Bfth's Boring Blog

  The other night was Back to School Night for my son's high school.  Of course since school is all remote (at least until November; when the 2nd quarter begins), this annual event looked a little different.  The administrative portion was pre-recorded and you could choose who to listen to and when.  (Or who not to...did I say that?)  Classes were 10 minutes long and teachers had the option to pre-record a presentation (which 4 of my son's 9 teachers did) or do present via Google Meet. I know all teachers are working really hard to make this school year work.  (I think for the most part, EVERYONE is working really hard to make this year work!)  So this year, more than ever, I wanted to make sure that I attended.   I have to say that doing Back to School Night via computer was less stressful and easier than in person.  Sure I had to clean up my office somewhat. (I had to make sure that I kept the door shut so that the camera wouldn't see anyone going in and out of the bathro

  Autumn officially arrives today.  With that said, the last days of summer were unexpectedly (at least to me) FRIGID!  While I have turned on the heat in my house before the official beginning of summer previously, I don't recall having the heat automatically kick in because the temperature in the house dipped below 60.  (Which is where I set the thermostat once it gets warm.  The heat is never "off" but it's never going to come on because the house is warm.)  I also don't recall frost warnings before autumn officially begins!   I was an observer at a wedding in the park this past weekend.  (Nutshell:  my late brother's best friend got married.  I wasn't invited, but his mom intimated that she'd like me there.  So I went as a "representative" and just hung around the periphery taking some low quality photos...more on why later.) I timed my walk earlier in the morning and I was COLD.  When I arrived (before 4) it was warm. There were at least

 From me?  Maybe...or maybe it's a change of personnel.  Let me explain. Over the years I've done more than my share of complaining about the postal service:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/where-do-i-live-us-postal-service-story.html, https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/please-mr-postman.html and there's lots more than that...just go digging. I know this pandemic has put a real strain on the postal service.  I know the postal service is working harder than ever and more people are getting packages.  I've actually lowered the bar in my mind. Which is why I have to sing the praises of my new mail carrier.  He has given me faith in the postal service again. I don't know his name, but it's time I learned because I'm putting him in the category with:  Robert, Diane and Roomba (three extraordinary mail carriers who were on my route years ago).  I still miss those three people, but this young man (and I call him young because I am OLD) is do

  I'm exhausted.  It's the 4th day of school.  Our district started late this year not because of this crazy Covid thing, but because LAST year a referendum was passed to do some much needed upgrades in all the schools [all the buildings need re-roofing and had ventilation issues].  All the work was to be done over the summer and finished by the 14th.  It still isn't finished and I'm NOT blaming lazy construction people.  I'm blaming Covid that shut down so many things so that parts and pieces weren't available and still aren't in some cases.  All of the school EXCEPT the high school are finished.  What does this mean?  All schools are virtual (with the exception of pre-k, k and 1st which go in for 4 hours 2 days a week), but all the teachers (with the exception of the high school) are in the classroom.  The high school teachers teach from home.  That might sound easier and you might wonder why all the teachers don't want to do this.  Maybe some do, but

 I thought my husband, my son and I would be away this weekend.  Back in January I thought we might travel to Canada this weekend or maybe Key West.  Well, obviously that didn't happen.  I thought maybe we would do a closer get away, but that didn't happen.  So here I am in front of a computer instead and thinking about 24 years ago.  And it's kind of funny/interesting what still stands out in my mind: Wearing hot sticks in my hair for hours (even after they had gone cold).  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google...how 1990s was that?  I don't have them anymore.  Maybe I should? Wearing a crappy t shirt and shorts during the day.  I distinctly remember the t shirt being large and yellow Picking up my maid of honor at the Bay Head train station.  She had a new car and would not drive down to the shore. My dad who had broken apart cardboard boxes and used the piece to make signs that he would place along the highway

It was a sunny Tuesday morning It was a sunny Tuesday morning seemingly everywhere There must have been a black cloud in some part of the country There must have been a place where the skies were dark and gray and ominous But it was a sunny day Sky so blue A few puffy white clouds Sun shining so bright Warm, but not hot So perfect Somewhere it must have been not so perfect But in my mind it was always perfect  There had been rainy days before There would be clouds later There would be rainy days after and a tropical storm But that Tuesday morning was sunny Full of anticipation On vacation, excited to start the day It was a special day Raising the flag on the top of the resort; an honor Then a wild breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Cafe Where there would be laughter and fun Before taking a boat ride to the park It was such a beautiful day Until it wasn't Until it was incomprehensible Un-understandable Impossible Improbable Inconceivable Yet reality Unreal reality Nearly two decades

  I try not to be one to toot my own horn (which is one of the things that makes me a loser), but I am proudly saying today that I am a loser.  I'm not talking Weight Watchers loser (that would be nice, but...).  I'm talking loser loser. I can proudly say that I come from a long line of losers.  My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.  My relatives served in the military.  I so love these losers that I named my son after one of them.  (Guess that makes my son a loser too.)  I don't like to talk about politics (does anyone these days?), but I admire some losers who were/are Republicans and Democrats (you could probably thrown in some Whigs and Federalists in there too).  I am a loser because I don't have much money.  I have enough to get by (for the most part), survive and sometimes even thrive.  But I don't have trillions or even billions.  (Is millions even worth mentioning?)  I write this blog but don't have thousands of readers (or even hundr

  I lied. Remember how I said the third time is the charm for the Frigidaire A/C unit?  I lied. Well maybe not exactly.  The 3rd unit works as advertised.  It has the Wi-Fi setting.  If you ask Alexa to turn on the unit; she does.  And the unit is incredibly quiet.  Amazingly quiet.  I almost couldn't tell that the unit was on.  Yes, that's how amazingly quiet it is. And then... You knew there had to be an "and then" moment right? It makes this noise.  In the middle of all the quiet the sound starts.  The room is cool and the compressor is on and all is quiet, but then...(this is where the Jaws   soundtrack should come in.) It starts off  like a bike is coming down the road with a playing card in its spokes.  I hope someone is out there that actually remembers doing this and/or remembers the nose it makes.  It's a clicking sound. It starts out kind of soft.  Just barely noticeable.  And then it gets louder.  The compressor shuts off and then it gets REALLY loud. 

 With the arrival of Labor Day weekend, tradition says that summer is unofficially over.  Time to put away the white shoes and bring on the pumpkin spice and Halloween Candy.  Of course this hasn't been at all a traditional summer.  This hasn't been a "normal" year.  But that doesn't mean I shouldn't look back and remember what I did this summer... What DID I do this summer?  Besides eat too much (yes, I've gained a few pounds) and drink too much (three visits to Total Wine and More this summer?), I've done a lot of walking and exploring neighborhoods outside of my town.  But what else have I done?  Thanks to Google Photos and Maps, even when my memory fails, I can remember what I did this summer (besides spending countless hours in the home office on the computer listening to construction next door).  Here are a few highlights: School let out on June 19th.  My son spent a lot of time gardening (sadly we didn't get much from the cucumber or tomato

 This morning I was finally able to get out and walk.  I was out on Monday, but Tuesday and Wednesday it was raining.  I kept checking every half hour until it was time for me to "get ready" for work.  How ready am I really getting when I'm just walking into my home office and turning on a computer?  Well I like to be "dressed" and have a cup of coffee by  CBS This Morning  before I actually settle down to work.  So my "deadline" is 6:58 so I catch Your World in 90 Seconds and then boot up the computer while still keeping my eye on Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil. If there's something urgent that I've missed from the night before, then I get to work; otherwise, I'm all  CBS This Morning  until 8.  (I can't miss my What to Watch with Vlad Duthiers at 7:48 and I'll admit if things are slow at "the office" I'll keep watching until after the 8:30 Talk of the Table.  Do I seem a little obsessed with  CBS This Mo

  I pledge allegiance To the flag As we work towards becoming the UNITED States of America And to the Republic For which we need it to stand May we become one nation Indivisible With Liberty and Justice for ALL   This is a pledge I can make.  I am not trying to "diss" our country or destroy what was written over a century ago and has already been revised twice:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/08/dont-fly-itdont-pledge-itdont-sing-it.html.  What I see now, right now is not a UNITED states.  I do not see us as being indivisible.  I do not see liberty and justice prevailing for all.   I want to.  And I've been thinking about this a lot recently.  (You can probably tell, right?) When we pledge our allegiance to the flag, a symbol of our nation, those words need to mean something.  We need to make them real and true.  When they are not, we need to do something about it.  We need to WORK to make the pledge honest. I want us to become UNITED.  That's not just some

  We have entered September.  The only reason I know that is because the calendar tells me so.  It doesn't feel like September.  I don't know what it feels like. Usually September feels fresh and exciting.  When I wasn't a mom (or when my son wasn't in school), it often meant a trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate our anniversary.  I miss those trips and relish those memories of fun, friends and things generally being much simpler.  As a mom with a child in school, September meant gearing up with supplies (and how I used to be so vigilant in supply shopping), checking out teachers and expectations.  I always had a plan. This year I have no plan.  How can I?  How can anyone? There was supposed to be a plan.  School in my town doesn't start this week or next, but the week after.  This is due to construction on all the schools in town and so initially I had thought with a mid-September opening we could do a September vacation, when traditionally travel crowds are low