Better Weather, Until Not

I know I keep writing about the weather, but yesterday was a record setting day for the region. The high topped out at 72 degrees, breaking to old record set in 1965 by 2 degrees!

Forecast for the Baltimore Region

Yes, it is still February. It is a lot better to write about the weather than the political mood in the nation right now. At least the weather can't be taken to court to try for a reversal.

A change in the weather is coming--tonight. The temperature will fall from the low 60's today into the 20's by early Friday morning. Ugh! With snow and a wintery mix. 

The trend is down for the temperatures. Sadly. 

But Spring is coming, I can feel it. 

Orioles pitchers and catchers report on Monday and we can shake off the lingering NFL-season hang-over and get on with baseball, finally.

Hope always springs eternal when Spring Training begins. 

After this short spate of warm April-like weather, I know that Spring is not far off.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

First Outdoor Happy Hour of the Year

Forsythia in February

It is February, I had to remind myself of that simple fact because yesterday was an incredibly mild and enjoyable day. I scheduled a day off for myself to recoup from the Super Bowl and I was able to take full advantage of the great day. The high topped out at 62 degrees! It was fabulous. 

February Happy Hour

While walking Makayla last evening, I  noticed some forsythia that had become confused about the month being February and not March. They were in bloom already in anticipation of the early Spring that Punxsutawney Phil did NOT forecast. 

Chris and I were able to enjoy happy hour on the back deck with the fire table providing the required amount of additional warmth as we watched the sun slip down behind the horizon. The sky was clear and one star appeared early and I watched a number of contrails pass across in front of its light, blown by the stratospheric winds. 

It was hard to believe that it is currently mid-Winter. But, I am enjoying the respite from the cold. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 6, 2017

1. It is the first Monday of February. Amazingly, the year is quickly slipping by.

2. I think I am already late planning my summer vacation. Ugh! It's still Winter.

3. Still shaking off the Super Bowl this morning? Orioles pitchers and catchers report in 7 days!

4. I have to admit, the Super Bowl was super. Although I wanted the Falcons to win, the historic 25 point comeback and subsequent overtime victory for the Patriots was truly special.

5. I discovered that Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" is not the patriotic song that everyone thinks. Check out the fifth and sixth stanzas in the lyrics and note that in the fifth stanza the word "sign" has been changed from the original "wall." Foreshadowing?

6. The Washington legislative battle of the week is shaping up to be the travel ban. A true story in the laws of our Republic and the independent judiciary!

HEADLINES

7. Iran's missile test 'not a message' to Trump - Reuters

8. The five best Super Bowl commercials - Washington Post

9. Trump and Staff Rethink Tactics After Stumbles - New York Times

Final Thought

10. Why do I feel like I played in the Super Bowl? 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday has become, perhaps, the biggest Sunday of the entire year. Even bigger than Easter Sunday because it is a uniquely American national celebration and not a religious observance. 

Almost everyone is talking about the game and the day. Even though my favorite team is not playing, I will be watching the game  rooting for one of the teams. In addition, i will be treated to some of the best television commercials produced throughout the year to promote their products. 

Super Bowl Questerbacks
Tom Brady vs Matt Ryan

Tomorrow, the discussions will center upon the game and its outcome and also about which commercial was best. Some of the commercials are already available for review online at varying sites. I found a bunch of them at a site titled 2017 Super Bowl Commercials We Cant's Wait to See and more of them at Watch all of the 2017 Super Bowl commercials so far. It is almost like unwrapping a Christmas Gift early. I saw the one about "Avocados from Mexico"--I wonder if they will be able to get over the wall?

I wish that I was in Houston, not for the game but for the warmth! Projected high in Houston today is 76 degrees as compared to 47 degrees for Baltimore. 

Now about the game, I am cheering for the Falcons who have never won a Super Bowl. They are playing a team which has a documented history of pushing the limits of the rules to obtain an advantage over their opponents. Even though Madden predicts a Patriots victory of 27-24,  I also believe the game will be close but the final score will be 31-28 Falcons! (Sorry, Tim!)

Most important, however, it is not which team wins or loses, but the reason to gather with family and friends and just be together.

No matter for which team you are cheering, have a Super Sunday!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Toughest Division in Baseball

It is time to get excited about baseball.  The pre-season rankings are coming out and getting the fan base ready for the coming season. 

The American League East is ranked as the toughest division in all of baseball, and while the Orioles are not favored to win the division, they are contenders. I found it satisfying that the pre-season pundits at Sports on Earth made the following statement:

The other 'pen in that argument belongs to Baltimore, where closer Zach Britton is coming off one of the best seasons for a reliever ever. While projection models are never kind to the O's, the O's are also never kind to projection models in return, and they're still going to hit all of the homers. 

Orioles fans have felt that the pundits undervalue the team for a long time. The models always project the Orioles to have a losing season and finish last, but in fact last year they tied for second place and lost the wild card game. 

As the season prepares to get underway, hope springs for a division title and a World Series Championship. 

Let's Go O's!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tilting at Windmills

Racing headlong into the weekend this Friday morning, I feel as if I have been tilting at windmills all week.

The week has been very busy and I have been hobbled by a head cold that makes each task I attend to a giant problem, much like a windmill. 

Perhaps, I have been "tilting at windmills" this week while attending to the most basic actions. 

For instance, yesterday my computer decided not to operate. A download had been pushed overnight and when I opened the cover in the morning it rebooted--but the process got hung. Panic! I read a lot in the morning. I composed myself and grabbed Chris' laptop to read and complete my blog. I was prepared to don my best programming and computer repair skills and charge headlong into the morass of Apple software coding to solve the problem. However, during the day I was able to find a simple reboot code that solved the problem in about 10 minutes. Success! Windmill gone. But then, it never really existed.

I need to stop charging at windmills and handle the small problems more efficiently. Hopefully, with the arrival of the weekend, the cold will subside and the windmills will disappear!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Groundhog Day 2017

Punxsutawney Phil

It has arrived yet again, that most American of celebrations--Groundhog Day.

It kind of snuck up on us and hopefully the groundhogs will not see their shadows and we will have an abbreviated winter--or so the legend goes.

I am rooting for you, Punxsutawney Phil!

Is it possible that a groundhog can predict the weather as well as the professionally paid weather forecasters can. At least once per year I can actually figure out how to spell the groundhog's name.

Enjoy the celebration and here's hoping for an early Spring. The northern part of the country desperately needs for winter to release its grip and lets get on to baseball season.

Groundhog day reminds me of upcoming events:

Feb 13 - Orioles pitchers and catchers report (11 Days)
March 20 - Spring begins (46 days)
April 3 - Orioles Opening Day (60 days)
May 7 - Pool Opening Day (94 days)

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

February Arrives

Amazingly, the first month of 2017 is in the books. January has departed and we are now at the doorstep of February.

January was an interesting, to say the least, month.

We welcomed a new President with pomp and circumstance and he has not disappointed either his fans or critics. It is becoming "must see TV" when the national news is shown to see what the new President did today. 

Weather-wise, for Baltimore, January was a mild month, thankfully, and my electric bill really appreciated that. New Year's Day saw above average temperatures of 54/35 degrees (High/Low) and January 31st was similar with 52/24 degrees. The local average for January 31st is 42/25 degrees. There were only three days during January when the high was below freezing, but there was one day when the high topped at 70 degrees and two other days with highs in the 60's. 

Since the Winter Solstice, when there was 9h23m59s of daylight, the days have increased to 10h14m9s. On February 28th there will be 11h17m48s of daylight. Total daylight increases by more than an hour during the month! I have been enjoying that it is still light at 5:30PM!

Upcoming in February:

2 - Ground Hog Day (see the movie)
5 - Super Bowl (yawn!)
13 - Orioles Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training
14 - Valentines Day (don't forget)
18 - National Drink Wine Day
20 - President's Day
24 - First Orioles Spring Training game

Let's play ball and have a great month!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: Resistance is Futile

The situation that developed in Washington, DC, last evening with the firing of the acting Attorney General and replacing her with another person in the span of about 15 minutes demonstrated everything that I was afraid of with the new administration. This is not a taping of the reality TV show The Apprentice, this is government in a dangerous and complex world.

Signing the Travel Ban Executive Order

Briefly, the situation that transpired was documented in a NY Times article titled, Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Who Defied Him. From my uninformed vantage point, the problem centered on the fact that the administration did not vet the Immigration Executive order through the Department of Justice before issuing it. 

The drama could have been avoided had the Attorney General been given the opportunity to comment on the legality of the immigration ban and they could have been asked whether she could have support it. The drama would not have played out in the news and the acting Attorney General could have provided her reservations and then quietly resigned rather have the splashy after-dark drama occur which further obfuscates what the administration is trying to accomplish.

Travel Ban Airport Demonstrations

The type of theatrics which are documented in the Times article are an unnecessary sideshow and undermine confidence in the administration to work collaboratively and to be inclusive of those who possess an alternative opinion.

This Executive Order has become one of the most contentious of the new administration partly because of the shock effect. Homeland Security was unable to prepare for implementation and it was unevenly enforced. Vetting the Order might have enabled it to be handled evenly and reduced the confusion associated with its implementation.

My Take: Regardless of the opinion of the legal experts, the Travel Ban Executive Order was going to be signed. The administration could have done a much better job, however, of ensuring they were aware of the potential backlash and human toll its promulgation was going to cause.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 30, 2017

1. Wow, the first month of 2017 is almost over.

2. Orioles pitchers and catchers report in 14 days. Baseball is coming!

3. Orioles Opening Day is 63 days away!

Squirrel at the Feeder

4. We bought 25 pounds of raw peanuts for the birds over the weekend. The cashier at the feed store asked if it was for squirrels or birds. I responded Blue Jays, but the squirrels get a lot of them as well. 

5. I wish it would get warm enough to get out for some golf. 

6. There is a lot of confusion in the U.S. right now about the direction of our government.

7. The first week of the new President's administration had seen some campaign promises fulfilled.

HEADLINES

8. Amid protests and confusion, Trump defends executive order: ‘This is not a Muslim ban’ - Washington Post

9. What is an executive order? And how do President Trump's stack up? - Washington Post

10. Tulip: The heaviest mortar in the world - Russia and India Report

11.  Donald Trump's travel ban fundamentally changes American history - CNN International

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD