Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!
The Title clearly lets you know how I am feeling right now.
I have had everything in the world of cellular from my very first "brick" phone, which probably weighed about three pounds, to my latest little pocket-sized guy on which I can not only talk, but communicate in writing via text. Things have come a long way.
The little pocket-sized guy, however, has been dropped, hit by the sprinkler, and suffered a number of injustices over the years with me. It was really time to think about an upgrade.
My friend, Susan S., believes her iPhone is the ultimate in cellular+ service! She was kind enough to sit down with me over a cuppa' Joe to discuss her phone. Hmmmmm. Maybe I should consider one of these new-fangled phones? Looks like it can really do a whole lotta' stuff. Do I really NEED to do that much stuff? Don't know. I'll need to think about it. Oh... and I will need to research the actual units themselves. Gotta' use that Consumer Reports online subscription, after all!!
Have you ever bounced something around for so long that you finally reach the point of not even being interested anymore? Sure you have! That's where I landed after Consumer Reports online along with Googling and reading a TON of consumer reviews on the top three phones. I was pretty much over it and completely believed I could get a few more years out of that last "free" upgrade phone! Sigh. That didn't happen.
So... once I made the decision on WHICH phone, the challenge was to find the best price. Lord help me. That became another mired-down exercise! I actually went to a nearby wireless store to see the proposed unit and check on pricing. I checked online with the same firm. I checked the manufacturer site for more information. Again... I am really losing interest in this whole deal. This is far too time-consuming and I KNOW there is going to be even more time involved as I scale the learning curve. Am I up for that commitment? Really?
The new SmartPhone was retrieved Monday the 19th. If any of you have called me and not received an answer, it's likely because I am still trying to achieve the fine art of answering the darned thing without just simply pushing a button. Nope. That would be FAR too easy!! What have I gotten myself into?!?!? I won't bore you with the number of hours spent just trying to achieve some VERY simple things with the phone. Suffice it to say I rarely spent this amount of time with any device to do something as simple as make a phone call.
I have commited a certain amount of time each day for the next couple of weeks to figure out all of the things this equipment does and how to do it without costing myself any additional money. I realize that the MBA prepared me for running household finances but is insignificant in the quest to use the SmartPhone. Sigh. Will I ever be an accomplished user? Probably not. Will I ever be able to do the basic things I generally need to do with a mobile phone? Sure. Eventually. Maybe before 2012.
I will keep you posted on the progress (or lack thereof!) made with my learning and using. In the meantime, if you call and I don't answer, leave a voicemail. As soon as I figure out how to retrieve it, I promise I will call you back. Really.
Until next post...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
09/11/2011 PLEASE RENEW YOUR ACQUAINTANCE WITH SGT. MAJ. LARRY STRICKLAND
Greetings to my Blogging Pals. Those who have been with me a while know about my participation in Project 2996. I began my participation in 2009 and plan to continue this as long as I am able to do so. I ask each of you to take a moment to remember what happened on 9/11/2001. Even if you read my tributes previously, please read them again. It's important that we see this as an individual, personal event... not just something that happened in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania a decade ago. It affects us all and will continue to do so. I do not see the 10th Anniversary as any different from the 2nd, the 19th, or the 100th. The pain for the families is the same. But this is a tribute to their loved one!! Please read about this wonderful gentleman.
*** This was posted in 2009 as my tribute to Sgt. Maj. Larry Strickland. I repeat it here as I will continue doing so on each anniversary of 9/11 as long as I am able. There are a couple of notes and updates from 2010 in bold/italic.
Please meet Sgt. Maj. Larry Strickland. He was 52 years old, born in Washington State, and had a Bachelor of Science degree. He had served our country in a lot of places including Germany, Washington State, Washington DC, Texas, and Virginia. He had many awards and decorations. Most devastating for me to learn was his plan to retire upon completion of 30 years of service... at the end of September 2001. After all of his service, he was close to spending more time on his hobbies (fishing, hiking, gourmet cooking, and needlepoint) and especially looking forward to spending more time with his family. SGM Strickland left behind a wife, Debra, who was the Garrison Command Sergeant Major of Fort Belvoir, VA. at the time, three adult children, and one grandson who will never know his grandfather as he was only a year old when SGM Strickland was taken. His parents also were left to deal with the untimely loss of their child.
NOTE: I posted a note to the family at Legacy.com and received two emails.
One was from SGM Strickland's son-in-law and read, in part:
"I came across your blog today while searching for SM Larry Strickland. I am lucky enough to be married to his daughter Julia and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for caring enough to research this remarkable man. Everything you read about him and his character is true. He left behind an amazingly strong wife, a beautiful daughter, his two sons, and his grandson. His grandson was 4, not 1 as many newspaper articles claim, so he does remember his grandfather, and fondly."(I was SO happy to read that his grandson did remember his grandfather and wanted to share that with you all! MNC)
The other email was from SGM Strickland's daughter and read, in part:
"Mary, thank you very much for your kind words. I am Larry's daughter, and it is wonderful to know that though it's been 8 years, remembering him and this tragic event is still as important now as it was the day it happened. He was truly a wonderful man, and the best father anyone could ask for."
SGM Strickland headed out to work that day at the Pentagon as there were some meetings he deemed important enough to attend even though he could have skipped them. He had annual leave built up that needed to be used or lost. He chose to go to work. If you knew nothing more about him than that, you would know the character of the man. It was that character that had him in his office on the second floor when the wing he was in was struck by American Airlines Flight 77.
But this is a tribute to SGM Strickland's life. And I've got to tell you the things said about him and written about him are absolutely glowing!! What a wonderful thing... to have those left behind remember you so well and so lovingly. It's not just family. These were friends, co-workers, people who knew him on a "business" level where, many times, the feelings are not so great. I would suggest you take a few moments today to review three different web sites where there are tributes (and from where I gathered much of the information I am sharing with you). It really won't take that long and, thankfully, most of us did not actually know anyone who was lost that day. Perhaps it would be good to learn about at least one of them. I know it gave me a very new perspective.
Pentagon Memorial Fund - Names of the souls lost at the Pentagon are alphabetical by last name. Scroll down and click on SGM Strickland's name to read about his service career.
Columns - The University of Washington Alumni Magazine- Read a really great article here about SGM Strickland's personal life. Sounds like someone we would all like to have known.
The Washington Post - This project is a database of all of the souls lost that day and has a very nice tribute to SGM Strickland.
Legacy.com - This is where folks can leave notes for the family. Many folks were positively impacted by SGM Strickland. Some commented here about their appreciation of the man. I invite you to take just a moment to leave a note here to let the family know the loss of their loved one is something we all remember.
9-11 Heroes - This is another site where a note can be left. Again... take a moment to leave a note on at least one of the sites. You have no idea how much this can mean to family members.
Thank you, SGM Strickland, for your service, for your honor, and for your character. I'm glad I got to know you.
We should never forget.
*** This was posted in 2009 as my tribute to Sgt. Maj. Larry Strickland. I repeat it here as I will continue doing so on each anniversary of 9/11 as long as I am able. There are a couple of notes and updates from 2010 in bold/italic.
Please meet Sgt. Maj. Larry Strickland. He was 52 years old, born in Washington State, and had a Bachelor of Science degree. He had served our country in a lot of places including Germany, Washington State, Washington DC, Texas, and Virginia. He had many awards and decorations. Most devastating for me to learn was his plan to retire upon completion of 30 years of service... at the end of September 2001. After all of his service, he was close to spending more time on his hobbies (fishing, hiking, gourmet cooking, and needlepoint) and especially looking forward to spending more time with his family. SGM Strickland left behind a wife, Debra, who was the Garrison Command Sergeant Major of Fort Belvoir, VA. at the time, three adult children, and one grandson who will never know his grandfather as he was only a year old when SGM Strickland was taken. His parents also were left to deal with the untimely loss of their child.
NOTE: I posted a note to the family at Legacy.com and received two emails.
One was from SGM Strickland's son-in-law and read, in part:
"I came across your blog today while searching for SM Larry Strickland. I am lucky enough to be married to his daughter Julia and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for caring enough to research this remarkable man. Everything you read about him and his character is true. He left behind an amazingly strong wife, a beautiful daughter, his two sons, and his grandson. His grandson was 4, not 1 as many newspaper articles claim, so he does remember his grandfather, and fondly."(I was SO happy to read that his grandson did remember his grandfather and wanted to share that with you all! MNC)
The other email was from SGM Strickland's daughter and read, in part:
"Mary, thank you very much for your kind words. I am Larry's daughter, and it is wonderful to know that though it's been 8 years, remembering him and this tragic event is still as important now as it was the day it happened. He was truly a wonderful man, and the best father anyone could ask for."
SGM Strickland headed out to work that day at the Pentagon as there were some meetings he deemed important enough to attend even though he could have skipped them. He had annual leave built up that needed to be used or lost. He chose to go to work. If you knew nothing more about him than that, you would know the character of the man. It was that character that had him in his office on the second floor when the wing he was in was struck by American Airlines Flight 77.
But this is a tribute to SGM Strickland's life. And I've got to tell you the things said about him and written about him are absolutely glowing!! What a wonderful thing... to have those left behind remember you so well and so lovingly. It's not just family. These were friends, co-workers, people who knew him on a "business" level where, many times, the feelings are not so great. I would suggest you take a few moments today to review three different web sites where there are tributes (and from where I gathered much of the information I am sharing with you). It really won't take that long and, thankfully, most of us did not actually know anyone who was lost that day. Perhaps it would be good to learn about at least one of them. I know it gave me a very new perspective.
Pentagon Memorial Fund - Names of the souls lost at the Pentagon are alphabetical by last name. Scroll down and click on SGM Strickland's name to read about his service career.
Columns - The University of Washington Alumni Magazine- Read a really great article here about SGM Strickland's personal life. Sounds like someone we would all like to have known.
The Washington Post - This project is a database of all of the souls lost that day and has a very nice tribute to SGM Strickland.
Legacy.com - This is where folks can leave notes for the family. Many folks were positively impacted by SGM Strickland. Some commented here about their appreciation of the man. I invite you to take just a moment to leave a note here to let the family know the loss of their loved one is something we all remember.
9-11 Heroes - This is another site where a note can be left. Again... take a moment to leave a note on at least one of the sites. You have no idea how much this can mean to family members.
Thank you, SGM Strickland, for your service, for your honor, and for your character. I'm glad I got to know you.
We should never forget.
09/11/2011 PLEASE RENEW YOUR ACQUAINTANCE WITH MAJ. RONALD D. MILAM
Greetings to my Blogging Pals. Those who have been with me a while know about my participation in Project 2996. I began my participation in 2009 and plan to continue this as long as I am able to do so. I ask each of you to take a moment to remember what happened on 9/11/2001. Even if you read my tributes previously, please read them again. It's important that we see this as an individual, personal event... not just something that happened in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania a decade ago. It affects us all and will continue to do so. I do not see the 10th Anniversary as any different from the 2nd, the 19th, or the 100th. The pain for the families is the same. But this is a tribute to their loved one!! Please read about this wonderful gentleman.
Major Ronald Dutrell Milam was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and had a Bachelors degree from Eastern New Mexico University earned in 1991. He served his country in Germany, Korea, and Saudi Arabia. He had recently received his assignment as Military Assistant for the Secretary of the Army. He had also recently married Jacqueline on January 15, 2000. Things were definitely going well for Major Milam and his new family. His future was clearly a bright one and who knows what wonderful things he would have accomplished!
On 9/11/2001, Major Milam, who had just turned 33 the month before, was at work at the Pentagon. His wife, Jacqueline, five months pregnant with their second child and an Air Force officer, was also at her job at the Pentagon. Neither had an office in the area where Flight 77 struck that morning. Jacqueline was not terribly concerned immediately after the attack assuming they would connect in the parking lot. Major Milam had been attending a staff meeting that morning... right where the aircraft crashed into the Pentagon.
But this post is a tribute to a man who lived well, with honor and with dedication to his country. His college basketball coach had no doubt Major Milam was a leader and a role model during his years working with him. When Major Milam told his coach he had chosen the military as his career, the coach, who thought Milam should pursue a career in law, told the young man he supported him 100%. Major Milam clearly touched many lives during his own. What a great legacy to leave!! We should all be proud of this young man.
Take a few moments today to visit the sites below. If you can, leave a note for his family at either Legacy.com or at 9-11 Heroes. All of the sites below are links to get you there quickly.
Eastern New Mexico University News Release - Review this page for comments from Major Milam's high school principal and his college basketball coach. This will let you know the caliber of the man we honor today.
Arlington Cemetery Site - If you read nothing else, read this tribute. Major Milam's wife recounts the events of that day and what has kept her going.
Pentagon Memorial Site - This site has a full obituary providing information on Major Milam's life.
The Washington Post - This site has a short remembrance from Major Milam's father about the Major's love of golf.
Legacy.Com - Take a moment and leave a note for the family here, if you wish.
9-11 Heroes - Or you can leave a note for the family here, if you wish.
Thank you, Major Milam, for your service, for your honor, and for your character. I'm glad I got to know you.
We should never forget.
Major Ronald Dutrell Milam was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and had a Bachelors degree from Eastern New Mexico University earned in 1991. He served his country in Germany, Korea, and Saudi Arabia. He had recently received his assignment as Military Assistant for the Secretary of the Army. He had also recently married Jacqueline on January 15, 2000. Things were definitely going well for Major Milam and his new family. His future was clearly a bright one and who knows what wonderful things he would have accomplished!
On 9/11/2001, Major Milam, who had just turned 33 the month before, was at work at the Pentagon. His wife, Jacqueline, five months pregnant with their second child and an Air Force officer, was also at her job at the Pentagon. Neither had an office in the area where Flight 77 struck that morning. Jacqueline was not terribly concerned immediately after the attack assuming they would connect in the parking lot. Major Milam had been attending a staff meeting that morning... right where the aircraft crashed into the Pentagon.
But this post is a tribute to a man who lived well, with honor and with dedication to his country. His college basketball coach had no doubt Major Milam was a leader and a role model during his years working with him. When Major Milam told his coach he had chosen the military as his career, the coach, who thought Milam should pursue a career in law, told the young man he supported him 100%. Major Milam clearly touched many lives during his own. What a great legacy to leave!! We should all be proud of this young man.
Take a few moments today to visit the sites below. If you can, leave a note for his family at either Legacy.com or at 9-11 Heroes. All of the sites below are links to get you there quickly.
Eastern New Mexico University News Release - Review this page for comments from Major Milam's high school principal and his college basketball coach. This will let you know the caliber of the man we honor today.
Arlington Cemetery Site - If you read nothing else, read this tribute. Major Milam's wife recounts the events of that day and what has kept her going.
Pentagon Memorial Site - This site has a full obituary providing information on Major Milam's life.
The Washington Post - This site has a short remembrance from Major Milam's father about the Major's love of golf.
Legacy.Com - Take a moment and leave a note for the family here, if you wish.
9-11 Heroes - Or you can leave a note for the family here, if you wish.
Thank you, Major Milam, for your service, for your honor, and for your character. I'm glad I got to know you.
We should never forget.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A WARBIRD LEAVES TOWN... SAD, BUT GREAT!!
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies! Welcome!!
Since my post about my flight in one of the beloved Stearman twins, I figure most of you have discovered my love of aircraft... especially older planes that served during World War II. Wikipedia will tell you "the term "warbird" was originally coined to describe piston-driven aircraft from the World War II era [but] has since been expanded by some to include all military aircraft no longer in service." I prefer the original definition but it really doesn't matter to you nor should it. That's not our point of discussion today.
After returning to southwest Louisiana, I have been to the local (regional) airport many times. There have been a couple of fly-ins (2009 and 2010) I have posted about, not news to those who have been reading for a while. The spousal-unit has a private pilot's license and worked on jet aircraft while in the Air Force. He loves flying almost as much as I do... I think.
At any rate... he has managed to score a "job" (unpaid but without strings!) working with a gentleman at the airport on a locally-owned airplane that needed work done. While there, he found that some folks from California were coming in to work on a plane that has been in the hangar since we have been here. Being the social butterfly he is (wink, wink), he went down and chatted them up a bit. Turns out they were planning to get it airworthy and return it to California. More on that later.
So... I popped by the airport to check things out after the spousal-unit made sure it would be alright for me to post about them and their work. I didn't want to interrupt their work but I was really interested in where she (the plane) was going and what she would be doing.
I met Carl Scholl, owner/partner of Aero Trader where Warbird maintenance and restoration takes place. Check out the web site!! Very nice man who explained how his military C-45 (configured as an AT-11 trainer) ended up in our lovely burg. Long story short... Carl and the guy in the pilot seat at the time (Dennis Sanders) lost an engine while flying from Lakeland, Florida, to Chino, California. I believe he mentioned they threw a rod. (Hope I have that right, Carl!) This was right after Hurricane Rita pounded southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, less than one month after Hurricane Katrina. That was late 2005 for those of you who don't keep track of hurricanes. Why land here? It was the closest airport. Yep. Just a stroke of luck (bad for Carl but good for us) landed this lovely plane here. Carl did get an engine for the plane a couple of years after the original unplanned landing... but timing just didn't allow for the completion of all necessary repairs and the continuation of the original flight to California. So... she sat in the hangar corner, rubber going flat and looking a bit forlorn, for over five years! Folks around here kind of got used to having her around.
But she was not forgotten!! As Carl said, she finally made it up on the priority list and her turn to receive attention was here. Carl brought Jeff and Matt out with him to get the work done then have them fly her back to California. They are both big fans of the B-25 warbird which is Carl's company's main interest to restore. Matt told me he owns four of those lovely girls! I think that's just GREAT!!
I asked Carl whether they would be restoring the AT-11 to her former glory? That's not really the plan for her BUT... the good news is that she will be kept in flying condition. He mentioned she might become the "courier" plane used to retrieve parts from a location about 140 miles away from his company's hangars. A short flight sure beats a 3-hour drive, right? I'm sure she will love doing work for her owner.
I'm going to leave you with some pictures taken on my initial visit (August 29th) and at her departure (August 31st). Goodbye, lovely girl. We'll miss you here in southwest Louisiana!!
Until next post...
Since my post about my flight in one of the beloved Stearman twins, I figure most of you have discovered my love of aircraft... especially older planes that served during World War II. Wikipedia will tell you "the term "warbird" was originally coined to describe piston-driven aircraft from the World War II era [but] has since been expanded by some to include all military aircraft no longer in service." I prefer the original definition but it really doesn't matter to you nor should it. That's not our point of discussion today.
After returning to southwest Louisiana, I have been to the local (regional) airport many times. There have been a couple of fly-ins (2009 and 2010) I have posted about, not news to those who have been reading for a while. The spousal-unit has a private pilot's license and worked on jet aircraft while in the Air Force. He loves flying almost as much as I do... I think.
At any rate... he has managed to score a "job" (unpaid but without strings!) working with a gentleman at the airport on a locally-owned airplane that needed work done. While there, he found that some folks from California were coming in to work on a plane that has been in the hangar since we have been here. Being the social butterfly he is (wink, wink), he went down and chatted them up a bit. Turns out they were planning to get it airworthy and return it to California. More on that later.
So... I popped by the airport to check things out after the spousal-unit made sure it would be alright for me to post about them and their work. I didn't want to interrupt their work but I was really interested in where she (the plane) was going and what she would be doing.
I met Carl Scholl, owner/partner of Aero Trader where Warbird maintenance and restoration takes place. Check out the web site!! Very nice man who explained how his military C-45 (configured as an AT-11 trainer) ended up in our lovely burg. Long story short... Carl and the guy in the pilot seat at the time (Dennis Sanders) lost an engine while flying from Lakeland, Florida, to Chino, California. I believe he mentioned they threw a rod. (Hope I have that right, Carl!) This was right after Hurricane Rita pounded southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, less than one month after Hurricane Katrina. That was late 2005 for those of you who don't keep track of hurricanes. Why land here? It was the closest airport. Yep. Just a stroke of luck (bad for Carl but good for us) landed this lovely plane here. Carl did get an engine for the plane a couple of years after the original unplanned landing... but timing just didn't allow for the completion of all necessary repairs and the continuation of the original flight to California. So... she sat in the hangar corner, rubber going flat and looking a bit forlorn, for over five years! Folks around here kind of got used to having her around.
But she was not forgotten!! As Carl said, she finally made it up on the priority list and her turn to receive attention was here. Carl brought Jeff and Matt out with him to get the work done then have them fly her back to California. They are both big fans of the B-25 warbird which is Carl's company's main interest to restore. Matt told me he owns four of those lovely girls! I think that's just GREAT!!
I asked Carl whether they would be restoring the AT-11 to her former glory? That's not really the plan for her BUT... the good news is that she will be kept in flying condition. He mentioned she might become the "courier" plane used to retrieve parts from a location about 140 miles away from his company's hangars. A short flight sure beats a 3-hour drive, right? I'm sure she will love doing work for her owner.
I'm going to leave you with some pictures taken on my initial visit (August 29th) and at her departure (August 31st). Goodbye, lovely girl. We'll miss you here in southwest Louisiana!!
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| Mr. Carl... the "Top Dog" of this operation!! |
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| Matt (at left below the right engine)... Jeff (at right kneeling near the left engine prop)... Carl (far back in white T-shirt!) |
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| From the front sitting at the hangar door |
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| My intrepid California Fly-Boys... (L-R) Jeff, Carl, and Matt |
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| August 29th - Test Flight Landing - Picture perfect (photo by spousal-unit) |
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| GREAT JOB!!! Ready to tweak and take her home (photo by spousal-unit) |
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| August 31st - Matt (pilot seat) and Jeff (co-pilot seat) get ready to go home! (Photo by spousal-unit) |
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| We'll miss this beautiful girl (photo by spousal-unit) |
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| After a perfect take-off, Matt & Jeff did a high-speed pass for us just barely above the runway. Very exciting to hear her go by. (Check out the shadow of the plane on the runway... I don't know how the spousal-unit got this shot!! BEAUTIFUL!!) |
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| A final goodbye (photo by spousal-unit) |
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