Kerrian’sNotebook

KN, p. 161 “Kerrian’s 2016 Resolutions”

 

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How many of you make resolutions every January and then completely drop the ball in less than a month? You promise yourself that you will lose 10 pounds, join a gym, stop texting so much, stop complaining about the boss and just change jobs…but for whatever reason, something always gets in the way.

 

I feel your pain. I did so badly on my 2014 resolutions that I didn’t make any at all for 2015. Not a one. This year, I’m feelin’ lucky. I’m more driven. I’m gonna get it done. After last year, Sheila’s laughing a lot while I write this and she says I’m on my own.

 

Here’s the 2014 list and how I did in 2015:

 

1. Play more golf.

It rained more than ever and I didn’t want to slog through the mud, so it was actually less golf.

 

2. Watch more football.

Didn’t happen. I had to do some needed work on the roof, the deck, the ramp, and a couple of windows and it seemed like the only sunny days were also football days.

 

3. Tell the Post Office not to deliver any fruitcake packages.

They did anyway. The mail gal laughed every time she dropped one off. 26 last season.

 

4. Take a test drive in a Ferrari 458 Italia.

Never got a chance. It rained on the day we scheduled and then the rain date was rained out.

 

5. Keep visiting the new Irish pub.

That I did. Great place.

 

6. Work with Habitat for Humanity on the houses lost during Sandy.

We were stalled by the insurance people and only worked on a few. Sadly, there were lots of lawsuits involved and many of the homeowners were not allowed to get back into the houses while the legal games continued.

 

7. Clean out the attic. Maybe. I may need nudging for this one.

Mostly done and then we inherited some plates and Christmas decorations and some furniture, so the attic is full again.

 

8. Break 90 on the golf course.

Didn’t play enough. I’ll save playing in the rain for the Scotland trips.

 

9. Clean out the attic. Sheila made me write it twice.

It was her relatives that gave us the extra stuff.

 

10. Get a book recommendation at www.nightstandbookreviews.com

Yup, we both did that.   🙂

 

2016 will be different. I acknowledge that some of my goals were too lofty and depended on the actions of other people and/or Mother Nature herself.  So, here’s what I’m thinking. I will list only things over which I have control.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Yeah, I know that was a dumb statement, but it sounded good in my head. 😉

 

Here’s the can-do list for 2016:

 

  1. Take more naps. They’re good for you.

 

  1. Donate the 18 fruitcakes to my pals at the Post Office. Regifting is like recycling, right?

 

  1. Buy a bigger umbrella to keep me dry.

 

  1. Get a guy in to dig a trench to channel the water around the property, so that I can stop the flooding around the foundation and take more naps.

 

  1. Plant a pink dogwood to improve the front view. Very calming when the view is relaxing.

 

  1. Figure out a way to continue the 10,000 step program inside while it’s raining outside. Maybe I’ll walk a lap inside each room, add up all the steps and repeat the laps a few times a day.

 

  1. Take out my photos of the golf course to remind me of what it looks like on a sunny day. Dreaming and reminiscing is good for the blood pressure.

 

  1. Practice putting on the rug. It’s bound to stop raining some day, and part of my short game will be ready when the golf course is no longer covered with mud and puddles.

 

  1. Read more books recommended by the gal at www.nightstandbookreviews.com She’s never steered us wrong.

 

  1. Thank all the Kerrian’s Notebook followers!!! The readership keeps on growing every year and that makes us both smile. Smiling is always good for the soul!

 

Happy 2016 everyone! Spread a little kindness, smile more, and make 2016 a great one.    🙂

 

 

 

 

 

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KN, p. 160 “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for All”

 

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2015 has been a year of challenges for most of the world, with violence at home and abroad in the news every day. If it’s not about international military and/or political power struggles, the media is probably telling us about government conflict or sadly, the latest shooting perpetrated by a disturbed individual. I can’t remember the last time when so many people were so angry about so many aspects of the world in which we live.

 

And yet, if you ask how they are, how the family is, nothing much has changed. Friends and family members may get sick, lose a loved one, have trouble at work or experience a bump in the financial road, but most would say they are happy overall – that they live a life that’s good.

 

We may not be able to control what happens outside our circle, but we can control our reaction to it. And we can certainly control our reaction to the events inside our personal world.

During this Christmas, and whatever your holiday season, let’s all promise to:

  • Be kinder to each other, including Uncle Tim who tells the same stories every holiday. You’ll miss those stories when he’s gone.
  • Be gentler in our responses to each other, even when Auntie May spills her coffee again. You’ll need help someday, too.
  • Be less critical of each other. Your way may not be the only way to get the job done.
  • Hug a friend. Hugs are full of comfort.
  • Smile. Often. You’ll feel better.
  • Call a relative or friend that doesn’t get out anymore. Five minutes. That’s all it takes to change a person’s day.
  • Give the gift of time. Stop texting and talk to your friends and family face-to-face. Memories are made when people laugh and giggle together.
  • Give the gift of forgiveness. Soften your heart and forget the small stuff before it gets to be the big stuff.
  • Write a letter and snail mail it to the older people in your life. Not everybody has email.
  • Make every day count. Volunteer, serve, donate. Make someone’s life easier.
  • Give the gift of love. It means the world.

 

Above all, have a wonderful Christmas/holiday season and a slam dunk great 2016!

 

The Kerrians will be back in January with Charlie’s New Year’s Resolutions. 🙂

 

*Photo by Patti Phillips – Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal, Canada

 

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KN, p. 159 “What IS that in your carry-on?”

 

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Traveling during the holidays? We all try to stuff too much into the carry-ons, but there are special rules for what you can and can’t bring with you on the flight.

 

Just in case this is the first time you’re flying since 2001, when the regulations changed for everyone, here are two of the biggest no-no rules:

 

Don’t carry knives

Don’t carry guns

 

There are signs near every single U.S. security check area for carry-on luggage showing you the general list of what CANNOT be brought onto the plane, and some of the baggage check-in counters have physical examples of the no-nos. Here is a partial list of items that the TSA doesn’t want on the planes:

 

  • Aerosols
  • Blasting Caps
  • Dynamite
  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Fireworks
  • Flammable Paints
  • Gasoline
  • Grenades
  • Liquid Bleach
  • Explosives
  • Spray Paint
  • Tear Gas
  • Turpentine
  • Vehicle Air Bags

 

Why do you suppose people want to bring these items onto the plane? Because they are probably trying to avoid the extra baggage fee. Guess what? Nobody wants to sit next to a passenger that stows dynamite under the seat, no matter how much it is needed it for your business. Check with your airline for other no-fly items.

 

Click on the TSA link for their list:

http://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/prohibited-items

 

 

The TSA has actually had to confiscate:

 

  • Lipstick holder that contained a knife instead of lipstick
  • A bag of exotic snakes
  • Pliers with a knife as one side of the tool
  • Loaded guns packed in a suitcase with stuffed toys
  • Knives in the form of an interlocking belt buckle
  • Grenades
  • Book with carved out inner section holding bullets
  • Anti-tank weapon
  • C4
  • Mace (the weapon seen in medieval jousts)

 

Click on the link below for other items that can’t be transported in the passenger section of a plane, and in some cases, not at all:

http://www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com/features/10-strange-things-people-tried-to-smuggle-onto-an-airplane.html

 

 

Suppose all your stuff is legal and you are good to get on the plane. All your shampoos and other liquids are stowed in your checked luggage. But, you still have a lot of carry-on paraphernalia – Laptop, book, coat, food for the plane, presents. Hmmm…

 

Space on a plane: It’s the time of year when people want to bring back the presents they have been given at their holiday gatherings. Unfortunately, most of them do NOT fit in the space below the seats or in the overhead storage. Those overhead spaces are SHARED space, meaning that you are allowed a space that is about the size of a weekender suitcase on a cross country plane with 100+ passengers.

 

If you are flying on a regional jet, there is barely enough room for a briefcase or a jacket up there, let alone packages or suitcases. Think kid’s backpack for overhead space size on a regional jet. You may be asked to keep your coat on, rather than stow it and in most cases, you will not be allowed to keep the presents/laptop/iPad in your lap during takeoff or landing. I’ve been on flights that have been delayed while extra items are taken off the passenger part of the plane and checked in with the baggage.

 

Your solution? Have your friends/family mail the packages to you. It’s cheaper than you think.

 

Take a look at the photo at the beginning of this article. No matter how much Sheila wanted to bring the Santa, the books and the maracas onto the plane, they did not fit into her carry-on. The bag is the regulation size (12” ruler in front of the bag) that fits under the seat and will fit nicely next to a laptop case in that same space. BUT, it is not big enough for the Santa, etc. We had to ship them back to our house at a cost of about $25.

 

Connecting flights: Plan ahead for your trip. If you have connections, see if both planes are the same size. Generally, they are not. And the different sized planes have different overhead space and under the seat space. I flew on a plane that had NO overhead space at all. That’s where the life jackets and oxygen masks were kept. Ask ahead, so you won’t be surprised and can pack or ship accordingly.

 

True story: Back in the 90s, a guy tried to board a plane in the Caribbean with a car door in tow. He needed it as a replacement part. He was given the option to have it placed in the cargo hold. He wouldn’t agree, so he and the door stayed behind. The entire incident defied logic because the door didn’t fit into the seat rows and certainly not in the overhead compartments. Plus, it was heavy! LOL

 

Have a safe flight and be kind to your fellow passengers and flight attendants! 🙂 That way, the Air Marshals won’t have to get involved. (“What does the TSA really do?)

 

 

*photo by Patti Phillips

 

 

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KN, p. 159 “What IS that in your carry-on?” Read More »

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