Friday, March 30, 2007

32


i wear a shirt with the number 32 on it. it is my new number. when i was young i wore 13 and 17. now 32. just like all the 32's that have gone before me, i strive for greatness. to conquer what i haven't before. to set an example for others. to be. my 32 is different from others. it is a number that may define a chapter of my life. it is a number that may haunt me till the next time. or it just might be a number. nothing more nothing less. 99.9% of the people on the coast will go to bed and wake up to see that nothing has changed in their world. my world will change tonight. it may not be earth shattering, but it will change.
i would like to take a second to thank you all for following my journey. know this is not the end. i will attack something else. the money has not been raised in a way that i am satisfied with so i am using the swim as a start, not an end. i am so thankful for my loving wife, kids and parents. Jeanne, Paige, Ian, Mom and Dad, i could not even attempt this without you. you will be in my mind and heart the whole night. thanks to my coach shelly, who volunteered for this task. thanks for my business partner Susan for her details. i would probably have me and a friend in a boat if it weren't for her making sure i had what i needed. thanks to Francis, whom i know not well, but who has so generously brought his boat time family and energy to this event. again i couldn't attempt without him. thanks to joey lee for setting up interviews and coming along for part of the ride. i will rope him into the next swim. thanks to ed and brady for coming over and supporting me. thanks to mandy for coming over to swim and for the time she put in in the pool with me. thanks to nan and all the masters at crawfish aquatics. thanks to billy coach ripple and the kids of crawfish as well, the tuesdays and thursday workouts helped get me here. thanks to Adam and Paul for manning the FRESH ship while i am away, ya'lls hard work has given me the time to train.

thanks to God for giving me the all the blessings i have and for the courage and life to swim 32 (and for the east wind i prayed for!)

going to take a nap and start swimming.

rocketboy

SEE 32 is Significant

In mathematics

32 is the smallest number n with exactly 7 solutions to the equation φ(x) = n. It is also the sum of the totient function for the first ten integers.
The fifth power of two, 32 is also a Leyland number since 24 + 42 = 32.
As with all power of two 32 has an aliquot sum one less than itself; the prime 31. 32 is the first member of the 31-aliquot tree.

In science

The atomic number of germanium
The freezing point of water at sea level in degrees Fahrenheit

Astronomy
Messier object M32, a magnitude 10.0 galaxy in the constellation Andromeda which is a companion to M31.
The New General Catalogue object NGC 32, a star in the constellation Pegasus
The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on September 24, 1957 BC and ended on March 10, 460 BC. The duration of Saros series 32 was 1496.5 years, and it contained 84 solar eclipses.
The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on June 11, 1691 BC and ended on August 9, 375 BC. The duration of Saros series 32 was 1316.2 years, and it contained 74 lunar eclipses.

In music

The number of variations in Bach's Goldberg variations
The number of completed, numbered piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
In the title and lyrics of the song 32 Footsteps by They Might Be Giants
In Regina Spektor's Oedipus, it's sung "32 is still a god damn number" several times.

In other fields

Thirty-two is also:
The number of teeth of a full set of teeth in an adult human, including wisdom teeth
The size of a databus in bits: 32-bit
The size, in bits, of certain integer data types, used in computer representations of numbers
The winning car number of Ray Harroun in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911
ASCII and Unicode code point for space
In chess, the total number of black squares on the board, the total number of white squares, and the total number of pieces (black and white) at the beginning of the game
The code for international direct dial phone calls to Belgium
Retired number of L.A. Lakers Magic Johnson's jersey
Retired number of baseball pitchers Sandy Koufax and Steve Carlton
Retired number of Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns running back
O.J. Simpson's uniform number
In the title Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, starring Colm Feore
Article 32 of the UCMJ concerns pre-trial investigations. Such a hearing is often called an "article 32 hearing"
Sometimes considered to be the occult opposite of number 23 (see 23 (numerology))
The (supposed) age of Jesus Christ when he was crucified
One of the Nissan Skyline versions
Pump water up an open tube and it can be raised to 32 feet - at that point cohesion is lost and the water column will break or cavitate. Pumping may not be necessary under the sole action of capillary action
According to the U.S. Census Bureau of places in the United States with the word "eagle" in their name.
Carlos Alberto Tevez uniform number in West Ham United
The short form of ThirtyTwo, a producer of snowboard footwear
A traditional (soccer) football is made up by 32 panels of leather.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heard about your swim through a close friend,Joie, who is actually on her way to the Gulf Coast now to "help" you swim. She will be helping to paddle along side of you as you make this journey to raise awareness on childhood obesity and fitness. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you reach your goal!
B Langlois, Denham Springs, LA

Anonymous said...

Hi Pat:
Yes it is 5:22am and I am writing this. Victor and I have been thinking about you and praying for you. We just got a message from your friend Ed that says you have 9 miles to go and you are going strong.
Keep swimming!!!
Kappy and Victor