Flying Machines

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Coco

I recently went to the National Archives to see the “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam” exhibit (more on that later). As I was browsing in the gift shop, this postcard caught my eye.

As a patent attorney, I immediately knew what it was. Whenever someone files a patent application, the inventors have to sign an “oath or declaraiton” attesting that they believe themselves to be the “original and first” inventor. This postcard is a copy of the oath that the Wright Brothers signed for their patent applicaiton on a “Flying Machine.” Somehow our form has grown to 2-3 pages since this one that was used in 1903, but the basic langauge is very similar.

I thought about the Wright Brothers when I boarded this plane last week.

If I think about the phenomenon of flying too much, I get freaked out. I know that forces called “lift” and “drag” come into play, but I find it really hard to beleive that the difference in air flow above and below a curved wing can really keep a huge, heavy plane in flight for hours. I majored in chemistry, not physics! Thank goodness the Wright brothers had the knowledge and vision to get their flying machine off the ground.

Is there a technology that stumps you?

Do you mind flying on small planes?

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Monday Motivation

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Coco

When I travel, I almost always start my day at the hotel gym, so I appreciate corporate encouragement from time to time.

Do you start your day with endorphins?

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Putting On A Happy Face For The Holidays

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Coco

I just celebrated my first birthday without my Dad. Not that my Dad made a big deal about my birthday lately, but he always sent me a card and gave me a present when we got together to celebrate my daughter’s birthday (which falls three days after mine) or Thanksgiving (which is usually a week or so later).  In a brooding moment alone, I felt like I was turning one year older with one less person on this earth who truly loves me.

Now I am facing my first holiday season without my Dad, and I can feel the sadness seeping in already. We usually all got together for Thanksgiving and we always had a dinner around his late-December birthday where he celebrated Christmas (giving us our Christmas gifts) while the rest of us celebrated his birthday (with a card, a non-holiday wrapped gift, and cake).

I know that life must go on, so I’m not hiding from the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing my sister-in-law and my husband’s parents this week, and I hope to fill the table with enough turkey and trimmings so that even my teenage son’s appetite is satiated. 

(Me and my Dad, Thanksgiving 2009)

But even as we squeeze in extra chairs around our dining table, there will be an empty spot.

(My Dad and his wife, Thanksgiving 2009)

Is there someone you are missing this holiday season?

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Countdown To The Hot Chocolate 15K (Week 3)

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Coco

Work was brutal this week. I was burning the midnight oil almost every night, and had a 30 hour business trip to upstate New York. Oh, and did I mention that it was my birthday?  All this to explain why my third week of training for the Hot Chocolate 15K was on the light side.

Monday (Short Treadmill Run in Sauconys)
Treadmill: Random Incline Program (Level 3)
Total Time: 40 min total (including 5 min walking warm-up and 5 min walking cool-down)
Total Distance: 3.85 miles

Tuesday (Hotel Gym) 
Treadmill: 15 min/1 mile walking
Full Body Weights: 30 min (my usual routine, minus the floor work)

Wednesday (Watchless Birthday Run)
Total Distance: ~5 miles
Total Time: ~45 minutes

Thursday (Yoga)
Rodney Yee “Standing” Program (25 min)

Friday
Treadmill: 22 min, manual program (level 0.5) 
(4 min @ 3.7 mph, 4 min @ 5.7 mph, 4 min @ 6.0 mph, 4 min @ 6.3 mph, 4 min @ 6.5 mph, 2 min @ 3.7 mph)
Full Body Weights Routine (including lunges, step-ups, leg lifts)

Saturday (10 mile Long Run)
I made good on my promise to cover the hilliest miles of the bike path–and my legs will vouch for that! My ITB was quieter than last week. The weather was gorgeous and the trees were still pretty, but fading after last week’s wind and rain.


Total Distance: 10 miles
Total Time: 1:29:52
Avg. Pace: 8:59 min/mile
Split Times: 9:12, 9:08, 8:49, 8:45, 8:57, 9:08, 8:46, 8:55, 9:16, 8:53
(The miles with the steepest hills are underlined.)

On tap for this afternoon: a massage!

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Speaking Up

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Coco

Recent events in the news have people talking about when and why people speak up when they see something wrong and when and why people look the other way. I want to think that I would be the person who speaks up and does the right thing, but I also worry that if I were faced with such a moment of truth I would find some way to rationalize what I saw or justify my own inaction.  All this thinking made me remember a time when I did speak up, and a time when I didn’t.

Back in a former life, when I was a stay-at-home mom and licensed home daycare provider, I had training on child abuse issues. I honestly don’t remember many of the details of the course, but I do remember the emphasis on the importance of reporting suspected abuse. Unfortunately, I found myself in a situation where I suspected that a child was being hurt at home. I agonized over what to do, but there were too many questions for me to ignore. I made that very uncomfortable call to child protective services and they conducted an investigation. They determined that the child was alright, but reassured me that I had made the right decision to call them.

Way back in an even earlier life, when I was a teenager working my first “real” job (punching a time clock, cashing a paycheck), one of the managers used his position to put inappropriate pressures on the female employees. I was dating my (now) husband at the time, so I wasn’t a main target, but the atmosphere at work was uncomfortable. After a few weeks, one of my coworkers ended up “dating” him. At the time, that seemed to make his conduct okay, but in retrospect that probably made it worse. (He probably was in his 40s, I don’t think she was 21.) Since this was just a summer job, I quit early to avoid the situation, but my coworker needed the money, so she stayed on.

Looking back, I am proud of myself for speaking up when I did, and hope I draw on that same courage if I ever am faced with a similar situation again.

As for when I didn’t speak up, I don’t think that I realized at the time how wrong that situation was, even though I knew it wasn’t right. I am pretty sure that I would speak up for myself if anyone ever crossed a line like that with me now, but I probably would ignore a random inappropriate comment. On the other hand, if I thought someone else were being harassed, I definitely would speak up.

Have you encountered harassment at work?

Did you do anything about it?

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