Recession: What me worry?

Hey young-uns, listen up! The other day I heard the news reporter say, "This is the worst recession since 1982." 1982? That reminded me that in the fall of 1982 Susan and I got married. Susan was in graduate school finishing up a degree. Being the liberated, supportive husband that I was I said, "I'll leave my current job (a really lucrative job for that stage of my career) so that we don't have to move away and you can finish your program. It won't be so hard for me to find a new job." Famous last words.

I thought I was pretty well informed but I realize now that I was oblivious to what was going on around me. I spent at least six months flailing: resumés, mail, interviews, informational interviews, before I found a career-related job, and that one only because of family connections. The only right thing I did was what I had done - I'd saved up a lot of my early professional income, which gave us an adequate cushion while I was out of work.

The moral of the story is wake up, smell the coffee, pay attention. This could happen to you!

Airship up!

Only this morning did I realize how excited I am about the imminent arrival of a Zeppelin to NASA Research Park where I work. The first Zeppelin to fly in American skies in 70 years is en route from Texas and is projected to arrive in San Francisco on Saturday October 25, weather permitting.

"Airship up!" is the tradition call for launching a Zeppelin. You'll hear that often now that Airship Ventures will be operating flying tours of the Bay Area from points around the bay.

Lots of eye candy accompany this post. Click here for the airship's track, updated every 30 minutes. Click here for the Airship Ventures blog where pictures from the air via cell phone are being posted. Wow. Makes me want to buy a seat though at $500 a pop I'm sorry to say you'll have to pay for your own ticket.
Finally, I hear you saying, "What's the big deal? I've seen big floaty things over my football stadium all the time!" Well, what you've been seeing are blimps, not Zeppelins. Zeppelins are huge, 30 feet longer than a 747 and much larger in volume. They have an internal frame which makes them much more maneuverable, easier to control and quieter in the cabin. Blimps are only big bags of gas, have no frame and are thus more like hot air balloons, more subject to the whims of the winds, if you will.

Keep your eyes on the skies. You may see the Zeppelin today!