Sunday, April 30, 2017
Varying Degrees
Two days ago, I ran when it
was almost 80 degrees. I was very overdressed and sweated too much.
Two days later, it was 25 degrees cooler.
You can't dress for this weather. You never know day to day.
11:57 pm edt
Saturday, April 29, 2017
The Age Game
In the end, people look older before their time. It happens
so often and is tough to watch others age.
We all go down this road one way or other and will age differently to the last day of our life.
11:45 pm edt
Friday, April 28, 2017
Raise The Windows
It was very warm when I ran today. I didn't help my
situation by overdressing so much. My run was only a couple of miles, so it wasn't bad.
When I got home, I raised my storms windows. It seem like the right time to do with warmer
temperatures coming.
11:10 pm edt
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Golf 2017
It was great to play golf today for the first time this
year. I played with a couple of former coworkers who I've been with for the last 29 years.
Golf is a great game. You can do it until the last day of your life.
The score doesn't really matter in the end. It's nice to play with friends.
11:45 pm edt
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
A Grave Situation
We hear stories periodically
about burial sites being discovered during construction or clearing land. New York City has their share of them.
We can only hope that remains are treated with dignity and respect.
New
Hampshire had one discovered recently while workers were clearing trees near a logging road.
It appears to be a long abandoned family cemetery. These
people were someone in life. In death, they were forgotten.
3:06 pm edt
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Two Cars Ago
I trade my Toyota Corollas
every two years. So far, I've owned six. They are great cars and well made.
I never seem to be able to stop third party companies from trying to sell me an extended warranty
for a car I no longer own.
After I received a post card about my 2013 Corolla, I decided
to call the company in Texas. I told them that I no longer own the car. They were very cordial and updated their records.
It's probably a matter of time before they start asking me about my 2015 Corolla which I traded back
in February.
4:58 pm edt
Monday, April 24, 2017
Tall Nonsense
I must admit that I really don't care that the Tall
Ships are here in the middle of June. They are so overrated. There will be so much needless hype about them.
12:00 am edt
Saturday, April 22, 2017
The Expensive Stores
It's easy to see why we are
witnessing the demise of retail stores throughout the country. Rent, overhead and competition
from on-line options are major factors.
The iconic Ralph Lauren brand has closed 50 stores, including its flagship one on Fifth Ave in Manhattan.
They signed a $400 million, 16 year lease back in 2013. The annual rent of $25 million comes down to $68,493 a day. The 39,000
square foot space remains empty.
With
that type of rent, it's hard to imagine how any retailer could stay in business. It would be almost impossible to maintain
a steady revenue stream to offset operating costs.
Malls all across America attract few shoppers. People love to shop on-line from their
home. It's hard to reverse this trend.
What will it look like ten years from now?
11:10 am edt
Friday, April 21, 2017
Time To Read Quicker
My local library belongs to a regional network that allows
users to borrow books from other places. It works out great as I have been able to read books that were hard to find.
I have been waiting for two titles to show up on my reserve list. It's never a good sign when it
takes long. It means that other readers are in the queue.
I got two separate calls yesterday informing me that books are ready to be picked up. I will have them for
three weeks. It doesn't look like renewal will be an option.
I need to read them quickly. This will be a challenge because I read slow.
10:48 pm edt
Thursday, April 20, 2017
No Late Night Shows
I spent so many years watching Johnny Carson, Jay Keno and
David Letterman on late night shows at 11:30pm.
It's so different now. None of the shows are funny. Some of the content is so lame.
When they come on after the 11pm news, I either switch channels
or just shut it off.
11:45 pm edt
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
What A Jerk
I got some free samples of
beef jerky the other day. I tried one of them last night. They were beyond being salty. I can't imagine the sodium level in
this stuff.
There was
only one thing to do with the rest of my samples. I threw them into the dumpster.
7:31 pm edt
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Snap It Up
I never heard of Skinless Snapper Haddock until today. It
turns out to be a skinny version of the fish and much cheaper than the big ones.
I had it for dinner. It tasted the same as regular haddock. I plan to buy it in the future as
fish prices tend to get out of control at time.
10:19 pm edt
Monday, April 17, 2017
The End of April 17th
This day ends in less than
20 minutes. I've been up since 3am to get ready for the Boston Marathon. It has been a very long day.
Last night, I couldn't fall asleep. It was getting very
frustrating. I won't have that problem tonight.
11:42 pm edt
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Trains Not Moving
I can't imagine being stuck on a crowded train inside a
tunnel, but it happened the other day under the Hudson River between New Jersey and Penn Station.
Passengers were forced to wait in almost darkness until
they got moving again. A few people started to act up, which only made matters worse.
There is no excuse for some of these incidents. It's happening
too frequently to commuters who have no other choice.
Whenever I board a train or subway, I try not to think of what could happen.
7:05 pm edt
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Not Sailing Away
It was a perfect spring day in Boston today. I spent several
hours walking around and attending the Boston Marathon Expo.
I parked on Memorial Drive and walked to the Hynes Auditorium as I have done many times in the past.
I always get a kick out of watching the small sailboats on the Charles River.
There is a program where people can learn how to sail. The boats move quickly through the water.
I can't imagine doing that. It's one thing I'll never
be involved with.
8:27 pm edt
Friday, April 14, 2017
Bikes All Over The City
The bike sharing system in New York City is not without
its controversy. They are all over the place. Some riders are very careless in their operation.
It could get more chaotic soon with the plans by several
private companies to dump more bikes on the streets. They will be focusing on neighborhoods not being covered.
This sounds like a good idea, but they will not be
providing any docking stations. Users can just leave the bike on the sidewalk and the app will lock the wheels.
This sounds like a crazy idea. Many will probably get stolen,
although the GPS could track them down. Leaving them on a sidewalk presents a potential safety issue.
If this gets rolled out, it should be quite interesting.
7:26 pm edt
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Too Many Apps Open
I don't think we will ever see a good cell phone battery
in our lifetime. It's a constant issue of recharging them. They never last long enough. They start to discharge as soon as
they reach 100%.
It's
hard to have a strong battery all day if you're active. The most important thing is to close out apps that are not being used.
We are all guilty of draining our battery because of too
many open apps. The other day, I found out that I had 13 active.
That
never helps any battery.
10:20 pm edt
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Pulp Nonsense
It's easy to buy the wrong
thing when food shopping. I did it the other day with orange juice.
I wanted "no pulp". Instead, I ended up with "some pulp".
What a difference in the taste. I'm not a fan of it. How
much pulp is in the one that has a lot of pulp?
3:10 pm edt
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
A Better Looking River
For decades, citizens of my community had their view of
the Merrimack River obstructed by the heavy growth of trees and bushes along a major road.
In the past year, selective trimming and thinning has been
done to open it up. When I drove by yesterday, there was a massive cut going on.
The views are spectacular. I've never seen it like this before. I'm sure there will be complaints
because so many trees were cut down, but you can't dispute the awesome views.
12:43 pm edt
Monday, April 10, 2017
Get Rid of Speaker Phones
When I was working, I always
thought it was rude when someone spoke to me on a speaker phone. The quality of the sound was always terrible.
It's a way for someone to grandstand and send a message
that they are important.
While
listening to a sports talk show today, a caller tried to do it. The quality of his voice was horrible. As soon as he switched
back to his regular phone, he was ok.
One of the hosts went ballistic on the guy. The caller knew he was going to be on the air. He
should have switched back to his phone.
People love to feel important like they are a big shot.
6:42 pm edt
Sunday, April 9, 2017
The Most Photos
People post way too much to Facebook
and other forms of social media. Instead of sharing a few pictures of their vacation or some other special moment, they inundate
us with enormous albums.
I
saw a new record today when someone posted an album with 322. I couldn't possibly look at all of them. After about five, I
moved on.
1:20 pm edt
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Not Falling For It
It's that time of the year
for boring stories about teens who go to the extreme to get a date for their prom.
Today's coverage included a kid who jumped out of a plane
holding a sign addressed to a girl he wanted to ask out. Another featured a boy who asked a Hollywood star for a
date.
They all get too
much coverage and encourage further behavior. They are as foolish as a marriage proposal at a stadium or arena for all to
see.
8:16 pm edt
Friday, April 7, 2017
The Bad Date
There is a lot of controversy
about dates on food products. Some say they can be used in spite of being past the date.
It's up to the consumer to examine dates on anything they
purchase. I do that all the time, but was negligent the other day with a box of cereal. It was already several days past.
The store should not be selling it, but I should have checked.
I ended up tossing it out. I hate to waste food and money, but you either believe in those dates or you don't.
12:42 pm edt
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Falling Bridges
The state is wasting a lot
of money by constantly fixing the surface of a bridge on Rt 495 in Haverhill. It's scheduled to be replaced in 2018. Crews
are always there at night, jackhammering the concrete and replacing it.
Large sections have opened up huge holes and damaged many cars. It's a constant battle to keep
up with it.
Last night
was no exception as a crew was busy at work trying to get the road ready for the morning commute.
It's only a matter of time before a section of the deck
starts to crumble gain.
12:04 am edt
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Last Tree Standing
I like to run on a street
in my neighborhood that is lined with stately old maple trees. Without their blanket of leaves, they don't look very
healthy. Several of them show rot and decay.
A few weeks ago, parts of one fell on the roof a house. The tree was cut down a few days later. Now,
several of them have an orange X on their trunk. It's only a matter of time before they come down. Most of them look to be
in bad shape.
6:49 pm edt
Monday, April 3, 2017
Filled To The Brim
I was surprised to see the
water level at the local lake where we get our drinking water. I haven't seen it this high in a long time.
Is the so-called drought over? The numbers were there to
prove we had one. So many places need this water. The two inches of predicted rain for this week should add to the
total.
9:35 pm edt
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Lameness In The Park
Apparently, April is the month
for public pillow fights. I remember this from last year. I thought it was so lame. Why would anyone do this?
Facebook had a video of a fight at a park in Philadelphia.
There were people of all ages involved. This looked dangerous. You can never be sure that someone won't put metal or
some other object in their pillow. Some people just want to hurt others.
6:22 pm edt
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Snow On April 1
It was quite a surprise to
have a major snow storm on April 1, but here we are. It's on the 20 year anniversary of the last one we had on this date.
Naturally, people are wasting time and energy by complaining
about the weather on social media. This storm certainly interrupted plans that people had, but what can you do?
The temperature will get warmer and the snow will disappear soon. I must admit that it's been around very
late into the year at this point.
1:27 pm edt