Free Yourself from the Internet

This may seem a bit hypocritical, but I am urging folks to cease their dependence on the internet. Mind you, it is useful at times and should be used appropriately, but all too many of us are overly dependent. Use it when needed for business or research, maybe a tiny bit for recreation, then get off

I am urging this because of recent events in my life. For about the last 2 weeks, I have had a lot of vision problems. Reading was impossible, TV watching was difficult, and I even had trouble crossing streets. Much of this was due to allergies and I will write more about that later, but computer use did not help. How do I know that? Easy, I quit using my computer fro most of 2 weeks. My eyes stopped burning, my vision is less blurred. I still have the allergies but simply staying aqay from computer screens has made a world of difference.

There are other benefits. I have spent more time exercising and more time talking and listening to actual people instead of communicating with electronic entities. Also, staying way from glaring and rapidly changing images has steadied my brain a bit.

Give it a try and lessen your dependence on computers. Use them when you musr, but do not overdo it. Glance away from the screen often. get a screen glare reduction device and increase the size of the print you are viewing. Take care of your eyes.

Protect Your Eyes

I have not written much recently due ro eye issues. I have cataracts and  while I can still see fairly well, computer glare is increasingly hard to deal with computer glare.

Do not stare lor long periods at a screen. It is damaging. If you must use a computer for long periods, look away often. Use moisturizing drops. So not spend a lot of time staring at TV after working with your computer.

If you ust spemd long periods on your computer, gey a glare reduction device.

Take care of your eyes. They are not replaceable.

Leaks

One of the most costly and most overlooked problems in any house is water leaks. It is so easy to ignore little drips, thinking, 'oh, I can take care of that later; it's not bad. A toilet that runs too long, a faucet, that seeps water around the edge, a pool that you are constantly adding water to, a soft spot in your lawn made by a sprinkler line leak, all of these cost.

I have, in a previous post discussed fixing pipes. It is easy and so are other plumbing issues. A leaky faucet my be as simple to fix as just tightening the fitting at its bottom. Water doesn't quite shut off? Simple. Turn off the water going to the faucet; there are usually shut off s nearby. Remove the faucet and find the washer on the bottom and the rubber O-ring a bit higher up, and replace them.

Toilet running? Replace the fluid master. Just pay attention to how you remove the old on and put the new one in the same way.


Have a drip from a faucet handle? Look where the faucet stem goes back into the assembly; you will see a nut. Tighten that and, usually, that will solve the problem.

A quick note. When you tighten any plumbing parts, you just need to get them nice and snug. Do not crank down on them like King Kong. They will break. I know because I have done that.

Another note. When screwing fittings together, use Teflon tape and/or pipe dope. They make for a better seal. Do not cross thread the fittings. If they resist tightening, stop immediately and begin again. If you jeep trying to tighten them, you will ruin the fittings.

As always, if you do not feel comfortable doing the repairs yourself, do not do them. Call a plumber. They are not cheap, but wasting water is far more expensive. Water is becoming a commodity that is more and more precious and it is both morally and financially unacceptable to waste it. A slow leak can cost you a hundred gallons a day or more. Check periodically for leaks and fix them immediately.

Don't Count Your Chickens

The old saying goes, 'don't count your chickens before they hatch.' Old sayings linger because they have truth. No matter which side you voted for, things have not turned out the way you thought they would.

Voted for Clinton? Well, the Nation has not gone down the drain. The economy is unchanged, health care is still around and we have not yet started burning coal and further polluting the Planet. Gay folks still have rights, as do other minorities, and the Constitution has not been revoked.

Voted for Trump? Well, the economy is not booming, health care is still not repealed and we are not mining vast quantities of coal or sinking countless new oil wells. Minority rights are still intact and the proposed budget is not a huge change.

The point of this post is not to be political. I am trying to point out that, when counting on radical change, positive or negative, you are engaging in useless and often dangerous speculation. Do not despair when change seems just around the corner. Do not celebrate when it seems that you are finally going to get your way. Things have a way of moderating. That is just human nature.

The wise and Practical American will just keep his/her eyes open, watch what's happening, and be ready to move in appropriate directions, or, as the great band Little Feat said, 'Roll With It.'