This week is exciting. I have a mission. I am the self-appointed designee to get American Style Potato salad to Russia in time for back yard BBQs. The logistics are challenging, but I think with special attention and a detailed supply chain action plan the effort will pay off. Potato salad is a bit like democracy. It must to be brought in from America. Someone has to do it! The other thought is that the smell of American Potato Salad will surely draw Edward Snowden out of the "in transit area" in the SVO airport as I pass through. If he does not emerge drawn towards the smell of fresh Walmart potato salad he is surely not in the airport. Proof!
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Some writings from France. Notice the universally understood symbology for Croissant. It is probably ISO standard icongraphy. Perhaps the "Le Mutant" associated with a Butcher is a new spin on edgy marketing. And I have no idea about the furry sexy animal thing endorsing the French version of Fanta Orange. Curiously, I did find myself strangely compelled to try some "Orangina". I appreciated the English Menu (actually not really, Je ne suis pas un enfant.) But $18 for a single crummy hot dog! Give me a break. I have added a US hot dog ad for balance.
Some pics from Normandy/Brittany and Paris. Great time. In Order: Angie in Mont St Michel, Bayeux Cathederal, Rouen France, Rouen France where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, Exploring tunnels in Etretat France, Etretat France, Etretat France, Mont St Michel, Mont St Michel, Omaha Beach, American Cemetery, Halleys Comet on tapestry from 1066, Eiffel tower (duh), Arc de triumphe, Etretat France.
While in France I happened on the Paris Airshow. It was totally unplanned. It was a bit freaky that Angie and I were able to get there and be part of the world's largest commercial airshow that happens every two years. Where else can we see the latest Mig 29 Fighter demonstrated a few minutes after the Eurofighter Typhoon? I swear those jets are so loud you might think they run on sound power! The whole show is (of course) very impressive; the low-slow demo of the Airbus 380 was particularly impressive.
Some of the earliest mentor advice I ever received was "Easy on the controls!!" Picture this- you are watching a friend of yours (maybe 12 years old) learning how to use a piece of machinery, (enjoying Man's natural lust for "Amplifier"), a tractor or a truck. He jerks the thing and the hydraulic lines strain and all the components look/sound/act stressed, maybe to the point of failure. The owner is of course very concerned with stress and potential damage. The shout comes... "Easy on the controls!" Why would we not use this comparison on our everyday life experiences? The skill in this understanding is something the pilot is constantly trying to perfect. The plane gives everything back, just like in life. We all control. The baby, the child, the adolescent, the teenager, the parent, the pilot, the executive. It is not about the control, it is about how the control --controls us. I managed to get some flying in this past weekend. I could have done bett
This past week has been nice. I have been in Duluth; no extreme travels this week. It has been very pleasant chillin' out around home taking care of the mundane things. I am not sure why, but the mundane has been pleasant. We have a new organist at church this week. Just as I might guess, he is from Rochester NY. I meet a lot of people everywhere from Rochester. Several of my colleagues both in Duluth and Kansas are from Upstate NY. One of them from Webster/Ontario. I finally got my McIntosh 2105 Power Amp back from the shop. They did a great job at Audio Classics. As I suspected, there was a lot more wrong with it than "just" the smoke that got out. Somehow they managed to put the smoke back in there and got it all tested and up to spec. It sounds great and really drives my Peavey PV115 Speakers. Certainly, the Peaveys are not the most efficient, but they can take really deal with what the amp gives'em. The UPS guy felt better about the 102 pound package after we tal