People crammed into spaces, uncomfortable temperatures, little to no food. But enough about my flight back from Orlando. There was also big news about 4,000 passengers stuck on a cruise ship who made it back to port after four days. ... The Jersey City water plant in our town has a facility labelled "Confined Space Training." It's being opened up for use by coach passengers. Read more...

Someone asked if I were going to the rally to restore sanity. I replied, "Restore is such a judgmental word." Actually, the first time I was asked the question about restoring sanity, I completely misunderstood. "Yes, we can't have Christmas without him. What would the little elves do?" (OK, you can't fool me. There's no Sanity Clause. And don't call me Shirley).  ... Read more...

The dead deer lining North Jersey roads  have reached historic levels. In a 15-mile drive  recently on Route 287 (or I-287 as much of the country would say), I spotted at least 15 carcasses. I must admit I would have been lost without my Audubon Field Guide to American Road Kill. And there's all kinds of games you can play with kids on a trip, guess how long the bodies have been there, and how many cars it takes to smear one completely across the road and then there's the party games like "Pin the Tail on the Carcass".