Roads are fog free, frost free, flurry free, flood free, and sans stones. We’re even lacking in ladybugs, unlike Wrightwood, which, as you may have seen on the news, was blanketed with a swarm 150 square miles in area that triggered Dopplerish alerts. I would not be terribly surprised to see the invasion reach our own shores, but at least for now, we’re insulated from this intense insect invasion.
There is still a little hazyish moisture in the air towards the bottom of the hill… it won’t slow your go, but be forewarned that in sharp contrast to the clear blue skies that those on the mountain marvel upon, skies down here in the dreary flat areas give June gloom its reason for being. Overcast and grey is what the flatlanders get.
Today is D-Day. This refers to the invasion of Normandy, on the French coast, that occurred 75 years ago today. It is one of the most historic invasions in—well, in history—and certainly the largest oceanic invasion in the history of the world. Around 10,000 allied lives were lost on those beaches (out of about 160,000 who crossed the English Channel that day), but the general success of the mission is credited with leading to the eventual victory over the Nazis.
If you have not watched the movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” you must do so now. The opening scene is that of the D-Day invasion. While I was not there, I have heard the testimony of many who WERE there, those who have said that this movie did an amazing job of capturing the reality of that day. The scene is gory… as is war. It’s chaotic, and gruesome, and unpredictable… a very intense thing to behold, even on a screen. Watch it, and you’ll have new respect for the men who were part of that day.
Okay, on to shallower things… shallower than wading ashore from a troop carrier. Today is National Higher Education day. Me, I just don’t get what the whole big dang ol’ deal is about gittin’ a hire education… wait a second… is that it?!? Is it a HIRE education?
Deputies in Crestline found a couple teenagers doing stupid stuff the other night: One was drinking battery acid, and the other was eating fireworks! The cops charged one, and let the other one off.
Holy smokes… so Apple is bringing a new, amazing, awesome, allthebellsandwhistles monitor to the market. It costs about $5,000. Whew. That’s pricey, but, from what I hear, it might be worth it, given the features. But what I find a little more stunning is that the monitor STAND—the little thing that attaches to it, so you don’t have to just prop it against a stack of books—costs $999. I guess that’s a buck better than a grand, but come on… I am not lying when I say that MOST of the cars I have purchased in my lifetime have cost less than that.
The other day, my therapist told me that I am preoccupied with vengeance. Ha! We’ll see about THAT. I’ll show him. Or better yet, maybe I’ll just teach him a lesson about saying things like that.
Oh, follow-up reporting: I mentioned that my windshield was cracked a few days ago. Well, I had a mobile glass repair guy come to my workplace on Wednesday. He spent about 15 minutes on the job. It’s not absolutely perfect, given that if you know juuuuust where to look, and the light hits it just wrong you CAN see some evidence of said damage. But… I’m very satisfied with the result, and the glass will not cleave further than its current half-inch or so. Cost me $60, total… plus a tip, of course.
A truck full of tortoises crashed into a truck carrying terrapins… it was a turtle disaster.
I got that drone, that I had mentioned recently as a purchase consideration. However, it might be a week or two before this thing even gets off of the ground: it is a very high tech piece of equipment, and I’m a pretty low tech guy. Making this thing fly won’t be too hard, I guess, but ensuring that it does not haphazardly collide with objects, or use its prop blades like a Cuisinart on my face, or disappear over the horizon as it tries to escape to Mexico, or try to dunk itself in Lake Gregory, or any of one billion unexpected scenarios that would result in damage to human, animal, drone or other property… well, THAT’S the real trick here. I’m studying hard and trying to learn how it’s done… but you can bet that liftoff is NOT going to happen until I’m really confident.
Friday falls on the day after Thursday this week, which, remarkably is tomorrow. That’s not so far away now… we can make it to F-day.