The Coathanger Cluster

How to find the Coathanger asterism: about 8 degrees NW of the W end of the arrow-shaped Sagitta constellation. Quiet and peaceful, I have sat many a nights in awe at the night sky just gazing at this simple group of stars.The asterism is made up of 10 stars ranging from 5th to 7th magnitude which form the conspicuous "coathanger", a straight line of 6 stars with a "hook" of 4 stars on the south side. An additional 30 or so fainter stars are sometimes considered to be associated as well.Under a dark sky, Collinder 399 can be seen with the naked eye as an unresolved patch of light; simple binoculars or a telescope at very LOW power are usually needed in order to view the "coathanger" asterism. It is best found by slowly sweeping across the Milky Way along an imaginary line from the bright star Altair toward the even brighter star Vega. About one third of the way toward Vega, the Coathanger should be spotted easily against a darker region of the Milky Way. It's best seen right now in July-August and north of 20° north latitude it is displayed upside down when it is at its highest point.

It all has to do with a dream of mine.

Bear Grylls

Man vs Wild was on the other night and he was in and around my old stomping grounds - Alabama! This, of course, brought back memories of climbing rocks in northeast Alabama which happens to be the highest elevation point in Alabama at a mere 2405'. High enough for me when you have only 200 feet of rope. This photo of the table gives you an idea. 85' straight down the side and an eye full of what God gave the south to take care of.

30 Miles

Each week morning I endure a 30 mile commute to work. I am pressed to creatively pass the time engaged in my own world rather than listen to useless brain candy shock-jock DJs that are in there late 40's but portray themselves as 18 year olds. Don't get me wrong, my feelers are still out for cell phone yackers, erratic drivers, deer, scraps of tire in the road, bales of hay on the interstate (yes, bales of hay) and the occasional tortoise but I like to work my brain while driving. This includes, but is not limited to, memorizing license plates, making up poems, and contemplating the universe all within the confines of a two seater supercharged Miata.



It never ceases to amaze me at the number of multi-task threads the human brain can process. This morning I was wondering what would be the maddening result of having a vehicle that was designed by an overzealous engineer with good intent? He would design an interface with a voice module that constantly spoke on every system within the car. For example, "Headlights On." "Accelerating." "Currently Braking." "Attention wheel turing left." "Air pressure good." "Signal is on." During the entire process of driving the car, you would be pelted with a constant verbal drone of status (or is the plural stati?) There is a point to this...

Sometimes this is the way my brain works. I suppose it's a form of OCD but one thing is for sure. There is rarely a mute option available.

So, to pass the time, I memorize license plate numbers and watch for bales of hay.

Think about it

Think about it. Would the act of e-mailing several people a piece of junk email suddenly cause an image to pop up on your screen?

Does the term "Good Luck" exist in God's mind? So, If I DON'T forward the email someone sent to me, then I won't be struck down, made sick, or cause wads of cash intended for me to pass by my doorway on to some other guy.

What is it with Internet Email Ignorance? Here's a site to educate some of the gullable.

Bleeding porcelain

It's amazing what random Internet surfing will do. In the ole sea of information you will either find that perfect wave or be eaten with pop-up sharks. I occasionally have those moments without computer when something I want to search for just pops into my brain. Take for example: What is the chemical composition in your brain for remembering the phrase - The Sixth Sheiks Sixth Sheep is Sick? I mean is that one atom of copper and nine atoms of zinc mixed with .0028 millivolts or is that particular cocktail for remembering to put the trash out on Thursday nights?

In my ongoing search for the greatest magical effects, I happened upon the interesting subject of weeping icons. You know, a statue of Mary balling her Plaster of Paris eyes out or another icon bleeding from the eyes (That must smart). Other similar 'miracles' included Ganesh the Hindu elephant-headed god guzzling spoon after spoon of milk. It never ceases to amaze me how mass-hysteria and capillary action can cause such an uproar. After watching several videos and reading several documents I walked straight into the kitchen with a ceramic cat in hand and gasped in amazement when he apparently downed a sizable quantity of Coors Light. Through a process we call physics, I'm quite positive Ganesh would readily lap up pure 93 octane if you tickled his trunk with that. Hmmmm Physics... there's the REAL miracle - God's Chemistry & Erector Sets.

Good Friends, Good Food! What a blessing!

Life is fast...
The work week is just one long day and weekends are a tease. That's why one must never take family and friends for granted. Another preventable tragedy plagues the headlines here in town. Fatal Crash Victim Engaged to be Married. Yes, you'll see the news in a few days showing the drunk who rubbed out a beautiful life. That look that he'll give the judge alone will warrant him deserving of 'drawing and quartering'. I'd consider riding the horse just to help em out. OK... I'll not get started.

On to a much happier note. I just 'visited the South' at lunchtime. No, no, no I didn't really go anywhere for real! Listen, it's so nice when tastes and smells remind you of pleasant pasts in your present life. My late Grandmother used to cook the best meals ever. I remember the cornbread alone was enough to make you do the "Snoopy Dance". I just revisited some of her flavors at lunch. E's wife, Laura made a meal that I could truly live off of for days on end. The cabbage? Oh my gosh! Bacon, pepper... oh man! When someone offers you to get as much as you want, you sometimes try and have some manners about you by leaving a little in the pan.

...I left nothing. Thanks Laura, you rock!

Pet Peeves

I'll be the first to admit that a vast majority of my pet peeves revolve around motorists. Stupidity and disrespect screeches up a deadly cocktail on our highways and roads. Take for example, I'm traveling on the interstate the other day and observe my usual mix of hypnotized drivers and cell phone users who categorize driving secondary to conversations like, "Hi, I'm driving and talking to you. What are you doing?" I mean telling the hubby that you love him is OK as long as you are aware of the 18 wheeler next to you. I mean we only have mere tons of steel traveling at 70 mph to contend with and scheduling soccer matches certainly trumps anything on the road. Where was I? Ah yes, my recent interstate encounter. I've seen it all but not until that day. Traveling approx. 45 mph in the LEFT lane (this is for passing folks) of the interstate is an old man in a Ford Taurus cutting out coupons with scissors! Does this supercede running with scissors? It was the only time I wish I could have handed a driver a cell phone.

Dyson Rules the Earth!

James Dyson is a genius...

Ok, I gave into his interesting commercials and bought one of his vacuum cleaners. This is one wicked machine! My gosh - strap your cats down! The Dyson DC-15 Animal (don't cha love the name) will pull the nails out of your hardwood floor! After vacuuming for a very short time, the canister actually looked like it had a cat in it! This is no reflection on how long I wait to vacuum nor how I treat cats. More on this beast later.