doorgunnerjgs's Blog - 2old2play

Moon/Venus/Jupiter

Monday evening, December 1, the sky will present everyone with a spectacular conjunction (
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20081128/sc_space/spectacularskyscenemondayevening) of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter. No telescope needed but binoculars will make it even more impressive. The three objects will appear extremely close together shortly after sunset but in reality they are very far apart in space. The moon will only be just over 251,000 miles away while Venus will be a little over 93 MILLION miles away, and Jupiter, almost on the other side of the sun from us, will be 540.3 million miles away. The best to observe this about 1/4 to 1/2 an hour after sunset. They will remain visible until they set, Venus and Jupiter around 7:40pm local time and the Moon around 8:00. The later you look, of course, the lower in the sky they will be. The most beautiful time is shortly after sunset when the sky still retains a little blue color from the light of the Sun below the horizon.

Happy viewing!

[1 Comments]

Talk About Tailored Ads!

I just noticed something interesting about the ability of ads to match the content of a page. I was reviewing my blogs on Astronomy to determine what I should start working on for my next endeavor. I was surprised when the ad banner at the top of the page showed the following!

Meade LX 200 Telescope
Premier Meade Telescope Dealer Fast Shipping. Helpful Service.
www.astronomics.com

Orion Telescopes
Factory-direct prices and same-day shipping on scopes and accessories!
www.Telescope.com/Orion

Vixen Telescope Sale
Vixen Refractors, equatorial mounts Large Vixen Selection, Low Prices!
www.optcorp.com/Vixen-Products

Talk about targeted marketing! Not only that, but my first telescope was purchased from Astronomics, I have an Orion telescope that I got directly from Orion (telescope.com), and my favorite dealer is optcorp (Oceanside Photo and Telescope)!

[2 Comments]

Astronomical Observing 101 (or before) Part 4

Well, it's been a while (like almost a month), but then again, no one has complained. So here we go with telescopes. Although the tube (actual telescope), is very important, the mount is equally important. They fall into two basic categories, altazimuth and equatorial.

Altazimuth allow changes in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (around and around) similar to a camera tripod. One very popular mount is called the Dobsonian named after a California amateur astronomer, John Dobson.

Equatorial mounts allow a smooth tracking of objects as the earth rotates beneath a stationary sky. (I know it looks like the sky is moving, but it really is the earth). These types of mounts allow long exposures of objects with a camera when equipped with a motorized drive (or very steady hand on a manual control).

Either type of mount can optionally be found with "GOTO" capabilities. This means that, after a proper setup, a computer can automatically point the telescope to a specific object (star, nebula, planet, cluster, galaxy, etc.).

Please note that the recommendations are not all inclusive! I own two Orion scopes and two Meade scopes. That doesn't mean that other manufacturers are worse, just that I've come to like what I have. Celestron (now an arm of Meade, or vice versa), Sky-Watcher USA, Tele Vue, Astro-Tech, and others make good quality scopes to fit a lot preferences.

Newtonian Telescopes

Least expensive for the amount of light gathering primary mirror, these can be found in sizes from around 4.5 inches up to 17.5 inches! Prices range from as little as $180 to as much as $4,000. Mounts are generally altazimuth but not in all cases. In addition, some are offered on "GOTO" mounts.

For beginning amateur astronomers, a small Newtonian on either kind of mount is a great way to start. Orion Telescopes (at www.oriontelescopes.com) makes some really nice ones, affordably priced. One that was tested by Sky and Telescope in their September, 2008 issue was a 6" telescope called the StarBlast 6 with two decent eyepieces on a Dobsonian mount. The included eyepieces are 25mm (30x) and 10mm (75x). A great starter at a reasonable price, $250. Edited to add cost!!!

If you want something cheaper, then look into an 4.5" from Orion, the SkyQuest XT 4.5" Dobsonian at $190. I wouldn't go any smaller than this and don't REALLY recommend it since with the smaller aperture, it won't give you the views that you can get with the larger scope.

Schmidt-Cassegrain

These are generally larger scopes but easily transported due to the "folded" light path used. They are often fairly heavy (around 70-80 lbs or more with tripod), especially when mounted on their tripods. They generally range in size from 8" to 14" and from a $1,000 on up and can be found on both altazimuth and equatorial mounts. Most are "GOTO" scopes and the ones on equatorial mounts are good for photography.

Celestron and Meade are the primary manufacturers of these. I have an old Meade LX-50, 8" that I added "GOTO" capability to and got the equatorial mount for it. Today, the LX-90 is comparable and goes for about $2,100.

Maksutov-Cassegrain

These are generally compact, smaller scopes (about 15 lbs without tripod) primarily manufactured by Meade, Celestron, and Orion. For a while, the most popular were the Meade ETX series although the other ones have made inroads in there sales. The original ETX was a 90mm version but a 102mm and 125mm were added. Now they range from 90mm to 180mm. One of the earliest telescopes of this type was the Questar 90mm, which currently start around $4,000. Others are priced from around $400-900 on up.

I have a Meade ETX-125 that currently goes for about $900 on sale (list $1800).

There are a lot places to buy these and the number of scopes available is mind boggling. I generally buy from OPT (Oceanside Photo and Telescope in Oceanside, CA, www.optcorp.com) because I have had good luck on prices and they have given me excellent service. Orion (OrionTelescopes.com) sells direct (I have two of their scopes) and have been very reliable. My first Meade was purchased from Astronomics (Norman, OK, www.astronomics.com). They gave good service and reasonable prices but I still prefer OPT. Some of the other big names are Scope City, Woodland Hills, and Wolf Camera.

The important thing is to shop around, get familiar with the type of scope you want, and who can give you the best price with good service.

Next up: Accessories - You can and probably will spend more on accessories than on your telescopes. What are they and what are they good for? Stay tuned for a future installment!

[3 Comments]

Some more personal stuff.

As some of you know from posts in our clan forum and in "Off Topic", my great nephew Zachary (3 years old, I have found out, not 4) had to have brain surgery for Chiari Malformation (http://www.2old2play.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=47627&highlight=chiari). Well, he had the surgery on Monday, September 29th and I'm extremely happy to say that it appears to be successful. After a few days of concern since he wouldn't eat and was suffering from vomiting (a common side effect), we got a call today from his dad to let us know that they have released him from the hospital in San Antonio, Texas. They will start the long drive back to Rockford, IL soon. WIth the after effects of the surgery, they didn't want to take him on the plane. Thanks to all who prayed and kept him in their thoughts. Our families appreciate the concern and support of everyone here.

[6 Comments]

Astronomical Observing 101 (or before) Part 3

OK, so I lied! I had ended the last blog with "Next time I'll look at the 3 types of reflectors and give some examples of the prices of some popular models (two of which I have plus one that is on loan to my brother)."

Instead, I find I need to cover just a little bit more on terminology and on the types of telescopes.

Refractors have an Objective lens (the big one) and an eyepiece (or ocular). Reflectors have a primary mirror (the big one) and either a secondary mirror or a diagonal, and the eyepiece. The size of the objective lens or the primary mirror is known as the aperture. The focus point of lens/mirror is based on the amount of curvature of the lens/mirror(s). The distance from the lens/mirror/eyepiece that the image comes to a focal point is known as the focal length. This is important when calculating the magnification achieved with certain telescope/eyepiece combinations. The focal length divided by the aperture is known as the focal ratio and for a 150mm telescope with a focal length of 1200 would be shown as having a focal ratio of f/8. If you are into photography, this will seem familiar as camera lenses have a focal ratio assigned to them in the same way and it defines how "fast" the lens is. The lower the number, the faster the lens and thus requires a faster shutter speed to properly expose the picture. It has similar ramifications in doing astrophotography!

When you look at the design of reflector telescopes, you will see that the effective aperture usually is not the same as the diameter of the primary mirror. Following is a chart from "Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook" that I referenced in my first Astronomy blog.

This diagram shows the focal point and not the eyepiece. It must be understood that eyepiece is located just beyond the focal point and in case you can't read the fine print, here is the explanation:

Different types of telescopes. For telescopes of similar apertures, the path of light ray from a celestial object to the focus F is shown through (a) a refractor, (b) a Newtonian, (c) a Cassegrain, (d) a Cassegrain-coude', (e) a Schmidt-Cassegrain, and (f) a Maksutov-Cassegrain.

Note that I did not mention the Cassegrain and Cassagrain-coude' earlier because they are rarely found. There is actually a rare 7th type which tilts the primary mirror of the Newtonian, reflects the image off a mirror which is outside the the path of the incoming light, and passes it through lenses that correct the astigmatism caused by the tilt of the primary. Although more difficult make, it offers brighter images than possible through the other reflectors for the same size primary mirror. This is known as a tilted-component telescope. With the exception of the this last type, you will notice that the incoming light has part of its path blocked by a diagonal or mirror, and in the case of several of them, a hole in the primary mirror. This is what reduces the physical aperture to an effective aperture that may be as little as 60-70% of the actual one.

One last term that you may come across is the catadioptric telescope which is a generic term for the telescopes like the Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain.

The last item to cover in this blog is magnification. Eyepieces have their own focal length and when used in conjunction with a telescope with its own focal length, defines the magnification achieved. Magnification is determined by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. Here is a table of the magnifications from my eyepieces and telescopes. There is an additional lens that can be used called a Barlow which doubles the effective magnification, hence the nnnn.x2 columns.

Next time I'll REALLY look at the 3 types of reflectors and give some examples of the prices of some popular models (two of which I have plus one that is on loan to my brother).

[2 Comments]

Astronomical Observing 101 (or before) Part 2

Some info on telescopes. The purpose of a telescope is to really to do two things, not just one.The first is to magnify the image which is the obvious one. The other is to increase the amountof light which reaches your eye. The magnification is a result of the focal length of the lenses involved. THe amount of light that reaches your eye is based on the size of the primary lens OR mirror.

Most people are familiar with binoculars and the designations listed. 7x35 are common field glasses or binoculars. They are 7 power (7x) which means that things look 7 times bigger when looking through them. They also have 35mm diameter lenses in the front (objective lens). They gather in more light than your eyes do normally. When using them at dusk for example, you can see more detail through them not just because the image is larger, but it is also brighter. For astronomical purposes, a 50mm objective lens will gather much more light than a 35 mm lens. Now a 10x power will enable you to see more (especially of planets and the moon) than the 7x binoculars. Obviously 20x would allow even more to be seen, but they are MUCH harder to keep steady if you are holding them in your hands. There are some devices that can be made or purchased that will allow one to use binoculars of high power with little or no movement. (A subject for the future?)

Now most refractors and binoculars have the objective lenses measured in millimeters and reflectors are usually measured in inches. Here is a table of approximate conversion. The area of the lense is a good indication of the light gathering effect of the lens/mirror. For example, going from a 4" to a 6" telescope increases the light gathering by over 2.3 times. Going from a 4" to an 8" increases it by 4.1 times.

35mm = 1.4" = 962 sq mm
50mm = 2" = 1963 sq mm
80mm = 3.1" = 5027 sq mm
90mm = 3.5" = 6362 sq mm
100mm = 4" = 7854 sq mm
125mm = 5" = 12272 sq mm
152mm = 6" = 18146 sq mm
203mm = 8" = 32365 sq mm
244mm = 10" = 46760 sq mm

There are basically two major types of (amateur) telescopes. The refractor and the reflector.

Both have benefits and drawbacks. There are a bunch of variations though. Some have to do with with the optics themselves and others have to do with the mount.

The refractor is like the old fashion spy glass type. At one end of a tube is a larger lens and the other end has a smaller lens which is what you look through. These are relatively expensive for the size of the objective and can be very expensive depending on the quality and type of lenses. In these there are two types, achromatic which can have a color halo on bright objects, more so on larger objectives which is why they are limited to a max of about 100mm but are relatively inexpensive (Orion has a 70mm with two objective lenses, mount and finder for only $150). An apochromatic has different glass and construction and can be found in larger sizes with less false coloration, but you will pay for it! (for example, Orion offers a 72mm apo with no lenses, mount or finder known as a tube only for $500, a 120mm version of tube only goes for $2,000!, a Takahashi 130mm tube only goes for over $6000!).

The reflector type scopes fall into (about) 3 categories.

The newtonian is what most folks think of as a reflector. These have a mirror at the bottom of a tube, a reflective mirror close to the open end in the middle of the tube that reflects the light out to the side where there is a mount for a lens (eyepiece) to look through.

The Schmidt-Cassegrains with a mirror at the back end of the tube, a lens combined with mirror at the front end that adjusts the lights, seals the end of the tube, and reflects the light back down through a hole in main mirror to a mount for the eyepiece.

The third type is the Maksutov-Cassegrain which is similar to the Schmidt-Cassegrain but has a slightly different type of front lens and reflective mirror.

Next time I'll look at the 3 types of reflectors and give some examples of the prices of some popular models (two of which I have plus one that is on loan to my brother).

More to come (?)

[5 Comments]

Astronomical Observing 101 (or before)

One of our clan members sent me a PM a month ago about wanting to get into astronomy and wanted some tips. Here I present the original question and answer. Rather than doing this through PM's, I felt that others might also want to know more about this. Plus, if I screw up in something that I tell them, there will probably be folks, more knowledgeable than I am, to correct me or add stuff that I forgot!

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I am seriously considering the purchase of a telescope, and I know you are a big astronomy buff, so I thought you would be a prime candidate to ask some questions to.

First off, I am a SUPER beginner. I don't know where to start as far as what I would need on a qualtiy scope, what lense, computerized/not computerized, prices vs quality...

I have soo many questions and am having a hard time finding some good quality, down-to-earth (no pun intended) answers.

Can you just tell me a little bit about beginning star-gazing and possibly a bit about telescopes in general. I would really like to be able to see Saturn and Nebulas, along with constellations.

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To which my answer was:

First, this will be a multi-phased information process. Second, I am not an expert, so don't be afraid to question my suggestions.

Here are my first suggestions.

Get a GOOD pair of 10x50 binoculars. They are great, easy to use and you can see some of the nebulas and star clusters that are fun to view.
Get some books. I like the following and they are not outrageously expensive:
Collin Pocket Guide - Stars and Planets by Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion
365 Starry Nights by Chet Raymo
More Expensive and more technical is Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook edited by Ian Ridpath (mine is a 19th edition).
The Cambridge Star Atlas by Wil Tirion. Very detailed but not super easy to use.

Start with this. Use the binoculars to find stuff and learn the constellations.

More to come!!!!!

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To the above, I would also suggest picking up a copy of Sky and Telescope magazine (my preference) or Astronomy magazine. The star charts in there are for the current month and will help identify a lot of the current stuff (like Jupiter being in the southern sky right now).

The use of binoculars will even let you see the moons of Jupiter, if you are steady enough. One of the charts in magazine will show which moons are to the right and which to the left of Jupiter or are transitting (crossing the face of the planet) or being eclipsed (passing the far side of the planet). This changes daily!

Hopefully this a good start and if others want to ask questions, feel free, just don't expect me to be an expert, just another fan of the heavens.

[4 Comments]

Even more rambling!

Ok, a time for reflection. As I've stated several times in my blogs, I don't do them often enough to really count as a blog (in my opinion). It seems that true blogs are a continuing state of being type thing on close to a daily basis. Usually I have trouble finding things to write about, so this time I'm going to reflect on what I've said here before. If you are still interested, keep reading. Otherwise wait for my next blog, it might be fresher.

I joined this site in September, 2005 which means I've been here for just over three years. I was an I.T. mainframe computer specialist. I was a manager, a systems analyst, a programming analyst, and a (primarily) COBOL programmer. Which doesn't mean diddily squat to a gaming community nor should it!

I wrote my first blog in May, 2006 eight full months after joining this great community. Typically, I wrote about how I got into this and outlined my gaming setup. Real exciting stuff!

The next one explained some of my feelings for why I was still here and some general ramblings on the community.

The three blogs that followed "Where am I, how did I get here, why am I here?" parts 1, 2 and 3 were an attempt by me to reflect on the amazing chain of events that led ALL of us to this time and place. The technological changes that most of you take for granted, not having lived through them, that I have found to be incredible. Some of you added your own memories to mine to add depth to my scant knowledge and writing ability. Thank you!

All those were written in May, 2006. After that I had a dry spell (to be repeated later) and didn't write for 5 months. No one noticed, nor should they have. I was just one silent voice among a large number of highly active voices that are part of what 2o2p such a great place.

When I wrote again, in October of 2006, it was an admission of failure on my part to be all that I want to be. Not that I think I'm a failure, just not as successful as I could wish. As stated in that blog, I read a LOT (just ask my wife!). I see how some people in all kinds of genres paint pictures with words and get a grip on your imagination that makes you want to keep reading 'til the end. I have found that I can't do that and it pains me deeply.

Then in November, 2006, I once again wrote about this place and how great it is that such a diverse group of people has created a virtual community that often exceeds the physical communities in which we live for compassion, caring, and a will to help each other.

Eight months would go by without another word from me (July, 2007) and then it was only, in a way, to cry out against the age that I had become (64) with a quote of the great Beatle song, "When I'm 64". A weak blog, but a heartfelt one.

Later that same month, was one of my first really introspective blogs. To me, a "Meaningful" one. My thoughts about how time has flown by and now that I'm what I consider "old", what is truly important to me. As I ended that blog, "Yeah, life goes on and it's good." And you know what? It is!

My next blog was also in July of 2007. Mostly it was a report on the "red ring of death" that I had once again experienced. But I also remarked on going to Niagra Falls and Boston and how no one would care to read about a couple of old folks taking a trip. Surprisingly, several people did want to hear about it, but I never followed up on it. Maybe one of these days I'll go back through my pictures to remind me of the details and bore you all with the account. (You've been warned!)

In August of 2007, I posted (can't really say I wrote it) an article about "Global Warming" with references to a former (great blogger), TheDastard who had to leave our confines due to conflict with his real life position. I sorely miss his blogs and the thinking that he made me (and others) do.

Then a short blog later in August to announce my acceptance into the COD4 Beta! Just a boast to make others feel bad (so petty on my part!).

At the end of that month, I wrote a blog about my marriage of 39 years. I think that this blog was more open and feeling that I am accustomed to be.

It then took almost a year to blog again and then it was to show pictures of my youngest grandchild (at the time). He is a joyous child and easy to be in love with, at least for me. In the words of a song, "he makes my heart sing!".

And my last blog expressed some of my feelings about being retired, another grandson, and 40 years of marriage.

All in all, as I reflect on my ramblings and the changes in my life, the community that we call 2old2play, who we are, what we do with our time, and where we are headed, I find that I still appreciate this community and the ability to express myself without expecting dire consequences. I truly feel a part of a diverse and dynamic community that helps fill my needs and hope that most of you feel the same way.

What I say here will not have far reaching or important impact on the world as whole nor even on our large, but limited community. But I have a place to do it, and that feels good.

[6 Comments]

Ramblings of an Old Fart

Well, it's been a long time again since my last post. So I have a lot I could write, but I'll keep it brief for the short attention span of all the youngsters out there that have grown up with Sesame Street, MTV, and commercial TV!

I lost my job in October and never could find another job, so I retired. One of the few advantages of being so damn old! Only thing that makes it possible is Social Security, Medicare, and VA benefits (especially medication). Meanwhile we are trying to get the house fixed to sell so we can move to a cheaper area in the sticks (out toward Rockford and not on the edges of Chicago). What we should get for this house will pay off the mortgage and enough left to buy a house outright.

The wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on August 31st, now we're looking forward to our 50th!

Our son, who used to be a member of this site (Exodio) and his wife just had their second child, another boy, early Monday morning. This makes our 7th grandchild and 5th grandson. We are truly blessed. Mom and baby are doing great and she had an easy (as is possible) delivery. Three major contractions and POP!, out he came. The doctor had to run through the hospital to make it in time. Our son and wife were there only about an hour and 10 minutes before birth.

Thanks for reading and thanks for being a GREAT online community!!!

[10 Comments]

Gotta Love the Grandkids!

Great thing about grandkids is that you get to brag about how cute they are! These are pics of Ian, my son's (Exodio for those who remember him) and daughter-in-laws current youngest. They have another one on the way that is due in September. Sorry 2old2pwn'ers, these are the same as posted in our forum!

[3 Comments]

39 Years!

For some of you, 39 years of life has not even been achieved yet. In which case, this blog is probably beyond belief for you. For most of you older types, 39+ years of life have gone by and you wonder where your life has gone. For my wife and me, tomorrow will mark our 39th wedding anniversary! We are old and gray and decrepit (well, maybe not all THAT decrepit and my wife hides her gray well, with help), but we are still together. As with any couple, it has not always gone smoothly nor without second (or third or ...) thoughts. But we did decide to commit to our marriage on our marriage day and we have not forgotten those vows.

I sometimes think that parents too often set examples that delude their children about what marriage is all about. How often do we hear of people who never argue in front of their kids. Or who put up with intolerable situations 'for the sake of the kids'. By doing so, the kids believe they are living in the 'Cleaver' household (an idyllic family TV show for you youngsters) and that such a marriage is what they should expect. When reality sets in, they are ready to bolt.

I love my wife, respect her, but I definitely do not always agree with her. Sometimes I hide it, other times it comes out and we deal with it, or sometimes it comes out and we agree to ignore it. Whatever works for a particular situation.

On top of everything else, we are NOT the same two people that got married 39 years ago. Who could remain the same after marriage, kids, illnesses, deaths of our parents, and, the most amazing thing, grandchildren.

Life goes on, marriage goes on, and I'm glad of it!

[17 Comments]

Unbelievable! COD4 Beta

I checked e-mail the last time on Friday (early) but no invite. Signed up today for the Beta and checked e-mail tonight, nothing today. Looked back at earlier e-mails and found out that I got an invite Friday night! I am downloading it as I type. Hopefully I can steal some time from the wife to enjoy this latest game!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

See ya online!

[5 Comments]

TheDastard made me do it!

At the risk of getting TheDastard started up again, I found the article below in a Chicagoland newspaper this week.

In case you're wondering about TheDastard comment, you can see some of his old blogs dwelt on this subject:

Good Article 04/09/07
Insomnia Cure - 03/14/07
This is WRONG! - 03/12/07
Funding for science and who has the bigger dick - 03/11/07
I'm blaming the cat! - 03/07/07

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Global warming fanatics might not heed the facts
by Cal Thomas

Scientists, theologians, historians, archaeologists and others who pursue facts and objective truths are rooted in reality and constantly adjusting their conclusions, theories and hypotheses when new information comes to light. Those who ignore facts and cling to outdated information can quickly embrace fanaticism.

So it is with "global warming," the secular religion of our day that even has a good number of adherents among people of faith. Having decided to focus less on the eternal, global warming fundamentalists are pushing planet worship on us in a manner that would make a jihadist proud.

There are at least two characteristics all fundamentalists share. One is the exclusion and sometimes suppression of any and all information that challenges the belief one wishes to impose on all. The other is the use of the state in pursuit of their objectives, overriding the majority's will.

With global warming, some members of the scientific community — not all of whom are climatologists, who disagree among themselves — have circled the wagons, denying access and labeling illegitimate any scientist who disagrees with the "doctrines" of a recently warming planet. The big media have been complicit in this censorship or ridicule of alternative views, mostly refusing to interview anyone who does not push the global warming faith. Newsweek magazine recently slammed global warming "deniers." In 1975, Newsweek was just as convinced — using "scientific evidence" — that a new Ice Age was upon us.

Many global warming fanatics have pointed to NASA as proof that their concerns about a warming planet are justified. They have repeatedly cited the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, whose director, James Hansen, has asserted that nine of the 10 warmest years in history have occurred since 1995, with 1998 the warmest. When NASA was confronted with evidence provided by Climate Audit, a blog run by Stephen McIntyre devoted to auditing the statistical methods and data used in historical reconstructions of past climate data, it reversed itself. Without the fanfare used to hype global warming earlier, NASA now says four of the top 10 years of high temperatures are from the 1930s. Several previously selected "llwarm" years — 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 — febehind 1900.

GISS now says its previous claim that 1998 was the warmest year in American history is no longer valid. The warmest year was 1934.

Has any of this new information changed the minds of the global warming fundamentalists? Nope. Neither has much of it seen the light of day in the mainstream media, which continue to carry stories where seldom is heard an alternative word and the skies are polluted all day.

The Earth has warmed and cooled over many centuries. One can get a sense of who is telling the truth about global warming by the company the concept keeps. Most of the disciples of global warming are liberal Democrats who never have enough of our money and believe there are never enough regulations concerning the way we lead our lives. That ought to be enough to give everyone pause, along with emerging evidence that the global warming jihadists may be more full of hot air than the climate they claim is about to burn us up.

Daily Herald
Paddock Publications Inc.
Opinion
Section 1, Page 10
Monday, August 20, 2007
copyright 2007, TMS Inc.

[6 Comments]

A Moment to Reflect

A week has passed and I'm still guilty of not keeping the blogging going with any degree of regularity. I just realized that I hadn't shared the vacation trip that my wife and I took from June 22 thru July and then figured that no one really cares about a road trip to Niagra Falls and then to Boston with two old folks. Especially on a gaming forum!

Before we left though, another 360 died on me and I never got around to calling M$. I had figured it was probably the one that M$ sent to replace my original 360 and so probably wasn't under warrantee anyway. I reconsidered after M$ announced the 3 year warrantee deal, so I pulled it out and checked the serial number and my records before making the call. Imagine my surprise when I found it was the one that I had bought from Gamestop to get me thru the warrantee replacement downtime (and to serve as a backup once I got the original one back).

Since I had purchased the Gamestop 3 year replacement warrantee, it was a simple, short trip to Gamestop and picking up a replacement unit. Doesn't get much easier than that! I was surprised to discover that the 3 year Gamestop warrantee was only for the original purchase. The replacement would have cost me another $50 to protect. With the M$ 3 year plan, I decided to take the chance on going without it. I'll probably get a new 360 when they come out with the new chip anyway, so two ought to get me to that point.

It's amazing to me when things work out painlessly since that does not seem to be the 'norm' for me!

[7 Comments]

My life goes on.

Seems like every time I look around, more time has passed than is possible. My kids were just born, no they are in grade school, no, now they're in junior high, now high school. OMG, my daughter is married and has a son! How about that, my wife and I are grandparents, and then again, and again, until we have 5 grandchildren from our daughter, and now we have a grandson from our son. Our oldest grandson is 16 and the youngest, 8 months. The time has flown and I'm grayer and heavier but glad to be alive and reasonably happy. I ain't rich, but then again, I'm not poor (been there, done that, don't want to do it again!).

Best case scenario, over two thirds of my life is over (worst case, maybe 99% over, you never know). I haven't accomplished much except to be married for 39 years, have two kids, 6 grandkids, and had a lot of tears, cheers, and laughter throughout that time. My grandkids are experiencing having a full set of grandparents, which I never had. I never knew my grandmothers (they both died when my parents were young children), my one grandfather was estranged from our family and I never met him, which left me with my paternal grandfather who was not the warmest man alive.

I can only hope that when I'm gone, my grandchildren remember me fondly and will know how much they meant to me.

Yeah, life goes on and it's good.

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