Tag: 2023

2023 Week 52 – Tis the Season and Annual Wrap-Up

What’s Going On:
We got our first real snow of the season last night, and I’m ready for spring… I was wondering why it seemed so bright out when the alarm went off at 0600.

What I’m Buying:
While visiting Europe in September, I got into their coffee culture. I’ve never been one that must start my day with a cup, more like I’d drink it if it was available and occasionally fix a pot on the weekend to sip on.

When I got home I was looking for those strong espresso cups and decided to get a new coffee machine. I found one that was the best of 3 popular methods (Drip, Keurig & Nespresso). I have yet to brew a Nespresso I didn’t like, and it took a few tries to find a good Keirug pod (Pete’s Big Bang Medium Roast). I find myself looking forward to fixing a cup to take up to the home office or enjoy during the commute downtown.

Highlights from 2023:
We covered a lot of ground in 2023 & these are some of the highlights:
Week 1 – Saraga Opens in Castleton
Week 5 – Chinese Weather Balloon
Week 10 – ChatGPT Takes Over
Week 13 – French Bakery in Greenwood
Week 19 – Texas Trip #1
Week 24 – Radio Free Zone
Week 31 – Cardboard Boat Racing
Week 38 – International Travel
Week 43 – Texas Trip #2
Week 49 – Voice of America

What I’ve Done:
I finally upgraded my Amateur Radio License in October & it’s opened up a world (literally) of communication possibilities. Since then, I have made contact with over 100 countries and have gotten back into the hobby. When you can talk around the world, it makes the local conversations (which I was limited to before) kind of boring.

Plans for 2024:
When I look back on 2023 I think it was the most travel I’ve ever done in a year. TX, KY, TN, NC, VA, WV, OH, Switzerland, Paris, London, TX (again). I already have another international trip lined up and I expect to be visiting Boston late summer for work. A trip to New Orleans is also in the early stages of planning for the fall.

And Finally…
I’m not sure what’s in store for the Blog this year. The weekly publishing schedule that I’ve tried to maintain for the past several years was a lot harder than I expected. I may try it again this year, but I need to be collecting content and notes throughout the week to make it work. If all else I’ll do monthly recaps to keep things as active as I can.

Until next time!

2023 Week 1 – Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2023! I hope everyone had a nice New Year’s weekend and returned to the office with a new spark, ready to tackle what 2023 has to offer. I was off work for 2 solid weeks and was ready to hit the ground running when we all came back into the office last Tuesday.

It’s official! Saraga International Grocery in Castleton is FINALLY open! The grand opening and ribbon cutting were on December 23, but we were in the middle of an artic freeze, so I’m sure the turnout was pretty light. I had an invite but decided to stay home and stay warm instead. I stopped by after Christmas for a brief walkthru, knowing I would be returning later in the week for some more serious shopping.

Outside the old Target
French Pastries
Korean CornDogs
Your source for Russian Mushrooms!
A wall of Hi-Chew
And this Isle of Ramen
Produce for days

If you’re looking for that hard-to-find ingredient or like to try foods from other countries, this is a place you must check out. It’s no Jungle Jim’s, but it will fill the need for a lot of items I would normally drive to Cincinnati for.

I’m a slow riser in the AM & after getting a short news brief from NPR via the Alexa alarm, I like to scan the headlines before getting out of bed. There are some really good newsletters out there, and because of these, I can’t tell you the last time I sat down and watched the local news. Some of my favorites are:

Now, I don’t read all of these each morning, but I always have at least one in my inbox queued up for something to read when I have some downtime, like standing in line or waiting for my food at a restaurant. Do you have a favorite daily newsletter to share? Leave us a link in the comments!

And finally… When was the last time you watched a truck being built? It’s amazing the amount of automation in use these days, and the following video shows how they assemble the new Ford F-150 Lightning.