I grew up in the 60’s (that’s really all you need to know about my age). So I’m a very understanding and tolerant individual. I had a total failure of a schooling hardly graduating from High school and goofing off my first two years at College.  I was on the dean’s list for 4 semesters (the Probationary, expelled list).  Fortunately I had an adviser who was dying of cancer and took pity on me, and would not let them kick me out. My 3rd year in a 2 yr school I decided to honor his effort and pulled out a 3.8 cumulative average for those 2 semesters, and raised my grades above “We really should throw him out” level.  And high enough that I actually was accepted into my dream school (who rejected me out of High school).

So I went to and graduated from SUNY-ESF at Syracuse University with a degree in Wildlife Management and Environmental science.  However it was “The Reagan Years” and there were no wildlife biologist jobs available and my attempt at grad school fell through. So after working in an all night convenience store for a year and selling office equipment for a year I took a job as a seasonal Fish & Wild technician with NY state.  I stuck that out for 5 years and it appeared that it was going no where, so I moved over to the Health Dept, then over to the Labor Dept as a Safety Specialist.  Then I got an offer from my Father In-laws employer, and insurance company that was looking for Environmental supervisors. That lasted 1 1/2 years, and then I got my big break!  I was hired by a Division of Ingersoll Rand to be their Safety Director !  I was in a first class Job.  I was actually promoted twice in the 1st year as I demonstrated my ability to get the work force to rally around good safe work practices.  I was even promoted to the Vice President of Operation’s staff.  Great pay too.  But one day he said to me that he hated me meddling in his production operations and didn’t need me to tell him how to make the production floor safe. If the people working don’t know, they deserve to get hurt and not work there, and he fired me.  I was very sad !!   However, the company was aware of the poor situation and gave me a full years salary and health Insurance until I found a new job.  That was nice since my second son was born 2 months later (much more expensive than a puppy).

So in a state of damaged ego and moral decay, I took a job in the Northeast corner of NY in a paper mill as their Environmental, Health, and Safety manager.  And I moved into a house in the Adirondacks !!  I made a lot of friends and we had a ball exploring all things in the Adirondacks. It was better than working for the state as a Wildlife Biologist (as several of my determined classmates had finally become).  My German shepherd was the prize of a Search and Rescue team out of Saranac Lake, NY and we did lots of volunteer work with the Olympic committee in Lake Placid with marathons, Ironmans, canoes races etc.  But that job was not to last.  The winters were too cold (-30F) and the plant closed. So I changed jobs again, coming back home to Syracuse working for Carrier Corp. as a Safety manager and handling their workers’ compensation claims.  That lasted 5 years before they shut down.  I’m beginning to get a complex !

Then I went to my longest position, where  I stayed from 2000 to 2017.  New Millennia, new career stability.  But after 16 years most of the work was done and things moved along slowly but smoothly… I began to wonder when they were going to get rid of me ?  So I started looking around and found a company in North Carolina who needed some real help.  So Since I like a challenge, I dove in!   Unfortunately head first and the water wasn’t really deep.   So now I’m paying the price for changing cultures (southern),  changing locations and homes(lots of work to do), and changing dogs.  After being here for one summer the boys were both showing some severe signs of old age and eventually weren’t living the life I think they wanted to anymore.  Ceaser had several strokes,  and  went to the rainbow bridge and will be there when my time comes.  I did get a puppy (Akela) to keep Dakota company.  Dakota always needed a companion or he was a wreck.  But then Dakota suddenly got sick and at 13 the costs out weighed the chances of recovery, so now we just have Akela. Who seems to be just fine home alone and being a one man-one dog pack.  He does love to play with others, and he has a lot of energy, like any puppy.  But right now as he turns the corner of his second birthday… we have a lot of adventures ahead of us.  Stay tuned for those stories !

So that’s the “Typical Life Story”.   For more about what I do for fun and for info on “the Boy”.  I’ll have to do that later… Check the menu up at the top of the page as the webpage grows !