all the way, to the year two thousand...

At work, I've done a few tasks where we approve something until the year 2010. I don't know about you, but I'm a fickle guy, so I don't know if I'll eventually be saying, "two thousand ten" or "twenty-ten" when those double-digit post-2000 years roll in. There's this inspection method called High Frequency Eddy Current (HFEC), and I always alternate between saying "'H'-FEC" and "High-FEC". The latter rolls off the tongue easier, but is more onerous, like saying "sem-I-circle" rather than "sem-ee-circle", and I think I tend to go with the pronunciation that gets in your face more. Based on that theory, it seems I'd be sticking with the whole "two thousand"-whatever way of stating the year, which goes against the norm in place for at least a thousand years.

And remember Back to the Future: Part II? 2015. We were going to have hover-converted cars and double neckties. But in reality, we'll be lucky if we have two competing largely composite airliners by then, the 787 and A350. Still a year like that feels just about as far away as back in the '90s when I saw that movie.

And for my Arizona friends, a special weather statement for the Puget Sound today:

...UNSEASONABLY HOT WEATHER WILL AFFECT WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

AFTER A COOL AND CLOUDY SPRING IN WESTERN WASHINGTON...A DRAMATIC SHIFT TO HOT AND SUNNY WEATHER WILL GET UNDERWAY TODAY. WIDESPREAD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY.

TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO CLIMB TODAY...AS A MASSIVE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. WEAK NORTHERLY ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM GETTING REALLY HOT. STILL...HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL BE IN THE 70S AND LOWER 80S.

FRIDAY WILL BE THE HOTTEST DAY FOR MANY SPOTS IN WESTERN WASHINGTON.... AND MANY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. FROM THE COAST TO THE PUGET SOUND REGION...TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S. THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AND THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR WILL REACH THE LOWER 90S.

One last thing. Everyone has to agree that Scrubs has lost what it had. It's over at NBC and is moving to ABC to do one final season. Dragging this thing on has just about killed whatever attachment I had to this show. But apparently they've gotten the message and, though I still remain pretty skeptical, Bill Lawrence is saying some pretty good things for the longtime fans here. I say one great final run could be better than a great series with a weak final act (like Seinfeld).

enough oceanic six for a while...

... time to get back to the final five. This thing gives me the coolest goose bumps ever.

just noodlin'

Met a guy last night and he asked me straight up, "What are you into?" And I just stood there for a few seconds. My real answer sucks. I would like to have something to say like most people do... hiking, skiing, surfing, painting, tatoo art. Anything cool. If you ask me that, what have I got? Movies. Not impressive. So I went to number two on my list.

"I play guitar. Would like to get a band or something, but I'd need to be better. I'm just kinda..."

"You noodle a little."

Yes. Dude, you found the perfect word for it. I noodle with it. That's talent, coming up with a great pseudo-verb to describe the things in life.

i am, truly, and engineer

So, although I came in 3rd place for distance, I'm feeling pretty good about our little hoop glider competition at work. After all, these are people who analyze airplanes. The basic idea is that you tape two strips of paper as hoops onto a straw, and try to get the best glider out of that. I tested it out at home for a while, and while nothing I tried looked impressive when I threw it around my apartment, I did notice that my glider got some great balance and glide when I flattened the hoops vertically, making them more or less arches.

Little did I know that for the competition we would be throwing the gliders off the 4th floor and let them glide out to the factory floor. And lo and behold, the balance and glide performance I'd managed to get worked out really well. 3rd place for distance. Most people saw theirs take off, then do a nose dive a second later. The glider that won first for distance and time seemed to look a lot like mine, with taller hoops, and heavier paper I believe.

Bottom line: I rule. A little bit.

(Booyah. )