I called my mom on Thursday for Thanksgiving. She wanted to know how much snow I had on the ground. “None,” I said. It had been sixty degrees a day or two before. “But if I’m remembering correctly, it looks like there’s a chance of snow early next week. Monday or Tuesday.” Today is Sunday.Continue reading “The First Snow of the Season”
Category Archives: Life
A Case Study
I’m getting better at backgammon, winning about half the time I play now. Sometimes I can even demolish xgammon pretty thoroughly. This morning’s game was like that… until the moment that it wasn’t. I thought I was going to have it in the bag, until I didn’t. Let’s go through it. Here’s an interesting position.Continue reading “A Case Study”
“I Need to See Mountains Again, Gandalf”
I’ve been down in Virginia recently, and I stopped on occasion to take photos of mountains. A little too late in the year for the fall foliage, unfortunately, but still, there were some lovely vistas.
Excitement in Yoe
Some excitement in the apartment complex this morning. There were massive, howling winds last night. I mistakenly opened the door to see what was happening, and my living room filled with leaves. (I decided that could wait for morning. I wasn’t throwing leaves back into the wind.) This morning, drinking my coffee, there came soundsContinue reading “Excitement in Yoe”
A Hard-Fought Victory
It seems unlikely, but I won this game of backgammon. Look at that. I have four pieces pinned in white’s home quadrant. I would have to roll a seven — an impossibility on a D6 — to even get one piece out, let alone four. But things developed quickly. White began consolidating his pieces intoContinue reading “A Hard-Fought Victory”
A Sign on the Mountain
When I was a wee lad, from the carport of our house I could see the Endless Caverns sign on the side of Massanutten Mountain. Driving home today, I stopped at the rest area near New Market, crossed the truck parking, and from the hillside took some photos. Things don’t change much in forty years.
Autumn’s Arrival
Autumn has arrived. How do I know this? My knees decided to tell me. Monday morning I was fine, felt no effects of the walk around Prospect Hill Cemetery. Monday afternoon, however, I had a painful arthritis burning through my knees, an arthritis so bad that I could barely stand and sleeping was almost impossible.Continue reading “Autumn’s Arrival”
Getting Better all the Time
I’m getting the hang of this backgammon thing. I still will not say I’m great, I’m not even sure that I’m good, but I’m seeing regular success. This one was pretty straightforward. Nothing remarkable here. I’ve moved five pieces off the board, while white is still moving pieces toward its home. This one was definitelyContinue reading “Getting Better all the Time”
The Lottery Kiosk
As I was leaving the grocery store yesterday, an elderly man stopped me at the self-serve lottery kiosk. He was buying scratch-off tickets — he was organized, he had a plastic envelope — and there was one, something like Monster Mash, that he didn’t understand. There was something about the logo on the touchscreen thatContinue reading “The Lottery Kiosk”
12-Bar Job Search Blues
I saw a post on LinkedIn this morning that touched a nerve and sparked some thinking. “I have 35+ years experience and I can’t find a job that pays over $20 an hour.“ I don’t like LinkedIn. I’m not even sure it’s a necessary evil. The toxic positivity and “every moment is a life lesson”Continue reading “12-Bar Job Search Blues”