All in how we perceive things...

 ... at 6 o'clock in the morning.

Wow... I feel like someone didn't do their job right. 

I recently bought Orgain Organic Protein Powder, Vanilla Bean and started it this morning for my breakfast, as I don't typically eat a meal. It's usually a smoothie of sorts and a cup of coffee. I'm usually fine until 11:15 or so, when I try to wait until noon to eat lunch. 

I am copying the ingredient list off Amazon, but it's true to what the container says.

Orgain Organic Protein Blend(PEA Protein, Brown rice Protein, Chia Seed), Natural flavor,Orgain Organic Creamer Base(Acacia Gum, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Rice Dextrin, Rice Bran Extract, Rosemary Extract), Erythritol,Orgain Organic 50 Superfoods Blend(Millet,Amaranth,Buckwheat,Quinoa,Chia, Kale powder, Apple Pulp, Cinnamon, Orgainc Sprouts Bleand(Amaranth Sprout, Quinoa Sprout, Millet Sprout,Buckwheat Sprout,Garbanzo Bean Sprout,Lentil Sprout,Adzuki Sprout,Flax Sprout,Sunflower Sprout, Pumpkin Sprout, Chia Sprout, Sesame Sprout), Organic Super Veggies, Super Berries,Super Grasses and Super Foods Blend(ACAi, Cranberry, Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, OAT Grass,Banana, Mango,Beet, Carrot,Spinach, Broccoli,Tomato,Kale,Cabbage,Parsley Leaf,Brussels Sprout,Green Bell Pepper, Cucumber,Celery,Garlic,Ginger root,Green onion,Cauliflower,Asparagus,Pineapple,Turmeric,strawnerry,Tart Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry,Natural flavor, Sea salt, Acacia Gum,Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum,Stevia,Organic Food based Vitamin C(Amla Fruit Extract),Organic Food based Vitamin B Blend(Guava, Holy Basil, Lemon Extract).

As this is supposed to be "vanilla bean" flavored, I figured I'd attempt to jazz it up a little by adding frozen pineapple chunks and strawberries to it (as my ice base). Add PBfit All-Natural Peanut Butter Powder and coconut water as the liquid base (I used Kirkland [Costco] brand). 

Put everything on "puree" in my blender, and woosh it up. 

Pour it in my cup, take a sip, and holy mother of god...someone was a wee bit heavy handed in the cinnamon department. 

I know this contains cinnamon, but I bought the Vanilla Bean flavor... not a powdered Red Hot. 

As this sat for a few minutes and everything mixed more together, I took another sip. 

I tasted apples. Mixed with the cinnamon.

It tasted like a freshly made apple pie. Even smells like it too.

How is this possible? I have peanut butter powder in this. I have fresh strawberries and canned pineapple. There's coconut water in it!! I'm drinking a dessert, for Pete's sake... when I'm supposed to be having breakfast!

I told my mom. Explained what's in it. She took a sip. Said all she tasted was peanut butter and strawberries. Yet, the more I drank, the more I tasted the cinnamon apples. 

I shouldn't have told her what's in it. Let her figure it out herself. 

I guess it's all in your head... what you think is in it or it tastes like, versus what you tell people is in it and what they think it tastes like. 

I guess tomorrow I'll not put the frozen fruit in and see what happens, as I make one smoothie a day and I've got to get ready for work. 

So buyer beware: if you're like my friend Cat and allergic to cinnamon, this is not for you. If you don't like cinnamon, stay away from this product. Don't get me wrong; it's not horrendous. It just surprised the hell out of me. I wasn't expecting it. More reason to keep trying it, and maybe the powders didn't mix properly in the container or something, so I just got a pocket of cinnamon instead of an overall gentler taste. We'll see tomorrow.

Wish me luck..

Cheers;

"I love coffee, I love tea"

 "I love the java jive and it loves me

Coffee and tea and the jivin and me

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup!"

©️ Milton Drake & Ben Oakland

(made 'famous' by The Ink Spots)

"Java Jive"

1940

Random song of the day to go with the last post regarding the blended coffee drink I've started making at home. 

As promised, I've got pictures.

All taken with an iPhone 11.

 

Just to recap the ingredients: 

• KIRKLAND SIGNATURE Signature Cold Brew Colombian Coffee 12 Cans /11 Fl Ounce Net Wt 132 Fl Ounce
  
• Coffee-mate Italian Sweet Creme Liquid Coffee Creamer, Italian Sweet Creme, 16 Fl Oz
  
• Ice
• 365 Everyday Value, Real Dairy Whipped Cream, 7 oz 
  
• Blended on "puree" in a 20+ year old  Black and Decker BL12475G Crush Master Blender

Putting everything together:

• Splash of creamer
• 1 cup of ice (roughly)
• 1 can of cold brew
• Again, blend on puree until airy. I've also aerated it for a second afterwards.
• Pour in a cup big enough to make people jealous
• Add whip cream. *

* As Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell keep going", and Rodney Atkins continued that line with "Don't slow down if you're scared don't show it You might get out before the devil even knows you're there". 

* Okay, not the right song to match with cawfee tawk, but I figure, the whip cream has to make the drink, right? If they offer it at the coffee chain, you might as well dole it out for the home use too. I'm already going to hell... might as well do one more thing to keep the first class ticket non-refundable. 

What else can I say? This is part of the reason I'm a fat kid trying to lose weight. I can't deny the fact I had a lot of fattening food today and every day of my life. Gotta make use of running around work, sweating in the heat, some days. Expend calories, take in twice as much. Which shouldn't happen. But everyone is entitled to a cheat day. 

Or days.

Until I find a better way to diet, take care of yourselves. Happy drinking.

Cheers;

"One more cup of coffee for the road"

 A few weeks ago, I was in Costco. I walked out spending almost $100 and I bought things I typically wouldn't have bought. 

Like cans of cold brew. 

It's a 12 pack case of 11 ounce Colombian coffee. I thought it would be good to bring to work, but after trying it a couple times with a sugar packet and some various creamers, I found out it's not the best tasting cup of java. 

I don't know if it's due to the aluminum can, or it's the way the coffee is brewed, but there's a weird (after) taste to it. Even no sugar and plain half and half, it's odd. 

I've had other cold brew before. I've made my own, via the pitcher and strainer method, and it all comes out tasting better than the Kirkland version.

So I got to thinking of how I can better utilize the drink without wasting the rest of the case. 

I decided to make a home made slushie drink that a popular java chain is known for. 

I started out with a 30+ year old Black and Decker BL12475G Crush Master Blender. The same blender I make my morning smoothies in. 

And the same blender that we used to make frozen adult beverages in... Ask Tay... he can tell you a couple stories...

I add a little over a cup of ice to the bottom of the blender. 

Then I add a splash of Italian Sweet Creme Liquid Coffee Creamer (because it's all I have right now).

And finally the can of cold brew. 

Turn the blender on, puree style, and let it bzzzzzz bzzzz   whip everything up and get frothily slushy. 

Pour it in a big cup, add some whipped topping, and to hell I go... because the ingredients in this drink are gonna push me into getting medication I don't want. 

But it tastes a lot better whipped up with ice (okay, don't do the whip cream if you don't want to) than it tastes plain in a cup over ice.

It takes about 2 hours for me to finish it. It'll make around 30 ounces of drink, all said and done.... because of the ice, creamer and coffee. It's an airy mess.

I'd post pictures, but I need to get them taken and transferred over to my computer, so next time I make one, I'll post photos. 

Until then... Stay thirsty.

Cheers; 

See also (aka post title came from this song):

• Bob Dylan, One More Cup of Coffee
• Be forewarned: This is not the Zimmerman some generations might know. The song comes out of the 1975 Desire album and sounds very Eagles Hotel California-esque in its drum pattern, violin playing, guitar strumming and vocal range. I was quite surprised to hear it, as it's got more than a folk mix to it. There's something there that I can't put my finger on... an underlying lack of words to explain how interestingly intriguing this song is. I can't understand half the song (hello.. it's the King of Mumble City we're talking about), but it's very... sorry... I need to be that person right now and not stereotype as I write this... it's very Eastern European sounding. Not something you'd find in the Western (North America) World. 

"With just a hint of mayhem" | "We want you, Big Brother"

Talk about things and you get answers. 

Kind of.

My mom got a generic email the other day from Comcast regarding changes they are making (or made) to customers with voice accounts. 

Just like I mentioned in my last post, Comcast started verifying phone numbers... well... they now talked about confirmed it. 

The email is as follows: 

Subject: Important updates about your Xfinity Voice service

We're making some changes to your home phone service

Staying connected to friends and family is as important now as it's ever been –– and we hope Xfinity Voice has allowed you to stay in touch with those who matter most. Today we’re writing to let you know about a few changes to your service.

Verified Caller ID is here to help protect you

This week we introduced an enhanced Caller ID feature. Now you'll see the word "Verified" or its abbreviation, "[V]," next to some incoming calls and on your call log, voicemail, and X1 TV screen. This means the call is coming from a phone number we are able to verify. This enhancement will help protect you against robocall scams and telemarketers.

We're proud to be at the forefront of customer protection with Verified Caller ID. For more information and a list of all the ways Xfinity Voice is helping you stay secure, read our Help and Support article here.

Xfinity Connect app and Voice2Go feature is going away

We constantly assess our features to ensure we’re delivering what customers want most, and after a careful evaluation, we’ve decided to discontinue the Xfinity Connect app and Voice2Go feature as of April 20, 2021. You can still conveniently access your email and voicemail, as well as manage your call features and settings, from anywhere with the mobile-optimized Xfinity Connect web portal at connect.xfinity.com. To learn more about these upcoming changes and how to use third-party email clients to access your email on your mobile device, click here.

Thank you for trusting us with your home phone service. We appreciate having you as an Xfinity customer.

I linked what I could within the email, so the "click here" goes to the right pages. 

But interestingly enough, you talk about something changing, and it's possible you get a confirmation some how that it's true. It's just some times, the change affects other things that people may like and choose to use, and they take it away. 

I've never used the mobile features Comcast offers, as it's not the main accounts I use for everything. My mom is the main user, so she has the email and such, but I'm just using it for wireless service at this point. Plain and simple. I don't use the house phone to call people... who do I call? No one. I only watch a few hours of TV a week on the cable box. I've been streaming more, so that is why I'm more WiFi then Voice or TV. 

Whatever works. 

Until our community gets rid of Comcast in a couple months... the contract is up and they've been rumbling for a couple years they are going to completely ax the service and make people get their own stuff. All because the community listens to the snowbirds rather than the full timers. Snowbirds are tired of paying for services every month when they only come down and live in their unit for half a year. They are charged all year but don't use anything. They don't want to deal with that anymore, but since it's a fee that comes included in the community amenities, they have to pay for it. The full time residents vocalize that they hate paying for the snowbirds (prices keep jumping up), but they also want to keep services... at a more friendlier cost. Where full time residents are actually here year round, they get the brunt of the bad situation. Snowbirds have it easier. Year rounders want to use the amenities but don't want to keep shelling out more money to subsidize people who aren't here all the time. It's not fair. So.. the board is like "we're gonna raise our costs, get rid of stuff and work with the snowbirds", essentially giving the middle finger to the people who live here every day. Among other challenges, it's a bit of a crazy situation. 

Anyway, thought I'd share some updated cable news! 

Enjoy! 

Cheers;

See also (aka post title came from here):

• David Bowie "Big Brother"

"When you try your best, but you don't succeed"

 "When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something, you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you"

Coldplay
Fix You
X&Y

2005

Okay... so I'm... in a way... taking a long shot at misquoting a Britband... but the song is stuck on repeat in my head at the moment and it halfway does work with the next adventure in the Comcast saga. 

As much as I've been trying to fix things to make them work, things just get weirder and weirder. 

Since I separated the two networks within the xFi modem, we've been noticing something interesting on our landline phone's caller ID. 

Every time someone calls, the caller ID has a"[V]" before the caller's name. 

Example: when my cell phone number shows up on the screen, it says "[V] Amy Ellison" on the first line, and the second line is my number. A cousin called from her cell phone, it's  "[V] Wireless caller" and number. Our upstairs neighbor calls from her landline? "[V] {neighbor's name}" and number. 

Random research as I type this, has Comcast's website saying the "[V]" stands for "Verified". So people are either getting the entire word spelled out before each person's name, or they're getting the shortened version. 

It's Comcast's way of helping reduce the spammy footprints of phishing calls. Comcast is letting you know, in their own way, that the person ringing you is legit and doesn't want you to send $10 to the High Prince of Nigeria in hopes you'll get whatever bank roll you're about to be offered. 

However, it's not with all numbers. The hospital system called the other day to confirm some things regarding an upcoming appointment, and there was no verification of the provider. All it said was the name of the office and the phone number. I think the verification depends on how frequent the number is called from your phone or how many times the number calls you... to prove it's real.

An interestingly weird coincidence about this, is that the ID readout wasn't doing this with the old surfboard modems, nor was it doing it prior to me splitting the 5G network down to 2.4 and 5.0.

So the question becomes: if the provider is telling us we can't use our printers on the new network, and they're not telling us they are now verifying numbers, what else is missing from any type of communication coming from this technological giant? 

On a completely different note, I have forgotten to add...

A couple weeks ago, my mom received Tavolozza 26 Pcs Acrylic Painting Supplies Kit in the mail. It was from her niece and nephew, as they were doing a Zoom birthday party for their father. 

Since my uncle currently has set a room up in his house and calls it his "studio", the kids thought the best birthday present this year would be to invite family to a video paint party, since no one could meet in person to celebrate. 

When the day came to have the party, my mom set up shop in the living room. 

Literally, she set up shop. 

She got into the garage and pulled out a 6 foot folding table, to then sit it in front of the couch. 

Might as well be comfortable.

Then she laid down an old Marlboro cigarettes beach towel over the table. 

Yes, we have some Marlboro swag... had to use miles somehow... shame I had to throw out the duffel bag couple years ago, as the airport ripped part of it to shreds during my last vacation... That suitcase was vintage and still in good use... until it died by airlines.

Meanwhile.. after making sure she was comfortable, she set the paint kit on top of the towel. 

What did I do, you ask?

I hooked up a computer to the TV so she can see everyone on the big screen (so she could paint a long with them). Can't really see everyone on an iPhone screen while painting.. plus.. she didn't want to risk coloring her phone. That, and I didn't want to sit there and paint myself... not my thing, especially on Zoom. I'm staying away from that video conference thing. 

After everything was done, she got to keep a new piece of artwork 2 hours later. 

So.... What's in the kit, you ask? 

The box labels it as follows:

• 12 Non Toxic Washable Paints
• 17" Beech Wood Table Easel
• 8 x 10 Stretched Canvas
• 5 x 7 Canvas
• 8 Brushes
• 2 Palette Knife
• 1 Palette

What was the result of the class? 

"Hawaiian Sunset"

Photo taken on an iPhone 11 and edited in Photoshop. Only thing I did this to picture was put my mom's name on it and crop it in so you wouldn't see the wall it's hanging on. 

The actual class was taught by some guy out of New York. For $18 on a private Vimeo (previously recorded) account. I guess one of my cousins knows of this guy - he works at one of those BYOB paint studios that are popping up like crazy... where you bring the adult beverage (or any beverage) of your choice, a couple friends, and you walk out with custom painted wall art. 

Not my thing.. I don't even go out to drink and drive. I'm not going out to share a bottle of wine with people and paint, if I refuse to go out and meet people as it is... why waste money on drunk coloring? Hell... I've got a collection of MC Escher art, college themed posters and other materials that have never seen the light of day in Florida... paint by alcohol is not going to hang out in my room before those do.

The day after the party, I joked that what my cousins should have done, was send an empty (postage paid) box to all the invited guests. The guests then mail my uncle the artwork they did, and he can hang everyone's work in his house... the best birthday card ever... making this day a good memory. But instead, it's sitting in the laundry room above the water heater closet because my mom couldn't find a place to put it... she's got a lot of art already hanging through out the house. 

Not the truth, but not a lie

 "Because one of us always tells the truth..."

"...And the other one always lies."

Alph & Tim, Ralph & Jim. 

"The Four Guards" 

Labyrinth.

1986

Well... the story gets better with Comcast. 

Late last night, my mom was telling one of our cousins about the whole fiasco with the printers and how the modem is shutting us off from printing. My mom failed to make the comment about my fixing the modem because she just had her reasons. 

As this one cousin works for a multi-million dollar facility in town, the cousin said that they've been having challenges with their own internet and printing and other things. The cousin would kill herself if all of a sudden she had to become hardwired in her own home. She wouldn't be able to  sit comfortably on her couch while on her laptop, and have the printer in the other room. She doesn't want to be tethered. But since work might end up having problems, it's interesting to know what the outcome would be.

Come to today when Comcast was at my cousin's job doing a routine fix of sorts with something completely different. 

The cousin wanted to strike up conversation with the Comcast tech, and she asked about the printing scenario. However she worded it, it was asked if the new white modems are prohibiting computers and phones and such from talking to wireless printers, and how does that happen? 

Sure enough, the tech says yes to all the above. 

The tech says this new xFi modem is made specifically to produce a 5G signal for all electronics and where most (older) devices can't handle the straight 5G signal, they fail to register and work, thus, becoming invalid on a wireless network. So all phones, computers, tablets are incompatible with the modem because they aren't ready for this particular device. Everything out there from 6 months to the past, is 2.4G and won't / can't jive with the new box given out to people. So the every day consumer needs to upgrade their equipment to use Comcast's box. 

My cousin was intrigued but when she told my mom this evening, she admitted there'd be no way she can upgrade her devices to continue to use Comcast. She'd rather have nothing than buy brand new. 

Just like everyone else, woman! You're not the only victim in this plot.

When my mom told me this, I said the Comcast guy couldn't really lie because he was at a "reputable" business and as they are a million dollar company, it's better for the cable giant to keep this business as a customer than it is for the every day person to be kept happy. Cheaper to throw you and me out the door than it is for someone owning an office. Why lie to them, when every day people don't understand what's going on? Let them fall trap into a shit situation and buy brand new because Comcast won't tell their average consumer it's their equipment that won't connect, not the home owner's equipment failing to connect. 

Okay, sure, technology changes so quickly every 6 months. I know that. 

Even Apple said this week that they're going to stop production on one of the Mac desktops (the expensive $5,000 one) so they can focus on innovative futures (cars, foldable phones, etc). 

But still. If you have equipment that is 12 months old (a phone, a printer, a laptop), you should be able to connect that device to your network and run your life the way you need to. Print the pictures you take on your tablet. Copy the documents you need and send them to another device. Make life magic and seamless. Don't go buy a new model because your modem is blocking it. That's greedy and petty on Comcast because they're already charging people an arm and a leg to just connect the device to the internet. Be fair, dudes.

Anyway, my mom closed the conversation, saying I had figured out how to fix the modem and we are now printing from everything - our phones, our computers. Cousin asked how, and my mom said she doesn't know. She didn't ask because I wracked my brain and I was totally bothered by it, and I just made it happen. Cousin asked questions, and my mom was like "idk  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "

IDK either... I just have had enough of this run around and these lies. Comcast tells us that they aren't tech support for printers or computers and we need to call the manufacturer of the problem because they aren't, when another tech tells a business that they are the problem... Question then becomes "who you gonna trust?" not "Who ya gonna call?" 

I'll tell you this... I ain't afraid of no ghosts! ⊘👻

Cheers;

Well... maybe I'm slightly afraid of ghosts... there's some asshat that bothers us where we live now. She was some "known" actress in the 90s but she died of health problems. Her mother originally owned our unit, and my mom said when she (my mom) originally looked at this place, it was a shrine to the girl. We think she kinda posses this place every once in a while. 🙈

I did it my damn self...

 .. because the power vested in The Googles

... added to my "Wonder what this does... hope I don't break it..." ... 

...*close eyes**prays**presses buttons*...

... equals Comcast still sucks. 

Because it IS their duckin' modem that WAS the friggin problem to the printing challenge.

Why?

Because I Googled it. And found the way to fix it.

What do I always say lately, besides, well, Comcast sucks? 

Do your research. 

Do your due diligence. 

I followed a couple links online, with the search query of "xfi modem not connecting to wireless printer". After a few hours (between this morning and this evening), I saw a lot of people posting online that they were having the same problems. 

Not only were they Comcast customers, they were recently told to upgrade to the xFi white buggery higher speed box. As these customers all have wireless printers, they were all having the same challenges: they could not get their [HP / Epson / Brother] top of the line $$$ printers to stay on the network and print from their computers and smart devices. 

They all went online to have a B&M (bitch & moan) / "me too!!!" session on Comcast's support sites, among other lines of social networking.

It wasn't until someone raised a question of... "have you separated the networks?". 

Meaning.. after all this troubleshooting... after trying to figure out what the effing hell is wrong with my "ancient" technology... the default / automatic connection to the xFi white modem.is... it is combining the 2.4ghz network with the 5.0ghz network. 

Making one solid network instead of 2 networks for the price of 1.

This is obviously something Comcast is failing to tell people, let alone the "technical agents" are telling customers over the phone. They want you to go out and buy new technology because their refurbished equipment isn't faulty. It's your 6 month+ old device. 

So... here comes my "wonder what this does..." *closes eyes and prays the creek don't rise* "lemme press it....." challenge. 

I logged into the Comcast modem gateway (everyone should know some basics about this... if you know absolutely nothing about your modem, this is how you change your default name and such for your WiFi...a tech should walk you through this, originally). I then went to the WiFi tab on the page. Saw how it had both the 2.4 and the 5.0 listed as separate line items. 

The only thing I did was click on the 2.4 line to edit. Went to manual connection instead of automatic, saved my work, and boom! I took the USB wires off the computers, tried wireless printing, and up your nose with a rubber gasket hose, Comcast... I fixed it!!! 

So it IS your crappy modem... it's not my dying computer, really awesome printer or smart phone!!! 

Although I'm feeling a bit dumbly smarter right now for fixing this thing... don't mind my gloating. There are times where you fight and fight and fight and feel like you're the victim of a bad situation, and you prove you're not. The bully just wants you to feel that way so you think you need to do what they want - in this case, buy new electronics. But nope... I fixed it... I fixed it...

*enter Snoopy dance* 

Now if only I could get a better job....

Cheers;

It's not us, it's them

 Well...

I had an interesting morning, this morning.

My mom needed to update and print an document on her Acer all-in-one computer, which is connected to an HP all-in-one scanner/printer. As this is the first time she's printing since we got the new Comcast modem, it's time to report that we potentially got screwed with Comcast. 

Like my last update regarding the new modem and my Dell laptop not connecting the the Canon Pixma printer, my mom's computer isn't connecting to her printer too. We failed to check her connections over the past week because she doesn't use the computer that often, and both printers are seen wirelessly by our phones, just not by the computers.

And that's after I uninstalled everything Canon from my computer and reinstalled it all. I didn't think to check hers.

So we called Comcast this morning to check on the modem and see why all of a sudden our printers don't want to be seen by the computer networks. The first tech we spoke to, said she's not a printer person. We are calling the internet agent for the company, and as we are having problems with our printers, Comcast cannot help us. They don't provide service to things they don't sell. Therefore, she can't help us, as everything is 100% fine on her end. 

The suggestion is that we do one of three things, if not all three: 

a) call the computer manufacturer for troubleshooting help

b) call the printer manufacturer for troubleshooting help

c) take everything to Geek Squad for troubleshooting help

    She legit said "go to Geek Squad".

We said there's no way we're calling or going to these other companies to fix a problem that Comcast created. Where we've had how many modems with the cable giant, and this is the first time we're seeing connection errors, it's not possible that all of a sudden our computer / network is blocking the printer. It has to do with the modem, as this wasn't happening prior to last month. She said there's nothing she can do; everything is fine on her end. Go call Dell, HP, Canon and Acer for help then go to Best Buy and have the Geek Squad fix the problem. 

My mom hung up on her. 

About 15 minutes later, we tried again, because my mom desperately needed to print her document, and I needed to find the wire to connect the computer to the printer. We got another tech, who, in other forms of trying, told us the same thing the first tech did. Not Comcast's problem, it's a PEBKAC issue for Best Buy to fix. 

Considering the guy decided to make us look foolish - he wanted to play a game with us, which I caught on to, real quick. He asked us to turn our computers on, check our WiFi network, open up our browser. He started spelling out the link to the NY Times, and when I questioned it, he said to just do it. We said we're on it, he said that by going to the Times, it proves we have internet. By calling for help on something that works, means they can't help. They aren't in the business of troubleshooting devices that they don't sell. Especially since our cell phones can print on the printers but our computers can't. Everything is working perfectly.

I said that that isn't possible. With this new modem, our computers say there's an error message. After uninstalling the drivers, the programs, the everything... to reinstall it all, and the computers say there is a problem finding the printers, it has to be a block or something coming from the modem. The guy said no; if we call HP and Canon, those people can walk us through resetting the network / passwords / everything wireless related to the printers, to be able to then connect to the Comcast modem. Since Comcast only deals with their own internet, cable, voice, the agents who work for the company cannot do anything else to help us. They can see our information on their screen and everything is running in tip top shape. Not their fault our printers are now not working. 

Uhm.... I'm not the smartest person in the world, and I don't pretend to be. But it feels like Comcast is trying to pass the buck again, on a problem they have a hand in creating. We've had these wireless printers for almost a decade (at least the HP one), and we've gone through at least half a dozen modems in 10 years. This is the first time we're having to hard wire our wireless printers because nothing can talk to each other. It just doesn't make sense to me. 

In all my life... in all the times I back end stuff... in all the times I've got to find a work around.... to all of a sudden have a wall put up and be told the thing blocking everything is working fine, seems odd. I mean, the printers are obviously on the network if the phones can see it, sometimes, but then the computers can't see the printers, there's a glitch somewhere in the system. Nothing has changed except this new modem. 

Even now as I write this, hours later, the phones have stopped seeing the printers. It worked for 5 minutes earlier, and I thought it would be okay. But obviously I was wrong. The printers have forgotten the network or whatever the issue is, and until I can figure out how the effing hell I can reconnect two printers, I'm sticking to the fact that Comcast is a giant piece of shit company. I wish there was a better alternative to having internet and phone, because this ridiculously fucked up conglomerate needs to have better competition and the competition has to have better people trained in customer service. 

To hang up a call and feel like setting fire to all your devices and living off the grid should not happen. I truly felt like destroying everything I own today... because the customer service end of Comcast made me feel like we're useless and dumb and don't know what we're doing. Not everyone is like that, and every time we have an issue with the cable or the phone or something else, they are the ones who can't fix it... they say it's working fine on their end... even if we're on our cell phones because the phone line is deader than Ötzi the Iceman after his defrost in the 1990s. Like, who's fault is this?? 

I don't know anymore... can we have something simple again?????

Cheers;

Shamrockin' the shirt

 Every time I wear my Celtic FC shirt, I start singing Rod the Mod's You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim). Moreover, the line You're Celtic, United, but baby I've decided / You're the best team I've ever seen goes on repeat for a couple hours before I have to start ignoring the voices in my head and attempt to do some work. 

Oddly enough, it hasn't happened when I wear my Boston Irish shirt. Although, I do tend to wear that solely on St. Paddy's Day, I am wearing the Celtic shirt today because it was surprisingly cold when I woke up this morning. 

I'm 142 episodes into a podcast called Into The Fray, and there was an interview on episode 141 with a couple of Florida authors (Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz). They've been on the show a few times already, and this episode (from 2018) was promoting their book Freaky Florida. They do a lot of research all over the state and not only write about weird things happening, Kari draws some stuff as well as photographs being added to help bring everything together. 

One of the things they talked about, which I've heard before in another podcast, is how some of the cities got their names. As Florida had been a highly Native American part of the country, most names here are Native American related (Tallahassee, Lake Okeechobee [aka "Lake O" since no one wants to pronounce it or spell it], Calusa /   Caloosahatchee River, Seminole, Apalachee, etc). 

The one thing that I've heard before is how Kissimmee got its name. According to this podcast (I'm going to try to get as much of the context in this quote as I can, as I am re-listening to the episode), a contact the writers have in the Seminole Tribe says, "A lot of people assume the name 'Kissimmee', was named for some Indian word that was forgotten. It was known as the Kissimmee River originally." 

The contact that the writers have, also stated that he [contact] plus other tribes and their members did some more research over the terms that people are using, especially since the city is one of those words "people assumed it was a name that has been forgotten". 

What the people found out, was part of a darker past. "Apparently after the Second Seminole War, they were trying to relocate everybody to the Reservations passed the Mississippi. When they were moving people out, a lot of tribes didn't want to go. They were going to be forced to live next to other tribes they were at war with. It was easier to try to hide and stay in the state... deep in the swamps and stuff. As the land was expanding, settlers were moving in. The settlers were given carte blanche to do whatever they wanted to, to the tribes. Kill the men, do whatever to the women and children. One Indian maid saw / heard what had happened in a nearby town, where they had raped all the women and killed all the men. The Indian / Seminole language at this point had no word for 'rape' so when they [settlers] came to drive the Indians off their land, this woman tried to offer herself up to them. Having no word for rape, she was trying to use the English word 'kiss me'... 'kissimmee'". 

The statements the podcast host makes after hearing this, is it sounds like the woman was trying to "distract" the settlers, "or appease them", and the question the hosts asks, is if there's another part of the story - "do we know the the story exactly what happened during that time". The authors stated that they don't know because "this is an oral history that has been passed down over time", and their contact is actually further trying to research this information. The only thing they know is from what stories people already saying about this.

As I have heard the exact reference before, which might even have been aired on another episode of this podcast, I thought it was interesting how, being originally from Massachusetts, there are other stories behind how the rest of the country got its' language and terms. Considering it's a yearly rite of passage for Massachusetts school children to go visit Plymouth Plantation during their studies, as well as the legal age children (21+ year olds) to visit a couple adult theme parks (casinos) in Connecticut, you really don't know what the rest of the world had for tribes until you visit the state or do more research. 

There's an interesting mini-series that aired a few years ago, called Saints & Strangers and it's about the arrival of the English to Massachusetts and how there was a tense battle between the tribes that were already there and the English coming to make a new home. It's one of those "Thanksgiving" movies that show a little more history and slight perspective on how we all got here. 

Loads of stuff to think about today. Pretty heavy things too. It's light and dark mind expansion and if we can learn something every day, I think we can be in a better place. Pass on to others what you learn and they can probably tell you something they might know about the same subject. Read. Listen. Talk to people. 

Behave and take care of yourself.

Cheers;