I've been very busy with two computer science classes I'm taking: Programming in JAVA and Advanced Data Structures. Work is frustrating, as I knew it would be. We won't be launching another Shuttle until 2005. I've got a few Day Sailer things on my mind, such as going to midwinters in Sarasota and Nationals in June at the GRSA near Richmond, VA. I'm starting to feel the itch to go sailing again, but I must get Surprise's rudder repair complete. Dad's going to bring a new spruce Centerboard, as well as a new tiller from Arkansas in a few weeks or perhaps days.
All of is in an effort to lighten the boat. Surprise is a Spindrift boat, the build is much maligned by some in the class assn, which is okay. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I just wonder if a top sailor had bought a Spindrift, and had won nationals if the opinion might not be different. I don't know if a top sailor ever did buy a Spindrift, so was there any test? The builder of the Sunfish Laser boats won in one of his boats. Those boats have their issues, many dislike the closed off cuddy. I admit I do too. But does this make them so uncompetitive? I wonder how much weight makes a difference. I wish I have hard engineering data on the performance of a Day Sailer wind speeds. I also wish for Peace on Earth, too. Doesn't mean I'll get it. My Grandfather apparently had a saying about wishing in one hand and defecating in the other. See what you get more of... an Earthy individual, him.
So instead of studying, I'm sitting in the computer lab at the University and writing things in this blog that I have neglected over the past several months. I want and need to put more DS quarterly articles up, and I need to work on , Surprise not to mention Endeavour
Speaking of heavy boats, the skipper of the above mentioned Day Sailer is grossly overweight as well. I really need to lose a few stone, but it gets more and more difficult with each passing year. DIEt and exorcise, uh exercise....
Ok. At least I've made an entry. A poor one, but at least I made it. Back to studying Bags, and Dictionaries until class time when I fear I'll find myself contemplating sail shape, hull weight and their moments of inertia while the professor goes on and on about how George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Enron and Halliburton are the composite of the Anti-Christ instead of teaching us about computer science. Oh well, everyone is entitled to their opinions.
6 more weeks of winter. In Pennsylvania, that is. I still think of the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. I think it would be fitting if every radio station played "I got you Babe" by Sonny and Cher at the top of the hour between 5 and 8 am on Feb 2...
In other news, the Super Bowl was yesterday. The game was for once close and interesting. Unfortunately, everyone is talking about the halftime show, which I purposely missed. Anyone doing a Google search for Janet Jackson will find the pictures of the incident. I heard about it this morning on the KHOU CBS news, who played a video clip the incident (sans skin) and then said that they had apologized. Then they played the incident again to emphasize the point. Then they apologized again. And then they played the clip again. Then they went back to their traditional death and destruction coverage.
The perpetrators said this was accidental. Right. I don't believe it for a second, based on the evidence out there. (You can do the research, but be forewarned.)
It's too bad that Houston had to be the venue for this display where only a little few hours earlier had been host to a memorial for the Space Shuttle Columbia crew, which ironically perished exactly one year ago. It's sad that Houston, which has more than its share of tacky displays, tacky broadcasts, and tacky advertising, should have even more tackiness imported by the entertainment industry.
The powerline blog, which I read often, has a story about Wes Clark who apparently was campaigning in my old hometown of Flagstaff, AZ. They stated that Clark looks like a dope. No argument here, but the comment about the lime in the Corona bottle is off. In Arizona and in Texas, at least, when we drink Mexican beer, we often drink it with lime. Clark's Corona (which is a vile beer, drink Dos Equis or Tecate, for heavens sake) is full. The bartenders always place the lime on the bottle opening. So this is hardly Clark's doing. Perhaps he was sabotaged by the vast right wing conspiracy's bartender.