After a look back at the few newsletters I released last year, I realized they had gotten progressively longer. So this year, I've taken a vow of brevity. Or at least a promise of shorter newsletter issues.
The releases have also been rather sporadic. So going forward, I'm planning on releasing issues more regularly (at least monthly and maybe every two or three weeks as the news cycle dictates) but with fewer topics per issue.
So here we go, boldly leaping into 2024 (albeit a bit late).
Death on the A/P Expense Line. 1989.
Found object fiction.
Back in 1989, I entered a lot of A/P expenses. You wouldn't believe how it was back then. I worked in cash redemptions, and these receipts, some of them for incredible sums, would flow in non-stop. And we (me, along with a team of 19 other enterers) would enter them as fast as we could. Then we'd toss them into a big stack of paper, grab the next one as it tumbled down the pipe, and keep it going. All day long.
Twice a day, that pimply kid from archives would roll in with his squeaky cart and haul that stack away.
We thought it would never end, but when Harrington died that December, right on the line, they came in and shut us down—just like that.
Eventually, everything ends.
Wintertime Blues
After an exceedingly snow-light start to the winter season, the first few weeks of January came in hard. Over the course of three days in January, we got hit with back-to-back storms that dumped 20 inches onto the grounds of our modest estate.
And that means that for the past few weeks, I have shoveled a lot of snow.
Here are five items that I have relied on to clear this too-large volume of snow from my too-long driveway. I heartily endorse each one of these items.
This is not a shovel you use to lift snow. Instead it's a tool that is exceedingly effective at pushing piles of snow around, not unlike its namesake.
Instead of steel or aluminum, the blade of this American-made shovel from JM Enterprises is comprised of Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene with the patented TUFFBRACE handle connector.
This device saved me a (possibly literal) ton of lifting this season so far — resulting in a significant reduction in aches and pains in my arms and back. The only downside is the blade does get worn down pretty quickly from all the pushing across concrete.
I used the 30" model, but it also comes in 18", 24", 28", 36", 44", and 48" versions. It's expensive ($60-70 for the 30" depending where it's being sold), but this shovel really works and has earned a permanent place in my ever-growing collection of snow-clearing tools.
Back EZ Tool Handle Attachment
As great as the Snowplow is, sometimes you have no option but to lift the snow out of the way. Last season I gave myself a serious case of snow-shoveler's elbow (pretty much the same injury as tennis elbow) after lifting and tossing endless shovelfuls of snow.
So this season I plunked down $10 and bolted this add-on handle to a traditional shovel's shaft. Man, what a difference. It conveniently comes with its own hex driver (and also includes an even more convenient place to store this easily misplaced tool).
Thanks to this after-market shovel add-on, this winter I've managed to remain injury free (so far).
The winter months get cold in Wisconsin. But they get a lot colder in Canada. So when I was looking for a pair of boots that could keep my feet warm for extended periods of time while shoveling mountains of snow from my driveway, Baffin was the obvious choice.
They make a lot of winter footwear (this link will get you 20% off a pair), but opted for the Borealis because they look cool—and they're compatible with my Atlas Montane showshoes.
During the Wisconsin winter, you should be prepared for your vehicle to get stuck—even if you've got 4WD. In the truck I always carry a pair of Maxtrax Recovery Boards (pretty much the gold standard in recovery board technology). But they're expensive.
So as a fallback system that lives in the garage, the X-Bull Recovery Boards work just fine—as they did when the tractor (in 4WD, of course) slid off the driveway into the goldenrod field. Getting it back onto the road was trivial with these.
Earlier in this list, I mentioned suffering from a case of shoveler's elbow. It took hold about mid-January last year and was intensely painful—so much so I had trouble even lifting a coffee cup. As you can probably guess, this was a problem for me.
So I tried a few arm sleeves that provided some small relief, but none of them worked particularly well. Eventually, thanks to the Amazon Recommendation Algorithm, I became aware of Incrediwear's Elbow Sleeve.
Now Incrediwear makes a number claims that read like so much gibberish: proprietary technology, semiconductor elements, negative ions, infrared waves, cellular healing process, cellular vibration.
I'm super suspicious about this sort of pseudoscience-adjacent marketing claims, but after no success with other brands, I figured I didn't have anything to lose (except $45). So I ordered one and started wearing it 24/7. I noticed a marked improvement very early in the process and wore it non-stop for about six months.
In short, this thing works.
Now I only wear it when shoveling and to date I've remained pain-free this season.
Back in the News ... Cairns!
As I've written about before, some people just hate cairns.
Last year rock cairns had a brief news moment when some outlets reported that Park Rangers were encouraging people to knock over cairns in Yosemite National Park.
In general, especially in heavily populated parks and recreation areas, I agree. Rock cairns are dumb.
But, in some cases, they do serve an important purpose. Along the remote backcountry hiking routes, for example, small rock cairns are extremely useful when the trail all but disappears.
So please think twice and consider the situation before you kick over that cairn.
From the Old Dutch Files. Episode 1.
When I was a young man there was no better snack than a bag of Old Dutch Potato Chips. (I was also fond of Geiser's). So when I returned to the Midwest in mid-2022, I was pleased to see that Old Dutch was still around—and thriving. (Geiser's, however, is long gone).
So, seized by nostalgia, I've decided to sample all the current Old Dutch flavors (of which there are many) across the different styles of chips they produce (of which there are four). It seems appropriate to begin this journey with the Original.
Original Flavor Old Dutch Potato Chips
160 calories and 135mg sodium per serving (16 chips)
Ingredients: Potatoes, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Salt.
From the first crisp chip to the last, this was a fantastic chip-eating experience. Just about as perfect as a potato chip can be. 5 Stars.
(These aren't going to be long reviews).
Anatomy of a Trip Around the World. Part One.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of our family's year-long trip around the world. So I thought it would be fun to take a nostalgic look into some of the aspects that went into making this life-changing trip happen. So for the first list, I recounted every place we slept for 333 days.
During the trip, we spent the night in 109 different venues — everything from hotels and hostels to Airbnbs and B&Bs to a few planes, trains, and automobiles, with a boat thrown in for variety. For the full list, check out the post over at the Taking on the World blog.
All right, to keep this short(ish), as promised, I'll be signing off now. As always, I thank you for reading. Until next time, treat yourself right and hug someone you love.
Oh, and some links above are affiliate links, which helps me keep writing this thing (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support.