Freelance Consultant's Diary

A few months back during a trip to New York City, while my EZ Pass worked just fine on MassPike but while crossing the tolls on Henry Hudson Parkway heading into Manhattan, the camera flashed.  Strangely enough, everything worked smoothly on the return trip two days later.  I did not think much about it until I got a letter in the mail from Enterprise Rental Car that I was not only being charged the toll but also a $25 administrative fee.  Calling EZpass MA was a waste of my time because they said that they couldn't do a thing and the problem likely happened because I failed to register my rental car license plates prior to using EZPass.  That is not always an option because you need to remember the account number and password then either do that online or call a number.  If you are on your way directly from the rental car location, it can be a hassle. Last week, however, for a trip to Canada, I rented the car from Hertz for a week even though the trip was just ...

Last weekend we were invited to a walk by some friends at the Cochituate State Park in Natick, MA, and to our horror when we arrived there around noon, the park was so overcrowded that the police would not even admit walk-ins.  We had to return home.  Yesterday, we went for a hike in the Hopkinton State Park that it would not be so crowded.  Oh how wrong we were.  It was packed with people and it seemed that everyone there was busy eating rather than hiking or engaging in any physical activity at all.  We have basically decided to not visit the parks during the weekends. So what is driving the overcrowding?   Well, since we have been in this area for more than a decade, we have seen more construction and development every where.  The other thing we noticed that almost no one in the parks speaks English and everyone seemed like an immigrant.  It seems that not only do we need to stop legalization of illegal immigrants we might need to limit legal ...

It is kind of sad that there are no good, affordable coffeemakers out there.  Some of the good ones can cost hundreds of dollars and the cheaper ones don't make decent coffee for people like me who love their coffee more than their wine (I am told that middle aged men should not drink much alcohol any way if they want to keep their libido).  Plus, the appliance has to go with the decor.  Thankfully, Lorena found one at the Calphalon store at this outlet store (since we live so close to this mall, shopping at an outlet mall is not something special for us) and we bought it right away because it was also on sale. We loved it but just 5 weeks later, I saw an electrical spark and then foul, burning smell of a cable.  When I called the store, a pleasant lady immediately offered to replace it without arguing with me about anything (apparently it is covered under warranty for a year).  She promised to call me back with an update on how to get one for me because they di...

If you recall, previously I discussed that during our very first time at the Chestnut Hill Shake Shack trying their frozen custard , Lorena was not impressed (I eat anything as long as it is sweet), but turns out that the company is listening to what customers have to say.  I got a note from their staff that they were sorry that we were not impressed and pleading with us to give them another shot.  Hey, when a company has such nice employees who seem to care, they deserve a second chance, particularly because the next time we go there, it will be another flavor.  While this place is a good 25 miles for us, we wouldn't mind the drive on a beautiful summer evening.  Stay tuned!

While returning from our day trip to Mount Washington by car , we couldn't imagine eating junk food, but we had not done the research for a healthy place to eat.  We did recall going to downtown Concord many years ago and noticing the restaurants, so despite knowing that a lot must have changed, we still exited.  It is right off the highway I-93, parking was a breeze on the street, and when we ventured into a side street (Warren into the Bicentennial Square), we noticed this restaurant, and assuming what could go wrong with tacos and beer, we ventured inside.  Well, it is interesting, because this used to be the local police station and we actually ate inside what used to be holding cells at one time.  What was even more surprising was that the food was delicious, and that is because my Latina wife was impressed.  She thought the flavors were right and everything was freshly prepared.  I had shrimp quesadillas, an appetizer as the main dish, and she chose s...