My New Gym Buddy

 

Until September, I had maintained a gym membership for many years. Originally, Chris and I took the membership to improve fitness. And we were very diligent for some time, but eventually the membership evolved to just me and I used the gym exclusively to play racquetball. 

Fast forward to 2020--the year which cannot end too quickly. 

With arrival of the end of September, the club/gym to which I belonged to play racquetball closed because it could not compete with COVID. I played racquetball infrequently through October at an outdoor court, but when the second surge began--it was determined that I should sit it out until Spring. It really is tough to play racquetball on outdoor courts in the cold, rain and snow. Additionally, with the daylight hours being so short--it is hard to finds a time to play. I have been playing racquetball mostly at about 5:30 AM with the exceptions being for leagues and occasional special meetings. It is just dark too at 5:30 most of the year to play outside. 

Enter my new gym buddy!

Meet the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle. It had been suggested that I call it the Mean Machine. I'm thinking about that. 

I rescued my new gym buddy from Dick's on Sunday and have completed three sessions totaling about 15 miles of riding through Glacier National Park. So far, I love it. I enjoy the rides and they are challenging. Riding the cycle at home is far more time efficient than driving to the gym and then home or to work for that same workout. AND, the added benefit is that I am hoping that I will not be soft and fat when I can again take the court and swing a racquetball racket or walk onto the golf course and whack away impotently at the little white ball which continues to vex me.

After only three rides it is hard to offer a recommendation, but I did my homework. I compared the S22i to its competitors (one of which I really wanted) and, so far, I am extremely happy with my choice. The assembly was not too difficult and as you can see from the picture, I still have not taken all of the packaging off the cycle. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold, wet, white stuff

 

It works! It is alive!

In advance of the expected 10 inches of snow beginning tomorrow night, I was able to get my newly acquired snowblower started last evening after replacing the carburetor. I also performed an oil change and replaced the spark plug. The snowblower had not been operated in three years and it did not start the last time that me and my neighbors, who gave it to me when they moved, attempted to use it. 

The video documents the sweet sound of success as the snowblower engine operates. I know it is loud and boring, but after sitting for three years it is a great sound, especially considering that the expected storm coming tomorrow. This storm will provide the area with more snow than we have received during the past two years, combined.

Thank you to my neighbors who gave awe the snowblower, I am sad that you have moved, but I will happily remember the years we spent clearing the driveway together as I use you snowblower to again move mountains of the cold, wet, white stuff. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 14, 2020

 

1. It us now the second Monday of December. There are two Mondays remaining and just 11 days until Christmas.

2. I have completed most of my Christmas shopping. Like most Americans, I have not shopped in a brick and mortar store for gifts. Although yesterday, I made a significant purchase from a store for a personal item. Since it was not a gift I did not want to wait for shipping. AND, I saved, truly saved, $199 in shipping costs.

3. Family NFL Report

    Football Team (6-7) defeat 49ers (5-8) 23-15

    Cowboys (4-9) defeat Bengals (2-10-1) 30-7

    Steelers (11-2) lose to Bills (10-3) 15-26

    Ravens (7-5) play Browns (9-3) tonight

4. I purchased a private workout cycle yesterday. As a result of COVID, my gym has closed, I am not playing racquetball, and with the winter weather arriving I will not be walking much or playing golf. I need something to keep from getting soft and fat. I did a lot of research and decided upon the NordicTrack S22i. I thought I wanted a Peloton, but the NordicTrack had a few more features and a lower price point. I did my first ride through Glacier National Park yesterday and it was everything that I hoped that it would be. 

5. We all need to be smart over the holidays to stem the COVID pandemic. The vaccine will not be available to most of us for months--vigilance is the key word. 

6. It is the Christmas Season. Pray for peace and work for peace. 

7. Today in History. December 14, 1911. Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott.

Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the great figures in polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian expedition that was the first ever to winter in the Antarctic. In 1903, he guided the 47-ton sloop Gjöa through the Northwest Passage and around the Canadian coast, the first navigator to accomplish the treacherous journey. Amundsen planned to be the first man to the North Pole, and he was about to embark in 1909 when he learned that the American Robert Peary had achieved the feat.

Russian Hackers Broke Into Federal Agencies, U.S. Officials Suspect - The New York Times

As U.S. Deaths Approach 300,000, Obituaries Force Reckoning With Covid-19 - The New York Times

Electoral College Meets in Formal Step Toward Biden Presidency - The Wall Street Journal

Iran’s Execution of Journalist Threatens Push for Diplomacy With Europe - The Wall Street Journal

Historic vaccine campaign begins with first shipments - Reuters

Japan, South Korea fret as surging coronavirus undermines leaders' support - Reuters

Nearly 3 dozen arrested in D.C. as Proud Boys roamed city looking to fight - The Washington Post

Hijacking the electoral college: The plot to deny JFK the presidency 60 years ago - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Christmas is a time for children, and rightly so. We celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace who came as a babe in a manger. Some celebrate Christmas as the birthday of a great teacher and philosopher. But to other millions of us, Jesus is much more. He is divine, living assurance that God so loved the world He gave us His only begotten Son so that by believing in Him and learning to love each other we could one day be together in paradise.

It's been said that all the kings who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth.

 Address to the Nation, December 24, 1983

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Here it Comes!!!!

 

We have escaped, so far. All of that is about to change as the weather is expected to produce a classic December snow-storm this week. I do not know if they are calling for a Nor'easter or not, but the forecast surely looks ominous.

Ten-day Weather Underground Forecast for Elkridge, MD

The weather forecast for Elkridge is predicting 8.5 inches of snow! That would be more snow than we have received for the past two winters combined into one snowstorm.

Batten down the hatches and get those snowblowers revved up! Mine is broken, but the new carburetor should arrive tomorrow and hopefully I can it it running in time for the wintery weather. Our neighbor gave the snowblower to me when they moved and it has not been started successfully for three winters. I am happy to get it working in order to move 8.5 inches of heavy wet snow. I want to face snow with something more than a shovel.

I hope that the storm does not materialize. 

I could call the forecast a hoax and stick my head in the sand! But no, I'd rather be prepared if it does occur. 

Cold temperatures, freezing rain, snow--winter is arriving! I definitely should enjoy the probable last 62 degree day of the year today because here comes Winter!

Did I mention that I have a condo in Florida? Why am I not there?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Let the Healing Begin

 

The Supremes Rule! 

Did you get the double entendre? 

I wrote yesterday about the suit brought to the Supreme Court by Texas and supported by 17 other States and over 100 members of Congress which sought to overturn the election results in four key states and disenfranchise over 20 million voters. 

Supreme Court Rejects Texas Challenge to Biden’s Victory in Presidential Election

This story was above the fold in this morning's Wall Street Journal, although many of us received breaking news notifications on our phones last evening, during Happy Hour, as it was happening. 

I know, technically the Supreme Court did not rule, they chose not to take up the case. 

The article in the WSJ reports that the president wrote the following in a tweet:

“The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!,’’ Mr. Trump wrote in a tweet late Friday.

The Supremes knew what they were doing and followed the Constitution. It took courage to do that in the face of the vilification they knew who'd be coming their way. Just because Trump overloaded the court with conservative justices does not mean he "owns" them. They are still justices who decide based upon the "Rule of Law" and not the winds of wrath.

I was very impressed with the Pennsylvania Attorney General who wrote, as reported in the same WSJ article:

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in his response brief that asking the Supreme Court to “anoint Texas’s preferred candidate for President is legally indefensible and is an affront to principles of constitutional democracy.”

“Our nation’s highest court saw through this seditious abuse of our electoral process,” Mr. Shapiro said on Twitter on Friday evening. “This swift denial should make anyone contemplating further attacks on our election think twice.”

Maybe the petulant president will finally slink from the scene and admit he lost the election by more than 7 million votes and, to quote him from 2016, a landslide in the Electoral College. It is time to move on and let the healing begin.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

 

Move On--Get Over It

 

There are just 40 days until the inauguration and I cannot believe the number Republican Party officials who are trying to steal the election from the American people for Trump. 

As I see it, the results are pretty astounding on all fronts, both the popular vote and the electoral college vote.

Here is the current chart:

The bottom line is that 7,000,000 (that is 7 million) more Americans voted for Joe Biden, the president-elect, than voted for Trump. That is an inescapable number and, frankly, and overwhelming number. 4.9 percent more of the American voters supported Biden over Trump. And remember, Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016! He has always been the president of the minority.

An article in The Atlantic, admittedly a left-leaning publication, provide some context for what is happening right now in trying to overturn the election in the Supreme Court.

The article is:

The GOP Abandons Democracy, by David Graham

One paragraph in the article explains what is happening:

More surprising is that 17 Republican state attorneys general filed a brief in support of Paxton’s suit, a sizable majority of the top Republican law-enforcement officials in the country. Then 106 Republican members of the U.S. House did the same. When Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, called the suit “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong,” he received a threatening phone call from Trump. 

Fundamentally, it is time to get over it and get on with the transition. The very people who are screaming that the election was stolen are working to actually steal the election. 

It is sad, and I never would have thought that the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, would stoop so low, but democracy is on the line. What has always made America great is our ability to transition administrations after an election. That is in jeopardy and too many members of Congress and state governments are drinking the kool-aid of a rigged election. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Safe COVID Activity

 

SPCA Lights on the Bay
Sandy Point State Park, MD
December 9, 2020

Quite by surprise last evening, I discovered a safe COVID activity to get out of the house and enjoy the Christmas season. It was a spur of the moment activity to go and view the Christmas Lights as Sandy Point State Park which support the SPCA of Anne Arundel County. The display is called Lights on the Bay. 

SPCA Lights on the Bay
Sandy Point State Park, MD
December 9, 2020

When we were initially heading out, I had though we were off to see the Symphony of Lights at Merriweather Post Pavilion, but no, we were driving to the foot of the Bay Bridge to enjoy a Christmas light display that we had never visited.

The drive to the bay was pleasant, even in rush hour traffic. The rush hours seem better with more people working from home and schools shuttered. We arrived shortly past 5 PM before the crowds but just after dark. 

SPCA Lights on the Bay
Sandy Point State Park, MD
December 9, 2020

It was a pleasant drive through park enjoying the multitude of lights. Additionally, for a few extra dollars, we purchased some special glasses which transformed the the lights into either reindeer or snowmen. The glasses are fun and definitely worth the couple of extra dollars. Important safety tip: Do NOT drive with the glasses on.

The best part, there was no contact with other people--it is a safe COVID-19 activity. The cost is $20 per vehicle and the glasses were 2 for $5 or 1 for $3--which also is extremely reasonable. I am told, visit on a weekday, early. The admission process is a bit slow, but it helps to keep from having too many vehicles in the park. We were able to proceed at a slow and enjoyable pace without needlessly creating a traffic back-up.

Finding safe things to do during Christmas.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Transitions

 

I have been keenly interested in the people that the president-elect has been selecting to be his key advisors. President-elect Biden is doing exactly as I had hoped in surrounding himself with brilliant people from whom he expects to get good advice. That does not mean he will follow their advice,  but it means he will have the solid, scientific, logical advice upon which to base his decisions.

One choice which is causing concern among some democrats in the choice for Secretary of Defense, General Lloyd Austin, US Army Retired. The problem is that he has been retired only five years and the law requires seven years of retirement before being selected to lead the Defense Department. That requirement has been waived twice before, most recently for Trump's choice of Mattis. 

But interestingly, it is from the democrats where the objections seem to be rising and this shows that despite irrational fears to the contrary, should the democrats win the Senate as a result of the Georgia run-off, there is little concern that a sweeping tidal wave of change will occur. The democrats, unlike the republicans, are not in lock-step. 

The bigger threat, in my mind, is that if republicans retain control of the Senate, they will block key appointments and strangle the ability of the new administration to get the country moving again. Having control of the Senate ensured that Trump was able to fill appointments pretty much at will--for all the good that did. 

The transition is underway and, as I wrote, I am encouraged. Hopefully, after the celebrations of January 20, 2021, the new administration will be up and running and change will begin sweeping across America--in a good way. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And the Dolphins Remain

 

I watched the Football Team defeat the Steelers last evening and preserve the 1972 Dolphins as the only team to post a perfect season and win the Super Bowl in the history of the NFL. 

It was a tough loss for the Steelers. It was a trap game--the team was coming off a tough win against the depleted Ravens last week and looking forward to the strong Buffalo Bills team next week. In between were the seemingly hapless Washington Football Team with a lowly 4-7 record. But, the Football Team has been playing much better lately with a strong defense and Alex Smith, their quarterback, getting the feel for the game after reassuming the starting role following his disturbing injury two seasons ago.

The Steelers loss, however, makes the playoff race a bit more interesting. For Washington, they are definitely alive tied atop the NFC East with good prospects for winning the division, which is the only way an NFC East team will be in the playoffs. And in the AFC, the struggle between Kansas City and Pittsburgh for the best record will continue for a few more weeks. Unlike Kansas City, which clinched a playoff spot this past weekend, the Steelers have a tough schedule and will need to defeat the thundering herd of the Buffalo Bills (9-3) as well as the Colts and Browns to clinch a playoff spot--unless the Ravens provide an assist by defeating the Browns next week. 

I have to confess, I am excited that the Team with "No Name" is in the playoff hunt! It would be weird if they won the Super Bowl and everyone had to accept that a team called Football Team (FT) is on the Lombardi Trophy!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 7, 2020

 

1. It is the first Monday of December and there are just three Mondays remaining in the year. I cannot believe how quickly the year is coming to a close.

2. There are 44 days until Inauguration Day--January 20. It will be a very different inauguration--no parades, no spectacle, but still as meaningful and important for our country and our society.

3. Christmas is but 18 days from now. 

4. Today is Pearl Harbor Day. 2403 U.S. personnel lost their lives as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 2, 2020, 2885 Americans were lost due to COVID-19.

5. Family NFL Results

    Football Team (4-7) vs Steelers (11-0) tonight

    Ravens (6-5) vs Cowboys (3-8) Tuesday night

6. If the COVID-19 U.S. deaths continue and approach the numbers projected, they will get close to the 620,000 deaths estimated for military forces from all causes during the Civil War. 

7. The vaccine is coming! The vaccine is coming! But probably not until next summer for most of us!

8. Today in History. December 7, 1941. At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II.

Soaring Metals Prices Signal Bets on Global Recovery - The Wall Street Journal

Georgia Rejects Trump’s Request to Reverse His Election Loss - The Wall Street Journal

Barr Is Said to Be Weighing Whether to Leave Before Trump’s Term Ends - The New York Times

Rudy Giuliani Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Trump Says - The New York Times

Unemployment, sick leave and housing aid are set to expire in weeks, threatening Americans with sudden financial ruin - The Washington Post

What you need to know about Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines - The Washington Post

Exclusive: U.S. preparing new sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong crackdown - sources - Reuters

Melbourne welcomes first international flight in five months as COVID curbs ease - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In the annals of American history, only a few events are so well-known and so deeply rooted in national remembrance that the mere mention of their date suffices to describe them. Of these occurrences, none could have had more significance for our Nation than December 7, 1941.

On that Sunday morning, 45 years ago, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched an unprovoked, surprise attack upon units of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack claimed the lives of 2,403 Americans, wounded 1,178 more, and damaged our naval capabilities in the Pacific. Such destruction seared the memory of a generation and galvanized the will of the American people in a fight to maintain our right to freedom without fear.

Every honor is appropriate for the courageous Americans who made the supreme sacrifice for our Nation at Pearl Harbor and in the many battles that followed in World War II. Their sacrifice was for a cause, not for conquest; for a world that would be safe for future generations. Their devotion must never be forgotten.

We honor our dead by solemn ceremony. We do so as well by protecting the Nation and the freedom they protected and by forging the resolve, the strength, and the military preparedness necessary to deter attack and to preserve and build the peace. As President Franklin Roosevelt told our Nation the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, ``It is our obligation to our dead -- it is our sacred obligation to their children and our children -- that we must never forget what we have learned.''

We have not forgotten, nor will we. We live in a world made more free, more just, and more peaceful by those who will answer roll call no more, those who will report for muster never again. We do remember Pearl Harbor.

The Congress, by Public Law 99 - 534, has designated December 7, 1986, as ``National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 7, 1986, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe this solemn occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities and to pledge eternal vigilance and strong resolve to defend this Nation and its allies from all future aggression.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh.

Ronald Reagan, 

Proclamation 5582 -- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1986, December 2, 1986

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD