*&#@)+* cable tv

UGH! I hate cable television. They raise their rates and drop their services. It's horrible the amount of money they are trying to squeeze from my sorry ass. My bill with Comcast just recently went up 33%!
I was forced to drop channels to keep the monthly price at a reasonable amount. I know there are alternatives, like rabbit ears for the digital signal... or a book... but I won't get my beloved Military Channel... nothing is better than to curl up on the couch with an episode "Nazi Collaborators" or "Greatest Tank Battles"! But now, with this lower tier, this is not available to me. 


Another consideration is a dish tv. My cable provider offered a triple play, where my internet, phone and cable service would be bundled into one price, but they were not going to raise my service tier. Conversely, my phone provider has a dish network that I could bundle into  similar services, but their array of channels is shockingly alluring. I may go this way, even if cable gets wind of my egress and ups the ante. My only concern with this satellite dish , which is aimed at a particular point in the sky to get my signal, is the end of days that the Mayan calendar is predicting. The calendar ends with this year's winter solstice which occurs on December 21, 11:11 am. It's a Friday. Predictions for this ominous day include war, famine and asteroids striking the planet. What is most disturbing is the prediction that the Earth will endure a magnetic pole shift, reversing the polarity of the Earth. It will essentially tip over! What this means is that the dish I had installed will no longer be pointing at the particular point in the sky and I'll have to pay for a service call to have the tech realign it. 
Ugh...I can't win.

The end of this ...

... costs money to fix this

where to go

A lot of people spend more time planning their vacations than planning for their retirement. They obsess over travel details and cruise-wear wardrobes, but neglect IRAs and 401k savings. They demand "cookies" and gifts rather than being happy with what they have. They seek the company of jerks though they are in relationships that work... They are always looking forward to something more rather than admiring where they are. And, perhaps, they are never truly happy because they are constantly looking for the next “fix”.

Do I sound bitter this morning? No, just observing and stating facts. Perhaps this is the beauty, the zen if you will, of Vacations From Home. Life comes at you quickly and it is a wonderful lovely precious fleeting thing. How many of us realize how far we've already come just to get to this point in our existence, how complicated and rare that we are here at all, breathing and smiling at the myriad of sensations available to us? Do any of us realize how much joy there is in just being here.....? How many of us are instead spending our lives anticipating and waiting and hoping and wishing and never happy because our hopes and aspirations are never realized? But here at Vacations From Home central we don't have the opportunity to pine for island climes because we don't have the bucks. Yet, rather than ruining the day wishing for something that ain't happening we find the joy in our surroundings and immediate environment. Yes, we are forced into our happiness by our circumstances. Happiness then oozes from our pores. Our collective smiles threaten to whiten the teeth of all passersby. Our joy is boundless and infectious. Small animals in city parks clamor to be near us and birds chirp ever so lovingly when we pass. Strangers marvel at their luck to be graced by this dynamic traveling duo and try to "friend" us on every social network application available out there on the internet.

Consider it another way. Rather than engaging in a riotous game of tug of war, we’ve let go of the rope. Rather than getting worked up over the barn burning down, we smile broadly at the new view we have of the full moon.

Of course, we’re dilettantes to our core. What better way than the Grand Tour? There’s a stretch of sand and a Mai Tai in Waimea Bay, or is that a rum swizzler in St. Lucia, or a carafe of sangria in Sitges, waiting for us? I’d settle for ouzo in Ia. Sadly, reaching these far-flung locales is far-fetched for us now and we’re planning a weekend in Pittsburgh to see a Pirates baseball game and while there we hope to get on the “mullet cam”. 

Again, I’m not bitter, just stating the facts. I am looking forward to this trip the third weekend in April, but yesterday on the first day of Spring I spent a good long while smiling at my forsythia bushes now in full bloom in the backyard and I wanted to be nowhere else.

Borrowed shoes

How cheap can I get? Well, let me tell you, I'm downright notorious in my ability to find ways to save money. Take for instance my favorite form of exercise, running. Nothing is more relaxing than loping along the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath that goes through Lambertville. During the 20+ years I've lived in this little river town I must have logged thousands of miles running on this idyllic trail between the canal and the river. The canal was dug in the 1800's to transport coal to New York City from the Pennsylvania mines.
http://www.dandrcanal.com/
The views of the Delaware glittering in the afternoon sun are inspirational enough to get me out there and with 34 miles of park there is no shortage of new stretches to run along, but often I just pop out my front door and get to it. I used the trail to train for 8 marathons and countless shorter races, and I plan to run more. Yes, running is a great form of exercise and it's cheap. It's also a good way to tour a new city or country. When I traveled extensively for work years ago I would look forward to a run in a new place. Sometimes my only recollection of a trip was of the run I was able to squeeze in on my schedule.

Running is a cheap form of exercise too. You just need some particulars like shoes, socks and an outfit of some sort. Please, no velour warm up ensembles! The rotten thing is the cost of the shoes. They wear out and no amount of duct tape will help patch them up. Bad shoes invariably lead to knee, back and hip problems too so it's important to "retire" your shoes as they wear. I must go through 5 shoes a year, depending on whether I'm training for a marathon or just keeping in shape. Good shoes cost a lot of money, but typical of my cheap ways, I discovered a way to get free shoes. You can too. Years and years ago I signed up for the "wear test" program for New Balance. They send me shoes. I wear them, write an evaluation and then at the end of the testing period return them. I don't mind. Usually by the time I'm finished with them they are beat to hell anyway. I average 3 shoes a calendar year from them. So, if I'm not inspired by the glittering views of the Delaware then the need to run to test the shoes propels me.

This sounds like a typical VFH scam I know, trying to get something for nothing, but I'm also providing a service to NB. I haven't looked into other running shoe companies, but I would not be surprised if there are similar offers out there.

Gotta run... see ya.

http://weartest.newbalance.com/

Films vs Movies

Okay...this may come across as pompous, and perhaps by the end of this day's entry you will have even a lower opinion of me, but as I see commercials and trailers for different films coming out I rate them either theater worthy...or not worth the money.  There is nothing like a beautiful film experienced on a silver screen. The cinematography, the sound quality, the stories told are entirely more breathtaking in a theater, even despite the advent of these home entertainment systems that hedge the viewing experience ever closer to the big screen. Those I deem unworthy of spending money at a theater I either dismiss completely or I figure I'll watch them later on in 5-10 minute snippets on television as I fall asleep on the couch.

Now I know this blog is about being cheap and you fair reader may think that spending money on a frivilous activity like a film is a waste. Better to read a book, checked out from the local library too. I know some people who are so cheap they never go to the movies, but they won't even waste the gas money to drive to the library. Movies to me are a great art form and it's like a mini vacation. Yes, I'm cheap,  but I am willing to spend the money to see a good film. Perhaps I am a want-to-be cineaste, perhaps I am, as the late author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. said, of the first generation influenced not by books, but by movies.

Well I've read my share of books and sometimes the film version pales in comparison, but still it is worth the trip to the bijou.

Thankfully VFH's team leader, Janet, likes films too. Together we dutifully scour the listings and read reviews for the best available. It is an arduous process. "Movies" are off the list for sure. We'd never pay to see "Freddy Got Fingered". We like our stupid humor, but we ain't going to pay for it. We struggle with choices. Sci Fi for her is a bust, while I geek out with some of that genre. Thank goodness she likes war films. I hate slasher films. We both like foreign films. Sutbittiles don't scare us. We also like film discussion. Last year we attended a viewing of the 1930 film "All Quiet On The Western Front" after the novel by Erich Maria Remarque at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Afterwards there was a discussion about World War I. By the way, this particular film was shot twice, with side by side cameras. One was for the American market with sound and a silent version for the international market. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are returning to the Film Institute for a viewing and film discussion for the recent Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, 'A Separation."

A lifetime ago I used to go to the Public Theater in New York to see documentary films on Saturday afternoons. I was already a cheap so and so and I would go regardless of the topic because they were free. I saw films about serial killers and the Khmer Rouge among others. It was free and for awhile it was just a 30 Cent fare on the Path to get into Manhattan.

Free is good. Give me a ticket and I'll go see it...well perhaps not "Freddy Got Fingered"?
I used to go to the New York Film Festival on a regular basis. This too was way before Vacations From Home. It never mattered what film was actually showing

Because of my union affiliation for work I get to see a lot of free films... They are either offered through the union where I get to see the flick with other technicians and afterwards particulars about the craft of making the film are discussed, or, they are offered by the film companies themselves, hoping to garner enthusiasm for the film in a run for Oscar contention. This year I got to see Meryl Streep's Oscar worthy performance in "The Iron Lady" and later was able to take Janet to a free viewing of this year's Best Picture, etc., "The Artist." Both were courtesy of the Weinstein Company. We made it a great weekend by getting a hotel and eating dinner in a very nice French Bistro, Chez Napoleon. http://cheznapoleon.com/ and vodka at the Russian Vodka Room. http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/ ... Yes, Team VFH is cheap, but we know how to have a good time. 

Film or Movie

Film or Movie



nyc

I'm not a native New Yorker, though I lived a goodly portion of my life just 9 miles west of the Holland Tunnel in Harrison, NJ. Some people fear NYC, as if there are dragons awaiting them on the other end of the tunnel, but I feel as comfortable there as I am at home. I have no qualms about parking on the street, although sometimes finding a prime spot is difficult. It depends on the day and the gig. Weekends are easy; there's always a legal and free parking spot somewhere.

Yesterday, New Years Eve, I drove into the city for work. The roads were unexpectedly clear and open and I breezed through the Lincoln Tunnel. New Years Eve is "Amateur Night" after all and the hordes descended on the city via mass transit, fearful of being pulled over for a DUI. Good for them, and good for me. Typically I factor in some extra time to hunt for a spot and today I was concerned. I was lucky and had lot of time to waste after finding my parking spot.

New York is a great place to wile away a few hours. It was an unseasonably mild afternoon with the temperature hedging towards 60 degrees so I took to the streets for a stroll. Sometimes following the Vacations From Home credo is so easy for I enjoy walking NYC streets, especially when I'm armed with a good cigar. 

The streets were teeming. Holiday revelers weaved along the choked sideways, giving the police, who were out in a major show of force, a wide berth. I walked east on 57th Street. Barricades kept cars from driving south towards Times Square along Broadway and 7th Avenue and pedestrians were challenged by the police for identification, limiting access to the controlled chaos. Following my Churchill I ambled along the outskirts of all this commotion and only headed south at 6th Avenue. It was still crowded, but manageable. There was a calm feeling to the hordes as if everyone was happy enough to be in the area, as if there was not a single solitary native New Yorker within miles of midtown.

Along with all the other tourists I walked through Rockefeller Plaza, ogled the Christmas tree there, and walked down 5th Avenue past St. Patrick's Cathedral and the decorated shop windows, before heading over to Park to pass the Waldorf Astoria. No other city in the world can compete with these views. I happily puffed my stogie at the views and the crowds which would part warily before my lighted beacon. I smiled warmly with this mini-vacation from home before I had to head for my job that evening.

Reelin' In The Years

"Your everlasting summer, you can see it fadin' fast /
So you grab a piece of somethin' that you think is gonna last /
Well, you wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand /
The things you think are precious I can't understand"
-Reelin' In The Years
by Steely Dan 1972 (Donald Fagen and Walter Becker)

So, fellow moochers, another year has come and gone and what have we learned? Are we any better at getting a free meal, or a drink, or that elusive invite. They are diamonds all and I trust that you all have learned well from Team VFH to appreciate whatever drops into your laps. Count on it as good karma, or good manuevering, or good planning, but please remember this, don't let opportunity slip through your hands.

Seriously though, despite these cautionary words, life is precious. The years keep chugging along and our time in Eden is fleeting. Perhaps Vacations From Home isn't just silly, it's a good way of looking at life; experience as much of it as you can, as cheaply as you can. I'm sure I can count on my one hand how many trust fund babies read this blog and most of us don't have money to throw around.



Team VFH



In years past money was extremely tight for Team VFH. Things were slightly looser in 2011 and we traveled a bit further than around the corner. April had us in New Orleans visitng my daughter and her boyfriend. In July we traveled to England to attend her daughter's wedding as well as Scotland and Belgium. Work had me in Los Angeles for a week in August; the first time I had been there in 20 years. And, just last week we were in Denver for Christmas where we each visited family members!

We were blessed. We know when diamonds are in our laps and 2011 was a great ride. We can only hope that 2012 comes close. 



Happy trails!

countdown

Well... we now have just a year left. If one buys into the hype surrounding the end of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar which the Mayans created, December 21, 2012 is the end-date of a 5,125 year cycle. It means there are no more days after the winter solstice next year.

Some people believe that this time next year we may be visited again by people from the planet Nibiru... Others believe asteroids will slam into Earth, or our planet will be swallowed by a black hole. Yep... it's the apocalypse in less than a year.

What this means is you'll have to send out your Christmas cards especially early...  You may still fritter away your waning time with Black Friday shopping ordeals at the mall, but if you're smart and wait for the last minute to do your shopping, you'll be pleasantly surprised that you successfully avoided the entire mess!

Let's get this party started

What this also means, is that time is dwindling for Team VFH. There are so many places to visit within this timeframe, that we'll have to make hard choices.... do we visit Detroit, do we linger in Amsterdam, we must decide between Des Moines and Albuquerque, because you can't do it all! We must plan wisely...

The winter solstice means this is the longest night of the year and the offical start of winter. After this the days will get progressively longer until the summer solstice in June, 2012. Throughout history this day has been marked by celebrations, for light and life returns to the world slowly as the days get longer. In ancient Rome Saturn was honored with a week long feast. In Scandanavia the 12 day Feast of Juul started with the winter solstice. The Jews and the Chinese have their own versions of marking this day, but none perhaps is more famous than the fete thrown by those wacky druids out there in Stonehedge. Thousands gather at the ancient ruins to greet the sunrise with songs and chanting. Perhaps that's where Team VFH should alight next year to greet the oblivion?