Jimmy's Fight

Jimmy's last fight didn't turn out quite like we hoped, losing a 6 round decision last night, but the career has come to a close just the same. I took Jimmy to the Golden Gloves 17 years ago on real short notice. He didn't fare too well but he was hooked. He eventually won a couple of amateur titles and represented Indiana at the National Golden Gloves in Denver. After turning pro, he won the Indiana Middleweight title, eventually fighting about 25 times with 19 wins against 4 losses plus a no contest and a draw. Nothing to be ashamed of there.

I knew nothing about the pro fight game when Jimmy made the decision to turn pro, so Jimmy has trained under both Dennis Hardesty and Jack Callahan, both well known and respected individuals here in the Midwest. I continued to help with his training and I learned quite a bit about training methods and about the pro fight game along the way. It has been a great experience for both Jimmy and I but I'm not the least bit sorry Jimmy has chosen to step down. Every athlete must make that decision at some point and he made it at the right time. He hasn't gotten hurt, he still has all of his faculties, he has done what he set out to do and he has made a lot of friends along the way. He has been the consummate professional, sharing the success when he has done well and taking full responsibility when it hasn't. 

It's been a great trip - thanks Jimmy for letting me come along.

Jimmy Holmes Day

It's Jimmy Holmes Day in the lovely town of Belfast, New York. The Go Jimmy sign is in front of The Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame where Jimmy and I trained last September. 

Tonight's Jimmy's last fight. He's been boxing for 17 years. I was with him for the first and I'll be with him for the last. It's been a great run and proud to have been a part of it. 

Thanks to the folks in Belfast - we'll be back this summer!

Good luck tonight to my friend and business partner, Gentleman Jimmy Holmes. 

Hittin' The List

Photo From Here

The to-do list, that is. I've been pecking away at all kinds of things the last few days. Finishing up the staircase installation, putting up some more OSB on the walls in the top of the barn, sharpening the mower blades so I can  mow again, starting some seeds. Lots of other little things as well.

Not so busy I can't waste a little time on the internet and catch up a little on my reading, however. I've been looking at a few motorcycle blogs lately that feature classic bikes and racers like the one in the above photo. This nice weather has me wanting to ride. As soon as I get a little bit more done on the barn and garden, it will definitely be time to get back on a two wheeler project of some sort. Every time I fill up the truck it costs a hundred bucks. Time to get the little Rapido running.

Photo From Here

This one's all slicked up and shiny. Mines not ready to be seen in the company of the Norton but it's ready to see some daylight. All I need is a little time. Seems like that's always the case, though. I am going to have something to show for my time this week at least. Might not be a motorcycle, but there's real, measurable progress.

Break Time!

It's Spring Break and the weather is actually spring like. We've been setting records here lately with all the 80 degree days - I actually mowed the front yard this afternoon. I can't remember ever cutting the grass in March here in northwest Indiana. Not complaining, mind you. It's been pretty much ideal by my standards. It cooled off later in the day, though. Actually closer to what we normally would be having. Looking at a high of 60 and sunny tomorrow, that's just plain great.

We got some artwork done the on our Thursday collaboration with the art class. The piece on the right is finished other than a little clean up and paint. The piece on the left is part of  fairly intricate design. It's being made from some thin sheet metal so I'm welding it up after one of the Welding students cuts the pieces. We're making display panels in the Wood Shop for the big art show so I've got artsy-fartsy stuff going on in two places.

I got the spiral stairs plumbed up this afternoon. I'm still doing a little thinking about the best way to tie everything together on the top. I'm going to make a couple of collars to slide over the center pipe and stick one of those on and take it from there. Since my welder's working again, I might just make a couple of pieces and clamp them in place on the top floor where it's cut out and then tack them to the collar. Probably be the easiest. The other collar will be used to extend the center pipe so I can tie into the railing that goes around the floor cut-out. The stairs are clamped in place so they're usable but I need to get the railing put around the hole before I make too many trips upstairs and find myself falling right back down.

The above photo is a piece for the VW floor repair. It goes along the bottom of the kick panel from the door opening to the firewall. I'm not worried about making anything as per the factory. I'm just replacing things so they'll be strong and functional. It's tacked in and looks good just the same. Just not quite the same as stock. As soon as I finish welding it in I can put the floor pan in on that side. I need to get a roll of smaller wire for my MIG machine or pull out the 110 volt machine, however. It's a little tricky trying to weld that thin stuff with .035" wire. I've got .030" on the little one. .005" makes a big difference on the wire diameter, believe it or not.

I've got a list a mile long of things to do over break but I'm looking forward to seeing some progress. Now that the barn is no longer the all consuming project, I can start back on a few of the loose ends. The students will all be worthless after break but I don't fight it like I used to do. I just don't take on any big jobs unless I want to do them myself, because that's what ends up happening. I'll just keep pitching and hopefully they'll do a little bit bit of catching. I handed out report cards the other day and it looks like a lot of them have some big holes in their gloves, though. That explains a lot when it comes to their performance in the Wood Shop. Lots of wasted talent there, unfortunately. But I won't have to worry about that for at least a week anyway.

Ciao

Common Core

Photo From Here

I finally got a chance to work on the VW. I had a pretty small crowd at Open Shop the other night so I hit a few licks on that job. I'm working on repairing the floor/firewall/heater channel on the passenger side. I got quite a bit done between Open Shop and during the day yesterday. I had a bunch of guys absent or on field trips so I did a little of my own work for a change. I shot a couple of before and after photos and when I get a little more done, I'll throw a couple of them up here.

I finally got around to putting in the pipe coupling on the bottom tray of my cider press the other day. I couldn't find a stainless steel coupling locally so I was waiting to get one when I put an order in to the industrial supplier I buy stuff from occasionally. Done deal now. Finished up with the repairs on the spiral staircase as well. I hope to get that here and put in place tomorrow. I'll be able to get it anchored down over Spring Break and that'll be another one off the list.

The Golden Gloves has started and I've got crazy meetings to go to. Went to one last night - short film about kids with autism and then break out sessions by departments for Common Core standards. I'm getting tired of hearing about those things. If shop teachers are supposed to be teaching their specific skill area and English and math and the social sciences, why do we need the rest of the faculty. Just hire a couple more shop teachers and send everyone else home. Or more realistically, what makes you think I'm going to be able to make a measurable improvement in little Johnny's reading level when no one else has been able to do much in the last ten years? Our class periods are only 48 minutes long. They come in, I give them the line-up for the day, they change clothes and get the tools out, they weld for about 30 minutes, clean up, change clothes and they're gone - 2-1/2 hours of welding time per week. And I'm going to teach them how to read. You want them to read? Have their parents read to them every day when they're little and keep their little mitts off anything that's electronic. No cell phone, X-Box, Nintendo, computer. Play good music in the house with a real radio not something with ear buds. Get them outside everyday for some exercise and playtime. Take them to the library and get them books not movies. And for Pete's sake, if they write anything at all, make them use the King's English and not cell phone short hand.

I posted this from the Starlet Showcase a while back but it bears repeating. His advice to high school students at the start of the school year:

Anyway, here's my advice: read a book, read lots of books, keep your face washed and don't worry about your complexion too much, don't give your teachers a hard time, don't be late for everything, always use condoms, get plenty of sleep but not during class, and if you go home with someone and he doesn't own any books, don't sleep with him. That's basically it. Have fun. 

Also from the Starlet Showcase:

"Read in order to live" - Gustave Flaubert
"Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life" - Mortimer J. Adler

Thanks for reading!

There's Hope For Us After All

While I'm always wondering about the state of manufacturing in the good ole US of A, it seems there are still plenty of bright spots out there. The above photo comes from a recent post at the Lovely Bicycle blog. The blog post is a tour through the facilities of Seven Cycles. You get a chance to see real craftsmen* at work and the post makes some comments about the importance of local business and industry. Coincidentally, The Handverker blog posted up the American Craftsman Project on the same day. 

The American Craftsman Project is a photo essay of talented people making things with skilled hands. Pretty simple premise and I think it is most handsomely done. Hand made boots, skis, banjos, baseball gloves - all kinds of things. All made with care and pride and right here in America. 

If you've got a little time to waste, and you must if you're reading this, I suggest you check both of them out. As a shop teacher, the hope is always that the students will turn out to be skilled craftsmen. Even if that were to come to pass, there would be no place locally to employ them all but the skills would be there. Skills, and the thinking process that comes along with the skill acquisition. And of course the pride that all skilled craftsmen take in doing their jobs. 

I urge all of you to support these types of businesses. Whether it's a bicycle or a baseball glove, banjo or boots, do yourself and these talented people justice by getting a real hand made item that will last and can be used with pride.

* I use the term craftsmen in a non-gender specific way. Craftspeople, in my book at least, always indicates people who make craft items. Nothing wrong with that, just not the same thing. Craftswomen? Just sounds wrong. Craftsman? - high order skill set regardless of gender.

Magnolia Time

Spring has definitely come to the Midwest. It's been hitting 80 degrees for the past few days, setting records each day it seems. I was surprised to see some blossoms on the magnolia tree in the top photo. This is the first year it has flowered. Not too many blossoms but they are lovely. The hand in the photo was to keep the wind from blowing it around but it also gives a sense of scale. The flower is about 4" across. The daffodils and crocus are all popping up as well. I'm on Spring Break in a week and it will probably snow then.

I spent most of the day outside yesterday working around the outside of the barn. The new barn sets inside the foundation of the old barn which means I've got a 2-3' space around three sides that will be perfect for plantings. I took the broken concrete from the front and filled in a spot about 12' long in the back for a spot to store my fire wood and then filled in the remainder with black dirt. I'm going to plant vegetables in there. I'm planning on getting a deck built on the south side but on both sides of that will be black dirt for more vegetables. There are three spots in the front, one between the doors and at both ends of the building, that will have plantings but the Missus has claimed those.

Looks like it's going to continue to be unseasonably warm for a couple more days so I need to get out and take advantage of the weather. You should do the same.