A few days ago, I took a rare day off and went whale watching. We got many warnings and recommended remedies to help the kiddos keep from being sea sick.  We followed nearly all of them.  However, I was surprised to find out that my older daughter, who has a loooong history of car sickness, did just fine.  My younger daughter surprised me even more.  At one point she was bouncing around some other kids that were just trying to remain vertical while she shot to and fro playing tag as if she were a salty old sailor with 25 year-old sea legs.

The problem is that we spent so much time thinking of the kids, we did not think of my wife.  She did great in the harbor as she has done several times before.  However, her poor mid-west stomach said “enough” the second we dropped into open ocean.  So, despite her fear of large things under water, the whales were the least of her concern.

The main bout hit my wife, just as the ole’ sea dog (aka my youngest) got her hot dog and popcorn for a mid-morning snack.  Starting to understand the scene, she veered so hard to starboard that I thought she was going to crash down the stairs.  She didn’t of course, but made her way to a table that was perfectly opposite the room from my wife so that she could enjoy her treat…unhindered.

It was then that I realized that I was a PCB designer through and through.  Laughing of course, but I actually had the thought go through my head.  I have seen designers spend less time worrying about a 40Gpbs route than the one that she created then and there.  Ketchup – laden hot dog in one hand and popcorn in the other, she made sure that she was over a solid plane through the whole route.  She swerved through people and obstacles, but with perfectly graceful arcs…all with her eyes nearly shut.  When she got to the chair that was her destination, she plunked down as if yanked by a pulldown resistor.  There is more, but I will stop there.

Yup, I am a dork, but I love layout.  Thanks for reading a crazy person’s thoughts of the day.