Taking out the trash

I am a bit dismayed at NASA. They allowed trash to be dumped into orbit, and wrote it off by saying it will fall back to earth and burn up. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/07/23/space.station.ap/index.html
This is not a good example for us to see or read about. Why wasn't the ammonia tank stowed on board the shuttle along with the camera mount for disposal on earth? They claim these items are not a navigation hazard, and even better, they think "most" of the tank will burn up during reentry, and the remnants will hopefully hit open ocean. Personally, I think it would be wonderfully ironic if a remnant chunk hit the responsible NASA Official's house and left a smoking hole the size of a Volkswagen.

This reminds me of another issue: disposal of nuclear waste. I have often thought that one of the best long term solutions for this problem is not storing it in a gigantic deep tunnel that needs constant monitoring to make sure the stuff isn't leaking. Rather, we should consider sending it into space via unmanned rockets, to fall into the sun. This method is cheaper by several orders of magnitude than the untold zillions we and other countries have already spent on other less effective schemes. Further, there is no lingering radioactivity. The stuff would just vaporize and we wouldn't have to worry about it again. And it keeps aerospace companies in business, but much more importantly, gives NASA a real mission. Their current course seems to lack any long range goals except to provide an alternative to a fireworks display when they launch.

I believe the exploration of space is important. I also believe NASA needs leadership from a non-purely scientific source. NASA needs a real purpose to exist. If we are unwilling to give it a purpose, then dissolve NASA and let private companies explore the necessity and profitability of space exloration.

Rescreening

This past weekend I rescreened our porch screen room. The wear & tear of a couple years and the poking of various dog noses had taken their toll. And there was a tournament at the golf club, so this little task finally rose to the top of the heap.

The battens covering the screen staples didn't hold up during deconstruction, so they were replaced with pressure treated lath sections that I painted in exterior latex before installing. The screening I used was black nylon mesh. The hardest part of the job was pulling out the old staples and nails, and making sure the new screen was laying as flat as I could get the 4' x 7' sections to lay before stapling. I used an 18 gage pneumatic nailer with 1" nails to put up the new battens, so that went pretty quickly. I will rescreen one of the screen doors later this week, and finish painting to match both doors and door trim.

Afterwards, I was a little sore from going up & down the ladder, but I was satisfied I had done a reasonably good job of it.

A week in Milwaukee

The last week of June, the wife and I decided to spend some time with her Mom, and where we grew up in Milwaukee. We left the dog with her Aunt, and took a day and a half to make the trip. It would have been fine to do it all in one day, but since we have no pressing schedule, why push it?

The trip was also a chance for us to visit with her sister, my brother, and some friends. We arrived around noon time on Saturday the 23rd, and I scoped out a couple home repair tasks that I could handle with the tools I brought. We also couldn't help but notice her garden. All the flowers were in bloom and were fun to see.

Monday evening, I went to the Brewers game with my sister-in-law's husband. The Brewers are hot right now, and they beat the Astros 6-1. The new stadium in Milwaukee is also pretty impressive.

I spent some time with my brother to watch him and listen as he jammed on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at a couple local taverns. He plays trombone, and hangs in there with the other jammers, pumping some nice tone and style on blues and jazz. It was a lot of fun, and I could tell he really enjoys this outlet of personal expression.

We also had a chance to go out to dinner with my wife's sister and brother-in-law for our mutual wedding anniversaries on Thursday the 28th. We had a nice dinner at Kil-O-Wat restaurant in the Intercontinental, followed by a comedy presentation at the Marcus Center by a local talent named John McGivern. Mr. McGivern's show centered on growing up in Milwaukee, and brought back lots of enjoyable memories of the local area.

As the week ended, so did the list of little tasks get completed, and we bid our good-byes and drove back to Tennessee. We plan to return in just a month or so, to tackle the larger job of replacing some tired old carpeting in the mother-in-law's house with some laminate flooring. We also hope to sample the corn-on-the-cob and cream puffs at the State Fair, and maybe even attend a race at Road America in Elkhart Lake.