Photo of Andy Arthur

Andy Arthur

It's the second half of November as the label job I ran today reminds me. 🏷️ The landscape is cold and barren, it's dark out for a good portion of day, and riding home in the dark isn't much fun. But you make the best of it, and I figure the extra sleep and time to learn isn't a bad thing. πŸ›Œ Next adventure after Thanksgiving! πŸ¦ƒ Hopefully the fire risk is down by then as I want to have a big bonfire in wilderness πŸ”₯ after a good day riding trail or hiking. 🚢

That rain sounded so good on the roof last night β˜”

I won’t say it was wonderful to be riding back in rain from Lionheart on the Green to downtown in the rain on my mountain bike to catch the bus home, but it’s good we got some much needed rain.

Up early as I have to head up to Menands first thing to do some state work and then head over to the dungeon supposedly by nine o’clock 🐲 to keep processing those early voters, absentees and other data to keep the whole system running along like a smoothly well oiled machine, that is until I run into a bad UTF-16 character that causes R Studio to bomb out.  πŸ’£

I got to say Lionheart on the Green is a nice place, 🦁 though like everything, the pints are kind of expensive. 🍻 But I only had one before hoping on my bike and heading downtown in the rain back home. I am just glad it rained to reduce the fire πŸ”₯ danger so hopefully over Veterans Day Weekend πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ I can have a big ol’ fire, drink some beer, smoke some grass and sing along with the DireΒ  Wolf. 🐺 Pumpkin πŸŽƒ pancakes πŸ₯ž fore breakfast, getting an early start with lots of coffee β˜• and caffine as I got to cover a lot of miles this morning on the bike before I get my sugar high at the campaign committee. 🍬 But first IOI Codes need to be tagged and reports run πŸ“ at the State Offices.

Riding back downtown wasn’t too bad in the near darkness, πŸŒƒ I plan to keep extra bike lights in the office to be safe. Won’t do it all winter long, but when it’s reasonably nice, I do plan to continue riding in all winter assuming the bike trail is mostly free of snow. I don’t think this year I’ll do the Corning Hill to avoid the snow, β˜ƒοΈ though my mind could certainly change, as I don’t love busing it to work 🚌 but I like driving even less. I’m just glad it’s going to be in the seventies today, and I won’t need to have my windows closed or even the heat on for what looks to be a few weeks, based on the 8-14 day outlook. β˜€οΈ That said, probably over the weekend I will have to close the windows πŸͺŸ but at least won’t need the heat. I think it’s funny how I got the heated blanket out earlier this morning but haven’t had to use it but one day. Good, it saves money πŸ’° having it off. Money is tight these days after the auto insurance payment, and I didn’t make enough ad revenue last month on the blog to get a check this month. Oh, well.

BFG to Berlin

What it was like to drive from West Germany to Berlin via East German roads in the 1989 before the wall came down.

Five States, Eight Days

I ended up visiting five states over eight days, including the Commonwealth of Virginia. Apparently they don't spend a lot of money on fancy signage welcoming people to Virginia on dirt roads over Shenandoah Mountain like Camp Run Road I took over the mountain on Monday. 

Taken on Monday November 8, 2021 at Shanandoah Mountain.