Category Archives: Life

Its all about the Work

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This is almost a real time conversation! There have been many, many changes at work over the past year. One thing they did was move some of the more basic clerical work from my position creating an unlicensed position to take care of that piece of my job. I wasn’t sorry to see it go. It was a dull, boring , repetitive task.

When they took this away they said it would allow a better distribution of the work load so that we wouldn’t be working around the clock any more.

Nice idea in theory but then a little department call “Analytics” got involved. Every month they sent reports saying people in my position were not working to capacity. They came up with ridiculous targets. Well, I hit their ridiculous goal and looks like now that the momentum is rolling I am going to far exceed the maximum they set.

My job is like a pipe line. While you are filling it up your numbers are too low but once you hit your numbers you’ve opened the flood gates and can’t shut it off. Last week was the week after Easter so these number crunchers predicted it would be slow. It was not. The result is that I had to choose between work and a personal life. That was not supposed to happen under their reorganization. Don’t get me wrong. Its a good job, pays well and allows me to have the life style I want, It just gets very intense this time of year,

What does that mean for my blog? Basically I’m writing this boring post at 6:30 am so you can be in the loop about what is going on. I don’t know if I can maintain my daily blogging schedule. I’m certainly going to try.

Today is very gray and cloudy. Not the kind of day that inspires adventures but I’m going to try to get out and about anyway. Looks like we’re going to have a good whale watch season this year too. Cape Cod is buzzing with all kinds of whales already and it’s still early in the season. Captain John’s Whale Watching counted over 20 humpbacks on a recent trip! So there’s lots of activities in the personal pipeline too. I can only ask that you bear with me on this tough patch.

Are any bloggers that follow me interested in doing a guest blog? If so shoot me an email at aroundustyroads@comcast.net. I’ll be happy to return the favor when my work life returns to normal.

Dusty Roads Travel Blogger

 

You know Its Spring in Boston When

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How do you know its Spring in Boston?

Spring in Boston means different things to different people. To some it’s opening day at Fenway Park.  When the boys of summer come back north it must be spring, even if it snows. For others it’s the Boston Marathon, a 120 year tradition. For me we have to have the warm sunny days. And that’s just what we had on Marathon weekend.

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It’s Spring so what did I see?

Taking the red line from Braintree, MA to the Park Street station in the heart of Boston is an adventure in itself. When I boarded the “T” the man seated across from me had his shoes off  and was stretched out over 3 seats. After a couple of stops he moved over to my side, still barefoot. Then he began calling out the stations. That amused him for one or two stops. After that he began trying to light things on fire with a disposable lighter. I kept a close eye on him until he finally left the train. My stop came next…Park Street.

Protesters, Police and the State House

As soon as I came up from the underground I spotted the protesters. These aren’t organized  protests but the end of the world type protesters. They always seem a little crazy to me. Today there were 3 protesters and a self appointed minister, each taking  a turn sharing their messages.

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As I took in this spectacle a mob of bicyclists came flying around the corner. All decked out in their police  gear. I thought they would spread out through the Public Garden but no, they continued peddling down the path in a mass of blue and yellow.

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Leaving the chaos that is Park Street behind I trekked up the hill to the State House with it’s golden dome gleaming in the sun. The various sight seeing trolleys continuously stopping to drop off and pick up tourists. A costumed narrator explained the black regiment to any and all who would listen.

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On a Carousel, Fintstones and Dinos, and no lines or waiting

As I strolled on through the common I passed the Boston Carousel which was doing a splendid business.

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I paused when I heard a whistle blowing , then the pounding of feet and there came a dinosaur chasing men dressed as Fred  Flintstone and women as Betty and Wilma.

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Must be a Bedrock Road race.

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But I got the biggest laugh when I spotted what was surrounding the playing field near the Boston Common Garage.

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Row after row of Port-a -potties. There’s be no lines and no waiting here! Ahhh Spring in the city! What could be better?

 

How I met a Full Time Traveler

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How I met a Full Time Traveler

Last week I took a few hours off  from work to take a class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. http://www.bcae.org/Located on Arlington Street near the Arlington T stop on the Green Line.  I took a class there a few years ago and it was an excellent experience even if I haven’t used the skill set I was working on. Now I was back again to meet the Boston Blogger, Brittany from Boston http://brittanyfromboston.com/; a full time traveler and blogger.

Who is Brittany from Boston?

Brittany is a full time traveler whose home base is Boston. Her blog is full of the places she’s been and hints for things to do and see. She first came to my attention when she was interviewed by a TV news station. She is young. I mean seriously young, I won’t reveal her age even if I knew it but I’d say under 30.

Boston Swan Boat, Public Garden

Like  I said, Brittany travels full time and I want to know how she does it. Not how in the sense of booking her trips but how can she afford it with no income? Did she win the lottery or something? Was she independently wealthy?  Inquiring minds want to know!

According to the news report she quit working 2 years ago to begin her international adventure. I immediately signed up for her blog and bought her E book. Its free to sign up for the blog but the E book is $9.99. If everyone who discovers her blog buys her book she could be making a tidy sum there.

The Budget Travel Class

The class wasn’t about Brittany so much as it was about how to keep travel expenses under control. I know quite a few tricks but I don’t always use them so I wanted to see if I could get any new ones as well as meet Brittany in person. So here I was  on a Thursday afternoon heading into the BCAE in Boston.

The class was small which allowed for a lot of personal interaction with Brittany. Her tips ran from the obvious…like traveling on a “shoulder” season to the more unusual like “couch surfing”.  She told of staying in Hostels all over the world, some for as little as $5.00/per day. On one adventure she work on a yacht to pay her way.   She shared photos from her journeys and stories of her trips and some misadventures. Of course, like a good TV show, everything worked out fine. She was standing in front of us all in one piece.

Conclusion

I can’t tell you her specific tips because  then I’d be stealing her lesson plan. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed her class and enjoyed meeting this extraordinary young lady. Times sure have changed since I was her age! (For the better)

Grand Canyon

Let’s all keep traveling!

 

RESOLUTIONS

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Last year I kind of let my photography slide. I made a commitment to myself to do a better job of getting out in the field for pictures. I got energized when an advertising agency contacted me on behalf of one of their clients.  They want to use one of my photos for the lobby of a regional bank in the Seattle area.  They plan to enlarge it to 4.5 ft by 8 ft. How awesome is that!?

Right after that friends started asking about Holiday Cards. I explained about my website www.dustyroadsphiotos.zenfolio.com so maybe next year I’ll finally have some orders from there. I started updating my vendor links and found that the most popular links, for single cards, was discontinued.  Plus the birthday cards have been changed to party invitations only. I can still make my handcrafted ones but I’m trying to get as much through the website as possible. I guess I’ll need to reach out to my vendors over the summer.

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So with that out of the way, how many if you have fallen off the wagon already? Old habits are hard to change.

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Aside from the photography resolution above, the only resolution I made was work related. Oh don’t get me wrong, I’d love to lose 10-even 20 lbs but if I do I do, I’m not going to concentrate on it.

The “resolution” I made was a promise to myself to keep a positive attitude at work. After all complaining is just a bad habit, right?

Yes, there are a lot of changes going on around me right now and no I don’t like a lot of them. They make me very nervous.  But I’m not the boss. As long as I keep that in mind I should be fine right?

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So back to work after the holiday and my boss stops by my desk. “How’s it going” she asks. “How do you like your new responsibilities.”

Immediately I found myself telling her how much I hated the new job and why.  So much for not complaining! I started to laugh and told her that the only resolution I’d made was no more complaining and the first time she asks me about the new changes I hit her with a long list of why I don’t like it.

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Luckily she has a sense of humor.

I guess I’ll just keep plugging along. Maybe I’ll get used to the changes. I certainly hope so or it will be a long 10 years to retirement.

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One thing you can always count on is that there will be change, for better or worse, and you will have to learn to deal with it. I can accept my fate and apply myself cheerfully or I can be miserable and make everyone around me miserable too. Not the way I want to be.

So I guess I’d better suck it up and get back on the resolution bandwagon.  My theme song for 2017…Let it Go, Let it Go (the changes never bothered me anyway)

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The Hunt for a New Car

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Since I knew the time was coming when I would need to say good-bye to my old Saturn, I’d started to do some searching online about various cars and trucks. I knew I wanted more cargo space so that meant an SUV or a truck.

I wasn’t thrilled with having to shovel out the truck bed in the winter but I liked the idea of having that open bed if I wanted to set up the tripod and take some shots of something over the heads of a crowd. Then there is the make to consider; Honda, Chevy Toyota, Kia, Ford  and the list goes on and on.

I’ve rented a lot of Toyota’s. They seem to be popular with car rental companies but I’m just never comfortable in them. I just don’t like the way they drive. I know they are really popular and have a great reputation but I set them aside.

I keep circling back to GMC products. My last 2 cars were Saturn’s which were GMC step children and I loved both cars. In fact, my current Saturn still looks good even if it isn’t running. If Saturn was still around it would be no contest. I’d be back in their showroom.

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The mechanics got my car running again but it was loud and rough and they couldn’t give me any guarantees. My first thought was to get it home and parked but then I realized I needed transportation to a dealership. Instead of heading home I turned the opposite way. I made it as far as  McGee Chevrolet. Guess that solves one question.

I had a great Salesman. I gave him my list of requests, I wanted GPS, a hot spot, cargo space, front wheel drive and power locks & windows. I did not want  4 wheel or all wheel drive because of the tire balancing issue.  If possible I wanted the color white.

Jeff showed me a couple of models and I decided on the Equinox because of the extra cargo space. Its only a 4 cylinder so it should get good gas mileage. The only thing I couldn’t get was the color white. I didn’t want to wait for them to look for a white car. I needed a car asap. They had a gray one on the lot so that was it. I took it for a test drive and signed the papers.

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Monday morning they will run it to the registry for plates and give me a call. By this time tomorrow I’ll have wheels again.

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