WTH Am I Doing?

That was the first reaction I had when George told me I should start a blog about my travels and stories from my travels for work.  Actually my first response was to laugh, then when I actually considered doing it I did ask myself, WTH Am I Doing?

First, a little background;  I am an engineer at Cummins and have done mining applications engineering for over 17 years now.  When I started that job I had been to Canada twice and to most of the states east of the Mississippi.  I was no longer the pickiest eater I had ever known, but I was far from adventurous and tended to greet new foods with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical "What's in it?"  Since then I have traveled to Sweden, England, Scotland (It is NOT part of England and don't you ever forget it!), Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Russia, Belarus, Germany, China, and will soon be in India for the first time.  This in addition to extensive travels in Canada and the western US.  I have eaten things that I would have had a hard time looking at 17 years ago and am bound and determined to try every beer ever made on earth.

But it's also about more than travel, because as much as I have loved travelling for work, I love coming home more.  I love my wife and 3 kids, I love my 4 grandsons, I love cutting the grass (some of the time), and I love fixing things around the house, sometimes much to George's chagrin.  I'll start by explaining like I usually do to people that don't know me; George is my wife.  Her name is Georgiann but I have called her George for over 32 years now and I doubt that's going to change.  So George is my wife, not my life partner (not that there's anything wrong with that!)  So while she suggested EngineeredForTravel I started playing around with Engineered4Travel because, well, engineers need numbers, dammit!  Then I thought it's about more than travel, it's about life.  So Engineered 4 Life it is, and it was available!  So I got that going for me...

There are a few warnings I feel I have to give those brave (or bored) enough to keep reading.

1. I tend to cuss, a lot.  I realize that dammit is the strongest word so far but that's almost guaranteed to change.  So don't say I didn't warn you.
2. English grammar, typing, and spelling are not strong skills of mine.  Then/than, effect/affect, the/teh will be used sometimes interchangeably and to tell you the truth I don't much care.  What I mean is clear to me, and is generally clear to others.  If you want grammar and punctuation and spelling you should go read George's blog, it is very entertaining!
3. My communication style at work through e-mails and SameTime chatting is typically short, without many words, and pretty blunt.  I would like to say there will be all sorts of pretty prose here but that is unlikely.
4. I am not an alcoholic, but I do like beer, and vodka, and sometimes whiskey.  Sometimes to excess.  Sorry, but it's true.  But I AM over 21 so as far as I know that is okay.

Don't say I didn't warn you.