RFD

JINGELING VI

2009-12-25T14:16:00.002-05:00

This year's JingEling comes in four parts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPYh_uRvoGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxaZ52cbpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCV68axsrxI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-h7HMHdw5o

Merry Christmas! Be sure to leave Ryan & Bethany lots of messages if you like it.

Biking! Statistics!

2009-09-03T10:03:00.001-04:00

View Arlington Triangle in a larger map

Statistics are here.

Elevation Profile

I used my GPS while biking finally, and used it to create a Google Map and record all kinds of information about a ride around the Arlington Triangle. I also used GPS Visualizer to create the nifty profile view.

So I'm clearly not very fast out there; I averaged about 15 mph even disregarding stops for crossings. My friend Chris averaged 18.3 mph while doing the 112 mile bike portion of Ironman Louisville this past weekend. Humbling. Still, extremely neat to have the data - statistics help you quantify just how much fun you're having.

Winning Streak

2009-07-20T21:10:00.001-04:00

I was relaxing this evening after my online submersible design class by watching video from a large aquarium in Okinawa (follow the link in my shared items on the right to see it yourself, or look up Okinawa Chiraumi on YouTube). As I watched, I thought to myself I've had a very good couple of months, though I haven't written about it at all.

My class has been going really well, and I'm learning about the exact thing that got me into naval architecture in the first place. Every weekend for the past two months has been outstanding in one way or another - good bike rides, excellent sailing on the Bay on Sarah & Paul's boat. Matt has completed the custom CVT bike (follow the link to re-turn on the right) and I'll get to ride it in a week or so when I'm up in Maine. My broken refrigerator got replaced, and the weather hasn't been too hot, and I've had some excellent evenings out at the Army Navy Club, Poblano, the Dairy Godmother, etc. I finished reading Anathem, North to the Orient and am now reading Joan of Arc: By Herself and Her Witnesses and they've all been great. I finally watched High Noon this past Sunday, and I feel like I could skip every other western ever made because it was just perfect.

The best part may be that the outlook continues to be good. My project for class is coming together nicely. Sarah passed the PE, so Study Group may reconvene as she studies for acquisition courses as Jane and I tackle Advanced Aero/Hydrodynamics. There is preliminary planning for a long sailing voyage on the Bay - basically a Tour de Tiki Bars. I get to see the whole family up in Maine, and I got permission to prune the overgrown hedge in front of my house. Soon my friend Tyson will have arrived with his family to assume his new billet, and Steph & Aaron will follow soon after. Everything is coming up Dan.

The End of Thinking

2009-05-16T17:06:00.001-04:00

Where was this when I was in school? It will take derivatives, including showing you all the steps so you can show "your" work. So much potential, and probably the geekiest way to waste time on the internet short of posting on comic book message boards. "Who would win in a fight, Spider-man or Boba Fett?" Maybe Alpha can answer that question...

UPDATE: Seriously, check this thing out. Watch the overview screencast - it is breathtaking how much data is already in place.

BtWD

2009-05-16T17:03:00.001-04:00

Friday was Bike to Work Day, and with only a little bit of trickery I managed to take part for the first time.

I used to ride to work almost every day, when I worked at our DC office. The company has a small exercise space and locker rooms there, and the garage has a bike rack. Ironically, my current home office in Alexandria is built on top of a very large gym, which is just finishing a long refurbishing. Too bad it ain't free, or I'd bike to work there, too.

So I haven't ridden to work since I left the assignment in Southeast DC. Sarah is working at that office now, and she mentioned that she was thinking about trying biking to work, and asked for pointers. That was pretty much all the excuse I needed. Since we are working on the same project, I knew I could "hot desk" for a day at that office without much trouble.

I got up a little early so I could ride to Paul & Sarah's to meet up. The ride in went really well - I know every inch of that route along Four Mile Run and up the Mount Vernon Trail. We went to the WABA pit stop at National's Park. Bagels, bananas, swag. We didn't stick around long - who knows, we may have missed our names being pulled for the raffle. We did see some Coasties we knew, who told us there was a CG-only pit stop at HQ - apparently the Commandant is an avid cyclist. They were quiet adorable with their new baby and their matching USCG jerseys. Pretty sweet.

The weather held, though it was a little sticky on the ride home in the afternoon. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed riding to work - it feels like I'm getting away with something. And I enjoyed riding with someone, since I almost always do solo rides. I was very impressed with Sarah - she was flying right along even though she was riding a much heavier mountain bike. I was also sorry I didn't get to see Jane in action - it sounds like she did extremely well, especially considering 1) it was her first bike commute, and 2) she hadn't been on most of those trails before. So kudos to both of my new fellow bike commuters, I hope they both keep riding. And this may have convinced me to get the cheapest possible membership for the gym at work, just so I could start back up myself.

Yard of Mysteries

2009-05-16T16:45:00.000-04:00

Odd appearances, strange comings and goings in my yard recently.

FIRST - The Metal Detective. Last weekend, a man I did not know came to my side door (not the front), knocking as I was getting ready to go for a bike ride. He explained he had spoken with my landlord about sweeping the lawn to look for... treasure, I suppose. I explained that I had no problem with it, provided he didn't dig any especially large holes. He's reappeared a few times, sweeping various sections of the yard. He said he was hoping to find silver coins, since the property is pretty old for the area. I don't think he's found anything.

SECOND - Beach Ball. A cheap plastic beach ball, inflated, showed up in my fenced yard. Not odd in of itself, but I couldn't figure how it got there. The fence would keep most things out, and if someone threw it in, why wouldn't they come and get it back? It probably blew in on a windy day; admittedly a minor mystery.

THIRD - Chutes & Ladders. I'm impressed I even noticed this one, at first. As I drove past the side yard on my way to back into the garage, I noticed an extension ladder, lying partially hidden alongside the house. There's been a house going up down the street, and some painting crews working nearby. But I could't figure for the life of me why anyone would just drop a ladder in my yard. I figured the landlord had contracted for some work on the house. Further evidence supports this theory - there are now paint chips in the yard, and the trim in those areas looks like it has been repainted.

For all the time I've been here, I've never known anyone to come into the yard. Now in the space of a few weeks it is starting to seem like a public park. Maybe I can get the city to mow the grass for me...

Rolling like a droog...

2009-05-09T18:59:00.002-04:00

...with my clockwork orange. Windsor Clockwork, in orange, to be exact. I've ordered the parts for Matt to begin construction up in Vermont of a Continuously Variable Planetary transmission version of the bike. I think it will be an extraordinarily cool bike once he is done - nice road frame with no fixed gears. I may have to swap out the tires, though - it comes with a road set, and I'd like to get it with some hybrid-style tires. I'm not sure the really knobby cyclocross tires are what I'm looking for, or that they would even fit. I just need something a little tougher, with a little bit of tread, that can handle the C&O Canal towpath and the gravel stretches of the Capital Crescent trail.

Regardless, I'm very excited about this project. I hope Matt will be capturing the construction progress, or at least commenting on it, on his site re-turn.blogspot.com. The last thing to figure out now is how to get the finished bike from Vermont to Virginia.

Schooly-D

2009-05-09T18:48:00.001-04:00

School's out, school's out
Teacher let the monkeys out
One was jailed
And one prevailed
Both asked God
"How have I failed?"
-Grad School chant (traditional)

Good stuff from Matt Groenig's book "School is Hell."

I've finished my first class towards my masters via the Virginia Tech online system. It wasn't too rough; I think it did what I needed it to, which was reacquaint me with the habits of study and homework. Now over the summer I'll be taking a course with material I've never taken before, Manned Submersible Design. I'm looking forward to it - submersibles are what got me interested in this field in the first place. You can draw a straight line from Peter Buonincontro buying me a copy of Seven Miles Down at the middle school library sale through my acceptance to the Coast Guard Academy to finishing my BS in Ocean Engineering and earning my PE in naval architecture. And it looks like that line will continue with a masters in Ocean Engineering... in about 4 years. At least I'm off to a good start.

Wild

2009-05-09T18:44:00.000-04:00

I watched Into the Wild earlier this week. I had never seen it before, nor had I read the book. I'm usually pretty good about reading books before seeing movies based on them - the books are almost always better. I think I may have to go back and read Krakauer's book - but not because I liked the movie.

It was a very interesting movie, but I found it frustrating. Not the movie itself, but the story it tells. As a technical exercise, the movie is very good - Sean Penn directed it and does a good job of giving the movie the visual scope it deserves, since so much of it takes place in the great wide spaces of the American West. My trouble is one that many others have - the young man in the movie, Chris McCandless, was gifted and willful and capable and foolish. He essentially walked away from his life and tramped for two years, ending up in the hinterlands near Denali National Park, where he eventually starved to death. My reaction, over and over in the movie, was that almost every choice reflected staggering hubris and egotism. From his surviving letters and journals, plus the recollections of the many people he met and befriended, McCandless was looking for a latter-day Walden experience, to live as Thoreau did. This does not align with the spirit of Walden in some ways - Walden was basically a suburb of Boston, even when Thoreau was there, just out by Lynn, inside route 128. He would often leave the cabin and visit town.

Though perhaps McCandless was more right than he knew; he benefited from the kindness of those he met on the road many times, and Thoreau was actually living on his friend Emerson's property. Yet he still thought he could walk out into some of the harshest country known and survive on his own. Even if he had the skills and wherewithal to do so, I think I may have a fundamental issue with his desire to isolate himself. I prefer Donne to Thoreau:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee

Krakauer himself has argued in McCandless' favor, saying that he didn't take a map so he could "create" a blank place on the map to explore. I don't find self-deception sympathetic. Others who agree with Krakauer argue that McCandless was trying to live in harmony with nature, and acted out of respect. Nature is one mean mother, and respect first means you never forget that she is trying to kill you (and eventually will). I feel like his actions were fundamentally disrespectful - he acted as one trying to impose their will on nature, to live as they see fit rather than as they can. And lastly, for someone who has been described as being so personable and friendly, his willingness to walk away from so many people strikes me as cold. Even in the movie's depiction of him, I found him selfish.

I have to admit, all I have to go on is the movie. I have not educated myself on the facts. So I will definitely read the book. My real point is that the movie, whether or not you enjoy the story, is very good, because it forces you to form an opinion, to think about what you've seen. I enjoyed that, and look forward to learning more.

Beep Beep Ribbey Ribbey

2009-04-18T18:53:00.000-04:00

After a brief but thorough search, I have a successor to Stella. I picked up a 2008 Subaru Impreza hatchback this week. While it is used, it was never sold - it was the dealer's, a "corporate fleet" vehicle. Not sure exactly what that means, but it has under 10,000 miles and is in great shape.

It seems they've made real strides in automotive features since they built Stella in 1996. The car is quieter, rides smoother, and the radio even tells you the name of the station you're listening to. What an age to be alive. All jokes aside, it is a great little car, just the right size - my kayak will fit on top once I get new adapters for the roof rack, and my groceries fit perfectly in the back. Also, the engineer in me gets a kick out of the opposed pistons in the flat-4 or boxster style engine. Much cooler than the more common V or inline arrangements. Too bad it isn't a rotary...

Jane was good enough to help me when I went to test drive, and then again when I bought the car. That proved invaluable, as I had never actually bought a car before. While I did test-drive Stella back in '99, my folks took a look the next day and made the purchase. They said "We bought it; if you liked it, you can pay us back, but otherwise we like it so much we're keeping it as our second car." So I never haggled over a car price, never had to assess financing (since the Academy car loan was also taken care of for us, for the most part), never took care of title transfers and such. I've been getting by on luck and good looks for too long, maybe.

So the new car is in the garage, and Stella was towed to the wreckers this morning. I've moved all my maps and such into the Subaru, and set my radio stations. Pretty soon it will actually feel like my car.

Le Car est Mort

2009-04-10T19:35:00.000-04:00

The days have been just packed. I enjoyed two day long meetings down at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren this week, which was awesome. Well, the part where I heard them test-firing the guns was. Everything else was somewhat less fantastic. It ate up all my time, and driving back and forth ate up even more time, and my other project is stuck in the mud, and whine whine whine.

Also, Stella has passed on. After just over ten years of faithful service, my Saab 900S is no longer viable. Panamanian running lights, so to speak. Her transmission is shot, and it would cost twice her blue book value to repair. So she's headed out back like Old Yeller.

Stella was my first car, and most of the work of buying her actually fell to my parents. So I've never bought a car myself, really. I'm concerned I'm going to get taken. So I'm doing all sorts of research, and trying to figure this out without taking a lot of time - I'm picking up a rental tomorrow, and I'd rather not be in the kickin' Hyundai Accent longer than I have to be. Though I should keep an open mind - Ryan & Bethany have an Accent, and it seems to be working out for them.

I figure I need something that I can car-top my sailing kayak and load up with my groceries. It would be nice to have something with a tow hitch, since I already have a hitch-mounted bike rack. so I'm spending lots of time on the Carmax website. And USAA, figuring out what kinds of loans I can get. Super fun, mostly because I love have to deal with things where I have no clue what I'm doing.

Turn for the better

2009-03-29T17:07:00.000-04:00

I was in a crummy mood after some dodgy business at work this week. My nice stone desk globe, a graduation gift, was knocked off my desk and broken by parties unknown. I found out I'll have to take a two-day meeting of the most boring variety down in Dahlgren. And when I went over the monthly invoice for one of my projects, I learned why we're burning money so fast. Still haven't learned how to fix that, however.

Yesterday was better - had a very productive day, including a solid Study Group. Sarah even passed along a book from Paul and her dad, Halsey's Typhoon, which looks very promising. But things really picked up today. The weather suddenly got perfect, and all my chores were done and there was nothing in the To Do pile. So I finally got back out on the bike paths.

Luckily, my road bike didn't need too much pre-season tuning - just reinflate the tires and go. There were some headwinds to buck, but nothing too bad. And though they haven't had the official ribbon-cutting, the underpass on the Four Mile Run trail under West Glebe Road and I-395 shooting straight into Shirlington is open. It's great, much better than waiting for crosswalk lights and riding up the side streets to the pedestrian bridge. That set the tone for the whole ride - so good to be back out there, even if it was kind of crowded down along the Potomac.

The most kindest cut of all

2009-03-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

I had my do-over back surgery last week, and it went even better than the first time. Instead of getting nauseated by the painkiller IV and staying overnight, I came out of surgery feeling great and they let me go late in the afternoon. I was home with my mom for dinner, which was worlds better than the night of tossing and turning I worked through after the previous surgery.

I should say it was not all perfect. Originally, the surgery was scheduled for Thursday morning, but the night before the doctor's office called and canceled due to an emergency. I never did get the full run down on that. It was rescheduled the next day for Monday morning. This was difficult, since it meant either finding someone else to get me to and from the hospital, or extending Mom's stay by changing her flight. We actually ended up buying her a one-way ticket home - it was cheaper than trying to switch her return. And everyone here and in Maine had to adjust their schedules to accommodate, for which I'm grateful. I burn up some vacation days, Mom misses some more work, Dad has to feed himself for a few extra days - sacrifices were made all around.

It's been almost a week now, and I don't even need my painkiller prescription for the incision pain anymore. I'm still stiff, and I have to take it easy so everything heals up inside and out, but I feel like I'm doing really well. It has been beautiful weather the past few days, so between that and the immense increase in comfort, I'm excited about getting back in the saddle and taking some bike rides.

Which brings me back to the CVT bike Matt and I have been discussing. I've been reviewing his various proposals, and they all sound pretty fantastic. What I really need to do is figure out where and how I'll use this bike, so we can build it properly. I need to educate myself some in order to make an informed choice, as well. But the trails will beckon soon.

Burst

2009-02-25T17:53:00.000-05:00

The past few months, I had been having trouble with my back again. Nothing overwhelming, but enough so that I got it checked out. After some examinations and an MRI, turns out the disc had burst again. Well not technically I suppose - discs are made of fibrous casings containing a more fluid filling. The fibrous case is similar to hair, in that it there is no blood flow to it and it cannot heal. So when I got my back fixed the first time, the surgeon just trimmed away the part of the filling that had pushed out of the casing. But the hole remained, and it looks like more filling has burst forth.

In anticipation of surgery, I decided to get my car serviced, since I didn't want anything to happen while my Mom was here in town driving me to and from the hospital. It was time for some fluids and filters. The day before I went to Jiffy Lube, I happened to get a low coolant warning. What good luck - I was headed in anyway. As I pulled up to the garage, though, I noticed more smoke than I'd like to see coming out of my hood. Turns out I had burst the upper coolant hose from the radiator. Luckily, the service station next door was able to fix up my car in fairly short order.

Now, I'm fit to burst. My do-over surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. The doctor's office just called, and informed me that due to an emergency, my surgeon is unavailable until Monday. I will probably be "first on the list" for surgery then. Great news, now that my mom has paid to fly down here, I've arranged my work schedule to accommodate the next two days off, and I have arranged everything to take care of this Thursday. So now I get to take more time off next week to get the new surgery date, and need to find someone new to take me to and from the airport since Mom will have flown home by then. Just a string of bad luck lately.

On the other hand, Matt has some great ideas for a possible home-built CVT road bike for me. That's worth getting excited about.

Busy but Bored

2009-02-21T16:21:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy the past few weeks, trying to shepherd a project to a significant milestone. I've been in the office early, leaving late. I don't care for it. And even though I'm busy, with many tasks to occupy my time, I'm bored. I really look forward to having it done.

On the flip side, once I get my sweet Stimulus Money, I found something to spend it on. I mean, that's what we're supposed to do with our extra money from tax reductions, right? Well, I may do my part. I mentioned once before the Ellsworth bike that uses the continuously variably planetary transmission. Well, there are more out now from other manufacturers that use the same transmission, for much cheaper. So I'm considering getting the Cadillac Bikes AV-T . It's a "commuter" bike - I'd use it to replace my old Head hybrid, which has been pretty much demoted to fluid trainer duty. Though I may wait just a little longer; I'd really like to get a CVP-equipped road bike. Someone just has to make one...

C'mon baby hold together

2009-02-01T17:46:00.013-05:00

There have been a few instances lately where my car, Stella, has not exactly driven trouble-free. The worst was when she went into "Limp Home" mode while I was trying to give Steph a ride to the airport. Turns out it was just a completely drained battery that was not even accepting a charge from the alternator anymore. Easily fixed, but catastrophic in its impact.

Other minor hiccups have been popping up - some brake squeal, some indications the belts need to be adjusted or replaced, a telltale shimmy crying for a tire alignment. My favorite, though, was just today while out running errands. Everything was fine, but the gas gauge didn't register at all. I knew the tank was at least one quarter full, and there was no indication of any kind of leak. Must be the gauge.

Now, how many times has a mechanical device or electronic doodad failed you, and you couldn't help but knock on it a few times hoping it would kick back in? Has that ever worked? But you try anyway. As I did this morning - and it springs right back to life, one quarter tank. I'm not sure if I should worry, or just enjoy being Han Solo to my car's Millennium Falcon, Fonzie to it's jukebox at Arnold's.

Really, besides the battery fiasco, there have been no major issues with Stella. But I've had her for 10 years now, and she's a 1996 model. I have to admit I'm thinking of finding something a bit more current. Too bad those affordable, practical electric cars aren't around yet.

Union

2009-01-20T20:46:00.000-05:00

While I live just outside Washington DC, I did not venture across the Potomac for any of the Inaugural festivities. Not for lack of interest - I think it was a great and important day for a number of reasons. But you tell me there's going to be a crowd of 2 million people, my only question is which direction leads away from them. Far too much hassle, as I'm sure everyone has heard from the news, and not enough return on the effort. Most people on the Mall watched the ceremony on a screen, so why shouldn't I as well, in my office on my lunch break? Plus I don't lose the day, which I desperately need in order to get projects delivered on time.

However, watching and reading about all that has happened today, a peculiar sense of familiarity came to me. It was actually described best by a kindegartener to an old friend of mine: "It's like the country is having a wedding to get married to Obama." This rang particularly true while I briefly tuned in to one of the Inaugural Balls, and the President had a first dance with the First Lady while the old Etta James standard "At Last" was sung. You could write a paper unpacking all the symbolism there between history and race and politics. But on the surface, it was a first dance, with a man in a tuxedo and his wife in a formal gown. And they are the only ones dancing, and everyone is watching. It was very much like a wedding.

The thing of it is, there is a long history of Heads of State "marrying" their nations, though usually in the case of royalty. I'm especially reminded of the Doge of Venice, who each year would renew the marriage of the Venetian Empire and the Sea by tossing a ring into the Adriatic. The parallel is not perfect, but it illustrates the essential idea of a union between leader and state, with accompanying pomp and pageantry.

Like many other in the country, I'm excited about this administration. I look forward to governance based on facts and reason, if nothing else. I'm glad America has found a nice boy to settle down with.

"Rightsizing"

2009-01-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

To look at the entries here, you'd think it has been a very slow couple of weeks. If you thought that you would be wrong. In fact, since coming back to DC from Maine right before New Year's, there's been a great deal of activity. Besides a very enjoyable New Year's Eve at the Army Navy Country Club and Southeast DC, I've become very busy with two separate major projects at work, enrolled in online graduate courses from Virginia Tech to start my master's (plus all the legwork to get tuition assistance at work), and winterized my "backyard boat" Pegasus.

The most significant thing maybe be one that was less time consuming. But I've winterized boats and taken courses before. This is a unique and novel event. I'm selling off some of my library. Well, trying - I've picked out the duplicates and candidates for "reduction in force." They fill a grocery sack and a rolling suitcase. Some are good titles that I have multiple copies of - The Sea Wolf, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, House of Leaves - while others just haven't aged well for me. I'm getting rid of all of my old Mass Market Tom Clancys (Clancies?) except for my still-beloved The Hunt for Red October. Goodbye to all of the "Hannibal" novels by Thomas Harris except, again, the best of them, Silence of the Lambs.

The reasoning for the sale is twofold. First, and primarily, I need more shelf space, especially in my fiction section. Second, with the exception of the duplicate copies, I could not see myself ever re-reading any of these titles, or needing to refer to any of the non-fiction volumes.

So I've got them set for their departure. The only problem is the destination. Used bookstores, good used bookstores, are a rare thing. Alexandria only has a few candidates, none of which I've visited. I've heard good things about Capitol Hill Books, though.. What I wouldn't give to be near The Crow back in Burlington. Or really, my old used book section at the South Burlington Barnes & Noble. Then I could sell them to myself for store credit and use my employee discount on new purchases to trade in 10 old books for about 5 new ones. That's a pretty good swap, unless one of your used books is a Gutenberg Bible.

JingEling V

2008-12-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

Go to the JingEling blog or Ryan's Youtube channel for this year's JingEling videos and outtakes.

Thou shalt take this day and keep it funky

2008-12-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

I am getting some mileage out of my tuxedo this month. First the Coast Guard Ball, and on Saturday the company holiday party. It is pretty good, as such things go - big hotel ballroom, decent dinner, open bar, ok band, door prizes and such.

But it's the company that makes it or breaks it, and I was particularly lucky in that regard. And by company, I don't mean my employer; it's the friends who are able to attend and enjoy themselves too. This year I was able to spend the party with Z & her date, Tracy and some of her friends who I was meeting for the first time, and Jane & Ian. Jane actually works for one of our sometimes-competitors. But at the last moment a scheduling SNAFU called away Sarah & Paul. They were generous enough to give their tickets to Jane. While their absence was lamented, having Jane & Ian there was a pleasure.

I forgot to take any pictures, and for better or worse there were no particularly memorable moments - just a nice relaxed evening, good conversation, dinner, drinks and dancing. Not a bad way to wrap up before heading home for the holidays.

Limp and Lifeless

2008-12-22T06:53:00.000-05:00

Steph was in town briefly this past week, for some meetings. We were able to catch up one night, go out for drinks and dinner at Poblano. It was perfectly lovely, and in the course of the evening I realized I could easily pick her up after he final interview the next day and give her a ride to BWI.

So Friday afternoon, she calls from Tenleytown in DC and says she is ready to go. I have no trouble at all getting over there, and the pickup goes smoothly. We drive north, headed for the Beltway. I knew the Beltway would not be easy at that point, but there's no better way to get from Tenleytown to BWI that I know of. Google Maps agrees.

Everything is going fine, until we head up the ramp onto I-495. Then things start happening. The CHECK GEARBOX and CHECK ENGINE lights come on. The engine suddenly races, but the transmission stays in first. Then the car begins to shake and shimmy - it seems like it is trying to shift, but can't. Seeing as there were not other warnings, so indication of sudden mechanical failure, I'm suspicious. I think it is some sort of problem with the computer. And what fixes a computer? Reboot.

I pull into the breakdown lane and shut the car down. I wait a few moments, and restart. No warning lights. Shifts into first, and then 2nd as I pull back into traffic. Problem solved, I am brilliant. For about 20 seconds. The entire scenario repeats itself. And again, when I stop and restart a second time.

Now my mind is racing - how do I get Steph to the airport on time? This is where fortune handed me a mixed bag. The exit we come to next, where I pull off to get towed is at Silver Spring. For those not familiar with DC, Silver Spring is one of our edge cities, basically an extra downtown out on the Beltway. It has a Metro and commuter train station - Steph can get on the train to the BWI station and still make her flight. However, it is also a busy, built-up area. Not a lot of good places to pull over and wait for a tow. Not know what was wrong, I was concerned that driving much farther was going to damage the car - the tachometer was flirting with redline most of the time at this point.

So I pull over as best I can - basically in a bus stop, as luck would have it. NO PARKING, NO STANDING, NO STOPPING signs abound. I quickly say goodbye to Steph as she hauls her baggage to the nearby station. I manage to shoo away the parking enforcement office who appears within seconds of stopping. And I call AAA to get towed. As I wait, I reflect on the fact that only worse time and place for a breakdown would be in the middle of nowhere while racing to get someone to the hospital.

The tow was a challenge. Towing from Silver Spring to Alexandria in rush hour is no mean feat. But we got to a shop near my house eventually. The next day they called with their diagnosis. Apparently my battery dead dead dead. This was surprising, because I had seen no low voltage or other electrical warnings. It was bad enough that they could not restart the car, and the battery would not recharge in the slightest. But apparently the car's computer sensed it early. And when it did, it implemented a safety feature I was not aware of: Limp Home Mode. Essentially stay in first, implement a throttle lock, and start shutting down peripheral systems. It cannot be overridden unless you fix the problem and clear the computer memory.

While I'm glad the car is not "really" broken, it is somehow unsatisfying. After creating so much trouble, and inconveniencing my friend to such a degree, I want a better reason than "the battery was messed up." I wouldn't mind any of this, if it had only happened some other time, when I wasn't in the middle of doing something important. At least it got fixed, and fairly cheaply at that.

Haze Gray

2008-12-14T16:36:00.001-05:00

USS Freedom

The first Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Freedom, has been making port calls as she transits from her construction yard in Wisconsin to Norfolk, where she will be doing testing for a few months. Jane's firm was the lead naval architect for this class, and Jane did quite a lot of work on the design. Time was set aside during the port call in Annapolis for employees and their guests, and Jane was kind enough to offer me a chance to take a tour.

It is an interesting ship. Actually, the things I find most interesting about her, the propulsion system, was not on the tour. But she has enormous gas turbines, along with diesels, all geared into waterjets. Our guide, one of the lieutenants, quoted a speed of 47 knots. That's amazing for a ship this size - really any size combatant. And I'm not aware of any US Navy ships anywhere near this size with waterjet propulsors.

We may not have seen the engine room, but we did see the multi-mission reconfigurable or "recon" spaces. This is where special modules, basically shipping containers filled with special combat systems, will be loaded so they can quickly equip the vessel to perform different missions. It is weird to see such large, empty spaces on a combatant ship. And the spaces have very large hatches, to move the equipment in and out quickly. The recon spaces have 4 huge hatches - one in the stern, one in the side, one up to the hangar, and one up to the flight deck. And the three spaces are connected by two more huge watertight hatches between them. I've never seen so many openings, in such large spaces, on a fighting vessel.

Their were plenty of other whiz-bang details: the bridge is normally manned by 2 or 3 people (vice the 8 you might normally see on a Navy ship), the crew is only 75 people (for a 377 foot ship), she made a turn at 46 knots without spilling the coffee someone set on deck, and so on. There are still some questions about this ship, how to use it and how effective it will be, but it is very impressive.

Formalities

2008-12-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

Last year Sarah & Paul went to the Washington Coast Guard Ball and spoke at length about how much they enjoyed themselves. This year, Paul's brother Phillip who is an officer at headquarters was generous enough to offer me tickets to join their group at the Ball.

And the legwork didn't end there. Phillip's wife, also Sarah (AKA "Sarah the Great"), tendered the invitation while giving me the number of their son's first grade teacher, and encouraging me to bring her as a date. And what better first date could there be than a formal military ball, black tie and all?

I don't want to give the wrong impression, though. It was a great deal of fun, and I enjoyed myself from start to finish. Pretty good meal, excellent company, and even a few enjoyable speeches and toasts. My friend Abby gave the official toast to the US Army, which was kind of neat.

Also, as my time in the service recedes further and further into the past, it gets harder to keep up any sense of connection to the Coast Guard. Going to the Ball, especially with someone who wasn't a Coastie and needed a guide of sorts, was a nice way to feel like it was still something I am a part of (a very small part). I may not have been the best representative, but we spent the evening with particularly excellent current and former Coasties like Abby, Phillip, and Sarah.

A good evening, and it's nice to pull out my tux every now and again. Though I should probably work on my knots more - I spent about 20 minutes trying to get my bowtie right, without success. I'll have to practice more before the company holiday party in a few weeks.

Thanksbegiving

2008-11-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving 2008

I just got back from an week's vacation in the Bay area for Thanksgiving. I visited Meg & Rich in Silicon Valley, and Steph & Aaron in San Francisco. But over the week I ranged far and wide, from Monterey to Napa. In seven days I:

Had excellent Mexican in Mountain View
Toured through the Napa Valley and had a very fun tasting at Sequoia Grove.
Drove to Monterey to visit Meg's future home, the Hopkins Marine Station and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, both of which were amazing. This includes her future colleagues in that grad program, who were a very sharp group. I was especially impressed by the details of the experiments they were working on - biomechanics, mostly.
Had North Beach Pizza with Steph & Aaron and Meg & Rich.
Hiked up over Russian Hill to go out for a very fun italian meal.
Played through Gears of War 2 with Aaron. Nerds!
Helped (a little) with making a huge and amazing Thanksgiving Feast. The real credit goes to Steph:

Brined Turkey
Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rutabaga
Italian sausage and sourdough stuffing
Bacon, roast chestnut, and cornbread stuffing
Homemade gravy
Homemade cranberry sauce
Rolls
Blue cheese & walnut spread
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
All Paired with fantastic wine

Went for a appetite-building walk along the waterfront to Fort Mason to see a nifty instrument that uses the flexing of the Golden Gate Bridge to estimate the temperature. Solid science, engineering geekery - pretty perfect for me.
Tried to visit the new California Academy of Science, but went to check out the Presidio after seeing the hours-long line to get in to the museum. Next time...
Ate a ridiculous amount of leftovers

Not so much a real post as an after-action report, but it was such a great week, and packed to bursting with excellent times. I recommend any and all of it for anyone who finds themselves in the Bay area.

Good Decisions

2008-11-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

Sailing

Made some of my better decisions the last few days. On Friday I was at the office a little later than I would have liked (not to the good decision yet). But it was a gorgeous day - partly sunny, in the 70s. Bike weather. With the cooling temperatures, earlier sunsets, and intermittent rain, I hadn't been out on the road in a while.

Coming home, I weighed the pleasure of a ride against the chance of getting caught out past sunset, which I really don't like on the unlit trails I would be on. If I had waited 20 minutes, it would have been the wrong choice. But I quickly changed and rolled out.

It was a great ride - warm, little breeze, and no crowds. Well, there were some leaf-peepers that made some parts of the trail perilous. But away from them, it was lovely. I rode out to Hain's Point, and East Potomac park looks fantastic, with the trees all turning.

Coming back up to the Mall was even better, as the failing light gave all the marble monuments a warm pink hue. Just a great ride, and I'm really glad I went. And on Sunday, I went sailing with Sarah & Paul, and decided to take my camera phone on the boat, which I usually avoid. I'm usually the type that would lose it overboard, get it crushed down below, or something similarly stupid. But I was able to get some nice pictures of Sarah & Paul & Louie which I liked. And then we chose to come in before it got too cloudy and cold: another good decision.

Sea Dog

2008-11-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

It was another beautiful day on Saturday, and Paul & Sarah were nice enough to invite me to go sailing on their O'Day out of Annapolis again. It was not blowing quite as hard as the last few times, but with less traffic and very light seas it was very comfortable and relaxed sailing.

Conditions were so good, we were able to concentrate on experimenting a little bit. The first test was unintentional. Sarah was on the tiller, and was sharp enough to notice that the depth sounder had suddenly started reading below 4 feet. The O'Day draws about 2.8. So she called for an immediate tack and we all performed pretty flawlessly. Everybody did exactly what they needed to do without being told - even Louie (pictured above).

Later, as we were headed back towards shore, we tried going wing-and-wing. It was a little challenging, since the whisker pole wasn't set up. I tried holding the sail out away from the boat by hand, but it was surprisingly tiring. I had to hang out off the stays, and with the following seas keeping my position with all the rolling was more work than I would have guessed. And we didn't seem to get much speed out of it. But that's why you experiment, I guess.

There was some traffic shenanigans on the way back due to some construction, but the sailing was worth it. Though I've got to stop looking at the boat from a racing point of view: "You know, with a spinnaker we could really surf downwind back towards the creek..." Boat noun: a hole in the water you throw money into.

Old Bay

2008-10-26T17:43:00.000-04:00

The past two weekends I've been out to Annapolis to help Sarah & Paul with their boat. Last weekend was mostly about boat work - cleaning, re-rigging a few things, trying to fix a leak in the gas tank for the outboard. That day had two particular highlights.

First, we had to install a wind indicator at the top of the mast. This meant someone had to go up the mast. I volunteered - I've always enjoyed work aloft. So up I went, and prepared to get to work. First, we decided to test the mast head lights, to make sure they were in good working order.

This is where the story takes an interesting turn. With two naval architects, and two experienced sailors onboard, you'd think someone would have remembered this important fact about working aloft on small boats: it radically shifts you center of gravity. Enough so that, say, having a person my size at the top of the mast almost eliminates the righting moment when the boat heels. So when the crew shifted down below to reach the light switches, the boat heeled over. A lot. To the point were I looked straight down and saw the pier - the far side of the pier. But the she stopped - once I knew that was as far as she'd go, I knew I could just ride out the rest. It was actually pretty fun. And I did eventually get that windex in place. It was a hell of ride.

The day was not through with us. Sarah & Paul had brought their dog, Louie. And later Louie decided he wanted to get off the boat onto the pier. Trouble was, he didn't quite make it. Into the Chesapeake he went, and we had to haul him out by the handle installed on the back of his lifejacket. He was drenched, but he helped by shaking most of the water off onto us. Good dog!

This weekend the boat was all dialed in, so we were able to get out quickly and sail south of the Bay Bridge. It was a perfect day for sailing - good steady breeze, sunny and warm but not hot. Just ideal. Louie acquitted himself well on the boat, and all four of us did quite well pulling off some very nice tacks - more challenging that it sounds since there are three adults and a dog in a fairly small cockpit.

Out on the water we were surrounded by every possible type of boat and ship. I saw a cargo barge, a pilot schooner, a topsail schooner, a Farr 40, a Nonsuch, a few very nice Catalinas, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, and an MSC containership. Between the sights, the company, and the excellent sailing, it was just about a perfect Sunday.

It's Time for the Boat Show

2008-10-12T11:10:00.000-04:00

The Annapolis Boat Show is this weekend, and I was able to go with friends. The show is enormous - every size sailboat from small dinghies to large schooners. Plus tents and booths for all the nautical gear any sailor could wish for. I didn't see all of it, by a long shot. But I got a good look at some nice racing dinghies from Laser, some cruiser from Catalina, even the schooner Virginia, the state's official Tall Ship.

As is so often the case in big events like the boat show, there was absolutely nowhere to sit down and take a break. I'm sore from being on my feet all day. So today will be given over to aggressive relaxation.

Before the rest, though, there was the hockey game. Some of my friends had tickets they were unable to use, and were generous enough to offer them to me. They were up high in the corner, giving a pretty good view of all of the ice. And it was a good game - the Caps trailed through midway through the second period, and took the lead late in the third. There was some sloppy play early; it's only the first home game, so that wasn't too surprising. That also meant we got to see them hoist the Southeast Conference pennant they won last season.

All of this made for a very long, fun day, but an exhausting one. I'm already looking forward to a few naps and going back to bed. So lazy...

Gordie Howe Hat Trick

2008-10-06T07:35:00.000-04:00

A friend offered me a ticket to the Capitals pre-season game against the Flyers on Friday night. It was pretty great - we were 9 rows behind the penalty boxes, as close as I've ever been to the ice at a pro game. The Caps had a good game, winning 5-1. We debated whether Ovechkin qualified for a Gordie Howe hat trick: he had a goal and an assist, and got sent to the box for fighting. Problem was, it wasn't the gloves-off kind of fight that leaves no room for doubt - more of a scuffle. And besides, it was preseason, so does it really count?

For a follow-up, on Saturday I biked over to the Shirlington Oktoberfest after checking out Art on the Avenue. It was pretty fun, once I managed to meet up with friends and stow my bike at their house. Great weather for biking, and the perfect way to avoid the headaches of parking. It was an absolutely enormous crowd, which usually makes me kind of squirrelly. But it was very relaxing, just hung out and tasted a few beers. Afterwards, watched the first half of the Alabama game at the apartment before riding home. And then watched baseball until bed. Pretty good day, I'd say.

Disappointment

2008-10-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

Today was fairly unpleasant. I didn't have much to do at work, and when I'm unapplied on the job I get bored quickly. This was punctuated by a few waves of bad news. One revelation was that the company has eliminated any discretionary travel for the rest of the calendar year, so I will not be going to the MAST conference in Cadiz in November. I still hope to get my paper published, but unless I pay for it myself (and burn up 4 vacation days to do it), I won't be going to present. This is a great disappointment, but maybe that just means my sense of entitlement is a little overdeveloped.

That wasn't all, and at the end of the day I felt exhausted. And at the end of bad days I'm always left thinking what I could have done to avoid it all. If I had just been smarter, made better choices, things could have turned out different. And on bad days it can seem like all of your days are bad.

For all that, the day had its moments. I had a nice lunch out with my friends, which is always a welcome change of pace. I had a nice ride on the trainer at home, and there is all kinds of postseason baseball, and Pushing Daisies is even back on tv.

Luxuriate

2008-09-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

Through some very good luck on my part, I got invited to share tickets to the Nationals game on Tuesday night. Why lucky? The tickets were bought at a charity auction, and were actually private suite seats. Granted, it was the smallest type of box at National's Park, a Jefferson suite . But it was pretty posh.

I didn't think to bring my camera, so these are only camera-phone snapshots. But we were close to the field, we had our own little kitchenette, bathroom, etc. I can understand some people getting used to it.

It was a lot of fun, especially since it was a pretty good game (Dingers!) and I got to meet a lot of my friend's friends. Great weather for a late-season game, too. Last but not least, I was told the tickets for the box were donated by probably my favorite player on the Washington team, Dmitri "The Meat Hook" Young.

While it was a great night, I don't see myself ever being a luxury-box kind of fan. The box was one level directly below the seat I had the game on Sunday. My ticket on Sunday was $18. That gets you a few minutes in a suite, I think.

I guess luxury boxes are for a fundamentally different kind of fan. I know many people go to the park, and it is a more social experience - lots of interaction with the people you are sitting with - they are party suites, so it's more like a party that happens to take place with a view of baseball. I am less likely to do that at a game. I'll talk about sabermetrics, or background on players and teams, but my mind doesn't wander far from the action on the field. Perhaps I'm not as engaging as company at a game, but if you want to know how to calculate Expected Runs in your head, sit next to me.

Baseball & Bicycles

2008-09-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Washington Nationals have a free bicycle valet at their home stadium, and I finally got around to trying it out at their last home day game. And I have to say, it is a fantastic setup. I didn't have to wait in line to drop off my bike, or to pick it up at the end of the game. I had to wait to cross Capital Street South when I was leaving, but other than that it was very quick and easy. And by riding the 14 miles, I made up for at least some of the beer and half-smoke all-the-way I had.

The gorgeous weather only made it better. It was a great day for a ride, partly sunny in the 70s with light breezes. Also ideal conditions for sitting in the upper deck and watching a ballgame, I think.

The game itself was pretty good; Cha Seung Baek made a great start for the Padres, shutting down the Nationals for most of the game. Washington was not so fortunate, giving up runs right in the first inning and trailing all the way to the end. They did get some offense - a homerun from star 3B Ryan Zimmerman was the highlight - but it wasn't enough. San Diego piled on in the late innings, ending with a score of 6-2 Padres.

It was an excellent afternoon, and I am sure I will use the bike valet again. It's easy, fun to ride to the ballpark, and worth mentioning again that it is free. Great for day games, and it might even be useful for earlier-starting night games in the middle of summer, when the light lasts longer. If you are in DC, give it a try.

Cricketeer

2008-09-09T20:52:00.001-04:00

I hate crickets. Ever since they started getting into my first apartment here in DC, chirping away while I'm trying to get some sleep. One of them got in the door, inside the hollow metal front door, and it was like an amplifier, chirping in surround sound THX.

So, this evening after watching some tv, I headed downstairs and heard one. In the house. And when they hear you coming, they go silent. Oh, they stay silent until you spend hours tracking them, waiting for another of their damn chirps so you can triangulate. So clever, hiding in the smallest places, moving just when you think you know where they are. And even when you find them, so quick, flying and jumping.

But I've dealt with them before. I dealt with the ones in the basement (left out deep pans of water - they go in, can't get out. Can't chirp in the water, you bastards), I dealt with the one in the door (at about 3 AM), and I dealt with one tonight. There was some collateral damage, as seen in the photo, but the job got done.

As a soothing contrast, I found a nice shot from Two Lights park in Portland that I took the other weekend. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for being by the ocean.

Landscaping

2008-09-09T06:43:00.000-04:00

When I got home on Monday, I was surprised to find a team of landscapers working on my yard. The property management does this from time to time, usually without any advance notice. It's nice, for the most part - they trim back the hedges, clear up the fences, etc. However, they never deal with the real problem of the yard, which is the crabgrass-infested lawn. Also, without fail they seem to arrive each year just as the honeysuckle blooms, and proceed to absolutely destroy it.

Inspired by their example, I finished the job after dinner by mowing the lawn. It got a little long, since I was out of town last weekend. And thick, since like I said it is mostly crabgrass. It think I should plow it all under and restart with something more manageable. Lichen, maybe.

Still More Babytime

2008-09-08T08:48:00.000-04:00

A staggering number of pictures of Labor Day in Portland.

BABYTIME

2008-09-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

Over Labor Day Weekend I went to Portland to see my nephew, Isaiah, for the first time.

Pictures

More Pictures

Some of the pictures are from other peoples' visits - everyone is eager to be in The Presence. I was lucky enough to be there at the same time Karen was visiting. She is Isaiah's godmother, and clearly adores him. It was nice to see her and catch up; she's on a few different rescue squads now, takes classes on how to use the jaws of life (including how to avoid being shocked while chopping up a hybrid), and has driven the fire truck in Bristol. She continues to be awesome.

He does seem like a pretty good kid, for a first try. He didn't cry much when I was around, and slept regularly for long stretches. I couldn't help but imagine that he would easily upset and waking up at random times. But he's great, and according to Nana Cheryl is the cutest baby ever.

The visit was more than just attending on the new Eling. I went for a nice bike ride with Dad, around the Back Cove, through the Old Port, and over to Ryan and Bethany's... to see the baby. And do yard work to help them out.

One night we went to a Portland Sea Dogs game, the Red Sox' AA affiliate. Good game, though it got to be a bit of a blowout. We had seats behind home plate, right in front of the press box. Many nearby foul balls, until later in the game, when one came right at me. I'm still kicking myself - I did not have a glove, and tried to barehand it. Got a piece of it, but I wasn't quick enough to clap down both hands and hold on.

We also took an outstanding cruise on Casco Bay. Rather than a tour for vacationers, we just rode the evening ferry that goes from the Old Port to Great Diamond, Long, Great Chebeague, and Cliff Islands. Looking at the crowd, especially on the way out, it was more like riding a bus. People coming home from work, bringing groceries packed up by the supermarket in banana boxes. While the islands are mostly filled with summer homes, many people live there year-round. So it gave the boat a much different feel than what I expected, but it was a blast. The Bay is beautiful, and the islands are dotted with amazing homes. Great Diamond even has an elegant restaurant at the stony cove where the ferry docks. Lots to see, and it is always a great pleasure to me to get out on the water. The campers on Little Chebeague even set off fireworks as we went by.

It was a fantastic visit, very restful and reinvigorating. Mom took a few thousand more photos, I think, which hopefully will be up soon. Then you can enjoy Babytime preserved for the ages.

Busted

2008-08-16T10:33:00.002-04:00

They saw me rolling; they hatin'. Patrolling, they caught me ridin' dirty.

The weather was great this morning, so I got up early (for a Saturday) and rode the Mount Vernon Trail. It was a great ride - nice weather, and a fantastic way to start my day. I did have to stay on my toes coming back, because there were a number of larger packs of runners on the trail. I guess the Potomac Runners have a regular training run on the MVT on Saturday mornings. They were the best kind of runners, from a cyclist's perspective - pretty quick, stayed to the right of the trail, formed small easy-to-pass packs, and paid attention to bike ahead and behind.

The good mood was partially spoilt when I got a little careless. The MVT runs on the streets through Old Town. One section runs right along the waterfront, along the old Torpedo Factory. There are T-intersections, where the trail runs on the crossing leg of the T. Despite the stop sign, I rolled through one of these a little too quickly since no traffic can cross my path without hopping the curb; and of course I got pulled over by the APD. I got lot of looks from pedestrians, standing there while the officer ran my license. I should have told them I was speeding.

In the end, I got a warning, which I had coming. It is a good reminder not to get complacent when I leave the trails and get on the streets.

Really, it didn't do much to ruin my mood - I still had a great ride, and stopped at the Del Ray Farmer's Market for peaches. The yellow peaches are so juicy I have to eat them over the sink; worth the mess, they are delicious. And all of this is on top of going to the Nationals game last night with Sarah & Paul, Phillip, Matthew, and Sarah's dad. Neither team is having a very strong season, but they were pretty evenly matched, with the Rockies just edging out the Nationals. There were homeruns, quick double plays, critical errors, even the rare passed ball on a third strike - and the batter safely made it to first. I've never actually seen that happen live in a major league game. And since it was National Guard Night, I got a slick t-shirt. It was an excellent night, I'm glad I got invited along.

Isaiah Michael

2008-08-13T19:35:00.000-04:00

This morning at 0019 little brother and his wife had a baby boy. Everyone is doing great - healthy baby, relatively easy delivery, everything as you would wish. Mom took many photos, and is convinced young Isaiah will have red hair.

I'm very excited and proud of Ryan and Bethany. I'm so happy for them, and the family they've started. Now I'm going to start buying loud toys and fireworks. I will be Cool Uncle Dan.

Sleighride

2008-08-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful day today - uncharacteristically mild for August in DC. I thought about kncocking off for the afternoon anyway - I had a headache brewing all day. And the Reds traded my favorite player, Adam Dunn, to the Diamondbacks for, as Chris put it, "a bag of beans, and they aren't even magic beans."

But days like this are all too rare, so I rode to over to Hains Point in DC. I'm glad I did, too - it was fantastic. I usually don't stop during my rides, but today I did. I took a long break near where the old Awakening sculpture used to be. And I just relaxed in the shade and the breeze, watching the boats on the river and the planes at National.

The wind was very strong out of the North, and the route to Hains Point from my house essentially goes North, short run East, South, North, short run West, South. So each of the legs heading North was a bit laborious. The first leg South is sheltered by the larger buildings of the district near the Washington Channel.

The last leg South, though, is along Potomac, with nothing to the north but the river until Georgetown. Watching the river, I could help but remember downwind runs in my offshore racing days - we called it a sleighride. You just catch the wind and let the boat ride it down. Once I turned off the 14th Street bridge, it felt like I could coast all the way home. Very fast, and lots of fun. Too bad I didn't go home earlier; I might have considered taking Betty out onto the river for some sailing. Maybe next time.

War Machine

2008-08-10T10:40:00.003-04:00

Lots of coverage in the papers about the nasty little war in the Caucasus. It sounds like Russia is absolutely steamrolling Georgia. Reports have them conducting bombing and heavy armor operations in South Ossetia and landing troops at ports in Abkhazia. It's actually a pretty good demonstration of the first part of what was known in the U.S. as the Powell Doctrine: if you're going to fight, go in fast and with overwhelming force.

This region has been officially "troubled" for some time now - Chechnya is right around the corner, after all. And it has been slowly heating up for months - there was this fascinating footage from about 6 months ago of a Russian jet shooting down a Georgian UAV:

I'm pretty ignorant of the details of the situation - Georgia was trying to put down separatist rebels, Russia came in as a peacekeeper, now it looks like Russia may try to annex both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. I was wondering what the appeal was for these regions - they're only about 50 miles square each. Then I took at at this map they had up at the Information Dissemination blog. Notice the many, many oil and gas symbols south of the mountains. Mostly in Azerbaijan. But the pipeline that carries that crude out to the West is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, running right through Georgia. This is an awful little war, and I don't see it ending well.

NBM

2008-08-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Building Museum 8-9-08

There's been an exhibit at the National Building Museum for the past few months that I've been meaning to see: Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future. I finally went yesterday, ready to take a number of pictures - Chris has said he is a fan of Saarinen's work, and urged me to go to see this.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed. I did take some pictures of the NBM, which is one of my favorite buildings in DC. It was originally built as the Pension Office after the Civil War, so the stairs have long, easy grades for injured veterans. The atrium is pretty amazing - they use if for kids paper airplane contests.

The Saarinen exhibit was extremely interesting. They had a number of detail design drawings for some of his buildings, like the Yale Whale, Gateway Arch, and TWA Terminal. Saarinen was also did a lot of furniture design, and they had examples of some of his more successful works. Too bad they were displays, and you couldn't sit in them; the Womb Chair looked very comfortable. I was intrigued by the "criticism" leveled at Saarinen by his contemporaries, that he "invented a new style for each project." I think that is an obvious virtue - not letting any kind of dogma or standard practice inform a design, but creating the right solution for the problem. If that's the way Saarinen worked, then I'm a fan of Saarinen.

At Speed

2008-08-09T11:14:00.001-04:00

Some fantastic footage of the new LCS out on speed trials with a bone in her teeth. This is exciting for a number of reasons. First, it is the Navy's first new surface combatant class in almost 17 years, since Arleigh Burke was commissioned. More importantly, Jane is up in Wisconsin playing a big part in the sea trials, and she did some important design work on the project. It is a great achievement for her, and I could not be more pleased.

Since our company is working on the competing design for LCS 2 Independence, I'm looking forward to when she gets in the water sometime in the next year. She will be a much more futuristic looking boat, if nothing else:

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Reds at Nationals

2008-08-01T23:33:00.000-04:00

CIN @ WAS 8-1-08

With the current unbalanced schedule in place, most teams only play other teams in the league outside their own division about 6 times a year. One series at home, one away. So I get three chances each season to catch the Reds when they visit Washington to play the Nationals.

I enjoy games the most when I can see them with someone. Since most of my friends aren't as big baseball fans as I am, and none are Reds fans, I can introduce them to the game and the team. I do love to talk about both. So invitations were made, and Sarah & Paul were able to join me Friday night.

Homer Bailey started for Cincinnati. The former phenom, this past-tense prospect, did not have a good night. He lasted two innings, giving up five runs. Rather than attempt to build suspense, I'll tell you now, that was all the offense Washington needed. There were some good plays on both sides, including a diving catch by Jay Bruce in right. Bruce added to his excellent night with a solo home run, which proved to be half of the runs the Reds would get all night.

Even with my Reds having a tough time of it, I love seeing games live, so it was a great time for me. In fact, the most disappointing thing was not the outcome, but our neighbors. We sat in the upper deck, and after a few innings some folks showed up to fill the row behind us. They were Reds fans, I'm ashamed to say. I suspect they had "pre-gamed" some, as they were already quite loud and obnoxious. Despite children sitting nearby, they cursed quite a bit. They sloshed a bit of beer on us. And, possibly most annoying to me, they were ignorant about the game. They would yell out how so-and-so couldn't hit, and how another player was a great fielder. They were almost uniformly wrong. Baseball is a subtle, elegant game, but they had no appreciation for it. I don't understand how you can be a baseball fan, and not be interested how baseball actually works. Adam Dunn may "only" hit homeruns (not entirely true), but he also walks. A lot. So he forces in a lot of runs, and puts himself on base so others can bat him in a lot. He is immensely valuable. Austin Kearns is a decent player, but is not nearly as valuable as Dunn because he is often injured and has never shown the same degree of power. But they had to share their contrary opinion with the whole section. These are just two examples of their errors.

We ended up moving to some empty seats in the ninth to get away from them. I think I actually prefer it when the crowd is less in to a game - I can concentrate on what is happening and enjoy the details of defensive positioning, pitch selection, and the running game.

I've complained a lot, but truly the annoyances were a drop in the bucket compared to watching my team play with my friends. It was a lot of fun, and even if this is the last time the Reds are in town this year, I look forward to catching some more games before the season is out.

Bike Shop +

2008-07-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me this article about a bike maintenance vending machine. Actually, it's more than that; it's a supply depot, information center, training facility, and community message board all in one. I think it's a great idea, and would love to see more like it outside the bike shops in my area. I don't think they would work anywhere - I think they would work best in tandem with a shop, like the the free air offered at many shops already. More pictures and information from Trek here.

Getting the Runaround

2008-07-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

Aaron passed through DC again this weekend for work, and was able to come and visit. We made our usual visits to Poblano and the Dairy Godmother. Flavor of the Day: S'mores. One of my favorites, so the timing could not have been better.

Before he had to go on Sunday, we thought we might go see a movie. There were movies he had seen that I wanted to, and we're trying to get tickets to the Imax showings of The Dark Knight in a few weeks when he is in town again. So we ended up getting tickets for the new X-Files movie. If only it were so simple.

We were early, so we just kind of camped out and waited. Eventually, more people started showing up. Aaron noticed that the scheduled start time had come and gone. The audience started to grumble. Soon, folks were leaving their seats to go out and complain. Still, nothing happened. Then, the pre-movie local ads and trivia cut out, and we were left sitting there, puzzled.

A low-level employee then came in and made an announcement. After they had sold us our tickets, and sent us to this theater, they had switched the showing to another theater in the multiplex. And it had started on time. So we had missed a significant amount of the movie. Complaints all around as we exchanged our tickets for the next showing. We left the theater to run some minor errands before returning for the show.

We took our tickets and headed for the 3rd theater of the day. However, the digital marquee at the door tells us that Mamma Mia!, the same show that took over the 1st theater, was playing here as well. It seems the staff was not having their past day, logistically. We ask any member of the staff we can find, mostly stereotypically surly teenagers. They tell us to go upstairs to a fourth theater.

That theater is labeled as playing Mamma Mia!. The groups of women headed inside humming "Fernando" was also a good clue. We head to the service desk, and are told to return to the 3rd theater, though it is still listed as showing the ABBA musical. At this point, the "answer" comes in the form of shrugs, "I dunno where it's playing" and a resigned handwave towards one theater or another. We settle into our seats, and begin to observe our fellow audience members. They do not look like stereotypical X-Files fans. They do look like they know all the words to "Dancing Queen." Someone was in for a disappointment.

Eventually, a very nice woman, a customer, comes in and asks if anyone is here to see Mamma Mia!, because she has spoken to the manager and that is being shown at a fifth theater. About half of the audience gets up and leaves. One woman laughs as she left, "I did think there were an awful lot of men here for Mamma Mia!"

The movie itself was all right. Basically a decent episode of the old show stretched to feature length. The story to get to the movie was probably more entertaining, though.

America's Vacationland

2008-07-15T17:36:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I took a quick trip north to Portland to visit my family. This was the last free weekend everyone had before the expected arrival of Ryan & Bethany's son, so we made plans to get together.

We didn't do much once we were all there, mind you. We are a pretty low maintenance clan when we get together. I helped Dad get parts for some home improvement projects at the hardware store. We had a few nice meals - Mom made pulled pork, Ryan made french toast with cinnamon swirl bread, etc. Mostly it was just spending time with each other, not doing anything in particular.

We did go out to Crescent Beach south of Portland and had an extremely filling barbecue. I was a little woozy after eating, since we had stayed up late the night before at Ryan & Bethany's playing their new Wii. But we had a nice walk along the beach, and it was a beautiful day. Any trip that includes time by or on the ocean is a good one for me.

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Who Are the People In Your Neighborhood

2008-07-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

So my friend Z is dog-sitting a few blocks away, and stopped by while walking said dog last night. This thing is huge - a Great Pyrenees that has got to be nearly 200 pounds. Very well behaved though. In fact, despite her size I was able to finally get some use out of the fence enclosing my yard - we were able to just let her out there without any worries. Apparently a very lazy dog.

I can't remember the last time any one of my friends lived close enough they could just drop in while walking the dog, going for groceries, etc. It's kind of a neat. I'd go over to where she is dog sitting and ask to borrow a cup of sugar, but she only uses sugar substitutes like Equal. What's the point?

Celebrate Myself

2008-07-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

It is almost time for me to stop feeling so full of myself for passing the PE. I've passed the word at work, and had a discussion regarding how a PE should be a Senior or Principal Engineer instead of an Associate. Purely hypothetical, of course. I just got my stamp and seal for marking any drawings that I review and find satisfactory. "Within 30 days of ... notification" I should get my official certificate, "suitable for framing." Steph & Aaron sent the awesome "cookie bouqet" pictured here. I was treated (very generously, I might add) to dinner by Paul & Sarah, and had a final "study session" at Poblano with Jane, Jackie, and Sarah, along with some other friends. Much more will seem like self-aggrandizement.

Actually, I'm embarassed to admit that while Steph & Aaron were considerate enough to get me the very delicious congratulations, I barely did anything for her latest big achievement. She was promoted, becoming a Lieutenant Commander. For my money, that is a much bigger deal than my certification. And that's just one example - if I paid more attention, I'm sure I would find that most of my friends and family are pulling off stuff like this all the time. So I learned something. Another step forward in the personal growth program.

Also, now that the decks are completely clear, as it were, I have no excuse not to work on my paper for the MAST Conference. I should probably be working on it now... I wonder what's on tv?

Donkey

2008-06-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to highlight a post over at Baseball Musings. Even casual fans of baseball know David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. But it seems like a lot of people don't know Adam Dunn. He often gets knocked as a guy who strikes out too much to be valuable. Consider, however, that he is a Three True Outcomes kind of hitter. He strikes out a lot, he walks a lot, and he hits a lot of homeruns. He leads the league in walks right now, and only two people have hit more homeruns than him in the past 4 1/2 years, and one of them is an inner-circle first ballot hall of famer to-be. He is an immensely valuable hitter, and he doesn't get nearly enough credit. I hope the Reds give him a nice extension, I would like to see him continue playing in Cincinnati.

Cutter Tour

2008-06-29T15:52:00.002-04:00

Baltimore June 2008

We found out recently through the SNAME email newsletter that the new National Security Cutter, USCGC Bertholf, would be visiting Baltimore this weekend and open for tours. Jane got the word out, and I joined her, Jen, and Zina to have a look.Jane and I got there before Jen and Zina, so we went for a walk around Fells Point. I had never been there before - it seems nice, but kind of geared towards tourists and nightlife (lots of bars). However, walking around was a good call, because we came across a green 1972 Buick Riviera, a "Boat-Tail." I've wanted this exact car since I was a teenager. I think it is absolutely beautiful. This one in particular even had a little Creature from the Black Lagoon hood ornament - very apropos, since this car is a beast. It probably drinks gas like it is water, and is thoroughly impractical in this day and age. But it is absolutely gorgeous. Jane was good enough to humor me as I gushed and took many photos.Once Zina and Jen arrived, we had a very nice tour. Obviously, we couldn't go everywhere we would have liked. The EM2 leading our tour asked the OOD if he could get us down into the engine room or even Main Control, but we were not allowed. A shame. But we did see the new 57mm gun, the bridge, the CO's cabin, the messdeck, and finished up with the stern-launched boats and the flight deck. The stern launch system still looks like it would be very tricky in a seaway, and I don't see how traversing the boats on a gantry crane can be safe if the cutter is rolling much.On the flight deck, they had parked on of the new re-engined and armed MH-65 helicopters. Apparently a bunch of the brass, including the Thadmiral and Secretary Chertoff were aboard the other day, so they were clearly bringing out all the new toys to show them off. But they were impressive - the armament on the helo even includes one of the big anti-material .50 caliber sniper rifles the Army uses from time to time.So it was a very successful trip up to the Charm City. On the way back Jane and I even stopped at the College Park Ikea, so I could get a more comfortable chair for guests in my tv room. As one of Ryan's friends once said after driving his tractor into an abandoned car (for a movie): "Not bad for a Sunday."

Victoire pour l'Ingénieur

2008-06-25T19:45:00.004-04:00

The many nights of studying, working through practice exams and review problems, the study sessions on Saturday afternoons - they all paid off. While I have not received my official notification or certificate, I found this entry online at the Virginia Department of Occupational Regulation. Look it up if you need confirmation. I know I had to look 3 or 4 times, to be absolutely sure.

Maybe it isn't that big of a deal, but I am extremely pleased. Even more so knowing that Jane also passed. Maryland hasn't posted yet, but I am confident of a similar result for Jackie. And next year, Sarah will pass as well. Then it will be a trend, with us as the trendsetters. "Professional Engineering: All the Cool Kids Are Doing It!"

In truth, passing the test was not entirely my own doing. I owe a debt to Jane, Jackie, and Sarah, who all helped me to be more studious, and taught me many useful techniques to become a better engineer; to Tyson, who pushed me to get my ass in gear and take the test already (as well as providing one of my reference letters); and certainly to my folks, who whenever I bitched and moaned about all of the studying reminded me that it would all be worthwhile in the end.

Now I'm going to go order an official stamp and mark every piece of paper that I can. Grocery lists, playing cards, individual paper towels, the works.

I'll Cut You, Bitch

2008-06-22T10:02:00.003-04:00

(With apologies for the coarse language, but without it the humor is lost)

I've had some trouble for some time now regarding the landscaping around my house. Overgrowth along the fenceline. Trees growing up against the house. Crabgrass. But over the past few weekends, I think I've turned the tide.

First, I cut the lawn as short as I could and sprayed the hell out of it with anti-crabgrass solution. Pretty easy, and pretty successful.

Second, I finally got some clippers and went to town with them and the weedwhacker along the fence. And after I had chopped up the superweeds that had sprung up, I emptied about half a bottle of weed-killer into what was left. I've got a pretty long fenceline for a plot this size, so maybe I should look into a "family size" bucket of weed spray. That has worked like gangbusters - no need to pull out the weedwhacker since.

Lastly, the trees. Specifically, the tree in the tight piece of yard between my house and the neighbors. It has grown up into the eaves of the roof, and over the roof, and up against the upstairs window. Squirrels us it to climb up into the window and nest beside the air conditioner. Vermin! I've been putting this off for too long.

Since I have no ladder, I climbed the tree and hauled a hand saw up on a bit of line. The principal offending branch was larger than I expected. Big enough I had to take breaks while sawing through it. But down it came. Some other smaller ones as well, that looked like in a breeze might brush against the roof and damage the shingles.

So I've got a lot of branch to deal with now. Alexandria won't haul away brush unless it is bound up in bales no more than 4 feet long, and weighing under 70 pounds. So, the picture above shows the product of my rather lengthy labors. Five bales, ready to go. Next time, I think I will just burn the tree down.

High Tea in Narnia

2008-06-22T10:00:00.003-04:00

Have a cup of chamomile with Aslan! I had never seen this before. I laughed for about 5 minutes after I walked past it in the grocery store yesterday.

Things To Do

2008-06-18T20:43:00.003-04:00

Get a copy of the new Firefox 3.0 browser. Even better than the previous edition. There is an especially nifty feature where you can tag your bookmarks as well as sorting them into folders, and they can have multiple tags. And you can find all the bookmarks that share a tag just by typing the tag into the address bar - pretty slick.
Go read katebeaton.com. It is hilarious - I especially like the one about Teddy Roosevelt, "Adventure Time." Teddy Roosevelt was awesome.
Find something pulpy for summer reading. I recommend skipping the latest bestsellers and sampling a the work of a classic author of thrillers, Eric Ambler. The Care of Time is one of my favorites, and I'm reading Journey Into Fear right now. I've heard The Coffin of Dimitrios is also extremely good.
If you are in the Baltimore/DC area and are interested in ships, consider heading up to the Charm City to tour the USCGC Bertholf, the first new major cutter in decades. She's scheduled to be open for tours the weekend of the 27th.
Find something decent to watch on tv now that Battlestar is off the air until sometime in 2009. At least the mid-season finale was awesome.

Prom Night

2008-06-14T11:22:00.002-04:00

Sarah & Paul were kind enough to invite me along to "Prom Night" last night at the Army-Navy Club in DC. They are members, and from time to time they have put together excellent nights out for cocktails and dinner. Paul's brother Philip and his wife Sarah were there, along with their friends Matt & Gillian. It was an excellent group.

I had only been to the downstairs club before, so this was my first time in the main dining room. Jacket and tie required sort of situation, so the gentlemen were suitably attired, the ladies in very fashionable dresses, jewelry, and well-coiffed. This is where the "prom night" nickname comes from - I gather most of us do not dress up for dinner on many occasions nowadays.

While it was a "dressy" night, it was not overly formal or stuffy. It was pretty fantastic- mostly because these are just fun people. In that setting, particularly Gillian and Philip's wife Sarah AKA "Sarah the Great." Gillian makes me think of Dorothy Parker, and Sarah is so completely without pretense you can't help but be charmed. She turned up the car radio when "The Humpty Dance" came on - that's my kind of people.

As for the club itself, I always get a kick out of it. Good food, and just a cool setting - lots of the historical arcana that I enjoy. The dining room was full of pleasant older couples - think grandparents - but they didn't seem to mind our... let's call it youthful vigor. So start to finish it was an outstanding evening.

Annual Customs and Yearly Traditions

2008-06-08T20:32:00.002-04:00

Early June is when the strawberries ripen. For the past few years, I go up to Larriland Farm about an hour north of Alexandria to pick my own. I can usually get enough for about 4 batches of jam in one tray worth of picking. Once you add in the price of driving up there and back, it is probably more expensive than just buying jam at the store. But I find I enjoy the trip out of the city, and even the bustle and activity of making the jam.

Also, as I've mentioned in previous years, near the farm is a small village named Etchison that has a general store. The store sells outstanding pulled pork sandwiches. So I go, I pick, and I eat my sandwich, and it is a fine day.

I had planned to do all of this on Saturday. But there were some problems. My house - the yard, specifically - has been in a parlous state for a while. I had neglected it while Chris and Aaron visited successively over the past week and a half. So there were giant Cretaceous-looking weeds and plants growing along the fenceline, long grass: a general picture of decay and abandonment.

So Friday after work I got some supplies, including some sturdy shears, and set myself to work. Everything went very well until the very end. I went inside to fetch some durable trash bags to haul away the debris. They are under the sink. And as I stood it was like getting stabbed. I aggravated my back somehow. I think the common term would be I "threw my back out." Rest became the priority of the night. And all of the next day.

It felt good enough today to go up to the farm and get what I needed. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my yearly sandwich - the Etchison Country Store is closed on Sundays. Fast food is a pale substitute. But I got my fruit, I made my jam, and my back is already feeling much better. I think a few days rest and all will be well. It is so damn hot right now, I don't especially mind laying low for a bit.

Big Time in the Jungle

2008-06-02T18:02:00.002-04:00

On his way back from Grandma & Grandpa's 60th anniversary party, Chris was able to stop by this past weekend. He had spent some time in Columbus as well, watching minor league games and visiting his old friend Virgil. He got here late on Thursday, and I left him to his own devices on Friday.

Saturday, we had hoped to go out to Shenandoah and hike Old Rag, but the forecast said there could be strong thunderstorms because the atmosphere was "energetic." Instead, we went up to Rock Creek Park.

I've ridden through the park plenty of times, but never really stopped there. We hiked out from the Nature Center (which includes a planetarium!) and went to the ruins of a Civil War battery, Fort Drury. Not particularly impressive, just mounds of dirt really. But interesting for as a touchstone of local history.

We headed down into the park, and ended up going along the creek for some distance. Not rough hiking, by any means - easy grades, well maintained trails. Really quite nice. It was easy to forget we were essentially in the middle of the city - felt like a "real" forest. We even came upon a deer on the trail - clearly used to people, since it let us get within about 15 feet before shambling off. And while it was hot and humid, but proximity to the creek and the plentiful shade helped ease things a little.

Unfortunately, the free park map doesn't include a lot of detail on the trails, things like the badging used to mark the way. And the signage and badging was fairly poor. So we ended up doing a figure eight instead of a loop, since I took us left when we should have gone right. Still, it was a lucky mistake - the distance ended up being just about perfect, about four and half miles of easy trails. And that extra loop was very nice - it reminded me of some of the cross country trails we ran in high school.

The timing could not have been better - we got home, and just as we finished cleaning up, the sky opened up. The storms were brief but intense. I'm glad we weren't stuck out in anything like that out on the Blue Ridge.

After that, we had lunch, and went to see the new Indiana Jones movie at the Odeon Uptown, the big movie palace up by the zoo. Pretty fun movie, if you know what to expect (basically a 50s B-movie with modern effects and a huge budget). And the Uptown is just a fun place to see a movie - huge curved CinemaScope screen, real balcony, etc. They even show the awesome 70mm prints sometimes - better than HD.

And we ended up back in Del Ray, having dinner at the Afghan Restaurant and Strawberry Shortcake (with fresh Del Ray Farmer's Market berries) at the Dairy Godmother. So, pretty good visit.

Holiday Weekender

2008-05-25T18:37:00.002-04:00

The holiday weekend kind of snuck up on me - I didn't think to make any special plans ahead of time. But despite being mostly improvised, it has been great so far. Both relaxing and fun. Yesterday, I slept in, and took an outstanding bike ride to Mount Vernon. Usually I do that ride at the end of the day. But yesterday I did it fresh and rested, so I was able to push a little harder. Made outstanding time, with only a few hiccups due to the increased traffic. And I only had especial trouble with 3 people!

(Don't walk out onto the trail without looking - it's like jumping into a busy street blindfolded. Don't take up the whole path with your friends, gabbing away so you don't hear someone try to warn you they are trying to pass. And give an audible signal when you pass. That is all.)

Today, I made my first trip to the new ballpark in DC. I bought the ticket on a whim Saturday night, and managed to get a good one. First row of the upper deck in left field. Great view. The only problem was it was not in shade until the 4th inning or so. Still, great seat for a decent price.

MIL @ WAS 5-25-08

I like the park quite a bit. It doesn't have the slightly gone-to-seed charm of RFK, but it was comfortable, didn't screw around with gimmicky junk, and there's excellent food (half smokes from Ben's Chili Bowl, for example). It has everything you could want from a modern park, I think. It only falls to the second tier because it lacks the history (Fenway, Wrigley) or perfect location (PNC, Pac Bell) of the very best ballparks.

I was a little disappointed in the local fans, though. Most seemed to show up around the 2nd inning, and lots of people were leaving after the stretch. The game was tied in the 7th and they were leaving. They missed a great finish. In the bottom of the ninth Dmitri "The Meathook" Young advanced Elijah Dukes to third on a pinch-hit single, who then scored on a wild pitch by Guillermo Mota, who took the loss. Not the most elegant of victories, but a win is a win.

Commentary

2008-05-23T10:40:00.003-04:00

I use Google Reader a lot. I scan the NY Times and the Washington Post sites each morning, but mostly I subscribe to various RSS feeds, then filter them for what interests me. For a while, Reader has allowed you to email items of interest. Recently, the added the Share feature, which allows other RSS subscribers to sign up for items you flag. Now, they've added a feature where you can add notes to the items you share. My shared items are up on the right, or you can go here and see items I share plus any notes. I haven't made any good notations yet - not much value added. But I think it is extremely slick, and a great way to archive news, posts, and articles.

Bikers

2008-05-19T19:10:00.002-04:00

There unusual pleasures and annoyances today on the bike trail to Mount Vernon.

Usually, the MVT is one of the best afternoon rides - once you get past Belle Haven, it isn't crowded at all, there are nice views of the river, and plenty of shade if the sun is strong. And that was the case today, but there were additional factors. On the plus side, I scored one of my favorite biking achievements twice. I love passing riders on nicer bikes, who are all kitted out in expensive lycra, clipped in to their pedals and the very picture of the cycling geek. I wear old sneakers, a BMX helmet, and use straps instead of clips. Blowing past them gives me a great deal of pleasure that hints of schadenfreude. "Oh, you paid thousands of dollars for your carbon frame and are pounding energy goo? ON YOUR LEFT." It doesn't happen a lot, so twice in one day is a treat. Maybe not the best thing to take pleasure in, but there it is.

It was also an exceptionally nice day for a ride, no humidity and great temperatures. However, there were an unusually high number of folks out there who could not follow the rules of the trail, or even common decency. All too often, the cyclists who commit these acts are those same well-outfitted riders I enjoy passing. 1) YOU MUST GIVE A WARNING WHEN YOU PASS. It is not optional, it is the law. If you are riding too hard to give a verbal warning, you are riding too fast. Want to go faster? Get on the road, the limit on the trail is 15 MPH anyway. The MVT, especially, is too thin and too twisty to allow much margin for error when passing. Give me a heads up. 2) STAY TO THE RIGHT - also a trail rule. Just because you bought a yellow jersey at REI doesn't mean you are Lance Armstrong. Someone out here is going to be faster than you, and hogging the trail isn't going to change that. Don't be a dick. 3) If you are just out to enjoy a nice ride, don't ride side-by-side. Maybe other people don't want to get stuck behind you - be considerate of the fact that other people are using the trail in other ways. We can all enjoy it if we just show a little courtesy. 4) NEVER EVER STOP ON THE TRAIL. If you stop, get off the pavement. I do not want to run you over - but I will if you are just sitting there as I come downhill around the corner. There were people on the trail doing all of these things today, and it gets me worked up. These are not pet peeves - I really don't want to be in any more bike wrecks - they suck. The Park Service posts these rules up and down the trail so we don't have to go through the bruises, road rashes, and bent forks.

For all that, it was an outstanding ride. It looks like rain and riding the trainer for the next couple of days, so I'm glad I got a good one in.

Check Below For Damage

2008-05-11T21:10:00.002-04:00

Ahh, April showers. Unlike most folks and many dogs, I like storms. I enjoy the sound of the rain, and I still count the time between the lightning and the thunder to find the distance to the strike. It is a relief when the storms come, because the humidity breaks and the temperature drops. Sleep even comes easier.

However, the heavy rain here in DC recently has been problematic. Like all storms, it means no bike rides. But I have the fluid trainer in the basement, so that is easily remedied. However, there is trouble downstairs. It is an old house, and that means leaks.

It goes beyond dampness. And they are no mere puddles. Large bodies of standing water. It isn't flooded, by a long shot - there are plenty of dry areas, and nothing gets too deep. But it's more than a mere mopping can take care of. I haven't had much luck getting it into the drains I can find, either. So I'm looking for any clever ideas on how to dewater the lower decks.

Baconator

2008-05-01T07:54:00.003-04:00

I went to the Curious Grape wine shop last night with Jane & Ian, Sarah & Paul, Zina and one of her friends. The owner was doing a mini-symposium, free lessons on some of the basics of wine. I'm still not much of a wine drinker, but it was interesting. Never hurts to learn. And they did food pairings with the wine to bring out flavors. Most were cheeses, but there was one particularly notable food pairing: Mo's Bacon Bar. It's a pretty decent chocolate bar, with bits of applewood-smoked bacon inside. Not for everyone, and I certainly wouldn't want to eat a whole bar of it by itself. But it is at least as good as chocolate-coated pretzels and potato chips.

Afterwards, we went next door to Ping for chinese. I wasn't especially hungry, so I just got a small plate of pork-filled steamed buns. I often order these at chinese restaurants, always hoping that they will be like the dim sum that was next door to Ryan & Bethany in Boston. That place had the best cream buns... Not the case this time. They were different, but still quite good. The pork wasn't sealed up inside, rather the steamed bun was wrapped around it so it was like a chinese mini-taco. With a slice of cucumber inside - surprisingly tasty.

The televisions over the bar were showing the Nationals and Orioles games, so I got a little distracted. And then I may have geeked out all over the group by getting into sabremetrics and explaining the quick-and-dirty formula for Expected Runs. I may have also ranted about the moral degeneracy of interleague games. I sometimes forget that maybe not everyone shares my particularly geeky interest in the game.

Trust in the Swedes

2008-04-28T17:56:00.003-04:00

Once again, Ryan and Bethany have made an outstanding video. This one has some technical and editing flourishes which I haven't seen them do before - they are getting better and better. Go check it out, vote for it or something, maybe they'll win some furniture for their new home.

Down with the Sickness

2008-04-28T06:37:00.002-04:00

The timing was nothing short of impeccable. It seems like the very moment I got home on Friday, I got sick. My throat swelled, became scratchy and raw. My joints ached, my muscles became sore. I was exhausted, and it happened so suddenly, like someone flipped a switch. And, lucky me, it lasted all weekend so I wasn't able to do anything worthwhile. I suspect I will still be subpar Monday morning, but not enough so taking time off makes sense. Such a ripoff.

So I spent the weekend watching movies and playing video games. Sunday was fairly cruddy out, so I don't particularly mind. But Saturday was beautiful - maybe enough wind for sailing, certainly nice enough for a long ride out the W&OD trail. Maybe next weekend.

In a small bit of interesting news, in Alabama one of the ships we've been doing work for, the USS Independence, was unveiled at Austal Shipyard. There are some quick shots of it in the video below.

WKRG.com Video

(via WKRG)

Faster. Better. Cheaper. Choose Two.

2008-04-25T06:50:00.002-04:00

There is an excellent article this morning in the NY Times about the troubles on the LCS program. I've been working on and off with the LCS program since I was an intern at NAVSEA in 2001. Back then it was still called Streetfighter. Then it was the Small Fast Surface Combatant, followed by the Focused Mission Ship, until it finally became the Littoral Combat Ship.

Most of the industry has been involved with the program at one point or another. There were many teams competing with original design proposals a few years back. Now, the two winning teams are extremely busy, and many others (such as my company) are working on the government side consulting and reviewing. It is a huge effort, and is almost universally decried as a mess.

The two designs are fairly solid; the trouble has been the execution. This article does a good job of explaining how it has happened, and why. It's not $500 wrenches that make the defense budget so high - it's half a billion dollar frigates that are the problem.

Toe-to-Toe with the Russkies

2008-04-24T21:39:00.002-04:00

Pretty amazing footage of a Georgian UAV being shot down by a Mig-29, taken from the UAV.

Very sinister, the way the Fulcrum just smoothly slides into the frame before firing.

Bruised, Sprained, and Happy

2008-04-20T16:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday started out so hot and still - even a little muggy. I hate that kind of weather, and it is all too common here. However, I knew a front was headed our way - big storms predicted for today. Fronts mean changing conditions. And changing conditions mean wind.

I had all my sailing gear gathered up and ready, and right after lunch I saw the tops of the taller trees across the street begin to sway. I loaded Betty onto the roof rack and drove over to Gravelly Point. As usual on nice days, the park was packed. I was lucky to get a space right next to the grass - it makes it easier to offload the boat and set her up. I was on the water in no time flat.

For the upper Potomac, it was about as perfect as it ever gets. Warm, in the low 80s. Partly cloudy or hazy, so it is sunny but without too much glare. And good, steady breeze out of the south - 10-15 knots, and none of the usual flukiness. It made for fantastic sailing. You could make good progress to windward since the current was with you. If you wanted to just bury a rail (or your leeward ama in my case), you could set up speed runs on the broad reach, criss-crossing the river.

Starting at the point, I worked my way downriver about as far as the end of the Naval Research Labs, near the plants at Blue Haven. As the crow flies that only works out to about two and a half miles, but it is the farthest south I've gotten sailing out of Gravelly Point. If I hadn't gotten hungry, I could have made it to Old Town, easily.

Betty performed beautifully downwind. I set the sheet in the cam lock, and didn't even have to touch the rudder. We eased straight back towards Fort McNair until we hit the lay line for a screaming broad reach back to the dock. It was a great day of sailing - perfect conditions, not too crowded in the river, and it stayed that way for as long as you cared to enjoy it.

Back on land, things got a bit trickier. Loading up the vaka (center hull), I set the stern up on the roof rack, and began to lift the bow. But something slipped, and the whole thing started to fall. I caught it, awkwardly, by twisting my left hand around some, and pinning most of the weight against my hip, braced against one of the akas (cross bars). I had to hold it like that while I figured out a way to reset myself to lift the bow without any more slippage. I managed it, but it feels like I sprained my left wrist, and there is a nasty-looking bruise on my hip. Pretty minor though, and a small price to pay for such a great day.

The Wages of Sin

2008-04-18T07:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous outside - put forth as a potential Nicest Day of the Year by the folks at CapitalWeather. The day before was nice as well, and I had ridden the Arlington Triangle after work. I decided to do a longer ride, since I had nothing else set up that night and the weather was perfect for it.

It was great, but I am working with the burden of a slothful winter. In past seasons, the Mount Vernon trail was my standard after work ride. Yesterday it was... a bit more challenging than before. Not huffing and puffing, or stopping to rest, but certainly I was more keenly aware of the effort. I wish I had followed the example of my friend Matt and Kate, and kept up a better regimen in the colder months.

Even so, I've missed my long rides. More than just exercise and fresh air, the steady rhythm of pedaling for an hour or two away from home or work helps me clear my mind. And days like yesterday, where I can do that without blistering heat, smothering humidity, stinging cold, or biting wind, are the best.

D is for DONE

2008-04-12T13:59:00.003-04:00

Many months of study and preparation came to a head yesterday, as I took the Principles and Practices of Professional Engineering (PE) Exam. We were so anxious, Jane and I drove out to the site the night before, to make sure we knew how to get there, and how long it would take. We had maps, we had a GPS unit. There was a plan for messages and phone calls to guarantee we were both up and ready on-time. Each of us brought a ridiculous number of references. I had an entire rolling suitcase full of textbooks. We had this thing wired.

The test itself was challenging in a number of ways. Even though I reviewed all the study modules, there were some questions I was completely clueless about. Time was a factor - in order to complete the 80 questions in time, you have to average 6 minutes per question. It sounds like plenty of time, until you are staring at the test booklet, dumbfounded. Plenty of pressure to rush, and so many different topics - electrical motors, harmonic vibrations, ship resistance and propulsion, beam strength and deflection, and on and on. Lastly, the scale of the thing is daunting. While we got an hour off for lunch, we sat down for the exam a little after 7 AM, and we were dismissed a few minutes before 6 PM. It is a long, long day.

The length of the day was compounded by the site they held the exam. It was in a Shriner hall, which holds plenty of people, but has horrible exit design from the parking lot. The lot fed out onto a short frontage road, which had only one outlet onto a side street which in turn fed into Route 50 about 20 feet away. That intersection was governed by a streetlight with a very short green and a long red. We spent more time bumper-to-bumper on the frontage road with the other 200-odd examiness than we on the whole rest of the drive home. That didn't help anyone's mood. Luckily, we went directly to the Dogfish Head Brewery to meet Zina, Sarah & Paul, and some of their friends for dinner. That made up for a lot the trials of the day.

While I admit the test was difficult, I feel confident about my work. Perhaps it is overconfidence, but I think I passed. Historically, the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering test has one of the highest pass rates. Unfortunately, results are going to be sent "within twelve weeks." So it could be until July before I find out one way or the other. At least I don't have to study every night anymore.

Home Loans

2008-04-12T13:57:00.003-04:00

Help Ryan and Bethany pay the mortgage on their new house: go here and vote for their entry in the latest of many video contests. If they win, money and fame await. Or at least some free dental care products.

Chop Chop Chop

2008-04-09T07:13:00.003-04:00

I caught a quick case of the stupids yesterday.

We went out to lunch, and ended up driving past my house. I was embarrassed by how bad it looked - I hadn't mowed the lawn or trimmed along the fences since last year. So I resolved to take care of it as soon as I got home.

Things were going swimmingly - the electric mower was making short work of the long grass. Then, as I came to the last corner of the yard, I had to back up - not enough room to turn. As I pulled back, I can clearly remember: "I should be careful not to back over the cord, 'cause that would be stu... "

I was shocked how easily the blade sliced through the cord. I am not surprised that the blade was able to cut it, but the mower didn't even stutter. Like a hot knife through butter. So I have two very nice plugs, and about 48' worth of perfectly good extension cord. Just that last two feet...

Luckily, one of my favorite shops in Del Ray was open, the Hardware Store at Mt. Vernon and Custis. While I was there, I picked up the new weed whacker I've needed since last year. So now the lawn is no longer embarrassingly overgrown. And I must have picked the right day to be out doing yard work, because after two years of living there, I had my first conversations ever with not one but two of my neighbors. I guess I finally stopped putting out creepy vibes.

There Will Be Blood

2008-04-04T07:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was an excellent day for sports. Well, for my teams, anyway.

For the Reds, rookie pitcher Johnny Cueto had an outstanding first start, hurling seven innings of one-hit ball. I didn't get to watch the game, since it was a Thursday businessman's special, but I did catch it over the fantastic Gameday service. I'm amazed how much that tool has improved over the past few years. It now includes data on every pitch's release speed, speed at the plate, break, drop, and position over the plate. The next frontier is data on the trajectory of batted balls, I'd wager.

After work, I joined Sarah & Paul and Zina & John at the Capitals-Lightning game. Washington pretty much had to win in order to stay in playoff contention. And despite the disparity in the two teams' records, it was a close thing for the first two periods. But things got awesome in the third. The Caps scored three goals, some brutal hits(Blood on the ice? Check), and a decent fight with about 20 seconds to go (if you are in to that).

We went to the game because of Zina, who got us a nice deal that also helped out Margie Shapiro's Team Spirit. She is trying to make the Olympic triathlon team, and Zina vouched for her. She sounds like a class act. And those tickets were 1) cheaper and 2) included a visit to the Dewars Lounge for free drinks and food. Paul estimated that at Verizon Center prices, the food we ate was worth more than the price we paid for the seats. If we didn't come out ahead, we may have broken even.

So it was a really fun outing, and capped a really nice day. In all, though, my favorite moment may have been during the first intermission peewee hockey scrimmage, when one kid (probably about 8 years old) got out on a breakaway and scored.

Treasure Island

2008-04-02T18:05:00.001-04:00

Some shots of the San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island.

The island is a former Navy base, and is almost entirely empty. It seems like the land, with it's views of the Bay and the city, only a few minutes drive across the bridge to downtown, would be worth millions if not billions of dollars. Some people do apparently live there, in the Navy housing converted into apartments, and there is some Coast Guard housing on Yerba Buena Island just south of it, connected by a causeway. There are also some larger buildings, but I'm not sure what they are used for - they look like they may have once been hangars.

Most of the buildings, though, appear abandoned. Some roofs have collapsed, the Nimitz Conference Center has numerous smashed windows. For all that, it still seems to have tremendous potential. Perhaps along the line of other base redevelopments. The one that immediately springs to mind is Governor's Island off of Manhattan.

Supposedly it will soon be turned into a "self-sufficient city," but what I've read it sounds like many other ambitious developments that never see fruition. I think I might prefer it as it is, or nearly so. Low-density, solid but not upscale, with the only major changes being the addition of basic services (a gas station and a grocery store, for instance) and the repair of the damages. Maybe find more exciting uses for some of the more interesting structures. But it is an interesting oasis next to the very dense, very expensive downtown that sits across the water from it.

You've Got Something in Your Teeth

2008-03-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

Ryan & Bethany have entered another video contest for big big prizes. This time it is for something called DentaBurst. You will understand its virtues after seeing their entry here. I'm excited about this one, since Ryan and I talked about it and he liked some of my ideas enough to use them. I don't feel like a director, or a cinematographer - I didn't have a lot of ideas. I feel like a producer - I'm Robert Evans!

Arlington Triangle

2008-03-27T07:30:00.002-04:00

I took my first proper bike ride of the season yesterday. Until now, I've been using my indoor fluid trainer. Mostly because I am literally a fair weather fan when it comes to biking - I do not enjoy being out on the trails while cold or wet. And I hadn't gotten around to tuning up my road bike until last weekend.

The weather was too perfect to pass up yesterday, though. Warm, but not hot. Good cloud cover, so I didn't have to gear up with SPF 60 beforehand. And only a light breeze - no need to work against a headwind on any of the legs.

I did the Arlington Triangle route, up the 4-Mile Run/W&OD to the Custis, east through Rosslyn, and back down along the Potomac. Great route, good for about 18 miles, and much of it recently repaired and reconditioned. I was surprised there weren't more people out, though - as I said, it was a perfect day to bike or run.

This will have to do for a while, though. I like the Triangle, but the longer ride to Mount Vernon is my favorite. I just don't have the time to do that right now, and still get my PE studying done. And as much as I enjoy riding, I would like to do more with my free time than exercise and study. I also enjoy tv.

Dan vs. Nature

2008-03-23T18:23:00.002-04:00

I noticed recently that a tree in my side yard has grown up against the house. In fact, some of the branches have damaged the roof, slightly, peeling away a handful of shingles. The branches also provide my nemeses, the squirrels, access to the roof and the upstairs window. So I resolved to cut back the tree.

Of course, first I made sure I had the right tools (a Leatherman with a saw blade) and a way to access the branches (climb the tree). I formulated a plan (climb tree, start hacking) and put that plan into action. I thought it was foolproof. Unfortunately, I was the fool who had to prove it.

I started to climb the tree, and the very first branch I stepped on turned out to be problematic. In the sense that it was dead, and immediately gave way. Since it was the first branch, though, my journey earthward was thankfully short. I did get some nice scrapes on my legs and hand to help me learn an important lesson. After that, I was more thorough about testing the limbs I used for support, and made it up the tree without much trouble.

Once at the top, I took some time to savor the view (Shingles!). I then discovered that the Leatherman saw is best suited for cutting branches for use roasting s'mores . My stay at the treetop was lengthier than I planned. But the limbs did get cut down.

Climbing down was... tricky. I remember flying up and down the old maple tree behind our house growing up. Now, I'm think I might be sore tomorrow from this minor chore. I'm reminded of a quote, "we are not now that strength which once moved heaven and earth."

For my future landscaping projects, I think I'll stick to mowing the lawn, mixed in with the occasional weed-whacker run.

Grind

2008-03-20T21:25:00.002-04:00

Studying for the upcoming Professional Engineer exam is becoming burdensome. I've almost finished all of the practice problems. My textbooks and references are bedecked with a rainbow of quick tabs. There's not much left to do, but getting it done each evening is getting harder and harder.

It isn't as much work as I once did with ease in college. But clearly I've gotten out of the habit of studying. And while the mechanics of it came back quickly, I don't seem to have the endurance for it. I think I may have started off too fast - flaming out quickly. If I end up following up the PE with an attempt at grad school, I'll need to remember that particular lesson.

The studying has come in handy on the job, however. Not in a direct way - I haven't had work projects recently that use the particular theories and principles I'm reviewing. But I have been doing some analysis that goes more smoothly when tackled with more methodical techniques. Lots of notes, showing all the work - exactly how I work the study problems. It's true that most engineering work benefits from that kind of treatment, but this project particularly so. It is nice to have some tangible benefit from this grinding effort almost immediately.

001.422 Tuf

2008-03-15T16:21:00.004-04:00

It is beautiful outside today, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood and ended up at the Duncan Branch Library. Alexandria has a pretty good city library system, and the Duncan is a very nice local branch. It was renovated and expanded just recently, and has a decent collection on site.

Finding myself there without a particular plan, I decided to look for a book I just heard about recently, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte. They had a copy checked in, and interestingly enough it was the first book in the non-fiction stacks, on the very end of the top row of the first shelf.

I skimmed through the book, but did not check it out. I think I might prefer to have my own copy. It has been described as a "Strunk & White for graphics." Tufte lays out how graphics can be best used to convey complex information, while avoiding numerous common errors. He shows how graphs and charts are used to lie or made confusing with "chartjunk." And the text gives simple rules for conveying the most information with the least ink, eliminating confusion and errors. I would recommend anyone who regularly creates or reads graphs and charts, professionally or otherwise, to see if your library has a copy.

Vermin

2008-03-10T07:33:00.002-04:00

I was doing some chores around the house this weekend, and made an interesting discovery. Squirrels are eating my window frames.

Upstairs, there is a windowsill that is close to some branches of a tree in my side yard. Apparently, the squirrels were curling up there to enjoy some of the heat leaking out through the very old windows. While they were there, they must have been teething or something, because they have gnawed away much of the part of the windowframe that holds the storm windows. I put in some stop-gap measures to secure the storm window, but more is required. I need to find an extension ladder, so I can get up there, remove the storm window, rebuild the frame, and reinstall. Also, I need a way to kill squirrels. I should probably trim back the tree limbs while I am at it.

If I owned the house, this could easily be the start to a number of small maintenance projects - the trim could use new paint, for instance. But I think I'll have to talk to my landlord, and see if I can get him to take care of a few things. It seems like once you start down that road, there's always another project cropping up, something else that needs to be stripped, painted, rebuilt, replaced, or repaired. Perhaps if I enjoyed the sweat equity, but just not worth it in a rental.

Heroes of Science

2008-02-28T20:53:00.002-05:00

I recently read about an soon-to-be-released movie titled The Fall. I was immediately interested for a number of reasons. The trailer makes it clear that visually it is quite stunning. Some descriptions of it call it a combination of Pan's Labyrinth, Big Fish, and the comic version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (far far superior to the movie). And the lead is also the star of a tv show I enjoy a great deal, Pushing Daisies.

The movie appears to follow a band of five heroes (at least in a story-within-a-story structure). Which brings me to what may be my favorite part: one of the heroes is Charles Darwin. I just think that is a fantastic idea; I just haven't come up with the proper cliched action-hero catchphrases for the good doctor. "You've been naturally selected... for an ass-kicking!"

It also doesn't hurt that the score to the trailer is one of my favorite pieces of music, the second movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. Supposedly Schubert and Wagner thought it was the greatest piece ever written.

Surreal

2008-02-27T13:27:00.002-05:00

It's like Zippy the Pinhead, surreal and inscrutable: Garfield minus Garfield.

That Money Is Rightfully Mine

2008-02-26T19:24:00.002-05:00

This is an incredible article, about the salvage team that righted a car carrier off of Alaska last year. It's especially interesting because all of the naval architecture problems discussed are types I've solved on the job. Not all together, in a unique situation like with the Cougar Ace incident, but I know I could do everything they did, engineering-wise. However, the article makes it clear just how dangerous the work is: one of the team (the nav arch, actually) died during the effort. An excellent piece, about one of the more adventurous forms of engineering.

Helicopter. Autogyro. Cyclogyro

2008-02-25T09:39:00.002-05:00

I've always thought autogyros were fairly clever contraptions, and I find their "Frankenstein's Airplane" look amusing. Well, they may have been topped. Engineers in Singapore have built a functioning cyclogyro.

The concept is similar to cycloidal propellers sometimes used on ships. A set of blades is arranged to revolve around an axis that parallels their length. The pitches of the blades are varied as they revolve, adjusting the net thrust. So the same blades can provide lift and thrust. With two sets, one on each side of the craft, the thrust differentials can be used to spin the around the vertical or longitudinal axis.

Cycloidal propellers on ships have always interested me - they are often used for vessels that need extreme manueverablity. I remember learning about them while reading about the exploration of the Titanic wreck. The ship that supported the first exploration dives was equipped with them, allowing for precise station-keeping while controlling the ROV at the end of a 5 mile long cable. I never considered the possibility the same concept would be viable for aircraft.

Busboys, Poets, Mexican Gangsters, Assassins

2008-02-24T11:19:00.002-05:00

I spent a really enjoyable afternoon in Shirlington yesterday. For those who don't know it, Shirlington is an odd little oasis of restaurants, theaters, and businesses in Arlington. It's not really connected to the nearby neighborhoods. It just sits by the side of the I-395, near the Condo Canyon. Recently, it has been changing a great deal. Previously, it was a collection of businesses in high-rises (WETA headquarters is there) with a single street of restaurants and some shops, terminating in the movie theater. Now there Signature Theater has built a new home there, sharing space with a branch of the city library. New shops like CakeLove, more cafes, high-rise condos, a big grocery store - all have opened up recently. So it is quite lively, a sort of suburban downtown, not as far as DC, not as congested as Old Town.

I went to lunch at the cafe/bookstore Busboys and Poets, which was fun. It was extremely crowded - so much so they had to use the little "Your table is ready" buzzers like Ruby Tuesdays. They fixed me up with a delicious barbecue chicken panini. I was tempted by the peanut butter and banana panini - the Elvis Special. Maybe next time.

Because of the crowd, I just barely made it through lunch in time to get over to the movie theater for the showing of No Country for Old Men. I'm a big fan of all of the movies the Coen Brothers have made. I find they fall into two types: comedic capers (Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Ladykillers, O Brother Where Art Thou?) and tragic thrillers (Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple). No Country is clearly one of the latter. Of course, it retains a great deal of their signature humor, mostly of the gallows variety.

After watching the movie, I am forced to agree with what many reviewers have said. The Coens are less interested in the mechanics of the plot - who gets what, wins, loses, etc. - than in the question "why do they do these things?" It doesn't hurt that the many switches and turns of the story have the players reversing roles constantly. To steal a line, it is less a game of cat and mouse than a game of cat and also cat. It's a very tense film, but not in an artificial way - scenes play out slowly, ratcheting up, without feeling drawn out or stretched. If you like any of the other movies by the Coens, I recommend you beat feet down to the movies and see it on the big screen while you still can.

Lost Moon

2008-02-20T22:14:00.003-05:00

I watched the initial minutes of the lunar eclipse tonight, using binoculars and my old refracting telescope. I took some pictures, but they did not turn out well:

A proper photograph looks like this:

(via heycalifornia.blogspot.com)

It was cold and clear out, which made for good seeing. Unfortunately, it was very cold, with pretty decent breezes. I managed to stay out until most of the disk was in the umbra (total shadow), but came back in to warm up. I will go out for one last look before turning in, though.

I hope it was cold and clear wherever you were, and you got a chance to see this fairly rare and beautiful phenomenon.

EDIT: The next total lunar eclipse visible here will be on December 21st 2010, but the real show to look for is August 21st, 2017.

Snownarok

2008-02-20T16:49:00.002-05:00

After a long winter of varying temperatures and little snow, today we are finally getting a nice coating. I should say "nice for DC." I've become so used to snowless winters that this seems remarkable. And at this "late" date, too. I was working outside in a t-shirt last Saturday. This weather will of course lead to widespread panic.

I had an odd thought at work today. My job is very episodic, in the sense that it is clearly broken up into arcs, not unlike the plot arcs of many tv shows. I'm sure in some degree this is true of many jobs - you work on one project, finish it, and move on to the next. However, I've noticed that my projects seem to vary quite a bit. There is the common thread of ships and engineering, of course. But a month ago my job was to be a researcher and writer. Today, I was a statistician with side helpings of physicist and computer programmer. And in a few weeks, depending on if we get particular contracts, I could be a middle-manager, an accountant, an electromagnetics analyst, or a draftsman.

I'm curious if this is the case for most people. It wasn't true at my one other "real" job working in the bookstore. It was all pretty book-related: finding books, selling books, buying used books - not a lot of variety. And even what little there was, it would all come in a farrago over the course of a day. Not like this job, where I'll often do one sort of job for a week or even months, then suddenly switch to another. It demands a certain flexibility

In other news, I wonder what the hell is going on here:

(via MAKE)

Oil!

2008-02-16T22:47:00.002-05:00

After a full morning of chores, I had an extremely helpful PE study session with Sarah, Jane, and Jackie. Between the four of us, we had lots of references and plenty of received knowledge and tips on how best to prepare. I use the term "we" pretty liberally. Jackie had all kinds of references, Sarah knew a bunch of stuff cold - I think because she actually used a lot of it as port engineer, and Jane shared some brilliant ideas on how to organize and prepare. Needless to say, I will shamelessly copy these techniques, and buy/borrow/steal the same references. Jane also provided cookies. So it was time very well spent, though I don't think I brought much to the table. Where these ladies were organized and methodical (Sarah is preparing for the test next year), my study habits are slapdash and sloppy. I hope we can do it again, because I found I worked longer, and better. I am sure that I learned more in those 4 hours than I would have on my own.

Afterwards, I went and saw There Will Be Blood. It was incredible. I won't say 'I've never seen anything like it,' because it is kin to many other great epic movies. It was like a cross between Citizen Kane and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, with oil and betrayals and greed and madness.

The movie looks amazing, taking good advantage of the stark California desert landscape it is set in. Though one sequence, involving an oil fire, was a pure visual and visceral thrill. At first, it seems the movie will rely on pictures alone - the first 20 minutes or so have almost no dialog. I've heard other people remark it could have been made as a silent movie, like the lost classic Greed. As the movie goes on, the dialog becomes better and better (which is not to say the visuals lose anything). By the end, there is dialog paraphrased from historical Senate testimony over the Teapot Dome Scandal involving drainage and milkshakes. It sounds dry, but I assure you it's fantastic.

The movie may seem a bit over-the-top at times. Actually, the main character played by Daniel Day-Lewis is the one who does so. But not to give away the plot too much, but that is the story. The movie itself stays very grounded, as some of the characters, in very realistic ways, snap their moorings and go adrift. It is fascinating. It is a dark film, and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. But it is compelling, with excellent performances and an intriguing story arc.

I saw the movie at the always-entertaining Old Town Theater in Alexandria. Independent - no previews, no commercials, and they don't start the movie until everyone gets in and seated. The concessions sells wine and beer, and the owner comes out and takes questions before the show. It won't last forever, though: he's moving away in a year and a half, donating the theater to a non-profit organization. The plan is it will continue as-is, though it won't be the same without this character coming out with his plaid slacks and salesman's patter to tell you what will be playing next week.

Quadrivium

2008-02-13T19:20:00.002-05:00

noun (Late Latin): the four subjects forming the upper course of study in a medieval university - arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

I've finally taken up my studies for the Professional Engineering Exam in earnest. And I'll be blunt: I feel dumb dumb dumb. I recognize a lot, but don't remember how to do anything. Some things I don't recall ever seeing before. I don't remember ever using the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) shafting design equations, but there they are in the example problems. Well, they are called out in the example solution; I do not now have a copy of my own. I don't think I ever have, actually. I am starting to become concerned.

It's worth mentioning that my study pace is best described as "plodding." I'm behind where the official Review Course is right now - they started in January. And I'm not even to the truly hard stuff, like thermodynamics. It's doubly frustrating because things like this ship fascinate me, but the fundamentals of engineering (which are so often dealt with by computers now) often confuse and bore me.

Luckily, I've got nothing else to do right now. So I guess I'll go study again, some more.

Doctor of Fine Arts

2008-02-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

SAAM 2-9-08

I had some free time today, and decided to make the most of it and take a quick jaunt into the district. I went to one of my favorite museums, the combined Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.

They've completed the courtyard renovations since the last time I visited. It is a great public space - comfortable, lots of activity without being overly crowded. The two signature elements are the undulating glass canopy and the shallow pools. The pools are merely sheets of water, and are constantly in motion - pumped in on one end, flowing down a barely perceptible slope into a drain. Since it is barely a puddle, kids run through them constantly. It livens the place up quite a bit.

The entire museum has good exhibits, but the most popular single work today was the recently installed portrait (or is it portraits?) of Stephen Colbert. It is just outside the Hall of Presidents... in the antechamber of the restrooms. There's a photo in the album linked above. I walked by a few times, and there were never less than a dozen people crowding around for photos.

Vile Weed!

2008-02-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

It's been quite some time since I've done any real cooking. Since well before the holidays, even, I've been making very simple stuff. Pasta with store sauce, quickie grilled chicken. And those were the fancy meals. There have been many servings of buttered noodles and grille cheese.

So this was an itch I've been meaning to scratch. Luckily Zina, Sarah & Paul, and Jane were able to come over tonight for dinner and give it a sense of occasion. This did require some adaptation on my part; I had to add some vegetarian options, and even made a bowl of foul broccoli. But it all worked out pretty well; I went so far as to get wine, which I almost never drink myself (though it was left untouched this time).

It was a surprisingly easy meal to make. The entree was Monster Pork Chops, accompanied by Coconut Rice, Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts, apple apricot sauce from Trader Joe's, and the aforementioned vile weed. Dessert was Gingersnap crumble ice-cream tart, with reinforcements from various other cookies. It seemed like the entire meal was well-received. But I especially enjoyed the evening for the company; it's been a while since I've had people over, and it was a welcome change. It helps that this was an especially fun group of people to bring together - very similar senses of humor, and all quite clever.

On a more professional note, I've started looking for symposia and calls for papers that I could submit my (still hypothetical) paper to. One good candidate came up in the latest Naval Engineers Journal: the West Coast Combats Systems Symposium. I checked the Call for Papers, and it says abstracts are due on February 31st. I assume that means they must be in their offices by a quarter past Never on the Eleventeenth of the next Triple Leap Year.

I'm Learnding

2008-02-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here in DC it feels like spring is coming, a season for change. And if you recall your Romance poets, growth, passion, and the like. It seems like many of my friends and family are acting accordingly. Ryan is talking about taking education classes, looking into teaching. Kirk has submitted his letters to leave active duty and become an FBI field agent. I just found out Sara is applying for a doctoral program in Nashville. Jane is setting up a study group for the professional engineering exam.

I am thinking of following suit - if smart people are all doing it, it must be the smart thing to do, right? I've already applied to take the PE exam, and plan on getting Jane to teach me everything at the aforementioned study group. I should start asking questions at work about getting tuition assistance for enrolling in the ocean engineering master's program from VTech. I regret not starting that sooner; if I had just dove in when I first started working, I could have my master's by now. Learn from my example, O People of the Internet! Don't put off until tomorrow, seize the day, children are our future, etc. etc.

I've also started some literature review and outlining for a paper. If I could get it published, that would mean a resume bullet and the publication bonus at work. Though the more I work on it, the more I wonder if I have enough to warrant a paper. The deeper in I go, the shallower it seems. Without going into the technicalities, it is an interesting topic to me, I'm not aware of any papers on it to date, but any real research would require a massive effort - lots of research, modeling, and simulation. What I have in mind is more of presenting a methodology that could be used for analysis in my field. I guess I'm wondering if my idea is self-evident and obvious to others. I think I may have to get some other smart people to talk to me about it.

I may be a little more enthusiastic about writing than usual, since we have just wrapped up a big effort to write a deliverable for a client. It ended up at almost 500 pages. We all put a lot of effort into it, and I think everyone ended up working a healthy chunk of overtime. Times like that are the ones I find the most professionally satisfying. Humility aside, writing and editing engineering text is something I've always thought I was good at. I wouldn't want to do it all the time - I like being an engineer first and an editor far less - but it is satisfying when I get to do it.

A Steady Decline Followed by Death

2008-01-27T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday, my 30th. I've known a few friends who have gone all-out for their 30th - pub crawls, private rooms at restaurants, trips to Vegas. Mine was far less grand, but I definitely prefer it this way.

Last night, I went to my friend Abby's birthday party in DC, which was held at a bar called Stetson's. It was a great place for this celebration; Abby doe a joint party with her friend Esmerelda, and between the two of them something like 150 people were invited. I'm not sure I know 150 people, or even half that, that I would invite to my birthday party. But Abby is much more sociable than I, and was in her element from what I saw. It was a lot of fun, especially since we have many friends in common that I have not seen in some time. And I had a few nice conversations with folks I hadn't met before; the highlight was probably when one taught me how to play craps. I think all I actually learned was enough to lose a great deal of money if I ever try to play craps.

Before giving me a ride to the Metro to go to the party, Sarah & Paul presented a freshly-made marble cake. Before we left for the district, we enjoyed a few slices. Made from scratch, and extremely tasty. I thought it was very sweet and generous of them.

Today, I met with Meg & Rich and Jane for brunch at Fireflies. I hadn't been in what felt like ages, and was looking forward to treating myself to biscuits and gravy to celebrate. But they were all out, so I ended up getting the also-excellent breakfast club. After some very nice presents, a nice meal, and some subterfuge, the waitress brought out another cake that Jane made (from The Joy of Cooking I gave her for Christmas). It was also delicious.

I'm amazed at how generous everyone was, and I feel very lucky. All of this - invitations out for very enjoyable evenings, cakes, presents, and most importantly the friendship that accompanies them - gives me pause. It is an embarrassment of riches, and if I have to turn 30 and grow old, I am grateful I get to do it in such estimable company.

And to explain the video embedded above, it is one of my favorite gifts this year. Meg brought it back from her trip to New Zealand. It is a small tin boat that contains a very simple steam engine jet-drive. Basically a boiler, heated by a candle, that exhausts heated water, creating a vacuum in the chamber that sucks in cold water, which is then heated, repeating the process. We ran it in my tub after lunch, and it is a riot.

San Francisco

2008-01-20T21:34:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Thursday

San Simeon to San Francisco

2008-01-16T20:01:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Wednesday

Tusayan to San Simeon

2008-01-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Tuesday

Santa Rosa to Tusayan

2008-01-16T19:59:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Monday

Bartlesville to Santa Rosa

2008-01-16T19:58:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Sunday

Dayton to Bartlesville

2008-01-16T19:57:00.000-05:00

DC to SF, Saturday

Map't

2008-01-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

View Larger Map

Today is the day I depart with my friend Aaron to drive to his new home in San Francisco. Here is our current plan for our route. Can you guess at some of the places we'll be visiting?

Malfeasance!

2008-01-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

It's been some time now, since I was in the Coast Guard, but I still look back fondly and have somewhat possessive feelings about the service. I'm an interested party, and a proud veteran.

Which is why the ongoing tragic saga of Deepwater saddens me so. The latest is that the Coast Guard is suing the contractors, since some of the modified boats had to be decommissioned due to structural and system problems. This is on top of the many other Deepwater issues - cost overruns, structural and system problems rumored with the new National Security Cutter, Congressional inquiries. Just read this and the related articles at the Times and you'll get the picture.

It is particularly distressing for me to watch this happen, since I enlisted in the Coast Guard in the early, halcyon days of Deepwater. As a budding naval architect, we were told that was our future in the fleet. "Yeah, our ships are old now, but we're revolutionizing the industry. It's a system of systems, and you are going to be on the front lines." We were all so interested in how it would turn out - it was terribly exciting, in a nerdy engineering way.

And watch as the steel finally gets bent, and the cutters slide down the ways, and it is so clearly a flawed creation. The task was too large, too ambitious, perhaps. But it was large and ambitious out of necessity. The current Queen of the Fleet, wearing the gold numbers of the oldest cutter in commission, is Acushnet, commissioned into the Coast Guard in 1946, after two years of Navy service. The fleet is old, and must be replaced almost wholesale.

And now the Coast Guard has announced they have the situation in hand; they've stood up and entire new Acquisitions Directorate, and they will manage Deepwater, and we are on course. I have my doubts... acquisitions is a challenge on normal defense programs. For a unique program like Deepwater, run by a service with little institutional expertise in acquisitions (since they haven't bought much in decades), it could be catastrophic.

The Coast Guard has proven its value to the nation again and again. It is a critical service, in war and peace. And to carry out its core missions for the next generation, it must recapitalize. News like what we've heard over the past few months creates in me grave concerns about the future of my beloved service.