I applied on-line today for Medicare. It was easy to do in about 15 minutes. 

The SSA website has quite a process to confirm a person's identity. It asked me several questions about my car loan and credit cards. 

How did they gather this information? None of it was on my tax return.

It's hard to comprehend the amount of data they have. 

 

It's a shame that Las Vegas doesn't offer odds on whether a public works project gets done at cost and on schedule. 

The rebuilding of the Rt 495 bridges over the Merrimack River will cost $102 million and take four years to complete.

How will traffic be impacted?

It will never be done on time or at cost.

 

 

My local library has been so helpful in getting books I want to read. I've never helped the situation by having such a slow speed for reading. It takes so long for me to read anything.

I have a book due tomorrow with no option to renew. I know I can finish it, but I'm feeling rushed. 

 

My city is having another tree-cut on a recreational trail. The growth has gone on for too long. The place is like a jungle.

I have been on the trail with snowshoes and running shoes. Something had to happen.

They are certainly doing a clear-cut in some parts. It will be a major change, but for the better. 

 

Why do some people feel the need to write their initials in freshly laid cement? Someone did it on a sidewalk in my neighborhood. 

It was such a selfish act. The new sidewalk helped the street looked nicer, but someone felt self-important enough to make a statement with their actions.

The world is filled with people who don't care about anyone. This was a great example of that. 

 

Talk radio always has some strange discussions. They get off track very easily and stray into other topics. 

I heard a very interesting dialogue about drinking liquids while eating. 

It seems like a significant amount of people eat their food dry. I can't imagine doing that.

I always have a huge amount of liquid when I consume food.

 

The owner of a home on my street recently cut down all of the shrubs on his property.  

His land was very overgrown and the house was almost hidden. It looks so much better now.

Yards can become like jungles real fast. The shrubs were never meant to be that big. 

 

Golf is not big when it comes to getting a workout unless you walk the course. 

I was in a situation today where we had a great day, but paid $40 and got a cart whether we wanted it or not. I was ok with it.

I really don't use fitness trackers after by disaster with Fitbit, but my phone app said I had 2,173 steps for 18 holes of golf. 

That is so poor. That is around one mile of walking. 

Golf isn't exercise unless you walk 

 

Cigarette smokers exhibit selfish behavior when they throw their discarded butts on the ground anywhere.

They throw them out of the car windows or bury them in the sand at the beach. It doesn't matter to them. 

I thought it was so wrong when I saw a butt on the ground at a nearby cemetery as I jogged through it yesterday. 

I'm sure the person never gave it a thought. 

 

 

I finally bought a selfie stick today. Two things surprised me about them.

Walmart had them for $9. I thought it would be more expensive. The setup was easy, but getting the right shot was a real challenge.

I look forward to using it in the future. 

 

 

The news is filled with people doing foolish things that harm themselves or others.  

A recent story told of a young man who died at a bachelor party during a contest involving guys holding their breath under water.

Apparently, the victim died during this "game". It was a bad idea and something his friends will need to live with forever. 

 

The news had a story of a 46 year old British woman who fell off a cruise ship into the Adriatic Sea and was able to tread water for ten hours before being rescued. 

The woman said her survival was a miracle. She was certainly right about that.

It happened late at night. The ship was unable to find her before she was rescued by the Croatian Coast Guard.

She must have been a strong swimmer and had a tremendous will to stay alive. 

 

 

 

Everything has sugar in it. People consume too much of it because it's in so many foods.  

I was surprised to see how much there is in ketchup. I decided to switch to a sugar free one from Heinz.

It tasted so different from what I've used over the years.  

I already bought another bottle. 

 

I'm surprise that there are not more fires at gasoline pumps. People smoke cigarettes too close to them. 

When I got gas tonight, there was a butt on the ground about several inches from the pump.

People are so careless when it comes to smoking.

 

One news story I won't miss hearing about is the never ending drama about sharks swimming off Cape Cod. The local stations keep the story alive because people enjoy hearing about close encounters. 

They gave that paddle-board guy his fifteen minutes of fame when they showed him dangerously close to a great white shark.

Nothing happened to him. The newscasters were able to laugh it off. Eventually, something is going to happen. 

 

I learned a lesson of my life to never buy lemons if you can't squeeze them.

The lemon I bought the other night had no juice for my salad dressing.

It was a mistake on my part. 

 

The weather was so different today with lower temperatures. There was a touch of autumn in the air.

It's raining right now at this late hour as it has for the last several days.

People in California can only wish for this type of problem with so much rain.

 

Weather is so hard to predict. We see that with isolated tornados and rain storms.

Several cities and towns around Boston were hit hard today with torrential rain. Roads were flooded.

Less than 30 miles away where I live, it just rained periodically.

 

I can hear the crickets outside tonight. The heat and humidity bring them out. 

There will be a point where it gets too cold and they go silent.

When is that day? It will be here before we know.

 

I will never understand how "resort fees" became part of renting a hotel room. It doesn't matter where it is.

You can never trust a room price on any website unless you know the "fee".

It's so deceptive.

 

The street behind my apartment building was partially blocked today so that another small sink hole could be repaired.

This is nothing new. The pipes under the street have failed on a regular basis over the last 30 years.

The ten foot section of pipe they replaced today was from 1873.

The infrastructure of America is so old.

 

There is construction all around Boston. It's hard to make the site look nice, especially with any type of fencing.

One project had a creative solution. The wove fake green ivy through it. 

From a distance, it almost looked real. I actually touched it to check it out.

 

The tornado in Webster, Mass the other day came out of nowhere. The destruction was incredible for the buildings in its path.  

It's very unfortunate that a number of people are homeless after their building was destroyed.

This happened so randomly. You never know what might happen day to day. 

 

It was very hot and humid today, but that is part of summer around here.

Days are getting shorter with sunlight. We will only have so many hot days left. 

When it snows in January, people will wish for these days. 

The good old days.

 

We never know how the traffic is going to be when we drive into Boston.

I'm leaving shortly to attend a Red Sox game tonight at Fenway Park.

It's a roll of the dice. Any type of vehicle incident can cause it to slow down.

Every trip becomes an adventure. 

 

I had a lobster roll tonight for the first time in almost a year. It was delicious. I would eat them more often if they were not so overpriced.

I'm not a fan of cracking lobsters. It seems like too much work and gets messy very fast.  

Lobster rolls are awesome. I just wish you could get one at a reasonable price. 

 

You can always count on people to have stupid and selfish behaviors.

They show it in so many ways. Someone is usually nearby to record the moment on their phone.

I saw a video of a guy who decided to challenge a bison in Yellowstone National Park.

He got out of his car and into the animal's face. It was so foolish of him. He almost got gored.

At least he had his 15 minutes of fame. 

 

 

Large cities have been inundated with bike sharing and their docking systems. They present a safety challenge to pedestrians and drivers. 

New York City has taken it a step further with electric scooters. It should be interesting to see how this works.

The machines weigh over 200 pounds and can be a challenge to operate for the novice rider. They will be required to be driven in the street and obey all traffic laws.

It will only be a matter of time before we see the first major accident.