Hot. Mostly. Humid. Definitely. Although it stayed in the mildly unpleasant range yesterday. It was humid all day.
Did some shipping for ebay. Sold some more of a staple item for me. Every so often the algorithm kicks me to the top of the list for this item and I have a cluster of sales. We’ll see if that happens this time, or if it was a one off.
Went by my secondary location to pick up some more stuff for the BOL. Hit the Goodwill for a couple of interesting books, and some leather for a project. Got 4 milk crates too. I use them for all kinds of things, but I mostly use them to stabilize propane bbq bottles. A bottle fits in the crate snugly and is much more stable in the square crate, and much less likely to slide around.
As I was driving around I noticed a significant increase in groups of men standing around drinking outside of little convenience stores, around the back of apartments, in alleys and near the trash dumpsters. Hispanic men. I also noticed a marked increase in homeless men, both singly and in groups around my secondary and throughout the areas I drove through. I don’t usually drive around on a Sunday, so maybe it was due to the day of the week, but I’ll be keeping an eye open this week. The groups of drinkers hanging out I blame on illegal immigration. The homeless camps and growing number of homeless likely has several causes, including economic stress. None of it is an indicator that things are getting better.
Take an extra hard look around you this week. Take some different routes than you normally do. Look for changes. Look for signs of trouble. Graffiti tags. Trash. Illegal dumping. Homeless men, singly or in group camps. Drug dealing. Prostitution. Overgrown lots. Abandon vehicles. Get in the habit of noticing these things, and noting any changes. Day before yesterday, one of our long term “urban campers” was begging for money at an intersection near my storage unit. I’ve never seen him begging before. Changes. Not for the better.
Headed to the BOL this morning after I get the kids out the door. Need to meet with the septic guy to settle up, and with the inspector to get approval. I’ll probably spend the day working on gas and plumbing, and spend the night there. I can drive home Tues, and hit two auction pickups on the way home, which is a plus. Wife is working from home since she was sick all weekend. I’m happy not to be breathing the same air….
Work on your local knowledge. Get a feel for ‘normal’ and for ‘changed’. Stack up the things you need.
nick