Our RV Adventures

or Target strikes again.

For the second time in 3 months, this time due to Target’s recent credit card security breach, I’m getting a new Chase VISA debit card, whether I want to or not.

While we were gate guarding last October, I got an email from Chase saying they had seen suspicious activity on my account and they were sending me a new card. Which meant I had go through all my accounts online and change them over to the new card. On top of that I never saw any problems with my account in the first place.

And now because of Target I have to do it all again. The only time we’ve been to Target in the last five years and it had to be during their security breach.

The weather was finally warm enough and dry enough, so we got in a walk this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks. Afterwards, we had planned to sit outside with our coffee, but it turned out to be too windy, although Mister was happy outside for a while.

About 12:15 Jan and I headed up to Pasadena to check in on a long-time client. Jan often goes with me on some of these calls, especially when we’re going to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse afterwards.

Tricia had two machines for me to check out. The first one, a desktop unit I installed a couple of years ago, didn’t really have any particular problems, so I just gave it a general checkup, cleanout, and update. The second machine, a laptop, had a bigger problem. A Conduit Search problem.

Conduit Search is a pesky piece of malware that users usually bring on themselves by clicking something they shouldn’t. Email works fine, but any time you try to go online, it intercepts your request and first takes you to their own search page.

But in this case, the search link was broken so you couldn’t go anywhere. I spent about 45 minutes trying to clear it using some of the easiest methods, but nothing worked, so this one goes home with me for a more in-depth cleaning.

Our next stop was at another client’s to pick an office key so I can get it duplicated. I don’t want a repeat of last weekend when I couldn’t get in the office to work after he changed the lock since last y ear.

But before we got the key duplicated at Lowes, we stopped at the Longhorn Steakhouse next door for dinner. And after a great meal of steaks and potatoes, we’ve decided that Longhorn is our new favorite steak place, beating out Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn is a little more expensive, but not by much, and has a better atmosphere, not quite as noisy. All in all, a nicer experience.

After dinner we stopped at the Lowes next door to get my key duplicated and I came across one of these, a Minute Key machine. And it was fast, and pretty neat.

You press the Start button on the touchscreen, the select House or Car key. Next you insert your key in the slot and the machine tells you if it can duplicate it. You then select from a number of different colored and patterned blanks, and tell it how many copies you want. It gives you the price, you insert your credit card and off it goes. And in just a couple of minutes you’ve got your key. And in less time than it usually takes to just track the key guy down to start with.

Really neat.

After dropping off the master key at the client’s, we headed home with a stop off at Kroger’s for a few things. And I found my new favorite product.

And no, Vanilla Heat’s not a new rap group. It’s International Delight’s new creamer flavor, Vanilla Heat, a vanilla-flavored, spicy creamer. I think I’m in love.

I tasted it when we got home, and the heat seems to come, not from any type of peppers, but from cinnamon oil, the same ingredient that makes Red Hot’s hot. And the slight cinnamon taste that goes with the heat, along with the vanilla, just adds to the flavor. A great new product.

Thought for the Day:

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." – Albert Einstein

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One of our favorite shows is “Justified” on FX, and last night was the beginning of the 5th season. Raylan Givens, a Deputy US Marshall out of Eastern Kentucky, is a character created by famed writer Elmore Leonard, and brought to life by actor Timothy Olyphant. You’re never sure what will happen next,  but you can be sure the body count will be high,

With all the cold weather around the country, especially in areas that aren’t used to the low temps, I remember the time we spent in Fairbanks, AK in 2008 and how people reacted differently to the temps.

2008 was a cold summer in Fairbanks. We had 1 day in the 80’s – 81 on the 4th of July, 12 days in the 70’s, and the rest in the 50 and 60’s. When the temps were in the 50’s, you would have some people in parkas, and some people in shorts and T-shirts. Our granddaughter Piper who visited us in July couldn’t understand why she was bundled up in a heavy coat, and people were jet-skiing on the Chena River in their bathing suits.

I told her it’s all what you’re used. This was summer to the Alaskans and they weren’t going to miss out. Jan was an Air Force brat living in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. She said in school that they used to play outside until it got cooler than 20 below zero. It’s all what you’re used to.

As a follow-up on that idea, here’s a chart to compare people’s reaction to low temps around the country.

60° F: Arizonans shiver uncontrollably; 
            People in Buffalo, NY are still sunbathing.

50° F: Californians try to turn on the heat; 
            People in Buffalo plant gardens.

40° F: Californian’s Italian sports cars won’t start;
           People in Buffalo drive with the windows down.

32° F: Distilled water freezes;
            Lake Erie water gets thicker.

20° F: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves and wool hats;
           People in Buffalo throw on a light jacket.

15° F: People in Buffalo have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0° F: All the people in Phoenix die.
         Buffalonians close the windows.

10° below: Californians fly away to Mexico . 
zero             The Girl Scouts in Buffalo are selling cookies door to door.

25° below: Hollywood disintegrates; 
zero            People in Buffalo get out their winter coats.

40° below: Washington, DC runs out of hot air;
zero            People in Buffalo let the dogs sleep indoors.

100° below: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. 
zero              Buffalonians get frustrated because they can’t start the car.

460° below: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero);
zero               People in Buffalo start saying, “Cold enough for ya?”

500° below: Hell freezes over. 
zero               The Bills win the Super Bowl.

Thought for the Day:

‘There’s a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It’s called marriage.’ – Sam Kinison

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