Online Dating

I messaged a woman on OkCupid. She replied then I replied back asking what she is looking for in a guy... this is her novel of a reply. 

Dear Future Partner...
===
This is a list of rules, well, because I am a list fanatic and crazy like that. As you should know or will come to find out, I like to have everything in its place so to speak. So, without further ado, here is my list. Please bare with me because darn it, I'm worth it!
===

Family / Children
* I'm ok if you have children from a previous relationship. Just treat them well.
* You have to love my children like they are your own flesh and blood. Favoritism is not an option.
* You have to be willing to spend time with my family and support me if I go off the deep with any one of them, right or wrong. And you can only tell me if I'm wrong when we are alone!.

Flowers
* Let's talk Roses. DO NOT send them to me unless they are miniature and yellow or cream in color because those are the only ones I can tolerate, so to be on the safe side, never buy or send them to me. I don't like roses very much, they are overdone in my opinion.
* Now, what if you did want to send flowers? Well, I prefer potted plants but the occasional bouquet of fresh-cut flowers is acceptable. The more unique, the better. I like orchids and flowers that pop, multiple exotic colors that scream, "Look at me!" Please no carnations, that is so "junior high."
* My favorite flowers are the lilly and calla lillies... can't ever go wrong with those... and knowing they are my favorite is a bonus...

Jewelry/Other Expensive Gifts
* They don't impress me. I'd much rather have something that you put some thought into or did on a whim - like buy me a blackberry pie because that's my fave, or oh my gosh, send me on a scavenger hunt to find your butt!
* I don't like diamonds UNLESS I know 100% they did not come from or support the blood diamond trade. Too many people have died in man's quest for money over diamonds. Note, to date, I have not worn one, so I likely won't... But if you must shower me with diamonds, make sure you pick a reputable company with a good social identity.
* I love pearls. I like my birthstone. Not too flashy, but something small.
* NEVER get me a piece of jewelry that is a heart. Yuck, enough said!..
* Would I turn away a lavish gift, no, but why waste your money on a non-holiday when a simple note will do wonders?

Vacations, Getaways, and Dates
* Going to see the worlds largest rubber band ball or the worlds largest iron skillet is not my idea of a fun vacation. Maybe a weekend 'trip' and only if we had to kill some time while doing something else, but never a vacation!
* I prefer nature over man-made structures, so the grand canyon is a yes, mountains are a yes. But a huge ass dam that holds back millions of people from being flooded? Nope.
* Anywhere north is a plus! Changing of the leaves in Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island. Skiing in Colorado, Washington, Vermont... Backpacking up north... Alaska even.
* Avoid the South unless it is cooler. Then, if you must, take me to Charleston, SC or another historic town where I can enjoy the people and the folklore/history.
* Murder Mystery dinners, a play at the theater (Broadway or otherwise), Ballets, Symphony Orchestra events, Ballroom Dancing, and other 'girly' stuff is right up my alley.
* A football game, a baseball game, a girls basketball game, the roller derby are all interesting, so I am not against those. DO NOT TAKE me to a mens basketball game unless we get to meet the players. JKJK, I would go...
* Some man-made structures are tolerable, I mean if you wanted to take me around the world, the pyramids are pretty freaking cool. As is Stonehenge. But again, please, no dams, maybe a bridge long enough to drive over it! :)
* Bowling, ice skating, roller skating, concerts, movies --- all acceptable dates...

Holidays
* Halloween ---- Dressing up as a 'power couple' is not only a turn on, but a requirement. Fred and Wilma Flinstone, Barney and Betty Rubble, Marge and Homer Simpson, a duo from Harry Potter, Mr. & Mrs. Loving, Romeo and Juliet, etc... You gotta be willing to go to the extreme and be outside your comfort zone to impress me. This has always been a dream of mine, and since I ain't getting any younger, I want what I want...
* Christmas ---- You have to be willing to participate in my cheesy activities, including but not limited to, homemade cocoa making, 12 days of christmas crafts, homemade gifts, volunteering to help the needy, etc.
* Thanksgiving --- Also must be willing to participate in my cheesy activities and want to be around my family and friends. Tall order, but if you are the right one, you can do it!

Other
* You have to be willing to deal with my crazy and love every minute of it :) jkjk! or am I?
* I'm subject to flights of fancy, and while I am a very logical and realistic person, it would be nice to have a fellow daydreamer around... so someday we could search for Sasquatch, build a tree house, search for buried treasure, etc. But if you are serious, I welcome someone to bring back down to earth. Though occasionally, you gotta venture out and explore :)
* Never underestimate the power of a picnic.
* Dancing in public is not a sign of weakness, it's flattering.
* Singing to me is always encouraged. Even in public if the lyrics aren't degrading.
* Picking apples at an apple orchard is not cheesy!
* Taking a couples cooking class together is right up my alley...

===
So, what are my financial, education, spiritual, etc. requirements for a partner? Well, that is a separate list, and I will send it some other time.

===
BUT here is the real meat and potatoes of this whole list, which will continue to grow as I think of more things to add: you must be willing to do these things even 50 years down the road. Not just during the dating or honeymoon phase... but long term. Imma talkin' sitting in a rocking chair, you serenading me with the latest love song while sitting on a deck drinking martinis at the age of 80, watching grand kids and great grand kids playing Red Rover in our large back yard.

===
Or you pushing me in a tire swing for our 20th anniversary! Get it? Got it? You up to the challenge?

This week in space

in

Sorry for not doing one of these in a while folks.

 

SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station

I've been waiting for this launch for quite some time. I'm glad it finally launched, once it reaches the ISS in a few days new history will be made, private space exploration (well ok not exploring anything but it is a step in the right direction).

The SpaceX company made history as its Falcon 9 rocket rose from its seaside launch pad and pierced the pre-dawn sky, aiming for a rendezvous later this week with the space station. The rocket carried into orbit a capsule named Dragon that is packed with 1,000 pounds of space station provisions.

It is the first time a private company has launched a vessel to the space station. That's something only major governments have done - until the present test flight. Launch controllers applauded when the Dragon reached orbit 9 minutes into the flight.

Read more HERE

 

Three-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled

I don't really see any practical use for this, understanding black holes isn't really something we need to know right now but something cool might be discovered with this instrument.

By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus (AGN) has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centers of galaxies.

Read more HERE

 

Kepler satellite telescope reveals hundreds of superflares on distant stars

A BILLION times as powerful as those are sun produces... wow.

Here on Earth we are occasionally concerned about solar flares due to the impact they can have on our electrical systems. But our solar flares are puny when compared to so-called superflares that occur with other stars. A new research study by a team from Japan’s Kyoto University has found after studying one patch of sky over a 120 day period in 1990 using data from the Kepler telescope, that superflares are rather common, and as they describe in their paper published in the journal Nature, some are a billion times as powerful as those that occur with our own sun.

Read more HERE

 

Hubble spies edge-on beauty

Here is your beautiful image of the week!

Visible in the constellation of Andromeda, NGC 891 is located approximately 30 million light-years away from Earth. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful wide field Advanced Camera for Surveys towards this spiral galaxy and took this close-up of its northern half. The galaxy's central bulge is just out of the image on the bottom left.

Read more HERE

GC-061: Question Show

Nice, my email response to a scenario is read on Gunfighter Cast episode 61: Question Show. The question was asked on GC-058 Warning Shots

 

Check Gunfighter Cast's website out, it's on the http://gunrightsradio.com/

 

My full answer is as follows

I tell the clerk to call 911. I point my weapon system at the ground but at the ready and observe any conveyance the suspect gets into making note of make/model and any plate info I can see without leaving the store. When the suspect is out of sight I holster my weapon and tell the employee to lock the door until the police arrive, I then write down everything I observed about the suspect and wait for the LEO's.
 
In other news, our infosec people have gunfightercast.com blocked at work, what kind of !&#* is that?!
 
Thanks again for your service to our country at your day job and your service to the gun community in your spare time.