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Albany Should Implement the Chain Resturant Styrofoam Ban

Remarks I gave to County Executive Dan McCoy on the Chain Restaurant Styrofoam ban at the recent public hearing at the County Office Building….

I encourage County Executive Dan McCoy to promptly approve Local Law “A” which would require large chain restaurants to phase out the use of Styrofoam dishes and plastic forks. I understand previous speakers have raised technical questions about the wording of the language, however I urge you to sign the law at this time. You have 180 days until the law goes into effect, which provides ample time for you to make a Chaptered Amendment and correct any technical issues. Let’s the legislature debate future changes, once we get this good policy as law.styro-in-pond1

 

This currently the law in Suffolk County, population 1.5 million. When I was Mattituck, Long Island, I went to a Dunkin Donuts and got some coffee. The coffee was good, not in a Styrofoam container. There are many chain restaurants in Suffolk County, and none have gone out of business due to the Styrofoam ban. Thanks to competition and competitive markets, none have raised their prices either. Multinational companies simply ate the cost, rather then raising prices. McDonald’s isn’t going to let Burger King beat it in the price game, just over a 2 cent packaging change.

In contrast, Albany County, a small upstate county, population 300,000, should be an easy adjustment to these big chain restaurant establishments. We are just asking chain restaurants to follow the law of Massachusetts, Suffolk County, and many West Coast cities.

Burning the Morning's Garbage Up

Let’s be honest, a ton of Styrofoam cups and containers are tossed out windows from cars. Many folks litter, and a only small portion of that litter gets picked up by volunteers. Sometimes people litter by accident – we all have had the experience when a Styrofoam cup or plastic bag has blown out the open window of our cars. If people are going to litter, let’s make it something that will rot in the woods, or get torn up by a farm tractor and plowed back into the ground, and be mostly harmless.

As a preschooler can tell you, Styrofoam doesn’t biodegrade, but it does it get broken up into small pieces, which are problematic for the environment. It’s bad news, especially it’s mass use in urban environments. We’ve all seen it in our favorite fishing holes, back in woods, and in our parks. Let’s keep our cows from eating it in their feed rations and dying from hardware failure. Let’s ban the most noxious use of this product – as handed out a drive-thus and similar establishments.

Sand Dune, Fence, Landfill

To be clear, nothing in this law regulates small business. Nothing in this law prohibits the private ownership of Styrofoam, there is no confiscation program included in this law. You still have the right to go to Walmart and buy Styrofoam plates if you so choose. This only addresses large chain restaurants, and is a good proposal. If there are technical issues with the drafting of this legislation, you have 180 days until it goes into effect to do a Chaptered Amendment.

As such, please approve this law as soon as possible. – Thank you.

Testimony on the Albany County Local Law “A”.

Land Uses in Mohawk Valley

Today we look at land use in the Mohawk Valley. Here a series of maps along the Mohawk River, showing land use as a quad color image, based on NASS/Landstat data from the region. The images below use the following colors:

  • Red – Developed areas such as cities, highways, and other industrialized or otherwise developed parts.
  • Yellow – Agricultural areas, including all farm crops such as corn, hay, alfalpha, and other truck crops
  • Green – Woodland, brush, and barren lands
  • Blue – Water bodies

These images should pick up detail up to about 300 feet in any particular direction.

Overwhelmingly, the Mohawk Valley is about agriculture, although as elevation increases and farming is no longer profitable, then farm fields revert to tree cover. And while their are certainly single family homes and other rural residents under the tree cover, by no means is development the overwhelming use of the land.

Utica Area.

Most of the farming in the Utica-area, occurs south of the city, due to the sandy soils, short growing season, and elevation making farming unprofitable north of city. This map may actually distort how much land north of city is actually farmed, as many of farm fields shown on this map have been abandoned and are slowly reverting to brush and ultimately tree cover.

While not a lot of unique birds at Montezuma out and about as it was a hot and humid day, still nice to explore nad see the wildflowers

Canajoharie Area.

As you get around Canajoharie the amount of farming activity picks up dramatically, and except for a small section right next to the Mohawk Valley, most of this area is not developed.

Grass along Teeter Pond

Albany-Schenectady Area.

Heading towards Albany-Schenectady, you see more development, but notice how you don’t have to get far from the city for forest cover to be dominant feature, and not agriculture. A lot of this is rural residents, with acreage, and hobby farms around here. Farming stops when you get up on the Rensselear Plateau, although the farm lands right around Brunswick are quite profitable, until you start heading towards Grafton where almost all farming stops.

Many Nights Sunsets

Land Uses in Mohawk Valley

How much of the Mohawk Valley is developed, how much is farmed, and how much is forested? These images give you a clear overview, with all agricultural cropland and pasture colored yellow, all forest lands colored green, waterways colored blue, and developed areas are red. This is based on LANDSTAT and USDA NASS Croplayer data.

Overwhelmingly, the Mohawk Valley is about agriculture, although as elevation increases and farming is no longer profitable, then farm fields revert to tree cover. And while their are certainly single family homes and other rural residents under the tree cover, by no means is development the overwhelming use of the land.

Most of the farming in the Utica-area, occurs south of the city, due to the sandy soils, short growing season, and elevation making farming unprofitable north of city. This map may actually distort how much land north of city is actually farmed, as many of farm fields shown on this map have been abandoned and are slowly reverting to brush and ultimately tree cover.

While not a lot of unique birds at Montezuma out and about as it was a hot and humid day, still nice to explore nad see the wildflowers

As you get around Canajoharie the amount of farming activity picks up dramatically, and except for a small section right next to the Mohawk Valley, most of this area is not developed.

Grass along Teeter Pond

Heading towards Albany-Schenectady, you see more development, but notice how you don’t have to get far from the city for forest cover to be dominant feature, and not agriculture. A lot of this is rural residents, with acreage, and hobby farms around here. Farming stops when you get up on the Rensselear Plateau, although the farm lands right around Brunswick are quite profitable, until you start heading towards Grafton where almost all farming stops.

Many Nights Sunsets

First Friday in May 🌸

Friday already. Another work week is coming to a close. But it’s been a busy one with meetings downtown, picking up my bike from the shop, lots of reading and work. Not to mention installing Fedora 40 on my laptop,

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Mostly cloudy and 56 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Calm wind. Not too bad out, but then again, it’s May.

Started out the morning around 5 am with some delicious Johnny cakes 🥞 with cottage cheese, lots of onions, peppers, Tumeric and spinach. Kind of a healthy treat of sorts – – that said I do like that carb-rich cornmeal too much but today I accidentally left out the egg but it came out fine, probably because I’ve been adding wallpaper paste to the cornmeal lately to keep things from being too runny, as often happens when much of the mix is fresh veggies like onions and peppers which are largely water. 💦

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 70 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 10th. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 56 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 2001. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.❄

Yesterday riding to work I got into a minor fender bender 🚲 when I crashed into a stone retaining wall, as I approached a pedestrian as I was focused on traffic and the podcast I was listening to, on a sharp bend on the bike trail at the Corning Preserve. Took a bit of paint off my bike, skinned up my leg and it was a bloody mess, 🩹 and ripped my jeans, 👖 but I could have been hurt worse. My knee was sore all of yesterday, but I concede it probably was my fault as I was riding too fast and the bald tire on the front wheel really reduces my traction. I really should get new tires for my bike sooner then later – – not just due to the risk of crash but also puncture.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 63.2° from the due south horizon (-7.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (293°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:58 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 8:29 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:08 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over yesterday.

Saw this great off-grid hunting camp property 🛖, that I was thinking I could turn into an off-grid homestead but I have some questions about the property access that I emailed the seller about. Then I also need to confirm it’s properly permitted and would allow year-round residential. Perfect size cabin, beautiful but very basic inside, would need solar and road improvements but I’m waiting to find out more before scheduling a property tour. It has septic and water on site, which is great though and is like 600 sq feet. 🚽 Not so far from Albany too, but I’m sure there are dealer breaker with access or permitted as it’s probably too good to be true.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 50 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 20th. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1985.

Last night I attended a happy hour after work 🍻 with colleagues and it was a fun evening though I was a bit tipsy on the ride home, 😋 but this time I didn’t crash 💥and the alcohol probably helped with me sore knee. 🦶 But after all that and because it was fairly late and I was dog tired 🐶 I decided just to go down to the Elm Ave Park for a while before coming home and laying back in bed doing a bit more reading of e-books on my phone. Lately I’ve had a lot of interest in technical books 📚 like the one I’m reading on Linux system administration as it gets me away from the rest of the world. I also have several books on cabin construction 🏡 and rural living that I’ve been studying but not last night. Plus then I wasted more time on Facebook AI Image Generator which I think is so much fun for generating images of Garfield and Snoopy in places you never would think to see them. It’s all fun and games until the copyright lawyers get such programs banished from the internet.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 68 degrees at 6am. Typical for Tomorrow. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1944. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.❄

I don’t have ambitious plans for the weekend, 🚲 but I have library books to return 📚, yes besides the e-books I’ve been reading I got some physical books out of the library too though I discovered most of them are either on Hoopla or Libby so I don’t know how necessary that will be in the future but with Libby only working for two days off the cell network, I might have to take that in consideration when doing extended trips to the Adirondacks this summer, though I have my doubts with work that I’ll have a chance to get away for any extended period of time.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 56. 🌧️ Southeast wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 68 degrees.

Sunday is the shopping day 🛒 and more then likely I’ll be stocking up and going out to the parents house 👪 for Sunday dinner. Next week is Mother’s Day but the family is out of town so I won’t be going but my hope is to also be out of town, namely riding the Catskill Scenic Trail.

As black flies every where are noting, next Friday is Average High is 70 🐮 when the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm with dusk at 8:37 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. Already we’ve had some way of a preview of that nice summer weather, and it’s only going to get better. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970.

Trees

Still raining out this morning ☔

God needs to fill the mud wallows up. But I think all this rain will lead to things rapidly greening up over the next week or so which is actually about normal for the Albany area.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Rain and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Breezy, ️20 mph breeze from the south-southeast 🌬 with gusts up to 38 mph 💨💨💨. The dew point is 58 degrees. 0.2 inches of rain is expected before it ends around noontime.

I guess it’s busing it in this morning 🚍 as it’s too wet to ride in. I do plan to catch the 7:15 downtown so I can walk 🚶 the Concourse an hour before work. Didn’t get a lot of steps in yesterday. 👣 I guess I sort of made up by reading 📖 more though that exercises a different type of muscle 🧠 💪🏻. Maybe if the rain tapers off I’ll walk from Downtown to Menands, tha’s always a good walk.

Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. 🌦 High of 64 degrees at 12pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 27th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6am. 🏖️ Breezy, with a south wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 78 degrees. The record high of 84 was set in 1977. 3.3 inches of snow fell back in 1962.❄

Johnny cakes this morning 🥞 with lots of onion and tomato 🍅. And too much red chilli 🌶 pepper which had my nose 👃 running like I had a cold. Topped with cottage cheese and I was even green 💚and washed out the container for recycling ♻. At least my stomach is feeling better than yesterday. 🫃🏻 Been going a bit over board with the cranberry beans, 🫘 and the carrots 🥕 lately, though it also seems like in recent months my stomach has been a bit rough. Dinner last night was more of that chicken soup 🐔 and bread 🍞 that I made up yesterday.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 56.3° from the due south horizon (-14.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:57 pm with the sun in the west (277°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (283°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:34 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 8:03 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west (266°) at an altitude of 47° from the horizon, 237,447 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:38 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 57 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 48 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 44 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 3rd. South wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 51 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1874.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, mainly before 2pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 48 degrees at 2pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 24th. Southwest wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 87 was set in 1977. 5.5 inches of snow fell back in 1950.❄

That sounds kind of like a shit day, 💩 but it’s good for reading 📖 and maybe an early morning bike ride to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🚲 or Voorheesville. Everything though will be mud. 🐽 But so be it. 🌸 It might be fun to walk around Five Rivers and see the blooming plants, especially if I stay on the main roadways.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. 🌦️ Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Going to want those farm boots 👢 when hiking Bennett Hill this weekend. I also kind of want to get out to Partridge Run to do a hike, but only if it’s not a mosh pit. I think the snow is gone. Typical average high for the weekend is 58 degrees.

In two weekends, 🏕️ if the weather is decent I’d like to take off a Friday or Monday, or maybe both and plan out a 3 to 4 night camping trip somewhere. Maybe back to NY 8 East Branch, or maybe to Schoharie or Madison County. 🐮 Not sure if the roads in the Green Mountain National Forest would be open, but that’s an option too.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Average High is 70 🐮 when the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm with dusk at 8:37 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970. Before my time, despite what the internet advertisers think.

Cold but beautiful

Do you believe in magic? With today’s weather it will feel almost magical 🌞

At least when we see the sun later on this morning. Going to be a nice, spring like day once the clouds part. Or so I hope. My shoulder is still sore and achy, like from the Lyme I got years ago now, but I am fine. I feel a lot better now that I got my initial ideas sketched out for my off-grid property and cabin, even if it’s just a sketch and years worth of work ahead. I certainly like it much better then suburbanite, high consumption crap covered with vinyl-siding that dominates the real estate classifieds.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly cloudy and 45 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The skies will clear around 10 am.

I ended up opening the windows after heading to bed, 👩‍🚒 after I burned something on the kitchen stove cooking and it inevitably set off the fire alarm. 🔔  It was actually nice sleeping with the fresh air, and I am feeling a lot better the past few days, thought still a bit achy. I think it also helped that I started to draft out what I really want when I own my own land and build my house, and the reassurance from others that it’s possible. It feels good to know I don’t have to be stuck in surburbia forever, and that the only option isn’t vinyl siding and drywall with a big natural gas boiler and a 3,000 square foot home full of things soon to be garbage with a big mowed grass lawn. 🤮 It is possible to build that off-grid cabin I really want for a budget I can afford. And on that note, 😴 suddenly I am sleeping better.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 55 degrees at 1pm. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 6th. Maximum dew point of 47 at 12pm. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 2002. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄

On the list for today is buying the poster frames, 🖼️ for the artwork to decorate my new office. Along with a brighter light bulb for the desk, maybe a candle warmer, and groceries for the week. 🛒 My pantry is well depleted, I really need to get shopping. 🍏  🍇 Amazing how fast food comes and gets eaten around this place. I think I must have a very big appetite, but some of it is lower calorie value of the food I eat so I end up eating more, especially after ride back and forth to work on my bicycle. ♻️ I also need to return cans to get my deposit back and free up some space in the outside trash can.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:08 pm with sun having an altitude of 40.8° from the due south horizon (-30° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:10 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (256°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (262°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:48 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:16 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:49 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 54 degrees. The dew point will be 47 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 24 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.

In the afternoon going out to see the family 👨‍👩‍👧 and then over to my friend’s from Boy Scouts, to spend some time together, and learn what I can learn about how he put together his homestead outside of Greenville, rebuilding an old and vacant home. Now I’m thinking about building new, 👷‍♀️ but I want to gain whatever insight I can in my options and what contractors he worked with the process with the town building inspector. 🧭 The more I can learn about the process, the fewer costly mistakes I will likely make, or so I hope. For me, it’s so much about the money but living the life I want to live. 🏕️🥾🐷🐔

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌫️, with a low of 40 degrees at 5am. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. North wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1950. I can leave my windows open again tonight! 🔳 That’s great. I sleep so much better with fresh air.

Back in 1972, an airplane crashes in suburban Albany, off Holmesdale Ave in Albany (near Colvin Avenue and Washington Ave). Regional Carrier, Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures. 🛩️  Also today in 1873, U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail. 📘 📬️ And in 1991, an amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. 👮‍♀️

Looking ahead, next Sunday is Daylight Savings Time 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 6:57 pm with dusk at 7:24 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy skies with snow showers and temperatures between 44 and 20 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 43 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 1977. Before my time.

Sugar Loaf and Drowned Lands

It’s good I took the long way to work 🚲

Erie Boulevard was closed under Interstate 90 due to a water main break or maybe bridge work. I don’t know, I was running a bit early and I figured it would be a nice day for a longer ride via the Menands Exit. Figure extra riding in the morning means less I need to do come the evening after work.

Good morning! Mostly sunny and 31 degrees in North Albany, NY. There is a south breeze at 8 mph. 🍃.

Got up early 😀 and rode in early, in part to take advantage of the nice day and because I was up early, as I didn’t sleep well. 💤 Not sure why I didn’t sleep well, maybe because it’s I’ve had so much to think about in recent weeks. 😟 At least my office has unlimited free coffee ☕ which is a big benefit over working at Alfred E Smith Building, which had a coffee club but I never joined. I bring in my own skim milk with mint extract, rather then use creamer. Sometimes if I’m feeling healthy wanting less calories, 🧊 I’ll go the route of just adding ice — we have an ice machine here — and then add vanilla, cinnamon and ginger I have in my desk.

Fresh bread 🍞 and baked butternut squash 🍆 this morning, was cooking in the oven and on the stove 🥞 was johnnycakes with lots of onion, shredded broccoli, spinach, and topped with cottage cheese for protein. A good start to the morning, after a bit of a rough night sleeping. 🛌 Because I was listening to podcasts in the wee hours of the morning, and then reading for a bit 📚️ I got all of the advertising for mattresses and BetterHelp every commercial break while I was riding into work listening to Fresh Air. I am not sure I like the idea of mental help over the internet or phone 📞 , I feel like you miss something when you can’t get people’s facial expressions and be in the same room with them. That said, that licensed mental health professional I saw a few years ago was downright creepy in the basement of a run-down office building on the outskirts of town. But then again, I guess talking about your thoughts is a bit creepy too. 👨‍⚕️ What, I just like burning shit and need to move back out to country. 🚜 🔥  Freedom, baby.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 46 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 18th. South wind 8 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 2017. 10.7 inches of snow fell back in 2005.❄

I am moved into my new private office 👨‍💼 which I’ve grown to like more and more now that I’m out of the temporary cubicle and made it more homey with a desk lamp that I found in the closet, my plants, and some other random decorations from my old office. I still have a lot of empty wall space, but I will be filling that with several photos and posters in the coming week, I am getting them delivered on Saturday and will pick up frames. I have two large pictures from West Virginia and a 24×34″ color aerial photo of the Capital Region that I plan to frame and hang in my office 🖼️ next week the next time I drive in or take the bus — probably next Wednesday when it rains. 🌧️ I am also thinking of getting a candle warmer, and one of those sent candles 🕯 to make my office smell good, 👃 especially if I have too many beans 🫘 for lunch or track in manure 👢 when I have my homestead. Also a brighter bulb 💡 for the desk lamp — Walmart has super bright 200 watt equivalent LED bulbs. I should bring in my desk fan, should be hot in here come the summer. 😅 I want my office to be a calming place when the shit starts to fly in the data world, you know when the SQL query breaks. 🔢 Still don’t know if I can technically keep the lamp, it might belong to a different department, but it was in the closet collecting dust. 🛋 If I have to buy my own lamp, then so be it.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 40° from the due south horizon (-30.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:08 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (254°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (261°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:46 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:13 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:47 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 30 degrees at 2am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 27th. South wind around 10 mph. Stlll not bad, not warranting turning the heat back on, as things will stay warm enough over night. In 2023, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of -04 occurred back in 1940.

Tomorrow will rain, mainly after 8am. 🌧 High of 45 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 15th. South wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1991. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2018.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly cloudy, 🌥 with a high near 58. North wind around 6 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees. Sunday looks like a nice day for a ride, or maybe driving around in countryside, trying to carefully observe various properties. 🏘 I want to learn more how people live, what are realistic options, and not be stuck with the suburbanite crap.

I was sort of hoping to get out camping this weekend, 🌧️ but not with the rain expected. It will be a good weekend to research property some more 🏘 🌲🔍  and do some reading on buying land. I am not rushing things at this point, but I also don’t want to give up the goal. 🥅 I just want to make the right decision. Plus get caught up on sleep after last night’s bad night in bed. 🛌 I actually don’t know why I was so troubled by sleeping, I have my nice new office to work from today. I am going to text my friend from Boy Scouts tonight 📱 to see if he will be available this weekend. I’d love to learn more about how he financed and rebuilt his homestead. At this point, I’m just trying to sift through all the details. 🧁

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Ides of March ✝ when the sun will be setting at 7:03 pm with dusk at 7:30 pm (Daylight Savings Time). Friendly strangers in black sedans be liking that day. 🖤 On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 37 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 2019.

Snow from Acra Point