September 2, 2006

           This? Oh, it’s a picture of the ferns that are really carrots. They are under the protective arm of my palm tree and enjoying the Florida sunshine. The two ferns and to the right, Pedro the Pineapple. The late summer heat is making up now for the relatively mild season this year. Even the earliest bike rides are risky because of returning home in the now-bright sunlight. That has not deterred me from my rounds. I was over at Starbucks, where I bumped into Mike, the laptop repairman. Um, here is the secret code to use Starbucks wireless for free. Account 954-347-7298, Password rgw7055.

           He adds that you get free bread over at the Panera, a nearby bakery, when you buy coffee there. I know this place, I first went in there a day or two after I arrived in this area. Their service was so slow that I had walked out and never went back. There is a point at which your staff is so polite to one slack-ass waddling customer that they are impolite to the others waiting in line, and Panera crossed that line. On Mike’s okay, I’ll give them another chance.

           I’m looking at the web page market from a somewhat different angle. I say now, having encountered Justin’s situation, that there must be many outdated pages out there, but nobody wants to incur the expense of too much update. Actually, I should coin a new phrase for these pages, how about “downdated”. Is there any money to be made giving these pages a newer look but preserving all the old links?
           By noon, I was over at JZ’s and then over to his dad’s place to get some chores done. Like getting the new tile floor clean in the garage. That white scale formed on top and after trying paint stripper, mineral spirits and vinegar, we settled on chlorine. Actually, pool shock. It disintegrated the rags used to spread it, but I think we got them clean. During the drying times, I got to watch part of Jurassic Park on the big screen HDTV. Even for an old movie that doesn’t quite measure up to the new format, the results are fantastic.

           Now, MJ and I got to talking. She was surprised to learn that I did not have anything like the educational qualifications usually assumed. When I informed her that despite that, I was still considering trying to find a college that would give me credit for what I’d already accomplished toward a computer teaching degree. What do you know? I now know that her husband’s brother’s son’s wife (JZ’s niece-in-law) is the 2nd in command of Barry U. I’m not saying anything yet, but MJ has offered to put a word in for me.

           [Author's note: despite it's great reputation, I found Barry faculty was not the place for me. Their "selection" process seemed to consist of first insuring you were a flaming left-wing liberal above all else, then minutely picking through your resume, unless your resume came from a nation bordering on the Adaman Sea.]

           That is me looking into the HDTV screen, not a fishtank. Dr. Z. ordered in Lebanese food. It is like eating at a health food store. Everything is expensively cooked to perfection and mostly vegetable. Eating grape leaves is, to me, a little like eating quack grass, but I have to admit these were pretty darn good. Miami had a terrific rainstorm. Worse than the hurricane. I took dozens of pictures, then forgot my flash drive over at JPs. I need it for work so I’ll head out there tomorrow.
           I finished reading the book “Countdown”. The jacket says the author traveled extensively in Asia, S. America and Europe. Yet he was never in the military. I am truly jealous of people who can do such things, I know it is daddy’s money, but I would not be fussy. Don’t bother with this book. The style is lifted out of Tom Clancey, and after a while you get weary of predicable. Not the plot, that moves around fine, but the stereotype spy things. Apparently the main use of diplomatic pouches is send guns to professional political assassins.