After the tropical downpours of yesterday, this is what the windows at the firehouse look like. Heavy condensation on the outside of Pella double pane insulated windows.
I came on at 06:00 and the outside air is thick and soupy. The A/C is on throughout the station so it is cool and comfy. Ambulance calls won't be bad, but being outside for any length of time or at a fire will suck.
After my post the other day talking about riding The Beast while digging the `70's tunes on my bike's sound system, this just popped into my head this afternoon and I had to hear the whole thing.
An unknown live performance of "No Matter What" by Badfinger. This is the hardest rockin' tune of their hits.
Because I loved their songs and sound in my youth (and still do), some more Badfinger. Another live performance, this one is "Baby Blue"
Next up a song I never realized was theirs. I always thought Harry Nilsson wrote it and performed it first. But it was Badfinger and "Without You." Nilsson's version is so much more mournful and sad. This almost sounds sarcastic and like good riddance to the bitch!
And what I always think of as their biggest hit IMHO, "Day After Day"
Finally, "Come And Get It"
Hope you enjoyed these. Let me know in the comments section.
This post was prompted by the purchase of a new window air conditioner, and an ensuing conversation with my sister-in-law.
Because our home has an open floor plan on the first floor, we are able to keep the first floor cool and comfortable with a single large window unit and a ceiling fan. The original was an 8,000 BTU Frigidaire unit given to me by my cousin that continues to operate in my basement. It was moved down there when we purchased a newer, larger, and more efficient 10,000 BTU LG brand machine in 2009. Well, as most appliances these days don't last as long as older units do, it has crapped out. I am going to open it up and see if it can be easily repaired, otherwise it will be recycled at the town transfer station. There is a controller problem that won't let us shut it off. The fan will shut off but the compressor stays stuck on. We paid $259 for it at Homo Cheapo.
So I went and got a brand new GE 12,000 BTU unit at Homo Cheapo for a whopping list price of $459! Luckily with my military discount, I saved some dough and got out the door for a grand total of $439.33 with tax. It installed easily and fits and weighs the same as the unit it replaced. It doesn't seem to work as hard to cool the first floor and certainly does a good job. So good in fact, that after an initial run I will put it in "ECO Mode" and let it cycle on and off completely. It has a remote for controlling it across the room. It also has Wi-Fi capability which I refuse to enable.
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| Features list on the box. Wi-Fi... HA! |
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| Voice enabled on smart devices? Aw HELL NO!! |
My sister-in-law thinks it would be a great idea to use an app on my phone to be able to turn it on before I get home from work. I say if I can control such things so could a hacker....
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| Wi-Fi capable. "Whites" and "Colors"? That's racist! |
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| That gray cap under the LED on my Genie garage door opener is where the Wi-Fi adapter goes |
She kinda made fun of me for being worried about a nefarious character messing with my air conditioner. How about fucking with my washing machine? Opening my garage doors? Now THAT would be a serious breach of security. While getting hacked is a big concern, here is a bigger one... data collection. I value my privacy and always have and hate the argument I sometimes get about having "nothing to hide." Those people have been totally conditioned to not give a shit about their personal privacy and willingly give up info about themselves to whomever is willing to receive it. I don't need my air conditioner operating habits logged and stored somewhere, or some entity deciding on my comfortable temperature setting and changing it. Nor my laundry cycles, type of clothing washed, and measured water use. How about logging garage door operation when I am coming and going from my home. What about those refrigerators that keep track of your food and make a grocery list for you. Uh oh... you're not eating healthy enough, wonder why those medical insurance premiums have shot up?
Yeah, FUCK 'EM... FUCK 'EM ALL!
If the day comes when appliances (or anything for that matter) comes automatically enabled and configured to use a cellular data network, I will find a way to make that stop working.
Well, I guess a more accurate description would be a eunuch, since I wouldn't be cross-dressing or asking people to use made up stupid pronouns.
I went on an ambulance call yesterday at one of our apartment complexes. When I knocked on the door, the door wasn't latched and swung open a few inches. Much to my surprise, a large pit bull shoved it's head through the opening right at and against my groin. I was not injured, but I used my best Drill Sargent voice and commanded the occupants to "CONTROL YOUR DOG!" They weren't too happy to be yelled at about their supposedly "friendly" dog, as I was axed "Why you gotta be like dat?" as they pulled it backwards into the apartment and closed the door. The person we were there to see opened the door and squeezed out through the opening so the dog wouldn't get out and the rest of the call was a routine transport.
I documented all this in my Patient Care Report, and then had a phone conversation with the Chief so he was aware. We both agreed that if that had been a state trooper that came to the door first, the dog would have gotten a lead pill in the noggin, no ifs, ands, or buts. They should be happy they just got told in a loud voice to control their dog.