Through the Bookstore

The other day I was at the mall and wandered into a bookstore. I admit, it has been a while since I was in a real bookstore. I used to frequent them regularly, but as of late I have been using online sites to purchase the books I read. 

Books in the Bookstore about Politics

Bookstores are becoming a dying breed, following the way of the video store.

I enjoyed my foray into the store. I discovered that the I had forgotten how bookstores reflect the mood of the country. In this particular store there were many politically-oriented books representing multiple sides of the current state of affairs here in the United States. I found a table full of books espousing a wide variety of opinions. It was fascinating to examine them and get a sense about the political perspective of the authors.

The smell of the new books also brought back fond memories of wandering between the stacks and examining the many titles to be found there. 

I will have to visit bookstores more regularly to stay in touch with the issues that are finding their way into print. And not just the fiction, either. I wonder which of the books would be branded Fake News?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Last Friday

The last Friday of 2017 has arrived.

The last Friday of the year is beginning in a frigid manner. It is bitter cold. The temperature outside my window is 16 degrees! And that is 3 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. It is too cold to go outside and do much of anything except complain about the cold.

And it is expected to get colder! I can hardly believe how cold that it is going to get. The New Year will likely begin with temperatures in the single digits! 

I really need a one-way ticket to someplace warm! Is it time for Spring Training yet?

I am glad that I have a lot of wood to stoke the fireplace and keep the house toasty warm.

As the end of the year arrives, it is a good time to conduct a review and set objectives for the year ahead. Some people call them resolutions, but in reality I am more successful if I consider them strategic objectives for the new year. 

Happy Last Friday!

May the year ahead find all of your objectives met.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Final Gift Arrives

We are in the midst the 12 Days of Christmas. In our own way, we have been celebrating a continuing Christmas season.

New Sofa in the Family Room

I am happy that Christmas does not end on Christmas Day. Yesterday, we received the final gift of this Christmas. Chris wanted a new sofa, it was truly the most important thing on her list and I was able to make it happen. Sadly, the sofa was not ready before Christmas, but I was therefore able to get it under the tree in the form of a picture and the contract.

We retrieved the sofa from the furniture store yesterday. The salesman helped us load it into the truck and then we were off on our adventure. The sofa was well wrapped and there was almost no chance that it would get dirty on the short drive from the furniture store to the house. Believe it or not, we actually had little trouble getting it into the house because it was so well wrapped and protected. It took about 10 minutes for me to install the legs and then we had one brand spanking new sofa.

The smartest thing we had done was to prepare the space in advance and relocate the existing sofa to a safe place until a decision about its final disposition is made. We have three options: relocate within the house, sell, or donate. My vote is for the donate option, but I'm currently in the minority as the other vote is for relocating or selling.

The new sofa is now in place and we are adjusting to its differences. So is Makayla. She was allowed to sleep on the old sofa, but not the new one. It may become an issue. Why do new things have to be so difficult?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Drone Warrior

I have not written about the gifts of Christmas, but I did receive one item that I anticipate will be appearing in my blog on a regular basis and so I need to announce its presence up front.

I received a DJI Spark Drone that is going to be adding a new dimension to the images and videos that I share. I named my drone Radio Flyer, because it is red, and it has been legally registered with the FAA. 

My flying privileges had been revoked because of an ugly accident while flying Patrick's drone on Easter and so I am taking a slow and methodical approach to learning to fly. I am deliberately learning the controls and keeping the drone on a very tight leash until I become more proficient with it. 

Finnegan, Chris, Patrick, and Me in an Open Field

That means I will be flying low, slow, and taking my time. I have to train myself to manage the controls properly. My natural instincts are exactly opposite how the controller is laid out. It is going to take a lot of training to get my hands moving properly.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Day After or is it the Next Day?

King Wenceslas

The Feast of Stephen, or St Stephen's Day.

Boxing Day.

Kwanzaa begins..

The Second Day of Christmas.

Today is a day with multiple identities.

I remember the carol of Good King Wenceslas giving alms to the poor on the Feast of Stephen. I am not sure that I fully understood the confluence of all of these celebrations where I was a kid. 


I was reminded while in church on Christmas Eve that the traditional religious view of Christmas conflicts with the secular view. According to classic Christianity, the christmas season begins on Christmas and runs for 12 days until January 6th, which is Three Kings Day, or the Epiphany. 

For the secular world the Christmas season officially begins on Black Friday and ends on Christmas Day and is devoted to an orgy of shopping and preparation. 

Actually, today is the second busiest shopping day of the year as shoppers rush back to the stores with their gifts to exchange them and get what they really wanted for Christmas. 

I hope today is whatever you want it to be. For me, I took a day of vacation to decompress from the hectic shopping and preparation season.

Merry Christmas!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - Christmas Day Edition 2017

Christmas Eve Eve Brunch Preparation

1. Merry Christmas to all. I pray that your day is well. 

2. Children make the holiday.

3. I discovered that we have been saying "swaddling cloths" wrong in the Christmas story. 

4. It is tough to deal with sadness during the Christmas season.

5. It should be Christmas every day and maybe the world would calm down!

6. Finnegan had a mano-a-mano problem with a Christmas toy.

Headlines

Trump spends Christmas Eve calling troops, golfing and tweeting - The Washington Post

D.C.-area forecast: A blustery Christmas Day is just the start of a very cold week - The Washington Post

The stock market's record-breaking run keeps going, but for how long? - Los Angeles Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

We can experience the same PEACE and JOY as the shepherds and the Magi did almost two thousand years ago. If we make that peace and joy a part of our lives, our example will serve as a guide and an inspiration for everyone we meet. Nancy and I pray that the joy of this holiday season will remain with us all throughout the coming year. May God bless you.

Ronald Reagan

Message on the Observance of Christmas December 21, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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