Graf #8

“Falling in love” is very insightful and I was nicely surprised with the transition into what destroys a relationship. It makes me recall my youth and some of the things I did, that I now regret, and wonder what may have changed if the wisdom that comes with a little age had showed up a little earlier.

The Chicken dancer has significant meaning to me. My daughter has been the Chicken (really they are ducks) in the Nutcracker for two years running. She too has graduated to more glitzy costumes and I wonder how much longer dance lessons will last.

I remember a quote from a movie, but I cannot remember the movie. “The Sox bring loosing to a whole new level...” There is always next year. I truly enjoyed the visuals of this essay. It really hits home.

Molly sounds like quite the bonnie lass. Is this just a crush or is it something more. It would have been great to end with a date or a wink and a smile and some or something a little more... WOW. Although this is a story that sounds very real life. More fact than fiction, but that is how I think it was intended.

Do you suppose that fox some how, on a lower level, knew how much humans charish their cars? That might be where 'Sly like a Fox' came from.

Cause Graf #1+2

Into #1

Slowly, I became aware that my jaw muscles were aching from grinding my teeth. The wind had been coming on from the South all day. I find that when the weather starts to build my mind becomes anxious about what is coming. That is why I was grinding my teeth. Sailing can truly put you in touch with Mother Nature. The feel of the wind gradually getting stronger on my face. Receiving only the occasional mist of salt spray, now coming over the side hard enough to make you duck. The smell of the salt air and decay of seaweed. The sound of the wind whistling in my ears combined with the growl of waves passing under the bow. It makes me think of sailors past, and how they must have felt plying these waters. I am sure that they felt exactly the same way I do.

Intro #2

With the flick of a couple of switches, I can real-time weather updates, GPS location, and talk to people on land with the VHF radio fifteen miles away. Modern technology has taken some of the romance out of sailing. Years ago sailors had no idea what was just over the horizon. Now you still have cell service and can download e-mails from just over the horizon. Modern fiberglass boat can last for decades with virtually no maintenance, compared to traditional wooden boats that are perpetual maintenance. The one thing that is still the same now as it was one hundred and fifty years ago is...the feel of the salt on your skin, the press of the wind on your face, the pull of the sails and the lift of the sea.

I-search brainstorm

I-search Brainstorm

Topic;   Raising Backyard chickens

What I know.

I have four of them. They are entertaining to watch. They are stupid animals. It is hard to tell a male from a female when they are young. Some of mine are laying eggs but I don't know which ones. I am happy with just four right know. My family enjoy having them. I have Rhode Island Reds. It is cheap to buy chicks. They will eat most anything. People have kept them for hundreds of years in their back yards. They seem very utilitarian in that when they stop laying eggs you eat them. They are a very good conversation piece when friends visit.

What I do not know.

What kind of diseases do they get? How long will they live? What do they look like when whey are sick. How do you clean a chicken for cooking? Does there coop need to be insulated in the winter. How cold is too cold for them? What does a bad egg look like? How do I keep other critters from getting in the coop. How often do they lay an egg? If I let them out of the coop will they come back at night? How can I keep them from digging out of the coop. Can they get hitchhikers like fleas or ticks? How upset will my girls be when one is in the stew pot? Why one pair are colored so similar but different from the other pair? Does this have to do with sex? If I decide to grow more how do you time them out for the best production? Should I just buy more chicks or hatch them? How do I keep the coop from rotting from their waste? How much chicken shit to spread on the garden? Can I find this information in books or is it one of those things that only farmers know about? What do I need to plan on for the long term? Are they becoming pets?

Person Graf #7

Did you ever work with someone who just amazed you every time they spoke. Someone that when they started to speak, no matter what you were doing, you shut up just to pay attention. I worked with such a guy in my formative years and the lessons he taught me, I pass on today. His name was Charlie and he was an Assistant Chief for the fire department I was a member of at the time. He had started in the fire service in the early 70's and was gearing up for retirement. This guy knew everything. He was a great old school fireman, a carpenter, a mechanic, a comedian, and a very wise man. He got into the fire service after being an Army mechanic in Vietnam. That was back when there were much more fires than there are today. He had gained an unmeasurable amount of experience from seeing so much fire. He was like the guys you see in the movies, as your working your way into the fire he's coming out with no air-pack on and his coat wide open like it was no big deal. I was fortunate that he liked me and over time he stated to teach me little tricks here and there, and give me pointers about things to look for in a fire. These little things have become invaluable as my career has progressed and now I'm the old guy passing these tricks on to the younger guys.

Charlie was one of those guys that, if he couldn't fix it, it wasn't broken. I recall one time he had to replace a gauge in the cab of one of the fire engines. The new gauge didn't fit the hole that was left from the broken gauge in the dash. Once realizing this, Charlie stepped back, lit up a smoke, looked at the problem and contemplated for a couple of minutes. I sat there waiting to see what he was going to do. I though about trying to interject something to possibly help the situation but decided not to because I knew any useless little tid-bit I could add, would just distract him. After a couple of minutes, Charlie looks at me and says, “Kid.” (he called everybody Kid), “Kid go over and get that empty Coke can.” I did, and he took the can, looked at it closely, took off to the work bench and in a couple minutes was back with the bottom of the can cut out and the new gauge in it. This thing was a work of art. The gauge fit perfectly in the now cut out indent of the bottom of the can. The ring left by the rest of the can fit perfectly into the dash. It looked like it was factory installed. Charlie was one of those people that was naturally smart although never went past high school. One of those people that was extremely knowledgeable about many different things. He was a natural leader and people lined up to follow him. He was a great mentor to me and others in my generation, although he would never admit it.

 

Reaction to I-search Graf#6

My initial reaction to the I-searches were that it was just another way to write a research paper. I was wrong when I got into some of the papers further down the page. I realized that some were very instructional in nature. This is what I thought the I-search was going to be. The first two or three were very interesting and I enjoyed the instructional nature of the paper. But the reality of it is that these topics, although important to the author, were pretty mundane. I really was somewhat taken aback with the later papers and how personal they were. They struck a strong note about how somethings can be important to some and really trivial to others.  The I-searches about family and personal injury or illness are the ones that really opened my eyes a little more. I could understand the need for answers from these authors. This kind of paper is all new to me and I am getting more and more interested in the structure ( or lack of ) and propose of the I-search.

Things Graf #5

Things graf# 5

When I reach into my left hip pocket, I will always find my Leatherman. I call it my “knife”. I have had it for just over nine years now and it is always with me. It was a gift from my best friend, to his best man, on his wedding day. It reminds me of what a beautiful day that was next to the ocean. And how much I miss he and his wife (another close friend) and wish I could see them more. They have moved away and we only talk on the phone occasional. This knife, oh this knife, we have seen a lot. I have used it to cut seat belts at car crashes to remove victims hanging upside down in their cars on the side of the interstate. Cut away rope from the propeller outside Camden harbor when it was blowing twenty five knots straight out of the harbor and I had a full boat load of passengers. Screw, unscrew, loosen bolts, file sharp metal edges, open cans, open locked doors. You name it, my knife can do it, but mostly I use it to pick my nails. It has gotten me out of some tough spots. Once I uses it to snip wire that had tangled around my air-pack preventing me from getting out of the house fire I was in when I was running low on air. That was a close one. That knife saved my butt. I often notice the weight of it in my pocket and I think I should get a smaller knife. But then I use it somewhere that no other tool will work or it will take too long to go get the proper tool. It has become a part of me. I don't feel right when I can't feel it in my pocket and I notice that it's not there immediately. But most of all it reminds me of my best friend, and the number of times, directly or indirectly, he has gotten me out of a jam.

Unique graf #4

What is unique about me? I guess that is pretty subjective isn't it? My wife says “ Your unique all right!” What is unique in some circles is common place in others. Lets dig a little to see if we can answer this question. I am a little over weight, that's not unique. I struggle with the craving to smoke, that's not unique. I love my family, that's not unique. I have been on the same career path since I was 15 years old. Hold on, that may be unique. I have known since I was a teenager I wanted to be a firefighter. I was a volunteer firefighter in high school and that distracted me from my studies. I will greatly regret this in later life. I went to Paramedic school when all my buddies were going to get there degrees in Fire Science. I got hired as a career firefighter first. I could see the writing on the wall that if you had a Paramedic license your odds of getting into a career fire department were greatly increased. While my buddies were competing with each other for a hand full of jobs. I work 24 hour shifts, that is kind of unique. It can suck, but it is unique. I know that I have the best job in the world. I cannot imagine doing something else for work. I was made for it, and it is all I have ever wanted to do and I think I am pretty good at it. That may be unique. Along the way I found out I like boats and sailing. I started working on a schooner on my days off from the fire department. I liked it so much I got my Captains license and started driving a schooner on my days off. Wait, that sounds a little unique. I meet people from all over the world and get paid to go sailing. I work a job I really love with a bunch of great guys, that's really exciting. I guess that is pretty unique. I am the only firefighter'en, paramedic'en, Sea Captain I heard of. Well, what do you know about that.

week 2 prompts

Week 2 promps




The man who no one knew lives at the end of the road. He lives simply with no indoor plumbing and only minimal electrical things. His clothes are usually dirty and he does not shave. He raises most of his food in a large field he has at the opposite end of the road. He lives in a tar paper sided, two story, 15 by 15 house he affectionately calls “ The Black Shack” There are several structures on his land, a wood shed, a home built sauna and “The Shed”. “The Shed” a small building with a shop downstairs and a small apartment upstairs. Totally out of place is the satellite internet dish attached to the upstairs porch railing. There is no running water in the house and has a single piece of Romex wire strung to it from “ The Shed”. He drives up and down the quarter mile long road all day. So ofter that my kids know it is him coming up the road before they see him because of the unique squeaking his car makes. Last season he took me down to his field to show me his garden. He boasted about being totally organic and his special compost the he makes by mixing in small bits of lobster shells he collects from local restaurants run through a chipper. This year I saw him spraying weed killer between the rows of potatoes. My kids and I helped him pick potatoes last season and the whole time we were in his field he was listening to WERU on the radio and preaching some very liberal viewpoints. Yesterday, as he drove down the road with his window down, I could hear him listening to Rush Limbaugh, laughing and yelling “YES BROTHER, YES!” This man is a walking contradiction. The wives on the road gossip and wonder what his story is. I heard that he is from a very affluent family “ from away” and that they pay him to stay away. Quite a contrast for a man who washes in a stream behind his house. I don't care because he is a good neighbor. He is free spirited. He is kind and caring. He is smart and interesting. He is good to my kids and my wife. He works like a mule and has tangible products of his work. He is very complex and I don't think I will ever “know” him but I like and admire him. He is still my friend.

list and list Graf

List and List Graf




Inventory of S/V Xanadu, Belfast Harbor, Maine



Starting roughly at the starboard, aft cabin working forward to the bow and aft on the port side.



-one radio/music player for an apple I-pod

-one small box of assorted fishing lures, 6 small lures all are freshwater lures. 2 swivels

-one box containing small sockets and wrench , both metric and standard

-one coffee mug with wild life scene and “Maine” printed on it, mostly scratched off but still visible

-two plastic plates, not very well cleaned, one cracked

-one jar of peanuts

-one bag stale pretzels

-one flashlight (yellow)

-one blue speckled, porcelain enameled, coffee pot

Galley

-one alcohol stove, non-functioning

-one stainless steel sink containing several bottle caps

Starboard midships compartments

-three rolled paper charts, 1 Penobscot Bay and approaches, 1 Blue Hill Bay, 1 Frenchmens Bay.

These are very old paper charts and are tattered and yellowing around the edges and have black spotted moldy areas on the back sides.

-one towel

-one Zebco telescoping fishing pole

-one zip-lock bag of Lexan eating utensils, 4 each of fork, knife, serving and soup spoons

-one camping type cook set, containing 1 small pot, pan, and bowl

-one large skillet, slightly rusty but well seasoned

-one large pot, dented and blackened one the bottom

-one green propane camping stove

Forward clothing locker

-one yellow rubber rain coat size large

-one red and gray Gill foul weather jacket size XL

-two sweat shirts, one gray and one pink

Port midships compartments

-several lengths of line, different colors, different diameters, different construction, to various to list

-one quart 10-W30 motor oil

-one tube 3M bedding compound, White

-three oil absorbing pads

-two aluminum poles used for legs for the galley table

-three hand-flares

-one manual safety horn

-one canvas ditty bag containing:

-sail twine

-3 sail needles

-grommet kit

-3 fids

-1 roll electrical tape

-1 lighter
Port settee lockers
-one 35lbs. Danforth anchor

-15 feet ½ inch galvanized chain

-200 feet 5/8 inch nylon three strand anchor line on spool

-one settee cushion on top, 70's brown and yellow stripped corduroy

Starboard settee locker

-one 5 gallon bucket originally used for drywall mud, now used as the Head.

-one boat hook

-one black wash down bucket

-four orange life jackets

-one settee cushion on top, 70's brown like the others

Ice Box

-one empty plastic ice bag

-one Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale

-two Sam Adams Summer Ales

-6 cans Miller Lite







This is redneck yachting. The owners of this boat are certainly low budget sailors. This boat is obviously dated in it's decor, but still gives off some of that retro, hipster kind of feel. The old seventies cushion covers are a dead ringer for someone who does not travel in the yacht club circles. It reminds me of the those RV campers you see going down the interstate that have an old bashed up body. They are rusty and dirty and have lots of old faded bumper stickers on the back of places long since visited. By the condition of it makes you wonder if they will ever make it to their destination. Definitely there are guys that run this boat. It is very utilitarian and does not have any frilly, pretty things aboard. These guys like the outdoors and have taken, it seems, most of their camping cookware and moved it to this boat. This cooking equipment does not belong on a boat. Most of the equipment looks to be hand-me-downs or bought at yard sales. These guys obviously enjoy the true essence of sailing. The freedom, the independence, self-reliance, being at one with nature, adventure. It is like camping on the ocean. Not the stuffed shirt, yachtsmen, blue blazer and ascot, privileged, Martini's on the Fantail, rich summer folk, type of sailing. These guys like to keep it simple, while at the same time living life.

Graf #2 the worst teacher...

The worst teacher I ever had was for a weekend class I took several years ago. The class was a safety class that I had been looking forward to for weeks. It was a nationally recognized class that my employer was sending only me to. I was excited to have to do a little traveling to get to the class and the new information I would be able to bring back to my job. I arrived early to the classroom and found the more than half the class was already there. Obviously these students were as excited to take this class as I was.


The itinerary for the class read that the class would start promptly at eight A.M. They even underlined and using bold print for the word PROMPTLY to emphasize that we would have a lot of material to cover and need to use all the time allotted. The Teacher finally showed up at eight forty five. Several students had already left grumbling about better things to do. The Teacher’s entire class was on PowerPoint and he had not made the arrangements to get a projector for this class. It took another forty five minutes to get the projector and another twenty minutes to get his computer to start. Mean while twenty or so students sat politely talking amongst themselves and thumbing through the course material.

Almost two hours late he stands in front of the class and proceeds to go though his entire resume and why he is the most qualified and only person qualified enough in the state to teach this class. This took about another thirty minutes. As the Teacher got into his lecture, he would look up at his PowerPoint slides and read it to us as if none of us could read. He would fumble through the material reading it like it was all new to him. Then he would go off on different tangents for ten or fifteen minutes. Once he could regain focus and get back on task he would mumble and skip over ten or twelve slides. After burning through a bunch of slides he would just say “you guys are smart… you know all this stuff anyway.”

As the class progressed I realized that the students who left the morning of the first day were right. I did have better things to do. The second day of the class the Teacher had someone post a note on the classroom door that said even though the class was scheduled to start at eight he would not be there until ten o’clock because of a prior engagement. This class was by far the worst I have ever taken. This Teacher was one of the most unprofessional, conceded, self centered, jerks I have ever met. Even though this class was touted as an advanced level class and was very expensive to take, I got almost nothing out of it. The study material was informative but with only this jerk to tie it all together, I only came out with a fraction of the information I should have. This was by far the worst teacher I ever had.

Graf # 1 Hands

It is amazing how long a scar can last. I look at my hands and see scars that I have had most of my life. On the back of my left hand is a small light spot that sticks out from the contrast of the tan skin. This one reminds me of my Dad who took me to get a wart removed as a kid. It was the only wart I ever had and I recall what a great time I had in Bangor after we visited the doctor. As I turn my hands over I look at the callous pads, at the base of each finger. These are from stacking wood and working ropes sailing. In the past few days they have become rough and torn from weather and work, not the usual smooth dead skin. It makes me think of my wife and how these hands must feel when I rub her back. It cannot be very soothing, more like sandpaper. But, she doesn’t say anything and that is one of the many things that I love about her.