Tourist Trap............ ?

huh , say it ain't so

Rental car toll fees stir backlash that threatens Florida's image

By Steve Bousquet, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Car renters are paying service fees that lawmakers say threaten Florida's image.

From the Tampa Bay Times

The weather word : calm 

leaves litter the ground

Phil Collins is 64 and younger than me

Almost.........

......... there was a slight chance that yesterday's blog was going to be 2 sentences

Nope , upon re - edit , it ballooned

Hope your feeling better post - surgery
Listen to the boss

* See , when there are only 3 followers , you get to add cryptic ,          private messages 
   Bet you can figure it out though

Weather : its all about the wind gusting ' mega ' and there the word is not being over - used
Sun came out , blue sky but WIND

Yesterday , I cleaned the downspout screens in the rain , 2 X           - silly ?
No , it prevents over flow and I was testing waterproof jackets
Both jackets passed
#1 was an older fishing jacket , lined and w/ pockets approx 3 # weight
#2 nylon , wind jacket , lined about `1 / 2 #
I'm flying so , light is better

About 2 weeks ago , I sprayed the fishing jacket w/ water repellent spray. The spray was to re - new the finish and the bottle claims that breath-ability is not affected - didn't get to test that part

BTW - spell check for ' wnid ' came up w/ ' wind ' which is what I wanted but also had ' ind ' 
What is ' ind ' 

Ugly , Out There

Stuff is bouncing off the roof , I hope that its only sour cherries from next door's tree. Everything seems bigger when it bounces off the steel roof

Rain and wind ... and wind and rain

Noticed the eaves over flowing , so , went out and cleared the downspout opening , front and back

Been out to the bank   went around 4 puddles , bigger than the car
couldn't avoid a 40 ft long lake that was high enough to go over the curb and boulevard , and is 3 ft from running over top into the ravine

Row . Row . Row your car
( paraphrased from the old English carol , Row , Row , Row Your Barge )

Interesting discussion on CBC. Steve Jobs , Apple and mega corporations dominating the social and business world

Points , the movie ' Steve Jobs ' is getting luke warm attendance
Why ?? b/c , maybe Steve J is no longer seen as an underdog to , say Mircrosoft , thus no appeal as a success story
Apple products dominate each segment of the market that they compete in
i Phone
Mac book
i Pod
maybe too much Apple

We , here , each have an i Phone
I think that I chose the i Phone for Siri - you know ....new , different someone to talk to in the early morning hours , lying awake etc
the second came b/c , we only need 1 charger while travelling
and it was free
someone got a iPhone 5 s and handed the poorer cousin  down

Bragging Time .....

My gutter leaf blower assembly was put to work on Mon. Blew out 4 gutters ( 1 story ) by myself. And as happens ,it turns out that the flex attachment is a better option. Yes ,w/ out the flex hose , I can work by myself but the contraption is awkward. We're talking about 6 ft of plastic pipe swinging at the end of a leaf blower
W/ the flex hose ( 2 people ) , one dude aims the 10 ft pipe and someone ( Hi , M ) holds the leaf blower
Oh well , trial and error

Weather : very nice but Patricia is coming or whats left. High winds and 1.5 in of rain.

M doesn't want to read the blog b/c its  personal 
??????????????????/ Huh

Oh well , she is very protective of me anyway

Watched a new series , last night , ' Partners in Crime ' , a Br job from Agatha Christie's pen. The leads are Tommy and Tuppence ( she's the girl ) a married couple that stumble into espionage. Natch , the uncle of Tommy is in MI - 5 or 4 or 3 or 7 or any prime number

Hope , surgery goes well

Ursa Major , as in ...................

wouldn't want to be a bear , right now

Top News

Florida's weeklong bear hunt ends in just two days

By Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer

The state stops the hunt after two days as the 320-bear limit is nearly met already.

Never met a bear in Fla , now , I know why. They shoot them.

Weather : in the s GWN , sunny and cool. Rain drifted off somewhere , usually the clouds go east.

And for winter 2016

2015-2016 Canada Winter Forecast: El Nino to Promote One of Warmest Winters on Record

October 26, 2015; 5:31 AM ET

The winter of 2015-2016 could end up as one of the warmest winters on record for Canada as a whole, as a strong El Niño persists into the upcoming season.

BTW - I've seen modelling that predicts a 

snowier and colder winter for Southern Ont

Condo Hunting

I imagine some couples go to the library to - gether ....us we visit condo launches. This last venture is 20 miles E of us in the Port of Whitby. The development will be a village of 4 - 6 towers about 7 stories. The units are glass and ceramic and approx 900 sq ft.
We came , we saw and left.
I'm not a fan of elevators and honestly ,we are clueless about what we want. Restless ??? 
We acknowledge that , eventually , we'll need to down - size. And further E puts us that much closer to the 'bee. Face it , we are too comfortable. We've been in the present house for 20 yrs. We've re - done the kitchen and bathrooms and put on a steel roof.
We epitomize the lyrics " what are you doing for the rest of your life... north and , south and east of your life " Anthony Newly ( ?)

Weather : rain , followed by rain , 48 F on the back deck
Hope your fireplace stopped leaking , OH.
There is still wind but it stopped gusting it seems

Been to the library , lately.

After the Advice............

...........huh !

I found a site that provided ideas for better utilizing your Windows7 operating system
You can check energy consumption and learn how to optimize the energy use
Typed in the command
Found the report 
and 
and
dunno
can't even figure what to do w/ the report

Holey Kamoley ! Batman - 18 recommendations for better energy use. I'm sending this to the CIA , counter - intelligence

Weather : cool , dreary - just like middle fall

Go and find a dream
or have one
that kind of day

Life Lessons Post #1204

To heat water , do not leave the used pod in a Keurig pod coffee maker.
Kapow  ! ----->  grounds fly all over the place '          ' Nuff said

The hotel had a complimentary Keurig pod machine.
I thought I'd just heat some water. I left the pod in and pressed ' play '.... the rest is , well , as above

At the craps table , you can see it all - there's me w/ my $200 in the rack and across the way , I'm watching a guy put down $200 on a number , multiply by 3 and every ' 7 , out ' they sweep up  $ 600  of his money. And he's betting the same way that I am - only , more.
I win 7 dollars and he gets $ 245 when our numbers hit

weather : sunny , cool and has a damp feel

I'm off to the AppleStore ,some 15 miles away , for an appointment at the Genius Bar. The problem is still the i Phone 4s and its inability ' to see ' the data protocol from Speakout. In English , I can't web surf form the phone.
This a forlorn hope b/c i know the final outcome will be ' dunno ' it must be Speakout.

However , I'm going anyway

The Apple Report : I'm not sure but I think the rep touched my phone. And said and I quote ... you have internet !
I asked some more questions re: loading APN data for Speakout data services
But that was it
Outcome , I have internet and using the App Lockit was the best solution

We shall see said the Zen Master

To - morrow is To - day

USA TO-DAY OC 22 , 2015
Headlines : Marty McFly Arrested
w/ pictures of the suspect in handcuffs.
News at 6

" Christopher Lloyd Didn't Predict This Future "- is the below the fold banner in USA TO- DAY

Shades of George Orwell et al

Reflections or ........ re - assessment
Facebook. Over the past several weeks , I've been more active ' siting ' on FB. " Siting' is the term a ' friend ' used to describe the process of posting to FB.
Ease of access : EZ PZ
Contacts : 33 friends listed , lets say 8 - 10 active
That kicks the dickens out of blogging ( note 3 followers )
Satisfaction : way less

Why ? dunno

My last post at FB , used the theme of ' moon ' in song titles or lyrics
The responses were quite good

Weather : grey but day is reckoned to be at least warm  --- er.
The leaves have changed , here , in the Alleganies. Red , but orange is predominant. The temperature is 70 F in the suite , w/ slight breeze and whir

This morning , I started w/ the thought train of enjoyment. As in , what do you really enjoy. You see there is a problem or maybe not.
I would list fishing. Now , b/c I enjoy or is it that I can do it w/ some success.
To quote , Captain Marcos Ramius in the ' Hunt for Red October '
" I miss the peace of fishing ". Often , I've seen the future or planned the future while standing on the ' Dock of the Bay '. I guess ,you could say , its a commune w/ nature or a simple activity that gets you out in the air......
smell of the water , ' Wind in the Willows' which actually is true at the QMH ( Quarter Mile House  on the 'bee )
And ' They Call the Wind , Mariah ' - Mariah Blackwolf wrote the lyrics for Blossom Dearies' tune ' Touch the Hand of Love '

Enjoyment : so transient , a sip of ......vodka / soda , splash of cranberry - my latest drink order. Except in Bath , Somerset , UK at the Crystal Palace , got the vodka and soda but they sent over a bottle of cranberry cocktail. 
The last couple of months at home, I've been running over to the Asian grocery , once a week  and ordering at the hot table. Originally , I got the combo - rice or noodles ( choice of three kinds , very rare that ) and 2 entree selections for $7.99 . The new order - sticky rice ( cooked in a leaf ) and breaded shrimp. Sticky rice is $2 for 2 and the shrimps 10 for $3.99. This duo is a winner. The sticky rice is mixed w/ chicken as a filling. Plus , their regular special is dumplings 10 for $ 2 .
Wonderbar ! but thats German. ' Aye - yah ' is more Chinese.

And it came to me , out of the past

Great Things Sweet cyder is a great thing,      A great thing to me, Spinning down to Weymouth town      By Ridgway thirstily, And maid and mistress summoning      Who tend the hostelry: O cyder is a great thing,      A great thing to me! Author , Thomas Hardy , who wrote ' Tess of the D'Urbervilles ' , ' far from the Madding Crowd '

I'm going to think on this some more. Cider , humh ?????
Is ellipticking , spinning ?
Maid and mistress , won't be popular at our house

ENJOY your day , PLEASE

Its Spanish for .......

..... Cowabunga , Dude !  El Nino

***   Brace yourself   Tampa Bay: El Niño is back and badder than ever
By Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
The weather pattern that can shield us from hurricanes can also wreak destruction
from the TBT , Daystarter , Wed OC 21

The ' Boy Child ' is the literal translation ,  I believe

This El Nino is extreme  if I got this right - our weather is getting more extreme i.e. hotter , more dynamic weather patterns ,then El Nino comes along to disturb the ' normal '  climatic pattern , but this El Nino is enhanced.
Leading to extreme - extreme - extreme weather
We haven't got a chance , kiss your pattochies, good - bye , sayonara

We shall see said the Zen master
He's always , saying that

Weather : broke uncertain and then brightened considerably. Temps are headed to ward 60 +

In Canada , we elected Justin Trudeau , on Monday , past , he has nice hair. ' the Donald ' is leading the political opinion polls of analysts. DT is ahead in persuading GOP types.
Donald has no hair , but its all his

I'm in the velour bathrobe , again , its warm , but I'll suffer

From the CBC website , Science & Tech

23andMe launches genetic disorder testing service for consumers

Genetics company 23andMe announces the launch of a new consumer genetic test service that will show whether an individual carries genes associated with 36 different disorders, such as cystic fibrosis. 9:26 

and club foot , spade toe and congenital laziness , plus bottle blond disease

If you need assurances of where this DNA testing  is going , watch ' Gattaca ' , the movie w/ Ethan Hawke &Uma Thurman

WARNING ! for newer followers , I don't read the articles

I make up all the palaver ,much like the writer did

Back Up

Prior to attending the ' Genius Bar ' at the Apple Store , the company suggests that you back up your i Phone , pictures , addresses , notes and reminders.
I did everything in the instructions and started the back up to i Cloud , i Goofed. The back up starts to run and I slide down the instructions ' estimated time will appear ' 
OK but the time starts at 33 min and goes to 45 min
Go down a little further and the next step says ' that w/ the i Phone connected to Wi Fi , screen locked and phone plugged in ' 
Oops ! screen lock and charging ???
Finally , an hour later , done
The result , 300 Mb of data stored out of 5 Gb max , in free i Cloud storage.................. 40 minutes...... Siri must have been hand copying the entries.
The company didn't name the ' Genius Bar ' for me , could you tell

Weather 10/20 - name it - cloudy , sunny , warm w/out the wind b/c the wind was up. We crossed 2 bridges and the wind hazard warning was lit. And ,you could feel the car shudder

Reflections on being away. 
As a couple , M and I differ in our  approaches to many things. To wit , while travelling , M brings her Kindle Supremo , my basic Kindle stays home. She reads and I look for the new place to entertain me. 
Unfortunately , when this ploy fails , yepper , M is the default setting. She can tell when I need entertaining. Ever try keeping a three yr old busy , well , multiply by some large number , and thats her job.

So ,when , M is not fallback option #1 , what is diverting ?
People , watching , guessing and evaluating. Nothing deep or wise , common everyday , snooping is fine.
The decor , say in a hotel , how beige is the colour or what sets off the lighting.
This round , the front desk came through w/ a complimentary suite.
We asked for the corner suite upgrade as advertised , No , none available. We do have an end suite.
 Ignorance is bliss. OK ,we say.
Now , it is a long walk to the elevator , end suite , right , what part of end , didn't you get ?
The unit is longer than our living room - dining room combined. 

There are 2 TV s , both 10 inches longer than TV at home. 
There is more furniture here , than home. Ours is nicer , slightly , but slightly. 
The washroom facilities : walk in shower w/ a shower assembly that has 4  cycles and sprays water , up and down and sideways - obviously for thin people or very big people.
The shower wall is translucent and is the bedroom wall.

I'm using the velour bathrobe , every chance that I get.
The closet is French doors and there are 2 sets of dressers. Someone has undoubtedly had the experience of sharing a dresser w/ M.
Thus , we are pleased. The old saying , ' you're never really in the room ' - not us. We hide or recuperate quite freely in the room.
Sanctuary from ' Ka ching ' or lack of ' Ka ching ' , famous Chinese gambler.
I'm meditating on the room, as in 'who could ever need a room like this ?? , I know ,  ' 13 Kids and Counting ' or the ' Brady Brunch ' , if you are really old.

BTW , checked the battery , I've been  typing for 20 minutes. The reading is 10 h 15 m and 96 % ---- Liar ... Liar ... No way , Jose. Recall , that this baby laptop , w/ the old battery would produce 1 1/2h if you were lucky and in ' Power Save '
New battery , and running in ' balanced  performance ' , now reading  - 9 h 53 min

We shall see said the Zen Master

Whoosh

I've noted that , many things just go ' whoosh ' right over my head
Unfortunately ,many times it s b/c I let it or really don't care.
My take is that you better let a lot of stuff go ' whoosh '. and many companies and services are counting on that

My iPhone using a data stream from Speakout will allow me to use gmail but not Safari , no biggie but Speakout offers the surfing the net in the data package.
I'm off to the Apple store. At time of purchase , I opted for additional service ( ????????? ) , hopefully any help that I get at Apple is free.
Free ! Yeah , like that happens

Weather : Crisp and sunny Translation , here , in the s GWN - long johns time. In fact there is a site , that actually tells you if you need long johns.
Thus , its time , for you to hear my annual , cold weather tip.
In my estimation ( or IMHO ) , the key to dressing for winter is ... more scarf and less coat. the theory goes , keep the wind off your neck and going down your back.
To be fair , I'm a car person. I don't walk miles in the weather. and , yes , I've been surprised by the cold if taking transit. On the other hand , I get very warm walking , and find the resulting dampness , at the least disconcerting. Alright , back to the regular broadcast.

Other useless info , did you know that I type on the keyboard w/both hands. Left over skill from Gr 9 and 10. I was a slow typer and my marks showed this. I once reached 15 words per minute. The test times you and deducts for mistakes. Here , the mistakes are a given.

Go out and face the world over your scarf

An Evening w/ Vienna Teng

Alright , I talk a good game
Last night , we crossed the city using the Gardiner Xpressway and Lakeshore Blvd. The city is improving the Gardiner , the southern arterial for E - W travel. Of course , it is constricted in three places.
the Lakeshore carries the overflow or the unwary.
A tip of approx 18 miles converted to 1 h 50 min. We were bumper to bumper for 8 miles.
I drove past the parking lot and doubled back almost 1 mile ( around the Junction Railyard ).
We had called to say we'd be late
Desk reception : where are you ?
Us : on the Lakeshore
Desk : Oh , we'll hold the reservation

We ordered the concert special , 3 course dinner
The food was good to almost good

The performer was Vienna Teng and the venue Hugh's Room on Dundas St.  the concert was fabulous
She is a talented pianist , powerful and subtle singer
Vienna did her own compositions and John Denver etc

She uses a piano and then moves to a synthesizer  , loop machine and beat box. 

She sang ' Annies Song ' , lilting and uplifting
Her comment , John Denver could write a song
I saw John Denver 3 times and he never sang like that

Weather : cooooo .....llld and sunny , rain due

Oh , we drove home in 30 minutes

For chores , we ( both of us , M and I ) , using the re - jigged gutter blower. Really , it takes two people to use the sucker. The force of the outflow throws the curved head out and away from the gutter. Add to that , the 20 ft length of the tube , swaying and its difficult.
We blew out all the gutters.
to rub it in , the neighbour blew out his gutters in 14 minutes , walking on the roof.
Bear in mind that there was no chance of me falling , except on my bum

Anecdotally ,

for the south of the s GWN crowd ( yes , all 2 of you ).
The Canadian election process , all 78 days of it , is about to end. 78 days , you say , yes , from the  'dropping of the writ '  ( old English terminology ) , our normal cycle is 60 days give or take.
Due to the addition of summer holidays for the members of Parliament , this summer onslaught was relentless.
Our Prime Minister , and he is a prime - something , is Republican.
The Conservatives have been in place for 10 years. Ten long years , for some.
Tuesday , it all ends. And then , the business of ruining Canada , starts anew.

Weather : bright , sunny and cold 36 F on the back deck at 8:30 A
This week is to be colder than average and a tad wetter.
TG , the boat is lubed and in bed.
Speaking of that , the guy in the pub was celebrating the fact that he beat the Friday rain and got his pool closed. He said every year its a debate as to how many more days that he can eke out w/ the pool.
As Yogi woulda said ' deja vu , all over again '

I'm still formulating a battle plan for the next two months. little or no fishing and basically , at home.
You know that I have chores waiting.

One is the second story eavestroughs. Recall , last year , I re - jigged a store bought tube system for blowing out eavestroughs from the ground. The original package was for 8 - 10 ft high eavestroughs. I found a 3 in vacuum hose for shop dust and shavings that was attached to a Shop - Vac ( trade name , mine is a ____ ).
I bought the vacuum hose  b/c it looked good and seldom used it. Now , taped up and connected to the leaf blower ( gas ) , it allows the original ten ft stack to reach the second story. No ladders and my roof is steel, slippery , maybe , daunting for sure.
There you go , chore #1.
Yesterday , in keeping w/ the theme , I went around and cleaned all the outdoor lamp glass. Bugs and dust and grime got the heave ho .
As well , I brushed off cobwebs and then , cleaned a basement window that missed the regular cycle of window washing ( regular , there 's an euphemism - for whenever the gods allow ).

I'll need feedback but sometimes I think that re - jigging is what I do all the time. I'm forever , re - purposing or re - adjusting things that I've bought.
fishing rods .... yep , always , small hands and short finger spread means that I need to adjust grip positions for the reels
Fishing lures , a passion ... for alterations , here.

At this minute , typing on the main laptop , my desk cubby hole is a frame for a desktop computer , in fact , the one that this laptop replaced. I stripped the guts from the PCU , took the parts to a computer store , the one that re - built the baby laptop and voila .. a desk caddy. 
My life , in the re -jigging business

And it does seem a business sometimes.
A hall table is a re - purposed extension leaf from a wood table mounted on a floor speaker ( guts removed for storage space )

My poker table is the tripod base from a glass table ( left the other parts on the curb , yes , someone else's curb ) , the flat top is a poker table made for me 30 yrs ago , stripped down and on top of that is a poker layout top that was a Xmas present 5 yrs ago.
Even that poker layout surface is re - done. Originally ,the poker layout surface was in two half moons that folded , so that the layout was portable as a 1  /4 section profile.
The velcro connectors fell apart. The layout was prone to tipping and sliding. Since , the velcro was shot , I braced the half moons to be solid and filled the space w/ foam insulation pieces. the layout is sturdy to lean on and stays to - gether w/ no velcro. A tad heavier and obviously larger , it is better than ever.

My life of re - jigging.

Even this blog is re - purposed , in the first life it was ' 2 sentence blogging ' ... now its a hot air factory

Skinny News Cycle

OK what has that got to do w/ anything. Dunno

From the Tampa Bay Times , DayStarter

Under profit pressure, Walmart adding online grocery ordering, curbside pickup in Tampa

By Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist

Order online and pick up curbside at one of three stores in the Tampa Bay area

How will this play in Canada

I can't see this system working here

Weather : rain last night , sunny and bright but cool - ish 

47 F on the back deck

At this time of the year , its always disconcerting. The boat is asleep , no fishing. Each year , its a conundrum , how many days can I eke out before it gets too cold. On Wednesday , I ran the boat up the river to Bensfort Bridge. The air was cold and the wind strong and very tough on some bends in the river.
The E Tec engine winterizes itself. The gear is dis - engaged and at 1 / 2 throttle , the engine revs and runs for 50 sec and then shuts down after fogging itself.
On the rails , in the boathouse the lower gear case oil is drained and then replaced. This year , the oil flowed easily... 
well , way better than the one year , 2013 ? , trust me , " like molasses in winter "  , which is how it felt.
See , waited a little too late that year.
Too bad  , so sad......... 

For the past few weeks , spurred by an article in a mag ,            I 've been killing mites. In the morning , I throw back the covers and expose the sheets to light and air. I open the shutters and turn on the ceiling fan.

Mites thrive in dark and damp , so , air and light to dry them out and UV them.

Didya know that !!!

The Autumn Winds...

... blow cold

These are not zephyr breezes - rushes of cold out of the N

Boat went to sleep yesterday, engine fogged and Lower Gear case oil dumped and re - filled

YouTube Surfing

............. I can't be the only one. Some vids have 2 million views
not this blog though

I've decided that some songs should not have lyrics. To wit , 2 Ennio Morricone songs come to mind. One is the main theme from 'Once Upon a Time in the West ' , sometimes called ' There You Were '. beautiful melody , the words , superfluous. And another EM song , ' Gabriel's Oboe ' or ' Whispers in a Dream ' from the " Mission ". BTW , there are clarinet versions of this , that sound better to my ear. The oboe tends toward a sharp sound - clarinet , a little more mellow.  Thats me , mellow .... Right , sure , in your dreams buddy.

weather : can't make up its mind , grey , sunny and dampish feeling
, we do have rain coming

As well , the boys of summer or fall in this case , came through. The Toronto Bluejays tied the series at 2 w/ the Royals. Now . the AL East becomes a one game final , at home , here in T.O> This home thing was supposed to be a big advantage , someone forgot to tell the home teams - they are having wads of trouble.

Going fishing , to solve all my problems
I also , sell swamp land in Florida
Walt Disney did it ... I mean buy swamp land. It turned out  OK.

Thanksgiving Day ala Canadiana

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving the 2 nd week of OC. This year , special thanks go out to the Bluejays of the American League East for winning a must have game vs the Kansas City Royals. One pet phrase in baseball ( there are many ) ' all good things start w/ 2 '
As in down two games to none and facing elimination or the count 3 - 2 and 2 out.
For people south of the s GWN , this is big stuff here in the s GWN.

We are not celebrating American sports announcers , crap , the American umpires etc , also crap.

There is an American based conspiracy to keep a Canadian team out of the fall classic. This is not the usual Canadian style paranoia , we can live w/ that. 
To sell this game to the general TV audience , what is needed is 2 American teams . one from the east coast ( NY ) and a west coast team. Thus , T.O. , Kansas , Houston will not fit the bill.
Big bucks from advertising are dependent on the mega TV audience that the right mix of teams will guarantee

Weather : glorious , breezy and un - fall - like.

At dinner last night , fibre , bowel movements and correct posture for pooping , all had their 5 minutes. As well as , washroom facilities in foreign countries.
Bowel buddies , aka fibre biscuits
What happens when your diet causes irregular or none existent bowel motility
and all this before dessert
no holds barred at this table

What did you talk about ?/ something safe like religion , politics or world peace ( by the way , not happening )

On fishing , as per yesterday. " there is a fine line between some idiot standing on the dock holding a rod and a fisherman "

Further , research and polling has shown that , in general , any lure that fakes the appearance of a minnow is likely to be a\ good choice

Live worms are always a go to selection but then , that is a whole other can of .............. well , you know ......

In ' the Hunt for Red October ' , Sean Connery , asylum seeking Russian Capt , gets to use the line ' I miss the peace of fishing '
Obviously , he's never been on my boat.

Olin Miller , famed angler  " Many a problem will resolve itself if you just go fishing " But not world peace.

Will Rogers .... said

......... " nowadays , most people who write books , write about sex... and as soon as I know something about sex , then I'm going write about it "

My area of expertise is fishing , which is sad b/c I don't do all that well.
I think that I talk a good game but results seem spotty.

My advice to you : fish slow and fish deep
There will be times when the exact opposite is true , in the main though you won't go wrong
Equipment : for the most part , line selection is crucial
The line test ( pounds ) will determine many aspects of your experience
In general , the heavier the line , the shorter the cast and flexibility is poorer
Lighter line - ah , yes , requires a better rod. Lots more fun w/ lighter line but you need a forgiving rod and open water.

You can spend a small fortune on fishing equipment. Buy good quality line and splurge a bit on the rod. the reel is likely a place to store your line. However , other than lousy line , more fishing disasters start w/ a reel that is inferior.

Are you confused ?  Well , this was the brief version and relatively cheap version

Summarize good quality line , keep it 6 lb test and under , don't go cheap on the rod and the reel needs to have a smooth drag. Thankfully , most reels to - day have good drags

The Stuff of Sci - Fi or ............

.... of legends

Cold 'Blob' in North Atlantic Ocean May Affect Weather in Europe, Eastern US

October 10, 2015; 3:45 PM ET

A "blob" of abnormally cold water in the North Atlantic, located near Greenland, has the potential to put enough drag on the ocean current to impact weather conditions in the years to come.

Nope , didn't read the story. Hey , make up a story and send it in  to me and I'll publish your fiction - why not , probably just as good as the crap they made up to go w/ the banner. You'll ge tfull crdit b/c I 'm not taking the blame.
The map is from Accuweather long range from a Brett Anderson blog

weather ; Mucho  Glorioso , temperature predicted at 75 F or more. Breeze is cool though

UK Follows the Cdn Lead

This year , the UK will start the process of charging for carry alls.
The Br term for plastic bags. Estimated savings over 3 yrs , come in at 1.6 billion $
To be honest , here , in ON we tried the charge for bags and some outlets still charge , while others , have gone back to free plastic bags.
At least , we tried.

Weather : dreary and windy has changed to bright and cool w/  good prospects , for our Thanksgiving Weekend. The turkey is likely thawed , never seems to work out exactly as we planned but............ we shall see said the Zen Master

We ( M ) will cook the turkey to - day and re - heat to- morrow.
The kitchen resembles a war zone by 5 PM ... however , dinner day is a bit more reasonable than in the past. Give some , get some

Ten E-Z Pieces

No, ' Ten Easy  Pieces ' is a CD featuring the songs of Jimmy Webb as performed by Jimmy Webb.

Galveston ( I think better than the Glen Campbell version )
the Moon Is A Harsh Mistress ... this is ethereal music
Wichita Lineman ...........   a fine song
By the Time I get to Pheonix

yepper , all JW songs

All I Know .... popularized by the  Art Garfunkel soaring version 
Didn't We   
Worst That Could Happen 

You'll recognize the Fifth Dimension hits here.
I am delighted w/ this ' on line ' purchase I even told Amazon that they did a good job

Where Did It All Begin

Originally , this blog was an attempt at two sentence blogging.
A total failure was the result.
I wanted a positive blog w/ a personal angle. Hoping to highlight common problems and tell a little story.
So , cousin , your name will never be mentioned. You are G , from Alberta , Canada. the others are M from Northborough , Mass and B from Norton , OH ( for now )
I've mentioned the danger of a blog is the amount of personal detail that leaks out but at least no names eliminates some identity issues.

The reporting is an attempt to explain or colour the blog from a Canadian , southern Great White North ( s GWN ) perspective.
The nomenclature stems from a complaint from a resident of Sudbury  who claimed anyone from Toronto , doesn't have a clue about the meaning of Great White North , culturally or physically.

We the family here , own a cottage . often referred to as QMH ( Quarter Mile House ). The family vacations in Fla in the Tampa Bay - St Petersburg area , " the Sun Coast ". B of OH also vacations w/ us. Lately , the Tampa Bay Times has been sending an on line post called ' DayStarter '. I re - publish current items , some silly and some sillier.

Be warned. The policy is present the banner or headline and forget the rest of the article. This thinking is based upon the concept that the writer spins the article from information that was ' spun ' to present the facts , the way the interviewee wanted. Spin on Spin , cannot be informative. Better to make up a story.

And weather : is to show whats going on in s GWN , so the other guys can compare.

M of Mass is a lacrosse buddy.

Weather : the day broke gloomy but a Jays win , will brighten the sky. Rain came last night and the ground seemed wet this AM. We had quite strong winds throughout the day , yesterday. We are expecting 60 + w some wind out of the north.

We shall see said the Zen Master

As Yogi said............

deja vu , all over again

An uncle died , this week and now, of course , I'm making contact w/ cousins

I have upped my game re : connecting w/ former students , plans are definitely afoot. 
Why ??? do I wait so long...... he asks .... in vain

And , it is not just me...... Which does not make it right 

Weather , here in s GWN. Sunny , started cool to cold but it will improve - rain , most likely on the way. The long range forecast guy has ' wetter ' for us next week.

We host Thanksgiving , this year ( BTW - for you southerners , 2 nd week of OC is our , Canadian TG.

As per usual , turkey , stuffing , mash , veg casseroles , RICE and gravy -  the ultimate
Things are ramping up and will reach fever pitch ,Saturday. The turkey is cooked ahead , as at last Christmas. Carved and cooled and re - heated for Sunday. And dinner has been moved forward , then our guests can race home to watch the ' Jays ! '

If you don't live here , you can't know - the town is Bluejay crazy
... we play the Rangers , to - day , ALDs  time and its been 22 years w/out an extended season

I get to wear my " Bluejays " jacket and hope , most people do not mind that it also says ' Johns Hopkins ' ... TG , the Bluejay is big

Hello , cousin , if you're there !!

What Will Make You feel ...............

................. safe 

Openly carry guns in Florida? Bill clears first hurdle in House

By Kristen M. Clark, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A House panel okays a bill to let permit holders display firearms in public.

From the TampaBayTimes , DayStarter   Great news !

Unarmed Canadian is shot in St Pete Beach , but gun was visible - news at 10:00

The weather , fall - ish , sunny and breezy

Fishing was semi successful this week. By that I mean fish actually were caught. 2 smallmouth bass , feisty but pan sized

but 5 walleye came to the boat. 3 were under size , one flicked his head and was gone and one is ' sushi ' as we say , he gets eaten

I'm being sucked into the world of on line shopping. It has to be 6 times , this year , that I've ordered on line.

In my defence , many of the items are 50 % off e.g. wagon and glasses. Others were not available any other way.

Ah ,the slippery slope of commerce

The CD is ' Haunted Dreams ' sung by Renee Fleming. you too , can listen at YouTube , search the names , above
And if you are a loyal follower of the blog , all 2 of you , recall a recommendation here for , " Touch the Hand of Love " , Renee Fleming and YoYo Ma. The song is lyricked by Mariah Blackwolf , melody by Blossom Dearie.

BTW - I dropped the 3 rd pair of Bios glasses and the rim is very loose. Ah , you say , time to break out pr #4. Right , you are !

I'm watching ( re - ) ' The King's Speech ' and remind you , that I stuttered as a child.  And , I developed horrendous migraines , diagnosed as vision related. Until that day that I dripped all over the desk at the lab for vision therapy. Passing me a tissue the therapist asked ' do you have sinus trouble / '
W/ great assurance , I answered ' Dunno '
Yepper , sinus migraines. None since but sinus troubles remain.
Hi to S & A  S

World on a String

................ lines from a song but

A neat - ish segue into the movie review for ' No Strings Attached '
Predictable but true ? , dunno , they are young , free spirits and in the end go for the convention of love and couple - dom and .... marriage ( ? )
Why should I have put this down the moment that I picked it up. The DVD was Blu - Ray , so , I'm spending xtra for a piece of doggy doo - do. As well , the male lead was Ashton Kucher. I said to C. , the manager w/ a sheepish grin " I'm looking for something light '.
C. grimmaced and followed w/ ' At least you'll get to see Natalie Portman '
Wait a sec , how well , does this guy know me?

I've remarked before , doing this blog , must reveal loads of information about me. I have not been overly discreet but still I prefer not to use name unless those names a freely available in the press etc.

Here goes , more reveal - no sex or drugs , thus it will be boring
what's the diff you say , from the regular post ? Dunno

I'm sitting upright on the sofa w/ an ice pack on my knee
The icing eases the discomfort in my knee. My Ortho doc laid out the parameters for my knee. No surgery , on the grounds that w / out the discomfort that I would do something stupid i.e. start jogging again , playing lacrosse.

I am to keep the knee moving , back off the work out if the knee hurts. Ice when needed. If ice helps the discomfort then you should ice. Ortho man said that I'd know the minute the ice pack goes on.

That advice is over 14 yrs old , now. Ortho guy was right.
I bought an elliptical machine 12 years ago. The first lasted 6 yrs. The latest machine is a trooper , called the Sole. I exercise daily when home and use a heart rate monitor.
I record the work out -Avg heart rate / max HR , time and calories burned. The calories burned is dubious but within the realm of could be true. There are 2 work outs named:

WBR - Welcome Back Routine b/c its always the one that I use after being away from home. The WBR is stints on the elliptical w/ free weight exercises on the minute. There are push ups and ab crunches ,arm swings and 4 exercises using a resistance band. Total time 40 minutes + / -.

Burst work out is 80 %  elliptical for pure cardio. The HR goal is 120 BPM. This 120 is well above the 70 % of MHR that is recommended in most age charts. 
However , since I was 18 y.o.. The longest that I've gone w/out cardio , 3- 4  times a week - swimming , jogging or elliptical - is probably 3 weeks.

I've mentioned that since OpOsm began ( Op Osm is the get fit program that I started a year + 3 months ago. Results are a 23 lb weight loss and clothes that fit. The name is from the TV reality show 'Operation Osmin ' which is a physical make over show. )
that I've now got an MaxO2 rating that is on the verge of excellent.
And on the Wii Health Test , my BMI ( Body Mass Index ) is close to excellent.

OK you're bored

From the Tampa Bay Times on line ,DayStarter 

Allegiant Air continues explosive growth despite the bad press

By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer

Low-cost carrier Allegiant Air continues explosive growth despite reports questioning its safety record.

Allegiant flies into the secondary airport in the Tampa area. The St. Pete - Clearwater Airport is for charter flights. Allegiant is low cost but charge for everything airline. we've never flown allegiant but many fellow resort residents do.

Weather: 53 F on the back deck , blustery and dim looking

Ah - so , we shall see said the Zen Master !!

Hi to A. S. if you are reading

In Case

you think that I didn't know - from the TBT , Daystarter Fri OC2

Sheriff confirms 9 killed, 7 injured in Oregon college shooting

Associated Press

I can tell you that the big Democracy below the 49 th is a bowl of conflicting idealisms.  Freedom for all - except the workers who are paid zilch and the poor who are ignored.

The biggest player on the world stage and the most insular peoples in vast areas of the country and I mean vast.

When they coined the phrase ' bread not bullets ' , those thinkers forgot the U.S.

The baby laptop ( again ) this is a progress report. The new battery bought on line is still showing 80 % charge. The battery life on this machine may now really be 7 H , if so amazing

Social items. I attended a book launch , my first ever. I went under false pretences. The book is ' Bomb Girls ' the story of the men and women who assembled ordinance for the Cdn Gov't during WWII. The crew of some 20 000 built over 80 million shells and explosive devices w/out single accidental detonation.

The crew worked underground sworn to the War Secrets Act

However ,I went to hear the ' Swing Junkies ' , one of whom is a former student. I did listen and learn but really , the music was key.

I've started to post more on FaceBook  but I've got the feeling that FB is not my thing.

Weather , Nasty w/ a capital ' N ' - cute , eh ?

I will write better when the readership balloons to 10 

I'm giving the reader drive time to build , hopefully not 3 yrs.

Later that morning , w / continued surfing , I mention a singer , Alexandra Picard who does a YouTube vid , ' the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress ' - pleasant to VG , soprano. Definitely , quality

The Drive is On

After 3 yrs and mega - posts , I've started a drive for more blog followers , here. The incentive was a free ' like  ' anywhere that the subscriber wants. I don't know what that means really but it seems everyone needs you to ' like ' , so there.
I've got the feeling that to really generate big numbers , the drive will require an offer free sex or the illusion of free sex.  The details elude me at this time.
What worries me , is that I my need to offer the  ' winner , winner , chicken dinner ' thingy b/c that could get expensive

 If you can help w/ the drive for more readers
the 3 of us ( 2 readers and me ) would be grateful

In the news. Last week the global Competitive Forum announced that Canada jumped from 15 to 13 th in the world. the top 3 were Switzerland ( ? ) , Sweden and the U.S.  And  , of course , Canadians were ............... less than thrilled
bigger news was afoot , the Bluejays were charging to the pennant.

A banner week for me. * I went to TSC , the Tractor store and bought 1 more pair of video glasses ( Bios eyewear ). If you're keeping track and you're not , this is pair # 4
#1 is electronically kaput      #2 was dropped and is un - repairable
#3 is taped but holding and #4 is raring to go but virtually untried.

* * I ordered on line for ' Ten East Pieces ' , a Jimmy Webb CD and as well, ' Haunted Dreams ' by Rene Fleming.

* * * And to cap the week , Bass Pro shops for odds and sods
M equates both the Tractor Store and Bass Pro   as my  trip to            ' Wonderland ' 

Consumerism greases the wheels of the economy.

The weather turned nasty cold and wind , as in autumn  

DYK....

.... aka , did you know

Four things to know about the change in credit cards starting Thursday

By Justine Griffin, Times Staff Writer

The new antifraud technology takes effect today for some — but not all — credit card holders

This article was from the TBT DayStarter

The news cycle  , last night , had a segment on the topic.

In Canada , we've had the CHIP embedded cards for years , now.

but we've seldom seen machines in the States and our American credit card isn't CHIP embedded.

T0 - day is the day the U.S. switches over. Most Americans and most retailers haven't switched yet.

what does this mean - well, the new cards are more secure

The major credit card entities are changing right about now.

Consumers can take some time getting new cards

but retailers who don't have chip reader machines are now liable for fraud and not  the credit card company itself

Whew , didn't see that one coming !

Doing my usual , YouTube surfing , I found ' Jimmy Webb and Linda Ronstadt ' , live. They do a medley of JW songs

' Wichita Lineman , Only One Life and the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress ' , he sings the first 2 , LR does the latter. 

The comments rated this vid , the best or top 3 on YouTube.

hyperbole ??? maybe..... it is excellent

Jimmy Webb , song writer , lyricist and orchestrator , in fact of his 11 Grammys ( as at 2010 ) JW is the only person to       receive Grammys for all 3.

JW is not a great singer but , Whoa !   these are his songs and he has style ,  real style.

BTW - I've read the Sci fi novel , the ' Moon Is a Harsh Mistress ' and I 've discovered that author Robert A Heinlein coined the name for the novel.

Recommend : look this vid up

Weather Report : sunny but cool , we'll take it

" See her how she flies , golden sails across the sky  .... " line form the MIaHM