Running Bear's November 2025 Coffee Shop

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Good morning, Everyone!

Politicians make the rules, and big businesses find ways to bend them to their advantage. It often feels like they’re in cahoots. All that’s left is to play along. With hard work and faith, it’s still possible to thrive. That is, if the good Lord is willing and the creek doesn’t rise.

Another day, thank God. What more can we ask for?

Only a week until Thanksgiving. Then Advent begins on the following Sunday. Does time speed up as we get older?

Have an enjoyable day Everyone!
 
I did learn something new today. Not that long ago, I found out that the Japanese locomotives designate which cab is the main cab with a [1] and the secondary with [2] on the dual cab units. I used to pull out my hair trying to figure it out since some of them come with a shield that can be placed in the front for a special train.
EF65 FRONT.jpg


Well, I just found out that the US locomotives put an F to designate the front. Some, like the E8 would be self-explanatory.
E8 FRONT.jpg

SD7 FRONT.jpg


But I just found out that I've been driving my RS-2 in reverse all these years!
RS-2 FRONT.jpg

RS-2.jpg
 


So I went and Googled about DB and RhB trains. It claimed there is not a standard for designating the front of dual cab locomotives though I swear I've seen something in the past. Looking at pics of RhB locomotives there is nothing obvious on them but I swear something is stuck in the back of my head about the German DB trains. Despite what Google said I'll have to find pics and look at my models. Being N the printing on them is kind of small.
 
Well, howdy there internet peeps and those tired of tariffs.

It's Troy again.

A little worse for wear this morning. Seems my tinnitus sleep headband decided to die on me last night.

Looks like this, but with an uglier mug under it

Screenshot 2025-11-20 at 4.50.20 AM.png


There are very thin speakers over each ear. And I sleep left side down, so the wiring to the left speaker decided to go on the fritz. This style of headband, the speakers aren't removable, so I'll have to tear the headband apart to track down the short.

Fortunately the two pack is on early black friday sale, for $10/off. Yes please!

I wear this with a tinnitus masking sound track running each nite. Last night, I could only get one ear reprogrammed. This morning the other ear has the tinnitus fairly loud.

In other news, since we've got a caribbean cruise coming up, wife started asking if we needed to take advantage of the black friday deals to get our next one lined up. We'd been talking about a cruise around the British Isles. Of course, NCL shook up the ships for 2026. The oldest ship currently in the line-up is going to be circling the Brits next year.

Screenshot 2025-11-20 at 4.45.54 AM.png


I've sailed on her sister, the Sun. It was a good one for her size. This is the class that inspired the Jewell class, which I love the design of. So it's "Jewel-class lite"

But, it's a bit spendy to tour the Brits. We're debating, instead, on doing it in 2027 for our 40th anniversary.

Wife is heading to Indy later today to hang out with her Vegas friend. So I'll be without car this evening. Me and the cat are going to PARTY while she's gone. And by party, I mean we might have some popcorn and watch a movie.

That's all for now. BBL to update you all on party plans.
 
AuburnCentral said:
And I believe some roads ran some long end forward to help protect the crew so either way could be correct depending on which railroad ran it
Click to expand...
Way back when diesels first appeared, the unions complained that, since a diesel could operate in either direction equally, it was unsafe to operate because a crew would never know which direction a diesel would move when "forward" (or reverse) was selected, resulting in potential injuries or death of crews.
The end result of this argument was a mandate that all diesel and electric locomotives have a distinguishing mark indicating which end was considered the Front. That mark is generally an "F", but can be an "A", or "1", depending on area and railroad involved.
The long or short hood doesn't have to be the front, but whichever one it is, has to be clearly indicated on the exterior.
 


chadbag said:
So I went and Googled about DB and RhB trains. It claimed there is not a standard for designating the front of dual cab locomotives though I swear I've seen something in the past. Looking at pics of RhB locomotives there is nothing obvious on them but I swear something is stuck in the back of my head about the German DB trains. Despite what Google said I'll have to find pics and look at my models. Being N the printing on them is kind of small.
Click to expand...
I took a look at the GE4/4 and managed to take a couple of shots.
GE 44 I.jpg

GE 44 II.jpg


They are marked with an I on one end and an II on the other.

They're so tiny that my iphone couldn't get the shot without help.
MAGNIFYER.jpg


Since it has 3 eyeballs, it kept shifting which eye it was looking out of so I had to move my magnifyer around. Gave up after a while.

RHB could probably give us better shots of his twice as large stuff.
 
Kusojiji said:
Is that just white noise? I used to just run my fans all night but the tinnitus has been winning that battle.

This is interesting as I had never known of this before. Not sure I can wear anything while sleeping though.
Click to expand...
Not quite white noise.

The treatments for tinnitus have come a long way.

Willie says "ignore it" but when it's at an 8 out of 10, ignoring takes more willpower than i have.

So, I use masking sounds to train my brain to get it down to a 6 or a 5 so I can ignore it.

When I sleep, I wear the headband. It does take some getting used to, and some pillow fluffing to make it not uncomfortable.

Then I use sounds from one of the tinnitus apps. The one I prefer is from Widex who also make hearing aids. I have Oticon hearing aids, though. They have a built-in surf sound for tinnitus moderation. The Widex app uses some of, but not all of the sounds Widex puts in their hearing aids for tinnitus mitigation.

The idea is to have a distraction sound, like white noise, play just under the the loudness of the tinnitus. It gives your brain something to focus us on that is not tinnitus.

Here's what the AI overlords say about the app:
The Widex Zen Tinnitus Management app is a tool to help manage tinnitus through a combination of relaxing sounds, educational resources, and exercises. It features a sound player with Zen sounds, which are random chime-like tones designed to provide a relaxing background to reduce the perception of tinnitus. The app can be used alone or in conjunction with Widex hearing aids that have streaming capabilities.

Features of the Widex Zen app
  • Relaxing Zen sounds:
    A sound player with unique, random fractal tones that repeat enough to be familiar but vary enough to not be predictable.

    • Educational section:
      Provides information about tinnitus and offers exercises to help with relaxation and sleep routines.
    • Flexibility:
      Can be used to stream sounds directly to compatible Widex hearing aids or played through a smartphone alone.
    • Designed for quiet surroundings:
      The app is intended for use in quiet environments, such as when reading, relaxing, or working.
How it works
    • Sound therapy:
      The Zen sounds are designed to provide a relaxing background that distracts the brain from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.
    • Integration with hearing aids:
      The app is often used with Widex hearing aids that have streaming capabilities, allowing the sounds to be played directly through the devices.
    • Part of a larger therapy program:
      The app is a component of the Widex Zen Therapy (WZT) program, which also includes counseling, amplification, and relaxation techniques, all guided by a hearing care professional.
How to use
 
Good morning all!

A foggy misty morning. Currently 42F with a high of 49F.

Been a whirlwind of a morning so far. Daughter had basketball practice at 6am this morning, She got picked up at 5:40, so it was
an early start for all of us since she needed breakfast and all that jazz before leaving. Somehow we pulled it off.

Not much else going on at the moment. Will have things to do later, but its coffee and quiet time till the wife has to get up
and get ready for her 10 step commute to her home office.

Have a safe day everyone!
 
Morning all,

56° and cloudy. Rain expected this afternoon and we did have some overnight. We're expecting more through tomorrow evening.

In regards to the dance conversation from yesterday:

"There are two types of beings in the universe. Those who dance, and those who do not." Drax the Destroyer

I don't dance.

Terry: Hope all goes well at your meeting.

BBL
 


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