November 28, 2017 8 AM Update

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Mostly sunny and 21 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. I forgot to turn off the heat before leaving home but that’s fine. It will be nice and warm in the evening when I get home.

Today will be sunny, with a high of 46 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal. South wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 1990. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1985.

The sun will set at 4:23 pm with dusk around 4:55 pm, which is 25 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly clear conditions and 45 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 14 mph with gusts up to 25mph. Today will have 9 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 31 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of 42 degrees at 7pm. 14 degrees above normal. South wind 8 to 13 mph. In 2016, we had clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of 3 occurred back in 1875.

Taking the pusher articulated bus downtown, it rides as rough as they all do on the expressway. They were fun and neat to ride at first but they really aren’t that great on high speed roads because they pass through most of the bumps, as the trailer pushes the tractor, which requires a hard suspension.

Other than that its a bright and sunny but cold morning. November is rapidly coming to an end, information about the holiday party is posted in the office. The new phones are working after adjustments, which meant for a while we had no service at work. I also finally set up the voice mail on my phone, apparently it never got set up after I switched to the new phone.Β 

The bus driver stopped the big articulated bus on Elm Ave, to give me a ride part of the way down to the park and ride. That was nice of him, although I wouldn’t mind walking on a nice day like today. There is a bit of haze downtown.

Still thinking about heading out of town this weekend. Maybe back to the Adirondacks. I thought about taking off Monday but that isn’t available. Maybe Friday. I don’t think Friday would be difficult to get off. The forecast has improved for Friday. Then I could get the aluminum bars for building the rack for the solar panel then head up north. I will have to check my time bank and the forecast before deciding for sure.

Still thinking about what kind of soldering supplies I need.Β I am looking at getting a basic Weller WC100 solder station with variable heat output,Β but I might get something more expensive. I want something that will last. But then again, by the time you add in solder, solder wick, specialized wire stripping tools, perf board, and of course kyner wire, things get expensive. I think I just need to bite the bullet and realize that I will be able to build many electronics projects for ongoing use based on these supplies.

Looking ahead, there are 8 weeks until National Pie Day when the sun will be setting at 4:58 pm with dusk at 5:28 pm. On that day in 2017, we had rain, freezing rain, snow, sleet, mist, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 39 and 32 degrees. Sounds like a wonderful winter day. I seem to remember it being more soggy than icy but I don’t know maybe that was the late night where everything turned to ice and it was a sloppy bus ride hike. After a while those winter nights stuck late at work all start to blend together. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 64 back in 1906.

poll

Majority of N.Y. voters support legalizing and taxing pot: poll

"New Yorkers are high on legalizing weed as a cure for the state’s budget woes, a new poll Monday revealed."

"Sixty two percent of New York voters said they supported making marijuana use legal for people 21 and older, with only 28% opposed, according to the poll commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance."

"The poll, conducted by Emerson College, also found that legalizing and taxing marijuana was, by far, the most popular way to erase New York’s looming budget deficit, with 60% of voters supporting it."

"Between 15% and 27% of voters supported other deficit-reducing options, such as increasing sales or income taxes, increasing tolls, or cutting support for public education."

A poison in our island

A poison in our island

"Rising seas caused by climate change are seeping inside a United States nuclear waste dump on a remote and low-lying Pacific atoll, flushing out radioactive substances left behind from some of the world’s largest atomic weapons tests."

Opioid crisis arrives on auto industry’s doorstep

Opioid crisis arrives on auto industry’s doorstep

"Automakers have programs to help workers with addictions and mental-health disorders, but the programs aren't necessarily equipped to handle the long recovery times that opioids require. And workers who fear for their job security are often reluctant to seek help, especially if they've lapsed more than once. Among the efforts to break the cycle of drug abuse is Soberfest, with the ballfields and picnic tables flanked by booths for community organizations such as Odyssey House, Serenity House and the Brighton Center for Recovery, where local native Eminem once checked himself in."

November 27, 2017 Evening

Good evening! Mostly clear and 33 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a northwest breeze at 8 mph. Somehow it felt colder then that today but maybe because I didn’t wear my winter coat. Indeed, later on tonight we might have a bit of a windchill to consider when going out.

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of 18 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 20 at 3am; Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of 6 occurred back in 1951.

Tonight will have a with 65% illuminated.The moon will set tonight at 12:50 am. The Cold Moon is on Sunday night with mostly clear skies. The sun will rise at 7:02 am with the first light at 6:31 am, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 14 hours and 39 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 33 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny, with a high of 46 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Fairly warm and nice for late November. A year ago, we had cloudy skies with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 1990. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1985. Back when I was youngen. 

This being the holiday season, there is virtually no traffic heading home. It’s nice because earlier in November the traffic was so crushing that I was staying late each day to avoid it. 

A picture perfect weekend on tap. Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 45. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 44. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees.

The question is what to do this weekend. Maybe I should head out of town at least one more weekend before it is done. Even the forecast for Friday has approved which makes me think of taking a three day weekend because now the sun sets much too early to head out camping after work and not drive in the pitch black with deer everywhere. Maybe hike another mountain and camp at least one night. The nights in the wilderness are long long now but they are still pretty nice. 

I am still looking at soldering supplies. It’s amazing how quickly the costs add up when you consider the things you need. Maybe something like $70-80. Then again, I can’t complain that much when I will drop that much in fuel on my truck per tank full back when gas was more expensive. It seems like gas has climbed up a bit lately too. 

I need run to Stewart’s and get milk tonight. I always get milk there, and I’ve been doing it for a decade. It’s nice living in the city and having it only two doors down. 

In four weeks on December 25 the sun will be setting at 4:27 pm, which is 3 minutes and 35 seconds later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had drizzle, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 43 and 21 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 33 and 18 degrees. The record high of 66 degrees was set back in 1889.

Looking ahead, Christmas is in 4 weeks, New Years Day 2018 is in 5 weeks, Martin Luther King Day is in 7 weeks, National Hot Sauce Day is in 8 weeks, 35th Birthday is in 9 weeks, Presidents Day is in 12 weeks, Memorial Day is in 26 weeks, Labor Day is in 40 weeks and Columbus Day is in 45 weeks.