🥉🥇of mai

 🥉🥇.... closing out the month [ again ] however, we have sun and warm and high Eternal Blue

Yes. Coffee and typing. To note, this is yesterday s leftover coffee. Often we use the thermos and save the coffee [ how bad could it be ? ]

The news : all that s fit to print > was the motto of the NY Times [ ? }

for a blog, not too sure b / c anyone can hijack the ' ether '

comment : this keyboard is still irritating. OR maybe, I don't adapt well.
bear in mind this Duet has spoken dictation and touch screen. Maybe I'll need to dictate on my phone and edit after on the Duet

early days

next level attempt. trying a full size keyboard connected by USB plug in
weird, a real keyboard 
for sure some teething problems
but ooh ! so much better
next hump is that this Logitech is a PC keyboard not a CHROMEBOOK layout.
Thus, some Chrome OS features might not function

Now the flexibility of the Chrome OS comes into play. Right now, the Duet is able to take, the HDMI plugged in 19 in TV [ as monitor ], PC keyboard plugged in via USB, powering via the dock as well and the USB mouse is tacked into the dongle. 

Ooh ! magic here [ so far ] Note the Duet is folded up to allow more room on the desk
love this. not maximally ideal but super easy to adapt the hardware

BTW there is a mouse w / the keyboard [ the battery corrode in the battery well and there is that white powdery, crystal stuff. we can just about pronounce it dead]

  follow up. I can turn the Duet ' off ' and ' on ' using a power button on the side of the Duet. Meaning, that the Duet can stay folded [less footprint on the desk ] and I can power off / on w / out a fuss. The keyboard has a power off / on toggle as well.

spell check ? not working so good.

however, I will need to learn ' new ' shortcuts via the PC keyboard. 
" success is counted Sweetest, by those who ne'er succeed ......
now wait a tic ........ this adaptation and functionality seems awfully success - y

Sorry Emily D. [ author ? ]

Sadly, the mouse with its corroded electrodes doesn't seem to be responding to my repair treatment 

Reading always nice to try something new, especially if it's a hit. So I found one. The magazine is called lelle okay. So the recipe was for a cocktail based on tequila but Jen works just as well I find

📸 for May 30 th

 📸 ...... in the ' boro..... sun and the Eternal Blue

today is round 2 of help coming in to care for the house
last week K ... ' power washed ' our gas  stove. She cleaned the grates and gas covers. Impressed a ton

as well,we struck an arrangement w / M  ..s friend to attend the house to supplement the cleaning. final line,  is more people in the house. 

We shall see said the Zen Master

Rd 2. another stellar performance by K ... She took on our pantry s and came out the winner. We wound up w /spare shelves and foodstuffs arranged by use and handiness. Plus, further opening discussion resulted in possible long term help w / greater frequency.
Stunned, comes to mind

I am guessing that someone who sees the current positioning and wonders about function related storage can more easily re - arrange the storage c.f. the indigenous who are used to or / complacent w / the setup 

well. grand

may 🥈9 in the ' boro

 🥈and sunny, w / high Eternal Blue

recall, the Eternal Blue. the Monguls worshipped or praised the sky over the Steppes. I got this from the Adventure s of Marco Polo.

health news. this morning early ish, I woke w / sharp discomfort in my right eye. I call these events ' stingers ' , yes , thats what it feels like. Actually, twice, this morning. Last one about 6:30 or 7
history. back in 1996, post laser eye surgery, I suffered thru ' recurrent corneal erosion ' or my corneal epithelium lifted off the eyeball - yes, sore

I was back and forth to the laser eye clinic.    b / c every else would not treat me on the basis that the erosion was the result of laser activity. The treatment was basically, tape the eyelid shut and wait. Thu from April to Nov, I shuttled back and forth to the clinic.                 

Meanwhile a former student remembered my prolonged eye difficulties and sent his sister w / a referral the Waterloo U. Eye clinic.
The specialist, listened to the history and then said ' yes, it could be the surgery, but then explain to the other 50 % of my patients that have this problem the cause '

He set me up w / a treatment plan that in essence is still my bi - weekly regimen of eye care to this day.
Still the stingers, but the irritation lasts minutes to hours not days.

🥉may XXVIII

 🥉third is good enough

My fav hamburger place is Real McCoy s. But I tell people that McCoy s have the second best burger in Scarborough. AND no one argues or guffaws but the comment people have after trying McCoy s is ' the best ! ' 
see third is good enough and no one challenges / contradicts

㊗ may 27

 ㊗   in the land of sun, yes, the ' boro
and dandelions

coffee and typing
and .... I might be getting the hang of this keyboard

I went out with a torch and I tried to burn out the dandelions. I don't think it's going to work but boy the emotional satisfaction in burning those little buggers down is unbelievable

wow.a visitor. sounds like not much.But I need more people in the house. M .. doesn't get out much and actually baulks at visitors  hence little social contact 
so good result

may the 🎡 26

 🎡... you spin me right round baby, right round [ or ' .. you spin me rum white rum ... ' ]

I was corrected by a cross country runner on the bus to Waterloo

Coffee and typing. all is right w/ the world

Lately,  have been trying different peripherals for the Duet [ typing right now ]

 the latest gadget is called ' pocket mouse ' or a mouse that is a pen device w / all the mouse features to control the cursor. relatively hard to coordinate the actions.

OK, what gives ? the Duet connects to the dongle or dock via a USB plug. When you shut down, the Duet, still powers the standard mouse also USB plug in. 
Normally, I look at the mouse, if the psychedelic lights are gone the laptop is ' off '
[ this is a gaming mouse, the mouse is patterned w / a LED multi coloured illuminated background - OK its colourful ! ]

I did my elliptical routine 35 min and 400 kCal. Yes, good sweat.

oh, ' boro is all sun high Eternal Blue

This keyboard is the pits. clumsy, inconvenient etc . etc

🚄 and we welcome the sun on 25 .....

 🚄 .....may 
we praise the Eternal Blue up there

so far no ill effects from logging yesterday [ terrif ]

coffee and typing [ this new keyboard is a hard sell ]

today was old folks day billed as a reunion of Retired staff at a pub.blessed w / tasty food and pretty nice people. Our server was a Leacock grad wearing a school jerssey

🥘 mai 24

 🥘  in the 'boro rain 🌧️ 

and   🌧️.  and  🌧️

it rained real good 

Today was move stones and cement flagstone

I did a smidgen. 

Really. I heard  " not you, leave it !" I believe the big fear is having to return my body up the hill 

??????????

Ah, well, job done. We were prepping the outside apron of the shoreline for a delivery of material. And perhaps of major need, clearing the floor of the boathouse for a re - levelling of some sort but those stone flags had to go, at the very least.

We were walking on wet soil, mud and goop . The goop was concentrated in the middle of the floor and slightly more towards the river direction 

W / out the boathouse floor cleared, no real levelling could be complete 

🧭 mai XXIII

 🧭 ' boro, where the water fires out of the clouds - all morning

cool as well

quite the change in the house. we hired a person to help w/ housework. I need the psychological boost just knowing there is help

We shall see said the Zen Master

K .. is cleaning the stove, yes, all the bits e.g. burners and covers

and really doing a job.

Stove sparkles 

Kitchen floor vacked and washed 

Thank you 

Truly cathartic 

mai 🚇 22

 🚇 ..... breakfast is done and multivitamin taken

' boro is slightly overcast and setting  itself up for rain over days to come

The story : the CB 311 Chromebook that is usually the typing machine here at the window desk reaches its end of update life in 2 months. BUT the Chromebook Duet usually downstairs is going to be good til 2030 Jun. There is 2 yrs difference in the purchase dates but Duet qualified for the automatic 10 yr program.
Truth. The CB 311 can go on as an ' updated ' Chromebook minus ' Android '
however, this includes most Apps e.g. YouTube and gmail plus .........everything that we do here

Thus. I am trying the Duet as a daily typer in the window seat - outlook on the world outside.
Adjustments, the Duet is a Chromebook / tablet. Powerful in the sense of quickly utilising peripherals which is basically anything and  everything b / c there is only 1 Type C port. A dock for Type C and Type  B inputs and the HDMI for TV is needed.
The screen is 11 in and only 11. I use the TV even w / the CB 311
Then the keyboard is detachable [ hence the ' tablet ' mode ]
but the keys are closer and have reduced carry or shorter travel. That change is harder to adjust to

Of course, just go get another Chromebook in 2 months

We shall see said the Zen Master ....... again

So. How did exercise go, today. The Wahoo App that records and presents kCal / time / avg BPM / max BPM also asks ' how was your workout '

I answered once ' enjoyable '

But really the App wants daily input to track your workout history 

the challenge of Chromebooks. Officially, we both have used the Duet.Reviews are mostly negative. Screen is a tiny bit smaller and keyboard is a pain. Recall that many buyers specifically wanted the tablet function [ sans keyboard ]. I've tried tablet mode and while quirky really not my fav.

Early days and we may adjust if only out desperation
BTW, when using the Duet downstairs I have BluTooth standard ish keyboard. Up here, not sure how it would fit.

mai 📀 21

 📀 ... a slow start, oh, really , yes
Day was little dicey to start but full sun for the bulk of the day

cool for sure but jacket and out you go
ran errands. Thursday is 20 % day at Shoppers. So load up. Aloe Vera x 2 [ gets used a lot ], scripts for M ... and Multivitamins.
I went for D3 vitamin tablets but figured ' let s go, w / the full load '
the label says ' supplement ' and that s what I need - little this, little that 

steaks for dinner / baked spud - a - roos and corn

🕉 Leacock hello on mai 20

 🕉 my view is gray to slightly lighter, certainly rain overnight it seems

and cooler by some 15 degrees.

And the day blossomed quite nicely thank you, Yes cooler but pleasant all around

🚠 mercury soars , Leacock peeps

 🚠 bringing a heat wave ..... for two days
but green and growing out there

dandelion bloomfest ....

17 th mai ( Leacock alum s )

 the 'outlook ' here and not at home. Foggy and still 

6:40 AM and awake. Thus. put coffee on.

Using an automatic machine, I boiled water and drip fed the coffee basket. Near the end, I added a cup of bottled water to the reservoir and hit ' on '

Coffee. Strong. way strong. But drinkable and got better as I sipped away.

Visibility. is 40 m. I guess b / c I'm not sure how you do the test 

But slept sound and comfy. I prepped a comforter and second blanket BUT slept wrapped in the comforter b / c we were in the basement next to the gas fireplace 

I'm upstairs now and it's a good temperature here as well 

OK what s w / the boiling water using a drip machine. Well, the first water that the machine produces is getting warm. Then its hot after that 
thus. the really hot water ' blooms ' the coffee grounds, and then the following water is hot too.
I did add some bottled water at the end to get the hotplate warming.

Fog gone and a warmish day.

16 days into V

 Hello Leacock alum s

weather is 😧 coming on Spring warm , damp feeling an steady S wind 🌬️ 

Season finale for JHU mlax bowing out to U Notre Dame

🍪 on fourteen mai

 🍪 damp in the ' boro. slightly uncomfortable but jacket and go. wind is stirring.

yes coffee was good 

we are being visited by the VHA or home services for M

 

🍭 ... the ' boro om mai 13

 🍭 ... when it rains it pours .... as last night. rain was ricocheting off the roof.

dmpish out there w / little wind evidence

errata : yes, even I make mistakes. The story of JHU at Cornell and the hotel situation.
The hotel that was booked originally, couldn't seat the team and support staff for meals.
THEN Milliman moved the 2 bus loads of JHU to the Statler, biggest and classiest hotel in Ithaca and yes, the team changed in the hotel and walked out to the field.
Still a really sharp move.
Plus instead of hustling to the field, the players trailed along after an injured defender as he used his crutches.
Class that

WHEN YOU DAY DOES NOT INCLUDE SPLITTING the ATOM
at the store you buy shoe polish and find 1 / 8 oz painted jig heads for $ 2.43 red tag and the other packages say $ 6.
come home throw together bean vermicelli and left overs for Wednesday chow mein

 

🧙 hi, World ....

 🧙 .....  glad that you could make it ....
                   hello Leacock peeps !

' boro gets sun. air mostly still. Alrighty .... so coffee and typing
let the day unfold

Previously, I mentioned Johns Hopkins travelling to Peter Milliman s former coaching post at Cornell. I found a podcast re: lacrosse and specifically addressing the weekend games which were the round of 16. The storyline is that Cornell [ Ithaca, NY ] is way the hell and gone. Isolated and a nightmare for visiting teams.
E.g. the rumour is the visiting team s dressing rooms are distant from the field. It appears that Milliman pre - thought this difficulty AND chose the hotel across the street from the field. The Bluejays dressed for the game in the hotel and walked over to the field.

follow up : exercise. the every second day routine. Thus approx 3 times per week. Goal, get a good sweat in.
Cardio and strength but a smidgen of flexibility, basically,variety.
Originally, I would have mentioned discipline, vigour and improvement.
In reality. For about three years, the ' workout ' has shortened in length coming down from 45 min to 35 min.
BPM avg is now 111 to 116, c.f. 118 - 121. Bear in mind the target zones do fall in number w / age.
What s left is discipline and a continuation of effort for satisfaction. 
In comparison, some folks think of walking as ' exercise ' not a workout which I like to claim

💃 11 the of mai

💃.... going to the dance 

' boro is mainly sunny w / high cloud cover. sun at 80 % and seems still

the set up
I have a corner computer stand or desk, a three tier affair. The footprint is small and I look out on the street. not a great angle but I still have an 200 + degree sightline. I can watch traffic coming and going on our wide corner [ really a small cul de sac ].

I type and drink coffee of a morning

OK. " going to the dance ". The JHU Bluejays are record holders for the most National Championships [ maybe ]. The have won 44 National titles but some of those were awarded by Press Organisations and not a tournament result. At the time, of course, the only game in town

Well. They're back, w /  a chance 

Downstairs in the house. For approx. a month, the downstairs toilet would randomly begin to fill [ unused ]. I adjusted the water level in the tank, no joy. The test : let the tank fill, turn off the water supply. Wait.
Yepper. Over, approx 40 min the tank emptied.

This AM, decided to do something. water level good. Water condition dingy to jet black at the bottom of the tank. Touching the black goo [ really ] was akin to oil sludge.
And that's what it was. Research on G ... named the ' black stuff ' as deteriorating rubber dissolved in perhaps manganese precipitates.
I removed the flapper w / some effort and headed for the Depot. No one was available to help so I beelined it for Plumbing.
Well, quick visual and lo and behold the black part that I carried from home was sitting there, new and packaged. BUT not a flapper, it is an ' actuator ' [ still it cost $ 12 ]

Flushed out the goo. Slipped [ yes, popped right on ] the ' actuator ' on and done.

Testing is going on, to see if the tank emptied on its own or is it sealing

Definitely, self satisfying

🐦j ' S may 10

 🐦j ' S ...  Hi ! Leacock peeps 

sunny in the  'boro and we have spring - everything, sunny, green and growing

the Kings of Spring, title, was used many years ago, by Inside Lacrosse to announce the beginning of the NCAA Div 1 lacrosse season. Approx 70 teams, playing a mixed schedule of league and non league games.
The ' dance ' is the 16 team field selection [ by committee ], that ends in late May to highlight this knockout tournament for the Div 1 Championship

This season, JHU qualified for the B1G final and lost to Penn State. The Committee opted to rank the JHU Jays as # 8 and bracketed them against Cornell, the Big Red. In the incestuous world of NCCA lacrosse, there are always connections when teams meet.

The JHU mlax, bussed up to Ithaca, NY for Saturday s game vs Cornell.
On the year, both teams were brilliant and peripatetic, w/ four or five losses each.
The game was a lock in, brawl. The final goal in O / T was scored by Hop.
Nine goals and 3 saves, earned the win. What ? 3 saves. JHU s Gelinas stopped 3 shots. Hit posts and high and wides count too as shots.

Congrats to Jays. Making something out of a ' what the heck ' season.

 Connxns. JHU coach, Milliman, left Cornell to be at Homewood. 

At first, I thought ' who will they play next, # 1 Notre D or Jacksonville '
really ....  ??

you got there, that's good enough - how many teams are dying b / c you got the chance

on paper Cornell was favoured w / bigger studs and healthier team overall. But when JHU holds you scoreless for 21 min, the other 39 better be brilliant [ and wasn't ]

let s cheer the moment [ hey, real life lesson for me too !

🕉 Leacock peeps hello

  🕉 ... on May 9 th

sunny ish, high cloud but sun poking thru

green and growing .... coffee and typing .... world seems to be going about this business

and rain came late afternoon BUT we had our fish chips already in the house. Basically, a slow to slower day.
The UK folks did call for M ... mostly. The clan is gathered in Deby.

Fish and chips was a winner. So, ' winner, winner - fish and chips dinner ' Oops. that is not a ' winner '

🆑 for the May day 8

 🆑 ...' boro is dampish looking foliage looks still ou there, skies are cloudy

was thinking last night, that I used to run out and add garbage to the cans before 7 [start of pick up s ].
well, I did get up pre - 7. Didn't go out tho ' [ its the thought that counts ]
going for coffee, now

a follow up of sorts : my previous backpack had the disadvantage of a small outer side pocket, ostensibly for a water bottle - a small bottle. I re - jigged the pocket w / a flexible tie to support a taller bottle.
however, the new traveller backpack came w / a larger [ minimum a litre ] and I thought - perfect. then it dawned that a litre plus bottle weighs 2 # at least.
Planning for overseas I went to Dollar Store for souvenirs. One souvenir was a 2 cup bottle ' CANADA  label and multi coloured Maple leaves as decoration '. The top has a tip up straw affair. Love the size and carry it around the house.

Hello Leacock peeps

well, unbeknownst to friend A ... my Birthday lunch was a treat of Japanese [ ? ] curry and a seafood skimpy Chow Mein [ great noodles tho ' ]
I  stopped off at the bakery for butter tart s and Bake well tart s. A beer to follow w / out a doubt

Arsenal, peripatetic follower that I have become, are in the Champions Cup.
The boys of spring, JHU mlax play a 1 / 4 final game tomorrow, away in Itahca, NY

 

💱 for the 7 th

 💱 ..... of the month Typing and no coffee. actually only been awake [ for real ] since 8:45 thus a late beginning

Coffee as a life raft

At the risk of being both repetitive and seemingly to be stupid, I'm going to say I do not get Facebook. I don't know what I'm doing on it. I think of it as communication but obviously it's communication that I don't relish or I don't favor one of the two. I'm thinking of dropping out of Facebook again. I think I said this 3 years ago and I think I'm back on that beam

🎒 ... VI of V

 🎒 ...' boro is wet and getting wetter. temperature will be 50 ish. and mostly still

typing and coffeeeee ! please be done ... yes 

Hello former Leacock ites or not former but always  ??

the day stretches out 

then. it's Kentucky Fried rat for lunch 
of course, the afternoon brings blue sky and sun [ plus you can see your breath ]

Come sit by the fire. Come as close as the air share in a memory of gray and wonder in my words, the mystery of changes. Gordon Lightfoot

""" Sit by my side, come as close as the air

Share in a memory of gray and wander in my words

And dream about the pictures that I play of changes """ the real lyric

🛋 May fifth in the ......

  🛋 cloudy ' boro, rain expected and mid fifties for temperature

coffee and typing and ...Hello Leacock peeps. 

not much doing here, sloggily coming awake

visited a friend. quiet visit

where do we go from here - is the question
and the answer is not often positive 

🇾🇹 ... May the 4 th be w /you .....

 🇾🇹  ...  on a sunny 'boro day. blue - y sky and some stirring in the tops. headed for 60 F

Hello Leacock, if you came from FB

Hall and Oates recorded ' Out of Touch .... '

so, this noon at the pub, the bartender didn't recognize Bob Dylan .... Oooph how to feel old. 
on a positive note, the chicken schnitzel is M ... s fav [ I get some of it too ]

Things that you say to yourself : ' that wasn't a very productive afternoon ' I napped
now. wait. nothing is produced here. ever. dirty dishes ? laundry [ we are good at that ].
hopefully, ' productive ' is loose terminology

or phrasing.

🎲 3 rd of mai

 🎲 ... sunny in the ' boro
coffee and typing

Hi Leacock

headed for 50 F today. 

The doings. Ran out, a tad early for Giant Tiger Sunday shopping ritual.
B / c the first 65 customers got a $ 10 off coupon, yes, I got one
Not much but $ 39 became 29

cookies, milk, bananas, chips and pretzels [ all on Canada s Food Guide ] 

Okay. 2 nd Guinness in glass 🍷 and iced. Despair will not take hold, here. Sitting / thinking is all. 

' when they say - Why, Why? TELL them that it s Human Nature ....... '

For YouTube music, use headphones of quality ( mine are AudioTechnique ) and look for 3D / 8 something etc videos. I'm settling for good headphones 🎧 🎧 

" .... reaching out, into the Night Time, secret walls won't hold me tonight. ....

if this town is just an Apple 🍎 

🛩 mai deuxieme

 🛩 ... is there something about ..... how you handle disappointment  .... sign of something ... the cross ... maturity ...  failure!!!!!

We cancelled our UK trip 48 hrs out. full refund. instantaneous [ or close to ]
Health reasons which is why we paid the big bucks for ' total ' flex booking
still saddening

' boro mostly dull, some perky moments ..... 

Hello Leacock if you are checking

Plus the first week hotel was ' flex ' and got cancelled 

We are in the hook for $ 500 for a chalet that was past cancellation time

💷 May first

 💷 " ... and guess who'll cry, come first of May .... '  BeeGees [ ? ]

If you come here from Facebook, ' Hello and Welcome ' 

' boro weather is cloudy and forebodes rain. hovering 40 - 45 F

Coffee and typing.  wouldn't you know   

" Pack up all you're cares and woe ..... "

' Bye, Bye Blackbird........ 

Follow up for the ' boro, conditions, today. sun popped out but cloudy still