So it was with some amusement that I stumbled upon this video, which shows the size comparison of the planets in our solar system as compared to stars we've observed ... and beyond. Check it out:
Monday, June 15, 2009
On Humility
When I first got married, my wife and I had this fascinating discussion on the size of the universe. This discussion just about blew a few circuits in her brain because she'd never really contemplated how vast space can be. As for myself, I had long-since wrestled with the fact that We The People are tiny, practically insignificant specks in the grand scheme of things, so it doesn't bother me that much. In my head, I just remember that space just keeps going and going and, at least as far as we're ever likely to be concerned, it doesn't really end. It's like asking the question: what is the biggest number? It's impossible to answer that question, for as soon as you give a number all you have to do is add one and you've got another bigger number.
So it was with some amusement that I stumbled upon this video, which shows the size comparison of the planets in our solar system as compared to stars we've observed ... and beyond. Check it out:
So it was with some amusement that I stumbled upon this video, which shows the size comparison of the planets in our solar system as compared to stars we've observed ... and beyond. Check it out:
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Celebrating Diversity
I'm all for diversity. Really, I am. I feel I'm not racist or sexist, in spite of the fact that I personally live a very "traditional" lifestyle with a wife who stays home with the kids, with myself being the primary bread winner. These two "-ists" are the ones, I believe, that really count in this world, because at the time of a person's birth, one can not choose one's own skin color or gender.
I even feel pretty confident in my ability to appreciate other ethnic cultures. While I don't quite understand why the Chinese New Year or Cinqo de Mayo are such big affairs, I respect people's rights to celebrate and to enjoy themselves on these days. In addition, even though I am not a drinker of alcoholic beverages, I would not dream of denying the Irish their right to imbibe (extensively) on St. Patrick's Day. It's their culture, it's their thing, it's their celebration. Fine. This form of diversity is more about cultural tradition, and this I get. As I respect others rights in this regard, I expect others to allow me to celebrate my own observances as I desire (Pioneer Day anyone?).
When things get a little out of hand, I believe, is when people begin to celebrate "diversity" in the guise of behaviors. To me, the lengths that some people go to in order to find an excuse to celebrate often border on ridiculous. Even so, most of the time, it doesn't bother me when I hear about months or days being set apart to recognize specific things related to stuff that people do. Just in the month of June, for example, we have Black Music Month, Go Skateboarding Day (June 21st), International Surfing Day (near the summer solstice), even Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 25th). These are days that are "quietly" celebrated by people who are interested in these things.
Today, however, I received an email via my work encouraging me to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. As I have extensively said before in this space, I do not feel that I am homophobic; in fact, I have many co-workers whom I see every day that live that lifestyle, and I have a respectful and courteous relationship with them.
Even so, I believe it is very inappropriate for my place of work to advertise this particular observance in an email that is sent to every employee. Again, I'm cool with diversity, but this is not one of the "-ists" or a cultural observance, and can't even be classified under an "American Heritage Event", which is coming up in a few days. This is a celebration of behavior that I do not appreciate, support, or agree with. To me, it's like celebrating alcoholism or adultery -- people are free to engage in said behaviors, but you can't reasonably ask me to support or celebrate it.
The message I received begins:
Message from the Acting Administrator -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
During the month of June, NASA is joining other organizations throughout the United States to observe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.
LGBT Pride Month commemorates the events of June 1969, when patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that was all too common for members of the LGBT community during that era. Celebrating LGBT Pride each June commemorates this act of rejecting discrimination and standing up for the American values of fairness and equality.
(Okay, I get this, and I believe in people's right to be free from harassment. Nevertheless, the reasons for the harassment were the result of elected behavior as practiced by those who were harassed, not due to some innate feature of their persons. This doesn't excuse the harassment in the least, but the scenario is hardly akin to those who were forced to drink from a different drinking fountain because of their skin color, something about which people have no choice. The email continues:)
This month-long observance gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of LGBT Americans and celebrate the many contributions members of the LGBT community make daily to the fabric of American life.
Members of the LGBT community contribute to the richness of our diversity as a country, playing vital roles in all aspects of our nation, including here at NASA today and throughout the history of the space program. LGBT people like Todd Hawley, co-founder of the International Space University, and atmospheric scientist James Pollack have made important contributions that we all have benefitted from.
(Okay, but is this saying that these people were able to serve in these vital roles because they are gay? Or in spite of them being gay? When you get right down to it, does it really matter that they are gay when it comes to performing their work duties? Do I really need to know? To me, the very fact that they are calling out these people's sexual orientation is somewhat demeaning and lessens the importance of their contributions. It's like, "Hey, look, they're gay, and see what they can do! Isn't that special!")
LGBT Pride Month is a reflection of NASA's commitment to inclusiveness across the broad spectrum of our workforce. NASA strives to be a model employer by ensuring it adheres to the principles of inclusion. These principles include fairness and respect for the many different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our employees. We are committed to practicing these principles in all facets of our work.
(So are we talking quotas here? And what about my perspective as one who doesn't approve of the gay and lesbian lifestyle?)
At NASA, we value and acknowledge the many achievements and contributions of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees in working toward the success of our agency. I encourage you to participate in the programs and activities planned at your NASA center in your community for LGBT Pride Month. If there aren't yet planned events at your center, I encourage you to organize one. Take time to learn about the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and celebrate the diversity that has helped shape and strengthen NASA and our nation.
Christopher J. Scolese
Acting Administrator
Yeah, like that's going to happen. There's no way I'm going to throw a party to celebrate a behavior that I feel is morally wrong. Absolutely no way. And I'm expected to go identify people who are gay or lesbian just so I can celebrate their accomplishments? Am I really being encouraged to nose around and find out about people's sex life? Sure sounds like it ...
The whole announcement just seems so ... off. Let's try this. Let's replace "gay" with "married white heterosexual male", and the historical entry with a different one and see how the announcement reads:
Message from Me -- Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month
During the month of November, NASA is joining other organizations throughout the United States to observe Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month.
HMWM Pride Month commemorates the events of November 2008, when married, white male members of the heterosexual community resisted public harassment that was all too common for members of the HMWM community during that era. Celebrating HMWM Pride each November commemorates this act of rejecting discrimination and standing up for the American values of fairness and equality.
This month-long observance gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of HMWM Americans and celebrate the many contributions members of the HMWM community make daily to the fabric of American life.
Members of the HMWM community contribute to the richness of our diversity as a country, playing vital roles in all aspects of our nation, including here at NASA today and throughout the history of the space program. HMWM people like John Glenn, the first American man to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon, have made important contributions that we all have benefitted from.
HMWM Pride Month is a reflection of NASA's commitment to inclusiveness across the broad spectrum of our workforce. NASA strives to be a model employer by ensuring it adheres to the principles of inclusion. These principles include fairness and respect for the many different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our employees. We are committed to practicing these principles in all facets of our work.
At NASA, we value and acknowledge the many achievements and contributions of our heterosexual, married, white male employees in working toward the success of our agency. I encourage you to participate in the programs and activities planned at your NASA center in your community for HMWM Pride Month. If there aren't yet planned events at your center, I encourage you to organize one. Take time to learn about the contributions of heterosexual, married, white male Americans, and celebrate the diversity that has helped shape and strengthen NASA and our nation.
Christopher J. Scolese
Acting Administrator
Hmm, sounds so innocuous, doesn't it? Yet you can bet that if there were even such a thing as Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month, there would be all sorts of public debate about it.
Diversity is good; I wholeheartedly agree. Just don't expect me to celebrate behaviors that I find to be morally reprehensible.
I even feel pretty confident in my ability to appreciate other ethnic cultures. While I don't quite understand why the Chinese New Year or Cinqo de Mayo are such big affairs, I respect people's rights to celebrate and to enjoy themselves on these days. In addition, even though I am not a drinker of alcoholic beverages, I would not dream of denying the Irish their right to imbibe (extensively) on St. Patrick's Day. It's their culture, it's their thing, it's their celebration. Fine. This form of diversity is more about cultural tradition, and this I get. As I respect others rights in this regard, I expect others to allow me to celebrate my own observances as I desire (Pioneer Day anyone?).
When things get a little out of hand, I believe, is when people begin to celebrate "diversity" in the guise of behaviors. To me, the lengths that some people go to in order to find an excuse to celebrate often border on ridiculous. Even so, most of the time, it doesn't bother me when I hear about months or days being set apart to recognize specific things related to stuff that people do. Just in the month of June, for example, we have Black Music Month, Go Skateboarding Day (June 21st), International Surfing Day (near the summer solstice), even Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 25th). These are days that are "quietly" celebrated by people who are interested in these things.
Today, however, I received an email via my work encouraging me to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. As I have extensively said before in this space, I do not feel that I am homophobic; in fact, I have many co-workers whom I see every day that live that lifestyle, and I have a respectful and courteous relationship with them.
Even so, I believe it is very inappropriate for my place of work to advertise this particular observance in an email that is sent to every employee. Again, I'm cool with diversity, but this is not one of the "-ists" or a cultural observance, and can't even be classified under an "American Heritage Event", which is coming up in a few days. This is a celebration of behavior that I do not appreciate, support, or agree with. To me, it's like celebrating alcoholism or adultery -- people are free to engage in said behaviors, but you can't reasonably ask me to support or celebrate it.
The message I received begins:
Message from the Acting Administrator -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
During the month of June, NASA is joining other organizations throughout the United States to observe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.
LGBT Pride Month commemorates the events of June 1969, when patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that was all too common for members of the LGBT community during that era. Celebrating LGBT Pride each June commemorates this act of rejecting discrimination and standing up for the American values of fairness and equality.
(Okay, I get this, and I believe in people's right to be free from harassment. Nevertheless, the reasons for the harassment were the result of elected behavior as practiced by those who were harassed, not due to some innate feature of their persons. This doesn't excuse the harassment in the least, but the scenario is hardly akin to those who were forced to drink from a different drinking fountain because of their skin color, something about which people have no choice. The email continues:)
This month-long observance gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of LGBT Americans and celebrate the many contributions members of the LGBT community make daily to the fabric of American life.
Members of the LGBT community contribute to the richness of our diversity as a country, playing vital roles in all aspects of our nation, including here at NASA today and throughout the history of the space program. LGBT people like Todd Hawley, co-founder of the International Space University, and atmospheric scientist James Pollack have made important contributions that we all have benefitted from.
(Okay, but is this saying that these people were able to serve in these vital roles because they are gay? Or in spite of them being gay? When you get right down to it, does it really matter that they are gay when it comes to performing their work duties? Do I really need to know? To me, the very fact that they are calling out these people's sexual orientation is somewhat demeaning and lessens the importance of their contributions. It's like, "Hey, look, they're gay, and see what they can do! Isn't that special!")
LGBT Pride Month is a reflection of NASA's commitment to inclusiveness across the broad spectrum of our workforce. NASA strives to be a model employer by ensuring it adheres to the principles of inclusion. These principles include fairness and respect for the many different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our employees. We are committed to practicing these principles in all facets of our work.
(So are we talking quotas here? And what about my perspective as one who doesn't approve of the gay and lesbian lifestyle?)
At NASA, we value and acknowledge the many achievements and contributions of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees in working toward the success of our agency. I encourage you to participate in the programs and activities planned at your NASA center in your community for LGBT Pride Month. If there aren't yet planned events at your center, I encourage you to organize one. Take time to learn about the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and celebrate the diversity that has helped shape and strengthen NASA and our nation.
Christopher J. Scolese
Acting Administrator
Yeah, like that's going to happen. There's no way I'm going to throw a party to celebrate a behavior that I feel is morally wrong. Absolutely no way. And I'm expected to go identify people who are gay or lesbian just so I can celebrate their accomplishments? Am I really being encouraged to nose around and find out about people's sex life? Sure sounds like it ...
The whole announcement just seems so ... off. Let's try this. Let's replace "gay" with "married white heterosexual male", and the historical entry with a different one and see how the announcement reads:
Message from Me -- Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month
During the month of November, NASA is joining other organizations throughout the United States to observe Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month.
HMWM Pride Month commemorates the events of November 2008, when married, white male members of the heterosexual community resisted public harassment that was all too common for members of the HMWM community during that era. Celebrating HMWM Pride each November commemorates this act of rejecting discrimination and standing up for the American values of fairness and equality.
This month-long observance gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of HMWM Americans and celebrate the many contributions members of the HMWM community make daily to the fabric of American life.
Members of the HMWM community contribute to the richness of our diversity as a country, playing vital roles in all aspects of our nation, including here at NASA today and throughout the history of the space program. HMWM people like John Glenn, the first American man to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon, have made important contributions that we all have benefitted from.
HMWM Pride Month is a reflection of NASA's commitment to inclusiveness across the broad spectrum of our workforce. NASA strives to be a model employer by ensuring it adheres to the principles of inclusion. These principles include fairness and respect for the many different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our employees. We are committed to practicing these principles in all facets of our work.
At NASA, we value and acknowledge the many achievements and contributions of our heterosexual, married, white male employees in working toward the success of our agency. I encourage you to participate in the programs and activities planned at your NASA center in your community for HMWM Pride Month. If there aren't yet planned events at your center, I encourage you to organize one. Take time to learn about the contributions of heterosexual, married, white male Americans, and celebrate the diversity that has helped shape and strengthen NASA and our nation.
Christopher J. Scolese
Acting Administrator
Hmm, sounds so innocuous, doesn't it? Yet you can bet that if there were even such a thing as Heterosexual, Married, White Male Pride Month, there would be all sorts of public debate about it.
Diversity is good; I wholeheartedly agree. Just don't expect me to celebrate behaviors that I find to be morally reprehensible.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The State of the Family
My wife is sick, which means the whole family is more than slightly dysfunctional. I don't know how we would ever survive if something happened to her long-term. She was really quite down and needed the rest, so I took the kids on the pre-planned excursion that she so wanted to attend, but I did so with the hopes of giving her some quiet time alone. What did she do with it? Mostly just zombied around the house. (Is that a word? It is now ...)
The excursion was pretty fun. We drove to Santa Monica and forked over the 10 bucks to park by the beach. Then we took our bicycles and, with my youngest in a bicycle trailer, we hauled ourselves from the northernmost part of "the strand" at Will Rogers State Beach to the Santa Monica pier. A few things happened along the way:
-- I accidentally left my biking gloves (which I've had for ten years and absolutely LOVE!) by one of the bathrooms and two minutes later returned to find them gone. Things that are not bolted down go fast at the beach.
-- My youngest (4-years-old and 30 pounds light) is too old for a bicycle trailer, but he's a good sport because he likes to go fast. Every time I twisted behind me to ask him how he was doing, he'd smile up at me and say, "Good!"
-- Riding downwind is better done on the return leg of the trip. Duh.
-- My two older children have absolutely no idea what I mean when I say, "You! Have! To! Keep! To! The! Right!!" Seriously, they about got killed several times by fast-moving bicyclists, who literally came screeching to a halt when one of my children veered in front of them. I'm surprised I didn't get beat up for not teaching my children proper bicycle trail protocol. My exasperated apologies were well-received, though, and I'm grateful to report that most people have a sense of humor.
-- I was so afraid to leave the bikes behind, due to the earlier Stolen Biking Gloves Incident, that even though they were locked up at the Santa Monica Pier, we didn't even get out onto the pier to go explore the sights. My bicycle lock couldn't chain up the trailer very well, and we had all our stuff just sitting in it, so I most definitely did not feel comfortable being out of sight. Luckily, the kids were so tired, I don't think they really noticed that we actually didn't go to the rollercoaster or the ferris wheel.
-- Crabs are cool. I actually caught one (it was a slow-moving one) and held it, while my oldest son completely freaked out. He doesn't like sea creatures with legs; don't ask me why. The poor little thing was trying its darnedest to pinch me, but, as I said, it was a slow-moving one ...
My wife was a total trooper today, though. She made us lunch before sending us off, and we were gone for over four hours. We returned to find her asleep (I think). My youngest also passed out in the van on the way home, so with both of them down for a nap, the two oldest kids and I tried to stay quiet.
Nevertheless, she woke up soon after our return, and so I tried to keep her resting. Therefore, all afternoon we just had to watch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." My daughter is now obsessed with aliens, and has been talking about them all night. She's quick to bounce from one fanciful thing to another. I told her that most movies with aliens in them are actually about mean aliens, and she didn't believe me. If she were 13, I'd show her Independence Day ...
Maybe we can show her Invasion of the Body Snatchers ... the old one ... yeah ... that'd scare (scar?) her.
In any case, I'm just trying to make my wife comfortable tonight. She sat and croaked me instructions for assembling dinner, and I did my best. It worked out well -- all, again, thanks to her. She is a light in our life that even when she's ill can't really be dimmed. So, I'll get her some hot cocoa tonight, have her sit on the couch zoning at the TV, then probably put her to bed early. And, hopefully, maybe, she might be a bit better in the morning ...
The excursion was pretty fun. We drove to Santa Monica and forked over the 10 bucks to park by the beach. Then we took our bicycles and, with my youngest in a bicycle trailer, we hauled ourselves from the northernmost part of "the strand" at Will Rogers State Beach to the Santa Monica pier. A few things happened along the way:
-- I accidentally left my biking gloves (which I've had for ten years and absolutely LOVE!) by one of the bathrooms and two minutes later returned to find them gone. Things that are not bolted down go fast at the beach.
-- My youngest (4-years-old and 30 pounds light) is too old for a bicycle trailer, but he's a good sport because he likes to go fast. Every time I twisted behind me to ask him how he was doing, he'd smile up at me and say, "Good!"
-- Riding downwind is better done on the return leg of the trip. Duh.
-- My two older children have absolutely no idea what I mean when I say, "You! Have! To! Keep! To! The! Right!!" Seriously, they about got killed several times by fast-moving bicyclists, who literally came screeching to a halt when one of my children veered in front of them. I'm surprised I didn't get beat up for not teaching my children proper bicycle trail protocol. My exasperated apologies were well-received, though, and I'm grateful to report that most people have a sense of humor.
-- I was so afraid to leave the bikes behind, due to the earlier Stolen Biking Gloves Incident, that even though they were locked up at the Santa Monica Pier, we didn't even get out onto the pier to go explore the sights. My bicycle lock couldn't chain up the trailer very well, and we had all our stuff just sitting in it, so I most definitely did not feel comfortable being out of sight. Luckily, the kids were so tired, I don't think they really noticed that we actually didn't go to the rollercoaster or the ferris wheel.
-- Crabs are cool. I actually caught one (it was a slow-moving one) and held it, while my oldest son completely freaked out. He doesn't like sea creatures with legs; don't ask me why. The poor little thing was trying its darnedest to pinch me, but, as I said, it was a slow-moving one ...
My wife was a total trooper today, though. She made us lunch before sending us off, and we were gone for over four hours. We returned to find her asleep (I think). My youngest also passed out in the van on the way home, so with both of them down for a nap, the two oldest kids and I tried to stay quiet.
Nevertheless, she woke up soon after our return, and so I tried to keep her resting. Therefore, all afternoon we just had to watch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." My daughter is now obsessed with aliens, and has been talking about them all night. She's quick to bounce from one fanciful thing to another. I told her that most movies with aliens in them are actually about mean aliens, and she didn't believe me. If she were 13, I'd show her Independence Day ...
Maybe we can show her Invasion of the Body Snatchers ... the old one ... yeah ... that'd scare (scar?) her.
In any case, I'm just trying to make my wife comfortable tonight. She sat and croaked me instructions for assembling dinner, and I did my best. It worked out well -- all, again, thanks to her. She is a light in our life that even when she's ill can't really be dimmed. So, I'll get her some hot cocoa tonight, have her sit on the couch zoning at the TV, then probably put her to bed early. And, hopefully, maybe, she might be a bit better in the morning ...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Our Awesome Weekend
My wife and I ran away this weekend. We went a whole whoppin' 45 minutes south to a hotel near Universal Studios where we went to the park on Friday. That night, we went another hour and a half south (driving time) to Redondo Beach, where we rode bikes up and down the "strand" for three hours on Saturday.
Thursday night, our stay at the hotel began with a wonderful trip to the hotel's hot tub. We spent about the same amount of time in the hot tub on Friday night. Seeing as my wife hasn't had the chance to enjoy hot tubs that much because we usually have little kids with us on the rare occasions we travel and stay in hotels, it was quite a treat. We basically did absolutely nothing and just enjoyed each others company.
Friday's trip to Universal Studios was great. We've lived in California for over ten years now, and this was the first time we have gone. It was really fun, though in hindsight, it was far too active for us. Our leisurely day at the beach was more our speed for the "run away" trip we hoped to have. Nevertheless, the park was fun, and we enjoyed it slowly. The park was quite empty, in fact, during most of the morning; we were able to ride the Mummy ride four times in a row without waiting. Totally cool -- trips like that to amusement parks are awesome.
We went to Rubio's for lunch, and the burritos we had were divine. (The "Healthmex" ones ... totally worth it.)
We went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner, and had a wonderful meal there, too.
Saturday we returned and I had the best hamburger I believe I have ever had in my entire life. It was so big it wouldn't even fit in my mouth. I mentioned to my wife that I think all those fancy restaurants that serve itty-bitty dishes of hoity-toity food are for the birds. For pure, manly, decadent satisfaction, a good, juicy burger with well-done fries beats that kind of stuff any day of the week. And this burger, with little onion rings and deep fried shrimp was simply astonishing. I think I've got a picture around here somewhere ...
Our trip down the "strand" was great. My wife isn't a big believer in bike riding, but I think she's now a believer in riding along the coast. With no hills to speak of (the true source of her bicycle fear), it was a casual trip where we didn't worry about a thing. We spent some time at a little aquarium on a pier, and just enjoyed the casual ride.
We dreamed of buying a little condo there, but saw the sales price for one condo at $4.6 million and decided it really wasn't that important to us. We are now planning to bring the kids and do it again sometime soon.
Some friends of ours watched the kids (thank you, thank you, thank you, all!), and it was funny to come back and see how exhausted they are. My oldest actually fell asleep during sacrament meeting this morning, and my youngest has been whiny every second of the day.
We are so glad we went on this trip, but are kind of dreading having to be grown-ups again.
Editor's Note: Apologies if bad English this entry has, I'm so mellow right now, I don't really care. All your base are belong to us.
Thursday night, our stay at the hotel began with a wonderful trip to the hotel's hot tub. We spent about the same amount of time in the hot tub on Friday night. Seeing as my wife hasn't had the chance to enjoy hot tubs that much because we usually have little kids with us on the rare occasions we travel and stay in hotels, it was quite a treat. We basically did absolutely nothing and just enjoyed each others company.
Friday's trip to Universal Studios was great. We've lived in California for over ten years now, and this was the first time we have gone. It was really fun, though in hindsight, it was far too active for us. Our leisurely day at the beach was more our speed for the "run away" trip we hoped to have. Nevertheless, the park was fun, and we enjoyed it slowly. The park was quite empty, in fact, during most of the morning; we were able to ride the Mummy ride four times in a row without waiting. Totally cool -- trips like that to amusement parks are awesome.
We went to Rubio's for lunch, and the burritos we had were divine. (The "Healthmex" ones ... totally worth it.)
We went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner, and had a wonderful meal there, too.
Saturday we returned and I had the best hamburger I believe I have ever had in my entire life. It was so big it wouldn't even fit in my mouth. I mentioned to my wife that I think all those fancy restaurants that serve itty-bitty dishes of hoity-toity food are for the birds. For pure, manly, decadent satisfaction, a good, juicy burger with well-done fries beats that kind of stuff any day of the week. And this burger, with little onion rings and deep fried shrimp was simply astonishing. I think I've got a picture around here somewhere ...
Our trip down the "strand" was great. My wife isn't a big believer in bike riding, but I think she's now a believer in riding along the coast. With no hills to speak of (the true source of her bicycle fear), it was a casual trip where we didn't worry about a thing. We spent some time at a little aquarium on a pier, and just enjoyed the casual ride.
We dreamed of buying a little condo there, but saw the sales price for one condo at $4.6 million and decided it really wasn't that important to us. We are now planning to bring the kids and do it again sometime soon.Some friends of ours watched the kids (thank you, thank you, thank you, all!), and it was funny to come back and see how exhausted they are. My oldest actually fell asleep during sacrament meeting this morning, and my youngest has been whiny every second of the day.
We are so glad we went on this trip, but are kind of dreading having to be grown-ups again.
Editor's Note: Apologies if bad English this entry has, I'm so mellow right now, I don't really care. All your base are belong to us.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Busy Busy Not So Busy Few Weeks
After my wife finished with the play, we have pretty much been rebelling against doing anything that takes us away from home. This means that we haven't done very much. Even so, I feel like I've been busy. A really quick run-down of my life the past few weeks:
-- 16 May: Went to the play that evening. It was great, but it went long and I was tired.
-- 17 May: Went to the Stake Priesthood Leadership Meeting early Sunday morning, then went to church and was there for a while, helping the bishop do interviews in the afternoon. Came home and then went home teaching. Then we watched the Survivor finale.
-- 18 May: Worked from home all day. It was a good, productive day.
-- 19 May: Went to a class for work all day -- it wasn't until lunch time that I realized I'd already taken it ... The Elders came over for dinner that night, then we watched American Idol in realtime for the first time this season.
-- 20 May: Went to work, then did ... something that night ...
-- 21 May: Went to work and had lunch with a good friend of mine. Then came home and skipped out on a church training meeting I was supposed to attend. I just needed to be home, and to watch the American Idol finale ...
-- 22 May: Went to the temple in the morning, then to the Fathers and Sons campout in the afternoon. We were the first ones there, and me and my two boys had a great time. My oldest is a true fire bug.
-- 23 May: Went home, washed the kids, put stuff away, then vegetated the rest of the day. We finally got around to watching the Lost finale (way cool, by the way).
-- 24 May: Wasn't feeling very well, so I didn't go to church (*gasp*). Stayed home and watched Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon episodes. Pathetic, I know. We watched old Stargate Atlantis episodes that night.
-- 25 May: Still wasn't feeling well, but it was Memorial Day, so we did have a barbecue and played some games. Not a bad day. My wife bought "Boom Blox" for the Wii, and our arms are sore.
Okay, so reading this, you'd think my life revolves around TV. You'd be totally wrong. This has just been a rebellion week. And one where both my wife and I just really needed to chill. Tonight we intend to veg some more, and the next night, too. Then on Thursday, my wife and I are going on a two-night excursion, just the two of us. It'll be awesome to just get away. Summer is here, and I ain't mindin'.
-- 16 May: Went to the play that evening. It was great, but it went long and I was tired.
-- 17 May: Went to the Stake Priesthood Leadership Meeting early Sunday morning, then went to church and was there for a while, helping the bishop do interviews in the afternoon. Came home and then went home teaching. Then we watched the Survivor finale.
-- 18 May: Worked from home all day. It was a good, productive day.
-- 19 May: Went to a class for work all day -- it wasn't until lunch time that I realized I'd already taken it ... The Elders came over for dinner that night, then we watched American Idol in realtime for the first time this season.
-- 20 May: Went to work, then did ... something that night ...
-- 21 May: Went to work and had lunch with a good friend of mine. Then came home and skipped out on a church training meeting I was supposed to attend. I just needed to be home, and to watch the American Idol finale ...
-- 22 May: Went to the temple in the morning, then to the Fathers and Sons campout in the afternoon. We were the first ones there, and me and my two boys had a great time. My oldest is a true fire bug.
-- 23 May: Went home, washed the kids, put stuff away, then vegetated the rest of the day. We finally got around to watching the Lost finale (way cool, by the way).
-- 24 May: Wasn't feeling very well, so I didn't go to church (*gasp*). Stayed home and watched Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon episodes. Pathetic, I know. We watched old Stargate Atlantis episodes that night.
-- 25 May: Still wasn't feeling well, but it was Memorial Day, so we did have a barbecue and played some games. Not a bad day. My wife bought "Boom Blox" for the Wii, and our arms are sore.
Okay, so reading this, you'd think my life revolves around TV. You'd be totally wrong. This has just been a rebellion week. And one where both my wife and I just really needed to chill. Tonight we intend to veg some more, and the next night, too. Then on Thursday, my wife and I are going on a two-night excursion, just the two of us. It'll be awesome to just get away. Summer is here, and I ain't mindin'.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Beautiful Thing
This video is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Watch it in HD ... and wait for it. Wow.
Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Garage Sale
We're doing a garage sale tomorrow. We have so much stuff to get rid of, it's ridiculous. Our dryer gave up on us two weeks ago, so last week we bought a new washer and dryer, so we've got to get rid of the old ones. We're dumping piles of baby stuff we've been hanging on to for a long time. The kids all went through their toys and picked out stuff to save. My wife and I have a ton of clothes to sell, too, due to our recent weight loss. We even have not-terribly-old computer stuff to sell: an old CRT monitor, a scanner, even a SCSI card. It'll basically be a bonanza for people, if they show up. Hopefully we have good crowds, because we do have good stuff. We'll see!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Just Saw Star Trek
Spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
I absolutely loved it. It was a really good "reboot" to the series, which it most certainly, clearly will be. I understand they're already in negotiations for two more movies ...
One thing I'm a little unhappy about, though, is that they ignored one of the most "sacred" things about Vulcans and their culture that is actually quite central to the reason they are the way they are. Vulcans don't, under any circumstances, like to be touched. This is because of the whole mind-meld thing -- touching is a very intimate and personal thing for them, and yet in this movie, it was flagrantly violated.
Another thing I was kind of unhappy about is that the whole thing basically wipes out all that we know and love from the original Star Trek series, The Next Generation, DS-9, and Voyager. (Enterprise, arguably the weakest series of the bunch, should be considered "untouched".) ALL of the storylines effectively don't exist now ... kind of a bummer.
I loved, loved, loved all the "Easter eggs" in the movie. I regularly saw (and heard) things that made me giggle.
I also loved that they spent a little bit of time with each of the major characters. Each one of them played a key role in the resolution of the story, and I thought it was wonderful that it worked out that way. Even Chekov, who was often just a wall-flower in the original series, had a key role in this film. I was very pleased to see them being true to who the characters were (except maybe Uhura ... what gives?!), even though the circumstances of the story were intentionally different than what we've been used to.
And two Spocks! How cool is that ...
Normally, time travel stories end with the original, "correct" timeline being reinstated. Not so this time, which makes me sad because of all the emotional involvement I have with the other series, but it does make me very curious to see things happen "again" with the new timeline. It'd be fascinating to see a re-introduction of the Dominion, the Ferengi, Q, and (wow!) the Borg, etc.
We're in for interesting times ...
I absolutely loved it. It was a really good "reboot" to the series, which it most certainly, clearly will be. I understand they're already in negotiations for two more movies ...
One thing I'm a little unhappy about, though, is that they ignored one of the most "sacred" things about Vulcans and their culture that is actually quite central to the reason they are the way they are. Vulcans don't, under any circumstances, like to be touched. This is because of the whole mind-meld thing -- touching is a very intimate and personal thing for them, and yet in this movie, it was flagrantly violated.
Another thing I was kind of unhappy about is that the whole thing basically wipes out all that we know and love from the original Star Trek series, The Next Generation, DS-9, and Voyager. (Enterprise, arguably the weakest series of the bunch, should be considered "untouched".) ALL of the storylines effectively don't exist now ... kind of a bummer.
I loved, loved, loved all the "Easter eggs" in the movie. I regularly saw (and heard) things that made me giggle.
I also loved that they spent a little bit of time with each of the major characters. Each one of them played a key role in the resolution of the story, and I thought it was wonderful that it worked out that way. Even Chekov, who was often just a wall-flower in the original series, had a key role in this film. I was very pleased to see them being true to who the characters were (except maybe Uhura ... what gives?!), even though the circumstances of the story were intentionally different than what we've been used to.
And two Spocks! How cool is that ...
Normally, time travel stories end with the original, "correct" timeline being reinstated. Not so this time, which makes me sad because of all the emotional involvement I have with the other series, but it does make me very curious to see things happen "again" with the new timeline. It'd be fascinating to see a re-introduction of the Dominion, the Ferengi, Q, and (wow!) the Borg, etc.
We're in for interesting times ...
In Less Than 2 Hours ...
... I will be sitting in a movie theater watching the new "Star Trek"! How awesome is that! I couldn't call myself a red-blooded, American nerd and NOT go see Star Trek on opening day ...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Take Your Child to Work Day
A few weeks back I took my oldest son to work with me. It was the first time I could because my work doesn't let you bring them unless they're 9 years old. He had been there before for the yearly open house my work puts on, so very little of what we did was a surprise to him. Nevertheless, there was something special about him getting his own name badge and walking through security like he was a real employee.
There were booths with activities for the kids, but they mostly seemed aimed at a younger crowd, which was odd since my son was among the youngest ones there, and the activities were a little too young for him. Even so, there were plenty of people who were interested, and the lines were long.
Instead of waiting in the long lines, we went to an auditorium where a fellow was giving a presentation on what it takes to build a spacecraft. It was quite funny. He asked for about two dozen volunteers (only one adult went, and my son was being shy for some bizarre reason), and then he divided them into different tasks.
Five of them he had walk in a tight circle, as if they were the planet "popcorn" spinning on its axis. He took eight of them and had them line up as if they were a launch vehicle (pointed sideways). The rest he identified as different components on the spacecraft, such as the spacecraft bus, the solar arrays, the computer, and most importantly the science instruments, such as the salt-ometer, the butter-ometer, and the caramel-ometer. What better sensors are there to explore a popcorn planet?
It was a kick, especially when the rocket "launched" and all the kids bunched up on their way to the "planet", which by then was composed of the five really bored kids who had been dutifully walking in circles for about twenty minutes like so many zombies.
Afterwards, we went over to a grassy area where we could roll up some paper to make a "rocket" that we could then launch by stomping on a 2-liter bottle. His rocket had three fins and was pretty good, though when it was his turn, he didn't stomp very hard, so it didn't go as far as we both thought it could have. He chased it down, and decided he didn't want to wait in line again to launch it again. (Since his science fair project last month was on model rockets, and he had launched real model rockets before, this wasn't exactly compelling stuff ...)
Instead, we headed down to the clean rooms where we went to the observation room. There we saw the components of the Mars Surface Laboratory. He was very impressed by that, and loved the fact that he was looking at stuff that was going to Mars, never to be seen by human eyes again (possibly). Pretty cool stuff. There was a man there who had his older teenage son (eyes rolling, looking bored) who was more than delighted to fill my younger and more eager son's ears with information about the spacecraft; the man, apparently, was part of the group developing the flight software. My son was in heaven.
We went to lunch (we had awesome pizza), walked around the laboratory (he was impressed by the machine shop), and I showed him my office (which he loved, though it's just a cubicle with a bunch of computer screens). I had a dentist appointment that afternoon (two cavities ...) so we called it an early day. On the way out, I realized we hadn't taken a picture of the two of us together, so as we were walking out, I took a self-portrait of us. Check out our nerdy engineer shirts. You can see he had a smile on his face, and that made it a very good day indeed.
There were booths with activities for the kids, but they mostly seemed aimed at a younger crowd, which was odd since my son was among the youngest ones there, and the activities were a little too young for him. Even so, there were plenty of people who were interested, and the lines were long.
Instead of waiting in the long lines, we went to an auditorium where a fellow was giving a presentation on what it takes to build a spacecraft. It was quite funny. He asked for about two dozen volunteers (only one adult went, and my son was being shy for some bizarre reason), and then he divided them into different tasks.
Five of them he had walk in a tight circle, as if they were the planet "popcorn" spinning on its axis. He took eight of them and had them line up as if they were a launch vehicle (pointed sideways). The rest he identified as different components on the spacecraft, such as the spacecraft bus, the solar arrays, the computer, and most importantly the science instruments, such as the salt-ometer, the butter-ometer, and the caramel-ometer. What better sensors are there to explore a popcorn planet?
It was a kick, especially when the rocket "launched" and all the kids bunched up on their way to the "planet", which by then was composed of the five really bored kids who had been dutifully walking in circles for about twenty minutes like so many zombies.
Afterwards, we went over to a grassy area where we could roll up some paper to make a "rocket" that we could then launch by stomping on a 2-liter bottle. His rocket had three fins and was pretty good, though when it was his turn, he didn't stomp very hard, so it didn't go as far as we both thought it could have. He chased it down, and decided he didn't want to wait in line again to launch it again. (Since his science fair project last month was on model rockets, and he had launched real model rockets before, this wasn't exactly compelling stuff ...)
Instead, we headed down to the clean rooms where we went to the observation room. There we saw the components of the Mars Surface Laboratory. He was very impressed by that, and loved the fact that he was looking at stuff that was going to Mars, never to be seen by human eyes again (possibly). Pretty cool stuff. There was a man there who had his older teenage son (eyes rolling, looking bored) who was more than delighted to fill my younger and more eager son's ears with information about the spacecraft; the man, apparently, was part of the group developing the flight software. My son was in heaven.
We went to lunch (we had awesome pizza), walked around the laboratory (he was impressed by the machine shop), and I showed him my office (which he loved, though it's just a cubicle with a bunch of computer screens). I had a dentist appointment that afternoon (two cavities ...) so we called it an early day. On the way out, I realized we hadn't taken a picture of the two of us together, so as we were walking out, I took a self-portrait of us. Check out our nerdy engineer shirts. You can see he had a smile on his face, and that made it a very good day indeed.
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