tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198388282024-02-28T14:54:02.247-05:00Brain DrippingsSeems that everyone has a Web Log. Well, I don't. I sometimes have to get something off of my chest however, and instead of spamming my address book... I'll leave a brain dripping for the internet to sniff out and devour.
I'm going to try to keep them both updated, but I'll probably just stick with my home-made fun over at the original home of the <a href="http://www.ericles.com/drippings/">Brain Drippings</a>.Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-38668374621411250842023-04-21T20:38:00.002-04:002023-04-21T20:38:54.472-04:00A 5K for 5K Geocaching finds?<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Late last year I was talking with some geocaching friends, some of whom happen to be runners, and an idea was hatched to host a 5K run event for my upcoming 5,000th geocaching find. A 5K for 5K, get it? I crunched the numbers and figured it would be sometime in February or early March when I hit that magical number. Five months of number managing later we picked a location/date that worked and the event was on! It had been nearly 10 years since I ran that far so, during the next 2 months, I tried to get myself back into some kind of shape. I logged 22 miles and got up to running 2+ miles without falling apart so I figured I was ready for 3.1 miles. My running log is below. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The day of the event the weather forecast was promising rain off and on all morning and this kept some folks away. However we still had two dozen hardy cachers (and a geo-pooch) in attendance - 10 of which opted to run/walk the 5K loop. At the last moment Allison decided she wanted to run the race as well so I hung back with her and we ran an easy pace - even taking a walk break to enjoy the scenery of the beautiful Manasquan Reservoir. The rain had tapered off before the race started but it really picked up its pace during the last mile or so. Allison did too - she flat out sprinted to the finish line just so she could say she beat her old man. :) </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 20230401_113913-1024x768.jpg" height="477" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/20230401_113913-1024x768.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="637" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Group shot pre-race - What better way to celebrate than with friends?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> We got pretty wet but it was unusually warm for April so we didn't mind. There were post-race snacks, trophies for the front-runners and real metal medals for everyone that opted to do the loop. The best part - there were new caches hidden for the event and the runners had to choose between being first to find and first to finish the race. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The weather could have been better but it also could have been a lot worse. There were actual tornadoes in the area that evening! It was a lot of work to setup the event and get back in shape but it was worth it for a memorable 5K for my 5K. I guess 10,000 will be my next big milestone. It took me over 16 years to get 5,000 finds. Will I be able to run a 10K when I'm 64? Only time will tell! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Running Log:</strong><br />2023-01-29 - 1 Mile with Allison<br />2023-01-30 - 1 Mile solo<br />2023-02-05 - 2 hours roller skating (Took a spill)<br />2023-02-09 - 1 Mile solo (9:54) (Back tweaking)<br />2023-02-12 - A few minutes of running with Allison while out caching<br />2023-02-13 - 1 Mile with Allison (11:02 due to side-stitches) <br />2023-02-16 - 1.1 Miles solo (9:02 for the mile)<br />2023-02-19 - .5 miles on treadmill + swimming<br />2023-02-20 - Fast walked around 4 miles. (11K steps) <br />[Rest of February - sick!] <br />2023-03-06 - 1.2 miles plodding at 13:26<br />2023-03-09 - 1.5 miles to MAMS in 14:44<br />2023-03-12 - Dance party while cleaning. 3000 "steps" recorded<br />2023-03-16 - 3.1 miles with many stops through Tatum. 1 hour 4 minutes. <br />2023-03-17 - 6 mile hike/bushwhack feeling the burn from yesterday. <br />2023-03-20 - Quarter mile sprint to get Allison's shoes to her at the bus-stop<br />2023-03-21 - 2 miles ploddy ploddy 20:37 <br />2023-03-22 - 1 mile solo - 8:47 (PB)<br />2023-03-26 - ~3.2 miles with HILLS and lots of stopping (Aprox 39 min)<br />2023-03-28 - Short sprint with Allison who wanted to see if she's faster than me yet. <br />2023-03-29 - ~2.2 miles in 24:00 for my final "long" run before the event! <br />2023-03-31 - A few miles of broken/thorny/damp terrain while caching. <br />2023-04-01 - 3.1 miles, untimed, running with Allison. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Total 22.0 measured miles + Skating, Hiking, Dancing & Swimming. </span></p>
Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-69196866810768516102022-06-30T23:58:00.001-04:002022-06-30T23:58:10.893-04:00Just some High-Handing, Grand-Standing, Ban-Planning Fire Fanning<p>
</p><p>Back in the early 1990s I used "biodegradable trash-bags" as my science fair project. They haven't caught on because IT DOESN'T MATTER in the slightest. I might generate a few pounds of plastic bag trash every year while the farmers use hundreds of millions of pounds of "plastic mulch" in the same time. My contribution isn't even two tears in a bucket. </p>
<p>But don't worry, New Jersey will save the world by just doing whatever New York does. Our governor is like the little dog dancing around the big bull dog in the old cartoons. "Hey Spike! What are we gunna ban next Spike? Come on Spike, let's ban something! Heya Spike! Wanna get high, Spike?" It's been a while since I've posted because I've been collecting data. It turns out the ban on Plastic Bag only extends to the people and stores where it is most likely to annoy us instead of actually achieving anything useful. Are you feeling like you've made a sacrifice? That's will assuage your guilt from living an otherwise wasteful lifestyle! Don't feel bad. You're American. You really have no choice. </p>
<p></p>
<p>It's been a while since I've posted because I've been collecting data. I'm not going to spew a bunch of internet-researched fake news numbers supporting anything in particular. I'll just point out a few things and you can do the math. </p>
<ol><li>Since the ban started to get real this past Spring the family has been given about 2 dozen tote-style bags to replace the single-use-plastic-bags. The majority of them are made of plastic. </li><li>8 out of 11 stores we have shopped in (that are not labeled "grocery stores") have given me plastic bags in which to ferry my stuff home. </li><li>Some cats share our living space. They make the poops so our "grocery bags" were never single use. We've now had to buy bags in which to put the poops. The new bags are made of corn and will decompose if the humidity gets above 80% but the manufacture and distribution isn't carbon neutral like the bags already in our home were. </li><li>Here's the best part: I estimate that the groceries coming into our house would have used 28 bags. We've used none since the ban! Yay! I can upgrade my car engine to have a fourth cylinder without guilt now! Oh, but wait. The groceries themselves contained <strong>97 single use plastic bags.</strong> Plastic bags in the cereal box. Plastic bags to hold the fresh veggies. The sugar. The apples. The tissues. The meat. The bread. Hot Pockets individually wrapped? Like anyone eats just one at a time! Oh, and this number could be a LOT higher if I counted the little things. Each. Kashi. Bar. Is. Individually. Wrapped. With. A. Small. Plastic. Bag. </li></ol>
<p>So, for all the hubbub, the "ban" hasn't done much good. Sure did annoy some people though so that brings the magic of <em>Awareness </em>into the equation which is then touted as winning. Of course, we've always been <em>aware</em> we just don't care. No, that's too strong. We just don't have time to care what with dodging the potholes while driving our kids to school in the morning because of the bus-driver shortage, trying to find a vaccine that actually works so we can visit Grandpa in the veteran's hospital, and getting a building permit so we can build a pantry to hold all of our new bags. The point is, these little plastic crimes against nature are and have always been recyclable. You can bring them right back to the store you got them and, if you dig around under some old boxes, you'll possibly find an empty "plastic film recycling" receptacle covered in dust and mouse droppings. Making these more prominent and accessible would have been easier than a high and heavy handed ban that required a big media campaign. Ah, but I forget... the point isn't making a difference. The point is making a big media campaign. Paid for by our taxes. Damnit, the Murph just wrote himself a campaign check and we happily endorsed it. </p>
<p>Let's pretend for a moment that we care to make a difference, why not? We've already hit the first "R" of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" mantra. Here's a no-grand-standing, no ban-planning, no political fire-fanning approach to making a difference: </p>
<ol><li>Reuse: Compress those bags into flat strips and use them for insulation in our homes. Energy efficiency will play as big a part as deplastification in the future. </li><li>Recycle the bags we have. Seems a forgotten no-brainer. They were always crappy (even before my cats got at them) so they're not good as double-use-bags anyway.</li><li>Ask stores to start giving out biodegradable bags, if they must, like the brown paper bags that were, counter-productively, also banned by this law. </li><li>Forget all that nonsense because the VAST majority of plastic waste is NOT the bags. </li><li>Start <em>asking</em> local companies to go back to wax paper, cardboard, cloth, tin or glass for their packaging. Then ask harder. When they stop donating to your political campaigns, out them publicly. Reward those that willingly comply. </li><li>Fix the recycling programs that no longer actively recycle cardboard, tin or glass. </li></ol>
<p>There, wasn't that easy? It shouldn't take more than 50 years but by then it will be a problem for our grand children and they are bound to be smarter than us. Hopefully they were not crippled by anxiety after being told daily that everyone is out to get them, everything is dangerous and everything they do is harming the world. Hmmm. I think we need an addition to the above list. </p>
<p>7. Get off your high-horse, stop feeding us a line of horseshit that the world is ending and go back to using horseshit to get around, feed our fields and fuel our fires. The world has been around for 4.5 billion years and will be here long after we're gone. Enjoy it while you're here, do no harm, and don't put anyone on a pedestal who wouldn't gladly pull you up to join them. Oh, and don't forget your damn tote-bag in the car. </p>
Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-74330704789734762662022-04-29T22:24:00.000-04:002022-04-29T22:24:27.983-04:00Clyde North Carolina Trip 2022<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Over Allison’s Spring Break we took a family trip down to the Asheville area to visit Aunt Claire, Aunt Glady and Cousin Xavier. We had a good visit and saw a lot of wild hills and scenic nature. Good times were had by all! Go ahead and click an image to see a larger version. I dares ya!</span></p><figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-378" data-id="378" height="1920" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221011-768x576.jpg 768w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Eye Pillow + Neck Pillow = First Class</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-379" data-id="379" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0419221702-768x576.jpg 768w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Heather makes some musical friends in Waynesville</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-381" data-id="381" height="1670" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1670px) 100vw, 1670px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638.jpg 1670w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-300x300.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-150x150.jpg 150w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-768x768.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221638-624x624.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 267.109px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="1670" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Family project – The Flagpole Mulch Square!</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-382" data-id="382" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0420221953-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Lake Junaluska at dusk</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-384" data-id="384" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221254c-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">My girls at the Looking-Glass Falls</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-383" data-id="383" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221238a-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Wild Beauty</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-397" data-id="397" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221414_HDR-1-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Heather holding court at the Devil’s Courthouse</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-386" data-id="386" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221422_HDR-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Puffy Hair + Bandanna</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-398" data-id="398" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221432-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 200.328px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Allison needed a rest from the hills & elevation</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-388" data-id="388" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0421221524-768x576.jpg 768w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">The rental car – Honda HRV</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-389" data-id="389" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-768x576.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221212_HDR-624x468.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">View from the Blue Ridge Parkway</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-rotated.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-390" data-id="390" height="2560" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-rotated.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-rotated.jpg 1920w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-225x300.jpg 225w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221213-624x832.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="1920" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Atop Waterrock Knob</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-391" data-id="391" height="2560" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-225x300.jpg 225w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221342b_HDR-624x832.jpg 624w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="1920" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Outside the 1885 Mingus Mill</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: var(--gallery-block--gutter-size,16px); max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-392" data-id="392" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221406a-768x576.jpg 768w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">Elk in Cherokee</figcaption></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; border: 0px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-right: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: calc(33.33% - var(--gallery-block--gutter-size, 16px)*0.66667);"><a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-scaled.jpg" rel="thumbnail" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; color: #21759b; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; object-fit: cover; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-393" data-id="393" height="1920" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-300x225.jpg 300w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0422221612_HDR-768x576.jpg 768w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 356.141px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 267.109px;" width="2560" /></a><figcaption style="background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 70%, transparent); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; flex-basis: 100%; flex-grow: 1; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; left: 0px; line-height: 2; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; max-height: 60%; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 8px 8px; position: absolute; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 267.109px;">A park where the playground is the river</figcaption></figure></figure><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We arrived on Tuesday and met the family then Heather and I took a walk around the small town of Waynesville while the kids played at the house. On Wednesday we worked around the house a bit then enjoyed a trip to Lake Junaluska at dusk. Thursday was the day of adventure as we took a hundred mile tour through the Smokies checking out waterfalls and scenic vistas, getting in a few short hikes and finding caches in 4 different counties along the incredible Blue Ridge Parkway. On Friday we all piled into the mini-van and headed to Waterrock Knob & Cherokee where we, eventually, were able to track down some of the herd of elk that wonder through the town. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather at the tail end of the day in a park that is just rocks in a stream. Simple beauty!</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Many thanks to Claire and Glady for hosting and acting as tour guides. It was a wonderful week!</p>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-77376773264579768372022-03-31T19:27:00.002-04:002022-07-02T21:36:53.852-04:00Spring forward… to a bright new future!<p>It’s March! Spring Forward for Daylight Savings! For most of my adult life I have disliked the twice-annual time-change. It screws with my sleep patterns, gets the US out of sync with the rest of the world, messes up the daughter’s bedtime and has occasionally caused me to be up in the middle of the night making sure computer scheduled jobs didn’t run twice or not at all. Whether springing forward or falling backward, I’ve never been a fan. I won’t lie, I did rejoice when Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extending Daylight Savings by a few weeks. I do enjoy the daylight in the evenings since I’m really not a morning person… but it’s such a pain to keep switching. And changing the clocks! About 12 years ago I spent a lot of time and money researching and purchasing clocks that would keep themselves in sync and automatically adjust to daylight savings changes. They never worked right. Invariably, right after I would manually adjust all of the clocks in the house, the power company would blink the power off/on and make me do it all over again. Watching the stove, oven and microwave all blinking 00:00 at me I determined that I would be OK with perpetual Daylight Standard. Imagine a world where there were fewer pitch-dark mornings and we could set off the summer fireworks BEFORE the kid's bed time!</p>
<p>But… what if the U.S. of A. could say “screw you” to the rest of the world, leap forward an hour… and stay that way? A <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/623" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_Blank">federal bill</a>, possibly inspired by <a href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2018/S3781" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_Blank">NJ’s own bill from 2019</a>, is moving through Congress to make it so. A billion patches to phone/computer/scheduling software is a small price to pay and we have done it before. Twice! From 1942 through 1945 the U.S. was in perpetual daylight saving “War Time”. We instituted it again in the 70s during the “energy crisis”. Unfortunately, in winter with the clocks forward an hour, <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/new-york" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_Blank">the sun will not be fully risen until after 8</a>. Any morning commute – including kids waiting at the bus stop or walking to school – will be in the dark until 7:45 or so. It eventually was a rash of pre-dawn car accidents involving children that ended the 1970s experiment after only 2 years. Maybe we saved some energy but the price was high.</p>
<p>That was then and this is now. While the energy we use is greener than it was in the 70s, our average usage has more than doubled. It’s not really about the energy savings anyway. When it gets dark we don’t turn off the A/C, stop microwaving burritos or unplug our phones (and cars if trends persist). Nobody really believes this is about energy savings. We just like getting home from work before it is dark out. The morning issue is real but fortunately we also have a lot more crossing guards and school buses (not to mention hyper-protective parents and school districts) than we did 50 years ago. During parts of the school year, my middle-school aged daughter will have to leave the house before it is light out to get to school on time. I’ll have the same issue getting to work on days I actually go into the office. But that’s really only for December and January. In the summer, it will be as though nothing has changed! It will be light from around 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Hooray for the long days! The rest of the daylight-savings countries will be in sync with us and all will be well with the modern world. Crank up the A/C, grab a cold one from the fridge, a hot one from the nukerowave and Let There Be Light!</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see if this passes and if other countries follow suit but I just hope something comes of it. Whether the country goes for forever standard or perpetual savings, I’m all for it. <b>Just leave my clock alone!</b></p>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-25986207767793190672022-02-28T22:41:00.001-05:002022-02-28T22:41:22.158-05:00Family Biking and Binge Watching during a Pandemic<p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I promised in a previous entry that I’d talk about what we did during The 2020 Pandemic. At least I thought I did. Regardless, I’m doing so now even if you were not forewarned!</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I guess the best thing that came out of the spring of 2020 was Allison finally getting comfortable on her bike. For most of the summer she enjoyed just riding up and down our street learning how to hit the bumps and how fast she could go before her little bike would start to wobble. Of course we had to go on some bike ride adventures too – including hunting down the Easter Bunny who was riding around our neighborhood on the back of a firetruck. In the past year Allison little bike has been upgraded to a “big girl” bike but still prefers her original. </p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But there are days that are cold, lazy. dark or wet. Sometimes all four. Bicycles are not appropriate. You need to kill some time during lockdown? Forget a measly 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. Try binge-watching 706+ episodes of The Simpsons! It took a year and a half watching an episode or two or four a day but we made it through all 32 seasons available at the time. Not all of them are available on DVD so we had to pick up a subscription to Disney+ for a few months to finish it off. </p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Along the way Allison was introduced to hundreds of cultural references. Often I would stop the show and google up some explanations, maps, videos or movie clips. Off the top of my head, The World Trade Towers, the World Wars, The Flintstones, Tom & Jerry, various world religions, Busch Gardens, Orson Wells, Lassie, 2001: A Space Odyssey (Daisy, daisy…), Hitchcock, Twilight Zone, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Star Wars, Rain Man, Planet of the Apes (Rock Me Dr. Zaius!). So many movies and songs! Watching episodes of The Simpsons directly led us to then watching Gremlins, The Nutty Professor, Mary Poppins and Kindergarten Cop. Homer’s love of the song Funkytown led to Allison rediscovering her love of the Lipps Inc’s one-hit-wonder. </p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While the show does excel at low-brow humor, we did occasionally raise our brows with discussion of some of the many literary references in the show. Ayn Rand, Goodnight Moon (read by Christopher Walken no less), Harry Potter, Charlotte’s Web, Robert Frost, Kurt Vonnegut. The last was accidentally timed perfectly as I just happened to be listening to “Slaughterhouse 5” at the time it came up. Allison listened in for a while before deciding the poetic prose wasn’t her style. </p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Probably the most interesting part of (re)watching the shows for me was picking out the voice actors and guest stars… or just Frank Welker’s animal noises. We enjoyed watching clips of the actors doing their various voices and impersonators doing what they do… often poorly. My voice is naturally closest to Hank Azaria’s so I can impersonate the characters that he voices… often poorly, but good enough that Allison would recognize Comic Book Guy or Professor Frink if they showed up in one of her bedtime stories. I enjoyed cross referencing guest stars with <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">other </em>movies/shows she might recognize them. She enjoyed when I’d be quiet and let her watch the funny cartoons. 🙂 </p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Two dozen seasons in Allison started to lose interest. I hadn’t seen any of the episodes after season 23 when we dropped cable TV so, while I still enjoyed the episodes, they were clearly not the classics that held up to the test of time. We both agreed that Season 29 should have been final season – and in fact I believe the writers set it up to be. It features flash backs to classic episodes and characters from the early years – all the way back to The Simpsons first appearances Tracey Ullman show. The last episode of the season shows how several of the characters meet their final end including many subtle references to the glimpses we’ve had into how the family would grow up and grow old. Bart dies wearing his Supreme Court Justice robes (Season 4 Ep 6). Marge does eventually marry Ned (Season 4 Ep 2, Season 15 Ep 10 & Season 21 Ep 5). Lisa is still pursuing Buddhist enlightenment (Season 13 Ep 6). </p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; display: table; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Season 4" class="wp-image-364" height="235" sizes="(max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/vlcsnap-2022-02-25-13h47m09s620.png" srcset="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/vlcsnap-2022-02-25-13h47m09s620.png 480w, https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/vlcsnap-2022-02-25-13h47m09s620-300x225.png 300w" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="313" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; display: table; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Season 29" class="wp-image-365" height="247" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/tumblr_e915e9d3e735c39d9fb70d6f17c9231d_b99dac12_540.gif" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="440" /></figure><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s not the best episode but it felt like reminiscing back to the golden age of the series. My favorite scene featured all of the “dead” characters – including Sherry Bobbins and Bleeding Gums Murphy. No Frank Grimes though. Now that I’ve watched the next 3 seasons I can really see the change. Season 29 was the last season under Fox’s creative control, still had the original voices for characters and still featured fan favorite Apu. It would have been a fine time for the series to fade to black. I wouldn’t mourn the loss but I will treasure the memories – from my own childhood and those I’ve made with my family.</p><p><br /></p>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-75549052631689586482022-01-29T14:49:00.001-05:002022-01-29T14:49:46.823-05:00RIP Titus – 2007 to 2022 <p> Last week we had to say goodbye to Titus. We rescued him and his sister
from a semi-feral litter when he was just a kitten. Heather named him
Titus the Tiny Titan and the little guy did his best to grow and earn
that title. </p><p>He eventually grew to be a long tall cat tipping the scales at 26 pounds
despite being on a “Diet”. Over the years he took his dwindling food
rations and then eventually insulin with characteristic nonchalance. He
was a big goof-ball but nobody warmed a lap better. He was a beast to
his sister but also a protective older brother. When young Allison
entered the picture he shared his favorite warm spots with her. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/89_nsNmZe04" width="320" youtube-src-id="89_nsNmZe04"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>He had a strange fascination with our slippers ever since he was
small. Usually Allison’s towards the end. In the middle of the night he
would start an unusual howling cry and then grab a slipper in his mouth
and carry it downstairs where he would lay on it. Allison would wake up
the next morning and, finding only one slipper, have to go find it in
the basement. </p>
<p>His last few years we had his weight under control but cancer is not
so easily controlled. Towards the end he had a lot of pain but he
continued to eat and enjoyed his nightly lap rituals. We did what we
could to make him comfortable and the last thing he did on this earth
was purr. Farewell Mr. T. You’ll be missed! </p>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-78576745945732017962021-12-31T19:50:00.004-05:002021-12-31T19:50:41.348-05:00Pain in the Brain 2021 (Now with Politics!)<p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">I<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">’ve been overdue for a cluster cycle for a few years now so every Spring I’ve been mindful of avoiding triggers. Stress and sleep issues are #1 and #1 again in the short list. The stress of 2020 apparently wasn’t enough or maybe social distancing during the onset months of April and May made a change? I can’t say. Well, I could say but it wouldn’t be backed up with scientific proof. Then again, the burden of proof doesn’t seem to even be a passing distraction for the bulk of the suddenly-an-expert-on-virology Interneteurs out there. But I digress… we were talking headaches here. Know what else is a headache? Wearing a mask that inhibits normal oxygen intake. Instant. Eyegraine. Brainpain. When forced into a desperado mask situation I found that full-lung meditative Darth-Vader breathing helped a lot. It also made sure nobody invaded my 6-foot bubble. Especially when combined with tantric eye-contact. But now I’ve trigressed. better start a new paragraph and pretend this one didn’t happen.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">So, yeah. in April of 2021 I started getting the all-too familiar aura just as I was beginning my day. A few weeks later the aura was sometimes coming with sensitivity and mild nausea. The pain aspect finally kicked in near the end of May. The periods slowly shifted from morning to afternoon to evening – a vast departure from my old “10:00 to 10:30 every day” routine. Through June I was experiencing some form of headache 3 or 4 times a week, usually in the evenings. I had my last full-blown episode on July 10th and a few minor issues over the next few weeks and then nothing since. With the 2016 cluster cycle persisting into October I’m rapturously ecstatic at having a cycle apparently end in July. Was it something I did to shorten the cycle? Very maybe 99% sure!</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">The yuuuge difference this year is my environment. Working from home. The kid and wife often at school or work. Easy access to walking paths down by the bay and the weight set in the basement. Best of all: I could get a nice quiet dark room whenever I needed one rather than have to try and ignore a headache while trapped in a meeting at the office. I’m still finding the quickest relief with high-intensity lactic acid producing workouts that cause endorphins to be released en-masse. Ahhhh… a quick hit of the natural endo and the ‘graine is gone. This time around I also experimented with antihistamines now that I’ve found some good ones that don’t make me zombiesque. On days spent fully on histamine blockers I experienced nothing more than an aura of the headache. I try to only take the stuff when I need it for known allergens so more research will need to be conducted.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaking* of research, the world continues to become more aware of Cluster Headache and now uses a “CH” as a know abbreviation. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache" style="border: 0px; color: #21759b; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wikipedia article</a> is no longer a stub but a full article and <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cluster-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20352080#:~:text=Cluster%20headaches%2C%20which%20occur%20in,one%20side%20of%20your%20head." style="border: 0px; color: #21759b; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">many </a><a href="https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/cluster-headaches" style="border: 0px; color: #21759b; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">major </a><a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/cluster-headaches" style="border: 0px; color: #21759b; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">medical </a><a href="https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/cluster-headache-2/" style="border: 0px; color: #21759b; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">sites </a>now have some information on it, though their stock-photos of headache sufferers make little sense. Apparently CH is also called Horton’s syndrome now. Who knew that Dr. Seuss’ big blue elephant was suffering from clusters? The good doctor was obviously ahead of his time. He also predicted 2021’s use of pandemic politics in his book about Sneeches. Whether you choose to wear a star or not is irrelevant as long as McBean gets paid. Remember that and follow the beans! Be safe. Have fun. Don’t believe everything you hear. Fear nothing. Except bright lights and strong perfume!</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.71429; margin: 0px 0px 1.71429rem; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Until we next cluster again…</p>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-2057364847362030862020-02-22T22:46:00.000-05:002020-03-10T22:46:23.307-04:00Yep! Yet another day in the life...<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Every <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/07/18/a-day-in-the-life/">few</a> <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2014/02/16/another-day-in-the-life/">years</a> <a href="https://ericles.com/news/2016/07/22/yet-another-day-in-the-life/">or so</a> I get the notion to journal my day. Rather than micro-blogging or uploading a score of photos to Instabook.com I'm consolidating them all here for your condensed and concentrated consideration. Crikey!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>05:??</strong> The cat is reminding me that he's nocturnal and nobody has offered play, grooming or food in hours. I tossed a blanket over him and fell back to sleep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>06:45</strong> Hello world! Yet another rainy day. At least I'm scheduled to be indoors most of the day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>07:30</strong> Morning discussion with the daughter: skid marks vs poop streaks. She decides she wants her bedtime story to be about "poop paint". Hey, you can't make this stuff up folks! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>08:20</strong> Daughter is spooning out canned cat food wearing a dust mask scented with essential oils. "This cat food is toxic." she remarks. The cats agreed. No more of that brand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong> 08:30</strong> Running late again. One bite of my English Muffin tells me it had gone moldy. Blech. Opt for some blueberries and peanuts to break my fast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>08:45</strong> Finally leaving for work. Car reports 47.1 MPG on this tank so far. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>09:10</strong> Arrive at work safe and sound. 46.8 MPG now. The parkway is inefficient unless I can tuck in behind a bus or truck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>09:11</strong> The <a href="https://www.geesepoliceinc.com/nj---tri-state-precinct.html">Geese Police</a> are checking out the office pond to make sure the Canadians haven't invaded over night. The side of the truck says "Get the flock out." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>09:15</strong> Only two immediate tasks await me in my inbox. A good start! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>09:50</strong> A coworker lets me know that Bitcoin is up yet again. Since nobody knows who started it Bitcoin is probably Skynet. I refuse to fund the future War of the Robots! Unless it looks like they are winning... then I for one welcome our new Robotic Overlords. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>10:12</strong> Thinking about a future redesign of the NJNG bills and comparing to other utilities. <a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Chart-Compare.png">The JCP&L graph looks exactly like ours</a>. Imitation/flattery and all that... but we splurge on color. :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>11:45</strong> 90 minutes filling in a spreadsheet documenting servers of which I am responsible. This is not exciting work but it's better than putting out virtual fires - my usual morning routine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>11:50</strong> The Lunch. Ham & cheese sammy, crackers & a green apple. #GourmetDining. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>12:00</strong> Heading to Red Bank for long meeting. My commute within my commute. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>12:20</strong> I stop off at Brookdale Community College to replace the missing second stage of the <a aria-label="Jim Gary tribute cache (opens in a new tab)" href="https://coord.info/GC2T4JP" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Jim Gary tribute cache</a> stashed on campus. The rain held off until I was on my way back to the car. Usually a nice view but day was dreary. A woodpecker was drumming above when I took this. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Swimming River Reservoir" class="wp-image-342" height="360" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/0211201221_HDR-1024x576.jpg" width="640" /></span><figcaption><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A dreary view of the Swimming River Reservoir</span></figcaption></figure><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>14:00</strong> I'm wearing Purple today to support one of the business resource groups at the office. We all line up on the office steps and have out photo taken for the corporate newsletter. Unfortunately I'm not in that office this afternoon so my purple has gone photographed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>16:46</strong> Co-workers are talking about this new Corona Virus thing. Let me spoil it for you: The news outlets will milk it like a bloated heifer. It will reach New Jersey. Sheeple will freak out. In the end it will be a typical viral flu season. If the stock market catches a virus just buy early and buy often. Stay calm and carry on people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>18:18</strong> Home at last! I got the gas mileage up to 47.2 MPG but I think I can do better. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>19:00</strong> Looking at output from the Christmas Gift night-cam. I spy with my little electronic eye... A few cats, a skunk and two fat raccoons at half-past-midnight. </span><br />
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Scampering Bandits" class="wp-image-341" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/ezgif.com-optimize.gif" /></span><figcaption><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two fat raccoons retreat after exploring the wonders of our trash bins. </span></figcaption></figure><!-- wp:paragraph -->
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>19:10</strong> Daughter and Wife return from "The Little Gym". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>19:30</strong> Like ships in the night, the wife is off again. Working in the public sector requires working when most folks are not. But can I get the kid fed and to bed on time? Of course! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>20:05</strong> A late dinner of left overs and more left overs. Beef & bean chili over rice, a few carrots and some home-made chicken soup. Not a bad mix really. More #GourmetDining. Bon Apetite!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>21:00</strong> Bedtime story! A story about a white kitten with brown streaks that likes sleeping on the toilet but gets stuck in the bowl. The cat's name? Poopoopaint of course. The cat goes on to star in a series of toilet commercials to the delight of my single audience member. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>21:30</strong> Laundry. The tip of my finger is scorched off by static discharge. Dryer balls no bueno. I'm going back to dryer sheets! Or bribing the kid to wash her own clothes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>22:00</strong> Watching a second season episode of "Game of Thrones" via a borrowed DVD. For a wonder nobody died in this episode. I can guess how the whole series ends: Dragons burn some zombie wights... but all of the people already killed each other so the zombies start a new civilization based on cooperation, peace, equality and a brain-based economy. Tourists visit "The Great Wall" and everyone lives forever in bliss and harmony. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>23:20</strong> I've uploaded all of the images for today's entry. Now to head to bed and edit this thing later. Today wasn't my most interesting day but I enjoyed it. :) </span>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-13028867037177451192017-05-31T22:22:00.002-04:002017-05-31T22:22:40.518-04:00The Polar Bear Club Photo EssayBack around 1990 I joined the local "Polar Bear Club" by jumping into a partially frozen river on January 1st. I remember it being a VERY cold day. We had to break some ice away from the river's banks to be able to jump in. I also remember standing on snow after getting out because IT FELT WARMER THAN THE GROUND. Good times! A few years later I needed a Christmas break photo essay for my high-school photography class and I remembered the Annual Polar Bear Plunge. I arrived on scene with my 35mm loaded with classic black & white film. I snapped a few photos of the plunge, developed the negatives that week, printed/mounted the shots the following week and got a decent grade on the photo essay. I recently unearthed the poster-board on to which I had glued the photos. Rather than just throw it away I have decided to retype my essay correcting only the spelling errors and share it with the world. Ladies and Gentlemen... <strong>The Polar Bear Club!</strong> <br />
<blockquote>
<i>The date is January 1992. The time is 11:59 A.M. The temperature is approximately 34 degrees and the stage is set for the seventh annual Polar Bear swim in the Tulpehocken river at Stone Cliff. This year the number of Polar Bears slipped to five after peaking at thirteen in 1986 but there could be no doubting the bravery of the remaining quintet. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>A small crowd of spectators and photographers as well as passers by stood waiting as the local heroes stripped to their swimming suits and prepared for the inevitable [shock] that awaited them. Then as watches and alarms announced the start of a new hour, five figures plunged into the frigid river and, after much gasping and wheezing, swiftly departed the murky waters. Shivering visibly, the five quickly donned warm and dry clothes, thankful that it was over but already anxious for their next opportunity to prove their worthiness of the title Polar Bear.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0007.jpg"><img alt="" class="wp-image-330 size-medium" height="300" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0007-202x300.jpg" width="202" /></a> <br />
A split second before the Big Chill<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0008.jpg"><img alt="" class="wp-image-331 size-medium" height="300" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0008-198x300.jpg" width="198" /></a><br />
The Polar Bears take the plunge<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0009.jpg"><img alt="" class="wp-image-332 size-medium" height="198" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Scan-170529-0009-300x198.jpg" width="300" /></a> <br />
The swimmers hit the beach<br />
<br />
Now back to cleaning out the basement (and justifying keeping the flat-bed scanner).<br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-69951367467091665482017-03-28T11:38:00.000-04:002017-05-09T11:40:41.770-04:00More Mailbox MayhemIt has been a while since I <a href="http://ericles.com/news/category/eric-dalton/">shared the contents of my "Other Eric Dalton's" spam folder</a>. Much of it really isn't spam and the past few weeks has seen a few real gems. Names, excepting mine, have been changed to protect the errant! <br />
<br />
Of course, I continue to get invoices and quotes intended for E.D. of South Africa. Everything from industrial vacuums to boxes of paper to... <strong><em>Grease Nipples!</em></strong> <br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-319" height="208" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/gnips-300x208.png" width="300" /> <br />
<br />
My namesake in Minneapolis is invited annually to a CBS Sports March Madness pool. As best I can tell... he has never won the pool... possibly because it is my address getting the invite? Phoenix Arizona E.D. was busy too... with a different kind of pool. He got a quote from North Star Pools for cleaning out and repairing his swimming pool. He's one of the worst for giving my address to marketers. It is nice to finally pinpoint a location. Now that I have his address I'll send him a post card when I'm visiting. Over the years he is probably responsible for: <br />
North Star Pools (March 2017) <br />
Desert Schools Federal Credit Union (March 2017) <br />
P.F. Chang's (February 2017) <br />
Hughes Federal Credit Union (October 2015) <br />
PetSmart (March 2015) <br />
University of Phoenix (April Fools 2011) <br />
<br />
But my FAVORITE of the week was this gem from my friends in Virginia: <br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-320" height="298" src="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/venmo-300x298.png" width="300" /> <br />
<br />
I have no words to describe my feelings about this email. Until next time, stay classy!<br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-76119344528963191402017-02-28T11:39:00.000-05:002017-05-09T11:41:08.646-04:00Not just rich... Beanie Rich!I was recently mindlessly browsing the Facebook and a post caught my eye with an idiotic title suggesting that "if you have one of these 11 beanie babies you can retire now". I must have been avoiding doing actual work because I clicked through and crunched the numbers. If I had all of them and could sell them at the prices the inflated prices and EBay/Amazon didn't take their cut... I would have only 150 thousand dollars and couldn't possibly retire. Sounds like a Pump-and-Dump scam to me. But it got me to thinking.... so I brought out my Beanie Baby collection. Yeah, I have a whole collection! Back in the late 90s when they were all the rage I noticed the pattern that if they had "hard parts" like pincers, beaks, horns, etc, they were not collected as aggressively so they became <em>rare</em>. This collection method seems to have worked as my paltry beanie-stash contained 2 of the 11 on the list. Hooray! Good thing Allison wasn't too interested in them the last time I brought them out. <br />
<br />
So, can I retire for a month or two at least? The two should fetch $3500. Let us check the Electronical Bay of Auctions to see for what price they are <em>actually </em>selling: <br />
<a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_nkw=mystic+beanie+baby">Mystic the Unicorn</a> (with the Iridescent Horn & Yarn Mane) goes for $5.00 NOT $1,000. Oh well. <br />
<a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_nkw=claud+beanie+baby">Claude the Crab</a> (with the "error" on the hang-tag) goes for $4.00 NOT $2,500. Dad Gummit. <br />
<br />
So, no I can't retire or even pay for my Fat Tuesday meal tonight at Popeye's. The BBs were only a few bucks each back in the day so I'm just going to give them to my daughter. Any she doesn't want can go into a Beanie Baby geocache. That way I get a few smiles out of it ... and hyperbole spewing bloggers and the EBay listings that feed on them don't get a cent. Yeah, Babies!Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-76044931102289004762017-02-01T11:39:00.000-05:002017-05-09T11:41:31.476-04:00Pain in the Brain 2016Question: What rhymes with <em>couch</em> and hurts like hell? Answer: <strong>OUCH</strong>. <br />
<br />
I'm a few months late in writing this but BLTN as they post. Only two years after my 2014 cluster headache cycle I started a new one in 2016. This time around I fully documented every headache in an online calendar log. I started with the Auras in early May and by the end of the month was having at least a minor episode nearly every day. The onset of the cycle was likely expedited by the pressure/sleep and stress changes involved in a trip out west. This cycle was a little strange in that they headaches skipped tuesdays for the first month and then were not as long or as painful as I expected. Unfortunately by late July I was having them every day. August saw many days with multiple occurrences and a few dreaded waking eye-graines. The pain continued into September and faded out over about four weeks into early October. So May through October with 2 and a half months at full blast. This was a few weeks longer than the previous cycle and very painful. Since I started really documenting these each cycle has been longer. This is not a sustainable happiness model. <br />
<br />
The good news is that these are now mainstream. Google has special results for when you search for them. They are considered Common and the pharmaceutical industry is standing by ready and willing to push me into a heroin addiction whenever I'm ready to offer up a co-pay. They may be willing to substitute a cancer causing steroid. Hooray! Ok, so yeah, the bad news is that nobody has figured out what the deal is with these as of yet but mainstream awareness just may prove useful. Can an awareness ribbon be far behind? We'll have to pick a color. I recommend something dark that doesn't strobe and kick off a headache for anyone actively in a cluster cycle. <br />
<br />
Some links that give me hope:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://clusterbusters.org/">Clusterbusters.org</a> - Somewhat new website that offers something of a support group and has info on clinical trials. I joined the patient registry and will be following them closely.</li>
<br />
<li>Clusters are now <a href="https://www.ichd-3.org/3-trigeminal-autonomic-cephalalgias/3-1-cluster-headache/3-1-1-episodic-cluster-headache/">well documented</a> in the International Classifications for Headache Disorders... so where is our Awareness Ribbon already?!</li>
<br />
<li>The disorder now has <a href="http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2016/en#/G44.0">its very own ICD9 code.</a> Once insurance companies recognize a disorder proactive pharma/nutraceuticals soon follow. Money talks!</li>
<br />
<li>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache">top 5 links</a> under Cluster Headache all seem to have been updated in the last year.</li>
</ul>
Until some solid science comes up with a preventative I'll just keep stomping up and down the steps and doing pushups at the first hint of an aura. Adrenaline still works for me which is a blessing. I will leave you with a fun quote:<br />
<blockquote>
<span class="_Tgc _y9e">Experts have suggested that <b>cluster headache</b> may be the most painful condition known to medical science.</span></blockquote>
Well, at least I don't have THAT kind of cluster headache! [<a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/20-painful-conditions.aspx">attribution</a>]<br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-69158357755179211832016-07-22T22:14:00.001-04:002016-07-22T22:15:02.699-04:00Yet another day in the life...Every <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/07/18/a-day-in-the-life/">two years</a> <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2014/02/16/another-day-in-the-life/">or so</a> I get the notion to journal my day. This time around I picked my birthday. Not for any special reason but just because it seemed like it might be a full day. It was! I then forgot about actually posting the entry for nearly 2 months. Better late than never! Without further palaver, this was my day: <br />
<br />
<strong>06:18</strong> A full 12 minutes before the "first" alarm I'm up and heading for the shower where I will hopefully wake up before I start driving anywhere. Sleep driving is never advisable. <br />
<strong>07:15</strong> Allison is awake. She's very excited that we're going to go see her Meemaa in "ONLY TWO DAYS!?!" <br />
<strong>07:40</strong> Pizza. It's what's for breakfast. Nice home-made stuff prepared by Heather and Allison the night before. <em>Yummers</em>! <br />
<strong>07:45 </strong>Out the door and pulling out of the driveway. Allison waves good-bye and blows kisses as she does pretty much every morning. "Bye Dad! I love you one hundred million years!" I blow a kiss back. She eats it. "OM!" Then I toss one "for Mommy". Allison pretends to jump up and intercept it. "OM!" You read that right. We eat our kisses. <em>Yummers</em>!<strong style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></strong><br />
<a href="https://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-26-003-Small-225x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Flowerbee" border="0" class="alignright wp-image-298" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-26-003-Small-225x300.jpg" height="229" width="172" /></a><br />
<strong>08:15</strong> I'm parked in the last lot at <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/YKY2CWnp3TF2" target="_blank">Durand Park</a> in northern Freehold attempting to be the first one to find the new "<a href="https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC6J4DG_float-like-a-butterfly" target="_blank">Float like a butterfly...</a>" mystery cache. A few minutes later I had the cache in hand. Very cute. FTF! I complete a loop of the walking path and then head off to the office.<br />
<strong>09:00</strong> I make it into the office right on time only to find I had no reason to rush. No fires to put out this morning. A perfect birthday gift! <br />
<br />
<strong>10:30</strong> I just spent the morning coding a new automatic process that will update the status of "child" work-orders when the "parent" work-order is updated. When I go to test it I see a checkbox right there on the screen saying "Update Children". Did nobody ever notice this before asking me to make a "behavior modification" to the program? Fortunately the option "does nothing" so my changes were actually needed. Yeah, my job is <em>exciting!</em> <br />
<strong>11:00</strong> When signing into the website, some customers aren't able to see their bills that were generated last night. Turns out there was an internet outage that took down the interfaces last night. Craziness! What is crazier is actually getting bent out of shape because you can't immediately sign in and view your bill hours before it even makes it into the mail. <br />
<strong>12:00 </strong> An email from my brother: "Haha You're old!!! Happy birthday, treat yourself to a hip replacement!!!". I reply with a promise to use my new hip to kick his ass the next time I see him. <br />
<strong>12:30</strong> My program changes are working. Time for my PB&J sandwich then a half-hour lunch-walk around the pond to scare the frogs. <br />
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<table><tbody>
<tr> <td><img alt="Watersnake" class=" wp-image-299" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-26-004-Small-300x225.jpg" height="218" width="291" /></td> <td><img class="wp-image-300 aligncenter" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-26-006-Small-300x225.jpg" height="218" width="291" /></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>
<br />
<strong>13:00</strong> Frogs go splash as I walk along the edge of the pond. Some frogs are taking flight where I am not... then I notice the water-snake moving along the bank. It is pretty scary to a frog too I suppose. I also spot some Sun-Fish and a mockingbird looking at me mockingly. <br />
<strong>14:00</strong> Everyone in the office is pretty busy this week. One co-worker has put up a sign across her door-way saying "Please Do No Disturb". If only the door-way had an actual DOOR she'd be able to get some work done. <br />
<strong>14:30</strong> I'm informed my Mentee went home early today and will not be attending the Graduation this afternoon. This is part of "Project Venture" a collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth & Ocean Counties of which I'm a mentor. My mentee is a great kid but has a poor attendance record. <br />
<strong>15:00</strong> I pop by the graduation anyway. Hey, free pizza and snacks are not something to be spurned! A half hour later the official ceremony is over so they break out the pizza. I wait for the ravening hoard of middle-school students to get their slice on then get in line just in time to have a choice between "White" and "Stuff we swept up off of the floor" topped pizza. I choose the white and miss the red sauce. Man those kids can eat! <br />
<strong>16:00</strong> "Small World" moment: One of the BBBS coordinators has looked familiar to me since I started the program back in September. I finally take the time to chat her up and figure out that we probably have met before. Turns out they have a branch office at the same church where I used to drop off non-perishables for a food-pantry. Neat coincidence. <br />
<strong>17:45</strong> I have left the office and I'm heading to Tatum Park where I will meet up with the family for a short hike in the woods to replace <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1FVP8_the-weedlin-of-tatum-park" target="_blank">one of my geocaches</a> that had been vandalized. <br />
<strong>18:00</strong> I'm listening to an Audio Book version of "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot. Funny stuff. Much lighter than my last book which was "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. "Tell me about the rabbits again George!". <br />
<strong style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My little Buttercup" class="wp-image-303 alignleft" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-26-009-Small-225x300.jpg" height="288" width="216" /></strong><b>18:30 </b>Hiking in the woods with the family! Allison picks every flower she sees and gives it to one of us. I show her a game from my childhood where you hold a Buttercup under your chin. If your chin turns yellow... you like BUTTER! This amuses Allison to no end - especially when it turns out that Heather, the lactose intolerant member of our party, is incongruously a big butter-fan. <br />
<strong><br />
</strong> <strong>19:15</strong> Back to the cars, Allison decides she wants to ride home "with Daddy". I treat her to some James Herriot who is relating an amusing anecdote about the time the pigs got out and ran down town. She sometimes likes the "Grown-up stories" I listen to. Separated into bite-sized chapters this one is a good fit. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>20:00</strong> Munching Cheddar Bacon Burritos as the Birthday Dinner. Yes, they are <em>yummers. </em> <br />
<strong>20:30</strong> My mother-in-law pops by to hand me a B-Day card (Thanks!) and asks if I had seen the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FcandaceSpayne%2Fvideos%2Fvb.1245618915%2F10209653193067040%2F%3Ftype%3D3&show_text=1&width=560" target="_blank">Chewbacca Mom video</a> yet. We pull it up and it is indeed very funny. Her laugh is contagious! Allison also thinks the lady is giggle-worthy. We then watch Star Wars Wookie clips instead of reading a bedtime book. YouTube Parenting! <br />
<strong style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Horseback 7 year old Eric" class="alignnone wp-image-304 alignright" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/83806025-SLD-001-0302-Small-200x300.jpg" height="273" width="182" /></strong><b>21:00 </b>Allison's Bedtime story features Chewbacca who accidentally ends up crashing his spaceship in Cliffwood Beach, NJ and is then tormented by a butterfly that keeps landing on his nose. Eventually he re-wires the Dalton family cars into a new spaceship & rockets away. As he settles in for a nap the butterfly lands on his nose again & flutters in the snoring Wookie wind. <br />
<strong>22:00</strong> Time for some Throw Back Thursday action pulled from the old slides I had developed for my birthday present from Heather. Horse!<br />
<strong>23:00</strong> Tired of fighting with GSAK trying to set up way-point filters for the trip I think I will instead turn in for the night. I had a good day. Here's to another year!<br />
<hr />
Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2016/07/22/yet-another-day-in-the-life/" target="_blank">Yet another day in the life...</a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-84452552401865089202016-07-22T22:05:00.000-04:002016-07-22T22:05:55.567-04:00Pain in the Brain 2014Just a quick note to document my cluster cycle this year. They started early – March maybe. Very slow burn-in this time with a few false starts and aura-only episodes. They went full-blown at the very end of May and lasted until the end of August. The final one was in the middle of the night. Around 3 months of this is a LONG cycle. I was able to short-circuit most of them before they got a grip on me by burning up my legs on the stairs at the office. I added push-ups and tension-hanging but couldn't do much else without buying a membership at the "office gym". I've wondered before if just letting the headaches "run their course" doesn't shorten the cycle but I'm not willing to do that when a quick hit of adrenalin pops them like a bubble. I wouldn't say I learned much new in this cycle. Knocking off sulfates doesn't seem to do much in terms of preventing or shortening the cycle. Sleep cycles were definitely out of whack and stress was high this summer so those are still definitely my prime suspects. <a href="http://www-scf.usc.edu/~uscience/cluster_headaches.html" target="_Blank">Science continues to play catch up</a> with my own personal research. ;) <br />
<br />
Coincidentally, the cycle lasted from around the start to near the finish of the "Get The World Moving" Global Corporate Challenge that I was participating in this summer. That worked like this: Wear a fancy pedometer that records your "steps" throughout the day then enter the steps online and succumb to Peer Pressure to increase your daily-step count. I averaged 13,700 steps a day and, according to my stats log, walked 548 miles in the 100 day challenge. I must admit I was completely bored with it by mid-point so I started playing games with the pedometer to see how I could increase my count without wasting more time walking. The end result was that I did get out more. I even started running again. :) <br />
<br />
<hr />
Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2014/10/01/pain-in-the-brain-2014/" target="_blank">Pain in the Brain 2014</a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-32954292409898833282014-02-16T16:41:00.001-05:002014-02-16T16:46:47.042-05:00Another day in the life...Back in <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/07/18/a-day-in-the-life/" title="A day in the life…">July of 2012</a> I cataloged a day in the form of 2 dozen Facebook posts rolled into one blog entry. This past week I took a vacation day because of the endless snow and decided to make a record of my day. Enjoy my banality! Here is my day... <br />
<br />
<b>07:30 </b>Who needs an alarm clock when you have a 2 year old? Allison wakes us up by bringing all of her teddy bears and blankets to our bed and hopping in. <br />
<b>08:00</b> I'm called a "Wimp" by the folks at the office for taking a vacation day and not braving the elements yet again. They're just Jealous! <br />
<b>08:30</b> Allison and I are cracking peanuts with a lineman's pliers. Not the right tool for the job but it certainly makes instant peanut butter! <br />
<b>09:00</b> While Heather is preparing breakfast I'm watching funny cat and fox videos with Allison. What does the fox say? "Abay ba da bum bum bay dum" obviously. <br />
<img align="right" alt="Snowman2014" class="wp-image-277" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_1753-Small-225x300.jpg" height="240" width="180" /><b>09:30</b> Breakfast is served! Vanilla Almond Pancakes with Banana/Strawberry/Apple compote. Before we begin Allison taps her pancake on mine and says "Cheers!" <br />
<b>10:15</b> Breakfast is all cleaned up and we start to get dressed to go outside to play in the snow. We had 6-8 inches of fresh powder but it was starting to turn to sleet. <br />
<b>10:45</b> Finally dressed, we head out into the... rain? Drats! Regardless, we make a snow angel and a snowman/fireman because a little rain wont soak through too quickly. <br />
<b>11:15</b> Allison back inside with Mommy. Shoveltime! I clear the entrance, the drive, the walk and a path to the trash cans. Super soggy snow is triple heavy. Sux. <br />
<b>12:15</b> Ok, that's more than enough shoveling for now but the driveway looks good and I don't fear it will freeze into a brick overnight. Inside!<img align="right" alt="" class="alignright" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5MQdUqGwlkm-CCd9S49N-CFjXK95dY4jcC6FIFWCb8qJspJdB3A-VgLA6DYpitojcvOoyV08N7SzAjkYEM0kS7AqbdfNl_Kfbtsc4-NStmiGvh3ica5_Nbxo3OOs8YgrGzNp/s1600/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-you-make-rainbow-dash-sad.jpg" style="line-height: 24px;" width="200" /> <br />
<b>12:30</b> Time for a pretzel snack and some <i>My Little Pony</i>. Yeah, it's a show for little girls but for some reason the whole family likes it. Maybe it's the inclusion of <a href="http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Creatures" target="_blank">mythological and geek-culture creatures</a> like the Cockatrice and Tribble-esque Parasprites. Or maybe I'm just a <a href="http://whatisabrony.com/" target="_blank">Brony</a>? True Bronies are a fascinating bunch. <br />
<b>13:30</b> Lunch. Wraps and leftovers. Nothing to write tweets about I guess. <br />
<b>14:00</b> Allison is calling me "Dad" instead of Daddy today. Not sure what to make of that. <br />
<b style="font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.714285714;">14:30</b><span style="font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.714285714;"> Time for a few minutes with Central Jersey Chat and uploading this mornings adventure to Facebook (the snowman picture above). <br />
</span><b>15:30</b> Allison is down for a nap. She wanted to lay on "MommyDaddyBed". Heather is out shoveling so I'll just lay here too until she falls asleep. . . <br />
<b>17:00</b> I wake up with my legs tingling because Allison is laying across them like the cat usually does. Nice nap though! <br />
<img align="right" alt="" class="alignright" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff149/BlueBird5_2007/Geocache/54CB5F5E-8864-4BA1-B7CA-716A49DEF521_zpsirjd8lnz.jpg" style="line-height: 24px;" width="300" /><b>17:30</b> Checking my afternoon mail and solving an easy <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4YFTC_all-time-sports-star" target="_blank">Geopuzzle</a> before Allison wakes up. <br />
<b>17:45 </b>Allison has invented a new drink: Milk & Grape Juice. I dubbed it Purple Milk and the name has stuck. <br />
<b>18:30</b> My Little Pony Round Two. It was still up on Netflix and it's hard to say no to a grumpy toddler. I take the opportunity to set up the massage and Heather hops on for a tune up to the back and arms. <br />
<b>19:00</b> Story time on the sofa while dinner prep begins. I make up the story of the little reindeer with a boo-boo inside herself and the time Elmo took too much stuff to the beach. <br />
<b>20:00</b> Late dinner. This tends to happen if I'm home to distract, Teehee! Ravioli, asparagus and spiced cauliflower are worth the wait. <br />
<b>20:30</b> Playing games with Allison and her stuffed kitty cat. The cat keeps going pee-pee on the carpet and we keep making it go outside while we clean up. Suddenly Allison changes the game and the cat goes nuts and sprays all over the whole room while I scream. Instead of cleaning up I decide we have to move out. Great fun! <br />
<b>21:30</b> Allison is snoring quietly. <a href="http://vimeo.com/55971653" target="_blank" title="Owl Babies by Martin Waddell">Owl Babies</a> for the bedtime book. Little Bill's "I WANT MY MOMMY!" gets a giggle every time. Time for a massage to fix the damage done by shoveling! <br />
<b>23:00</b> The bed is calling. It's been a long day but a good day. Night-night! <br />
<b>23:01</b> ZZzzzzzz....<br />
<hr />
Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2014/02/16/another-day-in-the-life/" target="_blank">Another day in the life...</a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-66185053218529770802013-12-31T16:00:00.001-05:002014-02-16T16:45:01.928-05:00The Happiest Blog On Earth!Happy Vets Day! <br /> I love animals as much as the next guy, but I'm surprised they give a whole day to their medical professionals instead of those who fought in our wars. But I digress... <br /> <br /> Today I was alerted by my magical inbox that Mr. Eric Dalton had registered a hotel room in Anaheim for 4 adults and two kids under twelve at the Travelodge on Disneyland Drive. A room there is only $89.99 a night and includes a continental breakfast for you and ENDLESS SPAM FOR ME FROM THE HELL TORMENTED GHOST OF WALTER ELIAS DISNEY! <br /> <br /> Thanks for using my email address dude. If you do it again I'm calling the hotel and canceling the reservation. Maybe I'll move it up a day so you still get charged. Too bad you wont know because the confirmation will be in <strong>my</strong> inbox. I'm sure you'll have fun explaining it to the children and the other couple. Buahahahaha! <br /> <br /> But seriously, every week someone signs me up for something new. There's really nothing I can do about it beside grouse here. I guess I could cyberstalk the other Eric Dalton's via the interwebs and waste much more time than I would have just cleaning out my inbox. Instead, I'll try to see the humor in it and try to be funny. Maybe eventually one of them will reply and we can laugh about it. Hopefully they'll use their real email address when they reply. Buahahahahahahahaha! <br /> <br /> <a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/eric.dalton.disney.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-273" alt="Disney Vacation" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/eric.dalton.disney.jpg" width="608" height="342" /></a> <br /> <br /> EDIT: I waited to publish this until after their stay then forgot it about for another month but I'm leaving the original publishing date so I don't lose the Vets Day joke. Bua. Um, Ha.<br /><hr /> Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2013/12/31/the-happiest-blog-on-earth/" target=_blank>The Happiest Blog On Earth! </a><br /><br /> Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-7520436348207167722013-09-26T21:19:00.001-04:002013-09-26T21:19:07.787-04:00My email address is not your spam folder!Back in the early days of the world a friend of mine sent me an invitation to sign up with Google's brand new email system. I jumped at the opportunity and was surprised when my Ericles moniker was already taken. Unperturbed, I used Eric.Dalton since I already had the entire Ericles domain. <br />
<br />
Well, it seems that other blokes sharing my name don't want to use their own personal email address so they give out mine freely. This makes little sense to me. Do they think Toyota, RedBox, or Apple is going to have their feelings hurt when they realize you used "bogus@email.com"? Only Mr. B. Ogus has anything to complain about when you use that address. Or is it S. Bogu? But I digress... <br />
<br />
Some of the uses of my address are comical and some are sad. I'm sure many are by accident like forgetting a middle initial or not knowing if Eric is with a C or K. Regardless, I'll be sharing these minor transgressions under this new category and then sharing that category on <a href="http://ericdalton.com/" target="_blank">EricDalton.com</a> which I've neglected to do anything with for a number of years. I'm finding that by doing a little research I'm able to find out quite a bit about the senders and receivers. Let the fun begin! <br />
<br />
The first one goes back to March of 2008 when Shelley Brady of the <a href="http://carolinagardencompany.com/" target="_blank">Carolina Garden Company</a> out of Raleigh, NC sent me 9 pictures (in 9 separate emails) of random landscaping that she found interesting enough to share. They had different names - either "Scott and Kelly" or "Importation Pictures" or just the default file name from a Panasonic digital camera. The pictures were of businesses, retirement homes and random front yards. I didn't bother to respond. What I wish I had done was reply "Thanks. I'll take #8." and just wait for the fun to start. Hopefully Shelley eventually tracked down the right email address and made a sale. Hopefully Mr. Dalton learned that if you want to see the pictures the landscaper sends... you have to give them a valid email address that you own. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/DSC00042.jpg" title=" "><img alt="DSC00042" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-267" height="187" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/DSC00042.jpg" title="" width="250" /></a> <a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/cbg-008.jpg" title=" "><img alt="cbg 008" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-266" height="188" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/cbg-008.jpg" title="" width="250" /></a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-77488911859111217122013-07-17T21:18:00.000-04:002013-09-26T21:19:50.526-04:00Hackers promote (or provoke) changesThis site has basically looked the same for the past 6 years since back when I mentioned some <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2007/07/18/minor-cosmetic-changes/" title="July 18th 2007">minor cosmetic changes</a> that included displaying the post categories as icons. <br />
<br />
The theme I chose at that time has not been updated in years and apparently the script kiddies found an exploit and managed to screw up the look of the site. I fixed the look easily enough but decided I should go with a more modern theme that will actually be patched/updated as idle hands find their way into the software. <br />
<br />
To replace it I chose the most current and most ubiquitous "twentytwelve" theme, created a child theme to protect my customizations, and then proceeded to make a few minor modifications mostly removing all of the unnecessary white space. It looked Ok but lacked that personal touch. It still looked like the default vanilla WP theme. I needed my icons back! <br />
<br />
There are a few WP plug-ins that do something similar to what I manually coded but they are either not working or old enough that I have to figure they're adding yet another porthole that someone will try to reach through. So I re-wrote my version. It is now all just two lines of code (plus styling) but alas I had to update one of the vanilla theme files. This means that I'll be too lazy to re-apply my changes when the theme is updated and I'll eventually be hacked. However... if the theme lasts 6 years again I'll be overdue for a refresh anyway and I can live with that. Maybe I'll even get around to updating those icons that I promised I would change? <br />
<br />
Nah. =]<br />
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Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2013/07/17/hackers-promote-or-provoke-changes/" target="_blank">Hackers promote (or provoke) changes</a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-1435387167403123232013-04-30T21:19:00.004-04:002013-04-30T21:25:33.543-04:00Broken bones while home aloneTwo years after our daughter was born my wife finally felt comfortable taking a long weekend trip and left Allison home with Daddy to attend her college reunion 5 hours from home. I figured I would document the long weekend in detail with one of those cheesy time-line posts or maybe pie-charts with time spent doing certain activities. I had a little note-pad with me on Friday and started recording our time. <br />
<br />
That all stopped when I broke Allison's leg. <br />
<br />
Friday started at 6:57 with Allison shouting for "Daddy!" from her crib. At 7:20 I failed to slice the apples correctly and they were rejected as breakfast. Oh well. Around 9, to give Heather some time to pack-up, I whisked the little one away to grab some go-food for the weekend at the local grocery. Allison was having a grand time shopping with Daddy bopping in her cart-seat to a collection of soul oldies on the in-store-radio. We returned about an hour later, unpacked and ate the apples (Heather had fixed them with cinnamon). Helped with the packing effort by starting a load of laundry. Allison helps to toss stuff in. 10:45 and it is time for Brunch. Honey Mustard dipping sauce with cauliflower and crackers. Heather managed to get out of the house only 20 minutes late at 11:20. Allison watched through the window then enjoyed a few minutes of threading pine needles through the screen. Spent the next half hour watching "Baby Einstein - Mozart" while I cleaned up brunch and pre-cooked dinner. Allison then wanted to go "Ow-side!" so we loaded into the stroller and rolled up to the sea-wall where she (re)discovered the fun that is tossing rocks into the bay and letting sand drift through her hands. Back home at 12:50. Spent 10 minutes flipping the laundry from washer to Allison who would then yell "Hup!" and toss it into the dryer. Back upstairs, Allison has a snack then watches Elmo brush his teeth on YouTube. Time for a nap! Allison sleeps until 4:00. Supernap! During her nap I load the car for adventure. When she wakes up I spirit her away and drop her into the car seat before she has a chance to fully wake up. She enjoys an early dinner of travel-sized Spinach Rotini while we drive down to Ocean County Park which takes around 50 minutes. We arrive at the park around 5:15 and I notice Allison isn't wearing any shoes. Did I forget to put them on or did she kick them off while I was carrying her around as I loaded out? I deploy the backup shoes (Brown Crocs - a favorite) and we spend an hour watching tennis, spotting racoons and deer, playing with pinecones and finding a geocache. At around 6:20 we head for the playground ... but it's roped off. Danger! Keep out! I'm tempted to cross the line but instead load Allison into the Adventure Backpack and head west a half mile to the backup playground. Allison plays, slides and swings for 15 minutes but is getting hungry. I offer to let her go down one more slide. She's capable of going down the slide by herself but not getting up to the top alone so I have to guide her up then she rides down in my lap. We've done it 100 times. This time she somehow gets her leg pinched between me and the side of the slide and the super-tacky-crocs yank her leg backwards pushed by our combined weight. <br />
<br />
*snap* <br />
<br />
This is where I stopped keeping track of time and started going into denial. Allison started crying immediately and I figured she had twisted her ankle or knee from the way it bent back. I held her and offered comfort while trying to see if I could see any damage. Nothing apparent. Some drink and a snack bar calms down Allison but she's obviously in pain. I'm a half mile from the car so we beat feet and, with as little jigging as possible, I powerwalk her back to the car. From her car-seat I test the leg... she's able to bend it and is pointing to her knee and saying "Boo boo!" At this point I'm thinking a sprained knee... but there's no visible swelling. We had originally planned on meeting some friends at a nearby chicken place (which is why I drove 50 minutes to this particular park). Change of plans - just drive straight home to get some ice on the leg and some children's Tylenol. A few minutes into the ride Allison was calm again and finished her snack bar. Yes! The endorphins have kicked in and she'll be fine. So I changed my plans back and went into the restaurant, met my friends, shared some chicken-chunks with ketchup and the whole time Allison didn't complain or fuss. She sat there eating her nuggets... <i>with a broken leg.</i> <br />
<br />
After maybe 45 minutes we drove home. She nearly fell asleep on the ride back and was very clingy asking for Mommy when we got home. I never even put her down. We got some ice... but there really wasn't any noticeable swelling. I tested the leg again and she could still bend it. She got a good dose of ibuprofen and went to bed. And slept through the night... <i>with a broken leg.</i> <br />
<br />
<a align="left" href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Tibia-Fracture.jpg" hspace="5" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tibia-Fracture" class="size-medium wp-image-247 " height="300" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Tibia-Fracture-241x300.jpg" title="X-Ray Results" width="241" /></a>In the morning Heather's mother came by. I had originally planned to attend an Earth Day beach-cleanup with the county parks folks but after coaxing Allison into trying to stand and finding she was unable we made an appointment at the pediatrician's office instead. They got is in by 10:00 and by 10:15 had referred us to the hospital as X-Rays were deemed necessary. We opted for Monmouth over Jersey Shore since Allison was born there and hadn't been back since. We walked into the main entrance looking for Radiology and were shunted into the emergency room. Apparently that's the only way you can enter a hospital these days. I'm guessing insurance companies only pay if it was an "Emergency". After being checked out briefly by the ER doc, Allison got to ride in the gurney bed to Radiology where she had a meltdown on the X-Ray table but they got what they needed and the images confirmed a radial fracture of the right fibula (See picture at left). <br />
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The pediatric doctor had to come in from Princeton so we had a few hours to wait. We killed the time by watching crazy "children's shows" on TV with no sound and making games out of everything we could find in the diaper bag. Heather's mother was kind enough to venture out to find some grub. Allison snacked on chicken and fries with apple juice and some other various snacks. She was very cranky as it was well past her nap time (and lets face it - it had been a very stressful day) so I crawled into the bed with her and she fell asleep on my chest. Right on cue - the doctor finally shows up. This was a blessing in disguise however as my little girl actually slept through getting her cast applied! We opted for purple over hot pink because she has more than enough pink already. A broken toddler leg in a nutshell: 4-6 weeks in the cast. She can walk on it but don't encourage it for a few weeks. Don't get the cast wet. Come back and see me again in 3 weeks. We left the hospital around 4:00. Allison woke up as we left but fell right back to sleep in the car snacking on crackers. <br />
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<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2013-04-20_13-31-41_725-Small.jpg"><img alt="Kissing her Boo-Boo" class="size-medium wp-image-246 " height="169" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2013-04-20_13-31-41_725-Small-300x169.jpg" title="Allison in the hospital" width="300" /></a></center>
I had been keeping Heather abreast of the developments. You might think she'd be pissed because I ruined her get-away weekend but she was very supportive and didn't lay on the guilt. This is one of the reasons I married her! It messed up Allison's weekend pretty good but she got to take extra rides in the Adventure Backpack and didn't seem to be feeling too much pain. It took a lot of convincing before Allison stopped asking us to take the cast off. I painted her toe-nails to match it but that only helped for a few hours. By the time Heather made it back Allison was able to stand on the cast without whimpering. Within a few days she was walking on it but hadn't figured out the balance thing yet so she needed support. I caught her using her little pink chair like a walker to get from point to point. Over the next week she learned more how to deal with it and gets around by the old "butt-scoot" that she did when she was a year younger and has reverted to crawling. The biggest adjustments have been to routine. No more baths and the leg has to wear a bib during feedings. Even so, I just know that when we cut the cast off in a few weeks we'll find an animal cracker wedged down in there. I already had to do surgery with a hemostat to remove some toilet paper that got stuffed down into the cast. Allison's baggiest pants and our largest socks fit over the cast so we're using what we can to protect it... but I think after a month the cast is going to look (and smell) pretty awful. <br />
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I hate to admit it, but there is a lot more TV time now and Allison asks for "Elmo" as much as for her parents. We re-purposed her old car-seat into a lounge-chair and she loves relaxing with the gang from Sesame Street. During the healing process we're trying to not just turn on the TV but invent more interactive games to play. It helps that Allison received a bunch of new toys for her birthday. She has rediscovered some of the toys that we more mind or dexterity work than things she could throw and run after. The end result of all this may be that our little girl learns to slow down a bit and be more contemplative. Or... she'll all of a sudden go nuts with a months worth of pent-up energy at the moment of cast-off. I'll post back with an update when that happens. <br />
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<center>
<img alt="2nd Birthday" class="size-full wp-image-248" height="768" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_8770-Medium.jpg" width="576" /> <br />
Birthday Girl in Cast</center>
Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-4681270312174544532012-12-02T21:40:00.000-05:002012-12-02T21:40:20.961-05:00My Sandy StoryEveryone in New York or New Jersey has a story to tell about what happened during Hurricane Sandy. Here's mine. Not because it is particularly entertaining, enlightening or inspirational, but just for posterity. <br />
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It all started around Tuesday when I began hearing about a huge storm coming up the coast. It still had a 50/50 chance of turning out to sea but it didn't stop all of the over-reacting hive-minds from emptying the stores of milk, bread, eggs and water. Not that I was too bothered because I always have a ready stockpile: A case of water, a case of gatorade, 6 quarts of various juice, a six pack of organic "doesn't need a fridge" milk, a dozen cans of veggies, a propane generator with 30 pounds of fuel, 3 sump pumps, 2 oil lanterns, 2 propane lanterns and flashlights a-plenty... and I didn't even have to go to the store this week. I love it when a plan comes together! <br />
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By Friday the Governor was ordering evacuations and it was pretty clear the storm was going to hit somewhere in our area. It was an otherwise slow news week and the giddiness of the "reporters" was truly disgusting. They seemed ever so pleased to have something to say - even if it was "Cuba is getting battered but I'm safe in downtown New York!" Sandy heard that and took offense at being called "Frankenstorm". I think it is the epitome of bad taste to be coming up with snarky marketing terms for anything that caused billions in damage and had 100+ people feared dead or missing in <a href="http://world.time.com/2012/10/29/in-haiti-hurricane-sandy-leaves-behind-death-and-devastation/" target="_blank">Haiti</a>, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/world/americas/tropical-weather-sandy/index.html" target="_blank">Cuba</a> and the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/26/hurricane-sandy-rages-through-bahamas-after-killing-21-in-caribbean-en-route-to/" target="_blank">Bahamas</a>. But, hey - that's show business, right? Superimpose the head of Frankenstein's monster spinning in the air over a the Caribbean and enjoy those ratings! <br />
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Anyway, by Sunday we had hunkered down pretty well and stowed or tied down everything that could move. The "reporting" had reached a level of hyperbole that I couldn't tell if they were trying to be serious or just trying to out fantastic the channel next door. Monday came and things had gotten pretty scary already. With my family freaking out I opted to stay at home rather than go into the office just to be sent home when the power went out. We went dark at 2:20 PM. I setup the generator, ran the extension cords and settled in for the long dark. Word on the street was that the power company had turned off the grid at the source in anticipation of lots of problems. Whatever the cause, I must not have been too worried because I decided to take a nap. I woke up around 4:30 as the sun was getting low and took a walk up to the end of the street to see the bay. The wind was insane and the trees were whipping all around. The remaining leaves were being shredded and the air was filled with colorful confetti. As I got near the bay I could hear the tide. Tide? We don't get waves here on the bay, right? You sure as hell do when they're backed by 60-80 mph winds! It was still a few hours before high tide and the water was cresting over the seawall and the waves were lashing the upper walkway. I couldn't stand there too long as the rain coming sideways hurt and I was getting soaked by the spray. I retreated to the house, fired up the generator to chill the fridge for the night, lit the lanterns and read stories to Allison who had a perplexed and worried look but didn't seem to be actually scared. <br />
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During the night I was awakened by the cessation of tempest noise and figured we might have been in the Eye of the Sandy. I fell back to sleep then awoke to a clear sky and very little wind. Turns out the storm had turned inland instead of hanging out around the coast. I went out for a walk before the family was awake to check out the damage. We lost the top of a tree in the back yard. It landed in the neighbor's yard chipping their siding and crushing a little red wagon but narrowly missing their glass patio table. The big trees in the front lost a few branches each but nothing huge. One birdhouse was tossed down but our house was just fine. I fired up the generator and headed out to see what I could see. The leaf litter was fantastic. I've never seen leaves shredded so thoroughly and dispersed so efficiently! Tree tops were equally shredded and a big one was partially blocking the road at the top of the street. I helped a neighbor drag it out of the way so he could get his van through. The seawall was still there but the walkway was torn up and tossed aside. The trees that had grown up alongside the walk were nowhere to be seen and the telephone pole with the fake cameras on it was also M.I.A. When I reached lower ground - the actual beach - I was floored by the damage. There was no beach - it was all bay complete with waves and undertow. Ignoring the cold I waded across a stream that used to be the road to get some pictures. It was at this time that the rainbow appeared to the west. I snapped the picture below while standing in knee deep water next to a downed utility pole with wires and transformers laying all around. A water dept pump house had been smashed open by the storm surge and I could smell a natural gas leak. I phoned that in to the New Jersey Natural Gas hotline and headed for home. <br />
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<a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/409003_4051847009985_1048518034_n.jpg"><img alt="Cliffwood Beach Rainbow" class="aligncenter" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/409003_4051847009985_1048518034_n.jpg" title="Cliffwood Beach Rainbow" width="400" /></a><br><br />
That day was spent without knowing anything about what was going on outside our own little section of town. No cell service. No radio stations. No anything. We did however have hot water thanks to the old-school completely mechanical water heater. We also had heat thanks to the even older-school natural gas heater in the basement. Its ambient heat - and the floor register in the bedroom - kept the house near 70° throughout the outage. Wednesday brought back the radio stations and we learned that it was this bad or worse all over New Jersey. Two dozen people were missing in neighboring Union Beach. Laurence Harbor and Keyport had been equally crushed. JCP&L - the Electric Company - was saying 7-10 days without power. I figured I had less than a week's worth of fuel for the generator but offered to charge all of our neighbor's phones and proffered up our shower to those without warm water. They didn't take us up on the offers but did bring over whatever propane they had laying around once they got done grilling everything in their freezers as food started to thaw. We had rarely hung out with the neighbors before this week but actually got to know a few more of them during the blackout. We actually sat around playing games by lantern light one night. Another evening we had a Victorian era sing-along.... with some Raffi thrown in for Allison's sake. <br />
<br />
Going stir-crazy I went for a bike ride and toured the horrific state of downtown Keyport. Until this time I just thought we had wind and high water. I didn't realize the force with which it had come in. Every building at or near sea-level was gutted or utterly crushed by the storm. Fortunately nobody lived that low and only restaurants and a museum were demolished. By now you've seen pictures of much bigger devastation than what I saw that day so I'll just<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4051828769529.2152123.1096310491&type=1&l=c9e5a9a8a4" target="_blank"> link to the pictures</a> rather than include them here. Throughout the week I occasionally checked in with co-workers and with the hotline to see if the office was open. I heard on Thursday that some people were inside holding down the fort but non-essential employees didn't need to come in. I took this to mean they had POWER and went in. No power. Just generators. I was able to help out though by going on a mad shopping spree for extension cords to power the parts of the building that were still dark. Getting around wasn't too bad down that way but up by us most of the roads were blockaded because the traffic lights were down and/or out. On Friday I went in to the office again to find the power was actually on now. I did a little work then got lost in the pictures and news reports where I saw for the first time the havoc that the storm caused. Unreal! Back at home we had gotten into a groove with the running of the generator every few hours to keep the fridge cool, run the sump-pumps and circulate the hot air in the basement. Halloween's rescheduled date came and went and nobody much cared. After a week I finally stopped trying to hit the light switches! <br />
<br />
Then the N'oreaster hit. The snow-storm was just rain and slush up by us but dumped nearly a foot of snow on the office. I left early that day to get home before the roads got too bad. Being perpetually cold was really starting to take it's toll on people and the electric company was still saying "7-10 days". It turns out we're on the main grid powered by South Amboy which chose to build its main substations just outside a tidal marsh. Good idea! Once that was rebuilt it would only be a few days more while the bulldozers cleared the road pictured above so the poles could be replaced. After nearly 10 days in the dark our home town held a Town Hall Meeting with the mayor, chief of police and a bunch of silent nodding heads that were presumably some kind of board members in the town. Very few people in my area "lost everything". Most were just without electric. Being hungry is bad. Being scared is worse. Being cold is even worse still and everyone in that room that evening looked like they had forced to take cold showers - or more common, none at all - for at least a week now. I hung around for an hour until people started getting very animated berating the mayor and police chief. I heard later that the mayor ended up breaking down and admitting that he was powerless and that his is just a part-time job. I almost felt bad for him. <br />
<br />
After 11 days, 2 hours and 20 minutes the power was suddenly restored. It was a crew from West Virginia that actually got in to do the work on our neighborhood. It came on while I was driving home from the office. It was nice to hear ... nothing... in the night again after nearly a fortnight of generator noise all around. So, we survived Superstorm Sandy and its chilling aftermath. I learned that I could go long periods without power. I learned that I have neighbors that are people. I learned that a crisis brings out the best (heroism) and worst (looting) in people. Most of all I had real gratitude in my heart when Thanksgiving rolled around. I also had very little love for JCP&L. . . <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>A Song for the Electric Company: </strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">At first I was afraid. I was petrified. <br />
Kept thinkin' I could never live without my house electrified. <br />
But then I spent so many nights thinkin' how you did me wrong, <br />
And I grew strong. <br />
And I learned how to get along. <br />
So now your back! From outer space! <br />
I just walked in to find lights on all over the place. <br />
But now I've got a solar charging dock.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I can charge my phone for free. <br />
My generator is gassed up and you're powerless to bother me!Go on now go! Don't want no more! <br />
You keep your poles now. <br />
Cause you're not welcome anymore. <br />
Every estimate you gave turned out to be a lie. <br />
Did you think I'd crumble? <br />
Did you think I'd lay down and die? <br />
Oh no, not I! <br />
I will survive! <br />
As long as I have my carbon monoxide tester I know I'll stay alive. <br />
I can't watch "One Life To Live" <br />
But I'm not about to give <br />
and I'll survive. <br />
I will survive! <br />
Hey hey! <br />
<br />
</div><br />
God willing, we'll never have another storm like that one in my lifetime... but if we do I'm ready. Ready to move to somewhere further from the ocean that is!<br />
<hr />Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/12/01/my-sandy-story/" target="_blank">My Sandy Story</a><br />
<br />
Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-15672748348787560182012-08-17T08:43:00.000-04:002012-08-17T08:43:26.239-04:00Brain Pain Twenty Twelve!<img align="right" alt="Cluster Headache Simulation" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Clusterhead.jpg" title="Cluster Headache Simulation" width="222/" />Just an update <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2011/03/31/brain-pain-2011/" title="Previous Update">in a series</a> of Brain Pains - I have officially survived the Cluster Cycle of 2012. For those who are seeing this for the first time or are otherwise unacquainted, I suffer from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache" target="_blank" title="Opens in New Window">cluster headaches</a>. They're related to migraine headaches and are a part of daily life for several weeks a year. Worldwide acknowledgement and <a href="http://www.clusterheadaches.com/" target="_blank" title="Clusterheadaches.com">support</a> for this rare type of migraine has expanded exponentially over the past decade. We've come a long way since a pair of doctors shrugged and referred me to an eye specialist back in the 90s. Duh. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I started feeling this pending cycle in April though I had a few "ghost" headaches all the way back in January. It took a while to really come on. I actually thought the trip to Ireland might bring on a cycle as it seriously messed with my sleep patterns but only one ocular migraine resulted. At Heather's urging, I had (nearly) eliminated nitrates/sulfates from my diet. As usual, an ocular cycle precipitated the full blown cluster routine. The cycle went full-blown at the end of June and lasted until mid July when it began to taper. I had my final headache during the last full week in July. A rather short cycle this time but friggin' intense. With my new job I have access to the little work-out room and I used it 2-4 times a day for a quick adrenaline burst to prevent the full onset of headaches. That many headaches in a day has been rare over the years. Fortunately, that density lasted for under 2 weeks when it settled back into the one-a-day routine. <br />
<br />
Purely conjecture on my part but the stress of a new job and very active toddler might have been enough to kick off the cycle. The fact that I only grunted through a handful of headaches without the "adrenaline intervention" of pushups, curls and presses might have caused the dense cycle. On the other hand, being very busy at work might have helped end the cycle. As long as I can drop and push out 40 ups just as the throbbing starts to prevent the full agony of a cluster headache I'm going to take that opportunity. If it makes me have another one an hour or two later? Worth it. As long as I get a few hours to recover my muscles - or have other options like stationary bikes or stair-masters - I'll take the quick fix any time.<br />
<hr />
Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/08/17/brain-pain-twenty-twelve/" target="_blank">Brain Pain Twenty Twelve!</a><br />
<br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-15535378113726220562012-07-19T08:20:00.002-04:002012-07-19T08:20:51.009-04:00A day in the life...I don’t update this blog much anymore just because I rarely have the time/energy to really sit down and <em>type something out</em>. Like most of us workaday schlubs I succumbed to the quick fix that is Facebook. However I recently stopped updating my status there as I was drowning in shared images and game notifications. That seems to be 90% of what FB has become. To buck this trend I thought that I might, just for a day, pretend it was still 2009 when people were very excited by this new medium. I’ll would update my status at least once an hour with whatever was going on in my day regardless of the banality. Facebook.com is blocked at the office however so instead of dozens of updates slowly through the day, here’s what I would have typed if I really felt like wasting my company’s time. As the day progressed I jotted my updates down in a notepad right up until I went to sleep. It turned out to be a busy Monday. Enjoy my banality!<br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>06:10</strong> Good morning starshine. The world says hello!<br />
<strong>06:30</strong> Systems check. I’m not really sore from my kayaking yesterday. Except where I walked into the screen door handle with my right bicep. That’s sore as hell.<br />
<strong>07:30 </strong>Running late for work, as usual. Snacking on some toasted sourdough bread with Country Crock ©. The breakfast of champions (or at least tardy champions).<br />
<strong>08:00 </strong>Got to the office just on time. Now enjoying my weekly Snapple. Diet Raspberry. Made from the best stuff on earth. I have one every Monday then re-use the bottle all week refilling it from the water-cooler.<br />
<strong>09:20 </strong>Just received a call from my wife. The damage to the car comes out to be the same as the deductable anyway so it’s a wash. Could have been much worse though and I’m just glad everyone is OK.<br />
<strong>10:00 </strong>Cluster headache threatening. Maybe if I take a walk and stretch it will pass me by this morning?<br />
<strong>10:10</strong> Wow, the urinal cakes are blue instead of pink now. Changes are scary! The cakes are a lie!<br />
<strong>10:45</strong> The payroll system is goofy here. To compensate for employees working over night shifts the PR clerks enter the start time as 23:00 (11 PM) and the end time as 32:00 (WTH AM?) for a nine hour shift. My task is to help fix that. <img align="right" alt="Giant Moth" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/428903_3624750292834_418999250_n.jpg" title="Giant Moth" width="288" /><strong><br /> 11:45</strong> There’s a giant moth on the window at the office. As the bug man, I’m tasked with IDing it. It’s as big as a bat!<br />
<strong>12:15 </strong>I went around to the outside to get a good picture. Google images comparison confirms we’re looking at an Antheraea Polyphemus or common Silk Moth. It’s named for the Greek Cyclops legend because of the eyespots. Of course, the moth has 4 “eyes” instead of 1 but who’s counting?<br />
<strong>12:50 </strong>Caught a <em>Squidcake Fish</em> for the 4<sup>th</sup> Anniversary of <a href="http://fish-wrangler.com/" target="_blank" title="Fish Wrangler ">Fish-Wrangler</a>. Yeah, I still play this game. <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" /><br />
<strong>14:30 </strong>Finally figured out a good way to fix the payroll programs I’ve been toying with today. Yay me.<br />
<strong>15:20 </strong>New task: Purge some of the older employee timesheet files. We were talking about writing new programs and adding processing options but I think I’d rather type in a one-line SQL script.<br />
<strong>16:45 </strong>Just lost the power in the office. Guess I won’t be able to work late after all! <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" /><br />
<strong>17:45 </strong>Home! I worked my gas mileage on the current tank up to 32.5 MPG.<br />
<strong>17:50 </strong>I thought Heather was out and about when I pulled in but I forgot her car was in the shop. I found her just finishing up a bath time for Allison. Wet baby hug!<br />
<strong>18:10 </strong>Allison brought me her flip flops and sat down on my lap so I could put them on her. She is now running around wearing nothing but the flops and a diaper. I’m not trying to raise a Jersey Girl but I guess it’s baked in automatically.<br />
<strong>18:30</strong> Having “Mexican” for dinner – leftover <em>Riceritos</em>. Yum! I’m a simple man of simple tastes. <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" /><br />
<strong>19:00 </strong>Another cluster headache triggered by flashing lights during a furious game of Peek-a-boo. I sequestered myself in a dark room to wait it out. Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a minute… zzzzzzzzzz…<br />
<strong>19:45 </strong>It occurs to me that “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollars_to_donuts" target="_blank" title="WIKI entry for Dollars to Donuts">dollars to doughnuts</a>” is actually in favor of the doughnuts now. Inflation FTW!<br />
<strong>20:20 </strong>The Nugget is finally down for her “Night Sleep”. Tonight’s lap time reading list was “Hop On Pop” and the Cookie Monster “Hug Book” (Twice). The second time through Cookie Monster was a little brusque. <img alt=";)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" /> <img align="right" alt="AVGraphics wacky adventures part 5" src="http://img.geocaching.com/cache/aecfdc6a-bc01-4356-a062-357784789c1f.jpg" title="AVGraphics wacky adventures part 5" width="267" /><strong><br /> 20:45 </strong>Heather is wearing an old concert tour shirt tonight. Elton John’s “One Night Only” Tour – October 20<sup>th</sup> and 21<sup>st</sup> 2000. Hit “<em>LIKE</em>” if you can spot what’s wrong with that shirt.<br />
<strong>21:50 </strong>Solved a <a href="http://coord.info/GCXAX4" target="_blank">Geopuzzle</a>! This one took me longer than the others in the series and I never did find the magic nose goblin in the upper right.<br />
<strong>22:30 </strong>Time to turn in to snuggle with Smech and a copy of Pratchett’s latest. G’night moon!<br />
So, there’s my day. This will get thousands less looks than if I had actually posted two dozen updates through the day but I submit it here it anyway. Feel free to enjoy/deride it as you see fit – just as you would have if you had seen all this spam on ol’ Facebook. =]Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-81030851324271374612012-01-23T14:26:00.000-05:002012-01-23T14:26:16.035-05:00Could I still play in the NFL?As I rapidly approach the statistical midpoint of my life expectancy I was curious if I could still go through a mid-life-crisis and try out for an NFL team. Realistic? Of course! Why, a player a week older than myself led the league in tackles this year! <br /> <br /> For posterity, here's the list of all NFL players older than me as of the end of the 2011 season: <br /> Ray Lewis (LB, Baltimore) - by 9 days! <br /> Phil Dawson (Kicker, Browns) <br /> Brad Maynard (Punter, Browns) <br /> Charlie Batch (QB, Pitt) <br /> James Farrior (LB, Pitt) <br /> Patrick Mannelly (Safety, Bears) <br /> Ben Graham (Punter, Lions) <br /> Jason Hanson (Kicker, Lions) <br /> Donald Driver (WR, GB) <br /> Ryan Longwell (Kicker, Minn) <br /> Jake Delhomme (QB, Texans) <br /> Jeff Garcia (QB, Texans) <br /> Kerry Collins (QB, Colts) <br /> Adam Vinatieri (Kicker, Colts) <br /> Orlindo Mare (Kicker, Carolina) <br /> Ronde Barber (CB, TB) <br /> Jason Taylor (LB, Miami) <br /> Mark Brunell (QB, Jets) <br /> Jon Kitna (QB, Dallas) <br /> London Fletcher (LB, Washington) - One week older! <br /> Sav Rocca (Punter, Washington) <br /> David Binn (Safety, Denver) <br /> Brian Dawkins (Safety, Denver) <br /> Casy Weigmann (Center, KC) <br /> David Akers (Kicker, SF) <br /> Al Harris (CB, Seattle) <br /> <br /> The majority are kickers, punters and backup "mentor" quarterbacks. I'm sure a handful will retire each year. When the last one does I'll probably have to admit that I'm probably going to have to give up on that dream of scoring the winning touchdown in the superbowl. But not yet!<br /><hr /> Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2012/01/23/could-i-still-play-in-the-nfl/" target=_blank>Could I still play in the NFL?</a><br />Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-66694412815040075742011-07-31T13:50:00.000-04:002011-08-04T14:39:50.680-04:00Infant Talk has Adult RingWhen I was a tiny tiny baby my parents decided I was cute enough to do the whole family-photo-thing and we all went out to a Studio and had our pictures taken. The photographer found me very expressive for just a few weeks old and used a handful of props he had laying around to capture – and then caption – a few priceless photos. He sold four of the best to the local paper and at just 7 weeks old my picture was published in the Reading Eagle!<br />
<br />
A few years ago, while looking through old photo albums at my Grandmother’s house, I found an original proof of the pictures cut/pasted into the original newspaper copy and I scanned it for posterity. It goes a little something like this:<br />
<div style="width: 310px;">
<a href="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Baby-Cam.jpg" rel="thumbnail"><img alt="Eric's first Mug Shots" height="268" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Baby-Cam-300x268.jpg" title="Baby-Cam" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
</div>
You can click on the picture to see it in full-size. The captions – from Left to Right, Top to Bottom read:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Don’t know how Gloria Steinem stands these things.</i><i> </i></li>
<li><i>You better start talking turkey or the deal’s off.</i><i> </i></li>
<li><i>Someone is making a big profit from these rising gas prices.</i><i> </i></li>
<li><i>Take back this football and give me a cosmetics contract. (</i>I was never a fan of this line.)</li>
</ul>
I decided that I’d like to have some photos of my own baby girl captured and captioned. I have no inclination to try and get them published in our local paper – mostly because there is none – but because I can just publish them here and have them potentially seen by many many more people. =]<br />
<br />
Last week I setup a little “Studio” in the dining room complete with a lamp and shag-like rug. I was unable to find kid-sized glasses or a 60s retro phone so I improvised. With only maybe 20 minutes of shoot time before we went from Happy Baby to Angry Pterodactyl I started snapping shots and seeing what I could get accomplished in just one “session”. I got all that I wanted and more. Seems being an expressive baby runs in the family!<br />
<div style="width: 385px;">
<img alt="Allison Grace's First Mug Shots" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/Baby-Talk-Montage.jpg" title="Baby Talk Montage" width="380" /><br />
<div>
Allison Grace - Ham Extraordinaire!</div>
</div>
I only updated one caption because Ms. Steinem stopped wearing those glasses back in the 80s. I considered photo-shopping the pictures to correct little things like Heather’s hand in the football shot or the drool marks on the football but decided against it. Here is Allison as we see her and as the camera found here that morning. Here’s a few “outtake” shots that we couldn’t fit into the montage. Enjoy!<br />
<div style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="My share of the deficit is how much?" class="size-medium wp-image-212 " height="225" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6285-300x225.jpg" title="My share of the deficit is how much? " width="300" /><br />
<div>
My share of the federal deficit is how much?</div>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="The AAMCO Commercial! Quick! Turn it off! " height="225" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6279-300x225.jpg" title="The AAMCO Commercial! Quick! Turn it off! " width="300" /><br />
<div>
The AAMCO Commercial! Quick! Turn it off!</div>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="Wanna go see the Smurfs movie? Yeah, me neither." height="225" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6297-300x225.jpg" title="Wanna go see the Smurfs movie? Yeah, me neither." width="300" /><br />
<div>
Wanna go see the Smurfs movie? Yeah, me neither.</div>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="Cosmetics Contract?" height="225" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6317-300x225.jpg" title="Cosmetics Contract?" width="300" /><br />
<div>
Yeah, I made my money in Cosmetics but now I just play for the love of the game.</div>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="Glad the NFL Lockout was resolved!" height="225" src="http://ericles.com/news/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6303-300x225.jpg" style="height: 225px; width: 300px;" title="Glad the NFL Lockout was resolved!" width="300" /><br />
<div>
Glad the NFL Lockout was resolved!</div>
</div>Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19838828.post-53880387427610464482011-03-31T22:22:00.000-04:002011-03-31T22:23:01.161-04:00Brain Pain 2011Just to fully document the phenomena, I went through a cluster cycle in January into February. To those who somehow missed <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2009/02/28/the-cluster-of-2009/">my previous update on these</a> almost exactly two years ago, I suffer from Cluster Headaches. These suckers suck but only for a few months out of the year then they go away for several months. The current cycle came on slowly. I had a few minor headaches and a few ocular migraines in November and December. It went full blown the second week of January and peeked the last week of that month. I then entered one of the more stressful weeks of my professional career and - survival instincts ruling out stupid head pain - the cluster took a two week break. By the first week of March the headaches had ceased. By documenting these cycles as they happen here I'm definitely seeing a pattern. <br /> <br /> 1) They're brought on by Christmas Stress - or at least the disruption in sleep patterns that seem to happen here. <br /> <br /> 2) Nitrates! I'm watching my intake of the pernicious 'trates. Alas, they're in Hot-dogs and Bacon so I can't help myself sometimes. <br /> <br /> 3) They tend to peter out with the worst of winter. Humidity? Low pressure? Less sun? I spent a lot of time outdoors this year despite the cold and snow. <br /> <br /> Combining 1 & 2 and thinking back... in the beginning of November I had a business trip to Ireland and the UK. Fairly stressful is travel and the time change wompted my sleep patterns. Then there was the bacon and sausage every morning. Yum! Ouch! If sleep patterns and nitrates have anything to do with cluster headaches one might think I was <strong>trying</strong> to bring on a headache cycle! Anyway, I haven't had one in weeks now so I figured it was time to document the cycle. See ya'll back here in 2012!<br /><hr /> Orignal From: <a href="http://ericles.com/news/2011/03/31/brain-pain-2011/" target=_blank>Brain Pain 2011</a><br /><br /> Eric Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13674930759219745192noreply@blogger.com0