Stop for the Bus

There is a problem in our area, and perhaps, across the country. The problem is that people are not respecting stopped school busses. 

An opinion piece in the Baltimore Sun, titled School bus danger ahead, describes the incredible problem of people not stopping for school busses on-boarding or discharging passengers. 

I was amazed at the sheer numbers of people who ignore the flashing lights and risk injuring a child. In Baltimore County there were 1,002 incidents on one day!

I admit, I get impatient around school busses. The numbers of children getting on or being discharged from the busses can be quite large and it takes a lot of time. If I am stopped by a bus in my neighborhood it means I am already late leaving for work and the last thing I need is to be slowed further by a bus making four five minute stops going down the street.

Regardless--I stop. Kids are unpredictable and busses have a lot of blind spots. Ignoring a stopped bus is dangerous.

Stop when the lights are flashing.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Barely Staying in the Race

It has been a frustrating baseball week. 

From MLB.com

Last week the Orioles had clawed their way to within a game of the AL East Division lead and this week finds them two games out with 18 games left to play. 

The Orioles have been flirting with disaster at almost every turn. After making it to one game out of first the O's have fallen as low as three games out on two occasions during the week. At some point they will need to get the wheels turning again. 

Looking to the future, the O's still have 5 games remaining against the division leading Red Sox, four at home; and 3 games against the Blue Jays in Toronto. The remaining games are against Tampa, 4 at home; Arizona, 3 at home; and finishing the season on the road with 3 on the road against the team whose name shall remain unspoken.

Last night's 6-3 win over the Red Sox game was a model for success. Take an early lead and depend upon solid pitching to get a 1 in the win column. They will need that tonight as they face a 20 game winning pitcher.

This is the final push to the playoffs--and I'm expecting a division championship not just a play in wild card spot.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Keeping the Old Phone?

I reviewed the details of last week's iPhone 7 release. 

Usually when Apple releases a new iPhone, I get excited and try to determine how soon I can get the new model. I confess that I have had at least 3 iPhones (4, 5, and 6) and have adapted to the phone's peculiarities which integrates very well with the electronics in my home.

I'm not as excited about iPhone 7. 

The advertisements have not created a need for me to spend hundreds of dollars to replace my perfectly functioning iPhone. 

I even found an article which encourages keeping the old phone alive and working!

That's where I am. The commercialization of my life has not made me a willing consumer for an upgrade. I, at least right now, am content and even though my phone is over two years old, it is my phone and it works great.

It is a liberating feeling not to be enslaved to a technology upgrade. I think Ill wait and see what the iPhone 8 has to offer in a couple more years.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - September 12, 2016

Sunset in the Sky
September 11, 2016

1. It is the second week of September already. Unbelievable.

2. I played golf at Eisenhower Golf Course yesterday and enjoyed teeing off just after dawn. I also enjoyed the fast 3 hour 30 minute round. I also enjoyed making birdie on a par 5.

3. Chris and I went for a walk last evening and were treated to a beautiful sunset sky. It was fun to walk and watch the sunset deepen and the stars come out.

4. Our family celebrated opening Sunday of the NFL by gathering for a great party. Riordin was excited about the party as well, he decided to guard the Doritos. 

5. The Orioles had a good weekend and remain in the hunt to win the AL East Division. They remain only two games out of first place and are currently tied for the first wild card position. There are 20 games left to play.

Standings After Games of September 11, 2016
From MLB.com

Chewbacca

6. We took Thursday's happy hour on the road and made Chewbacca, Patrick's dog, very happy.

7. I thought that the 9/11 observations were very tasteful. It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years.

8. There are a number of good movies that seem to be hitting the theaters right now. I want to see Sully and Pete's Dragon--yea I'm a sucker for a boy meets dragon story.

9. With the arrival of Autumn on the horizon, the pace of life will significantly change.

10. September baseball decides which teams will be playing late in October for a chance to be World Series Champions.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday Sports and Events

It was hot here yesterday. The stress index was over 100 degrees and the actual temperature climbed to 96 degrees.

Jax #8 Ready for the Play

Football happened, the deconstruction of the unused swing-set in the back yard happened, and time in the pool happened.

Life continued despite the heat. We just took it easy and drank lots of liquids. 

Washer Motor

Jax's football team finally scored, in their third game of the season, but sadly still fell to defeat 12-6. The other team had one play that the boys just couldn't seem to stop reliably. 

In other action, Chris and I decided to dismantle the swing-set which had been unused. As we were deconstructing it, we realized that it was definitely at end of life.  Now the pile remains in the yard waiting for a trip to the landfill.

Did I mention that I wasted  another four hours on the washing machine? I believe the problem is in the wiring and I have ordered a new wiring harness. After that the washer is declared dead and we will replace it!

A busy Saturday. Right now, I am heading to the golf course to relieve some of yesterday's stress!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Football Arrives

With the game between the Broncos and the Panthers on Thursday night, the NFL returned and moved back onto my weekend calendar threatening to push aside all of the wholesome things I used to do on a quiet Sunday afternoon.


Our family is a huge NFL family with many different teams being represented as fan favorites. A quick survey finds that members of the clan root for the following teams:

Baltimore Ravens
Dallas Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins
Denver Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants

A true mixture of rivalries. 

I wish that football would wait until the baseball season is over, but that seems unlikely since baseball continues until October. And then the NHL (yes Hockey) season gets going. 

We have a robust family Fantasy Football League and we are all vying to be the League Champion! I guess it is just that time of year where the collision of the sports teams happens. 

And this is just week 1. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reflections of Summer

As school is back in session and the kids have lost their summertime freedom, Ethan, my grandson, made the following observation:

"We don't realize that we should treasure every day of summer because too soon it is gone and all we have left are the memories."

That was deep--very deep.

Be in the moment and enjoy the moment.

I spent a lot of time yesterday getting my pool ready to close for the season. I could feel summer slipping away even though the temperature was in the 90s. 

But I was fully enjoying my work on the pool because I know that in a few very short weeks, the cover will be on and the fun will be over.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Losing the Light

Chops on the Grill
September 7, 2016

I went out to my grill last evening and fired it up to prepare dinner. It was after 7PM and I was amazed at how dark it had become. It was too dark to cook. Fortunately, I have a grill light that was ready to pierce the darkness and illuminate the cooking surface.

I looked at the evening as it was falling and realized that it only happens sooner every night from here. Each successive day is about 2 minutes and 30 seconds shorter right now. Sunset tonight, in the Baltimore area, will occur about 7:25 PM. Just a short month ago, sunset occurred at 8:10 PM.

All I know is that I had to turn the light on to see the meat on the grill. Of course, there were some rainclouds in the area that provided a short shower a while later. It was dark and that made me sad. The light of summer is fast fading.

I need to grill as much as possible right now because too soon I will be standing outside in the dark wrapped up in a heavy coat grilling as the snow flakes blow past my face.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Clawing Back into the Race

Standings as of the games played on September 6, 2016
From MLB.Com

It is the closest division in all of major league baseball--the american League Eastern Division. Three teams are within one game. Two are tied for the lead and the Orioles, after a poor showing during August, are poised just one game out of first place.

It is September baseball. 


The smallest lead in any of the other five MLB Divisions is 4 games--but the AL East is a true fight between the Bluejays, the Red Sox, and the Orioles. There are 24 games left to play in the regular season and now it seems that every game is just a little bit more important. And the team whose name shall remain unspoken is just 4.5 games off the pace, too--something added to make it interesting.

The push for the playoffs is underway.

This is the time when the 162 game season gets serious for teams still in contention.

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Three-day Weekends

Holiday weekends are a great change of pace. I enjoy having a Monday off--until I get to work on Tuesday and realize that I what backed up over the three-day weekend.

I especially enjoy the idea of being able to head off somewhere, like to the beach, for a quick weekend away, or to complete a larger than normal project around the house. 


The season of holidays is upon us. During the next four and a half  months, we will celebrate seven of the ten Federal holidays. I have a feeling, for instance, that a new and better fire pit will be my Columbus Day project. It will be October then and there will be many opportunities for its use immediately after it is built. 

I do miss going to the beach. I only had about one day of beach time this year--it that. Amazing for a beach lover. I am glad, however, that we did not go to the beach for Labor Day this year because of the tropical storm that sat off the coast. And I got to help with a remodeling project which took a lot of time and creativity.

Well, Labor Day is over and it is back to work and getting into the rhythm of September. Too soon it will be October.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD