What a beautiful morning…

Yesterday was a travel day. I was headed home from Portland, OR again. When I left it was about 30 degrees so we had to be de-iced before leaving. This delay worked in our favor since it gave the Sun a few more minutes to come up. The view was spectacular. I was on the right side of the plane looking out over Washington State. The mountains I get to see on that side are Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and in the distance I am told is Mount Rainer which is south of Seattle. The mountains were so pretty with the pinks tones during the sunrise.

I will include a few pictures I took. They don’t come out as well since I was taking the picture through the window and the flash on the camera kept going off. I guess I need to learn how to use this camera.

Rainer, St. Helens & Adams



Mount St. Helens - I know this because of the flat top.


Mt. Adams

I had a very productive week. Some weeks are more rewarding than others and this was one of those weeks. I had to work my way through a software build scenario for a department I was not familiar with using features I had never used before. There was a lot of reading, testing and building going on in the evenings. I was awake 21 hours Monday working over 12 of those hours. Tuesday was an 18 hour day, Wednesday and Thursday were whimpy 12 hour days. Friday I spent 14 hours flying, connecting and driving home.

People often think the life of a business traveler is glamorous. I have to say there are certainly many perks, but there are many weeks that are like this one where you work double the hours of a typical job. Your body is run through the ringer. It’s not uncommon that we don’t sleep well, are awake very long periods of time, change 2-3 time zones, have poor dietary options.

I try my best to have a positive attitude. A long time ago I was really down about how hard my life was as a traveler on my way home one week. I took that time to reflect on the good parts of the job.

* How many people get to see the sunny side of the clouds twice a week?
* I get to eat a good and even great restaurants and it’s paid for.
* I stay in nice motels most weeks (I have had some bad ones too).
* I get to drive a wide variety of new cars each week.

Another benefit is that I don’t get caught up in office politics since I’m generally in and out. And if someone starts getting to me I remind myself that by the end of the week I’m on an airplane on the way home. I call it my countdown clock. Way back when I started this I would juggle 6-9 clients at a time so by the time I’d get back I was over anything that was tough from the previous trip.

It was then I figured just how much a positive attitude toward your job makes. I always remind myself how lucky I am to have a job I enjoy. Not everyone has that.

The Only Child

I have a lot of friends and co-workers who only have one child. I am often asked what it’s like to be an only child. These friends often worry that they are not being fair to the child by not giving them a brother or sister.

Being an only child I can tell you it’s not all that bad. The only child will generally grow up faster because they are always in the company of adults. My mom and dad filled in for a brother or sister by playing games and spending time with me. Because of this I was much closer to my parents. I never had to deal with sibling rivalries.

I did get to be a kid by playing with my cousins and neighbor kids so not having a sibling simply meant I got my own room, my own toys. I had all of my parent’s attention, encouragement, support and time.

If the truth were told if I had a brother or sister I’d have probably been forced to eat or kill them. I was never one for sharing and it’s a running joke to this day that I’ve never had to share and I’m not going to start now.

There are so many questions I am asked when people find out I’m an only child. Like what are you going to do when you get old? What about if a parent gets ill? What if you get ill? The answers to all these questions are… You just deal with it. I don’t have children but I have a partner, family and friends. With that combination who needs a brother or sister.

So many people think only children are spoiled. That generalization is simply not true or fair. I know a lot of only children that had to earn their way in life just like big families. My parents gave me what they could but they also didn’t spoil me by showering me with gifts from guilt for having an only child.

I can really say I appreciate what my parents did when they raised me. I didn’t come with an instruction manual. I know my mom looked for it a few times to figure out how to shut off the mouth I had in my teens. The good part for her was that she always knew it was me when something had been done. She didn’t have to figure out which child it was. That part I could have done without… The taking ownership for what I did.

One of the ladies I am working with out here has a daughter who’s an only child. Our conversation is what brought up this topic. We have talked about her daughter and what a little lady she is at 10. They live in a small town up the Columbia River and hearing about this town reminded me of my youth.

When I was young the world was a different place. You didn’t think about people stealing children. I had freedoms kids don’t have these days. At the ripe old age of nine I would take my bicycle and ride it all over town in Spring Hill, LA.

I made my rounds in town, I had stops where I could get cookies, play with dogs and visit everyone. And strange enough it generally was not children I stopped to visit. My mom never worried about me, she knew the route and how to find me (even without a cell phone). I knew when I had to be home and I’d plan my route to be there on-time.

One of my stops was to see my Aunt Jo Ann who was a RN and worked at the hospital there. She drove the 20-30 miles down from her home in Arkansas. I had her work schedule down and I’d show up and get a piece of bubble gum and say hello to her. I’d ride my bike several miles and walk in that hospital just like I owned it (some things just never change). All my aunts are special in their own way. Jo Ann was the one that would take a pack of kids to the Ice Capades, Swimming or even to the state fair. She was awesome and that piece of bubble gum was worth the ride.

There are so many of these memories of my youth I could write a book. And I guess over time with this blog I’ll have a good start.

For those of you with only children don’t worry about it. They probably like it.

Where’s the Beef?

That was the slogan for Wendy’s back in the 1980’s. This little old lady would open her hamburger and see this little patty and start the commercial “Where’s the Beef”.

Well today’s blog is more about “Where’s the meat”. I was never a breakfast eater until a co-worker of mine I traveled with got me in the habit (and you know who you are Sue). Of course I love the Bacon, Eggs, Toast and all the things that are not good for you. And you can tell through the years the extra pounds I’ve put on because of those selections.

The Hilton where I am staying provides me a nice continental breakfast. It’s not as bad as most continental breakfasts. This one is brought to your table and the presentation is really nice. It comes with Coffee, Juice, Toast or English Muffins and a nice bowl of fruit. The fruit is what makes the breakfast, the fruits include Honeydew Mellon, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Grapes, Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries.

I’ve been really good the past few weeks and this is how I start my day. If only I started it this good when I’m at home.

Mardi Gras Memories

Since it’s Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras season I thought I would write about my one and only Mardi Gras I attended in New Orleans. I was 25 years old the year I went to Mardi Gras. I lived in Oklahoma City and my parents lived in the New Orleans area. I brought my girlfriend at the time from Las Vegas for the first meeting with the parents and to Mardi Gras all at the same time.

Anyone who has been to Mardi Gras and the French Quarter afterwards should know how embarrassing it would be for a young man to have people ask his mother to show her “goods” to get beads (in front of a new girlfriend to boot). I’m so glad neither of them showed the goods… One guy asked mom for her bra and she quipped back at him asking if he knew how much bra’s cost.

I was really surprised at what I saw. There is really no way you can tell someone and have them really believe it unless they go see for themselves. I’ve grown up some and I’m not as much of a prude now as I was then. I could probably handle it better now than I did then. I can say it’s quite a party.

I still have some of the Mardi Gras beads we caught from the Rex parade. We got a Zulu coconut which was a prized thing to leave with. I’m glad I got to go see the craziness of Mardi Gras. The girlfriend didn’t last long… I guess it was too much for a first trip as a couple.

Kind Words

I find it amazing what a few kind words can do.

Any of you that know me personally know that I am a pretty confident person. I am generally in a good mood and I try my best not to let the pressure of life get me down. Last week was a good week for the most part.

The last few hours I was on-site I was thrown a few issues that really knocked me for a loop. I am generally good at puzzles and it drives me crazy when I have a problem I can’t solve quickly. I had already made plans to have my taxes done on my short weekend, and I have another client that I have work stacking up on that needed my attention. My mind was going so much I could not sleep the night before flying home (and I had to get up at 3AM).

Friday morning I woke up wondering if I was cut out to do my job. It was one of those times when doubt sneaks in and starts messing with the mind. It was funny because just that morning a dear friend of mine Sue had read a bunch of my blogs. She pointed out on one of the my blogs the last line of a song I had wrote about “and there’s nothing I can’t do” and said that fit my personality. That comment alone was timely and made me get off my pity pot.

The client site I’m working at is a place anyone should be happy to work for. The positive forces you feel there are just amazing. They are going through some struggles changing from one outsourced data center to another. So you have employees from four companies working together and sometimes apart.

A few weeks back they had a go-live on several products at the same time. The stress levels were high and people were quick to snap. This is something I’ve done for over 10 years now so I’m used to it and find it easier to roll with the punches and not get over excited.

It must have worked in my favor because the CIO sent the nicest complement to our account manager (that went 4 levels above me in the company). Basically she said that there was someone out here doing an outstanding job that needed to be recognized. The Friday of that go-live week when I was coming home there was a flood of positive e-mails in my mailbox from people who had no idea who I was before that day. What a way to end a week.

I have got out of my “feeling sorry for myself” mood after a very short weekend at home. I am learning lessons constantly in life. This week was just another of those weeks that make me better by teaching me lessons.

I need to remind myself to pay more complements to others. They are easy to give and they can do so much good.

Meet one of the Girls – Pez

I haven’t written much about home, so I guess it’s time to start introducing folks to the family.

Just under 4 years ago we added a new member to our family. It wasn’t planned which is generally the case. Stefan owned a shop where he painted custom artwork on sand blasted signs. In his storage shed he heard this meek noise coming from behind his material which is about the size of a sheet of plywood. He watched this poor kitten all day and realized that she had been abandoned. When we first met her she fit in the palm of my hand, her eyes had not opened and based on how long it took after we found her she must have been 2 days old.

We both felt so bad for this kitten and we wanted to be sure she had a fighting chance. After much feeding (10-15 times daily) starting with an eye dropper progressing to a dish she started growing. I’m sure she was abandoned by her mother because she was a runt and had problems with one of her eyes. It was a great experience for me to watch her grow and to her I’m the momma (poor cat, no wonder she’s warped and mean). I had never had an indoor cat and had no idea how curious they really are… What a fun time we had.

Over the years I have worked from my home office. Pez has an internal clock and she knows when it’s quitting time. I guess it’s when the stomach starts to growl, but she never misses and she makes it know it’s time to quit working by getting on the desk. She will start with just being a little annoying and she will work her way up to putting her paws on my chest to push me away from the desk. Considering she was a runt you would never know it as pushy as she gets.

Pez has found a window she can look out of on the 3rd floor while I’m getting ready in the morning (or afternoon’s at times). She will be four this summer (June 2). I can’t imagine not having her here to greet me when I come home from trips, or to see me off when it’s time to leave.

In reading a friends blog (Sue) she was talking about all her cats and the challenges she was having with them that day. I just roared because I don't think there is any way I could handle more than the one I have.

I’ll write about my other girl Sheeot (the dog) later. She is the social butterfly and will suck all the love out of anyone that comes around.

Anyone want a Strip Search?

When you travel you learn to read old news during your down time. I collect up my newspapers I get during the week and often don’t read them until the end of the week heading home. There are times I get to them earlier and sometimes I just don’t ever get to them. The funny part is on the way home I read them in order so the stories make sense. Other folks I know read them in reverse order so they get the latest info first. Just one of those strange things the business travelers tend to do.

Today I was reading yesterdays paper and the front page article was about the new scanning technology they are trying at the Tulsa airport. I’m not really sure I want these scanners since they display a body image (private parts and all) for the TSA agents. I don’t even like standing naked in front of a doctor little alone the TSA agent. They have it setup where the scan is read by someone in an office and not the one standing there. I guess that stops us from getting our feelings hurt when they giggle at our naked bodies on the screen.

They say the image is kept for minutes only then deleted, the face is blurred, etc.. Now mind you I don't have to tell you how much I trust that. I guess I've worked with computers too long because I know deleted files from computers can easily be retieved. I just know someday I'll find my naked body picture on the internet somewhere (probably on Ripleys webpage). It's like all these pictures that show up of these famous people that posed in the nude when they were young. Sure these pictures were destroyed.

The good part of the article was that you can request not to use this device and you get a free pat down… Count me in for that! I might as well get some enjoyment out of the process. Yee Haw!

Favorite things...

It’s really the little picky little things that can really make my day. You can’t imagine the thought processes I go through booking my travel. On certain aircraft I have the favorite seats lined up and will do about anything (and I mean anything) to get in them. I have preferred motel chains (some based on the toiletries they provide) and room type and location are all considerations.

If I’m flying North/South I determine the side of the plane by time of day where the Sun won’t blind me, then I pick the window seat on the side away from the sun. If I fly East/West I make my determination of side based on where I’m flying and what I want to see on my route. If I’m going to Portland I get on the Left side of the plane to see Mount Hood on the way inbound. And on the way back home I’m on the Right side for the same reason. If I’m going to Las Vegas I like the Right side of the plane to see the Grand Canyon on my way in.

Then there’s the jockeying for the seat and row. I always try to get Exit row for the extra leg room, and not just any exit row I want the back exit row that will recline. If you have two together the first will not recline. If I can’t get my window on the exit row I’ll default to the aisle, then I move to the first row “Bulkhead” and do the same moving around. If I happen to get a first class upgrade I head right to Row 1 and if that doesn’t work I want last row. And then from there any seat works, who’s going to whine about first class?

Motel rooms I want the highest floor away from the elevator, ice or vending machines. I want a king size bed and non-smoking. I like corner rooms because they generally will have windows on two walls making the room seem larger. I prefer motels that offer free breakfasts (even if they charge for parking). My favorite chain is the Hilton chain. I refer to myself as a Hilton Whore… Even more specific I prefer the Embassy Suites because I like their shampoo, cooked to order breakfast and having a separate living room and bedroom.

The Hilton I’m staying in here in Vancouver, WA has me assigned to the same room when they can. They have had me in it several weeks now and I have already put in my bid for it next week. It’s Room 549 (corner room, away from the elevator and all human life forms). The view from the desk is of a park pictured below. The view from the other window is of the Columbia River.

As for cars I prefer full sized cars and whatever you do don’t give me another Mini-Cooper.

I’m glad I have control over my own schedule, I’ve got much pickier than I was when I first started my career traveling. I have to say though way back when I started I had two travel agents that knew me all too well (Al and Brian). They knew all these preferences and they made them happen. God Bless them, they certainly earned their keeps those few years.

Not much news to report...

It’s been about a week since I made my last post. It was quite a busy week last week with work and when I got home I just took some time to unwind.

It was a great weekend. The house next to mine is owned by a couple that lives in Erie, PA. I just love it when they come down in the winter; they are what I consider good friends. They had us (Stefan and I) over for dinner on Friday about an hour after I got to the house. It was her birthday and she made us dinner. The next day they left on their vacation heading to Florida.

We had a great Valentines Day, not like we did anything spectacular. We went to Costco and had dinner at the Olive Garden. I guess it was just nice to have a day that we didn’t have to race around and do a lot of things (we saved that for Sunday).

I did learn some trivia about Oregon before I left last week. Saturday was the 150th year of being a state and they are having events to celebrate all year.

Q: The trivia question on the radio asked: The Oregon state flag is the only state flag that that has…

A: The Oregon state flag has a different print on each side.

Memories of my Father

I have always thought at some point I would write about how lucky I was as a child and about my parents. This week flying over the town my dad was born in brought him to mind.

I was a very lucky child to be born to my parents. I have never doubted that I was loved or that I was the number one thing in their lives. Both my parents were supportive and encouraged me all the time. My mom still does to this day. When you have a cheering squad behind you it does wonders for you.

I was so fortunate that my parents never got divorced. I never really considered it until my father passed away. I remember realizing that I was the only grandchild at my father’s funeral that had not lived through a divorce.

My dad moved us around the country following work and doing all he could to make our lives better. He would take me to work with him in the summers, and even worked me as I entered my teens so I could have my own money.

Through the years he took me and the neighbor’s boys fishing nearly every weekend through my teens. He let me drive the van (or let me think I was driving) while sitting in his lap when I was 5-6 years old. He taught me how to drive a tractor, ride a mini-bike, and shoot BB guns. He was a very good father, and many children envied what I had.

Even as an adult after I was no longer living at home he was still teaching me life lessons. After he had his heart attack he changed, he mellowed. He was much more appreciative of life and we had many great conversations. During his last few years he got the itch to learn how to use computers. He actually got to get on the internet and send me e-mails the last few years of his life. I wish he could see the internet now, I can only imagine how much time he’d be on that computer.

I miss him dearly and wish I would have had more than the 33 years I had with him. Even 12 years after his death I still dream about him and remember good times. I know we must have had some bad times, but I can’t say I remember any of them. I’m sure he’d be glad to know that.

I appreciate everything my dad did for me. I know he sacrificed for me and as an adult I can appreciate more now than ever just how hard he worked.

My father went in the Army at the end of WWII. He was certainly not old enough to go to war. I will include a picture of him and you tell me if you would have wanted to see your child go to war at this age.

Custer, SD

It’s pretty amazing how technology has changed the way we travel compared to when I started my career. When I first started traveling we had to use maps and Cell phones were reserved for Senior Management.

This week after boarding the plane I was able to watch our route as we were flying. I watched the new US President Obama make his first speech (live from 30,000 feet). I was able to select my own movie and watch it. When I was bored with that I was able to pull out my iTouch containing so much music it would take me a week to listen to each song.

I enjoy watching the flight path and each trip I make sure to keep track of the route. This week on the way to Portland we took a more northern route than usual. The route took us from Atlanta over Nashville, St. Louis, Omaha, Custer (SD), Yellowstone, Montana, the Idaho Panhandle on to Portland.

The one city that stands out is Custer, SD. This is the town where my father was born. It’s in the Black Hills of South Dakota very close to Mount Rushmore. My grandparents and several uncles are buried there.

I remember my last trip to South Dakota was with my father to attend my grandmother’s funeral. He took me and showed me things he did as a child. We went to the edge of the badlands and around the mountains. I didn’t know it at the time but it would be my last trip to South Dakota with my father.

My mom has mentioned that she would like to go on vacation there again someday. I hope in the next few years we can make that happen.

I was such a fortunate child and my father was a great man. I’m sure there are many people out there who think their father is great. And there are many more that did not have a father or did not have a great one. I was very blessed to have my dad, he was a man I respected and I will write more about him in my future blogs. He passed away 12 years ago this spring. He would be so amazed to see the technology we take for granted now.

Just how far have I been?

I was trying to think about something to write about today. I thought it might be fun to look at how many miles I have flown and where it could have taken me.

The miles that I know about which leaves out many miles I flew before being a business traveler total 1,907,850. This total will have taken me around the earth at the equator (24,901 miles) 76.61 times. I could have made 7.98 trips to the moon (238,857 miles).

If I were traveling to Mars I would only be 68% of the way through the 2.8 million miles. And to the Sun I would only be 2% of the 93,000,000 miles.

I know this is one of those fun facts that mean nothing to anyone unless you have traveled the miles yourself. And to think my grandmother’s primary form of transportation as a child was horse and buggy or on foot.

A Way With Words

I had a friend years ago that framed and gave me the saying below called "A Way With Words". It's so true and I still have this at my desk 20+ years after getting it. It's funny and so true. I'm not sure who the author was of this or I would credit them.

A Way With Words

There is a lot in the way you say it.
Call a lady and old hen and you pay.
Call her a chick and you’re in.
To tell her,
“You look like the end of a hard winter,”
Is not appreciated quite as much as saying,
“You look like a breath of spring.”
And although they mean the same,
It’s better to say,
“Time stands still while I gaze into your eyes,”
Than to say,
“You have a face that would stop a clock.”

WHAT’S IN THE IPOD? FOREVER YOUNG

It’s funny how a song can bring a flood of memories to you. As I was listening to my iPod an old Rod Stewart song came on “Forever Young”. This song reminds me so much of a dear friend of mine I worked with back in Oklahoma City when I was so very young.

Joanie and I worked together when I was just a pup at 17 years old. We worked together for years and there are surely more stories than I can tell in a short blog.

The first time I met her was a few days after I started my job as a data entry operator back in 1982. She was most likely the same age I am now and how young I must have seemed to her. One day we were going to pick-up lunch and she had this beautiful black Thunderbird. I hoped in the car with her and when she started the car the radio was up as loud as it would be in my own car and Bob Segar was playing. I was so amazed that someone her age could enjoy the same music as me.

At 17 there is so much to learn about life. I watched Joanie as she would drink a diet soda and eat a Snickers candy bar. I just couldn’t understand why in the world someone would do that. And I’m sure she would laugh at me today knowing as the years have went by I’ve done the same thing more times than I care to admit.

I have no idea how our IT department ended up being assigned the tasks of Receptionist, Switchboard Operator and Computer department… But that was the tasks we were given and we completed them. Joanie and I would share music over the years and I even remember one time we were told to turn down the music since we were on the switchboard.

One of Joanie’s favorite artists was Rod Stewart. I can think of no song better to describe her than “Forever Young”. It’s a beautiful song and every time I hear it it’s Joanie that I think about. She was so young at heart and she made a great impression on a young man starting his life.

The good thing about this blog is I’m making myself stop and think. I looked up Joanie’s name in my address book and wrote her a letter last week. I received a call from her over the weekend and although we only had a few minutes to talk it was so great to hear her voice again.

I’m sure just about everyone reading this note has heard the song that started this blog. I am including some of the words of the song below..



Forever Young – Rod Stewart

May the good lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness surround you
When your far from home

And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you’d have done to you

Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you’ll always stay
Forever young
Forever young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
With a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you will always remain
Forever young, Forever young
Forever young, Forever young

And when you finally fly away
I’ll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

But whatever road you may choose
I’m right behind you
Win or Loose
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young

A DAY IN THE LIFE

For those of you who travel for a living you can fully appreciate what a travel day is like. For those of you that are not frequent travelers here is what a typical day in the life is like.

I woke up this morning at 2:45 AM to start my pot of coffee. 3:30 AM I am on my way out the door for the 60 mile drive north to the Wilmington, NC Airport (in heavy fog). I am using this airport because it will get me to my destination before noon and using Myrtle Beach will not get me in before 7PM.

5:30 AM we board the airplane and prepare for the 6AM departure. The flight from Wilmington to Atlanta takes just over an hour. Today the flight was 1:15. Our flight was direct and took us over Columbia, SC.

I have 45 minutes on the ground in Atlanta before boarding my flight at 8:00 AM heading to Portland. The flight to Portland takes 5:05 making total airtime this trip 6:20 and 2672 miles.

The flight today is on a Boeing 757-200. It was a full flight with 157 seats (26 First Class, 131 Coach and 5 crew members).

Lucky for me I cleared my upgrade to First Class last week, the list of people jockeying for the two open seats was 34 names long. I’ve been at the end of that list before knowing you’re doomed to a center seat.

I chuckle at the safety announcement when they get to the life vests. If you fly Delta you know the part I find so funny. They tell you where the life vests are in coach (right under your seat). Then they get to First Class and they say they can be found under your seat, or in your arm rest or between your seats. My mind always goes to why can’t you tell me where the darn thing is? You’re going to make me go on a scavenger hunt for the life vest when it’s time?

Our route has taken us north out of Atlanta over Nashville, TN; eastern Kentucky; southern Illinois; St. Louis, MO; Lincoln, NE, Cheyenne, Laramie and just south of Jackson WY, south of Idaho Falls and north of Bosie, ID, then over eastern Oregon then we line up and follow the Columbia River Gorge dividing Washington State and Oregon.


Key landmarks I look for on the flight are: The Mississippi River, the Grand Teton Mountains in Idaho and then the Cascades (Mount Hood).

Today was clear and on the approach to landing I was able to see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mt Adams.

Once we land I head directly to the rental car area and head out. I go in to work today since I am arriving before noon and I work half a day. My day ended at 5 PM Pacific (17 hours after my day started). I leave work and head on to my motel and check in, unpack, and go to dinner.
This routine will be repeated in reverse for my trek home on Friday. I will start at roughly 3 AM Pacific Time and get home at about 5 PM.

As rough as this commute sounds after a while you get adjusted. Over the 10+ years I’ve been doing this I have come to prefer coast to coast travel because it allows me down time I can use for myself. I watched a movie, listened to music, read some. And if I’m really lucky I might get to squeeze in a 30 minute nap.


Here are pictures from todays trip:






Mount Hood






Rocky Mountains at the Idaho/Wyoming Line:







Rocky Mountains somewhere in Western Wyoming:

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HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY

Wow, I really wish we would just make this a national holiday. I certainly could have used an extra day on my weekend.

Let’s hope when someone wakes up the groundhog today he let’s us have the early spring this year. I’m ready for winter to be over. Even better yet maybe someone should put an umbrella over Punxsutawney Phil’s door today.

http://www.groundhog.org/

Not much of a post today since I’m in route to Vancouver, WA today.

MILK

Yesterday I went to see the movie MILK starring Sean Penn. I have always loved movies that are based on true events and real people. I’m sure most of you have heard of this movie since it’s been up for so many awards.

Milk is about Harvey Milk the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. I never really realized the importance his life or how much he accomplished in such a short time. Of course I was only 13 years old when he was elected to office. I remember some of the key events like the Anita Bryant crusade against the gay community.

The movie starts with Harvey talking about being 40 and having never done anything he was proud of. The story then documents the final 8 years of his life. I found it very amazing the accomplishments he made in such a short time.

He was elected to the office of City Supervisor in the City of San Francisco. Less than a year after he was sworn in he was assassinated along with the Mayor of San Francisco “George Moscone”.

His fight for equal rights for gays and lesbians and the blockage of Proposition 6 was a huge accomplishment. For those not aware of what Prop 6 or the “Briggs Initiative” it would have made firing gay teachers and any public school employees who supported gay right mandatory.

Things that were not in the movie…

Mayor Moscone appointed Harvey Milk to the Board of Permit Appeals in 1976, making him the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States. He only held this position 5 weeks before the mayor was forced to fire him when Harvey announced he was running for the California State assembly.

It’s sad that his life was cut so short. I wonder what accomplishments this man would have had if he had lived longer.

I was very impressed with the movie and would certainly recommend it.