Football Playoff Special Edition - Go Sports Team!

 

Dad didn't talk much about his service, but I remember his saying he'd finished first in his class in Engineer School in Eta Jima, Japan. 

NFL Prognostication

Going into today’s game, the L.A. Rams are 13-5. If they beat the Tampa Bay Bucs, they’ll be in the conference final. Matthew Stafford is finally getting the season he’s waited for. On the other hand, never bet against Tom Brady, no matter how old he gets. My prediction: The Rams' Aaron Donald  sacks Tom Brady with a clean hit, Brady is injured, and Matthew Stafford is traded to the Bucs at halftime, leading them to a win and an eventual Super Bowl title, while Aaron Donald and the rest of the Rams wonder what the heck just happened.

Fun Stuff

Atlas Obscura has a fun website that celebrates unique and unusual locations all over the globe. Here’s their list of such sites in Michigan. Time for a road trip! 

My dad had a Smothers Brothers album with this song on it, which I thought was hilarious. The lead-up to the song is brilliant. Interestingly, it looks to me like Shel Silverstein wrote it, but it's hard to tell for sure.

Porch Sittin'

1976, on the porch at S. Grinnell St.

At the time this picture was taken, it’s unlikely my brother had ever played soccer (no kids in Jackson really did back then), and I had not seen the 1976 Dino De Laurentis remake of “King Kong”. I still haven’t seen it. I think it was about a large ape who sets out from his homeland, seeking adventure with his tiny human wife while he pursues a career in New York City real estate.

This picture was created by taking a photo of a negative and using Photoshop to, er, un-negative the image into what's above. There was some damage to the negative which is visible on my forehead. My very crude setup for taking pictures of negatives was OK for a few frames, but it was slow. If I were to want to scan a lot of negatives, I'd buy a device like this instead of doing it with a camera.

After taking the photo of the negative (resting on a piece of glass with a desk lamp behind it), and cropping it. 

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Whiffling

 

I didn't know geese could do this until I read this article about the picture shown above. 

Yes, the goose is flying upside down. 

"Preventative" Shouldn't Be A Word

Technically, "preventative" is a word. It's in the dictionary, and spell checkers allow it. A number of word experts consider it a less-desirable form of "preventive", which is the word you should always use. "Preventive" is more precise and it follows patterns from other similar words. 

For example, when someone does something clever or comes up with a new product idea, do you refer to them as inventative? 

We don't use a carrot as an incentative, do we? 

If we are unsure of whether to proceed, do we consider ourselves tentatative? 

No, no, and no. 

I hope you found my thoughts on this topic positative and constructative.

 

Fun Video Conference Backgrounds

Identical Teammates 

At work, we use Microsoft Teams for our video conference calls. Calls on Teams are similar to Zoom. One feature of Teams and Zoom is the ability to insert your own background, so it looks as if you're in a different building, or on a tropical island, or somewhere else.

I took three pictures of myself in different shirts and positions in my basement, and combined them into one image where the three of "me" are either getting things done or taking a break.

These guys work pretty well together...

February Jackson Visit!

A belated Christmas gathering for some of us took place in Jackson on February 17. A good time was had by all, helped along by fun hats and organ pipes.

Four birthdays were celebrated, and the years for all four birthdays
are correctly noted in the candle configuration. Candle design by J.

I call this one "The Saddest Patriot"

Happy patriots!

When you're at mom and dad's house, you're never more
than a foot or two away from someone with musical talent.

Hi mom!

John reflects on things while listening to the flute music.

Mary says "OK, one shot, but no more."

Fall 2017: M's World

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As you all know by now, M was the Drum Major for the marching band this year. He only had three home games to work with, and they took place within a two-week span of time, so it was here and gone in no time.

There are dozens of good pictures of just M marching (I took roughly 1000) but here are some of my favorites.

M does the traditional Drum Major back bend at the
pregame show for the September 15 game.

Leading the march to the stadium for the September 15 game.
They call this procession "Stadium Drive"

M stands in front of the band after his backbend.

M conducts the band during halftime of the September
15 game. The band is scrunched into an oval shape, 
known as the "Cake" formation. Picture by Thomas Nam.

The band under the lights. M is conducting but is hard to see.

The Marching Band on September 23, leading the Homecoming Parade.
It was so hot, the band didn't wear their uniforms.

M helps lead the band during rehearsal. The
person on the ladder behind him is the band director.

M goes through the routine to start the halftime show
at the September 28 game.

On his way out Homecoming evening. Instead of going
to the dance, he went out on the town with a friend.

Tennis Match

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Here are some pictures from a recent JV tennis match. K and his partner fought the other team down to the wire, but lost the tiebreaker after each team won a set.

Fourth of July Parade

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Ann Arbor's Fourth of July Parade

I don't remember the LGBT community kicking off the
parade when I was younger - things are changing...

Bagpipes!

US Representative Debbie Dingell wears heels when she walks in
the parade. She doesn't mess around.

These two guys played some sax music for the crowd.
We were not sure whether they were actually supposed to be part of the parade...

It's not Chinese New Year, but I can't think of a
reason to not have a dragon.

This is the Backyard Brains group (motto: "Neuroscience for Everyone").
It is at least for everyone who has a crazy hat. 

The little girls in the matching dresses are cheering
because this is the only high school music group in the
parade - the Huron High School Drum Line.

The Synchronized Lawn Mower Team

A few of the members of the Pioneer High School robotics
team show off one of their creations.

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JHS 30th Anniversary Reunion

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Old friends Margaret Medina Clark, me, and Gary Lykins. If you see Gary or me, ask us about the $10 bet.

Even though I'm not nearly old enough to be 30 years removed from high school, I attended my recent class reunion in Jackson. About 100 alumni gathered at Grand River Brewery, where we squinted at each other, trying to make out faces, and took quick glances at nametags to help dust off our memories. Some people looked exactly like they did in high school, some had less (or grayer) hair, but most of us looked similar enough to our senior pictures that it only took a second or two to remember each other.


Left to right: Rob W., a first-grade classmate, me, Mary C., who was in one of my preschool classes, and Denise B., one of my best high school/college friends. Lots of history!

As Grand River Brewery was closing for the night, many of us went east to Hard Knock Grill, where the band Smoke and Mirrors was playing. One of Smoke and Mirrors' guitarists is a fellow '86er. Great music!

The night before the reunion, JHS had a football game at home, and I drove down for mini pre-reunion reunion. After the game, we went to The Hunt Club to catch up a little more and renew some old friendships.

Dennis, Laura, me, Scott, and part of Jeff at the pre-reunion Jackson High football game.

It was fun to catch up with people I hadn't seen in so many years.

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Over the course of a few weekends, I slowly cleaned and reorganized the workshop area in the basement. Here's a panoramic picture of it, which makes it look really big.

It's clean - now I have to do something with all those flat surfaces...

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Pictures from Frankfort 2016

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Happy Birthday, K!
Before we get to the pictures, let's wish K a happy birthday! Around 6:00 am, I went to get some birthday donuts, and as I was returning home, I saw a beautiful rainbow. What a start to K's 15th year on the planet!


A rainbow especially for K.

Frankfort 2016
This year, Frankfort looked remarkably like last year. We did get some new pictures though.


El Berto's, a Mexican restaurant in Elberta, was a new stop for us (and one we'll return to).


I tried paddleboarding a few years ago and had problems staying upright. This year, with calmer and shallower water, I was able to get around like a teenager.


The Point Betsie Lighthouse. We've talked about going there for years, and finally went.


The current light assembly at the Point Betsie Lighthouse. The casing reflects light very efficiently. The lightbulb it uses is about the same as a household lightbulb.


This is the glass case that housed the previous light at the lighthouse, and is shown in the museum in the lighthouse's main building.


This is the foghorn building at the Point Betsie Lighthouse location. The foghorn is steam-powered.


M and K show their effortless paddleboard skills.


M gives K a ride on the paddleboard.


I snorkled around and found a bunch of flat rocks, which I built into this tower. For a few moments, I was the skyscraper mogul of the beach.


The first day we were there, it was windy, and that brought out the parachute boards. The parachutes in the air are pulling people through the water.


M goes to great lengths and mild heights to capture his subjects.


We had a nice full moon one night. M got a great picture of its reflection to counter all the attention we give to sunsets.


A panoramic view of the water from an outlook in Elberta. Click on it to see a bigger version. Picture by M.


The Frankfort lighthouse and pier. Picture by M.


The walkway down the beach and to the pier. It's oddly absent of people. Picture by M.

Obligatory Sunset Pictures
You knew they were coming. Here they are.









Here's a sunset picture from the balcony of the condo we stayed in.


Picture by M.


Picture by M.


M got several beautiful shots of a lit Frankfort lighthouse.

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