These aren't 3D movie glasses

How cool was that?

The last time I can recall being in an eclipse, I was in Gr 4.  And at grade school and not allowed to go outside and the window curtains were all drawn closed.  And these were those heavy vinyl curtains.  You could shoot a puck at it.

In any case, I didn't see anything back then.

Fast forward to April 8, 2024.  And for the month leading up to the eclipse, there was news of 1M+ visitors making their way to Niagara Falls region, to experience the eclipse and Falls at the same time!  Along with that was news of sky high room fees during this once in a many decades global event.

Legit!

The eclipse was to start shortly after 2pm local time and last for just shy of 2.5hrs.

I wasn't sure what to expect.  I wasn't sure whether the protective glasses from Amazon were legit.  
They looked like 3D movie glasses, but once I got them in my hands, these were much much darker.  You couldn't see anything unless you were looking up at the sun.  

Watching the morning weather, I wasn't sure if I would see anything again this time around either, as they were forecasting cloud coverage for the duration of the afternoon and wouldn't clear until well after the eclipse.  I thought .. Oh well that was a waste of money for the glasses.

TO - 2:20PM

But determined to not let this opportunity slip by, I went outside at a few mins past 2pm local Toronto ON, time to see if the clouds would clear and I could see anything.

And somehow it did.  It was super nice out.  

And as I tried the glasses on, and could see the amazing image of the moon taking a small bite out of the sun.  The moon was starting to nibble at the bottom of the sun.  I was amazed and fortunate to witness this in real time.

Totality - Montreal

T had called me just as it was starting.  I told her to hurry home.  But clouds rolled in and blocked out the sun, and was noticeably chilly about 30mins after the eclipse started.  I was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to see what I just saw.

I took my first photo at 2:20pm ET. I thought that was as much as we'd get to see as clouds came rolling in.  And felt lucky to get that shot.

But as totality approached at 3:20pm ET, we noticed how dark it got.  Even the street lamps came on.  

Totality - Brantford

And as the moon began to make exit from blocking the sun.  The clouds began to dissipate, we were amazed at how quickly it warmed up, and we could now see the sliver of the sun behind the moon. 

It was an incredible sight to see.  We called our neighbour out so she wouldn't miss out.

Photos came in on the chat of the total eclipse and it was crazy to see.  I was wow'd and grateful for the real time sharing of photos of the event.

We were glued to the phone to see what pics were coming in from all over the region.

TO - 3:32PM

I took some photos with my phone using the glasses as a filter.   It wasn't so easy as the camera would focus on the filter surface.  But somehow it turned out.  The ones that appear more reddish are using the glasses.

The ones that have more grey and brighter, were filter free, as the clouds provided sufficient shielding.  

As more of the sun appeared from behind the moon, a filter was needed again.

TO - 4PM

Friends and family were all sharing photos from their locations, it was a so cool to have so many people chattering and sharing in this event in real time.

We were showing couriers, dog walkers, neighbours that came by the photos.

It's amazing how a cosmological event can bring so many people together.  What a magical 99.7% day.

Even Kevin was out on the driveway to witness the eclipse.

3rd Times the Charm

We have a robo vacuum.  Actually we have 2, one the main floor and an older model in the basement.  The basement one was the first one I bought about 5 yrs ago.  It was a Black Friday special, pre-COVID.  I thought I'd try it out.  I called my cousin first if she had one.  And she said she's had 5.  She loves them!

It was good, picks up a lot of dust and crumbs.  Our house is all hardwood.  But these things were designed to go over multi-surface areas.  Carpet, tile, hardwood, rugs, cables, socks.  You name it.  It'll go over it.  And likely it'll get caught in the sweeper or the brushes.  What's really cool is that it goes under our stove and cleans up there too.  It works well, it picks up a lot of dust bunnies.  When I empty this the hopper of this unit after about 2 weeks, it's filled. 

This is the iRobot Roomba 671.  And I'd have it scheduled to clean 3x a week.

It's on its back cuz it wasn't working.   And I had to take photos to send to iRobot support.

This is the 3rd thing in our house to malfunction.  That's 3 appliances in our house in retirement mode.

This model used to be on our main floor.  We don't have a large foot print house so it would nearly clean the entire main floor, before it needed to go back to its base to recharge.

It's not an advanced robot.  In fact when I saw how it did its pattern.  I thought it was dumb, it would clean in this is a random star pattern.  It's not very efficient, but it does cover everything.  When it finds a wall though, it'll follow it.  And when it comes to a stair, it'll detect it and not go over.  These are 2 of the smart things it does.  Well a third is when it gets low on battery, it makes its way back to its base to recharge.

One Boxing Day a few years later, I ended up replacing this one on the main floor with another iRobot i3 model that maps the room and does a more linear pattern.  This unit has a hepa filter and is quieter and better suction.  I love it!  What an improvement.  I can schedule the various parts of the main floor to different schedules.  Hallway and Kitchen every day.  Living Room and Dining Room - M, W, Fr.

So I moved the less advanced 671 to the basement.  It's an easier room for it to clean.  It's rectangular and doesn't have many challenges to work around.   And it was effective there.

Recently I noticed it stopped executing it's cleaning schedule.  I checked and it was dead.  Battery wasn't charged.  I put it on the base and the light on the base would flash.  Great.  What did that code mean?

As a test, I put the unit on the upstairs base and it charged.  I put it back downstairs and let it run.  90mins it ran.  Battery was okay.  Turns out the unit itself is good,  It's the base.  Basically the non-robotic part was faulty. 

Not sure if my phone was listening to me.  But I found an i4 model on a really great sale.  So I bought it and if I couldn't get a replacement base 2nd hand, then I'd set up this one in the basement. 

We work out down there and for some reason dust seems to settle in the basement.  So eventually, I put this one on a cleaning schedule for the basement.  It's nice.  HEPA filter, and also a little tower that you activate and it tells the robot to keep away from this spot (2ft radius).  I didn't realize it would be included.

I'm not sure what to do with the 671, it just needs a base.  So I packed up and stored it in the garage and saved it from the rubbish bin for now.

 

There's no 'X' in Espresso

We have had to do something things that we hadn't done in nearly 20yrs.  A few weeks ago.  It was ironically the week leading up to Super Bowl.  I went to the basement to turn on the TV, and I didn't hear that regular 'click-click'.  There was nothing.  I did it again and same thing.  Just a blinking RED LED that usually stays solid and indicates it's on.

I unplugged it for some time and then plugged it back in.  Same silence and blinking RED LED.

I Google "panasonic viera plasma not turning on".  
I see search results that are related to the blinking LED - "7 blinks of death error code".  Great, now how do I fix this?  I see the one YouTube video is from 11 years ago.  I'm watching it, and the error code is indicating a board failure.  Awesome.  I have a 16 year old plasma television, that is not just discontinued.  Plasma TVs aren't manufactured by anyone any more!

Even if I were to get a new board somehow, how long will it take and will it even resolve the issue.  I figured after 16 years, it's probably a better bet to buy whatever is current. Now I'm shopping for a new TV and checking what's on sale.  Everything is LCD nowadays.  Should be straightforward.

Nope. There's more types than before.  Everything is all LCD, LED LCDs, OLEDs, QLEDS, QD OLED, micro-OLED, MLA OLED.  Great.  I'm now in research project mode for figuring out what TV to replace our old plasma.  I was hoping to just go through a flyer and see what was on sale and make my decision based on the best percentage off a name brand.

Even the leading brands weren't the same as they were when we purchased our plasmas way back when they were the standard by which all screens were measured.  Back then it was Sony, Panasonic or Sharp, just choose the size of your panel to fit your budget.

Now it's Samsung, LG and Sony.  And then there's different categories of flat panels at varying price points.  So size was just 1 parameter in determining cost of a panel.  It's starts with the type of panel, and then build quality, and size. 

Wait it doesn't stop there! All TVs are smart TVs, with AIs for sound and image, detecting the type of content you are watching - movie, 1080P, 4K, 8K or gaming - So Cray-gee!  You can install apps like Netflix or Amazon Prime, other apps may or may not be available on that TV's OS / App Store.

When we got our original Panasonic Viera plasma for the basement it was a 55 inch.  That was a bit of a compromise on size vs cost.  As the 65 inch would have fit, and looked nicer in the room (maybe it also has to do with our eyes getting older), but it was also a big jump in price.  So this time around I went for the 65 inch as well as an OLED as that is a superior panel to the lower end LED LCDs panel TVs.  OLEDs also cost more.

The only remaining debate was which brand was the best quality.  My short list I had Samsung, LG & Sony.  Not necessarily in that order.  What I found out that OLEDs were invented by LG.  And Samsung although arguably the standard in TVs today, buys their OLED panels from LG, so does Sony.  To make a long story short.  We got a new LG C3 OLED TV and it's brilliant!  I love it.  At the end of the day, you could have flipped a coin and it would have been a good choice.  The fact LG makes the panels and they have a cool magic remote.  And the interface was nice looking.  I'm not a fan of the Samsung UI.  Sony uses Google so that was a +1 for Sony.  But I eventually went for the LG.

We were sad to see this TV go, mostly cuz I was reluctant to shell out the bills for a new TV, that I was unsure of its performance and reliability.  The Panny had a great run, and had been performing terrific.  No issues until this fatal one.  

Disposing of it, can be a challenge as the plasma TV is quite heavy (requiring 2 people to remove it from the wall) in comparison to the newer flat panels.   Mounting the new TV on the wall was a piece of cake, this new TV was 14kg, easily a 1 person job.

Hopefully we get 10+years out of this new TV.  And BTW the image from it is beautiful.

Bringing us to our other appliance that was looking like it was going to follow the plasma to the rubbish bin.  Our Breville espresso machine has been with us since we renmodeled the kitchen almost 10 years ago.  It's been a used multiple times daily.  And it has been old reliable.  

But I noticed that the pressure needle was not moving.  I thought it might've been the gauge was broke.  But on occasion I'd see the needle jump to the 'espresso zone'.  So ruled out a malfunctioning gauge and that it wasn't ready for pasture just yet.

In any case, the other day, I couldn't even produce a double shot of espresso.  No matter how many times I pressed the double shot button, it would not flow.  The Breville had been acting this way for about a month now, and I'd been shopping online for a replacement, and they are more than 70 inch LED TVs.  Even on sale, it's more than double the reg price when we bought it in 2015.

But as I was googling the low pressure flow issue of the Breville, search results returned how to replace the pump, and how to troubleshoot and clean the unit.  A new pump was about $50.00.  Which wasn't a whole lot, and I figured I would give it a try and replace the pump.  Beats the price of a brand new unit.   And it was the same mfg.

The work was purely effort.  It's not hard to open up the unit and as long as there wasn't any other issues like melted tubes or o-rings, it's basically cleaning and descaling.  There are many videos that show how to do a complete cleaning job.  It's regular maintenance.  But more than the running of the clean cycle with the tablets.

The Breville espresso machines are high quality and reliable units.  Ours has been going for 10 yrs before we began having issues and made the decision to replace the pump.   I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

The reason I felt the pump was needing to be replaced was sometimes, I wouldn't hear the pump working at all.  And the hot water spout would sputter like it wasn't getting any water.  It used to come out like a stream. So I think it was a combination of clogged tubes and a worn out pump.

Replacing the pump was surprisingly easy.  A few screws, zip ties and tubes to disconnect and reconnect.  It went with only 1 hitch.  The pump sounded like it was brand new.  It's almost 10 yrs newer.  But the flow was the same.  A trickle.  Hmm.  So off came the back cover again, and I began checking all the hoses and connections before and after the pump.  I made sure they were clear of obstructions and weren't clogged.  Blowing air through it as a test.

The tube from the pump to the boiler was especially difficult to blow air through.  One video showed how to remove the head where the portafilter locks into.  Underneath ours was caked with coffee.  It was clogging up the port where the water flows out.  I managed to scrape it off and clean as best as I could. 

I gave it a try.  I was hopeful that this would work.   I was thrilled to see the water flowing like it was Niagara Falls.  It was working like the day we first got it and started making espresso coffees at home.  Two Thumbs UP!

I didn't want to see this old friend go to landfill, and very glad that tomorrow morning I'll be enjoying my regular espresso.  I'm very glad to save at least 1 old appliance from the bin. I was able to give it a new heart that hopefully extends its lifespan many more years.

The Future could be Friendly

Before I joined Sun Microsystems back in 2001, I had never been with any 1 company for more than 2 yrs.  I was learning and moving on as quick as I could.  Looking for challenges.  I had lots more energy back then.

Then 9/11 happened.  I still remember that morning.  I thought it was a hoax.  It seemed fortunate to be at a company more or less stable.  And I was at Sun.  An amazingly innovative place that created Java and many other things many don't realize.  It was a great place with an amazing work culture.

But stability is a perception.   I managed to avoid being downsized for a long time.  Cutting it close back in 2010, when Sun was acquired by Oracle.  After more than 20yrs at more or less at the same company.  I moved on to a telco.

Not having ever worked at one, I was curious to explore and see for myself how they operate.

It was mentioned to me (felt like an amber alert), that they are chaotic places.  But somehow they manage to get things done.  I took that for what it is and set out to just do the best I could possibly do.  You can't have regrets if you try your best.

Having been here now for almost 19months.  I can attest to that fact that the environment can be confusing.  That's a bit of an understatement.

Let me put it this way. For a long time I felt like I was in the middle of an ocean and could not see land in any direction.  After a while I could see something in the horizon, but unsure which was land and which was floating garbage.  Lately I could see the land I needed to get to, and even see some of the sharks and storms along the way to prepare or avoid.

With many processes and intake forms for every team, component or org.   Once you get used to it, that's all it is.  You get used to confusing processes, forms are filled for the sake of a record that no one reads.  It may seem inefficient or frustrating, but it is what it is.  The lesson I learned was that all you can do is you try to make it work for you and move forward.  It's an uneasiness that you learn to ignore.

What was ironic though is that as I was just starting to get into a groove with managing the umpteen teams and systems and processes.  A very amazing colleague & friend said that it takes a minimum of 2yrs to just start to get comfortable and not so confused.  And I was nearing that mark.

My daily stresses and fears were still there, don't get me wrong.  It wasn't a walk in the park.  However, the network I was building was becoming more etched.  It's like being blind, and now you can see, but it may be still a bit blurry.   I could tell I was on the right path.  The frequency of the questions on all the projects that were priority was lessening.  My questions were becoming more pointed.  I was becoming productive.  This cog in the corporate engine was spinning and starting to drive like it always knew it could.  It'd slip a bit sometimes, but it was now driving progress and clarity.  And that was comforting.

Here's the really ironic part of it all, that journey ended last month.  And I was gifted time to decompress and figure my next landing spot.  Grateful for the opportunity, the experience gained, and the new people that I got to meet and befriend.

First order of business after these situations was to ensure everything that I was entitled to was confirmed to be favourable and consolidated to a place I could get access and settled. This is especially critical to get done before all my work access was revoked.  Primarily financial stuff and my phone.   I returned my work tech within a week so that I could detach and move on.  But in no uncertain terms was I in a hurry to get back into the jungle.

Now is about moving forward, being selective about finding the next opportunity, that was not just a 8 out of 10 match in terms of my LinkedIn profile.  I wanted an amazing space, where I could and would amaze myself on what I know I am able to contribute, not just go through the motions to do again the next day.  It was about getting my mojo back.

 

 

Today may not be friendly, but tomorrow could be a good day.

 Groovy Baby! YEAH!

Light up my laneway

This light is a survivor.  It's the very last light fixture inside and outside our home to be replaced.  It not like it was broken or anything like that.  It worked.  And it wasn't that I didn't like the way it looked.  Well I didn't.  But it was the fact that I wanted more light in the laneway as we parked the car at the back.  It sort of gives off this dim glow everywhere.

Over the last few years my night vision has degraded and I blame this light.  This is what happens when you get past a certain age, and screen time make it happen sooner.

Well we finally got a T-approved outside light fixture about 20yrs after we replaced the porch light.  I can't even remember what that light looked like.   I just checked back like 21 years and it was something like this except only 1 and it was full of dead bugs, sometimes live bugs.

Now all the exterior lights have been replaced. It only took almost 20yrs.

It's finally off the house and disconnected and has been replaced with something else.  It was the end of the globe for this builders special.

The search for an exterior light is not easy in this house.  Things remain the same for a long time in this house before it's been given the boot to the bin.  Usually there's progress, then it stalls for years.  

I went on an exhaustive search for a replacement.  After a while I give up.  But if I get close I resume the search.  But it has always come up fruitless and that globe light keeps shining year after year.

Home Depot, Rona, Lowe's, Wayfair, Amazon....you name it, I searched.   But the thing is, our lights almost never come from a place that everyone goes to.  We always seem to find it in some obscure shop.  And it has to be designer grade.

And this is a company we have purchased from before.  So we knew the quality would be good.  Now it was just a matter of getting the right colour palate that would get approved so I can swipe that visa.  I was thankful I found the combination of size, colour and also inside shade colour that was going to get a thumbs up.

I figure if I need more light. I'll put in a brighter bulb.  The build of the light is steel and feels solid.  You know how some have this cheap, made in China tinny feel.  This one is not like that at all.  The finish is super.  And the mounting is precise and firm. 

It's very nice looking, both in the afternoon overcast light against the red brick and at night when it's lit up.

The way it lights up the doorway, it gives off this certain ambiance.  It's hard to describe. The light is not harsh although it is the same bulb as in the globe, but it gives the laneway a 1950's Chicago movie vibe.

As long as it brightens my laneway.

Another Brick in the Bin!

Our backyard garden was the plan for this summer's project for me to work on.  I finally got around to it in Sept after all the other busy-ness stuff was completed. I was free to tackle the eyesore, and replacing it with something more proper and meant for this purpose.

The previous owner was resourceful.  He reused what he had on hand.  The problem with bricks is that they are a sponge for moisture. And all that moisture it retains, freezes causing it to eventually crumble.  For the entire time we have lived here, I've watched this brick deteriorate.  I tried patching it as parts fell off.  But it was well past the best before date. 

It actually needed more than TLC, it needed to get removed and replaced.  The other issue with bricks is that it's heavy. The clean up and disposal took some effort.   After a buddy helped me source these blocks, I was able to begin the work to redo the garden.

Bit by bit, one day at a time, I managed to take it all down, dispose of it and prep the footings to lay the new blocks down.

I have never seen a product like this.  It's not what I was thinking, but it's a great system.  After looking a some products on line there are other stone systems that help landscapers can turn a ghetto backyard into a Cesar's Palace in a fraction of the time.  It's amazing.  

I didn't know the name of this product we picked up, I was trying to figure out how I should install them.  I didn't want to do it wrong and I'm so thankful to an architect buddy, who found out for me what product it was in an instant!  He even sent me the installation instructions for it.  The corners are done using a plastic insert to connect the fascia stone to the cement block.  It's so clever.

Since we picked up these blocks as leftovers from a house job site that had to purchase a skid of them for their retaining wall project.  I couldn't find where to purchase the plastic pieces, so I designed & printed my own, based on what I saw in the install video. I only needed 3.   It took me a few designs to arrive at the one that worked the best.

Weather has been summer like, but Fall was here and Winter won't be far behind.  I didn't want the broken brick to be sitting in the driveway and I didn't want to be working on this in the cold.  So whenever I was home, I worked on it a bit.  It didn't take long to remove all the bricks from where they were set in, but getting rid of them took some time.  I disposed of it here and there, little by little.   

Most of it in a bin.  Getting it to the bin in the car took a few trips. And getting it in the car took longer than getting out!  But thankfully it's all gone!

Next was installing the blocks.  Mixing cement takes effort.  I'm not a bricklayer, when I see those guys set up a wall.  My hats off to their skill.  This was dusty and laborious work. I was able to get it all the blocks cut and laid down in a day.   I had ordered the remaining 18 cap blocks I needed to complete the garden wall, so I could focus on just the caps and wanted the space to be clear for cutting the corner pieces.

The other challenge I had with this product was that it comes in 2 beige versions.  Which one was this? They both looked like it could this one or that.  I had to bring it a piece in to ensure I ordered the same caps as I had.  Good thing, since from the photo I could not be 100% certain and would have ordered the wrong set of caps. 

After many years of dealing with crumbling bricks.  We have a nice clean garden.  We are down to a few small projects left to do in our home.  It's a nice feeling.  I cannot wait til we are done.  But then I'm thinking.  What will I do?   I know.  I can chill-ax.

Farm to Wedding to Cottage

The first of the kids to get hitched was on Aug 11, 2023.   Cuz 21 years prior was my turn, it sounds like a lifetime ago, but time has flown. 

With a marquee wedding, weather is always a fear factor.  Mother Nature was kind and brought perfect weather for this day.

It was an amazingly fun, eco-friendly and unique wedding.  I've never been on a tractor ride to tour the farm and see the horses up close and personal.  Well, not a wedding.

Weddings are always both fun and stressful times.  The planning and lead up to the event can be worrisome, and a hurdle.  This is where you plan for 'What Ifs' and say to yourself 'What can you do?'

It is the start of a journey full of making adjustments.  That's Life.

I could have selected all of the food choices.  It was delicious.  But I only have 1 stomach.  And I can only eat so much.  My belly was very happy with my selection.  

It has been a crazy busy summer, I feel like my head is spinning every day.  There's just so much going on that I feel like it's hard to focus.  I know becoming proficient takes time.  It takes time to acquire the info, and then assimilate it for it to make sense and then become part of your experience. 

So this event was a such a great distraction from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

It makes you realize how unimportant so many things are, but things we take for granted are so important.  The green grass, the air, the water, the friends and family that surround us.  The respect for our home and each other.

These are so much more important than so many other things.  It's unfortunate that there are influences in our lives that create complexity and stress.   Learning to filter those out, but more importantly how can we live our lives as a society to be less demanding.

It's the demand that is forcing companies to provide a supply of Customer First, Next Day, Same Day.  Right NOW!  Seriously.   Even I don't need things that quick, but soon is fine.   

Sometimes I do need things right away.  Say I'm working on the car, but we used to plan for the unexpected, just in case.  But having extra inventory is costly.  

Stores at one time all closed at 6pm and all day Sundays.  It was all good, we adjusted to that schedule.   Now we are being taught to get everything instantly and 24x7.

It's all about making money in today's world.  It was like this before, but the GAP is getting wider.

I remember a time before email.  Dropping letters in a mailbox and then waiting weeks to get a response.   

I loved getting mail.  Now it's mostly bills.

Email....well that was fun at first, then it became SPAM without a can.

Now we have messaging systems, chat, and social media.

We had our wedding when these kids were still toddlers and little kiddies.  We sent our wedding invites by mail.   For the recent weddings we have been invited to, we RSVP'd electronically.I mean that's a good thing, though.

The world has become smaller, feels like there is nowhere to escape from far reaches of the internet trolls.   Or you can just lose the phone and totally go off grid.  

But someone around will have a phone.   In that regard, you cannot totally escape it.

But the cottage is a great place to try and escape.   Internet is slower.  Cellphones don't work indoors.

It was the a last get together for these boys that started school as little kids and finished school as bigger kids, before they head off to their respective schools to begin the first chapter of their adult lives.

For 1 last summer weekend.   They can still be kids, where nothing is really that urgent, play time is all the time.  And the only demand was simplicity and fun.

As we see the kids grow and follow the same sort of path that we followed at their age.  

My only hope for them is for a kinder, more respectful world.

Simple, is a good thing.