Osker Blues Brewery

 Osker Blues Brewery

Colorado

July 2017

I've been to this brewery before and the beers were great but I didn't like the atmosphere. The restaurant focus was more obvious than the beer focus. But this time, I came here on a mission.  I was in search of a Coffee IPA and a bartender from another brewery suggested I come here. 

I ordered a flight of beers (5) and a pint of the coffee IPA.  But then I noticed that an Imperial Russian Stout was available.  So I order one of them as well.  Then the bartender mentioned that he had a chocolate stout that I should try.  Normally, I don't like a chocolate stout but he insisted I would like it.  So I tried a sample of that as well.

All of these beers came out at the same time and at first, I lost confidence in myself.  There was no way I was going to drink all of these beers.  But I did and life was enjoyable that afternoon.

A Very Nice Brewery

 A Very Nice Brewery 

Colorado
July 2017

I had a great time in this little pub that is actually called "A Very Nice Brewery". Beer samples are only $1. So I tried them all and liked them all. I had a ginger beer and a coffee stout which were delicious.  The atmosphere is light and friendly. Everyone at the bar chatted up everyone else. There is an "Ale It Forward" board for those who want to leave a beer for a friend. Light snacks are sold for a reasonable time. I had a great time here.

Love City Brewery

 Love City Brewery

Philadelphia, PA

2018


This place just opened up a few weeks ago and it already has a following. I was there just as they opened for the day and they already had a crowd.  There is a food truck that made great brisket sandwiches.  The space is big so there is room for a large crowd.  You could bring the whole office for Friday Happy Hour. The wait staff was right on top of things. I look forward to going back.

I tried :

• Unity IPA - crisp and delicious.
• Erasehood NE IPA- I liked this beer the best.
• Viaduct Pale Ale- this was fruity and light and a great summer beer for those of us who always want a full, hearty taste.
• Sylvie Stout- this beer had a smooth taste.

Cold Spring Brewery

 Cold Spring Brewery

Cape May, NJ


I had a really hard time finding this place.  My GPS took me to a site on Route 9 but the pub sits on Seashore Road so keep looking for the right place. This pub is set in an old barn and the ambience is great fun.  It's part of an historical village museum site. So you can explore a bit of history and then stop in to have a beer.

There are 7 beers on tap. Flights start at a selection of 4 but individual  4 oz samples are also available.I tried the Cold Spring Red, the Dennisville Inn Porter, and two IPAs.

There is a nearby restaurant which allows guests to bring in pints of beer from the pub.  There is an outside fire pit which allows the guests to sit outside and drink in front of a blazing fire.


Beer to go comes in 16 oz, 32 oz and 64 oz growlers.

Come see this sweet place.

Carina's Frustration With Her Brother

Carina's Frustration With Her Brother

Sias University

Henan Province, China

Spring 2012

Early marriage and a lack of interest in education is problems in China. So few young adults stay in school which results in  getting married by 16 or 17.  Then they having babies and never get out of poverty.  Most of my students were the only people in their village to go to college.  And now that they have seen another way of life, they worry and are frustrated with the choices that some of their younger siblings are making.  Here is an email I recently received from Carina, my former student:

hi, Bredget, how are you? Thank you for youy endorsement in linkedin.

        Today our teacher showed us a short vedio called "butterfly circus", have you ever seen that? It's about a limbless man, but the people

I admire most is the ringmaster.He did a great job about helping poeple

develop their potential and realize their life values,I want to be a personlike him someday.

         You know what? One of my cousins getting married in December, I am not happy with it, he's only 19, but I can't stop him. In China, the young people who dropped out from school will be rushed to get married, especially in village. My cousin is one of them. Next will be my brother, cause my brother also dropped from school, and he is arranged a blind date now. I'm like going to be crazy. Almost all my brothers and sisters have quit scool,I am so luky to be the colleage student and continue my study, and I will keep moving ahead , to realize my dream and life value.

         Robert will leave next Thursday, sad,the only thing I dislike about World Academy is that we have to go through many seperations. We are so luky to have you.

         Miss you!!!

    Carina

>

>

 

Midnight Oil Brewery

 Midnight Oil Brewery

Newark, DE

I was told the brewmaster is a night owl, hence the name of the brewery.

A flight is 4 glasses of 5 oz pours for $10.  The bartender got annoyed with me when I didn't take his suggestions as to what I should choose. I had the Orion Double IPA, the Sleepwalker Black Saison, XXII APA and Reilly Irish Stout.  The IPA and APA were very similar in taste but the IPA finished with a much better after taste. However, I went home with a 32 oz growler of the APA because the alcohol content was so different between the two beers and I had work I had to do that night.

The stout was refreshing and not too filling. The Sleepwalker didn't grab my attention.

Food trucks were just showing up as I was pulling out.  The place is large and could accommodate a big crowd.

Road Trip 2021- #6

Road Trip 2021- #6

Summer 2021

New Hampshire and Maine

• It's a long, straight drive right up I95: PA/NJ/NY/CT/MA/NH/ME
• I was in pursuit of finding brewery in NH and ME to add to my national brewery list.
• It rained two out of the three days,  The only sunny day was the day I was leaving.
• I went to the Smutty Nose Brewery in NH.  I liked this place. I befriended a couple and we chatted each other up for the better part of an hour.  They were also from Philadelphia and of the same mind set.  We shouted across our tables for the better part of an hour.  It never occurred to either of us to get up and move over to the other's table.
• I went to the Deviant Brewery in ME and I didn't like it at all.  The beer was mediocre and I didn't like the vibe.
• I stayed at the Hampton Beach Inn which was right across the street from the beach and I had a balcony with a beach view. I liked the place.
• The first night I went to a seafood restaurant and got the Seafood Fetticinni Alfredo.  I had lobster, scallops, shrimp and mussels on a bed of spaghetti with the blandest Alfredo I have ever eaten. I think the sauce came out of a jar.
• Hampton Beach is the most densely built beach resort town I have every seen. They do not have to leave any space on their property for a yard so most of the lots are filled to capacity and so is this small town.

Box Car Brewery

 Box Car Brewery

West Chester, PA

I went here with my niece on a Sunday afternoon in the midst of football season and the place was empty.  It should have been hopping.  The beer is great and reasonable.  I liked my food.  Good service and plenty of room for plenty of people.


Update: this place closed its doors.

A further update:  Another brewery moved in here within the year and it only lasted a year.  I guess there is some truth to location, location, location.

Long Man's Cave

Long Man's Cave

Somewhere in China

Spring 2012

I went here with one of my Chinese students.  She wanted to show me the hidden treasures of China. It was a magnificent site. I am surprised it is not one of the man-made wonders of the world.

 

Hearing From Betsy

 Hearing From Betsy

A Former Student

SIAS University

Henan Province, China

HER LETTER TO ME:

On Nov 29, 2020, at 12:25 PM, Betsy Huang <betsy_wafw@foxmail.com> wrote:

Hi Bridget，

I have always wanted to write to you. I struggled for a long time. Finally I wrote a letter on Thanksgiving Day.Press the "enter" button to send it.

The reason I struggle to write to you is because I am afraid that I am not good enough and I am afraid to disappoint you, so I dare not write to you. I found that time flies quickly, making me scared, afraid that some things will become regrettable if I don't do it. And you are the person I have always cared about, also the person who is very important to me. Therefore, I want to cherish, don't want to entangle, and don't want to regret.

This time, I want to share with you the stories of my life and work over the past three years, simple and ordinary stories.

In March 2017, I went to Shanghai for an internship with a few WAFW alumni. So far, I have been working in the same company. The company I work for is VisonEvents. It is an international conference company. It mainly organizes events in the marketing industry. There are boutique events for 200 people and large events for 5,000 people. Because it is a start-up company, many positions and systems are not perfect, so I have more opportunities to try.

It took more than three and a half years from intern,to the account manager, to the current Membership&Account Director. The work experience in WAFW and the project team made me quickly adapt to the work of AE when I was an intern, and made up for the shortcomings of my profession. Finally, I stayed as an account manager and took charge of the company's business work with two other colleagues. From 2017 to 2018, it was a difficult year for me. This year my color was "black". Because when I was working in Shanghai, I didn't have a familiar environment and people，I needed to face the unfamiliar environment alone, and solve many problems that I didn't encounter in school independently. Moreover, the industry I am engaged in is not the major I studied in university, so that I have to spend more time studying and understanding the content of this industry. Therefore, during this year, I spent a lot of time adapting to the new environment and looking for my original self-confidence. In this year, I also gained two very good friends. They are my colleagues at work. We solve problems together and share happy things together. We have a big project in December every year, a large-scale summit of 5,000 people, so November is our busiest time, because there are many details to prepare. At that time, we would often work overtime until one or two in the morning and take a taxi back after the overtime. Because we lived close，so after overtime work, they would call a taxi to take me to my home first for protecting me, and then they went back to their home. Especially grateful for their help and protection.

In 2018, our company moved to a villa. We rented this villa together with our boss. The first floor and second floor were used for office and the rest were used for accommodation. My boss, and 3 colleagues and I lived in the villa. I also have my own new room. Although the room is not big, but I can still have my own desk, bookshelf, bed, and enough space for exercise, saving a lot of time on commuting every day. It may be hard for you to imagine that it only takes me less than 1 minute to commute to get off work. I used to take almost 2 hours to commute (48 mins one way). Sometimes I miss the time when I was on the subway, because I spent half an hour on the subway. During this half an hour, I could "get to know" many people, see many stories of strangers, and be alone on the subway. During the study time on the subway, I find that I will be more focused and the learning more efficient sometimes in a noisy environment. Of course, after moving to the new house, also have a lot of convenience. I don’t need to squeeze the subway and I can have more time to study. If I compare the experience of taking the subway or the time in the villa, I can’t tell which way of life I prefer, because every experience is precious. I like who I am now, and I miss the time I just graduated.

This year, due to the impact of the pandemic, our company returned to work collectively in April. Before April, we were all working at home. From February to April, during these two months, because we were all working online, we had voice calls every day. The cohesion of the team was very high and I liked the atmosphere very much. This year, my job has also been transformed and promoted. Affected by the epidemic, especially in the first half of the year, many companies in China are doing live broadcasts and online communities. I have always told my boss that I am interested in online community work. So boss gave me and another colleague a question in February: According to the company’s current business situation, we need to develop a new business line---online community. And you have to do a community planning plan. In the end,boss chose my plan and let me to take full charge of this project. He also gave me a promotion and a salary increase. Then I became a Membership&Account Director. This means more responsibilities and challenges. I have more experience and ideas than my colleagues, but in business, boss said that new projects should be profitable, and more profitability can highlight your value. That gave me a lot of problems, and it also prompted me to continue to learn more and need to solve more business problems.

The above is about my work. In my spare time, I spend a lot of time learning work-related knowledge, reading business-related knowledge, and keeping a diary and exercise habits. 2017 was a difficult year for me, but because of the Internet, I made many good friends. I joined an online community--- IP Training Camp until 2018. The members of the IP Training Camp come from many industries, including lawyers, teachers, self-media professionals, moderators...They are all professionals with more experience than me. And because I joined the training camp operation team, helped the team do some behind-the-scenes work and also had the opportunity to meet many good friends. From online to offline, our relationship is closer. Whenever I have difficulties and need help, they will provide good advice to help me.

In 2018, because of my outstanding performance in the community, I was recommended to work with a teacher in Shanghai. So in addition to my work, I also help a teacher run the community in my spare time. The teacher is Mr.Zhu，a training partner of a big company, with more than 20 years of workplace experience and rich sales experience. He told me that he would do an online learning course to teach more people sales experience, and asked me to help him take charge of the operation of his online community. Although I didn't get any paid, in this year, I learned a lot of useful sales knowledge with Mr.Zhu，and my planning and community operation capabilities were also more fully exercised. Mr.Zhu's students also have a lot of work experience, 3-5 years older than me, or even 10 years old. When I heard that they were satisfied with my work and my work was praised by Mr. Zhu，I was happy, because my efforts are rewarding. Although Mr.Zhu didn't pay me any salary, he let me take his courses for free, so that I could learn sales knowledge that I can't reach (our company does not have comprehensive sales training), which is very helpful to me; and He will spend time and patiently teach me some knowledge other than courses. This makes me very grateful.

Therefore, the  IP Training Camp has a great impact on my career, allowing me to gain so many knowledge and experience. However, no one can replace what WAFW taught me and what you said in my ear at that time, "you ask a good question". Every time I have progress and happy things, I think of you and want to share them with you. How happy, how excited we can  reconnect！！！

This is my ordinary three years, there are many details,need more time to share with you.What about you？Hope to hear your stories，unforgettable, happy.....anything about you :)

Miss and Love，

Betsy

AND MY RESPONSE TO HER:

Betsy,

I am so sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.  Please don’t think that I have not been interested in hearing from you.  I have had some health issues that have taken up much of my time.  But I am back to good health so all is well. And I have received the COVID vaccine so I am so relieved.

I have been great.  Since we last saw each other, I taught in Nepal and Bangladesh for WAFW.  I was supposed to go back to China in April 2020  but the pandemic made that impossible.  I hope to return to China some time in the fall.  So I will keep you posted.

Now, on to the very important reason for writing you:   i am disheartened to read that you described your life as ordinary and “not good enough”.  WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???????? You are extraordinary.  You have a good job.  You are progressing in your career and you like what you are doing!!!  And you have a good social life.  You are ahead of the game of life, compared to so many other people.  Embrace this success.  In life, if you are content then you are a lucky person. Be content.  That is success.

I am starting a new WAFW project called Connections and Conversations.  I plan to connect two women from China, Nepal and Bangladesh (total of 6 women) to engage in a phone call/zoom or Skype meeting once a month to discuss issues important to women.  I think you would be an excellent person to participate. It would take about an hour a month of your time.  Do you think you might be interested?  Additionally, are you on Facebook?  I started an alumni group there and you may be interested in joining this group.

Now on to my next question:  when are you going to start a Masters program?

And another question:  would you be interested to returning to SIAS for a weekend to help with the WAFW classes/?  Alumni are coming on campus and helping to run the projects.  Facilitators are still running classes through zoom but alumni are helping to organize the projects.  I think you would be perfect for this assignment.  If you are interested, I will put you in contact with Jessie Huang who is the current campus director and one of your former classmates.

And my finally question for the evening: Where do you want to travel once the pandemic is over?  What are your dreams?

Betsy, I am so happy that you contacted me. You were so impressive to me when you were a student so it is no surprise that you would be doing so well now as an adult.  I look forward to the time when we can meet up again.

With love and affection,

Bridget

 

Cannon Ball Brewery

Cannon Ball Brewery

Golden, CO

This place was OK but not the experience that I like when I go into a brewery.  The place is large with very limited wait staff.  So you have to stand in line and order a beer and take your order back to your table.  When you want another beer, you have to get up and get back in line.  I like to sit at the bar and encumber the staff member's time with questions and discussions about their beers.  I like to find out something I didn't know before.  And I like to engage the other patrons in conversations as well.  That isn't happening at this brewery.  

I tried four beers but none of them stand out as anything exceptional.

Road Trip 2021 #3

Road Trip 2021 #3

Mont Clare, NJ

April 7-8, 2021

• Hanging with Heather, Steve, Elliot and Peter for a quick visit.
• I arrived at 3:30 PM on Wednesday and left at 3:30 PM on Thursday.
• Now that I am fully vaccinated, I was allowed to come up to visit.
• I haven't seen these guys in a year because of Covid.
• Steve is still working from home. What he wore to bed is also what he wore to work which is also what he wore to work the day before.
• Elliot has changed tremendously in the last year.  What a big difference there is between a 2 year old and a 3 year old.His vocabulary is strong and he can really keep up with the conversation. And he really wants a relationship with people.
• Steve ordered Mediterrain food for dinner.  As he and Heather were deciding what to order, he looked to me and said, "we aren't asking you your opinion because you like everything and it's just easier."  And that is the truth.
• We attempted to have a nice happy hour on the rooftop of the apartment building.  But the furniture is not out at the moment.  Heather and Steve were annoyed.  But NYC was our skyline view so I was happy.
• Peter is 5 months old and is too damn heavy for my perception of a newborn.  I think he should be about 6 pounds and he is already 15 pounds and almost too heavy for me to hold.
• We spent several hours at a local playground that is so much fun for kids.  Elliot had a blast and I was absolutely exhausted. He got to try out his new bike with training wheels.
• I stopped at the Tidal Brewery in NJ on the way home.

Karst Brewery

 Karst Brewery

Fountain, MN

Spring 2017

I visited this place on a snowy, cold Saturday afternoon. This tiny town, with only 374 residence, has one great brewery.  The brewery is just a small house that is the brewery and the tap room all in one.  There is very little space and the place gets packed.  There are only a few beers to choice and flights are not served.  But beers are served in both 8 oz and 16 oz pours.  So I had the coffee porter and the IPA.  Both were delicious.  The place is run by a husband and wife team who work tirelessly to make this a great place to stop by for a great tasting brew and an opportunity to hang with your neighbor.  Everyone knew everyone who came through the door.

Pathological Lager

Pathological Lager

Dock Street Brewery

Philadelphia, PA

September 2017

I stopped in for a beer just because of the name of the beer: Pathological Lager. It is a beer named after Donald Trump. The beer is an ale and it’s only called the lager as a point of irony.  He must be so proud that he had a beer named after him and he hadn't even been in office for a year.

I’ve been to this brewery many times and will continue to go here to enjoy the beers and atmosphere.  I go here about once a year and I am never disappointed.

Aston Abbey Brewery

 Aston Abbey Brewing Company

Aston, PA


I tried:

• Polyjuice- Pumpkin Ale- delicious
• Romance Juice- a Russian Imperial Stout with an unusual after taste.  I think it is a cherry flavor.
• Group Captain which is an English IPA which was not hoppy enough for me.
• West in Peace which is a whit and it was too light in taste for me.

My flight of 4 (5oz) pours was $13 which I think is expensive.

There was a Jamaican food truck so I had a jerky pork sandwich.

There was a small crowd of regulars. I am not interested in coming back here.

Big Blue Brewery

 Big Blue Brewery

Cape Coral, FL

It was an unseasonably hot February afternoon. I had just gotten off the plane from Philadelphia and was adjusting to the 50F change in weather temperature.  So it was lovely to sit outside, mid-afternoon and have a refreshing flight.

Coffee Porter- this beer had a strong coffee taste but was light
Double IPA- I always like a double IPA because I like a strong hops taste.
Orange Wit- it would be easy to drink this beer all afternoon.
Passion Fruit IPA- this had a wonderful summer taste.

They also serve food which was good and the service was friendly and quick.  Prices were reasonable.  My flight was $9 for four 6 oz pours.

June 2020

June 2020

In the Days of the Quarantine

PA/DE/DC

1- M- PA- Quarantine Day #78- RED

It was a balcony gardening afternoon.  I bought another damn plant, a beautiful magenta asian lily which should bloom in a day or two. I can't wait and I must stop buying plants for my balcony garden.

The protests in the USA have spread around the world.  Trump has called in the National Guard to turn on its own people.  The country has become a shit show.

My anti-Trump tweet of the day: You hid in a bunker while the country imploded. You are a coward. #TrumpResignNow


2- TU- PA- Quarantine Day #79- RED

It's Primary Election Day and the candidate for the November election has already been decided so it was quiet annoying to even waste my time to vote at all for the election.  We are stuck with joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for the POTUS.  He is better than Trump but it is maddening that we started out last year with so many great candidates and now it comes down to two, old white men as our only choices.

I worked the polls for a state representative.  It was a waste of time being there since so many of us voted by mail this time.  Mostly I just chatted everyone up.

Judy Lynn Jackson posted on Facebook that her brother died of the corona virus.  Both he and she had been battling this virus. She's recovered but she has some permanent damage to her vocal cords, for some reason that I do not understand.

Ironhill is now serving margarita cocktails to go: 4 pints for $25.  I ordered them and found out that I had a $20 coupon so I got these great drinks for only $5.  What a great country.

On the way home, I heard protesters by the county courthouse so I went to join them.  It was refreshing to see the depth of anger in everyone.  We have had it.

3-W- PA- Quarantine Day #80- RED

Well, the two pints of margaritas really helped me sleep last night.  I probably tossed and turned but I definitely had lots of dreams.  So maybe I should move to hard alcohol to help with my insomnia.

We had wild storms today.  I looked out of my bedroom window and noticed that the umbrella on my balcony was moving too much.  By the time I got to the balcony, it was air borne and a struggle too close.  The wind was just too damn strong.  And it was really dark,  Most of the day resembles dusk.
I went to the pharmacy late in the afternoon and they were still without power.  Notices on facebook mentioned that we were under a tornado watch.

I watched a documentary on the Appalachian Trail, Flip Flop Flippin'.  Everyone has a trail nickname.  Mine would be SCAR.  Now I have a ridiculous idea that I should go out on a day hike.  But I hate to hike.

There is still lots of tension in the country.  Trump continues to fuel a fire of rage in so many of us.  His former Secretary of Defense just announced that Trump is a danger to our constitution.  Now Trump is trashing him.  I just hate this man and he can't leave office soon enough.


4- TH- PA- Quarantine Day #81- RED

It was a gorgeous day and I ran off to find beer and spare ribs.  Now I am loaded up with comfort food and drinks for a few days.

Today is the last day of being in the red zone of the quarantine.  Tomorrow we move cautiously to the yellow zone.  But accuracy, the quarantine is over for the people.  These protests have forced us to chose between speaking up or sitting it out.  And too many of us have stepped up. So now, social distancing is done.

We had a big ass protest today, organized by the Mayor's office. The whole damn town came out.  We met at the government building in Gay street and then we marched up to the court house.  People just kept joining th group.  The Mayor made a commitment to ban knee holds.  She pledged not to accept the help of the National Guard.  The African American Sheriff spoke.  A mother, whose daughter was killed in a racial crime, spoke.  The Chief of Police spoke.  Everyone took a knee and I felt she relief for the first time in a week.

I finished the day by watching the movie, Anita, the story of Anita Hill's testimony about Clarence Thomas and sexual harassment in the work place.  She was inspirational.  And it was a fitting way to end this emotionally charged day.

Face Book Post:  #TakeAKnee. When you kneel in silence for those 8 long minutes, it’s so hard to believe that this cop didn’t have one fleeting moment of reflection about his actions.

5- F- PA- Quarantine Day #82- RED

It was a miserable day and the last day when we have to be so secluded.  We move in to the Yellow Phase tomorrow.  There will be a few more options to eat out and to shop.  The world is peeling open again.

I spent much of the day on my blue chair which now has a permanent impression of my big, fat ass.  I worked on WAFW stuff.  I love what we are doing with these young women in China and Bangladesh.

I checked in with Sharon and we can't get together on Saturday as a huge protest is planned in all the major cities in the country.  One million people are expected to defend on DC alone.  And the Mayor of DC renamed the street leading up to the White House Black Lives Matter Blvd.  And Trump has put two miles of fencing around the White House.  He is hunkered down in fear and mismanagement.

I rented The Artist and The Theif from Bryn Mawr Film Institute.  It was intriguing.  I am not sure I would necessarily watch it again or recommend it.  But it was a very interesting story on people who are drawn to the wrong people.

I started watching I'm Not Your Negro and I had to pause it as there is too much to take in.  Everything he discussed in 1968 is the same today.  It's as if we have made no progress in these last 50 years. James Baldwin had a brilliant mind.


6- SA-  PA- Quarantine Day #83- Yellow

There are people sitting outside in the courtyard and they are laughing and relieved to be free to move around a bit.  It feels funny to hear them after there has been so much silence for so long.  Now I have to work on integrating myself back in to the world.

I spent most of the day working on WAFW things.  I had a call to Cyd, a call to Jerrie, an email to Maiike.  I drew up an outline and application for our English Language Mentorship Program. I sent an email to all of the facilitators.  This is beginning to feel like a job.

My Tweet: OMG, my state opened up a little bit today. I’m allowed to go outside and play with 
others after 81 days. Yippee!!! I’m so happy. HAS ANYOnNE SEEN MY BRA?


7 - SU PA- Quarantine Day #84- Yellow

It was beautiful day so Sharon asked me to come down and sit outside and have dinner.  I stopped by Ironhill and picked up 4 margaritas to go and couldn't wait to share them.  Glenn wasn't around and Deidre was supposed to join us so she just stopped by to say hello so that left two drinks for each of us.  I was so damn happy but I was surprised how excited Sharon was as well. She is not much of a drinker.

8 - M- PA/DE- Quarantine Day #85- Yellow

It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day so I drove to Rehobeth Beach, DE.  To reduce the crowd, the local police have blocked off half of the public parking which must be a real challenge on the weekend.  But I found a spot and I found an outdoor restaurant that would serve me a beer and a lobster roll so life was great for me. I sat on the beach for about an hour and just listened to the roar of the waves.  I love that sound.

I came home and had my first call with my Chinese student from Sias University.  Landon is a freshman from Hehan Province and we have already planned things for me to do when I finally get to return to China, although there does not seem to be any realistic return date in sight. She is very upset because she left her dorm in December for winter break.  The university never opened up again and all of her spring/summer clothes are in the dorm and she cant get to them.

9- TU- PA- Quarantine Day #85- Yellow

I started the day at 8:30 with a call to Amsterdam.  I have another person who is willing to start a Sisters' Keeper group in Bangladesh.  We are now up to 26 students and five groups.  I followed that up by sitting in a zoom call with my students from Bangladesh.  It was great to hear from them and to listen to what impact we have had on them.  Now I want to go back and reconnect with them.

Afterwards, I texted Nadia for about 30 minutes.  It was nice to reconnect with her. She recently got remarried and is not telling anyone as it is a big deal in her country to divorce and remarry.  We certainly do have a lot of rule in life that interfere with people's authentic lives.

I had a call with Kathi Lewis and Jane Moment.  Kathi has been in the hospital for 11 weeks now.  She looked great.  I thought she would look beat up.  But she was in good spirits and excited to hear from us.  Hopefully, we will get some time last the beach this summer.

I had a CARE zoom call with HRC as the Keynote Speaker.  She and I have the same hair cut : the 3 months overdue cut.  I wonder if she is as sick of her hair as I am.

Phylis and I walked around town tonight and then we went to Tecca for a drink.  Some man was just about leaning on me and I had to tell him to give me some space.  He just couldn't get that he was crowding me and needed to keep away from me.  These next couple of months are going to be tough as we make our way back in to the herd.

I went a little overboard with my tweets today:

• Just wondering if he is proud of his KKK endorsement. #TrumpRecession #MAGA #TrumpResign
• 
  
• Just wondering if he is going to make any more heartless comments about George Floyd, looking down and smiling because the stock market performed so well. #TrumpRecession #MAGA #TrumpResignNow
• 
  
• Just wondering if he is going to brag about how great the economy is as more and more people file for unemployment. #TrumpRecession #MAGA #TrumpResignNow
• 
  
• Just wondering if he is going to call any reporters "stupid" today. #TrumpResignNow #MAGA #TrumpRecession
• 
  
• Just wondering if Mexico is also going to pay for the wall around the WH. #TrumpResign #MAGA #TrumpBunkerBaby
• 
  
• Just wondering if he is going to malign any other citizens today or just the 75 year old guy who got his head cracked by the police. #TrumpMeltdown #MAGA #TrumpResign
• 
  
• Just wondering if he is going to ask the military to turn on Americans again. #TrumpRecession #TrumpResign #MAGA
• 
  
• I wonder if he grabbed any women by the pussy today.  He likes to do that. #TrumpResign #MAGA #TrumpRecession
• 
  
• Just wondering when he is going to show us his taxes. #TrumpRecession #TrumpResign #MAGA
• 
  
• Just wondering when we are going to be great again. #TrumpResign #MAGA #TrumpRecession

10- W- PA- Quarantine Day #86- Yellow

My tweet this morning: The Electoral College is racist. Want to make America great: give everyone an equal vote. One person; one vote. All votes matter. #BLM #MAGA #ElectoralCollegeIsRacist

I had lunch with Kathy Flatley at Ironhill and it was stressful. We have assigned tables outside. The menu is limited. I couldn't get a flight of beer. There is very little contact with the wait staff. We are not supposed to linger. So we eat and get out. It wasn't relaxing enough.

Then I can home and feel in to a little bit of a funk.  I can't sooth myself today.  I have an 8:30 zoom call and I had a beer for lunch so I felt a little trapped.  I didn't want to drive after drinking a beer.  It was really hot but I forgot about the pool.  I also forgot about hanging in the lounge as well.  So I just tried to nap and listen to an audible book.  I would finally get the rhyme of the narrator and then I would fall asleep for a few minutes and wake up and be disoriented in the story line.  So I would have to start over and try to pay more attention.  But it was really a waste of time because I don't feel refreshed and I am just going to have to start the story over for the third time. And I am still in a funk.

I had a zoom call with the WAFW facilitators and only one woman showed up and so did Jerrie but we still had a good conversation.  I like hanging with these people.

11- TH- PA- Quarantine Day #87- Yellow

It was rainy and then it was sunny and then it was rainy.  So it was hard for me to figure out what to do with myself today.  At the moment, I am lost between my quarantine world and my yellow phase world.  Things are opening up but not enough things that interest me.  I dont know what to do with myself.

And I have lost my social interaction interests.  I just dont feel like hanging with people.  I've lost my attention span for conversation.

I watched The Hate You Give Us a movie about a girl who witnessed a cop shoot and kill her friend. I recommended it to one of my Bangladesh students and she wrote back that she was going to watch it but in the interim, she wanted to know my opinion of renaming the White House.  She thinks the tilte has undercurrents of white supremacy.

I went to Jenkins Arboretum today and took photos.  My phone camera bombed out on me and I took mediocre photos at best but I was too lazy to go back out and take them again. And the threat of rain was too big a deterrent.


12- F- PA- Quarantine Day #88- Yellow

I sent a text to Kevin Williams to see if he wanted to meet up for a drink and he did and so we met for a late lunch.  It was great to catch up with him.  We talked mostly about the riots last week and the impact it has had on him.  For once, he told me, he feels validated.

I put a selfie photo of us up on Facebook and people are chiming in and liking it.  At the moment, it has 153 likes.  I think we all must be hungry for a post that isn't political.

I connected with my Chinese student, Landon.  She is hungry for conversation.  She really struggles but she tries so damn hard to communicate with me that her efforts are admirable.

I didn't watch any shows on the internet tonight.  I think this is a first during the quarantine and maybe the start of going back to my old ways.

My tweet today: Trump is willfully ignorant. #TrumpResignNow #MAGA #TrumpVirus #TrumpIsAnIdiot #TrumpIsALaughingStock #TrumpMeltdown

13- SA- PA- Quarantine Day #89- Yellow

It was a glorious day and I sat inside all day.  I don't know why I didnt go out and play but I just didn't.  I texted a few people to see if they wanted to get together but everyone was only available tomorrow.  I had four offers for tomorrow.  So in my boredom, I made quick trip to Walmart and bought shit I didn't need.  That seemed to appease me for the moment.

Later in the evening, I had a phone call with Tiasha from Bangladesh.  She is fascinated by all of the protesting going on here.  I sent her a movie recommendation yesterday that I knew she would just love and she did and then she had questions.  So it was nice to talk to her about the differences in race relations between our two countries.

14- SU- PA- Quarantine Day #90- Yellow

lunch with tricia
dinner with sharon
phone call to nadia


15- M- PA- Quarantine Day #91- Yellow

I wandered off to Marsh Creek State Park for the afternoon.  It was crowded as we are all so hungry to be out in the world again.  I sat in my beach chair and enjoyed the gentle breeze from the pond.  I tried to read but I still do not have the attention span to read as I used to do.  This fills me with shame and sadness.

In the evening, a few of us went in to town and had drinks at Ryan's pub.  It felt great to be outside and socializing. It got chilly so, without shame, we begged Jeff to run back to the apartment building and get us something to put on so we could stay out longer and in comfort.

16- TU- PA- Quarantine Day #92- Yellow

I had dinner with sue and tom at their home.  It was nice to see them again after all these months.

17- W- PA- Quarantine Day #93- Yellow

I went DE to buy a new laptop. I couldn't even get in to the store.  You have to have an appointment and a problem with your laptop.  I was told to buy it on line.

Late in the evening, I conversation with Jessica Peirson.  There is a classmate of hers who is claiming that he was sexually assaulted while he was in high school and under my watch.  He just wrote a scathing statement on FB that the district administration turned a blind eye to this abuse.  Jessica is furious as she knows I would never do that and she is worried that I am being wrongly accused of negligence of duty.  I explained to Jessica that this student has been in contact with me over his allegations and he is suffering from some sort of PTSD and mental health issues.  I suggested that she just treat him with kindness rather than confrontation.

18- TH- PA- Quarantine Day #94- Yellow

I slept too damn late today.  I took a sleep aid around 4 AM and it didn't kick in until after 7 AM. So waking up was too much of a challenge.  I spent the rest of the day on my balcony and just enjoyed the solitude.  I ran over to Walmart and picked up a few more plants and another shade umbrella and then I just sat on my balcony for most of the afternoon and the evening.  I just sat with my thoughts and music.

Tomorrow, all of the amenities in the apartment building open up so I think I will lose much of my privacy as people begin to venture out to the court yard in the evenings.

19- F- PA- Quarantine Day #95- Yellow

The governor announced that we will go Green on June 26 which will end the quarantine. I cant believe it.
I joined Debbie, Lisa and Jen at Stolen Sun Brewery for an outdoor happy hour.

20- SA-Quarantine Day #95- Yellow
dinner with dom and jaye
getting a cake for lauren

21- SU- Quarantine Day #95- Yellow
We had another family zoom call.  I wonder how long we will continue with this new way to stay connected.

We had a party at Patricia's house to celebrate Lauren's birthday.

22- M--Quarantine Day #98- Yellow

OMG, it was hot, hot, hot.  It's June and it was 96F.  What will August be like if it is this hot on the first day of summer.

I took a road trip to Washington DC to see the Black Lives Matter Blvd. I met up the Shaughan

23- TU-  Quarantine Day #99- Yellow

I finally got around to getting my car inspection which was due in March.

24- W-  Quarantine Day #100- Yellow

I drove to Gateway Garden in DE and picked up two more native plants for my balcony.  This has to stop.
I had another zoom call with the My Sisters' Keepers facilitators.  I am enjoying their company.
call to my chinese student

Tweet: What irony. The EU now views us as a “shithole country.” #TrumpCoronaVirus #TrumpIsALaughingStock

25- TH-  Quarantine Day #101- Code Yellow
I had a dentist appointment.  She is now open for business again and you know it is a sad state of affairs when I go joyfully to the dentist.
 great dames zoom
margaritas with phyliss

26- F- PA- Quartanine Day #102- Code GREEN
dinner at sharon's
karen incident
firecrackers

27- SA- PA

I finally get to go to the Sierra Trading Post store and I am hyperventilation with excitement. And, surprise, surprise, surprise, I bought too much shit that I didn't need. I need to avoid this place.

28- SU- PA

Goose Island Brewery is open and they are serving flights of beer.  I was so damn happy to be there.  And they had a grilled cheese and brisket sandwich.  Life really doesn't get much better than that.  I met Deb and Lisa and Mary there and we sat for four hours.  I missed these moments.  I love to sit in a bar and let an afternoon just slip away from me.

I posted my brewery photo on Facebook and someone chimed in that Pittsburgh has already closed down restaurants as the virus is flaring up again.  If we have to go in to quarantine again, I am really going to have to work on my attitude.  While we are not completely opened here, there is enough for me to do to feel as if I have returned to my normal life.  it will be too hard to go back.

29- M- PA

I was up earlier than usual and made my way to Stroudsburg to go kayaking down the Delaware River.  I hooked up with Lisa Latham and her sister and Lauren Chamberlain and her new boyfriend.  We loaded up the vehicles and we spent several hours just floating down the river.  It seemed like just a hour but it was more like three hours.  I love to go kayaking and now I want to buy a kayak again.  I hope this urge passes as I have nowhere to store my kayak and no one to paddle with.
shopping

30- TU- PA

Today ends my regular health insurance. For almost 65 years, I have had Blue Cross/Blue Shield Health Insurance and they have been a pain in my ass.  At midnight, I will now be covered by Medicare and finally, finally I am going to have better health care.  I cant wait.

I went shopping again today and I bought more blouses.  I wonder if these blouses symbolize my urge to go to some place where I have to dress up a bit.  I'm all dressed up but nowhere to go.