End of an Era

These last few days have gone by quickly. When I first knew I'd be changing jobs, it seemed like there was plenty of time to prepare for the transition, but as my exit date has drawn nearer, I realized that I still had a lot to do. Not only did I need to make sure to archive anything important from my office computer, turn over any reference material to the poor schlubs who'd inherit my work, and clean out desk drawers so that no spare sunglasses, toothbrushes, or hand lotion would be left behind for anthropologists to discover in some future century -- but I also had to search my shelves at home to make sure I had returned all corporate property such as badges, credit cards, and security access tokens.

I'm keeping the nameplate placard, though.

I have a few other souvenirs, too: t-shirts, coffee mugs, mission pins, and a couple of award plaques. I wear the t-shirts...but am not sure what to do with all the other stuff (since I don't drink coffee, don't wear pins, and no longer have a trophy wall). All those items will probably sit in a closet for a few decades and eventually get thrown out when I can no longer remember what events they commemorate. And then forty years after that, I'll regret throwing it all away when my grandchildren are watching Antiques Roadshow and see a GPS III mug selling for $50,000. Oh well.

And then there's this:

Pretty good, eh? The artist is the talented Don Feight--check out his amazing aircraft art at http://www.feightstudios.com.

(Um, if you're wondering about the Spam Balls bumper sticker, well, it's my traditional potluck contribution. Very tasty. The receipe is here.)

I'll miss the people, of course. And I'll miss being able to wander through a factory where they make rockets. I'll miss the gorgeous campus, the onsite fitness center, and the opportunity to contribute to programs that make history, advance human knowledge, and keep us safe from the bad guys. My new job will still allow me to hang out with brainiac scientists who are developing technologies to make the world a better place, and that's also a very cool thing. But it's unlikely I'll be in the same room with something that'll end up on Mars. I'll definitely miss that.

As you might expect, there are some things I won't miss. I won't miss the ugly carpets, the annoyingly loud music playing in the janitor's closet, or the proto-Skynet printers that choose paper sizes at random, just so they can laugh at you as you curse them. And I sure as heck won't miss the last minute requests to work weekends, or to stay until 2am on a Sunday to finish an assembly sheet for a review that could just have easily been scheduled for Tuesday.

But I know that I'll forget to thank some of the people who have helped me, taught me, and encouraged me over the years. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work there, and grateful for the wonderful friendships and working relationships I have developed over the years. So...if I missed the chance to shake your hand or express my gratitude, please know that I sincerely meant to. It's just that the process of walking out the door is a whole lot more complex than I imagined.

And if I don't have a chance to tell you in person, well, good luck to you all in the future. I hope that each and every day is a great one! Take care of yourselves, and have fun. And stay tuned to this blog site for descriptions of what I'm sure will be the most excellent adventures as I begin this new era of my life. Off we go!

Elitch Gardens

Even though it was only 3 days until my departure from the company, I still received tickets for "Family Day" at Elitch Gardens. Tanner said he'd go with me, so...we went.



I don't really have "rules" in my life, but there are some general guidelines I usually follow. For example, I never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line...nor do I send my bank account PIN to royal Nigerians who offer me a percentage of their fortunes via unsolicited emails. And generally, I don't voluntarily strap myself into any device that features warning signs about the possibility of cardiac arrest and/or decapitation. But Tanner wanted to ride the "Mind Eraser", and with my mind already depleted from all the job-change thought processes, well...I couldn't think up a plausible excuse for wimping out.

When I was growing up in Kansas, we called 'em "rolley coasters", but as exciting as those rides were, you remained mostly upright throughout. The Mind Eraser, on the other hand, performs its cerebral degaussing by flinging you through a series of high-g maneuvers with no regard for verticality. When you're spinning in a way that forces all the blood into your toes, it's difficult to do much math -- but by my reckoning, we were upside down at least 6 times throughout the ride. The seat belts held, as did our constitutions, so there were neither cardiac nor gastric anomalies of any kind. But I'll confess that I was a bit dizzy when stumbling off the ride platform at the end.

And then, just for good measure, we rode the more traditional Twister. It's not as geometrically interesting as the Mind Eraser, but it's actually more terrifying...since it's built from 100-year-old pine wood held together with twine, Elmer's glue, and a few paper clips. You spend the entire ride praying that the inspecting engineer was actually competent and didn't get his degree from Nebraska or something.

We also rode the Ferris Wheel. (The Mind Eraser is the red and turquoise monstrosity in the background.)



While Tanner gravitates toward thrill rides, I tend to enjoy those that involve water. At my urging, the kid agreed to ride "Shipwreck Falls", which I will admit is very silly. It goes up...and then comes down, smacking the vehicle's front end (bow?) into a pond at high velocity. The result is a minor thrill from the plunge down toward the water, followed by a humongous splash. Visually, it's impressive. And on a hot day, the soaking you receive could be positively refreshing. On a moderate day (such as the one we experienced), you're basically just wet for the rest of the day. I mean soaked through to the bone. Shoes, socks, underwear, wallet, cell phone -- everything.

Fortunately, my camera is waterproof:



Tanner wasn't real happy with me after that.

So what else is there to do? Well, the Disaster Canyon ride also warns you about getting wet. But once you're sopping, there's really no reason to avoid it, even if it is pretty lame compared to the other rides. But it spins and bounces enough to provide smiles and chuckles, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it.

But after that, we concluded that we were sufficiently amused, so we called it a day.

It's almost certainly the last time I'll be able to go to Elitch's at company expense. That's sad, I suppose, but I won't lose any sleep anguishing over giving up this particular employment benefit. It's not as if there was any real "corporate bonding" going on at the event. And any "family bonding" we experienced can be duplicated without requiring my employer to rent a park for the afternoon. The fact is that I enjoy hanging out with my kid, and for the time being, at least, he's not opposed to the experience, either. I count that among my many blessings.

And if that's not enough, my impending career change is providing opportunities to recognize and comment upon some of my other blessings. I'll be describing more of them in future posts here, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how much I do appreciate your visits to this site, and I always value your feedback and friendship. Thanks for your patronage, my friends. And if the urge strikes you, I certainly encourage you to go upside down, get wet, and enjoy the g-forces that accompany your journeys. And have a great day!

2011 Leadville Trail 100 Run

It's hard to imagine why someone would want to run 100 miles all at once.

Some people just love to run, I guess. They're built for it; they can do it smoothly -- for those fortunate folks, the endorphin rush is unimpeded by all the distractions suffered by those of us who were not blessed with good mechanics. Instead of saying "ow" with each footfall (as I do), they say "ahhh"...and the farther they run, the closer to Nirvana they get. These are the ultra-runners, and even among their lofty ranks, only a select few choose to tackle the "Race Across the Sky" -- the insanely challenging Leadville Trail 100.

And of those who begin the race, more than half don't finish it. My friend Katie is among those who can proudly wear the official Finisher belt buckle.

If you ever see someone with one of those buckles, you'll know that you're in the presence of a very determined athlete. Think about how many thousands of miles they each must run to prepare for the race! And it's not just 100 miles of running -- it's 100 miles of running over multiple mountains! Try to imagine doing anything throughout and entire day and night, and only sitting down twice for about 2 minutes total. It's an awesome accomplishment.

The night before the race, some of the runners drop bags full of race supplies at the starting line, to be transported to the various aid stations. Others have entire crews of support people. I hung out with Katie's crew. For details on her support team, her pacers, and her race, please visit her blog: www.runlongkatie.com.

The race starts at 4am.



And crosses some gorgeous countryside. (Yes, they do run over the top of that mountain.)


I attempted some fancy photography.


We waited around a lot. And ate.

Some of Katie's fans and supporters:

A long and sometimes lonely run...


The poles help. So do friends and family.








Congratulations, Katie! Well done!

Ch-ch-ch Changes

I'm gettin' a new job!

Yes, my friends, I'm leaving the Rocket Ranch and returning to ITN Energy Systems (www.itnes.com). I'm leaving a company with hundreds of thousands of employees to join a company with fewer than 50. Like LM, it's all about cutting-edge high tech stuff, except that ITN is specifically focused on energy technologies. My job will be to help the scientists with their documentation, which means I'll still be writing, editing, and developing graphics. I'll be working with incredibly smart people (which is very cool) and will do so in an environment with far less bureaucracy and fewer impediments to creativity (which is even cooler).

I know what you're asking: "But Terry, how will this affect your blog? Will this mean the end of Star Trek trivia quizzes and comical observations about popular entertainers? Will your new responsibilities affect the regularity of your postings? Will you still be able to keep us informed about threats from meteorological phenomena, alien invaders, and Commie sleeper cells?"

Have no fears, gentle readers. I promise that I shall continue my crusade to keep you informed about all topics of Universal Magnitude, including Rockies baseball, Shatner/Nimoy controversies, the Morlock/Eloi shenanigans in Washington, and of course, swimming. I assure you that astounding fun times are ahead, and I truly hope you'll join me for the journey.

Here are some things you can expect from me in the future:

• More consistency in blog postings. (More about this in a minute.)


• More videos on my YouTube site.


• Continued commentary on social phenomena, including instructions on what to think about each trend. (Example: BTO = Good, U2 = Bad)


• Inane observations about daily life. Some of these will be available in Twitter form...once I figure out how the thing works.


• Occasional hints and tips regarding enhancing athletic performance.

In other words, you can expect pretty much the same blathering you've seen here in the past, just a tad more frequently, with some occasional spewage into other venues.

I'd like to ask your support as I head off into my new adventures. Please subscribe to this blog -- and to my twitter feed. (I'll provide the handle as soon as I figure out how it works.) Then, please bug the heck out of me if you haven't seen anything new every few days. With my new work schedule, I have no excuse for being a slacker. Hold me to it, friends.

Next up: A report on the Leadville Trail 100 run. Until then, have a great day!