Archive for category: Friday Afternoon

One of the great things we do here at KHT is research, design, and building amazing racking systems for our thermal processing solutions. Whether it’s stacks of transmission discs pressure bolted to maintain “flatness” – or our intricate rack systems for blades, shafts, or other PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs, or small parts in our salt-to-salt processes, “racking” is a huge part of what we do. The other night, I was helping Jackie clean up after dinner (something I try to do often) and took a pause at the way I was stacking dishes in the dishwasher. Plates go here, silverware there, glasses in this order, and cups on this side. Of course, it was not even close to the way my lovely wife does it – if order and poetry could go into dish stacking, she would win an Oscar. There is not a square inch of space left when you have finished, an absolute maestro! It got me thinking about dishwasher design, rack systems, and “loading”. Prewash or as is? Silverware in function order or random? Cups and glasses touching? And when to press the Start button (partial or when all is full?)  I am absolutely a “partial get it done” guy! I did my search thing and uncovered a bunch of history and research on the topic (talk about going down a drain hole!!). Here’s a little of what I uncovered. Enjoy, and celebrate your personal way of “loading.”

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I just love our language and also finding out the history of things we often think and then say, without really pondering why we say it. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take KHT on the road at the Shot Show in Vegas (thanks to those who stopped by the booth!!). Vegas is just so nutty – it’s a 24/7 playground machine. Like most visitors, I’m fascinated by the sights and sounds of the casinos. I’m not a gambler myself, but I do like watching people play the games, especially roulette (so many different ways to lose your hard-earned money!!). While watching some aggressive gamblers, I felt compelled to say to them, “Hey, don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. Of course, I didn’t (and of course, most of them lost their bets), but afterwards it got me thinking about some of the more common idioms we use in different situations. I did some digging on some of my favorites and found their origins come from literature. Here’s some fun info I dug up (you might say I was “going down a rabbit hole”, “going a bit overboard”, and at times “chasing my tail” – HA! ). Enjoy!

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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!

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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.

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