Personal
Four years and a pandemic
20/04/21 15:40 Filed in: Updates
It's been four years. Not exactly a great record, but it's… something?
Well, in December of 2017, we learned that Kyle had some major developmental delays. That started us down the path towards a full Autism diagnosis a month later. He's started very young with therapy, and has progressed quite a lot. He's still barely starting to talk, and he's definitely autistic. I was quite distraught at first… but eventually I came to realize he's still the same kid I love, and nothing's really changed.
So, he's been getting therapy to help him develop better social skills, and is otherwise a holy terror.
2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been working from home for over a year now. I like the commute. I also took up an old hobby: Rocketry. I built a semi-scale AIM-54 Phoenix rocket. The difference versus the one I had as a child is that this one is over four feet long, and weighs about four kg. It's a much bigger rocket. I joined the local high power rocket club, (UROC), and we had a launch out in the Black Rock desert in September of 2020. Its first flight was poetic in a way: It came off the rail clean and straight, flew up to apogee, and then pitched over… and started heading back to the ground. About 200 feet above the ground, the ejection charge finally fired, and then the real fun began: I learned that I packed my 'chute incorrectly by forgetting to remove the tape that was reefing my 'chute.
Clunk! The rocket bounced. It was pretty much undamaged - there are some cracks in the body filler I need to fix. It survived because I had one overarching goal: The rocket has to be tough enough to survive my son playing with it. And it worked. I 'glassed the body tube, the fins, and did all I could to make the thing a tank.
As a result, a few minutes later, I put in a new (and bigger) motor, and the Phoenix rose from its crash, and flew perfectly. I got my Tripoli Level 1 certification with that flight. It was followed shortly after that with a flight which I certified as level 2.
So that's been fun.
Well, in December of 2017, we learned that Kyle had some major developmental delays. That started us down the path towards a full Autism diagnosis a month later. He's started very young with therapy, and has progressed quite a lot. He's still barely starting to talk, and he's definitely autistic. I was quite distraught at first… but eventually I came to realize he's still the same kid I love, and nothing's really changed.
So, he's been getting therapy to help him develop better social skills, and is otherwise a holy terror.
2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been working from home for over a year now. I like the commute. I also took up an old hobby: Rocketry. I built a semi-scale AIM-54 Phoenix rocket. The difference versus the one I had as a child is that this one is over four feet long, and weighs about four kg. It's a much bigger rocket. I joined the local high power rocket club, (UROC), and we had a launch out in the Black Rock desert in September of 2020. Its first flight was poetic in a way: It came off the rail clean and straight, flew up to apogee, and then pitched over… and started heading back to the ground. About 200 feet above the ground, the ejection charge finally fired, and then the real fun began: I learned that I packed my 'chute incorrectly by forgetting to remove the tape that was reefing my 'chute.
Clunk! The rocket bounced. It was pretty much undamaged - there are some cracks in the body filler I need to fix. It survived because I had one overarching goal: The rocket has to be tough enough to survive my son playing with it. And it worked. I 'glassed the body tube, the fins, and did all I could to make the thing a tank.
As a result, a few minutes later, I put in a new (and bigger) motor, and the Phoenix rose from its crash, and flew perfectly. I got my Tripoli Level 1 certification with that flight. It was followed shortly after that with a flight which I certified as level 2.
So that's been fun.
Yup. One More Year
It's been another year… and what a year its' been. Read More...
And two years go by...
It's not that I haven't had much to do, just that I haven't had the time or inclination to blog. Read More...
I need to post more often...
09/11/11 11:24 Filed in: Personal
I really should post more often… at least so my friends can keep track of what I’ve been up to.
- Looking for a house: So far, it’s been a time-intensive and mostly unrewarding time suck.
- Vacation time hasn’t been that abundant, given we’ve spent so much time looking at houses.
- Trying new technologies (being a computer geek & all…)
Infinity Blade
10/12/10 14:00 Filed in: Personal
Yesterday, Infinity Blade was released for supported iOS devices. Having been a gamer most of my life, I have to marvel at the technical achievement(s) involved. Read More...
What a Summer
23/08/10 20:14 Filed in: Personal
It’s been quite a summer. I haven’t been able to blog anything because my wife broke her foot walking down the stairs. After that, she was supposed to stay off her feet (obviously). This meant that I had to handle all the housework. I also had to do the yardwork. Read More...
Things seem darkest before the light.
10/05/10 13:15 Filed in: Personal
The date I posted last was a very eventful one. I was enjoying the evening with my wife, or at least trying to, given my attitude about the R/C Club’s 2.4 GHz policy... and life got much more complicated. Read More...
Wendover "Fun"
30/03/10 11:59 Filed in: Personal
Angela & I spent the weekend celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary. We decided to go to Wendover, NV, which is about two hours east of Salt Lake City. It’s also roughly adjacent to the Bonneville Salt Flats. My thoughts are that unless you want to lose money at the Casino, there’s not much to do... Read More...
Backups & Anniversaries
26/03/10 15:19 Filed in: Personal
Well, Angela & I have now been married for one full year. We’re celebrating our anniversary first with a family reunion (not really a celebration for us, but hey, free food & company), and then we’re going to Wendover for the weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bonneville Salt Flats, if nothing else. I certainly could use the relaxation.
Life has been pretty good for me; work is looking promising, with a feeling that we’re making a difference.
I’ve had a couple of my R/C Helicopters out already (just back yard hovering for the moment); I still have to service my Rappy & get it ready to fly. That machine hasn’t flown in years now...
And I’ve discovered a really awesome tool for system backups: CrashPlan. (Click for details on CrashPlan) Read More...
Life has been pretty good for me; work is looking promising, with a feeling that we’re making a difference.
I’ve had a couple of my R/C Helicopters out already (just back yard hovering for the moment); I still have to service my Rappy & get it ready to fly. That machine hasn’t flown in years now...
And I’ve discovered a really awesome tool for system backups: CrashPlan. (Click for details on CrashPlan) Read More...