Something's going on...

.

Some of you know that I have a 'twin' cousin. We were playmates until we were about five years old. My aunt and my Mom had adjacent apartments about a block from Golden Gate Park. Some grandparents and other relatives thought it would be cute to dress us alike since we were born on the same day... or maybe they had no imagination or limited selection (it was wartime) when it came to choosing clothes for toddlers.

Every year my cousin and I have talked about celebrating our birthday together, something we did for the first five years. We have heard that our second birthday, in August 1945, was quite a blowout. Neither of us remembers. I do vaguely remember a certain amount of joy when my Uncle Bob (Mom's brother) came home. So, anyway, we've talked about this birthday celebration thing forever. Finally, two years ago we did something about it and got together in Reno for a couple of days.

Last year our destination was the North Shore at Lake Tahoe. Most of what we do is based on how we feel at the moment. However, it was suggested that we attend a play at the Shakespeare Festival. So we at least planned that part. I mentioned that everything else was more or less spontaneous based on how we felt. I seems like most of the time we felt hungry because we didn't miss any meals.

Speaking of which, in the past week I have received two emails from my cousin related to our next excursion. Both of them refer to food... not necessarily fine dining. If you are interested, check out this and this to find out what he is excited about. My response was to send him the picture from this blog post.

You may have guessed by now that we are planning to have this year's fun in San Francisco. We have already booked our one planned event, a day game at AT&T Park between the Giants and Cubs. We're going more because none of us has been to that stadium yet than because we're baseball fans... although there's that, too. Also I have heard that the food at AT&T is pretty good, also. I will let you know if there are any good bacon items... maybe.

The whole point of our exercise is to get together and share some stories and good company. In our extended family food has always been a part of that.

S.F. is a good place for food

Well, alrighty then

So today is the second anniversary of my first post.
How did that ever happen?

...and I still haven't had a smoke

Customer Service Nightmare

.

Yesterday the email version of my telephone bill arrived. To my amazement there was a charge, from a third party biller, for almost $24.00 for a collect call from a community in Washington. Neither my wife nor I had accepted any calls on the date in question. Yet the bill showed that the call lasted for three minutes... say, what?
For some reason or other I was under the impression that I had to wait until normal business hours to inquire about this bogus charge. That's when the real fun began.
I dialed the phone company's number and was immediately treated to a static filled message that my call was important to them, followed by a selection menu in both English and some other language that was probably Spanish, but I couldn't tell because it was spoken very fast and the static got worse. I finally navigated to a point where I could reply without using the keypad using voice recognition. After repeating that I had a billing dispute about five times, a recorded female voice told me to stay on the line; that my call would be handled as soon as someone was available. Another, different female voice told me that all of the representatives were busy; to please stay on the line. After about ten minutes I heard a click, then another click and then a tone followed by a recorded voice saying, "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again."
I guess they figured I need the practice?
So... I pushed the redial button. Only this time whenever I even heard the inkling of a selection menu being suggested, I pushed the '0' button. This time I eventually reached a recorded male voice that told me not to hang up; that I would not be disconnected; and that my call would be handled as soon as a representative was available. There was also another, different male voice that occasionally told me that all of the representatives were busy; please stay on the line.
Eventually, after at least another ten minutes, Rose came on the line. It then took about five minutes for her to verify that I was actually calling from the number that showed on her 'Caller ID' and that I was actually a phone company customer. Could I tell her the nature of my call?
I explained that I'd received the email version of my phone bill and found this $24.00 third party charge.
I presume she pulled up a copy of the bill. Then she asked if I had a computer in my home. Huh? I did say it was the emailed version of my bill. Anyhow, after further review, she informed me that someone had made a collect call to my home using the third party's services.
I informed her that they had not and that is why I was calling... to dispute the charge, particularly because the amount was outrageous.
She then informed me that they couldn't do anything about it because it was a third party and the amount was on my bill as a courtesy to the third party.
I then queried about how I could have the amount removed and was told that I would have to call the third party... also that it could take up to three billing cycles for the amount to be credited back. Meanwhile I would have to pay the full amount.
So I've already canceled the newspaper. The satellite TV company in on my list. Now, I'm about this far ->||<- from disconnecting the phone.

I'm thinking seriously
about becoming a hermit

A world turned upside down

.

Except for the win they eked out Friday night, the weekend was pretty much a bust for the Giants. Then Saturday, the U.S. squad couldn't quite pull off the last minute heroics necessary to advance in the World Cup. And finally, the Brits had a bit of a letdown yesterday.

Where'd the title come from?
It seems that Lions Clubs is having their International Convention in Sydney, Australia. Anyone who's anybody in Lions is frolicking "down under." I thought for a few moments that it would be fun to be there. Then I remembered that it's winter down there. I think I'd rather deal with the triple digits (106 yesterday) and sunshine that we've had here.

it's only supposed
to be 103 today

It took a moment

.

I figured out what was eating at me yesterday. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some type of sports equipment and I felt like I should be doing something, other than cleaning camper's cabins and shower rooms.



I was missing an important World Cup match... then I missed the Giants and Red Sox, too.

Reality

While I was looking at boats, canoes and the lake, someone was lining up the chores



Another distraction between me and the first task

kick it or throw it?

Nail biter

.

It looked like there were probably as many Red Sox fans as Giants fans at AT&T Park last night. The Sox had ample opportunity to win, as the loaded the bases twice before the Giants were able to get the final out of the game. Final score 5:4 after the Giants spotted the Boston bunch three runs in the first inning.
Almost as good as the Giants winning was hearing the announcers say the the Yankees had beaten the Dodgers in L.A.

oh, tomorrow it will
be two years since
my last cigarette

Amazing

On the reading list
Lords of Finance - a blow by blow account of what happened and who was involved in the causes of the 1929 world economic disaster. It's definitely not light summer reading.

question of the day

How did that get there?

Suldog'd have a
fit if somebody
did this for him

This will not succed

It's missing the most important ingredient for any gut bomb...

BACON!!!

...otherwise it looks like it might have been a fairly decent 1500 calorie sandwich.

ya'll want fries with that?

Nature video

.
While at Whiskeytown Lake last Sunday, I took a bunch of pictures and experimented a little with the video feature of the camera. I have determined more experience is needed before I inflict too many videos on everyone.
I wasn't going to post this.
Then Suldog posted this. These li'l critters haven't a chance against his big ol' bugs.


Then again, he claims his bugs are stupid. The cicadas in the manzanita bushes here have even less intelligence. Their main defense is to move to the left (or right) so that they are out of sight of a perceived threat. Their best defense would have been to not "click." Then none of us would have even known they were there.

was wondering what
I'd post about today

That seems appropriate

.

Today is National Daylight Appreciation Day. There's a really cool photo on APOD.

I'm posting old stuff

.

Someone got even with the Kern County Sheriff's Department

from deep in the archives

Finally!

.

Something we Americans can understand about soccer [football played with feet] is a bad call by a referee. At least the talking heads are saying it was a bad call.
The referee is saying nothing. So he probably has an attorney telling him not to respond.
Of course the call wouldn't have mattered if the U.S. side hadn't dug themselves a 2:0 hole in the first half.

U.S. Open ends tomorrow

Huh?

.

So I heard a rumor that that the NBA finally realized Summer starts in a couple of days and everyone is playing outdoors now. I'm really surprised that any of these guys are still standing after beating themselves up running around on the hardwood.
Congratulations to the Lakers and the Celtics for keeping healthy enough to play since sometime last September... and particularly to the Lakers for having a bit more stamina to outlast everyone through something like 114 games plus a pre-season.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a basketball hater. My only problem is getting interested when the season starts just when the NFL is getting interesting and ends after a Major League Baseball pitcher has already won 13 games.
BTW - MLB and NFL season are too long, too!

the rest of the world
could care less

Don't call it that

.

The fairgrounds are really busy today. It is the second day of the Shasta District Fair. I would underline district if I could because so many folks keep calling it the Shasta County Fair. What's the difference? The district fair encompasses more territory than the county and is overseen by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Ironically the fair takes places well before many locally grown crops are ready for display and it takes place so soon after school is out that many 4-H and FFA members are not yet ready to show their animals. On the plus side it takes place before the really hot weather settles in. It really is too bad that this isn't the county fair. Then maybe the local folks would have some say about the use of the fairgrounds.

We do have a county fair
Its official name is the
Inter-Mountain Fair and
it takes place over the
Labor Day weekend at
McArthur in Eastern
Shasta County
It's a real fair.

I'm not sure where this will lead

.

After yesterday's posts and comments, I had kind of a flashback and a strange association cropped up.

Is the dawning of the age of Aquarius the same as a moonrise in the aquarium? [moon being the operative word]

should probably
end it here

Follow up

.

This post on another blog may explain the earlier question. The picture certainly answers the part about the door.

think I'll close
it anyway

question of the day

.

If I close the door to my den, does entropy describe it?

or does that only apply
in the second law
of thermodynamics?

Speaking of mornings

.
I finished up with the testing requirements from my recent Dr. visit... they always want to do lab tests. One of the requirements was that I had to fast (nothing but water) for twelve hours before the blood was drawn.
I drove over to the facility early... yes Brian it was 6:30am... so I could be done and have a coffee. What I dislike is that the place doesn't open until 7:00am. Is there much worse than having to wait to do something that you'd just as soon avoid? I was the first to arrive. By the time the employees arrived and opened the doors, there were at least 15 others waiting with me. By the time I left... at about 7:10... it was standing room only in the waiting area.

fasting sucks

Monday

.

The day of the week that is all bass-ackwards. It doesn't deserve to be dissed like it is. About the only thing that receives as little respect is morning... any morning.
Anyway, Mondays... and mornings... should be anticipated with relish. They are an opportunity to start over; to begin again, at least for those of us who need some kind of starting line. I have been advised by individuals much wiser than I that a restart may happen at any time.
The alternative to Mondays (and mornings) is not something I care to contemplate at the present.

there are
still things
I haven't done

So I mentioned

.
I mentioned yesterday that I was headed south. It was for another Lions Club thing... facilitator for a club retreat. It was a first for me [don't tell them]. Specifically, it was to iron out some minor challenges they are having, before a major problem develops. Basically, it was a hand holding exercise.
About the only difficulty at all was with driving in the wind, which was out of the north at 25-30 mph with gusts to 40mph.
Now I have until Wednesday for my next Lions Club event, an officer installation at Red Bluff

actually we don't
have to go all the
way to Red Bluff

What I didn't mention

.
...is that after the meeting yesterday morning another Lion [the District Governor] and I went further north and spent the balance of the morning contacting folks about following up on commitments. It was a nice day for a drive.

I did have my camera. I took some photos through the windshield and side windows. If they are suitable, I will post some over at R&M.

The weather is heating up. Now if the wind would go away.

Today it's South,
but not so early

Long day

.
I went to be early last night because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of sleep. So instead of waking up after my routine seven hours, I was wide awake at 4am and could not fall back to sleep. So finally at a little before 5 I got up, made coffee and slipped into the computer room to view some blogs before getting ready to head for Redding and a Lions Club meeting at 6:30.
We just got home from my stepdaughter's birthday.

This is so wrong

.
PETS WHO WANT TO KILL THEMSELVES

It's really only an anticlimax

.
I'm talking about yesterday's election. That was only the primary. Now we have five months until the general election.
Five months? Aaaaaaaaagh!
By that time the NBA and NHL seasons will have started again. We'll be in the middle of the NFL season and the World Series will be winding down.
Why does it seem like other nations can get their elections over in a short period of time?

the next presidential
campaign starts in November

Today is election day

.

It is just the primary election where the leading candidate from each party will be selected for the general election in November. The sad thing is I am sick of all the TV ads and the mailers we see every day.


I actually did it. I sat down about ten days ago and wrote to the newspaper and canceled the subscription... once I finally found in the fine print on the bill how to do so. This morning someone called and asked Sharon why we canceled. They seemed to think we were unhappy with our delivery person. They couldn't seem to accept they no longer provided the things for which we subscribed to the paper.
I am going to miss some of the comics and having newspaper to start the barbecue.

...may start thinking
about canceling
something else

Another

.
It's off to the dentist again this morning. I wonder how much longer this will take?

it's been ten months

Catching up

.
As anticipated, the Dr. visit was uneventful... other than losing about an hour and a half in the middle of the day.


I was commenting on another blog, (Hi Jann!) about the site People of Walmart. the following verification word came up.

I've decided that maybe it might be a good idea to at least look in the mirror before I leave the house.


We're still having peculiar... for this time of year, that is... weather.

I have another session at the dentist on Monday. It's hard to believe this whole thing started last August with one simple ear of corn. An oyelert would not likely have helped though.

Tomorrow is another community breakfast at the senior center.

I may be back
later today

Time for another Dr. visit

.
It's just routine.
I was going to say is a pain in the @$$, but then you might get the idea I was seeing the proctologist.

no, honest it's
only an annual visit

Correction

.
Yesterday's post was not a quote...

...it was graffiti.

does that change it's meaning?

Quote

.
If voting could really change things,
It would be illegal.

nothing to add here

Another misdirection

Then he took his dog walking in Hogsmeade and tried to pass it off as Falmer

There's something in the atmosphere

click on the image to read the whole story

hey, I'm only
a messinger*

*look up messing

Huh?

.
My good friend, the Brighton Pensioner has posted a photo that he purports to be a reflection of the castle at Chateaubriant.



He can't fool me. Even a brief glance tells me that it is Hogwarts.

seen; read enough Harry Potter