Space, A Commercial Frontier

Every so often, my wife and I get a chance to watch 60 minutes, the hour long news segment that delves deep into intriguing stories to flesh out the details, the players, and the events.  60 minutes, in my mind, is far more fascinating than the regular daily news because often times it doesn't solely focus on the negative events throughout the world, but often times brings to light positive events and the people involved.  Last night one of the segments was on SpaceX, a company in California that is one of the few competing for the government contract to produce the next manned space vehicle.  The reason this company was highlighted versus the others also designing and building space vehicles was because just recently they launched an unmanned cargo vehicle into space, rendezvoused and docked with the international space station, and consequently returned to earth.  This event marked the first time that a private space company was able to accomplish such a feat.  What makes this even more intriguing is that the company has only been working on space vehicles for ten years.  On top of the fact that the company has only been around for ten years, they manufacture practically every facet of the vehicle themselves taking in sheets of metal and fabricating everything in house.  In a day and age where everything is outsourced, this is perhaps one of the few beacons of hope that manufacturing has not lost all of its hold in the United States.  It appears that we are on the cusp of a new era of space exploration and travel. 

The founder of the company, Elon Musk, is a mere 40 years old, reportedly worth around 2 billion dollars, and a true entrepreneur.  He came into his money by being one of the co-founders of Pay Pal (which I am sure almost everyone has heard of) and in addition to SpaceX has also started the Tesla Motor Company which produces the Tesla Roadster, an entirely electric car.  But SpaceX is his current pride and joy, an attempt to make space travel and exploration available to the masses.  He has reportedly pumped around $100 million of his own money into the company and has an inner drive to succeed that is rare in this day and age.   He currently employs around 1400 people at his SpaceX plant which has designed and built from scratch both the rocket and the capsule.  There is a minor dark side to all of this however.  That dark side is the attempt by some former astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan the notables, to cast doubt on the ability of Musk's company to produce a space vehicle that is safe and effective.  They have both testified in front of Congress in an attempt to prevent any government funding from reaching Elon's hands.  Watching 60 Minutes last night brought about a touching moment when Elon was confronted with this.  To Elon, Neil Armstrong was one of the astronauts that inspired him to create his business and push to make space travel and exploration available to the masses.  To hear Mr. Armstrong speak out against Musk was crushing to him and he only hopes that they will have a change of heart.

Personally, I would love the opportunity to travel into space for whatever reason.  That being said, however, I highly doubt that I will ever have the opportunity or the resources to do so.  That is unless Musk is truly successful at making spaceflight affordable and available to everyone.  I am sure that it is still years away from being a reality, but one can hope.  Going beyond the fact that we are talking about the "final frontier" and new space vehicles, this segment on 60 Minutes highlights what is to me, a glimmer of hope for America's future.  This story just goes to show that if you dream big enough and foment a plan to reach your dreams, anything is possible.  Innovation has not completely gone down the tubes in the United States, rather, it has taken a back seat to all our economic woes.  If someone like Musk can create a viable space company and employ 1400 people, than nothing is off the table when it comes to creating jobs in this country.  This just goes to show that we can not rely on our government to boost our economy back to where it needs to be, we as a people need to step up to the plate and push forward despite what the economy is doing.  Simply because some government analysts say that we are in the crapper does not mean that every aspect of our lives needs to be in the crapper.  There is growth out there, it may be small, but it is there and we need to find it and nurture it to life.  Granted, not everyone is a billionaire capable of spending $100 million on their own company, but it doesn't need to be on that grand of a scale.  What we need to do is to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get of our asses and make life happen.  If we sit around to long, life will pass us by while we watch.  Rather, let us get up, grab life by the horns and make it work for us!

Finally Friday

This week has seemed interminably long and it has only been three work days long so far.  I guess what started it all off on the wrong note to begin with was the congestion that decided to take over my nasal passages last Friday.  In part, the congestion was good for last weekend because it forced me to relax more than usual in Vermont, yet still, I was congested.   Regardless of what caused the congestion, whether it be a cold, pollen, or dust, I am still trying to eradicate the last stragglers from my body.  Needless to say, a runny nose does not make life easy; especially when you have to where a dust mask all day long and have to constantly run to the van to grab more Kleenex.  So congestion started it off, yet it was the long days that dragged on and on that really drained me in the end.  I think Tuesday was the only day I made it home before 6 in the evening and the past two days I haven't made it home before 7.  Its not like my days were overly exciting, rather, they were monotonous and seemingly endless.  Yet, the monotony in and of itself doesn't bother me as much as the constant physical labor does.  Normally, I don't mind the work, but my muscles were sore to begin with from splitting wood this past weekend so to jump right into long days of sanding a scraping in the sun did not exactly help my situation.  Such is life, I made it through so far and I only have today left before I can get a little rest this weekend, not much I am sure, but at least some.  The part I am most looking forward to this weekend is spending time with my son.  Normally, I get Wednesday as a reprieve from work by spending the day with my son, but this week was a little different as I had Monday off and worked right through the rest of the week. 

Its gets tough at times working for yourself while trying to find time for your family as well.  This week has seemed like a blur with very little time spent at home.  I think its about time to start finding some summer help to put my mind at ease and get rid of a little stress that accumulates with the influx of work.  This year it seems like work is the craziest it has been.  Trust me, I am not complaining about the amount of work that I am getting, just about the fact that I can't seem to get it done as quickly as I would like to.  Yet finding good help is not the easiest thing in the world to do, especially when it comes to painting.  Last year out of 4 young high school kids I had try working for me, only one was any good.  This year, we will see what happens.  Perhaps if I can get a couple of kids helping me out then I can get a little more time at home with my family.  I don't know.  The only part about hiring someone that is a real drag is making sure that they are doing the work to my standards.  It seems like at first, I get less work done because I am constantly checking to see if they are working hard enough and if they are doing a good enough job for me to keep them around.  Most can't cut it to be perfectly honest and out of the seven years of owning my own business, only one person I have hired has lasted more than a week.  Oh well, life goes on and you know what, I think I am done complaining for the day.  There are just those days where you need to vent a little and I guess I just did that here.  So if you read through this and are wondering where all this is going, its not going anywhere spectacular except... "I am the cheeseman, I am the egginator."

Seriously, I don't know where that came from, just a little diarrhea of the brain and fingers I guess.  All I can say is that today is shaping up to be a beautiful day to be working outside.  It is wonderfully cool, perfect whether for the outdoors, and I am alive and breathing with a wonderful family.  What more could I ask for?  Not much (besides some extra money but I guess we could all use some of that).  Well I guess I could ask for more time off but I don't think my boss will give that to me.  I think my brain is drained for the day already and the day hasn't even really begun.  Must be the pure exhaustion setting in or something like it.  One day, maybe in 18 years, I will get to relax a little more.  Then again, maybe not.  Ah, coffee, my lifeline for starting the day off right.  You know how it goes, "The best part of waking up is Folger's in your cup."  Except that I don't have Folger's, rather some nice Guatemalan coffee from Costco.  OK, time to wrap this up because I am rambling and have to get my butt in gear, showered and breakfasted up, and then out the door.  Till next week where the insanity begins again, be good and enjoy yourselves. 

Babies, Men and Emotions

If I could teach my son only one thing in his life, it would be to recognize and be in tune with his emotions.  There are obviously many things besides tuning into emotions that I would like to teach my son, but I feel that emotions, how to label them, how to recognize them, and how to deal with them is by far the most important.  To me it has many benefits ranging from dealing with others, dealing with work, and most importantly, dealing with our own lives and the fluctuations in emotions that we experience every day.   So why is it that I want to teach my son this one thing above all others?  It is not one specific instance that made me wake up one day and say, "I need to teach my son about emotions", but rather a confluence of events and ideas that has made me think more about my role as a father.   Yet it is not just about being a father, it is also about showing my son what being a man looks like.   Granted, it is my view of what a man should look like, hopefully shared by others, but it is that notion of being a man that I want him to learn from me, not from society.  Maybe I am wrong, but when you look at the majority of men in society, there are a good number of them who have trouble dealing with their emotions and in certain situations dealing with others because of their trouble with emotions.  I am not pointing fingers at any one man, I think all men have trouble at times being truly honest with themselves about their emotions, yet I think it is an area that needs attention.  If I can take steps to show my son what it means to be a man and be in touch with his emotions, then maybe he will have an easier time later in life when he has to deal with raw emotions on a larger scale. 

So why is it that men have more trouble being honest about their emotions than women do?  It seems that no matter which man and woman you compare, women will have an easier time communicating and dealing with their emotions than most men will.  To me, it all goes back to early childhood and how we were raised.  There is a big divide between how young girls and boys are treated in my mind.  (This statement does not include everyone because I know there are exceptions).  For the most part, girls from an early age are taught how to deal with emotions better than boys are.   Boys, even when they are young, have expectations placed upon them that they simply must deal with whatever they are feeling and most times suppress it.  There is no place for emotions in manly sports or activities and thus, boys must not put their emotions on display, or dare I say, communicate them to others.  The foundation must be set strong from an early age because once outside influences come into play, all bets are off.  If you look at society, men are the stoic, do it all, go getter types who throw emotion to the side and reach for the stars.  Yeah, great, but if you can't communicate how you are feeling to others, then how are you supposed to truly get anywhere.  It is through the communication of feelings and emotions that we are able to build rappor with others, build lasting relationships, and truly get in touch with who we are and where we are going.  Yet men aren't supposed to really talk about that stuff.  Women are, at least according to society.  So if boys are taught early that it is indeed OK to relate how they are feeling and the emotions that are roiling through them, then perhaps they can stave off the invasive disease that is society.

So maybe I have it wrong.  But there is a big part of me that doesn't think so.  Emotions are something that everyone has to deal with, men and women, yet often times women have an easier time doing so.  The only way we can change this trend in society, which by all means has been embedded for generations, is to start with our own children and start talking to them about their emotions, what exactly it is they are feeling, and how best to deal with those emotions.  It is no easy task as even now I hesitate communicating my emotions to others, or at best feel awkward when doing so.  Yet every day that goes by, I try and tune myself in to what I am feeling and what is going on inside of me so that I can communicate it better to others and in turn teach my son how to communicate his feelings.  I don't recall what my childhood was like in regards to emotions and being taught about them so I won't even venture a guess.  All I know is that my son is a blank slate (not entirely) through which I work with him, teach him, and help him grow into a man.  It is not going to be an easy task, of that I am sure, but it is one that is of utmost importance.  I feel that there is nothing more valuable to him than to learn about emotions from an early age.  He will have to deal with other boys that are not in touch with their emotions, but perhaps he will be able to deal with them better if he is in tune with his own emotions and understands what is going on inside of him.  I guess we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out.