It's a marathon, not a sprint...

 

"You think you're fit enough for that, Jim?"

Thanks for asking.  My idea of working out is when I flip my underwear up with my feet so I can catch them and put 'em in the hamper, without having to bend down when I take them off.  You do that, too?  I had a sneaking suspicion I am not alone in this.

Regarding the title here, I am talking about last night's HOA board meeting.  Starting at 5:00 with an executive session to hear appeals from several owners, then going right into an open meeting on Zoom with homeowners able to watch and participate.

There was a lot to go through, the most significant being the consideration of a new landscaping company.  This is not a matter of having someone mow the lawn in the park - bids from 4 different companies were all in excess of $150,000.  Surprisingly, this topic received little discussion from the homeowners; the big topic there was street parking and hiring a dog poop removal company.  Yes, really.

I had done my homework beforehand...

 Over 200 pages of bids to sort through and compare, agenda to set, CC&Rs and Design Guidelines to consult.  Joan helped me sort through it and get the info arranged so it was easier to absorb and have it collated so I could refer to it during the meeting.

The meeting started at 6:00 and ran until after 9:00, with no breaks.  I think it went well.  Of course, there are comments allowed during the meeting.  Most were encouraging, one guy thinks we are probably the Antichrist.  So, yeah, the usual.  I did my job as president to keep things moving, encourage votes, manage comments, and keeping order.  As expected, about 10% of the homeowners participated.

Joan occasionally poked her head into the music room (where I was set up at my desk) to make suggestions and offer water and support.  And then fixed us something to eat before going to bed.  It was along day and evening.

And now this morning: Happy Birthday to me.  Yep, completed another trip around the sun.  I should be dizzy from all those revolutions.  ;-)  Joan and I will go out for lunch and then get together with Steph and Dan this evening, for a proper amount of adoring the old guy.

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Joan and I went out for lunch.  I got a phone call during lunch from our HOA management rep: the crazy guy who is going out of his way to create havoc asked for a list of all homeowners, including addresses, and asked the rep how to go about filing a complaint against the board and the HOA with the Arizona Department of Real Estate.  She had to tell him she couldn't help him because she has never had to deal with that before.  He is soliciting "donations" to hire an attorney to bring suit against the HOA because of a discussion about the CC&Rs and parking.  He is the admin for a Facebook Group from our community (not vetted) so he has a social media platform.  Of course, the board has done nothing illegal or even remotely shady, but he can get on his FB Group and call us liars and declare "Fines Coming!", even though nothing has been done regarding that.  And then declare that we are causing "division" within the community.  For full disclosure, this guy sent me 38 private messages through Facebook yesterday morning in a 2 hour period.  Hopefully, people can see through his actions, while the board will be retaining legal counsel.  So... no good deed goes unpunished.

Lunch was good.  ;-)

 

Board...

 

Not to be confused with "bored" or a chuck of lumber.  I am talking about being on the HOA board of directors.  We have a board meeting this evening, where we will be deciding on some individual homeowner's appeals, mostly having to do with fines and late fees (in executive session), and then an open board meeting (on Zoom), where I expect there will be homeowners getting their pitchforks and torches ready.

Yes, that is humor.

We are a community and there will always be topics that we don't all agree on.  My goal as president of the board was to resolve issues without anyone having to be disagreeable.  And, of course, the main purpose of the board: to run the business of the community.  It is that "main purpose" that most people don't seem to care much about.  We have community expenses, the largest of which is common area landscaping and watering.

Some people don't care for the job the current landscaping company is doing.  Experience has shown me that this will always be a concern.  So, we have bids to consider regarding a landscape company.  We have a bid for a company to handle dog poop pickup and disposal... this should be a non-issue if people would just pick up after their pets.  People are going to complain when their HOA dues increase because we have to spend more money for landscaping or to pick up dog poop.

Every issue someone wants to "push," results in having to spend more money.  And still, someone is not going to be happy.  Then, you have a very small minority who will get on social media and threaten to sue or suggest that the board members should be recalled if an issue doesn't go their way.  I have joked that being an HOA board member rates right up there with being a dog catcher (not to be confused with Animal Control) in the public eye.

Some people think that, as board president, I can "make a proclamation" and they will get their way.  Of course, that's not how it works.  I have to put my personal opinions on issues on hold while we determine what will best serve the homeowners.  I would call the job thankless, but it is mostly indifference... until an issue comes up where people will take sides.

Currently, we are dealing with a parking situation in the community.  These homes all have garages that will hold between 2 and 4 vehicles.  Every driveway can accommodate 2 more vehicles.  The CC&Rs clearly state that homeowners should utilize those garages and driveways before parking on the street.  If everyone would follow those rules, the crowded parking on the street wouldn't be an issue.  But, some (many) people don't follow the rules, and wind up having 2 or more vehicles parked on the street while their garage(s) are full of stuff besides cars, and there are no cars in the driveway.  To complicate matters, the developer here gave the streets to the City of Phoenix.  And, parking on the street in our community of 367 homeowners is way down the list of priorities to the City of Phoenix.

The street parking means that on some streets, there is only room for one car at a time to pass.  It becomes a matter of public safety.  So, homeowners that follow the CC&Rs complain about those who don't.  And those who don't like to declare that the HOA doesn't control the street parking.

See the problem?  CC&R rules collide with City parking guidelines indifference.  In the end, the HOA is going to have to hire an attorney to determine how this should all play out.  That will cost the HOA more money.  People will complain that their HOA dues go up and they get nothing for that increase.  See that problem?

Homeowners who don't follow the parking rules set up in the CC&Rs have gotten violation letters from our management company.  They complain that they didn't get letters "when Lennar (the developer" was in charge."  And, that is true.  Lennar's purpose is to sell lots and build homes... knowing that at some point, they will turn over the running of the community to a new HOA.

Yep, we are the new HOA.  If you took a poll, I think you would find that most people do not have a good opinion of an HOA.  Because they don't understand the purpose of an HOA: to keep up the community, which will build their home value.  "I don't care about home value - I just want what I want, and I don't want to have to pay anything extra for it!"  Again, see the problem?

I was hoping to have a board that could work together and not be "punitive." My exact word.  I wanted to see an HOA board that would listen, evaluate, then make the necessary decisions.  It should be easy.  It isn't.  People have personal agendas.  Some of those people run for the board.  Some of those people get on social media and try to raise a fuss to sway people to their way of thinking.  So, decisions that should be common sense, and in the best interest of the community, have to be debated.  And, the public (rightfully) gets to weigh in.

And the beat goes on.  Wish me luck.

 

Big Fat Liars...

 

Talking about the weather weasels again.  Before going to bed, I checked weather... the "chance of precipitation" they were talking about was insignificant in the hourly forecasts.  I was more concerned about wind.  The wind was predicted to be single digit speeds through the night and all day today.

They lied.

The wind howled through the night.  In the light of day this morning, the plant stand that holds about a dozen pots had blown over.  Pots broke, plants and dirt spilled out.  More work for Joan.  I was concerned that the pop-up cover we have over the hot tub would be damaged, but it looks OK.  Joan had secured 3 of the 4 legs, and I put weights on all 4 feet.  The fabric top on it was making some noise in the wind, but it wasn't going anywhere.

Other potted plants blown over, but they were on the ground, so nothing broke.

Anticipating some rain, Joan put a second cover over the patio furniture last night.

The predicted high today is only 101º and more humidity.  

 

Pic me, pic me!

 

Typo?  Something to do with taking a photo?  Nope.  There is a brand of guitar pics that I have been using for nearly a decade.  They have one particular material I really like.  This model is $25.

"$25 for a guitar pic??  Are you kidding?"  No, I am not kidding.  I tried some different varieties of boutique guitar pics and this turned out to be my favorite.  This company came out with another line of pics that they labeled with the same name, but in different colors.  Only $8.  I tried them, thinking they must have come out with some way of using that material, but making them more efficiently.  Nope - those pics sounded dull.  I sent them back and got a refund, and stayed with my tried and true model.

This company, Gravity Picks (yes, they spell it with a "k") had a 20% off sale about 10 days ago.  I ordered a couple of my usual pics...

 They arrived last Saturday and when I opened the envelope, the pics were thinner than all the other 1.0mm pics I have received from them.  I could immediately feel the difference.  I present Joan with an older pic and one of these newer ones - without hesitation, she said, "This feels thinner."

I pulled out the digital caliper we have and it read: 0.69mm.  Yeah, that's thinner than 1.0mm.  I sent an email to the company and heard back from the owner Chris that same day: "Something isn't right there - we can fix this."

OK.  On Monday, I got another email from Chris, asking for photos of what my caliper read...

 .69 on one pic, .79 on the other.  I sent the photos to Chris.  His resolution: I need to zero out my caliper.  It measured 1.04mm on an older pic of the same model.  Also, "the model you received is not what you ordered."  These have a pointier tip.

For full disclosure, these new pics sound the same as my older favorite pics - they don't feel the same, and they are definitely thinner.  These new ones are glossier and don't feel as secure between my fingers.

I'll probably keep these, but I won't be buying any more from this company.  I'm sure they won't feel the loss of my business.  As a former businessman, I remember the saying: It is easier and more profitable to keep a customer than to try to convince a potential new customer.

I decided to follow his advice and zeroed out the caliper: 1.04 on an old pic, 0.60 on the new pics.  It isn't my imagination.

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After a lengthy email exchange, Chris is sending me out the right pics and in the "guaranteed" thickness.  It shouldn't have to be this much work to buy a couple guitar pics.

 

Out for a ride in the desert...

 

 

Mid-July.  When the high for the day is supposed to get to 108º.  It's been a week since I got out for a ride, so I was needing some two-wheel therapy.  Damn the heat, I just need to get out early.

It's been a couple months since I shot any video with the Insta360 X4, so I hooked that on the bike.  The editing for 360 footage takes longer, so this gave me the opportunity to see how the new MacBook Pro would do with some video editing... just fine, thanks for asking.  To be fair, though, it is a short video.

 Hope you enjoy riding along - I was happy to get out there.

Shot, edited, music and voice over added, and uploaded.  That's about an hour and a half for this 3 minute video.  It keeps me off the streets and out of the pool halls.

 

You're right...

 

It has been too long since I posted a Murphy photo.  Allow me to correct that...

 What can I say?  I think he is a very handsome fellow.

 

Smooth Move...

 

If you were thinking "Ex-Lax," you get 10 bonus points for having a sense of humor.

I have been kicking around a computer upgrade.  Of course, another Mac.  There were some good deals on MacBook Air laptops for Prime Days, but those same deals were available in person at Best Buy.  It was a strong consideration.  In the end, the attributes of the MacBook Pro won out... and Best Buy had it for $170 less than direct from Apple.  No downside that I can see.

The young lady (Katie) that helped us in Best Buy was knowledgeable and answered all our questions.  Joan was thinking this might be a "recon trip," since the model and configuration I wanted wasn't showing any in stock.  Katie pulled it up on her phone and said, "This is showing that we have 3 left - would you like me to get one for you?"  Good closer, too.  We walked out with a shiny new MacBook Pro.  In "Space Black."  Looks more like a graphite gray to me.  A change for me, since my previous MacBooks have all been some form of silver.

Katie touted the attributes of their "protection coverage," including the fact that they could do a transfer of everything from my current MacBook to this new one for free.  I assured her we could handle that.

When we got home, I set up the new laptop next to the old one, and started the "Migration" (what Apple calls the transfer).  I hold my breath when I do this... years ago (many) there was a glitch part way through a transfer and I lost some files.  This was painless; took about an hour and a half to get through the process (better than the 5 hours and 9 minutes it said at first).  All the files transferred, all the software checks out, and I only had to re-enter my log-in information on Photoshop (Adobe wants to be sure you aren't trying to use a single license on more than one machine at the same time).

Best Buy also had the best price for a trade-in on my old MacBook.  Joan doesn't want it, and I have no need for a second one, so a trade-in makes sense.  They want to you wipe the computer (eliminate all information on it) and make sure the registration for "Find My ____" is removed.  They can't re-sell it if it is still registered with Apple.  Katie suggested that we wipe the old computer first to make it easier to do the trade-in.  "Nope.  I'll transfer everything from the old one to the new one, check that everything is good with that, then wipe the old one."  She understood my reasoning.  While Katie was ringing up the new MacBook, Joan was on her phone starting the trade-in process with the old one.  If that goes as promised, this will have been a rather painless transition.

I started with the initial transfer...

 Then got my iPad into the mix...

 I took the time to back-up important files before starting the process.  That takes a while, too.

I did a test with some video and photos - this new computer is noticeably faster.  The screen is brighter.  It has a built-in SD card slot.  The keyboard feels better.  An M4 chip in the new one vs the M1 chip in the older one.  No complaints with the previous MacBook Pro - it is still working fine and the battery is healthy.  Nearly 5 years with that one, so it has served me well. 

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Music with my local buddies today.  We are very amplified and a harder edge than what I play with Mark and the guys.  Both very different experiences.  This is more of a jam, where with the MIM guys, it is mellower and more harmony, songs worked up.  Both groups are good players.  I enjoy the differences.