I’ve always been a fan of horror- now someone I know is helping to make a movie in one of my favorite genres. My nephew is co-producing an indie horror movie called Muse.
Want to get in on it? Click here to find out how!
My nephew is co-producing a horror movie! Awesome!
I just posted my first how to video on changing the brake pads on the Phoenix motor glider. I will be making new videos on maintenance procedures for the aircraft in the future, so watch for them.
What kind of idiot has two thumbs and would run a Spartan Super obstacle race on his 50th birthday? This guy…
It was the most fun thing I have done in a while and I felt good afterwards… just one small blister on a toe. Will have to do better foot prep next time. The 8+ mile course with obstacles was a challenge I prepared for 6 months out. Since I have never ran in a race before, I wasn’t planning on trying to win, just wanted to finish strong as a symbolic middle finger to getting older (not old!).
My younger brother and his wife flew down to Miami and he ran the race with me. I had a slight training advantage since the mild Florida weather allowed me to do distance running while my brother had to deal with snow in Pennsylvania right up to the moment he left to come down. I suggested watching Rocky 4 for winter training tips but I don’t think he thought it was very helpful. I am glad he joined me on this quest. It was good to have him with me. We were able to push each other when needed.
We crawled through mud under barbed wire, crossed a river, carried sand bags and 100 lb buckets up and down hills, climbed over man made and natural obstacles, pulled tractor tires, and did burpees… at least I did. For every obstacle you failed to complete, 30 burpees was your punishment. I ended up doing that 3 times while my brother was able to avoid that extra “gift” and finished 2 minutes ahead of me. I am now an addict… addicted to challenging my physical and mental toughness through trial.
The Spartan medal earned at the completion of the race has one of three pieces which form a larger medal when all three race types are completed: the 3+ mile Sprint, the 8+ miles Super (check that one off), and the Beast – a 10-12 mile race which I am training for now. This time, it will be for time and my goal is to finish in the top 10 of my age group. If you want to see what it is all about, go here. See you in October in South Carolina!
The link below is an audio file I preserved from my days working at Kennedy Space Center on the Space Shuttle. Don’t remember where I got it from, but I choose to keep it alive by posting it every year at about this time. It explains the “Night Before Christmas mission” in typical NASA speak – a little twist on a holiday classic for the science geek in all of us.
Merry Christmas!
Jeez! SO much to write about but no time to do it. I don’t think I’ll catch up with everything that went on during my leave and return to Afghanistan, but may do it as more time is freed up. I was called by a friend of mine who imports light sport motor gliders into the U.S. and he asked me if I was interested in working for him. I already am working as an engineer for Lockheed Martin, so what did I tell him?
Hell yes!
Flying over the shuttle runway at Kennedy Space Center
It is an awesome plane. Here is his blog which has great stories of his travels and even a little blurb about me: http://phoenixairusa.blogspot.com/ We are the exclusive dealer for North and South America. If you’ve never flown in one, you are missing out. Here is the company’s site for more info on the plane: http://www.phoenixairusa.com/
Hope to add some tales and pics of my own soon.
Been home for a while now and haven’t blogged in a while. Writing has been displaced by a normal life full of the normal distractions. I think about writing of our Costa Rican vacation that we took while I was home for R&R and things that happened when I went back over to Afghanistan, but the motivation isn’t there anymore. I hope to get my mojo back soon.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
If there was one man who could have been a real life super villan, he had all the tools to do it. Tesla was an undisputed super genius (possibly to the point of insanity) and had the ability to build machines that were decades, maybe even centuries ahead of their time – some of which were capable of science fiction style destruction in a time when horses were still a major mode of transportation.
Think about it – in a time of gas lamps and top hats, one man was able to harness the power of electricity in ways that we still can’t reproduce. It has been speculated that one of his inventions might have caused the Tunguska Event in Russia. Just think how different the world would be now if he would have decided that we weren’t smart enough to control our destiny. Luckily he was more focused on his science than social engineering, but he was a fascinating example of the unlimited capabilities of the human mind.
Nikola Tesla may not have gotten proper recognition for his work during his lifetime, but being portrayed by David Bowie in The Prestige is not only pretty cool – it is just another reason that he is my choice for Badass of the week. Click here to read about this incredible man!
Coasties get a lot of ribbing by the regular services, but these are the guys that are patrolling our shores and putting their lives on the line to save anyone who gets in harms’ way. From drug interdiction operations to search and rescue missions in just about any type of weather, these guys deserve as much respect as their counterparts who fight for freedom anywhere in the world… especially when you read stuff like this.
Landed in Orlando, Florida just before noon and was picked up by my wife. It was great to see her after being away from home for so long. We spent the day and night in the city reaquainting ourselves before heading home the next day. As we pulled into the driveway, my sons had a surprise for me:
The dog overcame her shyness after a minute once she recognized me – at least she didn’t pee on me.
Tried to surprise my parents, but my mom didn’t fall for the ruze. The next couple of days involved getting back into a relaxed routine before heading out on our vacation. It was tough, but you have to push through sometimes to reach your goal…
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