High-Flying Movie - Non-flying Drone

What was the #1 movie this past weekend? It was X-Men: Apocalypse. So, did we avoid it because of crowds or did we see it because of ... well, X-Men? Yes, TD and I went to see the movie yesterday with one of the GRANDS. We had a good time, and the movie was pretty good. It wasn't great (at least not for me), but I know for sure that GRAND #1 loved it, and that is worth it.

The other main thing that I did this weekend was buy a small drone and began learning how to fly it. It is a little thing at around 3"x3", but it's orneriness exceeds that by leaps and bounds. And so far, leaps and bounds is about how well I am doing (not that I am doing wonderfully. More like the drone just keeps leaping and bounding off the floor and walls). The hobby shop did warn me that learning on a small drone does not really give a sense of the ease of flying a larger (and certainly more expensive) unit. Still, I don't want to invest more money if I am not going to enjoy the hobby. So, right now, it always seems to trend backwards and to the right when it takes off. I went back to the shop and they gave me some pointers, but did warn that almost any type of wind will make it more difficult to control. Even indoors, it doesn't go straight up. OK, I've only had two days to play so far, but I am still trying to get in control of flying using the transmitter. One of the challenges is remember which way to turn if the drone is flying parallel or toward me. What is my goal and inspiration? Check out this video describing a unit I may ultimately want, and seeing some ideas of what it could do during our upcoming family reunion.

I did not find any articles to share from my walk through internet world this morning (or even last night). So, let's see what I have stores for you. Oh, also, I did not load any photos because Google Blogger (the platform I use for this blog) was not working last night.

A few years ago, our family went on a vacation up through San Francisco. I shared those photos on previous blogs. My reason for remembering this is that I would use down time on that trip to study for my professional certification. I passed the test, but part of staying up-to-date is ongoing training. I now only have six weeks until that certification must be renewed, and I still lack 20 or so hours being ready. Some of that is covered by on-the-job credit, but not all of it. I had better stay focused to get that done.

Do you like Rice Krispie Treats? We do, and here are a few variations that could reignite your love of these snacks. You know, like S'More treats, or Nutella Cookie Dough. Go try one today. They seem simple to prepare.

I think this next photo is from the remake of True Grit starring Jeff Bridges. I know for sure that is Jeff on the left. Anyway, the point of it is that this is one of those shots where the weapon has been replaced by a selfie stick. I think they did a good job.

No, this is not in front of our door.

This dude that takes the Photoshop requests certainly has to be creative to find ways to complete the challenge the photo owners request without actually doing what they asked for. Well look, here's an example.

Have you seen the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia? I think I saw it years ago. Anyway, a couple of years ago, Smithsonian Magazine published an article about the true story of Lawrence. It is an interesting read and I found it worth a few minutes. Here is a photo of him in 1919.

I have never seen Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Even so, that is the subject of today's Remove a Letter, Change the Plot meme.

Let's CoV before we stop.

Yesterday was a holiday, but today is business as usual. Let's get it started.

Raise Your Arms for Spelling and Charting and Subwaying and Museuming (Those are Gerunds, right?)

One day in NYC, we caught a subway heading up to the middle of Central Park. Here we are about to catch our train.

We were heading toward the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or as it is commonly called, The Met.

We waited until we reached the museum to eat breakfast, and since we 'shopped' at food stands on the street, we just ate on the steps.

Inside, one of exhibits was housed inside this recreated house. Online, I cannot find any specific info about it. Is it a real building transplanted into the museum? Is it just a really fancy wall? I don't know.

Today's really bad joke or pun from the calendar:
History teacher: What happened at the Boston Tea Party?
Student: I don't know, I wasn't invited.

Today's stupidest thing ever said, from another calendar:
Longest Spelling Be Ever?
11 and 13-year-olds finally finish competition.
on-screen caption, Fox News

Did you see the funny thing there? The TV caption misspelled 'Spelling Bee'. In a story about a spelling bee.

So, the 2016 spelling bee did just end, and it was a tie for the third year in a row. Most of us are not participating in a spelling competition, but it does not mean that no one knows which words we cannot spell. Google just shared the most commonly misspelled word for each state. California is home to the Mojave Desert, but the word "desert" had the most spelling queries. Arizonans and people in New Hampshire struggled with the word "diarrhea," while Floridians searched for the proper spelling of "tomorrow." Can you spell your state's commonly misspelled word? (BTW, why are people in AZ and NH searching so often for 'diarrhea'?)

Have you ever ridden on an elevator? Of course you have. The building I am now in has 10 stories and 4 elevators. Our team is on the eighth floor. So, how does the control system for them decide which elevator to send once I press a button?  Is there any rhyme or reason to it? You bet your sweet bippy there is. I will not spoil the technological reveal, but you can read all about it here. It really is very interesting. As a teaser, ponder this: Does it serve the person who's been waiting the longest? Or always go to the closest call? Where does it make the compromise between speedy service and keeping energy usage down?

Now, quicker than you can say Sectum Sempra Selfie, how about another weapon replaced by a selfie stick?

Photoshop request to change the way a photo looks and the hilarious result:

I did have a song in my head this morning. The title started with 'Your', but here several hours later, I cannot remember which song it was. I didn't write it down because I was sure I would remember. No, wait. It just came to me, even though Rhapsody in Blue is playing in my ears. It was 'Your Grace Still Amazes Me.' I imagine you are familiar with the song, but the chorus is very nice.
Your grace still amazes me.
Your love is still a mystery.
Each day, I fall on my knees
'Cause Your grace still amazes me.
Your grace still amazes me.

If we could chart how often I forget things, it would be a line just going up and up.

Am I still a vegan? We have talked about this before. No, I eat most things (although I still mostly avoid milk products). Most workdays, I bring my lunch to work and it is usually vegan-type fare of a quinoa salad, edamame, and fruit. However, I needed that comment in the comic today just to play off of the chart comments.

I am off on Monday. How about you? So, that means there will likely be no blog post and no Clarity of Vision. Have a great Memorial Day. When MBH's father was alive, and we were there with him on this holiday, we would take a trip over to the cemetery and place some flowers on family graves. Both of her parents are now buried there. Back then, it seemed like a burden, but thinking back, it is a pleasant memory, and the right thing to do on Memorial Day. Do you have any traditions around this holiday?

Sorry. I got off topic for a moment. I was just remembering listening to my FIL tell stories about the family. Now, here years later, I wish he was around to give me more of their history. OK, let's start today and get to that holiday more quickly. See you next week.

Does Popping Up in the Grand Canyon Makes You Less Miserable?

I think this statue was near the 9/11 Memorial, but either way, you can see the GRANDS playing and acting as if they were stealing some of the contents of his briefcase.

I do know where this photo was taken, though. When we went to see Les Miserables on Broadway, we were on the left side of the front row. When Jean Valjean sang the song 'What Have I Done?', he says "I'll escape now from the world. From the world of Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean is nothing now. Another story must begin!" (He sings this at about 2:50 in the video linked above). He tears up his yellow ticket-of-leave and throws it up in the air. Before that, I had noticed there was a net over the orchestra pit, and the yellow ticket fell onto the net, but did not fall through. It was very close to me, so when we reached intermission, I hurriedly snatched it up and saved it. I expected it to be a blank piece of paper, but it actually looks like a prison pardon. I have promised to give it to the GRANDS, but have not done so (actually, I forgot about this until I saw the photo).

Here, you can see some of the words. His name is clear, and the date is just over 200 years ago. Can you believe they would tear up such a valuable historical document? Pretty cool.

I saw a cool pop-up book made of Legos. Yeah, how can that be? Those are 3D materials, so how can they flatten? Well, watch the video and see for yourself. Pretty cool, I must say.

You may have noticed that today's post is more robust than yesterday's. Yes, I am back at the office. Yes, I feel better. Thanks for asking.

No caption required:

The dude that does special request Photoshop edits to client photos is back. This guy asked the Photoshop expert to "put me in Star Wars." I thought a better caption would be "So, Rogaine is not a face cream?"

Remember the 'Remove a Letter, Change the Plot' photo I shared the other day. Well, there are more of those, and here's one we Muggles might enjoy.

I think it is illegal to deface US currency. I think people do so anyway.

Many times, I can think back to why a certain song comes to mind during my shower. Today, I have no idea. I was thinking of 'On the Trail' from the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe (the link is actually the famous Disney Studios film with an abbreviated version of the Grofe piece), first performed in 1931. No, I was not there. Watching the Disney video, though, reminds me that I was thinking to pick up an inexpensive drone for some Rocky Mountain (and family) videos this summer. I want to start with a low-cost drone because I have heard that you crash a lot while learning.

Being back in the office also means I have a vision to share with you that should give clarity to life and happiness. Actually, it will probably not do either of those things, but it does amuse me, so here goes.

Being back in the office also means I need to do some work. So, here goes. Have a Thrilling Thursday.

I Can Answer That Question

By now, you are probably wondering if I am going to publish a blog post today. The answer is no, I will not. I am feeling ill today, so I am at home. However, I still have so many meetings today that I am working from home. My first call starts in 10 minutes, and then #2 is in 40 minutes. I have already done the prep work for both of the first two.

Years ago, there was a recurring comic in MAD Magazine where it was a person clicking between TV channels and the verbiage cleverly led to funny ends to sentences started on the prior channel. I am trying to build one of those for a Clarity of Vision comic, and my first thought was to use real quotes from Trump and Clinton. Not so easy. I like the concept, but I may end up creating my owns phrases so I can make them fit together and be funny. I do not have an estimated date on this yet.

OK, that is all for today since I am not creating a post for today. Did you forget already? See you tomorrow (I'm pretty sure).

I don't know if I'll Be Back. Maybe only if you Carry Me.

This photograph was taken near the 9/11 Memorial in NYC, I liked the look of these buildings reflected in one of the skyscrapers. I cannot find the names of those buildings, though.

We then went one of the memorials (9/11 Tribute Center, where the displays are focused on the people rather than the act) and it was amazingly emotional. Here is a shot of many of their faces.

On the side of Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 of the Fire Department of the City of New York, there in the Memorial Wall to the 343 members of FDNY who lost their lives that is really impressive.

To show the full wall (starting from the opposite end of my shot), I pulled a photo from the official FDNY Memorial Wall site.

I saw this on the world wide web and thought it was Star Wars-related at first. It's still funny, though, even as priests.

Have you ever been falling asleep and your body jerks a little and wakes you up? I certainly have. Why is that, I wonder? No, I don't really wonder because I found an article that (sort of) explains it. By the way, it is called a hypnic jerk (I think a girl I dated once called me that) or sleep start. I learned those names for the article.

It this true?

I don't think I had any song in mind during my shower today. If I did, it was quite unmemorable, since here, two hours later, I cannot think of it. One good thing about songs is that tonight is Chorale practice. That is always fun for me and puts such great songs in my heart. Yesterday, during work, one of those songs came to mind. It was Carry Me by Kyle Hill. The song begins with "Carry me,Father God, on Your strong eagle wings of love. Thro' the storm keep me safe; Thro' the tears and all my shame, Carry me."

I found a new batch of funny photos on the web. They imagine weapons replaced by selfie sticks. Here's one for today. "I'll be back ... for another photo later."

Today's cross-promotional CoV is Disney + Game of Thrones. However, I think it is OK if the queen asks, "Who's the fairest of them all?" now.

That's enough for now. We can have more fun another day if you don't call me a hypnic jerk. After all, I am the fairest of them all.

I Am a Promise. Yes, I am.

A few years ago, MBH and I were driving through North Louisiana with the folks when I began to wonder how close we were to where Bonnie and Clyde were killed. You can see them below. I kept the verbiage with the picture because I thought it funny that they had to tell us that Bonnie was on the right. Sure, I know the names may not be obviously male or female to people from a different culture and language, but it was humorous to me. Why is this memory in today's post? In today's NYT 'On This Day' note, "On May 23, 1934, the bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush as they were driving a stolen Ford Deluxe along a road in Bienville Parish, La." BTW, no, we were in the right region, but not on the right road.

How well do you know the state where you live? Here is a map depicting the fastest growing city in each state? Are you familiar with the city in your state?

Poor old thing. Don't you feel sorry for him? I found it on the web. This is not our dog. Do not come to our place expecting to see him.

The dude that takes Photoshop requests is back. Here's today's offering.

One of the cool things as part of the 9/11 Memorial in NYC is the names inscribed in a railing around the reflecting pools. You can also see the scale of the site by the size of the people on the other side.

Here is the family looking at the Survivor Tree on the World Trade Center site.

Here's an inspiration shot that I wouldn't mind looking for next time I am at Yosemite.

Today's 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said calendar entry:
Any definition of homelessness that suggests that people haven’t got a home is not good.
British deputy prime minister John Prescott

I did not have a song in my head during today's shower. Sadly, I was already doing some work. During my commute, though, an ad came on the radio for...something, I can't remember what... and it brought a song from a musical my kids were in to my mind. "I am a promise. I am a possibility. I am a promise, with a capital P. I am a great big bundle of potentiality." I could not remember the name of the musical, but when I searched for it in the internet web, it looks like the musical was... wait for it...   I Am a Promise. Clever, right?

Tokyo could be going all-out in preparation for hosting the Olympics in 2020. Did you hear that they may launch satellites so they can present man-made shooting stars during the opening. Check the link and watch the promotional movie.

Want some jam? No, not the kind you spread on toast. I am talking about when musicians cue of each other and play music based on what they hear. It seems students in Georgia have created a four-armed robot that can jam with them. The article opens with this statement. "He bobbed his head with the groove, and leaned way in when he wanted to play more complicated melodies, rocking and rolling with the beat of the jam. This wasn’t a your average jazz band member, though—this was Shimon, a four-armed robot marimba player built by the Georgia Institute of Technology to be able to listen to music, improvise, and play along with human musicians." Go watch the video in the linked article.

Do you watch Game of Thrones? Well, I do, so you'll have to suffer through a couple of Clarity of Vision ideas of how the marketing campaign could expand by co-branding GoT with commercial products. Here's today's CoV.

Don't talk about my sister that way. That's a brother's job..both to protect her, and talk smack. Speaking of which, she announced yesterday that she had listened to the full Hamilton soundtrack (Yay!) and thought it clever, but not worth waiting in line to see the musical (What?!?). She doesn't really like that style of music.Alas and alack, my friends. I certainly do not like the language in some of the songs, but the composer's skills are amazing. I do want to see it, and I enjoy the cleverness of the songs and the history shared throughout, but I do not think it would replace any of my 3-4 favorite musicals.

OK, I need to do some of that work stuff that I cogitated during today's shower. Oh, man. I went over to email and started some work, and it has been almost a hour since I clicked the blog tab. I never published it. Sorry if you have been waiting,

Simon? Armstrong? Young? Diamond? Sedaka? Which Neil Will I Reference today?

This looks to be a short post today. I did not find any stories that I wanted to share from my search of the interweb. And for some reason, I forgot to load any photos last night. So, I will pull a few things from my 'just in case' backlog. First, I will start off with a rambling story about why I was thinking of Neil Diamond this morning.

Yesterday, I had Starland Vocal Band on my mind. You remember that, right? I mentioned the group to some coworkers and they talked about them as if they were one-hit wonders. They also mentioned that one of the satellite radio providers has a station dedicated just to one-hit wonders. Fine, I suppose they were for the song 'Afternoon Delight'. As I told you, though, I preferred their arrangement of Paul Simon's 'American Tune'. Fast forward to last night. I was searching for which music downloads I wanted for the week and came across Paul Simon. He has a compilation album that includes an unfinished demo of 'American Tune' that has the chorus, and maybe one verse, and a whole lot of 'da da dat's and 'doo doo doo's. I found it interesting that he must build his musical framework first and then find words that fit the phrasing and feel of the song. I found it on youtube and linked it above.

BTW, I did not decide about which songs to download yet. Now, fast forward to this morning. I did start off with 'American Tune' in my head again, probably because of the version I heard last night. Somehow, that morphed into Neil Diamond's 'America'. What is up with patriotically-named songs in my brain? Insane.

Did I tell you about our plumbing problem earlier this week? Of course, becoming a grandfather (and Dad being a great-great-grandfather) means that I need to fill the roles he used to perform. So, I jumped in and began to see where the leak in the hall bath was coming from and what to do to fix it. It was the valve on the hot water side under the sink. Our bathrooms are not very big, and the cabinet holding the sink is even tighter. When was the last time we did anything under here? Who knows. In any case, I could not loosen either of the nuts on the connection, so I had to see if Dad had an idea. He came over and also could not loosen them. YES! I felt a little vindicated. We decided to just cut the copper pipe and put all new connections.

We found a solution that would not required sweating the copper pipes. I have checked the area several times since then and no water, so I am proclaiming this project finished. Thanks, Dad.

What happens when Alice in Wonderland defaces a one-dollar bill? Magical things.

A one-word change in the title of this book certainly changes the plot.

This dish scrubber may be an inanimate object, but it becomes a face taunting you that you should always rinse and load rather than leave the dishes in the sink. Guilty.

Our friend, Mr. Seattle Gas Station, has a comment to share:

I have two Clarity of Vision comics at home on my computer, but I did not load them nor send them to my work email. So, I will use a classic one and save those until next week.Bummer.

That brings this week to a close. Well, I meant as far as blogging. We still have a full workday to get through before we can go home (don't you love rush hour traffic?), pop open a cold one (I'm talking sparkling water, of course), and kick our feet up (not on the coffee table that can get scratched up, of course), and watch Game of Thrones (or Gotham, or Shark tank, or whatever guilty TV pleasure you prefer). See you in a few days.