Author Archives: alanhs961

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It’s About the Heat

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Just some musings here about heat and hot weather.

I hate the heat. Really. Unlike just about everyone else, I prefer cold to heat. That’s one of the reasons I moved from Southern California (The Los Angeles area, to be exact.) to the Portland, Oregon area just over a decade ago. It seems it’s almost always hot in L.A., at least to me. Of course, places like Phoenix and Las Vegas are much hotter in summer, and the southern states are much more humid, but at least they cool off more in the winter and have a stronger tendency to stay cool during the winter months.

I remember many times when it was in the 80’s or even 90 during the Christmas holidays, and there would be 2 week stretches of 100 degree weather in September and October, when the area’s famous (or infamous!) Santa Ana winds would blow. I often jokingly say that “It’s always 95 degrees in Los Angeles! And even if it’s less than 95 degrees, it’s still 95 degrees in Los Angeles!

To give you an idea of my bias, I distribute fliers door to door throughout the year. When I tell people, one of the first things they ask about is how much winter cold and weather affects me. I always tell them that it’s heat that will slow me down more than anything and that it takes about 5 solid months of winter weather and precipitation before I start to want warmer weather, but it only takes about that first one day, that’s right, one day, at 80 degrees, the first in spring or summer, to make me wish for that winter cold to come right back. We’re talking Portland winter, not L.A. winter, by the way.

Besides, in summer, there’s nothing I can do about the heat, but, in winter, all I have to do if I start to get too hot, is stop, unzip my jacket, and the cold air cools me off just fine.

Though people from back east or the Midwest would find a Portland, Oregon winter very mild, even at its worst, it is significantly colder than an L.A. winter, and 80’s are generally not seen at all from late October through the end of March. And it definitely won’t be 95 degrees on Christmas Day!

Still, Portland can have its heat moments. I’ve experienced a few hot summers here, from time to time, though still not as hot as an L.A. summer.  2009 was the hottest I’ve seen up here, where we had 4 days over 100, including 2 back to back 106 degree days, and about 28 90 degree days. This summer, 2015, we’ve had about 20 90 degree days this year, but so far have not broken the 100 degree mark yet. (And hopefully won’t!)

Summers here, and winters, too, can be variable. We may get hot weather early in a summer, and then the rest of the summer defies conventional wisdom and remains relatively cooler. This happened in 2005. We had a couple of rare 90-plus degree days in May, and then the rest of the summer stayed in the low 80’s for the most part.

Just when it seems at times that summers here are getting warmer, I’m reminded that it could just be that my heat threshold has lowered, when I go down to L.A. in the summer for a couple of weeks to visit relatives, and find the summer heat more intense down there.

I do know that my tolerance for cold has greatly increased.  When I was in high school in the L.A. area, I used to feel really cold outside in my P.E. clothes if it was cloudy and in the mid 50’s! Now, when I go down at Christmas to see my family, the jacket I wear to go to the Portland airport comes off, and usually stays off until I get back to Portland! And it’s not even my heaviest jacket! That jacket is reserved for really cold days accompanied by the Portland area’s famous “east wind”.

So, there’s my take on heat. Do I hate Summer? Only the hot part. I do enjoy the longer days.

So, have a great and cool summer!

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So, How Do I Like My Smart Phone After 6 Months?

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Well, I’ve had my Smart Phone for 6 months now. It’s my first. So, how do I like it, and smart phones in general?

I have to say, so far, so good! And, as a matter of fact, I’ve gotten used to what my phone can do for me now.

First, and probably most important, are the apps that I can get, for free. Yes, there are some you have to pay for, but so far, I haven’t needed those. Most companies that provide apps will provide them for free, since many of them want you to come to them or buy from them. And the free app acts as free advertising for them as well.

Apps are really great, as they can often allow easy access to finding things on the go, and comparing prices. They can also alert you.  If your favorite store is having a sudden sale, and you have their app, you may get an alert from them.

Apps can also help in monitoring information and controlling things from afar. I have an app that allows me to check to see if my burglar alarm is set, and, if it’s not, I can set it from my phone!

I also have an app for locating theaters and checking what movies are available, where they’re playing, and I can even purchase tickets, which would be waiting for me when I get there! It’s also the same with many apps for eating places, including many of your favorites!

And if I don’t know where there is?

I have Google Maps, which can mark the location and tell me how to get there, too! This came standard with my phone, and most smart phones will come with a set of pre-installed apps, such as the Google set on Android phones.

Next, I have internet access. So, I can check up on e-mails and unclutter my inbox without having to wait until I get home! I can also surf the web. And, I can also watch YouTube videos, though these will use up lots of data and memory.

So, am I one of those who is constantly texting or checking my phone? No, I’m not. While you do have to try to avoid the urge to multitask with a smart phone, (Studies show multi-tasking makes one less effective!) I’ve never been a good multitasker and I refuse to bend to the idea that one must be doing everything at once all the time or be connected all the time!

But, if I’m waiting in a doctor’s office or am in some other “waiting situation”, then yes, I may check my e-mail inbox with my phone.

And finally, there are apps for free games, which are pretty good, too. I have Chess and also Checkers apps.

So, while I didn’t feel the need for a smart phone until a possible job situation came up which required one, I’ve seen that they can do a whole lot more than a “regular” cell phone can.

And best of all, you don’t need the latest, top of the line $700 I-phone or Android phone to get these great features! I got my phone, an LG Optimus Zone 2, for only $49! To see how, check out my post, “Again, Before Jumping In, Do Your Research! (Or how I got a $149 phone for just $49!)”.

So, if you’re thinking about a smart phone, you can get them with lots of features, and cheaply, too!

Good luck with your smart phone!

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Stop Smoking Already!

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I just can’t help it! When I see someone smoking, especially here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I live, I just can’t get over it. At least, where I used to live, in Southern California, the air was often smoggy, (However, significant progress in the region’s air quality has been made over the years.) so, in a way, it somehow didn’t seem as bad when I saw someone smoking. But here, in the Pacific Northwest, with its pristine air, it just seems like smokers here are really robbing themselves of some of the best air on the planet!

But in reality, smokers rob themselves regardless of how polluted their local air is. Oh, I know, the rate of smoking has dropped, especially since the 1940’s, when it seemed every adult smoked. (Just watch an old movie from 1960 or earlier!)

But those who continue to smoke are still robbing themselves, and not only health-wise, but financially. And, those of us, like me, who are not smokers, probably know, or have known, at least one person who is. And you may have tried at times to get them to quit.

Unfortunately, the health threat argument often doesn’t scare a smoker into quitting. After all, cancer and heart disease aren’t like bears at the gate presenting an immediate and obvious threat in most cases, and when they do, it is often too late.

But, the financial drag of smoking, not even counting the financial side of the health threat, is significant and shows itself every time a smoker buys more cigarettes! Perhaps this argument can carry more immediate weight with some smokers. So here it is.

Now, a smoker might not think the cost of a single pack is enough to justify quitting.  Recently, I was in a store and was waiting to check out, and I noticed the prices of the cigarettes. The lowest cost pack was $4.70. Again, $4.70 might not seem like that big a deal.  But let’s take a look at an example below, starting with a price breakdown as well as a longer term view.

First, the breakdown. Let’s assume that a smoker smokes only half a pack a day. And buys a pack for only $4.00 even. A pack usually contains 20 cigarettes. That’s 20 cents per cigarette. Cheap? If the smoker smokes just one a day, then it is. But our smoker smokes half a pack, or 10 cigarettes a day. That’s $2 a day.

Now, for the longer term view.

In a week, that’s $14.

In a 30 day month, that’s $60.

In a 365 day year, that’s $730!

Just think of what an extra $730 can get you. In some cases, that could be an extra month’s rent or an extra 1-2 month’s groceries or an extra brake job on the car, or airfare, or a week or more at a hotel, and then some! Surely, you can think of a time in the past year when an extra $730 would have come in handy!

And remember, that’s just smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day! Many smokers smoke more than this, some, a lot more. And some, if not most, cigarettes run more than $4 a pack.

Using the $4-a-pack example above, a full pack-a-day smoker is looking at spending $1,460 yearly!  This amount of money can possibly buy you a pre-owned 1990’s vehicle that is in decent, if well-used, condition, in some cases! Just check out Craigslist for Ford Aerostar vans!

So, to smokers, look at this example to see how much you are spending to …kill yourselves.

And to those who are trying to get a smoker to quit to little or no effect, try this argument. Find out how many cigarettes or packs they smoke daily, and how much they pay per pack. Then, crunch the numbers and show them the results. I think they’ll be stunned.

To smokers, I hope you succeed in quitting! To those trying to get a smoker to quit, I wish you luck and hope that this argument works!

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And thanks for reading!  🙂

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A Fathers’ Day (and Mothers’ Day, too) Message

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I’ve written before on how it is important to keep in touch and, with June 21st being Fathers’ Day, as well as the first day of summer, it’s especially important to stay in touch with your parents.

If they at least tried to be what a parent should be, it is important to keep in touch with them and to remember and contact them always, especially on special days like their birthdays and Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day.

Sure, you may have chafed under their rules in the past and you’ve certainly had your disagreements, as we all have, but chances are, you also had your good times and there have been times when they showed you how much they loved you, warts and all. And as the years pass, if you stop to really think about it, you’ll see they did more for you, in many ways, than you realize.

And, you don’t know how long you’ll have them, and even if they live to be 100 and you are 75, when they pass, it will still feel like it’s too soon.

So, On Father’s Day, call your father! And if he’s no longer with you, then call your mother! And vice versa on Mother’s Day!

You’ll be glad you did.

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Air blowers: A Symbol of Stupidity

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Lots of things can be a symbol of stupidity, but I do have one candidate that stands out for me. It’s the air blower.

Why? Well, I distribute fliers door to door and often run across gardening crews working on someone’s yard. And the crews are often using the usual equipment, including mowers, weed wackers, various pruning shears, brooms, and of course, air blowers.

The weed wackers and mowers are the most constructive, as the grass has to be mowed, weeds need to be cut back or out, and bushes and trees often need pruning. And the brooms are good for cleanup.

Air blowers are also used for cleanup. But what do they really do? They blow dust and debris all over the place, for one.  And some goes into the neighbors’ yards and driveways, and onto their cars, too.

Some people may say, “So what, at least they cleaned my place!”
But guess what happens? The crew that does your neighbor’s yard (And it could be the same crew you hired!) will use air blowers to do their cleanup, and some of that dust and debris that was blown from your yard to theirs, will be returned to you!

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Add to this the noise. Always, I have observed that the air blowers were the loudest of all the equipment that the crew used.  They drown out the gas-powered pruners, the weed wackers, and even the lawn mowers!

So, why are air blowers used? I think it’s just “grown” on gardeners over the years.

It’s simpler and easier than using just brooms, for one.  And gardeners often claim that they cannot work without them!

Well, there have been gardeners as long as humans have had homes, for thousands of years. What did all those gardeners do before air blowers came along?

And, as for ease of cleanup, using a hose would be just as easy, far less dusty, and much cleaner. And the neighbors won’t be complaining about the coating of dust on their just washed cars.

Now, of course in areas where there is drought, such as California, using water is no longer an option for now.

But how about this: A vacuum cleaner. Not a real large truck mounted model, or the ones you use in your house, but one you can push with a large bag and its own motor.

This is not new. When I was in elementary school, before air blowers were used very much, a custodian would push a vacuum cleaner with a very large bag around the play yard every so often. It worked just fine. The vacuum had its own motor and was fully portable, and no louder than an air blower. It used no water and created no dust, nor did it just shuffle debris around that would be shuffled back when another section of the play yard was vacuumed. And it was small enough to be easily carried in a gardener’s truck.

I doubt this solution would be implemented, but, if you know a gardener, or have one working for you, you might give him or her this suggestion.

Maybe you can stop the dust and debris transfer this summer season.

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Don’t Let Time pass You By!

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I was talking to a friend recently, about my upcoming vacation and how I need to have my time off, not only to “get away” but also to see family and friends that I live far from and don’t get a chance to see every day.

I’ve always felt that it’s good to stay in touch, including face to face visits, even if there is great distance involved. But, I’ve known and met many people in my life that had relatives or friends that they haven’t seen in years, often due to the distance and busy lives.

Of course, it is understandable, in today’s fast-paced world, that time is scarce. The problem with this is that, many of us postpone that trip for later, “when I have more time…” which never seems to come. Before you know it, the friendship has faded, or worse, that great friend or relative has died.

I read an article once from a travel writer, who said that he was always postponing visiting his favorite uncle, due to his job. His uncle later died and the writer has regretted not visiting his uncle, for the sake of any job. Jobs come and go, but people cannot be replaced and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

I’ve lost several relatives and friends within the past year, but one thing I don’t regret is my having made time to visit them and to have them visit me.

Last Christmas, I met a relative who’d been out of the family circle for a long time, and I could see, without his telling me, that he most likely felt that he’d missed out on a lot, and regretted it.

So, if you have that wonderful friend or relative that you haven’t seen in a long, long time, don’t postpone that trip! Make time for that visit!

No regrets.

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Hate to Cook After a Long Day? Try This!

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You’ve had a long day at work and now you have to cook dinner and you’re tired. And you don’t want to go out, either. So, what to do?

Maybe try a meal delivery service! I worked for one for a short time last year, delivering meals directly to people’s homes along a route.

Yes, these services do exist, offering different plans for different needs. The company I worked for featured fully cooked dinners. No drinks are included and people sign up and can choose which days they want meals delivered, and can also have special consideration for food allergies and dislikes. The company also provided insulated bags on request. It provided a good service. Other companies will provide drinks or other variations of service.

Of course, there is a charge, and most companies have customers create accounts. And it may not be for everyone, either. But I can see how it can benefit those who have long workdays or just plain hate to cook.

Some may think this is only for senior citizens, but my clients included all types of people, young, old, families, single, and other multiple living arrangements.

So, if you don’t like to cook, or just don’t have the time, you may want to check out a meal delivery service. Bon Appetit!

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Stay Prepared! Keep the Charge and Gas Up!

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A blog post, “It Took an Earthquake to Teach Me Preparedness and Priorities” from The Idea Bucket, regarding the recent earthquake in Nepal, brought something to mind. Namely, the things we often overlook when planning for an emergency.

Two of these are: Keeping your cell phones adequately charged up, and keeping an adequate amount of gas in your car.

I usually charge my phone if the battery level falls below 80 percent by day’s end, barring unusual circumstances, and when I travel; I always bring my chargers with me. And, I have a car charger for the phone, as well as one for my home. And this is a good idea, because you never know when you may need to use your cell phone at an unusual time. See Lesson 4 in “It Took an Earthquake to Teach Me Preparedness and Priorities” from The Idea Bucket.

I also keep my other electronics charged up as well, even though they are less likely to be needed in an emergency, possibly. If they are, I know I’m prepared.

And the car? Yes, I have read once or twice in the past that one should keep at least a quarter tank of gas in the car for emergency purposes. I usually fill up when my car’s gas gauge reaches the quarter tank level as it is. Occasionally, I do go past this, but most of the time, I do fill up at the quarter tank level.  Again, you never know, no matter how remote the possibility, when you may have to evacuate your town or city in the middle of the night due to some disaster and your car is the only ticket out.

So, don’t overlook these items when planning for emergencies. You have planned for emergencies, haven’t you?

Be safe!

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State of the Art is Always Moving

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Here in the Portland area, antiques are a big business, and you can find lots of antique shops and you can also find antiques at flea markets as well. I like looking at antiques to see the things people used, as well as the precursors to many things we have and use today.

One of the things I’m struck by as I get older is, when I’m in an antique shop, I see more and more things that were once “state of the art”.

Last week, I was in an antique shop and saw this orange phone, pictured below, with a clear plastic dial. It was from about the early 1970’s. And I remember when these phones came out, as an upgrade from the phones which had a dial the same color as the phone and looked more antiquated when compared to the “clear plastic” dial phones. They, the clear plastic dial phones, were state of the art of that time and I remember thinking they were forward-looking.

Phone at Portland antique shop. Circa 1971

Phone at Portland antique shop. Circa 1971

Ah, but how time has really marched on. Push button phones came soon after, followed by hand-held phones with a central base. Then the first useable cell phones, like the large black Motorola phones of the early and mid-1990’s, arrived. Then smaller cell phones came out, each new version able to do more and be less bulky, followed by the blackberry and smart phones after that we now have.

(Yes, I know smart phones have gotten larger, but, they have stayed thin and light, and no doubt, one day, maybe sooner than anyone thinks, a smart phone that can have changeable size will be invented!)

And now, the smart watch has come out, though it may be too small to make a big splash just yet, however, with improvements, and technology that we haven’t thought of yet, it still can make a splash later on, even if it doesn’t now.

And the thing is, one day, even these, along with smart flat screen TV’s, tablets, kindles, dual purpose laptops, and the top of the line home theater systems now available,  will all find their way into antique shops, replaced with something we possibly can’t even imagine yet!

Today’s “state of the art” is tomorrow’s antique.

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Why I Now Prefer Pre-Owned (Used) Cars

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I am now a believer in buying used cars. (Yes, I know, the term now is “Pre-Owned”, but I’m still hard-wired to say “Used”!) I bought my first, and current, used car in December, 2012, a 2007 Toyota Corolla, and it’s still going strong.

There are a number of things which I’ve learned that are better buying used, and I do mention cars being among them in my post, “Used vs New: Which is Best to Buy?” Now, here are the reasons why.

First, used cars are cheaper! This is true for most things, as a matter of fact, but cars are special, in that they are often the most or second most expensive item that people buy, and new cars depreciate greatly from the moment you drive one off the showroom floor.

In my case, for my previous car, which I bought new, I paid roughly $20k. I had the car for 7 years before it was totaled. That comes out to about $2,860 “paid” for each year I had the car. And mind you, I was able to pay the entire amount at that time, so I had no car payments to make and thus saved possibly $5k-10k in interest!

I paid $10k out the door for my current used car, which would have also been $20k when new, and have now had it for about 3 years come this December. At that point, that would be roughly $3,333 for each year. By June, 2016, I will be breaking even in comparison to my previous car, in only 3 and half years! When I’ve owned my current car for 7 years, the same amount of time I had my previous car, it will come down to $1,430 “paid” per year!

And another way in which I come out ahead: I paid $10k less for a good car, than what I paid 7 years earlier, despite inflation over that time! In a way, that’s $10k to the good for me!

Next, related to the first, is that you have less of an investment to lose. I’m given to understand that new cars will have the most depreciation within the first two years. So, with a used car two years old or more, it’s possible you’ve got a car that has had most of its depreciation. So if you decide to sell it down the road (pun intended!), you may recover a much larger proportion of the money you spent to buy the car and, in some cases, you may even come out ahead!

Then, used cars tend to be cheaper to insure. When I got each of my new cars previously, my rates always went up. With my current car, they didn’t.

Now, one thing is, you must do some research and also make sure you get any used car you’re thinking of buying, inspected by a trusted mechanic.  If you do, you’re more likely to reap the benefits I’ve just described.

But, even if you test drive a used car you like and are just satisfied that it starts and runs, you may still be saving money even if you do end up going to the repair shop a little more often in the beginning. (Do note, even if you do your due diligence, the used car you buy may need some work.)

Many say that buying a used car is buying someone else’s problem. But, think about this. If you’re paying $300 or more a month for that new car, month after month for 36-72 months, do you think that you’ll be paying that much every month in repairs for the used car you could buy instead at half the price? My bet is that you will not, especially if you do your due diligence when shopping for that cheaper used car. Just something to think about.

Finally, while I don’t plan on any big modifications on my car, I feel that I can modify the car as I please without that feeling of “messing new things up”.

So, these are my primary reasons for preferring used cars, and have made my motoring a lot happier!

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And thanks for reading!  🙂