Elliot´s Trackside Diner - August 2014

[yougottawanta]

Jeff - I think that is a great gift. Trying to find the positive in the midst of trials.

Garry - Howdy ! Just about eveything has two sides to it. I have expierenced that first hand as a manager. It is absolutely amzing to me how different perspectives are. Influenced by family background, personnel expierence, life history, environment etc... I use a communication tool I call - "here is what I think you said" When I repeat back to them what I think they said to me it is very interesting to watch the expression on their face as they screw their face up and say to me "thats not what I said ..." it is still better than being a single parent ! It is amazing how many times I have heard the girls call my new bride. They REALLY needed a womens touch in their life - Life is GOOD again.

Again thanks for all of the well wishes and the good thoughts and prayers when things werent so great - TAHNK YOU all.

TTYL

YGW

Ulrich - Thanks Ulrich what are those new words ? How is the heart today ?

Welp I have gone from teh honeymoon phase to the Honey do phase. I have painted a room , taking stuff to good will, a trip to the dump....Hmmmm

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe, I'll have a bavarian filled doughnut to go along with my dark roast coffee this morning.  Thank you Ma'am!

There is a big yellow bright thing outside my house.....  It is producing a lot of shadows....  The weather guessers cll it "Partly cloudy"!  There are just a few light fluffy white things up in the sky, but that will probably change this sfternoon.  Currently 65°F outside with a high this afternoon odf 75°.

Thank you, Garry!  I hold you in a great deal of respect as well.  I enjoy your comments in here and around the forum proper very much.  There is an old Russian proverb that goes, "Trust but verify".  Very good philosophy these days with so much plain garbage out there.  It is found on both sides of most arguments...

I heard back from the Apple Computer Store (an independent).  He says my son's computer has aquired what they call "Hostage Ware".  He gave me some info on how to get rid of it.  If it doesn't work my son will have to bring it in to be repaired.  I will be calling my son and walking him through what we hope will be a fix.  My drive I was using for the "Time Machine" can't be reinitialized, so I will be taking that in for repairs or to buy a new one (may be a cheaper solution in the long run).

Have started to put in the dirt road under the Girder Bridge.  Hope to have it more or less in today.  Then I can permanently install the RR Overpass Girder Bridge and get moving again on the layout.  Also have to start getting everything organized for the Division Fall Meet.  Need one more clinic and a bunch of layout tours for the afternoon.

 Jeffrey, I do hope the problem with your liver is only tempoary.  It could be inflamed from having the Gall Blader Stones...  My Mom ended up with cirrhosis and had her Gall Blader out.  That was when she got the diagnosis.  Hopefully it will calm down and your body will keep ahead of the cirrhosis if that is what you have.  You sure have a long list of stuff out to get you!

Need to go and try to accomplish some things...  Catch you all later!

73

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 89° with 86% humidity. The high will be 92°. Cloudy with a small chance of thunderstorms.
with

I have a doctors appointment this afternoon. Other than that I'm just waiting on the mail. I have a package of two Apple drive controller cards coming in today. The first order of business will be to test them. That task will fall to my //e, Diana #5. The test is simple. Plug a card into a slot on the mother board, hook a drive up to it then reboot the system from that slot. If it works the card goes into the parts drawer. If it doesn't work it gets marked as defective and the trash can gets a little heavier.

Other than that I have no plans today.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

cudaken

Jeffery I sure hope your test come back a big Yes on the liver. My fraternal father (He was never my Dad and left when he found I was coming) died of Cirrhosis of the liver when he was 38. He drank the hard stuff where I drink beer, not as bad I keep telling my self. So far all the liver test have came back OK.

I hope they come back good too. cirrhosis of the liver was what did my mother in. She made it to 75.

*

Good evening. It's a warm cloudy night here. Looking like a 40% chance of rain for tomorrow. Well so far I've experimented with several food items. Popcorn is still on the good list. Sausage is so out of here. I won't be getting any more of that. Tomorrow I'll see what chimichangas do to me. I hope I can tolerate them as I really love them. Breakfast at the hospital this morning shows that ham and butter are out the door. Coffee and milk didn't sit well with either. However a soda that my step mother gave me caused no problems at all. Spicy mustard and ketchup are OK as long as I eat a few Tums antacid tablets beforehand.

Tomorrow morning I have, you guessed it, another doctor appointment. This one is with an orthopedist in Leesville. My primary physician wants him to have a look at my left foot. Yeah, like I have another one. Earlier someone commented about the calm positive attitude I have despite all the problems I have. If you think my life is a bed of roses I'll trade with you. It's mostly a thorn patch and you're welcome to it. Some day I may get my medical issues straight , overcome my vehicle problems and finish repairing/rebuilding my trailer.

This morning my father pulled himself out of his Scrooge attitude and went back to the store to look at the computers again. He found somebody who didn't speak geek (I'm fluent in all dialects) to advise him. Well, he didn't think much of Wal-Marts prices so he went out to Fort Polk and looked at what they had in the PX. He found an affordable HP laptop he likes. I helped him set it up then showed him the basics of using it without smothering him in geek speak. He seems comfortable with it now. He's going to see if he get my nieces pass code for her Wi-Fi then he can deal with a whole new world of instant panic. He had gotten to play with my Asus tablet this morning when he came to see me at the hospital so it won't be a sudden dunk in the deep end. He was like a little kid with a new toy!

For me, as far as pain management goes I'm pretty well set. I have a rather large supply of oxycodone tablets built up from all the surgeries I've had over the past couple years and I have a new prescription for more if I should need them. The incisions themselves don't bother me much but man, those dang staples are irritating not to mention that they sting whenever something touches them. I believe I have seven staples, no stitches.

The front tank on the truck was almost empty this morning so I stopped at Circle K and refilled it. Seventeen gallons and a bit at $2.539 a gallon comes to $44 I believe. That's more than enough to see me through to the first of the month. That's when my SS hits the bank and I can start paying bills all over again.

Well, time to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow. And you were probably thinking 'When's he going to shut up'.





Prehistoric computer game called 'Apple Kong'.

[cudaken]

 Evening Dinners!

 Flo, pleases.

 While I felt much better today, it was still a wasted day at work. Boy I am starting to miss St Charles, not the drive mind you just the bussines! It is nice getting home 25 minutes after I lock the front door.

 I wanted to workout when I got home but I was iffy about it at the very best. When I got home, Sparkie The Rocket Dog took care of that. He only pooped 1 time today, so off around the block we went.

 Next VA Visit is 09-09-14 and it is with the Respiratory Clinic and the letter said to bring All Of My CPAP/BIPAP equipment! What CPAP equipment?  Is there a remote chances I might finally get a CPAP machine I and can stop sleeping on the POS couch in the family room? It has only been what 4 years? How time flys when you are in pain.

 Jeffery I sure hope your test come back a big on the liver. My fraternal father (He was never my Dad and left when he found I was coming) died of Cirrhosis of the liver when he was 38. He drank the hard stuff where I drink beer, not as bad I keep telling my self. So far all the liver test have came back OK.

 Ray and Gary I like hearing other people view point on this subject. Ray you got me intreasted in solar power, my thanks on that. Jay Leno has all so helped, he as several electic cars, I think one is from around 1914. Here is a link to Jays Garage.

 https://www.youtube.com/user/JayLenosGarage/videos

 I all so do you beleive every thing hear and see on the web or TV. Far as the big wind farms wind mills killing birds? I have never seen one moving fast, they all wise seem so slow. Small wind mill on a farm I have seen and they can spin fast. I wonder if the same bird that might fly into a big wind mill might not be that same one that flys into a plate glass window? After all there are humans that walk out into traffic and get hit by a bus?

 See you all later.

 Ken

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Heartland Division CB&Q

Jeff .... Your ability to keep a positive attitude in spite of all the stuff you deal with is remarkable. I'll be praying for you.

I was taught that keeping a positive outlook, no matter how gloomy the subject is much more useful than a negative one.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

JeremyB

When my wife was going through chemo she would get a medicine called vincristine ( dont know if thats how you spell it ) and one of the side effects was it made your fingertips and toes numb. It has been 11 years since she went through that and she still has slight numbness in a couple fingers.

Hey, guess what. You spelled it right. I'm no stranger to numbness in my fingers and toes. I have very little sensation below the elbows and knees. I can feel a little pressure and heat but that's about it.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Jeff .... Your ability to keep a positive attitude in spite of all the stuff you deal with is remarkable. I'll be praying for you.

Terry .... Good to see you in the Diner. Perhaps you can show your railroad in WPF some day again. . 

RT ... Good seeing you here. 

Ray .. Please know you are always a good friend and I admire your wisdom. The only strong feelings I have is against those who bamboozle on the internet. I am now skeptical of anything I see because there is so much malarkey out there. 

Ulrich .... I'm still sad to learn your latest layout will have a short history. Everything look fantastic in pictures you posted.

JeremyB ... Always good to see you.  

 

 

[JeremyB]

I guess that is a downside to medication, it helps us but causes problmes in other areas.

When my wife was going through chemo she would get a medicine called vincristine ( dont know if thats how you spell it ) and one of the side effects was it made your fingertips and toes numb. It has been 11 years since she went through that and she still has slight numbness in a couple fingers.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

JeremyB

Jeff: Sorry to hear about that.

No need to be sorry about it. I believe it's from all the antibiotics I've been on the past few years. They're hard on the kidneys and liver. I wouldn't have needed them so much if my health hadn't been so bad to start with. Now what did they do right after the operation? Slam me with MORE antibiotics.

[JeremyB]

Evening guys,

Jeff: Sorry to hear about that.

I made it through the day, felt a little crappy at the start but not bad come afternoon.

Terry: Are you excited for another Packers Season? I know I am

[saronaterry]

Well, that sure sucks, Jeff!! Good luck,

Terry in NW Wisconsin

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I just can't catch a break. The doc says it may not be anything to worry about. He's seen patients with similar liver issues that developed antibodies against whatever was causing the damage. I've never had any liver disease. The only contact I ever had with hepatitis was from my mother. She had contracted hepatitis C many years before I was born. I've never tested positive for it so I never thought about it. I'll see what the doc has to say when the biopsy comes back.

[Anonymous]

Jeff - I am so sad to hear about your new health issues. There is a prayer candle lit for you in our church.

[rtraincollector]

jeffrey-wimberly

Good morning. I was discharged from the hospital around an hour ago. Surgery yesterday went well. But as always Murphy is hanging around to complicate things. Now it looks like I have Cirrhosis of the liver. I'm following my mother right down the line. 

Jeffery sorry to hear prayers for you 

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe, I'll have my usual dark roast coffee and a couple sour cream glazed doughnut to dunk in it.

 Ah yes... Garry, you are quite right my friend that this is not a good discussion to have in here.  I know we both feel strongly about our beliefs, but they are 160° or so apart.  Only thing I will give you (and any other interested soul) is some links to the sources of my information.  The one you Googled is not published as such on the web under that name.  Here is an abstract of the paper with a link to download the entire Vermont Law School Research Paper.  Another source of information was an article published by NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority).  Unfortunately the paper is no longer available at their site (likely was just a news release type thing).  I would point out that among the members of the board are representatives of Gas and Electric companies.  This is the group that gave me a large grant for my Solar Panels.  The last is an lengthy treatise from the National Academy of Science on the subject (starts on page 28).

I won't say any more on the subject...  Cloudy and cool outside today.  Currently 63°F with a high of 70°F this afternoon.  I need to finish the mowing of the lawn today.  That was supposed to happen yesterday, but got replaced by 5 other things that needed my personal attention instead.  I will likely spend a couple hours today trying to help my son get his computer back running right.  I think the computer will ultimately have to go the shop or have him spend some $$$ talking to the Apple tech people.  Also have some deadlines for articles for the Region and Division that just ain't gonna happen....  Hoping today will turn out to be a better day than yesterday for me.  Part of my rant yesterday was that other people had been pushing the wrong buttons all day yesterday and then I stopped in at the Coffee Shop here...

Catch you all later!

73

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. I was discharged from the hospital around an hour ago. Surgery yesterday went well. But as always Murphy is hanging around to complicate things. Now it looks like I have Cirrhosis of the liver. I'm following my mother right down the line.

[JeremyB]

I have to leave soon, I will be back later today If I come home early, if not will drop by tonight.

[Packer]

Morning guys

I'm feeling better today, just exhausted already. I woke up that way, but it's starting to get better.

On that Kato F40PH, I just pulled a motor out of my parts box and used it. Luckly Kato hasn't changed the motor design for these.

Ken, Thanks for the Birthday wishsed. The blood tests show I'm not diabetic. The only issue they showed was a B12 defiency...

Garry, Thanks for the birthday wishes.

[JeremyB]

Thanks Mr B

I didnt have anything much last night, a dry bowl of cheerios actually. Still feeling queezy and laggish feeling. I might try and go ( I was fine last night when I left so dont want to look bad just calling in ) and just tell them. Then that way If I do have to go they know why and it shows I made a effort to go. It feels more like just a stomach bug then anything. I dont have a cold and no fever.

[MisterBeasley]

Good morning, and hoping you're feeling better already.  Both of you.  Or all of you.

Jeremy, "Sick to your stomach" can be a number of things.  Did you have anything questionable to eat last night?  Food poisoning isn't uncommon, or it might be that you are sensitive to something that others can eat with no problem.  Those are localized and will pass (pun intended) with no further consequences.

How do you feel otherwise?  If you've got any kind of head cold symptoms or muscle aches, it could be the flu or some other general infection.  In that case, you want to call in sick and tell them you don't want anyone else to catch it.  Most employers will appreciate that, as they don't want a bug going through their whole workforce.

We are happy.  Market Basket, our local supermarket chain, is back.  They have had a management-ownership fight that has shut down the chain for 40 days and 40 nights.  The stores were open, but the employees were all up in arms with signs, and the deliveries were not getting to the stores.  They urged customers to boycott, and by and large we all did.  (What's the point in shopping if there's nothing on the shelves?)  But, all's well that ends well, the good cousin bought out the bad cousin, and we'll be shopping there again by the weekend.

[cudaken]

 Morning

 Flo, Small Diet Dew Pleases

 Got another Kidney Infection It started late Tuesday after I got done BBQing. I did not sleep worth a darn Tuesday night. My back felt like the side of Beef Rockiy was working out on. All so felt like I was running a low fever. Luckily I was working in Fairview Heghts and not St Charles Wednesday, other wise I would not have gone to work. Only had one customer and I was fine with that! I was there in body only.

  Took some over the counter meds and drank 4 liters of water. When I got home I ate and went to bed. No for me last night! That tells you how bad I felt. I slept munch more comfortabley last night, around 5:00 AM I think my fever broke. My pillow was soaked with sweet.

 This morning I feel much better, not 100% but not bad. Trade Cary store for today so I am working in Fairview again. I did that Wednesday just in case I start feeling bad again Thursday.

 Vincent Happy belated What happened when you had your blood test to see if you where Diabetic?

 Has Jeffery wnt under the knife yet? Hope if he did, all went well.

 And of course where is Galaxey?

 See you all after work.

  Ken

[JeremyB]

Morning guys

Question for you fellas?

I woke up in the night sick to my stomach, was able to fall back asleep again but woke up with it again. I have to work today too ( figures it happens today ) I dont want to call in sick but am feeling quite miserable. Should I just go and try and see how long I can make it? would it be wise to let them know when they get there that Im feeling off? then if I do feel the same later I can leave early?

Just wondering what you guys would do?

[Anonymous]

Good Morning!

Another nice day in my neck of the woods. We got up early, as Petra has a dentist appointment coming up.

Boy, have I started something. I won´t say much on the issue again, only this much. I am with Ray - we have to use more alternative ways to generate power, but it has to be done in a sensible way. Government grants have led to an uncontrolled and silly growth, without considering the real economics and environmental impacts. Wind mills don´t kill birds by the thousands - they are smart enough to avoid them. Here lies one of the problems. Migrating birds are choosing different routes, deterred by the noise the wind mills make. Other wildlife is also on the escape. It´s not the single wind mill causing this, it´s those big "wind parks" with dozens of them. The long term impact is still unknown.

Power has to be generated where it is needed - unfortunately, in Germany this is not where the wind blows.

`Nuff said.

Have a happy day!

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Sorry, Ray. I did not want to hit a nnerve. ... I am a skeptic, and I looked up the name of the journal you cited with google, and found nothing. Accordingly, I have no reason to think the numbers and the graphs are correct because I can not verify. It is probably nothing but a bunch of professors playing with numbers. There is a lot of "misleading and wrong information" on both sides of the argument. I reject any notion that coal companies and oil companies are evil. There is nothing wrong aboout coal miners supporting their families or coal trains hauling coal. .... As Ulrich said, we had better not discuss this anymore in the Diner. 

 

Cheers 

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Janie, a cup of decaf, please...

Been a long hard day.  Just got home from a Scout District Committee meeting.  My son has a problem (probably a trojan) on his computer.  I spent most of the afternoon trying to help him get rid of it.  It keeps poping up on Safari on his Mac.  Probably something his daughter clicked on that got there somehow.  I walked him through all kinds of things designed to get rid of such things with no success.  Talked to a Scouter friend of mine (also a Mac User) who had something similar recently.  He ended up having to call Apple where a technition walked him through the whole process.  His computer is back working correctly so I guess it worked.  Time Warner Cable here was off line for a couple hours this morning.  May have something to do with what happened (as in they got nailed with some attack?).  My computer gets shut down every night and is fine today.

 Garry, there is a awful lot of misleading and wrong information out there on solar and wind power.  Usually the "Windbaggers" find some little thing and blow it way out of proportion....  much of this comes (surprise, surprise) from Big Oil and Coal Companies....  There are two lies that come up pretty often... 1. That wind turbines kill a lot of birds, relative to other human activities, and 2. that these people give a darn about birds!  I tend to rely on provable facts instead.

From the Journal of Interactive Envionmental Studies:

"..wind farms are responsible for roughly 0.27 avian fatalities per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity while nuclear power plants involve 0.6 fatalities per GWh and fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for about 9.4 fatalities per GWh. Within the uncertainties of the data used, the estimate means that wind farm-related avian fatalities equated to approximately 46,000 birds in the United States in 2009, but nuclear power plants killed about 460,000 and fossil-fueled power plants 24 million."

A nice graph explaining these things:

Also, the people putting up wind farms and the manufacturers are trying to make the farms better and kill less birds as any killed birds are too many.  Only thing I see as a problem with what Ulrich put up here is I find it crazy that they would build a wind farm and not have a way to connect it to the grid....  Absolutely silly!  I also guess that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with those things.  I think they look a lot better than other forms of electric generation.  If we want power for our homes there will be an environmental cost...  Wind and solar have, at the moment, the smallest footprint per GWh out there... Oh and if you like songbirds, keep your cats inside!

OK, I have said all that I will say on the subject!!!

73

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Packer

Afternoon guys

It's my birthday, but it's not turning out so well already...

 

Vincent!   Happy birthday!

YGW... Hope the good start will blossom into a wonderful life for you newly weds! 

Ulrich. ... I know what you mean about the wind turbines. They do kill birds. The Bald Eagle was on the endagered species list until 7 years ago, and I fear the wind turbines will reverse progress made to restoring the population. Also, solar panels can fry birds to death if they fly too close to them. However, as you wisely said, we should have such conversations elsewhere. 

Jeff .... I hope your medical appointments go well. 

Rob .... Good to see you! 

Lion ... Nice to see you. I hope your parents will be okay. 

My brother in law is back in the hospital as of today. He had a quadruple bi-pass operation on his heart about 3 weeks ago.

I'm pleased to say the celebration of my mother's 95th birthday party in Alabama went very well. She received about 75 birthday cards. There were 2 parties. One was after church on Sunday. the other was on Monday (her birthday) at the senior home. Mom delighted everybody with he remarkable piano playing. I recorded a small amount of the piano playing on my cell phone, but I don't know how to post it here. On Monday evening, the celebrations had concluded, and I walked her down the long hall to her apartment in her senior center. All of the way to her place, she was humming some of her favorite songs. My 95 year old Mom is happy. That is such a blessing!

Yesterday morning, Mom and I had breakfast together, and then said out goodbyes. Next I went to the model train store in Pelham. AL. I met Carey (CJCrescent) who posts in another forum and in this one. We had a good visit. He took me to his friend's house (Scott) who has a nice CB&Q layout. We also spent time watching NS trains at one of his favorite railfanning sites. .... Then I drove home to KY. Shelley wasn't with me because she was needed in Michigan with family stuff going on there. 

Happy model railroading! 

 

[tcwright973]

BroadwayLion - It will be good to have you back in Pennsylvania, at least for a little while. Goodness knows we can always use more good people. Hoping for the best with your parents. Like they say, old age isn't for sissys.

Rob - Good to see you here. I do miss your posts about the farm. Did you ever find someone reliable to help out?

Spent the day mowing & edging the front & back yards. Had to take it slow with plenty of iced tea breaks as the temperatures were in the high 80s, and the humidity was kind of nasty too. The front yard is still nice & green, but the backyard has burned out for some reason. Seems like the heat gets to me more & more every year. Think I'll have dinner and then just sit on the couch tonight & read a book.

[Cederstrand]

Coffee in a UNION PACIFIC mug, please.

Figured I had better get back in here before I miss another move down the rails.

Hope everyone is doing well these days.

Healing thoughts to those in need.

Cheers!  Rob

[BroadwayLion]

we have lots of those windmills in our area. they do not turn quickly ever, they are designed to run at low speed. they  do not harm birds sinc:-) e they turn so slowly, and as tall as they are the raptors fly much higher. but then again, they are not up on the ridges--- we go no rigdes in north Dakota  

roar