2026-11-02 01:12:00
A couple of weeks ago I decided that we have gotten lazy about getting out and doing stuff in RVA. We are in a multi-week streak of the most perfect fall weather I can remember. Granted, we likely need some rain, but it's hard to argue with 70°F (21°C) and sunny every single day. So we've made a point to find things to do on the weekends other than hang around the house.
Two weekends ago we went to the Barbie exhibit at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and then the next day did a day trip to Smithfield, VA. On Friday night this weekend we went out to the symphony for the tribute to New Orleans, a night of jazz and blues. Then we skipped giving out candy for Halloween for the first time ever. Last year we got less than 10 kids, and 5 of them belonged to a neighbor who has moved away. So we went out instead to GardenGlow at Maymont, which was adults only on Halloween night. So it was much less crowded than when we've attended in the past. We also went out birding in the neighborhood Saturday morning, and I joined the the Audubon folks in a local park for more birding on Sunday morning.
We also watched The Babysitter and The Babysitter - Killer Queen this week, as our token attempt to watch something "scary." My wife does not like terrifying movies, and the two Babysitter movies are more dark comedy than scary. The gruesome deaths have a comic book feel to them. I don't know if I'd call them "good" movies, but they were entertaining, so they did the job.
So far so good on the effort to get out more. We've succeeded two weeks in a row.
2026-10-27 20:48:00
Sunday was a perfect fall day. Too perfect to spend at home. So we made the 100-minute drive southwest to Smithfield, VA. If that sounds familiar it's probably because Smithfield, Inc. is the world's largest producer of pork products. You've most likely picked up their bacon at the grocery store.
Back in the day, both Smithfield and Gwalty, another bacon company, were centered there. Peanuts also pushed a lot of money through town. Like a lot of company towns, those days are in the past, and Smithfield trades mostly on nostalgia these days. You can see some of the evidence of its glory days in the houses below. There were multiple homes that predate the existence of the United States. It had to be one of the better collections of 18th and 19th century architecture you'll find still standing.
We got into town around noon, as nothing opens before then on a Sunday. After a stop at the visitor center to get the walking tour map we parked at the local museum, where we saw the world's oldest peanut and the world's oldest and (allegedly) edible ham. The basement of the museum (which used to be a bank) has the vault set up with Cold War shelter artifacts, including canned food that has been there since the fallout shelter was created in the 40s or 50s. Then we followed the walking tour by a bunch of very impressive homes. We also strolled downtown and visited multiple antique shops and boutiques, had a fabulous piece of apple pie, and visited the local brewery.
2026-10-17 12:00:00
5 years ago I wrote about my declining interest in college sports in I'm Over College Sports. For the most part that is still true, although I do relapse during March Madness.
Last night, Purdue football, winners of two B1G games in a row for the first time since 2022, was on network TV. I have not watched a college football game in several years, at least. We were home, the MLB playoffs were a rainout, so I decided to watch.
Readers, I did not enjoy it. And it has nothing to do with Purdue losing as it was a close game until the 4th quarter. I didn't enjoy it from the get go. I guess I'm officially over it, for all the reasons I discussed in the post linked above.
I'm sure if I had been there in person I would have had a great time. The atmosphere of college football is fabulous, and generally has little to do with outcome of the game. For adults, college football is mostly about the nostalgia of those 4 years in college where you have adult freedom without adult responsibilities, and reconnecting with old friends who also come back for the game.
None of that exists on TV.
2026-10-15 12:00:00
One of the problems with the pocket supercomputers that we all carry around is that they've killed the simple act of being idle.
Many years ago, we had a basement. In that basement I had a real stereo system with a 5 speaker system that was perfectly balanced to my spot on the couch. Not infrequently I would head to the basement with a drink, put on a CD, and just sit there in the dark enjoying an album the way the artist intended.
I haven't done that is probably 15 to 20 years. To be fair, since we moved in 2017 I have lacked a room for a proper stereo set up. But even if I had that, I'd probably be doom scrolling to Led Zeppelin instead of enjoying Led Zeppelin.
The closest I come to that state of zen these days is birding. When I'm birding I'm totally absorbed by looking and listening. It's really the only thing I do in my current life where I reach that state of detached concentration.
But birding is not idle.
Most people, given 10 seconds in a checkout line, will pull out their phone. Nobody can just be, not even for 10 seconds. That can't be healthy.
I need to find a way to be idle at home.
2026-10-12 12:00:00
It's been a while since I posted an NA beer review. As you might have guessed by the name, it's a pumpkin beer. I hate pumpkin pie. I like pumpkin beer.
This is a good one. It's a porter with flavors of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The pumpkin is very subtle.
This is a worthy seasonal. It would be a good beer if had an ABV of 6% and 280 calories. Instead is less than .5% and 80 calories.
2026-10-10 21:33:00
I've lived in Virginia for 9 years, yet somehow last night was my first time at the festival.
My bad. My very bad.
In my defense, I think we are frequently camping when it hits town, as early fall is prime camping season. We were supposed to be camping this weekend, but real life got in the way. So I headed into town after work on Friday.
One thing about the RFF is that it has a very inclusive definition of "folk." It's really a traditional music festival, spanning folk, jazz, blues, and traditional music styles from across the planet. Last night I saw three acts.
The Michael White Quartet - New Orleans Jazz
Reverie Road - Irish
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials - Chicago Blues
Did I mention all this wonderful music is free? And these are not local acts; these are world-renowned artists at the very peak of their respective genres.
I haven't found any videos from last night on YouTube, and I'm not going to subject both of my readers to my janky phone videos, so I'll post representative videos from each artist below.
