My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 14, 2018

It is and is GOING to be a mess cleaning up after the flooding in a lot more than coastal cities and beachfront towns in North and South Carolina. I’ve watched the slow moving Florence come ashore on TV early this morning and meander along the shoreline most of Friday (thankfully it was a CAT 1 and now a Tropical Storm).

Although the damage from extreme winds is far less than originally expected, the high storm surge, over 40" of rain in some places and inland river flooding is deadly (first deaths reported).  Hopefully now that it has hit land, the rain amounts will be less (???) and energy hurricanes get from the warm ocean quickly reduce the power this storm packed. I does look like much of the east coast will still feel some of what is left of Florence early next week.

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: carolinas, flooding, florence, hurricane, rain, tropical storm, weather

Posted By RichC on September 14, 2018

In recent years, we’ve grown accustom to DOTcom retail companies delivering on their promises. Thanks to Amazon and their outstanding efficiency and reliable fulfillment and delivery services. Perhaps I’ve forgotten that not all online retailers live up to what we now take for granted?

One expects that when a product is listed on a major retailer’s website and an item is checked out, that eventually you will receive your purchase. In my case my credit card was recorded and delivery date issued, be it slower delivery time than I would have wanted (ordered 9/4 with delivery date of 9/12).

The order was "in process" for a week according to the order tracking page of Jet.com (a Walmart owned company) as of 9/12 — the delivery date, yet no delivery. The next email from Jet was to inform me that my order was canceled … I read this on 9/13 after the delivery date. Huh???  If there was a problem with this order, one would think they could have update me a week prior … or at minimum explain the "canceled order" or give me options? Nope … just a matter of fact subject line "Your Jet order has been canceled." Rude … offensive … very frustrating … and possibly illegal since the item is still available on the Jet.com site with a higher price. (a phone conversation with a "Jethead" wasn’t able to explain either and said "I understand how this can be seen as false advertising.")

Beside lodging a complaint, emailing feedback and including Walmart corporate on the practice … I’ll post my gripe here on my blog. Sort of wish there was consumer watchdog with teeth to be able to go after this kind of chicanery (did I mention the item is still available on their site … at a higher price? Grr!) 

EDIT: Perhaps I have not learned my lesson just yet, but after reaching out to Jet.com by phone, email and Twitter … and the customer service agent via TwitterDM want to make the order right. I was encouraged to place the order again, something I hope I don’t regret. We’ll see how this plays out, but perhaps we all make mistakes (my company included) and deserve a chance to make it right?

Category: Advice, Financial, Shopping, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: $WMT, false advertising, fraud, jet.com, online, Shopping, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on September 13, 2018

We are into the heart of hurricane season and 2018 will likely be one Carolinians remember as both North and South Carolina brace for impact of Hurricane Florence. The powerful hurricane is currently moving towards the coast in a perpendicular fashion and is likely to pick up energy as it nears the warm waters of the Gulf Stream according to trackers. Currently the estimate is for a slower approach sometime Thursday night until Saturday morning.

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Category: Friends, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: carolina, dar jones, florence, georgia, hurricane, mark jones, tropical, weather

Posted By RichC on September 12, 2018

The biggest awaited tech news for most Apple lovers took place yesterday as they introduced their latest Watch Series 4 with "heart monitoring" capabilities and improved everything. From edge to edge larger screens, to a 64-bit processor that is twice as fast at their earlier version. The speaker is louder (common complaint), a walkie-talkie feature, some impressive fall detection and safety mode along with the expected FDA approved ECG and heart monitoring. If you want a watch with "the same one-day battery life" (the only criticism), then plan on spending $399 with GPS only or $499 if you want to add cellular connectivity (meaning you don’t always have to have your iPhone within range).

The big AWAIT was likely the updated Apple iPhones. It will now be offered in three expensive models: they start with the iPhone XR based on the popular 8 at $749, the iPhone Xs starting at $999, a bigger iPhone Xs Max starting at $1099.

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Category: Apple, Cellphone, Health, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apple, Health, iphone, iphone x max, iphone xs, palm, samsung, sph-i500, trump, watch

Posted By RichC on September 12, 2018

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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, buckeyes, drew, family, favorites, football, katelyn, megan, osu, Photos, put in bay, summer, taylor

Posted By RichC on September 11, 2018

“We’re Going to Do Something …”

After a week of total disgust over Nike selecting Colin Kaepernick as their new spokesperson suggesting he "sacrificed everything" when he knelt during the National Anthem and wore socks portraying "police as pigs" … I saw Mike Rowe’s Facebook post and thought his way too polite comment sum things up perfectly for a post on 9/11.

"We’re Going to Do Something."

You’ve been very quiet about the Kaepernick PR disaster at Nike. Any thoughts? – Sam Wilder

Hi Sam. Nike’s free to celebrate whomever they wish, and Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion – kneeling, standing, or lying down. But if I was going to put someone’s face on a billboard – someone who epitomized bravery and sacrifice – I might have gone another way, especially this time of year. I might have gone with this guy – Tom Burnett.

Tom’s last act on earth was one of the most courageous things imaginable. And his last words to his wife, Deena, are among the most inspiring I’ve ever heard. Those exact words are at the top of this page, and the bottom. They were spoken seventeen years ago, under conditions I hope to never experience. I’ll never forget Tom’s last words. I hope you won’t either.

Transcript of Tom’s Last Calls to Deena

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Category: Business, History, Holiday, Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: 9/11, courage, kaepernick, mike rowe, nike, patriot, remember, terro, terrorism, tom burnett

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2018

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Category: Audio, Entertainment, Music | No Comments »
Tags: album, doctor, jackson browne, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, my eyes

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2018

Social networks like Twitter"can" be interesting places for people who have opposing views to debate and exchange views … or they can be just a bunch of haters. BUT … because I participate in the former, I do enjoy the back and forth with people who have good or better thoughts than me … or with people who respect and learn from my point of view. All to often we unfortunately dig in our heels and refuse to entertain another user’s view, even before we know who they are.

Now for the slightly humorous part of an exchange on Twitter … not from me, but from a couple people making observations on President Obama’s fund raising speech on Friday. The exchange goes something like this: Robert J. O’Neill @mchooyah makes a reference to the inability of the Obama administration to recognize and use the words "Radical Islam…" and supporter of Obama comments that [Barack Obama] "He kinda killed Osama Bin Laden, so…"

To most or at least A LOT of readers, it was pretty obvious — check out "The Operator."

Category: History, Humor, Millitary, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: obama, osama bin laden, robert o'neill, twitter, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 8, 2018

Since we are just north of Cincinnati and smack dab in the middle of the heaviest projected leftovers of Gordon, I made sure to finish up the lawn cutting chores before the expected "very heavy rain" this weekend. Hopefully it will just be rain unlike Hurricane Ike a few years back when we lost trees, shingles and a gazebo! I might even prep my bigger 10KW John Deere 330 diesel generator just in case?

Tropical Storm Gordon as it came ashore a couple days ago.

Category: Memories, Misc, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: forecast, generator, gordon, hurricane, ike, john deere, rain, tropical storm, weather

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2018

Of course my reference by including "The Bandit" in a tribute post to the passing of Burt Reynolds has a lot to do with how I remember him; he died after a heart attack on Thursday 9/6/2018 at age 82. The highpoint for me in remembering him was the making of the Smokey and the Bandit "car" movie with Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed during my teenage years. His macho image is what many of us "guys" would have "liked" to have been like … and those who loved the "go-fast" and "be rebellious" movies of our youth. If there was a car we all wanted, it was a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am … black with the special gold trim and awesome decal on the hood (since I knew it was way out of my league, I decided to admired Jim Rockford’s – James Garner – toned down Pontiac Firebird, which was still way out of my league! HA!  I did almost buy a 1968 Firebird tho, until my dad put is foot down or talked me out of it – I’m not really sure?)

Back to the passing of an iconic actor in Hollywood. Instead of his role as a "Bandit," there was a time Burt Reynolds wanted to be a police office like his dad, chief of police in Riviera Beach Florida — just a few mile north of where he eventually had his heart attack and died in Jupiter, Florida (one was north and the other just south of West Palm Beach, FL).

Eventually though, Reynolds went on to college, played football, was injured and was encouraged by his English professor Watson Duncan III, who was a "gifted Shakespeare actor," to tryout for a play he was was producing.

Reynolds stayed with theatre after receiving a scholarship to go to the Hyde Playhouse in New York. There he made connections with high profile actors current and future, retained and agent and almost gave up and moved back to Florida because he was working a variety of jobs just to support himself.

Burt Reynold’s break came as television exploded onto the scene in the late 1950 and early 1960s. He became a regular on popular series shows like Riverboat and Gunsmoke. His list of movies, appearances and awards go on for pages as do his list of Hollywood notable friends. I will still remember him as the Bandit for Smokey and the Bandit … as do most car guys who grew up in my era.

Check out the new Burt Reynolds endorse Trans AM introduced in a YouTube Video below!

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Category: Automotive, Entertainment, Memories, Movies, Obituary, Video | No Comments »
Tags: actor, bandit, burt reynolds, florida, hollywood, obit, Obituary, pontiac, smokey, trans am, youtube