Ryan's Journal

"My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" — David Mitchell

Month: January 2009

We are Witnesses

Posted from 25,000 feet above Monterey, California at 4:10 pm, January 25th, 2009

Aaron’s Christmas present this year was two tickets to the Cavs vs. Warriors game in Oakland. Result: awesome. Lebron James proved strong enough to break the decades-long Holliday brother jinx on all Cleveland sports teams by hitting the game winning shot as time expired. Aaron and I were present eleven rows behind the Cavs bench wearing huge, curly brown Anderson Varejao wigs, and even the Warriors fans sitting around us seem stoked to have us there. In addition to some awesome basketball the night’s highlights included the courtside arrival of George Lucas (kid behind us: “Dad, who works for him?”, father: “Everyone.”) and some unbelievable intermission entertainment. The halftime entertainment saw the world’s most flexible man, who showed up in a tiny box and then fit his body through a tennis racket and a toilet seat. A timeout brought four short guys and a trampoline, leading to some of the most impressive dunks (think double back flips) that I’ve ever seen. There were cheerleaders (Cheerleaders are pretty…), drummers, t-shirt launches, pizza giveaways, and all manner of craziness.

The weekend’s other highlight was Aaron’s new best friend, Hanford. The puppy arrived on Wednesday and has since taken over Aaron’s life, getting him up through the night, finding all manners of rocks to eat, and generally behaving as you would expect a puppy to behave. The little guy is a bull mastiff, which apparently means that “little guy” will only apply for about a month, and also means that his back hips work on some sort of a pivot, giving him a distinctly tank-like walk. There was much bouncing, biting, chewing, and general mayhem throughout the three days that Hanford made my acquaintance.

Aaron & Hanford

Aaron & Hanford.

Me & Aaron

Me & Aaron, lookin’ pimp with some delicious chicken tacos.

Lebron James

Lebron, tossin’ some chalk.

Flyin’

Posted from 32,000 feet above San Luis Obispo, California at 9:30 pm, January 22nd, 2009

Soley because they might be fun to read in a year, here are some predictions for 2009:

  • The stock market will be close to 10,000 at the end of the year. I’m probably jinxing it by writing that, and instead it will be closer to 6,000, but this point in history seems a lot like the mid-to-late 1990s when there were tons of promising technologies on the verge of becoming useful and creating work.
  • On that note, by the end of 2009 everyone will know what the smart grid is. With Obama focusing so heavily on energy it seems inevitable that there will be a push to upgrade the electrical grid, electrical companies will be looking for ways to save money through efficiency, and homeowners will want to save money by using smart meters to gauge when electricity is cheapest.
  • There will be at least two new national parks or monuments created. This prediction is based on nothing other than the fact that it’s been a long time so there must be something in the pipeline.
  • I will schedule another big expedition-style trip. Due to changing IAATO regulations the Cheesemans Antarctica trip in 2010-11 will be their last, although I suspect that instead of returning to Antarctica some other opportunity may arise.
  • Chrysler is going to go out of business or be purchased; GM and Ford will keep chugging along. Another major bank will fail or be purchased.
  • Obama’s approval rating will drop from its current 80% levels but still remain over 60%.
  • I will run a marathon or some similar endurance race; this one is probably wishful thinking but I am definitely getting tired of being out of shape, so who knows…
  • The “buzz” in energy will be all about bio fuels and concentrated solar. Wind and corn-ethanol will still be the most heavily used alternative energies, but concentrated solar will be seen as the most economical and reliable while fuels made using algaes and other biological sources will be seen as the future replacements for petroleum.
  • The Beatles and Garth Brooks will finally get released on iTunes. Kid Rock will not.
  • The Boeing 787 will not face any further delays – two years is late enough. The 747-8 will move into production on schedule.
  • The Indians will not make the World Series. The Browns will not make the Super Bowl but will win at least seven games. The Cavs… will not be jinxed by me.
  • Tesla Motors will still be in business, although the Model S will be delayed until the end of 2011.
  • I will still be working at DIRECTV. As much as I want to move back to the Bay Area there are a huge number of good things about my current job, and they’re being even more flexible now about letting me work remotely on occasion, making it easier to come home for three day weekends.
  • Yahoo will be purchased or merge with someone like AOL.
  • Lance Armstrong will finish in the top ten in the Tour de France but won’t be on the podium. I like the guy, but three years away from cycling is just too tough to come back from.
  • I will manage to make at least two journal entries a month, doubling my pitiful performance of 2008.

That’s what I’ve got. The comments link is there for anyone who wants to add their own or mock me for making such geeky predictions (“bio fuels?”).