The Sunday Chronicle: I’m thinking about changing blog days and Ultimate Fishing Simulator

Greetings, readers. I do most certainly enjoy dictating a blog entry via Dragon speech recognition program on Sundays, but it’s turning out that Sunday is the more hectic of the two weekend days. So, I’m debating on whether or not to dictate the blog on Saturday, and set it up to publish on Sunday, or dictate and publish on Saturday. Most of you are saying, “What’s the difference?” Well…, A lot. On Sunday after church, I like to kick off the shoes, watch YouTube, take a nap, and have a light supper. I’ve been finding that if I don’t dictate the blog by 3 PM or so, I have a hard time getting it done. Something tells me that I would not be a very good 9 to 5 office worker.

Doing the weekend blog does afford me the opportunity to work on my editing skills, as well as trying to use words that I almost never do. Yes, I had my favorites, such as, plethora and of course, my famous ellipse. All in all though, my vocabulary is far below par with most writers. I’ve been calling myself a writer for years. It’s time I start proving it.

Before I move on to the introductory review of Ultimate Fishing Simulator, I wish to tell you about the gloriously warm and sunny weather Central Pennsylvania has been enjoying. It’s almost been too hot. I believe the hottest day was 89° F. That’s about right at the cut-off point where I start to say, “It’s too damned hot.” I’ve said many times that if I had a weather machine, I would have sunny days in the upper 70s or 80s, a light rain at night with temperatures in the 50s, and just for ambience, cold and snow during the month of December for Christmas. That’s right…, Cold only in December. 😉

Now, on to gaming. I was trying to find a fishing game on Steam, which you could play with or without an Internet connection. Fishing Planet is a wonderful game, but I won’t be able to play it at camp, for there is no Internet in the cabins. Dave suggested looking for another fishing game which was on sale. Wouldn’t you know, the summer sale was going on and I found one. I got the base game, and what they call bundles, for half off. Score! 😊

I watched YouTube videos on Ultimate Fishing Simulator, and the presenter was saying how easy it was to catch fish. Yeah…, sure. This morning, after numerous times of trying, I finally caught my first fish. I’m slowly getting the hang of it, and I’m loving it. With the bundles, I have more lakes to unlock, more rods, baits, etc. I can’t put the graphics on the highest, because my computer just won’t run the game quite smoothly enough. The game’s major advantage is that you can use it with or without an Internet connection. After I have spent several weeks seeing what all this game has to offer, I shall give you my final review.

Until Wednesday, when Rebecca returns, I bid you a wonderful rest of the day, love one another, take care, and happy reading.

I’ve seen a glowing orange ball recently. Wow!

Greetings, readers. For the last several days, Central Pennsylvania has enjoyed either completely clear weather conditions or it has been partly cloudy. This is highly unusual. State College has the third highest amount of cloudy days per year, behind Portland, Oregon and one other metropolis. It has been so beautiful out recently I’ve taken walks, snapped photos of nature, and last night enjoyed a minor league baseball game.

We are technically into summer now and I should expect some nice weather after a long cold winter and a cool wet spring. You’re never quite certain whether the hot weather is here to stay a while or if you are being teased. According to my computer’s weather app, we are going to have temperatures in the lower to mid 80s all week with mostly sunny conditions. Oh, boy, will I take that. The State College Spikes will have gorgeous weather for their weeklong home stand.

If I had a car, I would most definitely put my camera in my travel bag and drive around to some rural areas and get some good pictures. I suppose I could do that on the Tussey Mountain bus or other such route. When I got this digital camera several weeks ago, who knew I would be snapping pictures of flowers, churches, etc. I was hoping to find a way to empty said camera onto my computer but apparently it is just old enough that the cord I need is no longer made. Looks like it is going to have to be Amazon to the rescue. I will not buy anything electronic from Ebay. I’ve been burned badly.

On to another topic, I cannot wait for Friday to come. I have an orthopedic appointment to see what is going on with this hurting shoulder of mine. I can’t believe it is already time for my second cortisone shot. Personally, I think they misdiagnosed me and I have a pinched nerve instead of arthritis. But, they are the experts. By Friday afternoon, I’ll have some more answers, and believe me I am writing down questions. Being informed is always a good thing.

This Sunday I might attend the State College Spikes game. It starts at 6:05 in the evening, so I should be able to put up a blog entry if I do it early Sunday afternoon. If not … look for it Monday morning. I know I’m not as good an editor as Rebecca is, but I do my best.

Until then, have a great few days, take care, and as always, happy reading.

I’m coming out of retirement to perform at 3dots!

Greetings, readers. My playlist is set for my short performance at 3dots. That is a relatively new hotspot in town where folks can come to look at art, enjoy the seating area while enjoying their brought lunch, but most cool of all, a place to listen to music by local artists. My friend Smith introduced me to 3dots a little over a month ago, and I love it! I love it so much that I’ve decided to come out of retirement, say the heck with the aching shoulder, and do one more show.

The lunchtime performances are exactly that; between noon and 1 PM. I had to whittle my Spotify music playlist by three songs. The show is titled, The Beatles KISSed. Now you might be asking yourself why I would dare commit that sacrilege by performing KISS songs during the Beatles show? The answer is simple; I love both bands. That’s all it boils down to.

3dots is on the corner of Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street. My performance is not until mid-to-late August, and when I have an actual date, I will let you know here in the blog. All my local readers are invited to join and cheer me on. Bring your lunch or a snack, and enjoy yourselves.

Let’s see what else is going on today. For the third straight day, we have sunny weather! For this region, that’s almost a record. State College did not get its nickname, State Cloudy for nothing. This area of Pennsylvania is third in the country in most cloudy days per year. That’s not exactly good for someone suffering from mild depression. What can you do? There is one thing I can do. Later on, I am going to take my digital camera, walk around the area…, perhaps on campus, and take some pictures. If I do, I’ll go around 4 PM. It won’t be quite as warm, and the sunlight could be just right for certain natures shot. Yes readers, I like taking pictures of nature. 😉

I have a very busy week planned. Tomorrow, I have to go to the dentist. Boo! Rebecca comes in to work on Wednesday, and that’s great. 😊 Then on Friday, I have an appointment with my orthopedist to see if we can’t get this right shoulder pain under control. I think rain is coming tomorrow, because my shoulder is killing me today. ☹

That’s today’s blog entry. Until Wednesday, I wish all of you a great few days, love one another, take care, and as always, happy reading.

Due to circumstances beyond our control …

Greetings, readers. Because of some switching over of new telephone and electrical poles behind my building, the power and internet was going to be switched off at certain intervals today. Neither Rebecca nor I wanted to walk up eight flights of stairs or, worse yet, get stuck in the elevator if the power got cut at that moment. So, hello from Panera.

Not our work place of choice, Panera will have to suffice. One of the main reasons I don’t like to work in public is all the miscellaneous noises, such as other customers talking or background music which could start blaring any moment. I promised a blog entry for today so we are going to get it done. Oh, what creatures of habit we are. I used to like working here. Now it is completely foreign to me. I much prefer sitting in my apartment chair dictating to Rebecca.

So, let’s see what else is news. Last evening at 6:00, I donned my Spikes T-shirt, cap, and sit-upon and got ready in my comfy chair in my apartment for the 7:05 start, only to suffer through a two-hour rain delay and the eventual postponement of the game. Folks, when did baseball change? In the single A short season, if the game has to be made up, they will only play seven innings. To me that is not baseball.

Unless the major leagues have switched also, single A has another weird rule. If the game goes into extra innings, the teams start with a runner on second. They are called the designated runner. The first time I experienced this was two games ago and the Auburn Doubledays fans were chanting, “That’s not baseball,” clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. As it turns out, it actually helped the Spikes win that game. I am still not a big fan of it though. I do not think it is preparing the younger players to play at the major league level. Proponents would probably tell me that we cannot tax our 17 to 20 year-olds. I can see both the pros and the cons.

The construction of the new building is coming along nicely, and I am very slowly losing my view of the Days Inn’s restaurant, Mad Mex. When the building is completed, I’m not going to have much of the view left which I enjoyed when I moved in. When I moved in 13 years ago, I had a choice of a fifth floor apartment or an eighth. I took the eighth floor apartment because of the view. All good things must come to an end, as they say.

It’s only a few weeks now until the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the People’s Choice Festival roll into town. I’m looking forward to July and its warmer weather, but not the crowds and the humidity. I’ll probably spend some time walking around downtown, seeing what’s on offer. With everything being handcrafted, I doubt I will be able to afford any wares. My favorite part of the Arts Festival is the misting ferns. They were slightly different last year, but it was still refreshing to walk through it. I am not going to partake of the children’s water bucket dump, however.

Then, it is on to Maine a few weeks later. That boggles my mind. I can rest easy, though, as I have made all the accommodations for my motels and rental car. Now I know why my mom liked to be prepared so early, so that she could relax knowing that if anything went wrong it was on them. When I get back from Maine, I shall immediately look for gainful employment. My accountant has been gently nudging me all summer to become gainfully employed and I think it would be a good idea. My funds are depleting quickly. If I do go to camp next year, I will certainly have to have at least a part-time position. Any position I get, must be within walking distance to my apartment. No more buses at rush hour for me.

This weekend appears to be a normal one, so I should be able to put up the next new blog entry Sunday afternoon. Until then, have a good few days, take care, love one another, and happy reading.

Go Spikes Go!!! :-D

Greetings, readers. I’m very sorry that I did not post a blog entry yesterday. I was feeling extremely drained, both emotionally and physically. Here where I live, we have had several days of rain in a row. This is not good for me, because I suffer from depression. Even though it is overcast, chilly, and looks like it could rain at any moment, my mood is much better today. So, I thought I would put up this blog post to let you know what’s been going on in my life the last few days.

My friends, Traci and Smith, accompanied me to a State College Spikes baseball game a few nights ago. We are the single-A, short season team for the St. Louis Cardinals. There are only 33 home games in the whole season. I purchased what is called a Flex Book; 14 tickets, which can be used at any time. The price was reasonable, so I jumped at it. Traci, Smith, and I went to a game the other night against the Williamsport Crosscutters. Yes…, That is one word. I looked it up.

The game we went to was in honor of Josiah Viera. He was a young teenager who suffered from a rare genetic disease called Progeria. The genetic disorder causes children to age rapidly, and die young. For a number of seasons, he was the inspirational leader in the Spikes clubhouse and dugout. On opening night, the team retired his number on the jersey, number 10, which he had worn so proudly.

I am going to have lots of fun this season going to several games. I love it when they have fireworks after the game. If any of you live in a town or city that has been minor-league baseball team, please share it with me on my Facebook page, or in the comments section.

SPECIAL NOTE: Due to an appointment which cannot be changed, I have asked Rebecca to come in and work on Thursday this week, instead of Wednesday. So until then, I bid you a great few days, take care, love one another, and as always, happy reading.

Computer woes and other goings on

Greetings, readers. From the time Rebecca left last Wednesday afternoon, I tried four separate times to dictate a story or blog entry. For no reason that I could discern, the Dragon Speech Recognition program refused to open. I don’t know if it was related or not, but it was followed by a cascading series of desktop icons not opening. None of my Steam games would open properly, however I could get Steam’s homepage icon to open when selecting the “run as administrator” option. As Arte Johnson on Laugh-In used to say, “Verrrry interesting.”

Slowly but surely by Sunday afternoon I got the games up and running, but the blog entry that I put up had to be typed. By Monday, I had almost everything running, less the speech recognition program. Again, I was typing away on Monday afternoon writing the extra blog post. Only today when Rebecca came, did we get the Avast anti-virus working, which detected and corrected all problems. Rebecca said, “I didn’t do anything.” I think the computer knows who’s boss. 😉

This morning walking home from coffee, a friend startled me from behind. She didn’t know about my heightened startle reflex or fragile back. She apologized, we hugged, and I thought all was right with the world. Then she got reprimanded by my coffee buddy Smith, and the next thing I knew the friend was walking away in a huff, obviously embarrassed. I am sure it will all blow over in a day or two. That brings back vivid memories of me at childhood at school. One time in the auditorium, a girl behind me sneezed and I proceeded to jump six feet in the air. Even the principle who was giving a speech had to stop and chuckle, even though I could tell he didn’t mean to laugh. The girl behind me felt so bad and apologized later. I told her it wasn’t her fault, I am the one who startles easily.

Let’s see, what is planned for the rest of the week? I stumbled on a Charlie’s Angels movie script project I started a while back for the original cast, and contained in its three pages were so many flaws in logic that if I chose to do this project I would start from scratch. The premise wasn’t bad but I think I was working too quickly and missed obvious blunders. I read on a web news page, that a new Charlie’s Angels film will be released in theaters soon. Grrr. I’d like to know why every time I get psyched to do a Charlie’s Angels film, another bunch of folks beat me to the punch. My bad luck, I guess.

Lastly, I am having a devil of a time trying to find the right connector cord to my recently acquired digital camera. A trip to Best Buy is in the works. I have a cord to connect it to the television set, but that is no help with getting the pictures on my computer. Hopefully, Best Buy or Wal Mart will have said cord.

As for Sunday, I have another busy weekend planned but will try my hardest to get the entry up by mid to late Sunday afternoon. For those of you who read the being in camp mode entry, it should have been linked to the Bear Spring Camps Facebook page, but in all honesty I don’t know how to do that. Rebecca will have to teach me. There is definitely an increase in readers when we make the link to their page.

So, until then, I bid you a wonderful few days, enjoy the sunny weather if you have it and bunker down if you don’t, love one another, and as always happy reading.

Already in ‘camp mode’ & still having computer glitches

Greetings, readers. This will be another difficult entry for me to create, for my Dragon Speech Recognition software is currently not functioning. ☹ I have no clue what’s wrong. As well, other desktop icons aren’t working either; the anti-virus program to top the list. So, I can’t even check to see what’s wrong. Grr.

Well…, what is camp mode, you might ask? It is what I call my vacation before my vacation. Thanks to YouTube, I enjoy such videos as a daylight view of a rippling lake, a cozy campfire, and rain and thunder. It’s just enough to put me in the frame of mind to where if I close my eyes, I can picture myself at Bear Spring Camps.

My favorite real-life escape is to choose the campfire and listen to crickets, other insects, the fire, and my favorite, the occasional loon call. The loon is my favorite bird, and Great Pond has lots of them. I enjoy sitting on the porch in the evening, watching the lake and listening for loons.

Through videos, I can actually recreate 75% of the camp experience. Of course, I can’t recreate the people, and it’s the people who really make the place special. August 3^rd, I shall be there…, and I can’t wait!

Until Wednesday morning, when Rebecca is back with us, have a great day, love everybody, and as always, happy reading.

 

An abbreviated Sunday entry

Greetings, readers. It is late afternoon on Sunday, and as usual, I’ve not gotten a whole lot accomplished. I have also not felt well this weekend, making it doubly tough to get motivated to do anything. So. Here’s the plan.

With both my computer and I under the weather, I’m tying…, yes, typing this entry. I can’t even get my speech recognition program to run. So, tomorrow morning I am going to dictate or type an entry dealing with how I am already in what I call ‘camp mode’. I’ve been enjoying it very much.

I hope everyone is well, and I provide much more entertainment tomorrow. This entry might even be taken down, once the new one is up. Until then, take care, have a great evening, and happy reading.

 

Is this the end of the road?

Greetings, readers. Yesterday something odd happened to me as I was sitting at the computer trying to work on a writing project. First, it was the constant banging from the construction site. Next, Josie wanted out of her cage, and would not stop scratching for love or money. Then I had problems with the computer. Just when I got everything quieted down and was ready to do some good work, the maintenance lady turned on the vacuum cleaner in the outer hallway. Something inside me snapped.

I literally said out loud, “I can’t do this anymore,” and I closed the lid of the computer. At that moment, I did not want to be a writer any longer. Between minuscule book sales, the fact that my writing tool belt is missing a few skills, and a gazillion distractions, this blog entry was almost about to be our last. Then came the morning.

With a new day, came a brighter outlook, and I’ve decided not to close up shop. My parents did not raise a quitter. I might have tons of setbacks, but I push through.

Now that my lament is over, on Sunday, June 16th, I’m going to be a greeter at my new church. This is something I’ve never done before … even at my old church. Smith said that she will stand with me and that will be nice. I’m going to have to ask someone in charge when I can leave my post and walk in to the sanctuary to go to the service. That church just feels right to me. I am very happy I made the switch.

Lastly, with my newly acquired digital camera, I am finding myself walking outside every day that it is sunny to take pictures of such things as flowers, green trees, and even the high school football team’s field near the park. I am a photography buff, who knew? That camera, although I am not certain, must have a feature that counteracts a shaky hand. I’ve not taken a blurry picture yet and I am nearing 60 photos. I would like to get those pictures off my camera and on my computer but the proper cord is alluding me. I think a trip to Best Buy with camera in hand is in order.

I will put up a blog entry either Saturday evening or late Sunday. I have a hectic weekend scheduled but I will try very hard to put up something for you to enjoy.

Until then, take care, have a great few days, stay safe, and happy reading.

I think I have an eating disorder

Greetings, readers. Over the last several weeks I have found myself indulging in snacks and cereal. You may ask, what’s wrong with that? Well, a normal person might enjoy a bowl of cereal; perhaps two. Recently, I will grab a box of cereal, turn on YouTube, and eat the entire box one bowl at a time. I think to myself, “You really should stop this. You’ve had enough.” But I just keep eating. This is not good.

Sometimes when I binge watched my favorite videos, or favorite TV shows on Netflix, I can put away a bag of chips or popcorn with no problem. Like I said, now I’ve graduated to family size boxes of cereal. When I am finished, I feel like a pig, the blood drains down to help with digestion, and I want to fall asleep… for hours. Luckily, I have a therapist who can help me with this problem. I shall see her in two weeks.

Not only am I gaining weight, but I am spending way too much money. The stores in downtown State College are not your usual grocery stores, so prices are higher. I like to shop downtown because it is close to where I live. If I can walk to it, I’m a happy camper. There is a Target store close by, and I do shop there often. They have a nice selection of fruit, veggies, and healthy snacks. I must learn to make a list of the good things, not the junk, and purchase wisely.

My weight is up to 206 pounds; about 8 pounds more than I want it to be. Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, I’m going to walk around the neighborhood, take some good pictures with my new digital camera, and get some exercise. Maybe I won’t even need my walker anymore. Wouldn’t that be great?

I am going to conclude this blog for today. I just looked out my window and saw some dark, threatening clouds. We have had bad thunderstorms in our area the last few days. There is a storm predicted for this afternoon. If that happens, work will have to be over so that I can turn off both the computer and the router. Until Wednesday, I wish you a pleasant rest of your weekend, stay safe if you’re in a bad weather area, pray for all who need it, and as always, happy reading. 😊