Saturday, April 4, 2015
A town in Alaska, possibly Eagle River, hosted an Easter egg hunt for the children. They roped off around a paved parking lot, covered the pavement with straw, and then dropped thousands of plastic eggs filled with candy from a helicopter.
What could go wrong?
The minute I realized what they intended to do, I knew it was going to be bad.
The wash or downdraft or whatever it's called from the helicopter blew the straw and chaff from the pavement onto the crowd of children and parents surrounding the lot. Then the plastic eggs were dropped by the thousands onto bare pavement, where they shattered into tens of thousands of sharp shards. Of course there was no way to hold the children back, not with all that loose candy out there. But the candy had been mostly blown into the mounds of straw surrounding the egg carnage.
All that was lacking was a WKRP DJ on a loudspeaker, "Oh, the humanity!"
You can experience it for yourself by going to YouTube and searching for "egg drop gone wrong living in Alaska 137" (without the quotes).
I'd provide the link, but I'm using the notebook, and it insists on using the Youtube mobile app, which doesn't show URLs.
.
Saturday, April 04, 2015
Friday, April 03, 2015
4029 Alphabet soup
Friday, April 3, 2015
My daughter has passed her exams for physical therapist and has acquired another set of initials after her name. Daughter R.M.T., L.M.T., C.P.T.
R.M.T. - Reiki Master Teacher
L.M.T. - Licensed Massage Therapist
C.P.T. - Certified Personal Trainer
CONGRATULATIONS, Kid!
(Note that she also has a degree in civil eengineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering from Penn State, but she never mentions that. Yeah, she doesn't use it, but it's still quite an accomplishment.)
.
My daughter has passed her exams for physical therapist and has acquired another set of initials after her name. Daughter R.M.T., L.M.T., C.P.T.
R.M.T. - Reiki Master Teacher
L.M.T. - Licensed Massage Therapist
C.P.T. - Certified Personal Trainer
CONGRATULATIONS, Kid!
(Note that she also has a degree in civil eengineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering from Penn State, but she never mentions that. Yeah, she doesn't use it, but it's still quite an accomplishment.)
.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
4028 I'm still here.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Not much to say. I'm doing next to nothing, except that somehow I still manage to mess up the house and create laundry --- and still can't keep up with it.
That robin I'd mentioned who was hunting in my front yard is still there every day, and he seems to have laid claim to the territory. 0ne day another robin landed on the lawn and was happily hunting, ignoring robin #1, and robin #1 had a fit. He attacked, and there was quite an aerial battle, until the stranger retreated to the lawn across the street. Later, the stranger hopped into the street, and "my" robin marched back and forth on the curb, as if to say "the line is drawn here!", until the interloper retreated.
The cyst in Jasper's throat doesn't seem to have gotten any larger since it refilled after draining, still slightly smaller than maybe a ping pong ball. But he's still beating up on his water dish, splashing in it and emptying it all over the kitchen floor twice a day. It's low enough that I'm sure it's not hurting his neck. I think he's just playing. But this is a serious problem, since it means I can't leave him alone for even a day (let alone the two or three days to go to the country house) unless I have Daughter come in twice a day to refill his dish.
No, the water dispensers won't work for two reasons - he's so timid the glug glug will scare him away from the water altogether, and if there's somehow no sound he'll just empty the entire reservoir in one play session. 'Tis a puzzlement.
I need a way to allow him to drink, but discourage him from splashing.
Daughter believes in using "correct" terms for everything with the Nugget. The other day I was at their house and commented to Nugget that she's getting so very tall, she's already up to my chest (she'll be four next month). She ran over to her daddy, stood close in front of him, put her hand on the top of her head, and said "Yes! I'm already higher than Daddy's penis!"
The taste of Spring weather was short. The past week has been very cold. The township had an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday (Nugget's age group ran to gather eggs lying on the outfield of a baseball diamond --- the eggs were just lying there on the very short grass, plastic eggs with candy inside, it looked like the place had been scatter-bombed --- and of the hundreds of eggs, three contained gift certificates for a craft store. Nugget got one of them. But, it was so cold I was wearing a winter coat and a fur scarf over a heavy sweater, and after the egg gathering I went back to the car for shelter from the wind while everyone else visited the playground.
I have fallen in love with PeaPod grocery deliveries. I'll still go to the store for anything I want to see and touch, like fresh vegetables, but I think I'm pretty well locked in for everything that comes in a package. No more lugging dozens of bags to the car, lifting them from the trunk, and dragging them to the house. By the time I finish a major trip on my own, I'm too tired to put the stuff away. The products don't cost more - in fact they run a lot of sales. There is a delivery fee and a driver tip, but they keep sending me email coupons for free delivery, and I'm more than happy to add a tip. And the driver takes manufacturers' coupons that are deducted from the bill before it goes to the credit card. I love it!
Which reminds me - time to put together something for dinner. Bye!
.
Not much to say. I'm doing next to nothing, except that somehow I still manage to mess up the house and create laundry --- and still can't keep up with it.
That robin I'd mentioned who was hunting in my front yard is still there every day, and he seems to have laid claim to the territory. 0ne day another robin landed on the lawn and was happily hunting, ignoring robin #1, and robin #1 had a fit. He attacked, and there was quite an aerial battle, until the stranger retreated to the lawn across the street. Later, the stranger hopped into the street, and "my" robin marched back and forth on the curb, as if to say "the line is drawn here!", until the interloper retreated.
The cyst in Jasper's throat doesn't seem to have gotten any larger since it refilled after draining, still slightly smaller than maybe a ping pong ball. But he's still beating up on his water dish, splashing in it and emptying it all over the kitchen floor twice a day. It's low enough that I'm sure it's not hurting his neck. I think he's just playing. But this is a serious problem, since it means I can't leave him alone for even a day (let alone the two or three days to go to the country house) unless I have Daughter come in twice a day to refill his dish.
No, the water dispensers won't work for two reasons - he's so timid the glug glug will scare him away from the water altogether, and if there's somehow no sound he'll just empty the entire reservoir in one play session. 'Tis a puzzlement.
I need a way to allow him to drink, but discourage him from splashing.
Daughter believes in using "correct" terms for everything with the Nugget. The other day I was at their house and commented to Nugget that she's getting so very tall, she's already up to my chest (she'll be four next month). She ran over to her daddy, stood close in front of him, put her hand on the top of her head, and said "Yes! I'm already higher than Daddy's penis!"
The taste of Spring weather was short. The past week has been very cold. The township had an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday (Nugget's age group ran to gather eggs lying on the outfield of a baseball diamond --- the eggs were just lying there on the very short grass, plastic eggs with candy inside, it looked like the place had been scatter-bombed --- and of the hundreds of eggs, three contained gift certificates for a craft store. Nugget got one of them. But, it was so cold I was wearing a winter coat and a fur scarf over a heavy sweater, and after the egg gathering I went back to the car for shelter from the wind while everyone else visited the playground.
I have fallen in love with PeaPod grocery deliveries. I'll still go to the store for anything I want to see and touch, like fresh vegetables, but I think I'm pretty well locked in for everything that comes in a package. No more lugging dozens of bags to the car, lifting them from the trunk, and dragging them to the house. By the time I finish a major trip on my own, I'm too tired to put the stuff away. The products don't cost more - in fact they run a lot of sales. There is a delivery fee and a driver tip, but they keep sending me email coupons for free delivery, and I'm more than happy to add a tip. And the driver takes manufacturers' coupons that are deducted from the bill before it goes to the credit card. I love it!
Which reminds me - time to put together something for dinner. Bye!
.
Friday, March 20, 2015
4027 Winter returns
Friday, March 20, 2015
We had a string of beautiful days in the high 40s and low 50s, and today we got a shock. Heavy snow, big flakes, all day. Several inches out there now.
For most of this week there was a small rabbit eating what little green still showed in the front lawn. He was kind of cute because my coming out the front door and standing on the porch eight feet away didn't faze him at all, but if a car drove past on the street, he dove for cover under the van.
There was also a male robin who spent every day scouring the front lawn for munchies. I don't know what he was finding, but every so often he stabbed with his beak, picked something up, and swallowed it.
It felt like Spring.
Oh well, the forecast for tomorrow is 50 degrees.
I hope the robin can manage one day without dinner. Tomorrow should be better.
.
We had a string of beautiful days in the high 40s and low 50s, and today we got a shock. Heavy snow, big flakes, all day. Several inches out there now.
For most of this week there was a small rabbit eating what little green still showed in the front lawn. He was kind of cute because my coming out the front door and standing on the porch eight feet away didn't faze him at all, but if a car drove past on the street, he dove for cover under the van.
There was also a male robin who spent every day scouring the front lawn for munchies. I don't know what he was finding, but every so often he stabbed with his beak, picked something up, and swallowed it.
It felt like Spring.
Oh well, the forecast for tomorrow is 50 degrees.
I hope the robin can manage one day without dinner. Tomorrow should be better.
.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
4026 Forty years of regression
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Binge-watching '70s shows. There were a lot of good ones!
Mary Tyler Moore
All In the Family
M.A.S.H.
Taxi
Carol Burnett (but I could never stand Tim Conway....)
Bob Newhart
Barney Miller
Laverne and Shirley (loved Lenny and Squiggy)
Happy Days (until Fonzie took over the show -- yuck)
Rockford Files
Soap
Flip Wilson (and who didn't love Geraldine?)
... and a few others I don't remember offhand.
The days of real people writing real scripts about real stuff.
Actors with real bodies and real teeth.
That's one thing that struck me --- the teeth. These days, everyone on TV, even on the
"reality" shows, has perfectly even, perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. It's like a law. You can't be seen on TV unless your teeth are blindingly white.
Forty years ago, teeth were more natural.
It must have changed somewhere about the late '90s, because I remember an episode of Friends where Ross got his teeth whitened, and everyone made fun of him. Now everyone on TV has those ridiculous teeth.
.
Binge-watching '70s shows. There were a lot of good ones!
Mary Tyler Moore
All In the Family
M.A.S.H.
Taxi
Carol Burnett (but I could never stand Tim Conway....)
Bob Newhart
Barney Miller
Laverne and Shirley (loved Lenny and Squiggy)
Happy Days (until Fonzie took over the show -- yuck)
Rockford Files
Soap
Flip Wilson (and who didn't love Geraldine?)
... and a few others I don't remember offhand.
The days of real people writing real scripts about real stuff.
Actors with real bodies and real teeth.
That's one thing that struck me --- the teeth. These days, everyone on TV, even on the
"reality" shows, has perfectly even, perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. It's like a law. You can't be seen on TV unless your teeth are blindingly white.
Forty years ago, teeth were more natural.
It must have changed somewhere about the late '90s, because I remember an episode of Friends where Ross got his teeth whitened, and everyone made fun of him. Now everyone on TV has those ridiculous teeth.
.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
4025. Blasts
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Wind today. Strong, steady, cold, almost icy wind. After several days of balmy breezes in the 50s, it's a miserable reminder that winter isn't going to give up so easily.
The cold wind is getting into my house somehow. Even hurricane Sandy didn't accomplish that. It may be coming in through the bathroom and laundry vents, I don't know, but when there's an especially strong gust, I feel a draft.
----------------------------------------
Between January 1976 and May 1977 there was a television show, five evenings a week, a soap opera parody named "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". It was very unusual and very popular. I was not aware of it at first, watched very little TV in those days, but there is there was an aspect of the show that I can't go into here that applied strongly to my life at the time, and many people asked me, "Oh, Mary Hartman, yeah, is that why you [blah blah]? Wow. That's great!" Well, it wasn't, and I had been proud of being unique in that blah blah, but suddenly everyone was blah blahing, and it pissed me off, since I had been blah blahing since long before the show was even on, and people should have known that. Plus, in groups it was the main topic of conversation, so if you didn't watch it you were left out. I So, of course I had to watch the show.
I got hooked. It really was fun. Unfortunately, it ended shortly after I started, and in those days there was nothing like VCRs so if you missed a show, unless it went into reruns you were out of luck.
Well, all these years later, just within the past three weeks, somebody has uploaded the entire series, some 300+ episodes, onto Youtube. I wonder where they got them, and how long the copyright holder will allow them to stay.
I've been binge-watching, all the episodes I had missed, and enjoying them thoroughly, hoping I can at least get to the point where I had picked up the story in late 1976.
What's interesting is that I'm getting some references I suspect I might have missed back then.
----------------------
Anyone else out there remember Mary?
Wind today. Strong, steady, cold, almost icy wind. After several days of balmy breezes in the 50s, it's a miserable reminder that winter isn't going to give up so easily.
The cold wind is getting into my house somehow. Even hurricane Sandy didn't accomplish that. It may be coming in through the bathroom and laundry vents, I don't know, but when there's an especially strong gust, I feel a draft.
----------------------------------------
Between January 1976 and May 1977 there was a television show, five evenings a week, a soap opera parody named "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". It was very unusual and very popular. I was not aware of it at first, watched very little TV in those days, but there is there was an aspect of the show that I can't go into here that applied strongly to my life at the time, and many people asked me, "Oh, Mary Hartman, yeah, is that why you [blah blah]? Wow. That's great!" Well, it wasn't, and I had been proud of being unique in that blah blah, but suddenly everyone was blah blahing, and it pissed me off, since I had been blah blahing since long before the show was even on, and people should have known that. Plus, in groups it was the main topic of conversation, so if you didn't watch it you were left out. I So, of course I had to watch the show.
I got hooked. It really was fun. Unfortunately, it ended shortly after I started, and in those days there was nothing like VCRs so if you missed a show, unless it went into reruns you were out of luck.
Well, all these years later, just within the past three weeks, somebody has uploaded the entire series, some 300+ episodes, onto Youtube. I wonder where they got them, and how long the copyright holder will allow them to stay.
I've been binge-watching, all the episodes I had missed, and enjoying them thoroughly, hoping I can at least get to the point where I had picked up the story in late 1976.
What's interesting is that I'm getting some references I suspect I might have missed back then.
----------------------
Anyone else out there remember Mary?
Sunday, March 15, 2015
4024 Spring?
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Spring is almost here! I got so excited I wet my plants!
Birds are arriving in large flocks. They fill the trees and make a racket early in the morning. I think they're just stopping over on migration, though, since they stay for only a day or two, and then are replaced by a different bunch.
Yesterday I had a flying bug in the kitchen, one of those tiny almost microscopic black things that come through the screens. Not looking forward to that part of Spring.
.
Spring is almost here! I got so excited I wet my plants!
Birds are arriving in large flocks. They fill the trees and make a racket early in the morning. I think they're just stopping over on migration, though, since they stay for only a day or two, and then are replaced by a different bunch.
Yesterday I had a flying bug in the kitchen, one of those tiny almost microscopic black things that come through the screens. Not looking forward to that part of Spring.
.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
4023 Jasper, update
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Jasper allowed me to check his neck this morning. There's still a lump there, a small one, maybe a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball. I wish I'd been able to check it right after the vet had drained it yesterday, so I'd know if this what what had been left or how much it has already refilled.
I guess I'll be finding out soon.
.
Jasper allowed me to check his neck this morning. There's still a lump there, a small one, maybe a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball. I wish I'd been able to check it right after the vet had drained it yesterday, so I'd know if this what what had been left or how much it has already refilled.
I guess I'll be finding out soon.
.
Monday, March 09, 2015
4022 Jasper
Monday, March 9, 2015
Jasper had a vet appointment this morning. Given that he freaks out in the car (as in seizures) I was very happy to find that the vet in the van is still making house calls (not in the house -- an enormous fully equipped office he parks in the driveway).
The initial possible diagnosis was very bad, but in the end, it was much better.
You have to understand Jasper to forgive me for not noticing earlier that he had a problem. He was feral when I brought him home eight years ago. I'd been staying in a hotel near Princeton, the kind of hotel where you have a kitchen, livingroom, bedroom, and bathroom. He was a few months old, and was begging at an entrance near the parking lot, "performing" by being cute, and sometimes getting food from guest's kitchens, and sometimes getting kicks. It took me three days to get him to let me touch him. When I left, he went back to the country house with me, crying and seizing.
He's very timid. He's never been a lap cat. The only time I'm allowed to pet him is when he comes to me and asks for it, and then only on his forehead and back. I am not allowed to touch his undersides, legs, paws. He doesn't want to be picked up, ever. He won't hurt me if I do anything he doesn't like, but he will struggle to get away. He sleeps at night against the back of my knees. And everything new, strange, or different scares him. He trusts me, but that has limits.
So, anyway, last week I noticed that his collar was riding unusually high on his neck, practically under his ears. I stuck a finger under it to check that it wasn't too tight, and discovered that although it was loose, it wouldn't go down. He actually let me run my fingers around his neck, and I discovered a lump, firm, a little larger than a golf ball, on the underside of his neck. Took his collar off and called the vet.
I might have been able to get an earlier appointment with a different vet, but that would mean a car trip, and I decided to spare him the stress. He's eating, drinking, piddling, pooping just fine, his activity level is the same as always, weight hasn't changed, doesn't seem to be in any distress, so I figured a few days would be fine. Plus, one other factor that I really feel guilty about ---
I think he's had the lump for at least six weeks or so.
Jasper loves to play with his drinking water. He has always loved to splash in it. One front paw, then the other, over and over. It's almost like he's fishing, or washing his paws after using the litter box. So the water dish has high sides to lessen the splashing on the floor. But, since like the end of January, he's been fighting with the water dish. He'd hook it and pull it off the tray. He'd try to dump it on the floor. I actually saw him grasp it with one paw on the inside and one on the outside of the rim, and try to lift it. I read online that some cats don't want the water near the food dish, so I moved it. Didn't help. I then put it under a chair, and he seemed to accept that. What I did notice, but didn't think about, was that to drink, he was standing on the rail under the chair.
When I felt that lump under his throat, I immediately understood. Reaching over the edge of the dish to drink hurt. It bumped the lump. Poor baby! I felt so guilty! I gave him a shallow bowl, and he's happy.
So, the vet. He felt the lump, and said that whatever it is, it's wrapped around Jasper's trachea. And that area is full of important blood vessels and nerves, so no surgeon will touch it without an MRI, and even then probably not. (His van is equipped for x-ray and minor surgery, but not fancy stuff.) If we decide to treat it, it would probably be radiation and chemotherapy.
He thought about it a bit, and then decided to do a needle biopsy (he has a microscope) so maybe we could have some idea what we're dealing with.
The needle went in easily, the doctor's eyebrows shot up, and he aspirated about an ounce of fluid. It's a cyst! It didn't feel like a cyst because it was so firm.
We have options. It will fill with fluid again, but we can just drain it again. The only danger then is infection, which can be handled. If it turns out that it refills too rapidly, or if it causes breathing problems, then surgery is an option. Cysts are easier than tumors.
Poor little boy has been traumatized, plus he got his distemper shot which might make him feel a little under the weather, so he's been downstairs for a snack and for some petting only twice today. Mostly he's hiding out on my bed.
He has no idea how relieved he should feel.
.
Jasper had a vet appointment this morning. Given that he freaks out in the car (as in seizures) I was very happy to find that the vet in the van is still making house calls (not in the house -- an enormous fully equipped office he parks in the driveway).
The initial possible diagnosis was very bad, but in the end, it was much better.
You have to understand Jasper to forgive me for not noticing earlier that he had a problem. He was feral when I brought him home eight years ago. I'd been staying in a hotel near Princeton, the kind of hotel where you have a kitchen, livingroom, bedroom, and bathroom. He was a few months old, and was begging at an entrance near the parking lot, "performing" by being cute, and sometimes getting food from guest's kitchens, and sometimes getting kicks. It took me three days to get him to let me touch him. When I left, he went back to the country house with me, crying and seizing.
He's very timid. He's never been a lap cat. The only time I'm allowed to pet him is when he comes to me and asks for it, and then only on his forehead and back. I am not allowed to touch his undersides, legs, paws. He doesn't want to be picked up, ever. He won't hurt me if I do anything he doesn't like, but he will struggle to get away. He sleeps at night against the back of my knees. And everything new, strange, or different scares him. He trusts me, but that has limits.
So, anyway, last week I noticed that his collar was riding unusually high on his neck, practically under his ears. I stuck a finger under it to check that it wasn't too tight, and discovered that although it was loose, it wouldn't go down. He actually let me run my fingers around his neck, and I discovered a lump, firm, a little larger than a golf ball, on the underside of his neck. Took his collar off and called the vet.
I might have been able to get an earlier appointment with a different vet, but that would mean a car trip, and I decided to spare him the stress. He's eating, drinking, piddling, pooping just fine, his activity level is the same as always, weight hasn't changed, doesn't seem to be in any distress, so I figured a few days would be fine. Plus, one other factor that I really feel guilty about ---
I think he's had the lump for at least six weeks or so.
Jasper loves to play with his drinking water. He has always loved to splash in it. One front paw, then the other, over and over. It's almost like he's fishing, or washing his paws after using the litter box. So the water dish has high sides to lessen the splashing on the floor. But, since like the end of January, he's been fighting with the water dish. He'd hook it and pull it off the tray. He'd try to dump it on the floor. I actually saw him grasp it with one paw on the inside and one on the outside of the rim, and try to lift it. I read online that some cats don't want the water near the food dish, so I moved it. Didn't help. I then put it under a chair, and he seemed to accept that. What I did notice, but didn't think about, was that to drink, he was standing on the rail under the chair.
When I felt that lump under his throat, I immediately understood. Reaching over the edge of the dish to drink hurt. It bumped the lump. Poor baby! I felt so guilty! I gave him a shallow bowl, and he's happy.
So, the vet. He felt the lump, and said that whatever it is, it's wrapped around Jasper's trachea. And that area is full of important blood vessels and nerves, so no surgeon will touch it without an MRI, and even then probably not. (His van is equipped for x-ray and minor surgery, but not fancy stuff.) If we decide to treat it, it would probably be radiation and chemotherapy.
He thought about it a bit, and then decided to do a needle biopsy (he has a microscope) so maybe we could have some idea what we're dealing with.
The needle went in easily, the doctor's eyebrows shot up, and he aspirated about an ounce of fluid. It's a cyst! It didn't feel like a cyst because it was so firm.
We have options. It will fill with fluid again, but we can just drain it again. The only danger then is infection, which can be handled. If it turns out that it refills too rapidly, or if it causes breathing problems, then surgery is an option. Cysts are easier than tumors.
Poor little boy has been traumatized, plus he got his distemper shot which might make him feel a little under the weather, so he's been downstairs for a snack and for some petting only twice today. Mostly he's hiding out on my bed.
He has no idea how relieved he should feel.
.
Saturday, March 07, 2015
4021 The usual NJ Meetup
Saturday, March 7, 2015
There's a woman who lives about 4 blocks from me who is very active in Meetup. Back when I first arrived here she was hosting a waterfront walk and lunch a few times a month that I participated in, but the past long while it's been mostly bar happy hours and so on, which don't interest me.
Yesterday evening she had a party at her house. That's more my speed, but I didn't RSVP right away because, well, I've become increasingly reclusive lately, and I wanted to see how I felt about it closer to the date. She had restricted attendance to 40, and the 40 slots filled up quickly.
Yesterday late morning she sent out a broadcast email saying that 15 slots had opened up, so I went to the group website, and sure enough the excuses were pouring in. Family obligations. Have to work late. Sister is coming for the weekend. Worried about ice on the drive home.
This seems to be typical for this area.
The hostess, cheerful as always, said oh well, 25 is a more comfortable number in her small home anyway.
This morning I checked again. 17 people actually showed up, and having seen her counts for some of the walks I'd been on, I know she tends to pad the numbers a bit. I suspect it was more likely fewer.
Even using her numbers, that means 40 people snapped up the places (to make sure they had something to do on that Friday night in case nothing better turned up), 15 cancelled the DAY of the event, and 8 or more didn't even bother to cancel.
I really don't like the people around here.
.
There's a woman who lives about 4 blocks from me who is very active in Meetup. Back when I first arrived here she was hosting a waterfront walk and lunch a few times a month that I participated in, but the past long while it's been mostly bar happy hours and so on, which don't interest me.
Yesterday evening she had a party at her house. That's more my speed, but I didn't RSVP right away because, well, I've become increasingly reclusive lately, and I wanted to see how I felt about it closer to the date. She had restricted attendance to 40, and the 40 slots filled up quickly.
Yesterday late morning she sent out a broadcast email saying that 15 slots had opened up, so I went to the group website, and sure enough the excuses were pouring in. Family obligations. Have to work late. Sister is coming for the weekend. Worried about ice on the drive home.
This seems to be typical for this area.
The hostess, cheerful as always, said oh well, 25 is a more comfortable number in her small home anyway.
This morning I checked again. 17 people actually showed up, and having seen her counts for some of the walks I'd been on, I know she tends to pad the numbers a bit. I suspect it was more likely fewer.
Even using her numbers, that means 40 people snapped up the places (to make sure they had something to do on that Friday night in case nothing better turned up), 15 cancelled the DAY of the event, and 8 or more didn't even bother to cancel.
I really don't like the people around here.
.
Thursday, March 05, 2015
4020 More snow
Thursday, March 5, 2015
It has been snowing all day, about 7 inches on the driveway now, and I guess it's supposed to continue into tomorrow.
----------------------------
I've said several times that I tend to read literally.
This morning I found the following headline on Yahoo News (famous for hiring high school dropouts to write the articles):
"Family of California Girl Left Brain Dead After Tonsillectomy Sues Hospital"
The way my mind works, first interpretation:
- How does a tonsillectomy sue a hospital?
- The whole family is brain dead now? What?
It took me about three readings to "get" it.
.
It has been snowing all day, about 7 inches on the driveway now, and I guess it's supposed to continue into tomorrow.
----------------------------
I've said several times that I tend to read literally.
This morning I found the following headline on Yahoo News (famous for hiring high school dropouts to write the articles):
"Family of California Girl Left Brain Dead After Tonsillectomy Sues Hospital"
The way my mind works, first interpretation:
- How does a tonsillectomy sue a hospital?
- The whole family is brain dead now? What?
It took me about three readings to "get" it.
.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
4019 IRS again.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
I am livid!
To recap:
The IRS had sent me a notice that I owed an additional $61,000.00 in taxes for 2012, which was patently ridiculous. It turned out Schwab had sent info on trades that did not include the cost basis. I sent it all off to The Angel, who sent in an amended 1040, which showed that I should actually be getting an additional few hundred in refund for 2012. I don't know who screwed up, or how, neither do I care, as long as it gets fixed. The IRS refigured my taxes using the new amended 1040, and sent me a letter saying that I will be getting a check for $121.00. Why the reduction from Angel's recalculation? I don't know and I don't care, as long as the IRS goes away.
Ok, that's where it stood as of mid-February.
Early last week, I received a check from the Us Treasury for $127.82, dated 2/23/15. Duh? Is the extra $6.82 interest? Seems a bit low for interest....
Last Monday I received a letter from the IRS, dated 3/2/15 (yeah, dated the same day I received it), informing me (again) that I would be receiving a check for $121.00 within the next two to three weeks.
Um, what?
Yesterday and today I spent literally hours on the phone to the national IRS number and the local IRS office trying to find out why the difference, and can I get into trouble for depositing what appears to be an incorrect check (which of course I have already done), and will I really be getting another check in the smaller amount, and if so, what do I do with it?
You will not believe the problems I've had getting through. There's the usual "high call volume try again later". There's the enter your birthdate, month now, two characters, so I enter"10", and hear "must be two characters" along with a kindergarten example of what two numbers look like, but I already know, because I can see the "10" I had entered on my phone's screen, so they say to enter the month again, so I do, and again I see the 10 on my screen, and the mechanical voice says "call again when you have the information", and HANGS UP!!!
I finally managed to get through on something like the fifth try and got on the queue, "calls are handled in the order they are received, so stay on the line, do not hang up", and listened to horrible jangley music for 40 minutes, when I heard the music stop, and a clicking sound, then silence --- silence long enough, about 5 seconds, that the cell phone figured the line was dead, and DROPPED THE CALL!!!!
I went to the IRS website, and there's no way to ask my question there.
I called the local IRS office. They don't see people in person. All inquiries are handled by the phone system, which, by the way, has no option to leave a question to be answered by a human, and,by the way, rejected my two-digit birth date and hung up on me THREE TIMES before I was able to get to the part where I could ask (sort of) about the 2012 refund, whereupon I was informed that I would be receiving a check for $121.00 in two to three weeks.
And people wonder why I hate telephones.
And the IRS.
.
I am livid!
To recap:
The IRS had sent me a notice that I owed an additional $61,000.00 in taxes for 2012, which was patently ridiculous. It turned out Schwab had sent info on trades that did not include the cost basis. I sent it all off to The Angel, who sent in an amended 1040, which showed that I should actually be getting an additional few hundred in refund for 2012. I don't know who screwed up, or how, neither do I care, as long as it gets fixed. The IRS refigured my taxes using the new amended 1040, and sent me a letter saying that I will be getting a check for $121.00. Why the reduction from Angel's recalculation? I don't know and I don't care, as long as the IRS goes away.
Ok, that's where it stood as of mid-February.
Early last week, I received a check from the Us Treasury for $127.82, dated 2/23/15. Duh? Is the extra $6.82 interest? Seems a bit low for interest....
Last Monday I received a letter from the IRS, dated 3/2/15 (yeah, dated the same day I received it), informing me (again) that I would be receiving a check for $121.00 within the next two to three weeks.
Um, what?
Yesterday and today I spent literally hours on the phone to the national IRS number and the local IRS office trying to find out why the difference, and can I get into trouble for depositing what appears to be an incorrect check (which of course I have already done), and will I really be getting another check in the smaller amount, and if so, what do I do with it?
You will not believe the problems I've had getting through. There's the usual "high call volume try again later". There's the enter your birthdate, month now, two characters, so I enter"10", and hear "must be two characters" along with a kindergarten example of what two numbers look like, but I already know, because I can see the "10" I had entered on my phone's screen, so they say to enter the month again, so I do, and again I see the 10 on my screen, and the mechanical voice says "call again when you have the information", and HANGS UP!!!
I finally managed to get through on something like the fifth try and got on the queue, "calls are handled in the order they are received, so stay on the line, do not hang up", and listened to horrible jangley music for 40 minutes, when I heard the music stop, and a clicking sound, then silence --- silence long enough, about 5 seconds, that the cell phone figured the line was dead, and DROPPED THE CALL!!!!
I went to the IRS website, and there's no way to ask my question there.
I called the local IRS office. They don't see people in person. All inquiries are handled by the phone system, which, by the way, has no option to leave a question to be answered by a human, and,by the way, rejected my two-digit birth date and hung up on me THREE TIMES before I was able to get to the part where I could ask (sort of) about the 2012 refund, whereupon I was informed that I would be receiving a check for $121.00 in two to three weeks.
And people wonder why I hate telephones.
And the IRS.
.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
4018 More snowy mess
Sunday, March 1, 2015
It snowed again this morning, fast and hard, but only 2 inches worth. Not so bad ... except that it immediately turned to drizzle, which has formed a thick icy crust on top.
It's below freezing out there. How can it be drizzling?
I don't understand.
.
It snowed again this morning, fast and hard, but only 2 inches worth. Not so bad ... except that it immediately turned to drizzle, which has formed a thick icy crust on top.
It's below freezing out there. How can it be drizzling?
I don't understand.
.
Friday, February 27, 2015
4017 Bad winter?
Friday, February 27, 2015
I don't understand why everyone around here is grousing about what a bad winter this has been. I absolutely understand why people to the north and east of central NJ would feel that way --- they've been slammed. But it hasn't been that way here.
Yeah, we've had some snow fall almost every week since early January, but we've measured it in single digit inches, usually 2 or 3, 5 or 6 at the most. And in between, we've had enough sun to mostly melt it, so there's not more than maybe six inches remaining on the ground.
Yeah, the temperatures are lower than usual, but I don't think we've gone negative yet, the few teens have been only during the night. We've had little wind, and lots of sun.
So yeah, it's winter, but I don't think it has been that bad around here.
I don't understand.
Maybe people see on TV that it's so bad in other areas, so they feel they should have the right to complain, too?
.
I don't understand why everyone around here is grousing about what a bad winter this has been. I absolutely understand why people to the north and east of central NJ would feel that way --- they've been slammed. But it hasn't been that way here.
Yeah, we've had some snow fall almost every week since early January, but we've measured it in single digit inches, usually 2 or 3, 5 or 6 at the most. And in between, we've had enough sun to mostly melt it, so there's not more than maybe six inches remaining on the ground.
Yeah, the temperatures are lower than usual, but I don't think we've gone negative yet, the few teens have been only during the night. We've had little wind, and lots of sun.
So yeah, it's winter, but I don't think it has been that bad around here.
I don't understand.
Maybe people see on TV that it's so bad in other areas, so they feel they should have the right to complain, too?
.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
4016 Hair
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
My hair is getting long. It's now to my mid-back. Last summer it was so thick and shiny (ack! no spellcheck on the notebook pad whatever this thing is!). For the last six months or so, it's been shedding heavily. The long stuff is getting thin. There's a lot of new baby hair near the scalp, but that's no help. Hope, but no help.
People will say to just cut it short and then it will be thick again.
I DON'T WANT TO CUT IT!!!! (Lying on floor and kicking heels.)
My hair is in excellent condition. I don't have a single split end or shaft break on my entire head. I've been so careful. No heat, ever. No French barettes. No bare rubber bands. No rollers. No dyes. No bobby pins.
I've always preferred my hair long, no bangs, and I figure now is my last chance to GO FOR IT! I want to be able to sit on it before I die. I want to be that old lady in the grocery store with the hair down to her ass and the hippie headband!
--------------------------------------
The one complaint I have about my hair is that it doesn't shine unless it's straight. It has an odd texture, not wavy or curly or straight --- it crinkles. No other word for it. Seen against the sun, I have a corona. So if I want it to look really nice, I have to straighten it somehow.
How, without heat?
I found a way. Vacuum cleaner!
I sometimes dry it with the vacuum cleaner, with the doflinky open for a gentle suction. Not often, just for special occasions. I happen to have a piece of hose extension that has never been used, so it's clean inside. Does a great job getting from damp to smooth and dry, without heat.
.
My hair is getting long. It's now to my mid-back. Last summer it was so thick and shiny (ack! no spellcheck on the notebook pad whatever this thing is!). For the last six months or so, it's been shedding heavily. The long stuff is getting thin. There's a lot of new baby hair near the scalp, but that's no help. Hope, but no help.
People will say to just cut it short and then it will be thick again.
I DON'T WANT TO CUT IT!!!! (Lying on floor and kicking heels.)
My hair is in excellent condition. I don't have a single split end or shaft break on my entire head. I've been so careful. No heat, ever. No French barettes. No bare rubber bands. No rollers. No dyes. No bobby pins.
I've always preferred my hair long, no bangs, and I figure now is my last chance to GO FOR IT! I want to be able to sit on it before I die. I want to be that old lady in the grocery store with the hair down to her ass and the hippie headband!
--------------------------------------
The one complaint I have about my hair is that it doesn't shine unless it's straight. It has an odd texture, not wavy or curly or straight --- it crinkles. No other word for it. Seen against the sun, I have a corona. So if I want it to look really nice, I have to straighten it somehow.
How, without heat?
I found a way. Vacuum cleaner!
I sometimes dry it with the vacuum cleaner, with the doflinky open for a gentle suction. Not often, just for special occasions. I happen to have a piece of hose extension that has never been used, so it's clean inside. Does a great job getting from damp to smooth and dry, without heat.
.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
4015 Seat up, seat down
Sunday, February 22, 2015
"The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none."
-- Thomas Carlyle --
----------------------------------------
Toilet seat up or down has never been an issue in any house I've ever lived in, because I have one simple rule that is not open to compromise, and every person I have ever lived with has come to see the wisdom of that rule and agree with it.
The Rule:
1. Except for when the toilet is in use, the lid is closed.
2. The lid is always closed before flushing.
The advantages:
- Not a temptation for small humans.
- Not a water bowl or drowning pool for beasties.
- No flush spray filling the air and settling on toothbrushes etc.
- Seat available for sitting, drying feet, setting things down, whatever.
- Neat and clean appearance.
- The Rule requires the exact same effort from both sexes; no one can complain about feeling put upon or disrespected.
Plus there's something inherently ugly and distasteful about the sight of an open toilet glimpsed through a doorway.
I don't understand why the "seat up seat down" argument even exists. it seems stupid when such a simple solution exists.
.
"The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none."
-- Thomas Carlyle --
----------------------------------------
Toilet seat up or down has never been an issue in any house I've ever lived in, because I have one simple rule that is not open to compromise, and every person I have ever lived with has come to see the wisdom of that rule and agree with it.
The Rule:
1. Except for when the toilet is in use, the lid is closed.
2. The lid is always closed before flushing.
The advantages:
- Not a temptation for small humans.
- Not a water bowl or drowning pool for beasties.
- No flush spray filling the air and settling on toothbrushes etc.
- Seat available for sitting, drying feet, setting things down, whatever.
- Neat and clean appearance.
- The Rule requires the exact same effort from both sexes; no one can complain about feeling put upon or disrespected.
Plus there's something inherently ugly and distasteful about the sight of an open toilet glimpsed through a doorway.
I don't understand why the "seat up seat down" argument even exists. it seems stupid when such a simple solution exists.
.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
4014 Bacon
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Arthur Schopenhauer:
"Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for
the limits of the world."
--------------------------------
l got 1.5 lbs. of bacon with my last Peapod order. I divided it into 6 portions, froze them on a tray, put the frozen portions in a ziplock bag and into the freezer. (I do that with ground beef, too.)
This evening I cooked up one portion, one quarter pound, intending half of it on this evening's salad and the other half for tomorrow's breakfast.
I ate it all. Before I'd even made the salad.
I'd never tasted bacon that good! (Or maybe I was just especially hungry for bacon.) It had exactly the right mix of sweet and salty.
I had thrown the wrapper away when I had divided it, and was disappointed that I might never find it again --- and then I found the Peapod printout.
In case I discard the Peapod printout, I'm immortalizing it here, where I can always find it again:
Oscar Mayer bacon butcher thick cut Applewood smoked 24 oz pkg $7.99
If you know something awful about it, don't tell me. I don't eat bacon more than once month anyway, so short of it containing kittens, I don't care.
.
--------------------------------
l got 1.5 lbs. of bacon with my last Peapod order. I divided it into 6 portions, froze them on a tray, put the frozen portions in a ziplock bag and into the freezer. (I do that with ground beef, too.)
This evening I cooked up one portion, one quarter pound, intending half of it on this evening's salad and the other half for tomorrow's breakfast.
I ate it all. Before I'd even made the salad.
I'd never tasted bacon that good! (Or maybe I was just especially hungry for bacon.) It had exactly the right mix of sweet and salty.
I had thrown the wrapper away when I had divided it, and was disappointed that I might never find it again --- and then I found the Peapod printout.
In case I discard the Peapod printout, I'm immortalizing it here, where I can always find it again:
Oscar Mayer bacon butcher thick cut Applewood smoked 24 oz pkg $7.99
If you know something awful about it, don't tell me. I don't eat bacon more than once month anyway, so short of it containing kittens, I don't care.
.
4013 Slow days
Saturday, February 21, 2015
People who are stupid, unskilled, or incompetent are frequently too stupid, unskilled, or incompetent to realize how stupid, unskilled, or incompetent they really are. That's basically known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Did you know that cats reserve open-mouth meows for when addressing humans? They never meow to each other, or to anything else, or for any other reason. Just to humans. It's like they invented a whole language especially for talking to us! And every cat speaks it.
I've had cats pretty much all my life, and I'd never noticed that, but now, yeah, come to think of it, it seems true. I wonder how they learn that. Mother cats talk to their kittens in a closed-mouth sort of "mmmmrrrrrrrr", which is sort of almost but not quite a meow. Perhaps cats consider humans equivalent to hearing-impaired kittens.
Thoughts?
-----------------------
I'm writing this on my little tablet, because a few days ago the Wifi finder and hooker upper thingy on my laptop stopped finding and hooking up, and finally it simply declared it no longer existed. As far as I'm concerned, no Internet = brick. Monday I'll take it in for service.
In the meantime, the tablet (or whatever Sony calls it). Onscreen keyboard. switching back and forth for numbers letters punctuation. Bleck. I had bought a wonderful little Bluetooth keyboard for it that worked beautifully, but I can't seem to get it to charge this time, so that also will get a checkup on Monday.
Sigh. And it's snowing. Again.
I've had a cold that seems to swap back and forth from nose/throat to sinuses to throat only and through the cycle again. Bad cough for two days, then slight cough with severe body aches for two days, then all fine except for hot throat for two days, then start the cycle again. No fever at all so far, but today I've got a new one --- my voice is completely gone. I have nothing above a whisper.
Mmmmmmmrrrrrrrrrrrr.
.
People who are stupid, unskilled, or incompetent are frequently too stupid, unskilled, or incompetent to realize how stupid, unskilled, or incompetent they really are. That's basically known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Did you know that cats reserve open-mouth meows for when addressing humans? They never meow to each other, or to anything else, or for any other reason. Just to humans. It's like they invented a whole language especially for talking to us! And every cat speaks it.
I've had cats pretty much all my life, and I'd never noticed that, but now, yeah, come to think of it, it seems true. I wonder how they learn that. Mother cats talk to their kittens in a closed-mouth sort of "mmmmrrrrrrrr", which is sort of almost but not quite a meow. Perhaps cats consider humans equivalent to hearing-impaired kittens.
Thoughts?
-----------------------
I'm writing this on my little tablet, because a few days ago the Wifi finder and hooker upper thingy on my laptop stopped finding and hooking up, and finally it simply declared it no longer existed. As far as I'm concerned, no Internet = brick. Monday I'll take it in for service.
In the meantime, the tablet (or whatever Sony calls it). Onscreen keyboard. switching back and forth for numbers letters punctuation. Bleck. I had bought a wonderful little Bluetooth keyboard for it that worked beautifully, but I can't seem to get it to charge this time, so that also will get a checkup on Monday.
Sigh. And it's snowing. Again.
I've had a cold that seems to swap back and forth from nose/throat to sinuses to throat only and through the cycle again. Bad cough for two days, then slight cough with severe body aches for two days, then all fine except for hot throat for two days, then start the cycle again. No fever at all so far, but today I've got a new one --- my voice is completely gone. I have nothing above a whisper.
Mmmmmmmrrrrrrrrrrrr.
.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
4012 Southern situation, and Measles
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Well, Ex#2 was transferred to a rehab facility last Monday. He was told it was because he's at risk for falling (true, his balance is not good) so he's there to work on that, and he accepted that. He'll be there for two more weeks. The place is close to home, so his sister is visiting frequently. So far, so good. Daughter is hoping that maybe there he'll learn how to take better care of himself, but I suspect she's hoping for too much.
----------------------------------
When I was a kid, doctors made home visits. Not always, sometimes you had to go to their offices, like for followup visits, but the first appointment for a new illness was often at home. Then at some point it changed. You had to go to the office or to the ER no matter how sick you were, drag yourself from your deathbed, call an ambulance, whatever. People complained, but I don't remember ever hearing an explanation as to why it changed.
People just thought doctors got lazy or greedy.
Well, with the current measles mini-outbreak, I think I figured out why. The lightbulb flash came when I read a story about a child fighting leukemia who was exposed to measles in a doctor's waiting room (along with a small herd of other kids). That's why doctors used to come to our homes! There were a lot of very dangerous and highly contagious diseases around, and in the days before vaccines they wanted a diagnosis before allowing you to spread your infection around the waiting room or other folks. After vaccines, polio, measles, diphtheria, and so on were of less concern, since it was assumed most of the herd was vaccinated.
There's a lot of discussion on the internet about "measles parties" in the '50s and '60s, where mothers would arrange playdates with kids who had measles (or chicken pox) to get it over with at a convenient time. Some people remember them vividly, others who were also "there" swear they never happened. I was amazed that no one arguing about the topic seemed to know that there were two versions of measles when we were kids. There was the regular measles (rubeola), and then there was German measles (rubella). Although the are not related, the two looked pretty much the same, fever, red spots, etc. Rubella/German measles was fairly innocuous (except for pregnant women) and rubeola/measles was dangerous, potentially fatal.
There a pretty good comparison of the two at http://www.drreddy.com/shots/measles.html.
I had rubeola/measles. I did develop encephalitis and was in the hospital for a very long time. I was young, and don't remember anything except how everyone was so nice for a short time after I returned home, but according to Mom (who, it might be noted, cannot be relied on for any kind of medical report) I was in a coma for a time.
What I do remember is that there WERE measles parties for rubella/German measles. Women wanted to get it over with during a time when they were sure they weren't pregnant. Rubeola/measles got you and your whole family quarantined. Sign on the door and everything. No parties for rubeola.
I am frustrated that in all these articles about the current measles outbreak, they don't say which measles it is. With all the excitement, I assume it's rubeola, but maybe not? Anyone know for sure?
.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous
than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
--Martin Luther King, Jr. --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, Ex#2 was transferred to a rehab facility last Monday. He was told it was because he's at risk for falling (true, his balance is not good) so he's there to work on that, and he accepted that. He'll be there for two more weeks. The place is close to home, so his sister is visiting frequently. So far, so good. Daughter is hoping that maybe there he'll learn how to take better care of himself, but I suspect she's hoping for too much.
----------------------------------
When I was a kid, doctors made home visits. Not always, sometimes you had to go to their offices, like for followup visits, but the first appointment for a new illness was often at home. Then at some point it changed. You had to go to the office or to the ER no matter how sick you were, drag yourself from your deathbed, call an ambulance, whatever. People complained, but I don't remember ever hearing an explanation as to why it changed.
People just thought doctors got lazy or greedy.
Well, with the current measles mini-outbreak, I think I figured out why. The lightbulb flash came when I read a story about a child fighting leukemia who was exposed to measles in a doctor's waiting room (along with a small herd of other kids). That's why doctors used to come to our homes! There were a lot of very dangerous and highly contagious diseases around, and in the days before vaccines they wanted a diagnosis before allowing you to spread your infection around the waiting room or other folks. After vaccines, polio, measles, diphtheria, and so on were of less concern, since it was assumed most of the herd was vaccinated.
There's a lot of discussion on the internet about "measles parties" in the '50s and '60s, where mothers would arrange playdates with kids who had measles (or chicken pox) to get it over with at a convenient time. Some people remember them vividly, others who were also "there" swear they never happened. I was amazed that no one arguing about the topic seemed to know that there were two versions of measles when we were kids. There was the regular measles (rubeola), and then there was German measles (rubella). Although the are not related, the two looked pretty much the same, fever, red spots, etc. Rubella/German measles was fairly innocuous (except for pregnant women) and rubeola/measles was dangerous, potentially fatal.
There a pretty good comparison of the two at http://www.drreddy.com/shots/measles.html.
I had rubeola/measles. I did develop encephalitis and was in the hospital for a very long time. I was young, and don't remember anything except how everyone was so nice for a short time after I returned home, but according to Mom (who, it might be noted, cannot be relied on for any kind of medical report) I was in a coma for a time.
What I do remember is that there WERE measles parties for rubella/German measles. Women wanted to get it over with during a time when they were sure they weren't pregnant. Rubeola/measles got you and your whole family quarantined. Sign on the door and everything. No parties for rubeola.
I am frustrated that in all these articles about the current measles outbreak, they don't say which measles it is. With all the excitement, I assume it's rubeola, but maybe not? Anyone know for sure?
.
4011 Respect
Saturday, February 14, 2015
I have no idea what that green quote up there means, but for some reason it resonated with me, so I saved it. Anyone want to take a stab at interpreting it in the comments?
-----------------------
I found this, and it also resonated with me:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dy1Z8IEjIg]
(BTW, I am not an atheist, but there is no human-defined religion I know of that fits my beliefs.)
There's been a lot of discussion lately about violence and religion. Christians tend to forget that Christianity has been responsible for a lot of violence, too. Here, http://www.truthbeknown.com/victims.htm, is a pretty long list of atrocities in the name of Christ. It's enough to turn the strongest stomach. Christians have no right to criticize any other group.
And the US can't say "Oh, well, that's history, we don't do that anymore." Americans have a recent history of free-lance lynchings and burnings. It's still happening. Like last year in Mississippi.
---------------------------------------
I've been watching videos shot from quadcopters, and I WANT ONE! A quadcopter, that is. But I know durn well I wouldn't use it, I don't go anywhere interesting anymore, I barely walk at all. Daughter and Hercules would make much more effective use of one - so I bought them one. A DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, with extra battery, extra propellers, and propeller guards.
It arrived last Wednesday. Daughter is not very enthusiastic, but Hercules is thrilled. He called this morning to say that he read all the materials, researched the local laws, and will be taking it out today for a trial run.
I had told them that there IS a string attached. I want to see all videos shot with it.
.
"He who praises you for what you lack
wishes to take from you what you have."
--Don Juan Manuel--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have no idea what that green quote up there means, but for some reason it resonated with me, so I saved it. Anyone want to take a stab at interpreting it in the comments?
-----------------------
I found this, and it also resonated with me:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dy1Z8IEjIg]
(BTW, I am not an atheist, but there is no human-defined religion I know of that fits my beliefs.)
There's been a lot of discussion lately about violence and religion. Christians tend to forget that Christianity has been responsible for a lot of violence, too. Here, http://www.truthbeknown.com/victims.htm, is a pretty long list of atrocities in the name of Christ. It's enough to turn the strongest stomach. Christians have no right to criticize any other group.
And the US can't say "Oh, well, that's history, we don't do that anymore." Americans have a recent history of free-lance lynchings and burnings. It's still happening. Like last year in Mississippi.
---------------------------------------
I've been watching videos shot from quadcopters, and I WANT ONE! A quadcopter, that is. But I know durn well I wouldn't use it, I don't go anywhere interesting anymore, I barely walk at all. Daughter and Hercules would make much more effective use of one - so I bought them one. A DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, with extra battery, extra propellers, and propeller guards.
It arrived last Wednesday. Daughter is not very enthusiastic, but Hercules is thrilled. He called this morning to say that he read all the materials, researched the local laws, and will be taking it out today for a trial run.
I had told them that there IS a string attached. I want to see all videos shot with it.
.
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