January 14, 2026

I cannot get this song out of my head

Don Henley

Seems rather appropriate these days, and brings tears to my eyes

January 14, 2026

Amtrak's USA Rail Pass is now on sale

Regular price is $499, but you can buy it for $250 until January 20. It is good for coach travel only, up to 10 travel segments in 30 days, valid for 120 days after you buy it. I've traveled on a pass before and had a blast. This is the lowest sale price I've seen.

https://www.amtrak.com/tickets/departure-rail-pass.html

January 14, 2026

Amtrak just put their USA rail pass on sale

Regular price is $499, until Jan 20 the price is $250. Restrictions apply. https://www.amtrak.com/tickets/departure-rail-pass.html

I've traveled on a pass before and I find it a fun and very budget friendly way to travel. And at 50% off, it's a steal.

October 10, 2025

ICE Pins Chicago TV News Producer to the Ground, Hauls Her Off in Unmarked Va

"A longtime TV news produced at Chicago-based station WGN on Friday was forcefully pinned to the ground and then hauled off in an unmarked van by masked federal agents.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, WGN producer Debbie Brockman was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a law enforcement action in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood on Friday morning, purportedly on the grounds that she was obstructing their work.

Video of the arrest taken by an onlooker showed ICE agents handcuffing Brockman after they forced her to lie on her stomach. As the agents were detaining her, Brockman told the onlooker her name and asked him to let her employer, WGN, know what had happened to her.

She was then placed into an unmarked silver van and taken away to an unknown location, according to the Tribune."

Story and video at link:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-chicago-wgn-producer

My God, what is happening to my country?

January 12, 2025

Amtrak now has a sale on their USA rail pass

Regular price is $499, now on sale until January 17th, for $299, for travel over the next 120 days. You can book up to 10 different segments, for travel over 30 days, once travel is initiated. Coach class only, no upgrades. You can read about it here:
https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/usa-rail-pass-for-just-299-1-10-1-17-25.88395/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Amtrak/

I usually do this once a year, and it makes for a cost effective ride around the US, with stopovers in interesting places.

November 7, 2024

Happy Birthday, Joni

Your beautiful music has been the soundtrack of my life

July 1, 2024

Pierce County has a program that benefits both low income Seniors and the local farmer's market

Information is here: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/653/Senior-Farmers-Market-Program

If you meet the income and residence criteria, apply and you will receive a card that is good for up to $80 of fresh produce from your local farmer's markets. Fresh local food for us and monetary support for our local farmers. What's not to like? I suspect that this is available in other counties as well. Check the website for your county for information. Hope this helps

March 14, 2024

Repair footage goes missing amid Boeing, Alaska Airlines blowout probe

Source: Scripps News, via WRTV.com

Federal investigators say their investigation is being stymied after footage — that would have shown repair work being made on a door plug of the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that experienced a midair blowout in early January — is now missing.

In a letter from the National Transportation Safety Board addressed to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, federal inspectors say they "still do not know who performed the work to open, reinstall, and close the door plug on the accident aircraft."

The NTSB has not been able to interview the door crew manager who would have overseen the repairs in Renton, Washington because he has been out on medical leave. The agency said they are only seeking to interview workers who did the repairs to learn more about Boeing's safety and quality assurance methods.

The letter said, "NTSB investigators first requested documents that would have contained this information from Boeing on January 9, 2024. Shortly thereafter, we identified the door crew manager and were advised that he was out on medical leave. We requested status updates on February 15, 2024, and February 22, 2024, after which we were advised by his attorney that he would not be able to provide a statement or interview to NTSB due to medical issues"


Read more: https://www.wrtv.com/repair-footage-goes-missing-amid-boeing-alaska-airlines-blowout-probe

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Curiouser and curiouser, especially in light of the recent suicide of the Boeing whistleblower before he could complete his testimony.

February 28, 2024

Dramatic Image Reveals How Much The Sun Has Changed in Two Years

Images from Solar Orbiter have been released that show closeups of the Sun's visible surface, the photosphere as it nears peak of solar activity.

At the beginning of the cycle, at solar minimum in 2019, there was relatively little activity and only a few sunspots. Since then, things have been slowly increasing. The image from February 2021 showed a reasonably quiet Sun but an image taken in October last year shows that things are, dare I say, hotting up!

The maximum of this cycle is expected to occur in 2025 which supports theories that the period of maximum activity could arrive a year earlier.

Understanding the cycle is not just of whimsical scientific interest, it is vital to ensure we minimize damage to ground based and orbiting systems but crucially understand impact on life on Earth.

https://www.sciencealert.com/dramatic-image-reveals-how-much-the-sun-has-changed-in-two-years

Interesting article at the link. Keep your eyes open for aurora borealis sightings!

February 9, 2024

Well, I'm home from the hospital with a story to tell

I awoke at 2:00 Monday morning with the worst stomach ache EVER. It hurt worse than birthing my 8 lb. son. I stayed in bed, waiting for the pain to subside, but it did not. I could barely move and could not get comfortable. Add to that severe nausea, causing me to vomit several times. I had no idea what was wrong, but I suspected maybe food poisoning. It wasn't that. My daughter took me to the hospital in Tacoma, where they did a CT scan and an ultrasound. The doctors determined that it was my gall bladder, and it needed to come out pronto. So, Wednesday morning I had the first surgery of my life. That went well, and the gall bladder is now history, bye bye birdie! I want to publicly thank the exceptional staff of St. Joseph's, from the doctors who made the right call, to the surgeon who removed the offending body part, to the nurses who took good care of me from start to finish, and even the maintenance man who plunged the toilet in my room. My undying respect and admiration for you dedicated health care people goes on and on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!