Would You Put Your Shoes on the Table?

I'm not sure how to express this. People would not put your or another person's shoes on the table. It's because of the health issues. I enjoy going to the gym to pump some weights. My problem with some male patrons is that they're hard-working and lazy at the same time. They train hard to be active and build their muscle. Once they walk into the locker room to change up, they become lazy bums. They would put their shoes, that they wear, right on the bench. Other patrons would sit on it, like it's clean. Whenever I see people do that, I'm simply afraid to sit on that bench.

Subby Subcultures

Gym...is such a wonder place. It's nicely equipped with so many wonderful equipments and aerobic programs for its members. I enjoy the convenience, especially the swimming pool and the jacuzzi. Lately, something bugs me a lot. I've seen a lot of people. Some are ripped with muscle. Some are beautiful. Some are young. Some are well-experienced in life. Some are there to get back into healthy shape. Most of them have high fashion coordination. A lot of young guys like to spend the time in the free weights area grundding away, like they're the next Hollywood Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When I go to the local park to enjoy the amazing mother nature, I also see a lot of wonderful people there. They're like me. We just want to enjoy our time doing the outdoor activities. I see some youngsters playing basketball, kicking soccers, running, walking, or just falling in love with the trees.
I certainly enjoy both places for my exercise. After awhile, something starts to bug me. I may be wrong, but this is just my impression. The gym seems to be for people who are already in shape. Some go there for the specialty equipments, like the swimming pool, racquetball courts, jacuzzi, and the sauna. The park seems to be for people who are on a budget and trying to be in shape.
When you pay attention, the subcultures in both environments are just awesome to observe. Nothing's wrong with either way.

Beauty without Leaving Far & Away

I was at Nortwestway Park last about 2 weeks ago. The weather was nice and calm with the sun beaming over my head. I snapped a couple pictures to show off the local beauty without going to the state parks for such enjoyment.

Just having the chance to be at this park, it makes me wonder, "Why aren't more people enjoy this? Instead, they'd rather to spend hours in the lifeless gym." I understand that everyone's schedule and needs are different. This kind of places will be there for a long time. So, what's the rush? It's just that mother nature changes all the time. Once you miss it, you might not ever see it again. I would, or maybe just me, want to take every chance I get to see this.

A lot of our cell phones have camera capabilities. Taking picture is a lot easier than 15 - 20 years ago. And falling asleep with cool-summer-night lullabies is easy for me. I simply listen and find the rhythm among the bugs. I let my mind follow and my heart drift away to their fullest contempt. 

Finex Cast Iron

So, I've gone to a local cookwares store, which sells Finex cast iron cookware. My impression is that this particular cookware, as seen in the pictures below, is well design and made. The handle is made with spiral handle. The handle looks like stainless steel. The cooking surface is machine-smoothed. The side is a bit rough like Lodge cast iron. The design on the bottom looks really nice, like the ones you can on some antique Griswold. From what I read elsewhere, the angular edges are designed at "multi-angle" pours. The design makes sense. Overall, I like it. The handle feels nice in my hand. I also like the overall texture. The weight is heavy, but which cast iron that size isn't heavy anyways? Is worth $199.99 plus tax? No, but it certainly does make my kitchen look good. Honestly, I prefer to buy Lodge cast iron. Anyone can pick a Lodge at places like Target, Kroger, Meijer, Marshall, and Wal-Mart. Then you can spend rest of the money on food and start cooking.

The other thing I'd worry about how to clean the handle spring. Everyone tends to make a mess in the kitchen while cooking. With the grooves on the handle, I think keep the handle cleaned would be challenge.

No, I will not spend any money to buy this beauty queen, even if it's on sale. No, both Lodge and Finex do not endorse me to write this review article. I'm writing this article to raise awareness of alternatives of cast iron cookwares.

North Market

I never thought I'd be back here. I had been here in spring break, 2003. I just couldn't remember where it was. Now, I've found it. Why I remembered it? I remembered the setting with privately own food stands and stores. No chain stores. Each one of them carries their own unique flavors and theme, unlike chain stores. Unless it's for the convenience, I stay away from chain stores while I'm on vacation. Like many travelers, I do what I can to eat like locals.

Cabela's

Call me a nerd, if want. When I first saw Cabela's in Columbus, OH, about 2 years ago. I went nuts like a little kid in a toy store.

I came here for another visit. I was super excited that I had a chance to hold a classic M1 Garand and double-barrel 12 gauge shot gun. I remembered that the Garand was super heavy with empty magazine. Now I understand why the U.S. military wanted to lighter weapons. The 12 gauge shotgun, on the other hand, just felt like a classic. I had never had something like that in my head. I gotta have a picture of it was well.

Japanese Market & Restaurant

Whenever I visit Columbus, OH, with my friend. This is a must visit plaza. Belle's Bread is also a must, without the pictures. This plaza is a definite place to visit to stock up on hard to find items.

Tensuke Market

Akai Hanna Restaurant

Cup-O-Joe

My last day visit Columbus, OH, April 20, 2015. I decided to hit Cup-O-Joe for breakfast.

Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake

Almond Joy Latte

World of Beer Visit

I was visiting Columbus, OH, about a month ago. Here I was at World of Beer, Easton Mall. The beer was Lexington Brewing Co. Kentucky Barrel Ale. It was delicious, almost like scaled down whiskey with sweetness. You really had to try hard to taste the hop and the beer flavors. Would I go there again? Yes, I would. They offer so many varieties. The price is bit pricey, but worth the money.

Microsoft Tech Support Scam

When someone calls with private, unavailable, and numbers that I don't recognize, I don't answer it. I let the caller to leave voicemail and contact info. I have seen "Unavailable" and "69616" on my phone a few times in the past, which I didn't answer. I've been kind of curious and answered this time.

The caller with very strong Indian accent and un-understandable English claims to be a Microsoft tech support technician. He states that my computer has been affected with deadly virus. I keep telling him that I can't understand you or he needs to say that again. He seems to agitated easily. He finally transfer to another associate. Once again, he also has strong Indian accent, but understandable. He introduces himself as "Taylor Reed." Stupid me, I allow him to remote access my computer. At the same time, I think to myself, "What kind of Indian guy would have an American/English first and last name?" He proceeds with showing what is wrong and the prices of fixing my computer. Then my second though, "Wait a minute. Windows 10 is about to be out soon. Why should I hand my $$ to him for an almost outdated operating system?" I tell associate, "This is a lot of $$. I can't afford that right now." He continues to push for the sale. I hang up the phone on him. Due to some certain safety concerns, I reset my laptop. After all these process, I think to myself, "When purchasing products like a computer, the warranty or the like should be offered at the point of sales by the store associates. Not a year after you purchase the product. It just doesn't make sense. I'm glad that I didn't bite into it."

Have I mentioned that both associates have been angrily pushy and easily angered this whole time? To me, this is another red flag. Being in the retail long enough, being this way to customers is a big no-no. They surely aren't that bright when it comes to customer services. I'm not sure why some people are not bright enough to figure this one out.

By the way, there are a lot information on Microsoft tech support scams. This is just my personal experience. If you get the call, stay calm, ask for their names, position with the company, phone number, and other contact information. After hanging up, please contact the local authority, FBI, and Microsoft.

Delete Facebook

I didn't feel comfortable of having/using my FaceBook account. I needed to deactivate it. I looked around and deactivated it. It didn't work because I accidentally logged in a couple times. One of the problems I had about deactivating was that "Deactivate" couldn't be found under Security after a couple times of deactivating. I realized that deleting the account had to be done.

Deactivating the account is easy, so I won't go into the detail about it. Through Google, here is the link to delete the account:
https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flogin%2Freauth.php%3Fnext%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fhelp%252Fdelete_account

MacBook Air

I got a hand-me down Macbook Air about a month ago. I didn't have the time to use it. I just thought, "Eh, just another Apple product." I finally got some time and borrowed a book from the local library on MacBook.
My first impression was it was slim, compact, light weight, and easy to carry. The screen quality was pretty good for its compact size. The speakers were hidden underneath the keyboard, and delivered awesome sound. Wifi connection made this even easier to work with. The book from the library made the transition from PC to MacBook much easier.
After about two weeks of using the MacBook Air, I'm really impressed with the quality, ease of use, and the speed. The OS 10.10 Yosemite is reliable, unlike PC. On the top of that, the battery life is pretty good. The only thing I dislike is that the commands on the keyboard is bit complicated and confusing. I simply just the mouse keypad to navigate around, like many people would.

For this?

Generally speaking, Marshall is a good place to find household items, clothes, shoes, & cookwares. I have visited a local Marshall yester and found this cast iron cookware. It is not a brand name, but made in France. This sales red tag asks for $99, plus tax. I think to myself, "My new Le Creuset is exactly the same in different color, but I got it for about $40 with tax included. Why would I pay $99 for this, before tax?" And no, this particular cookware is NOT in my collection. I'll let someone else to take it home and baby it.

Let's cut though the chase. William-Sonoma has special sales on cookwares (especially Le Creuset) and certain merchandise after a period of time, depending on the company's decision. They replace the original price stickers to the new ones.The new sales sticker shows the original and sales prices. The special discount on the sale items are not always marketed. Ask for the price check wouldn't hurt. You just have to have patient for it, or are not in hurry to buy new cookwares.

Just a few things I would not buy from high end cookware stores at all. Anything from Lodge is top one, except a few specialty items. The quality is pretty much the same all across the board. Local grocery stores sell them way cheaper, but don't expect any sales on them though. Wok is number two. I've fallen for it, but I learned my lesson. At the same time, William-Sonoma wants $30 for it now, while I got my mine for $20. Woks from Asian markets are more authentic, with more options to choose from. You just have to pick your battles.