Jet Packs Part 2 Jetlev R200

Last November I blogged about a real-life jet pack and I was pretty excited about it even though it was actually very large and was more like a small plane. I mean, really you certainly couldn't wear it on your back like a backpack as we've seen in James Bond movies. It was more like a personal plane without the protection of any covering or a parachute.

The reason it had to be that big is because of the fuel paradox or conundrum. Basically, a jet pack that runs on fuel like gas or oil would have to be very large in order to actually carry its own fuel. And that extra weight would need more fuel which would add its own extra weight. So the small ones were out of the question.

But now there's another jet pack called the Jetlev R200 that's a lot smaller and much more lightweight. It looks a lot like the ones in James Bond movies. The only catch is that you can only use it over water and it has a long pipe coming out of the back of it that goes into the water. It sucks the water in and uses it for propulsion and can get up to 22 miles per hour. I think it's very cool and can certainly see a market for it as entertainment on the water - like a jet ski that flies! But if you're not over water, you can't fly. Here's a quick video on it:



If you're really afraid to fly or don't like the TSA body inspections I guess you could use this for international flights over oceans but at 22 miles per hour that would be a really long trip and you're done for if a storm or hurricane comes up. So even though the two jet packs that are out are pretty cool, I'm still waiting on one that I can carry on my back and use to fly whenever I want. But if you want to get me a Jetlev R200 for Christmas or my birthday, I'll be one happy boy!


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Principal Sends Fifth Graders to Kill Copperhead

This really happened. I'm not exaggerating and whatever quotes I make are exactly as I remember them.

A dry Arkansas summer hadn't yet given up the ghost as my fifth-grade year of school headed into late September. My class and I, along with the two classes below us, were enjoying recess without enough testosterone in our bodies to make us think twice about the sweat that caused our tee shirts to stick to our skin.

My friend Matt and I were headed over toward one of the trees on the playground. I don't remember what we were doing but it probably had something to do with a fort made of sticks and briers or hunting some sort of reptile. He and I had a reputation for not fearing the creepy crawlies so when we heard a girl's scream followed by, "Snake!" we ran over to get a look.

Our principal, Mr. Cagley, had come outside to help the teachers on recess duty that day and he had positioned himself between the growing crowd of students and the suspect - a copper colored snake that had the accompanying swollen cheeks to give away it's identity as an extremely venomous copper head.

Mr. Cagley looked around the group of students and then called out, "Matt, Lee are you here?" We stepped forward, chomping at the bit to have some involvement with the snake. It was at that moment that Mr. Cagley held his arms out and backed himself and the other students away from Matt and me before loudly saying, "The Bible says that men are supposed to protect women, so boys, go kill that snake!" By "boys" he was referring solely to Matt and me and we were the only "men" who went forward to protect anyone that day.

I slammed a big rock on the snake's copper head and Matt jumped on top of it. We took turns jumping on the rock until we were sure the snake was dead and then presented our kill to Mr. Cagley. Once he determined that his prepubescent assassins had neutralized the threat, he allowed all students to return to the remaining minutes of recess.

The ants came during the night and picked the snake clean until only bones and fangs remained. It was wicked awesome! Something drug the skeleton away and most of the playground patrons soon lost memory of that fateful day. It was shortly thereafter that Mr. Cagley forced Matt and me to integrate our boys-only playground club. Seems like Jennifer was the first girl to join up since she thought reptile hunting was fun for a few days. She later became Miss. Arkansas. I'm pretty sure Lori was a quick joiner as well since she road horses growing up and liked the outdoors. Do you two remember this?

And what of Mr. Cagley? Well if the event I described had happened in the present day, he would have probably been fired. The papers would have had a field day with making up titles to paint him as crazy and unfit for principal duties. And parents would have gossip material stockpiled for weeks as they repeated phrases like, "I can't imagine," and "those poor boys." But that's not what happened. I told my parents that Matt and I had killed a copper head at school at the direction of Mr. Cagley. Seems like that didn't get much of a reaction beyond a pushed out lower lip and head nodding. Maybe they thought I was "using my imagination." Or maybe the world of that day figured two ten-year old boys were quicker and more flexible than a principal in his fifties and therefore, more qualified to protect the playground. Whatever they thought, it just wasn't that big of a deal.

I remember (and have forgotten) many times at age eight riding my bike miles from my house on the air force base where we lived and taking my five-year old brother with me. Even my mother, who was overprotective as best I could tell, seemed cool with that. And we didn't even think about wearing helmets! We would have laughed at any kid who dared put one of those goofy looking things on his head (though I'm convinced that I might have avoided a couple of emergency room visits for stitches and ice if I had worn one).

Contrast that with my two sons who I hardly even let go out in our yard without being under a watchful eye. That makes me feel kind of sorry for them because I had a lot of great adventures as a boy. Even though I wouldn't think of sending my son to kill a copper head at that age, I'm glad Mr. Cagley sent Matt and me into battle against that poisonous pest. He was a great principal who I know cared deeply about the students. And if he hadn't sent me to slay that serpent I might not be the manly beast that I am today.

Plus I have this really cool story to blog about on my way to south Alabama. Thanks Mr. Cagley!

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Theater Versus Film

Yes, I know some of you are thinking, "Isn't it spelled 'theatre'?" Nope, not in English spoken in the United States where this blog resides. Not unless you want to start spelling "center" as "centre" and "liter" as "litre."

So now that we've gotten that out of the way, last night I was in the first show of a theater production. I guess I thought it'd be unlikely I'd ever type that last line because I haven't wanted to do theater. And many of the casting people and producers I know have a cautious eye toward people who do a lot of theater because they're afraid doing it teaches you to overact and be bigger than what is believable. In community theater it's okay sometimes because that's what's expected but on camera it can look cheesy and fake.

Like an L.A. producer friend of mine says, "Acting shouldn't look like acting. It should look like I've just walked in on a conversation, not a production." He would reference theater as what you didn't want to see on a screen because the audience wouldn't believe it and couldn't go into that almost mental trance that is called "suspension of disbelief."

Remember in the high school plays how people thought the folks on stage were doing a good job because they "projected" and were loud enough for the people in the back to hear them? Or because they put "energy" into every line? It's usually difficult to do that and actually sound real. Look at everyday life. Not everything you say is "high energy." Watch a big-screen movie with some A-List actors and you'll notice that some lines are said softly. Some are said with very little energy and some are said in a way that's pretty boring. And you certainly won't see all the movements and hand gestures of typical theater. Why? Because the situation doesn't call for it. Everyday life doesn't call for it.

So at first I was surprised when I accepted a part in a play that I hadn't auditioned for or sought. But I've started to look differently at theater itself. The project I'm on at the moment is classified as musical theater. Meaning that, as the lead, I sing a couple of duets with the female lead. That's certainly uncommon with modern film because, again, it shatters "suspension of disbelief." Real people don't just break out into song and dance accompanied by strangers who, though they're supposedly singing this song for the first time ever, know all the words and just happen to break out into some really good (hopefully) choreography.

I've started to think of the songs and the dialogue that the director asks me to say while looking at the audience as inner dialogue. The audience is hearing my thoughts or getting a sneak peak into my motivations. In film, like in real life, you don't always know who the bad guy is. In theater they just come right out and tell you sometimes even through a catchy little tune.

I've enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Despite the memorization, long rehearsals and an occasional temper-tantrum from the director that I haven't experienced in film or television (don't worry, it hasn't yet been directed at me...I don't think).

But I am enjoying it a lot. As the lady lead (I like that better than "female lead") and I were discussing last night after the show, it's like an outter-body experience. Unlike film, the director can't just call "cut" and do a retake. And there's not all those people looking live at your every move. The camera is cold and doesn't react to anything but an audience for a theatrical production is living and breathing. You almost have to put yourself in a trance to keep in character. You can't completely forget the audience since sometimes you have to wait to say your next line until laughter or applause dies down. Sometimes you have to focus on your acting partners and other times, like when you direct your words more in the direction of the audience, on only the scene itself.

In film, I often hold eye contact with my scene partner while we stand or sit very close to each other. Sometimes in theater, intimate conversations are had standing ten or fifteen feet away in order to keep from blocking other actors or just to give the stage a balanced look. That took some getting used to because my instincts from film tell me that I need to be lost in my scene partner's eyes except for occasional, natural glances away and we often become lost in each other while they move the camera here and there to get the shots they needs as we repeat the scene several times. Not so in theater. I've been "corrected" by the director a few times for getting lost on my partner during rehearsels (I still feel like that's a good thing). It works well on film and television because it's more real, but a theater audience can't move around like a camera.

So though I don't quite have my finger on it, I don't think of theater as simply a film on a stage. It's different than that. Is it as real looking as a quality film on a screen? Probably not. But it's still a disciplined art form when done by people who know what they're doing. Just because a line is said loudly doesn't mean it's, "good theater." A stage actor's job is still to come off as real as possible. I can't stand to hear a line that sounds fake and broadcasts that the actor is, well, acting. Nothing kills suspension of disbelief like that. So it's important to work on both volume and realism as best you can. They don't have to be completely mutually exclusive.

So to sum it up, I think an intelligent actor or actress can do both film and theater without being molded into one style over the other. A good actor/actress can adapt and know that in some ways it's like playing a different instrument. Just because you play guitar doesn't mean that you'll try to hold a piano sideways to play it. Of course, just because you can play guitar doesn't mean you can play the piano in the first place.

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Deep Space Requires Deep Pockets

Last night I watched a National Geographic show called, "The Edge of the Universe" narrated by Alec Baldwin. He did a really good job despite the fact that I kept picturing him making a joke out of some of the dialogue. But he didn't and it was really good.

One of the many interesting parts of the show was when a scientist said that NASA planned on sending another telescope into space that will be even stronger than the Hubble and would fly out even further so that they could see even deeper into space. It's called the James Webb Space Telescope and they plan to launch it in 2014.

I was instantly torn because I am fascinated by space, especially deep space, but at the same time I had to ask myself if spending the many millions of dollars required to do that was wise at this time when our nation is top heavy with debt and politicians who seem addicted to spending absurd amounts more than taken in.

I guess I just can't see spending such large amounts of taxpayer dollars on some neat pictures of space when we're so much in debt already. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the pictures but I can do without it for now if it means saving all that taxpayer money.

But anyway, I learned a lot about space. One of my favorite lines was when Alec said that the gold ring on my finger came from an exploding star. All minerals, in fact, are formed from an exploding star including those in our bodies. So I guess we're all stars. Sort of.

Maybe NASA could send a ship out there to get some of that gold in order to pay for the trip! Seriously though, I love NASA.

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Find a Veterinarian

This past summer we "rescued" a handsome boxer bulldog. He had been hit by a car and his owner had given him to the vet to be put to sleep saying that they didn't have time for him anyway. The veterinarian let the owner sign over his rights but then decided he wanted to save the dog rather than put him to sleep. He contacted us and asked if we would like to adopt him. We drove a few hours to where he was and instantly feel in love with this gentle but strong animal.

A few months later his life was again saved by a veterinarian. His stiched area began to get severly infected. He began to swell in his chest to the point that we took him to the local veterinary hosptial. The doctor seemed torn over whether he should go with surgery or antibiotics. He told us that the amount of anesthesia that would have to be given to our dog could kill him because they have to give him a lot to keep him from hurting and this type of surgery would be extremely difficult because a flap of skin had grown over the stiching. He decided on the antibiotics but warned us that the infection could come back after the dose. It did and he prescribed another round. This time the infection stayed away. A nutrition and health expert we know who is exceptionally good with animals told us that the anesthesia likely would have killed him and applauded what the veterinarian did.

So if you love your animal, make sure he/she is checked up on by a good veterinarian. Here's a website where you can find a veterinarian.

Is Marriage Communication Really that Important?

Is communication as important in marriage as you keep hearing from well-meaning friends and pop culture? And is all communication helpful or can some of it actually harm a marriage or romantic relationship?

It seems that everywhere we turn we hear that all our marriage problems could be solved if we'd just "communicate." And that the "key" to every issue that could ever come up in marriage cowers at the very feet of "communication." Read the rest...

Great Article on Marriage By David Code

David Code is a writer for HuffingtonPost.com and is an Episcopal minister. His article, The Real Reason Couples Divorce, raises some interesting points that will probably step on the toes of many of us.

He starts the article off by pointing to an interesting tidbit about rats: If a scientist places two rats on a metal grid and then passes an electric current through the grid, every time the rats feel an electric shock they will attack each other.

Likewise with humans, he says, life gets stressful, we instinctively pick a fight with our spouses.

He's right. When we're annoyed with the world around us, we'll often try to find someone to blame who we can lash out at. Even when it's someone who deserves a lot more from us. So calm down and ask yourself why you're really upset. Find your temper instead of losing it and enjoy being around someone who's on your side.

With that in mind, here's a great article by Joe Beam on marriage communication. It's a great reality check and strategy article for communicating with the one you love.