The event of three day yesterday was a trip into DC to attend the Auto Show at the convention center. The DC Convention Center is huge, I had forgotten how large.
The cars were the stars however.
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| 2019 Mustang Bullet |
--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Sunday, February 4, 2018
D.C. Autoshow 2018
The event of three day yesterday was a trip into DC to attend the Auto Show at the convention center. The DC Convention Center is huge, I had forgotten how large.
The cars were the stars however.
--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Into the Wormhole
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| Depiction of a Wormhole |
30 seconds can equal 6 minutes!
Amazingly enough I had suspected this fact for a long time. It is almost like a wormhole situation when things are just right.
In this case the right combination of events involves me leaving the house 30 seconds too late and meeting up with the dreaded school bus!
I hate the school busses that ply our streets. The kids that board them in the morning are especially slow and nonchalant about even being at the bus stops on time. That said, if I have to wait for the bus at the end of my street, I get the added benefit of waiting through two more stops and then painfully waiting for the bus to make a right turn at the end of the community onto US 1. Having been 30 seconds too late on a couple of occasions this past couple of weeks I have computed the net time of the delay to be about 6 minutes. Unfortunately, I cannot see the bus when I leave my driveway and so it is not like I could pour another cup of coffee and relax while the bus picks up its "self-loading cargo."
But instead, I am stuck following along behind the big yellow bus as it waddles down the street. And time passes through the wormhole.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Friday, February 2, 2018
Happy Groundhog Day!
Groundhog Day.
The day when the rodents rule!
When we find out, at least in our minds, whether there will be an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter.
It is Americana at its best. A festival to celebrate something during the coldest and almost darkest time of the winter.
And it is just fun!
Where else does a rodent own the day--for even just one day?
I hope there is no shadow today. The winter has been too long and too cold already.
Happy Groundhog Day! May all your rodent problems be groundhogs!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Back into the Deep Freeze
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| Punxsutawney Phil and handler |
Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! We will receive the rodent-generated weather forecast. I suppose it will be as correct as our local weather forecasters.
After we hit 50 today, temperatures will not be above 40 again until Wednesday next week.
The cold means that Finnegan will not be able to exercise his youthful exuberance outside. Frankly, his high-pitched bark, when playing, is incredibly aggravating.
And the weather is grounding Radio Flyer, my drone.
I wish the cold was over and Spring had arrived.
On the warm side--the Spring Training trip is planned, the Spring Break trip is planned, and the summertime cruise is planned! All of them are to warm weather areas. And sandy beaches!
Here is hoping for an early Spring. It is time for the warmth to return and for us to get on with our outdoors life.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
My Take: State of the Union
The President stated his case for the improvement that the country has seen since he took office and also his four pillared vision for the future.
I was encouraged by The President's cross-aisle gesture:
So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties -- Democrats and Republicans -- to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans -- to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. (from CNN.com)
But, his wide ranging claims of achieving prosperity for all (do I hear a chicken in every pot?), rising wealth, huge tax cuts, and increased jobs sound like he is doing a great job.
The evidence would suggest otherwise:
“After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.”
Analysis from The Washington Post: Trump once again takes credit for something that began to happen before his presidency. Wages have been on an upward trend since 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in fact their growth slowed during the first year of Trump’s presidency.
“Just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history.”
Trump repeatedly claims he passed the biggest tax cut in U.S. history, but it’s just not true. He’s earned Four Pinocchios for this claim before — but repeated it 57 times in his first year as president.
The best way to compare tax cuts (or spending plans) over time is to measure them as a percentage of the national economy. Inflation-adjusted dollars are another option, but a percentage of gross domestic product helps put the impact of the bill into context. Trump’s tax cut, according to Treasury Department data, is nearly 0.9 percent of GDP — compared to 2.89 percent of GDP for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 tax cut. Trump’s tax cut is only the eighth-largest — and is even smaller than two of Barack Obama’s tax cuts.
From my perspective, here is what I see:
Congress is unable to pass a budget and we have already suffered through one government shutdown with another looming a mere 8 days away.
Leading via the Tweet is not a way to run a government.
Making the news to control the news is effective but counterproductive.
The U.S. military is suffering because of the budget crisis and lack of emphasis.
Federal workers are bearing the brunt of abuse about the inefficient government, when the problem lies with political appointees.
My Take: The State of the Union is not a good a portrayed, but needs work to develop a collaborative sense of purpose and then combined action to achieve that purpose.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Weather Panic
The region is panicked again this morning.
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| Morning Weather Report |
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| Three Weeks Ago in Upstate |
I love this area for their inclement weather issues.
I remember being in Upstate NY a few weeks ago and we got over 5 inches overnight and nothing stopped. Twenty-six schools are already delayed this morning.
Just a little snow. A dusting.
Just another day in Maryland it seems.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Monday, January 29, 2018
Monday Musings - Monday, January 29, 2018
2. Yesterday was a rough day in the youth basketball department. Both Ethan and Jackson's undefeated teams suffered their first losses of the season. I added a short video of Ethan, number 3 in black, working the court.
3. Sunday's can pass very quickly when there are many things to do.
4. It rained all day yesterday, at least it was not snow!
5. I replaced all of the windshield wipers on Chris's car during the week. Amazingly, we can see out the windows during rainstorms now!
6. Watching golf on TV can be frustrating, especially when the playoff does not end until the next day while I am at work. And so goes the Farmer's Insurance Open. I wonder if they will make a funny commercial about "covering that?"
7. It is really cool when your kids run into a former boss and he says really nice things about our time working together.
8. Last week was a really interesting week. I was furloughed for a day and played golf twice! Not bad for mid-January activity.
Headlines
Workers say they warned Amtrak before deadly crash - CNN
Oil Boom Gives the U.S. a New Edge in Energy and Diplomacy - New York Times
Command and control: China’s Communist Party extends reach into foreign companies - The Washington Post
Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week
"And in all of that time I won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation -- from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries."
Farewell Address to the Nation, January 11, 1989
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Start to Finish
Saturday did not disappoint!
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| Timbers at Troy Looking along the Practice Putting Green and the First Hole covered with Frost January 27, 2018 |
It is a good day when I start it on a golf course. Even the cold temperatures could not cool our enthusiasm as Jeremy and I headed out to play 18 holes. Fortunately, there was a frost delay, which meant the temperature warmed up above freezing before we hit the course. As it turned out, we were able to play as a two-some and completed 18 holes in three hours! And we played very acceptably for the first 18-hole outing of the year. The morning started in the 20's but it was in the 50's by the time we finished. Because of our great pace of play, we were never cold.
But that was not all.
The day developed into a beautiful harbinger of Spring day. We may have touched 60 on the thermometer as the day progressed. That meant that Radio Flyer got to spin its propellers and I continue to learn more about the many functions of my powerful drone. I tried out the hand launch mode, but I had forgotten a critical step and so I learned about the following mode instead.
Finally, the evening was capped off by a Bull Roast to support a local youth baseball team in their bid to play in a summertime tournament at Cooperstown, NY. It was a fun evening and I was amazed at how many ways people have invented to separate me from my money--even after the cost of the ticket for the food.
What a busy great day!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Saturday in my Mind
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| Temperature as I write this |
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| Saint Martin July 5, 2017 |
In my mind I am walking along a warm sandy Caribbean beach watching the sunrise and enjoying the palm trees swaying in the wind.
In reality, I am about to head out to the winter brown golf course where the temperature is below freezing, even though it was not supposed to get that cold last night, to play a round and imagine that I would be playing better if the conditions were more hospitable. Winter rules will definitely be in play.
But, it is the weekend!
Springtime will be here soon enough. Well, maybe not soon enough!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Friday, January 26, 2018
Friday Findings
As I roll into the weekend, I took a moment to reflect upon the week behind me.
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| Possible Sign for February 9th |
I was furloughed for a day, officially. The downside was that I was furloughed, the upside was that I got to play golf on the nicest afternoon of the year, so far.
Sadly, another furlough looms in less than two weeks.
Chris and I celebrated the signing of her retirement papers.
My drone saw some airtime as I continue to get used to it. I flew it again yesterday afternoon, but it was very cold outside and I didn't get any really good images or videos. I was mostly flying to continue to learn my controls and I took it off the beginner mode for the first time. I recorded my longest distance flight of 1299 feet, and highest altitude of 150 feet. The total flight time was 11 minutes. I forgot to take any photos at altitude while I was enjoying the view and I also had the video off, so I have nothing to show the view, but since the drone software automatically made a video of the the flight highlights when I did have the camera functioning, I thought I'd share it. The added music was a nice touch.
I hope the weekend is full of fun and activity!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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