"The Warehouse Never Gets Filled"

A new type of clean | The neighbors are decorating

2026-10-10T19:53:33.651-04:00

My mother read on one of the social networks a while ago, that if you use toilet bowl cleaner on the grout and caulking around your tub, you can get rid of some of the gross (mold) growing in the bathroom. It's not a complete hack, but it'll do a decent amount of good.

The post goes on to say that the gel based cleaner, with bleach, works best. If you let it sit for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing (with a grout brush), you should get a couple shades whiter in your lines then what you had previously.

I've tried it twice and it seems to work, but I also have been using other products in between using the toilet bowl cleaner, because well, I still need to clean my toilet bowl.

Don't mind the weirdness of the pictures. I don't have great light above my tub (I don't have any, actually), so I needed to use the flash on my phone when I took the photos (I used an iPhone 17).

To me, it still looks dirty and I know the flooring of the tub is still stained, but I also think it's years of using various "bathroom approved" chemicals to get everything looking not so bad.

I spend an hour scrubbing my shower and tub and still seem to get discoloration and what looks like soiling. I don't know if it's because everything runs so deep in the grout, or I'm just nitpicking because my mother always says "it's spotless!!" when I'm done. There's 15 years of me using it on top of seven years the previous owners used it. Therefore, 22 years of human activity in this one toilet area.

Any other suggestions, I'm open to it. 😁

A neighbor down the street has started decorating their front yard. It all spawns off of last year's grouping, but a few of the decorations have been changed up.

Every year this house tries to outdo itself and every year it seems to just keep adding to the collection of "omg that's hysterically awesome".

Last year the skeletons were sitting in wheelchairs and this year they're in lawn chairs with empty cups. There's a small table between them and I think all that is missing would be a deck of cards and an empty bottle of something. Maybe that'll be added next year?

The showdown between the dog and owl are new, as well as the T-Rex at the fire hydrant. It's too bad he can't be made to look like he's got one leg lifted on it, because that would be truly comical.

I think the demon girl is the same from last year, but the hands reaching from the ground may be new.

All the photos were taken on an iPhone 17.

This neighbor just keeps adding and switching things around, and you never know what type of situations the skeletons will be put in.

Proof is the owl and dog having a showdown over the fish.

As the community is doing a contest this year, it's going to be really hard to decide who to vote for because I want to vote this house, but I also want to vote for my neighbor, Ed. Solely based on the fact he has some new hanging stuff from his garage, but I don't have any pictures of it at this time. I will have to make a note to get outside and take photos.

I know I haven't updated in a while, so I wanted to post something, at least for this month, since we're ten days in already. I've been a little preoccupied with things locally. Between needing a new line of employment and going to physical therapy for an ankle injury, life is taken a different route the last few weeks. It's no excuse for not posting, but I'm filing this under the mishaps from why early musings have also disappeared. IYKYK.

As I'm writing this, my browser is going funky. I had trouble uploading the images, because I was running another program in the background. Being on Windows 8.1 and using the subsequently outdated web browser, things tend to go sideways. I know I need a new computer, but I just can't seem to get my act together and actually purchase one. I mean, shit; how long have I been complaining about needing an update? Years. So maybe if I can save enough reward points at Staples, I'll splurge and get a laptop. I just need to recycle several dozen more ink cartridges before they stop allowing that program to continue. Then I will just need to make a few purchases; maybe some more printer paper or something. I don't know, I'll have to see what is going on.

But until I get pictures of other decorations, take care of yourselves and if you got stuck in the path of Isaias, I hope you're okay; we've all been there and it stinks this was the first big storm of the season for the Atlantic Hurricanes. So much for thinking we were all in the clear!

~PSA~ This is more reason to have a "go bag" or supplies ready at all times. You just never know when a major tropical storm or hurricane will hit...

...unlike the first Nor'Easter of the season that hit New England last week. Yes, my friends are fine; just got a little water logged in some places...

Cheers;

See also (links via Amazon):

Customer lost or customer gained?

2026-09-22T14:36:37.876-04:00

As much as I've seen the "viral videos" of people going to certain coffee chains and saying how bad things have gotten, just for a coffee, I'm not innocent in my java addiction by any means. I still partake in the "every so often" expenditure, without trying to break the bank or break a diet.

Key phrasing is “try”.

I’m still making it at home, daily. Even though the only fancy thing I do, is pour some random Torani syrup in at the last second to give the caffeine a little more (sugar free) jolt.

For context regarding the videos, the algorithm on the gym televisions where I watch a lot of Youtube, have had various "shock" videos "promoting”, “debunking”, and "raising questions" about what places like Starbucks is putting in their blended drinks (some silica powder that turns into something hazardous to workers) or that Dunkin' is doling out a $12.99 bucket (which rumor has it that the thing is just 2.5 medium, or 1.5 large iced coffees). The individual coffees are a lesser cost than the bucket, plus you can't get it refilled unless you purchase the drinks separately. If you want to go the route of the bucket, there are places online where you can buy just the bucket itself.

While I haven't witnessed any of this first hand, except for seeing how small the Dunkin bucket actually is, I can't confirm nor deny any truth to the videos I am seeing online. I'm just making conversation as part of something I do want to discuss, with the difference being, please watch the videos with a grain of salt and do your own research.

My personal story relating to big coffee chains is the following:

One of the local Starbucks, which is in a Target, does not accept cash to refill the Starbies app.

Let me explain, with a little more information…

If you are a Starbucks "member", especially one with the app, you can put money on an internal (digital) card and use that to pay for your food and drink. You can also use a physical card if that’s something you prefer; you just need to link it to your account. The card is refillable and as a member, you get a certain amount of points (stars) depending on how much money you (digitally) reload on to it.

Notice I’ve said “digitally” because this comes in to play with my issue.

This also means that whenever you make a qualified purchase on that card, you also get points (stars) that can be used for other purchases. The exception is you need to meet whatever the threshold is, in order to redeem said stars (currently, 25 stars equals "$1 off a drink customization, including an espresso shot, syrup or cold foam", for example).

Going back to my challenge at the local Starbucks:

I went in one day, cash in hand, and wanted to reload my card. I was all set to put $30 on it, as someone had given me half the money as a thank you for doing something for them.

When I gave the barista my cash, all the workers froze in place. Almost like I was doing something bad and they were worried what the next move was.

One of the workers ended up saying “We can’t accept cash” and the rest of the team also made mumblings about my not being able to pay with the bills.

I asked why, and I was informed that this particular Starbucks is “a highly trafficked store. Due to so many people coming in and out and doing a lot of high value orders, the store has been frauded too many times. A lot of people have come in with cash and tried loading their cards with fake money, as well as using the fake money to make purchases. It’s more on the reload side than anything else, so cash isn’t accepted to load the card”. Everyone who goes in and wants to put money on their app, has to do it via credit or debit card. The store will refuse to take your money.

Now the interesting part is, if I didn’t want to use my account to pay for my item, I surely can use cash instead. I just wouldn’t get the star to dollar points that the card gives you (for every dollar you spend, you get X amount of stars if you use your Starbucks card as a form of payment. It’s a higher amount than paying cash or using a credit card).

Why they accept cash to pay for the order but don’t allow you to use the same cash to refill your card seems weird to me. They were adamant about not accepting my money when I wanted to load my account up. They made sure I knew exactly how the store has had cash fraud and their new rule is they can’t take your money if you want to put it into your account. I could go to another store if I wanted to load my card with cash, or I could use a debit or credit card. I just wasn’t allowed to spend my thirty dollars there with cash.

I ended up cancelling the order and ultimately canceled whatever coffee I was going to order, because my mind was boggled over this conversation. If they accept paper bills for one transaction, they should for the other. It truly doesn’t make sense to me (literally… sense / cents. Haha).

I haven’t tried any other Starbucks yet, as I have not gone to another location. I do want to see if it happens at any other place, because a franchise store in another bigger store has that much traffic, they get scammed on a routine basis? Here I thought the most problems lately were with cards still; that there’s somehow way for hackers to get your info within a certain radius of the card reader. People are still washing money and laundering it into other means… in this day and age? Cash is no longer king at this specific mermaid retailer, apparently.

It is one of those “mind.blown” things to me.

I did try again another day, and received the same information: Cash is not welcome to reload the app because the store is a high traffic store and they’ve been conned too often and the owner has made it a big rule that cash is not a valid option when reloading the Starbucks cards. It’s only welcome if you want to pay for your overall purchase.

Which again, is one in the same – my “purchase” is reloading the app, which in turn, pays for my coffee. The other option is I can use the cash to pay for the coffee while scanning my app and not get all the points I would if I paid with the store card. It’s just a jumble now.

The second time in, I just said fine; I’ll pay the cash for the coffee and that’s it. It’s not worth it to ask again. It really doesn’t even seem worth it to go to another location to see what they do, because I don’t frequent the brand that often to warrant it. I mean, if I get a coffee from them once a month, that’s plenty because they charge for everything again.

Unless it’s a store by store basis, I’ve gone in and ordered an iced coffee with breve (cream) and all of a sudden my bill is higher because they poured the half and half in the cup. If I ask for “room for cream” and use the thermos on the side table that has the napkins and sugar, I’m paying less for the coffee. Same way one day the store tells me they don’t charge for syrup additions, and the next day, they do. Actually, I’ve gone into two stores that have done this, and they’ve both been in a Target. Maybe it’s a Target thing?

I feel like I’m strangely circling the wagon with this one because I just don’t understand the cash to fraud situation. I’m not defending anything by any means; I only want to know why the rule seems half baked. I don’t manage the store; it’s not my job. If they want to define the shopping experience, so be it. I will define my patronage by not ordering there too much. It is what it is.

On a relative side note, I brewed a 10 cup carafe of Folgers decaf coffee last night and let it cool enough to put it in a recycled iced coffee bottle, to make iced coffee this week. I then added Torani syrup and Planet Oat creamer today and it was a new flavor for me.

The breakdown (how I saved myself some money instead of going to a coffee house):

I have an old school 10 cup Dominion electric percolator

Mix that with two scoops of Folgers decaf ground coffee. The scoop I use is from the Orgain protein powder. It's something like 32cc and actually works well.

I let all that do its thing and once it cooled down, I actually poured it into an old Starbucks Iced Coffee container (the type you get in the refrigerator section, pre made). Let all that hang out over night in the fridge.

Today, I added (a new flavor for me) Torani syrup. I usually get sugar free, but World Market was giving away very specific fall flavors for members, and I picked up the Chai Tea Spice because free is free; I'll try it.

It's normally a $10.99 bottle (and it's glass, to boot, so it has home heft to it) and it's definitely different in the flavor realm.

With that, I added the Planet Oat Oatmilk "Sweet and Creamy" Creamer.

Et voila; I had myself an iced coffee.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the Planet Oat bottle because I tore off the label so I could reuse the container. I bought one of those 64 ounce CoffeeMate Creamer vessels at BJ's last week and to make it easier on myself, I poured half of it into the Oatmilk container once I finished the oatmilk. #thingsyoudotosave.

Overall, the Chai is an acquired taste and it gives off a different style of sweetness mixed with bitterness, I think because of whatever spices are infused in the syrup process. I know that "dirty chai" drinks are a bit of the rage with certain age brackets and coffee lovers, so adding this to a regular brew, rather than an espresso, is different. I know espresso is more of a condensed coffee, but when you don't have access to that type of bean, you have to make due with what's in your pantry. I think if there was a sugar free version of the Chai, I might try it, only to see if any specific flavors are toned down. It's truly a new experience and profile for me.

When I finish this (giant ass) bottle, I'm going to try the coconut version. It was "on sale" and is the size of those small Mio packages - the type of squeezable container you can carry with you and put a drop or two of refresher in your drink. They're actually being referenced as "liquid drink enhancer" on Amazon and other retailers. It's worth the literal shot to see how this stacks up against other additions. If it can go in water or coffee, this may be a game changer.

In the end, it's easy to say "to each their own and to each experimenting with flavors" as I shall leave it here. Hopefully on the next coffee run, I learn something different and get a new idea for my home brew. You never know what to try unless you pay the full price first. Only then can you start saving at home and making variations to your liking.

Cheers;

See also (aka links to Amazon for the products I used to make my coffee):

Folgers Simply Smooth Ground Coffee, Mild Roast, 23 Ounce Canister
Torani Coffee Syrup, Chai Tea Spice Flavor, Pump Included, 25.4 Fl Oz (third party seller)
"Percolator" (keyword) (possible third party sellers)
Planet Oat storefront (possible third party sellers)
Torani Sugar Free Coconut Liquid Drink Enhancer, Water Flavoring 4-Pack, 1.62 Oz Ea (third party seller)
"Dunkin bucket" (keyword) (this is not the branded bucket; but sellers with knock off sizes for sale)

Is it a secret if they willingly tell you?

2026-09-14T09:28:36.466-04:00

When I went to the library the other day, I asked about the decals on the bookshelf:

Where does the library pick them up - is it a specific site or store?
Are they widely available anywhere else?

The librarian told me, rather openly, that another person "Google image searches the images, prints them, and then laminates them". I asked about the main sign, and was promptly told "that's done by someone at the main library. In the admin offices, there's a design team who works on all of those posters". The person I was talking to didn't know where the designer got the images to put it all together, as they only knew the posters arrived as you see it. Therefore, insight was limited for the creation of bigger stuff. Small stuff was different - it was all done at this branch.

I had went on to say how I saw the pictures the other day and was really intrigued, but didn't know, or think to ask, where they came from. I know so many people (including myself) who would love the have the cryptids hanging around as decoration, but couldn't figure out where the pictures were from. The librarian basically / begrudgingly agreed with me, as I think she wanted me gone at that point because I asked her a seemingly weird question.

I did thank her for her help and told her I appreciated the information.

There you go; or there I have it: Whenever the library switches over to a new theme on the book case, someone in the facility goes to Google, looks for various images, meticulously cuts them out, and then the images are laminated (and cut again).

I honestly didn't think it was that easy. Kind of taking the cheap way out, but I also understand why they would do it. It's more economical to find your own photos and tape them up, rather than continuously buy sets of decals you may not want all of (let's say it is a pack of 100 and you only want 5 or 6 images from that pack).

Plus, depending on your printer situation, you're "only wasting" ink for a dozen or so small images. Packs of card stock or other paper can be on sale a lot too. A laminating machine basically pays for itself after the first few uses, especially if you've got a lot of things you want to put behind a plastic sheet.

Proof it doesn't hurt to ask and the answer you get may surprise you!

Cheers;

See also (aka ideas to help home crafters):

(links via Amazon)

Laminating machine
Laminating sheets
Paper cutter
Crafting scissors
Printer Paper
Printer (research says any printer can work, just as long as you change the settings to print photos)

Out, about, and everywhere none the same

2026-09-12T09:38:39.924-04:00

Fair warning, this is another Halloween and random storm inspired post.

The fall season is upon us, y'all. More and more stores are loading up their aisles with the cinnamon scented broomsticks, autumn runners for the tables (in the shape of leaves), orange and brown colors are coordinating themselves with the bite sized candy bars that need to be handed out to tiny human beings.

I had gone to Kohl's the other day and they had a giant display by the registers of various spooky related decorations. One in particular, caught my eye.

It's small enough to sit on a table, but can also be hung on the wall. "LIVED LAUGHED LOVED" sign, on what looks like it could be a tombstone. Kohl's price is $11.99 currently; yes, I left the price tag on in the picture. I didn't cover it up; I wanted to show what stores are selling things for out in the real world.

Due to it being a Kohl's collaboration with a design group, I couldn't even find it on the store's website. I think it must be an in person purchase only, as the sku and article numbers, according to Google, state it's a drop ship product. Meaning, there's no record of it online anywhere. The numbers are for internal use only, done by whatever business to business set up the companies have going.

I couldn't find the specific artwork on Amazon, but I found other related items (kind of). It's not completely the same, but some of them are rather funny and cute, but disturbing at the same time. See link below.

Later on, I was in a completely different store. this place had the room / space for the giant scarers. The items reliant on constant air being pushed in, props the size of real people (or bigger), signs that basically say "you're not invited but still come over!".

I guess it's the year of the cowboy, based on how many wild west themed decorations I saw.

The benches are pretty neat though, I must admit. I keep seeing them pop up in different stores and they're rather sturdy looking. I haven't tried sitting on one (most stores don't let you test the product), so I can't say how great it is. One of these times I'll attempt to touch it and see how it feels and goes.

Providing I don't get squirreled into seeing something else.

This week we also had to pick up a friend at the airport. They had to come at the last minute due to some issues going on in their house (they're snowbirds). The day we picked them up, the rain was coming in fast and furious. It was "so bad", they heard a giant bang of thunder in the airport, and thought it was part of the construction happening, since there are major renovations going on in the local terminals.

But alas, the whole thing passed by the time we got our friend home, and they had a reprieve for a few hours before the sky opened up again.

Welcome to summer! It's still rainy season!

I had a pickup request at the library, and every time I walk in, it seems like they've got a totally new display going on.

This time, it's Halloween adjacent; all the cryptids going on. I didn't get a photo of the books and movies they had on the bookshelf, because I was too amused by the decals.

I even said to one of the librarians "I love the stickers" and she laughed, saying she does too. I don't know if she was being honest, but she does seem to be like someone who would internally appreciate the decorations.

I couldn't find the exact ones on Amazon, but I found others. I don't know where the library orders their decorations from, or if they have someone who works there, that does everything. Considering one of the signs had the library system logo on it, I think it's all printed in house; so anything is possible with the decals.

If you're wondering what I picked up, it was a 1959 move, "On The Beach" starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Perkins, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire.

The synopsis (via Google) is:
"After World War III, Australia is the only remaining haven for mankind. However, wind currents carrying lingering radiation all but condemn those on the continent to the same fate suffered by the rest of the world. When the survivors receive a strange signal from San Diego, Cmdr. Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) must undertake a mission with Lt. Peter Holmes (Anthony Perkins) to see if there is hope for humanity -- leaving behind Moira (Ava Gardner) and Mary (Donna Anderson), the women they love"

I intend on watching it later. When the storms arrive this afternoon (like clockwork. Haha).

Speaking of library, I've got another pickup request there today, so I supposed I should get myself in gear and go pick it up. It's the "book on cd" version of "Zoo 2" by James Patterson. I read the first book, but want to be able to see how the second book continues the story. I've already started a new book, so maybe a CD might help in the car. Who knows.

Until more things pop up in stores and in my feed, stay healthy and hydrated; safe and sound. Don't be afraid of things that go bump in the night.

Cheers;

All photos taken on an iPhone 17 and edited in Photoshop

See also (aka things on Amazon):

"cinnamon scented broom keyword search
"lived laughed loved halloween" keyword search.
"cowboy skeleton" keyword search
"halloween skeleton bench outdoor" keyword search (this came up with more skeletons than any bench search)
"dead and breakfast halloween" keyword search
"transparent cryptid stickers" keyword search
"cryptid decals" keyword search
"Zoo (2 book series)" by James Patterson search
"on the beach 1959" keyword search

"People come and people go"

2026-08-27T14:27:02.614-04:00

"Winds that howl and winds that blow

And you, got to let it go.

People come and people go

Winds that howl and winds that blow

And you, got to let it go."

Strangefolk. Lyrics to "Lines and Circles". From the album,"Lore". 1995.

It's been a wild celebrity ride this year, and it's not even September yet. There have been so many deaths, someone, somewhere, is super mad at the hairless apes roaming the world.

I'm not going to go through what will become the Television Academy's "In Memoriam" page, but I do want to touch upon several "big names" for me, leading to the more recent news this week. I also am going back and forth in months because I am looking them up as I type this.

I read last month that Bud Cort had passed away in February, due to "complications of pneumonia". I don't recall this making major news because I would have remembered hearing about it when it happened; unless outlets were covering it really quickly during working hours and my not watching television. While I've only seen a handful of his movies (most notably, "Harold & Maude"), I didn't know much more of him or that he had been doing a lot various gigs up until 2016 (when IMDB stopped listing his roles). It's been so long since I've seen the other films he's been in, I totally forgot he had a character in them. For example, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", "Pollack", "Coyote Ugly", "But I'm A Cheerleader", "Dogma", "And The Band Played On", "M*A*S*H", and the list goes on. The characters may be briefly shown, but he's still very much credited.

In March, the news broke about Nicholas Brendon, known primarily for his role of "Xander" on the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" television series, but also later for "Kevin" on "Criminal Minds". He too, had an array of films and shows, but I think he was more remembered as Xander than anything else. He "died in his sleep due to natural causes" but was notorious for being a bad boy in some later years (including addictions to alcohol and pills, as well as multiple arrests and various charges). It's a shame because he seemed like a good guy and it only shows you how "the industry" can mess you up.

I am not much of a fan of James Van Der Beek, but he had passed away in February, "after a battle with colorectal cancer". He was known for playing the title character, "Dawson", on "Dawson's Creek" in the late 1990s and had some sports related movies during that time ("Varsity Blues"). He was also in the first season of "Pose" several years ago. His shows weren't ones I was regularly watching, and I think maybe I haven't seen a complete season of "Dawson" in my life. If I've seen 5 episodes, I've seen four too many. It wasn't one of those shows I was in to, but is still part of my generation. I watched "Pose" more for it being a Ryan Murphy series, as well as the portrayal of New York's ball culture rise in the 1980s.

Showing my young age, the next name really shouldn't be on my radar, but neither should Bud Cort be listed here (and what will come later). However, I must add it because I am familiar with their work.

Robert Duvall, who passed away in February, with nothing posted online as for reasons how (i.e. natural causes, etc). More known for his role in "The Godfather" series, he was a heavy hitter in other major films ("Apocalypse Now", "The Judge", "To Kill A Mockingbird") and television shows (known for working with horror master Alfred Hitchcock and on an episode of the science fiction shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits", although it was short lived episodes for him). More dramas and what feels like historical films than anything else, he is yet another name to add to the "M*A*S*H" movie line up (I'm sensing a theme here with the war film).

You'd have to be living under a rock, if you didn't know the name "Chuck Norris". A man known for his action and martial arts roles, he passed away in March, after being "hospitalized for a medical emergency". Most people know Mr. Norris as "Walker, Texas Ranger", but he was also known for playing himself in television shows (walk on roles) and philanthropy work (martial arts for kids, various Veterans foundations). Local internet lore constantly churned out memes in his jokingly favor - if you needed help in a fight, Chuck Norris would scare the opponent into submission.

A voice and actress to be reckoned with, Catharine O'Hara died in January, due to a "pulmonary embolism". Known for playing Macauley Culkin's mom in the "Home Alone" movies, Ms. O'Hara was a comedic legend. She not only had a voice over role in "Nightmare Before Christmas" (one of my favorite Tim Burton movies), she starred alongside Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton in "Beetlejuice" (another Burton fave). If you look at her acting credits, it really does look favorable in Tim Burton's cache of films. Later years, she worked on the television series "Schitt's Creek" (something I didn't start) and "The Studio". This woman had such an array of credits to her name, it's amazing to see what she hasn't been in!

I saw on the "Entertainment Weekly" website that Derry Brownson died on August 13. Derry was the keyboardist and a founding member of the British band, EMF. One of the band's top (known) singles would be "Unbelievable", which is from their 1991 album, "Schubert Dip". This, to some extent, feels like the only hit American airwaves heard from them because it hit Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of '91. When radio stations weren't playing "Unbelievable" on rotation, parties were playing "Children" and "Lies", which is off of the same album. "Schubert Dip". It seems like that record dropped multiple singles, but the most known is track six, "Unbelievable".

Fans of "The Sopranos" would be remiss in knowing Vincent Pastore passed away on August first. His character, "Sal 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero was a mainstay on the first two seasons of the mob show. My mom used to always watch this series, so I am familiar with the actor. His credit listing reads like he does mostly drama / gang (mafia) movies; he found his niche at being typecast as a New York bruiser. "Carlito's Way", "Goodfellas", "New Jack City", and "The Basketball Diaries" are a few other films he starred in.

Sam Neill, better known for his work in movies such as "Jurassic Park", "Merlin" and "Peaky Blinders passed away July 13. The news reported most of his acting credits, but not once did someone mention "Merlin". It was weird and overall, his death was a shock to a lot of people. The crew of the 1920s Manchester mob show have lost a lot of people the last few years, and it's sad to see how connected to other movies they are (Helen McCrory comes to mind. She played "Aunt Polly" in the series, but she's also better known to "Harry Potter" movie fans as "Narcissa Malfoy").

There are way too many names on the list to continue cherry picking them and writing about it. My whole point of making this post is twofold: One to mention Dolly Parton and the other to mention Tim Curry.

I'm not a huge Dolly fan, but I respect what she's done in her eighty years on this earth. The philanthropy she set in motion, such as libraries and reading materials for children and LGBTQIA etc. acceptance. She was an actress, a writer, a singer - royalty among her genre, but she wasn't afraid to fight for what she thought was right. She was a humanitarian and it seems a contradiction, but she was political in how she used her words in music; never in advertising or online. You just need to listen closely to figure it out. There was no malice or fighting with her when she spoke up or how she spoke up. According to reports, she made you feel like you didn't have to hide anything around her. You could be outspoken and she would not argue back (actually, she would, in her own Southern way) but you didn't feel dumb about it. She played a sort of safe route while trailblazing her way through life, not only for herself, but for others. She lived to help people, not harm them. I read the other day that she could have been a billionaire multiple times over, but due to giving away a lot of her wealth to various charitable organizations, she left this place with several million dollars. All due to her wanting to be better and do better for people. I'll always find it fascinating that she wrote the music to "9 to 5" on her fingernails! That's talent to get the rhythm down like that... seriously. I'm glad I worked with a person who adored Dolly because I was one of a group of people who chipped in to buy him the last part of Dolly's memoir series, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage". We all got to write a little passage in the first page of the book for the person and I think we made his holiday season. He has Dolly everything and I know he's probably not doing so well right now. JH, if you're reading this, you're being thought about and I'm so happy we all got you that book. It's a wonderful read about Ms. Parton and you deserve it.

Tim Curry, on the other hand, is someone I've spoken about before. His acting and musical credits are pages long because he's been on stage and screen since the late 1960s. The last few times I mentioned his name here, I kept toying with the idea of buying his memoir, "Vagabond" and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed reading it because he was insightful yet illusively evasive about his life. He wanted to write about the things he did and saw, but still kept a lot of it private. You could tell there were things he was leaving out, and it did make you want to know what it is, but I respect anything of reason for privacy. With his death on August 25 at age 80, there are rumors swirling on what triggered it, but I'm not posting those here. I will say, they would make sense, given the circumstances. Based on his book and his interviews, I know he's lived a long, hard life and again according to a few interviews he gave this year (because it's the 50th anniversary of "Rocky Horror"), he was given the death question. He said something to the effect of "not fearing it" and he is "trying to avoid it" even though he "would welcome it in the end". Based on the same interviews, I think he was appreciative for what he had in his life because his own father passed away at a young age due to a stroke. Tim was older than his father when he had his own stroke in 2012, so every year he lived past that day, was a good day. Fourteen years later, as my aunt texted me last night, "Do you think Dr. F-N-F has returned to his home planet?", to which I said "Anything is possible!". Long live Nigel Thornberry, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, Rooster Hannigan, Wadsworth, Long John Silver, The Lord of Darkness and Hexxus!

There have been way too many memes the last 72 hours about Dolly and Tim's death, and unfortunately, some are very much geared to hating on a certain individual. I'm not linking anything here, nor am I going to explain it more. I'm leaving it at "the hairless apes roaming the woods around each continent are doing something to anger higher powers if we keep losing celebrities at a clip, yet others are still standing. Mother nature is very angry with us, given all the heat and humidity it doesn't belong in, the flash flooding, the power outages... we're definitely not on the right track".

Until we get another list going and we fix our future, be mindful of your surroundings and tell your friends you dig them (or you'll help bury them if needed. Whatever works). Oh, and I just finished reading James Patterson's novel, "Zoo". I watched the television series when it aired, but think the book is way better. Check it out if you can.

Cheers;

See also:

Strangefolk "Lines and Circles" / "Lore" album on Amazon
Bud Cort page on IMDB
"Harold and Maude" film via Amazon
Nicholas Brendon page on IMDB
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" series on Amazon
James Van Der Beek page on IMDB
"Dawson's Creek" on Amazon
Robert Duvall page on IMDB
"The Godfather" series on Amazon
Chuck Norris page on IMDB
"Walker, Texas Ranger" series on Amazon
Catharine O'Hara page on IMDB
"Home Alone" on Amazon
EMF's "Schubert Dip" album on Amazon
"Entertainment Weekly" article about 2026 celebrity deaths
Vincent Pastore page via IMDB
The Sopranos series on Amazon
Sam Neill page on IMDB
"Jurassic Park" franchise via Amazon
Dolly Parton's 2025 book, "Star of the Show: My Life on Stage" via Amazon
Dolly Parton on Amazon
Tim Curry page on IMDB
Tim Curry's 2025 memoir, "Vagabond" on Amazon
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Amazon
James Patterson's novel, "Zoo" on Amazon

More... new... goodies....

2026-08-23T17:22:19.056-04:00

I was back at Lowe's this weekend for some pickup stuff around the house and they've got their Halloween decorations out in full force. Quite literally, as soon as you walk in, the whole left side of the front of the store has everything you would need to decorate your house from the lawn ornaments to the hanging door skeletons and little bowls for the tables.

I didn't get pictures of everything, but the new animatronics are out. They seemed to have last year's DJ still for sale, but this year they've added some punk rocker skeletons, Disney / Pixar, creepy dolls and other big skeletons to the mix. The light up punk rock skeletons reminded me a little bit of Día de los Muertos skeleton dancers. They were really cute and unfortunately, the "test me" button didn't work on the Disney/Pixar stuff so I didn't get a video of them. Rest assured it was Mickey and Minnie as "The Mummy", Stitch in a costume, as well as Mike and Sully from "Monsters Inc" as movie monsters.

With the first picture, the skeleton holding the candy bowl, that's pretty neat because you don't have to worry about constantly holding the bowl or passing it around. If you stood it next to you to "trick" the kids, they'd probably not know what to do first. I could see some random small human being so confused.

Although, for the adults who want to have a party, I did find two skeletons holding a coffin, that could end up holding iced beverages or anything else you need for fun.

The pumpkin head scarecrow I've seen in various animatronic form - both online and in other stores.

The winged creature skeleton and upper half skeleton are two of the new features this year. The half skeleton box says he's a Grim Reaper Ground Breaker. Solely based on you plop him on the ground and he looks like he's coming up from the dirt. Much like the skeleton I saw at Costco the other day. The ground breakers really must be the new things this year because I don't recall seeing them in the past.

Rather, I don't recall animated ones. I remember growing up, we had a family friend who would do his house up in haunted form and he'd have a heck ton of stuff out and around. If I recall correctly, he had smaller ground breakers - hands and arms, legs and feet, all dislocated and everywhere on the front lawn. I know I've talked about this plenty of times before. Technology is getting better with these things so we're able to add more oomph to them.

There's a Grim Reaper mist maker available on Amazon and it's just the head. It looks like one of those things you could start your haunting with - put it by your front door to "welcome" the guests inside. Add to the illusion that maybe something might come scurrying your way once you pass the threshold.

Which is not to be confused with the mouse maze floor at Spooky World in Berlin, MA, in the early 1990s.

Man, did I just pull that memory out of left field. Hot damn. That's crazy. I have such vivid recollections of going there with my youth group and really having fun with it.

Wow.. even as I type this, I can't believe how it's all coming back.. the trips there. I remember we were told not to encourage the performers while on the hay ride, nor were we allowed to make contact with them. But I didn't listen. I high-fived one of them as we went around the corner and asked him how he was. He answered "Great!" as he high-fived me back. 😄

Yet the "Mouse Girl" and some sort of "Mouse Maze" is another thing that sticks out. I remember walking through the tent like "o...kay.." and at some point I looked down and we had been walking over clear PVC flooring. Underneath our feet was a labyrinth full of scurrying rodents! The mouse girl was within a few feet of where the floor mice were.

Crazy times, I tell you, crazy times! The things we remember when we least expect it!

I guess, with the Coraline-meets-Wednesday-Addams-meets-Sally looking girl in the single picture after the ground breaker, she's cute and all, but she does have a Tim Burton feeling to her. I found various "creepy girl" animatronics on Amazon, but they're not close to the one at the store today. This is a "Haunted Farm" thing, it seems; they have other dolls you can buy.

We all know the witches so it's not that hard to find them around. But with the last picture, it seems like the employee was so dehydrated from the Florida sun, he needed to take a break for a few minutes. Which ultimately, might have turned into a few days. He still looks a little parched.

Overall, when I went to find most of the items on Amazon, I think the "Haunted Living" brand is specific to Lowe's so the search came up with other types of animatronics. Searching for "Halloween Animatronics" also came up with something different, but has similar items as the search for Haunted Living. "Haunted Hill Farm" might be the knock off - literally (because there are some really close look a-likes and scrolling the page I saw one that looked like the DJ, but in a different outfit).

I'm still sitting here like, "da fuq am I remembering??" as I type all this. The power of just free-writing and going on about random things. This is what happens when I start a post - I get squirreled over something and then start thinking about something different. It is also why it takes me a few hours to write my posts. Just because the time stamp says one thing, trust me, it's hours later. I get too involved in research and writing, and before you know it, there's my afternoon gone. It's okay though; I am keeping things sharp and ready for the next round of adventures.

Until then, be safe, be well, and stay hydrated. You don't want to end up like that last guy!

Cheers;

"Where do you keep them in the off season???"

2026-08-19T19:47:23.149-04:00

Had to do a Costco run today with some friends. We weren't paying too much attention to some of the items at the front of the store (entrance) but once we turned the corner from the electronics, right in our sightline, we had two huge Halloween decorations.

I know on the Costco site (over $200), so Amazon having the skeleton for under 50 means it's not the same size. Buyer beware when you're looking for something economical because "size matters" in this case.

The Frankenstein is listed on the Costco site as "7.5' Animated Monster with LCD Eyes and Sound" but it is not available on the A to Z page. Instead, I found other animated objects for sale. Like I said, the skeleton, listed as "62" Giant Ground Breaking Skeleton with LCD Eyes and Sound" in the warehouse, is not truly the same one as listed on Jeff Bezos' stakeholder site. The crawler varies by price and size.

I didn't notice the eyes move on the skeleton (maybe the power was off), but holy cow; when we walked down the aisle and past hoodlum Frank, his eyes really did follow us. It was weird and got me singing Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" (the debut album of the same name was released on Motown Records in January of 1984).

Yes, I said "Hoodlum Frank" because he looks like he's trolling the bad side of town for a quick score of cheap candy. If he wanted the good stuff (you know, the king size bars), he'd be a little more dressed up dapper, in order to go to the posh communities. Plus, he wouldn't be wearing sawed off handcuffs to mansions on the hill. Unless they were made of gold and diamond crusted. 😂

Anyway, when we saw the decorations, one of the friends asked "Where do you keep those things when they're not on your lawn?" and I said "If you're like my friend Shawn, you're using them all year round".

I explained how Shawn has two giant skeletons in his yard, of which he decorates based on season. During big football games, they're passing the pigskin. During summer, they're wearing pool floaties. It's gotten to the point that he's had them outside for so long, he's found a creator online that can 3D print some of the joint pieces and has had things replaced (because purchasing a new full body would be silly if you know how to just reattach a single piece). When you're that skinny and dislocate a joint, it's easier to pop a new piece back into place than to worry about someone getting jealous of the new kid on the block. That, and the trash men might not appreciate having to squish a Halloween decoration in their truck; depending on how compact it gets, there's potential of someone getting worried the femur is real and police are called to the dump. You never know... since the area could be corrupt (aka mob run) and all.. we both are very well versed with New England mafia lore.

Ok. I'm going off subject and into territories that could get me in trouble. Back on track.

I did explain to my friends though, in all honesty, that Shawn really keeps the skeletons up all year and decorates them accordingly. My aside was just that.. me going on a squirrel adventure and taking you along.

My friends thought that keeping the skeletons up year round was interesting and a fun idea because you seriously could do so many different things with these large items and if you have great neighbors, you're apt for some amazing times. But if you're like us, living in condos or small communities where houses are on top of each other, what can you do with the 7.5 foot tall Frankenstein Monster? Houses in Florida don't have attics or basements, so it's hard to stash large items. As it is, people tend to go all out with certain holiday decorations, so blowup stuff is more manageable. All in one / put together plastic or mechanical pieces tend to not find space in a closet because they're clunky. You never know though; someone could be quite smart in how they can pack away their decorations and still have room for more stuff. All the power to that person; I know what it feels like to play Tetris with tote bins. You're not alone!

Speaking of alone, it's Wednesday and I've been at this post long enough, that the History Channel reality show, "Alone" is starting soon and I'd like to go watch it.

Until next time, stay safe, stay hydrated and stay off the streets during the night. You never know who's following or watching you...

Cheers;

Various types of uploads

2026-08-07T19:53:50.479-04:00

I've got a few different places to be in this post, so stick with me.

All of this has happened in the span of 5 days, give or take.

1. A Halloween related decoration I found at a random store

2. A big old gecko on a tree that I saw while waiting for the air conditioning company to come service the house

3. A random thunderstorm we had.

4. Another gecko I saw while walking to my house after checking the mail.

5. An audio book I took out from the library because the synopsis looked interesting.

6. Cool Super Hero decals at the library

Alright; so in order of things I'd like to accomplish:

One -

At this point, I don't remember what store I was in, however, I saw a random Pennywise related Halloween decoration. As all stores are gearing up for Spooky Season, this particular store was filled with the scary items.

I wish I got the full name and price of the piece, because it's hard to find online, unless you're checking after market websites (Mercari, Poshmark, etc). The tag I did take a photo of, says this little statue is by "Authentique Spooky Night" and is an "LED Lighted Decor". Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the bottom, which has the on/off switch and more information. Plus, one of the eyes is a bit broken (burnt out?).

It's rather Shakespearean level creepy and really cool at the same time. I wish both eyes could light up and that I got more information from it. Being a fan of the original "IT", this is a new concept for marketing. I'm sure it's not supposed to be Stephen King related but someone made damn sure that people would automatically recognize the red hair and jester outfit.

Searching online for it, again, it's third party websites. They're naming it things like ""Halloween LED Skeleton", "Creepy IT Skeleton Clown", "New Spooky Night IT Pennywise Skeleton Bust LED Light-Up Halloween Decor"; you get the idea. Amazon doesn't have anything remotely close. I tried "pennywise clown skeleton bust pedestal" and got various clowns that weren't Pennywise, but when they were, it was the Bill Skarsgård version. I tried "creepy it skeleton clown" and came back with nothing related to the movie.. at all.

It's literally a dead end for the A to Z seller unless you want to go after market somewhere else. Buyer beware because they're all different prices have different shipping costs. If I could remember where I saw this, I'd honestly say "or go to the store and see if they have it".

Two - the gecko that kept me company while waiting for the AC technician:

This was one of those situations where I needed to be outside in the driveway waiting because every time we get "an outsider" (aka a service technician or a delivery), the person always missing the apartment. We end up watching them drive to the other end of the street before they turn around and drive to our direction. It's an easy oops but first instinct says they take a right instead of a left.

It was at least 95° out and I wasn't feeling like standing completely in the sun, so I waited closer to the door. It was shady enough, where I felt I could keep an eye out for the van and stay somewhat cool at the same time.

I also uploaded a video because he looked like he was doing pushups at one point:

It seems like the geckos are getting bigger and bigger these days. Every time we look outside, there's a monster of a lizard hanging out on the bricks. The plop plops are going to have a run for their food source at some point, if these smaller ones get any bigger.

Three - we had a random thunderstorm.

Welcome to summer in Florida!

Now that we're having more steady rain, we're kind of back on schedule for our daily (afternoon) flooding.

The downside to all of this, besides the fact the water comes so fast and furious with no where to go, is that it leaves just as soon as it arrives. The temperature drops for the duration of the wet, but once it's over, it gets back to being hot and humid and most of the quickly made ponds dry back up.

The only difference between my street and backyard flooding and the main roads gaining too much water, is, the main roads can't dry up as quick as my community. Therefore, the water stays for too long and makes traveling a little difficult in some areas.

Trust me; I've gotten stuck on some of the main roads when there's been too much water around and larger cars (aka pickups) speed past you and create tidal waves on to your car. It's scary and not necessary - the way the people speed through the streets, especially during heavy storms. You don't know what you could run over and how you're going to effect the person in the lane next to you. Everyone is in a rush and no one wants to take their time through this. It's like being stuck in a snow storm; ice and sleet can bring the same amount of trouble.

Ask me how I know. Haha.

Four - Ants go marching one by one while a gecko hangs out on the gutter.

I happened to go get the mail today and looked at a neighbor's front driveway. As we have brightly neutral colored houses, any dark shadow will stick out.

I saw another big gecko on the drain pipe and felt the need to explore.

Sorry if you thought I was looking in your house, dear neighbor. I wasn't snooping; I was visiting your visitor.

This is another decent sized gecko, and he happened to have ants crawling around him. Unless the insects were his traveling companions of the eating kind, I've never seen the two together before. It was interesting.

The not so interesting part was when he fanned his chin out. According to Google, it's called a "dewlap" and it's only done by males because they're trying to impress females. Either it was hitting on me or there was a girl lizard hiding somewhere. 😂

I've seen the fan before, not just in Jurassic Park (like we're all used to), but I've seen it in the geckos too. If you stand still enough and let them do their thing, they do pop the chin thing out in hope that a friend will come visit. It's the oddest thing to see but also pretty neat. #Natureyo

Five - I went to the library and took out a 26 disc audiobook.

I happened to be perusing the audiobook on CD section of my local library and saw something new.

They had a 2016 biography on Paul McCartney, titled "Paul McCartney: The Life" by Phillip Norman.

This is an "official" Macca biography, according to the synopsis:

"Since the age of 21, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock 'n' roll lives, played out on the most public of stages. Now Paul's story is told by rock music's foremost biographer, with McCartney's consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before.

Paul McCartney: The Life reveals the complex character behind the façade and sheds new light on his childhood - blighted by his mother's death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul's often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles' breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings - which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail.

Listeners will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, Paul McCartney: The Life will be the definitive biography of a musical legend.

©2016 Philip Norman (P)2016 W.F. Howes"

Which, if you've read my past posts about a rabbit hole conspiracy called "Paul Is Dead", this book will be totally different and perhaps not all correct, seeing how 'Faul' has his own story out.

There is a 2009 biography from Thomas E. Uharriet titled "The Memoirs of Billy Shears: The Nine After 9-09 Edition", which my friend Tay had given me a copy of. The Billy Shears version is allegedly the real story behind the tin foil hat speculation of how James Paul really "vanished" and William Shepherd / Billy Shears came to be.

The synopsis of the Billy Shears edition (via Amazon) states:

"In 1969, a rumor erupted that Paul McCartney, “the cute Beatle”, had been replaced. Generations later, we see that the Beatles spent hundreds of hours making “Paul is Dead” clues but were required to deny it. What if “Billy Shears” really had replaced Paul and still plays that role today? How would he explain taking over the band?

The memoirs, from Billy Shears’ perspective, reveals his conflict with John but also his delight in working with “Fifth Beatle” George Martin. With a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and a global agenda, their work transformed the planet, leading us through a psychedelic revolution that changed how we see ourselves.

In July 2018 (28 months after George Martin passed away), his eldest son, Gregory Paul Martin, received an advance copy of the Nine After 9-09 Edition of the Memoirs of Billy Shears. He had known the Beatles’ original Paul since 1962 and still has dealings with “Sir Paul” today. Gregory generously found time in his overbooked schedule for this performance.

To record this significant book, he thought it fitting to use the original recording equipment that his father, George Martin, had used with the Beatles. Sitting at that same historic equipment to record the memoirs, Gregory sometimes felt that he, too, had become Paul. It felt uncanny.

Special thanks to sound engineers: William Shinker (British Grove Studios), Andy Cook (Red Planet Records), and Clint Ramon Harrigan (Ranch Trailing Post-Production).

The Memoirs of Billy Shears: Nine After 9-09 Edition is also available in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book. Printed versions have footnotes, word-stacking, and the world’s longest acrostic. In the US, get the hardcover from www.BillyShears.com. Elsewhere, find the paperback via Amazon. Whatever you believe about Paul, let this performance take you on the Beatles fantasy of a lifetime. It is your ultimate magical mystery. With this view of the Beatles’ inner-workings, you, and their songs, may never be the same."

I'm looking forward to listening to the Phillip Norman version, to see how it parallels the Thomas E. Uharriet copy. Makes me wonder what may be different and if there are any similarities. I know I have spoken of length about the PID theory and when Tay was telling me his opinions on it, the things I learned do make sense to what I originally remember from when I first stumbled on it, decades ago.

I know this is going to take some time to get through since it's 26 discs, running a total of 30.5 hours. The way I've been listening to things lately, I'm glad it's not due back until September.

Last but not least, six: I found some super heroes in the young adult section of the library!

Yes, I go into the young adult section because I occasionally pick up a Disney movie or one of the comic book movies. Strangely, Marvel and DC are put in the kids section rather than the adult section.

Plus, I pick up random educational coloring pages for my cousins' kids (Hi Brady, Levi, Stevie, Marla, Lana and Daisy).

I couldn't find the exact Iron Man decal, but I linked to some variations below. The same goes for the Batman decal. However, I think I found the Captain America one, or close to it.

I know a few people who would love the Iron Man and Captain America on their wall (Hi Cat), while I wouldn't necessarily use this specific Batman, I used to work with someone who would 100% want it in his office and at his house (Hi Travis, if you're still reading these pages).

It is pretty rad to see the comic icons up and around; it gets the kids asking questions and reading something new, yet old. It is a good win for everyone.

I think that's about it for now with the rest of the updates. Maybe I will have more over the weekend, but until I can sort some more things out and not put everything in one section, I should wrap this up.

Go on and listen to something new and read something wild. Take in a nature show and don't bother the animals if they're busy with whatever life has them doing.

Cheers;

See Also

"IT" related searches

pennywise clown skeleton bust pedestal
creepy it skeleton clown
"IT: A Novel" the book that spawned the "Losers Club" on celluloid and in toys.
Stephen King, IT! via Cinemax on Amazon Prime (to stream)
IT/IT Chapter Two (2-Pck Bundle) (DVD)
IT: Welcome to Derry:The Complete First Season (DVD)

All photos taken on an iPhone 17

Photos edited in Photoshop.
Videos edited in Pinnacle Studio 18 Ultimate. There's an upgrade to this program, as linked. The third video, or second gecko, uses Pinnacle stock audio: "Film/TV" | "Dreamscape" | "The Visitor", which is aptly fitting.

As I'm using a Windows 8.1 laptop and Pinnacle 18, I do apologize for the way the videos saved. the error arrows are due to software fighting itself.

"Jurassic Park" related searches

Jurassic Park: A Novel. The Michael Crichton book that started it all
"jurassic park film collection"

Paul McCartney searches

"Paul McCartney: The Life" by Phillip Norman
"The Memoirs of Billy Shears: The Nine After 9-09 Edition" by Thomas E. Uharriet

Window decals

Iron Man search
Batman search
Captain America (group of seven decals)
Captain America search

Everyone's got one and doing it..

2026-08-04T19:34:16.041-04:00

... but are they really using it?

Over the past few months, I've noticed a lot of people in the pool wearing some sort of smart watch; whether that be Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch or Fitbit.

Most user I have run into, have an Apple Watch, truth be told, even though I know quite a few who love their Android phone (out in the real world). I think I have come across more Apple users in my community, then there are other device users (some of the hip young kids are into the "Nothing" Phone or whatever is up and coming).

It's strange but it's probably generational that they are all accustomed to using the same type of device (they all hang out together and trade health problems). If they have a home computer, odds are, it is Windows based.

Yes, they also have iPads because they want a tablet and since they already have an iPhone, they want to also be able to have a bigger screen to "FaceTime" their grandkids. The catch is, if they still have a home computer, it's Microsoft. So they can't have things move between all environments and want to know why their apps aren't on the computer. Because it's two different things and the operating systems won't play together. Although, the truth is, they don't feel they need an expensive MacBook because Windows is dead simple to use and all they know the programs. Even though the iPad, iPhone and Watch probably cost as much as the MacBook, combined, when all was first purchased.

Can't win and can't talk them into anything otherwise.

Plainly because I'm a contradiction myself.

Personally, I'm using what is now considered a "Legacy Device": an Apple Watch series 3, with its stock band for my swimming watch. I was given a cousin's old Apple Watch series 6 when they upgraded to something newer, which means the series 6 is now my every day watch, to the point I've purchased some nice Velcro sports bands to go with it. I just need to invest in some more bumpers because I dumbly kept putting them on my series 3 and the pool was ruining them due to my trying to take the bumper off to clean the watch face. I need to replace the bumper on the 6 because it's getting too cloudy and scratched.

I have an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and I use a Hewlett Packard laptop. The laptop is 13 years old at this point, so it's a little worn (Windows 8.1). I grew up with Microsoft computers, whether that was an IBM machine running DOS or various other name brands running newer systems over the years. It's what I know, but I also am not afraid to admit I've had my hands on Apple computers before. I'm of the generation where we played Oregon Trail on both the Apple II and Commodore 64 in elementary school. I earned my fruit stripes by getting dysentery, thank you very much (The Commodore was rare; I think there was like 2 in the school and we always fought for it)!

Squirrel brain activated! Got to get back to the topic at hand.

I was trying to bring this up (the use of the watch) because it's interesting how everyone is literally attached to said time keeper, but they're not using it for the exercise apps that may or may not be included within their device's environment. They all seem to be using it to be able to check the time, see if they got a random text, or because they want to have a watch tan line (likely story 😜).

I can't speak for Android, but Apple has not only the Health app, but they have the Fitness app. Both talk to each other, so if you do some sort of workout in the Fitness app, it tells Health you've completed an activity. With the watch, you can open Fitness, scroll to the workout you want to do, and the timer starts and the app senses what you're doing. It can tell your heart rate, your movement, and will time you while you're involved in that particular exercise. The downfall is you only get credit for an exercise minute if your heart rate goes above a certain number (100 and something).

The standard goals in Fitness app are:

300 active calories (Move)
30 minutes (Exercise)
12 hours (Stand)

I've actually set my move goal to 500 but have kept everything else because I tend to do several hours in the gym. I go between the treadmill and elliptical, so I know I could achieve the 300 within the first hour I'm working out, should I pay enough attention to what I'm doing. Same goes for when I'm swimming; if I'm not just floating around and working on a pool shoe tan.

When I said there's a downfall for exercise credit, I meant that in the 30 minutes you're "exercising", if your heart rate falls below 100 and something, the app doesn't register that as exercising. You have to do a serious work out if you want to get full credit.

Example is, when I'm on the stationary bike, if I'm not pushing myself hard on it, my watch won't register I'm really working out. I can set the app up to show I'm riding for 30 minutes, but if my heart rate stays at (let's say) 95, then I don't get credit. Even though the bike screen says I've pedaled close to 5 miles, there's a definite disconnect somewhere. I've got to pedal hard and fast and start some sweating in order for the watch to know I'm doing something.

However, if I'm walking on the treadmill at a 3.0 pace and over the course of an hour, I bump it up to 4 so I can run, my watch senses I'm exerting myself a little more, so the effort ends up pushing both my move coal and exercise goal up higher. By the time I finish the hour, I've not only closed the exercise ring, I'm a few pushes away from closing the move ring. Which leads me to use the elliptical for an hour and I've now fully closed the move ring and gone more in the exercise ring. All because I've pushed myself on two machines.

Swimming is harder because I had to concentrate enough and do my laps. I can't sit there and talk to the people who just want to be there to run their mouth and tip toe walk the pool. When there are so many people in the morning wanting to get their social butterfly on, trying to go up and down the length of the pool is a little tricky because there are no lanes; it's a free for all and you're fighting for space with other swimmers.

I've squirreled again. Hope you're still with me.

My point in all of this is, the watch can see what you're doing if you're using it to count your exercising. I'm using my watch now, while I swim, and it's been trial and error for me because there are several swim options in the Fitness app. I was doing "open water" which I think is the ocean, and that drained the battery quickly, in the two hours I was in the water. There's the manual "swim" mode that you can trigger if you don't use the watch; you can manually put in what you've done. Then there's "pool swim", which is what I've been using lately. I set it for the stock 25 lap set, and it counts my arm movement as I go back and forth, so for so many yards or laps, I get some sort of credit.

I swear, this isn't an advertisement for Apple products or exercise equipment. But the above screen grabs are from my Fitness app today and what my month has looked like so far (aka the "sessions"). I'm trying to do as much as I can, to get into some sort of routine and be healthy, however sometimes, things don't want to go your way.

At any rate, I've seen people in the pool, just bopping along and doing their thing, and none of them seem to be using their watch to keep track of their exercising. No one taps their watch to start or stop the timer, turn the dial to unlock the water drop thing, or even compare strides as they walk their lap.

People seem disinterested in using their device for its full features and only have it as a show piece. Something to check the time real quick or if they got a text from a friend. In all the days I've been at the pool and have seen dozens of humans in the chlorinated H2O, I think I'm the only one actively using my watch for what else it can do.

One of the swimmers did ask me about it one day, but it didn't end well. The person is nearing 80, somewhat active (they not only walk the community in the morning.. which ends up being over a mile), they swim for 45 minutes afterwards. They had asked me about my watch and what I do with it, because they saw me dry it off one day when I was done in the water. I explained that I use the Fitness app to track my swim and it goes into my Health app. They said they know somehow their morning walk is in their Health, but they don't know how to use their watch to do any of that, and they're afraid to use the watch in the pool. I had said that I know the feeling about getting it wet, but also know that it's kind of safe to do, since I'm not completely submerging my arm in an ocean and I take care of the thing when I'm done. I'm not in the water for more than 2 hours, which I know is a lot as it is, but I am mindful of keeping track of what my watch looks and feels like.

As I said, certain things run the battery up quickly, so I am careful I don't abuse it.

The swimmer was still confused and concerned because she'd love to keep track of her laps, but is afraid of ruining the watch. I did ask the age of it, and she said it's not new; she's had it long enough, but doesn't want to damage it and end up with nothing. I completely understand that concept; if I didn't have the 6, I might be in the same boat as this woman, but also, knowing how the 3 is aged out, I would be due for an upgrade anyway. So I'd probably use it in the pool a little more sparingly than I currently am.

I explained all the reasoning behind it - what she can do with it; how the data can help her when she goes to her doctor, she can tailor the watch and the phone to suit her needs.

She was just too worried about breaking the watch to really concentrate on what I was saying. Again, I totally understand, and actually hoped someone else who regularly wears their watch everywhere, would have jumped in and said she's fine. There are people in the pool who abuse their watch - they wear it golfing, swimming, out shopping, sleeping... I think the only time it's not on their wrist, is when they're in the shower.

Overall, my whole thought process and question / reasoning is... if you're wearing a smart watch to use it for everything else, why leave it on while in the pool? What's the method behind this madness? It isn't doing you any favors by staying on your wrist while in the water because you're not keeping track of how you're doing in this "workout", much like you're not doing yourself a favor by leaving it off and by your towel. I can't wrap my head around it.

I mean, I can; I wasn't using my watch in the water for the longest time. I would manually put in the exercise into my Health app when I got home, because I was like that swimmer and afraid to get the thing wet. Now that I've tried it, it works and I still baby it when I'm using it. That's why I know I'm contradicting myself here.

It's just one of those things that I try to understand and can't. When the swimmers out of the pool and drying off, they're on their phones. So are the manually putting in what they did? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of turning on the Fitness app and having that do everything for you? Yes and no because they're not putting anything into the app. They're checking the email, their texts, the store circulars online. I don't think any effort is made into checking the Health app.

I could be wrong and I would love to know what everyone else is doing. It's not me being nosy more so it's being inquisitive and asking the obviously wrong questions.

Until I can figure out how to stop rambling about totally useless things and feel like I'm circling the drain with this, stay healthy and sane, y'all.

Cheers;

And thanks for sticking with me this long.

See also

Apple Watch via Amazon
Google Pixel Watch via Amazon
Fitbit via Amazon
Nothing products via Amazon
6 Pack Sport Nylon Loop Band Compatible with Apple Watch Band 38mm 40mm 41mm 42mm 44mm 45mm 46mm 49mm via Amazon.

The title was longer, but this is what I'm using and has worked. I don't know how it fits all those sizes; I didn't ask. I know it fits the 40mm which is what the 6 is, but I haven't tried it on the series 3, which is a 38mm. I've too many other bands for that, and didn't want to waste it on it.

Apple Watch bumper via Amazon.

I've tried the hard plastic ones that just slip over the watch (snaps on), but found they get caught weirdly and end up slipping off my watch if I'm not careful. Since they just pop on, they usually end up popping off. Conversely, there are ones you've got to fiddle with to get it all around the watch (literally cocooning it), that seem to work better. But again, the more you try to take off the bumper and put it back on, the more flimsy the wrap is around where the watch band goes into the watch, so the more that the plastic will wear and snap off. It's a double edge sword, but honestly, I find it works better for my needs.

Example of bumpers:

Hard case snap on bumper
Soft flexible all around bumper

You also need to make sure it has a screen protector because some don't and the whole point is to have the entire watch not get beat up. That's also my preference too.. make sure it stays good. I'm clumsy, so I'd rather pay for the whole protection than need to buy a new watch.

I love when people want to have an argument...

2026-07-27T19:06:28.496-04:00

... and you end up finding some information online that defeats their side of the conversation.

Which also may make you in the wrong, but proves what you're saying is a little more correct than what they're sticking behind.

This morning I was in the pool with my mother and one of her friends. As I had joined them late, I walked into the conversation about how our community is wired for Internet and the exact details Hotwire said to us when things got up and running.

My mother had asked me what the technicians told me when they came and installed the Nokia router, Eero boxes and Fision cable set tops. How exactly are we covered with our Wi-Fi, in regard to fiber optic versus the old Comcast cabling?

I explained how, on the multiple times Hotwire was in our house, they said that they're piggy backing off of the Comcast coaxial cable. Hotwire is using fiber optic both inside and outside the house, but they are also utilizing pre-existing Comcast lines in other ways. Meaning, there are multiple sources coming in multiple directions and although Hotwire owns a good amount of them, not every single connection is solely theirs. Somehow there's a converter in place and I don't know the exact way it's all connected, but there are several things allowing us to be online, as well as how we watch television.

The friend stated that what I'm talking about is 100 per cent not true. That the information I have is jibberish; fake news if you will. She saw Hotwire dig through her yard and plant wires, to then connect one end of it all to the street and the end to her house. They totally disabled and took away Comcast everything; our community no longer has any investment in the previous company. What we have in our units are all Hotwire, all the time.

I said that she's not totally correct; Hotwire may have dug lines in her yard, but that was only to connect their wiring to some of the pre-existing stuff that Comcast was using and would leaving once their contract ended. We were told specifically from Hotwire that they connect their wiring to what was previously installed in the houses. They're not redoing everything as we know it; they're only adding a few things to the community, such as internal dwelling boxes and some new string lines.

The friend still wanted to argue against this by saying I don't know what I'm talking about. She "saw with [her] own eyes, the digging and hooking up. The connecting of pieces of equipment". I had to explain that's true they dug but they didn't take up the old wiring. They left it because they needed it to add a booster of sorts to their own items.

Side note: I'm not completely technical with this so I don't have all the verbiage to explain what bill of sale Hotwire was showing, versus what Comcast was taking away while not being fully transparent.

Back to conversation.

The friend really wanted to fight me. I ended up exclaiming "let's just end the conversation then. Agree to disagree because obviously, this is not going anywhere and I don't want to keep talking about it", to which the woman again disagreed, saying how wrong I am and I don't know anything. My mother jumped in to say it's true how they told us things, and the woman refused to concede. She wanted to be right and make sure we felt like fools.

When my mother and I got home, she said that even another pool friend said there is no Comcast equipment in the community, it's all Hotwire. Which is why the conversation went on longer then it should have.

It doesn't make sense, only because not every one in our community is using Hotwire; some are still using Comcast. The community got a "deal" on Hotwire when Comcast's contract was ending. A lot of residents wanted to keep Comcast, and they didn't want Hotwire in their house. We all had no choice; we had to have the new company in and do stuff, and those who wanted to keep the old ISP now have competing services in their home. I honestly don't know if Hotwire shut off their side of the communication, but if people are still using Comcast, somehow that's still a viable option. They're paying for both services and only with Hotwire is there a reduced rate due to it being part of our HOA dues.

Again, I am not that technical to understand the "how" to any and all of this. I know people have vocalized they're still using Comcast's equipment, still on their server. Hotwire is somehow shut off in the house. I can't explain it, but it's a small fraction of owners who have it.

Even more so, when one of the last major storms rolled through (Helene? Milton? I don't remember which), we had power but no Internet. I had been up at the clubhouse after it ended (and was safe to be there) and a Comcast truck was driving the neighborhood. He stopped me and asked if the community was having any problems, and I said that "we have power, but no Internet. We use Hotwire and it's completely down". He said that that the main box wasn't getting power and was I sure the community had power? I said yes, we have electricity, just don't have internet. He had come out to check on a report by a user in the community, and found the power box not working, along with some other FPL boxes. He mentioned some were wet too, but it mainly was just not having juice to the source. Someone needed to contact FPL because it's a power issue, not a Comcast issue. Once power is restored, Comcast can come out and fix the internet. Since Hotwire is connected to the Comcast main hub, we technically still use Comcast as the backbone for getting online, even though we have Hotwire credentials.

I failed to explain that to my mom's friend as I had forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. I remembered it when we got home and by then it was too late; I wasn't about to call the woman and tell her this.

However, what I did do, was research "does hotwire communications use pre existing cable lines as their wiring" and I not only found an interesting AI overview, I found a "frequently asked questions" sheet from another community.

The Overview is as follows:

"Hotwire Communications generally installs their own dedicated fiber-optic lines for the main network backbone, but they may reuse pre-existing in-home coaxial cables inside a home or building solely to deliver basic television packages. [1, 2]
Inside the Home and Building Wiring
Television (Coax): Hotwire often utilizes existing in-home coaxial cable lines to distribute basic "Plug 'n Play" cable TV signals to secondary televisions without needing new set-top boxes. They test and optimize these existing lines during setup. [1]
Internet and Routers (Ethernet): For high-speed data, modems, and primary routers, Hotwire typically runs new CAT5E or CAT6 Ethernet cabling to ensure optimal performance rather than relying on old, degraded copper lines. [1, 2]
Outside and Community Infrastructure
Backbone Lines: Hotwire installs their own independent fiber-optic infrastructure underground or along designated utility routes to bring service to a neighborhood or multi-dwelling unit. They do not use another active provider's live external network lines for their primary data transmission"

I know this snipped (with its own citations) contradicts both my point and also any type of explanation, but the beginning states they "may reuse pre-existing in-home coaxial cables". For televisions, yes, but why then did the technicians make a big deal about getting things re-wired and telling us Comcast is still being used? This also doesn't go on to explain how everything Hotwire supplied is either hooked up into the Comcast used Greyfox Systems hub or it has its own line out device. The former is the coax system and the latter is the fiber system.

On another note, not every technician is telling the home owner that the Eero is not what it seems. I know I spoke about this in another post, but just to reiterate (because it's adjacent of a problem to this current one), the Eero is the modem and the Nokia is the router. Without the Eero, we wouldn't have Internet, according to the last technician I spoke with. Every person who has come to my house from Hotwire has said that Eero is a Wi-Fi extender and it acts as a booster. We do not need to install the Eero app on our phone and create an account; Hotwire has all the information they need if we install their own app. When we talked to the last in home person, they fervently needed the Eero verification or they could not set up my uncle's Internet. This person explained the Eero does all the work and if it wasn't for them, there would be no Hotwire to get us online. Which doesn't make sense from when we had how many people in our house from the company, explaining what is going on?? The sales department, community manager, half a dozen installers / technicians... no one made a peep about Eero other than it's a booster. The new guy was as if he went rogue and needed us to give him another key to the place.

It's such a mud puddle, I can't seem to get out of it.

What I have been able to do, was able to find a "Frequently Asked Questions" sheet from a community in Estero, about Hotwire and their connecting to other providers.

Per a PDF from the Shadow Wood Community Association's website (links below for citing purposes):

"This section covers questions related to activities inside the home—your role, when you need to be at home, scheduling in-home appointments, bringing the fiber into a central distribution point within the home, “health check” of existing wiring, running of new wiring and the installation of any devices provided by Hotwire.

The following question was added on 10/19/17:

1) Q: I would like to install a new cable TV outlet in my dinette for “plug in play” 70 channel service. Will Hotwire install new wiring and a cable TV outlet in difficult to reach area of my home?

A: Hotwire will rewire (at no charge to the resident at the time of the initial installation) with new CAT5 cabling to any existing outlet location where a new FISION HD Box or modem/router will be located. Wiring to any new locations, or wiring after the initial installation of service will carry a $75 charge per outlet. Hotwire also offers a “wireless” FISION box (at the same cost as a wired box) which also adds flexibility for viewing locations.

Please keep in mind: Where Comcast uses a small device called a DTA (Digital to Analog) converter, Hotwire’s technology allows them to deliver a similar service at no charge through a normal coax wall outlet without any such devices being required. This is called the “Expanded Basic Programming” and includes over 70 channels."

"4) Q: Will my home’s internal wiring need to be updated?

A: Not necessarily: There will be a “home health check” where Hotwire (at their expense) will inspect and test the home’s existing wiring and replace and/or remove un-needed or defective splitters, amplifiers and connectors. The home’s inside wiring will be assessed and confirmed to allow residents to realize the quality delivered to the home via the fiber network. This existing wiring will be used to deliver programming to designated TV’s where a Set Top Box (STB) will not be installed (this is a “Expanded Basic” package referred to as “Plug ‘n Play” or “In The Clear”). For locations where your Hotwire supplied modem/router and STB’s will be located, Hotwire will run new CAT5E Ethernet wiring to deliver service to those devices. The technician will not leave the home until the service is working properly and signal levels have all been tested and confirmed to meet specified requirements."

"5) Q: Do I have to be home when they install my fiber and how long does it take?

A: The installation will be three step process:

1. Outside installation: The homeowner does not need to be present at this stage as all work is exterior to your home.

2. Bringing the fiber into the home: Connecting the fiber from outside into the home and terminating at an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) which will usually be placed at the same location where Comcast, or other provider, has positioned the incoming terminal wiring. At this stage the homeowner, or a representative for the homeowner, needs to be present. This effort will normally require less than two hours to complete.

3. In-unit installation: Connections from the ONT to TV’s, router, etc. again requires that the homeowner be present. This can take approximately 3-4 hours including resident training."

"4) Q: What is an ONT?

A: An Optical Network Terminal, commonly referred to as an ONT, is a piece of equipment that converts the fiber-optic light signals to copper-based/electrical signals that can be utilized by Internet, video and telephone devices.

4A) Q: Where will the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) be installed in my home?
A: Typically, the ONT is installed in a utility area (laundry room, garage, etc.) where the already existing communication distribution hardware is located. If a structured wiring (communications distribution) cabinet already exists, the ONT will be located there."

"7) Q: Will the existing coaxial cable network inside my home limit the quality of the TV service?

A: Hotwire will use the existing coaxial cable solely for the delivery of a “Expanded Basic” package they refer to as “Plug ‘n Play” or “In The Clear” based on the fact that no box of any kind will be required to deliver the programming to most TVs that have been purchased in the last 8 years (traditionally flat screen TV’s). Hotwire will test all coaxial cabling and fittings (splitters, connectors, etc.) during the installation process to insure adequate transmission quality. Defective connectors and splitters will be replaced free of charge. Once all signal levels are optimized, the coaxial cable will not degrade your High Definition television service.

8) Q: Will I have to rewire my home?

A: That would be highly unlikely! In the event that a run of coaxial cable within your walls is determined to be inadequate, Hotwire will replace it free of charge. Hotwire will run new CAT5E Ethernet wiring to the locations where they are providing new equipment--i.e. modem/router and Set Top Boxes (STB). This will be done free of charge."

Again, this was culled from a form another community sent to its residents. I've cited the website below, and am using these as examples to show how Hotwire may be using another provider's services and creating a hybrid wiring service of their own. It also points to the central location of the previous provider's boxes and how Hotwire will reconfigure it all for everyone's use. This goes back to the original "things are connected to both the Grey Fox Systems", Comcast fusion and Hotwire planting. A three ring circus of wondering what belongs where.

My mother ended up sending those screen caps to her friend as a text, but the friend hasn't responded yet (as of this writing). I know the friend was going to be doing some stuff through out the day, so she probably hasn't seen the information yet. If she has, it probably set her in a mood because I am sure she doesn't want to be told she may be wrong.

I know the information doesn't prove me in the total right, but it also doesn't show I'm completely wrong either. There is such a mess of information online and in my head (based on what we were told and have been told), it's rough to get it all out and on paper. It also doesn't show the woman is providing a false narrative either. We both seem to be missing pivotal details and due to her not wanting to fact check everything, this is a win for no one. It's an additional piece of conversation to let her know that maybe she shouldn't be so head strong into wanting an argument with someone and have it be one sided, which is her side. A little more research needs to be done and possibly discussed in a civil manner, because frankly, it was getting heated.

No, it wasn't because the humidity outside was making the water feel like a bath tub at 9 in the morning. It was the debate that went on for way too long.

Accept the other person's opinion and be done with it. Plain and simple.

Therefore, I am going to end it here because I'm circling too and making myself look bad.

Until someone can say "I'm sorry, I would like to know more about what you have to say", take care of yourself, each other and try to play fair.

Cheers;

-- If I'm completely wrong, then somebody somewhere needs to have better training exercises for their employees because nothing is explained properly and everyone listens and processes things completely differently. I know there's a few other social network sites where users are asking similar questions and even then, there is a bit of a controversy over this --

See Also

Shadow Wood Community Association
Shadow Wood Community Association PDF download
Eero; an Amazon product

The AI overview citation notes go to

The link "[1]" to the Shadow Wood PDF as mentioned above
Wellen Park (in Venice) website explanation "[2]"

July Fourth has come and gone...

2026-07-26T14:17:36.754-04:00

... Welcome Halloween and the start of Christmas (kind of... because you'll blink and Santa will be out slaying in his sleigh)!

Out and about this week because it's "that time of year" when back to school shopping equals "tax free items for the whole family" and we want in on it.

I may have grown out of the need for educational supplies, but we certainly take advantage of the random one offs - clothing (underwear, and socks the other day for example), file folders for recent doctor visits (to keep everything in order and by issue), different small things you don't realize you're dwindling down on.

While in Home Goods, there were a couple light up spooky benches that greet you at the front door.

This store, like others, are pushing the scare before August first.

Although cute, I don't have a yard to put them in, so they were not purchased. Plus, I don't have the scratch to get them (and they probably wouldn't have fit in my car unless I put the seats down). That, and being in a condo, I'm limited as far as what I can do outside. For example, I can't do any of my own planting or gardening (for as much as I want to), I can't have (certain) flags hanging (and it depends on size too), I just can't decorate year round the way my friends and family do back north. The community documents ([by] laws) say otherwise and there are a lot of "hall monitors" (aka people who enjoy griping and tattling on others) around to make life not so fun some days.

I was amazed though, by these benches. It's too bad they're not more widely available online. I mean, sure, Amazon has random Halloween decorations, but these seats are so hyper specific, they're being sold at certain retail stores (Home Depot has similar ones for instance).

More surprising, the ghosts are part of the Martha Stewart collection. The skulls, however, are "Magnesia", which seem to be a small enough brand name, it's hard to find them online, as gym equipment keep turning up instead.

Regarding pricing: I wish I got a picture of the ghosts price tag, but the skulls are listed as $169.99 (if you zoom in). It seems like this is the round about pricing for both, as online researching says the range is $169.99 to over $300 depending on where you're looking to buy them.

I know Lowe's already has their big blow up yard stuff ready to be sold, because we were there the beginning of the month for some home renovation items. As soon as you walk in, there are a few giant skeletons, pumpkins and other creatures wanting to say hello and point you to the fright fest area.

I do have to say, my favorite is still last year's DJ Skeleton; the 5 foot 7 inch motion activated Bluetooth animatronic that pumps out the bass and has you disco dancing in a cemetery all night long.

It's a "Haunted Living" brand, and I think only available at Lowe's, even though a keyword search on Amazon brings up other creepy animatronics.

Somewhere there's a post on my blog about that music maker, including a video. Just got to search for it and you'll find the reference.

I can't believe how fast the year is going, that every major holiday popping up these days, reminds us how we're getting closer to December. School starts in Lee County in another 3 weeks (August 11 for those trying to look at their calendars). Traffic will start getting busier due to busses and then snowbirds will be here (coincidentally around Halloween), which means more cars on the road around town. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, counting the moments for snowbirds to leave at Easter... then back to the slow of spring and summer. It's a vicious cycle.

Until someone breaks it, stay hydrated, stay dry, stay safe. Plenty of rain / flooding and heat all around the world right now, so travelers be mindful of where you're going and don't go into harm's way unless you're a storm chaser.

Cheers;

See also (aka keywords on Amazon to find the benches and other items written about above.. certain things don't exist on the A to Z site, but there are similar things to look at)

Subscription based podcasts

2026-07-18T10:10:54.412-04:00

It's been long enough in listening to the "Into The Fray" podcast by Shannon LeGro, that the advertisements in the podcast bombarded me in the first episode I got back in to.

All I can say is, "Wow".

Within the first 5 minutes, the conversation got interrupted and there was about 90 seconds worth of random commercials. There's already been a few more advertisements in this episode and I'm only 45 minutes into the hour and 50 minute airing.

The last episode I listened to, was long enough ago, that I've got to listen to over 200 installments. I went from listening every week to being squirreled by other people's audio; so three years later, I've got a lot to catch up on.

Which actually means half of what is in the list, I can automatically marked as played, because they're for "subscribers only".

There are people who pay to listen to the show with no advertisements, no interruptions, receive extra features, better information, and so forth. The Patreon fee is $3 a month for the basic level and goes up to $50 a month for true inclusivity - this is a small club; only 5 people belong, according to the Patreon page. All levels have option to "pay annually" and "save 10%".

Conversely, via Apple, the "premium" subscription is $4.99 a month or $59.99 a year. I think the difference is between the two services, outside of the "Listen Ad-free / Get Bonus Episodes / Listen First" option, is just that - you only get bonus episodes and no ads in Apple. Patreon adds merch, the ability to enter the closed off Facebook page, Youtube videos, exclusives no one else can get. Spotify on the other hand, based on just looking at the page, doesn't have an option to support? I could be wrong.

I like the show, but I can't afford the membership fee right now. On any platform. Therefore, in the Apple Podcast player, I'm sending the locked episodes to the vault.

This "significantly" cut down the episodes I need to listen to. Sure, I'm missing bonus content and 5-10 minutes more of the show, but some of the subscription episodes are aired with commercials, so it's not a big problem... except when a sentence is cut in half and some ad for another app chimes in. It's jarringly weird because then you forget what the person was talking about and hope you didn't miss anything else from what they were saying.

Happened to me with this episode I'm listening to; Shannon asked a question and the guest started answering. He was mid word and all of a sudden I got blasted with some advertisement. It was loud because it was just spliced in but whatever AI Apple uses. When the show came back on, it sounded like I missed something. I can't tell because I'm not a paying member.

I guess my point is, since I've noticed this is becoming common practice with other podcasts, "buyer beware" that you might get service interruptions in your audio when you least expect it.

It's not new because we're getting them on our television shows and video streaming services already. But now when you want to cut off the world for a little while and listen to an audio program that isn't on the radio, you're going to have to contend with timed sales pitches.

If you're into the supernatural, go check out "iNTO THE FRAY" because it's pretty interesting, if you ignore the advertisements. Shannon LeGro does a good job on this and it's worth listening to. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to. I won't judge.

Until something happens in the universe shift, be safe and well.

Cheers;

See Also

"iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Audible on Amazon
"INTO THE FRAY" via Audible on Amazon - this seems like a side show, but not the actual podcast / subscribers version
"iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Apple Podcasts
"iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Spotify
"Into The Fray Radio" official website
"Into The Fray" via Patreon

People take it literally

2026-07-11T07:24:53.994-04:00

I've got a "Free Hugs" shirt that I've worn out in public a few times. It's not a generic shirt that just says "FREE HUGS", but it's the Chucky doll with his hands outstretched.

It actually looks like this:

Amazon link is here in case anyone wants their own.

One of the first times I wore it, outside of Halloween, my mother and I were in Rooms To Go. One of the sales people sees the shirt, points to it, and asks "seriously?". I didn't realize what was going on and I asked what he was talking about. He said that I'm "wearing a 'free hugs' shirt" and am I "giving away free hugs?". He had put me in an awkward position because what do you say to that, especially since you're trying to shop at a store he works at and may end up buying from him? So I weirdly said "yes?" and he asked if he could have a hug. I had to at that point. What choice did I have.

Yes, I could have told him to kick rocks. It's weird; it's gross; it's something you don't expect. But at least maybe we could get better help in the store if I complied?

We didn't, as we ended up finding nothing we wanted.

Whomp whomp.

I know I get stares when I wear it, but no one says anything to me. Or, they hadn't until we were in the furniture store, not have they since.

Speed up to this week and I'm wearing it again.

My mother and I are in Publix and I'm standing in the deli line, waiting to order a Pub Sub of The Day.

When it got to be my turn, I did my ordering. As I stood there, another deli worker saw my shirt. She started questioning me.

The first thing she asks if I wear the shirt to any of the colleges and their games. I said no, figuring that would be the end of it.

Keep in mind what this shirt looks like and what the movie was about.

The employee then asked if I'm part of The Ministry, since I'm wearing a "free hugs" shirt. Again, I said no. She went on to explain "how people in The Ministry go to the colleges and college games, looking to give out hugs in the name of Jesus because the kids don't have family near them and are making friends. But a hug can do a lot of positivity for them because it's a personal connection and contact. The Ministry goes all around the country to do this and it's all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior".

I'm standing there trying to hold my mouth shut. Like, this woman, who doesn't even look like she should be a Christian, is asking me if I'm doing the Lord's Work at college campuses. Lady, does this shirt really make me look like I go out and hang with the 18-24 year olds? Maybe they have seen the film, but I doubt they want a hug from a random stranger.

Hell, even when I was in college (over 20 years ago), I crossed the street immediately when I saw the Krishnas on the sidewalk. I knew better than to engage with them. I'm not going to a ball game and risk getting myself in trouble. No thank you.

I kindly told her that it is something I don't attend to. It's a nice gesture, but I don't do it. If I had kept saying things, I think she might have wanted to try to convert me, seeing how the customer in back of me ended up becoming part of the conversation and agreed with the employee.

Guess I'm in the wrong store, city and state if I'm getting asked about specific opportunities while trying to get lunch...

Then again, a cousin ended up getting hit on at the Entenmann's display at another Publix once...

Don't get me wrong; everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, there's a type of conversation that shouldn't be had in specific places. A deli employee in a grocery store shouldn't be asking about religion type situations when they don't know what the customer does outside of the store.

Yes, I understand the context. It was as simple question for the good of humanity. Doing something nice for the community; karma points. There's a difference in how the conversation can be made, however. Once I was asked if I go to the colleges and I said no, it's the end of story. Had the employee finished her inquiry by saying "Oh, okay. I was just asking because I know there's a group who goes out because..." and then drops it, I wouldn't have an issue. There was no need to go into immense detail and ask if I was part of that group, as well as including the person behind me in the discussion.

I know it's my hang up and I need to get over it. But sometimes it's just a weird thing to me because I'm taking as much of it out of context as they are. Maybe it's a sign I should stop leaving the house. Haha.

I've got to seriously figure this stuff out though. How to better end a conversation without it being awkward as hell and also not get me kicked out of the business.

Until then, if you want to go hug a stranger, do it, but also, make sure you're not stinky and sweaty. It's still hot out there.

Cheers;

"It takes too much to touch"

2026-07-08T16:44:55.962-04:00

Can't finish the sentence because my what I'm going to refer to, isn't a "her". It's a piece of tech.

But I can add another song line with an edit:

"It's getting hot out there, so take off all your clothes" or cases, or whatever.

Okay, I bastardized Kanye West's "Gold Digger" and Nelly's "Hot In Herre" however it's for a point.

I was at the pool this morning and it hit 103° at 10:30 in the morning.

Which is why my phone got so hot in my bag that my phone overheated itself because the sun was beating down on my bag.

Yes, you can barely see Denis O'Hare in the background. It is one of his characters ("Liz Taylor") from the American Horror Story series (season five, "Hotel"). That's neither here nor there. Just pointing it out in case you were wondering what that ghost image was.

Okay, so in full disclosure, my phone is in an old Vera Bradley zippered neoprene tablet case. A type of carry all that is only available on sites like eBay at the moment.

I decided to put my phone in this the other day, as we got stuck in a small rain storm while at the pool and the bag I'm using to carry all my stuff (towel, water shoes, sunglasses, mask) doesn't have a zipper on the main compartment and the front pouch is Velcro. Therefore, I don't want to inadvertently end up getting my phone wet if it rains again while we're swimming.

Which also brings me to why my phone overheated.

I mean, the thing is in a zippered neoprene bag, in another bag, in the harsh (sun)light of day. It's essentially cooking itself to a slow death. This idea that I had to save my phone ended becoming a thermal trap without even thinking about it.

Sometimes I'm a 20 watt bulb among a box of 100 watts and there's nothing that's going to stop me from dimly shining.

I've now got to re-adjust what I'm going to do about this because I don't want to create a battery fire at the pool. I don't think the chlorinated water and a Lithium-ION battery mix well. Plus, I can't afford a new phone at the moment, given the fact this phone is new. I upgraded to the 17 in January, so it's only six months old (welp; old enough to upgrade, according to other people!).

I guess, what I'm saying is.. if you're going to be out at the pool or anywhere in the sun with electronics, don't keep it in a heat conductive unit for long periods of time. My Yeti sleeve has worked amazing because I get to carry my tumbler everywhere and not drop it (and my water stays cold), but for keeping my devices dry in case of rain? No Bueno.

If I think about it, I could put the phone in a plastic bag, like the ones you get from the grocery store, and make sure the bag is tied. Or, I change the outer bag completely, so I have zippered compartments all around. I know the main bag isn't the best as it is, since it's mainly a type of overnight bag where you are just going to a friend's house or somewhere close (not traveling far since it doesn't zip). I am definitely going to readjust this for sure.

Until I can figure it out, learn from my lesson and don't keep your tech in a hot box. Keep yourselves hydrated as well.

Stay safe!

Cheers;

See Also (links via Amazon)

"Hot In Herre" is from Nelly's 2002 album, "Nellyville"
"Gold Digger" is from Kanye West's 2005 album, "Late Registration"
"neoprene pouch with zipper" key word search
"Harsh light of day" redirect is throwback to a "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" episode as well as a Fastball album from 2000, titled "The Harsh Light of Day. #Showusyourageandera!

Coincidentally, the Fastball album has a song called "Vampires", which could be Buffy connection too... Even though it's not, but you never know; since I tweaked the line anyway. 😁

"American Horror Story: Hotel" on Amazon Prime
"neoprene sleeve for Yeti tumbler" on key word search.

This is the one I'm actually using (and they've held up since purchasing them in 2022. I am still on 1 of 4. Totally better version than what I was using prior - different model / brand / seller): 4 Pack 30oz Neoprene Carrier (Black,Blue,Pink,Navy)

The things we remember

2026-07-05T14:22:47.196-04:00

My friend Cat texted me at 11:30 last night, rather mad.

(She lives north of Boston and the family wanted to go see the fireworks, locally)

Due to the crazy weather happening around the country, Massachusetts hasn't been immune to any of the heat and humidity. It now has some thunder problems. I know there was some questions around the festivities at the Hatch Shell and the holiday lightshow ended up being postponed a couple hours due to impeding thunder storms and high wind.

Since Cat was doing stuff in her city, she made the comment to me that "5 minutes and 31 seconds.. that's how fucking short the fireworks show was. They suddenly stopped, we waited a while and it started to rain. Ppl left in hoards. It was an embarrassment for the 250th".

I don't know what else happened or how bad it was there, as I did text her back this morning and she hasn't responded. She must still be mad because I know she had company over and they were planning an outing.

Locally to Fort Myers, I honestly don't know if any of our stuff happened because I went to bed early and usually the boom display wakes me up. None of that happened; I slept through whatever was (literally) popping off. No one talked about it today at the pool, so maybe things were kept (relatively) quiet.

It got me thinking of what we used to do when I was little.

I remember going to New London (CT) and we'd pack a beach bag full of blankets, chairs, water and snacks, drive down to the waterfront, find a place to park the car on the street and then place our butts on the beach. Someone usually had a radio with them and the transmission always played the Wolfman Jack radio hour, and we would watch the light show.

This, at least, was the early years of my youth since the Wolfman died in 1995. Now that I really think about it, I think a few years it was Casey Kasem as well; the channel usually changed to one of the shows, depending on who brought the radio and how much they wanted to share it.

As I'm writing this, I'm also thinking that we only went to the Hatch Shell a real slim handful of times. I truly only remember doing the beach thing when I was little. I don't recall what we did in my later years, but since moving to Florida, we haven't go anywhere to celebrate.

Or at least, I haven't.

This is definitely brings back memories (now I've got the song in my head. Great....) and I am seriously trying to think of the things we did in between the years we weren't at the July 4th thing at the beach. It's tough; I'm sure we did something. I'll probably remember it later.

As much as I hate getting political, another "memory" I'm having lately, is based on a podcast I'm listening to (even as I create this post).

I'm currently playing "Homegrown: OKC" by "USG Audio".

The synopsis via Amazon is:

"Dive into a case of domestic terrorism from the past that’s really a warning about the future. Back in 1995, there was a disaster that should have prepared us for January 6th and the political violence that we’re seeing today: the Oklahoma City Bombing. Journalist Jeffrey Toobin reveals the story behind Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bombing, and right-wing extremism in America - how a decorated army veteran became consumed with rage, how he somehow went underground and built a bomb that damaged fifty blocks in a modern city, and how everything that led to the horror of April 19th, 1995 is still very present in America. Homegrown: OKC is a USG Audio podcast produced by Western Sound and Esmail Corp. Based on the book “Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Rightwing Extremism” by Jeffrey Toobin."

Everything seemed to happen during a school vacation. Some sort of hijinks during the months preceding to summer so that trials happened when I was off for summer.

The bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building was one of those things. I was on spring vacation when Timothy McVeigh nearly leveled the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The trials went on for a while.

I remember the news talking about this when it happened (I was in junior high school) and during my college years, I included this incident in a thesis paper I wrote for a sociology class.

Now that I'm older, I'm listening to various podcasts, which extend to historical and political things. Therefore, I'm currently listening to USG Audio's investigative piece about the bombing. This is an in-detail story about what happened during the bombing and how it led to a future piece of history that could have been avoided if we listened better to history.

Again, I'm trying to be neutral on this topic because it can be a touchy issue. I'm listing it only because I wanted to update my blog on what I'm currently listening to. If politics or history aren't something you want, there's no need to seek this out. If you want to learn a little more about what could have been avoided, then try hearing this. I am only two episodes on, but they're long enough that it feels like it could take a bit to get through. I'm sure that will change shortly.

In the interim, I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and finding some fun to do.

Cheers;

See also (aka links on Amazon)

* Wolfman Jack (I highly suggest reading his autobiography. It's a pretty rad story of his life and how he got into broadcasting)

* Casey Kasem info

* Maroon 5's song "Memories" from the 2021 album, Jordi.

* "Homegrown: OKC" podcast

* "Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Rightwing Extremism" by Jeffrey Toobin (the book the podcast stems from)

Happy July 4th | Gotta take off ad blocker to watch music videos?

2026-07-04T15:11:27.096-04:00

Quick post in between rain storms to say "Happy 4th of July" to those celebrating "the birth of the USA". I know I have readers around the world, so there should be some clarification (which I know is silly of me).

As my neighbors have their flags out, I went over to one of them and took a couple pictures with my iPhone 17. Edited for content with Photoshop, and I know I need to practice my color correction more).

It's starting to get a little windy out, so like I said, we're in between storms at the moment, which is why the flag is moving the way it is.

Locally, there are fireworks scheduled tonight, however, like a lot of places in the United States, we're under a ban burn. Therefore, what's going to pop off later, will be highly watched so no fire is unintentionally started.

Which is kind of crazy since we've been having sporadic rain bursts the last 72 hours. It hasn't been enough to keep the ground saturated since it's been so hot, but the flooding in some of the streets say otherwise. It's a part of life down here - the random deluge of water and the way it quickly floods certain areas and then stops just as fast as it started.

Hopefully the pyrotechnics tonight won't be cancelled due to storms, but you never know. It's kind of heavily overcast right now and I know my friends up north are bummed their cities aren't doing anything.

The news today has been showing all the celebratory stuff across the country as well. From coast to coast, news anchors are interviewing locals and reminding viewers of national monuments and treasures. As this is the 250th birthday of the country, it is a special time in people's lives. It also is coinciding with the World Cup, being played in North America, so all the ~~soccer~~ ~~football~~ fans are getting a special treat.

There's a moth sitting outside my window that is hanging out on the screen and it's squirreling me. It's been there all day and I don't know what it wants. It can't come in; "there's nothing for you, here!".

Go. Away.

Speaking of going away, I had to disable my adblocker on Chrome because YouTube finally caught up with me: I was having ads not play while watching random videos.

I got a message two days ago, saying "Ad Blocker violates YouTube's Terms of Service".

Whomp. whomp.

Message received... I had to turn it off, unless I risk being banned from YouTube and other Google Services.

I never thought twice about the ads, since I've gotten used to seeing them on other devices (televisions for example). When I got this on my laptop, a quick search said this type of message has been around for a few years already and it's a catch-all for various revenue streams and other incidentals.

I'm not going to get into the politics of it, but now that I read up on it, I'm surprised it took this long to get that message, truth be told.

I'll have to be fine with it, if I expect to keep my accounts "in good standing". The expectation (in my head) is, if I'm still going to blog here, have a Google email address, utilize Chats and upload occasional videos to share, I need to comply with the ToS thing and turn off the adblocker. I'm sure it's a scare tactic as there are comments floating around the internet pointing in various directions, but I'm not going to take the chance. I also don't want to pay for premium, but if that's your jam, I'm not going to hate you for it. It's not for me; I don't watch YouTube often enough to warrant an extra subscription service.

So there you have it. Two days of shenanigans wrapped up in a small post.

Or would be small post if I didn't include photos.

Whatever the case, if you're celebrating today and tonight, I hope you're safe and stay hydrated. If you're celebrating with the States from another country, woohoo! Party across the continents! If you're staying low and chill, not doing anything, I don't blame you one bit. I remember a couple years running, Tay and I would have an email going back and forth on this day, and it would be entitled "Are you [expletive] the fourth just like me?". Meaning, it was a regular day and we just chilled; didn't do much, didn't go out. It was business as usual and the usual business was protesting something. somewhere. Even if it was just in our heads.

Tay, if you're reading this, "Eff the Fourth. Email me; I would like to talk to you since you've taken too long of a powder".

For now, I hope everyone remains calm, cool, hydrated and fantastic. Until something else happens and I post something new. Take care of yourselves and your friends.

Cheers;

See also (links via Amazon):

* iPhone 17

* Photoshop

* "There's nothing for you, here!" comes from Edward Tatsyrup, a character from "The League of Gentlemen", a BBC dark comedy. Watch how you order on Amazon; some are PAL discs while most are coming from third party vendors.

The decision has been confirmed (tech talk)

2026-06-30T13:12:20.839-04:00

I decided to two things:

One: Go ahead and try the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter again.

Two: Attempt to purchase a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone ~~adapter~~ dongle.

Both purchases were done through Target instead of Amazon because I happened to be in the Bullseye store for something completely different, on completely separate days.

Conversation about the first purchase...

In store, the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter was ninety-nine cents more than what is currently listed on the A to Z retailer. Target had the adapter for $19.99, where Amazon has it as $19; before tax and potential shipping (if you're ordering online and there's a delivery fee). These prices could change, due to business needs; so don't quote me for a correction in six months.

While in the store, I did ask the electronics employee if I could open the box and try it out. I wasn't about to go home, have it not work, and then drive back to return the device. Unfortunately, she stated I would have to buy it first, as store policy states that customers can't arbitrarily open boxes to test things or check out what is actually in the box. It is a profit and loss situation; leads to potential thievery, etc. However, if I were to purchase the adapter, stand at the desk with her, try it out, I can immediately return it and get my money back; no re-shelving fee included if it didn't work.

I thought about it for a minute because it did seem wasteful but it made sense because it was saving me from running back and it was also saving them from having to explain to leadership what was going on. Therefore, I purchased the adapter. I was smart enough to bring a thumb drive with me in the event this were to happen.

After struggling with the USB end of the adapter for a few minutes, my phone saw the drive. It was the weirdest thing because the Lightning version I had was so much easier - there wasn't any stiffness to the port like this one had. I was worried that it wasn't going to work, as the thumb drive wasn't immediately recognized by my phone. It turns out, I didn't push the drive in far enough into the adapter, so there was no connection between the two pieces. Which is why there was a stiffness - it was as if the USB end of the adapter is made a hair smaller on the inside, making it tough to push the drive all the way in. It does feel like it's connected when you first put it together, but when the phone didn't immediately recognize the drive, something was faulty.

This very well could have been my issue from the original one I purchased a few months ago on Amazon - I didn't get the two things to talk to each other because they weren't fully connected.

Once I saw my thumb drive and was able to move some files around via the Files app, I immensely thanked the employee for her patience and helping me out, because she too, was in awe of why it originally wasn't working. She had started looking online for answers as I stood there trying to figure out what my next move was, while wiggling everything to make sure there wasn't any short.

It still works now, and I have actually gone back to Target and bought a second adapter, to keep in another back because I did in fact need it another day and didn't have the first one.

Win for the first piece of tech!

Now on to the conversation about the second purchase...

This post is not brought to you by Target, but it sure feels like it.

I was in Target this week for some browsing in various departments and walked through electronics, yet again, just to see what was on clearance. I was actually making my way to the music section because I like trolling through the vinyl.

I started in the headphone section, which is the first part of the department from where I was in the store. Looking at the sales, they've shockingly got Shokz Open Run headphones in Lavender on clearance (No pun intended). The retail price for the headband type is $129.99 and the clearance tag read $64.99.

I'm attaching a picture because when I saw it, I was surprised it was already at a fifty percent discount. I don't know why, and I also can't find the lavender one on Amazon for the initial price tag because it may be a Target exclusive. Scratch that: a quick search says it's potentially a seasonal color, which possibly explains the price reduction and Amazon doesn't have it in stock at the moment.

Side quest: My mom took the photo to show to her brother because he had purchased a pair back in January and if his Target had the same deal, he could go and buy another one for himself or for his kids. My uncle wanted me to have a pair because "it's a game changer".

After many a text back and forth, I had to keep insisting I wasn't interested in it, even for that low price. It does me no good because I still need to stop the audio to speak / listen to someone in front of me. If all I'm doing is making phone calls, I have other headsets that can do the same, for as much the may make me sound like "Mumbles Menino" (IYKYK 😅😆). If it's for safety reasons, it still does me no good due to my hearing challenges anyway. I'm going to have a hard enough time focusing on things if I have to struggle to listen in my one good ear. I'm not out playing in traffic when I'm using the headphones; I'm usually in the gym. When we go travel to Sarasota or if I ever get to go on a plane again, these open ear headphones won't help me since I'll still be able to hear my surroundings. It'll bleed into what I'm listening to and be a major distraction, defeating the purpose of what I'm personally listening to.

As it is, when the fire alarms (or other big blaring alarms) go off, I need to immediately put my over the ear headphones on and either figure out how to shut the alarm off, or wait until someone else can do it. I can't deal with the noise; it hurts my head, the shrill. Same goes when my mother tries to open her rusting ironing board. The way the pieces rub together, they need to be oiled; it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. If I were to put on these bone conducting headphones, I'm still going to hear the sound that bothers me. I need the full wrapped ear phones in order to block the noise.

No one understands that and it's not worth the continual conversation.

As everyone is different, this is my issue, not yours or anyone else's. If you want to invest in safety and precautions and be part of the "in crowd", definitely look into the Shokz bone conducting headphones. My uncle and other people rave about them, and even when my mother tested them in the store, she was completely aghast and amazed due to the high quality of the sounds protruding out of the little speakers. She was ready to buy a few of them, but she doesn't use headphones herself, and I had to cause a small scene in the store to get her to not buy me a pair.

On to what I really did...

I ended up buying a JLab USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter Dongle, so I can plug my regular headphones in when I need them.

For $4.99 in Target, they're two cents less than Amazon ($4.97). It's a good deal because Jlab is a big enough brand name, that I trust them. I've got a pair of the Jbuds Air Sport (can also be called Go Sport, it seems) headphones as well as the Jbuddies over the ear headphones. Both have worked great, however, the sports are now at the "they're aging" point: they're losing their charge after 90 minutes. They will charge up to 90% but then once I start using them, the power degrades and by the 120 minute mark, they're down to 20%, sometimes a little less. I've had them for about 6 years or so, so I've definitely got a great worth out of them. I've yet to upgrade to a different Bluetooth in ear set because sometimes if I leave them in for long periods of time, I've got ear / hearing issues that last a day or so. Which is why the over the ear cans work out better for me.

With the new adapter, I'm thrilled because now I can use my clunky wired headphones again and be able to not have them laying around the house unused. Actually, I use them with my Roku remote because there's a line in for that (I'm using a Roku 3, which is long discontinued now. It's considered a "legacy device" at this point. It's still functional though).

I haven't made a phone call yet with the adapter (I have wired headphones that are also calling headphones) but when I tried to make a video and spoke over the visuals, it seemed to record fine. Podcasts are playing well through the adapter and I've not had to fiddle with settings as of yet. I'm sure I'll do some changing if I listen to music, but for now, the $4.99 was well worth the investment. Just got to be careful not to lose the cord!

#Winning!

That's about it for now. Hopefully everything remains good and works. If something happens, I'll do an update, but for now, let's get this thing to remain positive.

Stay cool and dry this week. It's going to be another scorcher. The Europeans are still baking in the humidity and there was a winter weather warning in a few places in the US the other day. Snow in June??? Da fuq?? Wherever you are, stay vigilant and stay safe!

Cheers;

See also (aka links to Amazon):

Just some random clouds...

2026-06-23T10:26:12.965-04:00

It's been a week of high humidity here - 100 to 110 degrees and it's been tough to want to do things outside.

News this morning said there's a massive heat wave going through parts of Europe as well. I've checked in with my friend Rachael, who lives in England, and so far she's okay, because she was recently visiting another part of the country so she didn't feel the effects of the heat in London. I'm sure she will be fine, but I know they're not used to it. I remember when I went to visit her in 2009, it happened to be one of those weeks where they had randomly high heat, but to me, it wasn't that bad. Considering I've since moved to Florida, there's definitely a difference in region and climate.

It stands true when Rachael said to me today, "[T]he humidity makes it worse due to the 'wet bulb'. In other countries it regularly gets that hot but they are better set up for it". She's right; other areas of the world are used to the heat and humidity, and it all depends on where you are - there are places where it's a dry climate, so 115° isn't as sticky and drippy as it would be in the tropics (for US readers, think of Las Vegas dry versus Louisiana bayous wet).

Before I started this post, I looked at the Weather Channel App on my phone and it was already 86° and felt like 90. I'm sure by the time I'm done writing, it'll be higher, as this time yesterday, it was already nearing the "feels like 100".

Last night I had to get something out of my car and the sun setting was giving the clouds such an interesting share of salmon colored pinks and bee colored yellows. I wish my phone picked it all up better, because it was very apocalyptic outside.

The pictures don't pick up everything, but the cloud coverage was strange in the fact there are some small swoops going on. Like bubbling on the outer edge of the flatter areas. I'm no meteorologist, so I don't have the vernacular to explain everything in detail. I just thought the color of the sky and surroundings, mixed with the way the clouds were forming, it was interesting.

Maybe it's due to all the warmth we've been getting lately, that the sunsets are so different. Go ahead and call me weird. At least we haven't had a named storm yet, as we're officially 23 days into season. Let's keep it this way, even though some of us are a little hesitant to bring it up, as we don't want to risk a jinx on our heads...

That's about it for now. I've got to get some stuff done early this morning before it gets hotter out, so I'll check in another time. Hopefully the temperature doesn't go past 105 today..

Take care of yourselves and totally get some water in you!

Cheers;

Happy Birthday, "Eddie" if you're still reading these posts...

See Also

* Have you read Rachael's book yet? Sangre De Toro

* The Weather Channel App via Amazon

* It's Prime Day with sales... are you buying??

Weight until you see it | Big Brother is watching you

2026-06-19T11:40:17.975-04:00

I was out of town over the weekend (okay, I was in Sarasota; it was Monday to Wednesday), and went to the gym in the community I was staying in.

As it is, this community has expensive houses because it's got a golf course and a couple restaurants. Actually, there's a small pop up bar type of restaurant and a new sit down restaurant. The pop up bar is by the giant pool. There's also a coffee bar and salon - both nails, hair and body (massage).

This is where the gym comes in.

The gym isn't exponentially huge, but there are enough machines that you have a grand choice of what to work out on. Treadmills, stair steppers, elliptical, bikes, weights.. the list goes on and they're the Technogym models to boot. There's another room for classes, unless you want to go in and do your own aerobic workout.

The Technogym stuff is not like what we have in my community gym. The ones I was using this week are the upgraded models - more access to apps on the screens, safety lights on the handrails of the treadmills... there's a whole list of features and I can't link to the brand on Amazon since they don't carry the name (I'll link to the models I think I used from the actual website instead).

Although, just using the keyword "Technogym" brought up other types of equipment, as seen here.

Just to cite a price example, Technogym is thousands of dollars more than a Nordictrack or Peloton. We're talking over 10 grand as a starting point, where as other big names start between 800 and 1,000 dollars, working their way up to five thousand (or more.. which are combination platters - cross training type machines).

From the Technogym website, this may be the treadmill:

It looks like it is the "Excite+ Run Live 22 9000" and the base model starts at $20,470. Multiple that times 4, because that's how many treadmills this place had. The base model of this particular treadmill starts at $10, 640 ("Excite+ Run Connect 300").

The "Technogym Ride" ($7,300) (x2), "Bike Personal" ($12,300) (x1) and "Artis Recline" ($14,260) (x2) were spread out in the gym, so they weren't a straight line of bikes.

Technogym Ride

Bike Personal

Artis Recline

The gym doesn't allow cell phone use to take pictures, or I would have gotten the exact versions used. This is a nice rule and I wish my gym enforced it because too many kids are using my gym and taking selfies and doing other stupid photo stuff; it's awkward and that's why a kid fell off a treadmill two weeks ago and slammed against the wall - they were messing around (on FaceTime) and did something stupid.

Anyway, I could go on and list every single machine I saw at this other gym, but there are too many and it's too costly. As the items listed shows, it's probably more economical to purchase other name brands for your home gym, if you want to go that route. Or, just pay an annual fee for the local establishment (Gold's, Planet Fitness, Crunch, etc) and know you don't have to shell out several large car payments in order to lose weight. In the end, yes, it's nice to have the machines in your own house, but is a single eighteen thousand dollar multi gym pulley system worth it? You literally could have several years at a "normal" gym with added benefits (juice bar, workout coach) for that price. But to each their own. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

One thing I did notice, however, in this community gym, is they have an interesting hybrid analog digital bathroom scale in the changing room.

Forget the fact the bathroom is so grandiose, that there are plenty toilet stalls, lockers, showers (with full body wash, shampoo and conditioner bottles, plus the double shower heads - handheld and rain), towels for the shower (and there were towels for the sweating people in the gym), nice hand lotion, hand soap and hand sanitizer at the sinks, but the scale had a "wtf is this??" moment.

It's an Eilison "Highly Advance 2-in-1 Digital & Analog Weighing Scale", and obviously well used since it definitely needed to be cleaned.

I did mask myself out of the picture, at least a little bit, but I did not get a photo of it turned on. The LCD screen lights up blue with white numbers, telling you how much you weigh. The analog dials also light up white with the same blue background.

I think, because the Amazon pictures show white background light and blue foreground. I honestly don't remember because I only stepped on it for a brief second.

I thought this was a good little contraption because it not only shows you on the dial, but it reads it out as well, just in case you couldn't make out where the arm was leaning to on the numbers. You're able to get a solid number instead of questioning exactly how much you weigh.

The scale did seem solid and I would be tempted to get one, if we didn't already have a Weight Watchers digital scale in the house. At $59.99, it might be worth the price, because it doesn't leave room for error. Digital scales are nice these days, truth be told. This one looked well used, as again, it needs to be wiped down. But, if that means people are using it, then it's got to be good. How often do you see people randomly stepping on a scale anyway?

Switching gears, my mother got a text from Hotwire this morning.

This tech is so savvy, it knows when our boxes are breaking.

I don't know if we should be worried, scared, or hole up and disappear.

Maybe all of the above?

Considering one time when the remotes weren't pairing or working correctly, we called Hotwire and they said to shut everything completely off. Put the remote face down on the cable box, but unplug the box as well. They're going to send a refresh signal to the devices and the remotes will work once it is complete. When they told us to plug everything back in and turn it all back on, the remotes worked, strangely enough. I don't know what kind of voodoo they did (*giggles* *squirrel*), but everything was matching. Even after changing batteries and moving things around. There's truly some outer worldly things going on with this company, and it's strange as hell.

However, if the text and message are true, this time next week, a package should be at our door and I'm going to need to hook everything up. I wonder what I've got to do with the old wires, as it doesn't really say... 😒

All I know is it's time for me to figure out what I need to get accomplished for today.

Until I get work out the crazy... stay cool, hydrated and safe. It hit 110° with humidity here yesterday and we're on track for it to repeat itself today.

Cheers;

Shakey shakey

2026-06-08T17:17:11.793-04:00

(Earth) Science!

My mom and I were watching television (2pm) and she wanted to go get something to drink from the kitchen. As she was putting the lounger back down from our couch (we have a reclining sofa), the couch started to slightly shake.

We both looked at each other and was like "earthquake? No. New couch breaking already? Hopefully not". We didn't think anything of it, even though there was nothing really moving around and really wasn't all too noticeable of a movement to begin with. Almost like baby shaking.. the kind of steady movement you quickly feel when a car passes by you on the road or construction in the neighborhood.

Totally not a shake that makes you wonder the seriousness of it.

About an hour later, our North Dakota snowbird neighbors texted us - "Are you guys okay? Did you feel the earthquake?" We looked at each other and was like "What?? For real?" so we both texted back that we didn't think it was true, but thought something had gone on. We thought it was the couch or traffic or something else. Completely unaware that it was a for real thing.

Come to find out, it was residuals from a 6.1 earthquake off the western coast of Cuba. The tremors were felt in various places in Florida, including cities in Lee County (me), Orlando and spots on the East Coast.

According to various sites, including the United States Geological Survey, the 6.1 magnitude quake hit 104 km WNW of Mantua, Cuba. Which is why parts of Florida received some of the effects.

Right now there are no signs of tsunamis - no warnings or anything, but a few high rises needed to be evacuated for safety reasons.

It's the weirdest thing because it's been over 90° every day this week and hit 101° today due to humidity. rain needs to come, but instead a little quake knocked on our door.

The news said there were some high rises downtown that evacuated for safety reasons until security figured out what was going on. Some viral reports on other sites were showing people in Hollywood, Florida and their home water cooler was shaking. That owner said "it was almost an hour" but I don't know; it seemed like two minutes for us. I think the Southwest corridor is closer to Mantua than Hollywood is. But it could also be the way things sprawled out, if Saint Petersburg also got a little aftershock; they're a little over 2 hours north of me.

I'm going to add some screen caps, and the links to the articles are listed below.

USA Today, 8 June 2026

WINK News, 8 June 2026

According to Wink's 3pm newscast, an earthquake hasn't been felt in Florida (or this area) since 2006.

Wink News 3pm news cast. Taken on my iPhone. 8 June 2026

We weren't even here for that. I don't even know what job I had in 2006 when it would have happened, but it would have been in Massachusetts.

I think the last earthquake I remember noticing, I was under 8 years old. It was mid day, maybe? Or early evening? I don't recall fully, but I was real little and at that time too, I was watching television in my parent's room because I wanted to see a specific show. The room shook some. Not enough to move anything, but enough my little pea brain didn't know what was going on. My mom said she didn't didn't notice it and my dad was at work. There wasn't any other quake in MA that we got for me to compare this to.

CiberCuba has an article stating "The National Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS) of Cuba adjusted the magnitude to 6.2 Mw and located the epicenter 142 km northwest of Minas de Matahambre, in the province of Pinar del Río, at a depth of 20 km".

CiberCuba screen grab

The article went on to quote a local meteorologist, Matt Devitt. He had been working at Wink before the station reorganized, and he's one of the good guys that got everyone through a lot of bad juju down here. Devitt stated this was "the second largest earthquake ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico", which goes with what his former employer stated in the screen cap I took with my phone.

It feels like the Earth is upset with the sentient beings inhabiting the soil right now. Between flash flooding, random high heat in places that aren't usually so humid at this time of year, cold still happening in places it should be warming up, earthquakes in areas you're not expecting.. there are things going on we aren't in control of.

As my friend Cathy said, some "scary shit" is happened. Emi (in Orlando) said that a neighbor texted her asking if she and her boyfriend felt the apartment building shake, and both of them said no; they had no clue what the neighbor was talking about. I said that she probably figured it was normal amusement park stuff (they live central to the Mouse House and competition). She said, if anything, they would have thought it was construction stuff. Erica (in the Keys) didn't notice the movement either. She's usually spending her days at work, which is in and on the water. She wasn't working today, so she said she'll ask some cohorts later, as they're doing a DnD thing tonight.

It's so strange how news travels and what people know. My mom's local friends had no idea we had an earthquake, yet, a snowbird neighbor had to text us. We felt it but thought it was something different. Reports are saying similar things; the people felt a shake but didn't know what it was. They shrugged it off like it was a glitch in the matrix.

I don't even know how to explain any and every thing. I keep seeing news clips about crazy weather in random spots and the more unusual it is, the more I'm reminded of the science fiction movies in the early 2000s. The ones where we were being warned but laughed them off because it wouldn't happen in our lifetime. Even watching the documentary style television shows that show you life after we leave.. what would happen to the grounds we walk on.. so unbelievable in one respect but true in another.

Without raising a lot of questions or flags, I'm going to leave the tin foil hat just slightly bent and stop talking about things that could go sideways. I wanted to post about the earthquake Cuba had and was felt in Fort Myers and tell my friends that things are okay!

Until something else surprises us, go learn something new.

Cheers;

See also

Cervantes Jr., Fernando. "6.1 magnitude earthquake reported off the western coast of Cuba". USA Today, 8 June 2026, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/06/08/cuba-earthquake-magnitude-tsunami/90461901007/. Accessed 8 June 2026
Hayden, Oceana. "Shaking felt across SWFL after 6.1 magnitude earthquake near Cuba". WINK News, 8 June 2026, https://www.winknews.com/news/6-1-magnitude-earthquake-reported-near-cuba-shaking-felt-across-swfl/article_4012f53d-a250-4792-a019-0392ceb81402.html. Accessed 8 June 2026
CiberCuba Editorial Team. "Strong earthquake off Cuba felt in Miami and other areas of Florida". CiberCuba. 8 June 2026, https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-06-08-u1-e135253-s27061-nid331628-fuerte-sismo-frente-cuba-siente-miami-otras-zonas. Accessed 8 June 2026.
I googled "fort myers earthquake june 8 2026" to get the links and articles

Sci-Fi movies and shows via Amazon

What makes the drink "dirty"?

2026-06-05T22:27:16.297-04:00

.. and why is it different from other flavored drinks?

It seems like an "all the rage" thing the last few months have been "dirty" drinks:

Dirty Soda

Dirty Coffee

Dirty Tea (or not)

~~Dirty martinis (/liquor. This is pre-dating me. So let's scratch that)~~

I've had a dirty soda from a recently opened chain restaurant that specializes in the product. The place is called Swig and they're seemingly popular among young adults and certain mid west states.

I'm not completely knowledgeable about the history of Swig, but online research says it was brought out of a need for something to have in the LDS (Latter Day Saints) / Mormon culture since the members abstain from consuming certain foods / liquids. They wanted to have something where they could stay within their restrictive diets but still feel part of a crowd or have something differently cool. They started mixing creamers in soda instead in lieu of creak in coffee due to java being one of those "no-nos". This crazy science experiment exploded out a new type of drink.

This again, is just something I quickly looked up and very briefly summarized. I don't want to offend anyone by writing a list of reasons for the start of the brand, nor do I want to get anything wrong. I know very little about the lifestyle, even after working with someone who had left the faith and had a lot of bad things to say about her time in it. So I'm just going to leave it at that.

It's not to say I didn't want to try the excitement. While it's true I've mixed stuff in my drinks before and had my own weird outcomes, actually ordering and paying for this out in the wild is totally a different beast.

I have tried Swig three times since the store opened. Each time I got something different. Honestly, it's nothing to write home about; I don't know what the hype is. Someone, somewhere decided to mix some lactose with Dr. Pepper, add some fruit puree and sell it to the masses.

Which is why I'm honestly wondering what the difference between this and a regular "Cherry Pepsi" is. The big name companies are already producing flavored products and people are buying it. What makes adding fruit puree or creamer to the drink a new thing? It's a quick fad, at best, but adding a lime or lemon to the Vanilla Coke has been around for decades. This is not really new; or is it a TikTok trend that someone forgot to say it's too viral to forget? I don't know; I'm seriously wondering this. I mean, it's interesting as hell because so many people have created other things from the dirty soda concept, and I would like to know "why".

Why is Dunkin' Donuts now selling "Dirty Coffee"? I've seen so many YouTube videos about it over the last two weeks - the making of the drink and what it tastes like. The reviews are mixed, but I've seen more negative than positive comments about it. Including conversations about the price, the taste and how it's not real coffee. Some Dunkies workers have made videos to show exactly how it's created: in whatever size it's ordered in (medium is the standard?) there's ice, Dunkin's proprietary blend of coffee milk (which, in general, is a dairy-based drink made by mixing coffee syrup with milk), Pepsi (yup, the brands are collaborating) and Dunkin's proprietary cold foam (which comes in an aluminum / aerosol nozzle can - imagine a can of Reddi-Wip). All this for an energetically carbonated coffee pick me up.

After seeing the videos, I have to say, this is one thing I won't be trying. It looks gross. I like milk, I like coffee, I like Pepsi (although growing up, we were a Coke household). I'm not going to attempt to mix any of them together to create some Frankenstein drink because there is nothing else to drink. Plus, if there's no actual coffee in the cup, why bother?

~~(Sugar. That's why)~~

Yes, I know the concept of coffee milk, but I'd like actual coffee in my glass with the opportunity to add whatever type of dairy I'd like (creamer, milk, etc). Cold foam addition is nice, but not something I go out of my way for. Where I'm not an added sugar / sweetener person (anymore), I don't like putting in extra stuff in my drink. As it is, an "iced, regular" at Dunkies has the ability to be chewed. There is enough sugar on the bottom of the cup, that you've got a snack to go with your drink. Plus, once the cold foam starts liquefying in the cup, it becomes too white - super sweetened cream meets dairy cream.

I'm by no means saying this product is no good, since it's out there for a reason. Maybe some YouTubers are right in saying it's a cash grab, but maybe others are right in saying it's a mainstay for a few minutes. It is something different for sure. But overall (in general), what happened to a coffee chain selling coffee?

I miss Honey Dew Donuts for their over sugared flavored coffee. I didn't get Mary Lou's much, so Honey Dew was a bomb alternative to Dunkies... besides Cumby's random 99¢ any size. 😋

I'm not going to lie: I did try my hand last night at making my own dirty soda.

Try some, buy some...?

I had some A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer, Horizon's Home Style Vanilla Creamer and some Torani Sugar Free Caramel syrup (small bottle. It was BOGO last month). Putting the root beer in a tall glass, I then added a shot of the syrup and creamer. The dairy fizzed with the carbonation real quick. But once that foam cooled down, I tried it.

Holy cow... it was like drinking a root beer float. Due to all the flavors, there was no way this tasted sugar free. I know there's sugar in the creamer, so maybe that was cancelling out the other two products, but wow. This was good. It tasted like dessert.

WooHooooOoo....

I really couldn't believe it. Even without ice, the drink acted like I had vanilla ice cream in it, due to the way the creamer reacted to the carbonation. It fizzed and foamed and almost went over the rim of the glass. Like a real after dinner spectacle treat.

Yet there was no scoop of anything in it; just liquids.

It was like being back in middle school watching the kids at the fair make their volcanos rise up and smoke, but still stay really calm at the same time. There's some sort of magic with it.

(Fat kid getting excited over food. Nothing to see here. Keep moving)

Now I have to ask myself: Would I make a habit out of making this?

No, because I don't want to have too much (unnecessary) dairy every day.

If I can help it, at least.

I have my morning coffee with cream. This past week, I've been using the Planet Oat brand oat milk in my smoothies. If I end up having a cup of coffee in the afternoon, I'm using creamer again. Or, if I'm having a cup of Teeccino tea (I'm currently drinking the Snickerdoodle flavor), I'm using creamer in that. By supper, if I'm drinking a cola product, I don't want another shot of diary in my drink.

All these "ifs"!

It actually becomes too much and I'm trying to limit my intake for health reasons (not that what I'm already doing is so healthy.. I know it's all bad for me). I also don't drink cola products every day. Maybe a couple times a week. I've been drinking various sparkling waters or just plain water, even though most time it's the former.

Therefore, it was a valid attempt to take an idea I've seen around town and online and try it myself. I had the tools to get it done and I'd probably stick to buying regularly branded (or pre mixed / made) products. It's easier than worrying about keeping a pantry full of add-ins and add-ons, expiration dates, refrigeration, etc. Just buy a six pack of flavored cola and call it a day. While you're at it, buy some limes and lemons. Maybe a small container of maraschino cherries if you want the sugared version - drop one or two in the drink when you get Cherry Coke. Saved you an extra dollar, I did. It'll go a long way.

I've kind of squirreled my way around this post and all my links below are for things I've mentioned. I get commission on things purchased on Amazon and if I link to an outside company, like Teeccino, I receive a credit on my own account for future purchases if there is a purchase made by the person clicking the link. It's easy enough and we all win from it. The Amazon links are for purchases or references or all of the above; suggestions and opinions.

You do you.

Think about what's popped up on your socials lately.. have you seen any ads for dirty drinks? What are your thoughts? Try it? Don't try it? Worth setting up a kitchen lab yourself and making your own concoction? You never know what you'll (literally) cook up unless you get an idea...

Now go out and make some yummy magic.

Cheers;

See Also

Please note that with the perishable food stuff, Amazon and Whole Foods are working together to get it delivered.

The Horizon creamer is only available in Caramel flavoring, and has a $13.95 delivery fee on top of the $6.99 creamer price. This price is for a single carton too. If you want to check it out, here is the link but I suggest going to a normal grocery store to pick it up. If you have a Whole Foods and that's your jam, by all means, check their stock too.
The Planet Oat Milk I'm using is not a Whole Foods delivered item, but it is a refrigerated item. There is a $12.99 delivery fee on top of the $4.25 cost of the single carton.

There is a shelf stable version for $3.99 with no added delivery fee, as it isn't currently in a cooler.

Amazon has cans of A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer for $8.39 for a pack of 12. It's roughly the same cost as the grocery store.
Amazon has a 4 bottle variety pack of the Torani Sugar Free Syrups. It looks like it could be a good price at $31.88 because it comes down to $7.97 a bottle. They're the 25.4 ounce bottles too, so this is comparable to retail stores, as I've seen it between $8 and $10 a bottle.
"Try Some, Buy Some" and "WoooHoooo" comes from the George Harrison track "Try Some, Buy Some". It's on the 1973 album, "Living in the Material World"
The Teeccino storefront on Amazon has most of the flavors. There's also the branded website has discounts or freebies if my referral link is clicked and an order is placed. But also, there's a weekly email blast with recipes that sound pretty stellar.

Let's talk this one through...

2026-05-30T18:45:13.531-04:00

I was telling a co-worker on Thursday about the Good Omens purchase and how I got a bad cover.

I had shown him what I received and what Amazon was selling; how people were getting the non Crowley cover even though the character is clearly supposed to be there.

My co-worker said I need to contact Amazon and see how they can fix this. I ordered the book with a character and I didn't receive what was paid for and advertised. I told him that I'm okay with this, although I'm bummed there isn't a character on it, it makes the novel a little eccentric. He said that that's not the point. It's misleading, especially where Amazon is the one who sold it to me.

I thought about it through out the day and I guess it bothered me enough, that I ended up doing a chat with Customer Service.

What started out as "I wanted to tell someone how I received a poor quality cover of a book", turned into "We're starting a return for you and you'll get a replacement for it"; all in the span of forty five minutes. My co-worker helping me with things to say, kept saying "I'm getting aggravated for you because of this".

Let me backtrack a little with the conversation.

I had started off by saying "I am not looking to return the book, but I wanted to make a comment about receiving the Good Omens paperback with white cover. Part of the graphics are missing on it. I know “covers may vary” (you receive either the black cover or white cover. Both have different character) and the white one I received is missing the character. It has only the title, author and a splash of tiny color; the main character is missing from the center of the cover".

The associate apologized for the issue and they would help me with this.

At this point in time, I said "it may be a quality control thing as the whole book looks okay. Just the cover is missing information".

They again apologized for it, and offered me a promo credit. I asked if they could also send a corrected copy (at no charge) but they said that was not possible.

Considering there are other people who have reviewed this book and stated they received the non Crowley cover, I really wanted to make sure this would no longer be a problem on future orders.

I didn't make that last comment, but the response I received for asking for a corrected copy was "you can re-order the book". I asked if there was any guarantee that I'd get the cover as advertised and the answer was "I will take this as a feedback and escalate it on high priority to the concerned department and make sure necessary actions are taken on this and you do not face this situation again.

Be assured that this will not repeat again".

~NOTE the last line: "Be assured that this will not repeat again"~

I asked if there was an expiry date on the promo and they informed me I have one year to use it.

As I didn't get a full answer about the guarantee over re-ordering the book, they instead handed my concern to a "lead". This would be associate number two of the chat.

Once I confirmed the purchase with the second agent, I started again with what the problem was - there's a lack of quality control over the printing and I wanted a guarantee that should I re-order the book, it would arrive as promised.

This triggered a "return" and "damage" on their end, so the next part of the conversation was the agent informing me they want (/need / etc) to start the process of having me return this copy and get a replacement sent out, unless I wanted a refund. But I'd need to return the book.

I asked again, what the guarantee was of getting the correct version if I'm sending this one back and getting a new one. I wasn't interested in sending it back (to begin with) if only to get the same no character cover.

This agent couldn't help me further, and switched me to another person. I immediately started the conversation with "I was offered a promo credit and would like to accept that, please".

Unfortunately, the answer I got from that was "I have escalated your feedback and can help you with a return label". No acknowledgement of the credit.

The agent insisted on creating a return label, to which every mention of this, my co-worker was getting angrier because he wanted me to see this through and hoped Amazon would help me.

Keep in mind, I'm not trying to swindle, screw or bash the company (as much as it may seem like I am, at least in the latter). I am writing this out now, in my blog, to let other readers know that these things can happen. You have to choose how you want to contact the company and decide what your end game is. I wanted them to be aware that they need to have better eyes on what they ship out, if people are getting things that are falsely advertised.

Back to the conversation with the third agent.

They kept insisting on creating a return label when I asked about that promo credit. I was told that I was "given incorrect information. Unfortunately, we don't have the option or authorize to issue any compensation or promo credits.I hope you understand my limitations".

Because this was a completely different department I was dealing with, I missed my chance on getting the credit. I had no other choice now but to return the book.

The agent had continued the conversation by starting "While I genuinely wish to help you, I'm unable to make an exception to our return policy. The return of the physical item is a mandatory requirement for processing refunds. This policy protects both our customers and our business.

The seller needs the item back for inspection, repair or resale; without the item, the refund cannot

be processed, as it would result in a direct financial loss for them.

As I'm from the Specialist team , resolutions are restricted"

It boggled my mind because the 'seller' is Amazon, not a third party storefront. I don't know how they will repair the cover, but I'm sure someone will tear out the pages of the book and rebind them with a new back page stating the date of printing (like I received). My co-worker was just as crazed as I was at this point. He was waiting for me to finish this conversation because it was turning into a bad cycle of crazy.

I asked to be connected to someone who could help me further, so I was transferred to yet another person.

They immediately stated that the way it's understood, I'm writing about a damaged book. I replied stating it's "not a fully damaged item. It has a cover that is missing graphics on the cover.

It is how the company printed the book and Amazon sold it" and they wanted to go forward and help with a return or replacement.

Can you tell why this took almost an hour and both my co-worker and I were getting upset?

Again, I asked about a replacement and guarantee I'll get the correct cover. I even stated "I do not want a replacement if you can't help me with this and send me the right one". I was assured they will do right by me and I will receive the proper copy.

I begrudgingly agreed to receive a return label and mail back the copy I received. I was told I'd get the replacement today, Saturday, and all will be good.

Guess what came in the mail!

Yup, the same cover, missing the same character!

This time, it came in a bubble mailer and the back cover was not only bent and some pages crooked, but the spin also was damaged and part of the top cover too.

Trust me, I'm not happy about this.

Luckily, I hadn't shipped the first book back in case I needed to send Amazon images of both books as reference to what I had received.

I immediately got on the Amazon chat and wanted to make sure they knew about this.

I had started the conversation with "This is a quality control issue with Amazon sending out the book. Second time I received it, it is missing half the graphics on the cover, and now the book is bent. I have not sent the original order back yet, to see how this would arrive. I am willing to keep that first copy and send back today's copy. In exchange, I would also like the amount paid for the book returned to me via credit to my account for the troubles I have had with this order. Apparently this book isn't in stock like I was led to believe".

Before anyone says I'm doing something bad, again, think back to my original conversation with them: I'm reporting a printing issue but want to keep the book. It snowballed into a return fiasco.

I had to go through the prompts about a dozen times before I was able to chat with someone in Customer Service.

The first person who I worked with today, asked me to upload images of the book being wrong and damaged (the bent pages). Which is why I waited on sending the first one back - I figured they'd want to see what I got. I complied and we moved along.

The associate saw the images and said that I need to return this book back in order to get a replacement or refund, so my query was partially answered.

I asked them "Does this mean you are not carrying the book at all? It is again, quality control and false

advertising. I really wanted a copy of the book and am willing to keep the first copy, send back the

second, with a refund to my account so I can purchase the more accurate book somewhere else in

my own time" because it wasn't really clear and I did want to originally keep the book. I wasn't trying to be difficult, even though it seems that way.

The answer this agent gave me was they could offer a promo credit, but then before I could answer, I was passed to another associate.

The second person for today wanted me to elaborate on what was going on, so I stated everything that has been happening with this and how it's turning into a mess. They apologized for everything and wanted to start the return process on this new book. In order to do anything for me, they need both copies back. I said that doing so doesn't help the original message and what type of hassle this has been, in order to have what was advertised.

This got me pushed to a third person.

I explained to this associate what's been going on and asked that they refer to both Thursday's chat and today's chat. The associate said they saw all the notes and wanted to confirm how many books I had at the moment. I stated I have the original order, which made the conversation on Thursday, and now I have the replacement, received today, for today's conversation. I reiterated both books are incorrect and as much as I'd be willing to keep one, now we're at the point I'd like some sort of refund because I don't want to keep getting a bad replacement.

I was told that if I expect a refund, I need to return both, so a return has to be submitted for both. I stated I originally wanted to keep one, but was offered a promo credit for the trouble. I'd like that honored if I can't get a full refund. I'm also keeping one of the books because that's originally why I wrote in.

This got me to another agent.

The final agent in this chaos went over everything that has been going on. They wanted me to confirm what I've got, what I've shipped, what I've done. I explained everything, again, even though it was all in the chat.

They too, informed me if I expect a full refund, I had to return both books. At this point, I was done going in circles, much like I've been doing here to explain it.

I stated that I'd like to keep one of the books and that the first agent stated I could do that, if I returned the original one. They would also issue me the promotional credit for all of this inconvenience. I would like that to be honored.

The agent agreed that they would issue me the credit as long as I return the first book. I told them I didn't need a label because I already had the one they sent me Thursday. The final statement from Customer Support was "Alrighty I'll issue you the Promo Credit. Please make sure you send back the original order".

I said I would, and I did. I taped everything back up (I had originally put it all in an envelope to be mailed out) and I went to the UPS Store. Yes, I even sent back the better copy of the two, as I said I would.

It's just maddening because the website states that "covers may vary", but because there's no one watching what is being sent out, there's no eyes on the quality of the item. Amazon is responsible for shipping this, and I wanted them to know about what I received. Especially since a lot of other people are commenting they got the bad cover as well. I don't know the exact number of people making reports for replacements, but there were a few who stated they got a second copy from Amazon with the same issue. You'd think the more people who talk about it, the more the company would do something.

You'd think.

I'm so sorry to go on this big tangent and I thank you for sticking with me. I'm also sorry this happened because it shows how this company is making brick and mortar stores lose patrons. Other companies are raising prices because they can't compete with the online retailer and it sucks. I'd love to have gotten the book locally, but if it's 10-20 dollars more in store plus a 30 minute drive to not know if it's in stock, what's the point?

I have to reiterate, I am not sitting here trying to bash the company and demand stupid things. I've paid my membership dues and I've gotten a lot out of it. This is one of those instances where reviews really count and you have to take the risk of ordering because things vary so much, you really don't know if you'll get the right package. It is unfortunate because this is a big competitor and it's so easy to stay at home and do an order.

The world is changing rapidly and people want everything "now!!!" and they also get greedy. I'm more upset that this was the first time I received a product where it wasn't accurately described. I could understand if it was a third party selling it and the main company had some sort of promise or guarantee to work with the customer, but here Amazon was the seller and they do have an "A-Z Guarantee" but both times they sent me the product, it was a fail. I want and wanted to read the book. I wanted to tell them what was going on. I had no intention of it spiraling like this. If this place is the only location selling the book, what choice do I have? B&N and BAM both said they didn't have the book in stock in local stores. I could have checked thrift stores, and that's like searching for a needle in a haystack. I could have gone to eBay and what promise do I have for there? Markups and such a plenty, and I haven't used my eBay account in a while.

I wish it was better and once I know Amazon receives the book, I'm going to rate my experience over there too. Talk about the shipping process and the cover only. Not rate the level of the story. I'm still excited to read it, but I'm not excited over how I got to read it.

To each their own and let this be a big lesson for everyone: Always do your own research and advocate for your best interest. I totally understand where they were coming from, based on a profit and loss situation, but every opportunity to make good was hit with a brick wall. At what point do you just stop and give up? Don't go through with things? That's your choice. You have to make sure you're doing what you feel is necessary.

So, if you're reading this, my co-worker, now you know the end of the story if I forget to tell you.

Cheers;

See also:

* Good Omens page on Amazon (scroll to bottom to see reviews)

Ooohh.. I got one of THOSE covers! | I was so excited for the branded tech!

2026-05-26T20:32:43.153-04:00

The final season of Good Omens dropped on Amazon Prime a couple weeks ago as a 90 minute movie. There are multiple reasons for having a single movie rather than a series and a particular reason with this series is due to some behind the scenes accusations with the writing staff. I don't want to get into that here, but I am sure some sleuths will be able to figure out the "whys".

~ No Spoilers ~

I was excited to get some sort of continuation with the show, so having a finale movie is okay by me. The staff that stayed on, seemed to wrap up some loose ends in such a way, that it really did make sense by the end of the film. There were some story lines that they were able to tie together from the second season and ultimately included a surprise allowance of some fan fiction shipping. The film took some liberties in the fan department but I think most people are pleasantly pleased by it. Truth be told, it was a classy ending and I honestly wouldn't have asked for a better tribute.

That doesn't mean they couldn't have done some better things in the bulk of the main hour, but with time restraints, it's understandable. I'm glad they did something with it (in a rushed way) instead of leaving fans hanging.

To the ones wondering what the show is about, it's based on a late 1980s book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The full title is "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—A Humorous Fantasy About Armageddon". It is now one of those novels that is on reprint on demand, thus making it hard to find an original copy. This is, considering, it's a British book that prompted a few conversations of audio form in the UK before landing in America. If you do happen to find a copy of the first printing, it's going to cost a lot more than what the generic Mass Market paperback is (we're talking a range of $30 to over $100 depending on what site you're using. Allegedly people are finding it for under $25 in thrift stores. Keep in mind, this is first pressing or first run, not reproduction). That being said, the reproduction, depending on type (hardcover, paperback, e-reader) is running between $7 and change (mass market) to over $20, because big box retailers need a mark up.

The book synopsis, on various bookstore websites:

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

The Amazon site review:

Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...

It's being sold as a more comical version of The Omen due to the heaven and hell, angel and demon, antichrist, The End Is Nigh connections. I can kind of see that, but it's not as ominous as the 1976 Gregory Peck movie is.

I debated and debated about buying the book, and did do some leg work to see who had a "better deal" on the paperback. I didn't want a repeat of the Elton saga, so I chose to go to Amazon. They had the reprinted book, on paperback, for $10.43; where Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have it for $18.99. The difference between the two latter stores is Books-A-Million has has a mass market version at $9.99 and B&N doesn't list a that as an option on their website. Conversely, Amazon lists the mass market for $7.19, which is what I used to buy the True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse) series for, back in the day. If you are a member of the retail stores' rewards programs (B&N, BAM), you get free shipping online, but you're paying gas to get to a physical location. It's coming out of your wallet either way. Same goes with Amazon, I know, I know. At least you can add other items to your cart that are not books and have everything shipped together.

The other thing with the physical stores, is they want you to pay $39.99 a year (B&N) or $25 a year (BAM) for discounts on select merchandise. In order to get the full realm of the annual cost, you need to spend 10x that amount in the 12 months because spending a low amount willy nilly once or twice in 52 weeks for just free shipping isn't worth it. That's just my opinion.

I realize Amazon yearly rate is much higher ($139/year), but you've got to realize what you receive with Prime:

Fast, free delivery
Unlimited streaming
Exclusive deals & savings
Groceries
Amazon Music with Prime
Amazon Photos (storage)
Amazon Prime Fuel Savings
Grubhub+
Rx savings

The bookstores don't seem to offer this type of an array, except "deals and savings" and "free delivery".

I think I've made back my Amazon money at this point, as I am the household account owner and bothmy mother and I stream movies (she has her own profile), I've purchased music through the site (vinyl and CD) so I can stream those MP3s when it's offered, my mother has an Echo Dot so she streams music and uses the timer function. We also make several purchases with Amazon and in Whole Foods (when we go to that area of town). I've also utilized the holiday deal sales. I could have used the RX savings with a previous job, but I didn't need any prescriptions at that time. Although, that's one thing I'm a bit leery on - giving Amazon your doctor's information as well as script information. So yeah, I feel like I've made my 139 back, and since Amazon doesn't sell things knowing they're discounted, there's no percentage to double everything up for.

On another note, regarding versions of the book, I did notice a third party vendor selling a hardcover copy on Amazon, and they were looking for $18.19 plus $3.99 shipping. Therefore, you have to watch what you're clicking.

Which brings me to the next challenge.

The websites are stating "covers may vary" because you don't get a choice in which edition you are purchasing online. It's a William Morris publishing company (merged with Harper Publishing), but there are two different covers: a black sketch of Crowley holding a wine glass filled with red wine (on a white cover) or a white sketch of Aziraphale reading a book (on a black cover).

image via Amazon

Amazon customer reviews are mixed because most people are buying the book to have the chance of both covers; while others are, like me, wanting to finally read the novel the show is based on. Totally fine; everyone has their reasons to do something. However, what you order and what you receive are two different things.

People are commenting that the white cover book (Crowley) is coming to them damaged.

How damaged? The picture of Crowley is completely missing. All you see is a small splash of the red wine. The same is to be said on the book spine as well. Other comments are staying the mass market book isn't bound great; the pages are easily coming out of the spine. Otherwise, it's an awesome story.

I decided to take my chances and order it anyway. I am having reading issues lately, so I didn't want to go with the smaller print mass market ($7.19 version). I purchased the regular paperback version instead ($10.43).

Can you guess what cover I received?

Yup, the missing Crowley cover.

The last page in the book also has printing information, which is a bit weird to me.

I feel like this proves that this version is a Print On Demand copy and was printed when I ordered it. Rather, it was printed and bound the day they shipped it from the Amazon Warehouse. Which may be why other people are saying they are having issues with the copy they received as well. The company isn't allowing things to set correctly.

Or whatever Amazon now does when you order random books.

This also means that the book was sent from an Orlando based publishing company, in order for me to get it the next day; it's local but not local enough to divulge that information.

Similarly, I noticed that when I asked my local library to request Rachael's book - they had found it on their vendor site and since her story is a Print On Demand version anyway, she too had some "Made in [country]" with city and date stamped in it.

Everything seems to be relative these days and literally "mass produced" to a point. There's some PDF file somewhere and someone is pressing "print". Another person takes that, cuts it, binds it and hands it off to someone else. I honestly don't know the process; I'm just spitting out random guesses at the moment, but it's just sad how you think you're ordering a print of something and there is no quality control over it. No one noticed the cover was off. The more this story gets printed, the less of a chance the book has better value to it because it was a misprint.

Usually when there is an error in a product, it's fair game for resellers because it's a rare item. However, in the printing world that is becoming more popular right now, "on demand" means "pay no attention; just send it". I think. I don't know; there's a lot to be said without running in circles. Just be mindful on what you're ordering and certainly read reviews because you never know.

I mean, this type of error could potentially make me go out to the big box stores and pick up the copy I want. Do I then want three copies? I don't know. Maybe, if that means it's also a conversation I can have with my friends. "Hey, look at this; look why brick and mortar stores are going out of business. I big online retailer has taken over and they aren't paying attention to what they're doing. So I went to the outer reaches of the universe to pick up a better copy... at a 10+ dollar price hike".

It's not a real conversation. I'm just making it up as I go along here. Free writing. But there could be something along the lines of why stores are shuttering and there are more delivery vans on the road these days. People aren't leaving their houses and adventuring out in the world.

-Shrugs-

With adventuring, I do need to go to another big box retailer this week. I bought something else on Amazon and ended up returning it today because it didn't work as expected.

When I had the iPhone 6 and 11, I had the lightning digital adapters to go with it.

I had a USB to Lightning dongle that allowed me to transfer files from my phone to my computer and vice versa while using a thumb drive. This came in so handy when I was doing event set up and clients needed to email me their presentation to put on the company laptop. I was able to get the file on my work phone, via email, download it to a thumb drive, then transfer it to the computer. We were off and running in a matter of minutes.

Of course, it was my adapter and I didn't get reimbursed for it, but it was only offered to those I trusted because a lot of people took advantage of my niceness and help (long story). I wasn't about to gift it to the company when I left, either. I bought this fair and square and they never knew about it. My own personal use for the adapter was when I had to transfer my own files from my phone to my laptop or quickly save a file from an email on a computer to then have it on my phone for whatever reason (text a friend "you're not going to believe THIS one! 👀").

I also had an HDMI to Lightning Dongle that allowed me to stream movies on bigger screens (before the video apps shut that shit down and wanted you to watch on your phone screen instead. Something about media rights.. and all I wanted to do was stream a TV series from my phone onto a TV in someone's bedroom). The adapter was amazing - all I had to do was connect the lightning end to my phone, plug in an HDMI in the other end of the adapter, and then the opposite end of the HDMI went to whatever screen I was using. Plenty of times I hooked it up at work and I was able to use a decent size projector screen as my way to "test out the audio system and sight lines in the room". It was a combination platter because there were people who were vocalizing about dead zones in the room - they either couldn't see the screen or hear the audio. If I could do some tinkering on my own time (on the clock), I'd watch a TV show and do some testing. I also used the adapter when traveling, so if I had a TV in the room I was staying in, I could hook my phone up and watching a movie before bed. It got to the point I was carrying a 3 foot cable with me (seems super long but it winds up small). It suited my needs for a long time.

However, both adapters went by the weigh side when I upgraded to the iPhone 17. Now the phone has a USB-C port instead of a lightning port so I'm stuck with a lot of chargers and a couple adapters that don't work on this new device.

Back in January, I purchased Apple's Lightning to USB-C adapter, tried it, but that didn't work for me. Somehow using an adapter on an adapter doesn't jive correctly. Even if they're both the same brand's product. I know other people have positive reviews of the product, but I tried on two different iPhone 17s and it didn't work. I must be doing something wrong, but I even tried it on my mother's phone and it didn't work.

Fast forward to this week when I needed to transfer something from my phone to my laptop. I wasn't connected to Wi-Fi on my computer, so I couldn't get on iCloud. I also didn't have a USB-C to USB-A cable with me, so I couldn't plug my phone into a USB port. I was stuck and couldn't do anything about the files someone needed.

Which led me to order an adapter.

The Anker USB C to USB Adapter came in the mail yesterday and I was excited to try it.

Number one, it's a top brand; it's reputable among a lot of technical people.
Number two, I've got the USB-C to USB charging cables all over my house right now and they work. I even use it in my laptop to transfer files off my phone. I've had no problem with the name.
Number three, having a two pack of the adapters allows me to keep one in my backpack and one in another bag. The price was worth it (on sale for $9.56 after tax).

I found out it wasn't so worth it.

With a case on my phone the adapter doesn't work.

As it is, my iPhone 17 is sausaged into the case; there's no getting that thing out unless I want to break the seal of the Zagg.

Just for giggles, I tried it in my mother's 17. She has a thinner case on hers.

No dice.

The adapter was so loose (on both phones), it wouldn't even make a connection anywhere or anyhow. It was like the thing was waiting to fall out if you looked at it the wrong way. One wrong question and it jumps overboard.

I don't have the words to describe this part so stick with me.

The USB-C part is shorter than the surrounding holder, and there's no inversion of the holder to make the USB-C part go past a certain point when you have a case on your phone. That's why it was so loose in the port area, because the USB part is shorter than it should be.

I can get the USB C part into my phone from the charging cable because the housing part is slanted in a way that allows the USB C to go through the case and in the port.

Also, when I tried plugging my thumb drive into the USB A side, it felt like there was something wrong with it. It was a tight fit so the thumb drive wouldn't fall out, but it also felt like the drive could break in the port as well. It almost felt like it was a tiny bit off from making a solid connection. I was afraid of something breaking internally - whether it was in the adapter or in my thumb drive.

It's so hard to describe this and I hope it's making sense.

I really wish it had worked because I had such faith in it.

Like I said, there's no way I wanted to take my phone out the the case. I don't want to, nor should I have to, in order to randomly use the adapter.

Yes, I'm reading it now online, that in order to use it on a phone, you need to take the phone out of the case, but I stupidly and stubbornly wanted to give it a try. All cases are different and you never know.

Now that I'm back to square one, I am thinking I need to go to a big box retailer and ask them if they have something like this and if I can try it out before purchasing, because I'd be returning it if it doesn't work.

I know the answer would be "no, you need to buy it first" but it saves everyone a big headache if I take it home and can't use it. There has to be a way to test it before it leaves the store. I'm certainly going to buy it if it works, but they're certainly calling it a loss if I have to return it (and I get stuck with a possible reshelf fee).

I've tried on over the ear headphones before, and there were no issues about it. I've also asked to look more closely at watch bands and other tech. It's a matter of being polite and asking nicely. If they won't let you, don't fight it. Most of the time, the people are okay with it. Most of the things I've asked to take out of the box, I've bought. A watch band I looked at, didn't fit on my watch and I was able to get it back in the box, in front of the worker, and he put it back on the shelf. It's all about transparency.

Mind you, I'm not trying to condone any type of shoplifting or raising their profit and loss ratio, but there's a very slim time when situations happen that they can make a decision as to whether or not it's acceptable. I've had those conversations where the employee has said "no" and I've had the ones who say "I don't care". It's really how you explain what's going on. Especially if you honestly do have every intention of purchasing it if it works. If it doesn't, they can tape it back up and put it on the shelf (if you open it carefully). I've seen this happen in other stores when employees are working with people.

Again, this is not a habit thing. It's not something I suggest everyone do to anger the stores. It's one of those "in a pinch" situations. It saves everyone if it could be done.

Overall, it feels like I really can't win right now with tech. I try, but some things aren't going my way lately. I'm hoping for the better though!

In the meantime, if I can find something that works, I'll make an update.

Until things get sorted... do your research and do some (light) reading.

Cheers;

See Also:

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch―A Humorous Fantasy About Armageddon - this is the Amazon link with the paperback version
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Cover may vary) - this is the Amazon link with the mass market version.
Sangre De Toro by Rachael Adam - this is my friend Rachael's book.
The Omen - the 1976 Gregory Peck movie
Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood series by Charlaine Harris via Amazon Kindle
Amazon Prime page - information on price and item breakdowns
Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter via Amazon
Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter via Amazon
Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter via Amazon
Anker USB C Adapter (2 Pack), USB C to USB Adapter High-Speed Data Transfer for MacBook Pro 2020, iPad Pro 2020, Samsung Notebook 9, Dell XPS and More Type C Devices
Anker Cable [2 Pack 3ft], USB A to USB C Cable for iPhone 17 Series,Samsung Galaxy S10 S10+, LG V30, Beats Fit Pro and More (Black)
Zagg phone cases on Amazon

Can't... Get.. The... Last.. Bit...

2026-05-24T21:47:40.242-04:00

I'm having a challenge with the Native deodorant I'm using.

It's actually something I've noticed every.time.I.use.the.brand.

(I haven't paid too much attention to other brands lately, so this whole post could be moot)

The last drop of the stick can't come out of the plastic unless it falls out.

What?

When you push the little knob to raise the stick up, the post isn't tall enough to push out what's left of the deodorant.

Rather, it pushes the deodorant out and can't keep it in

(can't keep it in / I've gotta let it out / I've gotta show the world, world's gotta see...)**

Whatever is left, and you try to use it on your pits, it gets uneven in the plastic holder and see-saws around until it wiggles itself out of its seat. Then it falls to the floor because you're not paying attention and now you have to mop the area the clump fell on.

It's a messy process and such a pain because there's obviously enough left over, that it should theoretically be able to smoothly glide in your under arm region with no problems.

Except there is a problem: the internal mechanism doesn't keep everything together and by swiping in any or all directions, things start shaking and you lose another week or two's worth of fresh smells down the literal drain (depending on how dirty your place is). It's also a waste of money because this product isn't cheap, and to have that much left and allow it to feel wasteful, well, it is pretty reckless in all sorts of ways. Including the design.

On a design note, I haven't tried the paper version of the brand yet, but from what I've seen in the stores, it's basically a toilet paper roll with a push pop bottom that allows you to put the deodorant on like normal. No inside rotating stick that moves up the inside of the roll for you to brush on your pits. The only mechanism in this tube is your finger pushing up said butt end of the roll and off you are to the races. You're free to go about your day and know you're saving a landfill from something that doesn't break down easily under normal circumstances.

There has to be a point to this, right?

Yes. I'm kind of mad (well, not mad, but not upset. I'm not happy or pleased about this) because this is a great brand and I'm happy to support when I can (although it's again, not cheap) because I don't have any chemical or harsh reactions to the ingredients in it. It's that for the cost, there has to be a better way to make this work because I feel like you lose enough at the end, that you literally could buy a few sticks and save that bottom bit to make one whole one if it were at all possible. It might take a while, but I'm sure it could be done. If anything, it would fit in a few travel containers because those little dudes are seriously tiny.

I don't know. Maybe I am over thinking this and something already exists. Maybe it's just me being ridiculous. I can't describe it well enough, obviously, to do anything about it, but at the end of the day (or beginning, in this case), I'll just resort to taking what's left out of the plastic holder and putting it on my arm pits a different way. Just got to make sure I glove up because I don't want to inadvertently get the deodorant under my nails even though I'd wash my hands, duh) and end up somehow ingesting the deodorant. That would be bad.

Until I can sort this out and not make it so confusing.. stay unsalty and clean.

Cheers;

See also (aka "If you want to try Native out yourself, for as good or bad as I have made it out to be"):

* Native site: I have a referral link that gets us both some percentage off. Rack up them rewards, baby!

* Amazon sells the brand, but watch the price because it might come from a third party seller. They may have "vintage" (no longer sold) scents though (sold by vendors).

* ** There is a line I used from Cat Stevens. The song is called "Can't Keep It In and is from 1972. It was on the album Catch A Bull At Four. The lyric popped in my head after I wrote that sentence. I'm weird like that. I know; considering it's a song that's not even relative to the point at hand. Doesn't help I've been thinking about some of Mr. Stevens' songs lately, either.

Please make it make sense??? :'-(

2026-05-12T17:56:00.006-04:00

I was at another community today, waiting for Hotwire to come and hook up both Internet and television in somebody's house.

No, not my house; I haven't moved. I was doing this for someone else who bought a place locally and needed a body in the apartment, as they're not here yet.

We all know what a mess Hotwire is, from dealing with the shenanigans in my community. I've made plenty of posts regarding tech issues, insights and wild blowouts, yet, there are still small challenges we face on a weekly basis.

Today was no different, although this is going to be a brand new account for someone who doesn't know from HotMess.

After being told a tech would arrive between 8 and 10 this morning, a guy showed up about 9:30, backpack in hand and ready to hook everything up. He was showed where the three televisions were and where the laundry room was, so the devices can be attached to the wall (a Nokia modem and an Eero router).

The tech starts working on hooking everything together and asks us to call the person who owns the unit, so that this tech can get access to the Eero device and complete an account. We told him that there already was a Hotwire account made and we have some information to give him, and he informs us that he really needs the Eero information as what we have does him no good.

Huh?

We get the homeowner on the phone and explain the situation: the tech is looking for a text code to continue the internet set up, but he can only do that if the homeowner downloads and installs the Eero app to their cell phone and create an account through that.

Why? An account via Hotwire was made; what does Eero have to do with this?

Eero is the main box that Hotwire configures everything through. In order to proceed with anything internet related, the company has to go through Eero. If you don't do anything in the Eero app, there potentially will be too many problems down the road with Hotwire, if you need any type of troubleshooting help or need to return the devices.

I said that we were told, during our set up several years ago, that Eero is a Wi-Fi extender. It makes sure that we get wireless internet through out the house. All our information is done through the Hotwire app.

He informs us that's false because Hotwire requires everyone to install and use the Eero app in order to make their internet run. If you don't have that, you don't have internet.

I questioned him about that, as I reiterated that the Eero is an extender because we have a Nokia modem. He shot me down, stating that's not true. The Nokia is a modem that may be the brains of what is provided, however, the Eero is the one doing all the work. It is not a mesh / extender. It is the actual router. Without the Eero, you don't have (wireless) internet.

Again, I questioned it because it wasn't how any other tech explained this to us and we also know plenty of people in our community who were told the same thing as we were: The Nokia is what supplies the Internet, the Eero is what makes sure you get a full spray across your house.

To this he still fought me, saying that's wrong information.

I asked him if what he's trying to say is correct, then basically the Nokia shouldn't be part of the equation? That our internet is coming from the Eero only?

The long of the short of it is yes and no.

You need the Nokia modem to get a part of the Internet, as it acts as wired internet. The Eero is plugged into the Nokia and makes the Internet wireless.

So the Nokia isn't wireless already? You can't just hook it up and go online in another room?

Correct.

(Essentially the Nokia is a hardwired device only. You can't roam the house expecting to get online because it won't do do that)

Well that's shitty, I think to myself. What a con job.

(there are a few con jobs going on in this deal.. it's a magician's cup special. Watch where the coin is going under one of the vessels.. and then guess which one it is)

The Eero is what makes the house Wi-Fi compatible, therefore, you need an account on the Eero app. This way, you can change the Internet name, password, boot people, pause people, do whatever you want. While being in one room, away from the actual box.

Essentially, the box takes the place of the all in one machines (modem router.. the surfboard type boxes you get from other companies) that you type in the generic IP address, log in as an administrative user, and change all the stuff you want. There's no way you can do that through the Nokia because it's just a warm body in place of having the ability to manipulate the data.

All of this still doesn't explain why the Eero was being sold as a Wi-Fi extender. That once Hotwire hooks up the Nokia, you need an Eero in any room to be able to get a stronger spray. If this extra box is needed to make the internet, then explain it that way. Don't be telling people that you can get more bang for your buck and a better signal if you use the Amazon backed box.

Which brings me to another con job.

The tech today said that all you need is one Eero, the main Eero, to fill your house with Wi-Fi. It has a 2200 square foot radius, so in an 1850 square foot unit, you're more than covered, room to room. By my community overselling the unit (allowing us to have 2 boxes per house), we're being overcharged because each Eero is a set price (1x$$$) with a set range (2,200 ft²).

This means that the included Internet being part of our HOA, we're paying more than we should for the boxes. All we need are two total devices: One Nokia modem and One Eero. We don't need anything else. The single Eero can take care of everything. It's an Internet work horse.

Now, if you want to get another box, because you have a bigger house (more than the aforementioned 2200 square feet), then yes, a second box will be needed and that's when the entire thing is called an extension or extender. The second box is extending the radius from the first box. There is no in between. Using the first box and only the first box is not a mesh anything. It's a plain old router.

But... but... without even bringing this next part up... you can't tell me the signals push through walls okay. We all know (or should know) how cement and brick prohibit certain frequencies from reaching specific areas. This is why the sales guys said "you need two boxes to be safe" (let alone upsell the data speed.. which is another bracket so you end up paying that tier since the community doesn't provide it. We're talking basics here for our quarterly fees). Sure, they potentially sold us something they shouldn't have, but isn't that part of sales? Making sure you get more than what you need? Going back to the original thought of "it won't go through walls", well, tell me why Ed can't get a proper signal in his garage (he has a TV hooked up with a small banger box. Which he pays extra for) because his router is upstairs in his laundry room. He told me this yesterday - he has been having trouble lately, getting a strong signal when he watches his shows downstairs. I explained to him it's because the garage TV is trying to talk to the upstairs units and since the signal is going across his house, through the floor and into his garage, it's having trouble. It's going through wood, drywall, flooring, cement. and an aluminum door. So by the time it gets to him, he could see some buffering and flickering. Although.. thinking about it now.. we get buffering and it's only going through a couple rooms and an open space. It's still going through drywall, but we're on one level and relatively close to the access points. The hardwired Eero is literally 100 feet away from the living room television. However, it's not hardwired to the Nokia, in the laundry room. It's hardwired to an Ethernet port in the guest room (last Hotwire tech who came in, moved the box from the laundry room to the guest room). This potentially means, I think, it's ultimately a Hotwire issue coming into the house. It is basically an upgraded form of Dish Network: blink or sneeze and the system goes out. You're going to have trouble regardless.

Yet, the fact remains, take a look at Amazon, the place selling the Eero device: all searches point to "mesh system", "extender", "mesh extender system" and other key words (yes, it is also being sold as a "router" or "mesh router"). None of these terms should be interchangeable, in my opinion. This is what is getting people confused, and in my case, frustrated.

If several techs are using one set of vernacular to describe the devices and other techs are not using the same conversational pieces, it leads to a very awkward situation. It makes it look like the company isn't training their people correctly and there are some employees who act as if they know better than others.

Especially today, when I was asking about the devices and the tech saying I'm wrong, even though I said the other technicians were the ones telling me this information. I feel like he treated this situation like I don't know what I'm talking about. I do have to say, he didn't directly state I was wrong; it was the way he was trying to shut me down and correct me. At one point I just mentally clocked out and stopped being part of the exchange; let him deal with the other person in the room and the homeowner on the phone.

Maybe I don't know much, but maybe the Internet doesn't know how to elaborate either, if I am asking the wrong questions to go with it. Maybe the people who come to your house and set up everything don't know what they're doing either.

Given that I was able to disable some settings in the Android Operating System that the TiVo cable box runs on (yes, if you look at some previous posts, Hotwire uses a retrofitted TiVo type box and runs an Android OS) while the two guys who came out to fix our internet, couldn't figure out what was wrong. I asked if it was a setting issue on the box (knowing full right it was) and they scratched their heads, saying no, they didn't think so. They couldn't figure out the problem while searching through the menu and seeing everything was "correct". I didn't want to show them what I knew because it would have created more issues as they would have probably questioned my logic and I would someone look foolish (me, them or all of the above). Yet I'm sure they would have hated me for disabling some stuff as well. Another tech on another day gave me the third degree about not wanting to sign in to the cable box and use my Google account because we could download apps and make the best use of the services provided. Explaining we have other streaming devices (a Roku for example) and we rent these cable boxes, I question how refurbished they actually get some days, since we've gotten previously loved boxes before (from Comcast) and they still had the other user's log in information up and running. Which showed the box wasn't factory reset or as wiped as it should have been. The tech didn't trust that answer and gave me an earful for it.

I digress. I'm not in the IT world, doing any sort of IT job. Everyone has to be their own advocate to a point but there is only so much you can fight back with, to make sure you're on the same page as the people you invite into your home to get everything put together need to be aware of any type of situation.

Nevertheless, the tech today, got everything set up, the TVs turned on, powered up the TiVo splash screen, the Fision boxes logged in to the newly acquired credentials, and he was out of the house by 11am. An hour and a half in and now people who arrive in the house don't need to rely on cellular data from their phones, allowing those who stay, the opportunity to watch the news while they wait for more people to come and deliver stuff to make the unit livable for the owners.

In the end, with all the discussions on who is right and who is wrong and why the terminology needs to be changed, I still feel like Hotwire is a hot mess because they come in, set up to their liking and don't fully explain everything. Like I said, every human working there is different, so you get a variation of knowledge, for as little as they show you on how to work everything. I know they are on a tight schedule, but it doesn't excuse the way they work. That includes the way they charge you for everything too.

All the communities they are in, there is a ten year contract and the rates go up a percentage (4+) a year. Although today's tech wanted to not talk about that because he briefly mentioned something about charges when the extra Eeros were brought up.

I don't know, man. I know I'm sitting here running my mouth about technology and providers, but I really need it to make sense. I was telling a few people, including someone who has been working in high level IT jobs for several decades, and everyone was like "what the actual crazy is going on" because it seems like fakery to them too. Explaining everything that happened and the way things were happening, my friends just couldn't believe what I was telling them. I included photos and videos, and they're texting me back things like "smh", "wtf" and other quizzical messages. My IT friend saw a picture of what the settings menu looked like and he was in shock at the numbers (his exact text "WTF" and then "That makes no sense!"). Overall, the entire thing just didn't seem okay to him. At one point he says "Oh, that's a Mickey Mouse set up if I ever saw one. No pun about being in Florida" because I showed him how the boxes were on the wall using Velcro and staples.

It's how it's done here. I really can't excuse it or make it seem on the level. There's no way to properly show anything and write it out because there are not enough crayons, markers and paper to get it sorted. I wish I had an answer, but this is life now, especially since everything is trying to push into the AI generation. All of today's wildness will be completed more with a touch of a button, just you wait. Then what will we do? I don't know and I don't want to know.

Right now, I think I need to stop while I'm crazily circling around and cut my losses here. My time stamps says I'm posting this at 2:43pm because that's when I started this thing. But it's actually 6pm and I've got to get going. I got squirreled for 45 minutes and had to run an errand for another 15 minutes. So I've really been working on this a few hours, even though I shouldn't have. This is what happens when you just write and lose track of time...

Until I get back the clock pieces I lost, go find something to do and entertain yourself.

Cheers;