The local Time Warner Cable office screwed up royally when it switched Playboy Channel promos onto two kids’ cable channels. The story was buried in today’s N&O but is the second most-popular story on the BBC News website now. Those randy Brits!
Gerry’s funeral
Some of Gerry's many friends
When I was making up my list of Highlights of 2009 at the end of last year, one of my runner-up items was that none of my friends or family had died all year. The death of Gerry Reid on March 1st changed all that, of course. While I didn’t specifically blog about the healthy year, I did allude to it by calling it dull.
Saturday morning, Kelly and I put the kids in the able hands of good friends and rushed out the door to the service at Asbury United Methodist Church. The stated attire was casual, befitting Gerry, so with my jacket and collared shirt I wore socks and sandals. Kelly had socks and sandals with her but opted not to wear them with her dress. We grabbed lunch at the nearby Harris Teeter and ate it in the church parking lot while we watched other guests make their way into the church. Once our lunch was done we also made our way into the church, joining the parade of friends who knew Gerry. There were plenty of socks and sandals present as well as hockey jerseys, kilts, and other Gerry-style attire.
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Supersonic aerodynamics
I was checking my feed for the BBC’s news stories today when I came across a story about an experimental car designed to go 1,000 MPH called the Bloodhound SSC. The article mentioned the car that set the current the world-record speed of 763 MPH in 1997, known the Thrust SuperSonic Car.
I searched for this car but didn’t find an entry for it on Wikipedia. However, I did find a fascinating article on the topic of supersonic. I know a little about aerodynamics from the pilot ground school I took 15 years ago but I had no idea how much different supersonic flight is from subsonic flight.
For instance, from the Wikipedia page:
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Weekend of highs and lows
It was a weekend of highs and lows. Friday night I drove over to help set up the facility for Gerry’s post-service party. Arriving after the work was done (though right when I said I would arrive), instead I joined Jeff, Suzie, Bill, and Janet for a beer and a bite to eat. We had a conversation both deep and hilariously funny.
Saturday morning we were scheduled to go to Hallie’s soccer game but it had gotten rained out. Instead we got the kids ready for their sleepover at their friends’ house and got ourselves ready for Gerry’s funeral. We got the kids out the door and then ourselves, arriving at the church around 12:25. I’ve got a separate post coming up on Gerry’s service, but suffice it to say it was far harder for me than I expected.
We went to a post-service party for Gerry and had a great time. Then we went to yet another party after that one. It was good meeting friends of Gerry’s from various points in his past.
This morning Kelly and I slept in somewhat later, which wasn’t really by design as Daylight Saving Time took effect today. We picked up the kids from their sleepover, ate lunch (BBQ!), and headed out for a two-hour family bike ride on the greenway. It was awesome! When we returned, we figured out that we’d ridden 14 miles. And the kids had no complaints at all! I so love riding with the family and look forward to many more rides like today’s.
Now it’s time for a shower and then bed. My busy week of meetings is this week so my posting this week will be sporadic.
China’s oil demand ‘astonishing’
Astonishing, indeed.
China’s demand for oil jumped by an “astonishing” 28% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.
Raleigh works to woo Google fiber
I got a little ink in this week’s Independent Weekly, discussing the Triangle cities’ efforts to lure Google’s proposed 1Gbps fiber network:
East Raleigh organizer and blogger Mark Turner said the Bring Google Fiber to Raleigh! Facebook group he created the day that Google announced the fiber program now includes more than 600 members and has drawn the support of elected officials. He hopes upcoming Internet conferences in Raleigh will add muster to the effort.
“I see fiber and Internet connection as being almost as vital nowadays as sewer service and water service, as far as building communities,” Turner said. “It would really position us for some long-term growth.”
Cheap Thoughts: Kitchen timers
Why don’t kitchen timers count up as well as down? Isn’t that a valid use of a timer? What if I’m eyeballing something on the stove and I just want to know how long it’s been cooking. My only choice is to set the timer to some random time and do the math to figure out the time.
I would think it’d be a simple thing to make timers that count both ways. Maybe it’s just me.
Let them
The Friday before last I drove to work in the midst of drivers acting like idiots. It inspired me to wonder how the Dalai Lama might treat the idiots in traffic, if he would be as tempted as I am sometimes to show them the error of their ways. It falls into my general deep philosophical thinking that we’re all on the planet to teach and help each other: we can all be angels to someone.
I posted my thought and then went about my way, thinking that was the end of it.
Then on Thursday, a close friend died after a traffic accident on that very same highway. As I again drove by the scene of that horrific accident, I was startled to have a thought pop into my head:
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Instant Karma
Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin’ to do
It’s up to you, yeah you
Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin’
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin’ at fools like me
Who on earth d’you think you are
A super star
Well, right you are
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A little downtime
Yes, I actually posted that last post at 3:13 AM this morning. It was another night like Monday night, where my sense of shock and grief kept sleep at bay. Still, when the alarm clock sounded I managed to put my feet on the floor in the morning, for which I am always thankful.
It was my toughest day so far in dealing with the loss of Gerry. Up until now there has been plenty for me to do to create something positive for Gerry and his family but now that he’s gone the emotion my activities have been (mostly) keeping in check are now coming forth. On my way to work I teared up again when I saw a state trooper and wondered if he might have been at the scene of Gerry’s wreck. Then later this morning I had to stop reading Gerry’s guestbook because I became too emotional. I also got weepy thinking of all the missed opportunities for future fun together, and that from this point on our lives would be forever out of sync.
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