Find my device

I’ve lost two phones ever. The first was a Nokia in 1999 somewhere around my sister's driveway. The last was a Samsung S9 in October 2020 at Home Depot. Both were totally puzzling.

Then, recently, I dropped my Pixel 7 Pro crossing the street. I didn’t even notice it fell until the music in my Bluetooth earbuds faded away. That's when i knew i didn't have my phone on me.  I didn't exactly double back—which was my first mistake—and instead I took a slightly different path back to where i last used it.  And it wasn't there.

I was close to home, I rushed inside to open up Find My Device on the web. It showed the phone right at the intersection where I’d crossed, on the south side. I hurried back, searched the corner thoroughly, and came up empty. I even asked a nearby rental car attendant if anyone had handed one in and asked them to call my number.

When I finally heard my distinctive ring-tone... "Danger Will Robinson!" My insides beamed and my heart grew like the Grinch!  I was so relieved to have been reunited with my handheld supercomputer.

Some good Samaritan had found it and tucked it right into the strapping of the bus stop sign on the light post.  I was looking at the ground, and didn't expect it'd be at eye level.  Thank you, whoever you are.  I know a phone is just a thing, but it’s so central to everything we do that losing it instantly creates a massive spike of stress.

It must have dropped out of my pocket.  Usually I ride my bike and it always goes into my backpack zipped up and safe.  The lens cover over the cameral lens was cracked, but still functional 100%.  I had to open up the lens cover, but that's minor.  I will eventually replace my trusty Pixel 7 Pro with a newer version down the road anyways.

As far as personal data goes, I pull photos off my phone regularly, so I wasn't too-too concerned about any lost pics.  All the apps and data can be migrated over easily.  The lost phone can get locked and erased remotely, but it's still unsettling that it is out there alone in the world without you.

Data migration is always smoother when you actually have your old phone on hand. My old Pixel 6 Pro has a screen broken so badly I can't get into it, meaning I had to rely strictly on a Google Drive backup. It was close, but not 100%.

It makes you think about what we carry around. I'm not one to hold on to things—you can only carry so much baggage, and after a certain point, a lot of it becomes irrelevant. (Even tax filings and receipts can be shredded after seven years.)

But memories are yours forever. Have you ever gone through an old photo album that has no context for you? You look at the retro style, squint at the blurry, faded details, but they only have meaning if you were there to experience them. To anyone else, it's just a story they'll eventually forget.

I don't take as many photos anymore anyway. Mostly, I take them to communicate something and then delete them:

• Snapping an item I need to sell or clear out on FB Marketplace.
• Order taking, "Which of these pastries do you want?" 
• DIY, remembering how the wiring goes together.
• Or asking "Which hat should I get?" (Answer: I was instructed to get the one on the far left.)

Memories are deeply personal. To everyone else, it's just a snapshot of you and whoever else at some random spot on the map, with nothing to make it mean something to them.

I read something recently about how much time we spend talking and venting about work, and it made me consider how much better it is to just live your life. The person you're venting to usually has their own world going on and has no ability to help you out.  Except listen. 

It reminds me of our old street cat. He lived his life the way he wanted, got what he needed, and moved on to the next porch. He didn't care about anyone's job; he just wanted his head scratched. I still miss my furry orange friend.

Rain clouds are always in the forecast, and if it spits for even a second, the weather app claims it was 100% right. But rain or shine, it's worth appreciating when someone shields you from getting drenched, and gives you a helping hand—especially when they don't have to, or when they're busy with their own day.

True understanding comes from what’s actually heard, not just what is said. It's always worth imagining yourself on the other side of a conversation, looking at it from the receiving end.   I have to keep reminding myself that when i get on a soapbox.  So that i step down from that box.

I don't recall ever writing publicly about the people who taught me how to be genuinely grateful for what I have rather than what I don't. Even if they were only in my life for a short period, their memory continues to leave a positive mark: reminding us to reciprocate compassion and empathy, to give what we can when we can, and to make life just a little bit better for someone else.

Krew on KrisKo

Our street was packed with pylons, film crews, props and actors yesterday.   So we skipped town early and headed to the cottage.

We got a letter not long ago, it was more of a notice that a film crew was scheduled to setup and film a Kredit Karma commercial on our street July 31.   And they kindly asked all residents on the street to park somewhere else.  They did say they would reimburse anyone that had to pay for parking.   They did reimburse the immediate neighbours to the house they were doing filming at as they were impacted by crew and equipment.

I did ask a crew member that looked like they were in charge, how do you get you home on a short list of film locations.  She said OntarioCreates.ca, but there are many if you google it.   Before you think, hey. I'll get paid.  I'm not sure how much my neighbour got, I didn't ask, but they do replace all your furniture with their own.  I've heard they may even paint.  But be aware of what you are getting into.

According to my neighbour who's house was selected for filming location.  He didn't initiate this.  The location scouts came knocking on the homes that fit their criteria and asked if they would allow them to film there.   One said, we'll think about it.  Then the car dealership sales pressure tactics switched ON.   I get it.  They have a location, they had someone on the fence, get the 2x4 out to knock them off of it.

It seemed like a cool thing.  But then we saw the army if yo that showed up and camped out, and took up all the  nparking not just on our street, but the neighbouring street.  They had staff directing cars.  There were heavy machine buckets for filming from above, fake props, lighting, tents, chairs and lots of pylons.

It is what it is.  This was for a 60s commercial, apparently there are other locations that are part of this effort. 

They said they'd only be there for 1 long day.  As late as 11pm Fri.

I'm not sure how long til we will see our street on a TV commercial. 

But they had a beautiful day for filming.

Never EZ, grateful when it is

For some reason every thing that I've needed to work on lately has been difficult.  And to make it a bit spicier, I've been sidelined with this pain that when I get more active it gets inflamed and sends me hobbling and going backwards in terms of recovery.  

So for the last 2 months I've done oil changes, air filter changes, brake service including replacing rear rotors.  I even painted the brake calipers for kicks.  Made new panel doors for the fuse box.  I finally broke down and installed a trailer hitch on our other car, cuz i was tired of putting the bike on top of the car and storing the front wheel inside.  It was something i should have done long ago, but kept avoiding doing it. And then something always adds to my TO-DO list that I don't anticipate, like the downstairs light flickering, that needed to get replaced.

And then the gas filler door cable broke on the Venza.  That was a royal pain in the behind.  I was at the gas station and couldn't get the door open.  Apparently when this happens, the door fails shut.  You can't get it open.  I had to head home to get some tools to pry it open.  I thought I was going to damage something.  And there was no internet video on how to get it open on a Gen 1 - Venza.   To add to it, there's no video on how you go about replacing a busted cable.  I was on my own.  Like in the olden days.

And to really make things even more of a challenge.  The part was on backorder here in Canada.   So here is where it gets interesting.  I used AI to help me figure out where to get the part.  Cuz dealing with the parts guy at my Toyota dealership was a PITA.  We were going back and forth on confirming what comes with the part.  He then told me it was out of stock in N.Amer. 

Apparently warehouse parts stock is different in Canada vs the USA.  So in Canada, if something is on backorder with NO ETA, that means you are SOL and won't get the part until the orders for the part get to a certain quantity.  For a 15 yr old car, that means NEVER M#tha F-er!  In the USA since they are a much larger market, they will carry more stock.  I got it a week later and installed it today.  Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side.

On top of all this.  There's this robin that was relentless in building a nest in our grape vines.  And this year I printed a birds nest shelf for them to build their nest, and put it up in a corner that would keep their poop away from where we sit in the backyard.  I hope they are good with it.

I ended up watching vids of other cars to figure out how to do it for my car.  Grateful to my Toyota Tech/Mech contact for giving me some tips and guidance.  I still had to take pics and ask AI, which was giving me the wrong info BTW.  My tech guy was giving me the right things to do and I went with that.  Removing the front seat bolts helped give me some carpet slack to find the retaining bolt on the lever assembly that would allow me to reattach the cable.   I would still need to fish the new cable through.  Experience told me to use the old cable and use that to yank the new cable through without having to remove all the interior panels.   My tech guy said the same thing!  Which made me feel confident in moving forward with my next steps.  And it was the smoothest repair job I had done on the car in months!

Grateful for being spared any unnecessary frustration, and the really beautiful day.  But also for the miracle of life that I have, and that I am able to spend time, and to do the little things for the people I care and love.

Happy Fathers day!

City functions

There were a couple of events going on this Mother's Day weekend.   

We celebrated a birthday this weekend—a reminder that while age is just a number, the time we have is our only truly finite resource.  This makes these get-togethers a priority—a time to truly cherish the moment.  You can't buy more time or go back for a re-do.

Even though it rained heavily just prior to us getting to the location, it turned out to be a beautiful & fun evening.

Being social, is something we all need to work on.   Having a supportive social network, as a human being, is a requirement to living a long and good life.

Imagine being in a city with millions of other people.  And yet you are alone?
Having a supportive social group is an investment.  But the returns are priceless.

This recipe for a memorable time is consistent. 
Tasty food, good drink, great company, and entertaining conversation.  Everyone is interested in catching up and genuine.

This is what it's about.  Having family around to celebrate milestones and share in the moment.  Talk about where we were, how the kids were so little.  Who's grown so tall now.

Speeches! Speeches!  Clink! Clink!

Special thanks to the wife/mom & daughter who organized this in a matter of a few days.  I was surprised it happened in such a short period, it feels like everything needs 6 months lead time to book.

It probably took us longer to drive across town than it was to book this place and organize the food.  DVP and TTC Line 2 closed for maintenance.   Blue Jays game, TFC game featuring InterMiami and #10 MESSI!

If the Leafs were in the playoffs it would have been worse!  But they would have been out in the 1st round anyways.

This was the day before Mother's Day.  

My better half is 1 in a million.  She always has a way of telling a story about a person from her view point that's entertaining and honest.

I've heard the Rose+Joe story, and the dependencies that came with it many times.  But it never gets tired.

And don't forget the rowboat!

Don't send this guy across the ocean in a rowboat.
Cuz he'll make it across.  He just needs to pack a few bottles of wine, some cheese and crackers. 

It was a beautiful Mother's Day on Sunday.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there, and daughters, sons.  And everyone that has a mom to spend the day with.

Enjoy the day.  Cuz you never know.

21K-Ai-Poop

Happy birthday to our not-so-little kid.  Legal to drink all over the world now.  Not that the age limit thing prevented it from happening sooner.  He's well trained and honestly better equipped on the consequences of alcohol consumption.

We'll need a new mug if that one ever wears away.  It's been a conversation piece.  It does come in handy for mother-son photo ops.

I'd been using Ai to play with photos.  And this last one was unique in that only the person was cartoon-ized.  The mug and background were left almost original.  I thought it was very fun and cool!

Talk about cool and chill...DQ log cakes have been a thing for us for a while now.  Nothing makes a person feel like a kid again like ice cream.
The works of art BakerBots cakes Rosanne made for K when he was younger.  They were insane!  We were fortunate to have her do those for us.
The DQ ones are simple & we encourage the workers there to not fear adding their touch with a message and some fun art to personalize it.  We also had these DQ gift cards, that we had for years and unsure where they came from so we used it to get his cake, and a hotdog + smoothie!

I've learned to sketch something simple on a post-it and they do a fantastic job of replicating whatever fun doodle i quickly come up with.

This toonface was based on the recently BTS inspired blonde colouring that he did just before Easter a few weeks back.  It looks really great!

I give that cake about 5 days before it's devoured. 

Life imitates ...

They say life imitates art, and this oil painting themed image surprisingly captured how yesterday felt - a warm celebration on calm a spring day.

With everything going on in the world, I’m so grateful for our health and the family we have. Yesterday was about appreciating the simple things: a bright & beautiful day, good food, good drink, and the people we love most. 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife.

First to the Ring

This was an invite that I genuinely felt great accepting.
1. I'd never been to the MacMaster campus.  Tucked in a beautiful area of Hamilton, with lots of character.
2. I could barely remember my own iron ring ceremony.

The occasion? My nephew was receiving his Iron Ring, and he asked me to be the one to present it to him.  As the first of the "kids" in the family to graduate from engineering, it was a true full-circle moment.

Lou was happy and proud.  Very fortunate I was able to be there and be a part of it.

I knew the story, most engineers know it beforehand anyways.  But it was vague and so long ago that I didn't have other parts that were quite interesting.
1. Made in Canada: This is a uniquely Canadian institution. You won't find this exact ritual anywhere else in the world.
2. A Literary Touch: The ceremony was actually developed by Rudyard Kipling in the 1920s, at the request of Professor Herbert Haultain. Kipling understood that engineers needed a "calling" that emphasized the gravity of their work.

3. The Symbolism of Failure: One of the most sobering parts of the tradition is the origin of the steel. The rings (and the ritual hardware) are linked to the history of structural failures in Canada (the Quebec Bridge collapse was real). It reminds us that if we fail at our jobs, people pay the price.

Glad the day was nice.  Chilly but at least it wasn't raining.  It was a beautiful clear day.  The day before was dreary.
Always seems like someone was watching over us to clear the skies.

If it was crap weather, there would have been more fender benders.

Leaving the Macmaster area on the highway, an accident in the far left lane.  Young black kid in a Civic and an older white dude.  Guess who rear ended who.

Then getting on the QEW another accident with 3 cars, again in the left most lane.  No wonder our insurance is going up and up.  These folks need to chill the #f down when driving and pay attention.

Once nice thing about heading out to the Hammer.  I stopped by the Copper Kettle in Waterdown to bring home some fritters.  Unfortunately.  They stopped making the pear one, only apple now.   Still delicious!

If there's one reason to Stay in School it's this ratio of girls to guys. ^^^
My nephew and his engineering friends.

Do your best, work hard, and good things will come of it.