“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
An interesting list of things to remember
Friends send me various humorous lists in email. Sometimes I find them worth sharing.
1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve its full potential, that word would be “meetings.”
3. There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness”
(don’t even go there with me – Lin)
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
(explain this one to certain computer game companies – Lin)
6. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
(yes, I can, see below – Lin)
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
(My boyfriend made a big deal out of my 21st birthday; he could now take me to places that were formerly off limits. This was not an improvement. This may be why he became an ex. – Lin)
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
13. A person who is nice to you but rude to a waiter is not a nice person.
(This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
14. Your friends love you anyway.
15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
Daylight Savings Time conundrum. — If the clock time stays the same, as the sun rises earlier and earlier, you’re now sleeping thru one or more hours of sunlight. If the clock time is pushed back, you are now not sleeping through at least one hour of that sunlight. It’s now tucked in at the end of the day, when you’re awake and can use it for something productive.
This is, of course, for those whose normal hours are daytime hours. For swingshift or graveyard, your mileage will vary. Or for those who think sleeping is productive. But now you know.
Eureka?
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny …”
— Isaac Asimov
Thoughts from chocolate
From an old blog post,
I was given a wonderful jar for Christmas. It said “I’d give up chocolate, but I’m no quitter.” From the wrappers of the Dove chocolate inside are a few thoughts:
Friendship is a gift in itself
Joy is contagious
A smile is the perfect gift, personal and encouraging
Spending time is a greater gift than spending money
(I said this to a friend earlier this year; I’m not sure he believes me)
If old acquaintances be forgot, give them a call and remember
Denver Fire Department Museum
Originally published 24 August 2008
While first learning which stops on the 16th Street Mall bus line let me off close to my destination, I found myself serendipitously on the wrong corner. There on the signpost above my head was an arrow pointing to “Denver Fire Department Museum.” Not needing to be any particular place at any particular time, I headed off to find it.
We’re seriously spoiled by our computers and the like. The first two pics in the slideshow below are the older communications gear. According to the sign in front of this display, the first communications system used by the Denver Fire Department was word of mouth. Someone yelled fire, and every able-bodied person would grab a bucket and join in the line to put out the fire. Maybe a hundred years from now, people will look back at our methods and shake their heads at our bravery. I don’t know about you, but standing nose to flames with a fire, armed only with a bucket? And even now, only with a hose spouting water. These guys are nuts, and I’m glad of it.
The second two pics show the fire alarm control panel in use from its invention in the early 1960s thru 1990, when it was replaced by computer aided dispatch. The left side had tape units that recorded conversations, allowing the operator to replay the information if needed. The right side, which doesn’t show in these pictures, was the Register transmitter that identified which alarm was sounding, and the Gong Shunt Control, sending the alarm only to those fire stations that needed to respond.
Some of the wonderful old equipment on display. An 1867 Gleason and Bailey Hand Drawn Pumper, purchased on October 1, 1867, and was only in operation for five years. Hand drawn Pumpers were pulled by twelve to fifteen volunteer firefighters to the fire, who then pumped the water from the source out to the guys at the end of the hose. According to the notes, the Steam Fire Engine with dog is from the New York Fire Museum. Denver had its collection of steamers, and when they were retired, they were sold to greenhouses and cemeteries as irrigation pumps. Following those are a collection of pics of horses, pumpers, dogs, and a hook-and-ladder truck. If you want to read the signs, double-click on the gallery. It will enlarge into a lightbox.
An intrepid young fireman…
Followed by more equipment. A truck with a “horseless carriage” license, and various pics of the truck. The pic of the sign came out blurry, so I don’t know the name of the truck. Those are followed by a “toy” truck, called so because of all the “toys” it carries for the firemen. When I did my CERT refresher, I got to see the latest version. It’s an awesome piece of equipment. The last truck is a 1953 Seagrave Engine. That’s followed by a couple of pictures of the lockers upstairs the firemen used. The pics I took of the inside locker display didn’t come out so well. They had glass doors, and the best image in the picture is of me and the camera.
And some reminders that the job is not an easy one.
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