Never Late Nor Sorry

Mellow Yellow

Picture taking is now my almost obsession.  I’m sitting here and not out back taking more pictures is my explanation and defense.  I am obsessive from time to time. 

This morning I was listening to some of the you tube video’s I’ve posted and came across an annoying issue.  I can’t open the most popular video in my library.  It comes up with a message “An error occurred, try again later”.  The you tube forums and youtube say it is not a youtube problem, but I have no problem opening my other video’s and I wonder how the error gets placed in the middle of the video box? 

So if you want to hear the Frobisher Bay Volunteers sing Go Lassie Go, go to my music blog: http://bobsmusicblog.wordpress.com/category/frobisher-bay-volunteers/

It’s a great song and good rendition.

I’m going to add more songs soon.

Bob

The Civil War – A Film by Ken Burn: Review

I just finished a review of The Civil War, the documentary by Ken Burns and I urge you to watch it.  The Civil War was a tragedy for this Nation and I do hope we will find better ways of solving difficult and emotional problems.  The losses in The Civil War are grotesque; let us work to make men free without killing them.

The review is published on docspoc.com.  Here is the link to my review.

Amazon invited this review and I was happy to oblige.

Some of the techniques used by Burns are discussed in this blog on Adventures in Software.   I submitted a response to this article but for some unknown reason it did not post.

GM has dropped support for future Ken Burns documentaries.  I hope that he is able to find alternate funding sources.  I’m sorry to see the expiration of a 10 year contract be treated as a retreat by GM.

iPhone makes my speakers buzz

I place my iPhone on the counter between the speakers and the speakers buzz. I move the iPhone and it stops.

I first noticed that the speakers attached to my home computer buzzed once in while. I could not find the cause, nor could the computer experts. We finally decided it must be something in the electrical system. But no, the buzz spread.

The $39.99 speakers I attached to my laptop began to buzz. What is this I thought? Is it me? No

My TV buzzed. What I thought is going on?  No help from Apple.

Then the radio we use for the Dog when we are out began to buzz? Oh my god it must be in the walls; perhaps a ghost. Buzz.  Hummmm.  No help from AT & T

The next thing to buzz was the speakers in my car. Yup, the ones in my car began to buzz and I was wondering if it was now in my head. Well at least it was not in the house, or, was this ghost following me?

Next came the new Bose speakers I hooked up to my laptop. Buzz. So it was not a quality issue, or so I thought.

Then one sunny day full of promise for good things to come and kicked off by a great cup of my very own Special Blend Coffee, I picked up my iPhone, then laying within a few feet of the Bose speakers, to make a call, just as the buzz was buzzing. The buzz stopped.

Holy cow. I’m on to it; jubilent, I celebrated.

I put the iPhone then next to the speakers and – buzz. I removed it – no buzz.

When I put the iPhone near the speakers – buzz. Move the iPhone away – no buzz. Ever since I keep the iPhone away from the speakers – no buzz. The mystery is solved.  No more buzzes in the car, the TV, the Radio, the Bose Speakers ( $119), or ever the el cheapo laptop speakers.  No more buzz.

My iPhone makes my speakers speak. They buzz.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Anyone else?

Question of the day.   Are my ears speakers?  Are my vocal chords speakers?

Bob Johnson

Paul Johnson, How to Nail a Wall

This is my son Paul, in the process of erecting an addition to his home.  He has several friends helping, including his brother-in-law.  Dad is the camera man.  There is lots more to come.  It’s quite something to watch these young, well, not so young anymore; one of them was heard saying “I could move a lot faster when I was 20″.

Dad

Joe the Plumber for Pajama TV

In the original interview with President Elect Obama Joe was concerned his ‘income’ was greater than $250,000.  The income he talked about is really Sales, which I conclude since there are only two employees in the business he wants to buy: the owner, Joe.  Sales are not taxed, only net income. 

I’m thinking that everyone was so desperate for either a hammer (JMC) or a story (CNN, FOX …) that the facts were, once again, not reviewed.  I prefer the anvil of facts.

What the heck is Joe doing in Israel dodging bombs? 

Joe, you are a great thing for pjtv.com; they clearly know how to promote and somehow got you in front of not only their comera’s but CNN’s.   Good work Joe, you are an inspriration to all entrepreneurs wanting more publicity.  You owe John McCain a ton for elevating you from the  tunnels of plumberland to the tubes of plumbers.

Bob

Ashoka Died 232 B.C. Edicts called for equality of all and World Peace

Here is a link to Asoka’s rock edicts: Edicts  Ashoka died in 232 BC, 232 years before Christ.

This King of what today is modern day India, fought a battle out of which he conquered Kalinga, killing 100,000 people, or so.

After the battle the king had an awakening and decreed that all humans and animals were to be treated harmlessly and equally.  He was the first person to do this, yet, he was virtually unknown until 1832 and was not recognized for greatness until 1915.

Today, who has heard of Ashoka?  I watched a PBS show The Story of India that highlighted his story.  Its fantastic as he was the first king or leader of large populations who called for in effect non violence, and, for the harmless treatment of all humans and animals.

Please read this article or order the DVD, the Story of India, from PBS.org

Bob

Minority Majority or Potpourri?

Minority Majority or Potpourri

Colin Powell, interviewed  by Fareed Zakaria on CNN, used the term minority majority.  The sum of the interview was that the Republican Party is too far to the right, pushed there by Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh.   He points out that small town values, the swansong of the republican candidates for the White House, states that most Americans, who don’t live in small towns, have poor values.   How too do you deal with cities where the minority majority …

Minority no longer defines, in terms of groups, the group with the fewest members, as in, the republicans are the minority party in the house and senate.  The new meaning of minority is potpourri; a mixed group, one that may consist of Blacks, Hispanic, Mexicans or the group that is the targeted topic.  So Blacks are no longer a minority, Hispanics are no longer a minority, Mexicans are no longer a minority nor is any other targeted group.  If it is true that you can not be in two places at the same time then the term minority majority is not useful, for it is wrong.

America is a melting pot.  This means that its citizens come from many area’s of the globe and over time and over a heated surface, melt into a unified assemblage, white in color.  Put a tad more accurately, no color, for white is the absence of color. Wipedia defines white as an assemblage of all color spectrums, which offset each other.  That fits our definition of melting pot just fine.  So we are a colorless people, which may too be true but not the topic.

But this line of thought was unchallenged by Fareed Zakaria and is spoken of more and more frequently.  Whites can be in the minority.  There are now areas of the country where so-called white people, caucasians, are the minority.  But this fact is denied by the term Minority Majority.  If we accept the term ‘minority majority’ then whites can not be a minority for minorities are not white, according to the definition by public figures.

I think we must get used to the idea that the melting pot, given enough heat, will be tan.  A new slogan might be “America the Tan”, or “get tanned in America, its cheaper than the islands”.   Oh?  Well.

I think we must stop amalgamating people and begin speaking of the various groups in terms of their share of population.  No more minoritiy majorities.  This is too confusing.

Will you not help me with this discussion?  Help.

Bob

Monaco Service Center AKA Monaco Hospital, Wildwood, Florida

View from our room in Monaco Service Center

There are many parts of Florida that resemble Africa.  These wide oak trees with moss are an example.  And there are wide open plains just filled with them – widely separated by fields of grass.  It is beautiful.  And last night we watched for the third time The Patriot with Mel Gibson that contains scenes of  Plantation entrances lined with wide oaks that form a covered road, cooler by far than the surrounding area.  These covered roads are many in Florida, mostlly owned by rich folk.  They are lovely to behold and a pleasure to ride liesurely on a recumbent bicycle.

Monaco is a manufacturer of motor homes with a sterling reputation.  I must say that once we found out about the ‘Hospital’ in Wildwood, Florida we were much encouraged and as you might say, “we saw light at the end of our trek” for good solid service.  There have been some persistent problems with water leaks and many other punch list items some of which were darn near fatal and some of which are cosmetic.  The sum of Hospital time this year is around three months out of the 9 months we owned the Holiday Rambler Endeavor.  These are beautiful machines made by Monaco.

We purchased our coach (manufacturers like to use this term, coach, but most of us call them motor homes) from Lazydays in February of 2008.  The sales department was awesome with people of all kinds falling all over us at every step and fulfilling every whim.  About a minute after we signed the papers everything changed and until we found this Monaco Service Center in Florida nine (9) months later, we were fit to be tied, which is nice way of saying we were ready to kill, write honest blogs, and generally seek revenge.  ”Nevermore”, says the Raven.

A week ago we arrived at Lazydays full of fighting spirit and armed with a list as long as a man’s tie.  I would stop at nothing until speaking with a person who had authority.  Within an hour I was siting in front of  T.J., the service manager.  Only later did I realize he was doing the nod and smile.  Now nod and smile is not easy to pull off and it is harder to detect when an expert is executing this strategy.  T.J. is highly trained, think Seal vs G.I.  He had the chance to say: “Bob, I’ll take care of this”.  Instead he took advantage of my good will and uttered nonsense, for example, “oh geeze” or something close.  My mistake was telling him we were headed to the Hospital.

Dean Koontz was a favorite airplance author of mine until his latest “Your Heart Belongs to Me”.  About every 10 pages he throws in a big word like, inanition.  Only a spelling bee champion would know what this means.  Websters On-line defines it as the quality or state of being empty, such as, empty headed.  This is T.J.’s behavior.  He is an extremely nice man suffering from inanition.

Not Monaco Service Center.  These folks are pleasant and responsive and know what they are doing.  When we met Matt and Brady we knew we were, like the man on T.V. says “in good hands”, and these hands were bigger than a camilion.   We must thank Bob Richardson for following up with a call to service manager Caroline Champion in Wildwood.  She is an expert and did in fact say, “I’ll call you on Monday or Tuesday” with an appointment for follow-up surgery.

Right now we wait patiently for a toilet part to arrive.  We were admitted to the emergency room on Wednesday morning and put in the triage queue.  On Thursday our time had come; the problem was diagnosed and a part sought.  They were out.  So we had to wait through the weekend for closure, which we expect tomorrow. 

Who can complain though, the camping is free and the view from our room was nice and sunny and mild.  And Monaco picked up the tab.  ”Huzzah.  Huzzah.  Huzzah.”   

Bob

Holiday Rambler Blowout

Happy Birthday Bob.

We are hoping that the issues we have with Holiday Rambler will go away.  Unfortunately they persist.  The blowout yesterday of the inside, rear, passenger side Goodyear 275/80R22.5 tire, with only 6,631 miles on it, is another bump on this road.  The leak in the water line leading to the bathroom toilet is still, after four attempts at repair, a real headache and possible killer.  We are concerned that the leak will lead to mold in the Floriday Sunshine.  We have already had one near death and destruction event when the motor shut down without warning and I lost the power steering in the middle of a left turn into Lazydays, with a truck bearing down on us, in Tampla, Florida.  The list is much longer than this but these are the highlights.

Coach net did a passeable job of finding a repair shop, but the one they found had only a tire that was a near equivalent.  I called a wholesaler in Florence, S.C. who gave me two numbers in Manning, S.C., exit 115 on Route 95 in S.C.  Taylor Made Tires and Towing had two used Michelin 275/80R22.5 tires and I arranged to have them come out.  Mackenzie, the lead man on the truck did a yeoman’s job replacing the tire.  They are heavy, extremely hard to get off and then on the rim, and then fill with air.  But Mackenzie, aided by Dan his assistant, “Taylor Made” it look easy.  Five hours later we rolled back into the rain and fog and night fall and promptly turned around and made for the closest Wal-Mart.

We decided to head to Tampa and visit once again with the ladies and gentlemen at Lazydays.  This will not be an easy visit, but I hope productive.

Pilgrims and Indians on Thanksgiving Day in North Carolina

It was a great day. We spent the day in costumes

 

Cathy and Bob, Tribal Leaders

 

This was the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had.  We had an Iroquois Prayer, homemade cranberry sauce, deep fried and oven cooked birds, potatoes, brocoli and carrots cooked in foil with a ton of butter, and stuffing cooked separately and scrumptious.

It was a grand time.  Some mid-afternoon singing of grass and folk tunes and lullaby’s.

Cathy made the best darn mashed potatoes I’ve ever had and oh by the way, Cathy orgainzed this entire family gathering and it took a enormous amount of time.  She provided bedding, kitchen stuff and food, all organic for both the Pilgrims and Indians.

 

Jennifer, Jeff and Ingrid and the Tribal Counsel Jury

Jennifer and Jeff and Ingrid flew all the way from LA to join us in North Carolina.  Jeff is an expert chef and helped Paul with the Deep Fried Turkey, and he made the scrumptious cranberry sauce and a day earlier a Green Pasta.  He also did the carrots and brocoli, also out this world.

Jeff got the best hat award. 

That’s Luke about to clobber someone.

Cathy and I had a chance to visit with Jennifer and Ingrid for the first time since spring.  Jenn is the busiest person I’ve ever scene.  She had some time to relax and led a lullaby for Ingrid mid afternoon.  We had to work hard to keep her and Cathy away from the gravy.  (Inside job: top secret recipe.) 

 

Paul, Michelle, Maggie, Jake, Marli and Luke Johnson, Iroquois

The Indians were friendly on this Day of Thanksgiving, although they looked pretty tough in this picture.

Paul brought the deep fry kit for one Turkey and it worked like a dream  It was delicious.  This process has some risks.  The oil gets up to over 300 degree’s and putting the ambient temperature turkey in the oil requires a gentle touch so it doesn’t explode and spill the oil.  But with Jeff’s help he got it done.

Michelle is not only a good cook she is also a baker of the highest order.  And a stuffing guru.

Looks like Jake has some mayhem on his mind.

More to come, some more pictures and video.