Month: November 2018

60F and wet, indicated, and I believe it. My hands feel like paddles, my knees ache.

Last Friday of November. Time to get the Advent calendars out for the kids, time to get a visit from an Elf spy who lives on a shelf…

I find the Elf on a Shelf creepy in the extreme, and the idea of a sneaky little spy watching all the time is something I have problems with on any number of levels. The kids love it, and it can be a lot of fun too, and we started, so now we’re stuck for a while. 26 days.

Prepping this week was minimal. I’m feeling WAY behind the curve. I did make two big grocery runs this week, but that was mostly current and upcoming normal consumption. I really didn’t get much for storage.

I’m still coughing occasionally. I don’t know if it’s lingering crud from the vacation, or something new brewing but it’s right on the edge of developing into something. The elbow continues to be an issue. Without modern and powerful antibiotics, I’d have been in trouble. That’s worrying too.

So health is a priority, getting the holidays out of the way, while still enjoying the time with the kids is a juggle, and there is SO MUCH STUFF TO DO.

I better get started on today’s pile.

n

Weather station says 65F and 99RH, but that could be from yesterday. I really have to climb up there and change the batteries. It’s supposed to be warm and wet though, so it is possible.

Christmas and the end of the year are coming up quickly. Presents are piling up in secret places. Music is everywhere. Lots of folks with their lights out. And Houston is getting warmer! It’s a weird weird world.

n

45F and 99%RH according to my weather station… and my furnace is running constantly.

Blank page in front of me, and blank brain inside my head. It’s gonna have to be enough that the door is open and the lights on….

n

Weather station says 69F and 40%RH which is clearly wrong. Heater is running so it is more likely 40F. Never got around to changing the batteries….

The kids are back in school for a couple of weeks, and they are NOT happy. Poor things have been staying up late and sleeping in for most of the last month. Well, back to it. I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm, so there is that….

Listening to the scanner, the bus drivers are having trouble getting buses to start. Must be cold.

Border war is heating up. They are definitely testing Trump. As predicted, there were women and children at the front, with mostly men behind. I guess we’ll see if the media can whip the sheep into a frenzy.

Time to feed the family….

n

66F and saturated this late am. Everyone slept late.

Office cleanup and reorg continues slowly here. I made some minor changes to my radio layout, and spent some time dialing around the bands last night. Had some weird pockets of DX, and noise levels changed dramatically over an hour or two. Heard some fun music for a change.

Started putting some Christmas stuff out. Maybe more today. Neighbors are putting up displays, which is nice to see. We were the only ones on the street when we first moved here.

Looks like Brexit will continue. My very uninformed take is that it looks like most stuff will continue as it did. Which makes sense, no one that really runs things wants much change.

I wonder if the rioting in France, which doesn’t look like the usual suspects from the pictures, will continue or lead to a more general unrest. Some people are mentioning the general dissatisfaction with the diversite’ and what’s become of traditional France. Maybe they’re waking up like Germany.

I guess we’ll see.

In the mean time, I sure wish I had gotten some garden in this fall…….

n

Currently 51F and saturated.

Missed the garbage truck this morning. I usually hear them in plenty of time. Bummer.

Despite Friday of color shootings and fights, it was probably less violent than most weekends in those areas. And the cops might have shot the wrong guy in Alabama…

The malls and stores I drove past yesterday didn’t look particularly busy, and there wasn’t any traffic to speak of. Goodwill had shoppers…

An estate seller I chatted with, who might be a LMI, said their business was way down, all the antique business was hurting, and all the sellers he knows are slow. He’s made plans to bug out after riding thru the first wave of violence and looting in the collapse he thinks is coming soon. He’s adamant that the economy is actually doing very poorly, and any good news is lies.

5000 refugees and it’s a humanitarian crisis when it’s in Mexico–

“Tijuana declares ‘humanitarian crisis’ and asks for help from the United Nations as 5,000 migrants from Central America descend on the border city”

Huh. Imagine that.

Stack it high my friends!

n

Currently 60F and slightly less wet than yesterday.

Kids and guests let me sleep until 9am. Which was good. Had a bit of trouble dropping of last night, which rarely happens so it was nice to get the extra time.

Got my first print off my salvage/surplus 3D printer last night. I only spent the time because it is in my office, and as part of my cleanup, stuff has to WORK to sit in here. My wife and guests both asked what I’ll use it for, and I don’t have a good answer. I wanted one for a long time, but couldn’t come up with a good enough reason to spend the money. When the cost went to [very freaking little for a pro machine] I couldn’t say no. OF COURSE I had a discussion about 3D printed guns, and Cody Wilson. My guest knew he’d been arrested, but not the circumstances. She also had a typical (media consumer) idea about printing guns. I did my best to remove the errors.

Breakfast and more later….

n

(If you go out, go heavy and keep your awareness UP.)

52F and wet. Rained off and on all night, very lightly, spatter and drizzle.

Today is the day we take some time and give thanks for the blessings we have. Which is a very religious statement at its base. But even if we are not religious, we can and should pause in our lives and consider what we have.

So, I’m thankful for my family and friends, both here and departed. I’m thankful to have known and been shaped by them. The ones who are gone left their mark on me, and continue to live on through their influence and example in those of us still here.

I’m thankful we’ve avoided both violence and disaster as a nation. I think both are coming, but the longer they can be delayed the better we can be prepared. I’m thankful for the time.

I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, for the support I’ve been given, and for the successes and failures that made me who I am.

On a more local level, thank you to everyone here, who reads, lurks, and comments. This place is more than the sum of its parts because of you.

Enjoy the day!

nick flandrey

Weather station says 45F and wet, and the sun is out. Haven’t poked my head out yet, the dog has a doggy door he can use…

Problems continue for Wall Street. Other economic news has grim stuff in it too.

Thanksgiving will be a nice break from the litany of doom and gloom, if I can survive houseguests. I’m on edge and easily angered. Watching my tongue and unable to talk about anything substantive. Good thing there is a place on the net to vent 🙂

Start thinking of what you’ve got to be thankful for…

n