MM: Birthday, Size
If my math is correct, I turn 37 today. Hard to believe, really. Especially with the amount of tree-climbing I did as a kid. In trees taller than the power lines. Through the branches of which the power lines passed. Around which power lines I climbed to get to the top.
(We were really bummed when the power company finally came along and cut the top off that tree. We could see everything from up there!)
Somehow I’ve managed to never do a birthday post before. Oh, I’ve posted on other topics on my birthday, but never one about my birthday. Strange. So I thought I’d share some deep thoughts. Or just ramble. My blog, my birthday, my rules.
Warning: this will be quite random.
I remember when I had my birthday in Kindergarten that we had a piñata. I wonder if they still allow five-year-olds (well, six in my case) to swing long wooden poles in class? Kinda doubtful, considering that most schools don’t even let you bring cupcakes anymore.
(I had this wicked-cool Star Trek jumpsuit I remember wearing on my birthday. Oh, yeah!)
Is it a sign of getting old when there are long periods of my life in which my only substantial memory is watching The Empire Strikes Back over and over? Well, there was some The Last Starfighter mixed in there, too. (BTW: First line of Starfighter: “Mmm…gonna be a sparklin’ day. Sparklin’!”)
I quote movies, therefore I am. When I read the lovely list of positive attributes The Fair Elaine wrote about me, my initial thought was “Who’s scruffy lookin’?” Anybody care to provide the movie for that quote? Or explain why it popped into my head? Because she didn’t call me half-witted or a Nerfherder. (D’oh! I gave it away, didn’t I?)
(By the way, I’m sure she wanted to do a full list, including negatives, but couldn’t think of any. Right, honey?)
As I’ve aged, I’ve found I’m an increasingly gifted sleeper. Oh, I’ve got some years to go and some skilz to develop before I’m my Dad’s equal, but has he ever fallen asleep while riding a bike? So let’s just say I have the potential to surpass him. (Bike-sleeping: Caused by morning paper route.)
And maybe the sleeping thing is just to make up for all the hours of lost sleep from college. I once fell asleep in an apartment full of people. It was my apartment. I’d been up for forty hours or so. The sacrifices one makes for an engineering degree.
I often wonder why I didn’t discover my love for reading and writing before I declared my major. Maybe it was God’s way of making sure I’d get a good job. Plus, maybe I wouldn’t love writing if I did it for a paycheck. And I’m glad I have my job.
(I had inklings about both reading and writing before I graduated, partly evidenced by the amount of extracurricular reading I was doing when I probably should’ve been paying attention in Thermodynamics.)
One thing I definitely know, with my acquired wisdom: When you’re lighting firecrackers and then throwing them, sometimes you get a Quick Fuse. And you have to get rid of it quickly. And sometimes it lands on the guy-next-to-you’s head. I was the guy-next-to-you, and I can’t remember who you were. So email me if you remember the incident. My lawyer will be contacting you. (Okay, I don’t have a lawyer.)
You know, a lot of my memories involve head injury. Like the time my wet swimming clothes caught in my spokes and sent me end-over-end. In twelfth gear, full-tilt-boogie. I held on to the handlebars admirably. In hindsight, choosing to land on my hands might’ve redirected the point of impact a bit.
And yet again, a head-injury lesson: When hurrying over to render aid to a small plane that’s just crashed on a sandbar, don’t crash your boat. Sometimes the kid at the back of the boat becomes an Undignified Flying Object and ends up with a nasty gash through his eyebrow.
(The folks in the plane were fine, BTW. And it’s not like I needed that part of my left eyebrow, anyway. It actually evened them up since the previously mentioned bike crash involved the grating off of part of my right one.)
Finally, my favorite birthday wish so far. (Apart from hugs and kisses from my wife and son, of course.) Jay McKenney instructed me to learn the baritone part to “Happy Birthday” and sing it to myself.
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Okay, from Birthday ramblings to actual fun linkage!
You’ve probably seen those cool graphics that show how small the Earth is relative to a bunch of other planets and stars, right? No? Well, check one out:
Of course, size isn’t everything. What about how small small stuff is?
The University of Utah has a cool demonstration of the relative sizes of really small stuff. Unfortunately, I can’t embed it, so you’ll have to just go check it out for yourself.