- April 12, 2012 -

Good morning! Didn't do much on the schedule yesterday, was about to sit down & play 5 card slingo when Pete came through the door. It was so early that I wasn't sure WHO was coming through the front door. What a shock to see Pete when 1. It's still light out & 2. It was like 6:30! We rested for a little & then went out to dinner at Golden Corral & then went to Big Tony's for a bit to hang out with friends.

2nd life was interesting this morning, I visited a WWII Memorial & besides seeing some really cool planes & other sights, I also picked up some clothing including a flight jacket, & some hardware.

Ann-Marie's birthday Sunday!

1st launching of the space shuttle (1981):

Space shuttle Columbia is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, becoming the first reusable manned spacecraft to travel into space. Piloted by astronauts Robert L. Crippen and John W. Young, the Columbia undertook a 54-hour space flight of 36 orbits before successfully touching down at California's Edwards Air Force Base on April 14.

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled its first space shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California. Development of the aircraft-like spacecraft cost almost $10 billion and took nearly a decade. In 1977, the Enterprise became the first space shuttle to fly freely when it was lifted to a height of 25,000 feet by a Boeing 747 airplane and then released, gliding back to Edwards Air Force Base on its own accord.

Regular flights of the space shuttle began on April 12, 1981, with the launching of Columbia. Launched by two solid-rocket boosters and an external tank, only the aircraft-like shuttle entered into orbit around Earth. When the mission was completed, the shuttle fired engines to reduce speed and, after descending through the atmosphere, landed like a glider. Early shuttles took satellite equipment into space and carried out various scientific experiments. On January 28, 1986, NASA and the space shuttle program suffered a major setback when the Challenger exploded 74 seconds after takeoff and all seven people aboard were killed.

In September 1988, space shuttle flights resumed with the successful launching of the Discovery. In subsequent years, the space shuttle carried out numerous important missions, such as the repair and maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope and the construction and manning of the International Space Station.

A tragedy in space again rocked the nation on February 1, 2003, when Columbia, on its 28th mission, disintegrated during re-entry of the earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts aboard were killed. In the aftermath, the space-shuttle program was grounded until Discovery returned to space in July 2005, amid concerns that the problems that had downed Columbia had not yet been fully solved.

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Chest Fly:

Can help you build size & strength in your chest. It is quite a difficult exercise when done properly. The trick to this exercise is to keep your arms essentially straight, for most people will bend at the elbow too much & not feel the stress in their chest. This is a good exercise for both veterans & beginners in the gym. Anatomy of a Chest Fly: The pectorals are the primary muscles that are used when performing a chest fly. As such, it is one of the best exercises for sagging breasts. In contrast to the bench press, which is often considered a bulk-building exercise, the chest fly is considered a definition exercise. While shoulders and biceps may assist the movements involved in a chest fly, it is important that these muscles do not overcompensate for the pectorals. For optimal results, special attention should be given to proper form. How to Perform Chest Fly Workouts with Dumbbells: Using dumbbells is one of the most popular ways to perform a chest fly. Indeed, dumbbell use has its advantages. Since you are not using a machine that controls your alignment, dumbbell use requires you to rely on your core muscles for support. Additionally, unlike machines, which have a pre-defined range of motion, using dumbbells allows you to extend the parameters of the chest fly movement. However, this is not always a good thing. Extending the movement beyond the range of your shoulders can cause impingement, which may lead to serious injuries. For best results, follow these directions for performing chest fly workouts with dumbbells:

1. Lie face up on a weight bench. If you have a tendency towards back problems, bend your knees and put your feet on the bench.
2. Hold one weight with each hand. Elbows are slightly bent.
3. Arms are open and aligned with your chest. Palms are facing upwards.
4. Inhale to prepare.
5. As you exhale, squeeze your pectoral muscles and bring the weights together.
6. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
7. Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
8. Use maximum control through all movements.

Cooking shears:
Better than knives at cutting herbs & sticky foods. (1998)

Every year around 11,000 Americans injure themselves while trying various sexual positions. (Be extra careful when trying out any new weekend activities!)

Gloze:

1: To mask the true nature of : give a deceptively attractive appearance to. 2: To deal with (a subject of problem) too lightly or not at all.

It does seem that he went out of his way to conceal of gloze over certain aspects of his career, his military exploits in particular.

"Gloze" & its synonym "gloss" have long, intertwined histories. "Gloze" comes from Middle English glose, meaning "flattery," "plausible pretext," or "explanation of a difficult word," & is the older of the 2, having been used as both a verb & noun since the 14th century. The noun "gloss," referring to an explanation or interpretation, 1st appeared in the mid-16th century as an alteration of "gloze," & the verb "gloss" followed about a century later. During the 19th century, "gloze" briefly took on the additional meaning "to brighten" (adapting the meaning of another, unrelated "gloss," referring to luster or brightness), but by the end of that century all uses of "gloze" had faded into relative obscurity. "Gloss," on the other hand, flourished & continues to be the more common term today.

How did Dustin Hoffman come up with Tootsie as a possible title for his 1982 cross-dressing hit comedy?

How Green was my valley:

Recounted via the memories of the Morgan family's youngest son (Roddy McDowall), director John Ford's gentle masterpiece (which won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director) chronicles 50 years in the lives of a close-knit clan of Welsh coal miners. As the years pass, the Morgans try to survive unionization, a lengthy strike and a mining accident; meanwhile, their hometown and its venerable traditions slowly disintegrate.

I haven't done business with big banks for years, primarily because of the awful customer service you get at most of them. I like local community banks, & I believe wholeheartedly in credit unions. As a rule, these institutions practice excellent customer service. Plus, most of them didn't get mixed up in the subprime debacle. Community banks & credit unions are FDIC-insured & in most cases are fabulous places to put your money!

Nanny agency placed an au pair with a family that included a newborn, 4 other children, 2 cats, & a dog. After just a couple of months, the young woman asked the agency for a transfer to another family.

Everyone in the family was sad. "How can you do this to us? We've treated you like family."

"Ohhh!" she replied. "So you admit it!"

Never send a letter without reading it over & making sure that you have said nothing that can possibly 'sound different' from what you intend to say.

Office:

Important documents such as passports, marriage certificates, & original birth certificates should be stored in a fireproof lockbox or a safe deposit box.

Which champagne bottle holds the most?

A. Jeroboam

B. Methuselah

C. Magnum

BAC. A Methuselah holds over 1.5 gallons of bubbly. Cheers!

Which of these states were part of the original 13 colonies?

Maine, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Alabama.

Virginia, New Jersey, New York, & Maryland.

Which order do human teeth appear from front to back?

A. Cuspid

B. Central incisor

C. Lateral incisor

Which state was home to the very first Dunkin’ Donuts shop and the very first Howard Johnson’s restaurant?

Massachusetts. Both chains were launched in Quincy—HoJo’s in 1925; Dunkin’ Donuts in 1950.