Blogging Topics

Sometimes, I think of an item or topic I want to blog about, but do not have the time, or mental energy or mental clarity to blog at that time.  I have taken to writing a topic title or descriptor and maybe even a few lines, and come back to it later.  If I can remember what I wanted to blog about, I finish the blog.  If not, I delete it, on the assumption that it was not that important anyway. 

Reorganizing My Recyclables

I bag the small plastic items I recycle, and separate them at the recycling center by category.  I bag the aluminum cans and separately bag tin cans. I put computer paper in a box to take to the recycling area, but shred a lot of paper items, and as far as I know on one it town accepts shredded computer paper. But, I also recycle larger items. Milk jugs, half gallon juice bottles, other plastic containers, and occasionally large tin containers.  I used to hang the small plastic bags on hooks in my garage, and just pile the larger items on crates on the side of my garage.  Until I had a problem last summer, and destroyed the crate, broke a plastic bottle of motor oil within the crate, and had to clean the area, get new crates, and reorganize the area.  I decided to buy a couple of inexpensive laundry bags, and put the larger, mostly plastic items in the bags, and hang them from hooks or nails on the garage wall. This has created a much neater space where I keep most of my recyclables.  I have another area in the garage where I keep glass and cardboard. I do not let those items collect too much, as that area gets to disorganized if I do. 

Sometimes I take items to recycle as often as once a week.  Usually it is every 2-3 weeks before I recycle, and it can be as long as a month.  It just depend upon what collects, and how much collects. 

Recycling in Lubbock

Years ago, Lubbock had a very progressive recycling program, called the "Blue Bag" program.  You could buy blue plastic bags, and the local stores used blue plastic  bags for merchandise.  On certain days, you could hang or place your blue bags on or near the dumpster.  You could mix certain items:  plastic, tin, aluminum and glass.  But computer paper needed to be separate, as did newspapers.  This was a very progressive program, but very few people in Lubbock used it, and finally, the city had to abandon the program.  So, they developed recycling centers where we can bring things to be recycled: computer paper, newspaper, tin cans, aluminum cans, type 1 and 2 plastic.   Other centers also take cardboard and various large items like furniture and appliances, and motor oil. So this means collecting things, and making deliveries.  Lubbock City Recycling

I recycle at the center at 30th and Elgin, not far from my house.  A few years ago, the city's glass crushing machine broke and was "too expensive" to replace, so the city stopped taking glass.

Texas Tech also has a recycling center Recycling, Go Green Texas Tech, which also takes glass, cardboard and packing foam. It is just down the street from the city recycle center I use.  So glass and cardboard go to Texas Tech.

There are also various commercial recycling businesses in Lubbock:  Effortless Recycling will do curbside residential pick up for example.  Recycling 123  also does curbside pick up. Commercial Metals Company  offers more commercial metals recycling. Jarvis Metals 
does metal recycling, and is commercial but also available for individuals, and accepts appliances, aluminum cans and all kinds of fixtures that are metal.

There are also multiple battery recycling centers in Lubbock. Mostly they recycle car batteries and rechargeable batteries.  Dry cells are not recycled in Lubbock. There are companies that do commercial shredding.  And many commercial outlets recycle things like printer cartridges, and compact fluorescent light bulbs.  

But all of this recycling requires the consumer to be very involved in the recycling, and not just filling a container and placing it curbside.  At least, if someone is Lubbock is concerned about recycling, there are opportunities. That's the good news. 

Lubbock is a Boring Place

Those of us who live in Lubbock hear over and over again that Lubbock it a boring place.  But really, it is not, and there is so much to do in Lubbock, it is amazing. There are multiple sights online that give us lists of events in Lubbock:  Lubbock Events Calendar; Lubbock Online Calendar, Latino Lubbock, Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, Lubbock Cultural District to name a few.  

It is amazing to me what social, cultural, educational, and entertainment events are available in Lubbock. 

Lubbock is not a boring place!

A Grey, Raw, Damp Day

Today was unexpectedly a grey, raw, damp day.  I did not expect that today.  I thought it was going to be sunnier and warmer, but knew there was a possibility of inclement weather.  I wore my winter coat to work, and out tonight when I went to dinner and book club.  

When I arrived home from work tonight, the house was at 68°.  A little cool.  I turned on the furnace, which came on immediately, and seemed to be working appropriately, when I left to go out about 50 minutes later.  It still seems to be working okay.  

I have used space heater in the computer room, also.  

A New Place to Eat Out

I went out to eat tonight with my book club. We went to a place I have not been before: The Red Zone Café.  I really liked this place.  It had an old time home cooking feel.  The menu was varied, including breakfast all day.  The prices were amazingly reasonable.  They accommodate groups, and even have a private room for a group. We did not get the room tonight, but we had a table set aside that accommodated our group.

I have been looking for a "down home place" that was not all fried food, and with reasonable prices. There are a couple of places I go that have all you can eat buffets, which I enjoy, but I like to have someone wait on me and not have to go through the buffet.   I have not looked much on my own, and there maybe other places out there, but I think this place is it. 

One of our group told me he gets breakfast all day long.  And, he said that on Texas Tech game day, the lines are very long.  So, that gives me some information about how to manage my patronage of this place.    

I Hate Microsoft Updates

I hate Microsoft updates.  Sometimes, as happened tonight, the updates kidnap my computer and do not allow it to run at my command, and prevent me from doing what I want to do with my computer.  Tonight, it took more than 30 minutes for the updates to finish running and my computer was available to me again.

I also hate it when Microsoft sends out updates that reconfigure my computer: makes my home page look different, tries to change my sign on, adds layers of protection I don't ask for, and changes the way I access things like the Internet.  I did not want to change from Microsoft Explorer to Microsoft Edge, but Microsoft did that for me without asking me or giving me any opportunity to opt out.  I suspect Microsoft no longer supports Explorer, and that is just pure wrong.  If they put out a product, they need to support in perpetuity. Sorry. That is the expectation. Why do these computer companies get away with not supporting programs they advance, and force us to use new one?  We pay good money to use the programs the offer us, and that good money should ensure us we can use those programs as long as we want to.  I think the computer companies are thieves.