originally 7/22/99
Alright, forgive me for picking up on a morbid subject, or at least a tasteless
one. Which can only mean.....JFK Jr. I am not mad at the guy for dying,
actually, I'm not mad at him at all. But talk about your senseless, unnecessary
deaths.

I am not a pilot, and can only claim the interest of the fascinated bystander.
But even I know that if you don't have an instrument rating flying at night is
probably not a good idea unless conditions are near perfect. And what did this
guy do? He flew on a hazy, moonless night over water- where points of reference
are few to say the least. The only thing surprising about his last flight is
that it lasted as long as it did. Even military pilots find themselves in
strange attitudes at night, and they are well-trained to deal with the
environment. There was one red flag after another indicating that his flying
was not a good idea.

I chalk it up to classic Kennedy bravado or recklessness. Teddy at
Chappaquiddick (spelling?) was surely reckless. JFK Sr getting rammed by a
destroyer was reckless, hell it had to be. He was commanding a speedboat that
could do 70 mph and managed to get hit by a destroyer that could do 25. You
have to wonder what the Japanese captain was thinking, ramming a PT boat had to
be last on his list of possibilities. But at least JFK got to be a hero dealing
with the consequences of his decisions.
JFK Jr. didn't get that opportunity. Too bad for him. I can't say I ever knew
much about him. I try to avoid the Royal Kennedys as much as possible-
opportunity squandered is irritating. But since he died I've read a few things
about him and he seemed like one of the few born to priviledge who didn't act
Royal. Now I finally like him and he's dead. What's left of the Royal clan?
Drunken womanizer Teddy and his molesting nephews. Unfortunately they seem too
obsessed with fulfilling their vices to actually accomplish anything, like
learning how to fly.

Alright, there is Maria. She is a babe, but not a personable one. She is one
high-maintenance woman. Of course she is married to Arnold, a man with the good
sense not to hyphenate his name Schwarzenegger-Kennedy. Oh come on, you know a
lesser man might have considered it. But enough about the Kennedys.

The wife and I still aren't sure how it happened, but last night we hosted a
small slumber party. The two girls next door stayed overnight. Apparently, if
you want something to happen in this family, Ms. Pikachu is the person to talk to.
As part of the evening we went to McDonald's. Not my first choice, but I don't
make things happen.

At this particular Mickey D's there is a train engine with two cars for the kids
to sit on. They stand about 4 feet tall. During the course of savoring our
culinary delights Trainboy climbed up the side of the engine. Keep in mind its a
steam-train type engine so its basically cylindrical. Once he got to the top he
stood on the rounded surface, and tottering back and forth raised his hands over
his head and let out a cry of exultation.
Mommy and Daddy were surprised, fearful, and greatly humored. The last reaction
is not going to help him temper his adventurous behavior. Oh well, you
shouldn't suppress enthusiasm anyway.

If he was older I'd have to brand him reckless. But if he was older he'd
probably be willing to take more risks than I ever have. I admire my
two-year-old. The Wonderboy. I just hope he learns to discern the
difference between acceptable adventurous risk and recklessness. Lord knows,
its my heart he'll be gambling with.

So I cherish every day with the Trainboy. And I wish John Jr. had had the
sense to keep his feet on the ground when it was the right thing to do.

It's late, and I'm going to close.