On the first friday of every month, the museum where I work opens its doors in the evening. We are part of the "First Friday" night in Philadelphia. Last month we had free beer samples from a local brewery and a visiting scholar talking about the history of beer and brewing.
On July 2, we will have chemistry experiments every hour including the Screaming Jelly Baby, as it is known in Britain. Jelly Babies and Gummi Bears are almost pure sugar and oxidize so fast you can get a screaming sound from a test tube with the right temperature and oxidizing agent:
In Iraq, I would hear serious conversations about MEDEVAC missions, emergency leaves, and other "work" issues in an aviation unit in Iraq. Today I heard two of my co-workers talking very seriously about how and where we would be setting up the Screaming Jelly Baby experiment.
Life is different back here in the world.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
I am using Twitter more lately because of a program called Tweet Deck. I am also using Facebook more and adding friends from Task Force Diablo (2-104th GSAB) and high school. You can find me on either Facebook or Twitter by searching my name. I am also on Linked In but use that less. Twitter and Facebook are made for immediate updates. LinkedIn not so much.
I know there are hundreds of other social media options out there. Are there specific ones an old soldier/chemistry geek/bicyclist should be looking at?
Let me know.
I know there are hundreds of other social media options out there. Are there specific ones an old soldier/chemistry geek/bicyclist should be looking at?
Let me know.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Whole Race--I am Coming Back!!!!
Today was the annual Father's Day Race, officially known as the Cargas Criterium and Masters State Championship at Greenfield Industrial Park in Lancaster PA. I have been riding in this race since I turned 50--except 2007 when I was in a neck brace. I went to that race and probably caused fights between a dozen racers and their wives after they saw me watching the race in a neck and chest brace with not-quite-healed scars on my face.
Today I got my best result--EVER!!!!
In four races between 2003 and 2007 I never finished better than 26th. In 2008 I finished 21st. Last year, it was one of the three races I did in America in 2009, because I was on leave from Iraq during the last two weeks of June. I finished 20th.
Today I was 19th. Not exactly a victory in a field of 40, but it is the first race I finished with the main pack since I have been back from Iraq. I will be racing next weekend in a race I have finished more than once in the top ten. I am feeling good!
The other great thing about this race for me is that it is six miles from my house and my family comes out to cheer for me. Today, my wife was at a six-mile mud run of her own, but Lauren, Lisa, Nigel and Jacari were out and yelling GO DAD! on every lap. In fact, they were so loud that a couple of the riders said they sounded like the horns at the World Cup Soccer Games.
They sounded great to me. At amateur racers, the participants outnumbers the fans by ten to one. I had ten percent of the crowd cheering for me. I was a happy Dad.
Today I got my best result--EVER!!!!
In four races between 2003 and 2007 I never finished better than 26th. In 2008 I finished 21st. Last year, it was one of the three races I did in America in 2009, because I was on leave from Iraq during the last two weeks of June. I finished 20th.
Today I was 19th. Not exactly a victory in a field of 40, but it is the first race I finished with the main pack since I have been back from Iraq. I will be racing next weekend in a race I have finished more than once in the top ten. I am feeling good!
The other great thing about this race for me is that it is six miles from my house and my family comes out to cheer for me. Today, my wife was at a six-mile mud run of her own, but Lauren, Lisa, Nigel and Jacari were out and yelling GO DAD! on every lap. In fact, they were so loud that a couple of the riders said they sounded like the horns at the World Cup Soccer Games.
They sounded great to me. At amateur racers, the participants outnumbers the fans by ten to one. I had ten percent of the crowd cheering for me. I was a happy Dad.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
FLICKR Page
I opened a FLICKR page in Iraq and just started using it. I guess this is considered social media, but it does not connect with Facebook (at least as far as I can see) so I have not made a lot of FLICKR friends. If someone does know how to connect FLICKR with Facebook, please let me know.
Here's the page.
Here's the page.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Barnstormers
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my hometown for the last 25 years has a professional baseball team called the Barnstormers. They are a minor league team. My family has been to several games on different occasions. I haven't yet been to a game. I am not a fan of stick and ball sports in general, but they are the local team, so I hope to get to a couple of games before the long baseball season ends.
It will have to be a night game, because if I have that much free time during the day, I'll be on my bike.
Anyway, one of my neighbors has taken her kids to several Barnstormers games and said they are a lot of fun. Then she said, "but it's sad reading about the players, you can tell they are on the way down in not-so-great careers."
So. . .
They may not be starting for the Red Sox, but they are professional players. They get paid to play ball. How many people ever get a chance to play pro ball or get paid to play any sport as a professional? I know that there are tens of thousands of people who wish they could play pro sports for every one who makes it.
When she was making that comment, I thought about the 50 miles I rode today, part of more than 200 I rode this week trying to get to the point where I can just finish a race. Nobody among the thousands of masters amateur racers I ride with gets paid. Really hot shot riders get free jerseys and bike parts, but nobody quits their day job.
In amateur sports, as in the Army, the big dividing line is between those who do and those who don't. Often when I ride with a group of fast riders who are not racers, somebody will tell why they don't race. Usually, they are worried about crashing. I always tell them they made the right decision. Racers crash. If you don't want to crash, you should not race. Frankly, you should not ride fast or on roads either, but that's another topic.
In the same way, there is no safe way to serve. Get a guarantee for the safest job and a computer somewhere will spit out a requirement for your job in the middle of the hottest conflict. Enlisting means serving as needed. It can be dangerous.
And like racing, it is clearly not for everybody.
It will have to be a night game, because if I have that much free time during the day, I'll be on my bike.
Anyway, one of my neighbors has taken her kids to several Barnstormers games and said they are a lot of fun. Then she said, "but it's sad reading about the players, you can tell they are on the way down in not-so-great careers."
So. . .
They may not be starting for the Red Sox, but they are professional players. They get paid to play ball. How many people ever get a chance to play pro ball or get paid to play any sport as a professional? I know that there are tens of thousands of people who wish they could play pro sports for every one who makes it.
When she was making that comment, I thought about the 50 miles I rode today, part of more than 200 I rode this week trying to get to the point where I can just finish a race. Nobody among the thousands of masters amateur racers I ride with gets paid. Really hot shot riders get free jerseys and bike parts, but nobody quits their day job.
In amateur sports, as in the Army, the big dividing line is between those who do and those who don't. Often when I ride with a group of fast riders who are not racers, somebody will tell why they don't race. Usually, they are worried about crashing. I always tell them they made the right decision. Racers crash. If you don't want to crash, you should not race. Frankly, you should not ride fast or on roads either, but that's another topic.
In the same way, there is no safe way to serve. Get a guarantee for the safest job and a computer somewhere will spit out a requirement for your job in the middle of the hottest conflict. Enlisting means serving as needed. It can be dangerous.
And like racing, it is clearly not for everybody.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Awards from Iraq Presented at Last Drill Weekend
Four Companies had award ceremonies on Sunday morning, June 13. Bravo, Delta, Echo and Headquarters & Headquarters Company gave awards to soldiers in separate ceremonies during the morning. The photos of these award ceremonies are at the links below:
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Freedom Salute Pictures
On Sunday, June 13, 2-104th GSAB received a Freedom Salute ceremony honoring soldiers who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom last year, returning home in January. All deployed soldiers who could attend the ceremony were honored for their service. Photos of the ceremony are available for download on a FLICKR page maintained I set up in Iraq. To view all the photos and download yours, just click on this link.
There are 273 photos in this set. Please add identifying info to your picture or pictures and feel free to share the pictures with family and friends.
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