From Bits to Barrels

Growing up in small town USA helped me appreciate more of where I am today than if I would have grown up in a much bigger city. It has given me an advantage my counterparts do not have. You might say it is similar to an episode from a weekly reality series created by a man with bad hair. Street smarts vs. book smarts. I see the obvious and use it to my advantage. This advantage has given me a very successful sales career in high tech. But not a completely happy one.

My father was an insurance salesman who, after many years, finally started a successful construction company. This helped give me a jump start on making money at an early age. One of the toys I bought was a computer in 1984. You might remember the discus thrower from the Apple commercial in the Supperbowl commercial then? I wanted to be part of that movement and finally was.

I continued in the construction trades wishing and trying to change the pre-defined destiny I seemed to have. Going in a direction I did not want to go. One event seemed to change it all. Divorce. At the time is seemed like utter failure. My dad told me that men who are most successful have also failed the most. That was not very encouraging then, but in retrospect, I believe it true now. While I dont plan to be married many times over, or make several unsuccessful attempts in business, I have tried several different occupations which gave me the ability to speak on many topics with some familiarity, except one which Im now very interested in....Energy.

Two years ago it seemed I heard a similar song which you quoted. I found myself asking what now? I felt I conquered my fears, left my home town, shot for the impossible, and achieved it. Here I am. Single, still young, no kids, well off, and the ability to get a job with a couple phone calls. At the same time I had to make a decision. Do I want to be married with a home 5 times bigger than I need with 2.5 kids, fighting traffic, and a pre-planned life to live? I decided not to take the pill which would keep me in a passive blissful state, and make some radical changes to see if I could actually find something more rewarding.

After several years working for the largest Telco company and working with some of the prominent business leaders in helping them solve their technical issues on how to become more and more efficient. I left my job and stepped out of the lime light to try something different. I was amazed how easy it was to find a job despite the bad job market and advice from friends and family to reconsider. Three separate interviews and three separate jobs, led me to believe, you can actually shape your own future. What will I do with this knowledge? The frustration continued.

Almost a year ago, I was once again offered a position to move over to a familiar job space which I could make a great income. This time however, I had a plan. I would simplify my life so I could actually live on one fifth of my income. I would then save my money and plan for a trip around the country in search making a difference. Little did I know it was the event from this last year which led me to writing this letter now. I figured if I was going to travel so much I would need a new truck to tow my new trailer so I would not have to worry about breaking down. I looked at diesel trucks for years, but they seemed so noisy, smelly, and loud. The price of gas, however, was rising and the efficiency and recommendations from others led me with one choice. Diesel.

After traveling and visiting several places, I started to notice the price of diesel was now rising higher than gas. What the heck? This was not in the plan! War? Hurricanes? This should not affect me! It was then I remembered reading about a little company selling Biodiesel. At the time it was around $3/gal. so it did not seem like a practical option. Now it was. I did some research and found there was a station near me selling it. I was so impressed with the results, I thought I just found the answer to all of our nations problems. Why didnt everyone know about this? My friends who own wheat farms in Eastern Washington could grow the crops, bringing the farming industry back to its glory once again. The distribution model of the fuel as well as the diesel engines did not need to be modified. I wouldnt have to plug my car while I was at work. The only thing that would change is our radical need to drag the dino fuel from across the planet. This might even have huge political implications. Of course this got me to thinking more and more about all the possibilities as well as the possibility I could make a difference. I understand the many challenges, but I see this as an opportunity to be a pioneer once again.

I do find myself behind the wheel of a large automobile. We live in a world where transportation, heating, and electricity are a critical part of the newly evolved human on todays planet. It is the pioneers and inventors who will be looked back upon as people before their time. Will I be one of those pioneers? What can I do? What talents do I have to make a difference? I will find a way.

And this is why I care about energy.