Work
I've been as busy as a one arm paper hanger at work. It is nuts. I have a problem that I have a hard time figuring out. I am only supposed to spend ten hours a week on the project. I need to learn how some parts of this new software work before I can achieve any output. I feel like I don't have time to fulfill that learning need. I suppose this is normal. Welcome to Corporate America. One nation under a single logo with liberty and justice for the stock holders.
My dentist trip yesterday cost me two hours. Normally I would blow these off. I made them up today because I need to get some work done on this project.

Helicopters
I have become fascinated with helicopters. This is not the first time this has happened in my life. Every couple of years I get the urge to read all about specifications and costs. Helicopters are expensive in nearly every way. Initial costs are high. Maintenance is outrageous. Regulation is intense. It is no wonder helicopters crash all the time. I've flown a couple of very fake simulators on my home PC. They are a challenge even in crazy-easy mode.
Bell: Bread and butter helicopter. This is probably the manufacturer most people think of when you say the word helicopter.
MD: I think this is the company that made the chopper used in Magnum PI many moons ago. They are also the company that promotes a system that doesn't need a tail rotor. Those tail rotor are what seem to cause all the crashes.
Richardson: These are the trainer helicopters. This is the model I fly in the simulators. I've read some accounts that it is easy to fly, but easy to get out of control too.
This is really a complete waist of my time. I wish I could apply the random thought time to better use. There is no need for me to know how much it costs to own and operate a small private helicopter.

Weight

People who are overweight but not obese have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting today. The researchers - statisticians and epidemiologists from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - also found that increased risk of death from obesity was seen for the most part in the extremely obese, a group constituting only 8 percent of Americans. ... Dr. Williamson, who is overweight, said that "if I had a family history - a father who had a heart attack at 52 or a brother who developed diabetes - I would actively lose weight." But "if my father died at 94 and my mother at 97 and I had no family history of chronic disease," he said, "maybe I wouldn't be as concerned." Dr. Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California, had another perspective. "The take-home message from this study, it seems to me, is unambiguous," Dr. Glassner said. "What is officially deemed overweight these days is actually the optimal weight." NYT

It is about time someone sat down and took a serious look at how weight affects health. Wouldn't it be funny if, now that they have redone the food pyramid, they have to start again from scratch, because people are just too damn skinny?

Song

Artist:	Breeders [ Search RP ]
Song:	Driving' On 9
Album:	Last Splash [ Search RP ]

Slappy's (Justin's Band)
Justin dropped this info in an email today. Check out Slappy's on May first at the Houston International Festival.

First, Slappy's will be playing the Houston International Festival on Sunday, May 1st from 3PM to 4PM on the Flamingo Gardens Houston Showcase Stage (around the intersection of McKinney & Bagby).  You can check out the International Festival website (http://ifest.org) for more details and maps. Or, you can check out Slappy's on MySpace (http://myspace.com/SlappysGrooveShack) for IFest info, and to listen to a few audio clips from a live show we recently recorded at iNK Coffee House (don't worry, you can stream it for those on slower internet connections). Second, the Houston Press 2005 Music Awards nomination ballots are out.  We need people to nominate Slappy's Groove Shack!  Its quick, easy and a great way to build up some good karma!  You can mail in the ballots found on page 72 of this month's Houston Press, or you can vote online (http://www.houstonpress.com/hpma/2005/2005hpma).  We're vying for the following;    BEST NEW ACT:         Slappy's Groove Shack    BEST FUNK/R&B/REGGAE: Slappy's Groove Shack    BEST GUITARIST:       Henry (Hank) Jones of Slappy's Groove Shack    BEST BASSIST:         Justin Haggard of Slappy's Groove Shack    BEST DRUMMER:         Adrian Gonzalez of Slappy's Groove Shack but whom I kidding', we'd take BEST POLKA if we could get it!  I don't think you get much for winning at the HPMA other than bragging rights, but that's more than we usually get for playing.  Plus, if you're nominated, you get to play at the big HPMA festival downtown at the end of July, a thoroughly groovy live music event for H-town. Thanks for your time and your support, class="sg"> - Justin...