Pilot's Log

( An Old Pioneer Way Of Celebration...Anvil Shooting! )

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Then again, who owns more than one anvil these days?

Was a slice of bread pizza in the oven and echoes from some town's very loud fireworks.

As the sound came about two minutes after the stroke, and sound travels at a mile every five seconds, it must have been from Morristown or Knoxville.

My green tea must be finshed brewing by now.

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of July 3, 2008

Beginning in 1951, the U.S. government regularly set off nuclear bombs in the desert 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Most of the 1,021 explosions occurred underground, though for 11 years some were also done in the open air. Tourists used to flock to Las Vegas to watch the mushroom clouds, which were visible from that distance. As far as we know, the detonations ceased in 1992. Also as far as we know, the unusual lifestyles of Las Vegas's inhabitants are not the result of mutations in their DNA caused by radioactive contamination. Let's use this scenario as a departure point for your own personal inventory, Sagittarius. What dangerous or tempestuous events from your life are now safely confined to the past? Are there any lingering consequences from them? If so, what might you do to heal?

Too often in my life I was treated like somebody else's fireworks detonator...them pushing my buttons for their hope of an entertaining blast of anger or emo or madness. Looking back I still hate that to a very great degree. What's worse, the conscious effort I made to insulate myself from that kind of human behavior has only helped on a limited number of levels. I can handle myself, but I don't know whether it's because of growth or burnout...and whether I am still weak enough for someone else's abuse to lead to a chain reaction. Maybe I can go the rest of my life without a clear answer to this issue...but for the sake of my future, there is a part of me that wants to look in the silos and count the warheads that are still there. And if so, have enough of them permanently dismantled to ease my mind.

FP

Navy Demonstrates World's Most Powerful EMRG at 10 Megajoules
US Navy | Feb 4, 2008

DAHLGREN, Va: The Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully conducted a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic rail gun at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren.

An invited audience, including the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who witnessed this revolutionary technology in action.( I Believe I Have You Outgunned! )

That's about 235 standard miles, or almost 400 kilometers for you guys in Metric nations. That's like shooting a gun in Boston and hitting downtown Manhattan (don't get any ideas, Patriots fans!).

* * *

PS: via danihana...

My good old prophet Marcus Garvey prophesize, say:
"St. Jago de la Vega and Kingston is gonna read" (?)
And I can see with mine own eyes
It's only a housing scheme that divide

Wat a liiv an bambaie - it dread
When the two sevens clash
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash

Look up a cotton tree out by Ferry police station
How beautiful it used to be
And it has been destroyed by lightning,
Earthquake and thunder, I say, what ?

Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash - it dread
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash

I take a ride sometimes
On Penn Overland and Bronx
And sometimes I ride on bus X-82, say what?

Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash

Marcus Garvey was inside of Spanish Town district Prison
And when they were about to take him out
He prophecied and said:
"As I have passed through this gate
No other prisoner shall enter and get through"
And so it is until now
The gate has been locked, so what?

Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash - it dread
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash - it bitter, bitter, bitter
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash - a man a go feel it
Wat a liiv an bambaie
When the two sevens clash - you better do right--"Two Sevens Clash" by the reggae band Culture, circa 1977

The site where I found this lyric translates the refrain line "Wat a liiv an bambaie" as "What will be left for you?"--whatever was going to happen would be so horribly bad ("bloodshed and botheration") that you'd be lucky if you made it out with your skin intact.

FP (who doesn't expect the July fireworks to be over, by a long shot)

Well, three networks were broadcasting live from New York City...and the local affiliates of the networks who didn't carry that stuff didn't bother to have live broadcasts from the public events here. Knoxville has a First Night in downtown. Gatlinburg has a huge fireworks display. Louise Mandrell's final show was tonight. These will be seen well after the fact.

Don't get me wrong, I like Dick Clark. But he should retire. If you heard him tonight, you know why.

There is a part of me that wanted to party tonight. But I doubt I could have done it successfully. I don't have friends here, and partying requires not just friends but GOOD friends.

Instead, I sit here with a cup of instant half-caff coffee and contemplate my lot in life.

There are times I wish something DID change on New Year's Day.

FP

...

It's quiet. A nice rain shower made the hooligan neighbors abandon the usual fireworks racket that comes with Independence Day. What the Hades business do we have celebrating our alleged "freedom"? I've noticed that this particular holiday, this particular year is bringing out the snarky in people and not without just cause.

But I'm not going to get into that. I'm bored, but I'm enjoying being bored. Better than being snarky.

FP