I have a confession to make. I am a closet crayon user. Not more than three weeks ago during a series of rainy days, I was bored to tears and was yearning for an outlet for my creative juices. Finally I drove up to the corner Rite Aid store, looked around for something to strike my fancy. Not getting the right vibes from anything, I finally choked and bought one of those dinky 8-crayon boxes and a color by number coloring book.

Got home and spent the entire day happily coloring. Not just coloring by number with the 8 color selection, but blending, shading and texturizing within the lines. Didn't stop until I ran out of pages to color. What is silly is that I have oil paints, color pencils and pastel chalks, but none of those hit the spot like those crayons did. I think it was the unique waxy smell of the crayons that did it.

What a fun day that was. I need to do that again.

What's your favorite color from the big box of 64 or today's 96 color box? I think mine is still cerulean.

There is a complete history of crayon colors (when introduced, when discontinued, etc.) on the Crayola site. Click here: http://www.crayola.com/colorcensus/history/chronology.cfm

Only three colors have changed names since Crayola began in 1903.

Prussian Blue was changed to "Midnight Blue" in 1958 in response to teachers' requests. Seems children were no longer familiar with Prussia.

Flesh was changed to "Peach" in 1962, partially as a result of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Indian Red was renamed "Chestnut" in 1999 in response to educators who felt some children wrongly perceived the crayon color was intended to represent the skin color of Native Americans. The name originated from a reddish-brown pigment found near India commonly used in fine artist oil paint.

Posted on Sat, Dec. 23, 2006

Third earthquake in four days shakes San Francisco Bay Area

Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. - The third small earthquake in four days rattled the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The temblor that struck Alameda County at 9:21 a.m. had a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 and a depth of about 6.1 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicenter was about 2 miles from Berkeley, 3 miles from Piedmont and 3 miles from Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco.

Residents throughout the Bay Area reported feeling the jolt, but Berkeley police said there were no reports of anyone being hurt by the quake.

Saturday morning's earthquake was similar in magnitude and location to temblors that struck Wednesday and Friday.

The three quakes erupted along the Hayward Fault, which geologists believe is due for a large quake in the potentially lethal 6.7 to 7.0 range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayward_Fault

Lots of info on the area around the Hayward fault zone. It includes oil refineries, rapid transit, underground tunnels, underwater transportation tubes, many hospitals, universities, major highway arteries, ports, railroads, sports stadiums, several major bridges, and lots of people all residing on top of or near the fault.

Some planning has been done, but not nearly enough actually put into action.

Most people are told to plan to take care of themselves. Some have emergency kits and family plans. Some companies have safety committees that have written plans. The Loma Prieta quake in '89 did a lot of good in that respect.

I spent most of my life in that area and it is not nearly as prepared as it should be, especially after seeing how well the "disaster planning" helped in New Orleans. I hope I am far enough away from it now. Experiencing another '89 type quake is not on my list of things I want to do again. I have my emergency kit in my closet, just in case.

New Mexico is getting quite a bit of snow the last couple of days. Linda sent me pictures of the front and back of their house in Rio Rancho. Mom had to shovel snow from her driveway and walkways in Albuquerque too.



We're freezing here in Sacramento too. Been down into the mid 20's the last four mornings. Orange crops are going to suffer. Cherry and almonds should do well. They love a good freeze now and then. I've kept the thermostat down to 63 degrees and the furnace is still running constantly.

Been wearing wool socks, leggings and jeans over the leggings, a tank top under a long-sleeve turtleneck sweater and another cardigan sweater over that, topped off with a knitted hat pulled down over my ears. If I get cold, I just step outside on my balcony for a few minutes and then it feels cozy warm when I come back inside. This apartment has no insulation so it is useless to keep the thermostat very high. I've blocked the fireplace opening with cardboard and use a ceiling fan to keep the warmer air down at floor level rather than up in the cathedral ceiling. Post-hysterectomy hot flashes also help.

The roads in the apt complex had ice covering them this morning from the sprinkler runoff the night before. So far, just one plant out on the balcony has wilted from frost. The rest are covered with fallen leaves and seem to be doing alright. No frozen pipes yet. I think we're over the worst of it. Some cloud cover is supposed to roll in tomorrow.

My rant is about the media conglomerates. We had a power failure this evening, first we've had in this area in the 3 years I've been here. Lasted about two and a half hours and started during a heavy downpour and lightning storm.

Stumbled around for candles and matches so I could locate my emergency kit with the faraday flashlights and shake them for 3 minutes so I could then find my portable radio to learn what was going on. Spent a half hour surfing both the AM and FM dials (and shaking the flashlight every couple minutes to recharge it), trying to find some local news or talk show. Even some rap DJ who lives in the area, talking about the darkness that came over the eastern side of the Sacramento Valley, would have been great. Nothing, nada, zip. All 50 or so area call-lettered stations in the area run radio programs by a group of people sitting in Nebraska generating fake local program peppered with local ads so it sounds like the crap emanates from here.

Waded through the flooded parking lot to my car, drove around a two mile area to see how extensive the outage was while continuing to surf radio stations on my car radio.

Guess what?!?!? I could get local traffic and news on two stations! But, one of the stations was in Seattle and the other was in San Francisco and neither gave a flop about Sacramento. They were giving traffic and news reports for the Seattle and San Francisco areas. :::grrr:::

So, now the power is back on and I check the TV to see if there is any news. Nada. Now I've come to the internet to see what I find here. I check in with the local power utility website and find nothing. Switch over to the news websites of the three local TV stations here. Still nothing. Lots of state and national news, but hardly any local news.

So, how do we get local news these days? Do I need to call the radio stations in Seattle and Sacramento and ask them what happened here in Sacramento? 24/7 news coverage is nice, but it doesn't do a thing for us locally. I sure hope someone is around the local media outlets next time we have more than a minor earthquake in the area to let us know about any damage and dangers.

I made some really good quiche today. Have a bunch of veggies and eggs in the refrigerator that needed to be used soon. Made the usual pie crusts and pre-baked them until the crust was slightly brown (6 of them) and made the usual egg and milk base.

For the filling each of the pies got a mixture of grated pepper-jack cheese and colby cheese, along with shredded ham, shredded sweet potato and shredded yellow potato. Then I sauteed a mixture containing sliced mushrooms, onions, asparagus, yellow squash, celery, cauliflower and bell pepper and added a bit of that to each of the pies before adding the egg filling. All six pies were then baked at 350 for about 40 minutes, cooled and then 5 of them were tightly wrapped in plastic and foil before heading to the freezer.

The quiche has a really interesting flavor. The smokey, salty flavor of ham with the hint of sweetness from the sweet potato and lots of crunchy texture from the other vegetables. The pepper-jack cheese gives it just the right spicy kick it needed. No other spices or salt were added and I used nonfat milk in the custard base. Was mostly veggie with a little egg and cheese to hold it all together.

Should keep me well fed for the next month or so. Now I need to thaw out and cook the turkey in my freezer that's been there for a year so I'll have more room to do cooking in batches for the freezer.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend.

One of the not so funny stories from my hospital stay. I still dream about some of them so will post a few now and then to try to get them out of my mind.

One morning after several days of constant fluids and suppositories in an effort to get my system flowing again after surgery, the dam broke. I was not yet strong enough to get to the bathroom and was using a porta-potty near my hospital bed.

I sat there pushing the nurse call button, begging for someone to come help me clean myself up and help me get back into a clean bed. Over and over again I pushed that button, they responded over the speaker and asked what I needed and I meekly said that I needed help cleaning myself so I could get back into bed. The last time I finally yelled with tears streaming down my face, "I've crapped all over myself and am about to pass out from sitting here so long waiting for your help! If someone isn't here in two minutes I'm throwing the crap on the walls!

After more than 45 minutes of begging for help, a nurse finally came in and wiped my ass, cleaned me up and changed the sheets on the bed. It was a dirty job and I couldn't do it and wished I'd not needed someone else to do it for me. I died from embarrassment.

How's your hearing? How about your musical perception? Take this test to find out.

http://www.delosis.com/listening/home.html

I scored 22 out of 30 the first time through. How'd you do?

I wish they'd give detail of what was in error so I can go back and listen for the subtle differences I missed.

I have a new neighbor in the apartment directly across from me. Our balconies stare at each other. He has a floor to ceiling projection TV and he does his own laundry. He also likes football.

How do I know all this about a stranger I've never seen before? As I write, I'm watching his silhouette watch his projection TV (of which I have a clear view through my kitchen window). He's doing celebratory dances as he watches the football game while standing out on the balcony folding his laundry.

This is pretty cool. It's like being at a drive-in movie and being able to see the picture without the sound. Even has his backlighted dancing for entertainment when the show gets dull. I hope our tastes in movies is similar. Also hope his favorite football team keeps winning. I can't decide which is more entertaining, watching the drive-in theater or his dancing. I'm hoping the sound level isn't as big as the picture. We'll have to have words about it in the summer time when the windows are open.

I might have to return the favor and come up with some kind of entertainment for him. Wonder how much he'd enjoy watching a nekked lady with saggy skin walk around her living room. I could always give him multiple choice and cook in the nude in my kitchen.

Well, I finally made it all the way around the 1.4 mile road that circles the park where I live. Did it in under an hour yesterday by walking very slowly and only had to stop twice. Once I was able to get past the point of no return, it was a piece of cake. Yesterday was the day! My endurance is slowly getting back up to where it should be. All that window shopping at the discount stores is paying off. Needless to say, today is a day of rest and groaning leg muscles.

Visiting Ikea sure brought back lots of memories of the trip my family took to Sweden when I was in junior high (1969 I think). Browsing in the food mart part of it had me drooling by the time I got out of there. Cloudberry jam, Swedish meatballs, lots of cheese and cookies. Mmmm, we had some great tasting food on that trip. The Saab dealership where my dad worked had a promotion going on where you got a free trip to Sweden to pick up the new Saab you bought. We bought one of the sports cars, the Saab Sonnet and my mom, brother and I went over to pick it up. We drove all through Sweden in a big caravan of new Saabs with the other folks on the trip. Just a few of the places I remember visiting are the Saab factory, glass blowing factory, Saab factory test drive track where we each got to ride with a crazy test driver who tried to kill us all with his fancy driving just for the entertainment, and lots of museums and government buildings. Once the trip was over, the cars were shipped back to the U.S. We sold ours as soon as we returned. I think there is a picture in my photo gallery of me standing in front of a parliament building in Stockholm.

I got away from Ikea pretty much unscathed. Only bought a jar of cloudberry jam, a garlic press and a seat cushion for my computer chair, all for less than $10. Quite amazing bargains to be had there. Good thing I wasn't able to carry much at the time.

Had my eligibility meeting a few weeks ago and am now officially qualified and approved for county health coverage for one year retroactive to August 1st. They will pay 100% of my hospital bills which total more than $85,000. He said it will take about two months for all the paperwork to go through and payments made. There are three county health clinics I can use during the next year if needed. There might be a dental clinic too, not sure. I'll get more detail about the plan when I get the plan authorization and ID card in a few weeks. I should be "medically indigent" more often. Of course, now there is a class action lawsuit against the hospital for overcharging/inflating fees for the uninsured. If I sign up to participate in it the bill may be reduced by more than 30%. I need to call my case worker and find out what they want me to do since they are paying the bill. Part of me wants to stick it to the hospital for their unfair practices, but another part of me wants to keep it the way it is and let the county pay the full bill so the hospital will be able to afford to continue admitting uninsured patients.

Some of the dissolving stitches that had been poking out of the incision are finally starting to fall off. Guess that means I'm healing up on the inside too. I've gained back about 10 pounds of weight and feel a lot better with the padding between my bones and skin. It isn't painful for me to sit anymore. I still get sore at the end of the day if I've done anything that jiggles the abdomen very much or if I eat anything that gives me a lot of gas. My intestines must have been badly bruised by both the cyst removal and the hernia surgeries.

By the way, here's a link to an article and photos of a woman that had a 66 pound ovarian cyst. I still can't believe that thing was growing inside me. My body sure has changed now that it is getting all the nutrition again. My belly was just as big as the woman in the photos. I have a photo I took of my nekked self the night before I went to the emergency room. But I think it is a little too revealing for me to post on the internet. Just put my face on that woman's body and you'll get an idea. Looks like she had a hernia also. Her navel protrudes just like mine did. I'll warn ya, the one of the cyst is gross. Hers was only 7 pounds bigger than mine.

Read the article and click on their link to view the photos.

NBC11.com - Health - Woman Happy To Be Alive After 66-Pound Tumor Removed

There is still something going on with my body though. I haven't figured out exactly what yet. But if I didn't know better I would suspect that my body is trying to find another home to build up another cyst. Either that or I'm experiencing post menopausal acne in many places on my body. Once I get the official medical coverage ID from the county, I have to go back to the doctor and get some chest x-rays and thyroid follow up tests done so I'll have them check out the skin problems too. It's possible that it is also being caused by the new mattress topper I bought for my bed. It's one of those memory foam ones that makes you sweat a lot at night. Between that and the hot flashes from menopause, my body may just still be cleaning itself out from the ovarian cyst. I dunno.... I don't want to give up the mattress topper. I finally started getting some good rest after I put it on the bed. Next time I change the sheets I may try putting some bath towels between the topper and the sheets to see if that helps prevent the sweating.

Speaking of those memory foam mattresses, I kinda worry about the safety of them in a fire. I can't find any mention of fire safety on memory foam websites. I suspect the stuff has a very low melting point and probably expels noxious fumes when smoldering. Anyone have info in that regard?

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee,
Little jackie paper loved that rascal puff,
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff...

I've started doing some walking to try and build up my muscles and strength again. I've been picking a store to drive to every other day and then wander up and down the aisles window shopping. Gives me incentive to walk and see what's out there and a day to recover. Yesterday I went to Michael's Craft store and bought some candle wicks and a small candle form for less than $10 so I can melt down all my half-used candles, where the wicks burned up before the wax did, and recycle them into a new candles. Today I made 4 candles out of a bunch of half used ones. Next on my list are the new IKEA and RC Wiley stores that recently opened in the area. The furniture stores are a better place for my walking. Gives me lots of nearby choices for sitting when I get too tired to keep walking without resting first. Also not nearly as tempting to buy anything there since most things are several hundred dollars. IKEA will take a lot of willpower to get through with my wallet intact.

I also got my hair cut yesterday at Supercuts for $6. First real cut in over 5 years other than an occasional trim to eliminate split ends. It's a little shorter than collar length now, and was razor cut with lots of layers and I have bangs again. I'll miss not being able to put my long hair up in a ponytail or braid but it is a lot easier taking care of it. It doesn't get snarled as easily so I'm not losing more hair than necessary from combing out the snarls. An older Asian woman cut it and it has a definite Asian look to the style. She couldn't get over how wavy my hair was. She kept commenting on how pretty the shorter hair was. I like it too.

Almost all of the butterfly bandages have fallen from my incision. Still have 6 at the very lower end that aren't ready to detatch from the scabs on their own yet. Other than occasional tender areas after exerting myself too much, I seem to still be healing well for it being only 3 and a half weeks since discharge from the hospital. My appetite has returned with a vengence. I've been eating like a pig trying to satisfy enormous cravings for fresh fruit, winter squash and sweet potatoes of all things. I can't get myself to eat much in the way of protein yet, other than cheese and eggs. I just don't seem to have a desire to eat much beef or chicken.

I finally have an appointment with my case worker on Tuesday next week. Between the county worker's strike and his vacation, I've had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. Sure hope I don't get denied financial assistance for the hospital bill. They're up to $89,000 so far and still climbing. Having no job and no insurance doesn't leave much for them to collect from. At least I finally got bad enough for them to have to do emergency surgery regardless of my financial status. The good news is that now with this unexpected weight loss, maybe Kaiser will accept my insurance application this time rather than deny it because of my weight!

After having my staples removed, I've been experiencing a lot of internal pains. I did way too much on Friday after they were removed. I cleaned off my balcony of a year's worth of fallen leaves, bagged them up and dragged 3 bags of them to the dumpsters. I guess it was too heavy for me and I've been paying for it since. Been taking it easy by staying in bed or on the couch and not moving much. I'm also feeling constipated and I think my intestines are aching from that too, especially in the area where my navel used to be and where the hernia was repaired.

I just need to take my recovery a lot slower and not get over eager to do the things I haven't been able to do for months, no matter how crazy it makes me to have to put it off. I keep trying to push myself into doing things while the weather is still nice.

Just got back from the doctor. All staples and stitches removed, incision healing remarkably well. Weight is down to 224 from 244 after surgery. Loss of 123 pounds! And that's without even trying or doing any exercise! I'm shocked and amazed. Doctor wants me to wait another 10 days to finish healing before swimming in public pools. By that time the colder weather will be here so I guess I won't be swimming until next summer unless I find an indoor pool somewhere.

I think I am going to treat myself to a hair cut next week. Haven't cut my hair in more than 5 years and I want to try something new to go along with the new body. Bought some herbal phytoestrogen vitamins on the recommendation of my doctor to try to alleviate the hot flashes. Black Cohash and Evening Primrose oil are the main ingredients. I'll get some pictures taken eventually so you folks can see my new skinny body.

Gotta go rest for a while. I'm pooped!

Big day for me today, exertion wise. Took my first shower since coming home. Did alright. Got a little light headed but turning down the hot water and standing in cold water shower took care of that.

Also went down the stairs of my apartment for the first time to take a bag of smelly trash out, then climbed back up and called a taxi to take me back to the hospital to get my car. That was another trip down and back up the stairs. Just got back from there. Am sore and exhausted, but relieved to have my car near me again.

Will be calling the doctor this afternoon to make an appointment to get the staples and stitches removed.

Happy anniversary Linda and Stu! Hard to believe it was just 19 years ago that you two married and not only found love, but also a deep friendship. My bro is one lucky dude. Linda is the sister I always wanted and just quacks me up! Love you both!

cyst
–noun 1. Pathology. a closed, bladderlike sac formed in animal tissues, containing fluid or semifluid matter.
2. a bladder, sac, or vesicle.


tu·mor
An abnormal growth of tissue resulting from uncontrolled, progressive multiplication of cells and serving no physiological function; a neoplasm.
A swollen part; a swelling.


Definitely was a cyst, not a tumor as reported elsewhere by others.

I can't wait for my body to heal so I can do all the things I've not been able to do in the last few months! First thing I did that first night home was trim my toe nails. Hadn't been able to reach them in awhile and I was tired of the wounds from not always avoiding the daggers dangling from my toes. Can't wait til I'm healed enough to be able to sleep on my side again instead of my back.

Am doing good so far. Had a bunch of groceries delivered and was able to put a load of dishes into the dishwasher and sweep the kitchen floor. Today I did a couple loads of laundry. My lower back pain is the worst of it so far. It is a big strain on the back for me to do anything but lay flat with no tension on the back muscles. Each day brings improvement and new strength in the back muscles so I know it is just a matter of time and patience and slow rebuilding.

I took the chance of trying to sit on my couch because I was bored to tears without something to do or watch on TV. I've already read every book in the house at least 5 times. I've had a much easier time getting up off the couch than I thought I would. I figured out how to maneuver my legs so it doesn't pull on my incision at all.

Nothing new to add other than I am starting to experience some serious hot flashes so I guess that means I need to figure out what to do hormone wise to keep that under control. I want to go the natural hormone route if possible. What I'd always assumed hot flashes would feel like is nothing like what it actually is. They are some powerful waves of heat. Even chomping on ice cubes didn't cut it. Last night I finally just took off all my clothes and layed in front of a portable fan on my bed until the heat went away so I could sleep. They only last about 15 minutes thank goodness!


I still can't get over how much weight I've lost. My clothes just hang off me, all over, not just my tummy. Going to wait awhile before I try to buy anything that fits though. Want to see how successful I'll be with the continued weight loss. To be honest, I'm pretty happy with where I am at now. I need a lot of toning up of muscles and skin, not more weight loss. I tried on the swimsuit my mom gave me when I visited her a couple years ago. I had to laugh. It just hangs on me like a sack of potatoes, and my loose skin looks like the potatoes.

I go back to the doctor this week sometime to have the staples removed from the incision, then am scheduled for more follow-up thyroid tests and chest x-rays in a month. Still can't sit for long lengths of time yet, so spend most of my time flat on my back in bed or the couch, with walks back and forth to the bathroom. My intestines and bladder are certainly not experiencing any blockage now!

Still afraid to try taking a shower while by myself. Still a little too weak for that yet. Thank goodness for body spray and aeresol room sprays! Speaking of which, two days after my surgery I begged one of the nurses to help me bathe myself because I just couldn't stand the smell any longer. I was way too tender for her to do much in my abdomen and pelvic region so she looked around, grabbed a bottle of mouthwash and dumped it on my pelvis. About killed myself laughing. I kept having these commercials run through my head with the theme of being minty fresh! When she asked if I wanted to brush my teeth, I said "hell no! You'll probably give me a tube of Vagisil for that!"

Lots of funny and scary moments to retell. Will pop some more in as time in the chair permits. Right now, I gotta go lay down again and give my back a break.

Just got home from a 13 day hospital stay and am totally exhausted. Muscles are so sore and tired I can't stop shaking. Laid in bed for a couple of hours but needed to get up and cough out some of the phlegm in my throat so am taking the opportunity for a very short sit down at the computer.

The short story is that I had a 59 LB ovarian cyst removed, a total hysterectomy and a hernia repaired, along with a slight tummy tuck thrown in by my doctor to gather up some of the abundant loose skin. Everything is fine. All tests have come back clean -- no cancer. My iron and red cell count was dangerously low. Had to have 2 pints of blood to beef up my body in preparation for surgery. I looked like I was 9 months pregnant when I went into emergency for medical attention. Surgery was on Aug. 31 and went very well, no complications, nothing unexpected. I am physically getting stronger every day, so much so that I amaze myself in what I've been able to do in such a short amount of time. The nicest thing my doctor said to me before surgery when I asked if my weight would cause a problem on the operating table: "Lynn, you are not nearly as fat as you think you are."

In less than 6 months I've had a total weight loss of over 100 pounds, 59 of it was overnight and I didn't even notice the first 50 until it all appeared on my belly. I haven't been this skinny since my early 30's. (My own version of a gastric bypass without the permenance of it.) I can't wait to get stronger and be more mobile. I'll have a better chance at exercising to keep working on this unexpected gift. I've made too many futile attempts at weight loss to let this head start fall from my hands. It is going to take awhile for my mind to catch up with my body. I still feel and think I look like I weigh 100 pounds more than I do. So, for now 244 pounds and dropping! I have to get used to all this loose flabby skin and figure out how to use my abs and back muscles again.

I'll write more details in the coming days as I'm able to sit at the computer. For now, I need to go lay down again. I feel like I have done 150 sit ups and then got punched in the stomach.

112 degrees here yesterday, supposed to be 115 today. At 5 am this morning it was already 84. California is in stage one power alerts. I sure hope they don't do rolling power outages. I don't think I can take this heat for very long without at least a fan if not air conditioning.

Chronicle article here if you want details of the heat records:

Excerpt:

Even veteran meteorologists expressed amazement at the scorching temperatures.

"Tons of records were smashed, and not just in the interior part of the state," said Basil Newmerzhycky, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Mike Pechner, a consulting meteorologist based in Cordelia, said Saturday and today should set state temperature records not just for their dates but for the entire month of July.

"This is the hottest weather we've seen in California in at least a decade or more," he said.

Vallejo reached 111 degrees Saturday, which Newmerzhycky called "unfathomable."

"It is very, very rare for Vallejo to hit even 100, let alone 111," he said. "When all is said and done, this could be the worst heat wave ever for the Central Valley."

Newmerzhycky said the Sacramento record for consecutive days exceeding 100 degrees is nine, and the city has now posted seven straight days of such temperatures.

"We're not going to see any relief at all until Tuesday or Wednesday, if then," he said.

Really glad I'm not in Alameda where we didn't have air conditioning at all.

I tip my hat to the inventors of the air conditioner with a link to the history of the life saving device:


Excerpt:

In 1902, only one year after Willis Haviland Carrier graduated from Cornell University with a Masters in Engineering, the first air (temperature and humidity) conditioning was in operation, making one Brooklyn printing plant owner very happy. Fluctuations in heat and humidity in his plant had caused the dimensions of the printing paper to keep altering slightly, enough to ensure a misalignment of the colored inks. The new air conditioning machine created a stable environment and aligned four-color printing became possible. All thanks to the new employee at the Buffalo Forge Company, who started on a salary of only $10.00 per week.

Carrier said he received his 'flash of genius' while waiting for a train. It was a foggy night and he was going over in his mind the problem of temperature and humidity control. By the time the train arrived, Carrier had an understanding of the relationship between temperature, humidity and dew point.

Another heatwave is on the way. Seven more days of 106+ temperatures. My A/C bill is going to go through the roof this month. I try to keep it set at 83 with a small fan blowing on me but it doesn't help cut costs much when it is already 80 inside after having the windows open all night. There isn't any breeze at all during the night to cool down the apartment. Makes me miss the foggy summer mornings in the Bay Area.

Anyone up for barbecue? It is forecasted to be 111 degrees here tomorrow and 114 on Saturday. And this is only the second day of summer! We didn't have a Spring this year. Had snow falling in the foothills through the end of May. It's hot out there!

Number Five is Alive! No disassemble me!


I am alive, but malfunctioning. Once debugged, communication will again commense at a curious pace.





Hope posting this works without blowing up my blog or my PC.