Nice! Coming along... is it going right in as soon as it's done?

DonL,

No, probably only end of next year. But there is still a lot of work to do. Heads need more work, then the injection and finally dyno and tune. At this time I'm also restoring my Alfa Romeo.
:icon_bricks:

Too many projects and work will resume at quite a pace in October.

Error 401 what is your education and occupation? Just curious. You seem a little bit unusual.

Myself, I'm an old Iowa Farm boy and ex-GM dealership technician. But I have a graduate degree in Chemistry, and work as an Analytical Method Development Chemist.

Well, let's see...

Short answer to the questions:
Education- Highschool, College, Bachelor in Business Administration
Occupation - Airline pilot

But that might not answer the "a bit unusual", therefore...

Started out with working with my dad which is a genius in fixing things. So there is the childhood wrenching.
After high school didn't know which way to go and went for an apprenticeship. Have to explain that a bit. Over here in Europe either you go study at university or you do a practical apprenticeship wich lasts 3 or 4 years. You end that with a diploma enabling you for a trade. In my case to be an office guy. We had to take two additional languages, typewriting, bookkeeping, marketing etc. You normally do this during an employment and I started out with technical sales on construction equipment.
Then I had to serve a basic turn in the army. Ended as a sergeant in logistics (truck driver).

After that I moved to industrial glass and was charged with solving the technical issues and doing quotations for large projects. Got bored took 3 years (1 day a week) Spanish course. After that worked several years in a company doing steel construction and very specific highway equipment. hydraulic guard-rails and large signs. At that time I got bored again and started a college like 3 year superior school for economics. More generalist in approach it was more bookkeeping up to holding level accounting, marketing, leadership, languages (English, French).

These two sides (technical and commercial) follow me my whole life. From age 14 I've been tinkering with engines. At 16 I had a library card for the university library to get my hands onto the tuning books for 2-stroke engines. I always wanted to know how things work. From age 18 onward I had the incredible luck to be able to work with specialists on motorbikes and cars.
I became involved in several projects in IT and always worked with engineers and skilled craftsman in all the companies I worked for. I learnt technical drawing and construction principles. Participated in the development of a large extruded aluminium profile, worked in the development of plasma cutting programs for an NC-plasma-cutter. A typical day in those years would be to work in the office, taking the phone, invoice work done, write work-orders for the production, coordinate deliveries and in the afternoon write a quote with the boss for a large public offering. Surely at 5pm with everybody else gone, a truck would show up to deliver goods, which meant 30 minutes with the forklift to do that work as well. I loved all my jobs.

Since 1991 I've been to the US and Canada several times over a decade every year for weeks, sometimes two or more months. Still have friends in Vancouver, Seattle, Florida and Hawaii.

Changed company again and worked in a subsidy of a large German holding in internal decoration stuff like blinds, vertical blinds and such. In addition we had more technical products for shading, awnings and vertical stuff for buildings. In charge of the IT systems and head of sales with some 30 employees. Still doing kind of both things from both worlds the technical part developing solutions and also the economic side.

Got bored again and did my BBA bachelor in business administration as a dual degree with a Swiss college and the SUNY state university of New York at Albany. And at that time also started asking myself why it was always me solving other peoples problems which they had because of not following my advice. Found out that I love technical stuff and everything that moves, working in a team and getting places. And at just the maximum age possible, applied with Swissair the former airline. Got onto their cadet scheme and found myself in an ATPL (airline transport pilot license) course in 2000. Two years later holding the license but no job as our employer was bankrupt and SARS was killing the airline industry I had to go back to webdesign and print publishing. So started flying commercially only in 2004. In 2008 the new airline which came from the former Swissair (SWISS International Airlines) employed us. Been flying several types of aircraft since, all on short-haul.

Never married, no kids, long time relationships. I think for me that is the base to have been able to spend so much time to learn skills not related to my education. I enjoy reading a technical book more then watching TV. That probably means that I qualify as a geek. ;) In the last 12 years I've been working 2 or 3 days a month for friends with a restoration garage and the guys at my machine shop. I do small stuff for them, fix things and learn from them. Since 2015 restoring my own 1978 car.

And my 1994 Blazer took me to the Blazer Forum some time in 2007.

Sorry, got a bit long wound.

Marc

Thanks Marc! It's certainly amazing the places where life takes us.

My maternal family came to the USA a couple of years after the Mayflower landed and was one of the FFA (First Families in America). I believe the year was 1623 IIRC. They came on a Dutch ship and actually started the settlement that became New Amsterdam on the site of what turned into (Manhattan) New York when the English took it over. We have a genealogy book written by my great-great grandfather around 1900 that is considered a historical document, covering the 1500's until that time. It mentions my grandfather, but he was only a child.

My family was basically educated farmers (high school and above was considered quite educated) from Western Iowa who actually homesteaded the land back in the 1800's. My Great-grandfather was the town doctor in early-mid 1900's. All extended family members starting with my Mother's generation (she was born 1925) were expected to go to college and were highly competitive among themselves.

I suppose I was a disappointment when I quit college first year out of high school and became a dealership technician - but they didn't say anything.

I went back to college with a wife and three small kids at age 26 because I could not support them adequately (working in a dealership as a technician) and was slowly sinking in debt. I remember thinking I had to do something drastic to change things, cause I wasn't going to do this for the rest of my life. Moved to Nebraska into my Mom's house and she supported us for several years. We worked for a year to pay debts off before starting school. I started as pre-med, and took a liking to chemistry - so I majored in it.

I worked at a good-sized Cadillac/Pontiac/GMC dealership in-between classes while I was an undergraduate. They let me do this primarily because I could actually make the 80's cars run right with that newfangled fuel injection. They saved all the "special" problems for me. Eventually Cadillac actually sent cars from other dealerships to me to work with their engineers for diagnosis. It was kind of cool having inside access.

Still applied to medical school as graduation neared, but didn't get in because my MCAT scores in Biology were low. So I started graduate school in Chemistry, intending to re-take the MCAT after a Biology review course and apply to med school again the next year. But that's when the AIDS thing was just starting and I questioned if I really wanted to be a doctor. I made a decision to go with the chemistry and I never looked back. Upon graduation I got a job as a Product Specialist for a Scientific Instrument Manufacturer which is translated as "Expert in a particular technology to help support sales". Flashy job with some International travel - suit and tie. As soon as things finally smoothed out, wife decided she wanted a divorce and the rest of the 90's were a fairly unhappy time for me personally.

Moved from Nebraska and came to Michigan/Indiana area to work for a competitor of my first company, but for a lot more money. They used me, abused me, and sent me out the door after 3 years when the technology didn't sell like they thought it would. In the meantime I got married to my current wife of 20 years.

Found my current job in Elkhart, IN as a Chemist in Contract Manufacturing (you do this for other companies). You have to test raw materials as they come in, you test batches of products as soon as they are made, and you test the final product after it is filled into containers. Company is about 800 with 20 chemists. I've been there for 18 years. They made me lab manager after my boss was promoted and I held this position for quite a few years. I was conveniently sidelined to an equivalent-pay but different kind of position by a different former boss who knew I would stand in the way of him getting everything that he wanted. He created a new position "Analytical Development Chemist" to cover what I had already been doing on the side, and brought in someone else to manage the lab. Now he is gone (fired) and we still have the same structure. So what I officially do now is to develop analytical methods to use with new products, and validate/document for both the customers and the FDA that they give correct results. Lots of writing protocols and reports and methods - not as much actual lab work. Everything is a project and they leave me alone as long as things get done and no one is complaining.

Since the pandemic started I have been working from home, and if I need to physically be there I go in during the evening when few people are around in my area (only 2 chemists in evening to support production).

I return the thanks for an interesting lifetime-story.

I can only second this: "It's certainly amazing the places where life takes us."

On the other hand I have a childhood friend who worked one company (Pendleton Woolen Mills in Omaha, NE) all his life. First job out of high school and he is just getting ready to retire from there. Still married to same woman since his 20's. Lived within 15 miles all his life - 35 of those years in the same house. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.....

Marc,

I would say you are likely more a nerd than a geek based on my definitions that a nerd has some formal training in their passion whereas a geek does not. :icon_twocents: LOL

In my case I qualify as a nerd-girl whenever I ralk about the physics of how things work due to my having a Ph.D. in it. :icon_nic:

But when it comes to sailing, auto repair, and fixing/maintaining my old vacuim-tube stereo equipment I am definitely a geek. LOL :icon_boat: :icon_bike:

Christine

Hi Les,

It is fun to learn of the wide range of backgrounds of everyone! Specifically, I wanted to say 'hi' to a fellow scientist! :icon_woot:

Obviously a common theme here is that many of us enjoy figuring things out and understanding how things work. A good friend from grad school worked as an auto mechanic out of HS for many years before going to college and eventually getting his PhD in physics where I met him.

My favorite advice he gave me when I was having a problem with a car repair was "just hit it harder." LOL

error_401 , just curious what cam did you decide to go with?