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I Hate $%#$%#% Updates . . .
Yesterday, I downloaded and installed a major Win11 update, and boy, do I regret it.
It deleted all my saved Tabs in Chrome, and also deleted all my installed Extensions. So it took me a couple of hours to try and get everything back in place. And I’m still not done yet.
I Hate $%#$%#% Updates . . .
* * * * * * *
One of the places where we want to eat when we’re in NYC during our 2027 Fall Foliage Tour is Serendipity.
We ate there during our Christmas time visit in December 2019, and it’s on our list again.
Known for their Frrrozen Hot Fudge Sundaes, they go all out.
This is the Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae that we split.
More delicious than I can describe.
And ours was kind of mild compared to their Guinness World Record holder as the most expensive dessert in the world.
The Frrrozen Haute Sundae.
What Makes it Worth $25,000?
The extreme price tag comes from a combination of ultra-rare ingredients and valuable jewelry pieces that the customer gets to take home:
- The Ingredients: It is crafted from a blend of 28 of the world’s rarest and most expensive cocoas sourced from 14 different countries. It is infused with 5 grams of edible 23-carat gold and topped with whipped cream, more gold leaf, and a piece of La Madeline au Truffle (which retails for thousands of dollars per pound).
- The Take-Home Spoon: It is eaten with an 18-karat white gold spoon encrusted with white and chocolate-colored diamonds. The spoon alone is valued at roughly $20,000.
- The Goblet & Bracelet: The dessert is served in an edible gold-lined Baccarat crystal goblet. Around the base of the goblet is an 18-karat gold bracelet adorned with 1 carat of white diamonds.
Because of the extreme curation required for the diamonds and rare cocoa, the restaurant requires a minimum of 48 hours’ notice to prepare this specific dessert. For patrons looking for something slightly less extravagant, the restaurant also serves the “Golden Opulence Sundae” for $1,000.
Not for us.
Really looking forward to eating there again.
* * * * * * *
Yesterday I received a Gold VISA Card from Robinhood, my online stockbroker. And it’s the strangest credit card I’ve ever seen.
First off, it’s not plastic; it’s metal. And besides my name on the front and an 800 number on the back, there is no other printing. No account number, no expiration date, and no security code.
I can go to the Robinhood app and see all this info there, though.
* * * * * * *
Yesterday I received a shirt from Amazon, and it was completely wrong.
Wrong brand, wrong color, and had a weird pattern. So I went online and set up a return.
And to Amazon’s credit, they not only issued me an immediate refund, even before I actually dropped it off at UPS for the return, but they’re also sending me the correct shirt for free.
Nice!
* * * * * * *
Tomorrow we’re having lunch at Schafer’s Coastal Grille over in the Clear Lake Shores area, and then back over in our area for our weekly HEB stuff.
Thought For The Day:
Some people lack the ability to laugh at themselves. That’s where I come in.
Your Retro-Preview Highlights –
2008 – More Beautiful Scenery On Our Way To Alaska
2012 – I’m So Proud
2014 – Back in Business
2016 – Tomorrow for Sure
2017 – Buffalo Wings and Bluetooth
2018 – Not Bad. Not Bad At All
2023 – Pot Pouri
And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™
October 3, 2008
More Beautiful Scenery On Our Way To Alaska
October 3, 2009
At home in Elkhart, IN…
Today was our first full day in our new home…at least for the next 3 weeks or so.
After being on the road pretty much constantly since April 1st, we are looking forward to some downtime. We want to get some things fixed/upgraded around the coach and just take it easy.
There are a number of RV Surplus / Salvage places around here that we want to check out, too.
But today was an errand/shopping day.
First, we decided to have lunch at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, a place about 15 miles away that serves Amish-style cooking. You have your choice of ordering from the menu or being served family style. The food was very good, and a lot of it.
After lunch, we drove over to Mishawaka, about 10 miles west of here. Mishawaka is a suburb of South Bend, which is a little further to the west.
Here we hit Home Depot, Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and a Halloween store.
After that, it was home for the night.
October 3, 2010
La Brisa Brunch and a Pasta Boat . . .
Today, about 10 am, we drove up the road a couple of miles to the La Brisa breakfast buffet. La Brisa is a nearby Mexican place that we really enjoy, but this was our first time doing their weekend breakfast buffet thing.
Turns out their breakfast is just as good as their lunch and dinner. They will make you an omelet or Migas to order with the ingredients of your choice. Then they have all the standards: country-fried potatoes, bacon, ham, biscuits, and both link and patty sausage. They also have beef and chicken fajitas, warm tortillas, and tamales. Jan said their biscuits are the best she’s ever had at a buffet. And they also had a nice spread of fresh fruit cut up, including watermelon and fresh strawberries.
Leaving La Brisa, we drove a little further up the road to Wal-Mart for some groceries. Jan wanted to pick up some stuff to try out her 43rd wedding anniversary gift, a Pasta Boat.
Hey, what can I say? Jan is definitely not high-maintenance!
Anyway, the Pasta Boat is a neat gadget that lets you cook your pasta in the microwave, and then drain it through the holes in the lid. The handles are hollow and can be used to measure spaghetti servings. It also comes with a steamer tray that lets you steam potatoes, shrimp, oysters, clams, etc. All in all, a neat gadget.
And Jan’s world-famous tuna noodle casserole with whole-grain macaroni came out great. And since she was in a cooking mood, she also made a great-tasting chocolate cake in the convection oven.
With a little Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream, it was a fantastic meal.
October 3, 2011
Last Day in Celina . . .
About 10:45, our daughter Brandi called to catch us up on the latest Landon story. It seems that yesterday evening she and Landon were sitting on the sofa together when suddenly Landon slid off the sofa, popped his paci in his mouth, and headed for the kitchen. Brandi heard some noise, and then Landon came around the corner with the tray from his highchair tucked under his arm and a big grin on his face.
He was ready for dinner.
Later, Jan and I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up some last-minute things before we leave Celina tomorrow.
After a really good last lunch at La Carreta, we headed back to the fairgrounds to start getting ready to travel.
About 7 pm, we all headed out for dinner at China Wok Buffet one last time, at least for this year.
We’ve had a great time here, but after over two weeks in Celina, we’re all looking forward to moving on.
Our hitch itch needs scratching.
October 3, 2012
I’m So Proud . . .
Our granddaughter Piper sent this photo over this evening. And that’s a .357 Magnum she’s shooting.
Also shot a .38 and a .45.
Of course, it runs in the family. Here’s Jan with her Tommy gun in Las Vegas in 2010.
We are definitely going shooting when we get back to Houston.
“Beautiful girls with guns. Be still my heart”.
This morning was off to a great start with some delicious cinnamon rolls, even though outside it was dreary and overcast. But hopefully the rain would hold off since we’d scheduled some sightseeing over in the Lancaster area.
We all headed out about 11 with our first stop for some banking in Lancaster, and then it was on to Bird-In-Hand. Our first stop was at the J & R Country Market, where we came home with a new family member, at least a new member of our moose family.
We hope he’ll feel right at home with all his new friends.
Jan also checked the loom and quilt store next door before we headed further into town and ended up at the Old Village Store.
Partly an old-time hardware store, a quilt store, and a produce market. A neat place to wander around in.
After Jan and I grabbed a snack next door, we ended up at the Bird-In-Hand Farmers Market across the street.
Housing about 30 separate vendors, selling everything from smoked meats and cheeses to quilts and handmade baskets, to homemade fudge and caramel corn, many of the stands were Amish-owned and operated. Jan and I bought some pumpkin-spiced coffee beans from one such couple.
Leaving the market, we drove out into the country through Intercourse, heading for Blue Ball (no comment), and passing quite a few Amish buggies.
One of the signs of an Amish household is a full clothesline.
We also came across an apple orchard consisting of these dwarf trees.
At least the apples are full-sized. I guess their small size makes for easier picking.
A little later, we ended up in East Earl at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord.
This was our first time, but it was highly recommended. And it was very good. According to their website, they have over 200 feet of buffet tables, and I believe it.
Tonight was prime rib night, one of my favorites. And everything else was good too.
So after stuffing ourselves, we waddled out to the car and headed home, but with a stopover at the Lowe’s in Palmyra so we could pick up some boards to help level after all the rain we’ve been having.
Tomorrow will probably be another stay-at-home day.
Nice.
October 3, 2013
Jan’s no longer an illegal . . .
unlicensed security guard. After 18 months of waiting, she finally got her license.
We both applied when we started gateguarding in April 2012, and mine came back in about 5 weeks. But hers never did. I told her that it was probably due to her very shady past, and she couldn’t pass the background check.
She threw something at me. So now I’m thinking it was probably a felony assault conviction.
But as it turned out, it was probably a problem with her fingerprint card. Maybe. And possibly some government incompetence in there as well.
I kept checking back with Gate Guard Services after we left here in August 2012, and finally, in January 2013, the Texas Department of Public Safety told GGS there was a problem with her fingerprint card. So before we left Houston for our travels, we submitted a new one. And waited.
And waited.
And when we started gate guarding again this past August, and it still hadn’t shown up, I decided to just forget about it. After all, I wasn’t the one who was guarding without a license. But maybe that did the trick.
I got a call from the GGS Corpus office about a week ago and was told that it had finally come in. And unlike my license, which was just printed on a piece of paper, she got a nifty driver’s license-type of plastic card. So I guess good things do come to those who wait. I’m jealous.
The licenses are good for two years from the issue date, so mine expires in May of 2014, and Jan’s expires in September of 2015, so we’ll have to keep track of when to renew them.
Blog readers and our new friends Margaret and Rich Bergen showed up at the gate again Wednesday afternoon. And they brought food!
After they left here Tuesday, after their visit to our gate, they drove on down to Corpus Christi and spent the night. Then, coming back to San Antonio Wednesday afternoon, they stopped off at the BBQ place out on the Interstate and brought us sandwiches.
Jan’s anniversary present finally showed up today. I had ordered her one of the new Kindle Paperwhite models, but being brand-new, they didn’t ship until September 30th.
Jan was really surprised and happy to get one. She said she’d thought about asking for one because she reads a lot when she’s out on the gate and has to use her old Kindle in the daytime and then switch to the Kindle Fire at night. But with the Paperwhite, she can do both.
This is because the Paperwhite has a built-in backlight, so it can be read in the daylight or at night in complete darkness. Even in daylight, the screen is much brighter and clearer than our old Kindles. And because it uses a faster processor, the page turns are much smoother too.
Being cheap, I decided to save $20 and get the Paperwhite with “Special Offers”. This is Amazon’s polite way of saying “Ads”. But they’re pretty unobtrusive. Where our old Kindle has a rotating set of blockprint-looking pictures when it’s turned off, “Special Offers” shows you ads for other books. And there’s also a half-inch-high banner ad at the bottom of the home page. There are NO ads shown within the books themselves. I also like the fact that you can get the Paperwhite with ads to try it out, and if you think they’re still too annoying, you can pay the $20 difference and they go away.
Personally, I don’t find them a problem, and in fact bought one of the books that were advertised on the off-screen. So I guess they work.
Once Jan had seen the Paperwhite, I ordered her a cover for it. They come in 15 different colors, and she wanted red. So red she gets.
Another neat thing about this cover is that it utilizes the Paperwhite’s Auto Wake/Sleep mode. Closing the cover turns off the Kindle, and opening the cover turns it back on. All automagically. Neat!
Under the heading of The Butterfly Effect, the butterflies are back, and in force. One semi pulled into the gate this afternoon and said he was running hot because so many butterflies were clogging his radiator.
Butterfly Migration
This is the 3rd time we’ve seen this here at the gate, and they always fly in the same direction. Amazing.
October 3, 2014
Back in Business . . .
Well, we seem to be back in business, at least canopy-wise. After starting the night like this,
I cut away the shredded canopy fabric and ended up with this.
Looking over the bare frame, I was really surprised to see that nothing was actually broken, or even bent, just kind of sprung out of shape. So I redid the tie-downs and, crossing my fingers, pulled on one of the poles.
And everything just popped back into place, just like it does when I set it up normally. It looks like the elbow joints on the arms that support the raised roof are spring-loaded to some extent, and this protected the frame from any real damage.
Next, I got out my 10′ x 20′ tarp that I used last year as a windbreak when it got cold, since we didn’t have the rig behind us to block the cold north winds.
And after about an hour of fussing and cussing, I had the tarp tie-wrapped to the frame in a usable fashion. At 10′ x 20′, it’s a little too short in one direction and a little long in the other for my 13′ x 13′ canopy frame, but it works. And actually seems pretty sturdy. Later in the afternoon, we had some fairly stiff gusting winds from the west, and the canopy handled it just fine.
The reason it looks so lumpy from this side is that is where the extra length is folded back over the top and tied down.
I’m going to check and see what a new fabric top would cost. Since that comes from Coleman, the manufacturer, I’ve heard that a new top costs as much as an entire brand-new canopy from Amazon. We’ll see.
When Scotty, our GGS support tech, was here a couple of weeks ago, I told him I lose a water pump every year, and if he wanted to save himself an extra service call, he might just want to leave me a spare. But he didn’t have one.
And today he paid for that. He was just here this past Monday for our regular two-week service, but was back out today to repair our water pump. As usual, it was the pressure switch that turns the pump on when you open the faucet, and luckily, he had a spare switch, so he just replaced that. So I guess that’s my pump repair for the year.
While he was here, I asked him to replace one of our bell hoses that had been severely shortened by a bulldozer running over it, and also add some extra length to both ends. And he not only did that, but left me some extra hose and a couple of joiners if I wanted them longer.
It always helps if you feed your support guy a couple of the delicious home-made brownies that Brandi brought up this past weekend.
Well, we have a supposed date for the fracking to start: October 17th. And even more supposedly, they may be doing two fracs at the same time. But not on the same pad. There are two different pads with two different companies.
As I mentioned the other day, on our frac gate last year, with just one frac job, we were doing 300+ vehicles coming in a day, and a large number going out. Let’s call it 500 vehicles coming in and out through the gate a day, so 1000 for two.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
October 3, 2015
Odds and Ends . . .
Once again, thank you all for your kind thoughts about Mister. Jan and I really appreciate your understanding words.
Today’s another blog about a lot of little things going on, or that I’m working on.
First off, when I started to print off some more gate guard log sheets a couple of days ago, I found I was out of black ink. But Aha!, I remembered I had bought an extra cartridge when I bought the printer. And even more Aha!, I was able to find it.
So I tore the package open, installed the cartridge in the printer, and . . . it didn’t work. Or at least it didn’t work very well. It actually didn’t look a lot better than the old cartridge that was running out of ink. Then I got to thinking.
I bought this printer, and the extra cartridge, in the fall of 2013, when we were gate guarding down in South Texas. So this ‘new’ cartridge was 2 years old. Which explained the problem.
Even in the sealed foil packages, these things dry out. So, needing logs, I decided to try an old trick. I got a small plastic bowl and put a little bit of water in it, just enough to cover the bottom. I then set the cartridge in the water, print head side down.
You can see what I’m talking about in this photo.
Be sure you put the print head in the water and not the contact side.
Checking back in about 30 minutes, I saw that ink was spreading out into the water from the cartridge. So I took the cartridge out, set it on a piece of paper towel, print head down, and left it for about 10 minutes. Then I popped it back in the printer, and it worked fine.
Ink cartridge ink is water-soluble, and it will dry out, clogging the print head if it’s not used for a while, even if it’s in the printer. Running the printer’s cleaning cycle will sometimes fix the problem, but if it won’t, try this trick. It might save an expensive cartridge.
I’ve got a heavy-duty 6 amp 13.6 volt power supply that I use for a lot of things around the rig. Right now, it’s being used to supply 12V to the LED light so we can see our clock at night while we’re on the gate.
But I’ve found several times recently that I want to use it to power something that uses a 12V plug. So while I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, I picked up a 12V socket in the auto department and mounted it on the power supply case.
Right now, I’ve just got the leads hanging loose so I can hook them up when needed. But later, when I get a chance, I’ll take the case off and wire them in directly so it’s always hot.
Tonight, supposedly being even colder than last night, and not having any dogs, I have bumped things up to a three-heater night. We’ll see how that works.
Finishing up, either WordPress still doubts my humanity, or my math skills, or the robot hacking scripts have gotten smarter, but now, instead of single-digit math problems on my WordPress blog login, I’m getting double-digit addition problems.
I didn’t know there’d be math on the test.
October 3, 2016
Tomorrow for Sure . . .
After finishing my morning coffee and the delicious Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit that Jan made for breakfast,
I started right in on getting the washer out of its hidey-hole. Since I had prepped everything last night, I just moved the floor dolly into place, grabbed the straps, and started pulling.
Back in January 2013, after the first time I had to pull the washer out to replace a thermal fuse on the dryer heating coil, I installed these canvas straps down the rear of the dryer and out along the bottom to the front.
Otherwise, you have to open the door and pull on the washer drum, not really a good idea. There is only about a 1/8″ clearance along the top and sides of the cabinet, so there’s nothing else to get a hold of. But with the straps, I can just grab hold and start working it out.
And out it came, very quickly, in fact. Getting it down on the small dolly, I pushed the washer aside to let me unhook the drain and turn off the water supply valves. Then, after unscrewing the water hoses and pulling the metal vent hose out, I was free to roll it out into the kitchen.
And the new small dolly made it much easier to maneuver around, but that would come back to haunt me later.
Once it was in the kitchen, I turned the washer on its side and removed the bottom plate to take a quick look at the pump. And my luck was holding. This is what I found.
One of the wires to the pump had come loose.
Pulling off the spade connector, I found that the wire had broken off in the lug, so I must have nicked the wire when I stripped it, and 9 months of vibration broke it off. Just to be on the safe side, I redid both of the connectors this time using strippers that won’t nick.
At this point, I was ready to reinstall the washer, a new record after only about 30 minutes, but I decided to hold off. The dryer vent hose looked pretty crushed and beat up, so I decided to get another one before I reinstalled the washer.
But that meant going out, so Jan and I headed out about 2 pm to Home Depot, coupled with another errand, before coming back to have a late lunch at the Culver’s in Conroe. Always delicious.
Getting back to the rig, Jan said that she wanted to take a nap, so that meant that I couldn’t work on the washer right then, and I would have to take a nap too.
DARN!
Post nap, I got ready to get the washer back in its hole, and the new small dolly came back to bite me. It was not only smaller in size, but it was also shorter due to having smaller wheels, which meant it was not up high enough to let me slide it in. Even with the bigger dolly, getting it started in the opening was always the hardest part of the job. But with the smaller one, it was just impossible for one person.
So everything is on hold until tomorrow, when I can get some boards to build up the dolly to the correct height, and then hopefully it will just slide right in.
Hopefully.
Unfortunately, with everything going on today, I never got a chance to install the new screen door catch that my son Chris made for me.
Tomorrow for sure.
October 3, 2017
Buffalo Wings and Bluetooth . . .
Today was a nice, cool, rainy morning and afternoon, perfect for just lazing around the rig the whole time.
Especially since Jan was coming off a migraine.
This morning, I got something a little different in my email: a bill from the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails for $15, apparently left over from our recent hurricane-related extended stay here. I have a receipt for a $20 payment about the same time, a payment that doesn’t show on their records, so I’m guessing that will make up the difference. Hopefully.
With Jan feeling a lot better after a shower, we headed out about 3:45 for linner and some shopping. Linner was at Buffalo Wild Wings, one of our favorites. Especially since today is Half Price Wings Tuesday.
Or it used to be.
The last time we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings was back in May in Rapid City, SD, along with new friends Dave and Jeanne. And since it was a Tuesday, our wings were all half-price. But no more.
Apparently, we ate so many wings that a month or so later, they discontinued the special. Instead, it’s now Half Price Boneless Wings Tuesday. And since I don’t really care for the boneless variety, that doesn’t help me much.
But Jan liked the boneless version, so she got hers with Asian Zing sauce,
while I got my traditional wings with my usual Mango Habanero sauce, very hot.
We also got an order of Potato Wedges, also really good.
Leaving the restaurant, we headed over to the nearby Sam’s Club so I could pick up a prescription and a few other things. Walking down the aisle, I came across these.
With no wires and built-in earphones, it makes a Bluetooth connection to your phone and lets you answer phone calls and listen to music, controlling the selection and the volume. And for only about $25.
As Sheldon says, “Everything’s better with Bluetooth.”
Unfortunately, I think you just get the beanies for your $25.
Then it was on to the next-door Wal-Mart, where Jan got her hair cut while I did the shopping. Finally coming home about 7:30, and after dark, we got to use our new remote to turn on both the outside and interior lights. Very nice.
Tomorrow’s another Clear Lake day, so it’s on the road about 10 am.
October 3, 2018
Not Bad. Not Bad At All . . .
Wanting to get an early start to beat the heat, we were hitched up and pulling out of our site at the Petticoat Junction RV Park about 7:50 am.
We hit a couple of slow spots due to breakdowns on I-45, but once we got on the Sam Houston Tollway heading east, it was smooth sailing all the way to I-10 and beyond.
We thought it was funny that the Rest Area coming into Louisiana was STILL under construction, and has been for several years now. Someone’s looking for permanent job security. Or maybe someone’s not getting paid off.
I know that within the last couple of years, Buc-ee’s was looking to build a store, their largest yet, just east of Baton Rouge. They had even purchased the land right on I-10.
But after about a year of planning, permits, site surveys, etc., they canceled the whole thing.
The reason, as stated by the owner of Buc-ee’s? Too many hands out looking for their payoff.
We pulled into our site at Poche’s RV Park a little before 1 pm, making the 245 miles in 4 hours, and averaging 8.4 MPG according to our Silverleaf Computer Interface.
The trip turned out to be very comfortable, more so than we had anticipated. When we did our little test drive a few weeks ago, we noticed that if we had the windows by the driver and passenger chairs open, we got a very nice cross-breeze without the wind noise we had thought we would have. So, between running the roof vent fans in exhaust mode, the dash fans, vent air, and the cross-breeze, we were really comfortable. Not bad at all.
So tomorrow we’ll also see how it works, opening some more windows in the rear of the coach.
Later, about 3 pm, Jan and I headed into Breaux Bridge to have dinner at our new local favorite, Crazy ‘Bout Crawfish.
As before, Jan got the Grilled Catfish Fillet with Grilled Mixed Veggies,
while I got a cup of their Seafood Gumbo,
and an order of the Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes.
Unlike last time, this time they asked me if I wanted it, Lil’ Crazy, Crazy, or Extreme Crazy, referring to the spice level. Guess which one I ordered.
I don’t know exactly what’s in this seasoning, but I can say that even if you wash your hands three or four times, rubbing your eye is still not a good idea.
And everything was delicious. And like last time, we split an order of their Bread Pudding with Homemade Rum Sauce.
WOW!
Coming back into the park, we came across these two new arrivals.
Really Neat!
We noticed several more small ones like these, but these were the only two decorated. So maybe they’re having a mini-rally.
Tomorrow we’ll wait until about 8:30 before we head for the Escapees RV Park, 280 miles away in Summerdale, AL. I want to avoid going through Baton Rouge during morning rush hour, since it’s bad enough at normal times.
And on tomorrow’s menu, Throwed Rolls.
Duck!
October 3, 2019
Push, Pull, or Twist . . .
About 1 pm, I went outside and crawled under the rig to see if I could find a way to actually reach the oil filter adapter with my hand. After I removed the filter, which I keep in place to keep the bugs out,
I improvised a prop to raise me up using the rig’s extension ladder and a couple of cushions, and this let me reach up and touch the adapter.
But no matter how I pushed, pulled, or twisted the center shaft, nothing moved. I even tried to push in the small pin, thinking it might release something, but no luck with that either.
So while I was under there, I put in a call to Rush Truck Center up in North Houston to see if I could talk with someone there. But unfortunately, all the service people were in a big meeting, but the guy took my number and said someone would call me back. So I just put the filter back on to wait until I hear from them.
I called Rush because they’re the only place that’s ever worked on our rig. Everything else I’ve been able to fix. But when our engine just up and quit on us, coming back from Yuma and going through Las Cruces. We got towed in late in the afternoon, and the next morning they quickly discovered that it was only a bad sensor on the fuel line. Of course, while we were there, I had some other stuff done as well.
So I’ll wait to hear back from them before I do any more.
For dinner, we headed out about 4 pm to Los Ramirez Mexican, and then stopped off at the SR99 H.E.B. for some of our favorite Lola Savannah coffees, and then it was home for the night.
October 3, 2020
A Personal Grooming Day . . .
For Jan, at least.
At 1 pm, she got her hair done at her favorite TGF down here in League City. Then, after that, it was lunch at the nearby Black Bear Diner.
I got the 3-egg Meat Lover’s Omelet,
while Jan got her turkey fix with the Roasted Turkey Dinner.
All great as usual.
Then it was on up to Webster to get her toesies done. And while she was doing that, I made a Harbor Freight visit for a few things. One of my favorite places.
Jan and I have been watching several of our old favorite TV shows and a few new ones, streaming them off Amazon Prime Video, Acorn, and several others.
As far as new shows, we just recently finished up all three seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime and are really looking forward to Season 4, whenever it comes out.
Right now we’re into the 3rd season of Grimm and the 1st season of Warehouse 13.
And we recently finished up the 13th and last season so far of Murdoch Mysteries on Acorn TV. And a 14th season is supposedly in the works. But in the meantime, we’ve gone back and started over with season 1, which we had never seen, since we started watching the show at about season 5
It’s really interesting to see how the characters have changed over the years, and learning things about them that we didn’t know. For instance, a year before the series starts in 1895, Murdoch had a fiancé, Liza Milner, who died of consumption (TB).
Other old shows we watch are Forever, Moonlight, Pushing Daisies, and Primeval, all of these on CWSeed, another free streaming site. And they keep adding new (old) series that we’re interested in, like Time After Time. And we’ve got other shows coming up on the menu, like Fringe, Eureka, and U.F.O.
If you notice a pattern here, we both like fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction shows. Lucky for me.
We watch all these, plus our regular TV shows, on our Amazon Fire TV Stick add-on to our Samsung TV. And we liked it so much, I immediately ordered the upgraded one when it came out. And it was $10 cheaper than our original one.
It was supposed to be here this past Friday, the 2nd, but it seems that UPS had other ideas. Looking at Amazon’s tracking, it was supposed to be delivered by 8 pm, but as the day moved on, it was never shown as being out for delivery. So I took the UPS tracking # from the Amazon order and plugged it directly into the UPS tracking site.
And it showed the order had been shipped from Atlanta, leaving at 5:18 am Wednesday morning and arriving in Houston at 2:21 pm the same day.
Perfect for delivery the next morning, right? Well, no.
Because by 10:12 pm that night, it was up in Bedford Park, IL, for some reason. And since then, it’s been bouncing back and forth between Bedford Park and Addison, IL.
It’s now scheduled to be delivered Tuesday, the 6th, but we’ll see. I’m not getting my hopes up.
October 3, 2021
One On Every Block?
Jan and I had lunch once again at our local Denny’s, and to our delight, Hugo the cook was back and making our omelets again.
There’s a reason they’re called the Ultimate Omelet.
Afterwards, we had planned to hit up the HEB right across the Interstate, but Lloyd, one of our faithful readers, told me that Amazon is also building another Distribution Facility over on 96 in League City, also not too far from us.
It does, however, look like they’re not as far along as the La Marque location.
So it’s beginning to look like Amazon’s going for a warehouse on every block. That way, they can just walk your order across the street.
Coming home, we stopped off to check out a nearby church’s Pumpkin Patch.
So it looks like Halloween is upon us.
Of course, you can’t tell it by Wal-Mart, since all their Halloween AND their Thanksgiving stuff is gone from the shelves, which are now filled with Christmas decorations. In fact, Jan bought several large ornaments this past Thursday, the ones that are 6-8″ in diameter, to hang from our Flamingo Flamboyance oak tree.
After 5 days of pretty much constant rain, the rest of the week looks really nice, especially this coming Saturday when we’ve got tickets for the Wings Over Houston AirShow. Right now it looks like sunny and in the mid-80’s.
Lucky for me, I married an Air Force brat who loves airshows as much as I do.
Tonight we watched the last three episodes of The Good Wife, seven years and 156 episodes. So now it’s on to the sequel, The Good Fight, five years and 50 episodes.
So far, it’s still on and starting season six.
One of my Amazon deliveries yesterday was a new addition to my T-shirt collection.
Take it to heart.
October 3, 2022
A Pumpkin Spice Overdose?
I spent a good bit of time over the weekend trying to set up a wire transfer platform to send funds to the company that makes our machines in Poland. We had been paying via PayPal, but found we could get an extra 5% discount by paying by bank transfer.
However, the fees charged by the bank almost negate the 5% discount. So I’ve been looking at some online sites that do it cheaper, or even for free.
Wise and Xe are recommended as two of the best and cheapest. In fact, Xe transfers are free. I assume that they’re making their fees by the spread in currency trades. But with all the forms to be filled out, it’s taking a lot of time.
I was able to finally get Wise set up and running last night and tried to make a transfer, but apparently, they’re very picky about what funding sources they will accept. But I finally got them to accept my personal Chase debit card. But even I had to do a final verification this morning.
Who knew it would be this hard to get someone to take my money?
And I’m still waiting to hear back from Xe. But Wise only cost $9.64, so it wasn’t bad.
Tomorrow we’re still scheduled for a pumpkin spice overdose (Pumpkin Pie Pecan Pancakes, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and Pumpkin Spice Bacon, though I’m not sure about the bacon) at Snooze and then a stop by HEB to pick up tickets for the Nutcracker Market on November 10th.
We had tickets for last year’s, but Jan and Brandi refused to let me go since it was the day before my Cervical Fusion surgery was scheduled.
October 3, 2023
Pot Pourri. . .
Or at least that’s the way I sounded it out when I first came across the word as a little kid.
Which, strangely enough, translates to ‘Putrid Pot’.
And on the subject of funny pronunciations, why is Chipotle pronounced ‘Cha Pol Tay’ and not ‘Cha Pot Lay’?
After a long lull, we had over 3.5″ of rain today, and the temp never got out of the 70’s. And by Sunday, we’re looking at a high of 75° and a low of 59.
Very, very nice!
I’ve mentioned before having intermittent problems with our Sharp Microwave. It has something to do with the safety interlock switches because if you press in on part of the control panel, it seems to start working. But part of the problem is to tell when it’s actually working or not.
So I found this Microwave Diagnostic Tool on Amazon.
It’s a 3″ bar of clear plastic with an LED diode embedded in it. And when you put it in your microwave, it looks like this.
About $13.50
Long-time readers will remember that Jan spent 35 years in the Medical Records field, and though she retired just as the new ICD-10 diagnostic codes were coming into use, we both enjoy coming across some of the more unusual.
Like these:
W61.3s3: Pecked by a chicken
W61.62XD: Struck by duck, subsequent encounter
Sounds like farm animals might be a problem.
W55.41XA: Bitten by pig, initial encounter
Are they getting revenge for all the BBQ?
W59.22XA: Struck by turtle
Falling or Thrown?
R46.1: Bizarre personal appearance
OK. Now they’re just getting personal.
Z63.1: Problems in relationship with in-laws
Jan might be familiar with this code.
V97.33XD: Sucked into a jet engine, subsequent encounter
Subsequent, As In More Than Once?
R15.2: Fecal urgency
No Comment.
Y92.253: Opera house as the place of occurrence of the external cause
Is a Phantom involved?
Y92241: Hurt at the library
Scream in pain quietly.
Y92.146: Swimming pool of prison as the place of occurrence of the external cause
Prisons Have Swimming Pools?
Y93.D1: Stabbed while crocheting
Self Inflicted?
S10.87XA: Other superficial bites of other specified part of the neck, initial encounter
Are Vampires Involved?
Y93.D: V91.07XD: Burn due to water-skis on fire, subsequent encounter
So your water skis caught on fire more than once?
W22.02XD: V95.43XS: Spacecraft collision injuring occupant, sequela
So, UFO’s?
It seems they have a code for just about everything that could possibly happen to you, and some that are probably impossible.
October 3, 2024
A Short-Term Panic. . .
Jan and I decided to have lunch out and about today, with Snooze our choice du jour.
Then it was on over to our old Kroger’s so Jan could pick up a few things. While we were there, I did pick up a 6-pack of the new ‘Limited-Time’ Oreo Coke Zero Sugar, and Jan and I both agree that we really like it. The Oreo flavor is more of an aftertaste that doesn’t overwhelm the Coke taste.
I plan to pick up more this weekend.
Thought it was kind of funny that the Toilet Paper/Paper Towel aisle at Kroger’s was stripped pretty clean, supposedly due to the ongoing Longshoremen’s strike.
Well, it looks like it was a short-term panic, since the strike was called off today, and they’re back to work until January 15, 2025, while they continue to negotiate.
And to top it off, 90% of our toilet paper is produced domestically, with the rest coming in from Canada and Mexico.
So, Never Mind.
October 3, 2025
Firing The Wrong Person?
Joe called about 2 pm to let us know that our Jeep was ready to go, so Jan and I headed out to pick it up. It always amazes me how quickly he can get things done. I only gave him the go-ahead about 1 pm yesterday.
In this case, he did a complete brake update: pads, rotors, calipers, and hoses, and also changed out the cooling fan, relay, and control module. This means I won’t have to turn the cooling fan off and on manually from a switch on the dash anymore.
Our Jeep is pushing 200,000 miles at this point, so completely redoing the brake system at this point is not out of line. Hopefully, we’re good for another 200,000.
After all, our 2004 Dodge Dakota has 315,000 miles on it, plus another 100,000 being dragged around behind the RV. And we had a 1994 Ford Ranger 4-Door Crew Cab that went over 400,000 miles before it finally croaked.
And now with an oil change and a wash/wax, we’re trip-ready.
* * * * * * *
Maybe they fired the wrong person.
Cracker Barrel recently announced that they were cutting ties with the design firm that came up with the new logo and store upgrades.
The company confirmed the split late Thursday in a press release, announcing that it’s “ending its engagement with Prophet,” the design agency that Cracker Barrel hired just seven months ago to help refresh its brand.
In August, Cracker Barrel unveiled a new logo created by the San Francisco-based firm, which ditched the iconic man in overalls and the barrel for a streamlined design. The new logo featured an outline that the company said was “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all,” according to a press release initially announcing the change.
It didn’t work out: The logo was the target of a culture war, which even caught the ire of the White House and dragged down the stock. Visits to Cracker Barrel tumbled.
A few days later, Cracker Barrel backtracked and reverted back to its previous logo.
Prophet was also assisting with restaurant redesigns. Those were “suspended” after they were rolled out at four of its 660 locations.
So, should they fire the design firm that came up with the ideas, or should they maybe have fired the CEO who decided to implement these ideas?
I know my pick.
When this all came out, I thought that they should have just converted the four stores that they did, changing the logo and the menu, and then not said anything. Just sit back and see what happens.
If sales go up, you’re onto something. But if people walk in, look around, and say, “What the Hell is this?”, you probably should consider going in another direction.
But they didn’t ask me. Their loss.
* * * * * * *
I spent some time this morning looking at my window problem in the truck. To recap, the passenger window will go down, but not back up.
It’s not a switch problem, since neither the switch on the driver’s door nor the passenger door will work. I’m pretty sure it’s not a motor problem since the motor just runs in reverse depending on the polarity of the 12V applied to it. If it runs in one direction, it should run in reverse.
I was going to go ahead and pull the window regulator motor out, but right now it’s in a position that makes it hard to get to the bolts to release the window itself from the regulator track.
So I’ll have to think on it some more.
* * * * * * *
Tomorrow we’re doing our normal Sunday Denny’s visit a day early since Sunday’s my birthday and we’ll be doing something else, what I haven’t decided yet.
