His full name is James Riddle Hoffa. But everyone knew him as Jimmy. A labor leader who thrived in the rough and tumble world of union organizing, of contracts, and picket lines ... and of standing up for workers right no matter what. When he disappeared it was front-page news. But how many imagined we'd still be talking about that moment 50 years later with the basic question of "what happened?" still unanswered.
The day he disappeared — July 30, 1975 — Hoffa was 62 years old. By then he was a former Teamsters president — released from federal prison where he served time for bribery and focused on reclaiming his place atop the union. He pursued this goal while fully aware of his ongoing status as both a legendary figure in U.S. labor history and in American pop culture.
The end of August marks the end of the Route 519 bus service downtown, except for one run leaving Voorheesville at 7 AM and departing downtown at 4:15 PM. I have ridden that bus for decades, and while it was paused during the pandemic, I was mostly working from home during that time period. Service levels have fluctuated over the years, and while this service always was a money loser for authority often requiring double-digit dollar subsidies by the Authority, they always had at least some service from the Park and Ride that got you in before 9 AM and left downtown at 5 PM.
Things have changed over the years. Some long-time riders tossed in their hat during the pandemic in favor of retirement. Many others either started to work remote or hybrid, where they would ride part time. Demand for service beyond the Park and Ride always was light, especially for the later trips. But the bus still had a loyal following, though rarely was it packed. I started to ride a lot less when I mountain bike, which I prefer to take to work on nice days. It takes about as much time to ride back and forth as the shuttle bus plus the transfer to express bus, but I get exercise and fresh air that I don’t have to do later in the day.
Damn, I liked taking the Express Bus, especially now that I work in the suburban office 9 to 5 pm. It was a good option for me, though occasionally in the evenings I would miss the shuttle transfer to the express, and be forced to take the local, sometimes missing the earlier local too. But it was fine, I would walk laps on the Plaza and if I got home late, whatever, as usually it was bitterly cold or wet days that I wasn’t riding the bus. Now I got to figure out what is next for me – do I move somewhere closer to work, do I take the local bus and transfer the shuttle to work, do I drive in more? Or do I just take that really early express bus in and walk laps in Plaza – as days I’m not riding – are likely shit weather for riding or biking after hours.
Truth is I don’t like the alternative of driving to work, even with the suburban office with acres of parking. It might be the fastest way to get to and from work, but as I was riding express bus in this morning, traffic sucks. Not only do you have cops at every street corner taking pictures and monitoring your speed, you have to pay attention to traffic and hope nobody bumps you from the rear-end. The roads are icy-salt encrusted hell holes all winter long. I think one of reasons I’ve resisted moving is the convenience of being able to bus it to work over the past two decades.
Maybe I should seriously consider moving to Menands or North Albany, where I could either walk or take a quick bus trip to work. Truth is I don’t want to move to city though. I like Delmar. It’s going to be such an enormous pain to be taking the local bus back and forth downtown and transferring to the shuttle, even if it doesn’t add all that much more time to my commute. Or maybe it’s the sign I should look harder for a house or homestead – land out in country rather then stay put in my dilapidated apartment. I can still ride in most days through the autumn, both directions, but come time change, I’ll need the bus to get home. And even that’s going to be difficult with the local schedule and reduced service of recent years.
Summer vacation would be winding down had I left last Friday on schedule and been up there this week. The first half of the week would have been hot but nice by the pool, with fiery red sunsets with the wildfire smoke. Weeks go by so quickly, and I’m not sure if it would have been a meaningful week, especially as I’ve done so many trips out to the Fingers Lakes before, and the reserve of new places to explore and things to do is relatively limited. Plus who knows how much fun it would be with my anxious mind on vacation.
I have not canceled my summer vacation, I am just postponing it to later in August at this point. I still think I will go, assuming my old truck is up to it. Yet, I’m hardly excited about it, it’s more of an excuse to use up vacation time that I will otherwise loose if I don’t take those days off. It’s fine, but I am still more focused on my trip out to Michigan next year.
I think maybe a lot of my confusion was the intense humidity, the rainy weekends and the troubles with my truck, imagined or otherwise. I wish I had gone out to Schoharie that two weeks ago when I had my freak out about the wheel bearing and then headed out to the Finger Lakes last Friday, but alas if that had been the case vacation would be starting to wind down on this rainy day, but instead I have to look forward to the future.
Busing it in on this rainy Thursday. ☔ There is a chance of rain on the ride in and probably certain rain by evening. I learned this morning that come the end of August they’re eliminating all but one express bus 🚍 downtown. That sucks for the days I’m not riding my bike in. I guess I can catch the 7:15 express bus downtown on days I’m up early and want to walk laps on the Plaza but the alternative is taking the local in or driving. And no more express bus. See what happens when you ride your bike in and vote for Trump, they take away your bus. Shit sucks. Might have to drive in more, as taking the local is so inconvenient, but I hate driving. That or rent or buy something closer to work. Or maybe actually buy land out in the country. When I don’t have a big jacked up truck, commuting wouldn’t be so bad.
I am ready for the heat and humidity to break. It’s been gross, I’ve been noticing the mildew creeping back up in my kitchen and bathroom but it’s been so hot I’ve not wanted to deal with it. Fruit flies too in the kitchen, I thought it was the compost which might be some of it, but I emptied that last week and it’s a seal container, so I took our the burnables yesterday. Need to now have a good fire to get rid of them. Honestly, I should clean out things better before tossing them but who cares if they ultimately going to use them for starting fires.
Tomorrow I am going to open up what will hopefully be my final bottle of contact solution. 👁 When that one is done and I have my LASIK done, it’s not going in with the regular trash but I’m going to save it to watch it burn and celebrate no more itchy eyes or struggling with contacts up at camp or any other morning. This morning my eyes aren’t irritated – I have a lot of issues on rainy, humid days for some reason with bacteria on my lens and in my eyes, but so often it happens. September 26th in that sense can’t come quick enough for the big snip. But actually due to the the period of having to not wear contacts to avoid irritation, I think the last day for contacts is September 23rd. Only 54 days remain.
Truth is that I am more in love with the future 😍 then in the present, maybe because reality is something less what the dream of future should be. Whether it’s the shiny new pickup truck which will quickly attract million stone dings and mechanical breakdowns, or shoveling hog shit in the heat and breaking ice in water troughs in winter or dealing with broke down solar equipment as I struggle to stay warm next to woodstove, somehow reality never works out like the dream. Apparently the advertisers have decided to tag me with Lemon Law 🍋 claims advertisements, even though I haven’t yet even bought a new pickup truck. But the dreams are never like, they’re all about how wonderful the future will be.
I started to look more at Facebook Dating. I think it would be fun to meet some new people. Of course it seems like Facebook is suggesting mostly people with goats and cows in their profile picture. Go figure. I wonder why, maybe it’s the pages I follow. Seriously though I’d probably dig a country girl or some guys to hang out with. I think it would be fun to meet up with people who share my interests, and aren’t about celebrating nasty fake plastic stuff like so much of society is about today, with the woke being like, dude don’t you recycle.
But first to get through this weekend. I haven’t taken off Monday yet but that’s the plan once I confirm the weather is going to be good. It would be good to get some pool and floating time in this weekend, and finally get back up to the woods. Big Red is fine, and getting away would be so good for my mind. Saturday looks to be cool but beautiful which would be great for hiking. The suspension will be a bit loose, and may always be a bit loose though things will improve after vacation on September 2nd when they replace the shock bushing. Then move forward. Next spring I’ll have a new truck and be getting ready for the great Michigan trip out west.
When I finally get myself together I’m going to get down in that sunny southern weather And I’ll find a place inside to laugh Separate the wheat from the chaff I feel like I owe it To someone, yeah
– David Crosby, Almost Cut My Hair
When you fall off the horse, 🐴 you got to climb back on move forward. I really need to try to get away this weekend and enjoy it, and try to escape the cycle of paranoia, delusions and anxiety. 🧠 It actually looks like a nice weekend, while things are unlikely to be perfect, summer is rapidly fading away 🏊 and I’d like to get out to Mine Kill to swim at least once before the summer is done. And if I can make it through this weekend, I am going to be much better shape for summer vacation starting on around August 20. Loosing a lot of daylight in evening, 🌇 but I want to wait to until race weekend is over before heading to Watkins Glen. 🏎️ Still thinking of leaving early on Saturday morning, and starting out the day hiking back to Diamond Notch Falls.
Lately I just feel so sick 🤮 especially in the morning. I am exhausted, achy and just sensetive to everything that seems to be chewing at my brain 🧠 like mice chew on wires. 🚲 I ride my bike into work and that the exercise helps, though yesterday I was freaking out about what sounded like a death creak to the bike. I think it was due to the heat and lack of lubrication on one of those peddles. Stopped at Hannaford at the way home, got frozen blueberries, fresh bananas, milk and onions and made it home. 🍌 Milk didn’t spoil on the ride home nor due the blueberries all melt, despite the heat. 😰 After dinner and greasing things up on the bike, I rode out to Five Rivers with no unusual noises, and read more of Back to Basics, finishing up several chapters on alternative building techniques for a homestead. 🐐 Already the days are getting so much shorter, but once the sun set it was so much cooler, and the ride home last night was so delightful.
It seems like lately things have been so noisy with cars roaring back and forth, 🚨 sirens, trash cans being slammed, motorcycles as I get up every morning. 👂 I don’t if it’s my all in my head but things lately have gotten so much more noisy in the mornings around here. Maybe it’s the stress. I’ve considered seeing if I can go back and visit with my Licensed Mental Health Counselor, it’s been a few years since I’ve been meaning to reschedule that appointment, 🧑⚕️ but I was so ticked off how much he dismissed my use of the word redneck or how he seemed to view my dreams of building that off-grid homestead as either being quite alarming, or in his mind, okay if it’s just a few woke solar panels ☀️ on a suburban ranch home covered with plastic. Damn it, I’m not talking about living under a bridge or a vinyl suburban house with woke solar. I get where he’s coming in saying I should rachet down my thoughts about burn barrels and freedom to burn shit, they’re kind of silly when his other government clients for County Probation Office are murders and rapists. Oh, so you want to live out in country, have hogs, cows and burn your trash? 🐽 🔥 You’re just a fire-bug hillibilly not a terrible rapist. That said It would be good, as most of the problems on my aged truck are in my head. I do have regular yearly doctor physical next Wednesday at 9 AM.
I think I am going to see if I can order one of those Big Red Bottle Jack pumps that Tractor Supply sells 🚜 but is like cheaper on Amazon. While I don’t necessarily need to lift ten tons, that size has the maximum extension ability which means I can easily lift the truck for tire changes, even if I don’t need that much weight. Figure it’s a tool I can use for many purposes even after Big Red is retired next year. I want to make sure I have an emergency jack before I head out to woods. 🛻 I was looking at Big Red and I’m going to miss him when his retirement comes, but I’m also seeing his age, the fact that the lift kit installer is no longer around locally, and the alternative shop that does repairs on those parts as being not regularly avaliable as reasons to look at his replacement. It’s fine. It will be like those many people who regret junking their worn out 1960s Mustangs and GTOs in the mid seventies as the fuel crisis was all around and the cars were beat regardless. ⛽ I want to pretend that getting a new truck next year all things will be perfect, but even new models creak and grone, have stupid things like stone damage from flying gravel and are a magnet for every other driver to slam into on the highway. 💥 But the trip to Northern Michigan next year will be great, that’s really what I care about. Something new and different to explore. I am so tired of always seeing the same places, year after year. 📸
It’s been gross, I’ve been noticing the mildew creeping back up in my kitchen and bathroom but it’s been so hot I’ve not wanted to deal with it. Fruit flies too in the kitchen, I thought it was the compost 
which might be some of it, but I emptied that last week and it’s a seal container, so I took our the burnables yesterday. 
Need to now have a good fire to get rid of them. Honestly, I should clean out things better before tossing them but who cares if they ultimately going to use them for starting fires.
This morning my eyes aren’t irritated – I have a lot of issues on rainy, humid days for some reason with bacteria on my lens and in my eyes, but so often it happens. September 26th in that sense can’t come quick enough for the big snip. But actually due to the the period of having to not wear contacts to avoid irritation, I think the last day for contacts is September 23rd. Only 54 days remain.
and breaking ice in water troughs in winter or dealing with broke down solar equipment as I struggle to stay warm next to woodstove, somehow reality never works out like the dream. Apparently the advertisers have decided to tag me with Lemon Law 🍋 claims advertisements, even though I haven’t yet even bought a new pickup truck. But the dreams are never like, they’re all about how wonderful the future will be.
I think it would be fun to meet some new people. Of course it seems like Facebook is suggesting mostly people with goats and cows in their profile picture. Go figure. I wonder why, maybe it’s the pages I follow. Seriously though I’d probably dig a country girl or some guys to hang out with. 
I think it would be fun to meet up with people who share my interests, and aren’t about celebrating nasty fake plastic stuff like so much of society is about today, with the woke being like, dude don’t you recycle. 
I haven’t taken off Monday yet but that’s the plan once I confirm the weather is going to be good. It would be good to get some pool and floating time in this weekend, and finally get back up to the woods. 
Big Red is fine, and getting away would be so good for my mind. Saturday looks to be cool but beautiful which would be great for hiking. 
The suspension will be a bit loose, and may always be a bit loose though things will improve after vacation on September 2nd when they replace the shock bushing. Then move forward. Next spring I’ll have a new truck and be getting ready for the great Michigan trip out west.
