Category: Career

Weekend Kickoff Mini-Thoughts

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 27, 2019
1 Comment on Weekend Kickoff Mini-Thoughts

Let’s try this again – a rapid-fire session of thoughts in my mind right this minute:

Yesterday was not such a good day at work.
It only takes one person and a minute to ruin a whole work day.
I know that today will be a much better work day.
I know that God is always in control no matter where I go.
Sometimes during those not so good work days I forget that God is with me.
The past 12 years of my 34-year USAF career have been the best 12 years.
Is it a coincidence that Jesus Christ rescued and saved me 13 years ago ?
No coincidence, as God doesn’t do coincidences. He does intentionals.
Back on the homefront I enjoy relaxing in my 77°F living room.
I’m feeling good with my air conditioning taking care of business.
All of my modern technology is right here where it belongs.
If it’s summer then I’m watching “America’s Got Talent” and “Big Brother”.
I’ve never missed a single episode of either show since the beginning of both.
I’m also addicted to “Live PD” on Friday and Saturday nights.
There was a political debate on the NBCs last night.
I don’t get political online or offline.
As an apolitical person I’m in the minority fringes both online and offline.
I have very solid political beliefs, but I choose not to share them with anyone.
I’d rather talk about the weather.
I’m a weather expert, so I know what I’m talking about there.
I’ll even talk sports with you. Hail to the Redskins !
I’m so looking forward to the start of the NFL season.
I may go to a game this season – my Redskins against the Cowboys in Dallas.
33 years ago tomorrow I attended the first concert of my life.
I was 19 at the time, and this young teenybopper was at the final Wham! show.
That was at Wembley Stadium in London England.
Google it. It was June 28TH 1986, and I was there singing and dancing.
I’ve been to 100+ concerts since that first one – an average of about 3 per year.
My two years of living in England as an 18 to 20-year-old were wild and crazy.
I haven’t been back since.
July starts in just 4 days.
2019 is almost half over.
This whole decade of the 2010s (or #TwentyTeens) is almost over.
Will we all see better in 2020 ?
Will we all have the vision to love each other in 2020 ?
Will we change the world in 2020 ?
Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ – into the future.

Happy Anniversary Weekend !

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 29, 2018

This is a huge anniversary weekend for me. I’ll observe one in this blog post, and then I’ll observe another one in tomorrow’s blog post, and then I’ll observe yet another one in Sunday’s blog post.

On November 30TH 1987 – the Monday after Thanksgiving that year – I boarded a plane in the Washington D.C. area (my original hometown) – for Miami Florida. I had never been there before, and I knew very little about it other than the fact that the weather would be much sunnier and warmer than the Washington D.C. area. I arrived in Miami that night, and I awaited my military transportation from Miami to Homestead AFB. It eventually arrived, and I arrived on the base during the wee early morning hours of December 01ST 1987. I was Active Duty in the USAF back then – an A1C / E3.

Hurricane Andrew destroyed Homestead AFB on August 24TH 1992, but then it was partially rebuilt. (Its geographic location ultimately saved it.) I returned to the base almost 19 months later upon its grand reopening as Homestead ARS (and then Homestead ARB). I still work on the base today. Nowadays (and for the past 11 years) I crunch numbers and count money.

So Happy 31ST Anniversary to me at the airbase near Homestead Florida. I arrived when I was 20½, and now I’m 51½. I wasn’t expecting to spend most of my life working there, but that’s what’s happened. I thought that I had seen the last of the airbase after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but here I am 26 years later. I think I have another 5 good years in me before it’ll be time to pack it up, retire, and move away from this Homestead.

1980s Career Military Music Radio

The Major’s Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1985

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 27, 2018

Every Friday night I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference from either 10, 20, or 30 years ago (rotating each week).

But this week it’s a special. I’m going back 33 years to 1985. My chart didn’t exist yet, so here’s the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 – for the week ending Sunday July 28TH 1985:

“Everytime You Go Away” – Paul Young
“Shout” – Tears For Fears
“You Give Good Love” – Whitney Houston
“A View To A Kill” – Duran Duran
“If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” – Sting

33 years ago this weekend was my final weekend of Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland AFB (San Antonio) Texas. Back then Air Force Basic Training was 30 weekdays (not including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). On the 31ST weekday you were shipped out to either technical school at another base (unless your school was at Lackland), or to your first permanent duty station. My technical school was located at Chanute AFB (Rantoul) Illinois.

The 30TH and final weekday of Basic Training for me and my flightmates was on Friday July 26TH 1985. On Saturday and Sunday we were basically on hold for the weekend with not much to do (“liberty in place”) awaiting the 31ST weekday on Monday July 29TH 1985. Our Training Instructor (T.I.) came in on that Saturday morning and surprisingly started talking nice to us like regular people – unlike the previous 30 weekdays in which he yelled and screamed at us. He told us to enjoy the weekend, listen to the radio, and stay out of trouble until Monday morning. He then left us alone for the rest of the weekend.

So we listened to the T.I.’s radio all weekend – a Top 40 radio station in San Antonio, and we heard all of the greatest hits of the day. We even listened to “American Top 40 With Casey Kasem” on Sunday morning. Further down on the Billboard Hot 100 that weekend were these hits that we heard over and over again in heavy rotation: “Raspberry Beret” – Prince And The Revolution (# 7), “Sussudio” – Phil Collins (# 13), “Freeway Of Love” – Aretha Franklin (# 19), and “Like A Surgeon” – “Weird Al” Yankovic (# 68).

Early on Monday morning we left the pop music behind, boarded busses, saw Lackland AFB behind us, and proceeded to the next chapter of our new military career.

It’s halftime. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with my remaining two blogs for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Make memories of a lifetime !

Tags 1985, Pop Music

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The Summer Of 2011

Saturday June 04TH 2011
Volume 3 / Number 17 / Edition 114

Well here it is the 1ST Saturday night of June of 2011, and it’s Summer in the city. The regular TV season is over. The NBA and the NHL are playing their respective championship series. A new Atlantic basin tropical season has begun. School’s nearly out for Summer !

Where has the time gone ? Whatever happened to the now lost art form of creative expression that was blogging ? This is only my 6TH blog post of 2011. Once upon a time in a year not so long ago I was blogging at least 6 times per week. That was in a different era. All things must change. Life must continue to evolve. Unlike virtually all of my closest friends I have not totally abandoned the fine art of blogging. I’ll continue to make occasional appearances here on WordPress to let you know what’s happenin’.

Here’s what’s goin’ on. Today is the last day of me being 43. I celebrate my 44TH birthday tomorrow – June 05TH. I plan to kickoff the celebration bright and early tomorrow morning at Denny’s where I’ll enjoy my free birthday Grand Slam. Naturally I’ll go with the All-American Slam® – a favourite of mine at ‘America’s Diner’.

This Monday I observe the 26TH anniversary of my High School Graduation, and next Sunday marks my 26TH anniversary working for the USAF (military and civilian combined). It actually does seem like 26 years ago !

: June 06TH 1985, McLean Virginia

I’m not blogging on a regular basis anymore, but I’m still active online. Just don’t look for me anywhere on that vast wasteland known as Facebook. I’ve never signed-up for it. I don’t follow what the rest of the world is doing. If you want to ‘friend’ me then please do so in person rather than on the fake world of Facebook.

I’m on Twitter, as I tweet daily @majorhitwaves. I’m also quietly building my photographic collection on Flickr. So far I’ve got 278 pictures up. They are mostly vacation pictures of the past 5 years (many taken by family and friends). I try to add at least a few pictures to the site every few days, so my photostream should look new to you if you check it out every so often. One of my biggest regrets in life is the fact that I never took any pictures of my life up until a little over a year ago. I actually got my first camera last year when I bought my first Android smartphone. It’s a 5 megapixel camera that takes really good pictures. See for yourself on my Flickr !

My Fantastic Journey following my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ continues stronger than ever. He rescued me from the darkness of the world 57 months ago, and the Life that I live today is radically different than the life that I led for the first 39 years on this Earth. I don’t force my faith on anyone; however, if you wish to know more about the God that I know and my relationship with Him then please don’t hesitate to walk with me on this journey and I’ll share The Good News with you. You won’t regret it pal !

Everything else in my Life is pretty much status quo for the most part. I’ve been working at the same place – Homestead ARB – for the past 23½ years. I’ve lived in the same home for the past 16 years (next week is the anniversary for that). I’ve driven the same car for the past 8 years (the end of this month is its anniversary). Home Sweet Homestead. Life is good. God is GREAT !