Chazd's (Charles Dowdell's) News Burps

Driving home from work I snapped this picture. The large tank-milk truck apparently didn't make the turn. Now the milk destined to children across our great land is hazmat waste. I am glad I don't live in that house. Good thing milk doesn't burn. The rain and combination of ice on the roads has made driving an absolute pain in the neck. There is a lot going on for sure. I have a teleconference with some folks for the "real" start up of the Antarctica Ham Radio organization. The core is three folks, one in Denver, one in NJ and the other, well that's me. It is always fun to be the start of something big. This is something big. We have the exact right mix of folks. Ham radio at the bottom of the world will not be the same in another year.

I am back from California. It was a good trip. It was a good rest. I visited Santa Cruz where I met someone from Chenango County. The visit to the Big Basin Redwood forest was a great experience. The world is so incredibly small these days. I have some more travel coming up. I will be in Raleigh NC in a couple of weeks. I have some other travel lining up for the next couple of weeks as well.

I am out in California for a few days. I spent most of today in Los Gatos. The California experience is just what it is. I ate at a place my friend from the ice recommended. It was excellent. People are asking me why I am learning Chinese. The reply is straightforward. The language of 4 billion Chinese could be wrong, but since there are 4 billion Chinese communicators in the world it seems best to prepare.

Edward Lear I The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!' II Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. III 'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who li...

I went and saw Hugh Masekela Saturday night. That was a very special treat. I really enjoy his music, attitude and mission. It was another glimpse of sub-Saharian Africa. The music really crosses some boundaries. I learned the term of the phenomena (part of our makeup) when there is focus of attention in your life, "Reticulating Activation System." Catchy phrase huh? It is about like when you buy a certain car and then you start noticing other cars like yours. It becomes a preoccupation. It is a very deep part of the mind that controls the function. It is a powerful part of the mind if you can harness it. Some folks call it the "Law of Attraction". Simply stated, You become what you think about most of the time. http://www.ritmoartists.com/Hugh/Masekela.htm

There is a lot going on. It looks like a lot of changes are coming for this year. Things are all intertwined between work, aspirations, finance, goals, travel, and so on. I have learned about 60 Chinese characters so far on my way to know about 1000. After I get a vocabulary of 1000 I can read a Chinese newspaper. It is a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. It is a good exercise in patience and "doing the impossible." Just as I have said before I am not really sure what I will be doing next. I went to the Marathon Hamfest this past week end as well as finally getting back in the air. Both were fun. The greatest thing about my flight lesson was that it was self-guided. I flew where I wanted to fly at the altitude and speed I wanted. It was exploring from the air. I went down around Deposit, N.Y. and the resovoir and generally flew around checking out new areas from the sky. I also had a great workout and I seem to be getting the move on the next level of my cap...

I am learning Chinese. Yep, thats right. It seemed like the thing to do. Here is a great link for a flashcard program The cat turned out not to have a tumor but a very large fully engourged tick! I certainly learned something. The other night she was playing with a stuffed mouse upstairs and I saw a real fully animated version downstairs. Something was wrong with that picture. India is getting into the Automotive industry.