Jeremy Herndon Blog

I’m so glad that we are in the part of the country that is having the extreme warm winter weather. Folks have been totally taking advantage of this warm weather by getting a lot of outside work done that generally doesn’t get started until the end of April. I am hoping that this weekend will be nice again so that I can get my tiller out and get at least one of the gardens tilled. The ground hasn’t been frozen in weeks so it is nice and moist and soft so that it should be a breeze to get tilled. I hope so because tilling is not one of my most favorite chores.

Our retired neighbor that lives across the street is starting to get to work on his backyard swimming pool, since it won’t be long until people are wanting to take a swim and cool off from the heat of the day. He was looking at new swimming pool liners to use this season as well as a new pool cover. I haven’t talked to him in a while to see if he was successful in finding all the pool supplies that he needs and if he needs any help with anything to get it ready. He is a really nice fellow and always extends an invitation to the neighbors to come and enjoy his pool, which we have done a few times a years since he had it built. It is a very nice pool that he takes much pride in and he certainly deserves it after working hard in the E.R. in town for so long. We are certainly blessed with good neighbors.

Bridget sent me a link to a company that sells double glazing windows as an example of a website that was probably done by someone who did not speak English as their native language. Although the reader does learn some information about the history of windows and what double glazing is, the website itself is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.

Reading the website was almost painful; it made me wonder if the person who created it was an uneducated relative of the business owner and that maybe the business owner was trying to do the creator a favor by giving him a job. If that is the case, then that is all well and good but they really should have had someone who is educated proof read it.

In this highly competitive environment of the Internet, professional websites are essential if you are going to be marketing your product on the Internet. Although some people may think that a poorly done web page is better than nothing, I would have to disagree with that. My opinion is that you would be better off putting a small “under construction” sign with limited contact information up and then take the time to do the web site the right way.

It has been a long time since I have put on a wetsuit and all the other gear that is necessary to enjoy the sport of scuba diving. So when I got an invite to go scuba diving on a weekend of good weather some time in the month of May with a good friend, I decided to drag out all of my scuba equipment to make sure I still had everything and that it is all in good working order. I know that I have put on some weight the last couple of years but I had not idea that I had gained more then my wetsuit could handle safely, so I either have to start dieting and losing weight or start looking around and pricing wetsuits in order to go ahead and enjoy a weekend of fun in the sun and the water with a friend that I don’t get to spend much time with these days.

I should be getting a decent amount of cash back in the next couple of weeks from doing my taxes and I could use some of that money to buy a new wetsuit, but there are so many other things that I really need and want. So I think I should start watching what I eat and get off of my butt and get some more exercise, it seems to be the best idea all the way around.

I was reading an article on the Time.com website about how high-end high alcohol beers and becoming more popular. These beers are sometimes being brewed by smaller, less well known breweries than the mainstream breweries, and are intended to compete with wine rather than the “average” run of the mill beer. These beers often have more than twice the alcohol content than “regular” beer. One of these beers was developed by the makers of Samuel Adams Beer and has been named “Utopia” beer and sells for $140 per 24 ounce bottle. The article was talking about how these beers are “richer” and because of that people would not WANT to drink more, they would drink less.

Most of the people that I know would rather drink MORE beer, not less! I can’t imagine going to a barbecue picnic and only drinking one beer, it would not seem like a party to limit oneself to only one! After that one beer is gone and you’re thirsty again, then what would you drink? I guess this is the kind of beer one would order at a restaurant where you are only going to be there a short time.

This past weekend I had to travel from DC to Philadelphia. I didn’t want to drive, so I decided to take Amtrak. I have to say that the trip was a lot more pleasant than I expected. I bought the ticket in advance on line and printed out the receipt and took it with me in case I needed it. I took the Metro to Union Station. The Metro stop put me right inside Union Station, which was cool. Once inside I found a self-serve kiosk that I could use to print out my own ticket. From there I found a television screen that told me what gate my train was departing from, so I went to that gate.

There was no long waiting at a security screening section; I simply went to the gate. When they opened the doors to board the train, no one stopped me to security check me or look at my ID or ticket, all that was done AFTER I got on the train. The seats were comparable to airplane seats as far as comfort goes. I did not have to stay in my seat; I could walk around and go to the snack car or the restroom if I needed to. The train left on time, and the ride was comfortable and fast. Since travelling by air is becoming more of a hassle, and more expensive, I’ll be looking into taking the train more often in the future!