THE WEISS CHRONICLES

Today is Halloween.

We had our first Trick or Treat visitor (and his dad) at 530pm. I started to think that I might not have bought enough candy.

Then about 15 minutes later it started to drizzle.

Then the drizzle became a steady rain.

Then the steady rain became occasionally heavy. 

By 900pm, we had no more Trick or Treat visitors.

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Our cat Heidi is more willing to sit on my lap but still doesn't like being held.

She also runs from me if she sees me holding a nail clipper.

But she enjoys the sun room.

In the image she is on the love seat. Our neighbor's tree is in full autumn color.

Ann and I were both vaccinated today.

 

Both of us got a flu vax.

Both of us got a covid booster vax.

 

Last week, I found out we could get the two vaccinations at the same time at CVS. I was pleased enough that I told several people about this but everyone I told already knew this.  I was one of the last to find out I guess.

 

Also, I could get appointments for both us on the same website as a 'group'.  Last time I recall I had to make an appointment. Close the  screen. Bring up the site again and make another appointment.

Two cheers for CVS for this. 

 

These are Dalia Blooms.  The Fishers brought them to us the day before Sukkot (about 10 days ago).  They were really magnificent for the first two days of the holiday.

Even now they aren't too bad.

Alan Fisher said they came from a plant 6' high. 

The blooms are in an ORT vase that was given to Ann after her year as President of a chapter of ORT.

 

In doing my Maryland State Income Tax return this year I was hampered by box 16 of the form 1099R.

My H&R Block software wouldn't

allow me to send an electronic return to the State of Maryland without an entry in the worksheet for box 16

(while researching this I found that TaxCut software had the same problem). 

In the 1099R furnished me block 16 was blank - it had no entry.  So when I input data to the software I didn't put anything in that block.  But after the software demanded something in that block for the worksheet I called the H&R Block customer line. The H&R B person said to override the worksheet with a zero.  This would change a 'nothing' into a 'zero'.

I remember coming across this in data analysis several times (this ruins data). Notwithstanding my qualms about this I tried to override but even though it seemed that I changed the box entry, the software said I hadn't.

So I ended up having to file by USPS mail.

In any event, I'm having an accounting firm redo the filing later this year (or next year) because of another issue.

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 Somebody got our MasterCard number password and 3 digit codes. 

 

Over a week or so
we were charged for two Purple Carrot boxes and one Blue Apron box. So far one of each has been delivered. They both had Ann's name on the box. I

looked at Ann's email and  there was no receipt for either and Ann says she would never order those products without a big discussion with me.

 

The credit card company was notified and removed the charges but we still had to get rid of the boxes. 

 

They were pretty heavy but did fit into our garbage container.

 

The interesting thing about this fraud is that fraudster doesn't seem to have benefited much as we got a delivery. This is different from other fraud where we get charged for something not delivered (there was a doordash charge like that a few months ago).

Ann had an appoint for a CT scan. 

It was in the same medical complex we use frequently but in a building we had never been it.

It was 745pm and the addresses were a bit tough to read so we had some difficulty locating the specific site. 

Of course at that hour  parking was very easy.

The CT scan only took about 5 minutes or so.

The images are of the waiting room.  I told the receptionist that the room looked like it was set up for a party with an open bar.

She chuckled and said, 'That would be nice".

I recall that when I was younger some people had encouraged me to go to medical school.  I declined, at least partly because I don't like looking at blood and guts.  

In retrospect, and looking at the reception area of the radiologists at this place, I think maybe I didn't think through that issue.  Once out of medical school, a radiologist doesn't have to look at blood and guts. Also there are a lot of cool gadgets and apparently, a lot of money.

 

 

It turns out that when the engine overheated (because of the low coolant level), it damaged the conduit that goes from the engine to the catalytic

converter.

Jiffy Lube (JL) diagnosed this. Per my request they ordered a new conduit from the manufacturer.  It came in but it didn't fit.  

It seems, the manufacturer makes the conduit for two different cars and on one model, it fits but the other model has to have a two inch piece taken out and refitted with some minor soldering. However, JL is not licensed to do soldering. So I'll take it to the place about 100' in back of JL (per recommendation of JL).

In the meantime, they didn't charge me anything at all for the diagnostic work today or last week. They even installed a new rear wiper blade for the cost of parts only (no labor).

We'll see what happens in the next visit. 

BTW, the damage to the conduit isn't a problem to the engine. What happens because of the damage is that air from under the car gets into the airstream that goes to the catalytic converter. The sensor at the input to the converter measures way more oxygen than is supposed to be there and this is what makes the engine light on the dashboard go on.

This would be a big fail if the car were checked at the emission test station.

 

 

Oz is at a store in Ramat Gan (a few days ago) where people can purchase a chicken to twirl around their head pre Yom Kippur while saying a prayer that their atonement will be acceptable. Somehow the chicken absorbs some sins or inclination of sin.

Some thousand years ago the Kapparot tradition began.  

It became more common with the rise of Hassidism. I think the dead chickens are donated to charity but I'm not sure of this.

The practice has been controversial since its inception, ruffling feathers (heh) and running afoul (heh) of many rabbis, animal rights activists and others.

 

I've never seen anyone actually perform the Kapparot practice but if I was in Israel, I'm sure I would.