May 1, 2017 Evening

God evening! Thirty nine weeks until I turn 35. Thunderstorm and 63 degrees in Delmar. There is a south breeze at 13 mph. The dew point is 61 degrees. I was chased in by the rain about 15 minutes ago. 

I went to the Bronx night reception after work at the Egg in Albany, and had lots of delicious food from the Bronx. It was good food and drink but I certainly partook in more than I probably should have. I told myself I was going to cut back on alcohol to save on the calories and protect my liver and gut, so it’s in good shape come the summer. 

Went for my evening walk to stretch my legs and burn some calories. Sat out back for a while with a cold glass of water just waiting for the rain to come in while I watch the thunderstorm flash in the distance. Got chased in by the thunderstorms. 

The thunderstorm so far hasn’t been really severe but it started to rain and had a few heavy bursts that I’m sure is making driving difficult. I made it inside in plenty of time.  But it’s that time of year for thunder and while I don’t like the coming cold weather, I did make it home from my walk before rain and even had time to sit out back for a cold glass of water. 

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between midnight and 1am, then showers likely after 1am. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning. Low of 61 degrees at 6am. 18 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 61 at 7pm. South wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2016, it got down to 44 degrees with periods of rain and drizzle and mist. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1974.

Moon tonight with 43% illuminated. The moon will set around 1:36 am. The First Quarter Moon is on Wednesday night with partly cloudy expected. The Full β€œFlower” Moon is on Wednesday, May 10th. The sun will rise at 5:47 am with the first light at 5:17 am, which is one minute and 22 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 50 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high of 66 degrees at 2pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6am. Southwest wind 8 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had rain, drizzle, mist and a high of 53 degrees. The record high of 88 was set in 2001. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 51 at 6am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 67 degrees.

In four weeks on May 29 (Memorial Day)   the sun will be setting at 8:24 pm, which is 28 minutes and 26 seconds later then today. In 2016 on that day, we had thunderstorm, rain and temperatures between 89 and 68 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 73 and 51 degrees. The record high of 93 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, Memorial Day is in 4 weeks, June 1st is in 1 month, July 1st is in 2 months, Mutts Day is in 13 weeks, August 1st is in 3 months, Strugeon Moon is in 14 weeks, September 1st is in 4 months, Labor Day is in 18 weeks, September 11th is in 19 weeks, More Night Then Day in Albany is in 21 weeks, Columbus Day is in 23 weeks, Christmas is in 34 weeks, January 1, 2018 is in 8 months and 35th Birthday is in 39 weeks. Lots of Monday holidays to look forward too. 

Today marks 25 days until the start of the Memorial Weekend. And four Mondays from now will be Memorial Day. It seemed like it was 10 weeks away, only a few weeks ago. I am definitely thinking Vermont, even though I don’t have a Vermont fishing license, because I had a lot of fun at Branch Pond Road last year — and it’s not so far away. Moose River Plains is great, but it’s a real haul up there, and the black flies tend to be bad this time of year — and it can be quite rainy up there. I’m still thinking that long Independence Day Weekend for the MRP.

I should be pretty prepared for camping I think I want to replace the propane  leaking hose but I can do that at Walmart. I think I will taste the hose again and see if I just had a loose connection. I got the fan I ordered online today, now I just need to open it up and test it. It’s not a real big fan but the reviews said it will push a lot of air in the sometimes stuffy truck cap in mid summer. I’m hoping that the clip will be strong enough so I clamp it on in the cap and it won’t bump around on the rough dirt roads I travel. I’ll experiment with it on this weekend. 

The next step is going to be to just get a decent weekend for camping. It’s spring time so that’s bound to happen sooner than later. It doesn’t look like the wet weather is expected to last more than a week or two and by the end of the month we may have a big warm up. I’m ready for nice summer weather to be here, especially once the black flies are done and the swimming pools and beaches are open again. 

I’m tired. Good night. Sleep well. I hope you are not impacted by the severe weather that is impacting parts of our region. 

How Most New Yorkers View State Government

I think this picture says enough about it. Let's hope the upper floors of this building don't fall in time for me to take this picture. We know the plaza is largely made of disposable materials of the 1960s, intended to be discarded no later then 1975.

Taken on Friday April 29, 2011 at Albany, NY.

What If Climate Scientists Are Guessing Wrong?

What If Climate Scientists Are Guessing Wrong?

"There is, they reckon, about a 10 percent chance of a temperature increase exceeding 6 degrees Celsius, or 11 degrees Fahrenheit. That would be a civilizational catastrophe, orders of magnitude more dangerous than the likely warming scenarios, and potentially on a scale that could threaten human life. Even if the likely scenarios were completely harmless, the far-right tail alone is horrific enough to justify significant steps. After all, they argue, people do not accept a 10 percent likelihood of a fatal car crash or terrorist attack. Wagner and Weitzman are economists well versed in climate science who bolster their case with a rigorous analysis of both science and probability."