Summer 2014 August 13 Wednesday (Smart Thermostat)

Summer 2014 August 13 Wednesday (Smart Thermostat)

70 degrees this morning.Yesterday, when it was 64 degrees, I noted it didn’t seem cold.  However, I changed my mind when I rode my bike, it was cold!  Walk today 54:04 minutes, a definite new record.  I knew I was walking faster this morning, but I don’ know why I was so much faster today compared to yesterday.  May be because I am concentrating on walking faster.  

Getting my “molds” for may new teeth (teeth implants) this week.  Then I will get my “new teeth” installed (i guess that’s the right word) in two weeks and the almost year long process will be over.  It really hasn’t been that bad, I would definitely would do it as having to continue dealing with the bridge.  The cost is about the same as a bridge replacement and will be the last time I need to do it.  

The electric rate we have is a “Smart Thermostat” rate, although we haven’t had the “smart thermostat” installed yet.  We asked for approval to install it, but haven’t heard so we are assuming it is ok.  There is no charge for the smart thermostat which I assume allows us to program similar to a “Nest” thermostat, which would be my preferred option.  

The Smart Thermostat (or Smart Meter) rate apparently saves us money, although probably not as much as someone who is out of the house a lot.  The rate varies from .05 cents a kilowatt to a high of .42 cents a kilowatt depending on the “electric load” the electric company is experiencing or projects to experience.

Anytime the rate is more than .05, we get an e-mail that for certain hours the rate will be higher (normally .10, .19 or .43) depending on their forecasting load.  

While we will probably have better savings when we have the smart thermostat installed, we also get a weekly report on number of kilowatts used, our savings versus the “regular” rate etc.

What I really like is that I can check with their website on my iPad, computer or even my iPhone and see exactly how many kilowatts we have used today (actually real time), this week, and since the last bill etc.  I don’t use it as much as I should.

If nothing else, the “smart thermostat” program has made me very aware of our electricity use.  I am more conscious of turning lights off, keeping the AC turned up (or down, depending on how you look at it, in other words, the hottest possible temperature where we are still comfortable at) and using ceiling fans before I turn the thermostat lower.  

Our house is somewhat naturally cool.  With the exception of one room, almost all rooms where you expect a ceiling fan has one, and that helps a lot.

We haven’t had to water our lawn yet, and I hope that continues.  I see nothing more wasteful than using drinking water to keep a lawn green or water plants that aren’t natural to the climate.  An individual doing it on their own is one thing, but I always felt that development requirements for irrigation of medians etc. is particularity wasteful, depending on the area you are in. There is proven technology to use wastewater etc. safety and effectively and I feel the emphasize should be on promoting such technology rather than promoting he waste of our precious ground water.

Watching the tv show based on the “CMA Fest”.  Makes me wonder if I attended the same festival or not.  At least they are showing the music this year and not some made up story like they have don’t in past years.  Thank goodness for the “fast forward” button and DVR’s.  

That’s it for now, Wednesday, August 13, 2014.

Summer 2014 July 29 Tuesday (Now, It's Part of You)

68 degrees this morning, cool weather predicted, high of 86 degrees!

“Now it’s part of you” my Oral Surgeon said as he viewed the x-rays showing the “roots” of my two new teeth.  Actually, I still have one more stage, I need to return to my Dentist and have the actual “teeth” (actually a form of a crown) “installed” on the roots.  Interesting.  Supposedly they are “guaranteed for life” and the procedure is 90% effective.  

This process actually started September 5, 2013, so, depending on when I actually complete the process, it will have taken almost a year or more than a year.  Right now, I plan on completing it around Labor Day.  Maybe I can start chewing on that  side of my mouth now!

My “mouth” has quite an investment in it, considering the implants, and the various crowns, bridges (although the implants replaced the bridges) and fillings etc.  

On the digital newspaper front, I have found my local paper has a reasonably good format on the iPad, much better than the format for the computer.  The Wall Street Journal format is better for the iPad, while the New York Times format is better for the computer at least one of the formats is better, anyway.  This could change after I get used to using the various formats, although I would still prefer to have the actual paper.

I have also subscribed to an app called “Next Issue”, where, for a fix amount per month, I can get all the magazines I basically subscribed to in various formats.  Overall I like it, and it resolves the issue of have to subscribe to the magazines and deal with the renewals.  Some magazines have started this deal about “automatic renewal”, which I really resent, unless they clearly send you notice on how to unsubscribe. Anyway, it also gives me a chance to read some magazines I wouldn’t normally subscribe to or probably even read and it is a reasonable “one flat rate” price.

We canceled our Netflex subscription.  We just never seemed to watch it much and when we wanted to search for a specific movie or documentary, it didn’t have it.  As much as we say we would like to watch movies, we rarely do, although that could change in the future.  However, the cable company we use provides us with a bunch of movie channels.  In fact, when we subscribed, we told them we didn’t want HBO or Cinemax.  I noticed we HBO and Cimemax and I tried to cancel them but was told they were “part of the package” and it would raise our bill $50 per month if they canceled it!  The strange ways of cable marketing.  I really wonder who thinks up all of there programing offers, they must really be strange.  For the most part, they are designed for maximum revenue of the cable company, not for customer service. 

We went with the electric companies “smart meter” program and wonder if this is the correct decision when we received an e-mail that our electric rate during a peak period was going to be .43 per kilowatt!  Hardly much of a way to save money, no matter what the low “off peak” rate is. I am starting to review the program, and plan on downloading the “app” that tells you “real time” what your electric bill is and consumption etc.  

It reminds me of the first time I got my own phone.  I was advised by the representative that they were “out of” the regular phones and only the “princess” phone (or something like that) was available at several dollars a month more.  I couldn’t care less about getting “princess” phone, but I had to have a phone.

The installer came out and while talking, I mentioned it to him.  He laughed and said that wasn’t true, he had a bunch of “regular” phones on his truck and the representatives were trained to lie to people and tell them they were out of the regular phones.  He said they didn’t even make an extra commission for it, they were just trained to sell the highest price product!  He installed a regular phone and I haven’t trusted the phone company much ever since.  I always carefully check my bill and it is amazing the charges that appear that they take off as a “mistake”, of course, always for some gimmick or program that they probably make a 90% profit on.

That’s it for today, Tuesday, July 29, 2014.

Summer 2014 July 28 Monday (Anticipation and Change)

81 degrees this morning.  

Next stage of teeth implants today.  The surgeon will “uncover” the posts for the new teeth, and then when that heals, the Dentist will install the new teeth (actually crowns).  It probably will be almost a year to the day by time it is finished.  

It has probably been the “longest” year I have lived for awhile, although it seemed to go fast.  It wasn’t “long” because of the teeth implants, but because of the other events regarding my job, realizing that my age is considered a handicap (basically saying my experience doesn’t mean anything), moving to another area and other events. 

On the other hand, it means anticipation (both good and bad) about change also.  I have always enjoyed and anticipated some change, while also dreading some changes, if that makes any sense.  I guess I could say I like controlled change within an overall larger structure of predictability. 

For example, my early morning routine, I don’t like change.   From the time I get up to about 8:00 a.m., I like it to be the same procedure., and I really  liked my routine before we moved.  After I became “in transition”, I worked at keeping my morning  routine the same so I wouldn’t lose my sense of having a purpose each day, even if it was just exercise, reading the papers and  my “15 minimum minutes” of reading something I wouldn’t otherwise read and listening to a nonfiction book while I walk.  

The time I walk and listen to a book is valuable to me.  i have listened about uranium production, the Aztec culture, politics, job search, autobiographies, and oner subjects that I may not normally learn about. Now that i walk about twice as long, I can listen to more, which is good.   Frequently I will listen to a book twice, and I always learn something new the second time around!  

I recently gave my granddaughter my “Walkman” cassette tape players, accepting the fact that I would not probably even listen to cassette tapes again while I walked (thank goodness), nor even my CD Walkman, although I can’t bring myself to give up my CD Walkman, although even when I bought it about 7 years ago, I had a hard time finding one.  Of course, I now use my iPods/old iPhones converted to an iPod touch.  I am amazed that all of the batteries still work in my iPod’s and iPhones.  My original “iPod shuffles”  are about 8 years old and the batteries are still good in all three of them!  It will probably be a real shock when they give out.  Replacing the battery in the iPod Shuffle (unless I do it myself, which is probably impossible for me) costs more than buying a band new iPod Shuffle, although the new Shuffle’s are near as good as the ones I have.  (I have several of the new ones, and they just aren’t the same.)

On the newspaper situation (having to rely on “digital” newspapers more since the physical papers arrive so late or aren’t delivered in my new location), I have found that the iPad seems to be a better way to “read” the newspaper than computer.  It isn’t the device, it is the format.  The iPad “app” system is just more flexible than the web site delivery system.  Had to explain, but try it sometime and you will see what I mean.  The design of the newspaper is much different for the iPad, than for the computer.

Overall, the audiobooks and the digital newspapers are a major change in the method of learning.  Certainly I like the chance to listen and learn while I walk/drive and I like the way I can skip through the digital newspapers, but I still like the physical newspaper better.

That’s it for now, Monday, July 28, 2014.

Summer 2013 August 18

67/70 degrees this morning.  Foggy outside, at times during my bike ride, almost foggy to the extend of being light rain.  Chairs etc. have heavy due on them.

English Garden failed to come out and finish the landscape project again, which probably means the trees will die again etc.  

Preparing myself psychologically for having two teeth (tooth?) implants sometime in the near future.  They will replace a bridge.

It all started after I got out of the Air Force.  There is a one year period that you can get free dental care (or some version if it).  I decided it would be prudent to take advantage of it, which was a very bad decision.  The dentist involved apparently thought it was easier to remove the tooth than to take the trouble to try to save it.  I realize now a simple (even at that time) root canal would have saved the tooth.    

Anyway, rather than replace the bridge again, it looks like getting teeth implants is the best way to go, primarily because it will help prevent damage to other teeth and is "good for life" if done right. It is a long process (about 6 months total), but I feel comfortable with  the Oral Surgeon involved and feel this is a good time to do it.

Redbirds game last night was rained out (at least for us, since we left at the rain delay, although the game was eventually finished).  Every summer has a special memory (or memories) and I think we will remember the Summer of 13 for the very enjoyable nights at the Redbirds games.