Real hot today , Went to Day Pond State Park to hang by the water ; the sand burned my feet raw. I looked very smooth , hop-skipping my way to the water while emitting high pitched yelps reminiscent of a toy poodle.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Now ..That is HOT!!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Travels of a Lunatic
Not really , I just liked the sound of the title ; May one day need to reuse that to label my life journal. I did forget my recently prescribed meds at home, realizing this 2 hours too late , but resolved to not become a nut-job this weekend and for the most part was successful.
We decided to try another camping weekend since the last one got cut short. This time we stayed at Clarksburgh State park in order to kayak Mauserts Pond. I booked a site that had a direct path to the water that we could run our boats down. Unfortunately , upon check-in , I found out that I booked sat- mon instead of fri-sun. I was a little disappointed (bright red with frustration) , but the new unintentionally unmedicated Kevin remained calm , took a site further up and anticipated either moving the next day or negotiating keeping the site with the am guy.
We set up pretty quickly ; we are old pro`s now... enjoyed a dinner of Muckies dogs and Lori`s killer pasta salad -In bed by 11am to get up early and Hike. I drifted to sleep , dreaming of our having to move the entire tent ,filled with bedding , clothes and inflatable bed ; Lori and I on either side, tripping and stumbling our way down the road towards our new site -negotiating camper traffic and folks` morning john ritual - hampered by our inability to see around our unwieldy , bulky and deteriorating dwelling.....the poles intermittently releasing themselves from their wedges , suddenly snapping straight out and collapsing aspects of the tent structure , immediately amplifying the loads width , its hazardous piercing potential and its bearers consternation.
Awake .... as the birds trumpet in the morning and the cool fog of sleep lifts from my brow ,.... oooh gotta PEE!!!! Nothing like a cold evening in a tent to fill your bladder to bursting. Unzip the tent - catching it on the fabric every 3 inches , reverse and rezip an inch , and repeat. Eventually , I stick my feet into the dew filled shoes I left outside the tent and slosh my way to the latrine.
Camping is Joy :-)
After a nice breakfast of cream of wheat , instant coffee and white chocolate peanut butter sandwich ( it really was pretty good_ We drove up to Mount greylock , stopped at some beautiful views along the way...... At the peak , we began a hike called Thunderbolt , something or other. Unknowingly , we found It essentially went straight down , a joint jarring 2100 foot drop that would eventually lead to a need to ascend that same distance , creating mathematical harmony but bodily chaos. I astutely halted our descent approximately 700 feet down when we discovered these facts , outlined in an unassuming historical placard that was peaking out from overgrown brush , which explained the trails original creation and usage as a downhill ski trail ....yeah , the Thunderbolt. We cried our way back up the mountain, drove further down to a much more manageable trailhead.
Or so we thought.
We went to Pecks falls which also was a lot of descent , leading to a lot of return climbing to do. We did about three and a half grueling miles. Its incredible how such a weak force as gravity can be so tiring to overcome. Lori did get to stick her tootsies in the ice cold waterfall prior to the ascent. I should`ve. Instead of looping , we hopped onto another trail (the gps showed it was nearby and would intersect near our origin) , that had some geocaches on it. I didn`t realize that we would need to descend into a valley , negotiating crumbling switchbacks , crossing the valley stream , and scrambling up the hill to HOP onto this trail. I mis-read the topo on the gps , seeing that the trail we were currently on and the trail I intended to navigate to , were of the save elevation. I must`ve missed the part where it dropped the few hundred feet in the span of 100 yards.
Well anyway , the workout was worth it. We guiltlessly enjoyed some marshmellows on the fire that evening , while I drowned out the neighbors with my Droid`s music and my singing over it , serenading Lori , despite her protestations.
The next am , we kayaked Mauserts pond , which is not very large and was choked with water lilies , but still made for a nice scenic paddle. We just missed an airborne animal splash the water as I turned a corner. I swear I saw movement , yet no discernible features or colors. Just a kind of shimmer of action and then Splash! We never did figure out what kind of animal it was, though I say it was a flying otter. After a quick brunch snack we drove home via the mohawk trail , picking up a few quick roadside geocaches. Lori found most of them. We ate at Shelburne Falls after a view of the glacial potholes. Lori had an open faced pot roast with gravy and tatoes that was very good. I had a fish sandwich , with french fries (only the 2nd time I`ve eaten french fries this year) It was warm and muggy so we skipped the greenhouse like , bridge of flowers. We did do a quick 1 1/2 mile walk in Ct , at windsor locks canal , to make up for our extravagant lunch. Its a nice walk along the ct river , or would be if it wasn`t so damn muggy , but anyway. Thats a wrap , a good weekend. I came home , took a quick nap on my hammock , and have relented and restarted my missed medication regime as I was a little more testy this weekend than I`ve been in the past medicated few ....I expect to stay on it through to the end of Fall , while undergoing cognitive therapy which has thusfar enabled me to think my way through my fits of anger and bouts of depression. I intend to cure myself by December , exposing the cold winter season to a cool , calm , and collected Kevin.
We decided to try another camping weekend since the last one got cut short. This time we stayed at Clarksburgh State park in order to kayak Mauserts Pond. I booked a site that had a direct path to the water that we could run our boats down. Unfortunately , upon check-in , I found out that I booked sat- mon instead of fri-sun. I was a little disappointed (bright red with frustration) , but the new unintentionally unmedicated Kevin remained calm , took a site further up and anticipated either moving the next day or negotiating keeping the site with the am guy.
We set up pretty quickly ; we are old pro`s now... enjoyed a dinner of Muckies dogs and Lori`s killer pasta salad -In bed by 11am to get up early and Hike. I drifted to sleep , dreaming of our having to move the entire tent ,filled with bedding , clothes and inflatable bed ; Lori and I on either side, tripping and stumbling our way down the road towards our new site -negotiating camper traffic and folks` morning john ritual - hampered by our inability to see around our unwieldy , bulky and deteriorating dwelling.....the poles intermittently releasing themselves from their wedges , suddenly snapping straight out and collapsing aspects of the tent structure , immediately amplifying the loads width , its hazardous piercing potential and its bearers consternation.
Awake .... as the birds trumpet in the morning and the cool fog of sleep lifts from my brow ,.... oooh gotta PEE!!!! Nothing like a cold evening in a tent to fill your bladder to bursting. Unzip the tent - catching it on the fabric every 3 inches , reverse and rezip an inch , and repeat. Eventually , I stick my feet into the dew filled shoes I left outside the tent and slosh my way to the latrine.
Camping is Joy :-)
After a nice breakfast of cream of wheat , instant coffee and white chocolate peanut butter sandwich ( it really was pretty good_ We drove up to Mount greylock , stopped at some beautiful views along the way...... At the peak , we began a hike called Thunderbolt , something or other. Unknowingly , we found It essentially went straight down , a joint jarring 2100 foot drop that would eventually lead to a need to ascend that same distance , creating mathematical harmony but bodily chaos. I astutely halted our descent approximately 700 feet down when we discovered these facts , outlined in an unassuming historical placard that was peaking out from overgrown brush , which explained the trails original creation and usage as a downhill ski trail ....yeah , the Thunderbolt. We cried our way back up the mountain, drove further down to a much more manageable trailhead.
Or so we thought.
We went to Pecks falls which also was a lot of descent , leading to a lot of return climbing to do. We did about three and a half grueling miles. Its incredible how such a weak force as gravity can be so tiring to overcome. Lori did get to stick her tootsies in the ice cold waterfall prior to the ascent. I should`ve. Instead of looping , we hopped onto another trail (the gps showed it was nearby and would intersect near our origin) , that had some geocaches on it. I didn`t realize that we would need to descend into a valley , negotiating crumbling switchbacks , crossing the valley stream , and scrambling up the hill to HOP onto this trail. I mis-read the topo on the gps , seeing that the trail we were currently on and the trail I intended to navigate to , were of the save elevation. I must`ve missed the part where it dropped the few hundred feet in the span of 100 yards.
Well anyway , the workout was worth it. We guiltlessly enjoyed some marshmellows on the fire that evening , while I drowned out the neighbors with my Droid`s music and my singing over it , serenading Lori , despite her protestations.
The next am , we kayaked Mauserts pond , which is not very large and was choked with water lilies , but still made for a nice scenic paddle. We just missed an airborne animal splash the water as I turned a corner. I swear I saw movement , yet no discernible features or colors. Just a kind of shimmer of action and then Splash! We never did figure out what kind of animal it was, though I say it was a flying otter. After a quick brunch snack we drove home via the mohawk trail , picking up a few quick roadside geocaches. Lori found most of them. We ate at Shelburne Falls after a view of the glacial potholes. Lori had an open faced pot roast with gravy and tatoes that was very good. I had a fish sandwich , with french fries (only the 2nd time I`ve eaten french fries this year) It was warm and muggy so we skipped the greenhouse like , bridge of flowers. We did do a quick 1 1/2 mile walk in Ct , at windsor locks canal , to make up for our extravagant lunch. Its a nice walk along the ct river , or would be if it wasn`t so damn muggy , but anyway. Thats a wrap , a good weekend. I came home , took a quick nap on my hammock , and have relented and restarted my missed medication regime as I was a little more testy this weekend than I`ve been in the past medicated few ....I expect to stay on it through to the end of Fall , while undergoing cognitive therapy which has thusfar enabled me to think my way through my fits of anger and bouts of depression. I intend to cure myself by December , exposing the cold winter season to a cool , calm , and collected Kevin.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Journal Entry - A new Leaf ?
Went camping this weekend , upstate mass , near Mount Greylock . We stayed in savoy forest. We went despite the pending poor weather since we already rescheduled last week due to lightning storms. Friday night , Lori and I , for the first time camped together , alone.
We went up Friday night after work. I got slightly lost , attempting to find the fastest way there. The GPS also kept telling me to go some retardedly back-ass-wards way. I didn`t get overly frustrated , I remained calm. Eventually found our way , got there with just enough daylight to get the tent installed , quik tarp contraption hooked up ,and bed blown up. The pump didn`t work unless it was plugged into the running car so I had to drag the bed and fill it up at an awkward angle in the brush. When finally filled with air , It didn`t fit in the tent until I squeezed it and folded it as much as I could and then pushed for all my worth. I did all this with a smile , I was cool , calm and collected. We pulled out the bedding , the food , I started a fire despite the wet leaves and lack of kindling , got the grill out and hooked up the propane , we pulled out our clothes and books and lantern and flashlight. Essentially we emptied and installed our entire SUV onto this plot of dirt. I cooked us up some hot dogs while we relaxed around the blazing fire I made. We made some smores in it a bit later as we wondered at the multitude of stars.
We slept pretty good. Next morning it began to drizzle , we were unsure what the forecast was and had no service to check it on my Droid. We drove a few miles down the road until I had service , saw that we had rain all day , thunderstorms over night and more rain the next day. That essentially killed all mountain hiking plans. We decided that one night was a good test and we should pack it in and just do some scenic driving down route 7 towards home. It wasn`t drizzling anymore like it was when we first considered packing it in. We broke camp down in an absolute downpour. We repacked our SUV to overstuffed-edness as it is rare that camping gear folds back as neatly and tightly during the return process.
I write this journal , not to describe our camping trip but to highlight the one difference between this event and the horrific vision Lori had of how this weekend was going to turn out. That difference was Me , and my handling of the variety of torments. I did not once , throw a hissy fit , nor have a melt down. There was not one temper tantrum and I broke nothing. I did not drive around like a maniac or yell and scream at Lori in frustration. Nothing was thrown , kicked or punched. I , through the power of mind , breathed deeply during many of these formerly rage-inducing situations , and resolved them with a calm smile. I joked and laughed at situations that normally would`ve had me spitting.
Its only Tuesday , But I was able to keep the same positive state of mind , all week. I`m much happier and hope to be able to keep it up .....forever.
We went up Friday night after work. I got slightly lost , attempting to find the fastest way there. The GPS also kept telling me to go some retardedly back-ass-wards way. I didn`t get overly frustrated , I remained calm. Eventually found our way , got there with just enough daylight to get the tent installed , quik tarp contraption hooked up ,and bed blown up. The pump didn`t work unless it was plugged into the running car so I had to drag the bed and fill it up at an awkward angle in the brush. When finally filled with air , It didn`t fit in the tent until I squeezed it and folded it as much as I could and then pushed for all my worth. I did all this with a smile , I was cool , calm and collected. We pulled out the bedding , the food , I started a fire despite the wet leaves and lack of kindling , got the grill out and hooked up the propane , we pulled out our clothes and books and lantern and flashlight. Essentially we emptied and installed our entire SUV onto this plot of dirt. I cooked us up some hot dogs while we relaxed around the blazing fire I made. We made some smores in it a bit later as we wondered at the multitude of stars.
We slept pretty good. Next morning it began to drizzle , we were unsure what the forecast was and had no service to check it on my Droid. We drove a few miles down the road until I had service , saw that we had rain all day , thunderstorms over night and more rain the next day. That essentially killed all mountain hiking plans. We decided that one night was a good test and we should pack it in and just do some scenic driving down route 7 towards home. It wasn`t drizzling anymore like it was when we first considered packing it in. We broke camp down in an absolute downpour. We repacked our SUV to overstuffed-edness as it is rare that camping gear folds back as neatly and tightly during the return process.
I write this journal , not to describe our camping trip but to highlight the one difference between this event and the horrific vision Lori had of how this weekend was going to turn out. That difference was Me , and my handling of the variety of torments. I did not once , throw a hissy fit , nor have a melt down. There was not one temper tantrum and I broke nothing. I did not drive around like a maniac or yell and scream at Lori in frustration. Nothing was thrown , kicked or punched. I , through the power of mind , breathed deeply during many of these formerly rage-inducing situations , and resolved them with a calm smile. I joked and laughed at situations that normally would`ve had me spitting.
Its only Tuesday , But I was able to keep the same positive state of mind , all week. I`m much happier and hope to be able to keep it up .....forever.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
musings of a.... long.... evening
The summer night is warm and thick , it tastes like hope. No time to sleep , the day is long , the night is longer , restless. Filled with longing , anticipatory tremblings of what could be.. this time it will be better ; Better than all the rest. Can`t wait , yearning for it to start right now , it`s been so long.
Long gone is the chill and the grey eves of the interminable winter. The longest I remember , grievously long. Not long ago was the absence of hope. But I smell it now ; sniff it on the warm breeze. I long to embrace it. Pining the night away , I realize I`m not alone. There is scurrying all about me - its still wild , it hasn`t all been cemented over. There is life left and I hunger for it. I want to start right now. Along these lines , I dream of the dawn to come - a red blush across the sky. I crave its cleansing brightness. Its not far away now , even though this night is long.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Italy Pics
Venice , Florence and Rome - See Europe Part II
I will have a page on website with the full europe trip run down soon.
I will have a page on website with the full europe trip run down soon.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Took out the Kayaks
Sunday , got out the kayaks and had a nice few hours at bigelow hollow state park. Felt good to get out in it for the first time this year. Our last few weekends kind of sucked. I didn`t catch any fish but Lori and I saw a blue heron - he hung out while we slowly floated closer. Got a few good pics. Did about 3 miles paddling according to the gps.
We hit a couple of other areas for some short walks and ate a salad picnic (nice chef salad from highland park market) We were going to hike bigleow but right at the mouth of the trail , I got bit at least five times successively by multiple skeeters. We said screw this and ran away.
Saturday , we did 3 miles at Salmon River State forest. I hiked with my fishing rod along the river part of the way; caught a nice looking trout. We did the trail that loops into day pond but cut the hike short - didn`t have 7 miles in us , and once out of the river area , the hike was not as picturesque ....had a bunch of inclines that didn`t seem to serve any purpose. Lori has had some nasty hamstring issues for almost a year now , and some of the inclines give her sharp pinchy pains. She has fought through it for the most part , but if your do the work and climb , at least a good mountain view is in order. None to be had here , so we looped back. I caught a fish !! Second of the year.
We hit a couple of other areas for some short walks and ate a salad picnic (nice chef salad from highland park market) We were going to hike bigleow but right at the mouth of the trail , I got bit at least five times successively by multiple skeeters. We said screw this and ran away.
Saturday , we did 3 miles at Salmon River State forest. I hiked with my fishing rod along the river part of the way; caught a nice looking trout. We did the trail that loops into day pond but cut the hike short - didn`t have 7 miles in us , and once out of the river area , the hike was not as picturesque ....had a bunch of inclines that didn`t seem to serve any purpose. Lori has had some nasty hamstring issues for almost a year now , and some of the inclines give her sharp pinchy pains. She has fought through it for the most part , but if your do the work and climb , at least a good mountain view is in order. None to be had here , so we looped back. I caught a fish !! Second of the year.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Pictures from London and Paris
I described the visit a few posts ago - (spring is here)
Will have Italy up soon
See the pictures HERE
Will have Italy up soon
See the pictures HERE
Saturday, May 01, 2010
It was warm today.
A lovely summer day following a few fall days. The weather is a bit erratic in lovely Ct. We went out to Margaritas last night with Charlie and Janine ...great company as always... I had a few margaritas and then stayed up too late watching the taped yankee game ...we did win though.
So my plan to go kayaking in Burr Pond didn`t work out as we overslept and then I didn`t feel like setting the car and the kayaks up. We instead went to Eagleville Falls , did a mile and a half hike near the willimantic river.. We saw a rattle snake...pretty creepy ...I looked it up and it was a timber rattler but I didn`t know they were in that area. Saw him stretched out , head away from us about 3 1/2 feet long , blackish and rattling away incessantly. We watched him a good minute , Lori was freaking ...he slithered off. Pretty cool.
We did a bit of park hopping just to reacquaint ourselves with the parks this year and plan out future excursions and kayaking. Went by mansfield hollow , did a small walk near there , hit beaver brook and mashamoquet state park ct. We drove up scenic route 169 to the Vanilla Bean - a bikers haven for some good eats.
We then went to Bigelow Hollow State Park to scout out for our kayaking and picnicking plan tomorrow. We did a 2.5 mile hike to the furthest , remotest and elusive 3rd body of water there , breakneck pond. I say elusive because some years back we tried to find it , walked like 2 miles in (we figured out where we missed the proper trail) and were attacked by clouds of bugs , gnats , mosquitos , and other buzzy , biting annoyances. That last time was so bad that we jogged almost the whole way back (we werent and aren`t much for running) flailing our arms and cursing the trail that didn`t lead us to water. This time , we found it easily , crossed a little boggy area by teetering across a man-made plank , onto a trail that goes around this beautiful , untouched and untamed waterway. We`d love to kayak here but its a bit too far to drag the boats.. The map shows a road to another end but we couldn`t find it ....It may be a dirt road somewhere , maybe well find it tomorrow.
When we got home , we set up the tent in the backyard just to make sure we still have all the pieces and parts , as it has been a few years since we camped. I intend to do some camping this year in anticipation of our future cross country trip. It a test , to see if we actually enjoy camping , just the two of us. We usually hit motels or bed and breakfasts on our weekend warrior trips. I figured , this year , doing some camping could save some money and enrich the experience. (or it could ruin it)
Anyway , tent went up relatively quickly ...looks good , its quite big for a simple tent with room for 3 people and bags and stuff ...Lori took turns bringing the cats outside and into the tent with us to play. They were very nervous at first but started to enjoy themselves , being IN the place on the other side of the window inside of a tent , listening to the sounds of people chattering , kids yelling , cars roaring and dogs barking,. Frocious at one point was so jittery that he climbed up into my shirt and stuck his head out of my sleeve. He then just plopped down there , for like a few minutes , he had no intention of leaving... kinda cute.
Just ordered a chicken parm grinder and a salad for Lori and I to split from Filomenas down the street and I hear them pulling up ...gnight
So my plan to go kayaking in Burr Pond didn`t work out as we overslept and then I didn`t feel like setting the car and the kayaks up. We instead went to Eagleville Falls , did a mile and a half hike near the willimantic river.. We saw a rattle snake...pretty creepy ...I looked it up and it was a timber rattler but I didn`t know they were in that area. Saw him stretched out , head away from us about 3 1/2 feet long , blackish and rattling away incessantly. We watched him a good minute , Lori was freaking ...he slithered off. Pretty cool.
We did a bit of park hopping just to reacquaint ourselves with the parks this year and plan out future excursions and kayaking. Went by mansfield hollow , did a small walk near there , hit beaver brook and mashamoquet state park ct. We drove up scenic route 169 to the Vanilla Bean - a bikers haven for some good eats.
We then went to Bigelow Hollow State Park to scout out for our kayaking and picnicking plan tomorrow. We did a 2.5 mile hike to the furthest , remotest and elusive 3rd body of water there , breakneck pond. I say elusive because some years back we tried to find it , walked like 2 miles in (we figured out where we missed the proper trail) and were attacked by clouds of bugs , gnats , mosquitos , and other buzzy , biting annoyances. That last time was so bad that we jogged almost the whole way back (we werent and aren`t much for running) flailing our arms and cursing the trail that didn`t lead us to water. This time , we found it easily , crossed a little boggy area by teetering across a man-made plank , onto a trail that goes around this beautiful , untouched and untamed waterway. We`d love to kayak here but its a bit too far to drag the boats.. The map shows a road to another end but we couldn`t find it ....It may be a dirt road somewhere , maybe well find it tomorrow.
When we got home , we set up the tent in the backyard just to make sure we still have all the pieces and parts , as it has been a few years since we camped. I intend to do some camping this year in anticipation of our future cross country trip. It a test , to see if we actually enjoy camping , just the two of us. We usually hit motels or bed and breakfasts on our weekend warrior trips. I figured , this year , doing some camping could save some money and enrich the experience. (or it could ruin it)
Anyway , tent went up relatively quickly ...looks good , its quite big for a simple tent with room for 3 people and bags and stuff ...Lori took turns bringing the cats outside and into the tent with us to play. They were very nervous at first but started to enjoy themselves , being IN the place on the other side of the window inside of a tent , listening to the sounds of people chattering , kids yelling , cars roaring and dogs barking,. Frocious at one point was so jittery that he climbed up into my shirt and stuck his head out of my sleeve. He then just plopped down there , for like a few minutes , he had no intention of leaving... kinda cute.
Just ordered a chicken parm grinder and a salad for Lori and I to split from Filomenas down the street and I hear them pulling up ...gnight
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A nice day
Gonna take her out for her birthday dinner. Might do Bin 228 ...wine bar and apps.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Spring is Here !!!
First warm weekend since we came back from Europe. Hiked at Devils Hopyard State park and saw chapman falls , gushing ...with all the rain y`all got while we were on the other side of the pond.
We went to London 4 nights , Paris 4 days , Venice 2 nights , Florence 2 nights and Rome for 4 nights. We had the best time of our entire lives. We saw every landmark , historical area , every kind of architecture , sculpture , famous paintings ...frescoes , dozens of churches big and small , we saw lavish palaces and gardens , climbed a half dozen landmarks for ridiculous views , every corner we turned was a picture to be had (We took over 2000 pics) ... we ate and drank in the slickest cafes , the hopping-est piazzas , and the most famous squares.
I saved for and planned for this trip for two years, whilst self-educating myself for the last decade in all aspects of history , philosophy , literature , politics , and more recently architecture , art and music.
London - we saw parliament , big ben , westminster abbey , climbed the cathedral , was in the whispering walls of st pauls dome murmuring sweet nothings from 20 feet away from eachother , did a tour of and upon the tower of London ...and explored the entire city of London on foot and thru the well designed Tube .... We saw the Rosetta Stone in the British museum , and the Magna Carta in the british library. We saw great works at the National Gallery and Great People of history at the National Portrait Gallery. We visited Buckingham and Kensington palace and ogled the Crown Jewels ...
Paris- saw the flying buttresses of Notre Dame – and marveled at the gothic St Chapelle , Kissed on the Pont Neuf , strolled the Ile St Louis.... We stayed in St Germaine, next to the two most famous cafes in France , les deux magot and Cafe Flore.. these areas were the haunts of french intellectuals such as Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir ...Oscar Wilde ... Hemingway , Fitzgerald , Gertrude Stein lived in these parts and drank in this area...Lori and I spent a couple of our nights there , drinking wine and eating great meals...
We saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre as well as Rafael , Michaelangelo and other DA Vinci works in the same halls,we viewed the impressionists paintings of Monet , Manet and Van Gogh in the Musee D`orsay.
We went to the Eiffel Tower , lit up at night....all the obvious places and famous works that were supposed to be such a big deal ... REALLY WERE...I thought the Eiffel would bore me , or the small , dark , behind glass Mona Lisa would underwhelm....They did not ...nothing on this trip ..despite the familiarity of their fame ....failed to absolutely awe us in their presence. We went to the Louvre on 2 separate occassions...this is the greatest museum in the world.
We strolled the Champs d'Elysées , The Rodin Gardens , past Hotel Invalides and through numerous market streets ....we saw seedy pigalle and all its sex clubs...and we spent half a day in the Palace and Gardens of Versailles...
we saw Great views by climbing the Arc de Triomphe , Sacre Couer and the Centre Pompidou
We REALLY enjoyed Paris...
We did this trip , well studied on , the architecture we were to see ,the time periods they represent ....baroque , rococo .. the artists and their great works , the sculptures, greek and roman history as well as their mythology , great understanding of byzantine , early and high renaissance , history and art ...some of the symbolism involved in paintings of these times , The history of kings and emperors and the monuments that still worship them....(Napoleon , Louis XIV , The Tudors and the Stuarts....
This may sound a bit like bragging, but one must understand , I truly studied ...on my own , with no prompting , and no pending degree or potential financial reward ....for over a decade .... all the things I should`ve learned in school...and then found myself with the opportunity to visit the lands where all this history happened.. I will soon publish the Italy aspect of our trip which will take us 2000+ years into our history , which inspired the renaissance and the beautiful works that we were able to see 1500 + years later...
Venice ....
Florence ...
ROME.........
We went to London 4 nights , Paris 4 days , Venice 2 nights , Florence 2 nights and Rome for 4 nights. We had the best time of our entire lives. We saw every landmark , historical area , every kind of architecture , sculpture , famous paintings ...frescoes , dozens of churches big and small , we saw lavish palaces and gardens , climbed a half dozen landmarks for ridiculous views , every corner we turned was a picture to be had (We took over 2000 pics) ... we ate and drank in the slickest cafes , the hopping-est piazzas , and the most famous squares.
I saved for and planned for this trip for two years, whilst self-educating myself for the last decade in all aspects of history , philosophy , literature , politics , and more recently architecture , art and music.
London - we saw parliament , big ben , westminster abbey , climbed the cathedral , was in the whispering walls of st pauls dome murmuring sweet nothings from 20 feet away from eachother , did a tour of and upon the tower of London ...and explored the entire city of London on foot and thru the well designed Tube .... We saw the Rosetta Stone in the British museum , and the Magna Carta in the british library. We saw great works at the National Gallery and Great People of history at the National Portrait Gallery. We visited Buckingham and Kensington palace and ogled the Crown Jewels ...
Paris- saw the flying buttresses of Notre Dame – and marveled at the gothic St Chapelle , Kissed on the Pont Neuf , strolled the Ile St Louis.... We stayed in St Germaine, next to the two most famous cafes in France , les deux magot and Cafe Flore.. these areas were the haunts of french intellectuals such as Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir ...Oscar Wilde ... Hemingway , Fitzgerald , Gertrude Stein lived in these parts and drank in this area...Lori and I spent a couple of our nights there , drinking wine and eating great meals...
We saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre as well as Rafael , Michaelangelo and other DA Vinci works in the same halls,we viewed the impressionists paintings of Monet , Manet and Van Gogh in the Musee D`orsay.
We went to the Eiffel Tower , lit up at night....all the obvious places and famous works that were supposed to be such a big deal ... REALLY WERE...I thought the Eiffel would bore me , or the small , dark , behind glass Mona Lisa would underwhelm....They did not ...nothing on this trip ..despite the familiarity of their fame ....failed to absolutely awe us in their presence. We went to the Louvre on 2 separate occassions...this is the greatest museum in the world.
We strolled the Champs d'Elysées , The Rodin Gardens , past Hotel Invalides and through numerous market streets ....we saw seedy pigalle and all its sex clubs...and we spent half a day in the Palace and Gardens of Versailles...
we saw Great views by climbing the Arc de Triomphe , Sacre Couer and the Centre Pompidou
We REALLY enjoyed Paris...
We did this trip , well studied on , the architecture we were to see ,the time periods they represent ....baroque , rococo .. the artists and their great works , the sculptures, greek and roman history as well as their mythology , great understanding of byzantine , early and high renaissance , history and art ...some of the symbolism involved in paintings of these times , The history of kings and emperors and the monuments that still worship them....(Napoleon , Louis XIV , The Tudors and the Stuarts....
This may sound a bit like bragging, but one must understand , I truly studied ...on my own , with no prompting , and no pending degree or potential financial reward ....for over a decade .... all the things I should`ve learned in school...and then found myself with the opportunity to visit the lands where all this history happened.. I will soon publish the Italy aspect of our trip which will take us 2000+ years into our history , which inspired the renaissance and the beautiful works that we were able to see 1500 + years later...
Venice ....
Florence ...
ROME.........
Sunday, March 07, 2010
The annual day after
Hangovers don`t change much over the years , if anything , they become more severe and debilitating. Despite my advancing age and supposedly increased wisdom, I still find it necessary to inflict upon myself that yearly hangover on March 7th , every year. Like clockwork - Yes , today is that day , it feels familiar. It is as it always is and ever will be.
...Thank you for all your encouragement.
...Thank you for all your encouragement.
Monday, March 01, 2010
The first day of March and the first warm day
A day like today , the tease of spring , always brings out the longing for the winter to end. I was in good spirits with the sun on my head , shining through my moon-roof , on the ride to work. Workwise- Phones were finally ringing with jobs to schedule .
We finally sent some trucks out that brought in some checks , thats good. Lori and I are completely packed and prepared for our trip - well in advance. There is not a hint of snow in our driveway , and I feel no need to traipse into the dark backyard and lift the wet blue tarp to pull out tonights firewood as the house is holding its own heat without.
March will tease you like this , maybe even most of this month. I assume the late year Nor-easter will arrive the day of our flight. Otherwise , Cheers ... Ciao and Au Revoir.
We finally sent some trucks out that brought in some checks , thats good. Lori and I are completely packed and prepared for our trip - well in advance. There is not a hint of snow in our driveway , and I feel no need to traipse into the dark backyard and lift the wet blue tarp to pull out tonights firewood as the house is holding its own heat without.
March will tease you like this , maybe even most of this month. I assume the late year Nor-easter will arrive the day of our flight. Otherwise , Cheers ... Ciao and Au Revoir.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I have mental problems.
My second bookkeeper in 2 months quit on me , stating that the job is too stressful. This has no bearing on the actual position or the work associated with this position , as I have yet to teach either bookkeeper what the full job duties are.
This is primarily a reflection of my personal attitude and demeanor at work. Despite my 38 years on this planet , I still have a tendency to throw temper tantrums like a frustrated , inarticulate 2 year old. This occasional outburst has apparently branded employment at my company as a Hostile Environment according to the latest bookkeepers unemployment compensation claim.
I spent a lot of time yesterday beating myself up over this. I have since forgiven myself , as I realized I have managed a revolving 20-25 employees over the last 15 years without similar complaint. The majority of my employees , past and present , enjoy(ed) working with me and actually consider me level-headed , competent and fair despite my stressful position.
BUT>.......... I have always known that my volatile temperament , mood swings , mental instability , manic-depressive disorder and anxiety need to be addressed. I don`t know, as of yet , how I`m going to do so without drugs. I already am sleeping , exercising , and eating properly. I need to come up with a new plan.
This is primarily a reflection of my personal attitude and demeanor at work. Despite my 38 years on this planet , I still have a tendency to throw temper tantrums like a frustrated , inarticulate 2 year old. This occasional outburst has apparently branded employment at my company as a Hostile Environment according to the latest bookkeepers unemployment compensation claim.
I spent a lot of time yesterday beating myself up over this. I have since forgiven myself , as I realized I have managed a revolving 20-25 employees over the last 15 years without similar complaint. The majority of my employees , past and present , enjoy(ed) working with me and actually consider me level-headed , competent and fair despite my stressful position.
BUT>.......... I have always known that my volatile temperament , mood swings , mental instability , manic-depressive disorder and anxiety need to be addressed. I don`t know, as of yet , how I`m going to do so without drugs. I already am sleeping , exercising , and eating properly. I need to come up with a new plan.
Friday, January 01, 2010
01/01/10
Jan 1st , 2010 - the beginning of next decade of ALL of OUR lives ..
I have to say , 2010 has not started off with a bang. New Years Eve plans were underwhelming , I wimped out on booking a long ski weekend due to cost and fear of missing out on something cool happening locally (bad call) -
Lori and I went to Hartford for "first night hartford" where there was supposed to be art , entertainment and Happenings to keep us occupied before and after the 6pm fireworks at the park ...we then intended on drinking and eating our way thru hartford until midnight fireworks.
The entertainment at the the state house and the Wadsworth and the Hartford Public library were all kind of hokey and crowded and confusing ...we went to a regular bar coz the cool eats places were closed(tapas on ann , closed , Koji Yakitori -not open yet) , hiked on down to the bushnell , near the soldiers arch and saw some surprisingly good fireworks...that cheered us up and we sped off in the wet and the cold to Agave for some margaritas and made-in-front-of-you guacomole.... a few more margaritas ...some ceviche ....and suddenly its almost 7:30 pm -- only 4+ hours to kill....
So we went home. We picked up some Plum wine and cinnamon ....Lori made a nice crab dip ....and we drank and ate and entertained eachother until 11 ish when we turned on Dick Clarks New Years Eve party. It seemed to Lori and I that Dick Clark looks really creepy , and drugged sounding , he speaks but his face doesn`t move right. I think he is kept in a hyperbaric chamber year-round and only re-animated during New Years specials. I then googled him and found out he had a stroke a few years back , so yeah ...i`m a big Dick for making fun of him...
This AM , slept in a bit and then headed out to Gay City Park in Hebron ct - (yeah , I know ...the park was named in a different time for a man named John Gay...)
We had a quick 2 mile hike ....felt good as we got back to the car until Lori noticed the glass on the ground next to it. The passenger side window was broken in and her pocketbook stolen. THey didn`t touch my wallet , the gps , nor the xm-radio so that was good but Lori`s drivers license , credit and debit cards , some gift cards , and misc. but very important to here pocketbook things and stuff are gone. We cancelled all cards , put credit watches on our names , lined up a glass guy for my car and then we went out and stuffed our faces full of food at little marks bbq ...I haven`t had French fries in over a year (intentionally) and planned on having my 1st plate of fries at this Canadian diner Chez Ben that serves poutine. Unfortunately they are renovating so I had to settle for loaded Tater Tots ... I still reserve my right to have poutine before I resume my dietary ban of all things fried and frenched.
Earlier , I felt like the whole decade was ruined but It is possible that I am being melodramatic. I am confident that there will be many better days than today and a few worse ones over the course of this next decade. That can be said for ALL of US.
I wish any unfortunate soul , who felt obliged to plow through this particularly uninteresting and slightly depressing log , a very happy new year , and better luck than we have thus far experienced.
I have to say , 2010 has not started off with a bang. New Years Eve plans were underwhelming , I wimped out on booking a long ski weekend due to cost and fear of missing out on something cool happening locally (bad call) -
Lori and I went to Hartford for "first night hartford" where there was supposed to be art , entertainment and Happenings to keep us occupied before and after the 6pm fireworks at the park ...we then intended on drinking and eating our way thru hartford until midnight fireworks.
The entertainment at the the state house and the Wadsworth and the Hartford Public library were all kind of hokey and crowded and confusing ...we went to a regular bar coz the cool eats places were closed(tapas on ann , closed , Koji Yakitori -not open yet) , hiked on down to the bushnell , near the soldiers arch and saw some surprisingly good fireworks...that cheered us up and we sped off in the wet and the cold to Agave for some margaritas and made-in-front-of-you guacomole.... a few more margaritas ...some ceviche ....and suddenly its almost 7:30 pm -- only 4+ hours to kill....
So we went home. We picked up some Plum wine and cinnamon ....Lori made a nice crab dip ....and we drank and ate and entertained eachother until 11 ish when we turned on Dick Clarks New Years Eve party. It seemed to Lori and I that Dick Clark looks really creepy , and drugged sounding , he speaks but his face doesn`t move right. I think he is kept in a hyperbaric chamber year-round and only re-animated during New Years specials. I then googled him and found out he had a stroke a few years back , so yeah ...i`m a big Dick for making fun of him...
This AM , slept in a bit and then headed out to Gay City Park in Hebron ct - (yeah , I know ...the park was named in a different time for a man named John Gay...)
We had a quick 2 mile hike ....felt good as we got back to the car until Lori noticed the glass on the ground next to it. The passenger side window was broken in and her pocketbook stolen. THey didn`t touch my wallet , the gps , nor the xm-radio so that was good but Lori`s drivers license , credit and debit cards , some gift cards , and misc. but very important to here pocketbook things and stuff are gone. We cancelled all cards , put credit watches on our names , lined up a glass guy for my car and then we went out and stuffed our faces full of food at little marks bbq ...I haven`t had French fries in over a year (intentionally) and planned on having my 1st plate of fries at this Canadian diner Chez Ben that serves poutine. Unfortunately they are renovating so I had to settle for loaded Tater Tots ... I still reserve my right to have poutine before I resume my dietary ban of all things fried and frenched.
Earlier , I felt like the whole decade was ruined but It is possible that I am being melodramatic. I am confident that there will be many better days than today and a few worse ones over the course of this next decade. That can be said for ALL of US.
I wish any unfortunate soul , who felt obliged to plow through this particularly uninteresting and slightly depressing log , a very happy new year , and better luck than we have thus far experienced.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
We opened our presents thisw am - chrismas eve am , like we do every year.
, I got some great books and a usb backup hard-drive (1 month after my puter and 8 years of files blew up) ...I got Lori (and me ) the Wii and Wii Fit ... Wiiiiiii
We went to the gym this AM in anticipation of a weekend of holiday pigging out.
Going to Lori`s parents for xmas eve dinner , and Lori`s grandmas tomorrow am for xmas breakfast , we will then be shooting down to queens NY to see my Father and sister ...staying overnight , on the 26th hitting the Bronx Zoo. Winter is a great time for a zoo visit , no crowds and still plenty of animals to see. Polar bears , snow leopard , Siberian Tiger , Sea Lions and of course all the indoor ones , bats , birds , monkey house , reptiles etc;
Looking forward to see phil , karen and baby isabel before going out...Sat 26th late night , staying at the Marriot and cabbing it to Dugans to drink the night away with some division ave high school meets facebook reunion. Whatever , an excuse to drink with like-minded folks.
Sunday - expecting to be hungover , will either do the planned brunch or more likely grab a bagel and cream cheese to go.
Monday - Work a few days and Then NEW YEARS !!!!
If no cooler plans appear , will probably spend the evening in hartford for food , art , fireworks and then drinking and more midnight fireworks ... that weekend , planning on trying x-country skiing in farmington , ct and may shoot up to a localish ski mountain for an overnight.
Happy Holidays
, I got some great books and a usb backup hard-drive (1 month after my puter and 8 years of files blew up) ...I got Lori (and me ) the Wii and Wii Fit ... Wiiiiiii
We went to the gym this AM in anticipation of a weekend of holiday pigging out.
Going to Lori`s parents for xmas eve dinner , and Lori`s grandmas tomorrow am for xmas breakfast , we will then be shooting down to queens NY to see my Father and sister ...staying overnight , on the 26th hitting the Bronx Zoo. Winter is a great time for a zoo visit , no crowds and still plenty of animals to see. Polar bears , snow leopard , Siberian Tiger , Sea Lions and of course all the indoor ones , bats , birds , monkey house , reptiles etc;
Looking forward to see phil , karen and baby isabel before going out...Sat 26th late night , staying at the Marriot and cabbing it to Dugans to drink the night away with some division ave high school meets facebook reunion. Whatever , an excuse to drink with like-minded folks.
Sunday - expecting to be hungover , will either do the planned brunch or more likely grab a bagel and cream cheese to go.
Monday - Work a few days and Then NEW YEARS !!!!
If no cooler plans appear , will probably spend the evening in hartford for food , art , fireworks and then drinking and more midnight fireworks ... that weekend , planning on trying x-country skiing in farmington , ct and may shoot up to a localish ski mountain for an overnight.
Happy Holidays
Thursday, December 10, 2009
god
Chimerical and empty being, your name alone has caused more blood to flow on the face of the earth than any political war ever will.
Return to the nothingness from which the mad hope and ridiculous fright of men dared call you forth to their misfortune. You only appeared as a torment for the human race.
What crimes would have been spared the world, if they had choked the first imbecile who thought of speaking of you.
Marquis De Sade
Return to the nothingness from which the mad hope and ridiculous fright of men dared call you forth to their misfortune. You only appeared as a torment for the human race.
What crimes would have been spared the world, if they had choked the first imbecile who thought of speaking of you.
Marquis De Sade
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving Weekend
LOG
Saw my Dad and my sister this weekend , nice turkey dinner , nap and football ... Was sick most of the weekend but for the most part got by
Friday , we knew it was going to rain all day so we went to the casino. It was busier than I expected , I was looking forward to 5 or $10 min. blackjack tables with only a few people per ...no luck...packed with $25 min. Craps -- packed - Roulette - packed... played some machines and video poker which ate all the winnings from the Black Jack Video Dealer game. The black jack game is cool , 6 people sit down to a video screen that shows a smiling , busty , dealer who deals out cards on a digital screen in front of you .. you can then hit / stand / double etc ; Including surrender. Played $5 - $10 hands for an hour , came a head $50 ish ...fed it to the machines.
Sat- Real windy , pretty chilly , we changed hike plans to do a quick 2 mile walk at an old standby , laurel marsh in manchester ... found a geocache , and upon leaving we happened upon an open Chez Ben diner. This is a diner that serves french canadian staples such as meat or salmon pie, creton , and poutine , as well as solid breakfast fare. We thought it closed down due to the poor economy and the fact that there was a for sale sign and it was closed down.....for only three weeks as we came to find out...they went on vacation .....waitress said it was curious to her that business took so long to pick up upon their return ...well duhhhh!!!! It would`ve made some good business sense to put up a sign that they are on vacation from Day A to Day B.... Anyway , happy its open and enjoyed the creton and toast.
Hit the library and picked up like 20 books (lori gets a little nuts in there) and a few car audio lectures for me. DId some laying around and reading until:
We did birthday dinner with lori`s parents to celebrate both of the old peoples birthdays. Lori and her sisters chipped in and got their old man Rock Band II - the beatles for the WII.... He was psyched until he realized he was stuck assembling the bloody thing. We were supposed to go out with Fran and Charlie but they begged off , just as well coz I felt kinda crappy. It turned out that I was unable to sleep ALL NIGHT , possibly due to taking a late day Sudafed ....I ended up on the living room couch to avoid haunting Lori`s sleep with my coughing , sniffling , moaning , tossing and turning etc; I never slept more than an hour at a time. It was amazing that I was not too exhausted to start early Sunday AM with a hike.
Sunday ..went to granby to enders falls (the best falls in Ct IMHO) to retrieve the geocache that got denied due to its close proximity to another cache (which noone can find ,by the way) - saw some beautiful falls , deposited our travel bug into another cache and left for another 1 mile walk near old gate prison. There is a pond in the back ....we left the trail to stand near the water ...it looked peaceful ...thats when I noticed a head duck under the water and the ensuing circular wake was noticed by Lori , who missed the head.
5 breathless minutes later , a full head and behind of an otter in real shallow water near an earthen mound in the middle of the pond , Lori thought it was a beaver as the mound looked similar to an animal made structure but it was not. It was our first view of an otter. It was beautiful and brief.... he ducked below the waterline once again and disappeared , not to return to our sight.
Mostly uneventful weekend but we kept busy enough to avoid the depression that inflicts itself upon me when I don`t plan a good weekend. I need to work on this but the easy solution is to plan my weekends in advance.
We are headed back to NYC in a few weeks for a long weekend.
Saw my Dad and my sister this weekend , nice turkey dinner , nap and football ... Was sick most of the weekend but for the most part got by
Friday , we knew it was going to rain all day so we went to the casino. It was busier than I expected , I was looking forward to 5 or $10 min. blackjack tables with only a few people per ...no luck...packed with $25 min. Craps -- packed - Roulette - packed... played some machines and video poker which ate all the winnings from the Black Jack Video Dealer game. The black jack game is cool , 6 people sit down to a video screen that shows a smiling , busty , dealer who deals out cards on a digital screen in front of you .. you can then hit / stand / double etc ; Including surrender. Played $5 - $10 hands for an hour , came a head $50 ish ...fed it to the machines.
Sat- Real windy , pretty chilly , we changed hike plans to do a quick 2 mile walk at an old standby , laurel marsh in manchester ... found a geocache , and upon leaving we happened upon an open Chez Ben diner. This is a diner that serves french canadian staples such as meat or salmon pie, creton , and poutine , as well as solid breakfast fare. We thought it closed down due to the poor economy and the fact that there was a for sale sign and it was closed down.....for only three weeks as we came to find out...they went on vacation .....waitress said it was curious to her that business took so long to pick up upon their return ...well duhhhh!!!! It would`ve made some good business sense to put up a sign that they are on vacation from Day A to Day B.... Anyway , happy its open and enjoyed the creton and toast.
Hit the library and picked up like 20 books (lori gets a little nuts in there) and a few car audio lectures for me. DId some laying around and reading until:
We did birthday dinner with lori`s parents to celebrate both of the old peoples birthdays. Lori and her sisters chipped in and got their old man Rock Band II - the beatles for the WII.... He was psyched until he realized he was stuck assembling the bloody thing. We were supposed to go out with Fran and Charlie but they begged off , just as well coz I felt kinda crappy. It turned out that I was unable to sleep ALL NIGHT , possibly due to taking a late day Sudafed ....I ended up on the living room couch to avoid haunting Lori`s sleep with my coughing , sniffling , moaning , tossing and turning etc; I never slept more than an hour at a time. It was amazing that I was not too exhausted to start early Sunday AM with a hike.
Sunday ..went to granby to enders falls (the best falls in Ct IMHO) to retrieve the geocache that got denied due to its close proximity to another cache (which noone can find ,by the way) - saw some beautiful falls , deposited our travel bug into another cache and left for another 1 mile walk near old gate prison. There is a pond in the back ....we left the trail to stand near the water ...it looked peaceful ...thats when I noticed a head duck under the water and the ensuing circular wake was noticed by Lori , who missed the head.
5 breathless minutes later , a full head and behind of an otter in real shallow water near an earthen mound in the middle of the pond , Lori thought it was a beaver as the mound looked similar to an animal made structure but it was not. It was our first view of an otter. It was beautiful and brief.... he ducked below the waterline once again and disappeared , not to return to our sight.
Mostly uneventful weekend but we kept busy enough to avoid the depression that inflicts itself upon me when I don`t plan a good weekend. I need to work on this but the easy solution is to plan my weekends in advance.
We are headed back to NYC in a few weeks for a long weekend.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
City Hopping
Spent the last two weekends in boston and nyc ... Visited Lori`s sister in Boston , hung out Friday and Sat night did some barhopping ...other than the 3mile drunken walk home it was a good time.
and on Sunday went to Salem... Next time we`ll go in September and do some of the halloween type stuff....we saw the house of gables ,kinda cool but expensive for a quick tour like that. a
last weekend went to NYC , stayed at the Grand Union Hotel Friday night , ate across the street at the Artisenal ...Fondue and Wine , and some more Wine.
SAt- Saw METALLICA at madison square garden.. A+ concert !!
Did some shopping on 5th ave...and then down St Marks just for the contrast...
went downtown and had a nice lunch in Little Italy on Sunday before heading home. We intended on hitting the tourist offices of Britain , Italy and France for our pending Europe trip but found out they are closed on the weekend ... DUH !!! Ya think I woulda looked up their hours. Oh well , gonna have to book a 3 day weekend in NYC to get that done... Whattya gonna do.
and on Sunday went to Salem... Next time we`ll go in September and do some of the halloween type stuff....we saw the house of gables ,kinda cool but expensive for a quick tour like that. a
last weekend went to NYC , stayed at the Grand Union Hotel Friday night , ate across the street at the Artisenal ...Fondue and Wine , and some more Wine.
SAt- Saw METALLICA at madison square garden.. A+ concert !!
Did some shopping on 5th ave...and then down St Marks just for the contrast...
went downtown and had a nice lunch in Little Italy on Sunday before heading home. We intended on hitting the tourist offices of Britain , Italy and France for our pending Europe trip but found out they are closed on the weekend ... DUH !!! Ya think I woulda looked up their hours. Oh well , gonna have to book a 3 day weekend in NYC to get that done... Whattya gonna do.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fall Foliage in Bethel Me
bethel
Went up to bethel me for a long weekend , maybe the last good one this year. I decided to take a monday off in the middle of my ridiculously busy fall season instead of waiting for that tantrum day , my yearly fall implosions when I scream "I can`t take it anymore" , and throw an absolute fit mid-day at work and storming off for the remainder of the day , vowing never to return , only to return the next day. What a waste , I don`t even do anything fun when I skip out like that.
I figured scheduling that mental day in advance would prevent such wasted emotion and a waste of a perfectly good I QUIT for a day.
Fri night - drove up to Lincoln NH , stayed at the franconia notch motel , got stuck in accident traffic for an 1 1/2 ....which sucked ....but we survived and made good time ....12:30 am - went to bed , up early ... off HIKING
SAT - Drove up to crawford notch 16 and 302 and hit a couple of their roadside waterfalls , beautiful and lots of flow. Lots of beautiful foliage views throughout. We found a number of geocaches.. couldn`t find the crazy up the mountain geocache on one of the cascades. Ripley falls --- Did some hiking.
took route 2 to bethel , me Checked into the victoria inn , bed and breakfast . One of the few times we`ve returned to a particular bnb...coz the first time we had great conversations with the innkeeper who mixed her own tea and had tea service. This was a few years back and started me on enjoying tea. We actually just finished the last of the tea we bought from there and intended on buying more . This time There was no tea service nor was there any conversation with the innkeep. Kinda felt like a motel ...oh well.
We did have a ridiculously wonderful dinner there that night - see memory list
Sunday - Grafton notch tour , moose cave , mother walker falls , step falls - a mile and a half hike. Lake umbagog - wasn`t quite as cool as we thought it would be but the preserve area was closed. Will have to check it out again. Wonderful foliage trip though. I did catch a rainbow trout in one of the few access areas we found.
Sunday night - watched it snow like absolute nuts at the Pats game , was threatening to be icy snow by us but nothing came all weekend . WE lucked out coz the town is dead if our outdoorsy stuff was gonna be rained and iced out.
MOnday - drove down evans notch - hiked up a 1200 ft hill THe Roost - nice little hike there and then mostly did roadside stops at some unbelievable pull-off scenic bluffs. One view was of sheer cliff faces with ledges that peregrine falcons nest in. Another was of 6 separate mountain peeks , Evans notch , down 113 wasn`t on my small whole state maps but was just a wonderful drive. We stopped at the basin , a beautiful bowl area with a small lake and lots of colorful turning leaves. The pics we took cannot capture its beauty. No fish catch here.
Got home in time to catch monday night football kick-off.
Good weekend... back to work sucked but at least its a short week !!!
memory list
Rt 16 in the mountains ... Pma ... Near pinkham notch
ripley falls ....return to jackson maybe snowflake inn ... The trees that dropped leaves look wispy and soften the foliage mountain background
nice dinner ... I had choc port as my 1st cordial ... A bellini and a chateau bianca ...lori loved her pomegranate duck ... Billy joel , les miz amd elton john played by the pianist
caught a fishie ..rainbow trout at umbagog ....found some geocaches
beautiful blue trail near dunn falls but not quite unless wanna get wet ... Take appalachian white trail bext time.
scare crows made up as blue man group ...
Went up to bethel me for a long weekend , maybe the last good one this year. I decided to take a monday off in the middle of my ridiculously busy fall season instead of waiting for that tantrum day , my yearly fall implosions when I scream "I can`t take it anymore" , and throw an absolute fit mid-day at work and storming off for the remainder of the day , vowing never to return , only to return the next day. What a waste , I don`t even do anything fun when I skip out like that.
I figured scheduling that mental day in advance would prevent such wasted emotion and a waste of a perfectly good I QUIT for a day.
Fri night - drove up to Lincoln NH , stayed at the franconia notch motel , got stuck in accident traffic for an 1 1/2 ....which sucked ....but we survived and made good time ....12:30 am - went to bed , up early ... off HIKING
SAT - Drove up to crawford notch 16 and 302 and hit a couple of their roadside waterfalls , beautiful and lots of flow. Lots of beautiful foliage views throughout. We found a number of geocaches.. couldn`t find the crazy up the mountain geocache on one of the cascades. Ripley falls --- Did some hiking.
took route 2 to bethel , me Checked into the victoria inn , bed and breakfast . One of the few times we`ve returned to a particular bnb...coz the first time we had great conversations with the innkeeper who mixed her own tea and had tea service. This was a few years back and started me on enjoying tea. We actually just finished the last of the tea we bought from there and intended on buying more . This time There was no tea service nor was there any conversation with the innkeep. Kinda felt like a motel ...oh well.
We did have a ridiculously wonderful dinner there that night - see memory list
Sunday - Grafton notch tour , moose cave , mother walker falls , step falls - a mile and a half hike. Lake umbagog - wasn`t quite as cool as we thought it would be but the preserve area was closed. Will have to check it out again. Wonderful foliage trip though. I did catch a rainbow trout in one of the few access areas we found.
Sunday night - watched it snow like absolute nuts at the Pats game , was threatening to be icy snow by us but nothing came all weekend . WE lucked out coz the town is dead if our outdoorsy stuff was gonna be rained and iced out.
MOnday - drove down evans notch - hiked up a 1200 ft hill THe Roost - nice little hike there and then mostly did roadside stops at some unbelievable pull-off scenic bluffs. One view was of sheer cliff faces with ledges that peregrine falcons nest in. Another was of 6 separate mountain peeks , Evans notch , down 113 wasn`t on my small whole state maps but was just a wonderful drive. We stopped at the basin , a beautiful bowl area with a small lake and lots of colorful turning leaves. The pics we took cannot capture its beauty. No fish catch here.
Got home in time to catch monday night football kick-off.
Good weekend... back to work sucked but at least its a short week !!!
memory list
Rt 16 in the mountains ... Pma ... Near pinkham notch
ripley falls ....return to jackson maybe snowflake inn ... The trees that dropped leaves look wispy and soften the foliage mountain background
nice dinner ... I had choc port as my 1st cordial ... A bellini and a chateau bianca ...lori loved her pomegranate duck ... Billy joel , les miz amd elton john played by the pianist
caught a fishie ..rainbow trout at umbagog ....found some geocaches
beautiful blue trail near dunn falls but not quite unless wanna get wet ... Take appalachian white trail bext time.
scare crows made up as blue man group ...
Monday, October 05, 2009
Rock Spring Preserve in Scotland Ct
Sunday- mobile journal
SEE AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut - Rock Spring Preserve or see bottom for description
appx 4 mile hike ... Found a geocache (see geocaching.com for explanation) called the Council of the pines where there were a few symmetrical rows of tall pine trees ....neat view especially the way the light came thru the trees .. we were expecting elves to emerge from this ordained to be sacred spot
wonderful trail but a bit overgrown ...avoid late summer early fall on a wet day...Our clothes were official dew collectors ... We could`ve squeezed life giving H20 to quench the thirst of an entire tribe out of our pants.
We had a nice picnic as the sun came out.. We took our blanket out and ate a nice salad with blue cheese and strawberries and some cheese and crackers . TIFLM...
So other than the creepy white fuzzy haired caterpillar that insisted on marching onto our blanket it was real nice.
We drove home up historic rt 169 admiring the changing leaves ....flew down RT 44 home , showered , changed and headed to Shea`s Bar and Grill 4 a beer and Jets football. Would have been the crowning moment of a great day had the Jets won..
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SEE AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut - Rock Spring Preserve or see bottom for description
appx 4 mile hike ... Found a geocache (see geocaching.com for explanation) called the Council of the pines where there were a few symmetrical rows of tall pine trees ....neat view especially the way the light came thru the trees .. we were expecting elves to emerge from this ordained to be sacred spot
wonderful trail but a bit overgrown ...avoid late summer early fall on a wet day...Our clothes were official dew collectors ... We could`ve squeezed life giving H20 to quench the thirst of an entire tribe out of our pants.
We had a nice picnic as the sun came out.. We took our blanket out and ate a nice salad with blue cheese and strawberries and some cheese and crackers . TIFLM...
So other than the creepy white fuzzy haired caterpillar that insisted on marching onto our blanket it was real nice.
We drove home up historic rt 169 admiring the changing leaves ....flew down RT 44 home , showered , changed and headed to Shea`s Bar and Grill 4 a beer and Jets football. Would have been the crowning moment of a great day had the Jets won..
<<
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Its the Economy , Stupid.
An investment manager friend told me that no matter what he does with his clients money , he is always wrong. In our down economy , if he decides to pull 50 percent out of the market and the market does drop: Well he didn`t pull enough out. If it rises , he took out too much. "I wish I had a crystal ball" , wails my friend.
I started thinking about this and decided that he was wrong. A crystal ball would be very bad for the investors !
Sure , it might start off all grand and wonderful , but eventually exuberance will outweigh common sense. (Can you say irrational exuberance) The proprietor of said ball will inevitably get greedy. He may start pulling family and friends in , or selling off safe assets ,or borrowing to invest in the crystal ball infused scheme.
The market will rise in the areas of all the good bets , investors without a ball will inevitably notice how well some stocks are doing and continue to drive up the price creating a bubble. This bubble will burst. Ball holders may anticipate this and pull out in time , but at what expense to the market and the economy and other investors. Eventually that crystal ball will only tell you not to invest in the market that the ball ironically destroyed. Thats NOT a boon for investors.
And how long do you think this crystal ball would remain secret. Come on , Iran can`t even keep nuclear secrets and they are VERY secretive. Iraq couldn`t keep its secrets about hidden weapons of massive destruction......oh wait ...bad example. Obama couldn`t keep the secret that he thinks Kenye West is a jackass despite his abuse of official power attempting to censor the press. "Come on guys , cut the president some slack and don`t print that , I have a lot on my plate today"
So we know that eventually the crystal ball will no longer be secret. The powerful will find a way to benefit at the expense of everyone else , outrageous bonuses will be handed out right after the layoff announcements. Unemployment, High gas prices , queues for bread etc ; will ensue.
Then the chinese will figure out how to reverse engineer it and sell it on the black market. It will be about this time that the burst bubble will become a supernova sucking everything in causing chaos and anarchy and religious fanaticism. The apocalypse is here.
Stupid idea , that crystal ball.
I started thinking about this and decided that he was wrong. A crystal ball would be very bad for the investors !
Sure , it might start off all grand and wonderful , but eventually exuberance will outweigh common sense. (Can you say irrational exuberance) The proprietor of said ball will inevitably get greedy. He may start pulling family and friends in , or selling off safe assets ,or borrowing to invest in the crystal ball infused scheme.
The market will rise in the areas of all the good bets , investors without a ball will inevitably notice how well some stocks are doing and continue to drive up the price creating a bubble. This bubble will burst. Ball holders may anticipate this and pull out in time , but at what expense to the market and the economy and other investors. Eventually that crystal ball will only tell you not to invest in the market that the ball ironically destroyed. Thats NOT a boon for investors.
And how long do you think this crystal ball would remain secret. Come on , Iran can`t even keep nuclear secrets and they are VERY secretive. Iraq couldn`t keep its secrets about hidden weapons of massive destruction......oh wait ...bad example. Obama couldn`t keep the secret that he thinks Kenye West is a jackass despite his abuse of official power attempting to censor the press. "Come on guys , cut the president some slack and don`t print that , I have a lot on my plate today"
So we know that eventually the crystal ball will no longer be secret. The powerful will find a way to benefit at the expense of everyone else , outrageous bonuses will be handed out right after the layoff announcements. Unemployment, High gas prices , queues for bread etc ; will ensue.
Then the chinese will figure out how to reverse engineer it and sell it on the black market. It will be about this time that the burst bubble will become a supernova sucking everything in causing chaos and anarchy and religious fanaticism. The apocalypse is here.
Stupid idea , that crystal ball.
Friday, September 18, 2009
No-one Knows the News
The news , an always horrific relection of our society , can no longer be viewed passively.
What I don`t mean by that statement ; the state of our society the news depicts should prompt aggressive action to repair our society , though it definitely should.
I mean that , on all sides , there is a clear bias in the news. It is sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle , but everpresently causes news watching to be an Active and Aggressive game of deciphering the truth.
What I don`t mean by that statement ; the state of our society the news depicts should prompt aggressive action to repair our society , though it definitely should.
I mean that , on all sides , there is a clear bias in the news. It is sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle , but everpresently causes news watching to be an Active and Aggressive game of deciphering the truth.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
The Summer of `09
It was a good summer. Kept active and in good spirits throughout. Looked at one of my OLD kasualkb`s logs that described a summer that didn`t go quite as well or feel quite as fulfilling. It was short though , must say that. Crazy year between the economy and the weather.
You may be thinking that its only September 2nd , summer is NOT OVER !!!
Well , its been 50 degrees at night and not much warmer in the am`s .... Kids are back in school as evidenced by their inconveniencing me during my am commute. Work is picking up and there are pockets of time where 4 or 5 phone lines are ringing at once with demanding customers. I expect to be pretty miserable pretty soon.
I did book our last summer trip this labor day weekend. We are going to the Catskills. Going to kayak the Bashurkill lake and hike a half-dozen waterfalls in the area and do a bit of fishing in the creeks near Ashokan resevoir.
Maybe this Fall won`t be so bad .....
You may be thinking that its only September 2nd , summer is NOT OVER !!!
Well , its been 50 degrees at night and not much warmer in the am`s .... Kids are back in school as evidenced by their inconveniencing me during my am commute. Work is picking up and there are pockets of time where 4 or 5 phone lines are ringing at once with demanding customers. I expect to be pretty miserable pretty soon.
I did book our last summer trip this labor day weekend. We are going to the Catskills. Going to kayak the Bashurkill lake and hike a half-dozen waterfalls in the area and do a bit of fishing in the creeks near Ashokan resevoir.
Maybe this Fall won`t be so bad .....
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Rantings
Song of Happiness IV
I must shed this skin of scorn
Tear free this garment of
isolation
the wordless tongue idles in its spittle
the soundless struggles of my
solitude
Scratched and raw from this journey
the sloughed skin leaves its scabs
exposed
Wrench this insanity from my mind
spill these foul seeds , ungrown and
vulnerable
I must shed this skin of scorn
Tear free this garment of
isolation
the wordless tongue idles in its spittle
the soundless struggles of my
solitude
Scratched and raw from this journey
the sloughed skin leaves its scabs
exposed
Wrench this insanity from my mind
spill these foul seeds , ungrown and
vulnerable
Monday, August 03, 2009
Musings
When traveling to an out of the way area , I always seem to find the locals to be hickish: Almost caricatures , with their bulbous features and blank-faced looks. When catching their eye , one sees only shallow and boorish thoughts , or if they are relatively astute or innocently moral , Sincere Vacancy.
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