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Early in the 19th century, if you were an unmarried woman, your options for income were somewhat limited. A job anyone could get, though, was seamstress. In about a day, a woman could hand sew a shirt. Most people owned two shirts---a work shirt, and a church shirt.
Along came the sewing machine. This handy device could really make sewing easier. So how was this invention received? In France, tailors rioted and burned down the first sewing machine company. Stateside, seamstresses organized and tried to get the sewing machine banned out of fear of losing their only source of income. There was even a spinsters revolt.
Singer, Howe, and others were undeterred. Instead they came up with clever financing to make owning a sewing machine easier. The seamstresses that were wise enough to see the opportunity thrived; the ones that continued to fight for the low tech approach did not.
The end result was, instead of producing one shirt a day, a seamstress could produce 12 or more. They increased their income. Cotton producers suddenly enjoyed huge demand for raw materials. Entire towns were built around the production of sewing machines. Average person now owned a closet full of shirts instead of two; better quality, and cheaper, too. Probably smelled better.
Do I need a closet bursting with clothes, some of which I'll never wear again? Probably not. Spinsters, though no one calls them that now, don't have to sit in a room sewing shirts by hand. They can work at Gap, or become sewing machine repairpersons, or delivery truck drivers, or any of the other employment opportunities created by this, or other, technological advances.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J-HAT.....It's a concept we came up with when San Diego hosted Superbowl. The idea is, you form an inter-disciplinary team that moves inside a large venue, evaluating hazards, and mitigating them if possible. Your team members all get trained in each other's roles. You have a hazmat guy, a bomb tech, a SWAT officer, and a K-9 cop. The Bomb tech and/or the hazmat member needs to be a tactically trained paramedic too. You carry equipment and just sort of wander around, looking for stuff. We used J-HAT for Superbowl, Mardi-Gras, Street Scene, and some other big crowd things. This week (when I'm off shift away from the copter) I'm spending my between days at the US Open following the golfers around. Since I don't golf, I'm bored silly but it's still overtime, walking around outdoors, and some fairly challenging issues come up. (It would have been very bad JuJu to take pictures when we were right in there. The last thing I want is the PGA wanting me fired)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ McKenna!! Our oldest is officially out of grade school and on to high school. She got awards for everything from the 'Principal's Award' (for academic excellence and community responsibility) to outstanding artist. Some local and state stuff too. She got the brains from her mom. She got her Mom and Nana's good looks and her Uncle Bob's artistic talents. All she got from me was her singing voice, which is unfortunate. What we're most proud of is, how she really does her part to keep our home a joyful place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The school's fifth grade teacher, Scott Copeland, has always worked on and around boats. Every school year he leads his class in constructing a boat. Mckenna's year it was a kayak but this year they built an outrigger. Near the end of the school year the class has the official boat launch party at the bay. Very, very fun day. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the view from the lot we bought across the street (the house to the left is our main residence) It was supposedly an unbuildable lot but the county relented and I can build on a 20x20 footprint, 2 story. I'm almost done with the plans than it's off to the planning department. Once I get going my schedule is 11 months to completion, though it'll be cash as I go like last time so I'll balance between building and overtime. Family obligations and DEH stuff will be important, and kind of depends on how much of the state burns down this year, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just three short months to go before reunion time. There are a few logistics to work out..... I got a really, really good rate on the condos, cabins, and RV spaces----email me so I can let you know what the damage is for you. (trust me---it's real cheap)
