Archive for the ‘Living Life’ Category
Wintergatan Leave a comment
Security … For Whom? Leave a comment
After I whined about clipboards being old-fashioned, my computer decided to exact its revenge. I was working on Monday, when my computer’s “clipboard” function (cutting & pasting) stopped working. When that happens on a Windows computer, there’s just one thing you can do: reboot.
After I rebooted the computer, I restored my desktop applications, which means I eventually re-booted my financial software, Quicken. And Quicken had a message for me. It had decided to email me a 6-digit code, which I needed to enter into the software within one hour if I wanted to look at my humble checking account balance again.
My financial information was being held hostage in the interest of better security.
But why? What happened? The details were all available when I went to the Help tab in Quicken (indicating that many, many other people are wondering what’s being done to their software). It was all online, in their parent company’s (Intuit) Announcement # 1319233. You can read it here, if you like. Intuit has decided to implement “Multi-factor Authentication.”
Let’s be clear: Intuit decided that my data in my software on my computer just wasn’t safe enough, so they required that data from their server be entered into my software to confirm that I am me. That’s exactly what their pop-up screen said when it demanded I jump through hoops for them:
They had absolutely no indication that I was not me: the account was fine, the data was fine. They just decided to force me – and all of their customers – to do something because they felt that we needed more security. This isn’t Big Brother, exactly, but it certainly is a big company thinking they get to decide what’s best for me, and then making me dance to that tune.
And worse, as I jumped through the hoops, they lied about it. They said I asked for this to happen.
You know how I feel about people who lie.
I never asked. Perhaps you could argue that since I had installed the software last year, and then allowed it to update itself into this new security configuration, then I had “asked.” But I would disagree. I didn’t ask. I just wanted to balance my check book.
Intuit decided, in the interest of “security,” that my password on Quicken (which is unique), the password on my computer (which is necessarily different!), and the lock on my front door (again, different!) is not enough to secure my data. After all, they said, they wanted to make sure I am me.
I was steamed enough that I contacted customer service, and Wena A eventually told me that this feature could not be disabled … but that I was welcome to tell customer service my opinion of it. Thanks, Wena. Really, thanks.
I don’t think this was about getting me more security. I think it was about job security for some programmers at Intuit. They clearly figured out a way to generate more work by making me jump through their hoops, all in the name of “security.”
No thanks, Intuit. This customer that has been with Quicken since I bought my first computer in 1986 will be looking for an alternative that trusts me to know that I am me without having to check for me.
Auto-Updating & Patience 1 comment
My blog is posting very late today, but it’s not my fault, honest.
My desktop computer auto-updated last night. What does that mean?
When I turned on the monitor, I was greeted with a log-in screen. That means the computer had restarted itself during the night. Windows had auto-updated itself.
And that’s all too often a bad thing. A very bad thing.
Radio stations are often run by Windows computers (but not MY clients!). Those computers will also auto-update if the station is not careful … and that will generally knock the station off the air. Off the air is a bad thing. A very bad thing.
So, when I realized I had auto-updated, I knew I might be in for it today. And I was.
The computer was OK, all in all, except for my browser. I prefer Mozilla’s Firefox, and when I booted it this morning, it froze almost immediately. I re-booted the program, same result. I re-booted the computer, same result. I re-installed the software, same result. Repeat. Same result.
I opened another browser and looked for alternative solutions. News of a wide-spread problem. Tech tips. Clues. I got nothing.
I tried to disable add-ons. No joy. I re-booted in safe mode. No joy. I re-booted the computer … yeah, I kept doing the same exact things. No joy.
I set the problem aside so I could work for a living, accepting that any work on a browser would not be done on Firefox. Interestingly, my work’s virtual desktop, delivered on a cloud, worked fine. And it uses Firefox in that environment which worked perfectly. (sigh)
Back to my problem. Right before I left for lunch, I re-booted Firefox, which immediately froze. I walked away with it “not responding.” When I came back from lunch, Firefox was fine. I don’t know what the issue was that caused it to lock up, but the program needed time to solve its problem. I had to be patient enough to give it that time, and all was well.
Patience is a virtue. And if it was easy, anybody could do it.
Be It Resolved 2 comments
- Get back to
runningwalking again. Man does not live by cutting boards alone. - Do fewer events for Mrs M. Eliminate the small events, and do bigger ones. Eliminate triple bookings, and almost all of the double bookings. Less is more if you get smarter at doing what you do.
- Note to self: get smarter.
- Watch more Dodger games, even if they are not available on 70% of LA’s TV sets.
- Figure out something cool to do July 13-15 of this year. Not sure what that will be, but the celebration needs to be more than a really good blog post.
- Do a really good blog post.
- Get Mrs M’s website working as a retail site before the boss of me decides to fire me.
- Blow out the
garagewoodshop. And I mean, really blow it out. With a blower. Get the dust out, and don’t let it get this bad again (the new & much better dust collector and random orbital sanders make that possible). - Stop thinking about new products to come out of the woodshop, and get them done. Coming in 2016 (and these are just the ones I’m committed to NOW):
- Routed Bowls in many sizes
- Wine Bottle Holder
- Wine Bottle Server
- Wine Bottle Picnic Table
- Mission Candle Holders
- New Baby Block
- Stacking Toy
- Make other things for the family.
- Get on top of the landscaping thing. Get rid of the plants you’ve wanted to get rid of for many years. Just one weekend a month….
- Get the spa working again. And spa. Get the waterfall working again. And, uh, flow.
- Take more pictures that aren’t new cutting boards. Man does not live by cutting boards alone.
2015: It’s A Wonderful Year 3 comments
Prepared for a full day of fun in this shop.
This is the year that we pushed the envelope.
Who knew there was an envelope, much less one that we needed to push?
Last year, Mrs M’s did 23 different events. This year, our push resulted in doing 44 events on 65 days. We traveled north to Livermore, west to Goleta, east to San Dimas, and south … well, we didn’t go very far south. Maybe next year.
In order to feed the monster that Mrs M’s became, we had to make product. A lot of product. We learned to make things after work. The Mrs M’s learned to do quadruple batches. If we could do it more efficiently, we learned to do it.
It’s a hobby, you see.
We do it for fun. Honest, we’re having fun!
The fact that we’re so frequently asked to explain the why behind Mrs M’s must mean that we’ve taken a step into the unusual. Who in their right might would redecorate their family room with drop cloths and cutting boards? Who would get up at 5am just to go to an event on a Saturday? Sleeping in on weekends is only a distant memory at this point.
And we call it fun.
Meanwhile, the family continued to grow. Payton continued her dance classes, and learned a lot. As you can see, she’s now learned to mug for the camera!
Christopher had the big professional news this year. He still works for the LA County Parks department, but he moved parks, from the Placerita Natural Area, to Castaic Lake. He went from being in charge of animals and plants to supervising cashiers, boaters and lifeguards.
Alley continues with the city of Palmdale, but she had the big personal news of the year: Granddaughter # 2 is on the way, and is expected to arrive in late March. Or early April. She’ll let us know. Because that’s what babies do.
Michael continues with Crane Aerospace & Electronics, and Brianna continues in her 2nd year of teaching at Sierra Vista Junior High here in Santa Clarita. Brianna also began work on her Masters in Education, so she’s keeping up the in the race to be the most degreed person in their home.
Because it’s all about the bling.
Speaking of races, Michael & Brianna both completed 2 racing milestones this year. They completed their first full marathon (the Walt Disney World Marathon, of course) as well as the Disneyland Half Marathon. That completed Disney’s “Coast to Coast Challenge,” meaning they got another medal.
Because it’s all about the bling.
In addition, the Disneyland Half they completed was their 10th annual; they’ve completed each of those races. Lauren has run many of them, as well, and it all started with those 3, joined by Velda and I, running the first Disneyland Half sponsored by Kaiser, Velda’s employer. Ten years have just flown by….
Lauren & Eric celebrated their 8th anniversary this year: all three of our kids began dating their sweethearts when they were 16.
Speaking of family, we were ecstatic to learn that our cousin Claire had been accepted to UCLA, and would be living in Westwood for the next 4 years. She’s having fun as a Bruin, as any college freshman would, and stretching her horizons at the same time.
Her family visiting regularly is a great bonus, too!
Claire wanted a break from studying one weekend, so she came to play vendor with Little Girl & I at a Mrs M’s event. Claire became the Intern and she even sold stuff, so I know she’s got skills.
This blog is now 3-1/2 years old, and I’ve been a daily blogger for a couple of years now. Lots of thoughts have been shared, and the number of readers continues to grow. A new blog series launched this year, The Board Chronicles, which traces our experiences at each of the vendor events we do. Non-vendors are now reading them to see what craziness we’re up to, which is both rewarding and totally unexpected.
I’m glad you enjoy watching our family from afar, and hope that you have a very Merry Christmas.
Here’s to a GREAT 2016 as well!
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Santa Claus & Coca-Cola 2 comments
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Spatchcocking & Other Musings Leave a comment
Hearing the exclamations from the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving is an annual treat for me. Velda’s giving her all to cook a delectable spread … like always.
Speaking of spread, when I walked into the kitchen from the garage woodshop last evening, Velda had the turkey’s legs splayed at 180 degrees. I may not know my way around a kitchen (Well, I do know how to go around the kitchen, actually, but I digress), but I know that’s not how turkeys usually look in our house.
Several weeks ago, I had strongly encouraged her to attend a local cooking demonstration on how to cook Thanksgiving dinner (a clever strategy of mine) to:
- Distract her from work stresses,
- Distract her from Mrs M’s stresses, and
- Deliver an even better meal today.
Yes, there was something in it for me beyond her getting an autographed cookbook.
OH, and if my children happen to be reading this, don’t worry. Velda promised not to mess with the green bean casserole again. I even carried in the cans of Del Monte green beans myself, so I know she’s got the ingredients right. Your near riot of a few years ago is still a vivid enough memory that she won’t make the mistake of changing that recipe again!
But, back to the star attraction.
Come to find out the turkey had been rendered spineless not by the Lady’s rapier wit, but by a fair amount of sweat, a dull knife, a sharp knife, poultry shears and a bad word or two. The turkey had been spatchcocked, I’m told.
Who knew that was a word?
In any event, it’s spatchcocked turkey for dinner. We’ve got the whole family coming over, as well as three Bruins that are far from home and in search of a good meal (no surprise there!). We all have much to be thankful for, and I’m looking forward to dining with my wonderful family and some new friends.
Happy Thanksgiving!
A handsome pair of wild turkeys at Alabama’s Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Michael Padgett. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/25/15.
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How To Fill Your Cheese Board 3 comments
Here are my 5 favorite cheeses to serve on a cheese plate (and you only need 5 on a big board):
- Cheddar. It’s the classic. I prefer sharp; Colby just seems bland to me. Sorry, not my style: I’m a purist. And if you only have processed “cheese food” singles available? Go back to the store. You’re not serious about having cheese yet.
- Camembert. My love of this cheese started when I was the Lion in “Reynard The Fox,” a children’s play at the University of Missouri. I had to eat a chunk of Camembert that I found hidden on stage in every performance (and the props guy just LOVED to give me a BIG piece that I had to wolf down before my next line!), I’ve loved this cheese. After I recovered from the whole stage experience of having to wolf it down on cue, of course.
- Smoked Gouda. I didn’t appreciate this cheese until we started using it for some of our homemade pizzas, and now I can’t get enough. Smoked is much better than regular Gouda, I believe, but you’ll have to try them both to know!
- Swiss. You need a hard, nutty cheese on every cheese board, and Swiss is always my favorite. Many options here. After all, when a cheese is named after a country, you can bet there are many variations available!
A soft spreadable cheese. Go crazy. Try something different, like a new goat cheese blend, or even (shudder) something with herbs mixed in. Have some fun and talk to your cheesemonger about what’s good. Try something new.
Great substitutes:
- Havarti
- Brie
Honorable Mention:
- Muenster. It’s my favorite sliced cheese for sandwiches … but it just doesn’t seem right on a cheese board, even when I put it on a cracker with ham. Sorry, Muenster, you are off the board.
Not for me:
- Monterey Jack. Too bland; I don’t see the point.
- Pepper Jack. Horrible combination. Pass.
When you’re going for style points:
- Three or four different kinds of crackers. No Ritz or Triscuits for me. Milton’s are essential. Don’t go for heavily flavored crackers (the cheese is the star here).
- Summer sausage is the most common meat to serve on a cheese platter, for good reason. Don’t be afraid to add sliced ham or other deli meats … rolled & cut to size for your crackers.
- Some raw nuts: walnuts or pecans for me. Not salted, and not almonds, if you please.
- Kalamata olives! Other pickles are OK, but if you don’t have olives, you’re not trying hard enough. If you have garlic stuffed olives, I know you belong in Velda’s kitchen.
- Grapes, apples – of course. Citris? No.
- A sweet fruit spread or topping can be a nice counter point as well. Just don’t go too crazy. 5 cheeses, 4 crackers, 3 meats, nuts, olives … isn’t that enough?
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Ten Things That Will Disappear In My Lifetime 5 comments
1. Love notes. Students are no longer taught “connected writing,” or cursive writing … so how do you write a love note? On twitter? Do you then soak your smartphone in perfume, or what?
2. Saturday morning cartoons. Now you can see them 24/7 … you don’t even need a TV station to stream them on your mobile screen … and kids often have their own. Back in the day, I had to rush to do my Saturday morning chores so I could watch cartoons on the only day of the week they were available. Ah, memories.
3. Buying entertainment media at a store. Record stores: gone. Book stores: gone. Video stores: gone. Who needs them when you download everything?
4. The paper check. I bought a Paypal reader today that will allow you to simply tap it with your enabled smartphone to pay for your purchase from Mrs. M’s Handmade. That’s all: you just tap your smartphone on my reader, and the tap authorizes a secure, encrypted payment. Who would want to deal with a check?
5. Prime time. Gone are the days when the family needs to sit down together to watch their favorite program. “8 o’clock Eastern, 7 Central” no longer means anything. Remember “Must See TV?” Remember only having one television in the house? Remember a family watching network television together? Faint memories, at best. Network television has been irrevocably changed, and we will soon be in a 100% on demand world. The cord cutters already are.
6. The Game Of The Week. As network television has changed from “the big 3” networks having a monopoly on the small screen, sports television has exploded as a vehicle that demands live viewership and premium advertising rates. Back in the day, there was ONE college football game televised each week. Now, they broadcast on multiple networks on multiple days each week. It’s truly an amazing transformation … that pays for a multi-million dollar sports infrastructure on hundreds of college campuses. However, student athletes get no direct compensation. Coaches do pretty well, though.
Maryville, MO, 1958.
7. Photographs. 20% of all photographs taken today are posted on Facebook. In 1930, 1 billion photos were taken each year. Today, 380 billion photos are taken annually. And with that … printed photographs are disappearing at an alarming rate. All of those electronic selfies that are being taken today – will be where in 50 years? In a 100? Will we have printed photographs of our families in 50 years? I think not. Those will disappear.
8. Retail Mom & Pop shops. How will small stores survive the onslaught of online retailing? They won’t. Big chains of stores may find a way to survive (just not if they’re named Montgomery Ward). Little stores? They will largely disappear. Oh, some Mom & Pop stores will survive, especially in small towns. Perhaps “long tail of retail” specialty shops – extreme specialty shops – will survive as well. But, by and large, small retail operations with brick and mortar stores will become increasingly rare.
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” – Thomas Jefferson
9. Journalism. The fourth estate was supposed to keep the politicians honest. Journalists were to be the beacon of truth in a confusing world. Today? They’re merely another advocacy group with an agenda that is all too frequently hidden, and all too frequently fiercely defended as “actual” truth. The result is that people don’t believe anything … except Donald Trump, apparently. It will be fascinating to see if his candidacy continues to thrive. I wonder how many people understand that there is a substantial percentage of the common man that is desperate to be told the truth … and doesn’t believe anyone from the political establishment on the right or the left is doing so?
10. Privacy. I needed to reserve a camping space in a National Park a couple of years ago, so I took an off-the-grid, no cellphone, no way to contact me vacation for 2 days. I hiked into the backcountry, miles from anyone, with no one knowing where I had gone, by myself. That’s privacy. How often does that happen to you? Velda’s begun making beard oil as a new product for Mrs M’s Handmade … and now, when she’s online, she sees ads for beard oil EVERYWHERE. Thankfully, she’s not a good prospect to make a purchase … but the beard oil retailers have found her. Privacy? It no longer exists.
Things I Learned At The Street Fair, 2015 7 comments
I returned to the Graham Street Fair after a 38 year absence. While I was in Missouri for a delightful weekend, I learned a few things….
- My biggest fear in returning to Graham after such a long absence was that I wouldn’t recognize anyone.
- I recognized some people. Honest.
- I didn’t recognize a LOT of people. Sorry.
- I grew up in the Graham Methodist Church. I haven’t been in that church since … 1972? It’s been a while. They have a new kitchen/fellowship room/annex. I’m not sure what they call it, but it’s handicap accessible, has a full kitchen, and seats … well, everybody. That’s how it seemed, anyway. Lovely place. We went to the church for a pot luck lunch that they offered, and we saw many, many people there. Met the new pastor. Ran into a lot of friends, family, classmates, families of classmates … friends. Fabulous time, all in all. Great lunch, before the parade. And since there’s no restaurant in town, this was the only sit-down meal option.
- Do they still ring the bell for Sunday morning services, even though it’s no longer in the steeple? I loved ringing that bell.
- The sanctuary got smaller. At least, it used to be a lot bigger in my mind. Like everything except my waistline, apparently.
- Vehicles in the parking lot for the church included 2 UTVs. Do people actually drive these around town? When did that become a thing?
- There’s a new business in town: Graham Feed & Seed. I’m told they employ as many as 18 or 20 people, in season. They had 4 trucks in the parade, I believe. That’s incredible, and speaks to new hope for employment in the area. And, they have a Facebook page, so I know they’re legit.
- Overheard, on health care: “After you’re 40, it’s all maintenance.”
- Brought my longest telephoto lens to shoot the parade. Didn’t need it, of course. I forgot that I could sit right on the parade route. And switch sides as needed. To shoot the parade photos, I used the shortest lens I own. I could have used a fisheye lens. I was close to the action. Thisclose.
- One of the kids’ entries into the parade included a cat that was to ride along in the
owners’kids’ vehicle. I’m told the cat took exception to being drafted into the parade, and took off for parts unknown before the parade began. I never heard if the cat was found. - What happened to the marching band uniforms? No excuse for the look of the band. IMHO. But then, I’m old.
- I’m told that 50 kids are in the band this year, which is truly an incredible accomplishment. Congrats to the band teacher, whoever you are. You’ve clearly got it going on. But, if you’d like a consultation on uniforms….
- The Nodaway Holt Trojans of Graham/Maitland/Skidmore did not have enough students enrolled that wanted to play football to field a team this year. And, come to find out, neither did the South Holt Knights of Oregon. They decided to merge, and have created the SH/NH Spartans. The team is currently 1-1, come to find out.
- South Holt has embraced the concept, and has the Spartan logo incorporated into the header of their website. Nodaway Holt? Not so much. Mergers are difficult.
- The most fun in the parade, though, was when the Spartan cheerleaders launched a seemingly unprovoked water balloon attack on the Spartan football team (which had 28 members in the team photo that published in the Maryville Daily Forum, by the way). In any event, I took this bit of fun as a good sign that there was team spirit, in spite of the new 2-school merger. Further, I took the fact that the football team jumped off of a moving vehicle and ran away from the liquid assault without a single injury to be a good sign as well. Ah, youth.
- Kudos to the football players who marched with the marching band, and then circled back to get back into the parade on the Spartan football team float. Good for you.
- I’m told there are 102 students in the Graham high school building this year, down significantly from when I was in the class of ’74. This year’s senior class numbers 20 … my class, 41 years ago, was 36 as I recall. The school is shrinking.
- Graham’s population in 1970: 213. Population in 2010: 171. That’s a loss of 20%. The loss in the senior class from 1974 – 2015, though, was 44%. Young families have left town, clearly.
- There’s no way to feel good about the viability of Nodaway-Holt – and South Holt – in the long term. The population shrinkage – that I was a part of – indicates more school mergers are needed, I fear.
- Did anyone know why those young men were walking in the parade in faux Indian costumes? They are Boy Scouts, and represent the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. A little signage wouldn’t hurt…. And yours truly, Tom Tom Beater Twisted Grass, was surprised that costumes were not as intricate as I remembered.
- Graham has truly lost its center. All of the businesses on “Main Street” east of the hardware are gone. The post office building is condemned. Speck’s grocery store has fallen in. The A&A has trees growing up through the floor. There is no downtown.
- Since when are there vendors at the Street Fair? Made me feel like I was at … well, like at a Street Fair. In California, with Mrs. M’s Handmade. Just sayin’!
- I got to the Fire Station after the parade, hoping to see who won the blue ribbons for all of the arts, crafts & produce. Either I was late, and many of the entries has already been removed … or this is no longer the big deal that it was in the old bank building. SHOCKING. I wish I would have brought cutting boards to enter.
- Congrats to Kirby Hanson who won a Grand Prize for a sweet corn entry. As he said on Facebook, “Finally!”
- This little town of Graham, MO, population 171, had at least 500 people watching the parade, and then had … 200? … actually appearing in the parade.
- It was very nice having adult conversations with classmates – perhaps my first adult conversations with them, ever. I believe I saw 4 classmates. Great to catch up, Michelle, Susan, Becky & Teresa!
- Where was everybody else? I know others had to be here … somewhere. Sorry I missed you.
- Great to see my Shull family at the parade, and my Mowry family at our family reunion after the parade. Family is a wonderful thing.
So, what did I learn by going back to the Street Fair after being gone for so long?
There’s no place like home.
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Graham Street Fair Parade, 2015, Part 1
Graham Street Fair Parade, Part 2
Things I Learned At The Street Fair (3/25/2014)
