Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 11:45 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  This time instead of the spinach, I used the Dole Tuscany salad mix and instead of the tuna fish, I used the rest of the Butterball boneless smoked cooked turkey breast which I cut into half inch my two inch by 1/4 inch slices.  Of course I used all of the other usual ingredients.  I had the salad with a glass of iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 10:40 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by CVS on Greenwich Avenue, but they were closed.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I then drove over to the open all night CVS at the Riverside Shopping Plaza, and they have lots of Christmas merchandise on sale for 50% to 75% off.  I bought a Talon ice scraper made by Hopkins Mfg. Corp from Emporia, Kansas with push-pull scraping action for $2.99.  It is about a foot long, and I put on the driver's side rear seat floor area with my other ice scrapers.  I also bought three Dover York made in China gift packages.  I bought the Dover and York Glove Box organizer which includes a note pad, pen, tire gauge, flashlight, multifunction tool - bottle opener, pliers, screwdriver, and knife with a vinyl storage case for $3.25, a Dover and York 3 in 1 weather center with an Analog quartz clock, Analog thermometer, and Analog hygrometer with Mahogany finish for $3.75, and a Dover York 4 inch by 6 inch by 2.5 inch table box with Photo Frame in Mahogany finish with a storage drawer for $3.75, and a box of Hallmark Christmas Cards with 18 cards and 19 envelopes for $2.49 plus .97 tax for $17.20 total.  All the items were 75% off except the ice scraper.  I then went by the Food Emporium at the Riverside shopping center, and I bought two buy one get one free of Dole Tuscany 8 ounce bags of salad field greens containing a salad blend which includes Romaine, Endive, Carrots, and Radicchio and are triple washed for $3.49 both bags.  They have a number of Anne Page fruit cakes in the front display case, but they are not yet on sale, but they might be soon.  I checked out Radio Shack, but they were already closed.  I then went downtown in central Greenwich, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I used the bathroom at Starbucks.  It was not too busy downtown.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then used the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went by the Exxon gasoline and service station next to the Greenwich Library, and I filled up my Hyundai with $4.50 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.839 a gallon for about 21 miles per gallon driving usage.  I then noticed both the Food Emporium and the Stop and Shop grocery stores were closed.  I then returned home.  I put the display box with sliding drawer on the left front of my bedroom desk, and in the small sliding drawer, I put my three Swiss Army knives that I possess that I used to keep in my bedroom night stand.  In its display frame, I put a picture of myself and a relative.  I put the weather center on the wall underneath the French cafe sculpture to the right of my primary computer and to the right of the wall lamp and to the left of the orange and gold frame mirror.  I put one AA Polaroid alkaline battery in the quartz clock to get it going, and I set the time.  I put two Walgreen's heavy duty AA batteries in the glove box organizer flash light, and I will put in my Hyundai glove box.  It has clear plastic slide pouches for displaying one's automobile registration and automobile insurance certificates.  It is a handy little device.  CVS was almost sold out of the Dove and York items at the Riverside shopping center, but they did have three display boxes left.  I will now drink some iced tea.  CIO     

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 5:25 P.M.:  I ate most of the remainder of the bag of Lays K.C. Masterpiece barbeque potato chips this morning before finally falling asleep.  I had a call from a friend about 7 A.M..  I was up at 2 P.M., and I went out without cleaning up.  I went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went by the Wachovia Bank on Benedict Place, and I paid my rent.  I then went by the central Greenwich Post Office, and I obtained a money order at .90 cost to pay my GEICO automobile insurance payment.  That is the  final of four payments in my six month billing cycle.  I will not have GEICO insurance payments in February and March, and I will resume them again in April 2004.  I also bought 20 U.S.A. flag stamps at .37 cost each for $7.40.  I then returned home.  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I chatted with a relative.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up, and I will go out.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 2:05 A.M.:  I finished off the last piece of pumpkin pie.  I also ate a mandarin orange.  I drank some iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 1:40 A.M.:  I wonder if these Hyundais are left or right hand drive  Bermuda Hyundai http://bermuda.hyundai-motor.com .  The Queen Elizabeth II was in Lanzarote yesterday, and they are spending New Years Eve in Madeira http://www.qe2.org.uk/itinerary.html .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 1:20 A.M.:  Tea information TCPalm: Health & Wellness Tea Information .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 12:40 A.M.:  Forget somebody's birthday His Highness the Aga Khan's 67th Birthday ?  CIO

Note: <888> 12/31/03  Wednesday 12:05 A.M.:  I was up at 2 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I put clean linens on the bed in the bedroom.  I cleaned up, and I went out.  I went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York at Mason Street.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift Shop.  Everything is still half price.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I then went by Radio Shack in Cos Cob, and I bought a 3 foot Goldseries coaxial cable #15-1541 Radio Shack 3-Ft. Gold-Series Video Hookup Cable #15-1541 for $8.99 plus a Radio Shack 377 Watch and Calculator silver-oxide battery  #23-204 RadioShack Model 377 1.55V/26mAh Silver-Oxide Battery 1-Pack for $2.99 plus .72 tax for $12.70 total.  I then went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue and the train station area.  I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by CVS on the way up Greenwich Avenue, and all the made in China Dover York gift boxes in the front of the store were still 50% off, along with various other discounts on the Christmas merchandise.  I noticed after I left CVS, that a Christmas wreath had fallen on to the sidewalk in front of the Peoples Bank from its second story position, so I hung it on the railing in front of the Peoples Bank.  I then completed my walk, and I drove back by CVS, and they had reduced the made in China Dover York Christmas gift boxes to 75% off.  I bought a Dover York 4 inch by 6 inch by 2.5 inch table box with Photo Frame in Mahogany finish with a storage drawer for $3.75 and a Dover York wood remote control holder with two compartments for $2.49 plus .37 tax for $6.61 total.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I returned a DVD video disk, and I paid a day late dollar fine on the item.  I then returned home, and I started two loads of laundry.  I drank some iced tea.  I then install the Radio Shack goldseries 3 foot coaxial cable from the living room wall cable plug to the goldseries four way cable splitter.  I put the cable that I put there last night back on the Proscan television in the bedroom.  I put the unused original cable in the bottom area of the hallway sweater closet along with the old original four way splitter.  I keep two sets of small jeweler screw drivers in the yellow plastic tool box on the floor of my hallway sweater closet.  I used a 1.8 mm screw driver with a bit of persistence to pop off the back of my Benrus waterproof watch with the blue dial rim, and I replaced the battery using the 1.8 mm screw driver to pry out the old battery and install the new Radio Shack 377 battery.  With a bit of persistence and being sure to line up the grove on the case cover with the watch adjustment rod, I was able to snap the case cover back on the watch.  It was running slowly today like it was running out of power.  I opened up the small table box, and I mounted its tilted back frame with a family picture of two relatives, and I placed it on the center front of the mahogany bureau in the living room.  I had to move the largest candle stick from there to the right rear corner of the Danish bar.  I put the silver finish Greek Parthenon box on top of the mahogany finish box, and when it is opened the cover tilts back at the same angle as the frame on the table box.  I put my five regular watches in the drawer, so I do not have to leave them out all the time.  The three I do not wear as much, I pulled out the stems on them, so they do not run, and that will save the watch battery life.  I put the remote control box on the TEAC DVD player, with most of the remote controls fitting in it except for a few of the smaller ones.  I still leave the television remotes on the brass and glass coffee table and the near side long green couch arm.  I put away my laundry.  On http://webservices.cnet.com/Bandwidth/ , I am getting 1878 kbps, which is about the same as last night, so the speed has not increased that much with the gold cable, but of course at this time of night, the internet is busier.  I chatted with a relative.  I had my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm , but I was out of spinach, so I used two sliced plum tomatoes and for the cheddar cheese portion, I used Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I had the salad with iced tea.  I broke the pourable spout that I use on my the balsamic vinegar, so I am now putting the vinegar in a plastic squeeze bottle with a cork for its stopper.  I make the cork by poking a cone shaped hole in the side of the cork with a knief and cork screw, and I use the cork so the squeeze bottle is not opened to the air.  CIO        

Note: <888> 12/30/03  Tuesday 6:10 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO 

  Note: <888> 12/30/03  Tuesday 5:55 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  This time, instead of tuna fish, I used two 1/4 inch thick slices of the Butterball cooked smoked turkey breast, which I cut into 1/2 inch by 2 inch strips, and for the cheddar cheese portion, I used a 50% - 50% combination of America's Choice cheddar cheese and Sargento Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I ate the salad with a glass of iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/30/03  Tuesday 4:40 A.M.:  I have been busy, so I have not had a chance to file a note yet today.  I was up at 1 P.M. yesterday.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I cleaned up, and I went out.  I went by Smokes for Less in Byram, and I bought a carton of Senaca Ultra Lights 100s for $31.  I then went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street, and I cashed the $20 rebate check on my Columbia big button telephone that I keep next to my bedroom bed on the left side night stand.  Since the Columbia big button telephone only cost $20 plus tax at CompUSA, it only cost the tax after waiting four months for the $20 rebate.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, and everything was half price.  I bought a Dell Trinitron D1025 TM 17 inch color monitor for $15.  It has a manufacturer's date of 1998.  I then made my 4 P.M. appointment.  I next walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by the Greenwich Hardware store and CVS, and I used the bathroom at the senior center.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I then went by Radio Shack in Cos Cob.  They had a gold cable four way splitter for $8.99, but they did not have a one foot gold cable, just a 3 foot gold cable for $8.99.  I was low on funds, so I decided to check out Radio Shack in Old Greenwich to see if they had the cheaper $3.99 gold cable.  They did not, but I noticed their gold cable four way splitter was $15.99, but it said bidirectional.  I then went by Staples, and I toured their clearance shelf area.  They have several routers discounted.  I then returned to Radio Shack in Cos Cob, and they told me with a cable modem, I should use the Goldseries bi-directional 5-1100MHz 4 Way Splitter, and they only had the aluminum plated one for $14.99.  I then returned to Radio Shack in Old Greenwich at the Riverside Shopping plaza, and I bought the Goldseries bi-directional 5-1100MHz 4-Way Splitter Radio Shack Goldseries 4-Way Bi-Directional Cable Splitter 5-1100MHz #15-2583 for $15.99 plus .96 tax for $16.95 total.  I did not have enough funds to get a 3 foot gold cable at the time for $8.99.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I chatted with a local individual about the weather.  I then returned home.  I installed the gold 4 way splitter on the living room cable jack with a regular 3 foot cable that I took off my bedroom television.  I moved the cablevision 18 inch cable that had been in my apartment since I moved in 15 years ago from the splitter in the bedroom to the bedroom Proscan television.  I checked the primary computer which has a 12 foot gold cable from the gold four way splitter to the cable modem, and on this test page http://webservices.cnet.com/Bandwidth/ , I  get 1920 Kbps at this time.  It seems quite a bit faster with the gold bi-directional splitter.  Apparently regular television splitters can burn out, and they are not meant to be used for bi-directional cable modem use.  I then installed the Dell Trinitron 17 inch monitor on my primary backup Dell computer adjacent to my primary computer.  It works just fine.  I set both the color temperature to 5000 on both computer monitors from 9200 in the monitor settings.  The other Dell monitor I had on the Dell backup computer was plugged into the onboard 2X AGP port instead of the Diamond Stealth 32 meg PCI card port, so it now has much better video using the Diamond Stealth 32 meg PCI port.  I uninstalled the onboard AGP 2X driver.  I then took the two 64 meg memory chips from my IBM Cyrix backup computer and the LAN card and the two port USB card, and I put them all in the HP Kayak XA computer along with one of the existing 32 meg memory chips, so it now has 160 megs of memory.  I found out the 1995 NEC 17 inch monitor which was attached to the HP Vectra XU computer no longer worked, so I unplugged it, and I just threw it out at the dumpster.  I then put the Royal 17 inch monitor with the HP Vectra XU CPU along with the generic PS/2 keyboard and Compaq PS/2 mouse.  I put four Japanese lacquer and grass cloth coasters underneath the bedroom sideboard to raise it up a quarter of an inch.  I then put the HP Kayak XA CPU on top of the HP Vectra XU CPU underneath the sideboard with just enough clearence.  I put the Dell E770 monitor that I previously had in the living room on the Dell backup computer on the left side of the bedroom sideboard connected to the HP Vectra XU CPU.  I put two 32 meg memory chips in the IBM Cyrix CPU which no longer has a LAN or USB card.  I put it on top of the Danish end table on the left side of the bedroom desk.  I took the case cover off the HP 13 inch monitor, and I used two bread bag plastic sealing tabs to pry up the VGA connector, so it now makes solid contact to the mother board, and that monitor now works, and I connected it to the IBM Cyrix computer placing the monitor on top of it.  Since it is an older slower computer, it is more a novelty to remember the old days.  Still I have key board and mouse on it.  I always could take the LAN card out of the HP Kayak XA and put it back in the IBM, but with only 64 megs of memory going online with it would be tedious.  Of course this all was not as simple as it all sounded, but what I have reported is basically the net results of my evening and morning work.  All of the computer systems are connected and functioning properly.  On an interesting side note, when I was returning this evening back up my building driveway about 8:30 P.M., I happened to see ring tailed red fox, which is only the third one that I have seen in Greenwich in the 20 years I have been living here since I returned from Nantucket and other travels.  I have not eaten since breakfast, so I might start on that now.  I heard on the news here at 10 A.M. yesterday morning, which would be 7 A.M. in Seattle, Washington it was 9 degrees Fahrenheit there.  By 8 A.M. their time, it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  It seems they must have had a cold wind blow in upon them.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/29/03  Monday 1:10 A.M.:  I ate two soup bowl of Lays K.C. Masterpiece barbeque potato chips and two mandarin oranges which are similar to tangerines, and I also drank some iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/29/03  Monday 12:45 A.M.:  I finished going through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/29/03  Monday 12:35 A.M.:  EE Times - Global scientific research net starts operation .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/29/03  Monday 12:20 A.M.:  My computer system with a new upgrade installed of Windows XP and also with Windows XP SP2 beta on it seems to be running fine so far.  I have had a sluggish mouse once, which I fixed by reinstalling the Microsoft Mouse driver.  I found this article about the Windows XP SP2 beta that explains its new features very well XP Service Pack 2: Last Stop Till 'Longhorn' .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/29/03  Monday 12:05 A.M.:  InfoWorld: Warning: Exploding batteries: December 19, 2003: By Ephraim Schwartz: Wireless .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 11:45 P.M.:  I set the HP Kayak XA computer on the left side of the Danish end table on the left side of the bedroom desk.  I put the HP 15 inch monitor on top of it.  I connected a generic PS/2 keyboard that I had stored underneath the day bed. I also connected an older Compaq PS/2 mouse.  The serial mouse with a PS/2 adaptor would not work.  I moved the six foot power strip to the right side of the HP computer, and I plugged it into a 3 foot power strip on the right side of the bedroom desk.  I used one of the dollar monitor cables that I bought at the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop to connect the CPU to the monitor.  However, the monitor jack was lose, and it did not work unless forced upwards.  I used a piece of extension cord wire fastened around the back of the HP monitor to secure the monitor jack in an upwards position.  I connected the HP Kayak XA computer to the bedroom LAN cable, and it all works and boots properly going on line.  One has to push on the LAN cable hard when installing it to the HP Kayak XA computer to make a secure connection. I did not hook up headphones or speakers to it.  I then shut it down, and I reconnected the bedroom LAN cable to the AMD backup computer.  I just ate a piece of pumpkin pie, which I had with iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 10:20 P.M.:  I finished configuring the HP Kayak XA computer.  I will now move it into the bedroom, and I will set it up on the Danish end table to the left side of the AMD backup computer.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 7:55 P.M.:  I am running utilities on the HP Kayak XA computer.  I still have some more files to put on it.  I made and ate my Christmas dinner again.  I cut two 3/8 inch thick slices of the Butterball boneless coked smoked turkey breast, which I heated on reheat in the microwave on a microwave proof plate with a plastic microwave cover with the remains of the stuffing and mushroom gravy.  I also had the meal with steamed fresh quartered lengthwise broccoli stalks and broccoli crowns along with a glass of iced tea.  I have been going through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 6:00 P.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 5:35 P.M.:  I had a telephone call from a relative at 10:30 A.M. this morning.  I was up at 2:30 P.M..  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I am in the process of installing programs and files on the HP Kayak XA computer.  I brought up the HP monitor from the car, and I cleaned it up.  I took the two old laptop computers off the Danish side table on the bedroom desk to the left of the AMD backup computer.  I will setup the HP Kayak XA computer there once I have finished configuring it.  I will put the two old laptops in their cases and store them underneath the sideboard.  I watched a bit of television while installing the programs.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 8:00 A.M.:  I finished installing the updates on the HP Kayak XA.  I shut it down, but I left it hooked up for now.  I looked at some email and news.  I will now shut down the primary computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 7:15 A.M.:  I put the HP Kayak case cover back on.  I put the broken HP Kayak XA case lock in the second drawer from the top on the left side of my living room desk.  I installed the HP video drivers on it.  I then updated the CMOS and the SCSI Rom.  The other drivers were newer from Windows ME.  When I updated the CMOS, Windows ME also updated the audio drivers.  I have to use my Compaq laptop Windows 95 boot disk, which does not load memory to install the CMOS and SCSI Rom.  I am now running the Updates.  It is a nice machine although a bit dated.  I will now eat a piece of pumpkin pie and a mandarin orange with some iced tea.  CIO   

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 3:45 A.M.:  The HP Kayak XA is running fine.  It looks like one of the SCSI cable connectors was making contact with the case, so I moved it.  That caused the C: drive not to work, but it all seems to be working now.  At the moment I have the case cover off.  I am now installing Windows ME again.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 3:20 A.M.:  I put the case cover on the HP system.  I did not install the broken lock.  The replacement floppy drive button does not protrude from the case far enough, so one has to use a device such as a small screw driver to use the eject button.  However, floppy disks fit in it fine enough.  I am now installing a copy of the Windows Me operating system on the HP system.  I want to see which devices it recognize.  Since I will not be using it, but keeping it in reserve for emergency use, I do not feel I am using an extra copy of the system.  However, should I for lack of storage space need to get rid of it, I guess I could put Red Hat Linux 9.0 on it, but that might be more difficult right now, since I do not know if it would recognize the different devices on it.  I just got a disk write error message on the C: drive of the HP Kayak.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/28/03  Sunday 1:45 A.M.:  It took a while, but I got the HP Kayak XA6/300MT work station going.  It recognized the three 32 meg memory chips I put in, so it has 96 megs of memory.  I tried to Fdisk the partitions with my Windows ME boot disk, but the floppy drive would not work.  I fiddled with the cables.  I finally determined the HP floppy drive was defective.  I happened to have a spare floppy drive, and once I got the cables figured out, it worked.  I also had to install an IDE cable for the CDrom drive.  I checked the CMOS settings.  I booted the Windows ME boot disk, and I used Fdisk to remove the partitions, and I created one large 4 gigabyte C: partition.  I just formatted the drive, and it is 4,329.25 megabytes.  I will now put the case top back on it, and try to install the broken lock.  I have to secure the CDrom drive and the floppy drive with the case screws.  I might then try to install an operating system.  The system has a 300 MHz Pentium II processor, with 96 megs. of memory, onboard VGA, sound, dual USB ports, PS/2 keyboard and mouse.  It has a 4 gigabyte Qunatum SCSI hard drive with SCSI hard drive controller.  It has a LAN 10/100 port on the SCSI controller, and it also has a 3 LAN port Siemens Network card.  It is a very well built machine, although a bit vintage.  I have the HP 15 inch monitor to go with it down in the car.  I have an IBM PS/2 keyboard with USB ports, and I have serial mice and a PS/2 to serial adaptor to use the serial mouse, and I think I also have a VGA monitor cable.  I will try to configure a whole system out of it, which might take a little bit of time.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 10:15 P.M.:  I just remembered, I have three 32 meg. memory chips, I will try to test the HP with those to see if it boots.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 10:05 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Food Emporium, and I bought buy one get one free of two Lays 11.5 ounce KC Masterpiece Barbeque potato chips for $2.99 both, a 5.5 ounce box of Pepperidge Farm fat free Zesty Italian croutons .99, a half gallon of Florida Natural orange juice with calcium for $2.50, and a five pound box of www.sunkist.com Satsuma Mandarin oranges from Sherman Oaks, California for $1.49 for $7.97 total.  I then went by the Exxon gasoline station next to the Greenwich Library, and I bought $5.60 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.799 a gallon for about 30 miles per gallon.  I then walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, and I sat out at various locations.  I went by CVS, and I bought a Dover and York made in China Home and Auto Tool Set for $6.49 plus .39 tax for $6.88 total.  It contains one 6" slip joint pliers, one ratchet screwdriver handle, ten screw bits, 1/4" driver adapter, nine sockets, tire gauge, two electrical  circuit testers, utility knife, electrical tape, a flashlight that uses two AA batteries not included, 22 four inch cable ties, and a zipper storage case.  I put it on the left wicker shelf with my other computer tool kits.  After my walk, I sat out for a while.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I stopped by the train station office park dumpster area, and I found a discarded HP CPU and HP 15 inch monitor.  I put them in my car.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I enjoyed looking at the stars.  I chatted with some visitors.  I then returned home.  I put away my purchases.  The HP CPU is a HP Kayak XA6/300MT desktop workstation.  I left the HP monitor in the car.  The HP case was locked, but I was able to pry off the case around the lock tongue.  I then broke the lock apart, so it will not interfere with replacing the case cover.  I might be able to reinstall the lock without the locking guides, so it turns freely.  I inspected the machine, and it is missing its memory, but the memory in my Dell or AMD backup computers probably would work.  It has a hard drive and cards.  It seems to be a well built machine with a Pentium II 300 to 500 MHz processor in it.  I will try to get it going with parts from my other backup computers.  I probably will use the two 128 meg memory chips from my AMD backup computer to try to get it going.  I drank some iced tea.  I just chatted with a relative.  My relative threw out a good laptop computer in the packaging material she received with other items.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 5:00 P.M.:  I heated a 18.5 ounce can of Progresso Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup, which I put 22 Arnold large cut croutons in, and I ate it with a glass of iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up, and I will go out.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 4:25 P.M.:  I was up at 10 A.M. when a relative called.  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  went back to bed until noon.  I received in the mail my $20 rebate check for the Columbia big button telephone that I bought a CompUSA in August for $20, so it finally has not cost me anything.  I keep the Columbia big button telephone by my left night stand in the bedroom, and I frequently use it when people call me when I am asleep.  I just finished my house cleaning and watering the plants.  I listened to stereo amplifier radio system 106.7 FM when I did my house cleaning with the Emerson wireless headphones that work with Radio Shack rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries.  I keep the charger by my TEAC DVD player beneath the Orion television in the living room, and I used the fully charged pair which are in the Emerson wireless headphones, and I am charging up the other pair, which should be fully charged by 11 P.M..  Circuitcity sells a Sony Rechargeable 900 MHz wireless headphone set circuitcity.com - SONY MDRRF915RK - Sony Wireless Headphone which automatically recharges when one puts it back in the cradle, so one does not have to change the rechargeable batteries.  They were right in the front of the store, the last time I was there, and they are about $80 plus tax.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 12:45 A.M.:  I did a little bit of regular computer work.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 12:20 A.M.:  I just happened to notice this link in my Favorites Eliminate Geese and Ducks for Good! for any people whom own cottages on the waterfront and whom are bothered by waterfowl.  Of course in the old days, we did not have such problems, because the local hunters seemed to enjoy eating the waterfowl, so the birds tended to stay away from inhabited areas.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/27/03  Saturday 12:15 A.M.:  I scratched off the dollar "In Between" scratch card that I bought at Zyn stationary on Christmas Eve, and I did not win anything, so much for gambling.  I am still probably ahead, because the first time I played a Quick Pik lottery number about 20 years ago, I won $42.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 11:55 P.M.:  I read some internet news.  I earlier ate a piece of pumpkin pie, and I also finished off the can of salt free cashew nuts.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 11:20 P.M.:  I ran Ad-aware 6.0 with the latest updates.  I ran Norton Win Doctor.  I next ran Norton Clean Sweep Fast and Safe Cleanup.  Then in Internet Explorer, I ran Delete Files and Clear History.  I next from System restore did a System Backup.  Then from the C: drive icon, I ran Disk CleanUp, including deleting all the System Restore backups except the most recent backup.  I now have 2.74 gigabytes of free space on the 20 gigabyte C: drive with the 20 gigabyte D: drive for backups.  I then ran Norton Disk Doctor on the C: and D: drive, but I did not run Surface Scan.  I then did a C: drive to D: drive backup in seven parts.  I next ran Norton Speed Disk on the C: drive.  Thus in a week, I have updated my computer CMOS, reinstalled Windows XP as a Upgrade, installed Windows XP SP2 beta, configured the system back to the way it looked before I started the maintenance, and then performed my monthly maintenance routine.  The computer seems to be running in top shape, and I suppose I have not missed too much technology news since many people were on Holiday.  I watched a bit of television while running the utilities.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 7:45 P.M.:  I went through my email.  I will now run some utilities and do a C: drive to D: drive backup.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 7:05 P.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  The friend is back from Vermont. The heavy snow was not actually in Stowe, Vermont, but in the mountains about 20 miles northeast of Stowe, they have had about two feet of snow in the last 24 hours in the area around Johnson, Vermont.  I recalled that back in the summer of 1968 or 1969, when I use to drive up to Vermont from Weston, Massachusetts on weekends, and I would visit with friends around St. Johnsbury, Vermont whom had a commune on a dairy farm, where they made hatch cover coffee tables from Liberty Ship hatch covers, I once drove through Johnson, Vermont, and just south of the center of Johnson, Vermont on the west side of the road, I saw a running stream, so I went swimming in the cool mountain waters on a hot day.  Of course another time, when I was in that area, we drove over to a mountain on the Vermont - New Hampshire border, and a group of my friends climbed the back side of the mountain up some rough terrain, and when we got to the to of the mountain, there was a discothèque that had burned down from being hit by lightning, but there was a road down the less steep side of the mountain to return back down the mountain.  Of course when one is young and skinny it is not too hard to scramble around.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 6:25 P.M.:  I bought the Styrofoam that I used to cover the General Electric air conditioner last year at Home Depot.  I think it comes in a package of five or six 1 inch by 13.5 inch by 4 foot sheets of white Styrofoam for about $8.  There is this story about the new Queen Mary II BBC NEWS In Depth Photo Gallery In pictures: Queen Mary 2 arrives .  There is also this sad story Queen Elizabeth's dog killed by daughter's terrier .  I use to walk a roommate's White German Shepard and Doberman Pincher when I lived in Manhattan up until the cold spell of minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit around January 21, 1982 after Mount St. Helens erupted which caused it to be cold.  The Doberman Pincher use to make people around me nervous, but the White German Shepard was a very gentil dog, and I use to walk it like a Seeing Eye Dog in Manhattan and let it lead me around town, and with its natural instincts it would frequently lead me away from trouble and took me on very pleasant walks.  I walked the White Shepard through Central Park one night in December 1980, and I stopped in at the Waldorf Astoria the night Ronald Reagan first arrived in Manhattan after getting elected and before he was inaugurated President, and since my roommate's father lived in Santa Barbara, the secret service around Ronald Reagan were happy to see the White Shepard, and they took pictures of it with a Polaroid camera.   However, on returning back through Central Park as I was passing by the Dakota apartment building, John Lennon had been shot since I had walked by the same location earlier, so although John Lennon was a common face in the neighborhood, I decided I should move out of Manhattan, and I eventually moved out of Manhattan around January 21, 1982, 13 months later, when my roommate's son moved back into the apartment with her.  I believe the summer in between those two events was the only summer I spent the whole summer in Manhattan.  Although I did lived in Manhattan in from January 1973 to July 1973, when I moved back to Greenwich, Connecticut when my family moved back here again from Weston, Massachusetts, where we had all lived when we were employed at Polaroid.  Of course until I quit going into Manhattan about 10 and a half years ago, when I was mugged on July 4, 1993,  I use to visit the city regularly.  I think I have only been back in New York City twice since then.  One time was in February 2002, when I toured the museums with friends, and the other time was when I cross the George Washington Bridge to drop a friend off at Newark airport.  I recall once going into Manhattan another time in February when it was below zero degrees Fahrenheit, but I can not recall if that time was before or after the crime incident.  Basically, I am not quick enough to deal with Manhattan anymore not to mention it is too expensive for me in old New York City anymore.  I use to know quite a few people in Manhattan, but nobody seems to contact me from there anymore, since they seem to think I live way out in the boon docks in Connecticut, when in fact late at night it is only about a 25 minute drive to midtown Manhattan, when there is no traffic.  CIO

End of Scott's Notes week of 12/26/03:

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 5:05 P.M.:  I sliced three 1/4 inch thick to 3/8 inch thick slices of the smoked cooked boneless Butterball turkey breast, and I put them on a microwave proof plate, and I put one third of the mushroom gravy mixture that I made yesterday, and put on the same plate one third of the Kraft Stovetop stuffing mixture that I made yesterday, and I put the microwave cover on the plate, and I reheated it in the General Electric microwave oven on reheat.  I also steamed in a Revere copper pot with lid and vegetable steamer insert, about 1/4th of a bunch of broccoli, which takes about fifteen minutes to bring to boil and steam over the electric burner turned on initially to high and then reduced to medium high to steam the broccoli.  I also put one third of the 16 ounce can of chilled Ocean Spray cranberry gel in a bowl, and I put a little bit of olive oil on the steamed broccoli, and I had all of these items for dinner with iced tea.  I will now send out my weekly notes.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 3:55 P.M.:  I was awake at 7:30 A.M. when a friend called.  It is snowing another foot of snow around Stowe, Vermont.  They have had eight feet of snow this winter, and on Christmas Eve there was three feet of snow on the ground, but they lost a foot of snow when it rained, so after this snow storm, they are back to three feet of snow on the ground.  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went out for my 10 A.M. medical appointment at the Greenwich Hospital outpatient clinic, but they made a mistake when they told me the time, and it was at 9:30 A.M., so they rescheduled me for January 8, 2004.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, but they were closed today.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then drove up to Norwalk, Connecticut, and I went to CompUSA.  I bought a www.belkin.com Belkin Anti-Static wristband for $7.99 plus .48 tax $8.47 total.  I then toured the store some more, and I bought a 4.5 inch diameter black plastic frame 3X Magnifier lens with light made in China for $3.99 plus .24 tax for $4.23 total and for a grand total at CompUSA of $12.70.  I then went by Wal-Mart, and I bought two eight packs of 100 watt soft white light bulbs for $1.34 each eight pack plus .16 tax for $2.84 total.  I then returned to Greenwich, Connecticut.  I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, and I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by CVS, and I bought a four pack of Duracell Coppertop C batteries for $3.99 plus .24 tax for $4.23 total.  I then completed my walk.  I next returned home.  I chatted with some neighbors.  When I went out, I reset the ground fault interrupter on the Christmas lights plug outside the building, so now that it is dry again, they will work.  I took out two 13.5 inch by 4 foot by 1 inch sheets of Styrofoam, I had behind my window curtains in the living room, and I put each of the two sheets side by side vertically, so they cover the front of the General Electric Profile air conditioner, and I used grey Duct tape to secure them to the sides of the air conditioner.  I unplugged the air conditioner from its heavy extension cord which is plugged into the air conditioner plug.  I moved the air conditioner remote control to on top of the TEAC DVD player.  I had a two pack of CVS C alkaline batteries that were slightly used, so I put the two C batteries in the 3X magnifying lens, and I tightened its light bulb, and I put it back in its plastic shipping sleeve, and I put it on the back side of the blue living room couch next to where I keep the magazines.  I took out the Belkin grounding strap from its packaging, and I fastened the clip cable to the Velcro strap, and I placed it in between the primacy computer monitor stand and the primary computer CPU behind the Andrea Electronics headset, so it is handy and available for use.  One basically fastens it around one's wrist and clips the cable clip to the CPU case on metal, so one is grounded to prevent static electric shock from damaging computer components when working on the system.  I will put the four pack of C Duracell batteries in the second down left side kitchen bureau drawer, where I keep my spare batteries.  I will put the two eight packs of 100 watt light bulbs on the left side of my bedroom window, where I keep my spare light bulbs.  I have a large supply of spare light bulbs, but since now I am using more 100 watt light bulbs, I figured I could use some more.  I drank some iced tea.  CIO    

Note: <888> 12/26/03  Friday 12:20 A.M.:  Happy Boxing day, a Holiday in Canada and the United Kingdom.  I have an early morning medical appointment this morning for follow up on my cholesterol test, so I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 11:40 P.M.:  I ate a hand full of salt free cashews, and I also eight about a one sixth piece of the pumpkin pie, and I also drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 10:50 P.M.:  My Kensington wireless mouse was acting a little sluggish, so I reinstalled the Microsoft Mouse driver that I use it with it, and it is now running just fine.  As far as I can tell the Windows XP SP2 beta seems to be working just fine.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 9:50 P.M.:  I watched and listened to Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas 2003 Broadcast http://news.bbc.co.uk/  .  It was a very encouraging broadcast, I pray all of her people in the field are able to see and listen to it.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 9:35 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 9:05 P.M.:  I chatted with a couple of friends.  I took the pumpkin pie out of the oven, and I will now let it cool for two hours on a wire rack.  It is slightly over done, since the I should have cooked it 45 minutes to 50 minutes maybe, but maybe it is done just right inside. 

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 7:50 P.M.:  I was reading Yahoo! News - Bush Spends Quiet Christmas at Camp David , and it reminded me that I had a Mrs. Smith's hearty two pound five ounce frozen pumpkin pie in the freezer.  I am now cooking it in the Farberware convection oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is browned.  In a regular oven, one cooks it 60 to 75 minutes.  Of course one has to allow the pie to cool two hours after cooking before eating.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 7:05 P.M.:  Basically at today's local prices one portion or one fifth of the Butterball boneless smoked turkey cost $1.50, a quarter of a head of broccoli cost about .40, the single portion 3.5 ounces of the Franco American mushroom gravy mixture with 2/3 ounce of Swanson's chicken broth and 1.75 ounces of sliced fresh mushrooms costs about .85, one third portion of Kraft six ounce box of stove top stuffing with four ounces of the Swanson's chicken broth cost .75, one portion or one third of a 16 ounce can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce costs about .35 plus six tablespoons of olive oil cost about a quarter, and a glass of my homemade ice tea costs about .05, so at today's local prices, my entire Christmas meal with the cost of the energy for cooking it which would be about .10, so it is basically about a $4 meal, of course there were other expenses like gasoline to grocery shop, and of course I have the know how to cook quickly and inexpensively, which if one went to some local eatery would be a little bit more expensive.  Of course in the old days, which many of us remember when restaurants bought in whole sale quantities and labor was not too expensive along with rent and utilities and other expenses, this probably would have been a dollar blue plate special.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 6:40 P.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  I made and ate my Christmas dinner.  I heated three 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick slices of the Butterball cooked and smoked boneless turkey breast, which I heated in the microwave oven on a microwave proof plate for two minutes on reheat with a microwave cover on it.  I had it with Kraft Stove Top stuffing mix chicken flavored.  I use a six ounce box of the Kraft stuffing mix, and I boiled 12 ounces of Swanson's chicken broth to which I added four tablespoons of olive oil, and once it was boiling, I turned off the heat, and I added the stuffing mix, and I let it stand unheated for five minutes.  I ate about a third of the stuffing mix.  I also had mushroom gravy, which I used a 10.5 ounce can of Franco American mushroom gravy to which I added the remaining two ounces of Swanson's chicken broth along with a half of a 10 ounce box of fresh mushrooms which I sliced.  I heated it until boiling, and then I simmered it over medium for ten minutes.  I had about a third of the mushroom gravy on the turkey slices.  I also had steamed broccoli along with quartered lengthwise broccoli stalks , which I have left over from broccoli crown pieces I use in my salads.  I seasoned the broccoli with a small bit of olive oil.  I also had a third of a 16 ounce can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce.  I ate all of this for my Christmas dinner with iced tea.   

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 5:10 P.M.:  Merry Christmas.  I received a telephone call from a friend this morning about 7 A.M..  I was up at 11 A.M..  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I opened a couple of Christmas presents from a relative.  I received a book "100 Years of the American Auto" by the auto editors of Consumer Guide published by Publications International, Ltd.., and I also received a yellow extra large 100% cotton polo Polo shirt made by Ralph Lauren.  I chatted with three relatives.  I cleaned up, and I went out.  I went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue including the train station area.  I stopped by CVS, which was opened until 3 P.M., and I bought a made in China miniature computer keyboard vacuum cleaner by Dover York for $4.99 plus .30 tax for $5.29 total.  I then completed my walk.  I sat out at various locations.  I drove down by the waterfront.  I then returned home.  I noticed that the Versailles restaurant next to Starbucks was opened.  Starbucks is closed as is most everything else besides the movie theatre across from Richards.  I drank some iced tea.  I put four Walgreen's AA heavy batteries in the miniature computer keyboard and electronics vacuum cleaner, and I attached the dust bag and vacuum brush and extension wand.  However, the cap on the battery compartment does not stay on properly, so I used a blue broccoli rubber band to fasten it length wise the length of the miniature vacuum to keep the battery cap on.  I also used another blue broccoli rubber band to fasten the smaller attachment to the body of the miniature vacuum.  They had various gift boxes of various items in the front of CVS.  I then vacuumed my keyboard and the surrounding area and the front vents of the primary computer case which was dusty.  One can clean off the vacuum brush by using the suction to clean it off from the wand.  I then opened my primary computer case, and I VERY CAREFULLY vacuumed the case fan and the CPU fan removing built up dust from their housing.  I also used a cotton swab like a Que tip ear cleaner to clean further down and inside the two fan housings.  I also vacuumed the vents on both sides of the power supply.  Some dust fell on the motherboard which seemed to be dust free, so I used the brush attachment VERY CAREFULLY to vacuum those areas of the motherboard where the dust fell down on it.  When I opened the computer case, I wore my rubber sole house slippers and I was sure to ground myself on the power supply before I worked on the cleaning procedure.  I inspected the inside of the computer, I then put the case cover back on.  The lower of the two case cover bolts is a bit hard to install because of the Devcon security steel cable that runs through the chassis top underneath the case cover.  I left the miniature vacuum on the left side on the keyboard drawer of the Dell backup computer.  Basically even though one might have a clean computer area, because of static electricity one can get a dust build up on the plastic housings of the computer fans.  One probably should also wear a grounding bracelet attached to the computer case when working on the inside to avoid the chance of static electricity discharge causing damage to the delicate circuits in the computer system motherboard and other parts.  I always keep forgetting to buy one when I am at CompUSA.  They usually are about $5, which could save a lot of other expense, if properly worn.  I also used a flash light to see what I was doing.  I ate a handful of salt free cashew nuts with some iced tea.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/25/03  Thursday 3:40 A.M.:  Merry Christmas.  I have been busy.  I tried installing the Windows XP SP2 beta after the last message, and it failed at the point of backing up the registry again.  I then decided to reinstall Windows XP original installation.  I have a copy of it on my hard drive, so I ran the Windows XP installation program under windows, and I chose the option to "Upgrade".  The installation ran fine, and it prompted me for two drivers, which I could not find, so I ignored them and installed them later.  While it was installing, I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm , which I had with iced tea.  After Windows XP reinstalled without any problems except that the video NVIDIA video drivers were not loaded.  I did not install the video driver right away, instead I tried and successfully installed Windows XP SP2 beta without any problems.  I then run the Windows Updates on it, and I installed the updates.  I did not install Windows XP SP1 update before the Windows XP SP2 beta update.  I chatted with a relative around midnight.  I then installed the Syntax motherboard VGA, IDE, and USB drivers from the Syntax Motherboard cdrom.  I then installed the NVIDIA video driver, and it all worked fine.  I reset the video settings to the same way they were before.  On the USB drivers after installation, I had to run Update drivers to get the correct drivers installed that were already on the system.  All the programs on the desktop seem to work just fine, and the system configuration is basically the way it was before.  I did uninstall the The Weather Channel desktop applet, and I had to reinstall Weather Bug.  I ran Norton Win Doctor, and it fixed about 50 problems.  I ran Ad-aware 6.0 and SpyBot.  I also updated the Zinio Reader.  The computer is a lot faster and more responsive with the Windows XP reinstallation and the Windows XP SP2 beta installation. The Windows XP SP2 beta firewall also runs just fine with Norton Internet Security 2004 program firewall, which it did not do with the original version of the Windows XP program firewall.  I also installed this tweak so disk cleanup works faster InfoWorld: Speed cleaning: February 28, 2003: By Brian Livingston: Platforms .  Well, the computer is basically running just great.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  Merry Christmas.  CIO   

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 9:00 P.M.:  I uninstalled 16 Windows XP Hot fixes and 19 Windows XP SP2 Hot fixes and 5 Windows Media additional programs.  This took a while, because after almost each uninstallation, I had to reboot.  The computer is still running fine.  I will now try to install the Windows XP SP2 beta.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 6:35 P.M.:  Earlier today, when I came out of the Stop and Shop, I gave a dollar to the Salvation Army volunteer tending the kettle.  I went out after the last message, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue and the train station area.  I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by CVS, and I bought two 2 packs of buy one get one free two pack of CVS alkaline D batteries for $2.99 all four batteries and a 10 ounce can of no salt cashews for $2.49 plus .18 tax for $5.67 total.  After I completed my walk, I stopped by Zyn stationary and for a dollar I bought a number 25 "In-Between" scratch card, which I will scratch off to see if I won on Christmas Day.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then returned home.  I drank some iced tea, and I ate a couple of handfuls of cashews.  It looks like it has quit raining here.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 3:30 P.M.:  I heated a 18 ounce can of Progresso New England clam chowder, which I ate with about 15 Arnold croutons, and I enjoyed it with a glass of sugarless ice tea.  The tea actually tastes better without sugar, and one can taste the different blends of tea that I use.  I received a telephone call changing my medical appointment for the Cholesterol test follow up from after the first of the year to this Friday morning, so I will stay on a daytime schedule.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go out soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 3:05 P.M.:  I ate a Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cake before going to bed this past morning.  I was up at 9 A.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I checked the mail, and my $30 upgrade rebate check from Symantec on Norton Internet Security 2004 arrived today.  It only took about four weeks for it to be processed.  I then cleaned up, and I went out.  I went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, and I bought a 12 inch by 15 inch wooden framed antique print of bay schooner with the print about nine inches by 5.5 inches for $3.  I then drove down by the waterfront, and with the rain storm, the white caps or large waves were on Long Island Sound, and the waves were breaking over the breakwater on Steamboat Road.  Possibly there might be flooding in Old Greenwich or Riverside.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then went by the Stop and Shop, and I bought a quart jar of S&S strawberry jam for $2.99, a quart of S&S lemon juice for $1.99, a 1.5 ounce jar of McCormick ground cumin spice for $3.94, a 1.25 jar of McCormick ground coriander seed spice for $3.84, a Butterball cooked smoked boneless turkey breast at $3.99 a pound for $7.54, a bunch of broccoli at .89 a pound for $1.59, a bulb of garlic at $2.59 a pound for .49, two 10.5  ounce cans of Franco American mushroom gravy for $1.19 a can, and a 10 ounce box of fresh mushrooms for $2.19 for $26.95 total.  I did not get a grocery receipt, so some of the prices are approximate, but the total is correct.  I then returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  I hung the bay schooner print on the upper right wall to the right of the bathroom toilet above the Great Seal of the United States with the other ships pictures in the bathroom.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 12:35 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/24/03  Wednesday 12:20 A.M.:  I keep a small cardboard gift box in my left top mahogany bureau drawer in the bedroom.  In it, I keep my sewing kit.  I used it to sew up the places in the inside lining of the Harris Tweed jacket that were ripped.  Since there were a number of torn places in the lining this took a bit of time, but it is all repaired now.  The wool outside of the jacket is still in very good shape.  Frequently with dry cleaning the interior lining of sports jacket deteriorate, while the outer wool of the jacket stays in very good shape.  In England and Scotland, they do not dry clean their woolen goods as much, so they last longer, however on a rainy day, they can smell a bit ripe, when the built up body odor is release when they become damp.  I also put the ice tea away in the refrigerator.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 9:25 P.M.:  I am making up a batch of iced tea www.geocities.com/mikelscott/icetea.htm .  I am using eight America's Choice orange pekoe tea bags, two Bigelow orange pekoe tea bags, five Lipton green tea bags, and one each of the five pack of five different types of Twinings tea bags, and I am not using sugar.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 8:55 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative and a friend.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 8:05 P.M.:  The rough wool rug or throw had a dry cleaner's tag on it, so it looks like it had been cleaned before it was donated to the Rummage Room thrift shop.  I made up a fresh batch of hummus www.geocities.com/mikelscott/hummus.htm .  This time for the olives, I used a 6.5 ounce dry can of California medium black pitted olives, and beside all of the other usual ingredients, I also used a 1/4 teaspoon of Hungarian paprika.  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had the salad with iced tea.  I put a AA Polaroid alkaline battery in the little clock, and I set its time, and I used the magnetic clip to hang it on the freezer door of the refrigerator.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 6:30 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Arnold Bread store outlet on Old Track Road in Chicahomy, and I bought a loaf of Arnold Classic oatmeal nut bread for .99 less 10% senior discount of .10 for .89 total.  I then went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then went over to Old Greenwich to the Mobil Express car wash, and I had my Hyundai washed for $5.  I then towel dried the left over moisture after the car wash, and I shook out the driver's side car floor mat.  I next went by the Old Greenwich Rummage Room thrift shop, and everything was half price.  I bought a nine foot by five foot rough wool blanket or rug of wool with a pattern of figures of birds, ducks, and flowers in white background with lime green, blue, orange, and yellow figures.  It could be Finnish, Navaho, or Mexican.  It cost me $7.50.  I also bought a pair of Nautica Stewart plaid cotton draw string pajama bottoms extra large made in Cambodia for $1.50, a Sportswear extra large cotton shirt made in Cambodia dark navy blue with tiny white thread stripes for $2, a Stanley Blacker sports jacket from Richard's Harris Tweed 100% Scottish wool tailored in the U.S.A. from cloth dyed, spun, hand-woven, and finished in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in a brownish olive and white herringbone about 44 large size with slightly torn lining around the inside pocket and around the inside collar for "as is" for $4, and a Hart Schaffner and Marx from Richard's wool sports jacket in finely spun brown, blue, orange, and beige wool cloth about 44 large for $12.50 for $28.95 total.  I then drove out to Tod's Point, and I sat out briefly at the southwest parking area, and I walked out a bit towards the south.  I also sat out for a while at the southeast parking area.  I then returned to central Greenwich.  I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by the Greenwich Hardware store, and from the 70% off rack in the front of the upstairs of the store, I bought a Thermor magnetic clip-memo quartz clock #4257 made in China for $3.60 plus .22 tax for $3.82 total.  I then completed my walk.  I then returned home.  I put the new wool rug or blanket on top of my day bed on top of the similar black, brown, and beige Mexican rough wool rug or blanket.  The day bed is now more colorful.  I will hang the two new sports jackets in my left living room closet.  They are large enough on me that I can wear them with an average sweater for that old guard tweedy appearance that I use to wear before I became too hefty to fit in most of my current wardrobe.  I will put the small quartz clock with the magnetic clip on my kitchen refrigerator.  In the summer when it is hot in the Hyundai, I might try to use it with Velcro for a dashboard clock when the LCD clock quits working when it gets too hot in the car.  I will hang the pajama bottoms with my other sleeping gear on the hook by the left side of the bedroom closet.  I drank some iced tea when I returned home.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 11:10 A.M.:  I checked the mail.  I will now clean up, and I will go out.  I will now shut down the computer.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 10:50 A.M.:  I was up at 8 A.M., when a friend called.  The friend said they are suppose to get two feet of snow in the mountains of Vermont during Christmas time.  I tried to do a system restore to before I did the C: drive optimization yesterday, however it would not work, so I will leave the Computer System with the Windows XP SP1A service pack update installed.  However, I am not sure whether the later updates are still installed or not.  I ran Norton Win Doctor.  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I listened to the BBC and VOA broadcasts on my television off the internet www.geocities.com/mikelscott/nettv.htm .  To listen to internet broadcasts off my television, one has to enable the Creative MP3+ sound card with sounds and devices and then one uses the Orion television remote control to select "TV/AV" for "AUX2".  Then the television has a mirror image of the computer desktop, so if one enlarges a video feed off the internet in Real Player or the Windows Media player, one gets a full screen moving picture with video and audio on the 25 inch Orion television in my living room.  The computer system is running fine.  If one turned on the wireless remote control mouse sending unit on top of the monitor with the switch on its left side, one can also use the Wireless remote control mouse unit to control the mouse cursor on the television.  However, since the Orion television is not high resolution the video feeds are fine, but it is not that clear for high speed web browsing.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/23/03  Tuesday 12:30 A.M.:  I installed the full download version of the Windows XP SP1A Service Pack http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/sp1lang.asp .  I then tried installing the Windows XP SP2 beta, but it stopped again during backing up the registry.  I tried disabling items in the Hardware profile, but this did not work either.  I have the system back to where it was before I began trying to install the beta.  I watched a bit of television while the beta was trying to install.  I ate 10 Wheatsworth crackers.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  I guess I will give up on trying to install the Windows XP SP2 beta, since there is not much information to research on it at this point.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/22/03  Monday 9:00 P.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/22/03  Monday 8:15 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had the salad with iced tea.  I will now do some regular computer work.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/22/03  Monday 7:05 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop.  I then went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I next went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I renew my library card, and they gave me a new card.  I checked out a DVD video disk.  I just now returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  Norton Speed Disk finished running on the primary computer.  I have about 3 gigabyte of disk space left on the C: drive.  Since I can not afford any expensive computer software, I do not really need anymore hard drive space.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/22/03  Monday 3:45 P.M.:  I ate another 10 Wheatsworth crackers after the last message.  I then went to bed.  I was up this morning at 6 A.M..  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I spent the rest of the day until now trying to install Windows XP SP2 beta.  I tried various ways by uninstalling Norton Internet Security 2004 and Norton System Works 2003 and NVIDIA and disabling the System startup files.  In all cases the installation froze at the point of backing up the Registry.  I did find out the file "iis.inf" was missing from the C:\Windows\Inf directory, but restoring that file from backup did not help with the installation.  That file is used for the Add Remove - Windows Features applet. I reinstalled the programs that I uninstalled.  I ate lunch at 1 P.M. of a half of a 16 ounce box of Mueller's thin spaghetti noodles boiled for eight minutes and then drained and on top of them I added a half of a heated jar of Aunt Millie's regular tomato sauce with some grated Stop and Shop low fat parmesan cheese.  I had the lunch with iced tea.  I just finished my last attempt at the installation of Windows XP SP2 beta.  I cleaned up the downloads and the installation files off my system.  I did a backup with System restore.  I used Disk Cleanup on the C: drive.  I ran Norton Win Doctor.  I cleaned myself up.  I will go out shortly.  I will first run Norton Disk Doctor before going out, and while I am out, I will run Norton Speed Disk.  Basically the computer is running fine, and it is back to the way it was before I tried the installation of Windows XP beta SP2.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/21/03  Sunday 9:40 P.M.:  I rested a bit and watched television.  I ate about 10 Wheatsworth crackers.  I fiddled with the computer a bit.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/21/03  Sunday 5:25 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I ate it with iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will rest for a while.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/21/03  Sunday 3:45 P.M.:  I found this web site with the current Windows XP SP2 beta release on it Windows XP Service Pack 2 beta download from China .  I downloaded it, and I tried installing it on my primary computer.  It downloaded the new files, but when it was in the process of running, it quit running when it was trying to backup a "oem12.inf" file.  I found an entry for it in the registry, so I deleted it and rebooted.  I tried running it again, and this time it quit running in the process of backing up the registry not the "oem12.inf" file.  Whenever, I cancelled the installation, the primary computer system remained the same.  I must have some individual setting on my primary computer that keeps it from installing.  Just to be safe, I did a System Restore to yesterday, and then I did a System Restore backup, and then I used Disk Cleanup on the C: drive cleaning up the earlier except the last System Restore backup, so I still have three gigabytes of free disk space on my primary computer C: drive.  I ran similar updates on the Dell backup computer and HP backup computer, and they are running just fine.  I guess I really should not install betas on my primary computer anyway.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/21/03  Sunday 10:00 A.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/21/03  Sunday 9:10 A.M.:  I was up at 7 A.M. when a friend called.  We chatted for about an hour.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 11:00 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 10:20 P.M.: I went through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 10:10 P.M.:  Snow story Forbes.com: Parent Trapp .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 8:55 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 8:20 P.M.: ABCNEWS.com : Specter of Flu Outbreak Haunts Doctors , World Health Organization WHO Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan , and Center for Disease Control CDC NVPO: Pandemic Influenza - Preparing for the Next Pandemic .  If you feel weak, one should not go out in the cold and risk getting the flu.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 8:00 P.M.:  I boiled a half of a 16 ounce package of Stop and Shop thin spaghetti noodles for 8 minutes with just a small bit of salt and olive oil in the water.  I reheated in the microwave oven in one of the microwave proof plastic cooking pots with a lid a half of a 26 ounce jar or 13 ounces of Aunt Millie's traditional spaghetti tomato sauce, and I put it on the drained spaghetti noodles, which I drained with a colander, and I added a thin layer of Kraft crated parmesan cheese.  I had it all for dinner with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 6:50 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by Smokes for Less in Byram, and I bought a carton of Senaca Ultra Lights 100s for $31 total.  I then went by the Exxon gasoline station next to the Greenwich Station, and I bought $3.90 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.799 a gallon for 24 miles per gallon.  I then went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I noticed the Christmas lights on the north side of the  veterans monument across the street from the senior center are now working.  I stopped by CVS on my walk, and I bought four six ounce cans of Bumble Bee solid white albacore tuna fish for .99 a can and a 12 ounce spray can of CVS antibacterial disinfectant spray similar to Lysol spray disinfectant but cheaper for $2.49 plus .15 tax for $6.60 total.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I next sat out for a while at the Greenwich Library.  I then went by the Stop and Shop, and I bought two half gallons of Tropicana pure premium orange juice with calcium for $2 each, two 29 ounce cans of Goya chick peas for $1.09 each, two cans of Stop and Shop dry weight 6.5 ounces of California black pitted olives for .99 each, two ten ounce bars of Kraft Cracker Barrel 2% low fat extra sharp cheese for $1.99 each, Stella blue cheese at $6.29 a pound for $4.06, a 34 ounce bottle of Italica extra virgin premium Spanish olive oil for $4.99, 10 ounces of fresh spinach for $1.99, plum tomatoes at $1.99 a pound for $3.90, a 10 ounce box of mushrooms for $1.99, a bunch of broccoli at .88 a pound for $1.01, two red Bermuda onions at $1.29 a pound for $1.38, a bulb of garlic at $2.69 a pound for .35, and a 16 ounce bag of baby carrots for $1.50 for $33.33 total.  I then returned home, and I put away my purchases.  Now that all the Christmas lights are on in the front of the building it looks more festive.  I drank some iced tea.  CIO   

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 2:15 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I did not use broccoli.  I had the salad with iced tea.  I put away my laundry.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up.  I will then go out.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/20/03  Saturday 12:45 P.M.:  I was up at 5 A.M. this morning.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I did not use sugar with my oatmeal or my coffee.  I put the sugar jar out of easy reach to the right of the Panasonic television in the kitchen just to the left of the refrigerator, so I will not instinctively grab for it when I made breakfast.  I also will not use sugar when I make my next batch of iced tea.  I chatted with a friend.  I put clean linens on the bed in the bedroom.  I did my regular house cleaning and watering the plants.  I also put a new Electrolux vacuum bag in the older of the two Electrolux vacuum cleaners, which I use with the small brush nozzle.  I used it to vacuum my living room sofas and the day bed and Queen Anne chair.  I also flipped the cushions on the blue corduroy sofa.  I am on the wash cycle of two loads of laundry with a few minutes to go.  When I threw the garbage out, I noticed the Christmas lights as one enters the building on the left front tree were still out.  I stood on a fish bucket that contains sand, and I reached up, and I jiggled the plug where it connects to that string of lights between the two trees.  I then reversed the plug, and they came on and off.  I then pulled on the plug cord, and they came on and off, and then I reversed the plug again, and I pulled on it again, and the lights stayed on, so now all of the Christmas lights at the front of the building work.  Of course the wind pulling on the trees might cause tension on the plug, so we will have to see if it keeps working.  I noticed at CVS on Greenwich Avenue yesterday, they have the Black and Decker electric jar opener for $40 which is $10 cheaper than what Black and Decker sells it for Black & Decker Household Products Electric Jar Opener .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 8:30 P.M.:  Well, I am tired.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 8:25 P.M.:  On my primary computer, I have a Syntax SV266M motherboard.  The www.syntaxusa.com site does not provide bios download support.  I went to the www.syntaxchina.com web site, and I found this page http://www.syntaxchina.com/down/k7sv266m.htm with the most recent Version 4 of the Award Bios.  I downloaded it.  I then used the Win Flash utility on my Syntax Motherboard CD, and I installed the newer bios under Windows XP.  I updated all the Bios features, but I saved my settings, and I did not clear them.  When the system rebooted, it all worked just fine.  I now have a BIOS date on the computer of September 16, 2003.  The bios looks pretty much the same, except it seems to have an additional setting for the CPU.  Anyway the computer seems to be running faster and more smoothly, but it could just be than I am tired.  It was a risk, and I worried that the BIOS information might be in Chinese, but it is in English.  I saved the old Bios and I have the new and old bios on the hard drive and on floppy disk.  I copied both files of the Win Flash utility from the Syntax motherboard SV266M CD to my hard drive with the new bios *.bin file unzipped, and I ran the installation under Windows XP from the hard drive.  The reason, I like to take the chance on upgrading my bios is that in case a cleaver hacker has hacked into my computer, I now have reset it to the default bios setup of the manufacturer.  Of course, I did keep all of my settings, so the computer is pretty much running the same.  I do not intend to try to over clock the AMD Athlon 2000+ CPU.  CIO

End of Scott's Notes week of 12/19/03:

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 4:35 P.M.:  I will now send out my weekly notes.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 4:30 P.M.:  Send a friend an e card http://web.icq.com/friendship/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 3:55 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop.  I bought a Royal Norfolk tea pot with white background decorated with colored pear, grapes, and flowers for $3.  It has about a 1/8 inch chip on the spout.  I then made my appointment at the dental hygienist at the Greenwich Hospital outpatient clinic.  I had my teeth cleaned.  I was given a free toothbrush and some Johnson and Johnson dental floss.  I was told that I should not use sugar in my ice tea, since I drink it continually my teeth are always exposed to decay, unless I rinse with water after drinking the sweetened ice tea.  In the future I will not use sugar in my ice tea.  I also use sugar in my coffee and oatmeal, but I generally clean my teeth after breakfast.  My teeth are pretty much in the same shape as last time.  I need to go to a dentist to get three chipped teeth taken care of, and one cavity.  I was told by the Greenwich Hospital outpatient clinic that they still have flu vaccine, but one has to make an appointment to get the shot.  I next went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I went by CVS, and I bought four six ounce cans of Bumble Bee solid white albacore tuna fish for .99 a can, and a Automobile Christmas Tree New Scent automobile air freshener for $1.25 plus .08 tax for $5.29 total.  I then completed my walk.  I drove down by the waterfront.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then returned home.  I put the new Christmas tree scent card in the backseat driver's side of my Hyundai.  I put the new Royal Norfolk tea pot on the sink shelf above the kitchen sink to the left of the gold teapot.  I will use the Royal Norfolk tea pot for daily use, and the Gold tea pot for more formal occasions.  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I ate it with a glass of iced tea.  The Greenwich Time reports that President Bush will visit Greenwich on January 29, 2004 for a fund raiser at the Hyatt Hotel http://greenwich.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml  for his 2004 political campaign Greenwich Time - Bush will visit town in January 29, 2004 and GeorgeWBush.com The Official Re-election Site for President George W. Bush .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 8:50 A.M.:  For a while from 1978 to 1983, I lived in Port Washington, Long Island and Plandome Manor, Long Island.  I noticed they have a computer company out there Systemax http://www.systemax.com/ .  I went through the ten recent computer magazines again looking for a reference I saw to Holland, Michigan about a computer company.  I thought its names was something like Lighten, but I could not find the reference again.  On searches on the internet, I come up with http://www.guardian-computer.com/ and http://www.egl.net/ and http://www.crossover.net/  .  I also searched the individual computer magazine web sites.  I do not have the time to go through all of the magazines again, but the story mentioned the Holland, Michigan company as a manufacturer of computers.  I would think they would have a web site, but I have not found it in the magazines again.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up, and I will go out.  I have a 10:30 A.M. dental appointment with the hygienist today.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/19/03  Friday 6:50 A.M.:  I chatted with a relative before going to bed.  I was up at 5:30 A.M..  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  For anyone wishing to donate used computer equipment that meets the requirements, we have a foundation at 500 West Putnam Avenue here in Greenwich, Connecticut that redistributes used computer equipment.  They are the National Cristina Foundation http://www.cristina.org/ .  I did noticed that they want the software license agreements for computers that people donate, so unless one wants to give up one's software license agreements, they would not be an option.  Frequently one needs one's earlier license agreements and earlier software for Upgrade eligibility.  Still, it is the nature of this area that there is a lot of surplus computer equipment with all the offices in this area.  I would imagine that one would get a tax deduction for any equipment that is donated.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 9:10 P.M.:  I will now shut down the computer.  I will relax a bit before going to bed.  I have a 10:30 A.M. appointment tomorrow.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 8:45 P.M.:  I microwaved and ate a 16 ounce Marie Callender breaded chicken parmigiana dinner, which I had with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 8:00 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I mailed a Christmas card at the Valley Road Post Office.  I then went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I next went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, and I bought three lemon wood serving trays made in Thailand that fit inside each other each slightly smaller that the next larger one.  One is 16 inches by 11.5 inches, the next is 17 inches by 12 1/4 inches, and the third largest one is 18 inches by 13 1/2 inches.  Each has a lemon wood rim about 1 inch by a 1/2 inch around the entire tray with larger width on each side for the cut in oval handle inserts.  They have matching plywood type bottoms, and they are unfinished.  Each cost $2 each for $6 total.  Since I do not have room for TV tables, they will be good for serving or eating off when sitting on the sofas.  I put them with the rest of the trays against the wall to the right side of the refrigerator in the kitchen.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I then made my 3 P.M. appointment.  I next went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  On the way down, I stopped by the Greenwich Hardware store, and I bought a 4 inch by 6 inch flag of Belgium vertical black, yellow, and red stripes with a small pole of wood for $2.95 and a plastic round stand for .99 plus .06 tax for $4 total.  I then completed my walk.  I used the bathroom at the senior center, and I noticed a dead pigeon in the front lawn of the senior center, so I used a plastic bag from one of their waste cans, and I picked up the dead pigeon, and I put it in the garbage can underneath the ashtray by the benches on the lawn.  Thus if they do not empty that garbage can soon, it will smell a little ripe on a warm day.  When I lived in Florence, Italy; they used to each pigeons, but nobody here does I guess.  I think they call it squab.  I also noticed they were replacing the Christmas lights on the tree on the north side of the veterans monument, but they were still off, when I left.  I think it is a faulty ground fault interrupter.  They have them on the 70% off rack at the Greenwich Hardware store.  I next drove back down by the waterfront.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then went by the Stop and Shop looking for a eye glass cords.  They did not have them by the cash register.  I then went by the Food Emporium, and they sell eye glass accessories by the cash register machines.  I bought two blue eye glass cords for $1.29 each plus .15 tax for $2.73 total.  I then returned home.  I drank some iced tea.  I put the Belgium flag along side the French flag on a speaker to the left of the primary computer.  Since a relative lived in Belgium, and my family has friends from Belgium, I thought I could afford a Belgium flag with all the other flags.  I once drove through Belgium about 12 years ago going from Paris to Amsterdam, and I drove back through another part of Belgium going from Amsterdam down through eastern France.  They have some quite large trees in Belgium called the Arden forest.  I put one of the new blue eye glass cords on my primary reading glasses, and I put the container containing the other one in the dish with my other eye glass repair accessories on the dining room table.  CIO   

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 12:05 P.M.:  I checked the mail.  I printed out another Christmas card envelope, and I have another card to mail.  I had lunch of a heated 18 ounce can of Progresso New England clam chowder with 20 medium to large Arnold croutons along with a glass of iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up and go out.  I have a 3 P.M. appointment today.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 10:55 A.M.:  I noticed this web site on the bag that I got my Kiwi Esquire shop polish box and brushes from the Merry Go Round Mews Thrift shop yesterday.  It is www.ghbass.com or www.bassstore.net not to be confused with the fish.  I have a new pair of Bass Shoes that I have not worn yet.  I bought them for 75% off at the Norwalk Factory store outlet about seven years ago.  I am not sure whether the Norwalk Factory Store outlet is even there anymore.  It used to be by the East Norwalk train station.  One gets off I-95 East at the Norwalk exit just after the bridge over the Norwalk harbor after one passes by the Connecticut limousine service that one can see from I-95.  I think it is the exit after downtown Norwalk.  Then one heads south underneath the railroad bridge, and one turns right, and it is there.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 10:40 A.M.:  I updated the links in www.geocities.com/mikelscott/lang.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/18/03  Thursday 10:20 A.M.:  I read all of the recent computer technology magazines that I have received recently until about 6:30 P.M. last evening.  I also ate about 60% of a 10 ounce can of no salt cashew nuts.  I watched the evening news, and I went to bed.  I had a telephone call about 9:30 P.M..  I woke up, and I finished off the cashew nuts.  I was up at 5 A.M., and I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went back to bed until 9:30 A.M..  I watched a bit of television.  The upcoming presidential election year seems to be gathering momentum, and as usual I will vote republican, so I recommend one looking at GeorgeWBush.com The Official Re-election Site for President George W. Bush .  Since I have always voted republican, I do not even pay attention the democratic web sites.  I suppose the democrats are trying to unseat the incumbent candidate, but I do know they never talk to me, so they must know that I am republican.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 3:25 P.M.:  I will now shut down the computer.  I will read magazines or watch television for a while.  I will go to bed when I am tired.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 3:05 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had the salad with a glass of iced tea.  I have another Steuben type glass ashtray that is five inches square and about three inches thick that I put on the inner most half of the coffee table between the two couches.  I put the Orion remote and the Wireless Mouse remote on the inner end of the blue couch, and I left the universal remote and the General Electric air conditioner remote on the inner side on the glass coffee table.  I also have two stacks of two glass and silver plate coasters on the pair of glass and brass coffee tables in between my two sofas.  I put the one other glass ashtray on the Danish bar with the Queen Elizabeth II souvenir dish inside of it, and I put the other glass ashtray on the dining room table at the kitchen entrance.  I do not smoke cigarettes in my apartment now except while sitting on the blue oak bent wood dining chair by the General Electric kitchen stove van, which I turn on high, when I smoke cigarettes.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 1:50 P.M.:  I put CVS drain cleaner in my bathroom sink before going out after the last message.  I went by the Arnold Bread store outlet, and I bought two 5.5 ounce boxes of Arnold Zesty Italian larger cut croutons for .99, one 5.5 ounce box of Arnold Garlic and Herbs larger cut croutons for .99, and a loaf of Arnold nutty oat bread for .99 for $3.96 total.  I then went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, and they have winter coats for half price today.  I bought a Steuben type six inch by three inch diameter oval glass ashtray about 3 inches thick for $3.  I then went by the Merry Go Round Mews thrift shop, and I bought a Kiwi Esquire shoe shine box which contained five shoe buffer brushes, two polish applicator brushes, and a can of Kiwi brown and black shoe polish for $10 all, and a white Delft type five inch diameter by five inch high pot for $2 for $12 total.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I went downtown, and I could not find a parking place at my usual location, so I did not walk Greenwich Avenue in the rain, which I would rather not do anyway with my arthritis.  I found a parking place near CVS, and I picked up a prescription at $1.50 cost, a 10 ounce can of CVS no salt cashews for $2.49, and four packages of four Energizer Max AAA batteries and a package of four AA batteries at $1.99 each package plus .60 tax for $14.54 total.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.   I then returned home.  I put the shoe box with the shoe polish items in the right front of the right living room closet along with a bag containing three cans of Saddle soap and one Kiwi can of Cordovan polish and another brush and some rags for applying the saddle soap.  Two of the containers of saddle soap are used, and one is new.  I put the Steuben type ashtray on the near side of the glass coffee table opposite the long green couch.  I put the Delft pot on the right side of the mahogany bureau with the glass candy dish in it.  Since the Steuben type ashtray weighs three to five pounds, one has to be careful moving it, so one does not break the glass coffee table.  I had a glass of iced tea.  I rinsed the CVS drain cleaner out of the bathroom sink with hot water, and I cleaned it out a bit more with the toilet plunger.  When one shaves with shave cream, one tends to get a buildup of soap and whiskers in the sink drain.  I received in the mail Dr. Dobbs and Texas Monthly magazines.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 9:05 A.M.:  I heated a 18 ounce can of Progresso chicken noodle soup, which I ate with 14 large cut Arnold croutons along with a glass of iced tea.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up, and I will go out.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 8:05 A.M.:  I added a few more links to www.geocities.com/mikelscott/nettv.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 7:15 A.M.:  For some reason V-tuner 3.0 seems to work on my computer without product activation.  I found some more television links that I put in www.geocities.com/mikelscott/nettv.htm .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 5:35 A.M.:  VOANews.com Celebrations Mark 100th Anniversary of Wright Brothers' First Flight .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 5:25 A.M.:  If you are having problems with your web browser defaults, this might be handy http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/ .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 5:00 A.M.:  I finished going through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 4:45 A.M.: http://www.newairplane.com/usa/announcement.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 4:45 A.M.: http://www.optonline.net/Games/OptimumArcade .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 4:35 A.M.:  PC Toys: Build a Weather Station .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 4:30 A.M.:  PCMag.com Shareware Library: Freeware and Shareware Downloads .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/17/03  Wednesday 4:10 A.M.:  I went to bed after the last message.  I had a telephone call from a relative about 9:30 P.M..  I was up at 3:15 A.M. today.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I received in the mail yesterday InfoWorld and CRN.  I will now do some regular computer work.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 4:50 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had the salad with iced tea.  I will now put the computer on standby and take a nap.  The mouse pads are now clean by the previous mentioned method.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 3:40 P.M.:  Both my Kensington and my Logitech cordless mice have hard rubber rolling balls, and they are not optical.  This means that you have to clean them about every two months.  I cleaned both of them.  To do this, one removes the hard rubber ball from the inside of the mice by removing the bottom plate by turning it off and removing it.  I cleaned the hard rubber ball with a bit of alcohol thoroughly, and then I dry it with a towel.  The inside of the mouse housing has three revolving wheels or rotors.  I clean the built up layer of dirt with a small knife scraping off the entire surface by rotating each wheel or rotor.  I blow out the inside of the housing with my breath or one could used a compressed air can.  I then reassemble the mouse ball in the housing with the cover plate.  When one uses a mouse, one gets a layer of body oil from one's palm on the mouse pad that accumulates with dirt on the mouse ball, wheels, and rotors.  One should probably replace the mouse pad at least every six months, so one has a clean mouse pad too.  I guess one could try rubbing the mouse pad lightly with alcohol to remove the palm oil, but since the mouse pad is like a sponge, it would tend to absorb too much alcohol.  I will now try cleaning my mouse pads that way.  When using alcohol and a paper towel, it is strongly recommended after using the paper towel to wet it with water, so it is not a fire hazard when thrown away.  CIO      

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 3:10 P.M.:  I generally change my Smoke detector batteries at Christmas time.  I had in reserve two Polaroid 9 Volt batteries.  I used the folding wooden chair I keep in the bathroom for soaking my feet in Epsom salts in the bathtub with the Rubbermaid dishwashing basin.  I use the folding chair which is more stable than the blue bent wood oak chairs, I have for my dining room table.  I changed the 9 Volt batteries in my two First Alert Smoke detectors, one of which is in the hallway outside the bedroom door, and the other at the apartment entrance.  I removed the used CVS 9Volt alkaline batteries, and I installed the new Polaroid 9 Volt alkaline batteries.  It is generally a good habit to replaced one's 9 Volt alkaline batteries in Smoke detectors once a year.  I also recommend changing one's smoke detectors every five years, since they can build up with dust.  If one is not throwing away one's old smoke detectors, one should be sure to remove the batteries when storing them, because as I learned a few months ago, when the battery wears out on an old smoke detector, one gets that beeping warning noise, and one has to remember where one stored it to stop the beeping noise.  I noticed the last time I was at Odd Job several weeks ago that they had some detectors, but I do not recall what type they were.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 2:35 P.M.:  I had a technical problem.  My Kensington wireless mouse would not work, but the utility said the battery was good, so I did a system restore to yesterday, and that still did not fix it.  I tried replacing the Power AAA alkaline batteries that came with it with a new pair of Polaroid AAA alkaline batteries, and it still would not work.  I tried using a pair of Walgreen's heavy duty AAA batteries, and it still would not work.  I took the pair of Panasonic AAA alkaline batteries out of my Dell backup computer Logitech cordless mouse, and I put them in the Kensington wireless mouse, and it worked.  I examined the Kensington wireless mouse more closely, and the Power and Panasonic AAA batteries had slightly larger Positive contacts protruding maybe 1/32nd of an inch out further which made contacts.  I did not feel like looking for Panasonic batteries, so I took 1/4" by 3/8" pieces of cardboard off a match book, and I used a bobby pin to pry out the circular wire positive contacts out of their recess, and I wedged in the cardboard pieces, so now with the regular size Polaroid AAA batteries, they make contact on the positive pole contacts which is wedged out.  With the new Polaroid AAA alkaline batteries, the Kensington wireless mouse is working just fine.  I also put in a new Walgreen's heavy duty AAA battery in my pocket key chain flash light, so it works better.  When I removed the blue cover off the Logitech cordless mouse, I seemed to have broken the fastening clasp on the removable blue cover.  I had two other covers that came with it, so I put the silver Logitech mouse cover on it.  I probably should go over to Odd Job some time and buy some Polaroid AAA alkaline batteries to have in reserve.  I only have five Walgreen AAA heavy duty batteries in reserve, which are not as long lasting, since they are not alkaline.  The computer now seems to be running just fine.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 11:25 A.M.:  Here is the information on the Microsoft TS2 conference series Connect with Microsoft TS2 Conference Series .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 11:15 A.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/16/03  Tuesday 10:35 A.M.:  I went to bed after the last message.  I chatted with two relatives, and I finally fell asleep about 11:30 P.M..  I was up at 6:30 A.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went back to bed until 10 A.M..  I watched some television.  I will now do some regular computer work.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 9:30 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will watch a bit of television before going to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 8:50 P.M.:  http://www.lanzarote-webcam.com/live/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 8:15 P.M.:  I found this link about Prince William The Prince of Wales - News & Events - Prince William New Photos 12/15/03 .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 7:50 P.M.:  I ate a Stouffer's 12.5 ounce Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan meal along with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 7:00 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I next drove around town a bit.  I then made my 4 P.M. appointment.  I next walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  The Greenwich Hardware store has an $80 Black and Decker http://www.blackanddecker.com/  toaster Black & Decker Household Products Toaster on the floor by its 70% off rack, so it would be about $24 and tax, if anyone needs a toaster.  It one happens to be around the outlet stores in Kittery, Maine Black and Decker also has an outlet store there.  I have seen advertised on television recently the new Black and Decker Electric Jar Opener Black & Decker Household Products Electric Jar Opener for $50, which for elderly people or people with arthritis seems to a useful item.  I completed my walk.  I sat out at various locations.  I noticed the Christmas lights on the tree just north of the veterans monument across from the Senior Arts center still do not work.  I mentioned last week in my notes that the Ground Fault interrupter on the socket that it is plugged into cuts out, so they do not work even when it is reset.  I next went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 1:30 P.M.:  I watched a little television, while I was drinking my coffee.  When I go up to Bridgeport, Connecticut on Thursday February 5, 2004 for the Microsoft presentation on TS2 from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M., I guess we should be somewhat security conscious, since we do not know our way around that area.  A family member use to work for Royal Dutch Shell oil company, so since Shell has an oil terminal in Bridgeport, I guess we could use Shell security which should be adequate.  They are pretty professional since they generally protect oil production facilities.  Also another relative of a relative was involved in starting the Holiday Inn chain of hotels.  I personally never really have any security problems, since most people never seem to notice me, since I am very professional at blending in.  However, recently from all the salads, I have had a lot of stomach gas, which can smell when released, so I guess, I should make sure to take some CVS enzyme tablets which are like Beano, before I go up to the presentation, so I do not cause any problems for the others whom might not be accustomed to the gas one gets from eating salads all the time.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up, and I will go out.  I have a 4 P.M. appointment this afternoon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 12:55 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had it with a glass of iced tea.  I am now about ready to have a 50% Folgers' decaffeinated instant coffee and 50% Folgers' regular instant coffee.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 11:50 A.M.:  I received a Christmas gift from a relative in the mail, and I also received a copy of Baseline magazine.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 11:30 A.M.:  I made up a fresh batch of hummus www.geocities.com/mikelscott/hummus.htm .  This time instead of two 4.25 ounce cans of crushed black California olives, I added one 6.5 ounce dry can of black pitted California olives along with a mixture of the chick pea water and olive oil water.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 10:50 A.M.:  I called Microsoft about the TS2 Conference at 1-877-359-5901, and I made reservations for the TS2 conference at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport, Connecticut http://www.holidayinnbridgeport.com/ on Thursday February 5, 2004 from 1 to 5 P.M..  They told me that the free copy of Office System 2003 Professional is the full working version.  Well, I guess I will attend if we do not have snow then, so I can get the free copy and find out more about what Microsoft has in their demonstration at their conference.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 9:55 A.M.:  I went through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 9:40 A.M.:  Barney Cam II Barney Cam II: Barney Reloaded Released Friday .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 9:30 A.M.:  BBC NEWS Africa Europe-Africa rail tunnel agreed .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 8:35 A.M.:  I finished running Norton Speed Disk on the Dell backup computer, and I shut it down.  If one needs a lot of hard drive space, I found this CompUSA.com - Product Details: 250GB .  The workmen are cleaning the snow off the roof outside my window.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 8:20 A.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/15/03  Monday 8:15 A.M.:  I was up at 6:45 A.M..  I watched some television.  On the Dell backup computer, I ran Win Doctor, Norton Disk Doctor, and I am now running Norton Speed Disk.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 10:50 P.M.:  I finished running the updates on the Dell and HP backup computers.  I will now shut down the primary computer.  I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 9:35 P.M.:  I microwaved and ate a Stouffer's 13.25 ounce Chicken Florentine dinner.  I had it with iced tea.  I chatted with a friend.  I am still running the updates on the Dell and HP backup computers.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 7:50 P.M.:  I am doing some upgrades on the Dell backup computer and the HP backup computer.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 5:25 P.M.: I looked for betas of Windows XP SP2, and I found one at http://www.techconnect.ws/ , but it does not install.  I found another web site that had it installed, and said it is very slow and buggy, and the user had to reformat their hard drive, so I would recommend against trying to find it and install it.  However, TechConnect looks like it might have some interesting information.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 3:20 P.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 2:10 P.M.:  Weather forecast for mid Atlantic states The Old Farmer's Almanac - Long-Range Forecast for U.S. Region 2 .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 2:05 P.M.:  TCPalm: Home & Garden White House Christmas 2003 Story .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 1:50 P.M.:  I ran Ad-aware 6.0, and it removed 17 tracking devices.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 1:30 P.M.:  Yahoo! News - Scientists Warn of Coming Flu Pandemic and for those of you whom missed it Yahoo! News - Martin takes over as Canada's prime minister and Yahoo! News - Paul Martin Becomes Canada Prime Minister .  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 1:20 P.M.:  I watched President Bush's speech on television.  I ate three Quaker low fat white cheddar flavored corn cakes.  I watched a bit more television.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 12:15 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I stopped by the Exxon gasoline station next to the Greenwich Library, and I bought $3 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.799 a gallon for about 25 miles per gallon.  I then went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue and the train station area.  I sat out at various locations.  I stopped by CVS, and I bought four six ounce cans of Bumble Bee solid white albacore tuna fish for .99 a can and a 1.5 liter bottle of CVS yellow mouth wash for $3.89 plus .23 tax for $8.08 total.  I then returned home about 10 A.M. because there was about an inch of snow on the ground. There is suppose to be up to six inches of snow, and since it is 21 degrees Fahrenheit presently, I do not think it will turn to rain.  I chatted with a relative.  I then started to make a cappuccino.  However, the Braun cappuccino machine pump is not working.  I checked it out a number of times, and it does not work.  I took out the older Braun backup cappuccino espresso machine, and I put it on the right side of the blue bookcase at the kitchen entrance where the broken Braun cappuccino machine was.  I also put the accessories that go with it on the shelf underneath it.  I put the broken Braun cappuccino machine in a plastic bag in the bedroom closet on top of the backup Farberware oven in the bedroom closet.  I had a regular cup of coffee.  I have been watching the news on television for about the last hour.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 7:20 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm , which I had with eight 1.5 inch diameter sprigs of broccoli, and for the cheddar cheese portion I used America's Choice extra sharp cheddar, and for the crumbled cheese portion, I used blue cheese.  I had the salad with iced tea.  I chatted with a friend about 6:30 A.M., and the friend reported to me this story CNN.com - U.S. believes Saddam captured - Dec. 14, 2003 .  The friend told me he would not be coming down to visit today, since it will be starting snow showers about 9 A.M..  I will now shut down the computer, and I will clean up.  I will then go out for  a while bundled up, before it starts to snow.  We are suppose to get six inches of snow.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 4:55 A.M.:  I went through my email.  I sent out an email to a relative who now has their computer working again.  I put the ice tea away in the refrigerator.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/14/03  Sunday 2:55 A.M.:  Before going to bed at noon yesterday, I finished the bag of corn chips eating about five ounces of corn chips.  I watched some television.  I clipped my toenails and fingernails.  I used the CVS Debrox ear wax removal solution to clean my ears with about 20 drops of Debrox, which I leave in each ear one at a time for fifteen minutes keeping my head sideways, so it does not drip out.  I then fill the bathroom sink with hot water, and I use the rubber ear syringe ball to wash out my ear with the debrox with hot water about a half dozen times.  Big chunks of wax about .25 inch by about .50 inch by about .125 inch came out of each ear.  Thus I now should hear a little bit better.  About 10 A.M., I chatted with a relative.  I watched some television.  I went to bed about noon.  I was up at 10:30 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went back to bed until 2 A.M..  I am in the process of making a batch of www.geocities.com/mikelscott/icetea.htm .  This time I am using 8 Master Choice orange pekoe tea bags, four Salada green tea bags, three Bigelow orange tea bags, and one each of the five different types of Twinings in the Twinings five pack of different tea bags.  We are suppose to have snow showers starting about 10 A.M. this morning.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/13/03  Saturday 6:55 A.M.:  I cleaned up.  I chatted with a friend.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will take a nap.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/13/03  Saturday 5:05 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .   For the cheddar cheese portion, I used America's Choice extra sharp cheddar, for the crumbled cheese portion, I used blue cheese, and for the parmesan cheese portion, I used Kraft grated Parmesan cheese, and I also added eight 1.5 inch diameter sprigs of broccoli.  I ate the salad with a glass of iced tea.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/13/03  Saturday 3:40 A.M.:  I listened to http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/tvseq/n24.ram with information about Queen Elizabeth recovering from surgery on her knee and lesions on her face BBC NEWS UK Queen recovering after operation .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/13/03  Saturday 2:45 A.M.:  I was up at 9 P.M. when a friend called.  I chatted for a while.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I took the old Coca Cola serving tray off the kitchen floor, and I hung it behind the book light on the top of the center book case in the hallway.  It is an item that was in our family from the mid 1950s when we lived down south and Coca Cola was very popular on hot days.  I remember, when my mother use to go the hair dresser, I enjoyed as a kid drinking Coca Cola from the Coca Cola soda machine at the hair dressers, and I used to volunteer at the Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Alabama after Sunday School giving away Coca Cola, Nehi Orange soda, and 7UP lemon soda from the cooler when the parents had coffee and tea after church.  The young kids did not get to go to church because they would be a bit disruptive.  I put a 100 watt light bulb in the brass lamp on the Danish bar, so if one were sitting on the blue sofa or French sitting chair, one would have more light to read.  I watered the plants, and I did my house cleaning.  I have not vacuumed yet, but I will do that this morning after 9 A.M., when I should not disturb my neighbors.  I received a message from Microsoft yesterday on my answering machine, and I have been invited to a Microsoft TS2 Computer security conference from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. on Tuesday January 6, 2004 at Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey Hilton Hilton Hasbrouck Heights - New Jersey Hotels and Reservations .  The message said they would be giving away free copies of Microsoft Office 2003 Professional, however I am not sure if it would be the full working version or this 30 day demo Office Professional Edition 2003 Trial Software .  I am suppose to call back at 877-359-5901.  Although at that time of day, I could probably make it through all of that traffic to that location, coming back there would be quite a bit of traffic.  Also I have a scheduled medical appointment at that time at the Greenwich Hospital outpatient clinic for the follow up on my cholesterol test, so more than likely I will not be attending.  CIO

End of Scott's Notes week of 12/12/03:

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 2:10 P.M.:  I chatted with a local from Jamaica today, and I suggested that in Montserrat which is half covered with volcanic ash http://www.mvo.ms/ that in the safer areas, they should try growing onions.  Back in February of 1972, when I used to climb around the volcanic craters in Lanzarote which were like sand dunes of black volcanic ash, I noticed the local population were growing onions in them.  Everywhere one went there were onions growing, so obviously in volcanic ash that is very dry onions seem to grow quite well.  Apparently Montserrat is a bit cashed strapped with their tourist industry in decline, so perhaps they could generate some income by planting onions.  However, I would not advise trying to plant them in the dangerous areas, but a lot of the ash covered island might be accessible for planting onions.  Of course there is more rainfall, and it is warmer in Montserrat than Lanzarote.  I used to stay in a friend's apartment in Manhattan in the 1970s and the same friend was a neighbor in Nantucket, and the friend had tropical experience, and apparently his Dutch family resettled after World War II in Tahiti, so more than likely if he ever came back into this area, he would be cold in the winter and probably a bit darkly tan.  Still most of the people at the United Nations knew him, and he spoke 12 different languages.  Of course living in Tahiti, one tends not to be very attuned to the larger affairs of the larger world as it conveyed to the general public.  However, genially families have extended networks of relatives and friends they stay in touch with.  Thus more than likely if one ventured to Tahiti that same individual might show up as the local guide if that individual so chose to do so.  What most people did not realize is that friend was keeping an eye on his apartment for another individual whom was more private and never bothered to return to New York during the time I kept an eye on the apartment.  Since the apartment was well maintained, more than likely the individual paying to maintain it at diplomatic levels intended to return some day, or the individual would not have continued to pay to maintain it in its formal state.  However, the last time I checked out the place was in March of 1975, so although I have mentioned it, I do not know how it has evolved.  I am a bit tired, so I will now send out my weekly notes.  I will then shut down the computer.  I will eat two Quaker low fat white cheddar flavored corn cakes with some ice tea before going to bed.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 1:15 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop.  They were quite busy.  I browsed the store for quite a while.  I bought for $2 a decorative unused cutting board about 11 inches by 11 inches with a handle from Trimingham's in Bermuda that originally cost there $6.95.  On the decorative side that one does not cut on, it has a pastel picture of a Bermuda onion, with the recipe for Bermuda Onion Soup.  The recipe for Bermuda Onion Soup is:

3 Medium Bermuda Red Onions Sliced

3 TBS. butter

3 Cups Consommé

3 Cups Water

Parmesan Cheese

Sauté Bermuda Red onions in butter

Add consommé and water

Bring to a boil

Pour into soup bowls

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Next I went downtown, and I used the bathroom at the senior and arts center.  I bought a raffle ticket for a dollar for a handmade quilt.  I then went by the Merry Go Round Mews thrift shop.  All of their clothing is 50% off.  I then walked part way up Greenwich Avenue, and I used the ATM machine at the Greenwich Avenue branch of Putnam Trust Bank of New York.  I then returned to the Merry Go Round Mews Thrift Shop, and I agreed to buy a ceramic gold plated tea pot with lid about four cup capacity for $5 plus .30 tax for $5.30 total.  I then left to get change of a $20, and I went to Zyn Stationary, and I got change.  I then returned to the Merry Go Round Mews Thrift shop, and I bought the teapot.  It is very nice, and it is not chipped and not stained either.  I told two town employees about the Christmas lights not working at the tree north of the Veterans Monument and in front of the senior center.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I just now returned home.  I put the new gold teapot on the shelf above the kitchen sink, and I took the old gold and white chipped and stained teapot, and I put it on the left hallway bookcase shelf next to the repaired broken decorative malachite colored goose egg.  I hung the decorative Bermuda Onion soup cutting board on the left side kitchen wall adjacent to the left most cabinet.  I do not intend to use it, since I consider it a decorative item, and I have a smaller Lucite cutting board underneath the wooden chopping block anyway.  I drank some iced tea.  A relative sent me a gift subscription to Texas Monthly http://www.texasmonthly.com/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 8:35 A.M.:  I relaxed a bit.  Since I was up at 9 P.M. last night, I guess I will go out shortly for a little morning activity.  Last year at this time, I was able to buy a new World Wildlife Fund calendar at the Greenwich Hospital Thrift Shop for a dollar www.wwf.org .  I once played a panda in a second grade Christmas pageant at Walter Jackson School in Decatur, Alabama, and that has been about the limit of my acting career.  I was able to memorize two pages of dialogue in the early morning before the pageant.  I played the panda with two other panda characters whose names I think I remember.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go out soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 7:35 A.M.:  More cheap travel BT Encyclopedia of Travel: Getting There Cheaply Subsection Page 6:07 AM ET Friday, December 12, 2003 , but remember once you get there, it usually costs money, and going native frequently is not an option if you do not speak the language and know the customs.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 7:30 A.M.: Cheap travel http://www.freighterworld.com/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 7:25 A.M.:  I finished going through my email.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 6:50 A.M.:  I filled out a form to get Network World Fusion via mail at https://www.subscribenw.com/subscribe/index.jsp .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 6:30 A.M.:  I signed up for more free business magazines at www.freebizmag.com .  I found this link in my Microsoft email newsletter Security Developer Center: Windows XP Service Pack 2: A Developer's View (Windows XP Technical Articles) .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 5:40 A.M.:  I ate about five ounces of the corn chips along with some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 4:55 A.M.:  Weather alert for our area follows:

Flood Statement National Weather Service Albany Ny 420 AM EST Fri Dec 12 2003

.The Flood Warning Continues For The Housatonic River.

The Housatonic River At Stevenson Dam Was Near Flood Stage At 10.8 Feet At 3 AM Friday. The Stage Exceeded The Flood Stage Of 11 Feet At 6 PM Thursday. The Stage Will Hover Close To Flood Stage This Morning. It Will Recede Very Slowly This Morning. At 11.5 Feet... Water Begins To Reach The Maples Area Of Shelton.

The Still River...A Housatonic Tributary...At Brookfield Was 12.8 Feet At Midnight Friday. Minor Flooding Is Occurring. This Stage Exceeded The Flood Stage Of 12 Feet At 7 PM Thursday. This River Should Fall Below Flood Stage Shortly After Sunrise.

Do Not Drive Over Flooded Roads Or Bridges...Stay Tuned To Noaa Weather Radio...The Official Voice Of The National Weather Service... For Later Developments...For More Details Visit Our Web Page At Www.Weather.Gov .

I have noticed recently at the Stop and Shop that Angostura bitters there in the 3.5 ounce bottle is now $6.49, and the same bottle at the Food Emporium is now $5.99, so it has almost doubled in price.  I might still be able to get the 10 ounce bottle at Val's Liquors for about $8.49. I have an almost full 10 ounce bottle at the moment.  I use it in my ice tea mixture www.geocities.com/mikelscott/icetea.htm .  However, at the moment, I still have about a gallon of iced tea made up, so I do not need to make another batch yet.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 4:40 A.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I drove downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  The wind knocked over a potted evergreen in front of the linen shop just north of the Greenwich Common, so I uprighted the pot, and I put the evergreen and ornamental decoration back in the pot, and it now is back in place.  I was not able to put the dirt that fell out of the plastic urn back in place.  I also noticed the Christmas lights on the tree just north of the Veterans monument were out.  There is a electrical receptacle at the base of the street lamp there, and I tired plugging it in.  It has a ground fault interrupter on the receptacle, and although I reset it, it kept kicking out, so the lights would come on briefly and go out again.  Usually when a ground fault interrupter does not work properly, it is because the third wire is not grounded.  Also I noticed the tree lights in front of the senior center were also off.  I drove down by the waterfront.  I then went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I next went by the Food Emporium, and I bought fresh tomatoes on a vine for $1.99 a pound for $3.96, four cans of Star-Kist solid white albacore tuna fish at .99 a can, fresh little bear brand spinach from Texas for $1.79 a pound for .90, a 10 ounce box of mushrooms for $2.29, a eight ounce bar of white America's Choice extra sharp cheddar cheese for $1.89, a 10 ounce bag of Chipitos white corn tortilla chips restaurant style thins for $1.99, a head of Foxy broccoli for $2.50, a Bermuda red onion at .99 a pound for .61 for $18.10 total.  I now have 900 gold points on my Food Emporium card, and I have spent $59.45 towards a free bag of Contessa 41-60 count of shrimp, but on a low cholesterol diet, one should not eat shrimp.  I also should have bought the low fat Snyder corn chips.  I then returned home, and I put away my purchases, and I had a glass of iced tea.  I ran Norton Antivirus 2004 complete system scan on my computer while I was out.  CIO   

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 12:55 A.M.:  I turned the living room thermostat back up to 78 degrees Fahrenheit, since the apartment temperature dropped to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  When one stocks up on canned food items when they are on sale, one has to be sure to rotate one's stock from front to back in the shelves, so the newer items are in back of the shelves, and the older items are up front ready to be used first.  In my particular case, my older soups are in the left kitchen cupboard, and the newer soups are in the bookcase pantry at the kitchen entrance.  Of course, there are always items that one forgets about.  I once had two jars of Romanoff caviar that I received in Christmas baskets, and they were over several years old because I forgot to eat them.  I searched a caviar web site once, and it said that jars and tins of caviar only last six months, so if one has any old caviar lying around, one should eat it during the holiday seasons, if it is less than six months old.  I will now put the computer on standby, and I will clean up, and then I will go downtown for an early morning walk.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/12/03  Friday 12:20 A.M.:  I put away the laundry.  While I was on the dry cycle, I made my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  This time for the cheddar cheese portion, I use America's Choice extra sharp cheddar cheese, and for the crumbled cheese part, I used blue cheese, and I put in eight 1.5 inch diameter sprigs of broccoli. Of course the salad has all of the other usual ingredients.  I will now eat it with a glass of iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 11:15 P.M.:  I have about 45 minutes on the dry cycle.  I threw out the garbage.  It is warmer outside about 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has dried out from the rain.  I reset the ground fault interrupter on the outdoor Christmas lights, so they are now working again.  They tend to short out when it is damp.  I washed my yellow Gortex wind breaker, and I am now drying it in the shower stall.  I lowered the bedroom thermostat to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and I turned down the living room thermostat to 76 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is now about 74 degrees Fahrenheit in the apartment right now.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 10:45 P.M.:  I put clean linens on the bed.  I have ten minutes on the wash cycle.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 10:00 P.M.:  I ate about 20 Nabisco Wheatsworth crackers and two Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cakes and a one inch by 1.5 inch by 1.75 inch piece of Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese before going to bed.  My alarm clock did not go off at 1 P.M. this afternoon.  I finally woke up at 3 P.M., so I missed my 3 P.M. appointment.  I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I watched some television, and about 4:30 P.M. I fell back to sleep until 9 P.M..  I chatted with a friend, and I chatted with a relative.  I will now start getting my dirty laundry together to do laundry.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 5:00 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer.  I will eat a Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cake.  I will then go to bed soon.  I have a 3 P.M. appointment today.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 4:25 A.M.:  I am heating a 18 ounce can of Progresso New England clam chowder, which I will eat with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 3:50 A.M.:  There is a family of hillbillies in the mountains of North Carolina that like making their house festive at Christmas time www.biltmore.com .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 3:50 A.M.:  I finished going through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 2:35 A.M.:  If one were going south for the winter, I found this hotel in Australia http://www.dukeofwindsorhotel.com.au/ .  

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 1:25 A.M.:  I noticed this evening that the Food Emporium carried a complete line of Hartz Mountain www.hartz.com pet products.  I use to know someone here in Greenwich that worked for Hartz Mountain.  When I was a child in Decatur, Alabama, I use to keep a parakeet, and I use to feed it Hartz Mountain products.  I think their corporate headquarters are near the Meadowlands over in New Jersey.  As a child I use to enjoy nibbling on the bird seed that my parakeet ate.  I latter learned that one of the ingredients in Hartz Mountain bird seed is hemp seed.  I do not know where they acquire all the hemp seed, but one does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out where there is hemp seed, there more than likely is the plant that it grows on.  Thus more than likely Hartz Mountain keeps its production areas of hemp seed secret, so that recreation users of the product derived from hemp seed will not seek to profiteer off its inexpensive production.  Needless to say it is a common environment product in North America.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/11/03  Thursday 1:00 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  This time I had it with the usual ingredients and for the cheddar cheese portion I use Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese and for the crumbled cheese portion I used blue cheese and I also added eight 1.5 inch diameter sprigs of broccoli.  I ate the salad with a glass of iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/10/03  Wednesday 11:55 P.M.:  I was up at 4 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I checked the mail, and I got a Christmas card from a friend, and I also received information from the Carnegie Council of Ethics and International Affairs http://www.cceia.org/ .  Apparently somebody named Tom Scott started Andrew Carnegie in business after the United States civil war, when Tom Scott was president of the Pennsylvania railroad.  Tom Scott also organized the Standard Oil Trust, so the railroads gave Standard Oil preferential treatment in carrying Standard Oil crude.  Whether Tom Scott was related to my branch of the Scott family, I do not know, but my paternal grandfather worked on the Illinois Central Railroad for over 50 years.  I went back to bed, and I was up at 7:30 P.M..  I cleaned up, and I went out.  I went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then went by CVS, and I bought two CVS white 15 foot extension cords for $2.99 both and two 7 ounce Nivea for Men shaving mild gel containers for $1.99 each plus .42 tax for $7.39 total.  I then walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I next drove down by the waterfront.  I next went by the Food Emporium, and I bought a half gallon of Tropicana Premium orange juice with calcium for $2.49 and four six ounce cans of Star-Kist solid white albacore tuna fish for .99 each can for $6.46 total.  I then returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/10/03  Wednesday 7:00 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer.  I will go to bed soon.  I will eat a Quaker low fat white cheddar flavored corn cake with some iced tea before going to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/10/03  Wednesday 6:40 A.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  The friend told me in this recent snow storm, they had two feet of snow in the Berkshire Mountains.  The same friend told me it is suppose to snow again on this Monday.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/10/03  Wednesday 5:40 A.M.:  I printed out a hard copy of the 36 Christmas Carols on the HP LaserJet IID printer in Courier Bold 12 postscript font, and I saved the file too.  I made a cover page for it with the Christmas stationary, and I bound it with a Staples Clip binder.  I left it on the end of the blue sofa by the entrance area.  I also made a copy of the file in HTML format for web browsing it, of course it does not have page numbering, which could be confusing, if one printed it out.  It is at http://www.geocities.com/mike2scott2003/xmc.htm , and I also made a Microsoft Word XP Document file in Times Roman 12 font bold, and it is at http://www.geocities.com/mike2scott2003/xmcms.doc .  One could open that document in one's Microsoft Word word processor and print it out as is, or if one changed the fonts, one would have to adjust the formatting, so each page begins with a song.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/10/03  Wednesday 1:50 A.M.:  I finished scanning the 36 Christmas songs.  I have each in a separate Microsoft Word XP file.  I had to proof the formatting on each file.  In a little while I will put them all in one long file and print out one copy in Courier 12 Postscript on the HP LaserJet IID printer which should be 38 pages long.  I will then save the file in a standard format for uploading to the net.  I will also save it in a ASCII DOS text format for uploading to the net in case anyone wanted to print it out from a laser printer like in the Greenwich Library.   I could also make web pages out of it, for improved text display for print out, but one would not be able to print out one entire web page of 38 pages length evenly, but only as separate individual linked pages.  Of course separate web pages could have better fonts and some sort of design.  I could print out the file on my new Minolta laser printer, but I probably have 2,000 pages left on my HP LaserJet IID printer cartridge.  At first I will make and eat my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I will also add eight 1.5 inch florets of broccoli, Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese for the cheddar portion, blue cheese for the crumbled cheese portion along with all of the other usual ingredients.  I will have the salad with iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 10:40 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  I have done 16 pages of scanning of 37 pages.  I am listening to Rhapsody Player Radio Classic Lounge music.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 8:00 P.M.:  I was up at 4 P.M..  I received my Northeast Utilities electricity bill in the mail.  Last month's usage was $110.09, but I still had a credit of $33.26, so I owed $76.83 instead of the usual average of $95 a month, which I will pay in the future.  I went out without eating and cleaning up.  I went by the Arnold Bread outlet, and I bought three 5.5 ounce boxes of Arnold larger cut croutons one Garlic and Herbs and two Zesty Italian for .99 a box and a loaf of Arnold Branoloa 12 grain bread for .99 for $3.96 total.  They did not give me my senior discount of 10%, so I must look younger when I do not clean up.  I then went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went to CVS, and I picked up a prescription at $1.50 cost.  I then went by Zen Stationary, and I obtained two Western Union money orders at .79 cost each to pay my Northeast Utilities electricity bill and my Verizon telephone bill.  I then went by the Valley Road Post office, and I filled out the money orders, and I mailed my two bills there, and I also mailed a form to the Social Security Administration that I filled out last night.  I then returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I then cleaned up.  I will probably not be going out tonight.  I have a Christmas song pamphlet, that I want to use Xerox Textbridge to scan into a Microsoft Word XP document.  I will print out one copy to have, and I will post the Microsoft Word XP document of the Christmas songs on the internet, so other people can download it and print it out.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 8:10 A.M.:  I did some tech reading.  I then worked on some OCR work with Text Bridge importing the documents into Microsoft Word XP.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 5:00 A.M.:  I finished going through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  Since a lot of the information in the links on my list are posted weekly, I do not actually look at the whole list every day, but once or twice a week, I do try to go through the entire list of links looking for new information in the tech world.  I have a number of computer magazines that I have started receiving for free recently, so I will now look at some of them.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 4:30 A.M.:  I heated and ate a 19 ounce can of Progresso chicken noodle soup, which I had with a glass of iced tea.  Norton Speed Disk on the AMD backup computer quit responding, so I shut it down.  It seems to run better now.  I am in the process of going through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 3:30 A.M.:  When I printed out my Christmas card envelopes last Saturday morning, I had each envelope address saved in an individual envelope document, and I cut and pasted each address into Microsoft Word XP program envelope printing applet.  This took a bit of time, since one can only print one envelop at a time, and I had to change fonts and text alignment.  Just now I took all the envelope addresses, and I put them all in one three page document, and I alphabetized them and made them all the same font, so I now have one document from which to cut and paste the envelope addresses.  I also printed out three copies of the list.  I put one copy in my top right living room desk drawer with a copy of the Christmas List Microsoft Word file on floppy disk.  I left another copy by the Minolta laser printer, and I put the other copy on the right front side of my bedroom desk.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 2:05 A.M.:  I finished going through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 1:35 A.M.:  I ate a Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cake along with some iced tea.  I am in the process of going through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 1:05 A.M.:  I filled out some paper work.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/09/03  Tuesday 12:35 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  This time for the cheddar cheese part, I used Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese, and for the crumbled cheese part I used blue cheese, and I also added eight 1.5 inch diameter sprigs of broccoli along with all of the other usual ingredients.  I had the salad with iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 11:25 P.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went by the Exxon gasoline station next to the Greenwich Library, and I bought $9 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.799 a gallon for about 26 miles per gallon mileage.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Time.  The Greenwich Time has this article about the new George W. Bush portrait at the Yale Club in Manhattan Greenwich Time - Portraitist is sitting pretty after painting Bush .  I visited the Yale Club two years ago this coming February when the Economic Conference was going on at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, and I had to walk through a lot of security on Park Avenue to get to the Yale Club on Vanderbilt Avenue just west of Grand Central Station near where the Biltmore Hotel use to be.  Every year before Christmas the Taft School http://www.taftschool.org/ which I am an alumnus has a reception for alumni and parents at the Yale Club in Manhattan before Christmas.  It is this Wednesday, but as usual although I was invited, I will not be attending since it is too busy and expensive to go into Manhattan.  There are plenty of Taft alumni in this area, so one does not need to go into Manhattan to see the same group of people whom one sees everyday anyway.  I next walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, and I sat out at various locations.  I noticed they put Christmas lights on the tree just north of the veterans monument across from the senior center, and they are in the process of putting lights on the trees in front of the senior center.   I then drove down by the waterfront.  I next went to the Stop and Shop, and I bought four 18.8 ounce cans of Campbell's New England clam chowder for buy one get one free for $2.79 both, a 42 ounce container of Quaker Old Fashioned oatmeal for $3.99, a package of Stella blue cheese at $5.79 a pound for $3.45, a 16 ounce bottle of Monari balsamic vinegar for $1.99, a 16 ounce package of S&S baby carrots for $1.99, a 10 ounce package of S&S fresh spinach $1.99, and a Bermuda red onion at $1.29 a pound for .85 for $19.84 total.  I then returned home, and I put away my purchases.  I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 7:25 P.M.:  I received two crank fax calls this morning.  I was up at 11 A.M., and I checked the mail and then went back to bed, and then again at 3 P.M..  I called Northeast Utilities, and they told me that my electricity bill was sent out this past Friday, so I should get it tomorrow.  I received two magazines in the mail, CRN and FHM.  I finally woke up at 5 P.M., and I went out, and I went over to Smokes for Less in Byram, and I bought two cartons of Seneca Ultra Lights 100s for $31 each carton for $62 total.  I then returned home, and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I am still running Norton Speed Disk on the AMD backup computer in the bedroom.  It takes over a day, since I have the 74,000 Favorites on them, and it is only running at 366 MHz with 256 megs of memory for the 8 gigabyte C: drive.  Once they are optimized the AMD backup computer will run faster.  I will now shut down the computer again, and I will go out after I clean up.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 8:30 A.M.:  I turned off Parental Controls in Guest Logon, since the Windows XP system settings should prevent system changes in Guest Logon.  I ran Ad-Aware 6.0, and it removed 22 tracking devices.  I just had a telephone call that was not a crank fax call, but no one answered when I picked up the telephone.  I dialed *69, so I have the telephone number.  I did a reverse number lookup on the telephone call at www.anywho.com , and it was from somebody that lives over near the Greenwich High School, so more than likely, since I do not know anyone in that area, it was a misdialed number.  However, the last name of the calling party is the same as my father's first wife's current last name, so maybe it was a distant relative that lives around here that I did not know about.  Using *69 costs .75, and it does not work on crank fax calls.  I will now shut down the computer again, and I will try to get to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 7:00 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 6:55 A.M.:  In the microwave proof plastic pot and cover that I keep on top of the General Electric microwave oven, I microwaved a 18.8 ounce can of Campbell's New England Clam Chowder, which I ate with some iced tea.  I ran a security check on my computer with this link http://security.symantec.com/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 6:15 A.M.:  I finally have my computer system back in order.  Basically what the problem was, is that some how, someone had either hacked into my computer or gained access to it in my apartment, and enabled password protection on Norton Internet Security 2004 with its features disabled.  There was no way, I knew to disable this password protected feature, so I did a System Restore to this past Thursday, which I did the System Backup before doing the Computer backup.  When I rebooted the Norton Internet Security 2004 was working just fine with its features, and password protection was eliminated.  However, before doing that I had uninstalled Norton System Works 2003, and I had not been able to uninstall Norton Internet Security 2004.  I then uninstalled Norton System Works 2003 again and rebooted and then I uninstalled Norton Internet Security 2004 and I then did a Safe boot, and I deleted the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ " folder and the "C:\Program Files\Symantec " folder and the "C:\Program Files\Symantec Systemworks\ " folders, and I rebooted.  I then reinstalled Norton Internet Security 2004 without any problems.  I ran the updates and rebooted.  I have four User Accounts on my computer which are Michael Scott, Administrator, ASP.net and Guest.  Michael Scott is my primary Windows XP logon account, and the Administrator Account only comes up in Safe Mode.  I made the Administrator, Guest, and ASP.net  restricted to "Teenage Use", while Michael Scott is actually the primary supervisor account.  I also enable password protection, so the other three teenage sub accounts can not access the settings, which might have been how it was accessed originally, when Administrator had Supervisor privileges.  Thus it is secure.  One can reset the password in Add Remove programs for Internet Security 2004, but one would have to have access to the primary Logon to do that.  I reinstalled MSN 6.1 and www.efax.com .  When I went to install Norton Systems Works 2003, it would not install probably because the System Restore had restored the registry settings.  I ran Norton Win Doctor from the CD, and it fixed 150 registry entries many to do with the Norton programs.  I uninstalled and reinstalled "symkbfix.exe" Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiSpam, or Norton Personal Firewall prompts to activate whenever the computer restarts .  After rebooting, I installed all the Norton System Works 2003 programs except for Norton AntiVirus 2003 from the sub folders on the CD without the interface.  I then rebooted.  I then reorganized my start menu icons into the sub folders, so it is neater.  This all took some time, but the computer is pretty much back where it was when I did the backup last Thursday.  I am not sure what caused the problem, but with Norton Internet Security 2004 now password protected, hopefully the problem will not occur again.  I also had to clean up the Spam in Outlook Express that got through when Norton Anti Spam 2004 was not working.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 1:55 A.M.:  I just noticed that Norton Internet Security 2004 is not working on my machine along with all of its programs.  I can not figured out what caused the problem.  When I try to enable it, it says I do not have administrative privileges.  Whatever the case it worked fine when I went to bed this past morning.  It is most odd.  I wonder if it is a hacker or someone whom has gained access to my computer in my apartment.  I will try to get it going, and if not I will have to reinstall it.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 1:40 A.M.:  I ate a Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cake along with some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/08/03  Monday 1:25 A.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  The roads are pretty much cleared as are the sidewalks.  I used my car snow brush, and I cleaned off the snow from off the bench on the north side of the veterans monument across from the senior center, and I also cleaned off the benches in front of the senior center.  I sat out at a couple of locations.  I drove around the train station area and down by the waterfront.  I went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then drove over to CVS at the Riverside Shopping Plaza.  The CVS at the Riverside Shopping Plaza and Walgreen's nearby are both open 24 hours a day.  At CVS I had a $4 off bonus bucks coupon.  I bought three 35 ounce bottles of Lysol Island Breeze cleaner for $3.79 each bottle, two 20 ounce bottles of European Mystique shampoo and conditioner for $1.79 both, a 33 ounce spray bottle of CVS glass cleaner for $2.49, a 3.12 ounce can of Kiwi saddle soap for $4.49 plus .97 tax for $21.11 total less the $4 off CVS coupon for $17.11 final total.  I then returned home.  I drank some iced tea.  I keep my saddle soap underneath the kitchen sink.  I put away the other purchases.  I am running Norton Speed Disk on the AMD backup computer in the bedroom which takes quite a while.  To get it going, I had to shut down all the startup programs using CTRL - ALT and shutting down each one separately.  Norton Disk Doctor and Norton Speed Disk will not work if a program is doing disk writes.  One can not shut down Explorer or one other program either, since they are needed for the desktop.  This is on a Windows ME machine.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 10:10 P.M.:  I ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm , which I had with a glass of iced tea.  In honor of Pearl Harbor Day, one can look at this web site U S S Arizona Memorial (National Park Service) , it says that there were 2,390 casualties on that day on December 7, 1941.  I do not think the list that I posted has that many names.  However, I originally found the list posted at MIT www.mit.edu , and it said it was from the National Park Service.  I will now put the computer on standby, and I will clean up, and I will go out for some cool night air.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 9:00 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 8:15 P.M.:  I was awaken at noon, when I heard workers shoveling off the flat roof outside my windows.  They have to do that whenever there is a lot of snow.  I went back to bed until 3 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I watched some television, and I went back to bed.  I woke up finally at 6 P.M..  I checked the mail, and it did come today, since yesterday it was cancelled because of the snow.  I am in the process of running updates and utilities on the four backup computers.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 3:30 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 3:10 A.M.:  American Red Cross Disaster Services and American Red Cross Winter Storm Tips .  I enjoyed the chicken pot pie.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 2:40 A.M.:  I am microwaving a Maria Callender 16 ounce chicken pot pie, which I will eat with a glass of iced tea.  I did some regular computer work.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/07/03  Sunday 1:30 A.M.:  I went out after the last message.  My Hyundai has a five speed stick shift.  On packed snow which the conditions are currently, I drive in second gear at about 10 to 15 miles per hour making sure the car keeps traction on the snow packed roads.  Since the Hyundai Accent L hatchback has front wheel drive with the engine over the front wheels and with Michelin all weather mud and snow radial tires, it had sufficient traction to make the journey downtown safely.  Of course one has to watch out for the other person too.  I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I wore my Italian made fleece lined leather Alpine boots with the waffle grid Vibram soles, which have sufficient traction for walking on slippery packed snow.  I did not sit out at any locations, since the benches were covered with snow.  The sidewalks are covered in packed snow, so one has to be careful.  However, the work crews and the plows are out working on the situation.  However, since it is a Sunday morning, I am not sure how many people will be available to work on cleaning up the remains the snow storm.  It might take until Monday morning when the work crews are available.  Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, so I posted this page, which I use to post Pearl Harbor Memorial Page .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 11:30 P.M.:  Well, this is as far south as one can go in the Continental United States of America www.liveduvalstreet.com .  They will be cold if they venture up north this time of year.  Well, the blizzard watch is over, but the bulletin says we might get an inch or two of snow by 7 A.M. this morning.  It is presently 59 degrees Fahrenheit down in Key West Weather Underground: Key West, Florida Forecast .  Well, I guess since it only 21 degrees Fahrenheit here, I will bundle up and go out and explore the Great Outdoors.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 11:25 P.M.:  Well, it is the winter of our discontent.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 10:30 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had the salad with iced tea.  I am making a cappuccino, which I will drink next.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 9:25 P.M.:  I made up a fresh batch of homemade hummus www.geocities.com/mikelscott/hummus.htm .  I was reminded by somebody that I chatted with at Circuitcity in Norwalk who was from Hong Kong on this past Tuesday that the older Asian people are probably superstitious.  I mentioned the Chinese symbol in the middle of my new pale blue oriental carpet runner in the hallway, and I said it probably meant "Good Health" and the fellow from Hong Kong said it probably meant "Good Luck".  While at CircuitCity, I also chatted with someone from Korea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 8:55 P.M.:  I moved the Rubbermaid laundry storage hamper that I had at the hallway entrance by the right side of the day bed to in front of the open bedroom door at the bedroom entrance, and from that location I put the brass hat rack and coat stand at the right side of the day bed by the hallway entrance.  I put my hat on it, and I put the long winter rainforest down filled coat hanging on it.  Thus I have my heavier winter gear ready for use.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 8:40 P.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  I checked outside, and traffic seems to be moving on U.S. 1 West Putnam Avenue, and it looks clear.  It does not seem to be snowing out anymore.  However, since it is 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I would imagine it is icy and slippery on the roads.  Right now they are plowing the drive in front of my building.  I guess, I could go out now, but since it is cold, and I do not really have any place to go, I will remain warm and comfortable at home.  I put my burgundy terry cloth bathrobe on to stay a little bit warmer.  I currently have the living room thermostat set at 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and I have one of the DeLonghi oil filled electric radiators set at medium on number 4 of 1 to 6.  I have the bedroom thermostat set at 66 degrees Fahrenheit.  When I go to bed, I turn down the living room thermostat to 76 degrees Fahrenheit, and I turn off the DeLonghi heater.  I do not turn on the bathroom heater, since it uses too much electricity for the heat that one gets, but I leave the door open, so it stays warm.  I also have the Lasko box fan on the window shelf in the living room on low speed blowing the heat from the apartment electric wall radiators around the apartment instead of letting it rise into the false ceiling.  It is about 72 degrees in the apartment right now, and I am comfortable.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 8:00 P.M.:  I found out from a relative last night that they will not be sending me their broken Dell computer to try to fix, when they get their new replacement Dell under their warranty, since Dell wants the broken one back.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 7:50 P.M.:  On top of the primary computer monitor to the left side of the computer camera is the base unit for the wireless remote control mouse.  On its right side, is a switch to turn it off, which I did, since I do not presently use it too much.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 7:45 P.M.:  I went through my email.  I checked out the free demo of www.efax.com , but to use it, one has to pay for it, but it does look useful.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 7:10 P.M.:  I watched the NBC national news on channel 4.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 6:25 P.M.:  I was up at 4:30 P.M..  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I cleaned up.  I checked outside, and it looks like we have only had about three more inches of snow since this morning, so there has been about seven inches of snow so far in this double storm.  I watched a bit of the weather channel.  It is currently 21 degrees Fahrenheit outside right now.  I will continue to stay inside until I wake up tomorrow, since later tonight once the storm clears, it will still be slippery on the roads.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 8:40 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 8:00 A.M.:  I am in the process of going through my email.  I found this information Norton Internet Security 2004 - Software - ZDNet Reviews .  I chatted with a friend.  I ate two bowls of low fat corn chips, and I finished off the bag.  I also had some iced tea.  The weather forecast is for blizzard snow conditions with 10 to 14 inches of snow from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. today with winds up to 40 miles per hour.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 5:45 A.M.:  This is the link to my 2003 Christmas Letter Michael Louis Scott's 2003 Christmas Letter .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 5:30 A.M.:  I signed the Christmas letters and the Christmas cards.  I stuffed the envelopes with the cards and letters.  I sealed the envelopes.  I stamped the envelopes.  I had to put two .37 stamps on each envelope, since each one was slightly over an ounce.  I had two International addresses, which each needed a $1.60 postage, which I did not have enough stamps for.  Since at the moment it is not snowing, I dressed up warmly including my alpine boots and parka.  I threw the garbage out in the trash.  I cleaned off up to a 10 inches of drifting snow off my Hyundai.  I did not turn the heater or the temperature up on the heater, when I started the car, so when I drove the short trip of about a quarter mile to the Valley Road Post office, the car would not heat up, which when it gets more snow on it later today would cause ice to form.  There was only about four inches of snow out, and the roads were plowed, but they are very slippery.  I bought fourteen .37 stamps for $5.18 from the Valley Road Post Office vending machine.  I put five .37 stamps for $1.85 total on each of the two international letters.  I had the Greenwich and out of town envelopes sorted separately with rubber bands on them.  I mailed all 23 envelopes in the Valley Road Post Office lobby mail box.  I then returned home, and I had a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 3:15 A.M.:  I printed out copies of the Christmas letter on the Christmas stationary I got from Staples.  I printed out the Christmas card envelopes with the addresses of the recipients.  I still have to sign the Christmas cards and Christmas letters.  I also have to stuff the envelopes and seal and stamp them.  I will not be mailing them, until the current winter snow storm is over and the roads are passable in a day or so.  I put the fresh batch of ice tea www.geocities.com/mikelscott/icetea.htm in the refrigerator.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/06/03  Saturday 1:05 A.M.:  I chatting with a relative.  I am writing my annual Christmas letter, and then I will work on my Christmas cards.  CIO

End of Scott's Notes week of 12/05/03:

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 11:50 P.M.:  I showered and cleaned up.  I am making a batch of www.geocities.com/mikelscott/icetea.htm .  I will now send out my weekly notes.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 10:40 P.M.:  I looked out the back stairway window, and the conditions seem pretty much the same as at 8 P.M..  I took a Pyrex pie baking dish, and I added a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  I then rubbed in the olive oil a double thick boneless center cut pork chop which I placed in the Pyrex baking dish.  I added a couple of tablespoons of La Choy low sodium soy sauce and a fifth of a cup of Rene Junot white wine.  I then seasoned the top of the chop with Old Bay Seasoning, garlic powder, celery salt, ground black pepper, chicken and meat seasoning, Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano.  I then spread across the top of the chop three minced cloves of garlic.  I then spread over the top of the chop Texas Best Mesquite barbeque sauce.  I am baking it in the Farberware convection oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  I will eat the chop with its juices and reheated steamed white rice and steamed fresh broccoli and steamed fresh cut asparagus with olive oil, and I will have it all with a glass of iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 10:15 P.M.: Yesterday, when I went out in the morning, I mailed the Symantec $30 upgrade rebate on Internet Security 2004 at the Valley Road post office.  Today, I did not receive my Northeast Utilities bill, but I did receive my Verizon bill.  I will probably receive my Northeast Utilities bill on Monday, since more than likely we will not have mail delivery on Saturday with the blizzard.  Today, I did receive my free subscription to Business Week magazine www.businessweek.com which I get from http://www.freebizmag.com/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 10:05 P.M.:  I chatted with two relatives and a friend.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 8:10 P.M.:  I was up at 1 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went back to bed until 5 P.M., and I got up.  I ate a Quaker low fat white cheddar flavored corn cake with some iced tea.  I just finished house cleaning and watering my plants.  I moved the lexan soap dish from the left back side of the kitchen sink to the right rear side of the bath tub area, so the soap will now get too wet when I shower, therefore it will last longer.  After I vacuumed, I also fluffed up the baby blue oriental hallway runner with a broom, so it is a bit more fluffy.  I just checked outside, and we have about three inches of snow, and for now the snow has let up.  From the back stairway window, I can see the regular amount of traffic still moving on U.S. 1, and it seems to be making it up the hill all right.  However, the forecast calls for continued snow into Saturday night:

 WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY
Urgent - Winter Weather Message National Weather Service Upton NY 450 PM EST Fri Dec 5 2003

0500- Bergen NJ-Bronx NY-Eastern Passaic NJ-Essex NJ-Hudson NJ- Kings (Brooklyn) NY-Nassau NY-New York (Manhattan) NY-Queens NY- Richmond (Staten Is.) NY-Southern Fairfield CT-Southern New Haven CT- Southern Westchester NY-Union NJ-

...Winter Storm Warning Through Early Saturday... ...Blizzard Warning Early Saturday Through Saturday Evening...

Snow Will Continue Overnight And Additional Accumulations Of A Few Inches Are Expected. Snow Will Persist Through Saturday And Northeast Winds Will Pick Up In Speed. The Combination Of Strong Gusty Northeasterly Winds Of 25 To 30 Mph...With Gusts Close To 40 Mph...And The Snow Could Result In Blizzard Conditions Through The Day. Visibilities Will Be One Quarter Mile Or Less In Snow And Blowing Snow At Times During This Time Frame.

The Snow Will Taper Off Saturday Night...So Blizzard Conditions Are Not Expected To Continue As The Night Progresses. Snow Will Gradually Taper Off Late Saturday Night And Snow Accumulations Of 10 To 15 Inches Are Expected. A Blizzard Warning Is Issued When Sustained Wind Speeds Or Frequent Gusts Of Over 35 Mph Are Expected With Considerable Falling And Or Blowing And Drifting Snow. Visibilities Will Become Poor...With Whiteout Conditions At Times. Those Venturing Outdoors May Become Lost Or Disoriented...So Persons In The Warning Area Are Advised To Stay Indoors.

Any Travel Is Strongly Discouraged. 

Also this link has another forecast for the area Weather Hazards for Southern Fairfield, CT from http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/okx/ .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 1:20 A.M.:  I did some regular computer work.  Remember, it is suppose to start snowing this Friday evening through Saturday night here in the Northeastern United States of America, so be prepared for cabin fever.  Snow storms can occasionally be bad in this area. About 1990, about two years after I moved into my current residence, we had a four and a half foot snow storm, which was the result of the worldwide cooling activity after Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted.  I keep a coal shovel on the right side of my left living room closet, so I can use it in case I have to shovel snow from around my car.  Once in December of 1978, on my first return trip across country from California, I drove through a two day blizzard going from west to east through the Rocky Mountains on Route 70 from Salt Lake City to Denver.  Snow for the year round residents of this area is something that is built into psyches.  Basically, it is never too bad here in Greenwich, since we live near the ocean, and the temperatures can be warmer.  However, with a current temperature outside of 22 degrees Fahrenheit, more than likely we will get snow when the two weather fronts converge.  I have year round Michelin mud and snow radial tires on my Hyundai with front wheel drive, so once the roads are plowed, I usually do not have trouble getting around, particularly since the entrance to our street is right off U.S. 1, which is continually plowed all the time, and tends to stay clear even in snowy weather.  However, from experience once the white powdery snow flakes start coming down, it tends to bring all activity to a stand still, and the snow quiets the area, and one gets the sense of the Big Chill setting in.  Basically if one is prepared it can be calming and relaxing.  More than likely the general population will not be moving about much on this Saturday.  Of course quite a few people have four wheel drive vehicles in this area, so there are always a few people out and about.  Well, stay warm.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/05/03  Friday 12:55 A.M.:  I stumbled across this article about Dutch doings Telegraph Travel Amsterdam: Hooked on Holland .  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 11:55 P.M.:  I went through my email. While doing the system maintenance, I ate two bowls of low fat corn chips.  I will now have another bowl with some iced tea.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 11:40 P.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  On the primary computer, I ran Ad-aware 6.0, Spybot, Disk Cleanup from the C: drive, Norton Fast and Safe Cleanup, Norton Win Doctor, Norton Disk Doctor.  I then did a seven part C: drive to D: drive backup.  I then ran Norton SpeedDisk on the C: drive.  On the Dell backup computer, I installed Rhapsody, and I installed some updates.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 8:20 P.M.:  I will now do a C: drive to D: drive backup and run the other maintenance utilities.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 8:10 P.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I used a can of flaked solid white albacore tuna fish in it along with crumbled blue cheese and the other usual ingredients.  I had the salad with iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 7:10 P.M.:  Weather Bug on my computer came up with an alert for a heavy winter snow storm warning for this area from Friday evening into Saturday night, so one should make sure they are prepared for snow.  I still have not received my Northeast Utilities and Verizon bills, but if I receive them in the mail tomorrow, I will pay them tomorrow.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 6:50 P.M.:  I was up at 11 A.M. this morning.  I cleaned up, and I went to the Greenwich Hospital laboratory to have my blood drawn for my cholesterol test.  I then returned home, and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I then went out again, and I went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then went downtown to the central Greenwich Post Office, and I obtained two money orders at .90 cost each to pay my Cablevision and my Optimum Online bills, which I mailed.  I then made my 3 P.M. appointment.  I  next went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift shop, and I bought a Belkin SurgeMaster power strip for $3.  I then went downtown, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, and I sat out at various locations.  I then went by the Greenwich Library, and I read the Greenwich Times.  I then went by the Stop and Shop, and I bought two 16.5 ounce Maria Callendar chicken pot pies for $1.99 each, three half gallons of Tropicana Premium orange juice with calcium for $5 all, a box of 10 quart packages of S&S dried milk for $6.99, two 100 bag packages of Salada orange pekoe tea for $1.99 a box, a package of Quaker low fat white cheddar cheese flavored corn cakes for $2.19, two 10 ounce bars of Sargento Vermont extra sharp cheddar cheese for $2 each, three cans of 6.5 ounce dry of California medium black pitted olives for .99 each,  and a 10 ounce bottle of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce for $2.79 for $31.90 total.  I then returned home, and I put away my purchases.  From the left side behind my primary computer, I unplugged from the three way adaptor plugged into the IBM ground fault interrupt plate and the two power cords that lead to my primary computer desktop control panels.  I then removed the three way splitter.  I then plugged into the IBM wall out plate surge suppressor the Belkin SurgeMaster power control strip, and I laid it on the left side of the primary computer setup on the computer drawer on top of the coffee table.  I plugged in the two cables to it that lead to my Desktop Power Control Center, and I turned it on.  I now have triple surge protection on my primary computer setup.  The Belkin SurgeMaster power control strip also has four vacant plugs available for use near the primary computer.  I will now vacuum again the hallway oriental throw rug that I cleaned three days ago, which should fluff it up a bit, now that it should be dry.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 3:40 A.M.:  I went through www.geocities.com/mikelscott/scotwork.htm .  I noticed this news story VOANews.com George W. Bush and King Abdullah of Jordan to meet Thursday, December 4, 2003 .  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 2:30 A.M.:  I went through my email.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 2:00 A.M.:  I prepared the $30 upgrade rebate information for the Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004 program to have ready to mail.  I made two copies of the information that I have on the right front of my bedroom desk.  I enclosed the title page of Norton Firewall 2003 for upgrade proof.  I will not mail it now, since it is 16 degrees Fahrenheit outside right now.  I have a 3 P.M. appointment today.  Before the appointment, I will go by the Greenwich Hospital laboratory to have my blood drawn again for my cholesterol test.  Thus I can not eat again until after the test.  I have not received all of my bills yet, so I can not pay them.  I might try to get up earlier today, so I can pay the bills if they arrive today.  I might do that before I have my blood drawn.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 1:00 A.M.:  Microsoft's new blog web site http://www.thespoke.net/ is open for all to use.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 12:35 A.M.:  I ran Ad-aware 6.0, and it removed 14 tracking devices.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 12:25 A.M.:  Last weekend, when I had the problems installing Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional, I tried fixing the problem by doing a restore with "System Restore", and "System Restore" would not work.  I just used "System Restore" to backup my computer, and I then used "System Restore" to the restore the backup, and it all worked faultlessly.  I had read in tech notes on the internet that was another problem, so the installation procedure that I followed for Norton Internet Security 2004 also fixed that problem.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/04/03  Thursday 12:10 A.M.:  I put away the laundry.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 11:40 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  I had dinner of steamed white rice and steamed fresh cut asparagus and steamed broccoli crowns with olive oil.  For the entree, I took a double thick boneless center cut pork chop, and I added four tablespoons of olive oil to a sauté pan along with three cloves of minced garlic.  I heated the oil and garlic over medium high heat, and once it began to simmer, I sautéed the chop seasoning it both sides with garlic powder, Old Bay Seasoning, ground black pepper, celery salt, poultry and meat seasoning, oregano, basil, and Italian spices.  I sautéed it turning it about every minute for three minutes on each side until about half cooked.  I then added a quarter of a cup of Rene Junot white wine and about five tablespoons of La Choy low sodium soy sauce, and once it came to a boil, I reduced the heat to medium, and then I simmered it with a lid on the pan for about three minutes a side turning it about every 1.5 minutes.  I had the boneless double thick center cut pork chop with the remaining juices on it and steamed rice and vegetables along with a glass of iced tea.  I will now go downstairs and fold my laundry.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 10:45 P.M.:  I just started dry cycle on my laundry.  I put $20 on the MacGray laundry card, so I now have $25.45 left on it.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 10:30 P.M.:  I chatted with a relative.  I started two loads of laundry, and I have ten minutes on the wash cycle to go.  I put clean linens on the bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 9:35 P.M.:  I have Norton Internet Security 2004 installed and running just fine.  I ran into the same problem, I had last weekend, which I knew how to fix.  I basically uninstalled Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional selecting the option to save my settings in case I reinstalled, and I rebooted.  I then tried to install Norton Internet Security 2004, and part way through the installation I got the Error Message "System Error message 'Privacy Control Feature: DRM_IntegratorCategoryHook' " , which prompted me to cancel the installation.  This is the same problem I had last weekend.  I went through the same procedure, I figured out.  I basically cancelled the installation.  I then rebooted.  I then uninstalled Norton System Works 2003.  I then rebooted.  I then deleted in the "C:\Program Files " directory all the Symantec directories for the Symantec Programs that I had uninstalled, which depends on how many one uninstalls.  I then rebooted into "Safe Mode" by pressing F8 at reboot in Windows XP.  I then deleted the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symanted Shared " folder, which in safe mode is not Windows XP protected.  I then rebooted normally.  I then installed Norton Internet Security 2004 without any problems, and it worked just fine.  I rebooted, and I activated it and registered it online and configured it.  I ran the Updates, and I rebooted.  I then downloaded an installed this fix Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiSpam, or Norton Personal Firewall prompts to activate whenever the computer restarts "symkbfix.exe".  On my particular machine it was already installed, so it would not install again, so to be safe, I used the option to uninstall it, and then I rebooted.  I then installed it again, and I rebooted.  I then did a complete install of Norton System Works 2003, except for Norton AntiVirus 2003, which is included in it, which I did not need with Norton AntiVirus 2004 having been installed by Norton Internet Security 2004.  I then rebooted.  I then registered it, and I ran the updates.  I then rebooted.  I then ran Norton Win Doctor, and it fixed five problems in the system.  However, it could not fix one problem related to Symantec, which it could not find the file "C:\Windows\System32\Symstore.dll  for a Symantec program" on my system.  I restored it from my backup that I keep on the D: drive and that problem was eliminated.  I then ran Norton Win Doctor again, and there were no problems.  I then rebooted, and I opened my Microsoft Outlook Express Email program, and Norton Anti Spam 2004 which is included in Norton Internet Security 2004 deleted about 75% of my incoming email as Spam.  The installation of Norton Internet Security 2004 had saved my spam settings from the two earlier installation of Norton Anti Spam, one from the demo download and one from Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional.  I sent myself a couple of test emails to make sure the email program was working, and it is working just fine.  With the Norton Internet Security 2004 Firewall, one has to disable the Window XP firewall, which I had already done.  On the Parental Controls settings, I am not running them on my primary logon, but I have Parental Control set for "Teenager" for the Guest Logon.  I basically think it is a most excellent program despite the hassles in installing it, which is why I chose to buy it despite the fact that I already owned Norton System Works 2003 and Norton Firewall 2003 which worked just fine.  For the $30 cost after I receive the $30 rebate, is what Norton Anti Spam 2004 at a cost of $40 less $10 rebate for total cost of $30 would cost.  Plus I have the latest Norton Updates and Norton AntiVirus 2004 and Norton Firewall protection from Norton Internet Security 2004.   Thus I would recommend buying it, if one had the technological capabilities to deal with the installation problems.  Of course if one were not upgrading or if one did not already have Norton programs on one's machine or if one had not uninstalled it, one might not have the installation problems that I figured out how to work around.  Well, in the computer tech field, it is all in a days work, which is why many people do not like changing their systems.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 7:00 P.M.:  I went out, and I went by the ATM machine at Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I then drove up to CompUSA in Norwalk.  I figured the copy of Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional on my machine that I returned to Staples in Old Greenwich that I was finally able to install this past Sunday would expire with product activation, since I did not own it.  At CompUSA, I bought Norton Internet Security 2004 for $59.99 plus $3.60 tax for $63.59 total.  That included a $10 instant rebate.  It has a $30 mail in upgrade rebate.  Also if one buys tax software with it in the offer, one can get another $30 rebate, but I do not pay income taxes since my income is low, so I did not need to get the tax software.  I then drove back to Greenwich, and I stopped by Staples in Old Greenwich, and I explained to one of their technical support people what the installation problems were with Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional.  I just now returned home, and I drank some iced tea.  I will now make a copy of the Norton Internet Security 2004 CD disk, since I keep the original disk for a master copy, and I use the copy for installations to preserve the original disks.  I will then uninstall Symantec Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional, and I will install Norton Internet Security 2004.  I do not need the productivity security features offered by Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional, since I just use it on my home machine, and I am capable of regulating my own internet use.  In the next note, I will let you know how the installation goes.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 3:50 P.M.:  I was up at 2:30 P.M., and I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I will now clean up and go out.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 7:15 A.M.:  I chatted with a friend.  I went through my email.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 6:35 A.M.:  I drank the hot cocoa.  I also finished off the rice that I made at Thanksgiving time with some La Choy low sodium soy sauce, and I drank some iced tea.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 5:40 A.M.:  I went out after the last message.  I went downtown, and I drove down by the waterfront and the train station area.  I sat in my car for a while downtown.  I then went by the Food Emporium, and I bought a quart of America's Choice strawberry jam for $2.79, a 10 ounce box of fresh mushrooms for $2.29, a head of broccoli for $1.50, a Bermuda red onion at .99 a pound for .79, a 10 ounce bottle of La Choy low sodium soy sauce for $1.79, a 19 ounce bottle of Texas Best Mesquite barbeque sauce for $3.19, a package of two Master Choice center cut boneless pork chops at $2.99 a pound for $3.62, a 12.5 ounce bag of Snyder's low fat white corn tortilla chips $1.50, a 9 ounce bag of Fresh Express baby spinach leaves for $2.50,  a 40 bag box of Salada green tea for $2.99, two 28 ounce cans of Goya chick peas for $1.19 each, four Stouffer's Lean Cuisine dinners, Glazed Chicken, Chicken with mushrooms, Chicken Tuscan, and Chicken Florentine running from 12.5 ounces to 13.25 ounces at $2.39 each plus they forgot to scan a 10 envelope box of America's Choice reduce calorie hot chocolate cocoa mix which normally would be a $1.59 for $34.89 total.  I just now returned home, and I put away my groceries.  I will now make a cup of the hot cocoa.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 3:10 A.M.:  I made and ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I had it with the last of the strips of cold beef and a bit of crumbled blue cheese along with the other usual ingredients.  I also had some iced tea.  I will now put the computer back on standby.  We use to have a volunteer group here called the "Freezing Norwegian Patrol" whom would try to keep an eye on things when it was very cold.  It is currently 15 degrees Fahrenheit.  I turned on the DeLonghi oil filled radiator by the beginning of the couch area in the living room.  I will go out shortly.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 1:50 A.M.:  I put the new power strip and the two new extension cords in the lower level of the sweater closet with the tools.  I took out the electric Glade scent device from by the bathroom sink, and I put a three prong plug adaptor to extend the plug out, and I put it in the wall plug behind the Minolta laser printer.  I put the little GE Fluorescent Plug-in light beside the bathroom sink with the light turned off for night use, but its bulb is not replaceable.  I put the GE automatic Power-Failure light on the top left side of the right book case in the hallway with the switch set to activate in a power failure, and I plugged it into the extension cord there that is also connected to the book light that stays on all the time with the Sylvania look life bulb in it.  The GE emergency light is suppose to supply 1.5 hours of light.  It has a replaceable bulb and replaceable Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries.  I put the toiletries and cleaning supplies in the bathroom.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/03/03  Wednesday 1:15 A.M.:  I had a call yesterday at 7 A.M. from a friend.  I was up at 12:30 P.M., and I ate breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I went back to bed until 5 P.M..  I then vacuumed the new oriental type baby blue rug runner in the hallway.  It might still be a bit damp, and maybe in two more days I will vacuum it again to fluff it up.  However, it is the nature of the Bissell pet and odor rug shampoo that the Scotchguard protectant that is installed with it leaves a coating on the carpet than when it dries it feels a bit damp, when it is actually dry.  I ate two Quaker low fat white cheddar flavored corn cakes with some iced tea.  I cleaned up, and I went out.  I went by the ATM machine at the Bank of New York office in Port Chester, New York by Home Depot.  I then went to Odd Job, and I bought two boxes of 16 Christmas cards each for $4.99 each box, a My Helper power strip for $2.99, a General Electric small Plug-in Fluorescent light for $1.99, a General Electric Power-Failure Light $2.99,a 11 pack of NYL child resistant lighters for $1.99 plus $1.40 tax for $21.34 total.  I then returned to central Greenwich, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I toured CVS.  I used the ATM machine at the Greenwich Avenue branch of Putnam Trust Bank of New York.  I then drove up to Norwalk, Connecticut, and I went to CompUSA.  They do not carry a desktop computer case lock there.  I then went to Best Buy where the Wiz used to be.  I had never seen a Best Buy before.  They do not carry a desktop computer case lock there either.  I then went to Circuit City, and they do not carry a desktop computer case lock there either.  I did buy a Duracell 2032 3 volt lithium battery for $2.49 plus .15 tax for $2.64 total.  I put that in my left top desk drawer with the other similar type batteries.  I drove by Wal-Mart, but they were closed.  I then drove back down to Greenwich, and I went to Walgreen in Old Greenwich, and I bought with the store circular coupons two 16 ounce bottles of Ethyl 70% rubbing alcohol for $1 both, two 55 yard packages of Johnson and Johnson Reach clean burst dental floss for $1.80 both, two 1.7 ounce Home Center toilet bowl cleaners for $1 both, two 14 ounce Ajax bleach scouring powder for .80 both, two Home Center white 15 foot extension cords for $3 both, a 13 ounce container of Palmolive antibacterial dish washing liquid for .99, two Walgreen heavy duty nine volt batteries for .80 both plus tax of .50 for $9.89 total.  I then went downtown, and I walked lower Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out for a while.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I then returned home.  I had a glass of iced tea.  I will now put away my purchases.  It is colder out this morning.  Presently, it is 17 degrees Fahrenheit.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/02/03  Tuesday 4:30 A.M.:  Well, I am tired, so I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/02/03  Tuesday 4:25 A.M.:  Of course whatever group controls the energy in a city like Manhattan or Chicago can make it all happen or turn it off like a light bulb.  This is the nature of the old guard establishment in North America, since they work hard, and they also know how to control the establishment, since they built it.  The occasionally have an alcoholic drink, since when working in a cold climate it helps them not feel the cold.  Of course, there are plenty of rummies in south Florida whom can not take the weather up north anymore.  Basically, having seen the north and south, the weather on a year round basis is more comfortable down south, but when up north in the colder climate, the colder weather tends to keep one busier.  I recall in college after a long cold day in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, I occasionally had a beer or a bourbon and ginger ale, which seemed to take the edge off the cold.  However, since so many people near by in Evanston, Illinois where part of the temperance movement, it probably was greatly frowned upon.  Of course not many of that same group of temperance type people did I see out and about in the cold weather, so although they did not drink alcohol, they seemed to be able to afford to stay inside warm and comfortable during the long cold winters.  I recall they had a coal mine underneath the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, so maybe they were busy mining coal to stay warm.  Of course in those days, fuel oil was only 12 cents a gallon, so when one earned about $200 a week in part time jobs while attending college, one could afford to stay a bit warm.  Of course since there are not a lot of tourist destinations in the agricultural section of the Midwest, people do not generally travel a lot by car from point to point, but with a busy airport, they do travel the world.  Most of the people I knew in Illinois had a Canadian outlook on life, and I guess much the same could be said for people in the states north of there.  Since my family had roots in the Midwest, I tried to behave myself while I was out there.  Basically, everyone is pretty snoopy out there, and everyone knows everyone's business.  In Lake Forest, Illinois, everyone was all pretty much related the McCormack family of International Harvester now http://www.navistar.com/ and the old farm, I rented for two and a half years in college was just east of the International Harvester factory in Libertyville, Illinois where Adlai Stevenson was from.  I think his son might have gone into politics too.  I remember after spending four years of working on restoring and maintaining old Mercedes automobiles there for a profitable hobby that I looked at a new model Volkswagen at the dealership in Lake Bluff, and I thought about buying it for $1,900.  It was the model that came after the bug.  Of course I did not have an indoor garage while I was out in the Midwest, except a drafty barn on the farm, so I spent a bit of time working on my car in the great outdoors.  The Farm had two abandoned railroad lines on the perimeter of its property and wild dogs part wolf frequently roamed the property.  There was a lot of sulphur in the well water, so if one drank it, one supposedly lived a long time.  The Golden retriever that came with the farm was supposedly 20 years old in 1969.  My roommates and I paid $250 a month together to rent if from a lawyer in Lake Bluff, Illinois named Mr. Michaels.  Basically then it was on the outskirts of town, but by the time I graduated in 1972, the high school was on the west side of town, and there was a new super mall up the road.  I guess it was my version of the Doonesbury Farm.  The farm had certain draw backs which were when it warmed up outside for a couple of months in the summer, there were a lot of bees hibernating in the walls of the farm house which became more apparent. It was next to the Knolwood country club with lots of open space around it, so we even had an informal trap shooting club meet out there occasionally.  Of course it is the nature of the Midwest, there are plenty of old run down farms, so it was not really a unique property.  Of course the farm house was made of brick and it had oak timber framing.  Thus it was a well built house if it was properly maintained.  What always amused me was the front porch which was framed in faced the north, which if it were down south, the front porch would face the south for warmth.  Maybe at one time it had something to do with the defunct railroad.  I think during the two great wars, they might have been busy railroads since the International Harvester factory probably produced some heavy equipment.  When I left the Farm, I left the title for the 1947 International Harvester pickup truck with a cracked block with one of the new tenants.  Basically we only used it to take the garbage to the nearby dump.  I did not know much about cars then, so I did not know one had to change oil in the car, and I think the block on the truck got cracked because it had a leak in its cooling system, and I filled it with water and sealant which worked to get it going, but without antifreeze the block froze and cracked in the winter.  Of course those old type of cast iron engines could probably be easily welded or sealed.  What was novel about the truck was it had a front window, I think that was split down the center, and it cranked out from the bottom, so it let air come in for ventilation.  There was no money to be made by doing anything illegal like growing hemp on the Farm, since it grows wild all over the Midwest, and hippies use to show from the University of Wisconsin who would try to sell whole van loads of the stuff for $40, but we were a button down college campus between two military bases Fort Sheridan and Great Lakes Naval station, so we just kept working, and we did not bother wasting our time.  I did manger to quit smoking for three years in college, because not many people smoke tobacco in the Midwest.  However, whatever I learned in my formal education in college did not lead into career employment, so here I am today.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/02/03  Tuesday 2:00 A.M.:  Of course charity balls are just another way for people to spend money that they normally would not spend, but they do it that way, so they can write it off on taxes.  If one does not earn enough to need a tax write off, there would be no benefit.  Of course there are a certain select few whom have been doing it that way for so long, they really do not know any other lifestyle.  I think when I returned to Manhattan in 1973 after four years of exile in college in Illinois, I talked a lot about a book by Gerald Murphy called "Living Well is the Best Revenge".  However, when the money runs out, and one ends up waiting for tips from waiters in Nantucket, one really does not have much choice but to return to the heart of the world's commerce to see if one can make a run of it again.  However, after 20 years back in this are and at my advanced age of 53, I enjoy pursuing activity by simple ordinary every day routine and not by the extravagance of the ups and downs of urban society.  Basically it is my viewpoint in Manhattan that if one can not afford to pay the bill, one should not go there.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/02/03  Tuesday 1:35 A.M.:  I went through my email.  I found this new news article on Symantec products IDG.com.sg Article Symantec Product Activation Causes Headaches and it links these two fixes from Symantec Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiSpam, or Norton Personal Firewall prompts to activate whenever the computer restarts and Norton AntiVirus 2004 prompts to activate whenever the computer restarts .  However, the problems I experienced with the software seem to be different, although for now it is still running fine.  Lets just say I am beta testing it, since I obviously would not buy it until it is once again offered with the same  combination of $40 and $30 rebates at the $70 price basically for free.  Since I have put a considerable amount of time into checking it out, my time and effort is worth something in evaluating it, and also I am using my own personal funds for maintaining and running my current system based on my many years of technical trouble shooting.  I am listening to Rhapsody classical radio "Easy Listening Radio Stations" select "Classic Lounge".  It is nice music, and it sort of makes me feel like relaxing in some Manhattan cocktail lounge and having a night cap, but if I started doing that, I am afraid my computer system might now work as well, although they tell me, people whom occasionally have a glass of red wine live longer.  I suppose it is the reduced stress.   I guess all of the California computer people grow up in a wine producing environment, so when they come east they are interested in the wines of Europe, not more computer tech.  I use to know quite a few cabarets in Old Manhattan, but if I should ever venture into Manhattan, I would not be able to drink alcohol, since I would be driving my own automobile.  Also driving into Manhattan can cause extra wear and tear on the car.  Basically in my years in Manhattan, I could not afford expensive bistros, so I frequently went to places where they had heat, and they did not mind if you did not drink.  Recently I hear they do not like cigarette smokers.  Still, in the old days in the news business, the news people were well known for working the night beat in the local bistros and pubs of Manhattan to pick up on the pace and inside scoops in the City, when people tend to let their hair down.  Basically there are so many pubs, clubs, cabarets, and other sorts of establishments with plenty of livery vehicles to service them, I am sure there are a certain select few still having the same old Joy ride down in Old Manhattan until they have to return to work.  Whatever, the case I am enjoying the music on my Plantronics DSP500 headset, but let's hope I do not head out to hear the real thing and unwind with a night cap.  Basically, I guess Manhattan has its own version of "Going Native", which tends to be a bit upscale if one can afford it.  I once enjoyed having cocktails at the "Pump Room" at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago, Illinois on its stately Gold Coast, just west of the intersection of Scott and Astor streets which is a very high brow neighborhood even by Manhattan standards.  Maybe we could jazz up Manhattan by dimming the lights in the Metropolitan Museum http://www.metmuseum.org/ and having strolling violins and candle light ambience accompanied by Viennese waltzes.  Of course, if you could afford that, you might as well go to Vienna for New Years, which would actually be cheaper.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  11:55 P.M.:  I downloaded and installed this free music program from Optimum Online http://www.optonline.net/Entertainment/RhapsodyPromo , the radio part plays continuously in the free demo, but the other music clips time out after thirty seconds.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  11:20 P.M.:  Since the current outside temperature is presently 32 degrees Fahrenheit freezing, it is a sure sign that winter has returned.  In anticipation of colder nights and possibly days, I took the two DeLonghi oil filled radiators from out behind the sideboard in the bedroom, and I put them out in the living room between the two couches at either end of the two couches, and I have them plugged in to the electrical outlets, so they are available should it get extremely cold which it does occasionally.  In this neck of the woods, we generally consider it extremely cold once the temperature drops down to below 25 degrees Fahrenheit or even lower, since usually in the daytime in the winter, the temperature frequently approaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  Of course it is all relative depending on what one is use to.  I keep them set at 4 on a settings of one to six.  They also have a low switch, a medium switch, and both switches are high.  I rarely use them, and I originally bought them thinking they might be warmer and cheaper than the wall electric radiators, but they are warmer, but they are not cheaper.  Still, once they heat up, they produce a nice even heat.  I had to move one of the Glade electric scent fresheners with the other one in the kitchen.  I moved the insect ultrasonic zapper deterrent from the center kitchen plug to the right kitchen plug behind the kitchen Panasonic television.  I used one of the 25 foot orange heavy duty extension cords from the outlet behind the couch to plug in the oil filled radiator in front of the television.  Since in January 1982, it was down to MINUS 24 degrees Fahrenheit in this area, I figure it does not hurt to be prepared for colder days.  Of course all of the contingencies are based on being able to pay the electric heating bill, which at the moment averages $91 a month on a year round basis, and last year in April, I got $550 energy assistance applied towards my electricity bill, so in the summer I had some extra funds, when I did not have to pay for electricity.  Of course the first eight years, I lived here the electricity was included in the rent, so I generally kept it warmer in the apartment.  Thus at the moment, the DeLonghi electric radiators are not turned on, but they are easy enough to turn on.  CIO  

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  10:30 P.M.:  The Greenwich Time http://www.greenwichtime.com/ reports this link for people interested in Royalty http://royalportal.cjb.net/ .  Although various royals may have paid private visits over the years, I think the last official visit by a royal of the British Royal family was when the Duke Windsor dedicated a statue at the Electrolux factory in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.  I have been trying to remember for about a dozen years to investigate whether that statue is still there and where it is located.  Of course since we have so many first generation Europeans in Greenwich, Connecticut, we tend to get a lot of people whom look like their more important native country associates.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  10:10 P.M.:  I ate my usual salad www.geocities.com/mikelscott/salad.htm .  I made it with the two inch by half inch by quarter inch strips of medium rare cold top round of beef.  I had the salad with ice tea.  I chatted with two relatives.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  8:00 P.M.:  I went outside briefly, and I was able to turn on the outdoor Christmas Italian lights at the front of the building.  They are plugged into the flood light, and there is a ground fault interrupter switch that has to be reset for them to work.  The string of lights as one faces the entrance on the left front tree do not work and the sting of lights over the left front entrance eves do not work, but all the other lights in the setup work just fine.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  7:20 P.M.:  I was up at 10 A.M. this morning.  I had breakfast of oatmeal, toast with strawberry jam, orange juice, vitamins, supplements, and coffee.  I checked the mail, and I received four computer magazines which are Dr. Dobbs, CIO Insight, CRN, and Baseline, which I get for free.  I also received Travel America and New York Racing about horse racing.  I went out, and I went by Smokes for Less, and I bought a carton of Senaca Ultra Lights 100s cigarettes for $31.  I then went by Putnam Trust Bank of New York on Mason Street.  I next went by the Greenwich Hospital Thrift Shop, and I bought a 10 foot long by 27 inch wide Chinese style Aubusson oriental carpet runner in pale blue, with beige, rose, and navy blue five inch border and with two floral teapot designs, with two rose designs, and a Chinese letter design in the center in very good condition for $25.  It looks like it might be hand made, but it is hard to tell, since the backing has a coating, which I do not think a hand made carpet would have, so maybe it is just a machine reproduction.  It feels like wool.  I then went by the Wachovia Bank on Benedict place, and I paid my rent.  I then went by the central Greenwich post office, and I obtained a money order at .90 cost to pay my AT&T telephone bill.  I also bought two packets of 20 each of two different types of Christmas stamps,  one being Madonna and Child and the other being a more festive design of Christmas characters for 40 stamps total for $14.80 in 37 cent stamps.  I then walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I stopped by the Greenwich Hardware store and from the 70% off rack, I bought a Satco standard 14 inch brass picture light which came with two 25 watt frosted tube bulbs for $6 plus .36 tax for $6.36 total.  I checked the sale items at CVS in their circular.  I completed my walk, and I sat out for a while.  I then drove down by the waterfront.  I then made my 4 P.M. appointment.  I had an expensive day parking today, and I spent $1.75 parking all total.  I then returned home.  I had a glass of iced tea.  I took the clear plastic coating off the Satco picture light, and I installed the two 25 watt frosted tube bulbs by squeezing the ends to remove the end plates.  I then took off the papers of the oak stand between my two printers, and I moved the Minolta laser printer back, and I closed up both printers, and there was just enough room to stand on the solid oak end table to mount the picture light above the 30 inch by 40 inch glass framed print of Rembrandt's "Polish Rider"  I strung the electric cable down the right side back of the picture, and I connected to a 15 foot white General Electric extension cord that connects to another extension cord that powers the wall light to the right side of the computer, and it to comes on with the apartment entrance wall switch.  There is a switch on the picture light cord that is just above the copper French cafe sculpture.   While I was able to get up there, I cleaned the picture glass with spray glass cleaner and a paper towels, and I also cleaned the glass on the portrait of my maternal grandfather which is on the adjacent corner wall to the left.  With 50 watts of light shining higher up over the picture, it lights up the computer work area corner a little bit better, and the Rembrandt print looks a little bit better, but it is a very dark picture.  I use to think it was Charlemagne in Constanople in front of Agahia Sofia or some European noble in front of the old butte mountain in New Haven, Connecticut; but I do not think Rembrandt painted in Connecticut.  Still, it looks much better lighted up, and my maternal grandfather's portrait looks much better with the light from the adjacent picture.  I did not secure the light to the wall, because it was too high up, but I used the brass mounting bracket to wedge it over the center top of the picture.  I then took up the blue carpet remnants in the hallway between the living room and the bathroom and the bedroom, and I put them underneath my bed on the left side in the bedroom.  I rolled out the new baby blue runner carpet in its place in the hallway, and it fits just perfectly in the available space with no room to spare.  It is like it was custom made for that space.  I vacuumed the carpet.  I then put 5 ounces of Bissell pet and odor shampoo with Scotchguard protector in my Bissell rug shampoo machine, I keep underneath the left side of the day bed and filled it up to the 64 ounce level with hot water.  I then shampooed the new baby blue runner rug in the hallway on low speed going over the entire rug about a half dozen times very slowly.  I am now letting it dry.  It should be dry by tomorrow morning, or whenever it is dry, I will vacuum it to fluff it up again.  It is a most excellent carpet, and it matches very well with the other blue carpet in the apartment.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  3:35 A.M.:  I did a little bit of regular internet work.  I will now shut down the computer, and I will try to go back to bed.  Somebody should do something about all the crank fax calls that someone or some persons make.  Maybe somebody will install a fax zap device on a telephone answering machine to tell them to buzz off.  They have been a continual annoyance for the last 15 years that I have lived in this location.  CIO 

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  2:50 A.M.:  I checked my computer security with this web site http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym , and it is all secure, except the "ping port" is still open, which I guess is the default.  Despite the hassles of installing Norton Internet Security 2004 Professional, it seems to be a very good program.  I suppose Norton should beef up its tech support on its internet web site, so more information is available.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  2:35 A.M.:  I did a complete scan of the system with Norton Anti Virus 2004.  I was going to leave it run, while I went to bed, but about 15 minutes ago, I was awaken by a crank fax call.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  1:15 A.M.:  I will now shut down the computer, and I will go to bed soon.  CIO

Note: <888> 12/01/03  Monday  1:00 A.M.:  I went out after the last note.  I went by the Exxon gasoline station next to the Greenwich Library, and I bought $5.90 of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.79 a gallon for about 27 miles per gallon.  I then went by the Stop and Shop, and I bought three half gallons of Tropicana Premium orange juice with calcium for $5 all, two 6.5 ounce dry cans of medium California black pitted olives for .99 a can, three 18.5 ounce cans of Progresso New England clam chowder for .99 a can, a 26 ounce jar of Rinaldi traditional spaghetti sauce for .99, two Maria Callender dinners one chicken parmesan and the other grilled chicken with vegetables for $1.99 each, and a 16 ounce bottle of Monari balsamic vinegar for $1.99, two packages of Stella blue cheese at $5.69 a pound, one for $1.65 and one for $1.91, and a quart basket of fresh plum tomatoes for $2.99  for $23.46 total.  Since it was cool out, I left the groceries in the car, and I walked the entire length of Greenwich Avenue.  I sat out at various locations.  I chatted with a regular night time person.  In front of Starbucks somebody had pulled out a bunch of real estate pamphlets www.realestatebook.com out of their stand, so I took them off the ground, and I put them back in their stand.  Real Estate is about the biggest business in Greenwich.  After I completed my walk, I drove down by the waterfront.  I then returned home, and I put away my groceries.  I drank some iced tea.  I reset the General Electric telephone answering machine, so it has the right day of the week and correct time.  CIO