Irresponsibility On Friday, I was in the second day of the administratively enforced blackout (as in total grid shut-down) from our local utility. The cause (excuse?) was the Santa Ana wind and its harsh dry gusts that could easily induce a wildfire that could quickly get out of control and create a liability for said utility. I had had the foresight to anticipate the possibility of this situation earlier in the year and put my…
Stop and Listen to the Wind This is a strange day in a constantly strange year. What is making this day so much more strange is that I was awoken at 6am, somewhat earlier than normal given that I was up until 11:45pm watching Brian Williams trying to once again recap the strangeness of the day yesterday in the news. The reason I woke up early was that I heard a strange sound that I…
Every Day is Special Yesterday was apparently Cyber Monday. Last Friday was Black Friday, whatever that is. Whatever it is, the marketplace seems to feel its necessary to advertise it excessively for two weeks before and a week after. Its like those old signs on the highway that said, “You just passed X, so turn around and drive back to find X”. And today is Giving Tuesday, which I imagine we are supposed to feel…
Deck The Halls and Haul The Deck Did I mention that I am playing contractor on my deck renovation? Even if I did, I need to howl at the moon over this and so this story is what comes out. Long ago I thought I wanted to be an architect. That morphed into wanting to be a structural engineer, which evolved into an engineer more broadly, and that drifted based on a nasty run-in with…
A Visit to TeslaLand When I was a kid in grade school, there were two things we spent all summer anxiously awaiting in September, and neither one involved the start of school. One was the new network TV show line-up from ABC, CBS and NBC. TV Guide would dutifully construct and publish a two-page weekly schedule. We would pour over that schedule and curse the network scheduling executives that purposefully matched up head-to-head the shows…
Taking It To The Limit I don’t think I have that gene that causes me to test the limits on everything I do. I know people who have that going on and some are still with us and some managed to exceed their limits and pay the ultimate price. Obviously, not every activity has a terminal penalty associated with pushing too far. Sometimes the reward is simply a proverbial speeding ticket, a slap on the…
Exit Stage Left With COVID-related deaths now exceeding 250,000 in the United States, the news is once again dominated by by two things, the manner of reaction being taken to combat the virus, and the lack of enablement by the current Trump administration insuring a smooth transition of power to the new Biden administration, especially vis-a-vis management of the Coronavirus battle. Rather than celebrating the impact that Project Warp Speed might have had on the…
The Attraction Game Today I got an unexpected call from my friend Travis. Travis is a wonderful guy I met about seven years ago. He is a guy who always has a bright smile and easy laugh. He is a guy who I would always choose to have a meal with because he is simply an interesting guy. He lives in Croton-on-Hudson with his Kiwi wife Fiona and his two boys, Connor and Jack. They…
He Was Right Over the last week Donald Trump has held an array of rallies where he has said many outrageous and untrue things. We as a country are unfortunately becoming immune to his rantings and have come to expect little or no truth in his words. I don’t actually think most Trump voters think his words are truthful, but rather they just enjoy his brashness and unconventional handling of every situation regardless of the…
Wakey-Wakey One of my favorite movies is The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins. The obvious reason for my affection is that the subject is motorcycle speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Western Utah. Any movie about motorcycling is of interest to me, but this one holds a particularly special place in my heart. It is about an old New Zealand codger named Burt Monro from Invercargill on the South Island, who spends…