If you have a Twitter/X account, there is something new that you need to attend to.
It now has an AI feature called Grok.
If you click on it, it wants to begin a conversation with you.
It defaults on the platform to having permission to access all posts you write, and even all direct messages you send to people.
In order to disconnect this feature, you need to do several steps...outlined in this POST.
It took just a few seconds to do, and I definitely recommend you do so, ASAP.
Yes, I went and bought GoNanas last Friday. I wrote a post about it HERE.
I got it for $6.99, so it entered my house and since I had the requisite amount of bananas, I made it on Sunday.
I added a handful of cashews, into the batter. Otherwise it is as stated on the bag.
My thoughts, it is sweet, but it is healthy and good for you.
I don't know if I would make it again, but I am glad I tried it once.
My Water Post For Today.
I was looking for photos of the Chicago River, and came across this one.
It is only a few miles long, but each section has so many buildings fronting the river.
It is an amazing experience, either walking around, or viewing it by boat.
I am so glad I have spent many happy hours viewing the water of the Chicago River, and hope to get back to it some day.
The opening ceremony happened on Friday, so the 16 days of glory, has begun.
I personally was not very impressed with the 4 hour spectacle, but some of it was good.
I did feel bad about all the rain the athletes had to endure. Hopefully all will make it to their events healthy.
The best part was the laser show on the Eiffel Tower. It was worth the price of admission, IMHO.
Good luck USA, and all the other athletes. The world is watching.
Photo: My house. The flag is from the 1984 olympics. :-)
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, it has been hot here in Santa Clarita.
I expected the electric bill to be over $200, and it was.
Giving the bill a closer look, I saw that we used less electricity then we did last year, and a lot less than the year before.
Yet the bill was more.
Say what you will, our new unit is more efficient than the old one, and it is costing us less because the electric company increased their rates (thanks a lot SCE).
As if driving across almost the entire United States wasn't enough, my Son and friends are driving over to the Osh Kosh Air Show. Known as the Eaa Airventure.
You can click the link and see live feeds of the events going on at a point in time.
I am sure my Son might send a few photos my way, but I did get a screen capture from Thursday afternoon.
I had a prescription renewed a few weeks ago.
It was for a 90 day renewal, and it cost me an arm and a leg.
I paid it, because I had to.
Well, I guess the pharmacy did not like coming up with all that money all at once, so they called me a few days later and said they would no longer fill this for 90 days.
I can totally understand their reasoning, but only getting 30 days worth is a bit more of a hardship, Especially when on vacation.
Oh well, times change and drugs get expensive.
The final day of my Son's vacation was a trip to Rosemead, for Dim Sum at 888 Seafood Restaurant.
It was good to be back, and its only problem is that it is further than Cal State LA, where my Son went to school.
We met his friends from JROTC, and the three of them figured out they have been friends for 19 years.
Where has the time gone!
The food was great, as usual, and we got to watch the news of President Biden resigning.
It came up on the big screens in the dining room. I won't soon forget where I was when that happened.
Off he goes tomorrow, to Detroit.
On our way back home after lunch at 888 Seafood (our Dim Sum place), we stopped at Burbank.
In Magnolia Park, we found the newest business, Bagel Boss Burbank.
I grew up on Bagel Boss Bagels at its original location, in Hicksville, New York.
So to say the least, I am proud to welcome them to their West Coast location, near my old workplace.
The bagels were doughy, as is normal for NY Bagels (they make the dough on Long Island) and taste exactly right.
I read some reviews and found lots of comments about vegan cream cheese (3 flavors) and impossible meats on the bagel. I guess this is a nod to the LA/West Coast.
I had lox and cream cheese at home, so I made my own.
Yum!
My Water Post For Today.
Back on Riverwalk in Providence, Rhode Island.
This view really shows off the historic buildings along the river.
Along with a few churches, and newer buildings.
It truly is spectacular, and worth the visit.
For the past 2 weeks I have seen this package of Banana Bread, at the store.
It has been tempting me, because I have ripe bananas in my freezer.
Then I looked at the price: $7.99 for a bag of ingredients? No way.
Just looked at the price on their Go Nana's website, and it was $11.99 a bag. Double no way!
Now I am thinking of buying one, though after reading the reviews, some people say it is full of sugar...so maybe not.
Makenna Coffee has been around for about 6 months.
Every time we pass the store, I say to my Husband "I want to try Makenna Coffee!"
On Friday I had to drop my Son off at the Metrolink Station at noon.
I had just eaten lunch, so I told my Husband I was going to stop in at Makenna Coffee and see what all the fuss was about.
I walk in and the place is packed, with a huge line.
I couldn't even read the menu from where I stood, so I walked to the front.
Found the Maui Mocha Chiller, which sounded like a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks, so I went with that.
It reminded me of the Mocha Frappuccino's I got at SUNY Oswego back in 2013. Very sweet!
It was good, but the crowd, and line, and time it took to get my order, mean I probably won't be going back.
My Son has been home just 24 hours, and we ended up at Saugus Cafe for dinner Wednesday, and Grand Panda for lunch on Thursday. He did have meat pie for breakfast though. Yay me!
He and I have dim sum on the agenda on Sunday, with my Magic Son, otherwise I think he is good to go with others, for the rest of his short stay here.
He and the cat are definitely getting along much better. Amazing what owning a cat of your own, can do.
My Son has arrived!
My cat, Makenna, knew something was up, and slept patiently in the morning, waiting for him to arrive.
He did not arrive until around 1:45PM, not too bad for a trip from Las Vegas.
The cat had given up, and waited under the love seat in our bedroom.
I found them together, checking each other out, on my bed, just before dinner.
They know who each other is, and are glad to reconnect.
My Son has a busy 4 days, including 2 half days remotely working.
Though it seems he will return again in December.
We are always happy to have him.
I have ingredients left over from the meat pie that I made in April, for Easter.
Needing just a pie crust (I am lazy at this time of the year) and some deli meat to round out what I had, my Husband and I made a meat pie.
We compiled the ingredients after lunch, so it was still a little warm when we ate it for dinner, but otherwise it was good.
Now I have some prepared food in the fridge.
Especially since I will have 3 people in residence, starting today.
They are somewhere mid-America, as this posts.
My Son asks questions about his younger days, as they travel.
His first one was showing off that he had traveled through 5 states in a day, and he bet we had never done that with him.
Wrong caterpillar, we drove from Virginia to Long Island, NY one day, when you were almost 1 year old.
Assuming we left Virginia via the Washington Beltway, we passed through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York.
The next day he asked about the Eisenhower Tunnel outside Denver, Colorado. He was looking forward to going through it for the first time.
Once again, wrong, wrong, wrong. We went through it twice in 1993, when we traveled from Denver to Vail. (the photo above was taken at the time). I have another one from the front entrance, too.
I can't wait for the next thing he asks.
God willing, he is due in sometime Wednesday.
My Water Post For Today.
Back to last years visit to Phoenix, Arizona.
We visited the Botanical Gardens, which puts desert cactus next to water features.
This is one of them, a pond with river rocks in it.
Peaceful, with dripping water happening over all the edges.
On a hot, (over 90 degree) July day, it hits the spot.
I hope you enjoy.
I am writing this at 4:30PM. I don't know anything more than something terrible happened at a rally in Butler PA.
So pardon me if I give you an emergency pallate cleanser.
I wish I still had a cannoli right now, I could really use it.
Times are so weird.
How our Anniversary went.
We normally do our food shopping on Friday, so we did that.
After my Husband showered, we went over to Grand Panda, for lunch.
They have a pretty good lunch deal, with Egg Flower Soup, Chinese Chicken Salad, an Egg Roll, Fried (or white) Rice, and an entreé of your choice. I had Mu Shi Pork, and my Husband had Cashew Chicken.
Mine was $12.55 and his was $12.75, which I thought was a good deal for all that food.
I forgot to mention we also got Har Gow (Dim Sum shrimp dumplings) for $6.99.
My big expense was 2 cannoli's at Italia Panetteria and Deli. It was $3.99 each for a cannoli. I thought that was a little expensive, but worth it.
Not a perfect day, since as usual, it was hot.
On to number 45.
******************************44 Years Later, Still In Love************************
4 1/2 years after these photos were taken, I am still glad we are here to celebrate our 44th Anniversary.
The past 4 years after COVID-19 have not been easy, but we have managed to visit some places, and see some of our family, but it is not the same.
The photos harken back to a more innocent time, that came crashing down on the world, just 1 month later.
I am hoping that travel will happen as the Fall season comes to us, but each time is a crap-shoot, health wise.
We usually do our best travel in "shoulder" season, so maybe late September or October.
No matter what, we will enjoy ourselves this anniversary, by not going anywhere.
Last Fall we had to replace our old air conditioner, and the entire HVAC system.
We had bought it and it worked for years, but the entire system had a leak that made our AC person come out every year, to refill the refrigerant
When the heater went, that was it, we spent a fortune to replace the entire system.
After getting past winter and turning on the new AC, we thought it was good, but the real test has been the past 2 weeks when the outside air temp has been over 100 degrees. It is holding up well, keeping the house at 78 degrees.
Thank you very much Nicholas Air Systems.
The Amerigo Vespucci is Italy's most senior naval vessel.
It is nearly 100 years old, and considered the most beautiful ship in the world.
It docked in the Port of Los Angeles through July 8th, and as my Son said, this photo was the money shot. (Apologies, I have no idea where he found it, or who took the photo).
I heard there were problems getting tickets to board the ship, but even just seeing it on our local news, brought this Italian some good feelings.
Have a wonderful world tour.
My Son's housemate is moving back to Santa Clarita next week.
As one of her last trips in the area of the world that they both live in, Michigan, she asked if they could drive to Niagara Falls.
So the day after the 4th of July, away they went, via the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.
From what I heard on our Facebook conversation, they had a good time, saw lots of stuff, even fireworks on both the American side of the falls, and the Canadian side. Double the fun.
Now they have to pack up her car for the drive back to California. That happens this weekend.
My Water Post For Today.
I was watching a video that my family sent me.
It was a journey to New London, Connecticut, from Orient Point, New York.
In honor of that fact, I found a photograph from 2010, when we went to Greenport, Long Island.
On our way back, we passed a beach with houses and Long Island Sound.
If I wasn't flying back, I would have taken a piece of the driftwood.
I hope you enjoy.
My Train Travel Help website was created as a part of my Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication.
As of February, of 2024, I have achieved my goal and received my Master’s. A very happy state of affairs for me.
I immediately decided to make a trip to the East Coast, and picked up my son in Detroit, on the way over. That involved 4 flights for me, a new record, post pandemic. Some of them I traveled alone, and others I traveled with my son.
After surviving this journey, I have decided to continue riding Amtrak, if possible. The way you are treated by the airports, airlines, and the flying public, make it the most inhospitable environment, and a real turn-off to a vacation.
A calm journey via train, is so much better (if no major problems are encountered), and you arrive home rested and happy to have made the journey. How many times do you remember with fondness an airline flight, the people you meet, or the staff who “serve” you? I go with never.
I will mention that certain times of the year, are more prone to problems on trains, but the bottom line is: trains run 24/7 365 days of the year. They know how to keep the Country running, tornadoes, hurricanes, snow, ice, heat, extreme weather, yes, the railroads will get you to your destination…eventually.
I will continue to update my Train Travel Help blog, as I travel by train, and give hints for doing so safely.
Covid-19 is still out there, and those hints within the blog still work.
Who wants to come home from a vacation, sick, or give Covid to family and even strangers? I certainly don’t.
A little prevention, is worth it.
Hope to see you sometime, riding the rails.
I admit I was upset when this flight got stopped 15 seconds before launch on Monday, then moved to Tuesday, and then moved to Wednesday.
So I did not expect it to go up on Wednesday, but amazingly, it did, and what a show it put on.
I love the 2 lights at the front of the rocket, that look like eyes. A very unusual occurance, compared to SpaceX.
Glad we got to see it.
I have no idea when the next launch is.
I guess I should keep track of them a bit more, since they seem to be happening constantly.
Here it is, in its location on our counter. Our new air fryer. (Ignore the produce waste container, also on our counter, due to ant problems.)
Recipes keep mentioning using one for cooking, and this one was only $34 at Costco.
So we have arrived at the 21st Century, cooking wise, I guess.
We don't have a toaster oven, so this will help crisp up things we normally heat in our microwave.
Now to learn how to use it. :-)
Happy 4th of July to all Americans.
In honor of the day, I went to the effort of baking a cake in 101 degree weather.
Thank goodness our brand new air conditioner works like a charm.
As to celebrating, we have no idea what we will be doing, but I am sure the cake will be part of it.
Maybe hamburgers, or hot dogs. How traditional is that?
Enjoy.
My Husband and I have had unusual dealings with 2 banks recently.
One bank only posts your interest at the end of the year.
I have found that to be unacceptable, and decided to allow the bank to foward it to another one, where we also get a good interest rate. Not the best solution, but at least I can keep track of the interest.
Another bank closed our CD without giving us any notice at all. At least I found it within a day, when I went into the account to track the interest, and found it gone!
After a panic stricken few seconds, I saw it was deposited into our normal savings account. The account does not have a good interest rate, so it is definitely not a place where I would want that money parked for any length of time.
We immediately went over to the bank and opened a new CD with a wonderful rate.
Problem solved, at least in the short term. Though we did inform the bank that it would have been good of them to let us know in advance, so we did not have to go through all the hoops we went through.
See us next year, for our second maturity with this bank.
I had to drive down to Mission Hills on Monday, for my pre-colonoscopy appointment.
I did not mind too much, since I was just going to hear my options, this time around.
It ends up that I have to drink the two half gallon liquids again.
A much better option than the one gallon all at once option, I had to endure the first time.
He looked over my last colonoscopy, and said I did not have major problems last time, so he feels all should be good to go this time.
Let's hope he is right.
The procedure is scheduled for September 16th.
There goes my thoughts for a September vacation. Darn...
My Water Post For Today.
It is the 4th of July week, and summertime in Oswego, New York, and it is always worth my time to showcase the Harbor Light, at the mouth of the Oswego River.
People who own boats, and visitors wanting to take the Oswego Canal to the Erie Canal, pass by this area of Lake Ontario.
The absolute best time to be in Oswego, and yes, I miss it.
I hope you enjoy.
