Had sunny and hot all through Illinois, Missouri, but into Arkansas it got dark and rumble-y. Missed all the thunderstorms but saw a pretty light show.
The farmers are still flooded. Many won’t get a crop this year. The gas station attendant said it’s worse than it looks. He has a two hour detour because one of the towns he would normally drive-through is 8 feet underwater, still. And the rain keeps coming.
More when I get home and have a screen and keyboard…
N
Starting to take this retirement decision seriously.
Worrying about trying to catalog all the details and moving pieces that need to be managed in the next few months kept me up later than usual. Wife convinced me to simply make a list and prioritize, sensible woman.
This morning dawned very warm and humid. July in Mississippi is not pleasant. But then, my short time in Houston was far too close to Hong Kong weather for my comfort.
Pretty quiet today.
72º and sunny on the North Coast. Planning to do a little run at lunch to warm things up. Biked to work (7 miles) with an extra mile & 15 minutes because I realized early that I forgot my belt.
I’ve lost 20+ lbs so far in our fat-boy contest. I’m exercising the same as in the past, but dropped the sodas, the afternoon candy-bar, and the 2nds (and thirds) at mealtimes. It’s working for me. One of the managers is complaining that she always comes in 2nd. I won’t feel bad about adding another year to her streak.
Here’s to safe travels, @Nick. I’m sorry for the reason for your trip, but glad you were able to do it and get some completions.
It is better to complain in the darkness than to light a candle. And don’t get me started on the way that other guy lit a candle. — The Big Book of the Wisdom of the Majority
Peanuts: honorary degrees
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/2019/06/29
Me neither !
Just crossed into Texas feels like home stretch.
N
Alley Oop: ancient Greece
https://www.gocomics.com/alley-oop/2019/07/01
Yup, it is all relative.
Those fun-loving “teens” are at it again:
Several Police Cars Damaged After Hundreds Of Teens Gather In North Philadelphia
As usual, despite the ubiquity of smart phones, there are no pix of the perps.
The “Apple has lost its mojo” drumbeat has started again. The Valley pundits still want to be cashed out of their Tesla “investment”.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/1/20676755/jony-ive-exit-tim-cook-disinterest-in-product
My guess is that Jony wasn’t happy with (among other thing) the upcoming 16″ laptop which is intended to make peace with IT departments unhappy with the current disposable designs.
If nothing else, Apple will have to back away from the new laptop keyboard design very carefully or end up facing class action lawsuits.
“Photos show freak summer hailstorm coating roads with 5 feet of ice in Guadalajara, Mexico”
https://www.chron.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Photos-show-freak-summer-hail-storm-coating-roads-14063412.php
Wow !
“Election model that predicted 2018 blue wave has Trump losing, liberal voters ‘terrified’”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/election-model-that-predicted-2018-blue-wave-has-trump-losing-liberal-voters-terrified
I ain’t buying it. We’ve seen this movie before.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
OK, over the weekend I spotted this beauty in the HAR listings. I sent an email to the listing agent asking 1. has the house flooded before and 2. is the master bedroom downstairs (not clear on the listing).
https://www.har.com/2400-pecan-court/sale_70580988
The listing agent replied via email that the answer to my flooding question is private knowledge and that my agent needs to contact him. My email reply was I just lost interest in the house. I figure that my answer to the flooding question was yes. And yes, the master bedroom is down which means that the agent cannot fill out a listing detail correctly (that means that there are two bedrooms down).
Randall likes space.
https://xkcd.com/2170/
Technology amazes me. I remember when Terraserver came online. This is just incredible.
Real estate agent can’t fill out a listing correctly ?
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.
One of my tenants who manages commercial swimming pools told me that he had to fire 40 of his 290 lifeguards today. They failed to turn in a completed W-4 form so he cannot pay them. He can only make two paychecks without a W-4 form. And he said that this is typical. He has lawyers related to the kids calling him demanding pay regardless of the lack of W-4 information (social security number, etc).
The listing agent replied via email that the answer to my flooding question is private knowledge and that my agent needs to contact him.
The last time we were in the market, I had to pay earnest money on one house to learn that the wife had backed through the garage door at some point.
https://www.har.com/2400-pecan-court/sale_70580988
Pass.
It’s pretty enough but either the camera is distorting or they enclosed the covered porch across the backside to make long narrow rooms. The bathroom sinks as a bowl are just stupid…. to me. How does that corner shower work? With no sign of a shower curtain or stall walls?
I like the the guest kitchen. I wish my kitchen was half as nice.
In the main kitchen, is that an ice maker? Or a drawer loading dishwasher? Pictures #7 and #9.
No back porch? In Texas?
Four trash bins?
If you look at the map there is something named “Dry Creek”. Code for “drainage ditch”. With the aerial views, the area looks very flat. So yes, if the house hasn’t actually flooded, it’s been very close. How much rain during the last big hurricane? Ok, it’s had water inside.
It’s pretty enough but either the camera is distorting or they enclosed the covered porch across the backside to make long narrow rooms. The bathroom sinks as a bowl are just stupid…. to me. How does that corner shower work? With no sign of a shower curtain or stall walls?
Yup, they enclosed the back and maybe a side porch. Looks like they are narrow rooms. I was wondering that about that corner shower also, I suspect that one puts down bath mats outside the shower pan. I have learned that pictures tend to be very misleading.
In the main kitchen, is that an ice maker? Or a drawer loading dishwasher? Pictures #7 and #9.
That there looks like a dishwasher to me.
ADD: wait, wait, wait, against the far wall ? Yes, that looks like an ice maker.
The listing agent replied via email that the answer to my flooding question is private knowledge and that my agent needs to contact him.
The last time we were in the market, I had to pay earnest money on one house to learn that the wife had backed through the garage door at some point.
I will not make an offer on a property without looking at the survey and the seller’s disclosure first. BTW, there is no seller’s disclosure on a commercial property in Texas.
I have backed into my garage door with my Expy. But not through it. That Expy has had a rough 208K miles.
Currently have my rear end parked in Eugene. Had a good reunion, three days of events. Meet and greet on Friday, Rooster Crow Parade on Saturday followed by an evening dinner at a place in Wimer (close to Rogue River), brunch on Sunday morning. Saw lots of former students and was pleasantly surprised how well most had aged.
Former math teacher who was 28 years old when I started HS also attended as he has done at all the reunions. Nice guy who got out of teaching because of the spoiled little cretins who’s parents think they are perfect angels and it is always someone else who is wrong about their precious little monster.
Also took a jet boat ride on the Rogue River. Have done it before but some other plans fell through so decided to do the trip again after 40 years. Left Grants Pass (where we stayed) and headed to Eugene.
On to Mount Hood and then the Dalles for the final stop before the airport. Will spend the night at the airport Hyatt as I have a very early flight on Thursday. Thus no worries about traffic, rental car return, etc. I don’t need any surprises.
I did have a pleasant surprise at Crater Lake National Park. I had forgotten to bring my lifetime national park pass. Normal entrance fee is $25.00. I asked the ranger at the entrance kiosk that since I had a VA card could I get a discount. He asked if I had disability, I told him yes, 20%. He gave me a national park pass that is available to all disabled veterans for no cost. Thus no entrance fee.
My mom’s listing agent (who she picked off the internet) never attended any of the showings. Her listing starts out “Don’t let the Exterior fool you, this is a very Spacious Home!”
Worthless.
n
Home safe.
more later
On to Mount Hood and then the Dalles for the final stop before the airport. Will spend the night at the airport Hyatt as I have a very early flight on Thursday. Thus no worries about traffic, rental car return, etc. I don’t need any surprises.
The Hyatt Place at Cascade Station?
The Famous Dave’s BBQ across the street from the hotel wasn’t terrible when we lived across the river, but it is a chain.
See, @NickFlandrey, as soon as you leave town, the new Socialist Mayor gets busy.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/mayor-lightfoots-pension-handoff-proposal
I guess if I had enough cash to live in Streeterville or points north, the living is nice and the big tax increases wouldn’t matter to me. For everyone else, however …
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/mayor-lightfoots-pension-handoff-proposal
I guess if I had enough cash to live in Streeterville or points north, the living is nice and the big tax increases wouldn’t matter to me. For everyone else, however …
Why don’t they just take all income above $50K per year ? Cue the mass exodus from IL. Oh wait, it is already happening. Sears is dead. I wonder when United, Discover, and the other big companies will leave.
My mom’s listing agent (who she picked off the internet) never attended any of the showings. Her listing starts out “Don’t let the Exterior fool you, this is a very Spacious Home!”
Nice looking little house. Nothing fancy, just a good place to live. Hey it even has four bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Why don’t they just take all income above $50K per year ? Cue the mass exodus from IL. Oh wait, it is already happening. Sears is dead. I wonder when United, Discover, and the other big companies will leave.
Don’t forget Boeing. The execs got tired of the flights to Seattle nearly 20 years ago and moved HQ to Chicago. Of course, that’s when the p*ss poor decision making started.
Parts of the city are extremely nice and offer a lifestyle that isn’t available in many other parts of the country except New York or San Francisco … at least, before that city started mapping homeless’ feces on the street.
United and Boeing were political payoff moves. They are there until the politics change.
n
Oakway, somewhere in the city. Lots of apartments and yuppie eateries so I am guessing a lot of college students hang around this location. Nice room as are all the Hyatt’s I have used. I have three free nights to use in the next year. This night will be one, PDX the next night, friend’s wedding in Atlanta the third. I get one free night a year from the $75.00 annual credit card fee which I figure is an excellent price for a Hyatt Hotel stay.
We have that in Knoxville and the food is fairly good. But local BBQ joints are generally better, and cheaper.
United and Boeing were political payoff moves. They are there until the politics change.
The taxes don’t matter to the execs at that level.
AT&T’s move to Downtown Dallas was a similar gimmie.
Dallas and Houston are technically insolvent due to pensions, but not to the degree that Chicago is under water.
While I was gone electrical storms seem to have killed 7 ports on my POE switch. That’s a LOT. Cams all booted back up and I have open ports to move to, but that sucks. I guess I better save a few switches from the auction.
n
More on the sugar baby killing
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/nigerian-native-who-murdered-mackenzie-lueck-came-to-us-on-student-visa-was-hoping-to-become-naturalized-citizen/
“To Botham Jean’s parents, fatal shooting still feels ‘as if it just happened’”
https://christianchronicle.org/its-as-if-it-just-happened/
“Almost nine months have passed since Amber Guyger, an off-duty Dallas police officer still in uniform, entered Botham Shem Jean’s fourth-floor apartment and opened fire, killing the beloved song leader and Bible class teacher as he prepared to watch a football game on TV.”
“Three days after the shooting, police charged Guyger with manslaughter. Later, she was fired and indicted by a grand jury on an upgraded murder charge. Her trial is set for September, a year after Botham Jean’s death.”
I am not sure that we will ever know what truly happened here. I do not believe that we are getting the true story.
I am not sure that we will ever know what truly happened here. I do not believe that we are getting the true story.
How can they go with murder? Has there been any mention of motive?
-shrug- Probably murder 2 or 3, which can involve recklessness or gross negligence, for either of which there is great evidence. And demonstrating motive at trial is a nice-to-have, not a requirement; the actions by themselves are usually enough. Heck, even in “hate crimes”, which by definition rely on the thoughts and intent of the alleged perpetrator, the prosecution usually imputes the intent from actions.
The average competence of the average real estate agent would be difficult to underestimate. The profession attracts so many wannabes, bored housewives and general incompetents – it’s just unbelievable. That said, the woman who just sold our house was surprisingly good. She still has some holes in her knowledge, but all-in-all she is the exception that proves the rule.
– – – – –
On a completely different topic, I need some brain bleach. I came across a rant by some fruitcake who “identifies” as a 14 year old, and therefore feels entitled to date tween and young-teen girls. By all indications, the guy is actually somewhere in his late 30s or early 40s.
Can we just do a global search-and-replace? Let’s just change “identify as” to “deluded and in need of psychiatric treatment”. That would seem to apply equally well to any of the places where that phrase regularly crops up.
I am not sure that we will ever know what truly happened here. I do not believe that we are getting the true story.
I always figured the real story would come out after the election, when the media didn’t have to protect Lupe Valdez anymore. It was unclear whether the Rangers had to be involved so quickly since the Sheriff’s office had jurisdiction.
At a mimimum, I’m not buying two aspects of the story: (1) That the victim and shooter had no prior connection. (2) The victim really was pure as the driven snow “beloved song leader”, “Bible class teacher”.
In particular, (2) reminds me of “The Legend of Jeff Bezos, Family Man, Drives a Honda, Wears The Same Shirt Every Day To Work”.
Oakway, somewhere in the city. Lots of apartments and yuppie eateries so I am guessing a lot of college students hang around this location.
The Hyatt Place always looked like a nice place when we drove by. Portland’s FBI office is around the corner, and PDX has a lot of Coast Guard and Air Force reserve activity.
We lived about 10 minutes away, just on the other side of the Glenn Jackson (205) bridge.
That Ms. Valdez was entrusted by her local government with a badge, gun, and powers of arrest is not relevant. She had no right to be in that apartment. The cops don’t get to just enter any dammed where they want!