Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog #112: March Weather, Repeating Timelines, Cape Cod Adventure, etc.

1. It’s amazing how much warmer warm temperatures feel when coming out of a cold winter. This week, we touched 60 degrees on Cape Cod. If you had told me it was 75, I’d have believed you. Being stuck inside working all day, I was itching to get outside into the sun once the day was over. I had an important phone call to take, and I decided rather than sitting in my car, I’d hit up the famed Monday Runday track and do some walking while talking. It was almost perfect. The track had a few snowy patches that had not been hit by the sun, but otherwise it felt just like it did last time we did Monday Runday back in October. In all, I walked a little over 1.5 miles and burned around 200 calories. Not bad considering I could have sat on my ass in my car and burned nothing at all.


2. March is the most bipolar month there is in terms of weather. You can get days that are in the 60s and sunny, and within the same week, have temperatures hovering around freezing with the threat of snow. Obviously, that is what we got this week. I think growing up in New England has conditioned me to get out and fully enjoy the warm days of March since it can quickly go the other way. I think April is a bit like that as well, at least at the beginning of the month. It’s only when we get to around the first of May that we on Cape Cod can fully relax and enjoy spring without the looming threat of a secret frost or snowy day.


3. Incredibly, my story of the tough dealings with the editor of the short film I co-produced did not end last week. After agreeing to double the pay of the editor just to get the film finished, this guy decided to get greedy. The next day, he asked for more money again. He asked if I could get the donors for the When Henry Met Henry film to just cough up some more cash for his ‘expenses.’ Like what? We gave him instructions to use copyright-free music and find royalty-free b-roll footage. Not sure what his ‘expenses’ were. In the end, I set a hard line and said he’d get the money we agreed to for editing the film, or he’d get half if he sent me all of the raw footage and walked away. Not a bad deal. I don’t know if he thought I’d roll over at his attempts to hijack the film, but that didn’t happen. He ended up agreeing (yet again) to the money and to get the film done. I wasn’t a complete ass; I did give him an extension on the deadline until the end of March. I will say, it felt good to stand up to someone trying to screw me over. I might have to do it again sometime soon.


4. My niece Sylvie gave me a makeup case cell phone. It’s a cute pink plastic phone with different lip gloss inside. I began thinking of how I could use it in a video. I came up with a story of me being lost in the woods without my phone and remembering the phone she gave me, only to discover that it’s makeup. I went to a local conservation area with ideas for shots that I could then edit into a 2-3 minute funny horror video. Of course, shooting some scenes where I am scared and calling out for help would be best done with nobody around. I got some basic b-roll video as I walked the paths. Then I got set up for a shot of me wandering the woods while my phone was on a tripod, capturing the scene. Right on cue, came an older couple who appeared to be birdwatching. There I am, standing off in the woods, positioning my phone. They were curious, but I just said hello. Thankfully, I didn’t have to explain to them what I was doing. Shooting skits with my camcorder at 17 was cute and creative. Shooting skits, by myself, in the woods, at 48, might end up with a call to the nuthouse. 


5. One of my favorite things to do for my podcast is to craft unique alternate logos and cover art. I try to capture the nostalgic vibe of the 60s through the 90s while also keeping the basic layout of the logo. I made a pair of them in the past week. As you can see, they both have the classic, typical 70s avocado color palette. I went with two uniquely retro backgrounds. One was the faux wood paneling that I fondly remembered from my Nana’s house growing up. The other was one of the oddly paneled tiled kitchen floors. I believe we had this in one of our kitchens growing up. There is another tile setup that was super 80s, but I’m saving that one for a future podcast logo.




6. An interesting phenomenon that happens way more often than I think has to do with where I go for photography on Cape Cod. I will have an idea of a place I want to go shoot, and I’ll go there. No, that’s not the interesting part. What happens is that many times now I go to a place, and the next day I have photos of that same place in my social media memories. It’s like my subconscious takes me to the same places at the same time each year. It happened this week when I went to get some videos of the bridges at the Cape Cod Canal. The next morning, I was going through my Facebook memories, and there it was, a post filled with photos of the same bridges from 2016. I definitely don’t choose to visit the same places on the same days, but man, does it happen a lot.


7. On that photo trip I just mentioned, I came across a massive flock of Common Eiders, which are sea ducks that are usually black and white. They were hanging out in little crevices along the Cape Cod Canal as the tide was flowing out. When I say a massive flock, I’m talking a few hundred. They typically hang out in a cove at the western end of the canal across from Mass Maritime Academy. It was fascinating, and I found myself trying to get close-up video of these ducks. Naturally, they found me as a threat and would fly further down the canal. Once they’d realize I wasn’t trying to hurt them, they’d stop just far enough away. I kept walking toward them, filming them flying away and landing just enticingly close enough that I’d keep going. This game was repeated a few times. I ended up with several videos of duck wings slapping on the water. I guess it will be good for people who enjoy nature sounds and ASMR.



8. On this same one trip, I ended up with five or six great videos in probably half an hour. While filming a ship passing by, I noticed in the distance that the railroad bridge was lowered. It typically sits 135 feet above the water when raised. It gets lowered a few times a day for trains to pass over the canal. I saw it lowered and knew a train would pass by me in a few minutes since the railroad tracks run along the canal. I was at the Bourne Recreation Area, which sits directly under the Bourne Bridge. I had a minute or two to decide how I wanted to film the passing train. I wanted a cool perspective, but also didn’t want to risk damaging my phone or myself. I settled on filming from the platform where people could board the train. I set up my phone on a tripod in the perfect position and waited. I knew the train wasn’t stopping, so I didn’t have to worry about the conductor getting mad that I was faking them out like I was going to be a passenger. The train approached, blew its horn, and passed by. It rumbled with such force that the phone shook as it passed, maybe less than 10 feet away. The video was great except that I thought it was going to be a big half-mile-long train, but it was a little stubby one with maybe four cars. Oh well, I was lucky just to be there in that moment, so I’ll take it.


9. This week, for the first time probably since I was a kid, I had cream soda. Well, actually, diet cream soda, but still. Have you ever had something that you loved as a kid but got away from it? Foods, drinks, activities, maybe music? I can’t remember when I stopped drinking cream soda as a kid, but obviously, it happened at some point. I was at the store and walked past it, and wondered when the last time was that I had had it. Weird how something can be your favorite and then just not. I’m sure as a kid, I loved the sugar of the regular cream soda. I can’t do that anymore; it makes me feel terrible. That being said, the diet cream soda was good, so I’ll be making it a part of my drink rotation going forward. Who knows what the next thing from my youth will be that I bring back? My guess is something to do with a flannel shirt.


10. I constantly have to shake my head at the people who complain about a certain social media site from that site. Like, if you go on Twitter(X) and constantly mention how you hate it there, you know what you do? Delete your account and go somewhere else. It’s not hard. You didn’t sign a lifetime contract to remain miserable on a site you hate. You know how I know this? Because I deleted my Twitter account when I got sick of how much of a cesspool it was filled with toxic scum and bots. It’s the same with a job. Unless you’re under contract, you are not being forced to work somewhere you hate and are miserable. Just remember, you are not obligated to be on social media. I grew up in the 90s without it. If tomorrow all social media sites vanished, it would take a little while to get used to, but I’d be fine. It’s mostly just people who are so desperate for attention that they post how they hate whatever site they’re on for engagement farming.


11. Few things are more fun for me than exploring the lesser-known and hidden pathways of the Outer Cape in the offseason. Venturing out to Wellfleet and Truro in March allows you almost total freedom to go wherever and see whatever there is to see. I hiked through the downed branches to visit the Jenny Lind Tower located in the woods near the old North Truro Air Force Base. I wanted some video of the AFB, so I headed toward the chain link fence behind the tower that surrounded the base property. I thought I might be able to follow the fence back to my car. It was mostly true. I got some footage on my way, but also had to bushwhack through a lot of brush. I had a chance to slide under a gap in the fence to get onto the base property. After being sliced and diced by broken branches and thorns, though, I figured with my luck, I’d end up gutting myself sneaking under the fence. Despite it being March, I ended up with several small ticks on my pants. Thankfully, I noticed one and did a more thorough check. Those dang things are going to be a menace this summer.

12. Another adventure from the same trip was something on my ever-dwindling Cape Cod bucket list. Close to a beach in Truro, there is an FAA beacon on a hill. I am being intentionally vague about its whereabouts since I don’t want to get anyone in trouble if they go to seek it out. I ventured through a small but worn path that led up the hill and eventually to a clearing where the beacon stands. I had noticed the location on Google Maps and had wondered for years how to get there. I decided during this trip to wander the parking lot of the beach, looking for a path. Once I found it, I made my way uphill, making sure to stay low and as inconspicuous as I could. I made sure that when I emerged from the clearing, for as much footage as I got, I stayed far enough away. You don’t want to get too close, just in case cameras are rolling. Even if you just take photos from a distance, staying on the edge of the clearing is the wisest move. Getting to see this FAA beacon checks off one of the very few places I have yet to see on Cape Cod. The biggest one remaining is Monomoy Lighthouse in Chatham. We’ll see about making that happen.

Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog #83: Deep Discounts, Feeling Froggy, Two-A-Days, etc.

1. Sometimes you just get lucky. No, I didn’t win the lottery, but it did feel like I got away with something. When at the supermarket, I was in the a la carte section looking for something quick and easy for dinner. I am a fan of scalloped potatoes. I saw a couple of containers of them and went to grab one. The first was about $4.75 and had probably 12 ounces of food in the container. Then I looked at the other and had to do a double-take. It had about the same amount of potatoes but was priced at 12 cents. No, that’s not a misprint. Someone labeled the potatoes as 12 cents. Even though it was their mistake, I still hit the self-checkout like I had a box of cookies jammed up into my shirt. Once I was out the door, I was thrilled. Dinner was extremely cheap, lucky me. Of course I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t skeptical of the discount. I did wait a few hours, half-expecting to get some sort of food poisoning. Nope, just some rogue employee or complete fool giving me the best deal in a while.

2. One thing I enjoy about Facebook is the daily memories collection. Having been on the site since 2007, I have 18 years worth of posts, photos, etc. Sometimes they can be embarrassing or annoying, like when I’d share cryptic posts about someone I was interested in. I am noticing recently just how much my life revolved around the game FarmVille in 2009. Nearly every day in my memories, there is a blank status update from 2009 that says FarmVille. I don’t feel too bad, though, because at its peak in 2010 it had over 34 million active daily users. If you don’t know or don’t remember FarmVille, you’re in luck. FarmVille is still around online and you can go play now. However, as much as I’d be interested in dropping by to plant a few new crops, I worry that it would become an obsession again. I don’t know if I have time currently for another part-time job of being an online farmer again.

3. I have a client I train at my day job who is notorious for late cancellations or switching their appointment times quite often. They got so bad at late cancellations that they finally had to start being charged a fee for the inconvenience. The late cancellations stopped, and the incessant switching of their appointment times began. This week was perhaps the worst of them all. This client was supposed to be in to train on Thursday afternoon. They called and asked to switch to Wednesday afternoon. I figured that was fine; it worked out with my schedule as it would allow me to start my vacation a little early. Within an hour of the change that they asked for, they then canceled the changed appointment. I was dumbstruck. I made it a point to have our office manager not offer the old time slot to this client. No way I was giving up a few extra hours of vacation for someone who might end up canceling again anyway.

4. The last day at work before my vacation started was like the last day of school before summer. It was only fitting that the day began with something wacky. I enter through a side door that goes through the gym. I tend to go in and set my first workout up before even getting to my desk. On this day, I was walking and thought I saw a leaf on the floor, as they can get tracked in from outside. Only when the ‘leaf’ moved did I realize it wasn’t a leaf. Upon further inspection, I found it was a tiny ‘peeper’ frog. It was about the size of a quarter. How did it get in the gym? No idea but I had a helluva time wrangling it to get it out. I had to chase it around with a paper cup in one hand and a paper towel in the other. Eventually, I caught it. Luckily, out behind our parking lot is a swampy area. This is where I chose to let it go. I even got a video of it.

5. Only when I started my vacation this week did I realize just how much of a creature of habit I am. I have a routine on Fridays which consists of doing laundry and recording the next episode of my podcast. With 11 straight days and 15 out of 17 days off, I have almost unlimited time to do things. Still, my intention was to do my typical Friday routine. That was until I realized I was on vacation and then I basically wiped the slate clean. I still did end up doing my laundry on Friday though. Oh well, I still need a little structure.

6. The biggest news of the week, and maybe the year, is my first attempt at filmmaking. I am partnering with my friend, producer Frank Durant, on a short Cape Cod film, When Henry Met Henry. It will be a fictional meeting between iconic authors Henry David Thoreau and Henry Beston set on the beach on Cape Cod. I am going to be either a director or producer; we’ll see. We are crowdfunding much of the film. In one afternoon, I created a landing page for the film, a short video detailing what we are doing, and got the GoFundMe up and running. The crowdfunding will run through October 11th, with the film being shot later that month. We hope for it to be done in early 2026. Obviously, much more to come on this front.

7. I learned the hard way that there is a limit to how many electrical items can be running at once in my apartment. I was using my convection oven and got impatient. I decided to use my microwave to heat something up at the same time. This, coupled with a light and a fan going proceeded to blow the fuse. It was funny, not anything serious. The reason was that it took several minutes for everything running to blow the fuse so I thought I was in the clear. Nope, bam out goes everything. Needless to say, I will practice more patience when cooking.

8. Since the weather turned a bit cooler and less humid, to where I could take my A/C out, I briefly forgot that it was still the tourist summer season. I found this out when I took a leisurely drive on Route 6A, which is typically less busy than many other roads during the summer. If what I saw was still ‘less busy,’ I shudder to think of how slammed Route 28 was. Sorry for the specific road names for anyone not from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Either way, the drive was worth it to snag the buy one, get one for $1 deal on weed seltzers at my favorite dispensary. For that deal, I took the pain of crazy traffic.

9. I am closing in on 50. I am trying my best to age with dignity. This means not going overboard with anti-aging creams or hair dyes. The same cannot be said for one guy at my gym. He has to be mid-60s and he is fighting Father Time with all he has. For many months, this guy had a fully gray buzz cut. He’s one of those ‘alpha’ hardos. It’s pretty funny to see this guy now dating a woman 25 years younger than him and also with a pretty bad dye job. I mean honestly, his hair looks like cream soda now. I guess to him it’s better to cling to straws of your distant past than it is to have some pride. Well, he’s a hardo, so he probably thinks he looks amazing.

10. As I just said, I am closing in on 50. Well, in a little over 2 years, but still it gets closer every day. So I was surprised when I somehow managed to tackle a double workout day, aka 'two-a-days' in sports. Every now and then, when I was younger, I’d work out in the morning and again in the evening. It was rare and usually just so I could brag that I did it. This week, the timing was perfect. One of my oldest friends was down on the Cape with his family and to my pleasant surprise, he wanted to get together for a long walk. Not that I didn’t believe him, but I decided to hedge my bets and go to the gym in the morning. I only did strength training. Then, around 4pm I met up with him and his wife, and we did a 4-mile walk. Now granted, I’ve burned more calories on one long walk this year than I did in both workouts on this day, but that’s beside the point. I turned back the clock briefly, but as I write this, I am waiting to see how my body feels the next day.