Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 – what did you do to prep this week?

By on November 16th, 2018 in Random Stuff

Weather station says 38F and wet this morning. THIS I believe, although I didn’t change the batteries yet. Yesterday was sunny all day, so the solar had a chance to recharge them somewhat… cold and unpleasant.

I’ve got guests from now thru Thanksgiving.

I did pick up a spot of work, and I’m nearly done with the thing I started in SPRING, so there will be some cash coming in. Some of it will go toward ammo.

The advice “don’t be there” was only ever meant in a narrow case, and it’s harder and harder to justify as any sort of usefulness at all. Trouble is finding people in their homes, in their schools, and in their cars. Vigilance and preparedness are increasingly in order.

Since we haven’t done it in a while, you can include any preps made since the last time…and recap if needed (to be interesting.)

I bought some more storage in the form of a safe and a fire resistant file cabinet. I intend to fill them both…

I bought and installed an upgraded camera, and ordered another. The IR illuminator, and image rez are big upgrades from my old but high end cams. I moved the NVR software to a stand alone box, increasing capability and usability.

I added a couple of books to my library, including a pure “after the fall” volume of engineering formulas and practice. MOST of my library is good solid reference. Some is for the bucket for recovery. I hope I never need those.

Used some of my store medical supplies. Vet-wrap ages poorly. I need to replace what I used.

Both kids and spouse have their Girl Scout First Aid badges. I was able to supply an extensive kit for meetings, and lots of training materials.

Bought a 3D printer.

Didn’t get any winter garden in.

Didn’t get rid of the rats. Have to restack the food anyway, as it will freeze in the driveway. That sucks.

Am cleaning and organizing my office, and the garage.

Need to finish the closet/bath/hurricane room project. It’s cool again, so I don’t have the excuse of heat. I do have the excuse of company and holidays….

Need to get the gennie connected to the house and the transfer switch. Pure laziness that that isn’t done yet.

And now I need to feed the kids….

So what did you do? What skill are you working on? Who have you met? What needs addressing?

n

59 Comments and discussion on "Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 – what did you do to prep this week?"

  1. Ray Thompson says:

    What did I do to prep? I read your comments and was exhausted.

    And I have started my taxes. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

    Form 1040 has changed and there are three new schedules (1, 2, aand 3) to get some of overcrowding on the 1040 onto other forms. Thus making the returns more complicated.

    Anyone want TurboTax standard? Has all the forms of the other, more expensive, versions just limited on the help. Send me an email to (rayt 100 011 101 at comcast period fish-catching-device) and I will send you the link.

    Got my wife’s (UN)Affordable Healthcare Plan for 2019. Out of network has zero coverage, zero benefits, not applied to deductible. Only choice I had. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

  2. JimL says:

    36º and cloudy in the land that dems forgot.

    No prepping other than preparing for next week’s work. And discussing our ability to withstand disruption. Wife is starting to understand why I have extra water, rice, beans, etc. in the basement. That makes it a lot easier.

    Next week is the big Turkey Trot. We got 5000 participants one year. Now we’re expecting about 3000, which is just about right for the venue. 3000 of my closest friends coming down to run a silly race before going home and eating themselves into insensibility.

    After that (and sportsball) is soup & stock making, as well as baking for Christmas.

  3. Bruce Friend says:

    What I really want is a bunch of smart home devices that can be controlled locally without the need to connect to a remote server. Does such an animal exist?

    You can roll your own using software like OpenHAB and MQTT. Voice commands are still mostly reliant on cloud servers, but smart home devices under local control is not only possible, but many consider it to be preferable. Things still work even if you can’t get to the Internet.

  4. ITguy1998 says:

    I need to do more work on food storage. I need to get some bulk staples built up…I’m reminded every time I go to Costco, but I always stop because I’m not 100% sure about the preservation steps. Guess I need to go back and read some of Dr. Bob’s old posts.

    On my list for Black Friday is a camera system for the house. I may do it in stages, but I really want to get *something* in place soon.

    I guess I should keep an eye on sales for AR-15’s too. That’s been on my list for a while. I’m pretty good on ammo for the 9mm and 30-06. Definitely need more for the shotguns and of course you can never have too much .22. Also need more .380….sigh….

    Oh, and I really want a .22 conversion kit for my Glock G19.

    A water storage barrel is also high on my list. I would like 2 or 3, with the idea of keeping a couple empty in the attic, but keeping one full in the garage.

  5. Ray Thompson says:

    On my list for Black Friday is a camera system for the house

    Maybe Costco will have the three camera system with base station for $400.00 on sale. I bought the system and it works great.

  6. ITguy1998 says:

    You can roll your own using software like OpenHAB and MQTT. Voice commands are still mostly reliant on cloud servers, but smart home devices under local control is not only possible, but many consider it to be preferable. Things still work even if you can’t get to the Internet.

    Thanks – exactly the functionality I want. I’ll check it out.

  7. dkreck says:

    Try Wyze cams. $24 and less than $10 for a memory card. I’ve got four regular ones and a pan version. The Wyze is a pretty cheap investment to try.
    I also have an older Zmodo four cam system with dvr.

  8. lynn says:

    “Judge orders White House to return Jim Acosta’s press pass”
    https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/16/media/cnn-trump-lawsuit-hearing/index.html

    I would tell the judge to take a hike. The judge is crossing a constitutional boundary.

    Hat tip to:
    https://drudgereport.com/

  9. dkreck says:

    Note that the judge is a Trump appointee and that he also noted Trump has no obligation to call on him.

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/16/cnn-judge-rules-trump-administration-lawsuit/

  10. Rick H says:

    I have two of the Wyze cams; the original ‘fixed’ model, and the pan/tilt model. Both are excellent cameras; easy to set up and visible via an app (only; no non-app access), with motion detection alerts.

    Both use the ITTT app, with some pre-built apps that work fairly well. The Wyze app doesn’t allow for active/inactive time setup, but there is an ITTT that enables the motion detection if your phone is out of the immediate area.

    And the price is reasonable. Available at https://www.wyzecam.com/shop/ . Also via the ‘Big River’ for a higher price that includes shipping. I suspect there might be some “Black Friday” deals upcoming.

    (ITTT = “If This Then That” )

  11. Ray Thompson says:

    Arlo cameras do not require any wiring, connect to the base station via WiFi, you internet access, cloud or local storage, batteries are rechargeable and last about 4 months between charging in my current environment.

  12. DadCooks (Eric Comben) says:

    @dkreck said:

    Try Wyze cams. $24 and less than $10 for a memory card. I’ve got four regular ones and a pan version. The Wyze is a pretty cheap investment to try.

    I second that suggestion. Best price and best shipping speed will be getting them from Amazon. Don’t try anything greater than a 32GB memory card and I don’t use anything other than SanDisk.

    The only problem is that they will only recognize a pure 2.4GHz WiFi signal so if your router does not allow you to give the 2.4GHz channel a unique name you will have no end of headaches. Since I started using a Netgear N300 Range Extender that only broadcasts on 2.4GHz I have had 100% uptime. Even though designed for indoors, I have 2 outside in protected locations and they work fine. Wyze customer service and forum is very good.

    Wyze cams are part of my diverse surveillance system, Ring products (doorbell and spotlight) are main perimeter, backed-up by Wyze Cams and Zmodo Cams. I use a dedicated tablet for setup and monitoring.

  13. lynn says:

    Note that the judge is a Trump appointee and that he also noted Trump has no obligation to call on him.

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/16/cnn-judge-rules-trump-administration-lawsuit/

    Does not matter. Federal judges cannot set attendance at White House activities.

  14. lynn says:

    “2018 Midterms: Republicans No Longer Hold Any House Seats in New England”
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2018-midterms-republicans-no-longer-211409869.html

    Something is really wrong here.

  15. lynn says:

    Oh, and I really want a .22 conversion kit for my Glock G19.

    Why, 9mm ammo is not that expensive ?

  16. lynn says:

    Got my wife’s (UN)Affordable Healthcare Plan for 2019. Out of network has zero coverage, zero benefits, not applied to deductible. Only choice I had. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

    This is just one of the reasons why Medicare for All ™ is coming. And soon.

    The dumbcrats in the House were elected on Medicare for All. They will move Heaven and Earth to make it happen. The Senate will roll over. Trump will acquiesce as that is the way that the political wind is blowing.

    The big question is who will pay for Medicare for All ? Get ready middle class, that is the feddies getting ready to reach in your wallet.

  17. ITguy1998 says:

    Why, 9mm ammo is not that expensive ?

    True, but .22 is even cheaper. Also, less recoil when shooting, which would be good for my 14 yo son who has only trained on a 22 rifle so far. Plus, it keeps me from having to buy a .22 pistol, though is not needing more guns a positive?

  18. Greg Norton says:

    Something is really wrong here.

    OTOH, Maryland reelected their (R) governor, only the second time in history that happened. As I’ve learned living outside Portland and, now, Austin, sooner or later, the kids come along and the Progs want Republican fiscal policy, decent schools, and Mormon neighbors.

  19. lynn says:

    Plus, it keeps me from having to buy a .22 pistol, though is not needing more guns a positive?

    I would buy a .22 pistol. In fact, I would like to buy a .22 DA revolver but I don’t seem to see one for sales (new).

  20. SteveF says:

    Federal judges cannot set attendance at White House activities.

    Blasphemer! Federal judges can control any activity of the federal government! They can direct the state governments and the people! They can order the tide to halt and not wet their robes!

    Trump should reinstate Acosta’s press pass and cancel all other CNN passes. And then have Acosta arrested for the rape of that poor intern — Acosta the Acoster was wrestling with her over a phallic object, and if that’s not rape I don’t know what is. CNN will have no presence in the White House until Acosta has finished his life sentence.

  21. CowboySlim says:

    The big question is who will pay for Medicare for All ? Get ready middle class, that is the feddies getting ready to reach in your wallet.

    The difference between stealing and accepting a contribution is if the recipient is using a gun or not. When the IRS agents come to arrest you, are they carrying a gun?

  22. Clayton W. says:

    I’d cancel every press conference whenever Acosta enters the room.

  23. Greg Norton says:

    Now they are going after the ballot design in Broward. Another recycled excuse from 2000, when a Dem phone bank got the geezers in the Jewish community stirred up, thinking that they may have accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan due to the infamous “butterfly ballot”.

    https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/11/16/bill-nelsons-broward-county-problem-some-voters-saw-confusing-ballot-design/

    Hollywood. My wife lived there for a couple of years in the early 90s. I often tell people that if they want to understand the election mess of 2000 (and now 2018), an hour of people watching at the Emerald Hills Winn Dixie in Hollywood will teach them volumes about the locals in Broward

    Make a day of it. The pizza isn’t bad at DiSalvos, located in the same shopping center. Be sure to get the garlic knots, however, the reason the place has been around all these years.

  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    Thanks to Bruce for the OpenHAB link…

    wrt zmodo, the forums say they have updated their firmware and eliminated any third party use- you must use their servers, and app. Lotta peaved people from that.

    Just had an interesting discussion with a neighbor at an estate sale about drainage issues. She says “I think we’re on opposite sides of the issue” and is a member of “Residents against flooding”. So she thinks [if at all] that there are Residents FOR Flooding? and I’m one? because I was arguing that TPTB do in fact spend money on flood control and have dozens of flood control projects going, and have been effective at preventing flooding.

    “It’s not enough, and they’re doing it wrong” says she… They need a plan says she. WHAT? Do you think they don’t have a plan? says me… “It’s wrong” says she.

    “Do you go to the meetings?” says me… “No but some other people do.” says she. “Oh, well then.” says me…..

    It seems to boil down to – she doesn’t like what they proposed for her neighborhood, so they must be incompetent [or evil]. That coupled with her factual errors leads me to dismiss her entirely. Dressed like an earthy crunch flake, with the mannerisms too.

    Gah.

    n

  25. lynn says:

    Didn’t get rid of the rats. Have to restack the food anyway, as it will freeze in the driveway. That sucks.

    You have food in the driveway ?

    Dude, you have the best wife ever ! Mine would beat me if she could not park her car in the garage.

  26. ech says:

    The judge is crossing a constitutional boundary.

    Probably not. There is prior law on rescinding press passes and there has to be a substantial reason. The administration didn’t help their case by being unable to articulate how the decision was made and by who. Even some conservative con law experts sided with CNN. In any case, this is just a preliminary injunction and a full case will still be heard. Oh, and the administration never has to call on Acosta.

  27. lynn says:

    “American Greatness Is Coasting on the Accumulated Capital of Past Generations”
    https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2018/11/14/american-greatness-is-coasting-on-the-accumulated-capital-of-past-generations/

    “So it’s relatively new. And my fear is that we have survived not because of an ongoing awareness and battle against this, but instead we are surviving based on all of the years of education and understanding, and at some point — we’re coasting now. We’re coasting. This is my point.”

    “We’re not actively teaching the truth about America to young generations, young people in school, high school, middle school, college, whatever. And you combine that with this influx of illegal immigrants that are certainly not coming here to assimilate. Angela Merkel or Angela, however she pronounces it, she’s a good object lesson here. Do you remember two years ago — I forget. You know, time goes by so fast. It seems like it was yesterday, but I think it was a couple years ago. Angela Merkel actually welcomed and had established as a policy the open acceptance of 800,000 military aged men from war-torn areas of the Middle East?”

  28. Jenny says:

    We use Wyze cameras and have found them a good solution at the price point. The difficulty being that sure you can identify the zombies but still not permitted to shoot them or put their heads on pikes and retain your liberty (what there is left of it).

    I like the idea of canceling the press conferences when Acosta shows up, and even more canceling everyone else’s press passes. Hard to say which would be more fun. Heck, why choose. Do both.

    3D printer – which one, Nick? I messed with a MakerBot at the local library. I have come to prefer accepting delayed gratification and uploading to Shapeways.com. The end product is finer than any home 3D printer I’d be willing to buy. It’s a pretty fun technology.

    We have a stubborn infestation of mice in the garage. We have made headway but I know the little bastards are still in there because I hear their laughter.

    Parking in garage -laughter- that’s pretty darn funny. I can count on two hands the number of Alaskans I know that park in their garages. It’s a sad state of affairs. I have parked in my garage perhaps three times, prior to us moving in. I dream of the day my spouse permits me to rent a dumpster and get rid of vast quantities of useless mouse gnawed things. Not. Gonna. Happen.

    Prepping – my preps were depleted while I was away for three weeks and husband was single dad-ing it. I’m glad the preps eased the challenge for him. Being able to build meals from the deep pantry helped. Another prep is car maintenance on Monday. I used to do my own maintenance (dad was a mechanic and taught us) but stopped when I got modern cars. I think I’m going to tackle the next oil change though.

    Looking at the task list I kept for 2018 I’m pleased overall with what we have accomplished this year. The flooring project itself is done however reloading the room has stalled. We have a 10 lb diaper and 20 lbs of excrement. Most of the room contents are stacked in the living room while spouse ponders. On the exterior, I wanted to clean three air vents and that is likewise stalled. I can’t get to the ladder because of how it’s jammed in the garage. Spouse will get to it in a bit. Surely. The pile of brush from a rash hack job I did on a Lilac and Siberian pea bush languish at the head of the driveway. I don’t particularly want to stuff it in my vehicle or pay to dispose of it, however snow will surely be here soon and then I’ll be forced to wait for spring. Maybe that’s ok. Except come spring the task will be even less pleasant after mouldering all winter.

    -deleted stuff about self destructive parents- Have a plan folks. Don’t dump garbage on your offspring. If you’re plan is self destruction don’t drag your family along for the ride. Philosophically, I figure prepping for SHTF should cover prepping for EOL too.

    Hope to take my old dog, now 14, sheep herding tomorrow. He hasn’t been for a couple months and it’s good for his soul. He is holding up ok but I expect him to die in the next year or so. That’s going to be a punch to the gut.

    So. We herd and take joy where we can.

  29. lynn says:

    Hope to take my old dog, now 14, sheep herding tomorrow. He hasn’t been for a couple months and it’s good for his soul. He is holding up ok but I expect him to die in the next year or so. That’s going to be a punch to the gut.

    So. We herd and take joy where we can.

    Yes, we do.

    Lady will be 16 in three weeks. I think that she is getting doggie dementia but I am not sure. She will just stand for a while (up to five minutes !) and listen to the universe. Since she is deaf, you have to touch her to get her attention, and the poor thing jumps. And when she jumps, she lands and two or four legs go sideways and she face plants.

    She jumped out of the garage side door the other day. 14 inch elevation change. Hard face plant. I was sure that she had broken her right front leg as she did not use it getting up and then she held it up. But she limped to the back door and transitioned back to four paw drive on the way there.

    But, she still eats. The wife makes her special meals of scrambled eggs or ground beef and brown rice. And pees and poops outside if you get her outside at the right time. And if it is the wrong time, hopefully she is on the tile or a bath mat.

    And she still goes on our nightly 1+ mile walks. In her wagon. And rarely gets out now.

    There is a tough day coming. I am hoping that she naturally passes away in the middle of the night. Or one of her ten daily naps.

  30. DadCooks (Eric Comben) says:

    @Jenny said:

    Philosophically, I figure prepping for SHTF should cover prepping for EOL too.

    Two thumbs up. That is where I am concentrating right now. It is amazing how much I do that my Wife and Kids do not have a clue how to handle: bills (credit cards to utilities), taxes, Medicare (A, B, D, Supplemental), retirement accounts, bank accounts, computer files, and more. I have a 2-inch binder and 4×6 card file that are each growing and need a bigger binder and file box, and it is all also in electronic format.

    And don’t forget the Wills, Durable Power of Attorney, and Advance Health Care Directive.

  31. lynn says:

    -deleted stuff about self destructive parents- Have a plan folks. Don’t dump garbage on your offspring. If you’re plan is self destruction don’t drag your family along for the ride. Philosophically, I figure prepping for SHTF should cover prepping for EOL too.

    The wife is having to make tough decisions about her father now. He will be 86 next week. 4+ years in three different nursing homes. Now the 94 year old girlfriend is retiring from her job and may not get her driver’s license renewed. So she wants father-in-law to move back to the nursing home near their homes. She visits him almost everyday so this is legit and important. The wife visited the nursing home last week and it did not smell of urine anymore. Or at that moment.

    Plus the FIL’s home is costing money. Put a new water heater in it last week. Maybe time to sell as the market is good in that area of Carrollton (NW of Dallas). The town home that he paid $200K for is now worth $300K. Just another decision to make but FIL is holding onto place to go back to when he “gets better”. That is not going to happen. And then we would have to clean out the FIL’s house, good night what a lot of crap XXXX mementos ! But it is a good place to stay when she or I go to visit him since it is a 300 mile hike up there.

  32. lynn says:

    The advice “don’t be there” was only ever meant in a narrow case, and it’s harder and harder to justify as any sort of usefulness at all. Trouble is finding people in their homes, in their schools, and in their cars.

    I am noting that the 600+ missing in the California fire are being hinted at as people in their 80s and 90s. Generally not very mobile people, usually shutins who depend on other people helping them out. Lack of mobility is dangerous.
    https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/15/us/california-fires/index.html

  33. Ray Thompson says:

    I think I’m going to tackle the next oil change though

    I used to do all my oil changes, on three vehicles. But I got tired of dealing with hot oil and the disposal of the oil. Crawling under the car was not my idea of fun. Thus I have the dealer do the oil changes for not a lot more than the cost of the supplies if purchased myself. Now I only change the oil on the mowers and even that is messy.

    FIL is holding onto place to go back to when he “gets better”

    My MIL’s husband was the same way. Had to go into assisted living and was saying he was coming back. MIL was told specifically to not get rid of anything. MIL went to visit one morning and he was cold having died sometime during the night.

    Wife and Kids do not have a clue how to handle:

    Spousal unit is the same way. As long as she has checks in the checkbook she thinks we have lots of money.

    Son has access to my password vault for all the online accounts. He just signs in, site sends me an email, if I don’t respond in six hours he is granted access. Learned a hard lesson about having passwords accessible when my friend died and his wife was struggling with the accounts.

    All my files are located in a big wooden file cabinet. He knows my financial stuff is all in Quicken and knows how to access the program.

    Next big issue to arrive is MIL. She is about 87 having outlived six of her eight siblings. She is the middle child. I expect to get the dreaded call any day, just because. There are not any immediate health issues that would indicate a demise is eminent. But the law of averages are against her. Wife will take it hard and will require an immediate trip to San Antonio, probably driving the 1,100 miles in single sitting.

    Cleaning out her house will consist of renting a dumpster and start tossing. Nothing is of any real value. Could try and sell the stuff but that would take a lot of time and effort for not much money. Probably not enough to pay for the cost of the dumpster. My son says the same about my wife and I.

  34. lynn says:

    And don’t forget the Wills, Durable Power of Attorney, and Advance Health Care Directive.

    I have a hand written will. The wife has one too. I am told that is good enough in Texas.

    I probably should have done the others when I had heart surgery back in August. But, I did not. And survived.

    The wife does have the other documents from her year of hell with breast cancer in 2005. But who knows where the documents are.

  35. CowboySlim says:

    Dude, you have the best wife ever ! Mine would beat me if she could not park her car in the garage.

    10-4, I’ve got 2 Jeep Grand Cherokees in my garage: mine and my grandson while he is away at USC. I do live in a low crime area, but there is still a small amount on cars that are parked streetside at night.

  36. CowboySlim says:

    Cleaning out her house will consist of renting a dumpster and start tossing. Nothing is of any real value. Could try and sell the stuff but that would take a lot of time and effort for not much money. Probably not enough to pay for the cost of the dumpster. My son says the same about my wife and I.

    I gave all that stuff to one of those charity trucks that comes by monthly. I just put the stuff in plastic bags and leave it on my driveway on their schedule.

  37. ech says:

    I have a hand written will. The wife has one too. I am told that is good enough in Texas.

    Yes, they are valid in Texas, but don’t do one. A “sweetheart will” where you leave all your stuff to each other or to a kid if you are both dead is pretty cheap to get. The big advantage is that the attorney can attach what are called “self proving affidavits” by the witnesses so that probate is much easier. Without all that there can be hassles by potential heirs, and your executor may have to submit to posting a bond and close court supervision if there aren’t the right magic words to allow them to act without court monitoring. Would you do a lease that you wrote? Probably not.

    They can also throw in durable powers of attorney, healthcare POAs, etc. And keep them where your heirs can get them, not in a safe deposit box. Ours are in a fireproof box in the house.

  38. paul says:

    Whelp, I bought a turkey today. 12.5 pounds. As usual, “it’s too big!”. Actually, no… figure a pound for the innards plus 1.5 pounds for bones and stuff that go into the stock pot.
    I may remember to bother weighing what goes into the stockpot.

    It’s interesting to shop at HEB and then go to Wal-Mart. For example, a pound of HEB butter is about $3.40. Wal-Mart’s butter is $2.35. Side by side, I can’t tell them apart.

    Spiral cut hams? In the colored mylar? $2.99/pound at HEB, $2.98/pound at Wal-Mart. But HEB has a coupon for up to 12 pounds of turkey when you buy a ham. Call it a free turkey and $10 off of the ham.

    All set. I have brown and serve rolls, cranberry sauce, dressing mix, and “whatever else” in the pantry. 🙂

  39. SteveF says:

    you can identify the zombies but still not permitted to shoot them or put their heads on pikes

    You don’t mount them on your lawn. Put the heads on pikes on someone else’s lawn — the busybody HOA chair, the neighbor whose pumped bilge water runs onto your land and poisons the grass, something like that.

    My preps, such as they are, consisted of working long hours and earning money as a counterpoint to debts run up by others, where “others” mainly means members of my marriage who are not me.

  40. lynn says:

    It’s interesting to shop at HEB and then go to Wal-Mart. For example, a pound of HEB butter is about $3.40. Wal-Mart’s butter is $2.35. Side by side, I can’t tell them apart.

    Spiral cut hams? In the colored mylar? $2.99/pound at HEB, $2.98/pound at Wal-Mart. But HEB has a coupon for up to 12 pounds of turkey when you buy a ham. Call it a free turkey and $10 off of the ham.

    I have price shopped Walmart and HEB a couple of times. My judgement is that it is only worth going to Walmart if they have something special that you want. For instance, Walmart carries Skippy creamy peanut butter that the wife is addicted to and HEB does not.

    My other problem with Walmart is that I started walking the aisles and go nuts. I will go in with a list of five items and walk out with 15 items that I “need” to have for future projects.

  41. dkreck says:

    I hate shopping, but love eating. Walmart is the go to place, best prices. Smart and Final sometimes. Albertsons is highest priced but has better meats and produce most of the time. All three about a mile away in the same area.
    Had spiral ham last Sunday with Mom. Made white beans and ham yesterday.
    Getting ready to make a batch of home made chutney. Need some tamarind. Got mangos and other fruits. Going to have chicken curry next Sat for MILs birthday. Her request.

  42. paul says:

    I have price shopped Walmart and HEB a couple of times.

    “Out here” it’s HEB and Wal-Mart in Marble Falls, 15 miles away. Or HEB Burnet, 4 miles away. The prices are about the same at any of the three.

    Or you can go to the Dollar Store and pay extra for mystery brands. I’m not at all impressed with any Dollar Store or variant I’ve been to.

    Ya, I wish Albertson’s / Skaggs Alpha Beta was still around. I miss Tom Thumb, too.

  43. paul says:

    My other problem with Walmart is that I started walking the aisles and go nuts.

    Heh, stay away from the TV dept. 🙂

  44. lynn says:

    My other problem with Walmart is that I started walking the aisles and go nuts.

    Heh, stay away from the TV dept.

    Nah, for TVs I go to Sam’s Club. And there goes another hour or more as I buy a bunch of canned food for the offsite backup stash.

  45. lynn says:

    “Cramer says CEOs are telling him off the record the economy has quickly cooled”
    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/15/cramer-says-ceos-are-telling-him-off-the-record-the-economy-has-cooled.html

    Cramer is not off the wall here. The Federal Reserve has raised the interest rates so much that the economy is slowing drastically. Plus the midterm election affected the economy as people waited for the results.

  46. Nick Flandrey says:

    Wife picked up a turkey today. I’ll be smoking it.

    Ham is 1.99 at our costco. For the 12$ difference I’ll buy a turkey.

    Our WalMart Neighborhood grocery closed. The regular walmart is both too far away, and too dangerous. Besides, walmart doesn’t do mobile food kitchens and ice delivery during hurricanes, and HEB does. Whenever the community needs a hand, HEB is there. Walmart, not so much. HEB sends their mascot to our kids’ swim meets, our neighborhood SpringFest, any church craft show, etc. They usually are handing out stuff too.

    I didn’t get finished with my job. Ran into a snag, and didn’t want to open the can o worms with daylight fading.

    WRT the driveway, the food is in bins, the bins are under a tarp, my wife ignores all the tarped pallets in the driveway for her own sanity, and for our continued marriage. The food was on shelves in the garage until the rat problem. THOUGHT the driveway was temporary/very short term. Wrong. Parking in the garage ain’t gonna happen. Her minivan is too big, and we were constantly swapping vehicles to get down the single lane wide driveway when we were parking in there. It would be nice to get her on this side of the gate though.

    WRT 3d printers, I got this one, surplus- http://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers/uprint-se-plus it’s actually the version from before stratasys bought them from Dimension. Looks identical though, and has 2 different colors of filament loaded. I have about 30 build trays, there must have been one for each kid in the class. Getting it up and running, and the right toolchain installed on my pc, and learning about HOW to get good models should only take………. a long time. I’ve got a BIG SLS powder printer sitting at my buddy’s shop. We’ve still not had any time to fire that bad boy up. It came with the PC to drive it, and was working when sent to auction. There was a small SLS printer in the auction while I was at disney, and it went for $60….. a Z Corp ZPrinter 310 Plus 3D, with a powder recycle center. That one KILLED me to miss.

    n

  47. MrAtoz says:

    My prep is currently on a SWA flight to Louisville, Corn-tucky. MrsAtoz has a gig for some sweet cash. Gig is tomorrow, we fly back to Vegas Sunday. Off for T-Giving, then off to San Bernardino for a week, then fly to Des Moines for a week. Gonna be boring for me since I’m just the burro. I’ll bring the lappy and try to fire up my Python course.

    I use Arlo cams and like them. I’d also like a home non-inner-tubes based control system. The ‘net will be the first to go, just like the fatties.

    Our “inherited” chihuahua is 17 and can get around to poop/pee outstide. Deaf and blind but still gets excited at food time and will climb the stairs when I’m not looking.

  48. Ray Thompson says:

    Deaf and blind but still gets excited at food time and will climb the stairs when I’m not looking

    Sort of represents me lately.

  49. Greg Norton says:

    Cramer is not off the wall here. The Federal Reserve has raised the interest rates so much that the economy is slowing drastically. Plus the midterm election affected the economy as people waited for the results.

    Geesh. Cramer is still on the air?!?

    Something strange is definitely going on so I’ll give him “broken clock” credibility. I see a lot more houses staying on the market or put up for rent in my neighborhood, and National car rental was handing out high-end GMC trucks in lieu of mid-size cars for the same price at Austin-Bergstrom last week.

  50. lynn says:

    Deaf and blind but still gets excited at food time and will climb the stairs when I’m not looking

    Sort of represents me lately.

    +1

  51. Nick Flandrey says:

    there are definitely still economic issues. The middle is hollow.

    n

  52. lynn says:

    “A Used SpaceX Rocket Just Launched a Satellite for Qatar, Then Aced a Landing”
    https://www.space.com/42446-spacex-rocket-launches-eshail-2-satellite-aces-landing.html

    “SpaceX has now pulled off 31 first-stage landings and reflown landed boosters on 17 occasions. These activities are part of SpaceX’s plan to cut the cost of spaceflight dramatically, thereby making the settlement of Mars and other ambitious exploration feats economically feasible.”

    Sweet !

  53. CowboySlim says:

    From the link above:

    …into an elliptical geostationary transfer orbit.

    I guess Musk has invented a new shape.

  54. Nick Flandrey says:

    word salad may not have made it thru the filter of the “journalist” involved

    Or it may be more Musk gibber jabber…

    n

  55. ech says:

    I guess Musk has invented a new shape.

    Nope. The transfer orbit from LEO to geostationary orbit is an ellipse. When it gets to geostationary, it will do a burn to stay there in a (close to) circular orbit.

  56. Alan says:

    @Nick – if it matters to you,the heading of your opener has the wrong date:

    Fri. Nov. 15, 2018 – what did you do to prep this week?

  57. Rick Hellewell says:

    @Alan – @Nick Fixed the heading for yesterday, and the link.

  58. Nick Flandrey says:

    Thanks Rick, I’m a bit blurry in the morning, and my vision is literally blurry for a while.

    I usually double check, but depending on what page I’m posting from, the previous day’s headline might not be visible.

    I count on you guys to keep me honest!

    n

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