Humanity's error created our civilization and is the reason humanity is in peril.
Shortcut to a delicious vegan entre.
Sharing our journey into raised garden beds and automatic irrigation.
As soon as one embarks on the path of mindfulness, one encounters their own inner voices: the inner narrative generated by your brain.
The lyrics must fit the music as much as the music must fit the lyrics.
Time-Out seclusion rooms in schools are used to temporarily isolate students for behavioral reasons. Locks for Time-Out rooms are strictly regulated.
Mag Locks can be made to fit on many types of doors. Success depends on choosing the right mag lock and knowing what accessories you need.
Security lockdown hardware is intended to secure doors in the event of an active shooter or other emergency. This article covers the basic principals and shows some examples of security lockdown hardware.
Jamming is not only good for your technique, it's good for the soul.
This article compares the conditions prior to the American Civil War with conditions that exist today in November, 2022.
This article is about dealing with Garageband system overload errors.
A silent meditation retreat can help deepen or restart your personal meditation practice.
Pairs of aluminum storefront doors present unique challenges when it's time to retrofit them with electric locking hardware for access control.
Glass and aluminum narrow stile doors offer unique challenges when retrofitting electric locking hardware. Learn about some choices for single doors with a flip-up deadbolt.
New Zealand, with its miles upon miles of well-maintained trails, may offer the best day hikes in the world.
From choosing a studio to CD production and distribution, I detail here my experience recording and sharing my first EP.
Seventeen Years as a Locksmith: Encounters with Burglars
How to be successful as an online seller of door hardware. Read on to learn my tips and tricks for making this work online.
Step-by-step instructions on changing the key that locks and unlocks your tubular single-keyed deadbolt.
Ordering restricted key products can be one of the most problematic transactions in the door security hardware industry. This article will (hopefully) demystify the process for you.
A hearty vegetarian stew with an array of great flavors that both blend and stand out.
The electric strike remains the most popular way to electrically control access today, primarily because it's the most economical and usually the easiest to install.
Many older homes have old fashion bit key (or "skeleton key") locks on their interior doors. This article is about fitting keys to these old locks.
This article illustrates how a key cutting machine is made and how it can cut keys accurately to within 1/1000 of an inch.
The numbers and letters on the head of your key always mean something. Here is a brief guide to the most common meanings of the numbers and codes.
Delayed egress is used for loss prevention, maternity ward and day care security and to keep Alzheimer's patients from wandering. It is strictly regulated by life safety code.
A simple how-to for coordinating electric strikes, electromagnetic locks, and/or electromechanical locking devices such as exit devices with electric latch retraction with automated door openers.
Doors are a very convenient means of closing, but they are a less convenient means of opening. This article discusses several devices designed to hold the door open for you.
As we demand more of our door hardware the specification of door hardware becomes more complicated for the architect, hardware consultant, installer and user.
This article addresses the challenges that an uneven pair of doors may present to the security and life safety hardware installer.
The "Golden Rule" is a simple rule that harnesses a fundamental power of the universe and makes life better for everyone.
The only reality in the messages from either candidate is what can be gleaned from their assessments of what they have done and their statements about what they intend to do. Their assessments of their own accomplishments reflect their learning (or lack thereof) from their experiences. If one ran a...
At 5,500 acres, Pawtuckaway offers plenty of room to enjoy the peace and solitude of the outdoors as well as multiple opportunities for... fun!... including a spectacular beach, miles and miles of hiking trails, 192 tent sites and more. Just 90 minutes north of Boston.
Gentleness is caring mindfulness and actions that reflect an awareness of the feelings of others.
Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 108 North Street, Norfolk, Massachusetts, is a beautiful and accessible place to enjoy natural surrounding and wildlife.
Stone Brewing Company has produced an exceptional Anniversary IPA. I heartily recommend it.
Once you have learned to consistently treat yourself with love, tolerance and forgiveness, you will be ready to interact with others on that basis. You will know the good feeling of being forgiven and praised and you will want to share these wonderful feelings with others.
On Earth, water is everywhere we go.
The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener that grows out of earth cleansed by fire. What message does the Universe bring by this
Free yourself from past negativity by practicing instant forgiveness.
This article briefly explores some possibilities that may help explain and suggest possible remedies for the decline of civility in modern culture.
A poem of reality and illusion.
It's like a pizza! There's nothing like a pizza.
In the depths of the deep move the unimaginable. In the depths of our hearts moves love.
You can train yourself to experience less stress. It just might save your life.
What is success? Is it wealth, fame, or power? In reality, anyone can be successful.
Counting poets: how do you do it? How do you decide who is a poet and who is not?
No one knows the future. It is unproductive to predict an unhappy future for oneself. It is also not fun. I believe that we should have fun whenever we can while we are still alive.
Living in fear is a choice. If others choose to worry about where their health care (or their money) is going to come from, I respect their choice. I choose to live in gratitude and joy as much as humanly possible because I have learned that doing so is more enjoyable.
Sometimes it feels like there are strings attached...
Time is the great illusion. It is the game we sign up for. Here we race against the clock, against age, against the fast motion of harm and the slow motion of gravity and friction, and it seems that every race we lose. So it seems, eh?
Poetry resides where it is loved.
At the nexus of being and non-being we find that we are both always and never alone.
If you can conduct a political argument while maintaining mutual respect, the argument has a chance of being productive. If you become disrespectful, not only does the argument go down the toilet, your marriage might just follow it.
My tribute to a master of blank verse and other forms of poetry.
A poem about being caught in a blizzard, metaphorically.
A poem observing commuters as they wait for their train ... and I wait for mine.
An ode describing the many fine attributes of a unique musical instrument.
How could you not love a beer named "Terrible" and brewed by a brewery named, "Unibroue"?
Just when you think you know a door closer, you find out something you never knew before. I learned something new about the LCN 4040XP, formerly the 4041, and I learned a little about humility, too.
When a problem occurs we can search for someone to blame, or we can get to work on solving it.
You can choose to feel lucky, or you can choose to feel sorry for yourself. One leads to a happy life, one does not.
A review of a remarkable porter brewed by the Firestone Walker Brewing Company in California.
A brief look at how altruism benefits society and the limits of altruistic behavior.
A poem about the world before dawn.
Some say we are an infestation upon the Earth. Others say we are angels. Where does the truth lie? Are humans apart from nature, or part of nature?
You may think you are in competition with others, but in reality you are only in competition with yourself.
A poem about living life without living. Breath is life. Notice your breathing, notice your life.
A poem about existence.
A poem about the inherent isolation of existence and what to do about it.
Two meditative poems and a meditation.
How to write poetry using the Sapphic form.
What does it mean to stand out in a crowd. Literally I suppose it means to contrast so much with the rest of the people in the crowd that you catch the eye of the casual observer. But how does that affect your self image or your view of others?
A poem about my observations after I missed my train.
How to use rhythm to make your poetry flow musically.
Form in poetry is a wonderful, useful tool. Yet sometimes a tool actually works better if its broken.
How to write poetry using the cinquain, quintain or quintet form.
Isn’t it much easier to be happy under a blue sky? When you’re sad, and the sky rains, isn’t it almost as if the sky is crying with you?
A found poem is a poem made from sentences and phrases found in life.
Everyone must leave the physical existence. I choose to leave by canoe.
A poem made from other poet's poems, the cento is a remarkably difficult form as the author tries to somehow unify one style from many.
The Bop is a fun form. Poets should try it!
What is the meaning of dawn? What is meaning? I try to explore a little of both in this poem and essay.
Examples and explanation of the abecedarian form, otherwise known as the alphabet poem.
Elegy for a fox I knew, more or less, for about a year.
Do our conclusions about others limit us, or them?
A poem about the sounds of rain.
Comma usage in a nut shell - and I am just the nut to do it.
Beer review: Samuel Smith's Organic Lager Beer
Black Hops Beer from Blue Hills Brewery: A great beer to socialize with.
A poem about hot house vs. wildflower.
A comparison of the methods we use to attain the things and experiences we desire: work, education, manifestation and attraction.
Arrogant Bastard Ale: "You're Not Worthy."
Be mindful of your beer and truly enjoy it - along with the rest of your life.
A rubber band rocket Out of green imaginary rubber Stretched between nonexistent fingers Aimed at the back of the annoying head Of the victim who is Your creation Fictitious tension between Your fingers, the green...
She proves herself In distances and altitudes Joints and muscles Thoughts. Place each footstep Differently At an angle or distance Length of stride Inside Magic of gravity at Her whim Invention of gender Miraculous weather ...
Meditation is a means of feeling better and getting in touch with your body.
The house is a construct Abode and container For life We choose Dividing inside From outside We choose Things To bring in To leave out A couch over here A chair over there Maybe a painting...
Finger skimming a bare ripple Across still water’s reflection My desire overflows its cup Droplets ringing like glass Ripples rebounding in cross currents In the silence She darts away submerged in her world Leaving me wishing...
So smooth and hard and cool You are no less than a miracle And make me feel good, too On you, I read your history Experience and pedigree Place of birth - I am impressed By your sophistication Aristocratic symbol of absolution ...
The villanelle can be a powerful form for expressing deep emotions. This is not an example of that.
A very nice walk in a wood with photogenic ponds and a wee bit of a climb for a little exercise and fun.
A mindful moment in the company of another being.
I am an old, distrustful warrior Learning to find goodness In former enemies Or potential property “So evolved” They say Yet I know I am a barbarian Dismembering my enemies Preemptively ...
Summer’s breath Inhaled by our home The word of darkness whispered While the young shout in the street Exuberance pulsing in their blood A wild thing dances naked Through our rooms Carried by summer’s breath Whispering darkness...
At first glance, it might appear that our experiences have great influence over our perception. Yet because we have a wide range of choice in the way we perceive reality, our perceptions have a much deeper effect on our experiences than our experiences have on our perceptions.
I prod you away with a staff That you block surreptitiously With a dismissive palm Defeating me with your Superior decades I am repelled by your Acquiescence to gravity Your body’s complicity With the downward drag Time’s...
Walking through fond fields of soft sunshine Claiming these memories as mine I wash you in the dew of my perception Until you glisten Listen Please accept my gift of sparkling As the world is elsewhere darkening With the dimming...
In addition to our physical eyesight, our ability to picture our world in our minds can help us better understand our world. Meditation helps to focus your powers of visualization.
Phosphorescence Changing hues Unmarked terrain An aurora borealis No landmarks you can use Each step a mis- People live through This I paint over my window Covering rejection Codependence Victimhood From my own side On...
Sometimes wishing makes you realize how much you already have.
These are step-by-step instructions on how to rekey the Abus 83/45 padlock. Careful steps are required to prevent having the cylinder ruined.
In homage to, "Paddle To The Sea." With my pocket knife I whittled A piece of pine, nondescript, By convention belittled. I cut myself when I slipped. Naturally, I bled. I guessed part of my work would be red. Wounded, more...
We choose what we will carry Each item with a bewildered care Misunderstanding the concept Of weight Packing it mindfully In an unknown container Learning the meaning of "Heavy" We shoulder The weight Of what we Ourselves ...
What is the value of a vase? What makes a room in a house useful? Of course it is the empty space within.
Mist diffuses The vibrant green Of newborn leaves on Elms along the distant road Rush hour uncertain, hushed Diffused by a vapor curtain Angles softened and distance obscured The world seems to draw closer As in a room one draws the blinds...
They seem More aggressive this year Engine revving Beside me Mass of metal Speeding by Like a very large bullet Anger in the rumble Toxicity in the smell I no longer judge them I have been angry Frustration ...
Born with hands Grasping spastic As the network knits Capturing For the time A being If each cloud a silver lining contains Each silver lining is by a cloud contained “Life is suffering,” say the Wise Via the vague...
A parting bead is a piece of wood Dividing windows in a sash So they can move independently Given weather foul or good A parting of the ways May indicate a clash Of philosophy or personality Or words misunderstood Of the...
Contemplating the brevity Of your lilting flight Your unprotected fragility And beauty In both motion and repose Considering your infancy A fat multi-legged creature That once crawled Eating its way through Green...
There is a sense of vertigo As the things I thought of As real Fade Vast expanse of beautiful Earth Translucent permeable Jelly of experience Relationships Sensation Fading Slight pang of parting I recede into oneness And...
The dentist’s office An old brownstone train station He renovated Lying in the chair I can see out the window The trains going by My implant is loose He is a little annoyed It is not his fault He is quite...
April is Poetry Month in the United States. In celebration I am endeavoring to write a poem a day. Some of them I will publish here. I hope some of my fellow HP poets will join in, although I know many already write at least a poem a day. Here...
Seeking peace I breathe A simple meditation "In... out ... " The rush of life Loud around me Fades into a warm Dark room My womb Bathed in golden light Noise of passage Accepted and dismissed Thoughts cease ...
Faith is a powerful force. In fact, faith is so powerful, it can provide for your every need.
In this perfect golden light I search for what I think Is you In the quickening dusk The crispness of the air I breathe Where I think you might Walk in invisible grace amidst The trees Where perhaps you run ...
1. Twigs A tree cracks the shell Enters the world Tender as a baby bird A twig with a couple of leaves Growing Sprouts another twig With another pair of leaves And so on Extending itself a little further Into the...
“The Wisdom of the Chakras, Tools for navigating the complexity of life,” by Ellen Tadd “What better place to review this book?” As I write this review I am actually in the sky – in a passenger jet aircraft. This might be...
(more bad poetry) Such longings I have! wishes of a drudge, messenger boy, tool of the living. Oh that I could live! I call out to beauty, “Come into my life. Soothe this glass-paved road.” Caress my lonely skin. Chase...
There are many ways to lock a gate. This article covers keyed locks, mechanical combination locks, battery operated locks, hardwired electric locks and electromagnetic locks.
Riding at dawn from Natick to Westwood in Massachusetts.
A review of the many ways to get a wire from a door frame into a door: for exit devices with electric latch retraction or electrified trim, electric locks, electric strikes in double door applications and for request to exit or other monitoring switches.
Dimensional and hardware factors that influence how architectural pulls, push bars and push-pull sets are specified.
An introduction to the various types of interchangeable cores available, how they work and how they differ.
Wondering, turned to the pre-dawn sky, they Stared upward at the place where the unknown So much like someone they knew Shone, though something was different. They recognized the radiance of their Daily choreographer reflected In the...
Best to keep it simple. First, get a key storage cabinet big enough to hold every single key. Hopefully it will be expandable in case you need to add capacity later. Second, number every door. Get a floor plan of the building and...
Rocky Woods Reservation Directions from Boston: Rt. 9 west to Rt. 95 / Rt. 128 south to exit 16B, Rt. 109 West to Westwood. Right on Hartford. Parking lot is approximately 3 miles on your right. Open sunrise to sunset daily. ...
She was there when we came Hanging out on her silk hammock Vertically relaxed Like a Zen master of martial arts In meditation "Not too loose Not too tight" Beautiful Deadly Poised,...
They sought a place apart where they could make their own life a father and some sons on a mountain ...
Forgive yourself Lonely wanderer See your beauty Your strength and honor Enjoy The lines on your hands Mapping your touch In this world ...
Formerly an estate, this 721-acre tract offers easy and relaxing walks in the woods within easy driving distance (about forty minutes) of Boston. In addition to miles of hiking trails, the park offers a wading pool for children, swimming,...
A poem for my father. Rest in peace, dad.
One needs only to look at you to see that you take your existence seriously. Your decidedly military frown dissuades the casual explorer before even they read the signs warning off the unauthorized trespass. Oak pilings, layered concrete,...
How far does your door open? 90 degrees? 120 degrees? 180 degrees? You need to know how far your door swings when you choose a door closer. This article explains why.
In death You leave us mysteries During your last two days in the hospital Where more than seventy friends Came to visit you You could not recall your fall Police sought in vain for answers No witnesses appeared In...
Overview of Schlage AD models and functions available along with retrofit considerations.
Many people, especially in America, are very concerned with their weight and body type. Not all of this concern is healthy.
Here is how you can fix a doorknob that fell off a mortise-style lock.
Ginger as a home remedy for muscle and stomach aches.
The sky Gray Like a battleship Weighs down Upon my head Dark And threatening The gloom Difficult To fend off Then The next day dawns The sun rises In the clear blue winter sky The world Is bedecked with...
So still So temporary Did he carve your breasts With love Shape your lips That he would never kiss Drape the chaste frozen sash Across your nakedness In deference To your modesty? When he roughed you out Of the solid crystal blocks Did he...
Editing poetry. The very idea seem blasphemous in a way: judging the heartfelt innermost thoughts of a person. What a ludicrous idea! Yet it's what I do. As Senior Poetry Editor for Eye on Life Online Magazine, publishing The Poetry Locksmith...
Slow motion explosion, sunrise, seeping Red into the deep blue of pre-dawn sky. Walk to the end of the platform, seeking Snow: there it is, and there, deeply, it lies. I strap on snowshoes, wade into powdered Sugar ankle deep, its...
Since life occurs even in supermarkets, there you may find yourself confronted with choices of how to interact with others as well as dietary choices. So often we are impatient at the food store. Surely there must be a better way.
A poem celebrating the first snow of 2009 accompanied by some pretty pictures.
A nice walk in the woods not too far from Boston, Massachusetts.
Okay, I'm a locksmith, not a cook. But what is a burrito, anyway? Take a flour tortilla, throw anything on it, roll it up - voila! It's a burrito. So we are not talkin' haute cuisine here. We are talking fast cheap dinner for three right now! For...
A completely waterproof backpack, good on the bike and off.
The day off for which I don't get paid The ancient festival Layered now with meaning Like the coffee cup at my wrist Or more like the ground beneath this house Or more like the ground beneath a house In Jerusalem Where...
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey dark meat 1 medium onion 1 bell pepper 1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained 1 20-oz. can tomato sauce chili powder red chili pepper flakes cumin 1 or 2 tblsp. olive oil Why turkey?...
Poetry, the thing That makes words Do things They were not designed to do. Why do I? Because I know Thought is not Adequately expressed By words alone. In person A person Uses facial expression Body language ...
Restaurant review of The Alchemist, local tavern, restaurant and microbrewery in Waterbury, Vermont, United States
It's the possessive quality of love that gets us into this kind of trouble.
Choosing bike tires: slicks are great for dry weather on good roads. They have low rolling resistance and help make the most of your endurance over a long ride. However, on a wet or sandy road, they can be dangerous. Then it's nice to have a little tread under you.
No one can guarantee that you will always be happy, but there are things you can do and ways you can think that will help you lead a happier life. Here are some of them. Think Highly of Yourself Self esteem is one of the key ingredients for a...
Use your cycling work out to help you lose that spare tire.
Some bands last a long time - The Rolling Stones, for example - and some bands don't. When I was in bands, their average lifespan was less then a year. Sometimes it was less than a month. Sometimes it was one rehearsal. How, bucko, can...
Principles of locking up your bicycle to help prevent theft of the entire bike or its components.
Musing on "Walden" and Thoreau at Walden Pond on the Fourth of July.
A short travelog of out trip to "The Big Apple." There is no place quite like New York City.
On the long ride all else may fade away Except the slender machine you straddle Gliding quiet and smooth along the way Neither pain of knee or chafe of saddle Upon the gyroscopically stable Pacific state of the rider intrude As...
My experience cycling in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society fundraising event, the Cape Cod Getaway. The ride is 150 miles, two days, from Boston to Provincetown with an overnight at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Great time, great cause.
Here I am, ready to ride, the day before the National Multiple Sclerosis Society fundraising event, Cape Cod Getaway. Yup, tomorrow I'm going to ride 100 miles, known affectionately in the states as a "century." But am I really, really ready? ...
My experience with the relatively patient and tolerant bumble bee.
Use a door annunciator system to tell you when a door is closed, locked, open and/or unlocked. Do you know what state your door is in?
This article provides a partial overview of residential grade cylindrical lever locks available on the market today.
A poem of a rainy morning in the city, on the way to work.
The downsizing economy is an opportunity for the exceptional to shine. An excessive workload can be your chance to excel.
Give me courage to try to right the wrongs I can right; give me strength to accept those Wrongs I cannot; and give me the wisdom To know the difference. I could well suppose This ancient saying to apply only To outward...
Do you know where your child is going to go after the prom? If not, wouldn't it be nice if it was a fun place where you knew they would be safe?
You can let management be fully in charge of your review, or you can take some control over your review. I suggest that you will do better for yourself if you take an active role in every part of your own annual review.
A fine walk in the woods not far from Boston.
Dorothy in that spinning farmhouse Watching bits of Kansas whirl Orphan looking for an anchor Answer seeking out the girl How would the story have been If she had assumed the lotus on the floor There in her head trauma dream Soft...
A sermon I delivered at my synagogue about the qualities of giving and sacrifice.
Elsewhere I've stressed how important time in the saddle is to effective training. A good way to encourage yourself to spend more time riding is to keep a log of your training miles. You mileage log can be simple: 5-22-2009 630AM: 13 miles, 55...
How to continue biking when biking gives you knee pain.
You don't really want to threaten your kid - well, at least most of the time. Threats are just motivations with teeth, really.
Serene sky absent airplanes Vacant of vapor trail empty of engines Of contrails clear and free of flyers The very definition blue How I love you Green grass standing still Leaves listless in breathless breeze Cicadas silent animals...
When my load seemed heavy and no one knew I sought the shelter of the trees, thoughtful Pensive shade dappled with sun drops as if Hints of happiness just out of my reach To sit among the young shadow-loving Plants that grow low among the...
Product comparison between the Securitron DK-26, Alarm Lock DK3000 and PDK3000 and the IEI 212ilm.
This morning I took a day off the bike to recover from three straight days training and took the train to work. It was another crisp, clear morning, the fourth in a row, temp in the mid-forties. I am savoring this spring weather as the leaves burst...
Normal aging-associated memory loss mainly affects recent memory, such as remembering what you had for breakfast or the name of someone you met a few days ago. I'm sorry. What were we talking about?
I give the gift of time by riding in fundraising bike rides and in other ways. I find spending my time helping others is the best investment I can make.
All novels are stories, but not all stories are novels.
So different every minute as they learn The upward paths to this relatively Dreary though still endearing place, where we Once having jumped the dam must spawn and die Eventually. For now we just swim A circular daily pattern while our ...
Where should I put my tongue? Oh yes. In my cheek.
Comparison and contrast between two popular sources of information and entertainment.
A philosophical look at cycling as a sport and as a metaphor for life.