Author: John Meola
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Memento Mori
This past Saturday (July 26, 2025), I took a trip with a friend to Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, to see the sites of the Battles of Lexington and Concord that took place in late April 1775. My friend lives in eastern Connecticut. I live near Bridgeport, so the drive for me to his place was…
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Life Lesson From a Tomato Pie
On Saturday I attempted to make pizza on the charcoal grill using a pizza stone. It was made from scratch, using 00 flour and a recipe I found online. The goal was to make a fresh tomato pie. The pizza on the left was my first attempt. It was doughy and undercooked. In other words,…
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I Hate Email!
Background The other day I posted about 1980s technology. Today I am going to expand a bit on that to give you an idea where things were and where things stand now. The technology in question is email (or, as we used to write it, “e-mail”). Email had been around since the 1970s, but really…
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Diary – July 15
On Saturday afternoon, my wife and I went to a memorial service for her longtime friend’s dad. He died in May after a brief illness. My wife and her friend go back over forty years, to the early 1980s. None of us can believe that so much time has passed. That decade seems like yesterday,…
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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Last week for the Fourth of July, I made a peach pie with the last of the Georgia peaches we got from Ohio. The peaches were very ripe, which I thought would make for a delicious pie but turned the pie into a watery mess instead. The pie was good (I used a recipe found…
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Happy Birthday, America!
Today we celebrate our 249th year. This fourth kicks off the runup to our 250th birthday next year. It has already been 250 years since the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which led to the formation of the U.S. Army in April. (That was commemorated with a parade in Washington that upset certain factions in…
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Goodbye Old Friend
Well, an event happened today that I was hoping would never occur. I ended a friendship over politics. Actually, that’s a very over-generalized statement. I had to cut the person off (“cancel” in today’s lingo) because this person would send me several emails a month (he doesn’t use social media) expressing his views on the…
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Old Friends
One of things we can appreciate as we get older are those few friends who have been with us throughout the years. A good friendship is like a good wine; it ages over time. Like aging wine, friendships have peaks and valleys, ups and downs, over the years. But through it all you are together.…
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B&H Bild Expo
B&H, the photo, video, and audio superstore in New York, is having a giant exhibition at the Javits Center today and tomorrow. It’s packed with seminars, vendors, everything relevant for the photographer, videographer, cinematographer, and content creator. Very impressive. They also have various sets installed in the vendor area where you can practice your photography…
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Rosé Tasting
Rosé Tasting Last night my wife and I went to a rosé wine tasting at the Kindred Spirits & Wine location in Fairfield, Connecticut. Rosés are the perfect summer wine. Firstly, rosés are versatile. They can be enjoyed with a variety of dishes typically served in the summer: barbecue, grilled meats, fish dishes, and salads.…