February 23, 2015

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 23, 2014, the new lady singer arrives.
Too late as it turned out.
Five years ago today: February 23 2010, my last big computer callout.
Wow, that long ago.

MORNING
           It’s early, so early that only old people get up this time of day. I think I’ll go for breakfast on the beach in a few hours. I admit, I don’t go there much unless I’m paid. So this morning, you get a quick history lesson. One of those mini-gems of perspective you never get from the standard “we’re all in this together” public school text books.

           I read some transcripts of Abraham Lincoln’s reasons for starting the Civil War. That’s correct, the Civil War did not just happen, he created it. The clue is to follow his logic. Most northerners could care less if the south separated. It was all swamp, forest, and cotton. Even the cotton was shipped to England and did the north no good. The real difficulty was that England was the potential scary enemy at the time. Look that up if you want. This is about Lincoln’s thinking.

           When the country started, it was in the articles that they did so to form “a more perfect union”. Therefore, if any state or states left, the union was, and I’m not making this up, a less perfect union. Duh. I still don’t see how this became illegal or an act of rebellion, but Lincoln certainly got it well-parlayed into such. I know, we were all taught the war was about slavery, but Lincoln did not, in fact, glom onto that issue until years later--when the war dragged on due to lack of fighting spirit in the North.
           We’re almost done. You see, England had been trying to break up the USA since 1776. The Brits correctly saw that our political system was a threat to their empire. Plus, we were sitting on an unpopulated continent chock full of natural resources. So was Canada—but trust me, their political system is no threat to anyone but themselves. The average house over there costs a half million dollars.

           If you ever want to study corruption, the British Empire is the place to start. And finish. They had a system in place called “free trade” long before NAFTA and globalization came along. It involved such gems as selling slaves and opium. They were also making laws over there that they enforced upon the rest of the world, at gunpoint if necessary. Now, who in hell would be stupid enough to think they could get away with that in the long run?
           There, take that Dave Barry. I finally did an article on old Abe. And you too, Ms. Coulter. Beat you both to the punch in 2015. You see, my mentor was Lewis Grizzard. So just you watch out.

NOON

           "Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publication." --Fran Lebowitz

           I got seven readings of the sun. Beginners, like me, it is wise to take a lot of readings when you get a chance. Then you can average out the calculations and spot all manner of unlikely errors. My most common error? Reading the micrometer vernier scale backwards. It’s just noon now and I did not have breakfast on the beach. And none of the photos I took of the water and sky turned out. All I got was this photo of my footprints, the sextant case, and my notebook. The kind with paper pages, for people who know how to write, there, Ken.

           As usual, the activity of sextant readings draws a lot of attention. Fortunately, most such people recognize they are hardly in a position to start up an intelligent conversation, but you get a few who actually try to add something. And fail miserably at it.

           So, if I went to the beach, how come I didn’t have my toast and coffee. The same reason as ever, the place is either too hot in the summer or there is no parking in the winter. Like all older beachfronts in most of America, the city has taxed the living snot out of the residents and businesses. The locals hold out parking signs on their property to made ends meet.
           By the time I got there, around 9:43 AM, there was not a parking spot left between Hollywood Blvd and the Marriott. Everything else is too far to walk. I’m going to get my electric bike back on the road soon. At least I went there with my bicycle once in a while. Nearby is a picture I took of a parking lot with all the levels full except one spot on the second tier.

           Ah, but this sign looks blank. Yes, it is a classic demo of POV, persistence of vision. Those old red LEDs only appear to display numbers. They are actually flashing very rapidly and the camera shutter tripped precisely between blips. If you look closely, a little bit of the red is just beginning to appear on level 5. The sign would show “FULL” five times, but I could not catch the right moment.

           That’s why no breakfast. If you get there moments after sunup in tourist season, the breakfast costs you whatever it does plus $15 parking. It isn’t worth it. The really nice places don’t open until mid-afternoon. Either way, the prices will kill your appetite.
           Instead, I opted for the 375 calorie chicken biscuit at BK, over near Walmart. If you add it up, driving to the beach from here is an eight mile round trip. To walk it is just over a mile. But that’s quite the distance to lug all the supplies you need. I used to do it when I had a little red wagon. Sigh, that wagon was the envy of the beach crowd, since I always took a two quart thermos of lemonade. The wagon finally rusted out on me. Return this afternoon for an entry on the Margaritaville resort.

AFTERNOON
           The vaunted Margaritaville. It continues along, spunkless, at a pace that would make even the paving contractors over on the Palmetto howl with laughter. Still a hollow shell after a year it kind of inches up at about one level per month, blocking traffic and, in my opinion, it is already an eyesore. Shown here is the west side facing Ocean Drive. I should be on their penthouse café with a cup of tea by now. Come on, guys, get the rag out.

           I drove around the complex but there is nothing to see but dust and concrete. Partially, I was out there today because of the heat wave. The cold spell gave way to a heat wave. It’s over 80 out there, like summer already.
           The Frenchies have taken their gazebo over again for the season. I can’t remember the name of the guy, ah, that’s it. His name was Guy. Okay, maybe tomorrow I’ll go hear him play. They have line dances and such, you’ve seen photos of it here. Long ago. It’s a city park on the Broadwalk where the ape-like beach patrol leaves them play their music. But if you or I try it, we get shunted along.

           Did I mention I’m already getting nice reviews of the song, “Alaine & Snookie”. That isn’t the doggy’s real name but I long since forgotten that, too. If I’ve never admitted it, yes, I do have the condition of inability to remember names. I’ve been tested for it and lost job promotions over it. Oddly, there is no medical term, although there is a word for inability to remember faces (pospopagnosia).
           Names are different. I looked deeply as I could into the problem, but all I get were diagnoses of Alzheimer’s, dissociative fugue disorder, and dismal offers for memory aid classes. I’ve tried that association method, it doesn’t work for me. Unless the dude’s name is Mr. Lies, Cheats, Steals, and hires hookers, I will not remember him within five minutes. Let me say a few more words on this topic.
           I’ve never met anyone with as much difficulty as myself in this area. The few sources I’ve read get into wild explanations like schizoid or stroke-related brain blockages, which don’t help out in my case. One pattern that does emerge is there is more trouble remembering male names than female, but I suggest there are totally logical reasons for that in my world. When it comes to “face-blindess”, I doubt that is a factor, since almost everybody I’ve met since age, oh, 24, reminds me of somebody I already know.

           This leads to today’s trivia. Can the Chinese have dyslexia? Their alphabet is totally unlike ours, so can they see their letters “backwards”? The answer is yes, but it is a different type. Many Chinese dyslexics can read English letters without a hitch. I won’t quote sources, but there are apparently 17 people who cannot remember names. They all live in Germany. I can remember some names and certainly all the names of people important to me.
           My verdict? I say I was born with a rare case of “social apathy”. My ability to remember another person’s name is, on all counts, unconditionally based on my perception of his value to the world. I’ve personally met probably a hundred single mothers and probably twice that many civil servants in my life, but couldn’t tell you one of their names. But I can instantly tell you the name of that bitch at the bank who refused to let me withdraw money for my heart medicine in 2010 because my Texas ID had expired.
           For that matter, I can also tell you where she parks her car at night.

This is a link test, not the evening post.
If you see Olivia Wilde playing bongo drums,
then I've hacked the College Humor website gif blocker.

EVENING
           Well yes, as a matter of fact I am eating sauerkraut out of the can with a plastic fork. Why not, the whole can only has 90 calories. And the main course tonight was two cucumbers. There’s chicken soup on the stove, but that’s for tomorrow. No GMOs here. I’m not even a health food addict, but it only took one look at the stats for me and all corn and soy products hit my garbage can faster than the junk mail. I could not tell you that much about the food, but I know when the advertisers are lying through their teeth. Since 1970, they’ve invented seven different names for “sugar”.

           There is nothing on my property by Nabisco, General Foods, Kraft, or Campbell’s. Here’s a soup mix from Europek. Eleven ingredients including the spices. I’ve been noticing other lists say “no E ingredients”. That’s a new one on me but I’ll know by tomorrow. Ah, I got it already. In Europe, all food additives have to be assigned an “E” number for “European Union”. The number identifies the nature of the substance.
           I found this link to an Islamic site which spells out the status (halal means good, mushbooh implies doubtful, haram means forbidden by God). Arabian food is exceedingly healthy so you might want to take a lengthy peek at the information contained therein. E260, acetic acid, also known as vinegar, is halal.

Isn't that interesting, it will not link. I triple-checked everything. Here is the URL http://special.worldofislam.info/Food/numbers.html

           This evening, I’m going over the morning sextant readings. I am unhappy with the results. The exercises from the train a week ago were purely calculations. That’s not a substitute taking real readings in the field and putting pencil to paper. I’ve identified a series of procedural errors, including the vernier readings. I’ve been trained when the vernier line appears between two points, you always take the lower number. Some sextant instructions say to take the one that results in an even number.
           I’m on the right track since my readings were consistently out. Alas, I have no water facing west, so I can’t go out and take evening sites unless I go to Okeechobee or Naples. I’m thinking on it. To any beginners, I caution you that learning to use the sextant is a skill that takes time and it will frustrate you. Plus, if you leave it and don’t practice for a few months, that’s not going to work out for you either. It’s like music, if you don’t make an on-going commitment, it tells on you.

ADDENDUM
           I have lost the directions on how to turn off the alarm and hourly chime so often that I am putting it here where I can find it. Search criteria “Sportline 240 turn off alarm” “turn off hourly chime”. This product is made in Indonesia, where they don’t say “disable”, they say “turn off”.

           Alarm: from the “home screen” (ordinary time display)
           First, push and hold the SPLIT/RESET button.
           This displays the alarm time AND an alarm icon in the far upper right corner.
           Second, push the START/STOP button once until the alarm icon goes away.
           Release both buttons simultaneously. Alarm is now OFF.

           Hourly chime: from the “home screen” (ordinary time display)
           First, push and hold the SPLIT/RESET button.
           This displays the alarm time AND also a long string of dashes across the top of the display.
           Second, push the MODE button until the dashes go away. Note: one dash remains indicating day of the week.
           Release both buttons simultaneously. Hourly chime is now OFF.

           Oddly, the included cryptic manual does not explain this important feature. The alarm and chime default to “ON” when you replace the battery, and that gets mighty annoying at 2:00 in the morning. Um, is that why they call it “Greenwich Mean Time”. That’s a joke, Patsie.
           Important: Although there is a setting that displays the "H" mode instead of AM or PM, this model, the 240, CANNOT be set to 24 hour mode. The command appears to work but will reset to 12 hour mode the next midnight. I do not know if this is a design flaw.
           There’s also another reason I’m placing these instructions here. The cause is the enormous proportion of idiots on the Internet. If you do a search on these topics, you will encounter full retards like joshuasleide who posted on Yahoo! Answers, “I think you push the ‘mode’ button but I’m not 4 sure”. Or anna5566 on “fixya” who replies you should take the stopwatch back to the store where you bought it because, she says, that place is full of experts. Anna, I wanna have your baby.

Last Laugh
When you see it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Return Home
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++