Sunday, 29 March 2015

A Day less lived........

....... huh ?
I went surfing on the blogspot blog site. I couldn't use the ' next blog ' icon on my blog b/c it sent me to an ' un - English ' blog and HIJACKED again.
Instead I Googled ' thoughts ' on blogspot and went from there

Some folks display their craft skills and photography , some really well done sites
And we come this baby , here
What to say ?
We report on a small chunk of the world
A very small chunk of the world

Weather : 32 F on the back deck. Up from yesterday and yester - yesterday. Still chilly , tho' bright sun. We anticipate unstable conditions for 2 days or so. The jet stream will flow W to E in straight - er pattern , instead of dipping Gulf - wards which causes unusual temperature readings over much of the lower 48 states.

Post Script ( as in later , in the day ) We did reach 40 F

After the all the belly aching etc - I'm enjoying the ' new ' upgraded baby laptop. definitely , faster and cleaner.
BLt needs to be plugged in b/c BLt is running in high gear , not saving power for anything - full bore to the gunnels. I'm even running the cooling fan board - tis noisy and clumsy but the base of the BLt is touch cool even after 1 or 2 hrs. I thought the fan was a gimmick , I mean , you don't see many people using them. The fan is awkward to carry , I know.








Saturday, 28 March 2015

Its A long , Long Time ...........

......... from May to December
but the days grow short when
You reach November

the song by  .....????    Hoagy Carmichael. The ' December Song ' ?
Our days are lengthening

The temperature is 19 F on the back deck
Bright sun and bitter wind
Ground is brown and bare

On the baby laptop scene. Since the upgrade to Solid State Drive
I hadn't backed up the information files. Yesterday , was the day , NOT.
Everything was going fine until - the window for choosing back up device popped up. The ' next ' icon was below the bottom edge of the screen. Unaccessible . 
I tried everything. Different monitor , expanded and changed resolution........ 3 hours. Nada !
This morning , once more into the fray. Idea. Change the screen orientation. Turn the screen image on its side , thus longer view , horizontally.
Find the window , alls well , then I notice the label " changing orientation will change your screen size "
Oh ! The screen was set for ' medium ' or 125 % for easier viewing.
Crikey , an over - sized screen. Yep , too big for some windows.
Change the screen size mode and bing bango , there's the ' next button ' available.
Dummy , genius , dummy ,  genius 
can't decide ?

Alls well, that ends well
Suppose so

P.S. To -day marked the beginning of conference play in the B1G
10 or whatever.
Hopkins managed to beat Rutgers
The Jays are 1 - 0 in conference play - step 1
Many steps to go , some way bigger than others

victory kinda


Friday, 27 March 2015

Bad Directions

If you are a regular reader , all 2 of you  , you've seen me comment that occasionally I will hit the ' next blog ' icon at the top of the page. Sort of blog surfing.
Lately , I've been directed to non - English written sites. OK , except , once on that route , I can never get out. I'm just sent from one like blog to another.

Hi jacked is how , I describe this process.  Let me out !!!!!!!!

Weather: Brrrr !!!!  BRrrrr!!!!!  BRRrrr !!!! and its cold.
The good news - its temporary - Yes , it appears summer is coming in 3 months.  Always a silver lining


Tuesday, 24 March 2015

This is Not an Advertisement

Yesterday , I encouraged M to call England using ' Skype ' via the computer to a landline in England.
M was on the phone for 15 min. The charges $ 0.44
the rate a little under 3 cents a minute
Bazinga to quote Sheldon on ' Big Bang Theory '

The date for this entry is  Wed MR 25
The weather is different then I previously stated. We have unsettled conditions but the temperature is going to be balmy , already its approaching 33F on the back deck at 9 AM.  The sky is blue -ish tinged w/ white.

Meanwhile , I've been researching if our i Phone 4s 's will work in England. Technically , the 4s is a world phone. All the comments are ' should ' work.  
The latest comment from the CarPhone Warehouse rep is that Apple  may regionally lock their phones.
OK , ' world phone ' takes on a whole new meaning. How big is your world ?

In the end , last option , we buy a ' burner ' phone in England. Purchase just enough credit to get by and throw away the phone or keep it depending.Unbelievably , I think that I saw an advertisement for a ' burner ' at 5 BPS or $ 10 Cdn. that comes w/ 30 minutes air time.

As a side note , something quite different happened , yesterday.
When accessing Apple Inc ' s help line , I was greeted by the typical mechanical voice - however , in the background , I  swear that I could hear the operator typing the reponse for the   ' auto voice '. I mean the clacking preceded the ' voice ' by seconds
And , the real person that I got on line finally , was in Tennessee , I'm pretty sure , it was the accent - a give away for sure.

" Do yourself no harm , other men are usually good for that " 
" This isn't Heaven , its the world and there is trouble in it "

from ' Kingdom of Heaven '

Not a Hopeless Day

Spring has sprung
The grass ain't ris'
Its frozen !!

There is light in the sky but 19 F on the back deck - can't fool me , its cold out there
Not hopeless , there is some feeling out there , the cold doesn't bite like before
The air looks warm from in here
We will go out to - day. We sign for our taxes.
Grab a bite
And maybe , visit the Apple Store
I contacted the CarPhone Warehouse , a giant chain of electronic specialists. Best deals on all things mobile and electronic in England.
Their website is phenomenal. You can look up the specifications of your cell phone. And then ask questions via e mail.
The email you send , tells them what you looked at on their site.
Then they reply based on that information.
I was questioning ' if my i Phone 4s ( Apple ) would work in the UK. Their answer  ' YES ' if the phone is unlocked < for out of country > meaning Canada.

Later , surfing the Google - verse , I found an article on ' the i Phone 4s travelling in the UK ' The author was from PC World or a similar publication.
Here is a brief sum up. 
    The Apple i Phone 4s was created as a ' world phone ' as in take it anywhere. The 4s can operate on the 2 systems of mobile signals.
Yes , take the 4s to England and substitute the SIM card and pay. You will get service. This is the meaning of unlocked.
However , isn't there always , one of those.
Come home , to the U.S. and.......
Discover that - there are 4 versions of the i Phone4s World Phone... Apple store bought / Verizon bought  / ATT bought and T mobile bought.
When you purchase the Apple 4s version , your phone will accept a SIM from round the world. It may not be the fastest b/c different systems different speeds.
The other 3 versions are unlocked for the most of the world. Use these phones in England , China ---- slip in the appropriate SIM and you're good to go. Except ............ you got it , HOME. The 4s you bought from Verizon is just that a Verizon 4s , nope , no other U.S.carrier.
Now , I'm sure , its the same in Canada , we have only 2 giant carriers and one smaller so , its them , most likely for us.
Our trip to Apple store would be to verify this info.
BTW - the author received this information from a manager for a Midwest local carrier for one the Big 3. He tried to get someone from Apple to talk to him but no one was available to answer.

CONFESSIONAL
About a week or so ago , the movie ' the Hobbit , An Unexpected Journey ' was on TV. I recorded the whole show.
Since , I have watched the 3 hr program , yepper 3 !!. about 3 times
Not at one sitting but in snippets.
The first viewing was the most amazing b/c I kept saying ' I don't remember seeing this , I must have been in the washroom '
It turns out , that I must have been in that washroom approximately
20 minutes spread over the first 3 / 4 of the ' hobbit '.
Crikey ! alright its been 3 yrs since I saw the screening at the theatre but.... gimme a break.
Must have been those 3D glasses that they give you
And the most amazing - est , yet , the TV company , probably ,cut 20 minutes for commercials
Holey kamoley , Batman !
I have ' old timers ' disease

Monday, 23 March 2015

Random Thoughts

Ah ! Some may argue , what so different about this blog post then

We watched ' Madam Secretary ' last night. Summary : Elizabeth suffers from PTSD , explosion and killings. she lashes out when she gets the feelings on insecurity. Unfortunately ,for those suffering ' real ' PTSD  ,she seems to be OK by the end of the 1 hr segment. I'm sure - not many others get better in hours or days.

' She saved me ' - is the thought that has been front and centre for about three days. I'm not terribly bright but I think that I can recognize the truth when it is said out loud.
Someone who needs forgiveness but does not forgive
Someone who snores and is woken by snoring

There I said it or blogged it

Weather : We continue at 32 F + or - a few. Sunny , w/ unsettled conditions due in 2 days. Warm on Thurs ( promises , promises )
cooling off and then gradual warming ( I think they meant JUN , actually ).

Many errands to -day. Hopefully , I'll actually do them.
To wit , visited Staples and dropped of recyclables in the battery and ink cartridge bin , looked at rolling duffel bags and didn't buy the replacement ink cartridges that I went for --- Duh !
However ,on that trip did manage to remember a map of the UK at the CAA store and stumbled on the 26 spinner.

Our taxes are done , we sign to - morrow. Last year , we snuck in the last 2 weeks and signed after the taxes went in. Still in doubt and keep waiting for another tax slip to arrive.

I Googled ' i Phone 4s ' which is my Canadian phone to see if I could use it in the UK. I sent off an e mail to a large UK firm called CarPhone Warehouse and asked for information.

My craps shooting record is abysmal. I lost another $ 130 to myself , over the last few days. I'm getting rich in play money.
I will get  chance to lose real money , soon. Can't wait. Rooms free and we'll eat on vouchers for most meals.' Free ' is taking on a different meaning to us , since visiting the Casino in Salamanca. Actually ,we knew all along - AirMiles etc but its never to late to get enlightened.

Stay sharp , you are the cutting edge

Sunday, 22 March 2015

Hang 'em High

... unfortunately not the movie   - Mississippi

Weather : 18 F on the back deck , 11 AM
A little wind that is very cold
Sunny

How is your day going ?

Brekkies , this morning - generic Shreddies ( wheat squares )
I've been trying different items for the day starter. Wheat squares are starchy, yes , but do have some fibre. I put a little in a small glass dessert dish and nibble while doing coffee. This snack lets me eat something , easily and is not loaded w/ fat or calories. Often , I'll add almonds , sort of like a snack mix
And I also , had 2 of the corn muffins ( baby ) w / the hot dog inside - while corn meal based , I suppose that there could be healthier choices - but they're fun.

The on going struggle or Op Osm is still on track. Weigh in was very good this morning.  Keep in mind , I'm consuming things that I love. Beer  , red wine are allowed. I snack on almonds. And discovered Triscuits are considered a reasonable snack item ( not the best , but not bad ).
E.g. yesterday , lunch was tempeh ( tofu steak ) on coleslaw mix.
Dr. Oz says that substituting tempeh boosts pro - biotics in your system.
Dessert is often orange jello and fruit salad bolstered by fresh apple pieces.
I do work at this weight control process. If you're keeping track and you're not - inception date was JUL 17 , 2014.

BTW - we are taking it in the ear - Hop lost yesterday , again.
The Boys are 3 - 5 , this is a disaster for the Bluejays. They have lost back to back to #1 Cuse and #4 Virginia. Yesterday was a overtime loss to Va.
Hope exists this year , where in other years , the season would be approaching a write - off. This season , the Jays are in a conference , the Big 10 ( or eleven or twelve , depending how you look at it ) and it means if the Jays can achieve a winning record by winning the Big 10 , they would get a Automatic Qualifier into the final dance parade.
HOWEVER , they face Rutgers , Penn State , Michigan , Ohio State and Maryland for conference scheduling. Only Michigan would be considered a should win. Maryland has beaten the Jays 2 years running and it has not been pretty. Ohio St and Penn St will be real tests.
So , to dream big - Hopkins will beat 4 of 5 teams here on in and to make the dance , they will likely need to beat Md , twice ..... twice
maybe once , but beat Ohio St or / and Penn St .... twice.
See easy - peasy. 
To dream the impossible dream 
To beat the unbeatable foe

Go Hop !

Saturday, 21 March 2015

Surfing the .......

........ the baby laptop. I've spent 2 days , crawling through the ' control panel ' . Surfing , implies freedom and swiftness - not whats happening in this search. Crawl.
The friend A. explained the upgrade , * see previous. 
I open every icon. I read . I go ' huh' and try different things. Thus , if you read this blog and it turns purple or something else - I did it , not on purpose as though I knew what I was doing , though
When A. , sent the e mail about the SSDrive , a great expanse of experience was flung open. I fell through and
Here I am
What has really changed. # 1, both computers have had 3 different desktop backgrounds. Well , its a start
OK it is a big mystery in there ( control panel ) , I'm trying , I'm trying.
Last night , was the monthly poker game. Last year , I played in 3 leagues ( M's terminology ). Through circumstances , I'm down to 1 league. Age wise , I'm 3 rd youngest , maybe. Not sure about 2 of the guys. I feel like I'm younger.

Weather. Oh , you didn't ask. I won big . Doubled my money. Thats big.
Gloomy , and grey. Damp , misty type stuff. 38F out on the back deck. And we will get colder. 

Friday, 20 March 2015

When the Whining Stops

Peace reigns.
The 26 " spinner suitcase has wheels like a semi rig. Rolls , very smoothly. Will the luggage dudes at the airline knock off the wheels in transit ? We shall see said the Zen Master 

The weather : blue sky , puffy clouds and 35 F on the back deck.
The wind looks light but is showing as 10 - 15 MPH on the news station screen.

OK . honest. the computer guy turned the baby laptop into a quick and mostly fun  to use device.  Waiting is down to mere seconds.
And my complaint about CPU processing speed.
A friend A. explained it to me in small words. The computations per sec will not change b/c the central processor is the same.
What changed is the feeding memory for the processor , its way faster. Thus , the programs aren't waiting for the memory to provide data , its there , just needs to be directed.
And , the computer guy addressed , my concern. When I said that I wanted the ports , in and out , he said , of course , you've got a computer not a toy
My ' toy ' happens to weigh almost 2 pounds but what the hey , I can carry 2 lb.

Thursday, 19 March 2015

Thurs 3/19

Coffee is done
Baby laptop is running - still  a little miffed about the CPU speed #s I'm not through checking

Weather : 24 F , back porch ,there is wind but only the tops of trees are moving - guessing 6 - 10 MPH

Have a good one !

The late edition

Practiced packing this afternoon
The two duffle bag system might work but not the ones that I used

The 26" wheelie - packed 3 pants , 5 shirts , fleece jckt ,socks and undies , seat pants That all fit.
I noticed a puffy panel , it unzippered and another compartment was there. Able to hold 3 - 4 shirts or whatever
We are keeping the 26
As well ,checked prices. the MSRP is $ 357 , most places have the 26 on sale for $ 140 - 130.

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

The " new " Baby Laptop

The outcome of the upgrade
The CPU processing speed is - the same   Crap !
But individual windows open fast
And switching is faster

OK What did you want ??

when G mail opens , it is faster sometimes by 30 or so seconds

You'd better be happy sometime

I spent the morning on the ' Control Panel ' opening each icon and checking if I missed something
Yesterday , I found a box that said ' fast switch - OFF '  Where has that been til now.

Weather : Sunny     Temperature on back deck 9:22 A - 27 F
Oops , little cooler w/ bluebird skies

Went luggage shopping 
Why ?
Our main luggage is too big for the ' boot ' ( trunk ) of the cars in England.
M has a medium size , called 26 " , discovered that tidbit while out shopping
I found a 26 size. At Canadian Automobile Club , the store has a price tag - Members X , Non members X plus lots. Of course , you think that you're doing great. On top of that - SALE !!! , they got me.
$357 ----> $112    Bought it

Gun metal gray w/ 8 wheels , floats along , hard shell but flexy 
plastic. And expandable. Thus , you wonder how it gets to be smaller if you can make it bigger.
Ours not to reason how or why ( from ' Charge of the Light Brigade
 , Lord Alfred Tennyson ) , paraphrased

I went to buy a duffle bag on wheels. The plan was to carry two checked luggage duffles ( our ticket allows the 2 ) and a carry on.
I would stack the duffle bags on top of each other to wheel them. The two could be packed separately to fit in available space.
So much for the plans of mice and men.
The 26 - er is returnable - wees a thinkun on this




Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Surfing....

.... the Blogspot world. If you click the tab ' next blog ' you can see other blogs on blogpsot. Normally , I can move through 3 or 4 blogs before I reach a blog that has no ' next tab ' .
Yesterday , I was blog - jacked. I got into a foreign language series w/ no way out.
I googled a term prefaced w/ blogspot and found a blog ' Sum of all things 2 Me ' blog.
the latest topic was the generation raised on computers and communication devices. The author bemoaned the lack of basic reading and writing skills. The upshot being that although these people communicate instantly , what they lack is real learning skills.
I seldom reply to blogs but I did
I mentioned the ME - ness and instaneity ( made that word up )
and how it uses the virtual world but becomes the raison d'etre for the user. I back phrased the McLuhan quote ' the message is the medium  '.

Weather : We will hover around the 32 F mark ,seems windy and damp .... and I'm going out. My widowed aunt , did not listen and her son didn't listen when I said ' move now ' or you'll be trapped
She's trapped
Can't drive and needs buses to get to a rapid means of travelling
" Oh , she's fine , I drop by all the time " cousin , 3 yrs ago.
I'm chauffeur this morning. She needs to visit my mom , her sister.

On the baby laptop front. A friend who is computer savvy suggested a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet for the low $ 400 s or even 3. Oh , yeah !  On line $700.
Off to the computer guy for a quote on the SSdrive.
Square one. Seems I'm always there - square one

P.S.
 - on square 2
Did it !  you'll be glad
no more dithering about this tablet business
$140 all in ( cash ) 128 Gb SSdrive for the baby laptop
If you're counting , you're not  I am

$140 original purchase price
$40 memory chip
$140 SS drive
$100 Microsoft Home Premium

But the laptop has been to England , Scotland
Florida , Las Vegas
many times to Baltimore
and many times plus to Salamanca NY 
and has been excellent

Only now it will be excellenter

P.P.S. Baby laptop is fast to load and switch windows
I tried the CPU rating test and it came out slower or lower in score than before
No matter it is better





What does this mean ?? Dunno
Its faster
I'll shut up
Wait for it   ------------- there will be whining . I'm sure


Monday, 16 March 2015

Changing the Guard

Yesterday , the house was in turmoil or at least the basement

I decided to switch out a dresser from  my changing room

We have no shower or tubs for washroom facilities on the main floor ( back split ). Thus, I change and keep clothes downstairs across from my bathroom. The bathroom is a 4 pc separate tub and shower.
The changing room is a junior bedroom.
The dresser was bought in 1979 at an ' unpainted ' furniture store for $35.
It is now M's.
I opted for a bookcase - upper shelving and bottom base separate.
This shelving is open - I figured on baskets.
The whole basement was awash in boxes and vacuum cleaners and junk,
Finally , it was over. The dresser was a moderate success , transferred to the laundry room.
The bookcases - ugly. A hodge podge of plastic bins and boxes on the shelves.
For $ 94 - note , $30 dresser - I got baskets and laundry bag bins.
Where was the savings , Dunno ?
The look - totally , university or first apartment - ish

Change is good !  Right ?  Cleaner look - anyway different 

Weather : harbingers of spring come to roost. We are sunny and headed for 50 +. Snow is melting like crazy.

This aft - I'm headed out to upgrade the baby laptop. For all the attention this thing gets , you'd figure its a thousand dollar machine
Nope $ 145 at Shoppers Drug Mart. A chip upgrade from 1 Gb to 2 Gb happened 6 months ago.
My plan buy a new laptop for $ 200 about now.
Except the $ 200 laptops listed on line are $ 400 in Canada.

Back to the computer guy , and find out how much he wants to install a SolidState drive on the baby laptop.  He says anything under $ 140 and he's got the job. i'm worried he'll say $ 200 and I'd have to think.
The problem , my baby laptop is older but has many more ports than the new machines. I suppose that everyone is using ' cloud ' this and thumb drives. I've still got weird ports for imput etc.

We shall see said the Zen Master

Sunday, 15 March 2015

On Learning

First , I got a hand me down Kindle from M - she has the 2 nd gen PaperWhite ( read in the dark ??? ) w/ 170 books stored
M is having trouble w/ the Cloud concept where the new PW Kindle can store her books. I bet she wished that she could store me in the ' Cloud '.

In my fav book series , the hero says ' I guess I won't learn much w/ my mouth open ' 
The reply from his friend ,   Pinkus , ' You might , cuz you're different '
Think I need to adapt - something occurred last night and that line came to mind. Maybe , I should have picked this tip up , 30 yrs ago.

Never too  late ?  We shall see said the Zen Master

Weather : the gloom continues. Damp and bone chilling.
I cleared up the snow dump from the roof. Actually , I moved about 200 - 300  lb even w/ the melt which has been considerable. I didn't realize how far out the piles were - we're talking 10 - 12 ft of snow






Saturday, 14 March 2015

A Foggy Day............

.....  in London Town. Or T.O.
The rain set in last night or a mist - it can't make up its mind.
The temp is 39 F on the back porch
A day when the cold settles in on our bones

Shot craps , yesterday , Kawabunga !!! Am I terrible
Hundreds of play dollars went down the tubes - well , I get it b/c I am the house as well. Both ends of the deal.
I'm wallowing in play money that I lost , to myself

We are prepping the house for a guest at dinner. The menu includes burgers , BBQ' d ( we hope ). We / she is cleaning the grills.
It will be first try for outdoor BBQ.
The pork / beef mix is sitting in mustard as a marinate - saw this on TV - the vinegar and spices are softening and picking up the flavour. Apparently , burger mix is supposed to be part pork ( for the fat and flavour ). 
We shall see said the Zen Master.
I hope he does burgers too !!

Over and out , Good Buddy

Friday, 13 March 2015

#1018

So , shoot me - not much of a title for a post
But thats OK , it won't be much of a post

The latest , a new car or used car
She says NEW
I'm open but leaning USED
She's had bad experiences or regrets buying used

On the whole , there is a chance of keeping the 05 Highlander as a towing vehicle , the boat may need moving / will need moving - cost for insurance $700 a year. The Highlander would be based at the QMH , garaged. Worth , maybe $ 7 000

I would buy a run around vehicle - better fuel economy
The down side is that you can buy a lot of gas for $ 20 000. And Subaru Canada is offering financing at 0.5 % for five years.

Topping the list is the Subaru Impreza - all wheel drive - this is the sGWN , after all
A small truck ??????????? Dunno

Weather : sunny , above 32 F , may touch 40 F
The big melt goes on  and on   and on   and on

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Leisure...

... is where you find it

Definitely an off day. Did not venture out.
Things got done

1. I made a table out of an old table top. The half moon was supported by an adjustable bracket set. Two weeks ago it came crashing down. There have been accusations that a lacrosse ball was involved. You can rest assured if this was the case , I am innocent.... well ,mostly , innocent. I may have inadvertently been playing in the basement.
To wit , the table came down. To - day , I replaced the table but not with the brackets. The plaster would not take a screw or anchor. Instead , I used a hollowed out  floor speaker and angle brackets to support the table top. Not as good as before but neat and some would say ball proof.

The weather was cooler but the day sunny. Melting seems to have come to end up on the roof. We still have mounds to mark where shovelling was intense.

I did not shovel to - day.

I organized the folder for travel to England. Actually , re - organized is the proper word. It was sort and re - order information and clear out redundancies or extras. Ship shape and Bristol fashion and we will be near Bristol , say 30 miles or so.


Wednesday, 11 March 2015

One in a Hundred

Actually , maybe more like 150.
During my eye exam to - day , the Dr. said that I score in the one percentile for # or amount of oil ducts that will open in the lower lid.
These oil ducts provide lubrication and protection for the eye surface. The Dr said that for the last decade or so , colleagues have been finding eye problems rooted in the failing ability of the eye to lubricate itself.
In fact , some eye specialists are specializing in these oil related problems and treatment. The eye doctors are finding patients presenting w/ swollen distended lids. the belief is that a majority of these physical problems are preventable.
How ?
Well , for 19 years now , I've been warming the eyelids w/ a facecloth and then massaging the lids. Finally ,using Q tips , I lavage the eyelids w/ a dilute baby shampoo solution. This treatment 3X a week removes the build up dirt and bacteria caught in the eye's oil layer. And .............. loosens up the oil ducts for release of oil during the day.
Now who woulda thunk that I'd be 2 decades ahead of the curve.
I have a condition called blepharitis , fairly common in older adults.
The Dr checks my ' bleph ' by noting the conditions of my eyelids.
And for the first time he checked for open ducts.

I'm more likely 2 bends behind the curve

Weather : Warm and sunny close to 47 F , the melt is going like crazy. I moved 2 mounds of snow from the back patio out to where the sun hits during the day. Thus , at  the back , the snow mounds are 6 - 8 ft out form the foundation ,on the down curve running out to the lawn.
At the front , the downpipe is disconnected and a contraption device runs the water from the downpipe out to the lawn.

The wrist has now received , 3 ultra sound sessions , I'm icing and applying anti - inflammatory cream regularly.  The wrist is feeling better and better.
At exercise to - night , I went back to free weights , and left out push ups , kick out s and levered arm swings. All three moves strain the wrist. The work out felt good.

We shall see said the Zen Master
Me too !

So , Whats Changed

2 beer for lunch in Fla , 2 beers for lunch here.
We went for our yearly eye exam - lunch at the pub
We don't live at the pub
But you think we do
The receptionist at the eye doc is Irish and Tara our pub is her local
- used to be her local. Anyway , she has a table for St Pat day reserved

At the eye doc , I was #1 for oil production in the lower lids for all of Fe up til to - day. Apparently ,this oil gland thingy is big. A major area of concern and money for the eye industry. Many long term problems can be traced to lack of lachrymal oil production.
I'm in the top 1 percentile.
Thats b/c I've been massaging my eyelids for 19 yrs. and washing w/ baby shampoo , which treatment is exactly what they recommend now for 80 % of their patients
What can I say , I'm 2 decades ahead of the trend.

The triple decker corned beef was very good.
the sauerkraut is supposed to a good source of pro - biotics according to Dr Oz.


Tuesday, 10 March 2015

The Battles

are many
the wire transfer has gone through MVOS vs the bank
( M.V.O.S. - my very own self )
MVOS against Mother Nature and her melt water - I had to cut the pretty downpipe but there was no other way. The ugly jury rig job is working
MVOS against the bulge. Op Psm ( get fit - ter program is on target ) we shall see said the Zen Master

We submitted our taxes to - day to the accoutant

The weather is phenomenal , 38 F at 10 AM and its warmer now

Cloudy - er, to -day much less melting

Monday, 9 March 2015

Long Undies.....

...... not needed , to -day. They didn't lie - it was warm and sunny
One layer , top and bottom but still wore the scarf

Problem : melting water. The front corner downpipe was overflowing.
Thus , I sawed off the bottom piece and hooked up a plastic diverter and then went and bought more diverter. $ 30 of plastic pipe.
However , all said and done the water is moving out to the lawn or where the lawn normally is... snow is mostly there.
I figured the water was going to go nowhere but right against the foundation. A little okay  .... but there is a lot of snow on the roof.
Less actually , b/c Saturday a big wad - say , 20 X 10 ft and 3 ft deep fell off the metal roof. Karumph ! I shovelled out a path.

To -day as well , I moved more snow to the sown side of the patio stones.

I'm going to physio , 2 days straight for ultra sound treatment for the wrist. Who knows , may help... can't hurt


Sunday, 8 March 2015

By the Numbers , something good

She lives in Japan and is 117 yrs old. About to become the oldest living person.  I've only got  around 56 yrs to go. Lord , !!!! 56 more 
Now , this woman looks as though she gums her food , so maybe its not all good - still .... 117 

Weather : it seems that Jay Scotland , weatherman ,got close to right. Forecast is for 32 F. Back porch in the shade , 9:30 is 30 F

P.S. the afternoon has come w? 36 F back porch in the shade

Too much : ? 
I was watching ' Food Factory ' as in - how foods are manufactured. Sweet potato fries from the factory. Extolling the virtues of the sweet potato , every vitamin and mineral that you need.  We use an Actifry machine that boasts ' french fries w/ a tablespoon of oil '. The Actifry is a self contained heating unit w/ plastic lid and moving scoop.


M came home w/ a sweet potato ..... and well , the swt pot got cut up and into the Actifrier. The time in the recipe was 45 min and after 23 .... the swt pot fries looked done to me.
Delish....but I ate the whole swt pot ( in french fry size pieces )
it better be loaded w/ good stuff b/c I got a lot

Red wine as a side.... what else ????????

Talk about vitamins - what can I say

Saturday, 7 March 2015

Don't Toss your long.....

.......... long underwear out yet.
I wore lined pants out yesterday and it was not stupid.

However , the back porch sensor reads 26 F , in the morning and in the shade - thats improvement
XXXXXXX my fingers , for luck.

Wrist pain is back to tolerable , no drugs , no ice
How was your knee appointment ???

BTW - I'm involved in another adventure trying to wire funds to pay for an apartment rental in England. They took the money out of my account and then called to say the routing info was incomplete
Back to the bank w/ the info. So ,send it out again
where is the money ?    ?????????????????????? Who knows ?
And there is no person to talk to , just on hold for 20 minutes.

To be sure , I checked Western Union rates , same as the banks w/ 3 - 5 days to complete the transfer. Then on line , I got a eyeful of complaints against WU. To be fair , some were from transfers China  and the Caribbean ,others though were internal U.S. ones
Now , did you ever wonder why they smuggled gold in the hems of their clothes , rubies in tobacco tins ?

By the Numbers : In Toronto , the average house price is 1 million Cdn $ or 800 000 US. For my southern readers , there never was a market collapse here in Canada , at least not nationwide.
This house was bought for 289 000 and now figures to sell for the high end of 700 000. We're not selling, apparently.




Friday, 6 March 2015

The Hidden Truth ( s )

Ah , so much remains undetected...  a new planet.... a cure for Ebola
NO
The secret is out -  I've been wearing lined pants when I go out for errands. Originally purchased for fishing , the nylon outer has a flannel type lining. Really wind pants that are warm. The look is cargo style w/ zippered pockets. Coming home from FL , I said its bloody cold out there , wind pants on, Da da !
This fashion trend flies in the face of my maxim for winter ' less coat , more scarf ' Crikey , scarf and extra layer , we set a record for coldest FE. Yep , its official.
Also , Toronto is 181 yrs old. BTW , thats how long we have been waiting for a new subway.

Weather : It is turning. The snow has a skating rink surface , glisteny and reflective. Pray it doesn't rain before I can re - shape the mounds to deflect the water.
We will warm a little and then a blast of heat in 5 days , 40 F
BTW - Ben and Jerrys ice cream is held at - 51 F to set the ice cream after being made. Crikey , we could have made Ben and Jerrys outside on a couple of days.

A set back. I was tossing cardboard for recycling and somehow re - hurt the wrist. This happening right after physio where it was not painful at all. I iced and took NSAID to reduce pain and basically make me feel like , I had done something to help.
Apparently , based on her records , the physio said that I'm coming close to getting chronic wrist problems w/ mostly my tendons as culprits - sort of wear and tear issues.

P.S. the weather guy is using numbers such as 47 for temperature
Sure , sure 34 , 39 , 47 doesn't matter if it never comes

47 , he said

We shall see said the Zen Master


Thursday, 5 March 2015

Ramping Down

Thats the term that they're using in W Africa re: Ebola.
To sum up , one year after I started mentioning the possibility of a super - demic , my words not theirs , cases have dropped to zero in 2 / 3 countries. Liberia is calling itself clear but claims a massive re - build is needed. In political speak , this is ' come bail us out - we can't do it ourselves '. The president of Liberia , likened the requirements to the Marshal Plan to re - build Europe.
The totals for the year are not definitive however , numbers such as 23 000 infected and 11 000 dead are not out of sync w/ perceived figures.
My only qualm is that Liberia is asking for massive aid when their normal health care budget is $ 20 - 30 per person. Before you call for aid , you need to do something about taking care of yourself.

Weather : We've settled down but the settling is double teen digits.
They forecast warmer w/in a week. 34 - 36 F The carrot on the long stick


Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Misquote

From the kingdom of Heaven
I'm watching it while ellipticing. " They try to be one heart ... one morality , their god says accept ...your god says submit '

We hibernated. The power flickered at least 12 times and went out , at least 4 times.  We survived but 85 000 got dinged and some 8 000 - 12 000 are waiting to this afternoon to have their electrics back.
There was snow , then pellets and freezy rain. Maybe , about 2 in on the ground w/ a crust on top. Quite pretty but deadly. The peak of poor weather hit during the afternoon commute.

I called the physio lady - my wrist problem is niggling but there
The doctor is next. Pain pills and maybe an x-ray ?




Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Correction

10 053 page views for 1006 postings  This data appears on the summary page for Blogspot
The numbers are weird at least 10 page views per post

Winter did not leave , yet
Forecasts are for crap and more crap falling on us.

I'm off to the bank for tax preparation stuff and to check short and long term goals for investments
I know , don't complain , at least there is investments to worry about
M always comes up w/ , if you had no money , there'd be no problems  
Not really

In one movie , the heroine opines ' I envy the  working class for their freedom from duty ' ... her mother offers ' you wouldn't envy them anything else '

Stay warm

P.S. I went to the bank. We transferred money to a owner in England for property rental. The bank called Friday ' We need more routing information ' , I read what we had over the phone.
To -day ( 4 days later ) , while in the bank , I asked about the wire transfer  ' Denied , insufficient data '
Crikey , were they gonna tell me that the transfer wouldn't go through ?
I've re sent the info to the bank  ??????????????????? will happen

Do you know what ' stickies ' are ??
The stickies are post-it-notes for your computer screen. While in Fla , I wrote all the registration information for the american phone on a stickie. This morning , I hit an ' x ' and the information disappeared.
Never fear , there's the internet. Typed in on Google ' lost stickie '
Yepper , someone else had asked the same thing
3 tries later , my stickie was back. There is a dog
The internet is god - well , maybe not that great 

Monday, 2 March 2015

What Happens

Last year , over the period from Nov 1 to Feb 28 , I visited the QMH on the 'bee , maybe 6 - 7 times. Always wondering , what did you do up there , besides playing cards. Usually , the answer was nothing got done
Not true. We ventured up there , to - day , for the first time since Nov 1 and what used to get done was cleaning the deck off. The deck is easily 50 ft long and close to 20 ft wide and covered in snow up to my knees.
I guess that I removed a small amount when it started to build up.
Trust me , it built up.
I tried to shovel a bit off the top but the wind was in my face
and blowing stinging crystals back at me. We will have to try another time.

Weather : Sunny , strong west winds. In many places , streamers of snow whipped across the highway. Areas were snow covered in horizontal strips , maybe 20 ft wide.
We are expecting snow , rain , sleet or freezing rain or any combination in the next 30 hrs. The form of precip will vary according to local conditions , latitude etc.



Sunday, 1 March 2015

Bearly.............

.......... no , I meant barely. As in barely warmer. The mercury rose , up to 26 F in the afternoon but you can't fool me - it was still cold

BTW - we did jackets and salmon , last night. Its becoming a  standby , all else failing. Besides , its good for us.

The Op Osm project is still a go. I'm exactly the weight that I was pre - holiday. If you're counting .... you're not , I am. The project has been going 7 months. I'm guessing a year would be excellent...... ten yrs better.

I've added a new wrinkle into the off nights elliptical work out.
In a health mag , an article was pushing the ' burst ' method for ellipticals ( rowing , cycling etc). Warm up and then repeats of 4 min burst / 1 min rest - finishing w/ 4 X  - a real burst of speed 1 min / 30 sec rest. 
My pulse gets way above a normal elliptical run. we're talking 140 + for a lot of the work out. I wait for a knee to complain and remind just who is doing this bursting and what can burst.  Do I feel different , NO , this burst method is for extra calorie burn. I use the burst method on the days that I'm resting from weights , you're supposed to alternate. Thus , if this works good.

We watched the return of ' Madam Secretary ' Tea Leoni star and producer ( director ? ) I forget.

To - morrow , we run for the QMH to check the place , kinda see how it survived the winter and it has been winter up there or over there to be exact.

Keep your nerve