This and That
I’m not feeling an abundance of inspiration this evening, so I’m just going to offer these two snippets:
First is that I deliberately wrote and published my post earlier than usual last night because I wanted to go outside and watch the Leonids I’d just written about streak across the sky. Alas, I saw one meteor.
One.
Yes, I was disappointed. And I continue to be bummed this evening for the same reason. Actually, tonight’s even worse. I didn’t see even one single meteor tonight. The plus side is that I gave myself the opportunity to walk through the woods in the dark – twice – and then nestle myself on a grassy embankment that affords an enormous view of the night sky.
Double bonus? It was relatively mild out (especially compared to the bitter cold and then snow of last week).
But again – only managed to catch one shooting star.
A PSA
On a totally different topic, I thought I’d pass along a snippet of information I discovered today that just might save someone a lot of money and probably a ton of hassle. And I feel this is particularly relevant now that the holidays are approaching.
For anyone who flies anywhere these days, you know how much of a relief it can be when you’ve finally made it through TSA, repacked all your stuff, stopped to score another drink to quench your dehydrated soul as a result of all the TSA hassle, and found your gate. Only then do you realize that your phone’s battery is precariously in the red.
Cue the angels: you hear their bountiful chorus as you spot one of those really convenient ‘free charging kiosks’ that are popping up all over the place inside airports.
STOP RIGHT THERE!
Don’t give in to the temptation! Step away from the charging station!
Seriously, I just saw this article this evening before I sat down to write and it occurs to me that this is an important thing for people to know. What a scam.
Notice that they suggest taking your own charging cable to plug directly into a wall socket. Or alternatively, bringing along a portable charging brick.
I guess the primary lesson is: Don’t be fooled. And the secondary lesson is: be prepared to charge your own battery. Don’t rely on the airport to provide you with a ‘safe space.’
As I said, not the most inspired post. But I’m sleepy, and I can’t believe it’s the 16thof November already. Thanksgiving is around the corner. 2020 is barreling toward us like a herd of bison.
We need to be vigilant, especially when we travel.
Finally
Luckily for all of us (depending upon your perspective, I guess), there will be yet another opportunity for us to turn our faces heavenward this week. So if your search for Leonids was as fruitless as mine, take heart. I’ll be writing about our next chance in a couple days.
(T-740)