1. Before opening a new
document to begin this week’s blog I spent several minutes trying
to diagnose what was wrong with my wireless computer mouse. It had
the green light on so I knew it was working. On-Off, On-Off with the
power switch, nothing. Finally being super smart I looked and
realized the adapter was not in the USB port, it was on an end table.
This blog begins with that foolishness, hopefully, it will get better.
2. In what was a fun adventure
I went out to Race Point Beach in Provincetown this week. I was
meeting my friend Frank who is a film producer and his friend Bryan.
They were replicating part of Henry David Thoreau’s hike along Cape
Cod’s outer beach. We were meant to hike the final 2+ miles out to
Race Point Lighthouse together only that didn’t happen. After they
had hiked about 7 miles their bodies gave out. I got a call from
Frank and had to drive to where they had crossed from the beach to
the main road and pick them up. We plan to finish the hike in March.
3. Skipping out on the hike to
the lighthouse freed us up to do something else. As we have done many
times before we paid a visit to St. Peter’s Cemetery in
Provincetown. Here is where Ruth Marie Terry, aka the Lady of the
Dunes, is buried. In what could only be described as a wild
coincidence we happened to arrive at the cemetery as they were having
a ceremony for the unveiling of a new marker. Ruth Marie’s son was
there and I got to finally meet him. In a fun twist, he is writing a
book about his experience and he said that Frank and I walking up
during the ceremony was the perfect ending to his book. For those who
have no idea, Frank produced the Lady of the Dunes documentary that
helped spur law enforcement to finally solve the nearly 50-year-old
cold case. It was a full-circle moment that wouldn’t have been
possible if the original hike hadn’t fallen through.
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| The new marker for Ruth Marie Terry |
4. Hey, what kind of idiot
gets a sunburn in late October? This guy. So I guess being out in the
bright sun for 5 straight hours with no sunscreen is not good, even
in mid-Autumn. I honestly thought once the calendar flipped to
October that sunburns would be on hold until summer returned. Only
when I got home and looked in the mirror did I see how red I was. So
there, you can get sunburned in October. The more you know.
5. LED headlights on vehicles
should be outlawed. I bet that in 5 years we’re going to have loads
of people with vision issues from having to stare into these terrible
inventions coming at you on the road. It’s like either make them
illegal or make it legal to coat your windshield with an extra tint so
you can drive at night and not feel like you’re staring into the
sun.
6. I am now in the ‘do a big
overhead stretch and pop a rib out’ stage of my life. I stepped out
of my care at work in the morning did a big stretch and breathed
in the fall air. It was a great moment until I felt a pop and
immediate pain. What felt like an ice pick under my left shoulder
blade turned out to be not 1, but 3 ribs out. Luckily my boss is a
chiropractor among other things and he was able to adjust me and get
those ribs back in. Getting older is not my favorite thing.
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| Me in a few weeks trying to train someone after more of my body explodes. |
7. Having to ‘prove I am
human’ on the ChatGPT website is an irony that is not lost on me. I
guess it’s to make sure that AI is not conspiring together to end
the human race. Of course, that’s what AI would want you to think,
that you’re protected.
8. An interesting phenomenon
that has been happening to me recently is that a collection of
yellow jackets has started hanging out on my car at work. I am
thinking it is due to pollen or other goodies being dropped onto my
car from the trees I park under. Typically there are a dozen or so
walking all over my hood and windshield. The other day once I was in
my car I shot a video of one of these bees walking on the windshield
and it was then that I got such a cool closeup video and it looked
like the bee was licking the windshield. Also when I start my car and
leave I don’t use my windshield wipers or anything to kill them. I
drive until the wind blows them off. The last time I had the bee
experience one of them hung onto my windshield for close to a mile
while I was driving, most impressive.
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| Objects might appear larger than they are. |
9. In
a shocking admission I am not a fan of people who drive fast and
don’t pay attention in a parking lot. I know, it’s crazy. You’d
be amazed at how many times I see people flying through a parking
lot, driving diagonal through parking lanes, looking at their phones.
One night this week a woman nearly ran me down. I didn’t dart out
in front of her but I was slowly walking. Luckily I kept my eyes on
her because she didn’t stop. She had this look on her face like I
had jumped in front of her on the highway. I might have shared a few
4-letter words as she passed.
10. As my birthday grows
closer and I drift into my late 40’s I feel like a saying I heard
somewhere is getting truer each day. As you get older you have to
work twice as hard to get half as far. 10 years ago the thought of
redesigning my diet and training regimen would have been easy, or
totally unnecessary. However staring that prospect down now is
daunting, and very necessary. It’s a weird feeling to see yourself
slipping backward. It’s like I know exactly what to do and have the
tools to do it but there is some sort of a disconnect. It’ll be a
battle but I’ll figure my way through it.
