Working as It Should

the exercise watch is still doing the job.

And , Then .......

... we follow up w/ news

Yesterday , I posted problems w/ the GDSP or Voice over Internet Protocol system.

As a test , I called friends in Fla. I talked too much and too long
BUT no problems.
One theory that I've come up w/ to explain the fading signal or transmission is the neighbours.
What if someone was using an electrical appliance , even microwave that interfered w/ the specific wavelength that the cordless phone uses.
The provider we use has a help / advice forum and one entry that I saw was for adjusting your WiFi wavelength in case your WiFi has interference.

Of course , last night , I used the cordless phone.

Further news from the front. Or stuff that happens here.
On a close to daily basis , I exercise ... you know that , but I record calories burned , average HR and highest HR. For about 3 months the maximum HR data has shown readings such as 170 +  and even went to 205 or some such. No , I'm not dealing w/ an exploding heart.
As well , the watch took a long time to register data , once turned on. The elliptical , also has a HR display. The elliptical display has always been faster to display. But over  the same period , the delay in display on the watch has been growing. Sometimes , the watch goes off HR display before data starts to show.
I tried changing batteries in the chest sensor. First run through , hardly a difference.
I went to higher quality batteries and got slight improvement.
The next move , change the watch batteries.  The watch has smaller screws , actually tiny ones. I fought for an hour to ; open the back cover which involved removing the strap too
                                    remove the cover
                                    free the battery which was held by a metal frame screwed and clipped
                                    the metal frame springs open
                                    and the tiny screw sprung up , also
                                    and 10 minutes was spent searching for a sliver of metal on a rug

Somehow , I held the metal frame down and replaced the back cover.
The watch worked. But the first trial produced similar results as before.
Next I re - inputted time of day and weight etc.
Bingo bango ! The watch is back in full compliance
data values are what I expect
this whole shmozzle  , begs the question ' what is more unreliable the watch or my heart '
I hope its the watch

We shall see said the Zen Master

Weather is cool for summer ,fantastic for FE w/ wind beginning to rise and it will blow to - day
     

Hold your horses , There Pard

Kinda got a little western talking

The JHU BJ s are now 4 - 0. The BJ s beat #3 ranked North Carolina 13 - 5.
The win is remarkable b/c this means the JHU J s have beaten 3 opponents that made the 1/4 finals of last years NCAA championships.
NC in fact was the champion last year.
The BJ s lost 14 of 21 face offs ( possesion favoured NC by tons )
but got 15 saves in goal from G. Logan.

Weather is sunny to cloudy , wait a minute and it changes
Cool but above normal for s GWN

We have Voice Over Internet Protocol or as M has designated it
" God Damn stupid phone " or GDSP

For 2 days , after a little bit on the phone , the phone signal faded to the point where people at the other end couldn't hear us. M has always disliked the cordless phone ( s) and we have 2 sets.
Thus , smarty pants figured to go back to the old corded phone for a trial
NOPE , no phone service or ' check the phone line ' message on the banner in the display window.
tried to phone Tech services but the wait was 40 minutes in line.
They have a recorded message while you wait ' to unplug the power on the router and modem and re - plug '.
tried the unpluggy thingy 2x and bingo bango - phone service came back.
We are now trying the corded phone , M is happy and we'll see how it goes.
A day in the life of VoIp or GDSP

the Friday News

Yesterday , I re - wrote news about my carpentry on the computer desk. Most people could apologize but NO ... the re - rigging was a great success. I'm taking all the credit .... Twice
So , there.

At the 'bee our TV reception is down to 8 channels. Seems as though we need a digital antenna ( outdoor , high on a tower ).

The long Range forecast from Brett Anderson

FE 27    - MR 5   Great Lakes region , snowy
MR 6             12  lower Great lakes , seasonable
MR13            19  Great lakes , snow / mix

Overall , BA is opining , the the worst of the cold is over

We shall see said the Zen Master

the Warm trend Continues

Our area is way above normal and its been days of hyper temperatures. We are wearing jackets and no long underwear.

In this house , magic happened - sort of. Many years ago , at least 3 , we tossed the desktop computer and started using the 19 "  laptop , as our main computer.
I felt the fact that the laptop would always be plugged in would be a problem. And others also were surprised that we'd do this , for that reason. Nope , alls fine
However , we kept the same type of computer table. That meant that the laptop was sitting on the upper flat surface and the keyboard was approx 2 1/2 " above the table top. Actually , the keyboard w/ a desktop would be on the slider shelf below.
This past Monday , I took off 2 1/2 " of height and moved the slider up just under the table top. The slider has the mouse pad and mouse.
Quel difference. Much easier to use. We are not reaching up to type.
I type w/ both hands. I was never fast in typing class but I'm not bad. M has often commented on that ability. I make lots of mistakes typing but so does everyone else.

a Foggy Day

We have a mild day again to - day. We will get to 45 + for the second day in a row. Yesterday , got to 50 +

But these conditions bring fog and long lasting b/c there was no sun to knock it down

Liar , Liar Pants ..........

.........

in this blog , I try for truth and openess.

I've detailed the cruddy traffic flow across the Greater Toronto Region. The traffic does crawl for a large part of the day.

However , it appears that Los Angeles ranks as the most congested city for traffic. Toronto , well , we fall into the # 30 - 40 range in the world. Actually , 5 of the top 10 are in the U.S.
In fact , in the continent area contest , T.O. is 8 th or so. Even in Canada , T.O. is behind Montreal in bad traffic.

I don't care - 2 h plus to cross the city is 'aggro ' plus as the Brits say.
The last , of course , was Friday FE 10 when coming from the East ( what else ) a 35 minute trip turned into 2 h and some minutes odyssey.

The weather is again , way above normal 40 + F to - day and warmer to - morrow and the week.

Some thoughts.
I'm watching ' the Martian ' w/ Matt Damon.Space explorer , stranded on Mars and survives for years , awaiting help.
OK He manages to ' Mcgyver ' his way to grow crops , talk to Earth.
Thus ,whats stopping me ?
From doing stuff.

Time to get off my butt and just do 

Job 1 : Lower the laptop that is our main computer to , well , laptop height. The computer table that we use was meant for desktop arrangements where the key board would be 3 1/2 " lower than the computer itself. I cut off the extra 2 1/ 2 " and put back the underneath slider shelf that usually supports the keyboard which is where the mouse sits , when we use the laptop.

All is copacetic , so far b/c M hasn't tried the new height.

We shall see said the Zen Master

BTW : for me , the new height is optimal. I type w/ 2 hands and the new height is perfectamundo

Balmy Days in the southern Great White North

warm
beauti

We hit temperatures that set records.
Normal for the season is 24 F and we were cruising at 55 F

However , Brett Anderson noted that post FE 25 another frigid blast is due

We will gird our loins
and wear warmer clothes
on our loins and elsewhere

How Warm Will she Go

here in the s GWN  ( southern Great White North )


As promised

The temperature passed the 50 F mark
in sun

The Bluejays of JHU repeated their opening performance , giving up 3 goals early. Came close four times during the game as the scores approached 12. In the dying moments of the 4 th the BJ s tied the game. With 1:47 left in first O/T they went ahead for the first time in the game - for the win v. the Loyola Greyhounds
- their opponent came from up the street approx 1 mile
- fondly called the ' Battle of Charles St ' , the game is a grudge match as these players have fought beside and against the same faces for 10 years.

About Predicting

the weather

The long range forecast - sometimes its 3 weeks out there - by Brett Anderson at Accuweather , had us at mild for FE 13 - 19.
To -morrow , mild b/comes super mild. Our temperature Saturday and Sunday is guess -timated at 50 + for the 2 days.
The big melt will be on.
Post FE 25 , tho' another cold blast is generating over the Prairies - then we get the cold.

' button up your overcoat when the winds blow cold '
take good care of yourself

And turning 70 yrs old has been on my mind of late , its sitting there
Waiting
Whats a number. Dunno
but its sitting there

When

... your doctor is sick

Yes , M s doctor has been not well for about 8 months. Her schedule return is early FE and that is not possible.
The new updated return date is sometime in MR , starting half days and presumably building from there.
M has used Walk in Clinics and yesterday , a sub - doctor was in , to replace the main doctor.

Weather , cool to cold but not nasty. A very livable winter by          s GWN standards.

Gum Drop Day

'nuff said

For winter conditions , we are doing well. Roads , our road in particular is still showing signs of winter. Namely ,slush and snow ridges in the road. Our road got voted worst drivable road among the poker guys.

To - day , the temperature is at freezing or hovering there all day.
However , this week end , predicted temperatures are in the low   50 s.

on Chocolate Filled Cookie Day

yes , took the top billing on the National Day calendar

Lets start w/ Long Range for the region of the Great Lakes

FE 13 - 19        mild  ( from last week )

Fe 20 - 26          milder
FE 27 - MR 5 - unsettled
MR 6 - 12       - unsettled

I will take a guess here , that ' unsettled ' means someone gets buried in snow

Yesterday , I once again , took back my driveway. The snow removal dudes left a margin of snow approx 2 ft either side of the drive uncleared. I took it back
As well , at the foot of the drive , the city plows left a curb of snow and ice up against my driveway. This mountain would mean that future plowing would add more and anyone clearing the drive mechanically would start 3 ft out from the edge of the drive.

Now , we will get melting conditions in 3 days but who knows
what might fall in between.

Happy  " V " day

Tailing Off , a bit

this blog has not been as regular or productive , as in the past.

We were away in FL and I was not that interested in blogging

NOW , dunno

The Bluejays of Johns Hopkins played their second game and put up , another 15 goals. The defence allowed 5 goals this time.
Their opponent was long time cross county rivals , UMBC , the Retrievers.
I often thought that many teams would like to avoid JHU 's schedule , which is heavy in Maryland teams. There are good teams and regions all over the country.
Hotbeds , such as Pennsylvania , Long Island , Upper New York , Baltimore and surrounding area and lately , the Denver area.
But there is something about the culture of Baltimore and Maryland that just screams lacrosse.
I recall being at Homewood Field back in 2005 when the Loyola Greyhounds took to the field for warm ups. After about twenty seconds , my only thought was , ' Criminy , who is going to beat these guys ? '
The almost band of JHU struck up the fight song and the Bj s poured onto the field.
My first ever , BJ game was a 12 - 6 win. 
This team went on to take the NCAA Championship , that year.
A renaissance for JHU b/c the last Championship had been in 1987.

A segue , b/c the next game is vs. Loyola. The Greyhounds have split recent games w/ JHU and are tough again this year.
Last season , I thought every game was must win for Hop and I was right. A whole whack of guys injured and a tough schedule.

Go , HOP !

the ' Kings of Spring '

was an advertising campaign by the magazine ' Inside Lacrosse ' , several years ago. This name highlighted the return of the College lacrosse season.

And

they're back !!

The Bluejays of Johns Hopkins U. started their 2017 schedule , by allowing 3 straight goals by the Naval Academy. Then the Js fought back by scoring the next 3 goals 90 sec. The game went back and forth for 2 quarters until the J s went on a 8 - 1 tear to finish the      3 rd and 4 th quarters. The final 15 - 8 score raised several points.

The 2016 Navy team ranked 2 nd in scoring. The J s defence was ranked 46 of 65 last year.
Hopkins relied on 2 veteran midfielders having lost 5 of 6 regular middies due to injury and suspension.

The 2 vets from last year , now , have company that can dodge , fire rockets and pass. 

Weather in KY is cold and dry.

" Safe Internet " day

according to GOOGLE home page

Clear your history , you're probably carrying lots of extraneous data.

However , interestingly , in a conversation a while ago , I mentioned that we shut down the main computer at home. That is , when we leave the computer , we generally shut the computer down.
Several of the guys commented that action may be the best security of all. Your computer isn't available - thus , hard to find
Who woulda thunk that !

Weather is sunny and dampish but warming quickly

Lame Ducks & Frozen Yoghurt

yepper , National Day of ..........

You don't even need to make it up - someone else did

Recall : pair #8 of video glasses broke.
I bought a kiddie ( Frozen theme ) video camera
Very cute

To - day , somebody video - d me swimming. On viewing , several aspects b/come obvious. 
My rules are 1 ) never up never down
                        meaning that if your head goes up high then your feet drop down. And vice versa except head up is the usual.
2) You need a slight roll side to side to enable easy breathing ( b/c I am a left side breather - only )
3) And overall , the swimmer's head should be level steady , rolling left and right 

I looked very good based on 1 - 2 - 3.
Criticism would be kicking which is a bit lazy and legs split a little.

And finally , w/ age arm flexibility i.e. the ability to reach in front and parallel to the head b/comes harder.  I did more or less OK.

Backstroke was , also , not bad w/ maybe a little too much side action relative to the head.

Thus , for 67 yrs of age , report says , a rating of 7 out of 10 

weather , sunny and breezy - warm and comfortable

Bristol

Rovers
Cream

The name game , as in , endings for Bristol

The weather was indeterminate and then bingo , bango
the sun popped out and made the day

The supermarket was mobbed by us and people prepping for the SuperBowl

A View to View

.. sitting in the front dining area , watching the world go by on the street.

We are currently , TV perusing , namely , ' Hoarders , Buried Alive '
SCARY !!  mega scary

Makes you want to throw something out  - kinda just in case , I am a hoarder.
20 years of hoarding.
OMG
Reality TV , go away , pplllease
pretty please

Weather : truly halcyon , for me. 60 F to start the morning , and better to come this aft

Things to Come

and vastly run

Meaning ?  Dunno

Day is building w/ sun and light breezes

On the fishing front. I've been outfished for 10 or more days. People are catching more and more regularly. However , last night ,  I managed a ladyfish and then a TROUT or weakfish.
So , in my favour , quality trumps quantity
or so , I hope

The long range forecast by Brett Anderson of Accuweather is :

FE 6 - 12 no tendency
FE 13 - 19  no tendency
FE 20 - 28 

This report is mainly for Canada but covers tendencies through N.A.
For the SE of U.S. the area of FL , etc shows no big trends in weather. However , BA did note that the last 2 weeks of the report ,  should be taken as lacking consistent indicators.
We shall see said the Zen Master

the Ethics and Culture of Tea

its what I'm watching on PBS

Tragedy : I lost my cowboy channel b/c the supplier is raising their rates to the television service. no more ' Tombstone Territories' or ' " Cimmaron City ' etc. 

Tea is calming. When you prepare tea and slow down , your body slows down and you are more awake.
Oh yeah....

Day is sunny and warm.