The X-37B is a mysterious secret US space ship. Very little is know about it or its missions, other then the fact that the Air Force and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) are both listed as the responsible organization for it. Here are a few articles regarding it:
My wife called me Friday morning in distress with a failing car. I went to get her and for sure, her reliable 1998 Chevy Cavalier (ours was blue) had finally died. “Zippy” had served us well for about three years without a problem. We purchased it used for my wife right after she got her drivers licence. The thought was that she should drive a bit of a clunker during her first year on the road, figuring she was bound to get a few dents it in. Needless to say, we kept it longer then expected, and as I side note, she didn’t get it dented up to her credit. She’s turned out to be an excellent driver.
So now we ended up with a great lease on a 2010 Dodge Journey (ours is black). We pick it up tonight from the dealership. We’re both excited. It’s quite a comfortable ride.
I used to play drums when I was a kid. I started at age 7 and took lessons for about 10 years. I took a few years off, and then I taught drums for 2 or 3 years. I was good. Actually, I can safely say, i was very good. I haven’t played since my 20’s, but I still appreciate great drumming. Check out Neil Pert (of Rush) playing at the Buddy Rich tribute.
I’ve just turned 40. It’s a big milestone and has given me pause to reflect on my life. They say a good life consists of more good days then bad ones. If that is the case, then I’d say I’m ahead of the game. Life is a linear time line; and a person is the sum of experiences that occur to him or her during that time. Our personalities are formed by both the good things and the bad things that occur to us over the course of our lives. Some things have a more profound effect then others, and some of the bad things later on can prove to be our greatest growing experiences. It is at those times when we are tested, that we prove to ourselves what we are capable of overcoming and which makes us stronger.
Over the course of my life I’ve had three notable long term relationships from which I have learned a lot about myself. I’ve come to the realization that I am stubborn, but will also accept that while initially it seems like a bad trait, it has had some beneficial side effects.
My 20’s
I’ve always had the belief that there is a difficult period that occurs sometime during ones early to mid 20’s in which a person grows and defines themselves as a person. Puberty is easy to spot because of the outward physical changes that a person goes through; this however is more of an internal growth where we define what our values will be.
I met a girl. My early 20’s also marked the first time I was ever in love. First love is great because you go into it completely unprotected. You leave yourself wide open to the possibilities of Love and it feels incredible. A few years later I got dumped by the girl. First love also sucks because you went into it completely unprotected and had no idea that as good as love feels, it can feel just as bad. Never again in your life will you be that open with your feelings. That’s not to say that you can’t fall in love again, just that you will be more cautious about it.
My early to mid 20’s were also spent working, not making very much, going to school, and growing up. I was thrilled by the idea that I was becoming an adult. I got my own place, started working in a career, and well .. I was pretty damn impressed with myself. Growing up was new to me and I prattled on endlessly about it. I really identified with a song by Rush called “New World Man“. The chorus wend like this:
“He’s got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He’s old enough to know what’s right
But young enough not to choose it
He’s noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it
He’s a New World Man…”
That’s right. I was young and I was going to take the world by storm. I knew that I had things to learn, but I held my head up and was prepared to charge straight ahead. I admit I may have been a little self absorbed. I think it goes with the age. Occasionally I hear 20-somethings (about a year after college graduation) talking about all the new and wondrous lives and plans they have, I am reminded of myself at that age. It’s a little embarrassing, but I guess we all do it.
I met another girl. By my late 20’s the stark realization set in that I’d have to work for the next 35 - 38 years. My apartment, well, I’d have to clean that and do my own lanudry for the rest of my life. If things got tight, I’d have to figure it out on my own. I worked lots of hours trying to establish myself in my career. Just a few years earlier I didn’t mind it because It was new to me, but now I really wanted to start having this life I’d always dreamed about. I turned 30.
Turning 30 didn’t phase me. I worked, I was in a relationship, and I was getting my life together. Tuning 32 bothered me. I don’t know why but that’s the age that bothered me. At 30 I felt like I could still go to bars and hang like I did in my 20’s. By 32 however, I started realizing that I was one of the older people at these bars. Was I one of those pathetic guys that was still trying to hold on? I saw my carefree youth slipping away. I looked at myself as being more established in my career I had more responsibilities because I owned a home and was in a long term relationship that was surely leading to marriage. I was living with a girl that was much younger then me, and she was just starting to party, while I was starting to wind it down. Perhaps being 32 and living with a girl that was 23 only punctuated the point that I was beginning to loose my youth. By 33, the girl and I broke up. It could have been for any number of reasons, but one of the huge factors were that we were just in two different places in our lives. Though we were together a lot longer then my first love and I, I handled this breakup better. It was still painful, but I knew that I’d get over it, so it didn’t seem as bad. The first time I wasn’t sure that I’d ever get over it, so it seemed worse. It’s true what they say, time heals all wounds. I’m convinced that so many young people kill themselves, because they don’t realize this yet. Unfortunately, its not one of those things you can just tell people and they’ll take your word for it. It’s one of those lessons in life that you just have to experience and go through yourself.
The rest of my 30’s were great. I was established in my career, started to make a decent living, was able to afford better vacations, was dating a lot, had cooler material things, and I just wasn’t struggling like I was in my 20’s. Physically I felt great.
I met another girl. I fell in love again. I got married. my career continued, I still had fun, even more after I got married. Marriage wasn’t the end of life I thought it would be. I continued my education, and I no longer worried about my career in terms of getting it off the ground.
I turned 40.
I’m still married. I still love it. I’m getting ready to finish graduate school and planning on going for another graduate degree. We’re looking to start a family. My 20’s were great, but my 30’s were even better. I’m hoping my 40’s are better still. I’m sure they will bring new challenges; I look forward to meeting them head on. I’ll keep writing my thoughts here as I proceed through life.
I’ve been reading A Jim Butcher book called “Turn Coat“, It’s good. I’ve recently been turned on to his series of books called the “The Dresden Files“, about a Wizard PI in Chiago; and though I’ve been reading them out of order, I’ve been enjoying the journey into the fantastic. I generally don’t go for books that fall under the fantasy catagory, but I think that these are exceptionally fun.
Last evening we fired up the ol’ grill for the first time this season. I made some chicken cutlets seasoned with a nice BBQ Rub. It’s not an easy adjustment going from the stove top to the grill. I think I left the chicken on two or three minutes to long, it was just slightly dry. I consider this sort of a practice run for the rest of the summer. No matter, it felt really good to cookin’ on the Grill again.
Tomorrow night .. traditional grill fare, cheese burgers.
Someone said the word “dynomite” today and it immediatly brought to mind JJ Evans:
From the Hit TV show “Good Times” which aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, It was one of my favorite TV shows while growing up in the 1970’s. I think the show was popular because of its reflection on society. It delt with poverty, failing businesses, unemployment and the effectes it had on normal families. As a child I liked it because of the characters, but as an adult I see it as a timewarp back to the 1970’s. I think of the 1970’s as one of the craziest decades I’ve lived through. Check out some of the pictures: here.
Like most Long Island men, I take my grill seriously. A sure sign that Summer is here is the smell of food being grilled all across Long Island. Though some folks have been grilling for a few weeks already, I just broke mine out to clean yesterday. We’ve had some terrific weather recently so in preparation for summer, I uncloaked the ol’ grill and scrubbed it down in anticipation of lots of yummy culinary treats. I’m thinking that tomorrow night will be the inaugural feast.
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