My attempt to shop for a whole month.

Lunch I am planning on having ...

Fare Extraordinaire

Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry...Chicken, carrots, celery, onion, peas and potatoes simmered in a rich cream sauce, topped with a puff pastry and served with a tossed green salad.

 

I ordered a refurbished iPad 2 from Apple for $349.

Apple waited till a couple of hours after the iPad 3 announcement to drop the price on the iPad 2.

Tornado's in Indiana/Henryville

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120305/NEWS/120305028/-b-Henryville-b-Resident-ponder-their-future

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20087552?source=rss

Yesterday's radio news brought the news of devastating tornado destruction in Henryville, Indiana and many other areas in Indiana and Kentucky.

For those who don't know, Henryville is a tiny town probably less than a thousand people located in Indiana 19 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky.  Like many areas in southern Indiana, Henryville is surrounded by forest and farms.  It is very green there.  It is at the intersection of two state roads and next to a state forest park, but it also adjacent to Interstate 65.  I have literally passed by Henryville hundreds of times on my way to the greater Louisville area.  Many times I would take the "scenic route" through Henryville instead.   I sometimes stopped for food or gas in Henryville.

I am told that the high school in Henryville is no longer usable.  All access to Henryville was temporarily shut down and the interstate was closed.

I lived about 6 years in Scottsburg, Indiana where my mother is from, which is 10 miles north of Henryville.  According to my mother, the tornadoes have temporarily deprived even Scottsburg of services like phone and internet.

I grew up in Columbus which is 50 miles north of Henryville, but I have managed to live in several small towns within 20 miles of Henryville.

Henryville is the birthplace of Colonel Sanders.  He often visited his church there.  Around 40 years ago we saw him on Interstate 65 presumably on his way to Henryville.  He was with his wife and he was driving.  He looked very old.  He died in 1980 at the age of 90.

John Coffey

Leaving work

My eyes

Went to the eye doctor.  I thought that I would need a change in prescription, but apparently not.  I am having new reading glasses made so that I can have two pairs of reading glasses.

 

My stage 1 cataract is progressing so slowly that it might be years before I need surgery.  (We can hope.)   However, for most people the cataracts progress more quickly.  I have had mine for years and it has not really changed at all.

 

North Campus Drive

The University of Utah campus has the most nonsensical maze of roads I
have ever seen. The Waze Navigational system that I was trying out on
my iPhone sent me in the wrong direction and I ended up on North
Campus Drive, which is about as far up the mountainside that you can
the get. The road looks a lot more like a parking lot than it does a
road. I had been playing in the Utah State Chess Championship
nearby.

We have machines like this at work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QP73uTJApw&feature=related

Utah Chess

I apologize in advance for the mass email.  This email will allow me to immediately determine which email addresses in my contacts are no longer valid.

The West Valley Chess Club weekly Quick Chess tournament will be held this Saturday (2011-11-24) at the Coffee Club at 4879 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, Utah.  The time control is G/29 D5.  There are 3 rounds in 1 or more sections divided by rating.  The entree fee is $5, and the tournament is only open to current USCF members or those who join.  Registration starts at 1 PM.  The first round will start as close to 1:30 as possible.  (Note that starting in January the time control will most likely be G/25 D4.)  

This Saturday only, we have room for only the first 20 players who show up.  I request that everyone who attends make a purchase from the coffee shop.

The normal meeting place for this weekly Saturday tournament is the Salt Lake Community College library, Redwood Campus, on the top floor.  However, this library is closed on all holiday weekends.

If you would like to be on a mailing list for information about Utah Chess, then please Respond to this email.  Otherwise do nothing.  If you are already on this mailing list, then you received another email just before this one.

--
Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

P.S.   At the same coffee shop above, we have a CHESS CLUB that meets every Tuesday and Thursday night (except holidays) typically 6:45 to 9:45 PM.  We request that everyone who attends make a purchase from the coffee shop.

At least one other player and I are getting  together this Friday and most Saturday mornings around 10:30 AM at the Crown Burger Restaurant on 3150 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah, for some informal speed chess.  This is NOT a tournament, and I ask that everyone who shows up make a purchase from the restaurant.

None of the Saturday events listed above take place when there is a major adult being held tournament in Salt Lake City.

Truck ignites, flames spread into Sugar House McDonald’s | The Salt Lake Tribune

I love walking down to a Mcdonalds 3 blocks from my house. Tonight I
drove by it only to find it boarded up.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52808910-78/fire-truck-building-mccarty.html.csp

Sent from my iPhone

Re: Small Italian car I rented today. Cool interior.

Small Italian car I rented today because my car is in the shop.

Maltitol - The Problems With Maltitol

Today I bought on clearance 3 "no sugar added" mini fruit pies from
Wal-Mart. They were cherry, blueberry and apple. This was an impulse
purchase. I was tempted by the low price and the "no sugar added"
on the label. I ate them all. I was hungry.

I should have know better. I read the ingredients a little too late.
They all have Maltitol. I have run into Maltitol before. Usually it
gives me gas really bad. Although it is frequently used as a sugar
substitute in a many different products, maybe it should be illegal.
"Sugar alcohols" in general tend to cause intestinal problems...

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/maltitol.htm

Your Zestimate has increased 1.5%.

For the first time in 37 months the Zillow estimate of my house has gone up. 

I used to work in this building in Salt Lake City. 2144 S. Highland Drive. Torn down years ago. Google Maps still shows it.

Ataxx

Someone on "itsyourturn.com" invited me to participate in an "Ataxx" tournament.  This was my response ...

"Signed up.  Ataxx was originally an arcade video game that I played back in the 1980's. (It was also a 7'UP Spot DOS game that I still have.)   I loved it.  I thought to myself that whoever wrote it must have been a chess player, like me.  In the 1990's when I actually worked a as video game programmer, I met and worked with one of the two people who invented Ataxx.  And, yes, he was a chess player.  In the last decade, I made a suggestion to itsyourturn.com that I really liked Attax and that they should bring it to itsyourturn.com.  Now I consider myself one of the better Ataxx players on itsyourturn.com."

Citibank "Rewards" Card.

As part of my "rewards" for opening the Citibank card and spending $300 (which I did by paying my car insurance) , I got 6000 "points" which I used to get a $50 JC Penny gift card and a Harry Potter book.  

Normally this card will only give you a single point for every dollar you spend.  Since my "Chase Freedom" card actually pays cash, I no longer intend to use the Citibank card.

Tournament yesterday that we ran together.

Morry,

Due to a difference in personality and style, you were on your feet three times what I was. 

However, it might have been difficult for me to run a 14 hour tournament like this by myself due to problems with pain in my knees.   Even though I was less active I still was pushing my body to its limits.  I am always at risk of making my knee problems worse.   My knees bother me some today.  

 Thanks for the great job that you did as chief TD  and for how well prepared you were. 

Best wishes,

John Coffey

Scoping out Houses in Salt Lake City

Breakfast

Every 2 weeks on my Fridays that I have to work, I get a green chili smothered breakfast burrito at the work cafeteria, which is so delicious, but I took four calcium carbonate tablets to settle my upset stomach. 

 

Wells Fargo warns of new scam, urges customers to be skeptical

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile/52280874-90/fargo-wells-bank-customers.html.csp

I don't even have a Wells Fargo account, which is why I recognized
right away that this is a scam, and I have gotten four calls. The
last one was 2:11 AM this morning. I put my phone on vibrate so it
didn't wake me up.

Most people know not to give out bank information over the phone.

Chess Ability

Kevin,

 

There was a time about a couple of years ago I had gotten so sharp that I would frequently win all my games at the chess club.  That quickly changed because both Chuck and you became better players.    I am not sure that I have improved at all, and I might have even gone downhill slightly, but with you there has been a noticeable improvement every year for as long as I have known you.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

 

My iPhone is down.

Today I tried to update my iPhone to the latest software, and it turned the iPhone into a brick.  I am unavailable by mobile until either I get my phone fixed or replaced.  I will try to read my email frequently.  My work number is 801-594-3523.  When my mobile service is restored, my contact number will be 801-856-4812.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Apple <concierge@insideapple.apple.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 6:23 PM
Subject: Your Apple Store Genius Bar appointment.

Dear John, You are scheduled for a Genius Bar appointment. What: iPhone When: Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 12:30 PM Where: Apple Store, The Gateway Please be sure to check in when you arrive. Any Apple Store employee will be happy to assist you. We look forward to seeing you. Your Apple Store team, The Gateway P.S. It's now even easier to make an Apple Store reservation with the Apple Store app for iPhone and iPod touch. Download the Apple Store app now Apple Store, The Gateway Add this to your calendar If you are no longer able to attend this session, please cancel or reschedule your reservation. Get directions to the store TM and copyright © 2010 Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 303-3DM, Cupertino, CA 95014. All Rights Reserved / Keep Informed / Privacy Policy / My Info

Washer repair

My washer went out but is on service contract.  Lowes makes you jump through some hoops to get service.  I had to register on their website before I could make the request.   I wanted a repair person to come out tomorrow.  Instead it is going to have to be next week sometime.   I scheduled it for Friday, next week, which I am going to need to take off at least the afternoon.  (Want to take Friday off anyway because I have something special going on that weekend.)

Mango

I couldn’t find any Granny Smith apples at the store and  I didn’t want to leave the store without some sort of fruit, so I looked around for something that I could buy.  I saw a strange fruit that I had never seen before.  I bought a mango.  I don’t know what they taste like or how to eat it, but it is good to try new things.

Gas prices

Gas seemed to go up enormously since I got my last tank.  I used my phone to check a website and saw that the cheapest gas was near my house at $3.12.  At the time I was low on gas and on the other side of town.  I risked running out of gas to save $.07 per gallon, but when I pulled into the gas station near my home, I saw that the price was actually $3.19 and not $3.12 as listed on the website.  

What I had for lunch

I like Indian food, so I like things with Curry …

 

Chicken Rice Bowl with Spicy Coconut Curry Sauce Sautee...Charbroiled chicken and Oriental vegetables sautéed with a spicy coconut curry sauce and served over rice.

Blizzard in Salt Lake City

My Sunday

Yesterday, I was going through the vast amounts of junk mail that I get every week, and I was clipping coupons like I was going to find some vast treasure.

I woke up this morning to find Salt Lake City covered in heavy snow.  Shortly after I got up, the power went out.  Not sure how long it stayed out, because my response to this was to go shopping.   I dragged my friend Robert, who lives in my basement, along with me.  We had breakfast at Carl's Junior; taking advantage of the all-you-can-eat biscuit and  gravy Sunday morning $1.99 special.  I had two servings.  Robert had three.
Then we visited 4 stores so that I could spend all of my coupons.

Since the last place we visited was Dan's grocery, on the east side of the valley part way up the Wasatch Mountains, I decided to go for a short drive further up the mountainside to see what kind of view we could see.  The problem is that the mountainsides are so heavily developed with houses that it is hard to get much of a view.  I tried to get out to take a picture, but it was cold up there and the wind was blowing hard.

By the time I got home, the power was back on.

John Coffey

Thanksgiving lunch buffet

From: Coffey, John R

 

I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.  J

 

From: Trout, Larry

 

“I caaan’t eat anoooother bite”

The Meaning of Life