New York City(!)

272222UDEC04

Just got back to the Embassy Suites in lower Manhattan from a day of hiking and sightseeing. We had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the ferry terminal, to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a cold and windy, but crystal clear, day. The wait for the ferry comes in two parts -- it helps greatly to send some folks to get tickets, and some to wait in the ferry line. Lorraine and Emily were the ticket-getters; Joe and I waited in the line.

The Ellis Island experience is worthy of an entire day. The displays are first-rate.

After we got back from the tour, we stopped back at the hotel to warm up and have a snack at the hotel's hospitality set-up. Then, we headed out for dinner in Chinatown. We walked back through Little Italy (where desert was had).

Memphis, TN

A late entry.

261509UDEC04

At Memphis International Airport, in the Northwest lounge. The flight is a bit late in departing, so we're (Emily, Joe, and I) enjoying some quiet time in the lounge.

There's still a little snow on the ground here.

The Muzak folks haven't retired the Christmas tunes for the year, so we're getting our last (or so I hope) dose of the year. If this year is any guide, I only need to wait until shortly after Halloween(tm)* to reenter the "Christmas spirit".

*Trademark of the seasonal merchandising industry

I'm scribbling this on the iPAQ PocketPC at the Holiday Inn in Niceville, FL. It's a cold and rainy evening, but not so cold and rainy that I was dissuaded from a little geocaching! There's a microcache about 1.3 km from the hotel, so I trudged down the road to find it, and score a new state while I was as it.

As I expected, the dining opportunities are very limited. I was surprised to find a Subway sandwich shop open, but I wasn't in the mood for a sandwich, so I passed it by. I'd brought a little pizza from the house, so I had that for a snack. I may head out to the mini-mart across the parking lot if hunger strikes later this evening.

At the Northwest Airlines lounge at Washington's National Airport.

Winter has definely arrived in our Nation's Capital. We had a few chilly days over the past week. A hot water pipe on the second floor failed at a poor solder joint. Fortunately, my hand was four feet from the service cut-off, so there wasn't any water damage.

The new living room furniture showed up on Wednesday. It looks nice; the cats approve, as well.

It looks like baseball will actually return to Washington, DC. a city with the financial and social service problems that DC has needs to plow cash into yet another stadium? It should be evident that the dollars should go to fixing the school system, but that isn't the way it's turning out.

The Montreal Expo's will be renamed the Washington Nationals. It is only a matter of the until the team is renamed the Washington Reagans, just like the airport.

On NW956, preparing to launch to Memphis. As reported, flights are overbooked. I've learned from Lorraine to take advantage of the on-line check-in capability.

What a spectacle. I hadn't realized that tonight's finale episode of The Apprentice was supposed to run all night. Thank goodness for Tivo.

So, Kelly Perdue gets the nod (and the job). Jennifer Massey held her own this evening, but couldn't pull it off in the end.

Regis Philbin? What were "they" thinking? If they needed someone who could run a live broadcast and who could think on their feet, why not pick someone like Billy Crystal? Someone with real talent? And Sugar Ray Leonard? In a half-season packed full of product placement opportunities taken, we have to sit through a plug for an unrelated reality "experience"?

Next season offers something new: class warfare. The haves vs. have nots. How imaginative. We haven't seen that plot twist since the last election.

Amateur Extra

I took (and passed) the Amateur Extra examination yesterday morning. Now all I have to do is pass the CW (Continuous Wave) exam -- I'm planning to take that exam in January. It's offered the second Saturday of every month by the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club. When I pass that exam, I'll have the Extra ticket, allowing me to transmit on the MF and HF bands.

Well, we've now found geocaches in Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Oregon, and West Virginia. Lorraine and I are up to 55 finds as a team. The game continues to be fun, after about four months. We've introduced a fair number of people to the game / sport / hobby, which is a side benefit.

Antennas

Lorraine and I put up two (stacked) OA-50 6m antennas on Saturday, and added guy lines today. It's a pretty good installation, if I do say so myself. The antenna are from Par Electronics; I bought them from Universal Radio.

This was certainly a two-person job; I'm very lucky that Lorraine was available to help.

Now, all I need to do is finish the studying for the Element 1 (Morse Code) and Element 4 (Extra Class) exams, which I'm planning to take in December.

AE7Q - Amateur Extra Query Tools

I ran across this link while searching for a tool that might help with requesting a vanity call sign: AE7Q - Amateur Extra Query Tools

I continue to be amazed at the things that are available on the World Wide Web.

Oh, forgot to note that my new call sign is KI4HHL...the paper license arrived on Saturday.

Belated entry....

Got the new Comet GP-98 triband vertical antenna installed on the roof on Saturday. It's at the top of a 10 ft mast, and it looks great. Tested it out on Saturday evening.

Installed the Cobra Ultralite Junior on Sunday. It was a chore to get that antenna hung in the trees, then to get the RG8X coax run from the transceiver to the balun and antenna feedline. It all got done by a little after 1900 (which was good, because daylight was going fast), and it tested out fine. The wire isn't very noticeable against the foliage background.

Amateur Radio "ticket"

I took and passed the Technician (Element 2) exam today. On a lark, and at the encouragement of the examination crew from the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club, I took and passed the General (Element 3) exam. Now, all I need to do is complete the Morse Code exam within the next 365 days, and I'll be able to operate with General privileges.

After all of that excitement, Maureen and I went to Ham Radio Outlet in Woodbridge (the place I bought my Kenwood TH-D7a(G)) to buy a Kenwood TS-2000X (and a whole lot more stuff). I was able to bring the radio and a few other things home; several other parts must be shipped in from other locations. I'll be setting up the "ham shack" over the next few weeks. It will take a few days for the license to be posted at the FCC's web site anyway, so there's no big rush.

Boeing Statement on Darleen Druyun Sentencing

Oh, I'm sure Ms Druyun's statements were a total surprise. I'll bet the failed polygraph test was also a total surprise. I'm hoping that the U.S. Department of Justice continues to "have the will and a process to deal with it", as well as any efforts that The Boeing Company can exert.

Boeing Statement on Darleen Druyun Sentencing

This kind of shady under-the-table, deal-making is destructive to the national defense, and undermines whatever trust the public has in our defense procurement system. I'm looking forward to hearing the next few shoes drop in this case.

Club Fed?

On the heels of Martha Stewart taking a little contemplative time off, we have Darleen Druyun fixin' to spend time away from the "rat race". Looks like Ms Druyun might be spending a few months in South Carolina, while Ms Stewart is enjoying the climate in West Virginia.

The last remnants of Hurricane Ivan are blowing across the Washington, DC area this evening. We got a little rain this morning, and had wind gusts all day. We've opened the windows to get the benefit of the much lower temperatures and the breeze. The cats really appreciate the opened windows.

High School Reunion(s)

Lorraine and I flew to Portland, Oregon, this past weekend for my 30-year high school reunion. It's the first reunion I've attended, and I was pleasantly surprised at the experience. I got to see a lot of folks that I haven't seen in the 30 intervening years. I got a chance to talk to a lot of people whom I knew pretty well then, but whom I haven't kept up with. I'm going to try to get better about keeping in touch.

It was sad to see how many of my classmates have died, and the number of people I knew in those days who are in ill health. This puts a little more emphasis on the "keep in touch" promise.

Marion Barry redux

I can remember the day when the dream of the State of New Columbia died. Marion Barry was elected for his third (non-contiguous) term as Mayor of the District of Columbia, and statehood opponents breathed a [permanent] sigh of relief. We've seen all the "taxation without representation" license plates, but we sure haven't seen too much in the way of New Columbia license plates. Oh, well.

Cables

I received three cables from Blue Hills Innovations, and they worked just as one would expect. Very nice quality, and just what I ordered. Now all I need is an FCC Technician license, and I'll be on the air.

WQAV926

Well, it's official. I now have an FCC license, WQAV926. It's a GMRS license, so the next step is to pass the Technician examination so I can fire up my new Kenwood TH-D7A(G).