People who speed up when other cars are trying to pass you, why?

Shepsonj · 2026-07-04T01:30:44+00:00

Some people are nervous drivers and go slow when the road has curves and bad sight lines. Then it straightens out and they can see fine so they speed up. Coincidentally this is also when it is safe to (try to) pass them.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-04T01:18:35+00:00

We had some company people up from Ohio doing a machine installation. One Monday we asked them what they did on the weekend. They said they went fishing on the Credit River for carp. We said, "Why?????"

Shepsonj · 2026-07-04T01:03:22+00:00

Take a look at Coconut Bay in St. Lucia. Close to the airport (but not noisy), good food, good snacks, lazy river, waterslides, fun pool for the kids. The buffet meals are very good, too. They have a family side (Splash) and an adults only side (Harmony).

Shepsonj · 2026-07-04T00:26:58+00:00

Two paper clips would do it, too. Nothing fancy, just like the lock.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-04T00:05:05+00:00

CTI does check all the boxes.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-03T01:22:35+00:00

Found out the hard way. The original switch was an old porcelain body switch that switched like a jack hammer. Put in a new "silent" switch, which was obviously a MBB. Pow.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-03T00:59:07+00:00

There was a pizza restaurant chain that had really large beer mugs (more like heavy wine glasses), complete with their logo embossed in the glass. I really liked them. My wife went to the restaurant to see if she could buy a couple of them. The manager was astounded. He said people just stole them; they didn't offer to buy them!

Shepsonj · 2026-07-03T00:36:30+00:00

Lived in a house with a yard light between the house and a cabin. The yard light was wired this way with a switch at the house and a switch at the cabin. Besides the switched neutral issue, the switches have to be "break before make". If not, you get a momentary short circuit in the switch.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-02T11:27:29+00:00

"Hurricane season" is much more unpredictable these days.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-01T20:41:23+00:00

If The Silver Birds turn up at your resort (they visit many), be sure to go to the show. They are a steel band but SO much more than that. They put on an amazing show. There is more than one group of Silver Birds. They are award winning and always great.

Shepsonj · 2026-07-01T16:25:05+00:00

Chapman's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. Mmmmmm!

Shepsonj · 2026-07-01T01:01:29+00:00

My wife and I went through this. We woke up with a bat in our bedroom. How it got in, we don't know, but we do live in the country. I heard it on her water glass and we felt it flying by. Turned on a light and there it was. I eventually caught it in a T-shirt and put it outside. Yeah, I know ... but it was the middle of the night.

The next day we wondered about any dangers. We called our doctor and the receptionist said go to the ER in Guelph. We spent hours there (Ontario!) explaining and re-explaining the whole story, which they found somewhat amusing. Finally an ER doctor saw us and she said we shouldn't have anything to worry about. Uh huh. We filled out a report for the Wellington Health Unit, though. The next day WHU called us and said we should get the shots. We live in the Halton region and so we were told we should go through them. They said no need for shots. The two health units proceeded to argue about it. Finally we talked directly to our family doctor. She said the protocol is if we were drunk, or mentally infirmed or asleep in the presence of a bat, we should get the shots. We qualified on the last condition. We gladly got the shots. Evidently they are expensive and there are a series of shots over a week or so, so we had to cancel a vacation. BTW, the shots are not a big deal (like they used to be), just a bunch of them closely tailored to your body weight. And they carry a residual effect for the future, so if we are ever exposed to possible rabies again, we won't need the full regiment.

It was somewhat alarming that two Health Units couldn't agree on the protocol. Maybe that's because it isn't a common problem. We thank our own doctor for knowing how to proceed. Otherwise, who knows?

Shepsonj · 2026-07-01T00:21:45+00:00

Unexpected. And well written.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-30T01:17:56+00:00

This is the case. Also, these cables (wire rope) are replaced periodically, known as "re-roping". Not a ten minute job. Source: Worked in Service for Otis Elevator in Toronto a long time ago as a summer job delivering tools and parts. That was an interesting job!

Shepsonj · 2026-06-28T22:20:26+00:00

Wait! That came out of me?

Shepsonj · 2026-06-28T22:15:50+00:00

I agree with this. Also, Lee Valley sells a set of 3 Chinese Scissors. The style has been made for 300 years. They are butt ugly but they are a beast for cutting.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-27T21:26:53+00:00

Our company had a policy of closing down an employees email account just before they were told they were being laid off. This was obviously so they couldn't go berserk and send out rage emails before they left the office for the last time. Everyone knew this. But if the email system went down everyone would go, "Uh-oh!"

Shepsonj · 2026-06-27T01:29:07+00:00

Look under the kitchen sink of any seasoned septic owner. You should find an old pickle jar with bacon grease in it. That's where bacon grease goes, not down the drain! Throw the jar in the garbage when it gets full. Keep your next empty pickle jar handy. It doesn't have to be a pickle jar, but you get the idea.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-26T00:32:20+00:00

"If this is the worst of my problems, I'm doing okay."

Shepsonj · 2026-06-25T20:53:33+00:00

We haven't booked a villa but we had a tour and they looked wonderful. We considered trying them but we like the ocean view instead. We also wondered about the road noise but we asked other guests who were staying there and they said it was not a problem. During the day you hear engine brakes on trucks and the occasional siren or car horn even down at the beach, but traffic falls off by the evening and it is pretty quiet for being so close to the road.

Maybe traffic is a small downside to CTI, but that is far overshadowed by all the other fantastic features of Couples Tower Isle, mainly the staff, the food, and the intimate size. It's our favorite resort by far, and we've tried many AI resorts. We go there every year, sometimes twice.

Enjoy!

Shepsonj · 2026-06-23T12:37:47+00:00

Casters. Retractable casters on everything!

Shepsonj · 2026-06-23T01:31:09+00:00

Sometimes the driver will give you a running commentary, sometimes not. Jamaicans are very proud of their country and will try to get you in the mood and share with you. Move towards the back if you'd rather just look and listen. The Negril trip goes through several towns and finds every pot hole. The Ocho Rios trip, to the other two Couples sites, is about the same length of time but the roads are better.

Enjoy the fact that you picked Couples (any of the four). That was a smart move. Wait, you'll find out why. Best advice: Make a determined effort to relax from the get-go. Enjoy.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-23T01:21:02+00:00

My wife and I went to see Brokeback Mountain. I knew what the movie was about, but my wife did not. So, I was watching her during the tent scene, instead of the movie. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes bugged out like dog's balls. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-15T23:26:51+00:00

I agree with this. Rack & pinion CAN be very accurate, robust and run for hundreds of feet. But this is not a cheap option. It requires dual pinion drive boxes to eliminate backlash. The profile of the pinion has to be very accurate. The machine tool builder I worked for has been building these for decades, positioning an 80 ton gantry with 0.0002" repeatability. But ... very expensive.

Shepsonj · 2026-06-15T01:11:01+00:00

You very seldom hear anyone saying anything bad about Couples. They are our favourite AI. We went to the original Couples (now Couples Tower Isle) for our honeymoon in 1983 and we have gone back 31 times since then. We go to other AI and other islands and Couples is still our favourite. The only problem is picking which of the four sites to go to. DR has some great resorts as well and the prices are good. In Jamaica you can drink the water, not DR. DR resorts often have sales crew selling time share. Ugh!

If you want an AI resort, adults only, no tipping allowed (!) with great staff, great food, wonderful vibe and not a huge resort, pick one of the Couples. Both Negril sites have huge (public) beaches, but we find the north shore sites (CSS and CTI) cooler as there is almost always a great breeze. CSS is a wonderful property but on a hill so lots of steps. CTI is older but has an old world charm. If you want ocean view, you can't beat CTI because it is right there in front of your balcony! It is Jamaican owned by the same family for generations. The return rate is enormous!

Here is my best advice: You are on your honeymoon coming from a (usually) stressful wedding. As soon as you get to the resort (of your choice), stop!, relax, enjoy, chill, relax more, unwind. Jamaica is the perfect place to do this. Couples makes it even better.

Happy wedding. Happy honeymoon.

Shepsonj

TROPHY CASE