My Take: Upside Down Christmas Tree

Do we really need a twist on the idea of how to display a Christmas Tree?

The newest fad is the upside down Christmas Tree.

I am not a fan.

There is something unsettling about seeing a tree on its top. I am not sure why the idea of an upside down tree is being embraced as widely, except that it is just new. 

Proponents of the new approach to a traditional symbol say that it leaves more room under the tree for presents. Really? 

Trees still grow from the bottom to the top, right? We are living on Earth, not in some artificial gravity environment. 

It seems to me to that the fad is nothing but a marketing ploy to get us to get on board and replace our artificial trees.

My Take: NO to the upside down Christmas Tree. I like my trees displayed the way they grow. Hopefully the new display techniques is just a passing fad.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Eve Eve

I remember as a kid that one of the toughest days of the year was the day before Christmas Eve. It was a day that signified the end of the preparation and the beginning of the main event.

We dubbed December 23rd as Christmas Eve Eve.

It was a day on which we often had to go to school and do the normal activities associated with life, yet the weeks of preparation and excitement were beginning to draw to a close. 

I hope you are similarly caught up in the excitement of the season. 

At least it is a Saturday! There is still time to get the last minute things done. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Frenetic Friday

It is the Friday before Christmas, which is three short days away. 

Jax at Waugh Chapel Elementary
December 20, 2017

It has been a busy week, Chris and I attended a "Holiday" Concert at Waugh Chapel Elementary the other evening. Jax is in the Chorus. I especially enjoyed seeing him in the sweater he was wearing.

A three-day weekend and then it's over for another year. 

The Christmas cards are all mailed and the presents prepared, well mostly. 

If only the meals were fully purchased. We are still deciding on the meat for Christmas. Who really wants to eat a big meal on Christmas, anyway? There are so many other things to be do with the available time.

The weather is supposed be rainy, but the high tomorrow is expected to be 62 degrees! How could that be bad?

I do remember last Christmas, however, when it was 70 degrees on Christmas Day. That was awesome. 

I hope you are ready for however you celebrate. Some of my friends are planning on being on a beach somewhere!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Arrival

Later this morning, at 11:28 AM EST Winter arrives officially. Although the official arrival is today, the presence of the dark season has been with us for some time.

We have seen snow, cold, ice, and of course the ever prevalent darkness.

At least from today forward the daylight will begin ot get stronger and longer. 

Melbourne, Florida

I may even begin to think about preparations to open my pool and plan my Spring Break vacation to somewhere a lot warmer than Maryland!

At least the guys-only Spring Training/Golf outing is mostly planned for mid-March to Sarasota. The summer cruise is also planned for late August. 


All of the planning activities help to thwart the gloom caused by the ever-present darkness. 

But, the summer is coming! 

For me, of course, it cannot arrive quickly enough. But at least knowing that is it coming helps throw off the cold darkness associated with the winter.

Now if I could just keep the snow from arriving.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday Hump Day

The mid-point of the workweek is a cause for celebration every time it comes around.

Wednesdays are "hump" day.

The day when more of the workweek is behind rather than in front of me.

This week is has a special significance because next week is the "in-between" week and many people are taking the whole week off to recover from the fevered pitch of the holiday shopping season while preparing for the demise of 2017.

It is essentially a one-week holiday! Or ten days off for the price of four! Or looking at it another way, two three-day weekends with a four-day workweek sandwiched in between.

I am wishing that I was someplace warm for the holidays. Wouldn't it be great to wake-up on Christmas morning and get in a round of golf in 80 degree weather before the families get together and the gift exchanges happen?

Well, maybe not.

I wonder how many people will actually be at work on Friday?

Enjoy hump day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Transportation under Attack?

The past two days have been sobering for the traveling community on both coasts.

The Atlanta airport was shut down on Sunday because, apparently, a rat chewed through a wire. Can you believe that air travel along the entire Eastern seaboard was crippled by a rat? The fire caused by the rat completely snarled air traffic on a busy holiday Sunday.

Derailed Amtrak Train in Washington

And then there was the horrific train derailment near Olympia, Washington. I saw images of the scene. It is amazing that more people were not critically injured. The scene was unimaginable. Was speed involved? It almost certainly was. The latest reports indicate the train was traveling 80 mph round a 30 mph curve.

Is it really that easy to upend our transportation networks?

It is a sad beginning to the holiday rush for many families and my prayers go out to the victims and their families. I also pray the the weather holds and does not offer up a blizzard or something during the next couple of weeks.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 18, 2017

1. The final two weeks of 2017 have arrived. Christmas is next week. Hopefully, all of your shopping is complete and next up is the dreaded holiday travel. Thankfully, I'm not traveling too far this Christmas.

2. It is going to be much warmer this week. We need a break from the frigid cold.

3. "From Atlantic to Pacific, Gee the traffic is terrific," goes the phrase in a popular Christmas song. What does "the traffic is terrific," mean? Horrific I could understand, but what is terrific traffic?

4. Winners and Losers. Winners: Ravens, Cowboys, Redskins, Penguins. Losers: Steelers (on the worst officiating call of the century unaided by a totally inept video review and incorrect interpretation of the rules).

5. I'm feeling the need to play some golf! Tuesday is looking like a possibility.

6. Another potential government shutdown is looming. It could be a long Christmas holiday for many of us and The Congress fails to perform one of its Constitutionally-directed duties yet again.

7. Is it me, or are people becoming more passionate about insignificant things?

8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a great movie and I was entertained and caught up on the story again. 

Headlines

GOP faces 5-day scramble to pass tax bill, avoid government shutdown - The Washington Post

Power Failure at Atlanta Airport Snarls Air Traffic Nationwide - The New York Times

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Has Second-Biggest Opening Ever - The New York Times

Fire crews take advantage of calm winds, but 'we’ll always be in the ‘ready, set, go’ mode' - The LA Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"The United States, as the most powerful of the free nations, is looked to for leadership by those who live in freedom and as a mighty source of hope to those who languish under tyranny. This is a weighty responsibility that no American, especially a President, can take lightly."

Remarks at a White House Briefing for Human Rights Supporters, December 3, 1987

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sleeping by the Fire

Riordin by the Fire

Riordin continues to be the most appreciative of the warmth that comes from the fireplace when a fire is driving the coolness from the room.

The other evening he was sprawled out in front of the fireplace keeping watch on the fire.

The cat loves to be warm. I caught him sprawled across the arm of my chair worshiping the fire just a few weeks ago. Whenever we have a fire, Riordin is nearby. When there is not fire, I often find him sitting on a register soaking up the warm air from the furnace.

I, too, love the warmth from the fire. I also love the smell of the wood as it burns.

Obviously, however, I don't love it as much as Riordin.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Star Wars Season

It is that time of the year. Star Wars has returned to the theater with the next installment of the saga which began during 1977.

It is hard to believe that the saga continues and has now begun to grow stronger with each successive movie. The chronological sequence had gotten a bit complex, There were the first three movies, and then three prequels, then another movie at the end, followed by a movie in the middle and now another movie at the end. 

I'm not sure how they are actually numbered, but sequentially it looks like they were released in the following order:
4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 3.5,  and now 8.

I am excited because I will be seeing the current release today!

It is an event, after all. I am excited to be a part of it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

In the News--the Good is Out There

The holiday news certainly is not uplifting this morning.

Net neutrality has been repealed.

Kim Jong-un may have executed another leader in North Korea.

Another NFL player was carted off the field last night with a potential serious and life-changing injury. 

There is snow and more cold in my forecast.

A woman and two daughters died in a fire in Baltimore. 


So much for tidings of great joy.

I found the Good News Network!

A military Mom has sent 10,000 care packages to the troops. 

A college in Puerto Rico is offering a free semester to help students continue to meet their educational goals despite the recent hurricane induced delays. 

Mexico is protecting the largest ocean reserve in the world.

Sportsmanship is still alive as a boy tried to give his winners trophy to the girl who actually won a golf tournament, but could not be the winner because she was a girl.

Good news is out there. Just look for it. It may not be sensational, but it is important to be aware of the good things happening around us.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD