Officer Induction

Our Toastmasters club, Waco Wordsmiths, met at Mama Baris and had a short meeting and a meal where the officers took their oaths of office. The oath of office for each officer was given.



Tim Hess was installed as Treasurer.



Jessica Dudley, on the left, took her oath as Secretary, which was administered by Leigh Ann Moffet, the Area 43 District Commissioner.



And Brad Carter as Vice President of Public Relations.



And then there was Luis Ortiz, the Vice President of Membership.



Gary Lee Webb took the oath of office as Vice President of Education.



And last I gave the oath of office as President.



We must have had a good time.

Your Focus Determines Your Reality

Qui-Gon Jinn advised Anakin Skywalker; "Your focus determines your reality". I concur with this statement. I have a few examples that demonstrate the veracity of this simple phrase.

My daughters Anita and Debra were traveling home late one evening from a church activity. Anita was driving our Ford Aerostar. She was stopped by a Hewitt police officer and was given a ticket for running a stoplight.

I listened to Anita and Debra explain what had happened. Both of them claimed that they did not run a red light. Anita entered a "not guilty" plea at the municipal building with the clerk. Her day in court followed.

We went as a family to the court to the preliminary hearing. The city attorney wanted to talk to Anita so I informed the city attorney that she needed to talk to me with Anita since she was a minor. Out came the ticket original from the police officer and the attorney read from the back of the ticket the officers statement that the vehicle came at a high rate of speed around the corner and nearly collided with the officers unit. I indicated that what the officer said did not, in any way, match the way the events were related to me from my daughters. The attorney then asked if I would like to see the video. I was pleased to hear that there was a video and asked to see it. The officer was called and asked to come while we viewed the video.

The interesting part of this is that there were 3 people that were there when the ticket was issued. The events were related by the three people as:

• Anita said that the police car was up the hill a few hundred yards away when she went through the intersection and the light was yellow when she entered the intersection
• Debra said that the police car was at the corner and the light turned red while the car passed through the intersection
• The police officer said that the light was red and that the car almost ran into the police car

All of them were wrong. The video clearly showed that the police car was about 50 yards from the intersection and the car entered the intersection just after the light turned yellow. The car went around the corner at normal speed.

The officer was irritated and said, "Well, she didn't use her turn signal!" We rewound the video, and behold, the turn signal was blinking.

The focus of the police officer was looking for fault so he could issue tickets. His focus must have altered his reality.

My older brother, Kent, and a friend, Terry, visited a family they were assigned to visit as home teachers for church. They had a pleasant visit. When Kent and Terry left the family's home, Terry asked if Kent had noticed the collection of trophies. Kent indicated that he had not. Kent then asked if Terry if he noticed the beautiful piano. Terry indicated that he had not.

The irony of this is that Terry was interested in competitive sports and Kent had interest in playing the piano. When they returned to the home of the family it was noticed that the trophies were arranged on top of the piano.

In 1984 a young man was convicted of a crime he did not commit. A Kentucky Fried Chicken in Grapevine was robbed. A public notice of the robbery was delivered to the surrounding area. A woman heard on the radio a description of the man that committed the crime. He was described as a black man about 6 feet tall carrying a green canvas bag. Lenell Jeter matched that description. Lennell liked to feed the ducks at Greenville park and read. The police were called, Lenell was arrested, and the wheels were started in the process of convicting Lenell.

Lenell was at work the day the robbery was committed. Co-workers were wanting to testify of his innocence. The District Attorney's office made a case against Lenell and he was convicted. Lenell's co-workers knew he was innocent and managed to get 60 Minutes to do an expose' by investigating the case and putting it on national TV.

When the TV show aired, the defense attorney was interviewed about his defense of Lenell and discovered that he had not even interviewed the witnesses that could have stood in for the defense. The district attorney withheld evidence and maliciously prosecuted Lenell. The public outcry that resulted after the TV show persuaded another district attorney to reopen the case. Even then an attempt was made to release Lenell with a record and time served instead of dropping the charges.

Lenell was engaged to be married when he was arrested. After he was released he got married. He and his wife moved into an apartment and while they were moving their belongings found an electronic eavesdropping device.

I worked at the same place as Lenell in 1986. I had occasion to see him at the grocery store and was bold enough to introduce myself and ask him why he did not relocate someplace else where people did not focus on bigotry. He said, "Somebody has to do it."

Lenell was focused on helping, even in the face of adversity. We can take an example from him and remember that our focus determines our reality and choose the better things to be the object of our focus.

Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance

Eric participated in the show produced by Midway High School. Eric was a sailor and sang a song with the Men's Select Choir, Dames. He performed both Friday and Saturday.

A moment of weakness

Under Construction (two gross)

I have grown tired of the current scheme on the Larry and Jeanette Vance Family BLOG and am intent on doing a little house cleaning. I determined that this post (number 288) was two gross (pun intended). The DADisms are being given a hiatus. The BLOG Lists are to be split into at least two groups and posted on opposite sides of the center.

Well here are the DADisms for posterity.

• A hungry cook is an idiot.
• Any day above ground is a good day.
• Anything for YOU!
• Can't is such a strong word.
• Communication is such a difficult thing.
• Como esta' free holy tennis shoe? (How you bean keds?)
• Computers are a wonderful tool, but a terrible job.
• Didn't we go to different High Schools together?
• Don't hurt yourself!
• Get over it.
• Hurry up and wait!
• I don't get even. I get ahead.
• I KNOW you can.
• I suppose that you CAN!
• I was ____ once! (fill in blank with age, or something else)
• I'll give you 20 minutes to quit that!
• Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean I won't get you.
• Never cut hot peppers then rub your eyes.
• Never underestimate your influence
• No brag, just fact.
• No news is good news.
• No, no, no, no; you don't understand!
• People are dying to get in there. (about cemetaries)
• Reading the instructions is cheating. (this applies to men only)
• They say the second thing to go is the memory.
• What are YOU doing here?
• Why matters!
• You are only happy if you think you are!
• Your focus determines your reality.

Lo Hizo Yo!

Last summer when we went to Utah and Idaho to deliver Debra to BYUi and visit family I bought a Bible in Spanish. I finished reading the New Testament last night (in Spanish). I struggled with some of the words. Rather than stop and try to translate them, I just read on. I understood the majority of what the scriptures said, and even had a few epiphanies.

Lunch Boxes

For Christmas I was fortunate and received a yellow Popeye lunch box. It was filled with some DVDs of old cartoons. The lunchbox has been able to fit in my briefcase just fine the past few weeks. Eric dug through his stores of booty past and found a blue Popeye lunchbox. The flowers are there like the parsley that gets put on a gourmet meal.

Trying out the Cameras

I was beginning to think that the new camera was broken. I could not get a good facial portrait of Eric.



With a bit of covert sneaking I thought that I could get that evasive shot. But, alas, the hand is quicker than the shutter.





I did have to resort to use of physical restraint. The focus is not the best, but with both hands busy trying to restrain the arms and hands of a teenager and then trying to get the shutter to go before the hands can again get into place, this is pretty good.

Competition

I participated in a self imposed competition today. I think I failed.

At Christmas time we stayed several days with our son Craig, his wife Brina, and their two boys. We got to stay in their brand new home. It is fabulous by the way. I love the colors they have painted the rooms.

One night Brina made Lasagne for dinner. Craig helped. Dad (Larry) said I (Jeanette) make the best lasagne he has ever eaten. Isn't he sweet. Craig begged to differ.

After dinner Craig inquired if Brina had the better dish. Larry concurred. I had been misplaced. It was a sad day. (not really) I haven't made lasagne is years because Larry has given up pasta and noodles.

So now to the competition. Today I made lasagne. I was going to make some great stuff and win my throne back! Craig said Brina's secret ingredient was sausage in the meat sauce. So I added sausage. I know that Brina is good at flavorings/spices. I decided to change my recipe to include more spices. I added extra flavors to the tomato sauce and the Ricotta cheese mixture. I also used the oven ready noodles. (Great stuff and so much easier) Though you do have to have to cook the lasagne for a very long time using them.

Like I said I failed. I didn't even like today's lasagne. Eric picked through the cheese mixture and took off the top crusty cheese (my favorite part) I bet it will be better tomorrow or even Monday.

But no more competition for me. ( Ihope) I do some things just fine and I should leave them that way.

Out with the Old, in with the New

Not long ago I sat in the recliner to watch some idiot tube. I noticed the mechanism did not operate smoothly. I turned the chair topsy turvey and noticed that the frame was bent and springs were missing. I decided I did not want to hassle with trying to fix it. We moved it out (of the family room) and moved in a new chair. Here you can see the chair usurped by the young Mister Vance.



I think I like it.

Beauty

Isn't it beautiful?



The piles of yarn in the living room are being transformed.



Isn't it beautiful?

Getting Ready

We bought a new camera to prepare for our trip in the summer. We plan to go on a photo journalling expedition to the motherland. We looked a little bit at different cameras and reviews, visited a couple shops, and bought a camera online. Julie and Clint had just bought a camera that they showed us when we were there. We copied them. It is more camera than we need for most instances. We also bought a tripod and a couple 8gig cards.



After seeing some of the 10Mp photos it can produce, I am convinced that it can produce studio quality images.

Never Cut Hot Peppers and then Rub Your Eyes

I am a practical man interested in functionality. I have gained some wisdom over the years. This one piece of wisdom I want to pass on to those in my family.

Don't cut hot peppers and then rub your eyes!

I like to eat hot peppers in my food. One thing that we have successfully done over the years is grow peppers in the garden. The oils on the inside of hot peppers are responsible for that burning sensation in your mouth. I have been bold enough to grow habanero peppers (some say they are the hottest commercially available pepper). In order to process these peppers it is necessary to remove them from the plant and to remove the stem (and maybe even the seeds) so as to allow the pepper to be cut into appropriate size pieces (very small). Soap does not seem to be able to take the oil off your skin. A nonchalant rub to the eye or nose when it itches and that trace of hot oil then transfers to the tender skin around your orifices.

The oils do not seem to break down in the digestive track either. As the oils from the peppers travel down through your digestive track they cause a warm feeling that can be felt with a knowledge of just how far through the process it has gone.

Eat icecream after eating hot peppers. The burning is reduced with the consumption, and then later when you have to dispose of those oils in the sanitation system you can have a hope of the icecream coming soon after.

Hurry Up and Wait

As a male I have a tendency to want to get things done in the quickest and most direct method. Speed limits are just that, limits. Many times I will be in a hurry to get to some place that the next step is to wait. 10 minutes early is just in time.

I have heard people say frequently that a group should meet ten minutes early so they will not be ten minutes late. This is very irritating to me. I have seen people set their clocks 10 minutes ahead so they could be on time, but since they know the clock is 10 minutes ahead they will live 10 minutes late and still be late.

I have always disliked waiting in queues and lines, but it seems that is the way things are going. Even to make a phone call for assistance with a warrantee it is necessary to wait in a waiting queue. Maybe they do this so they can have less warrantee claims.

Even so, I am usually in a hurry and then I have to wait.

Hurry up and wait.

Computers are a Wonderful Tool but a Terrible Job

This is one that I coined myself. I first was exposed to computers when I went to BYU and started in my career as an engineer. It seems that for a long time my career was upside down.

I started working on a Digital VAX 11-750 running Berkley unix.

As time went on the VAX was changed by installing VMS, another operating system.

I began to work on my thesis and was given access to a PRIME 750.

I generated my graphics for my thesis on an Apple Macintosh.

I wrote the text for the thesis on an IBM PC.

I went to work for Martin Marietta a couple years after I graduated and then was able to use the Cyber.

When there was a downturn in engineering work I was given the opportunity to do orbital mechanics calculations and test on software written for RTOS.

The irony of all this is that the evolution of computers was almost completely backwards from my exposure.

RTOS (Real Time Operating System) -- used on small computers for machines

Cyber -- A water cooled computer that filled a room, had a flat file system, and required an operator to perform even the most basic of operations.

IBM PC -- The beginning of the desktop PC. It used an operating system that was stolen from another company and then re-branded IBM/DOS and subsequently MSDOS. A text based OS.

Macintosh -- a single user machine with a graphical user interface, prettier but slower and written for idiots.

VMS -- Operating system written by Digital (Microsoft Windows NT is supposedly a knockoff of the core of VMS) In my opinion this is a step down from unix.

unix -- an operating system that was originally written by Bell Labs employees for themselves. It grew through being distributed to universities and the changes then fed back into the OS. The mechanisms and methods are reflected in linux and are direct ancestors of the OS-X from Apple.

I'll Give You 20 Minutes to Stop That

This is something that I heard when I was a youth. Warren Weston, our neighbor, had a plethora of sundry idioms that he would employ consistently. He would grab one of his boys and tickle them while he recited all the things they had been eating.

• Ham
• Weiners
• Eggs

etcetera. But the one that stuck with me was when someone was hugging him or scratching his back he would say:

I will give you twenty minutes to quit that!

It stuck, so I tucked it away in my quiver of quotes.

Didn't We Go to Different High Schools Together?

Martin Weston used to say this to people. I borrowed the saying and repeat is with some sparse frequency. It seems to draw a laugh or maybe a small conversation, so my repertoire is bolstered with yet another idiom idiom.

Como Esta' Free Holy Tennis Shoe

How you bean keds?

This is a play on words between languages. I learned this from Bonnie decades ago. DECADES ago.

Communication is Such a Difficult Thing

During my whole life I have had instances where what I said was taken in a way that was not even close to what I meant. There may be a couple reasons for this, but projection by others seems to be one of the root causes. What others believe and see is what they hear. An innocuous question may be construed into something entirely different, or a joke may be taken in a way that is assumed to be offensive instead of fellowship.

It is very difficult to know the workings of a persons inner feelings. People get it wrong frequently. There are situations where inside someone can be elated with a situation and not be boisterous and loud, which is interpreted by someone else as indifference. In "Pride and Prejudice" when Darcy convinced his friend Charles Bingley to not pursue a further relationship with Jane Bennett because he believed her to be indifferent, he was probably acting on his own set of feelings. Later Darcy admitted that he was hopelessly in love with Elizabeth Bennett and how he abhorred any form of deception by covering ones feelings. He did cover his feelings for a long time.

In the end Darcy finally communicated his love for Elizabeth and she in turn her love for him, but it was a monumental effort.

Measure your words and use more than just words to communicate what you will.

"Can't" is Such a Strong Word

I am a Star Wars fanboy. I have relented lately in watching the movies as much as at a previous time in my life, but there is one scene in Star Wars Episode I that I believe to be true. Qui-Gon Jinn was talking to Anakin Skywalker about midi-clorians and told him that "Your Focus Determines Your Reality". A corrolary of that that was a precursor is that when you say you can't your are right, and when you say you can, you are right. Believe in yourself. Don't tell yourself you cannot do it before you begin.

Anything for YOU!

Donald Arlo Vance had cited this particular phrase at some juncture in my existence. I took the phrase and appended it to my scanty list of witticisms. There is a bit of truth in every joke. There is a limit to what I will do for most people, and I say this somewhat tongue in cheek, but I do mean that I am here to serve. That is why I now have a Superman T-shirt.

Any Day Above Ground is a Good Day

Yesterday we were driving home from somewhere and drove down 1st Street in Hewitt. The Methodist Church has a marquee out front that read, "Any Day Above Ground is a Good Day". It was quickly noted by Eric and Jeanette that they had taken a DADism and used it. Truth is truth where-ever you find it.

What are YOU doing here?

A few years ago I was working with the nursery. Lauren Work was having a difficult time with nursery. She was new to the nursery and her father, Arlen, and left her there. She was most sad. I held her and talked to her. We went for a walk in the hall looking for her dad. The two hours in nursery went slowly for her. Eventually she settled in and began to enjoy herself. The joy lasted about 10 minutes. Time was up and her dad came to get her. She was overjoyed.

Choir was just after the block of meetings. Kari Work was the choir director. Lauren came with her mother to choir practice. Lauren looked up at me and asked in a very loud and disappointed voice. "What are YOU doing here?" I was lost for words. I probably should never repeat that simple phrase to anyone, but I do. Even the smallest can have an influence in the world.

A Hungry Cook is an Idiot

I plagiarized this saying from Randy Vance. He probably found it somewhere else, but I thought it was a good saying, so I added it to my repertoire of sayings.

Take care of yourself. If you are a mechanic... Fix your car! If you are a cook... EAT!

When you fly on an aircraft that is under the auspices of the FAA then an attractive person will explain at the onset of the flight what you must do to take care of yourself in the event of an emergency. It is rather easy for me to ignore the message, as it is rote. Does this mean that it is not important? Probably not.

Listen to the still small voice and follow the promptings that are delivered to your spirit. Take care of yourself.

My Job

Two people asked me to tell more about what I do with airplanes. Here is my cursory description of how I spend the majority of my life.

I am a structural engineer and I am referred to as a "stress engineer", whatever that is. My employer performs modification and maintenance of aircraft. A large portion of the work we do is related to enhancement and maintenance of military aircraft. The majority of the work is on P-3 and C-130 airplanes. Most of the work I do is in support of designers who make drawings of equipment installations and repair for damage.

I spend much of my time using a computer. I write reports, perform calculations, and track labor expenditures and budgets for my efforts and those who help me. During the course of a day I may have several people come to my office for signatures and advice on structural matters.

As a structural engineer I ensure that structural integrity is maintained when we install things on an airplane. The structural integrity depends on strength, endurance, corrosion resistance, stiffness, and resistance to damage. Other people usually provide detailed aerodynamic loading information for the structures I evaluate. I am involved in creating and using finite element models and using classical analysis methods that were developed before digital computers were available.

Stress is defined as force per area. If you were to have a string with an area of 0.01 inches square and applied a load of one pound to it, then it would experience stress of 100 pounds per square inch. Some of the materials used in my work can withstand stresses up to 160,000 pounds per square inch. It is common to see materials that can withstand stresses to 45,000 psi (pounds per square inch). Some exotic materials, like graphite fibers can withstand 1/4 million psi.

Buckling and crippling are two modes of possible failure that must be checked in an aircraft structure. Buckling is seen as waves or curves developed in a component that is in compression. Crippling happens when a thin structure crushes in compression.

There is also another phenomenon that must be detected and eliminated. This phenomenon is known as flutter. Flutter happens when the aerodynamic response and the structural natural frequency are about the same. Any structure has a natural vibration frequency. If you pluck a guitar string you can hear the natural frequency. The aerodynamic response of a structure, like a wing, is how fast it can respond to a change in the flow characteristics. Flutter is bad.

In the end, I work with other engineers to ensure that the airplane can be flown safely. My job is to make sure the installations are strong enough, have the right stiffness, and last long enough.

From Brian

My Airmane

Today was the first flight of the C130 that I have been supporting. This is the first of four that will be done here in Waco.

75 to 30

Just last week it was almost 80 degrees outside.



We digged and we shoveled and moved that pile of sand and gravel from the driveway to the berm around the pecan tree.



And then the rains came....



.. and froze ...



This looked much more impressive in real size.



So inside we went.



And there our time we spent.

A Major Award (really) (updated)

We knew the other certificate was the wrong one, but we were just excited to get it out there. Here is a shot of the medallion too.

Happy New Year

Hello everyone. Happy New Year! I hope that this year 2009 will be a fun, friendly, festive, and fulfilling year for you.

I have been thinking about my goals for the year. I hope to read the book Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage, go to an LDS temple twelve times, get all of our photo negatives on to CD's, get 2008 scrapbooked, finish other scrapbooking plans, finish my cookbook, play with my grandchildren many times, and be a better wife.

I am sure when I make my concrete plans I will have more details and deadlines.

It takes planning to accomplish. I hope you plan to accomplish this year.

210 done, ? how many more

During 2008 I was brave enough to start a project for my grandchidren. I figured it would take me quite a while to finish. As you can see from the title I have 210 of the pieces done. I don't know how many more I will need because I don't know how many grandchildren I will have.

Right now I have three grandchildren. And they are the cutest in the world. (Trust me I know!)

Each project will take about 192 pieces. That is if I have figured correctly. So I have enough pieces for one of them. Some day they will get them. Probably when they can understand the granny part of the project.