"Showtime."

The video below is about a couple dealing with dementia. Husband Jason is a medically retired Air Force Officer who was involved in an IED incident. His brain injury MAY be part of why he is now experiencing symptoms of dementia. Until recently it was thought his memory problems were caused by "Lewy Body" dementia, the same disease we now think is affecting Sara Jean.
But tests now are casting doubt on Jason's Lewy Body diagnosis so he and wife Leslie, (a Registered Nurse now retired so she can devote 24/7 attention to Jason) are trying to figure out what Jason's problem really is.
In the video you get a solid feeling for the frustrations Leslie feels dealing with the disease. 'Til recently, anytime Leslie turned on the camera Jason "turned on the charm" to appear funny and normal. They call it "Showtime".
...Not so much in this video.

Leslie talks about her loneliness because she's losing her lifetime partner. This, so far, is NOT my problem with Sara Jean. She has always been a "talker". And when I am home she has always wanted to be in the same space I occupy.
Leslie talks about every dementia case being different, so I'm left to wonder how my/our lives will unfold as Sara Jean's disease progresses.

Yesterday morning I filled both our coffee cups, handed hers to her, and sat down to watch the morning news. Five minutes later she asked, "Do you need coffee?" Then realizing her memory has failed her she's embarrassed.
I fear she'll no longer be embarrassed soon.

Pray for us and ALL suffering from the different forms of this disease, please.

 

The "Titan" Submersible.

I'm fishing for information from someone who knows more than I do.
The "Titan" apparently imploded on its way to visit the Titanic last week, killing its occupants in about .11 seconds.
That fact means they likely didn't even have the time to THINK "uh-oh" before they were vaporized.
My question is about "carbon fiber", stuff about which I need an education. I know it is VERY strong. I know it is light compared to other materials. And I know it is expensive, (but not as expensive as say, titanium, a fact that may enter into the cause of death of those five souls.)

Here's my query:
Compression/expansion-
The pressure vessel on that sub was being subjected to MASSIVE compression forces. I think that carbon fiber hull would have been much stronger in the other direction- expansion from inside to out.
Seems to me strength against compression in this case is the wrong application of the material.

Discussion, please.

Mailbox Baseball !

Some years ago our mailbox and ALL the mailboxes on our street were destroyed by someone, (probably exuberant youths). Since this was the second time this had happened I was exasperated. To replace our box I bought a box made of very heavy-duty plastic that snapped together like a kit.

That box lasted undamaged until today when my wife returned from an errand and asked, "Have you seen our mailbox?"
I had not. It was in several pieces alongside our road.

I just returned from snapping our "kit" mailbox back together.

"I just published a post supporting President Trump on my FaceBook page" says she. "I'm sure that's the reason someone did this to us", says she.
"Paranoid", thinks me, (but wanting to maintain peace in our household I kept my thoughts to myself.)

But isn't it a shame that that thought even occurs to us? And it certainly falls within the realm of possibility.

Today you cannot put a conservative bumper sticker on your car without having to worry about your vehicle being keyed! I'm no longer comfortable with my world. Heck, I'm no longer comfortable in my own neighborhood.

I'm ready for the "reset", even though that will be ugly.

Cadillac At Le Mans-

The "24 Hours of Le Mans" is being run today. As a BIG racing fan this is an important day for me. "Motor Trend TV" is broadcasting the race in its entirety.
The wonderful unfolding stories during this endurance race interest me.
"Racing improves the breed" has always been the mantra, and it's certainly true. For years enthusiasts have pointed to Ray Haroun's use of a rear-view mirror in the first Indy 500.

The photo above depicts two Cadillacs that were campaigned in the 1950 Le Mans race by a sportsman named Briggs Cunningham. The strange looking beast was aptly nicknamed "Le Monstre" by the locals and, with special aerodynamic alterations to the body, was purposely designed to just go FAST. The other was a relatively stock 1950 "Series 61" Cadillac Sedan.
And the "unfolding stories" I referred to?
Cunningham crashed "Le Monstre" and retired it from the event.
The old Cadillac Sedan soldiered on, and "Grandpa's car" finished 10th overall ahead of the specialty-for-the-race built "Le Monstre" which came in 11th.

For differential speed and safety reasons, there basically are three classes of cars that now race at Le Mans.
Yes, it makes the race safer.
But does it make the event more interesting?
Not to me.

Sanctuary-

I just want to be up front... right here... right now-
I THANK GOD for California, New York, and right here in Illinois... Chicago for being "Sanctuaries".
While our country tries to figure out if it wants to be a "Sovereign", those sanctuaries are taking it in the third point of contact.
(And maybe you have to be military... maybe even ARMY to understand that reference. Look it up.)

Damn I'm glad I live downstate in "MAGA" country!

Just Visiting?

We ate a free breakfast this morning in the La Quinta Inn in Miramar Beach, Florida, after a week's stay here. Our stay here has been "as usual" for June...
Great weather. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world. HORRIBLE traffic, because Destin is no longer a "best kept secret". Road construction in several areas cannot keep up with the number of people coming here to stay.
This hotel is full.
No one eating breakfast with us is speaking English.

Me: "When we were in Greece I wonder how the Greeks felt about all the folks there speaking English?"
She: "We weren't there to STAY."

Another brilliant insight from my better half.