Only 74 at 7am. Supposedly cooler and clear for the next couple of days. I hope so….
Woke up thinking of things that had changed my life for the better. I think I need to divide the list into intentional and un-intentional.
The short list for intentional- without much thought:
-cordless power tools that really work (starting with makita 9.6v)
-lasik eye surgery
-computers (starting with TRS-80 and apple II)
-cell phone (not smart phone) with national calling plan
-MIG welding (learning then buying my own machine)
Some that just happened to me
-seeing Cats at the Shubert theatre in Chicago
-changing major to theatre
-bad motorcycle accident
-meeting the right people
-engineering drawing (shop class, 7th grade)
(don’t know if these are good or bad, but they did change me)
-Rodney King riots
-9-11
I’m sure there are more, but ‘time to make the donuts.’
n
-engineering drawing, (drafting class in 7th grade)
72º and sunny, with a hight of 82º projected. Looks to be a good day.
MIL is leaving for the family reunion when I get home this evening. Wife & kids are leaving tomorrow morning. I’ll miss it again this year due to work. I see them often enough, so they’re not a myth, but one of these years I’ll make it.
Speaking of which, the race I was supposed to work on Saturday (which prevented my day-tripping it) canceled yesterday. Kind of ticks me off. I planned other work to fill in since I wasn’t going to the reunion. Now that they canceled, I’m out the income and I still can’t go to the reunion.
Things that changed me (that I did on purpose):
* the Army
* leaving the Army
* quitting smoking
* running
* Every career change.
Things that happened that made me better
* Typing class
* The wall coming down.
And of course 9/11.
Indeed. Cordless impact driver, drill, rotary saw, reciprocating saw, and oscillating saw. Used all of them when working on my son’s house. Needed to widen the opening in the big shed (with upper level) in his back yard. Mower would not fit the door. No power to the shed. Without those tools impossible unless running 150 feet of extension cord.
One of those HPFM items. Cataract surgery is also amazing as they can now do corrective lenses. Eye surgery in general is HPFM.
I started before then when I built my H-89 system along with several modifications. That opened up an entire new way to do things. Add in the arrival of spreadsheets (VisiCalc) and word processors (WordStar then WordPerfect) and the business and personal world changed.
The elimination of long distance has been a boon to my wife. She calls her mother once a day and talks for an hour, her brother once a week and talks for a couple of hours. That is all the result of the digital networks and packet switching where a dedicated circuit is no longer required.
What little I need I have someone else do the welding.
I would add the invention of one other item. The laser. The laser has made medical procedures possible that would otherwise be impossible. Laser was just in it’s infancy when I was a youngen and the machines would fill a small bedroom. Now the lasers are small enough to fit in something the size of a pencil and powerful enough to destroy human tissue. The development of different wavelengths beyond red was a major milestone.
Things that changed my life would be:
1. Taking computer programming classes in 1967 when I was still in high school. That shaped my entire career.
2. 10.5 years in the USAF. The first four years let me grow up and go places and do things I never thought possible. The last two years taught me that I don’t want to live in a society where truth is dependent on rank.
3. Living with my physical, sexual, and mentally abusive aunt and uncle. As bad as that was it probably kept me out of jail but also taught me how to not treat another human being.
I look back on my life and there is a lot of things I would have done differently. Mostly in how I treated other people. I was a shallow asshole most of my life.
103F predicted for today and onward. Smoke from the Ferguson fire blankets entire San Joaquin valley and air quality rated extreme. Time to stay indoors and give my money to PG&E to run the A/C. Venture out to use the pool.
Appointment at the DMV this morning to get mom an id card to replace her expired license. No they won’t just send one even though she had a valid driver’s license at the same address for the last 60 years. Five weeks out to get the appointment. DMV is too busy registering illegal democratic voters to do their real job.
Vehicle repairs – the wife told me she had to put air in the tires 3 times this week, so we stopped on the way to the race last night, and down to 19 pounds. Inspection showed nothing, so I rolled back 2 feet & inspected again. I found a screw in the tread. So we finished our trip & checked again – down 4 pounds. She’s taking it to Wal-mart for a repair this morning.
Incidentally – I wasn’t worried about a screw. They generally won’t come out while driving. They just give the air a path out. Had it been a nail the donut would have been on before we moved again. A smooth nail will pop right out at the worst moments. That would suck.
70f on this mornings commute and lows are now falling into the high 60’s.
Life has been far too full of personal dramas this month to pay much attention to national / international crap.
Once they figure out why, they’ll have the “who”.
This guy is here what, almost 20 years? More? and still says ” ‘In my country, I am allowed to have two wives.’ ”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5994359/Jordanian-immigrant-accused-honor-killing-takes-stand.html
How was he readmitted with his second wife, who would have been a minor at the time? Islam is incompatible with western culture and law.
n
Once they figure out why, they’ll have the “who”.
They probably know the “who” part, but the police need the proof.
When I lived in Nottingham (UK) my neighbor was a Pakistani taxi driver who lived there with his second wife and two kids. His first wife and her mother lived in the house accross the road. He admitted that the biggest downside to plural wives was plural mothers-in-law.
I passed by the place where the doctor was shot a short time after it happened, on my way to my annual physical. Lots of cops there, crime scene tape, camera crews setting up.
Hmm, helpless pitiable refugees, or invading irregular army?? You make the call.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-26/600-migrants-armed-flamethrowers-and-feces-break-through-spanish-border-morocco
n
Target practice, problem solved. There are zero women and children involved – this is a violent invasion. Treat it as such.
Hmm, helpless pitiable refugees, or invading irregular army?? You make the call.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-26/600-migrants-armed-flamethrowers-and-feces-break-through-spanish-border-morocco
Invaders. The Spanish army need to break out their M2s.
“A.F. Branco Cartoon – This Really Sucks”
https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-this-really-sucks/
Yup, he nails it again.
This is reference to the fact that San Fransisco is outlawing straws.
My dad sent me this, “Negative advertising”:
https://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/negative-advertising/
“For many years, I’ve warned against bumper stickers, T-shirt slogans, etc. that could make you sound bloodthirsty if you were ever involved in a shooting.”
“Here, an attorney underscores that advice
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2018/06/ttag-contributor/beware-of-gun-signs-the-law-has-no-sense-of-humor/ ”
“The same goes for anything engraved or emblazoned on the firearm you use for self-defense. Here is a strong and recent example.
https://americanhandgunner.com/youre-f-ed-a-shooting-in-mesa/ ”
My thoughts exactly.
Things that made me better that I did on purpose (incented though I was):
Joining the Marines.
Things that happened, pretty much because I did:
– spending over 4 years Japan.
– learning to ride a motorcycle, and selling it before it killed me.
– a career in IT.
– meeting my wife.
– escaping from New York
– college paid for by taxpayers.
– picking the right company to work for when I got out.
I look back on it and and thank divine providence for my luck, and the people who gave me chances along the way. I got to teach English in Japan, and got to see the country the way no tourists ever can. I met or worked with a lot of great people, a few interesting ones, and a couple who ended up with bad discharges and time in a Japanese prison. I had several job offers when I got back to the U.S. and the one I picked turned out, in retrospect to be remarkably stable and interesting. Although I was outsourced along the way, I basically spent my entire civilian career (41 years and counting) working for the same company in IT.
I have yet to decide what I want to be when I grow up.
My dad sent me this, “Negative advertising”:
What about all the “Come and Take It” merchandise at Buc-ee’s?
My dad sent me this, “Negative advertising”:
What about all the “Come and Take It” merchandise at Buc-ee’s?
I don’t buy any merchandise at Buccees other than BBQ sandwiches. And it is an awesome place to pee.
So’s your backyard.
I don’t buy any merchandise at Buccees other than BBQ sandwiches. And it is an awesome place to pee.
When we were in Florida a few weeks ago, we learned that Buc-ee’s was scouting other locations in the state beyond Daytona Beach.
When we were in Florida a few weeks ago, we learned that Buc-ee’s was scouting other locations in the state beyond Daytona Beach.
“Buc-ee’s is bringing a Texas-size convenience store to Northeast Florida”
http://www.jacksonville.com/business/real-estate/2017-10-12/buc-ee-s-bringing-texas-size-convenience-store-northeast-florida
“Co-owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin said Thursday that he hopes to break ground during the first quarter of next year. Construction, he said, would take about a year. Last year, the chain announced that it was expanding outside of Texas for the first time, into Florida and Alabama. At the time, the first store in Florida was expected to be at I-95 and LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach, followed by Fort Myers.”
Wow, Bucees is going national ! I had no idea.
“A writer for the Houston Press wrote, “I suspect it’s one of the few places on earth where you can buy pecan pie in a jar, a camo onesie, a glittery decorative vase and windshield wiper fluid all in one convenient location.”
Oh no, I have bought windshield wiper fluid at Bucees. They always have the 0 F fluid whereas Walmart does not.
BTW, I have a Bucees about two miles away from my house. But it is a little one, only 6,000 or 8,000 ft2 with 30 or so gas pumps. And a automated car wash. I just wish the vacuuming was automated also along with the inside window cleaning.
And there is an IN-N-OUT Burger in San Marcos. It’s almost worth the drive, and def worth a detour for this former California boy….
n
FWIW, I don’t think In N Out would survive franchising, but I would try to talk the wife into mortgaging the house to buy a franchise if they were available.
It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it….
And there is an IN-N-OUT Burger in San Marcos. It’s almost worth the drive, and def worth a detour for this former California boy….
You haven’t stopped at In-N-Out close to the surplus store in Austin?
I just wonder what you could buy at a pharmacy for $110,000.00 over the course of 14 months. But I am familiar with, and use Walgreens. But I don’t shop or price makeup so what do I know.
I suspect her father pulled a lot of strings, brought out some closet skeletons, and actually paid the debt.
I also have to wonder about the victim that did not immediately contest the charges and close the credit card. Something else beyond the news reporting was taking place. And somewhere it didn’t work.
Wow, Bucees is going national ! I had no idea.
Florida and Alabama are still within a day’s drive of Houston on I-10. Logistics wouldn’t be any more difficult than Fort Worth.
Naples was the other often-cited location in FL that the chain is considering. I-75 was cut through to Miami over the old Alligator Alley within the last 30 years so competition is thin, especially on the scale of even a small Buc-ee’s.
“Brian Kernighan Remembers the Origins of ‘grep’”
https://thenewstack.io/brian-kernighan-remembers-the-origins-of-grep/
I use grep daily. We have old copies of the Thompson Toolkit ( http://www.tasoft.com/ ) in which grep runs at the speed of light as opposed to the chunky version in cygwin. The recursiveness of grep allows me and mine to rapidly search through our 40+ MB of source code.
Hat tip to:
https://www.codeproject.com/script/Mailouts/View.aspx?mlid=13757&_z=1988477
I hear ya. I didn’t have a terrible youth, far from it, but there were a lot of “don’t act this way” lessons for the observant.
If they have any. And they work. And they have fuel. And they have ammunition.
With the obvious exception of the US, all NATO nations’ militaries are in bad shape. They might (though usually don’t) have good numbers in terms of personnel and jets and tanks, but the troops are barely trained, the jets don’t fly, and the tanks don’t roll. It all comes down to money, of course — they needed to fund their social welfare programs somehow and with Uncle Sugar footing the defense bill that was an obvious place to cut.
I would if I could on my current contract. They have a very limited list of approved software, and the list which can be installed on Windows 10 is even more limited. I wrote a half-assed grep in Python, Python being the only scripting language available to me, but it has about 1% of the functionality of a proper grep. Not to mention all the rest of the *NIX file processing tools I’m used to.
@JimL
A friend of mine swears that his typing class in high school was the best thing ever. Aside from a stint in the USAF, with which I’ll assume he’d agree.
For me? Best unintentional happenstance was going to India on a whim almost 20 years ago. Life on the “other side of the tracks” (q.v. the favelas someone mentioned earlier) gave me a perspective on the human condition.
It’s brutal, nasty, and short, as JEP was wont to advise us. Best we can do us be kind to one another.
Florida and Alabama are still within a day’s drive of Houston on I-10. Logistics wouldn’t be any more difficult than Fort Worth.
Have you ever driven on that horrible steel grate bridge in Louisiana over the Lake Charles ? That bridge can take anywhere from two to four hours alone when some moron does not understand the coefficient of friction on steel for a tire is about half that of concrete. Much less if the bridge is wet. And it is wet a lot.
And getting through Baton Rouge on I-10 is dicey on a good day. Rush hour is a freaking nightmare. I-14 cannot get here soon enough.
It’s brutal, nasty, and short, as JEP was wont to advise us. Best we can do us be kind to one another.
We had a visiting preacher come by last year ??? to our church. Of course, he had a book that he was pushing on marriage. His first rule was “be nice”. Works for marriage and just about anyone else. I am trying but I am stupid.
“Saudi Arabia WAR THREAT: Oil tankers BOMBED – Saudis BAN exports through Red Sea straits”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/994441/saudi-arabia-news-iran-houthi-movement-oil-tankers-donald-trump-exports-red-sea
“IRAN-BACKED Yemeni rebels aligned have launched an attack on two oil tankers passing through the strategically important Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb – prompting Saudi Arabia to announce that was “temporarily halting” all oil shipments along the route.”
Just another day in the middle east. I am wondering when Saudi Arabia and Israel will have finally had it with Iran.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
Have you ever driven on that horrible steel grate bridge in Louisiana over the Lake Charles ?
Yes. Loved the family of thieves working the Wendy’s just inside the LA side of the LA/AL border. Everybody was in on the theft racket, including Granny. I watched them work the place and kept an eye on our car.
Gasoline goes to FL and South GA via barge into Tampa. Buc-ee’s probably imports a lot of their cr*p through Jacksonville already.
Westbound on I-10, the signs for Baytown Buc-ee’s start at Lake City.
And getting through Baton Rouge on I-10 is dicey on a good day. Rush hour is a freaking nightmare. I-14 cannot get here soon enough.
I stopped going up there in February, but the last time I was out to the Temple Mall, TxDOT was pushing limited access road east down 190. They must be close to done in town.
Interstate grade highway already runs from Belton to Killeen. The new Austin subdivisions start in Harker Heights and slowly creep south. The big downside of I14 is that it will look like I35 before they even finish it.
Interstate grade highway already runs from Belton to Killeen. The new Austin subdivisions start in Harker Heights and slowly creep south. The big downside of I14 is that it will look like I35 before they even finish it.
Yeah but, Belton to Killeen is what, 60 miles or so ? I-14 will be over a thousand miles long when it is finished, if ever. From Georgia to far west Texas.
https://www.interstate-guide.com/images014/i-014_corridor_map_july_2014.png
From
https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-014.html
Yeah but, Belton to Killeen is what, 60 miles or so ? I-14 will be over a thousand miles long when it is finished, if ever. From Georgia to far west Texas.
West from Belton to El Paso is politically easier than east from Temple.
I’ll know TxDOT is serious when they rebuild the I35/I14 exchange from east-bound 14 to south-bound 35. The route isn’t freeway grade currently and involves an exit and a stop sign.
“Amazon second-quarter earnings beat expectations, shares jump”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-set-report-earnings-huge-facebook-sell-off-194656400.html
“The Seattle tech giant on Thursday reported earnings-per-share of $5.07, higher than analysts’ expectations of $2.49 per share. Net sales for Amazon Web Services, or AWS, climbed to $6.1 billion, which is up from $4.1 billion during the same period in 2017.”
Sigh, I should have listened to my dad when he told me to buy some Amazon stock a decade ago.
I’ll know TxDOT is serious when they rebuild the I35/I14 exchange from east-bound 14 to south-bound 35. The route isn’t freeway grade currently and involves an exit and a stop sign.
I-14 is interstate. Gonna be paid for by the feddies by borrowing from your grandchildren:
http://www.gulfcoaststrategichighway.org/
I-14 is interstate. Gonna be paid for by the feddies by borrowing from your grandchildren:
The current 14 stub is creepy in that the flow of traffic in both directions at the interhange with 35 in Belton is optimal only for transit between Fort Hood and Dallas with rapid access driving *to* Scott & White Main hospital but not driving away from that area of Temple.
I missed the IN-N-OUT in Austin proper. I’ll have to look week after next. I’ll be doing a pickup, and possibly stopping by the Surplus store and maybe Goodwill Outlet if I’m feeling like fighting…
n
Mark D. – “I have yet to decide what I want to be when I grow up. ” I finally decided – retired. Fortunately I don’t have a good retirement plan so I haven’t had to grow up yet. I also have from a reliable source that if you haven’t grown up by the time you are 50, you don’t have to. Enjoy life.
” if you haven’t grown up by the time you are 50, you don’t have to. Enjoy life. ”
— I’ll inform my wife 🙂
n
I missed the IN-N-OUT in Austin proper. I’ll have to look week after next. I’ll be doing a pickup, and possibly stopping by the Surplus store and maybe Goodwill Outlet if I’m feeling like fighting…
I think that the east edge of Pflugerville now has an In-N-Out, along 130 in the big box store cluster.
Going out there, TxDOT provides zero real alternative to the toll road. No access roads on the side. I guess 45 and 130 were planned to be part of the Trans Texas Corridor stupidity.
Too expensive now unless you have real money to throw at it. The real question is, what is the next Amazon?
Sort of like driving from TN down to Orlando. Not much alternative to highway 91 which is a toll road. You can avoid the road but it adds about 50 miles and 1.5 hours to the trip. For the cost of $4.25 the cost is worth the savings just in gas alone. Florida knows this and has no reason to change from charging for their cash cow. Lot of traffic from the north heading to/from the Orlando area.
In fact most of the toll roads in the Orlando area are nothing more than a tax on tourists. Many on ramps poorly marked and by the time you are informed it is a toll road it is too late change direction. Only option is the next exit at a significant charge relative to the distance traveled. 1.2 miles for $1.50. It is a scam in my opinion.
“In fact most of the toll roads in the Orlando area are nothing more than a tax on tourists. Many on ramps poorly marked and by the time you are informed it is a toll road it is too late change direction”
I’ll second that!
n
BTW, I’m GLAD I didn’t listen to my dad when he told me to buy AMC. He thought the Pacer and the “world car” were gonna be big hits.
It’s a shame he didn’t listen to me when I told him to by apple, tandy, and IBM. Of course if I’d bought their stock instead of their computers, my life would be different today.
n
“Sigh, I should have listened to my dad when he told me to buy some Amazon stock a decade ago”
Too expensive now unless you have real money to throw at it. The real question is, what is the next Amazon?
Get Prime/Fresh covered by whatever they call the Food Stamp program these days.
That will be “lights out” for Safeway and won’t be very good for Kroger.
IMHO, both Whataburger and P. Terry’s (local Austin chain) are better than In-N-Out.
Habit Burger started 1959 out of Santa Barbara. Expanding fast now and beats them all IMHO.
Get Prime/Fresh covered by whatever they call the Food Stamp program these days.
That will be “lights out” for Safeway and won’t be very good for Kroger.
Safeway and Kroger are being killed by HEB here in Texas anyway.
Safeway and Kroger are being killed by HEB here in Texas anyway.
Publix kicked Safeway out of FL after the Albertsons merger. The privately-held chains have the advantage in that they can accept single digit profit margins and growth rates.
On our last trip to FL, it was weird seeing the Albertsons stores in Tampa and Fort Myers either closed or converted to Publix. Skags-Albertsons built those stores over 40 years ago.
There may be lots of boutique and local burger joints that are better than InNout, but I don’t think there is a better chain. CERTAINLY not Whataburger! That dried up disk of tasteless brown and grey stuff doesn’t come close to InNOut….
::donning asbestos suit::
HEB is winning on price and quality which is the way it is supposed to work. And their community engagement is second to none.
n
I prefer Sonic, but I’m ghetto that way. Tots rule! Especially chili cheese tots with onions and jalapeños.
It depends on the Whataburger. Shortstop was good a few years ago when I last went there.
Nothing can beat Airport Haven. Corner of Guadalupe and Airport Blvd. Ok, old age can. They retired.
Storm’s is usually good. Burnet, Lampasas, and Hamilton.
I like the $1 burgers at McD’s too. Er, $1.25 now, I think. It’s been a while.
This is the official position of the LDS Church on the “Are Mormon’s Christian” question.
https://www.lds.org/topics/christians?lang=eng
I am LDS. And, therefore, believe that I am”Christian”.
You can believe otherwise. That’s OK with me.
That would seem to be the single deciding factor: you’re a Christian (or liberal or engineer) if you think you are.
I’ve always, since I was about 10 years old, have figured Christians are Christian if they believe in Jesus. And Jews are into Moses, sorta. Never said I was smart….
You don’t have to believe in Jesus to think there is a God… just look around…. God (for lack of a better word) is everywhere. Nature? I don’t know.
Anyway. Ten Commandments. Or go by “do unto others as you would have done unto you”. Either way, get off of my lawn.
I feel like a Pakled here. “We are smart”.
This is the official position of the LDS Church on the “Are Mormon’s Christian” question.
https://www.lds.org/topics/christians?lang=eng
I am LDS. And, therefore, believe that I am”Christian”.
You can believe otherwise. That’s OK with me.
@RickH, I am sorry if I offended you. We have enough craziness in this world without this stupid infighting about what we Christians believe we are.
@lynn . No offense was sensed. Just wanted to share my opinion, and back it up with a thorough explanation of why — expressed much better than I could.
Just because someone believes differently than me doesn’t offend me. I’m easy to get along with.
No worries.
Hmmph. Any more talk like that and you’ll never be allowed to be a progressive or any kind of
rightleft-thinking person.With regards to Kroger, it’s good that Wegmans is private, and not interested in heading in this direction. If they ever go public, I’d buy the stock.
With regards to Kroger, it’s good that Wegmans is private, and not interested in heading in this direction. If they ever go public, I’d buy the stock.
Having to answer to Wall Street would be the end of Wegman’s.
Publix and Wegman’s will eventually have a showdown somewhere in the Carolinas or Virginia. Probably Charlotte.
I don’t believe the Wegman’s rumors in Orlando. One of the serious candidates for FL Governor is effectively owned by Publix.
Eh? I’ve been in Charlotte since early March and haven’t seen any Wegman’s, nor does Google Maps find me any. There are some Publix in the Charlotte suburbs, but not as many as Harris Teeter (mostly around the university and in a couple of richer suburbs), and Food Lion outnumbers the two of those put together.