Highly Trained Professional

Tomorrow I'm off to take another computer learning course. This time it's advanced Microsoft Project 2003. Having taken beginning Microsoft Project 2003, this seems like the next logical step on my Project Management career path. I'm taking this course at New Horizons learning center here in Austin and the instructor is excellent.

Of course I'll get another certificate. This will be a "Certificate of Completion". I can add it to my other certificates with such titles as "Certificate of Accomplishment", Certificate of Achievement" etc... I'm a professional pack rat and save most things that have pertained to my work experience such as performance reviews, kudos from the boss, and the results of those personality tests. Oh yes and these certificates I was supposed to hang in my cube.

Going through them has been a fun trip down memory lane. According to the the certicates on the wall, I am quite a talented person. The Coast Guard says I can operate a boat. If your house is destroyed I can tell you how much it will cost to build a new one and how it should be built. I have permission to adjust insurance claims in the State of Texas. If I suspect you're committing fraud, I can investigate you. And of course if your car is mangled I can put it on the machine and realign it and calculate your bill.

Some of these certificates were earned by simply reading a book, others took weeks of training. For now, I'll put them back in the drawer and save them for another day. Unless of course you have twenty extra frames you're not using....

Take A Hike

It's the last day of summer and we're going out baking. The high today is 94 and it's probably going to be one of the warmest days of the summer. Austin and Central Texas had an unusually cool summer due to the rains, but no one is complaining. In the next few weeks things will cool down and life outdoors will be habitable.

Early in the morning Baxter and I took a nice lap around Lady Bird Lake. Lady Bird Johnson was instrumental in developing the three mile hiking/walking/biking/running trail that loops around the lake, or slow moving portion of the Colorado River. As it actually is a river, you need to take two bridges across when you do the full loop. The weather did cooperate and there are many shady portions of the trail to keep the sun off. At most points the trail is about 10 to 15 feet wide which may have been nice about 20 years ago, but it's clearly too narrow in spots for all the traffic lapping the lake now.

Baxter was pooped, while a playful dog, he's accustomed to short spurts of playtime followed by napping. The long walk wore on him for sure. At one point under a bridge there was a shallow spot for him to take a dip. He's so comfortable in the water, he actually just sits down. I've never seen a dog so content to be in the water.

I really think I need a pool.

Back To School

Yes it's back to school time. I've decided to pursue my PMP in project management. Oh yes, what does PMP stand for? Project Management Professional. Yes I had to look it up too.

So yesterday I began my first class in a one semester program. I've been back to school in the last sixteen years and taken classes to brush up on some management skills, mostly at UCLA while I was in Los Angeles. Post graduate education with working professionals is much more fun then sitting in a class room with people who may or may not use the course in real life. Everyone is much more vested and the war stories are much more interesting. Instructors are usually working professionals without PHD's or even Master's Degrees for the most part. Real people who teach based upon their years of experience.

Looking back at college I don't recall much of the same experience. Most everything was theory and most of my business classes were taught by Phd's. The one instructor I bonded with was the accounting professor, Christine Taylor. She was a CPA for what is now HBSC. I loved her instruction, it was very real. None of my journalism classes were taught by journalists, I think something was missing there.

At the end of the semester I'll have my Certification in Project Management from The University of Texas at Austin. After that I have to apply for my PMP designation with the Project Management Institute. With my work experience in the past, that should not be a problem, the only obstacle could be the 200 question multiple point exam. I know how much I love testing.

I just wish it was 20 years ago when I could count on my parents for a new back-to-school wardrobe.

The Tell-Tale Tick Tick

It started with a tick-tick sound when I would turn the wheel. Next, I lost the use of the highly addictive steering wheel radio controls. Finally it was the chime of the air bag indicator every few minutes with the warning light glowing on the dash. Part number 56042770AD, the clockspring, had failed.

Like the flasher that broke earlier this summer, this is another black dot on the electrical system of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. More disturbing is this is the second failure of the electrical system that controls a safety feature on the vehicle. I'm not sure how long clocksprings have been in cars, but the earliest reference dates back to the original telephone about 1875. Surely we must have mastered this technology by now.

Thanks to the internet I was able to quickly find others who have had the same problem. Diagnosis was easy and off to the Jeep dealer I went to pick up the necessary part. $109.00 later I was back in my airbag-less Jeep headed for home. A quick trip to AutoZone for a two-leg puller and I was in business.

While I was growing up, we mostly had used cars despite my father's employment at Ford Motor Company. All cars break. All parts have a finite life expectancy. Nothing lasts forever. I'm sure my father and I would have had a much easier time with car repairs had the internet been around while I was growing up.

Also while growing up my father turned his back on luxury items such as power windows and seats as "that's just more to break". Rather ominous from a man who's occupation was to build vehicles. However my father's seven year old Explorer does have such hedonistic items as power windows, door looks and (gasp) a power seat. All were working last time I checked. But his basic electrical system has gone to on hiatus a few times over the last year too. I guess we could have had power windows growing up after all.

Not one to take this lying down, I have reported both failures to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They have a form you can fill out when you have a safety related problem with your vehicle. I have reported both and included the part number. Curiously enough, Chrysler had to recall one million minivans for clockspring failure. If there are enough of us to file, hopefully the vehicle will be recalled and I will be reimbursed for the parts.

In the automobile world these days, safety sells. Confidence that your safety systems will work however, is what keeps them coming back.

Make A Wish

This weekend the Texas Classic Car Show hosted it's sixth annual meet at Rudy's with the proceeds benefiting the Make-A-Wish foundation. The weather was perfect and it was a well organized event with shuttle service to a remote parking lot. The set up was unsegmented which works for a 300 car show as there's time to see everything. Larger shows have Fords in one section, etc. I like the smaller unsegmented shows as you never know what you'll see next to that classic Mustang. I thought Make-A-Wish was very appropriate charity as I often go these shows saying "I wish I had one of those.."

I went with my friends Richard and Mike, and I was asked the usual question. "If you could add one car to your collection from here, what would it be?" Car people are always asked this. Based upon what I have now, I would like a 60's American luxury sedan. One of the most iconic vehicles of that time was the Lincoln Continental. It's clean lines and smooth sides were the polar opposite of the garish Cadillac's and Chrysler's. Lincoln was about style and Cadillac was about big. Oddly there were no Lincolns at this show.

That car will have to wait. I have no more garage space and they just don't build garages in this century for sixteen feet of car.

I Need Attention

In case I'm chatting with you on instant messenger and suddenly I seem to disappear, this may be the problem. With camera in hand, I have documented my distraction. With unrelenting zeal, Baxter requires attention now and then. He seldom takes no for an answer. The more I push back the more he pursues this.

The second picture is a well documented example of his favorite trick. When I'm typing and won't acknowledge him, he uses his snout as a lever to push my hand up and off the keyboard. He's a very smart dog.

He's maturing nicely and mellowing out a bit with some very puppy moments. This week we are going on a nice three mile hike around Town Lake. At the end, someone is going for a swim.

Hopefully it won't be me.

The Perfect Getaway

I'd like to say that I'm in the picture above, but even if I said I was, you'd be hard pressed to figure out who I was. Therefore I did not pay $24.00 for a picture of myself rafting down the Arkansas River. You'll just have to imagine me on the raft.

This weekend I headed to Denver to catch up with a friend and go white water rafting through the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. It was a great four hour trip with class four rapids. We had raft full of friends and we all made it through without going in the water or driving our guide to drink. The water was cold and the first splash definitely wakes you up. Surprisingly we did not wear wet suits as I did when I went down the Kicking Horse River in Alberta a few years ago. You did not want to end up in the water on either river. Brr.

The trip took us from Denver to just south of Colorado Springs. It's about a two hour drive from Denver, but we broke it up with eating both ways. The road trip was fun too, Jordan's friend Greg from Australia provided some entertainment when we said, "last night I went to the movies with two ducks." Ok, what he actually said was he went to the movies with two "Dougs", however with the accent it did not come out that way. Perhaps we had too much sun, but it was the funniest damn thing I had heard in a long time. Hats off to Greg for being a great sport and the kind of expat who is proud of his country but not afraid to laugh at the differences between us.

Denver is a nice city, but a big one. Commutes can last hours and it did take me nearly 50 minutes to get through security at the airport on my trip home to Austin. There is something to be said for living in a smaller city where it takes you less then ten minutes to get through inspection and to your gate. But the weather was mild and pleasant. Sunny and in the 80's, but cool at night. Sleeping with the window open again was awesome.

I'm still looking for that waterproof digital camera and you'll get more pics. My mom sent me a Ziplock bag, but that's not going to cut it. Nice try.

Twenty Years Ago Today

Immediately after Labor Day 1987 I moved into my first address away from home. 312D Hendrix Hall, SUNY Fredonia Fredonia, NY 14063. Fortunately my parents were there to take this picture of me and my younger sister while I was unpacking. One item of note, that Porsche print is hanging behind my desk here in Round Rock. I've had it since I was ten.

I remember the day well. After packing the car I remember walking up into the back pasture with our dog Max and looking back at the house. I knew I would never live there again. I stayed in Fredonia for those four years, working summers and most breaks.

College was not going to be an easy proposition for me. Academically I was not a strong student. My parents had me pay 100% of my first semester as I was not a sure bet to make it through. I did and they funded 100% of my second semester. From there on it was 50/50 which I firmly believe is a sound proposition for any parent/child going through the college years. It was a vested partnership for both of us.

After the hike with all my stuff up three flights up un-air conditioned stairs. I was settled in. We went to lunch and I was on my own. The first suite mate to move in was Andy from Lake Placid.

And it goes on from there. A tale too long to tell on these pages. But you know how the story ends up today, twenty years later.

Dire Consequences

How could I have ever let it get this far? Despite the five hundred renewal notices, I failed to renew both my Car and Driver and Automobile subscriptions.

Car and Driver and I have been together since I was ten years old. I've even been to their offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan. How did this apathy come about?

Honestly I'm not the only one. I don't think editing a car magazine is an easy task, but I would guess that is what drives readers to continue subscribing. I think the biggest problem is editorial inconsistency when it comes to reviewing cars. A certain car can be the the star of one edition and a dog only a few months later in a comparison test. Also, as per previous posts, testing every car as a performance model when it clearly was not intended to be that can raise a few eyebrows. The once latest hot new car news can now be retrieved from the internet daily making monthly publications less timely.

Yes buff books are dying off. If you didn't know it before, pick up an issue of Car and Driver today. You'll notice the dearth of advertisements buy such brands as Ford and Chrysler. In the past you could count on at least two ads from each somewhere in the magazine. I can't say I really blame them for looking elsewhere. Their products are usually panned in both magazines. When you spend the money to place and ad, are you going to put it pages from a review that disses your product? Certainly you don't have worry about that when you're advertising on television, radio or the non-automotive internet sites.

The slick car ads of the past have been replaced by sexual enhancement ads that we would have never seen before. It's sad to see heroes and legends fade to shades of their former self this way. I guess I haven't renewed as part of me can't bear to look. Like watching Farah Fawcett go from pinup to punchline, some things don't age gracefully.

But I know I'll renew. At $16.00 for twelve issues, it's not going to break me. I just wish my heart were in it.

Kayakity Yack

Time to play a little catch up.

I've previously discussed how much Austin is a water town. And it really is true. Today I had the pleasure of touring Town Lake and Barton Springs by kayak. This mode of transport was new to me and it's a great workout. Had a fantastic time and looking forward to trying it again.

Town Lake is not actually a lake and it's actually no longer Town Lake. Lady Bird Johnson passed away last month and while she was alive she did not want Town Lake to be named for her until after her death. Town Lake is now Lady Bird Lake, it doesn't exactly roll off your tongue, but it does pay tribute to the woman who advocated the nature and bike path around the lake and many other environmental causes. The lake itself is just a really slow and wide section of the Colorado River.

Enjoy the post photo of the trip as I don't have a waterproof digital camera!

In other news....

Last weekend I jetted off to Tucson to catch up with some friends who were so kind to host me on my road trip to Austin from Los Angeles. You may remember that Tucson was my only overnight stopping point on the trip. I did not remember my digital camera while I was packing. Shame. While I was there I caught up with my friends and played in the pool. The University of Arizona is in a nice section of town, but for the most part Tucson is unremarkable. (Sorry Tucson). My friends are leaving at the end of the year and none of us will be running back there.

Baxter celebrated his first birthday sometime last month according to his birth records from the adoption center. He celebrated by learning to bark at me when he wants to play and I caught him lifting his leg on my shrubs for the first time. He's a big boy now, about 90 lbs.

As the rain stopped and the temperatures began to rise, I've turned my attention to the inside of the house. I've painted the guest room, kitchen and master bathroom. Previously they were builders grade flat white paint. Now they have some color. I'm painting a few more walls in the living room, but not the sixteenfooter that needs scaffolding. The pros will have to take that on.

Next weekend it's off to Colorado for some white water rafting. I have an abundance of free airline tickets and it's about time I used them. Again, I suspect there will be no photos due to the water.

Guess what I could use for Christmas....

Let Me Eat Cake

I know it's been awhile again. I find myself doing interesting things that I like to do, but I hesitate to think that you may find them interesting. I've painted the master bathroom and the guest room. I'm in the process of picking out a color for the kitchen. It's finally hit the high 90's here temperature wise so I'm working on some projects inside the house.

My friend Richard was so desperate for a new posting that he promised me cake. How could I pass that up? He's darn good in the kitchen so he deserves a post and a picture of his creation. I left it in my Jeep last night and I can tell you there is nothing better then a car filled with the smell of cake. I don't think I'll be driving the BMW until the cake smell wears off in the Jeep.

I promise to post more often, though it may make for good bedtime reading if you can't sleep.

Tinker With My Blinker

Cars, like dogs and people, get back at you. Make no mistake about this. Shortly after the Jeep was kicked out of the garage in favor the BMW, it revolted by knocking out the turn signals. I no longer had the ability to blink my direction when turning.

But I understand, I would not want to be moved out of the garage either. Like missionaries at my front door, electrical repairs are something I usually run the other way from. But what the heck, it can't hurt to try and as long as I don't get too deep into it, I shouldn't do any unintended major damage.

Online Jeep Grand Cherokee forums offered little help, but more on that later. It was there, all how you searched for it. When ever I purchase a vehicle, I immediately buy the Chilton or Haynes manual on how to fix it. Unfortunately, the only manual was a Haynes, and it was of poor quality. It was unanimously panned on Amazon.com and I agree. Chilton manuals are much much better if you can find them.

After much consternation in the fuse box, I pulled apart the lower dash and found the flasher that needed to be replaced. I pulled it out and ran upstairs to plug the part number, 4686094, in Google and see what came up. Sure enough, it was a corporate part from Chrysler and it's failing all over the place. I found many minivan owners who also had no turn signals either. Being a Chrysler only part, I had to wait until this morning for the dealer to open and purchase one. It was cheaper online but I didn't feel like waiting. $55.15 in parts later, I have turn signals again.

I do my best to plug the American auto industry, but it's moments like this where I have my doubts. This vehicle was $38,000 new and at 64,000 miles the flasher goes out and turn signals fail. Turns signals as we know them now, were introduced in 1938 by Buick. This is hardly new technology and such a rudimentary part should not fail during the life of the car. I often forgive such newer systems such as stability control when they fail as they are still in their infancy compared to other features. With 69 years of development, the turn signal should be damn perfect and last forever.

Fixing this electrical problem was a bittersweet triumph. I know how to fix my blinker and I know why people turn their backs to American cars.

Home Again

Ok, I've made it home. No surprises, although I had expected a few. Taking a 1500 mile road trip in a 19 year old BMW with 108K miles on the odometer is sure to bring some surprises here and there. But it was flawless and I averaged 24 miles to the gallon.

I did give up blogging after a while. Loading photos on my parents computer and editing them was not going to happen. At least easily. After that I was on the road for a few days and focused on making it back to Austin.

I did spend a few days back at home in Eden, but I spent them with my parents. As I departed I did head over to the high school as I was going to do some car shots there. But as I approached, I decided not too. I really had no feelings that connected me to my high school, so I took off without a shot. Growing up in a very small town, high school was just a tool to get you to college. I don't recall anyone aspiring to stay around after graduation, and sure enough not many have. There were some fun times and great laughs however there was not much school spirit and the classes no longer bother to have reunions. Off I went.

So twenty years ago, I started college. It was on the way home and I always enjoy popping in for a visit. Going to college was a big challange as I was not an academically strong student. My extracurricular activities got me into college, not my grades.

I headed to the Campus Center to find the freshman orientation going on. My school paper, The Leader is still published there. As the photo editor and a writer, I spent many a long evening there working to make the deadlines. Also in the Campus Center was the bookstore, but it had moved to what was Cranston Dining Hall. All the visiting freshman had cleared out the school apparel though. It was good to walk around and I can't believe I found a poster hanging from May 1988. It was a copy of "Campus Voice ByWeekly".
From there on I headed to Columbus where my buddy Mark put me up for the night and took me to a great Greek restaurant downtown. We over ate though when we walked to a Cold Stone creamery.... After years of Mark visiting me, it was great to see him in his home town.

Picked up Baxter this morning, and he had the time of his life at the dog ranch I left him at. After ten days of non-stop play and being around other dogs, he's pretty much been asleep under my feet.

I love my new set of wheels. I'll post more about it later and take some pics when I have a moment to clean 1500 miles of grime off.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

It's been a long day but it's now mine.

It's great to pop in and see my family, but the chance to pick up a new set of wheels at the same time makes it all the better. This morning's travels started at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and ended this evening in Liverpool, NY at my older sister's home. Along the way I had a nice four hour drive in my new car.

It's easy and it's not easy to get around the northeast corrider by train. To arrive at Morristown, NJ from Philly, I had to go to NYC and change trains at Penn Station. All tolled there was about a good three hours of train travel that looked like 45 minutes as the crowflies. But it was fast and efficient as train service in the northeast generally is. I've always been a fan to taking the train as you get to look out the window and see things without having the responsibility of driving.

But drive I did. Nancy was great and met me right at the train station and took me to my car. She was so gracious she even made me stop at a Dunkin Donuts before I left on my journey to use a restroom as there would be no rest stops for quite a while. What a great host. The car looks wonderful, but more about it later on.

It's been an intersesting 48 hours but altogether seemless traveling. The planes and trains were on time. The car was ready to be picked up and it's a sweet ride. I'm going to get a ticket on this trip for sure. But I'm well overdue as I have not had one in years.

Philadelphia Freedom

Today I left Austin for the first time since February. It feels good to get away for a while and it's great to see my Jen, Eric and Brady. I thought I would be escaping Austin's prepetual rain that we seem to be having, however it's been raining most of the day here. Nice.

Keeping up with the time line, here is a pic of my sister from about 20 years ago. Click on the pic to make it bigger, I'll edit the white down later when I get back to Austin. Note the period stone washed jeans. :) Here is a pic of Jennifer and her family today and it was taken on St. Patrick's day this year.

Tomorrow it's up to NJ to pick up the car!

Build a BMW, Part Number One

Ok, I'm not building my new BMW, but it doesn't hurt to have a spare wheel and tire. This particular model that I'm buying rides on Metric tires that are no longer mass produced. I think you know what that means when you have to buy a new one. $$$$$ Thankfully I found a nice new one on E-bay for half the price.

There is a huge difference in restoring and Mustang and a limited production BMW. There literally have been a million Fox body Mustangs made from 1979-1993. As you can imagine parts are everywhere and there is a huge market for reproduction parts. In fact the best Mustang restoration part warehouse is now only 45 minutes from me in Hewitt should I need anything. Mustangs have always been collectible and will continue to be so. It's a great car to get your feet wet doing a restoration project.

On the other end, unless you have DEEP pockets and plenty of time, it's best not to attempt to restore a BMW 6-series. Thus the one I'm buying is in mint condition. I had a great time restoring the Mustang, but this car would be an entirely different experience. Not that I would not find it rewarding, but maybe in 20 years I'll buy another one and restore it from the ground up.

I'm taking off tomorrow. Fourth of July in Philly and the fireworks should be awesome.

Totally 80's Road Trip

Time for a road trip. It's summer time and it's done nothing but rain here most everyday for the past few months. So it's time to hit the road for a some better weather. My mom says it's so dry back east the pond has dried up. So home it is!

So what to drive? It is the 20th anniversary of my high school graduation, so let's go back to the days of Duran Duran and see what I can come up with...

It's clearly the quintessential coupe of that time. Often called the "private jet" of the road and the latest addition to my fleet, a 1988 BMW 635CSi. I found it on e-bay and it's in mint condition. It's spent 17 years with it's last owner and I'm now going to be the steward for this classic vehicle. As the vehicle is in New Jersey, I'm headed to Philadelphia to see my sister Jennifer and then on to New Jersey to pick it up. Many thanks to my friends who are housesitting for me.

Continuing with the theme of this trip, I'm mixing an 80's playlist for my iPod. Somehow I can't locate a Member's Only jacket though...

Stay tuned for updates and some fun old pictures of the 80's of my friends and family, then and now. Click on the above picture to expand it along with the other old pictures I've had to scan in. Some of you I'll see in person along the way.

I'm taking this road trip to the max.

Mid-day At The Oasis

As I continue to explore Austin, I'm more and more drawn to the water. I guess it's due to the rising temperatures, but nonetheless there's more to it then just staying cool and splashing around. Yesterday was a great day to hang out by the lake as it was not too warm to be outside.

An Austin staple is The Oasis. It's perched on the the side of the cliffs that boarder Lake Travis. I was warned by my friend Mike that the food and service was unremarkable, and I can't say we were proved wrong. You come to hang out with friends, drink beer and enjoy the view. You can't really screw up beer that comes in a bottle, so it's best to plan on making it out for a few drinks rather then a special meal.

And the view was amazing. Here are some pics from where we were sat on the upper deck. Unfortunately the place was hit by lighting last year and is in the process of being rebuilt, so seating can be limited. It's first come first served, so you have to keep your eye out for a good table before you commit to sitting down.

Decked Out

Phew! It's hot here. Enough of that.. I did take advantage of a beautiful overcast morning to start and finish a much needed home improvement project.

There is a very nice deck off my back porch that I enjoy hanging out on, and so does Baxter. Unfortunately the stain had just about worn off of it. I've been TRYING to get out there and re-stain it but it keeps raining! I think we've hit a clear patch so this morning I got up at 6:00 am and headed out there before it became too warm.

It's done. I was surprised how fast staining is. It seems like painting takes forever. Certainly the brush is lighter and that made things pretty easy.

Now I need to keep Baxter off of it for 24 hours. Not so easy.

Highly Unorganized

Craigslist Redesign

There was a big hub-bub this week in the business journals about E-Bay reaching it's mid-point of maturity. Mostly I think it was people whining about the stock returns. I have no investment in E-Bay or that sector, so I'm not really paying attention.

But as a front end user, I'm highly addicted. It's like porn for car people. Anything you want, it's there. My Mustang was mostly built from E-Bay auctions. Parts came from the US and Canada and mostly from won auctions. Like many of us though, I'm bored and over the auction concept. While E-Bay has branched out with new ways to buy, I'm still not convinced any more. I really am not much for waiting and the "shill" bidder problem keeps you from getting real bargains for the most part.

The antithesis of E-Bay is Craigslist and I'm just as addicted. Not nearly as pretty and mostly counter-culture to the corporate style of E-bay and Overstock.com. It's pages are plain and searches are simple. You want a car, you go to the "cars+trucks" tab and the latest listings are posted. When you look at listings, they are listed simply by time of posting. Not dollar value or manufacturer. I'm in love with the simple randomness of it all. It's simply who's ever next and you can't buy your way to the top. (Uh, yes on E-bay you can.) Craigslist is the great equalizer and you can even find a Rolls Royce on there from time to time.

Every retailer has it's time. Craigslist may be bought out, fade away or solider on as is. Craigslist can be like life, you never know what's next.