Weekend Update
Days
Friday was Day 64. It was a little windy so the dust got blown around a bit more at the building site next to my office.
Sharon – Part 1
I phoned Sharon to wish her a fun weekend before I left work on Friday. She was still in her office, running around and helping a co-worker finish off one of his projects.
She sounded stressed and unhappy, a common condition lately.
I wished her well. She asked me what I was doing this weekend. I said that I planned to go to the company picnic on Saturday and mentioned that it was going to be at the Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar in San Diego.
Sharon bemoaned the fact that she was going to go see to the Air Show on Sunday with some friends and that she had nothing else to do for the weekend.
Military Tats
I was reading a news report on my Internet service provider’s news feed after dinner on Friday. There was a fascinating report that the Coast Guard had enacted new regulations that would bar recruitment of men or women who had tattoos on their arms. The reason for the ban was the Coast Guard wanted to improve its image and the tattoos were no longer consistent with its mission.
I was surprised to find the Navy had already enacted a similar ban several years ago.
This got me thinking when I was a young office serving in the good ship USS Leonard F Mason when she was part of the old Asiatic Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. We had lots of seamen and a few officers with tattoos on our ship. Some of the body art was fairly extensive and no one gave it much thought. We did encourage our sailors to think carefully about a tattoo since they were permanent and to make sure the tattoo parlor was clean and used clean needles.
In spite of my best efforts, a couple of my sailors got body art they would later live to regret.
Some had their girl friends’ names tattooed on their arms. This would be regretful as at least one of my sailors received a “Dear Joe” letter from home. He came to me with tears in his eyes at the thought of having to look at his unfaithful girl friend’s name every time he shaved. Her name was tattooed over his heart. Unfortunately, I could offer him no suggestions or advice beyond wearing long sleeves when he got home.
Some of his shipmates suggested he find another girl friend with the same name. I don’t think that was the Number One solution for this sailor.
Sharon – Part 2
Sharon called me around 10:30 PM just after she got home from her office.
Sharon wanted to talk and mostly vent out her frustration with her job. I supplied the willing and listening ears. I listened for almost thirty minutes until I looked at the clock and it appeared to be flashing 11:00 PM. I am not that sure because I did not have my glasses on.
We talked briefly about the company picnic and the air show. I mentioned the weather forecast that called for showers on Sunday in San Diego. This upset her even more. Sharon could not change her plans for Saturday because she was going to be out selecting new carpet, tile, and granite countertops for her place.
I finally said I would love to talk with you further but I needed to get to sleep.
Sleep
I did sleep fitfully after the phone call. I had planned to get up early and drive to San Diego. The phone call upset my sleep pattern so I ended up leaving my place later than I had planned.
Sharon – Part 3
Sharon called me on Saturday morning as I was having a light breakfast of a bagel, banana, and coffee. She wanted to know why my cell phones were off and I said it was because I was still home.
Sharon said she was going to call and talk to me while I drove to San Diego. I thanked her for caring but explained that I did not usually talk on the cell phone when I drive and I would not when I was driving at high speed as I would on the drive to San Diego.
I said I would call her later on after I got to the company picnic.
Company Picnic – Air Show
It only took me two hours to drive to the freeway exit for the Marine Corps Air Station. Then, it took me almost an hour to drive four miles to the entrance gate and get parked. It was a free show and San Diego is a military town so the turn out was very large. That, plus the weather was cooperating; it was sunny and breezy.
I had a good time at the picnic. I saw a bunch of my co-workers. We all looked different as we dressed casually and most of the time I see them in suits and business attire. The food was good and there was plenty of it so no one went hungry. It was also very nice to meet some of my co-workers’ children and their spouses. Before, they have been just names and images on a screen saver program.
One of my co-workers from my office asked me why I hadn’t invited Sharon to go to the company picnic with me. I said Sharon often has sketchy schedules that can change at the very last minute. I said Sharon had other plans today.
My co-worker asked me if I was going to ask Sharon to go to the company holiday party. I said that I probably would and expressed a hope that Sharon would be able to do so. The holiday season is a difficult time for her with job that requires her to go to a whole bunch of seasonal parties and represent her employer.
Instant impression from the air show, loud.
It was very loud but you would have to expect that since it was at a Marine Corps Air Station. The Marines were flying their top line jet aircraft. We were close to the flight line so the noise of the engines was almost painful for me. I can imagine that the small children were uncomfortable.
Ear plugs were a very welcome premium from the company.
I decided to leave early. I figured that traffic would be a nightmare when the show ended. This was a wise decision. I did miss seeing the Blue Angels perform but I have seen them perform three times before so I felt I was not giving up that much.
Drive Home
The drive home went very smoothly. I missed all of the traffic at the end of the air show. I did see a lot of traffic crawling along on the freeway going south to San Diego as I was cruising north towards home at full speed.
Utah lost again
I got home in time to see part of the third quarter of the Utah – San Diego State University football game. It looked the Utes were rallying. They were only down by three points. I figured that, with a full quarter to play and playing at home, the Utes should win the game.
I decided, on the spur of the moment, to call Sharon and see if she had plans for dinner. She was out with the flooring search project still so we made plans to have a late dinner.
On Sunday, when I read the newspaper, I discovered that I had guessed wrong about the Utes. The other team scored a touchdown in the Fourth Quarter. Utah now has a record of 3 wins and 4 losses. It looks like they will be out of a post season bowl game this year.
I haven’t spoken to the Princess yet but I imagine she will not be in a very charitable mood since San Diego State is a lesser quality football team this year.
Sharon – Part 4
My decision to go to dinner with Sharon was a better idea for me.
I got out to her house around 8:00 PM. I had to drive through some rain cells on my way there. It looks like it is going to be an early rainy season for us now.
When I picked Sharon up, she said it was raining and should she bring an umbrella. I said no because it was not raining all that hard. My car looks crummy now with all of the rain spots on it. It was dusty before the rain and the rain only made it look worse now. I will probably have to take it to the car wash this coming weekend so it looks presentable.
Sharon had wanted to try a new Italian restaurant but I was in the mood for a thick hamburger and ice cream. We compromised at a brew-pub that we have gone to in the past.
We had a lot of fun with our server. Sharon and I have been friends for so long that we can anticipate each other’s order. This confuses the servers because they do not know whose instructions to follow.
Sharon decided that I didn’t need an appetizer. She said we could split her salad instead and that this would be fine with me. The server was confused until I said that I would pass on an appetizer and then asked for a couple of extra tomato slices on our shared salad.
We talked while we waited for our food. We also got in some people watching. Sharon pointed out all of the married men that were quickly leaving the brew-pub after the baseball game was over. I watched some young women that were at the brew-pub and they looked like they were looking to be seen by young men. I felt sorry for them because none of the young men I saw showed them any interest. They ended up making a big production of leaving the place by taking the longest possible path from their table to the front door. I guess they wanted to make sure the young men saw what was leaving or to give them another chance to show some courage and start up a conversation with them.
Sharon remembered that I had asked to go to the picnic and the air show and was indignant that I did not take her. I pointed out, in my weak defense [with a woman, all male defenses are inherently weak], that she never accepted my invitation to go. It was my fault that I did not call her again and again until she made up her mind and agreed to go with me.
I asked her to go to the company holiday party with me in December. I told her it would likely be on a Saturday and probably be at a club in Hollywood. The company would provide for the food and musical entertainment so it should be a fun time. I also mentioned that one of my office co-workers had asked about her going to the picnic and had urged me to ask her to the holiday party.
Sharon agreed to consider the idea of going to my company’s holiday party. She said it would probably be fun and that I should remind her several times because she did not have her calendar with her.
Then we got into a discussion about carpet. Sharon was telling me that she had decided on a carpet that came with a seven year warranty over one that came with a twenty year warranty. Sharon said the seven year one felt better and more durable.
I said that didn’t make much sense especially since both cost the same. I said that I would pick the one with the longer warranty. That lead to whether or not Sharon would still be living there in twenty years.
Sharon said that she would compare her notes about the carpets on Sunday and then talk to the salesman. I sort of feel sorry for the salesman because Sharon can be a difficult negotiator and she will persist until she gets what she wants.
Our meals were very good and Sharon took most of hers home in a box. The portions are larger than what she can eat so I am guessing she will have ribs Sunday and Monday for her dinners.
We shared dessert. Dessert was a brownie with ice cream. It was good but not a great dessert. I should have asked for a chocolate sundae instead.
Weather
We had rain, heavy at times, on Saturday. I had some light rain on Sunday at my house. It seems like this might be an early Winter this year. But, it is hard to base an entire season forecast on just one isolated storm system. There needs to be more storms for me to accept that we are going to have an early and went Winter.
Earthquake
Southern California experienced an earthquake this afternoon. I felt it as I was out on the balcony reading. It felt like a rolling motion. The earthquake was centered perhaps 100 miles away and out to sea. It has been recorded on the Richter Scale at 4.9, a moderate quake. There was no reported damage.
The epicenter was San Clemente Island. I know there was no damage to the island. The southern portion of the island that was closest to the epicenter has been used by the Pacific Fleet as a gunnery range for over fifty years. With all of the naval shells that have been fired into the island, I doubt there was much that could have been done to island. I supposed the bird and native animals were disturbed but probably not as much as when old battleships used the island for target practice.
I called Doug this afternoon. He did not feel the earthquake but he said he was busy and had a lot on his mind when the quake struck.
I guess I felt it because of the fault line I live very close to. My fault line runs out into the ocean and it may have been transmitted along the fault line better.
Doug’s Film Production project
When Doug and I spoke about the earthquake, we also talked about the Film Production class project he worked on Saturday. He got the filming done but it took longer than he anticipated it would take because his partners do have any production experience that he has from working on a bunch of student films.
Doug said that he thought his was the only group that elected to make an all indoor filming project. He thinks this will make his group stand out for taking their project up a notch or two and not doing simple daytime exteriors scenes.
Yi Soon-Shin
I missed the episode on Saturday when I had dinner with Sharon so I don’t know what happened but I can guess. The King placed more restrictions on his activity at the orders of the turn-coat Chinese admiral and general. If he disobeys the orders, he will be imprisoned and probably executed by the Koreans.
Not a good future for the man who saved the kingdom. Yi Soon-Shin saved the kingdom when everyone ran away and tried to hide from the Japanese invaders. His navy was the only effective force in almost seven years of fighting.
Sunday was Episode 103. The series is rapidly coming to a conclusion. Next weekend should probably be the end of the series with Episodes 104 and 105.
Tonight, Yi accomplished a masterful strategic move. He has tricked the Japanese forces into attacking him at a time and place of Yi’s choosing. Yi will be outnumbered on paper again but he was in every battle that he fought against the Japanese.
If you can select the battlefield and time of battle, then you have a great advantage over your enemy. Every great general from Alexander the Great on down the line of history has tried to this.
In addition to being able to select the battlefield, Yi has gotten the Japanese to divide their forces so he can attack them piecemeal. This will allow him to bring his forces to fully bear on the smaller enemy forces and destroy them in separate engagements.
Yi’s strategy is much like that of the Athenians and their Greek allies at the Battle of Salamis that ended the Persian invasion of Greece where they shattered a much larger Persian fleet and the Persian king’s dreams of victory.
Yi has rallied his men and worked them into an emotional fever pitch. They are lusting for Japanese blood and they seem to willing only accept total victory. Yi has promised his men that this will be the last battle of the war. The speech was not on the level of Henry V’s speech on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt but it has been the most inspiring one I have seen in all of the episodes so far. But, it is not too far off in my book.
And so gentle readers, that was my weekend.
Be well and stay happy.
Friday was Day 64. It was a little windy so the dust got blown around a bit more at the building site next to my office.
Sharon – Part 1
I phoned Sharon to wish her a fun weekend before I left work on Friday. She was still in her office, running around and helping a co-worker finish off one of his projects.
She sounded stressed and unhappy, a common condition lately.
I wished her well. She asked me what I was doing this weekend. I said that I planned to go to the company picnic on Saturday and mentioned that it was going to be at the Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar in San Diego.
Sharon bemoaned the fact that she was going to go see to the Air Show on Sunday with some friends and that she had nothing else to do for the weekend.
Military Tats
I was reading a news report on my Internet service provider’s news feed after dinner on Friday. There was a fascinating report that the Coast Guard had enacted new regulations that would bar recruitment of men or women who had tattoos on their arms. The reason for the ban was the Coast Guard wanted to improve its image and the tattoos were no longer consistent with its mission.
I was surprised to find the Navy had already enacted a similar ban several years ago.
This got me thinking when I was a young office serving in the good ship USS Leonard F Mason when she was part of the old Asiatic Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. We had lots of seamen and a few officers with tattoos on our ship. Some of the body art was fairly extensive and no one gave it much thought. We did encourage our sailors to think carefully about a tattoo since they were permanent and to make sure the tattoo parlor was clean and used clean needles.
In spite of my best efforts, a couple of my sailors got body art they would later live to regret.
Some had their girl friends’ names tattooed on their arms. This would be regretful as at least one of my sailors received a “Dear Joe” letter from home. He came to me with tears in his eyes at the thought of having to look at his unfaithful girl friend’s name every time he shaved. Her name was tattooed over his heart. Unfortunately, I could offer him no suggestions or advice beyond wearing long sleeves when he got home.
Some of his shipmates suggested he find another girl friend with the same name. I don’t think that was the Number One solution for this sailor.
Sharon – Part 2
Sharon called me around 10:30 PM just after she got home from her office.
Sharon wanted to talk and mostly vent out her frustration with her job. I supplied the willing and listening ears. I listened for almost thirty minutes until I looked at the clock and it appeared to be flashing 11:00 PM. I am not that sure because I did not have my glasses on.
We talked briefly about the company picnic and the air show. I mentioned the weather forecast that called for showers on Sunday in San Diego. This upset her even more. Sharon could not change her plans for Saturday because she was going to be out selecting new carpet, tile, and granite countertops for her place.
I finally said I would love to talk with you further but I needed to get to sleep.
Sleep
I did sleep fitfully after the phone call. I had planned to get up early and drive to San Diego. The phone call upset my sleep pattern so I ended up leaving my place later than I had planned.
Sharon – Part 3
Sharon called me on Saturday morning as I was having a light breakfast of a bagel, banana, and coffee. She wanted to know why my cell phones were off and I said it was because I was still home.
Sharon said she was going to call and talk to me while I drove to San Diego. I thanked her for caring but explained that I did not usually talk on the cell phone when I drive and I would not when I was driving at high speed as I would on the drive to San Diego.
I said I would call her later on after I got to the company picnic.
Company Picnic – Air Show
It only took me two hours to drive to the freeway exit for the Marine Corps Air Station. Then, it took me almost an hour to drive four miles to the entrance gate and get parked. It was a free show and San Diego is a military town so the turn out was very large. That, plus the weather was cooperating; it was sunny and breezy.
I had a good time at the picnic. I saw a bunch of my co-workers. We all looked different as we dressed casually and most of the time I see them in suits and business attire. The food was good and there was plenty of it so no one went hungry. It was also very nice to meet some of my co-workers’ children and their spouses. Before, they have been just names and images on a screen saver program.
One of my co-workers from my office asked me why I hadn’t invited Sharon to go to the company picnic with me. I said Sharon often has sketchy schedules that can change at the very last minute. I said Sharon had other plans today.
My co-worker asked me if I was going to ask Sharon to go to the company holiday party. I said that I probably would and expressed a hope that Sharon would be able to do so. The holiday season is a difficult time for her with job that requires her to go to a whole bunch of seasonal parties and represent her employer.
Instant impression from the air show, loud.
It was very loud but you would have to expect that since it was at a Marine Corps Air Station. The Marines were flying their top line jet aircraft. We were close to the flight line so the noise of the engines was almost painful for me. I can imagine that the small children were uncomfortable.
Ear plugs were a very welcome premium from the company.
I decided to leave early. I figured that traffic would be a nightmare when the show ended. This was a wise decision. I did miss seeing the Blue Angels perform but I have seen them perform three times before so I felt I was not giving up that much.
Drive Home
The drive home went very smoothly. I missed all of the traffic at the end of the air show. I did see a lot of traffic crawling along on the freeway going south to San Diego as I was cruising north towards home at full speed.
Utah lost again
I got home in time to see part of the third quarter of the Utah – San Diego State University football game. It looked the Utes were rallying. They were only down by three points. I figured that, with a full quarter to play and playing at home, the Utes should win the game.
I decided, on the spur of the moment, to call Sharon and see if she had plans for dinner. She was out with the flooring search project still so we made plans to have a late dinner.
On Sunday, when I read the newspaper, I discovered that I had guessed wrong about the Utes. The other team scored a touchdown in the Fourth Quarter. Utah now has a record of 3 wins and 4 losses. It looks like they will be out of a post season bowl game this year.
I haven’t spoken to the Princess yet but I imagine she will not be in a very charitable mood since San Diego State is a lesser quality football team this year.
Sharon – Part 4
My decision to go to dinner with Sharon was a better idea for me.
I got out to her house around 8:00 PM. I had to drive through some rain cells on my way there. It looks like it is going to be an early rainy season for us now.
When I picked Sharon up, she said it was raining and should she bring an umbrella. I said no because it was not raining all that hard. My car looks crummy now with all of the rain spots on it. It was dusty before the rain and the rain only made it look worse now. I will probably have to take it to the car wash this coming weekend so it looks presentable.
Sharon had wanted to try a new Italian restaurant but I was in the mood for a thick hamburger and ice cream. We compromised at a brew-pub that we have gone to in the past.
We had a lot of fun with our server. Sharon and I have been friends for so long that we can anticipate each other’s order. This confuses the servers because they do not know whose instructions to follow.
Sharon decided that I didn’t need an appetizer. She said we could split her salad instead and that this would be fine with me. The server was confused until I said that I would pass on an appetizer and then asked for a couple of extra tomato slices on our shared salad.
We talked while we waited for our food. We also got in some people watching. Sharon pointed out all of the married men that were quickly leaving the brew-pub after the baseball game was over. I watched some young women that were at the brew-pub and they looked like they were looking to be seen by young men. I felt sorry for them because none of the young men I saw showed them any interest. They ended up making a big production of leaving the place by taking the longest possible path from their table to the front door. I guess they wanted to make sure the young men saw what was leaving or to give them another chance to show some courage and start up a conversation with them.
Sharon remembered that I had asked to go to the picnic and the air show and was indignant that I did not take her. I pointed out, in my weak defense [with a woman, all male defenses are inherently weak], that she never accepted my invitation to go. It was my fault that I did not call her again and again until she made up her mind and agreed to go with me.
I asked her to go to the company holiday party with me in December. I told her it would likely be on a Saturday and probably be at a club in Hollywood. The company would provide for the food and musical entertainment so it should be a fun time. I also mentioned that one of my office co-workers had asked about her going to the picnic and had urged me to ask her to the holiday party.
Sharon agreed to consider the idea of going to my company’s holiday party. She said it would probably be fun and that I should remind her several times because she did not have her calendar with her.
Then we got into a discussion about carpet. Sharon was telling me that she had decided on a carpet that came with a seven year warranty over one that came with a twenty year warranty. Sharon said the seven year one felt better and more durable.
I said that didn’t make much sense especially since both cost the same. I said that I would pick the one with the longer warranty. That lead to whether or not Sharon would still be living there in twenty years.
Sharon said that she would compare her notes about the carpets on Sunday and then talk to the salesman. I sort of feel sorry for the salesman because Sharon can be a difficult negotiator and she will persist until she gets what she wants.
Our meals were very good and Sharon took most of hers home in a box. The portions are larger than what she can eat so I am guessing she will have ribs Sunday and Monday for her dinners.
We shared dessert. Dessert was a brownie with ice cream. It was good but not a great dessert. I should have asked for a chocolate sundae instead.
Weather
We had rain, heavy at times, on Saturday. I had some light rain on Sunday at my house. It seems like this might be an early Winter this year. But, it is hard to base an entire season forecast on just one isolated storm system. There needs to be more storms for me to accept that we are going to have an early and went Winter.
Earthquake
Southern California experienced an earthquake this afternoon. I felt it as I was out on the balcony reading. It felt like a rolling motion. The earthquake was centered perhaps 100 miles away and out to sea. It has been recorded on the Richter Scale at 4.9, a moderate quake. There was no reported damage.
The epicenter was San Clemente Island. I know there was no damage to the island. The southern portion of the island that was closest to the epicenter has been used by the Pacific Fleet as a gunnery range for over fifty years. With all of the naval shells that have been fired into the island, I doubt there was much that could have been done to island. I supposed the bird and native animals were disturbed but probably not as much as when old battleships used the island for target practice.
I called Doug this afternoon. He did not feel the earthquake but he said he was busy and had a lot on his mind when the quake struck.
I guess I felt it because of the fault line I live very close to. My fault line runs out into the ocean and it may have been transmitted along the fault line better.
Doug’s Film Production project
When Doug and I spoke about the earthquake, we also talked about the Film Production class project he worked on Saturday. He got the filming done but it took longer than he anticipated it would take because his partners do have any production experience that he has from working on a bunch of student films.
Doug said that he thought his was the only group that elected to make an all indoor filming project. He thinks this will make his group stand out for taking their project up a notch or two and not doing simple daytime exteriors scenes.
Yi Soon-Shin
I missed the episode on Saturday when I had dinner with Sharon so I don’t know what happened but I can guess. The King placed more restrictions on his activity at the orders of the turn-coat Chinese admiral and general. If he disobeys the orders, he will be imprisoned and probably executed by the Koreans.
Not a good future for the man who saved the kingdom. Yi Soon-Shin saved the kingdom when everyone ran away and tried to hide from the Japanese invaders. His navy was the only effective force in almost seven years of fighting.
Sunday was Episode 103. The series is rapidly coming to a conclusion. Next weekend should probably be the end of the series with Episodes 104 and 105.
Tonight, Yi accomplished a masterful strategic move. He has tricked the Japanese forces into attacking him at a time and place of Yi’s choosing. Yi will be outnumbered on paper again but he was in every battle that he fought against the Japanese.
If you can select the battlefield and time of battle, then you have a great advantage over your enemy. Every great general from Alexander the Great on down the line of history has tried to this.
In addition to being able to select the battlefield, Yi has gotten the Japanese to divide their forces so he can attack them piecemeal. This will allow him to bring his forces to fully bear on the smaller enemy forces and destroy them in separate engagements.
Yi’s strategy is much like that of the Athenians and their Greek allies at the Battle of Salamis that ended the Persian invasion of Greece where they shattered a much larger Persian fleet and the Persian king’s dreams of victory.
Yi has rallied his men and worked them into an emotional fever pitch. They are lusting for Japanese blood and they seem to willing only accept total victory. Yi has promised his men that this will be the last battle of the war. The speech was not on the level of Henry V’s speech on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt but it has been the most inspiring one I have seen in all of the episodes so far. But, it is not too far off in my book.
And so gentle readers, that was my weekend.
Be well and stay happy.
posted by Chuck Reinhardt at 9:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home