So... here I am in BFE, Alabama. Working on an aerospace math class when not at work. "A rocket is launched vertically into the air. Using height (h) as a function of time (t), and the formula h=280t+50-16
2, when is the rocket on the ground?" My wife said a mouthful; "Who cares?". Unfortunately, my college professor will not accept that as an answer.
So yesterday I made an appointment at a "reef shop" in Birmingham; let's leave the store name out of it. 2.2 hr round trip to kill time. Showed up at 1PM today to meet with a member of the staff. A man and his significant other were there as well. I looked around, found a wellsy I could bring back on the plane that was very unusual, but "It ain't for sale." Shucky-darn. Thought I wuz there to buy stuff...
Then the man asks about having two banded coral shrimp in his reef tank. Let's not worry about a non-mated banded shrmp pair in the tank killing each other, nope, let's state outrageous claims like "That shrimp ain't reef safe, fish'll think it's a cleaner shrimp, and they'll come up to it, and it'll reach out and use those pinchers to rip the gills clean out of a fish." What the ...? Okay, he's off his meds, just everyone stand back. Then the man asks about a melinarus wrasse in the tank. "Nope, not reef safe, it'll eat all your shrimp and crabs." What? Where's my taser? Then "Got this here leopard wrasse (was a Christmas fairy wrasse), it's real reef safe and easy to take care of." Too bad the 40,000 volt version of the taser is illegal.
Went to check out with a bagged copy of the latest Coral magazine. "Oh, we can't do a credit card today, but if you call back Tuesday, you can call in your credit card and we can do it over the phone." O. M. G. Hold still while I stick your head in that frag tank with the crappy frags at $50 and higher in it.
I could make a killing down here charging prices our sponsors charge and run everyone out of business in a 200 mile radius.
So then, before I went back to the hotel room to explore more useless questions regarding rocket trajectories and the like, I figured I'd watch a movie. Went and saw Act of Valor about our US Navy seals. Great movie; leaves you feeling like you've been punched in the chest at the end. After the movie, there's a group of people making fun of it and the sacrifices our military and their families make. Having served, and having known and still know operators in the special operator community, I really wanted to say something, BUT... "Yankee in Dixie tases 20, shoots 11" headline flashed through my head, so I just left.
Today has been, well, surreal.
Oh, and my rainbow BTA split 2 days ago and went on the move while I was gone and stung my 6" neon green long-tentacled plate to death. That just plain sucks. I'll deal with the BTA when I return.
Kev
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