Having laid low for the last 15+ years and without a bust, I decided try my luck at rapid transit. Kids! Don’t let me catch YOU doing this. It shaves a mere 15 minutes from the journey. Not really a big payoff for the downside risk. You can not sit back relax, as safety is the number one priority. Plus you must maintain a visual scan for Smokey. Cruise control is out. You must constantly adjust your speed to flow with traffic. BTW, that’s your alibi if you are pulled over…”Officer I was flowing with traffic. Sir.” Find a line of cars with a good fast rate (not go-to-jail fast). The key word there is line. Crazy and or frequent lane changes, with turn signals or w/o, will attract unwanted attention. Bail out and wait for another tow if traffic intervenes. Avoid being the lead dog. Think vulnerability. You don’t want to be tail gunner either. A radar detector device would add a nice sense of (false) security. Note: The author is not responsible for any fines or insurance rate increases incurred as a result of reading this article

Eating alone in Barouche’s I’m waiting for my change to arrive. Head tilted, eyes rolled upward toward the ceiling, contemplating, brain deep in thought. I did not notice the restaurant manager’s approach. I lower my gaze to discover her presence and concerned look. “Are you alright?”, she asks seriously. Maybe she figured she was witness to a seizure or fit. Reflecting now, I guess I must have looked the part… I was studying the architecture. Honest. I know it’s derigueor but the ceilings are bare-ass frame trusses, air-conditioning ducting and electrical conduit. The corrugated sheet metal roof — stock galvanization. Odd that interior designers (and bean counters) spend large sums on tile flooring, and sponge painted wall surfaces adorned with antiques or theme knickknacks and then halt. Not one dime for the ceiling. Not even a dark coat of paint. Hey! I should be staring at the young waitresses instead?

That dang dawg rolled. Primal regressive instinct? Does it send a message to other dogs that he encounters that he’s a rough tough s.o.b.? Some kind of fecal war paint? I wonder what another animal, crossing the stinking path of mine, would do… Be totally confused and shocked into excited weirdness… or be freaked and shy away. The dog message that I get is total disgust. It assures him a splash swim in the lake and a hose down bath. I keep him close to me on the path but in this case he lagged behind and then I realized why. Makes you want to cuss a blue streak when you see (smell). Kind of puts a whole new spin on the outing :-)I think that the ultimate bad dog belonged to my dear brother. His family pet found the rotting carcass of quite a large road kill and rolled big time at a most inopportune moment. They were miles from remedy and had to share a closed vehicle on the long ride home. I believe that they had the windows down. euuuuwee

If you did not get to see the live shot on CNN here’s another chance. The launch of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission featured a ROCKET CAM which provided a most amazing perspective. In the video, the earth gets really small really fast.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, downtown, there are old brick and mortar buildings converted to shops, bars, and restaurants. One in particular, the old train station est. 1869, was magnificent stone and marble. The grand lobby, once the transportation hub of this locale, had tall cathedral like spaces. One could only imagine the activity and drama that played here. Echoes.

Outside, an old long silent locomotive relic dated 1901 was the item of interest. Studying the design I tried to guess what was what and how it worked following which pipes lead where and did what. That’s my thing. Fun to analyze for authenticity. What was period and what was added later. Tech for it’s era it must have been a fearsome thing to get close to such a monster when it was fired. Steam would be hissing and oil and water oozing and dripping. Groans and sounds from deep within as the beast heated or cooled. Breathing and heaving and that’s just standing idle. When it went to work, whistle shrieking, the engine must have been glorious. I get my thrills pushing the thrust levers forward (9200lbs cumulative) and hurtling down the runway. Opening the throttle on this iron horse would give me goose bumps for sure.

Watched a great film last night on VHS. BEHIND THE SUN– Abril Despedacado (Portuguese with English subtitles). Pay note to the visual metaphors – things that go ’round. The most enjoyable way to watch movies, for me, is to avoid knowing any of the story line before hand. Newspaper reviews and especially sneak film preview clips and trailers are a spoiler. The only advance info you need is Brazil-1910. But if you must… here’s a screenshot

Our 12 year undersink kitchen disposal wasn’t disposing. Being a simple contractors’ grade [cheap] it was immediately suspect. Maybe the cutting knives are dull… Tap water backs-up and the dishwasher is challenged to drain. Instead of summarily replacing the unit, try drain cleaner. Not the whimpy Drano™ or Liquid Plumber™ as seen on TV but something really caustic like: Pro Drain Opener – 93% sulfuric acid with the skull and cross bones warning. None of these are recommended for use in a disposal appliance but what’s to loose. Try two applications (1/2 cup wait 15 min). The trap downstream of the unit gets hot like a gun barrel so there is some good endothermic reaction going on. The pipes are good to go again after flushing with cool water. Check for leaks.

We all slid into the hotel shuttle, leaving for the airport at o’dark hundred. Usually it’s just the crew but this morning we shared with a road warrior. The man in the suit leaned forward into the drivers space and retrieved a cell phone and charger from the cigarlighter. As this was unusual he felt compelled to explain: He’d left it from last night to re-charge. The driver politely inquired if his battery was restored now. I interjected, “yeah, but the VAN probably won’t start now…(joke)” I dunno — I like to keep control of my stuff. Pretty amazing that he felt comfortable to leave his high buck Samsung PDA / Wireless in such a public place – downtown no less. The van spends the night out front. I wonder if they even lock it.

Our Hawaiian Island cruise includes a side trip to the Republic of Kiribati, some 850 miles south of the big island and I found out why. Thanks to the Jones Act of 1920, which protects US shipping interests from cabotage: No foreign vessels may begin and end voyages from a US Port without making an international call. The law still stands on the books today and is strictly enforced. Thus, the jaunt to Fanning Island — the closest point. No complaints on this end. Close to the equator, this atoll looks like South Pacific Paradise!

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