Jerry Ruiz - Affinity Production Supervisor

My day starts when the sun is just starting to peek over Saddleback Mountain.  I wake knowing that is day will be mine, and only mine.  Mounting my 900cc powerhouse on two wheels, my fun begins.  Heading down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), I can’t help but grin.  Going from 0 to 60 mph happens in a heartbeat.  After riding through Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar, I hit open road with million dollar homes to my left and the blue Pacific to the right.

As the morning sun starts its journey across the sky, its ray dance off the water, like diamonds rolling around blue velvet.  Just past Bobs Burgers in Laguna Beach I make a quick stop at the taffy candy store….Yum banana.  Now, it’s down to Dana Point and left at El Camino Road and on into San Juan Capistrano.

San Juan Capistrano is best known for it’s mission which was founded by Father Lasuen in 1775.  The mission became the 7^th in California.  Eventually, there were 21 missions built from San Diego to San Francisco.  Today, the return of the swallow is an annual festival.  Also known as “The Miracle of the swallows” these small birds make the flight from Argentina to San Juan Capistrano each year in March.

Leaving the mission I cross over the 405 freeway, fill up with 97 octane fuel and head up Ortega Hwy.  The first part of the ascent is a relaxing ride with just a few curves and a landscape that is raw and untouched.  But, just past the Ortega ranger’s station, the adrenalin starts the rise. From here on I am smiling “ear to ear.”  For the next 18 miles, the road changes from nearly a straight line to tight curves, switch backs and “hoop-to-dos.”  At times I am going around corners and curves with my knees and elbows only inches from touching the pavement.  To one side are drops of more than 1000 feet and on the opposite side the rock wall of the towering cliff.  I just can’t help but smile. As the road climbs, it mellows out a little.  Branches of the trees from opposite sides of the road are touching, making a green canopy tunnel and almost block out the sun.

After a hard left switchback and up the hill a little farther I stop at Ortega Falls.  During the wet season, when the falls are at their peak, it is like a scene from one million years BC.  The falls make for a beautiful “post card” picture.

Back on my mount and off I go.  It’s only a few more miles till the “reward”.  Riding passed the last ranger/fire station on my right and “Smokes Bar-B-Q” on my left (By the way, great bar-b-q there, but if you want to fit in, you may need a Harley and leather jacket.  My green “pocket rocket” just doesn’t fit in.)  I make the last curve and stop at the “Top of the world” lookout, overlooking Lake Elsinore. What a view it is and even better, what a ride it’s been!   And now, after two hours of riding, passing some of California’s landscape treasures, I get to my reward……BANANA taffy…YUM.  And that’s what I call my “me time”

Affinity Production Supervisor, Eric Schnitzler

KPSP News, Jan 24, 2012‎ -” A group of hikers sought shelter from the high winds in a mule shed for 16+ hours.   Palm Springs Aerial Tram visitors and employees had to evacuate suddenly Saturday afternoon, the first time the tram shut down so quickly because of winds.”

Next July, a team, hopefully including myself, of Southern California hikers will attempt to summit Mt Shasta (elev. 14,179 ft ASL) in Northern California.  Attempt is an operative because there are factors that will come into play when climbing any mountain – weather and altitude being among them.  Mt Shasta is one of the so called “fourteens” – mountains over 14,000 feet high.  There are several  in the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges.  Mountains like this can produce their own weather; often unpredictable and very quickly.

While on a training hike to the summit of Mt San Jacinto recently our group experienced the type of weather conditions that can cause an otherwise routine trek to turn into a survival event.  While a storm was predicted, what surprised us was the strength of the winds.  Temperatures for the day were around 32 F with winds at the summit of 50 mph – wind chill dropped the temperature to a calculated to be minus 45 F.  All of our team had the proper apparel and equipment to reach the summit and we stayed on the summit for about five minutes, long enough to get a few photos.  We then began the six mile hike back to the tram station where we would end the hike and ride the tram back to our cars.

We reached the ranger station around 4:30 P.M. where  to check back with the park ranger to let them know we had returned.  What we found was a sign notifying us that the tram had shut down due to high winds – as high as 114 mph.  We were also notified that it would not run again until 7 am the next morning.  To further complicate our situation, the ranger stated that we could not stay at the station with him.

In years past the station used horses to patrol the state park but had since abandoned the stables.  Knowing our situation we began surveying the stable as shelter for the night.  The winds were gusting and making it very cold so the importance of staying out of it was high.  As we began emptying the stable an experience while in the U.S. Army reminded me that I had been here before – forced to land our helicopters in a farmer’s snow covered field at dusk; but, I will save that story for another time.

Situations like this reveal character and I’m happy to report that all of our team measure well.  No one panicked, everyone pulled together and our resourcefulness was admirable. Under my outer shell was my Affinity wind breaker.  I’m happy to say that it helped keep me warm through a night that would be likened to 16 hour stay in your refrigerator freezer. Tested tuff is my new tag line, one I know firsthand.

Several stories were written in the papers and it was carried on the AP wire.  Some controversy ensued regarding the tram operators leaving us at 8500 feet .  However, we  knew the risks, we were equipped and prepared, and we survived.

Lessons learned or affirmed – plan, prepare, and stay together as a team.  Some say that events like this build character.  I am of the school of thought that events like this show ones character.

Various wire sizes

American wire gauge (AWG), also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly in the United States and Canada for the diameters of round, solid, nonferrous, electrically conducting wire.

The AWG tables are for a single, solid, round conductor. The AWG of a stranded wire is determined by the total cross-sectional area of the conductor, which determines its current-carrying capacity and electrical resistance. Because there are also small gaps between the strands, a stranded wire will always have a slightly larger overall diameter than a solid wire with the same AWG.

Stranded wires are specified with three numbers, the overall AWG size, the number of strands, and the AWG size of a strand. The number of strands and the AWG of a strand are separated by a slash. For example, a 22 AWG 7/30 stranded wire is a 22 AWG wire made from seven strands of 30 AWG wire.

The more individual wire strands in a wire bundle, the more flexible, kink-resistant, break-resistant, and stronger the wire is. But more strands cost more.

The lowest number of strands is 7: one in the middle, with 6 surrounding it.

The next level up is 19, which is another layer of 12 strands on top of the 7. After that the number varies, but 37 and 49 are common, then in the 70 to 100 range (the number is no longer exact). Even larger numbers than that are typically found only in very large wires.

Lassen Peak and Summit Lake

In Southern California we are fortunate to have so many choices when looking for a vacation spot. We are within hours of beautiful mountains and sunny deserts and in Orange County we are minutes from spectacular ocean resorts. But if you are looking for “a road less traveled” you may have a hard time finding it in Southern California. The beautiful locations frequently come at a steep price: noise, crowds and traffic. But that “road less traveled” can still be found in north central California at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Lassen is not my favorite National Park. In fact it isn’t anyone’s favorite National Park. It is the least visited National Park in the United States. But it is secluded, serene, beautiful, and because of the geothermal activity, it is unique. It is over 160,000 acres where you can hike trails up to mountain peaks that top 10,000 feet. Or camp by pristine forest lakes (Manzanita Lake is my favorite) and enjoy the visiting mule deer and occasional black bear. You can experience the fumaroles, mudpots and steaming ground of Bumpass Hell, Devils Kitchen and Boiling Springs Lake. You can take a quarter mile hike through a lava tube or drive by the devastation from the last volcanic eruption of Lassen Peak in 1915. And you can do it all without noise, crowds and traffic.

Beautiful Hanauma Bay

Growing up in Hawai’i, I was lucky enough to be able to experience some of the most beautiful and exciting outdoor activities. One of my favorite was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Hanauma Bay (pronounced “ha-NOW-mah”, in Hawaiian) is located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oʻahu (just east of Honolulu) in the Hawaiian Islands. Hana means ‘bay’ and uma means ‘shelter,’ translating to English as “Shelter Bay”.
Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations on O’ahu, and in looking at its picturesque beauty it is easy to see why. The bay itself is home to many endemic species of plant and marine life.
At Hanauma bay you can spend the day snorkeling side by side with fish range in size from two inches to two feet. It’s so amazing to be so close that you can actually touch some of the fish as they swim by.
The bay also offers fish food that you can buy so you can feed the fish. My favorite thing to do is to try and hold the fish food in my hand under water, and have the fish swum up to eat it.
If you enjoy beautiful landscapes and crystal blue water you should definitely try and experience all Hanauma Bay has to offer!

Upside down guitar on Seattle Hard Rock Cafe

On a recent visit to Seattle, Washington, I discovered an interesting fact about the Hard Rock Café that opened in February of 2010. The guitar on the outside of the building is upside down.  It is a replica of a Fender Mustang that was played by Kurt Cobain of the grunge rock band, Nirvana. I’m told that the guitar’s neck points downward to signify Kurt Cobain’s left handed playing.

The Affinity Holiday Lunch and Affinity Engineer, Mayuri Patel, shows off her new Afffinity Jacket

It has been a good year for all of us at Affinity and we are thankful for that.  In 2011 we moved into our new building and grew from 160 to over 250 employees.  We thank our many OEM partners for our continued growth and success.

The Affinity team celebrated the holidays with a catered lunch on Friday, December 16^th.  The lunch room was packed with both first and second shift team members enjoying the time together.  Affinity President and CEO, Mary Phillipp, thanked team members for their hard work throughout the year.  Each employee received a new Affinity jacket in their choice of blue or red.

The entire Affinity team wishes you the happiest of Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year!

The Magnificent Pyramids at Teotihuacan

In my last vacation to Mexico, one of my brothers asked me if I would like to go to visit Teotihuacan.  I already knew about that place, but I never had the opportunity to be there before, so we decide to go. Teotihuacan is one of the largest archeological areas in Mexico and has many ruins.  There are around 600 pyramids, as well as housings with splendid murals. Two of the most important buildings in this complex are called “the pyramid of the Sun” and “the pyramid of the moon”. This complex of pyramids is located to the northeast of Mexico City.

When we got there I couldn’t even describe how wonderful it was to see the huge pyramids.  Teotihuacan is a complex of many pyramids and some people call this place the “Birth Place of Gods” or “City of the Gods.”  Personally, I think that name is the right one because the place gives you calm and tranquility that you can feel.  Many people come to Teotihuacan to meditate and many feel that they receive good energy from the pyramids.

We started to climb all the way to the top, but some of us we were not prepared physical or mentally.  We only were able to get half way up one of the pyramids before tiring, but my two oldest children and my husband had the strength were able to climb up to the top.  But any way the experience for me and our family was wonderful. My kids enjoyed the trip and they are asking when we’re going to go back to climb another pyramid!

Friendly match between Zaldy and Richard in the Philippines in 2000

Since my late wife’s passing over two years ago, my outlook in life has changed from that which I previously held. My previous jobs had no idea that I was involved in such a hobby, I told a few people whom I trusted to keep it a secret. Well, after much self deliberation and getting up there in age…haha, I decided to share my hobby with my Affinity friends, who I consider to be like family to me.

For the past 35 years, one of my hobbies that I am actively involved in (from the learning, training & teaching aspects), is a Filipino martial arts known as Eskrima (sticks, knives, swords, and empty-handed techniques are taught). I have been truly fortunate, grateful and truly humbled to have studied and trained in Muay Thai kickboxing, Western boxing, Indonesian Silat, Chinese Wing Chun Gung-Fu and  Filipino Eskrima with eight different grandmasters and masters in the martial arts world. My current system doesn’t have a belt ranking,  I am proud and honored to be a senior instructor in my current system (Laban Tulisan Eskrima) and authorized by my current master with the ability to teach.

The following are but a few teachers/instructors who I have studied under in seminars and actual in-person classes/sessions:

Master Dan Inosanto,  best known (in the martial arts community) for being the late Bruce Lee’s personal friend, torch bearer of Bruce Lee’s “Jeet Kune Do” and sparring partner for eight years up until Bruce’s death in 1973.  Dan Inosanto is 75 years of age now and still currently teaches martial arts in Los Angeles; just search his name in Wikipedia to learn more about him.

Grandmaster Leo Giron, who was 91 years of age when he passed away and was a decorated war hero during WWII with 26 confirmed, kills. He served directly under Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s secretive 978^th signal group against the Japanese. He received a letter of commendation by the then president,    President FDR. His system still lives on in Stockton, Calif.

Grandmaster Edgar Sulite, was a young 39 years of age when he passed away in 1997. He founded LAMECO Eskrima for long range, medium range, and close range fighting. His double sticks and knife fighting techniques were exceptional. His system still thrives in Los Angeles and Europe.

Master Ner R, is highly sought after by law enforcement to teach his knife fighting techniques. He has taught the Navy Seals and the Tennessee Swat team. He is my current instructor and has been my instructor for the last 13 years. His system was handed down to him by his late father which came from five generations of family members. His system is known as” Laban Tulisan” it means to fight the bandits. It was widely used by towns people to protect themselves from marauding bandits, against the Spaniards (during the Spanish-American War), and against the Japanese during WWII.

I met Master Ner through a mutual master, and I used to go to Master Ner’s place once a week in the hopes of him teaching me. For six straight months, I would be seated in his living room for a few hours at night and we would be talking about current events or about family but never about martial arts. I knew he was testing and studying me as a person, to see if I had the patience, discipline, and the humility in order for him to teach me his system.

The first two years were the hardest training sessions I went through. I trained with Master Ner at night after a long day at work, normally from 8pm to midnight. He would train me with lights on or just the full moon at night. Since we practiced outside, I would sometimes be practicing my footwork and strikes while it was raining (real dark outside) or under chilly and muggy conditions.

People from Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Corona come to the Master’s place and  get together every other Saturday for a practice session for a few hours or until the Master decides it’s time to stop when He sees how tired our faces look. My Affinity friends are invited and welcome to meet Master Ner and join us for a Saturday session! In closing, Master Ner has a saying when it comes to knife fighting “have patience or you will end up a patient”.