Sigh ... Just Sigh - Goals Placed, But Many Unfulfilled

I started the day out knowing that I needed to make the week's portions of Ogre Juice" (accomplished) and maybe some baked fruit since I was eating the last container of the previous batch for breakfast. That also got accomplished. I also made the next batch of my Bar-B-Que sauce, and cut up another pineapple because they were so beautifully ripe at the store. I even added some pineapple to my roasted pears. I think that will be absolutely fabulous. I still have plenty of uncooked pineapple pieces for munching. So, work in the kitchen was successful. 

It seemed to me that my roasted pears would be lovely 
with pineapple added. I didn't want to add a lot, but 
in every container of pears are several pieces of 
pineapple. I'm already looking forward to my breakfast 
fruit! 

After the kitchen work was completed, I started searching for my other set of AfterShokx headphones. I had given my old set to DH, who tried them for a short time and declared they weren't for him. But ... he never actually gave them back to me, and the only box I had was empty. *sigh* I couldn't locate them at all, and I NEED these for my swim days. REI - a local sporting goods shop near my home - carries the Aftershokx brand, but they didn't have the "Open Water" one in stock. Apparently they had one on-line, but I passed on ordering it and went home to check their website instead. 

I know I have another set of AfterShokz "Open Water" 
headphones in this house, but after "lending" them to 
DH, I haven't seen them since. No problem ... I just 
ordered a new set. I use these when I swim, and I really 
don't want to be without them. 

I ended up purchasing a new set from AfterShokx directly, paying a LOT extra for expedited shipping. I should have them early next week. Of course, they'll still need to be powered up, so I'll be plugging them in as soon as I get the package. Then I'll download the book I've been listening to and I'll let it play, ignoring it for hours. I was in the final few chapters of the book when the headphones died, and it's not such an entrancing book that I need to listen to the first three-quarters again. So ...  it'll be a bit of prep work to get myself back on track for the pool. I might have everything ready to go for Tuesday, but it's more likely that I'll be really bored once again, stuck with my own thoughts (NOT relaxing into the stroke patterns at all). Still, I'll have sound again soon. 

Yesterday, my phone was showing the correct screen 
to control the phone (an issue I've had in the past), but 
it was just too windy for the little squirt to get anywhere 
safely. I finally gave up, after making sure the new 
batteries had charged up properly. I'll take it to the shop 
today and maybe try flying above my beams. I'm sure 
I'll be appalled by the dust on them, but they are "I"
beams that are 12 feet above the store flooring. . 

I also had hoped to take the drone outside for some more practice. I ordered two additional batteries from the manufacturer earlier, and they were charged up and ready to go. But it turned out to be too windy - very gusty. I was once again having some software problems too, which really need to be resolved. I'm being very daring (or stupid) and taking the drone with me to the shop today. I have 12-foot ceilings there, and it might be a good place to practice without any breeze. It's a very small thing and quite lightweight, so I don't think it's going to be damaging, even if it crashes. 

Life is a balance beam and we all fall off every now and 
again. The key is to get back up and try again, because 
the alternative isn't worth doing. We need to accomplish 
something - need to improve our balance between the 
stresses that hit us every day from every direction. May 
your day today be smooth, happy and balanced. 

So, it was a day of accomplishments and disappointments. Isn't that just like life? You get the highs and the lows, and somehow you have to manage to stay the course. After the deepest lows, you'll get a high that will make those bad days seem like a horrible memory. But, after too much happiness, sorrow will come to balance us out. It's a balance beam, and we all have to walk it to the best of our ability. Have a wonderful weekend, I plan on boring you again next week - LOL. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

This, That, and Electronics - It Might Be an Interesting Day

I'm looking for my second set of Aftershox Waterproof Conductive Headphones. These are what I wear in the swimming pool (and occasionally when I'm housecleaning). They are headphones that don't sit in the ear, but instead loop over it so that I can listen easily, but still have my earwax in my ears to keep the water away from them while swimming. They make several different models, one of which is specifically for swimming and other immersion sports. I love them. I listen to audio books on them while I'm swimming and it makes the time and my laps go faster - or at least it seems like that. 

Aftershokz has the best bone conduction headsets 
in the industry. Chickie wears hers all day at 
the shop. It enables her to keep in touch with her phone, 
if necessary, and also listen to audio books while 
she's packing and labeling product. I could be a 
total PITA and insist that she leave them in the 
back room, but they don't seem to be negatively 
impacting her work, so I let it ride. 

On Wednesday, it was a little cranky getting turned on, but sometimes I'm not hitting the button exactly right, so I didn't worry about it. But, yesterday, it wouldn't turn on at all. So ... I have a second set here at my desk area. I just have to find them. Then I'll load my current book onto them and start listening to find out where I left off. It's really boring to swim without my books, so finding my second set is a priority item. I do know that REI carries the waterproof version, so if I can't find mine, I can pop over there and pick a set up. It's frustrating, but not the end of the world. 

I love my "Ogre Juice" and can really tell the difference 
when I don't have my four per week. I make them on 
Fridays, so I'm off to the grocery store to buy green veggies 
for my weekly ration. 

There's also grocery shopping and "Ogre Juice" making on my agenda today. I don't need a lot at the store, but I do need a few things. My major shop is always on Wednesdays. I received a package at the shop yesterday with two new batteries for my little drone. I've been charging them, and they're ready to be used. If it's not windy, and I have a bit of time, I'll try to use the little guy again, and maybe this time the software and my phone will communicate better. It's a fun little thing, and I'd really like to use it the way I had intended it to be used. I'm still into the whole package for under $50, so it's an experiment that's well worth trying. 

My drone is orange where this one is black, but 
except for that, they are identical. I purchased 
an additional two batteries for it, though. A battery 
is only good for about 10 minutes in the air, and that's 
really not a lot of time. If we don't have a breeze 
today (and I have time), I might try again to get it 
coupled with my phone. Apparently it works easier 
with Apple phones, but I don't have one of those. I love 
my Android phone. 

And, of course, I have some computer stuff that needs to be done. So, despite the fact that I haven't got a set agenda today, it seems as if I'll have a busy and rather full day despite it all. LOL - no rest for the wicked, I guess - as the old saying goes. I guess I'm quite wicket because I don't seem to get a lot of rest all around. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

A Drone and A Book - It Was a Bit of a Crazy Day Off

I bought myself a new toy last week, and had a bit of time yesterday to try and learn how to operate it. It's a little drone - LOL - cute as anything, less than $40 total, so inexpensive enough that if I can't learn to operate it, or if it won't do what I want it to do, I won't feel guilt giving it to my next door neighbor's kids, or simply tossing it. 

It's a cute little drone, and it probably will do exactly 
what I want it to do, I just have to play with it a bit 
more to understand how the software is set up. I did 
take it outside to fly it a bit yesterday, and it flies nicely. 
I ordered more batteries from Amazon too, since each 
battery only lasts for about 10 minutes of flying time, 
and my drone only had a single battery. 

It's Chinese, of course, which means instructions are minimal, at best. Although I managed to get it to fly, and learned how to avoid crashing it, what it's not doing - that I need it to do - is broadcast photographs of what it sees to my phone's camera setting. Digging into the internet for answers, I found a drone dude who uses a lot of them, and he said he had no problem getting the drone to sync with his Apple phone, but when he tried an Android phone, it was crickets - no image at all. I'll continue playing with it when I have some time, but since I bought it because I wanted to take a closer look at the condition of my roof and gutters, if I can't broadcast to my phone to actually see what I need, it's useless hardware for me. It's fun though, although a bit frustrating. 

The Terro Ant Killer DH has been using to get rid 
of our mini ants, seems to be working very well. 
I haven't seen any ants at all over the past two 
days. We'll keep this up for a week or so, and then 
see if that's the end of them for a while. We'll 
have to keep an eye on things, though. Just in case. 

The ants seem to have packed up and left town. We're not seeing any - alive or dead - but we're continuing to put down fresh poison. For those of you who have used Terro Ant Bait in the past, how long should we continue to freshen our bait? I'm thinking 1-2 weeks, but I really have no idea. It does work a treat, though. Within 24 hours, the ants were a short chapter of history. 

I owned this version of Anya Seton's 
book. I'm quite sure it's still a well-worn 
copy in the upstairs library. I read on my 
phone these days - my library is electronic 
and at my fingertips at all times. "Katherine" 
was one of the first e-books I purchased 
because I couldn't imagine not having it t 
hand to read. It's been a decade or more since 
I last read it, but I'm loving it just as much as 
the first time I cracked it open as a teenager. 

I've dived back into a book I've loved since I was a young girl. "Katherine" by Anya Seton, was a book I first read as a teenager. I totally fell in love with the character, as well as how well it was written, piling through all of the author's other books after I finished this one. I purchased a copy of it for myself later, and that copy has seen heavy use ever since. It was one of the first e-books I bought when I purchased my Nook e-reader, and I was out of current books to read, and looking for something when I came across it on my lists. I keep lists of the books I buy, by the year, on my phone. I would totally mess up and purchase things second (or third) times if I didn't have lists. 

What makes the story interesting, isn't so much the romance 
between John of Gaunt and his third wife, Katherine, as much 
as their children - the children became the Tudor line in 
British history, and that was an important line indeed. Katherine 
was a mother of kings for generations to come. 

To return to the focus, however, "Katherine" tells the tale of a young woman, child really, who grows up to be and direct ancestress of the Tudor line of Kings and Queens of England through her second husband, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. She was the sister-in-law of Geoffrey Chaucer, and of course, John of Gaunt was a Plantagenet, a contemporary of Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II. It's a fascinating time in the history of England, and I had forgotten how very much I love this book. Picking it back up again after many years is like welcoming an old, dear friend to the door of my house for an extended stay. Just the Best Thing EVER. 

"Books are like people. Some you meet once and that's enough. Some you want to get to know better, and whenever you are with them you discover more about them. Some are old friends you haven't seen in years but to meet them again is a joy."

My mother never re-read books. She never understood why I would ever want to do such a thing. I, on the other hand, re-read books often, if they're good ones. I've read Tolkien's trilogy more than 100 times, and I've probably read "Katherine" at least 50, and "Atlas Shrugged" more than 30. I re-read books that I love because they bring me the same joy re-reading them as they did when I first cracked open their covers. It's like meeting old and dear friends again at a party, instead of getting to know new people whom I've never met before. Old friends are wonderful - in real life and in books. I'll close this now, return to my tea and my book, have breakfast and try to have a productive day at the shop. Too bad I can't fly my drone there - maybe I could resolve the software issue while at work. But no, I'm pretty sure I'll be far too busy with computer work to spend any time playing with my drone - LOL. Have an excellent Saturday and weekend, I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.