" Stop the World

I want to get off " the broadway play

Or so the lyrics go
' to dream the impossible dream ?? ' from Don Quixote, the musical

Basically, you will be exposed to Covid - 19
AND
who knows
' To Live and Die in Italbar ' is a science fiction story from the 60 s. The premise was an unknown plague or disease and Italbar was quarantined by the village itself to stay safe. Of course, it didn't work. Could you tell by the title

And then
' California Typewriter ' a documentary on typewriters.
Both the machine and the people that use them           < still >. 
The nostalgia ? The permanence of the product, as in ' not in the cloud '
physical and well, just there.
The name is both a place and the business
' the Typewriter Insurgency ' or manifesto proclaims the uniqueness and utility < forever > of the typewriter ( both the machine and the people )

And it was bound to happen ' a winner on Amazon Prime TV ' after ten or eleven tries 
in fact, last night elliticking < 3 losers each for 20 minutes and I gave up >
OK you're wondering .........
' the Amazing Mrs Maisel '
no spoilers here
You go and watch

40 Countries

w/ reported incidences of the new virus

This virus is a new Olympic event. Who can get the most cases and beat China. S Korea is the leading contender but way behind.
And business is suffering all over the world
Toronto w/ a dozen suspected or confirmed cases shows patronage in Chinese stores down 30 %
Milan is a deserted village according to the TorStar

' Turn Your Radio On

to that sweet sound ' goes the lyrics by ????????

Last night was Day 2 of the new HRM. I got everything set up and began my Easy Day routine       < no weights >, pace and intensity are increased on the elliptical. I was advised personally by the nieghbour's ( he was handicapped and had a ) trainer 
to take a day off from wieghts even when light

I watched the BPM - off and on every few minutes, then I noticed at the 30 minute mark < on the elliptical display > that the HRM wan't recording time.
Yes, the button that said ' start workout ' was still there.
Ah, you need to turn the sucker on - got it
Duh !
The massive snowfall < 4 inches > hasn't shown up.
We did get at least 2 in but there is the slight chance of accumulation today up until midnight.
I lied b/c we got over 3 inches plus drift

Little Flakes

Ha Ha - an original title < guffaw >

The front moved in overnight. Accumulated amounts til Wed night might reach 4 in < varying according to area >. The streets are whitish. And the wind chill is telltale.

On the electronic front, I purchased a new Heart Rate Monitor from Wahoo. I previewed the item. Mistakenly ! The photo on Amazon showed a strap affair < no watch > as a HRM. A bit bigger than my present one.
Then on reading < always good > I discover that you A) don't need a watch just an android phone B ) use the watch that you have already - maybe -.
Now, the strap affair costs as much as the watch and strap from before. My present HRM is not reading or recording even w/ battery change.
Do I need a HRM ? No. But data is good. Its a check to make sure that I don't do stupid things. B/c I've been unwise in the past. Overdoing it.
I record every workout w/ the data from the present watch.
What does it mean ?
Dunno. I write down workout length, type and calories burned. The present won't give HR other than the immediate.

The ' Wahoo ' generation arrives !
Called the ' Tickr ', as described its a module sized like a hotel soap bar < a tad thinner and smaller > w/ a chest strap.
Its a brainless device. Attach the strap and the device turns on. W/ flashy lights, even. You download the appropriate app on your phone.
Start.
I did. It did.
The display is gi - normous b/c its the whole phone screen in colour, too. The program is for indoor cycling ( not elliptical ) and several fields are not recording b/c I can't input cycling factors.
However, it worked.
Then and the end, a review. Wowzers, the screen was alive w/ data. Yes, to length of time, calories              < wrong >, HR - average, maximum and the amazing display, a workout chart for HR vs time for the whole workout - a graph, no less.
The calories are wrong b/c I used the elliptical not a bicycle. I'll serch for a more comparable workout type in the app.
The Tickr showed 126 Cal burned. On line, the estimates for an elliptical put the number at 583 Cal.
A much more believable number for a 44 min workout < including lifting weights etc >.

The saga continues.
And I joined Amazon Prime - gets you free delivery, movie channel and music.  A thirty day free trial was offered.

BIG Flakes

R falling

CoVid - 19 or China takes the world
By the numbers

" As of Monday, the WHO said China had reported 77,362 cases of COVID-19, including 2,618 deaths. There were another 2,074 cases in 28 other countries, including 10 in Canada, and 23 deaths. "

Please recall the numbers are issued by the Chinese authorities for China

At lunch, we noted the Chinese restaurant used 1 /2 of its capacity < that was 60 % full >

The flakes stopped at 10 ish and it was a damp day. Foretelling a storm  < that we know is due in about 7 hrs - approx >

When a Cold is not a Cold

I explained the usual pattern for me when I get the sniffles
Head full of cotton wool and sore throat
I run a fever - the whole nine yards

Thus far, touch wood, its the sniffles
I'm not taking chances. Staying in where possible etc

However, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, metaphorically speaking

Weather will be T.O. winter mild around 45 F but a front is crawling this way bringing wet in many forms for Tues into Wed the day
Same old, same old

Corona CoViD - 19 or how China is conquering the world - microbially or electronically

Amazon Prime guaranteed delivery of my new heart rate monitor by 8 PM Monday < today > and they did it
I'm on trial for Prime < 30 days >
Thus, free delivery and a whole whack of stuff

Yes, this HRM is Bluetooth and Ant + < which is new to me >
Ant+ is already in use widely for Garmin devices and other companies' gadgets e.g. 

and the Decision

not sure
still sniffling
but

I stayed in bed yesterday
and feel way better than yesterday morning

No decision, I would say

Corona virus spreads world wide, is the story line
How ? dunno
China says it can see the end
Yeah, maybe in China
But other countries are concerned over tangential outbreaks - from carriers going hither and yon

Canada is prime ground w/ a large Asian population
and frequent travel back to China

Globally, more than 78,000 people have been infected in 29 countries.
75 000 are in China

Warning here. This data is from a CBC article, approximately 8 hrs old.
Experts have stated that confusion is possible vis - a - vis the numbers b/c the Chinese government has changed categories for reporting.
However, S. Korea is reporting a cluster outbreak possibly based in a church congregation.
The growing fear is that such cluster outbreaks are going to continue.
Part of the problem is the unknown spread vector of CoVid-19. Certainly, direct contact is a problem but some indicators have pointed to a residual kind of contact from surfaces

I don't have Corona virus any number
Just me, colds and flu
I even exercised
Based on the advice, as long as its a head cold and not in the chest
Heavy phlegm etc

How did it go ? Great. Actually, feel clean < duh, you showered, dummy >
really better

sniffles or

a return to the cold - kinda cold < virus >

Crikey. Nose is running
Yesterday, I was having trouble staying warm

Oh, yeah  Figures
Sicky boy, at it again

A bright spot, decided to rest and the sniffles stopped

Yes, got the flu shot in the fall, likely helped

Previously, I detailed my usual sickness routine. Some beginning sign of a cold then a sore throat.
Thats the ball game right there

Fever, the whole shebang

The Boys in Columbia blue < aka Hopkins Men's lacrosse > won their opener and now have dropped 2
Shades of last year. To be fair, these teams had a better than winning record last year. No one of the first 7 is a push over.

the Tomorrow Man

a Crave movie. Crave is a movie channel, actually 4 < I think >

Alright, too much TV, going on here
Same old, same old

Thus, last night, it was ' Ottoman ', the story of Mehmed II and the conquest of Constantinople in the 15 Century. The truth, the series is one season and 6 episodes. I suppose, I saw most of the season

Now, I get It

my mother had some form of dementia and consequently always talked of home.
We were never sure which home she meant

Other patients < my mom as well >   tried to ' go home '. In fact, mom made the parking lot when a visitor twigged to the fact that the person walking w/ her - really didn't know what they were doing

We are home and the feelings of familiarity are strong
- comforting and satisfying

So, why do we travel
and drive < as opposed to flying ? >
Well !

As a segue, here is a summary of our food adventure while in St Augustine, Fla

SAT nite < Old Coast Brew / Osprey Taco >
           was our first nite and we searched for a casual
           location. Very pleased. I did mention this back
           on Feb 9

Sun Linner < Obies Filling Sta >
          also previously mentioned Feb 11 < ? > a 
          burger and beer type place


Mon Linner < Gypsy Cab Co >
           we alluded to the similar appearance of our                 plates although we ordered varying meals


Tues lunch < Bull and Crown >
           downtown St Augustine, a pub

Wed dinner <. Sunset Grille >
           a well known casual dining room

Thu dinner < Salt Life, food shack >
           sort of a Valentines choice - Valentines Eve


Fri Linner < Oasis >
          dubbed world famous < by advertisement >
          probably deserves to be rated as such
          extremely please

white foam

returns
or we return to white foam in the parking lot

Well, at least we are hoping its not snow but left over packaging

JA 1, we drove south through QEW, I - 190, I - 90, I - 79, I - 77 and I - 26 connecting w/ I - 95 in S. Carolina. We cut across Fla and joined I - 75 and then I - 275.

Our return journey used the same route except b/c we stopped in Myrtle Beach, we substituted I - 20 for I - 26.

The cities where we stopped :
Beckley, WV
Walterboro, S Carolina
Lake City, Fla
St. Pete Beach, Fla
Indian Shores, Fla
St Augustine, Fla
Myrtle Beach, S Carolina
Wytheville, Va
Erie, Pa

that ' Erie feeling

really !

the place, of course

He who travels slow, travels well
Just made that up

Myrtle Beach to Scarborough in 3 nights
Small leaps
But we caught a window of reasonable weather to run the mountain corridor of I 77 and I 79

on the topic of Comfort

for you
or
me

In the last thee weeks, we stayed in 3 places. 2 were condos or little studios and this last is a suite in a hotel.
The condo had a pool and broadcast TV.
The studio no pool and internet TV
The suite is better than adequately equipped. Almost a full kitchen < meaning stove is a 2 burner >

We are comfortable here in the suite. Its really all we need. So far.
B/c as circumstances change i.e. you stay longer and want to do more - then the accommodation sometimes needs to change as well.

I bring this up b/c our reason for being in this suite is that its part of a promotion for time share.
We said ' No ' after a  3 hr presentation. And the comfort level presented was over the top. The venues that were offered were more house like than a hotel room or suite. Certainly, surpassing anything that we stayed in the past 6 1/2 weeks.
And in presenting the ultimate in accommodation vis - a -vis vacations, the entity may have lost us.
You see its not us and will never be. Big all purpose family complexes are lost on us. We are too simple
How simple ?
The suite here is enough.

Oh, the power and gift to say ' enough '.
The grass is always greener or the wisdom to say ' I go this far and no further '

Asking, is this a ' sour grape ' kinda thing. We said no to a potential ' dream vacation ' program.
Financially, the entity showed how our present expenditure could get us more luxury and choice.
There it is.
More
We don't need the luxury and we made our choices
Opening the world to us, makes no impression b/c we are content in the world in world that we visit.

' Come What May '

or ' Que sera ,
Que Sera

We are recuperating. From ?

Well, we are resting it seems
Thus from something

Ah, Moving Day

except we are not golfing

Moved
Tired but arrived

wild Thing

on the beach this morning

cool to cold definitely not shorts type weather. The sea was foaming and charging the shore - the birds all hunkered down and waiting.
The wind raced down the beach
and it started to drizzle

A slightly better afternoon. Touch of sun and the wet held off. Wind abated a touch

a Quieter Place

no market day

Me and the seagulls, plus 20 people. Some must have been whale watchers or such.

Warm almost sultry w/ a cool breeze. A little exercise to sweat out the demons.
The most interesting sight - a paddle boarder rode up on a bike w/ an attached carrier for the paddle board.
 full body workout

For the second time in our travels, we are doing wash, fluff and fold $1 a lb with a $ 12 minimum
it takes 7 hrs today, a long lunch then

a Crowded beach

liar !!

The beach was ' crowded ' w/ at least 40 people over the 3 miles that I could see. Waves crashing and guys out paddle boarding and some surfing. Kidding😈
No, the parking lot was bursting. I found my usual entrance blocked. I got a parking spot in what would be termed overflow area.
The cause is ' Pier Farmers Market ' and crafts. Every Wednesday but I didn't know. Buckets of others did know.
I exercised a tad. I picked a spot and did back and forth knee raises, little jogs and semi push ups. I had decided to take it easy b/c I've been off workouts like home for 5 weeks. Swimming is good but not the same.
Basically, I wanted to not get hurt. It is so easy to go overboard when you haven't done physical stuff. I needed to sweat and move - more sweat than move. My theory goes move and keep your pores open -  sweat freely.
I did

OK I get back to the parking lot and do a quick tour of the market. " My Maine Mat " was woven goods such as door mats. I watched the kettle corn being prepared for the day.
Alright, you suffer for your art, I understand. Now, the dude is standing over the kettle. You can hear the burner roar. Popcorn is jumping up and there is a crackle sound. Great aroma. Then I realize that the dude is wearing a leather apron and full face shield.
I walked around back and noticed the sweat pouring off of the guy. I'll never dismiss kettle corn again as not worth it.
' Tide Clock ' was different clocks w/ seashore type motifs. Why Tide ? Dunno. A name is a name.

Return to the car and realize that there is a conga line of cars circling the overflow area looking for a spot.
I motioned to a lady that I was leaving. She looks and backs up to give me room. This shuffle occurs amid honking as the conga line was getting impatient.
I'm home and safe from searing flame and woven gear.
BTW, I didn't buy anything. Amazing.
 Yesterday, I returned from the city tour w/ a backpack full. I uncharacteristically, splurged on 2 hats < $10 > and 2 long sleeve T- shirts < $ 20 >. 

Magnetic Poetry

Say what  ?

Our Air BnB has a word game for entertainment. Word plaques on a magnetic board can be moved around.
So far, I've got < fiery the   .......   ....      >
I'm trying to do a little William Blake but got stuck for the finish.
Can you complete the line ?

Maybe this is truly magnetized poetry

Travel - itis

and missing home

Yes, its started. Actually, that was a week ago.
Home beckons.

Then I think about Jack Reacher. Fictional ex- military police turned vagabond. No luggage and disposable clothes are his life. He buses around the U.S.
Our car is chock a block w/ stuff.

Priorities. We subbed a more economical choice
and lost some amenities but over a week $800 U.S. can buy a lot of chicken and tacos
We ought to know
Cuz we're doing it

Desperately Seeking ......

a place to eat on Saturday night in a tourist type location

Sit down if available

No !
Then we found a brewery bar called ' Old Coast '
but no food. However, ' you can go next door and bring in tacos etc '. We had walked past the taco place and opted for the brewery.
We did. The Osprey Taco joint delivers to the bar.
Beer was A - #1 and tacos tasty and warm. Served on a corn flour soft taco. Not a real big soft taco person but I'll go back. We even bought advertising buttons for Osprey T
The girl at Osprey said w/ one taco also order the nachos and salsa.
All was terrific.

I follow the story line on diseases and you might recall that  Tracked Ebola for a while and Ebola has not gone away just down graded to a local problem < if 3 countries give or take is local >

The big news is novel coronavirus. Originating in China and still the majority site - novel coronavirus has surpassed SARS in deaths and infected.
 The tangential stories are quarantined travellers e.g. returning plane passengers holed up in an Armed Forces facility in Ontario after a return flight from China plus 2 600 cruise ship passengers held on board outside Yokohama harbour < BTW thats for 2 weeks which is the incubation period.

Egads, the story continues as you discover second class passengers on that cruise ship have no window.
The ' inmates ' are allowed to walk their own corridor for 1/2 hr throughout the day.

It happened again - no sound coming from the Moto G5 for phone calls or audio songs.

I can use earphones and hear.

On YouTube - the video said that this is called                                     ' locked in headphone mode ' 

< oh yeah its got a name >

Solution : 1. play the music through the headphones  2. then unplug w/ music playing

3. take an ' ear ' swab and peel off some white fluff

4. run the smaller swab into the headphone plug hole and swish around - bang the phone lightly.

I got the phone to work after swabbing and 2 slaps

Wanna bet its the slaps and less swabbing ?

Aha, Another Saturday

And on the move

Quite typical in tourist season - Sat to Sat rental
The weather will improve for the next 5 days
Thus ,we should take advantage of the break. B/c it is
There is always a chance of 45 F avge 

Full on Blow

gusting to 50 MPH

We hunker down for most of the day

Funny, bet we still eat well

We did - already,  fried eggs, toast, french fries and crab cake for brekkies
Wowzers what a combo


the day was clear and cool for the afternoon w/ spots of gusty wind

Bluster, Fluster

the wind will roar today
and hard on the heels
comes rain
hopefully overnight < mostly > 🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅

Alright, not bad.
Sun was warm and wind was well windy
but not terrible

A Promising Day

fizzled
Tried but fizzed

Came around but way too late

Ah so, life
what can I tell you

PN: Hang in there......

MG: Is that the sum total of your advice on the topic

PN: Thats the sum total of my advice on most subject

Dialogue from a movie w/ Paul Newman - who gets the lines above in a tender moment ...................... ?

closing Doors

and opening Windows

Hey. Titles are hard to create. That is w/out repetition.
And then if it is a theme or thread < as often termed in Q n A type entries >
How broad is the thread

For me, as you know, its probably about closing Windows, as in Windows programs and opening the door to Chrome,
We use Chrome at home on the main PC but its a Windows platform. Then, the Dell laptop is a dedicated Chrome device. That could run Windows based programs < as add ons or applications >

Well, I've been pleased w/ Chrome and the Dell Chromebook. Recall, how frugal I am w/ electronics
< meaning cheap - cheap - cheap > and the Chromebook has been a plus
$400 Cdn to buy and peripherals < all the toys - called dongles and hubs > at about $ 150 dollars.
And the biggest mistake was the 65 W power supply for type C connections. I thought that the original Dell power supply couldn't support dongles etc and recharge the Dell simultaneously.
After 6 - 9 months, I've discovered that the original power supply will charge and support - only the charging is slower than w/ the new 65 W. 
However, its become clear that when I do need the dongle for extra ports or special ports e.g. HDMI for Netflix - I'm connected for so long that the laptop charges anyway.

Netflix and YouTube. So far, I've discovered Netflix on the laptop is much easier to control via the keyboard and mouse. However , since this means the 
the movie etc plays through the laptop and is projected or mirrored on the TV, the picture is laptop quality < not so defined as the TV screen >
Using the Roku dongle plugged in HDMI, the controls are more awkward but the picture < played only on the TV screen > is sharper and less distorted.

Then there is the sound. The TV has pretty small speakers but the laptop has smaller speakers. The best sound is through the laptop via the earphones.

Yes, all connected up - quite a smoggle < my word > of wires and hookups.

However, somehow I should be able to ' cast a program onto the TV w/out wires

????????????????????? just about sums it up
Dunno

I am so pleased w/ the Netflix thingy - I really don't care

And finally, our cell phones are dedicated U.S. or Canadian not both w/out switching SIM cards. And the previous condo charged regular International rates < read, extravagant at 10 cents a minute >.
Through much trial and more error, I got Skype to work on the Dell. The charge is 1 cent a minute. However, the upside is - clearer voice and audio from the laptop. I know - lousy speakers but better than the phone < I guess >
The app that I found is for ' Skype, lite '. How " lite ' haven't a clue ! It works for calls home
'nuff said
I'm sure in some distance circumstance that I will be pulling out my hair and gnashing my teeth b/c it is ' light on something '
FYI - the Chromebook works like a phone. Thus, if there is a phone app then the Chromebook will run that app just as a phone would.
Hence, Skype lite which is for phones
 For now, bliss

the Life

as lived by us
for us

the Superbowl results : NFL scores big again

What a ' gia-normous ' revenue generating machine thats been created

Of course, my prediction was that the AFL would never succeed. ' Oops ! got that wrong '

Add that to the long list of what I didn't get right
I must be a legend

Adjusting

the same
but different

The condo is a little smaller. Brighter in some ways and much better equipped. Surprisingly, storage seems to be everywhere.
However, we only have a punch code for entry and the ' back door ' is a key lock and we have no key.

In Golf

Saturday is moving day in a tournament  < e.g. the pro s >

Well, today is moving day for us
We pack or re-pack depending on how you look at it.
And travel North for 8 miles
Stop. And unpack.
Unpacked and ensconced in Barefoot Beach on Indian Shores
Happy but tired 
but here