I’m sitting at the table, playing Minecraft. With the Intelligent Young Man-who happens to be 90 miles away at the time.
We’ve playing a Microsoft version of Minecraft PE, he on his phone and me on my tablet, through an Xbox portal, over the internet.

I see a future of playing Minecraft every evening (“Only for a half hour! After I get my homework done!)

Technology is amazing.

Young people are amazing.

Boy, do I feel old some days.

‘craftin’ for the Good & True,

Billy Acre

It’s time to ride!

Even with a windshield, the beard gets fluffed by the wind-I didn’t think a beard could spread out that wide. I catch a  glimpse of myself in the mirror, and it looks like my beard is smiling.

I end up looking like a pirate. Not the “Arrrrrr, ye landlubbers” kind of pirate-more the “Hey, kids! Do you know what time it is? Oooooooh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea…..” kind of pirate.

Not the image I had in mind. Most bikers, if you got them to admit it, picture themselves more like an “Easy Rider” type of character. A lean, laid back, adventuresome dude. Yeah, right. If we see our reflection in the side of the stainless steel trailer we’re passing, we’d wonder if “Fat Boy” referred to the bike, or the biker.

We make quite the sight, thundering into the parking lot, wrap around shades, black leather chaps and vest, putin’ the kick stand down and heading in for our “Grande soy latte double shot with whipped cream” or whatever. With a scone or fudge brownie. (I am partial to those liquid candy bars they sell-you know, the “Caramel Chocolate Fudge Nut Double Shot with Whipped Cream and Chocolate shavings).

I guess I’m not an “Easy Rider” type of guy – I’m more of the “Lazy Boy”.

As long as I keep the rubber side down,

Rumblin’ On for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Because ignorance is bliss, right?

The Intelligent Young Man is visiting, and one of things we enjoy doing is playing a “sandbox” type game on our phones/tablets. (A “sandbox” game is played as a character building things; as opposed to a game where you have to accomplish tasks/kill creatures  to move on.) This particular game allows the Intelligent Young Man to start the game, and I can join in to his game over the household WiFi. We can see each other’s character on our tablets, interact, chat, share tools and things we’ve built.

This particular game, the Intelligent Young Man starts the game, and I try to join in. I can’t find his game! We try a couple times, then we start troubleshooting.

IYM: Oh, you’re on the wrong version! You need to update!

Me: You’re right. (proceeds to go to Google Play, jump through hoops, program update)

IYM: You’re still not on the right version.  You have to get the Yolo Bagger Beta version.

Me: What in the world is that?

IYM: (shows me on his game) Here, I’ll get it for you. (starts the download on my tablet)

Me: I’m not allowed in! It says I have to be invited to evaluate the Beta version!

And my bliss is no more. I, a wise wizard, have been bested by a 10 year old. When I was 10, I think I was playing with plastic soldiers and sharp sticks. Here I am faced with a 10 year old who had been invited to evaluate the beta version of a software release.

IYM: You can join in now.

Me: I don’t have the beta version.

IYM: I re-installed the program. We have the same version now.

Me: But you were doing the beta evaluation!

IYM: People are more important than games. Let’s go play.

And now, I am truly humbled. A 10 year old has better skills than me, and has a level of maturity that some people can only dream of.

With continued hope for humanity,

Playing for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Or should I ask – which “them” are you one of?

I hear it constantly when talking around the water cooler; all our problems are due to “them”.  I hear it constantly when having coffee; the issues of dealing with “them”.  TV; same.  Radio; same. Newspapers; same. Internet; same.

Dispense with the facts: we only deal with emotions here, the better to manipulate you with.  “OMG! Think of the children!” or some variation on that theme.  Sort of how the Flint “water crisis” is dealt with-seems all the reports are on how the children are being affected by the lead in the water, and how (insert political party you dislike) don’t care.

Why is no one looking at the obvious? It isn’t the water that’s the problem-it’s the lead pipes the water runs through. Do you live in a home built before 1950?  You probably have a lead water line leading to your house. If you have old copper water lines, they may have been put together using lead-based solder (now banned). Most cities use a phosphate based treatment that keeps the lead from leaching out into the water-something Flint stopped doing during their financial crisis.  Still, most cities are working at identifying and replacing the lead water lines that still exist within the city-if your city isn’t, I’d be pounding on the city hall doors until the issue is addressed!

OK, soap box gets put away for now. Fair warning-I drag my soap box everywhere, and it’s on a short leash.

Back to “them”. If your kids and the neighbor kids are all playing in your yard on a bright sunny Saturday, and your kids run inside asking for something to drink, aren’t you going to offer something to the neighbor kids too?  If you bring out cookies or a snack,  aren’t you going to bring out something for all the kids? Then why, when we talk over coffee, are you saying you’re storing food for your family and ammunition for those that don’t have anything? Sorry-kind of harsh, but I have had those conversations.

“Them”. What an easy word to use.  Put some thought to it, and use the words that identify the group or persons you have a beef with. At least, you’ll be able to identify the actions that are causing you to get your “knickers in a knot”. Who knows-both of you might be working to solve the same problem, and don’t know it. Or-probably more likely-you’ll  have a disagreement that both parties understand.

Identifying the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Wow – am I up with the new things or what – I finally made a purchase on Ebay.

I like auctions, as long as I can get a useful item at a good price. Hard to accomplish – seems like most people on auctions don’t know what the current value is or even what the new item price is for the items they’re bidding on.  I guess that’s for the best-keeps me from buying stuff.

I did desperately need a new (to me) seat for the scooter.  The seat the designers put on the bike when I bought it must have been designed by committee – Marquis de Sade as Head Engineer, with Jack Benny representing Accounting. I couldn’t sit on that seat for more than 80 miles before I wanted to get off and walk back home. I finally took the seat off and put some foam on the frame-it was more comfortable than the original seat!

Just when I was about to drop 5 bills on a new seat, I checked Ebay-lo and behold, there was a used seat on auction! Looked OK (from the pictures and description), so I signed up for an Ebay account and put in my first bid!

And immediately got outbid. So I entered a second bid. Hey-I’m now the high bidder! Cool. So, when do I get the seat? Oh, the auction doesn’t end for three days. Well, I can wait.

And wait. And wait. I’m still the high bidder. Oops, I got outbid. So I go to enter another bid, and what’s this? I can enter a Max Bid that will keep me as high bidder whenever someone else bids. I think this is pretty smart-I put in a Max Bid for $20 over my current bid.

Now the end of the auction is in a couple hours. I check the status-I’m still High Bidder, but there have been several attempts to place bids.  Three minutes to go. I get a thought to bump up my Max Bid, so I increase it by another $20. Not sure why I need to increase my bid, but I do. (I like to think the Good Lord watches over me, but I think He mostly does to keep me from doing something stupid.)

And the auction ends! At the very last minute, another bidder went $2 over my previous Max Bid-but I had increased my Max Bid, and won the auction! Hurray for me!

Now we wait for the seat to arrive.

Giving thanks for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

…but the last few days may have been a bit much. The smoke from Canada is reaching way down into the Midwest states.

Saturday morning the smoke was bad enough the visibility was only a couple miles.

By the end of the day the haze had lifted, but the smoke was still heavy in the air.

Last I heard, the Fort McMurray fire was almost 400 acres in size – that’s the size of Dickinson county in Iowa! You know Dickinson county – home of the Iowa Great Lakes, and the University of Okiboji.

The Fort McMurray fire is one of 40 fires in Canada right now.  It doesn’t sound like the weather is going to cooperate, either. If you want to help, the Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations-go to www.redcross.ca to get to the Alberta Fires Appeal page. I’m sure prayers would be appreciated, too.

Busy day, short blog.

Helping for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

would smell pretty bad if we dipped it in a pig pen (sorry Shakespeare 🙂

So-what is in a name?

We pretty much get stuck with the moniker our parents gave us when we were born, at least until we’re 18 or so. Then we can start changing our label (our Brandname) into how we want the world to see us. Some of us get to change our name into someone else when we get married, or change it into a hyphenated version that the kids will get tired of writing because it’s so long.

I bet you haven’t thought much about your name being your Brandname. Well, what comes to mind when you hear the name Clinton? or Bush? or Trump?  Yeah, that’s what I thought-so you see how your name becomes your Brandname (or brandname, depending on how famous you are).

(So what’s your point? – ed.)

So how did I come to be known as Billy Acre?

It seems the Intelligent Young Man and I were playing online, and he requested that I have a unique name for playing within the game.  Surprisingly, he rejected the obvious names, such as F.O.G. (Fabulous Old Guy) or Captain Whitebeard. After reflecting (and grumbling a little), I had a flash of inspiration! Billy Acre! What a wonderful, descriptive moniker! The Intelligent Young Man agreed, and I have since been known as Billy Acre.

Even though Billy Acre sounds similar to the expression “bellyacher”, I’m sure it’s only a coincidence. After all, I only offer my opinions that things could be a little better if only people behaved better. Or at least differently.  Or at least do what I would do in that situation (as I see that situation).

So now you know the rest of the story. (I have got to update my cultural references)

Spreading my opinion for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Could be..May be…Almost…Yes!! I think Spring has finally shown up! Perhaps still yawning, in a bathrobe holding a cup of coffee, but I’ll take it.

The apple trees are showing signs of life:

Between the apples and the lilacs, for a week or so it smells real nice around here.

The days are longer and warmer-it’s so nice to be able to putter around the yard in the afternoon and evening.  The trees are finally getting their clothes back on, and the landscape is turning green again.

The sun eventually goes down:

And we have to call an end to the day.

Well, what we didn’t get done today will just have to wait till tomorrow.

Enjoying the day for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Watched a ‘classic rock’ band Friday night. Pretty good-couldn’t stay for the whole gig. One song stood out.

“Here I am

On the road again”

Every morning I’m on the road at 5 after 4. Yup-4 o’dark, when even the birds have enough sense to have their heads tucked under their wings.  Every day, heading off to a job that I pretty much enjoy.

“There I am

Up on the stage

Here I go

Playin’ the star again”

Every day is busy. I seem to attract people needing answers-‘Can you program the environmental chambers for our special project?’ ‘Can you help with our experiment?’ ‘Why doesn’t the program run?’-and explaining to new engineers why you can’t run power next to high impedance input. It’s fun, and I do like helping.

“There I go

turn the page”

And so the pages turn every day.  Except this week I realized-in the middle of one of the perpetual re-orgs that every American corporation believes in- that I had started a new chapter sometime ago.  It caught me off guard; I wasn’t expecting it. No, I didn’t lose my job or anything drastic.

I realized that I was no longer one of the cool kids, or the favored few.  I had become the Old Guard, the white haired wizards that have the answers but are not regarded as promotion worthy.  Young ‘Up & Comers’ are given the opportunities and groomed for their future roles as leaders. They appear almost out of nowhere, zooming in from the previous assignment, and now checking the box for this part of their training.

Most of the ‘Up & Comers’ are good, personable, deserving of the opportunity. They’re in every company; I’ve enjoyed the U&C’s I’ve worked with.  My job (should I choose to accept it) will be to mentor and help the U&C’s become the great leaders they can be.(this recording will self destruct in 10 seconds (sad-my cultural references are 50 years old!!))

In case you haven’t worked in the corporate world:

Cool Kids-skilled, intuitive, providers of solutions. Opportunities are seized for the enjoyment of solving problems.

Favored Few-seem to get promotions/job assignments out of sync with experience or ability.  Sometime this happens due to chance, other opinions are more in line with ‘boss’s favorite’.

Old Guard-experienced hands (white haired geezers) at development/technical issues. Will analyze before acting. Favorite motto “Accidents are just Unplanned Outcomes”. Beware – some Old Guard will analyze instead of acting.

Up & Comers-Could be boss’s nephew, could be someone with a lot of potential.  Only time will tell.

Time to ‘geezer’ off for the evening.

Turnin’ the page for the Good and True,

Billy Acre

Hot, fresh donuts. Yeasty, slightly crispy on the outside. Lightly glazed.

Fresh coffee, dark and steaming.

Mmmmmmmmmm…..

“Oh, you brought doughnuts too?  Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt anyones’ feelings, so I guess I can have a small one. With chocolate frosting. And sprinkles.:”

“Thanks, but I really shouldn’t have a cookie. Wait…are those peanut butter cookies? With peanuts? Maybe I can take one for later.”

“Wow-homemade eggrolls? Family recipe from your Grandmother? You’re making them with your niece to raise money for her Laotian Miss America pageant? Well, sounds like a good reason to buy a couple.”

“Oh, I forgot-today is the day they’re selling sundaes in the cafeteria for the Food Shelf. Yeah, I’ll head down that way in just a minute.”

I think I need to walk about ten miles before I go to bed.

Waddlin’ for the Good and True,

Billy Acre