Lee's Big Adventure: Day Two

Another challenging day of driving.  While I only got through most of Virginia yesterday, today I went through VA, WV, PA, NJ, NY, and CT, but the distance was about the same.  There were all sorts of traffic delays, especially in NJ, NY, and CT where many of the roads are either in need of repair or are actually undergoing it.  There were also several delays due to accidents.

I got slightly lost just after I crossed the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge, and you can actually see that on the APRS plot.  Evidently they are rebuilding the bridge, and the traffic is really screwed up around it.  I misinterpreted what my GPS was telling me, and missed a turn.  Ended up going the wrong direction, and then had to go all over the place to get turned around in the right direction.

I also was surprised by the $5.00 toll on the Tappan Zee Bridge.  I guess it's been a long time since  I went over it.  I used to use it all the time when I was stationed in Newport, RI, and travelled to my parent's home in New Jersey.  That was in the late 60's, and everything is more expensive now than it was then.

As I passed through Sleepy Hollow, I was reminded of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."  According to Wikipedia, there really was an Ichabod Crane, who was a Colonel in the US Army and also served in the Marines.

As I move north, gasoline gets more expensive.  And I had a real surprise today when I went to buy gas in New Jersey.  There was an attendant at the pump who was all set to pump my gas for me.  He seemed very upset when I told him I'd do it.  I can't remember the last time I saw a gas station attendant.

Tomorrow will be a bit more leisurely trip.  I only have about 300 miles left to drive.   Once I get past Portland, ME, my trip will be along the coast.  I'm looking forward to that.

The first map shows the trip from where I stayed last night in Virginia, across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The second map shows the Hudson River Crossing, and then you can see the jog south where I got turned around.  In case you are not familiar with the area, you will see that on the New York side of the Hudson at the Tappan Zee is Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. It's right about there that I made my error.  I saw neither the Headless Horseman nor Ichabod Crane so I can't blame them for my error.   

After I got straightened out on the Saw Mill River Parkway, I continued up through Connecticut to where I am staying this evening.

Lee's Big Adventure: Day One of trip

I drove just over 400 miles today, which is some sort of a record for me.  I started at about 9 am, and got a hotel room about 6 pm.  That averages out to about 45 miles per hour for the trip.  No land speed records there.  You could probably do better.

But, consider this: When I was taking Linda to Duke Hospital in Durham, Linda, who couldn't drive because of her health situation, insisted that I get someone else to assist me with the driving because she didn't trust me to be able to do it.  She was right to not trust me.   For most of our married life, Linda did most of the driving.  I was just too unreliable.   Fortunately, my good friend Steve would do most of the driving to Durham and back.  I just couldn't drive that far without dozing off.  In fact, I couldn't drive more than an hour or so.  The first time I drove the entire distance was when we were returning home, and Linda was going to Hospice.  My friend Frank, another Ham, drove most of our stuff from the apartment in his truck and I drove the car.  We yakked all the way on the radio, took frequent stops, and arrived home safely.  

I've been apprehensive about this trip to Maine.  I haven't driven a distance like that alone since the 70's, and even then I had to be careful to keep my mind occupied or risk falling asleep.

I got a new CPAP a while ago, and that has made a tremendous difference.  I've been using a CPAP for about 12 years, but had another sleep test a year ago.  My sleep apnea was worse than I thought. The new machine has helped tremendously.  I've also made some other lifestyle changes which have helped.

But, I was still concerned.  This trip really means a lot to me.  I've been looking forward to it since I signed up for it last December.  Because I am taking a bunch of woodworking tools, and will be staying in Maine for three months, flying was pretty much out of the question.  I had to drive.  

One of the things that I did was to take along a bunch of audio books.  I'm currently listening to "The Mongoliad," a book I read and enjoyed several years ago.  Occasionally I find my attention wandering, but mostly I'm keeping up with the story. 

Also, I stopped along the way many times.  In two cases I took naps for a half-hour or so.  Hence the poor average speed.

Additionally, as I noted, I have my radio beeping and booping at me as it broadcasts my position along the way.  Here's the track for today using the website aprs.fi  That's me N0SYS-9 in the upper right corner, and the blue line is my track.

Why the trip?

Last summer my good friend Steve and I went to Maine to attend classes at The Wooden Boat School which is in Brooklin, Maine.  We initially planned to take a couple of weeks, and to travel to Maine by train.  In the interest of time, we decided instead to fly.  Once we got to Maine, we toured from Portland to Brooklin and back again, with stops along the way.  Included among our stops were a tour of the Maine Maritime Museum,  and a somewhat disappointing trolley tour of the Bath Iron Works, both in Bath, ME.  Walking around downtown Bath, I fell in love with Maine all over again.

I first went to Maine was when I was very young, in the late 40's.  It was before my sisters were born, and I must have been about five years old.  Evidently Dad found an advertisement for a farmhouse in Damariscotta, between Bath and Rockland.  We piled into the car and drove through the night from our home in New Jersey.  In those days we didn't have the interstate highway system we have now, so that was quite a drive.  I still remember driving on roads that were being built.  I also remember staying in a white-painted inn near the ocean, and a tremendous thunderstorm.  Other than that, I don't remember much about it.  Evidently Mom and Dad decided that they were not ready to pick and move to Maine.  Gee.  Imagine what a place like that could be worth now. 

Anyway, my next trip to Maine was perhaps 14 or 15 years later when I went to Rockland on my Youngster (sophomore) Midshipman summer cruise compliments of the US Naval Academy.  I have some memories of that which I won't publicly share, but I do remember the lobster boil we had on the fantail of the USS John R. Pierce (DD-753). 

Two years later I went to Maine again on my First Class (senior) Midshipman cruise.  This time I was on a submarine, the USS Grouper, (AGSS-214) and we went to Bar Harbor.  Lots of fun on that one.  I remember that a Navy destroyer also visited Bar Harbor at the same time.  I remember that we were there in celebration of Navy Day, and I believe that a senior member of the Navy League, who lived in a huge house on a hill in Bar Harbor, had made it happen.   I also remember that we submariners looked down our noses at the destroyermen.  I had no way of knowing at that time that a year later I would also be a destroyerman when I graduated from the Academy.

I went to Maine one more time with the Navy.  I don't remember the year, but I was the Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Officer on the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DD-823) and we went to the Bath Iron Works shipyard to have our sonar dome replaced. 

Since then, Linda and I have attended the Wooden Boat School several times, she taking painting courses, and me building model boats.  Someday I'd love to go back and build a real boat, but that's not a very useful skill for somebody who lives in the WNC mountains.

As I said, last summer I fell in love with Maine all over again, and when Steve and I were in Bath, I decided that I was going to spend this summer there.  My plan was to find a place to rent for the summer and then use that as a base to tour around the state.

Last December I got an email from the Center For Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport.  Several years earlier I had signed up with the school for a week-long woodcarving course with the English master woodcarver, Chris Pye, who teaches there occasionally.  I canceled out when Linda started getting ill.  However, I am on their mailing list forever after.

So, I received this email, and I discovered that they offer a "Twelve-week Furniture Intensive" course.  Then I noted that there was a session to be held beginning in June.  It was exactly what I wanted.  They only take 12 students at a time, so I immediately called and discovered that the course beginning in June was already filled.  They put me on a waiting list.  Several weeks later I got a call to tell me that a place had opened up if I wanted it.  Duh!  I sent off my deposit, arranged for a place to stay, and then started the countdown.

It  amazes me that in spite of having almost six months to prepare, and no matter how many lists and plans I've made, there are still some things that I just won't get done before I leave.  Other stuff keeps taking up my time.  But, I'll be leaving soon for what turns out to be my birthday present to me.

I'm also looking at this as somewhat of a transition point for me.  Linda passed away almost two years ago, and no matter what kind of a face I put on it, I have been grieving since then.  It isn't so intense as it was, but it has still been there.  I watched the video on the school site (watch the video) and was struck by the comments of a former student during the last minute or so of the video.  His experience of being able to completely let go of his regular life, and immerse himself in woodworking, is exactly what I am looking for.  I'm hoping to come home at the end of the course with a new attitude and outlook (and, some new skills, too).

So, I'm going to do my best to keep up with this blog, if for no other reason than to keep a record for myself.  But maybe somebody else might find it interesting.

My APRS track for today (May 27, 2015)

I'm getting ready for my summer vacation trip, and I'll be taking an Amateur Radio (Ham radio) transceiver along to keep me company on the trip.

One of the things I can do with this radio is transmit my position periodically.  I wanted to see what the track looked like from the http://aprs.fi website. The system we use is called APRS, which is an abbreviation for Automatic Packet Reporting System (or, Automatic position reporting system; the original author of the concept doesn't like that)  Hams use it to inform other hams where they are. When my radio receives a signal from another ham who is on APRS, it displays information such as how far away from me he is, in what direction, and any messages he may have embedded in his transmission.  The embedded messages might be what frequency he is listening on.

Generous folks have put up devices known as iGates.  These receive the APRS signals and retransmit  them on the Internet.  Then, several websites take that information, compile it in databases, and display it on tracking maps.  An example of the track for my vehicle today is shown here clipped from the website http://www.aprs.fi

My ham radio callsign is NØSYS, (The second character is a zero) and for my truck I add -9 as my primary mobile station. The track is the light blue line.  You see my truck at the last position near Zirconia on the bottom of the map.

You can see on this plot that I went up I-26 to Arden to go to a restaurant, then to Harbor Freight, and then back home.  Then I went on another trip to NW Hendersonville, and returned via Howard Gap Road.

The track might lead you to believe that I also went through Hendersonville or somehow jumped from Zirconia to Naples.  That's a problem with APRS.  If nobody receives your signal and transfers it to the Internet, through an iGate, then the software just fills in the blanks as best it can.  Actually, on all of my trips, I used Route I26 almost exclusively, except for the Howard Gap segment.

For those interested in the detailed information about my radio and setup:   I'm using a Yaesu FTM-400DM with an external Globalsat BR-355 GPS (the GPS built into the radio works, but is slow to lock up, probably because it doesn't have a good view of the sky) 

My plan is to post either screen captures of the track, such as this one, or else links to the actual track for aprs.fi.  The problem with the latter plan is that the tracks don't last forever on the aprs.fi website.

Another annoyance: TigerDirect.com

I get at least one email a day, usually more, from TigerDirect.com, a electronics wholesaler in Miami. On the 8th of April their email advertisement offered a 240 GB Solid State Drive for an attractive price, including a $20 rebate coupon.

I ordered the drive.  It's something I have been looking for.  I also ordered a case for it from Amazon.  Several days later, the case arrived from one of the many companies that do business through Amazon.

I kept waiting for the drive.  I could go online to track the shipping progress, but every time I did, I received the notification that it had not yet been shipped.

Today, 20 days after my order, I again checked the status with the same results.  So, I called TigerDirect's telephone number.  At least it is easier to find than AT&T's.  After several "listen to the following..." choices, I got to the usual "Please wait for the next available representative" notification.  I waited for over five minutes - not too bad when compared to AT&T's responses, and listened to their statements of how important my call was, and oh by the way did I need printer ink, because they had great deals on it if I did.

Finally, Carlos answered.  I commented that I had been waiting for this device for 20 days, and added that it could have been shipped directly from Hong Kong in less time.  He asked for the order number, disappeared for a while and then came back and told me that the item would ship tomorrow.  I asked it had been lost, and his response: "No."

I can't help but be mystified that this item for which I've been waiting for 20 days can be shipped so quickly after my telephone call.

How many computers?

Someone recently asked me how many computers I have.  I didn't try to be be evasive, but it's a hard question for me to answer. Because my definition of a computer may differ from yours, counting is not as easy as you might think, but, here's an attempt:

iMac - Runs OS-X. My primary computer.  This is the one on which I do all my regular work - email, bills, doc preparation, etc., etc.

Macbook Air - Laptop, running OS-X.  I use it to do many of the same things as the iMac, and also use it for presentations and other stuff away from home.  In addition, I use it with a Windows emulator so as to have a portable computer for running Windows-specific communications software during communications exercises.

Home built PC - in my radio room.  This one runs Windows 7.  There are some programs for my radios that are only available on a Windows platform.  For example, I have a radio which is called a "Software Defined Radio." It has no front panel, and is basically a box with no controls and several high speed A-D/D-A converters, filters and other stuff of no interest to you.  The software to make it work only runs under Windows, on a relatively fast computer.  So, this computer is pretty much a single use computer.

RMS PC - This is a refurbished off-lease computer whose purpose is to run one software package.  That software has to be hosted on Windows.  It is a 24/7 communications server.  Other similar stations around the US communicate with this computer to forward message traffic.

Shuttle - This is a small computer, about the size of hardback book.  Currently it runs Linux, although it could run Windows.  Among other things, I use it as a personal webserver for web page development. At some point I may adapt it to use in my truck for GPS tracking and other jobs. Or not...  A while back I was having trouble with my Internet provider, and this computer, which connects with my local area network (as do all of the above) became a tool for me.  I wrote a small program to monitor and log my Internet connectivity, to prove just how bad my service was.

Linda's PC - A Windows machine which I will likely adopt for use as the controller for my 3-D printer.

Linda's laptop.  I may just get rid of this as it is rapidly becoming a dinasaur.

Beaglebones, Raspberry Pi's - these are tiny computers best suited for building special purpose devices. They run the Linux operating system.  I have several of each.  One of them might have been a better choice for the Internet monitor for which I used the Shuttle.

Arduinos - These are also tiny computers (2" X 3") which have microcontrollers.  They don't run operating systems per say, but can do all sorts of things when fitted with sensors and output devices.  For example, I have one set up to measure the speed of a rotating bicycle wheel as a project for the "Hands On" children's museaum in downtown Hendersonville.  I have several of these devices.

Tablets - I own several, all of which run the Android Operating system.  This includes a couple of Kindles, and a Samsung that I use for all sorts of stuff.  My cellphone is a Samsung which also runs the Android OS, and a lot of the apps on my phone are also on my Samsung tablet.

Notice that in spite of the fact that I use Apple computers, I have neither an iPhone nor an iPad.  Some of that is historical: I loved my old iPod, and I wanted an iPhone, but at the time that I was in the market for an one, my cell provider (Verizon) did not offer them.  And, I've already expressed my feelings about AT+T elsewhere in this blog.

I also have several defunct PCs, and two old Macs which are currently just taking up space.  I ought to get rid of them.

That's not all, but all I can think to enumerate at the moment.

I hate AT&T

If a large company really cared about their customers, they wouldn't make it so hard to get proper service.

Last May I cancelled all of my AT&T services except the basic landline telephone when we moved to a temporary residence in Durham, NC.  AT&T didn't provide telephone service there, so I couldn't just transfer my account.  I returned to my home in late July, and called AT&T to re-establish my services, including Internet.

I had had High Speed DSL when I left in May, and thought I would be able to get the same service when I returned three months later.  But, no, I was evidently considered to be a brand new customer, in spite of the fact that I already had an account.  After the usual rigamarole of "listen to the following choices" I got to a live human with a very thick accent that sounded asian to me.  I ended up restarting my Internet service after about an hour on the telephone.

Over the next couple of months I was very disappointed with the so-called high speed Internet service, and eventually got another provider, the cable people, to provide me with a better service.  Then, I tried repeatedly to cancel the AT&T service online.  Turns out you can't do that.  You have to telephone.

I finally decided that I had paid for services I wasn't receiving long enough and called the AT&T number.  After another string of "listen to the following..." I got a human and explained that I wanted to drop my Internet service.  The rep told me that she was not able to do that but would have to have me speak to a different person who would handle the service termination.  Would I mind holding while she got that person on the line.  Of course I wouldn't mind.  That was the reason I had called.

So, I waited. Waited.  Waited.  She came back to me several times telling me that SHE couldn't get hold of the appropriate rep, and would I mind waiting a little longer?  Finally, after something approaching a half hour, she said that SHE was unable to get the appropriate representative.  She asked if it would be convenient for her to call me later in the day, and she would have a rep available at that time and would transfer me then.  I agreed that she could call me around 2 pm.

Promptly at 2 pm the same person called me.  She then asked me to wait while she contacted the appropriate person.  I waited some more, and someone else finally came on the line.  I now regret that I didn't keep a record of the people with whom I spoke.  I explained again that I wanted to drop the Internet service.  I was asked numerous questions about why I wanted to drop the service, and told the rep that I was unhappy with AT&T's Internet service and that I had gotten another provider.  It took at least another half hour to finish the transaction.  I was certain that I had dropped the AT&T service, and that my bill would now be much lower, as I had only basic Landline service.

Several days later I received a letter from AT&T congratulating me on being an AT&T High Speed Internet Member.  I was advised in bold type to review the order summary to "ensure that it accurately reflects your account with the new changes."  Turning the letter over, I discover that I am signed up for AT&T High Speed Internet Xtreme at a cost of $41.00 per month, but I'm not being charged for Self Installation, Connection Charge, or an Early Termination fee.  How lucky I am.

Today (Sunday), I got an email telling me that my bill was ready.  It was higher than it has been in the past, by more than $20.00.  I went online and checked the bill, afraid that perhaps I had forgotten to pay last month.  Nope, there it was.  I was paid up and this was a new bill, including a charge for Internet service.

I went back to the welcoming letter to make sure I had read it correctly.  Yes, it was welcoming me to High speed Internet service.  On the letter it says that I can check my order status anytime online at att.com/orderstatus.  I tried that, and was informed that either my username or my password do not match their records.  It's funny, because I had just successfully logged in to another URL to check my bill.  Of course, AT&T has lots of URLs and IP addresses available to them, so I suppose I could have two different accounts, and not realize it.  After a couple of tries, I clicked on the "forgot password" button and was taken to another screen where I was expected to enter my telephone number, my service area zipcode, and a password!  I tried.  God knows I tried, but again I am told that my entries do not match their records. They expect me to enter a password in order to reset my password!  And, there's a note telling me that if I can't do what they are asking, I should contact them at a telephone number.

So I called the telephone number.  After listening to the unhuman voice asking me questions and telling me she didn't understand what I was saying, I drilled down to what I think was be the correct area.  I was informed that they are closed, as it is Sunday.

I admit to being elderly. I don't hear everything correctly, especially when presented to me in a heavy accent and through the low pass filter of a telephone.  Perhaps I misunderstood somehow in dealing with what I thought was the person who was going to help me cancel my Internet service portion of my account.  But, to ask me for a password to access the ability to reset a password?  Cumon!

I'm about ready to drop all services from AT&T.  The only reasons that I continue with the landline is that my telephone number is well known to the people I care about (and an awful lot of advertisers, in spite of the Do Not Call registry) and my alarm system uses it.   I also consider it to be a backup to the cell system in case of an emergency.  I believe the cell system has the potential to become overloaded and unusable in an emergency.  The landline system is battery operated, and doesn't rely on the power grid.  But, maybe I am approaching the point where I just don't give a damn.