Trapezius muscle

This is what feels sore so often. : o \

Investigating ways to relieve the tension.

Uli Mana Chocolate

My neighbor recommended I try some:

http://www.ulimana.com/

Get Off Your F@#$'ing Phone You Idiot!

Walking back from work, I heard a horn: "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep," followed by an angry man yelling out his open car window at the driver of the car in front of him, "Get Off Your F@#$'ing Phone You Idiot!" I did not see what had happened, but they had both stopped at a stoplight. The driver in front of the angered driver said nothing in reply.

After they had driven off without further incident, I thought about the encounter and whether any communication had really occurred which might lead to a change in behavior. Hrm.

Dawn's ring size

Somewhere between a 6 and a 7

CalPERS Health Plans for 2014

Reviewing....

Health Plan Chooser
Note: Quick Compare, then "See All Information at Once"
https://calpers2014.chooser2.pbgh.org/

Human Resources - Employer Health and Consolidated Benefits (CoBen) Contributions
http://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/pages/health.aspx

Current premium: $1,155.04
Current state co-pay: $1064.36
Current payment: $163.04 (health)
Current payment: $24.12 (dental)

Temperature cycles annually

Thinking to myself the last week or so how it would be cool to see hourly temperatures plotted over the course of the year, like a daily heartbeat or pulse, and see how the highs and lows shift over the course of the year.

Sort of like this graph, which smooshes together 365 days into one segment:

The daily low (blue) and high (red) temperature during the last 12 months with the area between them shaded gray and superimposed over the corresponding averages (thick lines), and with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile). The bar at the top of the graph is red where both the daily high and low are above average, blue where they are both below average, and white otherwise.

Or this one, from the same page, which shows the temperature at points of the day across the year 2012-2013:

The full year of hourly temperature reports with the days of the year on the horizontal and the hours of the day on the vertical. The hourly temperature measurement is color coded into meaningful temperature bands: frigid is purple (below 15°F), freezing is blue (15°F to 32°F), cold is dark green (32°F to 50°F), cool is light green (50°F to 65°F), comfortable is yellow (65°F to 75°F), warm is light red (75°F to 85°F), hot is medium red (85°F to 100°F), sweltering is dark red (above 100°F), and missing data is pink.

The latter image shows noon to 6:00 p.m. as warm to hot to sweltering between mid-April and early October, with cool temperatures from noon to 6:00 p.m. during November to late February.

Compare this to where I grew up : o \

 The full year of hourly temperature reports with the days of the year on the horizontal and the hours of the day on the vertical. The hourly temperature measurement is color coded into meaningful temperature bands: frigid is purple (below 15°F), freezing is blue (15°F to 32°F), cold is dark green (32°F to 50°F), cool is light green (50°F to 65°F), comfortable is yellow (65°F to 75°F), warm is light red (75°F to 85°F), hot is medium red (85°F to 100°F), sweltering is dark red (above 100°F), and missing data is pink.

You can tell at a glance it's a different latitude: 38.6 degrees versus 46.6 degrees makes a significant difference.

Pizza and beer at La Trattoria Bohemia

Tried La Trattoria Bohemia's medium margherita pizza with additional topping of artichoke hearts.

Verdict: tons of cheese; lots of toppings; very filling. Crust is soft.

Tried a pint each of two dark beers:

1. Krušovice Royal Dark (Czech Republic): "Dark lager is the traditional product of the Royal Brewery of Krušovice and for more than 100 years the production of this beer has not stopped. It has a full, sweet caramel taste and a light hoppy flavor."
2. Primátor Premium Dark, Dark Lager, Czech Republic: "A unique combination of four different malts; rich garnet color; creamy caramel flavor. 4,8% alcohol. 2009 World Beer Championships: Gold Medal; Rating: 93 points (Exceptional); 2008 World Beer Awards: World's Best Dark Lager."

Verdict on the beers: both delicious; would drink again.

15th and R Street Construction

Watching construction crews dismantling the existing building at 15th and R Street, Sacramento.

Turns out the Cordano family has purchased the property and plans to partition the former state office building into four retail spaces: http://rstreet.info/uncategorized/projects-move-forward-on-r-street/

Favorite Smells

Compiling a list:

• Wood chips, plywood, construction framing, and so forth (Yankee Candle has a 2x4 candle)
• Dryer vent (laundry vent)
• Dryer sheets
• Smell of vegetation after a rain (petrichor)
• Curing concrete (?) from interstate construction; also, concrete dust (?)
• Dill
• Groves of sequoia trees after a rain...or anytime
• Autumn leaves (after/during raking, etc.)
• Wet leaves
• Glossy-coated paper (e.g., Yearbox calendars) reminds me of certain booksellers, comic books, and trading cards
• Soap after activating in hot water
• Bookstores: (1) smell of glossy paperbacks; and (2) smell of pulp paper
• Libraries: smell of books 
• Sea smells: brine, seaweed (note: a discussion, including artificial attempts to replicate)
• Cooking bacon in the cool morning air: memories of camping
• 4-H county fair food vendor shack
• Chlorinated water (for example, water fountains, pools)
• Grass clippings
• Lawns
• Tall grasses (e.g., from fields)--these smell somewhat different and remind me of rural road shoulders or rows of alfalfa
  
• Shoe stores (leather)
• Basil
• Screen door mesh when wet
• Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis; smells like dill)
• Muddy earthy smells of banks of rivers/lakes
  

Non-favorite, but memories triggering :

• Stale cigarettes remind me of arcade game cabinets in bars and other such places

Previously

Death Star

Was thinking the other day that the IT analysts successfully identified the Death Star's vulnerability and sent it up the chain of command to the high command...who ignored it. All hands lost, including the IT analysts.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Moradmin_Bast (admiral...he relayed the message)

Job description win

While I'm not applying, this job description stands out to me:

• Teamwork - Able to facilitate and maintain cooperative working relationships; work toward accomplishment of group goals; must value and encourage the input and expertise of others; foster commitment, team spirit, pride, and trust
• Self-Motivation, Optimism, Sustained Commitment, Perseverance and Patience - Demonstrate a bias toward optimism and maintain a sense of humor; possess stamina to bounce back from setbacks; view mistakes as opportunities for growth/positive learning experiences.
• Technical Credibility - Understand and appropriately apply procedures, requirements, policies, and regulations related to specialized expertise; integrate technology into the work to improve program effectiveness; possess up-to-date knowledge in the profession and industry and access other expert resources when appropriate; translate concepts and ideas into strategies and action steps.
• Flexibility/Adaptability - Ability to integrate changes midstream into work processes and outputs; demonstrate openness to new organizational structures, procedures, and technology; ability to shift gears comfortably.

Bombfell purchases

Two things I've purchased from Bombfell in the previous year.

Original Penguin Cotton Ribbed V-Neck Sweater (link)

Original Penguin LS Button-Down Collar Oxford (link)

• Original Penguin LS Button-Down Collar Oxford Estate Blue
• Penguin tag number #1BBW0456OP
• 414 Estate Blue

Prius Gen 2 Rear Spoiler Removal

Notes on removing the rear spoiler:

Touring B-Type Rear Spoiler Installation (link)
How to remove/replace spoiler (link)

Junkyard Prii

Apparently not so many at local Pick-n-pull locations : o \

http://www.picknpull.com/check_inventory.aspx

Vectra flea control for cats

Noting so I don't forget...our vet said they use this now instead of Frontline.

http://www.vectrapet.com

Volvo 244 GL Clock Repair

http://www.brickboard.com/ARCHIVES/1998AUG/20008992.shtml

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1387329&show_all=1

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1510272&show_all=1

Apparently the stock 16 volt, 100 microfarads capacitors on the clock don't like going below ~50 F : o \

Replacing them fixes the clock.

NotAPriusTouringCar.com

Seriously Prius owners/sellers: look at the wheels - Touring Prii have seven spokes, fog lamps, and Toyota only manufactured them for 2007-2009...plus all the stuff at the following link:

http://priuschat.com/threads/prius-base-vs-touring-edition-the-dirty-little-secret.66143/

Used a Craigslist search tool this evening to search for Prius Touring cars for sale in my area and sellers had mislabeled nearly every one...greedy and/or ignorant--Blue Book lists them as quite a bit more than not. Though, in some cases, I think people assume they have a Touring car when they really have some high-end package (e.g., leather seats, navigation).

Anyway, /vent. ; o )

Toyota Prius versus VW TDI

Reading a bit on performance of the Toyota Prius versus the VW TDI (Jetta, Golf).

Why did Mel Brooks Name his Movie, "Spaceballs"?

It seems Spaceballs represents the name of the race of people living on planet Spaceball...and they seem to wear helmets shaped like balls.

Motion-Activated Playing of Music

I imagine it would get old after a while, but it would be fun to have the chorus from Rule Brittania play when I open the door in the morning. ; o )

Helloooooooo! : o )

Craigslist Searches

http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/search

VIN 3FASP11J0TR126323

I purchased 3FASP11J0TR126323 in 1998, the 2nd owner, and drove it for 15 years and 188,000 miles.

Hoping the next owner sees this, if it eventually gets repaired and sold.

Corfu

The Axis powers shot down my neighbor's father's bomber, which crashed on or near the island of Corfu, Greece, during World War 2.

They hid him and his surviving crew for some time, until he successfully returned to the United States.

Auto dealer interactions

Compiling a list of auto dealers I've interacted with:

CLOVIS AUTO MART
Clovis, CA

After contacting via web form with what seemed to me like a reasonable offer, I received the following e-mail: "Hello my name is J.R and I am the internet Mang. here at Clovis Auto Mart we are located in Clovis ca. on Barstow ave. 1048 Barstow ave. Clovis Ca, 93612 and you can reach me at 559-323-8100 between the hours of 9-6pm monday thru saturday.. love to hear from you soon, thank you for your time. J.R ( it is better to call for i am a one man show.lol ) thank you again.."

• Mang? I guess that means manager, but my first thought was Cheech and Chong : o \
• lol?
• Poor writing skills

Attempted to reply to this e-mail with the same content as what I sent via the web contact form, to give them one last chance: "I'm interested in this car: http://www.clovisautomart.com/2005_Toyota_Toyota_Clovis_CA_188783836.veh . KBB seems to list a 2005 Prius, in Good condition, with 86K miles, at $7.7K; I'll offer $8.0K...no way I'm paying $12.0K, so no use calling unless you are willing and able to reduce the price.Thank you for your time."

Attempted to reply by e-mail but received 554 delivery error trying to reach clovisautomart@y....com.

I'm giving up...I wouldn't give any money to this sales rep.

Marketing

I is learning:

Rhetoric 104:

There are three kinds of audiences:

1. Friendly: it's a waste of time to build the case and try to change their mood or their mind; you're pushing an open door. This type of speech or oped should focus on getting them to actually do something.
2. Neutral: it's great if you changed their mind and maybe inspired a few of them to act
3. Hostile: it's a victory to simply change their mood

There's also three steps to persuasion:

1. Changing their mood
2. Changing their mind 
3. Getting them to act

Journal of Advertising Research, 19770600/P

"Should you advertise to hostile audiences? Yes, says Chevron's director of communications research, because advertising can keep them from growing more hostile."

From the book, "Marketing," by Roger Kerin, 10th edition, chapter 19, "Types of Advertising"

Product advertisements

1. Pioneering
2. Competitive
3. Reminder

Institutional Advertisements 

"The objective of institutional advertisements is to build goodwill or an image for an organization rather than promote a specific good or service." 

Four types 

1.  Advocacy advertisements state the position of a company on an issue.
2. Pioneering institutional advertisements, like the pioneering ads for products discussed earlier, are used for announcements about what a company is, what it can do, or where it is located.
3. Competitive institutional advertisements promote the advantages of one product class over another and are used in markets where different product classes compete for the same buyers.
4. Reminder institutional advertisements, like the product form, simply bring the company’s name to the attention of the target market again.

How to Persuade Different Types of People

Persuasion Starts With Credibility

1. Trust
1. How long we have known a person.
2. A person's reputation.
3. Experiences with a person in the past.
4. Information about a person obtained from other people.
5. Any ulterior motives a person may have. 
6. How to build trust:
1. Get someone to act on your behalf
2. Act like you are not trying to persuade
3. Turn a negative into a positive
4. Be reliable. Do what you promise and publicise your achievements.
5. Be rational. It’s much easier to trust someone who makes decisions based on reason rather than emotion. Simon Cowell is a good example.
6. Be Receptive. It’s much easier to trust someone who is receptive to our needs and concerns.
7. Don't oversell or exaggerate. Underpromise and overdeliver. People will not trust you if your words do not match up with your actions.
2.  Expertise  

Sacramento Greek Festival 2013

Attended the 50th annual Sacramento Greek Festival on Sunday.

We had $2 discount coupons, so $6 for both of us to enter. We passed many costumed attendees of SacAnime as we entered the Sacramento Convention Center...and, since the Sacramento Greek Festival granted free admission to SacAnime attendees, we saw many of them wandering about the Sacramento Greek Festival area. : o )  Quite a melting pot, listening to the Annunciation Choir while Master Chief and a Predator walked by.

I sampled:

• Vegetarian dolmathes: Grape leaves stuffed with riceand seasonings - $3
• The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Spaghetti: with browned butter and mizithra cheese. - $7
• Pilafi: Rice flavored with butter and lemon juice - free (shared by Lanna)
• Retsina - free (shared by Lanna)
• Kourambiethes: Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies,dusted with powdered sugar! (free - shared by Paul)
• Kataifi: Shredded phyllo infused with walnut filling and a touch of cinnamon. (free - shared by Dawn)
• Saganaki: Flamed kefalograviera cheese with a hint of lemon and brandy. (free - sample)
• Fotine's Simply Greek Cafe owner Fotine Halikaskopriva demoed how to make their signature tzatziki.... yum! (free)

Previously