Category: Unrelated News

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain visit Pensacola

King Juan Carlos I of SpainMy son and I got to take part in a unique celebration. We were privileged to hear the King of Spain, in person, give a speech in Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola claims the distinction of being the first European settlement in North America. The King and Queen of Spain came to town to participate in the activities for the celebration of Pensacola’s 450th anniversary.

I recorded the speech by the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, and his Highness, King Juan Carlos I.

Of course the audio is not perfect, but I am glad I got what I did and am able to preserve it. A very neat memory.

Interesting side note. I saw several people carrying around Greek flags and signs printed in Greek. Queen Sofia is from Greece.

Standard Podcast [ 13:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What does your handshake say?

A couple of weeks ago I heard a podcast where The Public Speaker was talking about shaking hands and the proper way to do so. One thing I found interesting was what she had to say about types of handshakes and what they mean. I did a little more reading on the subject this week.

HandshakeAccording to The Public Speaker there are different ways to shake hands based on country and culture. In the US we like a firm handshake that neither crushes the hand nor feels like a limp noodle. There are variations as to how long you should linger holding hands based on many unspoken cues. There is also meaning in the way you hold your hand during the shake. Humorously, I have read that the sandwich, or two-handed handshake should be reserved for politicians and clergy. Maybe that is why I have a tendency to shake with two hands.

When one person turns their hand palm down during the shake that indicates they are the dominant one. They communicate that they are in charge. The one whose’ palm is face up is supposed to be the submissive one. Ideally you would see yourselves as equals and have your palms perpendicular to the floor.

Last week we met a man who shook my wife’s hand first and intentionally turned her hand palm down. He was indicating that he was “at her service.” When he shook my hand he kept our palms as equals.

After doing all this reading, I had a funny thing happen to me. There is a lady at church that I have been wanting to talk with, but did not take the time to call her. I figured I would just see her at church. I was pleased to walk into church 15 minutes early the other day and see her. As I approached her she started walking towards me with her arm outstretched for a handshake. Her palm was down. That meant nothing to me a couple of weeks ago, but this time it did. She was one of my teachers in college. Though I see us as equals, I needed to talk with her about an area of her expertise. That pronounced the fact that she was in charge of the conversation.

This is just something I would have never noticed before.

Anthony Kearns Concert

Anthony KearnsTonight I went to hear Anthony Kearns sing. He is one of The Irish Tenors. I floundered all day as to whether I was going to go and finally decided at the last minute that I would make the effort. It was well worth it.

One thing I noticed tonight is that Irish folk music is much more lighthearted than Italian opera. I was expecting a heavier opera repertoire but was pleased to see songs such as Star of the County Down, Kitty of Coleraine and McBreen’s Heifer on the program. How can one not enjoy a song by a famous tenor with the word heifer in the title?

While Kearns was worth going to hear by himself, his pianist was an act of his own. Between sets of songs, the pianist Patrick Healy would entertain the crowd with a few stories and a couple of songs. Mr. Healy looked to be in his 70s, but still played and sang well. He is an accomplished musician on his own and has traveled with Kearns for the last 12 years. Healy wrote some of the songs in the program this evening.

I don’t know if the program was chosen based on the fact that he was performing at a college campus, or if he regularly sings such light music. It certainly was more enjoyable than I expected. If you have an opportunity to hear him in person, I would recommend it. Kearns and Healy make a great team and the audience can tell they enjoy working with one another.

International Space Station

Tonight I was glancing through my Twitter account and read a tweet from the local newspaper. It said that the International Space Station was going be fly over this afternoon. I clicked on the link they included which took me to more information. It turned out that the ISS was going to pass by just 2 minutes after I saw the post.

I called up some friends in town whom I knew would appreciate knowing about it and then we all stepped outside. It was exciting to see the ISS for such a long time in the sky. It was probably visible for 4 minutes. I have seen satellites before but they are always hard to spot and only at night. We saw the ISS while it was dusk outside.

If you want to find out when the ISS is visible at your location you can look up your country/city at their website.

25 Random Things meme from Facebook

I have been tagged by the 25 Random Things meme on facebook a few times. Since I don’t normally play by the rules I will tell you how I am going to play the game and then list my 25 items.

The rules say that I am to “tag” 25 other people to share their 25 random things. Don’t worry, I am not tagging anyone. These are for your enjoyment and you can play along if you want. Also, my list of 25 is a special list. As an ADD person I have had many passions through my life. These passions sometimes sprout themselves as hobbies or obsessions. Some stick, some don’t. In no particular order, here are a few of the many.

  1. Peruvian history
  2. Yo-Yo tricks
  3. Ham radio
  4. HTML programming
  5. Computer hardware
  6. Linux
  7. Podcasting
  8. Spanish grammar
  9. Harmonica
  10. Running
  11. Morse code
  12. Dvorak keyboard
  13. Day trading
  14. Guitar
  15. Rope tricks
  16. Geocaching
  17. Orienteering
  18. Blogging
  19. Photography
  20. Chess
  21. Golf
  22. Cycling
  23. Archery
  24. Bread making
  25. Writing (believe it or not, I hold a diploma in non-fiction writing)

The list could go on and on.