Winter 2014 December 31 Wednesday

17  degrees this morning (Brr as Siri would say!), 2 degrees windchill; no walk, 2 Earthquakes

Cold out here the last day of 2014!  

The 17 degrees didn’t bother me too much as far as a walk, the wind did!  I decided to skip the walk, it probably is good to skip a day anyway and it has been about three months since I skipped a day.

It sounds like tomorrow may have ice, which isn’t a great way to start off a new year!

Overall, cold doesn’t bother me that much when I walk, I just bundle up for it.  My hands are the weak spot as any gloves that are warm enough also limit my ability to handle things.  (I have a headlamp I wear on my head, but I also have a small flashlight and I also carry a walking stick.)

The Holidays have come and gone fast.  I think catch myself thinking “when Christmas gets here”, and realize New Year Day is almost here and Christmas is past.

I think the difference is it has been such a different holiday season from the past, in that in the past we always traveled to OKC, this year we were at “home”  and no need to travel.  

Looking forward to 2015 (I think).  It would be hard to imagine a more varied year than 2014 and maybe what I would like in 2015 is some more “same old, same old”!

Had a Braum’s strawberry shake for supper last night.  I really don’t know how Braum’s does it, their food is simply better than the competition.  Especially on the strawberry shakes!

I decided years ago I don’t make New Year Resolutions as such.  I normally have some kind of goals plan anyway with priorities.  

I do try to use the New Year to analyze where I am as to where I want to be. I think my use of time is always a consideration.

The other day I was  asked (at Toastmasters “Table Topics”) what gift I would want for Christmas if I could have anything I wanted, and my answer was more “Time”.

I didn’t really mean time “lived” or anything like that, I just meant more time in a day to get things done I want done.

I think cellphones are wonderful in that they enable you to “buy time” in a sense.  Also, audiobooks allow you to “buy time”, in the sense that I can listen to an audiobook while I drive or walk etc.

If I and a lottery or otherwise somehow got a lot o month, I probably wouldn’t change too much, but I would hire  a driver! 

I always hate to think of the time I waste driving that I could be reading or doing something else.

Of course, my sleeping habits are part of my  desire to use time more effectively.  While I understand that getting enough sleep is not necessarily healthy, I do try to allow time for naps etc.

I also believe that sometimes “whatever works” is the best alternative.  If my sleeping habits work for me, it is probably right for me, although I do need to remember to take adequate naps during the day. 

At a minimum, I need my 30 minute nap after my exercise (or at the same time if I don’t exercise) and steal 10-15 minutes naps during the day., usually one at the end of the work day and sometime during the day.  I almost never take the full nap time, but that is the time I budget.

That’s it for now, Wednesday, December 31, 2014

I wish all who read this a rewarding New York and I wish you the ability, patience and resources to handle the challenges of the coming year.

Winter 2014 December 30 Tuesday

32 degrees this morning (23 windchill),57:17  minutes walking, three earthquakes

My Toastmasters Club has an “international food” meeting last night.  A number of members are natives of different countries and each member made a food representative of their culture.  It was fun and interesting as well as educational and good eating!  (I bought fudge and banana bread, the fudge that Aliene makes each year).

Yesterday was especially interesting at work.  Interesting in the sense that I run into situations that I haven’t before and I have to figure out the right solution!  

I have to plug in my ipod (formerly my iphoneI) each day so I have enough juice to last through the day.  

I occasionally forget, so I spend several minutes working on this instead of walking!  It actually doesn’t take long for it to charge it up enough for the walk.

It is interesting how we get into certain routines, sometimes for a reason, sometimes not.  I guess there is no reason I shouldn’t do this first and than walk but I always walk first, shower etc. and then finish this and post it before I take my morning nap.

After my morning nap, I eat breakfast, glance at the paper etc. and then go to work at 7:30 a.m. or usually actually about 7:20 a.m. Not having any commuting time is nice!  

Being an Oklahoma University (sports) fan hasn’t been much fun the last several years.  I always wonder what makes you a “fan” of a specific sports team.  I have never attended OU (except for some off-campus graduate classes I took in the Air Force).  I am a strong fan of Wichita State since I got my M.A. there, and, although we almost never hear of it, I would be a strong fan of Fort  Hays State.

Pro teams are another matter.  Obviously I can understand being for your city  team, but why people are fans of sports teams they have never seen in person or a city they have never been in is another matter!  Not criticizing, just speculating.  It is an interesting subject.

We liked the Memphis Redbirds so much, it will be difficult for us to enjoy going to another baseball teams games, but I expect we will adjust, while continuing to cheer for the Memphis Redbirds from afar!  

The tie between the Memphis Redbirds and St. Louis Cardinals was especially nice, since we could watch the players we saw on the Memphis Redbirds, especially the ones who were not necessarily yet “stars” develop and become “stars” for the St. Louis Cardinals.  

That won’t happen here, because of a different tie-in.

We even feel an emotional tie to the Memphis Grizzles (the Memphis pro basketball team), even though we feel pro basketball is boring, or more to the point, meaningless, but we still like the team and how the players and team were involved in the Memphis community.  

I expect the same applies to the basketball team here.  We moved to Memphis right as the Grizzles started playing in Memphis, so we will probably always have soem emotional attachment to the team.

I guess the attachment is to the team, not the coach, players, or even the owners, since that changes all the time.

Even then, Iit  is still hard to understand how someone could be a fan of a college team (like Kentucky) where it is essentially a pro team that changes every year.   The relationship of the players to “student” is slight to say the least.

That’s it for now, Tuesday, December 30, 2014.

Winter 2014 December 29 Monday

32 degrees this morning. 57:28  minutes walking, Five Earthquakes

Starting the last week of 2014.  I am already having a problem remembering to  put “2015” when I make notations for items after the first of the year.  

While I like action, I hope 2015 is tamer than 2014, although I will always remember with pleasure and good memories the trip to China in 2014.

I won’t go over some of the “lessons” I learned in 2014 or 2013 for that matter.  

On the other hand, in addition to the trip to China I had a lot of good things happen in 2014.

Reading Stephen King over the past four days.  Perhaps the items I still have to do around the house are replacing what used to be my work, as I feel guilty for reading instead of picking up “weeding” again etc.  I guess I just have to remember there is a “time for everything”.

We will have lived here six months this weekend and I will mark my 4th month on my job Friday.  Somehow it seems longer, in a positive view.

I have to admit last year at this time, I could hardly have forecast what would happen in the year ahead, and probably I will be surprised to look back a year from now and see what happened in the previous year.

I’m still not sure if this is “all for the best”, but we are going with the flow and assuming it is, since it is s the way it is anyway.

Supposed to be “ice” New Year Day, and possibly New Year Eve and Saturday.  As usual, ice is worse than snow as far as damage and creating driving problems.  I’ll take snow anyday. 

While I really like “spell check”, it seems like the “spell check” etc. are starting to go too far.  Recently I have noted that it is changing entire words and even parts os sentences and it is not as good as it thinks it is when it changes the wording and it just sounds like nonsense.  

I am spending more time re-reading what I write to make sure spell check (or grammar check ow whatever they call it) didn’t change something I wrote to make an entirely different meanings!

I try to weigh myself every Monday, and the holidays are showing up on the scales, which is a good reason to force myself to weigh myself! 

Actually, it’s not too bad, but it does provide a strong warning that it is time to cut back and not each that extra piece of fudge or whatever!  

That’s it for today, Monday, December 29, 2014.

Winter 2014 December 28 Sunday

28 degrees this morning, 58:26 minute walk, 4 earthquakes

The period between Christmas and New Year Day (or really until the Monday following New Year Day) frequently takes on the feeling of a national nap, as generally everything slows down or stops, in some areas and other areas (such as shopping, eating) become more active.  

I think everyone and everything needs a break occasionally so that is good.

Overall, it has been a good holiday season.  This is the first time in at least 14 years that I haven’t had a long break , but the two days at Christmas and the New Year Day holiday are enough. 

I think since it is a “real” break and I get a “real” break on weekends and evenings, I don’t really feel the need for a major break.  

As I have mentioned before, working “only” 40 hours a week is almost like retirement, after 40 years of working weekends and evenings as a matter of course and always having something to to do for my job.  I don’t regret it all, and I am enjoying the current situation.  

Spent a nice day with Kali and Katherine yesterday.  We ate, and I showed them Plaza Mayor, which is a redeveloping mall.  That is one of the areas that my job involves so I am watching with interest as it redevelops.  

We played “Farkle” and it made us realize again how much we miss our friends in Memphis!  Kali liked it and Katherine wasn’t quite as favorable, but she may start to like it!

Kali presented her monologue she is working for at school.  She really did an excellent job on it and we enjoyed listening to it.

Then we went Starbucks where we had the “Google WiFi”, which is super fast internet.  We enjoy just hanging out and reading, working on the computer etc. and drinking coffee.  

I don’t care for “fancy coffee” (I just get a “dark roast, no coffee), but Alene, Kali and Katherine enjoy  the more complicated coffee drinks!  

Kali got a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas, so I guess she takes after her grandfather (me) in that regard that she enjoys coffee!

Gas is to $1.66 at places here.  I am waiting for it to go to under $1.00 again!  I doubt if that will happen, but then I never thought I would see it below $3.00 again, much less $2.00.  

The new shoes I got for my “walking” shoes has really make a major difference on my feet.  They feel a lot better.  It made a big difference on my walk.  

I really enjoy my morning walk, in spite of the cold.  It really hasn’t been that bad, especially as long as the wind remains calm.

I am enjoying one of my hidden habits, watching taped boxing bouts.  I’m not sure why I enjoy it, it isn’t the brutality, it is more the idea of two persons facing each other, depending only on your own resources.   There may be a lot of hype involved, but in the end you have to face the other person.

It is really strange I watch tapes of bouts, and for a long time I rarely saw a “”actual” (as opposed to ta “technical” knockout.  Over the past week, I have probably seen five “knockouts” where it literally was a knockout.  In each case, the punch that did it is almost like a brush, not a hard punch.  

No I have no desire to box, but I like to to watch the strategy involved, and some of the reaction.  Somewhat like auto racing, you don’t really enjoy the accidents.  

That’s it for now, Sunday, December 28, 2014.

Winter 2014 December 17 Saturday

36 degrees this morning. light snow during walk (“sprinkles”)   56:39 minutes walking 4 earthquakes

Light snow this morning (actually just a few flakes in the air  It is always a good walk even in the cold, but snow would stop my walk until it melts!

I have decided I will need to go back to the basic “low carb” eating again after the holidays.  While I haven’t done really bad as far as eating, I need to get back on track.  

I always  remember in 1999 when I was about the weight I am now, the holiday eating pattern didn’t change until about 4 years ago when I went on my low carb eating pattern.  I still am on it, I just need to watch more carefully.  

Twenty years ago today, my Mom called and advised my Dad had passed away, apparently  from Parkinsons.  I can still picture exactly where I was when she called.  I find it hard to picture it being 20 years ago, 20 years seems likes a long time, but somehow the time went fast.  

I really see time pass when I realize how fast children grow, and I understand now when adults were always amazed at how much we had grown when we were children. All of the children that were “children” when Aliene and I got married 18 years ago are now adults and my granddaughters were not even born!  

Of course, you think 18 years, that is just what happens, but the time seems to fly by so fast.

Of course, I have been always been well aware time and how there is so little time for everything I want to do.  

Sometimes  I’m not sure but what it is better as you get older and your options become somewhat more limited (but still many!).  I think  I focus more on what I can do and maybe don’t bother wasting time on what I realize I can’t do, if that makes any sense.

I read/heard some interesting ideas the past several days.

One is a comment by a person on CNBC (didn’t get his name) that “States” as such, are not as important as Metropolitan areas, that innovation and advances are being made at the Metropolitan level, that businesses don’t care about incentives as much as locating in a Metropolitan with a good working force, and the potential for a variety of life styles.  

 I wish I had gotten more information on it. Although it is a fairly common theme, the person on CNBC was reinforcing it by encouraging businesses to consider the Metropolitan area and not the state when choosing locations.  Or rather, he just said that was the trend and businesses just need to go with it.

I know Memphis was frequently hurt by the Tennessee Governors who favored other parts of the state and politically forced Memphis to sometimes support new businesses in some area of Tennessee rather than development in Mississippi or Arkansas that would actually be more favorable to Memphis than other parts of Tennessee.

The other was about Facebook and how they use the “use your Strengths”  management style.  I have to agree that has a lot of potential.

Several years ago I heard the author speak and took a “strength finder” survey.  I have to agree that using your strengths instead of spending all your time trying to improve your weaknesses can be the appropriate method in the right organization   

I also applied it somewhat t my personal life, I’ll need to go back and review the book again. 

That’s it for now, Saturday, December 27, 2014

Winter 2014 December 26 Friday

50 degrees this morning.  57.23 minutes walking. two earthquakes

Really nice Christmas Eve and Christmas.  Aliene and I had Christmas Dinner at a downtown hotel restaurant which offered a special Christmas Dinner (actually lunch).  

The meal today was unique, not necessarily something we would order all the time, but something special.

It was nice, plus the guitar player lunch player was one I had heard 20 years ago and even have some CD’s of.  He is good.

Otherwise we ate leftovers and food we received as gifts.  

Watched two movies “I’t’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story”.

Oddly enough I realized I had never watched “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  I really enjoyed it (I suspended reality), but was a little concerned that the main character needed some anger management therapy.  Even with the troubles he was having, his actions seemed a little extreme, although perhaps that was just for emphasis.

I have probably been watching “A Christmas Story”, or at least parts of it, for 20 years every Christmas.  It is one of those movies that you enjoy the anticipation even though you know everything that happens.  The acting is just super.

We actually saw the house where it was filmed (in Cleveland) and met the actor who played Ralphie’s younger brother.

Wind was up yesterday, it is the type that can grab the car door out of your hands etc.   

The wind was still blowing this morning.  I never know how to dress when the wind is blowing so hard, it can make it so much colder when I walk where the wind is so strong.

Now, since Christmas is over,  we have the endure the mindless and numerous “year in review” stories from the news media.  Some are ok, but….

Started reading a Stephen King novel, one of the first I have read in several years.  So far, it has been interesting and good.  I control how much time I spend reading, so I get it read, but done’ spend too much time reading it at one time.

The two day Christmas break was really nice.  I really enjoyed the family gatherings as well as just the opportunity to relax and watch a movie and read.

Today will seem a weird day, since it is a Monday and Friday rolled into one day!  

I haven’t decided what to do today, probably need to make it a field day, at least partly.  Well research to see what, if any, new accounts I have.  

Even though “winter weather’ doesn’t normally start here until late December (i.e. heavy snow etc.), it still means we are on the down side and heading up towards Spring and Summer as the days get longer.  

That’s it for now, Friday, December 26, 2014.

Winter 2014 December 25 Thursday

35 degrees this morning.  58:08 minutes walk.

Just realized I had been putting “Fall 2014” in the top, even though it is Winter.  

Merry Christmas!  

We had an excellent Christmas Eve family celebration.  I think everyone was there who could logically attend, which makes it extra nice.

This time of year I start to think of the year ahead.  I’m not a great person for writing “this was the year past”, I think I prefer to think about the year ahead, although we can learn a lot from examine our history and what happened in the past.

2014 was obviously a year of changes, but highlighted by our trip to China, our move, my new job and I’m sure other things I not thinking about.  

Christmas of course brings many memories, as each Christmas makes more memories.  Probably a memorable recent Christmas was when we were snowed in by 14” of snow and couldn’t get out of the hotel.  We literally ate out of vending machines.  At least we didn’t overeat!

We did decide that after that we would stay at a hotel that had meal service!  (Of course, we found out they suspended their meal service for Christmas Day, but getting snowed in didn’t re-occur.

While we are spending our first Christmas at “home” since 2000, we actually spent each Christmas with family, since our “home” was Lakeland.

Of course, most Christmas memories are about the people involved or events, not “things” or gifts, although I do remember some of the more thoughtful gifts.

One  Christmas memory that was a little different, but very fun was the Christmas I “played Santa” and delivered gifts to children in town that otherwise may not have had any Christmas presents. 

I actually wore a Santa suit (which fit a little too well!) and drove around waving at children (and adults) and delivering gifts to wide-eyed children.  I also visited Angela (who still believed in Santa) and she didn’t realize until years later that it was me.

When I was a child, I can remember getting up early for Christmas.  It seemed (and he may will have) that my Dad deliberately tarried doing the chores.  He was the type person who liked (in my mind) to anticipate, frequently he wouldn’t open a gift for a long time, so I think he enjoyed the anticipation.  

Aliene and I have developed the Christmas pattern of celebrating Christmas Eve with our families and then just spending a quiet Christmas Day and eat out for lunch. 

Although we have done other things like take a day trip Christmas Day (one time we went the Great Salt Plains Park in Oklahoma and when my sister lived closer, we’ll meet her and her husband and our niece for a visit on Christmas.    We  used to go the Christmas Day hockey game Christmas evening when they had hockey on Christmas Day.  

We keep it flexible!

Merry Christmas to all who read this. I hope you are having (or had) a memorable and pleasant Christmas.

That’s it for now, Thursday, December 25, 2014.

Fall 2014 December 24 Wednesday

36 degrees this morning. 57:18  minutes walking, three earthquakes

A light (very light) snow sprinkled me this morning as I ended by walk.  Apparently it will not get any worse.  

I looked at the weather and there is some light clouds coming over, but no forecast of rain or snow.

Christmas Eve today.  I am glad we have both Christmas Eve and Christmas off.  

We generally have our family gathering on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas quietly, usually going out to eat Christmas Lunch.  

Amazing that Christmas will be here and gone before I even realize it.  

As I mentioned previously, I like it that we leave up our Christmas decorations a little past New Year Day so we can enjoy them longer.

Christmas Eve has evolved to be our primary celebration with family.  

As I have mentioned before, this will be the first time since 2000 that we have been at “home” home for Christmas.  I don’t recall us ever not being at “home” on New Year Day.

I got  a lab test the other day, the hospital sets you up a web page and you can check your results on the web site.  

I also can keep all of my prescriptions etc. on the web site, as well as appointments etc. and I can even e-mail the Doctor and request prescription refills etc.

Anyway, the results that are back so far are all good, or at least “within limits” which is always a relief.  

So far, we have been pleased with all of our new Doctors, it is difficult to change.

Office Day today.  I caught up on filing and research, and just getting familiar with more of the procedures etc.  

Although a primary part of the job I really like is that there is something new every day, it also means I have to learn something new every day and never assume I know the answer! 

I decided I was going to try to read more “for pleasure” , but I keep finding a lot of it is “same old, same old”.  Doesn’t mean it is bad, just I don’t feel like it is new and adding something to my life.

Obviously doesn’t apply  to all fiction and doesn’t apply to all authors and may even differ in each book.  

It also may depend on my frame of mind at the time also.  

I realized yesterday that between Siri and being able to “dictate” what I am saying on my phone, a substantial change has evolved and probably 75% of my interaction with my phone is verbal and not typed in. 

I’m not sure if there is a change or not, but it seems like the “spell check” has gotten a lot more aggressive, frequently changing phrases even to something I don’t mean at all or that doesn’t make any sense.

(Not that everything I say makes sense, but….)

Anyway, I am finding I have to really read my messages before I send them.  Still better than to have to type everything out.

That’s it for now, Wednesday, December 24, 2014.  

Winter 2014 December 23 Tuesday

44Degrees this morning, 57:41 minute walk.

Started listening to  “the Winter of the World” during my walk this morning.  Finished “The Fall of Giants” yesterday morning during my walk.

I understand it is three novels covering the century from early 1900 to 1999.  So far it is maintaining my interest well.  

The first book only went to about about 1925 (maybe a little later), so he will need to get going, although I assume he has developed the main families for the century with additions as appropriate.  However, the “Winter of the World” started in 1933, so the author is right on target.

These are actually  fairly old novels, I believe the first was written in 2010.

Since the three novels will take total of about 100 hours to listen to, that means it will take me about another 40 days to listen to this book and another 40 days to listen to the second one.  

Allowing for days missed etc. that will put me into about March, or possibly Spring before I start on something else!  

I also have a Spanish tape on the iPod, which is very good.   

I actually have a “repurposed” iPhone, my original iPhone 3.  I have also “repurposed” Aliene’s 3S, so I have plenty of iPods, county my original iPad, my five shuffles and my iPod Nano.  

It is a little overwhelming.  I just can’t give away or not use something that is still good, no matter how old it is.  My iPod shuffles are an amazing 7 or 8 years old and have never had their batteries replaced. 

In reality when the batteries go out, it’s not  worth replacing the batteries since you can buy a brand new iPod cheaper than the battery for the old one.  As I have noted before I like the original shuffles much better than the later ones.

My original iPad battery is actually stronger than the newer iPads.  I use it every day as an iPod (it is too slow for many other tasks) for an hour or so.  It also makes a good note taker, except that it doesn’t sync with other programs like newer devices are.  

Of course, the original iPad doesn’t have near the demands on the battery the newer iPads do.

My Macbook Air has the best battery of any, it literally lasts for 10 to 12 hours.  I never bother to take a power cord  for it unless I am going to be gone overnight. 

Today is the last day of work before I am off Wednesday and Thursday.  It doesn’t seem like Christmas Eve is Wednesday and Christmas is Thursday.  

We had a nice evening Sunday evening with Aliene’s brother & wife and Sister and husband.  We took a “selfie” which is just wonderful!  

I am learning a lot about Evernote, hopefully it is becoming more valuable to me.  I think there is also the danger of trying to save too much. 

 My new shoes are helping a lot on my  walk, avoiding pain in my toe and foot.  It is a lot more fun to walk now.

That’s it for now, Tuesday, December 23, 2014.

Winter 2i014 December 22 Monday (Trails through the Woods)

49 degrees this morning 57 minutes walking three earthquakes

I remember a picture we had when I was a child of a road (or rather perhaps a wide trail) going through the woods.

I remember looking a the picture a lot and wondering where the road went, how you knew when you arrived and what would happen if I could get on the road.

Perhaps that is one reason books about walking into a picture and becoming part of the picture  fascinated me.

I bring this up since I saw a similar picture today and it made me think about it.

Also, I think this time of year makes you think about where you are going, where you have been etc.  

Probably the fact that this year will be 20 years since my Dad passed away (on December 27) made me think on it some.  

I never will know where he got the picture, why we had the picture in the house or what happened to the picture.  

The picture itself doesn’t matter too much anyway, it is the thought and concept that t intrigued me and probably have intrigued me all my life.

I remember going to look at a town where my Dad was considering a job.  There was a big hill to the west of the city and I always wondered what was over the hill.  I never found out and never will.

I think that is one reason I always liked getting the mail, why I love e-mail and why I really enjoyed my current job (and really liked my career as City Manager).

I always had something happening and something new all the time.  In my current job, I have projects pop on the computer and there is nothing I like better than to have some new projects pop up! 

As soon as I see a new project pop up, I can’t wait to look at it and see what it is!

Yesterday (and apparently today) is going to be one of those days were the cold just seems to get into your bones.  

Office day today (catch up on Friday, get ready for Tuesday), a field day Tuesday and then I”m off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Not sure what I will be doing Friday probably in the office since it will be too hectic to be in the field and I have a lot of office stuff to catch up on.

I have been looking into apps that sync with Evernote.  It has been fascinating to see how everything can interrelate.  Probably I will be saving too much stuff.

As I mentioned the other day, I found that Next Issue (magazines) can copy an article to Evernote for future reference and now I have found a journal app that will automatically save short notes into a journal by day and (I think) place.

Trying hard not to gain weight during this season!  So far i have gained one pound, and I will have gained one pound.  Main thing is that I am aware of it and take action to lose it!  

That’s it for now, Monday, December 22, 2014

Winter 2014 December 21 Sunday

43 degrees this morning, 57:57 minutes walking, three earthquakes

Today is the shortest day and the days get longer from here!  At least that is the positive view of the first day of winter!  

Overall yesterday was a relatively quiet day, today kind of starts the Holiday season, with a dinner tonight etc.

Next week will be rather strange as I work Monday, Tuesday and Friday. 

I worked some more on improving my knowledge of “Evernote” today.  The more I know about it, the less I learn, if that makes any sense.

I did find out I can save “Next Issue” articles to Evernote and read on a bigger screen, which is nice.  I think I can save Wall Street Journal articles there also.  

Also worked on my photos for awhile.  I need to get that finished up, but at least the digital photos  doesn’t get in the way or anything!  

I am also working on getting photos of “event” or “place” t-shirts & hats etc. before I donate them.  

I am trying to figure how to set up a separate “Flickr” (or similar) account.  I actually could put all of them in Evernote which may be best and I can always save them to Google or another account.

I have been looking for an “app” to keep track of the mileage and miles per gallon etc.  I am amazed at the junk apps I have had to pay for and that just don’t do the job.  

I’ll keep looking, or I may just decide my current method is the best.

It is actually  fairly simple, I just save the receipts and have a spreadsheet.  

I tried to return several of the apps as not being advertised correctly.  I have found many of the apps are way over-hyped and basically junk, although there are also many that are excellent.

That is kind of like cable tv.  There promises are basically just that-promises.  The software isn’t up to the hype and we call them, they come out and say it is a “software problem”!  

Somehow there ads and hype for the products don’t mention they don’t work as advertised though, like a lot of technology.

One thing that always surprises me about technology people is how rigid they frequently are, or perhaps controlling is the best word.

Apply is one of the worst at that.  One aspect of the GPS on my car that I hate is the process for setting your destination including pressing “go”, which should be the last thing you have to  press, but THEN you have to press “ok”.  

What is especially bad that after pressing “Go”, there is a long pause, and then the map comes up.  Then an “OK” pops up on the screen for several seconds (only).  If you are the least distracted you don’t see the “OK” and the map makes it look like it is going.

Only after about 10 minutes and you realize the time of arrival isn’t changing and the obvious voice isn’t giving directions.  THEN you have to reset the entire direction.

Maddening.

That’s it for now, Sunday, December 21, 2014.  Winter 2014 has arrived!