Excrement occurred

Slept way better than usual, probably had to do with discovering my sleep number bed was at 75 when it should have been 45. I upped the number when I first got sick and needed more support to not cough so much.

The Belkin "WeMo" switches arrived, but they are going back now that my existing Z-wave switches are working fine with the Samsung hub and the Google home unit. I bought the Belkins when it looked like the hub couldn't control the existing light switches. But now all the routines which were programmed into the Z-wave controller are now on the Samsung hub, so this morning at 1:30 am all the lights turned off and at 7:30 am they turned on again and at 9:15 off again. From anywhere in the house I can say "OK Google, turn on the bedroom/livingroom/office/guestroom" and it will turn on all the lights in the room I called. Or I can tell it just one light. It also controls the livingroom fan and the car charger (which draws power even when it is done charging).

So instead of needing a Z-wave remote in every room, I can simply tell Google. I'm super impressed with its range & accuracy. I'm considering replacing the kitchen light switch with a Z-wave or WeMo one, but that means rewiring, which is a bitch.

Also delivered was a motion sensor, but I need to find an app which knows to turn lights on when I enter and off when I leave. So far it's either one or the other.

And 4 1" 3-ring binders also were delivered. Turns out I need 2". But the 1" are good for scripts so I'll hold onto those.

9 am the oven repair guy called, he understood the issue, and we agreed on a Saturday noon-2 pm window.

2 pm I was at NOVA for a presentation by a librarian (serious eye candy) on the lynda.com educational system which library card holders can access for free. She also issued Sunnyvale library cards to a bunch of people who didn't have one. California has a neat system where anyone who lives anywhere in the state can get a library card from any library system in CA. I have Mountain View, Sunnyvale and San Jose, and my driver's license gets me privileges at the local county system.

She did an excellent job, and pointed out some interesting online courses which I wouldn't have thought to look for. There is a ton of stuff on A/V.

After the class, instead of driving a few blocks and parking, since my car was refusing to run on battery because I had not been using the gas engine enough, I took El Camino through Sunnyvale and Mountain View, then up to Los Altos and back down to Ranch99 market which was an expensive trip because they had roast duck, BBQ pork and live Dungeness crabs. $75 for the lot. On my way home I also withdrew some cash from an ATM. It gave me $50s. I took it for Granted I would get $20s.

Coming down the street my house is on, the way was blocked by a fire engine, ambulance and several cop cars. I had to back into someone's driveway to turn around, and come in from the other direction. And just barely made it because the fire engine was right at the edge of my driveway. You would think there was an active shooter and a fire at the very least. But no, it was for Mary next door. We've seen this a few times before, the overkill of response when she has a fall or needs an ambulance. It really only takes an ambulance, there is no need for a fire engine. Or 5 cop cars.

I watched the show for about half an hour, saw the ambulance EMTs load an empty gurney into their vehicle and drive away. Then the two firemen put some small oxygen tanks back into a side door of the truck, and they drove away. A policewoman passed by on the way to her car, parked up the block, I asked her how Mary was, and her response was "I can't say, but expect her family to be coming soon." Which any ex-reporter recognizes as "she's dead, but we have to notify next of kin and it's their choice whether or not to tell you". 

Next door on the other side neighbor Lee joined me, and in about half an hour only one "stealth" police car was left. With its flashing lights off it's hard to tell it's a police car. Black, unmarked, more aerodynamic than a squad car. Finally we saw the daughter's SUV, she was briefed outside by a policeman and then went to her car. It was getting chilly, and since it was obvious what had happened I went inside for dinner & football. Lee wanted to ask the daughter what happened, but I thought is was too soon, and in bad taste.

Soon after I sat down, the carport doorbell rang, and it was daughter with the news. I gave her a hug & condolences. She was not unprepared, Mary was just a few months shy of 103, but it was still a shock. Mary had told the family she planned to live to 104, and daughter was planning on moving her to a nursing facility next year because she was starting to need 24/7 care. She said except for a pit stop, the cops won't let her in the house yet. Coroner needed to come, and some more paperwork police. She had a lot of phone calls to make, anyway.

Dinner was a whole fresh crab (they steamed them for me at the market) and the football game was my alma mater UW against Colorado in the Pac 12 championship, down the block at Levi's stadium. When tickets went on sale a long time ago, there was no way UW would be in it. Had it not been for all the other crap I've been dealing with, I would have gone.

It was a sloppy game, but UW won by a large point spread. So now it looks like they will be ranked #4 nationally, and play Alabama in the semi-finals. And get their asses kicked big-time. A lot of the UW players have only been out of high school a few months...

Plans for tomorrow:
10 am community center for monthly birthday/anniversary party
P.O. drop off the Belkin package
noon - 2 pm wait for oven repair guy
Make HB eggs

Oven Part 2

But first...slept very well. The lights kicked on at 7:30 and off at 9:15 as programmed in the Samsung hub.

10 am I walked to the community center, had a cinnamon roll and a piece of pumpkin pie and chatted with several neighbors. Next time I'll stay longer and chat with the people I missed.

10:30 off to the Post Office, mailed back the Belkin switches. $18 for a $140 refund. Somewhat painful, but worth it. Forgot to bring my sister's present.

Home, put sis's coins in a padded envelope, slapped on labels and postage and plopped it in the mailbox.

Oven tech came at about 1, he took the unit apart, tested the timing of both the oven and broiler burners, and they were right on the money. He looked up the s/n and confirmed it was 19 years old, new when the house was built. And he said he rarely sees one this old in this good condition. He said he is stumped why it would be putting out CO, but he didn't have a meter or training on that, so he'll get some training and a meter and come back by Tuesday with what he finds out. He put the thing together, but turned off the gas to it, just to be safe. $65 for this call, the next one is free.

Fry's in search of a CO meter and a Z-wave wall switch for the kitchen. They had CO alarms, but I wanted something which gave me a reading. They had wall switches, but too expensive.

On to Lowe's, got a meter with a readout. In idle it displays the temp but push a button and it shows the last several CO readings. Got a GE light switch, only slightly less expensive than Fry's.

Home, set up the CO meter. Baseline measurement is 0.

Trial and error found the one of the 6 breakers labeled "kitchen" or "lighting" which control the kitchen overhead lights. Removed the wall switch, tried to install the new one, but FAILed miserably. In two ways. First way is the screws for keeping the wires in the switch were not working well. The one for the ground wire is totally frozen in place. The second way is originally two wires were connected to one terminal, which seemed like a WTF until I separated them and my office lights, car charger, webcam and one livingroom lamp went out. Builders cheated when they wired this place.

So now the new switch is boxed up to be returned, the two wires are twist-connector capped together but the wire to the overhead lights and the ground wire are loose. The plan is to get another brand of switch tomorrow maybe from Home Despot. And I should color code the pair, or maybe solder them together with a leader.

Watched pieces of college football games. Was not impressed.

B&B is all white again. TMZ is all caught up in Kanye West.

Dinner was duck and BBQ pork over reheated white rice. Ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Despite a couple of hours in stores playing Jesus music, I am still winning the LDB challenge.

Across the street neighbor came over with his back yard neighbor, whose son bought a Chevy Spark, and had some questions. And the suggestion that we have the park install a fast charger by the community center. I wish they would stop being stupid and let us have one in our carports.

And they brought me the shocking good news that the petty bureaucrat known as the park manager is retiring at the end of the month. It was all over the monthly magazine, but I had not read the articles yet (too busy reading the ads). He's still going to live in the park with his SO, word is she is in failing health and he wants to be with her more.

Just stumbled on a post in FB by Ardenwood, they have >2,000 monarchs on hand, so I'll take my camera out noon-ish. They mostly just fold up and look like leaves before it gets warm, so going in the morning is not worthwhile.

Plan for tomorrow:
Lowe's - return the switch
HD - buy a different switch
Ardenwood w/camera
Coffee w/Janice
Set the alarm for 6 & get to sleep by 11. Work orientation Monday at 7:45