Friday 5 + 5 : Two for May

Friday 5 for May 27: Double Stuff

As usual all of the questions are from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.

1. What do you have two of because while you knew you had one, you couldn’t find it so you bought a new one?

Got plenty of these. They include combs, scissors, keychains, scotch tape, thumb drives, SD cards, batteries, and a number of other small items that I misplace and find it easier to buy a new one... most of the time.

2. What do you own none of because it’s convenient to borrow it from someone else?

Nothing at this time.

3. What do you own an old version of because it still works fine even though it’s very old?

My 1993 Toyota Corolla. Still works. Still goes. Why should I buy a new car with all that computer crap built in that is destined for obsolescence on the next software upgrade???? Look at those cars that have components that become or will become obsolete soon because they have 3G technology built in. 

Electric cars will become prohibitively expensive after their batteries die. So what do you do? Fork over $8000 to $10000 for new batteries or just scrap your old Tesla or whatever and get another new $50,000 one???? Yikes!!!! The whole EV thing is a huge conspiracy to put you on an endless upgrade trail just like computers and cell phones. Ugh!

I also have my old Power Mac G4 computer, Chromebook from 2013, 2013 iMac and a 2011 MacBook Pro...

And then there are cameras... digital: Canon 600D, Canon S5iS, Canon Powershot G5, Canon Powershot S9000, Fujifilm HX10, several others... Film cameras... Olympus, Minolta (many), Yashica GS. Old records. Old CDs. They all work just fine.

4. What do you own identical versions of because you like to have one in different places?

Two Amazon Echo Smart speakers that are not very smart. Ugh!

They were on sale this past Christmas and I got them for a good price... less than $24 each. They are a blessing and a curse. Good for listening to music you don't have... plus audio books, news, etc. Plus you can also stream other bluetooth devices to them such as a phone or computer... whatever. 

They do have some huge privacy issues, most of which I turned off. I also don't like the ads they throw at you to buy this and that from Amazon. I am not interested in buying ANYTHING through those speakers. I turned that function off and it still bombards me with ads.

5. What are you most likely to upgrade when an upgrade is available, even if you’re happy with the one you’ve got?

I probably am going to have to bite the bullet and get either a new Mac computer and/or a newer Chromebook. Still deciding. Ugh!

Friday 5 for May 20: Do-Re-Meme

1. When have you yelled at a cat?

I like cats. I don't yell at them. 

I don't like dogs. I usually try to avoid them. I've had to yell at one last month after he bit someone who was walking in front of me. The dumb owner could not control her stupid dog. Those kinds of dogs should not be allowed out in the public.

2. Would you please tell us you’re looking forward to the weekend without telling us you’re looking forward to the weekend?

Relaxation?

3. What first-world problems have you recently complained about?

• Not in order but all first world problems.
• Biden (he is also a 2nd and 3rd world problem too)
• Inflation
• Gas Prices
• Shut off of Keystone Pipeline by Biden
• Illegal immigration
• Crime
• Environmental extremism
• Green agenda
• AOC
• Price spikes for groceries, consumer goods
• High priced new vinyl records (I stopped buying years ago)
• Smartphone Tracking
• Intrusion on our Privacy
• Built in batteries that are next to impossible to replace
• Taxes
• High cost of living in Hawaii
• Constant Upgrades to Devices
• Built in obsolescence
• Amazon orders being messed up
• Jumping through hoops on phone system calls
• Call centers
• Spam calls
• Spam emails
• Phishing Scams
• RAIL (Honolulu, Oahu only)
• Democrats
• Progressives
• The Left
• Socialism
• Y2K generation embracement of socialism
• Assholes
• There is plenty to complain about!!!!

4. You have one job this weekend: what is it, and how might you mess it up?

One of them is putting together the monthly newsletter for Assistance League of Hawaii. The occasional typo might slip through, even though we proof it a few time.

5. What did you learn when you were today years old?

I'm old. There is always something new to learn. Like this past week I learned how to whisk whipped cream. Never did that before! (See photo above - Orange Jello with Whipped Cream).

Friday 5 for April 29: Meh

 Meh!

The following questions are from Scrivener's Friday 5 website.

1. This week, when was good enough good enough?

Whatever task I was doing but not putting a full effort into was good enough if I completed it satisfactorily. Then I went home.

2. What are a few songs you'd include in a middle-of-the-road playlist?

Here is a rough list I compiled of soft rock / pop / easy listening music through the years. Some of the biggest pop and rock artists have made songs that can be considered "middle of the road" or "adult contemporary". You can listen to the music by scrolling further down this list.

1. Yesterday Once More - The Carpenters

2. The End of the World - Skeeter Davis

3. Chances Are - Johnny Mathis

4. Can't Help Falling in Love With You - Elvis Presley

5. I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee

6. Calcutta - Lawrence Welk & Orchestra

7. Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra

8. Never on Sunday - Connie Francis

9. (I Left My Heart in) San Francisco - Tony Bennett

10. Michelle - The Beatles

11. You're My World - Helen Reddy

12. Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow

13. Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot

14. Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend - Lobo

15. Open Arms - Journey

16. On The Wings of Love - Jeffrey Osborne

17. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago

18. Always - Atlantic Starr

19. Hello - Adele

20. Fallin For You - Colbie Caillat

Hopefully you like the examples I have presented here and are able to create your own playlists with similar music.

3. What is the most ordinary thing about you?

My body parts are pretty much the same with some fixing as most of the species classified as homo sapien.

4. What do you like most about an average day?

Sleeping. Meh is the topic right? 

5. What do people seem to think is wonderful while you think its just okay?

My photography, though most of the pictures I have shot I consider "meh". Whatever. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Friday 5 for April 22: Moves Like Jagger

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog... here are the questions.

1. What are you moving toward?

Old age and my eventual demise.

2.What moves you right out the door?

High prices. Often I won't even go into that door.

3. When did you recently move a scheduled meeting, appointment, get-together, or date?

When it was inconvenient.

4. Whats keeping you from moving on something?

Money.

5. Whats a memorable move (successful or not) someone made on you, or a memorable move you made on someone?

Oh gawd, I hate moving. I had to help my friend move a few years ago and it was far from a pleasant experience. I dread having to move out myself someday. Ugh.

Catching Up on the Friday 5s

 All ten of these are from Scrivener's Friday 5 page.

Friday 5 for March 18: Take me to the old playground

1. When did you most recently swing on a swing?

Probably around 1970. It's been ages ago.

2. On what issue have you teeter-tottered?

Not too sure who I'd like to see as the next Governor of Hawaii. It depends on the issues they support like lowering taxes, TMT and those they oppose, like RAIL.

3. How close is your residence to a park, and when did you last visit?

Ala Moana Beach Park, like last month... I should go more often, but lately work has kept me away. No time.

4. How capable are you with a charcoal grill?

I don't own one, I don't grill, I live in a building. It's not allowed.

5. With what are you playing hide-and-seek?

A few things that I don't want to mention.

Friday 5 for March 11: Chocolate-covered mothballs: they always satisfy!

1. How did you have it your way this week?

I got to do most of the things I wanted to do this week.

2. Where do you want to go today?

As mostly a homebody, I prefer to go home.

3. How have you recently taken a licking but kept on ticking?

Well, I had a heart attack a few years ago. I am still here today.

4. In what manner are you thinking different(ly) these days?

I'm mostly set in my ways. I don't change my opinions very often. Can't think of anything right off hand where I am thinking differently.

5. This weekend, how will you indulge because you’re worth it?

Indulging is expensive and I have to hold back since gas prices are flying sky high, thanks to Biden cutting off the Keystone Pipeline and the war between Russia and the Ukraine only making matters worse. Re-open that damn pipeline. Trump had that correct... now look where we are! Gas prices higher than $5!!!!

I'm adding this question from the week previous Friday 5.

6. What’s a good song with ”yellow” in its lyrics or title?

Not too many yellow songs I can think of... but here's a list.

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John (my favorite yellow song)
2. Yellow Bird - Arthur Lyman
3. Yellow - Coldplay
4. Mellow Yellow - Donovan
5. Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
6. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell (1970 version)
7. Yellow River -  Christie
8. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
9. Yellow Rose of Texas - Johnny Lee
10. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole' Oak Tree - Tony Orlando & Dawn

Friday 5 for February 25: They

 

The following questions are from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.

1. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. How have you proven them right or wrong? 

Kind of 50 / 50 for me. I am willing to learn new things some of the time, but not all of the time. Doing things in the old way is better than adapting to something new. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

2. They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him or her drink. How has this proven true or false in your life?

That's true. If you want something you have to pursue it. Only rarely has something dropped into my lap.

3. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. How have they been proven right or wrong in your life?

I don't have much feeling in this one either way.

4. They say looks can be deceiving. How have you proven them right or wrong?

You can't judge a book by its cover... the same can be applied to record albums, movie posters and trailers. Sometimes the cool looking ones are overhyped trash and the not so attractive ones can be a gem.

5. They say opposites attract. How have you proven them right or wrong?

I think that varies depending on the person or the situation. In politics, to me, opposites don't attract, especially if you are entrenched into your ideology and reject the beliefs of the other.... Capitalism vs. Communism, Right vs. Left, Christian vs. Muslim, etc., etc. Life is never going to be perfect. Look at what's happening between Russia and Ukraine. It's a mess there that could escalate into something even more horrible than what it currently is.

Friday 5 for February 18: You are known

 OH... Today's Friday 5 plus 2.

Here goes.... 

1. What is your least favorite smell?

Doo doo, poop, sewage and anything else associated with it.

2. Cats or dogs?

Most definitely CATS.  Photo above is Poof, my sister's cat who lived to be about 20 years old. We had her since kitten days.

Not a fan of dogs at all. Dogs should not be allowed in grocery stores and restaurants. Ugh! And we have a leash law on Oahu. Follow it.

3. You only get one song to listen to for the rest of your life. What is it?

Too impossible to answer as I like way too many songs to just settle for one.

4. What number is Stephen Colbert thinking of?

His ratings. I never watch that show.

5. Flat or sparkling?

I only drink regular water. Not sparkling and not anything else... no alcohol for me.

6. What is the most-used app on your phone?

Android OS is probably the most used. Next comes....

1. Chrome browser
2. YouTube
3. Google Voice
4. Gmail
5. DuckDuckGo browser

7. Describe the rest of your life in five words.

Can't avoid the death coming. 

Froday [sic] 5 for February 11: Everything possibly worth knowing about a person

The following question gathered from Scrivener's Friday 5 website. Enjoy!

1. Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?

No.

2. What do you think happens when we die?

Depending on what you believe, I think our spirits move on to a new eternity, hopefully with God our Heavenly Father... at least for the good people... The less than worthy and downright bad people probably have a place to go where it will burn for their entire eternal existence.

That said, our physical bodies will start to break down as all of the stuff that holds us together start the process of decay.... rotting very slowly, becoming a vessel for scavengers to consume very slowly as the body rots. Of course there are ways to prolong the dead body by having it chemically treated at a mortuary in order to keep it in near normal, though "petrified" condition, at least so that it can be viewed at a funeral service.

Of course there is the tried, true and cheap solution... just get the body cremated in a very hot furnace (at an approved crematorium) and have all that liquid and other goo burned down to ash, where about the only items that remain are fragments of bones, traces of mechanical stuff added to the body through its life (pacemakers, fillings, artificial replacement parts, etc.). I think the ash is mostly gray and can fit into anything that can be declared as an urn.

Even cheaper than cremation, there is always the option to send your un-needed body to some academic institution where doctors, nurses, coroners and others in training can use it for real life exercises. Scientists can also use dead bodies for medical research.

Beyond that there is always some kind of memorial you can set up, the most simple though not the cheapest is to have the body buried into the earth and have a headstone placed above to "mark your grave". That has been kind of a standard for centuries, though unmarked graves were also common in ancient and recent history.

I think one of the better ways for you to be remembered long term, beyond death is have an online memorial to yourself or loved ones set up. Memorializing your social media pages are an option, and many people do it. I also notice Funeral Homes set up memorial pages for their clients who have passed where visitors can leave items of remembrance behind.

For me, after I die, one of the best, free long term memorial for my life will be having my profile set up at FamilySearch.org, a genealogical site run by The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is open and free to use by the public. You can create or maintain profiles of people who have passed on, including a profile for yourself to maintain so that your memories of life can be preserved from your point of view instead of someone else writing "I remember my friend... etc., etc." after your death.

Profiles of the living are not activated on FamilySearch for public viewing until AFTER you die. In the meantime you can set your site up so that what you want to be put there is set up by you and not someone else... though others can contribute to your profile after you pass.

Anyway, so much for the topic on death. There are a lot of other things that you can plan for before you go to the great beyond....

3. What’s your favorite action movie?

Most of my favorite action movies are from the late 1970s and 1980s, which is a decade that I watched a lot of movies. I cannot nail down just one, so again here is a top five, though the order may and will probably change if I have to revisit the subject again.

1. Star Wars - It's got good action, a definite line between good and evil, and as a standalone movie, holds up very well more than 40 years after is 1977 release. Runner up in the series for me is The Empire Strikes Back.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark - This is a classic action adventure and the first and best of the four movie franchise (1981).
3. The Terminator - It was groundbreaking in its release year of 1984 and definitely cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger as a major box office draw. "I'll Be Back".
4. Die Hard - Bruce Willis was never better in the first of these action yarns.
5. Rambo II - Of all the Rambo movies, this one was the best for me. Lots of action between Rambo and the rouge Vietcong soldiers.
6. Aliens - OK there was a lot of screaming in this movie and our heroine Ripley is once again set up to fight the brutal xenomorphs that made their appearance in the first movie of 1979. This 1986 sequel stands out as a high action yarn in a scifi setting.
7. Predator - Our action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger is at it again, battling a nearly indestructible alien entity sent to Earth to scout out and eliminate our life form.
8. Gladiator - This is a great action yarn set in the historic times of Rome where gladiators were rounded up to provide entertainment to the death for the Romans. Russell Crowe won the "Best Actor" Academy Award for this picture. It was also the Best Picture of the Year 2000 as voted in by the same academy.
9. Ben Hur - 1959 action yarn starring Charlton Heston as the main protagonist in this Academy Award winning story set in the time of Christ. The chariot race is the highlight of this movie, which also contains several other action sequences.... "Ramming Speed" ahead!
10. Romancing the Stone - This is a good one that weaves hard action with comedic elements. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito are unforgettable characters in this comedic action adventure. (1984)

4. What’s your favorite smell? 

Hmm... The answer to this question hasn't changed since its first appearance (for me) last week.

"Lavender, jasmine, citrus, kimono rose and several others that I can't remember are nice aromas that my friend Lisa puts into her lighted diffusor."

5. Exercise: worth it?

It is but so hard to be disciplined enough to do it.