Category: Blog

Today I turn 42. Not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just a year older than last year. I still feel the same as when I did when I was 40, 30, even 20 something still to a degree. I don’t think I have changed a whole lot, I still get excited that I can buy a six pack of beer.

Age hasn’t really bothered me before…actually that isn’t *entirely* true. When I turned 30 I thought things had peaked, but in reality it was just the page turning and another chapter of “The Big Adventure”. I bought my first house and got married at 32, had a son at 33, bought my first real new car (I never shied away from used.), helped run my first new business, and eventually got a new full time job. It seems that every year has had its challenges.

I didn’t think much of 40 but now as 42 is here I can’t help but focus on the number and I know why. It’s because of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It is one of my favorite series of books and in the story the number 42 has a significant part, and now that I am turning 42 that number is sticking in my head. That said, as I am trying not to think of my age, people also like to point it out. I guess its an attempt to feel better about their own chronological disorder, and say “it’s not how old you are, it’s how young you feel.” Well, I still feel young and stupid, so let’s see how far that gets me.

Time marches on, and me along with it and that is okay. I wouldn’t say I was worried, or scared about the future or even death…more like weighted concerned. There is still a lot to be discovered, and a lot to still get excited about.

Today we had the Pinewood Derby Races for Pack 205 and it was a huge success. Someone likened it to Christmas. There is a huge buildup to the big event and after it is over there is a void, and you are exhausted. It didn’t go off without it’s glitches though.

On the Friday night before racing everyone is told to bring in their cars. They are weighed and impounded for night. Afterwards, all the names of racers are put into the software that runs the track so on Saturday morning at 9am the track is ready to run. Well….after check-in about 9pm Friday it was discovered that the track software wasn’t installed on any machine and even less, not tested. Of course any IT pro will know that this is a perfect storm for everything *not* to work.

Turns out things didn’t. I don’t know if the software didn’t work because of hotfixes or patches to Windows over the year, but after a few hours and a search for a new track management package things were working once again. It had a couple of glitches, but overall it worked well. I have to give Jason Jones and Jim Smith credit, since I really had nothing to do with all that.

Aside from the software issues I think that all the kids had a good time. Everyone was in good spirits and good winners and losers. Even our Pack Master told me that for once he didn’t feel stressed and was able to enjoy himself, and why not.

My son did pretty well also, during Friday nights check-in some kids gave him complements on his car and a couple even dug the “Mario” characters he drew freehand on the side of it. Somehow I even managed to make the car perform a little. He got a close third (close to second) in his heat, and of course got a 3rd place ribbon. He was happy, and that is all that matters.

Well almost all. 🙂 I got 1st place in every run of my heats against the other parents. Now I didn’t really build my car to beat anyone, I just enjoying making them. It is kinda sweet for me because when I was in scouts, I got 3rd place. Still have the ribbon to prove it. My Dad still tells me to this day that I *should* have had 1st. We re-ran the race and it was close, but of course the judge’s kid and a friend of theirs got 1st and 2nd. Dad didn’t argue it figuring it wouldn’t really do any good if that is the way they want to run things. Besides, I barely remember the race, but I do remember building the car with my Dad and that is all that mattered.