Nora finally retired her PT Cruiser. It was her second one and she took it pretty hard. It’s a terrible time to buy a car, especially a used one. But buying a new car just seems profligate, so Nora hit google, looking for something about the same size as a Cruiser, but with a manual […]
Five Micro Stories
I got the first of two shingles vaccine shots the other day. They start to recommend it when you hit 50, as I am now. Our health insurance paid for it 100%. And my sister suffered through a recent bout of it, so it’s top of mind. What about safety or side effects? Honestly, I […]
A More Modest Bucket List
Baltimore is slowly – very slowly – joining other cities in building more bike lanes and trails. In 2014, $2M was allocated to extend the Inner Harbor-originating Jones Falls Trail to downtown Mount Washington, from Cylburn Arboretum. Construction wasn’t completed until 2020. Better late than never, and it does have an impressive elevated wooden boardwalk […]
I’m Not Losing Sleep Over a Sloppily Delivered Mattress
As with cars, we drive mattresses to beyond embarrassing. What’s a few stains when you can conceal them with a fresh set of sheets? When she is home, Pippa sleeps on a 35-year-old full mattress. Not only was it visually sketchy, but it had more swayback than a decrepit old nag. It was time. I […]
I Got COVID Despite Being Careful
My 85-year-old father thinks COVID precautions are excessive. Sometimes I agree, but I’m not anxious to get sick or inadvertently pass sickness to anyone else. So I accept his needling like a pin cushion, absorbing the barbs like I was made for it. Dad in the Cracker Barrel gift shop: “Why do you wear that […]
Six Micro Stories
My mom drives an old PT Cruiser, just like Nora does. We don’t take ours on long trips anymore because it is too unreliable. The left blinker is on the fritz, the radio shuts off randomly, and the rear hatch opens when it feels like it, not when you tell it to. Mom and Dad […]
More Quick Takes: $5 Burgers, College Cost, and Squeegee Kids
We are a McDonald’s family. They have hands down the best fries and frappes. And going there gives us some non-elitist bona fides. (Until the pomposity of that last sentence anyway). Still, sometimes I wonder if the grass is greener or cows are juicier at some of the pricier burger joints. The other day, we […]
My Amazon Diet for Christmas
I look so fit and healthy here due to the latest weight-loss craze – tropical fruits, plus protein from dried rainforest bugs. Nah, the headline actually refers to fasting from Amazon.com, the online behemoth. Like most crash diets, I’ve cheated. But I’ve had some success and lost some psychic weight. Amazon’s super-handy “past orders” record shows that […]
My Wife Won Her Office NFL Pool. I Got Addicted.
So, as you might have read last time, Nora got swept up in her office’s NFL gambling pool. She isn’t the only one. According to the American Gaming Association, over 11 million Americans bet on the NFL in 2019 as part of a sports pool, squares contest or paid fantasy contest. About 31% of people […]
My 12 Best Beautiful/Ugly Pics of Baltimore
Switching things up a bit this week, I’m featuring some photos I’ve taken over the past couple years on my Baltimore bike rides. Related: 7 Reasons Why Cycling Is the Best Frugal Exercise There is nothing super significant about the shots. They just strike a cord for me, and together I think they capture the […]
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