Getting the BIG Picture

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Administrator

Feb. 27th, 2011

It’s seldom I am envious of anything, I’m usually perfectly happy with everything I have however last night we made a trip to the CSU observatory in Pueblo as part of a SCAS Pueblo training exercise.  Inside the facility sat a massive 22 inch Celestron research grade telescope…WOW!  To place things in perspective I own an 8 inch Meade telescope.  It’s a very nice unit but it certainly is no 22 inch telescope.  Our training program was an introduction to teach us how to bring on line the scope and shut it down properly.  Our society president Walter Russell and member at large Mike Maselli were the primary instructors, each of which have several hours of scope time with this instrument.  To make life easier they had generated a “cheat sheet” or step by step process to get the scope to the state you want.

Initially we had a problem with high winds.  The protective dome does not tolerate gusty winds due to the slit acting as a catch, fear of the dome ending up in Kansas was a concern.  This actually provided the perfect environment from focused training as no one was distracted by looking at “up there”.

This was a modest group in size, 10 in all so everyone got an opportunity to operate the dome and telescope.  With near perfect timing the winds died to a gentle breeze as the training rounds had completed.  The decision was made to open the slit and do some deep sky viewing.

Taking what we had learned we opened the dome and slewed or steered the telescope to an object, the Orion Nebula.  I have looked at this birthing ground of massive stars several times in my 8 inch scope but never before in something this large.  What an amazing sight.  The gas clouds of the nebula simply popped with definition.  The sight was unparalleled, tempered only by the knowledge of what exactly was happening in the field of dust and particles…the process of creation.  Everyone still present took turns gazing into the optic, a new kind of quiet settled into the odd shaped room.  I think maybe the view was, to a degree, overwhelming.  To catch a glimpse of these noble gases and particles coalescing to form giant balls of fire and light, that which provides the very foundation for life to begin.  Deep thought indeed.

On next to M46, an open star cluster in the Puppis Constellation.  M46 contains around 100 stars and a planetary nebula NGC 2438.  What it all amounts to is a rich field of glowing jewels.  The 22 inch scope easily displayed the beauty of the Messier object.

Unfortunately it was getting late in the evening and contrary to popular belief even those interested in the star do have a life outside of the telescope.  One by one SCAS members filtered out of the observatory to head home or onto other night life activities of a Saturday night.  I do believe that those who took the training found yet another source of inspiration.  That is not to say that we all will abandon our smaller scopes and back yard viewing, on the contrary, I suspect this experience will only serve to energize that very activity.  Now however when we find something of interest that we wish we could get a better look at we have an option.  I’ve already started my list.

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A New Door

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Administrator

    In closing one door of my walk through life I found I have opened another.  Innocent as this may seem I’m finding it was an unintentional yet deliberate act or rather natural progression of my life’s circumstances and it’s right where I want to be!  Too cool.  Enough of the cryptic writing.

    On my Facebook page I list Astronomy as part of my formal education at NMSU.  That is a truth.  I did attend NMSU and did take astronomy as my major.  What Facebook doesn’t tell you is that was nearly 20 years ago, since that time I have not been remotely involved with anything astronomy related.  My studies at that time were interrupted by a second deployment to the middle east.  Nothing mires ones attempt to continue meaningful and productive studies like getting shot at.  Did you know however that a good college level astronomy book makes for a great method of adding to and re-enforcing weak points in your vehicle defenses…yup.  Ah the good old days.

    Fast forward to present day.  I purchased a telescope late last year.  Slightly selfish as I do love looking up at the stars but I still adamantly defend my reasons for making this purchase, I want to get my son into space related activities, never mind the fact that he’s all of 8 months old right now and is more interested in chewing on paper.  He’ll grow and the scope will be here for his use, sound logic yes?  If you want to teach someone about a subject you should know something about what you wish to teach.  Again sound logic.

    My lovely wife purchased a subscription to the monthly periodical “Astronomy” as a Christmas gift for me (oh how contradictory that seems).  Authors Note: I think it should be a by-weekly publication as it took me a week to read cover to cover and another week to re-read and ingest that which really interested me.  Unfortunately as I turned the pages I realized I hadn’t retained a great deal from the astronomy course of 20 years ago, gee go figure.  When one wants to gain knowledge in any particular area it’s wise to gather resources and invest the time to learn so Barnes and Noble have become a good friend. “Origins”, wow great reading!  Reading of course is not the only avenue to return to this desire/discipline so I looked elsewhere to satisfy my quest.  Telescope + Thirst for Knowledge = local astronomical society.  A quick search on the internet revealed a point of contact to the society, no website however…interesting.  I asked a colleague of mine at work, someone well in the know of such information and a great friend as well what he knew about the local AS.  He teaches astronomy at one of the local community colleges with a Master in Geosciences, and hold minors in physics, chemistry, and mathematics.  He’s an extremely intelligent man and loves to educate those who show a desire to learn.  My good friend brought me up to speed on what he knew and who as well as placed me in contact with a person in the society.  Crawl, Walk, Run.  I’m crawling at this point.

    Over the next 4 month period try as I might I was never able to get to any of the monthly meetings.  Work, raising our son, the holidays, the needs for sleep, all quality reasons for not attending, however no matter the reason if I truly want to continue this process of self education I simply must make the time.  That happens this next Monday.  With the blessing of my wife to come home late and the permission of my boss at work to alter my work schedule that day so that I may attend the meeting I will be there. Yeah!

    Changing gears just a little but still parallel to the subject:  My wife and I owned and operated a small video production company for 4 years.  It was a part time operation covering short track racing in Southern Colorado and eventually the Front Range in Colorado.  We had/have everything from light kits, mics of every flavor, a teleprompter system, multiple cameras (a few now technologically handicapped, NTSC not ATSC), portable green screens, reflectors, mixers, the software to produce, and the list goes on.  Diligently we produced over 70 weekly productions, each episode getting better than the next, and we did generate revenue from this, with the company being able to support equipment acquisitions on it’s own.  We sold discs nation wide, made friends with some of the most interesting yet everyday people, produced commercials for television, produced and cut radio spots, built web drivers, even got into and successfully managed the position of sales, marketing, and advertising director for one of the speed tracks.  When our son was born the world suddenly stopped turning in familiar directions, add to that I went through a minor and major surgery right in the middle of the race season and still produced the season 2 weeks shy of its end  Wow, I did finally determine my physical limits (Authors Note:  Nick Izzo was our reported and did help carry the company during the birth of our son and my surgeries, I can’t thank him enough for his dedication and solid work ethic, a life long friend in every sense of the word).  At the end of season my wife and I had a heart to heart and determined it was time to bring that endeavor to a close.  The weekly demands were simply too much while trying to raise a family.  I think if it were my full time job the outcome would have been different.  None the less I packed the gear away not knowing if we would ever use it again in a professional capacity.  It was really a down moment in life, much effort and time had gone into our company.  It was sad to close the business but necessary, our child came first and the door was shut.

    Back to Now.  In talking with a member of the Southern Colorado Astronomical Society (SCAS) I’ve learned a great deal.  Not so much astronomy related…yet. I have learned that the organization really doesn’t have a public outreach program in place.  They do not have a website, just recently a blog did go up.  From what I have been able to determine they do not participate in any kind of advertising or marketing of their program.  While they have a fair membership enrollment, those who actively participate in the monthly meetings constitute a quarter percentage of the members roster.  I smell an opportunity.  Let’s first place this in perspective.  There is no money to be had in a strictly voluntary organization such as an astronomical society, this I know.  I’m not interested in a money making venture, this is a higher calling with a personal interest.  I want my son to become involved in astronomy.  The members of the SCAS are a wealth of knowledge, I want to gain that knowledge.  I also firmly believe it is mankind’s right and future to get out into space, explore it, understand it, populate it.  Obviously we are technically not capable at this point in our evolution of achieving this and will never be if we do not inspire our youth to take on such challenges.  So you might say becoming involved with space exploration through the SCAS is a selfish act on my behalf as I wish to further my person beliefs, yup, it sure is and I’ll make no argument otherwise.  If the SCAS will have it, I’ll offer my skill set in video production, multimedia, marketing and advertising to its collective cause…I only stand to benefit from it.  Additionally I get to exercise my desire to be creative with media.  This is really a win/win situation for me.

    I do of course realize that gaining the trust of the SCAS will take time, after all I wouldn’t simply turn over this level of impact in any organization I was involved with immediately to a stranger.  Still when it comes to marketing when there is little to no marketing plan in place warrants a certain degree of strategic and planned forward movement if one wishes to achieve an increase in attendance and enrollment to the ranks of the organization.  In the end I’ll do both what they want and what I feel I can do.  The nice thing is there will really be no pressure, there is no budget, there is no demand to increase membership by any percentage or factor over X amount of time.  The goal is simple, get people interested in astronomy, hope that of those who do become involved a few might go on to institutions of  higher education and eventually contribute to space exploration in is some capacity.  If I can help create this opportunity for someone in our community then by every measure of the word success, I will have achieved just that.  This is my new open door and I open it with optimism for a brighter tomorrow.

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Our Space Program

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Administrator

STS 1 Space Shuttle Columbia

It’s the year 2011, the last of the space shuttle missions are scheduled, STS 133-135, the final flight begins June 28th and then an era comes to a close.  I’ll not reminisce the 30 years of STS missions, only take a moment to give thanks to all the men and women who contributed to such a wonderful and powerful program, your efforts should never be forgotten. 

I would like to focus on what comes next for our space flight program, that being…?  Come to think of it what does come next?  Sitting now on launch complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is the mighty…well, nothing.  WOW, what has happened?  American has suddenly gone from the super power in space technology development and flight to hitch hikers, hey Russia or China can you make a little room on your next flight to the International Space Station? 

Really?!  America is the land of innovation, progressive thinking, of moving forward towards the greater good of mankind…and yet in a few short months American will clip its wings with regard to manned space flight, how did we allow ourselves to fall to this new low? 

I know, let’s build a new war machine, let’s create a new entitlement program that promotes a lethargic attitude and behavior in our citizens, let’s continue to invest money in fossil fuels and NOT research and develop new energy alternatives, and the list goes on. 

Dr. Robert Zubrin believes in and supports a manned mission to Mars, with the intent to sustain a presence on the planet, heck I’m all for just making sure we have a means to get people into space at this point. 

Space, there’s no money it in.  Really?  As we go about depleting our planet of natural resources we do this with full knowledge that out there, in space including our very own moon are the resources we could use such as Helium-3.  Would it be more expensive to collect? You better believe it.  If we continue to consume Earth’s natural resources will we eventually destroy our home world?  You better believe that as well.  But it’s so expensive to take on such challenges, to go to the moon, to mine asteroids, to establish a permanent and lasting presence in space.  The cost to our very lives will be so much more when the Earth is no longer capable of sustaining the human species. 

So why is it that we have utterly failed to continue what President Kennedy started, the challenge he issued to Congress and to humanity (watch and listen to his speech in 1961)?  The economy, education, lack of interest, lack of a space technology industry.  A lot goes into why, it simply cannot be boiled down to one particular issue but behind every issue I think it is more than fair to say complacency and lack of motivation is a major factor.  Wow that really hurts.  It’s hard to get to space, to stay there.  If this were easy everyone would be doing it, no?  It takes a 

A future Astronaut

 special kind of person, a special kind of people, and a special nation to move the human race into the great vastness of space.  Are we not those people any longer?  I think we are. 

I think we have lost something our founding fathers had, a quality that made America what is was not too long ago.  The spirit of discover!  We’ve become so focused on our individual lives that we no longer look outward, to the betterment of ourselves as a country, as a race, collective of our planet.  I know, let’s play a video game and things will get better, Uggh! 

I started out with the fact that within the year America retires its shuttle fleet, with nothing on ready to replace it.  Let’s get back to that.  NASA was mandated by law to develop the next Heavy lift transportation system to continue carrying us into space.  There was once a sense of accomplishment when saying we do more with less, now the saying is we do less with less.  The year 2011 sees yet again deep budget cuts for NASA: 

Sen. Richard Shelby

“The president’s proposed NASA budget begins the death march for the future of U.S. human spaceflight,” Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) said Monday. “If  this budget is enacted, NASA will no longer be an agency of innovation and hard science. It will be the agency of pipe dreams and fairy tales.” 

But Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), whose state stands to lose 7,000 jobs when the space shuttle program ends next year, signaled that he will not fight to keep Constellation alive: “When the president says he’s going to cancel Constellation, I can tell you that to muster the votes and overcome that is going to be very, very difficult.”  

  

Sen. Pete Olson

Sen. Pete Olson “The Administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget will shut down America’s ability to continue human space flight by killing the Constellation program within NASA.  Constellation is the best option to get to the Moon and beyond.  The Moon should be our first destination so that we can develop the expertise and systems necessary to go even further.” 

“NASA has sent Congress a report stating that it cannot meet the requirements that it produce a heavy-lift rocket by the current 2016 deadline – or under the current allocated budget. In the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, NASA was directed to develop a heavy-lift rocket in preparation to flights to an asteroid and possibly Mars. NASA said it cannot produce this new rocket despite the fact that the agency would be using so-called “legacy” hardware – components that have been employed in the shuttle program for the past 30 years. NASA would also utilize modern versions of engines used on the massive Saturn V rocket.” 

Please do keep in mind that should NASA be held to the letter of the law, which this is a law mandated by congress for a Heavy Lift vehicle, with the lack of appropriate funding it will of couse be built by the lowest bidder.  I, for one who would love to travel into space, would not get onto a rocket filled with liquid hydrogen and oxygen built by the lowest bidder…come on Mr. President, how about you take the first ride, and please do include me in your Will.  Do include the fact that NASA has been tasked to use “legacy” components fromthe shuttle program , meaning technology that dates back as far as the 30 years of the shuttle program might be incorporated into a new vehicle.  I think it a great idea to build upon what we have learned from the shuttle program but to specifically use outdated technology to carry us the next 30 years…really.  I can’t tell you how upset I would be if I found out my new car was utilizing 30 year old parts that just happened to be sitting on the shelf.  So now design engineerings must take this dated technology and build it into a new program.  I guess maybe it’s not all bad, as at least that part will have been built by some one other than the lowest bidder. 

And now our 2020 return to the lunar surface has been cut all together.  So is it that America has resigned itself to a back seat in space exploration?  At the time of this writing is seems so.  I propose that the next big challenge is not getting back into space however convincing our politicians there is a want to get back into space or ramping up private industry to take on this challenge as it seems our government is slightly more focused on welfare.

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Thinking of the future

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Administrator

Jan. 17, 2011

In 1969 mankind put boots down on a surface never before touched by humans, our moon.  It ushered in a new and innovative time, that of exploration into what might be called our final frontier.  Science fiction was no longer fiction, rather fact.  Minds opened, looking to the stars took on a whole new meaning, in that yes we can.  And yet over the past 41 years we seemingly have lost focus on this exploration effort.  Does it take super powers locked in battle to push forward our effort to move into space, move to other worlds?  It seems so.  The price we might pay for this lost interest goes beyond though.  And yet am I implying this is a matter of life or death for our race, certainly no, however our ability to throw ourselves into the vast void creates so many other opportunities for the human race they too go beyond thought.  I find it so hard to believe and to accept we as humans are land locked to terra firma. 

So what have I done to help forward the cause of getting us into space, on another world?  In truth not a great deal.  In my own defense it seems to boil down to where I was at in life that dictated what I was involved with but this lack of focus certainly has cost myself and others advancement towards a reach for the stars.  Consider if I had chosen a career in astronomy, astrophysics, planetery geology…how much further along might we be in our quest to reach into space, to understand it.  Not that I alone would have that great of an impact on this quest however every singular contribution helps.  So what can I do now?  How can I make a meaningful contribution?

One cool kid

As a parent:  It is later in life that I have become a father, my son is now a mere 7 months old.  It goes without saying he and my wife are the center of my universe.  In him I find renewed hope for a better tomorrow.  Through my son there is an opportunity to make up lost ground.  How?  Get him interested in space research related sciences early on.  Certainly I will not be the father who dictates what my son must be when he grows up however I can help to shape his interests in the hope he will want a career involved in space sciences.  Just recently I purchased my first telescope, I will encourage my son to get behind the glass and look into the heavens.  We will study our sky together to peer into its mysteries with the understanding those mysteries can be solved.  We will read about space research and tie in what we have observed through the scope to develop a deeper understanding of what we are seeing.  Summer vacations might just involve a trip to Houston to visit NASA, weekend outings we could visit local space related venues.  As a family we’ll be members of our local astronomical society, and when he is old enough introduce him to the society, using it as an extension of the learning process.  Of course we will encourage him to challenge himself in school, strive for the highest grades he can achieve, and take the hardest classes.  As parents we are saving money now for a continued education past high school.

As an Individual:  This effort becomes something more of a challenge.  Here not only can I affect my son but the lives of young adults in our community.  By actively participating in the local astronomy club I can share scope time with kids and adults who share a curiosity or common interest.  Note:  Recently we had some friends of our over for an in-prompt-to star gazing session between breaks in winters cloudy skies, their children simply loved looking through the eye piece at various objects.  A few weeks later their mother told me how the children went on and on about looking through the scope.  We will have more of these gazing sessions and I hope the children are inspired to continue this investigation of celestial bodies.

    While not my fulltime job I was recently a marketing director for a local racing venue.  Why not apply those skills to support the astronomy club to help get the word out about the society and its meetings and functions to encourage larger attendance.  Actively engage an outreach program to area schools, youth organizations, and anyone who is curious.  Make accessable the ability to learn more from local amateur astronomers.  The youth of our world is our future, get them interested in astronomy early on, hopefully that will translate down the road to increased enrollment in institutes of higher education with regard to space applied sciences.  Sure not everyone will want to gaze at the stars for a living, but what about children who become propulsion engineers, designing the newest engines that take us faster and deeper into space, or electronic engineers who assist in the design of components on a space craft…the possibilities are endless.

    I can support those in political office who support space research, technologies and advancement in the space arena.  I can ask candidates who are running for office what they would do to support the same and give them my vote.  I can ask local politicians what they are doing to encourage growth in the community that is directly related to the space industry, and why they are not being more proactive in getting higher paying technology jobs brought into the community.

    I can and do donate computer time to worthy space science research programs such as milkyway@home or cosmology@home. Through programs such as these everyday people can further a cause of their liking, whether that be medical research, space research or whatever you feel best deserves your computer’s idle time.  With programs such as these massive amounts of data are broken down into small packets then pushed out to individual personal computers for processing then returned to the source where the individual packets are rejoined to complete a larger picture.  Consider this, what is your computer doing when you’re not using it, a slide show no one is seeing?  Its idle time could be spent processing data.

    I’m sure there are other things I could be doing to forward our understanding of what lies beyond our own planet but everything in moderation.  If everyone were to give a little of themselves how much further along would we be?

    We are entering a new and interesting age where our government is allowing the commercialization of space.  I feel this is both a positive and potentially negative adventure.  With the privatizing of space access I do believe we will see an increase of humans in space however those ventures will need to produce a profit.  If a substantial profit margin cannot be obtained most private companies will not invest in space, thus a job market will never materialize.  So if we are to encourage our youth to go to school, train in astrophysics, planetary biology, propulsion systems, planetary geology we need to make sure there is a job market waiting for them.

    For now I will strive to enhance my understanding of what is out there and pass that along to my son and those who would be willing to learn and just maybe when my time is over I will have a greater sense of satisfaction that in some small manner I contributed.

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Christmas and Chanukah…it’s a family thing

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Administrator

I’m a guy, admittedly I sometimes..SOMETIMES don’t consider every aspect of that which I am doing or in this case what is coming up and how best to handle it.  Sharon and I bought a house this year.  Moving from small apartments to the larger home has presented a few challenges, specifically interior decoration and following that train of thought decorating for the holidays.  Last year it was simple, we had enough room in our apartment to put up a short 2 1/2 ft tall Christmas tree and of course a Menorah.  We celebrated both religious holidays while trying to move into the new house.  Honestly we didn’t do a great deal of celebrating as we were in the process of moving.  The holidays came and went and still we unpacked boxes.  Fast forward almost 1 year.

For me it has been a number of years since I had a home to celebrate Christmas in, for Sharon, she’s Jewish, never really observed Christmas in the first place.  We’ve made a firm commitment to one another to be respectful and observant of each others religious beliefs and practices.  Thus far this has not been a problem and this does continue to be the case however a few weekends ago I returned from a shopping trip where in I picked up an artificial 9 ft. tall Christmas tree.  I figured this year we could do something a little extra given we now have the space.  I will add at this point that yes I know what Christmas is about and it has nothing to do with a pine tree.  This is however a joyful and festive time of the year, we are going to introduce our son to both religions and allow him to make his own informed decisions when it comes to worship.  While we all observe our holidays in our unique manners we will make this a time of warmth, love, surprise, and happiness.

Anyway upon showing Sharon the box containing the tree she giggled then asked “How do you set up a Christmas tree?”  Not listening to what she was asking, rather simply hearing her question I replied that I was certain the directions were in the box but it should be easy enough.  Again a little giggle followed by a more direct and fundimental statement “I never have had or set up a Christmas tree, are there rules?  Click on goes the light bulb in my head.  Then I understood what she was saying.

Childhood memories of dad, mother, my brother, and I making a trip to a tree farm in Michigan, finding the perfect tree, cutting it down, bringing it home, shaking the snow from it, mounting it in a base then trimming it came to mind. Likewise going to grandfathers and grandmothers home, their tree decorated and aglow, the magic of those moments…memories I have always held dear to my heart came rushing back.  WOW!  Suddenly I realized in some form I was going to be the bearer of Christmases past, to see if I too could bring that magic to our tree, to our home, to our family.  It’s a tall order as there was always the true purpose, original meaning behind the celebration as a binding singularity.  That being said let’s do not forget there is no lack of love in our home, and that in itself is one of the strongest uniting elements possible.

Still it is important to me that I pass along to both Sharon and Connor the reason behind the holiday, what it means to me.  I would never thrust my beliefs onto my wife, and I know she would never do the same but I do want for her to understand the true meaning of Christmas. 

Loving Concessions:  We are two people with different religious backgrounds, out of love and respect for her I want to observe Chanukah.  Honestly decorating for Chanukah is a great deal easier than for Christmas and it’s a great deal less expensive.  Here is however where I run into problems…how do you decorate for Chanukah?  Of course a Menorah, I purchased a rather decorative Dreidel, and the children’s story book of Chanukah, but what else do you do?  Ask of course, so I did ask Sharon what else, come to find out that’s about it.  Wow, really?  That was too easy.  Let’s look at the average family Christmas tree, ornaments, lights, garland, icicles, a stand, a star or angel for the top.  Then add in the other decorations that are set about the house, candles, stockings, holiday trays and bowls and the list goes on.  In that we just moved into the house this year we had absolutely none of the above.  Off the Hobby Lobby we went.

Thank goodness Hobby Lobby had a 50% off Christmas sale going on.  It was fun watching Sharon traverse the isles, picking out this and that, asking if the item would look good on the tree.  That’s the great thing about decorating a tree, NO RULES.  If your eye likes what it sees then do it.  What I did discover was that she didn’t have a good concept of how many decorations typically go on a tree, we left the store with a few boxes of lights and hanging ornaments.  I knew that effort would need to be continued.  Of course we did have a good time and I am looking forward to trimming the tree.

With that in mind we are setting up the tree on Thanksgiving day.  Sharon’s dad, mom, brother, and two nieces are making the trip from Texas to join us over the holiday weekend.  I’m thinking it will be fun to have the girls involved with the trimming.  So that begs the question will her father and mother wish to participate in decorating the tree?  I don’t suspect any religious implications will prohibit their involvement.

I do want to make certain we observe Chanukah, it begins December 1st and ends the 8th.  I do need to read a little on this so I have a better understanding of it, any traditions and why it is important.  That’s not saying I believe it unimportant, I simply don’t understand what Chanukah is about, a little insight will carry a long way.

Without a doubt this is going to be a fun holiday season, new traditions incorporated into long standing traditions, the discovery of new ways to celebrate beliefs, and the joyful willingness to accept those beliefs because they are part of the people we love and care for so deeply.  I guess one could say I already received an early Christmas gift.

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Planned Hiatus or Predetermined Death?

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Administrator

Since 2006 I have been running a part time company, a video production outfit that covers short track racing in southern Colorado, Midknight Video Productions or MVP Sports.  We’ve been moderately successful with this endeavor given it has been a part time effort…had the recession not occurred it might have actually taken off to the point of replacing one of our full time paychecks.  For the 2010 season we decided to cover racing up and down the front range of Colorado, 8 different tracks, ranging from very close to home to a few hundred miles from here.  We started our coverage in February, unlike previous years when we covered only 1 track and started in May.  I’ll be honest it was a big jump from 1 to 8 tracks, the time allocated to this effort really started accumulating.  Keep in mind Sharon was pregnant at the time, which of course made leaving to cover racing on Saturdays and Sundays difficult.  Still as we had made the commitment to complete 2010 everyone involved loaded up and hit the road. 

 For the first 4 months we were doing pretty good, a lot of racing to cover and people seemed very receptive to what we were doing.  Revenue generation was slow but I’ll take the hit on that.  Between shooting, editing, and most importantly making certain Sharon was being taken care of I found I had little time for making sales calls.  I do believe the dollar was out there but something inside told me to not get overly aggressive, I could already feel the toll the effort was wearing me out.  I did not want to sign advertisers and sponsors to the program if there were a chance we would not be able to complete the season.

In May I had knee surgery, it took me out of the shooting loop for 2 or 3 weeks, I can’t remember.  June 18th our son, Connor James Knight, was born, of course I took time away from the company for that.  And in July I had throat surgery, that ground me to a halt.  Note if you ever have a procedure called a UPPP, understand you’re going to be down for the count for a few weeks.

Just 10 minutes old

At this point I had missed a great deal of the race season.  I also found leaving to cover racing suddenly moved to the bottom of my priorities as I wanted to spend time with Sharon and our baby boy.  I knew we needed to keep the coverage close as making 400 mile round trips was simply too far away from home.  We collectively decided to focus on one track that was local to finish out the season.  We did go back into DVD production with what I considered a solid show, unfortunately the word was either slow to get around or the interest was not there for watching the race program.  In either case DVD sales were pathetic.  As we approached the end of the season my frustration in the amount of time and effort we were placing into the product started influencing my decision making process.  With 2 weeks to go I pulled the plug.  I was not going to waste anymore of our time covering something only a few people were into.

Could have I turned that situation around by making certain people knew we were down there covering the races, yes.  But again finding the time to market the produce was my largest nemesis.  I haven’t mentioned that I do also work a fulltime job in television so doing MVP business during normal full time job business hours was for the most out of the question. 

Zoom ahead to today.  It’s November, the time to market the track and video product is upon me.  I find I have little interest in picking up the phone and making calls or getting behind the camera.  I have my family to look after.  The owner of the track we cover has called asking if we are making the awards banquet, I haven’t had a chance to talk with him yet.  It will be a difficult conversation as not only are we business associates, we are also friends and I know he counts on us to market the track, sign sponsors, and of course generate additional revenue to support the racing effort.  Of course there is Midknight Video Productions, thousands of dollars wrapped up in video gear, software, and so on, not to mention our lead reporter who wants to get the 2011 season planned.

 It feels like I am letting many people down by not returning for another season, yet the most important people are my wife and child, I will not disappoint them.  There is also a part of me that feels like I am giving up, that is really hard to get around.  At the same time I haven’t had a summer weekend off in 5 years, save for the time I had to take off due to medical reasons and the birth of our son.  Sharon and I have planned to add to our family this coming summer, child number 2.  Her first trimester would fall into the start of the race season.  Additionally the company I work for has placed me in training to become the assistant chief engineer.  That requires in the least I be able to hear my phone ring on Saturdays should there be a problem at the station.  I really don’t see how another race season is possible for me.

So do I abandon the video company altogether, shut it down, or do we call this a break of undetermined length?  I know the answer but find it hard to admit.  It’s hard to stop doing something you have been committed to for so long, but I will not sacrifice my family time, or am unwilling to sacrifice my time.  When it was just Sharon and I it was easy to dedicate large amounts of time to the video effort, now with a child here and our next being talked about it’s difficult to willfully place priority on anything but our family.  I know what I must do, I find it hard to accept, I really enjoyed running the business and being involved with racing, but most importantly I enjoy my family.  It seems the answer to my question is as plain as the print in front of me.

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The Fight Continues

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Administrator

Slightly over a month ago we took our son Connor into see the doctor. He was spitting up a lot, sounded like he had a cold, and generally cranky. Our DR gave his ears a look to confirm her suspicions, a double ear infection. Right on to the antibiotics. He seemed to make a recovery however shortly after the course of meds were complete we noticed he was grabbing and holding his ears, and coughing a great deal. Off to the DR again…the infection continued. Another round of meds was prescribed, again he seemed to be getting better, finished off that course and by last Friday we knew he had relapsed. Today a trip to the DR proved to confirm what we had been suspecting all weekend, a severe ear infection, this time in only one ear, the other ear was given a clean bill of health. Our doctor brought up the topic of tubes if this tendency continued.  Uggh!  My instructions were simple, take him home and get him some rest.  NOTE:  The part about taking him home was easy, getting rest…because I can tell a 4 1/2 month old baby to rest, yup.  Stopped by Walgreens, filled his new prescription, and then off to home.

    Connor actually did rest a good deal of the afternoon.  Unfortunately he did have a melt down of sorts, cried and screamed for roughly 45 minutes.  Coughing, sneezing, spitting up, my baby boy could not catch a break.  Around 8PM he drifted off to sleep, as did Sharon and I.  With the exception of feeding him he slept the entire night.  It looks like this  is going to be a hard fight to win however we will do everything we can to prevent tubes from being used.  Still if tubes will give him relief from painful ears we my need to look at this option more closely.  Just so hard to know what to do.

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Needs of the family

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Administrator

Saturday was a mixed bag of feelings for me. After 11 years of near faithful service I said goodbye to my 1998 1 ton Dodge dually. We traded it in on a new Volvo XC70. I’ll qualify the title of this post. The truck was big, to the point that Sharon did not like driving it what so ever. This was problematic as should there ever be a need, such as Connor needed to go to the hospital or her car was in for a service she would have been left driving the truck, of which she was very uncomfortable doing so. In that she was afraid of its size it did create for a potential accident. Giving into reason we decided to get me something she could drive without issue. She has a Volvo XC 60, the 70 is only slightly larger so she is now able to easily transition between the two vehicles. I’ve had a truck since 1993. I’ve used my trucks for just about everything, hauling, hunting, fishing, driving to work, play. To be without a truck is going to be both strange and I suspect challenging from time to time.

We had our neighbors over for dinner last evening, when I told them the truck is gone Rosie commented that now they would not know when I was getting home from work, the big diesel would roar into the cul-de-sac announcing my arrival I guess. I am going to speculate that a few of my neighbors are going to enjoy the fact that late at night when I get home I do not make that statement any longer.

So while this is not a loss of manhood by any means I do feel as though I have lost something related to my person.  I guess it must be a guy thing.  I the end it is something I will deal with and accept.  Of note the XC 70 is a very nice car, and it does provide an extreme level of safety so I can take comfort in the fact that my family is well protected.

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