I’m Ben, a regular everyday normal guy. I’m currently enjoying life in the South Eastern U.S. I am an engineer by day, and spend most of my evenings renovating the old house we recently bought, or puttering around on my homelab.
I like to spend my time working on cars, hiking/backpacking when the weather is good, cooking, and spending time with my family.
Work
I received a B.S. in mechanical engineering about 15 years ago from a small school in the great white North, where I’m originally from.
I spent the first 8 years after college in the Army as a 12A (engineer officer), spending most of my time in central Texas and Missouri. I got to go to Europe, and Korea too, along with a few other places. I did route clearance (boring), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as most people call them or Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS). Some time as a logistician for my unit, and then finished out my time as a Deputy Chief of Staff for our engineer regimental HQ.
I then separated from service, to pursue a career that actually lets me use my degree. I currently work as a Sr. Systems Engineer for a large DoD contractor, and advise the government on technical dealings of an air defense program. Essentially being their engineering advisor to make sure they’re getting their (and your) money’s worth, because the DoD has trouble keeping subject matter experts on staff in some places.
This blog
I do a lot of small projects around the house that cover a wide range of topics. Sometimes I have issues remembering things. E.g. where are the studs in that wall, where did I run the electrical lines? Why did I choose the thickness I did for this part? How exactly did I renew this digital certificate, I only have to do it twice a year, etc.
I also am used to keeping an engineering notebook, with drawings, notes, etc. But I’m not organized enough in my personal life to keep track of all of that paper coupled with dates I completed tasks, and photos on my phone. So this helps me capture my thoughts before they escape me, and also allows me to share projects that people ask about, because they want to do the same thing at their house.
We recently moved, and bought a new-to-us old house with a lot of problems. I have a history on here of things that were upgraded at the old house. I’m doing much of the same. But this house is older and it was not maintained nearly as well as our old house.
Fun
Normally, when things are less crazy, we go hiking on the long weekends, go caving, or I get the mountain bike out onto some trails. We’re on the coast now, so there are very few hills around us. We’re still adjusting and trying to find things that work around here. Sometimes I ride around town on the motorcycle if it’s dry out. Sometimes I get the boys together and smoke meat.
I certainly won’t be teaching a master class in any one topic, as a lot of people recommend (your blog should focus intently on one topic, and find your core audience). But I will try to keep it interesting.