Open for Business

The National Capital Trolley Museum is open for regular service. I should have made this announcement sooner, but I wasn't making regular blog entries when the line officially opened. Now, we are working to expand our fleet of operating cars. The twins - #4602 & #4603 - are handling scheduled runs at this time. On Saturday, the 27th of November, I had a chance to wander around the museum taking pictures. There was a good crowd in attendance, and the first trip was made at full capacity. Who did I meet on the first run? Why, that's Mrs. Claus chatting with Conductor Drumwright as the first car prepares to leave the station. She and Santa stopped by the museum to take a ride.

We are still working to correct a few minor problems with our operation. A lot of it is boring technical stuff - like adjusting the overhead wire. The position of the wire over the track, the location of wire frogs and pull-offs - even the tension on the wire - all influence how well the trolley poles glide along the wire. It takes time to "tune" the overhead. In the next image, you can see Conductor Drumwright retrieving an errant trolley pole and placing it back on the wire.



If you have the time, come visit our museum. Take a tour of the new visitors' center and trolley display building, then ride one of our vintage streetcars. You can find our hours of operation - and a lot of other cool stuff - by visiting our website at:

www.dctrolley.org

Another Language

I've tried repeatedly to learn Spanish, but I just don't have it in me. I have no passion for it; and I'm too old to keep trying. It's funny, I don't seem to have much trouble learning a new musical instrument. I don't know why a language should be so much harder than a musical instrument, but it is - at least for me. Maybe it's that passion thing. When I have a little free time, I'll grab an instrument of one sort or another and start fooling around with it. It's fun! I dread the thought of grabbing a Spanish text. Where's the fun in that?

I've been practicing guitar off and on for about a year now, and I'm starting to get a little music out of it. I'm no Eric Clapton, but I am having a lot of fun, I'm learning new stuff, and I keep getting better. Maybe some day I'll be good enough to play in front of people, but I don't think that's really the point. It's more about being passionate about something I enjoy. I made my first guitar pick. I used my hotel room key from a pipe band trip as the material. I don't know how long it will last, but it does work; and it makes playing my guitar just a little bit more fun. I cut it out with scissors and finish shaped it with a mill bastard file. It didn't take very long to make; so now I'll keep an eye out for interesting material to make picks from. I saw an add for a pick maker. It's a sort of stamping machine that cuts a pick in one motion. I can't imagine needing to make that many picks, but it might be fun to play with.

Marriage

"- what is the matter with me? Am I too particular? I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with."

Excerpt taken from Juliet's letter to Sophie dated 12th January 1946 in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Thanksgiving

Thursday was our family Thanksgiving party. My little brother provided the food, my parents provided the place, and we all provided the entertainment. Four generations all sitting down to share a good meal - what a great holiday! It's hard to believe that this holiday isn't observed all over the world. I know there are harvest feasts in many places, but Thanksgiving is an American Holiday. I like that. I'm glad we have traditions from all over the world here; but I'm not a globalist. I like having uniquely American traditions to share with my family - like Thanksgiving and 4th of July.

Not everyone could be there: my youngest son and his girlfriend are in West - by God - Virginia, and my mother-in-law is in California with her son and daughter; but all the rest of us were there, and we had a good time. The young ones played with my model trains for hours. The best part of grand children is the chance to see the world again through the eyes of a child. A chance to gather family together to share tradition, memories and a good meal ... in the long run it's one of the few things we do that really matters. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too.

All Will Be Revealed

One of my last tasks before moving to my new job in the city was training my replacement at the hotel. I worked closely with her for about two weeks imparting my knowledge in hopes of making her transition a smooth one. During that time, we got to be friends. One day she said to me, "You must sew." I was surprised by that comment. I do sew, but I'd never mentioned that to her. I don't generally talk about it because it's not really a "guy" thing to do ... even though Tailor was once a respected male profession. I told her I did sew; then I asked her how she could possibly know. She said it was easy to tell by the way I handled scissors.

It's funny all of the ways we reveal things about ourselves unintentionally. The next time you are at a dinner party, watch what drinks people order and the way they order them. You can learn a lot about people from something as simple as that. The way people walk, what they wear, where they choose to sit on the train; all can be interpreted by the student of human nature.

I'm still struggling with this Face Book thing. I've done a little poking around, and it's kind of scary how much personal information people reveal about themselves. Talking about expensive purchases, listing travel plans; there are bad people in the world and they look for this kind of information to use against you. At the Risk Assessment course I recently attended, they gave as an example: a man in a new Mercedes with vanity plates announcing he is a plastic surgeon. It's like a law suit waiting to happen. Why make yourself an easy target?

I assume people realize that Human Resources professionals regularly search social media sites like My Space and Face Book as part of the screening and monitoring of employees. It's not even a secret; they will list the practice on applications and in employee handbooks. Why do people post things on line that may negatively affect their careers? I've even seen people post behavior that may actually be illegal. Some people just don't know when to stop.

Joining The New Millenium

Today I joined the rest of you in the twenty-first century. I'm not completely sure why, but I now have a Face Book. Maybe I just got tired of telling people I didn't have one. Thanks to the young lady who was kind enough to help me get started. I logged in and found I have a couple of friend requests from years ago. I was hoping to avoid having to actually decide who can be my friend ... it's so third gradish. I'm not really looking for any friends, but now Face Book people can tag my picture if they feel the need.

There was a time when I experimented with My Space, but I just didn't get it. I have the feeling that Face Book will turn out the same in the end, but you never can tell. When I started playing with Blogger, I never imaged the number of hours I would fritter away jotting down random thoughts ... but I don't consider it wasted time.

The Wait Is Over

I've been waiting for more than a year to read a post from a Blogger friend of mine about "people who drain you." The actual post was supposed to be about "letting go of connections to people who have negative energy (aka suck the life out of you)". I've reminded her repeatedly about the need to finish that post, but she has not done so. I'm guessing it's because she can't. So I'm stealing her unpublished idea and using it here. Maybe she will read this and be inspired to finish her own version. For me, it goes like this:

There are dynamic, creative people in this world. They exude a kind of positive energy that touches everything and everybody that comes near them. They are easy to recognize: They are the people who brighten your day when they call you on the phone. They are the friends you try to cultivate because wonderful things happen when they are around. They are the ones you turn to when you need advise or help. They seem to have an unlimited amount of this energy too. That's a good thing because we need friends like them to bring out the best that is within us - especially when we're having a bad day.

Then there are their opposites: The people who never have a good day. These are the people who's calls you try to avoid. When you are near them, they really do suck the life out of you. If you have unlimited positive energy, you may be able to stand next to them without ill effects; but if you are like me, you can feel all your enthusiasm for the moment vanishing into their unbounded negativity.

What is a body to do? Well I guess that depends on five things:

1) How much positive energy do you have?

2) How much positive energy can you afford to give away?

3) How long will it take you to replace that energy once it is gone?

4) How much effort is that person worth to you?

5) What are the chances that your efforts will have the desired effect?

It is a complicated question. Some people aren't worth much effort, and you just need to avoid them. Other people - like your children maybe - are worth all you can give plus a little bit more. In any case, back away from negative people before they drain you so much that you become like them. Give yourself time to recover, and then decide whether or not you want to see them again. Remember, the fastest way to replenish your positive energy level is to surround yourself with people who have it in abundance.

A New Image

I took a risk assessment course at work a couple of weeks ago. It was very interesting. We looked at various things that could happen, what the chances were that they would happen, and what the probable consequences would be if they did. We looked into how irrational many of our fears are, and how those fears can prevent us from accomplishing our goals. When you get down to brass tacks, almost all of us will die - statistically speaking - from one of three natural causes: heart attack, stroke, or cancer; and most of us will be old when that happens. The next three - which were an order of magnitude less likely to happen - were car accident, falling down, and getting shot. After those top six, the probabilities get very small. Some events - like a nuclear explosion - are such remote possibilities that allowing them to influence the way we live our lives would be plain silly. And yet, who among us hasn't thought that such an event could happen? What are the chances? And if it does happen, what are the chances it will effect you? That's what risk assessment is all about. If you are young, and you want to live to be old, your best strategy is to stay away from automobiles. Beyond that, your chances for survival are pretty good.

For parents of young children, it may surprise you to hear that the chances of your child being abducted today aren't any higher - statistically speaking - than they've ever been. The perception that the chances are higher is probably a result of more media coverage, but it is not born out by the numbers.

There was one risk which I found fascinating: an asteroid hitting the earth. The probability of the event happening is about as close to zero as you can get. There are always people saying the event could happen - or even that it will happen - but in reality, the probability is still as close to zero as you can get. The problem lies in the consequences: if an asteroid does hit the earth, then everyone could die. It really skews risk equations, but it doesn't change the fact that the risk is so remote you shouldn't allow it to effect the way you live your life.

After that course, I placed a photo on my desktop of a giant asteroid hurtling to earth. Each time I logged on or closed a program I would see that picture of an asteroid coming to destroy the planet. After a few days, I had to change the picture because that image was starting to bother me - even though I knew that the event couldn't happen. Irrational fears can be difficult to overcome. But I did learn something useful from that exercise: You can influence your mood by the picture you place on your desktop. Now, twice a week, I put a new image on my desktop - and I'm a lot more careful about what I choose.

A Good Day

Dew still lay on the grass when he broke from the trees. The fresh cut meadows spread wide before him, dotted with bales of hay. He trotted out into the open and his body warmed by the sun. It would be hot today - not now, but later when the sun was high overhead. He would sleep in the brambles then; but for now ... it was time to run! He ran and ran weaving among the bales. Venturing out into the fields in daylight could be dangerous, but today he did not care. It was a day to run! Half way across, he quickened his pace. Was it foolish to take such a chance? He ran on and on ... his heart pounding, muscles burning. As the forest drew near, he flew across the ground in great bounding leaps - not to flee some imagined pursuer, but simply because he could. He was a young buck in full stride, and it was a good day to be alive.

A Fine Edge

Sunday was kitchen knife sharpening day. I do this a few times each year to keep them in good condition. We received these knives from my father-in-law as a Christmas gift in the early 1980's. There are five knives and a sharpener set in a wooden block. The chef's knife has the company name - Carvel Hall, emblem - a steelsmith hammering a blade on his anvil, and the words "Great Blades Since 1895" laser etched onto the blade. They are nice knives: molybdenum steel blades, full tang construction, and riveted wood handles. I've sharpened them many times over the years, so I know each blade intimately. When someone inadvertently nicks one of the blades, it can take years for the imperfection to be honed away. Once, someone snapped off the tip of the paring knife. I was horrified. To this day, no one has taken responsibility. Now - after perhaps a decade - the paring knife has a decent point again. It's funny how much time it can take to repair the damage caused by a single careless moment ... and not just with kitchen knives, but in our personal relationships as well.

There is a filet knife in the set too. It has a thin blade and fine delicate edge. It is designed to filet meat and fish ... and nothing else. It is not designed for cutting vegetables or chopping up a whole chicken for parts. The edge is not designed for that kind of abuse; it is designed for slicing raw meat and nothing else! I get upset when I see people using the filet knife for something other than it's intended purpose; but even if I don't see them, I still know. All I need to do is look at that fine edge: If it looks as bad as the other knives, then I know it's been used just like the other knives. When you look at the big picture, it's kind of silly to get hung up on something so trivial; but since I'm the one who has to keep them sharp, it's hard not to care.

B-Side Cuts

The way we listen to recorded music has changed a lot in my lifetime. It's hard to believe, but my uncle actually had a gramophone which we played when I was a kid. I've had records, 8-tracks, cassettes, CD's. I'm amazed at all the different ways the recording industry has convinced me to purchase the same music over and over. I've resisted getting an I-pod or MP3 player. My wife has embraced modern music technology and has both.

Of all the formats, I think record albums were my favorite. They were big - so there was plenty of space for artwork and lyrics to be printed on the cover - and they had two sides. The best music was always on the front; but later - when you knew the front side by memory - you could turn the record over and there was a whole new set of music to enjoy. Smart bands placed a great tune as track one on the B-Side so you had to turn the record over to hear it. I don't think the B-Side was ever as good as the A-Side; but a few - like Boston's first album - had B-Side cuts that went on to become hits in their own right. I think every song on that album eventually became a hit.

The other big change has something to do with focus. Not many people listen to a whole album by an artist any more. Now, everyone's I-pod only contains "the good ones". You get a different understanding of an artist when you listen to an entire album in the order it was produced. Sometimes - like Dark Side of the Moon - the album is more than the sum of it's parts. They aren't a bunch of individual songs randomly laid down on vinyl; they relate to each other. It's the order "they" wanted you to hear them in; why fight it? Would you cut the body parts from a Picasso and glue them back down "in the right places"? Greatest Hits albums have a place too, but eventually you have to spend the time and listen to the real albums to understand the music.

There were many reasons why the 8-track failed. My pet peeve centered on the tune list. The 8-track contained the same songs as the album, but they were often arranged in a different order. This was done to prevent songs from jumping across tracks. I found it off-putting when the next song was the "wrong" one. And sometimes songs had to jump tracks anyway because there wasn't any way to avoid it. Who wants to hear a big pause and a ca-chunk in the middle of her favorite song? The only real redeeming quality of the 8-track was - in a time before auto reversing cassette decks - it's ability to play continuously for as long as you wished. I have fond memories of Abbey Road played in just that fashion ... and so does my wife.

Vision

It doesn't matter how hard you squint, you still can't see clearly if you're looking at the world through dirty glasses.