Fri. July 30, 2021 – whew, I’m beat up today…

By on July 30th, 2021 in ebay, medical, personal, rats, why we prepare, WuFlu

Hot and humid, possible rain. We didn’t get the rain yesterday, and I was north, south, and in the middle. It was a bit cooler with the breeze when the sun went behind a cloud. Otherwise it was hot.

I got my morning stuff out of the way, then got out of the house to do my pickups. Shelves mostly. Then I headed to my secondary location. Set up some shelves so I can move the stuff that’s on top of the shipping containers, and chop up the containers. I also decided to just trash everything, not save the stuff with aluminum frames for recycle. Let someone pull them out of the dumpsters, if they get lucky.

I filled my pickup 3 times and filled two dumpsters. Cut up two of the containers and emptied them. I am starting to see a big space, that will fill instantly as I start moving stuff around. Still, progress, right? It is beating me up though. I can do two of the containers before I’m stumbling and starting to not be coordinated and graceful. Working alone with saws and moving stuff, not a good idea when you get weary.

Part of that is being 55. Part is that it’s very hot. Part is that each container needs about 30 trips out to the truck while carrying the stuff. Since I started with the shelves and dumping the stuff that was on pallets in the parking lot, I was ready to be done after one container. I pushed through and got the second done too. I’m starting to get pretty scratched up too. Just handling and moving around the stuff has been beating up my arms, shins, calves, and hands.

Wah, wah, wah…. ok enough whining. I also chatted with my neighbor there, and sold him a metalworking tool. He’s going to assemble it, then we’ll finalize the price. Even if it’s beat up or missing fasteners, he should be able to get it working. Walking around his space, I realized I’ve been selling him stuff for years. He gets the machines and tools he needs, I get to move some inventory. Win win! And that is how meatspace is supposed to work.

Puppy had a good day, despite being home alone. No accidents in the house! He used the doggy door and went out during the day. Hooray. That is definitely progress.

Today I’ve got the kids at home, so my tired body will get a bit of rest, but there is still a lot do do here. Maybe I’ll get some of it done 🙂

And then I can continue stacking all the things!

nick

67 Comments and discussion on "Fri. July 30, 2021 – whew, I’m beat up today…"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    the women’s public restroom was always the worst job between the two.”

    In public toilets, some women “hover” to avoid touching the toilet seat. They then pee all over the toilet. Which guarantees that the next woman will also “hover”. Unisex bathrooms are not a good thing for guys.

    Urine wasn’t the issue. It was the general mess, particularly with the soaking wet paper towels left all over the floor near the sink and congealed soap everywhere. I have no idea what took place; I didn’t want to know.

    I was probably exposed to more germs cleaning the sink than I was scrubbing the toilets.

    I’ve stated before my belief that in a SHTF situation, something bad will emerge from the hospitals the moment the mops stop moving in the buildings. Be nice to the orderlies and nurses aides — they’re our last line of defense.

  2. Greg Norton says:

    Part of that is being 55. Part is that it’s very hot. Part is that each container needs about 30 trips out to the truck while carrying the stuff. Since I started with the shelves and dumping the stuff that was on pallets in the parking lot, I was ready to be done after one container. I pushed through and got the second done too. I’m starting to get pretty scratched up too. Just handling and moving around the stuff has been beating up my arms, shins, calves, and hands.

    HEB has tetanus shots. At least, the store in Belton did when I worked up there.

  3. Mark W says:

    We melted them one day, that was not cool.

    You should write a book.

  4. SteveF says:

    something bad will emerge from the hospitals the moment the mops stop moving in the buildings. Be nice to the orderlies and nurses aides — they’re our last line of defense.

    You can piss off a doctor by telling them that a good janitor can do more for public health than the doctor can. Ask me how I know!

    (I’ve said that only once with intent to annoy, and that was to a doc with a size-15 ego and size-20 mouth. And several drinks in him.)

  5. Greg Norton says:

    The rumors from last weekend were true. UT Austin is p*ssing away more money on the sports programs. Just in 2021 alone: $70 million to fire the football coach, a seven figure amount to buy out the “woke” hire basketball coach, a new basketball arena rising on campus, and now the SEC — figure another $70 million for an early exit from the current TV/conference deal.

    Spurrier knows.

    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/steve-spurrier-texas-joining-sec-210207663.html

  6. Nick Flandrey says:

    87F and only 76%RH this morning. Slight overcast too.

    In general, this summer has been cooler than the last. I haven’t mentioned my ‘rule of 10s’ much this year if at all. That’s where if it’s 80F at 8am, it will be 90F at 9am, and over 100F shortly after 10am. There was a summer where most of the days seemed to be ‘rule of ten’ days.

    Very stiff and sore this morning, and my hands are like paddles.

    n

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    Micro Center has some good deals on processor/MB combos in their flyer this morning.

    Intel core i9, 10th gen, unlocked, $330 off at $320. AMD Ryzen 7, 5800x is $360.

    Memory, drives, and PSUs too. No mention of Graphix….

    n

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    To close out the Simone Biles story, if she lost her spatial awareness, then she pretty much had to quit. Remember that they make that stuff look easy, but it’s both incredibly hard, and dangerous.

    She should have just gone with that from the beginning though, not the cryptic BS.

    and really, who’s to say whether she did or didn’t.

    n

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  9. Ray Thompson says:

    UT Austin is p*ssing away more money on the sports programs.

    Sports are supposed to be self supporting and use no tuition or state funds for their activities. Funded by donations, ticket sales, endorsements, etc. Well, that is the line of crap applied by the University of Tennessee when they have major expenditures. Meanwhile each student is charged a $250.00 “activity” fee. “Activity” never fully explained.

    When my son was in MTSU he was charged several fees for stuff he never used. Mandatory fees. Most annoying was the Raider Bucks each semester that could be used in the bookstore, dining rooms, etc. However, what was not spent was kept by the school. That is theft.

  10. Ray Thompson says:

    Hurting today. Made the decision to drop the Oxycodon. Did my stretching this morning. Paying the price.

  11. Nick Flandrey says:

    Short term pain, but long term gain Ray.

    That Oxy is dangerous.

    n

    Especially to middle and late middle aged white males.

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  12. MrAtoz says:

    Especially to middle and late middle aged white males.

    In that case, Mr. Ray is so far passed that he should take an Oxy with a class of wine.

  13. Mark W says:

    ERCOT is going to have a bad day today unless they get more generation online soon.

    http://www.ercot.com/mp

     

  14. Nick Flandrey says:

    It is warming up here now that the sun came out.

    n

  15. Nick Flandrey says:

    Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association discusses response to Champlain Tower collapse

    As part of its 2021 Metro Chiefs Conference, on July 8, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association conducted a webinar discussing the response to the Champlain Tower collapse in Surfside, Florida. The session was recorded for the public.

    This presentation is worth a listen for anyone interested in hearing directly from those who had a role in leading this large-scale emergency response.

    A first-hand account of the response from an incident management perspective was presented by the Emergency Support Function (ESF) 4 and 9 Deputy Coordinator from Florida’s State Fire Marshal’s Office and International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Committee Chair. This presentation reviews the stages of the incident as it unfolded, covering everything from initial dispatch and size-up to state and federal coordination, and challenges faced during the response.

    The presentation also includes a briefing on NIST’s role in investigating the collapse, the potential future impacts to building codes and standards resulting from NIST’s investigation, and a discussion on the role of fire service leaders in implementing any future recommendations from NIST. This discussion highlights two tools that fire service leaders can use to facilitate changes to building codes and standards: 1) the NFPA’s Fire and Life Safety Ecosystem; and 2) a new program called Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety (CROSS), from the American Society of Civil Engineers. CROSS is a system to improve standards of practice through learning from structural failures and incidents.

    A question and answer session follows the presentations, covering additional details on the response.

    To listen to this presentation and other recorded presentations from the 2021 Metro Chiefs Conference, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) Metropolitan Fire Chiefs page.

    –I haven’t listened yet, linking here for anyone interested.

  16. Nick Flandrey says:

    FBI releases annual report, Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2020

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its annual report, Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2020 earlier this month.

    The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter’s use of a firearm. The active aspect of the definition implies the ongoing nature of an incident, and thus the potential for the response to affect the outcome. Given these criteria for active shooter incidents, the report does not encompass all gun-related shootings occurring in 2020, such as gang-related violence, drug violence, or self-defense.

    The FBI has designated 40 shootings in 2020 as active shooter incidents. The report includes brief narrative summaries of all 40 of these incidents, as well as summary statistics characterizing the incidents.

    Some notable statistics include:

    The number of active shooter incidents in 2020 (40 incidents) has been consistently increasing since 2016 and represents a 100% increase from 2016 (20 incidents).
    There were 38 fatalities from active shooter incidents in 2020. This is the lowest number of fatalities in five years.
    5 of the 40 incidents met the criteria cited in the federal definition of mass killings, compared to 13 incidents that met these criteria in 2019.
    1 law enforcement officer was killed; 11 law enforcement officers were wounded.
    Of the 42 active shooters in 2020: 4 were killed by law enforcement, 7 committed suicide, 2 were killed by a citizen, 24 were apprehended by law enforcement, and 5 are still at large.
    24 of the 40 active shooter incidents occurred in areas of commerce, resulting in 31 killed and 81 wounded.
    None of the total 40 incidents occurred in educational environments, health care facilities, or houses of worship.

    This is the sixth report of its kind published since 2014. All past reports and more active shooter incident resources can be found on the FBI’s Active Shooter webpage.

  17. Ray Thompson says:

    Especially to middle and late middle aged white males.

    Time to get woke Mr. Nick. I can self identify as whatever I want. I am a young, green, Martian. If the skin color on my leg is any indication.

    Mr. Ray is so far passed that he should take an Oxy with a class of wine.

    Hmmm, you may be on to something Mr. Atoz.

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  18. Nick Flandrey says:

    INteresting.

    Kaseya obtains universal decryptor key for recent REvil ransomware attacks

    Hit by a severe cyberattack earlier this month, IT enterprise firm Kaseya said on Thursday, July 22, that it obtained a universal decryptor key for recent victims of the REvil ransomware. The Kaseya Senior Vice President of corporate marketing said the company obtained the key on Wednesday and that it does work. The Senior Vice President wouldn’t reveal any details as to how or where it was obtained other than to say that it came from a trusted third party.

    The company said it was working to help victims affected by the ransomware attack and that customers impacted by the incident would be contacted by Kaseya representatives.

    Universal decryptor key.

    n

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    Summary

    This Joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

    This advisory provides details on the top 30 vulnerabilities—primarily Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)—routinely exploited by malicious cyber actors in 2020 and those being widely exploited thus far in 2021.

    Cyber actors continue to exploit publicly known—and often dated—software vulnerabilities against broad target sets, including public and private sector organizations worldwide. However, entities worldwide can mitigate the vulnerabilities listed in this report by applying the available patches to their systems and implementing a centralized patch management system.

    https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-209a

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    Since I’m already “fair use (ing)” giant blocks of text, If you find Sarah Hoyt to be a good read, go and RTWT.

    In the middle of it, she lists some sensible stuff for someone who is just starting to “smell the smoke” and think “I should maybe do some thing…” which probably isn’t anyone here, but take it as another indication of zeitgeist.

    So now, before everyone can smell the smoke: get to high ground. Whatever high ground means. Keep in mind even in a blue state most areas will be safe. You’re at higher risk of truly deranged regulations leaving you unemployed/broke/with no electricity. Which is part of the reason for our leaving. Besides the fact I’m so “public” I practically glow in the dark. On top of which — and more urgent — the altitude is killing me by inches. So, moving.

    But if you think your area will be a problem, move now. You’re late and it will cost you. I get a feeling we’re about on the last viable train out of danger, but maybe there will be another year grace (what husband thinks. He’s an optimist.)

    Most of this are things you know, okay, the same preparation you’d do for a prolonged outage, say in the aftermath of a major Earthquake or hurricane. Freezer. Fill it. Get a backup generator. It’s possible to keep things frozen a long time if you don’t open it, and run your generator a few hours a day.

    Other food. You know how hard it is on your dietary needs. I don’t.

    Try to move to where medical care is available, and find a sensible doctor (and that will be hard.) Try to take care of any surgical or other needs you have now. If not sooner. If you’re planning on children, now is a great time to get pregnant, provided you’re in an area with medical practitioners. In two or three years…. well… either the structure will be in flux or even weirder. And just in case, find a midwife you’re comfortable with, too.

    If you’re medicine dependent investigate how to get it, and how to store it. Also lay in some anti-biotics and pain killers (non opioid. Like massive bottles of tylenol.) because it might help. Oh, and please also vitamins and such.

    Establish or polish up your network of like-minded friends you can trust. Local, sure, but also on a line to get from point A to point B if you need to skedaddle. To that end, identify your “will not abandon” possessions and have a plan to get them ready and go. Note this is unlikely for most people, but it could happen, so be ready. Have containers for whatever you’d take. FYI if you have animals have carriers. ALSO FYI if you have cats, small dog kennels with a tiny litter box and food dish work great for multi-hour trips in the car.

    Find through your contacts people who can do stuff you will need, like car repair, or house fix ups, in case those networks are hard to reach. Knowing someone who knows someone is the way things are done in most countries going bonkers.

    n

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    In a “small world” note, this was in my ARRL newsletter… St Albans home of OFD.

    A voice on morning radio for generations of Vermonters, Ernie Farrar, W1EF, died on July 7. He was 78. Farrar, of St. Albans City, Vermont, began his radio career in his hometown in the 1960s, before jumping to WVMT in Burlington in 1967, where he remained until 2018. Farrar’s other career was in boxing, as the longtime director of the Vermont Golden Gloves Tournament. He was a member of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. — Thanks to New England Radio Watch

    n

  22. Mark W says:

    Universal decryptor key.

    But only for REvil. Great if you got hit by that attack and lost files.

  23. Greg Norton says:

    Since I’m already “fair use (ing)” giant blocks of text, If you find Sarah Hoyt to be a good read, go and RTWT.

    “And just in case, find a midwife you’re comfortable with, too.”

    Be really careful with midwives. Most I’ve met are not individuals I would trust with my life. If you are going to go that route with childbirth, check the credentials and education carefully.

    And keep in mind that a “doula”, who usually works out of a midwife or Progresssive (in both the political and unconventional thought sense) obstetrician’s practice, is not a recognized category of medical professional with either standard training or state licensing.

  24. MrAtoz says:

    Little doxie Obadiah is back home from the ER Vet. He is skinny, but a lot healthier. He’s eating and drinking and pooping and peeing like a good little boy. He’ll be isolated for a week so the big dogs don’t cootyize him.

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    happy days for mr obi

    n

  26. Nick Flandrey says:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9840791/Scarlett-Johansson-sues-Disney-streaming-Black-Widow-alleging-lost-50M.html

    –if they changed the deal, then she’s right to sue. The other article, where disney implies that she should be happy with the $20M she got is just a sleazy d!ck move.

    n

  27. Nick Flandrey says:

    Lived in the girl’s closet, for weeks…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9843905/Man-hid-girls-closet-abused-parents-downstairs-jailed-15-years.html

    A man managed to live in his underage girlfriend’s closet for weeks, police said, secretly dashing out occasionally to have sex with the 15-year-old girl – all while her parents were living in the house.

    n

  28. Greg Norton says:

    –if they changed the deal, then she’s right to sue. The other article, where disney implies that she should be happy with the $20M she got is just a sleazy d!ck move.

    Until Microsoft closes off the piracy hole in the Windows driver stack with Windows 11, any movie released to one of the streaming services will have torrents available within a day.

    The Mouse knows this, but they’re sacrificing box office for streaming gains until they can get more Baby Yoda spinoffs up and running.

    As soon as Windows 11 hits, look for the streaming services to ditch support for older versions.

  29. lynn says:

    “Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (‘Beast Canyon’) Review”
    https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/intel-nuc-11-extreme-kit-beast-canyon

    “A big gaming Beast in a tiny box”

    Cool. I like this.

    Dear office manager, we have to order one of these because they are much faster compiling code and it will increase productivity dramatically.

    Done the hard yard for you.

    I just figured out that the Intel NUC does not include the Windows software, ram, and hard drive. Plus the graphics card if you do not want to use the built in graphics which, are pretty good nowadays. So that ups the price from $1150 to $1600. For that price, I will still build our machines myself.

  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    they’re sacrificing box office for streaming gains

    –and to pump up the stock price, which is equal to compensation for the top guys there. One of the ways to transfer money from one group to the rentiers.

    n

  31. lynn says:

    Questionable Content: Yah Loves Animals
    https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4580

    Ok, Yah (formerly Spookybot) is one of the most powerful AIs (artificial intelligence) on the planet. And it loves animal pets to the point that it is obsessed with them. Is this our future, that AIs will be obsessed with humans stuff ? If so, that is a way cooler future than “Terminator”.

  32. Alan says:

    I’m starting to get pretty scratched up too. Just handling and moving around the stuff has been beating up my arms, shins, calves, and hands.

    One reason I guess many professional tradespeople wear long sleeve shirts, long pants and gloves even on the hottest days. As well to prevent sunburn.

  33. mediumwave says:

    Just saw this on the local TV news:

    A Louisiana doctor’s COVID plea: ‘If you don’t choose the vaccine, you’re choosing death’:

    “I want to be clear after seeing what I’ve seen the past two weeks,” O’Neal said. “We only have two choices: we are either going to get vaccinated and end the pandemic. Or we are going to accept death. A lot of it, this surge, and another surge, and possibly another variant.”

    Maybe just a tiny bit heavy-handed?

    Added: Contrast with the image in this link:

    https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/464779/

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  34. lynn says:


    We melted them one day, that was not cool.

    You should write a book.

    I have written five books now with lots of help from my staff. Over 2,000 pages of 8.5 inch by 11 inch software user manuals. Never again !
    https://www.winsim.com/doco.html

  35. lynn says:

    “BREAKING: Justice Department tells Treasury to turn over Trump’s taxes to Democrat House committee”
    https://therightscoop.com/breaking-justice-department-tells-treasury-to-turn-over-trumps-taxes-to-democrat-house-committee/

    I wonder how long it will be before a House committee staffer forwards the tax documents to NBC, CNN, CBS, and ABC ? I figure about five minutes.

    The one thing that the founders left out of the USA Bill of Rights was the right to privacy. By the tenth amendment, I believe that a right to privacy is in the Constitution but obviously that scumbag John Roberts disagrees with me.

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  36. lynn says:

    To close out the Simone Biles story, if she lost her spatial awareness, then she pretty much had to quit. Remember that they make that stuff look easy, but it’s both incredibly hard, and dangerous.

    She should have just gone with that from the beginning though, not the cryptic BS.

    and really, who’s to say whether she did or didn’t.

    n

    The article that I read quoted her as saying she had the “twisties”. Sounds like a technical term for getting older. Or having a sinus infection. In either case, she is done and knows it.

  37. lynn says:

    ERCOT is going to have a bad day today unless they get more generation online soon.

    http://www.ercot.com/mp

    ERCOT does not let you know how many of the 300 gas turbines that are in Texas that they are holding in their back pockets. Plus, today is Friday and the demand starts sagging about 3pm as people leave businesses early for the weekend.

  38. lynn says:

    oops.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/smoke-australia-tesla-megapack-battery-catches-fire

    n

    Right in the middle of all of those battery banks. I wonder how many of them could catch fire before the entire complex goes up ?

    Tesla is going to move to LFP batteries when weight does not count. “What Tesla’s bet on iron-based batteries means for manufacturers”
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-bet-iron-based-batteries-143934016.html

    “Elon Musk earlier this week made his most bullish statements yet on iron-based batteries, noting that Tesla is making a “long-term shift” toward older, cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells in its energy storage products and some entry-level EVs.
    The Tesla CEO mused that the company’s batteries may eventually be roughly two-thirds iron-based and one-third nickel-based across its products. “And this is actually good because there’s plenty of iron in the world,” he added.”

    And the LFP batteries apparently support more than 4,000 charge cycles and do not burn as readily as lithium batteries.

  39. Alan says:

    My wife just heard from a good friend in FL. Her friend had Covid back in March 2020 and was bedridden for six weeks and recovered. Since then she has been fully vaccinated and yesterday had flu=like symptoms and has now been diagnosed with her second case of Covid.

    One Covid clip on the radio news this morning referenced “sterilizing immunity” vs. “non-sterilizing immunity” and that the Covid vaccines provide the latter.
    This article explains further:
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccines-need-not-completely-stop-covid-transmission-to-curb-the-pandemic1/

    Random observation – definitely more people wearing masks. Lots of our usual items on sale so I stocked up. Register receipt says that between sale prices and digital coupons I saved 26%.

    So as Sgt Esterhaus used to say, “Let’s be careful out there.”

  40. Nick Flandrey says:

    Temp dropped from 102F in the sun to 85F currently with overcast, thunder, occasional lightning, and gusty winds.

    n

  41. Greg Norton says:

    I wonder how long it will be before a House committee staffer forwards the tax documents to NBC, CNN, CBS, and ABC ? I figure about five minutes.

    Might as well give the documents to a group of chimps.

    I’ve always believed trump Trump’s taxes are clean. The best the NY Attorney General came up with was $1 million in employee perqs like parking?

    My former employers paid more for us to park in Downtown Austin every year.

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  42. JimB says:

    We are visiting my 99YO aunt in Mission Viejo, CA. Two days ago, our beloved guvnor issued an indoor mask mandate for all people. Today, we went to Dollar Tree, Big Lots, and  Trader Joe’s. I have not worn a mask since the June 15 all clear. As an experiment, I wore no mask today. No one gave me a second look. Dollar Tree had about 80% of customers wearing masks, and all visible employees. Big Lots 70% customers and 50% employees. Trader Joe’s 70% customers and 70% employees.

    TJ’s surprised me. Two guys that appeared to be managers wore no masks, and same for some of the cashiers. Several BL employees were on the sales floor interacting with customers, no masks.

    So much for mandates. I was prepared to put on a mask if asked. I thought about what I might say, but a simple “Sorry, I forgot” seemed right. I did consider saying I was a new unvaccinated alien, but that would not be true.

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  43. lynn says:

    “Dr. Buzz Aldrin
    @TheRealBuzz
    Imagine spending 8 days in space, including nearly 22 hours on the Moon and returning home to Earth only to have to go through customs! Grinning face #Apollo11”
    https://twitter.com/TheRealBuzz/status/1420237162080051200

    He still has the customs form !

  44. Greg Norton says:

    ERCOT does not let you know how many of the 300 gas turbines that are in Texas that they are holding in their back pockets. Plus, today is Friday and the demand starts sagging about 3pm as people leave businesses early for the weekend.

    The weather for next week in Austin is drifting back towards 80s and rain.

    A few days ago, the forecast for next week was solid 100s.

    This summer has been cooler than expected in Central Texas. ERCOT got lucky.

  45. lynn says:

    I wonder how long it will be before a House committee staffer forwards the tax documents to NBC, CNN, CBS, and ABC ? I figure about five minutes.

    Might as well give the documents to a group of chimps.

    I’ve always believed trump Trump’s taxes are clean. The best the NY Attorney General came up with was $1 million in employee perqs like parking?

    My former employers paid more for us to park in Downtown Austin every year.

    There was a big rumor floating around that when the Trump Casino went bankrupt, Trump deducted the present value of the casino rather than the actual invested amount. And that he successfully litigated that in tax court.

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  46. lynn says:

    ERCOT does not let you know how many of the 300 gas turbines that are in Texas that they are holding in their back pockets. Plus, today is Friday and the demand starts sagging about 3pm as people leave businesses early for the weekend.

    The weather for next week in Austin is drifting back towards 80s and rain.

    A few days ago, the forecasts for next week was solid 100s.

    This summer has been cooler than expected in Central Texas. ERCOT got lucky.

    Summer ain’t over yet. We have got another six to eight weeks of summer.

    Labor day was always dicey for us at TXU in the 1980s. The schools were starting up and cooling the buildings down at that point to start school on Tuesday after Labor day. The school building demand added another 5% to our load. We paid them (gave them a discount) to keep the students home until the day after Labor day, all those open doors made their a/c systems run continuously.

  47. Mark W says:

    ERCOT does not let you know how many of the 300 gas turbines that are in Texas that they are holding in their back pockets. Plus, today is Friday and the demand starts sagging about 3pm as people leave businesses early for the weekend.

    That appears to be what happened. They cleared the peak load comfortably.

  48. Mark W says:

    These stories about Trump going to jail for his taxes seem like more fake news to me. I’m certain that a company of that size gets a very close review by the IRS. Same for Trump himself. Any issues have most likely already been found and litigated or paid.

    It’s like the “big companies don’t pay any tax” stories, that never come with any proof and are easily explained – prepayments, RnD, etc.

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  49. lynn says:

    “Back On the Road (and Behind the Scenes) | JEFF DUNHAM”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=37BQCKoTYbk

    “Two things you do before going on stage: make sure that there is nothing hanging out of your nose and that your pants are zipped up.”

  50. Nick Flandrey says:

    There was a point release for the NVR software I’m using so I upgraded. I am still getting errors that cause the software to stop after about 22 hrs. That’s kinda sucky.

    So we’ll see what tomorrow brings, or if I need to look for hardware NVR and repurpose that pc.

    n

  51. Ray Thompson says:

    More therapy today, more aggressive. The saying goes if you are not swearing at your therapist they are not trying hard enough. Came real close today while sweating profusely.

    I did see a video on the web about the five biggest mistakes people make when having joint replacement. Number 2 was not taking pain medication, even opioids, as instructed. Stated the opioids are excellent when under control and supervision and the chance of abuse is nil. My prescription says “every 6 hours as needed for pain” so I guess I am still following instructions. I feel OK without the Oxycodon.

    Doctor on Monday. Hopefully the staples come out replaced with steristrips that fall off on their own.

    Therapist says I am continuing to do well. Next therapy Monday, Wednesday, Friday,  then two sessions the following week.

  52. Nick Flandrey says:

    That’s good news Ray. I’m a proponent of pain meds, for pain control, and I think they are one of the miracles of the modern age. I also know that too many people have fallen down the rabbit hole with Oxy.

    Glad you’re doing the work.

    n

  53. EdH says:

    @JimB:  That more or less parallels my experiences in retail stores around here in the high desert.

    OTOH when I was called in for jury selection duty at the courthouse earlier in the week armed guards “reminded” me to put a mask on and keep it on. I’d simply forgotten, but it’s more annoyance added to the existing PITA security.

    I was the driver for someone going to the hospital today and a burly orderly was making sure everyone had a mask on, and was taking temperatures of everyone that went past the waiting room.

  54. Greg Norton says:

    Summer ain’t over yet. We have got another six to eight weeks of summer. 

    I’d like one week of 100s without rain to slow down the yard.

    I may finally catch up on the freeze damage to the flower beds this weekend.

  55. JimB says:

    My neighbor just reported that masking in our town in stores is now at 25% max.

    Our oldest bicycle shop has not required masks throughout the dempanic. People are on to the control freaks.

  56. lynn says:

    Oh shoot, July is almost over. So here is the Christmas in July music video. “Twisted Sister – “Oh Come All Ye Faithful””
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV-SpT69IZ8

  57. lynn says:

    Summer ain’t over yet. We have got another six to eight weeks of summer.

    I’d like one week of 100s without rain to slow down the yard.

    I may finally catch up on the freeze damage to the flower beds this weekend.

    We dropped from 102 F to 79 F about 5 pm and the heavens fell down on us with about two inches of rain.

    I am really hoping that my mower dude showed up as planned at the house before the deluge.

  58. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well that sucked.

    Daughter and dog were on the floor together and he nipped at her wanting to play. Unfortunately, he caught her cheek just about half inch under her eye. Cut her with a tooth, very shallow but 1/4 inch long.

    They’re all having a movie night with friends over.

    So wash with antiseptic wound wash, dab of triple AB ointment and put a steri-strip across it to make sure the edges stay touching.

    I’ll look at it in the morning for any sign of infection and go to the ER if there is.

    At least I had all the stuff.

    n

  59. Alan says:

    I’ve always believed trump Trump’s taxes are clean. The best the NY Attorney General came up with was $1 million in employee perqs like parking?

    If Trump is as smart as he portends, he has top-tier CPAs, tax lawyers, ex-IRS agents, etc. working for him to insure he pays as little income tax as legally possible. And I’d say that includes many ‘gray’ areas in the thousands of pages in the US Tax Code that wind up triggering audits and court fights.

    What I think he’s trying to avoid is having the last page of his 1040, showing taxes paid (legally) as zero splashed across the front page of the NY Times and the Washington Post. His base may not grasp the nuances, especially after they’ve dropped some of their hard-earned dollars at HR Block, only to be told they owe the IRS.

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  60. Nick Flandrey says:

    One of the things I did today was to re-bait the poison box for the rats. My wife definitely hears them around the outdoor pantry shelves, and I see the evidence. Putting the food in shallow tubs with lids has proved its worth.

    Now I need more poison and more bait boxes. Get it while you can, as we slide down the slope, pests will be more of a problem.

    n

  61. Nick Flandrey says:

    His base may not grasp the nuances

    –IDK, that seems like a bit of stereotyping. His base understands he’s a rich guy, and they are mostly glad for him. He couldn’t have run without the fortune. They know that the rich guys do everything they can to minimize taxes, everyone smart does. Many of them are small and medium sized business owners and are likely to be VERY well versed in how the game is played.

    There’s a lot less envy on the right side.

    n

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  62. JimB says:

    His base may not grasp the nuances, especially after they’ve dropped some of their hard-earned dollars at HR Block, only to be told they owe the IRS.

    The shortsightedness of people who only seem to care about how much they owe, or more likely their refund, always bothers me. They don’t seem to care about the far larger amount they pay throughout the year. I would like to sell these fools some of my trash.

    Rush once said withholding should be outlawed, and employees should be paid in full. They would then have to pay all these amounts monthly. I agree.

  63. lynn says:

    “Elon Musk shows off wild plumbing for 29-engine Super Heavy booster (photo)”
    https://www.space.com/starship-super-heavy-engine-section-photo

    “”Completing feed system for 29 Raptor rocket engines on Super Heavy Booster,” Musk wrote via Twitter Thursday, where he posted a photo showing metal tubes radiating outward from the engine section’s core like the spokes on a bicycle wheel.
    “And that’s just the primary fuel lines! The maze of secondary plumbing & wiring is our greatest concern,” he added in another tweet on Thursday.”

    That is a lot of rockets !

  64. lynn says:

    His base may not grasp the nuances

    –IDK, that seems like a bit of stereotyping. His base understands he’s a rich guy, and they are mostly glad for him. He couldn’t have run without the fortune. They know that the rich guys do everything they can to minimize taxes, everyone smart does. Many of them are small and medium sized business owners and are likely to be VERY well versed in how the game is played.

    There’s a lot less envy on the right side.

    Most everyone on the right side wants to be a billionaire also.

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