My toast from last night’s rehearsal dinner…

Good evening. For those of you whom I have forgotten to introduce myself to, I am Brian, brother of Shawn, and best man (and not, as you might think, the official photographer). I’d like to thank our parents Bill & Susie and Leah’s parent’s Wink and Dorthea for making this weekend possible, for shepherding into this world two really great people.

In college I majored in history and as a result I am always trying to draw connections between past and present. When Shawn and Leah chose April 25th for their wedding I decided to try and find an event that might tie into their day tomorrow and maybe even serve as a metaphor for their new life that begins together.

After setting aside various bits of military trivia such as the 1862 capture of New Orleans by David “Damn the torpedoes” Farragut, or the declaration of war on Spain made by the US Congress in 1898, or the impending fall of Saigon in 1975, I found an interesting footnote, and it read: “1990, the Hubble Telescope is deployed into orbit from the Space Shuttle Discovery.”

Just in case you need a reminder (looking at Shawn), the Hubble is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space. Its unobstructed view of the universe has allowed scientists to observe not only the planets in our solar system, but the most distant stars and galaxies. It had the most precisely ground mirrors ever created by man and its launching 19 years ago marks the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo’s telescope. Our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same.

Now, I knew I was on to something with the whole Hubble/Marriage thing, but I wasn’t 100% sure how to proceed, so I did what anyone would do in this situation, I turned to Twitter.

In less than 140 characters I typed: “The Hubble Telescope as a metaphor for marriage. Discuss.” I clicked update and flung my request into the ether.

A near immediate reply appeared on my screen:

“Too easy! Initial perfection of mirrors, need for unexpected adjustments, revelation of cosmic beauty.”

And so I say to Shawn and Leah… I hope that tomorrow is the start of a journey that, while requiring a few minor adjustments from time to time, is one that leads to a beautiful life together.

Cheers!

February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, in years evenly divisible by 4, such as 1988, 1996, 2008 or 2016 (with the exception of century years not divisible by 400, such as 1900) for the Gregorian calendar, which is most widely used in the world today. These are called leap years, and February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of that year. February 29 is also known as bissextile day or Leap Day.

There are only a few hours left in the day, so any ladies out there hankering to become betrothed (to me) need to act fast on the tradition that women may make a proposal of marriage to men only in leap years, further restricted in some cases to only February 29. Best as I can tell you really have nothing to lose… tradition states that “if the man rejects the proposal, he should soften the blow by providing a kiss, one pound currency (1 British pound = 1.9847 U.S. dollars), and a pair of gloves.”

p.s. I totally stole the “Happy Leap Day” idea from Katy…

No f’in way, originally uploaded by outdoor_type.

A few thoughts while I wait at the gate from today’s travels…

Airport Efficiency

This is the busiest travel day of the year, but you wouldn’t know it from visiting Washington Dulles International Airport.

I’ve flown out of here three times in the past 6 weeks or so and by far Veterans Day was the worst in terms of traffic, full lots, and long, long, lines at security.

Thanksgiving? Cakewalk. Today? Ditto. There was no line at the ticket counter, no live for the various security check points. In fact, this kind of caused a problem because unless you’ve got your act totally together and have nothing in your pockets before even entering the line you end up having to stop at the x-ray machine and stuff your bag full of your pocket’s contents. Normally you’ve got plenty of time to do this while shuffling along with hundreds of your newest, closest friends, kick pushing your carry-ons across the floor. Anyways, I’m not complaining. I just could have waited someplace else instead of here at the Z10 gate which is lacking in its amenities is all I’m saying. There, I guess I am complaining, but only a little. Things are too good is my problem.

Designed for Small Compartments

A US Air guy just walked up and put this ticket on my camera bag. No way am I checking it, even at the gate. Update: this is becoming a fun game… I took off the original tag. 20 minutes later he walked by and attached another tag! (which I promptly removed. again)

The bag is designed for small planes:

Airport Antidote
Legal carry on backpack fits all international carry on requirements, and fits into the overhead of very small planes.

After the jump, The Carry-On Conclusion, A One Wheeled Landing, and… Detained by TSA!

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First Snow, originally uploaded by outdoor_type.

Went out for a late lunch today but got distracted by the snow and the image of this boardwalk trail. It starts up near the Old Stone Bridge and passes through a section of the battlefield that I suppose must get kind of soggy at times. I’d passed by earlier in the morning and already the walkway had collected a fair amount of snow compared to the rest of the area. It was a wide white line passing through trees and I made a note to come back if I had the time.

Coming here was a tough call because I’d have loved to visit my barns. There’s always tomorrow… Hopefully the snow will stick around a bit longer, at least for another lunch time walk. Maybe I’ll get up really early and catch the sunrise… ha, yeah right!

Check out the rest of the photos over on Flickr.

Jung Typology Test

Your Type is: INFJ

Strength of the preferences…

• Introverted: 100% (shocker)
• Intuitive: 25%
• Feeling: 12%
• Judging: 1% (this is a little interesting)

So what do you think? Does this sound like me?

Myers-Briggs Characteristics

According to Myers-Briggs, INFJs are conscientious and value-driven. They seek meaning in relationships, ideas, and events, with an eye toward better understanding themselves and others. Using their intuitive skills, they develop a clear vision, which they then execute decisively to better the lives of others. Like their INTJ counterparts, INFJs regard problems as opportunities for them to design and implement creative solutions.

Keirsey Characteristics

According to Keirsey, INFJ Counselors are quiet, private individuals who prefer to exercise their influence behind the scenes. Intensely interested in the well-being of others, Counselors prefer one-on-one relationships to large groups. Sensitive and complex, they are adept at understanding complicated issues and driven to resolve differences in a cooperative and creative manner. Accounting for about two percent of the population, Counselors have a vivid inner life that they may be reluctant to share with those around them. Perceptive of the emotions of others, Counselors are themselves easily hurt, though they may not reveal this except to their closest companions.

A list of Basic Charateristics
- sensitive
- quiet leaders
- great depth of personality – intricately and deeply woven, mysterious, and highly complex, sometimes puzzling even themselves
- introverted
- abstract in communicating
- live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities – part of an unusually rich inner life
- artistic (and natural affinity for art), creative, and easily inspired
- very independent
- orderly view towards the world but within themself arranged in a chaotic, complex way only they could understand

Green Vista, originally uploaded by outdoor_type.

Spent a little more time at one of my favourite photographic stomping grounds after work tonight.

Yeah, it was raining, but I happened to have an assortment of water proof clothing in the car. Shoes, jacket, wide-brimmed hat… I was all set. All set except for my pants, my jeans, my 100% cotton jeans which if presented with a wilderness survival situation might meant certain doom. Luckily tonight I managed to keep doom at bay.  My car was within site at all times and though my pants did absorb a disturbing amount of water in the hour that I meandered around the park, I made it home without even the slightest snivel. One warm shower later and I was all set for another round of photo editing…

Check ‘em out on Flickr.

Halloween is just around the corner and now is the time (if you haven’t already) to figure out what costume you’ll be wearing.

A good Halloween costume requires more than just a paper bag and crazy wavings of your arms and hands. Per Wikipedia,

Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear particularly revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.

Inspired by this t-shirt, I would like to propose a little contest… How many costume ideas can you come up that pay homage to that little document I like to call The Bill of Rights? Leave your ideas in the comments.

Bonus points will be given to anyone who can creatively interpret the 9th and 10th amendments.

Grand Prize: One slightly used Donkey piñata who needs only a little tlc (and lots of tape) before he can be used once more to deliver the joy of candy and game to millions.

Haven’t been exercising your Bill of Rights lately? Need a quick reminder? I’ve got ‘em listed after the jump…

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As this fire began on the 12th, I can say that the tradition of bad things happening on my birthday continues…

Tunnel inferno leaves two people dead in California

Story Highlights

• Traffic backed up in all directions
• Firefighters pumping foam into tunnel to douse fire
• 15 trucks involved in pileup on Golden State Freeway
• At least 8 people reported injured, one missing

Full story on CNN.com

On October 12, 1810 Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I of Bavaria) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen were married. In commemoration of their marriage a great horse race was organised.

The Germans are world renown for both their ability to party and also for their keen aptitude at naming things. Both the marriage and the party were a great success.

Ludwig later became King Ludwig I of Bavaria (his grandson, Ludwig II, would build the famous Neuschwanstein castle), the party became known as Oktoberfest, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Other things happened on October 12 too…

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Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

My pirate name is:

Dirty Sam Read

You’re the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean — not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You’ve got taste and education. Arr!

Best question & answer:

20. Did the fact that Shakespeare never got into what happened with Hamlet and the pirates bother you?

B. Yes, but it was only a small flaw in an otherwise brilliant work of… err.. that is… ARR!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com