I took this photo in July 1980. I remember it well because I was taught a huge lesson by my Dad and he never said a word to me about it. Most of the things I learned from my Dad involved few words. We talked freely but children watch what you do more than listen to what you say.

I grew up in eastern Ky and am proud of my roots. My father is not a highly educated man but is the smartest person I know. My parents never owned a credit card until recent years. They never made car payments but owned several. They never made a mortgage payment but have a nice modern home.

The day this photo was taken we were hauling logs to a sawmill. That is a big industry in the Appalachian foothills. Obviously we had a little tire trouble. I was following in a pickup truck and we were on the shoulder of a busy interstate highway. We could not move until we replaced two tires.

We took the pickup and drove back to a local town. We didn’t know anyone in this small town but soon found a tire dealer that had the correct tires, the 50 ton jack we needed to jack up the trailer and the air hose to inflate the tires from the truck air brake system after getting the old tires off and the new tires on the steel wheels.

There was only one problem. We were an hour from home, Dad had no credit card, only a few dollars in his wallet and not even a blank check. At that time we called them blank checks because no one had pre printed checks with account numbers. You simply signed a “blank” check and the bank knew you by your signature. Every business in a town had “blank” checks for the local bank.

Obviously the options were limited for getting any help. Then my dad told the owner to call any business in our home town and ask if he could be trusted.

The owner called 2-3 businesses in our hometown and every one said the same thing. “Give that man anything he needs. His character, honesty and integrity are beyond question.”

We walked out with two very expensive tires, the hydraulic jack (the owner made sure we got the good one), 50 feet of air hose and were asked if there was anything else we needed. A handshake and a promise to mail a check as soon as we got home sealed the transaction.

We replaced the tires and I returned the jack and air hose in the pickup while my Dad continued on to the sawmill. It was really no big deal. When working with heavy equipment and trucks there is always something like that happening.

But I never forgot that day. I learned a life long lesson without my Dad saying a single word about it. That happened more than once in my childhood.

I know it does not matter in the grand scheme of things but this morning I was looking at some Google Analytics data and realized I had a number one Google search result. Pretty neat!

Last summer during a vacation in the Smoky Mountains I saw a scooter that really got my interest. When I returned I did a little research and found that my 1993 Honda 750 Nighthawk still had a pretty good trade in value so I traded it for a Suzuki Burgman 650 Exec “Super Scoot.” I love the thing. It has a 650 twin engine and can easily do 100mph. But it has the low center like a scooter, an automatic transmission and everything is wrapped in plastic so I can’t burn my legs when riding in short pants. The exec model has a power wind shield and ABS brakes.

It takes a change of mind set to have no foot controls. It is a little like the mini bike I had as a kid. Just get on and twist the throttle. The brake controls are on the handle bars. When I want to play I can switch the transmission into a 6 speed which is controlled with buttons on the left handlebar. I can then shift gears with buttons instead of a clutch. I get lots of strange looks as the Burgman has only been out a few years and you don’t see many on the road.

I added extra storage on the rear and it is amazing what I can carry in the thing. I can fit 4 full face helmets under the seat and in the extra storage or about $100 of groceries. I took some photos recently of a typical grocery run. Look closely at the photos. That is two gallons of milk, a gallon of OJ, bread, 5 lbs of fries, etc. And I had some room left. My boys and I really like our “Burgie.” And it gets close to 50 MPG.

Burgman Website

During my current period of unemployment I keep thinking about something I was asked a few years ago.

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

Some of the first thoughts that come to mind are: running for president, climbing Mt Everest, hang gliding in the Grand Canyon, writing a book or playing the lottery.

But applying this to your career, what would you do? Start a business? What would it be?

Give me your thoughts.

My Dad’s grandmother often gave her grandchildren advice about life that could be summed up in one sentence. My Dad passed those on to his children. One that I never truly appreciated until I was an adult and a father was “Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.”

I like analogies and one that describes my life recently is a wooden sailing ship tossed about a gray wind whipped sea in a howling wind. Everything is lashed tight and the ship is doing ok. Then a strong wave hits broadside, rolling the ship over almost horizontal. Water on the decks start to clear and the ship slowly rights itself, then another wave comes along.

Used with permission. Atlantic-Cable.com website

The Nortel bankruptcy was certainly a broadside that tossed many of us pretty hard. I have greatly reduced my budget, cut cash burn to the absolute minimum, purchased temporary health insurance, got my resume polished, attended out placement classes and started networking. I have some reserves and can comfortably look several months for a job; if I have no major financial hits. The ship is slowly righting.

A couple of weeks ago I looked up from my desk and and noticed the house was filled with smoke at the exact same time the smoke alarms when off. I am a chronic list maker and I kid you not, my very first thought was “I can check off testing the smoke alarms” followed by some words that I can not print here.

The smoke had that unique electrical fire smell. I ran through the house looking for a point of origin and then I took 30 seconds to let my diagnostic skills kick in (that will be another post) and quickly noticed that the whole house was filled with smoke so the HVAC system was a prime suspect. That and the fact that the system is 14 years old and I’ve been told about 10 years is the max for a heat pump system. More unprintable words. I’ve just been hit by another broadside wave. The ship is going over.

I rush to the window and the outside unit is still running but there is now no air coming out of the vents. I shut the system down and go into the crawl space for a better look. I am a firm believer that everyone should have some general knowledge about how systems work. To stop this story here, the air handler motor had seized and the 60 amp 220v circuit breaker was fried. About $120 later I was back in business clearing the smoke out of the house. If I had called a repairman I am sure the cost would have been hundreds more and they would have pushed a complete system replacement.

The deck is clearing. The ship is slowly rolling back upright.

My benefits ended last Friday. Prior to Friday I went to my dentist to get a filling replaced. The dentist said I had another filling that was borderline so we should do that one also. It was a slow day at the dental office. The teeth were on opposite sides of my mouth so I got two shots and my whole face was numb. He finished one filling and was working on the other with the drill that vibrates your whole head when…. wait for it…….  The power goes off.

Here comes another wave.

One of the hygienists found a flashlight in her purse. The hated drill is powered with compressed air so it still worked but there was no suction so I had to just spit or swallow. The dentist finished up with the hygienist leaning over me with a double AA Mag-Lite stuck in my mouth.

I was almost hysterical with laughter as I left. I told the dentist what I have just told you. I also reminded myself  “Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying”.

My luck is definitely going to get better from here.

Over a year ago I thought about starting a blog but never really did so. I am going to try again.

Recently my life took a new direction and I think I will blog about my transition. Maybe something I say will help someone and maybe someone will have some good advice for me.

After 27.5 years with Nortel Networks I was laid off in early December 2008. Nortel has been laying off people since the dot com bust and I had been expecting to be impacted for years. I was not angry or bitter. I understood the reasons. The severance package was very good. I had salary and benefits until Sep 2009. They even contracted with a firm to help me polish my skills and resume to find another job. I relaxed during the holidays and planned to crank up the job search in January.

Then on Jan 14, 2009 Nortel declared bankruptcy. No more severance checks immediately and no more medical benefits after Feb 6. As you can imagine those of us who are ex-Nortel people on severance were pretty shocked. We were counting on the severance pay to help us through the recession. I expected a Nortel bankruptcy in late 2009 but not now.

I could say it is not fair but that does not change the reality.  Since I had been expecting this for a while, I had made some preparations. I will share more later.

I haven’t decided yet but I may start a blog on my web site. It is hard to avoid blogs on the internet these days. They range from personal online diaries about everyday life, to politics, computers, news, parenting and just about any other topic you can think of.

I would probably blog about photography, traveling, genealogy, raising my boys and various other topics.

Anyway if I do decide to start one, I’ll give more details about blogs and how this one will work.

My son Tucker is really excited about starting a blog for himself on his own web site. Check out his sports blog.

Bobby