What on earth were they thinking? (Sep 27, 2009)

New Mexico is home to odd signs - notably "Gusty Winds May Exist" - but this one surprised even me:


"Experience pure elation. Take a Santa Fe-cation."


I'm not making this up - here's the tourist board's website:
http://santafe.org/Promotions/santafe-cation/index.html


On the one hand, it's true that the "Fe" in Santa Fe (capitol of New Mexico) is pronounced "Fay", but did the author of this slogan not step back and look at their handiwork with an eye to how it would appear to someone else?

It is with a great deal of perverse pride that I call this state my home

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(4 replies, Latest reply: Sep 27, 2009)

Orfin, as in 'a person who has lost his parents', not as in 'frequently' (Jan 1, 2009)

On December 24 my mum passed away. I was with her as she drew her last terrestrial breath. And she was with me as I drew my first, come to think of it.

She couldn't speak when I arrived, and I was told by her nurse that she'd had a stroke that morning. She'd been having frequent small strokes for the last year. I talked with her awhile and then asked if she'd like it if I sang and played some guitar for her. She nodded yes.

I played for awhile and sang songs that we'd both sung together on the screened porch of my childhood home. In fact, these were some that she'd learned from her mum and taught to me. It brought tears to my eyes.

Somewhere during this time I became aware that she was making her transition, and then she passed.

She survived my father by two years. My sister and I have survived her, and I hope her songs will survive us all.
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(7 replies, Latest reply: Jan 5, 2009)

Too Much Water All at Once (Jul 27, 2008)

Just at the moment there's some difficulty here on account of too much water all at once. Flooding actually began 3:30am (9:30am GMT).

Here are some photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/benchma...eng.surv/100YearFloodRuidosoDownsNM

Our river is still at flood stage, but it's begun to subside. The bridge I use, which is the only means of ingress and egress by road from my house, has survived so far, but there are reports of other bridges upstream that have washed out.

Myself, Ms P and all our neighbors are safe and dry - and we are all well above the flood - so if the bridge washes out it will be a severe inconvenience, but not life threatening.

( so far, but somewhat )
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(37 replies, Latest reply: Aug 1, 2008)

Happy Father's Day (Jun 15, 2008)

My dad is gone now, but I wrote this for him: A37293087

(It may not be factual, but it's accurate nonetheless )


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(1 reply, Latest reply: Jun 15, 2008)

A Minor Injustice against which Pailaway Stands Up (May 25, 2008)

Here's what happened. On our once-per-month trip up to Albuquerque, the missus and I stopped for lunch. We were seated and then left for dead. I was already pretty stressed out about the trip as I always am because it always involves a very trying visit with my mum - and I sensed that I was about ripe for taking out my frustrations on a hapless waitperson who only had the bad luck to ignore us at just that moment.

So, I took a deep breath to calm down and then an idea occurred to me. I stood up on my chair and then turned slowly around looking in all directions. Soon that got the attention of the hostess who looked at me with a quizzical expression. I then announced that I couldn't see any waitpersons at all anywhere. Within seconds we were attended to.

The beauty of it all was that my minor act of civil disobedience relieved all of my stress - Ms P's too as she found it all quite funny. So I was able to be completely amiable with the apologetic waiter, enjoy lunch and leave a nice tip.

The rest of the day was quite tolerable as a result.

This is something that I can unreservedly recommend for anyone to try
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(5 replies, Latest reply: May 25, 2008)

A Little Green Alien Head for your Antenna (Jun 27, 2007)

Roswell's Alienfest is coming up in the first week of July - it's the 60th anniversary of whatever actually happened there in 1947. So, anyway, they usually have great little green styrofoam alien heads that you can put on your car antenna.

Anyone who wants one one of these should let me know so I'll know how many to return with. Just post here, then leave a terrestrial address in an email to: pailaway at yahoo dot co dot uk


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(51 replies, Latest reply: Aug 16, 2007)

Just a Little Disaster (Mar 25, 2007)

I may be occupied for up to a week and unable to check in except only sporadically. I arrived in Albuquerque yesterday for my monthly visit to see mom and to see that her houshold bills are paid. To try and make a long story shorter, she had an emergency that required an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

I say an emergency, but it's been a long time coming. She has had bleeding from her breast that she's been private about. She's a Christian Scientist, and while that may not explain anything to anyone, just substitute your favorite word for a dysfunctional condition that results in aberrent decisions and actions - you know, alcoholism, rage, paranoia, whatever. Christian Scientists, aside from any of their other noble ideals, refuse medical treatment under any circumstances. Add to this their refusal to acknowledge what we would call physical realities - denial, as you might say - hence the dysfunction.

But back to the emergency - her live-in caregiver came running in and said 'Your Mother is Bleeding. You HAVE to come now and see this - I'm calling an ambulance.' So (I'm sorry, this part makes me cry ...ok, I'm back) I came in to see what was clearly an angry tumor where her breast should have been and she had in fact lost much blood. I was pressed hard between respect for my mother's wishes which she made known in no uncertain terms, and her caregivers anguish knowing that something had to be done or she would die. I stood there, in agony, massaging her shoulders and saying, Mom, we have to call an ambulance - you don't have to go to the hospital if you don't choose, but PJ can't stop the bleeding. So, one little decision at a time, we got medics to come, we got her to the hospital, we got her to agree to tests, and we have got her to agree to surgury.

So now I'm at her house. PJ, her caregiver, and I are taking shifts so that someone's always with mom. I've just caught up on sleep and have an extra moment. I appreciate everyone here and I actually feel connected to the larger world through all of you. The number of people that I consider my friends and that I have met here in the last year is much greater than the tiny list on my personal space. This is something I intend to correct when I'm back home and things are quieted down.

Now to end on a humorous note. I'm the only one at the house now, which fact has outraged PJ's very territorial cat. When I tottered in and slumped onto the couch and pulled a cover over my head, I could hear her hissing and growling at me from the next room. My last thought before passing out was, 'she's just waiting for me to go to sleep so she can come beat me up.' Thankfully, I slept umpummeled.

Thanks everybody.
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(11 replies, Latest reply: May 3, 2007)

New Years Resolutions (Dec 31, 2006)

This year I intend to finally gain some mastery over music - I'm musically illiterate and have played by ear all these years. No more! I've very recently taken up mandolin and have forced myself to play only scales - I plan to continue practicing every day for the next year until the scales fall from my eyes.

Last year on the Front Page was a suggestion to make a New Years resolution to read one entry in peer review a day. That's a resolution that I made but but didn't quite keep. However, I did read some each week and learned lots as a result. This year I'll make the same resolution and hope to do better. I also resolve to make more completely inane comments than ever.

...That's about it.
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(31 replies, Latest reply: Sep 3, 2007)

A dream come true (Sep 25, 2006)

I just spent all morning with a neighbor collecting used frying oil from bins behind restaurants. We filled a 55 gallon drum, and then we slightly overfilled it - so that was a little untidy.

Since about 2000 I have been planning to make biodiesel fuel to run my car, and I had accumulated all the necessary pieces, but just haven't had the time to put it all together.

Then some new neighbors moved in recently - a husband and wife. The husband worked to put his wife through school and now she's working so he's got time off. This bloke has also been wanting to make biodiesel fuel - so first we took all my stuff over to his garage, then he spent about a week tinkering and produced a wonderfully dubious looking contraption made of an old water heater and other spare parts. It's festooned with hoses and gauges - and it even has a motor, so what more could you want?

We made a successful test batch that we finished last week. Now we're ready for full-scale. Hence the scavenging trip.

At one place we found it impossible to communicate that we wanted to remove oil from the bin and not dump oil into it:

'We'd like to pump oil from your bin, will that be okay with you?'

'Oh, it isn't much is it? I don't think the manager would like you to dump oil in our bin.'

'No, we want to pump oil out of it.'

'The manager isn't here now. Well, if your not going to dump much I guess it's OK'

'Ok, thanks.'

It was a messy, but satisfying day.


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(13 replies, Latest reply: Jan 9, 2007)

Dark Matter Seen Leaving the Scene of an Accident (Sep 1, 2006)

This is fantastic!

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060826/fob1.asp

No one has actually seen dark matter before, so there has remained some debate about its actual existence.

Now, some astronomers have observed a galactic collision and mapped the distribution of 'normal matter' and then, using gravitational lensing, mapped the main mass. (normal matter from each galaxy should interact and consequently be slowed by the collision - theoretically, dark matter from each ought not to interact and so should speed ahead)

The composite image shown in the above link shows the main mass to be out ahead of the 'normal matter'. It's stunning.

I have to go sit under an apple tree and think about it.

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(4 replies, Latest reply: Sep 2, 2006)

Snoozing Bee (Jul 9, 2006)
I found a bee taking a little nap in a globe mallow blossom in my back yard and took a photo.
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pailaway/album?.dir=/48a3scd&.src=ph

(let me know if this link doesn't work)

I've heard that bees are not as industrious as we commonly think and that they do take naps, but I'd never seen it until now.


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(3 replies, Latest reply: Jul 24, 2006)

What's in a name? (May 14, 2006)
There is the case of Mr. & Mrs Hogg naming their two daughters Ima and Ura. This is unfortunate, of course, and there are many more such cases - we can only feel sorry for the children.

Some name/jokes are only slightly less obvious - my father knew one Richard Baird. One work day, they happened to both be standing at adjacent urinals and my father happily announced, "Here I stand with Dick Baird." (He had been waiting for this opportunity for some time.)

As for me, I would never actually saddle an innocent child with a name sure to become tedious over the course of a long life, BUT I can certainly understand the temptation. I saw a truck the other day with "Holloway Construction" painted on the door, and I thought, "That's it - If MY last name was Holloway I would definitely name my child Heavaway."
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(10 replies, Latest reply: May 27, 2006)

A Politically Correct Boundary (May 9, 2006)
Here's a question that occurred to me - What is the smallest political boundary one could draw that includes each of the United States inside it?

By way of an answer, suppose this question had been asked of the citizens of Washington D.C. - they would have promptly drawn the boundary exactly around Washington D.C. and then declared, "We are outside!"

Perhaps they are.
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(1 reply, Latest reply: May 9, 2006)

On this day (May 3, 2006)
On this calendar day in history - I was created, then I evolved, but into the most compelling argument against intelligent design that you could want. Take that Mr. President. anyone?
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(3 replies, Latest reply: May 4, 2006)

Backwards Brain (Apr 29, 2006)
My brain, while unattended, often casts idly about for signs to read backwards. It's actually tedious and unrewarding most of the time and I try not to notice. However, every now and then it reports back with items of interest. In Washington, D.C. there is actually a street named 'Tunlaw'. This was fun because it was intentionally spelled backwards in the first place. More recently there was the case of a shoe repair store in Roswell named 'Burtons'. So that was fun too.
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(4 replies, Latest reply: Apr 30, 2006)

Ant School (Apr 1, 2006)
I just marvel at this. Some researchers at U. Bristol have apparently demonstrated that, according to these 3 specific criteria, there are teachers and pupils among ants: 1) the teacher must perform the task at hand less efficiently than they would without the pupil present, 2) the pupil must learn faster than they would by themselves and, 3) there must be feedback between the two. In this case, the task at hand was to show nestmates a new source of food, placed 15cm away by the researcher. Here's what happened in the lab - two ants were observed to run along in tandem, but slower than the leader would alone, and the pupil would stop the teacher by tapping w/antennae, then the pupil turns around in loops. The results were that the pupils could then find the food in 2/3 the time it would otherwise take. Have a look at www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060114/antteach.avi

Ok, first, just thinking about the running, tapping, and looping has caused me to stop what I was doing several times yesterday to laugh. Then, think of it - even chimps, apparently, don't exhibit this teacher/pupil behavior. I don't either, come to think of it. With a nephew or niece about, I'll keep on with what I'm doing and answer any question they may have, but it's more of a process of demonstration and I don't usually slow down, even with one sitting on my shoulders tapping on my head.
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(2 replies, Latest reply: Apr 2, 2006)

Here comes Daylight Savings Time (Mar 30, 2006)
I look forward to Daylight Savings Time about like the arrival of a proctologist's finger - it is an insult, and nothing quite prepares one for it.
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(4 replies, Latest reply: Mar 30, 2006)

land ownership - possible research topic (Dec 16, 2005)
i remember reading somewhere the thesis that personal wealth depends on land ownership - ie. those countries that have lots of land and impoverished citizens are those in which land ownership is controlled by heads of tribes, or by government, or by... and those countries in which land can be freely bought & sold are those with the wealthiest citizens.

I have also heard it said that all title to land originally derives from forcible takeover. true?

finally, what does it mean to "own land?" how has this definition, whatever it is, evolved (ie. if land ownership changes economy, does economy also change ownership?)
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