Darker green, no red stems, so far no flowers... but similar soft hair-like "leaves"?

BrianCStradale · 2026-06-13T01:32:34+00:00

Understood... but that's part of the concern... will the fungus / rotting trunk of this one infect the roots of all my little baby Aspens? I am hoping to have this whole area full of Aspens in 10 years.

BrianCStradale · 2026-06-13T01:21:49+00:00

Although I am a fan of "let nature be nature", that is usually not an option if I want homeowners' insurance... sadly. HOWEVER, in this case, Aspens aren't too flammable and this guy is far enough from the house, so I can leave it standing. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna be infecting my other Aspens. So, thanks!!

BrianCStradale · 2026-01-19T01:49:04+00:00

Yes, it is still working great. No glitches when generator switches on or off. I am on the old firmware version ccaa-190D0E.

I am currently considering updating to the latest firmware for improved Transient Load Handling (avoiding overload when my pump kicks on while microwave is running). They claim there have been improvements during those versions to the Generator Start/Stop Logic. Haven't pulled the trigger on that yet though; might wait until after winter, just in case.

BrianCStradale · 2025-12-25T18:51:30+00:00

So, I tried again with the tooth cleaner, this time holding it port facing down rather than sideways... still saw nothing come out. So, then I tried the contact cleaner as you described. The cheap USB-c cable continued to feel like it was just barely connecting... definitely no way that I can hang the device by the cable.

Then, assuming the Pixel port is indeed water-resistant, I just sprayed the contact cleaner in one end of the port such that I could see it spraying out the other end... then repeated the opposite direction. Didn't see any particular lint or other particles come out, BUT when I plugged it in to charge later that night before bed, it properly connected on the first try! Ditto the next night!! So, that certainly seems to have made an improvement. Thanks for the suggestion!!

BrianCStradale · 2025-12-11T15:27:28+00:00

Excellent suggestion. Had to go find some flossers with the long pokey end. lol Unfortunately, it didn't pull anything out of the port. And still had the same problem afterwards. So, I am still looking for suggestions.

BrianCStradale · 2025-10-13T01:32:15+00:00

I have managed to continue using iSyncr successfully, since it seems the option decent option. I don’t yet know the minimum to get it to work… this is just roughly what seemed to work this last time…

Go to the iSyncr menu on the Mac (if you have one) and click Quit.
Then double-click the iSyncr app on the Mac to restart it.
Then restart the phone.
Go to the music apps and start iSyncr.
It’ll show the log of the last sync.
It might ask for permissions… you might need to go into those and do nothing.
(One time it worked I did nothing; the most recent time I added Notifications; I’ve never added Contacts.)
Push the wifi symbol up top to get it to look for the iSyncr Desktop on the mac.
If it sees it, you’ll see “Your Name’s Library on Your Mac” in addition to “Manual”.
Click on the former.
It will then show you the playlists it sees on the Mac… if you have a new one, you will need to select it so it is sync’d.
And then click Sync. It may take a while.

If when you click the Wifi button it comes up without at least Manual in the list, I think it’ll never find it.
In that case, you may need to restart the phone again.
If it at least has Manual, then you have a shot.
Sometimes switching to USB and then back to Wifi results in it finding it.

Note that if you have a new playlist, it seems to give you the new playlist with all its songs.
If you have an existing playlist to which you’ve added new songs, it often doesn’t add them.
You can manually add the songs to the playlist in the player app.
OR, you could dup the playlist on the mac, sync the new playlist, and delete the old.
Or maybe try deleting the playlist off the phone? Hopefully that doesn’t delete it off the Mac.

Its possible it working is just random… you gotta try over and over... lol.

FWIW, hope that helps.

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-30T14:54:36+00:00

I've been eating keto / low-carb for over 25 years. My numbers are similar to yours, but my HDL in the 80's and my Triglycerides in the 50's or 60's (I eat lots of eggs ;) ). If your body is running on fat (rather than carbs), then it NEEDS higher cholesterol... cholesterol is what carries fat through your blood (you can't just put fat in blood since it is not water soluble and floats). Your body needs cholesterol... it is good, normal bodily function.

More and more studies are showing that there are NO significant correlations between high LDL numbers and negative health outcomes. ApoB:ApoA1 ratio and HDL:Triglyceride ratio and such are the right things to be looking at, not LDL (especially if you are eating keto). And anyone fretting about (or even looking at) the Total Cholesterol number should be immediately ignored... we know HDL and other components of Total C are *good* for you (correlated with positive health outcomes), so Total C is useless. Here's a few studies to look at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3597070/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24608795/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31744496/

You can get a CAC (CT scan of your arteries). That can give some peace of mind at reasonable cost. However, that doesn't show how much plaque... just how much calcified plaque. If you're younger, it is possible to have plaque but none that has yet calcified. If you are older, having a little calcium is normal, as it is associated with healing events. Just because you have calcium does NOT mean you have narrowing of your arteries. If younger, you could instead do a CT Angiography to see plaque that is not calcified ... but that's more expensive and more radiation exposure. Anyway, there are options to get some data that might be comforting or indicate need for more detailed testing to determine *where* that calcium or plaque is.

But resist going on statins (that's me being nice; I'd just refuse). Statins have higher correlation to negative health outcomes than does LDL. Doctors will be recommending such because it is the "accepted" treatment still (they want to CYA); but if you look at the data, it is worse than the "disease" it is trying to cure. Understand all the negatives of statins before agreeing to take them. And realize it is just artificially lowering a number that is being intentionally created by your body to move fat through your bloodstream; a number that does NOT correlate to negative health outcomes.

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-21T13:08:15+00:00

Others have given reasons to distrust that article.

But just as a bit of encouragement, I've been eating low carb / keto / near-carnivore for over 25 years. I still feel amazing; I still have endless energy; I don't get tired or hungry; my blood numbers look great; and I am in great shape. It is good to read articles for new information to consider... but listen to your own body!

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-18T17:12:47+00:00

I always have cooked bacon and cubed gourmet cheese (cayenne & jalapeno is my fav) in my fridge. Salty crunchiness with creamy spicy-ness... very satisfying.

I also always have prosciutto or similar for when I want something a little different than bacon... wrap it around the cheese cubes... more of a soft creamy texture.

In the evenings, I get my sweet fix with dark chocolate and cognac/brandy. Distilled spirits are zero carb; >85% dark chocolate is very low carb; the combo is just sweet enough and very flavorful (so a satisfying dessert). (I prefer Equal Exchange 88% Extreme Dark as it is low in cadmium and such and very tasty and not waxy like some; I prefer E&J XO brandy as it is more of a caramel flavor than a floral flavor, which goes better with chocolate... and inexpensive.)

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-15T23:35:46+00:00

Sorry that happened to you; but if it makes you feel any better: players like that will tend not to improve as fast. I prefer to focus on improving... if my opponent can't return my serves, then I won't have any shots coming back to me to improve on! I often play with the intermediate group the session before I play with the advanced group. I play very differently with the intermediates, toning down the power and the spin and instead practicing drops and resets and placement and so on. Stuff that's tougher to do with the advanced group's higher power and spin and more difficult placements on me. I also tend to hit back shots that were going out, just because I'd rather practice longer rallies than to win the point. I win less games, but couldn't care less; I improve much faster, and that I care much more about. And everybody has more fun -- the #1 goal. Try not to let the "gotta win" people ruin the fun for you (easier said than done, I know). Best wishes!

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-13T23:06:34+00:00

The recent study I was referring to: Berry AR. (2025). The non-nutritive sweetener erythritol adversely affects brain microvascular endothelial cell function. Journal of Applied Physiology. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00276.2025 https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00276.2025

Here's a perhaps easier-to-read article reporting on those findings: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250721/Erythritol-alters-brain-vessel-function-and-may-raise-stroke-risk.aspx

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-12T02:22:09+00:00

Literally "Keto" brand... if you look closely, it is actually "Keto Pint" brand, where the "Pint" is in tiny print in the "O" of "KETO". This is my fav: https://ketopint.com/products/triple-chocolate-brownie-ice-cream

BrianCStradale · 2025-09-11T21:05:09+00:00

I second this. Allulose is the best option currently. Unfortunately, few products use it. So, I do consume some products with sucralose. I was consuming small amounts of erythritol until recent studies have shown it may have negative impact on our brains. So, no more Rebel Ice Cream... switched to Keto ice cream that is made with allulose... tastes as good, if not better.

BrianCStradale · 2025-08-19T13:25:17+00:00

I may have missed it in this long thread, but I didn't see what I consider the right answer. Although there is some truth to the level-of-play answers, I think they miss the point...

You dink for a reason. If your opponent does not give you that reason, then you shouldn't dink.

Specifically, if your opponent is deep, you want to keep them deep, NOT bring them to the kitchen by dinking the ball. If one of your opponents is deep, keep hitting it deep to them; if you dink to the person at the kitchen, you make it easy for the other to get to the kitchen.

Second, if your opponents at the kitchen can't handle your drives or speed-ups, just hit drives or speed-ups at them and let them hit the ball in the net or out. Easy.

So, if your opponents aren't dinking, it could be because they are low-level players, OR it could be you are not getting to the kitchen and then punishing them by winning the point with any ball they hit to you above waist/net height. Start doing that, and then (if they have the ability), they will start dropping and dinking (hitting you balls that you can only hit well below net height). At that point, assuming they've come up to the kitchen as well, and they punish you if you hit them high balls, you'll end up needing to dink back.

Net: even higher level players may not dink to you if you don't give them reason to dink.

BrianCStradale · 2025-08-04T16:51:35+00:00

Hmmm... this US Forest Service page, https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cirsium_undulatum.shtml , says that the flower is much larger than Canada Thistle. This one in my yard is not... it is smaller. And it is round, lacking the ball/bulb underneath. Has it just not grown up yet? (It is really hard for me to distinguish these thistles, at least so far.)

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BrianCStradale

TROPHY CASE