A Historical Day!!

Can’t let today go by without honoring one of my oldest traditions, that of noting important dates in history.  Not because some battle was fought, but curiosities of the calendar.  So, depending on when you happen to stumble across this, (I am writing before noon, EST), at sixteen minutes and seventeen seconds after three this afternoon it will be (drum roll or trumpet fanfare)

12:13:14;15:16:17

And, for once the amateur statisticians are correct, this WILL not happen again for (many) years because there is no thirteenth month.  And, just to be an engineer,  there was a time earlier today when it was 09:10:11;12…..  Somehow I always think of my old friend Birt who much appreciated this kind of thing..

Rant follows:

And, again in honor of history, I’ll sneak in another historical rant for old time’s sake.   Last night coming home across our Route Four from Leonardtown to Lexington (Power Pole) Park showed that nothing has changed.  Now those of you who live around here know that that road is relatively heavily traveled especially at “rush hour”.  Any thought of passing, which is mostly prohibited by a double yellow line, is dangerous to say the least.  Anyway, I noticed behind me was one of those little kind of anonymous smaller Toyota/Nissan/Honda sedans, in weathered black color.  I really couldn’t see the driver.  So when we turned from Rte. 5 south of Leonardtown,  for the first quarter of a mile all I could see in my rear view mirror was the top half of the windshield, meaning its nose was quite close to my tail.   What then followed all the six miles across the peninsula was repeated series of maneuvers.   Plus, I should mention that I had my adaptive cruise control activated which kept me a constant distance behind the vehicle in front of me, perhaps three car lengths.    Okay, so after the initial drafting from the light, the next thing I noticed was that the little vehicle was maybe fifteen car lengths behind me, like perhaps slowing to exit the highway.   Nope, two minutes later, on my bumper again, drop way back, accelerate to bumper, drop, accelerate, repeat.   What the hell?  I don’t get it. One is tempted to pin it on NASCAR mentality, but that may be too easy.

And I have a couple more rants in my pocket but they can wait…

Go Navy, and

DFD