to sit by the sea
to sit by the sea
and focus on the distance
just breathe
Fred Rogers
To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
-- Fred Rogers
A Kindness
New York City, home of the horn. The land whereby the excessive use of the car horn is a requirement to obtaining a drivers license. It is where I grew up and many of the sights and smells bring a rush of memories flooding back.
It’s home to people of all walks of life. Young to old; rich to poor; and nationalities abound. There are people from all over the world living, working and just being in New York. It is a wonder of the world.
Traveling around New York is done by walking, hoping on a subway, stepping onto a bus or sliding into a cab. It’s a wonder to see people moving about their day. To and from work; meeting up with friends, dining and events. A truly wonderful place to watch people.
In my travels there of late, I’ve taken to staying at a hostel in the Bowery. It’s cheap, has clean sheets and hot showers. Yes I could stay with family but that brings with it the excess baggage of our youth. There’s good, bad and ugly. A separate place lets me visit with them and then step away again.
Getting on now in years, the spring in my step just isn’t what it once was. A slight wobble has introduced itself to my walk. And the various joints, muscles and ligaments tend toward the tired side.
Sometimes when I get to the hostel, I pause. I’ve just walked from the subway or coming back from somewhere else. This is especially true when there’s luggage to be hauled. I pause to gather myself for the task that is to come - the climbing of the stairs. The hostel is a 5 story walk up, no elevator to be found. Check in is on the second floor, rooms I’m typically assigned on the fourth.
Last trip, as I’m readying myself for the climb, a woman stops. She looks at me, at the luggage and then at the stairs. Looking back at me she says, “May I?” To which I’m not permitted to respond as she grabs the handle of my larger case and heads up the stairs. She waits as I climb with the second piece, nods to me and is then off to her room. I’m left blinking and stunned at her gift.
This morning I’m heading back to the airport after most of the week spent visiting cousins, mom, sisters and friend. And mixing work time with all that.
It’s the subway to a bus to LaGuardia for the flight. Standing near the top of the stairs into the subway labyrinth, I’m readying myself for hauling down two flights of stairs, a turnstile and two more flights. It’s early in the day so I’m certain I’m up to the task. When stops another woman, mentions that she saw me contemplating the stairs and has decided to offer help. Shocked for a second time, I nod and offer her the smaller of my luggage. When we get to the bottom of the second stairs, she asks uptown or downtown? Uptown I say. Through the turnstiles and down the next pair of stairs we go. On the platform, she lowers my case, smiles, turns and walks away. I call again to her my thanks and wishes for a good day.
New York sometimes has a reputation of a cold, heartless place. One where everyone is just out for themselves. I can attest that there are people in the city who care. Who are willing to stop their day to help someone in need. I am thankful to have met two of them.
The lifetime of our connection was measured in seconds, less than a minute. And yet, it they were truly profound. A stranger seeing an elder in need and stepping up to offer aid. An act of kindness and then away, on with their lives. They both live on in my memory. I shall not soon forget the feeling of friendship they left with me.
LA Speed Story
This story is delightful and a lovely case of male pattern one-up-manship.
Fire Staff
We, the Guild of Prometheus and I, led a class this past Sunday showing people how to build accumulator based flame effects. The students had a choice of building a small, stationary poofer or a fire staff. This was the first time we as a group taught a class. Individually, we've all been playing with fire in one form or another for many years. Overall the class was a success but it was a bit painful in some parts. Still, a fun day was had by all and everyone went home with their newly built, dangerous fire art.
PathFinder
I'm a bit obsessed right now with Matthew Sui's pathfinder tool. Discovering relations between words is kind of cool. It feels a bit like 7 degrees of separation but for words.
Adjectives
Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order:
opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun
So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you'll sound like a maniac. It's an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out. And as size comes before colour, green great dragons can't exist.
-- Mark Forsyth, quote from The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase
Five recipes for an exciting life (in my opinion)
- Spending enough time creating things with your hands (baking, drawing, scrapbooking, doodling, crocheting, journaling and so on)
- Keeping track of things like pretty skies, milestones, happy memories, appointments you're looking forward to
- Listening to music that genuinely makes you feel happy and energetic
- Making a habit of reaching out to people in a way that's comfortable to you (i send my dad songs he might like, my friend sends me monthly life updates)
- Being kind to all your five senses → like investing in a scented candle or essential oil dispenser or body mist, having a soft blanket or socks (or a soft animal to pet), listening to birdsong or the rain, looking at the sky more often, and having your favorite foods enough times
Pipe Dimensions
| od | sch 40 wall | sch 40 id | sch 40 # /ft | engagement | sch 80 wall | sch 80 id | sch 80 # /ft | engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4" | 0.540 | 0.088 | 0.364 | 0.40" | 0.42 | 0.119 | 0.302 | 0.54" |
| 3/8" | 0.675 | 0.091 | 0.493 | 0.126 | 0.437 | 0.74 | ||
| 1/2" | 0.840 | 0.109 | 0.622 | 0.55" | 0.147 | 0.546 | 1.09 | 0.55" |
| 3/4" | 1.050 | 0.113 | 0.824 | 0.154 | 0.742 | 1.47 | ||
| 1" | 1.315 | 0.133 | 1.049 | 0.179 | 0.957 | 2.17 |