Back To School

Back To School

It is that time of the year when schools are beginning again after the summer break. Some schools will start shortly and others have already begun.  Today I will take a look at the good and the bad of back to school.  I wrote about back to school memories in 2012 as well, click here to read what I had to say.

The good:

• Traffic gets better with fewer people on the road during morning and afternoon rush hour.
• High School football games offer a fun way to spend a Friday night.
• Child care expenses are greatly reduced. Having nearby relatives has substantial benefits.
• Going shopping for some new clothes. I typically wore jeans and T-shirts in high school but was made to dress up in elementary school.  Getting bell bottoms was a big deal.
• Seeing your friends again on a regular basis. Things might be different in today’s connected world.  We did not have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype/Face Time, cell phones or the internet when I was in school.
• Having your mind filled with knowledge and to continue your lifelong journey of learning. (I am sort of serious)

The bad:

• For the kids, it is the homework, getting up early and the lousy slop that they call pizza at the cafeteria.
• Finding out that you have a first period gym class or worse a challenging subject like calculus or physics.  After the summer off and sleeping in you don’t want to tax your body or your brain that early.
• The drama associated with the bus ride for the elementary school kids. On top of that, it seemed like every year I would get on the bus first in the morning and be the last to be dropped off in the afternoon.  Spending 45 minutes on a bus is no fun.
• Traffic gets worse during the morning and afternoon rush hour.
• For the parents the running kids to various school related activities.
• For the parents they also have to deal with homework every night making sure the assignments get done. I personally think they assign too much homework these days.
• For parents taking a hit to the budget to get clothes for the new school year can be a shock.

I hope this brings back some memories for you and I hope that back to school is mostly a good thing for you. Have a great week.

Answers Please

I Need Answers

• Why is it that when the fan on your car is in the off position it stills blows cold or hot air on you?  It never used to be that way.   Is this an example of better technology?
• Why is coffee at most restaurants served just below the boiling point?
• Why does it seem like “certain restrictions” apply to everything?
• Why is the self-serve tub of ketchup usually empty at fast food restaurants?
• Why do they call chicken nuggets, chicken?  They should be called imitation, pasteurized, substitute chicken product in nugget form.  Aren’t they made of 58% newspaper and the rest is equal parts animal by-product, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, saw dust, water, yellow dye #32 and high-octane lighter fluid?
• Does anyone else think that Comedian Jim Gaffigan has made almost as much from hot pockets as the hot pocket company did?
• Is virtual reality for people who can’t handle reality?  It seems to me that it is an exercise in fooling oneself.  Are we a world of fools?
• I will answer this one myself — Pokemon Go?  NO!
• Does anyone else miss full service gas stations besides me?
• Does time move slower from Monday night to Thursday morning than it does from Friday night to Monday morning?

I hope I can get my questions answered and I hope you get your questions answered as well.  Have a great week.

 

Honda CR-V Review – One Year Later

He Likes Me; He Really Likes Me

Last year I purchased a Honda CR-V and wrote a review after 3 months of use. I spoke of some negatives and after driving it for one year I can say that the biggest problem that remains is the lack of automatic headlights. The other problems I spoke of turned out to not be that big of a deal. They were the lack of true intermittent wipers and a dash-board display of tire pressure.

The positives noted in the initial review still ring true and it drives well with little body roll and the engine and drive train provide great acceleration or throttle response. The lack of XM satellite on a base model still aggravates me but we bought an aftermarket option that is adequate.  It was installed by the retailer in a poor location on the dash and the antenna frequently disconnects and has to be fixed by jiggling the connection. This is more than mildly irritating.  If the installation was better perhaps this would be fine.  As it is we are satisfied but not overjoyed with radio.

The fuel economy is astounding and we could not be happier. It gets about 30 MPG around town and about 36 on the highway.   We have not had to do any repairs and the only money spent on it has been routine oil changes.  We thought about buying an aftermarket rear compartment cover to hide anything stored back there but after a year the need seems less important. The cost is only about $100 but we never seriously pursued it after initially thinking we might.

The bottom line is; I rate this purchase a 94 out of 100 and would recommend it to anyone in the SUV market.  Happy motoring.

Tennessee Vacation

7 states on a clear day

This summer I was fortunate to take a couple mini vacations.  In June I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to check out the mountains and enjoy the wildlife.  I avoided nearby Pigeon Forge and all the tourist attractions.  I did see a black bear and several deer and even a turtle that was crossing the road as I toured the Smokey Mountain National Park.  I visited a farm that was founded in the early 1800’s by rugged pioneers.  This place was remote even in 2016; I can’t imagine what it was like then!  I cooked some juicy steaks on the grill and enjoyed a swim.  It was in the mid 90’s even at the higher elevation so a dip in the pool was quite refreshing.

About a week later my wife and I spent a long weekend outside of Chattanooga at a bed and breakfast.  We visited Rock City which was nearby and spent an evening in downtown Chattanooga checking out the local scene and stopped in at a wine bar to escape the nearly 100 degree temperatures.  We also checked out the Riverwalk and an outdoor flea market by the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga football stadium.  We browsed local produce, arts and crafts and had to buy some kettle corn that was made as we watched.

After the flea market we had lunch at a BBQ restaurant and headed back to the B & B to check out the pool.  They served locally roasted coffee all day long and I enjoyed some with my frequent snacks that were also served in the afternoons and evenings.  The breakfast offerings were very good with a breakfast burrito one day and Belgian waffles the next.  Again I enjoyed the coffee to wash it down.

On Sunday night we decided to travel about 30 minutes west of town and have dinner at a local winery that overlooked the Tennessee River. The wines were made from California grown grapes but were made, bottled and aged on site.   We sampled a flight of their offerings and had dinner there.  They had a wood fired oven that made a very tasty pizza.  You can’t beat pizza, wine and a terrific view on an outdoor balcony to end the day.  We took home a bottle of wine to enjoy and remember our trip.

It had been a long time since I had a chance to get away and relax.  I recommend it!  If you can’t get away before summer ends, try a fall excursion to view the colorful leaves as they reach their peak in you area.  Have a great week.

Tennessee River