KISS....Keep It Simple Stupid

We tend to make things more complicated than they need be.  Case in point: the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines triple-7.  My friend Elaine Webb shared on Facebook an article by an experienced Canadian pilot, Chris Goodfellow, which gave a simple and entirely credible explanation of what might have happened.

He pointed out that pilots, especially those as experienced as the Malaysian Airlines pilots, are constantly updating in their mind where the nearest divert airfields are in case of an emergency.  This would include airfields ahead, beside, and behind them.  This way if something goes wrong, they don't have to think where they could go....they already KNOW where to go.

He theorizes that there was some sort of fire, probably electrical, that caused them to pull the circuit breaker(s) to identify and control the fire.  This could have caused the interruptions in communications.  Then the pilot turned towards the nearest, longest runway in the area (13,000') at Pulau Lankawi, which is why he made the sudden left turn. 

He didn't return to Kuala Lampur because he knew he would have to cross over an 8,000' mountain ridge, and he might not be able to make it.  His divert field at Pulau Lankawi was on the same approximate heading (in the direction) he was going after his turn.  Mr. Goodfellow believes the plane crashed somewhere between its last known location and Pulau Lankawi, and that's where investigators should be looking.

But what about reports that land radar had the plane crossing back over the Malaysian peninsula and heading back out into the Indian Ocean?  Just today it was said many believe there are too many powerful radars along that route for a plane to get through quietly unannounced.  Hmmmm....

Interesting hypothesis.

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There was a story in the news this morning that was accompanied by this picture:

 

The caption called this "the face of cold authority".

  

Then it dawned on me....Putin looks like the ice-cold villain in the James Bond movie Casino Royale.  Look at the expressionless eyes and the tight lipped mouth.  Let's hope Pootie Pooh suffers a similar fate as Bond's nemesis.

Hump Day!  :)

S

Which came first....Mr. T or the t-shirt?

Isn't it ironic that the one thing I can do well, I mean really world-class-well, is tie a necktie?  Why couldn't it be picking winning lottery numbers, or collecting hot women's hotel room keys a la James Bond?  (Disclaimer:  This would have been long before K, of course.)

Yesterday I was asked to do something I haven't been asked to do in 40+ years;  a total stranger stopped me on the street and asked if I knew how to tie a necktie.  I said yes, and he whipped one out and asked me to please help him out.  So I put it around my neck, round / round / tuck / pull, and there it was.  I loosened it, slipped it over my head, handed it to him, and off he ran.  I didn't even have time to ask him what this was all about.

Several light years ago, back when I was in college, I was the go-to guy for half the guys in my dorm who needed a tie tied.  Starting mid-afternoon on Saturday's guys would come to me one after another, waiting sometimes two or three deep, for me to tie their necktie, which they were sure would help them "round the bases" later in the evening.

The irony of all this is I absolutely HATE to wear a necktie myself.  I will lie, cheat, or fake appendicitis to avoid going to a wedding or a funeral, the only two occasions that in my mind still require a necktie.  In retirement I'm down to one suit and one sports coat, and two ties....one for marryin' and one for buryin'.   (At my age the buryin' one is now inching ahead in use.)

DAMN THOSE CROATIANS!

As I see it the guy who invented the necktie is in a sprint straight to hell with the guy who invented the business suit.  I live in Texas....it's 110 degrees....and I'm supposed to button my top shirt button, cinch a tie tight around my neck, and put on A COAT?  Does this make any sense at all?

After a little research I found that it was Croatian mercenaries fighting for the French in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) who were first seen wearing knotted kerchiefs around their necks to denote their regimental affiliation.  And of course the French, being the little sissies they were (are?) thought it looked cool and made it fashionable.  Damn them all!

Today my wardrobe, courtesy of LL Bean, looks more like this.

I figure I started out life wearing a little "onesie" t-shirt, and I'll go out wearing a slightly larger XL t-shirt.  As God intended it.  :)

Happy weekend everyone!

S

Bummer weekend

I hate it when my weekends fizzle.  I don't mind it if a Tuesday or a Thursday bombs, but don't mess with my weekends.

Yesterday was Cars and Coffee, but as I came down with some sort of sinus congestion/snotting/blowing/coughing condition on Friday night (no fever), and since Saturday morning it was 30 degrees with a wind chill of 23, I decided to pass on C&C.  Yet I still had to go to a business meeting.  Something is waaaay wrong with this picture!  

And to rub salt into the wound, on the way to my meeting I could see the Cars and Coffee site from the freeway, and it was packed. 

Then today K and I had planned to go see our newest family member, granddaughter Reese, but with my snotting and sneezing I decided to spare the poor child.  I am getting out long enough to go to the pharmacy for some Flonase, then by Starbucks for a coffee to-go.  Otherwise I'm stuck here today.

One good thing I found today....Teledoc.  It's a feature of our health insurance that allows us to call an 800 number and talk to a doctor, and if the ailment is something minor like mine, they'll call in a Rx without requiring a face-to-face visit.  I like.

I found an English rugby game on TV I'm taping for playback later, and I have a James Bond movie in the wings for later this evening, too.  I guess I'll muddle through.

Hope y'all are having more fun than me today.  ;)

S

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Mark Twain

I feel like the blind double-amputee trying to read braille with hooks.*  There's no telling how this post is going to turn out as I can type while only seeing out of the tiny sliver of my eye that isn't covered by a bandage.  

I thought I'd have a little incision and a few stitches covered by a band aid.  Hahaha!  If it's true chicks like guys with scars, then I'll soon be Hollywood's hottest leading man.  They cut me from above my eyebrow, down the side of my nose all the way to my nostril.  At least that's what I'm told.  Fortunately it doesn't hurt.

My next project is to contrive a manly story to explain the scar I'm sure I'll end up with.  "Oh, I was too stupid to wear sunblock and I got skin cancer" is just too pathetic.  I need something like "I was fighting foreign evil-doers intent on destroying our civilization while working side-by-side with my friend Bond, James Bond ('cause he has all the really cool toys). After the mother-of-all-knife-fights we managed to find the device and cut the right wire just as the clock went to 00:00.  You're welcome."

Yeah, that oughta work.

Seriously, K is the ultimate Florence Nightingale.  Before I can even think of something I might want or need she shows up with it.  (It's kinda scary, actually :)  And even little Luke the Wonder Dog sticks right at my side where ever I go.  I guess that's the canine version of TLC.

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Fortunately none of this has damaged my taste buds, which is good because tomorrow promises an absolute feast for which I am truly thankful.  I hope you can have a comfortable day with your friends and family, too. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

S

*I realize there are many wounded servicemen and women who will live forever with their injuries where my minor discomfort will only last a few days.  I will always give them all the gratitude and respect I have in me.  I hope you will do the same.  *Thank you*

As if I wasn't already impressed with James Bond....

....this just ratchets it up another few notches:

Daniel Craig, the current James Bond, is on a worldwide tour promoting his new movie, Skyfall (which BTW I can enthusiastically recommend). I just read that at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghani-freakin'-stan 800 British troops were all settled in to see the newest Bond movie when out walks Craig himself, 007, to say Hi to his countrymen.

While there he got to meet the troops, fire guns on their range, and took time to visit those in the base hospital, too.  It seems like it was something done sincerely on his part as it was done too low-key to be much of a publicity stunt.  At least I hope so.

I like seeing the human side of celebrities.  Unfortunately so few of them even have a human side.  To me this nice act makes Daniel Craig one of the good guys.  :)

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I'm going under the knife this morning.  The doc is going to cut out the little skin cancer thingy on the bridge of my nose.  While they always tell you every possible thing that can go wrong (CYA, you know), I'm looking for it to be pretty much a non-event.  One of you (can't remember which) remarked that facial scars are a chick magnet.  We'll see about that.  

*Ya hear that, K?  A little TLC right here, please. *  :)

Y'all behave.

S

Thoughts on Veterans Day, and 007, too.

Today is the day we set aside every year to thank our military veterans who have served so that we can all vote, speak our minds, go (or not go) the the church of our choice, and just enjoy all the bounty we have.  What is that saying, "They all gave some, and some gave all"?  They are special people who deserve our thanks and gratitude.  I salute them all.

Any time you see a veteran or an active duty military member, why not take just a few seconds and shake their hand and thank them?  Lord knows we don't pay them enough considering all they do for us.  A little pat on the back seems in order.

And a personal note:  I'm especially proud of my wonderful wife K who as a US Navy veteran was almost single-handedly responsible for defeating communism, and my daughter Andrea, also a US Navy veteran, who pretty much ran naval operations on the west coast in the early 2000's (despite what some of those stuffy 'ol officers might have thought).  Notice Al Qaeda didn't mess with the west coast when she was in charge!

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Movie review:  Skyfall

K and I saw the new Bond 007 film Skyfall last night, and it did NOT disappoint!  Every scene, from the very first to the very last, was riveting.  The writing, acting, cinematography....everything....was amazing.  The car chase scenes and the special effects were spell-binding.  It was filmed on location in England, Turkey, and Shanghai, and the scenery was incredible.  There was nothing I didn't like about it.  I especially enjoyed the references to vintage Bond films of the past.  

Yes, I'm prejudiced....I'm a big "Bond, James Bond" fan, but everyone there seemed as impressed as me when they left.  Go see it. Definitely, go see it!

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Time for my Sunday morning breakfast.  I've been craving this for a while now, so on my grocery shopping trip this week I got what was needed for ....

....biscuits and gravy.  Mmmmm!  Now I know what you're thinking, but it's OK.  I'm pretty sure they're low-cal.  :)

Hope you all have a wonderful Veterans Day.

S

I'm like a kid on Christmas morning....

I'm really not a movie junkie.  I probably don't go to 3 or 4 movies a year, and the ones I do go to are often times half-hearted outings.  I rarely watch the Academy Awards because I've never even heard of most of the nominees, much less seen them.  

There is, however, one exception to my big-screen ambivalence:  Bond.  James Bond.

I'm a huge James Bond fan.  I even enjoyed the ones that were deemed lackluster.  Screw the reviewers.  As long as there's action, 

gorgeous women,

cool firearms,

and fast cars flying through the air doing things the car parked in my garage can't do,

 I'm happy!

I see a lot of myself in James Bond:  Handsome, dashing, a charmer of women, fearless, a great shot, a skillful driver, and just a downright dangerous dude.  Have I mentioned I also have a serious problem with "delusions of grandeur"?  *wink*

This evening K and I are stepping out, going to see the new Bond film that just opened, Skyfall.  While I generally don't enjoy going out into large crowds, I'll make an exception for 007.  I'm excited!

I'll have a review for you tomorrow.  Happy Saturday everyone.  ;)

S