Odds and Ends, 10/15/09

Tomorrow is the birthday of C.F. (Fred) Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame. He will be 66 years young and I hope that he will find tomorrow to be a very special day. I'm in occasional email contact with him and it's an honor that I can claim to know him. He was always a class act; very nice to the fans and very down to earth. I probably ought to invite him to read this blog. I'd also like to invite him to stop by my house here in Tucson so that I could fire up the BBQ and fix him the meanest ribs he's ever had in his life.

Happy birthday, Fred! Thank you for the feeling!

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Remember that power line noise that I was complaining about two nights ago? It's gone. I turned on my Grundig after posting it, and it's gone! I checked yesterday and today and it's still gone!

Does a problem really correct itself just like that? Did I make it go away by complaining about it here?

I guess I could test that by complaining that I never win big in the lottery.

Somehow, I don't think that problem would go away if I did make such a complaint.

Of course, the problem really is is that I don't play the lottery in the first place.

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Trivia time: which is the largest U.S. city that is not served by an interstate highway?

Answer: Fresno, California.

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I am pleased to report that I am now down 25 pounds from where I was when the year started. It was mainly due to some medical advice. I began a low-carb diet in mid June and I cut out all the sweets (save for the occasional dish of fat free ice cream). I also did a lot of "power walking", though there hasn't been time for that as of late. I really need to make some time for that, especially since we've got cooler temps in the evenings.

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I've been researching handheld police scanners in addition to shortwave radios. I'm not sure that I listen enough to the desktop scanner that I have now to justify the purchase of a handheld, but with the handheld I could have it with me in the garage or on the back patio.

I can't really say that I'm a police buff. I bought the scanner that I now have when I learned that the government was going to ban some certain types of scanners. That had the effect of making me want to own one, thus I felt the need to get one of those while I still could. And even though I've had it all these years, I haven't spent a lot of time listening to it.

Funny thing though, is that I always liked the "cop" shows when I was growing up. I can have the real deal here in my own home, and I'll admit that I've turned it on when I've heard sirens in the neighborhood so that I could find out what was going on.

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I don't presume that I'll be posting from Portland, but I figure I'll be showing Ken & Gillian this blog. I haven't really emailed everyone to tell them about it. It is for right now, a means to entertain myself.

I'm thinking of posting some photos and some scans of collectibles.......maybe incorporating something of a scrapbook, or a show and tell.

If it sounds like I'm making this up as I go along, I guess it's because I am.

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Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat (you knew this was coming, didn't you?)