Before It Was X

It’s rough on a mind to be the example of peace. People are so confused, and confusing. Everyone wants peace, but a few of them think they have to fight you to get it.

If I was interviewing an accountant, I would ask to see their credit card balance, and if it was anything other than zero, I’d say, “You’re an idiot, get out of here.”

Think I’ll try writing a novel. Think I’ll start it like this: There was a magnificent wedding. Unfortunately, there was a tornado. Fortunately, it was a money tornado.

I will endorse what I’ve been doing lately. It’s called “Outside” and it is amazing.

I think it’s hilarious that the word “wrong” is spelled with a W.

Monday Wifey: Do these leftovers smell good to you?Tuesday Me: I think I could wear this shirt again. Wifey: Ugh! Don’t smell that!

Pride is the peak of virtue signaling. Pride is why people don’t apologize. Pride is the reason people don’t give to the needy. Pride is boasting of excellence instead of showing it with beneficial actions.

Maybe I’m from another planet or something, but I could hear amazing stories about Chadwick Boseman for the rest of the year and nothing more about Trump. (31 August 2020)

Sorry, all the opinions have run together. What was yours again?

Kim Jong Un is in a coma? Just 2 months ago he was dead. N. Korea is a rookie at the fake news game.

Love the phrase: He died doing what he loved. Oh, really? He loved falling head-first off a cliff onto sharp rocks below? Such a weird hobby.

When I was a kid, if we were digging, we would say we were digging to Australia. Do kids in Australia say they’re digging to America?

I remembered someone’s name 3 days after I saw them. Said it out loud—for effect.

Not once have I found appetizing any Mexican food with “Del” or “Bell” or “Toro” or “Perro” in the brand name.

I saw a little Chevy driving ahead of me yesterday and I saw the model name SPANK. “SPANK?! What a weird name for a car.” Got a bit closer…SPARK.

I asked my cat, “Don’t you ever shave your face?” No wonder he doesn’t have a job.

When Twitter Turned To X

Photo by Jean Paul Montanaro on Pexels.com

Why do construction crews wait ‘til everyone’s asleep to start digging up Mother Earth?

It’s no coincidence that gravy and gravity are almost the same word.

 Learned something difficult to believe today. Joe Pesci (the guy from Home Alone, Goodfellas) once played music with Jimi Hendrix. What?!

Gave my kid a haircut today. Asked him if he wanted Thor Avengers Assemble, or Thor Ragnarok.

I’ve tried to do the thankful thing but each time the word feast comes with a side of sarcasm.

A V8 can make a dull sandwich taste like a gourmet sandwich.

One way to know if a man is lying: ask his mother.

There are about 600 million cats in the world, but 900 million dogs. Why does it feel like the dogs need to answer for the difference in numbers?

Me: All our needs are met with cold cereal and comic books. My child, wiser than me: And Jesus.

Amazing Music

Music is amazing.

Music is eternal and temporary all at once.

Eternal because it will live in memory forever. A song can outlast the most familial memory. Some people remember their children’s names by remembering songs. Other people even name their children after a song, their favorite song. And then there are those who name their pets after songs, or even artists, they like. There are many dogs currently out there named Gaga and Swift.

Temporary?

How a piece of music is temporary varies with each style of recording. For instance, with vinyl, the process of listening is performed by dragging a diamond needle across plastic. Diamonds can cut glass. It only makes sense that the vinyl would eventually be worn down to nothing.

For cassette tapes, the tape is recorded magnetically and read magnetically. Listening involves dragging the tape over a piece of metal. Eventually the magnetic properties diminish.

In digital music, the code isn’t necessarily degradable, but the file storage is. Hard drives, USB drives, and SD cards are all made of degradable stuff. So, eventually….

The beautiful thing is, in everyone’s mind, there’re thousands of songs, right there where the music will never die.

Fit To Fly

Photo by Ozicab Racing on Pexels.com

Who should, and who should not, fly a flying car?

  1. The first qualification should be if someone is already a pilot. Having a current, up-to-date pilot’s license is a definite benefit for anyone wanting to fly a flying car. All the technics and experience will only add to the skill of a flying car pilot.
  2. The first disqualification may seem a bit off-topic, but it’s not. As you’ll see. It has to do with visibility. Anyone who partakes of “smokeless vapors” or “vape” should be disqualified. I’m sure every reasonable individual out there will see the reasoning for excluding anyone who would willfully reduce their own circle of visibility by spraying a mist of oil into the immediate vicinity of their face. If you can’t see, you can’t fly.
  3. Speaking of visibility, anyone who can drive a car well at night should be given good marks toward flying. Accurate eyesight in general is a benefit, though that doesn’t mean those who require eyesight correction of any kind should be excluded. On the contrary, correction of any kind should be smiled upon.
  4. Those who consistently run red lights should not be allowed to fly. Patience will be needed for take-offs and landings in particular, though other instances will crop up, such as traffic delays and mechanical issues. The convenience of much quicker commutes will only increase the impatience of those who are already impatient. Those who run red lights already show a disregard for other people’s lives. If they’re given access to flight, they will endanger those in the air AND those down below.
  5. The ability to identify landmarks will be a critical skill for those who fly. Granted, the flying will be lower and closer to the ground than airplanes fly, but it will still be useful to be able to find your way around by sighting down on familiar territory from an unfamiliar angle. Of course, a Global Positioning System is a wonderful asset. GPS should never be the only method for navigation.
  6. Another exclusion regarding people’s driving habits should regard the habit of driving with lights on—in the daytime. This shows that the person driving is oblivious to how the machine they’re operating works. This sort of disconnection would be a hazard for those who fly. Anyone who flies should know how their vehicle works, how to repair it, and how to make it work better.
  7. A good skill to have will be the knowledge of weather and how different weather patterns affect flight.
  8. Age related reaction times will have to be taken into account. This doesn’t only mean the old. The young as well will need to be monitored, even excluded, until their reflexes are good enough for flying. If you’re one of those who can’t dodge an albatross, should you be flying a car over everyone’s head?
  9. Knowledge of redundancy and its benefits on a marvel of engineering will be a boon for anyone wanting to fly. Redundancy will be necessary for safety features, so those who can comprehend this will have a better chance.
  10. Mental illness restricts people from buying a gun. It should restrict them from operating a flying car also.
  11. Anyone who can build their own should be allowed to fly it.
  12. If someone builds their own and wants to fly it, but they have one of the disqualification traits above, they should be restricted on where they can fly it.
  13. Lack of self-respect should be a consideration against. For instance, anyone with a PhD in Marketing will be a questionable candidate for a pilot. For another instance, anyone who eats at Del Taco, has a dubious amount of self-esteem. This could lead to other problems while flying. (See #10 above.)
  14. Those who eat healthy will have an advantage over those who do not.

For more on flying, check out Flying Dream, the new novel.

Flying Dream

Adam Bahn is a scientist and a pilot working on a prototype hovercar. When a militant group forces their way in the lab, seemingly intent on stealing the experimental craft, Adam steals it himself to keep them from getting it. Pursued by the militant group, he crosses the country trying to lose them. Secrets are revealed, about his former employer, about his experimental craft, and about his origins, as he flies from one point to another looking for somewhere safe. Safe places are not abundant for those who steal from the government, even if the theft was justified at the time.