Nate & Kristen’s Weblog

Today was the day for my Honda Civic’s annual car wash. Since I was feeling lazy and had a coupon I decided to take it to one of the local auto spas. It was working out pretty good until they announced my car was done and I noticed another customer giving one of the workers a $10 bill. That’s the moment I realized the guys were working for tips and I didn’t have any cash.

I tried not to make too much eye contact as the gentleman who worked on my car handed over the keys, opened the front door, and scrubbed a final little smudge from the window. Man did I feel terrible. Well, I guess now I know for next year.

“The less confident you are, the more serious you have to act.”

- Tara Ploughman

Acquaintances often think I’m a very serious person. People closer to me say I’m obnoxiously facetious. I’m wondering if I should be more confident around people I don’t know that well. I’m guessing they’re alright not knowing the real me.

I didn’t know much about Marylin Monroe until I read a couple of articles printed on this year’s anniversary of her death. Seems like she was a pretty big egomaniac, but what superstar actress isn’t. Anyway, I wouldn’t have mentioned the articles except I thought a part of the alleged transcript of a tape she made shortly before her death for her psychiatrist was a tad ironic:

You are the only person who will ever know the most private, the most secret thought of Marilyn Monroe. I have absolute confidence and trust you will never reveal to a living soul what I say to you.

Oops, I guess he let it leak. I had the feeling I shouldn’t have been reading it.

The poor gardners have had to re-sod this spot of grass several times in the last year after our neighbor got a pet pit bull.

I often think the standard list of rules posted on the fences of community pools are overly restrictive. But today I think I spotted the person that has caused the great rule maker to act in such an unreasonable way.

Standing around 6′6″ tall he waded in the shallow end of the pool with hot pink shorts and matching floaties. I don’t think he needed the floaties, but by the amount of unopened glass bottles of Corona sitting atop the picnic table he was planning on needing them soon. His posse of four friends, three humans and one dog, loitered near his wading spot within earshot of my fifteen month old sponge using foul language apparently there to watch their overgrown friend swim and drink. As we first stepped into the pool the medium size dog, who I must admit turned out to be very friendly, greeted us with a growl.

We must have broken up their party because not long after we arrived they packed up and left, but one of their members had left some things behind. Now I’m a dog lover so I wasn’t bothered much by this but I could see how some of the older,crankier residents might be angered by the copious amount of dog fur floating on the surface of the spa. I hope the mutt had a nice dip, because he’s ruined the chance to play with “oversized” pool toys for the rest of us.

Deep Impact has successfully collided with Tempel 1. Last things I saw were some pretty crazy pictures from the flyby spacecraft of the explosion the impactor had made. I’m not a scientist so go read the website if you want the latest and greatest info.

I was watching NASA TV when the impact took place and it sure was fun to see old men jump around like ecstatic school children. It kind of makes sense too. These missions are experiments they have spent a decent part of their life dreaming up and designing. They are basically waiting around to see years worth of work either going to go up in smoke or pay off big time.

It’s exciting to be part of the machinery that helps make missions like this possible. Go JPL!

NOTE: All personal and professional opinions presented herein are my own and do not, in any way, represent the opinion or policy of JPL, CalTech, or NASA.

I went to the pool a few weeks back where my suntanning session was disturbed by the following conversation between two sons and their dad who were playing a game of football:

Mean Dad: Hey, Son #1 that was a great throw. I’ve never seen you throw like that before.

Son #1: (Glowing from praise) Thank you daddy!

Son #2: (Throws ball to Mean Dad) Was that a good throw, dad?

Mean Dad: No.

Me: (Under my breath) Jerk.