2017 Summer September 21 Thursday

2017 Summer September 21 Thursday

80 degrees this morning walk 34:52 minutes

80 degrees this morning, 81 by my watch.  While it didn’t feel like it was 80 degrees necessarily, it didn’t feel cool either, although there is that early morning/late summer coolness in the air.  Humidity is 71%.

Accidentally used the “outdoor cycle” mode on the watch, so don’t have a “pace” time this morning.  

Last full day of Summer of 17, Fall starts at 4:05 p.m., September 22. 

Sitting out on patio this morning, enjoying the days of Summer while I can.

Read a news story yesterday, the writer mentions her mother over the years had received several wonderful nightgowns etc. that she always exclaimed were “too good to wear”.  They found all the nightgowns in their original packages, never worn.  

The intent of the article was to emphasize that “life is short” and you should not continue to always save for the future etc. 

I think a way of putting it may be to live for today while taking necessary actions so you can live for today tomorrow also.  Or something like that.  

I will need to reread the article, I think the author also has a blog site.  

I can look at myself for tendencies to squirrel away things that I’ll wear or use “at the right time”  (always in the future!).  I have gotten away from it a lot, but I still find things I got 30 years ago that I haven’t used, saving it for the “right time”.  

Of course, I think of the classic example as the sofa with plastic over it (as a neighbor had when I was a kid).  It might be a great looking sofa after 20 years but no one ever enjoyed it and the owner never got to enjoy seeing their beautiful sofa without the plastic on it!  

I think I have decided (with some exceptions) that the “right time” is now or I am giving it away or donating it!  

Perhaps the rapid obsolesce of computers and computer gadgets, smart phones etc. has helped this problem.  If you don’t use them “today”, they won’t work “tomorrow” and you won’t have any use from them! 

While it is more difficult to categorize, money is also one of those things that it is easy to say “next year” we will take that vacation, but that furniture etc., but never “this year”.  

Obviously there is a reason for saving money, but, again, there is a happy point  where you also need to  live and experience life.  The problem is finding that happy point.  

One of the guidelines i heard years ago from someone was they they were putting a certain amount away for retirement, they they spent the rest on enjoying their daily life.  I kind of picked up on that, although again it is difficult to know “how much” is enough!

That’s it for now, Thursday, September 21, 2017.

2017 Summer September 20 Wednesday

2017 Summer September 20 Wednesday

76 degrees this morning, walk 34:48 minutes

Good weather for walk this morning.  Actually my watch said it was 79 degrees, so apparently my iPhone app and watch app are using different thermometers!  Humidity was 61%.  

As with past mornings, there is a slight breeze that is cooling this time of day.  Sitting on the patio.  Every day I sit on the patio now, I hope it is not the last before late next Spring!

Pace was 8 seconds slower than my goal this morning.  

Somehow I seem to be walking at my goal pace, within 15 seconds either way.  I am going to have to change my goal to see if that really encourages me to walk faster to meet my new goal!  I don’t actually think about how fast I am going while I am walking.  

The new iWatch IOS, I believe, not just the new watch, is going to have a lot more capabilities to measure your heartbeat etc and hopefully provide early warning of any problems.  

The new iWatch is interesting, but I am happy with what I have, and probably will be for several more years. 

I recently read that most smartphone, tablet etc.  batteries etc. are expected to start wearing out at about 18 months.  I have Apple devices that are ten years old that the battery is still going strong.  The only apple device I had a problem with the battery was when the battery swelled in my iPhone 5 (and I got a brand new phone for $79 so I’m not complaining) and I think it may have sat in the car and got hot, but, who knows.  

The iPhone 5 is currently the lowest ranking iPhone we use on a regular basis (for playing audio books etc.).  I still use the original iPad on a regular basis, although of course it is very limited.  (It has some programs the kids enjoy that still works fine).

I read that the next IOS upgrade will leave out the iPhone 5, which is too bad, I liked the iPhone 5 and 5 S.  Of course it will be several years before it affects our iPhone 5 since the audible app is much slower to change.  

I didn’t realize how fast apps etc. adjust and upgrade until several years ago, I was using the original iPad for audible books.  I started having some problems that the representative I talked with basically said the app I was using (the latest I could get on the original iPad) was basically obsolete by several generations and he was surprised it worked at all.  

The iPhone X sounds interesting, although I doubt that I will upgrade for awhile.  One problem is, I don’t like breaking in a new phone, changing all of the information to it etc. Although the iCloud etc. have  made it much simpler, it still is a major endeavor to change to a new one. One of the biggest problems is transferring over my personalized ringtones, although hopefully I can work something out on it.  

Getting used to my new area on the job, not necessarily better or worse, just different.  

That’s it for now, Wednesday, September 20, 2017.

2017 Summer September 19 Tuesday

2017 Summer September 19 Tuesday

75 degrees this morning, walk 34:35 minutes 

Actually coolish this morning with a light wind.  Lightning to the north, but never close enough to really create any concern.

Sitting out on the patio, wonderful, although a slight wind keeps is very cool, but not unbearably cool.  

Walk this morning was good, 6 seconds below my goal pace.  I don’t know if I am walking near my goal because that is my goal, or because that is the pace I would walk even if I didn’t have a goal for the “pace”.

I think one of the main features of our lives are the goals we set and achieve (or don’t achieve, just as long as we have goals). 

As I age, I am a little concerned when I see myself perhaps not having as many goals. While the opportunity for many previous goals diminishes, the opportunity for new goals is created and I plan on keeping on creating goals and hopefully achieving them!  

When I read/listen about the early/pre Industrial Revolution, i have to marvel at the difference in life for people in general.  While sometimes the past is idealized, I think people don’t think of the grind of everyday life for the ordinary person in the past.  Not that there isn’t some “grind” now, but it isn’t near as bad as it was back years ago.

Before electricity, food during the winter was limited and was frequently not healthy etc.  

Thinking of all the labor saving appliances, the extraordinary convenience and time saving of the modern office electronics etc., the life of the everyday citizen is a lot better now, at least in industrialized countries

Of course, the off-setting factors are also there, such as terrorism, smog and pollution (although pollution of rivers and drinking water used to be so prevalent it was safer to drink beer than water).

Perhaps I will have to rethink that, smog and pollution have actually greatly improved over the days of cities throwing everyone untreated into the water etc.  

One example of the differences in hazards are one of the main conversations of the 1870’s was the discussion on when horse manure was going to take over cities!  Cars solved the problem, but bought their own hazards.  

Computers, tv etc. have their own dangers and drawbacks, and I think it is good that people are aware of the abuses and dangers. 

Anyway, I have no qualms about saying I am glad I am growing up in these times and not earlier times.  I really think one of the really major problems now is illegal/abuse of drugs by younger people.  I hardly have any answers, but I think of some of the destruction I have see from the use of illegal/abuse of drugs and I have to think that preventing the start of such use is a priority. 

That’s it for now, Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

2017 Summer September 18 Monday

2017 Summer September 18 Monday

70 degrees this morning, rain, no walk.

Rain to his morning and yesterday.  When I was in grade or high school I had a teacher who mentioned it always rained on the equinox (when Fall starts).  Over the years I have noted when this isn’t so, and it really probably has been dry more than it has rained.  I’ll need to research this some!

Start of another work week.  Sometimes I wonder what it will be like to be “retired”.  I hope I will always be doing something, or rather I will always be doing something, even if it isn’t full-time work. 

As long as I enjoy the work and am able to physically handle it, I intend to keep on working, although at some point I’m sure I will want to make time for additional personal goals and activities.

I assume at some point my desire to complete some personal projects may outweigh my desire to keep on working.   

Sometimes on weekends and even evenings, I wonder about using my time more productively, but I also have the excuse I am already working full-time.  

I really don’t know where the time went from when I used to work a lot more hours than I do now.  I easily worked 2 or 3 evenings a week and usually another 6-8 hours on weekends.  

I see several possibilities, one of course was that my time was more flexible doing the day, although that was more of a perception than a reality, since so much of the work involved having to be there during the day.  

Another possible reason is that my expectations are raised. I know I work 40 hours per week generally, and I may expect to get more done than I do just because of the extra “off” hours.  

Another dream I noted. 

9-17-17 Dream

Highly active dream, dreamed I was in one of our cars (the one I normally don’t drive) and I was giving an assignment or something.  

As I was driving I suddenly become confused and stopped (in the road)  and opened a car window.  I saw a man coming out to the street, not a threat.

Started driving again when I realized I was stopped in the street.  The car coming turned. 

I went into a park area.  

I was looking through my bag for something when the man I had seen outside came in, obviously the Part attendant or something.  

(Not sure what building I was in).  He asked if I needed anything and I just told him I had stopped to look for something.

The man looked at a memo obviously written by a Supervisor and was laughing about the use the word “befreaked”.  and the memo in general.

I started laughing uncontrollably also. He left with his helper and then I woke up.

That’s it for now, Monday, September 18, 2017

2017 Summer September 17 Sunday

2017 Summer September 17 Sunday

78 degrees this morning, walk 34:59 minutes.

In spite of the temperature it is relatively cool, a light breeze.  Humidity is 75 %.  

Actually, my “weather app” just advised me is was supposed to start raining, but it isn’t.  

The “weather app” used to be almost perfect, if it said it was raining at 4:11 a.m., it was raining at 4:11 a.m.  Now it is almost never right, and fortunately errs on the side of saying it is raining when it isn’t rather than vice versa. 

Enjoying what is probably one of the last few mornings on the patio this season.  As I noted, it seems cooler than 78 degrees. Yesterday morning I came after the sun was up (although it was a cloudy day), and even though it was 75 degrees, the wind made it too cool to sit out here.

Pace was 6 seconds below my goal.  I am glad my pace is becoming faster again, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be able to continue to have a real goal.  I want to reduce it, not increase it!

Finished the book “Red Notice”.  Assuming it even has a basis in truth, which I feel it does, it really indicates the corruption and total inconsideration of human rights by Putin and the police etc.  

Very scary to think that this thug is worshiped by the lying bully coward and he wants to be like Putin!  He probably also is indebted to him for his election antics!  

Basically the book indicates the entire Russian police, legal and leadership system is totally corrupt and criminal.  Probably eventually fall on it’s own weight again as citizens rebels against the corruption.

What is really scary about the lying bully coward is the appointment of federal judges who are “bought and paid for” by the extremist “think tanks”, foundations and businesses like the kook brothers etc.  It will take a long time to get them out of the system and the destruction they will create. 

Middle of a weekend, again it is so hard to believe that is is actually starting the last half of September 2017 and it seems like Summer hasn’t even really started yet!  But it is September 2017.  There were so many things I was waiting for to happen this year (starting of social security, paying off one of cars, a major milestone birthday and probably many other things) and they are all in the past now!  

Thinking this morning about  recycling.  The area I live in has “single stream”  recycling (I think that is what they call it) where you have a big cart (one of the 96 gallon wheeled cards)  and just put all of the recycling into the cart regardless of whether it is paper, plastic etc.  

It works a lot better than the little bins (especially here where the wind is ever blowing) and also I think encourages recycling.  The recycling rate in this city is about 80% (of residents who recycle) and about 20 % in the city that still uses the old bins.  That probably isn’t the only factor, but it certainly is an important one.  We actually recycle about twice what we throw away with this system.

That’s it for now, Saturday, September 17, 2017.

2017 Summer September 16 Saturday

2017 Summer September 16 Saturday

76 degrees this morning, walk 35:16 minutes

Welcome warmer weather for my walk!  Wind is up some, which tends to make everything cooler.  

Good walk this morning, good to get back into it again after a 3 day layoff.  Pace was 4 seconds slower than my goal time.

Blooms are off the Crepe Myrtles’.  Basically that means to me that Summer is receding.

Reading a book about the experiences of a person who set up a fund to invest in Russian  business stocks.  (Bill Browder, “Red Notice” .   May sound like a contradiction in terms for Russia to have stocks.  It is a fascinating book.

His experience with Russia sounds about like what I heard in a speech by Herb Cohen (“You Can Negotiate Anything) at a conference.  He was an excellent speaker but one story that stuck with me was the tactics of Russians in buying property in the US.  I really wonder if such tactics are really legal.

I won’t go into specifics (it basically concerned tying up the property and then basically trying to bankrupt the seller to get a low price or even steal the property), but it sounds like the same general tactics he describes in the book in one chapter.  

While I enjoyed his speech and read several of his books, I always had to wonder about the attitude that you try to negotiate the lowest price without regard for the seller or time and effort.   You need to take care of yourself, but some negotiation tactics appear to not be worth the money for the time and effort you expend for a small return, plus if it is an item that needs maintenance, they are likely to remember you.  

While I really don’t care much to negotiate, I can’t imagine walking into Walmart and trying to negotiate a lower price, in China you were expected to negotiate and it kind of became fun when both parties expect it.  

Of course, just like a car dealer, they negotiate every day, so I doubt that I can really “beat the  car dealer” on a car purchased every 5 years or so!  I  can always exercise the supreme strategy and just walk alway and go elsewhere.  

As I discussed about the newsletter, the recent credit reporting agency breach of security is really scary.  I will be changing all of our passwords and putting on a credit freeze.

It was hard to believe the company didn’t take the appropriate security measures when they, probably somewhat  illegally anyway, keeping a data base on everyone without their permission and then fail to protect that date.  

Looking forward to a nice weekend, it was a strange week!

That’s it for now, Saturday, September 16, 2017

2017 Summer September 15 Friday

2017 Summer September 15 Friday

75 degrees this morning.  No walk.

Perfect morning for a walk, but due to schedule, can’t walk this morning.  Hopefully this means there will be a few more mornings with mid-high 70’s etc. and I can also sit on the patio again.  

Summer and time are fleeting as they say, or at least it sounds good.

I wanted to expand on yesterday to emphasize that I believe free speech is important on all sides, all viewpoints.  I especially don’t like people who attempt to “drown” out someone else, regardless of their views.

Certainly some vile sewer rat like “president Bannon” shows how stupid and obscene his opinions if he is able to express them and someone is able to demonstrate how low life he really is.  

Another day on a special assignment where I will walk a lot, which is another reason I didn’t walk this morning.  I will walk significantly more than I normally walk.

Still trying to decide on the morning papers.  I am totally disgusted with the extreme views of the daily newspaper.  I try not to look at the editorial page, but occasionally a headline catches my attention and I have to wonder how they can live with themselves and how someone with such a view of life can actually own a newspaper and have such a negative view of people that they have no empathy whatsoever.   They must be looking at it as strictly a means to make money, not for any community benefit.

I wonder why people who are lucky enough to inherit or make tremendous sums of money suddenly decide they can tell everyone else what to think and do and think.  Of course the main goal is to keep what they have and make more, for whatever reason. Of course a lot of people without vast sums of money try to do the same thing.

Seven days until the Summer of 17 ends.  Overall, it has been a good summer.  It actually isn’t bad for the next couple of months and then the long Winter begins. 

One of the main problems is that even after the Winter ends, it takes so long for warm weather to actually arrive. 

Normally it is at least late May before warm weather arrives “permanently” which is about 8 months away!   Of course there are many warm days interspersed.

Working on the special assignment is always interesting, another view of some of the lifestyles that people live.  Nothing against any of them, I think it is great that people have a lot of alternatives in how they live and make their living.

One thing about Fall is that soon we can stop wasting money and water on watering the grass and keeping something alive that doesn’t naturally occur!  I wish we could figure out a way to have indigenous plants that don’t need water!  

That’s it for now, Friday, September 15, 2017.  

2017 Summer September 14 Thursday

2017 Summer September 14 Thursday

65 degrees this morning, no walk

No walk today, scheduled for an assignment where I will walk plenty!  A little change is probably good, although I really miss my morning walk, especially when it is more than one day.  

A break is always nice, but my morning walk has become so much of a ritual that when I don’t do it for one day or so, I begin missing it.  

I am becoming very worried about the continual attacks on free speech. When a person can’t (in my opinion truthfully) criticize the president (especially an embarrassing delusional incompetent one like we have now) without an attack by the Press Secretary, who is incompetent anyway and simply a liar for the lying bully, there is something really wrong.  The Presidents press secretary saying someone should be “fired”.  That is sickI 

I realize that persons need to realize you may have the right of free speech, but free speech doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences, the thought of a government official, even a grossly incompetent one, saying someone should be “fired” for rightly criticizing the President is grossly wrong.  

What is weird is the lying bully coward issues vicious, vile, lying personal attacks on persons all the time and the same incompetent person defends him!

Enough of that, but I think the current administration is doing everything possible to destroy our basic right of free speech.

I was recent stunned to read a news story that “Sheriff’s and Police Officers don’t know whether to obey the law or the President”! 

REALLY????? This is BS to the highest degree!  Is this some kind of dictatorship where some delusional lying racist bully coward can instruct a locally elected Sheriff to break the law/???? I hardly think so and I was stunned that such a story would even be printed. 

 What are we coming to when it is stated that the president can instruct police to break the law  is actually seriously printed?  Sounds a lot like Nazi Germany or Russia!  

We are definitely a nation of laws, not some delusional racist coward bully who can instruct anyone to break the law or (hopefully) that is not exempt from the law.  

He is already grossly breaking the law by “marketing” the office of President to tout his resorts, hotels and even his wineries etc. 

I guess this post today has become somewhat of a rant, but I think “Resist” has become much more than a slogan.   

The current administration, and especially some of the incompetent appointed officials, are alarming to say the least with their secrecy, attacks on news media as well as personal attacks and their complete disregard for the law.  Scary.  

That’s it for today, Thursday, September 14, 2017.

2017 Summer September 13 Wednesday

2017 Summer September 13 Wednesday

57 degrees this morning, no walk.

Coolest morning of the season this morning.  Didn’t walk due to my schedule but it isn’t that bad.  In a few months that will seem warm.

Also am on a special assignment Thursday and Friday where I walk a lot, so probably won’t walk Thursday or Friday (assuming the schedule remains the same).  Last year I walked over 12 miles on this assignment which is a lot more than my daily walk!  

Briefly reviewed a newsletter I get sent every few months.  It is always interesting to read, and he brings up some points that at least need to be considered, whether I agree or not.  

One continuous them is cybersecurity, and I think the events each month emphasize that this is an important consideration.

The recent hacking of the credit reporting company was scary from a financial viewpoint.  Probably even more scary is the “I don’t care” attitude they continue to express to their “customers” whose data they already use without permission for their own profit and to the determinant of their “customers”.   

It is bad enough that they collect all the data on people, and make it almost impossible to correct and then they can’t even keep it secure, and when they do get hacked they don’t really take any actions on it other  than surface.  Probably will try to make a profit off it by “selling” more “protection” over the long run.  

Hopefully class action lawsuits will get their attention 

What is really scary is to think that the present incompetents and idiots in federal office are “relaxing” regulations that will allow further abuses and financial scams like this without any real consideration that there are “good” regulations.  

The Newsletter also points out the continuing deterioration in ethics, especially with a lying bully coward as “president” will continue a rapid deterioration in ethics and criminal behavior due to the “example” of the lying bully coward and his incompetent  appointees.  

I really have to wonder about ‘President Bannon”.  Talk about a freak show, someone who looks like they climbed out of a sewer (and apparently did, or more likely the sewer sludge).  I think he will fail from an over-exaggerated opinion of himself.

The Newsletter also continues to point out that we are almost entirely dependent on other areas and the distribution system in the event of a natural disaster or terrorism, etc.    

Unfortunately he is correct on this, as even brief outages, or even an overall long term electrical outage could create shortages etc. 

I don’t know the answer to all this, but I think it is important to be aware of what could happen and be somewhat prepared for it.  

That’s it for now, Wednesday, September 13, 2017.

2017 Summer September 12 Tuesday

2017 Summer September 12 Tuesday

65 degrees this morning, walk 35:15 minutes.

Walk this morning was good, temperature was cool, but not bad. Pace was 18 seconds slower than goal, still trying to figure out why my pace is getting slower.  Usually it is slower in cold weather, but only in much colder weather than it is now when I have to “bundle up”.

Checked on the end of Summer (or the start of Fall, depending on how you look at it), it is 4:02 p.m., September 22.  

Fall already, that is difficult to believe.  

Meanwhile, I tend to measure time in the progress of long term projects.  

Scanning of our pictures is actually progressing well, a matter of “one  (photo) book at a time!”!, or maybe one picture at at time.  Definitely patience plays a role in the success o this project!!

I have been slowly taking pictures of each of my “Hot Wheels”.  So far, what has slowed me down is actually taking the pictures.  It is difficult to take a really good picture of each car.

I keep telling myself that the goal is to take reasonable good pictures of each car to document them.  So far I have made a small dent in the “loose” cars and when I start on the ones that are still in the original carton, I can document more fully what they are etc.

Again I get into the matter of what the actual  is.  It really isn’t to take flawless pictures of each car.

Associated with that is the continual project of getting rid of “stuff” we don’t need or want anymore!

Apple “event” where the new iPhones, possibly new swatch will be presented.   It will be interesting to see if all of the “leaks” are correct or not!

Switching gears a little in my listening on my walk.  I am currently listening to Ben Bermanke.  

The title of his book is “Courage to Act” , an interesting title.   The “Courage to Act” also entails the thought that you have to have the “Courage to not Act” and aren’t taking action just because you can’t stand the status quo.

It has been an interesting book so far, although he is just basically reviewing his early life.  It was interesting watching his professional developing and how his career developed to the point it did.  

That’s it for now Tuesday, September 12, 2017.