Seriously, I got caught up in it all

Morning all! I just realized that I am not at all cantankerous since I discovered it wasn’t me who put the ‘pee’ in “peevish”.

Posting a little early today since Jason and I will be heading to Wilmington, OH to watch Dinah race in a regional regatta. Last weekend, in Pittsburgh she rowed to an amazing finish, 551 entries from as far away as MX, cold and very windy, a 2.5-mile race, and she rowed twice in one day. First race (4+ boat) came in first and then in the 8+ boat a second-place finish. The race where she finished second was won by the other entry from her club. Her club is a true powerhouse!

Mr. Coffee coffee just beeped and so my morning begins officially. BTW, want to know all about how coffee (caffeine) affects your brain and aids perking you up?

Such as “Without caffeine, the neurotransmitter adenosine typically binds to adenosine receptors to slow down cell activity and make you feel sleepy. But caffeine can bind to those same receptors and block adenosine, so cells speed up instead of slowing down.” Or is that TMI? If you want that level of detail, then click here.

Otherwise just scroll down.

My Bad! I’d Forgotten – That last weekend, October 7, 1948 to be exact, was the 75^th anniversary of the introduction of the 2CV. The launch of the Citröen Deux Chevaux (2CV) occurred at the 35th ‘Salon de l’Automobile’ in Paris. It became the hottest thing on the show’s display floor.

“Citröen has kissed the last of austerity with masochistic fervour.”

journalist at the exposition in 1948 seeing the unveiling of the 2CV and eyeing it for the first time

Did you vote last week? – as part of the ‘Fat Bear Week’ contest’? Last week I published the how to vote details, here are the results. The winner of Katmai’s Fat Bear Week contest for 2023 is …drum road please… ‘defensive’ mama Bear #128, aka, ‘Grazer’. If you want details, she received 108,321 votes to her closest competitor, Chunk’s, 23,134 votes.

What’s the Weather? – For several years now, I have sat in on many sessions offered by a local non-profit educational group, EmpowerU America, not afraid to tackle almost any subject from any angle – even having speakers often shunned or cancelled by the standard national ‘news’ entities. A great learning base for me with my Libertarian/Conservative leanings.

This past week I sat for 1 ½ hours on Zoom raptly absorbed discovering a virtually unknown local. Unknown? Yes, barely known, Cleveland Abbe (1838 – 1916). Abbe was America’s First Weather Forecaster, in fact he developed the methodology which allowed the start of weather prediction. Starting in Cincinnati with the first daily weather forecast published in the US in 1869. Right here in Cincinnati, and with the nation being primarily agricultural, this was absolutely YUUGE!

Fine and dandy you say, but really, all that hoopla on weather? Well wait a minute. How about if I told you that he was also a key contributor developing the idea for standard time zones. With rail crisscrossing the nation and Europe, time standardization was realized as a necessity. Traveling to Europe and some negotiations he gained international buy-in. In fact, if Great Britain had not been the world’s superpower, the world could now be talking; ‘Cincinnati Mean Time’ instead of ‘Greenwich Mean Time’. What a fun evening.

Fear, it’s just Fear – which had almost ruled out Marcia going anywhere. I’m not talking to the Supermarket, kids home, restaurant, etc.; it’s trips of substance. Now, with 2 months of healing behind her, she has just about kicked her hodophobia (hodophobia; is your word of the day). So, in a bit under three weeks we’ll be heading for Michigan for a sibling gathering – we’re excited!

To help her prepare for greater mobility I found this portable little Pedal Exerciser in the CRAZY middle isle at Aldi’s. She is using it and loves it!

Red Bull made for the ‘Nati – Red Bull marketing knows how to pull it off. Rather than me trying to describe I’m attaching two short videos. First from a few years ago and shows one of our local TV anchors manhandling (or is it was manhandled by?) the Red Bull Soapbox Derby, Cincinnati. The second was from this summer’s Red Bull ‘Flugtag’, Cincinnati and it’s self-explanatory. Happy howling!

Red Bull Soapbox Derby, Cincinnati

Red Bull ‘Flugtag’, Cincinnati

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ArriveCan App – and its development has cost Canadians $54million of their hard-earned monies – and ArriveCan App is now being described as a criminal “boondoggle”. The RCMP is investigating, and the Globe and Mail (Canada’s premier newspaper) is writing about it. The first real hearing on the matter was cut short by a demand by Iqra Khalid of the ruling NDP-Liberal Party to adjourn thus forcing a vote to shut down the Auditor General’s testimony; it passed, no further open dialogue.

I am galled in that for two years I was abused having to detail and submit to the app’s onerous demands simply trying to gain entry to check on my property.

Next stop, the Psyche Asteroid – Yesterday morning with mere minutes to spare before the start of my brothers’ Zoom exercise session, I watched the launch. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket with two side boosters lifted off right on schedule. I even got to see the two side boosters return and land perfectly on their pads.

Apparently, the asteroid for which the $1billion probe is heading is what is described as a; “bizarre metallic asteroid.” This is why I was so rapt (Marcia thinks, over the top so).

Quoting re. my interest; “Scientists think the space rock Psyche, which is about 173 miles wide, may be the exposed core of an ancient protoplanet — a type of object they’ve never seen up close before. Psyche will reach its space rock target in 2029, then study it from orbit for about two years thereafter.” Are you too just as excited?

Vai’s Steel Drum Band – at Seasongood Pavilion was stellar and fun. Vai plays a tenor drum and is in the middle row on our right side. Rather than me blathering on and on, just watch the video and enjoy. By the way, make sure your audio is on.

On your schedule – If you haven’t yet purchased this year’s Halloween candy; click your mobile on the QR code to discover your State’s favorite Halloween Candy. Some are a natural, some you’ll go; “huh”?

Make it a great week. Worried how old your bread is? Check the clip or tie’s color and ask your store their color code; usually it’s the bake day of the week. I just mention that little factoid to take another morning concern off your plate. Do your best to stay healthy, stay happy, stay grateful, and continue to grow.

May Peace prevail! Love to all. Dirk

BONUS POINTS: This is a question with five parts:

1. When was the world’s FIRST speeding ticket issued?
2. What was the legal speed limit at that time?
3. What was the crazy speed of that infernal machine?
4. The auto had just a driver, but by law, how many people were required to operate it?
5. It was also missing an all-important ‘Red Flag’, why was it a necessity?

Check just how good/correct you are. Verify at this site, click here: