Santa Claus and the Chimneys

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus flies through the sky (on a sleigh pulled by reindeer) with toys for all the good boys and girls. He carries the toys in the back of his sleigh, and delivers them by going down the chimney.

Obviously this is real and true, because there is proof. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa's journey. NORAD even has set-up a special website to help track Santa's trip around the world: http://www.noradsanta.org/index.php.

But, how does Santa get the toys into the houses where there is no chimney? This is a question that has bothered many for ages. Parents must tell their children that Santa is able to get into their house - but how? Is the door left unlocked for Santa? Will children believe that a fat man in a red suit breaks into their house? There could be detrimental effects to this kind of thinking. Children might start to think that midnight visitors are supposed to enter the house. On the other hand, they could become fearful that someone will come into the house on other nights, and not just Christmas Eve night. Santa could be associated with villainy, or children might let-down their guard.

Neither of these options is a good one. There should be more clarity on the subject. Perhaps NORAD should form a commission to look into the matter in more detail.

In any case, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Blizzards and Airports

It appears that a blizzard is striking the Western United States, and shutting down the Denver Airport. The airport is apparently the fifth busiest in the United States. No doubt, this is in part due to the fact that it is a hub for United Airlines and Frontier.

[You can check out the Denver Airport's website at: http://www.flydenver.com/]

Because of the hub-and-spoke system that most airlines use, when a major airport/hub is shut-down, it creates problems throughout the national air-traffic system (and possibly internationally as well). So, if an airport like Denver is shut down, would it be possible to divert "hub activity" to somewhere else, like Boise, Idaho?

Obviously, there would be a lot of difficulties. Boise is a much smaller airport, has fewer runways, fewer gates, and fewer employees. But even with delays, wouldn't it be better to keep moving the passengers until the Denver airport could re-open?

It would work a little like this: the planes that were supposed to arrive in Denver could land in Boise, and then be used to carry the passengers who are going out-bound from Denver. Because Denver is a hub, most passengers are not staying there, but moving on to somewhere else. The passengers who are wanting to go to Denver could just stay in whichever city they were starting from; they are no worse than they would be. Meanwhile, the passengers going somewhere else could pass through Boise instead of Denver.

This plan is probably fraught with too many difficulties, but it's interesting to think about.

Cucumber and Melon

What kind of combinations do people seem to think are good ones for soap "flavors"?

I was recently at a hotel and the soap I found in the bathroom was "Cucumber Melon". It smelled nice, but when you think about it, it's a little bit odd.



First, I don't know what seems to make Cucumber and Melon such a great combination. I mean, who serves cucumbers and melons together? I'm not sure if I've ever seen them on a plate at the same time. Would they taste good if they were in the same dish?

Second, do cucumbers and melons seem suggest cleanliness? I've never thought to myself, "I'd like to be as fresh as a melon or a cucumber." Now, lemons - I kind of understand a lemon flavor for cleaning, or even a Carolina Pine Forest, but not cucumbers or melons.

Television Reruns

Tis the season ..... for reruns. It seems like every channel you turn to has nothing but reruns .... unless you want to see a new game show.

November is a "sweeps" month (February, May, and July are also sweeps months). Ratings for a sweeps period will determine the advertising rates for the local ads throughout the year, so the networks usually roll out the "extra-special" episodes during those times.

Apparently, putting on extra-special episodes is exhausting for the networks, because November has been followed by nothing but reruns on TV. One might think that a show that ran new episodes while everyone else was running reruns might continue getting high ratings. Of course, all the reruns gives people a chance to catch-up on their reading, do some shopping for the holidays, or take-up new hobbies.

Stuffing or Dressing?

On Thanksgiving, many people gather around the table and eat turkey. And with that turkey, there are many trimmings, including stuffing -- or dressing.

What is the difference between "stuffing" and "dressing"? The most obvious answer is that stuffing is "stuffed" inside of the turkey, while dressing is not. However, both seem to "dress" the turkey. So, it would seem that dressing should not be considered a stuffing if it is not actually "stuffed" into the turkey. But, all stuffings could be considered a dressing.

The two terms have become somewhat interchangeable. In fact, some companies market products like "stuffing" that can be prepared in a pot on the stove. But, that just doesn't make sense, does it?

Whether you're having dressing or stuffing at Thanksgiving, hopefully it will taste good.

Blogger Blogs

Where do blogs come from, anyway?

Sometimes, I hit the "next blog" button at the top of the webpage, just to see what else is out there. I have a couple of questions about those blogs....

First, how does Blogger determine which blog is "next"?

Second, why is there so much blogging going on?

And third, what's the deal with all the blogs that are just advertisements? Are these people/companies using blogs because it's easier than setting up a website? Is it meant to inspire conversation about their products? Some of these blogs look like a series of the same blogpost over and over, and all of them are just an advertisement for the product.

New York City Marathon - Part II: The Race

Just before the open start, the stars of the musical Jersey Boys (about the lives of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons) sing the National Anthem, and the U.S. Air Force does a fly-by.


Everyone moves through their lines toward the start, which is at the foot of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Some people wore costumes. There was a blue-feathered bird, and a pair of rhinos behind me. Although the bridge is "closed", the electronic overhead signs are still flashing the traffic announcements, which are especially appropriate for the marathon: "heavy traffic expected - be prepared to stop". The course uses both the east-bound and west-bound lanes of the upper deck, and the west-bound lanes of the lower deck (though we were going east). What a sight, seeing over 37,000 runners all heading across the bridge. A lot of people had their digital cameras or phones with them and were snapping pictures. We passed the first mile of the marathon while on the bridge, which is the steepest part of the whole race. Some guys already had to use the facilities. With no port-o-potties on the bridge, some people used the east-bound lanes, some people just pee-ed over the side of the bridge into the Narrows. How often do you get to do that?

So, with Staten Island behind us, we trek through Brooklyn. Just like any marathon, a lot of people have stuff written on their shirts. Some put their names on their shirt so that the marathon-fans can yell out encouragement. Some have pictures, or phrases. I even saw one Virgin Mary. A lot of the marathon fans have signs. Usually something like "We're Proud of You *insert name*" or "Go *insert name!*" or "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever". My favorite said "GO NAD!" Sometimes, it's good to laugh. Brooklyn takes up the largest chunk of the marathon (miles 2 - 13).

After Brooklyn, it's on to Queens. Not a lot to say ...it's Queens. We had to go over a bridge to get in, and another bridge to get out - the Queensboro bridge. The Queensboro was quite high and long across, and my legs were really feeling it as we continued to go across the bridge. Yes, there was more peeing off the bridge into the water below. Somehow, I don't think this is the first time anyone has taken a whiz into the East River, though.

Off the Queensboro bridge, and in Manhattan. The crowd was raucous as we came off the bridge and entered Manhattan. Only 10 miles to go. After a couple of turns, we get to First Avenue at 59th Street, and head north. One of the best sights to see - lots of people lining both sides of the street. First Avenue is very wide, and the runners going north are visible as far as the eye can see. Some people have political signs, encouraging people to vote for Hillary, or "Reject George Bush's Radical Policies".

Over the Willis Avenue Bridge, and into The Bronx. The marathon could stand opening up both sides of the bridge. The race spends a very short amount of time in the Bronx, where I was passed by a guy wearing a suit and hat that made him look like Robert Redford's character in The Sting. He was tipping his hat to folks along the way. Makes you wonder two things: (1) why do people wear costumes/suits for marathons? and (2) how can they run so fast with all those clothes?

After a couple of turns, the course goes over the Madison Avenue Bridge (there are bridges everywhere!), and back into Manhattan - this is Mile 21. There, the course heads south on Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue (heading south) starts to go uphill as it is alongside Central Park - not a good feeling as you're close to the end of the race.

Just to show you how some people are in great shape despite personal difficulties, a guy with an artificial leg finished a few minutes ahead of me, as well as a woman who appeared to be blind. I'm not sure if she really was blind, though. She was running with a guide, and had two balloons pointing her out to others, but was wearing a "sleep mask". So, it made me wonder if she was actually blind, b/c there is no reason for a blind person to wear a mask. Or, maybe she was wearing the mask to indicate to people that she was blind. Although, the presence of the guide would tend to do that as well, thus making the mask unnecessary. But, why would a sighted-person wear a mask and run the marathon "blind"? hmmm, what do you think?

Finally, we reach mile 25, and run along the outer perimeter of Central Park.

I finished the Marathon with no major interruptions, and no problems. Yay! After the race, we all had to pick up or stuff in our checked bags. That seemed to take longer than it did to run the marathon! Unfortunately, it also required more walking. I didn't get out of Central Park until 89th Street.

If you run a marathon, be aware that there is likely a lot of pre- and post-marathon walking that you'll have to endure, too. Plus, you may lose toe-nails! In all, though, it's a great experience.

New York City Marathon - Part I: Before the Start

I had the privilege of taking part in the 2006 New York City Marathon.

One of the special conditions of the NYC marathon is that it starts in Staten Island - so that the marathon can include all 5 boroughs. If you are unfamiliar with New York City, Staten Island is not especially close to Manhattan, or convenient to get to. Also, it is an island (which most people could probably figure out from its name). Because the Verrazano Narrows Bridge closes for the marathon, runners have to get to Staten Island especially early.

At about 4:55am, I leave to walk to the New York City Public Library (to take a bus to Staten Island). Over my running clothes, I'm wearing a heavy shirt and sweatpants. As is often the case in New York in November, it was cold. About 37*F. Every block I walk, I see more and more runners walking to the Library. There's also people on their way to work. And some people who you could tell were drunk and just heading home after a late night. Throngs of people were at the Library, with buses continuously arriving and departing for Staten Island.

I arrive in Staten Island at 6:30am - right at sunrise. It is even colder in Staten Island than it was in Manhattan. The open start time (for non-elite runners) is not until 10:10am.... The marathon "staging area" at Fort Wadsworth was a hub of activity - with people divided into three groups: Blue, Green and Orange, based on your bib color and expected finishing time. There were a lot of international runners. The loudspeaker continuously looped announcements in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese. It felt like being at the United Nations, except without the fighting, name-calling, or discussions about weapons of mass-destruction; and noone was at a podium declaring that someone else had committed human rights violations. We all spent three and a half hours sitting, getting cold, standing around, and eating food, waiting for the start.

Finally, as it gets closer to the start, the sexlingual (isn't "sex" the prefix for when there are 6?) announcements ask runners to get into their places by bib numbers. Everyone sheds their outer-clothes, and puts them into a bag that can be checked and re-claimed at the end of the marathon. As people get crowded together into the starting line, it feels a little warmer, and you can detect the odor of foreign runners from places where deoderant is not yet in style. A number of guys who were unable to make it to the port-o-potties find some relief in the bushes. For men, the whole world is your bathroom.

Highway driving

It seems like whenever you're on the highway, there are a couple of things that are bound to happen. And they happen because there are a lot of stupid, bad drivers out there.

For example, you're driving along, and someone comes from behind you, passes you, and then moves back into your lane in front of you. Then, they immediately start going slower than you are. Why did you pass me if you're going to slow down once you get in front of me?!?! Plus, it's really annoying if you had already passed the other guy first - they were going slow, you have to go around them, then they come up and pass you, and start going slower immediately....

And how about this one: there's a car who is in front of you, moving at a snail's pace, and then you try to pass them. Suddenly, they decide that that is the moment when they'll start going a lot faster - just so you can't pass - it's like a little race! once you stop accelerating, they stop, too.

I think that the reason why there are multiple lanes is so that cars may travel at different speeds in those different lanes. Preferably, the cars in the left lane are driving faster than those in the right lane - thus giving the left lane the moniker, "passing lane". This concept is quite foreign to many people, who believe that it is best to drive the exact same speed as the car in the lane next to them. This way, all the cars can gather together on the highway, and noone is left to roam free.

Some people should have their licenses taken away.

Trick or Treat

Years ago, small children roamed the streets on Halloween night, going door-to-door seeking candy. But, kids these days just aren't trick-or-treating the way they used to. It seems like fewer youngsters partake in this time-honored practice. Why is that?

Maybe it's because trick-or-treating is such a strange concept. Kids put on costumes, wander around town pretending to be people (or things) that they're not, and beg for food from strangers. Is this some kind of welfare? Sounds a bit degrading - No wonder it's a practice that's going out of fashion.

Random Emails from Africa

Sometimes, I get emails from West African businessmen. Or psuedo-businessmen. Or maybe psuedo-West-Africans.

They seem to think that I should either (1) help them with their import-export business; or (2) make a claim as the rightful heir to a fortune that some British expatriate with my last name left behind years ago. All I need to do is contact them, and provide them with information about my bank account. Sounds like a good idea, right?

I've never replied to any of these emails, but sometimes I'm tempted. Of course, I would never give them my bank account information, or any other personal information that I'm sure they're going to ask for, but I'm kind of curious as to who is on the other end of these emails, how they're running this little scam (assuming, of course, that it is a scam), and who falls for it, and how they get away with it....

Miniature Golf and Pirates

It seems like most (or at least a good number of) miniature golf places are pirate-themed. Why is this?

Did pirates have a particular affinity for mini-golf? Maybe back when the pirates roamed the high seas, they played mini-golf on deck, or below deck, or in the caves where they would hide out. At least, that's the impression we get from playing mini-golf nowadays. No pirate treasure was complete without a collection of colorful golf balls.

Or, maybe miniature golf has a strong connection with piracy. Mini-golf uses only putters, which is the golf club most like a sword (especially when you hold it backwards/upside down). Plus, there's all that water and sand. And pirates surely loved fake grass and artificial rock structures ... and windmills.

Socket Wrenches

Do socket wrenches vary in quality that much?

Up until recently, I've never needed a socket wrench. But, I needed to install a hitch onto my car, and this called for a socket wrench. I needed a ratchet, and an 18mm socket.

When I got to the store, I saw that you can buy ratchets and sockets separately, or as part of a ratchet set.

The one ratchet that I'd need cost about $30.00 as a single ratchet. Plus, the socket would cost another $5.00. I'm thinking to myself, "this is awfully expensive for a relatively simple (yet, admittedly very clever) tool."

However, on the other side of the aisle - there's ratchets and full socket sets (including the 18mm) being sold for only $20.00. Now, I'm thinking "how much better can that first ratchet be?" I ended up buying the cheaper one, and now I have a full set of sockets for my 1/2 inch ratchet.

But back to the original question: Just how much better is one ratchet than another one? Is a $30 ratchet (which comes with no sockets) really worth the money? or can you get by with the cheap one that comes with the sockets?

By the way, the cheap ratchet-and-socket set worked out fine.

Random Observations

Hello.
This is a new blog that I will fill with some random observations. No promises made about content. Nor will I promise that you will be entertained. But, please give it a look.