(There’s) Always something there to remind me…

“I walk along the city streets You used to walk along with me, And every step I take reminds me Of just how we used to be. Oh, how can I forget you, girl When there is always something there to remind me Always something there to remind me” The Sunday after Easter is always […]

Services For the Dead

The War Between the States had ended in April 1865, 58 years before the Service manual I have in my collection was printed. May of 1927 (four years later) the roll call was getting smaller and smaller. Just as they had for every year since 1874, The Post Adjutant was tasked with calling that […]

Searching for Superman – why CI/Lean initiatives often fail (Part 2)

Failure is not an option… but most of the time it is assured One common set of factors that can affect success or failure for a Continuous Improvement/Lean Initiative is the recruitment, selection process, and use of a CI/Lean leader. Leadership at all levels has an impact on every initiative but this becomes more critical […]

Searching for Superman – why CI/Lean initiatives often fail (Part 1)

Starting a Continuous Improvement (CI)/Lean Journey I have been working on a project for a few weeks that categorizes what companies are looking for when they seek a lean or continuous improvement leader candidate. While that sounds rather boring on the face of it, the project has actually been a very interesting look at why […]

Bluejackets Manual, eighteenth edition, 1968 (Third Printing, September 1969)

I’m sure I have mentioned it before but I have a modest collection of Bluejackets Manuals dating back to the early 1900’s. I started out with my Grandfather Parkin’s manuals from the Second World War. From that time, I have added them as I find them in old book stores, sea ports, and Army Navy […]

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at. ~Maya Angelou If you are lucky in life, you get to have a real brother. This is no reflection…

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (and they still don’t like him very much!)

What is your favorite birthday memory of all time? Was it a special trip or maybe something you had hoped for all year? I don’t remember the year that I first got my favorite birthday present, but I do remember what is was. It was the year I found out that I shared the same […]

The Terrible Twos

We were never blessed with children but one thing we learned very early in life from others that did: There really is a lot to be said for the phenomenon called “The Terrible Twos”. This is that time when a sweet little creature born just a short 24 months before turns into Satan’s spawn. The […]

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you!

I don’t think it’s a good idea to reveal too much about yourself on a blog. I mean, after all, there may come a day when you are compelled to run for a political office or at least accept an appointment from an elected official. But recently, I feel actually very compelled to make a […]

Happy Anniversary Kansas Cosmosphere

In all of our travels, we have seen some amazing sights and been to some fascinating places. I keep a journal that lists the more than 650 cities and places we have visited in our long journey. Along the way have been some very big surprises. One of my favorite places that exemplifies “Surprise” is […]