Wednesday, August 31, 2016
The Plane Bump
I don't fly because of my
issues with turbulence. A story in the news today was a great example.
A flight from Houston to London was diverted to Ireland because of a severe situation over the Atlantic.
A number of passengers suffered broken bones. The pilots did a great job with the plane.
I can't imagine going through something like that. My flights
were bad enough.
7:01 pm edt
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
The 20% Storm
There are a series of tropical
storms that might impact us over the weekend or not matter at all. The weather people are ecstatic over it.
Forecasting is difficult, but they can never be
wrong. What does 20% chance of rain really mean?
11:35 pm edt
Monday, August 29, 2016
The Impossible Trip
I can't imagine taking a long
car trip to Florida or any place else. My 234 mile drive to New York City is a big enough challenge and seems to take forever.
I can only last about two hours before I need to stop.
I saw a posting on Facebook from someone who drove 615 miles on their way to Florida in less
than 10 hours. They must have made very few stops or encountered little traffic. I assume they left around 2am.
How do people drive that far? It doesn't matter if you have
more than one driver. I would be so uncomfortable.
11:59 am edt
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Flying Drunk
For the second time in a week,
we are hearing about a pilot being taken off a flight for allegedly being intoxicated. This time, it was on a trans-Atlantic
flight. Passengers faced a ten hour delay until another flight crew arrived.
I wonder how many pilots get away with it. We never hear until someone is caught. I
think it's a problem that has been around for a long time.
2:04 pm edt
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Brown Grass of Summer
The current drought has reduced water levels to historic
lows. The ground is so dry. All bodies of water are showing the effect.
When I was golfing yesterday, I was shocked to see the dryness in the fairways. The grass was brown and
looked dead.
Rain is the only thing that will reverse it. Will we see
green grass before winter comes? Will we make up for this with snow?
7:53 pm edt
Friday, August 26, 2016
Playing Chicken
Charity golf outings always
charge a certain price for golf, food, shirts and prizes. It can be a real challenge to keep the cost down.
I played in an outing today that changed caterers a
few years ago. The food was better back then. The cost of meals can easily get out of control.
I try to eat a lot of chicken. It's always breast tenders
for me because it's the healthiest meat. The leg and thigh served today never had enough meat on it. The barbecue made it
such a mess.
Grilled
chicken breasts might raise the entry fee. I would be ok with paying another $10 to get better chicken.
10:43 pm edt
Thursday, August 25, 2016
The White Ring
They always say to wear light colored clothing on hot and
humid days. I decided to go with a dark blue polo shirt while golfing today.
I was comfortable out there, but when I finished, I had big salt rings on my shirt.
We went out to eat after. I would have looked better with
a dry shirt.
8:40 pm edt
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Bones To Pick
We always hear about salmon
being so good for you. It's better fresh rather than previously frozen or farm raised.
I stir fried my piece in olive oil tonight. I was surprised
to take out ten bones almost an inch long while cooking it. I had another two while eating.
Will I have this many bones in my next piece?
11:12 pm edt
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Temporary Landing Strip
Flying single engine planes
can be dangerous and leaves little room for error. Emergency landings can lead to catastrophic results.
A pilot was lucky today when he was forced to land on a
sandbar in the Quabbin Reservoir. The recent drought has caused historic low water levels.
This guy was really lucky because he had few options to
land. Without the low water levels, his landing may have been fatal. It was either touching down in the Quabbin or in the
trees.
11:15 pm edt
Monday, August 22, 2016
Th 60 Year Storm
Natural disasters are so devastating
to people. I've been watching the news about the destruction in Central City, Louisiana from flooding caused by rain.
The city of 27,000 had about 90% of its residents effected.
The area had not experienced
a flood in over 60 years.
How will the federal government respond? Things are not off to a great start.
10:44 pm edt
Thursday, August 18, 2016
They Bad Idea Zone
Many bad ideas often end up becoming policy and law. We
can see that with a proposal to move Massachusetts out of the Eastern Time Zone and into the Atlantic. This would eliminate
Daylight Savings Time, but also put the state at odds with the rest of the eastern states.
There is some logic behind this idea, but it would cause great havoc with business and commerce.
Things would get so confusing for those entering and leaving the state.
This idea needs to be buried with other bad ones.
7:32 pm edt
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
The Short Story
Last week, the mayor of Boston
was called out for wearing cargo shorts in public. I don't understand the big deal doing that on a Sunday. He was criticized
as a fashion disaster.
I
have never owned cargo shorts because they always look so wrinkled. They were in style a long time ago, but I never wanted
to look like I slept in my clothes.
5:19 pm edt
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Land Status
I have never been so close
to changing my internet provider. I could end up canceling my land line. That would be a huge step.
It would be a no-brainer. I could save even more money by eliminating
a line I never use.
It would feel real strange to give up a phone number I've had for over 40 years.
10:38 pm edt
Monday, August 15, 2016
Calling The 800 Number
I had a question about my health insurance benefits so I
decided to check the on-line guide. I thought it would be easy.
After my login, I was told to change my password to eight characters, including the usual upper case
letter, symbol and number.
That went well until I had to verify my email address. I was told to type in a key code from an email they sent
me. I never received it because it went into my spam folder.
I should have checked it, but I ended up calling customer service. My login issued was resolved
and they answered my question about my benefits.
6:40 pm edt
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Living The Beat
A local bar in an old factory
building just won approval to covert the upper floors into housing units. This all sounds good, but the bar has live music
several nights a week.
The
people who will live there must be acceptable of that arrangement. It will be too late to complain about the noise. Several
other buildings on the street have similar situations.
I don't know how the residents do it. The constant noise would too much for most people.
9:08 am edt
Saturday, August 13, 2016
The Phone Didn't Die
I thought my cell phone might be dead after I was unable to start it up after powering it
down. I left it in my car for about 30 minutes, but it wasn't exceptionally hot today.
I ended up going to the Verizon Wireless store where a technician removed the battery and rebooted
the system. It worked fine after that. I also revised my monthly data plan and will save abut $20 per month.
10:42 pm edt
Friday, August 12, 2016
Don't Bet On 75%
Voter turnout in the presidential
election has not exceeded 60% since 1968. One company decided to jump on an advertising campaign that guaranteed free purchases
of their furniture if the turnout was greater than 75%.
This election is something we have never seen before, but I don't think 75% of the voters will cast
ballots. It's a low risk bet for the company and an excellent way to sell furniture.
They probably took out insurance in case the unexpected happens, but there is no way 75% of
the voters will show up.
12:50 pm edt
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Flying Objects
I just saw a story on the
news about the dangers of things falling off cars and trucks and becoming projectiles. The examples shown were very scary
because it can happen at any time.
I
try to avoid vehicles that have secured loads. You never know how well they are strapped down. Some are just accidents
waiting to happen.
6:46 pm edt
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
See The Index
The weather people are going
crazy about the Heat Index for Thursday. According to them, it will be very oppressive. What do they really know? They
can only be so accurate on a daily basis.
They use to talk about "Triple H Weather", (hazy, hot and humid). Now it's all about the Heat
Index. It's a lot like the wind chill factor.
11:53 pm edt
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
The Don't Like Cash
I don't think we will ever
see a cash free system in my lifetime. People will keep using paper currency and write checks as long as they can.
I pay all of my bills on-line, except for my rent and use
a credit card for purchases to earn points. It has worked out well so far.
A food server in Boston was in the news for not taking cash,
which is against state law. The owner made a strong argument in his defense.
I don't know how you can stop taking cash. It doesn't make any sense.
11:27 pm edt
Monday, August 8, 2016
Past The Date
A few weeks ago, I bought
several bottles of Pepsi that were on sale. I try not to drink more then 6-8 ounces a day. I use to consume
too much of it.
Today,
I noticed that the expiration date on one bottle was last month. I should have checked when I bought it. The store must
have known that it was reaching its date. That's why it was on sale. Where was it before then? Was it sitting in a warehouse?
1:40 pm edt
Sunday, August 7, 2016
The $2 Head
I enjoy
eating cauliflower. It's one of those calciferous veggies along with broccoli. I bought a big fresh head yesterday at Market
Basket for $2. It was raised locally in Presque Isle, ME.
I often wonder how anyone makes any money on farming.
11:38 pm edt
Saturday, August 6, 2016
The Phone Died
I still have a land line because of my DSL internet connection.
For some reason, the display no longer workers. Everything else is fine, but the phone has reached the end of its life.
It was made by AT&T and I've had it almost ten years. Tomorrow might be its last day, as I will
take a ride to the China Outlet (Walmart) to buy a new one.
7:53 pm edt
Friday, August 5, 2016
The Boring Opening
Tonight is the opening ceremony
for the Rio Olympics. I have no plans to watch the three hours of excess hype. The program is too long with all of its
pageantry.
The
Olympics cost too much money for the host city and country. Thousands of people were displaced for construction. Next year
at this time, many of the venues will be rotting away from lack of use.
NBC is looking to score big tonight on the ratings. It's all about the money.
3:34 pm edt
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Beach Time
I took a ride to Hampton Beach
today and walked along the sand for one hour. My timing in mid-afternoon was perfect as it was low tide. It makes a big difference
with walking.
That
was my first time on the sand this summer and it's already August. The season is rather short around here. Once Labor
Day passes, the beach will be very quiet.
Just six more weeks of summer.
10:40 pm edt
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Shifting Down Under
We always hear about the continents of the world drifting,
but who would have thought that it would impact GPS devices. It's a real problem in Australia.
Tectonic movement has caused the continent to shift five feet north since 1994. As a result, GPS
devices can be off by a few feet. It's a real problem that needs to be addressed.
As technology evolves, we will face a list of problems that nobody ever thought of.
6:11 pm edt
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Gambling With Floss
The news today mentioned
that studies show that using dental floss daily does not reduce the chance of gum disease or cavities. They said that brushing
daily is just as effective.
I
totally disagree with all of this. I have been using it for over 30 years. My gums to this point are in good shape. I have
a couple of spaces where food gets trapped every time I eat.
My flossing has helped saved my teeth and gums. I wouldn't want to know what would happen without
it. People can make their own decisions.
12:31 pm edt
Monday, August 1, 2016
No Cheap Rooms
It didn't surprise me to read
that Boston hotel room rates are comparable to New York City. Boston has a shortage of rooms, especially affordable ones.
Reasonable rates can only be found on the outskirts or in the suburbs.
New York City has many reasonably priced rooms. Rates are always dictated by time of year and
special events. The high rates in Boston don't do anything to help tourism.
6:09 pm edt