Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Leaving Kentucky - Playing The Odds
Today I fly out of Lexington, Kentucky for home. I only get to be home for 2 nights though, then I fly out Sunday for a week in a suburb of Washington, D.C. and I may be going somewhere else after that if things work out.
With as much traveling as I do in planes and rental cars, I guess it is inevitable that I sometimes find myself thinking about the odds of me dying in a plane crash or car wreck. That has been especially true during the past few days with the recent plane crashes and the weird Southwest Airlines hole-in-the-plane event that reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with a young William Shatner.
These thoughts usually come to me when I am in a plane that is taking off or landing (the two most dangerous times during a flight), but sometimes I look out the window at 30,000 feet and think it is a long way down (though it would only take 12 minutes or so to hit the ground from that altitude, falling at a rate of 32 feet per second) and sometimes when I am driving long distances on deserted back roads in the middle of night (or even in the middle of the day) I imagine several different scenarios that would all, in the end, find me dead on that road, hopefully not in an extremely painful way.
I don't think I'm being morbid, it's just an acknowledgment that, while I'm not a gambler at heart, I am constantly playing the odds when it comes to travel and my longevity.
On the other hand, I could drop dead from an aneurysm or heart attack in my hotel room, so it really does no good to dwell on the subject of when it might happen, does it?
But here is a little piece I wrote about a year ago during a flight. I've edited it a tiny bit over the past couple of days and added an important piece of physics information that I had to research, but the majority of it is over a year old and the words originated from 30,000 feet in the sky.
Cheers!
I'm sitting in my usual exit row window seat, watching the clouds below and around the plane as it pushes through the air at 30,000 feet. Sometimes, when there are breaks within the cloud bank below us, I can see the ground underneath our vehicle in the sky. It is so far below us that I only glimpse a dull splotch of green if is land and blue if it is water. It's very peaceful up here as the aircraft maintains a steady speed of 500 mph some 6 miles above the world.
But should the plane suddenly lose power, or worse, break apart from some structural stress, natural or man-made, I ask myself; how long would it take to fall to the ground? If I were to suddenly find myself sucked out of the exit row door I know I would lose consciousness very quickly due to the lack of oxygen, but I've also read that there is every chance I would regain consciousness as I fell into a more oxygen-rich part of the atmosphere. Of course the bad part of that news is that I would also be closer to the ground and, if I were not completely disoriented, would realize that the earth was quickly rushing up to meet me, or more accurately that I was falling faster and faster to the meet the earth.
In most scenarios of this type the odds are that I would still be strapped into my seat that was ripped from the floor it used to be bolted to, falling, spinning, tumbling head over heels watching first the sky appear and then the ground and then the sky again in a wildly changing kaleidoscope. Something like an old-style ViewMaster gone crazy, flipping back and forth between two images. I've also read that falling from a height of 30,000 feet at 32 feet per second, it would take me 12 minutes or so to hit the ground. But having no idea how long I was unconscious I likewise have no idea how much time I have left until impact.
I imagine that, if I had my full faculties at this point, that I would most likely be frightened to the point of death at this realization, either through a heart attack or my conscious mind just shutting down at the inevitability of certain, painful death. On the other hand, if I didn't die of fright, I wonder if I would hit the ground with such force that I would never have time to even register the agonizing pain of the moment of impact before I would be dead. I have a feeling that the anticipation would be much more painful that the actual impact.
But for now, safe in my usual exit row window seat, I stretch out my legs, turn on my mp3 player and put such thoughts out of my mind.
With as much traveling as I do in planes and rental cars, I guess it is inevitable that I sometimes find myself thinking about the odds of me dying in a plane crash or car wreck. That has been especially true during the past few days with the recent plane crashes and the weird Southwest Airlines hole-in-the-plane event that reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with a young William Shatner. 
These thoughts usually come to me when I am in a plane that is taking off or landing (the two most dangerous times during a flight), but sometimes I look out the window at 30,000 feet and think it is a long way down (though it would only take 12 minutes or so to hit the ground from that altitude, falling at a rate of 32 feet per second) and sometimes when I am driving long distances on deserted back roads in the middle of night (or even in the middle of the day) I imagine several different scenarios that would all, in the end, find me dead on that road, hopefully not in an extremely painful way.
I don't think I'm being morbid, it's just an acknowledgment that, while I'm not a gambler at heart, I am constantly playing the odds when it comes to travel and my longevity.On the other hand, I could drop dead from an aneurysm or heart attack in my hotel room, so it really does no good to dwell on the subject of when it might happen, does it?
But here is a little piece I wrote about a year ago during a flight. I've edited it a tiny bit over the past couple of days and added an important piece of physics information that I had to research, but the majority of it is over a year old and the words originated from 30,000 feet in the sky.Cheers!
I'm sitting in my usual exit row window seat, watching the clouds below and around the plane as it pushes through the air at 30,000 feet. Sometimes, when there are breaks within the cloud bank below us, I can see the ground underneath our vehicle in the sky. It is so far below us that I only glimpse a dull splotch of green if is land and blue if it is water. It's very peaceful up here as the aircraft maintains a steady speed of 500 mph some 6 miles above the world. But should the plane suddenly lose power, or worse, break apart from some structural stress, natural or man-made, I ask myself; how long would it take to fall to the ground? If I were to suddenly find myself sucked out of the exit row door I know I would lose consciousness very quickly due to the lack of oxygen, but I've also read that there is every chance I would regain consciousness as I fell into a more oxygen-rich part of the atmosphere. Of course the bad part of that news is that I would also be closer to the ground and, if I were not completely disoriented, would realize that the earth was quickly rushing up to meet me, or more accurately that I was falling faster and faster to the meet the earth.
In most scenarios of this type the odds are that I would still be strapped into my seat that was ripped from the floor it used to be bolted to, falling, spinning, tumbling head over heels watching first the sky appear and then the ground and then the sky again in a wildly changing kaleidoscope. Something like an old-style ViewMaster gone crazy, flipping back and forth between two images. I've also read that falling from a height of 30,000 feet at 32 feet per second, it would take me 12 minutes or so to hit the ground. But having no idea how long I was unconscious I likewise have no idea how much time I have left until impact.
I imagine that, if I had my full faculties at this point, that I would most likely be frightened to the point of death at this realization, either through a heart attack or my conscious mind just shutting down at the inevitability of certain, painful death. On the other hand, if I didn't die of fright, I wonder if I would hit the ground with such force that I would never have time to even register the agonizing pain of the moment of impact before I would be dead. I have a feeling that the anticipation would be much more painful that the actual impact.But for now, safe in my usual exit row window seat, I stretch out my legs, turn on my mp3 player and put such thoughts out of my mind.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Buffalo Trace
Last Friday, after leaving Daniel Boone's grave site, I drove over to Buffalo Trace Distillery, one of the stops on Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. My unfamiliarity with the name Buffalo Trace was explained right at the beginning of the tour when Don, the tour guide, revealed that the distillery was bought some years ago and renamed, but that they originally produced (and still do) Ancient Age bourbon, which I did recall from my younger days.
And if, like me, you were wondering where the name "Buffalo Trace" came from, there is an interesting explanation. Located on what was once an ancient buffalo path on the banks of the Kentucky River, the distillery's namesake is a tribute to the buffalo that created paths followed by America's early pioneers. The Sazerac Company, a New Orleans, Louisiana-based producer and importer purchased the distillery in 1992 and decided to take the distillery back to its roots with the renaming. In Louisiana, they call a path a "trace" so, to honor the old buffalo path it was built on, the distillery was christened "Buffalo Trace."
Pretty cool.
The tour was interesting and the tour guide was very informative and personable. While it is true that all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon, the fermenting and distilling process is much the same in general for all whiskeys. When Cindy and I and her parents were in Scotland 3 years ago we toured several Scotch distilleries and while on the Buffalo Trace tour I remembered a lot of the same information from the Scotland tours.
One of the important differences is that bourbon distilleries use their aging barrels one single time. What do they do with all those used barrels? They ship them to Scotland for them to use with their Scotch, to Mexico for them to use in making some dark Tequilas, to the Caribbean for their Rum and to Canada for their Canadian whiskey.
The one thing I wish was that they would have given us a tour of the actual distillery. We saw the storage area and the bottling area, but not the distillery itself. Again, though they are all basically the same principle and I saw several of them in Scotland, it would have been interesting to see how they do it specifically for bourbon. That lack almost made me think about going to one of the other distilleries on the trail, but it was getting late in the day and I had other things to do.
Of course the end of the tour is what everyone goes for; the samples. I tried one of their sour mash products known as "White Dog" that could have easily been called white lightning! Despite the very tiny amount in the cup, my throat burned for 20 minutes after downing it. I don't see how anyone could really drink that stuff straight or drink much of it unless they had a very high tolerance.
It was a fun tour; very interesting and enlightening. If you get the chance, I recommend you take a tour of one of the distilleries on The Bourbon Trail.
Pictures from the tour are up on my Flickr page.
And if, like me, you were wondering where the name "Buffalo Trace" came from, there is an interesting explanation. Located on what was once an ancient buffalo path on the banks of the Kentucky River, the distillery's namesake is a tribute to the buffalo that created paths followed by America's early pioneers. The Sazerac Company, a New Orleans, Louisiana-based producer and importer purchased the distillery in 1992 and decided to take the distillery back to its roots with the renaming. In Louisiana, they call a path a "trace" so, to honor the old buffalo path it was built on, the distillery was christened "Buffalo Trace."
Pretty cool.
The tour was interesting and the tour guide was very informative and personable. While it is true that all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon, the fermenting and distilling process is much the same in general for all whiskeys. When Cindy and I and her parents were in Scotland 3 years ago we toured several Scotch distilleries and while on the Buffalo Trace tour I remembered a lot of the same information from the Scotland tours.
One of the important differences is that bourbon distilleries use their aging barrels one single time. What do they do with all those used barrels? They ship them to Scotland for them to use with their Scotch, to Mexico for them to use in making some dark Tequilas, to the Caribbean for their Rum and to Canada for their Canadian whiskey.
The one thing I wish was that they would have given us a tour of the actual distillery. We saw the storage area and the bottling area, but not the distillery itself. Again, though they are all basically the same principle and I saw several of them in Scotland, it would have been interesting to see how they do it specifically for bourbon. That lack almost made me think about going to one of the other distilleries on the trail, but it was getting late in the day and I had other things to do.
Of course the end of the tour is what everyone goes for; the samples. I tried one of their sour mash products known as "White Dog" that could have easily been called white lightning! Despite the very tiny amount in the cup, my throat burned for 20 minutes after downing it. I don't see how anyone could really drink that stuff straight or drink much of it unless they had a very high tolerance.
It was a fun tour; very interesting and enlightening. If you get the chance, I recommend you take a tour of one of the distilleries on The Bourbon Trail.
Pictures from the tour are up on my Flickr page.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Daniel Boone's Grave
My first exposure to Daniel Boone was as a child watching the Daniel Boone TV series with Fess Parker portraying the legendary figure. I was 9 years old the first year the series appeared on television and that next summer my parents took my brother and I to some kind of western-themed attraction. In the gift shop they were selling coonskin caps and while I begged and begged my mother for one (though I wisely knew when to take her "No!" seriously enough to avoid getting smacked for continuing to ask), she felt they were grossly overpriced and refused. I may have been scarred for life...I'll double check later and let you know.
Here's the TV series theme with the lyrics below the video.
Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone
What a do-er,
What a dream come-er true-er was he!
From the coonskin cap on the top of ol' Dan
To the heel of his rawhide shoe;
The rippin'est, roarin'est, fightin'est man
The frontier ever knew!
Daniel Boone was a man,
Yes, a big man!
With an eye like an eagle
And as tall as a mountain was he!
Daniel Boone was a man. Yes a big man.
And he fought for America to make all Americans free.
Daniel Boone was a do-er,
What a dream comer truer was he.
Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone
So, when I discovered that legend was buried right in Frankfort, KY where I'm working, I drove over to the cemetery this past Friday morning when we were off for the holiday and visited the grave site. The cemetery sits atop a hill and overlooks the Commonwealth of Kentucky's capitol building; a fitting view for the pioneer who blazed a trail through Kentucky for others to follow.
You can see all the photos over at my Flickr site.
Here's the TV series theme with the lyrics below the video.
Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone
What a do-er,
What a dream come-er true-er was he!
From the coonskin cap on the top of ol' Dan
To the heel of his rawhide shoe;
The rippin'est, roarin'est, fightin'est man
The frontier ever knew!
Daniel Boone was a man,
Yes, a big man!
With an eye like an eagle
And as tall as a mountain was he!
Daniel Boone was a man. Yes a big man.
And he fought for America to make all Americans free.
Daniel Boone was a do-er,
What a dream comer truer was he.
Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone
So, when I discovered that legend was buried right in Frankfort, KY where I'm working, I drove over to the cemetery this past Friday morning when we were off for the holiday and visited the grave site. The cemetery sits atop a hill and overlooks the Commonwealth of Kentucky's capitol building; a fitting view for the pioneer who blazed a trail through Kentucky for others to follow.
You can see all the photos over at my Flickr site.
Monday, July 6, 2009
"Thriller" In Lexington
Last Thursday night the Mecca Dance Studio, a 200-student dance school in Lexington, KY, performed their version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video in Cheapside Park near downtown Lexington as a tribute to the late artist. After getting off work, I drove downtown to see what I might see. I got to take a few dozen photos (though only a handful are viewer-worthy) which you can see by going to my Flickr site here.
I also had the opportunity to use my iPhone 3G S to take some video for the first time. I've embedded it below and I didn't think it was all that bad, but I DO wish the iPhone 3G S had some zoom capability. The paper mache Michael is kind of creepy, but the performance was good and everyone on "stage" obviously had a good time. As you can see, the crowd filled the park area.
I also had the opportunity to use my iPhone 3G S to take some video for the first time. I've embedded it below and I didn't think it was all that bad, but I DO wish the iPhone 3G S had some zoom capability. The paper mache Michael is kind of creepy, but the performance was good and everyone on "stage" obviously had a good time. As you can see, the crowd filled the park area.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
What Would Cheney Do?
This Bizarro comic was in yesterday's Lexington-Herald and I almost choked with laughter when I saw it while I was eating breakfast.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Best-selling Author Becomes KY State Employee
Most people think that being a best-selling author means you never have financial worries again. Unfortunately that is just not the case for most authors. Unless you're a big name or you have multiple best-selling books, you're going to find that the advance runs out and the royalties are not going to be enough to keep you financially afloat.
Such is the case with Will Lavender who, even though he has had a best-selling book, finds that he needs the financial security of a steady paycheck and so has joined the ranks of state employees here in Kentucky. It's one of those reasons I think I'll stick with seeking magazine, web and short story work instead of a full-blown novel. The work is more financially lucrative AND steady if you work it like a job. And it's not nearly as long between paydays like it can be with book writing
By the way, I truly hope Mr. Lavender captures the lightning in a bottle again with the book he is working on in his off hours. I'm not sure what his writing is like, but I know his attitude is one that I admire.
Such is the case with Will Lavender who, even though he has had a best-selling book, finds that he needs the financial security of a steady paycheck and so has joined the ranks of state employees here in Kentucky. It's one of those reasons I think I'll stick with seeking magazine, web and short story work instead of a full-blown novel. The work is more financially lucrative AND steady if you work it like a job. And it's not nearly as long between paydays like it can be with book writingBy the way, I truly hope Mr. Lavender captures the lightning in a bottle again with the book he is working on in his off hours. I'm not sure what his writing is like, but I know his attitude is one that I admire.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Back In The Bluegrass State
I arrived back in Kentucky late this afternoon. The last time I flew in to Lexington (in February) it was snowy, icy and cold. Today it was warm and rainy. Obviously my very presence has served to improve the weather conditions.
Tomorrow I begin 12 hour days, 6 days a week with a 45-minute drive to and from the office tacked on to that so posting may be sparse but I will try my best to have an entry up each day.
I'm thinking about getting the new iPhone that comes out Friday (32MB with video camera and all the usual cool Apple stuff and developer apps) and dumping my BlackBerry Curve. Any thoughts?
Tomorrow I begin 12 hour days, 6 days a week with a 45-minute drive to and from the office tacked on to that so posting may be sparse but I will try my best to have an entry up each day.
I'm thinking about getting the new iPhone that comes out Friday (32MB with video camera and all the usual cool Apple stuff and developer apps) and dumping my BlackBerry Curve. Any thoughts?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Unique Facebook
Yeah, I missed posting anything yesterday. Cindy and I were busy all day and completely worn out by last night. I'll post about our weekend together (with photos) plus the nightmare that was going on in the background later in the week because I don't have much time tonight either. I'm packing to fly to Lexington, KY tomorrow afternoon. I will be there for the foreseeable future.
But, I wanted to make sure everyone knew my Facebook personalized link http://www.facebook.com/thewordofjeff. Friend and follow me if you haven't already.
But, I wanted to make sure everyone knew my Facebook personalized link http://www.facebook.com/thewordofjeff. Friend and follow me if you haven't already.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Kentucky Horse Park Photos
I finally had a chance to get the photos uploaded to Flickr from my tour of the Kentucky Horse Park on Sunday, March 15, 2009.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wrapping Up Here In Kentucky
Today is my last full day in Kentucky. First thing this morning I'll drive to a meeting with a congressional staffer and the mayor of a city in that congressman's district. I won't get back to my office until sometime between 2 and 3pm. Then I will take care of several check-out procedures and processes, turn in my laptop, cellphone and printer, and hopefully get out of the office between 5 and 6pm.
Since my flight home leaves so early tomorrow morning, the rental car counter won't be open. Although I could drop the car and keys and let them send me the paperwork (which I've done before), I'm never comfortable with that. Instead, since I drive by the airport every day going to and from work, I'm going to drop the car off after work when the counter is still open and then have the hotel shuttle take me back to my temporary home on the road. I'll use the same hotel shuttle to leave for the airport Saturday morning at 4:45am.
Have I mentioned I'm NOT a morning person?
But, I always prefer to catch the earliest flight out, especially if there is a connecting flight to make, so that I don't get caught up in the typical late morning to late afternoon back up air traffic delays or weather issues. Although this Saturday morning the forecast is for severe thunderstorms when my flight is supposed to take off from Lexington for Atlanta. Figures, doesn't it? LOL
As always, or at least with as with most assignments, I have enjoyed my time, seen some new part of this great country of ours, learned some new things and made some new acquaintances in my professional life. All in all, it has been a great experience.
But now, I'm looking forward to seeing my wife, family and friends and celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary with a special surprise for Cindy.
Since my flight home leaves so early tomorrow morning, the rental car counter won't be open. Although I could drop the car and keys and let them send me the paperwork (which I've done before), I'm never comfortable with that. Instead, since I drive by the airport every day going to and from work, I'm going to drop the car off after work when the counter is still open and then have the hotel shuttle take me back to my temporary home on the road. I'll use the same hotel shuttle to leave for the airport Saturday morning at 4:45am.
Have I mentioned I'm NOT a morning person?
But, I always prefer to catch the earliest flight out, especially if there is a connecting flight to make, so that I don't get caught up in the typical late morning to late afternoon back up air traffic delays or weather issues. Although this Saturday morning the forecast is for severe thunderstorms when my flight is supposed to take off from Lexington for Atlanta. Figures, doesn't it? LOL
As always, or at least with as with most assignments, I have enjoyed my time, seen some new part of this great country of ours, learned some new things and made some new acquaintances in my professional life. All in all, it has been a great experience.
But now, I'm looking forward to seeing my wife, family and friends and celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary with a special surprise for Cindy.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Welcome Spring!
Today is the first day of Spring, though you'd never guess it by the 30 degree temperature here. Here's a photo I took that hopefully will make it FEEL like Spring.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Delayed Gratification
I hadn't shared this with you yet, but I was supposed to go home this Saturday. It looked like things had slowed down enough that my boss here could handle things on his own, so he and the main office had told me I would be returning home on the 21st. I began to get into that frame of mind I always inhabit when I'm close to going home; excited to see my wife, family and friends, looking forward to relaxing some after the long hours and full weeks that are usually part and parcel of deployments, and anticipating a bit more free time to write.
Cindy complains that, from the moment I am called to prepare to go out on an assignment, my mind leaves home before my body. She is absolutely right, but the reverse is true as well. Once I know a "demobilization" date, my mind is back home before my body.
So, thinking I was going home this Saturday I braved the cold and rain this past Sunday morning to go out to The Kentucky Horse Park to take photos of horses because I thought it would be my last chance to do so and it just seemed almost sacrilegious to leave Kentucky without taking photographs of some of the marvelous equine creatures that this state is known for across the globe. As miserable as the weather was, when I was done I felt good because I had been able to do it on what I thought was my last day off while here in the Bluegrass State. I took about 500 shots and have not had time to go through them and pull the best to post on Flickr, but as soon as I do I'll post the link. Here's one I really liked.
Anyway, I did that Sunday morning for several hours and then Sunday afternoon and Monday when I got off work I began packing what I could in the suitcase and preparing a box of things to mail home. My mind was in the "I'm flying home Saturday" mode.
Tuesday morning my boss said, "Let me ask you something" and I knew before he went any further what the "something" would be, just not for how long. Anyway, he asked if I would be able to remain an additional week.
Of course being a decisive, decision-making man I replied, "Let me see if my wife will kill me or not."
She swore she wouldn't, so I'm here until March 28th. It actually works out better on a lot of different fronts, one of which is that now I will get to do a Photowalk early this Sunday morning in downtown Lexington and the weather forecast is beautiful. I have a tradition of taking an early Sunday morning Photowalk of cities in the area where I am deployed. It's a good time because of the early morning light and generally the downtown streets are empty since it's early on a Sunday morning. My schedule since arriving here has been such that this past Sunday was my last chance and I opted for the horse photos. Now I get to do the downtown Photowalk, so that gladdens my creative heart, even if it slightly saddens my loving heart.
My homecoming gratification has been delayed, but that will make it all the more sweeter.
Cindy complains that, from the moment I am called to prepare to go out on an assignment, my mind leaves home before my body. She is absolutely right, but the reverse is true as well. Once I know a "demobilization" date, my mind is back home before my body.
So, thinking I was going home this Saturday I braved the cold and rain this past Sunday morning to go out to The Kentucky Horse Park to take photos of horses because I thought it would be my last chance to do so and it just seemed almost sacrilegious to leave Kentucky without taking photographs of some of the marvelous equine creatures that this state is known for across the globe. As miserable as the weather was, when I was done I felt good because I had been able to do it on what I thought was my last day off while here in the Bluegrass State. I took about 500 shots and have not had time to go through them and pull the best to post on Flickr, but as soon as I do I'll post the link. Here's one I really liked.
Anyway, I did that Sunday morning for several hours and then Sunday afternoon and Monday when I got off work I began packing what I could in the suitcase and preparing a box of things to mail home. My mind was in the "I'm flying home Saturday" mode.
Tuesday morning my boss said, "Let me ask you something" and I knew before he went any further what the "something" would be, just not for how long. Anyway, he asked if I would be able to remain an additional week.
Of course being a decisive, decision-making man I replied, "Let me see if my wife will kill me or not."
She swore she wouldn't, so I'm here until March 28th. It actually works out better on a lot of different fronts, one of which is that now I will get to do a Photowalk early this Sunday morning in downtown Lexington and the weather forecast is beautiful. I have a tradition of taking an early Sunday morning Photowalk of cities in the area where I am deployed. It's a good time because of the early morning light and generally the downtown streets are empty since it's early on a Sunday morning. My schedule since arriving here has been such that this past Sunday was my last chance and I opted for the horse photos. Now I get to do the downtown Photowalk, so that gladdens my creative heart, even if it slightly saddens my loving heart.
My homecoming gratification has been delayed, but that will make it all the more sweeter.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Famous People From Kentucky
There are a LOT of famous people who were born in Kentucky. Here are just a few.
Abraham Lincoln - The 16th U.S. President was born in Hodgenville in 1809. I visited his birthplace a few weeks back.
Kit Carson - American Frontiersman was born on Christmas Eve 1809 in Madison City.
Carrie Amelia Nation - Temperance Leader was born in Garrard County in 1846.
Muhammad Ali - The "Greatest of ALL time" was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.in Louisville in 1942.
Jefferson Davis - President of the Confederate States of America was born in Fairview in 1808.
Patricia Neal - Actress of stage and screen was born in Packard in 1926.
George Clooney - TV and Movie star, as well as world philanthropist, was born in Lexington in 1961.
Robert Penn Warren - Author and poet was born in Guthrie in 1905.
Crystal Gayle - Grammy Award-winning singer was born in Paintsville in 1951.
Loretta Lynn - Singer and older sister of Crystal Gayle was born in Butcher's Hollow
Diane Sawyer - Broadcast journalist and co-host of Good Morning America was born in Glasgow in 1945.
Hunter Thompson - Journalist and author was born in Louisville in 1937.
There are many, many more that you can find here, here and here.
Abraham Lincoln - The 16th U.S. President was born in Hodgenville in 1809. I visited his birthplace a few weeks back.Kit Carson - American Frontiersman was born on Christmas Eve 1809 in Madison City.
Carrie Amelia Nation - Temperance Leader was born in Garrard County in 1846.
Muhammad Ali - The "Greatest of ALL time" was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.in Louisville in 1942.Jefferson Davis - President of the Confederate States of America was born in Fairview in 1808.
Patricia Neal - Actress of stage and screen was born in Packard in 1926.
George Clooney - TV and Movie star, as well as world philanthropist, was born in Lexington in 1961.Robert Penn Warren - Author and poet was born in Guthrie in 1905.
Crystal Gayle - Grammy Award-winning singer was born in Paintsville in 1951.Loretta Lynn - Singer and older sister of Crystal Gayle was born in Butcher's Hollow
Diane Sawyer - Broadcast journalist and co-host of Good Morning America was born in Glasgow in 1945.
Hunter Thompson - Journalist and author was born in Louisville in 1937.There are many, many more that you can find here, here and here.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Louisville Firefighter Training Photos
Friday I went to an event in Louisville, KY at their Firefighting Training Academy and was able to take these photos.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Genuflecting With Purell
Different respiratory ailments continue to rage through our office. Stuffy noses, coughing, sneezing and body aches are the norm for most of the staff. In spite of spending every day genuflecting with Purell (I keep a bottle like the one seen here in my pocket and use it liberally), taking my vitamins and eating well, I felt the onset of chest congestion this past Saturday night. Sunday I awoke with a runny nose and the joy of coughing. So far the OTC medication I bought is holding its own; I've not gotten worse but I've not gotten better either. Our office is like an illness incubator.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Winter Waterfalls
Here in Central Kentucky there are quite a few of the roads that were cut right through small mountains of rock, like you see in the photo below. These are not tunnels through the mountain, but more like they were just sliced through the entire mass of rock.
As a result, you can see some very beautiful designs in the rock, both in color and arrangement, that can be downright distracting to a Floridian like myself who is not used to such a thing.
However, even more mesmerizing to see are the frozen waterfalls that form in the cold temperatures on the exposed rock facings up here when rain falls or snow melts.
Even more interesting is the fact that these frozen pieces of nature's art are not formed by water running off the top of the rock, but from water seeping through the cracks of the rock strata itself.
They are really quite beautiful to see as you're driving along the roads that cut through these small mountains of natural formed rock.
I just wanted to try and share these gorgeous winter waterfalls with you. I hope you enjoy.
As a result, you can see some very beautiful designs in the rock, both in color and arrangement, that can be downright distracting to a Floridian like myself who is not used to such a thing.
However, even more mesmerizing to see are the frozen waterfalls that form in the cold temperatures on the exposed rock facings up here when rain falls or snow melts.
Even more interesting is the fact that these frozen pieces of nature's art are not formed by water running off the top of the rock, but from water seeping through the cracks of the rock strata itself.
They are really quite beautiful to see as you're driving along the roads that cut through these small mountains of natural formed rock.
I just wanted to try and share these gorgeous winter waterfalls with you. I hope you enjoy.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Death Of A Hard Drive
Tuesday morning the hard drive on my work laptop bit the dust. I tried to boot up and it kept stalling during the VPN connection process. I tried 3 separate times to re-boot (with the same hanging up results) before calling over IT. They worked on it for a while and eventually declared the hard drive to be "non-responsive" and let me know I'd have to turn that one in and go get a new one issued to me. I was asked if I had much data on that one that I would need.
Fortunately, I back up my work on my own personal flash drive and on the network common drive. Except for one thing.
"Can you try and salvage my .pst file? I have work-related e-mail that I really, really would rather not lose."
"We'll try, but it doesn't look hopeful."
It was better than "No way, Jose!", especially since my name is not Jose.
So, I was 2 hours late just getting started working that morning, by the time they decided "it was dead, Jim" (again, NOT my name but you know how IT people are) and I got my new (new to me) laptop. The .pst file was a different matter. It was another 6 hours (4pm) before the tech returned, but they were successful in retrieving my .pst file. After a short import function, all my e-mail files were sitting back in my respective mailbox folders and I was a smiling drone.
Now I'm wondering if I should get in the habit of backing up my .pst file to my flash drive every evening before shutting down.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
This & That
Here's a lot of little things that aren't lengthy enough to warrant their own blog post.
There is a guy up here who does a syndicated traffic report for several of the radio stations and his voice sounds just like Zephyr, a friend of Cindy's and mine in Orlando. Zephyr has a pretty distinctive voice and I wouldn't characterize it as a "radio voice", but this guy sounds just like him in tone, timbre and enunciation. It certainly "woke me up" the first morning I was driving to the office and heard him do the traffic.
I was driving down to Somerset, Kentucky last week for a meeting and I noticed that the closer I got to Nashville (which is only 170 miles from Somerset) the more the radio dial filled up with country music stations. I was so glad I had brought my mp3 player with me. Fair warning.
The Watchmen movie opens this Friday night. I've already got my ticket from Fandango for the 7pm showing, which I SHOULD be able to JUST make after getting off work. It lasts almost 3 hours, so I didn't want to try to go to the later show and be getting back to the hotel at 2am when I have to be back at work at 8am Saturday morning.
Monday I ate lunch at a place I had never tried before called Qdoba Mexican Grill. I ordered the chicken grilled Quesadilla which was 3 times the cost of a Taco Bell chicken Quesadilla but at least 10 times better. Thicker, with more chicken, cheese and fresh pico de gallo. It was delicious and filling! Do they have these in Florida? I can't remember seeing one.
And here's a couple of things that I found I had written in my old mini-composition book when I cleaned it out Monday evening to begin using my new moleskine notebook:
Competing Hotel Commercials
I was sitting in the lobby of the Comfort Inn Suites in Cedar Falls, IA on a Sunday afternoon while housekeeping was cleaning my room. I was reading and occasionally looking up at the TV as "Kill Bill 2" was being aired. Twice there were commercials for other hotel chains; once for Best Western and once for Hampton Inns. I wondered if hotels ever think of trying to find a way to block other chain's commercials to guests while they're staying in their hotel? On the other hand, unless someone is already unhappy with their current lodging, does anyone really see a commercial for a competing hotel and say, "Damn, I'm packing up and moving over there"?
A Child's Smile
I walked into the men's room the other day in a restaurant. There was a dad with his toddler son and the son was just finishing up a man's "business" and obviously pleased with himself. As I walked in and he saw me he smiled the biggest smile of happiness. I smiled back, smiled at his dad and then thought about how there is something so pure and unpretentious in a child's smile. No agenda, no ulterior motive, no making a mask of the smile to hide anything behind it...just an honest expression of happiness. It's a shame we lose that as we get older.
There is a guy up here who does a syndicated traffic report for several of the radio stations and his voice sounds just like Zephyr, a friend of Cindy's and mine in Orlando. Zephyr has a pretty distinctive voice and I wouldn't characterize it as a "radio voice", but this guy sounds just like him in tone, timbre and enunciation. It certainly "woke me up" the first morning I was driving to the office and heard him do the traffic.
I was driving down to Somerset, Kentucky last week for a meeting and I noticed that the closer I got to Nashville (which is only 170 miles from Somerset) the more the radio dial filled up with country music stations. I was so glad I had brought my mp3 player with me. Fair warning.
The Watchmen movie opens this Friday night. I've already got my ticket from Fandango for the 7pm showing, which I SHOULD be able to JUST make after getting off work. It lasts almost 3 hours, so I didn't want to try to go to the later show and be getting back to the hotel at 2am when I have to be back at work at 8am Saturday morning.
Monday I ate lunch at a place I had never tried before called Qdoba Mexican Grill. I ordered the chicken grilled Quesadilla which was 3 times the cost of a Taco Bell chicken Quesadilla but at least 10 times better. Thicker, with more chicken, cheese and fresh pico de gallo. It was delicious and filling! Do they have these in Florida? I can't remember seeing one.
And here's a couple of things that I found I had written in my old mini-composition book when I cleaned it out Monday evening to begin using my new moleskine notebook:
Competing Hotel Commercials
I was sitting in the lobby of the Comfort Inn Suites in Cedar Falls, IA on a Sunday afternoon while housekeeping was cleaning my room. I was reading and occasionally looking up at the TV as "Kill Bill 2" was being aired. Twice there were commercials for other hotel chains; once for Best Western and once for Hampton Inns. I wondered if hotels ever think of trying to find a way to block other chain's commercials to guests while they're staying in their hotel? On the other hand, unless someone is already unhappy with their current lodging, does anyone really see a commercial for a competing hotel and say, "Damn, I'm packing up and moving over there"?
A Child's Smile
I walked into the men's room the other day in a restaurant. There was a dad with his toddler son and the son was just finishing up a man's "business" and obviously pleased with himself. As I walked in and he saw me he smiled the biggest smile of happiness. I smiled back, smiled at his dad and then thought about how there is something so pure and unpretentious in a child's smile. No agenda, no ulterior motive, no making a mask of the smile to hide anything behind it...just an honest expression of happiness. It's a shame we lose that as we get older.
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