Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

A friend of mine told me today that his wife has "plans for me."

This does not bode well, as being "set up" with a woman has never went well, where I am concerned.

Every time, the woman has something mentally "unbalanced" about them.

Five Years

Ago, I remember where I was. I think everyone above a certain age does.

I really can't say "my generation" because multiple generations area around, and "my generation" has had several of "these days" in the past.

January 28, 1986 - I remember exactly where I was when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up.

February 1, 2003 - I remember exactly where I was when the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed.

And of course, I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. What I originally wrote has been lost (mainly because after I calmed down a bit I erased it, but there is still part of it online.

An Anniversary

40 years ago this evening, Star Trek debuted on television.

Although I don't remember the day exactly (being a really little kid), I can remember the first episode I saw.

It was The Corbomite Maneuver, and it was November 10, 1966. I remember sitting on the floor in the living room at my cousin's house, and being scared when the bit "ping pong ball" ship - the Fesarius - approached really close to the Enterprise.

I've been a far since that day, but my fandom has been tested, mainly by the debacle that was Voyager, Enterprise, and the movie Nemesis. Of course, those were the "genius" of Rick Berman, who is an idiot. He's directly to blame for the floundering of Trek in recent years. Good thing he's gone now.

I'll post more later, as I reminisce more.

About The Baby

It's going to cost the people across the street nearly $1000 to fix the damage to my car.

They better frackin' pay up!!!

Aughh!! My Baby!!

I've had my car nearly four years now... beautiful Kaylee (I always name my cars after the first girl that sat in it). I treat her as carefully as I can, because who knows when I'll be able to get another one.

But tonight I failed her.

I had parked in the street in front of the house all day, so we could get the van in and out. And after dinner, the neighbor across the street backed out and hit my car!!!

Oh she was apologetic, and they have insurance. But my car has been violated in the worst way. Yeah, it can get fixed, but my Kaylee will never be the same. She'll be damaged for the rest of her life.

I failed her.

Pluto is Just Mickey's Dog now

It's official - there are only eight planets in the solar system. Pluto got demoted.

Pluto Demoted

Can't say that I'm surprised. But also, I can't say I'm sorry.

And I'm sure the debate will rage on for years.

Forum? Fiveum? Sixum?

Almost looks like I'm reverting back to the old ways on the internet. No, I'm not getting back into the whole "chat room" thing.

No, logging into forums. I've always been in a couple of them, even though I don't post to them much. But this past weekend I've joined three more. Actually I formed one of them for my local astronomy club, and I hope it's well-used by the members.

Does the Dark Really Matter?

Of course it does.

Word is getting out that there has been a breakthrough in the search for proof of Dark Matter. Here's the Press Release, and also more in depth commentary by Sean Carroll of the University of Chicago.

My friend Jake, who's a genius anyways, had this to say...

Okay. I can summarize the 'importance of the result.'

So: everyone knows dark matter is right. I mean, my opinion (and that of all my colleagues in high energy physics and cosmology) has been 'it is 99% likely that dark matter exists and it is composed of new matter particles.' I see no reason to suspect that demanding the existence of new particles as being 'hard to believe'---partly because such new particles are obviously predicted by theories without any reference to dark matter.

nonetheless…

The astro community (which I find hard to comprehend oftentimes) would rather believe that we don't understand anything (e.g. MOND=general relativity is wrong for no good reason) than believe that new particles exist beyond those in stars

Anyway, this result shows that dark matter does in fact exist, which everyone outside of astronomy has known since 1933.

(Note: Just as an FYI: "MOND" = Modified Newtonian Dynamics - a theory that explains the galaxy rotation problem without assuming the existence of dark matter.)

Just How Many Planets?

From the IAU (International Astronomical Union)

The IAU draft definition of "planet" and "plutons"

16. August 2006, Prague

The world's astronomers, under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), have concluded two years of work defining the difference between "planets" and the smaller "solar system bodies" such as comets and asteroids. If the definition is approved by the astronomers gathered 14-25 August 2006 at the IAU General Assembly in Prague, our Solar System will include 12 planets, with more to come: eight classical planets that dominate the system, three planets in a new and growing category of "plutons" - Pluto-like objects - and Ceres. Pluto remains a planet and is the prototype for the new category of "plutons."

So if this passes, we will immediately jump from nine planets to twelve. The new ones will be Ceres, Charon (currently Pluto's moon), and UB313 (it's current designation - a new name will come later).

I may only have one week to still say that I have seen every planet in the solar system. Because as of next Friday, it won't be true.

I Can See For Miles....

At 1:04pm EDT, or 17:04 UT, the odometer in my car turned 70,000 miles.

Guess I need to stop driving so much.

Flitting

While trying (unsuccessfully) to take photos of hummingbirds in the back yard, I just happened upon a butterfly on one of our bushes.

You can see the images at my website.

The Birthday Conundrum

I had a birthday recently (extremely recently – but I won’t tell you when), and got the usual grief from my family about not celebrating nor caring about it.

For the past few years we haven’t really celebrated any of our birthdays in the family, mainly because my brother and I have been “adults” for a long time now, and are past the “kids party” stuff. Now it’s perhaps a card, perhaps a gift. Nothing really big.

I guess my problem has to do with the sappy way everyone gets when it’s a birthday. People use their “cute” voice when they talk to you on that day, and heck, even my mom – in a “cute voice” – asked “well, and now how old are you today?” Frack, she knows how old I am; she was there, I think.

I guess I’m just embarrassed by the whole thing. But on the other hand, I don’t mind helping other people celebrate their birthday. Perhaps it’s because I’m not the “center of attention” if it’s someone else’s day.

(Now, those of you who think you know me are probably saying “but Kevin loves to be the center of attention!” But you are dead wrong. There’s too much pressure being the center of attention.)

A part of me does like the attention; the recognition. But I have always existed more with my head than my gut, and logic tells me that this “craving of attention and recognition” is wrong. So I get embarrassed.

I’ve always found it hard to talk about myself. Heck, if you look at our club’s newsletter, you will rarely see my name in it. Mainly because I write the thing, and can’t “toot my own horn” at all. It seems wrong some how. And that also is the reason I don’t have a “bio” on our club’s website. I’m not good at that stuff. Oh, I can write about others, but not about me.

So, where does that leave birthdays? Do I just leave the day out there, and let people know, so each year they can offer me well-wishes? Or do I still keep the date to myself, and then sulk about how no one cares? But I don’t think I really sulk; it just seems that way to me.

I guess it all goes back to not being a very open and trusting person, I reckon. And I don’t know, after all these years/decades, that I can change. Or perhaps because I don’t have anyone in my life to share it with (I’m talking a significant other, not family).

However... Happy Birthday to me.

Whenever it was.

Doing My Civic Duty - But Why Today?

Well, I have done my civic duty, as I went up and voted in the state primary. I tweaked my morning walk so I would go right past the polling place, and just stopped in on my way past.

As usual, there's really no one good to vote for, especially here in Michigan, where you can't split your ticket. I'm neither a republican nor democrat, but you have to vote for one party (if you want to vote in that area at all).

But why have the primary today, of all days? Sure, it's the second Tuesday of the month, but on the 8th? That's sacrelidge.

Dr. Tyson Speaks!!

Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson - who is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, among other things - was the guest Blogger on the Planetary Society's weblog (Emily Lakdawalla is on maternity leave - congrats Emily!!), and he had some great things to say. Here are the links to his weblogs...

Appetite for the Cosmos: The Fan
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Janitor
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Cabbie
Appetite for the Cosmos: The UPS Delivery Guy
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Sanitation Truck Driver

I had to drop him a note expressing my admiration for what he wrote. I also suggested that he perhaps think of doing something like that all the time, just like Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer.

We'll see if I get a reply.

It's Invaded my Brain!!!!

Was just out mowing the lawn.

So why do I have the Nick Gilder song "Hot Child in the City" running through my head?

Does anyone know?

The Sounds of Sirens

Man, I just love the first Friday of the month during the Spring - Fall. Right at noon.

That's when they test the tornado (civil defense) sirens.

I love to sit outside and listen.

Good times.... good times..

Looking for Dust

I'm now officially part of the "Stardust@Home" project.

What is that, you say?

Well, it's a world-wide effort by scientists to find particles of cometary material in the returned sample from the Stardust mission to Comet Wild2.

It's pretty fun, and I like it better than when I did Seti@Home.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Julie.

Don't see ya much anymore, but I still remember my "little baby sisters'" birthday.

Cops for Pets

Was watching "Animal Cops: Houston" tonight, and it just makes me sick how some idiots have animals and abuse them.

I think that if you abuse a pet, you should have the same abuse given to you, only doubly so.

Girls Girls Girls

Hmm. I might have dissed a girl I know tonight, but I'm not sure.

I was out and about, and walking into this establishment in town, when I felt a (kind of) tap on my shoulder and someone say "Kevin?" At the time I thought I was late for something, and it didn't really register. Man, I hoipe it wasn't Cat, or Kate, or Steph. At the time those are the only ones I can think of.

Oh well. If you were the girl, drop me a note or call me.

Back in Time

This is sort of cryptic, but I'll understand.

Tonight I went back to November 17th, 1987.

Something that happened today directly links to my situation on that day. And I'm pretty damn happy about it.

The Guitar God II

Got my tickets for Clapton!!

Great seats, can't wait for the concert!

The Guitar God

Great music news!!!

Eric Clapton is coming to town!!!

September 21st - I'll be there!!!

Got Towel?

Today is Towel Day. Everyone Celebrate.

Not sure what it is? Read This

A Voice Returns

"Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that there is anyone who will come and save us from ourselves."

Word has reached me today that there is going to be a new book out by Carl Sagan.
"But Kevin," you say. "Sagan passed away almost 10 years ago!" Well, some of his lactures are being released in book form.

"The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God."

Here's a short interview with his wife, Ann Druyan.
And please read "The Sagan File."

This is wonderful news. I can't wait until November.

We have the technology

No posts for a while, but I guess there's a good reason.

I had a small heart problem. Now I have two stents in my ticker, and am going to get my ass in gear and shape up. I might not be posting about it here, but I'll be doing it. And it looks like I've got some friends who are gonig to help me.

It's funny, but before this happened I actually thought no one really cared about me. Now, I guess they do. I've got a long way to go, and it will be hard, but I've now had the wake up call to get me there. It's God's plan.

The Right Stuff Loses a Member

I just read online that Scott Crossfield has died. Some won't know who he is, but I do. He was the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound, after Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947.

His Cessna crashed - possibly due to bad weather - in the mountains of North Georgia.

Somewhere a lone bugler is playing "Taps" and planes are flying over with a spot open for him.

Godspeed Scott.

Storms A Comin'

I'm just going to plug an item everyone should think about getting, especially those who live in bad weather areas.

It's a NOAA Weather Alert radio.

During severe weather, you can't always rely on the sirens going off - or your hearing them. That is, even if your town has warning sirens. And you can't trust the television stations either. What if they are off the air, or you don't have power?

The weather alert radios have a battery backup, so they will work without power if needed. If you don't know what they are, here's a quick overview...

It's just a small radio that is tuned to your local NWS (National Weather Service) office. When they send out watches and warnings, the first thing they do (I'm making this really simple) is trigger an alert tone to all radios set to their frequency. This tone "turns on" weather radios with an extremely loud alert siren/tone. This is followed by the actual alert which is read over the air.

I've done some timings in my area, and usually my radio "tones" up to 3-4 minutes ahead of the television stations alerting the public, and even the sirens going off (if it's a tornado warning). And those 3-4 minutes could save my life if there's somethign headed right at me.

(Of course, since I'm a weather chaser, I'm "out in it" anyways. )

There are several cities in the US near "tornado alley" where having a weather radio is "mandatory." Just like smoke detectors.

you can pick them up at local Radio Shacks or other electronic stores. They aren't that expensive, and the nice thing now is they come with SAME technology.

SAME, or Specific Area Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county- or independent city-based (parish-based in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties. Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live.

Also, on some models, you can have it "ignore" warnings that you don't need to receive. Since I live in Michigan, I have "hurricane warning" turned off, since we rarely get hurricanes here.

Here's a link about the radios, what to look for, and where to buy...

Weather Alert Radios

We now return you to your regular programming.

And since it's thundering here, I've got to grab the cameras and head on out to "chase the wind."

Defend Science!!

There's a new, important group out there called Defend Science. Their goal is to:

rally broad opposition and resistance to the mounting attacks on science and scientific thinking which are unfolding in the United States.

This is a good thing. Too much supression of scientific research and data is being done by politicians bending to the will of the "religious right," who are telling them what to do. Evil people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell are basically blackmailing our leaders and politicians to strike down what they do not like, and be damned with people in need, or people who seek the truth.

I urge everyone to go to their site, read their statement, and do what you can to support them. We don't have time to waste.

Things I've Done

(Stolen for fun from someone else.)

The ones I've done are in red.
The ones I haven't done are in White
The ones in blue are things I want to do one day.
_____________________________________

I have eaten more than 5 meals in one day.
I have read a lot of books.
I have been on some sort of varsity team.
I have walked/run more than 2 miles without stopping.
I have been to Canada.
I have been to Europe.
I have watched cartoons for hours.
I have tripped UP the stairs.
I have fallen down an entire flight of stairs.
I have been snowboarding/skiing.
I have played ping pong.
I swam in the ocean.
I have been on a whale watch.
I have seen fireworks.
I have seen a shooting star.
I have seen a meteor shower.
I have almost drowned.
I have been so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.
I have listened to one cd over & over & over again.
I have had stitches.
I have been on the honor roll.
I have had frostbite.
I have licked a frozen pole.
I have stayed up til 2 doing homework/projects.
I currently have a job.
I have been ice skating.
I have been rollerblading.
I have fallen flat on my face.
I have tripped over my own two feet.
I have been in a fist fight.
I have watched the power rangers.
I do attend Church regularly.
I have played truth or dare.
I have already had my 18th birthday.
I've lost weight since one year ago.
I've called someone stupid. And meant it.
I've been in a verbal argument.
I've cried in school.
I've played basketball on a team.
I've played baseball on a team.
I've played football on a team.
I've played soccer on a team.
I've done cheerleading on a team.
I've played softball on a team.
I've played volleyball on a team.
I've played hockey on a team.
I've played tennis on a team.
I've been on a swim team.
I've been on a golf team.
I've been swimming more than 20 times in my life.
I've bungee jumped.
I've climbed a rock wall.
I've lost more than $20.
I've called myself an idiot.
I've called someone else an idiot.
I've cried myself to sleep.
I've had (or have) pets.
I've owned a Spice Girls cd.
I've owned a Britney Spears cd.
I've owned an N*Sync cd.
I've owned a Backstreet Boys cd.
I've sworn at someone in authority.
I've been in the newspaper.
I've been on TV.
I've been to Hawaii.
I've eaten sushi.
I've been on the other side of a waterfall.
I've watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies.
I've watched all of the Harry Potter movies.
I've watched all of the Rocky movies.
I've watched the 3 stooges.
I've watched "Newlyweds" Nick & Jessica.
I've watched Looney Tunes
I've been stuffed into a locker.
I've been called a geek.
I've studied hard for a test and got a bad grade.
I've not studied at all for a test and aced it.
I've hugged my mom within the past 24 hrs.
I've hugged my dad within the past 24 hours.
I've met a celebrity/music artist.
I've written poetry.
I've been arrested.
I've been attracted to someone much older than me.
I've been tickled till I've cried.
I've tickled someone else until they cried.
I've had/have siblings.
I've been to a rock concert(s).
I've listened to classical music and enjoyed it.
I've been in a play
I've been picked last in gym class.
I've been picked first in gym class.
I've been picked in that middle-range in gym class.
I've cried in front of my friends.
I've read a book longer than 1,000 pages.
I've played Halo 2.
I've freaked out over a sports game
I've been to Alaska
I've been to China
I've been to Spain.
I've been to France.
I've had a fight with someone on MSN or AIM
I've had a fight with someone face-to-face.
I've had serious conversations on any IM
I've forgiven someone who has done something wrong to me.
I've been forgiven.
I've screamed at a scary movie.
I've cried at a chick flick.
I've watched a lot of action movies.
I've screamed at the top of my lungs.
I've been to a rap concert.
I've been to a hip hop concert.
I've lived in more than 2 houses.
I've driven on the highway
I've driven more than 40 miles in a day.
I've been in a car accident
I've been homesick.
I've thrown up
I've puked all over someone
I've been horseback riding
I've spoken my mind in public.
I've proved someone wrong.
I've been proved wrong by someone.
I've broken a leg.
I've broken an arm.
I've fallen off a swing.
I've swung on a swing for more than 30 mins straight.
I've watched Winnie the Pooh movies.
I've forgotten my backpack when I've gone to school.
I've lost my backpack.
I've come close to dying.
I've seen someone die/dying.
I've known someone who has died.
I've wanted to be an actor/actress at some point.
I've done modeling.
I've forgotten to brush my teeth some mornings.
I've taken something/someone for granted.
I've realized how good my life is.
I've counted my blessings.
I've made fun of a classmate.
I've been asked out by someone and I said no.
I've asked someone on a date and been turned down.
I've slapped someone in the face.
I've been skateboarding.
I've been backstabbed by someone I thought was a friend.
I've lied to someone to their face.
I've told a little white lie.
I've taken a day off from school just so I don't go insane.
I've fainted.
I've had an argument with someone about whether cheerleading is a sport or not.
I've pushed someone into a pool.
I've been pushed into a pool.

25 Years of Exploration

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the first space shuttle launch.

Just after 7am on April 12, 1981, the space shuttle Columbia rose off the pad at Cape Canaveral with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen in the first operational test of the new shuttle system.

I remember sitting watching in awe and fascination as that beautiful ship rose up from the clouds of smoke and ascended to its rightful place in the sky.

The first mission didn't last long - just 36 orbits and 2+ days - but it proved that the system worked (despite some flaws). Watching her land on the dry lake beds of Edwards was a sight to behold.

The musical group Rush even had a song about Columbia....

"Countdown"
Lyrics by Neil Peart

Dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young & Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and cooperation

[Coming up on 45 minute point in out countdown. Everything going smoothly... T minus 45 minutes and counting…]
[Coming up on T minus 40 minutes. T Minus 40 minutes and counting… This is shuttle launch control.]

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

[…we are go for launch. At the present time, we know of no major problems, as we enter the final hold.]

Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon

Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount

The air is charged - a humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life

[T minutes 27 seconds… sequencers start, T minus 20 seconds and counting…. T minus 15, 14, 13…
T minus 10, 9, 8 7 6 5 4... Main engines start, we have liftoff.]

The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding

Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
It tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound

[T plus 30 seconds... 35... Columbia, Houston. you’re go at 40…]

Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life
Like a pillar of cloud, the smoke lingers
High in the air
In fascination - with the eyes of the world
We stare...

[Columbia is now turning for it’s precise window in space for main engine cutoff…]
[Plus 2 minutes 40 seconds, Columbia now 39 nautical miles in altitude, 42 nautical miles downrange…]
[Columbia you’re looking a little hot and all your calls will be a little early...]
[Young and Crippin really moving out now – velocity now reading 6200 feet per second…]
[“What a view! What a view” “Glad you enjoyed it”…]
[Columbia Houston, we have 40 seconds to LOS, after LOS you’re looking good
for an over-the-hill and we’ll see you in Madrid…]
[“And we enjoyed the music Bob, thank ya.”…]
[“We enjoyed it. We just wanted to share some with ya.”…]

And sadly, nearly 22 years later, we would lose Columbia - and its seven astronauts - as it broke up over the skies of the United States that cold day in February 2003.

Have a Nice Day!

Mars says "hi"

But it's just a trick of the light. Don't read anything into it. Unlike Hoagland and his conspiracy idiots.

In Years Past

April 11th. I remember where I was many years ago...

And even though I have a great interest now, back then they scared me to death. Mainly because I thought I was going to die. I can still hear the sound in my head...

This Floored Me

Text might be hidden 'Gospel of Judas'

Wow, if this is true, it's a real revelation into the past, and the role Judas took in the life of Christ.

I'm very intrigued.

Setting up Woes

Working on the new Gallery for the photo website, and it's being a problem.

I had backed up the old one, but it doesn't really do any good. So I have no idea on data from the old site (dates, times, etc.) to put up on the new version. Plus, with the upgrade, the company removed some options that I had used before.

Oh well, lots of work. Thankfully I've taken access away from it until it's ready to be presented to the public.

Web Work

Well, looks like I'll have some work to do. We're switching all the personal websites to a new server, and even though I have all the pages, etc. on the local machine, I'm really not sure what images/graphics I've used.

So I guess I'll have to wait until the DNS updates so I can see what doesn't work.

Space Blogs

Hubble Telescope - hubbletelescope.livejournal.com

GOES - goes-sat.livejournal.com

Mars - marstheredplane.livejournal.com
Spirit - spiritrover.livejournal.com
Opportunity - opportunitygrrl.livejournal.com
Mars Beagle - mars-beagle.livejournal.com
Lavochkin M-71 - mars3.livejournal.com

Stardust - star-dusting.livejournal.com

Science!!!

A few things.

1. I took official "ownership" (re: the maintenance) of a new website today. It's for a couple of friends of mine who look for asteroids that could impact the earth. Check them out:

Minor Planet Research, Inc.

It's still the old design, but soon it will look better (I hope).

2. "Dawn" is reinstated.

NASA News Release

NASA today announced that the Dawn mission to the asteroids Vest and Ceres is back on. This is good news: Dawn's an important mission to study these solar system bodies. Much too important to cut the mission. We can learn so much by space exploration, but the silly politicians always have to ruin things.

Space is - to quote Star Trek - "the Final Frontier" and we need to do whatever it takes to gather data on everything out there, and to do everything possible (and conceiveable) to expand the presence of the human race to the stars.

We're Number One!

I "googled" my name earlier this afternoon, and guess what?

My site is the first one listed!!! Woo-hoo!!

The NEW Male Code of Ethics

The NEW Male Code of Ethics

1. Under no circumstances may you watch brokeback mountain.

2. Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella.

3. Any man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and eaten by his fellow partygoers.

4. When you are queried by a buddy's wife, girlfriend, mother, father, priest, shrink, dentist, accountant, or dog walker, you need not and should not provide any useful information whatsoever as to his whereabouts. You are permitted to deny his very existence.

5. Unless he murdered someone in your immediate family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

6. You may exaggerate any anecdote told in a bar by 50 percent without recrimination; beyond that, anyone within earshot is allowed to call B.S. (Exception: When trying to pick up a woman, the allowable exaggeration rate rises to 400 percent.)

7. If you've known a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off-limits forever.

8. The minimum amount of time you have to wait for another guy who's running late is five minutes. For a woman, you are required to wait 10 minutes for every point of hotness she scores on the classic 1-10 scale.

9. Bitching about the brand of free beer in a buddy's refrigerator is forbidden. You may gripe if the temperature is unsuitable.

10. No man is ever required to buy a birthday present for another man. In fact, even remembering a friend's birthday is strictly optional.

11. Agreeing to distract the ugly friend of a hot babe your buddy is trying to hook up with is your legal duty. Should you get carried away with your good deed and end up together, your pal is forbidden to speak of it, even at your bachelor party.

12. Before dating a buddy's ex, you are required to ask his permission and he, in return, is required to grant it.

13. Women who claim they "love to watch sports" must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to pick a buffalo wing clean.

14. If a man's zipper is down, that's his problem --- you didn't see nothin'.

15. The universal compensation for buddies who help you move is beer.

16. A man must never own a cat or like his girlfriend's cat.

17. Your girlfriend must bond with your buddy's girlfriends within 30 minutes of meeting them. You are not required to make nice with her gal pal's significant others --- low-level sports bonding is all the law requires.

18. When stumbling upon other guys watching a sports event, you may always ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask who's playing.

19. When your girlfriend/wife expresses a desire to fix her whiny friend up with your pal, you may give her the go-ahead only if you'll be able to warn your buddy and give him time prepare excuses about joining the priesthood.

20. It is permissible to consume a fruity drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach...and it's delivered by a topless supermodel...and it's free.

21. Unless you're in prison, never fight naked.

22 A man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight.

23. If a buddy is outnumbered, outmanned, or too drunk to fight, you must jump into the fight. Exception: If within the last 24 hours his actions have caused you to think, "What this guy needs is a good ass-whoopin'." Then you may sit back and enjoy.

24. Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both. That's just plain mean.

25. If you compliment a guy on his six-pack, you better be referring to his beer.

26. Never talk to a man in the bathroom.

27. If a buddy is already singing along to a song in the car, you may not join him.

28. Before allowing a drunken friend to cheat on his girl, you must attempt one intervention. If he is able to get on his feet, look you in the eye, and deliver a "leave me alone!" you are absolved of your responsibility.

29. Never join your girlfriend or wife in ragging on a buddy of yours, unless she is withholding sex, pending your response.

30. Phrases that may never be uttered to another man while lifting weights:

* "Yeah, baby, push it!"
* "Come on, give me one more, harder!"
* "Another set and we can hit the showers"
* "Nice ass! Are you a Sagittarius?"

31. Never talk to another man in the bathroom caveat: Unless you are on equal footing and both waiting in line. For all other situations an "I recognize you" nod will do just fine.

32. You can not rat out a friend who show's up to work or class with a massive hangover, however you may: hide the aspirin, smear his chair with limburger cheese, turn the brightness on his computer way up so he thinks its broken, or have him paged every seven minutes.

33. If you catch your girl messing around with your best friend, let your states crime of passion laws be your guide.

34. If your buddy is trying to hook up with a girl, you may sabotage him only in a manor that gives you no chances of getting any either.

35. If a buddy has lint, an eyelash, or any other foreign object on his hair or face, under no circumstances are you permitted to remove it. However an appropriate hand gesture may be made to make him aware of it.

36. An anniversary is recognized on a yearly basis, under no circumstances will anything be celebrated in an interval other than a year

37. When coming to a room which you know is occupied by your friend and possibly another girl, you must knock and wait for an adequate response. If no response occurs, and the door is locked, a 10 minute period is required before knocking again.

38. A man’s gotta scratch what a man’s gotta scratch. This applies to picking as well. Let the man be.

39. No man shall ever watch any of the following programs on TV:

* Figure skating
* Men's gymnastics
* Any sport involving women (unless viewed for sexual purposes)

40. If you accidentally touch or brush against any part of another man below the waist, it is an understood accident, and NO apologies or any reference to the occurrence is necessary. Ever!

41. No man shall spend more than 2 minutes in front of a mirror. If more time is required, a three minute waiting period must be allowed before returning to the mirror.

42. Any dispute lasting any longer than 3 minutes will and must be settled by rock, paper, scissors. There is no argument too important for this determining method.

43. Only acceptable times when a man is allowed to cry:

* When a heroic dog dies to save his master.
* After being struck in the testicles with anything moving fast than 7 mph.
* When your date is using her teeth.

44. If a bet is made, and the challenge is completed, then the bettor may recoup his money by immediately completing a more daring challenge. If he refuses the challenge or chooses not to propose one, then and only then, must the money be paid.

45. If a hot girl shall happen to pass by while you are in an arms reach of your buddy, you must, and will, tap him on the shoulder to make him aware of the babe.

46. No comment shall ever be made to a man about how much he is sweating. In fact, there is no need bring notice to any body part which he may be sweating from.

47. You have not made any mistake if you find that there are extra pieces after reassembling or assembling an object. In fact, you have just found a way to make that object more efficient.

48. Any object thrown with reasonable speed and accuracy, MUST be caught.

49. No man shall ever keep track of, or count, the amount of beers he has had in a night.

50. Under no circumstances may two non-related men share a bed or anything which can be perceived as a mattress.

51. In an empty room, car, ect., a man can not ask another man if he is mad because he isn’t talking.

52. If you jiggle more than twice, you’re playing with it.

53. A man shall never help another man apply sun tan oil.

54. The guy who wants something the most is responsible for getting it.

55. If your friend says "Lick my nuts" or "Kiss my ass" as a way to put you down, don't try to be funny by saying "OK" and moving your head towards his crotch, two homosexual references in a row are just plain scary...

56. If you say ouch, you are a wimp!

I Now Pronounce You...

Just a short rant here.

Why can't people learn to pronounce things correctly. Especially when they are supposedly learned individuals.

I was listening to a radio program just a while ago, and the speaker constantly mispronounced words. And not even consistently. Once time they would pronounce it correctly, and then a few minutes later - incorrectly. This, I believe, is bad form for someone who hypothetically knows what they are doing, and is trying to impart knowledge.

People! Please take the time to check and make sure you know what you are saying. You might be completely familiar with the content of what you are talking about, but perhaps not the pronunciation. Take five minutes and learn something before opening your mouth on a worldwide stage.

Sorry to rant, this is just a pet peeve of mine. I guess it harkens back to the days in grammar school when I was winning spelling bees left and right.

Oh Brother!

I can't believe this. I might be out of retirement again. We'll have to see. Meanwhile, this quote is apropos...

"Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in."
-- Michael Corleone

Booiinngg!!!

It's Spring!! The Vernal Equinox!!!

When a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love..

(And then he kills himself when he realizes he'll never have it).

LIKAB, WANBT

Check out the Bad Astronomer's blog, where he explains that you can set eggs up any day.


Current Meterological Conditions

Temp: 42.6 F.
Humidity: 19%
Pressure: 30.27
Wind: NE @ 5mph

Can't see the Forest

"Now there's no more Oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw..."

It... has... begun.

Women Drivers

Just found out something cool today.

Congratulations to Nicole Malachowski. She's the Right Wing (#3) in the 2006 US Air Force Thunderbirds!

Good going!!

You can read more about her here.

Scrubbed!!

NASA Scrubs May Shuttle Flight

NASA announced today July 1 to 19, 2006, is the new launch planning window for Space Shuttle Discovery's mission (STS-121). The window gives the agency time to do additional engineering work and analysis to ensure a safe flight for Discovery and its crew.

Read more about it at the NASA Shuttle site.

It's the 15th!

Beware the Ides of March!

(But not really, unless you're Julius Caesar)

Here's why.

Have a piece of...

It's "International Pi Day!!

I've got the Spirit, and I have the Opportunity...

So I'm off to Mars!!

And you can be as well, just click here...

Funny thing about the Google logo for this.
If you mouseover, you see this....

Fitting, as today is his birthday (1855-1916)

The Perils of Publishing

Rats!

Looks like the book I submitted photographs to won't be out until the end of May now. Heck, it was supposed to be out last August! Why are they pushing it back all the time? I know not even the author can understand why.

And I thought it was a good, reputable publisher.

Marching to Mars

Another milestone this afternoon as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter made a successful insertion into the orbit of Mars. It was a tricky maneuver, and that has killed other spacecraft going to the Red Planet. But it's there, and looking good. As soon as the orbit is corrected for data-gathering purposes, science can begin.

You can find more about the mission here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Leastwise I hope the "happy couple" will when they get home. Proofs came back today, and they look good.

Now to see what the bride and groom think.

The Wedding Report

Well, I’m still kinda sore from yesterday as I write this, but here’s an overview of the wedding shoot. And again, why did I come out of retirement? Oh yeah, because I needed the money.

I hadn’t been feeling good for a few days anyways, just from the stress of having to shoot this wedding. I mean, I don’t want to screw it up, but I haven’t done a wedding in years/decades, and am nervous.

So I get up around 7am to get ready, doing the usual: shower, shave, etc. Put on some good clothes, gather my gear, and I’m off to the church. Arriving a little after 8am. I thought I was going to get the evil looks for being 5 minutes late, but not even the bride or groom where there yet!! So I put my stuff out of site and start thinking about how I'm going to shoot certain things.

Oh yeah - the wedding was at 10am. And I had to be there to shoot stuff beforehand.

Suddenly I realize that I left one of my lenses at home. Not usually a big deal, but this was the one the cross-screen filter fit. And I needed that filter for the unity candle and the rings later. So I had to drive like a maniac down the highway to get the lens. It took about a half-hour, and by the time I got back, the bride had finally arrived.

I’ll skip the details of the ceremony, as it was just a wedding ceremony. Everyone’s filed out of the place to the receiving line, and we’re setting up the lighting units (I was able to drag a friend of mine out of retirement as well to help with the shoot). Now, since the reception was just next door, the wedding party is back in shortly and making life really hard on us as they are rushing the shoot. That ticks us off, as you can’t rush formal portraits if you want them to look good. But we did the best that we could, and I just hope things turned out okay.

We get done, and they just go right next door to the reception, barely giving me enough time to switch lenses to catch the “entrance of the couple.” What is with this “hurry up” stuff? They (the wedding party) were making noises like “people are waiting for us at the reception...” Well, that’s what they are supposed to do. I’ll bet 99% of the people there are well aware of how long it takes photographers.

Suffice it to say it was a typical wedding reception. Well, maybe not typical, as there was no alcohol allowed, and there was no dancing (Baptist church).

And another thing: this wedding wasn’t in the “church” but in a “multi-purpose room.” And in the basement of this church, there was a “Saturday meeting” going on, and WE couldn’t make any noise upstairs at the wedding, in case we disturbed the people downstairs. What?!? Since when is a regular Saturday dealio more important than a wedding? We even had to whisper in certain areas of the upstairs, and I couldn’t take flash photos “in case the flash was visible downstairs and we disturbed them.” What a bunch of crap. But I was able to work around it. I’m just glad that it’s over, and I won’t have to go back there.

Or do another wedding. I’m back into retirement as far as weddings go. No amount of money (well, I guess it depends) will make me do another one. I’ll stick with the portraits and such. It’s much easier, less stress, and actually more lucrative.

Wedded Bliss?

I don't know about that. All I know is that the stress I was feeling about shooting this wedding is mostly over now that it's done with.

First wedding I've shot in years. I think it worked out fine. But I know one thing...

I'm really tired and sore. I haven't done that much standing and walking at one time in months.

And - hee hee - my hand's cramped up from holding the camera nearly nonestop for 6 hours.

More later.

A Stressful Day

So far.

And it's thanks to a local store and their "one hour photo" idiots.

Last night I had done a test shoot with some new strobes for a wedding that I have to shoot this weekend. For a model I used a girl I know: went over to her house, set up the lights, etc.

So today I get the pictures back, and there's this 1/4 inch faded black stripe down the center of each image. What!?!?! That's all I need!! Two days from a wedding, and my main camera is broke! And I don't have a backup, since it's down for repair as well. I've got to check this out.

So I jump in the car and race downtown to the local pro lab, and roll out the negatives in the big light table. Under magnification, I can't see anything on the negatives. I ask Sasha – one of the people down there – to take a look, and she can’t see anything either. She goes and calls one of the techs down to look. While we’re waiting, Kevin comes out of the back and looks, but he can’t see anything. So what’s going on?

The lab tech arrives, and she takes the negatives upstairs and scans them in quick and prints off a couple of shots. In about 15 minutes she comes downstairs, and shows me their images.

Whew!!! Relieve sets in!! It’s nothing on the negatives – it’s the fault of the one-hour idiots. See, if you’ve ever taken your prints to a one-hour place, you will see black data on the back. It’s the codes for that picture, in case you need to have another copy made. Well, these idiots here have something wrong with the machine, and it bleeds through the whole picture, so it’s visible in the front – causing me MUCH stress as I thought my camera was broke.

But it’s not, and I can shoot this wedding on Saturday. More on that later. I need to go de-stress somehow. I could use a hug. Anyone? Anyone?

The Maestro!!!

Tonight's "Nightline" features John Williams!

And I just found this out by turning the channel to it!! And there's only 5 minutes left!

Rats!!! Rats!!! Grr!!! Arghh!!!

They asked him what his favorite scores were. He said two tracks/areas...

Ending from CE3K
Bicycles over the moon from ET.

Why oh why didn't I check the TV sooner??!!!

Giving Up

Today is Ash Wednesday, the First Day of Lent

In giving something up for Lent, I find I actually can't give up Lent. So I'm giving up Candy.

And Lisa. Stephanie. Julie. Christie. Jamie. Kathy. Kate. Wendy. Lori. Laura. Brandy. Mindy. Samantha. Sarah. Patty. Sara. Diana. Elizabeth. Marcie. Holly. Melanie.

Manhunt in the City!!!

Big manhunt going on here.

A dude that shot a local cop three times (back last year) escaped from the jail about a mile from my house. There's a whole area cordoned off, and the cops - in full SWAT gear - are doing a house-to-house. This dude escaped nearly 3 hours ago.

I hope he comes near here. just come into my yard. I'll shoot the f*cker.

There were so many eyewitnesses to the dude shooting the cop, he's guilty for sure. The trial is just "procedure."

We'll see....

The Big Dilemma

What to do...

If I buy Lady and the Tramp at best Buy tomorrow, I can get a free "Tramp" stuffed doggie. If I buy it at an evil local store, I can get a free "Lady" one.

What to do, what to do.

All Hail the King!!!

Kong, of course. in 30 Seconds.. by bunnies....

Eighth Wonder of the World

Why Bother?

Why do I do it? Why bother?

I bust my six (ass, for those of you who aren't military brats) keeping our website up to date, putting out monthly newsletters with the latest intel/info, and no one reads the frackin' things!!!!

Why do I do it???? It sure the heck ain't for my health!!! And it sure ain't for the glory, as I get no gorram recognition at all.

I know I don't have the answers.

You think you're so smart!!!

Word of the Day....

Panthalassa

It's a Man's Life...

"Good Lord!! I'm on Film!!!
How did that happen??!!"

Watching "Monty Python's Personal Best" on PBS. Even now, years - nee decades - later, it's still frickin' hilarious!

Solve for "c"

There was a young lady named Bright,
Whose speed was far faster than light;
She set out one day,
In a relative way,
And returned home the previous night.

Bored now

How bored, you ask?

I've spent the last 2.5 hours playing "Freecell" on this computer.

Pathetic, isn't it.

Frackin' Cold

Wake up to the wx station here reading -2.9F. Dewpoint -18.6F. Too cold.

Hasn't risen much either. Think I'm gonna stay home all day in the warmth, thinking about 90 degree summer days.

And thinking of nothing else.

New Watch!!!

Oh yeah, there's a tornado watch too.

Warning!!!!!!!!

Ice Storm Warning!!!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ... HAS ISSUED AN ICE
STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING.
THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

FREEZING RAIN...MIXED AT TIMES WITH SLEET AND SNOW...WILL
CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING. ICE ACCUMULATION OF ONE QUARTER TO
ONE HALF INCH OF ICE IS LIKELY. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING. THESE WINDS COULD BRING DOWN TREES ICE
COATED TREE LIMBS WHICH MAY RESULT IN SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

Goodbye Cruel World!!!

We're having "Thunderhail!!"

WX Warning!!

Ah, if it were only late spring or summer. The words "Weather Warning" would set me to getting the cameras ready, wx meters out, ham radio charged, all so I could go "chase the wind."
But tonight we're talking crappy weather, since it's February. And according to the local TV meteorologists, we could get "a years' worth of weather in 24 hours." First heavy snow, then freezing rain, then snow, then thunderstorms, then back to heavy snow.

And while currently - according to my home Wx station - it's 41.2 degrees, the high Saturday will barely make it into the teens.

Frickin' winter. I hate you so!!!

So, tonight's plans? basically like every night for me, but this time I'll spend some of my time putting my Beethoven CD's on my iPod. I tried last night but things became "confused."

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Rachel and Sara.

Rachel, hopefully I'll see you around sometime. It's been nearly two years since you wanted to set me up with your friend. I wasn't holding my breath anyways.

And Sara... haven't seen you in years. But have a nice day anyways.

Pronunciation Rules

One thing I hate, is people that can't pronounce things (names, etc) correctly. Case in point:

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, where astronauts Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom, and Ed White lost their lives in training to fly the first Apollo mission, back in 1967.

Now, Roger's a home town boy, and there a street named after him (Roger B. Chaffee Boulevard), a planetarium (Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium at the Public Museum), and a scholarship (Chaffee Scholarship). Needless to say, he’s well-known.

Now, a local television station did a story on the Apollo 1 fire. And the “news person” – whose name is Suzanne Geha – mispronounced his name, saying “ChAffee (long “A”) instead of “chaffee” (short “a”). This is not the first time she has done that. In fact, it’s a constant mistake.

So I got mad that she kept doing that, and I called down to the station and complained extremely loudly to the person who answered the phone, telling them they better let “Geha” know, because the science element in town were not going to stand by and let her screw up a national hero’s name.

I don’t know if it did any good, but it felt good.

Kong!!!

Had some fun tonight. Got to see a sneak preview of King Kong, because I won passes from the GR Press.

It's three hours long, but it's really good. I figured that Peter Jackson would do a good job, but this is amazing. And it's got so much more emotion than the LOTR films. You are really sucked into the experience. Of course, the "pit of creepy crawlies" gave me the wiggings, but I managed to watch it.

I hope to see it a few more times before it's gone. I think it's the best film of the year.

Mileagestone

Another year for the car.

Mileage is 62094.

Wow. Is that all I've got to say? Guess so.

And then, Depression set in

This recent underappreciated feeling came from this past Tuesday night. Last week I had gotten a bunch of free passes to a sneak preview of the movie "Serenity" - a good old fashioned science fiction film. Since I knew a bunch of people online who would like to go, I put them up for grabs on the Yahoo group we frequent. They got snapped up just fine, and I had a couple left for my br other and some of his friends.

Come the night of the movie, we all meet up at Studio 28, and I read off the list of names and hand out the passes. Everything's shiny. Except for one thing: except for Tom (Slager), only one person thanked me for the passes. I gave out 30 passes good for 2 people each. Later I did get an email from one of the people on the group thanking me, but still. And then, when I said somethin g to my brother, he even *posted* to the group thanking me (they don't know we're related) for the passes. He got two replies to that - people thanking HIM for the passes!!

So these people were very eager to accept my offering of the passes, but not grateful enough to thank me. And it just made me feel like I do every once in a while about the astronomy club. I do all this work: website, newsletter, publicity, Inside Orbit, etc., and nobody gives a darn or goes out of their way to thank me. I don't *need* to do all that stuff, but I just do it. But it would be nice to get some recognition once in a while.

Now, I'm not talking about vanity or pride or any of the other deadly sins, but just would like to hear it sometime. It just feels like I'm being taken advantage of by everyone. Tell me. Is it too much to ask? No wonder I get depressed sometimes about it.

And it didn't help the week before agonizing over what to charge John and Paula for Alice's photos. And even now, I still think they don't want me around anymore. I don't know.

Oh well, guess there's nothing to be done about it. If I say something - or if someone else does - it will sound like I'm whining about it, or I made them say something about it. So it's a no win situation all around.

Serenity Again

Well, the screening went well tonight. Handed out the passes to everyone just fine. Only problem was with the special "Blogger Passes" that I was supposed to get. But, oh well.

And except for 2 people, not one other person thanked me for the passes. Sheesh. I guess they didn't appreciate them. Why the heck did I bother then? I have no damn clue.

Wow, I had a great time with Stephanie tonight. It's just too bad that we didn't get to have dinner, but perhaps in a couple days before she goes back to school.

At least we got to catch up, since she was in Texas all summer with her school roommate.

We gave Catherine a surprise with the phone call from the observatory, I'm sure. And since Steph hadn't talked to her for quite a while, it was really nice.

Hopefully we'll get together again this week. If not, when she's home for break.

Sky on Fire II

Written without any fatigue setting in, for some reason. Must be an adrenaline high.....

It was a Dark and (Solar) Stormy Night. Stormy with shafts and rays of light streaming from the heavens.

We all knew there was a chance of another auroral display tonight. We were waiting. And then around 10:30pm or so (from Grand Rapids), the wait was over. This time I went out with my brother, taking back roads and such until we finally found a great spot in northeastern Kent County. We ended up off Old Belding Rd on Lessiter Rd, which is on the way to the Grattan Raceway.

The road faced north, so we were shooting right down the middle of it. There were some clouds around to the north, but nothing too bothersome. Most of the action was to the northeast, with not much seen in the way of color except green, and an occasional red and blue. There were curtains, rays, shafts, and some really good pulsing going on.

I of course used my 35mm film camera, and my brother had his Canon Digital SLR. I was a tad pickier this time, and only shot 3 rolls by the time 1:30 rolled around, and it started to wane. Also, we were getting some clouds coming in, so we bailed.

On the way back to civilization, I noticed it was picking up again, but not very strong. We got to my brothers' place, and I jumped in my car to get home. On the way down the E. Beltline (I know those of you not from around here have no clue as to these roads, but it's my story!!!) I could actually see in my rearview mirror that it was flaring up again, so I turned east of Knapp St and headed for darker northern skies. I finally found a place a few miles down the road with a good northern horizon, and set up the camera again.

Oh… My… God. The curtains! The pulsing rays!! The pulsing shafts of light as they flickered up the magnetic lines of force to the corona. I was seeing pulsating shafts from the south!! All of them converging near Orion, forming another spectacular corona. I shot, moved the camera, and shot again. Always looking for the best display, and ever mindful to watch for composition (at least I was keeping my photographers' hat on during this), I shot frame after frame. At one point I was going to leave, as it was dying again. But as I put my camera in the car, it flared up to the point I HAD to get set up again; another roll of film in the camera. I finally stopped around 3:00, as it was dying down, and also because I knew if I didn't force myself, I'd shoot until I ran out of film. And I wanted to shoot the Moon/Venus/Jupiter this morning.

Fortunately after packing up and driving home, it was calm enough that I didn't want to shoot the aurora anymore. I'm now here sitting downstairs, not even tired. Writing this and waiting until I can go out and shoot the moon, etc. This will be the finish of the sixth roll of film tonight, and they will be at the lab by 7:00am.

In all my years of observing the aurora, I've never seen such intense pulsating effects. Also, the coronas (all 5 I counted) had more detail in them than I had ever seen.

Bring on the next one!! I'm waiting!!

Addendum: After two days and nearly seven hours standing near various roads in the county, not once did the Sheriff show up.:)

Fire in the Sky!

As I type this I can still see the aurora blazing away outside my window.

I got the alert around 7pm, and took off for the big "M" because I didn't have any film. But even from Meijers parking lot I could see it great. Very green.

After calling nearly everyone I know to inform them about the aurora, instead of heading out to the observatory I instead headed north to the intersection of Fruit Ridge and 6 mile road (a few miles north of Grand Rapids. I perfect northern horizon over a corn field, with no lights to the north. You could see the glow of Grand Rapids to the south, and a bit of Muskegon to the northwest.

There were clouds. Lots of them. But, they were lit from behind an eerie green color from the aurora. But we stood around for a little bit, and the clouds began to part. In fact, there were some great views of the aurora with the clouds around.

We had reds, greens, purples; rays, spikes, shimmers, coronas, jets - the whole works. It started to die down around 10.30, so we packed up and left. I had shot 5 rolls of film.

It's going to be there all night, and might erupt again. And there's a chance for the next few days as well.

This was amazing, but I will give it second place to the aurora of November 5, 2001.

Well, today's officially the 10 of October, and I've had my car for two years now. I wrote down the milage when I got home form the observatory just now. 51455 miles on the odometer.

I've driven 19952.1 miles since I got the car two years ago from the Marron's. That's just under 10,000 miles a year. Way too much, but I don't know how to cut it down. But, for a nearly 5 year old car (the car was made in April 2000) it's not bad.

Maybe I'll write something more later. It looks like its a few months between posts, but no one reads them anyways.

Yes, it's True

Just got back from seeing Yes here in Grand Rapids, and it was a great show. Proves that the music of the 70's (and the other times they have recorded) is TONS better than what passes for music today.

We were halfway back on stage right, and had wonderful seats. Steve Howe was on our side, with Wakeman on the right. The set design by Alan Dean was fantastic.

They started rocking right from the start, with "Going for the One" and taking a 15 minute intermission after "Yours is no Disgrace." Total time of the first half was one hour.

Coming back from break, they surprised us (well, at least me) by all sitting down for an acoustic section of the show. And the biggest surprise of that part was the re-arrangement of "Roundabout" with a Chicago-style Blues feel (the rearranging was described by Rick Wakeman). That brought the house to its collective feet.

Going back to full concert mode a few songs later, "Rhythm of Love" had Jon Anderson coming down off the stage and walking through the whole crowd on the floor level (figures, the first concert at this area I wasn't sitting on the floor).

They really kicked out a great version of Mind Drive, and just before the end they played "Ritual" and for the encore they featured "Every Little Thing" and "Soon." The lights came up at 10:30. Much too soon for all of us.

A few observations:

1. My god, can't people sit and watch a concert without having to get up every 15 minutes to get a frickin' beer? Sheesh. Wait until the intermission.

2. An older guy just to the left of us was up dancing and prancing around, much to his (much younger) wife's dismay. But by the end of the show, she had enough beer in her to put on an exhibition as well.:)

3. A show like this, from a group that has passed the test of time as one of the greatest bands, proves you don't need to hop/dance/bop around with a bunch of crappy backup people and lip-synching the songs because you can't sing. Hear that Britney? Christina?

4. I was disappointed that they didn't play "Starship Trooper" or "Close to the Edge." But hey, you can't have everything.:)

Too bad I can't afford the tickets to "The Eagles" and "Simon and Garfunkel" coming up here.

Photo Sessions are Fun!!

It was a great fall day today, and Cat and I went out to a little park I know in Ada for some portrait shots. I had used this park before when I did some senior portraits for clients, and knew it was a great place.

We had a terrific time. I think I shot about three rolls of film on her, which is pretty easy considering she's probably the most photogenic person I know.

We spent about 3 hours wandering around, trying different poses (and changes of outfits), and decided to head home as the sun was setting. As we were about to get off the highway to her house, I asked her if she wanted to try a sunset shot. She was game.

(Note: when I was in college one of the projects I turned in for a photo assignment was a shot of a friend of mine at the beach. She was holding the setting sun in her hands, it turned out really good).

So we raced up the highway to the west of GR, and get way out past Fruit Ridge on a road going west. We ended up in a drive area at a farm, and we hopped out of the car as the red sun hung low in the west sky. I showed Cat where to stand and hold her hands out, then I set up the camera and shot off a bunch of photos (bracketing is your friend). I got a real good feeling about those shots.

We then left and I got her home around 7 I think. I had a great time, and I hope she did. Film will go in tomorrow, and we’ll see how I (and her) did.

Yawn!!!

Why am I up at this early hour? I don't know. For some reason I just was wide wake at 5:30, and couldn't get back to sleep.

Time...

...goes by. I just saw that I haven't written any thing in here for almost three weeks. Either I’m that boring to myself, or nothing’s been going on. Or, most likely, I just forget to write in here, as there’s no one else who reads this.

And I’m not going to get on that kick again. Why beat a dead horse?

At least Summer’s here!! Woo hoo!! Almost 90 degrees today, and it’s about damn time.

Otherwise, I just keep on doing what I’m doing. The only thing different is that I got fired from that website job I’d been doing for a year. Oh well, if they think a newbie can handle it, so be it. Screw ‘em. They’ll be back, and then the price goes up.

Why Me?

Part sighfully complaining, part fun. Boy was this past weekend the yin and yang.

Saturday I had to work, but then open house at the hill. Jake and I premiered the new A/V show on the computer to - well I don't know how well it was received. After Dave introduced us as the ones responsible for it, I watched the premiere then went up into the dome.

Part of Sunday was good. Kendall IM'd me and said that he was installing the Gallery to the site, and asked me how I wanted it set up. Then he activated the www.astronomyguru.com. I guess I don't thank him enough for putting up with my requests, but I do appreciate the hosting and work. I've never been good at compliments where it counts. Especially when I have to thank customers at the store all day, I don't want to "thank" another person when I get out of work.

Then the day went to hell. GRAAA Board Meeting. Where we were basically given an ultimatum by one of our donors. And Dan B. was behind it all. We are all so sick of him... well, the less I write about him the better. Suffice it to say the day was ruined by this bomb dropped. And then, to make it worse, I was elected President. Which would be cool, but tainted due to this blackmail. And it's now my burden (along with the board too, but...). This is going to get dirty, and one of two things will happen: I will be remembered for being in charge when the club was brought down/disbanded, or be hailed as a great leader if we make it out alive. And although things look like they are on our side, who really knows?

Hopefully more fun news later...

Am I?

Digerati: di·ge·ra·ti [ dìjj rtee ]
plural noun

computer experts: people who have or claim to have a sophisticated expertise in the area of computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web.

"Not too long ago, computer expertise was considered nerdy. These days, many people strive to be among the digerati."

[Late 20th century. Formed from digital on the model of literati.]

Or Not?

Think Think Think

That's what Winnie the Pooh says.:) Actually I was going to write in here about stuff, but suddenly drew a blank, as I really don't have anything going on. So I guess I'm writing this mainly because I'm in here, and nothign to do.:)

However... possible severe storms late Sunday. We'll see.

Addiction?

Recently someone said again how the internet and computers can be addicting. So I asked a friend of mine who is a doctor (MD) and who specializes in Addiction Consulting. Here's what he wrote to me...

"For something to be considered an addiction it needs to:

1. Take control of the person's life
2. Result in harm to that person or others and be continued despite the harm that it is doing
3. Be carried out at inappropriate times and to the exclusion of other important activities
4. Be associated with craving (withdrawal) when in a state of early abstinence
5. Result in excitation of the reward cascade (dopamine and endorphin) in the mesolimbic system of the brain

With these points in mind, I leave it to you to decide if this or any other activity contitutes a true addiction, or just something that takes up a lot of a person's time and energy. Just because a person devotes time and energy to a pursuit doesn't mean that the pursuit is addictive behavior."

So who's an addict? You tell me.

Messing With People's Minds

I just got a spam call (telemarketer) who was dumb as a post. Here's the conversation...

Me: "Hello?"
TM: "Hello, this is _______ from Talk America. Are you the person responsible for the telephone service at your household?"
Me: "We don't have a telephone here."
TM: "Oh, I'm sorry."

And then she hung up!!!

And they say people aren't funny anymore.

Important Strategic Note To Self!!

When doing things at the spur of the moment, take another moment to think about the situation.

Case in point: Got today off. Around 1:30pm I walked outside, where the conditions were beautiful for this time of year...

Temperature: 66 °F / 19 °C
Humidity: 46%
Dew Point: 45 °F / 7 °C
Wind: South at 15 mph / 24.1 km/h
Wind Gust: 22 mph / 35 km/h
Pressure: 29.78 in / 1008 hPa (Steady)
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy

So it’s nice out, for the last part of March.

And I know from the past few days that we have flowers coming up: crocuses, etc. So, seeing it was great outside, I grabbed camera 1, the macro lens, the only roll of slow film I had (Portra 160), and headed out to the front yard.

There were purple flowers, white flowers, and yellow flowers. Lots ‘o flowers. And I proceeded to lie down and take some really close-up shots.

I’m clicking away, checking settings, composition, etc., when suddenly I say, “Hey, why is my ass all wet?” D’oh!! It’s Springtime, you idiot. The ground is still sopping wet from the winter, and the recent rains.

Sure enough, I get up and my whole shirt is muddy, and so are my pants. In fact so bad, I went straight downstairs and threw them in the washer.:)

Ah, the tortured life of a photographer. How we suffer for our art! :)

Coming to Grips

Words still fail me about the events of Saturday, when the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed minutes before landing. The words wont’ come. I know what I want to say, but I can’t say them. Just writing this is making me cry all over again.

So, until that time when I can put down my thoughts, here is a link to a little “tribute” I put up, plus the lyrics to the Rush song “Countdown” which Neil Peart wrote when they (Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson) watched a shuttle launch. The words in brackets are NASA transcripts from the first mission of Columbia in April of 1981.

For the Columbia Seven – You will be missed, honored, and never forgotten.

STS-107 Tribute

"Countdown"
Lyrics by Neil Peart


Dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young & Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and cooperation

[Coming up on 45 minute point in out countdown. Everything going smoothly... T minus 45 minutes and counting…]
[Coming up on T minus 40 minutes. T Minus 40 minutes and counting… This is shuttle launch control.]

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

[…we are go for launch. At the present time, we know of no major problems, as we enter the final hold.]

Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon

Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount

The air is charged - a humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life

[T minutes 27 seconds… sequencers start, T minus 20 seconds and counting…. T minus 15, 14, 13…
T minus 10, 9, 8 7 6 5 4... Main engines start, we have liftoff.]

The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding

Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
It tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound

[T plus 30 seconds... 35... Columbia, Houston. you’re go at 40…]

Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life
Like a pillar of cloud, the smoke lingers
High in the air
In fascination - with the eyes of the world
We stare...

[Columbia is now turning for it’s precise window in space for main engine cutoff…]
[Plus 2 minutes 40 seconds, Columbia now 39 nautical miles in altitude, 42 nautical miles downrange…]
[Columbia you’re looking a little hot and all your calls will be a little early...]
[Young and Crippin really moving out now – velocity now reading 6200 feet per second…]
[“What a view! What a view” “Glad you enjoyed it”…]
[Columbia Houston, we have 40 seconds to LOS, after LOS you’re looking good
for an over-the-hill and we’ll see you in Madrid…]
[“And we enjoyed the music Bob, thank ya.”…]
[“We enjoyed it. We just wanted to share some with ya.”…]

How Fast is Fast

I'm now online via ATT Broadband. Nice speed. Plus the network my brother and I set up in the house. In fact, I think Dad's upstairs still online. We'll turn him into an Internet junkie soon.

It's finally up after a few days of wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was installed Monday, but we (Kendall and I) couldn't get it to work. Good thing we didn't get them to come out again - the problem was on our end. Plus, my computer has a (in)famous Windows problem: a TCP/IP error. The only way to fix it is to reformat the drive. Oh well, I was going to do that and put XP on my system, but only after I got a new scanner (my Mustek won't work with XP). I just have to live without it for a while. Tomorrow I'll back up all the stuff on the drive onto CD, then work on reformatting.

But I'm "speedy" now.:)

The Need for Speed

Unbelievable

How does that saying go? "Fortune Favors the Bold?" or "Fortune Favors the Foolish?" Nevertheless, on Monday I'm going to "feel the need for speed." I'm getting Broadband here at Casa Kevin.

Who knows what I'll do with it. It's not like I download porn or anything. I'm too clean cut and straight-arrowed for that stuff. Probably download Buffy episodes and movie trailers.:)

The countdown has begun....

Worth 1000 Words?

I'm currently watching a new documentary on Ansel Adams, probably (well, not probably. More like definitely) the best American photographer that will ever live.

Seeing his images strikes a visceral chord in me. I can just completely lose myself in the photographs, even those of subjects I personally don't really care for.

If I can ever be 10% of the photographer Ansel Adams was, I'll consider myself good. But, since I am my worst critic, I will never be really sure.

Feel the Power!!!

I have my powers back. I am lord of the photograph.

After almost a month of bad photographs, I finally have the "monkey" off my back. Today's photos of the moon and venus, moon and mars, have turned out wonderful.

Now on to better things with portraits and stuff.

Orbital Mechanics

What might have been...

First, a few quotes:

"We are planets to each other
Drifting in our orbits
To a brief eclipse
Each of us a world apart
Alone and yet together
Like two passing ships"
-- Neil Peart

"The other Yoda spoke of was your twin sister."
-- Obi-Wan Kenobi

"Wendy, Wendy what went wrong..."
-- Beach Boys

Tonight I spent a few hours with a woman (she of the name Wendy) who was probably the closest thing to my other half, but knowing that it was just this one night.

Tuesday was the first night I met her, out at the observatory, when the group she was in visited. Someone made a comment that elicited a response from both her and I at the same time, quoting the movie "Airplane." All of a sudden I looked up and had a flash. I asked her, "Python?" To which she started quoting Monty Python! Amazing! We spent the next hour throwing episode and movie quote at each other.

Cut to tonight. I was hoping she was going to be back with the group tonight. Sure enough she was. And we took up right where we left off the other night. We were in such "synch" it wasn't funny. Well, actually it was really funny, and we were throwing one-liners, movie quotes, etc., back and forth. It was really weird. In fact, a few people commented on that it seemed that we were twins, causing her to say, "I found my brother!" and me saying "Sis?" It was that intense.

We quoted the same stuff... laughed at the same things... made the same gestures... and what's really intense, we were easily able to finish each other's sentences. Almost like we shared the same consciousness/brain. It was the most enjoyable time I have had in (possibly) decades.

But that was it – just one night. She left around 10:30, and I know I won’t ever see her again.

After her whole group had left, I wandered over to the west lawn, where one of the guys was telling the others how "Kevin and this girl were really hitting it off. It was amazing how they were connecting." I only wish.

“Yes we’ll never know… what might have been.” If only…

Good and Bad

The good news: I won my court case about my ticket. If the officer wants to appeal, I will be getting a letter by next Monday. If I don't, I'm home free, and can use that $80 for something else.

The bad news: Indiana lost the NCAA Championship. First time they have ever lost when they played in the big game.

In other news, boy was Mindy mad at me Sunday evening when I brought in the photos Kendall shot for me for my court case. Whew. But do I care? I don't know.

Soothing.....

Ahhh. Finally. A chance to relax after a hectic week. The skies cleared this evening, allowing me to go out to the observatory and relax under the stars. I took the opportunity to shoot Comet Ikeya-Zhang, the Orion Nebula, and the Horsehead nebula with my 400mm lens.

After a few false starts, I hope I got some good shots. I’m going to take the film in to the lab tomorrow and see what I got. Maybe I broke the jinx on my photo-mojo. After that, I got back home around 10:30 to find out that my guys – the Indiana Hoosiers – won their game and will be going to the big dance – the NCAA Championship Game. Go Big Red!

Today was a hellish day at work – a full 8 hours of busy customer service. Most of the time it was okay, but very draining. The day ended kinda on a downer, as a lot of the people left there working were kids not bothering to even do their jobs, and a bunch of my other “fellow workers” talking about a party they were all having. I tell ya, it made me feel real good to know I wasn’t invited. Almost seemed like I was back in high school, having the classmates there ignore me while they planned their big weekend gigs. Oh well.

Hopefully tomorrow will be okay, and I can put March behind me and look forward to better months ahead.

It's Really Bad

Saturday had to be the worst day of my life (at least recently).

Everything was fine this morning getting ready for work (yes, some of us have to work on the weekends). I then decided just before leaving that I would take the roll of film that was in my main camera to be developed, as there was only 3 shots left of the roll. On said roll I had shots of the moon/Jupiter conjunction, some SFX shots of the moon with the telescope at the observatory, and a bunch of shots of the blizzard from last weekend - snow on the branches, sun shafts, etc. I was anxious to look at them.

I started to rewind the film, but something didn't feel right, so I took it in the dark and opened the camera. What I found shocked me to the core: There wasn’t a roll of film in there! Everything from the past two weeks was gone: it never existed! I have never made that mistake in all my years as a photographer. It was a mistake an amateur would make!

Needless to say that ruined the day completely. Work was just as bad, as the film mistake screwed up my karma for the day. Nothing went right at work, and I barely made it through the day.

Man, if I’m making amateur mistakes, how can I even think about teaching people about photography? Heck, how can I think about shooting Julie anymore, let alone Kat, Kate, Samantha, or anyone else? Or Sharon’s wedding? I’m ab-so-f*cking-worthless! Who have I been kidding?

Now we’ll see what fate has in store for me in the days to come…

A Train?

Too funny.

Watching a program on TLC about tornadoes. There's footage of the May 1999 F5 in Oklahoma City, and a guy in a baseball cap trying to describe the sounds. He says "they all say it sounds like a train, but it went by with a lot of noise, and we never did hear no "Woo Woo!" sounds." Hah! What a yokel!

They always seem to find the strangest people to interview.