Well, this year wasn't so good when it comes to my resolutions. Let's make this quick:
#1 - Try to Keep Anxiety and Stress in Check --- Not so good on this one. It was a rough and busy year for me and I didn't get so much time to relax, but my stress levels are improving. The only good news is that some of my harder responsibilities are going away in 2016, so there is a better chance for change.
#2 -Compete in one bike race event in 2015 --- I tried to make this happen, but I couldn't really find a good race to compete in that I felt safe on the road. Oh, well, another one down.
#3 - Beach time - Some months were better than others, but I did spend more time at the beach than I was hoping for.
I think this is the first year in a long time that I didn't do very well with my resolutions. Even when I checked them, I didn't see how to effectively reach them. I guess I have to make a resolution to try to meet my resolutions in 2016.
Time to say goodbye to 2015.
-Mike :-)
Friday, December 11, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Memorial Day and My Friend, James Tatum
A twist of fate and three hours is all that separated two soldiers - one soldiers' story ended in tragedy and the other one continues on today, always trying his best to honor the other. This sounds like a movie, but it is the true story of my life and how it changed one day in February 1991.
Let's go back in time a little. I was a struggling college student who couldn't find his place in any college class. I knew that I would need a radical change to improve my future. I have always been very patriotic and felt the need to show this by enlisting in the Army. Either way, it would force me out of Boulder and to a new adventure that would hopefully make me mature, and, in addition, give back to my country that had given me so many freedoms.
When you sign up for the military, they don't give you the full details about everything. You learn most of them along the way. Preparing to sign on the dotted line, I noticed it was an 8 year commitment. My active duty term and then inactive years tacked on. The duty officer told me not to worry, after active duty, you were out, unless they called you back in times of war. We both had a good chuckle. It was the late 80s and there wasn't much chance of a world war. Famous last words ...
I signed up as a Petroleum Supply Specialist. Hey, there weren't many choices at the time, it was either that or Food Service or Infantry. And, actually, Fuel Supply allowed me to fulfill my childhood dream of driving a big truck (to the right is my 5 ton diesel truck). Basic training and advanced training were filled with amazing stories as well, but I will save that for another time. I went to Ft. Jackson, SC for basic, then to Ft. Lee, VA for advanced training, and finally Ft. Dix, NJ for more training. I got a great assignment in Ft. Ord, CA (Monterrey Peninsula) for my final duty assignment. If you have ever read Clear and Present Danger by Clancy, you will learn about the 7th Infantry Light, which is the unit I was assigned to, but our unit was focused on mobile air defense artillery (2/62 ADA).
I worked hard in my unit as both the fuel supply specialist in the field as well as the motor pool vehicle dispatch clerk. It was a great adventure, but as I approached the end of my enlistment in October of 1990, I began to worry. Hussein had taken over Kuwait and war seemed to be inevitable. The word got out that the military was starting to close the doors and not allow anyone to get out. My date was approaching, but I had a lot of leave built up so I was able to get out in September and narrowly avoided the stop gap. I returned to Boulder with a new found maturity and readiness to start college once more. Why I chose University of Colorado again, I will never know, but I started classes in January as the war buildup was in full steam. I knew that my adventure back in Colorado was short lived, and the inevitable was going to happen. On that fateful day in early January, I got the letter. As soon as I say the envelope, I knew what it was and the cadence song echoed in my head, "Got a letter in the mail, go to war or go to jail ..." I shipped out a week later back to Ft. Lee, VA. I spent the entire day waiting in line to get all the medical paperwork filled out and re-issued my equipment. Then, it was two days of training back in the fields where I was more than two years earlier. This is where I met James Tatum. Tatum and I were in similar situations. Both of us had served our time and gotten out, only to be returned by letter. He was from a farming community and we talked at length about farms and things. We quickly became friends. He was an upbeat person with a great smile and always optimistic.
From Ft. Lee we shipped off to Ft. Knox, KY. It is from here that we would catch flights to Saudi Arabia to be assigned a unit. You see, the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) were a special group. We were soldiers who had served our time with honor and were out, back in the civilian life. Some of us had been out for almost a year, for me, it had only been a few months, but we had tasted the freedoms again. It was tough for some to adjust back and it was only made more difficult by the fact that we were going to war. And, even though, in hindsight, the war was over in days, we didn't know this at the time. We were taking special pills that were supposed to prevent the effects of anthrax and other nasty chemicals that Saddam has stored away and was ready to use against us. So, on the last night, Tatum and I took a cab and went out for dinner. It was a somber night and we both sat with our own thoughts about the future. I had settled many of my differences with various girls and friends back home, because I had this weird feeling that I was never coming home. that this was the end for me.
We were awoken early and taken to the airport. Ironically, they were still flying commercial aircraft into Saudi Arabia. We took an American Airlines plane from Kentucky to New York to Rome to Saudi Arabia. We were on the plane for more than 24 hours, only landing to re-fuel. The flight attendants were wonderful and made us pretty comfortable, but I was ready to get off when we landed. We came in late at night. As soon as we got off the plane, the sirens went off. We immediately had to jump into a trench near the runaway until the "all clear" was sounded. I was in a completely new land and not sure if I would make it through the first day!
The picture to the left is probably the last one of James Tatum. At the airport, we were put in cots to get some rest before being shipped to our next spot. So many times they just didn't tell us what was going on. And, we always spent so much time just sitting and waiting, playing Spades, or just sleeping. In the morning, we were taken by bus to the Quartermaster Detachment unit. As we pulled in past the guard shack, we saw the patriot missile teams we had heard so much of on the news. They were designed to strike the Scud missiles that Saddam was launching at random times out of the sky. We stayed a few days at this unit. It was crowded and they had everyone sleeping in what appeared to be a huge hangar. There were actual beds here, Army beds anyway, and they were lined up in huge rows. If you had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it took you forever to find the bed again. Every day, we were called out to formation and they would read names out and the assignments. Other people that came with us on the plane were being chosen and leaving.
Here in this unit, we had no idea what was going on with the war. We had no idea how long we would be here or what would happen. One day, we were called out around lunchtime, and my name was called to the 2nd Armor Division (out of Ft. Hood, TX). My heart sunk. From what I heard from others, this unit was one of the leading forces that would be entering Kuwait and taking on the battle. Tatum looked at me, and not much else needed to be said. We both understood that I was headed to the front lines and he was staying here.
A few hours later, we clasped hands for the last time and I boarded the bus. The bus traveled for about a few hours on the highway and we arrived at another makeshift unit area. I guess it wasn't time yet for me to join my new unit. That evening, I sat outside the tent looking up with a few of the other soldiers and we saw the missile cross the sky. We heard about it, but didn't know the full details at the time. The next morning, I was off to Kuwait to join the new unit where I was for more than three months. When I returned home, I found out the truth, the missile had struck the barracks where I had been not three hours earlier, 27 soldiers were dead and more than 90 injured.
Here are some stories about that event:
http://www.qmfound.com/14th_Quartermaster_Detachment.htm
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/02/operation_desert_storm_20_year.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/world/war-in-the-gulf-scud-attack-scud-missile-hits-a-us-barracks-killing-27.html
I write this story for two reasons:
1) To honor SPC James Tatum one more time on this Memorial Day, 24 years later.
2) To remember and never forget that life is fragile and many times it is just a small twist of fate (or luck of the draw) that allows one to live and another not to.
Thank you to all the soldiers and families who are serving and have served in the military, especially to those, like James Tatum, who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
-Mike (SPC. Michael G. Travis)
Let's go back in time a little. I was a struggling college student who couldn't find his place in any college class. I knew that I would need a radical change to improve my future. I have always been very patriotic and felt the need to show this by enlisting in the Army. Either way, it would force me out of Boulder and to a new adventure that would hopefully make me mature, and, in addition, give back to my country that had given me so many freedoms.
When you sign up for the military, they don't give you the full details about everything. You learn most of them along the way. Preparing to sign on the dotted line, I noticed it was an 8 year commitment. My active duty term and then inactive years tacked on. The duty officer told me not to worry, after active duty, you were out, unless they called you back in times of war. We both had a good chuckle. It was the late 80s and there wasn't much chance of a world war. Famous last words ...
I worked hard in my unit as both the fuel supply specialist in the field as well as the motor pool vehicle dispatch clerk. It was a great adventure, but as I approached the end of my enlistment in October of 1990, I began to worry. Hussein had taken over Kuwait and war seemed to be inevitable. The word got out that the military was starting to close the doors and not allow anyone to get out. My date was approaching, but I had a lot of leave built up so I was able to get out in September and narrowly avoided the stop gap. I returned to Boulder with a new found maturity and readiness to start college once more. Why I chose University of Colorado again, I will never know, but I started classes in January as the war buildup was in full steam. I knew that my adventure back in Colorado was short lived, and the inevitable was going to happen. On that fateful day in early January, I got the letter. As soon as I say the envelope, I knew what it was and the cadence song echoed in my head, "Got a letter in the mail, go to war or go to jail ..." I shipped out a week later back to Ft. Lee, VA. I spent the entire day waiting in line to get all the medical paperwork filled out and re-issued my equipment. Then, it was two days of training back in the fields where I was more than two years earlier. This is where I met James Tatum. Tatum and I were in similar situations. Both of us had served our time and gotten out, only to be returned by letter. He was from a farming community and we talked at length about farms and things. We quickly became friends. He was an upbeat person with a great smile and always optimistic.
From Ft. Lee we shipped off to Ft. Knox, KY. It is from here that we would catch flights to Saudi Arabia to be assigned a unit. You see, the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) were a special group. We were soldiers who had served our time with honor and were out, back in the civilian life. Some of us had been out for almost a year, for me, it had only been a few months, but we had tasted the freedoms again. It was tough for some to adjust back and it was only made more difficult by the fact that we were going to war. And, even though, in hindsight, the war was over in days, we didn't know this at the time. We were taking special pills that were supposed to prevent the effects of anthrax and other nasty chemicals that Saddam has stored away and was ready to use against us. So, on the last night, Tatum and I took a cab and went out for dinner. It was a somber night and we both sat with our own thoughts about the future. I had settled many of my differences with various girls and friends back home, because I had this weird feeling that I was never coming home. that this was the end for me.
We were awoken early and taken to the airport. Ironically, they were still flying commercial aircraft into Saudi Arabia. We took an American Airlines plane from Kentucky to New York to Rome to Saudi Arabia. We were on the plane for more than 24 hours, only landing to re-fuel. The flight attendants were wonderful and made us pretty comfortable, but I was ready to get off when we landed. We came in late at night. As soon as we got off the plane, the sirens went off. We immediately had to jump into a trench near the runaway until the "all clear" was sounded. I was in a completely new land and not sure if I would make it through the first day!
Here in this unit, we had no idea what was going on with the war. We had no idea how long we would be here or what would happen. One day, we were called out around lunchtime, and my name was called to the 2nd Armor Division (out of Ft. Hood, TX). My heart sunk. From what I heard from others, this unit was one of the leading forces that would be entering Kuwait and taking on the battle. Tatum looked at me, and not much else needed to be said. We both understood that I was headed to the front lines and he was staying here.
A few hours later, we clasped hands for the last time and I boarded the bus. The bus traveled for about a few hours on the highway and we arrived at another makeshift unit area. I guess it wasn't time yet for me to join my new unit. That evening, I sat outside the tent looking up with a few of the other soldiers and we saw the missile cross the sky. We heard about it, but didn't know the full details at the time. The next morning, I was off to Kuwait to join the new unit where I was for more than three months. When I returned home, I found out the truth, the missile had struck the barracks where I had been not three hours earlier, 27 soldiers were dead and more than 90 injured.
Here are some stories about that event:
http://www.qmfound.com/14th_Quartermaster_Detachment.htm
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/02/operation_desert_storm_20_year.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/world/war-in-the-gulf-scud-attack-scud-missile-hits-a-us-barracks-killing-27.html
I write this story for two reasons:
1) To honor SPC James Tatum one more time on this Memorial Day, 24 years later.
2) To remember and never forget that life is fragile and many times it is just a small twist of fate (or luck of the draw) that allows one to live and another not to.
Thank you to all the soldiers and families who are serving and have served in the military, especially to those, like James Tatum, who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
-Mike (SPC. Michael G. Travis)
Monday, December 29, 2014
My 2015 New Year's Resolutions
#2 - Compete in one bike race event in 2015 - Six marathons and many more sprint triathlons have given me the "competitive" bug. After my knee surgery in July, my running days have come to an end; however, I have taken up biking! So, I have the goal to race in at least one event this year or maybe participate in one of the half-century or century rides around the island.
#3 - Beach time - we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, yet, life gets the best of us and many times we don't get to the beach on a regular basis. My resolution is to go to the beach at least three times a month. I am hoping for more, but I will set the goal low and adjust as needed.
This year, I have decided to focus on my personal life, I have professional goals for the new year as well, but I am not going to list those here. I am going to look for ways to have technology help me achieve all my goals.
I wish all of you the best in your own new year's resolutions. If nothing else, it is an opportunity to take a look at your life and reflect.
Happy New Year!
-Mike :-)
Happy New Year!
-Mike :-)
2014 Resolutions in review.
The annual time in my life when I review my resolutions and create new ones. Let's look back:
My Resolutions for 2014:
#1 - Become more organized - At work and at home, I let the piles of paperwork and other unnecessary things gather around me. Instead of putting things aside to do later, my resolution is to try and deal with it at the moment. In this way, I will cut down on the clutter around me and leave a cleaner life! (I never said my resolutions were easy!) ---- Not bad on this one, I did plan time at least once a month to go through the clutter. And, I have tried to make more things electronic so that I can organize them that way.
#2 - Re-Invent my exercise life - As many of you know, massive knee injuries in 2013 left me with the reality that after 3,700 miles of running, I will have to find a new way to exercise or I will end up using a cane for the rest of my life. I know that I enjoy biking, weight lifting, and surfing, but I must add in other non-impact exercises like swimming into my routine. ---- I had knee surgery in July and I was back to exercising soon after that. I have been biking a lot as a replacement to the running and have made the switch, putting in more than 100 miles on the bike in November. While I still miss running desperately, I am trying to make the change.
#3 - Focus on professional growth - I was elected as President of HSTE (Hawaii Society of Technology in Education) and I will be traveling to two conferences this year as part of this leadership. I need to spend some time focusing on my growth as a technology leader and helping to grow my organization. --- This was a great year for the HSTE organization and I am proud of the work I accomplished in leading it. There is still more for me to do in this organization, but I am glad it went well and I survived.
#4 - Family time - This one is a carry over from 2013 and it is still so important to me. My daughters are growing up fast and I need to find time and ways to enjoy spending time with them and Suzy. It will be tougher this year with being gone to conferences off-island, but it can be as easy as shutting the laptop and playing Wii with them. ----- Success on this one as well, returning to the classroom in the fall, I found I had a little more time in the evenings to spend with family. I still want to continue with this one, but overall it was an improvement!
It seems this year, my resolutions are not as measurable as in previous years. It will be tough to figure out if I actually have "met" them at the end of 2014; however, they are what I need at this time as I look to the new year!
#2 - Re-Invent my exercise life - As many of you know, massive knee injuries in 2013 left me with the reality that after 3,700 miles of running, I will have to find a new way to exercise or I will end up using a cane for the rest of my life. I know that I enjoy biking, weight lifting, and surfing, but I must add in other non-impact exercises like swimming into my routine. ---- I had knee surgery in July and I was back to exercising soon after that. I have been biking a lot as a replacement to the running and have made the switch, putting in more than 100 miles on the bike in November. While I still miss running desperately, I am trying to make the change.
#3 - Focus on professional growth - I was elected as President of HSTE (Hawaii Society of Technology in Education) and I will be traveling to two conferences this year as part of this leadership. I need to spend some time focusing on my growth as a technology leader and helping to grow my organization. --- This was a great year for the HSTE organization and I am proud of the work I accomplished in leading it. There is still more for me to do in this organization, but I am glad it went well and I survived.
It seems this year, my resolutions are not as measurable as in previous years. It will be tough to figure out if I actually have "met" them at the end of 2014; however, they are what I need at this time as I look to the new year!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
OCD, no, not that one!
Many of you have asked about my knee and the challenges I have faced. After completing 6 marathons over the past four years and running more than 3,700 miles, I hit a major snag. I was on a short run in October 2013 and I stopped to tie my shoe on a bench, when I put my foot down to start running again, I had a huge amount of pain in my knee. It was so intense, I almost couldn't make it back home. After begging three doctors for help, they finally agreed to an MRI. Here is what they found (below). The black area highlighted in the picture by the yellow arrow is the end of my femur bone. The femur bone is the inside bone that comes down to your knee. It is critical because this is where most of the weight of your body is centered at the knee. The sports doctor now understood why I was in so much pain.
The MRI revealed what is called OCD, not the one you are thinking. This one refers to Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). Here is a pretty good website about what it is: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89718-overview. In summary, this is a rare condition in which blood flow to the bone is disrupted for some reason usually resulting in part of the bone and underlying cartilage dying.
Over the summer, I tried the easiest of surgical solutions, which is called "micro-drilling". In this procedure, the surgeon uses a needle to poke holes in the damaged part of the bone with the goal of getting blood flowing and hoping that it forms a harder shell over the bone area. The procedure is much more successful in younger patients where their bones are still growing and shaping. In older patients, like me, there is only about a 40% chance of it being successful. However, since it is the easiest of solutions, it is the first step. The biggest problem with this procedure is that you can't put any weight on the leg for 4-6 weeks. So, needless to say, it has been a long, difficult summer trying to move around on crutches and hopping around.
Now, the bad news. I have been told by three doctors already that even if this procedure works, all it will do is lessen the pain; however, it will never give me the strength I need to run again. The other surgical options were much more invasive involving either trying to put in part of a bone from a cadaver in the gap to actually cutting my shin bone and adding screws so that the weight of my leg would be displaced to my other bone away from the femur. However, neither of these will actually allow me to run again.
If you read this and have heard of any miracle doctors, please send them my way. I will be able to bike and swim soon, but it is not the same. I want to run again!
The MRI revealed what is called OCD, not the one you are thinking. This one refers to Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). Here is a pretty good website about what it is: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89718-overview. In summary, this is a rare condition in which blood flow to the bone is disrupted for some reason usually resulting in part of the bone and underlying cartilage dying.
Over the summer, I tried the easiest of surgical solutions, which is called "micro-drilling". In this procedure, the surgeon uses a needle to poke holes in the damaged part of the bone with the goal of getting blood flowing and hoping that it forms a harder shell over the bone area. The procedure is much more successful in younger patients where their bones are still growing and shaping. In older patients, like me, there is only about a 40% chance of it being successful. However, since it is the easiest of solutions, it is the first step. The biggest problem with this procedure is that you can't put any weight on the leg for 4-6 weeks. So, needless to say, it has been a long, difficult summer trying to move around on crutches and hopping around.
Now, the bad news. I have been told by three doctors already that even if this procedure works, all it will do is lessen the pain; however, it will never give me the strength I need to run again. The other surgical options were much more invasive involving either trying to put in part of a bone from a cadaver in the gap to actually cutting my shin bone and adding screws so that the weight of my leg would be displaced to my other bone away from the femur. However, neither of these will actually allow me to run again.
If you read this and have heard of any miracle doctors, please send them my way. I will be able to bike and swim soon, but it is not the same. I want to run again!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The One That Got Away - no worries ...
Riding my bike this week, my music shuffled to Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away".
Here is just a few of the lyrics:
In another life
I would be your girl
We'd keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don't have to say
You were the one that got away
The one that got away
The song makes me think back to some of the choices I have made in my life. At each of those times, I knew that I was making a monumental decision, a decision that would forever alter my future. Do I join the Army? Do I re-enlist and go to Officer School or get out and go back to college? Do I stay with this girl or break up? Do I move to Hawaii or stay in Colorado? Do I take this job or keep looking? Do I help start a new business or stay at my current job?
I always wondered about these things, the regrets and the questions, but then I read Richard Bach's book "One". This book explores the idea of him traveling to visit other "threads" of his life to meet his other self. What made me so interested in the book was his idea that every decision we make creates new "threads" of our lives. In one thread, I stayed in the Army and did become an officer and that is one of my universes; in another, I continued in school and never even joined the Army. For me, it meant that I no longer had to regret decisions I had made, because somewhere out there I had a thread that continued on with my other decision. I would never have to regret the "one that got away" because in some universe with some thread, I stayed.
So, if you are still with me, I suggest to you that you don't have to fret on the decisions you have made or the "one that got away", because somewhere out there, that thread continued.
No worries ...
-Mike :-)
Here is just a few of the lyrics:
In another life
I would be your girl
We'd keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don't have to say
You were the one that got away
The one that got away
The song makes me think back to some of the choices I have made in my life. At each of those times, I knew that I was making a monumental decision, a decision that would forever alter my future. Do I join the Army? Do I re-enlist and go to Officer School or get out and go back to college? Do I stay with this girl or break up? Do I move to Hawaii or stay in Colorado? Do I take this job or keep looking? Do I help start a new business or stay at my current job?
I always wondered about these things, the regrets and the questions, but then I read Richard Bach's book "One". This book explores the idea of him traveling to visit other "threads" of his life to meet his other self. What made me so interested in the book was his idea that every decision we make creates new "threads" of our lives. In one thread, I stayed in the Army and did become an officer and that is one of my universes; in another, I continued in school and never even joined the Army. For me, it meant that I no longer had to regret decisions I had made, because somewhere out there I had a thread that continued on with my other decision. I would never have to regret the "one that got away" because in some universe with some thread, I stayed.
So, if you are still with me, I suggest to you that you don't have to fret on the decisions you have made or the "one that got away", because somewhere out there, that thread continued.
No worries ...
-Mike :-)
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
2014 - New Year's Resolutions!!
My Resolutions for 2014:
#2 - Re-Invent my exercise life - As many of you know, massive knee injuries in 2013 left me with the reality that after 3,700 miles of running, I will have to find a new way to exercise or I will end up using a cane for the rest of my life. I know that I enjoy biking, weight lifting, and surfing, but I must add in other non-impact exercises like swimming into my routine.
#3 - Focus on professional growth - I was elected as President of HSTE (Hawaii Society of Technology in Education) and I will be traveling to two conferences this year as part of this leadership. I need to spend some time focusing on my growth as a technology leader and helping to grow my organization.
It seems this year, my resolutions are not as measurable as in previous years. It will be tough to figure out if I actually have "met" them at the end of 2014; however, they are what I need at this time as I look to the new year!
I hope my resolutions will inspire you to create your own and monitor your progress throughout the year. I have set a reminder on my calendar at the end of every month to check how I am doing and remind me of what I set.
Happy New Year!!
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