Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with music: 

and other reasons I love TED:

Sure I have talked about TED before  but sometimes you just have to see it to believe it. Please check it out *here* .

 

I had to clean out the hanger today...

I had to clean out the hanger today...and in all the mess and junk there were bits and pieces of awesomeness.
Just more junk for most people, like this discarded placard showing rpm for give horsepower at different altitudes pretty much useless now.
The wear, the screw clips, all emblazoned with the ribbon Piper emblem made me feel all nostaligy.

Sometimes inspiration

Sometimes inspiration comes in the form of tiny little bubbles. (with chop sticks and tuna)

Today we say goodbye to the Girls mother...

We took this picture at Christmas, and today one short month later we said out final goodbyes to a woman who was both strong and loving.  Just not as strong as the cancer that took her from us.
We can only remember her through the lives she touched and the love she gave as we send her off to a better resting place.
Here on Christmas morning she placed the baby in the manger a task she usually left to the children of the family. I would like to think that maybe she knew this would be her last chance before she met the real deal. I may never know. I do know that the end came swift and relatively peaceful for her and for that I, and the rest of her family, are grateful.
Two weeks ago she told me she wanted to teach me how to make her chicken cacciatore… when I had more time. I have been busy lately and did not realize that a few short weeks later I would be writing this instead of learning how to make delicious chicken.

Turns out I was wrong.

Godspeed on your last journey Ann.

You will be missed.

Leaving the farm early...

Leaving the farm early to take care of some serious family business.

Rough week

63

Done.

I dont remember being this relived since... well ever.

Now on the the next challenge.


Photo credit to :

“aLthaLus the redemption of”

Why I love Ann Arbor : (hint its not for the proposed Vehicle idling ordinance)

There is so much to love about Ann Arbor. The beautiful parks, the diverse people, the culture, the general tolerance of everyone... it really is a wonderful place to live and work.

There is, however, a dark side to our beautiful city. It is an over legislated attitude that is becoming more and more pervasive and is driving a legal wedge between the people in power and the people whom they are supposed to serve.

It would be comical if it was not so crazy, and before I condemn any one person or entity let me just say this: it has not passed yet. Still the fact that it is being proposed, in its current form, is just mind blowingly stupid.

No, really, if you read the proposal it could not be more ludicrous, idiotic, and a waste of the cities time and efforts. Counsel please I implore you. Listen to the poles, look at what is going on around you and think about what you are doing.

Have we leaned nothing from the crosswalk law debacle?
Still think it might not be such a bad idea?  Before you decide, check out this story about it *here* and *here* but my understanding is as it reads in its current recommendation:

The proposed ordinance would make a $100 ticket the minimum punishment for a driver who leaves a vehicle running while unoccupied for any amount of time or running for five minutes while occupied. For commercial vehicles, that minimum fine increases to $500.

I don't care what other cities have done, and know that the city leans toward the tree hugging side of the scale and that is not in itself a bad thing but seriously who in there right mind could possibly think that this is a good idea.

What happens when the person that starts their car and takes off in less than five minutes can not see out of the frost laden windshield and kills a pedestrian at one of your newly anointed cross walks? Its not good enough to scrape the window when its 20 below, your breath alone will kill your visibility until your car warms up an that is going to take more than 5 stupid minutes in those temperatures. What about warming a car for your infant child, or the elderly or...wait why do I even have to explain to anyone why that is a terrible idea? If a bad idea itself could have a worse idea the crap that it came up with would still be a better idea than this.

Here is a partial list of things that are WAY MORE IMPORTANT to deal with then the emissions from idling vehicles:

Funding for essential services (PS funding them from this insanity is not the answer)
The growing homeless problem
Parking, the lack thereof and issues surrounding it.
Keeping downtown a safe, thriving business friendly zone
Just about ANYTHING ELSE you can think of honestly

All I can say it the people of the city are really at the limit of dumb laws that make no sense, create more confusion then good, and in the end cause more harm.

As I said there is so much to love about this great city. This ordinance and others like it are not why.

Once again I am reminded

Just how fragile life really is.
Some lessons have to be learned over and over again I guess, the important ones anyway.



Photo credit: Gurry Gudfinns

Tanner and I did get some work done

Here she helped me plow the drive.

The real reason Kids dont want to get there drivers license at 16....

It is the start of the Detroit International Auto Show this week , so I thought I would write a little post about something I have noticed for a while... young adult not wanting to get there drivers license. 

Its really weird. Picture this: your 18 and you don’t have a license yet? Really? When I was in school the only reason you did not have your drivers license at 18 was due to a court order of some kind. Seriously.
But over and over I see kids waiting… 18,19,20… older. Waiting. Worse yet not even caring.

So I guess I am not the only once to notice, but I am really tired of people saying its because of  social media giving kids digital freedom, a shrinking world, the lack of a need. In fact its not ONE of those things. Its all of those reason and more.

Yes you can tweet all your friends, and let them know that your checking in at your living room in a press of a button on your phone.  Really though, I think most are just a little lazy.

Lets face it, like most things every year its harder to get your license as well. Make it hard and young adults start to question the value of it. Why try when I can just get mom to drive me? It is really a little over regulated. I am not a huge fan of the graduated process most states have adopted. I say teach you kid to drive, and let them get there license. Its gong be hard, just do it for gods sake.

Parents make it worse, coddling there kids. If you were my kid, you would want to drive. If for nothing else just to get away from me. Not to mention that if you are 18 I am not going to be driving your ass around.

I also believe that it helped that we had motorcycles, go carts, and all sorts of dangerous fun when we were kids. Now this stuff is way to dangerous for the general populace now days. Hell you have to wear a helmet to walk outside these days. When did everyone become such wussies?

Of course you are talking to a guy that was not happy with his drivers license and went on to get his pilots license. So maybe I just don’t understand the mind set. Maybe I never will. One thing for sure, I do see the trend. For what it worth I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.

SIX

It may seem like an accomplishment, but this test drained me.
In the end I guess I should just be glad I passed.
OK on to other things now,  nothing else to see here.

Sure it was Friday the 13th today

And yes things happened. The girl locked the keys in the car. It was snowy and cold. I had a ton of work to do. I have a huge test tomorow. Still... Today was a good day.

Disclosure: not the Girl in the photo. Not the car. Just trying to give you an idea here.

Things I have been missing lately...

I have been a little busy lately, so busy that I have been missing some things lately.

Things like: free time, good sleep, conversations with the Girl, time with the Girl in general,time to blog, flying, time with the dog.

Also time to read what I want, instead of what I have to. Time to watch a movie (like the one that I STILL have from Erin... sorry). Shop time, yes shop time.

Sadly I don't really see it getting better for the the next 6 months or so... and then that's when the real work starts.
That is what I get for biting of more than a can chew.

Cool Gear: Invisible Fans

Leave it to the guys (and girls) and Yanko Design to make a retractable bathroom fan that disappears in the wall like a bathroom tile.
Its simple
Its effective
Its awesome.


Check it out *here* and be sure to check out some other cool things on the site.

Top Five Reasons Telecommuting...

Is Awesome:

1) You can set your own hours.
2) The commute from the bed is easy.
3) The animals are eager to help.
4) Email/IM makes you assessable all the time.
5) You can work any time 24/7

The Animals are eager to help.

Sucks:

1) You have to set your own hours.
2) The commute from the bed is too easy.
3) The animals are eager to help.
4) Email/IM makes you assessable all the time.
5) You can work 24/7

Sure this is just a real short term deal but to say its an adjustment is an understatement.

Sometimes walking Tanner.

I was tired, my head was throbbing and I was not in a good mood and I still had to run the dog.

Tanner had her own agenda, running through the woods. frolicking in the mud and chasing the ball like she was a dog half her age.

While trying to keep up I took a second to look up, and the moon shining through the trees was bright enough to cast shadows and remind me just how small my troubles really are.

What do you know? I learned a lot today, but the lesson the dog taught me was the most important.

Someday I will really miss these walks.

Apparently I need two or more computers to work/study

and to be completely honest I really was missing a third monitor.
Apparently I am tech spoiled. When the hell did that happen exactly?

Now when I really need to focus

Everything is a

Go Blue: Bowl Edition

Well look at what we have here, MI in the post season with a choice bowl selection... The Sugar Bowl.

Despite its dubious sponsorship, and the to the chagrin of others  a BCS bowl.

Its about to start... no matter what happens it is a honor for us to be here after what can only be called a tremendous turn around after the last few years.

MI needs to represent the BIG TEN with a win tonight and the Hokies want to show everyone that MI is early in the programs comeback... and wants to show there dominance with a W.

Here is looking forward to a good contest.

GO BLUE

*UPDATE*:

WHAT A HALF!

*UPDATE2*:

WHAT A 2ND HALF! OVERTIME.
I swear my heart is going to explode.

*UPDATE3*

WOW! JUST WOW.

GO BLUE!

Big day tomorow

GO BLUE

The Holidays are over.

I guess its time to face the facts... the Holidays are over.
It really does not even seem like a new year.

Overheard Tonight On The Couch: New Year Edition

(While watching the Blackberry Bold commercial)

Me: "Blackberry Bold..."

The Girl: *blink*

Me: "He might as well be riding around on a dinosaur and taking notes on stone tablets."

The Girl: "Wow sweetie..."

Happy New Year

May it be an interesting one!