Round and Round

About four years ago (2009) I really had not been anywhere… mostly around the US and Mexico.  I determined to change that and it looks like I have made some progress:

 

There is still a lot to see and do, but I start this new year happy with where I have been and thrilled with the new friends I have made. –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8teXR8VE4

“Experts”

Once upon a time Bob Costas heard Bobby Knight quoting this poem:

       “Experts ranked in serried rows

Fill the enormous plaza full

           But only one is there who knows

                     And he’s the man who fights the bull.”

                                                –Robert Graves

Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

Just got back from Roseville, CA. While I was out there I took a day and made a loop: driving over the Sierra Nevadas to Lake Tahoe, Carson City, and Reno… ~300 miles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news, Twitter is silly. These should explain themselves:

Worst Airline: United

America's Worst Airline

It does matter who you fly and you usually have a choice! On a recent business trip one leg of the flight home was with United. United cancelled. Not because of any reasonably sane reason like weather or mechanical issues, but rather because they apparently sold the “landing rights” for my flight. After having initially made the committment to get me from A to B, they later changed their mind and tried to push me out to a flight a day later. No wonder they top the list of America’s Worst Airlines and even America’s Worst Businesses. I have heard from several friends who had United issues, seems to be a universal experience.

Fortunately, American Airlines took great care of me and I made it home. I can not say enough good things about American. I will never attempt to use United for anything ever again.

Nice surprise

Usually when I’m in another town the AM dial is filled with news, traffic, or the aforementioned bad talk radio. While in Suffolk, VA I came across this nice surprise: an AM station that just plays comedy sketches. It seems they edit down to the best parts of longer sketches and play one comedian after the other. A wide variety of different styles, some folks I’ve never heard of… enjoyable to listen to. I might continue to listen online.

Some people

Bad Driver!

… a blonde woman driving a Bentley Azure in Monte Carlo knocked into four other luxury cars – a Mercedes-Benz, a Ferrari, a Porsche and an Aston Martin, in full view of hundreds of wide-eyed bystanders…

Popcorn

Popcorn Skies

Popcorn Skies

Retro Airport

Retro Airport

Bad Pipe!

Bad Pipe!

Not

I am not going to write about politics.

I am not going to write about work.

I am not going to provide in-depth technology coverage.

I will write about things that catch my attention such as:

• “Journalists” getting a black eye…
• Or idiots getting another…
• Or cool things about language…
  




• Or things like the outrage with the VA cemetery…Or here (not real news)…




• Or other things from my travels…

Not that I am especially qualified to write about any of the above things; however, the universe of people who do read the things I am qualified to write about does not overlap with the universe of people most likely to read this. So, quite simply, I plan to keep this interesting.

The Odessey

Eleven years ago today, RS married me.

The Party: A cowboy with some doctors and lawyers and stuff

The conclusion of the ceremonies marked the beginning of several new Odysseys, but first let us review the sound pieces of marital advice I received:

• The good things get better, and the bad things get worse…
• From this point forward you choose: you may be happy or you may be right,
  but you will never be both again…

• There’s a great future in plastics! Think about it. Will you think about it?

The advice was mostly good, and I’m really glad that is hasn’t Gotten Way Worse.

Our Honeymoon

~4000 miles: seeing America from a Corolla

Space

Two Space Shuttles ready for Hubble repair on STS-125

July 21st — a date many of us will remember — in 1969 Apollo 11 brought the first moon landing, and forty-two years later the Space Shuttle program ended. One of the announcers referred to the Shuttle as having inspired a generation. Did it really? The awesome, hardworking folks at NASA did amazing things; however, I have not considered the Shuttle program inspiring for the last two decades. Not through any creative fault at NASA, but rather from a lack of imagination on the part of our political leaders.

The Hubble and Mars Rovers were among many things that showed NASA at its best. I can not help but feel that if the political imagination had existed then all those things we expected of 2010 (moon base, Mars visit, etc.) would have come to pass. If outsourcing and Capitalism work out, then maybe we’ll have a better story to tell in 2020.

SSC Tustara

As the last remnant of the Space Race ends, we are at least getting a car that looks like The Jetsons. This 1350hp carbon fiber beauty is expected to set a new production speed record ~270 MPH. That’s cool. Although, I’m still partial to the Tesla Roadster. Its top speed of ~125 MPH is usually enough for me and even if you can’t own a Tesla, you can own their stock.