Journal of Today 1

This journal is my solution to improved communication with my wife.  She always asks me how my day went and what I did; for whatever reason, at that moment I cannot really put into words what I did.  The day is usually busy, but with what?  I just go blank.  Well, since I tell myself I’m a writer it seemed appropriate to capture my busy day with words.  Now, I have substance to speak with.

Here’s today:

• Drank coffee and read Proverbs
• Drove to work listening to Metallica’s Master of Puppets
• Did Morning Walkabout to check on product flow, tooling requirements and material inventory
• Cleaned coffee pot and brewed fresh batch
• Responded to emails regarding a small material shipment
• Talked to Cindy about her schedule
• Ran production query and updated summary spreadsheet
• Ran query of work in process and updated green inventory spreadsheet
• Posted production graphs and charts
• Ran a query on specific production step to verify how much of the production schedule was complete and what was left to do
• Calculated hours left to complete schedule
• Ran material usage query and updated spreadsheets
• Killed four very large flies
• Called local contractor to schedule compressor maintenance
• Ordered batteries for shipping warehouse phones
• Started coordinating forklift repairs
• Killed more flies
• Watched the birds
• Shipped four aluminum containers to another plant
• Started collecting insurance info on contractors
• Completed some safety training for local contractor
• Revised purchase orders to reflect correct material groups
• Listened in on weekly purchasing conference call
• Went to lunch and read The Return of History and the End of Dreams and reviewed my pending public lecture while listening to The Tarrier by Brian Woodruff
• Attended Safety Committee meeting
• Attended scheduling meeting
• Wrote production schedules
• Attended scheduling/purchasing review meeting
• Filled out tooling reconfiguration worksheet
• Made task list for Friday
• Drove home and finished this list

The Favorite Book in America Is …

the Bible. 

I knew the Bible was the best selling book in history; it is also America’s favorite book according to a recent Harris Poll. 

It certainly deserves to be both.  I’ve spent some time studying the Bible and have come to appreciate its advice and guidance for any area of life.  The Bible’s breadth of application is astounding - it appeals to people of all races and cultures.  Additionally, the Bible has survived centuries of bans and criticism.  There must be something worthwhile in its pages.

While the poll indicates it is the favorite book among Americans, I wonder how many actually take time to read it each day and meditate upon it.  Or how many truly understand what it means.  Here’s a link to an excellent online Bible translation. 

Here’s the rest of the poll favorites:

The Bible	1
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell	2
Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien	3
Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling	4
The Stand, by Stephen King	5
The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown	6
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee	7
Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown	8
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand	9
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger	10

 

I’ve read the Bible and I’ve read Tolkien and after that … nothing else on the list.  To be sure, I’ve seen part of the movie adaptation of Gone With the Wind and I’ve watched the movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.  But I haven’t read anything else on the list.  Unfortunately, the amount of reading I do has declined much since I was younger.  Oh, sure, I’ve got a family and jobs now, but still … life just seems to crowd out reading time.  Or is it that I just don’t assert my reading privileges enough?  Perhaps too often I cave to convenience and just lay in front of the TV.  How stupid.  I reprimand myself for being such a dolt.  I will strive to re-assert my reading self.

Of course, this list made me consider my own favorite books.  I will agree with the first two in the table above as my first two favorites.  After that, it’s a hard call.  Books that come to mind right off are Foundation’s Edge, Walden, Ender’s Game.  Other Tolkien books also appear on my radar but I don’t know if they would, sort of, be categorized with Lord of the Rings.  I like The Silmarillion and The Hobbit very much, too.  Anything from Dr. Suess is good, too. 

May the Thwart Be With You

A good book suggestion had been presented to me this weekend.  I thought about it and thought about and thought about it and decided that it was something worth pursuing.  By Sunday night, I was ready to plunge head first into the rapids of research.  Someone else felt it was a good idea, however.  Behold, Mr. Ed Sipos already works on the project.  A history of brewing in Arizona.

Well, I hope he is successful.  I will be certain to pick up the book.

Ah, the sweet joy of being thwarted.   I suppose I could work on a book of this nature anyway.  I mean, isn’t there supposed to be various ways to tell the same story?  My angle, my “voice,” as it were, should be unique, right?  I don’t know if I believe that either.

So, then, obviously I need to: 1) toss my hands in the air in a universal gesture of defeat and toss back a few hefty homebrews; 2) pursue research in the “beer in Arizona” arena and see what else pops up; or, 3) burn my truck.

It’s gonna take me a bit to decide.