We had snow this morning around DC, started late last night I think. This was perhaps the most snow we have had all winter -- it actually stuck on the trees and everything looked beautiful only for a short time.. most of it melted away by early afternoon..
Ah, springtime. Exactly what I thought as I drove through a snowstorm in southern Indiana yesterday. Cursing of said snowstorm not included in this post, though rest assured it did occur in real life.
Today a three car accident happened fifteen feet to my left just behind me as I was walking down Broadway.
They are doing reconstruction on the building next door and removed the façade which exposed the old brick which totally forced me to stop walking and examine, right where multiple lanes of cars turn, and the roads are crowded with cars leaving downtown at rush hour.
I gazed up in wonder. The oldest of brick showed the pattern of the old buildings across the street, and the new brick looks really new but in two parts as if partially covered, and the rest blacked by pollution. And right then CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH but no brakes. Three SUVs crunched together, so one of them hit twice, and I looked over my left shoulder directly at the driver in distress seated in the 3rd vehicle and looked right at her, she was so near separated only by glass and no distance at all, and using my powerful psychic transmit powers I conveyed sternly and sharply directly to her, augmented with vocalization, "That's what you get for STARING AT MY BUTT." La la la la la la then turned the immediate corner formed by the building, used my magic touch key, and disappeared inside.
I told the people right there what happened and they burst out laughing, and I thought, "You people are mean."
That was the exact same spot that a year ago hight winds knocked down a very large commercial awning that ran the full length of the building, not 30 seconds after I passed under it. Like it was watching my butt too.
To be as off topic as possible, here is a video of a hang gliding with some nice flying, but with an incident in which no body was hurt, and which appears fun and relaxed, but which beginning at the 3:16 mark so seriously violates the sensibilities of most free flight pilots that they kept it a secret for four years before publishing it. Now there is a big hoopla about their "recklessness". It personally does not bother me, and although it looks gentle, it is very very dangerous (too low to throw your parachute). It really has a lot of people pissed off. There are always people pissed about something, but hang gliders are very sensitiveness about their public image for a number of reasons. We don't want people thinking it's more dangerous than it is, and every fatality endangers the sport.
I don't know about the Power Ball winner's butt, but I do happen to on occasion pass by the liquor store where the winning ticket happened to have been purchased.
So, naturally, when I heard Sunday night that the ticket had been purchased in NJ... I favored entertaining the fantasy... instead of checking the tickets.
The fantasy really got wound up when this morning I heard it had been sold in Passaic.
I bought some tickets in Passaic.
So... naturally... I decided to keep waiting and not check... at least until somebody would come forward.
And so he did. It was on the news... the winner (a Dominican immigrant) got his butt back to the liquor store where he bought it and the rest is unambiguously repetitious and yadi yada.
Chip Ahoy You need to add The Needle and the Damage Done to the soundtrack of your life as in Bagoh's video. You both seem to live too close to the edge.
Well, since Jim Carrey is trying to get millions killed via epidemics, he should just shut the fuck up. Also? Go back to Canada, we've had enough crap from Canada.
I really didn't sense "danger" but I understand that it's there. The sport looks like a lovely way to spend time.
You mentioned "throw your parachute"...I presume that means you have an emergency chute strapped on that has no pilot chute and you must un-bundle it and toss out manually to avoid tangling with the glider. That I'm familiar with from long ago...do I have that right?
Yea, you have parachute, usually held to your chest in a velcro pocket. You have to grab a handle, pull it loose and then throw it out, and hope it inflate in time. This can be very hard, since in most accidents you go down spinning rapidly and can pass out if you don't throw it fast enough. You and the glider all come down together. It works very well about 80%of the time. These guys were too low to pull it off in time.
... in most accidents you go down spinning rapidly and can pass out if you don't throw it fast enough. You and the glider all come down together ...
Wow. You mean even with today's modern technology there is no quick release to detach the flier from the wings? I mean, it is hard enough to deploy a chute manually, as in the old days of sky diving when the risers didn't detach and you had to get the e-chute out far enough not to streamer/candle with the main. But to have to do it in flat spin tangled up with wing structure...Whoa. Does one wear "Depends as de rigueur gear?
I'd guess the beauty of free flight makes it all worthwhile. In younger days I probably would have enjoyed it if I could fly near eagles, ospreys and raptors of various kinds....without disturbing them similar to using a kayak on water near animals.
I just up my ranking of your sport several notches.
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30 comments:
We had snow this morning around DC, started late last night I think. This was perhaps the most snow we have had all winter -- it actually stuck on the trees and everything looked beautiful only for a short time.. most of it melted away by early afternoon..
Two dogs and a man..
Did this month March in like a lion or a lamb this year?
Enough already with the snow.
"Two dogs and a man.."
To be accurate: two dogs and a wo... man.
In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of SSM.
In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of SSM.
Let me not to the marriage of two behinds admit impediments.
Global Warming in action.
Ah, springtime. Exactly what I thought as I drove through a snowstorm in southern Indiana yesterday. Cursing of said snowstorm not included in this post, though rest assured it did occur in real life.
Today a three car accident happened fifteen feet to my left just behind me as I was walking down Broadway.
They are doing reconstruction on the building next door and removed the façade which exposed the old brick which totally forced me to stop walking and examine, right where multiple lanes of cars turn, and the roads are crowded with cars leaving downtown at rush hour.
I gazed up in wonder. The oldest of brick showed the pattern of the old buildings across the street, and the new brick looks really new but in two parts as if partially covered, and the rest blacked by pollution. And right then CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH but no brakes. Three SUVs crunched together, so one of them hit twice, and I looked over my left shoulder directly at the driver in distress seated in the 3rd vehicle and looked right at her, she was so near separated only by glass and no distance at all, and using my powerful psychic transmit powers I conveyed sternly and sharply directly to her, augmented with vocalization, "That's what you get for STARING AT MY BUTT." La la la la la la then turned the immediate corner formed by the building, used my magic touch key, and disappeared inside.
I told the people right there what happened and they burst out laughing, and I thought, "You people are mean."
That was the exact same spot that a year ago hight winds knocked down a very large commercial awning that ran the full length of the building, not 30 seconds after I passed under it. Like it was watching my butt too.
Protect your butt Chip, you never know what's upcoming up behind ya.
Interesting take on the cases before the Supreme court, that they can't adjudicate because the defenders of traditional marriage don't have standing.
If I'm reading this right, this would mean Prop 8 and DOMA stand.
To be as off topic as possible, here is a video of a hang gliding with some nice flying, but with an incident in which no body was hurt, and which appears fun and relaxed, but which beginning at the 3:16 mark so seriously violates the sensibilities of most free flight pilots that they kept it a secret for four years before publishing it. Now there is a big hoopla about their "recklessness". It personally does not bother me, and although it looks gentle, it is very very dangerous (too low to throw your parachute). It really has a lot of people pissed off. There are always people pissed about something, but hang gliders are very sensitiveness about their public image for a number of reasons. We don't want people thinking it's more dangerous than it is, and every fatality endangers the sport.
A Touching Moment
There is a dog at 2:25 so it's not totally O.T..
I don't know about the Power Ball winner's butt, but I do happen to on occasion pass by the liquor store where the winning ticket happened to have been purchased.
So, naturally, when I heard Sunday night that the ticket had been purchased in NJ... I favored entertaining the fantasy... instead of checking the tickets.
The fantasy really got wound up when this morning I heard it had been sold in Passaic.
I bought some tickets in Passaic.
So... naturally... I decided to keep waiting and not check... at least until somebody would come forward.
And so he did. It was on the news... the winner (a Dominican immigrant) got his butt back to the liquor store where he bought it and the rest is unambiguously repetitious and yadi yada.
Jim Carrey has been dying at the box office since Bruce Almighty... about 10 years ago.
So, I'm thinking this political turn (anti-gun video) he is taking, is his way of making peace with his has been status.
He is toast.
It's a 3 dog night in Wyoming.
Chip Ahoy
You need to add The Needle and the Damage Done to the soundtrack of your life as in Bagoh's video. You both seem to live too close to the edge.
Freakin' Canada....
Well, since Jim Carrey is trying to get millions killed via epidemics, he should just shut the fuck up. Also? Go back to Canada, we've had enough crap from Canada.
Chip Ahoy said ...
And right then CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH CRASHBLAMCRUNCH but no brakes
Ah hah! Obviously three drivers trained in Michigan.
So, I'm thinking this political turn (anti-gun video) he is taking, is his way of making peace with his has been status.
What else can he do, now that Hollywood Squares is no longer on the air?
Lem - did you see this? Very satisfying.
Bagoh -Thoroughly enjoyed watching that. Thanks.
bagoh20 ...what AprilApple said.
I really didn't sense "danger" but I understand that it's there. The sport looks like a lovely way to spend time.
You mentioned "throw your parachute"...I presume that means you have an emergency chute strapped on that has no pilot chute and you must un-bundle it and toss out manually to avoid tangling with the glider. That I'm familiar with from long ago...do I have that right?
Last night we watched the "At the Codfish Ball" episode of Mad Men.
First rate stuff, both entertaining and disturbing.
If you can watch it and your heart doesn't ache for Sally I'd recommend revisiting The 400 Blows.
The function of narratives is to create a mental universe for the low-information voters.
Belmont Club
Aridog,
Yea, you have parachute, usually held to your chest in a velcro pocket. You have to grab a handle, pull it loose and then throw it out, and hope it inflate in time. This can be very hard, since in most accidents you go down spinning rapidly and can pass out if you don't throw it fast enough. You and the glider all come down together. It works very well about 80%of the time. These guys were too low to pull it off in time.
bagoh20 siad ...
... in most accidents you go down spinning rapidly and can pass out if you don't throw it fast enough. You and the glider all come down together ...
Wow. You mean even with today's modern technology there is no quick release to detach the flier from the wings? I mean, it is hard enough to deploy a chute manually, as in the old days of sky diving when the risers didn't detach and you had to get the e-chute out far enough not to streamer/candle with the main. But to have to do it in flat spin tangled up with wing structure...Whoa. Does one wear "Depends as de rigueur gear?
I'd guess the beauty of free flight makes it all worthwhile. In younger days I probably would have enjoyed it if I could fly near eagles, ospreys and raptors of various kinds....without disturbing them similar to using a kayak on water near animals.
I just up my ranking of your sport several notches.
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