Friday fun

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. I remember a story about a woman who would buy stuff because it was on sale or because she had a coupon. It was all about the lower price not about what she needed.  That is kind of what Christmas is all about.

Buying stuff and sales. Most of what is purchased isn’t needed and much of it isn’t wanted. Christmas isn’t sustainable but capitalist Santa always encourages us to spend, and he is everywhere.

People save up to spend over the holidays or use credit cards to pay for it. Capitalist Santa is a monster. Don’t forget that he created the “scrooge” character to disparage anyone who doesn’t follow his teachings.

This year you can give a gift to the planet. Buy nothing for Christmas as a gift to all life on planet Earth.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Halloween is in a few days and I have been enjoying the decorations. Some of my neighbors have some pretty elaborate displays.

I have some decorations that I have had since the 1990s. A couple of ghosts and bats hanging from the porch ceiling and an old pumpkin that lights up.

To reduce food waste, I don’t use live pumpkins anymore. Pumpkins are edible. They are loaded with vitamins including vitamin A. The seeds inside are edible too. I used to soak them overnight in salt water and then roast them in the oven on a cookie sheet until they were golden brown.

Pumpkins are also compostable. They are scary as food waste.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Technology is a big deal in real estate. The tools that real estate agents use are mostly the same as what everyone else uses except sometimes we get “special” software . . which is usually a dumbed down version of what everyone else uses.

Cars are never called technology even when they have built in bluetooth and GPS and can be set up as wifi hotspots.

I wrote most of this post back in 2006. I have owned a few phones, computers and cameras since then. I no longer use a stand alone GPS for directions. That is built into my car and built into my phone, and both are more accurate and easier to use than the GPS device I had in 2006. I still use a camera but I also take pictures with my phone. In fact I can get by with just my phone.

This was written before the iPad became available. It is defiantly a game changer. Laptop computers have greatly improved over the years. They are lighter and the batteries last longer:

From 2006:

Meet Miles, my GPS system.  Sits on my dashboard and gives me maps and talks me through them. I have blind faith in Miles and his ability to get me to my destination.  Miles will say things like, slight left in .5 miles.  That is why I named him miles. He is so polite when he says “please make a complete U turn when it is safe to do so”,  I think he really cares.  I also talk to Miles, I will say things like, yes I know that is the shortest route but I am going to go the other way because it is rush hour and your route will take us for ever.  I argue with miles but never while I have passengers in my car.

 

Meet Berry, I hope miles isn’t jealous but Berry is probably the team member that I rely on the most.  Berry can’t read so I can safely say that REALTORS are supposed to use Treo phones, not blackberry’s.  I love my blackberry!  I can access the MLS, surf the net, read and answer my email, and even post to my blog using Berry.

Meet Elph, my camera, a canon digital elph.  Again not the recommended camera for a real estate professional, because it does not have a wide angle lens.  I hire a professional photographer to take photos of my listings and provide a virtual tour.  Elph is with me at all times and I have hundreds, maybe even thousands of pictures.  Many of my pictures include my side view mirror because I like to take pictures from my car.

Meet Donna Dell, my laptop computer.  She may be getting on in years but she can still handle most of the tasks I need her for.  Her keyboard is a bit worn out and she has traveled around the country, and even out of the country.  She started having some hot flashes, but is not powerful enough to burst into flames. I dropped her a couple of times, and her case looks a little beat up but she just keeps humming along.  She is great with mail merges, web sites, databases and many other applications.

 

 

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun but it is also October 6, and the first Friday in October.

According to the National Day Calendar, today is:

• National Mad Hatter Day
• National German – American Day
• National Noodle Day
• National Plus Size Appreciation Day
• National Orange Wine Day
• National Coaches Day

As the first Friday in October, it is also:

• World Smile Day
• National Manufacturing Day
• National Body Language Day
• Word College Radio Day

Don’t forget that it is October all month long:

• Cyber Security Awareness Month.
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• Depression Awareness Month
• ADHD Awareness Month
• LGBTQ+ History Month
• National Book Month

There is a lot going on today and many options for social media posts. I am sure I missed a few. Don’t worry if you missed National Son’s or Daughter’s Day. There is always something to celebrate. Make each day count.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. I have seen several forecasts for the coming winter. Some of them indicate that the winter will be warmer than average and others indicate that it will be cooler than normal.  They all seem to agree that there is a strong El Nino, in fact, it is a super El Nino. That could mean more extreme weather. It might in fact be a warmer, colder, drier, wetter winter.

We could experience a polar vortex, or maybe not.

We will know what kind of a winter we will have when it gets here. It is a good idea to be prepared for anything except “average”.

None of the experts are predicting an average winter.