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Wed, Sep 10, 2025

4:21pm EDT

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From My Mind to....

by JACE

Rated: GC · Book · Personal · #1503918

A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me.

My mind and my life are wonderous things ... as are yours, I'm sure. I have more slips of paper and pages of notebooks with musings and thoughts than I really know what to do with. Someone, actually several someones, have suggested I start a blog ... or a journal as a means of focusing some of this mental energy.

To be honest, I don't even know what the difference between a 'journal' and 'blog' is--or if there even is a difference. Read on, my friends, and you can judge for yourself whether it even matters.

And so....

Me on top of Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, off the coast of Maine

I'm JACE. Yep ... that's me! And somewhere in all my writings my last name may be posted. But I'll just leave it at Jace for right now. I'm 70 years old and heading full tilt to 71. It's strange that while I'm going through some rather serious medical issues, I still consider myself to be in the prime of my life--pretty good shape physically AND mentally, though I don't run for competition anymore

. I love to ... dang, if I put this stuff here, I won't have anything for my blog.

Guess you just have to be patient until such stuff leaks out.

Perhaps 2025, having embraced my retirement, will see more participation in my journaling efforts.

Well, one can hope....

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

StephBee

Sep 7, 2025 at 12:49pm
In response to "How I Got Here"

Thanks for sharing your journey, Jace! I'd been a writer before I entered the Army, but didn't really use any of those skills until I became a Staff Sergeant and deployed to Hungary. It's amazing how that creative writing class really touched your life. I think we've all had similar pivot moments.

Sum1

Sep 7, 2025 at 11:59am
In response to "How I Got Here"

In the Navy, and the field I was in, the manuals had detailed steps. I remember one time we were going to discharge Reactor Coolant to an external holding tank. The manual said to open the valve 1/4 turn to begin the flow. Of course we had done a valve lineup first to make sure it would go to the holding tank and no where else. I got in a little bit of trouble a couple of days earlier because I wasn't aware that opening a specific valve would discharge fluid. You can bet that I learned that system inside and out. This way, when we opened or closed any valve, I knew what would happen. I should have known that mucxh earlier.

That kind of knowledge came in handy during my second shore tour. I was on leave when a boat's crew came to Trident Training Facility (where I was stationed) to perform what was called a 'cross crew' event. I never did learn what happened, or how it happened, but the tongue of a fairly large circuit breaker (it could carry 2000 amps max) was slightly bent. Since I was the Master Instructor for the class that was used in, I was tasked with replacing the inner workings. As I started to do it, a step in the procedure directed the technician (me) to perform a step. If that had been done, the technician would have had his hand crushed and likely lost it. I ended up writing a 33 page report (1987, still no computers to write this on) that was sent to NAVSEA and implemented in its entirety as a change to the manual. That was probably the most shining moment in my career.

JACE

Sep 7, 2025 at 11:47am
In response to "How I Got Here"

Sum1

- That was a good friend. And I do wish I still had some of the first stories I ever wrote. Then again, I might cry after re-reading some of those efforts.

Stik to My Own Beat

- Very interesting take on the tech writing. My biggest problem when writing SOPs was wanting to explain things instead of just telling subordinates to do what needed to be done. That was always a struggle.

Stik to My Own Beat

Sep 7, 2025 at 11:31am
In response to "How I Got Here"

Your mentioning of writing SOPs and orders reminds me of the tech writing course I took during my college years. I loved that class! While I did more creative writing work in my youth, that tech writing course has stuck with me for a long time. It was the first place where I learned to not assume intelligence levels when writing things like instructions. Working in tech has reinforced this lesson, but having that initial exposure in college has made navigating this frustrating reality a little easier.

Sum1

Sep 7, 2025 at 11:29am
In response to "How I Got Here"

I took a Creative Writing Class in the 10th grade. Like you, I had to take an English Class that year, and chose that one. Back then (1970) we didn't have computers, so everything was hand written. I remember having to write a story of a certain length. I managed to get it written, but dang if I know where it is today. That was my first start at writing, but it was put far back on the back burner until about 30 years ago. A friend who had read some of my stories said I needed more exposure, and sent me the link to WDC. And here I am....

JACE

Sep 6, 2025 at 4:29pm
In response to "Travel Bucket List"

iKïyå§ama-Happy 25th!

- God willing, I'm on the road again. Seriously, we schedule one major trip per year, three or four out of state, and numerous day or overnight trip within the state. We want no regrets for missing out.

Sum1

- Actually, I agree with you about Chicago. I keep pushing that destination down the list. You need a travel bucket list of your own to go along with your new ride.

Who knows, maybe one day you guys will be traveling in your van, stopping at a rest area in some distant state, and we'll be there. That actually happened to me once: seeing an old friend from many years before at a rest stop in a state neither of us was from. What a shock!

Sum1

Sep 6, 2025 at 3:19pm
In response to "Travel Bucket List"

Wow, once again, we are in agreement on places on our bucket list! I could put a heart of agreement on your entire list, except #9, Chicago. No thank you, you can have it. I lived in the suburbs for 15 years. If you ask me, the people of Chicago can be very rude, and seem to drive with the idea that 'you are not going ahead of me'. If you drive there, don't hit your turn signal for a lane change until you start to move. Otherwise they will move up to block you so you can't get in. Courtesy or being polite on the road? Forget it, it doesn't exist there.

I too want to get to the Crater Of Diamonds State Park for the same reasons. Maybe with this new van we'll get there!

Kathy retired well before I did, she's gotten very used to remaining home all the time. I do mean ALL. THE. TIME. I have a hard time getting her out of the house! A little bit of work there for me.

This comment is attached to a private entry, so it is not available.

iKïyå§ama-Happy 25th!

Sep 4, 2025 at 1:30pm
In response to "Travel Bucket List"

This pretty much says 'I want to see all of America before I kick the bucket!'

And they're all do-able too, so here's to you accomplishing most of them eventually.
Thanks for sharing!

Legerdemain

Sep 3, 2025 at 11:28am
In response to "Music of my Life"

I had no idea he was original musician...thanks for this!

September 8, 2025 at 10:08am

#1096938

Fun & Worry

One great thing about all the festivities during the past week: I didn't think too much about my upcoming scans for any potential issues regarding my cancer diagnosis earlier this year. I'll be having two CT's--one abdomen/pelvis and one chest--on 10 Sep. This will be the second set of scans since my surgery. I'm supposed to have these every three months for a year.

Perhaps it's normal to ascribe every little pain or change in my body to these past issues, even knowing that the surgery removed all the cancer the surgeon could find. But, the one thing I can't quite put my finger on is that I feel different. I guess such thoughts will be my new norm.

I'm a little concerned about some weight gain. Backstory: I got out of the Army in Aug 1992 weighing 161 lbs at my exit physical. Until my surgery in Apr this year, I never weighed more than 165 or less than 160 at any official exam. It was a big joke that my bowling average over 12 years was the same as my weight.

About two weeks after my surgery I began tracking my weight at home, which was 156 plus or minus two pounds until about 22 Aug. Over the past two weeks I'm up about six pounds. For me, that's significant. Guess I'll find out something after the 10th.

On the positive side, I had loads of fun with all the Birthday celebrations. My biggest worry was figuring out in which event to participate.

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