Monthly Archives: September 2013
It once was lost but now it’s found . . .
Our replacement canopy came in yesterday, right on schedule. So sometime in the next couple of nights, Jan and I will take down the old one and set up the new one. But first I’m going to check all the joints to be sure the bolts are tight so we don’t have a repeat of what happened with the first one. Hopefully it will only take about 30 minutes or so to switch them out, but it will also depend on how much traffic we have through the gate then. We’ll see.
One thing I’ve noticed recently is that apparently, bugs, specifically moths, have schedules. We have a couple of these work light stands that the company gives us to light up the gate at night.
And of course they do attract moths. But only on certain nights. So one night we have almost none, and other nights it’s like a plague of locusts. They’re everywhere, swarming around the lights and landing on the ceiling of the canopy, and on us. Other nights, zip, zero, nada.
The only thing I can figure is that they all get together as a group and rotate through visiting each of the gate guards in the area on different nights. Don’t want to get bored with just one location. Makes sense to me.
Speaking of lights, we love these powerful LED flashlights.
Techlite Lumen Master 200 Lumens High-Intensity CREE XPG L.E.D. Tactical Flashlight, 3 Pack
The 3 pack is only about $36, and you can get them in singles too, I believe. You just cannot look at one of these directly without being blinded. They have a high setting, a low setting, and an emergency strobe light setting. You will be amazed at how far these will throw a beam.
We use them to be able read license plates at a distance at night, and occasionally, I will flash one at a big rig driver who hasn’t dimmed his lights like he’s supposed to. It gets their attention quick.
I guess there was a late night party going on at the fracking site last night/this morning because at about 2:30 am, the Hell Fighters’ Kitchen truck came by and dropped off two Pork Tenderloin Dinners for us. This is the 3rd time they’ve stopped, and it’s always been delicious. We’d heard that fracking crews get fed more often than drill rigs and it’s looking to be true.
Under the Lost and Found department, I went in to Pleasanton to get groceries at the Wal-Mart today, and managed to lose my phone. Well, let’s say, misplaced. I was buying cat food, and at first, couldn’t find the flavor that Jan wanted (well, I guess it’s the flavor the cats wanted. I don’t think Jan has tasted it to find out if it’s a flavor she likes.) So I got out my phone to call her to get another recommendation. But I saw the one I was looking for and set the phone down on the shelf. Then after loading the cart, I wheeled away minus my phone. I wasn’t more than 30 feet away when I realized I had left it, so I went back.
NO phone.
I couldn’t figure out where it went. There was no one else on the row while I was there. I thought it might have fallen behind some of the cases on the shelf so I found a young salesgirl and asked her to call my phone.
NO luck.
Bummer.
So I went ahead and finished up my shopping and checked out, stopping by the Customer Service desk on the way out.
NO luck.
No one had turned it in. So I headed back to the rig after a quick McD stop for our lunch. After getting home, and Jan and I eating outside together, I called my phone from hers.
NO answer
Bummer.
Then waiting a few more minutes, I called again. And Wal-Mart answered.
YAY!
Someone had turned it in, so I told them I’d be back tomorrow and gave them my name. As I hung up, Jan mentioned that Rhonda, one of the railroad crossing gate guards, had left a little while ago, heading to Wal-Mart. So I called and asked her to pick it up for me.
And about an hour later, she shows up with my phone. Said she had a little problem getting them to give it to her. She said they told her they wanted to call me and get my permission. She said how are you going to do that. You have his phone. Duh!
I wasn’t really worried about any of the info on the phone getting into the wrong hands. There’s no passwords or any like that stored on it. And besides, I have “Where’s My Droid” on it.
This program gives me complete remote control of the phone. From another phone, or from their website, I can make it sound a siren noise, strobe the camera flash, take pictures from the front or back cameras and email them to me, locate the phone from the phone network or GPS coordinates, email them to me, or even display the location on Google Maps.
Finally I can lock the phone where it cannot be used, and, if worse comes to worse, I can ‘brick’ it, wipe it clean.
And if it was stolen, and the thief took the battery out for a while, just in case, then all of this will happen as soon as he puts the battery back in. This can also happen if he tries to remove the SIM card so he can reuse it.
Great product. Check it out.
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Thought for the Day:
The reward for a job well-done is usually just a harder job.
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No Blog Today Either . . .
Early enough for you, Nick?
