Danger Mouse

It is amazing how things sometimes fall magically into place, at least mentally. I have been noticing that alot lately. My thoughts are becoming more and more focused and I am thinking longer and longer on the same subjects. Either I have entered a new level of being or have taken my first steps towards madness.

Regardless, in this particular case I was thinking of the following metaphor and a fellow on the floor turned on his CD player and was listening to a CD he had made at home. First up, Kajagoogoo (knowing I spelled it wrong) then the song "19" which folded nicely into my memories for the basis of my metaphor. Specifically, the fact that my sister and I used to watch DM every afternoon right before dad got home, on Nickelodeon when it was still new. Those were good times.... I love my sister; get well soon Kel!

Nothing makes you feel old like remembering when major channels were launched. Nickelodeon, MYV, VH1, ESPN2, TLC, Discovery... wonderful!

Anyway, Danger Mouse was my hero for a while I must admit. I remember the episodes vividly, although in a childs mind. Still, I have a great metaphor from it.

Say that I am DM. My life here at work is like have Silus Greenback as a boss instead of Colenel K, with all the feelings they have for each other intact. You can imagine?

I guess that would make Richard about the closest thing to Penfold, though I doubt he ever watched Danger Mouse, so will miss the humor.

Still, what is DM to do? Stop saving the world because he works for a prick? No, he just has to take his lumps and roll with the punches, and wait....

If revenge is a dish best served cold, then old Danger Mouse is going to Ice Station Alpha for this one. And it's coming, oh my is it coming.

The Porch Postulate

I can say that my life wasn't impacted by too many teachers, not in a positive way anyway. I guess most people can pick out a handful of teachers that impacted their life in a positive way and tell you why, as can I.

The first real positive teacher impact I had was Mrs. Kytorek (spelling obviously not right). For all practical purposes, she taught me to read. Hardwired me to read is a better term. I was so hardwired to read the way that she taught me that I could not progress in my reading skills until I was in my 20's. But still, I could read, and I attribute that to her and our 2 hour a day sessions.

Secondly, my next good experience was with Mrs. Stopinski. Her only real attribute that gave her a positive impact was kindness. I had had a really bad experience with the teacher I had for the first half of fourth grade, and a new school and a new teacher was a breath of fresh air. Mrs. Stopinski knew just how to handle the situation, and I felt right at home and comfortable.

The next great influence I had was Mrs. Muse, my eight grade science teacher. She saw the talent and would not accept anything but the best. In fact, after pushing me all year, she convinced me to take a school wide science aptitude test. Imagine my pride when I, the smart-ass nobody, had their name called to accept the 4th place award. The three people above me were top 10 in our high school graduating class. So, she gave me confidence, in my intelligence anyway.

Finally, and mostly, I think Lynn Porch, my sophomore geometry teacher had the most profound impact. She didn't really reach out to me or offer anything special to me that she did not offer to everyone else. I just happened to be paying attention one day, which I surprisingly did in geometry because I liked it, and she impatred a pearl of wisdom that changed me forever.

As geometry goes, their are postulates, or rules, that you must learn. On this particular day she gave the one that has stuck with me even 14 years later.

The Porch Postulate: "Never forget anything you have learned".

Seems simple enough. I though about it for a while, at this point ignoring the postulates that actually had something to do with the subject matter and gave it a good think. It was life changing, I think.

I decided that if it was worth the effort to learn in the first place, then it was worth remembering. Granted, I had to make the effort to discover the information to begin with, but if I could just remembered it, I would not have to duplicate the effort (which was kind of her point). Thus, the beginning of my effort to build my memory.

I further determined, though not then but recently, that intelligence is simply the effective application of knowledge. And to have knowledge you must have memory, so a good memory is the basic building block of intelligence. Another affirmation that Mrs. Porch's postulate was right.

I am not claiming to be the smartest person on the block, or even in my own family for that matter. Sometimes I am humbled by the cleverness of my kids, even the littlest one... especially the littlest one. I also find that my parents, sister, and wife have an intellect that is uniquely their own and still superior to my own, that makes me envious. But what I can say that I do have is the ability to learn, the ability to pick parcels of useful knowledge from those around me, and the ability to look at something and figure it out. And that, my friends, is the key to whatever success I have had.

So next time your in class and the teacher throws out a pearl, give it some thought.

As Advertised

I told you I would make you look at pictures...

I welded this up last night... It took me about 1 1/2 hours to cut everything and weld it. I will probably put a coat of paint on it when I am done to make it look snazzy, however this is just stage one.

Oddly enough, this thing is almost perfectly square and level... looks like I am better with metal than wood.

Please disregard the white and black cow behind the frame...

Here is the base with the fire brick installed. The brick will shield the ground, and my frame, from the heat of the furnace. It will also be the substance the plinth (platform the crucible, or melting pot) will stand on.

More or less, this is where we are headed. I just put the keg (I tried to take a picture of the Schlitz engraving, but it didn't come out) up there to give you an idea of what I am shooting for. Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long to give you an update.

Kelly the Wise

I was reading the comments on a post that I had written about my metal casting endeavor. Kelly made the very wise observation that accidents follow me like a stalker. Which, unfortunately, is true.

So far, my poor hands have bore most the burden for this rotten luck. And while it is true that they have not been serious issues, they are colorful none the less.

It all started with our move to Tullahoma. A new house with brand new carpet. I was pushing my toy cars around like I always did and managed to hook myself on a carpet staple... literally hook myself through the finger. I was hung, and mom had to rush next door to get the neighbor to untangle me. I was 3.

Similarly, I have had a litany of curious injuries. 5 stitches from a rouge piece of tin while demolishing an old shed; a pellet passing all the way through my finger after one of my cousins pulled the trigger on the bb gun while my hand was in front of it; 5 more stitches when I caught the edge of a jagged ceramic tile while installing a toilet; another puncture wound when my ex-brother-in-law nailed by hand to a wall with a nail gun accidentally; a 2" long gash on my thumb from a base-stealers cleat in my only game ever at third base.

This is on top of having my finger nail peeled off like an orange peel, the whole finger nail, while moving a saw with my dad; having a hole eaten through my finger nail by pool chemicals; a splinter that was about 1" long and 1/8" wide getting entirely wedged under my fingernail to the point where I had to drill a whole in my nail to get it out... the list goes on.

However, the recurring theme to this party is that I use my hands. I don't really care for gloves that much and don't really give a second thought to sticking my hands into my work. Much like when I unwittingly scooped mashed potatoes out of a pan when I was a dishwasher only to find that they were surprisingly hot to have been sitting around for 3 hours... hot enough to burn my entire hand. However, in my new endeavor, my hands will be happily incased in heat resistant gloves at the end of 3' long pair of tongs.

I am sure that I will lose a finger or two, but I guess that's par for the course.

SuperHeros vs. Villains

From now on I will put my life into the perspective of a comic book hero. I think this will help me cope with some of the more depressing tedium and obstacles.

There will be heros and villains, vixens, supporting characters, and anti-heros. It will be fun, especially picturing the villains in less than flattering costumes. Spandex is a must for the villains and vixens, the former for humility and the latter for enjoyment.

The heros will be a mix of Marvel, DC, and other Dark Horse comics. They will be everything that they should be, except merciful while they pummel the villains. It will be a blast.

First, as I am the main character, I will need a name and a niche. I will be a hero I think... I will be called Kid Icarus, I will be able to fly, of course. I will have a magic bow and arrow and a war hammer like Thor's. I will be dressed in Viking regalia and wear a horned helmet. I will have a long plaited bear and close cropped hair. I will be massive and muscle bound and have telekinetic powers.....

My major enemy will be the Neutron Bomber... He will be short, dumpy and bald. He will wear a skin tight lime green spandex suit that will have a low cut v-neck to show off his flabby man-cleavage, and knee high pink boots that are 2 sizes too small, and his chest will bear the insignia of a wing nut with a lit fuse. He will have a scruffy beard that will shower dandruff everywhere. His super powers will be to suck to life out of people through a short diatribe and through his power of focusing his bad charma.

Now that I have defined the characters, I will need a city to battle in.... I think Metropolis or Gotham would be too obvious, so I will say.... Arcadia. The city will be ironic and an anti-hero all at once.

Now, there will be other characters. Some may flop back and forth from good and evil, but the main conflict will stay the same.... Can Kid Icarus and the force of justice over come the evil Neutron Bomber? Can the people of Arcadia finally find peace in their land?

Tune in next time for the next episode!!!!

If you Build it?!?!

I am finding it increasingly difficult to write these things as my head is so full of stuff that would interest no one besides me.... you know what? to hell with it.

This weekend, well Friday specifically, I hope to clean my garage. Apparently, the walls in every garage I have had are slanted. The lean slightly in, just enough for everything in there to slide into the middle of the area. Almost like there is a drain in the middle and everything is swirling towards it.

Anyway, if I can get the garage clean on Friday, I hope to start work on my furnace on Saturday. With any luck, I will be melting metal by Sunday afternoon. What furnace? Well, this contraption will allow me to melt whatever metal I want and cast it into whatever shape I want. It basically consists of a burner, a crucible (what holds the metal while it is melted) and a body, which houses the crucible and traps the heat to produce a oxygen lean environment that gets damn hot. It take like 1400 degrees F to metal aluminum and climbs from there for harder, more dense metals. I figue mine will be able to metal iorn, if I wish, which i probably won't.

I can say that mine will be a very colorful one!

I have chosen propane to fuel my furnace. The same propane canister that fuels your barby will supply my furnace with the power to turn metal into a liquid. I have also chosen a eccentric vessel for my body, though. Some use garbage cans or stock pots lined with a refractory ( a concrete like mixed that insulates the body from the heat, yet aids in raising the temperature in the chamber) however, I have decided to use an old beer keg. Schlitz no less. Nothing says class like malt liquor.

I will cut it open and line it with a substance called Kaowool. This stuff is amazing. It has the consistency of an air-conditioner filter, it about 1/2 an inch thick, and is cool to the touch on one side, even with 3500 degree temperatures on the other. It also dissipates the heat quicker after you turn off the burner, so the possibility of burning myself, which I undoubtedly will, is greatly reduced, as is the overall weight of the machine. I expect that using Kaowool will save me nearly 300 pounds, which is a big deal when you have to keep everything on wheels and roll it to where you want to use it.

Where would I roll it? Outside of course. Aside from the heat not being house friendly, if molten metal hits concrete it will instantly vaporize the moisture in the concrete causing it to explode. Not War of the World explode, but enough to send shrapnel into your shin and make you unsteady with a 20 pound boiling pot of metal. No, you have to do that in a sand box...

I plan to tinker in Aluminum initially, then move on to Brass and other stuff.

Don't.... put it out of your mind... there is no need to ask....

Another cool thing is that I got hooked up with the bunch at the hands-on-science center. I will be repairing some of the exhibits this weekend as well. That will be cool. One of my goals will be to provide exhibits instead repairing them. The exhibits they have now are old and boring, well for the most part. I feel I can bring alot to the place, given the chance anyway.

Well, that is all for now. If I get it finished, I will post pictures. I am sure you will be less than enthused, but damn it, you look at them and like it.