Honoring Commitments - Hurricane Matthew

Shit...

This is gonna hurt...

Re: post title?
Because I committed to be in Shanghai this week.
Because I take commitments seriously.
Because sometimes I'm a moron about things like that.

Hope the house neighborhood city is still there on Sunday...

TBG

Turning Ugly in Toronto

....And we have 10,000 gallons pounds (thanks Jim) too much on fuel on the plane.
Looks like there will be a delay.
We only have a 40 minute connection time in DC...
I have a bad feeling about this.

Here We Go....

Buckle up, Buckaroos! We're going for a ride...

On the whole, I'd probably be better off in Honduras.

TBG - - Μaking backups-

Good Day

Yesterday sucked...
Rained all day.

Today is shaping up better.

The rain slacked off enough to ride my bike to work. Got a bunch of stuff worked out and through the wheels at work.

I think I deserve a nice lunch...

Hurricane Effects - El Faro

There is a container boat, the El Faro based here in Jacksonville that's gone missing on its route from Jax to Puerto Rico.
It was last heard from near Crooked Island in the Bahamas,  it's path taking it through the feeder bands of tropical storm (now hurricane) Joaquin...
33 crew are missing.

Just saw that the USCG found a life ring from the vessel 75 miles north of the last know position... not a good sign.

If you are on a first - name basis with a major deity,  please put in a good word for the captain & crew, would you?

TBG
(Edit:Title)

Notes From Vacationland

Been on a little family vacation in Nosebleed, Montana...

I've been keeping notes since liveblogging is impossible in the land of moose, bears, elk and non-existent WiFi.

I have a few things to share- starting on the trip out here...

(From Sunday AM Flight)

On the flight from MCO to ORD,
I have the Weather Channel on the in-flight entertainment system...
They are ginning up all the enthusiasm they can muster for a very marginal tropical storm (Guillermo) in the Pacific...

You know, it's got to be killing them that they don't have a Cat-4 or 5 storm so far in the 2015 hurricane season.
(Considering that they have way overestimated the number of Cat3+ storms the past few years  this is quite an embarrassment for them.)

Sadly (for them) all they can doomshout about is the "record-breaking heat" and the probable effects on the Arctic icecap.

Of course, when  a Climate Denier mentions record cold or consecutive below - zero calendar weeks, he is admonished that "current weather is NOT 'climate'", and not to mistake months of record breaking cold over large areas as any kind of indicator of climate trend...

=============================

There are 2 flies buzzing around the cabin of this aircraft.
They will have quite the story to tell their new fly friends on arrival in Chicago...

ChiFly: "Hey. You're new around this shithole. Where are you from?"
FlaFly: "Hi. I'm from Florida."
ChiFly: "Wow. How'd you get here?"
FlaFly: "I flew, of course."
ChiFly: "Damn. Respect."

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Catching Up ... Lancaster to Bluffton and Beyond.

Been a little busy lately... Let's see if we can catch up a little.

After we survived the US Women's Open in Lancaster I headed back home for a quick turn around and headed back out to Bluffton SC for yet another USGA golf event,
a US Junior Amateur at Colleton Plantation.

Having not been on two wheels in a couple months, I rode the bike up...
And was turned away at the gate to the event site...
An older but heavily armed lady rental cop stopped me as I tried to get to the course.

Nice Security Guard: "Sorry, Honey- no motorcycles. One of the owners of Harley Davidson has a house here, and he has to keep all his bikes across the street at that mini-storage over there."

TBG: "Really? Do you know what units the bikes are stored in?"
(There's a Lowe's Home Improvement store with a nice selection of bolt cutters nearby...)

I parked the FJR at the security gate and the oh-so-very-charming-&-Southern security lady called for some assistance. A patrol vehicle arrived a little later and the other really nice security guard gave me a ride to the broadcast compound...

SMT Golf Stuff ensued for a couple days, and fortuitously, Bluffton is the residence of a couple friends - Magic Mike, one of my best Ball Position support guys, and of course my ol' buddy Pete is spending quite a bit of time there. Pete's running a project at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff - a $100 million dollar renovation/upgrade to a pricy resort/spa in the area.
So I was able to hang out with Pete one evening and hung out with Michael, watching the end of the British Open on Monday afternoon.

It was crazy hot in South Carolina lowlands-



I headed home on Wednesday at noon-
Dressed for the highway (helmet, jacket, boots, kevlar jeans, etc) I was slowly broiling as I headed back to Jax on I-95...
About 3:00 I got to Brunswick and decided on a late lunch-
At Southern Soul Barbecue, of course!
With items like their Bar-B-Cuban -

(Amazing!)

or their Brunswick Stew...

Completely awesome.
On arrival I was barely able to crawl inside and sit at the counter...
Heat and dehydration set in-
I motioned for a glass of half-and-half tea and proceeded to drink about a gallon before I could finally speak.
I had the smoked turkey plate- which was gone before I could take any pictures...
As I ate I kept tabs on the daily North Florida Thunderstorm as it was rolling in from the west...
Lovely- I needed to gas up anyway, so when I got on the road I fueled at GA MM5 or so and added my raingear on top of my already-stifling road armor.
I felt like a pot roast in a Brown-in-Bag...But I was happy about it just before I hit the FL/GA line when the bottom fell out.
Lots of hard rain and lightning all the way out to Jax Beach... And rumor has it a small twister touched down just before I arrived...
Jax Beach Weather Damage

I was able to a few days in at the office to keep the wheels in motion before I headed off for a little family vacation...

(Stay tuned...)


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

The sky is falling! The sky is falling.

Notes from the Road - Phoenix

I was in Phoenix a while back... too damn busy to blog very much.
Just a few pics here and there on Instagram.

While we were there it was pretty nasty at one point...

We had a sandstorm come through one afternoon... Howling winds and a grit in the air that was all-permeating.

We took refuge in a local watering hole...
The Palomar Hotel has a breastaurant, the Tilted Kilt, as part of the complex.

There are a couple things about that place that I greatly admire...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

AAR - Singapore - Monday Night Walkabout & MBS

After the rain subsided late Monday afternoon I went back out instead of succumbing to the lure of the soft bed and air conditioning...
Singapore's Chinatown was a few blocks away and I spent several hours wandering the narrow walkways and streets filled with kiosks of cheap souvenirs and really tempting food.


There was quite a decorative display on New Bridge Road-

I was reminded of the very dim memories of my childhood in Chicago when we would visit Michigan Avenue at Christmas time.
Except here it was 90 degrees and smelled awful.

As dinner time rolled around I made some decisions that non-adventurous folks might find questionable-
I decided on dining eating at some of the little alfresco eateries on the street in Chinatown.

I indulged in an appetizer of tasty char sui pork, then I bit the bullet and ordered a dish of chili crab which was really messy and very spicy-hot.

The chili crab is deep fried chunks of chopped crab you pick apart with your fingers - looking for nice chunks of succulent crab meat in the red chili sauce - a sweet/hot mixture that covers the dish and is served with little buns called mantou... I would have preferred some nice slices of French bread like we get in New Orleans to soak up all that liquid love...but when in Singapore, well,...you know the rest-
Wow.
Listen to Uncle Jay-
If you go to Singapore, eschew the Raffle's Long Bar and the $40 Singapore Sling-
Hustle your ass over to Smith Street near New Bridge Road and get a Chili Crab.
No regrets.

The next day I had to go look at the site for another part of the event.
The festivities would be held at the Marina Bay Sands complex...
Specifically, in the skating rink, in the mall, across the street from the MBS Hotel.

I was up early anyway, and the place wasn't that far from my hotel so I figured I'd hoof it through the Downtown Core, past The Fullerton and down along the bay.
It was still early and overcast- only 80 degrees yet. What could possibly go wrong?

Yep-
As soon as I left the Esplanade and got out from under cover, downpour.
I took cover in a tiny overhang near the Floating Stadium waiting for the deluge to stop.
It finally slowed to a drizzle and I made for the Helix Bridge to cross the downtown core inlet of Marina Bay.

Of course, just as I committed to the bridge- more rain.
The concrete on the bridge is glass-smooth- nice on a dry day- but deadly in the rain...
I barely made it over bridge without busting my ass- One hand on the rail for support, one arm outstretched for balance, high-stepping as fast as I can...

I got to the mall and spent 20 minutes toweling off.
(Lately, and especially in hot/humid climates I have taken to carrying a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-suggested accessory- Carrying a towel at all times.
In this case, one of the micro-cell sport towels. Really soaks up sweat (or rain) and wrings out completely.)
I was mostly composed when my meeting time rolled around.
They could barely tell I had been caught out in the deluge, except when my shoes sloshed and squeaked a bit as we did our survey.

Again- the details would bore you, but suffice to say the event will be interesting.
Kinda wish I was going to be there to see it.
We broke up - I had a wrap up meeting scheduled back in the office near the hotel later in the afternoon, but I had some time to kill, so I took a wander around the MBS before heading back to the Hotel...

The Marina Bay Sands is quite the complex...
Giant three-tier mall including skating ring, a monstrous underground two-floor casino (bottom floor=smoking, upper=non-smoking), and three residence towers, topped by a giant structure containing a bar, restaurant, and pools/spas - it looks like, for all intents and purposes, like a hurricane deposited a luxury yacht on top of a three-building hotel.


The middle portion of the structure is a huge infinity pool...
To which I would have to say "Nofuckingway, Jose".

Seriously- nofuckingway.
I know a little bit about Asian construction standards, and a tiny bit more about seismology.
No. Not going there.

It sure is intriguing though..


If you want to go up and walk around and you're not staying in the hotel it'll cost you $14SD... There's a nice bar- KuDeTa - (Coup d'etat, get it? Heh) where you can go over your plans for World Domination with the rest of the cabal and enjoy an even pricier Singapore Sling ($50SD).
Interesting drink on the menu- Tony Stark's Pepper - peppercorn infused Grey Goose vodka, caramel syrup, lemon juice & seared pineapple.

One Dark & Stormy later (after a long discussion with a really cool bartender and manager regarding their rum offerings and convincing them to look into the Old Bundy line) I was outta there and back on terra firma (or in this case terra moistura) and heading back to the hotel...
The wrap meeting went off without a hitch, and I was back in the hotel working on my survey report all evening. I had a 4:00am departure for Changi on my schedule and I was not taking any chances on missing this one...


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

AAR - Singapore - Work Work Work

There's nothing more boring than details of someone else's job.

I went to the Singapore Indoor Stadium, blah blah blah.


The event is going to be interesting, to say the least...
I'm have mixed emotions regarding the event. I'd kinda like to be there-
but then again, given the technological challenges that are presented by the site, maybe not.

The inside is a bit sketchy...
They'd held a concert at the end of the previous week and still hadn't started the post-concert cleanup until the morning we arrived. If this is de rigueur for the site, things will be interesting. (And not in a good way.)

As always, I am able to find things that amuse me wherever I go...
This sign in the AV Booth was one of those things...


I took about 10,000 pictures of arena tech items, talked to the arena ops folks and generally made a pain in the ass of myself - raising flags all over the place to make the event ops guys aware of issues.
They usually run golf and UFC events- this will be their first tennis show...
We'll have 4 people on-site for this gig... I think things will work out OK.

I split the arena at 5pm- taxied back to the hotel in the rain, and after sundown I went on walkabout again...

Next up: Walkabout and MBS

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Rain Rain Go Away

Sitting under a canopy at the gas station...
The bottom fell out as I left the office.

I just love the regular basic clockwork summer afternoon thunderstorms.

Need to fit the FJR with pontoons and a propeller.

Well, There Goes The Neighborhood

Ingress has been released for the iPhone.

Prepare to see leigons of Fanbois hacking up the scenery.

*sigh*

TBG - 107 degrees today. Ugh.

Winter is Coming

4:30am

On the way to EWR.
It's 24 degrees with a 20 knot wind, that's 9 degrees with the wind chill factor.
This sucks out loud.

You Yankees have been going through this kinda crap all winter?

Man. Y'all are tougher than I thought.

TBG, standing on the platform waiting on the train.
Fukkin' freezing.

WINTER Olympics

It is a puzzler to me why we're having the Winter Olympics at a location known as a summer destination.
I guess they are paving the way for the 2022 Olympics- cities currently in the running are Las Vegas, Miami Beach, Maui and Cairo.



Seriously-
Just like 4 years ago- it has been colder (on average for Olympic days) back in North Florida than it has been for the same period here in Sochi/Adler.



Weather still be fucked up, yo.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Must Be That 'Climate Change' Everyone's Talking About...

-or-
Weather be fucked up, yo.



Versus



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Cold & Hot

Y'know...
it's probably pretty tasteless to complain about this, since all I see in my RSS reader is about how all the Constant Readers are freezing their parts off.
But dude...It's fucking roasting down here.


Serially.


Hot. Hothothot.

At least you folks back in the 'States can layer up. Just keep stacking it on.
3 T-Shirts, a sweat shirt, a hoodie, 2 jackets, a cable-knit sweater mom made for you that WAS 4 sizes too big, a parka and an overcoat.

That shit doesn't work down here...
There are only so many layers you can take off before you get a tap on the shoulder from a local policeman who wants to chat about why you are only dressed in sneakers, socks, a hat, sunscreen, and a knowing smile.

Cop: "Sir? We've had some complaints..."

For a place that has full frontal nudity on network TV during prime time, they sure have some odd notions of 'appropriate behavior behaviour'...

And now we just wait for a comment from Luc, a/k/a Captain Canada bitching about it being -30C and how he had to FINALLY go dig out the box of 'cool weather' attire and find a light jacket to wear to the lake this weekend.


(I think the hockey stick on the tactical sling really completes the picture.)


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

It's Hard To Take Them Seriously

I have been terrorized by soi-disant scientists and experts forever...
I remember the Chicken Littles doomshouting acid rain and the greenhouse effect when I was a kid...
I remember the same oh-so-educated crowd with their knickers in a twist about the Gulf War in 1990... "If we invade, Hussein will blow up all the oil wells and the ensuing oil smoke from burning oil will blackout the entire planet, and it will take DECADES to put them all out!"
We did, they did, and it didn't.

So I really have no confidence in the Big Brains, especially when they claim "The science is settled." about anything...

Why?
Get your Google/Bing/FavSearchEngine on and search the phrase
"Scientists are puzzled" and "Scientists are baffled"...

Because that phrase is used waaaay too often about people that consider themselves (as a community) infallible and are directing the spending of a huge portion of American $$$.

FTMF

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Cloudburst

Just waiting out the 1:15pm mini monsoon...

Belated Advice

So listen y'all...
Hurricane season is here.
Remember Uncle Jay's Hurricane Rules:
(It's easy, there are only two...)

1. If a hurricane is approaching your area, get the fuck out.

2. Seriously. GTFO.

End of lesson.


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE