I'm ' Walking on Solid Ground '

........... I think , is a lyric line form a song

I walked behind the Falls as in Niagara Falls. You pay them and they let you go down approx 90 ft and travel 700 ft beneath the actual Falls.
The roar is immense and you can feel the weight of everything above you AND you do get wet.
They hand you a yellow plastic garbage w/ holes cut out for arms and head but it is a garbage bag in essence

My first time behind the Falls. In the past , I drove the people to the entrance of the site and went away. 
BTW , I guess that I'm slightly claustrophobic - boy , did I know that I was under the Falls

We made the best of a fairly , yick , kinda day. Rain was off and on. The roads were slick but we fought the traffic both ways and won.

We stopped for dinner at a pub and the Guinness Braised Lamb Shank was outstanding w/ really great gravy. I fought to not order French fries......... and was victorious , had mash instead

All in all , we made the best of a decidedly , uncooperative day.

Waiting

........ no , not at Costco

We get visitors to - day , travellers coming from the West of Cda , headed home to Jolly Ol' England

We are going to Niagara Falls , once more

I'm thinking again of the phrase ' hanging in '
and fundamentally , how important it is
in all areas of life

considering not all life is a ' bowl of cherries '
w/ ups and downs
maybe , 90 % of the job is hanging in

sort of sticktoit - ness

Secodn day of the new tires , re - inforces input form yesterday
Michelins are VG

On line the reviews of Michelin LTX , my tires , is 90 to 10 w/ the odd complaint along the lines
worst tire ever
won't wish it on my enemies

on the other hand , pick up truck owners , swear by these tires on road ,  off road and w/ loads

We shall see said the Zen Master

he always says that

W/ only 2 followers on this blog , I don't have the problem that my Dr's daughter had. Someone ' flamed out ' on her blog and she had to shut it down. The comments were personal and foul

If you try it , i'll know who you are
and I know where you live

I Looked Good , in the Debates

........... no , I didn't 

But no one cares if the donald lies his head off
so , I'm exempt , also

You know , sometimes I look back at my teaching life and think that I caved in and did what the Educ. Dept wanted and not what I knew was right.
I was watching Rudy Juliani , bad mouth Hilary and said ' Rudy how much are they paying you to be lying , mealy mouth shill for the donald '
I guess more than I got

We got rain , overnight but this morning broke clear. We are in an unsettled period , rain will be off and on

The decision was made to keep the SUV circa 2005 for more years
and in fact , drive the Highlander to Fla.
Recently, the Highlander , named Duncan , got new brakes and inspected for fluids etc. To the tune of $ 660
To -day , he got new feet. Dunkie , baby , has new Michelins , all around at $800.

while waiting for the tire exchange , I read ' You Might Be a Redneck If .............. ' which is a humour office read.

the best one    You might a Redneck if
your best China traces the career of Loretta Lynn

The tires
Wow Oh wow , what a difference
smooth and great control

Un - freeking - beleaveable

.. or sumpin ' like that

No hot water. Wait all day , well , 1 - 6 and then another hour

4 calls and a guy shows

Recall : signed up for plumbing protection plan and had thoughts of cancelling BUT no water heater plan b/c its a rental

" Oh , your mixer valve is faulty "
Not covered on the water heater warranty.
" Its covered under plumbing "

Good Grief - I did something right

Problem , plan takes effect on October 5

Guy goes " call again , if the hot water stops. Tell them that you have plumbing protection starting , if its real close they'll throw it in , a day early "

monday in the Burbs

Wore pants and a hooded top to run out to Costco which is a euphemism for crowds gone wild and waiting. I believe the primary purpose of Costco , is to teach patience.

Cool day and overcast. Fall is here

Figures , I'd get it wrong

.......... vad else

I signed up for a plumbing protection plan that covers repairs to the pipes and fixtures

As well ,we again noticed that we rent our gas water heater and asked is this economically beneficial
Not really , what ever goes wrong w/ the thing

We have no hot water
next appointment available
Now ! in the 2 hr window , til 1P
Guess that I got my answer

Day is marvy , sun and blue sky

Alabama thumped Kent State in football
Why would KS want to play Alabama , perennial powerhouse of the powerhouse SEC
Nick Saban is a KS grad
" Coach Returns to Alma Mater "

In England or Briton or whatever they call themselves
the government is wrestling w/ the task of leaving the EU as per the ' Brexit ' vote

Many younger Brits are upset b/c they love the ease of moving across Europe as EU passport holders. Will British businesses be able to access EU services and customers w/out EU credentials ???

And isn't there always a solution
Estonia. Like in the country ?
Yepper , the Estonian government is offering E- citizenship

A person goes on line , fills out the form , pays a 100 GBS ( pounds ) and goes to the Estonian Embassy for an interview.
If accepted , you get Estonian citizenship , a EU passport and access to Estonian ( read , EU , here ) bank accounts.  If your a business , then your business is registered in Estonia.
Right now , 13 000 people are E citizens and Estonia wants 10 million.

Cor , as the Brits say , 
Bloody cheeky that

the Long Range modelling for the Grt Lks

OC 3     -    9  warmer
OC10    -   16  uncertain
OC17    -   23  seasonal

A Real ' slow ' Learner

.... thats me

I'm recovering from my cold / cough episode , read , flat on my back for 3 days.
The purported cause was a build up from tired to super tired and then a sore throat. Rest was the answer.

And last night , I was on the buds listening to CBC Overnight b/c I couldn't get back to sleep at 1:30A. I saw the clock from 2 to 5 and caught the feeds from 'Monacle ' a life style syndication out of the BBC , Deutsche Wella , the German feed and ABC out of Australia.
Sicky time here I come.

I couldn't shut down.

However , interesting tidbits are reported here
1. Norways favourite food , is pizza
    and there is Taco Friday for over 10 % of the population

2. Hilary is in big trouble , the classic Rep v Dem split is holding 43 % as a base. donald supporters are fired up and will vote
Hilary's big edge populations are characteristically , no shows on the day.
And Russia and China are pulling for donald
hacker super groups in Russia are undermining the Dem program 
as well as going after any group that is deemed anti Russian
so , add to the list , the World Anti Doping Agency which is said to be pro - West by the Russians

Weather is fall season , delightful

A Real ' slow ' Learner

.... thats me

I'm recovering from my cold / cough episode , read , flat on my back for 3 days.
The purported cause was a build up from tired to super tired and then a sore throat. Rest was the answer.

And last night , I was on the buds listening to CBC Overnight b/c I couldn't get back to sleep at 1:30A. I saw the clock from 2 to 5 and caught the feeds from 'Monacle ' a life style syndication out of the BBC , Deutsche Wella , the German feed and ABC out of Australia.
Sicky time here I come.

I couldn't shut down.

However , interesting tidbits are reported here
1. Norways favourite food , is pizza
    and there is Taco Friday for over 10 % of the population

2. Hilary is in big trouble , the classic Rep v Dem split is holding 43 % as a base. donald supporters are fired up and will vote
Hilary's big edge populations are characteristically , no shows on the day.
And Russia and China are pulling for donald
hacker super groups in Russia are undermining the Dem program 
as well as going after any group that is deemed anti Russian
so , add to the list , the World Anti Doping Agency which is said to be pro - West by the Russians

Weather is fall season , delightful

The ' Ether World ' and me

......... I saw an advert for a cell phone - the phone built for fun

I use the iPhone 4s to make calls Duh ? fun 

The TBT Day Starter had this headline

Ever wonder what people text to the Raymond James Stadium security? (w/text message gallery)

I wouldn't even know how to get that text # for starters

Had 2 beers after the Dr visit and the bone density scan

then we ordered Kentucky Fried Rat or KFC for  dins b/c we had a coupon

Day is gray and forbidding ,the street seems still

A Dose of Reality

.....  definitely , I'm better

Got out to - day and went to the Dr s , for my wrist
the x - ray results were in
the radiologist wrote a book on my wrist , Dr Greenwood called it thorough
my wrist is buggered
its ossified 
losing bone matrix 
calcified
stressed 
its pregnant
no , not really , but what the hey

For a finale , went for a bone density test b/c its important to find out if the bone loss is local ( wrist ) or systemic ( really fine , my bones are dying )

In the x - ray office , did I learn to be humble !
there were really sick people in there 
as in barely to - gether

No whining to - night , Boyo

Weather was summer but its clouded over big time
a brief shot of summer

On donald trump , the great pretender

The cartoonist , Gary Trudeau , who has drawn withering criticism from the ' donald ' on how he would feel toward those who voted for a successful , donald as president. 
Sympathy , they were conned and unfortunately couldn't see past the cut and paste job , that is donald.
donald has no love for his fellow man ( or woman ) and is a staunch germ - o - phobe. donald can barely stand to touch a baby

While listening to Robert Palmer and his version of ' Every Kind of People ' , it came to me w/ the line

' Honest men know that revenge does not taste sweet '

you see , its the core of donald 
you can see it as he speaks and raves

" I Know Nothing , Stays the Same .........

but if you're willing to play the game
its coming around again "
Carly Simon

W/  renewed hope, I start the day. Head stuffy but I'm coughing much less and the sore throat is off and on
Of course , coughing irritates my throat.

The day looks marvy and , I'm on the inside watching the outer world

On tap for to -day , get better
I'm looking forward to another episode of ' Here's the Thing '

Later that day
Well , more or less mission accomplished .... kinda better
might have run a temperature this aft for a bit

I got to listen to Kristin Wiig of SNL fame and Dick Caveat of legendary status in the world of interviews

Both were fascinating in their own way.  I'm trying to avoid actors and singers. Truly , the best so far was Iris Smyles the author

Spinning this

.... if I worked for Hilary or Donald

I'm the healthiest that Iv'e been in 3 days

Actually , still in bed , feeling cold , warm , sticky , cool , headache - y , really sleepy and upset
I was supposed to be better to -day.
Nope

highlights  , this is where the spin kicks in
Jello , orange
Mocha almond ice cream bar
2 of each
this represented lunch and dinner
at least  ,this made me happy.

the Dr 's office called and results are back from the x -rays, last week , on my left wrist
the way things are going , its going to be amputation , for sure
could I come in to -day NO
so , we settled on Thursday w/ a lot of hope

Hey did I say , that I'm a lousy patient
oh , really , I did ?

Thats it then

Oh, sugar and words like that - almost forgot

Listened to ' Here's the Thing ' Alec Baldwin talked to

Ira Glass  - host of NPR's , ' American Life ' , one of my favourites on the buds overnight on CBC
and Julianna Moore , actress 
she was OK
he was a really good subject for Alec and me

From the Confines

... of my bed

I'm sick. The sore throat started Mon and I let it go  b/c it wasn't that bad. oops ! on that
The pain blossomed 2 days ago and despite the salt water gargle etc
it got me

Bored to tears
I'm missing sun and warm
Apparently , the a/c in the casino / hotel is the guilty party

I'm a horrible patient and very impatient
Get better , NOW !

In my desperation , I listened to ' Here's the Thing ' hosted by Alec Baldwin on WYNC .
The guest was Iris Smyles , part time alcoholic and good time girl and author. B/c Travel works for most things - I was in bed , laptop propped up and getting very warm
Wow ! it killed 45 min for which I am grateful

The one overwhelming trouble w/ laptops - they vent heat poorly.
I ended up w/ the laptop half off the nightstand w/ the hotter portion open to the air
I made the whole interview

Fortune Favours ....

...... the bold

Weather is humid and cool but we will build heat for the week , such that we will be above seasonal average

I was not bold last night and missed 2 chances for much bigger wins at Friday nite poker. I won 1/2 but 3/4 was very likely.

Lunch is a meeting w/ a former student who was at the wedding
Are we re  - kindling old ties
Well ,  E still addresses me as Mr 

Nice fellow

Disaster Unlimited

..... or CNN news

I read somewhere that Sept 11 2001 was the making of CNN
and tragedy has been ever since
its really like the Titanic sinking on loop

In the Dr's office , yes, the wrist thing
I found a magazine called ' iPhone Life '
You got it , info and apps for i Phone and i Pad
the whole thing
The mag highlights people and their i Phone , one guy had 200 apps vital for his life
I eliminated 20 when I got the phone

Definitely not part of the evolving cell phone scene

Weather is idyllic

Long Range courtesy of Brett Anderson at Accuweather

date SE 13 - the strong Jet Stream will force cold air up through W. Alaska and Siberia for 1 - 2 weeks , sorry Siberia from scarberia .

SE 26 - OC 2     for Great Lakes , wet

OC 3 - OC 9      Grt Lks between Chilly in the north and dry mild                              in the S

OC 10 - OC 16  Grt Lks - will be cool

Alls Well ...

.. sort of

Alright , whats this sort of ?

My wrist is much better , recall I swam at the hotel
Apparently , I can throw dice and stuff

We won at the casino ( both won , bonus )

Weather is blue sky / sunny and breezy

See , more or less , all compartments satisfactory

Whine , moan ,  whine   Its life !

the Junket Ends

,,,,,, mini junket

We survived the drive across Toronto from the WEST , always a trial. This time minimal hassle.

The net damage . room for 2 nights and food , zero , all covered by coupons and points. And we are up 500 dollars U.S.

VICTORY !!! 

M was the big provider and I chipped in my little bit

Weather is glorious cool ans sunny , w/ the morning foggy and damp and a few sprinkles.

the Weather Gods

.... or some such
In the movie ' Master and Commander , on the Far Side of the World  ' w/ Russell Crowe .... the officers praise the Weather gods.

Well ,we both made money on the casino floor , me not much and M more

To -day is the rubber match
And I got three drinks ' vodka / soda and a splash of cranberry ' , tres refreshing ( cost a dollar for the  tip )

I get to swim , here , nice but small pool facility. I bring neoprene socks b/c the pool bottom is hard on my feet. I gave up swimming for 1/2 h and instead , alternate -  front crawl / walk lengths / back crawl / walk backwards for the 1/2 h.
The straight swim was boring and plus my legs have to work when I walk. The half hour goes by pretty quick

a Mobile Report

This entry is a test of ' Travel ' , the nickname of the baby laptop which has been wiped clean and re - furbished w/ Windows 10.
I've reported previously , the transformation of the baby laptop from useless to - OMG it functions
Using hotel WiFi services , Travel has accessed our home phone message system ( b/c we are now VoIP ).
We can listen to the messages , as well as see the call log.

The test run is most useful b/c we are in the same hotel  ( only , it was in May w/ a boatload of crap on the HD and Windows 7 ).In May , baby laptop ( cuz it wasn't called Travel then ) ,  couldn't get email or even log on to the internet w/out an extended wait.

To - day ,Travel loaded and produced the internet in 3 - 5 minutes. And that included connecting w/ the WiFi from the hotel.

Weather , sunny and cool

Problem ! the drive , here . We hit three major slowdowns , in fact , 2 leaving the city , say w/in 16 miles of our home. A 3 1/2 h drive b/came 5 h something.

The Whole Truth

........ and the POV

Last night , we attended the wedding of a former student BUT who is a staunch fishing buddy, A.
Lovely bride. 

The wedding featured 10 courses incl the much debated ' shark fin soup '. I passed on the soup and noodles b/c I was full.
Between courses , the wedding offered a photo booth , dancing and games. As well ,the bride was lifted off her feet approx 4 times. To be fair , A , could lift me and she is a dainty thing.

During the night many former students paused to say hello and chat.
The lady sitting to our right , noticed and said to M ' he must have been a very good teacher '.  
I said thank you. BUT I really wanted to say , look at who we are talking about
Meaning everyone of those students are the nicest people that you will ever meet.  And most are looking back at treasured times in a present setting of celebration.
Still , yes , I enjoyed the reminiscing.

Further , one thoughtful former student asked if I had regrets. Biggest one ... to give the young minds a realization and appreciation for luck. Especially when you start to believe things that happen to you are because of you and your decisions.
What I mean to say is , I can point to several times in my life where I know my life was turned for the better.
One. After completing Teachers College , hundreds of resumes went out. These overtures produced 3 interviews and I was still searching for a job in September. One morning , in late September , the phone rang at home. My associate teacher , was letting me know that ' a school in Scarborough ( outer Toronto ) was asking for a science teacher. " He said " I gave them your name and no one else , go get that job "
My competition turned out to be 3 other candidates , 2 with Master of Science degrees and a Phd. I got the job.
Two. The school ... well ,only the school where I stayed for 30 years.
Three and the biggie met M

I didn't say this last night but that student replied with ' I know , its scary , its really 70 % luck , isn't it ?? "
He got it.


Weather : Beautii !  Warm and sun... humidity , don't know

Brett Anderson at Accuweather gave his long range forecast.

SE 19 - 26         for the Great Lakes , wetter

SE 26 - OC 2    south of the chilly prediction

OC 3 - 9           south of the dry and seasonal prediction

In My Life.......

............  things , well , happen

I'm sitting in the living room , typing on my baby laptop , named Travel by the Windows 10 OS. I'm using a a lap table as well.
So , in my life
last night , the big laptop had trouble connecting to the internet. I tried ' shut down ' and ' re - start ' to no avail. Fiddling , I found        ' internet connectivity ' and saw that the big laptop had been connected for 13 days and some hours - that means running time.
I hit the disable button and intended to re -connect
Bad move .............
the computer went off line 
I tried ' shut down ' etc ...unplugged the ethernet cable. After 10 minutes , I picked up the phone to call customer support at the provider. While listening to the music on hold - yepper , the phone cut out. The phone is VoIP. I try the cell phone and I'm on hold for close to 20 minutes.
With nothing to do , I went to control panel and started searching for some connect button.
I don't know where it came from but a line of buttons popped up showing 6 or 7 possible connections - one of them was ' local area network ' - mine !
I've got the internet back and yes , the phone went live after a 5 minute delay.
And to - day , I start to search for that line of internet connection buttons that showed last night. Right ... good luck 

My life in  a nutshell

The weather cooled off but we got overcast instead. Rain will come later and to - day is the wedding of a friend. The week will start cooler  and then the temperature rises to seasonal and maybe a touch warmer.

Another

oops !

Confession ?
I guess
I lied
When I joined Facebook , the primary objective was to get information on a re - union. Never found the site , as it turns out.
When I registered , I really didn't know anything about FB , thus I chose my brother's birthdate ( I think , b/c he wasn't using it anymore )
Yes , in other years 2 or 3 people sent BD greetings.
This year , due to more link ups - oops ! , the number approached 20
Eek ! all  those people

Weather : Supposedly , warm and not sticky
We'll get fall like temperatures , post week end

Wisdom of the Ages

......... not quite

On the buds , last night listening to CBC Overnight.

Shortest wait times at checkout in stores , choose 1 person w/ a full cart over 5 - 6 people w/ few items. Rationale ?
The greet and begin process takes 40 seconds for the cashier or a lot of time. The price and bag part is faster.

Off the buds : The inventors of SKYPE have teamed w/ others to create ' Autonomous Robot Delivery ' prototypes. These remote control wagons have been field tested. 65 % of passerbys take no notice of the ARD s. One operator is meant to control approx 100 ARDs. Rationale ?
In on line shopping processes , it turns out 40 % of the shipping cost is in the last 1 or 2 miles. Less people involved and the cost goes down.
you will need a smart phone for customer verification

Weather : Holey kamoley Batman !  Exactly , as predicted mega H/H. And rain and thunder still going on now. But it was torrential last night through the early evening. Gushing , baby gushing

Anomalies

...abound

This morning , on the buds , host , Matt Galloway was recounting , yesterday afternoon. He is walking home through the Annex area of T.O. carrying a newly sharpened pair of skates , you see his daughter's hockey league starts in three days.
Well , he is sweating and watching kids on bikes speed down the path in the park.
Truly , Canada , eh ?

As well, the world cup of hockey starts in days.

Perverse , for sure

Weather , is hot and going ballistic, for 2 days
Humidex may touch 112 , in the afternoon ( hope , that I did the conversion , right from Celcius )

A friend ( ex student ) ties the knot in 4 days and I agreed to provide comic relief or distraction for him at lunch , this aft.
He sounded desperate when he called.
Oops ! I could tell last time we talked evens and emotions were intensifying ... and things may have peaked this week

I'm supposed to be receptive and commiserating
I will try ... and will not laugh , too much

On going , is the Op Osm or get fit and stay fit plan

I'm up and down through 170.4 ( scale is stuck , methinks ) and mid 172.
In WW , grocery rack mag , safflower oil taken before meals will cut your appetite and give a feeling of fullness , sooner.
Drink ice water before dinner is also a suggestion

BTW , the recommendation is safflower muffins before meals as an easy way to get your safflower.

Sultry Autumn

... thats PC speak for ' bleeding hot out there !! '

The humidex is running a nifty 103 F
Blazing sun , we'll hibernate like we did all summer

In T.O. a step mom who set her step daughter alight back some 20 years ago is on trial after confessing to the murder.
The crown prosecutor is asking for 19 - 22 years
and Donald Trump will get a chance to be President
Its not fair !

OK whats fair , dunno
Lets see :
" Only the good die young "
" No good deed goes unpunished "

So ,everything is Situation Normal All F*** Up

The acronym is FUBAR

To : Occupant

.... or resident

In your mind you have capacities you know
To telepath messages through the vast unknown 
Please close your eyes and concentrate 
With every thought you think 
Upon the recitation we're about to sing

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft 

from the 70's K / K Carpenter

Yepper  , on the buds last night , and , of course , totally blew my sleep

RTE or radio free Ireland , has a archive of documentary podcasts or tapes.

CBC radio re - broadcasts docs in the 5 - 6 timeslot in the AM

Weather is sun and blue sky , still air

To - morrow starts the warm up

Predictions from

....... the Canadian Farmers Almanac

"It'll be winter in Canada, just as we always dreamed it would be," Geiger, who is actually based in Maine, said.

Some other predictions for the winter?

• The Almanac predicts a big snow storm will hit sometime between Dec. 8-11
• There could be some warm-ups, including a New Year's Day to welcome 2017
• There will be more snow than last year, with some major storms hitting the city as well

A long cold winter w/ snow. The cold starts in OC and continues.

My apologies but the CA claims a 80 - 85 % accuracy in non El Nino years

And , the " Donald " is just an everyday guy

who eats Kentucky Fried Chicken w/ a fork and knife

Before Coffee

Haven't beaned up , yet , this morning

Weather , is fantastico

After Coffee

Yes , now alert

On the net , I found ' Here's the Thing ', a radio podcast from WNYC  which would appear to be PBS or some public radio site.

The host is Alec Baldwin and features movie stars , prominent players in all walks of life.
Each segment is approx 50 min , thus , definitely not fluff filler.

My first 2 , listens

Viggo Mortenson - actor , rising to fame w/ " Lord of the Rings ".
self effacing and a reasoned man

Richard ( ? ) Jazco ( ? ) - former head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
scary as all get out
lobbied to death by the Nuclear industry and vested interests including the senators that sit on the Nuclear advisory panel
look out America !

The forecast says that 2 cooler days will be followed by rising temperatures and humidity for the week to come.
And we can verify that Brett Anderson's long range predictions of  ' warmer ' than average temperatures was right on

Checked the long range  for the Great Lakes region by Brett Anderson , Accuweather
SE 5 - 11 warm
SE 12 - 18 warm
SE 19 - 25 drier and seasonal

Musings on ...........

nothing in particular

On the boob tube , watching a crime series , the lead protagonist , comes up w/ a phrase , ' my last supper list '
You name the 12 people that you would want at your last supper for support or like a bucket list.
The hero mentioned Einstein ( the person ) etc

Me ?  Haven't a clue
M. for sure , I mean last dinner right !

Or the lady who died zip lining b/c the zip was on her bucket list

My bucket list ?
I've thought about this
and
been there , done that

How about a 19 lb Chinook salmon in the river on 4 # test line
AND landing the fish
or chasing steelhead up and down the river
See !  can't imagine  anything that would be more satisfying

Plus at a birthday party for a track and field student , his 50 th
Crap his 50 th !
One of the former students said
' no matter how you judge your life , never forget what you did for us  b/c we know and will always be grateful '

See , what would be left !

Weather , as promised , sun and breeze and cool
We got fall , here