Month's end

one month gone in 2018

some people would do an evaluation
re - think 
re - purpose
re - tool

I think that I'll go for a swim

The 30 th of January

an original title

And this entry is post # 1931

To celebrate

What ?  Longevity / boredom

Well, lets see, I'm swimming 30 minutes a day.
This started in 2005.  My ten year window was to keep swimming or doing what I'm doing now ( i.e. 2005 )
I do 100 laps - give or take - b/c I lose count

Thus, I made the window

I came down doubting the streak would continue
The shoulder impingement was improving but occasionally I could feel the sting
However, the steady motion and warm water and even warmer hot tub, seem to be enough to quiet the irritation up there

So, I'm in the 2 % of Americans over 60 getting the minimum 21 minutes a day of exercise.
Who set the 21 minutes, I haven't a clue
The Surgeon General ?

I call my morning swim - the irreducible minimum - thus the Surgeon General and I agree

I actually, could swim a lot easier in the afternoon, I suppose everything is looser and I'd be awake
but the pool tends to be empty at 8:15 or so
The air may be 50 or 60 F but the pool is 82 or above
Run in swim and run out

And I've been wondering what to do about - now.
Have I started a new window ??
I've made no promises
But I'm still swimming

And the Rain Came

' When the rain washes you clean
you'll know '

Trivia : Prince asked Stevie Nicks of ' Fleetwood Mac ' to consider writing the music for ' Purple Rain' . SN had a look and didn't think that she could do it.

This time of year is the dry season. Yet rain is still crucial to keep up the water supply

Seven Eleven

naturals at the craps table

-  At the table, on the come out, 7 or 11 is the automatic winner
-  my old address growing up

To-day was 7 - 11 day. I drive up to 7-11 for coffee
B/c when people discuss travel, my reply is:
' if there isn't a 7-11 close , why would I want to be there '

So, be careful what you say
I feel obligated to fulfill my words

Bonus: I brought back coffee and breakfast empanadas
won ton wrappers filled w/ egg , sausage and peppers

Very apropos b/c I've been making pot stickers at home

I betcha these empanadas are greasier than mine
they taste terrific !

Praise be to Jimmy Buffett singing :
' its not the Canadian's fault '
Here , here

A while ago, in April 2010 I decide to buy a laptop for travel. I did some research and through a friend managed to get a fair deal on a Dell Laptop, Studio 17. The sucker was big or is big but for the future, the plan was that the Studio 17 would become the primary computer in the house.
The future came quick, as in 3 months. The tower PC despite an upgrade was too slow and getting slower.
The Dell become it
Now, 8 years later, the Studio 17 functions as the everyday computer. However, for car travel Studio 17 has become mobile again. At 7 # this is not Mac Air or tablet.
On the road, Studio 17 is reliable and adaptable.

Thus, that decision was a great move.

the baby laptop has been alright and for the 4 or 5 hundred sunk into the purchase and refurbishing - not a bad deal.
Not quite the gem that the Studio 17 is 

Last Satruday in JA

Some title !

Well, for the spur of the moment kinda decision - still pathetic

The warm is hanging around w/ some strong winds

TGIF or Not

time is passing

When I was teaching, I overheard the students plans for - ' the WeekEnd '
Concerts, parties etc. Their lives were so immediate
as in, right now
they lived weekend to weekend

I seem to count time in Xmases or overseas trips
and even these fog over or slip away

" Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future "
Alan Parsons Project

All the Tea in China

however, the British managed to steal enough plants

To start the tea plantations of India

All the tea in India

Cool, to-day but a bitter wind kicked in

Unfeathered

playing w/ words

or life unfeathered

?

Dunno

One is the loneliest #

Research on loneliness now shows, balkanization
i.e. finding social groups linked by a common thread on social media
is pure isolationism
what else do you have
nada

better to seek out divergent opinion
Eek !
hate it

to broaden your view of the world

adapting to change gets harder and harder
and the pace of change is faster..rr.. rrr  ...rr

Life Unfettered

hey, it sounded good

The general sense is that property ties you down
However, I've heard it said that people tie you down

I'm not even sure if this is the right tack to take
Maybe, unfettered means something entirely different

Oh well, thought I'd try random thoughts
kinda, throw it out there and see where the puddle forms

The Fog Rolled In

and stayed

I think this event is air temperature meets dew point.
Fog happens

There is the song " Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat
                               Please put a penny in the old man's hat "

Well, someone is getting fat
its not Christmas
and not a goose

Hello to the World

or my little part

Travel. Hate the going but not so bad being there

I've reflected on the topic of world travel. Thailand etc
Australia is miles away

TG for the Discovery channel.
Scenery. Scenery is everywhere

I recall a novel by Martha Grimes, in which a character praises the moors of England. ' Moors ' are apparently vast tracts of wild growth and swampy land. The Colonel lauds the bleakness and stillness. 
I was sitting on the front porch to-day after the 7 - 11 run, thinking of the view as unique

7 - 11 as in the convenience store up the street. Twice a week, I get coffee in a 7 - 11 coffee mug.
Why ? 
We can make coffee in the room.
Well, you see when travel comes up, as in where everyone has traveled to, my response is ' if there isn't a 7 - 11 to visit - I don't want to be there '
Thus, I feel obligated to go
" When you talk the talk - you gotta do the walk "
or some such
and actually I drive
6 blocks
?
Couldn't you walk ?
Ah, I give the car a work out
This AM for example, I did the tire pressure check

An explanation for eveything
Or
as my dentist says
people can rationalize anything

We shall see said the Zen Master

Enjoy the scenery

WHERE EVER YOU ARE !
its unique and beautiful

trust me

" Little Big Man "

a Dustin Hoffman western. LBM is a hybrid ( cowboy and Indian ) trying to find his place in the Wild West

I caught a pinfish, yesterday that was ' little big fish '. He was the catch of the day ( meaning, only ). Hope when the sun was westering in the sky. I was alone, of course , or in the immortal lyric of Gilbert O'Sullivan - ' Alone Again, Naturally '

A gorgeous close to the day, cool to cold w/ a stiff wind, glass calm and nothing doing.

P.S. pinfish is the name but the category is grunt

Back home panfish are the proverbial little fry
here, grunt covers the genre quite nicely
very apropos name as well
there are grunts as a species or group of species
However, when charter, fishing the Captain calls the Gray Grunt, a mangrove snapper, so that customers will think that they are catching quality fish ( the Gray Grunt tastes not bad )

On the Topic of Ribs

eating and I suppose preparing

We found ' Smokin' J s Rib Shack ' and it more or less is, a shack. The order was take out smoke ribs / sausage. The verdict very good.
The sauce came on the side, sweet vs hot. We didn't use the sauce.
On the premise that if the meat is good, sauce is superfluous.

To compare, I offer Day 1 when we bought pre-cooked and packed ribs ( done w/ Jack Daniels Sauce ) at the grocers.
Smokin' Js definitely more meaty and less fat ( maybe ). Taste wise a clear winner.
However, the ribs are expensive at $22 a rack of back ribs.
Suasage was like a kielbasa and nicely smoked ( $8 per 1/2 # ).

Now worth the price ??
dunno
We'll try the sauce on the nest batch that comes from the freezer ( left overs )

Sun is beamimg, good - air is freezing not so

Later, dude

Having Missed the 1 %

unfortunately we are not the 1 % that control the nation's wealth

Not even close on that one.

However, on ' PawnStars ' ( apparently I'll watch anything ), a trivi-factoid item said 
" 3.5 % of Americans get 21 minutes of exercise a day as recommended "
but added that " the figure drops to 2 % over the age of 60 "

I think that I make the 2 %
Not bad, eh ?

Brrrr ! is back w/ a vengeance - frost on the pumpkin time

The Year in Review

Day 17

Nothing

The earth did not end
I'm not sure if anyone predicted Ragnarok for early JA but if they did they were wrong
Seems a few people have gotten that gem wrong in the past 3 000 yrs
And I don't wan't anyone else to be right

So there

Sun broke out in defiance of the cold
Good for Mr Sun

I saw an item in a magazine that asked readers to vote for the greatest action hero to-day, Vin Diesel was listed
NO, he is not and I don't care if there was a winner or not

So negative, this blog entry is
( I'm writing the way Yoda talks )

Smile
Grin ?
Use more facial muscles ( thats a frown )
OK, save your facial muscles and smile

:)

Criticism

b/c I re - listen to songs performed by different artists ( a lot on YouTube )

This segment is on ' Nella Fantasia ' or ' Gabriel's Oboe ' from the  ' the Mission '
by Ennio morricone
I've heard 30 ( ? ) renditions, minimum.
Last night, I discovered, the Korean pianist Yiruma. What a touch that man has.
So, the search will go on despite ............. well, despite

They said It

on ' Pawn Stars '

While Chumly is trying to write down aphorisms from the Old Man, he gets on Grandpa Harrison's nerves. 
The Old Man " he's so annoying he's somewhere between rap music and a crying baby "

My thoughts on rap. Rap should have stopped w/ Blondie

I'm in the minority, I'm sure

Weather : improving

JA 14 #1915

some title !

Ah, a blog 
the date

For the faithful who've read 1914 blog entries
This epistle will not be stellar
I'm not in  a stellar kind of mood

Try to be
Aim to try
Be one w/ the universe

We shall see said the Zen Master

' Saturday in the Park

by the Cowsills  ?

Want to be a ' Juggalo ' join the fan base for Insane Clowns

Not me

Weather : not so good but no ice or snow

To-days Topic

dunno

Weather : gray and wind is cool to cold
No problem

Life goes on

When the Dolphins

come out to play

And you have a front row seat
You're glad you bought a ticket

The mullet are in big schools cruising the inlet and sure as shooting the predators follow

Calling the legend

Bear Bryant coached 6 National championship teams

The growing consensus seems to be that Nick Saban may have surpassed the ' Bear ' in prestige w/ his 6 th win this past Monday.

Or when equal is not equal. Bryant won at a time w/ unlimited scholarships for his teams. The teams played fewer games and had much less travel.
The present climate in College football is called parity. Supposedly, all teams get an even break in recruiting.

Any way the cards get called, Saban has built a dynasty and even the most disgruntled opponent either knows or feels the effect of the behemoth creature built at Alabama

Roll Tide !

the Story of the Story

my version, unverified

" Like a Crimson Tide the Alabama football 11 rolled over the hapless Georgia Tech team "

Yepper, one sportswriter made the comment
And
A legend was born

Roll . Tide . Roll  the dynasty lives on

The aftermath : let us take time to digest what happened

How does this win affect the Saban mythos

Nick Saban would prefer his wife, Terrys pasta sauce over pizza

I'm happy about the Alabama win

The weather was fine. Cool breeze ( not wind ) sun and blue sky
after a fitful morning

We'll take what we can get

Low Tech Meets Hi Tech

or Neanderthal finds the sublime

??????????????

The story from here : our U.S. cell phones are $ 20 UMX                ( manufacturer ) phones, the scuttlebutt is that UMX is a Chinese firm but there is no proof. Right.
The UMX works for calls and texts but internet is very dodgy. Still, using Tracfone ( the carrier and owner of the phone ) we pay $ 200 a year for service. And roll over approx 1 500 minutes a year. We can call China and complain straight to UMX if thats where they are.

Yesterday, the phone doesn't turn on. The phone charged all night.
The charge lights work but otherwise, Nada ! I tried ' soft reset ' by holding power and volume ' down ' button simultaneously. Nope.
Finally, on the tech help forum, I find this tidbit : ' remove the battery and SIM card and any other SD card. First bend the battery and then bend the phone '
No kidding ! Bend but do not break. Now, I've got $ 20 invested in this phone. Here goes. Bend the battery and put it back in
Yes, the phone turns on.
Incredible
I lost internet function but that was a crapshoot at best

The warmth came home or to us. Not fantastic but life giving

Bend the battery   Bend the battery

Come on 

Bend the battery ?

Bend it ?

still on the Horizon

or they say the warmth is coming

XXXXX fingers

All things come to those who wait
not in time
but they come

Be of good cheer
Why ?

B/c the alternatives are horrible

The warmth has tried to sneak in, sort of got its toe in the door
barely

on the Horizon

warmth

The promise is there, relief from the cold mass sitting on the continent

Looking good is half the battle
Being good is the other

and On ... and On

Cold continues is the headline

Mornin' y'all !

and the Blog Goes On

Reporting absolutely nothing

You can read the news elsewhere

Well, whats ahead for the year 2018
Dunno

Que Sera, Que Sera  is the motto for the year

Buddhistically, we accept all
as the way of Life
If your a Fatalist ( mostly, an Islamic belief system - the future is written ) or as they say constantly in ' Lawrence of Arabia ' - ' it was his time, Orence ( how the locals pronounced, Lawrence ) '

" We shall see " said the Zen master
" Could be bad, could be good - hard to tell "

I'm waxing a little philosophical for some reason
However, beats the dickens out of re - hashing the days ' news '

Ho Ho Ho

oops !

Wrong holiday

Happy New Year, y ' all

Keep your long johns on and wait and pray

The weatherman proposed an upside to the massive cold basin sitting over us. System lows cannot build, thus there is no precipitation
The rain isn't stupid, it doesn't want to freeze to death