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GottaDEAL 2018 Black Friday T-Shirt Club Posting Thread


Brad

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March is coming in like a lion here. [emoji881]rain, sleet & snow, yuk!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using GottaDEAL

 

I feel ya, same for me...plus forecast for snow a couple of days next week...YUCK!!   Gotta love Ohio weather ..NOT!

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March snuck up on me! Furnace died but hanging with in with space heaters and layers until it can be replaced. Evidently it's the season for furnace death! Luckily here it's only 30's at night. No sub zero or wind chill to worry about!
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Happy March! I’m on the lookout for Noah and the Ark to come rescue me from the flooding in my state. So tired of the rain but while driving down the highway yesterday I noticed a patchof daffodils blooming. Spring is just around the corner, at least down South.
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We're out of the line of fire for the most part with this storm, thankfully. Just quite a bit of rain and very windy tomorrow, possibly some wintry mix, but nothing like friends and family up in NY are expected to get--and that suits me just fine, LOL

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I feel ya, same for me...plus forecast for snow a couple of days next week...YUCK!!   Gotta love Ohio weather ..NOT!

Gosh, I hate this Ohio weather! Last week we hit 70 degrees, in the 50's close to 60 the last couple days, and today we have rain, snow, sleet, wind...ugh! I hope my spring flowers that I noticed peeking through the ground survive this stuff.

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Since I wanted to say something different than HAPPY MARCH like others, I thought I would tell a little story that has no real meaning but something that happened in my life.

 

For about a decade, I worked at a Wendy's inside a truck stop.  It was a Pilot Travel Center and we had many regulars aside from the normal townfolk.  We also had truckers who I got to know well.  One usually came in at two in the morning about twice a week and ordered the chili because he said it was the best he ever tasted.  Once I moved back to day shift I missed talking to him, but he then started stopping in during the days.  Anyways, none of that really matters, but I did everything at the restaurant but one of my favorite memories I had of the place was the time this guy came in and ordered a burger.  A couple guys were standing close by him and my manager was taking his order.  It took a moment but she started to freak out and the guy told her to stay chill.  He wanted to keep a low profile.  So she did, she took the order and then came back to me where I was making the sandwiches and told me not to screw this order up.  I told her I didn't plan to but I wasn't sure why this order was so special.  She was still kinda freaking out, but she leans in and says, DUDE, that's Nick Lachey!  In the end I made the burger correctly, and while I think she got a picture or an autograph from him, I can say that I once made a hamburger for Nick Lachey.  That wasn't the only celebrity I met, but maybe I'll tell another story next month.

 

So not the coolest story, but a good time waster I think.  Hope everyone has a great month.

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Happy March! I’m on the lookout for Noah and the Ark to come rescue me from the flooding in my state. So tired of the rain but while driving down the highway yesterday I noticed a patchof daffodils blooming. Spring is just around the corner, at least down South.

We had 60 degrees yesterday and today a winter storm! March is rolling in here like a lion. Better be bike season by the end of the month ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using GottaDEAL

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Hello, March!

For me, one of the best things about March is when we change to Daylight Savings time on March 11 and shift an extra hour of daylight to a time when I can actually benefit from it.   :)

Edited by mcwalker
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Happy March everyone.  Hope your winter is going well.  The days are getting longer and spring is right around the corner.

 

Time to talk about Home Automation again.  You may recall that I got a little bit excited about the Amazon Echo platform.  My mother loves her Show.  I got one for a sister who is her primary care provider.  This has really worked out for us as we can call or drop in very frequently to see how things are going and she can check on her home when visiting others.  My mother uses Alexa the way most of us use the world wide web -- asking questions, listening to news stories, and just wasting time.  Her embrace of this tech has been unexpectedly enthusiastic.  In her 80 years, she has been dismissive of computers of all sizes and shapes.  My sister has a house full of teenagers.  When Alexa beckons, they rally around the Show to join in the conversation.  When we have a call, it's more like a visit than a call.  We 'connect' two rooms and people join and leave the conversation at will.

 

There is a lot more to Alexa that communication.  I own five shows, two dots, and an Echo.  The Shows are permanently installed, and the Echo has found a home, but the Dots are pretty portable.  I took one to work for a while.  If I'm working in a room, I plug a Dot in and listen to the 'radio' or my Amazon music library.  I did not expect to buy another Dot or Echo, but, as I roll out smart lights and plugs, I find myself wanting a mic in most rooms.  For my March post, I'd like to talk about the smart stuff I am controlling with Alexa.

 

This is my second shot at the Smart Home.  In the 90s, a bunch of us got excited about X10.  It was a lot like this...

 

 

...except nothing worked as well and we did not turn on public access.  But, it was inexpensive and easy to set up.  One remote controlled television and lights.  The Big Problem solved was bed lamps -- you turn them on with a switch at the door, turn them off with a switch on the lamp, then find the lamp in the dark the next night.  X10 let us put cooperative switches everywhere.  We also used X10 to automate 'pass thru' lighting.  So people going through the basement would trigger a single light in the stairway, motion near the freezer would trigger a second light, and everything would turn off after a couple minutes.  I don't think I ever recouped my investment in X10 via energy savings, but it was fun...at least until you were working on something delicate in the basement for too long and the lights turned off...which got worse when the batteries on the motion detectors wore down and you had to flap your arms to turn the lights back on.  Still, we were automated and it was fun.  

 

Flash forward 25 years and we are at it all over again...using cell phones instead of remotes.

 

One of the Show 'deals' I got over the holidays included a free smart plug.  Plugged it into the Christmas tree -- "Alexa, turn on the Christmas Tree."  That deal also included a gift card which I used to buy another smart plug.  "Alexa, Christmas on!"  All the Christmas decorations at the command of my voice.  I could also monitor and change on/off state from afar using my phone.  Needed more.  3PCS Geekbes YM-WS-1 for $28.  Now, "Alexa, desk on," "Alexa, Bed on."  Still felt like X10 -- much to remember, imperfect voice recognition, and more devices than ideas.  The last plugs I bought were Gosund plugs which support timers and report power consumption.  I started to feel a need to get some smart lights.  This would be a big step since I would be committing to a hub.  I got a SmartThings Hub, two lights, and a motion sensor for $99.  Then eight more @$8.  Finally, I bought a pair of thermostats on ebay for $39 each (I needed the CT101 model because I only have two wires to the boiler).

 

Every single one of the plus I bought work great.  The lights and hub are terrific.  I have not used the thermostats and sensor yet.

 

Now, I see x10 has released a wifi hub...

 

https://www.x10.com/

 

No Alexa skill yet per Amazon listing, but we can hope.

 

http://www.qvc.com/Digital-Gadgets-Mini-Smart-Plug-WiFi-Enabled-Works-w-Alexa.product.E230560.html

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076VMNNRZ

https://shop.smartthings.com/products/smartthings-lighting-kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HHWQWG

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Thermostat-Z-Wave-Touch-Screen-CT101-Works-with-most-hubs-OPEN-BOX/132081977249

 

Anyone else dabbling in home automation?

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Happy March everyone! It is going to be a balmy 59 degrees this afternoon and this weekend. The second part of our house foundation will be going in tomorrow!!! Hoping we can get a lot done this summer, I want to put up a Christmas tree in my own house this year!

 

Took my son out for a birthday fun day using his birthday coupons for free/discounted treats and toys. Free cookie from a bookstore, free Geoffrey the Giraffe from TRU and they sent me 2- 5 off 25 coupons, so got his water table for less then Amazon! My deal of the month. :)

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Hi!

We have a Smartthings hub, have had it for a year or two now. We don't have Alexa, but it works with the Google mini fine. We set programs to do multiple things. "Hey Google, Goodnight" Locks front door, turns off porch lights, hall lights, and sets the thermostat to the desired nighttime temp.

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