Happy New Year All

Well, this fun filled year (2014) is coming to a close. Looking back one has to consider if that's a good or bad thing. Are we better, worse, or the same that we were at the end of 2013. I'm another year older, a few pounds heavier, about the same in health, but a little deeper in debt.

How are you doing? Are you better, worse, or about the same as that long ago time, December 31, 2013?

Can Jumbo Jets fly in formation

An airline make happy...

Hang your balls.

Writing Class Version 6 (final)

So here we are. The class has been completed and below is my final version. Unless of course someone reads it and finds another mistake, which I may or may not choose to do anything with. No italics this time, just the story..

It was high school senior week, which gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule. At the time, I normally lived with my foster mother on her farm during the week. But I spent most weekends at my mother’s house, some 20 miles away. On one unusual weekday morning I awoke at my mothers and asked a simple question that started a sequence of events that would rattle my world. But, of course I still claim total innocence!

I didn’t have a car yet and my question was, “could I drive you to work and then go on to the farm?” “That would be ok”, she said. I really believe there was an assumption on her part, that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking a bus on to school. I didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing about the rule of NO student cars allowed. After all I’m a senior, what could they do?

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home, which took me off my normal route to the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction had taken the turn too wide. As if in slow motion, it scrapped down the entire length of my car making a metallic screeching sound as it proceeded on its path. Equally slow, I could envision my entire future fading away in front of me. Fortunately, for me, it was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary information; I headed for my mother’s. Upon arriving I saw her rushing from the house in an absolute rage. I stood there wondering what could possibly be so wrong, she certainly hadn’t seen the other side of the car yet.

Unknown to me, the school had found the car and for some reason reported it as being stolen to the state police. They, in turn, had notified some federal agency because it had a parking permit for the Veterans hospital where my mother worked. She was then notified, that they had found her stolen car.

She ranted on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She then gave me the added bonus that I had been suspended from school. At a point when the tension seemed to be easing, she simply asked, “it just can’t get any worse, can it?” Remembering the accident and looking down at my feet, I told her that it really could and suggested she go out and take a closer look at the car.

Cape Cod

One of my favorite places in the world.

Writing Class Version 5

Well, here I am again. This was the final class. But, I have signed up for the next one so we'll see how that goes. As before, the version of the story that I took to class is below and itlaized. Below that are the comments from the class.

It was high school senior week, which gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule. At that time, I normally lived with my foster mother on her farm during the week. But, on this one morning I woke up at my mother’s, some 20 miles away. I asked a simple question that started a sequence of events that would shake up my world a bit. But, of course I still claim total innocence!

I didn’t have a car yet and asked if I could drive her to work and then go on to the farm. “That would be ok”, she said. I believe there was an assumption on her part, that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking a bus on to school. I didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing about the rule of NO student cars allowed. After all I’m a senior, what could they do?

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home, which took me off my normal route to the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction had taken the turn too wide. As if in slow motion, it scrapped down the entire length of my car making this metallic screeching sound as it proceeded on its path. Equally slow, I could envision my entire future fading away in front of me. Fortunately, for me, it was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary information; I headed for my mother’s. Upon arriving I saw her rushing from the house in an absolute rage. I stood there wondering what could possibly be so wrong, she certainly hadn’t seen the other side of the car yet.

Unknown to me, the school had found the car and for some reason reported it as being stolen to the state police. They, in turn, notified some federal agency because it had a parking permit for the Veterans hospital where my mother worked. She was notified, in turn, that they had found her stolen car.

She ranted on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She then gave me the added bonus that I had been suspended from school. At a point when the tension seemed to be easing, she simply said, “it just can’t get any worse, can it?” Remembering the car and looking down at me feet, I told her that it really could and suggested she go out and look at the opposite side.

In the first paragraph, third sentence that starts with But, on this one morning I woke up... The consensus was compared to the immaculate conception, I just appeared at another house. I need to explain, briefly, about how I got to and why I was at this new location.

In he same paragraph, fourth sentence that ends with that would shake up my world a bit.. It was felt that the word shake should be replaced with rattle.

The junction between the first and second paragraphs is kind of clunky. Try combining these.

Then throughout verify that the tense is correct on words.

How about a Christmas Kiss??

A special Christmas Ad

Little known Christmas song fact

The Great Salmon Cannon

And they said it couldn't be done..

Writing Class Version 4

Had another class last evening. I'm wondering if there will ever be a class without comments. But, then it would be perfect and we all know perfection is a thing of fairy tales. At least it felt like there were less of them. So, again the text at the class is italicized.

It was the last week of high school, called senior week. Simply put, it gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule.

On one of these mornings, I asked my mother a simple question that started a sequence of events that made my world sort of shift a bit. But, of course I still claim total innocence! I didn’t have a car yet and asked if I could drive her to work and then go on to my foster mother’s farm in Sudbury where I attended school, about a 20 minute drive. “That would be ok”, she said. I think there was, an assumption on her part that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking a bus to school. I didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing about the rule of NO student cars allowed. After all I’m a senior, what could they do?

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home, which took me off my normal route to the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction had taken the turn too wide and, as if in slow motion, scrapped down the entire length of the car. It was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary information; I soon headed for my mother’s house. I arrived, to her rushing from the house in an absolute rage. I stood there wondering what could possibly be so wrong, she certainly hadn’t seen the other side of the car yet.

It seems that the school had, in fact, done something about that rule. They had found the car in the parking lot without a school sticker, but it did have a “federal” parking sticker for the hospital where my mother worked. The school called the state police and reported a stolen car. The police, in turn, notified some federal agency of the stolen car with a federal sticker. Eventually this chain had ended up with my mother.

She went on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She also gave me the added bonus that I had been suspended from school. At a point when the tension seemed to be easing, she simply said, “it just can’t get any worse, can it?” Remembering the car, I told her that it really can and suggested she go out and look on the opposite side.

Class Discussion

The first two sentences should be rearranged and merged into one, starting with something like 'It was senior week and.....'

There was a lot of discussion about the second paragraph and how to explain, without going into a big description, on how to introduce and talk about having a mother as well as a foster mother. I need to think about that one and come up with a simple solution, if possible.

In the third paragraph, they felt that I should show more of my anguish. Like, describing the sound that the other car made as it scraped down the lengh of my mother's car.

Paragraph 4, and I knew this, sounds like a kluge. It has bad rhythm and not easy to read. There was confusion about the "stickers" and which was for what or where. Also, why did they report it as stolen car. This needs to be explained.

Giant spider caught on camera

Another wonder parking job

Please, someone tell me that this is a setup and not real!!

Selfie, Selfie... Different twist

Writing Class Version 3

Another class this week. We have two more to go, but then there's the spring class (in January :-)). Again I'll post the new version 3 (in italic) followed by discussion and comments from the class.

It was the last week of high school, called senior week. Simply put, it gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule.

On one momentous day, the world sort of shifted a bit for me, but of course I still claim total innocence! It started on a nice Monday morning in June, after breakfast. I didn’t have a car yet and asked my mother if I could drive her to work and then go on to Sudbury where I attended school, about a 20 minute drive. “That would be ok”, she said. I think that there was, an assumption on her part that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking the bus to school. I didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing full well about the rule of NO student cars allowed. I just figured, what would they do? After all, I’m a senior.

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home, which took me off my normal route to the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction had taken the turn too wide and, almost as if in slow motion, scrapped down the entire length of the car. It was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary paperwork; I soon headed for my mother’s house. With my tail between my legs, I arrived, to her rushing from the house in an absolute rage. I stood there wondering what could possibly be so wrong, she certainly hadn’t seen the other side of the car yet.

It seems that the school had, in fact, done something about that rule. They had found the car in the parking lot without a school sticker, but it did have a “federal” parking sticker for the hospital where my mother worked. The school called the state police and reported a stolen car. The police, in turn, notified some federal agency of the stolen car with a federal sticker. Eventually this chain had ended up with my mother.

She went on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She also gave me the added bonus that I had been suspended from school. At a point when the tension seemed to be easing, she simply said, “it just can’t get any worse, can it?” Remembering the car, I sheepishly told her that it really can and suggested she go outside and look on the opposite side.

Class Discussion

In the second paragraph, first sentence "On one momentous day, the world sort of shifted a bit for me" the comments centered around the strength of this. It was almost like it was a major world catastrophic event. It certainly was to me, but not world wide. After a lot of discussion it was decided that if I removed the word momentous it would tone it back down to me. Also, this would make it staying in character, because an 18 year old would not use that word.

In the same paragraph, second sentence "I didn’t have a car yet and asked my mother if I could drive her to work and then go on to Sudbury where I attended school, about a 20 minute drive." There was a lot of confusion about this sentence and how to resolve it. You see, I actually lived in two towns and if this is brought up here it would take a lot of explanation. If I hadn't mentioned it, we are being limited to 500 words max. Anyway, the result is that I'll indicate that my destination was to my foster mother's farm in Sudbury. This, it was felt would resolve the issue is as few words as possible.

Same paragraph, next to the last sentence "knowing full well about the rule". The words full well are just not necessary. Just knowing about the rule is enough.

Third Paragraph, third sentence "so after exchanging the necessary paperwork;". In reality there is no actual paperwork that is exchanged. Therefore this should be changed to "information".

Same paragraph, next to the last sentence "With my tail between my legs, I arrived, to her rushing". The statement With my tail between my legs is a cliche and should be removed. Has no place in writing.

Last paragraph, last sentence "Remembering the car, I sheepishly told her that it really can and suggested she go outside and look on the opposite side". The work sheepishly is somewhat of a cliche as well. Maybe change it to something like, "looking at my feet". I need to think on this one.
Then in the same sentence, the word "side" is used twice very close to each other. In "go outside and look on the opposite side" you almost stumble on the work side. I'll remove side from outside so it just says 'go out and look on the opposite side'.

To be continued next week.

Writing Class Version 2

I attended another class, with the below version of my essay (in italics). Again, at the bottom I'll share comments from the class.

It was the last week of high school, called senior week. Simply put, it gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule.

On one momentous day, the world sort of shifted a bit for me, but of course I still claim total innocence! It started with my staying overnight, at my mother’s house on a Sunday. I didn’t have a car yet, so in the morning I asked her if I could drive her to work and then go on to Sudbury, about a 20 minute drive. “That would be ok”, she said. There was, I think, sort of an assumption on her part that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking the bus to school. I didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing full well about the rule of NO student cars allowed. I just figured, what would they do? After all, I’m a senior.

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home and headed for the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction took the turn too wide and, almost as if in slow motion, scrapped down the entire length of the car. It was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary paperwork; I soon headed for my mother’s house. With my tail between my legs, I arrived, to her rushing from the house in a rage, with nostrils flaring like a lioness protecting her young. I stood there wondering what could possibly be so wrong, she certainly hadn’t seen the other side of the car.

It seems that the school, had done something about that rule. They had found the car in the parking lot without a school sticker, but it did have a “federal” parking sticker for the hospital where my mother worked. The school called the state police and reported a stolen car. The police, in turn, notified some federal agency of the stolen car with a federal sticker. Eventually this chain ended up with my mother. I now understood why she was so upset.

She went on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She also gave me the added bonus that I had been suspended from school. At a point when the tension seemed to be easing, she simply said, “it just can’t get any worse, can it?” Remembering the car, I sheepishly told her that it really can and suggested she go outside and look on the opposite side.

Class Discussions
There was some discussion on my staying overnight with my mother. You see for most people this is a normal occurrence and would not have even been said, however for me it was not. This caused some confusion that sort of dictated an explanation. It was decided doing this would be taking the reader out of the story and I should simply remove it.

Another item came up concerning my driving a friend home. It was suggested for easier understandability, that I should indicate that because of driving the friend home that I had been taken off my normal path.

This following with nostrils flaring like a lioness protecting her young certainly brought up some discussion. First, no one felt that a nostril, flaring or not, would be a danger to anyone. Big teeth maybe, but not a nostril. Also the statement continued to talk about protecting her young. In this sentence, I was actually trying to show a mother's great anger at her son and not of her protecting her young. Guess, I'll be changing that.

In the statement I now understood why she was so upset it was generally accepted that, of course she'd have been mad. Do I need to state this. Again, I'll need to work on this.

That's it for now. Or at least until the next class.

Writing Class Version 1

I present here version 1 of my essay (in italic print), at least that’s what I’ll call it here. At the bottom of this I’ll post the comments or changes that the class felt that should be made.

It was the last week of high school, called senior week. Simply put, it gave you the freedom to come and go around your final exam schedule. Very different from the normal schedule, arriving at school at 7:30 in the morning and not leaving until 3:40, period.

On one momentous day the world sort of shifted a bit for me, but of course I still claim total innocence! It started with my staying overnight, at my mother’s house on a Sunday. I didn’t have a car yet, so in the morning I asked her if I could drive her to work and then go on to Sudbury, about a 20 minute drive. “That would be ok”, she said. There was I think, sort of, an assumption on her part that I would be leaving the car at the farm and taking the bus to school. Mr. Big didn’t do that of course and instead drove to school and parked in the lot, knowing there was a rule about cars at school, there are NO student cars allowed. I just figured, what would they do? After all, I’m a senior.

After taking my tests, I drove a friend home and headed for the farm. While maneuvering a slight left bend in the road, which dipped over a small stream, a car coming in the opposite direction crashed and scrapped down the entire length of her car. Immediately, I knew I was in big trouble. Her car was still drivable, so after exchanging the necessary paperwork; I headed for my mother’s house. With my tail between my legs, I arrived, to her rushing from the house in a rage. I wondered what could be wrong, she certainly couldn’t see the other side of the car.

It seems that the school, after all, had done something about that NO driving to school rule. They had found the car in the parking lot without a school sticker, but it did have a “federal” parking sticker for the hospital where my mother worked. The school called the state police and reported a stolen car. The police, in turn, notified some federal agency of the stolen car with a federal sticker. Eventually this notification chain ended up at my mother. I now understood what she was so upset about.

She went on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She also gave me the added bonus that the school had suspended me for a bit. At some point here, she made the comment, “that it just can’t get any worse than this.” I sheepishly told her that it really can and suggested she go outside and look at the other side of her car! In one day, I managed to have an accident, where I wasn’t supposed to be, get suspended from school and get my mother’s car reported stolen!

She was not pleased.

Class Discussion
Most of the comments were about the last paragraph, which had to do with not stating directly the conclusion. She was not pleased, for example. It is very obvious that she would not be pleased, the reader does not need to be hit on the head by being told this. Another point was that my mother should say that statement about not getting any worse. So these are the changes:

She went on and on about the embarrassment of being called by both the state police and her supervisor. She also gave me the added bonus that the school had suspended me for a bit.
The following needs to be changed so that she says it directly.
At some point here, she made the comment, “that it just can’t get any worse than this.”
I sheepishly told her that it really can and suggested she go outside and look at the other side of her car!
The following needs to be removed.
In one day, I managed to have an accident, where I wasn’t supposed to be, get suspended from school and get my mother’s car reported stolen!

She was not pleased.

Soon to come, version 2.

Parking lot shuffle

At what point should someone be forced to turn in their drivers license?

Writing Class

I started taking a beginners writing class at a local community college. It's based on a book called "I Remember" written by a Joe Brainard. The book is literally full of small paragraphs starting with the statement, I Remember. One of mine is:

I remember my first car.
It was a 1958 Ford Fairlane 500.

There are 167 pages of these little memory statements in the book. Very interesting reading.

For each of the first few classes we simply wrote and shared 10 of these. We now have selected one and are expanding it into an essay, having a maximum of 500 words. I wrote my first piece and had to cut it down to this, a challenge indeed. We bring this into class and share it everyone. They, including the instructor, then give feedback on the writing, both positive and negative. You then take those comments and work on your essay for the next class. My essay is based on "I remember my worst day in high school. I got suspended, had an accident in my mother’s car, and then the federal notification came."

In a little bit, I'll share that writing (version 1) with you. My first attempt.

Wild December

WOW, this is breath taking! The photography and slow motion filming is just fantastic. If you can, you'll need to watch this in full screen and HD.

Alice's Resturant

Our local NPR (Northeast Public Radio) radio station plays this every Thanksgiving. It's such a classic. This is the Full version being 23 minutes long. Enjoy and laugh a lot...

Let the Holiday jokes begin

It's cold outside

Human Kaleidoscope

You are going to be amazed at this one. Watch it in full screen and HD. I think this borders on the impossible!!

Now THIS is off road running!!!

Another strange lock type

Try picking this one friends....

Interesting Observation

Now, is this the truth or what???

1. The sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.
2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.
3. The sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.
4. The sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.
5. The sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS.

And...

6. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF.

THE AMAZING CONCLUSION: The higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.

There must be a boat load of people in Washington playing marbles.

Jimmy Fallon and Science?

What would you change about you?

Does a bowling ball and feathers drop at the same rate?

Well, let us see. Here is what I call an exciting demonstration.

Airplane safety video

Somehow I seem to have missed this one an all the flights that I've been on.. Enjoy..

Pass the salt

Do you think there's a message in this video?

Amazing Hawaii Ironman triathlon runner

This is clearly an advertisement for Holiday Inn, but it is so inspirational to watch. What this man was able to accomplish is, as I said, amazing.

I won't let you down

Now this is way Cool. Amateur or Professional?

After wisdom tooth removal

This is long. But, if my mother had ever posted something like this about me she and I would have had some words!!!

An un-pickable lock

Now this is an amazing lock design.

First Beer attempt

A friend of mine, John, and I took a road trip all the way north to Red Hook, NY a few weeks ago. We are interested in brewing our own beer and this place, Party Creations, came highly recommended. To make that story short, we ended up spending about 2 hours there and I came home with all the equipment and a beer kit for brewing an Irish Red.

On Sunday, the 22nd, we got together and started the brew by mixing and boiling this and that. At the final stage you're suppose to being the temperature of the brew down to about 65 to 75 degrees. Well, this is where we made our first mistake. It said to take the brew pot filled with the wort, which had just been boiling about 2.5 gallons of stuff and put into a cold bath. This should have cooled it down in a few hours, by replacing the cold water bath occasionally. Well, we actually added the other 2.5 gallons of stuff and then started to cool it. It took over night to cool it down, which I was just told is about right for the mistake that we had made.

Anyway, it got placed into a 5 gallon bucket with an airlock on top. This allows the CO2 to escape without anything else getting in there. about 48 hours later the bubbles started happening.

The second mistake made was that we really should not have started this, because I'm going out of town for a few days. So, do I bottle it before leaving or do I just let it sit until I get back. Fortunately the people at Party Creations are very helpful with this stuff. I called and was told exactly what I should do prior to bottling it before we leave. YIKE, time will tell.

Fortunately, I had planned this batch to be an experiment so if it does fail, not all that much will be lost except maybe some undrinkable beer..

I'll let you know as time goes on...

Sous Vide

I have hacked a crock pot with a temperature controller. We tried this last night. Great cooking method..

Try it..

When the night shift gets bored!!

Very good Message!!

Don't litter!

This might be a little extreme, but it certainly gets the point across!! You go girl!!

Stupid email WOW!

Can we make life be easier??

The Amish know how to build (or raise) a barn

New phrase

A friend up north in Canada, that being Ray, emailed me a bit ago and gave me such a new truth that I feel that I really needed to share it. Hope you don't mind Ray.

There's "no key to a closed mind".

Now is that the truth and a very profound saying or what...

High Tech IKEA commercial

Ya, gotta love the genius of it....

Is MSG bad for you?

Only you can decide that for sure. But, here's a little information on the subject.

Benjamin Franklin

I'm reading a book on my Kindle called Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography & Experiments and Observations on Electricity. I'm finding the reading, let me say, interesting. The language obviously is in his own voice at the time. The English language has certainly changed since then, so understanding some of it is difficult at times.

I do have an electric/electronic background and I am finding it difficult as well to capture and understand the concepts that he speaks of. I scanned a page and it's shown below. Unfortunately the figures are not contained in this version so I have to try and visualize what is actually being done. See for yourself..

Birds of Paradise

Absolutely stunning. Watch this one in HD and Fullscreen..

Billy Crystal makes tribute to Robin Williams

Johannes Stötter art

I was just sent an image by Johannes and it's wonderful. How the models are magically merged in with the background is absolutely amazing. Enjoy this art at the following web site johannesstoetterart.com

Now here's an oldie - Elvis lives on....

Willie Nelson does a card trick...

Solar questions

Our friend Ray sent me a few questions on my solar installation. I've decided to post them here, just so that everyone get's to read the answers, just in case they had them as well.

"If your meter is running backwards, and I'm certainly not doubting that, then it should mean that your system is supplying some of its power into the central grid, and therefore, you are in effect acting as a source of private generation for the electric company."

You are absolutely correct on this. We are supplying any that we don't use out onto the grid. I think it's great when I hear my neigobors air conditioner running and I know that I'm creating the electricity being sold to them...

"And they also ought to have installed some special devices to prevent your system from energizing theirs during those times when they may need to perform maintenance on those lines, because if a crew works on their lines and they haven't got a means of isolating you from it, then your system could theoretically re-energize a portion of their system that they might be assuming was "dead" and therefore safe to touch, and that could be tragic."

Yes, the inverters that create the AC power from the DC voltage on the panels are designed to be grid-tied. They constantly monitor the incoming utility power and if it goes down, the inverters instantly shut themselves off. When the grid power is restored, they in turn turn themselves back on. This is required for the very reason you mention.

"I assume, however, that all of that was included in the planning of it, and therefore isn't a problem - but that meter running backwards has me a little concerned, because the only way that usually happens is if the power is flowing in the opposite direction - meaning from you back to them. And if they can't see negative readings, or don't want to recognize that there really are some, then they're throwing the rule book out the window, and leaving themselves wide open to a possibly serious accident."

Electricity is flowing back onto the grid. If there's a demand locally, I'll supply it. It's the path of least resistance. As far as their not being able to read negative numbers, I need to correct that slightly. When I said that, I was referring to their accounting/billing system completely. As I said above, the inverters take care of the safety concerns. There are also manual disconnect switches that can be thrown to the off position.

Hopefully that clears it up a bit. Any other questions, please feel free to post and I'll try and get you an answer. In another post I'll explain how the system is financed.

An update on our Solar installation

Well our Solar system has been active for several months now and I thought I’d give you an update on it and how it’s performing.

I had contacted our local electric company to have our monthly budget reduced, but was told that I needed to wait until the meter was read on Aug 13, which we have done. Again I contacted our electric company and as a result of this most recent reading, we have reduced out monthly budget payment from $340 to $120. Now bear in mind that this payment includes both natural gas we well as the electric, but you and clearly see that we are paying out of pocket $120 dollars less. This is a good thing.

You can click on either of these images to increases it's size for easier reading.

It’s interesting that their accounting system has not caught up with this new “net metering” technique (aka. your meter runs backward). From the image above which is directly from out bill, you can see that our meter was read, on June 12, with a value of 7035 Kwh. The most recent, Aug 13 shows the same reading with a difference of 0 Kwh used. Their system cannot deal with negative numbers. In fact, and actual reading on Aug 13 was 6487 Kwh. Therefore we have banked, during this time, 548 Kwh.

Since the initial installation we have banked more because it was turned on in April. I just went and read the meter now (Aug 23) and it reads 6403 Kwh. It continues do run backwards. YES!!!

Above is a chart showing our electric generation for the month so far. You can certainly see when the sun was shining the most…

So far we are very happy with the installation and performance of this system.

Dealing with a pesky squirrel

The theory of a wobbly table

I think that this guy might have gone off the deep end trying to explain how to fix a wobbly table.. Yike!!!

Hyperlapse

This is way cool, new stuff from Microsoft research.

The impact of Automation

FedEx at it's finest....

A special gift fo rmom.

Are some passwords safe?

Celtic Woman sing Orinoco Flow

Look at thes new artform. WOW!

Do you look good naked anymore?

Great fun...

Guitar playing with a different twist

An 11 year old honors the soldiers of D-Day

Now this guy knows how to load a truck!!!

Are you afraid of heights?

Funny food's time has come...

Seriously though, this is a great idea. I certainly hope we in the U.S. are watching...

I didn't think an Air Liner could do this stuff.

And here's some more information from Boeing

Down memory lane...

I'm probably an old die hard, but I look back on those days as being a better time and place. Much simpler than today and LOTS less violence..

Robits at MIT

Very interesting indeed..

Pit Stops 1950 vs. 2013

So you want to take pictures of waves?

Net Neutrality issue

There was an article in our local paper today addressing the issue of Internet Neutrality. I encourage you all to read it, as it is a very important issue to us all.

Here is a video by John Oliver. While sometimes it has funny moments, the subject needs to be addressed if we are to have equal access to the Internet.

And here is a link to Restore Net Neutrality By Directing the FCC to Classify Internet Providers as Common Carriers. This petition is now closed, but this link is to the petition on the Whitehouse web site and is very informative.

I urge you to go to www.fcc.gov/comments and enter your opinion.

Here is a man with a very important message.

I think I'll be checking my supply to make sure they're safely stored away...

What is mankind doing?

Beer at home

Without saying a word, this says it all..

Ever wonder where that plane over your head is going?

I got this from a friend (Ken) and found it very interesting. Thought you might as well. Below is the text of that email.

"Drag the map to take you to the area you want to view. To view your region or town, you can zoom in with your mouse. When you click on an airplane, on the left screen you will get all the information related to; airline, plane type, air speed, altitude in real time that is re-calculated every 10 seconds.

On some you can also click on view from the cockpit.

IT WORKS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

If you click on a plane it also shows the path from origin to current location, but scary to see how many planes are up there."

They'll do anything for a beer!!!

To chew or not to chew, that is the question.

Now this is something you don't see every day

Good Observations from an old friend

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I'm not saying let's go kill all the stupid people. I'm just saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself out.

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I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People move out of the way much faster now.

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You can tell a lot about a woman's mood just by her hands. If they are holding a gun, she's probably angry.

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Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.

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You know that tingly little feeling you get when you really like someone? That's common sense leaving your body.

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I don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" get's thrown around in the courtroom.

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I didn't make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row

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I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning

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Dear paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for murderers; if you find one, what's your plan?

Do you like/hate Facebook?

How do we face life with our personal problems?

I can not imagine the struggle someone must go through with Schizophrenia. How do you deal with life?

And here my friends is a young girl that stood up and faced her fears in a wonderful way. Enjoy..

Beautiful touching, Advertisment

A recent swearing in

Isn't this taking our digital evolution just a little bit to the edge. I mean, what happened to that old book called The Bible....

A U.S. ambassador was just sworn in on a Kindle

Finally, this is how to eat a burger!!!

Did we land on the Moon?

Only you can be the judge of that. But, this gentleman makes a good case...

Boogie Woogie

Well, Ray posted a video on his blog with Stephanie Trick playing the Boogie Woogie Stomp.

In reply here are a couple more that you might recognize:

Are you safe from spying?

This is a funny video, but take a look at the serious side. It could be you...

Ready for a self-driving car?

Is a crow smart?

A river being cleaned up by it's own energy- Great!

Now here's a new math!!

Play Me, I'm Yours - Piano

How "sexy" can this be?

Can you pat your head and rub your belly at the same time?

I'll bet this kid can....

Can you navigate by sound?

Jerry Lee Lewis - WOW!

Of course, this is the real one...

Do you like your morning coffee?

I think these kids might have a different opinion of it.

Should I call - Right One!!

Well, I've done some more tracking and I found him. I remember a long time ago at a class reunion that he couldn't attend he had sent a letter stating where he lived. After searching for this little piece of information, back to the Internet I went and low and behold there he was. At least I thought it might be him.

I got my courage up and called. His wife answered and she remembered me right away. I had hit pay-dirt!! YES!!

But now the question is, how do you re-introduce yourselves to each other after 50 years? Each of us had moved on and traveled down our own paths. We did exchange email address and we're starting with small stuff and hopefully that will provide enough background so that when we do meet face-to-face at our next class reunion we won't be total strangers.

'till later...

Now this is one crazy intersection

Can Drones play music?

If you like Navy Jet Videos

Watch in Full Screen and HD.

Magic with a twist

Now you don't see it and now you do!!

Four Ladies that will Amaze

Is The U.S. Stock Market Rigged?

The Piano Guys in Rio

If possible you should set it for HD and watch in full screen. It's breathtaking..

A Prodigy plays the Harp

April 7 is a holiday

Today will be a fun day, because it's National Beer Day

And of course a favoriate of all couch potatoes out there, is National No Housework Day

International Pillow Fight Day

And you probably thought that I was joking about it being International Pillow Fight Day on Saturday. Well, this was in yesterdays USA Today.. See, proof, positive...

Should I call - Wrong one

Well, I finally got up my currage and called. I asked the gentleman that answered if he had graduated from my high school in the same year. He indicated that this must be his son. With hope, I got another phone number. With more time passing and sweaty palms again, I called. I asked the same question and the responce was, nope. He graduated 13 years later.

This is both a relief as well as a let down. A relief in that my sweaty palms can take it easy for a while. But a let down, because now I have to continue my search.

April 5th is a Holiday

And of course I'm sure that you know that today is International Pillow Fight Day.

Straight from the Expert's mouth

April 4 is a holiday

Now here is holiday that I can relate to. I just love to celebrate National Cordon Bleu Day. I just wish I could make it.

But then on the other end of the spectrum, there is always World Rat Day.

English, enough said...

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Billy Joel and Jimmy Fallon ham it up with an iPad..

April 3 is a holiday

And of course, is there anyone that didn't know that today is National Tweed Day?

Best Shift Ever

Now here is a very positive story. Enjoy..

April 1 is a Holiday

Besides the obvious, that today is April Fool's Day, did you also know that today is Saint Stupid's Day? And they even have a parade to celebrate it. Now this my friend is a little known fact.

Blogs are just full of all sorts of good information aren't they...

Disappearing Treat

Is this cruelty to animals? :-)

March 31st is a Holiday

And today is National Bunsen Burner Day. In addition, as a special treat to you, today is also National Crayola Crayon Day.

Dosen't having this information just make you a better well rounded person?

Today is a Holiday

Did you know that today is Pencil Day? Well it is, so check it out....

Should I call

Well, I've gotten some comments of this writing and they're all the same. You need to call! If you go through life being afraid, you'll never know the truth. Then later in life you'll most likely regret having not called. So, now it's up to me to pick up that telephone. Wish me luck.

Can I call, Should I call

So here's an attempt at writing on my part. I submit it, for your perusal and possible interest.

It's early in 2014 and I've had, what I believe to be, his phone number for about 8 months. Every once in a while I spot it and think, maybe today, maybe this weekend. I knew him for about 7 years. From 1957 in fifth grade until we graduated high school in 1964. I saw him once after that, but things were different. It was almost like we didn't know each other. Had nothing to say to each other. We had both moved on and we both had married and gone into the Navy. I had served my 4 years, but he had signed up for 6 and was still aboard an aircraft carrier in Rhode Island.

The first day of school in the fifth grade, which to be totally correct was my second first day in fifth grade. Due to, as I'd like to believe, a month long trip to Florida I had been held back in fifth grade. After the trip, for some reason, I was just not able to settle down and do my school work. Not that I was I was ever really able to. Anyway, there was a new kid in the class that had just moved into to town, because of his dad's job. Nobody paid much attention to him. Actually I don't think anyone really liked him much. We lived in a small country town and he just seemed to give the air of being from the big city and better than the rest of us. At least that's how I saw it.

Over time, very gradually we started talking and sharing stuff. But, it wasn't until that fateful day that we both had decided to walk home instead of taking the school bus. Walking along, we spotted a milk crate on the side of the side of the road. It had the name of the company that his dad worked for on it and he decided that he should take it home and give it to him. What ensued was the argument of the century about who would carry that crate home. We yelled, screamed, shoved and stormed around. That was the beginning of a friendship that had very deep seated feelings for me. At that point in my life, I was searching for love, friendship, anyone that would like or love and be there for me.

The Salt and Pepper twins, as we were called, had been born. We were always together. Doing everything together. He was a very special person to me as he filled a little bit of that hole in my chest, for my lack of family.

After that last time I saw him, I only heard about him one time and it was that he had moved to the mid-west and had become a State Trooper. Over the years I have often thought of him, even searching for him on the Internet. Somehow over that time I managed to put him up on a pedestal. The more I thought of him, the grander he became, being much better than I could ever be. Part of my thoughts, is that he represents a life that is now unreachable and I miss it dearly. These feelings may or may not be true, but feelings do influence your actions in a big way. After a long series of events I discovered that a person of the same name and approximate age is now living in that small town from so many years ago.

Can I call, Should I call; this is my dilemma. I just don't know. My worse fear, I guess, is that he'd not remember me. How could he do that to me? Rejection. I've lived through so much of it. Will he do this? Senior year in high school he did reject me on a smaller scale, but we did remain friends and it passed. Ever wish there were crystal balls, I sure could use one right now. Every time I think about calling my hands begin to sweat. Or I just don't think of it. Maybe there's actually a reason why I'm, just not thinking about it. Fear!

Of course he may have been looking for me as well and really wants to rekindle our friendship. Or, of course, maybe somewhere in between those extremes.

Can I call, Should I call; I'm just scared.

Can you whistle? This guy certainly can

Have a smooth flight ladies and gentlemen

Whatch these landing and take-offs in wind conditions at Birmingham Airport in England.

Data Brokers - What we need to know!

This scares the heck out of me and I think it might do the same to you..

The Mr. Tudball skit that never aired

How is this magic done?

Ever wonder a courtroom stenographer works?

Billie D. Harris

You've most likely never heard of this name before, but this story is so touching you might need some kleenex.

Laughter at the Alter

Starling Murmurations absolutely amazing

The Paino Guys are doing it again, on ice!

Jeff Gordon and Pepsie do it again!

Ellen does Facebook

Meal for a man or dog?

Do we need to call Sherlock Holmes on this?

Chicken wings and how to eat them

Is your laptop safe when you travel?

If you reside in the US and travel, you should read this before you bring your laptop with you.

A judge seems to think that it can be taken for no reason at all.

Got a ring stuck on your finger?

Now for all those football fans

What's this in Raleigh, NC?

Mrs Brown's sticky situation

And now for some humor from the BBC!!! Thanks to my friend Ken for finding this one.

I bet you've never heard ice like this!!

Solar installation is complete

Well, all the equipment is now installed and in place. Now we're going with a hurry-up and wait situation. You see, it's all set to go, but we can't turn it on until all of the inspections are completed. That they say can take several weeks. :-(

Solar work is back on

Today its about 50 degrees(F) and the work in on again. Yesterday, Sunday, they came and shoveled the snow off the roof. Today, it's melting by itself and tomorrow we're suppose supposed to have a high of about 11 degrees with gusting wind. Go figure!!!!

2013 in Pictorial review

Solar install progress

Looks like there won't be much progress for a few days on this job. Mother nature just won't leave enough alone.. :-)

The true weather forecast

Now this is what I call a VERY accurate weather forecast!!!

Progress on the solar installation

As you can see, the panels are starting to be installed. The rails are almost done and ready for the main room segments. But with snow in the forecast we don't know what progress will be made over the next few days.