Favre, this week or next week?

Interesting speculation from the Strib about when Favre will finally sign with the Vikings. I fell into the dangerous trap of trying to predict Favre's movements. Never again.
(Well, one more time. Put me down for August 1.)

Ominous Developments

Not too far from our house there was a place called the 'Paradise Bakery'. It has now become 'Stabby's Cafe'.

The Wanderer - Leiber

This is a pretty basic disaster story with some interesting future physics. In short, a planet has materialized near the Earth. It's gravity has greatly influenced the moon and caused higher and higher tides in our world. The book deals with the ongoing disaster and what caused the planet to appear.
It's not a very strong book. It starts off by following too many narrative threads. It's hard to remember what is happening to which people. Kind of a shame too, as there are hints at some very interesting stories that really kind of fizzle. The other problem with the big cast is that it's very hard to care about any of them.
The last fifty pages or so is easily the best part of the book. The cast is down to a manageable size and you finally get some answers. (Spoiler alert: Of interest to me is another planet covered in metal so it looks armored. It fires a blast with 'the power of a million suns'. I don't know if this influenced George Lucas or not but that is where my mind went.)
I can't really recommend this one. I like disaster novels and there are much better ones out there. 'The Wanderer' won the award in 1965. 'Lucifer's Hammer' was up for a Hugo in 1978 and does a much, much better job of the disaster stuff. 'Wanderer' may have influenced it but that only makes it a case of a giant standing on the shoulders of a midget.

Airport renaming

A few weeks back I mentioned that there was talk of adjusting the names of the airports in these parts. They have now voted to go ahead with it. The price tag is a mere $2.2 million.
According to the report on the Strib, some 20,000 people a year will be helped by this. That's nearly 55 people per day. And I think that number is fishy. I work with people that are former airline agents who have worked at the airports and they don't trust this number either. There may be that many that are confused but if we're talking about shelling out money to make it easier we should only count people that have missed flights because of the confusion. I'd also except people that are charged parking.
Two things bug me about this. The first is that there really is a simple confusion. We have a fancy light rail system that goes between the two airports. Perhaps we could allow free service for confused travelers. The train is going to go anyway, this won't increase costs.
The second thing is that this isn't a pressing problem. We should fix it when we aren't trying to figure out some way to balance government budgets on every level. In pol speak, we're choosing confused travelers over children and needy families. How about a little restraint?
I'm sure the signs out there are due for replacement at some point in the future. Let's try the light rail solution until then and take a fresh look when needed.

Hanging out on the porch

Ozzie was not amused by the picture taking.

The FP Gal told Relia to put her feet up and this was the result.

Kiss!

"Cookie?"

Yesterday Relia and I decided to give the FP Gal a break so we drove down to Austin to see my dad. I drove on the way down; for the last half of the trip she sat in back and complained about my driving (at least I think that's what she yelled about).
When we got down there we met Dad at a private home where they sell cats. He adopted (bought, but ownership probably goes the other way, right?) one but we got to roam around and meet the rest. Relia has learned to stick out a finger so that the kitties can sniff it. Then she laughs. Every time we walked through the kitchen she'd look at me and say, "cookie?" but I told her not yet.
Then to dad's house with the kitty. While he set up the new cat stuff Relia wandered around a bit. Again she asked, "cookie?" and was rewarded with fig newtons. We discovered that she doesn't associate stuffed woolly mammoths with elephants. The new kitty (Missy) went into hiding.
Lunch at the Holiday Inn was buffet style with my Aunt Donna and Uncle David. Relia loved the carrots, ate some of the corn and turned her nose up at the cocktail wieners. Dad shared some ice cream with her, surprising her by mixing in a spoonful of corn when she didn't expect it. Priceless face.
Then out to the Nature Center to see how damaged it was by the storm. Some branches down and a few trees but no real bare patches. Relia said, "tree broken". It was a very pleasant walk. The Nature Center is a real jewel and I sometimes miss it. We went into the visitor center but the lady there said that the exhibits were closed. She said that the day before they had suffered a 'moth larvae outbreak'. Please note that those three words will get me to exit any building quickly.
Back to dad's to check diaperage and get ready for the road. Again, "cookie?" and she was rewarded. Then out to Geneva to a friend of dad's to pick up some children's books. I mentioned that Relia wasn't napping yet but that I could use one. I was offered a coke and then dad said that Relia had a question to ask our host. "Cookie?"
Yes, Relia has officialy unlocked the key to getting cookies. Look cute, make your eyes all big and whenever you're in somebody's home just ask away.

Have a great Friday

Online dating/Book clubbing

I've just found out that Borders (at least the UK version) is starting a dating service. The post that mentioned it is here. The author argues against it for what I judge to be snobbishly bookish reasons. For instance he worries that successful couples would duplicate libraries and that type of thing. I disagree (and I'll get to that in a moment) but I love the end of his post:

I don't know if Borders will actually be making recommendations for dates in the same way as they recommend books, but it would be priceless if members got regular email updates: "Did you enjoy, Mark, 34, of Swindon? Then you should try Gareth, 36, of Slough." Or: "After dating Sally of Birmingham, 86 per cent of customers go on to date Jayne of Devizes."

This is a terrific idea and if I still worked at B&N I'd pass it on to them. Book lovers don't always mix well with book ignorers. We like to discuss what we read. We like to be challenged by our interpretation. Most of all we like to share the wonderful experiences that we've had. When I'm reading a great book I often start thinking about who I should recommend it to.
That doesn't mean that any two book lovers will be compatible either. Fantasy doesn't always mix well with non-fiction and chick lit doesn't mix well with sports autobiographies. But a book club setting lets you sort and sift and find out what combos work.
Maybe most importantly, book discussion lets you find out more about the other person than an online profile ever will. What characters do they find sympathetic and who got just what they deserved? What themes appealed to them? What situations did they find totally unrealistic or unconvincing? What values are important to them? You can find out all of these things over a short period of time in a book club.
Frankly, it's a great idea.

Overheard at our house

From the TV:
"Hi Evlybody!"
"Hi, Dr Nick!"

From me: "Hi Evlybody!"
Relia: "Hi Relia!"

The Frightning Effects of Evian

Is it wrong that this scared me?

Paris at 140 mph

From a Slate article about which stunts impress other stuntmen comes this bit of video from 1978:

A 1978 short film by New Wave director Claude Lelouch* may be the most thrilling single piece of driving ever filmed. The director, who had no permits to film or to stop traffic, hooked a camera to the front bumper of a Mercedes-Benz (in the only bit of film trickery, the sound of the motor was played by a five-speed Ferrari) and filmed the entire movie in a single cinema-verité take: He drove through the streets of Paris at five in the morning, through red lights, around the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Élysées, against one-way traffic, over sidewalks, at speeds up to 140 miles per hour.

You'll never guess which brother of mine I thought of while reading that description.

(And I think 140 mph is 7 terrameters but I could have that wrong.)