Bfth's Boring Blog

  Please note, I have just downed a large  Not-So-Basic Pumpkin Spice Latte  which while not completely responsible for any craziness in this post, will fuel it.  Ready? It's the last day of September.  It's the last September that my son will be in our public school system.  His senior year is blazing along and I am freaking out.  I'm trying not to, but I'm failing miserably.  There's so much to do and decide.  Mostly that's on my son's plate (should that be platter?) and knowing that freaks me out! Let's start with something basic; the senior portraits.  My son's photos were taken on the last scheduled day and we got the proofs electronically last Friday.  (While we were on the road to Syracuse.)  As soon as I could, I was looking at them and trying to figure out what to do.  There are 12 poses (including a couple in cap and gown) and there were only 2 that I really didn't like.  I couldn't pick just one (because how can you NOT get a cap a

  Dear Mom, Over the weekend, we made our first visits to college campuses since you passed away.  Visiting two campuses (one on Friday and one on Saturday) in the same vicinity made sense as they were in (what I believe is considered) central New York; a four hour drive (give or take) each way.  I certainly wasn't going to do the drive twice and the campuses were only about 20 miles from each other, although worlds apart. In the spring, we had visited Marywood University, just outside of Scranton.  I thought it was a good campus and they certainly seemed interested in J.  They had a variety of majors that might fit him (since he is not sure what he wants to do; heck, I'm in my 50s and I'm STILL not sure) and it was a walkable campus.   However, J felt it was too Catholic (think he's being a bit picky here) and didn't like the fact that it was remote from the city.  (What city?  I'm not sure.) In the summer we visited The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).  TCN

  If you've read my previous blog post  (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2022/09/new-weekly-routine.htm l) you know that it's been mandated to "return" to the office.  Only return isn't exactly right because I've never worked in the office that I've been told to return to.  It's been over 2 years since I've had to commute and I've gotten very comfortable with working from home. However, Wednesday was the big day to work in the brand, spanking new office space.  (The space that I toured in April and haven't been to since.)  In order to save money and wear and tear, I'm commuting via bus.  (It's about half the cost of parking, I'm saving on gas and it's slightly less stressful...although still stressful.) I'm a (compulsive) planner when it comes to doing things outside of my comfort zone.  I downloaded the transit app (where you can purchase tickets).  I printed out the bus schedule as well as keeping it on my Google

(Don't look too carefully; I am well aware that I need "Crepe Erase" Paging Jane Seymour!) It's the last Sunday of summer.  And it still feels like summer; mostly.  It's that wonderful time of year when it tends to be cool in the morning and at night, and warm (dare I say hot) during the middle of the day.   Today, September 19th, the last Sunday in the Summer of 2022 was the first day of the summer (of the year) that I put on a bathing suit and went to the beach.   Yes, I went to the beach and not just a quick walk (which I did this morning after I had gotten my Wawa coffee).   I put on a bathing suit, gathered up my beach backpack (with towel, suntan lotion, sunglasses and book), took a beach chair out of the shed and walked the 2+ blocks up to the beach.   I set my chair in the sand (after struggling to open it).   I put my feet in the ocean.   Nothing more; though the water had been calm while I sipped my coffee this morning from a bench up on the dunes lookin

   If you will recall back in April, I made the (uncomfortable) trek down to my company's new office.  (If you missed it just read  this  and/or  this .)  I did what was asked and then went back to working from my "home office" as I have every day since March 13, 2020.  My plan was to keep my mouth shut and just keep doing what I was doing.  (To toot my own horn, I thought I was doing it pretty well.)  No one said anything... There was one email back in the late spring requesting that NYC employees come to the NYC office on a set day and that NJ employees come to the NJ office the following the following day if they could as "the big boss" was coming in.  I was (reluctantly) willing to do that, but as it turned out over the weekend I was exposed two separate times to people who had tested positive Covid.  I didn't think I would get it again, but I also (being the good person that I am) didn't want to expose anyone else.  So I told my boss that I thought

 Twenty six years ago today I got married.  And yes, I am still married.  Sometimes I wonder how we managed to pull it off.  Our years have certainly had their ups and downs.  We've struggled more than I'd like; it seems like there has been more sickness than health and we've definitely skipped over the for richer portion.  Overall though, it's been a pretty good life (Well that's a rousing endorsement.) With that said, I thought today would be a good day to share some memories and "fun facts" about my September 13th (and cheating a bit, the days around it) over the past 26 years! Yes, I was a Friday the 13th.  It was also the eve of Rosh Hashanah, which I didn't know when I reserved the date a year + in advance.  Had I known would I have changed the date?  Probably, but by the time it was brought to my attention, it was just a few months before the wedding, so it was too late.  Biggest regret that as a result Steve's gra

  Dear Mom, It's been two months; nine weeks (tomorrow) and this is so unreal at times.  It's probably weird to write a "letter" (that I'm going to post so anyone and everyone can see), but what the heck. It's a beautiful Friday at the NJ shore.  (Yes, I am here in your house, which is actually my house and I wish the sharks would quit calling and mailing to ask if I'd like to sell.  The answer is no, unless they are willing to pay $20,000,000.  Yes, my asking price has gone up because I'm more annoyed.)  I'm here because M (the caregiver we hired back in December) had to return to Eastern Europe because her husband is having surgery on Monday.  (I don't know his name, but I am saying prayers.)  She arranged for her cousin B to take over and I just wanted to pop in for a day or so to make sure that all is well.  (All is well...or as well as it can be.) It's the perfect time of year in my book.  (Which is why I got married down here 26

  Exactly 12 years ago today his journey started.  Today he starts his first day of the last year of high school.  How did we get here? I remember his first day of Kindergarten mostly because we took photos.  Lots of photos.  Without photos, I remember when we took him up to the elementary school to register him for the fall.  The Principal, who I knew of because of his wonderful reputation and also because he had once been a teacher that my brother had, came out to meet us and talked to my son.  It was such a positive experience.  Although as a mom I was anxious about him going to school when he was on the youngish side (he is a summer baby and cutoff date for entering the school year was Sept 30), I felt good about it. That first day, as the kindergarteners lined up in the auditorium, I knew he was nervous.  But his friend from up the block was in front of him in line.  Two of his friends from pre-school were in his class.  I knew it would be okay as I (along with my husband) wat

 This past Saturday I was at the shore ( NOT at the beach ) at my mother's house.  (I'm going to continue to call it that because that is what it is.  My mother purchased it in 1995 and she loved it.  To me, it will always be her house. To all those sharks who have been circling me with phone calls and mailings about selling it, it's NOT for sale.  My father is quite happy there.  UNLESS you can find someone who is willing to pay at least $15,000,000 [yes you read that right] at which time I MIGHT consider it.  I MIGHT.)  I was going through some drawers (as one often does when you start to clean items out) and came across a large padded shipper that had some photos in it.  There were some that were very old (over 100 years) and some "newer".  Some had some context.  (Like the photo of my great uncle and his freshman basketball team.  He wrote all their names at the bottom and on the back had written some notes as to who had done what or scored.  The only thing I

 Its Labor Day weekend, the (unofficial) end of summer.  I know that summer began on June 21st and will end of September 22nd per the calendar, but in reality summer begins on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (no matter how cold it may be) and ends as the clock turns to 12:01 on the Tuesday morning after Labor Day.  Students are back to school (I know many have started before the Labor Day weekend) and the lifeguards are gone from the Jersey beaches.  (Or at least the beaches that I go to.)  The days will still be warm (even hot), but the summer is gone.  The crowds have gone as has the traffic (hopefully) and we quickly turn to mum and pumpkin spice.  (If you've already done so...shame...it shouldn't be done until AFTER Labor Day.)  The store shelves are full of back to school items and Halloween candy (though let's face it they've been there since July along with the pumpkin spice, gingerbread and sugar cookie creamers).   It may not be official but summer is at an

 We KNOW climate change is a reality.  (And if you don't, then this blog post is probably not for you.  I could make some not so nice remark, but I'm trying [and probably failing] to not be that kind of person.  Please skip this post if you are not concerned with our planet and environment and go on with your day.)  We've seen the heat waves and wild fires in the west and the downpours and flooding in the south on the news.  It's shocking.  It's frightening.  However, if you don't live there, it's just news that comes and goes.  Time passes and we forget; unless we are living it.  (And to those who ARE living it, please know that while I can't fully understand what horrors you are experiencing, I DO pray for you and I AM trying to do what I can to help improve the condition of our planet.) My own lawn is pretty brown.  I thought about watering (unlike many in our town we do not have automatic sprinklers) if only to try and keep the Circada Killer Wasps a