Interests:Guitar, Irish music, any music, driving my truck (with music on), being a fiftys greaser, pretty much anything a little different than normal Expertise:Exlpaining why the Irish are the greatest race, and spreading bits of Irish wisdom wherever it is needed (which is pretty much everywhere) Occupation:Civil E.I.T. (engineer in trai
And life goes on... for those of you who don't know, i've moved to Batavia, NY a small city west of Rochester, NY. Rochester is the city where i work. I have a cubicle in an office on the third floor of an old office building on the east side of the city. It is here that i sit and edit drawings that describe the locations of photos taken of canal structures, or upload said photos to an online report for use by government employees as they determine how "best" to spend taxpayer money on maintaining said canal structures. Or write up reports on the conditions of Overhead sign structures. In truth i do not spend all my time in this cubicle. For the past few months i've been only spending about 2 or 3 days a week in the office. The other days are spent at the canal structures inspecting them. I must admit, however, that it does get rather dull... Though i also must admit it was nice to spend this past week standing on dams over the Mohawk river enjoying the beautiful weather... On the flip side, though, what does all this standing accomplish. Maybe i should go become a pirate.. Sail the world's oceans seeking new and exotic lands filled with treasure and adventure... maybe that's not quite a pirate... though of course who's to say that would not get dull as well... After all once you've seen one ocean you've seen um'all... I mean there is only 5 of them to see. and what with the world getting smaller and smaller everyday where would you find "new" and exotic lands... It'd probably be cheaper to just take a trip down to NYC. but still what would that accomplish...
"What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless." Eccl. 6:22-23
Of course this dullness leaves a large section of time for thinking... though through consistent effort i have managed to put much of this behind me. Or at least avoid it... (the secret my friends is sleep) when things start to weigh to heavily on the mind simply go to sleep. Of course in order to accomplish this you must keep your body in a perpetual state of tiredness for a while... You do not need to do this forever though. eventually your body starts to realize what you want and will shut down when you experience to deep or melancholy a thought. Actually i've been avoiding thinking to much for a while... Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) i've begun again a small bit. I think, however, that all the sitting at a desk i've been doing lately has given me ADHD of the mind... I mean i've know already that my body is ready to move, to do something ( i can tell by the way i find myself tapping my fingers on the desk or clicking my pen or bouncing my knee in a fast slightly rhythmic motion). I realized my mind had the same problem the other day as i tried to sort out my thoughts about faith. There had been a few times in the past week that the topic had come up and i had being jotting down (in the corners of my mind) thoughts on this issue... As i tried to sort them out however i found great difficulty in putting them altogether. It seams my mind is a lot like my room or my desk, piles of stuff... I have memories from when i was three and thoughts from when i was six. It's like my old computer. There is a lot of info stored in it but because there is so much it takes a long time to pull out any one particular thought. Maybe i need a new memory card... or an external hard drive to store some of the info... That is kind why i am writing on here...
At this point, I would like to add here some witty or enjoyable ramble to stir the humor sections of your mind but, in truth, i can't seem to see any rabbit footprints to follow... Once again this may be due to the clutter of leaves fallen from the trees of thought upon the forest floor of my mind... or it may be simply that i am in a rather melancholy mood, which may be due to the weather or the dullness of my job as of late or some strange mixture of the two. In any case i do apologize for the lack of witty rambles...
I really don't have much to write about... or at least not much that i want to put on digital paper... i'm not feeling any rambling jokes that will make you all laugh... but i don't want to give you the impression that i'm doing horrible or anything... This is probably the reason i haven't written in so long... this blog has become like my life... there is a certain face i keep up on here... When i started this blog i was sure that all life required was that i choose to be happy. That i could get through if i would just grin an bare it. Nod and smile when you don't understand... keep quite when you do. This led to a state of complacency and "contentment" which i abhorred. It appears that God attempted to reboot my life. All the emotions that i had put to sleep, the fears that i had burried so i didn't have to deal with them were awakened and unearthed again. It seemed that the vinyl of my life had skipped and the needle was reworking itself back along grooves that had been played before... Only this time i knew the end... i'd been down this road before, i'd seen myself make these choices before. Like i had restarted a section of a "choose your own adventure" story. The first time the awakening took only 9 months... it took two years to put everything back to sleep. To relearn that life is not a fairy-tale and that we deal with humans. The second time it took two years to re-awaken everything... and yet i found myself back at the same cross roads... slowly burying the dreams and feelings that had started to wake up... Part of me said that the pain was good, that this was what i am meant to feel... But the other part said NO! It said that it was all well and good if the pain leads to something, if the trails ends on a mountain top or the fight ends in victory... but as i look at those who have gone before i do not see victory.
I don't want to believe that dreams all die, that eventually we all grow up and out of our fairytale daydreams. but this is what i am told by those who have gone before me... maybe not always in so many words... but always, it seams, in actions. “Trust God” they say with words, but their actions scream “make sure you have a plan B”.
Not that i really have any dreams... It seems i was smart and buried those early on...
Well i've made a few changes in my "Choose your own story" path. Hopefully they make the outcome different this time... I’m trying to choose openness and honesty rather than avoidance and omission… we shall see how the tune changes from what i've listened to before...
I leave you with this….
"And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Heb 11:6.
I think I can accept that God exists I always have… but it’s hard believing that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. I want to believe but there is a part of me that says “play it safe, you still need to have your own retirement plan for when God doesn’t come through”
So how can I please God if can’t believe he will come through for me in the end…
"Why sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - Through The Looking Glass
God I want to believe… help my unbelief…
"May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head, And may you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead" -Irish Toast
Well more time has gone by. The guy from Ireland went back to Ireland on Wed. for a bit. Since then it's been me an another guy Jeremy (who is interning with the company) that have been traveling with the Jim (the guy who does most all the above water canal inspections) finishing up the rest of the plumbness measurements for the guard gate towers on the canal. We finished up the ones east of Rochester on Friday. They were some rather nice towers (compared to the rest we had done) Because they were located in parks and such and were frequently used. These ones were all painted nice and one even has a full time operator. These involved some more intense climbing as demonstrated in the next few pics...
Here is my coworker with the necessary safety equipment. As you can see we start with a regular harness equipped with a double lanyard to give us the capacity for 100% tie off. On top of this we add a type 1 PDF which will help us to float face up if we land in the water (of course if we happened to fall into the water, chances are that we won't be needing to breath. My coworker has therefore theorized that this is actually device actually assists in body location [less need for dredging and all]) to "top" it all off we add the Hard Hat. (This will protect us from falling sky and divebombing birds.)
Some photos of the one of the towers
Here is a few of us workin' hard. Yup first we climb to the top using the supplied ladder, next we climb down to where we can mark the center of the tower (this has to be below the platform because it is not necessarily in line with the base of the tower) Then the boss on the ground can take a reading with a Transit to see if it lines up with the center mark we have already made at the base. Then Then we climb around to another side and do it all again.
We do get some nice days though....
And here am I at the top (complete with my protective orange gear)
So that is all just another update... I had the pictures so I figured i'd show all ya'll...
well anyways... May the frost never afflict your spuds. May the leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms. May the crows never pick your haystack. If you inherit a donkey, may she be in foal. (Irish Blessing)
and remember... You can accomplish more with a kind word and a shillelagh than you can with just a kind word. (Irish Proverb)
So pursue Happiness and until we meet again and the case is solv'ed
P.S. Did you know that my middle name is a retorhical question??? (explaintion hidded in blog muhahaha now you must read to find it muhhahahahaha)
So life in the real world has begun. I started work with Collins Engineers Inc. (http://www.collinsengr.com/) They've been keeping me pretty busy. It's a kinda cool company... not only do they have two offices in Ireland (nice) but they also specialize in some interesting aspects of engineering which include but are not limited to: -Underwater Inspections (which means you scuba-dive around the underwater portion of structures to check for structural soundness) -Interstate Sign inspections (ya we go up and check the portions of the signs that hang over the highway) -Canal inspections (which i have been working on the past few weeks)
So this is now my fourth week in the company... the first week i was in the office preparing field books for the NYS underwater inspections. The second week i got to go out in the field with one of the other engineers in the office to inspect interstate signs... that was fun... (we obviously didn't listen when our moms told us to not play in the street) the second week i went with another engineer (who actually has his phd from Clarkson) to inspect canals. {This is not where the EXPLENATION is:__} We went to some of the smaller of the 200 canal structures that Collins is inspecting over the next 2 years. Wasn't bad work got so see a lot of NY countryside as we inspected structures on various feeder canals and resevoures. here's some pics from one of the structures...
On wednesday we did one similar to this one.... it wasn't one of the smaller structures... Our main purpose was to experiment with how we would check the towers to see if the were plumb.... this prepared us for this week in which we have been going along the canal checking all the gate towers.... {EXPLANATION not HERE either} Another cool part of this week was that this guy, Barry McGill, was over from Ireland working with us. Yup i picked him up in Rochester Monday morning and have been traveling around ever since. Yup we stayed in Utica Monday night and up near Albany the Tuesday night. Tonight in back in Syracuse...
Speaking of checking for plumbness.... we are doing it by taking a readings using a surveying instrument.... now for those of you who took the engineering measurements class at Clarkson you all remember the ancient surveying equipment we used about which we all laughed and said how stupid it was that Clarkson didn't buy newer equipment since we would never be using something like that in the real world... well....
This is where the explanation is hidden... sorta hidden that is....: my middle name = Michael Michael = hebrew for "Who is like God?" "Who is like God?" = retorhical question Therefore: my middle name = retorhical question Therefore the title is of this blog is a retorhical question.... .... that's all ... yes that was the big hidden message... now that you've read most of the blog you might as well read the rest... the rest is mostly pictures anyway... .... ... so yes back to what i was talking about
In order to dispell these rumers and set to rest the myth... here it is in living color... the equipment i've been using this week.... Yup so i actually did learn something usefull at Clarkson (i'm wearing a type 1 lifejacket and i was looking into the sun when i took the pic. [that's why my eyes r squinted shut])
So anyways... all in all it's been a fun week... i still actually have two more days of it.... these next two we will be closer to rochester so i will be spending the night there.... anyways though here's a few more pics i've been taking this week on my phone.... (one of the big puddles we drove though to get to one of the locks [and yes i am driving little blue behind the van and she made it through too]) (another one of the locks we inpected) (one of my temporary offices this week) (my main office of the week... yes it's the open road) (another view of this weeks cubical)
So yes it's been a fun week. I got to travel, wade around in creeks, climb large towers, hang out with a guy from Ireland, have dinner with my granparents in utica one night and dinner with Ben Lind in Albany the next. So my first couple of weeks in slavery to the real world are going alright... We'll see what come next ;-p
So now i'm sitting in the hotel room in Syrcuse writing a little blog to give you all a glimpse into my life....
Well that's all the glimpse your getting so now i'm off to get a glimpse of the inside of my eyelids....
before i go here's....
Wishing you always... Walls for the wind, A roof for the rain And tea beside the fire. Laughter to cheer you, Those you love near you, And all that your heart may desire (Irish belssing)
And remember.... He who can follow his own will is a king. (Irish Proverb)
Why is that... (in reference to the title that is...) How come when it snows in April we all feel that something is wrong... I mean doesn't it snow pretty much every year in April (I am talking about the northeast in this case). For some reason, even though our experience tells us that in April it will snow at least once, for some reason we feel that the reality is that it won't and that snow is out of place... strange... You could almost say we are insane... isn't Einstein's definition of insanity to keep doing the same thing expecting different results. People who live in the North east continue to get to spring and think that it shouldn't snow.... weird.... I think this can be applied in another area of life... How about following God... Sometimes it seems that God doesn't come through when I ask Him to... yet I continue to rely on Him... Sometimes I can't help but wonder if, by Einstein's definition, I am a little insane.... But in spite of the logical reasoning part of my mind telling me this... something compels me to keep seeking God, Even when it seems He is no where to be found. Something tells me that this reality that I see isn't all there is... that there is a more real reality that exists that sometimes oftentimes is hard to see due present surroundings... kinda like how we see snow in April and wonder how reality could be so distorted... In the same way sometimes we look at God and the distortion of reality makes it appear that He is far away... Kinda like looking the wrong way through binoculars... The problem is that we can start believing that the distortion is the reality if we aren't careful...
Lies can often times be easier to belief than truth... For instance the lie that i will never escape from this institution known as "THE EDUCATION SYSTEM" but of course that is a lie... the truth is that in but a month i will (God willing) be walking across a stage in an extremely overpriced black sheet and a strange hat that is completely useless in real life (which is the most probable reason that people generally throw them as far away as they can once the ceremony is over) all this to receive an apparently very expensive piece of paper which will say that i am worth more money than i was 4 years ago.... As they say "Education is that which is left after what was learned is forgotten" (In this case "they" would be George Savile who was apperently the first Marquess of Halifax... just in case you cared)
So i guess that's all for now folk... i do feel kinda bad that i missed posting a St. Patricks Day Blog... but of course that just shows i had better things to due that day... I do apologize, however, to those of you who where hoping to come to this site for blessings on that day... but in all fairness... you guys need to get a life...
ummm, so ya... for you blessings scanners here they are...
May you see God's light on the path ahead When the road you walk is dark. May you always hear, Even in your hour of sorrow, The gentle singing of the lark. When times are hard may hardness Never turn your heart to stone, May you always remember when the shadows fall— You do not walk alone. (Irish blessing for times of sorrow)
And remember....
There’s no point in keeping a dog if you are going to do your own barking. (Irish Proverb)
So pursue Happiness in Christ And until we meet again and the case is solv'ed
P.S. If you think about it my grandmother and a good friend of mine have been having some health problems... please pray for them if you can.
Well I had a great blog in the works apparently it seemed to the compy that it was too long so it shut me down… it started off something like “well look at the two blogs in a month” or something like that… I was in the process of telling the story of the week…. It was a good story too… which is funny I meant to come on here and tell the story of the week starting from Thursday night but ended up starting from Monday…
Basically Mac Attack Monday was great… almost won a cookie decorating contest but lost it too Ben’s masterful move which awarded him a pair of tweezers and therefore assisted him in (incorrectly by the way ) spelling Merry Christmas on his wreath shaped cookie with red sprinkles…. Tuesday was dull I think, don’t remember much from it. Wednesday was much the same except for the assisting in the making of a music video for Josh McGrath. Thursday began the replacing of my starter in my truck. This task was tackled by Eli and I. Due to certain obstacles we were not able to complete the task that night. (on a side note does anyone ever wonder why on a supposedly American vehicle all the bolts are metric?) (that was not the obstacle just a side note). In spite of the uncompleted task, the night turned out well as we had the Tomfords over for dinner (Mr. Tomford [aka Pastor Mike] is one of the pastors at the church I attend up here.) Mrs. Tomford had stopped by the other night after speaking at IV and so we told here to bring her family sometime. It was a great meal that Ben and Josh cooked up including but not limited to; Three pot roasts, mashed potatoes, a Lind’s Special Salad… Dinner was completed with some extraordinary Mrs. Tomford pies, 7 ½ banana bread, and some Josh Parry Eggnog… Though some people might think that having a family with five sons over might be a little overwhelming I have to say that they were the calmest group we’ve had over, in spite of an intense Christmas trivia game. (they even helped clean up the kitchen when dinner was over). That pretty much led the way into an awesome weekend. Friday morning’s exam I wasn’t too worried about so I studied a little after the Tomfords left. After the exam I finished installing the new starter in my truck (at which point, thank God, it ran) then there was a Korean dinner at our apartments then a movie at Kevin and Liz’s and then a housewarming party at Gary’s which included a bonfire and setting snowballs on fire with gasoline and attempting to juggle them. Saturday we just laid around for most of the day then had a piano recital to attend and the went to the Massena mall to visit DJ Natro as he tore us some records at the Expressway store. Sunday Church was good and so was the ride home.
So Monday morning I had my wisdom teeth pulled… I don’t remember much of that day… In fact the last thing I remember was them sticking the IV in my arm and talking to me about school. The doctor then asked if I was starting to feel anything…I said no and then all of the sudden things started to get a little blurry…I remember smiling a little cause I was like “oh it’s starting” The doctor was like “feeling a little buzz now” and I said “yup”After that, the next thing I remember was stumbling out to the car being handed the bag with my teeth and then taking pictures of my mouth with my cell phone cause I though all the blood in it looked cool. I vaguely remember my mom asking me to stop cause it was gross but I kept trying to get a better one… one that showed more blood on my teeth and stuff… after that all I remember is stumbling into the bed at home and passing out for another couple hours when I woke up my mom came in with new gauze to stick in my mouth. This I did then promptly fell back to sleep…this went on for the rest of the day… needless to say I think I was able to catch up on a semester worth of sleep Monday. Now it’s Tuesday my teeth aren’t really bothering me that much… a little swollen and I can’t really chew on them… it also hurts to smile some…. Which was why maybe it was a bad idea to go to Ethan’s tonight but oh well… ya so I lost my wisdom teeth Monday… I lost something else tonight at Ethan’s… for those of you who understand lets just say I got saved….Yes it’s pretty short… I guess my scalp wasn’t fast enough this time haha but no I like it… I even got a guest appearance on the Hackett video blog haha check it out at www.Ethanhackett.com maybe I’ll get some pics up here… maybe not… maybe I’ll get some pics of my bloody mouth as well… we’ll see
Anywho… i'm feeling ten pounds lighter and three teeth dumber so i guess i'm just going to go to bed (not that i really know why that makes me want to go to bed... but then i am three teeth dumber so i guess that's understandable)
So….
These things, I warmly wish for you- Someone to love, some work to do, A bit of o' sun, a bit o' cheer. And a guardian angel always near. (Irish Blessing)
And remember….
There are two things that cannot be cured: Death and the want of sense. (Irish Proverb)
) spelling Merry Christmas on his wreath shaped cookie with red sprinkles…. Tuesday was dull I think, don’t remember much from it. Wednesday was much the same except for the assisting in the making of a