This afternoon, I went with Ben & Coco to eat pho. I put my contacts in before leaving because wearing a mask fogs up glasses and everyone knows how annoying that is. In addition, it was a beautiful, sunny day and I wanted to wear sunglasses and make goofy faces for selfies with Coco wearing her sunglasses. 🙂
Pho is served with sprouts, jalapeños and more — but there was a black spot on one of my jalapeno slices so I picked it off before dropping it into the bowl. I KNEW touching my eyes after touching that green chile pepper would cause pain. I washed my hands before taking out my contacts, but what I didn’t know is that even after that if you touch your eyes it will still burn. Like FIRE it will burn. For 15 long minutes… it will burn. Lesson learned.
And then, a friend parked his new Corvette in my driveway because he was going to the races (the Jackson 100 dirt track race in Brownstown, IN) and didn’t want to take his new car there. Feeling impish, I took a photo of the car in my driveway and sent a text to Perry and to the Peskies. Their responses were as different as night and day and both made me laugh.
This upcoming week may be our last with temps in the 80’s. Looks like fall may very well be on the way and I couldn’t be more excited. Woot!
TIL (Today I Learned): Jalapeños are a fruit and not a vegetable. What? Botanists define berry as a fleshy fruit with many seeds inside. Therefore, Jalapeños, with numerous seeds embedded inside, is also a berry. In fact, all varieties of peppers and bell peppers that have edible seeds inside them are fruits and not vegetables.
Were there always this many stupid people and social media has exposed it? — or —
Access to information (and dis-information) makes people feel smarter than they are, so they feel entitled to voice an opinion like never before? — or —
Both.
What do you think?
People gonna believe what they gonna believe. The “news” is so full of shit you have to pick which version of the same information you align with. I’ve tried to refrain from posting much about COVID on social media and keep my opinions here. I’m no expert, that’s for sure. This site is merely a place for me to record what I’m thinking about (again, NON-EXPERT opinions), what I’ve watched or read, the weather and happenings in my slice of the USA, and photos (mostly of my dogs).
I won’t be sharing this on social media either — my granddaughter, too young for the vaccine, has COVID. I wonder if the school will notify her classmates. She said many kids are already ‘out of school sick.’ Were they (or are they) COVID positive without other student’s parents being notified? And even if notified, how many others have they already exposed?
I wonder if those who think the number of reported COVID cases is inflated are taking into account the millions of rapid over-the-counter test results going uncounted. Heck, those things are flying off shelves of Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and other places.
I know I sound like I’m 100 when I say this… but the world is going to Hell. I wonder if things will ever be “normal” (whatever that is) again.
Unlike a bajillion other people, because I’ve been exposed I’m going to quarantine for 5 days and then have a test — even though I’ve been vaccinated. That’s what the doctor recommended. So far, Colette doesn’t have a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing. She’s eating more than normal. And fortunately, the peskies weren’t exposed and my quarantine area has a room with a view…
What you’re about to read is a sad story about how a loyal and long-time customer turned into an angry witch (likely with a B).
But first, a commercial break…
SNOW! My favorite people on the planet braved the treacherous road conditions (please don’t notice the roads had already been cleared) to check on their elderly mother/grandmother (I can’t believe I just called myself elderly — AND, they were only there to pick up groceries I ordered for them). They saved her from a day of total and complete boredom (this part is true).
Back to our story…
I’ve worn a Fitbit product for YEARS. In the past, I purchased a couple of the Fitbit Blaze, at least 3 of their HR2 bands — and as gifts for Christmas 2019, I purchased an Ace (kid’s band), and 3 of their Versa2 smartwatches. After that, I bought an Inspire2.
I’ve talked about wearing my Apple watch on my left arm and my Inspire on my right. I’ve talked about specific functions of the Fitbit that are better than the Apple watch. When Perry bought me a new Versa2 because he loves his, I was thrilled. And now, it won’t sync. It’s a total turd.
After talking to a dude on their support line, they offered up a feedback link as a follow-up email. I clicked and told them about my call and what was wrong with my smartwatch. I also provided the specific steps I have to complete each time I want it to sync (it should stay Bluetooth connected). Fast forward through email exchanges with Fitbit providing steps I had already explained I’d taken, and me typing in big, bold print in multiple emails, “My Versa 2 requires a restart every single time I want to sync,” I finally asked that they close the ticket and just go away. They replied back with more steps that I’d already tried (and had told them I tried) and I asked again that they just go away.
Another commercial break…
At least 5-inches of snowfall hit Seymour, Indiana yesterday with more bad weather on the way.
Back to our feature story…
So far, they’ve not contacted me again. If not to offer a refund, at this point nothing else would be acceptable. I’m done with Fitbit, you guys.
Reading on Reddit, I found that a whole bunch of other people are experiencing the same thing with their Versa2 smartwatches. It’s rumored that (always believe what you read on the Internet) it’s a Google conspiracy! You see, Google’s purchase of Fitbit was finalized and Fitbit has the Amazon Alexa technology in these watches. All I know for sure is I feel bad that Perry bought a gift for me trying to be a nice guy — and all it’s done is piss me off. 🙂
I did find a link to an interesting article in the middle of all this. While it’s primarily about security since Google is fueled by data collection for ads, I learned something I did NOT know. Fitbit’s market share is only 2.4% of the global smartwatch market. Apple holds 51.4% — and even Garmin, Huawei and Samsung have more revenue value of devices shipped than Fitbit.
Last commercial before fade to black…
It’s still snowing in Southern Indiana with more on the way. Ice and snow will likely make travel difficult and the dropping temperatures are also cause for concern.
Veering off the traditional path of offering a ‘today I learned‘ segment, here’s a tip for iPhone users…
Do people always ask you talk louder or complain you’re not coming through “clearly” when you’re on calls using your iPhone? If so, it’s an easy fix. Go to “settings” then “Accessibility” and scroll way down to “Audio/Visual” and click it. Turn OFF “Phone Noise Cancellation.”
Always complaining about Merida and her quirky behavior, I’m even more aggravated at Dharma this morning than I am her. Dharma has this thing about doorways. It’s like she thinks the floor is going to fall out from under her. At times, she gets on her belly to crawl through to rooms or even outside. Other times, she starts slow then does this burst of “get my butt through there QUICK” scrambling that makes so much racket it startles me.
This morning, it started with her pestering me to get out of bed because she just had to go out. Then she expected me to stand with the back door open for 20 minutes (it’s 20 degrees out there) while she mustered the courage to go through! Laying a sweatshirt across the threshold was the key this time — she FINALLY made it. And then, we repeated the process to get from the hallway into the office.
Reading online about why dogs do this and how to ease them through the anxiety and in/out of a door was not helpful. The suggested training/reward regimen (reward her, stand on the other side, etc.) doesn’t apply. Seriously, Dharma’s gone through these same doors since the day she came home.
Pretty sure BOTH my dogs have mental issues.
And finally, I’m thinking about a color theme for whatifitdid.com for 2021. I simply can’t decide.
Like Elvis, Katie has left the building. Now healthy enough to head to her own house, she checked out of ‘Shelley’s Rehab Center‘ yesterday afternoon. I miss her already… but I will say after getting used to being locked down alone for so long before she arrived, things do feel “normal” now that she’s vacated the premises.
Not long after Katie’s departure, Colette arrived with the Squid sisters. I’d never heard of them before, but have since been educated. She loves her plush replicas of Callie and Marie. (Get it? Calamari?) From Nintendo’s Splatoon and Splatoon 2, these girls are totally amazing. Obviously..
Daily new COVID-19 cases (7 day moving average): Indiana-12.3 (up); Jackson Co – 9.7 (up); Florida 49.9 (down but still topping as the worst of the worst); Nevada – 35.2 (down slightly — but testing is delayed BIG time — Tammy still doesn’t have her results yet)
Required masks by Indiana Governor Holcomb goes into effect tomorrow. So much pushback that he removed criminal penalties for non-compliance, but kept fines in place.
The march ended with a speech stating that they are ‘gonna burn this m’fer down’ — also telling cops and white people to clear the way because, “we ain’t gone shoot you, we gone kill you.”
Please note this is happening in a city where the residents are restricted by the mayor and the governor of the state to limit gatherings (including those in your own home) to fewer than 10 people! NAFC traveled across the country to a state that makes all others quarantine for 14-days upon entry. This sounds crazy to me. What say you?
TIL (today I learned): Clint Eastwood was mayor of tiny Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA in the 1980s. He ran because he wanted to lift a ban on public ice cream sales. Make Clint’s day and read more about it here…
