Saturday, November 27, 2021
Dry December Coming
I saw a dermatologist the other day for my annual exam.
I asked for a prescription level type of lotion for dry skin around my ankles.
Winter is still three weeks ago and I already have my annual problem of extra
dry skin. My hands are a mess tonight.
Friday, November 26, 2021
Dress Warm For The Meal
It's hard to believe that outdoor dining will be available
in some places through the end of the year. That would not be my first choice for eating out.
I'm sure the atmosphere is different. Some New York City restaurants
have elaborate sheds. There is no consistency among cities for allowing this.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
On Central Park West
I was able to watch a few minutes of Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade. It was nice to see the buildings of Central Park West (8th Ave).
The route was the same three weeks ago when I exited
Central Park after finishing the New York City Marathon.
It took us down to Columbus Circle before I would've
split off to get to my hotel.
New York looked great as always.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
A Better Vacuum
My new vacuum cleaner has worked great until recently.
Apparently, I needed to clean the air filter system. It was very easy to do.
I think this should make the suction a lot better.
The hour is too late in the evening to try this out in my apartment building.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Crumbs Every Day
One thing for sure about multi-grain bread is that it leaves behind many crumbs in the toaster. I need to clean them
out every other day.
If you let them sit too long, they eventually heat up and send
out an odor like something burning. The last thing I want to do is to set off my smoke detector at night when toasting a bagel.
Monday, November 22, 2021
JFK 58
Historical moments eventually get to the point
where nobody was around to witness them.
Today
was the 58th anniversary of the assassination of President John F Kennedy. It was the biggest news event of my lifetime when
I was 10.
People over 58 lived that moment. The story gets
minimal coverage these days.
Sunday, November 21, 2021
When Is A House Sold?
Real estate is really hot right now,especially the sale
of single family homes. They get picked up so fast by eager buyers who often bid over the asking price.
Someone on Facebook posted that they sold their house almost instantly
after putting it on the market.
Does
that mean they had a closeout? A sale never happens until you get to this point. Too many sales never get to the end with
the closeout.
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Santa's Early Date
Whenever a date is set for a public event, there will
always be some people who complain about it. There is no way to please everyone.
We are seeing that with the local Santa Parade which is being held
on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Some wanted it next Sunday which was its traditional time.
Dates change for many reasons. I'm sure the parade committee had their
reasons. Usually it's the availability of some of the participants.
No matter what, those who attend with their children will enjoy themselves.
Friday, November 19, 2021
Login Too Old
I wanted to access the benefits website for my former
employer to get some information on health insurance. It has been a long time since I used my login and password.
It turned out they had no record of me and to contact an 800 number.
Upon reaching them, I spoke with a very helpful person and resolved my problem. I can now access the information.
A login and password from several years back is a recipe for being
denied access to the system.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Not Winter Yet
It was almost 70 degrees today. The
weather has been fluctuating like crazy, especially with temperatures in the 30's a few days ago.
I'm not a big fan of these weather extremes, although
it worked out fine today because I had to attend a funeral.
At least we didn't need to dress like it was the middle of winter.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Can't Charge $3
Print editions of newspapers are fighting to stay
alive in the ever changing media landscape. The last thing they need to be is expensive.
Any newspaper that charges $3 or more for a weekday edition is looking
to lose subscribers and eventually go out of business.
They cannot make up for loss revenue by increasing the price. It's a recipe for disaster.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Checking The Costs
I got a statement from Medicare that showed a breakdown
of my health costs and how they were paid. I also have a secondary insurance through my former employer which covers the rest.
It's interesting to see the difference between submitted charges and
what is actually allowed by Medicare. It's all part of a very complex, but crucial industry.
Monday, November 15, 2021
A Natural Increase
I finally pulled down the storm windows in my bedroom.
The nights are getting so much colder now. My building is drafty and the windows are the originals from the 1920's
I keep the temperature comfortable. Up until now, the cost for gas
heat has never been reasonable. I'm not sure about the next few months.
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Always Paying Stadium Cost
It's never a good idea for government at any level to
get involved with the funding of stadiums for professional sports team. It can cost a lot of money over a long period of time.
We are seeing that in Cleveland where the owner of the MLB team wants
the county ownership group to fund the majority of another $205 million in stadium improvements.
The cost will be spread out over a long period, ensuring that the stadium
will never be 100% debt free.
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Missed It By One Hour
Timing is everything when it comes to the weather and
making plans. I attended a football game at UMass today with a noon kickoff.
The weather forecast was for heavy rain and a possible thunderstorm
between 4 and 7pm.
We made it through the game without issue, but there
was a thunderstorm and heavy rain about one hour after.
With the normal 3:30pm kickoff, we would have faced very bad conditions. Once the lightning
came, the teams would have been pulled from the field and fans would need to seek safety under the stands.
