ACL Reconstruction And Meniscectomy

I earlier mentioned here that on 20 January I hurt my knee, tearing the ACL and medial meniscus of my right knee.  Tomorrow, bright and early, a surgeon will try to make that all better.  I think I'm ready.

A Bit Too Late

By the time I left office on January 20th, I had unresolved questions, in my mind, as to whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting U.S. persons, involved in the campaign or not, to work on their behalf, again, either in a witting or unwitting fashion.  Frequently, individuals who go along a treasonous path do not even realize they're along that path until it gets to be a bit too late.

-- Former CIA Director John Brennan, in testimony before the House Intelligence Panel, 23 May 2017

Broken

broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.

-- Ariana Grande @ArianaGrande on Twitter, 9:51 PM 22 May 2017, referring to the terrorist bombing of her Manchester, England concert earlier in the day

Unbelievable Scale

If this goes to a military solution, it's going to be tragic on an unbelievable scale.

-- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on efforts to avoid military conflict with North Korea, 19 May 2017

A Season Of Milestones

Congratulations to my #3 daughter Heather and her new husband Beaux.  They were married on Wednesday by the groom's father, on his farm in rural Louisiana.  Heather has found a good match in Beaux, and likewise Beaux in Heather.  The happy couple are now off celebrating, and I'm back in Illinois.

This makes 4 of my 5 daughters who are now married.  The 5th is just 18, and will graduate from high school this Sunday.

It's a season of milestones.

COSCO Development

SAVANNAH, Ga. | The largest cargo ship ever to visit ports on the U.S. East Coast is so long the Statue of Liberty and Washington Monument could fit end-to-end along its deck and still leave room for Big Ben.

At 1,200 feet (366 meters) bow-to-stern, the COSCO Development is longer than the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.  It can carry 13,000 cargo containers measuring 20 feet (6 meters) long apiece.  That's 30 percent more capacity than the last record-breaking ship that sailed into Savannah last summer.

The big ship, flagged out of Hong Kong and owned by China-based COSCO Shipping Lines, is also the largest to pass through the Panama Canal following a major expansion last year.

-- Athens Banner-Herald, 11 May 2017

I Think

I think not what I like, I think what I should.

-- Vincent Goudreault, in a discussion about intellectual rigor, 7 May 2017

Bike Totaled

Just got rammed on purpose by an impatient driver who followed me onto the pavement!  Thankfully I'm okay -- Bike totaled.  Driver kept going!

-- Cyclist Chris Froome, 2013, 2015, and 2016 Tour de France winner, Olympic medalist London 2012 and Rio 2016, on Twitter, 8 May 2017


https://twitter.com/chrisfroome/status/861860980430696448

Compromise

[E]very time this lie was repeated and the misrepresentations were getting more and more specific, as -- as they were coming out.  Every time that happened, it increased the compromise and to state the obvious, you don't want your national security advisor compromised with the Russians.

-- Former acting attorney general Sally Yates, in answer to a question from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, 8 May 2017

Mildly Nauseous

I've lived my entire career by the tradition that if you can possibly avoid it, you avoid any action in the run-up to an election that might have an impact. ...  It makes me mildly nauseous to think that we might have had some impact on the election.

-- FBI Director James B. Comey, testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on FBI oversight, in response to a question from Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 3 May 2017

Keep This In Mind

My dear Children, I rejoice to see you before me today, happy youth of a sunny and fortunate land.  Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in schools are the work of many generations, produced by enthusiastic effort and infinite labour in every country of the world.  All this is put in your hands as your inheritance, in order that you may receive it, honour it, add to it, and one day dutifully hand it on to your children.  Thus do we mortals achieve immortality in the permanent things we create in common.  If you always keep this in mind you will find a meaning in life and work and acquire the right attitude towards other nations and ages.

-- Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), theoretical physicist, The World as I See It (1949)

I Don't Stand By Anything

I don't stand by anything.  I just -- you can take it the way you want.  I think our side's been proven very strongly.  And everybody's talking about it.  And frankly it should be discussed.  I think that is a very big surveillance of our citizens.  I think it's a very big topic.  And it's a topic that should be number one.  And we should find out what the hell is going on.

-- President Donald Trump, when asked by John Dickerson whether he stands by his assertion that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower, 30 April 2017