On Sunday, I was asked if I could look at an old clock that was rescued from what I am sure was going to be a sad place…
Working clock, after some attention.
I am always looking to save great vintage items from the trash or from being piled into a donation box, then to be shuttled off to remain uncovered until certain death when someone looks at it at a thrift store and says “It doesn’t work… toss it!”
A simple night stand clock, an alarm, a minute hand, and a second hand! Wow… nice markings, with the original manufacture sticker… what a find!
Opening it up exposed a nightmare of gunky gears, a broken and brittle AC wire and a fine layer of “Age” or others like the word “patina” … model 7H139! Approximately 1930’s… Now I think Techtron was bought or used them as vendors for parts by GE .. which made later a very close sibling to this clock the model number 7H140… hmmm. Interesting.
A few cleaning and lubricating solutions, some elbow grease, a soldering iron, to complete the soldering of a new power AC cord and a simple check with the Digital Multimeter and I was telling time as the clock smoothly came to life… what a great feeling knowing that this little clock has a few more years, of days, of nights, of hours, of minutes, of seconds to pass the time by… as a clock.
“William Davison Jr recently moved from Northern Nevada to the Denver, Colorado area to work in the aerospace industry after obtaining his electrical engineering degree from University of Nevada, Reno. He keep busy with his many hobbies (old BMW car restorations, LEGO Robotics and Halloween effects/costumes). He loves to restore, make and create. If he isn’t doing something in the shop, then you can find him riding his 1956 BMW R50 motorcycle.”
Painful….It sounds like I am trying to get a job, or an intro for a resume or something… really bad after I re-read this paragraph… and so… I want to redo this introduction to who I am… with the real William.
Maybe something like this:
“A fanatic LEGO building, oscilloscope using, wrench turning, moon watching, air in the face riding, charcoal drawing, paper mache sculpting, tube amp repairing, upright bass playing, woodworking, electronic circuit designing, music listening, swing dancing, making my wife laugh, world traveling, vintage loving, photo taking, not afraid to try anything, lover of life.”
This will be my shitty first draft but I can add more as I think about who I really am…
My blog title “Turns out… I am crazy!” has a bunch of meaning behind the title. I am always trying something new: making, creating, building, fixing, riding, writing, working, struggling, loving, achieving, photographing, learning, cooking, cleaning… and everything else under the stars… just to make sure I get it “all in” before I must move on to see my maker.
The real reason behind all of this “doing”… I have lost so many amazing and special people in my life that I want to make sure I don’t let them down… I lost very close friends… these close individuals are the ones I try to live to the fullest for… they are the ones who didn’t get to come home and have a life after the Marine Corps, find a warm heart and live out the rest of the years with an understanding that “earning it” (stealing a line from “Saving Private Ryan”) really means earning it! I want anyone who looks at my life and my adventures, my goals and my achievements, to see a full and wonderful life. One “life” that wasn’t wasted with regret, blame, worry or self pity.
As for the Blogging 101 homework, I will follow the general questions. As an engineer I like the requirements, questions, problems to be straightforward and easily obtained, thus (the solutions) my answers below are provided:
“who I am and why I’m here”
Why am I blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
I would like to think that my information I provide in some of my DIYs, photographs and vintage motorcycle repairs and how they are documented might inspire or help others who might be searching for the same topics and interests that I have. If a repair photo can help someone else … GREAT! If they like Halloween as much as I do and they are looking for a craft project… SWEET!
What topics do I think I’ll write about?
My current topics have included: Vintage motorcycles, Halloween, Crafting, Photography, Christmas movies, DIY Invites, decorations and effects. Rebuilds, repairs, driving events, cake making, fun days out on the motorcycle, and even party trivia. Like I said about my title “Turns out… I am crazy!” kinda covers my source of topics… ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Who would I love to connect with via my blog?
Anyone interested in new things, living life and enjoying all the possibilities that this great universe has given us small humans a chance to explore. Learning, creating and doing something if fun and I want to share that with anyone who see a value in doing new things, open to everything and living life to the fullest!
If I blog successfully throughout the next year, what would I hope to have accomplished?
At least a blog a week, and topics of interest that might lead to a resource for a DIY book of projects… similar to a “MAKE Magazine” http://makezine.com/
And with that i feel like I have accomplished a pretty decent “who I am and why I’m here” post… please feel free to comment or ask me any other questions. Have a great Day and go do something fun!
Turns out... I am Crazy! 