A Proper Update

I don't think I've ever mentioned on this here blog that from January to December of 2025 I was working at the local board of elections, making it both a county (Frederick) and a state (Maryland) job.  Things started off well -- I really admired the overall mission, and I liked my coworkers.  However, it quickly became apparent that everyone in management was a) toxic b) very stupid or c) both.

Don't take my word for it!  I went to state level HR multiple times and all of my complaints were considered valid.  Right before last Christmas the director let me know I was being asked to leave.  I got a letter saying it was purely for budgetary reasons and not for cause.  Thing is, that's bullshit because with the 2026 primary and general elections approaching this is actually the busiest time of the year.

Still don't take my word for it?  This past January I was contacted by Maryland HR.  They wanted me to come in for a meeting with two members of the Board of Directors.  A number of other employees were complaining about the a) toxic and b) very stupid atmosphere of the place.  I went in for a 90 minute meeting and said my piece.  The place is run by lazy dummies who are holding on until they qualify for full pensions.

So getting shit-canned (ahem, "let go") sucks, especially right before Christmas.  But I had been applying for other jobs, and got one with the Department of Juvenile Services.  I'll make this even shorter -- I was hired as a juvenile detention warden ("Resident Advisor").  On my second day, with no proper training other than "don't defend yourself if you are assaulted," I was, uh -- assaulted.  The properly trained R.A. who observed the incident started laughing his ass off about it.  I quit that moment.  (This all took place as the beginning of April.)

So anyhow, goodbye Maryland.  I understand that nice things cost taxes, but to pay Maryland-level taxes and actually observe, in two different locations, incredibly shitty levels of competence was a bit of a wake-up call.  Not to mention the fact that while Frederick, Maryland made sense for my dad's needs regarding seeing his family, he's unfortunately gone now.  And honestly, Frederick is a lot more bad than it is good.  With its MAGA criminal sheriff and high schools with unresolved gang-rapes, it's time for a change.  By my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I'll start saving about 30 to 40 thousand a year just in state and property taxes.  (For what it's worth, North Carolina does have state income tax but it's much more reasonable.)

I'm having some work done on my house in preparation for a sale.  I might need to replace the roof, which would be expensive, but that's just the way it is.  This summer I'm going to start looking for a new house somewhere in or west of Wilmington, North Carolina.  It's not retirement, yet -- at the very least I'm qualified to substitute teach down there until I find something else.  But I am in a good position financially, and at 51 I'm planning on retiring long before I hit 60.

I'm excited.  I think my cats are too.  I want to walk on the beach at least three of four times a week and take the same damn picture of the ocean over and over again.  Also, barbecue.

Always more to say, but I think this is a good enough explanation for now.  Wish me luck!

Maryland Diners: Bonnie's at the Red Byrd, Keedysville Maryland

So this one's a little bit of a culinary curveball (baseball season has started!).  I was driving to visit Antietam Battlefield when I spotted this place just outside of Sharpsburg.  I decided I would heartily nosh there after my battlefield visit.  It was good, but weird, as have been most of my Maryland diner visits so far!

Saturday Caturday

Chingu in the sun.

"not as inevitable as we think it is"

"This is Minimalism's most powerful and frightening insight. It has nothing to do with the aesthetic cues associated with lowercase-m minimalism, the consumer products, interior decoration, the curated items of clothing. Minimalism doesn't need to look good. It tries to make us understand that the sense of artistic beauty humanity has built up over millennia -- the varieties of colors, stories recounted, and bodies represented -- is also an artificial creation, not as inevitable as we think it is.

Minimalism requires a new definition of beauty, one that centers on the fundamental miracle of our moment-to-moment encounter with reality, our sense of being itself. Any attempt at elegance is extraneous. [Donald] Judd left another note in his diary that winter: 'A definition of art finally occurred to me. Art is everything at once.'"

-- Kyle Chayka, The Longing for Less -- Living with Minimalism

Happy Confederate Surrender Day!

 

I'm a day late to Confederate Surrender Day, but really I just wanted an excuse to post this image.

And speaking of college sports, am I wrong to think the last few NCAA basketball tournaments have been criminally bereft of upsets?  I mean, I guess the seeders are getting better at their jobs.  That's a shame.

Skully

Frederick, Maryland.

Maryland Diners: Kountry Kitchen, Thurmont Maryland

So, I'm noticing a few things as I continue to review Maryland Diners.  (As a reminder, I once reviewed every diner in Whatcom County, Washington.)  Eggs Benedict, my go-to choice for seeing if a kitchen can handle simple but significant orders, are not nearly as popular here in Maryland as they were back in Bellingham.  So my second go-to, the club sandwich (the exhibitionist of sandwiches) has often become my choice since I moved back east a few years ago.  Second, Maryland diners don't play music.  Or at least the ones I've visited don't.  Seems a shame, really.  Anyhow, let's see how things went at the Kountry Kitchen!

Antietam Battlefield

Some pictures from a recent trip to Antietam Battlefield about 20 minutes west of Frederick.  At top is the infamous Cornfield, where the day's fighting started for the most part.  Next is a monument dedicated to Clara Barton who worked to help the wounded and dying throughout the day (and later to found the Red Cross).

Project Hail Mary: Wut I Thunk

The Martian Part II this is not.  Yes, the hero is a snarky nerd guy who has to science the fuck out of various math, velocity, and (here) chemistry issues to save the Earth.  But (mild spoiler, but if you've seen the trailer you already know) now he has an alien companion.  Basically, it's a buddy movie in space.  And it works very well, maybe better than it should.  A younger me would probably complain about how cheesy bits of it are.  Older me was quite satisfied to sit back and enjoy the ride.  It's 2026.  I can't blame anybody for wanting a little more grace (ahem), a little more teamwork in this life.  It mostly nails the landing too, but there's one small change from the novel that I think hurts the overall product maybe just a bit.  Still though, if you don't leave this one smiling (maybe cheering a little inside?) your heart is a lump of inert metal.  It's science.

Five bump-fists out of five!

Something New

I'm starting a new job this Wednesday.  It's been nice to have a little time off, and a relief to have gotten out of a very toxic previous work situation.  It's going to be tough, but I'm excited to be doing something new.  It's -- education adjacent, I guess you could say.  It also pays well and offers full benefits.

We'll see how it goes!

Reluctant Spring

The first blossoms are out, but It's supposed to be 40 degrees tomorrow.

Guess we need to take what we can get.  The birds are out too though.