Our Brother In-Law Felix

Written By:  Andrew & Becx Eide

Our brother in-law, Felix, was born on July 4 but I won’t reveal the year as he may be sensitive about his age.

He is the husband of Andrew’s sister, Starr, and they have been married for quite some time.

I remember when my sister first got married to Felix. They really make a great couple. I found out that Felix was a Computer Programmer and that his birthday was July 4.

I often joked with Felix saying, “Wow, Felix, isn’t it wonderful that on your birthday everyone in the United States celebrates your birthday with picnics, parties, and fireworks?” I don’t know if Felix was amused by my comments but it is true that on July 4 each year all these celebrations happen on his birthday. I figure he might as well enjoy the picnics, parties, and fireworks on his birthday, even though they are to celebrate the Fourth of July and the independence of the United States.

Keira's First Bike Ride Without Training Wheels

Written By:  Andrew & Becx Eide

Keira turned six years old in February 2015. She has been two years with her bike that has training wheels on it. Recently she went to a friend's house to have a play date, and sleepover, and since her friend is 7 years old she doesn't use training wheels any longer.

So on Friday, June 12, 2015, we told Keira we would take the training wheels off her bike and both of us would help her figure out how to balance a bike while riding it so that she can have more freedom and sne can ride faster.

We were surprised that within 15 minutes, with her first time without training wheels, that she was able to go about 10 feet before leaning over and having to stop. Within 30 minutes she made it a distance of about 35 feet before tipping over and stopping.

We will try to give her 30 minutes to one hour every day to practice in the parking area in front of our building in the apartment complex.

Kenra wants to succeed so she struggles with the bike riding she gets frustrated. I told her not to get frustrated but to turn that frustration into determination to be able to do it.

Also I told Keira once you learn to ride a bike it is something you never forget. The last time I rode a bike was in 1996 and here it is 19 years later and I assure you I can get on a bike and ride it without falling over. You simply don't forget how to ride a bank.

Enjoy this short video clip showing the every first time Keira attempted to ride her bike without the training wheels. We are so proud of her.

Mayday!

Written By:  Andrew Eide

In a previous article I wrote about May Day which is a May 1^st celebration. Today I will discuss “mayday” which is a distress signal usually used by mariners and aviators to signal they are in distress.

The word used as an international distress signal in voice radio communications is mayday which is derived from the French venez m’aider, which means “come help me”

Mayday is used to signal a life-threatening emergency, but in some countries local organizations such as police, firefighters, and transportation companies, may also use the term. The call is always given three times in a row:  MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! to prevent anyone from mistaking it for a similar-sounding phrase under noisy communications conditions. This also distinguishes an actual Mayday call from a message discussing a Mayday call.

Mayday calls are allowed on any radio frequency. When a Mayday call is made no other radio traffic is allowed except to assist in the emergency. Mayday calls may only be made when life or craft is in imminent danger of death or destruction. A Mayday situation is one in which a vessel (boat or ship), aircraft, vehicle, or person is in imminent or grave danger and they require immediate assistance. Examples of grave and imminent danger, in which a Mayday call would be appropriate include:  fire, explosion or sinking.

The recommended distress call format is to use the word “mayday” spoken three times, followed by the vessel’s name or call sign, also spoken three times, and then “mayday” and the name or call sign again. Vital information such as the position, nature of the emergency, the type of assistance required, and the number of people on board, should follow. A typical Mayday message might be as follows:

            MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is VESSELNAME, VESSELNAME,

            VESSELNAME, MAYDAY, VESSEL NAME. Position 54 25 North 016 33 West.

            My boat is on fire and sinking. I require immediate assistance. Four people on

            board, are taking a lifeboat. MAYDAY VESSEL NAME, OVER.

Making a hoax Mayday call is a criminal act in most countries, because of the danger to the rescuers’ lives during the search-and-rescue operations, and the potential that while responding to a hoax Mayday call a real Mayday call may not be responded to in time to provide assistance.

Thank you for reading my article today concerning the use of the Mayday distress call. Remember to use it only when absolutely necessary and please do not perpetrate a hoax Mayday distress call. In the United States making a hoax Mayday call is classified as a Federal Crime which can carry up to six years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Yikes!

Crazy Things Drivers Do

Written By:  Andrew Eide

I get the pleasure of writing today’s article concerning crazy things drivers do. I am 61 years old and I have been driving since I turned 16 so I have 45 years of driving experience. If I related every crazy thing I have seen drivers do over that period of time I could write an entire year’s worth of articles. So for today I will focus on just a few of the common crazy things drivers do. My short list of crazy things people do while driving:

Applying Makeup – Yes I constantly see women applying makeup while driving. I am talking about physically driving, both on surface streets, highways, and freeways, looking in the rearview mirror and applying makeup while they are the ones driving their cars.

Shaving – Men were laughing as they read my previous comment on women applying makeup while driving but men have no room to make fun of others. I cannot count how many times I am driving, including on freeways, and I look over to see a man looking into his rearview mirror while shaving.

Reading a Book, Magazine, or Newspaper – I constantly see people holding a book or magazine in their lap and glancing down often to read the book or magazine. The craziest I have seen is someone driving while holding a newspaper in front of them and essentially blocking their view of the road while they are driving and reading the newspaper.

Watching Television – Today the televisions in vehicles are located where they can be viewed by only those in the back seats. Before entertainment systems were installed in vehicles some people purchased a small portable television, powered by plugging it into the cigarette lighter of the car, and they would watch television while driving. My mother would watch television while driving. She placed a small portable television on the passenger seat, turned the television on, and watched the television while driving. When confronted with the obvious hazards of doing this my mother would reply that there is nothing wrong with watching television while driving and that she is fully aware of what is going on around her while driving. Fortunately for my mother, and all the drivers around her, she never had an accident.

Of course there are other distractions while driving which cause the driver to lose their concentration. These include:  Eating…turning around to talk to the people in the back seat…changing the radio station or inserting a CD into the entertainment system…etc.

The bottom line is that if you are the one driving you should try to minimize all distractions to the best of your ability and this includes lengthy conversations.