I started writing this during the last three hours of 2015. The thing they call New Year is upon us. So much happened in 2015. We can only wonder about 2016.

Once upon a time, Dick Clark and Guy Lombardo owned this night. 

I'm not impressed with the plans to hold an Indy-car race in Boston in September. The mayor thinks it will be a great thing for the city, with tourists spending money and getting national exposure. The people who live in the Seaport district will be inconvenienced. Traffic and parking will be a nightmare. 

This is a private endeavor. The city and state should not spend one dollar to support it. They need to be reimbursed for any costs incurred. 

Last week at this time, the temperature was in the 60's. Today, we had three inches of snow and freezing rain. What a difference a week makes.

This feels more like winter. The weather has really impacted the region. People are already in the panic mode and winter just started last week.

It's always about the ice.

The local food market was quite busy today. As I proceeded to the checkout, I noticed the long lines, especially the one for twelve items or less.

I found a cashier who only had one customer with a large order. I took my ten items to that line.

In the end, I made it out faster than three of the people in the twelve item line that I would have been behind. 

Washington DC has a monument to so many people and events, but not one for World War I. Over 116,000 Americans died in the war, but nothing has ever been built and dedicated to recognize them.

Congress recently authorized a monument to be built, but it will need to be privately funded. A design competition was held with five semi-finalists, but they are all controversial. 

The optimists hope that it will be dedicated on November 11, 2018, the hundredth anniversary of the war's end.

It will take a miracle for his to happen. Hopefully, they are at least constructing it by then, but I have my doubts. 

There was a time when families ate meals together, but that doesn't happen these days. Fast food restaurants have a huge impact on the lifestyles of Americans.

Everyone is in a hurry these days. McDonald's announced that 70% of their business is done via the drive-thru. Nobody has the time to get out of their car and wait in line. Instead, they sit in their cars and spend the same amount of time. 

This was one of the warmest Christmas days on record. I don't think that it's a positive thing. Winter days were not meant to be this warm.

People in Alabama and Mississippi are experiencing tornadoes. The weather is suppose to change next week with some sleet on Tuesday.

I enjoy warm temperatures as much as anyone else, but they were  not meant for this time of year. It's happening all over the country.

We have no idea what lies ahead this winter. 

The local newspaper had some comments from kids about Santa Claus and how he delivers all of his presents. Most of the answers were cute, but I was very suspicious of a couple. 

One kid mentioned Santa using a portal. The other referred to him as being nocturnal. There is no way that the kids came up with these words. They must have had the help of a "helicopter" parent. Five year old kids don't use words like that. 

I never had any kids, but I read a report about the high cost of babysitters in New York City. Some are charging up to $60 per hour on New Year's Eve. This does not include perks like transportation and meals.

It's hard to believe that parents go to various websites to find a babysitter. They are leaving their kids with someone they don't even know. They are asking for trouble in this day and age.

If this is their only option, maybe they should reconsider their plans. 

The story at this time of the year is always the same. It's only the date that is different. The animal shelters around the region are inundated with pets being surrendered. One person gave up 25 rabbits while another had 67 cats in their home. 

There will be lots of puppies on Christmas morning under the tree, but how long will they last in their new home? People never think about the long range implications of their decisions. 

Some treat pets like old clothing they want to get rid of. They just wash their hands of the situation.

My local newspaper has a "sound-off" column where readers can call and complain about anything. I always read it to see what crazy thoughts people have.

Someone called to say that the daily crossword puzzle in the paper was too difficult. I looked at the puzzle, but couldn't understand their thinking. 

If it was that difficult, maybe they should try something else or get a dictionary and thesaurus. 

Times Square is filled with obnoxious costumed characters who try to entice tourists to have their picture taken and then try to get money from them. It's a problem going unchecked and only gets worse.

During the holiday season, Santas have appeared in Herald Square near Macy's Department Store. Little kids with their parents get confused over seeing more than one Santa. Macy's has one who doesn't charge for photos. 

The whole scene is a circus and only reduces the quality of life in the Big Apple.

The Democratic party is doing the voters a great disservice by holding a candidate debate on a Saturday night. They know that it will draw a small audience because of the closeness to Christmas. The debate will also be up against a NFL and college bowl game. 

Why did the DNC decide to do it this way? It doesn't seem kosher. 

A group advocating the use of salt in food ran a full-page ad in the New York Post criticizing the plan to put sodium levels of various foods on restaurant menus. 

The ad raved about salt being "natural" and "not having any calories". I think we all know this. The most ridiculous part of the ad was about people having a dangerously low level of sodium. Does that ever happen to anyone in this country? 

Some bad ideas never go away. My city wants to give each household a 64 gallon trash toter. Residents will no longer be allowed to put out barrels and trash bags. 

Many concerns have been brought up, especially by the elderly. The mayor is the driving force behind this. He claims it will save the city $450,000 annually on the trash removal contract. The company will pay the cost of the toters for 23,000 households.

The workers picking up the trash now run a smooth operation. They work very quickly. The proposed one man truck with a fork would lift the barrels into the truck. That assumes they are easily accessible and not blocked by cars.

The story continues.  

I support casino gambling. I believe that people should be able to drive a reasonable distance to partake in it. The state should grab its share as part of the agreement that allows it. 

Casino proponents paint nothing but a rosy picture when it comes to the financial figures. They are so delusional.

It doesn't surprise me that the Plainridge slot parlor has shown a decrease in revenues since it opened last August. How does that bode for the three other casinos scheduled to open in Massachusetts?

There are only so many gambling dollars out there. 

Facebook is filled with recipes, especially this time of the year. There are some great videos of the preparation of the food. They speed up the action to make it shorter.

I have never seen anything that I really like. Most of them involve ingredients that are not overly healthy. The stuff probably tastes good, but it's bad for you. 

Tonight is the Hollywood premier of the latest Star Wars movie. "The Force Awakens" looks like it might break all box office records. Some people have been waiting in line for twelve days in order to score a seat.

I have no plans to see it. I have never seen a complete Star Wars movie. I saw part of the first one, but turned it off because I'm not into science fiction. 

The rest of the world feels differently about it. 

I buy fresh produce every other day. There is great quality consistency with all of it except for iceberg lettuce. 

Why is it so difficult to get a good head of lettuce? Sometimes, it's so bad that I don't bother buying it.

I bought two heads today because they looked so good. I had one last week that I tossed out because all of the leaves had brown veins. 

People are sending fewer holiday cards these days. It gets expensive with the postage and just seems like a dying tradition. 

It makes me roll my eyes when I get e-cards from businesses. I received one today from a financial institution, but it was very generic.

I'm sure they realize they need to cover all the angles, even down to the font color.

It's hard to believe that three weeks from today is the start of 2016. The holidays will be over. I wonder if we will have any snow. The temperature has been warmer than normal.

Winter will be here in ten days.Time is just flying by.

People waste water in various ways. We act like there is an unlimited supply of fresh drinking water. It's not like that in a lot of countries.

I always seem to run the water while I shave or brush my teeth. It's something I've down my entire life.

Recently, I've been shutting the faucet off. It makes it awkward to get the shaving cream off my razor or toothpaste from my brush.

It will take time to make this a habit.

The holidays are filled with examples of bad behavior. Every year, we hear stories about packages being stolen from the steps of homes. 

The package delivery companies don't help the situation. They leave things out in the open. It's an invitation for theft. It doesn't matter that it's the holiday season. People will steal at any time. That's why I avoid ordering items on-line. 

One of the most obnoxious holiday television commercials is the one from Samsung. It's a song parody of "Jingle Bells" that lasts too long. The lyrics are very irritating. 

Once the holidays are over, it will disappear for another year. That will be a gift to all of us. 

Some people get carried away with their outside Christmas lights at the expense of their neighbors. One guy was in the news for having a display with 28,000 lights. People come from all around to admire his work. 

I wonder how his neighbors feel about having all of the extra traffic in their neighborhood. It's only for a few weeks, but it effects their quality of life.

I think the home owner with the lights is being selfish.

The American Chestnut Foundation keeps track of the height of chestnut trees in America. They just reported that the tallest one is 115 feet and located in Lovell, Maine. 

How do they know that some other tree isn't taller? The only trees that get measured are the ones singled out. This sounds like a bunch of nonsense. There is a taller tree around somewhere. It just hasn't been identified. 

I think people who drive convertibles with the top down this time of year are looking for attention. I saw two of them today.

The temperature was in the mid 50's. It was not exactly summer, but that didn't stop those attention seekers.

I never understood what people see in those cars.  

It's a waste of time to be talking about snowfall levels for this winter. Storms come upon us very suddenly. The experts can show us the computer models, but it remains to be seen what type of winter we will have.

We've had plenty of warm days this fall, but it can cold real fast. 

I have always been impressed with the EZ-Pass program for collecting highway toll charges. Dedicated high-speed lanes allow drivers avoid some of the possible traffic congestion near the toll plaza.

These types of lanes only work if the highway is not backed up due to the drivers lining up for the cash lanes.

I don't think we will ever get to cash-free lanes in my lifetime because so many people don't like the transponder technology.   

New York City has become more dangerous for pedestrians since the installation of dedicated bike lanes throughout the city. 

A new proposal would allow cyclists to slow done for a red light, look both ways and proceed through the intersection if safe to do.

Bike advocates say that it's more dangerous to bring a moving cyclist to a full stop. They make a valid point, but so many of them violate the rules of the road and operate recklessly. They often appear out of nowhere.

I think it's a good idea for restaurants to show how much sodium there is on their menu. There is far too much of it in the foods we eat. The examples they cited in the news story were over the top.

I read labels when I go food shopping. Sodium is all over the place in high concentration. It's link to heart attacks and strokes cannot be disputed.

People need to be aware of this and do something to help themselves.