Al Antosca's Blog

Trying out posting from the iPad

alantosca — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:07:38 +0000

So we finally made the jump and got an iPad. Albert got one a few weeks ago and has been raving about it even before he received it. He is off at training now and instead of a back pack full of heavy books he just brings his less than 1 1/2 pound iPad to class.

Now Ann and I are bitting

alantosca — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:38:16 +0000

From the ocean to the fry pan in about 3 hours… Yum!!!

The fish are bitting

alantosca — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:50:48 +0000

At about 4:00 I started catching mackerel. I was catching a bunch of tiny pollock but then figured out that I was too deep. I ended up with 6 good sizes ones. After this wave of fish we moved a bit. We caught a bunch more of the little polock then someone landed a cod. I think it was a keeper (over 24″). I slapped a Hopkins jig on my surf rod and sank it to the bottom. I snagged a few polock but just as we were getting ready to leave, wham… Something hit the jig but I was too slow to hook it. Was it seaweed or a 30lb cod. In my mind it was a 30 pounder.

Deep Sea Fishing – Take 2

alantosca — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:22:16 +0000

Well after driving 1 1/2 hours, and a GPS goof that landed me about 2 miles from by intended destination, I arrived at the dock at 8:02am, just in time to see the boat depart and head for sea. After getting pretty upset about the ordeal and the 1 1/2 hour drive home, Ann convinced me to give the afternoon trip a try. So here I am at Eastman’s Dock 1 1/2 hours EARLY. Let’s see how I do. I’ll check back later with a report from the Isles of Sholes.

Steel faces

alantosca — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:59:26 +0000

Heather and I are visiting with our dear friend Fr. Joe. We are at the Currier Museum of Art. There is a very interesting exibit here. George Sherwood’s Steel Life. The steel faces are very interesting to look at.

My poor Mustang sits on the side of the road

alantosca — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:14:23 +0000

Well a crappy end to a nice weekend. On the way home from a great long weekend with my folks in Gilmanton Ironworks, NH the electrical system in my baby (that would be my Mustang) started acting up. First the ABS break light came on, then the Traction Control light, then the Air bag light then all the gauges went dead. About a mile later the engine just stopped. Ann and I had to walk a bit to get cell signal and called my folks and AAA. Ann waited by the car and I walked back to call AAA back to give them the street address. Walking back to the car a rottweiler charged from the other side of the road and was staring me down. I wasn’t in the mood for this so we just stared at each other as I thought where the best place to punch him would be of he continued to charge. I just kept walking and he just stood in the middle of Rt 28 in Chichester, NH.

Well we are driving home and in Hudson now. When we get in I believe there is an adult beverage waiting for me. Let’s hope tomorrow works our better. Can’t wait to see what Best Ford tells me the problem is.

Happy 4Th of July?

A rough start to the week

alantosca — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:19:01 +0000

Monday, July 5th. A holiday here in the US. The day started with a call from the business analyst in London at 5:45 am. It was a pleasant conference call given where I was able to take the call from the deck of my folks place on Crystal Lake. All worked out well…

It feels like it will be a scorcher today. I just heard a loon give its cry as it was flying around this end of the lake. Ann and I will go up north a little further to visit Dave and Laura Schroth. We havent seen them for a very long time. It’s over 80 degrees already and it’s only 10:00 am.

Relaxing 4th of July

alantosca — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:15:04 +0000

A beautiful and relaxing 4th of July here on Crystal Lake. The weather is nothing like the weather forecasts predicted. We were bracing for a brutal hot and humid day with lots of sunshine. What we got was a breezy morning in the 70s followed by a cloudy afternoon in the high 70s – low 80s with very brief rain showers. A perfect day to just relax on the deck, sip on a Nice Summer Ale and catch up on the latest Tour de France news.

As you may be able to see from the attached picture, someone brought their dog to watch the riders today. unfortunately this idiot did not think to make sure the dog was on a leash. The dog wandered into the road and right in front of the peloton. The riders zigged and zagged to avoid the scared pooch and a number of the cyclists hit the deck. The dog… made it out of the mess unharmed; the riders… not so much.

Vacation 2010 begins

alantosca — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:32:13 +0000

It’s Saturday afternoon July 3, 2010 and I am relaxing on the back porch of my parents house on Crystal Lake in Gilmanton Ironworks, NH. It is the start of my summer vacation. Vacations are always a challange for me. Do nothing… That’s what you are supposed to do on vacation right? Well I don’t do “nothing” very well. Doing nothing seems to be a waste of time and wasting time is, well, a waste. I’ll need to think of it as “doing” my mental health some good.

Okay, here I go… Do nothing… I think I need a project plan for this.

The First Class experience

alantosca — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:51:15 +0000

We were able to get into First Class. The seat is a mechanical wonder. It fully reclines and has a built in video screen for movies. I chose 10000 BC as my movie. The food was great. Take a look at the pictures. It was a great flight!