Lotto Frenzy

Did you buy a Powerball ticket for last night's astoundingly over $900 million jackpot? 

No one won!

Seriously.

The jackpot for the next drawing is expected to be over $1.3 Billion! Yup, that is a billion. 

2 bucks and a dream!

Yes, I bought a few tickets. It is fun to dream about what I could do with a substantial sum of money. I cannot even begin to fathom having access to those kinds of fiscal resources. Of course, every government and agency will get a piece of the winnings and then there will be fiscal management firms and investment discussions,  but after it is all said and done I could be very happy on a couple hundred million dollars.  Really!

It is fun to dream and see where my heart's desire lies.

I wonder who will win on Wednesday?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Speeding Laws

Traffic laws, in my opinion, are among some of the most arbitrarily enforced laws in our society. They are a clear example of the concept of lack of absolute right or wrong.

Traffic speed cameras in Maryland do not ticket people unless they are traveling 12 MPH over the posted speed limit. We believe that police, on the other hand, grand only 10 MPH before a citation may be given. Now in Washington, DC, they want to significantly increase traffic fines for people going 25 MPH or more above the posted speed limit. The Washington Post article titled $1,000 speeding ticket, other proposed traffic fines in D.C. likely to be cut. 

Maryland Speed Camera

We need a better way of enforcing speeding laws. Some areas have such unreasonably low speeds that they clearly are going to be violated and are perceived as a "speed trap." There is a stretch of road near me that goes down a hill with no houses on either side for about a half mile on which the speed limit is 30 MPH. This area should have a 45 MPH limit. Why? Because everyone does it and 30 MPH should be reserved for residential areas.

Arbitrary speed limits with inconsistent enforcement generates contempt for traffic laws. I have a theoretical traffic situation: It is 2AM, no one else is in sight on the highway in any direction and I am at a stop light waiting for it to turn green to proceed. Why? At that hour and in full recognition of the local condition should I not be able to proceed cautiously through the light?

Speeding is similar. Sometimes going the speed limit is too fast based upon conditions.

I'm not sure there is an answer--but I think Washington, DC, may be onto something but trying to set a truly enforced limit.

My Take: All speed limits should be raised 10-15 MPH, except hospital and school zones, and enforced with no grace factor. A 55 MPH limit would become 70 MPH and speeding tickets with significant fines would be given starting at 71 MPH. It takes the fudge factor out of driving and places the responsibility for determining the correct speed for conditions squarely on the driver.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Evening at Home

Last evening was one of those rare evenings where the craziness of the workday actually ended and I was able to enjoy time in the evening just chilling.  

It was a strange situation, however, because I had a roaring fire in the fireplace to ward off the cold and I was watching the PGA Golf Tournament from Hawaii.

It was warm and sunny in Hawaii--the golfers were wearing short-sleeve shirts and hitting monster golf shots. I wished that I too was in Hawaii wandering the course.

Before the darkness arrived I even went outside where I practiced my golf swing and hit a few balls up and down the yard working with my relatively new attack wedge. But it was cold and my hands soon became numb. Golf is not a lot of fun when it is cold--the club striking the ball can really send shockwaves into the hands which make me wonder, why did I do that?

But I wasn't--and in truth that wasn't so bad. I went back into the house and realized that I was at home with my dog and cats and even Chris, who showed up after a bit. It all helped take my mind off the events of the day, including the continuing crash of the stock market because the Chinese bubble may have finally burst.

And now? Queue the weekend!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Next Up: Vacation Plans

This morning the temperature outside my door was 15 degrees warmer than a the same time yesterday. It was 29 degrees! Cold. I am already dreaming of vacationing on a warm Caribbean island.

Chris on Curacao 2015

Chris and I began the planning for summer vacation in earnest last evening. Destination? Well, as close as we could get was the Caribbean--somewhere. We did determine that we want to experience somewhere that we have not been and so that actually excludes a few places. 

But it is stressful. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, why is the planning process so stressful?

So many questions. Are we going to do a land vacation, or a cruise? A resort or on the economy? 

Despite the mundane, the dreaming is very nice, especially on the third consecutive below freezing morning. Give me a hot, sandy beach somewhere with a cold drink in my hand and my snorkeling gear at my side.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Decoration Downer

The Tree is Gone

The Christmas decorations are  in their boxes and ready to be stowed.

That has been the activity of the past couple of nights. It is almost fitting that we have nearly completed removing the Christmas decorations just in time to remember Three Kings Day. 

Well, it is also a bit sad. Removing the decorations puts a period at the end of the paragraph that is the Christmas season. All of the preparations that run from before Thanksgiving until the big day. The house was festively decorated and has now returned to its almost normal state. 

A few vestiges of the holiday remain, the poinsettia, for instance. I still need to remove the exterior lights--it has been too cold since our return from upstate NY to get that task completed. 

I guess it is time to begin looking forward to Springtime and Spring Training. Which are good things.

Although the days are supposed to be getting longer, I'm not seeing it yet. Christmas is behind me and I'm waiting for the sunshine!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Thank You is so Hard to Say

Perhaps it was because it was the holiday season and there were so many more opportunities to say the words, "Thank You," but it became apparent to me that they are some of the hardest words in the English language.

Some people just cannot say "thank you" at all. They may say volumes of words trying to express their feeling of gratitude, but they never actually say the words themselves.

The are also those people who say "thank you" but then add a volume of qualifiers which make the giver feel like they really are not grateful for the gift. And I have even had people say so much after trying to say "thank you" that I felt guilty for the gift or the act of kindness. And often the offer to pay me for my time or cost involved with the activity. If I wanted to be paid, it wouldn't be a gift.

There are of course others who do not say "thank you" in any form at all.  The don't even try to say anything resembling "thank you" because apparently it would acknowledge weakness. They are the entitled ones who believe that what was given was owed them. There are more and more of these people every day who do not appreciate the efforts of others. It is say.

My Take? I like to receive and give a simple unqualified "thank you." Nothing more is needed because the receiver recognizes the efforts of the activity. Adding words only minimizes the activity or the effort. 

And when I am the giver, and someone says "thank you" I always like to respond with a simple and unqualified, "you're welcome!"

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 4, 2016

1. Happy New Year! And it is already four days old. Many of us are back to school and work today for the first time this year. 

2. I think I have discovered the two most difficult words in English when put together: Thank you.

3. Holidays take so long to arrive, but then pass so quickly.

4. The NFL regular season is thankfully over for the Ravens and 19 other teams in the league. Congratulations to the Redskins, Steelers, and Texans--specifically among the 12 teams that made the playoffs. 

Crossing the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, PA
January 3, 2016

5. The sun was out yesterday and at times the sky was clear and blue! I appreciate it more after a long week of overcast and gloom.

6. I snapped a quick image, while traveling at about 60 MPH of the beautiful day and the reflections on the Susquehanna River yesterday--it made leaving the dark and gloom of Central New York even more pleasing.

7. It is just 45 days until Orioles Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training!

8. How much longer can we continue to say "Happy New Year?"

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Window - Ithaca

Dawn on January 2, 2016
Ithaca, NY

It has been a while since I have traveled and my "Out the Hotel Window" blogs have suffered.

Yesterday, while I was admiring the frozen wasteland set before me in Upstate New York, I realized that I was indeed admiring the view outside the window through which I was looking.

It was about 28 degrees and the snow had fallen during the night covering the land.

I wrote about the snow yesterday, but there it was, outside the window and all around. I had to deal with it while hoping to soon return south.

As I write this, I am driving through Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania, returning to Maryland. The snow is a memory. But there it was yesterday, outside the window.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Shamokin Dam, PA

Snow, Why does it have to be snow?

Snow Fall
January 1, 2016

To celebrate New Year's Day, we drove north to return Mom and Dad to Ithaca and complete their all too short visit.

While the weather in Maryland has been warm and rainy, we were just about two hours into the journey north when the percolation changed. It was snowing.

It snowed off and of for most of the last half of the trip. With the exception of some of the high mountain areas there was no appreciable accumulation. It was, however, an ever present nuisance.

I'm definitely over snow.

The song from the movie Frozen keeps reeling in my mind: "do you wanna build a snowman?" My response is simple, no I want to build a sand castle on a hot, sunny beach.

I'm hoping for a mostly snowless winter in Maryland.

Wel now it's on to stowing the Christmas decorations. Hopefully the snow will be light and not too intrusive.

The image below was taken as the snow fell last night. Ugh? I definitely prefer rain.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

New Year's Day

Times Square
New York City

Happy New Year.

Here's hoping that your 2016 is better than 2015.

It was a great, but somewhat subdued ending to the year. Instead of the normal revelry with our friends, Chris and I went to dinner at Victoria Gastro Pub with Mom and Dad and then watched a movie while waiting for the main event--the ball to drop in Times Square.

Dinner at Victoria Gastro Pub
December 31, 2015

It was generally an uneventful day to end the year. the weather was beautiful and mild which added to the enjoyment of the day.

And so, as the new year begins, rom all of us to you--Happy New Year.

--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD