Small Thoughts
Backroads winter travel.
I exhale every time I cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, returning to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. (It’s rare to see this much ice on the bay, though.)
Remnants of the storm. Still sticking around.
One month down in 2026. It’s been the longest, fastest month I can remember. Right now, it’s hard to see how the year gets better. How will we navigate this fire hose of outrageous news for 11 more months, let alone another 717 days? It’s not just the winter that’s cold and dark at the moment.
Gotta say, winter is getting a little old. Seems as thought we’ve got at least ten more days of Arctic air.
Every yard a skating rink.
Thought of the Day goes to George Orwell from Politics and the English Language:
Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
There was a time when a national leader - think someone like MLK, John Lewis, or Jesse Jackson - would have gone to Minneapolis to support and stand with the resistance. But who would that even be today?
There was a time when artists - think Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Marvin Gaye - would have met the moment with galvanizing protest songs.
Well, today Bruce Springsteen showed up, and I for one am glad he did. Bruce has stepped into some of our biggest moments without fear. And for me, his voice is always welcome.
This weekend’s “icy mix” delivered a very nasty outcome - ten inches of snow compressed by 2-3 inches of ice. The result: every surface is hard as cement and slippery as a skating rink.
Clearing the ice-packed snow is difficult - and arctic temperatures for the next ten days means little to no melting. Parts of the US are well prepared to deal with these winter challenges - but here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore? Not so much.
Though treacherously icy, there are some beautiful remnants from the weekend’s storm.
We’ve got a good twelve weeks or so before spring really takes hold. Time to hunker down - physically and mentally.
But still, Ruby is shocked to learn an early forecast has up to ten more inches of snow on the way next weekend.
I understand what drives people to move to Florida.
Months ago, my wife and I planned a weekend trip to New York to visit friends. We made dinner reservations, bought theater tickets, and arranged breakfast and drinks (but not drinking breakfasts) with friends.
But we all know what happens to the best laid plans. The massive snow and ice storm sweeping across the country required us to adjust our plans.
It was too cold to wander through Brooklyn as we like to do - but fortunately we were able to get last minute tickets to the Monet in Venice exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. See it if you can, but it’s only around for a few more weeks.
Fortunately, our theater tickets were for Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Our choice of shows covered a wide range. Friday night we saw All Out, a comedy show featuring Sarah Silverman. Saturday we saw Carrie Coon in Bug, a conspiracy-laced thriller written by her husband Tracy Letts.
When the Saturday matinee ended, we beat it back to Moynihan Train Hall and headed south. We arrived home about thirty minutes before the snow started to fall. We woke up to a few inches of snow and ice - and have watched it continue to fall throughout the day.
It may not have been the trip we planned, but it turned out well considering the weather, and we felt fortunate to wake up to snow instead of spending the day traveling through it.
The scale of the protest yesterday in Minneapolis was seriously impressive.
New York City showed its support with its own protest and march in support of fellow citizens in Minnesota. Democracy - and engaged activism - is not dead yet!
Wandered in to Mr. Boddington’s Studio in Brooklyn and found inspiration. I’m feeling the strong pull of analog in an AI-driven world.
Forecasters and weather nerds are excitedly tuned in to the impending “weather event” due to sweep across southern US into the mid-Atlantic. Meanwhile, Dani and are packing for a long-planned weekend in New York.
If this storm is as predicted, getting to New York will be no problem. Getting home… now that’s another matter.
It’s going to be an interesting few days.
Lovely song, lovely sentiment from Marc Scibilia:
Why do the best ones rest in unmarked graves?
Why do the good ones never find the never find the front page?
I can’t help but think if that’s the case
I’ll be lucky when I go if no one knows my name.
—No One Knows My Name
Coming in for a landing.
On this Martin Luther King Day in the U.S., the moral arc of the universe may be long, and it may bend toward justice, but it sure takes its time and gives you plenty of reason for doubt. Just got to keep keep the faith.
As John Lennon said, “Everything will be OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”
Looking for a Second Chance?
Yesterday I slipped across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to have brunch in Baltimore’s fun and funky Hampden neighborhood. On the way out of town, I stopped in to explore Baltimore’s Second Chance store - a warehouse covering three city blocks filled with deconstructed building materials, donated furniture, statuary and masonry - just an incredible collection of the discarded looking for, well, a second chance.
Fans of The Wire will recognize this statue of Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore and first proprietor of Maryland. It was created for the show and would look great in your garden.
Other oddities and treasures are scattered through the enormous warehouse space. It may not be on a list of Baltimore tourist spots, but it’s definitely a place to explore, a place where every piece of inventory comes with its own backstory.
Thought for a Saturday: Om Malik on algorithmic-driven conformity.
Gotta hand it to my wife - she’s prepared for winter.
