This coming weekend is Labor Day weekend. Its still 90 degrees outside but people are already filling Facebook with 'end of summer' posts and pumpkin spice everything.
I predict this will be a very low-key Labor Day weekend for us. We don't have any weekend guests staying with us and we've not been invited to any pool parties or cookouts. I suggested to Spouse that we fire up the grill and invite just a few friends over but he didn't want to.
I have to work on Sat and have a couple of showings on Sun morning, but am off the rest of Sun and Mon. Of course the weather on Sun is calling for intermittent thunderstorms, so it won't be a good beach day. Mon looks fine though.
There will likely be a lot of folks here in town for their 'last beach weekend of the summer'. Insert me rolling my eyes. Trust me, there will be a lot more beach weekends before summer weather is gone. We often enjoy an Indian Summer, and I can remember 1 year where we were still sitting on the beach the 1st weekend in Nov.
Labor Day weekend does mark the end of the tourist season here, so starting next week it'll be easier for us locals to get into restaurants.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
The heat is on
I mean, I realize its summer, but this is coastal DE. Our weather is tempered by coolness of the ocean water. Its pretty rare that it gets above 90 degrees here.
But recently the temperature reached 94 degrees!
And then a couple days later it was 96 degrees!
Add to that the heavy humidity and the 'real feel' temperature was like 107 degrees.
Fortunately the forecast is for a bit of a break in the heat (but not the humidity) next week when it will be in the 80s again.
I realize this doesn't sound so strange to those in climates that are routinely this hot, be we are definitely NOT used to it here.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Life lesson
This really IS true. Nothing stays the same forever, be it good or bad. We can always try to do things to improve our situation, but sometimes its just a matter of patience.
This is a life lesson I wish I'd learned a lot earlier in life.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
Family visit
We had a fun time with our family's visit.
Spouse's sister, son, daughter and her husband and their daughter arrived Thurs evening. We ordered subs for dinner with chips and soda, and hung out until bedtime.
Spouse took off work on Fri so he went with them to the beach. I had to work. That evening we went out for Thai food, and later that night Spouse's sister's husband and other son arrived.
They all went to the beach on Sat, while I worked. Sat evening some went to the tax-free outlet stores while the rest of us relaxed and talked. Then we ordered in dinner again and hung out.
Sun morning we had coffee, juice, bagels, and fruit salad, hung out some more, and by 12 noon the family was on their way back home.
Spouse's sister, son, daughter and her husband and their daughter arrived Thurs evening. We ordered subs for dinner with chips and soda, and hung out until bedtime.
Spouse took off work on Fri so he went with them to the beach. I had to work. That evening we went out for Thai food, and later that night Spouse's sister's husband and other son arrived.
They all went to the beach on Sat, while I worked. Sat evening some went to the tax-free outlet stores while the rest of us relaxed and talked. Then we ordered in dinner again and hung out.
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| Our niece's daughter Gabby and Marvin |
Sun morning we had coffee, juice, bagels, and fruit salad, hung out some more, and by 12 noon the family was on their way back home.
Friday, August 17, 2018
The Queen
Ladies and gentlemen, the Queen has left the building.
Sadly, Aretha Franklin (also known as The Queen of Soul) passed away yesterday at the age of 76. The prolific singer, songwriter and actress was known for her unmistakable soulful sound.
But while her sound was unmistakable, apparently her image was not, at least to Fox News who posted a tribute graphic that included a photo of Patti LaBelle!
This sadly suggests at least someone at Fox News couldn't distinguish one African American diva from another.
Oh, but what fodder for Facebook! Almost immediately memes starting showing up that frankly had me laughing out loud!
At least the laughter from these memes helped ease the pain of such a great loss to American music. Aretha will be imitated but never duplicated.
R.I.P. our Queen.
Sadly, Aretha Franklin (also known as The Queen of Soul) passed away yesterday at the age of 76. The prolific singer, songwriter and actress was known for her unmistakable soulful sound.
But while her sound was unmistakable, apparently her image was not, at least to Fox News who posted a tribute graphic that included a photo of Patti LaBelle!
This sadly suggests at least someone at Fox News couldn't distinguish one African American diva from another.
Oh, but what fodder for Facebook! Almost immediately memes starting showing up that frankly had me laughing out loud!
At least the laughter from these memes helped ease the pain of such a great loss to American music. Aretha will be imitated but never duplicated.
R.I.P. our Queen.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Family visit
We're expecting some of our family to visit later this week.
Spouse's sister, son, daughter, and granddaughter are arriving Thurs evening. Spouse's sister's husband and other son are arriving Fri night, and all are staying through Sun.
If the weather is good they'll probably go to the beach, but they may just decide to just hang out at home. Friday's forecast is 92 degrees with a 30% chance of thunderstorms, and Saturday's forecast is for 86 degrees and a 40% chance of thunderstorms.
Regardless of what they do, I'm sure we'll have a fun time visiting. I have to work Fri & Sat but will be with them in the evenings and on Sun.
Spouse's sister, son, daughter, and granddaughter are arriving Thurs evening. Spouse's sister's husband and other son are arriving Fri night, and all are staying through Sun.
If the weather is good they'll probably go to the beach, but they may just decide to just hang out at home. Friday's forecast is 92 degrees with a 30% chance of thunderstorms, and Saturday's forecast is for 86 degrees and a 40% chance of thunderstorms.
Regardless of what they do, I'm sure we'll have a fun time visiting. I have to work Fri & Sat but will be with them in the evenings and on Sun.
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| Our brother-in-law and 2 nephews, Christmas 2017 |
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
Three Identical Strangers
I recently saw the documentary "Three Identical Strangers", about triplets who discover each other at age 19.
Each triplet was adopted by a different family in upstate NY who had no knowledge that their baby was a triplet. One brother goes to a small college where he knows no one, but is recognized by returning students. He's then introduced to the young man they thought he was, who turns out to be his identical twin brother.
This amazing reunion makes the papers and is noticed by the mother of a 3rd young man who looks exactly like the twins in the newspaper. The three young men discover they are triplets and find they share many seemingly hard-wired personality traits and preferences.
But the film is far from being a sweet reunion story. The adopted parents of the three triplets soon began to seek answers to many questions, the most pertinent being why they weren't informed their babies had siblings, yet alone, identical triplets. The adoption agency said the triplets were split up because it was unlikely someone would adopt 3 infants, but little other info is given them.
Years later a writer researching twins discovers the triplets' separation as well as the intentional separation of several other sets of twins by the same adoption agency. Little is known about the reason(s) for these separations other than the study of identical twins' and triplets' development in different socio-economic households. The psychologist's study was never published and all the data was sealed until 2066 when all the researchers and uninformed participants are deceased.
Its a very interesting documentary which raises lots of ethical questions, and wants to weigh in on the 'nature versus nurture' question.
This amazing reunion makes the papers and is noticed by the mother of a 3rd young man who looks exactly like the twins in the newspaper. The three young men discover they are triplets and find they share many seemingly hard-wired personality traits and preferences.
But the film is far from being a sweet reunion story. The adopted parents of the three triplets soon began to seek answers to many questions, the most pertinent being why they weren't informed their babies had siblings, yet alone, identical triplets. The adoption agency said the triplets were split up because it was unlikely someone would adopt 3 infants, but little other info is given them.
Years later a writer researching twins discovers the triplets' separation as well as the intentional separation of several other sets of twins by the same adoption agency. Little is known about the reason(s) for these separations other than the study of identical twins' and triplets' development in different socio-economic households. The psychologist's study was never published and all the data was sealed until 2066 when all the researchers and uninformed participants are deceased.
Its a very interesting documentary which raises lots of ethical questions, and wants to weigh in on the 'nature versus nurture' question.
Friday, August 10, 2018
New sink & faucet
So, this year for his birthday Spouse wanted a new single-basin kitchen sink and a new faucet. I know it sounds weird, but that's what he wanted.
The guys came to install them and started with the faucet, removing the old one and installing the new one. Next came they removed the sink, but when they went to install the new one, it didn't fit.
You see, we're switching from a double-basin to a single-basin, and although you'd think the sizes would be standard, they're not. The single-basin sink we picked out wasn't wide enough, so the guys had to re-install the old sink, and I had to try and find one that was a little wider.
Unfortunately the store where the ill-fitting sink was purchased (Lowe's) didn't have one the correct size in stock. Special ordering it would take at least 10 days.
So I went online to Amazon. In no time flat I found one the right size, less expensive than the one that got returned, and since it was Prime it arrived in 2 days with no shipping charge.
A couple days later the guys came back and swapped out the old sink with the new one.
Happy birthday, Spouse!!
The guys came to install them and started with the faucet, removing the old one and installing the new one. Next came they removed the sink, but when they went to install the new one, it didn't fit.
You see, we're switching from a double-basin to a single-basin, and although you'd think the sizes would be standard, they're not. The single-basin sink we picked out wasn't wide enough, so the guys had to re-install the old sink, and I had to try and find one that was a little wider.
Unfortunately the store where the ill-fitting sink was purchased (Lowe's) didn't have one the correct size in stock. Special ordering it would take at least 10 days.
So I went online to Amazon. In no time flat I found one the right size, less expensive than the one that got returned, and since it was Prime it arrived in 2 days with no shipping charge.
A couple days later the guys came back and swapped out the old sink with the new one.
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| Good bye old double-basin sink and faucet! |
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| Hello new single-basin sink and faucet! |
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Monday, August 06, 2018
National Underwear Day
Yesterday was National Underwear Day.
Its a made-up holiday created by Freshpair, a company that sells underwear. No surprise there.
But the underwear industry has really grown in the last 40 years. For men the choices used to be boxers or briefs. Usually cotton. Usually white for briefs, and solid or benign prints for boxers.
Nowadays there are literally hundreds of sellers of men's underwear, each with lots of varieties. Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, bikinis, string bikinis, thongs, jocks. In every color and color combination you could want. Fashion underwear is a multi-billion dollar per year industry.
Then there's all the 'novelty' and fetish underwear. Cotton, polyester, nylon, mesh, spandex, latex, lycra, and leather.
Things have certainly changed over the years, so maybe there's a real reason now to celebrate National Underwear Day.
How will YOU be celebrating?
Its a made-up holiday created by Freshpair, a company that sells underwear. No surprise there.
But the underwear industry has really grown in the last 40 years. For men the choices used to be boxers or briefs. Usually cotton. Usually white for briefs, and solid or benign prints for boxers.
Nowadays there are literally hundreds of sellers of men's underwear, each with lots of varieties. Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, bikinis, string bikinis, thongs, jocks. In every color and color combination you could want. Fashion underwear is a multi-billion dollar per year industry.
Then there's all the 'novelty' and fetish underwear. Cotton, polyester, nylon, mesh, spandex, latex, lycra, and leather.
Things have certainly changed over the years, so maybe there's a real reason now to celebrate National Underwear Day.
How will YOU be celebrating?
Friday, August 03, 2018
Thursday, August 02, 2018
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
'Green' update
A few weeks ago I wrote this post about many restaurants no longer providing plastic straws with beverages. Since then I've been to a couple places that have switched over to more earth-friendly paper straws, and a couple places who only give plastic straws upon request.
Then this week I saw this Facebook meme which combined this topic with another close to my heart: gun control.
While this is initially funny, it does draw the striking contrast between how easy it was to change behaviors related to plastic straws versus the nearly impossible feat it will be to change behaviors related to gun control, thanks to the wealthy NRA and greedy politicians who accept its bribes.
Then this week I saw this Facebook meme which combined this topic with another close to my heart: gun control.
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