The Year In Review

As the year 2019 comes to a close let me review of how it went for me...

January- The year started off as any other year in the last few, nothing notable comes to mind.

February- It started with my mother falling, cracking a rib which turned into a punctured lung, emergency trauma surgery, a 10 day stay in ICU, and eventually a move to a rehab facility.

March- Mom home for a short stint before another fall and a repeat of February. This time after the second surgery she refused to eat and drink for several days and we thought we were going to lose her. My daughter visited at the end of the month and things started to look better.

April- Mom moved to a rehab facility again, was weak from the two surgeries and did not respond to rehab, needed 24 hour care in the home along with being oxygen dependent.

May- Rehab stopped and her insurance would not cover in-home care, but would cover long-term care in a nursing facility. I started to explore moving to Colorado.

June- Finished 8 years at Coventry Public Schools, started to clean out my mother's house and made the decision to move west.

July- Bought a new used car, finished up at The Tobacco Shop, and took a 4 day drive to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Everything I owned was backed into the car.

August- Unemployed and living in a strange city, but near my daughter once again, but away from my son.  Relationship with daughter was rough and second guessing my move.

September- Finally found employment, and relationship with daughter improving.

October- Maeve had to put her horse down and then 10 days later her dog, was heartbroken for and with her.

November- Maeve finds handsome young gelding and starts to heal, relationship with her getting much better.

December- Two weeks before the holidays was informed that my job was being eliminated at the end of the month. Panic starts to creep in...found new position and with a raise three days after Christmas.

Here is to a less turbulent 2020...

The Couch

So how fucked up do you have to be to have your therapist cancel twice and then quit altogether on you?

I was hesitant to go in the first place, and now this is not really helping after just one visit. This was supposed to help with the stress, not add to it, or at least that is what I thought how it was supposed to work.

My reticence about going in the first place was, that I would share what was or what I believe was creating the stress (we will talk about this word in a minute) and they would tell me of course anyone with that going on will be anxious. In other words, "normal" (whatever that is) and there was nothing wrong (you are not crazy). BTW, I was correct and that was what was conveyed during the first and only visit so far, but at the same time they said that I need to work on "me." So another appointment was set up, along with a weeks worth of homework.

Homework completed (yep I am that guy). Appointment cancelled. Appointment rescheduled, appointment cancelled. Appointment rescheduled, notified that counselor no longer can see me.

I liked the person I was seeing, I felt we had connected. I shared, we talked, I asked questions (a...lot...of...questions), they answered. I liked most of their responses. It was pointed out that I would be a challenge because they thought I was very intelligent and that I approached everything from a logical point of view and expected outcomes and answers every time. I told them my academia background is in science and engineering. That is when they mentioned that I used the word "stress" a lot and while used as a layman's term in psychology, it was more of an engineering term (I am still going to use the term stress, no matter what).

The thing I liked from my session on the couch (actually a chair and not all that comfortable) was I was there for "mental health" not because I was mentally sick, just that I needed to get my brain in a more positive place and reduce the physical effects of the stress.

So I guess I am scheduled to start anew with another therapist, we will see if I can defeat this one.

<I found writing this post therapeutic>

New MacBook

I have been a Mac products user since just after the inception in 1984 (Apple started earlier than that, but Mac was launched in 1984 during the SuperBowl). I have had a few machines from an Apple SE, LC 475, iMac, MacBook, and now a MacBook Air. Also have bought a number of smaller Apple products like iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

While they are more expensive and elitist than the rest of the computing world, the quality of their products are second to none. They have been dropped, coffee soaked, hard disk crashed, and more. But all have been resurrected and continued on.

I got my MacBook in late 2009. Great machine and has gone through a lot. Three hard drives, a coffee incident, many OS transformations, and a few RAM upgrades.  Still an excellent running device, but the outer plastic shell has started to crumble and it has become fragile.

After some deep soul searching and many hours of research, both about the product and with my finances, I decided to purchase a newer refurbished laptop. With my past history with Mac products I am confident that this gently used and loved machine will bring a number of good years of work and enjoyment.

Another Milestone Post

So starts another year, as this blog did a number of years ago...

Since then I have posted 200+ times and the blog has been visited 5000+ times. Not bad for a blog of nonsense and mutterings. People are intrigued by my loosely fact checked opinions and what is going on in my mind. Suckers...

So here is to another year and thanks for the continuing support...

Milestones and Updates

It has been a while since I have done a milestones post, so here is a short synopsis of the stats of this blog and of course what is going on with the facial hair...

• 200+ posts, 4500+ views in 3+ years
• I recently trimmed over an inch off the beard, while I can still wax into a handlebar, I rarely do currently.

That is it for now.

A Seasonal Salutation

Seasons- Herb

Adventures at DMV, End of an Era, and a Milestone

Adventures

I had to go to CT Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) to transfer registration and ownership. I was warned ahead of time that the wait was horrendous and that I should be in line at least 30 minutes before opening and to still expect to wait 2 hours.

Arrived at 8:45 for 9:15 opening, number at 9:22, served at 9:53, and completed with everything at 10:13. So in and out in 90 minutes, not bad...

Era

The end of the era is I no longer own and drive a Saab, and will probably not have the chance to again. Maintenance was getting too much, along with expense. Also the mileage was getting up there. They also stopped making them in 2013. I have now gone back to a Subaru wagon. Older, but very low miles, and easier to get parts and repairs done.

<This was the reason for the adventure at DMV>

Milestone

So the blog has had its 3,000 visitor, not extraordinarily robust in the traffic in the 3 plus years of existence, but hey I will take what I can get.

Thanks for stopping by and paying attention, I appreciate it.

Please Send Prayers and Thoughts

With the most recent madman rampage in Orlando marking the milestone of 1,000 mass killings since Sandy Hook on December 14th, 2012 (that is just 3 1/2 years), many are asking for "prayers and thoughts." Let us bow our heads...amen.

Have those "prayers and thoughts" prevented any of those 1,000 mass killings? Maybe there were supposed to be twice as many in god's plan and we should be thankful that the number was reduced to a 1,000 because of "prayers and thoughts." Thank you everyone for not letting that number be 2,000, it was your selfless act of prayer that has kept that number to just 1,000. Everyone give a quick genuflect and we can continue to keep those numbers down...just few thousand more likes on social media for "prayers and thoughts" and Jesus and his father will reduce the number of mass killings.

Maybe your next selfless act should be to vote people into office that will be willing to truly make a difference in protecting people's life with sensible gun control via strict background checks, removing assault rifles and large capacity magazines from public availability, at least make the deranged psychopath stop and reload. Along with better training requirements for gun ownership and holding all gun manufacturers and dealers accountable for their products and distribution. Regulations and requirements of special taxes and insurance for gun ownership, nothing in the second amendment does it say those guns are free.

Well I guess I should go try some of that "prayers and thoughts" and save a few lives...btw people, you are welcome...

End of a Good Run: A Double Entendre

I have been a biped for 50 years now (first couple I was happy with being carried or crawling), give or take a few months. During that time I have played competitive sports for at least 35 years, officiated for 25 years, and have never had a serious knee injury. Well that streak ended today.

I have had plenty of other serious injuries in my life; wrist, shoulder, hand, ankle, ribs, and toes, but nothing knee related. Thought I had knee troubles, but it turned out to be Lyme disease.

I slipped down three steps but my left leg decided to stay on the top step and I torqued the knee sideways doing damage to my MCL. Currently in a brace and waiting to see what the final verdict will be...

I can officially say my plans for any kind of a come back have been put on hold...

An Extra Day: Also Known as Leap Year

The Egyptians gave us Leap Year, an extra day every four years to keep the calendar in balance. This is caused by the Earth's daily rotation (approximately 23 hrs 56 min 4 sec) is not equivalent to Earth's orbit around the sun(approximately 365.2422 days). We also have to adjust our clocks one second on Tuesday for a "Leap Second". If you do the math, every 3,300 years the seasons will be thrown off a day, even with the day and second adjustment. At some point the calendars will have to adjusted for this, since the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, we really should not be concerned with this until 4882.

My question is not why we add an extra day, but why do we keep the same week day rotation? Why not add an extra day of the week? Lets call it Leapday as it is not a Monday, Tuesday,...Saturday, or Sunday. It is an extra day, so treat it as a holiday, if you are not essential, you have it off. It is not like it happens every year, just every four years.

I know many will take advantage of this and the sales (Leap Year Savings) will creep in, but once again it is only every four years after all. Your bosses are already taking advantage of you making you work an extra day this year, and unless you are paid hourly or per diem, it will not be reflected in your paycheck.

Maybe we can use that day to promote World Peace or Kindness, or bring an awareness to Climate Change. How about a day of free museums, theatre, or educational talks? Come on people we can come up with something constructive....  

HBM Update # 11

So it has been two years with a handle bar mustache. It has actually been a great experience and I am looking forward to continuing the ride.

So currently, it is paired with a full beard and is long enough that it still stands out. I can also get it to blend in by skipping the wax and grooming. Speaking of grooming, I got a nice sandalwood comb for care of the 'stache (and beard). It is relaxing to spend some time just combing through the facial hair, and the smell of the wood is great.

So Happy Birthday HBM!

Hidden Talent?

So I have blended and now made public my first pipe tobacco. To some that is not much, but I am happy with it.

It is a blend that uses whisky and coffee to create a subtle sweet Irish coffee aromatic pipe mixture. It is medium in strength with a good burn leaving a fine dark powdery ash.

I have named it for my grandfather, who was a pipe smoker, although I do not remember what he smoked in his pipe. He was of Irish decent, so I think it is fitting.

I am not sure I am any kind of a master blender in the pipe world, but with my understanding and willingness to experiment and try different combinations, I can concoct a palatable smoke. Along with my science/engineering background and enjoyment of pipe smoking, it is a joy to do this 'hobby'.

This is not my first success, but this one the one I wanted to sell.

Now what should I do next....

High Praise, I Guess...

So this past Spring, with the urging of some and the permission of others, I help found a pipe club. Of course it had to have a snooty name, so it was christened, "The Hartford Reading Society".

The 'Society provides a civilized haven from the hum-drum work-a-day world. Of course there is not much in the way of reading beyond the occasional tin of tobacco and/or the back of a bottle. We would not want to tax the brain too much.

We have monthly meetings with themes, and an electronic newsletter, which is written by our fearless leader, Ox.  Recently Ox wrote an excerpt laced with praise for yours truly and it is below...

Mascot and all.

 As I recline here in the leather bound splendor of the Tobacco Shop, I reflect back on an excellent gathering of The Hartford Reading Society.

Maestro Herb presided over a Columbus Day cruise around the world of tobacco. His three mixtures: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, were specially blended for the occasion. They kept the assembled members musing as to the formulae and proportions whilst "Herb of The Inscrutable Grin" watched in silence as we discussed the merits and probable ingredients of each. 

He finally could stand no more and put us out of our collective misery, with a knowing smile he divulged the aromatic secrets which lurked in the three mixtures: Dutch Cut, Virginia and Black Cavendish each formed the base of a mixture married with a special proprietary tobacco which, for highly sensitive matters of State, shall remain nameless. Suffice to say that no South American villagers were harmed in the production of this tobacco!

 We were all most suitably impressed with Herbs handiwork, no doubt he is the foremost Pipe Tobacco blender in Southern New England and we are indeed fortunate to have him as one of our founding members as well as our cordial representative from the Tobacco Shop.

 Until the next meeting of The Hartford Reading Society, my friends, stay on the green side of the grass! 

Thank you Ox for your kind words and encouragement, they are much appreciated...

Casual Thoughts

Sorry I have not posted anything in over a month, but while I haven't been busy, the time just seems to fly by....

• The HBM is still going and just made another batch of homemade wax. Also the chin hair is getting long (and gray).
• The kids are back to school, the oldest starts his senior year in college and the younger one is in fourth grade. Where has the time gone?
• This summer has been cooler weather wise then it has in the past, the winter prediction is lots of snow and cold temperatures. Of course the idiots will continue to deny climate change.
• Speaking of idiots, have you seen the presidential race...

Hopefully more is to come...

My First Hand Carved Pipe

When I was a teenager I started to try and carve my own pipe. I never finished it and it was tossed into a box and that box was never totally cleaned out and some how has survived in my possession this entire time. A few months ago, I rediscovered the box and its contents and the pipe I started many many years ago. Was this an omen that I would end up working part-time in the industry?

After some fiddling, adjusting,final finishing, and borrowing parts from another pipe, I got to use that pipe for the first time today. It needs to be broken as is with all "new" pipes, but it is not bad (I am assuming, and hoping, it will get better and sweeter as the cake is developed). The heat transfer to the hand is currently minimal and the weight and fit feel good. The draw is a little hot, but I think that will wan over time once again as it is seasoned. I did leave room for a filter application.

I would say it smokes as well as any corn cob and it has a rustic primitive look. This is no Dunhill or Nordig (although it is a free hand carve). See pictures below...

Left side view

Right side view

Top view

Bottom view 

Front view

Looking forward to more time and pleasure with this, now if I could only find someone to take me on as an apprentice and teach me the refinement of the craft...

A Vintage Smoke

Sometime last fall, the shop got a hold of some Old English Curve Cut Pipe Tobacco. There is an entire box of it, still wrapped in the original wax paper packaging. There were a half dozen more tins with the box. Not much was known of the find, age, if it was still smokeable, what its make up is...

This spring the Hartford Reading Society was established and I was looking for something interesting to bring to the table. I thought it would be interesting to bring a vintage pipe tobacco. (I was not the only one thinking this, but that is another story) Why not see if the find of Old English Curve Cut Pipe Tobacco was savable.

I nervously opened a tin, I noticed the 1926 (series 125) tax stamp adhered to the foil packaging inside. Quickly doing the math in my head, I got that the tobacco is around 89 years old or older, answering one of the questions. Next the prying and peeling of the foil off the plug cut, a very dry light brown tobacco was revealed. I touched the thin block of pressed leaves and they easily crumbled off the wad. It was very dry and I wondered if the blend could be reconditioned and smoked.

I got the plug collected into a small zip lock bag and shook it gentle, watching it erode into a rubbed state that is preferred for pipe smoking. Some spring water was used and spritzed into the bag in an attempt to revive the tobacco to a condition that is needed to smoke.

Reconditioned tobacco on the left, state of tobacco upon opening on the right.

After a few days of letting the leaves acclimatize to a proper humidity and let the tobacco breathe, it was time to try a small pinch. I packed about half a bowlful, struck a match and hoped for the best...it was a harsh smoke. At least it would be an interesting story to share, but I needed to know more about what I had, so I headed for the interwebz.

Old English Curve Cut Pipe Tobacco was produced by the American Tobacco Company and the blend was patented May 30th, 1899, along with the packaging. I found a few of people that were selling the tins on various auction sites and the tins were going for $20-40 a piece and the conditions were listed as good with some scratches and small dents. (There are 30 tins with tobacco in them that are in mint condition, what are those worth?) I also saw some old advertising of the pipe tobacco including an ad in the New London Day, it even had a picture of the CT State Capital in the corner.

(Sorry for the clipped version of the ad, it is from 1917 by the way) 

 

The night of the meeting arrived and I brought the tobacco to share with the other members of the society, it may not be a good smoke but it would generate conversations, besides who else is smoking an 89 year old pipe tobacco...I think that is a small number.

Well I guess the extra week of sitting had changed the tobacco, because it was a lot mellower and even enjoyable. So the question of whether it could be reconditioned and smoked is yes. It has a nice earthy taste, with hints of grasses and hays. It also has a blue tint to the smoke which is often associated with Cuban tobaccos, and this is pre-embargo. Dunhill used to add Havana leaf to their blends, so it is possible that this blend contains Cuban origin leaf.

So some of the questions were answered and another set has been established.

College Hijinks at 50

I am always up for an adventure and sometimes the unexpected ones are the most memorable.

Since the start of, now 4 days ago, I have had about 10 hours of total sleep. The rest has been work and ok, an event with the chance to have some social time. So here is a short list of the antics that have played out...

• Thursday was a successful pipe sales event and a gathering of some great people that share a common interest. 
• Friday was a double work shift day, but if you like what you do, it ain't bad.
• Friday ended a little rough, not being able to get the numbers to balance and that adds stress that is not needed nor wanted. (I am not OCD with the exception of getting the books to balance. So this was a cause to come home and play the whole night out trying to figure where the issue was, not allowing me to sleep but a mere three hours.)
• Quick turn around and I am back at work, still could not find the discrepancy, but after some keen detective work the snafu was uncovered before lunch and the rest of the day was saved and the worries erased.
• Home for a few hours to watch the Derby (I had no idea about which horse to root for, but it looked like a good race) and try for a nap, but only got an hour before heading back to work; but not to work, but to socialize.
• Friend picks me up in his Jeep without the top and doors. Me, unprepared with only a light sweatshirt, no hat or gloves. It was 48 degrees, but going 60-65 mph makes the wind chill at around 35 and me not so warm.
  
• Arrive in time to see one of the lamest, over hyped, boring boxing matches of all time. This fight made some of Mike Tyson's 1st round knock outs better spend money. It was a love fest with Mayweather cuddling his way to a win. Fight of the century? Not in life time and I have lived a half century now.
• Thankfully it was spent with a great group of people....

Now this is where the hijinks start...we decided to park in a parking garage. We stayed and hung with my boss and had some fantastic laughs. It is great working with people that you can enjoy life with. Before we know it it is 3:30 AM. We lock up and head to the Jeep for another 40 minute popsicle toes (inside joke) ride home. Arrive at the garage and the elevator is shut off....make for the door of the stairs and it is locked....around the corner to the ramp into the structure and the gate is down and locked. Now what?

 A phone call and a regrouping back at the shop, and it looks like we are crashing in the lounge. Thankfully the leather couches are plush. Since we are not driving, lets finish the bottle and grab a nap. A quick three hour snooze....find someone to open the garage....and it is back the Iditarod-like ride home, it was 51 degrees, so the windchill must have been up to a balmy 38 degrees...

I hadn't done anything like this since my college days...keeping me young at heart I guess. Not sure the body agrees....

Milestones

So my 100th post was about the zany name the Hartford Baseball team will have (GO YARD GOATS!). Fitting if I say so myself.

So I have been blogging for 15 months now and have posted 100 times and have had over 2000 views (that is about 20 views per post, not the biggest audience, but it still is an audience).

Also if you look at the tag cloud to the right of the page you will notice that the biggest categories are "Musings, Observations, and Opinions" which spell MOO. That about sums it up.

What is in a Name?

With the announcement of the name for the Hartford Baseball team as the "Yard Goats", changing from the "Rock Cats", people are taking offense to the name. Really?.....

A Yard Goat is a small locomotive that used to shuttle train cars around the rail yards, today that term is still used for a truck used in trucking terminals for moving trailers around. Sounds hard working, something that gets a job done....Now what exactly is a "Rock Cat"?

When the New Britain team changed their name to the Rock Cats, a lot of people had issues with the change, but it quickly became accepted and now everyone is upset that it is being abandoned.

Let's look at some other minor league and other team names that I find "odd;"

• Williamsport Crosscutters
  
• Albuquerque Isotopes
  
• Medesto Nuts
  
• Lansing Lugnuts
  
• Savanah Sand Gnats
  
• Montgomery Biscuits
  
• UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs
  

and let us not forget the...

• The Toledo Mud Hens.
  

So everyone needs to relax and let it sink in and maybe, just maybe, you will come to like it...

GO YARD GOATS!!!!

HBM Update 5- One Year

Today marks the one year date of starting a handle bar mustache. It has been fun and that fun will continue for a while. The comments still keep coming, and the care has become routine. Now lets see how much bigger it can get.

Still enjoying my own wax, and beard oil is still my favorite pampering. Slight trimming has become easier as that skill is honed. Not really looking forward to cold weather with it, wax issues- freezing and melting from the movement between extreme temperature differentials, along with sipping on hot drinks in a cold car- nobody likes a droopy HBM, especially me.

Maybe I will be brave enough to enter a competition this year, who knows….it would at least be fun to hang with others of the 'groomed facial persuasion.'

So Happy Birthday to my 'stache, and here's to a joyous year to all of you.