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More thoughts

For starters I changed the URL for the blog [http://babblingdweeb.blogspot.com/] is the new home. While this is my template design, it’s really not quite finished and I am still working on the finial one (a few bugs-n-kinks). So if you pop on and everything is misaligned, yeah that was me making an awesome mistake!

Last night was a late night for me, busy running errands and such, so I only got to read the first 50-60 pgs in Angels & Daemons. The first few pages had me laughing my butt off at the nerd humor (some physics jokes). Hopefully it ends up being a good way to spend a few hours of my life. :)

“God not only plays dice. He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.”

– Stephen Hawking

Current Book(s):

• A Brief History of Time: The Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition; By: Stephen Hawking
• Angels & Daemons; By: Dan Brown

Besides read

So last night I went home and I read from 6pm to almost 2am. I finished The Code book (about 80 pgs) and I did a little research on the Cipher Challenge ($15,000 to the person that can break the code in the back of the book). Then I read about 100 pgs in Stephen Hawking’s book. I only have 40 pgs to go, but I put it down to give my brain a rest; I didn’t want to lose the content in the last sections.

Then what? Well I was doing laundry…something I loath because I hate folding it and putting it away. Separating it and the actual washing/drying part is fine. I ended up doing 5 loads and folding each load as I took it out…apparently I was in a systematical phase last night!

So I glanced over at the book on John Harrison and his creation of the maritime clock for accurate longitude measurement. I figured it wasn’t too late, so why not start reading? At 1:30 am I closed the book and clicked off my light. So I was a total geek and read the book cover to cover (200 pgs) and the funny part is the book wasn’t that great! It could have been shorter or longer and been much better. How is that? Well there was not as much information about the actual clocks, how they worked, why the worked – things you would think would be part of the story. However, there was random facts about Harrison and some personal drama in his life (some strung together very loosely). I would say that if a lot of the drama was taken out the book would have been a little better, but it would have come off more as an essay or an introduction into his life rather then a book. On the flip side the book is focused on him and only a portion of his life that deals with the construction of these maritime clocks, I would have expected more elaborate explanations as to the engineering of the clocks…which would have made the book longer and more technical – not for every reader.

“Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter.”

– Paxton Hood

Current Book(s):

• A Brief History of Time: The Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition; By: Stephen Hawking

Recently finished book(s):

• The Code Book; By: Simon Singh
• Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time; By: Dava Sobel

What an interesting combo

My weekend was perfect…I got to have some fun with my friends and I got a little spending money for books. Apparently my family is interested in supporting my paper drug habit (that’s books!); they like to feed my reading obsession.

With the activities of the weekend I wasn’t able to finish either of my current books, but I did get to read some – 20 pages left in one book; I’ll finish it tonight I swear!

The run-on sentence / question of the day is:

20+ books have been recently added or loaned into my collection; this makes me dance around like a ninny on crack and I don’t even know what a ninny is (!) but I have to ask my hyperactive self: with only 7 weeks left in the year, can I finish reading all of them before the year is out?

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

– Groucho Marx

Current Book(s):

• The Code Book; By: Simon Singh
• A Brief History of Time: The Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition; By: Stephen Hawking

Recently acquired book(s):

• Angels & Daemons; By: Dan Brown
• Enigma; By: Robert Harris
• Archangel; By: Robert Harris
• Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time; By: Dava Sobel

Recently Purchased book(s):

(Once again I need to say thank you to someone for my birthday present…money for books. Thanks Mom & Dad!

• Ideas & Opinions; By: Albert Einstein
• World As I See It; By: Albert Einstein
• The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe; By: Stephen W. Hawking
• The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet; By: David Kahn

Another day gone by

Well what can I say today? I guess I am just speechless today – I don’t know what to rant about and I don’t know what’s on my mind…always a good sign of a good weekend to come!

My horoscope today said:

You can do no wrong as far as your admirers are concerned! In fact, to most people, you are irresistible. You capture hearts and draw longing gazes wherever you go. You know you’re at the height of your powers when they seem completely unnecessary. The world is your generous host. This is the perfect time to impress that special someone. Your charm and magnetism pave the way for a potentially long-lasting relationship.

Sounds like a good omen!

So what’s on everyone else’s mind today?

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

– John Lennon

Then a drunk driver

Maybe something told me that this year around my birthday; or just this year in general would be rough. Maybe I just felt it was my time to experience something different then celebration. As we all get older — with every year that passes — the odds and statistics of life start weighing against us. We witness things that may or may not be public historical events; but they will always be a part of our personal history.

My grandfather was born on January 26, 1917. He has been around for much of what I call “current history” (things that are still discussed because more information is becoming declassified). WWI was from 1914 to 1918; WWII 1939-1945; Korean War 150-1953; Vietnam…Gulf War…2004 Iraq War. He has been in wars, seen wars, was alive for the attack on Perl Harbor…JFK assassination. On his birthday in 1986 the first major NASA accident with the space shuttle occurred: Challenger. The automobile was already around (1908 for those that are interested) but television was not, depending on your history teacher. Television’s first drama, “The Queen’s Messenger”, was broadcast from Schenectady, New York station WGY on September 11, 1928 (my grandmother was born on September 11th). A milestone for television…just like September 11, 2001 was a milestone for television.

I recall September 11, 2001 as I stood in Southfield, Michigan; the building I was in housed many Midwest offices for the same companies that were in the World Trade Center. I was at a Microsoft conference and one of the guys standing next to me was trying to call his friend, a coworker for Microsoft that was at the same conference we were at; he was in the World Trade Center.

My brother recalls August 16th, 1987 and the Northwest flight 255 crash; he was on the expressway when the plane hit the road. My parents recall November 22, 1963 when John F. Kennedy was assassinated…they were in their classrooms listening to the news broadcast over the PA system.

There are too many events to write about, too many of friends and family long since past. It’s overwhelming how much one person can see in their life; it is too bad we won’t all get that opportunity.

What about the non public history? Relatives passing on, friends graduating, engagements, parties, having children, anniversaries…

With every year that passes I realize I am getting older not because I feel old, but because “grown up things” are happening more and more. Sometimes things are happy and sometimes things show just how stupid some people are. Other things show hoe one person’s stupidity can hurt another person. First it was great grandparents passing away; then grandparents. Three years ago one of my closest friends lost his father. Two years ago another close friend lost his father. Since 2003 I have had 11 friends get engaged, 2 get married, 2 have kids (not the married ones either!), 2 friends have affairs (not the married ones) and two divorces (again, not the married ones). Since 1999 I known approximately 10 people with MIPs [Minor In Possession] and 4 with DUIs [Driving Under the Influence].

We all make choices in our lives that are both good and bad. Those choices affect other people too; both the good and bad choices can have good and bad effects. However, sometimes we have the opportunity to choose to make a better choice…we just need to make it.

On Tuesday, November 9, 2004 one of my friend’s mothers was killed in a car accident; she was hit by a drunk driver. The is the fourth friend of mine that has lost someone to a drunk driver…and there shouldn’t have ever been a first for me or anyone else in the world.

I know that we can’t live forever and accidents happen. However, we should be given a better opportunity to live our lives without worrying that someone else’s disregard for life will prematurely end ours.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

– Unknown

But it’s not that much

So I have spent about 8 hours in the past week looking over people’s blogs and just getting a glimpse into their lives. How interesting when I start finding blogs that talk about other people’s blogs and the topics they discuss!!

Apparently a common theme is procrastination…what are they avoiding? Homework! :) Another common theme: authors blogging their novel writing progress…usually a good read at any time of the night. I couldn’t tell you how many political blogs I found (skip)…

Random blog topics:

• Sex and the City theme…almost like Carrie is writing it herself
• Random collection of links with no message or comments
• Religious fanatics
• Anti-Religion fanatics
• An entire blog spanning 2 years with daily posts all about how a certain person is annoying to the blog author (WOW crazy…)
• The Alzheimer Resource Center (I forgot the blog URL – haha…okay that was bad)
• New on the war in Iraq
• A woman taking the stance of being the queen of her imagination and her blog entries consist of laws for the people who live in her imagination (you think I make shit up!)
• Webhosting advertising(I still dont get this)
• Weird cronicals of legal mumbojumbo
• Lots of info about Ritalin and Adult ADD

Blogs are great! :)