This past weekend was the peak of the Perseid meteor showers for 2013, so we tried to experience them as best we could. Therefore Monday Morning around 4 a.m. I woke up to look at the conditions and see if we could see a whole slew of shooting stars… Nope, it was hazy and the haze amplified all the ambient light and made it impossible to see all the but the brightest… So I did not awake the family and decided to go back to bed. There is always next year. But today, today we shall talk about the topic of “Shooting Stars.”
Thanks this week go to Chris Corrigan, my Wi-fuh, Ralph, Son of Harbi, Lsig, and Newbold. Now, onto the questions!
1. My favourite moment watching the Perseids was in 1992, Lake Simcoe, Ontario, when we watched the Perseids streaking across the northern sky and falling into an intense aurora borealis. This year there is a solar flare timed with the peak of the Perseids. You think we’ll get a repeat?
In northern areas with typical borealis activity, possibly. Definitely not this far south in Ohio though.
2. I can always bring this back to MLS. Speaking of shooting stars, what do you think of Clint Dempsey’s return. Do you think he will ever crack a smile now that he is back? Is it even possible to play with Obafemi Martens and NOT crack a smile?
I think Deuce came back because both his kids are just about school age and he wanted to be in the States for some reason for the bulk of their early education. I think he will smile, I think he smiled when at Fulham and they were playing Chelsea. Obafemi is an infectious imp of a player. You can feel his love for the game.
and this is better than a smile
3. What is your second favourite meteor shower?
The Leonids.
4. Can you post a link to your favourite Russian fireball video?
I love that all the dash-board cams let you listen to the thrumming techno the Russians are listening to as they disregard the fireball in the sky. The best one I could not find. It is a driver facing cam that shows the driver, rocking out to some sweet beats nonchalantly repositioning his sun visor as he drives through an intersection like meteors happen all day everyday and twice on tuesdays.
5. Which star shooting was the most surprising?
John Lennon
6. Which star shooting was the least surprising?
I would have to go with Biggie Smalls… While one was not sure it would be him specifically, one knew that someone was going to get shot in retaliation for Tupac.
7. Who is your favorite actor/actress shooting star (came on the scene quickly and then flamed out)?
Hmmmm…. I think this is a tricky question. Most of the people I can think of who “flamed out” early still have a significant body of work behind them, but my gut seems to point towards some of the child actors. Let’s just say River Phoenix..
8. Who is your favorite comedian shooting star (came on the scene quickly and then flamed out)?
Well, typically comedians do not just rise up super fast and then fade away… Usually they toil in obscurity for years until they “all of a sudden” make it big. So, I am going to redefine the “came on quickly and then flamed out” to “rose up and then could not handle the fame and died due to unnatural causes.” In that case, I would say that Mitch Hedberg fits that bill perfectly. He spent his time getting good, became famous and then OD’ed on heroin at the beginning of his super fame.
9. How large would a rubber band need to be to actually shoot to a star?
To launch from Earth? Not sure it could be done… from the vacuum of space? That is a potentially a different story, but my “Euclidean physics in a vacuum” is not up to snuff to truly determine. My issue is that with an elastic physical action, would both the shooter and the rubber band be propagated at an equal rate in opposite directions, or could all the propagation be funneled into the rubber band… and then, how do gravity wells and solar wind affect the trajectory of a rubber band… too many parameters to determine.
10. If stars are just big gas bags, are shooting stars actually farting?
Nope, shooting stars are meteors burning up in Earth’s atmosphere as they come in contact with our planet. Star farts are super-novae
11. Are shooting stars measured in calibers like firearms?
Nope.
12. Why are there no protests over all the innocent stars that get shot by shooting stars?
I don’t think you know exactly how this works.
13. Are the stars from the central part of the southern hemisphere more likely to shoot? South-Central Hemi represent!!
Naw, dawg. Shooting stars come from the Ort Cloud, Yo! Ort Cloud in the hizzy!
14. Is it weird that your topic immediately made me think of Mark David Chapman and John Wilkes Booth?
Simultaneously? Yes.
15. To the best of my recollection, I’ve never seen a shooting star. Does that make you sad?
Yes, it actually does.
16. Don’t you know that you are a shooting star? And all the world will love you just as long, as long as you are?
Really? Bad company lyrics? Really?
17. Is there some sort of superstition attached to shooting stars? Are you supposed to wish upon them or something?
Yep, you are supposed to make a wish.
18. One of my favorite lines from a movie is “shoot the moon”,can you Name the movie?
Well, “Shoot the moon” is a pretty standard colloquialism meaning “to undertake something difficult.” I cannot think of any specific movie that uses that phrase.
19. This’s pretty close to shooting star. Shooter Mcgavin gives the wink and the gun when things go his way. When you get frustrated what are some of your typical reactions?
Cursing
20. I typically try to say “shoot” instead “shit” around kids. They pick up new words so fast. But one time i accidently said’, “you dirty f&$%#GJ ^&(^t” to someone in traffic. What city has the worst traffic?
Even though the Internet points me towards Brussels, Belgium, I have to think that some city in either India or China takes the cake.
To recap:
been getting on the treadmill for a month or so
Only thing that makes it bearable is the fact that I can watch DC and Marvel cartoons whilst running
One of the Green Lantern direct to videos
How could they screw up the theatrical release so badly when they can make the cartoons so compelling
The only real problem with the Green Lantern ones is that it is almost always an origin story
FOR. THE. SAME. GUY.
Maybe grow the story a bit, peeps
Feeling better physically though
So that is good
The daughter has an unexpected 2 days off from pre-school this week
Then she starts kindergarten on Monday
Holy frikkin chit… My baby!
Little Man starts 4th grade next week
My kids are growing up too fast
Have a great weekend everyone