Winter February 3 Monday

27 degrees this morning.  Thought it was going to be slick out based on "freezing rain", but wasn't bad at all.  Did my usual exercise routine, except  riding the bike outside.  Some of the small trees and plants do have ice on them and the trash cart was frozen shut.  Our weeping willow looks like it has laid down and fallen asleep.  (It is still small, but is large enough to be a real pain to try to tie so it is straight).

I didn't think it would take me long to read the on-line edition of the USA Today this morning (I read it while I eat breakfast) since it appears to be all about the Super Bowl, Super Bowl ads etc. that I could care less about.  I'm not much of a pro-football ban anyway (I probably hold the record for falling asleep while watching every Super Bowl ever held!  I feel asleep at the 1965 Super Bowl and at least dozed during every one since.  I'm not making fun of it, I can understand the passion for it, especially if your team is in it (I was for Denver, but....)  I feel that way about baseball, but pro football just isn't my favorite sport, although I enjoy college football.  

Back to the on-line edition of the USA Today, this morning they had some very informative stories this morning that took me longer to read than normal, they were so good.  I "saved" them and hope the app doesn't crash before I get the info.  USA Today actually has some excellent articles, among a lot of fluff.  I enjoy skimming the News, Monday and Tech sections (and occasionally the travel).

For example, it has an article about the "digital" news organizations basically being pyramid schemes (pump them up and sell them high) since the advertising support just isn't there.  (I always wondered where they thought the advertisers were coming from.)  Another about 'on line consultants" that will be valuable in the future, another about health (100 years ago, giving birth was almost as dangerous as breast cancer now, the average American RETIRES at age 62, 100 years ago, the average American DIED at AGE 51!!!  Amazing, if true!  In addition, the average person had 35 years of leisure (Holidays, vacation, retirement etc.) in 1990 and in 1870 the average person had 11 years of leisure!  If you earn $70,000 you are in the top .1% of the WORLD.  (This is from a story by Motley Fool).  

Still like my "Fitbit Force".  I am starting to wear it instead of a wrist watch (I can get the time by punching a button, but then every cell phone, computer and other gadget has a clock on it also.)  It seems to be a little too eager to count my steps (or I walk a lot more than I think I do.).  I did change the settings for sleep to "sensitive"  (and immediately saw my "time actually asleep"  (i.e., not awake or "restless") drop by an hour, but it isn't supposed to change the step counting.  

Busy day ahead.  May be some tough decisions to make in the next week.  

Winter 2014 January 11 Saturday

54 degrees this morning.  

Sitting in Starbucks on a Saturday morning.  Sun is actually shining, supposed to warm up.

Been working on taking pictures of my Hot Wheels collection.  Current efforts are at  http://robertwherryhotwheelscollection.tumblr.com.  Just getting started posting the pictures so there may/will be some revisions later.  Note that I probably have over a thousand Hot Wheels, so it will be awhile before I get it completed, in fact I will probably never get it completed, as such.  Even if I get all of the cars on there (which is a big maybe), I will be continuing to add and revise.  I still buy them, and occasionally, when I am in Oklahoma City at the right time, I go to a Hot Wheels show, which is really nice.  I was surprised when I took my granddaughters to the show several years ago (they are 14 and 11 now, so they were probably 12 and 9 then), and they both loved it.

Not sure why, at my age, I still buy them and enjoy them, but I figure is it a relatively inexpensive hobby when each one is less than $1, at least in most cases.  I tend to target more now, buying race cars an Ferraris and any car like one I have ever owned or even liked for that matter.  I also like to buy construction and public safety vehicles/equipment Hot Wheels if they are well done.

By the way, it isn't just "Hot Wheels", I also have a lot of Matchbox and some other brands/generic ones that I have picked up over the years.  If I like them, I buy them, but I normally get Hot Wheels.  I also have some larger ones that I will post also.  

This is a project I have been working on for some time.  I think the right equipment (an iPad miniI) and time (Tumblr) has arrived.  I probably will try to upload the pictures to Blogger and Google Plus also.  It is fun right now, as time goes on it could become a hassle (when I learn how to do it!), so I am just doing a few at a time so I don't get tired of it. 

Almost the middle of January.  We will have some decisions to make shortly which will have long term effects.  Still have  a couple of opportunities I will see if anything comes of.

Our weeping willow tree was bent over from the ice storm (the ice broke the stick that kept it straight), so I need to figure out how to get it straightened up before the growing period begins.  

Fall 2013 December 9 Monday

32 degrees this morning.  

Although there was no ice this morning, there were a few wet splotches, so I drove to ATC Fitness Center.  I was disappointed they'd changed to a totally inappropriate radio station for a gym (or anything else for that matter).  Usually I can block out the music, but when I have to take a shower there, (when I drive, when I bicycle, I shower at home) I take the blunt of the junk radio station.  

When LA Fitness comes, I may well switch to there just to avoid the radio station!  This morning there was an especially sick caller, don't know who was more sick, the caller, the dj's or the radiot station for allowing it.  (Or the listeners for listening to it.)

Nothing more exasperating (other than maybe trying to spell exasperating) than losing your car keys, even when you KNOW they HAVE to be here!  I finally deduced they HAD to be in my easy chair and of course they were.  Obviously there are a lot worse things that could happen, but that is one time wasting event I don't need in the morning.  I usually use a "silent butler" to put all of my stuff (keys, wallet, phone, watch etc.) and it not only saves time, but also helps avoid "losing" items.  While morning isn't quite as time constrained now as it has been, I am not changing any of my habits.  

Apparently came through the ice storm with our "Weeping Willow" tree bent over.  Hopefully I can get a stick put it in to get it straight again.  

I found a really helpful "pronunciation" "app" for my iPhone and iPad.  It is wonderful for pronunciation but also for finding the correct spelling for a word, it is that intuitive.