Hive mind, I need your help here. I have determined that the title of this blog: “Chuck Milam’s Musings – Random Thoughts From a Not-So Random Dude,” is hideous, weak, and lame.
I’m now taking suggestions for a new blog title from those of you that are better with the creative than I. Leave it in the comments below. Thanks.
I think this is the first time I actually show up on YouTube, courtesy of Jane Q. Public’s new video camera. I do wish it was something besides me in mid-rant over fashion choices, but some people think it’s funny. Enjoy!
UPDATE: Hmm…I wonder if it was bad form for me embed the video here, rather than link directly to Jane Q. Public’s original blog post? I’m so out of touch with current post vs. link etiquette.
On Christmas morning of 2009, we had to take Fudge on his final car ride. This is my Mom’s tribute to his memory. He was a big part of the family for over ten years. The photo is what I believe to be the last photo in my collection taken of Fudge, shot on Thanksgiving Day of 2009 at my brother’s house in Louisville. For the record, there are hundreds of photos of Fudge in my photo library.
JOURNEY OF THE FABULOUS FUDGE
Fudge and Baby Ben on Thanksgiving
By Carolyn Milam
Late winter in Kentucky—homeless dog and lonely young physician bond as they walk. Nine dollars seals the deal. I am yours, Dad, and you are mine. Do you think Mom will love me, too? Dad, your red pickup? LET’S GO!
GO…thousands of miles from Lexington to St. Louis to Virginia to Nashville, to Houston, to the Lake House. Dad, I’ll ride shotgun.
CHEESE…string cheese, marbled Colby-muenster, plain old American. I’ll shake, lie down, talk. Feed me cheese. Or turkey, tofu casserole, those luscious bourbon-pecan chocolate brownies…so near the edge of the counter. Sorry, Mom. Quick—my elixir—you know—birdbath water. Hey, Ben and Jack, send a few tidbits under the table. I’m waiting. But Ben, peanut butter sticks to the roof of my mouth.
SKUNKED…Old Mike, look at those friendly black and white kitties. I must meet and greet. What! The smell, stinging in my eyes. Steak Lady, how long will I be in the garage and how many more peppermint soap and tomato juice baths?
THUNDER…another storm, or the Fort Campbell guns or Uncle Chuck’s target practice. Quick! safe spot, cover me with the red comforter, play Pachabel. Together, we’ll make it through.
DREAMS…chasing deer at the creek and through a few thickets, barking away another pesky Harley on Harmony Grove Road, retrieving Old Mike’s Croc from the lake, guarding Mom while Dad’s away, chasing rabbits and chipmunks and blue jays from my territory.
Now my journey changes. Remember the Eternal restores all things. Then, I’ll fetch, leap and roll again. So, beloved family, until then, maybe soon, until then.
Jane Q. Public sent me a link to some classic Swatch watches. Looking at these brought back a lot of memories. Also, I now know what I spent a big portion of my time in middle and high school doing: Staring at my watch.
We had a facebook reminiscing session about Swatches after my best friend from middle school posted a photo of me wearing one. I remember having a bunch of these–but we think we may have just traded them around. Somehow I don’t see Bob & Carolyn Milam indulging me in fashion wristwatches in 1988. I wore a Swatch well into college as I recall.
I think this was one I bought myself. Special Halley’s comet edition, celebrating the comet’s return in 1986, which was also the first time I genuinely contemplated my mortality–wondering if I’d be around in 75 years to see it again. Pretty heavy stuff for a 13/14-year-old.
I had this one for a long time. I was fascinated by it, being able to see the inner workings.
I hung onto this one for a while after I got bitten by the flying/airplane bug.
This was the one I wore into college. Boring, but still a Swatch.
This weekend, one of my facebook friends posted this all-too-common tale of computer woe:
“So much for my new computer…I woke up this morning to find out my new computer was already broken. So after having the computer for less then 12 hours it wouldn’t even work. Thanks to the Geek Squad I now have a brand new computer tower that is finally up and running! Now I have no time to play on the computer because I have to go to work:(“
Being only partially awake and a little grouchy, I posted this admittedly not-very-helpful comment:
“www.apple.com…”
A few minutes later, I was notified by E-mail that someone had responded:
“She didn’t say apple or pc. Pc’s easy to work on and half price of apple. The only good deal is the Apple Ipod touch which I am typing on. Easy choice for the money is PC .”
I just smiled to myself. I will admit I am making some assumptions here based on what little I know of this person from briefly viewing his profile, but I think I have a pretty good guess of his “type.” This person is likely a computer hobbyist who enjoys providing technical support to his friends and family. Since he is only comfortable in the PC and the Microsoft Windows world, he probably recommends people stay within his technical comfort zone so he can help them out and feed his hero complex.
What really got my attention was the phrase: “Pc’s easy to work on and half price of apple.”
First, PCs in many cases can be had for even less than half the price of Apple computers, but I will come back to that little nit-picky point in a later post. Let’s talk about “PC’s easy to work on.” I’m assuming that this “type” of guy is saying “PCs are easy to maintain, repair and upgrade,” rather than “PCs are easy to get work done on.”
Assuming he means the former, my response is: “So what if the PC is [arguably] easier for technical people to work on? The user does not care about how easy it is for the technician to work on a system. The user wants the system to ‘just work.’ Ask a Mac user, especially one who has recently switched from the PC, why they like their Mac and the answer will often be: ‘It just works!’ In the end, that’s really all most users care about.”
So often, those of us with a technical focus forget that that the computer is there to help the users get their work done, not for us to practice our craft and show off our technical acumen. If a computer system “just works,” and makes for happier, more productive users, we should celebrate and advocate, rather than disparage and reject that system.
I should point out that when I went to reply to his comment on facebook, he had deleted it.
Next post (who knows when that will be): “Are PCs REALLY cheaper?”
This article by Mathew B. Crawford in the NY Times Magazine stuck a note with me as Dad and I have been discussing the subject of “College For All” lately.
The Case for Working With Your Hands – NYTimes.com.
It’s a great (and long) read, and oh-so-true. Simply put: Skilled, hands-on-trades should have just as much value in our society as those that require “college learnin’.”
I remember when I first got down to the farm here after leaving the big corporate job. I enjoyed mowing 30+ acres of grass, a job that took almost two weeks with the equipment we had available. In some cases, it almost seemed when the job was finished, it was time to start again.
Someone asked me why I liked such a mundane task.
I responded, “At the end of the day, I can look behind me at all the mowed grass and be satisfied at the sight of a job I completed. I know ‘I did that.’ No manager is going to come along and invalidate the work. It’s done, and it’s mine. No one can take it from me.”
Ah, what a difference a few years makes. After being away from the then-wild-and-new blogging scene for a few years in order to finish my master’s degree, I return to a world where employers (who used to not even know what the term “blog” meant) now have formal policies regarding personal blogging by their employees.
As a result of my enjoying the benefit of a regular paycheck from one such employer, and given my desire to continue to receive this bi-monthly benefit in the form of direct deposits to my bank account, I present to you, dear reader, the following required verbiage:
“The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog’s posts are Chuck Milam’s alone and are not representative, unless clearly and unequivocally stated, of those of any past, present, or future client or employer.”
Actually, that’s not half-bad. I might keep that disclaimer around even after I move on to greener pastures.