I had been to the carwash last week after a lapse of several months and noticed several changes. The first was that prices were lower. The regular wash was $7 ( it used to be $ 10) and the most expensive, the De Luxe was $ 10 ( it used to be $ 14). Also, [...]
Archive for the ‘American Scene’ Category
The Shape of Things to Come
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Thoughts on July 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
June 19th–The Happiest Day of the Year
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Life, Random, Thoughts on June 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
June 19th was the happiest day of the year for the British, according to Dr. Cliff Arnall, a lecturerer at Cardiff University.Dr. Arnall , a 44-year old psychologist, thinks that British spirits will have been boosted by the sunny start to summer, the longest days of the year, the nearing of payday – and optimism that [...]
The End of Newspapers
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Thoughts on June 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Last week I canceled my newspaper subscription. It was a momentous step for me because I’d been reading newspapers for the better part of 60 years.Like most people , I started out reading the funnies as a kid, then expanded my interests to the sports page before finally reading the rest of the news. Of [...]
The Joy and Pleasure of a Commencement
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Life, Observations, Random on May 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I have been away in California for awhile and so did not post for almost two weeks. We spent three days with family in Los Angeles and then went up the coast to Santa Barbara , Solvang, Big Sur and Monterey before striking out across the Central Valley to Yosemite National Park. A wonderful, wonderful trip [...]
Too Much Choice is Bad
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Observations, Random on May 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, I was at the supermarket to pick up a loaf of bread and found myself there just as the shelves were being restocked. As I watched , the man from the bakery arranged loaves of 7-Grain , 12–grain , Double fiber, Oatmeal Bran, Whole Wheat, Health Nut,Pumpernickel, Potato, Country White, White, and Rye ( [...]
Recession Survival Tips from Ireland
Posted in American Scene, Culture, Daily Life, Life, Thoughts on April 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Ireland has a relatively low national debt but with the 2009 deficit projected at about 10% of it’s GDP, there will be some tough times ahead.Consequently, the financial regulator for Ireland has some tips for it’s citizens on how to survive the recession. Here are some of them which he estimates could result in savings [...]
Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey
Posted in American Scene, books on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Back in 1982, William Least Heat Moon ,jobless and newly divorced , fitted his camper with a bunk bed and set out to explore America, Sticking to the backroads , meeting interesting people and listening to their stories, he distilled his experiences into his first book, Blue Highways, which became an instant best seller. I [...]
The Shrinking Family
Posted in American Scene, Culture, Life on March 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Recently, in response to viewer requests, food shows on Japanese TV ,cut down the size of the meals they showed being prepared. Previously they used to prepare meals for four; now they prepare meals for two since that is closer to the size of most Japanese households. More and more Japanese are opting to marry [...]
How Many People Will You Meet In your Lifetime ?
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Life, Thoughts on March 15, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Long car journeys can be a mind numbing experience when one is driving alone. Some time ago,the author William Leat Heat Moon was driving across North Dakota and he needed to find a way to keep awake. At such times , one way to keep from dozing off is to think up an interesting question. [...]
Random Thoughts While Shoveling Snow
Posted in American Scene, Daily Life, Random, Thoughts on March 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The late winter storm that roared through New Jersey over the weekend dumped some 6 inches of snow on us and I was out shoveling the sidewalk yesterday. It was windy but not cold and I found myself enjoying the activity,getting into a rhythm . As I shoveled , I noticed that one of my [...]
