Real Men of Genius...

"Mr. Inconsiderate Gym Guy"

Bud Light presents "Real Men of Genius."
(Real Men of Genius...)

Today we salute you, Mr. Inconsiderate Gym Guy.
(Mr. Inconsiderate Gym Guy...)

Totally clueless about proper gym etiquette, you find new ways each week to annoy fellow exercisers.
(Oh man, this guy's such a jerk...)

Wearing unflattering apparel, you proudly show off your hairy body as you jog in the wrong direction on the indoor track.
(Oh no, someone's gonna get hurt...)

You decide to hop on the last stationary bike available just before I wanted to use it, even though your workout lasts only 5 minutes tops.
(Oh, I'm working hard...)

After your less-than-intense workout is done, you strut back to the locker room where you had decided to use the locker right next to mine and you begin stripping down for a shower.
(Oh man, this is gross...)

After the last piece of clothing is shed, you strut around the locker room as if you are Michelangelo's David, oblivious to the fact that no one wants to see that. It doesn't matter to you that other guys find this to be gross, you bask in your opportunity to let it all hang out. This is your time to shine.
(Somebody get this man a towel...)

But you can boast in the fact that you are a true workout warrior. You never miss a workout session, and you'll be there tomorrow and the next day and the day after that to ensure your legendary status lives on. Everyone knows who you are, and you like it that way.
(Oh yeah, I'm making some friends...)

So, crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Tormentor of the Treadmill. My workout just wouldn't be the same without you there.
(Mr. Inconsiderate Gym Guy...)

Taking a Breath...

So I have been outrageously busy over the last few weeks...

I have been working a lot of hours lately just because I have so much work to do and I can never seem to get it all done. Sometimes I need to remind myself to just step back and take a break. Re-energize. Reload. Restore.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." -- Psalm 46:10

Father gave me an awesome reminder of that yesterday. After going into work for a bit to get some more stuff done, I came home and pulled into my driveway. I went out to get the mail and on the way back in, I noticed something cool.

A praying mantis was walking across my driveway! I have no idea how rare it is to see one, but I've heard that they are somewhat rare. So I went inside, grabbed my camera, and took advantage of the opportunity to snap a few photos of one. Sometimes, I often feel the need to exercise my artistic and creative side. So I wanted to share these photos with everyone.










In this age that we live in, it is so easy to get wrapped up in our busy lives and everyday activities. And it's even easier to spend what free time you do have plopped in front of the TV. But I thank Father for reminding me that His creation is amazing in every way. And I'm glad that He reminded me to slow down and take some time to enjoy it. It would be a shame if I missed out on it.

A Strange Pairing...

So the 2010 World Series matchup is set!

For the first time in a while, the World Series is guaranteed to produce a winner that is not one of baseball's perennial powers such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, or Cardinals. What a breath of fresh air!!

This year's Series features the San Francisco Giants, who have not won a title since 1954, when they were still the New York Giants. And opposing them is the Texas Rangers, a franchise which had never even won a playoff series in their entire history prior to this year, let alone made it to the World Series.

It's also refreshing to see such great story lines. Texas slugger Josh Hamilton (former Red by the way), who has overcome serious drug and alcohol addictions to become one of the best hitters in baseball and a possible MVP. Giants pitcher Matt Cain, who has been one of the most underrated players in baseball over the last 5 years, finally getting his due. Giants catcher Buster Posey almost single-handedly turning this team into a winner as a rookie. And of course, Rangers owner and president Nolan Ryan, who struggled his whole playing career to make it to the Fall Classic, finally seeing his patience and support of his team go rewarded.

This reminds me a bit of the 2005 series, which saw the Chicago White Sox (who had not won since 1919) defeat the Houston Astros (who were making their first-ever trip to the Series). Finally, fans in a city that has never celebrated a championship will get to savor the experience.

So this year, whichever team wins, everyone wins!

Play ball!!

Red October...

So this summer was an extra exciting one in Cincinnati because our beloved Reds actually made the playoffs! For the last 15 years or so, the Reds would always play just well enough in the first half to give us hope, but then they would always fade after the All-Star break. Well, this year, they held on to win the NL Central and made the playoffs for the first time since 1995! So you can imagine how exciting it was around town!

Even more exciting was that I got a chance to go to a playoff game! I had always dreamed of attending one, but I didn't think I would get a chance any time soon. But when the Reds made the playoffs, me and a bunch of my work buddies submitted our names into a ticket lottery to "win" the chance to order tickets. Well, my name wasn't drawn, but one of my coworkers had his name drawn. So he offered to get tickets for a bunch of us at work so we could go! How awesome was that!? Of course, they were standing room only, but who cares?

The only problem was that they ended up playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round. The Phillies are the reigning NL Champions for the last 2 years running and they look strong this year as a good bet to make the World Series again.

The first two games of the NLDS were played in Philadelphia. Phillies ace Roy Halladay made baseball history in Game 1, throwing only the 2nd no-hitter in post-season history to win 4-0. Then in Game 2, the Reds jumped on Phillies starter Roy Oswalt to take a 4-0 lead, but then had a meltdown including 3 hit batters and 4 errors and eventually lost 7-4. This put them in an 0-2 hole heading back to Cincinnati.

So I got to go to Game 3 on Sunday night. It would be Johnny Cueto pitching for the Reds against Cole Hamels for the Phillies. The Reds played the game close, but Hamels proved to be too tough as the Phillies took the game 2-0 to sweep the series.

Hamels was simply unhittable. He threw a complete game shutout, giving up only 5 hits while walking none and striking out 9 batters. On any other team, Hamels would probably be a number one starter. But on this stacked Phillies team, he is their 3rd starter. Amazing!

So a good season for the Reds, but no luck in the postseason. But with a very young nucleus of players, there is hope for next year and beyond.

Enjoy some pictures from the game!

Teachin' It Good...

So today was a super-exciting day for me! This morning, I gave my first-ever message at my dad's church!

It's sort of a long story, but basically when I wrote my blog ("Deeper" Thoughts on Fishing from August 16th) awhile back, my dad read it and asked me if I would speak on it at his church sometime.

The phone conversation had gone something like this:
Me: Hello?
Dad: Hi Benny. I have a serious question for you.
Me: Oh? And what's that?
Dad: Well, I read your blog. So when are you going to preach at my church?
Me: ... (stunned silence)

So after I thought about it for a few days, I took him up on the offer and started to prepare for giving the message at his church. The message was based on my earlier blog, relating fishing to spreading the Gospel.

So I got to the church this morning and, even though this would be the first time I had ever spoken, I wasn't really nervous. I had an unexplainable calmness about it all. And when the time came, I walked up and took a deep breath and just started talking. I can't explain it, but the Spirit just filled my mouth with the words and out they came! It was so awesome to experience the power of God's Spirit working through me!

The only slip up I had was that I misplaced the cordless microphone before the service, so I had to have my dad bring me another one. But other than that, I thought it went really well. I did go over a little bit on time, but the people there didn't seem to care.

I had a pretty good support system show up as well. My entire family was there (including grandparents and my aunt and cousin), and my old church family from the church I grew up in was there too. That was extra special for me to have them all there to share in this experience.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in. But I took a step out in faith and obedience and God showed up and gave me an incredible calmness and peace through it all. I told some of the folks that I don't think this will be the last time that I speak His Word. I definitely think that God will use me again in the future to teach in many different places.

But all in all, it was just an awesome experience! I continue to be amazed at God's awesomeness and how He has shown His love and faithfulness to me. The only downer was that we found out after the service was over that we had forgotten to turn the video cameras on. So we didn't get any of it on tape! But I'm sure that the memory of it all will always be fresh in my mind.

So thank you to everyone who supported me in this. Either if you were able to be there in person or if you were praying for me from afar. I praise God for His work in me and for the great supporting cast of people that He has placed in my life.

So in other news... we also had a surprise birthday party for my older sister this weekend. Last year was her 30th and we didn't have a party for her. So we planned to surprise her with a big party this year. And it worked! She was so surprised!

We invited many friends and family and we even rented a karaoke machine for the party. Everyone had a good time, even Lexi and Kaitlyn, who were the karaoke stars of the night!

Enjoy a few photos from this weekend...

Happy Birthday RC3...

So today was the 3rd anniversary of our planted church here in Cincinnati. And let me just say that the service was AWESOME!!

God has just showed up in such power with this church that sometimes it is beyond my comprehension. This church started 3 years ago with maybe about 50 people (including children) and now, 3 years later, we have so many people that we need two services! And I've been told that nearly 90% of planted churches fail within the first couple of years. So God is definitely doing something here!

Today's service really rocked because we managed to fit everyone in the same room for one service. And God showed up big time! We celebrated our 3rd birthday and the worship was incredible. I literally had tears streaming down my face (you can ask anyone who sat around me) and I am in no way ashamed of that. In fact, I am really excited about what God is doing in our community.

We have been able to make an impact in our community, reaching out to folks in need and spreading the good news about Christ. But most importantly, we have been able to build relationships and share God's love with people in the community and we have seen probably over 100 people give their lives to Christ since the church started. Incredible!!

You can just see Him moving in our church and in our community. He has taken a group of ordinary people and He is making our lives extraordinary. And I am so thankful to be a part of it!!

Buckeye Fever...

So I took my annual pilgrimage to Columbus yesterday to attend an Ohio State football game. For my alumni tickets this season, I drew the game versus Ohio University. Going in, I figured it would probably be a blowout, but stranger things have happened. I remember going to a game the Bucks played against OU in 2008 where they were trailing in the fourth quarter. I guess that's why they say, "that's why you play the game."

So this year, I also decided to invite my good friend Scott. He is a huge Buckeye fan, but he had never been to a game before. It's always extra special for me to invite someone who has never been to a game. I always enjoy seeing their reactions to the game day environment and experience. And I'm pretty sure that Scott had a great time! Scott has season tickets to the Bengals and he kept commenting how the Bengals games are nothing like a game day at The 'Shoe.

We had near-perfect weather for the game. It was mid-80's and sunny. A little warm, but there was a nice breeze. We arrived on campus early to attend the Skull Session and then just walked around and soaked in the game day atmosphere.

As for the game itself, calling it a one-sided affair would be a bit of an understatement. The Buckeyes took a 34-0 lead into half-time and were never threatened. They ended up winning 43-7 in a thoroughly dominating performance.

Terrelle Pryor finished the game 22 of 29 for 235 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. He also had 35 yards rushing and scored on a 13-yard TD run. At one point in the game, he completed 16 straight passes, which is a new OSU record. The old record of 12 straight was held by multiple players, with the last to do it being Craig Krenzel. While some see him as the Heisman favorite, Scott wasn't so sure. He noted that while Pryor had a good game based on the results, he made some questionable decisions (the 2 INTs) and also held onto the ball too long at times. He will need to improve for the Bucks to have a shot at the National Championship.

After the game, Scott and I went over to High Street for a La Bamba's burrito. It was delicious, as always. And we shared some great conversation on the car ride home.

All in all, a great way to spend a September Saturday afternoon.

Enjoy some more photos from the game!

"Deeper" Thoughts on Fishing...

So my post about my fishing trip I put up the other day got me to thinking more about the whole fishing experience. So allow me to share some “deeper” thoughts about fishing (pun intended).

I think that Father really used that experience for me to show me a little more about what Jesus really meant when He said that He would make the disciples “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

I know that probably every Christian has heard this verse before, but have you ever really stopped to think about the implications of what Jesus said here? For me, I had always kind of glossed over this until I actually went fishing and experienced a few things first hand.

I had just always thought that He meant that He would simply teach the disciples to introduce men to Christ and convert them to follow His teachings (to “catch” them, so to speak), and that He used fishing as a metaphor simply because that is what the disciples knew since they did that for a living.

But I think it goes a little deeper than that. Why did Jesus pick a group of fishermen and not a group of hunters or farmers? Why fishermen?

Well, after having spent a whole day fishing, I can tell you that there are a few things about fishing that make it the perfect metaphor for making disciples out of men:


1) You have to have the right bait
To catch our yellow perch, we used live minnows (although most of the ones I used were dead at the time). Chances are, the fish would not have been biting as often if we had used some other form of bait. The pro fisherman knew just what to use to optimize our chances of catching the fish we were targeting.

I think that trying to tell people about Jesus works the same way. You have to use the right “bait.” That is, you have to know what certain people will respond to. But how do we know? The Spirit has to give you the words to say. He is the “pro” fisherman who provides you with just the right “bait” to optimize your chances. We just have to listen to Him and say what He tells us to say.


2) You have to be patient
Sometimes, it wasn’t more than a few minutes after casting into the water that we had a bite on our lines. But other times, we sat there for 15 minutes waiting for one. What was the difference? Nothing. Sometimes you just have to be patient for a fish to come along and bite.

It’s the same way with making disciples. Some people catch on right away, but for others it takes a long time. Even though you may be using exactly the right “bait,” sometimes it takes awhile for someone to “bite.”


3) You have to get your hands dirty
For those of you who know me, you know that I don’t like to get my hands dirty. So for me to have to put those slippery, slimy minnows on my hook and pull the fish I caught off of my hook was pretty terrifying at first. The first couple of times, the pro fisherman had to do it for me. Until finally he told me, “You know, at some point today, you will have to do this for yourself.” Yikes! There is really absolutely nothing appealing to me about a fish. They are dirty, smelly, and just disgusting.

When you are doing Father’s work, sometimes you have to be willing to do things that you don’t like to do. Travel to dirty and smelly places, embrace people who may not have the same standards of hygiene as you do, and even do things that are scary to you. But just like the pro that was with us, Father will help us out until we get the hang of it. But at some point, we have to be able to just do it.


4) You can’t see what you are doing
The water in Lake Erie may look blue in photos, but up close it is actually pretty murky. You can’t see more than a few inches beneath the surface. So when you cast your line into the water, you really have no idea what is going on underneath the water. And these perch apparently like to dwell near the bottom, since we were instructed to cast our lines until the line stopped. It’s like searching for a flashlight in a pitch-black room using only your hands to feel around.

I think that doing Father’s work is similar in that sometimes, you just can’t see what is really going on. Sure, He may give you a clear instruction, but you have no idea why because we can’t see what’s happening 30 feet below the surface. You just have to trust that He tells you the right thing to do.


5) They resist being caught
Here’s a flash news message for you... fish do not want to be caught! Yeah, I know... big surprise. But what did surprise me was the fight these little fish had in them. These fish averaged about 5 to 6 inches long, so they were not that big. But when we did hook them, they were surprisingly strong to resist being reeled in. A few times, we really had to work for a few minutes to reel the bigger ones in.

It should be no surprise that people also resist being “reeled in” to Christ. People get used to living their own way and they often don’t want to give up the lives they have built for themselves. Most people will stubbornly resist even the strongest testimonies of Father’s extreme love and kindness. The difference though between catching fish and catching men is that fish are snared and reeled in violently while men must be allowed to be drawn to Christ through His gentle love and kindness.


6) You will lose some of them
Even though we caught 158 fish, we lost a lot more on the way up. There were many times when someone was reeling one in and somehow, it freed itself and got away. Those were the frustrating ones.

Similarly, sometimes we can share the Word with people and they can accept it, but then later on they drift and fall away from it. As makers of disciples, we have to realize that not every one will stay the course and we cannot let that frustrate us.


7) There are obstacles
I talked about a few of the obstacles we had to overcome on our trip. We had to get up very early in the morning (which can be difficult for some people) and we had to put up with those annoying bugs. Those bugs made it very hard to concentrate on fishing.

In our lives, we will also be faced with obstacles. Jesus specifically tells us that if we choose to follow Him, we will have trials and tribulations. We have to learn to overcome these obstacles and continue living for Christ.


8) You need help
I mentioned that our group hired a pro fisherman to more or less be our “tour guide” and to show us what to do. Without his expertise, we would have never been able to even drive the boat, let alone get the right bait or find the right fishing spot or get the fish off of the hooks! For a group of people with little to no fishing experience, his expertise made things easy. Also, it helped to have friends that came on the trip too so we could help each other out when the need arose.

Well, it just so happens that Father is an expert at drawing people to Himself. So why doesn’t He just do it Himself? Well, as His children, He wants us to be involved in His plans. Isn’t any activity more fun when you can share it with other people? So if we just listen to His instruction, He will tell us exactly what to do and where to go and what kind of “bait” to use. So even someone who has never fished before can become a fisher of men. And He also places other people in our lives to give us a hand when we need it.


If you stop and think about it, it seems that fishing is the perfect comparison for drawing men to Christ. Sure, there are other activities that incorporate some of these things, but not all of them. Hunting for example shares a lot of these characteristics, but somehow fishing is just much more appropriate.

Fishing...

Continuing with my official "Busiest Summer Ever," I did something last weekend that I never really thought I would do.

I went fishing!

Now, I have fished before. But I use the term loosely. It was in my Great Aunt's pond. I remember when I was younger, we caught a few fish once and then threw them back. Nothing fancy. But this time, I'm talking about real fishing. On Lake Erie. And we kept what we caught.

My friend Kevin from work invited me to go with him and a group of his buddies on a day fishing trip up to Port Clinton last Saturday. So I figured what the heck. It sounded like fun. And going fishing was something that I had always wanted to try but just had never been serious enough to do something about.

Kevin's group had gotten us a sweet setup. We were going to be going out onto Lake Erie with professional fisherman and they were going to bring the bait, the poles, and everything we would need and they were going to take us out to the "hot" fishing spots so we could catch something. And catch something we did!

So Kevin and I drove up to Port Clinton Friday night to meet up with the rest of the group. We didn't pull into the hotel until after 10:00pm. Our boat was scheduled to leave the dock at 6:30am, so we pretty much went straight to bed. It was a beautiful sun-dripped morning on Lake Erie when we got up and we split up into two boats of 6 people and took off.

Kevin and I had each gotten a fishing license for the day that allowed us to keep what we caught. And on this trip, we were specifically targeting yellow perch. For this type of fish, we could catch and keep up to 30 fish for each person in the boat in that day. That seems like a lot, right?

Our fishing started out kind of slow. We caught some decent-sized fish early in the morning, but then the bugs came out. I guess the locals call them "midges," but whatever they were, they were everywhere! It was so bad that we literally had to stop fishing and move to a different spot. Now I know how Joba Chamberlain felt in the MLB playoffs that one year in Cleveland!

But it was a good thing we moved. At our next spot, we started hauling in the fish. We had poles with two hooks on them and we loaded up each hook with a minnow. If you've never put a minnow on a hook before, believe me it is harder than it looks! The pros make it look so easy, but those little minnows are slippery and very hard to hook. I had a few jump out of my hands, so I eventually wised up and waited until I could grab some dead ones. They are much easier to handle when they don't move!

At times, some people had double catches. That is, they caught a fish on both hooks at the same time. I did it a couple of times myself, but most of the time the fish were too small to keep, so we ended up throwing a bunch of them back.

So after being out on the boat until about 2:30pm, we finally decided to come back in. All in all, our boat caught 158 fish! Still under our limit of 180 (with 6 people on the boat). But we did manage to out-catch the other boat, which gave us bragging rights. I lost track of how many I caught myself, but it was probably about 15 or so. Not bad for a beginner!

As for the fish, we piled them all in a cooler and took them over to be cut for meat. I don't really like fish though, so I gave my fish to other folks.

But I wasn't in it for the fish. I just wanted to go and meet some new people and to try something I had never done before. And I had a great time! Although it was fun to try, I think that once is enough for me. There are some people that really like to fish. And then there are some people who would rather do other things. I am one of the latter. But it was a cool experience nonetheless. I highly recommend that everyone try fishing at least once in their lifetimes. If nothing else, it will make you really appreciate the guys who do it for a living!

Enjoy the photos!

Father...

So I have noticed that one of my good friends and brothers in Christ refers to The Lord simply as "Father."

Not "Heavenly Father."

Not "Our Father."

Not "Our Father, who art in heaven."

And not "God" or "The Lord."

But simply "Father."

I love it. It is so perfect. So personal. So intimate. And so revealing of the true father-son relationship that God so longs to share with each and every one of us.

And so shall He be to me.

"Father."

"Strasmus" in July...

So if you haven't heard by now, there's a pretty good rookie pitcher going for the Washington Nationals this year.

He has been heralded as a once in a generation type of talent. He's said to have not only one, but at least three exceptional "out" pitches: the fastball of Nolan Ryan, the curve ball of Sandy Koufax, and the changeup of Pedro Martinez. And while most young pitchers lack control of their pitches and lack poise on the mound, he appears to have both at only 22 years old.

He has made only 9 major league starts, but is already conjuring up Hall of Fame discussions, not to mention the media ruckus that came up when he was not selected to the All-Star team this year.

He is Stephen Strasburg, and he has generated so much excitement that every day he starts on the mound is called "Strasmus" in Washington D.C.

Here's what he had done this year prior to heading to the mound Wednesday night:

GS  W-L  IP    H   ER  BB  SO  ERA   WHIP
8   4-2  48.2  36  11  14  68  2.03  1.03

So I took the chance to go see him pitch last night since the Nationals were in town for a 4-game series. I call it "Strasmus in July."

Strasburg pitched well against the Reds and his offense backed him up as they took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning. But the Reds got to Strasburg for two runs in the inning and he was lifted for a reliever. The Nats held on for the 8-5 victory and Strasburg picked up the win, the 5th of his young career. But before they got to him, he was pretty impressive, striking out 7 batters and making them look foolish at times. He rung up one guy on a 99-mph fastball and another on an 81-mph looping Bugs Bunny curveball. You just can't hit that kind of stuff.

His line:

Dec      IP    H   R  ER  BB  SO   Pit-St  ERA
W, 5-2   5.2   7   3   3   1   7   97-63   2.32

So now I can add Stephen Strasburg to the list of pitchers that I have seen live. Who knows? Maybe one day he will be among the list of the all-time greats...

I really wish that guy at the bottom had moved out of the way on that last photo. That could have been a really good one...

Dayton Air Show...

So as part of a "rewards" program at work for doing such an outstanding job, our entire GEnx engineering team was treated to an afternoon at the Dayton Air Show this year. I thought it was a great idea. What could be better than a bunch of jet engine engineers hanging out at an air show? You can bet that we talk about the show a lot differently than most folks!

So the company reserved a private chalet tent for us complete with catered food, full restrooms, and even air conditioning! Pretty classy!

And the best part was that each of us got to bring one guest. So I asked my dad to join me and he hesitated for about a nanosecond before saying yes. When I was a kid, my dad used to take me to the air show almost every year. But it had been probably about 10 years since we had been to the air show together, so it was a nice trip down nostalgic lane. So last Sunday I was able to spend a fun day at the air show with my dad. I introduced him to some of my co-workers and we watched the Blue Angels do their magic in the sky.

Enjoy some of the photos I took. I apologize that my zoom is not the greatest, but I think I did ok.

Dreamliner Takes Flight...

Well, it was a truly exciting day at work yesterday.

After many years of grueling design work and testing, the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner powered by our GEnx-1B engines finally took its maiden flight on Wednesday.

At GE, a big celebration party was held to watch the first flight live via webcam. It was pretty cool, I must admit. There were several large cakes and plenty of drinks, and all of the engineers who worked on the GEnx project also received special "First Flight" mementos such as a commemorative desktop compass from Boeing and also a special chocolate bar. I haven't eaten my chocolate bar yet, but it has been tempting...

Unfortunately, the first flight was supposed to take place at about 1:00pm Cincinnati time, but it was delayed several times due to poor weather at Paine Field and in the Seattle area. By the time the weather broke, it was nearly 5:00pm and most of the folks had long left the party. I finally left around 3:00 and went back to watch the takeoff from my own desk.

It was a pretty great feeling to watch the 787 take to the sky under the power of our engines. This is what I live for. I can't describe the sense of awe and accomplishment I felt at that moment and also just the satisfaction of knowing that all of those long hours that went into the project were worth it, culminating in a successful first flight.

Based on the reports from our on-site test support team, the engines performed flawlessly and the pilots had nothing but compliments and praise for them. In fact, usually on an airplane's first flight, they do nothing more than takeoff, fly around for a few hours, and land. Nothing too risky. But this flight was unusual because the pilots actually performed multiple airstarts and other tests that are typically reserved for later on in the test campaign. So the pilots and test engineers must have felt really comfortable with the engines even prior to the flight.

The cool thing for me is that I was at Paine Field in Everett sitting on this exact airplane (ZA005) about 3 weeks ago. I got to sit inside the airplane at GE's engineering workstation and monitor the engine data while the test team started up the engines and performed ground runs. I just continue to be humbled by the awesome experiences that I am able to be a part of.

Despite the successful first flight, the 787 is far from a final product. Looking ahead, we will probably have a little more than a year of rigorous flight testing on multiple aircraft before it will ever carry passengers in revenue service. So now, as my boss said yesterday, "Now the fun begins."

Check out the full story here on SeattlePI.com:
News Story Link

Also, here is a sweet photo of the takeoff from Paine Field:













(Photo used is also from SeattlePI.com)

Tales of Interest, Episode II...

Time for another episode of "Tales of Interest"...

I just couldn't resist blogging about this one because I just find everything quite humorous.

So last night, there were some pretty bad thunderstorms in the Cincinnati area. And from the looks of the weather channel, there are some even more severe storms on the way this evening. Gotta love this ultra-humid June Ohio weather!

Anyways, so someone mentioned to me this morning at work that our beloved "Touchdown Jesus" statue was damaged in the storm last night. How damaged? Let's just say that it got struck by lightning and completely burnt to the ground. Seriously.

So for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the "Touchdown Jesus" statue had become a sort of landmark in the Cincinnati area. The statue lied out in front of Solid Rock Church near Monroe, on I-75, just north of town. And it had become well-known simply as "Touchdown Jesus" amongst the locals because it showed Christ in a posture with both arms raised to the sky as if to signal a touchdown.

Well, apparently, this Jesus was not fireproof! According to eyewitnesses, the statue burnt to the ground in only minutes. I couldn't believe it, so I had to look it up in the news for myself.

Check out the story here:
News Story Link

I came up with a few funny headlines of my own:
- "Act of God Destroys Jesus"
- "Jesus Fired From Solid Rock Church"
- "Next Week's Sermon: Ashes to Ashes"
- "Torchdown Jesus" (from Fark.com)

And just imagine the possibilities for future stories! My personal favorite: Wouldn't it be totally awesome if the statue magically re-appeared after 3 days? That would be the coolest thing ever I think.

The headline for that one?
- "Jesus Statue Destroyed, Expected to Rise Again in 3 Days"


Now, I'm not making fun of Jesus by any means, nor am I making fun of Solid Rock Church for their statue. But I do find this whole thing quite humorous, mainly because of the comments that folks made in response to the burning.

Here are some of the comments I find humorous:

“It meant so much to so many people,” Browning said. “The statue can be destroyed and gone, but Jesus can’t be.”

“God struck God, I like the irony. Jesus struck Jesus,” said Dawn Smith, 25, of Hamilton.

“It sent goosebumps through my whole body because I am a believer,” said Levi Walsh, 29. “Of all the things that could have been struck, I just think that that would be protected. ... It’s something that’s not supposed to happen, Jesus burning,” he said. “I had to see it with my own eyes.”

“I can’t believe Jesus was struck,” said his brother, who noted the giant Hustler Hollywood sign for the adult store across the street was untouched. “It’s the last thing I expected to happen.”


Again, I don't mean any disrespect to the church and most definitely not to Jesus. But seriously people, IT WAS A STATUE! Get over it. We can rebuild it. Sometimes I think that people have come to value their symbols of Jesus more than Jesus Himself. Besides, I think that Jesus has a great sense of humor and I think that even He would chuckle at this one.

Speaking of rebuilding, they are planning on rebuilding it. So, not to worry. Soon enough, "Touchdown Jesus" will be a part of the Cincinnati skyline again.

Tales of Interest: You've read it! You can't un-read it!

King of the Road...

So I just got back from a lengthy tour of duty and I have a few stories and photos to share. Many of you might remember that a little over two years ago, I took a month-long trip to Toulouse, France, to support our GP7200/A380 engine test there. This time around, I got a chance to travel to Boeing in Everett, Washington, to provide testing support for my new project, the GEnx engine. This trip "only" lasted about 2 1/2 weeks, but I have just as many experiences to share!

I hope you enjoy the stories and the photos!


May 13th: Arrival into Washington
My flight to Washington actually began with a connection through Charlotte. Strange that my trip to Washington would actually start out by traveling east! Gotta love these crazy airline routes. So what would have been a long flight from Cincinnati to Seattle to begin with just got even longer with a stop through Charlotte and some extra layover time.

So I finally got into Seattle-Tacoma airport (Sea-Tac to the locals) at around 9:00pm local time on Thursday night, which accounting for the time zone difference, is midnight my time. I grabbed my rental car and headed out for my hotel. What I didn't realize is that Sea-Tac airport is on the far south side of Seattle, while Everett and my hotel are on the far north side. So it took me about 45 minutes just to drive from the airport to my hotel. So by the time I got my car, drove to my hotel, and checked in, it was probably 11:00pm local time and I was running on fumes. But I was able to find the place and got checked in with no problems.

The cool part about the hotel I got was that it was right on the waterfront. It was in a small suburb called Mukilteo, just north and west of Everett and the Boeing plant. My hotel was right by a ferry port and was within walking distance of a public beach area. So the first couple of nights, blessed by the unusually nice weather, I ventured down to the beach after work and just watched the ferries come and go and marveled at the beautiful scenery. Check out some of the photos. Absolutely beautiful.

May 15th: Evergreen Museum

Ever since I was a little kid and I watched the movie "Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose," I have been captivated by the famous gargantuan flying boat. The Spruce Goose was built in the mid-1940's, with the intended purpose of transporting troops and cargo during World War II. But the war was over by the time the plane could be finished. But Howard Hughes, the eccentric designer of the plane, completed it anyways, using a large portion of his own money to finance completion of the project. And in 1947, with Hughes himself at the controls, the plane took to the air for the first time. It would turn out to be the plane's only flight as well. Ever since then, it has been kept in storage.

For many years, the plane was kept in Long Beach Harbor, but in the mid-1990's, it was moved to a museum in McMinnville, Oregon, a small town about 30 miles outside of Portland. So when I knew I would be traveling to the Seattle area, I jumped at the chance to drive down and see the Goose for myself. It was about a 4-hour drive (240 miles) one way from my hotel to the museum, but it was worth it!

You can't imagine the sheer size of this airplane until you see it for yourself. The photos I've posted here can't do it justice. As you can see, I couldn't even fit the entire plane into one photo with my camera. The whole museum building is basically built around the airplane. Its wingspan is 320 feet (longer than a football field), its vertical tail fin is 80 feet high (about as tall as a 5-story building), and the span of the rear elevator structure is actually longer than the main wingspan of a WWII-era Boeing B-17 bomber!

The Spruce Goose was declared a mechanical engineering landmark in 2002, and for good reason. It was an aircraft design that was generations ahead of its time. Many people know that, due to the premium on high performance materials such as aluminum needed for the war, the plane was built almost entirely out of wood (hence the name "Spruce Goose"). But aside from that strange fact, the plane actually served to pioneer the design and construction of large aircraft. Due to the extremely large scale of the airplane, Hughes had to invent new ways to control the airplane. Among other innovations, the Spruce Goose was the first airplane to use hydraulic force multipliers for the flight controls. Since the control surfaces were so much larger than anything that had been used on an airplane up to that point and also so far away from the pilot, the hydraulic system was essential to controlling the plane. Without the force multiplication of up to 1000x on the flight control inputs, there would be no way the pilot could ever exert enough force on the control stick to actually fly the plane. Many innovations developed during design and construction of the Spruce Goose were actually carried over to today's large aircraft such as the C-5 Galaxy, the Boeing 747, and the Airbus A380 superjumbo. However, the Spruce Goose came nearly 20 years before any of these planes and is also the only super large aircraft ever to be powered by piston engines instead of today's turbofan jet engines. Truly an engineering marvel.

But the Spruce Goose is not the only attraction at the museum. They actually have a very impressive collection of aircraft and exhibits. They have 2 large buildings (one houses the Spruce Goose and other aircraft, the other houses more of a collection of space artifacts) and are planning a third building soon. They also have a nice IMAX theater, and are planning an ambitious water park to be built soon. The water park has a giant Boeing 747 perched above the roof and the plan is to build water slides that go from the doors of the plane down to the ground! Crazy!

So even though the trip to McMinnville took the entire day, it was well worth it. I was very impressed by the museum and its collection. But I was pretty exhausted by the time I got back to Mukilteo. All in all, it was about 500 miles round-trip and nearly 7 1/2 hours in the car. But I would gladly do it again!

May 22nd-29th: Trip to Moses Lake

So for the first week of my trip, I supported our GEnx-1B testing on the new 787 Dreamliner. Originally, this was supposed to be where I was going to be for the entire work trip. But after the first week at Everett, I got called to take on support of a different aircraft in the area.

The GEnx team is also working to develop the GEnx-2B engine, for use on the new 747-8 aircraft. So, since I was already in the area (and within driving distance of the test site), I got to travel out to cover testing on that aircraft for about a week.

The test site? A small town called Moses Lake, about 200 miles east of the Seattle area off of I-90. So again, I got in my trusty rental car and took off. About 3 1/2 hours later, I arrived in Moses Lake. But not before a visually-stunning drive through the Cascade Mountains. I had never been through the Rockies, but the Cascades are simply beautiful!

But I was surprised when I got on the other side of the mountains. When everyone thinks of Washington State, they think of the evergreens and the rain (typical Seattle weather). But the east side of the mountains is basically a desert. Brown grass everywhere and lots of open, flat plains. I actually saw tumbleweeds!

So once I was in Moses Lake, I helped with the 747 testing. Early starts every morning, late nights every evening. But I did get a chance to go out for dinner one night with the test team and we had a nice time. The test team is a very nice, but unusual, collection of people. There was a guy from Finland who reminded me of Will Ferrell, a guy from Texas who actually lived in Singapore for many years, a guy from Asia, a guy from Britain, and a guy from Italy. A strange collection of folks to be sure, but they were very nice and helpful to me and just a real hoot to be around. I had a blast.

And of course, I got to see the airplanes close up! I got to sit in the 747 for ground runs and was able to get close enough with my camera to get some good photos of the 747 and even a 787 that had flown in from Everett. Even though the 787 is the Rolls-Royce version (ours hasn't flown yet), it was still pretty cool.

My test obligations were completed late Friday night, so I planned my return drive to Seattle on Saturday. But before heading out, I realized that the Grand Coulee Dam was only about 60 miles away. So I thought, "Why not take a side trip and see that while I'm here?" So I did.

The Grand Coulee Dam is among the largest dams in the US, along with the Hoover Dam. But I didn't realize that it was in central Washington. It spans across the mighty Columbia River and is one of the largest producers of hydroelectric power in the US. I tried to take a photo-mosaic of the dam with my camera, since it was too large to get in one shot. I think it turned out pretty well.

So after checking out the dam, I headed back to Everett on US-2. A different route than how I had come, but even more scenic. Despite a little bit of rain and 3 1/2 more hours of driving, the drive back through the Cascades was just beautiful. I think someday I want to return here for a vacation. There were plenty of places to hike and go white water rafting. Sounds like fun!

May 30th: Downtown Seattle
So on Sunday, I finally got to explore downtown Seattle a little bit. I headed downtown and checked out the Space Needle and a few other attractions in the Seattle City Center. They have a pretty nice area surrounding the Space Needle downtown for tourists and the like.

So first, I went up in the Space Needle. While it's no Sears Tower, it was still a nice view. The day was a little overcast and hazy, but you could still see plenty of the city and Puget Sound area. I spent about an hour up top and then headed back down to see more of the city.

They have a museum area called the "Experience Music Project," which is right beside a Science Fiction Museum. Admission to one includes the other, so I checked them both out. I knew Seattle was a rich music center, but I didn't realize just how many groups originated in the area. They had a nice tribute area to Jimi Hendrix. And a neat area where you could try your hand at playing a bunch of different instruments. Just a neat place.

After the museums, I strolled further downtown to check out Pike Place Market. Despite the drizzle, the place was buzzing! I can see why it is one of the more popular attractions in the Seattle area. The Hard Rock Cafe was only about a block away, so I stopped in there as well.

May 31st: Museum of Flight

Memorial Day Monday was another busy day of sight-seeing for me. I started out the day by going to the Boeing Museum of Flight. The guys at work had strongly suggested checking it out. And I'm glad I did! They also have a very impressive collection of airplanes and artifacts.

The grand hall is pretty impressive by itself. The centerpiece is an old SR-71, surrounded by other smaller jets and airplanes. I was able to get a fellow tourist to snap my photo in a mock SR-71 cockpit. I can't imagine what it must have been like to fly one of those planes at the edge of space at Mach 3!

Another unique attraction at this museum is the "airpark" outdoors. Here, they have the original Boeing 747 prototype first flown in the 1960's. They also have an Air Force One plane from the 1960's. And, the coolest attraction, a Concorde.

The Concorde is the only supersonic airliner ever to go into commercial service, carrying passengers in excess of Mach 2. Beginning in the late 1970's, it flew routes for British Airways and Air France, mainly covering the trans-Atlantic routes from Europe to New York City. The Concorde was a true engineering marvel, cutting the trans-Atlantic travel time to nearly half that of other modern jet airliners. It revolutionized the way that commercial aircraft are designed, tested, and certified. However, it was so expensive to operate that tickets were beyond the means of average folks. Finally, after one of them crashed during takeoff in the early 2000's, the airplane was retired from service.

I had seen a real Concorde only one other time, during my trip to Toulouse. Airbus had an old Concorde parked at their headquarters, but I wasn't allowed to get close to it or take any photos. The Concorde at this museum was open to the public. You could walk right up under it and even walk through it! It was really exciting for me. Again, I tried to make a photo-mosaic of the plane below. I think it turned out pretty well. The cockpit photo is from inside the Concorde.

May 31st: Overlooking Seattle

So after checking out the Museum of Flight, I ventured uptown a little bit to see if I could get a nice skyline photo of the city. I had looked up on Google the best places to take photos in the city and the overwhelming answer was "Kerry Park." It didn't disappoint!

Kerry Park is on the northwest side of downtown and it's up on a hill overlooking the city. Most of the websites I checked out listed Kerry Park as the spot where most professional photographers get their "postcard" shots of the city. So I figured I would check it out. The view is spectacular! Check out my photos from the park.

The only downside was that you could not see Mount Rainier in the background that day with all the clouds and haze. But otherwise, a great photo site! On clear days, Mount Rainier is easily visible. It's so large that it literally looks like it's the only mountain in the area at times. In fact, I could see it from Portland when I drove into Oregon earlier on my trip. Pretty cool.

May 31st: Mariners Game

So by staying an extra few days, I was able to get in one last perk before I left Seattle. A Mariners game!

They had been out of town for most of the previous week, but I got a chance to catch a game when they hosted the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. And even better, by evening, the drizzle and clouds had cleared up! It was actually a very nice evening, so much so that they had the retractable roof on the stadium opened up.

I thought that Safeco Field was a really nice ballpark. It was easy to find, easy to park, and the game experience was just very pleasant. So what if the Mariners are in last place? I still enjoyed getting to see a game there.

In this game, it was Francisco Liriano pitching for the Twins against Doug Fister. A decent matchup to be sure. Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, and Jason Kubel hit homers for the Twins and they came away with a close 5-4 victory. And of course, I got to see Ichiro Suzuki's unique batting routines.

Trailing 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners had a chance to come back, but just weren't able to do it.

One item of note: Ken Griffey Jr pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth and grounded into a fielder's choice to second. Then he was pinch-run for and came out of the game. And two days later, Griffey announced his retirement. So I can say that I got to witness Griffey's last game. The photo to the right of Griffey is from his last career at-bat. This is a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer. So one day I'll get to tell my grandkids that I saw Junior's last at-bat.

Trip Summary

All in all, going to Seattle was a pretty cool experience. I got to see and experience some neat things (most of it on the company's dime). I racked up over 1700 miles on my rental car in only 18 days. And I took nearly 700 pictures! Amazing!

I think it would be fun to return, but I think next time I would want to travel with some company instead of by myself.