Spring, yeah right

First day of spring my ass. Rain, ice, snow. Fifty degrees is a pipe dream. You suck, weather.

The post vacation wrap up

Been an incredibly busy few weeks. Between upheaval at work, vacation and home repair there was a lot of bashing that was nuts even when you do not add in the incompetence of the current administration.

Las Vegas, though, is a rather intense place. Truly a city that operates on the 24/7 model, there is always something going on. We went to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday, and celebrate we did. You do not have to gamble to have a good time in Las Vegas. You do not even have to drink booze, but it helps! There is even Black Light KISS Indoor Mini Golf!

We saw Big Elvis, who can sing. While watching Big Elvis we saw an Elvis impersonator watching Big Elvis perform. Vegas is meta. The Strip is turning into an upscale lifestyle mall, with gambling and indoor plazas of Venice, complete with a fake sky. That said, breakfast at Bouchon is incredible. As are the fountains at Bellagio, and the indoor Chihuly sculpture in the Bellagio lobby's ceiling. The High Roller Wheel offers up a superb view of the desert, as does the deck at the Eiffel Tower, which was enhanced by the pleasant, savant abilities of the tour guide.

We stayed downtown at the Golden Nugget. A lovely gambling extravaganza which has fish tanks and a shark pool. The rooms were sound. The television in the bathroom mirror was really freaking creepy. The room was not quiet, as it was on Fremont Street which parties hard until late night. Even on the 16th floor, we could hear the music.

The Fremont Street Experience, is just that. A covered party zone when you can drink outdoors provided you have plastic cups. Where zipliners go over your head, where half naked men and women pose for pictures. I also saw a really, really tall man standing in the doorway of the D Resort. It's Times Square with gambling, and I hope the city tries hard to keep it local and not a place where you can go to a Panera instead of a local diner. Sure, we went to an Evel Knievel themed pizza place, but it's not franchised!

Somehow we hooked up with a college friend and his girlfriend who happened to be in Vegas as well as a friend from England who was in town for the Microsoft Conference. We all did a bar hop in a limo and hit a couple of Tiki Bars and the Double Down Saloon, where my friend and I had shots of Ass Juice. The bar scene in Vegas is rather remarkable, like Glasgow you can spend days going to different bars and having a blast at each one without repeating. Although we did go to Frankie's Tiki Room twice, because it's chill, because it's awesome, because it's Vegas.

There is a fascinating history to the city as well. We did not go to the Mob Museum, or the Museum of Sex to see the sex bike but we did make a late night trip to the Neon Museum. This is a must see, a junkyard filled with old signs of casinos and resorts long (and short) gone. A labor of lights with lights in various stages of repair. It's a good look at where the town was, and where it is going.

Also got to gamble. Played blackjack with a live dealer, played a few hands and lost my $10. Did not help that the dealer twice drew 21 to my 20. Gambling and I do not get along, the slots were not kind to me either. Also lost a few quarters at the Pinball Hall of Fame. It was like I was 14 and spending all my paper route money.

At some point I do want to go back, but never again in July. Lows in the 90's are a bit much for me. Did not help I picked up a cold and was not doing well with the cigarette smoke in some of the casinos. The nicest day was when it rained and the temperature was tolerable. So maybe in the spring, or winter.

We returned home to a bathroom in the final stages of renovation, and a tub that leaked into the kitchen because it was moved. Those things have been fixed and the bathroom has a lovely floor and cool tiles on the walls. It's finally presentable and when my wife paints the walls it's going to be terrific. Also had a lot of overgrowth removed from the backyard. To sell or expand may be a serious question soon.

You may ask yourself, well how did I get here?

I'm writing this from the parlor of a B&B that was built in the late 19th century and once owned by the family that exported Mumm Champagne into the country. Word on the street says it's now partially owned by a financial analyst who shouts a lot on a cable network.

We're going to be meeting some friends, and attending a pre-wedding dinner of a family member on Sunday in an Ivy League club in Manhattan. Excited about taking trains.

The weather is unseasonably cool. Drove here yesterday in an incessant rain through most of Pennsylvania. A drive I already cannot stand. Paid about $25 for the privilege of driving on some substandard roads.

When we got to the room last night, we set to lie down and catch up on events online but the power in the building went out for about fifteen minutes. It seems the power company was working on some utility lines and they knocked out power in the whole town. So it was not me signing into the wi-fi.

Going to head out and explore the town a bit more before getting lost on the way to our lunch date. Then again, Siri helped us get here with no incidents, maybe she can help us get around New Jersey without any tears.

An update of sorts

This morning's coffee is an odd blend of Peruvian (of which there was not enough to make a whole cup) and Costa Rican (which is a very underrated country for coffee). Paired with one of the many world class pastries from Pistachia Vera, I'm off to a good start on a late winter Sunday.

It's been a long wait for spring. There are going to be a few more days of fits and starts this week, but it looks like the sub zero temperatures that highlighted this miserable Central Ohio winter have gone away for another year. This is not a guarantee, if it's five below on April 2nd, do not come here and blame me. I've already been yelled at one time too many for missing things this week.

My son's caregiver of the last two summers has agreed to come back. This is very good news as they have a familiar rapport. She's really good with him and well worth her salary. The peace of mind this gives all of us is profound. This enables my wife and I to be able to take a vacation to Scotland in June. Not going to be able to catch any soccer matches as the season is over but I'm very interested in seeing how late the sun goes down since we are there on the solstice, and my birthday. I'm thinking these three months are going to go as quickly as the first three months have gone. It's the Ides of March already!

Thinking of playing around with form poetry for awhile. Maybe there's some writing discipline (which has been missing for a long time now) in crafting work that way. Maybe I'll get back to work with a template instead of a prompt. It really cannot get any worse that is has been. A couple of hot new pieces at my Dayton feature in May will go a long way to boost my ego a bit.

I might be hate watching The Fall. I like the acting, and it's great to see Gillian Anderson in a meaty role. It's a damn shame the scripts are so cliched and predictable. If I can call a plot twist, there's something wrong. I did not mind The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. There were too many uncomfortable racist jokes though. I did not like the main character, but the casting of the rest of the ensemble (Carol Kane is wonderful) and cameos were excellent. It's supposed to be renewed. I wish programmers could get into the mind set that too much of something is not necessarily the best idea and know when to end a series on a high note then stop. I'm mostly talking about Broadchurch here! It's all about the money though, I'm not that stupid. If there's a profit to be made there will be people riding that horse until it drops, then using every part for sustenance until it's completely vanished. Such is the world. Thanks for reading.

Quick update on the Sleep Chronicles.

Last night he got to bed around 11, woke up just after 2AM, fell asleep less than an hour later.

It did not really matter much as school was cancelled due to the weather. We had three inches of snow here and school was called off.

Let that sink in as you realize the North East is about to get 2-3 feet of snow.

A delegation from the Democratic National Committee was here today to continue evaluating the city's worthiness for the 2016 convention. Wonder what went through their heads when they saw all the chaos three inches of snow caused. I know the convention is in the summer, but heaven help us they see a local weather forecast of hyperbole and panic when there is a chance of a thunderstorm. That's how Columbus handles a crisis.

My son's also been bringing me Green Eggs and Ham to read. He hands me the book. Points at the words on the cover of the book and says, "Ham," when he gets to that word.

I also have him saying, "Sam-I-Am," at the appropriate moments - which he does do, but very quietly.

Now he's upstairs jumping on his bed.

The effect of lake effect

A driveway that I parked in a month ago is now under six feet of snow. Buffalo, New York gets picked on its weather but this week's storm has not given people around the country reason for mocking or ridicule, but respect.

The most snow I experienced was Super Bowl weekend of 1985 when three feet of snow fell in Fredonia, New York. It was impressive and more than a bit scary. College classes were delayed for several days as the semester was set to begin that week.

It is mind boggling for me to think about double that,

When roads were blocked and travel next to impossible I saw the people of Buffalo rally together and help people get to where they needed to go, or to a safe place.

Friends of mine still cannot get out of their homes, thankfully their power and heat remains on. They've shared stories and photographs. They've been trying to dig themselves out to get to work, to get to the store, to do something for a neighbor, to keep from going stir crazy and I have nothing but admiration for all of them. They have had a crazy few days and each one of them deserve all the rest and quality beverages they want when their driveways are cleared and the roads are passable.

Be safe, all of you.

Stuff is happening

We've been away. In New York for a family event. On Sunday there was a dedication of a bench in the park my Mom worked. The day was beautiful and a good number of family turned out. The bench had some special engravings of daffodils and shamrocks that were done by a former co-worker of Mom's.



We all had turns sitting on the bench during a solemn but pleasant day. The bench is located by the hatchery in the park. I was walking around and found that my Mom's picture is used as part of the guided tour.



My wife and I also had time to hit a hidden winery. Loughlin Vineyards is in Sayville and is run by a very friendly 88 year old man named Barney. I did not really talk wine with him, but we talked about World War 2 as there were several old signs and maps in the tasting room. He went on, "The Germans and the Americans all had one thing in common, when they were dying, they all cried for their mothers - Let's try the merlot!"



The wine is quite good, we liked the chardonnay. There was also time to hit the beach. It was quite the shock seeing the damage that remains after Hurricane Sandy.



Used to be a gentle slope that led you to the water, not an eight foot sudden drop. That's the power this storm had.



We got lucky with the weather when we went into Manhattan. It seems the people were all released after a harsh winter. I have been going to the city for years and have never seen the streets so crowded.



Had some very good pizza at Juliana's then took on the bridge. Which led us, after a lengthy walk to McSorley's. Experienced a subway delay before goofing off with a drink in Times Square.



It was a good and necessary visit. If you're going to Long Island I recommend the Hilton Garden Inn in Ronkonkoma, which was a good base to plan from. I was upgraded to a Prius by the effervescent Shannon of Enterprise at the Islip Airport, an interesting car to drive around town in, but not one I would be comfortable in for long trips despite it's exceptional fuel economy.

Lots of other plans and items are coming, thanks to my Mom. Looking into a new heating and cooling unit for the house, and we got the new roof already. I bought a new turntable today so the Back Room is turning into a bit of a man cave and next week I'll be upgrading my old Macbook. The flights were ok. Came home to a piece of siding hanging from the house, thank you wind, so that is being addressed as well.

March 29th 7:15pm

Nature does not give a crap about anything but nature. You cannot stop nature.

We are born
We suffer
We age
We die
Nature wins
Every time

Two hours later, four new tires

When you own a 21 year old car that is your daily driver, you rely a lot on faith. A belief that the car is going to start every morning (it has) that it will get you from point A to point B without breaking down (it has) and not being in the shop with any great frequency.

For the most part, that has been in the case. My Subaru has been a very good car during the three years I have owned it. The repairs, while on the pricey side, have been necessary and not the result of a bad purchasing decision.

But how much more cash and time in the shop do you want to put into a 21 year old car? Recently, the steering has been getting more and more unstable. This was not an unknown situation. My mechanic have mentioned that there was a lot of play in the steering wheel, and these parts do not get better. Do I really want to sink another couple of thousand into this car for a steering column, shocks and struts.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been doing research. Looking into local car dealerships, what they had used in stock for what I was willing to pay, and their reputation for being decent business people.

I made an appointment earlier this week for this morning. There were a couple of cars they had that I was interested in.

Yesterday we got about four inches of snow, and the roads were crap. Was wondering what I'd wake up to this morning and whether or not I'd be able to test drive any cars. The roads were not too bad, so I gathered up my title, brought the checkbook and headed to Hugh White Honda.

The salesman was not pushy, apologized for the weather, like it was his fault, and we walked down a row of cars on a chilly morning. He mentioned a couple of five speeds, but I have not driven a stick in over twenty years, and was not about to relearn on slushy roads. There was one car in particular I wanted to test drive, he got it scraped off while I took a look in the interior and trunk.



Sent this picture of to my wife and gave the description. She did not disapprove.

Took it on the road and it felt good. Needed to adjust the seat better, but it rides well. Since the dealership is right by 270 I gave it a good spin on the highway and it continued to drive well. Everything seems to function as it should, not sure about the air conditioning though. You worry about different noises when you have an unfamiliar engine in front of you, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

When I got back we discussed terms. My wife and I previously talked what we were willing to pay and how to finance the purchase, but I called her after the dealership's offer, which we felt was reasonable so I made the purchase.



A 2005 Hyundai Elantra that went to 118,000 miles as I was on the highway. My parents own a Sonata that I have driven and really liked. I've also rented a couple of Hyundais and felt comfortable with them. This morning, no cash was spent in exchange for three years of payments plus the Subaru as trade. There's a minor oversight that I and the salesman made that he is going to make good on next week. So I'm happy with this car and hope I made a purchase of a car that's going to be low cost to maintain for the next three years, at least. It's going to be weird not having a station wagon for the first time in five years, but I'm sure I can make the adjustment.

Road Trip to the Rockmill Brewery and Covered Bridge

Truly a gorgeous autumn Saturday in Central Ohio. Unseasonably warm, with bright sunshine and low humidity. Wanted to do something to get away from the city and get us off the laptops, so I suggested a trip to a brewery to my Scottish Wife. Of course she agreed.

Not just any brewery, but The Rockmill Brewery outside of Lancaster, Ohio. They just celebrated their third year of operation. I've had a few of their Belgian style beers, and they are excellent. Now it was finally time to go to the source.

I checked a map, and thought it would be an easy turnoff of route 33. Did not bring a map with me, which was the wrong move. Ended up going past Lancaster, turning around, taking the wrong Lithopolis Road but seemed to slowly spiral toward the brewery, as if by magic. There was no yelling, no cursing, no gnashing of teeth. We got there safe and sound. We did not even drive past it despite the signage.



It's a very rustic facility. Ended up going into the main house, which is a residence, and not the tasting room. This guy was no help for directions.



Eventually we made our way to the place where the beer is.



For $12 you get a flight of every beer that is available. This was plenty for two as the beers are quite strong and my wife did not want to fall asleep and I had to drive home. For one person, it's a lot of strong beer. The owner/brewer is doing a world class job making authentic Belgian beer in Ohio. He fell in love with Saison Dupont and wanted to recreate it for himself. By coincidence the family homestead has water that is similar to that in the places the good Belgian beer is made. It's a lovely place to reflect on what you're drinking. And they serve the flights in Glencairn glasses. If you order a pint, you get it in a Riedel Crystal tulip. Serious stuff that I really appreciate.



I really want to take some out of town, and in town, beer aficionados here. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the product. It's not cheap, but well worth the price. I really like the Wit, and the Tripel. All the beer is quality. The Dubbel aged in whiskey casks was a bit over the top for me. Very sherry like, but there are people out there who would love it.

Just down the road from the brewery, not even a quarter mile, is The Rockmill Covered Bridge. I checked my pictures when we returned home to see if I had been here before. Back in the nineties, we drove all over Ohio to find covered bridges, as a fun day trip. This bridge was negotiable by vehicle then, not so now.



The bridge was built in 1901 and still looks grand. Right next to it is a mill that was built in 1824 that is being restored to its glory. It overlooks a rather scenic 90 foot gorge.



For perspective the mill wheel is 26 feet in diameter and was restored in 2012. This is a great day trip.



I also saw a couple of these Autism Speaks puzzle pieces painted on the ground for some reason.

Getting out of our shells Saturday

We're blessed with a number of great metro parks in Columbus. First beautiful Saturday of the year and the crowds turned out. We were part of them.



You can see turtles on the log at Heron Pond. We did not see any herons, but my wife kept looking.



We did see people fishing on Heron Pond.



A short time later my wife spots not a heron, but another turtle.



Then I annoy her by taking too many pictures of her from behind.



Oh, we were at Three Creeks Metro Park.



We also went to Turtle Pond, which did not disappoint.



This dude seemed to be the head Turtle of Turtle Pond.



A group of turtles is called a Bale. Now you know.

Our intentions were good

To get out of the house for a little while, and get off the computers for a bit I suggested to my wife that we take a walk around the Scioto Mile today.



It was a spot chilly, about twenty degrees, but there was also a stiff breeze in our faces.



My wife was struggling with her scarf, and the elements. I was not doing very well in the wind either.



Columbus was losing its color in the grey chill.



A cold train made its way through downtown. It shivered over the tracks.



We cut our walk short more than halfway through.



We made the right decision crossing over the Town Street bridge.



Because Milestone 229 was our original, final destination.



It's a good place to have a pre-grocery shopping drink, in any weather.

What I have not put in Facebook status updates or tweets.

I was at a Barnes and Noble recently, looking through the magazine rack I noticed about half a dozen soccer magazines, none of which were there when I worked there six years ago. I know print has changed, but you know the subject is gaining in popularity.

During last month's storm, the gutter on the front of my house was partially ripped out and hung there in the snow and ice. No way I was going up there. No way a repairman was going up there. Luckily it hung on until the snow and ice melted and I was pleased to find out it was repaired yesterday afternoon. Yes, I have to pay for it, but it's peace of mind.

This last month has been a struggle. Grief is all around me, and it's hard.



I really do not give a shit about who has and who has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Hey, we've extended the deadline to apply to read at the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. Poets, you have until January 28th to submit. You can do that here. It's quick, fun, and free. Showcase your work in one of the coolest venues the city offers you.

Bad weather, good day off randomness

I'm drinking a Brazilian coffee I bought at Stauf's. This stuff is a lot darker than I expected, and quite delicious.

Yes, Grover Norquist, patron saint of the tea party, just said Romney lost because Obama called him a poopy-head.

It's not even high school anymore, this is first grade playground stuff now. Norquist would get slayed in a dozens round.

The check engine light keeps coming on in my car while I'm running errands. Finally unscrewed a dashboard panel and connected two wires to allow the car's computer to give me the code of what is wrong. Turns out, a valve is not operating properly. Not a major cause the car to blow up valve, so we are free to move about the county.

Skyfall is one of the better Bond films. Go see it. He drinks a lot of McCallan.

After a glorious weekend here, the weather has turned sad and rainy. We have the day off today. Thank you Veterans.

Got a couple of errands to run after we go for breakfast

Still a story to tell

The remnants of Hurricane Sandy are blasting through Ohio today. That, along with the big storm that was already here are creating some high winds here. While I slept there were some snow flurries, nowhere near the foot that has buried parts of West Virginia.

So, we're good from the couch, unless the wind does some damage today.

My parents on Long Island seemed to fare the storm well. They did lose power for a short time, but it was back when I spoke to them a few minutes ago. It was quite windy, strong enough to blow over their gas grill.

As for Manhattan and some of the coastal areas, there's a lot of flood damage. Getting around is next to impossible, bridges and all of the tunnels save the Lincoln are shut down. Long Island is essentially cut off. The Southern New Jersey shore into Delaware and Maryland are in rough shape too, from what I'm reading and hearing.

Be safe east coast.

Frying on the sidewalk

It hit 100 degrees in Columbus today. Vicious heat and climbing humidity makes it painful to be outside.

We were supposed to go to the Doo-Dah Parade, but the idea of being in a crowd in the heat and sun was not appealing to either of us. Went to the Jury Room for an early lunch then headed over to the Bicentennial Park fountain to see what was happening.



Quite a bit, the fountain was flexing its muscle. There were a few dozen people enjoying the fountain on a hot afternoon.



I ended up walking through it to cool off. It worked!



Columbus showed well in the heat. We even spotted a Blue Heron looking for lunch in the river as well as a Great Egret that flew off as I started to take its picture.



A train showed up as we crossed the Main Street Bridge.



My wife and I were separated for a few hundred feet, but we got back together.

Nearly melted on the way back to the car. Went to see Brave, which I liked to a point. It was gorgeous to look at, but the script lacked precision. A lot of the humor that was geared towards kids, and that was not very funny. Still, toward the end, there were a few kids in our row sobbing. Good film. I expect better from Pixar though.

After that we hung out at the place we were married and went to dinner at an extremely loud Grandview Cafe. It was 100 degrees on a Wednesday afternoon and the music was Saturday night at 11PM levels. Not impressed.

Waiting for the 4th of July

It's a great thing to have functioning air conditioning in the car, especially during this heat wave we're having. Driving across the city in this heat to pick up my son every day is a chore sometimes, at least the car is getting decent gas mileage.

On Saturday I noticed there was be a ticking noise out of the engine when I accelerated. Not loud, yet, but a noise that would not quiet down over time. Luckily, I was able to get to the mechanic before they closed today.

I've written many kind words about Mad Hatter Muffler here. They were busy, even in the late afternoon. There were three people ahead of me, but they work fast. Car was on the lift in less than half an hour. I was called into the work area by the mechanic, who pointed at a small hole in the exhaust by the catalytic converter. He was familiar with the car, had worked on it in the past. Asked me if it was getting louder. Said he'd weld the hole shut. No charge. The whole thing took about forty five minutes.



COTA, the city's municipal bus service has been negotiating with its bus drivers for some time. On Sunday night, a new contract was tentatively agreed upon by the union after a federal mediator stepped in. However, the drivers decided to strike today anyway. This is very, very bad public relations by the workers. Regardless of the compensation of the executive board, this crass act, after a weekend of storms and massive power outages in the city, is a slap in the face of the people who relay on them not only during difficult times, but every day.

Had to drive my wife to work today. Luckily a friend of ours graciously gave her a ride home. If they're still on strike Tuesday, this is going to wreak havoc with a lot of people's plans to go downtown to see the fireworks on Tuesday night. Picking up wife up from downtown late Tuesday afternoon is not something I look forward to.

Edit: and the union has rejected the proposed contract.

We are lucky

We had a nasty storm blow through Ohio during the late afternoon hours. The heat was in the upper nineties, the humidity was increasing just as a weak front came through.

We could see it coming.



About five minutes after this was taken the wind began to rage, the rain poured down and there was very heavy lightning. The heavy stuff lasted for about ten minutes. Ten very intense minutes.

The power and the cable flickered a few times, but for us, the power stayed on. A lot of the neighborhood still has no power. Friends of mine had a tree go through the roof of their house. Another lost a bit of his garden when a tree fell on it. It does not seem that anyone was hurt. There is a lot of property damage in the county, and state.

A branch from the neighbor's tree was knocked into the middle of the road in front of the house. I ran out to move it in the middle of the deluge.

Now I'm enjoying a martini.

Let me also give a big Thank You to all of you who stopped by here during the past month. June 2012 has registered a record number of page hits for this blog! I'm humbled by you, Constant Reader, and you, too.

Over four dozen years now

First day of summer and it's blazing hot. More of the same for tomorrow. As I age, the heat and I get along less and less. Not that I necessarily want to go to a cooler climate.



But maybe live somewhere where the Frascati and Vihno Verde are always cold, and the selection of Madiera is excellent.

If not that someplace where it cools off in the evenings. The heat lies on the ground here, it stays embedded in you when you go inside.

91 degrees at 2:42

Even with the ceiling fan on, it is too damn hot to sit in the back room today. I used to have a lot of tolerance for heat. Age, and living for too long where I did not have air conditioning has weakened my resolve so I turn into a lazy, cranky git when the temperature goes over ninety degrees.

It does not help that my son has forgotten to sleep past 4AM. We even set up a mattress for him in our room since it has a/c. I do not want him sleeping in a hot bedroom. His repayment to us is to wake up singing before the birds.

This morning the power went out. It got really quiet, except for my son. I noticed the ceiling fan was off, looked at the clock and the screen was dark. Grabbed my iPod. It was 3:21AM. A couple of minutes later, the power came back on.

Last week's appointment with the behavioral psychologist went well. His OT is off the team, we've lost confidence in her. The behaviorist can't teach him how to chew, we know this, but she has some techniques to get him to tolerate a variety of food. We'll see.

The immature mourning doves are still hanging out by the recycling bin. Yesterday morning they greeted me.

It's been neat having them around. I'd name them, but the moment that happens they'll get eaten by a cat or fly off to their grown up mourning dove lives or whatever they do when mom stops puking in their mouths. I have not seen them today. See? Just by thinking about it, they disappear.

Busy week ahead, and The Arts Festival is next weekend. The weather is supposed to be good, the temperatures lower, at least.

My wife and I celebrate our third wedding anniversary on Wednesday, we'll be at WB. We'll have a nice dinner out on Thursday.

My son's last day of third grade is on Thursday, day camp starts on June 11th. Where the hell did May go?