Summer 2014 August 7 Thursday (Coffee)

80 degrees this morning.  Thunder, lightning, light rain.  Walked 57.43 minutes, weights.  Rode bicycle yesterday morning about 41 minutes, adjusted somewhat to the wind!

Had a nice birthday “day”, Aliene made meat loaf, went to Outback for dessert.  

Coffee is one of my interests and I like to say my only vice.  For years (at home) I only drank Starbucks “French Roast” on a regular basis.  I even keep a backup coffee maker in case something happens to the one I am using!  

A friend (who also prizes excellent coffee, and is a little more likely to experiment with his coffee than I am) gave me a package of Starbucks Cafe Verona and I have decided to switch my regular coffee.  Since I have been drinking Starbucks “French Roast for at least 13 years and possibly as many as 25 years (I really can’t recall drinking any other kind at home, but of course I have), that is a major decision for me!

I”m not sure what the difference it.  It is slightly smoother and has a little more flavor than French Roast.  Anyway, I like it and I”m glad the Sams here has it!  Actually, for some reason, in Memphis, Costco had Starbucks French Roast, while Sams only had  Starbucks Medium.  Strange.  

Same with Peanut Butter (my favorite food).  Sams had Jif Crunchy, while Costco only had Jif Creamy.  (I like either one, but Jif Crunchy is my favorite).  

By the way, none of this name-dropping is “sponsored”. (I wish!)

Back for Coffee, I still have a package of Starbucks French Roast, so I’ll need to decide how to handle finishing it while still having Cafe Verona on a regular basis. 

Eating out, when I want coffee, is always an adventure, since after the morning period, many restaurants don’t know how to serve coffee. I have found Starbucks and McDonalds almost always have acceptable coffee.  In most cases, at McDonalds will make a fresh pot of coffee if you ask  if there is any fresh coffee available and McDonalds has the ONLY cup that I feel comfortable drinking coffee in the car.  I have tried a number of “car cups”, but none of them seem to work, that it is, they spill, or the ones that don’t spill are impossible to drink out of.

Starbucks and McDonalds have excellent coffee.  Steak n Shake has wonderful coffee in the morning or when when they make a fresh pot.  IHOP (based on limited experience) seems to have excellent coffee.  TGIFriday’s coffee tastes like bad instant coffee, so I never drink coffee there and in fact rarely eat there  anymore. On the Border and most Mexican Food restaurants just don’t have good coffee.  J. Alexanders coffee is lukewarm (they keep it in metal coffee servers which don’t’ really keep it hot) and is undrinkable.  Firebirds (Memphis) has great coffee if you get it fresh.  Outback normally has good coffee, although last night it was lukewarm and I couldn’t even get a refill.  Bonefish almost always has excellent coffee or will make it right if is isn’t.  

Coffee is one thing I will send back if it is even slightly cold or old!  I don’t drink carbonated beverages (Coke etc.), or   so coffee is really the only thing I like.  (I do like ice tea if it is strong enough, I hate ice tea when it  is more like water!)  My best bet is probably just to save the money and don’t order anything but water!  

I do always try to rate restaurants on “Yelp” on their coffee, if it is bad, good, fresh, old and how many refills I get.  

Anyway, I love coffee, especially strong and  hot coffee. Now, if I could just find a coffee cop so I can drink coffee while driving!  

That’s it for now, Thursday, August 7, 2014.

Summer 2014 July 27 Sunday (Of Replica Newspapers, Free Advice and Gasoline Scams)

81 degrees this morning. I intend to enjoy the hot weather as it is supposed to cool down this week.

The digital Commerical Appeal “replica paper” wins hands down as the best “replica” paper.  I don’t know which program they use, but their replica paper is so much easier to use than any other replica paper I have tried to use.  The others are all basically impossible to use.  

This didn’t use to be a problem, but now that where I live the newspaper delivery is either non-existent or arrives so late as to be useless, the replica papers are much more important and I continue to struggle with the digital newspapers.  I actually prefer the digital USA Today to the printed one, the Wall Street Journal is good on the iPad, the New York Times has an excellent “alternative” format, although it misses some of the news I like.  So far, I haven’t found a good digital format for the newspaper where I live, although  really haven’t tried on the iPad that much.

Spending the weekend meeting with friends, it has been wonderful and it is just starting! Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) it will  end on Monday with a dental appointment as I start the last stage of my “dental implants’.  I still will need to make an appointment with a dentist for the last phase, which is basically two crowns as “permanent teeth”.   By the time I finish, it will have been a year long process, but well worth the effort as opposed to redoing the bridge which was getting longer and longer.  

The dental bridge dates back to when I got out of the Air Force.  I had one year to get “free” dental care and the dentist I saw pulled my tooth and poured in the gold on the bridge.  It did last at least 25 years, but I expect today they would do a root canal rather than pull the tooth.  It would have saved a lot of problems and expense over the years.  That was one of the (if not the) most expensive “free” things I have ever received!  (Other than “free” advice.)

Actually, while I have received plenty of “free” advice, both with good and bad consequences, I have found some of the “advice” I paid for has frequently been “bad” advice in the long run (or short runI) to the point that I depend more on my own thinking and “free advice” than I do advice from “professionals”.  Obviously not always the case, but I have become very suspicious of “professional” paid advice.  Of course, you never actually know until you either reject or take the advice, but I have learned to do my own research and depend on my gut feeling, or perhaps I should say a “reasoned, decision making procedure”.   

Our car is reaching that point where the original warranty is expiring, and since we plan on keeping it for a while the question of “to or not to” purchase an extended warranty is upon us.  (We quit buying one when we bought the car, it seemed rather redundant.)  Our car has been very reliable and it is likely it will make it to 100,000 and beyond without any problems, you just never know, which is why they make so much money with extended warranties!  We would only buy it  only from AAA or a reputable business, not the scammers that send you the “official” looking documents about extended warranties.  

Speaking of scammers, the gasoline stations where we live have a real scam (in my opinion).  They advertise the “!0% ethanol” for (say) $3.19, but when you get to the pump, all they have is “all” gasoline (with no ethanol) for $3.69 on up to premium (which unfortunately we need) for $4.09 etc.  A real scam.  7-11 stores thus far have been the only station we found who doesn’t have this scam, so we buy all our gas from 7-11 in the town we live in and I boycott all the others who practice this scam.   Oddly enough, no other stations in any city, including Memphis, seems to practice this scam.  7-11 is also probably the only convenient store chain which does not sell lottery tickets.  

Premium gas at 7-11 can be as much as 50 to 70 cents cheaper per galloon than the scams.  

When we are traveling, we have found Love’s County Stores and the Fiesta Convenience Stores (only a couple of these, at exit 278 & I-40  and exit 221 & I-40 in Kansas and the “Doublebees” at exit 175 & i-40 in Arkansas are the best for buying gas at decent prices.    Oddly enough, both of these also have a McDonalds, which may be why they are honest.  We even found one where it appears they set the pumps so they will overflow with a large sign saying “customers are responsible for overflows”.  Guess what, it overflows every time.  

I have developed a lot more respect for McDonalds since we moved.  The little McDonalds where I went for the free internet, great coffee, music and parfaits was wonderful, and I have found the McDonalds are usually more than willing to “make fresh coffee” if I request fresh coffee.  McDonalds has the best fresh coffee, next to Starbucks and the only cup I can drink out of while driving without spilling it on my shirt!  Wonderful!

That’s it for today, Sunday, July 24, 2014.

Summer 2014 July 2 Wednesday (Smoke Alarm Sadism)

Summer 2014 July 2 Wednesday (Smoke Alarm Sadism) 

75 degrees this morning. 

Head a loud obvious “beep” this morning around 2 a.m.  Of course I knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good.  The smoke alarm decided on this time to start the loud obtrusive “beep” of a low battery.  I can imagine the shouts of glee in the smoke alarm factory when the sadists who make them discover a particularly loud “warning” of a low battery and program it to go off at the worst possible time.

For us it is the worst possible time, considering that the smoke alarm, for some reason, is placed on the highest place on a “vaulted” ceiling in the master bedroom.  (The last place any smoke would reach.)  Of course, the only furniture in the house is two folding chairs and an air mattress, not even a stick or tool to knock the smoke alarm down.  It currently has stopped, but who knows when it will start again.  Obviously the last occupants didn’t follow the rules about chaining the smoke alarm batteries.  

I did listen to music (Enya in this case).  I realized how long it has been since I have simply listened to music, and not while was driving, walking, reading, talking or something else.  I realized again how close to poetry music is.  

Hung out at McDonalds for about 3 hours Tuesday morning using their internet, drinking coffee and eating a parfait.  I probably mentioned before the parfait is wonderful and only $1.00. They also have nice background music (kind of a jazzy classical sound) and some interesting characters who apparently hang out there.  McDonalds internet is  a lot easier to access than Starbucks.  Not sure why, but I log on the McDonalds with no problems, while sometimes I have to fight with Starbucks internet, although eventually i always get on.

Overall good day yesterday, weather was good, went to the Apple Store for a short session on “iPhoto”.  Watched the US soccer game, and ate “Hideaway” pizza (their pizza is a real treat).

We anticipate at least a partial unload of our household goods today (hopefully our tall ladder will be on the truck). It has been nice to be able to have time to get things done (including reading etc.) without having the “shoulds” looming over your shoulder.  I think we will also be glad to get into a routine, although the routine we have had (even with no internet, TV or furniture) hasn’t been all that bad, as long as that darned smoke alarm stays off.  Of course, we know (or at least hope) it is temporary.

It will be so nice to get my bicycle  back.  I miss it and walking.  We are not in a “walkable”/“bicyclable” area, but I can design routes for each.  (I expect I will get lost a few times in the neighborhood, the planners went nuts on this addition.) I will also be glad to get my weights etc.  I haven’t used the “heavy bag” or punching bag for years, but I will try it, if I don’t use it i’m sure i know people who would love to have it.  

I thin that is what makes donating books bearable, I think the books will have the opportunity to be read by someone who will enjoy them, perhaps the books I donate will play a role in someone enjoying or changing their life.

I was thinking, my future is wide open, as I begin to fully realize I have a lot of options I can look at.  Realistically, I have a good 10, probably 15 years of work life left and I may was well do something i enjoy and is rewarding.  Money is important, but secondary.  It was a great 12 years. I am even thinking of going to school to get some additional skills if I need to.  

The next part of our journey is beginning with the delivery of our furniture.  We will place the furniture and then the furniture will start placing us as we adapt to our new environment and life.  

Direct from McDonalds, that’s it for now, Wednesday, July 2, 2014. (Actually, the wi fi in McDonalds was so poor this morning, I went to the Starbucks!)

Summer 2014 July 1 Tuesday (Time, Where Have You Gone?)

The year of 2014 is half over.  I expect a year ago, I never could have imagined being where I am now.  But, I expect I can say that every year.

Life in the fast lane, 5 a.m. at McDonalds.  Coffee and one of their wonderful $1.00 Breakfast Parfaits.  I think I have a new vice. There appears to be a small group of people who hang out at McDonalds early in the morning, several retirees, a UPS employee, several what appear to be students and one what appears to be a homeless person.  Interesting group. 

Life continues without furniture, internet (most difficult), television, or a home phone.  Just like “Hurricane Elvis” when we didn’t halve electricity for 7 days, somehow you just learn to live with it and it  becomes it’s own routine.  In my case, I spend a lot more time at McDonalds and Starbucks (and First Watch) than I may otherwise.  We also are spending more time just sitting around reading and it gives us time to plan our furniture placement.  

By the way, while we don’t have it connected yet, we do have a home phone number.  It should be connected Thursday, but then originally it was supposed to be connected Monday. 

We have planned  how the furniture will be placed, although all plans tend to change.

Actually, we have found a McDonalds  (the one I am in now) we really like.  It has some really nice background music, is relatively quiet and actually isn’t that busy.  They are very nice there and I don’t overdo sitting around  sipping coffee or tea and eating ice cream while I take care of my internet business.  I am surprised to find how much time I spend on the internet, but of course, I have a lot of addressees to change etc. 

Wasted a lot of time yesterday due to sheer incompetence of ATT.  The day we moved, I woke up to find no phone service.  Somehow ATT had disconnected my phone service with no notice or warning to me, when the new homeowner called to establish service.  I have spent literally hours “on hold” such then with rude, incompetent ATT personnel who are so uncaring and unknowledgable, they almost have to train them to be that way.  I decided never again will I ever use ATT.  

I had planed to get “Uverse’ , but cancelled those plans and for the first time in my life will not have an ATT phone line.  Their incompetence was amazing, surpassed only by their uncaring and rudeness.  

I never did get my Lakeland number forwarded to my new phone and never got a response from ATT as to why I was disconnected without my knowledge and why the phone couldn’t be forwarded.  I was lied to and advised it was “central office problems”.  I have given up on forwarding it after spending an hour on “hold” yesterday and advised by an ATT rep “it’s not my (the reps) problem”.  They really must train them that way, people just are’t naturally that way.

Our furniture will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.  We understand they will unload some Wednesday night and some Thursday morning and then we will face unpacking for whatever time it may take.  

Thursday morning, we are also having internet, phone and cable TV installed, so welcome back to civilization!  Also we’ll say goodby to our several days of ease, although actually we have been running around doing things you do when you move, setting up checking accounts, changing addresses, and,in our cases, changing health insurance plans, which is really time consuming. 

Tried walking yesterday morning, I had forgotten about the wind!  At times, the wind noise was so high I couldn’t hear my book. If I walk in the neighborhood it will be a lot  quieter, plus I’m sure I’ll get used to it.  I want to start biking again when i get my bike, but I don’t look forward to the wind!

The summer is going fast. I think with the uncertainty etc., it just seems to slip by.  I keep thinking about the old soap opera called (I think), “The Sands of Time”.  I never watched it but I remember the ads for it and “The Sands of Time” describe how time slips by while you aren’t watching.  Like it or not, the sand keeps moving.  

That’s it for now, Tuesday, July 1, 2014 

Winter 2013 December 20 Saturday

68 degrees, cloudy, rain coming in.  First day of Winter, 2013!

Sitting in Starbucks, working on computer and watching the world go by. There is a certain timelessness about sitting and Starbucks.  I especially enjoy it when I have the time to enjoy it, if that makes any sense.  I don't like drive-thrus anyway (nor drive-inns for that matter).   I don't like to eat in the car (or drink coffee for that matter, unless I'm on a long trip and I can't see any purpose in picking up something and eating it at home, unless maybe a pizza or ice cream.  A few years ago, I was taking a night class and it was convenient to stop by Starbucks and pick up some coffee on my way to class. I think I like the sense of the "experience", which includes sitting in Starbucks.  

All I drink is regular coffee (well, the strongest possible) anyway, with an occasional iced coffee when it is too hot to drink hot coffee (which is almost never), although sometimes I drink iced coffee just for the taste and the experience.  Actually I try not to drive after drinking two "Vente" iced coffees, because of the caffeine buzz, about the only time I feel coffee affects me.  I can literally drink several cups of coffee and then go to sleep. 

I frequently say "coffee is my only vice" and I"m not even sure it is a vice, except excess is a vice.  My biggest coffee in drinking coffee is finding a decent cup of coffee.  Starbucks is always good, as is Steak n Shake,  McDonalds is good as long as it is fresh and hot. It is really frustrating in a restaurant where you may pay $3.00 for a cup of coffee and they try to give you cold and old coffee (J Alexanders is the worst), or try to pawn off instant coffee on you (TGI Fridays, I just don't bother to order coffee there anymore) or just don't know how to make it apparently (On the Border).  I should start a "Hall of Fame" and a "Hall of Shame" for hot coffee, although there are many in the middle. 

Life continues in the "every day is a Saturday except for Sunday" mode, except that is not exactly true, as I am keeping relatively busy keeping up with searching for another position etc., as well as catching up on projects that got behind.  I am trying to keep my same routine, and after Christmas (well, may after New Years), I am going to set regular "office hours", so I don't get lazy.  I am already feeling the "leisure time spin" where I occasionally have some inept moments when I try to do choose between all of the projects I could be working on, books to be read etc.  On the job, it is easy to set priorities, but while "on the beach", there really are not priorities for daily use of time, although there is a significant overall priority.  

Maybe Starbucks is the sense of shared experience.  I am surprised at how many job interviews I hear in Starbucks.  Clouds are still going overhead, cars are stacking up in the parking lot at Starbucks.

Fall 2013 October 24

45 degrees this morning.  Cool, but not cold.

We watched many of the St. Louis Cardinals who started in the World Series as Memphis Redbirds THIS summer and over the past several seasons.  Going to the Redbirds games has actually turned us from Chicago Cub fans to St. Louis Cardinal fans as we watched the players develop.  Don't get me wrong-we are still strong Cubs fans, but we ALMOST are as fanatic Cardinal fans

So, last night, it was like watching your children (or person you have mentored etc.) get a big chance and blow it as they made stupid errors etc.  You love them anyway, but the pain is a bit deeper when we watched the players develop from hopefuls (although AAA is excellent anyway) into big league stars.  Of course, we have faith in them.  We saw them stumble and get back up as Memphis Redbirds and St. Louis Cardinals and we have faith!

It probably is worse in that baseball is our favorite sport.  We can take or leave pro football (but like college) and don't care for pro basketball at all (although we think the Grizzles are special), so it is a special treat to see one of our two favorite teams make it to the top.  Aliene is actually a better baseball fan then I am.  She recognizes the players and is good at knowing the basic strategic.

Thinking about disappointments this morning, I have to think about my disappointment at never being able to find a coffee cup I can using while driving.  Either it spills, or drips, or breaks or whatever.  The McDonalds coffee cup is actually the best, and I have a lot of candidates for the absolute worst travel mug or car coffee cup.  It seems it shouldn't be that hard to invent one that doesn't spill, drip or break etc!  I have tried all types (yes Starbucks is actually one of the worst) and I have tried several of their mugs, they don't work