually totally worth the $40 - $50 they charge at the drive through oil change places which only take ~15 mins ...also sometimes there are some really cute guys working there ;)

So while my brother and I are both extremely cheap in this regard (we must be related) and will err on the side of "doing it ourselves" I think it's good to have that sober second look.

Someone who points out that the new microwave weighs in at 69lbs, and that the old one is probably heavier.

Someone who says with a dubious look on their face... "Yeah we probably *could* do it... but we would have to move the stove"

And as I sit here watching two big strong men manhandle the old microwave almost literally out of the wall, I'm satisfied that it probably would have taken us much longer, and there would have been a whole lot more heartache involved.

Soooo hot-pockets for dinner?

It's the little things

I recently had a one on one chat with my manager's manager, and she opened the call with the most important question.

Are you happy?

The straightforward simplicity of it caught me off guard, it was naked and sincere.

I would say I'm significantly more satisfied in the company I'm working for, and the people I'm working with, given that you just took the time to ask me that.  The fact that you expanded upon it to include life both inside and outside of work touched me immeasurably. 


The full impact of our chat didn't really hit me until just now, but it resonated deeply and reminded me something about my Granny. No matter what you were involved in, doing, or going through in your life, she used to ask that same question... then sagely nod her head and say "well then, that's all that matters"

Are there things I would like to change in my life personal, professional or otherwise? Sure, but overall, I am happy.

Thank you for asking.

So you had a bad day

There's nothing in this world quite like a bad day... especially the kind where you exhale until there's a vacuum in your chest, and you feel surely that at any moment you'll disappear into the negative space only spoken about in hushed whispers of calculus discussions...

and then an eternity in a second...

before the tears explode.

Breathe.

One of the benefits of getting older, is knowing that this too shall pass...

That whatever it is that isn't okay in my little world, will sort itself out one way or another, and be okay again.

Besides, someone once told me...

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end yet!"

And the winner of the cutest Granny evarrrrrrr!!

See! Look how cute she is *beaming*

My  Granny is amazing. She is 98 and a half and broke her hip just a couple of weeks ago, tripping over a pillow while making her bed. Hey Mom I found a good reason not to make my bed! She's up and walking on it already, seemingly faster than she was before she broke it, which is a great sign!

"All they do is come in and stick me with needles" she said. but she passed it off with a *tough cowboy sniff* "It doesn't bother me any though."

Less than a week into rehab she's done with the place and ready to go home. Patience is not one of her virtues, and I'm pretty sure that's why it isn't one of mine either. She basically summed up the rehab exercises with... "They're so simple, all you have to do is move your leg back and forth. I can do all that." and I'm not exactly sure who Granny was referring to, but it made me laugh out loud when she muttered "There are so many dumb people"


During our she told us so many stories some we had heard, and some we were just hearing for the first time. It is absolutely incredible the things that she has experienced in her time here...

Stories of the first radio, Granny highland dancing to a program and her brother coming home and turning it off. Their first company phone in their home... their phone number was 771-J, and her best friend Muriel was 771-W. It was so cute when I asked how they put the letters in, she looked really confused for a second, until I remembered that things used to go through a central switchboard operator and her puzzled look just melted away into a solid confident yep, that's how we used to do it.

Granny has always told me to make good memories in my life, and to save them up for when I get old. But nothing drove that sentiment home as when she said "I see a lot of faces here that don't look like they have good memories.... I have a lifetime of good memories" It always makes me smile to hear her say that ;)

The thing that touched me the most though, talking about all the things she remembered, was when she said "Your Mom and Dad getting married..." and gazing internally into her memories, as her voice trailed off she whispered "I remember all of that"

Just before the "Bye for now"

"You look after yourself. And always look after your feet, you only get one set."
~Granny

You choose how you spend your time

Enjoy every bit of time you can.

Do the things you want to do, 

and enjoy doing them.

~Granny

Like sunshine burning off that low morning fog

I had the following exchange the other night with a friend of mine, and belatedly realized you really don't need any other reason to do something!

me:  *s* for reals you wanna come visit me?

my friend:  YES!!!! you make me happy!  

me:  *grins*

From the Captain...

I checked out of Neiafu today and I'm now at anchor in a cove just south.  The anchor chain talks.  When the boat drifts about, occasinally the chain drags over coral and the rumble is transmitted up the chain right to the boat.  It's weird because I always thought that the grumble / rumble was associated only with dragging but with solid chain rode, it's every time the boat swings you hear this noise.

It's calm.  Some tuna were sort of jumping near the boat in the dark.  There are no mammals like seals and otters.  I suppose there might have been a thousand years ago or so, but with people moving in they got hunted out pretty quick.  I never realized just how many people these islands supported pre-Europeans.  The populations were 100 or more times what they are today.  That's a lot of people on small land base, being fed and supported by the local resources.  Not only just surviving, but living well with time and energy and resources for comfort, art and war.  The implications are really somewhat staggering when you think about it.

Such is life.  I broke the oar I made - the local hardwood turned out to be trash.  Waste of money and a day.  So, I am oar challenged.  I hesitate cutting down my long good oar to match the short oar I bought but it may come to that.  In the meantime, I have got the electric outboard to behave reliably.  I modified it a bit.  I cut off the battery connectors, automotive post style of lead that in the salt water formed a non-conductive oxide quickly, and installed some ring connectors  - the deep cycle batteries have studs as well as lead posts.  These are easy to clean, and being tinned copper aren't affected by the salt water as much.  Also they are easier and faster to put on and take off.  So, all round, works better.

I just need to add a fuse to the circuit - the one was incorporated into the battery post and that's gone now.  The fuse supplied was a bad choice anyway because it's fusible link is corroding fast because it's exposed.  I'll get a blade type in a water proof holder.  Irony is that I had one in the spares box but I used it already.  The other thing is the use of lots of silicone non-conductive anti-corrision grease on all the connectors, espcially the control / instrument sockets.  This has helped a lot and something to file away in your head.  You can use it in all kinds of places where an eletrical connection is made in a wet environemnt.  Works great on your car battery terminals, use it for bulbs on trailers (eg boat trailer tail lights that get wet, ham radio equipment etc. etc.  Most things don't really need it but if you have an electrical contact in a challenging environment, it helps.

I think I mentioned I had a great couple of scuba dives here.  I'm told the diving is good in Fiji too, so that might be inducement to go that way next year if I sail again. 

Take care - love you.
Dad
-----
At 25/09/2011 7:23 AM (utc) our position was 18°39.83'S 173°58.88'W

From the Captain...

A different tech and the wireless problem is solved!  Somehow the machine lost some settings and was totally confused.  Anyway, I'm in business again.

As per note to mom, I'm here waiting on weather for at least 4 days, and trying to spend that on shore rather than rock'n and roll'n on the boat.  Good snorkelling etc at least.

Take care and have fun always.  I've always regretted the things I didn't do -be safe and use your head but don't worry much about what other people (including me) say and think.  Most of us are wusses - especially as we age.

Now that travel plans are set more or less, I need to try and get in some sort of shape - not much lower body exercise on the boat so IF I ski this year it will be at a lower level.  See what happens. 

Dad

From the Captain...

I drove around about half the island, and I'll do the other half tomorrow morning - I rented a car after noon for a day figuring on splitting the exercise up this way.  It seems to work.  Really not much to see specifically but I have a sense of the place now.

There's a fresh food market in the morning, early, so I can get some fresh veg and fruit, do the tourist thing, deal with the computer and have a THIRD HOT SHOWER in as many days. 

I should spend some more time snorkelling, the vis is incredible.  The coral is really interesting and colorful, not as many fish as at Moorea but different and more variety in some respects.  Many the same.  No shallow water though there are these "pools" - really crevasses - in the fringe reef.  These are 5+ m deep, vertical or overhanging corral of incredible aquamarine water in the "plain" of the fringe reef 100 m or so wide which is at or near the surface at medium tide (range is 1. m about) 

Anyway, there are tunnels and small crevices everywhwere with the most colorful corral patches and formations, all small, and then these "pools" with fish etc. that you can swim in like giant aquaria.  There's also caves and arches etc.

I was at one spot, recall that the island is uplifted coral, which is a cave like tunnel that has flow stone, stalagmites and salacites (all solution formaitions) with "ancient" coral showing in the base rock, plus 'old coral" (recently killed) and live coral in the pools. 

Something only a geologist could love I suppose. So that's it.

Take care both of you
-----
At 29/08/2011 7:07 PM (utc) our position was 19°03.28'S 169°55.45'W

From the Captain...

It was a rolly night last night but I slept OK - only problem was that I'd slept a lot yesterday so I was awake early.  I thought some heathen was cruel to another boat, indeed everyone in the harbour (everyone leaves the VHF on) when they called around 6 am - the response from the called boat was very groggy. 

Whales were among the boats.  Before long a couple of dinghys were in the water and people were swimming with the whales.  Humpbacks.  It was neat - maybe tomorrow I'll join them if it happens again - apparently a fairly regular occurrence.  So that started the day. 

I got the cooler cleaned up and working again - I'd shut it down to conserve power, but had left some salmon salad in a bowl in it - intending to eat it in an hour or so - and in that hour my gut went off so it sat there for 5 days.  It was rough so it spilled so the cooler needed cleaning and it was a bit high.

Rowed to shore and tried to get on the inet - and my computer won't work.  Don't know why, hence the "Mayday".  There might be a computer tech here, earliest I could get to him would be Monday or Tuesday - they take Sunday VERY seriously here and today the businesses pretty well all shut down for a fishing competition.  Small town, laid back mentality - which is fine.  All in all it was another slow day but I am now awake and rested more or less.  I only now realize just how tired I was.

High point -they have showers here!

Landing the dinghy here is interesting.  There is no beach, just a big concrete wharf with swell.  What you do is get close to the work and there's an electric crane, and usually someone is around to lower the hook to you that you attach to the lifting bridle and then leap out onto the steps as the dinghy is lifted clear.   Once on the dock it's dropped down on a cart and you park it.  The crane launches everything from dinghys to 30' fish boats from trailers - that's just the way it's done.  Works well.  It's a bit tricky if no one is about but can be managed.

Nice place, better off and better organized than Aitutaki - not as affluent as Fr. Polynesia.
That's about it.  My gut is still not 100% but much better than it was.  At least I'm eating again.

Take Care

David
-----
At 27/08/2011 5:30 AM (utc) our position was 19°03.28'S 169°55.45'W

Dori sings "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..."

One thing in life I've learned is worrying only wastes your energy - don't get down on yourself, you solve more problems when you're energetic and ready to go.  Find little successes and celebrate them.
~Mich

Sometimes I need a poke in the ribs reminding me to pull my head out of the proverbial bucket water to breath. This was it today. Thanks for the gentle nudge in the upwards direction.

Rock your socks off

Change the things that matter to you now, cause you never know when you won't be able to do anything anymore. I'm thankful for every day that I put socks on in the morning. ~Doofus