Change is Certain

There is the assumption in the popular culture that the good times will go on forever — low unemployment, cheap gasoline — and that our parks and highways will remain crowded. But that assumption is dangerously foolish.

Everybody knows that the next recession is around the corner, and that only one big upset in the Middle East could put world oil markets into a tailspin. We could have gas lines or prices over $5 a gallon in six months.

We really don’t know. The economy is white hot right now, and gasoline is super cheap, but just because things are really good now, doesn’t mean things won’t change.

July 31, 2017 Evening

Good evening! Partly sunny and 86 degrees in City of Albany. There is a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph. The dew point is 60 degrees. Really a pretty nice evening but the humidity will creep up as bedtime approaches. 

Today wasn’t a bad first day back at work. Not much changed over vacation, and it’s kind of nice to be back in the routine of things. The office picnic is tomorrow so it should be a nice day. I am still unsure if I will be able to get out of the driveway where I live though because they are in the process of repaving it and my landlord doesn’t want me driving on it until it’s well dried. 

The sun will set at 8:15 pm with dusk around 8:47 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly clear conditions and 78 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon. The Full Moon is next Monday with a chance of t-storms then mostly cloudy skies. The sun will rise at 5:46 am with the first light at 5:15 am, which is one minute and one second later than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 32 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 11 seconds over last night.

Later on we will have patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8pm. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm late. In 2016, we had rain. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1964.

Cool this weekend and maybe not do nice on Saturday. Saturday, showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 57 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

I think based on the current forecast I will stay in town this weekend but might go out to some place like Partridge Run on Sunday. If it’s not a complete washout Saturday evening maybe down to the Hudson River and will toss out a line and do some reading. I guess a quiet weekend would be nice for a change. That said, summer is disappearing fast. 

In four weeks on August 28 the sun will be setting at 7:35 pm, which is 40 minutes and 41 seconds earlier then today. In 2016 on that day, we had shallow fog, patches of fog, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 88 and 64 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 78 and 58 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1948.

Looking ahead, Strugeon Moon is Next Monday, 7:30 PM Sunset is in 1 month, Labor Day is in 5 weeks, September 11th is in 6 weeks, More Night Then Day in Albany is in 8 weeks, Columbus Day is in 10 weeks, Christmas is in 21 weeks, New Years Eve is in 5 months, January 1, 2018 is in 22 weeks and 35th Birthday is in 26 weeks.

Who Ate Republicans’ Brains?

Who Ate Republicans’ Brains?

"When the tweeter-in-chief castigated Senate Republicans as β€œtotal quitters” for failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, they showed zombie-like relentlessness in their determination to take health care away from millions of Americans, shambling forward despite devastating analyses by the Congressional Budget Office, denunciations of their plans by every major medical group, and overwhelming public disapproval."