Category Archives: Administrative

Administrative, Culinary, Space

Vacation

11 Comments

We decided to drive up to Santa Ynez for a weekend holiday wine tour. We left last night in hopes of getting up here in time for the Delta IV launch out of Vandenberg, but it was scrubbed for a technical issue. The good news is that it’s rescheduled for an earlier launch tonight (1006), and we’ll still be up here. The weather is clear, and it should be good viewing of a night launch if it goes. It’s the first time in many months that we’ve traveled just for pleasure, with no business. Back to the grind on Monday.

[Update after the launch scrub]

Well, that was disappointing. We had a great spot on Ocean Avenue to view, a clear sky, and it aborted seven seconds before liftoff. No word on cause yet.

Administrative, General, Space

Still Off The Air

3 Comments

I flew up to DC on Tuesday after checking out the house in Florida, and was at the Galloway Symposium all day yesterday, with two back-to-back receptions afterward, and didn’t get back to my room until midnight. It was a very useful day, but it was marred by texts from my realtor that someone had attempted to break into the patio door and damage it, and she has open houses scheduled this weekend. So this morning first thing I had to find a handyman to go check out the situation.

Today is getting caught up in emails this morning, then a meeting at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where I’ll have meetings with some officials from the Dept of Commerce, then a late-afternoon flight back to California. So no blogging today (either).

Administrative, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Weird

These Are The Crazy Years

4 Comments

I know that posting has been light/non-existent. Between dealing with the house, and all the travel (I’ve been in DC most of the week, going back home tonight), I’m suffering from a little blog burnout. But things will probably be back to normal on Monday, probably until Thanksgiving, after which I’m off to Luxembourg and other European destinations.

Administrative, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

The Election

53 Comments

I’m concerned about the loss of the House, of course, both because it will stymie any useful legislation for the next two years and because some loons will be in charge of committees (e.g., Maxine Waters). Also, it will mean all investigations of the Trump administration all the time. On the other hand, that will make it more likely that both Trump and the Republicans in the House will win in 2020.

I assume that Sessions’ resignation was requested, now that Trump has more votes in the Senate to confirm someone who will actually know what he’s doing and what the job of the Attorney General is.

In terms of space, I won’t miss Culberson; his defeat probably means no Europa mission. The biggest loss from a space standpoint is Rohrabacher, unless he can find enough votes in absentees to pull it out. He is one of the few on the Hill who understands what has to happen in space, and if he’d won, and the Republicans had kept their majority, he’d have finally been chair of the Science Committee, where he would have had a lot more clout to make better things happen.

Note: Posting remains light because I’m in DC this week after the dual conferences in LA last weekend. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week, for a couple weeks, before I go to Europe at the end of the month.

[Update after driving to Manassas from Falls Church]

Maybe it’s not a great idea to blab on the phone on the Acela. Jerry Nadler’s plans to impeach Trump and Kavanaugh. Yeah, you want more Trump? That’s how you’ll get more Trump in 2020.

Administrative, Business, General, Space, Technology and Society

Light Blogging

4 Comments

I am in the last throes of getting the house on the market. Tomorrow is my last day in Florida (I hope), at least in terms of getting this house sold (I will come back for launches, but if I never go to south Florida again, I will have no regrets). Tomorrow night we fly to Denver, and back to LA on Tuesday. Then after a couple days of catching up at home I’m in Santa Monica for the Space Settlement Summit on Friday and Saturday, then on a plane to DC all week for COMSTAC and satellite servicing conference. So, probably still not a lot of blogging.

Things may be more lively after I get back from DC for a couple weeks, but then I’m off to Europe for a couple weeks. Anyway, life is not boring.

{Update late evening]

What the hell, let’s make this an open thread. Just be good.

Administrative, General Science

Back In CA

6 Comments

I flew from PBI to LAX last night, partly because I needed a break and wanted to be home, but mostly because corporate taxes are due on Monday. And I’m going to Orlando Sunday for the AIAA meeting, then back down to south Florida, hopefully to finish things up at the house, and finally (a year after we started, and were interrupted by Hurricane Irma) get it on the market and sold.

Administrative, General

Florida Weather

2 Comments

Almost exactly a year ago, we flew to Florida to start to prep a house to sell. Instead, we had to prep it for a major hurricane. Fortunately (for us, not the west coast of the state), Irma’s track shifted to the west, and we didn’t get the brunt of it. A year later, we’re here again, this time in the last throes of renovation. But now Gordon just formed in the Keys, and we’re getting a washout here today in Palm Beach County, so no progress on the house today. Our major goal for the day is managing to get down to Plantation for dinner with Bob and Lou Poole (as in the Reason Foundation). Fortunately, things should be calming down by then for southeast Florida, and the storm will be moving off into the Gulf, where it may threaten the northern Gulf Coast.

Administrative, General

Back to Florida

I just realized that I forgot to publish this post on Tuesday morning.

On the plane, for what I hope is my last trip for the purpose of selling the house. Be good in comments.

[Friday-night update]

I’ve been living in the house while we’re fixing it up, but Patricia is flying in for the weekend, and we’re renting more comfortable quarters for a few days, on the beach in Gulfstream.

Administrative, General

Off The Air

3 Comments

Heading back to California for a few days. I’ll be dropping the car at PBI, taking a shuttle to the West Palm Tri-Rail station, and then a couple-hour train ride to MIA for a flight back to LA this evening. So open thread, and play nicely.

[Friday-morning update]

Trip went fairly smoothly, other than tight connection between train and MIA that resulted in my having to check my carry on. But I scored a window seat, with empty center, and beautiful woman from Marina Del Rey in the aisle seat, so flight was quite pleasant. Unfortunately, I have to go back on Tuesday.