Randomness

[Alelou]

Isn't that fun? People who announce they are addicted over meals are often more tolerant of web sites like this than you may think.

Plus, it's clear the guy has a pretty deep Star Trek background.

And aren't astronomy buffs OFTEN Trekkies???



Speaking of dangerous storms, do we need to worry about Distracted?

[Asso]

...I said, "So you'll join our cult?" He goes, "Oh yeah, I'll join this cult," by which he means the Enterprise cult, not Trip 'n T'Pol per se.

Stepwise.

[justTripn]

Yes, we should worry about Distracted, at least her vacation home. I'M CROSSING MY FINGERS!

Yes, Alelou, amatuer astronomers are often Star Trek fans! Big time. At the last convention I attended in Cherry Hill, some of my Pittsburgh astronomy Star Trek friends met my some o my online friends. In fact, Y2Kelly, until her recent move to Alaska, was in BOTH categories. This was one of the highlights for me. At the convention, both Elessar and one of my astronomy friends, Eric, thought they were trivia experts and wanted to be in the trivia contest. Eric is old school. He mostly knows the original series. Elessar is of course into the more recent series. I introduced them saying, "Wouldn't it be cool, if you two could be on the same team?" Coincidentally, that's exactly what happened. Elessar and Eric were picked from out of a crowd of hundreds to be on the 3 person trivia panel of experts!!!! I told security I had TWO frieneds on stage and they let me way up front to take pictures (Eric is sitting next to Elessar, who is on the far right):

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/ ... ill025.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/ ... ill024.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/ ... ill026.jpg

[justTripn]

Oh and Eric also competed in the Make up a Plot for the next Star Trek Movie contest. Elessar said he would try it, but then missed the event.

[Lady Rainbow]

You gonna be ok, Dis, down in LA? And thank goodness your daughter's OK.

How about this for randomness...my parents are down here for Labor Day weekend and I ended up doing a bit of family history on my side. Both of my parents come from the Philippines and we have family scattered all over. I know more about hubby's side than mine.

Turns out that I'm related to an actor and a former US Olympic team volleyball player.

There's a guy named Michael Copon who's an actor and a model. He has the lead role in "Scorpion King 2" and has a recurring role on "One Tree Hill". Copon happens to be my maiden name. The guy is the son of my dad's second cousin who lives in Chesapeake, VA (my family lives in VA Beach). I've met Michael's dad (Dad's second cousin) before, but didn't know the family connection. I was like... So that makes us, what...third cousins twice removed or something??

(Geneaology isn't my thing...help).

Liz Masakayan was on the Olympic Volleyball team in Seoul ('88) and she's now a coach for beach volleyball (had a team for the Beijing games, but the other US team made it to the gold). My mom's maiden name is...you guessed it...Masakayan, and since Mom had 12 brothers and sisters, I'm sure she's probably another cousin (second? third? something removed?). So I was like...

So it's been an interesting weekend so far...That and Va. Tech lost their first game to East Carolina after leading for 3 1/2 quarters. AND they played in Charlotte's Bank of America stadium.

[Distracted]

Well, we've got the electronics off the floor and the pool furniture in the pool with the pool cover on, everything secured in the yard and the storm shutters closed. The new generator works and we've got bottled water and canned food out the wazoo. The cars, minus the truck, are in a local enclosed high rise garage. All we have left to do is to take up the rugs and put the dogs inside if it looks like the coulee (sort of a really huge concrete lined drainage ditch) that's on the other side of our back yard fence starts to overflow into the yard. About 20 years ago we got a foot of water in the house when that happened, but we're not supposed to get nearly as much rain this time, so I think we'll be okay here in Lafayette. We should even still have air conditioning this time. Pray/think good thoughts about our camp on Lake Calcasieu, though. We just finished rebuilding after Rita. The roof on the new wharf went up last week, and we have all new appliances and furniture out there.

And, of course, prayer/thoughts of support for everyone left in the Gulf Coast areas would definitely be in order. Looks like the wind is starting in New Orleans according to the news.

[dark_rain]

YIKES, D! I'm so sorry to hear that. Wow . . . No cars for my kids. I mean they can borrow my car, but I will never buy them a car. Neither me or my husband ever got a free car from our parental units, so we are NOT OBLIGATED. The best I can do for them: when I bought my current (used) car, they came with me and helped me pick it out. I knew it would eventually be the car they learn to drive on, so I let them pick it out. They got a Pontiac Grand Prix. It is a horrible car in the sense that everything is computerized and the computer is nuts. Right now it won't release the key to me until some random period of time between a few seconds to 15 minutes after I turn off the car. Earlier it was windsheild wipers that won't go off. Oh and I never turn on the airconditioning/heat because the computer has to decide which of those I need and it thinks it's 40 degrees out in the summer so it gives me heat. I was apologizing to the boys about this purchase the other day, and they said, NO, it's a cool car. Our friends think it's a cool car.

Not to get into your business, but have you tried disconnecting the battery for a few minutes. No car today is really "OFF" anymore, and the only way to make them "OFF" is to pull the plug. I had one computer problem that miraculously went away when I did that. It's sort of the Microsoft solution for car repair.

I was looking lovingly at a restored Mack Diesel truck from the early 1960's a while back, a B-73 in case anyone is interested, and there was nothing electric or electronic on it except the lights, the radio and the heater fan motor. It was started by a compressed air powered motor and the fuel injection was strictly mechanical. Pollutes like heck, but totally impervious to EMP. So when Klaatu shut down everything, this would still be running. Ah well.

Rather than pulling the plug yourself, have a dealer do it. If there's a even slight fault on the electronic control unit (ECU) you could brick it completely by taking it's power away. My dad had this on his Skoda, the whole computer had to be remapped and his spare keys don't work anymore. He was relatively lucky.

[Alelou]

Good luck, Distracted. And we hope you get to keep electricity so you can keep us posted!

[Dusalis Drake]

Well, we've got the electronics off the floor and the pool furniture in the pool with the pool cover on, everything secured in the yard and the storm shutters closed. The new generator works and we've got bottled water and canned food out the wazoo. The cars, minus the truck, are in a local enclosed high rise garage. All we have left to do is to take up the rugs and put the dogs inside if it looks like the coulee (sort of a really huge concrete lined drainage ditch) that's on the other side of our back yard fence starts to overflow into the yard. About 20 years ago we got a foot of water in the house when that happened, but we're not supposed to get nearly as much rain this time, so I think we'll be okay here in Lafayette. We should even still have air conditioning this time. Pray/think good thoughts about our camp on Lake Calcasieu, though. We just finished rebuilding after Rita. The roof on the new wharf went up last week, and we have all new appliances and furniture out there.

And, of course, prayer/thoughts of support for everyone left in the Gulf Coast areas would definitely be in order. Looks like the wind is starting in New Orleans according to the news.

Yikes flooding... I'm lucky to say I've never had to worry about that. The worst I've had (or from what I can remember) was a whole lot of downed tree limbs from Katrina that took a week to clean up. We've battened down the hatches here and are ready to go (as much as we can be anyway). This sure isn't gonna be a pretty sight being on east side of the storm.

In case you're wondering just who the hell I may be... I'm just your regular lurker who chimes in every once in a long while.

[Alelou]

Well, good luck to you too! I knew we had to have more than one person in Louisiana!

[justTripn]

Well it's sounds like you're tucked in nice and cozy. Happy thoughts! Hang tight.

[Asso]

Well, good luck to you too! I knew we had to have more than one person in Louisiana!

Yes! Good luck to everyone who needs good luck.

[Elessar]

Well, we've got the electronics off the floor and the pool furniture in the pool with the pool cover on, everything secured in the yard and the storm shutters closed. The new generator works and we've got bottled water and canned food out the wazoo. The cars, minus the truck, are in a local enclosed high rise garage. All we have left to do is to take up the rugs and put the dogs inside if it looks like the coulee (sort of a really huge concrete lined drainage ditch) that's on the other side of our back yard fence starts to overflow into the yard. About 20 years ago we got a foot of water in the house when that happened, but we're not supposed to get nearly as much rain this time, so I think we'll be okay here in Lafayette. We should even still have air conditioning this time. Pray/think good thoughts about our camp on Lake Calcasieu, though. We just finished rebuilding after Rita. The roof on the new wharf went up last week, and we have all new appliances and furniture out there.

And, of course, prayer/thoughts of support for everyone left in the Gulf Coast areas would definitely be in order. Looks like the wind is starting in New Orleans according to the news.

Damn D, that sucks . I hope that place is ok

Yikes flooding... I'm lucky to say I've never had to worry about that. The worst I've had (or from what I can remember) was a whole lot of downed tree limbs from Katrina that took a week to clean up. We've battened down the hatches here and are ready to go (as much as we can be anyway). This sure isn't gonna be a pretty sight being on east side of the storm.

In case you're wondering just who the hell I may be... I'm just your regular lurker who chimes in every once in a long while.

Hey dude, you should ride the storm out reading printed of fanfiction

[Bether6074]

Bad storm.

Take care during the nasty weather. I hope that everyone is safe.

[Distracted]

The leading edge of Gustav made landfall a few hours ago. Fortunately, it was downgraded to a category 2 before landfall. It hit in a rural area of low population, at Cocodrie and Houma. Here in Lafayette, we're supposed to get our maximal effects within the next two hours. Right now out of my window I see a lot of windblown trees and a steady light rain. I'm told that it's possible that we might not even lose power. All in all, this is is much milder storm than both Katrina and Rita so far, and the intensity is supposed to go down over the next 12 hours to tropical storm level now that the storm's over land. There will likely be tornadoes and some flooding in low-lying areas, but all in all this is a lot less severe than what we've been preparing for. Needless to say, I'm very relieved. Of course, after all of this we'll probably get gripes over all the taxpayer's money spent on our "overreaction". The worst isn't over quite yet, though.