Every Time a Bell Rings

On Saturday we went to Union Square to check out the seasonal shops and K bought orchid earrings. An artisan takes live flowers and dips them in resin to create a preservative shell, pretty kewl.

Afterward we went to see a screening of It's a Wonderful Life. The place was packed and we were lucky to get seats together! An unexpected bonus was that Mary Owen (Donna Reed's daughter) gave an intro to the show. She said that Jimmy Stewart kept putting off the "George, George, Mary, Mary" telephone scene until one day he said he was ready and they did it all in one take.

Loaning $$ to The Big 3

It's hard for me to imagine what this country would look like without an auto industry and the resulting misery of millions more being unemployed will touch us all. I'm an advocate of loaning the companies money but it should be done with lots of strings attached.

Why can't politicians come up with a set of metrics that lay out expectations for quantitative improvement within a specific time? If those expectations are not met then there are consequences - plant closings, salary reductions, et al. Instead all we hear about are parts of the bill that take pot shots at the unions in the form of demands for salary concessions.

Motorcycle Helmet

K and C took me to the local Honda place to get my Christmas gift, a new helmet. The prev one is 14 years old and showing its age. It's an XXL and the new one is XXXL. Talk about a swelled head. I know they loosen up as you wear them but my head felt like it was in a vice when I tried the XXLs on.

Tire Mounting

I bought 2 tires. One to replace the flat and another to be mounted on same axle. K took the car to Vince's Saturday morning and asked that he choose the worst of the remaining 3 tires to replace. He chose the passenger rear so the new tires are on the rear. $38 complete.

He asked that when we're ready to replace the others that we get a quote from him for what it would cost if he ordered the tires.

Shopping AC

Found ourselves in Atlantic City on Saturday, the day after Black Friday. Part of me wanted to mix with the crowd that I'd seen on the TV news and as we drove into town it was obvious that wasn't going to be a problem.

If you take the expressway to the end it dumps you out on Pacific Ave in front of Caesars where there is a large outlet mall called The Walk. It includes Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Timberland, Banana Republic, etc. And it was mobbed! The first thing Kevie noticed was the long line waiting to get into The Coach Store.

But, behind the casino, off the boardwalk is an up scale mall called The Pier. It includes AG Adriano Goldschmied, A|X Armani Exchange, Burberry, etc. And Apple fan boys understand that The Pier is the true Atlantic City Destination. As expected The Apple Store was packed but the rest of the mall was deserted. Most stores had no customers.

Maybe this is the final comment on this holiday shopping season. Bargains yes, extravagance no.

Flat

On Tuesday I noticed that the driver's side rear tire was flat on the car. Hoping for an easy fix I took the tire to a local garage only to be told that a belt was broken and air was leaking out through cracks around the bulge created by the broken belt.

I didn't think to ask the mechanic what causes such things but wouldn't be surprised to learn that driving over curbs or through pot holes could be responsible. The car is insanely long and it's easy to cut corners short and drive over curbs.

After reading advice about how important it is to have all 4 tires the same diameter on an all wheel drive car I asked myself, "How often do I have the car in AWD?" The answer is almost never. Maybe once every 5 years. So, I fell back to replacing 2 out of the 4.

My experience with buying tires is that I can do my research, pick the tire I want and then end up buying something the salesman says is as good or better. Probably because they don't have that exact tire in the size needed for my car.

This time I hope to get the tire I want. I started at consumerreports.org and chose a tire based on their ratings. Then I went to tirerack.com and ordered 2 of THOSE tires ($108 each). The shipping cost is $35 but, if that's what it takes to get a better, safer tire then I think it's money well spent.

Energy Crisis

On Sunday I took the scenic route to Home Depot on the cycle and ran out of gas. I knew I was near the bottom of the tank but had planned to use the reserve to get to the nearest gas station. Imagine my dismay to find the fuel selector already set on 'reserve'. Yes, I am a twit.

A good Samaritan offered me some of his gas but Kevie arrived right before I poured the gas from his can. Cruising range on the bike, including the reserve, is 207 miles.

Replaced the bent front brake handle this weekend.

On the House

We're noticing considerable soot around the registers so the heat exchanger in our oil furnace must be cracked. The house was built in the mid/late 70's and the original furnace doesn't owe us anything. Will consider a gas conversion not only because of possible fuel savings but I much prefer to cook with gas and running a gas line to the house gets us closer to a gas range. I plugged in a CO detector we had in the closet so we'll know if it gets really bad.

We had a visit from Ben Franklin Plumbing on Saturday ($347) to fix a pinhole leak in the hot water discharge line. And they replaced the bathroom tub faucet which had developed a hole. The plumber told us that our problems stem from bad water quality, notably iron in the water. The last owner installed a water softener as a condition of selling the house and we've recently tried to stay on top of keeping it charged with chemicals. Hopefully this will address the quality issue.

Cycling

On Sunday the 3 of us went to the Italian Festival at Bellview Winery in Landisville. What a gorgeous day! The sun was shining and temps were in the 60's. Wine tasting, assorted foods, and a band made this a memorable time. We came back with some of our favorites like the Syrah and Chambourcin. And we bought pepper pasta and an apple pound cake. Good stuff. At 2:00 Chris & Kevie took off for the vineyard tour and I left to see Nadeem.

Landisville is about 20 miles from Millville so I had followed Kevie on my bike. Got to Nadeem's house an hour later and spent the afternoon with him and the kids. Fun, relaxing.

I'd had bad performance problems with the motorcycle ever since I started to ride it regularly this fall and was glad to see that running a tank of fuel additive perked it back up. When I got home in the evening I greased the chain (5704 miles).

The Washer

We had the washer repaired on Columbus Day after the spinning mechanism broke again, $165. He replaced a belt and a pulley. He said that the drain hose was kinked where it goes into the PVC drain pipe and that was responsible for the problem. Makes sense to me that if the tub is spinning and the water aint going anywhere that it could tax the mechanism. The repairman wired the hose to the subfloor to try to prevent it from happening again but it kinked again after a couple loads of laundry so we bought a metal goose neck at Lowes and hope that we have a more permanent fix.

On The Town

Martha & Brian were in NYC for a short vacation and we met up Tuesday night for dinner & a play. Great to see them and catch up.

The last thing we saw on Broadway was Movin' Out and before that was Spamalot. I didn't like either one but on Tuesday we saw August: Osage County and it redeemed my interest in Broadway. This wasn't a musical and it had a real story. It was about an extended family that comes together after the father goes missing. At 2.5 hours it was a long play but the time flew. I liked the dialog and the character dynamics.

End of Our Beach Season

On Saturday we took the boat to Chestnut Neck. It took less than 2 hours to get there. Didn't go to Spring Garden this year. Asked that they repack the stuffing boxes and fix the float in the holding tank. Now it always reads full regardless of when it was last pumped out.

We didn't unload the boat at Sunset Marina thinking that it would be easier to just pull the car up to the boat and unload once it was on land. We waited for a couple of hours for them to power wash and block it before we got access and then Kevie made another trip on Sunday to clean up and bring back another load. Next year we unload a bunch of stuff before we leave the dock and then just leave the boat for them to do their thing instead of waiting.

On Sunday I changed the oil on the car. Turn the key to run (don't start the engine) and step on the gas 3 times to reset the oil change reminder light. Mileage was approx 128,700.

I put a new battery in the motorcycle and it started right up but when I twist the throttle it dies. I can rev it up using the choke and have no problem riding after I get out of first gear. Went to the auto parts store and got one of those additives that promises to clean the carburetor, put it in and after some 80 miles of riding it is better but still not good. Will run the whole bottle through and hopefully avoid taking out the 4 carbs and cleaning them by hand.

Entertainment

We saw Eagle Eye on Saturday and the consensus was thumbs up. It was one of the most implausible plots ever conceived but I thought Shia LaBeouf really conveyed the perfect sense of disbelief. Loved the action and special effects. They reminded me of a James Bond movie.

On Sunday we went to Bisque for a pre fixe dinner. Our idea is to take in some of the intriguing LBI dinner spots in the off season so we don't compete with the madding crowds. I had the steamed mussels appitizer, Manhattan clam chowder, and a pistachio encrusted salmon. Everything was fresh and well seasoned but the soup wasn't really hot enough. The big disappointment was the service. The waitress disappeared for a half hour after taking our order. When the appitizers finally came K made a remark about being forgotten and that seemed to accelerate the service and get us more attention for the rest of the evening. There are enough restaraunt choices in the area that I won't be returning to Bisque anytime soon.

Seadoo Goes for Winter Storage

Chris and I took the Seadoo back to Surf City Marina on Saturday for winter storage. The water was cold and I was afraid to go fast and get sprayed but he wanted to hit it. Such a change has come over him.

Aside from the normal storage I asked that they mount a ski pole and put in a new compression bar to keep the lid up. When we pull the inflatable toy the front lip will dip into the water and the inside where you sit fills with water. I figure that attaching the line at a higher point off the water will cure that prob. They quoted me $600 - 700 for the ski accessory.

I'll call to remind them as the weather gets warmer next year.

Night on the Town

On Thursday I met Vic for dinner at Winberie's in Summit. A nice bistro whose claim to fame is that it hosted Vic's parents the night they bought the house in Chatham some 50 years ago. The same house that he lives in today.

Later we met Jim S at the famed Rod's Ranch House in Morristown for drinks. Vic has been telling me about Rod's for years but this was the first time I got to go. Seemed tre elegant and it was a great place to sit and discuss the financial bail out bill till the bar closed.

Not So Fast

A couple days ago I saw a piece on TV about France emerging relatively unscathed from the world financial crisis. The thesis of the news item was that French culture was less consumer driven and that credit isn't very available or used. These ideas extend to the financial markets so that they are less dependent on credit and therefore aren't experiencing the crunch that others are.

To illustrate they interviewed a French banker who had worked in London and then moved back to Paris. He said that The British are very focused on fashion and acquisition of "stuff" and that he was glad to be back in France where things were different.

I was enough impressed by this to bring it up at lunch yesterday with a friend who immigrated from Poland. His response was a quick and emphatic "No." He maintains that the US should never consider such a change. He says that risk taking is what sets Americans apart and gives us our edge.

It never occurred to me that we need to be chronic overspenders in order to preserve our place and reputation.

Parkas in September

There's a day care facility in the basement of my apartment building so I get to see the comings and goings of parents and their children. It makes me wistful for the days when Chris was that age.

Last week we had our first march of 55 degree mornings and, sure enough, parents made appearances dressed in light sweaters toting kids in parkas zipped up to their chins. This isn't a one time or single family occurrence. Many parents believe that their children operate on a different thermostat OR are some how more vulnerable to cool days than they are.

After seeing kids wet with sweat for so many years I'm making an appeal to parents, don't over dress your kids! A good rule of thumb is simply to dress your baby as warmly or lightly as you're dressed for the weather. You're comfortable in a t-shirt, dress your child in a t-shirt. You're comfortable in a light jacket then dress children in a light jacket. Stop over heating your kids.

Power Steering

We found ourselves close to Atlantic City on Saturday so we decided to make an excursion. Coming into town we saw signs for a Greek Food Festival at St Nicholas' Church and decided that we must go even though K and I were pretty full from our pancake house breakfast. We stocked up on some baked goodies and listened to piped in music while we snacked. Chris has recently developed a voracious appetite so he had a full meal. The kid and I eat on the same schedule but there are times when I'm stuffed and he shows interest in food. I used to suspect that he wanted it just because it was there but lately he packs it away. We think he's got a hollow leg.

Afterward we drove to the Tropicana and found parking on the street. Walked on the boardwalk and I surrendered $30 to the blackjack table. Have to balance this off against the $40 I won when I went with my cousin Mike a couple weeks ago. Still $10 up :)

When we decided to leave I was pulling away from the curb and the power steering quit. There was no way I was going to look for a mechanic in AC late on a Saturday so I man handled the car out of the city and up the parkway. I stopped to check the belts and the p/s fluid. All looked normal.

We made a decision to stay at the marina on Monday and I took the car to The Ship Bottom Getty service station at 8AM. We got it back around 3PM with a new power steering pump. And he replaced both the serpentine belt and the air conditioning belt all for $650. I thought we were treated fairly.

The extra day on the boat even allowed me to do some work I'd been putting off.

Winter Dry Dock

We did a cost comparison to see if we'd save money by storing the boat close to LBI vs. burning the gas to get to Millville. I included marine gas, car rental, storage, shrink wrap, and winterization of the engines. On Saturday we went to 2 local marinas that seemed like good candidates based on price and recommendations from others.

Spoke to Rick at Total Marine in Tuckerton and he seems knowledgeable and easy to work with. His price to shrink wrap was considerably higher than the others and when I asked him about it he talked about big increases in the cost of plastic. The other small gotcha is that they don't have pump out so we'd have to make sure the holding tank was pumped before we dropped the boat off.

Spoke to Violet at Chestnut Neck Boat Yard in Port Republic. She was very conversant in the lingo but I don't think she'd be directly involved in work done on our boat. It's a big place and we'd be more of a number than a name there.

Chestnut Neck is about $300 cheaper than Total Marine so we'll take the boat there sometime in the next couple of weeks. It'll be easy to switch next year if our experience is bad.

Sling!

We have a modest house in S Jersey that's a nice change of scene from the concrete of Manhattan. So, we carry the standard utilities that you'd expect; phone, cable TV, electricity, etc. Because both K and I are so attached to the internet we also pay for cable modem service there.

I've eyed the cost of cable TV going up and up and have been on the lookout for an alternative. At the beginning of the year I read the fine print for DirecTV and was excited about the prospect of saving $20/mo. over the cost of cable but when the tech came out he told us we'd have to cut down a few trees to give the dish the unobstructed view it needs. That wasn't in the cards so I went back to stewing about the $70 cable TV bill.

I've been reading about The Slingbox on the gadget blogs for a while and started to think that watching the cable service from Jersey City at the house might be a good idea. The theory behind this technology is that an A/V source can be connected to the internet and watched somewhere else. Sources can be a cable TV box, VCR, Tivo, etc. There's no subscription fee with Slingbox so it's just a one time payment to buy the hardware.

I was skeptical about the video quality but independent reviews said it was pretty good. We've had a Windows XP Media Center PC connected to the TV at the house so it was easy to run the receiving program and pipe it to the TV. For those that don't have such a configuration Slingmedia does sell a Sling Catcher that can be used instead of a PC.

Saturday night was our first time watching TV over the internet and I admit that the picture is lower quality than the signal we got from the local cable box but it is imminently watchable! We all agree that this is a more than satisfactory replacement for the cable box.

The Fine Points

Watching the Slingbox on the local network in Jersey City produces a high quality picture on the computer. Since the main difference between watching locally and at the house is speed we could probably get a better picture by subscribing to Comcast Blast which would increase the uplink speed from the Slingbox. At this point it's not worth it.

Comcast would not allow me to keep only the cable modem and continue to pay the $43/mo. we were paying. If we kept only the cable modem service they would have charged $58/mo. The obvious compromise was to keep basic cable for $11.50 and continue the cable modem service at $43.

When you watch TV the SlingPlayer program allows you to control the source by dispalying an image of the remote control that you'd normally use to switch channels were you at the source. That is if you're controlling a cable box then you get a picture of your cable box remote control and to change channels or bring up the guide you use the mouse to click the buttons that you'd normally press if you were watching TV at the source. Kevie, Chris, and I found this really cumbersome! Fortunately all of the buttons have keyboard shortcuts and this turned out to be a much better way to control the cable box.

Boys on the Boat

Nadeem, Vic, and I met at LBI on 8/15 and then took off for Tice's Shoal Sat morning. Great to be on the water with friends but as I pushed the throttles up the boat wouldn't get on plane. We took it over to the shallows at the local swimming hole and I got in the water and ran my hand over the starboard prop. Crusty with barnacles.

I decided to put it on the travel lift and as it came out we saw the real source of the problem. There was about 15' of 1/4" mono-filament line wrapped around the port prop. Jacob pulled and clipped for about 20 mins and eventually got it all out. He showed me that the prop was bent and he was able to bend it back with a wrench so that it looked pretty good to my untrained eye. He brushed the props with muratic acid to kill the things growing there and splashed it in.

Boat ran like a charm and we made it to the shoal in less than hour. From beginning to end the repair took about 1.5 hours and Rich cut me a deal ($315) on the maintenance. Happy ending.

Small Monthly Charges

I've seen articles in the consumerist press about Grandma who paid $4.89/month to rent her phone from the phone company and that over 30 years that came to more than $1,700.00. Think of the diamond studded bling phone she could have had for that amount.

Most of us don't rent phones anymore but there's a new game in town. Several years ago I bought high speed internet service from a major cable company. The deal included the cable modem at no charge and a set monthly fee for the service. I was glad to have it and still am but recently the company started to charge $4.00/month to rent their cable modem.

A quick check of staples.com showed a Zoom Cable Modem for $59.98. At $4/mo. this purchase pays for itself in a little more than a year. Some might continue to rent because they're a little intimidated by electronics but all that's involved is:

1. Unplug the cable modem electricity
2. Take off the TV (coax) cable
3. Take off the network cable
4. Drop off the cable modem w/ the electric cord at the cable company local office
5. Stop at some consumer electronics store (Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples) on the way home and procure a new cable modem
6. Reverse steps 1, 2, and 3
7. Call the cable company and tell them what you did so they can set things up on their end

Step 7 took the longest because it involves reading a string of tiny numbers off the label on the new cable modem and waiting for the technician to perform their magic.

Stop renting cable modems or your grandchildren will write ugly articles about how much you wasted on small monthly charges.

Green Bags

Are you bugged by the short length of time it takes for fresh produce to go bad? I try to keep fruit and vegetables available for salads and snacks but after 2 days in the fridge most things lose taste and texture. Lettuce gets limp and apples become tasteless.

My solution is to buy no more than I'll eat in 2 days which leads to extended periods where the fruit drawer is empty because grocery shopping happens about once every 3 weeks. I should go shopping more often but with all the other things competing for time the 3 week interval is just about right.

I can count the things I've bought based on infomercials on one finger but the ad for green bags offered a solution to a long standing problem and I decided, "What the hell, I'll roll the dice for $10." My opinion - these things work. Baby carrots keep for a week and they're neither dry or slimy. Lettuce isn't limp and bananas take longer to get black spots. Try them for yourselves. Let me know what you think.

Random Music

I admit it. Ever since I got that first 5 disc CD player back in the early 80's I've been hooked on the 'random play' feature but the down side has been that random isn't really random. The player has favorites and this problem persists right up to today with the MP3 player on my computer.

Through an evolutionary process that began in earnest some 4 years ago I've created a library of more that 3000 songs. If I turn shuffle on in iTunes there is a core of some 200-300 songs that get played repeatedly. It occasionally throws in an outlier or adopts a newly added track into the core but it still has favorites.

I've tried different strategies to get fewer repeats including playing songs in ascending Play Count order - the ones that have been played the least get selected first. The net effect is that I hear those songs that have most recently been added to the library. NOT what I'm looking for.

The most recent attempt has been to play the songs in Last Played ascending order - songs that were played the longest time ago are played first. Voila, This works! Obvious, I know but not immediately apparent (to me).

Electronic Compass

In Spring of 2007 we had radar installed on the boat. In reading the sales literature I noted the recommendation that a Solid State Heading Sensor (SSHS) be used with the radar to get full functionality so I got one of those too. We went for Nobeltec because we already use the software for navigation.

As our launch date approached the installer was having some difficulty obtaining info from the vendor about terminating the cable that runs to the heading sensor. I got involved and the vendor told me that a SeaLevel 2106 serial to USB adapter was needed to get the instrument to talk to the PC. It sounded like an easy thing to install so we took the boat with intentions of completing the heading sensor install later.

Because of a series of missteps and accidents including a water logged laptop that turned into a brick, I wasn't ready to set up the heading sensor until now. Reading the manuals for both the heading sensor and the USB adapter it was clear that both expected 2 pairs of conductors, 1 for transmitting data and another for receiving it. So that was great, no mismatches there but, the heading sensor needs +12v on pin 2 (the read wire). Yuck, it came with a DB9 serial connector but the USB adapter wasn't going to supply +12v. This must have been the original problem that the installer had trying to connect the SSHS. Wish he had been clearer about this obstacle.

My solution is ugly but it works. I ran a pair of wires back to the boat's power panel and attached 1 to ground, the other to +12v. Then scored the insulation on the SSHS's cable and pulled out the red and black wires, connected the +12v to the red conductor and ground to the black along with a jumper from the black to pin 5 of the DB9.

I run the navigation program now and see data from the SSHS. Yeah!

Of course the only way I have to turn it off is take out the fuse. Details, details .

Hancock

I thought this was the best movie I've seen in years. Superb acting from Jason Bateman and Will Smith. The plot had just enough detail, didn't preach, never beat you over the head with message. The pacing and the mix of humor was just right.

Of course the action was over the top as was Ray Embrey's campaign to make the world a better place but I was willing to look past that because more often the characters seemed like real people.

Version Control

If you develop code for a living you'll eventually become acquainted with version control systems. They have names like PVCS, CVS, and Surround SCM. Programming is all about code changes. Even if you're privileged enough to write a new system it will eventually undergo changes.

Version Control Systems allow developers to track changes to code from its inception all the way through to its current incarnation.

What's good about this? First, there will be times when a new version is put into production and it just doesn't work. You might be able to tweak your changes in production for a little while but soon you'll have to fall back to the old version so that business is not impacted. Often the VC system is the only, or easiest, way to fall back. Second, you may be working as part of a team and will have to coordinate your changes with others on the team. VCS provides a way to distribute your modifications to others and provides an exchange to merge their contributions with yours. Third, even the best intentioned user will eventually ask you to put the function back in that he asked you to rip out a few months ago. If the old version is in a VCS then it's easy to recover the piece that needs to be reconstituted.

What's bad about VCS? There's a learning curve to overcome. All this checking in and out, updating, etc. is not intuitive and one needs to invest some time learning how to use it. Second, it requires discipline to get your changes into the system on a regular basis. This is especially important when working in a group so that others can incorporate your changes sooner rather than later. Time is money in the program development world.

It's obvious to me that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete and Rapid Development lists "Lack of automated source-code control" as a classic mistake. Yet I've found many IT Managers who'll pay lip service to VCS but, somehow it ends up on the bottom of the priority list and can languish there for years.

If you're wed to the idea of versioning but the boss won't provide it then set it up yourself. In my home office I have a cast off laptop running Fedora Linux with a CVS server. The ssh port is exposed to the internet and many of my clients allow ssh through their firewall. I sit at my desk on my employer's premises and regularly update the repository at home.

Shure SE310

My brother in law, Peter has a set of the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones that he let me try out one day and I thought they were stupendous but couldn't bring myself to shell out that kind of cash especially when my use is mostly train commuting and city streets. Where was I going to put the things when I wasn't wearing them?

I've been watching as high end earphones emerged and decided to get the Shure SE310's about 10 days ago. I have to say the packaging is a trip. I have never bought anything that was harder to open and was surprised that I didn't slash the contents with the knife I used to open the package.

The earphones come with a variety of sleeves that can be pushed onto the part that fits in your ear and the instructions counsel to make sure that the sleeve seals between your ear and the earphone. But, they're shipped with sleeves that probably fit most of the people most of the time and I was anxious for "the experience" so I used them as is.

I noticed a few things in the first week of use. I was hearing musical nuances that I never heard before in the mid and high range AND there was little/no bass sound. The earbuds that came with the MP3 player had better bass response than these things.

Disappointed and feeling ripped off I broke out the mess of sleeves and tried different ones. Wow! Knee slapping, wall shaking bass when I found the right fit. These things sound GREAT and they're so much more comfortable to wear than conventional earbuds.

As a computer guy I've learned to RTFM but I still need to heed what I read.

iPhone Connection Blues

I'll be using 2 iPhone apps that rely on a WiFi connection to my Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.5, Remote and SplashID. When I first installed them neither would consistently connect. Remote complained that it "Could not find Library" and SplashID gave the error message, "No Desktop Found." I don't know what causes this behavior but would guess that the Access Point I'm using is somehow incompatible.

If you've exhausted the level 1 solutions (both your computer and iPhone are attached to the same WiFi network and the firewall allows incoming connections) then try this. It worked for me but your mileage may vary. I have a hard wired connection to the internet so can sacrifice the WiFi connection to an Ad Hoc network. If you depend on the WiFi connection for internet connectivity then this solution is probably not for you.

Follow the instructions in this doc under "Creating an Ad Hoc Network." When this is done you should find that Remote connects to your library AND that SplashID will synchronize with your desktop but you've still got another hurdle to overcome. When you run Safari, or any other app that connects to the internet, on the iPhone it'll use the slower cellular connection because the WiFi network that you just created has no access to the internet.

To resolve this problem open System Preferences->Sharing and click on 'Internet Sharing' to make Internet connectivity available to devices that connect to the new network.

Waitin' For The iPhone

I hit the line at my local AT&T store around 7:30 and waited 'til 8:30 on Friday just be told that they were all out so I hopped the train and headed to NYC (only a 15 min ride) to wait in another AT&T line downtown. Same results, I moved up to about 20th in line and was told that they were sold out. From there I went to a 3rd store and waited another 20 mins when one of the reps came out and announced that they had only 8GB phones left.

I went back to the office to sulk. My lunch appointment called and asked that we postpone for 30 mins so I surfed the web and caught the chatter from people waiting in line at the 3 Apple Stores in Manhattan. The Apple Stores still had phones! I was sorely tempted to hit the Soho store and put other plans on hold but that would have caused too much turmoil. Instead I had a nice lunch with Ramandeep and then headed for the beach with the family.

That night I checked Apple's iPhone stock status page and saw that the Atlantic City store had phones. I filed that bit of info in the back of my mind and thought, "Ah, if I find I've got nothing better to do..." I was up and out early Saturday and hit the line at 8:45 for the 10:00 store opening. I was 6th in line and voila, walked out of the store with my phone at 10:30 in the morning!

Public Art

On Friday we walked across The Brooklyn Bridge and had lunch in Brooklyn Bridge Park. We got the idea after reading the buzz about The Waterfalls. Here are the pictures.

After lunch we went to the old Marine Terminal Building to see and play David Byrne's Playing the Building. Byrne was a member of Talking Heads and the guy has created a wide variety of artsy stuff like photographs, opera, and film soundtracks.

Last night on 60 Minutes Andy Rooney did a piece on how he didn't get/like public art. I used to be right there with him looking askance at the metal blob in the court yard wondering why someone put THAT there.

Somehow I've changed. It might have had something to do w/ K's concerts. How was I, an avowed atheist, going to enjoy sacred choral music? The answer was that I had to look past the "Glory to God in the Highest" lyrics and look for something to like. It was easy to find many things, not the least of which was someone's (composer, director, singer) enthusiasm about bringing a performance to the public.

If I start there and then ask myself what they want me to get out of it that's a road of discovery not only about art but about self.

I still have a short attention span and miss a lot but I do have an entree to appreciation.

Traffic and Gas

I noticed last weekend was the first time I paid less for a gallon of gas than I had the weekend before ($3.90 vs. 3.93). I've seen nothing in the news to forecast this move. On the contrary I see the Dow dropping and read that it's due to the rising price of oil.

Most every weekend in the summer we drive an hour and 40 mins each way between our apartment and Long Beach Island, NJ. Almost all of the trip is on The New Jersey Turnpike and The Garden State Parkway. Our experience last year was that the trip home Sunday evening turned into 2.5 hours about 50% the time because of backups on the Garden State. This year we've hit that kind of traffic only once (about 10% of the time).

Is this because there are less cars on the road due to the price of gas? Maybe it's because the road construction that was so evident last year is complete? To add to my confusion I read a newspaper article about record crowds at NJ beaches. The article's explanation is that in an age of more conservative spending a local drive to the beach is less extravagant than other vacation alternatives.

Minisink The First Week

Chris is back from Camp Minisink after spending his first week there. Mom asks many questions and eventually compiles an activities list but it's always hard to gauge his enthusiasm. He swam, went for an overnight hike, played tennis, hit golf balls driving range style, and got out on the lake with a paddle boat.

The counselors were playing Magic The Gathering and that snagged his interest.

K was very concerned that he'd get home and announce that he hated it. That didn't happen. This was the first week that the camp was open and there were fewer kids than will be there this week. We're told that attendance builds as the summer progresses. With fewer kids I think he got more attention and that had to be good for his confidence.

No One to Depend on

My CDs were ripped to MP3 years ago but the vinyl sits in faux egg crates daring me to recreate it all. I did re-buy some of it on CD and MP3 but not the bulk of it.

I have a working turntable so plugging the computer into the tape-out jack on the stereo has always been an alternative but it's been hard to work up the enthusiasm. I remember making mix tapes in the analog days and it sure was time consuming but, for some reason, it was time to add some of those albums to the music we listen to. I set up a patch cord and used CD Spin Doctor which is a part of Toast 8 to record the incoming audio to a file.

The software will guess at where to break up the tracks and it did a yeoman's job on The Best of Carly Simon but failed completely with Santana.

I spent about 4 hours this afternoon to rip 3 albums. Not bad for a first try.

Hot, Hot, Hot

When K was cooking dinner on Sunday the 2 main circuit breakers on the boat tripped and neither would stay on with the A/C running. We looked at the flow of water coming from the A/C water vents and it was reduced from the usual gusher to a very anemic trickle.

The trap was full of eel grass so I was sure that cleaning it would be the cure. Nope! With the A/C off for the week I hope that tidal action will carry the crud away from the intake. If not we'll go on a cruise.

Hagar the Horrible

K and I spoke to Mr. Hagerty from WPS about our concerns that Chris was not closing the achievement gap. We think that he has very little reading confidence because, when he has homework that involves reading more than a paragraph, he'll tell us that he just can't do it.

Mr. H's council was that he thinks the standardized test he took a month ago will show that C is reading closer to grade level and that he's seen real progress in the classroom. We must have patience. His gut feeling is that C won't be ready to mainstream until 10th grade.

We told him that C has very little homework. Many nights he has none and others he'll have only 5-10 mins. We think that homework could make him more self directed and not so dependent on support.

Mr. H was surprised that he had so little homework and lamented that we hadn't raised this sooner. He thinks this would be easy to tweak and, if we see the same thing happening next year, we should raise it early .

Toe Action

Chris went to a new podiatrist in NYC yesterday who assessed his ingrown toenail, right foot, big toe and advised that the nail bed be permanently altered to stop a recurrence of the problem. So he had the surgery and seems to be feeling better.

Deck Repair

I had supported both ends of the deck at the marina with steel cable and the boards that the cables attached to had pulled away from the assembly; evidence that the deck had sagged. Part of the problem was that shims supporting the deck on the side closest to the boat's port had come loose and floated away.

Vic came down Thu night and we spent time making repairs on Fri. He recommended putting in tack boards to make the newly replaced shim more permanent. That amounts to screwing small boards to the deck base and then running a screw through those boards and the shim.

Vic brought his winch and we used it to lift the deck up when we put the new shim in. We tried to use a heavy steel eyelet screwed into the deck as an attachment point for the winch but it just pulled out. We had more success using steel cable wrapped around the deck supports and another steel cable on an adjacent piling.

We hit Tuckerton Lumber to get reinforcing brackets that would help to keep the boards in place next time there was any strain on the support cables. We got an education from the man there who told us that chemicals used in new treated lumber (alkaline copper) were not compatible with galvanized metal and that we had to get coated screws and that any brackets we used had to have a Z on the box. We assumed that we had this new type of more corrosive lumber and confirmed it by looking at the label on some left over wood. More about the difference between CCF and ACQ treated lumber here.

We hammered in the 2 boards that had come loose and attached "Z" coded brackets.

We agreed that it would be smart to do more reinforcing work and will get together in coming weeks.

Anybody Here Have a Ride Plate?

When Kevie called the marina about recommissioning the Seadoo they said the ride plate was corroded and might need to be replaced. We went to pick it up on Sunday hoping that it would be ready or, at the very least, that our presence would spur them to action.

They took our red flash out of the rack and showed me a metal plate on the underside aft that was showing oxidation and some barnacle growth. I nodded as the mechanic told me that he wouldn't really know what was needed until they power washed($39) it. Fortunately for our bank account there was no real damage and he got to come home that day.

So what is a ride plate? Here's what I gathered by talking to the guys. It's a heat exchanger for the engine that can cost $400 - $500 just for the parts should it need to be replaced. And there's an inner and an outer plate with deterioration of the inner plate being more serious. At some point there was mention of sacrificial zinc replacement but our model (GTX-4 TEC) has no such zincs.

How can it come to such a bad end where one would have to replace it? If it sits over the season on a pad (sport port) with its tail dragging in the water that's a recipe for disaster. In trying to remember its position last year I guess this could have happened a time our two.

Move Cancelled

After spending time looking at real estate and trying to narrow down our options our search came to an abrupt end. Kevie called the lawyer who had helped get Chris the out of district placement and he told her that moving from Jersey City would violate the agreement. K and I are a little deflated. We had built some momentum toward the move and were starting to picture ourselves living somewhere else but the person most disappointed was Michele our real estate agent.

Emerson told Kevie that we must stay in Jersey City until July 1, 2009.

Stuffing Box

After any cruise I can count on the stuffing boxes leaking. It's always been a simple tightening of the adjusting nut to get the drip to stop but his time the starboard nut was immovable using the slip lock pliers so I left it dripping. I did fetch a big pipe wrench from the house but have read that over tightening can lead to a scored prop shaft. I'll seek advice.

Before we left Spring Garden Ken had advised repacking the stuffing boxes in the fall.

Movin' the Boat

The marine forecast leading up to this weekend was pretty encouraging but as it got closer to Saturday it deteriorated to 3-5' on the ocean. We decided to try and scamper across the bay to the ICW and then work our way north on the inland route.

Rented a car Friday night and got to Sunset Marina after dark but it was obvious that the deck we built had suffered some damage over the winter.

On Saturday we got out of the house in late morning because the forecast was for calmer seas in the afternoon. We had some problem getting off the dock at Spring Garden - someone came over and gave a push. That should have been an omen of things to come but it went unheeded.

As we were nearing the mouth of the Maurice we fired up the nav system and got the red 'No GPS' icon. I changed to the backup GPS but it didn't resolve the problem and eventually I ended up on the phone to Nobeltec. The tech verified that I had a good connection to the GPS and asked that I read the NEMA sentences to him. He told me that the GPS hadn't found enough satellites and advised that we wait and try again. That worked!

The rest of the trip on the ocean was glorious! Despite what the weather service predicted the bay and ocean were pretty much flat. We stopped around Wildwood and scattered my parents' ashes as per their wishes.

We'd built up a coating of cloudy salt water from the sea spray and as we we came into Little Egg Inlet decided to get out the hose to clean the windshield and ran it over to the windshield then poked it through an opening under the canvas at the top of the windshield. When no water came out Kevie headed down below to find a bucket to use instead of the hose. In the meantime the water started to come out of the hose and drenched some stuff on the upper deck including the nav system computer. Soon we had a blue screen and I shut down the computer.

We navigated the rest of the way in using the Lowrance GPS from the car with a marine navigation chip that we had purchased for just such an emergency. It worked fine.

When we stopped at Morrison's for gas we had a hell of a time getting to the dock and then leaving after we found out they were closed. The wind was blowing.

Things went no better when we got to Sunset. Not only did we fall off the slip but we ended up drifting into the marina towards land. Every time I tried to get turned around we'd get uncomfortably close to other boats and ended up blown onto the pilings of the empty slips closer in. So we tied off onto those pilings and prepared to spend the night then move the boat when the wind died down.

We'd been there for about 15 mins and had the idea to loop a rope around one of the pilings and pivot the boat around. This got us headed out and away from other boats in the marina so I tried again to back into the slip and made it after 2-3 tries. It was good to be at the dock!

Car Maintenance

Chris helped me change the oil on the Suburban and even fished in the pan for the plug. He came out with a black hand and the bolt. His reaction, "Ehw, how do I get this stuff off?" Mileage was 122K. Note to self, next time make sure you've got a strap wrench before proceeding.

Called Surf City marina and asked them to have the ski ready for Memorial Day. Ha! If this Memorial Day is like the last 5 we're talking 60 degrees and rain.

Got the motorcycle started on Sunday after a night on the charger. The battery has been so abused that I probably need to get a new one.

Wanted to take the boat to LBI this w/e but the weather didn't cooperate.

Spring Garden splashed it in last week and had to replace the starboard battery. We had a problem last season having to use the parallel switch to get that engine started so I should have known this was coming. I told Ken Walker that we had to replace the house battery during summer '06 and he said that because the house and starboard engine batteries are wired in parallel that one going bad will cause the other to fail too. Ken T recommends that we keep the battery switches off when the boat is at the dock. That's probably going be too inconvenient given that we have to run the engines every weekend.

The forward fitting on the hot water heater is leaking so will ask Ken to fix it before we take off.

It took about 157 gallons ($550) of gas to fill it.

Went to the drive-in Sat night and saw a double feature of Iron Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. My butt gets tired sitting in the car for 5 hours but a good time was had by all.

Technology that Works - Always on Internet

Recently there was a South Park episode called "Over Logging" where they wake up to find no internet. Panic ensues and the rest of the episode plays out like an end-of-the-world movie. My wife and I both saw ourselves in those characters.

Contact with friends and family, not to mention work, is mostly through email. Being able to go to a keyboard and jot a note or reminder prevents things from falling through the cracks. If I want to know the temperature or the weather forecast there's an internet connected applet on my desktop that tells me at a glance. I can check the bank account to see if that check I wrote to the doctor cleared? I can look at Fandango to find out what's playing at the movies?

Yup, if I had a dial-up connection I could do all the above but I did, and I didn't. That is I can remember having dial-up service and I didn't use the web for these things. It was too inconvenient.

Because of smartphones pushed on us by employers we take it a step further. New email causes my phone to vibrate and, if we're in the car talking about a movie and question who that actor was then we use the phone's browser to look on IMDB.

Always on internet gives me access to broad knowledge and keeps me better informed and organized. I've paid for the service for 10 years and find it very valuable.

Technology that Works

I have been an early adopter of technology for all of my adult life. The desire to touch it, explore it, and use it goes back to early childhood but I wasn't an early adopter then because I had limited access to money that I could put toward tech indulgences. But I have vivid memories of my first garage door opener, TV remote control, walkie-talkie, intercom, and light dimmer.

Though I'm not a professional industry analyst I've put significant money and thousands of research hours into technology products. In upcoming posts you can read about what's worked and what hasn't. I'll cover web search and shopping, RSS, ebooks, smart phones, DVRs, Web 2.0, and more. I look forward to your comments and hope that we can learn from each other.

His Camera

Chris is more and more interested in yearbook photography that he's been doing as an after school activity. For a while he'd been using a camera handed down to him from Uncle Peter but he received it with a broken battery cover that we wrapped with rubber bands to keep closed.

He lost the cover (on purpose?) sometime during the second/third week of April and we ordered him a new camera on 4/17. The next day K heard from Peter who said he had switched cameras and his old one was coming to Chris. It was too late to stop shipment on the one we'd ordered so now we have 2.

CNet rates the Canon from Peter a little more highly than the Samsung we bought. The company we purchased it from would charge a restocking fee to take the camera back plus we'd have to pay for shipping again so we'll put it on eBay and see if we can recover some of our costs.

Camp Minisink

Chris decided that he wanted to go to camp at Camp Minisink in Port Jervis, NY. His decision wasn't so much about what the camp offered as it was that he could come home on the weekends.

The plan is that he'll go a month to Minisink in June and then spend the balance of the summer at Kadimah.

Greek Easter

After accomplishing so much during our Millville stay last week I was a little bummed that we would take a break and stay in Jersey City this last weekend.

It was Orthodox Easter on Sunday and we had the Johnsons over for an early celebration on Saturday. It was great to see them and my disappointment about staying in Jersey City quickly melted when they arrived.

We've got decisions to make about where Chris goes to High School and one of the possibilities is to send him to Public School in Hoboken. We talked to a Real Estate agent on Sunday who cranked our requirements through the MLS and came out with 6-7 condos to look at. We couldn't get inside to see any of them that day but did walk around and look at the outside of many of them.

High Finance

Right after tax day we were looking at a pretty dismal long term financial picture and decided that we should take money out of savings to pay off debt. It's obvious that this is bad juju if we let it just build up again so after more than 50 years I decided to do a budget! Always hated the idea of budgeting.

If you go through the process of projecting expenditures by category Quicken gives you reports that show how far you stray from your projections. I've done the up front work to set up the bookkeeping and we've stopped using credit. Even though I've just started it has been an education. It's made me pay attention to more things including calling the repair man whenever we have a problem.

Drops the First Letter

I have had a problem with my Apple MacBook Pro for some time. When changing focus from one application to another the first letter typed is often ignored. Judging by the complaints I've read on the web I'm not the only one who's experienced this problem and Apple has updated the BIOS code several times trying to squash this bug.

For the last month I've seen a boot ROM update listed every time the updater runs. This last time I noted the BIOS version in System Profiler (MBP21.00A5.B07) before the update and after and found that the update wasn't being installed.

I drilled down into the instructions and found that after the system had been shut down that you need to press the power button until the sleep light starts to blink. Then you let up on the button and voila - updated BIOS. BUT NO!

The next thing to try to remediate the problem is to run the BIOS updater application (MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update) in the utilities folder. I did that this morning and got a pop-up that advises the system will be shut down upon clicking continue. When I clicked continue it ran an install and then shut the system down.

I held the power button until the sleep light started to blink and then let go. This time I got the Apple logo with a progress bar beneath it and when the system came up the BIOS version had been changed (MBP21.00A5.B08).

More later on whether this fixes the problem.

NYSE Letter

On Friday I got a letter from The NYSE stating that they will have work for me for 9 months after the deal is complete. That would mean I'd be severed in the early summer of 2009. Implicit in the offer is that "at will" employment could be in the offing after the 9 months depending on performance.

I don't know what to wish for. Working for NYSE until I retire might be comfortable but putting the severance in my pocket and then finding the next job would be a big boost to my finances.

The Toenail

Chris had an ingrown toenail on the big toe of his right foot. It had become infected and was painful so we took him to the podiatrist in Millville on Monday 4/21. He had been through something similar with the other big toe a couple of years ago and the solution had been to deaden some of the nail bed to keep it from happening again so we were expecting something similar this time.

Fortunately the Dr. just excised the infected part and saw no need to do anything further.

Breath Cleansing

We couldn't stand the smell any longer so Rocko went to get his teeth cleaned on Monday 4/21.

While we were there we told the Dr. that he's been alternating between diarrhea and constipation for several days. He took a fecal sample and gave us recommendations for diet and an anti-diarrheal.

The dog came back with much improved breath and has been eating chicken and rice for several days. His BMs have gotten firmer and we've run out of pills but now he doesn't want to eat the regular dog kibble.

Progress

We spent 5 days in Millville from the evening of the 18th to the 23rd and I feel like we really accomplished a lot.

We left Jersey City early on Friday and made an evening of the 3rd Friday celebration in downtown Millville. The weather was beautiful and it was crowded.

On Saturday we'd planned to go to The Cape May Jazz Festival with the Baaklinis but they backed out when they found out it was an indoor affair. I didn't think C would want to come but he surprised us both when he told us he was coming. His interest didn't last but he was a good sport and didn't nag to leave. We liked all the bands but were especially impressed with the Charles Walker Blues Band and I bought one of their CDs.

Finished off the day in Cape May with a putt-putt golf game. I thought it would be payback for Chris because he had behaved so well but he wasn't that interested. On the other hand it was a turning point for me as I was unseated from my long winning streak. Mom took the competition by a stroke!

Repaired the broken handle on the toilet in the hall bathroom.

Cleaned a lot of upholstery on the boat and mounted a USB jack on the console to connect the heading sensor but didn't have the laptop with me to see if it would work. I'm eager to try it out this coming weekend.

Meanwhile K cleaned the top deck and has the starboard hull waxed with a good start on the port.

This year I asked the boat yard to paint as usual but Chris and I replaced the zincs ourselves. It was pretty easy and we can probably do it ourself from here on out.

I was surprised that the big zinc above the keel was $90 at the marine store so I shopped the web to get an idea of prices and it looks like we can get it for almost half the price at BoatZincs.com. Next year...

Discussed the swim platform with Ken and he won't admit that they're responsible for the damage. When the platform was re-attached they used round head screws in the coutersunk holes and cracked the fiberglass. We'll have another chance to discuss it when he presents the bill.

Media Center

The Media Center PC we use in Millville first decided not to load the TV program guide and then started to "blue screen" and reboot repeatedly. Last Friday I attacked it with an arsenal of software. Wiped the disk and reloaded everything.

I was glad to have the original disks from Gateway with all the drivers. It would have been just that much more tedious if I'd had to go looking for each of them individually. The worst part was getting the codec installed. The program didn't like the one that came on the CD so I used DirectShow Decoder Filter and the video is perfect.

It now downloads the guide without problem but I don't think I have the right one. I know Comcast is in the midst of doing a channel re-alignment so it's possible that the guide I have either leads or lags the update. I'll look into it in more detail this coming weekend.

Right now the box is stable and my fingers are crossed.

Tax Day

Today promises to be less stressful than last year's 4/15. I e-filed the taxes over the weekend and the only thing left to do today was muster the cash needed to pay. Of course that's the most unpleasant part.

I confess that there was cash sitting in the company checking account that should have been used to make estimated quarterly payments but parting with that money would have made it harder to deal with the times we got into a cash crunch.

The downside, of course, is that the underpayment penalty is huge. It doesn't feel good to have just pissed that money away. If I go back to consulting there will be a concerted effort to make the quarterly payments.

After comparing prices of the stand alone and on-line version of Turbotax I chose on-line. The big differentiator is that electronic filing is free if you do it on-line and somewhere in the $20 range if you use the workstation based version.

The thing I don't like about the on-line version is that you can't list multiple components for your input. For example, when using the stand-alone program, if you have multiple sources for mortgage interest you can put each one on a line and have the program use the total. From what I could see this isn't available in the on-line version.

And, I'm not sure how this works on the stand alone, but if you check the box to maximize your SEP IRA contribution it will show the additional deposit to be made. Then, if you go back and change a number that effects your self employment income it will change the amount you have to deposit to the retirement account without warning you. I think the user should be warned with big blinking red lights if this happens.

But, all in all, I welcome web 2.0.

Boat Sheds Shrinkwrap

We left for Millville Thursday night and I "worked from home" on Friday. That Friday we cut the plastic off the boat. Chris did most all of it. Our goal for the afternoon was to just get the canvas up. We installed radar last year and now the canvas hangs down around the antenna because it was mounted on top of some of the snaps that had been used to attach the canvas. We'll talk to Eva and find out what she recommends to correct the problem.

In addition to the standard waxing and painting this spring there is an exhaust leak to be repaired on the starboard engine and the swim platform needs fiberglass work where they overtightened the screws last season. I noticed also that a teak board on the port gunwale had split. Maybe this gets put off to next season.

On Saturday we drove out to Balic Winery in a real downpour. We tasted some of the same wine that we'd had at Tuckerton and came away with a bottle of Alexander that Great to have with dinner that night. Unfortunately it had turned. I look forward to the other 2 bottles; Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Velvet.

There was no hot water so Kevie coaxed me downstairs to take a look at the HW heater. I had installed an X10 control box to turn the water heater off and on by remote control and one of the wires had arced where I spliced in the control box. Sunday I went off to Latorre hardware and bought a junction box and some romex. After mounting the box and running the replacement cable I buttoned it up and believe I've got an installation that won't burn down the house anytime soon.

Echo Hill

On Saturday we drove to Worton, MD to check out The Echo Hill Camp. It was gorgeous with expansive views of the bay. And there was lots to do on the water including swimming, sailing, skiing, fishing, and wakeboarding.

We talked to Chris about what he liked and what he didn't. He liked all the stuff to do but was turned off by the tent living. Nor did he like the outdoor communal showers or that he would be away from home for a month missing out on beach weekends.

After we left the camp we took a 20 minute detour to Rock Hall and Waterman's Crab House. We'd been there by boat before and Kevie was anxious to open crab season. She had her regular 6 large. These were imported from Louisiana but tasted like the real thing. I had a softshell crab sandwich and Chris had a burger. Afterwards we walked around downtown Rock Hall and Kevie got a Waterman's sweatshirt.

It was a fun Saturday. Even if Chris doesn't choose Echo Hill it was still worth the trip.

Financial Planning

Chris came back from the school bowling trip several weeks ago pumped to get a cell phone. Others on the trip were running around with their phones taking pictures, etc. So we looked at the cost of a monthly plan which turned out to be $40. I told him if he could save $80 over 2 months that would be proof that he could handle the payments and he told us that would be NO PROBLEM.

For the last 3 weeks he has saved and sacrificed drinks and snacks in order to come up with $10/week. We could tell that it was really getting to him. On Saturday he started talking about an xBox Live subscription ($10/mo) and we told him that it was either that or the cell phone. He jumped at the opportunity to abort the cell phone savings and handed over the money for 3 months of xBox Live.

I liked this outcome for a couple reasons. First, it laid the ground work for a lesson in money management. If you over commit yourself the consequences can be misery. Second, his mom and I weren't subjected to the pleading, "Can I please have..." He knew that the choices were his and he made them.

Camp Minisink

We drove to Port Jervis Sunday morning for the camp tour. Even though Mapquest estimates 1:40 minutes from Jersey City we left early so we weren't racing the clock and got there 45 minutes early.

Joe was the counselor who took us around. He's a nice guy and very enthusiastic. Just the type to do a tour. We saw the bunks, bathrooms, athletic field, lake, etc. and though Chris didn't say a word the whole time, he told us on the way home that he liked it. He liked Joe and his dog and the open dining hall. When I asked him if there were any activities he was interested in he said that he'd go swimming. It is frustrating trying to get him interested in activities that don't involve video games.

Retention

Up until Wednesday I was expecting a decision from NYSE that would indicate which employees were staying and which would go. The complexion of all this changed on Tuesday when we were told that we'd been slotted into retention tiers. The tiers indicate what percent of your salary you'd receive if you were severed anytime before June 2009.

I found out yesterday that my tier was 50% meaning that if I were cut before June 2009 that I would receive 50% of my salary as a lump sum payout. This certainly makes it worth while to stick around through uncertain times.

Probate

Monday afternoon I went to the Surrogate's Court to probate Mom's will. I had brought her will and death certificate but found out that I also needed Dad's death certificate as he was named primary executor. The will was also missing a notation that certified the witnesses.

It didn't take long to find Dad's death certificate but I also had to call the lawyer in SC who had prepared the will. He was one of the witnesses and will need to sign a "Proof of Witness Form." I went back today with the additional info and was told that my part of the process was complete.

The Surrogate Court clerks encouraged me to sign an affidavit stating that I was there when the will was signed. I probably should have but had already answered "No" to the "Were you present" question several times and would have felt like a schnook reversing myself for the sake of expediency. The down side is that they'll have to go through the exercise of sending the form down to SC and getting it signed.

When I started to look into it I was quite intimidated by the probate process but it was really easy. I encourage anyone who has to go through this to seek out advice from the Surrogate's Court and go it alone. A lawyer would have been a waste of money.

Easter Weekend

Vic and Nadeem came to the house in Millville Friday night with plans to do some S Jersey bar crawling and Saturday C, K, and I went to Nadeem and Roula's to meet their new daughter Carlie. Then, on Sunday, we met Gary and Jody at Cape May.

All the events went really well except that I might have poisoned the guys with Guinness Stout that has been "aging" in the fridge for years. How nice it was to hold little Carlie in my arms. As my son grows up I forget the earlier times.

Blinkers Opens!

Blinkers ice cream stand has opened every March 1 ever since we've lived in Millville. It is our family's spring herald and always causes a stir whether or not we run to get in line.

K and C had cleaned his room and came up with a box of books as a by product. They went to freecycle Saturday as well as my blueberry iMac from 1990 something. A lot of memories attached to that computer :(

I bought a wi-fi adapter at Circuit City and brought it home in the late afternoon. It took no time at all to get connected but my follow on problem was to get the video card to produce a signal on the s-video output. To get it to work I had to reinstall the video drivers but nothing is ever easy. The config program that comes with the new drivers needs the latest version of .Net runtime which I had to download and install. And of course it needs to be installed before the video drivers so... This turned into a 4 hour project.

Fuel Pump Frakas

This recaps the expensive story of our car repair. Mike at Alpha-Omega replaced a fuel pump on my Chev Suburban and a week later the car failed to start with the same symptoms as before. We were out of town so took it to another mechanic that traced the problem to a bad wiring splice close to the pump.

When I told Mike what happened and showed him the corroded/burnt wire he denied that the part was ever in the car, said that it was the wrong size to connect to the fuel pump, and accused the other garage of incompetence and defrauding us.

The next day I checked the connector and found out that it mates perfectly to the old fuel pump.

Mike was not interested in a fair settlement. He wanted only to deny and accuse.

I won't waste more time on this and will take it as a lesson not to deal with this guy again.

Leap Day

Chris continues to wake up with a fever between 100-101. K took him to the doc on Tue who did a quick test for Strep Throat in the office which came back negative. He also sent a swab to the lab for them to test as a double check and it came back positive. He told us that this is a rare occurrence and prescribed Amoxicillin.

My friend Joe S says that if it lasts for more than 4-5 days then it's probably bacterial. I was ready to give C antibiotics a while ago but the medical community is concerned about compounding the problem of drug resistant strains, rightly so. Sad to see your family suffer for the greater public health.

I noticed, as we came in Fri night, that the TV was in great disarray. I've had the components pulled apart as a result of installing the Media Center. I had received a wi-fi adapter after buying it used on eBay so I commenced to connect it up but no luck. The setup software that came with it doesn't recognize it so I'll pursue getting my money back. One more "to do."

NYSE Interview

C woke up with 101 temp. Kevie took him to Khanna's office and the doc there confirmed that it was most likely the flu but ran a test to make sure that it wasn't Mononucleosis.

As per Natalie's email I was called to meet with John C at NYSE. We spoke about the AMEX billing system and how it might fit into their structure but I'm sure I was being sized up as a potential NYSE employee. All went well but there was no hint as to whether I might have a place in his organization or not.

Veera B had seen him after me so this morning we had a chance to compare notes and he said that there was discussion about bringing him on. I expected them to value him as he has the in-depth knowledge of the systems.

I had been talking to a broker at AETA about a Data Modeling consulting position with RCI and they had set up a phone screen for Friday. She called this afternoon and cancelled due to the client's funding problems. Sounds bogus.

Chris' temp was 102 before bed so he took a couple tylenol.

Chris Still Ill

He woke up with 101.5 temp this morning. I gave him motrin and we sent him to school. Last week he seemed fine after taking a fever reducer. I'd be more worried if K and I hadn't both come through a longer than normal flu bout a few weeks ago.

Chinese New Year

It's Sunday morning and C woke up with 100 degree temp. I'm inclined not to give him any drugs unless it starts to notch up.

Talked to my cousin Carl yesterday. He called to say he was sorry about Mom and we had a wide ranging conversation. A lot of fun.

Last night had the annual Chinese New Years event at Pings with Bill, Janet, Margret, Don, his wife, and 2 others. I'm so bad with names. The company was warm and we drank and ate too much - again.

Boat Registration

I got a Tivo HD about a year ago and paid to transfer the lifetime subscription from my Series I to the new box. As part of that deal they gave us a year of service on the old box which expired a couple weeks ago so no DVR in Millville. Horrors!

I had a Windows Media Center box in moth balls and it does not require a paid subscription for the guide. We unboxed the computer and made the connections but I have some work to do to get it connected to the internet and figure out why there's no video signal on the s-video output.

I bought a Linksys WET54-G Ethernet bridge on eBay ($70). This box and others like it are referred to as wireless game adapters because you can plug it into a game console's (i.e Play Station) RJ45 connector and it will connect the console to your WiFi network. No need to run cables, such magic. It can work with plain old computers too so the Media Center will connect to the house's network without running a cable.

Went to the MVC this morning to register the boat. It was originally purchased in DE and it was docked there for a season. There is no sales tax due on a DE purchase as long as the boat is kept in DE but we had long feared that transferring it to NJ would incur a demand for sales tax. Turned out that there was a $72 charge for registration but there was no talk of sales tax. They didn't even want to know the purchase price. Will we avoid NJ sales tax? All signs point to yes.

More car Details

After he woke up with yet another fever (100.6) I took Chris to the pediatrician at Liberty Medical Associates and waited 1.5 hours to see the doctor. They swabbed the back of his throat and then told us that it wasn't bacterial, just go home and wait it out.

It was a snowy day so K and I both worked from home but left early for Millville to pick up the car and return the rental. When we saw our car we noticed that the connector for the trailer lights had been torn off so K went in and asked that it be welded back on. They took care of it gratis. There is something in their garage that the plate catches on because this was the second time we've received the car in this condition after having it to them for repairs.

We returned the rental car after making a grand effort to remove the dog hair ($136.95).

I've been summoned for jury duty in Bridgeton next week so I called to find out whether or not I had to report on Monday and the message said they didn't need anyone. Wonder if my luck will hold for the rest of the week.

Less Mysterious eMail

A number of you will be approached tomorrow by NYSE for interviews. I’m trying to find out what time they are targeting but the idea is to speak to everyone at least briefly.

Bring your resumes just in case, they did not ask for them yet, but it’s not a bad idea to make them available.

-Natalie

Chevy Suburban - The Real Diagnosis

The garage called this morning to say that as they were connecting the new pump they found that the wire splices for the existing connector were frayed and corroded. They contend that this was the problem all along and observed that when the last pump was installed that the included connector was not used.

There was a recall on this car in 2005 that had to do with erratic fuel gauge readings due to bad wiring in the gas tank. We had taken it in to have this problem resolved as per the recall notice and now believe that the work done then caused the current problem.

Foschi told us that they charged for the new pump as it was now in the gas tank and could not be returned to their supplier ($770.13).

Mystery eMail

On Jan 17 The New York Stock Exchange announced that a deal had been struck to buy my employer, The American Stock Exchange, for $260M. Very little has been communicated about what staff will be retained but this morning I received the following email from my supervisor:

Please let me know if any of you have been contacted by NYSE for an interview.

Thanks,

Natalie

I have not been contacted.

The Car Starts

Foschi said that attempts to energize the fuel pump had failed so they lowered the gas tank in order to access the pump and voila, it started working. They called K and said we can just put it back up and you can be on your way OR we can replace the pump OR we can replace the pump and the connector that plugs into the wiring harness. We chose to have both the connector and the pump replaced in order to maximize the possibility of a permanent fix.

Surprise, Car is broken, House is broken

We didn't get to Millville until Saturday morning because K was finishing up a week of being ill. We got there to find a wet basement courtesy of leaky pipes.

Drove over to pick up the lawn mower, loaded it in the car and the car wouldn't start. Same symptoms as before. Tow truck came and took the car to Foschi's and we took a cab home.

We made it through the night w/ no water. I had shut it off to stop the basement flooding. Ben Franklin Plumbing came out and replaced the offending pipe ($238). He showed me the leaking joint and it looked like pretty bad workmanship. The pipe had been inserted into the fitting to about 1/16". Maintenance of this house was done as cheaply as possible by the last owner.

Monday morning C wakes up with 102 temp. The garage opens and we tell them our sad story. At 10:00 the gutter guys show up to put up new gutters. After looking at the old ones that were falling off the house I had assumed that there would be rotten wood that needed to be replaced but the guys reported no soft spots. So that job worked out in our favor ($575). We await the next storm with anticipation!

I charged the battery and changed the oil on the motorcycle. Got out for a ride and to run errands. The temperature was in the 60's and it was glorious. Still Monday and the Directv guy shows up to install satellite TV. I was all set to start saving about $25/mo over the cost of Comcast. No dice! If we want Directv we'd have to cut down several trees in the front yard. Talked to the mechanic around 5:00 and he was still scratching his head and running diagnostics on the car.

Tuesday morning C wakes up with 103 temp. Fortunately he is off school all this week. K and I both tell work that we're working from home today. At mid-day the mechanic still didn't have anything to report so we rented from Enterprise and got to JC around 9:30. I had been feeling very guilty about leaving Abbey by herself for so long and was glad to find her none the worse for wear.

Lunch with Vic

The car has refused to start since early last week. It cranks fine but won't start.

Victor came over on Monday and we pushed the car out of the garage and down to the street. Then he used his towing service to get the car over to Alpha-Omega. We had a nice lunch from the local pizza place and drank too much too early in the day.

Mike the mechanic called in the afternoon and said we had a bad fuel pump. The problem is that the pump is in the gas tank and it requires a lot of labor to get the old out and the new one in. He quoted $755 and we told him to go ahead.

K paid $764 and picked up the car today. Problem solved.

The Wake

Went to IN on Friday and came back Sunday.

Butch and Marcia really bent over backwards to help with arrangements. There was research to find out our options for a gathering place and when we decided to hold it at the Moose Lodge Butch put it together and negotiated the price. I'm very grateful.

My Aunt Irene was so gracious in letting us stay at her house. We took over her bedroom and Chris slept in the TV room and dominated her TV.

Saturday afternoon was the wake in Marion and it was great to see the relatives. They really turned out in force. I was thinking about the eulogy afterwards and I think I left Lucille out of my list of what her siblings were known for. If anyone's interested she was the boy crazy hell raiser.

After the wake we went to Cole and Dee's house with Terri & Gary, and PGV who had come down for the wake. Rumor has it that they had poured a lot of sweat equity into the place and it showed. They've taken great care to restore and furnish the house with pieces from the time when it was originally built. It's a real show place and they should be proud.

Friday night we had dinner at 'On the Border' with several of the cousins and Mike treated us all. Sunday, before the plane left, we had a nice lunch with the Thomas' at Texas Roadhouse and didn't get to pay for anything again.

I've been thinking about the reason that we lost touch and I know that I was waiting for an invitation to go out there with my parents. It never came and I didn't do anything to make it happen. It was a "sin of omission" and I think that my life has been less full because of it.

Louise Gaddis Newman

Louise Gaddis Newman, 89, of Jersey City NJ, and formerly of Hilton Head SC, died on Saturday, Jan 26, 2008 at Harbor View Healthcare Center in Jersey City.

Mrs. Newman was born September 9, 1918 in Fairmount, IN. She attended Fairmount High School. She worked as an executive secretary for the Department of Defense at the Pentagon and spent several years in the Philippines during the 1950's and 1970's as a result of her husband's Foreign Service career.

She is survived by her son, John Newman and wife Kevie Newman of Jersey City NJ; sister, Irene Reeves of Alexandria IN; brother Neil Gaddis of Straughn IN; brother Charles Gaddis of Albuquerque NM.

She was predeceased by her husband William Newman.

On Saturday friends and family will be received at a wake celebrating her life from 1:00 – 4:00 at the Moose Lodge in Marion.

Memorial donations may be made to The American Indian Relief Council (AIRC) at PO Box 6200, Rapid City, SD 57709 or to The ASPCA.

Written condolences can be sent to johnn144@gmail.com.

My mom would have loved this quote by Minna Antrim: Man forgives woman anything save the wit to outwit him.

FreeCycle

This weekend we posted afghans and quilts on freecycle and got a big response. I wonder if that's a reflection of the price of fuel oil?

After a holiday season so full of food and booze it was almost a relief to see it end but this weekend felt like another binge. Saturday was fondue. It started with cheese and progressed through beef, ending with chocolate. Then Sunday we led into dinner with crudites and went to the movies where mass quantities of popcorn and chocolate were consumed. I doubt the wood splitting or ice skating were much of an offset.

I thought the movie was really outstanding. We saw I am Legend with Will Smith. It helps to be familiar enough with NYC to recognize the places that get turned into deserted, abandoned scrub but even without that background it's probably still effective. Chris needed to sleep last night with the light on.