It is Saturday evening here in California. Life has been moving a fairly quick pace so I really haven't had much time to write. Life is good. I woke up this morning with a strong sense of being grateful for what I have. Then, I proceeded to fritter the day away. But it was a pleasant day regardless of what I was doing.
I woke up early, took a shower, then spent most of the morning reading. After I talked my book away I went over to the Hickory pit to have breakfast with Tony, then we made a walk-through at Best Buy, and then I took a walk-through at Home Depot. I'm looking for a new set of patio furniture but right now I'm in that phase were what I am doing is just kind of trying to see what is out there.
Oddly enough, so far, the best that I have seen has been at big lots. I'm going to go online here shortly and check for modular patio furniture because I think that's the direction I want to go. I want something that's comfortable to sit on but at the same time I want to be able to lay down and enjoy a quiet evening on the patio. Target has some nice patio rugs and I may get one of those.
After Home Depot I swung by Bob's to drop some books off for Pierre who was there for a game. Then I swung up to Milpitas and met Don for lunch at outback steakhouse. After lunch we took a rambling stroll around the great Mall and then sat drinking Starbucks and people watching.
It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Dinner was a nice little salad with grape tomatoes. The quiet evening, once again, reading. I wrapped it up with a quick call to the parents in South Dakota and then flowed seamlessly into this moment. After this quick entry
I am heading off to bed to read myself to sleep. I missed talking with TR tonight as she had late guests. I end this entry as I and this day in the same condition that I started this morning – grateful. Simply grateful.
Showing posts with label Great Mall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Mall. Show all posts
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
I Speak On A Meteorite
It is almost 7 PM Pacific time. I'm sitting in the living room with the golden sun at my back casting parallel lines on the kitchen wall. It's quite beautiful. I'm writing this entry in Dragon, the commercial voice recognition software. I've been using it for about a year with the Logitech headset and microphone. Periodically while I've been using it the wrong word would drop in. Sometimes not just the wrong word but in entirely strange sentence.
I've also taken to using Siri on the iPhone. Something that happened on the iPhone prompted me to take a different approach to Dragon on the computer. I noticed on the iPhone when I was using the voice-recognition software that it was dependent upon the quality of the Bluetooth that I was using. That led me to wonder if Dragon on the computer was dependent on the quality of the microphone.
The answer is yes. I invested about $40 in a meteorite microphone. It's a small relatively high quality microphone. The difference in Dragon, in Dragon's ability to accurately type what I'm saying, is remarkable. In this entire paragraph Dragon has only made one mistake and that wasn't really a mistake but an antonym. Most voice-recognition software struggles with them and generally takes a best guess based on context. If you have a tendency to write in short sentences, or to talk in clipped phrases, it can often miss them. So if you are using Dragon or a similar voice-recognition software I would highly recommend investing a bit of money in a microphone. Though there is probably an upper limit a good microphone seems to make quite a difference.
Let me fill you in on the rest of the day because it was pretty busy. I slept in a bit then drove up to Fremont to meet Tony for breakfast. Tony had to take his new car into the dealership give vacuum valve replaced. So I met him at his apartment and then followed them over to the Ford dealership there in Fremont. We drop the car off and headed over to the Black Bear diner for breakfast.
After breakfast we wandered Fremont a bit. I don't know Fremont very well so when I do drive up there I like to take the side streets and just kind of see where they go. This gives me a better feel for the city. This is how I learned that Tony gives crap directions. The standard set of directions he gives people to get to his apartment take them about 2 miles out of the way.
Anyway, after a bit of driving we swung over to the Fry's electronics there in Fremont, on Osgood, and just walked about the store that. Were both technical geeks so there are plenty of things we can simply look at and dream about when we are in an electronics store. I picked up some odds and ends there while we killed time. We weren't there very long, maybe 45 min., when the dealership called and told Tony his car was ready.
So, I drove him over, dropped him off and then headed south. I stopped at McCarthy Ranch, at a men's clothing store there and bought some new sport coats at a two-for-one sale. I already had a nice selection of sport coats, but they tended toward business casual, that is black or gray or navy. I wanted to pick up some lighter colored sport coats for a little more casual look. I got some very nice ones and am looking forward to wearing them.
From there I went over to the great Mall and met Don for lunch at outback steakhouse. I've been doing really good with my diet the last two weeks so I treated myself to a steak lunch. It was as good as I imagined it would be.
After lunch Don I took a walk through the great Mall just to stretch our legs. That place is always an amazing zoo. The press of humanity is something to see. From there I headed back over to McCarthy Ranch and stopped the Best Buy and it was at the Best Buy that I bought this new microphone.
After the Best Buy I went up to Baylands Park and took a long walk. It was a beautiful day for it that's for sure. After the park I came home with a stop at the drugstore to pick up some odds and ends for next weekend's trip. Then back to the house and a simple dinner of homemade vegetable barley soup. It was outstanding. I have a fairly good recipe and I'll have to post it here online. Right now I am watching the clock tick off the minutes and I am hoping to talk with TR tonight. They are out to a movie so I'm not sure what time they wrap will wrap up.
I've also taken to using Siri on the iPhone. Something that happened on the iPhone prompted me to take a different approach to Dragon on the computer. I noticed on the iPhone when I was using the voice-recognition software that it was dependent upon the quality of the Bluetooth that I was using. That led me to wonder if Dragon on the computer was dependent on the quality of the microphone.
The answer is yes. I invested about $40 in a meteorite microphone. It's a small relatively high quality microphone. The difference in Dragon, in Dragon's ability to accurately type what I'm saying, is remarkable. In this entire paragraph Dragon has only made one mistake and that wasn't really a mistake but an antonym. Most voice-recognition software struggles with them and generally takes a best guess based on context. If you have a tendency to write in short sentences, or to talk in clipped phrases, it can often miss them. So if you are using Dragon or a similar voice-recognition software I would highly recommend investing a bit of money in a microphone. Though there is probably an upper limit a good microphone seems to make quite a difference.
Let me fill you in on the rest of the day because it was pretty busy. I slept in a bit then drove up to Fremont to meet Tony for breakfast. Tony had to take his new car into the dealership give vacuum valve replaced. So I met him at his apartment and then followed them over to the Ford dealership there in Fremont. We drop the car off and headed over to the Black Bear diner for breakfast.
After breakfast we wandered Fremont a bit. I don't know Fremont very well so when I do drive up there I like to take the side streets and just kind of see where they go. This gives me a better feel for the city. This is how I learned that Tony gives crap directions. The standard set of directions he gives people to get to his apartment take them about 2 miles out of the way.
Anyway, after a bit of driving we swung over to the Fry's electronics there in Fremont, on Osgood, and just walked about the store that. Were both technical geeks so there are plenty of things we can simply look at and dream about when we are in an electronics store. I picked up some odds and ends there while we killed time. We weren't there very long, maybe 45 min., when the dealership called and told Tony his car was ready.
So, I drove him over, dropped him off and then headed south. I stopped at McCarthy Ranch, at a men's clothing store there and bought some new sport coats at a two-for-one sale. I already had a nice selection of sport coats, but they tended toward business casual, that is black or gray or navy. I wanted to pick up some lighter colored sport coats for a little more casual look. I got some very nice ones and am looking forward to wearing them.
From there I went over to the great Mall and met Don for lunch at outback steakhouse. I've been doing really good with my diet the last two weeks so I treated myself to a steak lunch. It was as good as I imagined it would be.
After lunch Don I took a walk through the great Mall just to stretch our legs. That place is always an amazing zoo. The press of humanity is something to see. From there I headed back over to McCarthy Ranch and stopped the Best Buy and it was at the Best Buy that I bought this new microphone.
After the Best Buy I went up to Baylands Park and took a long walk. It was a beautiful day for it that's for sure. After the park I came home with a stop at the drugstore to pick up some odds and ends for next weekend's trip. Then back to the house and a simple dinner of homemade vegetable barley soup. It was outstanding. I have a fairly good recipe and I'll have to post it here online. Right now I am watching the clock tick off the minutes and I am hoping to talk with TR tonight. They are out to a movie so I'm not sure what time they wrap will wrap up.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
What A Piece of Work Is Man
I've been moody the last two days. I suspect work stress and the weather are, in equal parts, involved. Neither Friday or Saturday were productive days. Both of them involved long naps. It may be that is just what I needed to try and recharge my batteries which we partly exhausted by the business travel. I do feel a little better as I slide into the evening here.
I watched the opening ceremonies for the Sochi Olympic Games - very impressive, very beautiful and, for me at least, very moving. The Russian people have a deep and rich history that, if you are a fan of history, you can easily get lost in it. The heights they have achieved and the tragedies they have suffered bear witness to the full sweep of humanity (and inhumanity). I'm already enjoying the games this year. I am not terribly impressed with NBC's coverage, but so far, for the most part, I can ignore the preening.
I didn't do much today. I had breakfast with Bob and Tony, then stopped by Bob's house to visit for a while, then went wandering. I made a short stop at the Barnes & Noble on Stevens Creek and San Tomas Expressway but I was only there for twenty minutes so I didn't pick anything up. There is no way that I can make that kind of decision in a book store in that short of time. There are way too many tempting things!
From there, I headed up to Outback Steakhouse at the Great Mall and had lunch with Don, then took a walk through that vast Temple of Mammon. Afterwards, I came home and laid down and took a longish nap. I didn't really get to sleep, but I did rest and zone for a while. Dinner was a bowl of cream of chicken soup while I watched the last of the Olympic ceremony. Now, I have settled in to watch a couple of episodes of America Unearthed, one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
TR is on travel, so I have missed her, even though she has only be gone for two days. We human beings are amazing things. We contain within us Walt Whitman's multitude, which is pretty amazing. We are creatures of such complexity and yet at the same time we are also creatures of simplicity. What did Shakespeare say..."Oh, what a piece of work is Man...".
I watched the opening ceremonies for the Sochi Olympic Games - very impressive, very beautiful and, for me at least, very moving. The Russian people have a deep and rich history that, if you are a fan of history, you can easily get lost in it. The heights they have achieved and the tragedies they have suffered bear witness to the full sweep of humanity (and inhumanity). I'm already enjoying the games this year. I am not terribly impressed with NBC's coverage, but so far, for the most part, I can ignore the preening.
I didn't do much today. I had breakfast with Bob and Tony, then stopped by Bob's house to visit for a while, then went wandering. I made a short stop at the Barnes & Noble on Stevens Creek and San Tomas Expressway but I was only there for twenty minutes so I didn't pick anything up. There is no way that I can make that kind of decision in a book store in that short of time. There are way too many tempting things!
From there, I headed up to Outback Steakhouse at the Great Mall and had lunch with Don, then took a walk through that vast Temple of Mammon. Afterwards, I came home and laid down and took a longish nap. I didn't really get to sleep, but I did rest and zone for a while. Dinner was a bowl of cream of chicken soup while I watched the last of the Olympic ceremony. Now, I have settled in to watch a couple of episodes of America Unearthed, one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
TR is on travel, so I have missed her, even though she has only be gone for two days. We human beings are amazing things. We contain within us Walt Whitman's multitude, which is pretty amazing. We are creatures of such complexity and yet at the same time we are also creatures of simplicity. What did Shakespeare say..."Oh, what a piece of work is Man...".
Thursday, December 26, 2013
The Day After Christmas
I closed out the day with a great little conversation with TR. It was an excellent capstone on an otherwise beautiful day. I started the day by sleeping late - I slept until 7:30 AM, which, for me, is late. There was no particular reason for it, other than, well, it felt like the right thing. I may have to do it again tomorrow.
After I woke up I had a bowl of cereal, a cup of coffee, some wheat toast with jam and I eased into the day with the continuation of my Castle Christmas. I alternated between watching items off the DVR and cleaning the house. I met Don for lunch at Outback at 12:30, up at the Great Mall, then spent an hour or so walking around the Temple of Mammon and people watching.
From there, I wandered home, stopping for a long walk at the San Tomas Aquino Park, then winding my way home. Here at home, I took a short nap, then settled in to watch some more DVR, including a couple of Christmas specials. It was right in here that I have that great conversation with TR. Which brings me right into this moment, here, now - where I am going to watch a little more DVR and then call it a night.
After I woke up I had a bowl of cereal, a cup of coffee, some wheat toast with jam and I eased into the day with the continuation of my Castle Christmas. I alternated between watching items off the DVR and cleaning the house. I met Don for lunch at Outback at 12:30, up at the Great Mall, then spent an hour or so walking around the Temple of Mammon and people watching.
From there, I wandered home, stopping for a long walk at the San Tomas Aquino Park, then winding my way home. Here at home, I took a short nap, then settled in to watch some more DVR, including a couple of Christmas specials. It was right in here that I have that great conversation with TR. Which brings me right into this moment, here, now - where I am going to watch a little more DVR and then call it a night.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
A Good Day, With Circles
I coasted through the day today. I started by sleeping a bit late for me, almost seven p.m., and then moving leisurely into the morning with a long hot shower. Breakfast at the Hickory Pit with Tyrone, then I swung back home briefly, not long enough to do anything, but long enough to put my feet up for a while.
From there I drove up to the Great Mall and met Don to see "Promised Land", the new Matt Damon movie. It was...beautiful fluff. I think there was potential there - good actors, good director (Gus Van Sant) and a potentially interesting subject, fracking. But, it wasn't really a coherent story with characters that you could invest in. It was more a collection of scenes acted by good actors, but with cookie cutter motives. After we came out of the movie we stopped at Outback to have lunch (mmm, Alice Springs Chicken) and I realized I had seen the movie before - only done much better. It you want to make the comparison then I recommend you catch one of my favorite movies - "Local Hero". Corporate outsider comes to quaint village to secure leases/easement for the evil corporation to build a facility that will destroy the village and it's quaint way of life. Except "Local Hero" has far more interesting characters and a better story.
After lunch, I took two laps of the Great Mall (it's a mile around on the inside), weaving in and out of the crowd and people watching and talking with Don. From there, I drifted homeward and stopped at Office Depot on Stevens Creek to get a new desk for the kitchen and to check out what they had on sale for monitors. I lucked out and got both a desk and a monitor on sale. The monitor was the display monitor, but it is pretty nice and in good shape and the price made it irresistible. The desk is exactly what I was looking for - a small to mid-sized desk for use in the kitchen. When I first moved into this apartment years ago, this is where I had the computer desk sitting, in the kitchen and over the years it has migrated to a variety of other places. Right now, the spare bedroom is set up as a home office and I wanted the extra desk out here for incidental use, or for when I wanted to move about the house and get a different light.
The desk assembly went pretty smoothly - there was one corner anchor on the actual desktop itself where the plastic insert was damaged, so ultimately I finished the desk without anchoring that corner down. There are enough other anchor points that the desk is very stable anyway. But, tomorrow, I may stop at OSH and see what they have that would allow me to jury-rig something to fasten that computer down.
It was definitely an interesting day - I got my Mind, Body, and Spirit thing in and I feel pretty centered and balanced. I woke this morning with a phrase from a dream running around inside of me, and I'll share it with you here. "Forgiveness is paramount for Happiness". Seems to be a pretty straightforward bit of dream insight and I can think of more than a few circumstances in my life where it might be relevant. In light of the hour, I think it is time to curl up with my book - "The King of Thorns" and read myself to sleep.
From there I drove up to the Great Mall and met Don to see "Promised Land", the new Matt Damon movie. It was...beautiful fluff. I think there was potential there - good actors, good director (Gus Van Sant) and a potentially interesting subject, fracking. But, it wasn't really a coherent story with characters that you could invest in. It was more a collection of scenes acted by good actors, but with cookie cutter motives. After we came out of the movie we stopped at Outback to have lunch (mmm, Alice Springs Chicken) and I realized I had seen the movie before - only done much better. It you want to make the comparison then I recommend you catch one of my favorite movies - "Local Hero". Corporate outsider comes to quaint village to secure leases/easement for the evil corporation to build a facility that will destroy the village and it's quaint way of life. Except "Local Hero" has far more interesting characters and a better story.
After lunch, I took two laps of the Great Mall (it's a mile around on the inside), weaving in and out of the crowd and people watching and talking with Don. From there, I drifted homeward and stopped at Office Depot on Stevens Creek to get a new desk for the kitchen and to check out what they had on sale for monitors. I lucked out and got both a desk and a monitor on sale. The monitor was the display monitor, but it is pretty nice and in good shape and the price made it irresistible. The desk is exactly what I was looking for - a small to mid-sized desk for use in the kitchen. When I first moved into this apartment years ago, this is where I had the computer desk sitting, in the kitchen and over the years it has migrated to a variety of other places. Right now, the spare bedroom is set up as a home office and I wanted the extra desk out here for incidental use, or for when I wanted to move about the house and get a different light.
The desk assembly went pretty smoothly - there was one corner anchor on the actual desktop itself where the plastic insert was damaged, so ultimately I finished the desk without anchoring that corner down. There are enough other anchor points that the desk is very stable anyway. But, tomorrow, I may stop at OSH and see what they have that would allow me to jury-rig something to fasten that computer down.
It was definitely an interesting day - I got my Mind, Body, and Spirit thing in and I feel pretty centered and balanced. I woke this morning with a phrase from a dream running around inside of me, and I'll share it with you here. "Forgiveness is paramount for Happiness". Seems to be a pretty straightforward bit of dream insight and I can think of more than a few circumstances in my life where it might be relevant. In light of the hour, I think it is time to curl up with my book - "The King of Thorns" and read myself to sleep.
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