Alan's Musings

That Middle Seat, Revisited

amm — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:15:10 +0000

In “The Family, the Middle Seat, and You,” I asked what you would do in that scenario. Here’s what happened.

The passenger did, in fact, relinquish his aisle seat for the middle, and the passenger in the family’s row on the aisle then moved back one row, beside the passenger in question.

The aftermath:

As the flight attendants [...]

The Family, the Middle Seat, and You

amm — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:31:47 +0000

I was flying to the east coast the other day, non-stop from San Francisco to Washington Dulles. I had taken my seat and was settling in (“feathering my nest,” as I like to think of it). A women with her two children, about 12 or 13 and about 8 or 9, arrive at a nearby [...]

You Can’t Start a Fire Worrying about Your Little World Falling Apart

amm — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 05:47:36 +0000

Metaphor in Teaching

amm — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:19:23 +0000

Metaphor is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers.

I was talking with a friend and former colleague, Mark. We met when I was at NeXT: initially, he was one of my customers; he later came to work at NeXT. Among the other Insanely Great™ experiences I had at NeXT, I taught a very [...]

One Real World Volt Snapshot

amm — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:30:01 +0000

Trip to San Francisco this evening for some hoped-for but unrealized sunset photography, dinner, and a friend’s wedding celebration. Simplified my life and just left the car in Normal Mode the entire trip, instead of switching to Mountain Mode (lousy excuse for Hold Mode—hold the battery right where it is, please—but all that’s available in [...]

Remembering and Visualizing

amm — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:01:57 +0000

As we approach the a marker in the endless circle of life, of seasons, of the year, I reflect on the past to inform my thoughts of the future. We spend so much time analyzing our failures so we don’t repeat them. It’s equally important to understand our successes so we can repeat them, apply [...]

Volt on Display

amm — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:30:02 +0000

Amazing, sometimes, what comes back from one’s childhood—which experiences remain, perhaps subliminally, to resurface on need.

Yesterday, Jeb Eddy called. He’s active among the leadership of the Midtown Residents Association, with a focus on “All Things Green.” MRA’s annual Ice Cream Social was coming up (Sunday—today!), and he was hoping to get a couple of electric [...]

Pilot Reports

amm — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:07:11 +0000

Oakland Radio, Sundancer 2OI has a PIREP Originally Published in the July, 2011 Edition of the Sundance Flying Club Newsletter

How often have you seen weather briefings that include AIRMETS, and even SIGMETS, for icing or turbulence and wondered, “Just how bad is it, really? What are the conditions up there?” Perhaps you were planning a flight, perhaps [...]

A Jumble of a Weekend

amm — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:46:33 +0000

A jumble: that’s the only real way to describe it.

Intense. Instant community like I’ve never felt before. A degree of openness and trusting that is hard to comprehend: openness with and trusting of people I’d never met before, who I will, likely, never meet again.

A month of experiencing in a day.

Stories. Love. Tragedies. Rejoicing, despite [...]

After Twenty-five Years…It’s Nice to Know

amm — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:42:55 +0000

For twenty-five years, she’s washed my clothes Cooked my meals, cleaned my house, Given me children…

For twenty-five years, she’s lived with me Fought with me… If that’s not love, what is?

For twenty-five years, we’ve shared a roof, shared our goals, shared our struggles, shared our dreams. For twenty-five years, we’ve shared our messes, shared our [...]