Top Ten Things Not to Put Off When You Have a Lot to Do

June 24, 2024June 23, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 88 Comments

This Post was published on May 17, 2018. I think it is still relevant.

Living long enough to experience what happens when things are put off inspires this list. Not all of these things have occurred, but enough to give me the title of Consultant on What Not to Put Off.

10 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off buying an anniversary present. If you do, at best, you’ll have to spend more to find a gift. At worst, what you want to give is no longer available, and your second choice falls way short. (That pair of rubber dish gloves just didn’t have the same panache did it, Emanuele?)

9 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off paying Tiny, the WWF champ, the ten bucks you borrowed. If you do, at best, you won’t run into Tiny. At worst, you’ll meet Tiny just after he leaves his financial planner with the news that he is broke. (Right now would be a good time to have that ten spot out where Tiny can see it, Emesto. There won’t be time once he grabs you by the throat.)

8 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off responding to that traffic ticket. If you do, at best, you can cover the late fee. At worst, a rookie police officer will see you drive by and will have memorized the license plates of all the outstanding warrants for this week. (Yes, those lights and sirens mean to pull over, Emo. You better hope someone can come and bail you out. Oh, and don’t worry about your new car. The wrecker folks got that name for a reason.)

7 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off paying that final notice on the water and electric bill. If you do, at best, you might get a grace period. At worse, you planned on filling the bathtub and buying some candles but were caught by surprise. (How do those shins feel after hitting that coffee table five times, Enceladus?)

6 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off filing your taxes. If you do, at best, you will remind the IRS agent of his father. At worst, you will remind the IRS agent of her ex-husband. (Why do the terms ‘delinquent, fine, and jail term’ keep coming up in the discussion, Eoin?)

5 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off renewing your auto or driver’s license. If you do at best, a wait at the DMV is the only penalty. At worst, just when some eyewitness of a bank robbery described a car like yours, a state police officer pulled in behind you. (Don’t think these guys aren’t going to have guns drawn, Eren. The bank robber will probably get a lighter sentence than driving with expired plates and license.)

4 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off sending your house insurance premium. If you do, at best, your banker will remind you. At worst, the rare piece of space junk entering the atmosphere and landing on your house will remind you of the forgotten check. (Don’t worry, Erin. Insurance companies have huge hearts and will likely forgive your oversight. Believe that, and I have an underwater lot I think you would like.)

3 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off making those airline reservations to attend the mandatory company seminar. If you do, at best, you’ll have a center seat on a packed plane. At worst, you’ll be on standby, and as luck would have it, there are no seats available. (Who would have thought that Dubuque, Iowa, was such a popular destination, Erskine? You can tell by the tension in the voice that the boss is not going to forgive and forget.)

2 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off paying that credit card bill. If you do, at best, you’ll rack up a big late fee. At worse, just when you are trying to impress someone by grabbing the dinner check, the waiter comes back and tells you in a loud voice that your card has been denied. (You can try all you want to explain a bank error, Eske. Your soon-to-be ex-client isn’t believing your story.)

1 If you have a number of things going on, do not put off double checking your parachute before your skydive this weekend. If you do, at best, it was done right. At worst, you will find yourself in a position of having to hope the spare will do the job. (After all, Estanislao, you have gained a few pounds. Oh, and that go-cam recording should be hilarious, so let’s hope you are there to enjoy it.)

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Water”

June 22, 2024June 21, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

A hot, steaming cup of Columbian Dark Roast and water meets my lips. The brain shouts hallelujah as the liquid races through the pounding nerve endings, quelling the revolt and opening the neurons so that rational thought can resume. The clock is set for June 22, 1924. The location is Long Island, New York. The duration is one hour. The plunger is pulled, and we find ourselves at Mitchel Field near Garden City, Long Island.

Army First Lieutenant Russell Maughan is preparing his Curtiss P-1 Hawk for a dawn-to-dusk flight across America. He plans to be the first to fly across the North American continent in one day. The takeoff is scheduled for 3:58 AM tomorrow morning. He plans to land at Crissy Field near San Francisco before sundown. If so, the flight of 2670 miles will take 20 hours and 48 minutes.

In talking with the Lieutenant, he plans to make fueling stops at Dayton, Ohio; St. Joseph, Missouri; North Platte, Nebraska; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and the Bonneville Salt Flats at Salduro, Utah.

We wish him well just as the alarm heaves me into the down softness of the couch. I have a text from Linda Hill. It reads. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “water.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see how others have used the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2024/06/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-22-2024/

“So you snuck water in there up front.”

“Didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”

“How come you didn’t stay for the takeoff of the Lieutenant?”

“It is complicated.”

“Try me.”

“Okay. The flight took place on the 23rd of June in 1924.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Today is the 22nd. I didn’t want to go another day.”

“Ah. Your obsessive compulsiveness made you want the time to be exactly 100 years.”

“Right.”

“I hope you get help with that. Well, did he male it?”

“Yes. He flew and arrived one minute before sundown on the West Coast, setting a record as the first to fly transcontinental in one day.”

“I guess that was important at the time.”

“Of course, it was. Aviation was new, and records were just waiting to be set.”

“Care to go for a new record?”

“Does this involve VooDoo Ranger by chance?”

“Well………”

“You call Uber?”

“Check it out. He’s over there.”

“OMG.”

“What?”

“Thant’s a 1966 Ford Fairlane two-door sedan.”

“How do you know that?”

“My first job was as a sales representative, and I had a company car like that, only blue.”

“I can’t imagine you as a sales rep. Door to door?”

“Aw, come on. I represented the company brands at retail.”

“Stores, you mean?”

“Yup. I ensured all was good so the consumer wouldn’t be disappointed by an out-of-stock item.”

“So you carried the company’s water.”

“Sure did.”

“Did they make water?”

“You are an idiot, you know that. Let’s get to the Voo Doo Ranger.”

“Right behind you. You can have shotgun too.”

“Since I’m buying, I hope so. Oh, I almost forgot. There will be no Views of the Neighborhood tomorrow. Going to be busy. I hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday.”

Friday – JohnKu – AKA- TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

June 21, 2024June 20, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 79 Comments

Michael Chacon, Madison Morrison, Andrew Palacio, and Leen Alfaoury – credit WILL KIRK JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.

Students Invent Leaf Blower Silencer Attachment–Corporation Expects to Be Selling Them Soon

Andy Corbley –Jun 20, 2024

Engineering students at Johns Hopkins have created a silencer module for the campus leaf blowers, reducing the devices’ overall noise pollution by 37%. At the same time, they succeeded in almost completely eliminating the high-pitched whining that annoyed them the most.

The design is patent-pending, and Stanley Black & Decker, who sponsored the students, expects to sell them in two years.

It’s not uncommon for leaf blowers to be banned by homeowners associations or following apartment tenant protests—their endless, up-and-down caterwauling of various frequencies is the delight of no one, and worse, landscapers often use them in the early morning to avoid the heat of the day.

“The sound that comes out of this leaf blower is very complicated, and it contains a lot of different frequencies,” said team member Andrew Palacio. “A lot of different notes on a piano would be a good analogy.”

The Johns Hopkins campus currently uses battery-powered leaf blowers, which are already quieter than gasoline-powered ones. Since last September, Palacio and his team members Michael Chacon, Leen Alfaoury, and Madison Morrison have examined the devices in depth—how many sounds are there and what is causing them.

Overall, they have workshopped more than 40 versions of leaf blower silencers. Many of them worked but diminished the power of the air coming out. They eventually came up with an easy-to-secure suppressor that functions much like the ones fitted to firearms.

“Our product takes in a full blow of air and separates it,” Alfaoury told Johns Hopkins. “Some of that air comes out as it is, and part comes out shifted. The combination of these two air sections makes the blower less noisy.”

“It ultimately dampens the sound as it leaves, but it keeps all that force, which is the beauty of it,” adds Chacon.

It’s one thing to come up with trumps in a class project, but this invention isn’t designed to win them any science fairs, but rather for going on Home Depot or Lowe’s shelves.

“It’s not just some cool theoretical thing that will sit on a shelf and never be heard from again—this is ready to be mass manufactured,” said Nate Greene, senior product manager at Stanley Black & Decker, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2017 with an engineering degree. “This is a scarce and dramatic level of success.”

WATCH the story below from JH University Press…

The good news in this story is that a problem that is not Earth-shattering has been solved through hard work. Although leaf blower noise is a first world annoyance it is good to see it has been overcome. Today’s JohnKu talks about solving problems.

Its not world hunger,

But a problem worth solving . . .

Shows genius at work.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Pose for Photos

June 20, 2024June 19, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 137 Comments

“Okay, you two. I want a nice photo to put on the blog.”

“What do we do?”

“Look at Twiggy, Tempeste. I want you to stand next to her and smile.”

“What is that yellow thing in Mom’s hand?”

“No, Tempest. Go stand next to Twiggy.”

“But I want to see what it is.”

“Okay, it’s a stuffed peeper. Go to the console table and stand there.”

“This is cute. Is it new?”

“It’s not new. We have had it for a while. Twiggy, look at me.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go over to the console by the peeper and take Tempest with you.”

“I’m not sure she will cooperate.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure if you go there, she will follow.”

“Hey, Mom. What’s that thing over there?”

“It’s the closet door, Tempeste. Now go and join Twiggy.”

“The panther stalks the puma. Step by step.”

“Can we get you two to turn this way and face the camera?”

“I don’t know Dad. Did you see that panther stalking me?”

“Looks like this session is over.”

“But the panther is thinking of taking down the mighty puma.”

“Alright, panther. You have messed with the wrong puma.”

“Talk is big, puma ole pal. Let’s see what you got.”

“Thanks, Girls. We’ll try this another time.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #436 by Keith Channing

June 18, 2024June 17, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 51 Comments

In Keith’s words, “Using this image (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really. Either put your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before the end of the week. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here. Thank you for taking part.”

Here is a link to Keith’s post. https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2024/06/17/kreative-kue-436/

The photo.

“We just left the metro. What’s up?”

“You can’t be serious right now.”

“What do you mean calm down.”

“We are on vacation 5000 miles from you, and you tell me to calm down.”

“So, how bad is it?”

“What do you mean not that bad?”

“Yes, I am alarmed. You call me out of the blue, and for what?”

“Don’t interrupt. You call to say there is water running down the stairs from the second floor and to calm down. How can I calm down?”

“Under control? Why did you call me then?”

“Key to the front door? It’s on the table by the door. Why do you need the key to the front door?”

“How deep is the water?”

“Well, the key has to be under the water somewhere.”

“What do you mean, never mind?”

“So if the door is gone, how can you keep the house safe?”

“What do you mean we don’t need to worry about that?”

“The whole house? How did this happen?”

“Bath? What bath? You never take baths.”

“Call the insurance guy.”

“The number is in the drawer in the kitchen.”

“What do you mean you lost the kitchen?”

“No, I’m going to finish my vacation. You will need to figure this out.”

“Yes, dear. I love you, too. Please don’t call me again.”

“Just go to the ER, and they can stop that. Bye, dear.”

Top Ten Things Not to Say to a Puppy Owner

June 17, 2024June 16, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

This post ran on May 7, 2018. Since we are again a puppy owner, I think the list still has some good advice.

* * *

The inspiration for this post has been a month of puppy raising.

10 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “Is that a new puppy?” If you do, at best, you will get a “yes.” At worst, the owner will wonder if you lost your mind and answer, “No, it is an old puppy.” (I think you could have guessed there have been some long nights, Eberhardt.)

9 If you meet a puppy owner named Tiny, do not say, “What kind of horse is that?” If you do, at best, Tiny, the WWF champ, will think you are kidding. At worst, Tiny just left the vet’s office with strict instructions to cut back on the amount of food he is feeding his Great Dane Puppy. (We all know you didn’t mean to hit a sore spot, Ede. The knowledge will not help soothe that pain, though, so running is definitely in the cards right now.)

8 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “Your arms look like you’ve been using.” If you do, at best, the owner will laugh at the statement. At worst, you’ll be handed the puppy to experience the joy of those needle-like teeth for yourself. (One way to get a puppy to release is to offer a chew toy, Edwaldo. Oh, you don’t have a chew toy? Next, stop the ER.)

7 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “How much did that puppy cost?” If you do, at best, the owner will ignore you. At worst, you must be patient as the owner details all the expenses so far. ( It has been ten minutes, Efrem, and now it looks like you will miss your bus. Aren’t you glad you asked?)

6 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “Is that a purebred?” If you do, at best, no one cares. At worst, you will have touched on the one item on which the owners violently disagree. (How were you to know these two were on the verge of a breakup over the question of pure breed or not, Ekewaka. Well, it looks like the whole argument has flared again. Best to quietly walk away.)

5 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “How are you adjusting?” If you do, at best, you’ll get a stiff upper lip response with no detail. At worst, your question triggered a loud and tear-filled explanation of how hard it has been. (Even though you are uncomfortable, Elden, letting this person sob on your shoulder is the right thing to do. I would tell those people they can move on and quit gawking.)

4 If you meet a puppy owner, do not ask, “Is your puppy house trained yet?” If you do, at best, the owner has no concerns about house training. At worse, you might have to listen to a lecture on the psychological damage owners inflict on poor puppies expecting house training too early. (Well, I guess it isn’t going well, Elhanan. What is your guess?)

3 If you meet a puppy owner, do not ask, “Which is easier, Puppies or kids?” If you do, at best, the owner will be honest and say, “Kids.” At worst, you’ll get a stink eye from hell and a request to step aside. ( Looks like both jobs are a problem, Elisha. I would step aside before someone gets hurt. Namely you.)

2 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “Why did you pick that name?” If you do, at best, the owner will assume you are not being critical. At worst, the owner will think you are questioning the choice and go to extremes to make the name choice seem plausible. (I think the owner believes everyone names their puppy Little Poop Ellen. I, like you, wanted more information about that choice. Oh well, maybe next time.)

1 If you meet a puppy owner, do not say, “What made you get a puppy?” If you do at best, you’ll get a heartwarming story. At worst, after the crying stops, you will feel sorry for the owner and the puppy and are now the proud owner of a new puppy. (I have to say, Elmore, that puppy is better off with you.)

Views of the Neighborhood – Wandering the Neighborhood

June 16, 2024June 15, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Since it is a slow week activity-wise, The Producer developed a theme for today’s post. She suggested “Wandering the Neighborhood,” which means seeing a whole lot of different sights as we do just that. Ten Ten of Austin caters to us, and Dion provides entertainment.

acorn squash, black garlic, baby spinach

roasted cauliflower, eggplant, wild mushroom

smoked tofu, pickled vegetables, shiso

charred hamachi kama black garlic, pickled vegetables

miso king salmon eggplant purée, rice pearls

short rib ume chimichurri

Wagyu New York strip 10oz shiso

pork chop Japanese curry, pickled vegetables

king crab leg chili garlic butter, micros salad

wagyu tenderloin 8oz shiso gremolata

wagyu strip 14oz wasabi peppercorn cream

wagyu ribeye 24oz charcoal salt

Picture of an old time school bus

The bus is ready.

We’ll start with a lovely red crape myrtle.

There are many hills here, so retaining walls must take on some style.

A red and white crape myrtle.

Rock wall topped with Carolina Jasmine.

Mexican Birds of Paradise.

A deer family in a neighbor’s yard. To the right is the buck making a getaway.

Pink crape myrtle.

A wall of thin rocks with a slate-like look.

A purple giant crape myrtle.

Another wall with a slate-like look made of limestone.

Well, that is our wandering for the week. It’s time to sit back and enjoy the food and music. I hope you have a terrific week.

Stream of Consciousness Friday – Prompt – SUM.

June 15, 2024June 14, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Without delay, my precious cup of reality is delivered by my equally precious reality liquid delivery machine. No muss, fuss, or civil disobedience was incurred in the making of my steaming, frothy cup of Columbia’s second most popular export. One sip and my brain engages in summarizing the agenda for the day. At the top is the clock.

It is set for June 15, 1924, and the location is Paris, France. The duration is two hours. Pulling the plunger finds us at the Théâtre de la Cigale. We are going to witness the premier performance of the ballet Mercure. This ballet is choreographed by Léonide Massine. The music is by Erik Satie and costumes by (get this) Pablo Picasso. Yes, this is the final theater involvement of Picasso, who dabbled in the venue for about ten years. At the time, he was the leader of the cubist movement in art and was well-regarded.

As the performance begins, a group of artists from the surrealistic school of art demonstrate against Erik Satie by jumping on the stage and yelling, “Brave Picasso, down with Satie.”The police arrive, and the ballet continues after the order is restored. It was too bad for us since the demonstration took up most of the time. The alarm goes off, and couch landing 101 takes place. My text notification says Linda Hill has sent one. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “sum.” Use the letters “sum” in a word in your post or use the word “sum.” Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2024/06/14/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-15-2024/https://lindaghill.com/2024/06/14/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-15-2024/

“That was some melee, huh?”

“Yes, it was. The reviews for the ballet were good and Picasso given a lot of praise. There were only a very few performances, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“The show manager was over his head. The last show was on June 22. He figured he was at sum-zero on cost and time to pull up stakes.”

“That’s too bad. Sounds like it could have been something.”

“Given that was one hundred years ago, and people are still talking about it, I would agree.”

“Which brings up another classic.”

“Please don’t say VooDoo Ranger.”

“You said it.”

“Trapped like a rat.”

“I ordered Uber.”

“Let me guess a wheat combine.”

“No, take a look over there.”

“What is that?”

“A 39 Chevy.”

“Looks like a panel truck.”

“Only lots of custom work.”

“Okay, I’m ready. Shotgun.”

“Sum bebop, you got me.”

“For once.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

June 14, 2024June 13, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

A rendering of the solar project – credit City of Valencia

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network

Three Valencia Cemeteries to Play Host to Largest Urban Solar Farm in Spain

Andy Corbley – Jun 13, 2024

Another European city has taken up the idea of utilizing the space over its cemeteries for generating solar power, a project it calls Requiem in Power, or RIP.

In the heart of Valencia, three cemeteries, Grau, Campanar, and Benimàmet, will be outfitted with 7,000 panels to create the largest urban solar farm in Spain.

GNN reported in March that a town on the River Loire in France had initiated a community-led project to raise solar panel canopies to stop excess rainwater from flooding the sea-level town cemetery.

The town, Saint-Joachim, had to raise the money for the project through voluntary taxation and seek permission from residents, which wasn’t a problem for former Valencia city climate councilor Alejandro Ramon, who explained that the city owns the cemetery land and can do as it likes.

But to ensure they weren’t walking over anyone’s graves, they sought permission from the Catholic Diocese, which supported the idea.

“We suffer droughts and extreme heat. It’s necessary to speed up the transition, but sometimes in cities, it’s difficult to find large free spaces to install renewable energy,” Ramon told Adele Peters at Fast Company. “After consulting with technicians, they told me that the roofs of the niches were perfectly suitable for installing solar panels.”

The niches that Ramon refers to are those above the mausoleums.

As Ramon said, in an effort to speed up the transition, Europeans are coming up with increasingly inventive ways to install solar panels, including inside the terracotta roof tiles typical of a historic Italian or Greek roof or on over 100,000 balconies and terraces in Germany.

One benefit of a solar farm right in the heart of the city, as those above the cemeteries will provide, is that wattage isn’t lost through the transfer of power from the countryside into the city on long power lines.

Far less additional transfer infrastructure needs to be built, and residents can be inspired knowing that their ancestors are still contributing years after their deaths.

The good news in this story is communities are continuing to find new ways to generate power. Today’s JohnKu talks about innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

The old ways make room,

For the new methods needed . . .

To sustain our life.