We're expecting a big snow storm today in Massachusetts. The college is closed so I'm home doing some work. I'm always amazed at how quiet the woods are right before a big storm - no birds chirping or flying around. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks - not sure where they are but probably just about where I am right now..... Stocked up at the grocery store this morning and looking forward to a nice meal this evening. Stove is full and kicking out some nice heat..... everything has slowed down..... it feels good.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Getting Ready For The Snow
Posted by
Gordon F Snyder Jr
at
11:47 AM
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Labels: Massachusetts, New England, Snow, Snow Day, Storms
Monday, September 8, 2008
Another Day After in New England
Last February 4th I wrote about the day after the Super Bowl in a post titled New England the Day After. The New England Patriots had just lost to the Giants and most of the people I ran into looked like zombies - eyes glazed over in looks of disbelief. Today is not much better for Patriots fans. Quarterback Tom Brady took a hit to the leg in the first quarter of yesterdays game with the Chiefs and blew out his knee. Most reports right now are saying it is a torn ACL and he will be out for the season.
Matt Cassel came in for Brady and played well enough for the Patriots to win the game yesterday. It looks like they are bringing in Chris Simms who will likely be picked up as third string quarterback behind Kevin O'Connell.
In the February post I described an interview I had listened to with Patriots owner Robert Kraft on WEEI radio. One particular quote from Kraft stuck in my head and it is still there "With every crisis comes opportunity if it is managed right".
There's 52 other players on the team besides Brady - we'll see how they handle this one.
Posted by
Gordon F Snyder Jr
at
12:03 PM
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Labels: New England, New England Patriots, Patriots, Tom Brady
Monday, February 4, 2008
New England the Day After
Since maybe week 6 of the NFL season (right around when the Red Sox won the World Series) we've experienced a blur of analysis, hype and confidence regarding the New England Patriots. The past two weeks especially were non-stop leading up to the Super Bowl. Plans were being made for a Duck Boat Victory Parade in Boston on Tuesday with concern about the streets being clogged and people not being able to get to the polls to vote on Super Tuesday. The Boston Globe was pre-selling a book titled 19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots. Radio talk stations, newspapers, TV sports commentary, web discussion forums - all were non-stop about how dominant the Patriots would be in the game......
The aftermath..... I think there are a few lessons here for my kids and myself:
Preparation - The Giants were better prepared and played a better game.
Ignoring the Hype - Not listening to the majority - Giants once again.
Not Quiting and Believing in Yourself - of course the Giants!
I listened to a great interview with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, last week on WEEI radio. One particular quote sticks in my head and I'll likely remember it and be using it for a long time "With every crisis comes opportunity if it is managed right".
Is losing a football game a crisis in today's world? It's certainly not for me or the people I'm in contact with every day. It probably is for Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization though. Are the best lessons still to come in New England? Time will tell.
I'll get back to writing about technology tomorrow.
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Posted by
Gordon F Snyder Jr
at
9:42 AM
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Labels: Giants, New England, New England Patriots, New York, New York Giants, Patriots, Super Bowl
Monday, December 10, 2007
A New England Beaver Meets a Retired Cable Splice
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In the next few blog entries, I’m going to be focusing on green technologies. I know it is stretch but could not resist kicking off the series by writing about “nature’s engineer”.
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Our home in Western Massachusetts is surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods and there’s lots of wildlife around including deer, fox, wild turkey, coyotes, black bear and beavers. We try and get out in the woods as much as possible and especially look forward to the winter because the ponds, brooks and swampy areas freeze over, allowing us to walk on the ice and explore places we cannot get to when it is warmer. It’s been cold recently and there is a good 4 inches of ice – more than enough to support the weight of an adult.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGPflzRPh-LWVSxSh5-Xn0dH6tXdCqQxF8NDjmxghgUH-4-D_i6AAMLjX6pi8V8gpx_vNFOOzs25KekXRCOqXb3ocDXksvqrzIubDIEUd-cdC9cRbX79qiyQkWewMZ62u2pNXn1uMrgzQ/s200/DSC00343.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhv69PZq3jlSUGjwwroT_d4kPxBWsNRrLOy_qHo63snZnDIgno2UL7YKA54kOad7iWJZTva82QwtPe8wvHH2i3-XXQHBOorNNhkxPyMtlzhu9WA-9SIJtWR3P9iqoNAfw8ckbvNLXXNQ2/s200/DSC00345.jpg)
Here’s a couple of pictures of trees they’ve cut. The first is the stump of a tree they dropped across our road in August. The second is the stump of a tree they cut within the last week.
In September we first noticed what looked like a cable-splice pedestal box but could not get close to it because it was on a little island in the middle of the flooded area. Yesterday, the ice allowed us to walk to the box and finally get a close up look - here’s a picture. You can see the box is bent and twisted with the cover broken off. I’m guessing the combination of high water and ice last winter twisted and broke the pedestal open – I don’t think the beavers busted it open.
I also don’t believe this cable is active – about 10 years ago Comcast installed a piece of fiber that feeds the coaxial connections to the homes on our road. It’s still interesting to see the kind of damage beaver can cause - I just hope they don’t know where the fiber splices are!
Posted by
Gordon F Snyder Jr
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7:07 AM
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Labels: Beaver, Beaver Pond, Cable, Dam, Lodge, Massachusetts, New England, Wildlife