A Hoosier Home

I will be honest 2008 was a crazy year, maybe not as crazy as 2020, but crazy still. January 2008 I moved into a little apartment in South Bend and Feb 1, 2008 I started a new job at Indiana University South Bend. The first week of July I decided to propose and in November, bought a house.
Yeah crazy year. 

It was November 2008 that we closed. It was a crazy process, the stock market crumbled while we negotiated home price, Heather was interviewing all over the area, and the same day, just before our closing she interviewed at Notre Dame. Fingers crossed we went into it hoping we would both have work, we would love South Bend, and this would be "home". 

This home has been great, great to me, great to our family. I got this painting done, by my friend Erin Kelley (Traveling Art Company), painted this summer as an anniversary gift. I wanted it painted at my favorite time of the year, spring when the crab apple tree is in full bloom. I love the yard in the spring, and the symbolism of rebirth and life always inspires me. 

This home has provided, not just shelter, but in so many other ways... it allowed me to host my three siblings, their families, and my parents visiting from Bolivia (like 13 people at that time), when I took the job at La Casa we refinanced to drop our monthly payment, my two youngest were brought home from the hospital here, . So in a way, the house supported me as a dad, helped in my non-profit venture making less money to make a difference in the world, and not to mention all the repair skills I learned! Then when prepping for Novalí to go to college, I knew we needed to refinance again, we took money out to ensure we could help her, and have some more for some home improvements. 

These bricks have provided. 

This home has been work, they say nothing worth doing comes easy. From yard work to painting, to tearing down walls and laying down flooring... it has been a labor a love. It is almost like thanking her for providing... painting the garage, daddy daughter decorating, giving her new windows, a modern roof (this baby had slate tiles when we bought it!), to my car cave project this summer... she appreciated the updates, and returned the favor in helping us store all of N's stuff from college when covid caused her to move back from Grand Rapids. (I tagged a few old blogs on house projects)

This home to us turns 13 (built in the 30s), the troublesome adolescent years have started... this year brought plumbing trouble, boiler repairs, and who knows what else, and I am sure 2020 isn't done hitting us yet. 

This home has challenged me, taught me, supported me, and yes I know it is a completely inanimate object but hey I have spent 12 years of my life with it. 

My bigger reflection, this home is now the longest single place I have lived. My childhood home in Saginaw was just about 12 years time, I lived in Bolivia under 7 years, so we will be my longest home. Not sure why this feels significant to me, but you all know I get fairly sentimental, and more so lately as I age. It also means South Bend will become the place I have lived longer than anywhere... I call myself Bolivian, I say I was raised in Michigan, but let's be honest, I am raising Hoosiers, and I am more Hoosier than anything else. 

It's official. I am a Hoosier. 

College Drop Out

Tuesday morning, at 7:55AM I walked into Ivy Tech Community College. I was nervous, I had not walked into the tech hall in over 6 years. I was anxious, I had not taken a college class in 8 years. I was excited to hang out in the big auto shop again. I was worried how much I forgot and wondering if I was ready... I know the night before I tried to log into their online learning platform and had trouble. I was a drop out, now I am back, let's see how it goes.

I love cars, always have, since as early as I can remember I loved cars, I sketched them, dreamed of them, and wanted to drive them, work on them, design them. I loved cars so much I became an engineer, and I was blessed to be good enough at math to make it through all the worst classes in college... I landed cool internships, and lived my dream of designing cars. 

I love cars, but being an engineer nearly ruined that, working 60-80 hour weeks on deadlines, was hard... the paychecks were nice, but man it was crazy at times. I got to be behind the scenes at auto shows, see things I worked on turning on a display case for the world to see, got a patent in my name, and then decided to walk away. 

I love cars and ten years ago when I got a job at Ivy Tech the first place I went... the auto shop. My first full semester there, I used that tuition benefit and took a class (Blog: Shop Class for the Soul). I was at the time struggling with my fit at Ivy Tech, and less than a year later... I was working at La Casa. 

I love cars, but my transition to La Casa, and then having Mari, all took a toll on my ability to enjoy hobbies, to work on cars, to blog, to be more me. Maybe it was quarantine, maybe it is that the kids are older and able to make their own breakfast, but I got back into hobbies (Blog: Hobby Time). 

I love cars but I have always put everything else first. My work, house projects, consulting projects, my volunteer commitments and yes of course my family. So that meant hobbies fell 6th, 8th... or completely off the radar. This was my year to reclaim it all, and yes kids come first, but we got the Z on the track this year, I am completing my Hot Wheels collection, and yes, I am back in the auto shop. 

I love cars... So why was it scary to enter the shop again? I felt like I failed each semester that went by and I didn't finish my degree. I felt what it was like for a working parent, trying to take classes, juggle kids, work.... and I failed. I needed to get back in there and do it. 

I love cars... and finally that love was more than my fear. I honestly don't know much about working on cars, I know a rotor and caliper, and I can change brake pads... but I have no idea how the brake booster works, or how the vacuum works in the engine or why I can't stop my dang Z from burning so much oil (ha). I don't like being in places where I don't know, it is humbling asking for help, with either the cylinder compression test tool, or the online learning modules (I swear I think its different on my Mac, I still can't get right). 

I love cars, I am excited, and nervous and anxious, but here we go. Wish me luck, I remember how proud my Grandpa Harold was when I told him I was taking a shop class (he was a mechanic and owned a garage), I am sad he won't see me graduate. Yeah I got to get this done, maybe just for me, maybe for Grandpa, but for sure for my kids, so they know their dad isn't a quitter. 

The Quechua Gringo

For Father's Day my daughter got me an Ancestry DNA test. I loved the idea, I hated the waiting time, and the results have been, well interesting.

I was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I was born to Beverly Coates of Saginaw, MI and Daniel Centellas Castillo of Oruro, Bolivia. 

I was born as most would describe, white. Or as my Bolivian family called me, "Casperin", better known in English as Casper the friendly ghost. Yeah I was that white; and luckily that nickname, or Elmer Fud (I was also bald for a long time), didn't stick.

I moved to the USA as a primary Spanish speaking kid who most would describe as, an immigrant, in Michigan, AKA Mexican. I went to school with ESL supports and when most heard I was a Latino/Immigrant, they would say, "but you don't look Mexican." 

I grew up in the medium sized Michigan town of Saginaw, fairly diverse but really segregated. I never felt like I fit in. I was "too white" to hang with the Mexican/Latino kids. I felt too poor to hang with the white kids in my AP classes, they grew up in less diverse areas than my middle class city neighborhood. 

I went to college and found more of my "Latino-ness" by getting involved in our Latino club and a historically Latino Fraternity (Sigma Lambda Beta). As a senior leader on campus, it was probably one of the first time I would hear the "Yeah, you look Latino" line that I get today... cause I really don't feel like I look Latino, or often not felt very Latino at all. Previous Blog: I am that Latino, but not that Latino

I am now working at La Casa de Amistad, and maybe more in touch than ever with my immigrant and Latino/Bolivian side. A couple years ago I made a trip to Bolivia with my older brother and my daughter. I got my Bolivian passport before this trip, but I didn't get to my dad's hometown.

So back to the DNA test... they say it is what is inside someone that matters, not sure if DNA is what they meant, but that is what this post is about. I am not gonna lie, I always considered myself Bolivian/American, I knew my abuelita spoke indigenous languages, and that while they had Spanish surnames my family looked like the native Quechua and Aymara cultures and communities of the Andes. I always grew up amazed by the culture, by the beauty at the Isla del Sol and Copacabana (Lake Titicaca), and the amazing structures at Tiwanaku. 

Seeing the DNA result was the first time I considered myself indigenous. I guess I always knew, but never connected the dots. Maybe because I look so much like my Michigan, European-tied ancestry? See that my largest single DNA source was the indigenous regions of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia just hit me. I have maybe still not processed it, and writing this is part of that, especially leading up to the American holiday celebrating Columbus, the person who brought the Spanish and French influence in my DNA. 

Maybe it is the circle of life and about how we are all connected that I want to celebrate? Maybe it is the stronger connection I now feel to the impressive feats of my Andes Ancestry? Maybe I as usual don't know how to feel, or what to say, except, a clear thank you to Novali for the test. Now to keep unpacking my history, my future, and how this white indigenous kid fits into the world. 

I was born in Santa Cruz, raised in Saginaw, living in South Bend, raising Hoosiers, and just trying to be the best I can, regardless of what I look like on the outside, how I feel inside, where my blood came from, but on where I am going. Knowing a little more about where I came from, is refreshing and for now I will leave it at that. 

Thanks Mom and Dad. 

Quarantine Birthday

The past week was a whirlwind. One of my best friends passed away, I had a birthday, work was crazy, but between it all I worked to try and find ways to have fun with the kids. I feel like Megan would of reminded me to do that as things got crazy and I did... quick recap. 

Since my birthday was on a Thursday, and we normally don't do much, with no real plans I decided to donate my big day to La Casa. Instead of just a FB fundraiser, I planned a work day for people to come and help with our project. I posted an event and figured lets see what happens... 

Unfortunately a few days before I found out one of my best friends, Megan Baker, passed away. It came out of nowhere, it was a major shock, and all I knew was that I wanted to see her mom and write a blog. One of my gifts is saying the right thing, and it's the gift I tried to give the family. I wrote "Thanks Megan" for her, and then planned what I would tell Lois. Ultimately I decided I actually didn't know what to say, but instead of giving her my condolences, I told her thank you. I told her thank you for then gift that Megan was to the world, and I felt bad more people would not get to experience the gift. Hopefully I can still get to a Baker Holiday party in the near future like the old days. Love you Megan and the entire Baker clan. 

I left Detroit in time to get home and get to my planned excursion the day before my birthday... on September 2nd Gingerman Raceway had a test and tune track night and I thought I would slide up there and get a few laps in. It was a long day, it started with a #SunriseRun on the Detroit coast of Michigan past Megan's house and church, and ended having a #SunsetDrive in South Haven on what people call the third coast (Michigan). The track night was an adventure, shattered my driver window, I went into the sand, and then my headlights didn't work on the way home. I made, it was fun... I tried to get some rest. 

On my actual birthday we worked... I was at our construction site from about 11AM to nearly 9PM. I had people drop off donuts, dilly bars, jimmy johns, drinks, cupcakes and my kids brought me balloons. About twenty people showed up to help with the building project and whew wee we got a lot done! Part of our project us that we do a lot of the work to save ourselves money. So cha ching we working off the debt! 

I celebrated over the weekend... it was great Novali called and told me she was coming down for my birthday. I asked her to wait for Friday and it worked great because our SB Cubs stadium was hosting a family movie (Rookie of the Year) on the field with fireworks so what a treat for my birthday that we were all together. 

Saturday more stuff I love... N and Cruz came with me to Cars and Coffee at the Studebaker National Museum here in South Bend. We saw some cool cars, talked to some friends, Cruz smashed some donuts while I chugged coffee. Then N asked about going garage saling... can't turn that down so we dropped off the dude and hit up some sales. She found some more cute stuff for her apartment and asked about lunch... I suggested Puerto Rican Bakery and off we went... 

Basically the entire weekend was me eating all the things... Friday my cheese steak nachos at Four Winds Field, Saturday carne frita Puerto Rican style with tostones, I had a Jimmy Johns cookie, and while grocery shopping I snagged a deal on some wings that I made as a midnight snack on Saturday. 

Sunday woke up late, took the day off of working out, and cooked sausages for breakfast. Did house work and then Mari asked about going to Strikes and Spares, for indoor go karts... you know this Papi can't turn that down... and she made me proud. Her first time out she started in fourth, behind three boys, she passed them all, while a flustered dad egged on his son to not get passed by a girl... well he did, and she was stern faced and serious and mad that he kept cutting her off... but she got him. Didn't even smile, she just kept looking ahead driving. When I congratulated her after all she said was, "he kept bumping into me". 

Then we did garage and yard work. They rode scooters and kinda helped me clean, but at least hung out with me outside and we enjoyed some sun between the rain showers. I have several projects to finish on my Z that has either broken recently or that need to get wrapped up before my next few events. I think for the next weekend Cars and Coffee event I am going to put my black wide rims back on, then I can clean my Shelby Cals well for the next couple track events... 

Thank you everyone who sent a card, called/texted, came and helped or just sent me positive vibes to keep me rolling through the end of a rough year. Cheers to 42 and continuing to enjoy life! 

Thanks Megan

Megan was one of those people who could absolutely change your whole day, whole week actually, with a few simple words. 

“Ooohhhh, counter part, I love that shirt!”  

Your day changed. Maybe insignificant to some. Maybe just said in passing. Maybe made the difference I needed on a tough college week that wasn't going my way. Maybe she knew I needed it, no, no she knew. 

Thanks Megan. 

Megan was one of those people who didn't always have things go her way. Her life was a big story of the ways things didn’t go right, but how it didn’t matter, and being her friend you saw how positive energy and a real smile is all that mattered.  

"So what had happened was"

She is the poster child for smiling through adversity. If there was a spokes person for "So what had happened was" memes it would be Megan. It is why she was so good at showing you, and telling you, that you got this, just smile, we will get through it, because she showed you how. Her face told you it was going to be okay, and she was right. 

Thanks Megan. 

Megan was one of those people who lit up a room. Everyone turned to see her enter, everyone was happy to see, and everyone needed in their life. I needed her, and man I am not sure what I would have done had we not met. Not sure what I will do without her now. 

"Hey, what are you doing next Friday?" 

You'd have to ask, why... "Okay well this person I met, who knows my so and so, inviting me to this thing, and I don't really want to go, but let's go cause it will have a nice open bar and I'll go if you go with me". How could you say no to all of that, and yes she said in like 2.5 seconds. Yeah we had fun. 

Thanks Megan. 

Megan was that friend, that when you complained that as a single dad (when N was a baby) that they never have baby changing stations in the men's room. One weekend when I said I got to go change N when out with friends on a weekend that I had N... 

"I'll take her, don't worry I know what I am doing." 

She grabbed the diaper bag and went before I could talk her out of it. When she came back, explained, how only Megan could, how they didn't even have a changing station, she did it on the sink counter top, and was pissed that dad's always have to do that. She helped, with a smile, without being asked, and of course had a Megan story from it. 

Thanks Megan. 

Megan would drop everything for you. It's how we bonded early in our friendship on 9-11 (read that story). Or like how each time I visited Boston, no matter how short of notice I gave her, she made time. We had our last drink together there in late 2019. We did yoga together just over a month ago (virtually). 

"Wanna see my new Mini Cooper?" 

She knows I love cars. Last time I saw her she showed off her car.  It's who she was, to be about you, to make sure you were smiling, to make sure her friends had fun. I needed this reminder of that, as I face work stress, life challenges, and everything 2020 is throwing at us, like her being gone now... I needed this reminder that positive energy and a real smile, is what we all need. 

Thanks Megan. 

Thanks for positive energy and real smiles. Thanks for inviting me to bartend Baker parties. Thanks for awesome MGCA trips. Thanks for always making it feel like it would be okay. Thanks for all the great wedding dates and salsa dancing. Thanks for never judging me. Thanks for the ice luge and epic Memorial Day parties. Thanks for being the rare friend that would say love you. Thanks for always being 180% you. 

Thanks Megan for being a gift to all of us, for being our positive energy when we needed it, for being our smile when ours was missing. We will do our best without you, just how you would have told us to. Love you. 

Quarantine Reflection: No Ironman

This past weekend was the anniversary of my first triathlon. This summer was going to be hopefully my first Ironman 70.3. Over the winter I looked at dates, there were a few that worked and were close, and I made a training plan. I would start swim training in March/April and get my bike legs going over early summer. I got a bike trainer, I got new swim shorts, I got a pool membership. 

The triathlon this past weekend was canceled. So were the two Ironman 70.3 events I had looked at completing. I did still bid on an item in the Barron Lake Tri silent auction... nice little FleetFeet gift box on my desk and I supported a good cause. Good news. However, the Speedo I bought over Christmas break, still has the tags on it. Bad News. 

So what happened? Well we all know Covid happened. The pool I joined was closed for a while, but it opened back up. While events were canceled, I had other friends get create and still train, and still in their own way, do it. Not me, no Ironman here. I event bought Ironman branded sunglasses, maybe that was my mistake. 

So did I fail? Well you know as a motivational speaker I need to use some cheesy quote like, you only fail if you stop trying, or failure is one step towards success as long as you don't turn around, insert inspirational mount climber picture, yada yada yada. 

I didn't do it. I could of done it (I think), I just didn't. I have lots of great excuses, and they reduce my guilt, but honestly, I just lost interest in doing it. Does that make the failure feel any better? No, really makes me sad I spent money on some nice swim trunks though, but makes me glad I didn't buy that triathlon body suit though! (whew those are expensive). Should I try again next year? I did enjoy all my sunrise runs and still will be running and biking and I do need to get back into the pool. 

I am not sure even the point of this post. I guess I am just saying failure is okay. Some goals don't matter, no mater how much you cared about them, spent money on them, or whatever. So I thought, let me celebrate the shape I did get in this summer, even if I am not an Ironman, I threw my glasses on and did a killer river workout the other day and got some pictures. 

I am no Ironman, and thats okay. 

 

Quarantine Reflection: Garage Lessons

If you follow me on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) you can see that my posts have been a buzz of activity lately in the garage. Its been a few weeks now that I got my Datsun Z back from the garage and on the road and I have been driving her nearly daily and working on her a few days/nights a week. It has been a welcome break during quarantine madness.

If you know me you know that I like to teach in unorthodox ways and of course garage time with Cruz has been full of intentional, unintentional and accidental lessons. I try to capitalize on all of them and talk with him before, during or after about what happened. So let's recap a few things.

BUMPERS (write up coming to Z Blog)
The first job I had on my list was installing bumpers. The 280z came with huge heavy bumpers, and I like the slimmer 240Z look. I removed my original ones, I sourced some earlier model bumpers but never got to install them before she went off to the shop. On my first test fit the rear bumper brackets were not correct and would take significant work to get mounted. So I made the call to just work on the fronts and painted them and Cruz helped me mount them. I explained how it was frustrating, but I did't just want to drill a bunch of holes and makes a mess quickly mounting it. I would take my time, try to get the right parts, or make a custom bracket.
Lessons: Do things right the first time, no short cuts.

WHEELS
When I got the car she had a set of 14 x 6 Shelby Cal 500 wheels on her. While I love that iconic slotted mag look, and who doesn't want Shelby parts on their car... the tires on them were junk and I wanted bigger and blingyer. I scored a good deal on some 16x8 XXR wheels and with some rubber on them they made me heavier, too sticky in the wrong way, they rub in the back on bumps and corners... but man they look good! So now that she is out on parole, I needed some wheels we could compete in... so we pulled the Shelby's from storage, I got some cheap rubber installed on them to mess around on, and planned a day with then dude to get them on the car.

I got the tools out; jack, lug wrench, my big impact driver and other related tools. I taught Cruz about safety around a raised vehicle, we choked the wheels, and then we jacked her up. We removed the wheel, and put the Shelby on... and then realized, didn't have the right lugs. We looked and looked... did I lose them? Did I not get them back from the shop? Searched and searched the garage... put the wheel back on the car. We drove her to lunch and I calmed down... then I searched online, Autozone website was being weird but they were in stock. I drove to three Autozones to get enough lugs (needed 16) and went home and jacked the car back up. Well 14 of the lugs I got didn't come with washers, but I was getting these mounted... Got two wheels swapped, feeling good, onto the third and... one of then lugs wouldn't fit... wrong thread... luckily I bought 17! So I kept going. Another one bad thread... then another... and I ran out of good lugs.

I would not be stopped... I knew a couple other stores had more, so went to two more stores and got the ones I needed. However, I still need to cure my issue of missing washers... so I stopped at the Autozone near my house to order more. Six Autozones, still didn't have everything I needed but I had enough. I stayed calm, I stayed focused and didn't quit, and I got the job done.
Lessons: Don't let things out of your control, control you.

MY FINGER
Well at the beginning of all of this... I was rushing one morning to check something on the car. I ran outside and was looking in the car, and rushing back inside, I slammed my finger in the door. I literally shut the door and it latched shut, with my finger still in the door. Needless to say it hurt, I ran inside, I iceed it, Heather had to take the kids to school cause my hand was throbbing.... two days later it was still bad, so I went to the doctor. Doctor said, had I come right away they could of drained the blood from under my nail and recovery would of been ten times better.
Lessons: Don't rush, take your time or injuries happen. Don't be tough, go to the doctor.

I really enjoy working with dudeman in the garage. It reminded me of when N and I would tinker. She was about this age when Cruz was being born, and I got winter wheels for the Jetta and she helped me put them on. I taught her the steps to changing a tire. I enjoy doing this stuff, being busy and working with my kids on it. I am glad they enjoy it as well and that they also learn something.

Memories...

Cruz was in a Fight

Yesterday, while on a zoom call, I got the text from Cruz's program that we need to call in. Usually not a good thing, I asked if it was an emergency, they said no and I texted that my wife would call since I couldn't. Obviously if it was an emergency I would of called right in. Well Cruz was in a fight, coulda been an emergency, but from the time Heather texted me he was in a fight to when I got some details all that ran through

Cruz was in a fight.
He had stepped in to help break it up and protect a friend. He would not face disciplinary action but he should of asked for help instead of jumping in. So while I finished my call, all the ways I would talk to him about it all swirled in my head.

Cruz was in a fight.
It didn't matter to me if he won, lost, who started it, if he was in trouble or not, etc. I wanted to talk to him about it. So I planned we could run an errand, chat, and end with some ice cream (well depending how he answered me... ha).

Cruz was in a fight.
So we went for a drive, first stop was a car wash. On the way I asked him, so what happened... you could tell his heart dropped a little. He started with that he didn't get in trouble, and I told him I know, but wanted to still talk. He told me how it went down, two kids got in a fight, a bigger kid started to hit one of his friends, he tried to stop it, and ended up in the fight. (hit in the eye twice, luckily no black eye).

Cruz was in a fight.
With the car clean, we rolled to Target/Kohls (I needed new flip flops). I asked him, what did he think my first reaction or question would be. He said he thought I would be mad, and I said yeah that would be one reaction, but not my first. He didn't guess, so I told him, my first thing was to know if he was alright. I don't care if he started it, if he finished it, if he won, if he was in trouble or not in trouble. My first thought, was he hurt. I told him I will always care most about if he is okay. Then we talked some more.

Cruz was in a fight.
As we walked from Kohls to Target (found flip flops I like finally) I asked him if fighting sometimes is okay. We had been discussing right and wrong, and he said no, it's not right to fight. So I asked why he didn't get in trouble, well because he was helping his friend. So I asked him again, is sometimes fight right. This is where he floored me, he said, well at that one rally (we go to a lot of rallies but I assume the #BlackLivesMatter event), they said they were fighting for rights, and you agreed with them. He connected those dots, and I said luckily there was not actual fighting at that rally, but asked if he heard about rallies with fighting and he had. So we talked that sometimes fighting back is your only option, so I pulled it full circle, at his camp, he should of called a counselor to break up the fight. What if there was no counselor? What if the counselor didn't do the right thing? What if Cruz was the only person who would stand up and defend his friend?

Cruz was in a fight.
The call a parent doesn't want to get. A chat you know someday you have to have about fighting. Glad we had it when he was 9 and that he wrapped it around current events and that he wasn't hurt (well his eye was a little swollen).

Cruz was in a fight.
It was a good excuse to get a McFlurry on the way home. He did the right thing, he stood up for his friend, he didn't throw a punch but just tried to stop it. Hopefully his last fight, but knowing his competitive spirit, his desire to play sports, it might not be his last. Let's hope they are all as noble, and that I have a few more excuses to get a McFlurry with my dude and chat about right and wrong.

SCOTUS Won't Define This

It looks like tomorrow (6/18/2020) will be the day that the Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) will rule on  DACA (read more here). It has been several years since the President (POTUS) tried to end the program. I don't know what they will say tomorrow, I have some idea, but I want to say something regardless of what they say... something that will be true tomorrow night, next week, and next forever.

Immigrants are our friends, neighbors, and family. Immigrants are us, me, you, we all came from somewhere, we all want to be loved, and we all want peace, love, and pursuit of happiness. Whether we say DACA, DACAmented, Dreamers, undocumented... whatever label stays, changes, or goes away, how I feel about immigrants won't change. As I think about tomorrow I have a few more things to say. 

Tomorrow, I don't care what the law says.

I learned in my law class in grad school that there is the right way to do something, the wrong way, and the legal way. The law has no place in what I think is right or wrong, and I think our country is starting to realize that our policies, laws and structure is by and large... wrong. Legal, but wrong, it is laws built to protect those in power, built to hide power structures that keep people down.

Tomorrow, the law is going to be wrong (probably).

We are mostly expecting SCOTUS to end the program. I don't want to downplay what that means for those with DACA, I know it will be hard. I did one on one meetings when this all started with my DACAmented staff members to tell them I will do whatever I can to help. I do know what the SCOTUS decisions won't mean... it won't mean that my friends, neighbors, teammates, fraternity Brothers, essential workers, and so many others with DACA that they are any less than I, less than anyone, and I hope they all know that... and if you know one, tell 'em.

Tomorrow, the law is going to make a big mistake.

The decision tomorrow will not be the end of a battle. It will be the beginning of one. It will be an important milestone in the progress for immigrant rights. It won't define who immigrants are, it will lay the ground work for the fight that is before us. What they say tomorrow will be the next spark in a movement. As long as ICE operates, as long as there is profit in prisons, as long as people are fleeing violence, that usually the USA created.... we will have to fight. 

Tomorrow, the law will make a move, and we will be there to counter it.

Whatever happens tomorrow, it won't be final. They uphold DACA, nice we have time, but we still need action. They end DACA, we have less time, and we need action. The action is the same. We need ALL, and I mean ALL, immigrants to be treated fairly.
                                                                                                                                                         
Tomorrow, the law will speak, will you?

We can no longer sit back and say, "Someone needs to fix that"... the learned helplessness in this country has got to go. We have to fix it, we are the ones that have to fix it. We can't keep waiting for our elected officials to fix it, we can't wait for our kids to grow up to fix it, we can't continue to pass the buck... the law has been on the wrong side of history in this country for too long, what side will you be on?

Tomorrow, I won't pretend posting on Facebook is going to fix this for us. I won't act like this will be easy, and I won't act like it is someone else's fault. I am just as at fault for this as anyone, we are all to blame, and we all must work together to fix this... we must listen to those impacted, we must empower others, we must trust each other, we must value the contributions that everyone can make, we must know that nothing is perfect, but that nothing improves without work.

Tomorrow, SCOTUS will act, will you?

Quarantine Productivity: Hobbies and House Projects

I knew during quarantine that I needed to keep busy, and I knew that I wanted to do more things that would distract me from stress, anxiety and life's issues. As I blogged about earlier I renewed my car hobby and started pushing on work getting done to finish my Datsun 280z (more on that soon), collecting Hot Wheels and just working around the house. Plus I wanted more meaningful time with the kids, so I grabbed dudeman (Cruz) and said lets remodel the basement!

So what was once just storage, then storage plus weight bench, then storage, weight bench, workshop and spare TV room... got cleaned up. It meant a few background things, we needed to organize our storage area, so more storage could fit there (we had a successful quarantine garage sale) and do some needed repair work to make the basement more "finished". When we bought the house is was partially finished and while I am sure it would still be labeled that, it is slightly more now.

What started it all was that I wanted to replace the floor tiles. They were chipped and coming up, and I found some garage/basement floor tiles I thought would be quick and easy. Well you know nothing worth doing is quick and easy... and in my typical, "If you give a mouse a cookie" style the floor turned into painting walls, fixing some ceiling tiles, and then totally redecorating the room. I wanted to do it on a budget and so it was a lot of repurposed furniture, some resale finds, and painting things to match my theme.

Cruz loves to learn and work with me. He helped me clean and sand things, solved problems, measured, worked on his math, and gave ideas on things to decorate. Reminded me of N at his age, she loved projects and helping me work on my cars or the house. M is a tad too young to be helpful, and she didn't want to help anyways so we both won... ha.

So what all did we do? Well we painted, including an old wood paneled wall. We ripped up tile, sealed the floor, and put in some snap tile designed for garages. We ended up doing about 2/3s of the basement not just the new "Car Cave" as Cruz dubbed the space.

Paint... the walls were yellow, yes like canary yellow. We patched a little, and decided to paint most of the room white but to do the wood paneled wall in grey and part of one partial wall to color block the space. A dark red accent color we did on the registers and it tied into all the art well and we carried it over to other parts of the room.

Art... I bought a couple big frames, but mostly grabbed used frames we had in the house and art I either had already had or things I got for Cruz's room we ended up not using. I spent the most on the cool Datsun print that I put over the futon.

Furniture... the futon was the bottom of my college bunk/loft. It needed a mattress and Cruz helped me custom make some arm rests for it (he painted them red). I had a pair of ugly green vinyl chairs I bought years ago, finally took them out, dyed the chairs grey (N picked that over black which was my idea, she was right) and polished the chrome on them. I then scored a used wooden display shelf that had a clock on it. I took the clock out, mounted the license plate from my last race car and painted the shelf black... it now houses a few Datsun model cars.

Hot Wheels... to display my expanded hobby I made Hot Wheels some of the accents around the room. I custom made some shelves for loose cars and got a collector display. Interestingly all three kids have really gotten into collecting so that turned into some side fun as part of this as well.

Rims... not finished yet but I have always wanted to make some furniture out of rims. I have three wheels off my NX2000, the first car I autocrossed. I am testing some ideas on how to make them into end tables, and working on an idea for spare wheels I got to be a coffee table. More on that in the future... but the one table is there for now.

I put in a bunch of all of my favorite car things... racing, Nissans/Datsun, MOMO, some trophies, Hot Wheels, and a couple collages of racing pics with my dad and other family and friends (Team PLP!) who attended events.

Finally as the project finished I celebrated the completion with a car themed movie night... no one else wanted to watch, but dudeman and I watched Ford vs. Ferrari (we both give it a thumbs up), ate popcorn and then I gave him his own GT40... a Hot Wheels GT40.

More pictures on my Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/cruceno21/media_set?set=a.10100584889174563&type=3

Quarantine Reflection: Personal Changes - Part 1

We know a lot of things have changed under quarantine, and many things will never be the same. Some things we will wish could go back, and many we will be glad have changed. Whether it is the #BlackLivesMatter movement, how we shop, how/where we work... it will be a brave new world when this is all over. Things will change if we make them, so now is the time.

During my quarantine reflections I have thought a lot about who I am, what I am doing, why I do it, and more importantly what I should do differently. I honestly got really depressed earlier this year about my life/work balance, and quarantine at first made it worse, and then clarity came. Talking to a counselor made me realize I need to do things to work on me. I started thinking on some personal changes I could do to make me the better version of me that I know I can be... well here in a few blogs I will discuss those. It is all still changing but basically here is my list and my first blog discussion (ideally a blog on each coming as I have time). 

My main changes (so far): 

More Family Focus - quarantine allowed me to see just how much I was missing of my kids and how much more time I want to have with them. I need time focused on them, and less time when I fit them around work. I can fit work around them, and still be good at my work. 

Enjoy My Age - From what I drive to my schedule, I feel like I needed to upgrade to being in my 40s. Most of my friend group is younger, and I still travel and work with college students... but I can't drive small sporty cars forever (well not daily) and my body needs more sleep. So I bought a grown up car (blog on that adventure soon) and am working on my schedule post quarantine. 

Get Back to Hobbies - I wrote about this HERE already. It's been nearly a month since I wrote that, my Datsun Z is nearly ready to roll for the summer, my basement "Car Cave" as Cruz called it is pretty much done (before/after pics coming soon), and I am enjoying Hot Wheels and all three kids are enjoying it with me. I needed something else besides work to do in my spare time, and this has made a big different for me. 

Break From Beer - A year ago I went 30 days without alcohol for final training for my triathlon. I lost weight, felt better, and for my first tri turned a decent time for an old guy. I hatched an idea for an ultra multi-day protest run and I thought might as well train during quarantine. What I planned as a 30 day alcohol drought turned into 60, then 90 and now who knows... even with quarantine lifted I am sticking to it. So here is my first of a longer reflection. 

I am sure anyone has thought, man what if I didn't drink? Impossible right? Maybe not. 

Some of my favorite memories were times that included alcohol. Fun college nights, celebration events, graduations, reunions, or even just a beer with my dad on the patio. It's what you do to mingle, to see friends, to network, it's a core part of daily life. Why avoid it? 

Some of the times I wish I could do over, included alcohol, or were maybe because of alcohol. However, would avoiding alcohol cause the change? Not exclusively not, so why avoid it? 

Family will still be Brew Werks regulars! 

If I cut out alcohol, could I still do all the cool things I normally enjoy with alcohol? I think that is part of what held me back in the past from trying to make the decision. Everyone knows I love the Brew Werks, is it only cause of the beer? No, I remember the month I was training I still went a lot, but didn't have beer. I could do it again for 30 days, but longer? I did it in quarantine, could I do afterwards? 

People know I like a challenge, I like doing things that are hard, so here we go. I am not sure how long I want it to last, so far it's not felt impossible. It's been easier in quarantine, but even when Brew Werks opened up I just told the staff I wasn't drinking, and the ice teas kept getting refilled with no questions. 

So if you see me out, I will probably still buy you a beer, but don't need to buy me one. I'll take an ice tea, unsweetened please (still training for a potential run), and more than happy to talk work, life or whatever without a beer in my hand. 

Thanks to everyone who will help me make this commitment last. 

Quarantine Reflection: Hobby Time (Part 1)

I used to be a car guy, yeah I say used to be because I would have considered it a big part of my time. While lately the only time I spend on cars is ogling them online or when they pass me on the street. It is one of those things that when I get asked what I do for fun, or my hobbies, I have to stop and think about it cause I just don't do much with it (or any hobby) anymore, and that has to change!

I am not sure where exactly my love for cars started. I know one big thing was my grandpa owned a garage in Saginaw, Coates Tire, and I loved visiting the shop. When I first moved to the US I lived with my grandparents and learned about his work and I thought being a mechanic would be so cool. Growing up in Michigan car culture was everywhere and I have fond memories of going with my dad to the Detroit Autoshow and all the great random drive ins, car shows and just seeing cool cars around town. Saginaw was a big GM town and so lots of collectors and GM muscle cars.

The past few years with crazy work schedules, still traveling and consulting a bit, and of course the kids, hobby time has been on hold. Plus on top of that my Datsun 280z has been out of commission so made driving for fun farther out of reach. That is one thing I realized in quarantine that I wanted to fix. I want to get back into car stuff. So ramped up work on the Z and I she is running and I should have her back from the shop soon. Then I can start to tinker on her, maybe some body work, finish the interior, etc.

I was looking for other ways besides just working on my car that I can get into the hobby. I remember at a car show I found some Datsun Hot Wheels that I scored... and since then once in a while would score one if I saw it on a peg at a store. Well I went down the rabbit hole during quarantine... Since I can't get to racing (season postponed and my car is still down) I started looked at Hot Wheels. I first wanted to get some more Zs, then other Datsun models, then some Nissan's and of course a GTR/Skyline or two... and it worked out timing wise as I was in the middle of a little reno our main basement room and planned a little car theme... so did some Hot Wheels decoration pieces... Put my new collection to work right away.

I didn't realize how good it can be though to change gears in my mind. To just turn off work, turn off work related Facebook posts, turn off stress (well try to), and search for cool Hot Wheels after the kids go to bed. To make a quick Meijer run to check out any new stuff... and what better hobby than things that usually cost $1 or $5 (mich cheaper than parts for my Z!).

I scored a few fun things, I will try not to turn into that guy chasing down delivery trucks to get first dibs on new cars... time will tell. For now I have a cool little display of some of my favorite cars. I also was surprised that the kids, all three, got into it. Mari loves open wheel Indy style cars, Cruz loves all the exotics (Lambos, Ferraris, and I got to find him a Bugatti) of course Corvettes and Mustangs. Novali remember a Blues Clues matchbox car I gave her when she was little (I am going to see if I can track one down for her...). I got some multi-car packs and I pull the ones I want and they all pick the rest. It was a fun Sunday afternoon last week watching them take turns picking the next car they wanted.

Pictures of my finished basement room, and Hobby Time Part 2 (and maybe 3) posts, and info on my Hot Wheels display area coming soon...

Quarantine Reflection: Disposable Workers doing Essential Work

While yes we can do more, I don't like all the blaming the community happening right now... 

AFP Via GettyImages (linked article)

I am not the only one thinking this, the article (where I got my image) lays out some of the national items. What we are seeing now and local news is reporting here in South Bend is a high percentage of local cases are of Latino community members. Locally about 30% of the cases are Latino and the population is about 15% Latino, so that is very disproportionate. Stories here: SB Tribune , WSBT 

While I agree we could use more Spanish language materials promoting the safety guidelines, where I disagree is them missing the main parts of my interviews about the our community is more exposed which of course causes more cases. 

Here is my rant.... the main reason our cases are high, is that we have to work. Low income families, especially minority ones, and compounded in undocumented families, have to work... many aren't getting stimulus checks, many don't qualify for unemployment, and many can't just work from home. 

Many of the jobs held by our community members are made to work because the work place is deemed essential. The problem is, essential workers, in essential work places, are often being treated as disposable. Our familia working in factories, grocery stores, food production, etc. are being put at risk daily and not being protected like they should. The government closed down non-essential businesses, which technically protects those workers more than "essential workers". 

Right now essential workers, are put on the front line, and put at most risk. While non-essential workers, had their work place closed and they were sent home and kept safe. 

This disparity will certainly be thoroughly researched in the future. Certain work fields will have high infection rates; grocery store workers, factory line workers, food production employees, etc. will have high rates. Certain work fields that could easily work from home or in quarantine like CPA's, Bankers, Lawyers, Administrators, consultants, technology positions, etc. will have low rates. Make a list of stereotypical Latino jobs, are those workers able to work and stay safe? By in large... no. 

So please remember...  it is not just health care workers risking their lives to support us during this crisis. So where those people that got sick at the meat packing plant, a local factory or just the night stocking crew at your local grocery store that kept your family fed but probably didn't have good health benefits, banked PTO, or any safety net in case they got sick. They couldn't afford to not work. 

There will be a lot of heroes in this, and as usual a lot of villains. Keep your eye out for those wanting credit (probably a villain) and keep and eye out for that Latina mom, that showed up daily to work, who had to bring her own PPE, who had no other option to continue bringing a check to pay the rent and take care of her family. She needs your help, but she will never ask for it... she is essential to her family, to her community, and to this country. 

For the Quarantined Moms Out There!

It goes without saying that 2020 was already off to an interesting start, and then now the middle is for sure not getting much better. This quarantine has brought out the best, and the worst in all of us, but reminded us why family is so important.

Normally I don't get to see my mom, she is in Florida, then my mother-in-law is in AZ and it's normally a weekend we spend treating D to some of her favorite things around town. Luckily in quarantine most of our plans were not thwarted so that is good... Cruz bought flowers (and we planted some yesterday), Mari made some art, and N made eggs Benedict and the kids helped with pancakes and did breakfast in bed with her to kick off the day. Let's see how the rest of the day goes, Facetime with my mom coming up soon!

I of course want to shout out the moms in my life, starting with my mom. She is in Florida now and hunkered down trying to wait this quarantine out. My siblings and I all know that Bev is the strongest woman out there... not only did she raise us four kids (and we fortunately all turned out alright) but she did a ton in her life. From surviving polio, to moving to new continents (several times), to fighting off cancer, to of course raising us crazy four kids. My mom was a school teacher, and now that we are home schooling our kids, I respect teachers even more! Love you mom!

Next up is always D and man this quarantine life has been rough! We are both working from home, we have three kids doing distance learning, and wow, it is a lot. We normally venture out for a nice meal on Mother's Day, the kids behave and we try to surprise her a few times. It's harder to plan surprises all in the same hour 24/7 and of course since we can't eat out, we planned to cook some of her favorite things here at the house...

I can't leave Tamara off my list, this year started with a jolt for her, but as usual she handles challenges well. We have luckily parented a pretty special kid, N turned out well and just finished her freshman year of college. Wow Tamara, we have a college sophomore! Where did the time go? Thank you for the partnership and for being a great mom to N of course, but also to Jacob. Hope you all have a great day.

To all the moms I know, my sister Raquel of course, and my mother in law, and my two sister in laws, man so many good moms out there that I know. Thank you to all of you for the sacrifices you make, lunches you make, schedules you keep, and crazy errands to take care of your family.

I also want to give a shout out to all the moms out there, but also to everyone who lost a mom. Whether you lost your mom this year, like my best fraternity Brother Victor, recently like my mom that we lost grandma (Lessons from grandma Millie) just a few years ago, but to all my friends that are missing their mom today. I luckily have mine, and lots of other great moms in my life, you are in my thoughts as you miss yours. I know for some today is a celebration, but for others it brings sadness and I am thinking about you all as well.

Alrighty everyone... enjoy today, whatever it might be, whatever it might bring, whatever you might be able to do today.

Quarantine Reflection: Not Perfect

Finally another quarantine reflection... this one is about not being perfect. As a leader, I often get put on this impossible pedestal... that I have to be perfect, that I can't make mistakes, that everything I do must be 100% thought out, 100% on target, and 100% perfect.

Many years of having that pushed on me, I think pushed me over the edge. Now the thought that things must be perfect impacts all I do, from how I do things with my kids, to my house, to hobbies, and everything from my personal life to of course work. Plus I saw this image, and since our crab apple tree just blossomed, I figured let's write.

I am not perfect. Trying to be so though made me either give 100%, or 0%.

Like my car hobby.... I haven't raced in years, haven't been competitive in autocross since 2012 and fallen way down from when I used to win events in Grand Rapids with the Furrin group and place at huge Detroit Regional events. I went from getting good, to not doing it all...

Like work... for it to be at 100% means I have to give everything plus, and I do. Unfortunately that means at times I feel like I am running out, or lately it feels like I have been sprinting for the finish line that is not coming. Each turn, each bend, each new stretch... it's not the end... but I am spent. So what do I do?

The same with my kids, I put off doing something cause it isn't what I want to do... I want to take a road trip with my dude, just travel and do whatever. I want to treat Mari to perfect day. Well I can't, but I can just make some sandwiches and take Cruz fishing. I remember fun road trips that N and I would do together, so much fun. I know my kids are getting older and I need to do what I can, perfect or not, but to stop putting things off.

My yard, and the house... I would love to quit my job for a month and get all the house projects done and do them 100%. The patio that would be awesome for outside meals and finally smoothing out the lawn so the ball will roll straight, or just getting the fence up and finished. I can't do them, and don't want to skimp, so it all just sits.

I am not perfect. I also can't give 100% to everything, I am an engineer, I understand the math and how percentages work. I also know that I need more balance. I don't want to let people down though, my kids, the families I serve, boards I am on, everything.

I am not perfect. I have to allow myself, and know others will understand, when I make mistakes. Interestingly this last year with my team, I told them, to be creative, let's try new things, don't fear mistakes, take chances... but here I am measuring too much, weighing too many risks and not looking at major rewards. Here I am with all these things I want to do, and not doing them for fear that they won't be perfect.

I am not perfect. I have been telling myself that over and over, and more and more lately. Not out of lack of confidence, but in maybe trying to give myself confidence to do things that I really need to do, but fear of falling short of perfect gets in the way.

I am not perfect. I say sorry too much, maybe it's why people like me, I tend to make things my fault. I make them feel good, but too many apologies means my finish line got longer, and I can't sprint forever.

I am not perfect. There I said it, a few times actually, and that feels good. I am about to take Cruz fishing tonight, but just at ND. I am going to race this summer, if my car is done or not. I am going to make a few huge mistakes, and let them go and take a deep breath.

I am not perfect. You don't have to be either, but if you are, awesome, if you aren't, still awesome. Let's all give each other some slack, some grace, some flex, some second and third chances.

I am not perfect, and in an imperfect world just looking for my place. All this time at home has made me think about how I can help others with the things I struggle with, so thought I would write this down. Last post was a tip on something I do well, this is about something I don't do well...

I am not perfect, but I do promise I will try to write more of my reflections. It felt good putting this out there for all of you, edited it not, grammatically correct or not (I know, I can't help), but here is it, my thoughts for this Sunday.

Quarantine Reflection: Efficiency

This quarantine has me spending time thinking about the things I am good at, and the things I am not as good at... It also has be stretched thin on time, and so I figured I would blog about one thing I know that sets me apart... I am efficient.

It is one of the things I joke with people about when people ask what is one of the traits that I think is best for a leader. It is above all the flashy things people mention... being efficient. There is a lot to do in a day, and people always think about ways to prioritize, or multitask or whatever... but sometimes it is just planning your day and time well and being efficient.

I quote all the time a lesson I got at my first real job, at Denny's, from another table busser and dishwasher. He told me, never go anywhere, without looking for something where you are, that belongs where you are going. I think about that all the time and it drives me desire to be efficient all the time. It's how I can get more done in a day, and it takes planning ahead, but it works.

During quarantine this has become increasingly important. I have more demands, working full time (plus), trying to home school kids, make meals, answer calls, volunteer commitments, boards... it is a lot. Lot's of people think I get my efficiency from being an engineer, but really I credit that old busboy for the advice.

For example, the other week the comforters needed to get washed, so that meant a trip to the laundry mat. So I looked up the location's hours, maps around it, and figured... I can get my morning work out in while I do the comforters.

I went to the laundry mat and started the wash. I planned a 2 mile loop while stuff washed. I got back right on time, paused my workout, got the comforters into a dryer and then went for a second lap around while things dried. Finished my 4.25 mile run, grabbed the dry laundry and headed home to start the rest of my day.

Lot's of people think getting lots of things done, being a leader, completing projects, or whatever they see "busy" people doing takes skills they don't have... anyone can be efficient! It just takes focus and planning, and during this time we all need to feel accomplished at the end of a day.

We are all in this together, let's all help each other, here I am sharing one of my things I am good at, and my tip to help accomplish more, be efficient.