Still reaching for that mojo

So it turns out that -- as hard as it may be to believe -- I really am a lazy bum. Here's the proof. I've been meaning to use this blog as a place where all my friends can get updates on my ever evolving life without having to join some Internet social networking site (aka virtual black hole). Sorry, I know that many of you are Facebook fans. Maybe it's just my stubborn nature, but you haven't converted me yet. Keep trying, though. You never know.

How do I fill in for the past almost two years since I've been here? I don't, for starters. I left my job at the lab I was working at due to ethical differences, and now I work for GE. There are some big differences, going from a small company to an international heavyweight, but they made me an offer I just didn't know how to say no to -- 25% increase in salary not to mention a FULL benefits package. I'm working with some great people as a reliability engineer. If you don't know what that is, join the club; I'm still trying to figure it out myself! What I have been able to piece together so far is that we make statistical models to tell the sales people how reliable our products are, and then they know what cards they have in their hands when they negotiate contracts with clients. That's very simplified but sufficient to get a flavor for the work.

And what is it the sales people sell? Gas turbines. Yeah, carbon emitting greenhouse gas producing beasts. And way more advanced since the 60s when the modern environmental movement began. By advanced, I mean more powerful, more efficient, and more CLEAN. Wind and solar got nothing on this as far as bang for your buck. Working for an energy company has given me a new way of seeing the world. I've learned a lot about the power generation and distribution industries, not to mention the details in the energy debate that the media seems comfortable leaving out. Like the fact that the typical wind turbine produces 1.5 MW of power while the typical gas turbine can produce 200 MW. How many wind turbines do you need to get the same output from one gas turbine? You do the math. Oh, and these days power plant owners typically use the heat from the gas turbine exhaust to power a steam turbine, getting about another 150 MW for free. That changes the equivalent number of wind turbines, and again I'll let you do the math. For some reason, these little details never enter the discussion on energy sources, at least not the public one.

Some of you may recall that I was living in upstate New York. That was until a couple of years ago when I moved to Greenville, South Carolina. I'll be sure to put in details of travels around the state and region, and look for pics in the future as well. I'll also be more diligent in adding entries to this space; it's part of my goals for the year. Check back to get updated. I've got lots of exciting things lined up as well. In my reflections on 2008, I came to realize a lot of things. I realized that I had grown in a lot of important ways. I learned that true love is so much more than romance, and the choice to love truly even for a moment is worthwhile, even when the one you love leaves you empty, hurting, and overwhelmed with grief.

I also realized that I have wasted too many years looking for that "ideal life" that just hasn't come to me. I actually charted out the significant events of my life and saw that I haven't really done much with myself. And with that realization came another one -- I'll keep on wasting years until I decide to start living life here and now. I have been realizing that in bits and pieces the past few years and had been making sporadic efforts to correct that, but seeing my life to date in graphical form was really sobering. It really brought it all together for me. I quickly saw that I must begin now to live every day to the fullest.

So that's what I'm going to do. That's what my goals for 2009 are all about. The whole carpe diem thing. Breathe in every day. Give thanks for the wondrous gift of life I have been given. Work hard and play hard. Get back in the saddle whenever I get the wind knocked out of me. Meet more people and extend my sphere of influence. Learn how to do new things. Have new experiences. Keep reaching for that mojo.

Will this dyed-in-the-wool procrastinator conquer the natural man within? Check back later. I'll let you know what happens.