A Sense Of Powerlessness

Life in general

Entry posted by Kopaka's Ice Engineering May 14, 2007

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Don't mind me, just taking a cue from Turakii.

*drumroll for the huge weekend recap*

Philosophical question: What would you do if you had more money than you, your brothers & sisters, parents, aunts & uncles, your kids (regardless of whether you have any now) and your grandkids could ever hope to spend, combined?

One answer: build a ridiculously tall skyscraper.

The lunchtime speaker at the Tulane Engineering Forum on Friday was the lead designer of the Burj Dubai (برج دبي , meaning "Tower of Dubai"), what, upon completion next year, should be the tallest manmade structure in the world. At least 155 stories tall, plus a spire on top, suffice it to say the horizon of the capital of the United Arab Emirates will be notably changed. There's even ads in Vanity Fair, billing it as "the place to be."

Rob & I guesstimated the project cost to be around $1 trillion. Maybe $1.2 trillion.

Yeah....anyway.

Softball game Friday night. Don't have the line score with me, but we jumped out to an early lead and won 10-3. Myself, went 0-2 with a walk & a strikeout.

Leading off the bottom of the second, I struck out swinging at a pitch that was going to be called "Ball 3".

Coming up in the bottom of the fourth, I reached on an errant throw from the third baseman, and then proceeded to get doubled off when I overstepped first base on a pop up. I SWEAR my toe was back down on the bag before I got tagged.

In the bottom of the sixth, I drew a four-pitch walk, and was stranded on first when the umpire called the game before the inning had concluded: there were 2 on & 2 out.

This coming Friday, we're playing Williams Boulevard Baptist Church, in what is friendly known as the "Battle for Williams Boulevard", as both FBC-K and WBBC are on LA highway 49. Found out that they took last year off to play in the Lasalle Park league, and they embarrassed New Life Tabernacle before our game. Translation: we're going to be 3-1 going into Memorial Day.

Got up Saturday morning and drove home for Mother's Day. It was fine, except where my dad had inadvertently plunked my mom with a golfball when they played Tuesday. She still has a computer mouse-sized bruise on her right bicep. My dad wanted that to be a 13-stroke penalty, since she had won that round by a score of 100-112. We called my brother and, if it was unintentional, the ruling is as though she was a member of the gallery: play it as it lies, with no penalties assessed to either player.

Sunday, we went out to eat at Olive Garden. Got there for 11:30, and there was a *line* to get a pager. We persevered, however, and got to eat. I had the shrimp & asparagus risotto, which was...interesting. Not nearly as interesting as how the power went out ¾ of the way through the meal. I'd guess they had to close up shop on one of the busiest days of the year, because they never did get the power back on. Fortunately, my dad had cash.

Got back to my apartment at around 5:20, in time to watch "Deconstructing Sean O'Hair." Man, you've got to feel bad for the guy, being the only one to put two in the drink on the same day.

The worst thing to have happened over the weekend had to be what happened later that evening: my computer spontaneously powered down twice. I'm 90% sure it's the power supply that gave out, as that was hottest and seemed to be the highest concentration of the tell-tale acrid scent of electronics burning out. I've borrowed an old PSU from a computer here at the office as a 3-month stop-gap. If it doesn't work at lunch, well, I'm going to have to buy a new one this afternoon from Newegg and see about getting it rushed here. I don't know what I'll do at night without my computer!