Spring 2014 5 25 Sunday

70 degrees this morning. Sitting on the patio, just a little coolness in the air, which is ok.

MacBook Air is still in the Apple hospital, working with my iPad (and later my desktop).

Although I don't really understand how it works, VPN is a wonder. While I was in China, it allowed me to access Facebook and some other web sites that, for whatever reason, are blocked in China. More important, it allowed me to check my bank account etc. with at least some security. I also use it when I am at Starbucks etc., and I've even started using it at home for my bank account or anything secure.

I know VPN as such normally accesses your home or office network (I think), but this one actually goes though sites (normally Los Angeles) or, in China, Hong Kong, where the sites are apparently not blocked. I don't believe it is true VPN (which would access my home network), but it met my needs.

Even more important, after a couple of days of signing in in China, my Yahoo accounts came in as Chinese and I couldn't figure our how to translate back to English! Same with Google, except it has an excellent translate device. However, if I used VPN, Yahoo would come across in English.

While in China, I learned the value of a "pot of tea", a covered (china?) teapot, with a lid, which kept the water warm for long period of time. I came to enjoy the process of tea, which doesn't appear to go bad as fast as coffee. I think the teapots must have held about three cups of tea, maybe four. At home, I put the tea bag in (or loose tea) and put a saucer on top of it to hold the tea in. I think if I use a large cup and pour into a smaller cup, I can keep the tea warm and fresh.

In China, I also came to appreciate green tea later in the day (not just ice, but hot also) but for the morning I really prefer Black or Morning tea. Actually my favorite is an English brand, Twining's (I think), I'll have to check and see if I can order it. I''m not abandoning coffee, I just appreciate tea more than I used too.

Saturday and Sunday are the days of the week I normally don't start off with coffee first thing in the morning, at least not with my famous fresh bean Starbucks Dark Roast coffee maker. (A guest in the upstairs bedroom once asked if a emergency siren had gone off at 6:00 a.m., we realized it was the coffee grinder part of the coffee maker as it ground the beans! I now use a separate grinder when we have guests). On Saturday, we have coffee at Starbucks (I love their coffee, their food isn't up to my eating standards yet, so I eat breakfast at home). On Sunday, I have coffee and breakfast at Steak n Shake.

I have been eating an apple with peanut butter each morning, but the last apples I got at Costco have been bad, and have extensive deterioration. Before I was always relatively satisfied, so I'm not sure that the problem is. Maybe go back to the fruit market where you buy fresh fruit every day and just don't eat fruit out of season. The Costco apples have been in advanced deterioration even the same day I buy. I know they will give me my money back, but I want fresh apples, not my money back. I already learned not to trust apples from Sams so it is probably back to getting 3 or 4 apples at a grocery store to insure they are fresh.

Looks like Sunday will be a nice day. Somehow, I have become attached to watching a taped version of "Formula One" racing. It is as much for the announcers as the racing, but I also enjoy the race. The current announcers really make it fun with their comments. I always liked Indy cars and stock cars (and still do), but the races are so long, I don't take the time to watch them although occasionally I will tape them and watch them.

I will publish my total blog of our China trip soon. I am checking it for any personal references etc. or areas I may need to enlarge on.

My picture organization is proceeding. I am trying to decide if I need to do it a little bit at a time, or just block off two or three days and work only on that.
Maybe a combination, although it will depend on what else is going on in my life.

Excellent morning on patio. Although I normally finish reading my newspapers on the stationary bike, on Sunday, I normally (or never) do, so I really look forward to reading them on the patio.

I am finding there are some things I like better about the Word Press and Google + app than the web sites. Maybe eventually, it will be the same process on the MacBook as it is on the iPad. Kind of reminds me of the early days of computing when none of the computers spoke to each other.

That's it for now, Sunday, May 25, 2014