Ask Michael K!

[Scott]

IF you could have any non military job, what would it be?

Would you like to be a Warrant Officer or a Commissioned officer before you retire?

Who put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp?

Who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong?

Who put the bop in the bop-she-bop-she-bop?

Who put the dip in the dip-de-dip-de-dip?

[kade]

would you work at walmart

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

IF you could have any non military job, what would it be?

I would like to be a curator at the Smithsonian.  I would love to not only see all the exhibits, but also spend time seeing the stuff the public doesn't get to see.

Would you like to be a Warrant Officer or a Commissioned officer before you retire?

The Air Force doesn't have warrant officers.  I would like to be an officer for the retirement pay, but I wouldn't want to put up with all of the "politics" that officers have to deal with.  But it's a moot point now, I'm too old to become an officer.

Who put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp?

Sam

Who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong?

Roland

Who put the bop in the bop-she-bop-she-bop?

Frank

Who put the dip in the dip-de-dip-de-dip?

Otto

would you work at walmart

Sure.  After 16 years in the military, Wal*Mart would be a stress free job for me.

[kade]

lol so you wouldnt mind working for the umbrella corporation? do you know who the rainbow corporation is?

[Scott]

The Air Force doesn't have warrant officers.  I would like to be an officer for the retirement pay, but I wouldn't want to put up with all of the "politics" that officers have to deal with.  But it's a moot point now, I'm too old to become an officer.

I read a book recently that had an Air Force Pilot who was a CWO - obviously the author did not do the research he claimed to have done... 

[kade]

yea sorry i wrote that book in a hurry

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

so you wouldnt mind working for the umbrella corporation?

It's hard to work for a fictional company from a video game.

do you know who the rainbow corporation is?

A Bangladesh based import/export company.
A Taiwan based adhesive company.
A New Mexico based medical service.
A Hong Kong based apparels manufacturing company.
A China based plastics company.

[kade]

lol very good
liked the movie better
i watched it on my radio

but yea i meant the resident evil one lol

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

I read a book recently that had an Air Force Pilot who was a CWO - obviously the author did not do the research he claimed to have done... 

Depends on the time period of the book.  The AF had warrant officers in the past, but not anymore.  The AF is the only branch of the military without warrant officers now.  The AF discontinued the warrant officer ranks in 1959, although, those holding the rank at that time were permitted to keep it until they were either promoted to the officer ranks or left the service.  So, there were warrant officers around in the AF well into the sixties.

[kade]

what made u decide on a life of military?

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

lol very good

Do I get a prize for passing the test?

Oh wait, I'm not supposed to be asking the questions in this thread, I'm supposed to be answering them.

[kade]

lol very good

Do I get a prize for passing the test?

Oh wait, I'm not supposed to be asking the questions in this thread, I'm supposed to be answering them.

aww u corected before i could


hmm would u like a prize?

[newkris]

now that i have taken my little dodge caliber to the shop for an oil change, tire rotation and lube job - should i be worried that my engine light is on?

how many miles does your caliber have on it?

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

what made u decide on a life of military?

Honestly, my decision to join the military is not as noble as some might think.

Back in the late '80s I had a job as a baker making around $12/hour.  Due to some political bantering at the company I worked for, I was let go (not fired, they just "decided" they didn't need me anymore).  So, I ended up with a job that payed about half of what I had been used to living on.  Because I hadn't learned to manage money at that time, I was in debt up to my previous wage level and had a hard time paying the bills at half the wage.

In 1991 I was injured at work, I managed to cut my leg open with a chain saw.  My employer, rather than admit that I was not provided with the proper safety equipment for using a chainsaw, decided to suspend me without pay for a "safety violation".  It was right around this time that we learned that my wife was pregnant.  With our financial struggles, job insecurity, and the upcoming expenses that go along with a pregnancy and a child, I decided I need to get a job with a lot more security. 

Because I only had a high school education at the time, my prospects of quickly finding a job that could pay what I needed with the security and benefits I needed was pretty much non-existent.  So, my wife and I discussed it and decided that my best option was to join the military.  We would have a steady paycheck (not a large one, but a steady one) and the AF would provide all of our medical and housing needs at no cost out of my pocket.  On top of that, the job security was great, I can't walk into work one day to find I'm out of a job, even if I royally mess up and get kicked out, I'll have at least a month to prepare for unemployment.

So, at the age of 24, with a pregnant wife, I enlisted in the Air Force.  In March of 1992, I headed off to Lackland AFB, Texas for basic training. 

I managed to get into a job working on computers all day and enjoyed it.  Over time, I realized how much I enjoyed my job and decided to stay.  I have now spent my entire career serving in overseas assignments and have seen more of the world than I ever thought I would (I've been over 40 countries both in an official capacity and as a tourist).

Now that I'm reaching the 16 year mark with the prospect of retirement at 20 years and a steady paycheck (retirement pay) for the rest of my life, as well as a college degree and experience needed to get a good paying job after retirement under my belt, the military has been good to me.

[kade]

still noble

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

now that i have taken my little dodge caliber to the shop for an oil change, tire rotation and lube job - should i be worried that my engine light is on?

The Check Engine Light (CEL) can come on for any number of reasons.  The difficulty with a single light for all of those problems is you can't tell if it's a major or minor problem. 

Something as simple as a sensor getting a bad reading can cause the light to come on.  Even of the problem fixes itself, or there was really no problem at all, just a one-time faulty reading on a sensor, the light will stay on.  On most cars, it takes around 50 restarts for the light to go back out if what caused the light in the first place does not reoccur.

As a general rule, if you do not notice any unusual sounds, vibrations, or performance decrease, you can usually drive the car for a while to see if the light will go out on it's own.  This is risky though, because if there is a problem that needs to be fixed, continuing to drive can worsen the problem or cause serious problems.

Your car should still be under warranty, which means that Dodge will pay to have the system checked and any problems fixed.  Take advantage of that while you can.

If I lived near you, I would simply drive over to where you are and hook my laptop up to you car.  I have the software and interface cable to check for trouble codes and reset the CEL on any U.S. spec car made after 1995.   For a car that is not under warranty, having that can save a person around $80 for a dealer/mechanic to hook hook up their computer to the car, but the software and cable do cost around $200, so you would only want to buy it if plan on working on cars regularly.

If you have an AutoZone parts store near you, they will also check you car for free and give you the trouble codes to take to your mechanic.  This is a nice option, especially if you don't trust mechanics, because it will give you an idea of what's wrong and help you make sure the mechanic doesn't charge you for any unnecessary work.

My advice, would be to have AutoZone check your car first, then take it to the dealer and have them look at it.

how many miles does your caliber have on it?

Our Caliber is coming up on 28,000 miles.  All since we got the car new at the end of July 2006.  Living in Europe and traveling to all these countries as a tourist can really rack up the miles fast.

[kade]

do u like pie?

if so what kind

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

do u like pie?

if so what kind

Yes.

Dutch Apple Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and my wife's homemade "Chiffon Pumpkin Pie" are my three favorites.

[kade]

no signs of buttermilk pie eh...hrmm but good selection none the less

[newkris]

thanks, michael, i'll look for an autozone.  i think there's one fairly close.  i called my dealer in Cadott (which is on the way to my son's) and they said it could be just the gas cap being loose since they had just looked everything over and it was fine.

we'll see. . . .

i'm up to 13,000 and i hardly drive so i can see how easy it would be in europe to add miles on a car!

and now . . a question . . .  do you plan to retire in 4 years?  or re-up for a bit more?  what does your lovely bride want to do?

[SippinTea]

Who was your favorite teacher in school, and why?

[kade]

you ever listen to punk rock?

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

a question . . .  do you plan to retire in 4 years?  or re-up for a bit more?  what does your lovely bride want to do?

That was A question?  It looked more like three questions to me.   :grin:

We're not sure yet.  At my current rank I can go to 24 years.  Our youngest boy won't graduate high school until one year after I retire (if I retire at 20).  So going a year or two beyond 20 would prevent me from searching for a new job while I'm still supporting a teenager in the house.  We both like the idea of me retiring when it's just the two of us in the house. 

However, 20 years is a long time and the added increase to my retirement check for the extra years isn't enough to make that a deciding factor. I only get an additional 5% added to my retirement checks for every year over 20 that I serve.  If I retire at 20 years, I get 50% of my active duty pay (based on an average of my highest paid three years), 21 years gets me 55%, 22 get me 60%, etc.  With my degree and experience, I could get out and get a job that will pay me more than what the extra years will get me.  Plus, I'd be able to start working on my second retirement plan a year or two earlier.

There's also the fact that now that I'm in my 40s, it's getting harder for me to maintain the AF physical fitness standards, especially with the development of "adult onset asthma" I as diagnosed with a couple years ago and the injuries I sustain last year in Iraq.  It may be harder for me to stay fit to AF standards when I'm able to retire at 44 years old.

As for the wife, she's ready to settle down in one place and stop moving around the world every few years.  She wants to live closer to her parents (she's an only child).  But she also likes the idea of me to wait until both kids are out of the house before I retire.

So, for now, I'm making plans to retire at 20, but still keeping my options open to stay in a couple extra years, and my wife has said she will back me up either way.

[Tricia Lea]

what is your favorite Bible verse and why?

[M‡¢ĦÆŁ Ҝ]

Who was your favorite teacher in school, and why?

Miss Mayer, 6th grade.  She made learning fun (and she was pretty too).

you ever listen to punk rock?

Ever?  Yes, when I was in school, in the early '80s, I liked Punk.