February 16, 2010

I updated the Project Management Failure Warning Signs page to include a new indicator that more than a few of we PMs have noticed in the last few months:  no documentation on the project is written until just before the executive's review.  (As if any executive doesn't recognize such nonsense!)  Don't laugh--I get e-mails from people all over the world who read this page and ask, "Have we worked together before?  I've seen all of this before!"

Someone asked the other day why I don't post often on here like I used to do.  Well, the simple answer is I've been busy, but the more accurate one is I work full time as a program manager for the Federal government and run a $2M parish building project for St Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Catholic Church here in Dayton.  I'll try to post some more in the next couple of months as Sylvia and I go through all the photos we have on hand from our road trips like this one from Cape Cod last September. 

(Sylvia has some cool photos to share from when she climbed into the top of a lighthouse's lens.)

December 21, 2009

I received an e-mail with a KMZ file for Google Earth which showed where all the US tropo sites were located during the Cold War.  Click here to read about it and download a copy.

I'm also curious as to what happened to the US flag case we installed at TUSLOG Detachment 150.  Click here to read about this flag and its case as well as my "question of the day".

November 20, 2009

I received a very interesting e-mail which confirmed some of the history of TUSLOG Detachment 150 and outlined why it closed in the mid-1990s.  Please click here for details on "Why Det 150's Mission Ended".

 November 1, 2009

I posted some photos to show the progress we've made on the train layout. 

I also posted an updated photo of Sylvia, Mick and me on the About Us page.

In October, I received two e-mails from Keith Murphy, a musician who recorded at King Studios in Cincinnati, a rhythm and blues-oriented firm in the 1960s.  Check out our King Records Studio page for some interesting information and a photo from Keith Murphy.

July 18, 2009

No, this web site isn't dead--I just haven't updated in a while as we are working on a "face lift" to migrate off the web composing software I use now to a more modern product.

In the meantime, I'm adding some new content including a page on the control panels used on my toy train layout.  Check it out when you can.  I plan to add some more photos soon as we have completed a great deal of track work, ballasting and structure wiring.

We've heard a lot of nonsense since early in 2007 that delivering a project on time is more important than a quality project product.  Yes, you read that right--that's what we're hearing on a regular basis.  While we believe this is stupidity on a grand scale, we're open to being convinced otherwise.  Take a moment to read our Executive PM Challenge and Middle Manager PM Challenge pages for a laugh.  Who knows, maybe someone will take on one of our challenges?

Oh, for those who keep track of these things, Bluejeans Place marked its ninth anniversary as a web site on July 8, 2009!

March 9, 2008

A Turkish gentleman from Bursa provided me with quite a few pictures of what Sahintepe, the site of TUSLOG Detachment 150, looks like today.  Please stop by and check out these new photos.

November 25, 2007

I changed the "Who's Bluejeans" page to "About Us " and added a couple of more people on there you should get to know better.  Check it out!

November 3, 2007

Just in case you haven't heard the news yet, I'm going to chair a Spring 2009 train show and meet at our parish's new hall and banquet facility.    We'd love to see you there!

It took a little while, but we just posted photos from the first train run on our toy train layout.  Please check out the pictures!

October 18, 2007

The site is still alive, but we're getting ready for a major facelift of it.  For starters, the software we've used for over 7 years to build Bluejeans Place, called WebSite Complete, (WSC), has been discontinued by its publisher.  So while WSC is still usable for the near term, we need to learn a new program to rebuild and republish the site during 2008.  We're planning on changing the look of the site quite a bit, deleting some of the old material and adding some new pages.

At the same time, our PM area will pick up some new information following the site's facelift as Pat is now helping to plan a parish hall project for St Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Catholic Church in the Dayton area. 

Finally, we recently obtained some 2007 photographs of how TUSLOG Detachment 150's location at Sahintepe, Turkey looks today.  While the site is closed and it looks like something out of Roman ruins, many of the Det 150 veterans will recognize quite a few of the locations.  These photos will be posted soon.

July 8, 2007

We're making good progress on the train layout.  Stop by the Installing Track page to see where we are now.

June 18, 2007

We haven't done any site updates lately as I ran into a bit of a medical problem when the Angel of Death decided to tangle with me in early April.  I'm pleased to report I came out the better of the two since I'm back to normal and the Angel of Death has two broken wings!

In any event, we've got an interesting piece of military history to pass on--we heard yesterday from the gentleman who drew the logo which appeared on the TUSLOG Detachment 150 coffee mug.  Check out the Det 150 mugs page for today's history lesson!

April 7, 2007

It's taken a while, but our toy train track order came in a week or so ago and we're starting to get things put together.  I posted a new page showing how we dryfitted the track to prove the layout plan was feasible.  Check it out!

March 3, 2007

It seems like every week I hear from another TUSLOG Det 150 alumnus or someone who communicated up-stream or down-stream with Det 150 over the Defense Communication System.  I posted some new info and photos on the linked pages above.

February 14, 2007

I posted some new Google Earth info today on what TUSLOG Det 150 at Sahintepe, Turkey looks like today.  Check it out when you get a chance.

January 14, 2007

Happy New Year and Happy Dr. King Day to everyone!

I posted the final version of the toy train layout so you can see it.  By the time you read this, the order will be placed and we'll be awaiting a UPS truck or two with boxes of track, roadbed and wire.

November 3, 2006

I added some more photos to the Dalmatian Rescue page and added a new page called Mick the Rescued Dalmatian and the Firemen.  I hope you enjoy both pages.

October 5, 2006

We are pleased to announce Bluejeans Place made a "three-peat" when we were selected by the American Association of Webmasters as a 2006-2007 Bronze Web Award winner, keeping up a streak we started in 2002!

September 30, 2006

I added a few more items to the Project Management Failure Warning Signs page.  See anything familiar there?

August 3, 2006

We have someone new coming to Bluejeans Place--stop by the Dalmatian Rescue -- Meet Mick page for all the details

July 8, 2006

Today is the 6th anniversary of Bluejeans Place!  Thanks for stopping by!

And for everyone who keeps asking what's happening on the train layout, here's your answer--a test run of a brand new Ready Made Toys "Beep" diesel locomotive in Air Force markings!

I bought the locomotive to go with my Air Force missile boxcars, tank car and a few other items.  No, this isn't the whole layout---it's just a test loop!  We won't be ordering the ton of "top of the line" track and switches until sometime in October!  I'm trying to make my layout a bit different than the norm.  Nodding a bit towards my time in the Air Force--including the year at TUSLOG Detachment 150 at Sahintepe, Turkey--and my time with the Ballistic Missile Office which designed the "missile in the boxcar", there will be an "Air Force Railyard Base" on the layout where the missile boxcars, the Air Force "Beep" engine and other items will be set in a little vignette.  Stay tuned!

June 25, 2006

I stumbled across a web site which shows today's condition of the site of TUSLOG Detachment 150, Sahintepe, Turkey, an Air Force unit whose history is preserved here on Bluejeans Place.  I regret to inform you the site was knocked down in the late 1990s or early 2000s, but the pictures are still very informative.  Take a look at the Sahintepe in 2003 page for details.

February 26, 2006

Lee Hazen, who used to work in the studio at King Records, sent us a scan of a 78 rpm master recording by Bill Doggett called "Honky Tonk".  See our King Records page for a peek at this piece of music history.

February 25, 2006

We finished the assembly of the top platform of the toy train layout.   See how things are really coming along now.

February 18, 2006

Work continues on building the toy train layout--check it out!

February 6, 2006

I'm looking for some companies or organizations who would like to use my integrated project management process framework on a three-year copyright-fee free basis in exchange for professional reference and validating summary. 

We're making progress on the Toy Train Layout Project.  Stop by and check out what's going on and how this effort ties into the project management profession!

January 12, 2006

No, the web site hasn't died yet--we've just been pretty busy here! 

Look at what happened on November 12...

...Bluejeans & Blues Babe tied the knot!

Since then, we've been on a honeymoon, done some other stuff and kicked off our next big thing in life -- the Build a Toy Train Layout Project !  In keeping with our efforts to educate people on project management, we set up a new page on this project so everyone can see how project management is done -- without any excuses -- even at a hobby level!  Check out the Build a Toy Train Layout Project page when you can!

September 25, 2005

Walt Mitchell, a fellow tropo radio site alumnus, sent me a very interesting chart of the military radio circuits and relay sites.  Take a look at the Circuits Diagrams page for more info on this chart and how it illustrates the crucial position TUSLOG Detachment 150 played in military communications in Turkey between 1962 and 1995.

September 23, 2005

I've started writing a Project Team Play Book.  See my Bluejeans Place Consulting page for details on what I hope to publish in 2006!

September 7, 2005

I created a new page to help disseminate information on the Veterans Benefits Commission and their call for public comments on their potential research questions. 

September 5, 2005

Brian Johnson from Hood River, Oregon sent me a great photo of the Tropo Radio Site he was assigned to in Greece which communicated with TUSLOG Det 150, the site I was assigned to in Turkey.  You can see this photo on this page.

July 17, 2005

Based on many inquiries I receive on the topic, I added a page regarding the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) and my opinions on it.  The page also contains a link to a group suing in Federal court to overturn this law.

June 29, 2005

Jerry Richardson sent me a whole CD full of pictures and tales from his year at TUSLOG Detachment 150.  Please stop by and see his page in our Det 150 Alumni section.