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

The Season Slips Away

Columbia Mall Poinsettia Tree
2017 Version

I looked at the calendar this morning.

I shouldn't have!

There are only 11 days until Christmas and for the second time in less than a week we received snow overnight which is dusting the roads and lawns. 

Finnegan and Makayla 

It is the pervasive cold which bothers me the most. I do not enjoy walking through the door and being slapped in the face with the frigid temperatures of winter. It causes me to shiver and mourn the loss of the summer. Where are the palm trees?

Christmas Trees are a poor substitute for the palms that line the warm and sandy beaches where I enjoy the warmth, water and blue skies.

It is still autumn! It is not even winter, yet. Winter does not officially start until next week and then we have at least two months of frigid cold and darkness.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Win for Decency

I'm glad that I was not directly involved in the Alabama Senate election. 

Common sense and decency apparently has prevailed in Alabama overnight as the democrat, Doug Jones, was elected to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Sessions in the special election as reported by The New York Times.

It has been a very longtime since the democrats have held a senate seat from Alabama. Finally, the impact of presenting a flawed candidate to the voters has backfired. That the vote was as close as it was demonstrates that too many people continue to vote along party lines rather than carefully assessing the credentials of those who would represent them in the Congress.

Despite how we may feel about our party or the opposition, we, as an electorate, must not continue to elect flawed candidates to represent us. Electing flawed representatives continues the pattern of ineffective leadership that we have been experiencing in our government.

The republican candidate was obviously flawed and not suitable to represent Alabama in the Senate.

Maybe now the political leaders will begin to find deserving candidates to represent "we the people."

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Birthdays, Holidays, and Family

Nicole with her Birthday Cake

I was reminded last evening about how family makes the holiday season much more exciting. It is also the middle of the our family's birthday season and so we have our own celebrations to enjoy along the way. 

The Great Looking Haslup Family

We have, in fact, two birthdays to celebrate this week. 

Last evening we celebrated Nicole's birthday. It was a continuation of the celebration we began in D.C. on Friday night. We finally got to enjoy the cake and presents portion of the celebration.

It is fun to get together, especially on a weeknight. That is what families do. Especially when there is a celebration involved. 

Happy Birthday, Nicole.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD