sonar baby and dolphin trumps cosmic Microwave Background
It was another challenging week weather-wise here in California. On Thursday, I actually had to wear a long-sleeve shirt in early part of the day. Naturally, Nazy was aghast.
“That shirt does not go with those pants!” She exclaimed.
“I’m just going to exercise, Nazy. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t match.”
In response to scathing indignation, I decided to make an apparel alternation. I was about to select a solid color shirt when (unexpectedly) common sense intervened.
“Would this shirt be okay?” I asked.
We also drove to Los Angeles to see a show and to see Mitra. A flock of dolphins..
“A ‘flock’?” Darius asked.
“Herd? Pride? Gaggle? Colony? Skein? Swarm? Hive? Litter? Pack? Army? Mob?..”
“A pod of dolphins, Dad.”
We stopped to get a photo:
We’ve decided to address the obvious problem in this photo in a scientific manner. We will photographically target larger crustaceans - eh, cetaceans - i.e. Gray Whales. Moreover, instead of taking photographs from the roadside of the Pacific Coastal Highway we are going to use a boat.
Dolphins, of course use sonar echolocation for navigation and to find prey. There are other uses for sonar: This week marks the half-way point of Melika’s pregnancy. She celebrated ‘hump-day’ with a dolphin-inspired ultra-sound (sonar) session. And, unlike what happens in most such events, Melika invited guests:
Eleven close friends and/or family (including all the prospective, first-time grandparents) crowded into the room to watch.
Years ago, imagination was required when Nazy and I viewed the sonogram of Melika at 20 weeks:
“What’s that?” Nazy asked.
“The baby,” I explained helpfully. “The cosmic microwave background (CMB) - remnants of the Big Bang,” I thought.
“We want to be surprised at birth,” Melika explained.
“When you bring a newborn home, you’ll be surprised.” I replied.
“Dad..”
“You’ll be surprised at your ability to function without sleep. You’ll be astonished that something that little can generate so much noise. You’ll be..”
The physician interrupted my discourse by suggesting that they count fingers and toes. “I wonder how things are going in there,” I thought. Then the baby responded with a (I am not making this up) ‘Thumbs Up.”
We’ve also taken the opportunity to revisit the coast with Darius. Sadly, the drought eliminated the swamp so that the annual Monarch butterfly hibernation was less than robustly populated. But the view of the ocean was wonderful. We didn’t see any dolphins (or gray whales), but we did find a few surfers which was strange because..
“I don’t see any waves, Dar.”
“Well, Dad..”
“It’s like sailing. I’ve finally convinced myself that it is possible to, how can I put this ‘tactfully’, sail against the wind. But I’m absolutely certain that you can’t sail if there is no wind.”
“We’re talking about surfing, Dad, not sailing.”
“You can’t surf without waves, Dar.”
“There are some small..”
“I’ve seen sailboat wakes higher than those waves.”
“Why don’t you just enjoy the view.”
“Good idea, Dar.”
“That shirt does not go with those pants!” She exclaimed.
“I’m just going to exercise, Nazy. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t match.”
In response to scathing indignation, I decided to make an apparel alternation. I was about to select a solid color shirt when (unexpectedly) common sense intervened.
“Would this shirt be okay?” I asked.
We also drove to Los Angeles to see a show and to see Mitra. A flock of dolphins..
“A ‘flock’?” Darius asked.
“Herd? Pride? Gaggle? Colony? Skein? Swarm? Hive? Litter? Pack? Army? Mob?..”
“A pod of dolphins, Dad.”
We stopped to get a photo:
We’ve decided to address the obvious problem in this photo in a scientific manner. We will photographically target larger crustaceans - eh, cetaceans - i.e. Gray Whales. Moreover, instead of taking photographs from the roadside of the Pacific Coastal Highway we are going to use a boat.
Dolphins, of course use sonar echolocation for navigation and to find prey. There are other uses for sonar: This week marks the half-way point of Melika’s pregnancy. She celebrated ‘hump-day’ with a dolphin-inspired ultra-sound (sonar) session. And, unlike what happens in most such events, Melika invited guests:
Eleven close friends and/or family (including all the prospective, first-time grandparents) crowded into the room to watch.
Years ago, imagination was required when Nazy and I viewed the sonogram of Melika at 20 weeks:
Flashback
“Wow! That’s exciting!” I said encouragingly. “It looks like a hunter/killer submarine has located a giant clam,” I thought.
“What’s that?” Nazy asked.
“The baby,” I explained helpfully. “The cosmic microwave background (CMB) - remnants of the Big Bang,” I thought.
End Flashback
You can see from the Melika’s real sonogram below, that there has been improved resolution during the last decades.
However, the baby’s sex was not determined because..
“We want to be surprised at birth,” Melika explained.
“When you bring a newborn home, you’ll be surprised.” I replied.
“Dad..”
“You’ll be surprised at your ability to function without sleep. You’ll be astonished that something that little can generate so much noise. You’ll be..”
The physician interrupted my discourse by suggesting that they count fingers and toes. “I wonder how things are going in there,” I thought. Then the baby responded with a (I am not making this up) ‘Thumbs Up.”
We’ve also taken the opportunity to revisit the coast with Darius. Sadly, the drought eliminated the swamp so that the annual Monarch butterfly hibernation was less than robustly populated. But the view of the ocean was wonderful. We didn’t see any dolphins (or gray whales), but we did find a few surfers which was strange because..
“I don’t see any waves, Dar.”
“Well, Dad..”
“It’s like sailing. I’ve finally convinced myself that it is possible to, how can I put this ‘tactfully’, sail against the wind. But I’m absolutely certain that you can’t sail if there is no wind.”
“We’re talking about surfing, Dad, not sailing.”
“You can’t surf without waves, Dar.”
“There are some small..”
“I’ve seen sailboat wakes higher than those waves.”
“Why don’t you just enjoy the view.”
“Good idea, Dar.”
Darius and Nazy enjoying the beach walk
Note: This pose is not unique
Darius and Mitra in Milan
Mitra and Stefan on the beach
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