STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

Life Day 22392: Vegas Victim

October 30, 2008 on 5:16 pm | In Miscellany | Comments Off

Where do I begin? I guess at the beginning.

I just happened to be passing through Las Vegas today. I stopped for lunch at the WWW. Just as I was about to leave, the manager at my storage facility called me and said that the hasp on my space had been tampered with. I rushed over there to see what was up. Sure enough, I had been burgled. I called the police and they said they would send a officer out as soon as possible. While I was waiting, I took an inventory (as best I could) to see what was missing. The place had been ransacked. The major things that I noticed right away were: Most of my tools, the Video Poker Machine that I won on New Years Eve, one of my older laptop computers, my mother’s and Aunt Marceline’s China and Silver sets, a couple of old pool cues, all of my CD’s (about 400 give or take a few), my strong box containing my birth certificate, and some of my nicer clothes (both winter and summer). I’m sure I’ll find more when I get a chance to go in and straighten everything out. Like I said, I was just passing through. The officer arrived about a hour after I called and made a report. There was nothing to fingerprint, so there is very little for them to go on. The only hope of finding the culprits is the serial number on the Video Machine, since it is controlled by the Nevada State Gaming Commission. If it shows up at a Pawn Shop there is a chance that they can trace it back to the person who pawned it.

I feel angry and violated. There was one other unit burgled as well (no where near mine). The perpetrator(s) must have had access through the gate because it would take a truck and a couple of people to move that heavy and awkward Video Machine. I think it is time to find a more secure facility, like one with surveillance cameras.

Life Day 22381: Quarterly Fuel Report

October 21, 2008 on 11:15 pm | In On The Road, Miscellany | Comments Off

I got my Quarterly Fuel Summary for July through September. This is the first one that I’ve received via QualCom. The results were as follows:
My average net fuel cost was $1.43 per gallon. My total fuel purchases were $23,901.76. My total rebates (fuel surcharges) were $15,701.00. Net fuel expenditures were $8,200.76. I averaged 7.19 mpg. My DCI (driver controlled idle time) was 53%. DCI is the time I spend idling when the truck is not in gear. That 53% is high (last week it was 8%), but this summary included July and August, the two hottest months, and I have the MMM to keep cool. I hope they send these reports every quarter henceforth. It is a handy tool.

Life Day 22281: Lazing around La Quinta

July 13, 2008 on 11:08 am | In Miscellany | Comments Off

Today, I’m just kickin’ back on my birthday. I’m staying at the La Quinta on Tropicana Ave, just hangin’ with the MMM. Mostly just geeking on the computer, and doing laundry. I don’t know why some people want to party on their b’day. It should be a time for relaxation and reflection, especially at my age.
With todays high prices, I was wondering how much it cost to live when I was born in 1947 . I found a site called The People History. I discovered that the average wage earner made about $2850 per annum. The price of a house was $6600, the average price of a new car was $1300, a loaf of bread averaged $.13, gasoline averaged $.15 a gallon, and a postage stamp cost $.03. Quite a bit different today wouldn’t you say. Also, in 1947, India received it’s independence from Great Britain; the Cold War with the Soviet Union began; Jackie Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball; the United States Air Force became a separate branch of the military from the Army; and the transistor, the mobile phone, the frisbee and the slinky were invented. On the lighter side, no link between the UFO landing earlier in the month of July, in Roswell, NM and my birth has ever been proven. ;=}

I finished off my birthday with a nice dinner. I went to Diamond Chinese Restaurant. It is located about 2 miles from the WWW on Dean Martin Blvd (formerly Industrial). It was not as good as Bill Lee’s (few are), but it was satisfactory, in fact, the most satisfactory i’ve found in Vegas to date (the search shall continue). I had Fried Shrimp, Pork Egg Foo Young, and Pork Fried Rice, most of which is in my refrigerator for another meal. I had Oolong tea as an accompaniment. I had desert earlier at the bar in the WWW when the bar maid brought out a huge piece of Double Chocolate Cake as a b’day present. You can’t go wrong with Chocolate, at least not in my book.

Playing With My New Camera

November 24, 2007 on 9:24 pm | In Miscellany | Comments Off

Last week, I bought another camera. A Kodak Z712IS. It is a high mid-range “point & shoot”. I bought it because it has a 12X optical Zoom along with a 4.5X digital Zoom. That’s a lot of Zoomin’ from such a small camera. It lacks the sophistication of my Nikon, but I can still do quite a lot with it. Here are some pictures I took with it at Donald’s house and in his yard.


The camera also has video capabilities. I shot the video below with it. (click on the picture below, and be patient. It’s an 8 meg file so it takes a while to load.)
 
I took these pictures of the moon earlier this evening.

Not bad for a “point & shoot” if I do say so myself.