Wednesday, December 3, 2014

                                       Happy 7th Birthday to my beautiful niece Sophia!

For What It’s Worth                                                                                   - 28 Days and counting

Rainy Weather

We are experiencing some rainy weather this week.  This past year has been pretty much a drought here in California but we really don’t need all the rain all at once.  All that will do is cause more mudslides which later can be a problem of a fire hazard with no greenery or roots to hold for more mudslides.  It is a vicious cycle for people who live in the hills of California.  Fires burn the greenery, and with no roots to hold the land, landslides start which is a terrible sight.  Extremes in weather can affect the lifestyles here making surviving a seasonal accomplishment.  Hopefully the rain will fall slowly and in a limited supply.  A little at a time is a good thing!

Donuts at Work

Leaving the workplace will have its negative and positive sides.  Donuts brought in at work will be a loss my waistline can most definitely afford to miss.  Fat Pills,  as we affectionately refer to them as in the workplace, have been a common occurrence in the aerospace industry ever since I started working at Rocketdyne in 1985.  Back in my aviation days I could burn off those extra calories working or working out, since I was still just a young pup way back then.  Now since I just fly a desk, the calories seem to hang on forever, no matter how hard you try to eat right and get exercise.  My tastebuds will surely miss the donuts, but my waistline will appreciate the cut in fat pills from the weekly diet.  Changes are coming soon!

Workplace Woes

I hear so much BS here at work, that it will be nice to depart for greener pastures.  I hear the frustrations in people’s voices and conversations that it seems to be getting much worse as days pass.  I might get out of here before taking any direct hits that could take me out.  I do feel their pain as I had to endure some major crap in the past, especially these past couple of decades.  It is about time to punch out of this crashing workplace.  It is good to know that I will not have to deal with the BS here any longer.  I did my time and now it is time that I leave it all behind for others to have to cope with these difficult people.  God speed to these brave souls!

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“Selfish people lose so much in life, 

because even when they realize they 

are wrong, they don’t know how to 

ask for forgiveness or show regrets.”

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Snoopy says… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Tuesday, Dec 2, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                                                                            - 29 Days and counting

December 2014

Today I start my last month in the workplace.  I actually did post a blog yesterday even though I was not in my office, so my last month officially starts today.  See what I just did there?  I am celebrating this occasion twice because… well for no apparent reason but to celebrate it again!  I am sure these last few days will just fly by as most of this years has.  I need to finalize my attendance list for my Retirement Celebration and if you are reading this, I hope you can attend.

Monday Night Football

Last night I was flipping the TV channels back and forth as I was watching my Miami Dolphins defeat one of their nemesis’, the New York Jets.  We actually came from behind to tie and then finally go ahead with little tie left on the clock to win by a field goal, even though the coach of the Jets did the “time-out chill” maneuver on our kicker.  We sealed the deal with a defected and then intercepted pass to cement our win over our east coast foe.  They showed a graphic that my Dolphins as well as my Chargers are both in the Wild Card Race as of today, so that will be interesting to see how it all pans out.  Let’s go team(s)!  :)

Christmas Season

Well, the Christmas Season madness has begun as Friday was the infamous Black Friday.  Did you know that Black Friday actually got its name from slave masters (aka owners, but I don’t believe anyone can own some other human) who tended to sell their slaves at the slave market held on Fridays.  Anyway, I myself was at work on Friday, and it was quite a barren location as I maybe saw 5 total people on our floor all day, which is the way I prefer the workplace to be.  

I used to decorate my two-foot high neon palm tree with ornaments, but when I moved into this apartment 2 1/2 years or so ago, it got broken by the movers.  I still need to go get my Christmas Wreath for my holiday decoration, as unfortunately I have no room for a tree at this residence.  Plus with Snoopy, I’m not too sure how she would be around it.  Knowing how she is with things, I can just imagine her jumping up and knocking the whole thing over causing another big mess to blame on her.  Like she needs some more of that in her life these days.  We will see what decorations go up.  I haven’t had any holiday decorations since my married days because I just had no heart in it.  Maybe this year things will change?  We will see what happens I guess…

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine.”

                                                                                              - Abraham Lincoln

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Snoopy says… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Cyber Monday, December 1, 2014

                                                     Know when to say when!

For What It’s Worth                                                              - 30 days and counting...

December 2014

Well, today starts my final month in the work force and in my 37+ year career with the USAF.  Most of the jobs I had over this long career I truly enjoyed, working as an aircraft maintenance technician (crew chief) and as a Quality Assurance Specialist as well as a Quality Assurance Representative, while the last 14 years or so were not my favorite working as a Logistician.  These past 17 years I worked for some substandard supervisors which made it a job rather than a career that I worked so hard at in the past.   The only upside these past years was that I worked with some good people, some I consider friends, but the job is a far cry from the real jobs I had during my first 20 years.  This has all factored into my decision to hang up this job and close this chapter of my life and begin the next.  So, in a couple of weeks I will have my Retirement Luncheon prior to the Christmas week and say so long to many people I will probably never see again and to ensure I have contact info with those I want to remain in contact with.  The majority of it has been a good ride and I will try to keep those memories as I look back on a long and memorable career working for our great country and defending our freedom to live as we do.  God Speed!

Cyber Monday

Today is Cyber Monday and I guess it is the day you do online shopping for Christmas gifts.  I myself love online shopping and it is the only way to shop that I enjoy.  I can sit in comfort at any location I choose and shop til my heart’s content.  I have tried to cut back on my online shopping since money has been tight.  I am guessing that most products will be much cheaper after Christmas, at least that is what I am gambling on this year because I have a couple of big ticket items I need to purchase prior to starting our USA road trips.  We need to get a smaller generator/inverter, a new smaller portable freezer/fridge, a GoPro camera, and a shotgun.  We also need to have a small spare parts cache and some maintenance performed on Linus prior to our trip.

Simple Joys of Life & Words of Wisdom

Don’t Try to Explain Yourself to Stupid People.

You Are Not the Jackass Whisperer.

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Snoopy says, “Bark Less and Wag More!”

Until next time... Be Good!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                                     - 35 Days and Counting

Online Shopping

Online shopping has many advantages over going to the actual store or mall to shop.  For instance, I ordered a sports wrist watch from this website that gets their supply from China I believe, and when it arrived I noticed that it was a different color than what I had ordered.  So I got on their website and let them know that I was not happy with their sending me a product of a different color.  They responded apologetically and told me I would get a full refund and they told me I cold keep the watch.  This is not the first time this has happened either.  I guess the amount of the purchase and shipping was not worth them having me ship it back to them.  So I guess someone I know will be getting a new sports watch for Christmas.  It could be you?  :)

Zip Lining

I saw an advertisement on Groupon for a 3-hour zip line adventure up in the mountains in the Big Bear area, so I bought a couple of tickets for a future mountain outing.  The only time I did zip lining was in the military out in the field way before it became a recreational activity.  It looks like a lot of fun. so it will be a new adventure instead of a necessity to get across a ravine during military manuevers. I am looking forward to it!

Auto Body Work on My Porsche

I recent came out of a shopping center and realized that someone had dented my rear wheelwell on he driver’s side.  Needless to say I was not very happy at all so I called AAA, my auto insurance company, to file a claim.  They sent me a list of their preferred auto body shops but they told me I could take it anywhere I really wanted.  Jim & Jack’s Auto Body, a local auto body shop, was on their list and my friend also recommended I take it there.  So I did, and they did some awesome work, making me quite happy.  When I looked at the long repair list, I noticed they said they repaired and refurbished my driver’s side external mirror.  When I asked the service representative what was that on the list, he said it was nothing.  I asked them did they repair my mirror and refurbish it as it apparently was stated, and he said no, they did not.  Later on I got an email with an electronic survey they asked me to fill in.  I mentioned these two issues as well as the interior lights did not seem to go on when the door was open like they did before I came there.  A few days I get a call from their customer service representative, Zack, and he wanted to get together with me to discuss my responses on their customer satisfactory survey.  So yesterday during lunch time I dropped off my car with Zack and told him to take his time to get it all right as was annotated on the repair sheet.  So hopefully next week I will get my car back with all the issues taken cared of.  I call that very good customer service.  We will keep you all posted on how it all turns out.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

I don’t care 

how attractive 

you think you look, 

if you have an ugly heart, 

you’re ugly.

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 Snoopy says… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                                     - 36 Days and Counting

Blog Publishing

After we retire, the frequency of our blog postings will decline to maybe once a week or so, with hopefully better content and better writing.  Publishing our blog on a daily basis was basically training for the purpose of refining our blog writing and better choosing content and subject matter, and of course to keep all you peeps informed on our adventures when we are out on the road.  It seems like after a while we end up repeating ourselves in our blog posts.  We do anticipate much more new and exciting adventures to write about and share one we get out there on the road.  That is our dream, to be out there in the system trying to get lost from society and all the weights that try to pul os down on a daily basis.  We are counting the days, literally.  :)

Living out of a Van

Most people would cringe at the thought of trying to live out of a van type vehicle for several months at a time, but not us.  We revel in it.  We long for it.  We look forward to it. We can only wait to get out there to explore this great continent, meet different people, and expand our horizons.  Snoopy is well adapted to traveling in the bus as well as being content in sleeping in her bed on the passenger floor of Linus.  e three make up a good team, both Snoopy & Linus being conversation pieces and me the caretaker, Bus Pilot and part-time butler for them both.  It will also be a good opportunity to save up some $$$ to build a small nest egg for emergencies and for the future.  Our expenses will be minimal and our biggest expense will probably be fuel and maintenance for Linus.  As we have mentioned many times before, we plan to avoid campgrounds and the fees they charge and try to live off of the grid as much as possible.  We plan to have a generator as backup just in case we need it, but we mostly plan to use as little electrical energy as we can.  Conservation and planning ahead is a smart practice when you are boondocking out in the middle of nowhere in some remote or austere location.  

Buses By the Bridge

The Buses By the Bridge is an annual event where VW enthusiasts drive their VW Buses out to London Bridge (yes, that London Bridge) and meet and hang out for the weekend in January each year.  Since it has been quite some time we have taken Linus out on an adventure, this looks like a golden opportunity to do so and to meet some new VW enthusiasts that enjoy the same passion that we do.  There are all kinds of peeps enthusiastic about VW Buses, even those who have never owned one before. It is also a good opportunity to network with other VW Nuts like us.  My camping friend Kathy said she might go as well, so that could be fun too.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“A life filled with silly social drama 

and gossip indicates that a person is 

disconnected from purpose and 

lacking meaningful goals.

People on a path of purpose 

don’t have time for Drama.”

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 Snoopy says… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Monday, November 24, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                            - 37 Days and Counting

Formula One

The exciting 2014 F-1 Championship season came to close yesterday as Britain’s own Lewis Hamilton became a 2 time World Champion winning the final race in the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain.  The season was a closely fought one between the two Mercedes teammates coming down to the final race, especially since the points for this final race were doubled. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg’s car developed mechanical problems relatively early in the race causing him to nurse it to the end of the race.  Otherwise, it was a closely fought season that came down to the wire with Hamilton winning the Championship title over Rosberg.  Next season brings many changes with drivers moving to different teams.  My favorite driver, Fernando Alonzo is leaving my favorite F-1 Team, Ferrari, and is being replaced by former 4 time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who has spent his entire career driving for Team Red Bull.  It will be another interesting season to say the least.

Thanksgiving

Last year I had a friend in town who made a very nice Thanksgiving meal.  The leftovers I also milked for another week or so, which was very nice.  I was fat and happy for quite a while afterwards.  This year my buddy said he was going to cook a Thanksgiving meal, but I am not sure I will attend.  I tend to over eat and right now that is not such a good thing.  Who knows, I might change my mind and go over to his place for the feast.  How can I turn down a feast like that?  I wonder of Snoopy would want to go too?

Black Friday

It seems that the build up to Black Friday has overshadowed the Thanksgiving holiday this year.  All I see over the internet is Black Friday specials being advertised and very little about the Thanksgiving holiday.  Unfortunately, it seems to have been surpassed by the opportunity to save some dollars on gifts instead.  It is such a shame.  I loved the Thanksgiving feasts, watching football and of course the obligatory nap during the day.  And of course, the parade. Who could forget the all the parades?  We should all stop worrying about the Black Friday shopping deals and get back to the Thanksgiving celebrations.  I would be thankful for that! 

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“We either make ourselves 

miserable or we make 

ourselves strong.  

The amount of work is the same.”

                                                  - Carlos Castenada

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Snoopy asks that you… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good

- cb

Friday, November 21, 2014

                                                           Happy Birthday Bruce, my brother!

For What It’s Worth                                                                                     - 40 days and counting

LA Auto Show

Well, another weekend is upon us and my buddy wants to go to the car show here in downtown LA tomorrow.  I thought that it sounded like fun but now my back is aching a bit, which sucks.  Almost every activity I plan to participate in depends on how my back is feeling at the moment or the possibility of hurting it.  Back pain can limit the amount or variety of activities I want to do severely, so I must tread lightly.

Naps

I have learned to enjoy naps once again.  Every day @ 1-3 PM it seems like I am ready for a power nap.  Catching one, for not too long, has shown to benefit me immensely for the remained of the day.  Maybe it is because I get up so early each and every day that I feel I need one in the early afternoon.  They do help me make it through the day that sometimes seems to be so long at times.  I usually catch a short one on Saturday afternoons, when possible and feasible.  It really does make a big difference some days.

Holiday Season

Next week the Holiday Season begins with the traditional Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Last year I had a friend in town who cooked up an awesome holiday feast and I think my buddy is planning on cooking a Thanksgiving meal himself.  We will see what pans out and if I am up to attending myself or if I am just too lazy to do anything.

Christmas

I usually don’t get a Christmas tree because I am either out of town during the holiday season or I don’t have the room to display one.  The latter is my excuse for the past few Christmas’ and this year is pretty much the same… Limited space is an issue.  I might just get a real wreath and hang it on our door so we can experience the wonderful Christmas Tree aroma throughout our place.  It does bring me back to being a kid before we moved up to the Chicagoland area in 1967 when we lived in Southern Illinois and got real trees each year.  I still remember the excitement of coming down the stairway from our bedrooms and turning and looking into our living room and seeing the wonderful gifts Santa brought us.  Santa never wrapped our gifts because he was so busy and he never had the time to do so.  It was a magical time, as it should be for everyone!  :)

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Choices, Chances and Changes…

You must make a Choice

to take a Chance 

or your life 

will never Change

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Snoopy preaches that you… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Thursday, November 20, 2014

For What It’s Worth                    - 41 Days and Counting Down

Camping

The whole idea of free camping is to avoid paying rent and to have those unspent funds available for gasoline, food and unforeseen adventures.  Free camping is also a good way of avoiding annoying tourists types when all you really want is to be alone and enjoy the solitude mother nature has to offer.  Unfortunately I have been camping in campgrounds with inconsiderate campers before who played loud music and were up partying until 4 AM or so with absolutely no consideration for other campers.  When this happens all you can really do is complain to the camp management as you depart to go find a decent spot for camping without asshats like the aforementioned campers.  I myself would rather be totally isolated from these types of inconsiderate people, however that can be obtained.

Steve McQueen once said, “I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than to wake up in the middle of any city any day.”  I totally agree with his point of view and I plan to emulate that type of thinking as much as possible on our road trip.  If we did not see another human being in 2 weeks, I would be perfectly fine with that.  It’s not like we want to be all alone, but we prefer to be isolated from society and from any noise not made by Mother Nature.  Isn’t that what being outdoors and camping is really all about?  I wish I was out there at this exact moment instead of being here right now, that is for sure.  I can hardly wait to get out there once again and be doing my own thing.  I need to get out of this place, if it’s the last thing I ever do.  There has to be a better life out there.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready.  I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything.  There is almost no such thing as ready.  There is only now.  And you may as well do it now.  Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

                   - Hugh Laurie  (aka Dr Gregory House)

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Snoopy says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Monday, November 17, 2014

                                                         

   Me and my buddy Will up at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains this past weekend!

For What It’s Worth                                                                          - 44 Days and Counting Down

Auto Body Repairs

I received a phone call Friday from the auto body shop doing the repairs on my Porsche.  They said I would have to pick the car up on Monday (Today) due to them having to paint the entire driver’s door so they could blend the paint of the repair with the rest of the car.  So today after work I get to go pick it up.  I would wait for months if it took them that long to get it just perfect.  I am pretty picky when it comes to that kind of thing.  So, I guess we will see how it goes tonight when I go pick it up and inspect it.

Retirement Luncheon

My Retirement Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, Dec 18, at around 11AM at Rock & Brews located at 143 Main St (Southwest corner of Main and Franklin) here in El Segundo.  I hope you can attend to help us all celebrate my 37 year career working in Aviation and Aerospace.  It has been a long road and I am glad to step away and move on to the next chapter of my life.  Please come out and join us if at all possible. Thanks!

Mountain Adventure

This past Saturday, my buddy Will and I went out to the Inland Empire to visit the area we both lived at for several years and also went up into the mountains to Lake Arrowhead and also Big Bear Lake.  We basically wanted to get out of the city to clear our mins and lungs with some beautiful scenery as well as enjoy some fresh, crisp air.  It was a beautiful day up there, but after we grabbed some lunch (and slightly over ate), we both were ready for a nap. I guess we are getting old.  Anyways, we never really got to go to any of the places I wanted to visit, so we will be making another journey out that way soon and we will drive Linus out there.  That will give us an opportunity to grab a nap when the mood hit us.  Linus needs to get some more mountain climbing experience since I have only driven him up Mt Baldy once.  Maybe just before Christmas we will venture out there once again.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Snoopy’s 8 Steps to Happiness

Think Less, Feel More

Frown Less, Smile More

Talk Less, Listen More

Judge Less, Accept More

Watch Less, Do More

Complain Less, Appreciate More

Fear Less, Love More

Bark Less, Wag More

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Snoopy always says, Bark Less, Wag more!

Until Next Time… Be Good!

- cb

Friday, November 14, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                   - 47 Days and Counting Down

Auto Body Repairs

Recently I came out of a shopping mall and discovered a dent in my right rear wheelwell on my Porsche 911 Carrera.  My baby that I keep in tip top shape had taken a direct hit which was estimated to be about $2000 worth of damage repairs.  Unfortunately it is a unibody type of vehicle and it was not an option to get a new fender, so needless to say I was not a very happy camper about the entire situation.  It is scheduled to be completed today, so I can go inspect it and pick it up and take it back home to be bedded down in it’s garage. I hope they did some good work because I am pretty picky when it comes to these kind of things and I will be doing a thorough Quality Assurance inspection prior to me taking it home.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it all comes out okay and I am happy with the work completed.

Weather and the Autumn Season

It rained again here last night, but not as heavy as the other night.  I believe we have only had two days of rain for as long as I can remember this year.  That has been really good for me since I have been riding my bicycle most everyday to and from work for my daily exercise.  The outside temperature has also dropped from the high 80’s down to the comfortable lower 70s and below, which is nice.  We don’t get much of an autumn season here in Southern California, so the cooler weather is a welcomed change for us.  We usually go up to the base of the mountains to the Oak Glen area, which is full of apple orchards and deciduous trees, so we can enjoy the beauty of all of the autumn colors.  We hope to be in the New England area next year to enjoy the color palette there since I have heard so much about it all my life.  I have also heard that the automobile traffic there is quite heavy at that time, so maybe we need to find a way of avoiding all of the traffic.  Anyone who has any good suggestions, we definitely welcome your input.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Always hold the door open for a lady.  

Not because she is a lady, but because you are a gentleman.

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As Snoopy always says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Thursday, November 13, 2014

For What It's Worth                                                                            - 48 Days and counting

Love and Friendship

Recently a sweet local girl we know just broke up with her fiancé.  Snoopy and I both believe she deserves better than him anyway, so we are not that sad.  We are sad that she is hurting but we know someone better will come along.  At least we won’t have to see him around much more anymore, hopefully.  Our hearts go out to her and we are there for her if she needs to vent or just be with a friend.  Snoopy can be a really great friend when you need her!  :)

Romantic relationships and me just don’t get along I guess.  I maybe expect too much as I give too much of myself when I am in a committed relationship and I foolishly expect that back.  My last serious relationship totally blew up in my face, which I never expected ever.  I am loyal to a fault I guess and now I have learned that it is not worth the pain to be in a relationship anymore.  

Sure, I would like to be with someone, but I do not need to be with someone.  I believe there is a big difference in the two.  I would like to share my life with someone but I don’t need to have that in my life.  I don’t have that neediness since I have been pretty much self-sufficient all of my life.  I have had some great relationships in the past, but many of them I messed up myself and I only have myself to blame.  Unfortunately, as you get older and learn what life is really about, you realize you did some stupid things when you were young and hopefully you have learned valuable lessons from those mistakes.  My last one I really tried to be the best I could be, but it takes two people in any relationship to agree to stay in it.  I guess I didn’t fit into it this last time.

So now I tend to shy away from relationships because of the damage done with my last marriage.      I actually met this one girl a couple years ago and she was pretty, fit, funny and available.  Unfortunately I was not emotionally available. After our 4th date or so I made myself unavailable because I knew it was going to become more physical, and I was not ready for that I guess.  I am damaged goods, unfortunately, and I don’t know what to do about it except keep at arm’s length and be friends with every girl I meet.  It may not be a fair deal, but it is what I am working with presently. 

Love itself is great!  All the things that surround love is what I am afraid of.  The loneliness, the rejection, losing someone, the envy, the heartache, the pain, all of it, I want to avoid like the plague. This is the cross I bear.  The pitfalls in life which do the most damage to your soul is what I fear and have avoided for the past 3 plus years and continue to avoid.  I guess it is my survival instinct that has kicked in to keep me afloat and my head above water.  It is sorry, but that is just the way it is now in my life.  I am in a sad state to say the least, but it is what it is I guess.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Understand that you own nothing, everything that surrounds you is temporary, 

only the love in your heart will last forever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Snoopy says, Bark Less, and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb