November 2005

There were 40 posts published in November 2005 (this is page 2 of 4).

The Christmas Truce

One of the songs in my Christmas music colection is The Royal Guardsmen’s Christmas Bells. This song about Snoopy and The Red Baron toasting each other on Christmas made me think of the real-life Christmas Truce of World War I. For a few days in December 1914, thousands of soldiers on either side put down their weapons, shook hands, sang songs, and shared cigarettes and brandy.

The last known survivor of the 1914 Christmas Truce has passed away. Alfred Anderson died in his sleep this morning. He was 109.

Frank H. Smith: Living Right

Nursing homes around the country are filled with people in their eighties who can no longer take care of themselves. Their minds have gone, or they’ve lost their mobility, or just need a hand. In general, we aren’t surprised because society associates old age with frailty.

Cary’s Frank H. Smith, on the other hand, is not a man who acts his age. The eighty-seven year retired engineer cheated death Saturday when he made an emergency landing on Highway 1 in his plane. A plane that he built himself, no less.

In a situation where a lot of pilots would’ve soiled themselves, Smith was downright nonchalant. “When the engine blows, you’ve got to put it down someplace,” he said. “Highway 1 was the best I could do. I lucked out.”

At an age when others are pushing walkers, Smith was pushing his plane onto a trailer. Yes, pushing the plane! It looked like he was putting some muscle into it, too.

If you want to know what it means to live right, talk to Frank Smith!

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Zoo!

We had the great confluence of a few tickets to the North Carolina Zoo and a wonderful sunny Saturday with nothing planned, so we loaded up the Oddity and headed to Asheboro for the day.

The zoo is best when it’s not crowded. By that measure, our timing was perfect. We hit all the highlights and had a blast. I especially enjoyed the new Australia Walkabout exhibit as I’ve never seen kangaroos or wallabies before. My only visit to Australia was spent looking for the next bar, but I digress!

Travis did almost the whole zoo trip without a nap. He enjoyed seeing everything but went especially nuts when we got to the elephants and rhinos. I’d say he enjoyed his first zoo visit.

Hallie is an old pro at the zoo. She enjoyed the sea lions the most. We also had fun reminiscing about her first zoo visit when she was only nine months old. What a long way she’s come!

I only wish the zoo was closer as those two hours each way in the car can take a toll. For an occasional fun trip, though, its worth it.

The Intel Dump Weblog

A few weeks back, I stumbled on the Intel Dump weblog. Intel Dump is frequented by military vets who provide insightful discussion on current events. One poster posted about the recent allegations that the U.S. military used white phosphorous rounds as a weapon. His point was that the BBS article was slanted.

While everyone and their brother is commenting on the military these days, I find Intel Dump valuable because its content and comments are surprisingly balanced, provided by those who seem very knowledgable. It is not filled with fanatical chickenhawks, but with men and women who have been there and done that. It doesn’t veer too far in one direction or another, yet differing opinions are heard and welcomed. Above all, contributors there are not afraid to call a spade a spade, or to call out the government for boneheaded decisions when such calling out is necessary.

If you want to sort out the real issues facing our military, add Intel Dump to your bookmarks.

The Importance Of Getting Your Bearings

Airports provide a wonderful place to people-watch and I took full advantage during my recent trip. One can learn important lessons when “alone in a crowd.”

As I waited to board my flight, I watched a line of passengers walk out of the jetway and into the terminal. Due to the setup of the waiting area, it was not entirely clear what to do once you entered the terminal – do you go left or right? As long as there was someone ahead choosing a direction, those behind would follow – often without even looking up. As soon as that stream of people was interrupted, however, the disembarking travelers were on their own, figuring out for themselves which way to go.

As I watched, my immediate thought was that the people following without looking were doing things right. After all, they weren’t wasting time, right? As I considered it, though, I realized that the people looking up were the real winners.

What I was seeing was a snapshot of society. How many people shuffle through their lives without ever looking up, just following in the footsteps of those before them? Those people may never know what other paths are available to them. Those not blindly following could explore which path they chose to take, their possiblities far exceeding those of the others. Looking up now and then seems like a wise move.

So, put me in the “explorer” camp. I may not be the first to the finish, but who cares? Life isn’t a destination.

I want to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Siriusly Hooked

Rented a car for my recent business trip. The rental car agency didn’t have the compact I requested, so I got saddled with a minivan. It was a Dodge Grand Caravan, and was actually nicer than I expected. Even got impressive gas mileage (24 MPG).

I was on my way to north Jersey when I happened to push a mysterious “mode” button on the radio. It was Sirius satellite radio! I parked the tuner on the First Wave channel and rocked out as I drove.

I’m still trying to convince myself that the $12.99 monthly fee is worth it. I do know that satellite radio may be the best thing to happen to radio in a long, long while.

Kudos to Sirius. It is clever marketing to put your service in rental cars. You may have just picked up another customer!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

I’m in Jersey today after getting in late last night. The clock radio in my hotel room was unplugged and needed setting.

Why haven’t clock radio manufacturers figured out a good, consistent way to set these things? For instance, why does the time always start at 12 midnight? Who sets their clocks in the middle of the night? Why not start them at 12 noon, since most of the time they get set in the daytime? Putting them at midnight by default makes you have to move through six hours or more when you set them.

And while we’re on the topic, why are we still setting clock radios? We’re in the third millennium. Why aren’t clocks smart enough to set themselves? With GPS satellites flying overhead, radio stations all over the dial, wireless networking, and mobile phone service everywhere, why can’t clocks use one to set the time?

I think I’ll just go back to using a sundial.

Awakening Creativity

Travis spent close to two hours screaming his lungs out early this morning. We have no clue why. We hope he’ll get over it and learn to sleep again.

I wound up staying up late to watch Black Hawk Down. Then the Boy kicks in an hour later. After Kelly and I trade turns, I finally settle him at 3 AM. Whoa. Kelly was a real sweetie, though, and let me sleep in until 9 today! It was heavenly! I can’t remember when I did that before.

Something about the day, or the late wakeup, or something, got me into a creative mood today. I felt compelled to play music and sing today. As I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, I made up and sang a little song about Travis. Afterward, I strolled around the house playing it for everyone.

It just seemed so natural to do, like I was in a zone. Right then, I seriously considered dropping all of the little side projects I have and making music my only hobby. Yet, there is so much more that I can do.

While I was in this interesting state of mind, I looked out the window and felt that familiar certainty that I can achieve anything in this world that I want to achieve. It was a moment when all the can’ts and won’ts and impossibilities fade away, the excuses for not getting what I want.

Then the window slammed shut again as I once again faced the question, “well, what do I really want to do?”

That one stumps me every time.