i never liked summer
This year in particular has been one of the worst summers I've ever dealt with, heat wise. Is it the worst ever? I'm honestly not sure, because I've experienced some brutal ones over the years.
What I did was think back to when I was a kid, wondering if summers then were any better decades ago. Surely, they must have been.
Nope.
The #1 thing my kid self liked about summer was not having to go to school. Does that mean I went outside all the time? No. My family had a pool, and yeah, that was nice, but I didn't swim in it every day. Also, it was always better to go swimming at dusk or night, which made nasty hot summer evenings much better. I'll talk more about that in a minute.
While I did get outside a lot as a kid, I wasn't out there all that much in the day during summer aside from the pool stuff. Too hot to ride my bike. Too hot to go tromping through the woods. Too hot to do damned near anything.
So what did I do to pass the time? If it was just a typical summer day at the house, I stayed inside, played video games, and watched gobs and gobs of television. For games, it was either Atari 2600 or the Commodore 64, then later Nintendo when that came out. I would play the same games over and over again until I got bored with them. After that, watch TV. Usually PBS, because we didn't have cable, mom insisted on nothing but educational programming during the day, and we lived in an area where the cool UHF channels that had the awesome cartoons were barely in range. Oh, believe me, I tried to watch those cool cartoons and did everything I could think of to make those UHF stations come in better, but no such luck. The best I could get was a semi-snowy picture for that one station that broadcast Transformers. I watched what I could until the picture would fuzz out too much to figure out what was going on.
You'd think that growing up in the northeast would mean summers that were easier to deal with. No. Wrong. Very wrong. The only advantage to a northeast summer compared to other parts of the United States is that it's shorter, and not by all that much.
Also, that very old, very tired saying of "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" actually isn't bullshit. Northeast summer nights means two things. Hot, sticky air and mosquitoes. Tons and tons of mosquitoes.
Dad at one point had installed a large bug zapper. He decided to install it on a tree in the front yard and hang it off a large branch, which in all honesty was the best place he could have put it. Big ol' tall thing with two tubes that glowed purple, which to me looked magical.
That bug zapper was run every summer night for years, and was actually a source of entertainment. On a summer night, yeah, the air was still hot and sticky, but you could actually go sit outside since all those damned mosquitoes would go straight for the zapper instead of us. Watching the zapper was entertaining. Every time a bug hit it, said bug met its doom. A little spark of light with a *bzzt!*, dead. Every few seconds, here a little bzzt!, there a little bzzt! It was all a bit therapeutic in a way.
The most entertaining thing about the zapper was something that happened a few times a week when a moth would hit it.
In the way the zapper was made from the factory, it had metal fencing on all four sides, which serves three main purposes. First, to actually hold the thing together. Second, to prevent animals like birds and squirrels getting in there. Third, to prevent larger bugs from hitting it.
But even with that fencing there, a smaller moth would sometimes wriggle its way through it, hit the tube and bzzZzZzZzZZZZzzZZzzzz along with sparking/arcing and so on. Looked like one of those fourth-of-July sparkler things sorta/kinda. That dumbass moth would ride the lightning for so long that it literally started smoking until it finally fell to the tray below. I'd hear the sound from inside the house and go out the front door to actually watch this. If dad was nearby, he'd come out to watch it also. After that bug finally fell, yep, dumbass moth is dead, show's over, time to go back in the house.
I do remember a few hell-hot northeast summers from my teens. One that sticks out in particular is when I left a tape of ZZ Top's Eliminator on the dashboard of my first car - which by the way did not have air conditioning. Got home the previous night, parked, I had been flipping in/out tapes in my car stereo, put the ZZ Top tape on the dashboard and didn't think about it. The next day I go to the car some time in the afternoon, and that tape got cooked so bad that the plastic warped. Totally ruined. Bummed me out, because I liked that tape, but oh well, lesson learned.
Another thing I remember is seeing radiating heat coming from the pavement while driving around. Specifically, when driving slow in parking lots, and when stopped at stop signs or traffic lights. I always got uneasy feelings whenever seeing that, as in, "This can't be good for my car... or me." I still get those feelings whenever I see that radiating heat.
And I remember that if a quick rainstorm passed through on a hell-hot day, that water would be literally steaming off the asphalt. Again, I'm still talking about in the northeast here.
The only true difference I've experienced when comparing northern vs. southern US summers is the length. In the northeast, hell-hot garbage was usually gone by early to mid September. Again, usually, but not always. In the south, add a few weeks. October is usually when the hell-hot crap stops.
In addition, for whatever temperature is considered comfortable in the north, add 10 degrees for the south. 72F to 75F is the just-right outdoor temperature for the northeast. 82F to 85F is just-right for where I've lived in the south. For example, 72F pretty much anywhere in New England is great, but that same temperature legitimately feels cold in Florida. And yes, that means 82F feels perfect in FL but crappy in New England.
And speaking of perfect when it comes to weather, New England gets only six weeks of that, or maybe eight if they're lucky. It's either mid-September and all of October, or for better years, mid-September to mid-November. In Texas, twice a year the weather is great. October to mid-December, then March to mid-May. Florida has the lion's share of fantastic weather. December all the way through to May. Six straight months. Hurricane season ends around mid-September, but the hot shit still takes a bit to shake off. After Christmas and all the way to Cinco de Mayo (more or less), glorious.
Speaking on Texas a little more, yeah those two perfect-weather periods depends what part you're in because it is a huge state. Corpus Christi for example is very Florida-like because it's aligned almost exactly on the same latitude with Tampa Bay Florida. But generally speaking, anywhere in the "Texas Triangle" (Dallas-Ft Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston) has October to mid-December and March to mid-May as the best weather times. You get six to seven months of great weather in TX, but it's split.
And speaking on Florida a little more, does that mean mid-May to December weather sucks? Yes and no. Yes, in that for summer in particular, in Tampa Bay there's that thing where a torrential half-hour rainstorm happens almost every day, typically with lightning and a lot of it. And if there's any threat of hurricane, it will most likely happen during that time. But at least with that daily storm crap you can literally see it coming while driving on the highway. If up ahead you see a gray blur, that's a wall of rain. Slow down a lot and just power through it, or find a bridge and park underneath until it passes by (which motorcyclists and convertible owners do routinely).
When I do become a millionaire, because, y'know, I have goals, would I hop around the country only staying in places where the weather is perfect? No, because that means I'd have to own or rent multiple properties, and possibly have to manage multiple cars with multiple registrations for insurance, tags and whatnot. I don't want to juggle that mess.
It's better to know now that I never liked summer. Didn't like it when I was a kid, and have never truly enjoyed it at any time in my adult life. It's hot, it sucks, and I'm always glad when it's over. Do I hate summer? No. But I do hold some hatred for winter, and I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Not a lot. Just some.
Regardless of where I am, summer is very unlikely ever to be a thing where I think, "Oh, joy! It's summer!" That's not happening. And hopping around the country would be a fool's errand trying to escape summer heat, because it sucks everywhere.
As a kid, I spent most of the summer inside. As an adult, same, but I can go out more since I can drive at night (driving with the windows rolled down and feeling only wind with no A/C running is nice).
There are a few memories I have of actually having fun, as in real fun, during summer as a kid in the northeast. Many of them revolve around amusement parks. One of them was Rocky Point. Others were Aquaboggan in Maine and Water Country in New Hampshire (both of which are still running today). I even did Riverside back in the day, which is now Six Flags New England. Aside from that, dad took me to see races at Thompson Speedway and the fireworks shows local towns would put on for the Fourth of July. So yes, I did have some actual good summer times in the past.
These days, being my middle aged self knows all too well that summer heat sucks no matter where I am, I plan for it.
If Thing is an event I can drive to and enjoy without too much hassle at night, okay, good. If Thing is something I drive to during the day, can I park the car in shade or in a parking garage? If yes, okay, good. If no, I make sure to have my sunshade ready.
I even plan for sucky summer heat for normal errand running. Attention is given to whether I can do Thing during day or night, the routes I'm going to take, what traffic I may encounter, whether where I'm going has parking OUT of the sun or not, and so on.
For parking specifically, if Thing is something that for whatever reason is done during a hell-hot summer afternoon, I will purposely park in shade even if that means an extra minute or two of walking is required across the parking lot to get to the building. It is absolutely and totally worth it to sweat a little on that walk so I don't have to deal with that stupid shade. Yeah, I'm glad to have the shade, but if I can avoid using it, I will, every time.
I've lived in enough places to understand there is nowhere in the United States that has 100% perfect weather year round. But I have learned to pay attention to sunrise and sunset times.
In order, this is how light works over the course of a day:
Night, Astrological Twilight, Nautical Twilight, Civil Twilight, Daylight, Civil Twilight, Nautical Twilight, Astrological Twilight, back to Night.
Civil Twilight is by far the best time of the day during summer. It is the time of the day where daylight is visible but the sun cannot be seen. In other words, it's visible daylight before sunrise, and visible daylight after sunset. Not exactly dawn and dusk, but very close to it.
Both of these periods are about a half-hour each. Even on the nastiest hottest summer days, the weather usually feels pretty nice during those times. It is especially good when driving on a Sunday. And if near the ocean, the beginning or tail end (depending on time of day) of nautical twilight is visible to add in another 15 minutes or so.
These are times of the day when not only does summer weather feel nice (usually), but there is also the least eye strain just looking around at things outside.
Pity that these times of the day are so short, but hey, it is something to look forward to every day, so there's that.
The sunrise/sunset stuff was important to recognize because I can enjoy it anywhere during summer no matter where I am. No need to take a big vacation or anything like that. Just pick where you are, set an alarm on your watch or phone for when civil twilight begins and enjoy the half-hour when it comes.
I know I do.
casio w221h, one month later
A little over a month ago, I bought a W221H, still have it, and it's still on my wrist.
It's interesting what has happened in the month's time that I've owned it.
The price online for one of these has thankfully dropped significantly, but only for the white one. The black version is definitely more popular.
I've bounced back and forth between the W221H, WS1600H and W735H. The WS1600H has the best date display, no question. The W735H has the best night light, also with no question. But the huge time display on the W221H... wow.
It's not that I can't read the time on the other two watches, as I totally can. But the time digits on the W221H absolutely dwarf those on almost any other Casio digital model. Yes, almost. More on that in a moment.
With the W735H for example, the time digits are literally half the size of the digits on the W221H. And bear in mind the W735H is physically larger than the W221H is.
Using an analog comparison, this is like comparing a Seiko Presage to a Seiko Prospex PADI. Both tell the time just fine, but the PADI with its thick hands and the hour hand being an arrow (on most PADI models) will always be more legible.
The W221H is the only Casio digital with huge time digits in a smaller case. Otherwise, you have to go with one of two physically large models, AE1500 or AE1600.
I'm aware of the AE1700 also, but that one is just weird. A digital with a timer bezel? Makes no sense. But the time digits are huge.
I did own the AE1500 briefly, but didn't care for that model and returned it, and I know why. I forgot that I prefer square or rectangle with digital. Momentary brain fart there.
Yes, this means I may pick up the AE1600 at some point. While very blocky looking, so is the W221H, and I like that just fine.
The only functional complaint I have about the W221H is that it loses 1 to 2 seconds a week, which for a quartz digital isn't bad at all.
why does new york have a paywall around half of new england?
Given I'm a navigation nerd, I sometimes do map study. One thing that's amazing to me is how the entire southern half of New England, that being Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, is literally paywalled by New York.
How?
The Hudson River, that's how.
To get into Connecticut or Massachusetts from New York, you have to cross over a Hudson River bridge. This lumps in Rhode Island as well, since that's directly adjacent to the east of Connecticut.
I was experimenting with route calculations on my Garmin DriveSmart 76, and notice that on a route coming up into New England from the southwest, a toll road was used even though I specifically instructed the DriveSmart to avoid toll roads. The toll road in question was the Bear Mountain Bridge.
Error on the part of the DriveSmart? No. The DriveSmart will sometimes use a toll road if the alternative toll-free route is something so out of the way and adds so much time that it won't offer it. Fair enough.
This of course led me down a rabbit hole trying to figure out if there was any way to get into CT or MA from NY without paying a NY toll.
Nope.
Here are the bridges from south to north that "ride alongside" New England. Most of these have tolls for eastbound traffic only, which of course is the required direction to get to Connecticut or Massachusetts.
- Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge a.k.a. Tappan Zee Bridge, toll.
- Bear Mountain Bridge, toll.
- Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, toll.
- Mid-Hudson Bridge, toll.
- Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, toll.
- Rip Van Winkle Bridge, toll.
- Castleton Bridge, toll.
It is not until the Dunn Memorial Bridge where you finally get to something that's toll-free.
Where are you in relation to New England at that point? You're in Albany NY, which is due west of frickin' Adams Massachusetts at the extreme northwest corner of that state. Adams is where Mount Greylock is. Holy crap.
This means you have to go into Massachusetts using slow roads until you pick up I-91, then head south through basically the entire north-south length of MA, and then you're finally in Connecticut, starting in Enfield. Again, holy crap.
Yeah, it's no wonder the Garmin didn't offer that route as an alternative to taking Bear Mountain Bridge. Were you to look at the route on a map, the toll-free way more or less results in this giant horseshoe where you have to go north to go south just to get around New York Hudson River bridge toll roads.
New England is a giant spaghetti tangled mess of roads in cities and pretty much anywhere off-interstate. A ton of those roads used to originally be horse trails many moons ago, after all. And if you want the free way to New England, you have to deal with that mess. You're going to have to take one of those achingly slow twisty turny roads until you finally get to I-91. No way around it.
Ridiculous.
the coffee water conditioning experiment
I do not know if this qualifies me as a coffee snob or not, but I do grind my own beans and use a very specific amount of water to brew a mug's worth with. The coffee I use is not any highfalutin stuff by any means. All I use is Community whole bean Breakfast Blend. The coffee maker I use is a cheap drip coffee maker thing from Walmart. I don't even know who made the coffee maker as it has no branding on it. Very not-fancy.
Over the years I've learned the water used matters a lot. Never use distilled water because that causes the coffee grounds to swell, and results in nearly tasteless coffee. Bad idea.
Professional coffee brewers use conditioned water, which is a fancy way of saying water with a specific amount of mineral content in it.
The cheap way to get water like this is to either:
- Buy a gallon jug labeled "Spring Water" at the grocery store.
- Use tap water.
- Boil tap water for 10 minutes first, then brew.
- Filter tap water first, then brew.
I decided to try an experiment with the last option, filtering, just to see what would happen.
What I did was throw a filter in the coffee maker, then ran tap water through it into the carafe.
After that, I put coffee grounds in the filter, then used the same water and ran it through the coffee maker again. Doing this is effectively using double-filtered water.
The end result?
The coffee tasted a little bit darker, and the aftertaste notably improved.
Aftertaste is a big deal with coffee, as it should have some bitterness to it. Not a whack-you-over-the-head bitterness. Just a nice little note left behind. I definitely got that with double-filtering.
Will I brew coffee this way from now on? Maybe. I'll have to brew a few more mug's worth to see if that improved aftertaste is consistent.
i reset my phone
I can totally understand why some would choose to buy a new phone instead of reset an old one, as the process of setting up a phone after a reset is seriously annoying.
My phone was long overdue for a reset due to all the crap I had installed/uninstalled over time. Yes, there are "cleaner" utility apps, but they all suck. A reset is the only true way to "clean" a phone...
..except not really.
Setting up a phone involves what used to be called decrapifying. When you bought a PC back in the early-to-mid 2000s, the OS was Windows XP. While the OS was fine, whoever made the computer loaded it up with a metric ton of junk software. Useless antivirus "suites", trialware galore, a bunch of garbage plugins in the browser that sometimes just outright hijacked it, and all sorts of other ridiculous trash. It took the better half of a day to get rid of it all.
The phone is the same thing. True, it's a physically smaller computer with different software, but in the end, it's the same metric ton of junk, now in a mobile flavor.
Yes, this means the phone had to be cleaned twice. The reset cleaned out all the residual crap left behind. After reset, the default OS install reinstalled all the stock garbage that had to be deleted manually.
After dealing with that heapin' helpin' of horseshit, the phone was almost ready to use. Now I'm at the point where I can install and configure stuff. First, import the text messages, photos, and videos. After that, install the small set of apps I use, then configure that stuff. And then, finally, hours later, the phone can be used normally.
The reasons I can get away with using an older smartphone are the same reasons I can get away with using older desktop computers. I know how to get rid of the crap that makes it slow, and I purposely use things that are fast.
When I go to launch my camera app, it's near-instant. The time it takes from when the phone goes in my hand to when I take a photo or start recording a video is under 3 seconds. Not an exaggeration. When I search my text messages, search results are literally instant as I'm typing out the search phrase, regardless of message age.
The only thing slightly slower on my phone is the web browser, but I still don't wait too long since I have everything I need as local bookmarks. Browser loads, bookmarks are there, tap what I want, done. At that point it's just the network I wait for while the site is loading. Even then, the wait is minimal there since I only use sites I know load quick on mobile.
I am so not-in-target-market on mobile that it's not even funny
In this order, I use my phone for texting, recording videos, and taking photos. Way down the line after that are a few open source casual games, the browser with some bookmarked sites that get viewed once in a great while, and a backup navigation app that basically never gets used. Also throw in there that I sometimes but rarely use the calculator and alarm clock apps...
...and that's it.
That "doomscrolling" stuff people do? I don't do any of that. That's a train I completely missed, not that I ever wanted to get on it.
The closest thing to doomscrolling I sometimes do is read old forum posts that go back five years or more. I find it interesting to see what people used to yap about years ago and how so much of it is totally irrelevant now. It's especially interesting if the thread is over a decade old, particularly from around the early 2010s. And when I do read stuff like that, it's never on the phone, so... does it count as doomscrolling if you're reading things on a PC and using a computer mouse wheel for the scrolling part? Probably not.
Whatever is marketed to doomscrollers (which counts for a ton of product) is stuff I'll never see, and that's why I'm very not-in-target-market on mobile.
It still works
I have a phone where the model had its launch year in early 2016. Yes, really. That's not when my phone was physically manufactured, but it was made not too far away from that date either.
The mobile OS version is so old that it won't run most modern apps.
I had to recently take a can of compressed air and blow out the headphone jack, speaker grill and microphone holes because of stuff collected in there. This stuff was mostly little bits of fabric from the phone being in my jeans pocket.
Surprisingly, no corrosion on the USB port. However, it's not shiny anymore and definitely tarnished.
I can get about 3 to 4 days of use before the battery needs a charge. More specifically, my type of use. A doomscroller, assuming their apps would even run on my phone, which they wouldn't, would run the battery down in probably 3 hours. Maybe fewer.
The screen has slight burn-in near the top, only seen when solid white color is shown. I can deal with it.
No 5G on my phone. 4GLTE only.
It still works, and I'll continue using this phone as long as I can.