When I was in the navy, one of my watch stations was to search for ships on the horizon. On a clear and calm day, this was a difficult task, because the reflection of the sun off the water made … Read more

One sport that I enjoy playing a great deal is tennis. I have been playing for about fourteen years now, and I enjoy the game more and more with each passing year. As the years go by, I would like … Read more

One thing that really gets me going is to buy something, get it home, and find out that it does not work. After spending money on something, I want it to work. I want to be able to pull it … Read more

I hate waiting in line. Get me in a long line and I am not a happy camper. You can bet that whatever line I am in will go slowly. I am one of those people who can always choose … Read more

I have always been a neat person. I like things to be put in their place. If you want to spin me up, then mess up a room. When I get home from work, I like to sit down and … Read more

Last summer I decided to clean out my workshed. As I was going through the shed, I found a big box of old phonograph records. I thought that, since I do not have a record player, these records were not … Read more

One of the scariest things I have ever done is to buy a house. The reason I say it was scary is on account of the cost that was incurred. When I signed the loan, I felt a very heavy … Read more

I have a small shed in my back yard that I have been wondering what I should do with. I would like an area to have a workshop, but I also need some storage. I was thinking about modifying the … Read more

When I have read about missing children, I have always wondered how it could happen. Then I was faced with a possible answer. Our family had gone to a mall for an antique show, and the mall was pretty crowded. … Read more

Recently I have started to take my son ice-skating. I used to skate when I was younger, so it is nice to get back out on the ice. It is also fun teaching my son how to skate. After we … Read more

Once again it is that time of year when many — like myself — decide it is time to lose a few pounds, and start to work out to get back into shape. After taking a couple of years off, … Read more

I remember that when I was in school, I looked forward to recess. It was a period to get outside and play some kickball or other sport. One of the hardest things was picking teams so that we could play. … Read more

A few years back I did some work in Thule Air Base in Greenland. It was an interesting trip. One thing that was hard to deal with was the dark season there. For the whole of the winter there was … Read more

Recently I did some backpacking. I used to do a lot of hiking when I was younger, but it had been quite a few years since I had put a backpack on. When I got out on the trail and … Read more

I recently bought a .22 calibre rifle at a yard sale so I could do some target practising. The rifle looked pretty good and it was not a bad price. I went to the rifle range to do some shooting. … Read more

Last fall, I was able to get out hunting once again, which I enjoyed a great deal, but I did have a close call while I was out there. My father-in-law and I were setting up camp. One thing we … Read more

The other day I was looking at my "dog tags", which I got when I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. On the tags are my name, service number, religious preference and blood type. As I looked at them I noticed … Read more

I like living in an area where there is a lot of open territory. I enjoy camping and hiking a great deal. I saw in the paper one weekend recently that the Arctic Survival Training School recommended items to have … Read more

Lately, I have noticed something that I have been doing that I do not like all that much. I have been placing my son second to my own agenda. With the nice weather in Alaska, we try to get out … Read more

While I was in the service, I went through some anti-terrorist training. One phase of this training included serving on a five-person team which would be assigned to track down a security breach on a ship. Once we had found … Read more

In the style of karate I was taking, one was able to learn weapons training — but only after one reached the rank of Green Belt, which could take two to three years. The reason for this line of thinking … Read more

I remember when, as I child growing up, I was learning how to swim. I did not enjoy this time because, to tell the truth, I was quite afraid of the water. The thing that stands out in my mind … Read more

My family and I enjoy taking a walk after we have finished eating. Lately, as we have walked around the neighbourhood, there have been a lot of dogs running loose. This worries me, because my son is afraid of dogs … Read more

For the past three years I have been at a station where I am the only employee of my company present. It is nice sometimes to be alone, because I can do what I want. I work at my own … Read more

The other day we let our dog out to do her duties. She is 15 years old now, and does not get around like she used to. About a minute after letting her out, we heard her outside crying and … Read more

My wife and I have looked back on our lives and we have seen that we have not faced many hard times before. We are expecting our second child and we are very happy about this. But a test we … Read more

One thing I can do is grow a good beard. After serving six years in the navy and having to shave every day, I enjoy letting my beard grow now. My wife, on the other hand, likes me to have … Read more

I really enjoy history. One of my favourite eras is that of the events leading up to and including World War II. I find this time in Germany to be very interesting. The attack on the church is particularly interesting … Read more

My son is five years old, and I have started to expect more of him. If I ask him to do things, I expect them to be done. For example, if he is in his room playing, he pulls out … Read more

Like many men, I do not like to ask for directions when I am driving somewhere. To ask for directions is a sign of weakness, so, no matter how lost I am, I will continue to drive around looking for … Read more

Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to realize things that seem so simple. My brother was born blind and retarded. Because of this, he needed special attention growing up. I am ashamed to say that as I … Read more

I really enjoy playing tennis. I am a fair singles player. During a tournament one year I wanted to play in the doubles division. So I asked a friend of mine, who is also a pretty good singles player, if … Read more

How many satellites are there in orbit around the earth today? What are the names of those satellites? These are some pretty tough questions. I work with satellites, but I could not begin to guess how many satellites there are … Read more