2017 Winter March 8 Wednesday

43 degrees this morning.  No walk.

Didn’t walk, sore throat, probably from medical procedure yesterday, but didn’t want to take a chance on making it worse.

Surprised to suddenly realize that my chronic cough of almost two years suddenly stopped when I had to fast (well, a liquid diet) Monday.  This was after eating fairly lightly on Sunday.

It would be wonderful if I could get rid of the chronic cough, and if I have to eat less to accomplish that, will that is  double benefit!

Over the last few months, I have looked at the Internet and found that GERD can cause coughing.  I tried eating less (at least less food at one time) and noticed that my cough changed, it got a lot better but it still hung on.  

I already had some question since I quit Prevacid (I believe) about 10 years ago since it lowered my immune system.  I quit it “cold turkey” and coughed all over the place, especially when I drink carbonated beverages or high fat food.  

Of course I quit drinking carbonated beverages, my last one was probably ten years ago, maybe more.  I quit drinking them and after about 3 months had one to “celebrate”, and started coughing and haven’t had one since.

Switched to Tagamet, which worked well and then about 2 years ago, my Doctor felt there were some things about Tagamet which could create problems so I went off it.  My coughing started (I thought it was related to dust) and hasn’t stopped since, although it has gone through phases.  

This also lends a lot of credence to a book I recent read (and am now re-reading) about “fasting”  on a limited basis.  

Talking to my Doctor about how to proceed with determining if “GERD” is the problem for the cough, I’m sure it is. I expect I will need to take a “barium test” (or close to that).

I am also quite sure some of the coughing is caused by “exercise induced asthma” and reaction to cold air, but I can deal with that.

It would be wonderful to be able to ride my bike again without it starting a coughing fit.  If I lose weight that would be a bonus.

I am glad the “medical test” is over.  I have to do it again in 5 years rather than ten years, but 5 years is still 5 years!  Sometimes you just do what you have to do.

Interesting news about how you someone can “spy” on you from smart tv’s, phones etc.  Maybe as they say, paranoia may be right!  On the other hand, I have to wonder who would really care what I do an a daily basis!  

Another Apple product I have come to really value is my “Air Buds”.  They are really great.  I realize there are probably other products just as good or better, but these are really great.  

While there are some Apple products that are true duds, the Air Buds are a marvel of simplicity.  Kind of like the first  iPhone I got, I first looked at the iPod version and marveled at how intuitive it was and went ahead and bought the iPhone.  

The iWatch isn’t quite as intuitive, but it is really excellent, as I have expressed numerous times.  The Air Buds have been wonderful for my work, since they leave my hands free.  I know there are similar products but these are the first that  truly worked well, at least for me.  

That’s it for now, Wednesday, March 8, 2017.

2017 Winter March 7 Tuesday

42 degrees this morning (No walk, medical  test)

Been on a liquid diet for a day now..  I was going to keep periodic notes about how I  felt, but I didn’t.  Basically, the liquid substituted enough and I didn’t feel any really bad hunger pains.

Actually got rather warm yesterday, although the wind was strong all day.  Some areas had to evacuate (not around here, in the state) due to wild fires and the high wind.  

Of course, other parts of the state had thunderstorms.

I have to wonder if we will ever figure out how to control the weather or at least change the impact of the weather so it is beneficial instated of such a disaster.  Thinking of all the needless damage the weather does, and the benefits of changing the impacts of weather is significant.  

I’m not sure how it could even be done, or what would be necessary to re-direct the weather, but if somehow the thunder storms could be directed over the wildfires etc.  it would be beneficial.

I’m not quite sure how it could be done, but if we could change hurricanes and tornadoes from populated areas it would be a big benefit.  

While we have made giant advances in forecasting the weather,  i seems we have made almost no significant advance in controlling the effects of weather.  

I have no idea how we would even start on such an endeavor, but I’m sure there are researchers working on it.  

Reading about the dangers of computer security problems the internet, I kind  of wonder what would happen if we had  even a small lapse in the internet system, as we know it.  We have gotten very dependent (to say the least) on the internet working smoothly.

I can’t even imagine the confusion etc. created by even a short internet outage, that is a totally outage of the use of the internet.  It would basically stop all travel, banking, communication etc.  

I noted yesterday that California especially is researching the use of batteries (or at least electricity storage)  in storing electricity  especially from solar and wind, since they have a surplus of electricity during the day when solar and wind produce a lot of electricity and then there is a shortage at night..

Of course, it may will be that there is a better way of storing electricity than batteries etc.

It made me wonder if we are remiss in spending a lot of our resources on solar and wind electric generation and not more on storage of electricity.

I think that is the problem with the big lobbyists throwing money at state legislatures for “incentives”, many times it simply warps the development of better technology.

That’s it for now, Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

2017 Winter March 6 Monday

63 degrees this morning, walk 34:04 minutes

A “cool” 63 degrees this morning, something like the way Spring has that “cool” tinge that makes it uncomfortable.  

Pace was about 25 seconds per mile below (faster) than  expectations.  In this case I was aware I was walking relatively fast.  

Today is a “liquid only” diet for me, no food tomorrow until after the medical procedure (which is a routine preventative test).  Somehow, when you hear about something like this  (liquid diet etc.), you dread it but when it gets here you just accept it and deal with it.

I read a book about how fasting can be used in controlling/reducing weight as well as a health measure.  While I haven’t really tried it yet, on “field” days I take usually make food with me and eat a little through out the day and frequently don’t eat a big lunch, but I haven’t tried an actual fast. 

One “problem” is I like breakfast too much, probably my favorite meal of the day.  

At least I can drink all the coffee and tea I want, I think the worst time I ever had was when I had to abstain from coffee all day Sunday for a Monday test.  I was miserable.  

Read a quote that hit home for me “Certainty stops inquiry”, which is a good short quote and then the full quote “Certainty stops inquiry, so when you see certainty, interpret it as bad judgement”!  

I think that says a lot.  When you think you know something “for sure”, the world changes.  

I always said I used to be able to tell a major shift in the Stock Market when the Business Week cover proclaimed “The Death of Equities”  (Stocks would never improve, with all kinds of reasons), right at the lowest point of the stock mark and right before the strong, multi-year market rally (this goes back a long time) and when the cover more or less said the stock market was at a permanent higher level (I don’t recall the cover quote), it was right before the market went into a major swoon.  

There are various reasons for that (always after the fact, of course), but I think “Certainly stops inquiry”  certainly describes it well!  Once you are sure the market is going up (or anything else), you ignore the negative signs.

Of course, I”m no better than anyone else at forecasting, but I’ve found the “AAII” (American Association of Individual Investors” “Sentiment Index” is good to use as a “contra-indicator” when the “bullish/Bearish sentiment gets to extremes.  

Of course, having the courage to act on it is why “market timing” normally doesn’t work!

More on this later. 

Dream yesterday, these are real fragments, but I want to note what I can remember:

Dream 3-5-17:

Dreamed driving an older model car (with finsI).

At one point I was i a house with a stairs,  and I was thinking someone had taken my iPhone, just as I got to hthe office.

Looked for it, then was scared some water had damaged it.  For some reason I didn’t find it until we drove on a gravel/dir road to go someplace.

Only fragment of the dream .

Doesn’t make any sense, but in was a dream!

Dream 2 

In Holton Kansas (where I grew up)

I was in a car again and driving around.  sone one, not sur who, was there

Somehow we had lost our way.

A brief fragment again.  Trying to remember more of my dreams so I can note them. 

That’s it for now, Monday, March 6, 2017 

2017 Winter March 5 Sunday

53 degrees this morning, walk 35:12 minutes

Very windy (and a cool miserable wind even though the temperature was only 50 or so) yesterday, at least in some places.  

I had made a mental note to not walk today if the wind was too bad, but it was not that bad.

Pace was little off today, probably due to the wind, about 26 seconds a mile slower than expectations.

On the Apple watch, as part of the text messaging there is a “scribble” function.  I am amazed at how correct and fast it works.  

Basically you just, with your finger, write a brief message, one letter at a time.  It sounds like it would test your patience, but actually it is very easy to use and rather fun.  For example, to make an “e”, you just write out “e”, or for a period, just tap the watch.  

Anyway, if you have an Apple watch, try it, if you don’t, ask someone who does to let you try it!  You will (or at least I think you will) be amazed.

I actually like the Apple watch very much still, and have actually gotten used to it as part of my daily life.  

The Neighborhood Alliance meeting yesterday morning was good, I am really glad there is an organization like that in town.  I actually learned quite a bid and got enthused about it.

The one thing that struck me (and this may sound odd based on the previous posts) was the lack of younger people.  I know it is the age-old question, but involving younger residents in the Neighborhood Alliance should be a major priority.  How you do it is the key.

I wish now I had suggested providing child care during the meeting.  It would at least eliminate one major barrier to their attending.

The topics themselves were interesting and varied and well presented.

My photo library of my “Hot Wheels” collection is spotty at best.  I had hoped to do one per day, I need to just take the five minutes necessary to take a picture  and upload it!

It is kind of like “My Fitness Pal”, it only takes a few seconds, just getting git in your routine is what is important.  

Anyway, I need to somehow incorporate that into my day.  The problem is, if you try to incorporate too much, you end up back at the beginning again with no time!

That’s it so now, Sunday, March 5, 2017.

2017 Winter March 4 Saturday

50 degrees this morning, walk 34:22 minutes

Overall good walk this morning.  Pace was 4 seconds faster than expectations.  I seem to have settled into about that area  (where the average or “expectations” are)

Another weekend, feel good it is here, hopefully the weather will be nice.

Neighborhood Alliance this morning.  I am looking forward to it, learning more about the community and meeting people.  

Probably one of the things I miss most about not being in City government is not being involved in what is going on.  On the other hand, sometimes it is nice not being involved in what is going on!   

Seeing/reading about the “stay at home economy”  (people staying home etc.).  I don’t know that I see it, but I just learned that “live concerts” are becoming a lot more profitable etc. than they used to be because the “live experience” is becoming a lot more attended as people don’t mind spending money on something they don’t do that often.  Or something like that.

That came up as part of the “Live Nation” stock, how they are exceptionally profitable in the “experiential economy”, whatever that may be. Of course, that probably means it is at it’s top, as change is constant.  

We bought a printer from Amazon, primarily because they offered installation and connection for a relatively small charge ($38 in this case, which is literally nothing for a service call).  We were very pleased with the experience and the technical knowledge he displayed.

Also, it is nice to have the printer ready to operate.  While it isn’t all that hard, it was nice to have someone who knew what they were doing and was able to do a “turnkey job”. (as opposed to a “turkey job” we find in many cases!)

We had a laser printer that lasted for years.  Then they had some kind of software (or probably a firmware) upgrade and it never worked right again.

We bought some of the inexpensive printers (designed basically to sell ink).  We never had a really good experience with them (or at least I didn’t, Aliene seemed to be able to get them to work.).  

Anyway, after only one day, we feel it was well worth the money to buy a nice printer.  It also has a nice scanner and copier etc.  It also has a fax, but we need to figure out how it works on a cable phone system!

I have never been a real fan of ink jet printers, until I say the difference in cost for the minor difference in quality.  Also, we can buy ink from other suppliers.  (It is a Canon printer.) 

I become much more appreciative of ink jet printers based on the work printer I use.  It is a small ink jet (actually a mobile printer that can operate off of a battery) and has been very reliable and produces a good product.  

Anyway, having the ability to copy, scan or print without going through contortions is really worth the money and makes a huge difference.

That’s it for now, Saturday, March 3, 2017.

2017 Winter March 3 Friday

38 degrees this morning, walk 34:38 minutes

One of those “neutral” cold days, pace was about 5 seconds per mile faster than expectation.

Finishing up the Alan Turing book  It provided a lot of information and thought, but I am glad to be finishing it up. 

Friday already, time flies.  In about 3 weeks it will be Spring at last according to the calendar.  

The “Neighborhood Alliance” meeting is tomorrow morning.  It will be interesting to attend something like that as an observer, or maybe I should say regular resident. I don’t like to have my weekend committed like that, but it should be interesting.  

I will need to basically “fast” part of Sunday and all day Monday.  I read a book about “fasting” as a way to lose/maintain your weight as a healthy option.  I am going to re-read some of it to refresh my memory.   I probably will be drinking a lot of water to reduce any hunger pains!

Thinking some more about the “ageism” comments regarding the “chickens”.  I think it shows a lack of thought on her part to “assume” that chickens are a “youth” thing.  Actually I doubt that it is.  

Perhaps more, it shows how selfish she is to not be concerned about other people.  I assume she feels the “old” people in the city don’t count and their feelings shouldn’t be considered.  

Agism is kind of a strange thing, since (if you’re lucky) everyone will eventually be old.   I think it is just like some people feel they are immortal and “accidents don’t happen to them” or “things will be different for them”.  Wrong.

Probably I am spending too much time pondering on this, but I think it is a basic problem with society, the inability to see the other side.  In this case they are thinking only of themselves and not the effect of chickens (and worse yet, the people who violate the ordinance) on the quality of life of people who don’t care to have chickens shoved in their face.  

When I have a “field day”, I take my “lunch” with me.  As long as I pace myself all day, it works well.  It is kind of a modified “fast” like discussed in the book.

When I was in grade school (1st to 4th grade where I went to a school without a lunch program), I would eat all of my lunch at the first “rest period” and then be hungry the rest of the day!  

I don’t recall if I ever learned my lesson or if I did that on a regular basis.  

Occasionally I fall into the same trap on a Field Day, except I always wait until after at least 2:00 p.m. before I eat the fig bars. 

My schedule has changed slightly, I plan on start exercising on the stationary bicycle (and hopefully the bicycle ) in the morning and play with the punching bag and “heavy bag” every, or at least most mornings.  

Currently I watch “Dowton Abbey” while I am on the stationary bicycle, and I expect I will finish it up.  Debating going back to reading or may watch other movies etc. after I finish.  (I am about midway through.)  It is really a wonderful series.

That’s it for now, Friday, March 3, 2017.

2017 Winter March 2 Thursday

31 degrees this morning, 35:43 minute walk

Winter weather has returned, I surprised to wake up to 31 degree weather!

Walk was ok anyway, I dressed for the cold  Pace was about 19 seconds per mile slower than expected.  

Today marks 2 years and 9 months since we moved, 2 years 7 months in my job.  

Still marking the time in months, even if years and months, I wonder when the month will kind of slide into memory and it just becomes the years that are counted?

As it has been since we moved, it has seemed endless and yet seemed a short time.  

Planning on attending the “Neighborhood Alliance” meeting this Saturday.  Give me a chance to learn about the community.  They are having it Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.  I don’t know if that is a good time (early on Saturday morning) but I expect they have found it works, people probably want to go early and get it done.

Agism continues to appear to flourish.  One of the persons who supports the “chicken ordinance” was saying that the City Council was “too old” and didn’t reflect the age of the community   She sounds like she is the one who has the problem.  

Perhaps older people have the wisdom to know when some spoiled bully is trying to push her way around without any concern for her neighbors.  

I really don’t know what “age” has to do with you wanting a bunch of chickens next door, except that they have the wisdom to know most people don’t want a bunch of chickens next to them, or at least have some kind of controls.  

It sounds like the chicken supporter has a major problem, both with stereotypes and with blaming others for her own problems.  

I decided I am not going to stand around and ignore Agism any more than I would stand around and ignore discriminatory talk about other stereotyped groups.  

I have found that, for the most part, people don’t believe Ageism exists.  Believe me, anyone who is older know it does, or will experience it.   

Kind of like riding a bicycle,  there are only bicyclists who have fallen and those who are going to!

Anyway, I was surprised (knowing the local paper I shouldn’t have been surprised)  that the reporter quoted her Ageism quotes without any challenges, I can imagine the outrage if she had said the same thing about race, gender or national origin!  

I’m debating whether to respond to the news article in some way, probably won’t, but if she says it around me I will certainly challenge it.  

I noted that “Agism” can also be spelled “Ageism” .  Must be a reason it can be spelled two different ways!

What is strange is that a large part of the group of “supporters” were older people, which I guess shows her ignorance. 

That’s it for now, Thursday, March 2, 2017.

2017 Winter March 1 Wednesday

48 degrees this morning, walk 34:45 minutes

A “cool” 48 degrees this morning (I should have noted i5  “feels like 40 degrees”).  

Usually I don’t wear gloves during my walk, except in the coldest weather.  So this morning, I didn’t bring them along (I usually bring them along except in t

he warmest weather even though I rarely wear them.)

I didn’t bring them along this morning since I normally don’t wear them until it gets in the 20’s, so, of course….my hands were cold!   

Not that I was miserable or anything, I just would have worn them if I had had them.

Pace was about 5 seconds faster than expectations.  

Preparing for a “routine medical test” next week.  I don’t know that every 10 years is considered “routine” or not, but it is a schedule.  

Still listening to the book on Alan Turing.  As I have mentioned, the book is detailed, a little too detailed to keep my interest while listening, but it has been worth listening too.

During a discussion on computers and learning, it was mentioned that a computer can’t write a sonnet and really realize what it was doing.

The comment was made (I’m not sure if it was by Turing or someone else) that “maybe only another computer could appreciate a sonnet written by a computer!”.   I expect there is a lot of truth in that!

The question of computer “intelligence” is interesting and will probably never be answered.  I don’t see how a bunch of circuits with instructions provided by human beings could ever be considered “intelligence” although the world is changing fast!

After the City Council meeting Monday night, I was interviewed for a short bit on a local tv station for its local news.  

I was surprised when someone I went to 7th 8th and 9th grade contacted me after he saw it on tv!  

Amazing things happen!  We are making arrangements to meet and catch up.  Fortunately I remember him very well and am looking forward to seeing him.

Car racing season has begun, at least NASCAR.  I usually tape them and kind of vaguely watch them.  I think the long races etc. are not in keeping with the times, people just don’t have the time to to to events that long.  

Actually several years ago, I started watching Formula One racing and really like it.  There the races are shorter and don’t take as much time. 

Hopefully I will be able to attend  a Grand Prix (Formula One) are, at least in the United States, although it would be fund to see the Shanghai Grand Prix, or the Dubai Grand Prix, but I’d be happy seeing the Austin Grand Prix.

Dream on, I expect!

That’s it for now, Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

2017 Winter February 28 Tuesday

62 degrees this morning, walk 34:37 minutes

Relatively cool 62 degrees, but cold didn’t have the “bite” to it.  6 seconds slower than “expectations” even though I thought I was going faster than that!

Perception is always difficult, although, as I like to say, “perception is reality”.  

However, I have to disagree with myself a little, since if I KNOW it is perception and not reality, than perhaps perception isn’t reality!  Bizarre.    

I can’t really define “reality”, I doubt that anyone can.  You can’t even really say “I know it when I see it” because you really don’t know if you are seeing reality or not!

Anyway, if you don’t worry about stuff like that and just “smell the roses”, (at least when there area real roses around to smell), perhaps that is best.  

Actually, I don’t know if roses have a scent or not.  I don’t recall ever smelling any kind of scent around roses, although I have with other flowers.

As I mentioned the Bartlett Pears are (or perhaps were after the freeze) out in full force, and I actually noticed Crotus flowers blooming on my neighbors yard, which is nice!

Learned a lot more about chickens last night at the City Council meeting!  I love to see democracy in action and I feel the “City” is the closest to the people.  

While you occasionally get a few bizarre extreme professional political nuts who run for the City Council/Commission, I was very pleased to notice that here they appear to be the “serving for the good of the community” type of Council members.  

Not that I’m sure they don’t have their differences, but for the most part, it appears they ran for the City Council for the good of the community, which makes me like the community even better.  

Another dream.  This seemed somewhat insignificant, but it was such a strong dream, I wrote it down.  

After all, who am I to know what is significant or insignificant? 

Dream 2-27-17:

Detailed dream of stopping off at a restaurant and getting a cup of coffee before I went to work.  

Something I don’t do much is get hot coffee and take it with me.  (Except at McDonalds which seems to have the only “spill resistant” cup around with decent coffee.)  I do get iced coffee at Starbucks and take it with me, but McDonalds is the only hot coffee I will buy “to go” in real life.  

This was a very detailed dream of walking in the store, ordering coffee paying for it and even getting the receipt wet.  

The dream was realistic Including discussions  on how the remodeling of the cafe was going etc.

Didn’t recognize the people working in the restaurant.  

In the end, the coffee was in an open cup (no lid), only about half full and was lukewarm.  I was thinking I would have to throw it out before I got in the car  when I woke up.

(I hate lukewarm coffee.)

That’s it for now, Tuesday, February 28, 2017.