Piper Gets A Taste For Sole Food

In one single day this week, Piper chomped on 4 different sneakers.  Seems to be going through a sole food phase.

Each one, of course, from a different pair.  

One from each of us, including the ones I wear for PT.  They just happened to be my only sneakers/workout shoes.  Ugh.

So, I had to hurriedly order a new pair. Since I still can't bend down and putting on shoes are hard and I can't reach to tie them, I decided to try a slip on pair of sneakers to see if I could get them on and off better.

I figured for  $36, now apparently $39 (talk about quick inflation), it would be worth a shot and they would be here on time for the next PT session.

They actually work, and actually are pretty comfy after you tie them up, they will still slip on yet stay on and fit properly, and are very easy to take off which helps a lot.

Yesterday, she was cruising by Tash's tennis shoes.  Eating those would lead to a very bad result for Piper.

It's a very good thing she's cute.

On Detroit Ruins And Detroiters Wanting Others To Pay For Their Upkeep

Note well that Detroit has not had a Republican Mayor since 1962 - 58 years of one-party Democrat rule has reduced the once-proud city to wrack and ruin.

So of course, people there want others to oay for restoring the ruins that they've allowed to accumulate.

Detroit Metro Times: Dear Amazon, before you bulldoze more than 80 years of Detroit music history, please read this

Both the article and the comments on the book of face are calling on Amazon to keep the bandshell there instead of demolishing it and use it for parking for the Amazon employees that will be working at the Amazon center there.  This would apparently prevent the center from expanding beyond the projected 1,200 workers, as it notes the bandshell area is projected to provide parking for 800 more workers for a total, of 2000 spots.  But of course, the author doesn't worry about that.

The bandshell they are so passionate about has been abandoned, unused, and decaying for years. 

You'll note that neither the authors nor the commenters has stepped up during the entire time it has been abandoned to refurbish it and operate it as a venue.  

Nah, instead they want Amazon to fork over the money to at least preserve it if not restore and keep it in place and then have it used for some purpose yet to be defined.

Since it has been abandoned for over a decade, the bandshell is likely going to require quite a restoration operation. 

Of course the people who did nothing about it all these years will expect Amazon to pay for such.

If kept but not restored,  Amazon would then be looking at t a decaying shell of a building on their property and likely would be ticketed by the city for blight for keeping it there.

Yes the bandshell has some history associated with the various musical acts that have played there over the years, but that's not intrinsically historic to the place itself, and the lack of upkeep by 58 years of Democrat rule has not exactly been kind to the locale. 

Expect activist groups to start protesting to save the bandshell and make Amazon pay for it, as activists love using other people's money for their pet projects. even as they have done nothing to keep it a viable location themselves for years.

Time For Our Next Product Shortage -

Hair Clippers.

Yep, with all the barber shops and hair salons closed it's getting kinda shaggy out there.

Getting kinda shaggy here too for that matter.

Think of millions of people now cut off from their barber/stylist/hair dresser what have you for the past month and a half - and they're all about to bite the bullet and try to do it by themselves at home. This includes myself, which could lead to a series of very unfortunate hair cuts and lots of ball caps being worn in public.

But there's a problem.

Amazon and a lot of other places are right out of hair clippers at the moment with delivery dates that range from June to We Don't Know When.

A Bright Idea - A Pack Of Lights

As days get shorter, dog walking gets colder and people drive even stupider it was time to get a better flashlight for walking the dog and other duties. The cheapy ones I was using were the multi tiny LED type with the 3 AAA battery insert and were only good for letting a car know you're there but not enough to actually see what you're doing. It was free, but still.

So on Black Friday I decided to take a chance and ordered from Amazon the Goldenguy 5 Pack Mini Cree Q5 LED Flashlight Torch 7w 350lm Adjustable Focus Zoomable Light (Black). For the price, which then was $13 and even now is still very good at $18 for a five pack of lights, I figured it would be worth the risk.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received them to find that every single one of them worked.

As an upgrade its impressive - 350 lumen and with a single AA battery its single rectangular Cree LED throws and impressive amount of light. Excellent visibility in the dark, the focussable light can be broadened into a round beam or tightened into the square focused ray of light to really punch through the darkness. The strobe function is pretty good to let cars with their highbeams on blinding you know that you're there and get their attention away from their cell phones.

The case is rather a heavy duty feeling aluminum and has the weapon-light style frame with push button on the rear and an rectangular instep on the tube for holding it in a fist for illumination, or punching with it should such a thing be needed and the bezel has a few sharp points for such a use.

For $2.60 (now $3.60) a light they're practically disposable for what used to cost twenty times that. I've replaced the crappy flashlight in my car, and the dog walking jacket, and now each member of the family also has a bright pocket-sized flashlight with impressive illumination to carry around.

Not a bad deal at all.

Stop The Snowy Downward Slide

Now that the snow is well and truly here, I've been shoveling the Driveway of Doom™ for what feels like everyday now and doing some decent slipping down it while doing so.  This makes for some interesting moments, the funniest when I'm doing a row with the shovel uphill and I reach the point, midway on the driveway where with the incline and slick layer of snow I cannot keep moving forward and start slipping back and it takes a lot of concentration to just stay in one place.  Doing this all winter will suck.

So, I picked up some Stabilicers Traction Cleats  on Amazon and gave them a try, and they arrived yesterday.

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First impressions: Very easy to put on and remove from boots or shoes.  When I went out this morning to shovel the increase in traction was quite measurable and at the point where I was usually struggling to remain standing or make any progress uphill these helped me make it up no problem at all.

While they're not for indoor wear, if you've got a crazy driveway or are concerned about walking in snow and icy conditions they may just do the trick for you. 

We'll see how long they last, but for $12-$17 depending on your size, they're worth it, especially as they both help me clear the driveway quicker and stop me from falling while doing so.

Some Early Black Friday Sales In Footwear

Since money is tight this year, it makes sense to buy needed stuff when it is on sale.

It turns out that on top of their normal discounts, Amazon is running a 25% Off Sale on Footwear

Needing some new boots as my winter boots have become so worn as to be non-functional I went ahead and ordered a pair of Bates Men's GX-8 GTX Insulated Side Zip Boots. Applying the 25% off promo code BFSHOE25 they came out to be about $80 which was much cheaper than anywhere else, and with free returns if they don't fit, it was a no brainer.

The side zips should make them easier to put on when stumbling around in the morning to get up and walk the dog. Considering its snowing and cold today, the boots with their treads and insulation will be welcome when they arrive compared to my old boots with holes, flat soles with no tread left and beaten-down linings.

So if you're looking for some winter boots, hopefully this link will save you a few bucks.

Happiness Is A Package From Amazon

Two great fiction books awaited inside as the sealing tape was sliced from the box:

John Ringo's Under a Graveyard Sky , a Zombie action book starting a new series. It's by Ringo, so you know it's going to be good with a superb scenario and some serious action.

Larry Correia and Mike Kupari's Swords of Exodus. Second in the Dead Six series, if it's as good as the first one, it'll be a keeper and Correia never dissapoints.

All I need now is Col. Tom Kratman's Come and Take Them (already on order) and I'll have the Awesome Autumn Action Reading Trifecta.

Book reviews to follow.

After A Long Wait, Let Loose The Legion

Monster Hunter Legion that is.

After patiently waiting for quite awhile, it finally arrived in the mailbox today:

The Amazon shipping delay was due to a shortage of copies that had this within it:

If you like shooting and well-written science fiction and adventure novels, you really need to buy and read Larry Correia's books.

Blogging may be light as I dig in....

The Kindle Lights a Fire.

We just received our purchased Kindle Fire. We bought it as a gift for Abby's 8th birthday on this upcoming Thursday.

Quick impression: Amazon has a real winner here, it gives an Ipad a run for its money on looks and features.

A more detailed impression:

Right out of the box, the Kindle was easy to get started. There is a manual on the Kindle, but its rarely needed as the device itself is so intuitive to use. You only need to refer to the manual on rare occasions or to get acquainted with the device.

The color screen is excellent, with the awesome readability we've seen on prior Kindles. At 7 inches it is perfectly viewable and the small overall form factor makes this an easy device to carry along.

WiFi works perfectly, as does direct transfer of media such as Abby's favorite songs to the Kindle to get it ready for her big day. The small speakers are quite adequate for nice sound, and there's an earphone jack for the future when we want her to keep the noise to herself.

Web surfing is fast and flawless, and downloading Android apps is done with ease through the Amazon store on the Kindle.

Battery life seems very good, better and longer lasting than on my Droid phone.

It could use a physical "back" or home button to quickly get out of a selection, but the software buttons do come up eventually, or you can flick the power switch.

Amazon's decision to use the universal micro USB connector for both power and data transfer is very helpful. No need to buy yet another cable type to get the Kindle to charge or accept data.

For Droid users, the Kindle Fire is a snap to use and I have no doubt Abby will quickly master it.

At about half the cost of an IPad, the Kindle Fire is going to quickly carve out a market for itself.

For basic surfing, reading, basic document reading and editing, and playing games like Angry Birds it is more than capable.

In addition, my local library supports the Kindle so Abby can download books to read to her heart's content.

Natasha likes it so much she's contemplating getting a Kindle Fire for herself.

In summary, the Kindle Fire exceeds expectations.