I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore

I hope you do. At least, I hope some of my musings are amusing.
 
Yesterday the New England Patriots went up against everyone in America and lost. Patriots and Eagles are a good mix-up of American symbols.

public art in a nearby town

Could the following two odd things I've noticed be harbingers of our lives in the near future?

1)  I recently discovered the existence the International Asteroid Warning Network.
This is both scary and reassuring. Scary because one day the sky could be falling and life as we know it will be screwed. Reassuring because at least some smart people with advance equipment are working together to give us warning. Also possibly with enough warning and global cooperation we could minimize the impact.

2)  In late January there were Nutella riots in France.
I love hazel nuts and I've tasted Nutella. Meh. What food would be worth fighting over? Ok, maybe if a killer asteroid is scheduled to hit soon I might put extra effort in stocking up on beer and wine. It was reported that "In at least three cases, police were called after customers came to blows in the frenzy for Nutella." WOW, imagine getting hit in the head (or nuts) with a jar of Nutella.

Reviewing old posts on my blog aids my recollection of past events. Years ago I traveled with my uncle to Chillicothe MO., the home of sliced bread, but I failed to have a sandwich there. 

I enjoy an idiom but not an idiot. (thinking French Nutella buyers)

Often I’ll beat around the bush which ends with me barking up the wrong tree.

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al

Hopefully I didn’t bite off more than I could chew with this post but at the drop of a hat, the ball is in your court. No pennies needed, the comment section is open now.



 

short PSA

PSA - you know Public Service Announcement.  The following clip demonstrates why mothers should never buy their children helmet cameras.

washing Wednesday

Well it’s still Tuesday but don’t you wish you were a day early for washing?

Today my birthday presents came!

Such excitement - a new washer and dryer. As a bonus birthday treat I was allowed to install them. (saved about $90).

After connecting gas and water hoses, I was very ready to hit the start button.

Before I get ahead of myself, I should tell you what I’m dealing with. Pretty basic models from Whirlpool. The soon-to-be-scrap metal units were about 15 years old (not real sure since we never celebrated their birthdays). They were also Whirlpools.

My wife had heard horror (that’s too strong of an adjective, there was no blood or decapitated bodies in the stories) stories about the newer computerized units in which I believe you can play a DVD. No, she wanted simple turn the dial and push a button type (like me?). Also, she wanted top loading with agitator so that narrowed the selection. I like simple too but honestly the idea of maybe connecting the washing machine to the internet with Wi-Fi is sort of exciting.

Ok - back to “hit the start button”.

My first check I planned was to be water temperature selection, so I thought, I’ll just fill it with some water and check. Twisted the selector knob and push the button. Nothing. The old one would let you load while the water was filling. You could even watch the agitator churn the clothes. Hours of entertainment. The old one died a slow death because one day the agitator became very mellow and barely moved.

Hmm, I’m guessing new safety features on this one (damn government regulations) so I closed the lid. Click, Red Light. Oh, the lid is locked. Still no water.

DAMN NOW I need to open the instruction booklet and find the English section.

• Section - How to wash clothes
• Step 1 - sort and prepare clothes - OH c’mon, really, why not start with WEAR CLOTHES UNTIL DIRTY!
• Step 2 - add detergent
• Step 3 - add clothes - Now this is interesting, as mention above we would add detergent, clothes with the water filling in the past.

So at this point I decide I need a plan B. I’ll check the operation with some actual clothes. Add clothes, detergent, make selection, shut lid, and press start. Some noise but NO sound of water running. Double check hoses and shut off values. Everything looks good. Then I hear water filling - yes! It appears to have a long delay before the water starts.

But how will I know the water temperature matches the selection if it goes through the whole cycle? Look at manual - pick up manual - actually read some part of manual.

If you need to open the lid (they offer the explanation that you forgot an article of clothing - what if you are just plain curious does that count?) during an operation in which its locked you can push the start button and pause the operation. If you push and hold for 3 seconds you can abort the whole mission.

Houston we have a problem!

A few tries with the lid and pause button and I get the feel of it.  I own this machine now.

Finally I am master of the washing machine. I changed the temperature selection, paused operation, unlocked the lid and checked the water. I still could not check the water while it was flowing in, but it was still dripping.  I even flipped over to spin and had the water pumping out of there.

It does sound completely different than the old one too. Different mechanical sounds from the motor. Maybe its voice will change in a few years.

Then a strange sense of pride and responsibility came over me.

At that very moment, in my basement, I knew I was the only one of the household that knew the operational details of the washing machine. The gatekeeper of the washing machine. I would need to prepare a tutorial for others.

I hope that I can calmly explain the operation to my wife. Maybe I should consult our daughters the teachers for guidance.

Oh, I just realized I gave all my attention to the washer. The dryer is also a new Whirlpool but maybe back in its development an Apple engineer was involved because it just worked. No need to open the manual on that one.

another circus

summer spin

Another spin cycle - this one is on summer planning.

Summer should be planned spontaneous. Well isn't that the argument at times? Is it better to plan or not plan.

Your balance on that decision is really personal choice. My wife and I traveled to both Central America and Europe with ONLY reservations for the start and end of the trip. The middle part was filled in as we went. Making plans on the fly allows flexibility but sometimes can eat up your time searching for a clean place to rest your head.

So Summer - warm, hot, wet, long days, thunder storms, sandy beaches,

It's a time to get out into nature and enjoy - right?

Sometimes that means sharing with the insects.


Back during my daughter's teen years (boy that can be an exciting/scary time for parents) I became familiar with a YMCA camp in nearby Wisconsin.

She started as a camper but liked it enough that the next year she signed-up as a camp counselor (starts with in-training then progressively advances to more important roles).

This became her summer plan for a few years. She enjoys kids and now she is a teacher.

One trip up to the camp became very memorable, almost in a very bad way.

As a counselor she would have sessions at the camp lasting many weeks straight. When she had a free weekend she would be eager to come back.

So one summer Friday afternoon, I hurried up to the camp. Driving to the camp was enjoyable after getting off the interstate. The two lane country road was hilly, tree lined, and offered views of numerous small lakes.

She was ready to go when I arrived so it wasn't long and we were off for the ride home.

However, we quickly discovered a nasty part of nature was about to arrive too.

High wind is very noticeable in the woods. Watching large trees sway and snap their branches is a scary sight.

As I pulled out from the dirt (now mud) road onto the two lane country road, this summer thunder storm was about to peak. I pulled over on the shoulder for a short while. We were both amazed and shocked to see the debris whipped across our path.

After what seem the worst, I cautiously started down that scenic-turned-scary road.

Then we both saw something frightening.

A car was racing uncontrollably towards us.

I think my daughter screamed but if so I might not of heard her because my whole focus was on avoiding a head-on collision.

The approaching car swerved, went off the road, through a ditch, through a front yard and was quickly stopped by a large tree.

Our eyes were open wider than ever and our hearts racing.

I pulled over again and decided I needed to go back and check. I didn't carry a cellphone back then. When I approached the car I surprised not to see any passengers. They all had taken off.

I went up to a nearby house and got the attention of homeowner. We pieced the puzzle together - mostly likely underage drinkers who survived the crash but probably didn't want to stick around for the police report. We left.

When we finally reached the interstate and stopped at a restaurant we learned we just had been in the path of a tornado.

Nature can be both beautiful and scary in the woods.

=== update ===

I don't often add updates but this may explain the danger of Wisconsin driving.

News from the Wausau Daily Herald:

Pantsless woman arrested

A 29-year-old Plover woman who was talking on a cell phone and driving without pants was charged with drunken driving following a crash in the town of Port Edwards ....
....who was driving her pickup truck east on Highway 54 just before 8:50 a.m. Sunday, had her pants hanging out the window to dry when the vehicle hit the highway shoulder, and Jackson overcorrected, according to the Wood County Sheriff's Department Accident Report. The pickup crossed the centerline, entered the ditch and rolled.

Dust in the wind

I remember seeing pictures of Scott Wade's art sometime ago. I guess he's still at it. Interesting that what most people see as a problem/annoyance, he sees as an opportunity. This video clip gives some background on his technique.

Check out his web site.