Kowalski Heat Treating Blog - Kowalski Heat Treating

Something out of Nothing

June 12, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

The other day, I was out on the shop floor ”visiting” with my team (actually simply being nosy!) when I came across an empty box – a container of “nothing.” Once again, my amazing team had completed another wonderful PIA (pain in the @%$) Job for a very good customer – something that always puts a big smile on my face. After finishing my walk-about, I headed back to the office to get back to the next task at hand and continue looking out at beautiful Lake Erie. Remembering the empty box on the shop floor, it got me to thinking about “nothing” – and common nicknames we have for nothing – zero, zilch, nada, zippo, goose egg, squat, bupkis, nix, nil, and love (tennis), and of course, the old Seinfeld episodes came to mind as well (the show about nothing). Jackie and my girls often tell me that my mind works in mysterious ways (when they’re being kind!) Of course, I had to jump on the internet and start digging, trying to learn a bit more about nothing, asking myself, “Is there something behind nothing?” WOW! What a history, reaching way back in time to cultures and peoples of ancient times from across the world. Here’s some history and trivia I think you’ll enjoy, about nothing (that was fun to write!). Enjoy the journey (and yes, there is a song you may remember about zero) and a great Seinfeld clip. Enjoy!

Dreamy Satisfaction

June 5, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

Like most of us, I’ll admit that sometimes I get a tad bit frustrated. Sometimes it’s the little things – can’t find my keys, waiting in traffic a little more than I want, or just having a day that just seems out of balance. To break the frustration, I like to just laugh out loud at the silliness of it all, put my head down, and plow through the feeling. Some days I‘m just a little off – I do realize this is surprising to those who know me well!– and as Mick Jagger told us, he too just couldn’t get any “satisfaction.” Today marks the day (over 60 years ago – yikes!) when Mick and his band of British crooners took the US by storm, releasing one of their most popular hits: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. Now, I’m gonna guess a few, if any, readers of this blog haven’t heard this tune. It’s driving guitar riff, and simple lyrics, are sort of locked in our heads, and we just sing along every time it comes on the radio – I am only allowed to sing this when in the car by myself or in the office, really early in the morning when no one else has to suffer through my “singing” performance. I did some digging to find out more about the song, its history, and impact on Rock N Roll and the “Stones” breakthrough in American culture. Be sure to listen and enjoy the song – the first is when they are just kids lip-syncing on TV, and the live version shows the energy of the song in 2013. Enjoy!

Holy Cow!

May 29, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

I was at a Guardians game the other night, and watching a ball carry easily into right field, I thought to myself, “holy cow, he hit that one a ton.” After the inning ended, I quietly wondered where holy cow came from—and why I chose those words. Does the phrase have ties to a specific religion or culture? Is it just a random combination, or is there really a specific cow out there I should know more about? Then, of course, my mind wandered to Holy smokes, Holy Toledo, and of course Holy Moly and my personal favorite Holy Mackerel! (yes, I am a man of deep thoughts – you can ask anyone who knows me). Searching online, I learned that holy cow is a relatively late entry in a long line of similar phrases used to express surprise. For example, holy Moses dates back to the 1850s, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, while holy smokes and holy mackerel were in use by the 1890s. These expressions are examples of minced oaths—replacement phrases used to avoid profanity or direct religious’ invocation…something Jackie compliments me on! One of my “go to” expressions in front of the grandkids is “dang!” So, for those who do their best to control their language, here’s a fun recap of enthusiastic expressions. Special thanks to Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, Monty Python and of course Batman and Robin. Enjoy.