Sun. July 19, 2020 – no rest for me

By on July 19th, 2020 in personal, WuFlu

Hot again, but probably not raining.  Until it does.

Yesterday stayed hot and humid all day.  Must have been less than 100% RH though since things did dry out in the driveway.  Lots of rainwater in every open bucket and piece of “inventory” out there.  Pool and pond both overflowing.

Didn’t get much done.  Very little in the garage.  I did pick up a couple of auction items for my non-prepping hobby, and that took me to a part of the northwest suburbs I haven’t been to before.  26 miles out of town up 290, then south.  I usually go north at  that point.  Interesting development, right on a creek.  LOTS of detention ponds but I bet it still flooded.  I’m always interested in the little areas around Houston especially once you get a bit out of town.  Too much water for me to consider moving to this one.

I did get the repairs done to my daughter’s new dresser.  Can’t even tell it was damaged.  It would have been simple but the drawers fought me, and to make the glue up easier, I did it in stages with time for the glue to set in between.  Like most things, you can have good, fast, or cheap, but you can only pick two.  In this case, I saved a bunch of money on the dresser, but spent time making repairs.  (The desk was unscathed, saved a bunch on that too.  It evens out.)  Her new “tween” room decor is coming together nicely.

We’ve been looking for ways to do ‘special’ things for the girls during our isolation and time out of school.   We’ll be doing some updates to daughter 2’s room as well.

I did put a few rounds through the airsoft pistol late in the evening.  I did some very low light point shooting, supported, unsupported strong, and unsupported weak hand.  I was either hitting the cans or just missing.  Pretty good for not being able to see the sights and barely able to see the cans.  Again, it’s liberating to be able to work some stuff you just can’t do at the range.  I know it’s not the same, but I’m working on sight alignment, body positioning (purposely off balance and mostly wrong footed), and ‘breaking the shot’ feeling the trigger.  The airsoft SIG “points” with very similar geometry to my G17, so it feels pretty natural to line up.  And it’s FUN.

Today I’ll be working on all the same things I’ve been working on all week.  I’m really hoping to be done with the freezer and most of the garage reorg.  The cleanup will continue for some time, but the freezer needs to be cold and full of food.  I also need to cut the grass and go through the gardens.  It was too wet yesterday.

Dinner was fresh brats boiled in beer then grilled for flavor and appearance.  Fresh corn on the cob.  Daughter 1 made a cake from boxed mix for dessert.


An interesting note, sometime today or tomorrow, we’ll pass 135,000 comments here.  The comments are the biggest part of this site.  If you come here and just read my blather, you’re missing out.  I can’t believe that I came here for a year? two? before I started reading comments, and then contributing.  There is a diverse, knowledgeable, and POLITE group of great folks here and a HUGE pool of talent and experience.  Join the conversation.

 

And keep stacking!

nick

 

78 Comments and discussion on "Sun. July 19, 2020 – no rest for me"

  1. Ray Thompson says:

    Costco has the Surface laptop, 16 meg, 256 SSD, with 15 months Office 365 Family, on sale for $300 off bringing the price to $1249.00. My current Surface is 1st generation and I am thinking of updating. The Surface 4 may be out in 3 or 4 months so I am thinking of waiting. My current Surface does most of what I need. Photography stuff is a little slow but works. Video rendering sucks but I do very little of that.

    So three options. 1) Keep what I have. 2) Get the Surface 3 from Costco saving $300. 3) Wait until the Surface 4 comes out. I can get 10% off with a veteran discount if Microsoft continues the program which will probably save me $150 on the model I would want.

    I have been wavering between all three options for two days.

  2. SteveF says:

    Ray, try tossing a coin (or rolling a six-sided die, as you have three choices) and if the randomly-chosen decision makes you unhappy then it’s the wrong one. Eliminate it and try again.

    One caution is that if each of the randomly-chosen decisions makes you unhappy then this method won’t help and you might as well let the coin make your decision for real.

    Dinner was fresh brats boiled in beer

    To clarify, you’re not talking about your children, right? You supposed to keep kids away from beer lest you make the Puritans cry or something.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    I have been wavering between all three options for two days.

    It seems like Intel is back to having the interns tape out subsequent generations of Core. Any performance difference would be from SSD and/or memory standard. Apple opted to roll the dice on their own silicon for a reason.

    The upside of waiting is that the hardware manufacturers have seen a mini boom this Summer so deals on new hardware may happen faster in the Fall absent another stimulus check.

    Decisions … decisions …

  4. Greg Norton says:

    Tyler Durden cowardice. Too many people still want to have sex with Shot Girl despite her clocking 30 this year, but a lot of financial journalists hold stock in AMZN and TSLA so something must be done.

    Caruso-Cabrera name drop. A full, complex sentence justifying the incentives NY offered AMZN (imagine!). I’m thinking someone on the CNBC payroll.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/they-just-take-and-take-aoc-aims-soak-rich-proposed-new-york-wealth-tax

    Warning shot to Cuomo the Younger at the end. Facing reelection in 2022, he’ll end up like Daddy if he goes along with such a scheme.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    This piece actually aired on the local Fox station … Wednesday/Thursday (?), but, in retrospect, the justification offered by the TRA spokeswoman to reopen the bacchanalia was so ridiculous that the station dragged out the time frame for publishing on their web site.

    People ordering “really cool craft cocktails” are not washing down $9 burgers.

    https://www.fox7austin.com/news/tra-pushes-for-all-places-with-a-kitchen-including-bars-to-open-back-up

  6. Nick Flandrey says:

    @ray, waiting for the new hardware/shiny thing used to be a sucker’s game, remember? The day was always later than they promised, and the stuff was never as shiny…

    I understand the lure though. IF it will make your user experience better, IF it cuts out a bit of lag on common ops, IF you have the money free- I’d buy something new. I don’t know if I’d wait though. Anything can happen, including more supply chain disruption, and then you’ve waited 6 months or 8…

    n

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    Tax the rich people sounds great to some people, but there are never enough ‘rich’ and pretty soon it’s just tax the people.

    All a high tax on wealth in NYC will do is drive out the high net wealth people. They are famously mobile. Yacht tax anyone? Just drove them to NJ. Luxury tax? Killed the US luxury yacht business. Even TRUMP moved his residence to a low tax state when his income was reduced despite the optics of the move.

    You can squeeze the golden goose to try to get another egg out, but eventually you choke it to death.

    n

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  8. Pecancorner says:

    I’ve been watching this guy repair porcelain, first a japanese vase that is an incredible piece of work and now an antique doll’s head.

    I will watch the videos tonight! I’m curious about his methods. My husband did pottery & porcelain restoration as part of his antiques business. He was able to work magic! It’s a fascinating craft, and required an unexpected amount of creativity, esp with some of the more oddball stuff that came in. On most things, he would first unglue and remove all the old glue, carefully fit each piece and lay them out, then begin adhering. He used literally “one drop” of super glue to attach each piece. Then when it was all glued and cured, he would mix up his fill material and apply to all of the cracks. But the primary key to the whole thing was to sand the fill to the Nth degree. Unless the sanding is mastered, no amount of good work after that would hide the repair.

    An interesting note, sometime today or tomorrow, we’ll pass 135,000 comments here. The comments are the biggest part of this site.

    Congratulations to all involved! It takes a lot of good management (both people-management and technical management) for a site to become ‘comment friendly’, and to build the critical mass essential for conversations. I am a newcomer, and it has been surprisingly easy to feel comfortable posting here. It is also touching to see the respect shown to Barbara… says a lot about this community.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    All a high tax on wealth in NYC will do is drive out the high net wealth people. They are famously mobile. Yacht tax anyone? Just drove them to NJ. Luxury tax? Killed the US luxury yacht business.

    The yacht taxes drove all the boat building offshore to the Bahamas and similar places after Bush 41 signed the first of those into law. I watched it happen around where we lived in Florida, which had a pretty lively boat building industry until those taxes started hitting.

  10. SteveF says:

    The yacht tax about crushed my brother’s employer back then. I don’t know how many rich people were inconvenienced, but I do know that almost a hundred machinists and other factory workers lost their jobs, just at that one small company.

  11. dkreck says:

    My wife just asked me if it was no longer possible to buy disenfecting wipes. I suggested she should ask the store manager (does this make her a Karen?).
    Really it’s one of the few items still missing from store shelves. I reminded her we have lots of paper towels and AB sprays. Also AB handsoap is still hard to get but AB dishsoap is plentiful. Lots of alcohol in the drug section.
    Wife woke up last Sunday with stuffy head and swollen glands. Hypochondria set in and called GP on Monday. He went ahead with Wuflu test and came up negative on Friday. Suspected it would as she had no temperature or cough. GP didn’t really help when he told her there was nothing going around except the WuFlu. Really? When isn’t there summer colds?
    She back to ridin’ my ass about everything she wants done so I guess she’s ok. SNAFU.

  12. Nick Flandrey says:

    @pecancorner, Thank You!

    and I’m glad you came and stayed. Bob would often comment that he was passing along something from email from someone who didn’t feel confident commenting on their own. I couldn’t quite understand that, but then I’ve never been shy about expressing myself since becoming an adult. As a kid, oh yeah I could be very sensitive.

    We’ve had an few others join in regularly fairly recently too and we’re glad to have you.

    And every once in a while someone de-cloaks and contributes… which is great.

    Jerry Pournelle used to say that he had one of the best readerships on the web, and I know policy makers were briefed/ or read some of his stuff. Of course, he acted as an official advisor to politicians in real life too, and had a lot of weight in certain circles. The commentariat here had a lot of overlap with his readership. When I sent out the notices of Bob’s passing I looked at the email addresses people used to comment, and there were some surprises there. (I haven’t looked since, and don’t look, unless there is an issue.) We have a very diverse and accomplished group here 🙂 (and we’re all good looking, and smell nice too)

    n

  13. Greg Norton says:

    Jerry Pournelle used to say that he had one of the best readerships on the web, and I know policy makers were briefed/ or read some of his stuff. Of course, he acted as an official advisor to politicians in real life too, and had a lot of weight in certain circles.

    I think it is safe to state that without Dr. Pournelle’s advocacy for SSTO and DC-X, SpaceX never would have happened. We’d probably still be waiting for NASA to figure out a Shuttle replacement.

    And anyone excited about Starship needs to remember what was proven possible with the existing technology 25 years go using a lot less money, even adjusted for inflation. Boca Chica isn’t even there yet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv9n9Casp1o

  14. CowboySlim says:

    @JimB,

    My SIL was raised in Mammoth and goes up annually to golf and party with old friends. Stopped at Indian Wells Brewery (Inyokern) and brought some back which we greatly enjoyed yesterday. Also, greatly impressed with the facility. Now, he wants to get back for some more and also visit his mother who lives about 12 miles SE of Kernville. Let you know when we go.

  15. Ray Thompson says:

    IF you have the money free- I’d buy something new

    I decided on the Surface Laptop 3, black, 256 gig SSD, 16 gig of memory, Intel I7. There is a 90 day return policy so if something new in the Surface Pro 4 laptop comes out during that time that blows this system away I can return the system and get my money back.

    Costco also extends the warranty to two years, used the Costco VISA which adds another two years of warranty coverage for a total of four years (yes, I know you can all add). That is well beyond the Microsoft warranty of one year.

    I did order the USB travel hub for the USB-C port. Provides network, VGA, HDMI, USB-C and USB 3.0 outputs. I can get rid of three travel adaptors in my current collection. Ordered from Microsoft. Amazon wanted $100.71 plus tax, Microsoft offered it to me for $89.98 plus tax, both with free shipping.

    I have really liked my Surface Pro Laptop, version 1, only an I5, 8 gig memory, 256 gig ssd (which is about half full). Thin, light and performs well, so I see no reason to stray from the line. Plus my docking station and pen will work with the new device. 15 months of Office 365, plus the $300.00 off made it attractive enough to pull the trigger.

  16. lynn says:

    An interesting note, sometime today or tomorrow, we’ll pass 135,000 comments here. The comments are the biggest part of this site. If you come here and just read my blather, you’re missing out. I can’t believe that I came here for a year? two? before I started reading comments, and then contributing. There is a diverse, knowledgeable, and POLITE group of great folks here and a HUGE pool of talent and experience. Join the conversation.

    Thank you so much for mentioning that ! I am trying very hard to be contributing and POLITE. I seriously believe in WWJD (what would Jesus do) and know that he wants me to be polite and respectful of others.

    I participate in a science fiction and fantasy forum which is very difficult to maintain being polite and respectful. I try but I have lost my temper there several times.

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    I was somewhat less than polite in a comment over at survivalblog.com regarding a particularly stupid, dangerous, and poorly written entry in their writing contest (ie. free content machine.) Hugh bounced it back to me, recommended revising the tone, and then he’d allow it to post. He was right and it WAS more effective without the bitter snark.

    wrt the convention here of obscuring swear words and obscenity-that initially came about because Bob had some concerns about nanny filters blocking access to the site. (Remember nanny filters?) I’ve continued it because it’s more than enough to get the point across, and raises the ‘tone’ just a tiny bit.

    n

  18. SteveF says:

    Last Summer I bought myself a new — new to me — laptop from a coworker. (She needed a Windows machine to run something for one of her classes so she bought a top-end laptop, then didn’t use it after that class and finally sold it for a third of what she paid, and well under typical CraigsList prices.) (She’s about 28, deeply in debt from getting her MBA, has a couple thousand dollars of tattoos, and has taken two vacations with flying and hotels in a little over a year. She’s not unintelligent but she’s not applying her brain to her life.) I figured to give my daughter my current laptop, which is functional but getting on in years.

    Anyway, the computer. It’s an HP but similar to a MS Surface. The screen folds all the way back to make a big tablet or video-watching device. High res screen, touchscreen, 500GB SSD, 16GB RAM, all the bells and whistles. … And it doesn’t work with Linux. As a computer with a keyboard and monitor it works. The touchscreen didn’t work, flipping into tablet mode didn’t, bluetooth didn’t, wifi was flaky, touchpad was flaky. Grr.

    Bottom line, my daughter got a really sweet laptop which can run all the latest games, animation creation software, and everything else she wants. Grr. I’ve been making her take care of it, taking it away if she’s careless about slamming the lid shut and the like. But still. The little brat stole my new computer.

    The coworker from whom I bought it, by the way, thinks this tale is hilarious. Well, she’s got a point.

  19. SteveF says:

    What would Jesus do?

    Sneak across America’s southern border, get a job working for cash using a stolen social security number, send enough money back home to smuggle his wife and four small children into the US, put the kids in the public school system (free to him), sign up for food assistance and rent assistance programs (free to him), go to the emergency rooms when anyone needs any medical care (free to him), and vote by mail when the card addressed to a previous occupant comes to his apartment.

    Or were you talking about a different Jesus?

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  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well the grass is cut. The daughter’s new dresser is done and back together and almost all my mess is out of her room.

    I’m alternating between cooling off my precious brain and clearing more space for the freezer. It’s 104F in the sun in my driveway and the garage is headed there. I might find another indoor project to alternate with to give my precious brain (hmmmmm braaaaaiiiinnnnnsss) time to cool even more.

    n

  21. Greg Norton says:

    And it doesn’t work with Linux. As a computer with a keyboard and monitor it works. The touchscreen didn’t work, flipping into tablet mode didn’t, bluetooth didn’t, wifi was flaky, touchpad was flaky. Grr.

    I’ve had really good luck with Linux and T-series ThinkPads, but, generally, the more exotic the hardware, the less likely the OS will work well.

    With Linux, your best bet is to get a laptop where you suspect the manufacturer simply cribbed an Intel reference design, letting Chipzilla do the heavy lifting with regard to the engineering. I believe that to be the case with Dell Inspiron laptops, but YMMV.

    Another option is a specialty vendor like System76, but you’ll pay a premium.

    My current travel machine is an Inspiron 3000 from 3-4 years ago with a max memory limit of 4 GB. It is totally useless for Windows 10 at this point, but serviceable for Linux using either Fedora 32 or Linux Mint 20.

    HP. Have you tried Intel’s CLEAR Linux?

    I went to grad school with the guy who designed most of Compaq’s laptops right up until the HP buyout, when he got cut loose. I doubt HP has a lot of in-house talent left and just farms out the design work to one of their contract manufacturers and/or Intel.

  22. lynn says:

    The wife’s favorite uncle passed away Friday in Abilene. He was 79 and fought prostate cancer for 20+ years. They removed his prostate a month ago which was a freaking disaster since they had to take his intestines too. He was a Vietnam vet and one of the river boat guys. He stayed in the military until he was 40+ and then joined the Guard full time as a mechanic. He was a super nice guy and let me rebuild two car engines in his driveway using his engine hoist (the only way to pull an engine !). He was a lifelong deacon in his church and beloved for his good works. He was half Cherokee and never had to shave a day in his life. He was the wife’s mother’s baby brother. His oldest brother in Tulia, TX is 97 and still kicking, planning to make it to 100.

    The wife just left, two hours late, headed for the The Colony, TX to pick up her sister. Then they head for Abilene, TX. Her sister is recovering from double breast cancer surgery and radiation back in March and is having trouble driving long distances. I made the wife promise to not to touch anyone or hug anyone but I am sure that will go out the door at the funeral tomorrow . Again, I am the bad guy because she started crying. The extended family is very, very close and they call or text each other weekly.

    I am so glad that I bought the wife the Highlander in Dec 2018. I feel much more comfortable knowing that she has a dependable vehicle of some size. It is a great vehicle and I heartily recommend it with the V6 motor.

  23. JLP says:

    In case anyone is still interested in my saga of the un-evictable roommate…

    On Tuesday I made her an offer (verbal and in an email) of a couple of thousand $$ to leave by July 31. I also said the amount and date were open for negotiation. She has flat out ignored it. I have repeated the offer and tried to talk with her. Complete silence. She went shopping the other day and filled the freezer. She doesn’t plan to go anywhere.

    On Saturday I felt the need to change the WiFi password. The printer/scanner/copier, which she uses frequently, now requires a passcode to use. The Apple TV box now has parental controls activated to limit who can watch. She was very angry but didn’t do anything more than just act grumpy (more than usual).

    I am actually in fear of this woman. She has become increasing unstable over the last year and that has ramped up recently. She threw her iPad at me when I asked her what her plans were. I didn’t call the police then, but if it happens again I will. She made a threat to kill someone last year and barely escaped being arrested when the person declined to press the issue. Physically I’m bigger and stronger than she is but that is meaningless against a knife or gun or a 2×4 while asleep. The moment she does anything that can be considered a threat I will be calling the cops.

    I worry that she may make a false claim about me. That was one of the reasons to change the WiFi password. She could access illegal stuff (child porn) on my account and I could be held accountable. I have ordered some security cams to place around the house. My best understanding is that it is perfectly legal for me to do that as long as they are in common areas, not hidden, and do not record audio. The primary effect is to be a deterrence, as well as record any unwanted activity. The video cameras are for my protection. She hates being photographed so it might have the other effect of helping her make the decision to move along.

    This is getting ugly. This is not who I am. I don’t like to do these things to someone, but I have no other options right now. I just want it to be over.

  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    @lynn, that is very tough. My condolences.

    n

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    @jlp, that is getting a bit concerning. If she’s making threats and acting violently, you are right to be concerned.

    A simple doorstop under the bedroom door is an unobtrusive security measure that she should never even become aware of. A couple of cans with something in them to make noise stacked just inside the door might be in order too.

    Every state is different wrt recordings. Most require signs outside of the home, but inside I don’t think there’s much law, except the wiretapping laws. Make sure she’s aware of your new ‘security system’ cams. You might then put a small discrete one on a bookshelf to cover the room that she doesn’t know about. Nanny cams don’t seem to get people in trouble unless they are in bathrooms or bedrooms.

    Unfortunately you now have to worry about all kinds of things. Historically women were poisoners rather than physical attackers.

    and she can attack your reputation as you already know. You definitely want to be on record FIRST about any threats or physical actions. Otherwise anything you do will just look like CYA or retaliation. IANAL, but maybe it’s time to talk seriously with one about protecting yourself, especially if her behavior is deteriorating.

    n

  26. paul says:

    Too hot to do much outside. Floating on an air mattress at the lake would be nice but last I heard the boat ramp is closed. Because we all gonna die! of kung-flu.
    But yeah, keep charging property taxes to pay for the stuff. (grump)

    I made beef stew last night. Sort of. I have some bouillon/soup base. Two tablespoons per cup? It’s lumpy so measuring is rough. Rough measure, taste, add more. Oops, add water. Scrubbed and diced a couple of baking potatoes. Peeled and chopped a couple of carrots. Black pepper. A couple of tablespoons or so of dried onion. A generous wave of garlic powder. Let it start to simmer…. more pepper, some dried parsley and a bit of oregano. Almost added some celery salt but I had enough salt already.

    It’s tasting good but flat. More pepper and garlic powder. Almost there. The potatoes and carrots are almost done. Added a can of Keystone Beef, juice and all. Brought it up to a simmer and then dumped in half a cup of instant mashed potatoes to thicken a bit.

    It was pretty good. Tonight is a repeat but adding a little can of corn and a chopped can of canned potatoes. Baking potatoes seem to cook into the broth. Different kind of potato than Dinty Moore uses?

    I’ll have to stop there. If this goes tomorrow night, that’s the point my Dad would dump in a couple of cans of beans, any kind but green, a couple of handfuls of rice, and then shirt-r gets weird. Like weird enough “he” wouldn’t eat it. The dogs wouldn’t touch it. Lima beans and red beans just ugh.

    I emptied the container I use for instant mashed potatoes last night. Wandered out to the pantry today for corn and a can of potatoes and also brought in a box of instant potatoes. HEB Hill Country Fare. Best by November 2014. I think. Can’t tell from new. I don’t think that box has been there for six years. If so, it survived the weevil attack I had after storing a box of dog cookies out there.

    I’m just piddling.

    The scrawny cat that was sorta of plump and that is now always wanting food, brought out her three kittens today. Ok, so /she/ is nursing and not full of cancer. Cute kits, no hissing or stickers. Two calicos and a yellow. My skill at sexing cats is almost zero…. I thought the critter was a male.

  27. paul says:

    In case anyone is still interested in my saga of the un-evictable roommate…

    Do you have an easy to move dresser that can block your bedroom door?

    The usual indoor locking knob (like for a bathroom) might be enough. But crazy people….

    edit– Nick’s idea of a door wedge is easier.

  28. Pecancorner says:

    She threw her iPad at me when I asked her what her plans were. I didn’t call the police then, but if it happens again I will.

    I strongly encourage calling the non-emergency police number to file an official report of that incident. That is domestic violence. The police will probably take the report over the phone, and at least you will have a record in event it is needed.

  29. Greg Norton says:

    The scrawny cat that was sorta of plump and that is now always wanting food, brought out her three kittens today. Ok, so /she/ is nursing and not full of cancer. Cute kits, no hissing or stickers. Two calicos and a yellow. My skill at sexing cats is almost zero…. I thought the critter was a male.

    The calicos are most likely female. The yellow is probably a male — coloring like Morris the Cat from the old 9 Lives cans, right?

    The upside of calicos is that they aren’t hard to give away. They’re usually not friendly to other cats outside of family, but I’ve never encountered a calico who wasn’t good with kids.

    You’ll want to get the scrawny cat fixed, though, if you’re keeping her around.

    The yellow, if male, will be easy/cheap to have neutered. He’ll live longer.

  30. lynn says:

    Tyler Durden cowardice. Too many people still want to have sex with Shot Girl despite her clocking 30 this year, but a lot of financial journalists hold stock in AMZN and TSLA so something must be done.

    Caruso-Cabrera name drop. A full, complex sentence justifying the incentives NY offered AMZN (imagine!). I’m thinking someone on the CNBC payroll.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/they-just-take-and-take-aoc-aims-soak-rich-proposed-new-york-wealth-tax

    Warning shot to Cuomo the Younger at the end. Facing reelection in 2022, he’ll end up like Daddy if he goes along with such a scheme.

    A lot of people had loved ones die in the New York State nursing homes. The long knives will be out in 2022 for Cuomo. More taxes on a rapidly shrinking population will just enrage more of them and cause them to move to Florida and Texas where they stupidly vote for dumbocrats.

    When Sean Hannity leaves Long Island for Florida, that will be it. He is close and has been talking about leaving. I suspect that he has already bought a house down the street from Rush Limbaugh.

  31. Greg Norton says:

    I made the wife promise to not to touch anyone or hug anyone but I am sure that will go out the door at the funeral tomorrow . Again, I am the bad guy because she started crying. The extended family is very, very close and they call or text each other weekly.

    If the extended family aren’t into doing stupid things, your wife should be fine. West of I35 seems like a whole different state sometimes, and their virus numbers have been a lot different.

    The one constant my wife has noticed with her patients who come down with the virus is that someone in the house did something stupid. In the last week it was something stupid over the July 4th holiday weekend.

    The really disturbing trend is caregivers who do something stupid and knowingly go to work sick, even working directly for the VA. That has been devastating to the agency’s older population, particularly those dependent on home health aides visiting once a day.

  32. paul says:

    Yes, the yellow kit if male, and friendly, I’ll have snipped before he goes roaming.

  33. SteveF says:

    The long knives will be out in 2022 for Cuomo.

    “Andrew Cuomo ordered upstate nursing homes to take the city’s sick people and thousands of elderly New Yorkers died. My mother would have voted against Andrew Cuomo this year because of that. But she can’t. Andrew Cuomo killed my mother in 2020. And now that she’s dead, she’ll be voting Democrat for the next fifty years.”

    (If any campaign consultants for Republican politicians want to use that, take it with my blessing.)

    If the extended family aren’t into doing stupid things

    Hahahaha! Oh, that’s a good one. Tell it again, the tall tale about the family with more than twenty people who didn’t have at least one who did stupid things and then the rest of the family closed ranks to defend her against any outside criticism.

  34. lynn says:

    The yacht taxes drove all the boat building offshore to the Bahamas and similar places after Bush 41 signed the first of those into law. I watched it happen around where we lived in Florida, which had a pretty lively boat building industry until those taxes started hitting.

    The yacht tax about crushed my brother’s employer back then. I don’t know how many rich people were inconvenienced, but I do know that almost a hundred machinists and other factory workers lost their jobs, just at that one small company.

    Bush 41 was a real war hero in WWII. And he was a hero at the CIA. And then he turned into a freaking bureaucrat in the swamp. He joined together with the dumbocrats to hurt the wealthy. The wealthy just moved their toys offshore. The little people got hurt.

    In fact, the wealthy learned a very important lesson. They moved their money offshore too. It has never come back. Their money will never come back. Would you keep your mad money here ?

  35. paul says:

    West of I35 seems like a whole different state sometimes

    Pretty much get out of Austin past Leander (tho the rot is spreading) to 281 and go south almost to SA or north to I-20 and all points west along the way and it is a different state.

    It’s not at all like going to east Texas and Livingston and towards LA.

    My map of Texas. Roughly. And incomplete.

    RGV. Which smears from McAllen/Edinburg west to Laredo and east to Brownsville and up to the King Ranch, and maybe to Alice. Like I said, smears.

    South of Houston and up to Beaumont or so is a whole ‘nother place.

    DFW is what the heck. A cluster of something pretty much in the middle of nowhere. “Plastic” works. But points north and west from there act normal. Going East, the closer you get to Louisiana the stranger.

    Corpus Christi creeps me out. The area has a bad vibe.

    Around El Paso is weird, more New Mexico than Texas. To me.

    Big Bend and points north feel like home.

    I dunno. Texas could be chopped into six parts but there is no need. Because we are all Texans.

  36. lynn says:

    She threw her iPad at me when I asked her what her plans were. I didn’t call the police then, but if it happens again I will.

    I strongly encourage calling the non-emergency police number to file an official report of that incident. That is domestic violence. The police will probably take the report over the phone, and at least you will have a record in event it is needed.

    I second that. The first to file documentation of an incident wins with the judge.

    Video would be even cooler.

  37. Nick Flandrey says:

    “The first to file documentation of an incident wins with the judge. ”

    –this is hammered home with defensive gun use. If you draw it, YOU need to call the cops afterward so that your story is first. When the other guy gets his dander up enough to deal with the po-po, then HE’ll call and get you for brandishing.

    Principle is the same….

    n

  38. Nick Flandrey says:

    Also, divemedic had a horror story about his ex and losing his guns. Turn on location services on your phone. He was able to show that his phone was no where near the ex when the alleged incident took place. Let the tracking spyware work in your favor for once….

    n

  39. MrAtoz says:

    In case anyone is still interested in my saga of the un-evictable roommate…

    It is just crazy this is happening. With full support of the goobermint. If this was happening to my wife, the next time the crazy woman went shopping, her Mexicale friends would throw all her shirt(-r) out the window. There wouldn’t be a next time after that.

    When your home isn’t your Castle anymore, game over, Man, game over.

  40. MrAtoz says:

    I received my Valve Index VR Kit on Saturday. It comes with a free copy of Half-Life: Alyx, a $60 value. I got everything adjusted today, went through the VR setup, and started Alyx. It is wild and very fulfilling. When I play, my Dell Alienware PC draws so much power that the whimpy UPS starts to beep. Must find a higher wattage UPS.

    PS I’m 65 and playing PC games. Yay me!

  41. paul says:

    Have you ever gone somewhere and it feels like home?

    Being a Marine Brat, we moved a lot. Calif, Oregon, Hawaii (Honolulu), Calif, old man retired and then to Mobile. We moved every three years. Great fun for a little kid and always being “the new kid”. Water down the river though.

    Years ago Delta had a deal were 20 “legs” would be good for two First Class tickets to wherever. You had to take the flights. So Austin to Dallas and back a couple of times on a weekend. A couple to San Antonio. $69 per round trip.

    Ok, two First Class tickets to Maui!

    First Class on Delta was awesome. To me… best little steak ever but one.

    Anyway, my first time to Maui. They didn’t have the jetway thing back then. They just got the plane close and shoved some stairs up to the door. Then you had to walk a few hundred feet to the terminal. Yeah, I heard folks complaining. TF? Pretty much of the whole airport was like a carport. Open air and shaded. I liked it.

    I got off the stairs from the plane and it was like “I’m home”. It was maybe like sticking your tongue on a 9volt battery.
    When we went home, the LA airport was bleh. When we landed in Austin, yep, “I’m home”. Oh, at Mueller. The old airport. I haven’t been to whatever it’s called out by Creedmore. San Antonio is closer.

    A few years later, another trip to Hawaii. Landed in Honolulu. Meh. Did get leid in the airport though. 🙂 Back home to Austin, yeah, I’m home.

    I can’t explain it.

  42. lynn says:

    I made the wife promise to not to touch anyone or hug anyone but I am sure that will go out the door at the funeral tomorrow . Again, I am the bad guy because she started crying. The extended family is very, very close and they call or text each other weekly.

    If the extended family aren’t into doing stupid things, your wife should be fine. West of I35 seems like a whole different state sometimes, and their virus numbers have been a lot different.

    My wife and her sister are the only ones who live east of I-35. Even the ones living in Oklahoma.

    I do not want my wife and her sister hugging their 79 year old aunt. My wife and her sister are both coming from very infected areas. But her aunt will insist on hugging them. She helped raise them and spent lots of time with them over the years.

    Do not touch other people right now !

    I know it is hard. We like to hug the people we love.

  43. lynn says:

    West of I35 seems like a whole different state sometimes

    Pretty much get out of Austin past Leander (tho the rot is spreading) to 281 and go south almost to SA or north to I-20 and all points west along the way and it is a different state.

    It’s not at all like going to east Texas and Livingston and towards LA.

    My map of Texas. Roughly. And incomplete.

    Whoever got the agreement to be able to break Texas up into five states in the original agreement for the independent nation of Texas to join the USA was a freaking genius. Texas has always been five separate areas. In fact, the distinctions have grown greater over the last 170+ years.

  44. Greg Norton says:

    Pretty much get out of Austin past Leander (tho the rot is spreading) to 281 and go south almost to SA or north to I-20 and all points west along the way and it is a different state.

    More rot, definitely. North-Northwest towards Lampasas is the only direction Austin can grow at this point. I’ve seen the long term planning for tolled express lanes up 183 on either side of the already tolled segment through Cedar Park/Leander, and then out 29 from Liberty Hill to Burnet.

    Number One Sons staked by families to establish beachheads in desireable tech areas in the US generally prefer new housing if possible. Some, like my Chinese neighbors on one side will compromise on that point for a good school district, but the long term goal is new.

    The few remaining ranches close in when we moved here have been bought and built out for H1B tastes, and Chinese don’t generally mix well with Subcontinent. Leander and points north are it for new houses with the possible exception of really high end construction at the Flyaway airport/development in Cedar Park.

  45. lynn says:

    “Tropical disturbance may develop in the Gulf this week”
    https://spacecityweather.com/tropical-disturbance-may-develop-in-the-gulf-this-week/

    And so it starts up again.

  46. JLP says:

    As to the evil roommate, I initially considered her “a little bit of harmless crazy”. That description fits a lot of people. As we lived together I began to realize it was a little more than I thought and re-classified her as “mostly harmless”. By the end of last year she was beginning to show true paranoia. I then classified her as “a wildcard/unknown potential”. That was when I started hinting that she move out. When the hints went nowhere and I insisted she move I found out her potential.

    Yeah, at the moment it looks like Big Brother is preventing me from forcibly evicting her but I have a few things in the works. The lawyer pointed out a gray area that might leveraged, but that could get messy and expensive.

    Some of you might recall that I contacted my state senator an congressman explaining the situation. One of them (senator) had a staffer get back to me. They agree this was not the intent of the eviction moratorium and they are looking to try and amend the current extension legislation with an exemption for “unwanted guests in single family homes” (my family joked it would be called “Joey’s Law” (my family calls me Joey, obviously)). So maybe government might actually work for me.

  47. lynn says:

    “The Old Guard” (2020) by John Varley
    https://varley.net/movie_review/old-guard/

    “Don’t much care for comic books or graphic novels, but every so often one comes along that is intelligent and worthwhile as an action movie. This is one, very much so. Greg Rucka wrote the book and the screenplay, and it is about a small group of “immortals,” who can recover from any injury. This is unexplained, and unlikely, but qualifies as the One Big Given that any SF story is allowed. The oldest of them is Andromache of Scythia (Charlize Theron), known as Andy, who is about 6,700 years old and dreadfully tired of living. The youngest fought for Napoleon. The four have been trying to do one simple thing over the centuries, and that is to make the world a better place, as any good super-hero should do. They do good as much as they are able, but just look around you. Have they really made a dent in the evil in the world? Not so much. But what else is there to do?”

    On Netflix. The movie was a blood bath. Recommended. I have not read the book.
    https://www.netflix.com/title/81038963

  48. Greg Norton says:

    “Tropical disturbance may develop in the Gulf this week”

    And so it starts up again.

    Three years ago, the fake gas shortage after Harvey was just something people dealt with. I don’t think the patience is there for a repeat.

  49. SteveF says:

    “Joey’s Law”

    Nice family. Named laws are usually named after someone who died.

  50. Alan says:

    And I learned about a new to me epoxy. HXTL

    It’s actually “Hxtal”, used for restorations.
    This site came up in a Google search – interesting to see all the profession-specific tools and supplies, such as solid copper tacks.
    https://conservationsupportsystems.com/product/show/hxtal-nyl-1-epoxy/clear-epoxies
    https://conservationsupportsystems.com/product/show/solid-copper-tacks/tacks-pins

  51. lynn says:

    The sun is shining outside. And it is raining. I love living in Texas.

  52. Alan says:

    Is it me or is the messaging we’re hearing lately from various fed/state officials regarding the virus that it is less focused on prevention (masks, distancing, hand-washing, business closures) and more ‘oh, if you get it, it’s treatable’ (number of available ICU beds, it’s mild for 20-40 year olds, children don’t get it, etc.)?

  53. Alan says:

    Have you considered taking up the piano or the violin ? Practicing at 3 am is not beyond the pale.

    Reminded me of this Geico commercial
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Hi7NzFEOI

  54. Harold Combs says:

    Have you ever gone somewhere and it feels like home?

    I know exactly what you describe. In 1986 I took a business trip to London as part of an industrial espionage operation. Walking the streets, talking with the locals, I felt completely at home, comfortable, as if I belonged there. Perhaps memories of a previous life? Anyhow, ten years later when my youngest went off to college, I took a job in the UK and it was wonderful. Every day was an adventure yet hauntingly familiar. We made it home for almost 6 years.

  55. lynn says:

    “Hope probe: UAE launches historic first mission to Mars”
    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53394737

    Wow. Everyone is doing it.

  56. JimB says:

    If you draw it, YOU need to call the cops afterward so that your story is first.

    And… ask for an ambulance for yourself. I read that on one of those defense sites. The reasoning is that if you say you feel anxiety, maybe heart irregularity, and are old like most of us, you will be spared the perp walk, if any. It is much better to be interviewed at the hospital than after mug shots are taken. My $0.02.

  57. Greg Norton says:

    Is it me or is the messaging we’re hearing lately from various fed/state officials regarding the virus that it is less focused on prevention (masks, distancing, hand-washing, business closures) and more ‘oh, if you get it, it’s treatable’ (number of available ICU beds, it’s mild for 20-40 year olds, children don’t get it, etc.)?

    ICU bed counts are about keeping people scared and masked. God forbid we make sick people stay home.

    As for the rest, the last 24 hours has seen a downward trend in case counts on the basis of 7 day moving averages, consistent with the end of the incubation period following the 4th of July holiday weekend, and the politicians are under tremendous pressure to reopen the bars in TX and FL.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if the bars are allowed to reopen next weekend.

  58. lynn says:

    “Are Anti-Mask Masks Legal?”
    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/are-anti-mask-masks-legal

    People are freaking crazy.

    There is one crazy in every bunch.

    I could go on …

  59. Rick Hellewell says:

    Re; “The Old Guard” … great movie! Watched it last week. Action-packed, that’s for sure.

    Might even watch it again, and I rarely re-watch movies. Although I will re-watch old sitcoms from my youth. And that was long ago enough that those shows are often in black/white (er, can you say that?).

  60. lynn says:

    Re; “The Old Guard” … great movie! Watched it last week. Action-packed, that’s for sure.

    Might even watch it again, and I rarely re-watch movies. Although I will re-watch old sitcoms from my youth. And that was long ago enough that those shows are often in black/white (er, can you say that?).

    I suspect that Netflix is going to make it into a series minus Charlize Theron. Or maybe with her, who knows ? I was impressed with her in the last Mad Max movie, she nailed it in this one. Shoot, they could have made her recite Arnold’s “crush your enemies” speech and I believe she could have pulled it off.

  61. Pecancorner says:

    The sun is shining outside. And it is raining. I love living in Texas.

    I remember the first time I ever saw that. I was about 3 years old, and I just knew it was a miracle. Nearly 60 years later, and it still feels like I am in the midst of the Divine whenever it happens.

    “Tropical disturbance may develop in the Gulf this week”

    Please please please please please. I don’t wish a hurricane on ya’ll on the coast, but I want one that will come ashore at some sparsely habited place without stopping and speed inland and come sit up here in the middle of the state for a few days, then mosey along at its leisure.

  62. Greg Norton says:

    I suspect that Netflix is going to make it into a series minus Charlize Theron. Or maybe with her, who knows ? I was impressed with her in the last Mad Max movie, she nailed it in this one.

    When we took the Warner Bros. studio tour, it was just after the 2016 Oscars, and the studio had all of the “Fury Road” award statues lined up in a glass display case … with one obvious empty space.

    Quick, who can name Best Picture that year?

    On a side note, if you are within driving distance of the Warner lot, I can’t recommend the tour highly enough. Clint Eastwood still gets mad amounts of respect, I’m guessing, in part, because a WB brain fart and resulting temporary lack of respect means the Best Picture Oscar statue for “Million Dollar Baby” resides elsewhere in LA, but Eastwood always makes the studio money.

    Yes, Dirty Harry’s badge and gun are there … right next to JR Ewing’s hat.

    Don’t forget to eat at Bob’s Big Boy down the street.

  63. JimM says:

    So maybe government might actually work for me.

    It can happen. My son went to Sacramento to lobby for a law to allow kids to get palliative care even though their parents are not willing to concede that they are going to die, and want to continue treatment. My son was in treatment for leukemia, and was close to the founders of Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care, who had requested the bill and took him with them to gather support for it. He was treated like a star by the legislature, and made an honorary member of the Bald Legislator’s Caucus (apparently not an official caucus, but definitely a real thing). The politicians love having a non-controversial bill that makes everyone look good. Your experience won’t be like that, but it could be close enough. I hope it is. In general, the most effective measure would be to find a situation that draws the woman to it, and away from your home. Easily said, not so easily accomplished.

  64. Marcelo says:

    “Hope probe: UAE launches historic first mission to Mars”
    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53394737

    Wow. Everyone is doing it.

    Not quite everyone and much less successfully…

  65. Marcelo says:

    The sun is shining outside. And it is raining. I love living in Texas.

    I remember the first time I ever saw that. I was about 3 years old, and I just knew it was a miracle. Nearly 60 years later, and it still feels like I am in the midst of the Divine whenever it happens.

    Funny, for some Spanish speaking people, it is a day in which the devil marries a bride. 🙂

  66. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well, didn’t get the freezer into the garage. Ran out of places to put stuff that I have to move out of the way. Tomorrow I’ll go get some metro rack shelving on wheels that I have sitting empty and bring it home. I’ll stack everything onto the cart, shuffle all the things around, and start the cooling.

    It was just crazy hot today. My kestrel ballistic computer said it was “feels like” 110F in the garage. At least the sun isn’t baking my precious brains while actually in the garage, and the fan is blowing.

    n

  67. lynn says:

    Well, didn’t get the freezer into the garage. Ran out of places to put stuff that I have to move out of the way. Tomorrow I’ll go get some metro rack shelving on wheels that I have sitting empty and bring it home. I’ll stack everything onto the cart, shuffle all the things around, and start the cooling.

    It was just crazy hot today. My kestrel ballistic computer said it was “feels like” 110F in the garage. At least the sun isn’t baking my precious brains while actually in the garage, and the fan is blowing.

    I unpacked a moving box today after the wife left. I felt accomplished and took a five XXXX six hour break after that. Only 100 boxes to go !

  68. Nick Flandrey says:

    Every journey begins with a single step!

    n

  69. Nick Flandrey says:

    Black on black violence in Peoria IL– good video (well audio) of the battle. LOTS of rounds flying.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/caught-video-13-people-shot-gunfight-peoria-riverfront-440-police-called-protect-injured/

    n

  70. Rolf Grunsky says:

    @Lynn
    “The sun is shining outside. And it is raining. I love living in Texas. ”

    Ah! A “sun shower”. We get these up here from time to time. Had one a couple of weeks ago. They are normally quite brief.

  71. lynn says:

    @Lynn
    “The sun is shining outside. And it is raining. I love living in Texas. ”

    Ah! A “sun shower”. We get these up here from time to time. Had one a couple of weeks ago. They are normally quite brief.

    Yup, we got a 1/2 inch of “sun shower”.

  72. lynn says:

    Every journey begins with a single step!

    Yup. But we moved 200 boxes and have unpacked only half of them so far.

    The wife and I are getting too old.

  73. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’ve got stuff I brought home after my dad died that I still haven’t unpacked. I’ve got 4 boxes I saw today that my folks brought down to me at least 5 years ago that were filled with stuff from my childhood. I went thru them briefly then stored them. I’ll look again, but this time I’m going to be ruthless.

    When I get the time, or I need the space.

    n

  74. Jenny says:

    Here’s a 12 minute summary that fairly presents what we have been up against in Anchorage. Plus my husband is one of the testifiers in a clip the host used to illustrate his points.

    Sorry it is on Facebook. I hope he puts it on YouTube as well.

    https://www.facebook.com/107432054317476/posts/144750360585645/?vh=e

  75. ITGuy1998 says:

    I don’t have severe OCD, but there is no way I could let boxes sit unpacked for any length of time. Our last move into our current house left us with a bunch of boxes to unpack. It was all done in a week except the garage stuff, which was done in a month. I was waiting on cabinets to be delivered to put the stuff in. Of course, I was younger then…

  76. CowboySlim says:

    someone wearing a FedEx uniform using them for target practice

    The Clinton Mafia.

    Has the FedEx uniform been ML semenized by this mafia.

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