Peter A. Klein's Blog, page 5

On the Road Again – Be on Your Best Behavior

On June 23, 2023, a tourist carved a note into a wall of the Coliseum in Rome. Someone captured the incident on a video which was all over the Internet and on the news. For those of you who are unaware (as was the tourist), the Coliseum is over 2,000 years old and is not his property.

It has since come to light, via a letter to Rome’s mayor from a British attorney whose client is the guilty party, that the culprit apologized and claimed ignorance of the Coliseum’s age. Neither of which excuses his act on property that does not belong to him.

On the Road Again – Why Select a Good Travel Insurance Company

Being unable to see into the future, insurance can be an excellent option to protect your assets. Auto insurance should help if you are in a crash. Health insurance can save you thousands of dollars if you get sick or injured. Travel insurance is also a good thing to have when you travel.

Let me share a couple of episodes where travel insurance came into play. The first anecdote is from my own experience. The second was shared with me by a friend.

15 Steps – What Do All Those Marks in the Street Mean?

The other day I was out for a walk and noticed, not for the first time, a variety of lines, numbers, letters, and symbols spray painted on streets. These markings are common in just about any neighborhood.. The markings are in several colors. Each color represents one of the utilities. The utilities are:

Gas

Water

Telephone

Sewer

Electricity

15 Steps – What is Under the Floor of Your House?

What is under your floor will vary greatly depending on the type of building in which you live. If you live in a high rise, your neighbors are under your floor. If you live in a single-family house in San Diego, what is under you will differ from what is under the floor in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Let me first define what I mean by floor. For the purposes of this blog, the floor will be the surface you walk on when you are at the lowest level of your home. It could be tile, vinyl, or carpet, among other floor coverings.

15 Steps – Here Comes the Mud!

In construction, concrete is often called mud. So, when a concrete truck approaches your project, someone is bound to call out, “Here comes the mud!”

Concrete is a practical and versatile material for a variety of uses, from traditional foundations for houses to concrete slabs to tilt-up construction. Part of its strength comes from the steel embedded in the concrete.

15 Steps - Semiannual Time Change Tasks for Your Home

Benjamin Franklin is credited by most people as the person who originated the idea of Daylight-Saving Time. It was first used in the United States during World War I. It has been praised and panned since then. Arizona appears to be the only state that does not observe Daylight Saving Time. However, you feel about it, Daylight Saving Time can be a useful trigger.

Each year I use the start and end of Daylight-Saving Time to remind myself to do a handful of chores around the house that are easily forgotten. With one exception, I do them in the Spring and again in the Fall. They are

On the Road Again –Doing the Right Thing When You Are on the Road

I was driving to a friend’s house the other evening. I was on a four-lane street with a 40 Mile per Hour speed limit. I was in the slow lane, or the lane closest to the curb. At a cross street, the traffic light turned yellow as I approached. I slowed down and stopped. I did not need to jamb on the brakes as there was plenty of time and distance to stop.

The SUV in the lane to my left, which was about a car length behind me, never changed speed and entered the intersection after the light turned red. That type of driving annoys me, as well as being dangerous. I see more and more of these types of incidents since COVID hit us.

15 Steps – Common Sense Things to Do to Age in Place

The San Diego Union-Tribune ran an article on February 25, 2023 about things you can do to make aging in place more manageable. Let’s consider their ideas.

The first suggestion is to have at least one zero threshold entry to your home. The concept is to have an entry without any steps. This makes it easier for someone in a wheelchair to enter and exit the home with ease. The alternative is a ramp. This seems a bit of a challenge since most homes are built about six-inches above the ground to keep water out.

On the Road Again – Have You Visited All Fifty States?

For several years I have wanted to visit all fifty states, a bucket list item I suppose. I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to have visited 43 of them, so far. Earlier today I wondered what percentage of Americans have made it to all fifty states.

I was amazed at the answer!

On the Road - If You are Pulled Over by Law Enforcement

I am very concerned about the number of people who have been injured or killed by law enforcement, especially over the past few years. Since many of these incidents are tied to traffic stops, I hope that the tips below help protect anyone who may be pulled over by law enforcement. Many of the tips are from a former coworker who had been through a police training program.

The first set of tips are common sense things. Before getting into your vehicle, do a quick walk around the vehicle: