3018 Fall November 10 Saturday

24 degrees this morning (feels like 18), 70 % humidity 

I kind of feel like I wimped out (I did) and didn’t walk this morning, due to the temperature.  Of course, I need to get used to it or find another place to walk.  I expect I will get used to it!  

My problem is during the recent cold weather, I start coughing in cold weather when I walk outside.  Combine that with “exercise induced asthma” and it creates problems walking in (for around here) extremely cold weather. 

I have adapted in the past and I will adapt this winter. The only alternative is to change my walking time, so I will need to adjust.  

Probably will miss tomorrow morning also for other reasons, so I need to evaluate how to continue walking and exercise.  

One problem is I tend to “link” all my exercise, that is I don’t lift weights unless I walk etc., which really doesn’t make a lot of sense.  I think it is a matter of habit, since there is no reason I can’t do my setups and weights when I don’t walk.  They really are totally unrelated. 

Did some light research on “weather control”.  Other than some “rain making” there isn’t a lot of ways to control, or perhaps “influence” is better term, there isn’t a lot of ways to “control” weather.  Or at least no one is talking about it.

Of course, I ran into the usual conspiracy theories about how the NOAA controls the weather etc. 

However, there have been many “weather modification” patents issued, which really doesn’t man much unless they work.  Most are related so some type of rain modification.  

The United Nations prohibits weather modification as a weapon. That is probably good in concept but difficult to monitor or regulate.

Anyway, I”ll continue to monitor information on weather modification or control.  It seems too obvious of an opportunity to miss, or maybe like GMO’s it is something that could create a lot of damage and concern.

I did note that “hurricane steering” is also widely discussed, but the actual proof that this is possible  (at least at this time) is a question of discussion.  

Looking forward to a three day weekend, even if it does snow Monday!  It is difficult to realize that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, actually even less than two weeks away. 

That’s it for now, Saturday, November 10, 2018.

2018 Fall November 9 Friday

36 degrees this morning (no walk), 94% humidity 

Light mist, rain, yesterday, last night.  Snow produced Monday which is early for this area.  

Yesterday I heard a statistic that the “average” day for the first 1” of snow was January 1, which kind of fits with my experiences.  Around here, most of the time the really nasty weather (other than cold) starts after Christmas or around Christmas.  

A few years ago, I remember we came back for Christmas and were basically stuck in a hotel room for several days and couldn’t even get out and eat!  We were eating out of vending machines.   I seem to remember we were stuck in it for three days, but I may not be remembering right!  

I was thinking some more on my thoughts yesterday on the weather.  

If I was a conspiracy theory person (I’m not), I could look at the weather disasters that started in the mid-nineties and suggest that  someone HAS learned to control the weather and they are testing out their concepts and learning which of their techniques work the best!

Tornados, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, horrible tsunamis etc. that were the “worst in history”.  Makes you wonder.  

Of course, I always thought it probably was better systems of measurement, information etc. and it probably was more a matter of better measurement of the disaster and the 24 hour news cycle with rapid social media as much as anything.

Of course you also have to consider climate change from environmental neglect as much as someone controlling the weather.  

I remember going to conference sessions on “El Nino’s”, climate change etc.  They were just surface type sessions for persons (like me) who didn’t have any knowledge.  I saw a lot of worried faces after the sessions as it sunk into people that the threats were real.  

No matter how much you don’t want to believe something, eventually you have to face the facts.  (Unless you are a politician or promoter  who makes a lot of money off denial and conspiracy theories.)  

Anyway, we are facing our first “winter weather”, or at least the forecast of it.  Not looking forward to it.  One good thing is that now I am flexible and I don’t need to drive in bad weather!  

Friday is here and a 3-day weekend is ahead!  Bad weather or not, I will enjoy it!

That’s it for now, Friday, November 9, 2018.

2018 Fall November 8 Thursday

47 degrees this morning, walk 35:16 minutes, 59 % humidity 

Walk this morning was a little rough at first, wind etc.,but turned out to be relatively good. 

Pace was 33 seconds slower than my goal.  Not good, but not bad on days like today when my real goal is just to put one foot in front of another until I finish my  run 

Rain is coming in, but it looked like it would be  several hours yet.  The current forecast even calls for a light snow over the weekend, which is way too soon for that type of weather!

It dose seem strange that we (society as a whole)  doesn’t have more control over the weather.  We have gotten much better at forecasting, but still have’t had any advancements over controlling weather since the old days of cloud seeding for rain making.

When I think about it, it may be good.  However, zI am sure soon weather would be used as a weapon by various countries, people would go to the extreme and there would be a lot of ethical and legal questions concerning the control of weather.  

I assume with the dynamics of weather, if we could actually “control” weather, it would be more a matter of containment, or, perhaps worse,  the ability to change the weather patterns which means it could be used to “punish”  countries etc., which would raise a lot of questions.  

Just like nuclear weapons, I think the weather changing technology would need to be closely guarded and have limited distribution.  

I don’t even have any idea if there is any technology that is being developed that can change or contain the weather or not.  I expect someone is working on it.    

However, I haven’t heard a lot about any plans or even research in controlling or containment of weather.  

Probably the major aspect would be the fact is it would be  “real” eliminate change.  There would be a lot of questions .

I expect it is something I will not have to worry about, since is is  so far into the future.  However the money involved could be tremendous.  

There is a wide variety of decisions that would have to be made including who would have the final say in weather change etc.   Or it could be a mess with competing weather changing businesses wrx.

I expect, at first, there would also be competing technologies, just like 8 track tapes vs. cassette tapes, etc.

Interesting to think about, I will need to do some research on this!

That’s iit for now, Thursday, November 8, 2018  

2018 Fall November 7 Wednesday

48 degrees this morning, no walk, 64% humidity. 

Reading with interest about the new Apple products, the MacBook Air and the new iPads.  

Although I hopefully will not need to buy either in he near future, it is nice to know they are available.  

My current iPad and my MacBook Air are over 5 years old, but running strong and probably won’t become completely obsolete for several years.  Probably the one think that would decide me to buy another MacBook Air is a touch screen, but I don’t think that is coming at least in the near future.  

I am starting to debate a new iPhone, but my present one is working fine, I’ll probably still at least look at a new iPhone and the advancements that make it worth while.

Sitting in a restaurant last night, watching everyone look at their iPhones/smart phones, I marveled at the change in the culture this has created over the past ten years.  

I can remember the first “small” cell-phone in the mid-nineties and how the cell phone suddenly became a “must have” item and not an item just for “yuppies”.  

Probably I saw a real breakthrough when I saw that homeless people had a smart phone, which makes sense.

Even now, many times I encounter someone whose only “computer” is a smart phone, which provides them their own access to the internet.

Probably the access to the internet for all was one of the most important aspects of smart phones, even though the “apps” were certainly an important advancement.  

The “mid-term” elections are over.  I’m proud of the people in Kansas for perhaps returning to the more reasoned type of government they had years ago instead of a crook who attempts to suppress voters and sees a conspiracy behind every woodpile.

Of course the lying coward racist lunatic is squealing about how good he was, lying as normal.  He is a hateful, disgraceful symbol of hate and violence and cowardice   If he lasts two years, hopefully the voters will oust this lying coward lunatic and let him spend his time as his golf courses gouging on fast food on his own dime and sending out coward tweeting lies and personal attacks that no one cares to read.  

Listening to and reading about the shortage of both “trucks” and “drivers”. One statistic I heard was that there are 7 loads for every truck.  

I don’t know the answer, but I think this shipping shortage in a world that depends on shipping could create problems.  So much of what consume we depend on a transportation network to get it to us.  

As an example, I noticed that the blueberries I buy are made in Peru.  I was thinking what it takes to get blackberries from Peru to me while they are still fresh!  

That’s it for now, Wednesday, November 7 2018.

2018 Fall November 6 Tuesday

44 degrees this morning, 85% humidity, Walk, 34:12 minutes

Good walk this morning in spite of cold.  No or little wind, no moon showing this morning.  

Paces was 7 seconds slower than my goal.  

Still watching “The Wire” on my lunch breaks and while at Starbucks etc.  In spite of some of the very objectionable language, it is or was a wonderful series.  (I don’t know if it is still on or not,)  I am watching it on Amazon Prime, I think it is from the early 2000 era, although I don’t know.  The have cell phones but don’t appear to have smart phones yet.  

One thing I need to do is look up “The Wire” on the internet so I can pick up on some of the more subtle things I probably miss.  

I love some of the quotes the characters make such as I recently noted “Wherever you go, there your are”.  

I know what it means, but I’m not sure if I could explain it (at least in 350 words or less). 

I think it means the same thing as “you can run, but you can’t hide”, no matter what you have to live with your fears, weaknesses, strengths and positive aspects, and just because you are in a new situation you don’t change your spots so to speak.  

That may be good or bad, but I think there is a lot of truth in it.  

Another thing I like about The Wire is that even the worst characters have some redeeming qualities and even the best characters have weaknesses or defects.  

I don’t know how many seasons they actually filmed, but I am on season 4 of 5 seasons.  I am going to have severe withdrawal when I finish the fifth season!  Hopefully they filmed more seasons. 

During the past several years since I started the “lunch break” watching and watching when I was hanging out at Starbucks etc., I have watched Dowton Abbey, The Sopranos, Bosch and The Wire and one forgettable move.  (I forgot the name of it.)

I really can’t say which one I liked best, I liked them all and regretted when they were done.  

Living with the “digital assistants”  (Amazon Echo and Google Home) has been an evolving learning process.  We only have one Google Home Mini (we got it free) and several Amazon Echo’s.  

They each have their good points.  The Google Home Mini voice is a lot better and I think their research and information is a lot better.  However, the Amazon Echo also has a lot of good points.

We probably aren’t getting the full benefit of them, but as I mentioned, it is an evolving process and new learn more all the time.  

We love the “lists” and the “reminders” and “timers”.  We have rapidly gotten used to using the “lists”, which are really wonderful since they can also be accessed on the iPhone app when you get to the store.  I am sure there are a lot of other things it can do and we will gradually figure out!

That’s it for now, Tuesday, November 6, 2018

2018 Fall November 5 Monday

53 degrees this morning, walk 35:19 minutes 66% humidity (wind 19 mph)

Walked out this morning into the wind and thought “oh no”.  Actually, and fortunately, the wind only is at its worst in several places along the walk, most of the areas are protected from the wind.  

of course the worst wind is as I return.  Right now, while it made it about 7 degrees colder, the wind wasn’t that bad.  When it gets down to the 20’s etc., it will be be bad!  

Pace was 17 seconds slower than my goal.  Not bad considering the wind etc.  

The change in time still affects me I woke up exactly one hour earlier than normal, ready to go and was surprised when I saw the time, until I remembered about the time change.

Fortunately,  I went right back to sleep and slept another hour!  I always kind of like waking up in the middle of the night (a time or two, at least) and realizing i still have time to sleep!

I have to admit, I am shocked at the extreme lies, racist comments, and outright pandering to the lowest possible instincts of the lying coward racist lunatic.   

Even the congressional cowards and bootlickers it seems would have to say
“enough” to the  lies and personal idiot attacks on what the lying coward pervert lunatic apparently feels are “enemies”  and his calls for violence. 

He obviously has the attitude he is a coward dictator who has to “kill” his “enemies” in his insane lunatic mind.   

Certainly his use of the federal government resources for the paranoiac lunatic for his personal political use are grounds for impeachment and imprisonment  

He is absolutely insane and it is time for the congressional cowards and bootlickers to say “enough” instead of encouraging this insanity in the hopes of getting more tax $ for their donors and lobbyists. 

Start of a new month and now it is already the 5th of the month!  It just seems that time flies.  

Although I don’t like the weather this time of year, I do like the Holidays!  As I have noted before, 8 of 11 Holidays are over the next 4 months, most in the next 3 months!  

As I have noted before, while a Holiday isn’t quite as important to me as it used to be, since I rarely (or more likely never) get “work” calls on weekends or evenings and even rarely when I am on vacation, Holidays were always a respite when everyone knew I was off work and was usually only contacted for emergencies.  

Anyway, the start of another week and a 3 day weekend this weekend to look forward to!  

That’s it for now, Monday November 5, 2018.

2018 Fall November 4 0-18

2018 Fall November 4 Sunday

43 degrees this morning walk 35:10 minutes 80% humidity 

Daylight Savings Time begins  again (or maybe just ended, I am never sure).  While I don’t like the fact that it indicates  codd weather is here, I really like the “extra hour” we get for the day.

For one day, I really feel like I have gained an hour!  All day, I will feel like the day has been slightly lengthened and somehow we really did get an extra hour!

I used to try to get up at the same time in an effort to start getting up earlier.  I no longer do that because I was much too successful and I have no interest in getting up earlier.  

I am actually at the point where if I wake up even  few minute earlier than my usual wake-up time, I’ll take a nap until the usual time, even if it is a couple of minutes.  The reason for that is that I got into my current wake-up time by waking a few minutes earlier and going ahead and getting up.  Soon I was at a time that I had no interest in getting up earlier!  

That is one thing I always liked about flying west was the time “saved”.

Walk this morning was ok despite the cold.  The “modernistic easy chair” moon was way in the east and the skies were clear.  

“Early voting” is over in this state.  We didn’t “early vote”, we may wish we had, or that we have voted by mail.  The “vote by mail” has to be notarized, so that is always somewhat of a hassle also.  

Reading into some different fiction, I finished “In the Midst of Winter”Isabel Allende.  I didn’t really expect to like it, but I was drawn into it as I  started reading it and I finished yesterday.  

Listening to the “Great Course” on biology, it was really interesting how he explains how “species”  are classified and how the we are all interrelated.  I am sure it was a very simplified explanation, but it was interesting.  It is also amazing how closely all living things are related, or maybe not.

My mind tends to wander when I am listening to information which is not immediately useful, or in this case, something I”m simply not familiar with..

I have found it makes it much better if I try to think of useful ways to use the information, or simply imagine I am trying to explain it to someone. 

                                                     

I still am still working on my “personal Strategic Plan”, aimed at completing some of the long term projects I have been working on.  It isn’t difficult, it is just a matter of doing it, like so much else in life!

Updated my desktop computer, I alway hesitate about installing upgrades.   I am always concerned it will mess up my computer etc.  

New iPads are out.  While i’m not interested in upgrading  right now, I am glad they are available, I think for many people it will substitute for a regular computer, or maybe it already has. 

The new iPad has a lot of interesting features that really set it aside from another other iPhone’s, phone and even computers.                                                                                       

I actually see a slot of people who have become very effective in using their iPhone as their only computer.

That’s it for now, Sunday, November 4 2018.

2018 FAll November 3 Saturday

48 degrees this morning Walk 34:42 minutes, 60% humidity

Really had to fire myself up to walk this morning when I saw the 13 mph wind!  However it wan’t really that bad.  

Sky was clear and the “modern easy chair” moon was far in the east, wandered what time it was going to set, since it was way in the east!  

I saw some Christmas lights lit up, the first of the season i have seen on a private house.  (Unless they just left them up from last year).  Normally at the time I walk, Christmas decorations aren’t lit anyway.  It was just lights, no decorations etc.

Pace was 28 seconds slower than my goal.  I wasn’t surprised since it was one of those walks where I was glad just to take it “one step at a time” and just glad to finish

Some days (like Friday) I am raring to walk and almost nothing will stop me, other days, like today, I kind of have to force myself a little!  

Recently read about how companies use a (of course) secret “Customer Value Index”, where companies use some weird secret “index” to decide what kind of service you will receive if it is “worth it” to give any customer decent service!  

Several years ago, I read about how Capital One pushed its employees to “cross sell”, meaning when you called for help they tried to sell you something else, which is probably one fo the most time consuming factors you can have when you call for help. 

i immediately quit using anything from Capital One, but the idea seems to have become an obsession with businesses and even governments.  

Of course, businesses such as “Sales Force” base much of their products based on using “customer data” in an attempt to  target people for marketing purposes etc.  

Nothing illegal or anything (probably) about it, but I just don’t like the idea of the ‘we know what’s good for you” type of thinking.  

However, the concept of the “Customer Value Index” is especially infuriating, depending on how it is used.  If it is a public utility or even a major airline where you don’t really have a lot of choice, I think it indicates something about the business if it baes it’s service based on some arbitrary “customer value index”.

I have to question what is wrong with treating all customers as “customers” instead of trying to assign some arbitrary value to determine how to treat a “customer”.  

I read about another aspect of recycling the other day, when I read that a local farmer was recycling “pumpkins”.  They take all pumpkins and either feed them to their pigs or use them for compost etc.  I like that type of thinking!

That’s it for now,  Saturday, November 3, 2018.

2018 Fall November 2 2018

50 degrees this morning.  Walk 34:17 minutes 71% humidity 

Excellent walking weather this morning.  No wind, a 1/8 moon hung in the east.  It actually looked something like a modern easy chair (wasn’t really a crescent moon).  It was cloudless so the moon still put out a lot of light.

Pace was 2 seconds faster than my goal.  A beat is a beat!

As I note the 2nd of every month, another month has passed since we moved.  As I noted when we first moved, the days become months and now the months have become years.  It is now 4 years and 5 months since we moved to this area and 4 years 2 months since I started my current job.  

This morning, I was thinking about how the morning hours from the time I get up until I go to work is “hyper time”, in that time seems to speed by double-time or triple time.  

Now I am beginning to  think time itself is speeding up!  2018 is almost over, and it really seems like ti just started, and I even occasional start the year with a “19”!  

Anyway, it has been an eventful 4 years.  Looking back, prior to the move I can see numerous points at which hour lives could have taken an entirely different path, for better or worse.  We are happy with the path it has taken, if it had taken another path we would have missed out on a lot.

I recently heard some statistics about recycling which surprised me.  Apparently 30% of recycling material people put in recycling bigs is not recyclable and, in some cases,  a non-recyclable item could contaminate an entire load and they have to trash the entire load.  

The study found all kinds of items in recycling, including tires, appliances and even body parts.  (they didn’t say what type).  Hopefully we don’t contribute to it!  (the non-recyclables, not the body parts).  

Ever since I read about the places where they literally take apart old clothes and reuse almost every part, we have tried to recycle almost everything we get rid of rather than throw it away.  

For the first time, I heard a lot of comments on “what do to with leftover Halloween candy”? 

My only question is, what do they mean by “leftover Halloween candy”.  We eat it and there is no such thing as “leftover” Halloween candy!  If we won’t eat it ourselves, we won’t buy it to give it to someone else!

I really have mixed feelings about “trick or treating”.  Fortunately over the years it has evolved to more “treats” rather than “tricks”.

I think it is good for children (and adults for that matter) to dress as something imaginary character and it doesn’t hurt to have a celebration with candy involved.  However, the “trick or treat” concept is too much like extortion, but that is probably taking it a little too far.  

Anyway it is good to see Halloween evolve into something almost positive versus emphasizing the negative aspects.  It has also evolved into almost an adult event as much as a children’s event.  

Soon the “first freeze” will be here, not something I am looking forward too.  I have gradually adjusted to the 50 degree mornings, but am not looking forward to the colder mornings to come in the near future! 

That’s it for now, Friday, November 2, 2018.

2018 Fall November 1 Thursday

47 degrees this morning, no walk, 69% humidity.

Rained yesterday, a very nasty  cold outside.  Last night was a bitter cold (for the temperature).  The temperature is not the reason I’m not walking, it is because of my schedule for the morning.  

Yesterday while I was walking, I had that strange situation where the train noise seems like a train that is actually on the east of me was on the west, if that makes any sense.  If I didn’t know better, I would swear it was on the west of me!

I am sure there is a name for that.  I haven’t figured out how to ask the question to get a reasonable answer on Google.  Google (and other search engines) are amazing, but not always a means of finding an answer.  

By chance, after I made my comments about “Senior house” yesterday, I read an article that there is a “glut” of Senior Housing since “baby boomers” are not moving to Senior Housing like they expected.  

It may be one reason is that people are more healthy and stay in their homes longer.

However I feel another reason is the misconception that Senior Citizens will accept being warehoused into small living areas and also most builders/developers seems to have little concept of how Senior Citizens live, age and their concerns.  

For example, I have seen apartments/houses build “for” Senior Citizens that have showers with high bathtubs that you almost have to be an athletic to get into.  That doesn’t make much sense for any age group.  

In one complex, the “exercise” room is on the second floor and only accessible by steep stairs, made even more difficult by a turn.  What were they thinking?   A lot of people who love to walk on treadmills, life weights etc. may have difficulty walking hip stairs!  

In fact, it seems that many people (or any age) may want to exercise as part of physical therapy etc. and they are completely blocked out.

One  complex has apartments, with a car port (from a neighbor) right next to the bedroom etc. and similar design travesties.  

Another item I have noticed is the housing complexes that offer meals.  (This is primarily in complexes that offer more intensive housing options such as assisted housing etc., which is an entirely different matter.)  The meals (which are required to live even in independent houses) are super expensive and normally the meal plan doesn’t make a lot of sense.  In one case, you could have breakfast every day and only 10 meals the rest of the months.  Convenient and profitable for the owner, not much sense  (and extremely expensive) for the tenants.  The “second person” charge is $800 per month, which means they value each meal (including the breakfast) at $20 per meal!  We can eat every meal in a restaurant for $800 per month and even have them delivered!

Anyway, one theme I have heard from persons of all ages is the needs or homes with little or no maintenance, or where someone else does the maintenance, and who have no need of “meals” or other expensive options.  Also, homes that provide adequate space and don’t have a lot of artificial barriers.  

It is strange that the market appears to be there, but they aren’t being built. 

That’s it for now, Thursday, November 1, 2018.