Yes I went out....

... and it wasn't too bad.  I got a late start so I missed most of the early door crashers.  In fact I started at Costco which didn't open until 9:00 am.  I was 10 minutes early and there was a line.  I was hoping it was the line to get a Costco Polish dog as I had skipped breakfast but by the time I got over to the snack bar they had already run out and I would have to come back later.

I was able to get the Fitbit for my wife that she wanted and it wasn't too hard to get as most all the stores had it for about the same price.  Spoiler anti-alert, she is already using it.

As I was a late starter most of the crowds were thinned out by the time I got to the other stores so it wasn't too hard to meander around looking to find any overlooked bargains.  I came away with a couple of $9 shirts from JCPennys and a bundle of socks from Walmart and not much else.  Actually, the only other thing to bring home was food for the chickens and a couple of bags of Dove dark chocolates.

I wonder if I have become desensitized to the whole materialism that this season has become.  I don't have the desire to have just for the sake of having, and I don't really need anything.  Sure I like toys almost as much as the next person but logic is in the driving seat and I talk myself out of a lot of things before they become an issue.  I guess I can always go to the store and play the demo games on the X-box for 10 minutes to get my feel if I really need a dose or just sit at home and spend time on the Playstation 2 with games I haven't played in awhile.  I'm good.

And just because there was a metal barrier on the sidewalk in front of the Best Buy to keep the crowds in order, it wasn't needed by the time I got there and from the looks of all the boxes still in the aisles, there was a lot of leftover 'bargains' that shoppers didn't need either.

What I found interesting is that the on-line shopping is becoming more of a thing and it doesn't have to wait for Cyber Monday.  The brick and mortars all have internet stores and most of the specials are there as well.  If you go for that special bargain on-line, chances are you will find it without the hassle of braving the cold, the crowds, the fights, the parking, the...well you get the idea.  But I think there may be a new marketing ploy in play.

There were some items listed on line as being out of stock, which means you couldn't get it on-line for the specials price at that time.  I wonder if this is intentional as a way to get your desire for the special to move you to action and actually visit the physical store in order to pick up the item in person.  That way you are in the store and likely to be tempted to obtain other items as you are there anyway and how could you pass up such tempting bargains as they have waiting in front of you.  I don't know if that is the plan or not but I would not be the least bit surprised if it was done on purpose.

So I went back to Costco for my dog and sat and watched and thought.  I am thinking that this actually might be the last traditional Black Friday sales event year and that next year will be much more on-line driven.  And that the attempt to conjure up time-limited 'this day, weekend, week' only scarcity mind set is over.  In a virtual world, anything is possible and everything is open, 24/7. 

With any luck we can go back to having a Christmas season that doesn't have to start three weeks before Halloween.  With even more luck we can go back to when it was more about the presence than the presents.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Are you going out today?

Black Friday is here.  Does that bring dread or joy?

I have been out there in the past.  I was not always hoping to find that item I had been dreaming about, hoping to be at the front of the line in order to get one of the 'limit of 3 per store' that is promised.  Sometimes I have been lucky and got one of those but no sense setting yourself up for disappointment.

Instead, I decided that it would just be fun to go out and wonder around with the masses of people having no real design, no real plan, just out to get a kick and jolt from the frantic energy that embodies the moment of doors opening and the rush of shoppers looking to score.  Every now and again I would even score a deal myself without expecting one and that is a real score indeed.

If you are in to people watching, what better time or event to participate in than the greatest people show of all.  Of course you wont see every kind of people, there are just way too many kinds to see and in today's world too many people have decided to skip the insanity.  With internet shopping becoming more and more of a usable feature of life, the people that come out to do it in person is a much smaller cross section than times past...truth be told they are the more colorful lot anyway.  But you have to start early because the others that have gotten up before the crack of dawn will be ready to go back to bed and sleep till the crack of noon by 8:30.

So set the wake up timer to start the day at 7, or is it 6, wait did you say some store open at 5?, that means I have to get up and 4 and maybe just run water over my head then hit the street running and...what was that?, some stores are starting Thursday after most have eaten there turkey?  But it is Friday already, did I miss anything?  Is all the good stuff gone already?  If all the people hit the stores yesterday, will there be anything to see or do today?  What about the weirdos?  What do you mean I'm the weirdo?  How am I supposed to have any fun on Black Friday if they already had it Thursday night?  Will there be anyone there to watch?  I should take my selfie stick so I can at least see what I am doing?  That way at least one weirdo watched, mission accomplished.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Thanksgiving Thursday Thanksgiving

With best of intentions I flubbed up again.  I was going to do a Thanksgiving Thursday on each of the Thursdays in November but this is my first entry and as you can see it isn't the first Thursday in November but I at least got one in this year.  You may have seen my attempt to do a Thanksgiving Thursday each and every Thursday on the blog or Facebook or anywhere just to get in the habit of being grateful for the many blessing I have received through my lifetime and to keep myself mindful of the fact that these gifts to be thankful for are not a fluke, not a rarity and not a mistake.  They are truly a gift from God who has blessed me with the people in my life and the experiences I have been able to enjoy.  He has blessed me with wisdom and knowledge from sages past and present if I would but listen.  He has blessed me with opportunities to enrich my life and those around me.  He has blessed me with opportunity to be an instrument in his hands to bless others.

I don't mean to be ungrateful for these gifts and many others.  Its just that sometimes I get forgetful.  The longer the period of forgetfulness the harder life seems to become.  I am one that needs to remember and needs to be ever mindful of the blessings that surround me.

I have heard of others saying that they start the day with gratitude by thinking of three things they are grateful for and then ending the day by review and finding at least three more.  You can see by the number of entries I have made that list of good habits is still a work in progress.  So I will not commit to one a day entries or even every Thursday in November because chances are good that I will forget...again.

But I did remember today...and that's a good thing.

Thank you.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

I found the car I want, a Honda Grace

but just like the Honda NC750X motorcycle I want, you can't get that here.

The motorcycle is everywhere else in the world but the US where it only comes as the NC700X.  An honest bike that would be another step up with the slightly bigger engine.

The Honda Grace on the other hand is the car I have been looking for.  A simple hybrid car with lines that make it look like a sized down Accord.  A simple hybrid car that domes at a simple price, around the 20K range.  A simple hybrid car that can return 80 mpg and still pack the safety features that so many cars seem to need these days.  A simple hybrid car that is currently only sold in Japan.

This is probably sour grapes but I am a big fellow and this is a Japanese car so I probably wouldn't fit so it is all just as well.  Of course this is a Honda and they can do magic with interior space if the Fit is any indication.



As they say, one size does not fit all.  So why is it all must fit one size?

Oh, and China gets the Supirior but that is another story.

I dream on.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

I am ready to give up on Twitter

I know someone that was into Twitter.  He was excited about it and for a period of time was addicted to it.  He found some of the comments humorous and involving.  He enjoyed the commentary on politics from national to local and even used it for his own run for a local office as well as raising awareness for local causes.  This went on for awhile but after a few months his interest waned and I believe he only gets on Twitter infrequently to check out the latest current happenings but not with the same level of passion.

But he did have passion at one time and that passion aroused an interest in me to try it out.  The other factor was all the attention that Donald Trump was getting from his use of twitter.  For all the media reporting about what he had said or didn't say on Twitter it made me curious as to whether he actually did say or didn't say that on Twitter and was it real, fake, sound bites, taken out of context, incomplete or just spin.  I wanted to see for myself.

Twitter sounds straight forward enough and is probably the reason we have #hashtags everywhere.  In fact, that is one reason it took me so long to take an interest in Twitter, you have to learn to read code.  Tweets are limited to 140 characters which should make for some short, lively, thoughtful and concise exchanges between a community of tweeters.  The #hashtags are used to link the tweets by subjects and can be a way to explore topics by searching for your favorites.  You can choose to follow an individual or subject/topic and any new post will fill the news feed on your homepage.  So far so good.

Now for the reality.  Not all of your friends are on Twitter and if they are they were only there for a short time before losing interest and don't post regularly anymore nor are they likely to be monitoring what you have posted because they just don't check anymore.  They do Facebook.  Everybody does Facebook.  Facebook does not have 140 character limits.  Why bother with Twitter when it is all on Facebook.  Hard to argue that.

Twitter had a 'right now' feel about it. In other words, you could get on right now and make comments about, or read comments from others about what they were thinking about some event that was taking place right now and there was a good chance that someone somewhere was also out there witnessing that event right now just waiting to share opinions and comments right now.  If you are in the moment and have a need to share with anyone in the moment but are separated by distance and acquaintance then Twitter may work for you, if not you are probably on Facebook which for many can still be an in the moment tool.

It isn't for lack of trying on Twitters part.  From the moment of signup they have tried to connect me into their world by way of multiple e-mails asking about all my interest as well their willingness to link me with all my friends if I just give them access to my e-mail address books.  Sorry Twitter, my respect for my friends trumps your desire to access their e-mail addresses.  But I did take them up on initial suggestions for subjects/topics and Donald Trump.

Speaking of the Donald, least you get the wrong idea, I am not a fan and I am not a hater.  I think he is arrogant, egotistical, not nearly as bright as many would like him to be, and going all the way back to his first book, one that is more about the show than the substance.  Can he get things done?  Like all things political it depends on your definition.  And like all things political if it is something he favors he will take the credit and if it is something he does not favor it is the other guys fault.  So what is new here?  (Replace the name Donald with any politicians name and it will read the same.  Kind of like a horoscope.)

For good measure I also signed up for a couple of other politicians to get a lay of the land.  Most were deleted in short order, but I did leave a couple of the more active current noise makers to get a sense of the state of the union, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.  What I have learned from these three could fill a thimble.  Okay, I might be exaggerating a little.  If I stuck it out long enough it might fill the thimble part way.

What I have learned is that if voters were willing to pay just a little bit more attention to what these people where saying there is no way, shape or form that they would have this kind of power and influence upon this great land and it's people.  Funny what we allow when we aren't paying attention.

So again I ask, what is Twitter?  The one thing that is left when you strip away the value of original intent: advertising.  Twitter advertises like most web sites and I am okay with that.  If however, you pretend that your advertisements are part of the real content then I lose some respect for you.  Also, most advertising is supposedly selected for you based on your interest, tailored if you will, but I have yet to see it work well in practice.  I imagine that after many months of participation they might get lucky and hit a few ads that are relevant but I also imagine that I still wont pay much attention to them.  As long as ads pay the bills and keep the service free to use, I can live with that.

So, since real people that spend time on Twitter are hard to find and phony popular celebrity people are a dime a dozen with mostly one way dialogues, the only other players on Twitter are the businesses that are trying to draw attention to themselves in any way they can.  That also means noise.  What is missing in content is made up for with volume.  I have seen some tweets done 4 or 5 different ways on the same story with a slight variation but with the intent of causing action on the part of the viewer, a ploy of marketing.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint with Twitter, namely that 140 characters is never enough for today's messages and so 98% of the tweets are little more than links to some other page in some other location in some other corner of the world wide web.  That's right, the goal of Twitter is to draw you in so that it can send you away.  As a launching pad or gateway it is no better or worse than what a lot of the internet has become other than you can make better choices for launching down a rabbit hole if you have more to go on than 140 characters and #hashtags.  And with that I have to state that for me Twitter is

No Value Added

and that is the only measuring stick that matters.  Time is too precious to squander on something that delivers so small a return on investment.  It would be interesting to see real statistics on usage, retention, membership new and old and participation rates for Twitter.  I am betting that the stock would not trade so highly if logic and reason prevailed but then if logic and reason prevailed we wouldn't have the Twitter we have today, nor those that make the most noise on it.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

News flash 29 Oct. 2017

This just in from the MSN news site, an article from Newsweek reporter Jack Moore,

"The Clocks Are Changing in Europe But Why Not The U.S.?"

I know it is click bait and I sucked in. I mean, I am a pretty savvy guy and usually am pretty good with knowing what is going on, at least the important stuff, and this did come with a big picture of four guys working on the face of Big Ben which occasionally is taken out of service for repairs but what would this have to do with all of Europe and not impact the U.S. in some small way and would it really matter?

If that doesn't smack of click bait I don't know what does but I clicked anyway.

It turns out that this was yet one more lame story done twice a year, every year to remind us of daylight savings time.  Europe is on a different schedule and adjust this weekend while the U.S. will do their clock change next weekend.  Yippy skippy, end of story....or is it?

I read further and there were some words about which countries use daylight savings time and which do not.  How it started with the war for productivity and ended only to be turned on again later.  How research shows that it messes with our body clocks and can result in an increase in car accidents.  There were a couple of other 'facts' thrown in that sounded interesting but there was this one paragraph that made me question the whole article:

Americans will have lighter mornings and darker evenings because of the earlier sunrises and sunsets in what is a tradition initiated by former President Benjamin Franklin to conserve energy, according to Live Science.

I went to the Live Science web site and learned a little more about daylight savings time from an article by Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor.  It looks like Jeanna spent a little more time developing her article and although Jack did not copy and paste his exactly perhaps he should have as I could find no mention of a President Benjamin Franklin in Jeanna's.  Perhaps she corrected it shortly after it was published I do not know.

Then again maybe I am missing something.  After all, President Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill and he was at least 10 times more important than President Alexander Hamilton who is on the $10 bill.  Besides, why would you put anyone other than a president on your money?

And I wonder why I bother to validate anything.

P.S. I am against daylight savings time, always have been, always will be.  It is dumb. Period.  but that is a subject for another time.  Not this week, maybe next week, unless you live in Europe.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Gosh, I hope I answered this one right...

I'm pretty sure I nailed it.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

I am a podcast addict

I don't even remember when it started it has been so long ago.  I think the forerunner was when I discovered a place you could go to download old time radio programs.  I love those things.  In my search for those I found that there are people that are making the equivalent of radio talk show programs with current news and topics that you can download and listen to at your own time and convenience and best of all for me at your own listening speed.  I have been hooked ever since.

Just to let you know, my favorite app is still the for Android Podcast Addict.  It takes a little time to learn but it is intuitive enough.  It does a pretty good job of finding and managing pods and my favorite part is you can take it too 11.  Okay not quite 11 but 5X if you are so inclined. That is fast even for me.  I can run many things around 3X which means I can get it an hour program in about 20 minutes, just about right for a nice walk.  Except for Tony Robbins who gets excited and talks faster than most or Roy H. Williams whose Monday Morning Memo is so rich and deep I have to slow it down so I can take it all in.  I can set each pod to play at its own best speed and adjust on the fly if I need to.  It occasionally goes fuzzy at those higher speeds when the screen goes to sleep on my old Amazon Fire phone but beyond that one thing it is a solid app.

I am still looking for the best solution for my Apple iPhone.  They have a player but it only goes to 2X which is a step backward for me so right now friends and family look at me funny and are always asking me why do you carry around two phones?

So what is a Pod exactly?  The best way to describe it is a mini radio program though some are starting to delve into video.  The topics are all over the place and there is sure to be something you would be interested in, and it is easy to subscribe to an individual Podcast where you can work your way through all the episodes they have produced or just select individual episodes from whomever based on your favorite subject matters just search on a word and see what comes up.

If you are into lifelong learning there are pods that will teach you just about any subject you can think of.  If there is a passion you have in any area of life, there are others that share that passion and are producing a podcast about it.  If you are into self-development, religion, science, planes, trains and automobiles, politics, business, health, fitness, language, winners and losers, and everything in between you can probably find something that someone has done a show about it.  And if you can't find something then feel free to start producing your own.  Just came back here a let us know about it.  I am loving it.

Many people have gotten their introduction to podcast by word of mouth from friends and many get their first taste from one of the highly popular Pods such as Tim Ferris of four hour work week fame, Freakonomics, or This American Life or one of the NPR productions, such as Paula Poundstone Institute or the Ted Radio Hour though I think I prefer the actual Ted Talks themselves which you can also find.

The production values are better with the bigger budgets but I find the that smaller self produced stuff is every bit as good and often has higher quality content, especially if you are getting burned out on political correctness and people with an agenda.  Don't get me wrong, there is some junk out there...a lot of junk and of course some of it I will listen to anyway like a wreck you can't help but look at but my bar is getting ever higher as I realize that 1. I am not getting any younger and so time is a factor and I want to spend time to the best value added activities possible and 2. It is a big world out there, a really really big world out there.  If what you are listening to now ain't cutting it then go ahead and move on.  There is a good chance that the next thing will be better.  The more you experience, the better able you are to recognize and make the better choice.  (Hint: always make the better choice.)

This was my intro entry.  I plan on adding some other entries later telling you what I have been listening to.  I have some can't miss Pods that I look forward to anxiously.  I already mentioned Roy H Williams and his Monday Morning Memo.  I have been following him over 10 years now.  Others I have started at episode one and binge listened till I was current, or at least well on my way.

More to come.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

O the places you'll go

I just felt like a picture today.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

I heard this...

...the other day and found it rather profound.
       
           "A dog never barks at a parked car."

At first hearing it caught my attention and then I began to ponder upon it.

I have been barked at by many a dog in my days.  I have seen dogs bark at leaves, bark at the moon, bark at other dogs, and cats.  I have seen dogs bark at the wind, and unseen forces on the other side of fences.  I have seen dogs bark at basically anything that moves and some things that didn't but that they thought did (get of the couch and take your dog for a walk).  I have seen dogs bark for no other reason than that they have heard another dog barking.  However I can't say that I have ever seen a dog bark at a parked car.

I have been chased by dogs, some with intent to do me harm and some for play.  I have been chased on foot, on bike and on motorcycle and car.  I have never enjoyed it much when being the chasee, but the chaser seemed to be finding some satisfaction from it even if there was little chance of capturing the prey.  And if the dog caught the car what would it do with it?

I have heard that we have a tendency to notice motion, that our eye is attracted to it.  I am sure someone will be more than willing to say it is a link to our hunter/gatherer forebears that was a survival instinct that was handed down from the days of living in caves.  Personally I think it is handy for noticing when someone loses a ball that is coming into the street and braking or swerving before the little someone that lost that ball heads out to retrieve it.

Regardless of the source or reason, the ability to notice movement is swiftly followed by the decision to act on it...or not.  The fact that movement or action is more likely to be followed up with more movement and action is kind of a way of life.  That is why they call it reaction.  It is easier to react to something that is already in action.  The term 'critical mass' is basically a moment when the amount of reaction goes 'viral' and then everyone is doing it.

Everyone is doing it.  How often do we read a book, see a movie or tv show, vote for a candidate or proposition, recycle, eat kale, run a marathon, park in the wrong spot, criticize a group, boycott a store, protest a cause just because 'everyone is doing it'?

I will freely admit that I have in the past and in the present and in the future done things based on the recommendations of others, but with age and experience I have also not done things based on the recommendations of others.  I still prefer to choose my own walk.

Since the parked car does not react to the dog barking at it, the dog losses interest and quits barking at parked cars, but if the car is moving it must of course be reacting to the dog barking at it.  And if the dog is only barking at moving cars and ignoring the parked ones, it is only in reaction mode even if it things it is the one causing the movement.  In order to get the dog to bark, motion must be added to the equation.

Therefore is it better to be the dog that thinks he is driving the reaction of the car by barking and chasing it or to be the chasee that is causing the initial motion that attracts the dog that gives rise to the chase in the first place?

Another saying goes, 'If you are not the lead dog, the view never changes', but even if you are the lead dog that is leading the 'chase' the view may be different but it also never changes.  At least until you are winded and you can return to the home-front knowing all is safe and well again.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

The case for/against motorcycles

First off is the obvious, motorcycles are dangerous.  Or at least that is what everyone that doesn't ride tells me.  Everyone, it seems, has a story or knows of someone with a story of someone that has had a motorcycle accident.  There are also many sayings that go along with the motorcycle experience such as what do you call a biker that doesn't wear a helmet? a donor.

It is true that motorcycles are less forgiving of inattention and carelessness, not only from the rider but from the fellow drivers that they must interact with on the street.  Defensive driving and situational awareness at all times is the bare minimum standard by which each cyclist must dedicate themselves in order to continue to enjoy their sport each and every day.  It isn't always the rider that is the danger but those they share the road with that are more interested with who they are chatting on the phone or texting their bffs without regards to the world around them.  You have to deal with that whether on a bike or in a car, truck or bus but the consequences are greater for those on a bike.

So why would anyone ride a motorcycle?  The fun factor.  Motorcycles are a great source of fun.  It is a wonderful way to explore the great outdoors while being exposed to the elements of sights, sounds and smells.  It is the sensations that come with operating a machine by developing skills that satisfy the senses and reward patience and practice with increasing confidence and accomplishments.  When riders talk about freedom, it is a feeling that comes with the reliance on self and the control of machine combined with the biker community that contains an immediate shared connection for fellow riders that always seem ready to provide a friendly wave to the rider passing in the opposite direction.

Being exposed to the elements also brings challenges.  Weather extremes from cooking temperature heat, to shivering steering cold.  Rain, snow, wind, ice, animals and all the various obstacles that happen to find their way along your path are daily occurrences rather than the minor inconvenience it would be for one ensconced in a metal cage.

Another consideration is the fact that most of the bikes like so many cars are capable of much greater performance than is legally allowed even if it is prudently applied.

And the argument that you will save money is pretty weak.  Gas mileage on most bikes is much less that it should be given the improvements in technology but most riders where more interested in bigger, and more power and that is what was selling and that is what was provided.  Fuel economy is very much an afterthought in most motorcycle design.  It can be had but with compromises attached that make the average rider think twice.  (I have been thinking twice.)

Even though there are only two tires and they are smaller than a cars they cost every bit as much as a car if not more and often times only last a quarter as long.  Maintenance in general is more frequent and more expensive and unless you have some mechanical savvy you are going to have to rely on a dealer with dealer prices.  Also, because riding is so seasonal in nature you may find that getting any work done can take many days and sometime weeks due to the fact that everyone else wants to get their bike tuned up at the first sign of spring, just like you.

So why with all the hassles would anyone ride a motorcycle in this day and age?  After all I did mention that I quite riding some time ago because I find a car that got better gas mileage, had air conditioning, heat, stereo, carrying capacity and kept me dry when it rained.  I could go farther and see more with my time off and not be quite so worn out at the end of the day and that is exactly what I was doing with that car when I got it.

So what am I thinking?  If I were to go on a long ride I would still opt for the car.  If I were to take someone with me I would opt for the car.  If there was the remote chance of facing weather I would opt for the car.  So what am I thinking?

I am thinking that I am missing the fun factor that a motorcycle can provide.  I don't need a cross country machine, I don't need a big Harley cruiser, I don't need a motocross racer, and I don't need a cafe pocket rocket.  I would be happy with a commuter, city explorer, visit the next town, occasional buddy hopping, extreme gas mileage runabout.  Something that isn't a production to pull out every time or any time.  Something simple, dependable, reliable and most of all affordable.

The market is not great for this kind of motorcycle action.  Once again I fall outside of the one size fits all.  There are a few interesting machines but they continue to include compromises as so much of life does.  Maybe I would be better off just renting a machine for a day every now and again to get my taste refreshed.  That almost seems to make sense but motorcycles are something that has always put logic in the back seat.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

I woke up early this morning...

...and took a look out the mirror.

It was one of the scariest sights I've seen.


I think I need a new mirror.


This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Thinking bout cars and bikes again

I have been looking at cars and motorcycles and bicycles a lot lately.  It must be my time of the ...

I have not had nor ridden with any regularity motorcycles but they have been frequent on my mind.  I knew this time would come when I sold my old bike.  It was a nice bike but it had been sitting for a long time and would need some serious attention to get it road worthy as well as trust worthy.  It was a tripping bike but just couldn't compete with the tripping car that came into my life.

The car was enclosed meaning no bugs, or weather issues.  It carried more stuff, which means I could take more with me or pick up more along the way.  It had a stereo which means that I had some accompaniment me when I was singing out my rock anthems.  It had air conditioning and a heater to give me better control over the elements.  It had a bigger tank and got better mileage meaning I could go farther without worries.  It was also more comfortable when it came to going farther so I did.

All of those things made it easy for me to find myself spending more time with the car than on the motorcycle.

But that does not mean I didn't still like the motorcycle.  It just means that for long trips the motorcycle played second string.  At this point, long trips would involve multiple 500+ mile days across many state lines.  I could do one 500+ day on the motorcycle but would be walking funny the next.

The motorcycle I had was a full dresser meaning side bags and fairing.  It was a few years ago and not near as fancy as the bikes you see today but it was a dream bike come true for me when I got it.

Sadly a big bike takes a little more effort to take out and ride around with though some might argue that fact.  Before the big bike, I had an entry level bike that was wonderful and I would ride it every bit as far as I would the big bike yet it was light and relatively easy to take out at a moments notice.  It had a windshield, highway pegs, and a back rest with luggage rack.  All the needs were met.

And that is what I have been thinking about.  I don't need a big bike.  I don't think I would get the use out of it that I would like to.  When it comes to big trips, I have a big trip car that fills that role nicely and then some.  What I want is a fun, simple, run around bike that doesn't take a lot of thought, cares or worries.  Doesn't cost a lot to own or operate.  Gets great gas mileage, (not many bikes do sad to say).  And still has the fun factor.

All bikes have a fun factor. Period.  Some are designed to deliver that fun in a more focused way.  The motorcycle business in America has become overly focused on about three different types, dirt, cafe racer, and over-sized V-twin cruiser.  That leaves a lot of us with too little choice.

I am going to visit this topic some more in the days to come so you are forewarned.  I told you that it has been on my mind a lot lately and it is time for me to get it out.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Good idea 1 June 2017

I saw a good idea today, I just wanted to share.

I stopped at the local just opened Maverick store and went in to use the facilities and when it was time to clean up I came upon the above. Someone had the bright idea to combine in one place, the soap dispenser, the sink, and the hand dryer in the same spot. Brilliant.

The last time I got impressed with restroom fixtures was the first time I came across the hand blower driers that actually blew air with real gusto. I even remember the name of the brand as Excel as in Excelerator, it impressed me that much. The time before that was in the 70's when I encountered my first sink that would turn on by itself using a sensor to know when your hands were under the faucet. Way cool stuff back then.

I told you I can appreciate the little things. This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Someone moved my cheese again

You may have read the book "Who moved my cheese" and wondered if there was anything to it.  Well, someone moved my cheese again.  Sometimes the cheese is a little thing, but sometimes that is all I need.

My current job has me located in the middle of a building, in a traditional non-descript cubicle where the only windows you can see are the ones on your computer screen.  But there was a window in the mail room and I could visit it on occasion and view the parking lots below.  I could also park in that parking lot that was so conveniently located next to my building.

But then someone got a bright idea and decided to build a new building on top of my parking lot and make us park two blocks away if we are lucky enough to find a spot. On top of that the wonderful view of the outside world I had from the mail room is now filled up with the view of a very ordinary and dreary looking new building.

It has been interesting to see it being built little by little but not enough to overcome the fact that it is still stealing my view as well as my parking spot.

So what I have found is that not all cheese comes in one big block. Sometimes it is many little bits of cheese, crumbs if you will, that add up to a worthwhile portion of daily life sustaining cheese. I can appreciate the small things. If done right, the small things can be enough, but how many of the small things can you take away before there is not enough?

Just like in the book, I have to start looking for new sources of cheese to replace that which is no longer there.  It is a good thing that I can appreciate the small cheeses. I would have a much harder time trying to replace a big block of cheese in one chunk.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

Looking for good journalism is like...

I was perusing the Bing news site today and came across the articles about 50K residents having to evacuate the German city of Hanover so that officials could safely diffuse or remove five unexploded World War II bombs.  They included links for the story for both article and video and this is what it looked like for video:

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong...

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

OPINIONS are like...

...noses, everybody has one.

Opinions are a great place for starting conversations.

What would you do...?  What do you think about...?  What color would you choose for...?  If you had to do...?  What would you say if...?  How would you arrange...?  Would you invite...?

These are the kinds of questions that get asked daily between friends, families, neighbors, co-workers, and total strangers.  We both ask them and we are asked them.

And what do we do with the answers?  Depends; they are, after all, only opinions.  How do you value an opinion?  Some come freely asked for or not.   Some are given without a thought and some are only given grudgingly as if an opinion is too precious to share.  Sometimes when you get your two cents worth, that is exactly what it is worth, with or without inflation.

And after all, the value of an opinion is only as valid as the source of that opinion and the level of expertise, knowledge, and trustworthiness of the person providing the opinion.  It is up do us to decide whether to act on an opinion or not.

And why do we seek opinions in the first place.  Is it to expand our list of options and possibilities, or discover insights for solving a problem?  Are we looking for a fresh perspective with a new set of eyes or are we really looking for supporting confirmation for a decision already made?

When we seek answers, do we look for advice, direction and guidance or are we really just looking for opinions?  Can we tell the difference?

When you kneel before the Lord in prayer, do you ask for his guidance?  Do you value his answers as such, or do you treat his word as an opinion?  Your actions and the results you will see will tell the story.  It is just a matter of what you want when you are truthful with yourself.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.