e-Quips

My previous cellphone was dying. First the battery was deliberately shortened so I had to buy a new one (for my Google 6A). They said it would be free of charge but never acknowledged where that might happen (and I still have not found out). Then, when responding to the messages on email, all sorts of apps that I could not tell had anything to do with that process, began to fail, sometimes multiple times when trying to reply to a single email and they were often not the same app.) I talked to an IT guy who said this response to the Google phone extended to more than the Google 6A or 7 that I had been told about. So I bought the latest Samsung, complete with an AI “help” which I wanted to terminate at birth (and that is not possible).

When I asked the helpful T-Mobile technician about looking at Google Pro, he seemed relieved. I don’t know where it was a cheaper phone or a better phone, but when I went back for more stupid study on basic thing like how to turn the phone off without having to ask Gemini; I found I could get a different phone for a restocking fee. Having paid too much money for the Samsung, I decided to cut my losses. I didn’t like this phone. And they all came with the Gemini assistant I did not want, need, or request.

If you have ever watched old episode on NCIS, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon) deliberately used a flip phone after the rest of the team has moved on to smart phones. I like being able to get my g-mail and maps on my phone, but I can understand the appeal of a flip phone.

When you look up an answer in a browser, AI is often the first response that comes up. AI is not always accurate and can spread false information. (GIGO–Garbage in, garbage out). So I try to check against a source I do trust (usually Wikipedia–but how long will that be the case?)

One genius in the waiting line at T-Mobil told me that the voice was not AI so I asked it and Gemini admitted it was AI. I actually told her before she left that she was wrong, but she never admitted knowing whether she believed it or not. (It was a cheap shot, but I was so annoyed with the delusional biddy, I could not refrain).

It gives you an answer, speaks to you or just tries to act like your new best friend.

I tried to submit a comment to blogger. The AI asked if I wanted to take a picture instead of my avatar. I said no and both the comment and the screen disappeared. I had to write the comment again!

Under-dressed
Under-sized
Underwear?
People dress funny
when they shop at Walmart

I was at Walmart on a Sunday afternoon because my husband wanted to buy a few thing. I was just picking up a flatbread sandwich from an in-store Subway. Nobody I saw could match these folks–most people dressed casually on a rainy, Sunday afternoon. Some had rain jackets that were too hot for the store AC, but that was as weird as it got.

I had a girl friend, originally from Ohio, who said she hated looking at Walmart photos because she was afraid her relatives might be featured.

We live in a townhouse community where many of the students attend the University of Virginia graduate school. Most are within walking distance of the Darden Graduate School for Business or the UVA Law School. A few are a Classics majors.

In the summer, more than a a few with children, love to visit the neighborhood pool. One parent left a dirty disposable diaper in one of the parking lots. Our next door neighbor apparently didn’t notice it and when she came back, her right front tire had dirty diaper remains splooshed all over it. Late we noticed that the tire was cleaner, but the dirty diaper remained. A few days later some body else left two plastic trays of left overs near the dirty diaper. Makes you wonder whether these people are paying any attention at all.

Today, my husband picked reluctantly picked up the dirty diaper on the way to the community trash cans and the two trays of left overs. Of course, he wanted to wash his hands after doing that, so our walk around the block was cancelled.

How can one ignore a dirty diaper (that was probably changed at the pool) and a different person (or more) drop two trays of left overs?

Situated at the end of summer, National Spritz Day offers an ideal opportunity to enjoy some delightful and refreshing spritz beverages. The combination of warm weather and refreshing bubbles combine together to make a festive experience whether with an Aperol spritz, a champagne cocktail, a French 75 cocktail or some other delicious spritz drink!

History of National Spritz Day

The history of National Spritz Day can be followed all the way back to the 1800s when wine drinks were combined with sparkling soda water to create a new kind of cocktail. The story goes that this was created in Italy during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when Austrian soldiers traveled to Italy and changed the way they drank wine. The name likely came from the fact that spritz means “splash” in German, referring to the splash of soda water that was placed in the wine.

Since that time the spritz drink has evolved to become a combination of certain liqueurs, particularly bitters, with prosecco or champagne or club soda, often with a garnish or a citrus twist. While the Aperol Spritz has become one of the more popular of the drinks in this family, there are a number of other delicious spritz drinks that can be enjoyed hailing not only from Italy, but all over the world.

The Aperol company started making their orange bitter liqueur in the early 1900s but the recipe for the Aperol Spritz didn’t evolve until the 1950s. But it wasn’t until several decades later, in the 2000s, that the Aperol company made a marketing push and the cocktail really began to become popular across the ocean in the United States. While Aperol has a flavor that is a lot like Campari, this one has a much lower alcohol content, making the Aperol Spritz a refreshing drink that has a low alcohol content.

Other popular versions of spritz drinks can include almost any type of bitter combined with sparkling wine and club soda. This might include kiwi, mimosa, honey-lemon, Pimm’s spritz and so many others. National Spritz Day was established with the desire to promote these delicious cocktails and have some fun with them.

National Spritz Day Timeline

1. 1800sSpritz drinks get their start Austrian soldiers visiting Italy dilute wine with soda water to make it lighter and less strong.[1]
2. 1919Aperol bitter aperitif is first made One of the most popular mixers for spritzes, this orange liqueur is made by brothers in Italy.
3. 1950sOfficial Aperol Spritz recipe is born Found in an advertisement, the first recipe for Aperol Spritz is published.[1]
4. 2016The book Spritz is publishedThis book by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau features stories behind and recipes for this Italian sparkling drink.

The only spritz drink that I have actually tried is Tonic water and cranberry juice. They give it away between drinks at a bar where I normally get limontinis. It is the only bar that I have not had to pay for a tonic water. I wonder if they do that for people who are not drinking, but I like the idea.

I went into the bar
But I didn't get far
Two drinks were my limit
So I was ok with my car
Fortunately I didn't have
to drive far