Christmas Panic Sets In

It is two weeks until Christmas--and the presents I am responsible for still have not been bought, ordered, or even thought of in some cases

That could be a problem.

It could be a large problem. I have a list--but I don't have a clue.

I'm such a guy.

I have become an Amazon warrior--I have been ordering the things that Chris tells me to order. I do love the one click and it is ordered feature. No lines to stand in, parking lots to navigate, or crowds to fight. And best of all the item usually arrives within the next couple of days.

And now, to complicate the season,  gifts from other people for other people are beginning to arrive at the house and confuse my less than complete plan.  It is a nebulous plan.  Such as it is.

Why is this such a confusing and complex season?

I though gift giving was supposed to be fun! This is more like a second job.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 10, 2012

1. Fifteen days to go all you shoppers! Feeling the stress yet?

2. Everyone who is waiting until Christmas Eve to do their shopping, take a bow. Everyone knows guys shop better when it is crunch time.

3. Is there someone I can push off the fiscal cliff to get the log jam broken? It could be a pretty subdued New Years Eve across the country if something isn't done soon.

4. I read that some taxpayers may face increases of $6,000 next year and they won't even know it until the end of the year.

5. Writing of taxes--there has to be something unconstitutional about tax laws that read $200,000 per single person or $250,000 per married couple. That certainly seems to be a marriage penalty to me.

6. "Good news for frequent-flyer gadget lovers: A federal regulator thinks it's about time you should be able to use your smartphone on planes." See this CNN article for more. From my standpoint, I think the airlines would save money because I wouldn't be lugging heavy reading material along on the place with me.

7. I wonder what this week will bring?

8. I just read that Key West, Florida, is considered one of the five creepiest towns in the United states by one travel company.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sparkling Wines for the Season: Bin 201

Yesterday was one of those Saturdays which are common during the holiday season characterized by the the word--busy. There was the obligatory shopping for holiday gifts with its associated too-ing and fro-ing. But there was a nice timeout during the middle of the afternoon to sample and enjoy sparkling wines from around the world.

Bin 201 Sparkling Wine Selection

What a great respite from the insanity. We attended a tasting and class on Sparkling Wines sponsored by Bin 201 in Annapolis Town Center.

The course was called Binology 103: Sparkling Wines, and featured wines from France, Italy, Spain, and Oregon. Oregon? Yup. They make sparkling wines, too. There is also a good sparkling wine maker in New Mexico that I enjoy but whose offerings were not included in the course. The course reviewed the history of modern sparkling wines,  how they developed, the main ways that they are created, and highlighted the more important regions where they are produced.

Here is probably the most important thing I relearned: Champagne is a region (in France) not a type of wine. Champagne is also a process for making, in my opinion, the best sparkling wine. Hence the confusion. Many great sparkling wines are made using the champagne method.  Important safety tip--not all French sparkling wines are Champagne!

The drinking, sampling, is always the best part of the courses. These wines all drank very well with generally very fine bubbles and refined flavors. The differences were subtle--even between the rose and the whites. But the finest of the wines were very good--and I confess a couple of bottles made their way home in expectation of Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations.

I heartily recommend the courses at Bin 201 as a way to increase wine knowledge and develop a deeper appreciation for wine. More importantly, I am looking forward to enjoying these wines in just a few short weeks.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas in Columbia Mall - 2012

Last evening I was coerced into visiting the Columbia Mall to do some seasonal shopping. I actually like visiting this mall during the holiday season because of the unique decoration that takes center stage: the Poinsettia Tree.

Poinsettia Tree, Columbia Mall 2012

This tree, I believe, is unique among the decorations used in malls and it is big--at least 20 feet tall.

I always feel a need to snap a picture of it because I find it so stunning. This was a quick shot from the second tier of the mall.

One year, 2010 I think, the mall decided to forgo the signature poinsettia tree and set up a cheesy Santa's Workshop center for the kids. The mall found out that people like myself look forward to this unique expression of the holiday season. The last thing we need is another Santa to deal with.

The poinsettia tree is unique and it is a local landmark.

And, I enjoy it. I think I posted last year's image taken from exactly the same location.

Happy Holidays--Merry Christmas, and haul out the holly!

As a side note--I did survive the shopping adventure.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Follow the Instructions--There May be an Important Reason for Them!

The recent biting of an 8 year old girl, Jillian Thomas, by a dolphin at sea World in Orlando, as reported by CNN, provides a great example of irresponsible people who can't follow simple instructions then believe they are entitled to compensation for what I refer to as: terminal stupidity.

While I am sorry that the girl was bitten by the dolphin, in reading the statements in the article it is clear that the parents forgot the first rule of parenting: parent are on duty 24/7 and as a result they became powerless bystanders (with a video on a cell phone to document the situation) in the relatively minor incident that now is being inflated into an apparent money making proposition.

Dolphins are wild animals! Treat them as such. I have been to Sea World Orlando and this attraction specifically and I found the instructions to be simple and clear--I believe if the instructions had been followed and enforced by the parents, who presumably are adults, then the incident would not have occurred.

The following statement baffles me:
Jamie Thomas said those feeding the dolphins were told the paper plate should stay on the wall, "but we really didn't know why." No one signed a disclaimer, and there were no signs indicating any risk, the father said.

I guess the risk is apparent now.  These seem to be the kind of people who would need someone to explain to them the significance of a fire alarm as it is blaring in and effort to get them to clear out of a building which is on fire.

The end result of this is incident is that Sea World will likely have to close or modify this hugely popular and enjoyable attraction. There will be a significant payment from the insurance company, there will be increased ticket prices AND there will be another example of terminal stupidity being rewarded by our misplaced legal system.

There will likely be another sign installed in the world with print too small to read the advise people that dolphins are wild animals.

Really?

What has been learned? Like the woman who received millions of dollars by burning herself with hot coffee, society has relearned that that dolphins are wild animals, fire alarms are important, instructions by the staff or crew are to be followed, and coffee is hot.

I call this--an intuitive grasp of the obvious!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas in the Hotel Lobby - Denver

So for the second time during this Christmas Season I am away from home and in a hotel that is decorated for the holiday's.

Christmas Tree in Denver Airport
Embassy Suites - 2012

The Embassy Suites I am staying in has a large atrium and they positioned an oversized Christmas Tree positioned near the entrance. I took this image form the bar which is located near the center of the atrium.

I like the big blocks around the base--I think they are very creative and festive. The tree is full of color and flocked with fake snow.

But I did notice one thing--the tree is not straight. I didn't notice it too much in person, but when I was looking at the image I took I found that the tree is clearly not straight. I went back to the atrium and checked it out to see if there was some weird thing going on in my camera. The tree isn't straight in person either.

So, call it a the Leaning Tree of Denver!

I wonder why they couldn't get it straight. Obviously a guy did it without the watchful eye of a woman to correct the deficiency.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Out the Hotel Window - Denver, December 2012

There was no snow on the ground, yet it was evident on the mountains in the distance.

Out the Hotel Window - Denver Dec 2012

This was a different view for me from this hotel which I have visited many times before. Looking north to the plains, yet with the Rocky Mountains visible in the distance.

The mountains are stunning.

The clouds foreboding.

And yet, yesterday morning, they were the majestic part of the scenery. I definitely prefer their view to that of yet another building or hotel.

The scene out of the hotel window continues to change with the seasons and the compass.

It seems so empty.

So open.

So unlike Maryland.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Falling off the Fiscal Cliff

Saw this editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley in today's USA Today.

I feel much the same way.

I'm not too sure my wallet can sustain the demands of the holiday season.

It seems the presents are mounting faster than the money necessary to pay for them.

I think that Chris and I will singlehandedly bring the country out of its fiscal doldrums.


--  Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Out the Cabin Window - Over the Mid-West

There is was last evening spread out before me to enjoy from my window seat on a moderately comfortable United 757 headed from Baltimore to Denver.

Out the Cabin Window at 38,000 Feet

It was the horizon and the sunset. I do not normally sit in window seats, so when on those rare occasions that I have to, I try to make the most of the experience. The sunset made the almost four hour flight crammed into a space too small to survive almost worth the adventure.

I don't often get to see the full, unobstructed horizon at sunset. Trees and buildings and even hills and mountains often steal part of the scene.

I had been watching the sunset develop, rather than taking my usual mid-flight nap. As it became deeper and deeper, I just knew I had to try an image to hold the scene in my mind. I know why painters paint--because deep in their souls they see something that needs to be captured and remembered.

Before it had become too dark to make out the details, I had been watching the towns and cities pass beneath the jet. I watched the lights come on as dusk gathered and finally began to notice the patterns of the street lights on the ground trying to stave off the darkness.

All too soon, it was dark and I was reminded that darkness is not the opposite of light, but rather the absence of light.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Living in a Right-Handed World

I am proud to be a member of the most oppressed minority in the world--left-handed people.

I continue to be amazed at how insensitive manufacturers are to those of us who are "in our right minds."

Right-handed Coffee Package

My most recent experience with the frustration of living in a right-handed world came last week while I was in Tampa. It involved coffee packages, of all things.

The hotel I was staying in was nice enough to provide complimentary coffee--which I always drink because the first thing I need when I get up in the morning is

  COFFEE!!!

The other morning I was standing in front of the coffee pot, it had been charged with water and the only thing lacking was to get the coffee out of the bag and into the pot to begin the brewing process. Naturally, I was holding the bag with the front up--I tore at the container to free the coffee--to no avail. Notice the small tear on the left side of the bag, just to the left of the "R."

The bag was not meant to be opened there, and it would not tear open! When I turned the bag over--back side up and tore at the bag, with almost no effort it opened to release the coffee within.  The bag was a right-handed bag!

Ugh!

There is nothing more frustrating than having a manufacturer throw a curve ball at me when I am barely awake.

Why not make the bag be ambidextrous?  The next bag opened exactly the same. As did all of the others I drank during my stay. None of them opened in a manner considerate of left-handed people.

I wonder if there is a discrimination suit in here somewhere?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD