It's Been Said....

A long time ago in a lifetime that now seems far removed from everything near and dear to my heart today, I was an emergency management specialist with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.....you know, that agency that owns and operates some of the largest dams in the world.....dams like Hoover, Glen Canyon, Shasta, Folsom, and, of course, Grand Coulee. That last one, Grand Coulee Dam, is the subject of this blog post. You see, that's the one I was working on when things went down at Columbine High School. I could upload a whole bunch of stock photos of Grand Coulee Dam off the Internet, but that would take away from the reality, at least for me, of what an experience it was to be involved in a project like the one I was. So, here's one I took: This thing is really big.....REALLY big! For those who don't already know, Grand Coulee Dam is on the Columbia River in east-Central Washington State.  This dam is one of the largest dams in North America. My mantra when wo...

Mandy Hale Quote Pinterest:  AgapΩ This quote from Mandy Hale hit me hard when I saw it in my random surfing on the waves of the Internet ocean that have become my social media networks. REALLY hard! It makes so much sense, and, at the same time, makes no sense at all. Does THAT make any sense.....at all? In the immediate aftermath of the massacre at Columbine High School, shit got real for a whole lot of people. By just about everyone's standards, shit got even more real in the days, weeks, and months that followed. At least it did for my family. Looking back on those days, weeks, and months today is like looking into a very deep black hole....an abyss that poses a risk of falling into and not being able to get back out of if I allow that to happen. It scares me every single time I venture to look down into that abyss....that rabbit hole of reality combined with Carla's (my first wife) paranoid delusions and psychosis. That black hole is fraught with dan...

Blinded With Vision or Vision With Blinders? I originally shared this blog post February 25, 2015. Since then, it's become readily apparent it's in need of a significant update/amendment. The rationale for being "Blinded with Vision" rests in the aftermath of shooting massacres, schools included, and the advocacy that arises as a direct result.  Some advocates push agendas/policies based in their own personal experiences. In a February 27, 2015 article , NPR talked about proposed legislation wending its way through the Colorado State Legislature that  year that would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to do so on any school campus. That's right......ANY school campus: elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. ANY school campus! My initial reaction to this was along the lines of WTF???  That being said, I've been told by any number of pro-gun advocates I'm too close to this issue (Columbine parent....two ...