Happy MMXXVI

Merry Christmas –

Happy Saturday morning. Just remember to all of you reading this, many of you actually survived another “Polar Vortex”; some of you survived because of where you live, but that is not my fault.

Half a week our bathroom sink’s cold-water faucet was frozen. Everything was fine except for that single particular faucet. What it meant was that these mornings we couldn’t wake up and brace ourselves with a fresh cold-water splash on our face. Horrors!

Since it’s early, I will have my regular mug of coffee. After posting I’ll be off for a 5K and I do not want to start out with a bunch of coffee sloshing around. But, as I said, it’s early so it’ll be OK. By the way, it could be but pictured is not my mug.

Christmas – Just in case we forgot, the Christmas celebration is really a celebration of the birth of Jesus. All the other hoopla is basically just slop (Merriam-Webster named ‘slop’ the word of the year).

One bit that I learned this week is that the name ‘Jesus’ has only been in use for about 400 years. Jesus, during his time on earth spoke Aramaic, a language which does not have the letter ‘J’. Likely he would have responded to the, then, very common name of “Yeshua’ or even the shortened version ‘Yeshu”.

So, things morphed the from Aramaic, to Hebrew, to Greek (‘Iesous’), and finally, shortened in Latin to’ “Iesus.”.

OK, all aboard now?

Harmonies for the Holidays – Last Sunday, cold, snow, bad roads and all, I joined my favorite jazz trio, the Phil DeGreg Trio. This along with the Northern Kentucky University “Vocal Jazz Ensemble“. It was wonderful!

Two hours of all the classics did their magic. Now ready for a seasonal celebration.

Orville & Wilbur – This week I spent a little time reading about Orville and Wilbur Wright and their first powered flight. I’d only viewed them as being a pair of bicycle mechanics who gutsily stumbled on getting a pile of cloth, wood, and wires off the ground. I was so wrong.

They owned a number of bicycle establishments in and around Dayton, Ohio. And their flight design work was absolutely revolutionary. What had prevented others trying to be the first in powered flight were areas which they mastered and then incorporated in their design – their pile of cloth/wood/wire aircraft could be controlled for three axis, Yaw, Roll, and Pitch.

Even, as part of the design was a very lightweight engine (weight was critical). They cast their engine out of Aluminum – then painted it black to keep its design a secret. Weight was so critical that the pilot, Orville, was laying down off center at the controls to counterbalance the engine’s weight.

Take a look at this clever video demonstrating the physics built into their plane.

Fit Life After 40 – Is the name by which a trainer from New Zealand, Gavyn, goes by. Part of the interaction with him is that I get a steady stream of input from him.

With both Christmas and New Year quickly approaching along with those huge food feasts, his latest from yesterday morning might be worthwhile for all of us. Let me quote Gavyn directly:

“Do This Before Big Meals (It Actually Works)”
“Hi Dirk

Pre-meal hack:

Go for a 10-minute walk before AND after eating.

Helps digestion, reduces blood sugar spikes, reduces lethargy, and makes you feel like an athletic reindeer.

Gavyn

PS: I told myself I’d walk more in December. So far… I’ve walked to the fridge a lot…”

The Egg Nog Jog – As alluded to above, this week I’m a bit short with my Ramblings. At 10 this morning the starter’s gun will sound and the Mt. Adams 5K “Egg Nog Jog” will start. It starts at one of the highest points on Mount Adams and after going over, around, and down some of area’s hills end up where we started. I’ve done this 5K several times and considering the season, the terrain, the scenery, and the glass of beer and egg nogg at the finish makes this annual 5K a seasonal high point.

Wish me well!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Which was the first published book that was written on a typewriter. This was a breakthrough, and as was noted at the time; “At the beginning of that interval (writing) a type-machine was a curiosity. The person who owned one was a curiosity, too. But now it is the other way about: the person who doesn’t own one is a curiosity.” So again, which book was the first?

1) Lewis Wallace – “Ben Hur”
2) Herman Melville – “Moby-Dick
3) Samuel Clemens — “Life on the Mississippi”
4) Noraly Schoenmaker – “Free Ride”
5) Rachel Carson – “The Sea Around Us”
6) Harriet Beecher Stowe — “Uncle Tom’s Cabin“
7) Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt – “The River of Doubt”

Last week answer – #2, “Jimmy Carter”