So we are looking at changing the faucet in our kitchen sink, we have one that is very old and leaking. Early in our discussion about replacement faucets Bride and I are watching a commercial for a Delta fixture with what they called “Magnetite Docking”. Magnetite docking I thought, great googily moogily the name alone intimidated me. What has the world come to when our faucets have things called Magnetite Docking, it sounds like a feature better suited to be in engineering on the starship Enterprise alongside a warp core diagnostic console. After a bit more investigation I found that the full name of this new frontier inspired (my words) faucet is the Single Handle Bar Faucet With Pull Down Spray and Diamond Seal Valve, Stainless. Pull down spray? Diamond seal valve? What the heck, I am looking for something to go in my kitchen and be used to rinse dishes, wash my hands and clean vegetables. What in the world does all that mean!
So I start internet shopping around for the new fixture I will install in my kitchen – holy cow. Now I installed that faucet about 9 years ago and paid 120 bucks for it, I thought it was expensive at the time but that is the one Bride wanted, so it is the one we have, I was in for sticker shock 9 years later. I had to quit looking while I reminded myself I was looking for something that water runs out of, not a garden tractor or a new engine for my old jalopy. WOW what has happened to us that someone would pay over 1000 dollars for a spigot on the kitchen sink. I can assure you my current fixture will leak A LOT of water before I ever spent $1000 to replace it. I still cannot even believe that a 1000-dollar spigot is even made, for Pete’s sake it was not even gold plated! Faucets with names like “Forte Single Control Pullout Kitchen Sink Faucet with Color-Matched Sprayhead and Lever Handle, Polished Chrome” and “Avalon Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet, Tuscan Bronze” and my favorite the “Marielle Single-Handle Centerset Bar and Kitchen Island Faucet, Oil Rubbed Bronze” was returned to me in my search engine. “Tuscan Bronze”, “Oil Rubbed” I do not even know what the heck that is and better yet why I would want it??
So after a few days on an internet search I quit. I thought I will rebuild the one I have, not so fast zippy is what I heard when I got to the Big Box store, that is not verbatim but that is what I heard in the clerks words. What model is that faucet sir? It one that spits water out into my sink, who knows the model number of their kitchen faucet? I am somewhat anal and keep records and service manuals for equipment from the stereo gadgets to the weed eater but I could not remember keeping any paper on the faucet. After a search at home I found the correct documentation, a Model # 174SSWF and back to the big box store armed with my information I went. Of course when I arrived the moderately intelligent representative was gone for the day, I was left with the representative who was not sure if that model was used in the kitchen or the bathroom. Needless to say after an exhaustive search we could not find a rebuild kit for my faucet.
These manufacturers and resellers are in cahoots and have got the best racket around figured out, make a certain model for a short period and have it available in only one store. Make a very similar product, market it with a different name, and make it available in only one store, not the same store though. This makes it impossible for the consumer to make an apples to apples comparison, this is true for many products we buy, from mattresses to faucets to shoes. It also makes it nearly impossible to find the correct replacement parts for the one you have. The system is designed like that for a reason, they have built into the plan wearing you down looking for repair parts and then hoping that in frustration you just buying a new “Avalon Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet, Tuscan Bronze”. I WILL NOT SUBMIT, I will find a repair kit for my faucet or it will leak for the rest of my life but I will not be forced to play their game!
Do you have a faucet that is leaking?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
How many freakin lawn implements do we really need?
The best of my calculations tell me the flora that surrounds us has been growing, without our help, for somewhere around 4 billion years, give or take. Why is it over the last few hundred years have we become so obsessed with making “nature” looks right. And why over the last 50 years have we gone completely apey our lawns, or yards depending on your geographical location. We have invented gadgets to help us maintain a lawn the way we think it should look. I feel that we are kind of being presumptuous in believing we know what it should look like, neither the power of Darwin’s Origin of Species nor the theory of creationism or the belief that God created it all in 7 days had any details that explain what we do to our lawns to make them look good. It is not important how you think the grass got here, whatever you believe is fine, I can’t see any of the plans having fertilizers, lime, bug killer, weed and feed and all the other assorted chemicals and implements we subject our lawns to.
We purchased our first home in 1991 and the lawn was in tough shape. I had never maintained a yard before, I had mowed when I lived with my parents but never maintained a lawn. Most of the neighbor’s lawns were pristine looking and very manicured and here I was without even a lawn mower. One of my neighbors offered assistance, I think it had more to do with my lawn not making the block look bad than actually helping me. Regardless he indicated a sprinkler system was required for proper a looking lawn here in Florida, I thought sprinklers were for golf courses but learned with the weird grass and hot weather everyone with a decent looking lawn has a sprinkler system. He also spoke of foreign things, chemicals called 2-4D, atrazine and trace elements and of the need for a drop spreader to spread weed and feed and a broadcast spreader to lay down milorganite and fertilizer and bug killer. It was making my head spin, I had not even purchased a mower yet and here was a list of thousands of dollars worth of chemicals and implements. It took some time for him to get over his disdain about a northerner moving onto the block so I was fighting that battle as well.
Slowly I was able to install a sprinkler system, my first attempt was pretty poor, and after a year or so got the lawn looking pretty good. I also found a new best friend at the Ace Hardware store, there was a lady there who was a genius. I could take her some grass clippings or leaves from a tree or flowers and she could not only identify the problem but recommend a course of action. You need this spray and wait two days and add that granulated goody and then bump the time up on the sprinkler system. She was my savior, I learned from her, not only by asking questions but keeping a journal, detailing the problems and what the resolutions were. I did not want to seem like a bad pupil by asking the same question over and over again. I had watched her chastise a guy for that “didn’t you have this same problem 3 years ago” she said, I got out of the military some time ago and did not want a dressing down in front of other customers in the Ace Hardware. It got to the point that I was able to diagnose 99% of my problems and with the help of my journal I could provide detailed explanations of the cures as well.
So I have been a home owner now for a long time and have maintained my lawn for a long time. In this house I designed the sprinkler system on the computer and the sections I have installed work fantastically. I also own all the implements, I still have that first push mower as well as a riding mower, the 20 inch cut was killing me on a 115 x 115 foot lot. I have a gas weed-eater and hedge trimmer as well as a power edger and a 480 mile an hour backpack blower. Early on I would my the gadgets from places like Home Depot or Lowes but realized the quality of those gadgets are not up to the continued use and have moved up to the professional lines, Stihl, Husqvarna and Snapper are the horses in my stable now. They require a larger initial investment but when you think of amortizing over the life of the equipment, they started paying me back in about 2-3 years.
My lawn is still not perfect and never will be but I try hard to maintain it. This is not so much for me anymore, I have proven I can do it, but to help keep the neighborhood up. The older I get the more I believe that letting nature take its course is the best approach. I leave the leaves until they all fall and the last frost has passed, and you know the leaves protect the grass from the cold. I have planted native plants that do not do not require the amount of water, fertilizer and special care that some of the exotics do. I have not slacked on the bug control, my bride hates bugs and we live in Florida so I keep plenty of bug killer laid down, which eliminates the moles and armadillos, no bugs for them to eat.
How many implements and chemicals are in your shed?
We purchased our first home in 1991 and the lawn was in tough shape. I had never maintained a yard before, I had mowed when I lived with my parents but never maintained a lawn. Most of the neighbor’s lawns were pristine looking and very manicured and here I was without even a lawn mower. One of my neighbors offered assistance, I think it had more to do with my lawn not making the block look bad than actually helping me. Regardless he indicated a sprinkler system was required for proper a looking lawn here in Florida, I thought sprinklers were for golf courses but learned with the weird grass and hot weather everyone with a decent looking lawn has a sprinkler system. He also spoke of foreign things, chemicals called 2-4D, atrazine and trace elements and of the need for a drop spreader to spread weed and feed and a broadcast spreader to lay down milorganite and fertilizer and bug killer. It was making my head spin, I had not even purchased a mower yet and here was a list of thousands of dollars worth of chemicals and implements. It took some time for him to get over his disdain about a northerner moving onto the block so I was fighting that battle as well.
Slowly I was able to install a sprinkler system, my first attempt was pretty poor, and after a year or so got the lawn looking pretty good. I also found a new best friend at the Ace Hardware store, there was a lady there who was a genius. I could take her some grass clippings or leaves from a tree or flowers and she could not only identify the problem but recommend a course of action. You need this spray and wait two days and add that granulated goody and then bump the time up on the sprinkler system. She was my savior, I learned from her, not only by asking questions but keeping a journal, detailing the problems and what the resolutions were. I did not want to seem like a bad pupil by asking the same question over and over again. I had watched her chastise a guy for that “didn’t you have this same problem 3 years ago” she said, I got out of the military some time ago and did not want a dressing down in front of other customers in the Ace Hardware. It got to the point that I was able to diagnose 99% of my problems and with the help of my journal I could provide detailed explanations of the cures as well.
So I have been a home owner now for a long time and have maintained my lawn for a long time. In this house I designed the sprinkler system on the computer and the sections I have installed work fantastically. I also own all the implements, I still have that first push mower as well as a riding mower, the 20 inch cut was killing me on a 115 x 115 foot lot. I have a gas weed-eater and hedge trimmer as well as a power edger and a 480 mile an hour backpack blower. Early on I would my the gadgets from places like Home Depot or Lowes but realized the quality of those gadgets are not up to the continued use and have moved up to the professional lines, Stihl, Husqvarna and Snapper are the horses in my stable now. They require a larger initial investment but when you think of amortizing over the life of the equipment, they started paying me back in about 2-3 years.
My lawn is still not perfect and never will be but I try hard to maintain it. This is not so much for me anymore, I have proven I can do it, but to help keep the neighborhood up. The older I get the more I believe that letting nature take its course is the best approach. I leave the leaves until they all fall and the last frost has passed, and you know the leaves protect the grass from the cold. I have planted native plants that do not do not require the amount of water, fertilizer and special care that some of the exotics do. I have not slacked on the bug control, my bride hates bugs and we live in Florida so I keep plenty of bug killer laid down, which eliminates the moles and armadillos, no bugs for them to eat.
How many implements and chemicals are in your shed?
Friday, March 27, 2009
So what is with “fresh scent” we are obsessed with?
If you turn on a TV today, you will see that they advertise many air fresheners that are available to us. Some that you spray from an aerosol can, these have been around the longest I suspect although new nozzles are better at atomizing and dispersing the contents. Lately I have noticed a trend that offers many, many more ways to surround ourselves with “fresh scents”. I will not mention names but one in particular seems to be pumping more advertising dollars into a campaign of “fresh scent” against us.
So there are scented candles, of the ones that have an actual flame there are 13 different scents, some of those are two scents in one candle. Those scents range from french vanilla to mountain fresh, I for one do not need a candle that smells like the coffee creamer I use. As for mountain fresh I hardly think you can replicate the smell of mountain freshness in a candle. I have been in the mountains after a rain and it does not smell like the odor coming from one of those candles. There is another one called “ocean blue”, I do not even think that is an odor as much as it is a color, having been in the United States Navy for 10 years I can speak from experience that this candle DOES NOT smell like the ocean. These candles do not smell like the ocean off the coast of Florida, it does not smell like the ocean off the coast of Chile, it does not smell like the ocean as you come out of the Suez canal, it does not smell like the ocean anywhere I have ever been.
Now are also a couple of other kinds of candles as well, scented oil candles and flameless candles. In the scented oils candles we have another 10 scents, from angels whisper to luscious pear. Luscious pear my ass, we had a pear tree when I was a kid and neither the pears or the blossoms on the tree put forth smell like this scented oil candle. There is also a flameless candle, who knows what that is, that comes in six scents, from Hawaiian breeze to orchid oasis. There are also scents that are created by “plug ins”, either gel based or oil based. Between the two of them there are 14 scents from white tea lily to sweet pea and lilac. I love sweet peas and we had a gigantic lilac bush in our yard when I was a kid and I think the scent they were smelling when they named these two was marijuana, or potentially bull shit I am not sure which. There are even plug in models that have little fans in them to help spread the smell, opps, I meant “fresh scent” all over the house and I saw one recently that had two fans, count them two fans.
So we also see this new trend that just does the work for us, yes we must just be too lazy to actually get the can of smell good and spray it around. The first of these I noticed were able to be set in several different modes, it would shoot a bit of “fresh scent” at any one of three or four different time settings. So we got this gadget that sprays on us every few minutes, ridiculous. Lately I saw an advertisement for a new version of that gadget, the thing has a motion sensor in it. Now I am not sure if it is an active sensor, like RF for a radar return or ultrasonic which would look for a sonar return but I suspect that is a passive infrared since that technology would be the least expensive and use the least amount of battery power. What is wrong with us, a motion activated air freshener. What if you are not in need of a blast of “fresh scent” when you walk by, what if you have a tray of snacks, do you want them sprayed? I thought they must be making a fortune on selling the refills, not since 1901 when the American inventor King Camp Gillette invented the disposable razor has a manufacturer so taken advantage of our desire to have things be as easy as possible.
I will not go into all the varieties of regular spray cans of smell good but you see the available options. So when did we becomes so obsessed with the way things smell, normally? If my house stinks it is incumbent upon me to actually clean the house, not spray “fresh scent” all over it. Covering up the normal smell of things gives us a false understanding of what the world smells like. What is wrong with the way fish smells when we cook it, what is wrong with the way our pets smell, what is it we keep around that is so foul we think we need to mask it with “fresh scent”? If you do not like the way your pets smell, get rid of them, if your dinner smells so bad while cooking it you need to spray, you might reconsider what you are having for dinner. Most things in life smell, get over it and stop wasting your money on a momentary blast of something someone who was smoking doped calls a “fresh scent”
How much smell'em do you spray or burn in your home?
So there are scented candles, of the ones that have an actual flame there are 13 different scents, some of those are two scents in one candle. Those scents range from french vanilla to mountain fresh, I for one do not need a candle that smells like the coffee creamer I use. As for mountain fresh I hardly think you can replicate the smell of mountain freshness in a candle. I have been in the mountains after a rain and it does not smell like the odor coming from one of those candles. There is another one called “ocean blue”, I do not even think that is an odor as much as it is a color, having been in the United States Navy for 10 years I can speak from experience that this candle DOES NOT smell like the ocean. These candles do not smell like the ocean off the coast of Florida, it does not smell like the ocean off the coast of Chile, it does not smell like the ocean as you come out of the Suez canal, it does not smell like the ocean anywhere I have ever been.
Now are also a couple of other kinds of candles as well, scented oil candles and flameless candles. In the scented oils candles we have another 10 scents, from angels whisper to luscious pear. Luscious pear my ass, we had a pear tree when I was a kid and neither the pears or the blossoms on the tree put forth smell like this scented oil candle. There is also a flameless candle, who knows what that is, that comes in six scents, from Hawaiian breeze to orchid oasis. There are also scents that are created by “plug ins”, either gel based or oil based. Between the two of them there are 14 scents from white tea lily to sweet pea and lilac. I love sweet peas and we had a gigantic lilac bush in our yard when I was a kid and I think the scent they were smelling when they named these two was marijuana, or potentially bull shit I am not sure which. There are even plug in models that have little fans in them to help spread the smell, opps, I meant “fresh scent” all over the house and I saw one recently that had two fans, count them two fans.
So we also see this new trend that just does the work for us, yes we must just be too lazy to actually get the can of smell good and spray it around. The first of these I noticed were able to be set in several different modes, it would shoot a bit of “fresh scent” at any one of three or four different time settings. So we got this gadget that sprays on us every few minutes, ridiculous. Lately I saw an advertisement for a new version of that gadget, the thing has a motion sensor in it. Now I am not sure if it is an active sensor, like RF for a radar return or ultrasonic which would look for a sonar return but I suspect that is a passive infrared since that technology would be the least expensive and use the least amount of battery power. What is wrong with us, a motion activated air freshener. What if you are not in need of a blast of “fresh scent” when you walk by, what if you have a tray of snacks, do you want them sprayed? I thought they must be making a fortune on selling the refills, not since 1901 when the American inventor King Camp Gillette invented the disposable razor has a manufacturer so taken advantage of our desire to have things be as easy as possible.
I will not go into all the varieties of regular spray cans of smell good but you see the available options. So when did we becomes so obsessed with the way things smell, normally? If my house stinks it is incumbent upon me to actually clean the house, not spray “fresh scent” all over it. Covering up the normal smell of things gives us a false understanding of what the world smells like. What is wrong with the way fish smells when we cook it, what is wrong with the way our pets smell, what is it we keep around that is so foul we think we need to mask it with “fresh scent”? If you do not like the way your pets smell, get rid of them, if your dinner smells so bad while cooking it you need to spray, you might reconsider what you are having for dinner. Most things in life smell, get over it and stop wasting your money on a momentary blast of something someone who was smoking doped calls a “fresh scent”
How much smell'em do you spray or burn in your home?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
How many modes does your washing machine need? How many of them do you use?
Some washing machines have too many different ways to wash your clothes. Gone are the days of a simple washing machine, we now have things like the HydroWave™ systems with Infusor™ AutoBalance™ Suspension Systems and the RainShower™ System. Now I bet most of that is BS, just a fancy way to say special agitator and stronger springs holding the tub and I won’t even venture a guess about the RainShower™ feature but who knows. They might actually be new innovations, I doubt it but that is surely what they want us to believe. They now have more knobs and dials than ever before, and I defy anyone to tell me, including the sales person, what each of the settings on each of those knobs and dials actually do. How many different modes of operation do we really need, it is only a washer for Petes sake?
For me I have had washers with all the bells and whistles and you know what, I used one mode, the “wash my clothes” mode. Most people do not separate clothes properly anyway so what makes us think we need 18 different wash cycles. I was in the Home Depot this past weekend trying to find a replacement head for my lawn rake, a story for another day, when I saw they had prominently displayed at the stores entrance a $1500 washing machine. 1500 hundred bucks, I was stunned! I stopped to look and it has features like steam wash and delicates as well as having a beautifully prepared, powder coated finish in screaming bright red. I learned that this machine comes with its own computer language, CleanSpeak™, you heard me, a washing machine that has its own computer language. I also learned that if you purchase the separate base units it will automatically dispense laundry detergent and fabric softener. Are we that lazy that we can’t even put the soap in the load, we are already there putting the clothes in how hard is it to add the soap by ourselves?
All of this got me to looking at these fantastic machines, even the seemingly normal washers come in several different models. I was looking at one brand, they had three models of a seemingly similar washer, and I wondered what the difference was. Now the $700+ one had a more colorful control panel as well as more knobs and dials while the $328 one had a more plain control panel with fewer knobs and dials, there was also a middle of the road unit, in price and features. I was beginning to feel like Goldie Locks and wondered which one was “just right” for me. They were all the same color, white, all had the same capacity and all had the plastic drum and agitator. What is the difference? Having owned a washer from this manufacturer I knew the manuals were available for download from the internet. I noted the model numbers and was off for home, without a replacement head for my lawn rake by the way. By the way it is a damn shame you can’t by a replacement head for a rake!
After downloading the three manuals for the three models of washing machines I quickly realized I needed to download the parts manuals as well to truly determine the difference between a $328 machine and a $700+ washer that from my perspective are the same machines. Well imagine my surprise when I learned they are identical machines except for the controller panel and some additional decals and paint. You heard me, identical, same motor, same drain pump, same tub, same case, same transmissions and when I say the same I mean the identical part numbers for all the parts, except the controller. All the wiring installed in each of these units were identical for all the models, cheaper to manufacture one wiring harness and use it in all models, even if parts of it are not used on all models. They are the same machine, through and through. If you own one of these machines that do everything but wipe your butt, that is an additional option, admit it, deep down you only use one mode on the thing, the wash my clothes mode, so anything else is just showing off a washing machine and you know it.
What kind of washer do you have and how many cycles do you actually use?
For me I have had washers with all the bells and whistles and you know what, I used one mode, the “wash my clothes” mode. Most people do not separate clothes properly anyway so what makes us think we need 18 different wash cycles. I was in the Home Depot this past weekend trying to find a replacement head for my lawn rake, a story for another day, when I saw they had prominently displayed at the stores entrance a $1500 washing machine. 1500 hundred bucks, I was stunned! I stopped to look and it has features like steam wash and delicates as well as having a beautifully prepared, powder coated finish in screaming bright red. I learned that this machine comes with its own computer language, CleanSpeak™, you heard me, a washing machine that has its own computer language. I also learned that if you purchase the separate base units it will automatically dispense laundry detergent and fabric softener. Are we that lazy that we can’t even put the soap in the load, we are already there putting the clothes in how hard is it to add the soap by ourselves?
All of this got me to looking at these fantastic machines, even the seemingly normal washers come in several different models. I was looking at one brand, they had three models of a seemingly similar washer, and I wondered what the difference was. Now the $700+ one had a more colorful control panel as well as more knobs and dials while the $328 one had a more plain control panel with fewer knobs and dials, there was also a middle of the road unit, in price and features. I was beginning to feel like Goldie Locks and wondered which one was “just right” for me. They were all the same color, white, all had the same capacity and all had the plastic drum and agitator. What is the difference? Having owned a washer from this manufacturer I knew the manuals were available for download from the internet. I noted the model numbers and was off for home, without a replacement head for my lawn rake by the way. By the way it is a damn shame you can’t by a replacement head for a rake!
After downloading the three manuals for the three models of washing machines I quickly realized I needed to download the parts manuals as well to truly determine the difference between a $328 machine and a $700+ washer that from my perspective are the same machines. Well imagine my surprise when I learned they are identical machines except for the controller panel and some additional decals and paint. You heard me, identical, same motor, same drain pump, same tub, same case, same transmissions and when I say the same I mean the identical part numbers for all the parts, except the controller. All the wiring installed in each of these units were identical for all the models, cheaper to manufacture one wiring harness and use it in all models, even if parts of it are not used on all models. They are the same machine, through and through. If you own one of these machines that do everything but wipe your butt, that is an additional option, admit it, deep down you only use one mode on the thing, the wash my clothes mode, so anything else is just showing off a washing machine and you know it.
What kind of washer do you have and how many cycles do you actually use?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Why is it so difficult to get glasses without a recent eye exam?
I have worn glasses since I was about 6 or 7 years old. My sight started failing right after an accident that involved a concussion, 18 hard wood steps to the first floor of our country house, 45 minutes of unconsciousness and a thin mattress that was arranged in a sled like fashion under the handrails. Anyway the school nurse caught my problems with an eye exam at the school, I do not know if they still do that or not but they did back then. I am not sure what prompted the exam, maybe a teacher indicated I was doing more poorly than normal on my class work, since I could not see the black board, that may have been the case. Regardless I was of poor eyesight and was in need of a full examine by a licensed Ophthalmologist. My mom brought me to a Eye Doctor in Urbana, a couple of blocks north of the square on 68, this was the first of many trips. My first pair was a sporty copper tone metal frame job that was quite stylish.
It did not take my mom long to realize that metal frame glasses bend easily and since I was young I had not yet learned the art of glasses repair we made numerous trips to the eye place for adjustments and repairs. I was having a hard time adjusting to being a four eyes, never before had I had to think about what I was doing and what impact would that activity have on my spectacles. I can’t remember how many trips it took with the metal framed model before my mom had had enough, but I remember when it happened. I had broken a temple off and looking back she must have had a really bad day because we replaced the sporty wire frames with “the toughest pair of frames you have” that is what my mom asked for. I was still devastated by having to wear glasses in the first place but this pair of “tough” frames were a gray plastic model that was not at all sporty or even close to good looking. I will say that I never had any problems that required a trip back for repair though.
I am not sure why that was, I think I stepped up my experimentation with glasses repair, I did not want to break these, anything “tougher” would most likely be even worse in appearance. I became proficient in repairing them, with model glue, a propane torch I found in the barn and other trade secrets I found o could keep them together. I was blind so I needed to wear them all the time, as I still do. I will have you know for the entire time I lived with mom she never let me have a pair of wire framed glasses. Looking back that is kind of funny in itself. I still am very good at repairing the frames of my glasses, I keep all my old pairs for spare parts and usually have at least two identical pairs in case of emergency. I am in need of new glasses now, the frames are 10 years old need updated, to quote Joe Friday from Dragnet they are not “what all the hip young cats are digging these days”. My lenses are pretty scratched up as well, I now use the plastic ones because they are so much lighter in my prescription, no plastic lenses when I was living with mom though.
So I have my prescription and I am off to the same place I have gone since I arrived in Jacksonville. He indicated to me that the prescription is older than 2 years and I will need to get another eye exam. Never in my nearly 40 years of wearing glasses had I heard of such a thing. I told him I did not need a new prescription and he looked at me as if I were from Mars, how do you know that he asks. I can see the individual leaves on the trees I say. Now he thinks I am playing with him, like I was making a joke or something. I explain to him, when was 6 my eye doctor told me to keep an eye on the trees, especially the leaves and when you can no longer make out individual leaves it was time to come in for a new exam. I tell wonder boy, who is not much older than the boots I have on, that that method has worked for me my whole life and I do not need an exam. Well he starts spouting off about rules and I tell him thank you and leave. I go somewhere else only to hear the same story, oh and by the way we offer an exam right here on the premises.
Now I got it, scalping me for more money, I assure you an eye doctor of today would never tell you the leaves trick. They are no longer looking out for what is best for us but what is best for them, you having to continue to pay them for something you may not need. This attitude has become pervasive in our society but I never thought it would make it to the place I get my spectacles. That is a damn shame! I have been trolling the internet lately to see about new frames and lenses, you do not need a new eye exam to order them online. Ordering online has presented me with other worries, what if the frames are not right, I know my frames sizes as well. What if the lenses are not right, it is not like ordering a new car radio from Ebay these gadgets are going to have to work. I have been frozen into inaction by the options available and have almost resigned to getting a new eye exam and glasses locally, damn it!
When was the last time you had your eyes examined?
It did not take my mom long to realize that metal frame glasses bend easily and since I was young I had not yet learned the art of glasses repair we made numerous trips to the eye place for adjustments and repairs. I was having a hard time adjusting to being a four eyes, never before had I had to think about what I was doing and what impact would that activity have on my spectacles. I can’t remember how many trips it took with the metal framed model before my mom had had enough, but I remember when it happened. I had broken a temple off and looking back she must have had a really bad day because we replaced the sporty wire frames with “the toughest pair of frames you have” that is what my mom asked for. I was still devastated by having to wear glasses in the first place but this pair of “tough” frames were a gray plastic model that was not at all sporty or even close to good looking. I will say that I never had any problems that required a trip back for repair though.
I am not sure why that was, I think I stepped up my experimentation with glasses repair, I did not want to break these, anything “tougher” would most likely be even worse in appearance. I became proficient in repairing them, with model glue, a propane torch I found in the barn and other trade secrets I found o could keep them together. I was blind so I needed to wear them all the time, as I still do. I will have you know for the entire time I lived with mom she never let me have a pair of wire framed glasses. Looking back that is kind of funny in itself. I still am very good at repairing the frames of my glasses, I keep all my old pairs for spare parts and usually have at least two identical pairs in case of emergency. I am in need of new glasses now, the frames are 10 years old need updated, to quote Joe Friday from Dragnet they are not “what all the hip young cats are digging these days”. My lenses are pretty scratched up as well, I now use the plastic ones because they are so much lighter in my prescription, no plastic lenses when I was living with mom though.
So I have my prescription and I am off to the same place I have gone since I arrived in Jacksonville. He indicated to me that the prescription is older than 2 years and I will need to get another eye exam. Never in my nearly 40 years of wearing glasses had I heard of such a thing. I told him I did not need a new prescription and he looked at me as if I were from Mars, how do you know that he asks. I can see the individual leaves on the trees I say. Now he thinks I am playing with him, like I was making a joke or something. I explain to him, when was 6 my eye doctor told me to keep an eye on the trees, especially the leaves and when you can no longer make out individual leaves it was time to come in for a new exam. I tell wonder boy, who is not much older than the boots I have on, that that method has worked for me my whole life and I do not need an exam. Well he starts spouting off about rules and I tell him thank you and leave. I go somewhere else only to hear the same story, oh and by the way we offer an exam right here on the premises.
Now I got it, scalping me for more money, I assure you an eye doctor of today would never tell you the leaves trick. They are no longer looking out for what is best for us but what is best for them, you having to continue to pay them for something you may not need. This attitude has become pervasive in our society but I never thought it would make it to the place I get my spectacles. That is a damn shame! I have been trolling the internet lately to see about new frames and lenses, you do not need a new eye exam to order them online. Ordering online has presented me with other worries, what if the frames are not right, I know my frames sizes as well. What if the lenses are not right, it is not like ordering a new car radio from Ebay these gadgets are going to have to work. I have been frozen into inaction by the options available and have almost resigned to getting a new eye exam and glasses locally, damn it!
When was the last time you had your eyes examined?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
At breakfast over the weekend I had a bacon egg and cheese sandwich - no oatmeal
So there I was on my way home from breakfast and some dude is honking at me because my old jalopy can’t get going so fast up and over the Mathews bridge and it got me to thinking about what has happened to our society as a whole. Well as you know we are so far off the tracks now I am not sure we will ever be able to just get along anymore and play nice again. It is the simple things that we miss, things like “everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten” http://www.heartwarmingstories.net/everything.htm) Well that got me to thinking - why are people so angry these days and I think I am on to something. First, for those old enough to remember you did not see a lot of road rage in the 60’s and 70’s, probably a few reasons beside my hypostasis but here we go……..
I believe the start of our society’s inability to be patient started with the advent of microwave popcorn and the removal of pray from school. WHHHHHAAAAAT you might be asking yourself, well let me explain. Popcorn used to be cooked in a pot that was shaken vigorously back and forth on the stove with a bit of oil. My hats off to those lucky few who may have gotten the jiffy pop with the really cool expanding top, in my family that was a luxury we were not afforded but I digress as that is a story for another day. My point here is that all good things require some effort on our part and not everything can be done instantly, cooking popcorn in a pot was a pain in the butt, but the work made it worth it the anticipation and wait. I could use other examples but you understand, all good things required effort.
Well on to the other part, in this country we also used to have something called freedom OF religion and not the freedom FROM religion we enjoy today (There are lots of reasons for that, again not the point for today’s story). For those not old enough to remember we used to say the pledge of allegiance along with a prayer every morning at school. Not that I was old enough at that time to understand the complexities of church and state issues I still remember liking both the pledge and the prayer. Looking back, I attribute that as a factor in my moral and ethical foundations that formed at a young age, the Lord’s prayer is very well written http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/lordsprayer.htm
So how in the world, you might ask, did I get from some knuckle head on the bridge to that, well let me explain.
With the dawning of microwave popcorn age our society as a whole started thinking our instant gratification was a God given right and not just a convenience. Over the last 20-30 years we have come to easily apply those principles of microwave popcorn (instant gratification) to other areas of our lives. Areas of our lives that those principles may not be applicable I might add. An example would be being instantly available to everyone, all the time. My mom would kick us out for the whole day and we could not be “reached” and we survived. Now I know that knucklehead laying on the horn had some Bluetooth gadget stuck in his ear giving the person on the other end the business as well. We must also have available to us 593 different kinds of shampoo, I personally use a bar of soap on my hair, sorry Jay no offense intended with the hair comment. We also need to have those 593 shampoos available at every store we go to, from Wal-Mart to Walgreens. There are millions of examples, 4 different kinds of coffee at the gate station and 6 different kinds of flavored creams. Anyway my point is this rush to immediate gratification started with advent of microwave popcorn, in my opinion.
So you couple that with the removal of prayer in school, that basically removed the moral compass we may have been receiving, for those who did not receive a dose of that from home as a kid. So now we have an impatient little kid without any grounding and what do you get, a bunch of grownups acting like a kid going through their lives in a constant “terrible twos” cycle, I want it now and I do not care what it takes to get it. Or in this case I want over the bridge one car length on front of you and I will lay the sauce to my horn to prove to you that is what I want, Nice!
You could see this as a case for legalizing marijuana, you did not see the potheads of the 60’s and 70’s acting like that, either that or as my friend Circe recommends, we need to add Prozac to the water supply.
So what were you thinking the last time someone honked their horn at you?
Monday, March 23, 2009
What in the heck is PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene and why does it stick to aluminum?
Not long ago, a very good friend of mine asked the question “Nothing sticks to Teflon, so how does Teflon stick to the pan?” I thought I would take a stab at answering it, the best I can. Polytetrafluoroethylene or the substance more commonly called Teflon, is actually a DuPont brand name, kind of like Kleenex for tissues and Q-tips for the little cotton swabs. It was actually invented by accident in 1938 by DuPont engineer Dr. Roy Plunkett while he worked at the Jackson laboratory in New Jersey. He was actually working with gases related to Freon® refrigerants when upon checking a frozen, compressed sample of Tetrafluoroethylene, he and his associates discovered that the sample had polymerized spontaneously into a white, waxy solid to form Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. It was not until 1945 that it first marketed under the DuPont Teflon trademark. PTFE has one of the largest molecular weights, exceeding 30,000,000, and when coating other substrates it is so slippery that virtually nothing sticks to it or can be absorbed by it. When you think about it there is little wonder that Teflon was chosen to be used for nonstick cookware. Before we get to why it does stick to the pans I just wanted to mention that manufacturers who do not use the DuPont brand of Teflon have to call their pots and pans "non-stick coated aluminum cookware" instead of Teflon coated.
In the early days, what the non-stick stuck to and did not stick to was a mechanical issue. Early on manufacturers had two methods to get the Teflon to stick, they textured the substrate (aluminum pan) by sand blasting its surface, this created a coarse surface, they also tried spraying the cookware with a micro-lumpy ceramic coating or stainless steel, which formed mini-mountains as it hardened. The textured surfaces provided the long, slippery non-stick molecules much more to bite into. As the non-stick wore off the peaks and micro-lumps there was still enough clinging in the crevices to keep the pancakes from getting stuck, sort of. The biggest trouble was these methods didn't hold up very well under normal household use. For those who remember the early Teflon pans you know, they sucked and you had better never touch them with anything metal. This was also before the advent of effective plastic cooking tools. It was still just a great idea and not so much a useful product, yet.
So back on the drawing board it was determined the discussion needed to about the basic non-stick molecule being a polymer, or chain, of fluorine atoms and additives such as carbon and hydrogen. The longer this chain, the tougher it is; but if the molecule becomes too long and it becomes viscous and very hard to handle (not sure what that means really????). The second generation coating systems moved beyond mere mechanics for adhering the Teflon coating. The frying-pan engineers added a sticky molecule to the non-stick molecule. Teflon was now applied in coats, with the bottom coat containing the sticky additive that held tight to the metal pan and to the non-stick molecules. A coat of non-sticky non-stick went over that, non-stick and non-stick cling together like a loving hug with your honey. A final non-stick layer, spiked with teensy bits of ceramic or other manmade tougheners, protected the softer layers applied earlier. That is how most of non-stick cookware is made, Grit-blast the pan; spray on a sticky primer coat, a midcoat, and a tougher top coat; and bake. Kind of like the paint on a car, primer, paint and clear coat. Teflon is also similar to automotive finishes in that it is produced in different colors as well, ridiculous in my opinion.
The latest non-stick innovation, lost on most using non stick cookware, is a non-mechanical means of sticking non-stick to aluminum. In a method, DuPont calls "smooth technology," new-and-improved sticky molecules in the primer coat sink into the surface as the pan bakes and chemically lock themselves to smooth, un-blasted metal. The upper layers also fuse together better resulting in a much tougher piece of cookware. There are questions about health consequences concerning ingesting all those non-stick molecules? DuPont's Kris Mohan says not to worry, we are, after all, talking non-stick, it is completely inert, and it passes right through the body without interfering with anything." Who knows really, it is probably contributing to the myriad health problems we all face, a story for another day though.
The real bottom line is this, who cares, as long as the pancakes do not stick to the pan and come out fluffy and golden brown?
How many “non-stick” pieces of cookware do you have?
In the early days, what the non-stick stuck to and did not stick to was a mechanical issue. Early on manufacturers had two methods to get the Teflon to stick, they textured the substrate (aluminum pan) by sand blasting its surface, this created a coarse surface, they also tried spraying the cookware with a micro-lumpy ceramic coating or stainless steel, which formed mini-mountains as it hardened. The textured surfaces provided the long, slippery non-stick molecules much more to bite into. As the non-stick wore off the peaks and micro-lumps there was still enough clinging in the crevices to keep the pancakes from getting stuck, sort of. The biggest trouble was these methods didn't hold up very well under normal household use. For those who remember the early Teflon pans you know, they sucked and you had better never touch them with anything metal. This was also before the advent of effective plastic cooking tools. It was still just a great idea and not so much a useful product, yet.
So back on the drawing board it was determined the discussion needed to about the basic non-stick molecule being a polymer, or chain, of fluorine atoms and additives such as carbon and hydrogen. The longer this chain, the tougher it is; but if the molecule becomes too long and it becomes viscous and very hard to handle (not sure what that means really????). The second generation coating systems moved beyond mere mechanics for adhering the Teflon coating. The frying-pan engineers added a sticky molecule to the non-stick molecule. Teflon was now applied in coats, with the bottom coat containing the sticky additive that held tight to the metal pan and to the non-stick molecules. A coat of non-sticky non-stick went over that, non-stick and non-stick cling together like a loving hug with your honey. A final non-stick layer, spiked with teensy bits of ceramic or other manmade tougheners, protected the softer layers applied earlier. That is how most of non-stick cookware is made, Grit-blast the pan; spray on a sticky primer coat, a midcoat, and a tougher top coat; and bake. Kind of like the paint on a car, primer, paint and clear coat. Teflon is also similar to automotive finishes in that it is produced in different colors as well, ridiculous in my opinion.
The latest non-stick innovation, lost on most using non stick cookware, is a non-mechanical means of sticking non-stick to aluminum. In a method, DuPont calls "smooth technology," new-and-improved sticky molecules in the primer coat sink into the surface as the pan bakes and chemically lock themselves to smooth, un-blasted metal. The upper layers also fuse together better resulting in a much tougher piece of cookware. There are questions about health consequences concerning ingesting all those non-stick molecules? DuPont's Kris Mohan says not to worry, we are, after all, talking non-stick, it is completely inert, and it passes right through the body without interfering with anything." Who knows really, it is probably contributing to the myriad health problems we all face, a story for another day though.
The real bottom line is this, who cares, as long as the pancakes do not stick to the pan and come out fluffy and golden brown?
How many “non-stick” pieces of cookware do you have?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Watching the Sunrise on the beach, what a spiritual experience
When things are going on in my life I like to go to the beach at 4:30 am or so and watch the entire process of the sun coming up. I am lucky, I live close to the Atlantic ocean and it affords me a wonderful place to reflect and contemplate the challenges of life. I have watched the sunrise like this in places all up and down the east coast of the United States, in Brazil, in Turkey and Italy looking over the Mediterranean sea. I have watched the Sunrise from countless Caribbean islands as well, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados and even from Trinidad and after a tiny boat ride from Tobago as well. I have even gone to the west of Kiser lake and watched the sun rise, for those who know Kiser lake you know, for those who don’t you probably never will. The results are the same no matter the place, it is a spiritual experience for me. Not a religious experience because I am not a religious person in the traditional sense, but a spiritual experience.
When I am close to the water, especially a tidal body of water, and start from pitch black to sunrise, it reminds me how inconsequential I am, in the grand scheme (whatever that may mean to you). By making me feel insignificantly small it also tends to blend any problems I may be facing into irrelevancy. When you compare anything in this material world to the majesty of taking the 2 hours to watch the sun come up you will quickly learn no matter how big your problems might seem, they just ain’t all that. This has helped me throughout my adult life put things into perspective, from early girlfriend problems up to the recent death of my mother. I look at the sunrise everyday almost like I look at the duck billed platypus, as sure proof there is a higher purpose (God if you will) and in the platypus’s case that there is a great sense of humor there.
My profile picture on Face Book is a picture I took a couple of years ago when a friend was going through a very tough spot in his life and came from Ohio to Florida to visit, he had never seen the ocean. What better way to show someone the ocean for the first time than to start out at 4:30 in the morning and watch the sun come up. We went out there I think 5 days in a row to watch, I truly felt it helped him to put the challenges life presented him into perspective. I spent a lot of time this week at the beach watching the sun come up. The first day I was on my way and before I could get there, my jalopy broke down, now this was before 5am and I will have you know two guys came out of nowhere and helped me push it into a parking lot. I saw it as a sign, I was meant to be at the beach. I thought I will work for a couple of minutes to see what the problem was and then I was going to walk the last stretch with my lawn chair (the sand is damp and cold) and worry about my car later. Luckily it was a simple fix, a wire to the distributor shorted against the block, when one drives a 51 year old car every day he keeps tools and repair parts in the car. In a few minutes I was at the beach dragging my chair into the sand.
It is impossible to describe the event, and it happens every day no matter where you are. It is spectacular when viewed across a bean field or a tiny city back yard but over the ocean is at the top of the list for me. The week of Sunrises has allowed me to reconcile recent events in my life and come to peace with my decisions.
Since I cannot describe the experience here is but a taste of what it looked like.
How do you contemplate the issues of your life?
When I am close to the water, especially a tidal body of water, and start from pitch black to sunrise, it reminds me how inconsequential I am, in the grand scheme (whatever that may mean to you). By making me feel insignificantly small it also tends to blend any problems I may be facing into irrelevancy. When you compare anything in this material world to the majesty of taking the 2 hours to watch the sun come up you will quickly learn no matter how big your problems might seem, they just ain’t all that. This has helped me throughout my adult life put things into perspective, from early girlfriend problems up to the recent death of my mother. I look at the sunrise everyday almost like I look at the duck billed platypus, as sure proof there is a higher purpose (God if you will) and in the platypus’s case that there is a great sense of humor there.
My profile picture on Face Book is a picture I took a couple of years ago when a friend was going through a very tough spot in his life and came from Ohio to Florida to visit, he had never seen the ocean. What better way to show someone the ocean for the first time than to start out at 4:30 in the morning and watch the sun come up. We went out there I think 5 days in a row to watch, I truly felt it helped him to put the challenges life presented him into perspective. I spent a lot of time this week at the beach watching the sun come up. The first day I was on my way and before I could get there, my jalopy broke down, now this was before 5am and I will have you know two guys came out of nowhere and helped me push it into a parking lot. I saw it as a sign, I was meant to be at the beach. I thought I will work for a couple of minutes to see what the problem was and then I was going to walk the last stretch with my lawn chair (the sand is damp and cold) and worry about my car later. Luckily it was a simple fix, a wire to the distributor shorted against the block, when one drives a 51 year old car every day he keeps tools and repair parts in the car. In a few minutes I was at the beach dragging my chair into the sand.
It is impossible to describe the event, and it happens every day no matter where you are. It is spectacular when viewed across a bean field or a tiny city back yard but over the ocean is at the top of the list for me. The week of Sunrises has allowed me to reconcile recent events in my life and come to peace with my decisions.
Since I cannot describe the experience here is but a taste of what it looked like.
How do you contemplate the issues of your life?
Friday, March 20, 2009
I believe my sister is keeping a secret, she is a Saint.
My sister and I share a great relationship and I admire her in so many ways I can hardly count them, but I will try. Over the years the three brothers have scattered across vast distances while my sister stayed close to the home front. Each of us brothers had our own reasons for moving away, I won’t speculate on the reasons of my brother’s but for me it was a 10 year hitch in the military that ended in Florida, no snow so I stayed, what can I say. Regardless, my sister has been the only one who remained close to home and has been there alone, close to my parents for quite some time. When I left all those years ago, I never considered what responsibilities might fall to her, due to proximity, as my parents got older.
Some years ago, my Father suffered a stroke and has experienced a steady list of medical issues, requiring my sister to be involved. Handling things from filing for Social Security benefits to picking doctors to helping with medication management and weekly visits from the nurse. Since his initial stroke, his health issues have not slowed let alone stopped. My sister lived a few hours away and MANY times would stop what she was doing to go take of a need for Dad, including settling arguments with the apartment manager where Dad lived. When Ohio turned from Red to Blue, politically, my sister was forced to relocate to find work. This relocation has moved her into the same town as Dad. I cannot imagine the additional work that this has created for her. I am not speaking ill of my father only pointing out the sacrifices my sister has made in order to care for him. I have talked to her countless times from the hospital and NEVER heard any animosity, frustration or anything other than deep concern for Dad. I do not think I would have that level of strength were the roles reversed.
My Sister was also left to deal with my Mom’s battle with Alzheimer's, I can’t speak for my brothers but that scared me, in a way that I have never been scared before. I was glad my sister was there, she is so much stronger than I am that it embarrasses me. Before Mom was too far into her battle she made my sister medical power of attorney, my Mom realized that my sister was the only one in our family strong enough to make the decisions that she knew would need to be made. I still cannot imagine the pressure she must have felt, I would have withered under that much pressure. I cannot remember the number of times she made the 4+ hour trip to be with Mom for this test or that procedure or just to hang out. When my sister called me the other day with the news from the Hospice nurse that the end was near it made my heart hurt, more so for my sister than for my mother, in my mind I had already lost mom to Alzheimer's. Maybe someday I will be on that end of that kind of phone call but this time I was glad my sister was there, her strength and courage is unmatched and I knew she could do the right thing.
My sister has been able to take care of our parents while maintaining her own sometimes complicated life, She has long been the axis of our family. She has worked tirelessly to maintain relationships with parents, siblings, kids, in-laws, outlaws - you name it and she was able to keep the faith and be a better person, bowing to whatever it would take to maintain the relationship. No matter who was fighting, she was working to mend the relationship, at least she kept us informed on what the others were up to. I admire her quiet determination, in all my life I cannot remember her ever complaining, about anything and she has faced adversity throughout her life. She is the strongest person I know, emotionally and spiritually who ALWAYS does the right thing, especially when no one is looking. I admire her in so many ways and can only hope to live my life in the way she lives hers. She is a Saint and I want everyone to know it because she would never ask for anything, a Saint does not do the work for the recognition they do it, all of it, because it is the right thing to do and that it needs doing.
I love and respect my sister and I want everyone to know what a great person she is.
Some years ago, my Father suffered a stroke and has experienced a steady list of medical issues, requiring my sister to be involved. Handling things from filing for Social Security benefits to picking doctors to helping with medication management and weekly visits from the nurse. Since his initial stroke, his health issues have not slowed let alone stopped. My sister lived a few hours away and MANY times would stop what she was doing to go take of a need for Dad, including settling arguments with the apartment manager where Dad lived. When Ohio turned from Red to Blue, politically, my sister was forced to relocate to find work. This relocation has moved her into the same town as Dad. I cannot imagine the additional work that this has created for her. I am not speaking ill of my father only pointing out the sacrifices my sister has made in order to care for him. I have talked to her countless times from the hospital and NEVER heard any animosity, frustration or anything other than deep concern for Dad. I do not think I would have that level of strength were the roles reversed.
My Sister was also left to deal with my Mom’s battle with Alzheimer's, I can’t speak for my brothers but that scared me, in a way that I have never been scared before. I was glad my sister was there, she is so much stronger than I am that it embarrasses me. Before Mom was too far into her battle she made my sister medical power of attorney, my Mom realized that my sister was the only one in our family strong enough to make the decisions that she knew would need to be made. I still cannot imagine the pressure she must have felt, I would have withered under that much pressure. I cannot remember the number of times she made the 4+ hour trip to be with Mom for this test or that procedure or just to hang out. When my sister called me the other day with the news from the Hospice nurse that the end was near it made my heart hurt, more so for my sister than for my mother, in my mind I had already lost mom to Alzheimer's. Maybe someday I will be on that end of that kind of phone call but this time I was glad my sister was there, her strength and courage is unmatched and I knew she could do the right thing.
My sister has been able to take care of our parents while maintaining her own sometimes complicated life, She has long been the axis of our family. She has worked tirelessly to maintain relationships with parents, siblings, kids, in-laws, outlaws - you name it and she was able to keep the faith and be a better person, bowing to whatever it would take to maintain the relationship. No matter who was fighting, she was working to mend the relationship, at least she kept us informed on what the others were up to. I admire her quiet determination, in all my life I cannot remember her ever complaining, about anything and she has faced adversity throughout her life. She is the strongest person I know, emotionally and spiritually who ALWAYS does the right thing, especially when no one is looking. I admire her in so many ways and can only hope to live my life in the way she lives hers. She is a Saint and I want everyone to know it because she would never ask for anything, a Saint does not do the work for the recognition they do it, all of it, because it is the right thing to do and that it needs doing.
I love and respect my sister and I want everyone to know what a great person she is.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Ashley Jeane Woods – what’s in a name?
She was born in 1940 in England to Marjorie Lumb and a father she would not know because he was not around, she was a love child of Hitler’s siege on England. She grew up with her mother and her mother’s parents. She lived through a very abusive relationship in the home, specifically with her grandfather. After a short relationship with a military man she met in France she married and at 19 moved to the US. She started her family in 1963 with a daughter and finished with a son in 1968, there was a son in between in 1965. The marriage became fraught with issues and ended in 1975, she was 35 when she filed for divorce.
In late 1976, she met her second husband at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Delaware Ohio. After a short courtship, they were married and moved to his home, over 100 miles away. Her second husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in late 1985. She was, for the first time in her life, alone. Kids were gone, husband deceased. She experienced a wonderful transition to into an independent person that was not part of a team as wife or as mother to children. In 1991 she found a new man, her kids used words like “boy toy” and “cradle robber” but were happy for her, because she was happy. They were married 1996 and moved into Amish country north of Pittsburgh. Although her kids had long teased her about forgetting things and keeping lists about who she watched which movies with, in 2005 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and in 2008 she move into an assisted living facility.
So what’s in a name, Ashley Jeane Woods started her life as Jeane Marina Lumb and when she married Marlin Alden Smith she becomes a Smith and mother of three. When she married for the second time, it was to John Robert Stephensky and she became Jeane Marina Stephensky and received another son, Jay Edward Stephensky. When John Robert Stephensky passed away, she drifted for a while and then found her true and independent self and she became a US citizen. When an alien becomes a citizen, they are allowed to pick any name they want and after much consideration, she picked Ashley Jeane Woods. She kept the “Jeane” part so she could still be Grandma Jeane to the grandchildren. When she married Harold Wimer, she had found she had truly become Ashley Jeane Woods and did not change her name. While married to Harold she did change her name again, kind of. By the time, she started writing for the newspapers and to other “email pal” she was comfortable enough with Ashley to start using AJ Woods or AJ.
In that name, there is an entire life story, a life that suffered through abuse as a child, a life that had her persevering through a tough first marriage that left her a single mother. A life that had her caring for and raising 4 children during her second marriage. A life that dealt her the loss of a spouse to cancer, I cannot imagine such a burden to bear. A life that afforded her the incredible experience of finding that she was Ashley Jeane Woods. Her life was so full of accomplishment that it would be impossible to list them here.
No matter what name she used she was my mom and I miss her.
In late 1976, she met her second husband at a Parents Without Partners meeting in Delaware Ohio. After a short courtship, they were married and moved to his home, over 100 miles away. Her second husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in late 1985. She was, for the first time in her life, alone. Kids were gone, husband deceased. She experienced a wonderful transition to into an independent person that was not part of a team as wife or as mother to children. In 1991 she found a new man, her kids used words like “boy toy” and “cradle robber” but were happy for her, because she was happy. They were married 1996 and moved into Amish country north of Pittsburgh. Although her kids had long teased her about forgetting things and keeping lists about who she watched which movies with, in 2005 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and in 2008 she move into an assisted living facility.
So what’s in a name, Ashley Jeane Woods started her life as Jeane Marina Lumb and when she married Marlin Alden Smith she becomes a Smith and mother of three. When she married for the second time, it was to John Robert Stephensky and she became Jeane Marina Stephensky and received another son, Jay Edward Stephensky. When John Robert Stephensky passed away, she drifted for a while and then found her true and independent self and she became a US citizen. When an alien becomes a citizen, they are allowed to pick any name they want and after much consideration, she picked Ashley Jeane Woods. She kept the “Jeane” part so she could still be Grandma Jeane to the grandchildren. When she married Harold Wimer, she had found she had truly become Ashley Jeane Woods and did not change her name. While married to Harold she did change her name again, kind of. By the time, she started writing for the newspapers and to other “email pal” she was comfortable enough with Ashley to start using AJ Woods or AJ.
In that name, there is an entire life story, a life that suffered through abuse as a child, a life that had her persevering through a tough first marriage that left her a single mother. A life that had her caring for and raising 4 children during her second marriage. A life that dealt her the loss of a spouse to cancer, I cannot imagine such a burden to bear. A life that afforded her the incredible experience of finding that she was Ashley Jeane Woods. Her life was so full of accomplishment that it would be impossible to list them here.
No matter what name she used she was my mom and I miss her.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The loss of a parent is challenging............
My Mom passed away March 17th 2009 at about 4:30am, my sister called to tell me at 6:25am. Until that moment, I was blessed, I still had both my parents and I quickly realized that I had been taking that fact for granted, for way too long. My Mom was the most complex and unique person I have ever known and probably will ever know. She lived her whole life in a bold, in your face and unrepentant way, it was her world and everyone else was just orbiting. She lived the first part of her life facing unbelievable adversity, as she got older she found true love in the arms of a younger man. I always believed this love was her only true love. I believe her first two marriages were for other reasons, the first to escape a troubled childhood home life and the second one to provide security for herself and her three biological children. Of course, that is just my opinion as her and I never talked about that directly but there were enough conversations to lead me to that conclusion.
Several years ago, she and I had argued about something, I guess it was stupid because I can’t even remember what it was about. We were both very opinionated and stubborn to some degree and we just stopped talking, at all. As I contemplate my Mom’s life, it seems I must be dimwitted to have let something stupid cause a rift in our relationship, even more so now since I can’t even remember what the argument was about. A couple of years ago, after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s we made a trip to see her for mother’s day. She was still pretty coherent at that time and I enjoyed the visit, although she did not remember or understand that we had not talked or had been arguing for some time. After that visit I remember thinking it was the first time in A LONG time I had seen her truly happy, seems weird to say but all the bullshit (the adversities of life) had been stripped away and it was like the Mom I remembered from my childhood, happy, optimistic and cheerful. I realize that is not fair for me to make that assessment with a 2 day visit but I did as a coping mechanism to deal with the situation. A group picture taken by my nephew has been the desktop on computer ever since.
My family has been dysfunctional for a long time, like all families but our dysfunction is “high-level” dysfunction. As my youngest brother says our dysfunction is so bad that for us it should just be “Dys”. The “Dys” is so complex and on so many levels, you will have to believe me that it is bad and that effective and proper communication is challenging, on the best of days and this is not a good day. I have received, or picked up however you want to see it, a lot of traits from my Mom, for the better I believe at this point in my life. I have never had a problem sleeping or looking at myself in the mirror, which is good. But, I also never had a problem saying what was on my mind, many times in my life it has been to my own detriment and it saddens me that I allowed it to adversely affect my relationship with my family. I am at peace with my dysfunction and do not blame others for it, it is mine to own and we have becomes close friends over the years.
Being true to myself has continued to be a double edged sword for me, I will never change who I am, I have never been more comfortable in my skin as I am now, I own my “Dys”. 99.9% of the time I am perfectly content with who I am but there is that fraction of the time that I wonder if I should learn to shut up and say I am sorry more often. I did not reengage with Mom like I should have after that Mothers day visit, for some reason I did not rekindle the relationship because I knew it would he hard, would she recognize my voice when I called, would she remember what we had been arguing about or would something else, unpredictable, happen. What a coward I am, this is exactly the time I should have been engaging with my Mom and here I was scared of how it might affect me, what a bullshit excuse! I will reconcile that mistake with myself, it is what I do, and move on but I feel neglecting the relationship when I did might be my biggest mistake to date. My Mom taught me, in childhood, to be independent and that I could do ANYTHING I wanted to, if I applied myself. Mom taught me, in young adulthood, to question authority and find my own truth and to never believe without investigation, words like “pray for peace but prepare for war” were in her syllabus but if you ponder anecdotes like that you will find they can be applied to many aspects of our life. Later in her life, she taught me (through inverse action) that I would never let life to beat me down to be jaded, divisive or mean spirited and to miss the beauty in simple everyday things.
She lived every aspect of her life unapologetically, which was good and bad. She more than had the courage of her convictions, she dominated her convictions in a very unwavering way. She also approached relationships with the same unapologetic manner, good or bad I own both of these traits. When her mother died of Alzheimer’s some time ago Mom’s greatest fear was to be stricken with that disease. Mom was very smart and engaged in the life around her, she got her master’s degree when she was in her 50’s and never stopped learning, learning about everything. When it started to happen I can’t imagine the fear Mom must have felt. When she needed someone the most I abandoned her, I am ashamed of that fact. Knowing the fear she had to have felt has made her passing easier for me, she did not want to live like that, those who knew her know, her kids know from the very very detailed living will she left. She was VERY specific about feeding tubes, rehydration and countless other restrictions that detailed that without the possibility of a return to normal life she was to receive nothing. Aside from detailing what her wishes were in black and white and legally us kids knew what she wanted, without question. I miss my Mom but at the same time, I am strangely relieved because I knew she did not want to live like that and I am disappointed with myself for being so petty.
What kind of relationship do you have with your parents?
Several years ago, she and I had argued about something, I guess it was stupid because I can’t even remember what it was about. We were both very opinionated and stubborn to some degree and we just stopped talking, at all. As I contemplate my Mom’s life, it seems I must be dimwitted to have let something stupid cause a rift in our relationship, even more so now since I can’t even remember what the argument was about. A couple of years ago, after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s we made a trip to see her for mother’s day. She was still pretty coherent at that time and I enjoyed the visit, although she did not remember or understand that we had not talked or had been arguing for some time. After that visit I remember thinking it was the first time in A LONG time I had seen her truly happy, seems weird to say but all the bullshit (the adversities of life) had been stripped away and it was like the Mom I remembered from my childhood, happy, optimistic and cheerful. I realize that is not fair for me to make that assessment with a 2 day visit but I did as a coping mechanism to deal with the situation. A group picture taken by my nephew has been the desktop on computer ever since.
My family has been dysfunctional for a long time, like all families but our dysfunction is “high-level” dysfunction. As my youngest brother says our dysfunction is so bad that for us it should just be “Dys”. The “Dys” is so complex and on so many levels, you will have to believe me that it is bad and that effective and proper communication is challenging, on the best of days and this is not a good day. I have received, or picked up however you want to see it, a lot of traits from my Mom, for the better I believe at this point in my life. I have never had a problem sleeping or looking at myself in the mirror, which is good. But, I also never had a problem saying what was on my mind, many times in my life it has been to my own detriment and it saddens me that I allowed it to adversely affect my relationship with my family. I am at peace with my dysfunction and do not blame others for it, it is mine to own and we have becomes close friends over the years.
Being true to myself has continued to be a double edged sword for me, I will never change who I am, I have never been more comfortable in my skin as I am now, I own my “Dys”. 99.9% of the time I am perfectly content with who I am but there is that fraction of the time that I wonder if I should learn to shut up and say I am sorry more often. I did not reengage with Mom like I should have after that Mothers day visit, for some reason I did not rekindle the relationship because I knew it would he hard, would she recognize my voice when I called, would she remember what we had been arguing about or would something else, unpredictable, happen. What a coward I am, this is exactly the time I should have been engaging with my Mom and here I was scared of how it might affect me, what a bullshit excuse! I will reconcile that mistake with myself, it is what I do, and move on but I feel neglecting the relationship when I did might be my biggest mistake to date. My Mom taught me, in childhood, to be independent and that I could do ANYTHING I wanted to, if I applied myself. Mom taught me, in young adulthood, to question authority and find my own truth and to never believe without investigation, words like “pray for peace but prepare for war” were in her syllabus but if you ponder anecdotes like that you will find they can be applied to many aspects of our life. Later in her life, she taught me (through inverse action) that I would never let life to beat me down to be jaded, divisive or mean spirited and to miss the beauty in simple everyday things.
She lived every aspect of her life unapologetically, which was good and bad. She more than had the courage of her convictions, she dominated her convictions in a very unwavering way. She also approached relationships with the same unapologetic manner, good or bad I own both of these traits. When her mother died of Alzheimer’s some time ago Mom’s greatest fear was to be stricken with that disease. Mom was very smart and engaged in the life around her, she got her master’s degree when she was in her 50’s and never stopped learning, learning about everything. When it started to happen I can’t imagine the fear Mom must have felt. When she needed someone the most I abandoned her, I am ashamed of that fact. Knowing the fear she had to have felt has made her passing easier for me, she did not want to live like that, those who knew her know, her kids know from the very very detailed living will she left. She was VERY specific about feeding tubes, rehydration and countless other restrictions that detailed that without the possibility of a return to normal life she was to receive nothing. Aside from detailing what her wishes were in black and white and legally us kids knew what she wanted, without question. I miss my Mom but at the same time, I am strangely relieved because I knew she did not want to live like that and I am disappointed with myself for being so petty.
What kind of relationship do you have with your parents?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How long has it been since you rode a bus, or waited at a bus stop?
My bride and I go on about an hour walk, six days a week and we pass two bus stops along the way. One is just a sign in someone’s yard that the bus stops at if someone is standing there and the other has a little hut with a bench in it for folks to wait in. We have passed by while people were waiting at the sign, polite folks we are we always say hello and receive a hello back 99% of the time. There is never any debris around this stop, no soda cans, no red bull cans, no cigarette packs not much of any trash at all. At the other stop, the one with the hut and bench seating, there is a big trash can but there is always trash all over the place. All sorts of items all over the place, except in the trash can. We have pondered why that might be, could it be that it is nearer an apartment complex instead of further back in the neighborhood? Could it be a busier stop, could that be because it offers a shady place to sit. I really have no idea as I am not a bus rider.
When gas was 4 dollars a gallon I looked into riding the bus to work to see if it would save me a bit of money. I would not be comfortable with my bride riding the city bus but I thought, I can do it without really worrying about it. I live about 10-12 minutes from work, driving my jalopy, that usually includes the stop for me to get my coffee in the morning. With a short commute and having an old jalopy that gets 21-22 miles per gallon my commute costs are pretty low anyway. Well I was stunned at what it would cost me to ride the bus. I found that I live in a spot that required me to ride three buses to get close to where I work, three buses at a buck a ride each way it was not going to be economically sound for me to ride the bus. If it were raining I would have to stand in the rain waiting for the bus and I would still have a walk the last leg to work in the rain as well. On top of all that it was going to take me over 1 hour each way on a bus, that alone would be enough for me to keep driving.
I have observed on my way to work sometimes a bus sitting on University bvld while the driver went into the Gate station to get their coffee and donut. This seemed ridiculous to me as it was very difficult for patrons to get out of the parking lot, the bus not only blocks the lane but makes it nearly impossible to see to get out safely. I always wondered if I were on that bus, would I be pissed that the driver took my time to stop and get a coffee and donut. I concluded I probably would be pissed, he can bring a thermos with coffee and a danish from home, since I was never on that bus I can’t say for sure but I think it would upset me. On our walk the other afternoon as we approached the bus stop, the one with the hut we noticed the bus had been sitting there for a while. As we approached we thought maybe something was wrong with the bus or maybe one of the passengers, we could not have been more wrong. We get up to the hut there on the bench is the bus driver smoking a cigarette, while passengers waited for him.
Now I am sure that if I were on that bus I would be pissed, I was pissed for them as I walked by. Being polite and on a new quest to say hello to every stranger we met or walked past, we said hello. Well this yahoo says hello and then immediately starts talking about how the neighborhood had really gone downhill lately. I was incredulous, we do not live in a high dollar gated community but our neighborhood is nice and we do not really have any crime problems. I disagreed with him and pointed out that the bus stops he stops at to smoke are not indicative of the neighborhoods they are occupying. I was almost speechless but could not let that comment go by without comment. My first reaction was to judge him and what kind of neighborhood he lived in but I caught myself, hell he might live one street over from me.
As we continued our walk I just could not get over the fact he stopped the bus, with passengers, to smoke a cigarette. I was still peeved about the comment on our neighborhood as well. Our walk takes us out and then we turn around and come back, covering the same ground in reverse. It makes it easy to change routes, walk for 30 minutes and turn around. Anyway not the point, when we are on our way back, maybe 5 minutes later, this dude is still smoking cigarettes. He now has a couple of passengers with him on the bench smoking and laughing, I did not understand. I almost called the JTA to report the incident but decided against it, if the passengers did not mind, who was I to say anything? On the trip home we talked about riding the bus and since I have not ridden a bus since I was in high school I decided that I was in no position to comment on buses, their drivers or their passengers and am just thankful that I do not to rely on the bus system to get around.
So when was the last time you rode the bus?
When gas was 4 dollars a gallon I looked into riding the bus to work to see if it would save me a bit of money. I would not be comfortable with my bride riding the city bus but I thought, I can do it without really worrying about it. I live about 10-12 minutes from work, driving my jalopy, that usually includes the stop for me to get my coffee in the morning. With a short commute and having an old jalopy that gets 21-22 miles per gallon my commute costs are pretty low anyway. Well I was stunned at what it would cost me to ride the bus. I found that I live in a spot that required me to ride three buses to get close to where I work, three buses at a buck a ride each way it was not going to be economically sound for me to ride the bus. If it were raining I would have to stand in the rain waiting for the bus and I would still have a walk the last leg to work in the rain as well. On top of all that it was going to take me over 1 hour each way on a bus, that alone would be enough for me to keep driving.
I have observed on my way to work sometimes a bus sitting on University bvld while the driver went into the Gate station to get their coffee and donut. This seemed ridiculous to me as it was very difficult for patrons to get out of the parking lot, the bus not only blocks the lane but makes it nearly impossible to see to get out safely. I always wondered if I were on that bus, would I be pissed that the driver took my time to stop and get a coffee and donut. I concluded I probably would be pissed, he can bring a thermos with coffee and a danish from home, since I was never on that bus I can’t say for sure but I think it would upset me. On our walk the other afternoon as we approached the bus stop, the one with the hut we noticed the bus had been sitting there for a while. As we approached we thought maybe something was wrong with the bus or maybe one of the passengers, we could not have been more wrong. We get up to the hut there on the bench is the bus driver smoking a cigarette, while passengers waited for him.
Now I am sure that if I were on that bus I would be pissed, I was pissed for them as I walked by. Being polite and on a new quest to say hello to every stranger we met or walked past, we said hello. Well this yahoo says hello and then immediately starts talking about how the neighborhood had really gone downhill lately. I was incredulous, we do not live in a high dollar gated community but our neighborhood is nice and we do not really have any crime problems. I disagreed with him and pointed out that the bus stops he stops at to smoke are not indicative of the neighborhoods they are occupying. I was almost speechless but could not let that comment go by without comment. My first reaction was to judge him and what kind of neighborhood he lived in but I caught myself, hell he might live one street over from me.
As we continued our walk I just could not get over the fact he stopped the bus, with passengers, to smoke a cigarette. I was still peeved about the comment on our neighborhood as well. Our walk takes us out and then we turn around and come back, covering the same ground in reverse. It makes it easy to change routes, walk for 30 minutes and turn around. Anyway not the point, when we are on our way back, maybe 5 minutes later, this dude is still smoking cigarettes. He now has a couple of passengers with him on the bench smoking and laughing, I did not understand. I almost called the JTA to report the incident but decided against it, if the passengers did not mind, who was I to say anything? On the trip home we talked about riding the bus and since I have not ridden a bus since I was in high school I decided that I was in no position to comment on buses, their drivers or their passengers and am just thankful that I do not to rely on the bus system to get around.
So when was the last time you rode the bus?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Who actually enjoys the two time changes for day light savings time?
The first daylight savings time law in the United States was signed on March 19th 1918, to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States. It both established standard time zones and set summer day light savings time to begin March 31st 1918. DST was observed for 7 months in 1918 and 1919. After World War One the day light savings law proved so unpopular that the law was repealed in 1919. The main reason was people rose earlier and went to bed earlier than people do today. The repeal was not complete, with a congressional override of President Wilson’s veto day light savings time became a local option and was continued by several states and even major cities. Kind of a willy nilly approach for something that should really be nationalized.
Daylight savings time changed to War time in 1942 when President Roosevelt instituted a year around program that lasted from February 9th 1942 through September 30th 1945. From 1945 to 1966 there were no federal laws regarding daylight savings time, states and localities were free to chose whether or not to observe daylight savings time and when it would start and end. This created more confusion than in today’s time, broadcasters, railways, airlines and bus companies were in a pickle because they had other governing laws about publishing schedules, a nearly impossible thing when everyone is doing their own thing when it came to time. In 1966 the Interstate Commerce Commission was stymied trying to determine how to align the multitudes of times into a standard that traversed the country, they were hopelessly deadlocked and some businesses and industries were supportive and many were not.
The Time Uniformity Committee was finally successful, only after they appealed to the general public, the kicker was a 35 mile stretch of highway, route 2 between Moundsville West Virginia and Steubenville Ohio that had 7 time changes in 35 miles. The uniform time act was passed in 1966 – 15 of the US code section 260a was signed into public law 89-387 on April 12th 1966 by Lyndon Johnson. This law had the stipulation that if the state wanted to pass a state law they could exempt themselves from the federal law. There was a small revision to that law in 1972 that allowed states that straddled two time zones to make a provision that exempted parts of the state so the whole state was on the same time. On January 4th 1972 President Nixon signed into law the emergency daylight savings time energy conservation act of 1973, the law was implemented on January 6th 1974. There was a short pissing match between the President and Congress about the dates and times that ended on October 1975. In 1986 the law was amended again to set the dates, the first Sunday in April and last Sunday of October as the official dates with the time change being 2am.
So the Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed daylight savings time again, as part of the United State’s energy policy, who dreamed up that ridiculous nonsense? The Secretary of Energy reported back to congress in 2007 that the impact of this latest change was so small that it did not raise to the level of having to reconsider the time, again. So the dates now are the second Sunday of March we spring ahead and first Sunday of November we fall back again. That change was made as part of our countries energy policy, unbelievable! That was the best we could come up with to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. WONDERFUL. Now there are statistics that can tell us such things as it saves energy, it results in fewer traffic accidents, it produces fewer violent crimes, it is safer for trick or treating children and it also increases voter turnout. I am not making that up, although I wish I were because I am convinced that is the reason we have had the latest change.
So there is a little history of daylight savings time in the United States, all bullshit really when it comes to how miserable the time changes make me, both ways! It screws up my internal clock for a month, sleep patterns are disrupted, feeding times are out of kilter and a general malaise forms around me. The first few days I am unbearably irritable, I do not like my routine thrown out of whack so I can contribute to the countries energy conservation. Besides what it does to me physically and emotionally it forces me to come into balance with all my gadgets, I have to reset clocks in the car, on the stove, on the wall and in my garage. Where I work, it has such an impact we have written procedures on how to deal with all the devices as they change time, while still locked to a satellite that is hovering in orbit, in space. I for one find the whole damn thing ridiculous and feel it should be repealed immediately, one time (or three times eastern, central and pacific) for the whole country. The earth has been orbiting the sun for a LONG time without ever having daylight savings time and people throughout time have managed to get by with the sunrise and sunset changing. Hell the first time piece, widely accepted, is an Egyptian shadow clock has only been around since about 3500bc I think we can figure it out.
What do you think of the daylight savings time?
Daylight savings time changed to War time in 1942 when President Roosevelt instituted a year around program that lasted from February 9th 1942 through September 30th 1945. From 1945 to 1966 there were no federal laws regarding daylight savings time, states and localities were free to chose whether or not to observe daylight savings time and when it would start and end. This created more confusion than in today’s time, broadcasters, railways, airlines and bus companies were in a pickle because they had other governing laws about publishing schedules, a nearly impossible thing when everyone is doing their own thing when it came to time. In 1966 the Interstate Commerce Commission was stymied trying to determine how to align the multitudes of times into a standard that traversed the country, they were hopelessly deadlocked and some businesses and industries were supportive and many were not.
The Time Uniformity Committee was finally successful, only after they appealed to the general public, the kicker was a 35 mile stretch of highway, route 2 between Moundsville West Virginia and Steubenville Ohio that had 7 time changes in 35 miles. The uniform time act was passed in 1966 – 15 of the US code section 260a was signed into public law 89-387 on April 12th 1966 by Lyndon Johnson. This law had the stipulation that if the state wanted to pass a state law they could exempt themselves from the federal law. There was a small revision to that law in 1972 that allowed states that straddled two time zones to make a provision that exempted parts of the state so the whole state was on the same time. On January 4th 1972 President Nixon signed into law the emergency daylight savings time energy conservation act of 1973, the law was implemented on January 6th 1974. There was a short pissing match between the President and Congress about the dates and times that ended on October 1975. In 1986 the law was amended again to set the dates, the first Sunday in April and last Sunday of October as the official dates with the time change being 2am.
So the Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed daylight savings time again, as part of the United State’s energy policy, who dreamed up that ridiculous nonsense? The Secretary of Energy reported back to congress in 2007 that the impact of this latest change was so small that it did not raise to the level of having to reconsider the time, again. So the dates now are the second Sunday of March we spring ahead and first Sunday of November we fall back again. That change was made as part of our countries energy policy, unbelievable! That was the best we could come up with to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. WONDERFUL. Now there are statistics that can tell us such things as it saves energy, it results in fewer traffic accidents, it produces fewer violent crimes, it is safer for trick or treating children and it also increases voter turnout. I am not making that up, although I wish I were because I am convinced that is the reason we have had the latest change.
So there is a little history of daylight savings time in the United States, all bullshit really when it comes to how miserable the time changes make me, both ways! It screws up my internal clock for a month, sleep patterns are disrupted, feeding times are out of kilter and a general malaise forms around me. The first few days I am unbearably irritable, I do not like my routine thrown out of whack so I can contribute to the countries energy conservation. Besides what it does to me physically and emotionally it forces me to come into balance with all my gadgets, I have to reset clocks in the car, on the stove, on the wall and in my garage. Where I work, it has such an impact we have written procedures on how to deal with all the devices as they change time, while still locked to a satellite that is hovering in orbit, in space. I for one find the whole damn thing ridiculous and feel it should be repealed immediately, one time (or three times eastern, central and pacific) for the whole country. The earth has been orbiting the sun for a LONG time without ever having daylight savings time and people throughout time have managed to get by with the sunrise and sunset changing. Hell the first time piece, widely accepted, is an Egyptian shadow clock has only been around since about 3500bc I think we can figure it out.
What do you think of the daylight savings time?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Life is like a smooth slick bowling alley lane.
First, I want to say that I am a spiritual seeker and do not consider myself affiliated with any systems or religion. Over time, I developed a theory about life and what it all means. The best analogy I could come up with was that of a bowling alley lane, here is why. I see myself as the ball and the ride of life is the smooth and slick hard maple flooring with the end of the game being where the pins are. Some folks get a whole lane (long life) and some people get a short lane (a life cut short). I believe right from the beginning our lane length is set, we have a preset expiration date when we get here. There will be more about free will and destiny later on. So then I see the width of the lane as our available options or life choices, to get to the pins. Basically, we can traverse back and forth from gutter to gutter and we are still going to make it where the pins are. What I mean here is that once the ball either knocks the pins over or rolls past the pins into the mechanism, that is what delivers us to what is next.
So how did I get to that and what comparisons did I draw to get me to this theory? First, the slick and smooth maple flooring is analogous to how our lives can seem to be moving along wonderfully straight (first few feet of the lane) and without warning the ball hooks in on the pins, depending on your skill level in the game that “hook” could be anywhere and have different reactions over the length of the lane. The “hooks” in our lives can come at any time and depending on our skill level and how we react with anything from a gutter ball or we work it out and get a strike. Gutter or strike, it is not important, the important thing is getting to the pins.
So we have the pins, they are setup at a point when our time is up, expiration date or the end it doesn’t matter what you call it but it is the end of this life. The distance down the lane where our pins are set, being placed by “something” akin to a pin setting machine, is preset. This preset location in the length of the lane is my explanation of why some perfectly healthy people drop out at a young age and others who drink and smoke for 70 years are still kicking. We get a predetermined amount of lane length, like in game of bowling, the pin location is predestined by the machine setting them on the lane. I recognize that may seem like it would interfere with freewill, my theory attempts to reconcile that in a bit.
We could roll the length in the gutter (we could be a murderer) or we could have that beautiful hook and hit a perfect strike (we could have lead a good and moral life). We still get to the pins, the end. My theory tracks that no matter what path you take you will wind up with all that you need for whatever is next. WHAT! If you are a follower of most official religions your life choices will have determined your fate, either heaven or hell. If you are Buddhist you will have accumulated karma (either good or bad) and be reincarnated as a lower form if you have accumulated bad karma or a higher being if you have accumulated good karma. I have not reconciled what the deal if with agnostics or atheists’, sorry.
So now we get to the width of the lane plus gutters and how we correlate that width, or how we reconcile the differences between free will and destiny. I do not believe it is one or the other, like all things in life there is balance, yin and yang, all phenomenon exist in equilibrium. I believe that we are working within the width of the lane (destiny) BUT we have that whole width (limited free will) in order to get to the pins. What does that mean? We can not deny that that the rhythms of the universe impose upon us some limitations or lane width, that does not remove our ability to move through life in many different ways. So we have freewill, but within a predefined destiny just like all things, not one or the other but a balance of both.
So once we reach the pins there is a “mechanism” that delivers us to what is next, talked about earlier. That mechanism is unique for each of us, depending on the length of our lane and the outcome of the choices we made in life the machine runs at different speeds. We might end up in purgatory for a period of time, we may have to spend more lives as a lower life form before making it to the final destination.
So what do you believe?
So how did I get to that and what comparisons did I draw to get me to this theory? First, the slick and smooth maple flooring is analogous to how our lives can seem to be moving along wonderfully straight (first few feet of the lane) and without warning the ball hooks in on the pins, depending on your skill level in the game that “hook” could be anywhere and have different reactions over the length of the lane. The “hooks” in our lives can come at any time and depending on our skill level and how we react with anything from a gutter ball or we work it out and get a strike. Gutter or strike, it is not important, the important thing is getting to the pins.
So we have the pins, they are setup at a point when our time is up, expiration date or the end it doesn’t matter what you call it but it is the end of this life. The distance down the lane where our pins are set, being placed by “something” akin to a pin setting machine, is preset. This preset location in the length of the lane is my explanation of why some perfectly healthy people drop out at a young age and others who drink and smoke for 70 years are still kicking. We get a predetermined amount of lane length, like in game of bowling, the pin location is predestined by the machine setting them on the lane. I recognize that may seem like it would interfere with freewill, my theory attempts to reconcile that in a bit.
We could roll the length in the gutter (we could be a murderer) or we could have that beautiful hook and hit a perfect strike (we could have lead a good and moral life). We still get to the pins, the end. My theory tracks that no matter what path you take you will wind up with all that you need for whatever is next. WHAT! If you are a follower of most official religions your life choices will have determined your fate, either heaven or hell. If you are Buddhist you will have accumulated karma (either good or bad) and be reincarnated as a lower form if you have accumulated bad karma or a higher being if you have accumulated good karma. I have not reconciled what the deal if with agnostics or atheists’, sorry.
So now we get to the width of the lane plus gutters and how we correlate that width, or how we reconcile the differences between free will and destiny. I do not believe it is one or the other, like all things in life there is balance, yin and yang, all phenomenon exist in equilibrium. I believe that we are working within the width of the lane (destiny) BUT we have that whole width (limited free will) in order to get to the pins. What does that mean? We can not deny that that the rhythms of the universe impose upon us some limitations or lane width, that does not remove our ability to move through life in many different ways. So we have freewill, but within a predefined destiny just like all things, not one or the other but a balance of both.
So once we reach the pins there is a “mechanism” that delivers us to what is next, talked about earlier. That mechanism is unique for each of us, depending on the length of our lane and the outcome of the choices we made in life the machine runs at different speeds. We might end up in purgatory for a period of time, we may have to spend more lives as a lower life form before making it to the final destination.
So what do you believe?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Why do we Americans feel we "have to have" or "need" so many options?
I was at the store over the weekend and I realized we have too many options, for EVERYTHING. In just this trip, a small shopping not the big shop, I noticed I have lots and many options. I am not talking about selection but the options within each of those selections that available to me. For example, I was looking for apples, and I find that there are the red delicious, the gala, the granny smith, and many others. On top of that, who knows where they all come from. I then looked for some simple cheese slices for a grilled cheese sandwich, you have your deli select, your 2% low fat kind, your normal slices and your extra thick slices, and that is just in the Kraft brand and another 7 or 8 types in other brands. I also was looking at Mayonnaise, regular, low fat, made with virgin olive oil, and again that was in the Kraft brand and several more in other brands. Then I look at relish for the chicken salad I occasionally have, you have your dill, sweet, chunked or diced. What does it all mean?
How many selections do we need? When I was a kid there was wonder bread and maybe one other kind. Now I have over 25 choices, from butter crust to potato bread to rye, Jewish, or not, with or without seeds and some made especially for use with Bratwurst. I looked at the selection of pork chops, already butter flied, thick cut, thin cut, center cut, not center cut, bone in and bone out. I then needed to pick up some laundry soap, you have your powders and liquids and in those subcategories you have your soap for dark colors, for whites only for all colors, there are some that tout being green and those that promise longer lasting fresh smell. Even something as simple as light bulbs my options were countless, 60 watt incandescent, florescent tubes, day light, soft light. I am not even going to talk about the selection of breakfast cereals, the ridiculousness of that is obvious to all who enter the cereal isle. At this point, all I wanted was the insanity to stop.
So that got me to thinking about other things in our lives that offer us too many (my opinion) selections. I looked at going to the movies, simple right, NOT. We have to have to stadium seating and a Cineplex that houses 24 or 36 theatres that all have stadium seating. Don’t get me wrong I like the stadium seating, I am just saying we are given lots of options from what to eat and drink to what to watch. I then started thinking about other things, such as pop or soda depending on where you are from. Now this is an area that I feel has gone completely mad. You can of course have your Coke, Coke clear, Coke zero, diet coke or your Pepsi or the many iterations of that product. Those are on top of all the other soda’s and store brand equivalents. I used to drink Mountain Dew and even that now has no less than 6 varieties, sacrilege I tell you.
Now I know that all those suppliers make the large variety because that is what we want, and that is exactly my point. When did we get to a place in time that we think we need this many options. I will tell you straight out, that many choices actually adds stress to our lives, yes you heard me, that many choices adds stress to our lives. I spend too much time in the grocery, I feel I need to look for the best value first, secondly I need to weigh the nutritional information and the tertiary factor is whether I like that brand or variety. I am a simpleton, this many choices for everything is not needed, I could perform my shopping trips in a fraction of the time if I did not have so many choices. The prices on my products would probably be cheaper if they did not have to maintain a store that covers more than an acre. We have turned into a society that feels we need all this complication in our lives, complication masquerading as choices. The masquerade is very good in that most people think they need all these choices, need, not want. Oh well, I for one would be content with only a couple of choices.
How many different kinds of aspirin do need to resolve the headache you get from all the options?
How many selections do we need? When I was a kid there was wonder bread and maybe one other kind. Now I have over 25 choices, from butter crust to potato bread to rye, Jewish, or not, with or without seeds and some made especially for use with Bratwurst. I looked at the selection of pork chops, already butter flied, thick cut, thin cut, center cut, not center cut, bone in and bone out. I then needed to pick up some laundry soap, you have your powders and liquids and in those subcategories you have your soap for dark colors, for whites only for all colors, there are some that tout being green and those that promise longer lasting fresh smell. Even something as simple as light bulbs my options were countless, 60 watt incandescent, florescent tubes, day light, soft light. I am not even going to talk about the selection of breakfast cereals, the ridiculousness of that is obvious to all who enter the cereal isle. At this point, all I wanted was the insanity to stop.
So that got me to thinking about other things in our lives that offer us too many (my opinion) selections. I looked at going to the movies, simple right, NOT. We have to have to stadium seating and a Cineplex that houses 24 or 36 theatres that all have stadium seating. Don’t get me wrong I like the stadium seating, I am just saying we are given lots of options from what to eat and drink to what to watch. I then started thinking about other things, such as pop or soda depending on where you are from. Now this is an area that I feel has gone completely mad. You can of course have your Coke, Coke clear, Coke zero, diet coke or your Pepsi or the many iterations of that product. Those are on top of all the other soda’s and store brand equivalents. I used to drink Mountain Dew and even that now has no less than 6 varieties, sacrilege I tell you.
Now I know that all those suppliers make the large variety because that is what we want, and that is exactly my point. When did we get to a place in time that we think we need this many options. I will tell you straight out, that many choices actually adds stress to our lives, yes you heard me, that many choices adds stress to our lives. I spend too much time in the grocery, I feel I need to look for the best value first, secondly I need to weigh the nutritional information and the tertiary factor is whether I like that brand or variety. I am a simpleton, this many choices for everything is not needed, I could perform my shopping trips in a fraction of the time if I did not have so many choices. The prices on my products would probably be cheaper if they did not have to maintain a store that covers more than an acre. We have turned into a society that feels we need all this complication in our lives, complication masquerading as choices. The masquerade is very good in that most people think they need all these choices, need, not want. Oh well, I for one would be content with only a couple of choices.
How many different kinds of aspirin do need to resolve the headache you get from all the options?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Why do we have to pay for license plates, and why do so many procrastinate getting them?
A couple of years ago my tag was expired and past due about 15 days, I was on my way to work in my old beater 1966 ¾ ton GMC pickup truck when I was reminded they were expired. There I was about 5:30 in the morning tooling along at about 35 miles an hour, the truck was old and I do not drive fast, the speed limit was 40. All of the sudden the blue lights come on, well I immediately switch lanes to allow the officer to pass me on his way to what appeared to an important crime scene. Well I look back and low and behold he switched lanes as well. I remember thinking, you dumbass I just moved out of your way, so I changed lanes again only to see him change lanes and take up a spot even closer behind me. I had not reached my Gate station so I had not had my coffee yet, so that explains that. Well I immediately pull into a well lit parking lot and gathered my registration and insurance card. While I am doing that I hear over his speaker, “driver, turn off the vehicle” I was thinking do you not see I am driving an 1966 beater pickup truck. At this point I was getting irritated and shut the vehicle off, I also placed both my hands on the window ledge in plain site. That was something the two brother in-laws I had that were cops told me I should always do.
Officer friendly approaches my truck and asked for my registration and proof of insurance, which I offer him along with the question what is going on here officer? He tells me to remain in the vehicle and returns to his car. Now I have no idea that I forgot to renew my tags at this point so I am thinking, maybe a drug cartel is using old wore out pieces of crap trucks to run drugs. My old truck probably would not get going faster than 50-55 anyway, I never left town with it so I am not sure. So officer friendly comes back to my window and asks, do you know why I pulled you over? I said no, I have no idea, why did you pull me over. He then indicated that my tag was expired and gave me a ticket for it, not a warning but a ticket. He then told me if I got my tag renewed within 24 hours the fine would be waived. I thanked him and went on my way. Later that day I went to the tax collectors office to renew my tag, which went OK. I then got in a different line to talk to a different person about the ticket and fine. She looked at me like I was from Mars and told me I had to pay the fine. I told her I will be going to court because officer friendly told me differently and I did not pay at that time.
I was pissed all day long. Well that night at 9:45pm there is a thump thump on my front door, I gaze through the peep hole and low and behold there are two cops standing there. Although it is not the same cop, I wonder to myself, was there a ticket or fine he forgot to give me this morning. After turning on the light and opening the door, and refusing when they asked if they could come in, they explain that officer friendly from this morning had made a mistake on that ticket. Turns out there is a 30 day grace period for expired tags and the FNG officer friendly from this morning did not know that so their sergeant sent them to pick up the ticket. I remember thinking I am glad I did not pay that fine this morning. So after taking both their names and badge numbers and having them sign a paper I wrote up saying they were taking the ticket back I was off the hook for the 80 some odd dollar fine.
Since my first car (a 74 Vega GT) I have never felt that tags were a fair tax, I know fair is where you go to get funnel cake but all the same. I have never been able to force myself to get my tags on time, which is a shame in this day and age. In recent years I have even set reminders on my computer, even sent a calendar event to have others remind me all to no avail. When we lived in Maryland we were able to get 2 year tags, which I did, and that allowed me to only have to deal with them every 2 years, A blessing I thought. When I moved to Florida we were back to the one year at a time deal. I did write a letter about that recommending Florida adopt the two year tags, that was in 1990 and just this year I learned that we had implemented a program that allowed us to purchase a one or two year tag. I am not sure if they did it because of my recommendation or not but I like the offering. Anyway now I stand a better chance and I know now I have 30 days to get it covered before officer friendly can touch me.
What does that money go towards?
Officer friendly approaches my truck and asked for my registration and proof of insurance, which I offer him along with the question what is going on here officer? He tells me to remain in the vehicle and returns to his car. Now I have no idea that I forgot to renew my tags at this point so I am thinking, maybe a drug cartel is using old wore out pieces of crap trucks to run drugs. My old truck probably would not get going faster than 50-55 anyway, I never left town with it so I am not sure. So officer friendly comes back to my window and asks, do you know why I pulled you over? I said no, I have no idea, why did you pull me over. He then indicated that my tag was expired and gave me a ticket for it, not a warning but a ticket. He then told me if I got my tag renewed within 24 hours the fine would be waived. I thanked him and went on my way. Later that day I went to the tax collectors office to renew my tag, which went OK. I then got in a different line to talk to a different person about the ticket and fine. She looked at me like I was from Mars and told me I had to pay the fine. I told her I will be going to court because officer friendly told me differently and I did not pay at that time.
I was pissed all day long. Well that night at 9:45pm there is a thump thump on my front door, I gaze through the peep hole and low and behold there are two cops standing there. Although it is not the same cop, I wonder to myself, was there a ticket or fine he forgot to give me this morning. After turning on the light and opening the door, and refusing when they asked if they could come in, they explain that officer friendly from this morning had made a mistake on that ticket. Turns out there is a 30 day grace period for expired tags and the FNG officer friendly from this morning did not know that so their sergeant sent them to pick up the ticket. I remember thinking I am glad I did not pay that fine this morning. So after taking both their names and badge numbers and having them sign a paper I wrote up saying they were taking the ticket back I was off the hook for the 80 some odd dollar fine.
Since my first car (a 74 Vega GT) I have never felt that tags were a fair tax, I know fair is where you go to get funnel cake but all the same. I have never been able to force myself to get my tags on time, which is a shame in this day and age. In recent years I have even set reminders on my computer, even sent a calendar event to have others remind me all to no avail. When we lived in Maryland we were able to get 2 year tags, which I did, and that allowed me to only have to deal with them every 2 years, A blessing I thought. When I moved to Florida we were back to the one year at a time deal. I did write a letter about that recommending Florida adopt the two year tags, that was in 1990 and just this year I learned that we had implemented a program that allowed us to purchase a one or two year tag. I am not sure if they did it because of my recommendation or not but I like the offering. Anyway now I stand a better chance and I know now I have 30 days to get it covered before officer friendly can touch me.
What does that money go towards?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Who does not love a donut, I think the local “Donut Shop” is the best, bar none.
There are a number of theories about who actually invented them, but I think we need to pay homage to someone for bringing us these little beauties. In one theory it is suggested that doughnuts were introduced into North America by Dutch settlers. This theory is bolstered by the fact that in the mid-19th century doughnuts were called olykoeks ("oily cakes") by the Dutch. However, there is also archaeological evidence that the pastries were prepared by prehistoric Native Americans in the southwestern United States so the Dutch may have stolen the idea. A fellow by the name of Gregory Hansen, an American laid claim to the ring-shaped doughnut in 1847. When he was sixteen serving on a lime trading ship he became dissatisfied with the greasiness and raw centers of the doughnuts of the day. He punched a hole in the center of dough with the ship's tin pepper box allowing the doughnuts to cook more thoroughly. I am not sure the exact lineage of the tasty little treat but they are tasty little treats.
I have had many donuts over the years but two best donuts in the world are to found at Mrs. Murphy’s donuts on College highway in Southwick Massachusetts and at the Donut Shop on University blvd in Jacksonville Florida. Mrs. Murphy’s I was turned onto by a friend who grew up in the north, we still get them sometimes, either shipped in or hand carried. The Donut shop shares a building with a Gate station where I get my morning coffee. I have travelled the world, literally, and have found no donuts that compare, foreign or domestic. I am sure somewhere out there a rival exists for these two but I have not found them.
My favorite donuts have always been the plain cake, that with a glass of milk is a small sampling of what heaven must be like. This is an area that Mrs. Murphy’s excels, there plain cake donut is huge, probably 4 inches around and maybe 1.5 inches thick. I have never measured but they are huge and VERY good. The Donut shop makes a fantastic cake donut as well but they are not as large. As far as the plain glazed I feel the Donut shop excels, very light and fluffy without an overloading of glaze that you might see at a Krispy Kream. Mrs. Murphy’s plain glazed is also very good. The donut shop has what they call an “ugly”. I am not sure how that donut got started but it looks like a big blob and is kind of ugly and is so wonderful I can not even come up with words to describe it. I liken it to experiencing the pyramids of Egypt, I have never been able to explain what that experience was like. Yes an “ugly” is that good.
I have not had any type of donut for over 13 weeks, which I believe is a record. I am trying to lose weight and donuts are not going to contribute in a positive way to that effort. It has been hard for me as I stop at the Gate to get my coffee every morning and can smell those little wonderfully delicate beauties. I have another 29 weeks of dieting if all goes according to plan before I reach my goal weight of 200 pounds, although I know I will be limited I am looking forward to being able to have, at least occasionally, a donut with my morning coffee or a glass of cold milk.
Where do you get your donuts?
I have had many donuts over the years but two best donuts in the world are to found at Mrs. Murphy’s donuts on College highway in Southwick Massachusetts and at the Donut Shop on University blvd in Jacksonville Florida. Mrs. Murphy’s I was turned onto by a friend who grew up in the north, we still get them sometimes, either shipped in or hand carried. The Donut shop shares a building with a Gate station where I get my morning coffee. I have travelled the world, literally, and have found no donuts that compare, foreign or domestic. I am sure somewhere out there a rival exists for these two but I have not found them.
My favorite donuts have always been the plain cake, that with a glass of milk is a small sampling of what heaven must be like. This is an area that Mrs. Murphy’s excels, there plain cake donut is huge, probably 4 inches around and maybe 1.5 inches thick. I have never measured but they are huge and VERY good. The Donut shop makes a fantastic cake donut as well but they are not as large. As far as the plain glazed I feel the Donut shop excels, very light and fluffy without an overloading of glaze that you might see at a Krispy Kream. Mrs. Murphy’s plain glazed is also very good. The donut shop has what they call an “ugly”. I am not sure how that donut got started but it looks like a big blob and is kind of ugly and is so wonderful I can not even come up with words to describe it. I liken it to experiencing the pyramids of Egypt, I have never been able to explain what that experience was like. Yes an “ugly” is that good.
I have not had any type of donut for over 13 weeks, which I believe is a record. I am trying to lose weight and donuts are not going to contribute in a positive way to that effort. It has been hard for me as I stop at the Gate to get my coffee every morning and can smell those little wonderfully delicate beauties. I have another 29 weeks of dieting if all goes according to plan before I reach my goal weight of 200 pounds, although I know I will be limited I am looking forward to being able to have, at least occasionally, a donut with my morning coffee or a glass of cold milk.
Where do you get your donuts?
Monday, March 9, 2009
I play the lotto and plan on winning and even if I don’t, here is why it is OK
I have played the lotto for some time now, I have seen games come and go, and I still play. I have seen the drawings go from once a week to twice a week, and still I play. I have never won much more than a free ticket, and I still play. I take the ration about wasting my money, and still I play. I realized most of the money is not going to education, and still I play. I learned my odds are winning are one in 22,957,480 (for the Florida lotto) and still I play. I found that when playing the Florida Power Ball my odds were one in 195,249,054 and you guessed it, still I play. When someone told me the odds for the fantasy 5 were one in 376,992 and I started playing that occasionally as well.
So like I said I have never won much more than a free ticket but I know my day is coming. Today’s the day. I buy 2 per week, there are two drawings ya know. I never get crazy or stupid when the drawing gets really big, the odds are the same on a per ticket basis and buying 10 dollars worth of tickets when compared to odds of 195 million to one is easily shown as a waste of 9 dollars, the odds are even more against you than when you are in Vegas. I know people who do not agree with stacking most of the winnings at the top, meaning more money for 6 numbers than 5 and 4 that only gets a few bucks. They feel it should be more evenly distributed but I am convinced that would be detrimental to the game. The chance at the big payoff, no matter the odds is what draws me in, not an equitable distribution of the winnings.
So my Wife still gives me a hard time about spending the money, well here is my answer to that. During the course of the week I think about or more importantly, talk about what I am going to do with my winnings for no less than ½ hour and probably all said and told it is closer to 1 hour. From my perspective I am getting ½ - 1 hour of entertainment for a couple of bucks, where in the world can you get any entertainment for a couple of bucks, unless you are “people watching” at the beach or in the mall. That comes with a potential cost as well if someone accuses you of stalking but that is a story for another day.
We already have our exit strategy planned when we win. I just can never understand when I see someone show up the next day to collect the winnings. I do not care who you are you do not have the skills to manage an 85 million dollar win. We would wait at least 6 months, during which we would hire accountants, lawyers and setup a foundation. The accountants would ensure our money is safe and very well diversified and any other things that I do not know about, but I know there is more to handling 85 million than just making a deposit at the Compass bank. The lawyers would be setting up my foundation, I would not want people bothering me for money, a foundation could handle some of the distribution, preferably to the non profit sector as we will need tax shelters. The lawyers would also be working on the necessary paperwork for changing our names after we collect the winnings. After signing the big check we will become John and Jane Dough, I thought that was funny and with that much money I can do that.
So when our departure date arrives we are just going to pop off the grid. People will wonder where we are and come by the house, cars still there, stuff still in the house, mailbox full we will have just disappeared. We will become that odd couple that got rich in the dotcom boom and moved into a modest neighborhood in nowhere America. We have already mastered the odd part so telling the rest of the story should not be all that tough.
Do you play the lotto?
So like I said I have never won much more than a free ticket but I know my day is coming. Today’s the day. I buy 2 per week, there are two drawings ya know. I never get crazy or stupid when the drawing gets really big, the odds are the same on a per ticket basis and buying 10 dollars worth of tickets when compared to odds of 195 million to one is easily shown as a waste of 9 dollars, the odds are even more against you than when you are in Vegas. I know people who do not agree with stacking most of the winnings at the top, meaning more money for 6 numbers than 5 and 4 that only gets a few bucks. They feel it should be more evenly distributed but I am convinced that would be detrimental to the game. The chance at the big payoff, no matter the odds is what draws me in, not an equitable distribution of the winnings.
So my Wife still gives me a hard time about spending the money, well here is my answer to that. During the course of the week I think about or more importantly, talk about what I am going to do with my winnings for no less than ½ hour and probably all said and told it is closer to 1 hour. From my perspective I am getting ½ - 1 hour of entertainment for a couple of bucks, where in the world can you get any entertainment for a couple of bucks, unless you are “people watching” at the beach or in the mall. That comes with a potential cost as well if someone accuses you of stalking but that is a story for another day.
We already have our exit strategy planned when we win. I just can never understand when I see someone show up the next day to collect the winnings. I do not care who you are you do not have the skills to manage an 85 million dollar win. We would wait at least 6 months, during which we would hire accountants, lawyers and setup a foundation. The accountants would ensure our money is safe and very well diversified and any other things that I do not know about, but I know there is more to handling 85 million than just making a deposit at the Compass bank. The lawyers would be setting up my foundation, I would not want people bothering me for money, a foundation could handle some of the distribution, preferably to the non profit sector as we will need tax shelters. The lawyers would also be working on the necessary paperwork for changing our names after we collect the winnings. After signing the big check we will become John and Jane Dough, I thought that was funny and with that much money I can do that.
So when our departure date arrives we are just going to pop off the grid. People will wonder where we are and come by the house, cars still there, stuff still in the house, mailbox full we will have just disappeared. We will become that odd couple that got rich in the dotcom boom and moved into a modest neighborhood in nowhere America. We have already mastered the odd part so telling the rest of the story should not be all that tough.
Do you play the lotto?
Friday, March 6, 2009
So do we live in a civilized society or what? People who do not clean up after their dogs
I live in the city, on a corner lot so I have sidewalks in front of and beside my house. Our neighborhood is one that has lots of people walking, jogging and partaking in all forms of exercise, including walking their dogs. There is a written and unwritten code of conduct when it comes to when and more specifically where your dog goes pooh. The unwritten code is that you have some way to clean up your dogs mess and take it with you, a Ziploc sandwich baggy if you pooch is small, a gallon freezer baggy if your K9 is medium sized and some sort of self closing Rube Goldberg apparatus if your puppy resembles a Shetland pony. In the city I reside there are ordinances on the books that address this issue as well. If you are caught, at least two witnesses or video proof, letting your dog do his business on someone else’s lawn you can be fined up to 50 dollars. We had to know the ordinance code as well, according to the cop, because most of the police are not going to know it or take the time to look it up and they would consider you a whiner from that point forward, I am not kidding that is what the cop said to me.
Now I want you to know that Mr. Oatmeal is not a whiner, he does spend a lot of time working in his yard though and dog crap is a hindrance to that effort. Not that my yard is perfect but I work hard to keep it covered with grass and mostly green. I do not do this solely for myself, I could care less to tell you the truth, I do this to help maintain the property values in my neighborhood. If you get a bunch of houses in a neighborhood that have poor lawns and poorly designed and maintained landscaping it looks bad and has a direct impact on property values. Most of my neighbors share my opinions when it comes to the proper maintenance of the lawns, some are more about the keeping up with the Jones than just keeping the property value up. Doesn’t really matter to me what their motivation is as long as they look nice and do not destroy my property value. I have removed every living thing in my yard, with the exception of the 100-foot oak trees, and replaced it all with more suitable plant material. I installed plants that are indigenous to our area which minimizes water usage which is another concern when dwelling in the city. The chosen plants also have rotating blooming cycles so there is color there all year long. I am doing my part!
My current lot is 115 feet by 115 agonizing feet, I started with a 20 inch push mower and with saint Augustine grass that is prevalent here it damn near killed me keeping it mowed down. Later I acquired a Snapper riding lawn mower that was abandoned behind the bushes at a neighbor of a friend of mines house. It was a rusted hulk that would not even roll and had a number of busted plastic covers. After a couple of weeks of work and less than 20 dollars in parts I had it going and the 18 horse tractor with a 38 inch cut allowed me to cut the grass in a fraction of the push mower method. This was also a contributing factor in my weight gain as well, not enough exercise and a story for another day. This tractor allowed me to spend less time running the mower and more time keeping the grass green and landscaping up to snuff. With the additional work in the yard I found that more and more I was getting dog crap all over myself, while in certain situations and ceremonies that is not all bad, I would prefer to be crap free while working in my yard. Now if you live in the country you are probably going what the hell is wrong with Mr. Oatmeal, I can understand as I grew up living the country. Just as you would stop and offer assistance to anyone broken down in the middle of nowhere we in the city try to live in equilibrium with our neighbors, it is harder to do but still we do it to contribute to our society.
So if you live in the city and you walk your dog, especially in my neighborhood, take something to gather up the processed remains of the Purina dinner your K9 consumed.
Now I want you to know that Mr. Oatmeal is not a whiner, he does spend a lot of time working in his yard though and dog crap is a hindrance to that effort. Not that my yard is perfect but I work hard to keep it covered with grass and mostly green. I do not do this solely for myself, I could care less to tell you the truth, I do this to help maintain the property values in my neighborhood. If you get a bunch of houses in a neighborhood that have poor lawns and poorly designed and maintained landscaping it looks bad and has a direct impact on property values. Most of my neighbors share my opinions when it comes to the proper maintenance of the lawns, some are more about the keeping up with the Jones than just keeping the property value up. Doesn’t really matter to me what their motivation is as long as they look nice and do not destroy my property value. I have removed every living thing in my yard, with the exception of the 100-foot oak trees, and replaced it all with more suitable plant material. I installed plants that are indigenous to our area which minimizes water usage which is another concern when dwelling in the city. The chosen plants also have rotating blooming cycles so there is color there all year long. I am doing my part!
My current lot is 115 feet by 115 agonizing feet, I started with a 20 inch push mower and with saint Augustine grass that is prevalent here it damn near killed me keeping it mowed down. Later I acquired a Snapper riding lawn mower that was abandoned behind the bushes at a neighbor of a friend of mines house. It was a rusted hulk that would not even roll and had a number of busted plastic covers. After a couple of weeks of work and less than 20 dollars in parts I had it going and the 18 horse tractor with a 38 inch cut allowed me to cut the grass in a fraction of the push mower method. This was also a contributing factor in my weight gain as well, not enough exercise and a story for another day. This tractor allowed me to spend less time running the mower and more time keeping the grass green and landscaping up to snuff. With the additional work in the yard I found that more and more I was getting dog crap all over myself, while in certain situations and ceremonies that is not all bad, I would prefer to be crap free while working in my yard. Now if you live in the country you are probably going what the hell is wrong with Mr. Oatmeal, I can understand as I grew up living the country. Just as you would stop and offer assistance to anyone broken down in the middle of nowhere we in the city try to live in equilibrium with our neighbors, it is harder to do but still we do it to contribute to our society.
So if you live in the city and you walk your dog, especially in my neighborhood, take something to gather up the processed remains of the Purina dinner your K9 consumed.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
A buoy designed for use in Lake Michigan can cook a steak? What???
In 1950 a part owner and worker at a sheet metal fabrication company in Mount Prospect Illinois decided that he had had enough ruined meat and burned food produced on the old timey open top grills that were available at the time. This company, among other things, built buoys that were used in Lake Michigan, two spheres that were welded together to make them water tight. After some work cutting one apart and some additional fabrication on a rounded removable top the “Sputnik” had arrived. George Stephen Sr. decided to call the contraption the “George’s Barbeque Kettle” instead of the name Sputnik his neighbors had attached to his invention. By 1952 sales of George’s Barbeque Kettle were continuing to increase so the barbecue division of the company was established. George Stephen Sr. then bought out the “Weber Brothers factory” and dedicated it to produce only the Kettle grills, the Weber Kettle grills. The Weber Kettle grills are the best grill ever designed and placed into production, period.
I love to grill out, from steaks to a wonderful pork roast to the perfectly grilled bacon wrapped shrimp. I have found the 22.5 inch kettle made by Weber to be, bar none, the best grill in the world and have used one exclusively for almost 20 years. In the early days of my adulthood I ate food prepared on other peoples “Weber kettle”. In 1990 I purchased my first kettle, we had just moved to a new city and did not have a lot of money. My wife came home from the grocery with a BEAUTIFUL set of ribs for dinner, she also had a disposable grill she had paid 3.99 for. You know the kind, it was a thin aluminum pan with charcoal and grate built in, a one shot deal. Well one look at that piece of crap grill and one more look at the BEAUTIFUL ribs and I realized even with our limited financial resources we could not risk losing our investment by ruining those ribs. Seems I remember we had about 80 bucks left in checking until the next payday so we did not have a lot of resources. Since we had just moved to our new city we did not know anyone at all, let alone someone that would loan us a grill. I made the critical decision to take 59 of our 80 dollars and use it to purchase a 22.5 inch Weber Kettle, black was the only color available then. Damn those ribs were good! We somehow survived and made it to the next payday without starving.
That grill served us well during our apartment dwelling days, although I did have to carry it down to the ground floor to use it. It remained an outside unit for the duration of our apartment life. When we moved into our first house, I wanted to store the kettle, as it had became known, out of the weather. After much consternation, I realized that the limited inside space on the house, this was a car port home and very limited shed space that the kettle would have to live outside. A couple of coats of wax were my answer to keeping it outside. While that coat of wax produced some odors, on the outside, there was no affect on its cooking ability or the taste of the food cooked inside. I found that the grates, one to hold the charcoal and the cooking grate needed replaced after about 5 years, I was OK with that, as it seemed a small price to pay for the fabulous meals I could prepare. For the entire 9 years we lived in that house the kettle sat out back, exposed to the weather, I had long since given up on the waxing. When we moved to our second home, old kettle came along, he was showing only minimal signs of his outdoor living. By 2007 it was becoming apparent to me that I was going to have put kettle down. His legs were giving out, his three vents, lungs I called them, along the bottom had long since been cobbled back on and the wooden handles were long gone. I was not looking forward to having to put him down. He was my friend for 17 years and provided me good service for entire length of our relationship. I was very sad, therapy helped but never completely removed the sting.
I was so distraught that I wrote a letter to Weber to tell of my disappointment in kettles short 17-year life span. I received word back from the folks at Weber that kettles come with a warrantee but my kettle was past that period. Kettle and I had gotten more years than the coverage period, my sadness was lifting and I began to just appreciate the extra time we were allowed to share. When kettle and I started our relationship Weber did not have the large selection of grilling options that are available today. When I was researching a replacement for kettle, replacing kettle is still hard for me to say, I found that there are many options when it comes to outdoor grilling, even in the Weber line up. I found two grills in the 22.5 inch, charcoal burning line, the “One Touch Gold” and the “One Touch Silver”. Both had some design changes, some might call them improvements but I was apprehensive. The one touch silver was closest to my kettle with the exception of the lungs, kettle had three individually adjustable vents with round holes, something I found effective for controlling and localizing the heat when cooking pork roasts. This one touch silver had a new fangled integrated venting system, more parts meaning more parts that could fail was my thought. This new fangled thing has one handle that controlled airflow through all three vents, which had become slots instead of the round holes kettle had used. The one touch gold model had other fancy contraptions to catch ashes as well as the integrated venting system, to many innovative accessories for me so I immediately ruled it out as an option. I did finally make the agonizing decision to get the one touch silver in the standard black, all the color options confused me and I wanted kettle’s replacement to follow the lead of kettle and have the same heritage.
After fashioning my own hard maple handles to replace the injection molded plastic ones that came stock. Junior and I have developed a good relationship with each other, he will never replace kettle in my mind but all of kettle’s memory lives on in Junior.
What kind of grill do you use?
I love to grill out, from steaks to a wonderful pork roast to the perfectly grilled bacon wrapped shrimp. I have found the 22.5 inch kettle made by Weber to be, bar none, the best grill in the world and have used one exclusively for almost 20 years. In the early days of my adulthood I ate food prepared on other peoples “Weber kettle”. In 1990 I purchased my first kettle, we had just moved to a new city and did not have a lot of money. My wife came home from the grocery with a BEAUTIFUL set of ribs for dinner, she also had a disposable grill she had paid 3.99 for. You know the kind, it was a thin aluminum pan with charcoal and grate built in, a one shot deal. Well one look at that piece of crap grill and one more look at the BEAUTIFUL ribs and I realized even with our limited financial resources we could not risk losing our investment by ruining those ribs. Seems I remember we had about 80 bucks left in checking until the next payday so we did not have a lot of resources. Since we had just moved to our new city we did not know anyone at all, let alone someone that would loan us a grill. I made the critical decision to take 59 of our 80 dollars and use it to purchase a 22.5 inch Weber Kettle, black was the only color available then. Damn those ribs were good! We somehow survived and made it to the next payday without starving.
That grill served us well during our apartment dwelling days, although I did have to carry it down to the ground floor to use it. It remained an outside unit for the duration of our apartment life. When we moved into our first house, I wanted to store the kettle, as it had became known, out of the weather. After much consternation, I realized that the limited inside space on the house, this was a car port home and very limited shed space that the kettle would have to live outside. A couple of coats of wax were my answer to keeping it outside. While that coat of wax produced some odors, on the outside, there was no affect on its cooking ability or the taste of the food cooked inside. I found that the grates, one to hold the charcoal and the cooking grate needed replaced after about 5 years, I was OK with that, as it seemed a small price to pay for the fabulous meals I could prepare. For the entire 9 years we lived in that house the kettle sat out back, exposed to the weather, I had long since given up on the waxing. When we moved to our second home, old kettle came along, he was showing only minimal signs of his outdoor living. By 2007 it was becoming apparent to me that I was going to have put kettle down. His legs were giving out, his three vents, lungs I called them, along the bottom had long since been cobbled back on and the wooden handles were long gone. I was not looking forward to having to put him down. He was my friend for 17 years and provided me good service for entire length of our relationship. I was very sad, therapy helped but never completely removed the sting.
I was so distraught that I wrote a letter to Weber to tell of my disappointment in kettles short 17-year life span. I received word back from the folks at Weber that kettles come with a warrantee but my kettle was past that period. Kettle and I had gotten more years than the coverage period, my sadness was lifting and I began to just appreciate the extra time we were allowed to share. When kettle and I started our relationship Weber did not have the large selection of grilling options that are available today. When I was researching a replacement for kettle, replacing kettle is still hard for me to say, I found that there are many options when it comes to outdoor grilling, even in the Weber line up. I found two grills in the 22.5 inch, charcoal burning line, the “One Touch Gold” and the “One Touch Silver”. Both had some design changes, some might call them improvements but I was apprehensive. The one touch silver was closest to my kettle with the exception of the lungs, kettle had three individually adjustable vents with round holes, something I found effective for controlling and localizing the heat when cooking pork roasts. This one touch silver had a new fangled integrated venting system, more parts meaning more parts that could fail was my thought. This new fangled thing has one handle that controlled airflow through all three vents, which had become slots instead of the round holes kettle had used. The one touch gold model had other fancy contraptions to catch ashes as well as the integrated venting system, to many innovative accessories for me so I immediately ruled it out as an option. I did finally make the agonizing decision to get the one touch silver in the standard black, all the color options confused me and I wanted kettle’s replacement to follow the lead of kettle and have the same heritage.
After fashioning my own hard maple handles to replace the injection molded plastic ones that came stock. Junior and I have developed a good relationship with each other, he will never replace kettle in my mind but all of kettle’s memory lives on in Junior.
What kind of grill do you use?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Threat level Orange, better lock our car doors
So when did we become so obsessed with locking our car doors every time we get out of them. It seems we have reached a ridiculous state, especially in this day and age. My Dad bought a brand new truck in 1965 and I do not think the ignition key EVER came out, for the entire 35 or so years he owned the truck. So I am pretty sure the doors never got locked and his life and the truck or my Dad was none the worse for wear. Now a days I see people lock their doors when the stop to pump gas, they are never further than 1 foot away from the car. I see them lock their doors when popping in to pick up the dry cleaning, kind of stupid when you think about it, and when they park the vehicle in the garage, trust me I was as surprised to see it as you are to read about it.
Where did it start and where will it end, this bizarre obsession with locking up the goodies we leave in our cars. Chrysler did not even do away with the pushbutton start and start using an ignition key until 1949 a scant 60 years ago. Now you can get cars that don’t even have traditional keys, little FOB’s with and RFID (radio frequency identification) chip you carry in your pocket or purse that tell the car to lock or unlock the doors as you get close or are moving away from the vehicle. They also activate the push button control on the dash so you can turn the car on or off. Believe it or not, Sharp has developed a new chipset for cell phones that will be able to perform all the tasks of the key FOB, a whole new level of multitasking that your cell phone will do for you. This little gadget can be programmed to keep you from talking on the cell phone when you are driving. That is the first bit of cell phone technology I like by the way. Now we have gadgets telling us what and when we can talk on the phone, I love it (read sarcasm). This is a major reason I drive a 51 year old jalopy, absolutely none of that crap on my car, the man is not going to tell me when I can talk on the phone!
I can see where those types of keys are time savers and offer conveniences the old chrome plated brass keys do not. The major difference between the two as I see it is cost verses convenience, my brass key cost less than a buck from an aftermarket company that supplies retro keys for the older cars, and another buck or so to get the kid at the hardware store to cut it for me. I have even cut them myself with a file designed for sharpening a chainsaw. I am not sure what the wireless key fob adds to the cost of the car overall, the system requires an extensive array of electronics in the car, that is on top of the cost of the little gadget you would carry. And don’t get me started about what it would cost to replace one of those gadgets, in time and money. You would have the cost of the gadget and then the cost to reprogram an off the shelf unit to recognize you and your car. The cost of the reprogramming the thing one time alone will be more than I spend in a lifetime on chrome plated brass keys.
So enough about the advances in key technology, sounds crazy even saying “key technology” has advanced doesn’t it? So why is our society so security conscience when it comes to locking our car doors. I never lock the doors on my old jalopy because if it is stolen and by chance I get it back I do not want to have to replace the window that was busted out. What do we keep in our cars that is so important we keep it locked up? In mine there is an old canvas bag full of tools, they have saved me numerous times from walking, there is my registration and proof of insurance, maybe a cup of coffee and a radio. Nothing that seems important enough to “lock down”, from my perspective anyway.
Well if it not the contents, well then maybe it is the car itself that we do not want stolen. Let me tell you friends any car newer than about 10 years old is not like my old car, which I could steal with a screwdriver and a piece of lamp cord in about 30 seconds. You would almost need an advanced degree in electronic engineering with a minor in radio frequency identification technology to get the thing started at all let alone in the time it will take you to walk into get a coffee, even if you had to wait in line at Starbucks. I think we are applying old world thinking, it is just a chrome plated brass key, to new world technology, complex and probably encrypted, electronic gadgets which “boot up” the cars of today. After all if it is stolen, it is only a car, it is not like you are abusing your kids by kicking them out of the car miles from home to walk home (that happened to me and my sister twice). If by some chance some random electronic engineer with a minor in radio frequency identification technology wants your car, he will defeat your home alarm system and steal it right out of your garage anyway, so enjoy your coffee and live with reckless abandon, leave the car door unlocked.
What kind of key starts and locks your car?
Where did it start and where will it end, this bizarre obsession with locking up the goodies we leave in our cars. Chrysler did not even do away with the pushbutton start and start using an ignition key until 1949 a scant 60 years ago. Now you can get cars that don’t even have traditional keys, little FOB’s with and RFID (radio frequency identification) chip you carry in your pocket or purse that tell the car to lock or unlock the doors as you get close or are moving away from the vehicle. They also activate the push button control on the dash so you can turn the car on or off. Believe it or not, Sharp has developed a new chipset for cell phones that will be able to perform all the tasks of the key FOB, a whole new level of multitasking that your cell phone will do for you. This little gadget can be programmed to keep you from talking on the cell phone when you are driving. That is the first bit of cell phone technology I like by the way. Now we have gadgets telling us what and when we can talk on the phone, I love it (read sarcasm). This is a major reason I drive a 51 year old jalopy, absolutely none of that crap on my car, the man is not going to tell me when I can talk on the phone!
I can see where those types of keys are time savers and offer conveniences the old chrome plated brass keys do not. The major difference between the two as I see it is cost verses convenience, my brass key cost less than a buck from an aftermarket company that supplies retro keys for the older cars, and another buck or so to get the kid at the hardware store to cut it for me. I have even cut them myself with a file designed for sharpening a chainsaw. I am not sure what the wireless key fob adds to the cost of the car overall, the system requires an extensive array of electronics in the car, that is on top of the cost of the little gadget you would carry. And don’t get me started about what it would cost to replace one of those gadgets, in time and money. You would have the cost of the gadget and then the cost to reprogram an off the shelf unit to recognize you and your car. The cost of the reprogramming the thing one time alone will be more than I spend in a lifetime on chrome plated brass keys.
So enough about the advances in key technology, sounds crazy even saying “key technology” has advanced doesn’t it? So why is our society so security conscience when it comes to locking our car doors. I never lock the doors on my old jalopy because if it is stolen and by chance I get it back I do not want to have to replace the window that was busted out. What do we keep in our cars that is so important we keep it locked up? In mine there is an old canvas bag full of tools, they have saved me numerous times from walking, there is my registration and proof of insurance, maybe a cup of coffee and a radio. Nothing that seems important enough to “lock down”, from my perspective anyway.
Well if it not the contents, well then maybe it is the car itself that we do not want stolen. Let me tell you friends any car newer than about 10 years old is not like my old car, which I could steal with a screwdriver and a piece of lamp cord in about 30 seconds. You would almost need an advanced degree in electronic engineering with a minor in radio frequency identification technology to get the thing started at all let alone in the time it will take you to walk into get a coffee, even if you had to wait in line at Starbucks. I think we are applying old world thinking, it is just a chrome plated brass key, to new world technology, complex and probably encrypted, electronic gadgets which “boot up” the cars of today. After all if it is stolen, it is only a car, it is not like you are abusing your kids by kicking them out of the car miles from home to walk home (that happened to me and my sister twice). If by some chance some random electronic engineer with a minor in radio frequency identification technology wants your car, he will defeat your home alarm system and steal it right out of your garage anyway, so enjoy your coffee and live with reckless abandon, leave the car door unlocked.
What kind of key starts and locks your car?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
What is up with the Swiffer Wet Jet? That little gizmo designed for cleaning smooth floors.
In Mr. Oatmeal’s home we have pets, as those who have pets know we also deal with all the issues that having pets comes with. We have always had pets and will most likely always have pets, that has forced us to make certain choices with regards to our home decorating style, specifically what is the optimum flooring to accommodate pets. We also have a pool which imposes some additional limitations when it comes to our flooring choices. My bride and I have lived in four apartments and owned two houses, our flooring has ranged from cheap to very expensive carpeting to parquet wood floors to ceramic tile to plain old concrete I painted to look like ceramic tile and sealed with urethane to a stained concrete with an indestructible epoxy finish. Through all of those floor coverings I believe we found the ideal flooring. It effectively deals with dogs and cats that have occasional accidents, cough up hairballs and shed all over the place and it also addresses the additional water brought in from the pool, epoxy coated stained concrete.
About three years ago, we had this installed throughout our home. The installer made the flooring mimic the look of shiny white marble with grey veining. While there are some installation flaws, as there are with any flooring installation, but we love the overall look and feel, it is easy to clean up animal messes without the fear of smells lingering or stains remaining after cleaning. It is also impervious to the water we may bring in when coming out of the pool. It did require me to install felt feet on everything we own, that was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. Some furniture required drilling and tapping of the legs, others required hammering in a felt covered foot and yet others required a double sided tape application of the felt. It was a time consuming thing to do it correctly, I did not want to be constantly worrying about them coming off and damaging the epoxy coating. Plus, I do not know how to repair the epoxy coating anyway, so that was a contributor to the felt feet decision as well.
This is where we then needed to find a gizmo to clean the floor, no more vacuuming the carpet. I see advertising for noodle mops, sponge mops and even a wonder mop but then I see a thing called a “Swiffer Wet Jet” and I was sure that is what will make cleaning the floor enjoyable, the woman in the commercial was actually humming her favorite tune while running this thing. I was excited, the perfect flooring and the perfect cleaner. When I started using the Swiffer Wet Jet I found I too would hum my favorite tune while using the thing. I was ready to strike of a letter to the manufacturer telling of my positive experience with their product. It did not take me long to realize though that I should wait for a bit before sending off the letter. After the first month I realized this was indeed not an ideal solution, they tend to be very expensive if you clean the floors of a whole house. I also noticed that you had to almost sweep the floor first to get most of the animal hair up before “Swiffering” and I also learned the traditional broom was ineffective on this type of flooring. I was back to square one looking for the ideal cleaning product.
So there I was one day at the hospital visiting a friend, stay with just a minute, and noticed some tools they were using to clean the floors throughout the hospital. When I started inquiring about the devices from the hospital employee using them I thought for a moment I might be hauled out by security. After assuring her that my intentions were honorable and I just wanted to see the gizmos and ask about their performance all was OK. Well come to find out Rubbermaid corporation makes an entire line of industrial cleaning gizmos that far exceed the consumer grade “Swiffer” type products in many ways, in my humble opinion. The Swiffer dusters now that is a different story, for around the home they are second to none in dust collection but their Swiffer floor cleaning products left me wanting.
The Rubbermaid commercial product line include many products but under the cleaning sub-category there are two I want to talk about. The microfiber dry dust mops, like the ones janitors use to clean long tile hallways and the microfiber damp mops. They offer both these products in a smaller 18 wide versions that I found to sized perfectly for the home. I would will need to purchase the handles and frames separately. So I found for what I was spending on the Swiffer Wet Jet I would pay for the commercial grade products within the first couple of months of use. These products claim the ability to be washed up to 300 times, since we clean house only once a week that meant they should last me about 6 years before needing replaced. That 6 years is the life span if we religiously cleaned once a week, sometimes we go two or three but never four. So the commercial cleaning solution was looking better and better from the economic perspective as well as the performance of the product perspective. I am long past being easily impressed by anything but these products impressed me, both in their ability to clean well and their durable and rugged construction, they are the perfect product for cleaning my perfect flooring. We have been using the commercial products for quite some time and none show any wear at all yet.
So do you use a Swiffer wet jet to clean your floors?
About three years ago, we had this installed throughout our home. The installer made the flooring mimic the look of shiny white marble with grey veining. While there are some installation flaws, as there are with any flooring installation, but we love the overall look and feel, it is easy to clean up animal messes without the fear of smells lingering or stains remaining after cleaning. It is also impervious to the water we may bring in when coming out of the pool. It did require me to install felt feet on everything we own, that was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. Some furniture required drilling and tapping of the legs, others required hammering in a felt covered foot and yet others required a double sided tape application of the felt. It was a time consuming thing to do it correctly, I did not want to be constantly worrying about them coming off and damaging the epoxy coating. Plus, I do not know how to repair the epoxy coating anyway, so that was a contributor to the felt feet decision as well.
This is where we then needed to find a gizmo to clean the floor, no more vacuuming the carpet. I see advertising for noodle mops, sponge mops and even a wonder mop but then I see a thing called a “Swiffer Wet Jet” and I was sure that is what will make cleaning the floor enjoyable, the woman in the commercial was actually humming her favorite tune while running this thing. I was excited, the perfect flooring and the perfect cleaner. When I started using the Swiffer Wet Jet I found I too would hum my favorite tune while using the thing. I was ready to strike of a letter to the manufacturer telling of my positive experience with their product. It did not take me long to realize though that I should wait for a bit before sending off the letter. After the first month I realized this was indeed not an ideal solution, they tend to be very expensive if you clean the floors of a whole house. I also noticed that you had to almost sweep the floor first to get most of the animal hair up before “Swiffering” and I also learned the traditional broom was ineffective on this type of flooring. I was back to square one looking for the ideal cleaning product.
So there I was one day at the hospital visiting a friend, stay with just a minute, and noticed some tools they were using to clean the floors throughout the hospital. When I started inquiring about the devices from the hospital employee using them I thought for a moment I might be hauled out by security. After assuring her that my intentions were honorable and I just wanted to see the gizmos and ask about their performance all was OK. Well come to find out Rubbermaid corporation makes an entire line of industrial cleaning gizmos that far exceed the consumer grade “Swiffer” type products in many ways, in my humble opinion. The Swiffer dusters now that is a different story, for around the home they are second to none in dust collection but their Swiffer floor cleaning products left me wanting.
The Rubbermaid commercial product line include many products but under the cleaning sub-category there are two I want to talk about. The microfiber dry dust mops, like the ones janitors use to clean long tile hallways and the microfiber damp mops. They offer both these products in a smaller 18 wide versions that I found to sized perfectly for the home. I would will need to purchase the handles and frames separately. So I found for what I was spending on the Swiffer Wet Jet I would pay for the commercial grade products within the first couple of months of use. These products claim the ability to be washed up to 300 times, since we clean house only once a week that meant they should last me about 6 years before needing replaced. That 6 years is the life span if we religiously cleaned once a week, sometimes we go two or three but never four. So the commercial cleaning solution was looking better and better from the economic perspective as well as the performance of the product perspective. I am long past being easily impressed by anything but these products impressed me, both in their ability to clean well and their durable and rugged construction, they are the perfect product for cleaning my perfect flooring. We have been using the commercial products for quite some time and none show any wear at all yet.
So do you use a Swiffer wet jet to clean your floors?
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