Change the Pace to Stop

I've been moving for the last three days. Maybe I should rephrase that. I've been moving to a new address for the last three days. Moving is a very general term and I didn't wan't anyone to think that I've just simply been moving, as if moving for me is an unusual performance. However it would explain the punctuality of my posts.

Aside from all the other laborious activities that go into moving, one thing I've been doing is lifting heavy boxes. I'm not complaining, I could've moved each thing one at a time and not have to worry about heavy items. What I've noticed though is the slightly increased mass to my muscles. I'm am not a big man, nor a muscular one. Keeping these two facts in mind, they are unbelievable considering how much crap I eat, and how little I exercise, (though I assure you I do move). I know to get bigger muscles one must work out for a few weeks and then see results, but for me, results seem to take only hours. I would think it would be my imagination if my fiance did not agree with me, but she sees it too as I lift her above my head, as if I were performing for the WWE or WWF or whatever the hell it is called now. Or did it ever change names? This is how little I care about such things.

It is times like this that make me realize how lucky I am to have such a potentially athletic body. And I think perhaps maybe I'll begin to work out, so my brothers don't look at me in disgust anymore while I eat a bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup seductively drizzled over the top of each mounding scoop. Then I think that I don't really want to sign up for a gym membership, or buy weights as they aren't convenient for my new address. Oh, I almost forgot, I'm also kind of lazy. I have that working against me as well.

Gloves for Feet, Socks for Hands

So apparently the Icelandic People have managed to royally piss off some volcano God and He's laying punishment down in the form of spewing ash and fire. That is if you believe that sort of thing. You could go with the "scientific" theory on tectonic plates, but let's face it, that belief has far too much evidence going for it.

Anyhow a volcano is erupting. The ash is spreading over most of Europe, thereby canceling tens of thousands of flights. Obviously this is a bit more than a minor inconvenience for a lot of people. Pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, airport personnel, and passengers are all being affected. And somewhere in the mix, people, mostly the airlines, are pissed at the ones who've decided it's too dangerous to fly.

It is situations like this where I think no one can be happy. So flights are canceled and people are pissed. That's what happens when flights are canceled. However, usually when a flight is canceled, it's because those who canceled the flight are concerned for the safety of the people on board. Let's say the flight restrictions hadn't occurred after the volcano erupted. So planes fly freely, one has mechanical issues and has to land. It's blamed on the ash, so restrictions are enforced. Let's say instead of a mechanical issue, a plane crashes due to the ash. Now lives have been lost, restrictions are made, fingers are pointed and someone gets fired.

So for the people who are upset with these delays, would you rather be delayed for slightly longer and know your plane is fine when it flies, or not be delayed, or delayed briefly, and have a risk of your plane crashing?

I've taken off in the middle of a typhoon before. Although it was quite the hair raising experience, I had full confidence that those who made the decisions, including the pilots, knew exactly what they were doing. And here I am writing this blog.

So let's think for a minute. People who are deciding that planes can't fly over Europe right now should agree that the conditions to fly are more dangerous than flying in a hurricane or typhoon. Is it really worth the risk? Can't that tedious business meeting wait, or wouldn't you rather wait a few more days to see your family than die and never see them again? So to the people who are griping about the travel restrictions; shut up. They're thinking about your lives and your safety and doing the best they can to keep your health status in its current condition.

Shea Butter is Good on Toast

For those of you who know I have a wedding coming up, the planning is coming along nicely and a glue stick has been purchased. For reasons I wont go into, I had to buy a glue stick. First I was astounded at the lack of options I had to buy just one glue stick. Everything comes in three, five or forty packs now. I also had to decide between brands. For myself, I'm a brand guy. I'm going to buy Heinz ketchup and not the generic. I prefer Oroweat over Franz and Kitchen Aid over Whirlpool or Sunbeam. Is there a difference between each of these? In some cases, probably not, in others, most likely, yes.

Anyhow, back to the glue sticks. I remember as a child using elmers. I don't know why it was always elmers. I think I remember seeing on the "items for school" list the district mailed out every year "Elmers Glue." It was interesting how they used the brand. Like the public education system had some sort of secret contract with elmers glue. So I look at each of the packs of glue and see what they have to say for themselves. The Avery brand said it was "acid free". As I don't recall any horrific acid incidents ever occurring to anyone from a glue stick, I think that one is bogus. The Scotch brand said it wouldn't wrinkle paper. As it was paper I needed to glue, that was relevant. I also recall using glue sticks in the past and the paper would wrinkle up on me. I never appreciated that. Congratulations Scotch, you just won a sale. I also prefer your tape. Hopefully your reputation in putting things back together in my life will stay strong, just like your tape. Zing!

That "acid free" thing on the Avery glue kind of stuck with me, though. I wonder if it has any credit to saying that, or if it's just some fancy term most people will be sold on. I wonder if I could create a product and put fancy terms on it to sell to people. I could make a counter top cleaner that says "Lead Free" or a Shampoo that says "Contains Dry Fast ingredients!"

I heard a study this past week that says eating cheese a half hour before bed time will increase your chances of having more lucid dreams. I tried this out. Cheddar cheese definitely made me dream more and remember them more easily, nothing of note of what happened in the dreams. Parmesan cheese was different. It was a disturbing dream, one that I hope won't occur again. So if you want to dream tonight, at least 2/3 of an ounce of cheese 30 minutes before bed time should do the trick.