It’s been a little more than a week since my last blog. I had intended to blog every day for a month, to see if I could do it again. I didn’t.

During my hiatus from work, I paused from blogging to spend time with my brother-in-law and his fiancée. Until last week, I’d never met this brother-in-law. He’d been living in Kentucky for many years, and hadn’t been back to Utah in more than a decade.

It was a nice visit, and I feel like I’ve gained another sibling. He reminds me a lot of some of my cousins on my father’s side, so having him here was a little like being back home.

In any case, I’m back on the blog. Thanks for reading!

Dear Daughter,

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a letter. I’m sorry about that.

You’re ten. In only a few months you’ll be eleven. When I was your age, so many things were changing in my life. I moved to another state. I lost friends, and made new ones. I changed schools. I changed the way I dressed. To some extent, I replaced one childhood with another. In some ways, I was better for it. In others, I was not.

You’ve been a handful, recently. It hasn’t been easy being your father. It hasn’t been easy for any of your parents. I guess, in some way, you’re starting to replace one childhood with another, just as I did. You’re growing up, sometimes much quicker than I’d like. You’re maturing, which causes conflicts with your natural immaturity. Your innocence toward the world is shifting. In some ways, I wish I could keep you as my little baby girl. In others, I know that if I don’t help you learn about the world, you may lose a part of yourself to it.

My biggest priority now is to prepare you for what’s to come, while still allowing you to be a ten, almost eleven year old girl. It’s not easy. You might not agree with some of the things I have to do, but I want you to know that it’s for your own best interest.

Remember always that I love you. I would do anything for you. Sometimes, I have to do things you may not agree with for your own well-being. It doesn’t change the fact that I love you.

Be mindful of your family. Be mindful of your parents. At any time in your life, they will be the people there to help you. They will always have some love for you, even if years come between you.

Be well, daughter. Stand tall, stand strong. Do what is right. Do what is honest.

Love, always,

Your father.

Because I’ve been home the past three weeks on a medically-induced vacation, I’ve found some reinterest in amateur radio. I haven’t been this interested since about 2000, at which time I’d been a ham radio operator for about five years.  While using what I have access to with my level of FCC license, I’ve been able to use some of the newer technology.  But still, there’s a lot I can’t do.  And frankly, while I don’t have the equipment I’d need if I had a higher class of license, I have ample time to study and progress in the hobby.  In other words, I don’t have much else to do right now.

My first exposure to ham radio was through a coworker at the Ace Hardware I worked at (the one I have dreams about all the time).  He was an older man, very intelligent, very technically-minded, and quite peculiar.  I was young and interested in electronics and anything else I could learn, and in time I found enough interest in amateur radio to test for it.

About the same time, Richard was also finding some interest in the hobby.  We basically found interest in it at the same time.  We studied, and we tested.  He passed - I failed.

The test comprised of a number of multiple choice questions.  I had to get a certain number right in order to obtain an amateur radio operator’s license from the FCC, and I failed by only a couple questions.  Richard was assigned his amateur operator’s call sign, KF4EAH.  I already had some equipment, so I could only listen to him and others chatting on the radio.

I had been studying with a book from Radio Shack, back in the last few years they were still a radio-oriented company.  I hit that book hard, studying any time I could.  A month later, I had an opportunity to take the test again.  That time, I passed.

Weeks went by, waiting to know what my call sign was going to be.  Back in 1995, things weren’t as computerized as they are now.  I’m sure a new operator today knows their call sign within a week or so.  For me, it was two or three agonizing weeks.  I had to call a semi-automated system through the FCC, where I’d be fighting to talk to someone with everything else under the sun, not just amateur operators.  I’d call every other day, waiting on hold almost 30 minutes each time.  Eventually, I had good news.

I was given KF4EZX.  I liked the call sign, really, even though some years later I abandoned it.

The second I could use the radio, I did.  I talked for hours on end.  I made some new friends.  I learned a lot in those first few years.  But admittedly, I didn’t learn a bit of it while studying for the license test.

The questions were standardized, even enumerated, to simplify studying.  I memorized the answers, as best I could.  I passed simply because I could remember the questions and their answers, not because I knew any of the information.  I hadn’t learned anything, aside from some of the most basic facts that anyone could pick up.

Learning came with time, and with patient silence as people conversed on radio and in person.  Slowly, I pieced together some of the basics of electronics and radio technology.  But still, I couldn’t tell the difference between an upper and a lower sideband.

Now, it’s 15 years later.  Since turning 30, I’ve learned a lot about how I learn.  If I’d known how to learn in school and while testing for my FCC license, I would have progressed through the ham radio license ranks sooner.

The only problem is, it’s a lot easier to find testing aids that simply run through questions and answers than actually teach you anything - the same it’s been since 1995, and probably much sooner.  I need to actually learn what some of the questions I’m reading are referring to, rather than knowing the answer.

So I’m on a quest to find information.  Short of buying books and paying for courses, I can learn this all on my own with the right resources.  I might have found a decent way of figuring all this out, using Wikipedia and Google to find answers I don’t know.  Once I read them, write them, talk about them, or test on them, I’ll learn most of what I’m testing on.  It’s learning through absorbsion.  It reminds me of the old poster of Garfield learning by osmosis.  Except there’s no liquid transfer here.

I can only study and give it time.  The next available test in my area is July 21, unless you count the one tomorrow in Salt Lake (yeah, not going to make it to that one).  By then I could either be as close to understanding the precepts of amateur radio as I’ve ever been, or back at the same level I was a month ago.

It’s up to me now.  It’s time to learn new lessons.  Maybe this will open my brain to more in the future.

Maybe my current K2EZX is the step to something more.

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It’s been a very long time since I did a Hit List post (more than 2 years).

Basically, Hit List is when I dig into the blog’s stats and hit log to see what types of searches are bringing people to my blog.  These are situations when someone goes on Google (or whatever search engine suits you) and types in something like “al harrington’s wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men” and end up looking at my blog.  Incidentally, my blog is result #1 for that search, out of about 1.2 million results.  Go figure, huh?

The Hit List serves two purposes.  It’s a good way to summarize what people come here looking for.  It’s also a way to share with regular readers what random readers are looking at.  It’s highly interesting.  Oh, and it’s a good way for me to continue to bring people to the blog, exposing them to my writing as well as potential ads that they might click on, which may someday pay me a few bucks for all the work I put into this site.  That’s more than two things, I know.  But it’s AT LEAST two things, right?  Don’t mess with a man on Oxycodone.

For the record, our average total hits per month this year is 35,853 hits a month.  I wish that were the best ever - we averaged about 60,000 hits a month in 2008, when I blogged EACH AND EVERY DAY of the year.  I wonder what I’d be seeing in 2010 if I still blogged each day.

So let’s take a look at what search criteria people are using to find me:

- scientology and mormonism: This usually only brings up one particular entry, because I’ve only compared the two religions once.  But apparently many people are looking for information comparing the two.  Sorry, I write my opinion on them, instead.

- nudist neighbors or naked neighbors: The neighbors behind me regularly take their clothes off to get in the hot tub.  Well, really it’s the dad an his three sons.  The mother doesn’t do it quite as much.  But the kids apparently are ok with being in the buff in front of their mom… even though they’re 10 through 18.

- letter to my daughter: this is, by far, one of my biggest hits.  There are several variations on this search criteria.  I’ve written letters to my daughter a handful of time, and a few times to my son.  I occasionally write letters to other people and organizations.  I’ve had to add a “Letters” category to my subjects.  I need to write letters more often.

- hands monkey: on the surface, this might seem like the most ridiculous search criteria.  For a long time, the musak-type music played at work as included a song called “Monkey” by Two Loons for Tea.  The song is very peculiar.  And until you look it up, you’re not quite sure what the lyrics say.  So I posted them once.  Now, I’m the top result out of 6.2 million on Google for someone looking for the lyrics.

- swamp cooler: I’m the seventh result for “swamp cooler lowes.”  I see many different combinations of this search, but it’s always about “swamp cooler.”  I’ve talked about swamp coolers on many occasions.  We removed a swamp cooler (or evaporative cooler - an AC-like device that pumps cool air into a house.  It only works in the desert.  They’re nasty things, trust me.) on the old house.  I have one now on my new house, but sometime in the next five years when I consider reroofing the house, I’ll take it out.  It’s not even hooked up, but if it were, I doubt I’d use it.  The thing is a magnet for mold.  I used to get very sick at the old house, until we removed it, and then I rarely got sick.  If you have one and have a lot of colds, mysterious illnesses, random viral infections, or worse, I’d consider replacing it with a true AC system.  Oh, and these posts pull in the most SPAM comments, which I hate about as much as I dislike swamp coolers.

- foster grant sunglasses grand prix: I wear sunglasses.  A lot.  And I’ve worn a lot of sunglasses in the last twenty years, especially once I went to contacts in my teens.  I’m sensitive to the sun.  I squint in low light.  Plus I prefer how I look in them.  I’d wear them all night, too, Gene Simmons or Dog Chapman style, if I could.  I’ve blogged a few times about my sunglasses.  But one time, I blogged about the frustration of not finding the right pair.  I usually end up with Foster Grant brand sunglasses, mostly because I’d never do well with $100 or higher pairs.  I scratch them within an hour of buying them.  I bend them.  I break them.  I lose them.  I use them to the point of abuse.  Good sunglasses wouldn’t last long.  Plus, most seem too small for my overly large head.  Most “one size fits all” sunglasses don’t fit me at all, and it’s obvious.  So, when I found the Foster Grant Grand Prix model at Walmart, I bought a couple.  Later, when I needed more, they were gone.  I’ve looked for them for a year or more now, never finding anything that suits me, only near-hits.  I can buy them from the manufacturer in lots, so please click on my site’s ads so I can make enough to buy some for the rest of the year.  Thanks.

- house of my dreams: I expect people finding my blog through this search are a little surprised of it’s content.  I’m not necessarily talking about the “house of my dreams,” but the “house in my dreams.”  I have a house that I dream about on a regular basis.  It’s full of secret rooms and passages.  It’s hiding a lot of secrets.  I’ve come and gone, and the house is usually the same.  Maybe someday I’ll be able to build it, like most people are probably looking for when they come to the blog, but for now the house will have to exist within my own mind.

There are many more phrases and words that bring people to my blog, but these are some of the more common, or more interesting.  To those coming for these phrases and words, thanks for visiting.  For regular readers, thanks for being regular.

No, really.

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This is part five of a five-part special this week called Road Rules.

On Monday, I wrote about people who don’t know how to make turns.

Tuesday, I wrote about the ballet of cars that I find constantly dancing in front of me.

The topic of Wednesday’s post was about frustrating pedestrians in Utah.

Yeserday, Thursday’s post concerned bicyclists and joggers.

Today, the last day of this series, I want to talk about the good drivers I encounter on the roads.

A courteous driver pauses to let someone out while they’re already stopped.  There’s little need to pause for someone without any reason to stop (unless it might cause an accident).  This is dangerous, as many drivers coming up behind you (or on your side) may not understand what’s going on, and could cause an accident with you or the car you’e trying to let you.  However, if you’re stopped at a light, a stop sign, or in traffic, it’s very nice to allow someone out.  Sometimes, things don’t work out well to let someone out, but don’t worry about that.  Your intention speaks volumes.  Just remember, you shouldn’t be stopped in the middle of an intersection with another road.  If the light above you changes, you’re now blocking traffic in the other direction.  Gauge this appropriately.

A nice driver doesn’t pass you on the right.  It happens a lot in Utah.  I understand there are a lot of people in this state that drive in the far-left lane at a slower pace than the speed limit or average traffic speed.  If they’re doing the speed limit, how much complaining can you really do?  You’re probably the one speeding in that case.  But if someone’s going 50 on a 65 MPH highway, your “cruising speed” should be enough to pass them on their right.  But if they’re already doing 75 in a 65 and you want to go 85, passing on the right side of them is just plain dangerous.  You can’t predict that people on the far right are going to do.  Often, they’re a lot like you and want to weave in and out of traffic.  Passing like this is reactionary and fast - and so is a side swipe accident.

A safe driver doesn’t turn left five seconds after the light’s turned red.  Are you stupid or something?

A courteous driver knows when to use common sense instead of the “I’ve been sucking on my tailpipe fumes” sense that often plagues drivers.  They don’t apply makeup unless they’re at a stop.  They don’t read books - ever.  That glance you keep making to the side of your door?  We know you’re texting, so stop it.  Not holding the phone in your right hand or in direct view of your driving is still just as bad.  Texting and driving is illegal here, and probably will be most places soon.  And no, IMing and emailing ARE the same.  Courteous drivers pay attention to the road, and what’s going on around them.

The ultimate road rule is common sense.  None of us are perfect.  But as long as we’re doing what we can, using our common sense,  to do our best, we’re a lot safer.  I’m a lot safer.  My wife and my kids are a lot safer.  And there’s nothing wrong with that rule.

Drive safe, everyone!

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Until further notice, only registered users can post comments on this blog.  I hate doing it, but this blog software doesn’t support enough anti-spam features to my satisfaction.  I know they are working on it with future releases.  At this point,

I can’t turn on a switch to make anonymous comments go away, so what I’ve done is turn on the captcha (the thing that makes you type in random characters in order to post) and only put in non-English fonts (such as Webdings) for the system to use.  Essentially, if you’re not registered on this blog, you’ll be asked to type in characters you most likely won’t even see rendered on the screen.  And when you register, you’ll have to wait for an administrator to approve you until you have posting prevelages.

I’m sorry it’s come to this, but until this blog software is brought more up to date I have little choice.  It’s either that or some of us continue to get fake and vague comments with links to shoes, phone cases, HVAC companies, and worse.

I know this might be an inconvenience for some, but it will make the rest of us a lot less frustrated.

Thanks!

Eric

 

ADDED AFTER INITIAL POST:

User registration is easy.  You can click on the Login link at the top of the screen, then select Registration on that screen.  Or you can click here.

Once you register, you will continue to be considered an unregistered user until I’ve had a chance to review your account and approve your account.  This may take up to 24 hours in some case.  I apologize for the delay, as I’m not always sitting in front of the computer.

This will help control spam on this blog.

Thank you for your understanding.