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Gerritt's Homepage Classic - July 2003 gerritt.net DIG THIS July 31, 2003. 10:55 AM I got back from sailing last night at 11 PM, only to find that our refrigerator was leaking water from the hose connected to its icemaker, and then it was dripping down through the basement ceiling and onto the carpet below. I spent about an hour helping my dad find new rubber washers around the house and contorting myself into the little space above the hot water heater to turn off the valve for the icemaker. It was fun. Today's posting comes from Gerritt's Homepage, Arlington Headquarters, in Crystal City, VA. Big news around here today, federal investigators have unearthed thousands of top secret US defense documents buried by convicted spy Brian P. Regan, who hid them in state parks around Maryland and Virginia for storage until they could be sold to enemy nations. The data he was hiding contained information that detailed projects like US spy satellites, missile defense systems, early warning systems, and even those pesky weapons of mass destruction. He was arrested two years ago on his way to Switzerland, where he planned to hide out and meet with ambassadors from Iraq, Libya, China, and Iran, and sell them the information. He stole the documents during his years working at the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, VA, wrapped them in zip-locks and Tupperware, and buried them eighteen inches deep in the ground. They were located at Pocahontas State Park, near Richmond, and at Patapsco State Park, near Baltimore (a park I've spent a little time hiking around). He then created some elaborate code to remember where they were hidden, and then buried the codes inside salt shakers and toothbrush holders in obvious places he'd remember. It all seems too easy, which I guess is why he got caught. It took the FBI about a month to solve his codes, and with his help they dug up all the hidden documents. My favorite quote from this story is from Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Haynes, who, while accompanying FBI agents on the dig, is directly quoted saying, "It was horrible. There were mosquitoes, bugs, ticks, extremely hilly terrain, rivers, streams..." At which time I'm sure she followed with something to the effect of: 'Like, oh my God, it was so totally gross. No one told me a park would have trees and dirt and bugs. Eww, I'm, like, getting mud on my high-heels. Whatever. I'm going home.' OUTSTANDING IN A FIELD July 28, 2003. 10:55 PM This afternoon I got an email inviting me to join my first honor society: The Outstanding Student Honor Society. Keep in mind, I only have around a 3.0, so its not like I'm honor society material. But this company, I hesitate to use the word society, seems to be shamelessly asking college students for money, and then giving them nothing but a line in their resume in return. An honor society, or an honor fraternity, or whatever, should be honorable and do honorable things, like community service projects, donations for charity, helping around the college, stuff like that. This company is completely unrecognized and seemingly unhelpful to any sense of what honor is. They offered me "lifetime membership" in their society for $32 dollars and "no annual fee". Their web site is cryptic, they require a credit card number just to apply for the membership, and no one has ever heard of them. SCAM I AM. Pathetic. Their mailing address is a suite in Sunnyvale, CA, which was also listed as the address of multiple e-business companies and IT people throughout the past few years. The domain name for the web site is registered to a Simon Chan at the same address, but still no lead as to who created this company and what they use our money for. Simon, are you out there? Is this for real, or are you a millionaire yet? I still can't figure out what your corporation actually does other than take money from students. Does anyone know? Am I wrong about this whole thing? I just hope anyone in college with a 3.0 GPA can see through these money hungry thieves. BIG TOOTH GAP July 27, 2003. 9:55 PM I spent this weekend down in Big Stone Gap, VA, where two of my friends from college were married on Saturday. Jess and Brian, both recent graduates of VT, got hitched without a hitch in Jessica's home church, Trinity UMC. I think every person in the booming metropolis of Big Stone Gap was at the wedding, all 250 of them. (Actual population is around 5,900... but I don't know where they're hiding them all.) The town is an old mining village that sprung up when iron and coal were discovered down in southwest Virginia, and is located where the three forks of the Powell River form a valley and a pass through Stone Mountain, which is down in the corner of Virginia that's almost in Tennessee and almost in Kentucky. There are a few things that put BSG on the map, though, such as the Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama (which Brian rates A+), and a trilogy of very popular books by Adriana Trigiani (which Katie actually rates A+, I was kidding about Brian). I don't think I'd like to live there, but small towns have a certain appeal, especially if you're visiting friends that know their way around. I was also very honored that Brian asked me to play guitar in their wedding, and I had a wonderful time playing a duet with Bret and accompanying Posey as he sang. And I know that Brian and Jessica will be great together, and that they'll adjust well as they move up to DC for the next few years, no matter how far it is from Big Stone. IT'S A SCIENTIFIC FACT: AVOID UVA AT ALL COSTS July 22, 2003. 9:15 PM Never, ever, go get your haircut in the summer after its been long in the back unless you plan on spending some time out in the sun the following day. At least I wear a collar to work so you can't really tell how white I was before the summer. Do you tan? Do you burn? Do you think it's healthy to tan? to burn? In my many summertime adventures, especially while in the Keys last summer, I've heard so many things about sunburn, sunblock, sunscreen, tanning beds, spray tans, aloe, save-a-tan lotion, skin cancer, and all the hoopla surrounding sunlight because of the attraction that Americans have to tanning. Sure, a tan person looks healthier and better than a pale person, and since tanning takes almost no effort, we're drawn to it. Heck, if we can look better just by sitting outside, we'll do it. After all, fat tan people are much better looking that fat pale people, right? I heard recently that dermatologists can tell whether an older person has primarily been a driver or a passenger in the car throughout their life by which side of their skin is healthier. It seems car side windows are usually treated to keep out UVB rays (the ones that make you tan but lead to less serious forms of skin cancer), but still let in those pesky UVA rays (the ones that cause your skin to age and sag, lead to worse cases of skin cancer, and don't make you tan). There are also UVC rays, but most of those are absorbed by the earth's atmosphere before they get to us. It also makes me curious that some sunscreens (mostly older ones) will only block UVB rays, while allowing UVA to penetrate and damage your skin without your knowing. Now, if only there was a sunscreen that would filter out UVA to prevent your skin from aging, but allow minimal UVB through to let you tan. Another interesting note: sunblock is different than sunscreen in that it actually contains particles that cover your skin and reflect the sun, as opposed to sunscreen, which bonds with your skin and absorbs the sun's rays before they do any damage. This is because the sunscreen contains a substance that has the same wavelength as the UV rays, such as PABA, which absorbs the rays and emits them as heat instead. Pretty crazy when you think about it. JUST A SMILE AWAY July 21, 2003. 7:30 PM It was one of those mornings. I was up late Saturday night and awake early on Sunday morning, then it took an hour longer than usual to drive home from Blacksburg (6 hours total), and I didn't sleep well last night. I missed my transfer train by seconds, I got crammed into my inside seat on the Metro by a very fidgety lady of no less than 300 pounds, shoved into some guy's wheelie briefcase thing on the escalator by a woman in an air force uniform, and then hobbled my way through the Crystal underground with an aching foot. Then something happened: a smile. One of those little sparks that makes you wonder what all the fuss is about. As I walked passed one of the many luxury coach buses that are always parked outside the hotel across from my building, the driver of the bus, a young Hispanic woman, glanced up and caught my eye, and just smiled. Not like a "hey there, sexy" smile, and not a "I'm just being polite because we made eye contact" smile, but a genuine, friendly, "I hope you're doing well today because I sure am" smile. The kind of smile that belongs to a school bus driver in a small town, or an old woman who greets you at the door of your church. Those smiles are few and far between in the city on a Monday morning at 7:00 AM. But sometimes that little flash of teeth is all it takes. I strolled into the office, flashing the same type of smile to everyone I passed on the way. Its been a great day ever since. WRITE OR WRONG July 20, 2003. 9:45 PM Saturday I drove down to Blacksburg to spend some time working on music for a wedding in which I'm playing guitar next weekend. Of course, I actually went to get out of Maryland for a few days and to see some of my friends who chose to spend their summer in the 'burg. Bret and I met up because we were asked to arrange a set on guitar and banjo as the prelude for Brian and Jessica's wedding, and I am also playing "The Wedding Song" during the service, with vocals by Brian's friend, Posey. I'm not one to turn down a gig, especially one for good friends like Brian and Jess. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I've always been amazed at how music makes people emotional, and I've found the key to writing good music is to let your writing appeal to emotion. I usually create music with a very relaxed tone, but not sad or depressing. Almost like James Taylor, though I'm a long way off in the talent spectrum. On Saturday, Bret and I wrote a very simple song that we could both keep up with but that wouldn't be too slow or uninteresting. I wrote a banjo part over his acoustic guitar chords, and we found a good jam. There's a very fluid change of emotion in it throughout the song, but overall I find that it emotes a feeling of anxiety and anticipation. So I guess it fits well as a prelude. We call it: 'Big Stone Chord Casserole.' (The wedding is in Big Stone Gap, VA.) Look for the single to debut next month. BUCKETS OF FUN July 19, 2003. 7:15 PM On Tuesday evening, I was asked to fill in as captain on board one of the Sea Scouts' 30-foot sailboats after their skipper fell ill during the week-long cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. Of course, I was more than happy to take a few days off work to go sailing. I was brought on as captain of the Columbia, with my crew of Julia, Tim, and Melanie on board. The first morning out the wind was great, and we were almost able to dip our lee toe-rail in the Eastern Bay on a good close-haul. That was short-lived, however, and by noon the bay was stagnant and smelly, like a sheet of brown glass with a bunch of dead fish in it. So, we fired up the iron jib (engine) and sputtered and coughed our way through the hot, sunny Wednesday. We rafted up with the Delphinus in our anchorage inside the Choptank River about an hour before sundown. With no wind and great protection, we were overjoyed at remembering to bring bug netting to keep the man-eating insects out. Thursday morning we awoke to the same hot, calm weather, and spent the day dumping buckets of bay water on ourselves to keep ourselves cool and entertained. The sails were set, but only for shade purposes. We drifted into Annapolis and slipped at the Annapolis City Marina Thursday evening, then showered and went out for dinner. I came home Thursday night because by this time, Skip was much improved and was able to come back on board as captain, and they returned Friday evening to home port in Fells Point. Scouts, thanks for thinking of me and rescuing me from the monotony of work; I'll sail with you guys anytime my boss will allow it. I'll miss the water when I go back to Blacksburg next month, so I gotta make the most of it before the summer's up. Check out the pictures, now posted. IF THEY FLEW OVER THE BAY, THEY'D BE CALLED BAY-GULLS July 18, 2003. 7:15 PM Late Monday evening, I got a call on my cell phone: "Gerritt, we need you." It was Julia, an adult from the Sea Scouts, sounding rather distraught. The scouts were out on their annual week-long cruise, sailing two 30-footers out of Baltimore and down the bay, going where the wind takes them. Unfortunately, this phone call I received was a distress call informing me that Skipper Davis (adult leader in-charge big cheese head honcho guy) had fallen ill, and was not in good enough condition to continue captaining his vessel for the next few days. That left one captain and two sailboats that needed to find their way from St. Michaels, on the eastern shore of Maryland, to Baltimore, north of the Bay Bridge and a long way inland. Plus, the trip was scheduled to go until Friday evening and it would've been quite a let-down to cut it short. That's where I came in. I've got lots of experience with the boats, and with my turning 21 last winter, I'm an official adult now. So, being the closest person to them, I was the first to get a call pleading me to come take Skipper's place for a few days. I talked to my boss at work and arranged to take two days off and help them out. I met the boats in St. Michaels Tuesday night, and sailed down to anchor in the Choptank River the first night, then up to Annapolis Thursday night, where my dad picked me up. Friday morning I'm back at work. I've found that scouting is a really great thing, even as an adult. In a matter of hours it can whisk me away from my tenth-floor office and into the warm sun and the gentle lap of waves on the hull. Who could ask for anything better? More on this story tomorrow, and pictures on their way also. In other news: Gibbs and Cox, my employer until I go back to school in August, was recently chosen by the US Navy to be part of one of the design teams for a new class of ships known as the Littoral Combat Ship, or LCS. I've worked on our LCS design proposal since my first day here, and now our team of naval design companies has been awarded $10 million to continue the design and building of this new class of vessels. Learn more from Lockheed Martin and Yahoo news. LOVE TO HEAR THE STEEL BELTS HUMMIN' ON THE ASPHALT July 11, 2003. 10:50 PM This morning on my way to work, my Outback turned over its 100,000th mile. I pulled off the road and took some pictures. (See 99999 turning 100000). I remember the day my old station wagon finally bit the dust two summers ago, and how hard it was to give her up and go out and shop around for a new one. I also spent some time driving the explorer, whenever the old wagon was in the shop. I bought my current ride, a 1998 Subaru Outback, in July of 2001 from a dealer in Catonsville. She had 50,000 miles. So in two years I logged another 50-grand, and thus far, have only replaced an alternator, tires, and wiper blades. We've been though so much together... - A summer commuting from Ellicott City to Towson, MD - Countless camping trips, beach trips, and concert trips (including three Buffett shows and two Dave Matthews shows) - A trip to the Gator Bowl and down to the Florida Keys - Another trip to the Keys, and a whole summer driving from Islamorada to Key West - A roadtrip out to Colorado - The snowiest winter in my life (All-Wheel-Drive = Gerritt-the-chauffeur) - West to Illinois for Delnora's wedding - Twice to New York City - Twice to Ocean City - Another summer of commuting, this time from Severna Park, MD to Arlington, VA - About a million trips between Blacksburg and Maryland Here's to another 100k, my friend. May your maroon never fade. DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO-HO! July 10, 2003. 10:30 PM It had been quite awhile since a movie has intrigued me so much that I felt the need to see it opening night, but I surely don't regret it this time. My favorite ride at Disney World is, of course, The Pirates of the Caribbean, in which you float around through a creepy old cave with animatronic pirates burning villages, chasing women, and sinking ships. Now, Disney hires Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp to make this idea into a movie. Brilliant. If you haven't experienced the ride at Walt Disney World, then you might miss some of the jokes (the dog outside the jail, the village with all the people fighting and drinking), but its well worth it otherwise. Johnny Depp's character is crazy cool, and no, that's not Natalie Portman playing Elizabeth, its Keira Knightley, who played Queen Amidala's handmaiden and decoy, Sabé, in Star Wars: Episode I. (Whoa, there's TWO of them!) In order to get the full effect of this movie without actually going to the movie, try watching 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' 'Ghost Ship,' and 'Hook' in the same night, then take out the cussing, the blood, and the drugs, and you've got a cool, clean, pirate movie. Being a law-abiding sailor, I can't help but wonder why I find myself cheering for the pirates in a pirate movie. I just wish it had been rated ARRRRRRRRR. On another note: The next movie in the series of Disney-World-rides-made-movies is 'The Haunted Mansion,' starring Eddie Murphy. I hope its better than 'The Country Bears.' YOU CAN SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS... July 9, 2003. 10:40 PM Last night I got to bid farewell to my old friend Alex, as he departed this morning for Pensacola, FL. See, Alex has chosen to devote the next few years of his life to serving our country in the US Navy, and this week he begins Navy Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola. He'll be completely out of touch for four weeks of "boot camp"-style training, then eventually onto ships, commands, and by the time they're finished with him, he'll be some sort of officer in charge of nuclear power. Props, Alex. I hope the ships I design keep you and your crew afloat and alive. GERRITT'S HOMEPAGE: A NEW HOPE July 4, 2003 Welcome to the latest edition of Gerritt's homepage. As a new feature, this site will have periodic updates having to do with my own observations and thoughts; sometimes funny, sometimes boring, sometimes just random. I hesitate to call this a 'journal' because I have no idea how often it will be updated, but call it a diary, a thought log, or just another 4,000 bits of web space taken by another 20-something trying to express himself. And if nothing else, there's lots of pictures downstairs. Check back frequently, and stay in touch. |
