About
Orange County, California, July 20, 2009
About the name DoT: “Names are an important key to what a society values. Anthropologists recognize naming as ‘one of the chief methods for imposing order on perception.’ ” — David S. Slawson
In starting a new phase in life, I thoought to make myself a new online name as well. Long ago, my sister used to call me “Do” like the musical note as a nickname, not because I could sing, but because it shortened my given name. “T” is my last initial. so my online name is DoT, pronounced “dot” to rhyme with “thot”, because it is here I can record some ideas and re-invent “a life after work.”
About DoT: “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” — George Burns
I am retired from aerospace and am from a generation where a private and gentle life is something highly valued and moments of great peace are sought after as one might seek jewels for the soul. Yet, the mind seeks new adventures and the internet is the new jungle — full of surprises and opportunities. Being older does not necessarily make one old. Here in this blog, I am learning a new life, but somewhat shy of being very public. I seek to learn and seek to share as many positive, joyful, happy moments as I might.
About My Interests: “Life is like a ten-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use.” — Charles M. Schulz“
I keep wondering what might come next. Having been an engineer, electrical by education, experience in navigation, algorithms, software, database, systems, and very large system architectures, I still retain a joyful interest in science, math, and engineering feats.
Math and Science and Puzzles: Fortunate to have been a “sputnik kid” — when the Russians surged into the upper atmosphere before we launched, I was surrounded by the new urgency to create a cadre of engineers, even girls were encouraged to take the “hard path of math and science”. We were the “modern math” guinea pigs for the newly minted “discovery of concepts by self” approach from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I still remember the mimeographed, mint green covered, hastily bound “textbooks”. Our math teachers were the best and most inspired — and in Hawaii, those teachers were awesome.
Technology, Engineering and Design: I was a very young engineer in California when we went to the moon. I still remember the grainy, black and white flickering images we watched with such excitement and bated breath. It was glorious, inspiring, and uplifting and a little tense until successful completion of mission. It wasn’t just the technological achievement, it was feeling that we could reach far outside ourselves and propel some of our own where we had only a few decades before found unimaginable. Our astronauts did not go to the moon alone; we went with them in spirit and high hopes.
People and Life: Life is tough and full of challenges, but we each meet those challenges we face every day. There is no greater courage than to get up and deal with what comes our way each day. Looking at people from the outside, we never know their greatness on the inside. I have met great people from many walks of life –many, like my parents, did not have much formal education, but were well polished graduates from the University of Life or “Akamaku Daigaku”, as my mother would say, in her humorous Okinawan way (”akamaku” roughly translates to “smart aleck” or , as I see it “worldly-wise”.) People constantly surprise me and I look to continue learning from folks, now perhaps in a new way, online. I feel like an explorer. I want to operate in some new gears.
Real Estate: Real estate as the solid foundation of long-term financial security is a new interest — I’m not too old to learn and this should help the next generations. I am following my hubby’s lead and doing my best to stretch my mind in that direction.
Eclectic –Gardening, Cooking, Crafts, Ecology, Cats: That explains some of my eclectic interests — being from Hawaii, beauty in nature and people interest me, because these make us truly happy to be here in this life. Technology, because what has sprung from fertile minds fascinates me. Design and engineering — the application of knowledge to create useful things inspires my respect. I love tasty food, hence the beautiful yards that include the kitchen garden, cooking ingredients (especially tomatoes and herbs), and interesting recipes always catch my interest. My cats, who follow me like puppy=cats remind me that even those that some might consider aloof seek affection and are affectionate. Families and health and nutrition are always great areas to learn more.
Inernet, New Frontier (for me): Finally, I want to learn how to work on the internet in real estate investment services with the hubby and as a “mom & pop” internet business — the new way, with time enough to grow anew, but retaining what is good about human relationships and values. In addition, I think I should heed my sons’ admonitions, “Learn to have fun again, Mom. You earned it.”
DoT’s Thot: “I refuse to be the dinosaur…”
“As far as preparing to work in the future, I’ll tell you what I tell my children. At the personal level, you develop three basic skills: learning, critical thinking, and systems thinking. Critical thinking means you ask the right questions; systems thinking means you see the big picture. If you do that, you will have a set of skills that transcends any particular set of technical skills, which may or may not become obsolete.” — Michael Hammer, 1997, PM Network
I hope I have prepared well. The entrepreneurship and positive energy I see on the internet every day is incredible. The ingenuity I see in others, the sheer creativity, the beautiful photographs, the funny videos, these all ae windows into a school and playground for my opportunity to grow again.
So, here I am, finding myself again. As I do so, I hope my “Thots” find a small niche in this great big space and that eventually I might find a way to properly and politely belong. Lest I be a complete pollyanna, yes, avoid the bad stuff along the way.
With much aloha to all, DoT
