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Category: Local Interest

Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).

“Adulting” Is Hard

“Adulting” Is Hard

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As my daughters are quickly learning and often quoting to me these days, “adulting” is hard.  There are so many interactions to navigate, so many decisions to be made, and so many moving parts of to an adult life.  There’s transportation, work, paying bills, obtaining housing, shopping for groceries, relationships, preparing meals, washing clothes – the list goes on and on. While my daughters think that an old hand like myself makes these daily, weekly, and monthly tasks look easy,…

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The Great American Front Porch – Back in Business for Another Year

The Great American Front Porch – Back in Business for Another Year

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With the return of warmer weather, I spent this past week prepping my front porch for another season of use.  I swept off the winter dust and dirt, washed a window or two, and even cleaned off the porch posts with some soapy water to rid the area of its winter grime and wear.  Then it was off to the shed to retrieve the furniture and cushions, getting them placed just so, followed by the return of my house plants…

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Pet Peeves – The “Old Man” Rant

Pet Peeves – The “Old Man” Rant

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As I grow older, I find that more and more things tend to annoy me when I’m out and about.  I’ve always been sarcastic (which my own daughters now give back to me in spades – I guess they have been paying attention), but it seems to me as if society as a whole has become more impolite, self-centered, and “me”- centric.  Either that or I’m slowly turning into my own father (yikes!).  Here’s what I mean. Let’s start with…

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Spring is Here! (Actually, It’s Been Here for Weeks)

Spring is Here! (Actually, It’s Been Here for Weeks)

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Well, spring “officially” made its annual appearance this past week, but let’s not kid ourselves.  We’ve had a VERY mild winter this year locally, and judging by my flowering cherry trees (which have already bloomed and faded), the landscape has been in full-on regeneration mode for several weeks already.  If this keeps up, old “Punxsutawney Phil” will be greeted by crocuses and daffodils next year on Groundhog Day. I’m sure the local ski resort took a financial beating this year,…

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March Madness is Here!

March Madness is Here!

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The middle of March brings us to the annual NCAA basketball tournaments (both men’s and women’s).  Sixty-four of the nation’s Division 1 schools compete for the title of national champion.  It’s a time of emotional highs, crushing lows, and thrilling basketball action (especially if your favorite team is participating). Part of the annual tournament is the fun (and in some cases, high stakes) of trying to pick the eventual winner of the event.  You’ve probably seen these brackets floating around…

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Is the 40-Hour Onsite Work Week Becoming Extinct?

Is the 40-Hour Onsite Work Week Becoming Extinct?

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There’s been a lot of talk about the working world lately.  Mainly, there are two distinct movements going on – the availability and accessibility of “remote work” and experiments into shorter work weeks (specifically, a 32-hour work as opposed to the “traditional” 40-hour work week). First, there is the growing desire for more and more Americans to have the opportunity for “remote work”.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some jobs where remote work is not an option.  You can’t…

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Where Are All the Bees?

Where Are All the Bees?

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As another spring quickly approaches, there’s one annual arrival that seems to becoming less and less reliable as the seasons pass.  For example, my flowering cherry trees are blooming early this year due to the mild winter, and so far, they are missing one essential component that heralds the arrival of another growing season. I’m talking about bees. Although they strike fear into the heart of young children, teenage girls, and some older men (I’ve seen fellows my age breathlessly…

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Retirement:  The End Is Near!  (At Least For Me)

Retirement:  The End Is Near!  (At Least For Me)

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Retirement. It is the dream we’ll never catch, right?  It’s hard not to read an article about how working adults don’t save enough for their retirement, how much longer they’ll have to work (if they can stop at all), the “gloom and doom” forecast of Social Security and Medicare, or the staggering amounts of accumulated assets pundits say you’ll need to survive (which are grossly inaccurate, by the way).  You get the idea. All my life, I’ve tried to prepare…

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The Oriental Trading Company Catalog 2023 Easter Collection – It’s Comedy Gold

The Oriental Trading Company Catalog 2023 Easter Collection – It’s Comedy Gold

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Yes, it’s my favorite time of year.  The 2023 Oriental Trading Company spring catalog is out, and as always, they have astounded me once again with their weird and wonderful Easter offerings.  If you’ve ever wondered how a company can monetize your faith journey, well then this article is for you.  Here are a few of my personal favorites from this year’s catalog. Cross Slow Rising Scented Squishies Yes, for that ADHD kid in your family, why not have them…

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The Game of Life:  Optimizing for Maximum Fulfillment

The Game of Life:  Optimizing for Maximum Fulfillment

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My brother recently turned me onto a podcast where they interviewed an author by the name of Bill Perkins, who was sharing ideas from his latest book ‘Die with Zero’. To summarize, the author theorizes that in order to get the maximum fulfillment out of life, we need to prioritize and allocate our lives based upon three different buckets:  time, money, and health. Building off of the inevitability that our time on Earth is finite – his gauge is approximately…

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