Am getting the feeling we’re all bored enough for a story, I know I certainly am. This one pertains to aviation, and the supreme authority pilots (Captains) have.
Anyway, my moved away BFF was the daughter of a Sr. Pan Am pilot, so he was the Captain, always, during her flying years with him. Her mom was very adventurous, and L would come home from school and mom would tell her they were going to Hong Kong and she had 30 minutes to pack. They went all over, and did so on a space available basis.
One time they were on a run to South America, and needed to offload and onboard passengers in Columbia. Evidently they needed a seat, and the Airport Authority removed Bff from the plane. She was 14. Her dad got into a spitting match with the powers that be, while trying to work for resolution with Pan Am. He finally said the plane wasn’t going anywhere until his daughter was back on board. They brought her back on pretty quickly after that. It was a good thing too, because it saved her from being a cocaine addict at 14, rather than 20! Joking about the last part…
I so remember when Bobby Fischer was all that in the chess world. Thanks for the link @BoneAppetite.Happy to hear you’re watching the series. So well done!
We haven’t the ability to think in the way for chess to really make sense. We got it that Queen’s Gambit is an opening designed to establish control of the board’s center. And we get it that at the higher levels, players recognize thousands of games that have been played, recorded, and studied. When the match at hand doesn’t match the players’ memories is when the competition actually begins. The high level players’ combination of memory and analytic skills are beyond ours. What we think we get most from what little we understand of high level chess is: respecting the game and opponent, as the game-starting handshake and for all audience to see – the admirable game-ending resignation of respectfully turning over the king in the face of the opponent’s superior position.
If you can’t be a good sport, don’t set foot on the pitch, ice, field, course, etc.
As long as we’re on the subject - my personal favorite from the Carol Burnett show. Especially funny for me since dad was a dentist. I remember how he laughed at this. So did I.
Bird watching! Apparently an outlier Snowy Owl is wintering in Seattle this year, instead of the Arctic. It’s drawing a flock of birders and wildlife photographers - this pic taken by DD2 and SIL.
LOVE IT!!! I’m a #birdnerd but have yet to see one of these in the wild–and we do have them here in NJ! One of my favorite local wildlife photographers finds them on Sandy Hook in the winter. They’re just stunning (and I think they know it).
I’m not sure how many folks know this but the Rio Grande Valley just across from Mexico in Texas draws birders from all over the world. The Wifeacita was born there.
Many years ago during a very cold Maine winter I noticed the dog outside just staring up at a tree, not moving. I went out and looked up at the most beautiful snowy owl. He stayed a few min then flew off. Never saw him again.
I did in fact circle back to read the Slate article with Kasparov @BoneAppetite - really fascinating, and thanks for the link.
Especially illuminating, the fact that Kasparov, while consulting on the production, reviewed 702 chess matches to convincingly set up the board for the final match! He knew there would be chexperts watching the series, and not surprisingly, it’s now the most watched show in Russia, with plenty of traction elsewhere, as well. It’s also driving a renewed interest in chess. The hot new game! I do remember those days of the Fisher matches, and all the buzz around that.
Am anxious to watch the movies mentioned in the article too.
Yes, I think they know they’re beautiful, charming and charismatic too - he looks pretty flirty in that picture. I’m a bird fancier myself - I even like crows and magpies @CurlzNJ. I especially like living in coastal regions, for the diversity of birds to see.
