Artemis is finally on its way to the moon. Launch was a great show!

Kady watched it on CNN, while I watched it on NASA TV.  CNN was on a huge delay, we assumed "just in cases."  I ran downstairs at L - 2:00 to watch with her.  I also texted my kids to remind them, and we texted with Jay throughout.  I heard from my daughter this morning that SGM loved it.   We enjoy this stuff.

NASA TV did a really good job of introducing Astronauts Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), and Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist).  Impressive people.  These kids are currently orbiting the earth, but will soon be on their way, looping around the moon, conducting tests, and practicing maneuvers, preparing for our landing in 2027.  This morning they conducted a perigee burn to move to a higher, more stable orbit.

This is GREAT!

Yesterday, Star Link announced that it had lost contact with another satellite (34343), and LeoLabs reported that it is tracking "tens" of objects from what they describe as a "fragment creation event."

Tens?  I assume that means more than twenty trackable fragments, plus more too small to track, all traveling at 17,000 mph.  So, what happened?  Odds are that something slammed into it.  Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is becoming more congested, with more than 10,000 satellites.

LeoLabs says the "anomaly" was caused by "internal enegetic forces" and that the fragments would  "de-orbit" in the next few weeks.  Ok, Sure.

We're on the verge of what many scientists predict will be a collapse of the LEO constellation by a collision-induced chain reaction called the Kessler Syndrome.  Even the smallest bit of junk traveling at 17,000 mph packs incredible kinetic energy.  A 1cm fragment packs the punch of a hand grenade, and, as I think we're seeing, one impact produces many more bits of junk.

Starlink says there is no threat to the International Space Station (ISS) or tomorrow's Artemis Launch.  Yeah, that's what they think; they don't know.

It is only going to get worse.

Planning through the winter months, Kim put up her bird charcuterie board the other day.  She went all out to make it inviting to the birds.  She put together a potting stand, plants, water, different foods, and a little feeding stand with two trays.

It took less than an hour for "our" mockingbird and a bluejay to find it.  I saw a Chickadee there yesterday.

A squirrel found it shortly thereafter.  He camps out there, eating everything in sight, and runs off when he hears me touch the doorknob.  

It's a losing battle.

It’s no secret that I don’t do Math.  I do have common (uncommon?) sense and a scientific perspective about most things.

Quantum Mechanics is NOT one of those things.

Listening to an Ologies on the subject (Episode: 116) showed me that I’m not the only one; physicists and mathematicians don’t know either.

Dr. Becker (the guest expert) described a lack of consensus, arguments, more theories than science should allow, and a lot of bull-headed behavior.  I’ll probably go to the grave believing it’s all a shitload of mullarky created by a bunch of eggheads trying to make the next big breakthrough.

I follow al.com.  I guess there is still some pride inside me for being an Alabamian.  I wonder about this.  Some people might call me a Birmingham Hater.  That's not true.  I love Birmingham, and I hope one day they'll figure out their massive issues.  

Until then, I can't go home again.

There is a voice for change out there.  A guy named David Sher writes an opinion column for the site called Comeback Town, which is, mostly, wishful thinking or pie-in-the-sky stuff..

Case in Point: In his latest, he suggests refreshing the Alabama Walk of Fame outside the old Alabama Theater, adding some new stars.  Comparing it to Hollywood's WoF, he says, "A dynamic Alabama Walk of Fame wouldn’t be just a tourist attraction—it could be an economic engine. It could draw visitors who eat at our restaurants, stay in our hotels, shop in our stores, and Instagram their photos with their favorite star. "

Oh, Yeah.  I'm going to drive ten hours to one of the most dangerous and corrupt cities in America so I can post a photo of myself next to Fannie Flagg's star on Instagram.  While I'm there, I'll check into a hotel, eat at some restaurants, and do some shopping.

Buddy, people go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame because they are already in Hollywood.  It is one of the many things to do there.  What's there to do in Birmingham?  Vulcan?  Echonomic Engine, my ass.

Each year, I beg Kady to let me do more bird things out back—different feeders and different foods to attract different birds.  I explain.  I beg.  I try to educate.  Mostly, she's been supportive, but it's been a slow process.

Then, she sees a YouTube video of a guy who builds a charcuterie board for all the birds.  This morning, this is what was on its way from Amazon, plus a Potting Stand for her bird charcuterie board.

I just finished the book Close-Up on War, The Story of Pioneering Photojournalist Catherine Leroy in Vietnam by Mary Cronk Farrell.  It is a beautifully bound, well-written little book, filled with amazing photos and stories of the war.  I suggest it to anyone interested in America's involvement in that war as a companion to more detailed accounts.

In it, you'll meet Catherine Leroy, a 5-foot-tall, 89-pound, twenty-year-old French girl, who left home, camera in hand, to make a name for herself as a war photographer.  

It is an amazing story of heroism, photographing the war for three years, in many of the hottest battles, and even jumping in with the 187th Regimental Combat Team.

Read this Article on Wearing Rings from The Art of Manliness.

Who Wrote THIS Shit?  So Wrong!  Absolutely NOT!  Here are the actual rules straight from Neel 505 World:

1. Men get two, possibly three rings.

2. The Third finger on your left hand is for the wedding ring your WIFE gave you.  If you are not married, wear an optional ring, preferably a simple signet.

3. The Third finger on your right hand is for a symbol of excellence—a service ring (preferably 82nd Airborne), a class ring (preferably VMI), or a sports championship ring (SEC or some lesser conference, National Championship, or Super Bowl).

4. Your small finger on one of your hands, not both, is for displaying a ring honoring something—some god, your heritage, a parent, a lost spouse, etc.

5. There is no symbolism for wearing rings on your other fingers.  That's some made-up bullshit by some hipster boy who thinks he's pretty.

Good Show, solid storyline, great acting, and high babe content, plus MICHELLE PFEIFFER!  

Highly Recommend.

Don't read anything about this show; there are a lot of spoilers out there.  With only six episodes, released over only two weeks, you need to get into it cold.

Tonight, we went to Riverfront Seafood in Kingsport, TN.  I, of course, had their Shrimp and Grits.  "Creole cheese grits with Cajun butter-sautéed shrimp, and a sourdough baguette" read like a winner, and it was.  Though the grits were "cheesy," they were delicious. 

I loved it.  Bless them; they even gave me a spoon to eat with.

About the ODU shooting, FBI Special Agent Dominique Evans said that the ROTC students showed "extreme bravery and courage" and prevented further loss of life by stopping the gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh... [The students] rendered him no longer alive, I don't know how else to say it." 

Oh, I do—They killed his sorry ass.  I hope they all stomped him until he was a pile of mush

Good on you, Lads.  You young heroes have what it takes to be leaders in  My Army.  Your instructors taught you well.

There is so much more I'd like to know about this, beginning with who let this asshome out of prison.  If he were still there, LTC Shah would still be alive, faithfully serving our country.

"Sadly, there will likely be more [soldier deaths] before it ends; that's the way it is." ~ Trump

Fun Facts:

• Trump never served a day in the military.  The closest he ever came was five years in a military high school.

• In four generations, spanning back to 1869, no member of the Trump Family has ever served in the military.

• Barron is 19 years old, still living with his mom while attending NYU.

• Trump has no skin in this game

I've always said, if you don't have dog tags, you should not be in a position of leadership or authority in the United States.  Like in Heinlein's Starship Troopers, military service should also be a requirement for citizenship.

Would The Donald be so dismissive of the deaths of our service members if his son were in the Army?  Would he be so ready to send our sons and daughters to war?  Would any of the toads in Washington?

Barron!  You can fix this.  Sneak down to the Army Recruiter and enlist.  Raise your right hand and sign the contract.  I suggest Airborne Infantry and a duty station of Vicensa, Italy, as far away from the flagpole as you can get.  Be your own man.

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

I'm not sure about this show yet.  I watched it last night and, again, this morning, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. So, Monika is dead.  Cancer?  We don't know, but they hint at it.  A SEAL buddy recruits Kayce to join his improbable team of US Marshals, and the story goes sideways from there.

Come on, Man!  When you go deep in the backwoods, on horseback, looking for terrorists, you go armed to the teeth, not with pistols; otherwise, you don't need to carry all those rifle magazines in your vest.  You should probably wear a helmet, and definitely carry water.  AND, you don't go hunting badguys wearing a sleeveless, hot-girl crop top. 

This was typical Hollywood Glaring Stupidity.

I'm not quitting . . . yet.  Maybe it'll get better.

Sergeant Major Henry Behr died yesterday.  He was a fine man and the best boss I ever had.  He taught his first sergeants how to be first sergeants, not by close supervision, but by giving us sound advice from his many years of experience.

The man survived MACV-SOG in Vietnam.  He was the consummate warrior, paratrooper, and leader.

Rest, Trooper.

Re. The investigation into the Boeing Starliner Fiasco

"Investigators identified an interplay of combined hardware failures, qualification gaps, leadership missteps, and cultural breakdowns that created risk conditions inconsistent with NASA’s human spaceflight safety standards."  ~ NASA.gov

Duh.  

The article then said, " NASA will continue to work closely with Boeing..."  

Huh?

Boeing has problems.  Is it going to take dead astronauts for NASA to realize them?  Fire Boeing.  Cancel their contracts.  Dump this program as a redundant, backwards-looking failure. 

Let's use our heads for something other than a hat rack for a moment, shall we?

Let's say you meet a person who believes he is Napoleon.  He is dressed like Napoleon, and he even speaks a little French.  He loves being in charge.

Note: If I remember my history, Napoleon died in 1821 on the Island of Saint Helena.

So, do you accept that he is Napoleon when he demands that you do?  Do you treat him like an Emperor?  Or, do you realize that he's either full of bull or needs professional help?

Why, then, do we kowtow to people who say that they are what they clearly are not?  They may actually believe they are what they say.  They may dress the part, speak the language, and alter their bodies to fit their beliefs.

They are either bullshitting or delusional.

As a society, we need to recognize that we are in the midst of a national mental health crisis.  We need tostop pandering to people's fantasies and get them the help they need.

I'm building a page for my favorite photos of Türkiye...finally.  I've tried before, but I wimp out every time.  I'm taking this try slowly, trying to get each shot "just right."

There's a link at the bottom of my Photos page, or you can click here.

Watch Me Build & Wish Me Luck.

I've challenged myself—walk 250 miles for America's 250th Anniversary.  It sounded daunting until I did the math.  That's only 1.76 miles a day.  Doable.

I built a spreadsheet to keep track.

I love a good mystery.  This is one of my favorite family mysteries—The Johnson Family Photo.

In this photo are my grandmother, Evie, her sister, Lillie, and her brother, Dolphus.  Behind them are my great-great-grandfather, James William Johnson, and his wife, Cornelia Ann Winter.

Or, is it?  My mom once said, "This could be his sister (Aunt Dolly Kilpatrick), from after Cornelia died."

It all comes down to when it was taken.

Cornelia died on 28 June 1911.  If this is Cornelia, the photograph was taken before then.  Dolphus was born in 1897, Evie in 1899, and Lillie in 1905.  How old do they look?  They would have been about 14, almost 12, and 5 ½, respectively, when their mom died.

I asked Kady how old she thought Lilly looked.  "Hard to tell...maybe 4 - 6 ish."

Big Help!

I think this is Cornelia in a photo taken just before she died.

I've asked these questions over and over.  Why are we in such a rush to get back to the Moon? What are the benefits of establishing a permanent presence there?  Wouldn't our scientific energies be better spent saving the only home humanity will ever have? 

I think I've figured it out.

I think The Donald wants to claim the whole of Luna for the United States of America.  He has to get back there while he's still in office, plant another flag, and stake his claim.

I still pull out this old Bloom County cartoon for motivation, just like I did when I was a young soldier.

I also used it whenever a Rat decided to leave VMI.  I had them report to me as a last-ditch effort to keep them there.  When the Rat came in my door, I sat them down and said, "Here.  Read This."  I'd give them a copy of the cartoon.  Then we'd talk about reasons and regrets.

If they still wanted to leave, and most did, I'd tell them to go out and find Gee Whiz things to do in their lives—something hard, something to hang their hat on.  I hope they did.

Artemis II, NASA's mission to send four astronauts around the Moon, as the next step toward establishing a sustained manned presence on the Moon, is about to launch.  I will be watching, just like I watched every Apollo mission.

The cold weather in Florida is slowing things down a bit, but launch looks like  5 February.*

After watching our first Moon Landing, I went to youth choir practice, arriving a little late.  When the director asked why I was late, and I told him I was watching the landing, he asked, "Was That Today?"  Some of my friends didn't even know we were going to the moon.  I looked at them like they had penises growing out of their foreheads.

Don't make me give YOU that look.

22 February: Launch rescheduled for March is delayed a second time due to a helium flow problem.  Now scheduled for April.

I'm still Team Andreeva.  She's doing well at the Australian Open, winning handily against tough opponents.  Tomorrow morning, she has a tough match against Svitolina, who is also playing good tennis.

Learning my Auburn Fan lesson of choosing a Fall-Back Team, Ole Miss, I've been trying to find another player to adopt.  I wanted a young American, but Collins is unlikable, I never warmed to Gauff,  and Navarro is too rich. Pegula, Stevens, Keys, and Kenin are inconsistent.

Knowing this, Kady asked, "Have you seen Iva Jović (pronounced YO-vitch)?"  No, I answered.  "You'd like her—she's American, really good, and super cute."  I checked her out.

She, too, is on a good run in Australia, winning her first three games.  She is a first-generation American of Serbian immigrant parents, and she is definitely cute.  She just took down Paolini in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6.

She looks like she is having a blast every time she hits the ball.  I'm for her.

Last night's College Football Championship game was legit, and the best, most exciting game we've seen in years.  I'm really happy for Indiana.  I cheered for them as if they were Auburn, and called them Us and We the entire game.  Kady cheered harder for them than most Indiana fans.

I have to feel for Miami, even though I don't like them.  Their blocked punt, missed field goal, and interception sealed their fate.  Their offense outscored Indiana's by a point.  I'm glad they did well—it gives the Ole Miss program, my new fall-back team, legitimacy.  My family is from Mississippi after all.

This win for Indiana proves there is a Disturbance in the SEC Force.

If you know me, you know that my favorite singer-songwriter is Dan Fogelberg.  I believe him to be the poet of my generation.  There are people on social media who feel the same way.

Back in my Motion Industries days, my buddy Ron Stith asked if I had heard "the song Souvenirs.  I hadn't, so I turned on the little radio on my workbench back in the hydraulic warehouse and waited.  It was an instant hit with me.  His music has been a big part of my life for 52 years.

I saw him in concert, just before he died, on June 4, 2002, at the Portsmouth Ntellos Pavilion.  I sat in the center of the front row, among people my age, who also knew the words to every song.  The concert was small, close-up, and very personal for us all. We sang our hearts out.

Internet commentators consistently reference his commercial hits, Longer, Same Old Lang Syne, Leader of the Band, and Run for the Roses as examples of his artistry and talent.

They have not done due diligence on his body of work.

You should give a listen to every song.  You'll find treasure among them.

Clearly, I have a LOT to learn.  

I took this last night as Jupiter was high in the sky, setting my Seestar in my window on Dad's old drawing board, held in place by two C-clamps.

The conditions weren't right.  There is far too much ambient light in front of my house, and the night sky was a little hazy.  I need to pick a clear night and get up on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Spring.

Every image I captured was overexposed and blurry; I need to learn to set the exposure time and aperture.  I clearly have a lot to learn.

I have from now until late April to get my shit together.  Currently, I can do a lot better than this with my D850 and 500mm lens, and with less effort.  I may do that tonight to show a comparison.

I'm really interested in seeing how well this thing does deep sky stack photography.  Look out, Andromeda; I'm coming for you.

Jupiter with Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Calisto, Seestar S50, Adjusted with PSE.

Sunday, 11 January 2026

Ally Ward has done it again - sent me down a fun new rabbit hole.  I finally finished the Fromology Episodes on her Ologies podcast.  I'm all about cheese now and deadset on building a perfect cheese board.  Her guest expert, Kyra James, gives some good advice on this at the end of episode 2.  I also have Kady, who is knowledgeable in all things food-related.

So, what am I thinking?

• Cheese: a Sharp Cheddar, a Gouda, a French Camembert, a Swiss Gruyere, a Greek Feta, and a Wisconsin Blue

• Pairing: grapes, cornichons, pickled onions, black olives, salami, and prosciutto

• Jelly: Stonewall Kitchen Mint and Blackberry Patch Maple Bacon

• Breads: Baguette, Crostini, and Carr's Table Crackers

• Drink: Tea and Wine (I know my people)

When?  My birthday is a few days away.  Maybe then.  It's time to go to Foods of the World and Tilman's

I'll have to build a Fromology library.  There's a Cheese for Dummies; I need that.

I was cheering for Ole Miss.  Sadly, they scored too quickly, leaving Miami plenty of time to score again to take the lead.  Too Bad.  At least they don't have to play Indiana.

Indiana is the perfect college team.  They crushed Oregon almost as badly as they embarrassed Alabama.  Oregon did its part to ensure defeat; they were a mess.

I expect Miami is in for the same kind of ass-whipping.

Kim's uncle sent me a Seestar S50.  This man is extremely nice, a lot of fun, and has a lot of time on his hands.  He loves anything film- and photo-related.

He collected camera equipment during his life, and he has passed several cameras on to me—a Polaroid SX-70, a Mamiya 6, and a Contax T2.  After one passing comment about my interest in astronomy, this fun little contraption arrived in the mail.

I really need to stop telling him shit.

I'm in the learning phase of using it; it is not as easy as it seems.  If I could get a clear night here in C'ville, that'd be GREAT!

Jupiter is in opposition tomorrow, and the sky promises, once again, to be cloudy.

All my tests looked good.  My blood work was solid.  The CT Scan with Contrast showed no signs of recurrence.  I have three months off with no appointments.  It is time to get strong again.

This news is a breath of fresh air and a motivator.

Mix Together:

1 pkg. lemon jello

1 pkg. Duncan Hines white cake mix

Add:

¾ cup Kraft oil

¾ cup water

Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time

Bake in greased floured tube pan at 325 - 350 degrees for 1 hour

Glaze: Heat together 1½ tbsps. milk, 1 tspn. butter, and 1 cup confectioner's sugar.  Add 2 tbsps. lemon juice and 1 tsp. grated lemon rind.  Pour over cake while hot.

International law, justification, and consequences aside, I do love a good military operation.  It was Impressive!

Relax.  Let's wait and see what happens.

Congrats to Indiana for making the semifinals, despite having a first-round bye.  They are for real, crushing Alabama 38 - 3.  We can only assume that Bama, who shouldn't have been there, thought their big name would intimidate the Hoosiers.  I called this one.

The Bye Curse took THE $35M Ohio State (sucks to be you) by a much better Miami, Texas Tech in a no-surprise ass-whoopin' (it was sad) by Oregon, and Georgia (hahahahahahahahahaha) to an inspired Ole Miss (Hotty Toddy).

It was a good start to the new year for me.

Happy New Year!

I'm hoping for a much better year; 2025 was a bastard. Two Surgeries, innumerable tests and biopsies, four rounds of chemo, and constant discomfort do not make for a good time.  I've kept my head up and maintained a positive attitude, both of which have been supported by the encouragement of Kady, my family, and friends.

Kady is my Rock.

I'll know more after another CT Scan, EKG, and Blood Test on 7 January.  I have great confidence that I'll get a good report and that we can move up from here.  I'm already feeling more comfortable and stronger.