The Jake Brake

Almost all "big rigs" (that's 'articulated loreys' to some folks outside the States) have a device called a "jake" or compression brake....the purpose of this device is to restrict the exhaust and therefore increase the slowing power of downshifting.

-a must in mountainous areas where the heat generated by constant braking would cause the regular brakes to overheat and fail, perhaps spoiling the plans that some poor Honda-driving fellow might have for the upcoming weekend. Everybody has heard the roar and popping that accompanies a big truck that's coming to an abrupt stop or decending a hill.

But the Jake alone won't stop the truck as long as the engine is running.

By now you're probably wondering,"What's up with the Mr Wizard talk?"
Truth is that I'm going through one of those 'jake brake' times in my life. I'm sure we've all done it before, you just kinda' slow down for a moment and think about what's up and where your life is taking you, slow down because life just don't stop (until you croak).

I've done this a few times before:
a) when I met my now ex-wife
b)when I turned down a non-union job at a union company that would have centered around putting union workers out of work (yikes)
c) when it finally sunk into my thick, love-addeled skull that my marriage was not worth saving.
To name some examples.

Now, I find myself wondering, once again, if I'm heading in the right direction and if I need to prepare for a sharp curve ahead. And if all the abrupt changes/decisions I'm facing in the immediate future are only just the fast downhill before the next climb brings me to the top of a higher mountain.

A couple of things have come up lately, I hate to be vague, but I just want to figure it out for myself, don't worry, I'll blog on the developments in due time. It's just that things seem to be going a little quicker than I feel they should and it's making me a little uneasy.