48.8 And Awe

Computers have become such wonderful instruments. From time to time I come across something that creates a moment of awe. One such moment happened as I saw the figure 48.8. I have 48.8 days of music on my i-pod. If I put it in a player, started it to play each song once nonstop, my i-pod play the last of the 4,984 songs just before 5 p.m. on 7 November.

I am amazed by the how large a pile of records, or even CDs that much music would represent. And I hold it all easily in my hand or pocket. Yes, it is a moment of awe when one thinks about it all. And I can still add about 35% more music.

Drive To The Office

The other day it dawned upon me that the 15.1 mile trip to the office was a very pleasant one, both time and scenery. My route along Arlington Ave goes through mainly residential areas with a few sections of office buildings and strip malls. Along the way there is plenty of green space. There is no blight or industrial sections. The end of the trip parkland dominates the trip. Below are some pics I took Monday through the windshield.

The first is coming into the heart of Arlington as comes out of 5 miles of residential areas. The second is an old pic of the Marine Corps Memorial, which is a monument I pass on the way to the office.

The above is part of the George Washington Parkway that I travel along after leaving Arlington Ave. Below is coming out of the GW Parkway by the Arlington Cemetary before crossing the Potomac. Up the hill you will see the old Robert E Lee Mansion that is at the center of Cemetary. The last, behind the bridge is Kennedy Center which is just before I take a ramp into our building a quarter mile later.

Above the sight that I see crossing the river...the Lincoln Memorial. The following two is the river I travel along after crossing the bridge. The second, you can see Georgetown in the distant, and the spirs of George Washington University.

Oakton Marching Band

Evie shot a video of Josh's band marching on Friday night. This is the second performance. More cleaning will take place and the visual affects added. The link to the video is on the right side just below that star and the tag day announcment.

http://www.oaktonbands.com/

Labels We Use

Ideas are communicated through the language. Marketers and politicians are particularly gifted in carefully selecting the words and phrases they use. In the late 60s the Democratic Party proudly embraced the term “liberal”. During the back end of the Regan years the Republican Party started a attach negatives to the term “liberal”. Essentially they started to do what Marc Anthony did in a speech by repeatedly using the phrase “these honorable men” to describe the Senators who assassinated Julius Caesar.

By the time the Clinton administration came along the Republican right stepped up its assault on the term so much so that “liberal” was so tarnished that its attachment to a politician had a negative impact upon that individual’s chance of being elected. Rather than fighting the term, the Democrats are pushing the “progressive” to describe themselves and their ideas. As the other part of their strategy, the Democrats are starting to firmly glue all the negatives of the Bush administration to the word “conservative.” Every failed idea is being called the conservative solution. I can see that in six to ten years from now few Republicans will embrace the word and will start to seek for a new term since the word will recall to the electorate’s mind a plethora of deplorable and failed policies.

Lasts and Firsts

Last night Josh completed his first college application which reminded me that we have been and will be going through a series of firsts and lasts. These series of lasts and firsts started five months ago and over the next twelve months. Though the lasts and firsts are/will be mostly associated with Josh, each will experience a few lasts/firsts of their own. Such lasts and firsts are a natural part of going through transitions. Knowing that one is going through them helps increase the special nature of the lasts and firsts.

Here are just some we recognized as they have taken place or know will be occurring.

Lasts:
Orkney week – Josh and Evie and I
Marching band camp – Josh
Cap Band trip – Jonathan (he is no longer in the band)
Last DYB event – Jonathan (he is no longer in the band)
Seeing Nana for the last time – Dave
Oakton classic – Josh, Dave and Evie
Christmas concert – Josh, Dave and Evie
Spring concert – Josh, Dave and Evie
Oakton marching band event – Josh, Dave and Evie
Classroom day at high school – Josh


Firsts
Crossmen show – Josh
A girlfriend being brought home to meet mom and dad – Jonathan
First college application – Josh
First day at college – Josh
First DCI championships – Josh
First college marching band event – Josh
Josh being away from home longer than three weeks – Dave and Evie
Journey with a girlfriend to visit friends for a weekend – Jonathan


There will be others and the list will grow.