Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Brownian's Index

A Look at the Numbers that Shape My World—Other Than the 6-Dimensional Calabi-Yau Manifold)
Monday, July 31, through Sunday, August 8, 2006.

  • Distance traveled by land in kilometres (miles): 315 (195)

  • By sea: 42 (26)

  • By air: 6800 (4224)

  • Hours by which my originally-scheduled flight from Edmonton to Boston via Montreal was delayed: 1.75

  • Hours by which my rescheduled flight via Toronto landed in Boston before my originally-scheduled arrival: 1.33

  • Chance that any sane person would willingly choose to fly through Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) even if it means shaving hours off one's trip: slim to none

  • Number of Grammy-nominated songs written about Toronto Pearson International Airport: at least one

  • Possible conclusions one may draw from the above concerning the mental health of Geddy Lee and Neil Peart of Rush: only one

  • Average daily temperature recorded at Logan International Airport (BOS) over the period Monday, July 31, through Friday, August 4, 2006 in °C (°F): 26 (80)

  • Average daily temperature recorded at Edmonton International Airport (YEG) over the same period: 14 (57)

  • Maximum temperature recorded at Logan International Airport over the above: 36 (98)

  • Maximum temperature recorded at Edmonton International Airport: 22 (72)

  • Minimum temperature recorded at Logan International Airport over the above: 18 (66)

  • Minimum temperature recorded at Edmonton International Airport: 7 (45)

  • Normal maximum perspiration rate in litres per hour: 1.5

  • Factor by which I surpass that on a daily basis: 2.09

  • Number of consecutive business trips (including this one) in which a public transport operator engaged me in a conversation about his GERD: 2

  • Brewpubs, breweries and microbreweries in Massachusetts: 80–100

  • Sheets to the wind I was when I misfired at the urinal: 2.—Hey!Whadderya lookin' at? I just had a little acshident, OK?

  • Minutes to dry a urine-soaked pair of shorts with wads of toilet paper and your own breath: 23

  • Pounds of New England lobster eaten: 1.2

  • Cost in USD of the above: 10

  • Minutes to conclude that I cannot simultaneously eat lobster and look suave in front of the Lark Voorhies look-alike sitting at the next table: 3.67

  • Further minutes to conclude that the fact that I was eating lobster is irrelevant: 2.04

  • Number of pill bottles I brought with me: 3

  • Percentage of the above that actually contained pills: 33

  • Percentage of the above used to smuggle dirt out of the country as a souvenir for a friend: 33

  • Percentage of the above brought because I'm neurotic: 33

  • Average number of hyperlinks in a Brownian Motion post: 4.81

  • Number of hyperlinks in this one: 11

  • Times I was threatened with being shot: 1

  • Packages of cigarettes the would-be shooter bought me beforehand: 1

  • Times the would-be shooter assured me he "ain't no fuckin' quee-ah": 4

  • Reasons (besides the above) not to hop into a '78 Caddy with a redneck listening to Jethro Tull: nearly infinite

  • How much pleasure I get from telling the story: C'mon. I mean, c'mon! Jethro Tull?! How crazy is that shit?

  • Percentage of the time I spent not hung-over at the conference my job sent me to (and the ostensible reason for the trip): 65

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My sincere apologies to both Harper's Magazine and The Onion.
By 'sincere' I mean 'half-assed attempt to avoid copyright violation'.

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