Thursday Random Ramble - First Week in April

Sometimes I write about what I have done, sometimes I write about what I am going to do, often about what ever flits into my head when I sit down to write.  

If all goes to plan, we are in the city with the tall skyline this week.  Yesterday we should have been in Brooklyn, my grandmother lived there as a child about 110 years ago, and I have never been there.  I will write about lunch with Mitchel next week.  Thursday we have tickets to visit the Edge, an open observation deck near the top of a very-very tall new building.  I am sure there will be photos and a story or two there.  We will do a lot of walking, a little shopping, probably a museum or two.  I had about three work connections who wanted to meet to talk shop, and I declined all of them.  I didn't want to morph a short vacation, into an extended work session.  I really need to plan a working trip to NYC.  

We may have made some progress on the plans for the kitchen replacement.  We spent 2 1/2 hours picking out finishes and fussing over details, in a small space details matter.  Assuming the ball does not get dropped again, it will take 3-5 months to get things ready to go.  Assuming that we hear back, this is major progress on something we have wanted to do since the first day I walked into the kitchen.  

I don't watch the Oscars, and it took me a couple of days to get around to figuring out that one spoiled rich guy, insulted another spoiled rich guys' wife, and was bitch slapped on world wide television for it.  Violence is not the answer, but why can't we make jokes without picking on someone for something they have no control over? I wish his wife well, I imagine the last thing she wanted was to be the middle of a controversy debated on the world stage.   

Work continues to be intense.  But somehow feels less overwhelming.  Annual budgeting season is starting, I think we are in good shape, but I am struggling to get numbers on parts of our portfolio.  I have come to the conclusion that no one has been monitoring cash flow on a part of our budget.  Maybe the best thing to do, is start with a blank sheet and create a plan.  Budgets were never my headache before.  I am presenting four trainings in two weeks in late April, most of the prep for those was due last week.  I was asked to write a short article due in three weeks.  I hesitated, but it was an issue I have written a hundred times in my head and never put on paper.  I finished the first draft while watching TV that evening.  I did an edit, all I need to do is add the footnotes and it is ready to send to the editors.  (If you know the topic, write the article first, then do the research and add the footnotes.) I rode the DC Metro (subway) for the first time since last October.  The system is limping by with about 60% of the rolling stock out of service because the wheels were falling off. The wait time for my connection can be 20 minutes, a pain.  As the city picks up with people returning to offices, I should ride more often.  

Okay, this is the third attempt at this paragraph.  I came to a realization recently of why I don't read most novels.  I won't ramble on, but finally realizing why I don't enjoy them, made it easier for me to be comfortable that I am not missing out on anything that would add value to my life.  If it does not bring you joy, or add value to your day, why waste the time. 

 

The Way We Were Wednesday - Honeybees

 My father would have taken this, my grandfather working the bees, barehanded.  A pair of leather gloves would last him two or three seasons, my father would go through two or three pairs a season.  

My grandfather grew up dirt poor, too many kids, too little of everything. He discovered bees nesting in a dead tree, someone showed him how to harvest the honey, a year or two later someone showed him how to move the bees into a modern beehive, and his lifelong passion for the gentle craft of beekeeping started.  He was gentle, slow and caring with the bees.  Yes, he would get stung, and he would tell you that was almost always because he was careless or moved to quickly.  And yes it hurts to get stung.  After a few stings for most people the reaction changes, you don't swell the same way, but believe me it still hurts. (My grandmother was allergic to bee stings, and had a couple of life threatening experiences.) 

At one time, my father and grandfather had about 2,100 colonies of bees.  We shipped honey by the tractor trailer load in 55 gallon barrels, for pennies a pound.  

hmm

Nice view 

Travel Tuesday : Athens

 We flew to and from Athens on different itineraires.  I was flying on frequent flyer miles, Sweet Bear on a purchased ticket.  We only had one flight that were on the same flight, Athens to New York.  Going over I had much better connections, and arrived in Athens several hours ahead of Sweet Bear.  Coming back, I should have had better connections, but when my connecting flight in New York went to push back from the gate, the pilot forgot to release the brakes and things broke.  I missed another connection, ended up in a Taxi for the last 90 miles of the trip at the airlines expense. 

Greece was warm, inviting, fun, and fascinating.  I would go back any time.  

YouTube Monday : Ralfy How to drink and enjoy whisky

A favorite of Dr Spo, Ralfy does a weekly product review on YouTube.  He has written two books, the first a fun if somewhat rambling biography, yes he was an undertaker for decades, and the second a novel, a mystery set in a whisky distillery. This one is a little long for my Monday posts, but kinda fun. 

The Sunday Five: Boats

Uncle Dick had a house on a lake, because he had a boat, he had a boat because his mother's neighbor won it on a television game show, she didn't know what to do with it, so he bought it.  Hence boats were a part of my childhood.  That and this photo of the marina guy, inspire this week's Sunday five.

1: Have you ever owned a boat? 

2: Do you feel comfortable on boats? 

3: Do you prefer sail, row, or powerboat?

4: Do you feel comfortable swimming? 

5: Would you let him untie your boat? 

My answers: 

1: Have you ever owned a boat? No, thought about it. 

2: Do you feel comfortable on boats? Yes, as long as the boat seems sound. 

3: Do you prefer sail, row, or powerboat? Powerboat. 

4: Do you feel comfortable swimming? Reasonably, yes. 

5: Would you let him untie your boat? Tie it up, untie it, whatever needs doing.  

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post - Pandavagon

My father hated convertibles.  His dislike was always very rational, convertibles are noisy, they leak, they have less backseat and or trunk space, they cost more, they have more moving parts so more maintenance issues. He could go on, those are the highlights. 

I remember the first time I drove one, an MGB. How do I describe who owned it.  A couple I had sold a house to.  The wife took me out to lunch, had me drive her car, she was trying to seduce me.  If Shirley is still alive she is 85 - ah yes the older woman - and I was young and fit.  Their marriage didn't last long, he couldn't keep up with her.  

Back to the MGB, we put the top down and drove down the beach in Daytona, I was in love (with the car at least.) 

Over the years I talked about owning a convertible.  Common sense, or the need for something practical always seemed to get in the way - with my father's laundry list of why it was a bad idea ringing in my head. 

Three years ago in January, I took my practical Mazda 3 hatchback into the dealer for service and the annual inspections.  While waiting, I wandered around the lot and they had a BMW convertible on the used car line.  It was older and had way too many miles on it, but I saw the price and thought, I have that much extra in my checking account.  I could do this.  

I started looking, mostly online.  I visited a couple of dealers, drove a couple of cars. Then I saw this online, it was a few years old (it is a 2008) and had just about 44,000 miles.  I exchanged emails, set a time to see it, drive it, and fell in love with it.  I made them an offer, the salesman said, "oh they would never do that" I said "well ask," he did, I watched the sales manager smile, and approve it. 

I kept the sensible Mazda hatchback.  It was newer, I had owned it since new.  It was extremely practical.  I figured I would drive the convertible for a couple of summers, then sell it.  I even plotted where it would sell for the most money and thought about driving it across country selling it and taking the train back.  A very practical plan. 

Mr. Panda was sitting in a chair just outside my bedroom door, he had been there for a couple of years.  We put him in the back seat and took him for a ride, he liked it, he has been there pretty much ever since.  Just the other day I was driving home from the office, stuck in traffic with the top down, and the woman in the car next to me, shouted, "what's with the panda?"  I replied "he likes it there." He has squishy legs so he actually fits in the back seat.  

Last fall I realized that I had only driven the sensible Mazda about 400 miles in 10 months.  And used car prices are unusually high.  I took it back the dealer I had bought it from, and sold it back to them. They resold it the following week.  It only had about 40,000 miles on it and was nearly 10 years old.