Can We Talk Weather?

snowblower

My Connecticut periodontist, Barry, posted some pics on Facebook tonight. His new snowblower arrived.

“It’s here. She’s a beauty.”

Outside the births of his children, it’s possible Barry’s never been this proud!

On Twitter, Ryan Hanrahan of NBC30 and Eric Fisher from Boston’s WBZ, were chatting up the potential for wintry weather in New England.

Let the model watch begin (and not the fun kind). 0z coming in. We’ll be doing a lot of this for the next week or so. – @ericfisher

Barry, Ryan and Eric are all excited about winter. Me too.

As Helaine and I drove up the 405 this afternoon she said, “I knew it would be good, but not this good.”

We have had a nearly endless succession of sunny days. Today, November 6, it hit 80&#176. The dew point at 2:00 PM was 22&#176. The forecast in a word: More.

Before we moved here, I knew what the weather would be… on paper. It’s different when you’re experiencing it.

Don’t get me wrong. There will be chilly days. It will rain. The blue will be hidden behind clouds.

The difference is, bad here is short lived.

A few nights ago, Helaine and I were walking Doppler. Across the street we saw our neighbor, Grace and her pup, Bailey.

Temps were in the mid-60&#176s. Grace was wearing long sleeves and a puffy thermal vest.

“What happens when it’s really winter,” I asked?

This is what happens when you get too much of a good thing.

Bring it!

Good Service From Time Warner Cable. No, Really

Time Warner Cable Beverly Connection

When people talk about Time Warner Cable it’s usually not to praise them. Here’s a typical TWC story from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Time Warner Cable had the lowest customer satisfaction score in an industry-wide quarterly cable TV survey released Tuesday.

The quarterly American Customer Satisfaction Index report released Tuesday suggests consumers are generally becoming more satisfied with their cable TV companies, in particular the picture quality.

But Time Warner Cable’s scores declined 5%, the most of any provider. That gave Time Warner a 60 satisfaction rating on a scale of 100 in the first quarter of 2013 compared with a score of 63 in 2012, according to the report.

That’s not always the case. I speak from personal experience in fixing a problem with Stef’s cable.

The story starts a few weeks ago when Stef’s LG TV went from picture to blank! She tried all the things you’d normally do–cables, plugs, buttons, praying. Nothing worked.

What Stef didn’t know at the time was she was suffering one of the most vexing problems in tech–a failure hidden behind a feature.

I didn’t know either when I drove up yesterday to troubleshoot the problem.

No matter what we did, the input button would not change the input! As we’d later learn, that was the feature. I’ll explain in a minute.

I called LG’s support line. The very polite, very non-native English speaking agent said this problem would need to be dealt with by a technician. In other words, the TV was broken.

It was around this time I had my Eureka moment.

We have a TV at home with loads of inputs. To make it easier on the consumer you can’t click an input unless it’s getting a signal. If Stef’s TV wasn’t getting a signal from her cable box the input button would be useless, exactly the symptom we were seeing.

I carried another set in from her bedroom and plugged it into the cable box. No HDMI output. Blank screen!

The problem wasn’t the TV, it was the cable box!

It was the TV’s consumer friendly feature that kept us from seeing the problem wasn’t in the set. Why LG’s rep didn’t know this is a subject for another day.

I called Time Warner Cable. After moving through the voice prompts a human picked up on the second ring. He asked me the standard questions and after around thirty seconds said,

“I think you’re right.”

He told me to go to a TWC store where there would be notes on the account indicating we were good to go.

I am used to the Comcast hovel in New Haven. This was the antithesis. The TWC store at the Beverly Connection was new, warm and well staffed. At Comcast the agents sat behind Plexiglas, making a trip to their office feel like visiting day at prison. Here I was offered a bottle of water and some candy.

Stef signed in on the tablet near the door. Five minutes later we were done!

Our wait was short, their staff was friendly. I can’t fault Time Warner for a box failing after three years. There is nothing I could have wanted in the service I didn’t receive.

After I got back to Irvine, I received a text from Stef.

“Thank you again for fixing my lightbox. You’re a good Greg.&#185”

That seems like fair pay for a day’s work. Thanks Time Warner Cable.

&#185 – No, my name isn’t Greg. There’s a story behind being call Greg. You can read it here.

Support For NPR And Frank Tavares

frank tavaresIf you listen to NPR at all you have heard Frank Tavares. Frank is the guy who does all the underwriting announcements nationwide from his home in Hamden!

For those of us who’ve longingly lusted after a Herman Miller Aeron chair or knew the names of obscure charitable foundations who support public radio, it was because of Frank.

A few months ago NPR decided to replace freelancer Frank with a staff announcer. His last session happened this past weekend.

He posted this on Facebook:

Well, barring any unexpected emergencies during the 7 weeks remaining on my NPR contract, the 4-hour-plus recording session I did Saturday morning with Wilma Consuls may be the last of the Tavares voiced funding credits. These are scheduled to air the weeks of November 11 and 18. Bundled together in various groupings, there were just short of 600 individual credits in this last session–about average. The final one was for our friends at The TED Radio Hour–CIG01, “And from Cigna, a global health service company, dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. At Cigna dot com,” followed by our nipper. At the end, a little anti-climactic. Wilma and I chatted for a minute or so, “Well…talk to you sometime….” followed by, “This is a good night from NPR Hamden.” Closed the mic, dropped the line, then had lunch standing in the kitchen, while the dog watched closely, hoping I’d drop something. Sigh…

I commented on Frank’s page it won’t be the same, not having him in the shower with me. He’s in the car too and in my office.

I don’t like change. I don’t like this change.

Support for Frank Tavares comes from NPR listeners everywhere, listeners like me.

You Can Never Get Enough Dog Pictures

Stef asked me to go through some old photos from my camera. Her complaint: I shoot, then the finished photos disappear into a black hole never to be seen again. The truth always hurts!

Today, she sat down at the PC with a backup drive full of RAW images. Here are a few of the best shots of Doppler and Roxie.

They’ve both grown!

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Working With Clients From Home

google-hangouts-iconI’ve been working on a website. The client is in Connecticut. I’m in California. That makes things a little tougher, especially for collaboration.

Tonight we worked together using Google Hangouts’ screen sharing feature. It’s like a video conference, except he sees what’s on my computer monitor as opposed to my webcam&#185.

The client was able to watch as I cropped and modified pictures in Photoshop and tweaked the website’s look. He could say what he liked or disliked instantly.

This is not the way to work through the meat of a project, but there are certain times when it makes a great deal of sense, like tonight.

We originally tried Skype. Screen sharing is a paid feature for them. We ended up at Google Hangouts because screen sharing is something they tout.

Most people don’t have Hangouts installed. That’s a problem. I’m not sure everyone wants to, or is capable of, working through the setup process. It was non-intuitively cumbersome and took too long. Until it worked, we weren’t sure we were doing it right!

I’m up for using an easier solution, but tonight this scratched an itch.

Oh, and working in pajamas is a good thing!

&#185 – And, unless he reads this had no idea I was in pajamas.

Photos Of My Folks

Along with everything else found in my parents condo were some classic photos. Here’s a very small sample I hope you enjoy.

Halloween In Irvine

“It’s the one night of the year I don’t hate little children.” – Stefanie Fox 2013

My wife and daughter love Halloween. Seriously. Love is not too strong a word.

We were prepared. A spider web was hung in front of our house. Pumpkins were placed strategically near the door. We stocked enough candy to open an all-night convenience store next to a marijuana dispensary!

I expected the first of the little ones around 4:00 PM. Nothing.

As the afternoon continued, I tweeted:

5:50 PM PDT. No trick or treaters yet. I am crushed. We have candy. Come on down.

And then, just as the Sun was setting, they arrived in clusters of two, three and four. Their parents stood safely nearby, letting the kids approach the house on their own.

It was perfect. Most of them were young–under five. All of them were adorable. The costumes were sweet.

In our neighborhood, loaded with recent immigrants from Asia, we had some kids trick or treating for the first time. At least one girl knew how to say, “Thank you,” but no other English words. Her father said she’d only arrived this month.

Through it all Doppler and Roxie entertained in their Halloween costumes. Though they both barked and Roxie was often defensive toward the kids, they kept their costumes on and didn’t make a fuss.

Halloween in Irvine was a success.

A Bar Bet You Can Win… And A Little Atmospheric Science

Stuck in an airplane for five hours a few days ago, I pondered the world just outside the window. Earthlings are fragile flowers. You think space travel is harsh? We can’t even survive at 38,000 feet!

I took a look at some early morning readings from LAX. At 38,000 feet (my flight’s cruising altitude) the temperature was around -45° Celsius, or -49° Fahrenheit.

Please, don’t ask for the wind chill reading. Least it to say, survival is short at those temperatures.

Just as important, maybe more, at that altitude the atmosphere is approximately 20% as dense as it is on the ground. Each breath of outside air would only provide a fifth as much oxygen as we usually get. That short supply would quickly lead to hypoxia, then death, which is why flight attendants show oxygen masks before every takeoff!

Obviously something must be done to make the airplane livable.

My plane’s engines were providing thrust and powering compressors to pack more outside air into a smaller space. What was piped into the cabin was more to our body’s liking. Most planes don’t pressurize the air to sea level pressure, but they get reasonably close and they mix outside air with recycled and filtered cabin air.

-BAR BET ALERT-

OK, you’ve gotten this far. I might as well give you a gift… a bar bet you can win!

If it’s -49° outside the plane you would think the air has to be heated before it gets into the cabin. Nope! The air in an airplane is actually run through an air conditioner to cool it!

Through a couple of laws of thermodynamics (which I had to learn, but you don’t) pressurizing air heats it. The airplane’s compressed air is hot enough it actually needs to be chilled before it’s blasted through the vents.

So, the answer to: If it’s -49° outside your airplane, do they need a heater or air conditioner, is air conditioner!

It is customary to rip the meteorologist 10% for any bets won, but this one’s on the house.

Doppler Wearing Roxie’s Halloween Costume

IMAG0136_1

They’re both dressing up for Halloween. Doppler will be a zebra!

We’re looking forward to trick or treaters.

I Feel Like I’m Cheating On Southwest

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Living an hour from LAX gives me options not available from Connecticut.  You can fly non-stop nearly everywhere!

We’ve been a Southwest family for years.  That usually meant changing planes on the way.  When you figure a minimum of 45 minutes between flights plus the overhead of landing and non-direct routes, we were losing an extra few hours every time we flew.

Stef and I are on the way back from my parents place in Florida.  FLL-LAX on JetBlue.  One plane all-the-way.

Ft. Lauderdale isn’t as close as West Palm Beach.  LAX isn’t as close as John Wayne (or Long Beach for that matter).  Non-stop is non-stop.

So, how does JetBlue compare with Southwest?  Not too bad.

Southwest has more legroom than most other carriers.  JetBlue has more legroom still.

JetBlue’s Airbus 320s seem to have a little more overhead bin space that Southwest’s 737s.

There are TVs at every seat on this plane, but no WiFi.  Southwest has WiFi which comes with free TV on my tablet.  I miss the WiFi… a lot.

Neither airline serves real food.  Bigger bags of snacks here, but better snacks on Southwest.

Having an assigned seat here is not a big deal.  I can’t remember the last time I didn’t get the seat I wanted via the Southwest cattle call.

I miss the fun of the Southwest cabin crews.

We’ll be back on Southwest, but we’ll probably be seeing others.

So Much Done In So Little Time

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There’s a map on the TV on the seatback in front of me.  We’re over Houston.  JetBlue 101 is westbound for Los Angeles.

Back in Florida my folks are in a house of boxes.

It was truly amazing to watch my sister, Trudi, and my daughter, Stefanie, deconstruct my parents condo piece-by-piece.

They were relentless with rolls of bubble wrap and tape.  Individual pieces disappeared into boxes where they were made to fit like Tetris pieces.

Do you want it?  Do you need it?  Will it fit in the smaller space they’ll soon have.

My brother-in-law, Jeff and I were the teamsters.  We ran errands, drove and carried.  Additionally, he looked in on his father who lives in the neighborhood.

It was quickly obvious, my parents seldom throw stuff away.  They acquire.  They store.

Stef’s apartment will have two new accent pieces–an original Polaroid camera and 8mm movie projector.  My sister shipped a box of stuff to her business.  Most stuff was not that lucky.

Thankfully Wednesday is trash day!  We filled the communal dumpster then moved on to one in the adjacent building.  This morning we got to start over.

My father had an estimate from the moving company to ship 20 boxes.  That number fell Tuesday evening.  The real number will be closer to 30–maybe more.

Moving is a nightmare of interlocking deadlines.  My folks needed to pass a TB test to qualify for their chosen assisted living facility.  Who gives the test?  Finding the right lab was as much a chore as taking it.

They’ll stay in Florida a few more weeks before flying to Milwaukee.  A new apartment awaits along with my sister and her family.  Four generations together for the first time.

Boxes will be unpacked.  New furniture will be acquired.

Most people don’t leave Florida for Wisconsin, but this move is a necessity.  My parents need more peace of mind.  We all need more peace of mind.

Today is my father’s 88th birthday.  It won’t soon be forgotten.

Boynton Beach

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I was just called to the closet in the spare bedroom.  Dead palmetto bug, aka huge Florida size cockroach, needed a proper burial.  The dismantling of my parents condo is underway.

My parents have been in this condo nearly 14 years ago.  There’s lots that accumulated.  There’s lots that needs to go.

It`s interesting to see technology outmoded while still working. 

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Stef will go home with an 8mm projector and original model Polaroid camera.  They`re accent pieces starting today.

Stef and my sister are doing  nearly all the work.  I am close to worthless under most circumstances.  With this cold I`m truly worthless.

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John and Alyce Fowler threw a going away party this afternoon at the clubhouse.  Lots of friends and goodbyes.  A sad part of Florida retirement living is how often there are no goodbyes.

So much still to do.  Moving is hard work.

Heading To Florida

harold-and-betty

Bad time to have a cold. I’m flying this afternoon. Stef and I are heading to Florida to get my parents ready to move. My sister and brother-in-law are already there.

My parents are on their way to Wisconsin where my sister and her family live. There are grandchildren and great grandchildren there too.

It’s a bittersweet move, but it’s necessary. They’re taking an apartment in an assisted living community near Milwaukee. My folks need the reassurance that comes with having help in the building and family nearby.

My sister says it’s an active community. When she visited there were lots of people socializing.

My dad’s already sold the car and their condo. There’ll be a lot more purging this weekend.

Helaine and I went through the same ritual when we moved here from Connecticut. It’s tough. Who wants to throw away all those things you wanted to save. All those memories.

If everything goes according to plan my parents will be in Milwaukee in a few weeks. Winter in Wisconsin is harsh, but they won’t have to deal with it. Nearly everything they need will be footsteps away.

Fall Is Different Here

Here’s the 10 PM EDT/7 PM PDT temperature map and some nearby readings.

us-temp-map Map courtesy: www.coolwx.com

BRADLEY INTL   CLEAR     37  29  72 W3        30.17R                    
HARTFORD       CLEAR     37  33  85 CALM      30.18R                    
BRIDGEPORT     CLEAR     42  31  64 CALM      30.20R                    
DANBURY        CLEAR     32  26  78 CALM      30.21R                    
GROTON         CLEAR     36  29  75 CALM      30.19R                    
NEW HAVEN      CLEAR     35  28  75 CALM      30.20R                    
CHESTER        FAIR      39  30  70 W3        30.19R                    
MERIDEN        CLEAR     31  28  89 CALM      30.20R                    
WILLIMANTIC    CLEAR     33  26  75 CALM      30.18R                    
OXFORD         CLEAR     34  25  69 CALM      30.20R  


L.A. DOWNTOWN  PTCLDY    63  56  78 VRB3      30.03R HAZE
L.A. AIRPORT   MOCLDY    62  57  83 W13       30.04R
LONG BEACH     PTCLDY    64  55  72 NW10      30.03R
FULLERTON      PTCLDY    66  56  70 W3        30.02R
*GETTY CENTER    N/A     55  54  94 CALM        N/A
HAWTHORNE      PTCLDY    63  56  78 W6        30.04R
*LEO CARRILLO    N/A     60  57  89 W7          N/A
*LOS ALAMITOS  FAIR      64  61  91 NW6       30.03R
*REDONDO BEACH   N/A     62  56  83 CALM      30.02S
SANTA ANA      MOCLDY    64  57  78 CALM      30.03R
STA MONICA APT PTCLDY    62  57  83 SW6       30.04R
TORRANCE       CLEAR     63  61  94 W14       30.04R
*UCLA            N/A     59  55  88 W5        30.01R

A Very Different Autumn

front yard gnarled leaves

The weather people here in SoCal have been mentioning fall is here. This is a very different autumn for me.

We had clouds from the marine layer overnight. The temperature never got as low as 60&#176. Right now it’s 68&#176, so low 70&#176s before the day is done.

No leaf color. I miss that. I can’t lie.

Can fall foliage properly be described to someone who’s never seen it?

I miss climbing up Sleeping Giant and staring at the countryside.

A spectacular state park in the neighborhood. How lucky can you get?

I don’t miss the angst I suffered dreading winter, just around the corner.

I saw my letter carrier at the neighborhood mailbox cluster a few minutes ago. She was smiling and sorting.

“You have no idea how good you have it,” I offered. She’s never put chains on her mail truck or worn gloves without fingertips.

When we lived in Branford, our carrier Jack Kennedy used to wear shorts well into winter. I suspect there was a wager between the guys at the post office or maybe just communal macho pride. Who wants to be the first to give in?

I miss fall in Connecticut, not what comes next.