FDA requirements for future COVID vaccines could hinder access : Shots โ Health News : NPR
How I use โwokeโ differently then Trump
When I often think of the word โwokeโ, I often use it much more like many people use the word โcrunchyโ. The words are pretty similar in my mind โ about meaningless actions that are mostly a form of public masterbation โ a way to show off oneโs politics and beliefs through meaningless actions.
People who identify as โcrunchyโ are said to prioritize health, wellness, and environmental sustainability in their daily lives. They buy their way into such beliefs, which they live on their sleeves. Indeed, I think the essence of being woke, putting an image of yourself as one who who enguages in mindless consumerism based on ads, only pretending to prioritize health, wellness, and environmental sustainability.
The thing is that just because a label on a package says something is woke, doesnโt mean it is. A label is something you put in the trash, it gets buried or burned on up shortly after consumption. Itโs a pretty meaningless thing. Itโs not to say things like organic food canโt be healthy, or sustainable packaging is a bad thing, but in many cases itโs little more then a label or a brand. Itโs fake. And in my mind, itโs woke โ itโs about taking a stand by buying into advertising that is all fake.
Forest Road 71 Closed for Memorial Day Weekend (Again)
The Green Mountain National Forest Invites Visitors To Recreate Safely This Memorial Day Weekend
Release Date: May 19th, 2025
Contact Information: Ethan Ready (802)-747-6760
Mendon, VT (May 19, 2025) โ Just in time for the long holiday weekend, camp sites on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) will open this Friday May 23rd. The forest offers several recreational opportunities including picnicking, camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, hunting, boating and biking. The National Forest provides Vermonters and visitors with a quality and memorable experience. In the past several weeks employees and partners have been working to prepare campsites and other recreation facilities for the visiting public.
The Forest Service has listed up to date information on road and trail conditions as well as recreation โhot spotsโ on its website and considers the safety and enjoyment of all visitors a top priority. Important status information and office hours are provided below:
Important local site information:
- Moosalamoo Campground โ Currently there is no potable water at the Moosalamoo Campground. People should bring their own water until further notice.
- Lincoln Gap Parking Areas โ This area will undergo reconstruction in July and limited parking will be available for a two to three week period.
- Warren Falls Recreation Site โ Improvements have been made to provide safer access to the lower falls and enhance resource protection.
- Texas Falls Observation Site / Picnic Area โ This site will be closed for an extended period of time over the summer while renovations are being conducted. Please pay close attention to all sign postings.
- Grout Pond Camp Loop Trail โ The trail will undergo reconstruction in May through June. The construction project will impact parking in the lower parking area and visitors will likely see construction equipment traveling between the parking area and Camp Loop. Walk-in campsites remain open for public use.
- Hapgood Pond โ Two pavilions will undergo renovations over Memorial Day weekend and in to early June โ both will be unavailable for reservation at that time. The bathhouse may also be closed early in the season due to ongoing renovations.
- Forest Road 71 โ This road is currently closed due to a culvert washout. Staff are developing a plan to repair the damage as quickly as possible. Dispersed camping on this road, as well as Forest Road 86 and Forest Road 83 will be affected by the closure.
No, you wonโt believe itโs May 20th out there today 

Itโs 46 degrees outside with a strong wind. Sunny but itโs definately not what you would expect for the second half of May when there are many years at this point when itโs in 80s and muggy. But the muggers are in hiding at least fot a while. Maybe theyโre afraid the Trumpster will deport them.
I mean itโs not that cold, says the boy who rides his mountain bike 40 minutes to work in middle of January with the wind roaring and mercury in single digit, but what can I say Iโm a crazy pyromaniac who wants to buy or build that off-grid cabin so I can burn whatever I want whenever.
I was listening to the Boggleheads Guide to Investing on my ride in the other day, and they suggested
one way to save money on your commute was to ride to work versus driving or taking the bus, though Iโm not sure if thatโs true with parts wearing out on bike and bus fares so relatively cheap these days. But you canโt beat the fun and health virtues of riding.
Bike is riding great, though now Iโm back to listening to every noise to see if I can guess what will break next. The brakes are good, but those new pads are noisy when stopping hard, like a city garbage truck, even when I clean them well with the brake clean. Front wheel I trued and the back wheel is good but the tire is getting worn but I should be able to get a few more months out of it. My woke bike riding friend, suggests getting thorn tubes, and says his have lasted for 40,000 miles, though I have my doubts especially for mountain bike tires. I want to have something with decent grip on gravel and the light trail riding I do, though I try to be gentle as I donโt want to wreck another wheel right away.
Need groceries as itโs already been a week since I last shopped so I will bring extra bags
and stop at Hannaford most likely on the way home.
Just need to replenish the fresh fruit and veggies along with some frozen fruits and vegetables.
Do a bigger shop on Thursday or maybe Friday morning before heading up to camp.
Weekend still looks to be cool and maybe fairly cloudy. I still think I want to get away for the weekend,
do some camping, riding, maybe some fishing and just hanging out. I am leaning towards the Green Mountains, though it looks like if I stay farther west, things might be better especially on Friday evening into Saturday. Not going to be a real nice weekend, pretty cold but so be it. Iโll bring the propane heater so I can warm myself as needed and screen tent to avoid the bugs.
I think I will call the Forest Service in Vermont to see if Somerset Road FR 74 is going to be open come the weekend as that would be nice to camp there and ride during the weekend though I suspect the Deerfield River would be mad cold to swim
so Iโm not planning that. Iโve been talking about camping and biking there for a year or so now โ that was the plan last year but the road was closed last Memorial Day.
How I got so hooked on caffeine
As the extreme jitters and heart palpitations got underway last week when I was stressed at work, I realized I really need to cut back on the amount of caffeine Iโm consuming. Itโs part of reason I often wake up in the middle of the night, why I find myself having to poop and pee so much. And I end up dehydrated and can even have cramps despite drinking so much coffee, especially at camp where there is also some beer drinking going on.
For years Iโve had coffee in the morning. Indeed, when I got the percolator that I use on my stove top 10 or 15 years ago, I ended up getting the smaller one as I though the big one was too large. Often even with the small one, I would have left over coffee that I would either reheat or drink cold the next day, especially in the summer heat. I enjoyed a cup or maybe too, but rarely more then that.
Then I got to point in life when I wanted to cut back on calories, and coffee seemed like a low calorie to start oneโs morning without orange juice. It also meant less plastic garbage to burn, or when I buying the concentrated stuff, not having to deal with recycling the metal ends. Coffee seemed like a fairly guilt-free, healthy way to get morning started. Yes, Iโd use a 1/8th or 1/4 cup of skim milk in it, but relatively few calories there, compared to orange juice or milk. I like to have a beverage to wash down breakfast.
Which was fine, but it started my journey down drinking more and more coffee each day. Then with COVID and remote work, I started getting up, especially on days when I would work from camp. I would leave often at 6 or 7 in the morning, to head up early to camp so I could get set up before work hours started. Then I started getting up early, as I found I woke up early and wanted more time to do cooking before work, getting up most days at 5 AM. At that early hour, I was tired, so I turned to more coffee.
For a while when traveling, I started to get those 5-hour energy shots, as a way to get my jolt for driving without having to find so many restrooms along the way. But they were expensive, and a lot of plastic trash I was trying to avoid in my life. Then I discovered Jet Alert caffeine pills. Not only do they give you a good jolt without excessive pissing for road trips, they are a lot of fun to mix with marijuana up at camp, so you have a giggly good time, without falling asleep and feeling so tired while getting high up in wilderness. Cannabis and coffee really can improve your high, if your looking for a europhic experience.
Then I moved up to the suburban office with the free, unlimited coffee provided by the agency. It had been years since I worked in a corporate-style office with free, unlimited coffee, and that was good way to get in another one or two or three cups in each morning, because well my employer was paying for it. And after riding to work, the caffeine started to wear off. Likewise, when I worked up at campaign committee, they also had a steady supply free of Red Bull, Kureig and sometimes just old fashioned drip coffee flowing. I stay away from the Red Bull unless itโs the sugar free stuff, but itโs still more coffee. Some mornings when I want more to get moving, Iโll open up some of those Jet Alert pills. Theyโre so cheap and caffeinated.
Truth is though I need to cut back. I started doing caffeine-free Sundays, choosing to skip making coffee on Sunday mornings for better sleep to start off the work week. I donโt always stay with that now, as it can be miserable for a coffee addict like me, but most mornings I do try to do a few less cups of coffee โ often just one at home and work โ but itโs tough. I also try to drink more water in the morning and a work, to avoid drinking so much coffee. But if itโs keeping me up at night, and giving me severe jitters, I really should be cutting back. But caffeine is fun.
Ossian State Forest Tent Campsite Coordinates
Name | Latitude | Longitude |
Evergreen Pond Area #4 | 42.4936157473577 | -77.8186934480364 |
Evergreen Pond Campsite #3 | 42.4919438356403 | -77.8199174839898 |
Evergreen Pond Campsite #5 | 42.4922785036977 | -77.8181809835003 |
Evergreen Pond Campsite #6 | 42.4917814865806 | -77.8152044285353 |
Northwest Parking Campsite #1 | 42.499259887633 | -77.8342985264745 |
Paradox Pond Campsite #2 | 42.4961789026847 | -77.8212976842221 |