It’s not everyday that something in the news isn’t just interesting but actually crosses my path. But that’s exactly what happened on Monday when the news stations were reporting recent cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The incidents were tragic. They reported 3 deaths in a house in Plaistow, NH. , a death in a Legal Seafood restaurant on Long Island and 20+ guests sickened while at a resort in Maine. Thankfully there were no deaths there although they reported that 3 guests were hospitalized.
In the Plaistow home the carbon monoxide detector had been disabled. In the restaurant the leak was in a pipe and I don’t think there were any detectors. The incident that really caught my attention was the incident at the resort in Maine. Not that the other 2 incidents weren’t tragic. They were and in many ways more so than the resort incident because there were no deaths reported in Maine but I thought the name of the resort was familiar. Then they showed photos of the resort with the fire trucks and rescue vehicles in front and I thought, I know this place.
And I do know it. I was there a few years ago, maybe as long ago as 10 years when they were first building the resort. This is a timeshare property. It was one of the ones I considered before I settled on my unit on Cape Cod.
The property looks like it’s been well maintained but according to the fire chief they have had trouble getting access to the individual units for inspections because each one is separately owned. That raised an eyebrow because although that’s true the maintenance is the responsibility of the property manager, not the unit owner. At least that’s how it is at my resort. In a time share you don’t own the unit outright, you own a week or 1/52 unless you buy multiple weeks.
I’m not sure why Inn Season wouldn’t have installed the detectors and passed the cost along as operating expense but thank goodness there were no serious injuries. I hope now the carbon monoxide detectors will be installed and I hope the source of the gas is also found before any further exposure can occur.
To think that could have been my timeshare!
The Hollywood legend who stole hearts with her famed ringlets & dimples — & grew up to serve as a U.S. ambassador — died at age 85 on Monday in California.
Rest in Peace Shirley Temple Black
The 2014 Winter Olympics are underway in Sochi. News coverage has been considerable. Does everyone have Olympic Fever?
Russia is using the Olympics to showcase its post-soviet resurrection and why not? Doesn’t every country that hosts an Olympic Games put their best foot forward? Too bad the Russians haven’t been able to accomplish that.
When the press arrived in Sochi to unfinished construction, toilets that wouldn’t flush and hotel door handles that wouldn’t lock, the Sochi Olympics got their first black eye.
The Russian response boiled down to this: Some reporters are sabotaging Sochi’s Olympics accommodations for splashy headlines. Russian officials know this because they have surveillance cameras in hotel rooms. And at least some of those surveillance cameras are focused on hotel showers. Oh Oh! Voyeurism at it’s finest!
You can’t clean your teeth because the security scare has you packing your tooth paste in your checked luggage if you get to bring it at all, so what’s a little body order to go along with bad breath?
I wish the Olympics had all star commercials like the Superbowl. Coke has a cute commercial with a Puffin and the Polar Bears. I liked that one.
Every year a new event gets tried out. This year an event called Slopestyle, a snow boarding event, was getting some exposure but before the first bell the competitors were backing out. American Snowboarder, Shaun White called the course “Unsafe” and withdrew. According to news reports he’s just one of the contestants to express concerns with the course for the new event.
I have no bone to pick with the Olympics. They all seem to have their share of problems and bad press no matter where they hold them. I wish all the competitors the best. Leave your tooth paste in your checked bags, avoid the showers and may the best man and/or woman win.
I’m not one of those old dinosaurs that can’t use a computer. When it comes to learning new software I do a pretty good job keeping up with the youngsters. But where I lose patience is when the stupid computer won’t do what I tell it to.
It’s one thing for it to “Go Down” when it’s the work computer. We’ve got a whole department of IT people to come to our rescue. Case in point, yesterday the whole system went down at work. The IT sprung into action and in about 5 minutes had the system back up. It sputtered and ran slow for a bit but finally settled in and work life was back to normal
So this morning I logged into my personal computer and none of my Microsoft programs are working. I can’t access Microsoft Word or Excel. I used them both yesterday. Today it tells me to “fix” them in control panel. So off to control panel I go. When I opened the application to see what was wrong it tells me in one place that the applications are still downloading but in another that the download is done. Grrrr.
Maybe I’ll try rebooting the whole computer again. Maybe it just glitched when it booted up but right now I don’t have the time to fuss with a balky computer.
Buddy destroyed my printer the other day. Yup. I came home and found him in the act. paper trays had been pulled out and paper was everywhere. After I put it back together and put in new ink cartridges the cartridges couldn’t be aligned. I have no idea how he got his paw into that part of the printer mechanism but it looks like I’m going to have to buy a new printer. Maybe I’ll have to think about a whole new computer system if my computer is going to start giving me problems.
I don’t have an IT department to bail out my personal computer and trotting a 3 year old computer and printer off for repairs may not be cost effective. I have such a love/ hate relationship with my computer! My laptop died a couple of months ago. It’s only good for playing games now. Try to get online and I’ll die of old age before it connects.
Well I’m going to go pound my head against a wall now. At least I know I am not alone in my continuing battle with technology. I leave you with dialog from 2001 A Space Odyssey.
Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Dave Bowman: What’s the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Bowman: I don’t know what you’re talking about, HAL.
HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Bowman: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave Bowman: Alright, HAL. I’ll go in through the emergency airlock.
HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You’re going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Bowman: HAL, I won’t argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
