Pure pH Balanced Water In Pflugerville, TX

Hello Pflugerville friends of Enagic.

Water covers over 70 percent of the earth’s surface and makes up 60 percent of the human body. Maybe that’s why water is used in many important human rituals. Christians are baptized in water, Buddhists use water during funerals, Jews cleanse hands and feet to maintain a state of purity, Muslims wash themselves at fountains outside Mosques before entering, and Hindus believe all water is sacred.

As a health-conscious Pflugerville resident, I want the water I drink and use in my daily rituals of brushing my teeth and cleansing my face to be as cherished as the water used in life’s spiritual moments.

I filter my Pflugerville tap water with my Kangen Water filtration system creating delicious, ionized alkaline water. Through innovative water technology developed in Japan I can produce water perfect for all my daily rituals.

I turn my Pflugerville municipal water into perfectly pH balanced drinking water with a pleasant sweet flavor. I also create acidic water which I use to wash my face and hair. I love how my face feels after a daily washing with Kangen water.

My name is Frank Robinson and I am an independent Enagic distributor. If you would like to enhance your daily rituals please contact me today. I would love to share more about the unique health benefits of Kangen Water.

Born Again American Video

Born Again American from Born Again American on Vimeo.

Retiring!

Tomorrow is my last day on the job with my current employer. I will certainly keep busy 'doing things' in the future, no lazin' around for me. I may even do work for pay in the future, but it will be under my control, and limited. I will certainly do some volunteer work, and will try to accomplish things that are not on anyone's budget, although they probably should be.

Truth or Hillary?

Recently, on the CBS Today Show, Lara Logan, CBS new Mexico City, interviewed Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton said,

"We have to recognize and accept, uh, that the demand for drugs in the United States drives them north, and the guns that are used by the drug cartels against the police and the military, uh, 90 percent of them come from America."

See this YouTube video.

I will agree with Mrs. Clinton that the demand for drugs is our contribution. However, most of these drugs can be produced for pennies, so the huge amounts of money involved is the result of several governments' policy of criminalizing these substances.

As for the ridiculous claim about "90 percent of [the guns] coming from the US", the fact is that the most powerful weapons the cartels are using (rocket launchers, automatic weapons) can't be purchased in any US gun store, and there has been no case of large-scale weapon smuggling south across the US/Mexico border.

Consider this. Juarez is one of the 'murder capitals' of the world, while El Paso, Texas, just across the river, has recently been named the number 1 safest large city in the US. The difference? US citizens have the right to keep and bear arms, and can defend their own homes against criminals. Mexican citizens don't.

10 Year Anniversary

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my triple-bypass surgery. I've been watching my cholesterol religiously, and going to see my cardiologist every 6 months since then. My heart is in great shape.

Since then, I've (1) finished an advanced degree, (2) had a new career, and (3) attended SXSW five (5) times. I've met a ton of new friends.

I have now decided to retire, so I can pursue other creative endeavors. I have a couple of building projects in the planning, plus fence fixing and/or building, tree trimming, and assorted landscaping jobs. That's just for starters. Frankie and I want to do some traveling, and I may do some writing and painting.

Interesting use for a blog

I probably should have been using this way before now, but I haven't been good.

I was reading back through my blog entries, and on the May 25th entry, I read about starting a fire on a tree stump on May 21. Then I realized "hey, this is when my current episode of back pain and sciatica started!" I've been asked that question by at least 3 doctors, and now I know for sure. (great use for a blog, tracking dates)

It always happens this way. First, I strain or stress my back, and it gets sore. Then, other things happen, and I make it worse, until I wind up flat on my back for a couple of days. That gets my attention. Then, I take aggressive action (pills, etc.) and am very careful until full function is restored. It's okay until the NEXT episode. This has been going on since 1983! I only remember 3-4 bad episodes, but maybe I'm blocking.

Since May 21, my mother passed away (June 30), we moved all her stuff out of her apartment (July 7-8), I went to my doctor (July 11), had 2 MRIs and an ultrasound (July 16), and saw a chiropractor (July 23, 25). Then I eased off on the treatment until sometime in September, when I went back to the chiropractor. My leg started really hurting during the last week in September, but I still sat up in a tree on October 2 for about 4 hours, and by October 7, I was flat on my back for two days of pure misery. I went to the emergency room on October 9, and got some prescriptions. It's only been the last three of days that I have gone off the Ibuprofen, which upsets my stomach terribly. I still have some back pain, but I'm taking it easy and doing lots of stretching, etc. I also have an inversion table, which I use daily.

I think I'm on the mend, but promise to not re-injure it more in the near future. I have been feeling so bad and tired lately that I decided to retire effective December 31, 2010. More about that later.

A Little Hitch

I created myself a problem just the other day. I am using Ubuntu 10.04 GNU/Linux, and the top panel wasn't showing me what I wanted to see, so I deleted it. I thought that it would be reinstated after I logged out or rebooted, but no, it wasn't. So there I am with a blank desktop, with just the bottom panel, which shows open programs, virtual desktops, and an icon to clear the desktop. Nothing to launch programs graphically.

The next day, I looked it up on the Internet, and read all about moving, resizing, adding and deleting panels, and how to add items to the panel. Last night, I created a new panel, then populated it with appropriate launchers, all by pointing and clicking. One of the items you can choose is called the 'Menu Bar', and it includes three drop-down menus. Now I am back in business. I have discovered that even with small hitches like this, and the ability to totally customize everything (which sometimes leads to confusion), I still like this version of Linux wa-a-a-ay better than Windows. It is just plain fun to use, plus I can do some development work, run a local web server, etc.

New Day in Computing

Yesterday was a red-letter day for me. I ditched Windows Vista (Home Basic), and installed Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Linux as my one-and-only operating system.

I had been thinking about it for a while, trying out different programs, and working up my nerve to not use Spider Solitaire under Windows, with its cool graphics, ever again.

When I was about 97% sure I wanted to go for it, I started the process of backing up my files to a DVD. First, I was going to use the Windows Back-Up software, but it had so many restrictions on what it would back up, that almost put me at 100%. Then, I used Roxio CD/DVD Creator to make my backup, and it hung up, then wouldn't respond when asked to stop. That really pushed me over the top.

I inserted the CD of Ubuntu, and let 'er rip. Within about an hour, I had a basic, usable system. Today, I have been seeking out and installing some cool software that is not part of the basic system. You can do a lot of real work with the basics, but there are a few things I wanted. The first was GnuCash, an accounting program. I also downloaded Audacity, Gimp, a web server, a CD ripper, and some other interesting-sounding titles. When I was looking at GnuCash, I found two other "simple home banking" programs, and downloaded them, too. I plan to eventually set up a CMS package, such as Word Press or Drupal.

Week in Review

My mom was sent from the hospital to a nursing home Friday. Friday evening, we took her some clothes and saw where she was staying.

I started two fires on some dead-tree stumps.

Saturday morning, two friends from work came out to pick Agarita berries. We helped them get started and tended my fires. We got cleaned up and drove to Austin to an Austin Ballet recital that our granddaughter, Emily was in. After the recital, we shopped at Sam's and ate at the Texas Roadhouse.

Sunday was a day of rest. I had to, I was so sore from working on the tree stumps.

Monday, one of my friends had a jar of agarita jelly for me. After work, we went straight to Luling to fill out paperwork at the nursing home, then met our new tenants at the mobile home we rent out. They are a very nice young couple.

This afternoon after work I have a meeting at Bedichek Middle School of our knitting class. It is a celebration and reflection on the semester we just finished.

Back Again

I didn't intend to stay gone so long, but I was playing around with another piece of software and a free web-hosting site. I think I just need to write, and not worry about where things are kept, or exactly how they look.

I intend to do some writing about knitting, cycling, simple living, and probably my imminent(?) retirement (about a year away).

I have been busy with some volunteering in the public schools, and working with my land, etc. I really need to get back into writing. As I get older, I cannot do all the things I once could do, nor do I have time to do some things, but I can keep busy, I can do some things, and I can write about them. This will not be a political rant blog, so if you're looking for that sort of thing, this won't be for you.

Six of one, half dozen of another

Published on another website on October 7, 2009.

Very busy month shaping up for October.

I’m involved in AIR Austin, which culminates on Oct. 24 in an all-day rally. AIR is the Accessible Internet Relay.

Last weekend, we spent one day at the antiques/junk fair at Warrenton/Round Top.

This weekend, we’re going to Houston to see the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (Sat), and the Central Texas yarn crawl (Sun).

The yarn crawl is actually Oct. 9-12, so I’m going to try to visit a few of the local shops on Friday during lunch and after work, then drive out into the hill country on Sunday.

I just got a new laptop, a Dell 1545. I will never buy another HP or Compaq computer again. This Dell has them beat all over.

Tomorrow night, Oct. 8, is the annual fund-raising banquet for Central Texas Life Care, which we will attend.

I’ll probably miss Octoberfish, Oct 16-18, because we’ll be painting cabinets on the 17th.

I’m hoping that November will be a little less busy.

A Very Pleasant Evening

The next few posts will be all about SXSWi, or South by Southwest Interactive 2009. I would have posted every day since Friday, March 13, but I couldn't get any connectivity at the Convention Center with the exception of the connection stations scattered around the building. I don't know why this happened, I saw many others using the wi-fi. Since I didn't get that done, I will blog about my experiences, beginning with the last very pleasant hour, and working back to the beginning, however long it takes.

What made this a very pleasant evening was not the barbeque at The Iron Works, as good as that was. No, it was a very serendipitous happenstance that placed me in the presence of a man whose writings have been entertaining and enlightening me for many years in the pages of the Linux Journal. I had dinner with Doc Searls and a friend of his, Joe Andrieu.

Doc and Joe are working together on a project to enable Vendor Relationship Management using open software and a web-based service. Sounds very interesting. This concept is to give the customer control over their relationships with the many vendors they do business with, in much the same way companies manage their relationships with their many customers. An idea whose time has come.

Doc was very interested in my story, as I was in his. We are one month apart in age, so we had a lot in common. We touched on topics as diverse as genealogy, geography, geology, social media, the Web, and Linux. He even asked me the identity of the loud obnoxious birds outside his hotel, which I recognized from his description as Grackles.

Tomorrow, I'll post some photos from SXSW, and share some of my other experiences.

Monday, Feb. 23 Dedication Ed Werland Room

Monday, February 23rd, was Frankie's and my 39th wedding anniversary. It was also the day the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department named and dedicated a training room to the memory of Ed Werland. (Photo: Cindy Werland, son-in-law Louis, and daughter Vanessa)

The party was well attended, and everyone had a great time.
(Photo: Julia visits with Richard Roberts)
(Photo: Frankie visits with Carol Ann and Bobby Werland)

We carpooled over to the building at Airport Commerce Park. Frankie and I took Julia Gregory, Dyanne Cortez, and Karen Pianka.

Weekend-before-Last

We had fun on Feb. 14-16. First, there was the Texas Loves Ravelry pary at The Knitting Nest in Austin. Frankie and I met Marguerite and Geoff, Julia, and Julia's neighbor Anna. We all had lunch at The Texas Roadhouse. Mmmmmm steaks. After that, we picked up Emily at her dance class.

On the way back to Lockhart, we stopped at the Airport Pulga, and Emily got to see some chickens, rabbits, pigeons, burros, etc.

Back home, we had bike-riding lessons. My brother-in-law, Paul, had found some bikes in a thrift shop for $5 each, and one was just Emily's size, so I adjusted the handlebar and seat for her, and we took turns pushing her around the yard. Then we discovered a ramp off the driveway, and she could get a start off that and head (slightly) downhill. She got to going about 30 yards at a stretch. We had another old bike (a Walmart special, got free), which I adjusted and sprayed with WD-40, and we took turns riding that one along with her.

Saturday in Austin

I'm spending the day bumming around Austin, Texas. I have been at The Knitting Nest for about an hour, knitting with the regular Saturday crowd. Next, I'm going to an open house at one or two of Austin's new train stations (light rail).

The trip up to MLK, Jr. and Airport was nice. There are some really nice neighborhoods in Austin along the Pleasant Valley Blvd. corridor.

The plan was to do some more editing at the two train stations, but instead I spent the time talking to folks, taking pictures, and asking questions. It was very exciting. I finished up at the Crestview Station, Airport and N. Lamar, at 2:00, then drove out to Pflugerville, where my daughter's family lives.



We ate pizza at Conan's, then I started home at about 5:30.

Recent Activities

Recently, I've been thinking about trying to get my granddaughter interested in yarn crafts, and I asked her mother if she had tried out loom knitting. No, she hadn't but was interested in it. So I did some research, and decided to buy a set of 4 circle looms to start. So last Friday, I went to Hobby Lobby to get the looms, and planned to stop at the library and get some books.

I am in a Ravelry group called "A Good Yarn", which is composed of fans of Debbie Macomber. Well, I've read many of Debbie's books, but not the one everyone in the group seems to be reading, which is Twenty Wishes. While I was at the library, I picked up Twenty Wishes, Where Angels Go, The Big Book of Knitting, and Kids Knitting.

I was casually skimming the Kids Knitting book, and it talks about kids making their own knitting needles, which, as it turns out, is not very difficult at all, and something that any child could do. Since I had some old dowels out in the garage, I decided to make a few, which I did. I now have everything from a 3.25 mm (bamboo skewer), about 5 mm (chopsticks), 3/16" (4.76 mm), 1/4" (6.35 mm), 3/8" (9.5 mm), 1/2" (12.7 mm), and 5/8" (15.8 mm) wooden knitting needles. It is fun to do, and they can be given away along with an article made on them. One of the interesting things about making your own wooden needles, is creating interesting end caps for them.

I am currently knitting a second pair of fingerless mitts, and have a hat on the circle loom.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I've never been one to build myself up to others. I always figured if people got to know me and wanted me to be their friend, so be it. However, it always feels good for someone to brag on you once in a while. My friend Julia Gregory Poirier, a.k.a.Yarnmaven, recently put in a plug for me, and it felt really good. See My Friend Frank on her blog.

Pattern for Felted Netbook Bag

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Felted Bag for 10" ASUS computer

Finished size 11 1/2 in. x 8 1/2 in.
Materials:
1 skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool
Size US 15, 10mm needles

This project is knit with two strands of yarn. Pull the inner and outer ends, and knit with them held together.
A test patch is recommended, about 8" x 8", then felted. On mine, the row shrunk about 6%, but the length across rows shrunk 23%.



Using the two strands of yarn, cast on 37 stitches (about 12 1/3 inch). Knit garter stitch until the block is 24-25 inches long, then taper.

Taper:
Row 1: k 2, ssk, k until 4 sts remain, k2tog, k 2.
Row 2: k across.
Repeat rows until 5 sts remain, bind off.

Fold 12" up from beginning and seam the sides to make a pocket.

Wash in a top-loading machine, in a bag, 15 min. on high agitation.
Allow to air dry 2-3 days. You may want to pull it into the shape you want.
Using pointed scissors, cut a buttonhole vertically in the end of the flap. Finish buttonhole.
Place button (1 1/2 in. button) on the body of the bag.

A Long Time Coming

Wow! It's been a long time since I said anything here. I started knitting back in August, and shortly thereafter joined Ravelry. Since then, most of my online activity has been posting projects on Ravelry. I've also been knitting and reading a lot. I read just about everything I can get my hands on by Debbie Macomber, even some of her old stuff that has been republished.

I have knit 6 scarves, one hat, and a pair of fingerless mitts so far. Oh, I also knit and felted a slipcover for my 10" ASUS netbook (twice, since it didn't felt right the first time), and washcloth.

I have joined a mitten knit-along for the month of January, and it's a lot of fun.

Knitting

I finished that first scarf, did another one (2-hour pattern) in 4 days (red Homespun), and am making good progress on a cotton washcloth.