I love when people want to have an argument...

... and you end up finding some information online that defeats their side of the conversation. 

Which also may make you in the wrong, but proves what you're saying is a little more correct than what they're sticking behind.

This morning I was in the pool with my mother and one of her friends. As I had joined them late, I walked into the conversation about how our community is wired for Internet and the exact details Hotwire said to us when things got up and running. 

My mother had asked me what the technicians told me when they came and installed the Nokia router, Eero boxes and Fision cable set tops. How exactly are we covered with our Wi-Fi, in regard to fiber optic versus the old Comcast cabling?

I explained how, on the multiple times Hotwire was in our house, they said that they're piggy backing off of the Comcast coaxial cable. Hotwire is using fiber optic both inside and outside the house, but they are also utilizing pre-existing Comcast lines in other ways. Meaning, there are multiple sources coming in multiple directions and although Hotwire owns a good amount of them, not every single connection is solely theirs. Somehow there's a converter in place and I don't know the exact way it's all connected, but there are several things allowing us to be online, as well as how we watch television.

The friend stated that what I'm talking about is 100 per cent not true. That the information I have is jibberish; fake news if you will. She saw Hotwire dig through her yard and plant wires, to then connect one end of it all to the street and the end to her house. They totally disabled and took away Comcast everything; our community no longer has any investment in the previous company. What we have in our units are all Hotwire, all the time.

I said that she's not totally correct; Hotwire may have dug lines in her yard, but that was only to connect their wiring to some of the pre-existing stuff that Comcast was using and would leaving once their contract ended. We were told specifically from Hotwire that they connect their wiring to what was previously installed in the houses. They're not redoing everything as we know it; they're only adding a few things to the community, such as internal dwelling boxes and some new string lines. 

The friend still wanted to argue against this by saying I don't know what I'm talking about. She "saw with [her] own eyes, the digging and hooking up. The connecting of pieces of equipment". I had to explain that's true they dug but they didn't take up the old wiring. They left it because they needed it to add a booster of sorts to their own items.

Side note: I'm not completely technical with this so I don't have all the verbiage to explain what bill of sale Hotwire was showing, versus what Comcast was taking away while not being fully transparent. 

Back to conversation.

The friend really wanted to fight me. I ended up exclaiming "let's just end the conversation then. Agree to disagree because obviously, this is not going anywhere and I don't want to keep talking about it", to which the woman again disagreed, saying how wrong I am and I don't know anything. My mother jumped in to say it's true how they told us things, and the woman refused to concede. She wanted to be right and make sure we felt like fools. 

When my mother and I got home, she said that even another pool friend said there is no Comcast equipment in the community, it's all Hotwire. Which is why the conversation went on longer then it should have. 

It doesn't make sense, only because not every one in our community is using Hotwire; some are still using Comcast. The community got a "deal" on Hotwire when Comcast's contract was ending. A lot of residents wanted to keep Comcast, and they didn't want Hotwire in their house. We all had no choice; we had to have the new company in and do stuff, and those who wanted to keep the old ISP now have competing services in their home. I honestly don't know if Hotwire shut off their side of the communication, but if people are still using Comcast, somehow that's still a viable option. They're paying for both services and only with Hotwire is there a reduced rate due to it being part of our HOA dues.

Again, I am not that technical to understand the "how" to any and all of this. I know people have vocalized they're still using Comcast's equipment, still on their server. Hotwire is somehow shut off in the house. I can't explain it, but it's a small fraction of owners who have it. 

Even more so, when one of the last major storms rolled through (Helene? Milton? I don't remember which), we had power but no Internet. I had been up at the clubhouse after it ended (and was safe to be there) and a Comcast truck was driving the neighborhood. He stopped me and asked if the community was having any problems, and I said that "we have power, but no Internet. We use Hotwire and it's completely down". He said that that the main box wasn't getting power and was I sure the community had power? I said yes, we have electricity, just don't have internet. He had come out to check on a report by a user in the community, and found the power box not working, along with some other FPL boxes. He mentioned some were wet too, but it mainly was just not having juice to the source. Someone needed to contact FPL because it's a power issue, not a Comcast issue. Once power is restored, Comcast can come out and fix the internet. Since Hotwire is connected to the Comcast main hub, we technically still use Comcast as the backbone for getting online, even though we have Hotwire credentials.

I failed to explain that to my mom's friend as I had forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. I remembered it when we got home and by then it was too late; I wasn't about to call the woman and tell her this. 

However, what I did do, was research "does hotwire communications use pre existing cable lines as their wiring" and I not only found an interesting AI overview, I found a "frequently asked questions" sheet from another community. 

The Overview is as follows:

"Hotwire Communications generally installs their own dedicated fiber-optic lines for the main network backbone, but they may reuse pre-existing in-home coaxial cables inside a home or building solely to deliver basic television packages. [1, 2]

Inside the Home and Building Wiring

Television (Coax): Hotwire often utilizes existing in-home coaxial cable lines to distribute basic "Plug 'n Play" cable TV signals to secondary televisions without needing new set-top boxes. They test and optimize these existing lines during setup. [1]
Internet and Routers (Ethernet): For high-speed data, modems, and primary routers, Hotwire typically runs new CAT5E or CAT6 Ethernet cabling to ensure optimal performance rather than relying on old, degraded copper lines. [1, 2]

Outside and Community Infrastructure

Backbone Lines: Hotwire installs their own independent fiber-optic infrastructure underground or along designated utility routes to bring service to a neighborhood or multi-dwelling unit. They do not use another active provider's live external network lines for their primary data transmission"

I know this snipped (with its own citations) contradicts both my point and also any type of explanation, but the beginning states they "may reuse pre-existing in-home coaxial cables". For televisions, yes, but why then did the technicians make a big deal about getting things re-wired and telling us Comcast is still being used? This also doesn't go on to explain how everything Hotwire supplied is either hooked up into the Comcast used Greyfox Systems hub or it has its own line out device. The former is the coax system and the latter is the fiber system.

On another note, not every technician is telling the home owner that the Eero is not what it seems. I know I spoke about this in another post, but just to reiterate (because it's adjacent of a problem to this current one), the Eero is the modem and the Nokia is the router. Without the Eero, we wouldn't have Internet, according to the last technician I spoke with. Every person who has come to my house from Hotwire has said that Eero is a Wi-Fi extender and it acts as a booster. We do not need to install the Eero app on our phone and create an account; Hotwire has all the information they need if we install their own app. When we talked to the last in home person, they fervently needed the Eero verification or they could not set up my uncle's Internet. This person explained the Eero does all the work and if it wasn't for them, there would be no Hotwire to get us online. Which doesn't make sense from when we had how many people in our house from the company, explaining what is going on?? The sales department, community manager, half a dozen installers / technicians... no one made a peep about Eero other than it's a booster. The new guy was as if he went rogue and needed us to give him another key to the place. 

It's such a mud puddle, I can't seem to get out of it. 

What I have been able to do, was able to find a "Frequently Asked Questions" sheet from a community in Estero, about Hotwire and their connecting to other providers. 

Per a PDF from the Shadow Wood Community Association's website (links below for citing purposes):

"This section covers questions related to activities inside the home—your role, when you need to be at home, scheduling in-home appointments, bringing the fiber into a central distribution point within the home, “health check” of existing wiring, running of new wiring and the installation of any devices provided by Hotwire.

The following question was added on 10/19/17: 

1) Q: I would like to install a new cable TV outlet in my dinette for “plug in play” 70 channel service. Will Hotwire install new wiring and a cable TV outlet in difficult to reach area of my home? 

A: Hotwire will rewire (at no charge to the resident at the time of the initial installation) with new CAT5 cabling to any existing outlet location where a new FISION HD Box or modem/router will be located. Wiring to any new locations, or wiring after the initial installation of service will carry a $75 charge per outlet. Hotwire also offers a “wireless” FISION box (at the same cost as a wired box) which also adds flexibility for viewing locations. 

Please keep in mind: Where Comcast uses a small device called a DTA (Digital to Analog) converter, Hotwire’s technology allows them to deliver a similar service at no charge through a normal coax wall outlet without any such devices being required. This is called the “Expanded Basic Programming” and includes over 70 channels."

"4) Q: Will my home’s internal wiring need to be updated? 

A: Not necessarily: There will be a “home health check” where Hotwire (at their expense) will inspect and test the home’s existing wiring and replace and/or remove un-needed or defective splitters, amplifiers and connectors. The home’s inside wiring will be assessed and confirmed to allow residents to realize the quality delivered to the home via the fiber network. This existing wiring will be used to deliver programming to designated TV’s where a Set Top Box (STB) will not be installed (this is a “Expanded Basic” package referred to as “Plug ‘n Play” or “In The Clear”). For locations where your Hotwire supplied modem/router and STB’s will be located, Hotwire will run new CAT5E Ethernet wiring to deliver service to those devices. The technician will not leave the home until the service is working properly and signal levels have all been tested and confirmed to meet specified requirements."

"5) Q: Do I have to be home when they install my fiber and how long does it take? 

A: The installation will be three step process: 

1. Outside installation: The homeowner does not need to be present at this stage as all work is exterior to your home. 

2. Bringing the fiber into the home: Connecting the fiber from outside into the home and terminating at an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) which will usually be placed at the same location where Comcast, or other provider, has positioned the incoming terminal wiring. At this stage the homeowner, or a representative for the homeowner, needs to be present. This effort will normally require less than two hours to complete. 

3. In-unit installation: Connections from the ONT to TV’s, router, etc. again requires that the homeowner be present. This can take approximately 3-4 hours including resident training."

"4) Q: What is an ONT? 

A: An Optical Network Terminal, commonly referred to as an ONT, is a piece of equipment that converts the fiber-optic light signals to copper-based/electrical signals that can be utilized by Internet, video and telephone devices. 

4A) Q: Where will the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) be installed in my home?

A: Typically, the ONT is installed in a utility area (laundry room, garage, etc.) where the already existing communication distribution hardware is located. If a structured wiring (communications distribution) cabinet already exists, the ONT will be located there."

"7) Q: Will the existing coaxial cable network inside my home limit the quality of the TV service? 

A: Hotwire will use the existing coaxial cable solely for the delivery of a “Expanded Basic” package they refer to as “Plug ‘n Play” or “In The Clear” based on the fact that no box of any kind will be required to deliver the programming to most TVs that have been purchased in the last 8 years (traditionally flat screen TV’s). Hotwire will test all coaxial cabling and fittings (splitters, connectors, etc.) during the installation process to insure adequate transmission quality. Defective connectors and splitters will be replaced free of charge. Once all signal levels are optimized, the coaxial cable will not degrade your High Definition television service. 

8) Q: Will I have to rewire my home? 

A: That would be highly unlikely! In the event that a run of coaxial cable within your walls is determined to be inadequate, Hotwire will replace it free of charge. Hotwire will run new CAT5E Ethernet wiring to the locations where they are providing new equipment--i.e. modem/router and Set Top Boxes (STB). This will be done free of charge."

Again, this was culled from a form another community sent to its residents. I've cited the website below, and am using these as examples to show how Hotwire may be using another provider's services and creating a hybrid wiring service of their own. It also points to the central location of the previous provider's boxes and how Hotwire will reconfigure it all for everyone's use. This goes back to the original "things are connected to both the Grey Fox Systems", Comcast fusion and Hotwire planting. A three ring circus of wondering what belongs where.

My mother ended up sending those screen caps to her friend as a text, but the friend hasn't responded yet (as of this writing). I know the friend was going to be doing some stuff through out the day, so she probably hasn't seen the information yet. If she has, it probably set her in a mood because I am sure she doesn't want to be told she may be wrong.

I know the information doesn't prove me in the total right, but it also doesn't show I'm completely wrong either. There is such a mess of information online and in my head (based on what we were told and have been told), it's rough to get it all out and on paper. It also doesn't show the woman is providing a false narrative either. We both seem to be missing pivotal details and due to her not wanting to fact check everything, this is a win for no one. It's an additional piece of conversation to let her know that maybe she shouldn't be so head strong into wanting an argument with someone and have it be one sided, which is her side. A little more research needs to be done and possibly discussed in a civil manner, because frankly, it was getting heated. 

No, it wasn't because the humidity outside was making the water feel like a bath tub at 9 in the morning. It was the debate that went on for way too long. 

Accept the other person's opinion and be done with it. Plain and simple. 

Therefore, I am going to end it here because I'm circling too and making myself look bad. 

Until someone can say "I'm sorry, I would like to know more about what you have to say", take care of yourself, each other and try to play fair.

Cheers;

-- If I'm completely wrong, then somebody somewhere needs to have better training exercises for their employees because nothing is explained properly and everyone listens and processes things completely differently. I know there's a few other social network sites where users are asking similar questions and even then, there is a bit of a controversy over this --

See Also

• Shadow Wood Community Association
• Shadow Wood Community Association PDF download
• Eero; an Amazon product
  

The AI overview citation notes go to

• The link "[1]" to the Shadow Wood PDF as mentioned above
• Wellen Park (in Venice) website explanation "[2]"

Subscription based podcasts

It's been long enough in listening to the  "Into The Fray" podcast by Shannon LeGro, that the advertisements in the podcast bombarded me in the first episode I got back in to.

All I can say is, "Wow". 

Within the first 5 minutes, the conversation got interrupted and there was about 90 seconds worth of random commercials. There's already been a few more advertisements in this episode and I'm only 45 minutes into the hour and 50 minute airing. 

The last episode I listened to, was long enough ago, that I've got to listen to over 200 installments. I went from listening every week to being squirreled by other people's audio; so three years later, I've got a lot to catch up on. 

Which actually means half of what is in the list, I can automatically marked as played, because they're for "subscribers only". 

There are people who pay to listen to the show with no advertisements, no interruptions, receive extra features, better information, and so forth. The Patreon fee is $3 a month for the basic level and goes up to $50 a month for true inclusivity - this is a small club; only 5 people belong, according to the Patreon page. All levels have option to "pay annually" and "save 10%". 

Conversely, via Apple, the "premium" subscription is $4.99 a month or $59.99 a year. I think the difference is between the two services, outside of the "Listen Ad-free / Get Bonus Episodes / Listen First" option, is just that - you only get bonus episodes and no ads in Apple. Patreon adds merch, the ability to enter the closed off Facebook page, Youtube videos, exclusives no one else can get. Spotify on the other hand, based on just looking at the page, doesn't have an option to support? I could be wrong.

I like the show, but I can't afford the membership fee right now. On any platform. Therefore, in the Apple Podcast player, I'm sending the locked episodes to the vault. 

This "significantly" cut down the episodes I need to listen to. Sure, I'm missing bonus content and 5-10 minutes more of the show, but some of the subscription episodes are aired with commercials, so it's not a big problem... except when a sentence is cut in half and some ad for another app chimes in. It's jarringly weird because then you forget what the person was talking about and hope you didn't miss anything else from what they were saying.

Happened to me with this episode I'm listening to; Shannon asked a question and the guest started answering. He was mid word and all of a sudden I got blasted with some advertisement. It was loud because it was just spliced in but whatever AI Apple uses. When the show came back on, it sounded like I missed something. I can't tell because I'm not a paying member. 

I guess my point is, since I've noticed this is becoming common practice with other podcasts, "buyer beware" that you might get service interruptions in your audio when you least expect it. 

It's not new because we're getting them on our television shows and video streaming services already. But now when you want to cut off the world for a little while and listen to an audio program that isn't on the radio, you're going to have to contend with timed sales pitches.

If you're into the supernatural, go check out "iNTO THE FRAY" because it's pretty interesting, if you ignore the advertisements. Shannon LeGro does a good job on this and it's worth listening to. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to. I won't judge.

Until something happens in the universe shift, be safe and well.

Cheers;

See Also

• "iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Audible on Amazon
  
• "INTO THE FRAY" via Audible on Amazon - this seems like a side show, but not the actual podcast / subscribers version
• "iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Apple Podcasts
• "iNTO THE FRAY RADIO - Encounters with the Paranormal" via Spotify
  
• "Into The Fray Radio" official website
  
• "Into The Fray" via Patreon

What makes the drink "dirty"?

.. and why is it different from other flavored drinks?

It seems like an "all the rage" thing the last few months have been "dirty" drinks: 

Dirty Soda

Dirty Coffee

Dirty Tea (or not)

Dirty martinis (/liquor. This is pre-dating me. So let's scratch that)

I've had a dirty soda from a recently opened chain restaurant that specializes in the product. The place is called Swig and they're seemingly popular among young adults and certain mid west states. 

I'm not completely knowledgeable about the history of Swig, but online research says it was brought out of a need for something to have in the LDS (Latter Day Saints) / Mormon culture since the members abstain from consuming certain foods / liquids. They wanted to have something where they could stay within their restrictive diets but still feel part of a crowd or have something differently cool. They started mixing creamers in soda instead in lieu of creak in coffee due to java being one of those "no-nos". This crazy science experiment exploded out a new type of drink. 

This again, is just something I quickly looked up and very briefly summarized. I don't want to offend anyone by writing a list of reasons for the start of the brand, nor do I want to get anything wrong. I know very little about the lifestyle, even after working with someone who had left the faith and had a lot of bad things to say about her time in it. So I'm just going to leave it at that. 

It's not to say I didn't want to try the excitement. While it's true I've mixed stuff in my drinks before and had my own weird outcomes, actually ordering and paying for this out in the wild is totally a different beast. 

I have tried Swig three times since the store opened. Each time I got something different. Honestly, it's nothing to write home about; I don't know what the hype is. Someone, somewhere decided to mix some lactose with Dr. Pepper, add some fruit puree and sell it to the masses. 

Which is why I'm honestly wondering what the difference between this and a regular "Cherry Pepsi" is. The big name companies are already producing flavored products and people are buying it. What makes adding fruit puree or creamer to the drink a new thing? It's a quick fad, at best, but adding a lime or lemon to the Vanilla Coke has been around for decades. This is not really new; or is it a TikTok trend that someone forgot to say it's too viral to forget? I don't know; I'm seriously wondering this. I mean, it's interesting as hell because so many people have created other things from the dirty soda concept, and I would like to know "why". 

Why is Dunkin' Donuts now selling "Dirty Coffee"? I've seen so many YouTube videos about it over the last two weeks - the making of the drink and what it tastes like. The reviews are mixed, but I've seen more negative than positive comments about it. Including conversations about the price, the taste and how it's not real coffee. Some Dunkies workers have made videos to show exactly how it's created: in whatever size it's ordered in (medium is the standard?) there's ice, Dunkin's proprietary blend of coffee milk (which, in general, is a dairy-based drink made by mixing coffee syrup with milk), Pepsi (yup, the brands are collaborating) and Dunkin's proprietary cold foam (which comes in an aluminum / aerosol nozzle can - imagine a can of Reddi-Wip). All this for an energetically carbonated coffee pick me up. 

After seeing the videos, I have to say, this is one thing I won't be trying. It looks gross. I like milk, I like coffee, I like Pepsi (although growing up, we were a Coke household). I'm not going to attempt to mix any of them together to create some Frankenstein drink because there is nothing else to drink. Plus, if there's no actual coffee in the cup, why bother? 

(Sugar. That's why)

Yes, I know the concept of coffee milk, but I'd like actual coffee in my glass with the opportunity to add whatever type of dairy I'd like (creamer, milk, etc). Cold foam addition is nice, but not something I go out of my way for. Where I'm not an added sugar / sweetener person (anymore), I don't like putting in extra stuff in my drink. As it is, an "iced, regular" at Dunkies has the ability to be chewed. There is enough sugar on the bottom of the cup, that you've got a snack to go with your drink. Plus, once the cold foam starts liquefying in the cup, it becomes too white - super sweetened cream meets dairy cream. 

I'm by no means saying this product is no good, since it's out there for a reason. Maybe some YouTubers are right in saying it's a cash grab, but maybe others are right in saying it's a mainstay for a few minutes. It is something different for sure. But overall (in general), what happened to a coffee chain selling coffee? 

I miss Honey Dew Donuts for their over sugared flavored coffee. I didn't get Mary Lou's much, so Honey Dew was a bomb alternative to Dunkies... besides Cumby's random 99¢ any size. 😋

I'm not going to lie: I did try my hand last night at making my own dirty soda. 

Try some, buy some...?

I had some A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer, Horizon's Home Style Vanilla Creamer and some Torani Sugar Free Caramel syrup (small bottle. It was BOGO last month). Putting the root beer in a tall glass, I then added a shot of the syrup and creamer. The dairy fizzed with the carbonation real quick. But once that foam cooled down, I tried it. 

Holy cow... it was like drinking a root beer float. Due to all the flavors, there was no way this tasted sugar free. I know there's sugar in the creamer, so maybe that was cancelling out the other two products, but wow. This was good. It tasted like dessert. 

WooHooooOoo....

I really couldn't believe it. Even without ice, the drink acted like I had vanilla ice cream in it, due to the way the creamer reacted to the carbonation. It fizzed and foamed and almost went over the rim of the glass. Like a real after dinner spectacle treat. 

Yet there was no scoop of anything in it; just liquids.

It was like being back in middle school watching the kids at the fair make their volcanos rise up and smoke, but still stay really calm at the same time. There's some sort of magic with it.

(Fat kid getting excited over food. Nothing to see here. Keep moving)

Now I have to ask myself: Would I make a habit out of making this? 

No, because I don't want to have too much (unnecessary) dairy every day. 

If I can help it, at least. 

I have my morning coffee with cream. This past week, I've been using the Planet Oat brand oat milk in my smoothies. If I end up having a cup of coffee in the afternoon, I'm using creamer again. Or, if I'm having a cup of Teeccino tea (I'm currently drinking the Snickerdoodle flavor), I'm using creamer in that. By supper, if I'm drinking a cola product, I don't want another shot of diary in my drink. 

All these "ifs"! 

It actually becomes too much and I'm trying to limit my intake for health reasons (not that what I'm already doing is so healthy.. I know it's all bad for me). I also don't drink cola products every day. Maybe a couple times a week. I've been drinking various sparkling waters or just plain water, even though most time it's the former. 

Therefore, it was a valid attempt to take an idea I've seen around town and online and try it myself. I had the tools to get it done and I'd probably stick to buying regularly branded (or pre mixed / made) products. It's easier than worrying about keeping a pantry full of add-ins and add-ons, expiration dates, refrigeration, etc. Just buy a six pack of flavored cola and call it a day. While you're at it, buy some limes and lemons. Maybe a small container of maraschino cherries if you want the sugared version - drop one or two in the drink when you get Cherry Coke. Saved you an extra dollar, I did. It'll go a long way. 

I've kind of squirreled my way around this post and all my links below are for things I've mentioned. I get commission on things purchased on Amazon and if I link to an outside company, like Teeccino, I receive a credit on my own account for future purchases if there is a purchase made by the person clicking the link. It's easy enough and we all win from it. The Amazon links are for purchases or references or all of the above; suggestions and opinions. 

You do you. 

Think about what's popped up on your socials lately.. have you seen any ads for dirty drinks? What are your thoughts? Try it? Don't try it? Worth setting up a kitchen lab yourself and making your own concoction? You never know what you'll (literally) cook up unless you get an idea... 

Now go out and make some yummy magic. 

Cheers;

See Also

• Please note that with the perishable food stuff, Amazon and Whole Foods are working together to get it delivered. 
• The Horizon creamer is only available in Caramel flavoring, and has a $13.95 delivery fee on top of the $6.99 creamer price. This price is for a single carton too. If you want to check it out, here is the link but I suggest going to a normal grocery store to pick it up. If you have a Whole Foods and that's your jam, by all means, check their stock too. 
• The Planet Oat Milk I'm using is not a Whole Foods delivered item, but it is a refrigerated item. There is a $12.99 delivery fee on top of the $4.25 cost of the single carton. 
• There is a shelf stable version for $3.99 with no added delivery fee, as it isn't currently in a cooler. 
• Amazon has cans of A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer for $8.39 for a pack of 12. It's roughly the same cost as the grocery store. 
• Amazon has a 4 bottle variety pack of the Torani Sugar Free Syrups. It looks like it could be a good price at $31.88 because it comes down to $7.97 a bottle. They're the 25.4 ounce bottles too, so this is comparable to retail stores, as I've seen it between $8 and $10 a bottle. 
• "Try Some, Buy Some" and "WoooHoooo" comes from the George Harrison track "Try Some, Buy Some". It's on the 1973 album, "Living in the Material World"
• The Teeccino storefront on Amazon has most of the flavors. There's also the branded website has discounts or freebies if my referral link is clicked and an order is placed. But also, there's a weekly email blast with recipes that sound pretty stellar. 

Ooh... the pretties... in the "cold"

I've gone to the gym several nights this week, as my daily routines have changed. A few days this week has been in the 50s and 60s for most of the morning and then again at night and the sky has been all sorts of colorful as the sun goes down. 

I was able to get the various pinks (kind of) on Tuesday evening, when I had left the gym to get some water out of the bubbler by the pool. I didn't think to bring my water bottle with me, and wanted to get a drink before continuing with my next set. 

Just the opening view alone of the archway and the sky was nice, and when I walked more onto the pool deck, I got to see the openness of it all and capture the rest of what the building hid. 

When viewing the photos, keep in mind, it's just shy of 6pm, eastern, in Florida. 

All photos taken with an iPhone 11 and dropped into Photoshop to add my name to it. 

I'm sure this is nothing abnormal for a lot of people, especially now, where some of my northern friends are seeing the Aurora Borealis show up in their neck of the woods. 

Yes, I've already gotten pictures texted to me from Peabody, Massachusetts, where the purples and greens were so vibrant, you could still see the spots of stars behind the gasses. My friend sent me such amazing photos as she's a nature lover and tends to go venture out at night in order to see the wonders of the local universe. 

That's why I know the pictures I took aren't "ooooohhhh wooooooowww" to some folks, but others may enjoy it. This is what 52° in the Sunshine State gets you. No snow, but other sorts of pinks, purples and blues. 

This week is the week where some businesses are putting up their Christmas decorations. It's cold enough, might as well pretend we're getting something we shouldn't. 

We have two more weeks until the big turkey day, yet we seemingly skipped it and went to the night a baby was born in a manger (I've got toddler versions in my blog.. search around and you'll find him). 

Last night I was able to take a quick photo of a candy cane infested (fake) tree that has been slowly decorated over the last few days. 

For as much as I am not a big Christmas person and think that some times over decorating looks tacky, there's something weirdly calming about what they did to this tree.

It seems chaotic, but I think the spot light it's under, tones it down a bit. I do have to say, in person, it looks so much better, but even "on film", it looks okay. It's a bit tacky when I think about it, but overall, it is a half decent attempt on creating something different. Unfortunately, I didn't get close enough to it to get all of the stuff hidden in places, even though there's plenty to look at. 

I'm just glad there aren't a dozen in this small space, like some places I've been to. 

Yes, I've actually worked in a facility where each event room was big enough that there were not one, but three fake trees decorated accordingly. Much like this one, but dialed back a lot (those photos are around my blog as well). 

The next few weeks are certainly going to be interesting, to see what people are doing to celebrate the rest of the season. I know some people aren't investing in much since there's been some worldly challenges lately, but others are treating it like normal and doing their usual routines. 

It makes me wonder how many people are going to be able to do Thanksgiving this year, as one store I was in, was selling Butterball turkeys for a little under a dollar a pound, making a few frozen birds well over the 80 dollar mark. That was obscene - seeing a 13 pounder for $95. I can't imagine the person buying that - how many people are you inviting, and where do you get your money for that? Considering you'll need to get everything else that goes with it - stuffing, pie, sweet potatoes, etc. It'll easily be a $200 (or more) dinner.... even on Amazon, it'll cost you plenty, but free shipping is free shipping? You're apt to not save that much in gas if you were to split your time between a couple grocery stores and get a "better deal". 

I'm not saying to do one over the other, by any means. It's tough times for people, and if you can figure out how to cheat the system a little bit in your favor, go for it. Only do it legally though - I don't condone thievery or any other type of criminal shenanigans. If you have coupons for items, do it. If one store has a better price per pound, buy it. Choose wisely and do your thing. If you follow those social network "influencers" who do late night "freegan" things... that's on you. I've seen the videos and understand where they're coming from. We've got too much waste in this world, but doing dumpster diving is on them, not you or me. I'm okay with watching the "tutorials", but I'm not going to do what they do... unless I go off grid at some point in my life and start bartering with people in the area for "necessities" - if I grow one thing and you can use it, while you've got something I could use... let's talk; let's trade. 

I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself. I'm trying not to - in my head, I'm somehow being very methodical, for as much as I'm sounding crazy typing it all out. I've got a process; trust me. 

Much like my method and process at the moment is to finish this up as I've got company coming in a few minutes. I must go act like a civil human being and be a generous host. 

Until more things happen in this world... 

Be good to yourself and take care.

Cheers;

"The scale doesn't lie. People do"

Okay, so it's a common quote from TLC series My 600-lb Life.

Raise your hand if you remember when TLC was really The Learning Channel and had really amazing stuff to watch, instead of scripted reality television. 🙋

When I came out of the gym this morning, my mother was at the pool. She was deep in conversation with one of her (international snowbird) friends and they were talking about a scale the friend uses. 

This is the same friend she ended up giving the Torfurky to last week, by the way.

So the friend was explaining to my mother some app she has on her phone. They were going into everything it does and how closely she monitors it. It was then explained to me, that this app is tied to a "really cheap, 30 dollar bathroom scale". The friend then shows me the app and tells me what it can do. 

Essentially, when you turn the scale on and step on it, it sends electrodes through your body. What those electrodes are doing, are measuring all sorts of things. Things like BMI (Body Mass Index), muscle mass, bone mass, water weight, heart health, body fat, and all sorts of things. She relies on it, in part, due to her eating habits (of being a vegetarian). Knowing how she's doing in daily activities, is great. Especially since it all syncs to the product app. 

She knows she's got challenges with some parts of this, when she gets headaches due to dehydration. She'll set a reminder to drink more water, but if she weighs herself, the scale can tell her what her body is doing. 

It really sounds like some sorcery and I can't tell you why. But I can tell you that I am not in the medical field. Thus, this post is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for concerns about your health. I am here to talk about stuff I hear from people, things I learn, and open a door for someone else to look into something they may be interested in. It is then, when that person can go do their own research. 

The woman spoke about how she has two of these scales - one at her Florida residence and one at her Canada residence. She trusts this scale to do its thing and listens to her body when she needs to up her hydration or lower her snacking. For thirty dollars, she thought the scale was well worth it, and it's already paid for itself because it tracks everything for you in the downloadable app. You can see how your body fluctuates daily (if you weigh yourself daily) and you can change the profile and settings to suit your need, much like you can change your diet and exercise to get healthier. 

She's learned a lot about herself by using this, and has more knowledge about her guts and organs than she did growing up. Yes, she still sees a doctor, but she's more empowered to do positive changes with this. 

She didn't tell me the name of the scale, but from what I could gather, the app looks similar to the Renpho line of machines. Amazon does have one on a 43% discount right now, marked to 19.99 (currently listed as "Amazon's Choice"). It retails for 34.99, so it's about right in the ballpark of what the woman was talking about. 

After listening to the conversation and being shown the app, I was thinking about this all day. It does sound too good to be true. A scale that can magically tell you everything you're doing with your body, without the need to visit a doctor every month? You can learn what's happening to your insides and adjust your diet as needed? Why isn't this marketed more? Why aren't doctors suggesting this thing instead of prescribing medication? 

Plus, wasn't there a (fairly recent) time when certain health apps were talked about being banned (like the women's health - period trackers, etc)? The pull was due to security / privacy reasons and needed to be taken off the download shelves. This inckudes hacking problems, data management, unclear rules and regulations.. list goes on. Even for an "official" program, there was still cause for alarm because there was no full accountability going on should things go south (vulnerabilities can be aplenty).  

I'm not an expert by any means. I remember seeing the headlines and hearing the conversations. So what's this (admittedly California based) product doing differently? Is it any different than the machines and software already out there? Does this woman really care? If she's not completely filling out the profile to include a lot of information, is she safe? 

No one is immune to anything. Hell, I had MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper apps on my phone. I know MyFitnessPal got hacked at one point as well as I sometimes forgot to add my intake some days. Plus, the only reason I downloaded it originally was because one of my doctors kept insisting I use it (he swore by it - lost over 100 pounds and counting). I didn't find it 100 per cent useful all the time, honestly. With Runkeeper, I thought it was more of a pain to use because it kept wanting me to upgrade to a paid version and a lot of times, the little voice coach wasn't always helping (sometimes it got redundant as well). I also couldn't sync my podcasts to the app so I can have the Runkeeper open and listen to shows at the same time, even though there was supposed to be an option.

Now that I have a smart watch (okay, I'm on the Apple product line with an iPhone and Watch [series 3]), I use the bloatware fitness app that came with the watch and somehow magically downloaded to my phone during one of the iOS updates. That's become an easier product to use in the gym because I just open the app on the watch and select the program I'm doing (elliptical, stationary bike, etc). 

Everyone is different. Everyone does their own thing. We have an old analog (dial) scale in one room (which we tend to use to weigh our luggage when we're flying) and a Weight Watchers (digital) scale in another room. 

Gotta keep 'em separated. 

I dare you not to do any air jamming as you attempt any of the musical parts to the Offspring's "Come Out And Play" track from their 1994 Smash album (track 7 for reference).

Gawd I aged myself. 

But yeah, we keep them in different rooms for the sake of "you have to have a scale on level flooring, in the same spot, every day, for accurate readings". The analog may be a little more reliable some days, but the digital is easier to read because it's more clear (my eye sight is crap). Beggars can't be choosers; we just do what is needed. 

I need to still lose weight, even though one of my doctors were amazed last week because I am down a surprising amount (to them). They weren't expecting me to lose what I have (slightly north of 20 pounds) in a short period of time, but I'm getting it done by going to the gym every day and watching what I eat. I don't need the fitness apps I had in the past because I'm following whatever crazy is in my head. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat, but I still drink water. I cut down on the junk food, salts and colas. I am a little more careful these days and I'm trying to get down further in my weight. It's tough for sure, but I'm trying. 

As Dr. Now would say "stop doing weird tings".

I shall! 

Today's Wednesday.. I think a new episode is on... Gotta get ready for it. I've gotten used to guessing the "unknown weight" and have been pretty damn close. 

Catch the weight on the flip side..

Cheers;

Random moment = random music

I am using my phone to write this with my Apple Magic Keyboard and Logitech mouse, so please excuse any or all errors. 

TMI, I know, but I was taking a shower this morning. I randomly got Cat Stevens’ Lady d’Arbanville (track 3 off The Very Best of Cat Stevens). It’s so random, I had to blog about it.

I like Cat Stevens’ music. Doesn’t matter that he currently goes by Yusuf Islam. I dig his music and respect what he has accomplished in his life. His music is the sort of peaceful protest that you sing along to, without realizing its deeper meaning unless you really look in to it. I still love his music, no matter what or who he goes by. 

Considering most every one knows his more contemporary classics like “The First Cut is the Deepest” (which was also recorded by Rod Stewart in 1977 and Sheryl Crow in 2003), “Wild World” and “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (which was one of the songs specially written for the Harold & Maude soundtrack), I like the more obscure songs as well, such as Lady D.

It’s such an unusual song especially when it’s something you’re randomly singing to the point you do the strumming and drumming replication as you sing.

And for context, the song is about Cat’s (former) girlfriend at the time, up and coming model Patti D’Arbanville. Rumor (varying research) has it that they were off and on in a relationship for a while and it was a long distance one for a a short time. He was getting over tuberculosis, had a party, met her. They started a relationship and she was going places. The last place she went was New York to jump start her acting career (He’s a native Brit and was recording under new management and company, trying out the folk scene). When she left for NY, it left a hole in his soul, so he wrote this song. It’s sad when you think about it, but it shows the level of love he had for her and wanting to be with her. She’s been quoted as she was sad when she heard it because she didn’t expect it and being so far away, she couldn’t get to him to say how it affected her and she knew then that the relationship was over. 

I’m going to get American political for just a moment, to give a comparison of what it would be like - what I’m talking about. 

This past week, former President Barack Obama was stumping for the current Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is running for President. It was an event in Detroit, and the rapper Eminem introduced President Obama. It was an event to get Detroiters to vote for Harris because people want to keep Michigan a blue state. The former president opened with the remarks along the lines of “it’s hard to follow an act like Eminem” and said he was a little nervous about it. He started free rapping Em’s “Lose Yourself” and the crowd went wild, especially when Obama attempted to do the doo doo doo bass lines. 

There are articles and videos of this online, and I am sure if someone were to try to find it, they would be able to. I don’t want to link it here, because as I said, I really don’t want to get political and I try to keep my blog that way, as a whole. I may reference something that is in the headlines, but I try not to delve too deep in to it, as I don’t want to offend anyone or lose any readers. This instance about Obama is just to compare what he thought he could articulate to the crowd (and stay relevant), but it also shows how there is always some song you dig and try to sing along, bass line included. 

It’s just like I did with Cat Stevens’ song. It popped in my head, and I started singing the lines I could remember along with the guitar strumming and drumming. It’s much like how I correlate If You Want to Sing Out with Ruth Gordon banging on the piano keys and then But Cort strumming the banjo. I know the original song was guitar, but having the visuals from the movie makes it more fun and memorable. 

I know I probably seem weird or crazy, but it was a weird and crazy moment. Where else am I going to share this to? I’m not on any major social network, and with this blog still active, “what the hell”.

… Right?

Peace, love and light! ✌❤🔥

Cheers;

Techno-advancement?

Okay, so.. as soon as I had written my last post (I wrote it on the stationary bike, finished my work out, and sat my butt on the park bench outside to cool off), I went home. 

As I was walking home (I had walked to the gym because I didn't know what the clubhouse parking lot would look like... water? Debris? Etc.), a guy in an Xfinity truck stopped me at the main intersection. He asked me if we have power. "Yes," I said, "but we don't have our Hotwire internet". He informed me that "the Comcast boxes and a lot of other power boxes do not have any power to them what so ever". He asked if I was "sure the community has power". I again said "yes we have power. Just no internet". He told me that "the power that is no good, is coming from the FPL boxes. It's up to FPL to come out and look at them", but he "will see what he can do" and winked at me. I thanked him, saying "it's appreciated". Off we both went in our separate directions. 

Once I got home, I took a shower, got a cold drink, and checked the router. 

It was doing something funny... it was trying to get online! 

Seriously? Lemme try rebooting; maybe I'm seeing things.

1...2...3..4..30. Plug it in, turn it back on. Sure enough, everything started connecting.

Great! Maybe I can do some work! If I can't get in to the office, at least I can use the laptop at home and not lose another day's pay. 

Scurrying like a fiend in a fire, I get my work laptop on, authenticated, and clocked in. I was able to get a solid 90 minutes before the wireless flicked off again. 

Damn.

Well, I guess I'm using my allocated 10 minute break earlier than expected. 

Then I used my second allocated break.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to take my 30 minute lunch, and everything suddenly went back on. Which meant I'd be eating while working, to catch up with everything. 

Off to the races I went... checking in with my department and splitting up the work load. We have all survived the storm, including the guy who lives in one of the harder hit areas north of me. He is safe and dry and is without internet. I don't know where he was working today, but he was informed by his ISP that the internet should have been up and running by 5pm last night. This morning it was still down. He hopes it is back by Tuesday, as he was taking a half day today and a full day Monday. The other members of my department were good. The exception is one of them is now sick. Probably stressed out or got wet as she's literally 3 streets away from the River. I hope it's the former and not the latter. 

After working most of the day, and flickering Wi-Fi free, you really don't understand how blazing fast speeds on a new laptop feel when you've been without the various websites for two days. Like I said earlier, we take advantage of those little things, and when you don't have it, you gripe and complain. We get so accustomed to it, that we act like children because we can't get our way. We constantly check our feeds, our shopping cart, our news... it's an addiction and it's as bad as too much salt and sugar in our diet. 

Studies have shown (years ago) that the fast food chains ask you to enlarge your meal because they not only know they'll get more money out of you (great marketing... money grab), but they know the salt they overload on their potato sticks, will get you to buy a bigger sugary drink. If you're dining in, you're refilling that cup as many times as you want. Which leads to eating more salt. The sodium content acts as one addiction and the drink acts as another and they feed into each other. This becomes a vicious cycle that has caused all the health problems (dopamine high, insulin resistance / obesity, high cholesterol, etc.). 

I'm not condoning the act of going out to eat, especially in a fast food joint. I didn't get overweight because I've been strict with my diet. I know I've been guilty of eating at a quick serve meal joint just as anyone else has. I acknowledge my problem and am working on fixing it, and it's friggin hard, man. I do eat healthy but there's always that commercial that makes you want something. Or you're out shopping and smell the grease traps starting up at a neighboring restaurant. The smell of the fried food makes you crave whatever it is. It's all a mental game that you have to learn to over come. 

One of the few social network sites internet forums I am on, a user had raised a question about AI and social media. The question was, "are people posting to this site more due to social network issues?" The basis of the question / thread was the person has been noticing there's been a "deterioration and proliferation of AI and misinformation on Facebook, Twitter" and the likes. After registered users went back and forth with their opinions and shares, plenty of pages were full of thoughts. One user had posted a Youtube video explaining how "social media is actually a casino". 

Why is social media a casino? Because the video goes on to explain that both are "designed to create psychological dependencies" at the click of a mouse or pull of a slot machine arm. It's to "keep people engaged". There are other sites that go on about this too. 

The similarities include the aforementioned dopamine high (like you get from the salt and sugar).

A rewards system (algorithms on social to get likes, comments and shares or that rush of a slot machine).

Instant gratification (pull the lever on the machine, get flashy bells and whistles; maybe win some money. Open up a web browser once upon a time ago, and hit "I'm feeling lucky" into a certain site and you'd get a random page given to you).

Unpredictable rewards (you might win, you might not)

Infinite scrolling (the pull to refresh the page tactic on your smart device is similar in how casinos keep users engaged... this I don't understand the comparison).

Sites have been built to grab people's attention - lights, sound, crazy. Just like casinos - flashy and immersive. You can't pass a blackjack or roulette table without being pulled in to it due to the excitement around it.

So technology is creating addicts. We are substituting one vice for another. It is like quitting drugs or alcohol. You find something else to focus on. Some people have multiple focuses going on at once and some times they can't handle it all going around together. That's how people have break downs. 

But oh, am I squirreling down a rabbit hole. This is not good.

Gosh, I went sideways quickly with this and I'm sorry. I didn't intend for that. I let out the conspiracy side unintentionally. I think you get the point? We have been so absentmindedly brainwashed into turning our smart phones on every couple seconds to check the screen and see if something new arrived. We open up apps to various products and see what's there. It's an addiction that needs to stop.

Which is why when there's no way to connect for hours on end, you get a little crazy. And we don't need that in our world. However, like I said earlier, if there was a way to connect with other human beings during a natural disaster, that would ease a lot of people's minds.

Trust me, my mom had the entire world blowing up her cell phone from Tuesday night into Thursday night, wondering if we were safe. People were listening to the national news from far and away, and hoping we were okay. The fear mongering had been happening - the "if you don't leave, you will die" type stuff. And where it's just me and my mother, thousands of miles away from her brother and his family, he didn't want to have to get a phone call that the both of us were missing or dead. The same thing goes for the cousins in Sarasota - their kids (really, only one of the two who called) said the same thing about this couple. I know it's such a bad thing to say or think about, but if you aren't near specific people, your heart is in your throat the entire time you don't hear from the person. 

Yes, we heard from the people in Sarasota. Somehow they got their generator to work. Their community has no power and there's problems in both her immediate area and the surrounding area. But they're fine and they're dry in their house. They just have surrounding challenges. I don't know the whole story, but I know there is debris and stuff in the vicinity. They're fine though; safe. I think even the dog got to actually go to bed early like he likes to, even though the poor thing was scared shitless. 

We all were, Chester, we all were.

It is 8:57pm and I feel like I have been writing this all day. I've been writing it for at least an hour and a half, because I kept getting squirreled by other things, including the need to go outside and attempt photos of the northern lights, which you can't see from here because there's too much cloud covereage.

So off I go because I'm tired (wiped from the last couple days) and need to wash my feet. They're dirty as all dirty from whatever shoes I was wearing outside. I keep a pair of crocs in the garage and they collect the dirt easy. Guess I shouldn't keep things outside and expect to stay clean...

Anyway, have a good night and I'll check in when I can.

Cheers;