Random Cell Phone Pics

One reason, actually there are several reasons, why I've not purchased an Apple iPhone is because I like my current phone - an LG model, that works just fine. It doesn't have a high resolution mega pixel rating, but oftentimes it surprises me with the picture quality. I was checking out my SD cell phone card today and I came across a couple of shots that I had taken - just on the spur of the moment. That is the real advantage of a cell phone camera, it's available anytime to capture a shot that you would otherwise miss. I don't intend to make 13 by 19 framed photos from my cellphone pictures, that just doesn't work, but it's nice to reflect on an image that reminds you of a fun time - especially one that you had pretty much forgotten about or that you forgot that you had even taken a picture. Two of those kind of photos are posted to today's blog - to the right and at the bottom of the page.

Friday Night at the Movies

We had a fun time at tonight's gathering. We decided to eat relatively healthy, well... at least the entree (chicken sandwiches from Chick-fill-A). In addition we had some chicken noodle soup, a reasonably healthy choice I suppose, and for dessert we forgot about all the nutritional do's and don'ts and instead we had some rather decadent pastries. What the heck - live a little! Dave stopped off at a fancy bakery and purchased several interesting selections i.e. berry tarts and key lime pie with vanilla ice cream (the real stuff). Tom shared his video clips from China, a very interesting experience I might add, and I showed a few clips from my visit to Louisville last month. We decided to watch a sci-fi flick, The Chronicles of Reddick (part 3). I like some of the movies from the sci-fi genre, however - it's not my favorite category. But this one was pretty good, with a decent story line and fantastic computer generated scenes. During the movie we had popcorn. Oddly enough that is a recent addition for movie night, as somehow we just forgot to fix popcorn at previous gatherings. It will probably be a staple now.

After the movie we discussed world problems, politics, religion and the new TV shows for the fall season. We shut things down around one o'clock - tired, but satisfied. You can see a picture of the guys to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Great Place For An Outdoor Snooze

I'm into relaxing this week - it must be the weather. Yesterday I posted the picture of our backyard swing, which is a great place to meditate - today it's about the patio hammock. I find it a good place to relax while the meat (oftentimes, it is more likely to be fish) is cooking on the barbecue grill. Got to be careful not to doze off though. That almost happened once, and while I was cooking too. Oh, and you also need to be cautious so you don't fall out. The concrete is a rough place to land. I'm not saying if that ever happened to me, you know - just be careful. Anyway, if you like to have a place to relax outdoors, a place where you can get horizontal and snooze if you aren't cooking, you can't beat a hammock. Check out the blog pictures to the right and at the bottom of the page to see my patio hammock.

Fall Weather

When the Delta breeze kicks in, it's always nice to just sit in the swing in our backyard and take it easy. The first of many fall days, that hopefully will provide amble opportunity for such leisure, is now upon us. At least that is the case in Elk Grove, where there hasn't been any measurable rain for about four months now. It is that window of weather which occurs right after the rigorous summer heat - and just prior to the rainy season. I always enjoy this time of year, but even more so now that I'm retired. It use to be difficult to find time to relax during the start up of a new school semester, but now I no longer have to deal with that issue. You can see my favorite spot in the backyard to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Baby Face

To the right and at the bottom of the blog page you can see the picture of the one cat that will be placed on the Dog Wall of Fame. I told Al, some time back, that I would only post one cat picture - and it would be Baby Face. She wasn't real cooperative about having her picture taken (typical cat "tude"). I had to kind of sneak around the side of the car, where she was hiding, and surprise her. Anyway, as soon as I get some more 13 by 19 glossy paper for my Canon printer, Baby Face will be amongst the top dogs in the neighborhood. Hope they don't get too rilled up.

New Shows

Fall is always a fun time to watch television. This week some new shows will make their debut - and others, from last year, will start their new season. Nancy and I decided to check out a few shows tonight. We saw the first episode of The Big Bang Theory. It was fun to watch and it had some funny lines, but I'm not sure there will be enough interest by viewers to keep it going an entire season. I kind of hope so though, because I think that I'm going to like it. Two and a Half Men is a sitcom that I like to watch each week. Nancy doesn't watch it very often. It had a pretty good start - with Jake staring off to junior high school. Nancy and I both like Dancing With the Stars and this should be a good season to watch, since we like many of the participants who will be competing. I don't have a favorite just yet, the men will be dancing tomorrow night.

I also followed the news today regarding the President of Iran speaking at Columbia - Glen Beck (CNN) had particularly good coverage of this event. Additionally, I checked my DVR list and decided to view the recent 60 Minute interview with Alan Greenspan. Very interesting, I may decide to get the audio version of his new book. Greenspan still seems to have significant influence over the economy. All and all, kind of a media type of a day.

John, a former neighbor, finished up the work on our pool this morning. We had a new pump installed. I added chemicals and vacuumed the entire pool. It's good to go again. The new pump is quieter and more powerful. John did a good job. He's almost eighty now and still likes to do some of my projects. It takes a little longer, but he does a good job and charges a fair price for his labor.

Quiet Sunday - Fall Weather

As usual, on a tranquil Sunday like today, we don't try to do a whole lot. We got up a little later than normal (we had stayed up late to watch the movie "Keeping the Faith"). We had our breakfast, actually more like a brunch, and read the paper. I watched some football, the Patriots with Brady and Moss looked real good, and afterwards I cleaned the pool and did a couple of little things around the house. This evening - I watched 60 minutes. I wanted to see the interview with the President of Iran. He's speaking at Columbia University tomorrow. Gina, our next door neighbor's daughter, attends Columbia on a scholarship and I'm wondering if she will try to attend the event. Also, I imagine Glenn Beck will have plenty to say about his speech. All of this should prove interesting.

I watched the new season of "Shark" tonight. I like James Wood, the actor, and he is very good in the TV series. There appears to be several new shows coming up for the fall season that look promising. I'm checking out "The Big Bang Theory" tomorrow.

It is going to be a fairly active week coming up and our weather is looking more fall like each day. I like when the season changes. I get re-energized. I should have a new picture to post tomorrow. I still have to do a little more editing on it. It will be a bit of a surprise, as you will see.

B Street Theatre - Rabbit Hole

We went to the B Street tonight, to see a drama named "Rabbit Hole". It was a very poignant play about a couple who lost a child due to an accident. On occasion B Street will produce a dramatic play, but usually they do comedies. The patrons of B Street have asked for more dramas and Buck Busfield, the owner and producer, has agreed to schedule more dramatic plays for the coming year. If Rabbit Hole is any indication of the production quality that they are striving to achieve - than it should be a very good year for B Street patrons. Rabbit Hole is an excellent play.

Our group (Joe, Annie, Dave, Nancy and myself) went to Sai Jongs restaurant to eat. They serve Korean food. Carter passed on the meal, but joined us for the play. The food was delicious and very inexpensive. We really like dining at Sai Jongs, especially on B Street night.

All and all - a very enjoyable Saturday outing with our friends.

Dog Wall of Fame Update

Zelda's picture went on the Dog Wall of Fame today. She makes the eighth picture to be hung on the garage wall. As you may recall, the pictures are currently only of the neighborhood dogs, although I'm considering adding dog pictures from other locations as well i.e from pictures that my friends have sent from various cities around the US. I'm going to need more wall space to do that, however. I'll be checking out that possibility as I already have a few email pictures of my friend's pets that could be suitable for framing. Zelda's framed picture can be seen to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Sac PC Users Group Meeting

I joined Beales, Carter and Mahoney at tonight's Sac PC Users Group meeting. The topic was Windows Vista. We came away with some useful tips on working with Vista. We also saw a good presentation on PCI Express and how the changes in the standards will impact video cards and other PC hardware. There was only a small turn out at the meeting tonight, probably less than thirty. I guess Windows Vista is lagging somewhat with trying to become a mainstream OS.

The picture to the right and at the bottom of the blog page shows the set up for my new family room computer. It is proving to be very compatible with the twenty eight inch ViewSonic monitor.

Smoke Free Zone

Today's focus was on Nancy's car - more specifically on getting rid of the odor of smoke that has been detectable since we purchased it last December. The previous owner was a pipe smoker. We know that from the tobacco residue that was left from his pipe pouch that use to be placed in the glove compartment. At the time, I didn't think the odor should be a deal breaker. I thought i knew a detail person that could easily remedy the problem. I was wrong.

Josh gave it his best effort, but he came up short. He has a good reputation when it comes to detailing cars, but this job didn't represent his best effort. After a few days, even though the odor was less intense, it was still present. I've been working on a solution ever since. The other day I asked Nancy how well she liked the car (a 2005 Buick LaCrosse CXS), on a scale of one to ten, and she said nine point eight. That is a very high score for my wife to give any vehicle, she isn't a car person, so I said we would take one last shot at getting rid of the smoke odor for good, since she really seems to favor this car. I happen to like it as well.

Today I had the Buick dealership change all of the pollen filters in the passenger compartment and afterwards I took it to a new detail shop that just opened in Elk Grove. I had previously talked to the owner at some length about the problem and he agreed to tackle the job personally and with only a minimal charge if I wasn't satisfied with the outcome. He had just recently purchased a machine designed specifically for eliminating vehicle odors and he said that he has gotten very good results.

We left the Buick at the detail shop for about three hours and upon returning I had Nancy check it out thoroughly - she has the more sensitive sniffer. She gave the job a thumbs up - so it appears that the mission was accomplished. We'll know more in a few days - after the interior drys out completely. But everything looks favorable at this point. Who knows, we may have the Buick for a long time. That would be a significant change from our recent practice of trading about every two years.

New Computer Will Be Used During Friday Night at the Movies

Our next Friday Night at the Movies meeting will be on the 28th of this month. The new computer, along with the ViewSonic twenty eight inch monitor, will be used for a variety of applications. We usually have a "Show and Tell" segment during the gathering and now we can share our travel videos and slide shows using the larger monitor for viewing . Laptop size screens don't really provide the needed resolution for such applications, at least not for a group of four. The Epson projector, which is fine for movies (it provides a nice bright eighty inch screen), but it isn't up to the task when it comes to small text - or vivid photos. The new equipment should improve on this situation.

In addition to "Show and Tell, we often need to use the Internet to research whatever topic comes up for discussion. In fact, the Internet oftentime provides the fuel for our discussions. Now we can view web sites i.e. You Tube videos, with better resolution, and in a larger format. I've saved several educational You Tube videos to "My Favorites", using my You Tube account. You Tube provides a great learning experience and generates lots of meaningful dialogue among the participants.

So, I'm really looking forward to our next gathering. As always, technology plays a significant role during the meetings and the new equipment should take things to the next level. I'll post the outcome after our meeting on the 28th.

First Post From New Computer

I just purchased a new desktop computer - this one has the Vista Home Premium operating system installed. It is somewhat different from the older Windows XP version. So far I like the improvements, but it does take some time to figure out all of the changes. Most of it is intuitive, but not everything. My friend, Tom Henry, has been very helpful regarding my questions about Vista. Tom is now our resident expert on Vista as he has been working with a couple of versions of Vista for a few weeks now. He is having a much better "Vista" experience using the Ultimate version. So far, of course it's only been two days, so it's too early to tell, Vista is working fine on my new computer.

The computer is a HP m8000n multi media desktop. It has TV viewing and recording capabilities including a remote control device, which is the next feature I plan to pursue - after I try out the movie making program provided by Microsoft. For my techie blog viewers - I'm aware of the poor ratings that several reviewers have given the HP m8000n computer. I've read most of them. There are many such reviews posted over the Internet in regards to this model. But the deal was too good to pass up... so I'm willing to take the chance. Anyway, I've always been a bit of a sceptic after reading computer reviews, but the odds are that the reviewers are correct about this particular model. The m8000n uses an early version of Vista (this model has been out for some time and I bought a display unit, so who knows how much use it's had?), but I've got a two week window to test it out, so if it has serious glitches they should come out during that period.

I bought the computer at Staples and if you are curious as to why it was such an interesting deal, send me an email and I'll provide you with the details. I think you might be surprised with Staples new policy (only at certain stores) regarding their computer sales. I've got to credit Mr. Henry for making this discovery. Thanks Tom, I think I'm going to like the Staples method for purchasing their computer products.

Oh, I almost forgot, the new picture I just added, to the right and at the bottom of the blog page, is from the California State Fair.

Have an Apple?

Tom and I checked out the iPhone during our Thursday outing. With the two hundred dollar price drop, it's makes for a more tempting purchase. We've both read most of the pros and cons about the phone. We just wanted to get our hands on one, so we could see for ourselves.

After trying out the various functions, I thought that the 4 mg phone, at $299, might be a good buy. That is, if it had a better camera and could work off of the 3G wireless service - which it can't. Tom said he would probably opt for the 8 mg version, but the phone needs to be compatible with hes new 64 bit Vista Ultimate computer - and it isn't. As a result, no iPhone purchases were made. Guess we'll wait for the second generation iPhone to arrive and then see what improvements Apple makes to the product.

Tom's Turkeys

As I was driving up to Tom's driveway ( we set up an outing to Bennies for this evening), I noticed that the neighborhood turkeys were nearby - just standing around, as usual. The turkeys are all over the neighborhood and oftentimes out in the middle of the street. It's an interesting sight to see and worthy of a blog picture. You can see Tom's turkeys to the right of the blog page and a larger version of the photo is posted at the bottom of the page. Oh... and we had steak and chicken while dining at Bennies tonight - no turkey! Bennies always has a great meal!

Comcast Kind of Day

My Internet connection has been spotty for about a week. It's been intermittently dropping the signal and not coming back on for several hours. I checked everything on my end, to no avail, and decided to let Comcast figure it out. A technician answered within a minute of my call and she remotely reset my modem from her location. That seemed to take care of the problem, but the technician wanted to make sure the signal was going to hold, so she suggested that I have a service person come out the next day - to check the entire system. Sounded like a good idea to me. The technician arrived, as scheduled. He said that there had been some problems with the Comcast infrastructure in our area for the last week and he had been working on it for several days. He ran a series of tests and put some new upgraded splitters on my cable connections. Things are going swimmingly again. Comcast does seem to be working on improving their customer service - and if my experience is any indication - they are making good progress. There was no charge for the service and the technician said to call them if I experience any problems. Overall, I'd have to say today was a good Comcast day. Got to have my Internet service! It's an essential tool!

Working On Digital Pictures

I'm still editing my digital pictures from the California State Fair. There were several paintings that I liked. Sometimes I jot down the artist name, but for the one posted today, I did not. I like the setting, the colors and, of course - the car.

Continuing to Exercise

In a few more days, I'll be finishing up my fifth month of doing the treadmill workouts. It can still be a struggle, at times, to work up the energy to exercise. I altered the routine while I was in Louisville. The Drury had an exercise room - with two treadmills. So, there was no problem gaining access to the equipment. Since I do my routine at night, the equipment was always available. But with all the walking I did during the day, oftentimes in very humid conditions, I didn't feel I had the energy to do my full workout.

As a result of altering my exercise routine while on vacation, I found it difficult to jump right back in to the same conditioning level that I was accustom to, prior to leaving Elk Grove. It has taken a little over a week to return to an hour a day, five day a week, program. I'm still committed to exercising, but I realize that any alteration from the usual regiment increases the risk of abandoning the entire program. I'm not really doing all that much, but even with my rather simple program, a lot of it is mental - just working up the willpower mentally to start the routine each night. There are so many excuses that sound so reasonable at the time, but which actually can under mind your health. I'm going to continue, on a day by day basis, for as long as I can generate enough energy. Currently I'm doing three and three quarter miles - walking at an aerobic level (3.6 to 3.7 speed). That is what is recommended for cardiovascular conditioning (for the senior types). I"ll do another blog update on my program, after I complete six months, if I make it that long. I'm not doubting that I will, I'm just being realistic regarding the "mental" aspect.

Baby Brandon Picture

Today's picture shows Baby Brandon at six months of age. He loves having his picture taken. Kristi had some photos taken at a studio and she gave her grandma one of the prints. I scanned it for the blog. Nancy mentioned that his tee shirt is wrinkled, but I felt that it made the picture more authentic. My tee shirt was always wrinkled in my baby pictures. Pictures of baby boys are not usually very pristine. It won't be long before Brandon starts crawling and jabbering - that is when the real fun starts. I should have some very interesting pictures and videos when that happens.

Steve and Zelda Visit

I've seen Steve and Zelda out for walks on numerous occasions, but for some reason I kept forgetting to ask Steve if I could take Zelda's picture for the "Dog Wall of Fame". Today was the perfect time, as Steve had a few minutes, and Zelda was willing to have her picture taken. We had a little trouble getting her to look at the camera, but luckily, after several shots, she looked straight ahead with her big beautiful brown eyes and smiled, well... sort of. Steve said that Zelda is seven and a half years old and she likes everyone. I guess that might mean - even cats. She is very well mannered and likes to be petted. She doesn't care much for the heat, or the humidity, so sometimes Steve has to cut her walks short. I'll be getting Zelda's "Dog Wall of Fame" photo ready for framing, sometime latter this week.

Another Painting from the California State Fair

My Mom always enjoyed quilting, so that is probably why I relate to today's posted picture. Mom gave Nancy and me several quilts over the years, which we still use, and although as she got older and it took longer for her to finish the job, she still liked doing it and she created some beautiful work. There were a lot of quilts at both fairs that I attended. So, maybe it isn't a lost art.

California State Fair - Painting

The art work at the California State Fair is usually very good. This year was no exception. The fair organizers devote an entire hall to paintings and sculptures. I like to capture, using my Nikon digital camera, an eight mega pixel shot (tiff ) of a painting (no flash) and afterwards tweak it in Adobe Photoshop Elements. If that turns out with good detail and accurate color, I print a thirteen by nineteen print using my Canon i9900 printer. I then either frame it, or put it in an album designed to hold thirteen by nineteen prints. The picture I have posted on the blog today has been printed and it will soon go in a white frame, right after I receive my latest order of frames from an online source. I plan to hang it in the exercise room - near another large print that I took while visiting Lake Tahoe earlier this year.

California State Fair Video

I always like to check the various county exhibits at the fair. Some counties, and they are not always the largest, set up very elaborate and intriguing displays for the state fair. Surprisingly, oftentimes the larger counties may not put as much effort into their displays. This is frequently the case regarding the counties in southern California, where they somehow can't relate to what is happening in the northern region of the state. More than a few people, including those in state government, believe that the state should be split into two states, so you would probably end up having the capitol of Southern California in Los Angeles, or San Diego.

The county exhibit that really got my attention this year is Sutter County. I posted a picture of their display a few days ago and today I've added a video link. You can view the video at the site below:

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=SutterCountyAnimation.flv

IMAX Theatre and Greek Festival

Dave, Tom and I went on a little outing today - to the downtown IMAX theatre and then across the street to the annual Greek Festival. We saw the Harry Potter movie in 3D ( it was very entertaining). The food at the Greek Festival was, as usual, delicious. I had the chicken plate, which included green beans, rice and bread. Very tasty. Afterwards, we took some pictures and videos of the people attending (lots of families with their kids). There was lots of dancing to songs sung by local Greek musicians. All and all it was a really fun day and a nice way to celebrate the Labor Day weekend.

I posted a picture of my new 28 inch ViewSonic monitor. I've just started to test it out, but so far it is working out well. It should be a nice addition for showing slide-shows and video clips during Friday Night at the Movies.

My Job Was Outsourced

If you check the pictures today, you'll see one that Dwight took of me while we were traipsing around downtown Louisville during my vacation. I had mentioned to Dwight that the restaurant that my father owned (The Imperial Coffee Shoppe) was once located at the very spot where we were standing (7th and Jefferson). It was at that spot that I use to sell newspapers to people walking by, or to those who drove up in their cars. It was sort of a break from the restaurant work that I did so often, and I rather enjoyed it. Dwight thought it would be a good idea to get a shot of me with my modern day replacement - a coin operated machine that dispenses newspapers. What a cruel world! There is no way that thing can do the job I did! In the long run though, it's probably cheaper and I'm sure it doesn't complain a lot about being out in all kinds of weather. The day Dwight took the picture it was one hundred and five with high humidity. On second thought, the machine can have that job! It's too hot to be out selling the Courier -Journal.