bierkergaard

Fear The River Two Thursdays ago, it was uncharacteristically really nice outside. It was warm and sunny without being nasty humid. So, I felt compelled to get my face out of my iPhone and ride my bike to the river to Columbia Crossing, which is a public space veranda of sorts to gaze upon the river and think deep thoughts. I was chagrined when I arrived to see and more importantly hear a lady in yoga-like apparel yapping away on her cell. She might as well been talking to a rock since she was doing all of the talking. So much for my Zen moment of pondering whether I could see the same river twice. I was close enough to hear some of what she said. Typical gossip baloney. It irritated me that she didn't comprehend that it is not real appropriate to disturb the public peace with personal matters. By public peace I mean of course, my peace. So, I hung out for only a bit then hopped back on the Trek to home. I thought about how nice it would be to have property on the river w...

If someone were to ask me what is some of the best advice I ever got, top among such advice is "A short list is better than a long memory."  I read it in a small book called "Life's Little Handbook of Wisdom. " Cost a couple of bucks at the local Christian bookstore. It was for Grads. I bought it for myself.  I can savor a good quote for a long time. The little handbook survived the great purge of post-Divorce discarding 75% or my CDs and Books. The goods, mostly evangelical Christian stuff, may have served a useful purpose at one point (I don't want to be totally dismissive). But, the CDs and Books had become burdens that I never read or listened to again so it was wise for me to chuck. Most of it embarrassed me frankly. Corny in retrospect. A parallel product culture. Shred and incinerate. See ya.  I also jettisoned a lot of my Christian Sub-Culture attitudes and behaviors. I started listening to NPR, stopped giving to Conservative political causes,...

Surgically Repaired Pole The Friday of Labor Day Weekend, school was uncharacteristically not in session. Not sure why entirely. Not that I was complaining. Ramping back to school in session requires a decent amount of girding myself for the pressure. I don't recall this ever being the case of being off that Friday. So, I subverted back to summer mode for a day. Drank a lot of coffee. Chilled around the house, then decided to go for a hike at the local 1 mile path around Lake Grubb. Since Pa. has been the equatorial rainforest this summer (I know, I mention it every week), the hike was a bit nasty. It was hot, wet, slippery, and buggy. On top of it, since I am so freaking tall, I was clearing out the spider webs that most hikers pass under. I was using my walking pole to try and clear the way ahead. A flock of  mosquitoes and gnats circled me like satellites as I walked. When I got back to my car, I reflected how the hike had turned from a 99% win to something more like ...

I was in my Porsche driving up to the family cabin in upstate NY last Labor Day weekend . Oh, did I write Porsche? I meant Honda Civic. Easy to mix my cars up. On the drive up, I skirt along the edge of New York City Metro. It is close enough that I feel the gravitational pull of  NYC. For a country gentleman such as myself, I am not a big fan of big city drivers. Super aggressive, cutting in and out of traffic, blazing at unsafe speeds, etc. Yet, I have driven a lot in Philly, so I have an internal switch that can adjust to the heightened chaos. If I were in Amishland, this manner of driving would stress me out more. But, since it is NY/NJ, I understand that it is just this way and adjust. My main strategy is to get into one of the middle lanes, reach cruising altitude at a good clip, and avoid changing lanes a lot. So, cars that pass on my left and right can do as they wish. I will stake my middle moving ground and chill. I don't putt along. I am in the flow of traffic. ...

Well, the last three days we have had stellar weather. Sunny, less humid, a refreshing breeze. The eternal Autumn awaits. I can feel it in the air, that cool whisper that portends of change. I was absolutely desperate to enjoy the outdoors after our outside environment rinse-cycle car-wash summer. I kayaked on Thursday after school and mountain-biked Friday. I hope to mountain-bike tomorrow after school. Yesterday, I drank great beer and smoked a cigar while a friend brewed beer. I am a brew consultant. I don't do much besides provide company and point out potentially egregious mishaps during the brew-process.  Yesterday, I rescued the wayward printed directions that had been caught by the wind and were in danger of blowing away. Hero that I am.    On all three days it was lovely to be outside in nature. I suppose one positive about unpleasant weather is that beautiful days and nights count for more. Appreciation goes up as a result of adversity. I would still rath...

On Monday, I received an email informing me that a good friend of mine Dave, an older man, had passed away. I knew he had been sick. He had cancer and it was a six-year battle. We had last had breakfast together about three years ago, with plans to reconvene. Not sure why we didn't. Occasionally, he would comment about a post I had put up on Facebook. I deferred on breakfast rather than find a way to make a way to make it happen. I regret it. I had first met Dave when he was the Tech Guy at the Ephrata School District. I worked a year in Ephrata Middle School and High School. Really, the worst year of my life. I had never met so many negative people as who were on the staff of the middle school. Most of the teachers seemed like they hated kids, or resented them. Or were annoyed by them at the least. I was flabbergasted. I was discouraged. I found out, after I was hired that the Principal and the Teachers were at war (the kids were collateral damage). He was not a particular...

Last Saturday, there was a Craft Beer Fest in Columbia along the main drag of Locust Street. Not much of a main drag.  As promised, I am writing about bacon a bit. Bacon Bits. It was a good time. I typically eschew Beer Festivals these days for the same reason I don't go to expensive all you can eat buffets (or relatively cheap ones for that matter). Because it costs a decent amount of money to gain entrance, there is a desire to get my money's worth. My cheapness drives my consumption. Sure, I will go back for my tenth plate of fried shrimp. I will make a couple of exceptions. Ommegang's yearly Belgian Beer Fest in Cooperstown, New York and Columbia's Beer Fest. Columbia is close to home and with a combo of hitching a ride with my neighbor down part of the way, taking the shuttle bus from a closer location to and from, and walking, there was no need to drive. Ommegang has camping on its grounds. So, if I were to return to the event, I would just set up a tent a...