When I was a small little tyke, my mother said something to me that I have never forgotten.
I was about four or five, as I recall. Life was excellent. It mostly revolved around sitting on a beach in Bermuda after school. The British school I attended was very hard. I loved it. In the summer there was enough time to hurry home and maybe get in a little snorkeling or a hot dog before I headed up the hill for home. Sitting next to my younger brother Steve, my snorkeling wingman (truth be told, I was his snorkeling wingman ' he went through the water like a torpedo and still does), surrounded by hot beach chickies ' well, life was good.
One night, around this time, we were at a dinner party at the hotel my father managed. Afterward, in the Bermuda Room at the Carlton Beach, several of the gathered luminaries were smoking cigarettes (this was about 1965) in their white Dinner Jackets and talking politics. I sat there in my little blazer with my bow tie and short pants.
One of the guests, an imposing, kind of pushy fellah smoking a cigar that smelled like a dead rat, said: 'Hell, we'll be on the moon in five years! By the time Billy's old enough he'll be leading the expedition to Alpha Centauri!'
Without thinking, I snorted rudely, and said: 'Unlikely, sir. There's no foreseeable drive configuration with great enough specific impulse to provide the necessary delta-vee; except just possibly some form of thermonuclear propulsion, and we lack the political will and social capital to invest long term in that arena' And then I turned away and went back to my Shirley Temple.
(Ever had a Shirley Temple, by the way? Ginger Ale, and thick slick of enough red grenadine to put the Exxon Valdez to shame, run aground on the shoals of seven or eight maraschino cherries and served with an adult-type swizzle stick. Enough sugar to nearly crystallize, and good-old-fashioned imagination fuel for certain types of active boys. Awesome. )
Anyway, my mother grabbed me by the arm, pulled me away from the surprised table, muttered an apology, and said under her breath very, very emphatically :
'Billy, I've told you: if you can't say anything of deep and meaningful scientific or political import that is not supported by fact, reason, historical precedent and in-depth step-by-step logical analysis then don't say anything at all!'
This advice I took to heart. Which is why I post so infrequently.
The fact is, the longer I am away, the more important I feel the next piece needs to be. Which keeps me away longer, which raises the bar further, which leaves me like Jimmy Stewart spinning into the Vertigo spiral, arms flailing, mouth open in a silent scream. Et cetera.
So I am making one New Year resolution only, and that is this: to try, on an experimental basis, to post something ' even stupid things like this ' at least a few times a week. The big uber-essays will still be there, but instead of a blank page in the interim, I'm going to make a determined effort to write a lot more frequently. You know those little mini-Snickers? A handful of those in between Turkey dinners. That's the plan.
As I mentioned before, I sometimes feel I might as well rename this The Apology Blog. But since we're pals I can tell you what's been holding me up.
I work as a video editor on a weekly show. We just finished our 50th episode. Steady work in the entertainment field is like a well-informed celebrity: refreshing, impressive and rare.
About ten weeks ago, we sold the show to the international market, which means that 26 episodes had to be recut, from scratch, in about 13 weeks. That means I have to do one regular new show each week, plus two recuts in the same week. Which means nights, weekends, Thanksgiving morning, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, most of yesterday, this morning (New Year's Day) and now, after a brief nap, back again tonight for at least four hours.
Now don't get me wrong. It's the best job I have ever had (other than Author ' thanks to you all), and I make some extra money doing it, but it is taking a lot of my time. It should be finished by mid- to late-January. I should be able to find the time to scratch together SANCTUARY well before then.
In the meantime, I'll give you a little thumbnail update of my recent flight across this entire country of ours in a small airplane, aided by an excellent flight crew:
That's our own Great Hairy Silverback and Dana in Vero Beach the morning we set out. Steve is writing a small novel recording the entire journey, which was not short on adventure. I won't go into too much detail here. But'
Here's Dana getting ready to launch on Sunday morning. Beautiful, smart, sweet, a great pilot and, she does windows. Tough not to like!
I'm looking snarky next to the Jetson's car that's going to take us from the Atlantic to the Pacific. That's what we did, too: climbed out over the Sebastian, FL inlet, turned over the East Coast, and headed west to Dallas and a great night at Kim and Connie Du Toits, where we feasted on bottlenose dolphin fillets, Giant Panda steaks, and some delicious roast California Condor. Good eating! Met many great people there too.
Here's the view over west Texas at 10,500 ft. Not too shabby at all, although there is a lot of west Texas. Not as much as there is by car, but a lot.
Stopped the second night in Prescott, Az with some of Steve's relatives. That's a great city, and a great little airport, although pretty cold the following morning.
Only 90 minutes later, we were on the ground in Torrance, to show off the rocket ship at the flight school where Dana and I both train. Then we took her out over the Pacific, along the Palos Verdes peninsula. What an amazing trip.
Anyway, here's GHS at the end of the last night, looking justifiably proud.
And here's Yours Truly just before we walked away. Happy camper. About as happy as that kid sitting on the beach eating a hot dog.
So much of this I owe to all of you. Thank you.
Anyway, a detailed trip review by GHS is coming in a day or so, followed by 3 new essays as soon as I have time to breathe.
BTW, did I say Happy New Year, yet? No?
Well, Happy New Year to all you fine people. I have great hopes for all of us. I believe in my heart we have turned a corner, and while we are not yet out of the woods, the light definitely seems to grow brighter through the leaves.
Welcome to the Eject! Eject! Eject! commenter community. Please read and understand the following:
1. This is not a public square. This is a dinner party on personal property. Good conversation is not only tolerated but celebrated here. But the host understands the difference between dissent and disrespect, even if you do not. Louts will be ignored until the bouncers can show them the door.
2. This is a voluntary online community. Your posting of any material, whether in comments or otherwise, grants to William A. Whittle, Aurora Aerospace, Inc. and their affiliates, a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, sublicense, reproduce or incorporate into other material all or any portion of the material posted, for commercial or other use.
3. If a comment does find its way into a main page essay, print, or other media, every effort will be made to credit the individual making the comment. So chose your screen name accordingly, SLNTFRT33@yahoo.com!
Now let's see some distributed intelligence and basic human decency! Don't make me come down there every five minutes!
Comments
A very happy 2005 to you, Bill. And to all of us, for that matter.
Posted by: Russ | January 1, 2005 10:01 PM
Hey Bill!
I'm very jealous of your little flight. My longest is from Waco to El Paso in a new C182 (about 10 hours). What was the hobbs meter time on your trip?
It's a dream of mine to make that flight.
Clear Skies,
Jason
Posted by: Jason | January 1, 2005 10:42 PM
You make me want to go down to my local airport and apply for flight school.
And I'm acrophobic.
Color me eager for the more frequent updates. (Oh, btw, LOVE the book! Got a copy for Christmas from a daughter who knew not what wealth she held.)
Posted by: Drumwaster | January 1, 2005 10:54 PM
Well done, Author!
I look forward to your new rigorous "publish or perish' schedule...
Posted by: chap | January 1, 2005 11:39 PM
Happy New Year to you too, Bill. With the release of your book I am seeing a shift happening. I have given copies of Silent America out to many friends and relatives as Christmas gifts, ranging from the foggy shores of Puget Sound to the sandy deserts of Iraq. Many have already gotten back to me asking where they can get more copies to hand out to acquaintances of theirs. The word is getting out, my friend, and your logic should start to take root in many fertile minds.
Just wondering if there are any hard numbers on sales so far? It's good to know how many of us are out there and you deserve every penny.
Posted by: ApolloPT | January 2, 2005 1:00 AM
Happy New Year, Bill, most wonderful of men. (Yes, Dana, I'm jealous, but I'm happy for your lovely self as well. :-) )
As for your resolution, Bring It On!
Posted by: Juliette | January 2, 2005 1:31 AM
We love you. You may be getting a tiny glimpse of how much, with the book now available for sale. We of course wish you wrote even more, and even more often, and are thrilled that you intend to do so.
But please. Apologies are not necessary. I submit that anyone who hasn't had a work experience like you describe is probably too far away from the capitalist mainstream of society to be a fan of yours. In short, we understand.
Happy New Year. :)
Posted by: Matt | January 2, 2005 5:21 AM
(GASP!)..........................video editor? ............VIDEO EDITOR ! !....................JOB ?....................(horror!).................................
What happened to AUTHOR SUPREME.........LITERARY GIANT.....CAPTAIN AMERICAN......! !
LOGICICAL LEVIATHAN EXTRAODINAIRE..............
..................just hurry up and do your job please, I'm going through withdrawl and forced to re-read all your articles here again and again and again..........well,.....you get the picture.
Posted by: Rowd | January 2, 2005 5:25 AM
Someone's going to tell us more about the plane, right? Pusher prop, canard-type configuration -- don't leave us hanging.
Posted by: Bruce Arnold | January 2, 2005 6:29 AM
looks like a Rutan design -- c'mon, some of us like to read *and* fly -- tell about the plane!
Posted by: Annlee | January 2, 2005 6:51 AM
No apologies wanted or needed, Bill. The book is simply unbelievable, both as a education device and a morale-booster.
Another order coming soon; the first five are gone!
God bless you always.
Posted by: cabinboy | January 2, 2005 6:55 AM
Bill,
That Velocity looks like it has awesome vis up front, without the prop in the way and large windows!
Posted by: stract | January 2, 2005 7:33 AM
How goes the Instrument rating? Do you use a simulator for any of your training, and if do, which one?
Also, were you at Mojave for the big day?
Posted by: Walter E. Wallis | January 2, 2005 7:49 AM
Hey, Bill, if you want a little ego-boo, check out the book reviews at amazon.com. I've left one, along with several other folks, and an Instalanche caused a lot of shoppers to come by. One troll has gotten nicely squashed, too. And last I checked, you were at about #2000, which is quite good for a book with no company marketing it.
Posted by: Billy Hollis | January 2, 2005 7:52 AM
I'll give a brief on the airplane.
It's a Velocity XL. Not actually a Rutan design, but decended from them.
Velocity was started in Florida in 86 by a boat builder named Danny Maher. It was a fixed gear, 4 place canard pusher with one large door on the side and a 180 hp Lycoming engine. Although he was clearly inspired by the Long EZ and many of the engineering details were cribbed from there (like the wing attach, and the fiberglass over blue foam wing construction system) it actually used different airfoils. Where the Long EZ used moldless construction, Velocity was always molded.
A father and son team, Duane and Scott Swing, originated a retractable landing gear system for the Velocity, and later bought the company from Maher.
There are many variations. The original airplane had a pretty small wing, and landed hot. A larger wing version was called the 173 (a play on the Cessna 172 name). There's the retractable and fixed gear version. The large single door was replaced by dual, smaller gullwings.
The XL is a recent addition to the line. It's significantly larger, with a 6 cyl 300 hp or co engine, instead of the 4 cyl 200 horse engine on previous airplanes. There's even a version with seating for 2 small people in the back.
http://www.velocityaircraft.com/airmodel.html
Posted by: Richard R | January 2, 2005 7:52 AM
That should read - seating for 3 small people in back. oops.
Billy, you should have looked at Amazon a couple of days ago, when it got the instalink. SA was in the 300's for about 2 days.
Posted by: Richard R | January 2, 2005 8:49 AM
Happy New Year, Bill (and Steve and Dana).
We had a few spotted owl steaks and some of the manatee stew left over. We've put it in the freezer in the SUV (that runs on a uber gas guzzling backup generator) for your next visit (which better be SOON!).
Posted by: Mrs. du Toit | January 2, 2005 9:43 AM
Happy New Year to Bill and Steve, as well as a (very polite) greeting to Dana!
Sounds like things are going great for you Bill. Work, flight, great friends, lady...let's see, what else is necessary?
Hmm...
Guess you got it covered. Makes it sooo difficult to pick out the next Christmas gift. Oh well, guess it will just have to be to buy the NEXT book.
BTW, I used to work just down the street from the Torrance airport, about half way between there and the Mobil refinery, just off Del Amo. Always have loved Torrence.
May the New Year be better and more productive than the last.
Sapper Mike
Posted by: Sapper Mike | January 2, 2005 11:56 AM
Bill, I can't tell you how glad I am that you intend to post more often. Bring it on, friend.
And if you're ever flying over Des Moines, Iowa, I make a lovely snail-darter salad. Stop on by.
Posted by: IowaSoccerMom | January 2, 2005 6:57 PM
[INAPPROPRIATE COPY-PASTED AFTERTHOUGHTS DELETED HERE]
Posted by: The Economist | January 2, 2005 8:27 PM
Glad you're back and most Happiest New Year to you Bill.
I'm pleased as punch to report that I've received my 1st copy of SA and have been raving about your essays to anyone that'll listen in Los Angeles. Your comments about AVID MC and previous hints of a film lot had me dialing you in around town. You're an American treasure that deserves some serious dedicated time on your keyboard, not your mouse. Enjoy the journey though and make hay while you're in the editbay.
How about a citizen's primer on how to turn off the lights at the UN? Stay the course and thanks for your writings. They rock True and Clear.
Posted by: Raff Sanchez | January 3, 2005 1:51 AM
It *is* a Velocity! Thanks for saying so! Darling Hubby is toying with the idea of building one. He was very gung-ho about it last summer, but enthusiasm has waned a bit as retirement from the Navy and getting a new job AND moving looms closer.
And Bill, we all love what you write, because we know your pour your heart and soul into it and because you do it so well.
So, post at your leisure - even though *I* personally, always enjoy knowing how my favorite people of the blogosphere are doing ;)
Happy and PROFITABLE New Year - keep writing and keep flying!
Best,
R'cat
Posted by: Romeocat | January 3, 2005 7:39 AM
Happy new year, and thanks for the lovely travelogue and pictures.
Posted by: Bonnie | January 3, 2005 7:43 AM
Ahem. Some of us still drink Shirley Temples. On a regular basis, even.
Posted by: A Recovering Liberal | January 3, 2005 9:58 AM
No comments on plane or book (yet) but Oh the memories your opening paragraphs bring back. I started school at a building on Mangrove Bay in the early 60's. I remember crossing the road to swim during and after school. Later moved to Sandy's Elem. Lived on Wreck Road. Highlight was when the whale swam into Wreck Bay. Wanted to swim out to see it closer but father (stationed at USCG Air Station) vetoed that plan. Several trips to Bermuda hospital for broken arm and other childhood illnesses. I have made two trips back as an adult and always love it.
Posted by: Allen | January 3, 2005 10:07 AM
My daughter orders the Shirley Temple and I end up drinking half of it. Yum.
Bill,
My husband and I with two kids in tow went to Johnson Valley OHV area over the new year. We broke in my new dirt bike and we brought some shootin' gear. All of my husband's downtime was spent reading your book. He is no wuss, but found that he needed to keep a tissue nearby as parts made him somewhat teary-eyed.
I read the first few essays and absolutely cannot wait to get home and read some more. You mentioned in one essay that you can only hope you can give a little of what you owe to your country. I think you are paying back more than any of us can hope to.
I am buying more copies to pass aound and will also advertise by word of mouth.
Thank you and happy new year!!
Shelley
Posted by: Shelley | January 3, 2005 11:07 AM
Bill, these posts are the very best in advertising your book.
Now, I'll have to order it. I've been planning to do so, and these enthusiastic comments have me even more convinced it's a good thing. :)
I've been reading your essays since the initial invasion of Iraq. I discovered you at the same time I found the lizard kingdom of Charles and Misha's nice doggie. :)
Looking forward to reading more of your works right along with the rest of the gang here.
Keep up the chin and the good work!
Posted by: quark2 | January 3, 2005 11:26 AM
Congrats, Bill... Your newfound and well-deserved windfall is indeed good for us all, especially if it keeps the writing going. While the windfall appears to have helped dampen the need for any Fullerton Grunt Labor from willing (although sometimes a bit overzealous) hands, that plane certainly is a beaut.
As always, looking forward to more. In the meantime, time to re-stock my book supply... I keep coming up with more and more ideas for recipients.
Posted by: hindmost | January 3, 2005 12:57 PM
"New Year's Revolution"?
One might think that you read Todd and Penguin.
Posted by: AuricTech | January 4, 2005 7:28 AM
Finally got the book yesterday. I've been plowing through it; a truly excellent work. The only fault is that it seems to be without a table of contents--makes it hard to find a specific essay.
You say what needs to be said to the Hate America crowd, and the defeatists, and the not-quite-extinct communists, not to mention my particular favorite, the libertarians who are really blame-America-First left wing creeps. (Thank you, Murray Rothbard, for hijacking a fundamentally decent movement!)
It is a damned shame these people will never read your book. Because I think that after your arguments, all that would be left of these people is a smoking crater from their brains' meltdown, as they are forced to realize that everything they stand for is just freaking WRONG. If, on the other hand, I am being optimistic and these people can continue to be so wrongheaded after reading such a tour de force, then _nothing_ can help them. Or they recognize that they have no leg to stand on but do not care because they are just flat-out evil.
Good work! More! More! (No pressure.)
Posted by: SteveInCO | January 5, 2005 9:27 AM
It is the Savage Nation out here on the West Coast. We've had rain for five days. We have another five days of it. I need some aid right now. International aid. Because I may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder if this keeps up. Maybe I should go to the U.N. and see if I can get some special psychotherapy and sun lamps.
We shouldn't be sending as much as we're sending. Bush has a lot of gall writing a check for 135 million dollars. This is more a UNICEF deal, it's a U.N. deal, it's a Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, George Soros, Bill Clinton bleeding-heart-liberal deal. I don't want to send them any money. You know, a few airplanes with some medical supplies and a little lip service would have been fine for me.
You could take the argument that it's God's will, it's too bad and let's move on. And then let others help them. They're not in our sphere of interest.
It's not a tragedy. I wouldn't call it a tragedy. It's a human disaster. It's not a tragedy in that sense. But, the issue is, theological questions suddenly arise. ... Now, for you atheists, you have no questions about this. It's a pure accident of nature. You don't ask yourself, "Was it God's hand?"
If you are a God-believing, God-fearing person, I am sure at some point you ask yourself, wait a minute.
We shouldn't be spending a nickel on this, as far as I'm concerned. I don't want one nickel of my money going over there. I am sick of being bled to death.
--Michael Savage, 12/31/04
Posted by: Delta Sierra | January 5, 2005 5:58 PM
Your point about Savage is???? I think we should use a lot of discretion in our "benevolence", friends you have to buy are not worth having!
Posted by: Greg Snyder | January 5, 2005 6:34 PM
Steve, check the cover art, there's your TOC!
Posted by: stract | January 5, 2005 6:35 PM
I was going to ask, "Is that a Velocity?". Building a kit plane is on my life's list of things to do.
Building my own house comes before that though.
I just love the idea of driving 5 minutes to the local airport, gassing up and taking off. No worries about getting through security, or checking luggage, or the plane being late.
And then LANDING at a local airport 5 minutes from where I want to be.
Grrr. Just need to remember, Monolithic dome house first.
Posted by: ErikZ | January 5, 2005 11:03 PM
Sorry about the delay getting the little odyssey all writ-up gooder'n shit, folks (yes, I am a master of the English language), but my Christmas guests only just left two days ago, and my boss has had the gall to give me WORK to do since then. Day One and most of Day Two of the story are completed, I hope to have the rest done today (my first full uncommitted day off since the flight), then the text gets e-mailed, and the 60-odd digital photos (on a CD) get snail-mailed to Bill. Knowing Bill, there will be some substantial editing before it gets posted, but, well, that's for him to do.
So, for those who are actually interested in this stuff, just another couple of days... I hope.
Promises, promises, I know.
To all those we met in Dallas: it was great seeing you and finally getting to put some faces to your printed voices. Sorry I conked out so early on you. Long day. No food. Old man (me). What can I say.
Anyhoo, on to less illustrious endeavors.
GHS
Posted by: GreatHairySilverback | January 6, 2005 5:32 AM
stract, a TOC includes page numbers. Some of us are nitpicky that way ;^)
And I would've liked to see a TOC in the book. Perhaps for the hardcover, Bill?
Posted by: A Recovering Liberal | January 6, 2005 9:30 AM
Dear Bill,
I'm about one essay away from finishing your book (having reread the few chapters I read last year on your blog), and I am just so damn impressed with your writing. No doubt, you are one of The Remnant.
Have a happy and prosperous New Year.
Kenneth Greenlee
Posted by: Kenneth Greenlee | January 6, 2005 1:27 PM
Hey Bill, have an issue with a few of the books I ordered through PayPal before they were available on Amazon. Could ya shoot me an e-mail when you have a free moment? Tried to e-mail ya with the details but your box is probably flooded, so I figured I'd try here. :) Thanks bud.
Posted by: Jim | January 7, 2005 9:27 AM
No fair. Your co-pilot is better looking than mine.
BTW, make sure and read all your NOTAMS!!
http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2005/01/why-reading-notams-is-important.html
Posted by: CDR Salamander | January 7, 2005 11:39 AM
From the 1-1-05 log:
***
Billy, I’ve told you: if you can’t say anything of deep and meaningful scientific or political import that is not supported by fact, reason, historical precedent and in-depth step-by-step logical analysis then don’t say anything at all!
***
Um, don't you mean "...political import that IS supported by fact,..."?
Great writing though, I wouldn't be visiting this site if it weren't excellent. Carry on.
Posted by: Billy Solestis | January 11, 2005 11:44 AM
Hi Bill,
I noticed that you flew out of Vero Beach and had a (non-political)question.
After watching media videos this year showing the hurricane hitting hard right next to my vacation home in Vero Beach, I was anxious over the city's condition after the Hurricane. Has Vero recovered without serious damage?
I've always enjoyed Vero's low-key residential atmosphere, beautiful landscaping, the Indian River and its manatees population and the lovely, uncrowded beaches. It would be a shame to see any permanent damage.
Posted by: Ariana | January 11, 2005 9:19 PM
Your WEb Site is very beautiful...
Great Images...
Happines...
SORRYmy mistakes...
i not speak englihs very well
Sorry......
y dream is see U.S.A completed.......
all locations....
people and more.......
Anderson Sutherland
Posted by: Anderson Sutherland | January 15, 2005 3:01 AM
Bill: By all means blog often. Just throw out something personal, or a new idea, a comment relating something in your book to a news item, or something. Between you and Thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog, I'll be in hog heaven!
Thanks..
Posted by: Paul Lynch | January 15, 2005 8:57 PM
Aw, no updates yet?
Biiiiillllllll! Don't you loooooove us anymore?
Posted by: K Fitzsimons | January 24, 2005 8:18 PM
Well, I think we can file that one into the massive collection of failed New Years Resolutions. Don't worry Bill, Nobody ever gets those things to work.
And on the bright side, I've now mastered online poker!
Posted by: Colin | February 6, 2005 11:31 PM