10 Thoughts and Maybe More!

TripleT
  1. Today was one of those milestone days. I finally finished building an antenna for my ham radio setup, connected everything up, and it actually works! My first contact was with a fellow in Idaho Falls who was also testing out a new antenna. The radio I have works on only one of the ham radio bands, the two-meter band (144 mhz to 148 mhz … for comparision, FM radio is in the 89 mhz to 107 mhz range, not too far away from the two-meter band). Signals on this band are line-of sight and don’t travel very far.
  2. My ham radio license has arrived in the mail and I’ve gotten information in email that my application to get my original call sign back (K7OJL) is under review and should be issued soon.
  3. One of the service opportunities for ham radio operators is to assist in community events. On the day after Thanksgiving Pocatello has a Christmas Parade of Lights. The amateur radio club provides logistics support for the event by helping get the parade staged and started. Hams using hand-held radios are stationed around the area where the parade is lined up, helping floats find their correct spot, people searching floats to find them, and any other logistical support as needed. I was there with my new (to me) handi-talki (as they are called) guarding a cross street. I had a lot of fun. After the parade got started, we all went to a local restaurant for food and conversation.
  4. We spent Thanksgiving at our daughter Heather’s place in North Salt Lake. We drove down late Tuesday night and came back Thanksgiving Day afternoon. We had a delightful time and great food. Thanks, Heather, for your wonderful hospitality. Unless the weather turns horrible, we’ve decided to go out to Dawnmarie’s for Christmas. The Idaho Falls Temple is closed on Christmas Day and on New Years Day, both days we would normally be working. That gives us almost three weeks of time to travel.
  5. I went down to Provo for a conference on November 18-19 having to do with some very interesting technology for inserting information into web pages. I had a great time catching up with many of the friends I’ve made over the past couple of years down in the Salt Lake – Provo area.
  6. Every once in a while a seat opens up on the Pocatello Airport Commission. Whenever that happens, I’ve put in an application without much luck. A seat opened up in late October, so I not only put in an application, but enlisted the support of a couple of other people well known to the (now lame duck) mayor. I was appointed to the commission effective December 1st with the first meeting on December 2nd. It doesn’t pay anything, but should be a very interesting experience. The airport director is also president of my Rotary Club, so I’ve had the opportunity to talk a bit about the airport with him. He’s planning a big-deal Airport Appreciation Day this summer. I’m looking forward to being part of the planning for this event.
  7. A member of our ward was hiking on the treacherous Angels Landing in Zion’s National Park yesterday and fell to her death. It’s quite a shock. Her husband is an excellent engineer at the company I used to work at, and was part of the motorcycle group that went riding on Thursday evenings. This is quite a shock.
  8. The local liaison person for our Senator Risch was the guest speaker at our Rotary Club last week. He didn’t have much information, unfortunately, but then again I wasn’t surprised. Right now all the Republican contingency in the Senate can do is bemoan the health care bill without doing anything about it. I think everyone agrees that the current system is broken and cannot continue. There seems to be a consensus that what is currently proposed is not a fix but an expensive abomination. So, Senator Risch, start proposing alternatives.
  9. In addition to completing my new antenna, today has been a day full of football. We’ve watched a number of rivalry games and seen some pretty spectacular football. One of the games was the traditional University of Utah vs BYU game. BYU won in overtime in a penalty riddled game. The sportscasters put it up to being a rivalry game. My opinion is a bit different. Rivalry is no excuse to play dirty football.
  10. For the past decade or more the Pocatello Highland Stake has sponsored the annual Messiah Sing. It was held at the Highland Stake Center on the 2nd Sunday evening in December. This year the event is being moved to the new Performing Arts Center and will be co-sponsored by the music department at Idaho State University. I’m really looking forward to singing in that building! I’m certain that many more people will attend because the event will have more of an appearance of being non-denominational.
  11. Between studying (and passing) the ham radio tests, the conference in Provo, working at the Temple every Friday, I feel like I’ve become pretty busy. The ham radio activity has been a lot of fun. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes. It’s not particularly inexpensive!
  12. This blog has been neglected. Scheduled blog time is going to be reinstated.

3 thoughts on “10 Thoughts and Maybe More!”

  1. I have missed your musings, so I’ll be the 1st to respond. Likewise, I have been poor at getting things written. We get home from Maryland on Tuesday and some order will begin to settle in — maybe!!

  2. What happened to my earlier response?? Let start planning on a trip in 2010; cruise or to Aust. Good list of things!

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