December 2019

Traffic.

I keep getting alerts from the WordPress app that this blog is seeing an unusually high amount of traffic. The 965% increase in daily hits are all focused on this blog entry from 2010, called “Gay”, which features the 1976 episode of Alice called, “Alice Gets A Pass”.

I have no idea why the sudden interest in this post, but OK, let’s say hey! Hey!

Sweat Assistant.

Truman was absolutely mystified by my Resistance Band Workout this morning. For the first 20 minutes he simply sat in the doorway, head cocked, watching me strike various poses as I worked my way through a free video on YouTube.

When I decided to do some planks is when he became a comedian. As I struggled to maintain a plank he walked under me, rubbed his butt on my arms, and waved his tail in my face. On the bright side, he didn’t jump up on my back.

I’m not sure my plank could have handled an additional 15 pound cat coming along for the ride.

Series Finale.

The series finale of MADAM SECRETARY will feature a host of esteemed guest stars who will help celebrate the critically acclaimed series\’ six year run. The episode will air Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/10:00-11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured L-R: front row Eric Stoltz, World Cup Champion U.S. Women\’s Soccer Team Members Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris,Series Star Téa Leoni Allie Long Crystal Dunn; Kevin Rahm Pictured L-R: back row Tim Daly, Erich Bergen and Zeljko Ivanek Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

I’ve gushed about “Madam Secretary” before. Sunday night was the series finale of this magnificent show and the last episode was absolutely amazing. I’m going to miss the dose of governmental sanity every week. I look forward to seeing what my straight crush Téa Leoni brings us next.

I feel like this is one of the last intelligent shows left on network television, and now it has left us. Thank you for six magnificent years.

Palm.

I had my palm read while visiting Jackson Square in New Orleans. The woman was sitting at a card table on the square, dimly lit by the sparse number of street lights and ambient lights from nearby building. Everything was purple: the cushions on the chairs, her head wrap, her robe. I had a choice of having my palm read or a tarot card reading and I chose the former. She dove right in.

As she told me what she was seeing on my hand I couldn’t help but notice the mystical vibe she had going on with her eyes. While she couldn’t really be categorized as having cleanliness as a life priority, her eyes spoke and conveyed just as much as her friendly, confident sounding voice did. I did notice she wasn’t really interested in dental care either.

As she made her way around my hand I was surprised at how accurate she was with my personality traits and the like. Apparently I am going to live a long time and “keep all my marbles” along the way. She gave me numbers and I liked them. I like the sound of her interpretation of what lies ahead.

At the end of the reading she wondered if I had any questions and we spoke briefly around that sort of thing. Her fee was at scale with my satisfaction of the experience and I paid her what I thought my experience was worth. She wishes me a pleasant evening.

It was a very interesting experience. Hearing her beliefs of who I am made me a bit introspective and amped up some of my determination again.

I’d do it again.

UA 1174.

We are aboard United flight 1174 to O’Hare after a wonderful weekend in New Orleans. According to Captain Catherine we are cruising at FL380 and the air is smooth.

We will be served dinner shortly. I think the flight attendant said something about chicken. She was speaking softly. I’m thinking it may be one of her first flights in the front cabin as she seems to be struggling a bit in the galley and the hot towel was actually sopping wet to the point where my pants are currently quite wet. I don’t mind, everyone has to learn and most of us learn on the job.

We spent quite a bit of time at the brand new KMSY New Orleans International Airport terminal today. From what I read on Wikipedia, the new terminal opened just last month. It has that “so fresh” feel to it. I remember the old terminal being a bit rundown; they were probably due a refresh.

We are currently flying about the clouds so there’s no much to look at out the window. However, courtesy of ForeFlight, here’s our route.

I’m amused by the fact the heating ovens in the galley making whirring noises like a jet engine spooling down. However, we are not losing altitude so all is well.

New Orleans.

They say, “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas”. Las Vegas has nothing on The Big Easy. My husband and I have been in all 50 states. The most debauchery we’ve ever encountered is in New Orleans. People let loose in New Orleans and there’s nothing wrong with that. Anyone and everyone, no matter the color, no matter the gender, shape, size, whatever, needs to do that from time to time. We are at our best when we are honest and allow ourselves to be who we are. New Orleans is an amazing city. There’s music in the air, drinks flowing everywhere, and all sorts of other things that would make a mother blush. But in addition to all of this, the city generates a lot of garbage. All over the streets. People try but there’s no room in the garbage cans. It’ll be cleaned up by tomorrow morning, and we thank the city of New Orleans for that. In the meanwhile, we take a photo next to a hitching post. And eat pizza. And everyone in earshot knows I’m a pilot because, well, I fly airplanes (but not for at least eight hours from this moment).

We Bring Good Things To Living.

I spotted this sign down the street from our hotel here in New Orleans. There’s something comforting to me about seeing the unchanged, pretty much constant GE “ball” logo. It’s a shame their appliances don’t live up to their legacy (and are made by Haier).

Anyway, I know GE does a lot in medical and aerodynamics and nuclear plants but I didn’t know what “GE Digital” was. It turns out it’s a computing company that does a whole bunch of things, including Internet of Things things.

I’m intrigued. I’ll have to do more research on the company and see what that’s all about. After all, things connected together are nifty in my book, and I’ve always been fascinated by GE.

War.

We went to the National WWII Museum today. The campus is impressive with several buildings connected by pedestrian bridges.

Since today was the day before National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, the museum was very busy. There were a few bus loads of folks coming in; the vast majority of them were in their later years. There were also several members of the military in uniform making their way through the exhibits.

The exhibits are very thorough and very immersive. Some areas of the museum have Disney-like experiences in that there’s a lot of lighting and sound and other creative effects to give an impression of what it was like for soldiers during the various battles around the world. The museum also has a “dog tag” that you scan as you enter the self-guided tour. The software then assigns you a member of the armed forces from WWII and you learn about their specific experience as you make your way through the various exhibits. The educational use of technology was very impressive. The soldier I learned about didn’t talk about his experience for 60 years after he returned home, but finally made his story known and contributed to the video and audio experience narrated by the interactive software.

In my school days we always tackled history chronologically and it always seemed like there was rarely time to discuss World War II and more recent wars. I learned a lot today and the WWII Museum should be a must-see for any American that is able to stop by the campus.

Highly recommended.

Pizza.

Pizza with potato chips. I say “has anyone told you you’re awesome”? She blew me a kiss. I did the same. Last time I had pizza here was 2012. I had a full beard and it ended up my breakfast. I don’t understand it either.