Happy Happy Joy Joy

I get a replacement Samsung Captivate phone today. One of the students at school had one and is due an upgrade so he's selling me his old one for cheap.

I hope it's still aesthetically pleasing and not banged up. Either way, though, I'll be back to a phone I like instead of a phone I used to like.

Galaxy Tab 10.1

Picked up the new tablet today. So far it's much like the iPad when I first got it: most apps in the app store are for phones and not much for tablets. Maybe that will change quickly as time goes by. For now I recommend staying with the iPad.

NASA confirms July 8 for last shuttle launch

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The last space shuttle launch ever is set for July 8.

NASA managers met at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday and confirmed Friday, July 8, as the launch date for Atlantis. The 12-day mission will close out the 30-year shuttle program.

Atlantis will fly to the International Space Station with a year's worth of supplies. Four astronauts will be on board for this grand finale.

NASA spent the past week testing a new fuel valve that was installed in one of Atlantis' main engines to stop a leak. Technicians also X-rayed support brackets on the external fuel tank. Officials say everything looks good.

Launch time is 11:26 a.m. Huge crowds are expected.

Self-awareness

I have to write a bio for my church's web site. Ugh. Would it be completely inappropriate to just make a bunch of stuff up? I've only been part of that church since I was about 4. Surely no one would know the difference.

I'm getting old

Are you ready to pay with your phone the next time you go to McDonald's? I'm not. The whole idea of waving my phone near a credit-card reader to have money removed from my checking account is a little scary to me. This is yet another sure sign that I'm getting old. In three years I probably will be angry when someone wants me to scan my debit card because I'm so accustomed to paying with my phone. But right now, it seems like an insecure idea.

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Hot Prediction

There will be claims that these ridiculous new picture warnings on cigarette packages stopped people from smoking or made them quit. There is absolutely no way to prove that these warnings are in and of themselves responsible. No one quits because of the current warnings. Everyone who smokes knows it's bad for them.

Make it illegal if people are too stupid to realize it's harmful. If it's illegal then they'll quit doing it. Just like drugs. Just like alcohol nearly 100 years ago. If not a complete ban, then make them put nothing but tobacco and paper in them and remove the chemicals.

Baby, I'm a Firework

I get to help run a fireworks show again this year. Celina, Texas, on Saturday, July 2! It won't be as big as some of the shows and shells I've helped with in the past, but it's always fun to blow stuff up in a well-controlled environment.

And do you have any idea how impossible it is to find a picture of a shell exploding with a white background? I couldn't find one.

How many fires/county do you think will be started this year by careless (and by careless I mean that they don't care, not that they didn't take care) started by careless people shooting their fireworks stand treasures. Come on, people. Find a professional show to go watch.

The end of vacation season

After driving to Washington D.C. and Destin, FL in a two-and-a-half week span, my vacation season has ended. It was fast and furious in D.C., but Destin offered nothing but sitting on the beach and watching the waves and the people. Both were great for their own reasons.

Now it's back to the old grindstone and I'm more than ready. The worst part of vacationing (especially two in the same week) is after you return. There are five days until payday and money is as scarce around here as raindrops. But the time and money spent was fun while it lasted and refreshing to the soul.

I'm looking forward to getting caught up on some paperwork at work, some new responsibilities at church, and Mrs. Uncommon possibly commuting to work with me in the future. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

Picture time at the beach

Good times.

Beach smarts

It's always a good idea to double-check those pockets before meandering into the water when vacationing at the beach. So long, Samsung Captivate. You will be sorely missed.

On a lighter note, Destin's beach is as pretty as people told me it is. And tomorrow I get to go shopping for a brand spanking new Go-Phone to replace my drenched and salt encrusted Android smart phone.

Fortunately I'm on vacation and could not care less that I have no phone for the week. We do have Internet at the house where we are staying. But I have to confess that it wouldn't hurt my feelings to be with no phone nor Internet; vacationing old-school.

Dog Days of Summer

Every June it gets hot and I enjoy listening the farmers say, "If it doesn't rain, this will be the only cutting of hay we get this Summer." Ah, yes. Farmers are some of the best purveyors of obvious wisdom.

I'm pretty sure that the practice of baling and storing hay was developed due in part to times of drought. If it rained regularly all year long, there would be no need for the hay that they worry about not making.

Along with the aforementioned wisdom comes another one: "If it keep raining and I keep making hay, nobody will need to buy it."

Hang around a local rural convenience store / grill and listen as the wisdom of farmers flows about the table.

Go Mavericks!

I'm cautiously optimistic

Unraptured

No, I did not go to meet my maker on May 21. Apparently I had two Google accounts that used the same email address but with different passwords. Very confusing. I finally got my blog moved to the correct account, but I'm still working on the rest of my stuff.

Washington D.C. with the family was very cool. Here's a rundown of the highlights:

• Best building: Library of Congress. (not only for what it holds, but for the beautiful interior; a picture would not do it justice)
• Best tour guide: Maya at the Capitol. ("Okay, so who all is a fan of Dan Brown. Okay, he's a great fiction writer. There are no secret Masonic temples in this building.")
• Best meal: Hard Times Cafe and Ben's Chili Bowl (tie)
  
• Best memorial: WWII (because both of my grandfathers fought)
• Best bad idea: Seeing pandas at the National Zoo (1/2 mile hike uphill; pandas don't frolic in public viewing areas at 4:00pm on a 95 degree day)

Lots of