Fall 2015 October 17 Saturday

57 degrees this morning.  Walk 38:43 minutes

Sudden change of temperature!  Yesterday morning there was a cold wind (in spite of the relatively warm temperature) and the coldness stayed all day, even though it got warm.

Probably means that “cold’ will be in the air until next mid May, with some exceptions.  This year I am going to get away to someplace “hot” in mid-winter/early Spring and get the cold out of my bones!

One thing missing from the nearby YMCA is a sauna and hot tub.  Although I don’t use them often, a sauna was good for getting the cold out of your bones in the Winter!  

I found that out when I was in Goose Bay Canada while I was in the Air Force, although the cold there wasn’t all that bad. 

I remember one time I left Goose Bay for Boston and it was well below 0, but I froze in Boston at 32 degrees!  A few years ago we were in Boston in the Fall (I think November) and my memory was right, it is flat COLD in Boston, no matter what the temperature says!

Woke up this morning following a particularity vivid dream, one that involved a past Mayor and City Manager.  I didn’t write down the dream so I won’t go into detail except that it involved looking for plans for some houses etc. 

I have to wonder about dreams, I can pick up some details that might relate to current happenings, but some of the dreams seem to come from outer space, so to speak.

Still listening to the book about the Mafia.  Again, I am just amazed at how the tactics of the Malfa (with the exception perhaps of the direct murders) compare with some of the more unethical companies that are interested only in profit and not really in providing the best service or product.

I also noted where three airlines paid off enough people in the government (oh yes, they call it “lobbying”) that they are limiting other flights so the airlines can continue to extort the public with high airfares, baggage fees etc and line the pockets of the officers of the company.  

Hopefully a “disrupter” will pop up for the airlines, like it has for taxi companies, hotels etc. and hold them accountable for their high fares and fees.

It seems that many companies have veered from the traditional practice of making a fair  profit for providing a decent service to getting the highest possible profit while provide for minimal service.   All in the name of “protecting the shareholders” (and paying themselves  grossly excessive salaries and benefits.) 

This city is simply unbelievable in the lack of protection for residential areas.  I saw another gross, sickening case, of bulldozers building more commercial right in the backyard of some very nice existing houses with NO buffer etc., not even a few of what pass for trees around here.  

There was some news coverage of the video billboard right in the backyard of several houses.  The response of the sign company?  “Lower the lumens of the video sign!” and “we have a right to destroy the value of a neighborhood by putting a video sign right in their back yard if we are 50 ‘ away!

I am sure the owner of the sign company is well away from any of his signs and has ample protection from any signs or commercial activity!  What a disgrace!

In addition, as I have mentioned before, there is a huge strip mall (the houses see the back of the strip mall, with all of the junk, lights, early morning deliveries etc. that will happen) about 100 ‘ in back of a residential neighborhood with absolutely no buffer!  

Another dream I noted on my “dream journal”.  As with most of them I remember and write down this was during my post-exercise nap:

10 16 15 Friday Dream

Dreamed I was in a club, apparently a Toastmasters club, where you prepare speeches.

Not sure what I was preparing, but I kept working on a speech, at different times.  

At times, in the dream, I worked at a place with a lot of large construction equipment.  

Not sure what my role was at work.  For some reason, I kept going back, and walking around the different areas looking at them and looking for something.  

I dreamed I had borrowed a wheel chair  (not because I needed it, but so I could get round faster.)

In my dream  I was trying to get to Toastmasters, but keep getting off the way there and ended somewhere else.  I kept thinking I needed to stop and practice my speech.  

When I finally to to Toastmasters, I wasn’t prepared and advised I was doing it on a impromptu basis!   

There was a lot of detail in the dream, but I remember very little of it.

That’s it for now, Saturday, October 17, 2015.