Random Reality

2012-01-03T11:47:00.006-05:00

Gourmet Goodness from Guatemala Come on and join me I'm grinding some right now.  Thanks Dan

2011-11-10T09:13:00.001-05:00

When I woke up this morning it was foggy wet and rainy. That put me in the mood to hear rain related songs today. Here is my play list so far. Please feel free to add your favorite rain songs too.

"I Wish it Would Rain" - Perfect Heart
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" - CCR
"Who'll Stop the Rain" - CCR
"When the Levee Breaks" - Led Zep
"Rain Song" - Led Zep
"Let it Rain" - Clapton
"Fool in the Rain" - Led Zep
"Showdown" - ELO
"Rainy Night in Georgia" - Brook Benton
"About to Rain" -Neil Young,
"All Night Rain" -ARS,
"Another Rainy Night" -Queensryche
"Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" -Travis
"Ashes, the Rain, and I" - The James Gang,
"Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain" - Willie Nelson
"Purple Rain" - Prince
"Crying in the Rain" -Whitesnake
"Fire & Rain" -The Isley Brothers
"Flood" -Jars of Clay
"The Sky is Crying" - Stevie Ray Vaughn
"Kentucky Rain" -Elvis
"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" - B.J. Thomas
"Rainin' in Paradise" - Neil Young
"Raining in My Heart" - Buddy Holly
"Let It Rain” – Mark Chesnutt
"Rainmaker" -Kansas,
"Rainy Days and Mondays" - The Carpenters
"Acid Rain" - Liquid Tension Experement
"Red Rain" - Peter Gabriel
"Smoky Mountain Rain" - Ronnie Milsap
"I’m only happy when it rains" - Garbage
"Tears in Rain" -Joe Satriani
"Walkin' in the Rain" -Jay and the Americans,
"I Love the Rainy Nights!”" - Eddie Rabbitt
"It's Raining" - Rick Derringer
"Here comes the rain again" - Eurythmics
"I Can't Stand the Rain" - Ann Peebles

2011-10-20T09:50:00.001-04:00

Dream Theater played Atlanta last night.

Here is the set list:

Dream Is Collapsing (Hans Zimmer ) ( played as the band entered the stage )
Bridges in the Sky
These Walls
Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Endless Sacrifice
Drum Solo
The Ytse Jam

Acoustic Set:
The Silent Man
Beneath the Surface

Outcry
On the Backs of Angels
Forsaken
Through My Words
Fatal Tragedy
Breaking All Illusions

Encore:
Under a Glass Moon

More to come

2011-09-30T15:31:00.002-04:00

The first half of my week was not very productive. There have been too many of those lately. You see after a great relaxing weekend I thought I was ready for any challenge. I was wrong. Early in the week I was ‘spinning my wheels’. Facing the same problems and issues yet achieving little in the way of results. It had gotten so bad I've been seriously wondering if stuck has become the new normal in my world. I felt like I'd become a character in the movie “Groundhogs Day”. Facing the same situations, reacting to them by doing the same things, then acting surprised when I got and getting the same results. I had fallen into the trap. I was confined to the same old system producing the same old results week after week.

That doesn't just happen to people. It occurs in organizations too. Business, charities, clubs, groups and churches, YES especially churches can all fall victim to the trap of doing it the same way over and over, while achieving little progress.

Tony Morgan has a unique outlook and great style of communicating. In his coming book "Hanging Up the Leisure Suit: How to Get Unstuck” the 2nd in the Leisure suit series, Tony outlines steps for getting 'unstuck'. He shows ways of breaking free of the past and moving ahead. And he does it in a very readable manor that should work for anyone. From regular people to business leaders to senior staff and pastors.

We all get stuck. Sometimes we don't even know it. In his previous book Tony showed why this happens. He related how the same old thinking is rather like continuing to wear that Leisure Suit you had worn so proudly "back in the day". That look is outmoded in today’s world just as many ideas, styles and practices are outmoded by current standards. He teaches how foundations, systems and strategies need to be updated in order to meet the challenges of today. As I said, some people don't even know they are stuck. Because of this, Tony thoughtfully offers an assessment type quiz for you and your organization to take.

I totally needed this book this week in my personal life. Several of the thoughts and ideas I learned can put into practice right NOW. Then I’ll take those thoughts and apply them to my small group leadership. I’m looking forward to the results.

This book came at a perfect time for me. If you are a leader of a church, business or any group you should read this book and take the quiz. Maybe you are like me an individual condemned to simply taking the same old steps but moving nowhere. Feeling like you are knee deep in quicksand of non-progress. If so then by all means read this book, take the quiz and apply the ideas within it. It’s an easy fun read, yet could be one of the most effective tools you’ll find.

We need to "Mind the Gap" between vision and execution The gap between goals and action. Mind the gap lest you slip into it and fall under the train.

2011-09-24T19:26:00.003-04:00

2nd Chance??

Our church gave away t-shirts a while back that said " People of the Second Chance" .

Really that is true. Do we really deserve it. After all we fail time and time again. But God is always there giving us that 2nd chance.

"But you don't understand what I've done" you say. God does ! And STILL he is ready to not only forgive, he is ready to forget. And he is ready to use you.

Paul's job was killing Christians. Now that is bad. But look at the 2nd chance God gave him

It really doesn't matter who you are, what you done or if this is actually your 87 millionth "2nd chance"

Want a 2nd chance? All you need is to ask Jesus to take control.

John 3:16

2011-07-22T15:11:00.004-04:00

Aloha

Hi there webbies My name is Lulu from Honolulu... I just flew in to help wish a friend of a friend a happy B*day. I really hope he likes me. I fixed myself up real nice for this my first main land gig.

Lets see I gots my

grass skirt
flower in lovely hair ( denoting my dating status )
several flower Leis
my "special" flower covered flip flops
and my snazzy shades ( that tropical sun is brutal )
red lipstick for that special look

Seems like I am ready. I am looking forward to this. They tell me he is a manly sorta man, just like Lulu likes, sugar.

Well it's show time I will try to post more photos later when I get back and get my film developed sweetie.

Next time you are in the islands just ask for sweet Lulu. I'd just love showing you all the real sights.

hang loose!!

2011-07-04T20:33:00.000-04:00

Last night at NewSpring

2011-06-18T20:31:00.006-04:00

You don't really need a scientific study to tell you the percentage of the population that eats out. Especially on a Friday evening. One drive down the main drag of most towns show restaurant after restaurant, parking lots filled, crowd backed out the door waiting their turn. It has become a way of life for many. I know several families who never eat at home. In fact the number of "3- meal -out- a - day" diners has risen 23% in the past five years according to one study I saw.

I'd get tired of that very fast I think. Eating out for us is still something special. Or something we do on vacation or travels. I enjoy dining out, but really I am lucky in that I've never seen a restaurant that could beat what I get at my own table. Kristie and I enjoy cooking. It's an important part of our lives to cook and eat together.

Tonight I was "in charge" and with her assistance we made a great sweet red sauce served over egg noodle pasta with a serving of stir-fried ( slightly steamed ) veggies and Hillshire Farms Hardwood smoked chicken sausage. You need to try it sometime.

After dinner it was coming up a thunderstorm so we unplugged everything and set down together ready to ride it out. The storm didn't last long and as soon as it had past I was cuing-up some soft romantic music. There is nothing better than to be snuggling together for a nap on the couch while soft Randall Bramblett music plays in the background.

Next thing you know it is hours later. Now that is what I call real reality programing.

2011-06-13T22:37:00.018-04:00

Last few books I read. A bakers dozen plus one ( in no particular order )

The Bible =basic instructions for everything - read a little every day
Clear the Decks - Daniel Gallery - Humorous novel about Navy Pilots - I laugh out loud every time I read it.
War in the Falklands - London Times Team = Very in depth history of the Falklands war.
Flying High - James Wynbrandt = Biography and history of David Neeleman and JetBlue
Blessed Life - Robert Morris = down to earth biblical principals that have challenged my heart.
the Source of My Strength - Charles Stanley = comfort for times of grief.
Anytime, Anywhere - Martin Caidin = Novel of A ragtag group of pilots
Thriving on Less - Leo Babauta = How to downsize your life
Sunshine Skies - David Henderson = A history of regional Airlines in the southeastern U.S.
the Case Files of Sherlock Holmes - Dr John Watson = a reproduction of Doctor Watson's actual notes of several great cases.
Sun Stand Still - Steven Furtick = What if we truly had audacious faith?
Amazing Encounters with God - Clayton King = stories that open your mind to God's power.
So You're Dead - Kevin Garrison = A tongue -in-cheek look at life and death by a fellow pilot
Plan B - Pete Wilson = What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?

2011-06-12T12:38:00.001-04:00

I came across this article on the web today about how the drug runners are becoming more creative and more high tech in their smuggling. It has become an ever changing battle just to keep up in the Drug Wars

It seem they have a new tool. A drug running submarine. Here it is after capture.

Colombian Marines seized a makeshift submarine capable of smuggling up to 12 tonnes of whatever. It was large enough to have space for four crew members.

I don't need it for smuggling anything, let alone drug running but wouldn't it be cool to own a sub?

At least one U.S. company are marketing one. The Phoenix 1000. And it's a big one. At over 2oo feet long ( 213 ) with more than 5000 sq feet of space on four levels. The web site doesn't list a price but you can imagine I am sure.

A little more realistic is the Triton 1000. Made by the same company the Triton is 3 meters long and seats two people.

Still no mention of the price but again I suspect it is well beyond my budget.

Maybe I should just build my own. Lets see here. I have a a couple 55 gallon drums and lot of garden hose and a hack saw. I'm thinking bike pedals for power and an old broken oar as a rudder.

Let me get back to you on this one after I draw up some plans.

2011-06-10T22:09:00.007-04:00

About a year ago Kristie and I enjoyed a relaxing night of live music. Last night I traveled to Greenville to hear Randall Bramblett again. Unlike the 2010 show this was a full band show. Actually it was a hybrid show featuring the Australian Guitar guru Geoff Achison, his band featuring Randall.

I'd never heard Geoff Achison before other than a couple short clips on his web page. But I'll make every effort to be there any time his is back in this area. This guy was amazing on guitar. He wasn't using any effects, not even a volume pedal, but the sounds he produced defy logic. It is obvious that not only does he have coming from Australia in common with Tommy Emmanuel, but he shares many very similar techniques. His extremely fiery playing was perfect for Randall Branblett's soulful southern blues styles.

Like always I had to treat myself to a DVD and cd which are currently set on continuous repeat on my stereo.

It was a great night of music to cap an musical week.

2011-06-09T08:59:00.005-04:00

The World Greatest Band played in Greenville last night at the BiLo Center.

Here is the set list:

Set One

The Spirit of Radio
Time Stand Still
Presto
Stick It Out
Workin' Them Angels
Leave That Thing Alone
Faithless
BU2B
Freewill
Marathon
Subdivisions

Set Two

Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Caravan
Drum Solo (Love 4 Sale)
Closer to the Heart
2112 Part I: Overture
2112 Part II: The Temples Of Syrinx
Far Cry

Encore:

La Villa Strangiato
Working Man

a full review to come

2011-06-07T17:14:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I was talking to an older man, a farmer about a planned trip his family wanted to make to Disney World taking him, his wife and the two grand kids. He kept saying, "I just don't sponsor this idea." I guess meaning he did not want to go or that he wasn't to keen on going. I never heard anyone say that before. And it caused me to think of other unique ways of saying the same thing.

"I just don't cotton to that." " It don't light my fire." Can't switch on a bulb". Then there is the, "It don't float my boat." It doesn't blow my skirt up." "It don't make my skillet fry faster". One truly funny one I once heard was, "That idea or 'idee' jus' don't shine my shoes." And a final thought if you really don't like the plan you say, " that'll make a donkey cry."

Bye

2011-06-07T00:04:00.000-04:00

Does it seem like you can't get as much done as you used to? Maybe this is the reason. Our days are shorter than last year. Seems the massive earthquake that struck northeast Japan back on March 11 shortened the length the day by a bit.

I was reading that scientists using new more accurate data of the 8.9 magnitude quake found it was so intense that it actually accelerated Earth's spin, shortening the length of the 24-hour day by 1.8 microseconds. If you are wondering a microsecond is a millionth of a second.

Maybe that doesn't seem like much to you since each day is about 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds, long. BTW the speed which the earth turns actually changes several times during a year. It can vary by one millisecond ( 1,000 microseconds) due to seasonal variations in the planet's mass distribution such as the seasonal shift of the jet stream.

I was also interested to read that Japan is no longer located in the same place. The same data also showed Japan moved about 8 feet. Wonder how that will effect GPS landings ?

And if that was enough our seasons will change too. The earthquake also shifted Earth's figure axis by about 6 1/2 inches.

But don't worry. This is the first time this kind of thing has happened. Last year the 8.8 magnitude quake in Chile sped up our days by 1.26 microseconds. And the 2004 9.1 quake in
Sumatra shortened the day by 6.8 microseconds.

Well I'll sleep better now.

2011-06-06T12:06:00.003-04:00

the ABC's of this week

A - Air conditioner - Wife's car, "the 'lil Dragster " needs a/c service...again
B - Baseball Game - Attending the game on Anderson Night
C - coffee - enjoying a fresh bag of Kenyan AAA via my great friend Sue who just returned from a mission trip.
D - Dad is doing much better this week
E - Excited by H.G guys night. in the planning stage
F - Friends - I am blessed to know the best
G - picking up the Genset ( it's for sale btw )
H - the Handlebar - looking forward to seeing Randall Bramblett in concert there this week
I - the Invitation at church yesterday. A miracle occurred in many lives.
J - John 17:23
K - Katelyn graduates this week. Is that really possible than my "Sugar Cub " is 18 ?
L - LZU - thinking I'm gonna fly there to visit the "Flying Machine" for dinner this weekend.
M - Music - This week is truly filled with great LIVE music. 4 nights
N - NewSpring - love my church
O - Obvious answers to some of the little problems we face. Others not so clear, yet thankful for all.
P - Pastor Perry Noble - thank you Lord for placing such a man of God in my life.
Q - Quiet time - God has been teaching me to be silent and listen
R - Rush - Worlds greatest Band. In G'ville this week.
S - the "Shock" - girls softball playoffs - the Monk is starting game two on the mound
T - Temperature - saw 99 degrees at my house yesterday
U - U.K. & Ukraine - Our Partner Churches in Europe, as well as Kenya - praying daily
V - Visiting - the New Foundations Children's home
W - Wife - More than I ever dreamed - I love her so much
X - "X" marks the spot for every thing else I forgot to list
Y - Yard - be careful what you wish for. I don't like to mow, and now my lawn is turning brown in this heat.
Z - Zaxby's I got a free meal coupon.

2011-02-03T22:35:00.010-05:00

I love music. All kinds of music, rock, jazz, blues, soul, gospel, quartet, CCM, even a little country. But I guess we tend to favor the tunes and groups we grew-up with most.

Back in high school my friends enjoyed classic rock group like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and others. Around that time I began to notice an English guitar player with long reddish straight hair bobbed over the eyes in bangs. Boy could this guy play. Some of his earliest work was compared to Hendrix, and though I guess I can hear some sonic similarities, I think he developed a blues-hard rock style of his own. Robin Trower shared a educational background much like the other highly successful English bands of that era, art and music. And he had success in previous groups which was quickly duplicated as a solo artist. Quiet a few of his records have gone Gold

As his career progressed the music changed some, but never too far afield. His songs reflect life and it's normal issues, there are even several Christian themed songs in his mix. Like most of the great groups from that time I've collected his work. I've been privileged to see and hear a lot of those classic masters of rock but for one reason or another I never got to see Robin Trower live in person.

That changed last night. I finally got to be at one of his shows. He played in Greenville about 30 miles from my home in a small venue that was prefect. A couple of friends and I headed over in time to have dinner before the show. Actually we ate at the venue. They have an excellent cafe on site.

The opening act was fine playing a solo unplugged set of lively songs to a respectful crowd. One of the nice things about attending these type shows now is that the crowd is a little older and are there because they are actually music fans They attend because they love the artist and know every note ever played on every song. It's not just an excuse for a party like some shows these days. Another thing I LOVE is that the bands which stood the test of time, can actually play their instruments and still make great music using their decades of experience.

I had a fantastic time Robin and his band played a solid set of old and newer songs that lasted more than an hour and forty-five minutes, solid music, no time was wasted between songs. They just rocked.

Here is the set list for you real Trower fan out there.

Confessin' Midnight
Lady Love
Somebodys Callin'
Distant Places Of The Heart
Twice Removed From Yesterday
Daydream
Life Of Clay
Day Of The Eagle
Bridge Of Sighs
Shame The Devil
The Turning
Too Rolling Stoned
Little Bit Of Sympathy

encores
Rise Up Like The Sun
Not Inside Outside

If you get a chance to see them this tour take it, be there you will enjoy yourself at a clean clear well performed concert.

Thanks Robin Trower and band and Robin thanks for taking the time to autograph your new cd for me

2011-01-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

The Opposite of Progress ?

Congress

Maybe it's time to clean house and start over

2011-01-12T15:54:00.005-05:00

Just before 3 am this morning my wife's Grandmother received her promotion to glory.

Ruth Chitwood was a wonderful lady, a saint on earth. She was kind and gentle and soft spoken. I never saw her angry nor did I ever hear her say anything against anyone. A humble child of God who lived every day as an example. Her love and concern spread to all she knew. The entire family were always assured that when "Maw Ma" prayed for you, God heard. She wasn't my true earthly Grandmother but ever since I've started dating Kristie I have claimed her as mine too. I guess you would say she was my Grandma-in-law. And it wasn't just me. All her in-laws, the spouses of her grandchildren and great grand children felt the same way. She was a lady everyone loved. My dad one time told me after I informed him we'd invited her along on a joint family trip to the mountains, " that's fine with me.. she's great to have around". The ultimate compliment.

Her last actions a couple days ago on her deathbed were for friends and family she felt still needed Jesus. She left us a list of souls to pray for.

Maw maw you left such a legacy You taught all of us so many things. You taught us to live a life of filled with God's love. A life filled with compassion, concern and dignity. And in the past two weeks you taught us how to die the same way. Maw Ma you showed us how to prepare to see Jesus.

We are going to miss you here but have peace in our hearts knowing to be absent from this world for you is to be present with God.

We love you

Rejoicing has started.

2010-12-20T23:51:00.004-05:00

Full eclipse of the moon tonight. Are you going to see it. If so bundle-up and put on a pot of coffee.

The real action starts at

1:32 AM: Eastern time here in the U.S.
2:40 AM: Total Eclipse

3:53 AM: End of the full eclipse

5:01 AM: Bed time the action has ended

Have fun

2010-10-26T13:40:00.000-04:00

Third of U.S. teens with phones text 100 times a day

I have a cell phone and I am sure you do too. My wife and I were among the first people in the U.S. to carry a bag phone in our cars. I well remember that 7 pound monster with it's 5 watt output. Everyone who learned we had one wanted to see it. Man have time ever changed. In those days we used our phone only for outgoing calls and reserved those for car trouble. Now my phone travels everywhere I am, usually attached to my side. Good thing they reduced the size. These days phones are actually mini computers. You can surf the web, complete projects and send messages to virtually anyone in the world. In a pinch it'll even make an actual call.

One application that I truly think was a game changer is when phones were enabled to send short text messages. That at least frees us from having to commit to conversation, saving time so we can play with the on board or online games. I say that somewhat as a joke, but truly texting has become a way of life, especially for kids and teens.

I read a recent study that said around one in three U.S. teenagers now send more than 100 texts a day. ONE HUNDRED messages a day. That is crazy. They have even developed a sort of second language, a shorthand if you will to save time and space in messages.

Three weeks ago I was trying to fill a position within our office. We received a stack of resumes, some very qualified and many not so much. Among the stack was a cover letter from one job seeker that was filled with misspellings and apparently text message shorthand. Teenage texting slang in a cover letter? Really did they think that was correct? Needless to say, that didn't cut it, and that candidate was rejected. How unprofessional. What image were they trying to convey?

Anyway like it or not texting is replacing language, and seriously face- to- face conversation is a historic relic. It's a shame.

hope U R ok w this b/c it has b-cm U R GR8 new way 2 comm-u-cate catch U L8tr

2010-08-19T11:38:00.007-04:00

Today is National Aviation Day.

Set aside By President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 to honor and celebrate the development of Aviation. Appropriately it is observed on Orville Wright's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORVILLE WRIGHT

Normally I take-up the plane on special aviation days like this, just to ride around and soak-up the feeling of wonderment of soaring freely. But today my plane is in New Orleans with my partner. So I am earthbound. No matter I see some rather nasty looking thunderstorms building and that is one thing that I will NOT challenge.

Yesterday I posted about my interest in learning from accidents. I truly believe by learning what went wrong, and why, we can become safer. I have read litterlly thousands of accident reports, and they have revealed some surprising facts. Also there have been quiet a few strange events recorded, but last Saturday an accident occured that strange and unlikely as it seems, the thought gives me nightmares.

THIS IS A TRUE STORY... NOT A JOKE OR HOAX

This past Saturday at a small airshow in Colorado there was a midair collision between two aircraft, causing one to crash out of control while the other, heavily damaged managed to land safely. While horrorifing this seems pretty straight forward upon 1st glance. Fortunately no one was killed.
It seems that at the airshow a group of model enthusists were flying their VERY large r/c ( radio controlled ) airplane. They were over the runway as a manned stunt plane approached the area. At this point the show was under the direction of a man on the ground, the "Air Boss" who was talking on a handheld radio and supposedly clearing the airspace.
Well there seems to have been some type of breakdown in communication because the Stunt plane, a single seat Pitts biplane continued to fly down the runway while making a trail of smoke which is normal for airshows. It continues on making a high speed pass until it collides with the r/c plane.Following impact, the biplane continues flying, apparently under control , while the model tumbled to pieces falling off to the side of the runway. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground but the video does show the public were much too close to an active runway.

Without my trying to fix blame as to who was in the wrong, I need to note that the current FAA regulations dictate manned aircraft always have the right of way.
After regaining control of his aircraft the manned stunt plane returned to the runway making a safe landing. The pilot was shaken, but not injured. His plane however shows significant damage. The bottom wing of the Pitts aircraft has a huge dent in it making the plane unflyable until repaired.

The very large $8000 r/c model faired much worse. Here is the largest remaining hunk of it's wreckage. Things could have been much much worse. The collision could have brought down BOTH machines, debris from either or both aircraft could have injured or killed many in the crowd. the potential for harm was enormous.

The FAA accident team is investigating the event. It will be interesting to see how this investigation plays out. One lesson already seems obvious. Better communication could have helped.

The images from the airshow ( above ) are off a video shot by someone in the crowd.

The 1st one is the r/c plane in an extreme nose up attitude seconds before the collision.

Next the photo shows the Biplane just before impact

In the 3rd shot the actual impact ( in the far right side of frame)

And finally a photo showing the models damage from the collision.

2010-08-18T10:24:00.006-04:00

I truly love flying. Some people don't. Maybe it's the fact that they are not totally in control. Or maybe it's as simple as fear of something unfamiliar. Once in a while accidents do happen, planes do crash. But statistics prove beyond doubt that flying is about the safest of transportation. Your chances of being in an air crash is so small it's almost unthinkable. Still being honest there is some risk involved with climbing into a metal, wooden and or fabric covered machine and soaring with the birds. Actually there are risks everywhere. Trains, cars, buses, even walking along introduces some level of risk into your life. That thought sometimes makes people want to just lie in bed with the covers pulled up around their necks, cowering at every unexplained sound. There is risk in that as well. Maybe the roof will fall, or maybe you'll drift off into a deep sleep, roll out of the bed and bump you head. There is Risk in everything.

In flying it is a pilots job to minimize the risks. He doesn't do it alone. There are mechanics, weather professionals, routing specialists, and many others to help him. Then there is training which can help reduce the risks and even help avoid most of them. I truly believe this training, works. It is helpful to practice. Learning to avoid or dodge risky actions, and by learning how to minimize others can help make flying or any activity safer. Knowing in advance what to do, how to react to situations, making a plan before the risk arises is a key to safer flying.

I believe there are lessons to be learned from every accident that ever happened. Learning what went wrong and why can help you avoid a similar situation and thereby reduce the risks. I feel so strongly about this that I spend a portion of every day reading aircraft accident reports. Searching for insights that may help me one day.

I have a LARGE collection of official accident reports. From all over the world. Some are just a few paragraphs others contain massive multi-part volumes. I have one report of an airliner accident that runs almost 3,000 pages.

The earliest report I have is of the first crash in history to be fatal to a passenger ( non crew member ). It was with the U.S. Army signal corp ( forerunner of the U.S. Air Force ) and it happened in the extreme early days of powered aviation when a Wright Brothers airplane piloted by Orville himself was giving a demonstration flight to the Army at Fort Myer, Virginia. An Army officer Lt. Thomas Selfridge was along for the ride as an observer. After a few circuits around the field something caused the propeller to break and the "Flyer" crashed nose first into the ground from about 150 feet. Lt. Selfridge died from a massive head injury several hours after the crash. Pilot Orville Wright suffered severe injuries, including a broken leg, several broken ribs and a hip injury. He was hospitalized for seven weeks.

I wrote this as an introduction / background for a series of blogs I have in the works.

I hope you will check back and read the updates, including my next entry. It's a story of a truly bizarre accident that occurred just last Saturday.

See you here

2010-08-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

Do you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia?

Fear of the number 13.

If you do then today must really be tough. It’s estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States have a fear of Friday the thirteenth. So many the symptom even has a name Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. What is really strange is that most of the people can offer no explanation at all, logical or illogical. They just have a fear for its own sake.

The superstition does have deep roots that may explain why the fear is so widespread today.

The number thirteen and Friday both have been considered unlucky:

In some places the number twelve is considered a good number.
• as in the twelve months of the year, • the twelve tribes of Israel • twelve Apostles of Jesus • twelve hours in a day, twelve hours of night

But the number thirteen is considered a bad number.

• At the Last Supper, thirteen people were seated at the table. The 13th was a traitor. And Friday is considered the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, which is viewed as both good and bad by Christians

Are you afraid of Friday the 13th? Are you taking any extra precautions? Or is it just another amusing day for you?

In any rate be careful especially with mirrors and whatever you do please and watch out for back cats open umbrellas and ladders.
Disclaimer: No I don’t believe in any luck good or bad other than the luck you make.

A classic repost

2010-08-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

Huge Triangle in the sky.

Starting tonight and continuing for the next couple of weeks there will be a rare chance to observe three of the brightest planets without a telescope . If you have clear skies, and a view to the west-northwest you will be able to Venus, Mars and Saturn together in a tight cluster. When and Where to Look

Unlike many of the stellar displays you won't need to stay up all night nor awake at 3am to enjoy it. About an hour to hour and a half after sunset is hen the planet trio will be in view. Any later and they will have dropped below the horizon and out of view.

Astronomers measure the brightness of objects in the sky using a standard yardstick called magnitude. The lower the number, the brighter the object, with the brightest stars in the sky categorized as either a zero or first magnitude.

So while Venus (dazzling at magnitude - 4.3) should be more than bright enough to see with the unaided eye in the fading twilight glow, Saturn (magnitude +1.1) and Mars (magnitude +1.4) will likely be a bit more difficult. Indeed, although Saturn and Mars are of first magnitude, they appear only about 1/150th as bright as Venus!

Personally, I would strongly suggest also using binoculars to scan the sky for the three planets, especially if it is still hazy like it has been the last few days.

The peek for this event will be tonight and tomorrow but they may still be seen for about two more weeks.

Hold your fist at arm's length. This will be about a 10-degree circle all three should appear well within that area. Look about a fist and 1/2 above the horizon at the begining lower as the time passes

Good luck

2010-08-03T21:36:00.002-04:00

I was reading a story about the test flights of a new plane today. Like almost always when I am on-line one story leads to another and pretty soon I am in a totally unrelated place from my start. Today I was led to another article about the storage of retired airliners in the desert. This is just another area where I find acute interest. One of the planes featured in the article was the famous or infamous 'Gimli Glider'
Some of you may remember the tale of the almost new Boeing 767 jet that had to land on a dragstrip when it accidentally ran out of fuel on a flight. But to most of you the jetliner registered as C-GAUN was little more than a run-of-the-mill widebody plane.

The incident on the pride of Air Canada jets happened way back in 1983. I remember the actual day it happened. I poured over the news reports and later the official reports trying to learn how in that modern era, a high-tech long-range plane, like a 767 could run short on fuel on a domestic flight in good weather while crossing southern Canada. I am amazed at how it successfully imitated a 173 ton glider.

Even though it was 25 years ago (July 23, 1983) most old timers at Air Canada and around the aviation community remember the details well. It all started with the discovery of a problem with part of the aircraft's flight management system. Basically that is a problem with the fuel gauges. It was a bad electrical connection, a faulty soldering joint.

That by itself is not enough to ground a plane, because the fuel can be measured manually. But this led to several problems.

First none of the ground crew trained to do so, but the pilots would recheck the numbers.

This introduced the 2nd problem. The pilots used an incorrect conversion method. The ground crew had used imperial measurements to compute the 767's fuel load as was common in Canada. Air Canada & in fact the whole country was just beginning the process of changing over to the metric system. This Air Canada 767 the first plane set up with the new system. The difference between the amounts calculated was huge.

The flight took off and was progressing normally. But as it crossed high over Red Lake, Ontario, a warning signal in the cockpit sounded, and suddenly the flight crew realized the error.

One engine failed, followed soon by the other. As that happened the generators supplying power for the aircraft's glass-panel avionics stopped too. Quickly the battery went dead which left the 195 seat airliners powerless.

With only a few mechanical backup instruments and unboosted flight controls the plane was descending at 2,000 feet-per-minute.

The Good News

Call it fate or just serendipity but one of the pilots on board that day was Captain Robert Pearson, also an expert glider pilot. He enjoyed this hobby on his days off. Still even with that skill there was no hope of keeping the plane in the air all the way to Winnipeg. Fortunately the other pilot, the co-pilot First Officer Maurice Quintal had been a pilot in the Air Force and knew of an abandoned base near their flight path -- in Gimli, Manitoba -- where he had once served.

Using their limited instruments Captain Pearson and First Officer Quintal successfully glided the plane toward the runway at Gimli. But as they neared on their silent approach the crew saw that spectators and campers were spread out, watching go-cart races on the abandoned runway.

There was nothing they could do. They were committed.

Still on a short final the crew realized they were going too fast and were too high to make the field and stop safely. Captain Pearson, making use of his gliding skills did something some pilots thought impossible. He put the plane into a hard side slip. This maneuver would cause the aircraft to lose altitude quickly without increasing the speed. In fact with the nose slightly up it might even help slow them a little.

It was a firm landing and the plane's nose landing gear collapsed. They were now skidding quickly down the runway sending up a shower of sparks. Captain Pearson could see two boys bicycling on the runway, in front of them. They were pedaling like crazy " "My heart leapt into my throat." He remembers. "One of the boys stared straight back at me in the cockpit."

Fortunately, the plane missed the boys and other onlookers coming to a stop 100 feet from where the spectators had set up their campers. Miraculously there were no injuries on the ground, nor to the extra light load of 61 passengers and eight crew on board the plane.

The plane was repaired a few days later, safely refueled and flown out eventually returning to service.

Both Pilots continued to fly and 1985 received the first-ever Federation Aeronautique Internationale Diploma for Outstanding Airmanship.

C-GAUN may have been just another jetliner to most people. But when she was retired almost a quarter of a century later in 2008, she was a legend and a "proud lady of the skies".

This story was also told in a book I have owned and enjoyed several times, "Free Fall" and later it was made into a TV movie staring William Devane. I have a copy of that as well. Think I watch it again tonight.

2010-07-29T12:07:00.002-04:00

I am a rock hard manly man (stop snickering). And I have my very own bathroom. Not one of those trendy 40 foot long bathrooms with two sink basins that are so popular now, but a for real mans bathroom all to myself. I am lucky I know. It’s a little smallish but fully functional. It’s a mans place.. Well except for the shower curtain.

My amazing wife was in charge there. And she hooked me up with not one but two shower curtains and two shower rods. A real one inside where the water hits and a cloth frilly one with tiebacks over the outside. That ones true purpose is to vex me daily when entering and exiting. But I accepted it as the price of privacy. And I never have to contend with panty hose... Ok?

I like a HARD, FULL spray from my shower. And I have that. But that itself added one other slight problem. The towel rod at the far end still gets very wet, making it useless for my drying towel during the showers.

So I solve that problem by placing my folded towel on top of the rods next to the far end wall. That works well more than 99% of the time. But every once in a while,, not often, maybe three times a year, usually due to my carelessness, the towel falls to the floor. Like it did today. So in the all the years we have lived here how many times do you think the towel falls outside the shower? NONE never!! And it only falls after the water is on, my back is turned and I have shampoo and soap everywhere.

What are those odds? And why is that?

2010-07-28T14:45:00.002-04:00

What is on my Ipod this week?

I generally don't do tracks or mix cd's each of these are complete cd's

In no particular order

Jars of Clay: If I left the Zoo
Switchfoot: Hello Hurricane
Mercy Me: Almost There
Stryper: Murder By Pride
Jethro Tull.: J-Tull dot Com
Robert Simon: Latin Passion
Randall Bramblett: Meantime
Marillion: Los Trios
The Mulberry Purple: The Mulberry Purple
Creed: Full Circle
Rodney Crowell: Fates Right Hand
Saga : Human Condition
Todd Fields: Todd Fields
Scott Mosher: Deep Horizon
Joe Satraini: Surfing with the Alien ( unofficial artist of A-control)

What is on yours?

2010-07-27T22:37:00.001-04:00

25 years in a motel.

That headline may seemed like it was talking about me some years ago. No I really didn't live 20 years in a motel but I did live in one eight months once. I wasn't married in fact I hadn't yet even met my bride to be. But the 4 room suite I lived in was a comfortable home.

I read today of a British couple, man and wife, have been calling a roadside motel home for more than 20 years. Why? "We never have to do the laundry or cooking", they said.

David Davidson, and his wife, Jean first tried out a Travelodge hotel while visiting a sick aunt way back in the 80's -- and became instantly hooked.

Their home ...er 'room' is near Grantham, on the A1 motorway between London and Edinburgh. They have a grand view ... of the parking lot. Well actually if they look beyond that they can jazz it up a bit by watching the trucks that rumble past
day and night.

"We get great rates, now because we book well in advance in fact years in advance and we even have our own personal housekeeper. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?"

The husband was a former sailor in the Royal Navy so maybe that is why the small living space doesn't bother him. The wife added "We do have to be a bit choosy about what we keep in our room as it can fill up easily."

The couple figure they have spent around 100,000 pounds renting which works out to as little as 15 pounds a night. The couple reminded everyone they don't get hit with huge heating bills over the winter.

Ten years ago the motel renamed their room The Davidsons' Suite and mounting a plaque in the reception to mark their 10-year anniversary.

Some people may think David and Jean Davidson are totally bonkers to have spent
the last 25 years living in a hotel. But the amount they have spent is about the same as people would spend on their mortgages, but with no housework and no
utility bills. What's not to like?"

2010-07-22T15:03:00.009-04:00

It all started way back in 1962. Frane Selak, a music teacher, was traveling on business from his home to Dubrovnik on the train. Inexplicably the train jumped the track approaching a bridge and plunged down the ravine into the icy river below. Seventeen people were killed but Selak managed to free himself from the wreckage and swim ashore, bruised, battered and with a broken arm he then fought off hypothermia until help arrived. He was just glad to be alive.

One year later in 1963, Frane was once again traveling on business in a plane between Zagreb and Rijeka when the door blew off the plane which sucked Mr. Selak out of the aircraft. Moments later the plane crashed killing all 19 aboard. Selak woke-up in the hospital with only minor cuts and bruises having landed …yes in a haystack.

In 1966 Selak was riding in a bus that hit a slick spot in the road, and skidded into a river. This time only four people were killed but once again Selak escaped with minor cuts and bruises.

Four years later in 1970 while driving along his car caught on fire. He managed to get stopped and jump to safety just as the fuel tank exploded and the car was engulfed in flames.

In 1973 while driving another car, the fuel pump failed, spraying everything under the hood with gasoline. With flames shooting out of the air vents Selak once again jumped to safety. He was basically unhurt except for the loss of the some hair. This is when his friends started calling him “Lucky”.

More than twenty uneventful years passed and Mr. Selak thought his exciting run was over. But in 1995 Frane was crossing a street when an out of control city bus struck him sending him flying onto the concrete. He got up and walked away, suffering only minor injuries.

1996 turned out to be exciting as well. While driving on a mountainous road near his home he was met by out of control United Nations truck heading straight for him. He quickly chose to drive his car into a rail to avoid the head-on collision. The guard rail gave way and his ran straight off the cliff. Again keeping his wits Selak jumped from his vehicle as it plummeted 300 feet down the cliff and exploded. He landed in a tree unhurt once again.

His amazing run came into play again in 2003 when Mr. Selak decided he had enough of cheating death and at the age of 74 figured it was time live the sweet life. He went and purchased a lottery ticket hoping to get rich and retire. Wouldn’t you know it? He won! His prize was slightly more than $1,000,000 dollars from the Croatian National lottery. “I know God was watching me over all these years. I am the world’s unluckiest man, or the world’s luckiest man,” says he insist preferring the latter. He bought a house, a new car and a boat. He then married his long time sweetheart, his fifth marriage. Reflecting, “My marriages have been disasters too. “

In 2004 an Australian Television company offered a staring spot in a series of ads for Doritos, but he turned them down fearing the flight to Sydney and not wanting to “test his luck”.

This may seven years after winning the lotto, and after having cheating death seven times, Mr. Selak decided to give away his remaining fortune. He has decided that "money cannot buy happiness" and has decided to live a frugal life.

He sold his luxury home on a private island, and has given away his fortune to family and friends and moving back to his old modest home in Petrinja, south of Zagreb.

He did keep a small part of his winnings for a hip replacement operation so he could enjoy life with his wife and also so he could build a shrine to the Virgin Mary to give thanks for his luck.

Mr. Selak said he has never been happier.

"All I need at my age is my Katarina. Money would not change anything," he said. When we got married, “I knew then that I really did have a charmed, blessed life.”

What do you think? Lucky or Unlucky!

*as of this writing Mr Selak is still alive and enjoying a hopefully quiet retirement with his wife in Petrinja.

2010-05-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

Last night my wife and I had a great 'date night ', attending a concert by Randall Bramblett. They are trying something new at the Electric City Playhouse. here in town. It was a small solo unplugged show. Just a singer-songwriter, his guitar and his piano. Randall has one of the most soulful voices I ever heard and is an outstanding musician as his hundreds of recording credits testify. But above all he is a poet, writing and singing songs with such expressive and emotional lyrics.

A lot of the almost two hours he played was songs from the new cd "Meantime" his 7th solo work. It is such a laid back easy recording. In the vein of a male Norah Jones. These songs featured just a singer and his piano. Very nice. The cd is a slight departure from his norm but after only one listen I am hooked.

The "room" as Randall refered to it was great with comfortable theater seating in a semi-round high rising layout that designed for the community playhouse productions they normaly hold. The sound was near perfect. It is a very nice place for relaxing music.

Even after a few decades in the business Randall is still a down-to-earth guy. Very open and great to talk with. He even autographed a cd for me.

Walking in the door we were greated by our friends Dan and Mary. I had not thought to inform nor invite them. It never crossed my mind, but as soon as I heard Dan's voice (he spotted me first ) I thought of all the people I know he WOULD be the one most likely to attend. I was glad he didn't miss it. We had a wonderful time. I hope they hold more events like this. I even

Here is a short ( incomplete ) list of people Randall Bramblett has recorded with :

Sea Level
Chuck Leavell
Greg Allman
Levon Helm
Allman Brothers Band
Widespread Panic
Steve Winwood
Traffic
Gov't Mule
Bonnie Raitt
Delbert McClinton
Bonnie Bramlett
Roger Glover
Atlanta Rhythm Section
Cowboy
Elvin Bishop
Goose Creek Symphony
John Hammond
Warren Haynes
Robbie Robertson
Johnny Jenkins
Jerry Joseph
Jan Krist
Francine Reed
Vigilantes of Love
String Cheese Incident
Phoebe Snow
Grateful Dead

2010-05-06T23:55:00.002-04:00

I was just reading about the re-usable space plane, conventional rockets and the Space Shuttle. It got me thinking. What will NASA do with the retired Shuttles?

There were never that many to begin with. Here is a list:

OV-101 Enterprise; Test vehicle only, never meant for spaceflight. First free flight August 12, 1977, on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum outside Washington DC.

OV-099 Challenger; Was actually NASA's second orbiter to be put into service, Columbia being the first. Its maiden flight was on April 4, 1983, and it completed nine missions before breaking apart 73 seconds after the launch of its tenth mission, STS-51-L January 28, 1986, resulting in the death of all seven crew members.

OV-102 Columbia; Launched on April 12, 1981 , the very first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1. It completed 27 flights before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th,STS-107. All seven crew members were killed.

OV-103 Discovery; First flown August 30, 1984 , Discovery became the third operational orbiter, and is now the oldest orbiter in service. Discovery has flown 38 flights, more flights than any other orbiter in the fleet. The last one to date was completed on April 20, 2010. Discovery will replace Space Shuttle Enterprise in the Smithsonian, which will then be loaned to other museums.

OV-104 Atlantis; The fourth operational shuttle launched from the Kennedy Space Center on October 3, 1985. In early 2008, NASA officials decided to keep Atlantis flying until 2010, the projected end of the shuttle program. This reversed a previous decision to retire Atlantis in 2008. It last flew in November 2009. Atlantis is now projected to fly at least one more mission.

OV-105 Endeavour; Is the fifth and final spaceworthy shuttle to be built. It was constructed as a replacement for the Challenger. Endeavour first flew in May 7, 1992 on mission STS-49 and is scheduled for decommissioning in 2010. NASA expects to use Endeavour for the STS-134 mission, final shuttle mission. It is likely that Endeavour will then go to March Field Museum near Riverside, California.

The final retirement of the remaining Space Shuttle fleet, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour will be here soon. All three are expected to be placed on public display. And more than 20 museums currently vying for one. Insiders expect the winners to be Either the March Field museum, the Johnson Space Center in Houston; U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio; the Museum of Flight in Seattle; or the Intrepid Air & Space Museum in New York City.

Where ever the winning museums may be they will need deep pockets to cover expenses. Recently NASA set the price of its museum-bound space shuttles at $28.2 million. In addition the chosen museums will have to pay for ferrying the orbiters atop NASA's modified Boeing 747 aircraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to their destination. Then there is the price associated with the display, areas and parking. The clock is ticking. Museums need to raise funds and build the required indoor housing for the shuttles.

A little cheaper would have been acquiring the soviet Shuttle prototype "Buran". But Buran was destroyed in a hangar collapse on May 12, 2002 in Kazakhtan at the Baikonur Cosmodrome The collapse killed 7 workers and destroyed the orbiter. It had flown one time, UNMANNED back in 1988. Construction was started on four others but never completed. Interestingly a unmanned 1/8th scale of the Buran, the BOR-5 ("Kosmos") flew on several sub-orbital flights, and was offered for sale on E-Bay opening at $98,000. The auction failed to attract a bid high enough to merit what the seller wants for it and it was removed unsold.

NASA expects to have the Shuttle replacement craft, Orion ready to fly no later than 2014. Assuming it survives the budget cuts and the Obama administration flip-flops .

2010-05-05T17:41:00.001-04:00

Repost:

Cinco de Mayo

Happy 5th of May

Since I was a teen living in Southern California I have celebrated Cinco de Mayo. Our school band always attended a big festival, parade and fair. Held in the desert town of Indio California. It was so much fun. Fair midways, rides, exhibits, lights sounds. Ladies in colorful dresses dancing. Mariachis strolling around playing lively tunes. And the food. Oh the food. But my favorite was the ostrich races. The held camel racing too, but come-on. A kid riding ( ok holding on for dear life ) on the back of a giant bird. That's funny stuff.

Cinco de Mayo is not an America Holiday. It should be. And it is not the Mexican Independence day holiday. It should be. That in fact is 15th of September ( 1810 ) .

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of a smashing military victory over a large force of Mexican army traitors and the French soldiers at the battle of Pubela, East of Mexico City in 1862.

Enough history, today is the 5th of May. And I am celebrating it. Tonight I am cooking a Mexican Dinner with all the trimmings for Kristie and myself. But right now I am playing some Latin Music and having tacos.

Join me.

VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

2010-05-04T19:05:00.000-04:00

GEEZER TEST! ARE YOU "OLDER THAN DIRT?"

Where did headlight dimmer switches used to be located?

a. On the floor shift knob
b. On the floor, left of the clutch
c. Next to the horn

2. The bottle top of a Royal Crown Cola bottle has holes in it. For what was it used?

a. Capture lightning bugs.
b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing
c. Large salt shaker

3. Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?

a. Cows got cold and wouldn't produce
b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled
c. Milkmen left deliveries outside doors and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.

4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?

a. Blackjack
b. Gin
c. Craps

5. What method did women adapt to look as if they were wearing stockings when none was available due to rationing during W.W.II?

a. Suntan
b. Leg painting
c. Wearing slacks

6. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn't tell whether it was coming or going?

a. Studebaker
b. Nash Metro
c. Tucker

7. Which was a popular candy when you were a kid?

a. Strips of dried peanut butter
b. Chocolate-licorice bars
c. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside

8. How was Butch wax used?

a. To stiffen hair cut into a flattop so it stood up
b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing
c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust

9. Before inline skates, how did you keep your roller skates attached to your shoes?

a. With clamps, tightened by a skate key
b. Woven straps that crossed the foot
c. Long pieces of string or twine

10. As a kid, what was considered the best way to reach a decision?

a. Consider all the facts
b. Ask Mom
c. Eeny-meeny-miney-mo

11. What was the worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex?

a. A cold
b. VD
c. Cooties

12. "I'll be down to get you in a ________, Honey?"

a. SUV
b. Taxi
c. Streetcar

13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy's pet pony?

a. Old Blue
b. Paint
c. Macaroni

14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?

a. Part of the game of hide and seek
b. What you did when your mom called you in to do chores
c. Hiding under your desk, covering your head with your arms in an A bomb drill

15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show?

a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring
b. Princess Sacajewea
c. Princess Moonshadow

16. What did all really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?

a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you "high"
b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window
c. Wrote another pupils name on the top, to avoid failure

17. Why did your mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps with purchases?

a. To keep you out of mischief licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum
b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items
c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick on tattoos

18. "Praise the Lord, and pass the _________?"

a. Meatballs
b. Dames
c. Ammunition

19. What was the name of the group who made the song "The Gypsy" a hit in the US?

a. The Ink Spots
b. The Supremes
c. The Esquires

20. Who left his heart in San Francisco?

a. Tony Bennett
b. Zavier Cugat
c. George Gershwin

ANSWERS

1. b) On the floor, left of the clutch. Hand controls, popular in Europe, took till the '60s to catch on.

2. b) To sprinkle clothes before ironing. Who had a steam iron?

3. c) Cold weather caused the milk to freeze and expand, popping the bottle top.

4. a) Blackjack Gum.

5. b) Special makeup was applied followed by drawing a seam down the back of the leg with eyebrow pencil.

6. a) 1946 Studebaker.

7. c) Wax coke bottles containing super-sweet colored water.

8. a) Wax for your flat top (butch) haircut.

9. a) With clamps, tightened by a skate key, which you wore on a shoestring around your neck.

10. c) Eeny-meeny-miney-mo.

11. c) Cooties.

12. b) Taxi. Better be ready by half-past eight!

13. c) Macaroni.

14. c) Hiding under your desk, covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.

15. a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. She was another puppet.

16. a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink to get "high."

***Two other answers Could be appropriate:

b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window

c. Wrote another pupil' s name on the top, to avoid their failure

17. b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household items at the Green Stamp store.

18. c) Ammunition, and we'll all be free.

19. a) The all male, all black group, The Inkspots.

20. a) Tony Bennett and he sounds just as good today.

SCORING

17 — 20 correct: You are not only older than dirt, but obviously gifted with mind bloat. Now if you could only find your glasses.

12 — 16 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but your mind is definitely muddy.

0 – 11 correct: You are a sad excuse of a geezer. Redeem yourself by declaring to everyone that the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

2010-02-15T10:43:00.001-05:00

I wish I could claim this photo, but it's an official NASA photo of the shuttle Endeavour silhouetted against Earth's horizon. It was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station just before Endeavour docked just after midnight on Feb. 10, 2010 during the STS-130 mission.

2010-02-01T00:20:00.003-05:00

Kind of a nice idea , eh?

2009-11-30T20:23:00.001-05:00

Well the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend is over. It was a wonderful one. My family has been blessed beyond belief. This year we were able to bring my dad back to his home for a visit, his first in sixteen months. One year ago dad was in the hospital. His doctors called us together and told us he didn’t expect dad to survive the night. At the hospital they didn’t expect a miracle. But we did !!! Having dad back in his own recliner even if just for the afternoon made Thursday one of the best Thanksgivings ever.

I spent time this week remembering a lot of my Thanksgivings past. I remember ones spent with mom, dad and my little sis thousands of miles from loved ones. Especially strong is the memory of thanksgiving spent on a Pacific Island where turkeys were unknown. But we did have coconut pie made with fresh coconut from a tree right outside our door. The table center piece was a gobbler made from another whole coconut with palm frond feathers. I always grin at that thought. Another fond memory is the times when the entire extended family was together. My Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and other people, not really related, but thought of as family. Those Thanksgivings always had 50 or 60 adults and a multitude of kids running around. There was always plenty to eat and naps for every one afterward, well except for us boys who always set up a game of backyard football. One year when I was in college we were playing our game when a group of guys happened up and asked if they could join in. I realized several of them were part of the University of Georgia National Championship team. Needless to say we lost.

Another Thanksgiving that stands out was one before I met my wife. I had just started a new job and didn’t have the money nor the time-off to go home that year. So I was truly alone on Turkey day. All the restaurants seemed closed and I drove to the Waffle House on the highway at the edge of town. For those who have never enjoyed them, the Waffle House is a roadside diner style chain, popular with truckers and late night travelers. I remember the waitress. She was an older lady, probably named Alice or Flo, I really don’t remember. I think I was her only customer all day. On that holiday I believe she was as lonely as I was. She was working alone because everyone else needed the day off. Sitting at the counter I ordered coffee and we talked as she grilled us up a big steak and plate of hash browns. Then we split a stack of pecan waffles for dessert. I stayed there talking, just talking and sipping coffee with her nearly five hours. She was at least twenty or twenty-five years older than me. We talked about the life, the world and her adventures in it. She had been most everywhere. One of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met. Though I ate there many more times I never saw her there again.

I treasure all these memories I have been truly blessed. I have friends and family who love and care for me. I am not alone, lonely, cold, or hungry. I have more to thankful for than I could ever list.

Yes TRULY BLESSED

I am thankful.

2009-11-22T14:24:00.001-05:00

I'd like to wish my snowball throwing friend

and fellow Monk fan a very

Happy Birthday.

Ah...

Well...

Ah...

I had it in my mind

to

send you

a cake

but ....

Ah....

well ....

Ah ...

OOPS

2009-11-21T14:31:00.006-05:00

I have always heard girls are cleaner than guys.

Today while cleaning our bathrooms I started to contemplate that theory. I think I may be on to something. Cleaning her shower I noticed three bath cloths and a puff. Four shampoos including one that has something called JoJoBa in it. I saw two conditioners and two bottles of body wash and a tube of paste-like stuff called apricot scrub. Also present was a brush-style thingy and a hunk of seaweed ( I think ) that is used to soften the heals of your feet. I may be wrong about that last idea. There was a whole end with space taken by a cup and a razor. The shave cream was in a tube there as well. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the extra large bars of Dove and Ivory soap. Finally I noticed a bottle of Tilex to clean the shower after each use.

Moving to my bathroom, in my shower I have a bath cloth, a well rounded bar of Dial or some generic soap I donno which. A bottle of peach shampoo ( 99 cents ) and one of those bottles of Tilex ( her idea ) which I forget to use about half the time.

Lets see the score here:

Her Shower; 20 items

My shower; 4 items

My theory: with that many items to contribute she must be at least five times cleaner than me.
Just my thought.. what is your theory?

Did I mention that she always smells incredible?

2009-11-19T23:52:00.000-05:00

Uga VII: "Loran's Best"

The beloved University of Georgia mascot Uga VII passed away suddenly Thursday at his home in Savannah

"This is a very sad day for all Georgia people," said Damon Evans, Director of Athletics

There will be no Mascot on the sidelines for Saturdays game against Kentucky but a substitute will be at the Georgia Tech game.

A full time replacement will be announced before next season.

It's been a tough year for Georgia fans. Munson retired, the loss of several players to the NFL, a disappointing season and now the loss of our Mascot in only his second year. We will miss you Uga

2009-11-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks

2009-11-10T00:23:00.000-05:00

I may get go to Cleveland for a couple of days. While I am there I'd like to be taking in a Indians game but that'll have to wait until next summer. Still I can spend time revisiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Then there is the very cool and totally interactive science museum. Best of all I'll have the chance to once again the fantastic International Women's Air and Space Museum at Burke Lake Front Airport right down town.

I am flying up in my plane. One way is about 3:15. Driving would take ALL DAY.

I have visited Cleveland before and I promise Dorothy Parker was wrong. Cleveland is a nice town and fun to visit. It really doesn't deserve the bad rap. A better quote would be from rock singer Ian Hunter when he shouted "Cleveland Rocks"

2009-11-08T00:25:00.005-05:00

Daylight savings time is a pain in the clock.

Lets see now, last week I reset the clocks. The one on the stove in my kitchen, the microwave, the coffee maker and of course the one on the wall. In my living room I have one on top of the entertainment center. Five on electronic devices ( tv dvd, vcr and so on ) along with two lamp timers. Two additional stereo timers, a programing timer, and a clock near my easy chair. Two in my home office not counting the three on the computers. Then there is the one connected to the alarm system and the one in the answering machine. Two in the hall, one on the thermostat, and one on the indoor/ outdoor temperature receiver. One on the clock radio in the guest room, one in the other bedroom. Four in the master bedroom ( two alarms each, yes we are odd ) One in each automobile and one in the garage. Several watches. Two in the plane. Ok I admit the GPS units in the plane and cars set themselves. So do the cell phones and pda's. Still by my count there is a heap of resetting going on in my small world.

It appears that a time warp going on inside my house. Is it a time warp, a distortion of the space and time continuum? Could Einstein be wrong? The clock on my thermostat and the one on the indoor / outdoor thermometer both have been off one hour twice in the past week. I corrected the error last Wednesday morning and just tonight I noticed the discrepancy again.

Should I be worried, I mean isn't a rip in the fabric of time serious?

Stay tuned to this blog page. Updates may well follow and they could unmask a vast shift in time as we know it. ...

Or maybe I just set them wrong ...twice.

2009-11-07T16:42:00.003-05:00

Guess I will have to take my plane to the shop again Monday. No the wings are not falling off, but the $3800 engine analyser is not working.

Owning a plane is not really a great investment. BUT it is FUN !!!

2009-11-04T09:59:00.002-05:00

Where were the film crews when I needed them?

This morning would have been a great time to film a coffee commercial at my house. The temperature and relative humidly were perfect and when I poured my first cup it produced a massive amount of steaming vapor.

It's hard to resist a piping hot cup of my favorite brew.

2009-11-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

Recently our church group, the NewSpring Band was voted the “Best Band in the Upstate” for the third year in a row. Think about that. A church group, playing songs that are up-lifting, filled with praise and worship beat out all other local groups. Jesus filled music was voted better than all the “broken hearted, lying, cheating, hot rod, trucking, she done me wrong” songs.

We had an extra special time doing just that early this weekend during the recording of a live cd. For about an hour and a half the band worked through an amazing set featuring fourteen new original songs. Some rockers, some slower, a couple more worshipful in the traditional style. It’s the same type of music we have every week at NewSpring. I am certain those who attend services at one of our locations would agree. We are blessed.

The night was awesome. Working down front at my camera location, I was overwhelmed. I was surrounded in a virtual sea of people. All around me stood worshipers of all ages, from early teens to those born years sooner. All standing, hands lifted in praise, faces filled with tears of joy, words of rejoicing upon their lips. There is no way to describe fully those moments.

It was a great turnout for a cold Friday night. There were a number of competing events around the community. It was a night for local high school football, Halloween celebrations and more. Even so the crowd was fantastic with large crowds arriving well before starting time. I found out just before the we began that several people from neighboring states had driven down, set-up tents and campers right there in the church parking lot, so they could be there when the doors opened. Imagine, tailgating at church.

But the part that meant the most to me was back stage, just moments before starting. The members of the band, the crew, along with our pastor met, joined arms in a circle, each of us to praying for God’s blessing. I was especially stricken when in his prayer one of the singers, who wrote or co-wrote all of the songs said, “Thank you Lord for giving us these songs and this place to worship you, let us remember tonight and always, it is for your glory not ours that we sing”. What a great prayer.

I’ll post the news here when the cd is ready for release and supply the details of how you can obtain one.

2009-11-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Squashed like a bug.

I was reading a couple days ago that a chunk of recently re-discovered space rock, previously discovered, lost and now has been rediscovered ( how does that happen ? ) turns out it may hit us one day. The rock chunk thought to be a burned out comet that now resembles an asteroid, last seen, in 1960 is considered "potentially hazardous"

And it is a seriously large chunk too. More than 500 feet across. Some day, over time, it's orbit will shift and could cause it to hit the our planet. The rock is too dim to be seen by the naked eye from Earth, at least right now.

But don't lose sleep over it or anything. It will not be anytime in the foreseeable future. So go back to sleep and enjoy the extra hours rest tonight.

2009-10-30T15:30:00.004-04:00

Be right back

I am busy contemplating one of world slipperiest mysteries.

Why does Teflon stick to the pan?

Seriously it has been a busy week but I shall return asap.

2009-10-26T22:28:00.004-04:00

It's play season at Anderson University. Time to enjoy yet another year of fantastic live theater by the Drama dept.

Over the weekend we attended the seasons first offering. A little known play " Fiddler on the Roof" Obviously I am kidding. Fiddler is one of the most successful Stage presentations in Broadway history. In fact it was the first Broadway show to exceed 3000 productions. It was also made into an academy award winning motion picture. The film won three Oscars.

The A.U. production was large enough to be held in the biggest auditorium on campus. On the night we went it was about packed out.

Fiddler is a story centered on a simple man, Tevye the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions. He must learn to cope the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters as they choose husbands while dealing with the harsh life he faces as a Jewish milkman in a small Russian town. Dealing with the events of the Revolution and persecution of all Jewish people by the Tsar's government.

This production was directed by Deborah McEniry who also did an outstanding job last year.

The Drama department chairman David Larson, his students, and staff do an outstanding job. You really should check this one out.

2009-10-25T23:24:00.005-04:00

WISDOM ??

Two little boys were coloring eggs for Easter.

The older brother says," I'll give you a dollar if you let me bust three of these raw eggs on your head". "

Ok, " said the little brother

So he raps his brother on the head twice breaking two eggs and laughing as the slimy mess ran down his the little guy's face. Then he puts the third egg down and starts walking away.

"You said three, where's the third one? " the smaller boy inquires.

The bigger child, being filled with so much more worldly wisdom replies, " It isn't coming."

"What? Why? " the brother asks

To which the older brother answers," That one would cost me a dollar "

2009-10-24T12:41:00.003-04:00

I've always felt that for a joke or cartoon to be funny we have to be able to identify with it, or at least there had to some small grain of truth presented. I bet you all can identify with this and as for truth. Well yeah !

2009-10-22T14:10:00.000-04:00

Our flights will Never be late

Then again, we'll never actually be on time either.

When the thrill of being on an airplane matters then we've a flight for you.

Well not exactly a flight....

A retired Airline engineer is selling the 'ride'. With his tickets, you spend a few minutes on an Airbus A-300 jet plane that goes nowhere. It just sits. But people are lining up in droves.

The owner, Captain Bahudar Gupta, makes announcements about take off, landing etc, and his wife and five other crew members go up and own the aisle, serving snacks and drinks.

If any of the ‘passengers’ has to use the facilities, that could be a slight problem because the fuselage has no bathrooms. That is really not a big problem because the "flights" are under an hour each.

So pack you bags, gather the kids and head out on a "STAY CATION" by taking a flight to nowhere.

2009-10-20T21:43:00.002-04:00

Dah Dah Dah Dum (snap) (snap)

They’re creepy and they’re kooky

Mysterious and spooky ….

We all instantly know that song. It’s the classic theme from televisions “Addams Family” comedy. Writer Vic Mizzy ( 93) died yesterday. He was no stranger to tv songwriting. I am sure you can remember with equal ease the song for tv’s “Green Acres”.

But it’s the Addams Family theme that I catch myself humming most often. Mizzy was not a stranger to the music charts either. Having written top hits for Dean Martin, Doris Day, Perry Como and Billie Holiday in the 40’s and 50’s. If that was too far before your time you might be surprised he also had a song on the sound track for the “SpiderMan II” and “Spiderman III” movies. His family said he stayed busy until his last days.

Tonight I plan an Addams Family ( tv version ) mini marathon in his honor. And don’t be surprised if tomorrow you hear me singing:

Green Acres is the place to be

Farm living is the life for me

Land spreading out so far and wide

Keep Manhattan just gimme that country side.

2009-10-20T09:44:00.006-04:00

I was always told never start off a story with an apology. I guess that applies to blogging too. However since I know nothing about proper writing I shall ignore that advice, and offer my apologies to those who set their lives by my postings. OK I am being silly. But I am a little late posting. I experienced some blog access issues last night. Something about maintenance and I fell asleep while waiting it out.

First up I planned on flying to the Atlanta area this morning on business, but it is seriously foggy here, way to bad to try to takeoff. And the airport at Cobb County is reporting the same if not worse. Maybe later.

As I said in my last post, Saturday was my anniversary. I had a great low key celebration with my beautiful bride. The day started slow because Kris had to forgo sleeping-in to attend a function at the University. Work related Saturdays are rare for her, but that doesn't make it any easier to arise early, especially when I am still sleeping. About the time her event wrapped up and she had returned home both the Clemson and Georgia football games were starting on tv. She had eaten so I grabbed a leftover chicken leg and we settled in to watch those games. Both teams have struggled inexplicably this season but Saturday they cruised to sorely needed victories.

After the game we had dinner reservations at the Galley. It's a somewhat upscale restaurant located on the shore of Lake Hartwell, at the marina. Dining in a quiet romantic setting while watching the sunset over the water was just the anniversary treat we had hopped for. It didn't hurt that the food was wonderful too. Those who know us well will be surprised to learn she, not me ordered the Prime Rib. That she passed up the Chicken Parmesan is still a mystery. I had grilled Salmon and it was amazing. But I did not miss out on the steak as she ate a little less than half and I get the leftovers later this week.

Sunday was special too. Once again we were able to get the whole family together and take my dad to his church. Only his third visit since his accident. Though Liberty Church is the old family church, it is growing so fast I hardly know 25% of the people there these days. That is a great thing. For years they hovered around 100 - 125 regular attending members, but in the past couple years they have more than doubled that. The building is bursting. Fortunately the new facility is nearing completion. During the service it was easy to see why the growth. First the people were on fire, and preacher Todd seriously brought it. Five salvation's. Rejoicing in Heaven was loud Sunday.

After church we were able to take dad out to lunch at a local meat and three place. We had a good time.

One of the things I love about my church is that we have four identical services every Sunday.
So attending in the evening I still did not miss anything. Our teaching pastor and Evangelist Clayton King chopped wood. God is using Clayton and we had witnessed another 126 souls added to the roll. THAT NEVER GETS OLD. Thanks Lord for men of God bring your message and praying people in churches like Liberty and NewSpring. I am so glad to be a part of this movement.

2009-10-17T00:02:00.001-04:00

It's my wedding anniversary. After my accepting Christ, marrying her is the best decision I ever made. It proves I can do some things right from time to time.

Kristie was made just for me. She is a beautiful, smart, gifted lady. An amazing woman. Truly sold out to Jesus. Every part of her world is guided by that faith.
I am blessed to be loved by someone who has more talent and ability in one finger than I have in my whole being. She is the most important person in my life and my best friend.

I am thankful for her and her influence on my world. She is an answer to prayer everyday in my life. I love you sweetheart, you are my dream come true. Every year gets better than the previous one. I can hardly wait for the times yet to come.

Thank you for putting up with me all these years

You are my sweetie

I love you very much

2009-10-16T09:30:00.014-04:00

I had an entry all written, illustrated and ready to post. But some events in the news caused my to table that blog 'episode ' for later.

Yesterday I watched the tv reports, totally captured by a human interest story. It seemed a young boy, six years old, had become involved in a family project with scary result. I'm sure you all followed the unfolding drama too.

But just in case you were exploring a deep underground cave or were off the planet or something I'll quickly sum-up what happened.

A Colorado family were working on a science ( ? ) project They are amature storm-chasers and were planning to use the balloon in that hobby.

The balloon is large about 20 feet across, the boy was small 38-45 pounds.
Interestingly the balloon was saucer shaped, it looked like a UFO
It has a plywood "cabin" or compartment on the bottom for holding cameras and instruments.
The six year old's two brothers saw the boy climb into the compartment.
The balloon broke free from it's moorings. Quickly rising into the sky, and floating away.
The balloon climbed to a height of between 6000 and 8000 feet. Drifting 50 miles at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour.
Police, fire, rescue and even the National Guard were called. They responded with two helicopters to "follow" the craft.
Passing just north of the airfield the balloon disrupted air traffic at Denver International airport for around 15 minutes.
The Balloon slowly deflated and landed gently in a field about 20 miles northeast of Denver
Rescuers were shocked on the scene when they found the "cabin" door ajar and the compartment empty. Raising fear the boy had fallen out during the twisting, turning flight
Happy Ending. The boy was found safely at home. The brothers had not seen him exit the craft
Afraid he was in trouble the little boy had hidden in the his attic
So after a two hour adventure and thousands of dollars for the rescue efforts and disruptions the whole story ends with a smile.

I guess you can't turn your back nor drop your guard for even one second when you have three young boys.

Oh BTW the six year old little guy ..... His name is

FALCON.

2009-10-14T22:18:00.004-04:00

My wife and I don't watch a lot of commercial TV.
Plain and simple we seldom find things that fit us. We don't have Dish or anything similar. Don't subscribe to cable. We don't even have an outside antenna. Some people would say that is why we don't find anything to watch, but after years of cable I argue it's because the quality of most of shows is lacking. Why on earth would I want to pay for shows I am not going to watch anyway?

A salesman knocked on my door a few days ago offering to install this thing called Direct TV. I said to him, " I already have direct TV, it comes straight from the stations tower direct to my rabbit-ears and I get 22 channels." He left me alone after that.

People often ask what Kris and I do if not television. Ever hear of conversation? It's like texting except you utter words in the actual presence of one another. And it doesn't have to be 140 characters or less.

Don't get me wrong I watch stuff. I love reruns of "Law & Order" for instance. And I have accumulated a collection of great tapes ( remember those ) and DVD's.

But some nights we just listen to music and read. Books not l.c.d. screens kiddo's

Tonight we enjoyed something different. Classical Jazz music for piano and drums. You see Kris is a great piano player and I am obsessed with drums. So tonight I broke out my Bill Bruford / Patrick Moraz cd " Music for Piano and Drums. If you don't know who they are then you never heard of the groups Yes, King Crimson, The Moody Blues, U.K., Genesis and many more.

Do yourself a favor. Google them and expand your musical education.

2009-10-13T15:30:00.003-04:00

It’s here!!!

I know you have all been waiting, having trouble sleeping from the excited anticipation. Well you can rest easy now. It has returned. What you ask? Why my return to blogging of course.

I had planned for it to be a short break. A few weeks at the most. But since I can’t always predict the events and trends that shape my world, the break grew into months. As much as I missed blogging, the distractions and events of my world made my plans unpredictable.

Catching up:

Any one who reads this blog very likely knows me, and likely knows who I am. I am still the same guy, living in the same place. More than ever I am still madly in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, my bride. I’m thankful for her every day. You can still find me sneaking over to the airport every free moment, flying my plane, talking to the other “Airport Bums” and begging a ride. Hanging out there, while drinking way too much coffee is a habit I am not likely to break.

But most importantly, I am a radical Christ follower, who belongs to an on-fire church that believes in making Jesus famous so that lives can be changed.

The changes and events of past few months can be summed up simply by saying,

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." French novelist Alphonse Karr (1808-90)
("The more things change, the more they stay the same")

What to Expect:

I started this blog as a daily or at least a semi-regular diary of the thoughts and events around me.
I am NOT a writer (as any one who reads this will attest.) But I do have a good time.

I can NOT promise you any profound revelations, or world changing ideas. I won’t promise to always spell correctly, use proper grammar or even compose complete sentences. I assure you typos abound in my work.

But maybe once in a while I’ll post something amusing, causing a small smile and maybe sooner or later something I write will make you say hmmm.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to post comments any time.

Until the next entry …

Where did I put my coffee cup?

2009-10-12T00:22:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day Tomorrow is the day

2009-10-11T00:21:00.000-04:00

Hold your breath

2009-10-10T00:17:00.000-04:00

Almost time

2009-10-09T00:12:00.000-04:00

Closer and closer

2009-10-08T00:06:00.001-04:00

It's getting closer

Keep looking here

2009-10-08T00:06:00.000-04:00

It's getting closer

Keep looking here

2009-10-06T20:13:00.001-04:00

It's Coming

Check back

2009-08-12T16:52:00.004-04:00

Easy Key Lime Pie 3 oz. pack of Lime Jello

12 oz of Key Lime Yogurt ( low fat is fine )

8 oz Cool Whip ( low fat is fine )

Graham Cracker crust combine jello mix & yogurt

pour into crust

stir in Cool Whip on top

Place in fridge at least 1 hr

top with small thin slice a small lime, twisted for garnish

also can be topped with Maraschino cherries ( optional )

We discovered we like it with white chocolate chips lightly sprinkled on top

2009-07-14T12:20:00.001-04:00

I used to sit around drinking coffee with my late friend Randy and time after time the conversation would turn to what records would you take with you to a desert island? My list varies from time to time but this is todays example.

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Who - Who's Next
Jars of Clay - If I Left the Zoo
Bad Company - Bad Co ( 1st album )
Marillion - Brave
Saga - Worlds Apart
Love Song - Love Song ( 1st album )
Dereck and the Dominoes - Layla and Assorted Love Songs
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
Thin Lizzy - Jail Break
Tommy Bolin - Teaser
Billy Cobham - Spectrum
Roy Clark & Buck Trent - Banjo Bandits
Rodney Crowell - Diamonds and Dirt
Boston - Boston (1st album )
George Benson - Breezin'
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country
Kings X - Out of the Silent Planet
Otis Redding - History of
Atlanta Rhythm Section - Third Annual Pipe Dream
Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Rush - Moving Pictures
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow
Thunder - Headphones For Cows
Neil Young - Harvest
Steve Stevens Flamenco A Go-Go
Gilby Clarke - Pawnshop Guitars
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs

WOW this was hard

2009-06-30T22:39:00.000-04:00

Classic Rock magazine recently held a poll of 70,000 readers and asked them to list the ten best live rock albums of all time. Here is the results:

1. Live and Dangerous - Thin Lizzy - 1978

2. Strangers In The Night - UFO - 1978

3. Made in Japan - Deep Purple - 1972

4. Exit Stage Left - Rush - 1981

5. How The West Was Won - Led Zeppelin - 2003 *

6. Live at Leeds - The Who - 1970

7. Unleashed in the East - Judas Priest's - 1979

8. Comes Alive - Peter Frampton - 1976

9. If You Want Blood - AC/DC - 1978

10. Irish Tour - Rory Gallagher - 1974

How many do you own? I have all ten! Lets Rock !!!!

Remember these were readers of Classic Rock Magazine * recorded in 1972

2009-06-22T17:01:00.001-04:00

Fathers Day 2009 was the
BEST Fathers day I ever had.

Last year on August 2nd mid afternoon I talked to my dad on the phone. He lives about 45 minutes away in Georgia. Dad is a retired electronics engineer with broadcast experience. We were discussing the then pending switch to digital television. We chatted a bit then wrapped up our conversation. It was the last phone call I made to him.

A couple hours later Kristie and I were at a church Homegroup cookout when we got a hurried call from mom saying dad had fallen and was being taken to the hospital. No one really knows what happened. Dad went outside to check on the weather, he wanted to see if it was going to rain. Sometime passed and mom went to check on him, finding him face down on the pavement of his driveway, bleeding seriously.

Dad had fallen face first and had fractured his skull around his cheek and eye socket. It was very serious. He had bleeding on his brain and the surrounding areas. Dad also fractured his collarbone and shoulder. It was serious enough that after only a few minutes dad was transferred from the local hospital to the Neurological hospital at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta a couple hours away.

Dad stayed there a few weeks and was then sent to the first of several care centers to complete his recovery. He had suffered serious brain injury which compounded his until then very mild Parkinson's. There have been a lot of up's and downs, mentally, physically and emotionally. And on twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas we were told he was in his final hours.

But dad wasn't ready to give up. And he has fought back. After the first of the year we were able to get him transferred closer to home and that seems to have triggered a miracle like change. Dad still can't swallow, every thing he receives is via a feeding tube, and he still can't walk, but dad has gotten stronger both in mind and in body.

Last week the doctors released dad to venture on short trips about once a week. When we ask him where he wanted to go his only wish was to go to church. So he did. After 292 days inside all dad wanted was to go to church. Dad was there right down front wearing his brown pants and sport coat and tie. The first time he had worn "Street" clothes. I know the angels were rejoicing as we sang.Pastor Todd and wife Amy

Liberty Church , dad's home church is in a massive building program the old scantuary seats around 90 to 100 people. The new one will seat 450. I am amazed 450 seats. This is in a little rural town of 850 people. At the new construction they had dad sign his name to his favorite scripture, on the stud which support the main entry door frame. It was an honor I'll always remember.

Dad was tired afterward but happy as I've seen him. We still have a long way to go in his recovery, but days like this are better than medicine. For the whole family. I am so proud.

So after almost a year of trials, I got to be with my dad at church on Fathers day. And that makes this the

BEST FATHERS DAY EVER

2009-06-17T10:23:00.000-04:00

approaching geezerdom

I’ve learned there is one rule of senior living that's as immutable as gravity, God's Commandments, or Star Trek's Prime Directive.

It's the First Rule of Geezerdom: Never ask, "How you doing?"

Why?

If you ask, they will tell. And tell. And tell.

I always thought folks talked mainly about people, things, and ideas. Not so. In AARP World, we seldom speak of anything but our own aches and pains.

And we're darn proud of it!

The vocabulary of elder illness, both real and imagined, is vast. Violate the First Rule with a 70-year-old just back from seeing her doctor, and she'll go on for an hour on everything from dandruff to death.

She'll render you speechless, obligated to pay heed to her diabetes, dermatitis, depression, delirium, dementia, deafness, dermatitis, dropsy, double vision, diverticulitis, and dyschezia, (Dyschezia?) And that's just the D's.

Brain Transplants and Other Bragging Rights

With such focus on grumbling, it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that there's a rigid subculture here, not unlike the military.

We seniors wear our ailments like battle ribbons. Bragging rights go to those who have most challenged their physicians.

A brain transplant instantly confers four-star status on any senior.

On the other hand, if you've reached age 70 without a heart bypass, or at least a couple of angioplasties, you're not even in the game.

A quadruple bypass, for example, usually confers starter honors at the shuffleboard court. Not always. A sudden, even temporary lose of sight will push that bypass off the court. (Of course, that may be for competitive reasons only.)

The Second Rule of Geezerdom is that you don't want to be out-illed when you or someone talking to you violates the First Rule.

Here, for the benefit of you Boomers just now climbing up into the ranks, is a Primer on Essential Medical One-upmanship.

Like Basic Training or SATs, by the time you're 65, you are expected to have experienced the following examinations — if only to have something to talk about while bobbing at the 55+ community swimming pool.

Colonoscopy: A procedure in which the doctor drives a double-decker sightseeing bus up your butt, taking a leisurely look at everything below the stomach. The Lower GI, a medieval variation, is when you are asked to hold a bathtub of foul tasting liquid in your bowels for 20 minutes without exploding.
Endoscopy: When your doctor and her friends drive that same bus down your throat, checking out all those unsightly erosions you hear about in Nexium ads.
For men only, there's the dreaded Prostate Exam: Here, the physician inserts his hand, arm, shoulders and head up your butt, often inviting the nurse and others to join him. Once all is behind you, you're offered a tissue. This is not for your tears.
For women, there's the Mammogram: After your saggy breasts are pushed up to where they used to be 40 years ago, a huge, cold machine drops down, crushing the poor old things as you gasp in pain. On the plus side, this is about the only time anyone will ask you to appear topless.

When seniors aren't carrying on about their illnesses, they're getting checkups in hope of finding something new to boast about.

Suggest lunch to a resident of an adult community, and be prepared to hear a detailed explanation on why he can't make it because of a doctor appointment, a lab procedure, dialysis, CAT Scan, cataract follow up, or all the above.

For you Boomers now invading Seniordom, here are a few more observations about aging and health. Soon...

You'll no longer laugh at Preparation H commercials.
You'll know all the warning signs of a heart attack.
You'll be the first one to find the bathroom, wherever you go.
You'll enjoy hearing about others' operations.
You'll closely compare ingredients in bran cereal section in your grocery store.
You'll be able to live without sex, but not without your glasses.

Welcome to the wonderful world of AARP.

By the way, did I mention my recent brain transplant?

2009-06-16T10:57:00.003-04:00

It could be you

2009-05-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

Snowbirds over Anderson II

The Golden Knights Parachute team Team RV

Solo Acts
USAF Thunderbolt II ( WartHog )

Golden Knights Fk-27 in a low pass

Show sights

2009-05-12T18:18:00.011-04:00

They have arrived. The Snowbirds, the Golden Knights and the Warthog teams are here for tomorrows airshow.

Where: Anderson, South Carolina Airport ( KAND)
When : Tomorrow 13 May 2009 @ 3:30 pm ( 19:30 z ) gates open at 2:00 pm ( 18:00 )
Who:

Team RV
Greg Connell
Gary Ward
Golden Knights
A-10 Demonstration
Canadian Forces Snowbirds

Admission price: FREE

Website : Here

The photos were taken by me around 3 pm today at the airport . Except for the top one which was made from my back deck 15 minutes sooner

2009-05-05T22:52:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I listen to talk radio. Political talk radio. Shows like Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh. I don't tune in every day, but I enjoy them on occasion while driving. I find that on most issues I agree with their take. But not all.

I recently listened to Michael Savage a couple times. Though I really not wild about his style of in your face reporting, a few things he says hit a chord. I don't agree with him as much as some of the others, but I think he was right today when he said, that in this politely correct climate dissenting opinions are taboo. He asserts that the liberal politicians the left wing press actually feel deep inside that "A GOOD American, is a SILENT American. A BETTER American is a STUPID American. But that the BEST American is a SILENT, STUPID American."

The reactions to the tea parties last month seem to support his theory.

What do you think?

2009-05-01T21:39:00.007-04:00

Oceans Three ?

Disguised complete with ski-masks and armed with knives the kids pulled of an armed robbery of a jewelry store in Hong Kong. Two boys and a girl, all aged 14 almost got away with gold necklaces, bracelets and pendants valued at more than HK$1 million ($128,200).

All three are now facing hard jail time. The “master mind“ of the crime reportedly formulated his plan after seeing crime shows on television. He had only been released from jail a few weeks for an earlier crime. He had served seven years for that offence. Seven years and he is just 14. That’s half of his life in jail already. Do you think maybe they are watching too much tv?

2009-04-25T00:40:00.004-04:00

I've been tagged by Jane -Jane

8 THINGS

8 Things I am looking forward to: ( in no special order )

Seeing Jars again
Star Trek ( movie )
The Anderson Airshow
WINTER
My flight around the world ( BIG maybe right now )
Baptism Tailgating, actually NS in general
Getting great Chinese Food
Actually getting that 400 Gazillion $ promised in the Nigerian e-mail scam.

8 Things I did yesterday:

Explored 4 waterfalls, and an old tunnel. Hiked my legs off.
Ate cold chicken and Dr Pepper.
Had a monster Frosty in Cashiers
still pricing HVAC units
Quiet time on the top of a wilderness mountain
Talked airplane financing at the bank
Watched weather on TV
Prayed

8 Things I wish I could do:

read more
be more organized
fly around the world ( see above, I'm working on it, REALLY )
Listen more
have Chinese food at least once a week ( see above )
double the cd's I own
get back to regular blogging
return even half of the blessing I receive

8 Shows I watch: ( I REALLY don't watch much TV, but from time to time I watch )

Andy Griffith
Weather
24
Colombo ( on DVD's )
Due South ( best show ever made , watch it on DVD )
Curious George ( watch it more than anything else I guess )
Storm Stories ( Kris loves this show )
Law & Order

**** special bonus *****

Jane I love Rachael Ray's show

I tag YOU

2009-04-22T02:01:00.000-04:00

Why has the cost of living still not affected it's popularity?

Is the art of diplomacy the ability to say 'nice doggy' until you find a gun?

If you ordered a pizza with no toppings would you have to pay extra because it's a speciality pizza?

How can you tell what time you went to sleep?

How do they get the deer to cross at the road sign?

2009-04-07T21:28:00.001-04:00

Kristie and I are finally settling back in after our long "do nothing" vacation at Edisto Island. It is the first non agenda vacation we've taken in a long time. Most of our time there, we set no alarms, used no phone, computers and held ourselves to absolutely no schedule. Other than sitting around, snacking and soaking up the relaxing sights and sounds at the least commercial beach location in the southeast. Most of our vacation trips are spent dashing around, maximizing our time, seeing every thing we can and doing as much as can be squeezed in. Most of the time we NEED a vacation after our vacations. But this trip we truly relaxed. We treated it like our 3rd, 2nd honeymoon. It was great.

This photo was not taken on this trip, but rather at an earlier time. Our condo was next to the lake along side the golf course just left of center of the shot.A ground level view of golfing just behind our apartment.There is not much commercial development at Edisto, but after seeing this I wondered if Gilligan and Skipper lived there.
Edisto is famous for the great shells. Something about the currents

This little lady from Montreal knew where to find the best ones.
Her name is "Hannah" ( she spelled it for me)

Other than lying in the sand ( it's still a bit cool for the water ), playing golf and collecting shells rule the activities in this low key paradise.

2009-03-24T13:39:00.006-04:00

Tuesday was a glorious day around here. The sun was out and the temperature was absolutely perfect. I was excited to get outside.

Around 11:45 I met the most beautiful woman in the world, my wife, downtown at Jax New Orleans Bistro for lunch. Jax is an interesting place in that they have two locations. One for regular days and one for special nights and so on. I don't understand it, but I guess it doesn't matter. Whatever their business strategy, their food strategy is killer. Lip smacking good, with a New Orleans, Jazz band / Cajun like flair.

Anyway my honey and I arrived at the same time and were seated. Obviously we just beat the lunch rush, because we were the only customers there. But by the time our food arrived the place was filling up. Jax gives a birthday discount during the month of your special day with a percentage off equal to your age. So I was grinning at the deal I was about to receive. I guess that is ONE advantage of advancing time. Warning : If you comment that before long, they will be paying me to eat there, I will hunt you down and thrash you with a leftover 'scetti noodle.

I ordered a Cajun style bacon burger with blue cheese crumbles. With a pasta salad instead of fries. Oh my my ... I am at a loss for words. Kristie had the Jax house special burger. The thing were so big that around half of each came home in a to-go box. It was a great meal. Plus as I said, it was made extra special, dining with my lovely wife.

Before lunch I had only two stops. Pop in at the Post Office to pick-up my mail and send a package of forms off. And most importantly, stopping at Best Buy to get my copy of the three disc collectors edition of the latest James Bond dvd, "Quantum of Solice"

It's Pretty easy to figure out how I spent my evening.

2009-03-23T17:36:00.009-04:00

Can anyone guess what comes out on video tomorrow?

The store opens at 10.

A copy should be in my hot little hands by 10:02.

2009-03-21T00:02:00.000-04:00

I have grown rather slack with the blog lately. I could make various excuses like I've been more involved in the day to day remodeling of my parents home, and managing the affairs of my father are taking a lot of time. It's tax time of year, for him and for me. Dealing on behalf of dad with the military retirement system, social security, the medicare system and the VA
( Veterans Administration) and the other various agencies is exhausting. They all have confusing, and confounding rules with plenty of hoops to jump through. Then there is an almost over whelming project for work. Yeah my well oiled personal system has seen too many recent changes. I could continue to list maybe 1000 great excuses. But the real truth is I have become sorta lazy about writing. Also I am afflicted with that silly social media disease Twitter. I have plenty of things to say. My notebook has 20 pages of blog ideas ready to go and there are maybe 75% finished blogs saved to my blog draft file. One massive catch-up posting a week doesn't cut it for me so I will try to do better.
Lately have been traveling back and forth "across the river" to Georgia as my father-in-law puts it. A lot! That involves driving along the shore line of Lake Hartwell and crossing the bridge next to the dam. I have noticed a big change in water levels over the last three weeks. Just a couple months ago our lake resembled a pitiful little pond. My friend Jane posted some photos on her blog that showed the situation near her home very well. From the plane flying over the lake makes the big picture clear, and truly showed how bad the situation had gotten. Not only were people with lake side homes suffering, but most related industries have really seen hard times. Many many ramps have been closed and most docks sit high and dry.

The recent rains ( and snow ) along with a major change in the Corp of Engineers lake management policy has quickly made a big, noticeable difference in the lake level. And Lake Hartwell is a big lake, with over 960 miles of shoreline. Just two months ago the lake level sign near the dam was more than 10 feet out of the water. Yesterday afternoon not only was the sign back in water but it lacked only a foot or so until the part with the level markings get wet again. That still leaves our beautiful lake about 11 feet below full pool. We've a long way to go, but it's a start

2009-03-16T17:42:00.004-04:00

Wow another busy weekend for us again starting on Thursday morning, early !

I was up around 4 O'clock too excited to sleep any more. My church hosted Unleash conference and I was up and ready to go. As a volunteer I reported at 6:15 and had a day filled with uplifting and moving experiences. NewSpring had more than 3000 guests attending from all over the globe and as I found out later 900 more joined in via the web cast. I think the 525 or so volunteers would all agree we had more fun than anyone else. And as I have stated every year. We had our batteries recharged too.

As soon as the conference wrapped up I headed off to Georgia. It was a sad time as well as a time for rejoicing. Kristie's great Aunt who was in good health and very active at 80 suddenly passed away, or as we all prefer to say was promoted. So while we were sad and will miss Geneva, we are happy at the same time.

Our Friday was spent with the family and attending the funeral. Kristie and her brother played and sang, doing a fantastic job. Geneva left a legacy behind and the pastor challenged us all to step-up and fill the same roll in our families. Yes there was an alter call at the services. Geneva was famous for her love, caring and her cooking. She even ran her own catering business for several years. I've noticed several great cooks have gone on lately. Could it be be that God is preparing the marriage supper for his church?

Friday night one of my friends celebrated a milestone birthday. I'll not say which milestone, but if he were a dog he'd be nearly 3 centuries old. We had a surprise party for him at A.U. in the Sullivan building. I remember just a short time ago when NewSpring held our services there. We've seen a lot of lives changed in the short time since then. We had a great time and more cake than I have ever seen. Happy Birthday Patrick

I spent a while with dad on Saturday. Moving him to the Brown center was a great decision. Dad was awake and alert and we enjoyed some good conversations. He has his good and bad days, but has been on the upswing for longer this time. A prayer answered.

Saturday night was spent with Kristie's family. Her brother Richard was down for the funeral Friday and chose to stay for the weekend. We don't get to see him a lot so we enjoyed our time together. Richard is a hardcore Tar-Heel fan, so basketball was on in the background the entire visit. I forgive him for his poorly masked glee at Clemson's loss.

Sunday was a volunteer day for me still training as an engineer. I wonder will I ever catch to the technology God lets us use to reach the world? Sunday night was one of our best homegroup nights ever. And trust me, Kristie had nothing to do with it. The lesson was just perfect, and connected to all of us and the events of our past week. Everyone seemed to be so involved in the discussion. And it goes without saying the food was yummy. Thanks for hosting John and Sue.

2009-03-10T07:49:00.002-04:00

It was another great weekend. Thursday was my sister’s birthday. We burned the phone line half the evening. I wish she was next door some times

I spent the rest of the night at my in-laws house. June is a true world class cook and nothing is better for a birthday celebration than one of her special meals. Unless maybe it is her deep pan coconut cake.

On Friday my bride and I spent a wonderful night together without any agenda. Kristie once again reminded me what an amazing cook she is whipping up a meal fit for a king and doing it from scratch in just 30 minutes. After we ate we spent the evening watching my birthday dvd. A video of Curious George cartoons. Yes I love the “World’s Most Curious Monkey”. It was a great evening, cartoons and quiet time, talking and celebrating my upcoming birthday a day early.

Saturday morning my bride woke me with the admonishment to be patient, breakfast would be worth the wait. So I grabbed a cookie and a cup of coffee, sit myself down in the living room. In less than the time it takes for a one Curious George cartoon she was calling me to the table. She had whipped up a big baked scrambled egg omelet casserole deal.

Later that afternoon she surprised me with a delicious fruit pizza. And that evening we met friends for some greasy burgers at a local hole in the wall type café.

After that we headed across town to Concord Baptist Church to hear the CCM group Big Daddy Weave. The concert was a part of a several day crusade which featured nationally know author, speaker Josh McDowell. Big Daddy did a great show and truly set the stage. Josh then delivered one of the most unique messages I have ever heard. Quiet a few teenagers went forward at the end.

What a great way to celebrate my birthday.

We had a great time.

2009-03-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

I have never blogged a recipe before, but several people asked so here is my wife's lip smacking, finger licking Fruit Pizza

Fruit Pizza

Crust
Press out on a greased pizza pan: 1 roll of Sugar Cookies
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
let crust cool.

Mix well & spread on the cool crust :
1 - 8oz pack cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Slice different kinds of fruit ( to taste ) and place on crust. ( we use grapes, peaches, strawberries, kiwi, Mandarin oranges, cherries, bananas*.) Both fresh and canned work well.

Mix : 1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tb sp cornstarch ( or flour )
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Cook until mixture thickens
Let cool & spoon over fruit

Refrigerate until serving.

* bananas tend to darken quickly, so we usually add these just before serving.

2009-03-08T13:05:00.001-04:00

I just got word that my friend and business partner was admitted to the hospital last night. He had a blood clot in his leg and it has broken loose and traveled to his lungs. He is stable for now.

I am working all day here at the church but will go by first thing in the morning to visit and get an update. He is a young, strong, healthy man but has had some health issues relating to an injury recently. And it been a tough year of recovery. Please remember him in your prayers.

2009-03-08T09:53:00.000-04:00

God has an answering service. At least in Amsterdam anyway.

A local artist Johan van der Dong has set up a local telephone number in the Netherlands,
where he urges people to leave messages for God on his answering machine.

Van der Dong says he is encouraging people to pause. "Like praying, leaving a voicemail message is a way to organize your thoughts," he said.

The phone number will become active on March 7th Callers dialing 316-4424-4901

This is an interesting idea from the worlds point of view I guess. But I am proud to remind you it is not that hard. God can hear you where ever you are. Talking with him is free and easy. You just do it. You don't need a phone, a radio, or anyone to connect you. Best of all there is no waiting and you'll never get a busy signal. Just talk to God, he will hear you. And he will understand.

Phi 1:19 Rom_8:26;

2009-03-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

Hello Americans... Stand by for news

I was saddened to read that Paul Harvey had passed away. He was 90 years old. Just couple days ago I heard his voice doing a commercial and thought to myself he did not sound good.

I started listening to Paul Harvey every day way back in the middle seventies. I worked in a music store those days while finishing up school. I made it a point to stop each weekday at 12:35 gather my co-workers and tune him in. If we had customers in the store that required our attention we'd pop in a cassette tape. To me Paul was the lone voice of reason on the airwaves. Funny how so many things change yet stay the same. I don't get to hear Paul Harvey ( or more recently one of his guest hosts ) every day, but I still tune to his midday show more than half the time. And Paul was still one of the few voices of common sense and values on the air.

Paul Harvey had been on the radio with his own show for over 50 years attracting millions of listeners. He was still extremely popular. Just a few years ago the network re-signed him to a ten year $100 million contract.

I am going to miss hearing Paul Harvey. There is good news in that it appears his son Paul Harvey Jr. will be continuing the family tradition. He too is a seasoned veteran, substituting for his dad for years filling in several times a week. Paul Junior has also been writing the stories so loved by the audience for more than 30 years now. I think he'll be a worthy heir to the mic.

So every time I am able, you can rest assured I'll be tuning in around midday to hear " the rest of the story ".

Thank you Paul Harvey for so many great memories.

2009-03-06T14:40:00.005-05:00

Did Monday see especially tense to you?

While we were blissfully playing in the snow we came within a cosmic gnats breath of being squished by a giant rock. Mashed flat, totally unaware. SPLAT !!

Monday morning an asteroid about the size of 10-story building came speeding past the earth. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory the Asteroid named only "2009 DD45" came within 48,000 miles of hitting earth. That may sound like a huge distance until you remember that's less than one-fifth of the distance to the moon.

You think that sounds like an unlikely science fiction story. Well it's happened before. In June 1908 an asteroid roughly the same size ( about 150 feet in diameter ) exploded over Tunguska, Siberia. That blast was estimated to have been about 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. It destroyed over 800 square miles of forest and kicked a massive dust cloud into the air.

But don't worry it missed. However scientist predict it will pass even closer next time it flies by. They also insist their was no real danger. Hmmmm !

2009-03-05T13:10:00.004-05:00

Chicken Truck, Chicken Truck, behind it I'm stuck Chicken Truck, Chicken Truck, ain't it just my luck Chicken Truck on Highway 29 Well I got behind a chicken truck from Georgia And the feathers were a fallin' like snow out of the sky Chicken Truck on Highway 29

- John Anderson

That's was the way I felt this morning. Trapped on the highway by a slow moving snow storm of feathers. That's a regular thing in North East Georgia the unofficial chicken capital of the world. Anyway I finally got around him passing quickly only to again be slowed a moment later by a logging truck. Never get hurry around here, because that's a sure fire way to bring out the chicken trucks, logging trucks, farm equipment and other slow moving things to block your progress.

Dad Update : It's been a long while since I updated on my fathers condition. Mainly because in the big picture not much has changed. We got dad moved closer to home and a major benefit is that he gets a lot of visitors. One of the nurses told me he is in the top 5 in visits. That is a great thing. Dad is feeling pretty good and is alert much of the day. It was night and day different a couple weeks ago but the doctor attributed that to dad having a rather nasty chest cold which caused him to sleep most of the time. Today he was laughing and acting like he felt good. That warms my heart. Thank you all for your continuing prayers.

Snow is about gone now. But we still have some on the back side of my house. They say if it stays on the ground three days you'll get more. Today is the third day. ( or forth depending on how you count ) I doubt it'll last much longer. The forecast is for 78 degrees this afternoon. It was 14 degrees and windy just 36 hours ago, 64 degrees in 36 hours. No wonder my sinus' are buggin' me.

2009-03-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday SIS
Just remember I was here first

2009-03-02T09:09:00.007-05:00

I woke early Sunday morning. Working as an production engineer at NewSpring means arriving before sunrise at around 6:30 am. When I got out of the sack it was raining, HARD . We even had a clap or two of thunder. So the forecast of snow seemed to be a bit off the mark once again.

All through set-up, run through and the first service we could hear the rains hitting the building hard. And the production rooms are deep within the building so I knew it was truly coming down in buckets. The rain seemed to slack-off during the 11:00 am (second) service but since our audio and video production control rooms are far from windows I had no real idea what was going on outside. Imagine my surprise when I headed out for my lunch break and found it much colder than pre-dawn and it was sleeting.

After getting home and having a nice HOT lunch I switched on the TV to catch the weather. Snow was falling just south of here and heading our way. Three times this year I've seen flurries but nothing that sticks. Today however would be a different story. At my house it started around 4 pm with those, as Forest Gump would say, "Big Fat Snowflakes" They fell through out the late afternoon and most of the evening, the final tally was somewhere around three inches in my yard.

Naturally in South Carolina this is a paralyzing event. Everyone ran to the store to snatch supplies of milk and bread, and of course all the good ole' boyz jumped in their 4 x 4 pickups after loading cement blocks and chains in the back and headed out to patrol the roads and demonstrate the latest technique for laying the perfect donuts in the snow.

Our lights flickered off a time or two but Kristie and I were lucky. We had heat all night. Around 15000 in our area didn't, and some are expected to remain out until later this week.

Excuse me I need to go now. I have an old cardboard box in my garage, the hills are covered and times-a-wasting.

See ya

2009-02-27T12:53:00.004-05:00

I felt like posting something funny today:

Chuck Norris Facts

Chuck Norris has counted to infinity...twice!
When the bogeyman goes to sleep at night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris once ordered a Big Mac at Burger King...and got it.
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.
Chuck Norris can win a game of connect four in three moves.
If Chuck Norris were President we wouldn't need a military.
Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
When Chuck Norris falls in water he doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird!
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door!
Chuck Norris doesn't do "push-ups" he pushes the earth down!!!
Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter!
Sliced cheese is the greatest thing since Chuck Norris

I didn't write 'em,(except the last one ;-0 ) but I sure laughed at 'em

So many Chuck Norris facts. So little time.

2009-02-26T13:11:00.004-05:00

The past few day I have suffered with a cold. I truly expect I'll recover but for now that hope seems a distant glimmer. Seriously, I am reminded of the old adage that if you do nothing a cold will run it's course in 6 or 7 days. Or you can take the best meds and your cold should last around a week. I had a friend once who professed it best to ignore it completely. I think he was about half a bubble off center. I've not ignored it in the slightest. In fact I virtually rattle from the dosage of symptom relievers I've ingested.

One of the bad parts of a cold is that it robs you of energy and in my case interest. To be honest all I really want to do is sit, sleep, and stare at the blank wall above my tv. Last night I even had to force myself to watch the weather.

Just sitting would be a great time to catch-up on some books, but truly right now I could care less about reading. It would be a great time to organize my projects but that too would take an effort. I'd rather test my eyelids for light leaks right now.

I am sure the life of this mess is about complete and that in a day or so I will be my normal self again. But for now please excuse me if I answer your messages with one or two word replies. Because you see, it's nap time.

See ya

2009-02-24T15:08:00.002-05:00

Life a filled with Compromise

Just about everything we think, say or do is the result of a decision we make between the various options. For example, I don't like to work. I would love nothing more than to sit around watching videos and taking naps. BUT I like to eat. And eating takes money, and to get money I have to work. It's a compromise

There are a lot of other places in my life I had to compromise.

I love airplanes. My ultimate dream would be to have a Gulfstream
GIV-SP jet to ride around the world in. But Gulfstream Jets are expensive. Even a used GIV costs over twenty-four million dollars. What I can actually afford hang glider. But I reached a compromise, found a partner and a generous banker and I now fly small Cessna.

When it comes to a house. I have always favored a modern Biltmore House or Hearst Castle style estate. What I can afford is a large cardboard box, so again I compromised found assistance and now I reside in a nice warm house.

My idea of a great ride is a Ferrari 512M Testarossa What I can afford is a skateboard. Another compromise and I drive a economical midsized car

But there are a couple places I absolutely will NOT compromise

One is peanut butter. The image of peanut butter has taken a beating recently because of the salmonella scare.
Peanut butter is a great food. As far as I am concerned there is but one brand worth eating. JIF
Jif is a peanut butter lovers peanut butter. Its not just choosy mothers who choose Jif

The other place I'll never compromise is my faith and values.

There is but One God and only One way to him. PERIOD

And it is never wrong doing the right thing morally.

What is the one thing you will not compromise on in your home? Your life?

2009-02-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

I just made myself a nice cup of hot tea and it is hitting the spot. That small dab of honey was just the thing to make it perfect. I took a sip and was thinking. Twelve Honey Bees worked their entire lifetime to make that one spoonful of honey I just used to sweeten my drink.

Thanks Guys

What did you do today?

2009-02-18T10:45:00.009-05:00

I think I finally did it. I think I've found the worlds worst cup of coffee. Well maybe not the worlds worst but certainly the worst I've tasted in a long time. And I have tasted some pretty bad coffee. From truck stop greasy-spoons to airport pilot lounges, from business offices to backwoods campgrounds, I've suffered some big insults to my taste buds but this was right up there with the best..er...worst.

Driving home from a long series of lectures lasting well into the night, I stopped in at a convenience store / gas station for a warm cup of brew. For the "great economy price " of only $ 1.29 I was able to assault my senses with a massive 24 oz cup of repulsive tasting elixir. It was late, and I faced a long drive home.

In defence of my observational skills, it was a busy store, with several pots of what looked to be fresh tasty java. And the cup I poured looked and smelled absolutely wonderful.

WRONG !!!!!

My big mistake was not tasting it before I got back on the freeway. I'll not make that mistake again.

Just a few days ago I read the results of a poll that listed the best coffee in America. Believe me the cup I bought Monday night was "Cafe` Intense"... Intensely BAD.

Lesson for the week.

ALWAYS TASTE THE BREW BEFORE YOU PAY.

2009-02-16T13:45:00.009-05:00

My nephew Logan enjoys his time in the Cub Scouts. Logan has always been one of those boys who loves the outdoors. And doing things. Cub Scouts make a perfect outlet for Logan's interest and his unlimited energy. Another great thing about Cub Scouts is the time and activities that a son and his father get to spend together. Richard, my brother-in -law has always been great about making time with his kids a priority. Truthfully I think he loves Cub Scouts as much as Logan.

One of the more memorable activities for me in my Cub Scout time was Pinewood Derby. My dad and I spent what seemed like thousands of hours building a car that was not only fast, but was eye catching too. In it's final form my car looked something like A.J. Foyt's 1961 winning Indy car entry. Complete with an old Army man carved down, and painted to look like a driver, exhaust pipes and roll bar and even a windshield trimmed from an old airplane model. My Pinewood car is to this day a treasured item on my shelf.

Logan called this weekend. So excited he could hardly speak ( A miracle if you know him ) In the final round of racing at his local Pinewood derby, his car had placed high enough to move on to the statewide finals. He is so thrilled and I am proud of him and his dad. In my racing history my car did well, but nothing that great. I guess it was built more for show than speed.

Congrats "Uncle Buck" ( Logan ) I am going to try to make it to those finals. Save me a seat.

2009-02-12T22:25:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. Be afraid be very afraid. Me I'm staying in the house. Mostly I shall stay in the bed with the cover pulled over my head. For sure I will not use the stove, microwave or any other items that could cause a fire or electrical shock. I'll be certain not to get anywhere near knives, scissors or razors. There is no way you'll find me with open umbrella, using a mirror, ladders, nor within yards of a black cat. Yep I think I'll just stay in bed keeping the floor covered in pillows just in case. Matter of fact I may not even peek out all day.

I'm Kidding. Bad things connected to Friday the 13th is just a silly superstition. It's a funny source of amusement more than anything else.

I do not believe in Luck good or bad in the traditional way. I do believe in random events that can be shaped by actions of self and others ( in that we make our own luck )

I graduated from Moreno Valley High School on a Friday the 13th. In June. That was a great day for me and a surprise to those who knew me I am sure. Friday June thirteenth. Extra points for the reader who figures out which year. I'll leave you a few clues.

Daylight savings time began earlier that year.
Astronauts set a space endurance record that year
A new Airport is opened in Paris
Atlanta - Fulton County Stadium saw a new world record set
South America got it’s first female head of state.. No not Jungle mom
We had two Presidents that year, one was from California
Stuntman Evel Knievel was all the rage
The world heard some Rumbles in the Jungle, specifically around Kinshasa, Zaire
It was a very important time for Batman

Figure this out and tomorrow could be your lucky day. The winner gets a complementary subscription to my blog. WOW calm down out there.

2009-02-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

Guess who visited our airport .N583CC a Boeing 737-291
Of Pace Airlines operating as flight 3902 for it's return to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina, a 43 minute flight.

Pace is a charter carrier based in North Carolina and was here with the visiting Duke University Basketball team.
Seldom see heavy metal of this size in Anderson.

An interesting note. In normal airline service these planes usually have around 110 seats.

N583CC is unique because it is configured specially for Sports charters with 36 plush seats. Which is pretty nice I suspect if you happen to be over 6 1/2 feet tall.

2009-02-08T00:17:00.007-05:00

Have you ever noticed how things only break late at night, on weekends or whenever it is the worst time?

The sink faucet in our kitchen broke and the water would not stop running. At 10:30 pm on a Saturday night. Not a large issue except that I could not find the pack of replacement washers I usually keep in that junk drawer. Must have use the last of them earlier. Alrighty then! That is frustrating because the last thing I wanted to do was get dressed again and head to Wally World. But where else is open at 10:30? So leaving tools scattered like a true tool man, I changed from my comfortable pj's and slipped my jeans and shoes back on.

On the way over I noticed my truck turn signal had stopped working.... Rats a fuse maybe? Well at least the tail lights are still working. I arrived and see the parking lot is much fuller than I would have imagined. What are all these people buying at quarter to eleven? After parking and walking some distance to the door I find it locked. But wait I thought this was a 24 hour store. It is! The door 75 thousand yards away on the other side is open. Why do they lock one door at night? Is it because criminals only will use the right hand doors? What does it accomplish? Only Mr. Sam knows I guess.

Finally I find the section and arrive in the plumbing department. Would you believe it, no 79 cent little pack of sink washers. They have plenty of the old style but ours is a single handle Delta faucet. I am out of luck. Now I am really frustrated. Can't think of a single place that would have them and be open. Tomorrow is Sunday. and Monday I have all day meetings. Drat !!

Oh well maybe I can fix it and turn the water back on Tuesday. Who needs water in their kitchen anyway, only softies I am certain.

Oh about the truck turn signal. After standing on my head and trouble shooting the fuse box with a flash gripped with my teeth, I have decided the blinker unit is faulty. Tuesday evening is gonna be busy, hope it is still warmer then.

Good night

2009-02-06T12:32:00.000-05:00

One of the things I like about my blog hosting service is that with Blogger you can prepare an entry in advance then have it post at a specific time automatically. The bad news is for me this can lead to time stamp errors. Garbage in garbage out type things.

My Happy Birthday wishes post for Jungle Mom is one of those victims. Written two days ago and scheduled for post at the proper time. But alas I time stamped it wrong and did not notice my error until this morning.

So HAPPY ( belated ) BIRTHDAY ... Sorry I was late, but I was thinking of your special time.

P.S. I hope you are feeling better by the time you read this

I've heard of Disco fever but never Dengue fever. Get well soon.