Sun. July 2, 2023 – turning money into smoke and noise, God Bless America!

Hot and humid, likely to be just like yesterday. Too hot to be in the sun, but ok in the shade. High 90s, low 100s and sweaty like a sex worker in the non-denominational house of worship of your choice…

Took a bit of a break yesterday. I was fried. So I slept (mostly) for 10 hours and felt better. Still easily frustrated and fighting with life which is not my normal state. Once I got on the machines I was better.

Built the stairs I should have built the day before. They’ll do just fine for a while, up to a year if needed. Now I have to build a set for the other patio door too.

Spent 5 hours breaking concrete. Dumpster is pretty near full so I’m glad I ordered one for Monday. Still got plenty to remove.

Then we had the community Independence Day celebration. A couple of the neighbors pool their money and put on a 3/4 sized professional fireworks show. They also have a party with food and a live band, and they ask for donations to the local volunteer fire department. The show lasted for 40 minutes and had all the stuff a big pro show would, just slightly smaller, and they don’t go as high. Still freaking awesome. And we watched from just across the cove, about 100-200 ft away.

After the fireworks the band played another set. We could hear them just fine, and it wasn’t too loud.

The guys organize this every year and our little subdivision takes part. This is “community”. This is what we are very aware that we are joining. We are joining with an existing group. I think a lot of people don’t consider this, or give it enough weight when looking for a BOL or a retirement place. Especially in rural areas, you are joining THEM. Act accordingly.

You need to work on fitting in, and starting to take your place in the web of favors, obligations, service, and support. You probably don’t have the family ties the locals do, so you will have to work harder. You need to be ‘known’ to them and be well thought of.

And in this mostly working class community, I think I just ratcheted up my cred by running the machines and doing the work myself. That is an unexpected bonus for something that was driven by necessity. Being known as a hard worker, and someone who can run a machine all day carries a lot more weight than a degree with a lot of the guys in the area. Don’t know if it will pay off, but it can’t hurt.

—————
Today I’ll probably start with fixing the drain for the washing machine. That is nice and quiet and the area should be in shade in the morning. Later, I’ll start back in on busting up concrete. SO MUCH CONCRETE.

Join a community. Ham radio, some service org, school volunteer, or whatever you are interested in. Get out of the house and DO something. You need to be a part of your local community, if for no other reason, so that you can recognize when things are normal and when they are not. Trouble or help is most likely to come from those nearest to you. Get to know who they are.

Stack up some community.
nick

52 Comments and discussion on "Sun. July 2, 2023 – turning money into smoke and noise, God Bless America!"

  1. drwilliams says:

    “Being known as a hard worker, and someone who can run a machine all day carries a lot more weight than a degree with a lot of the guys in the area. Don’t know if it will pay off, but it can’t hurt.” 

    It will pay off. 

    10
  2. lynn says:

    It is 80 F and 100 % humidity out there today.  You would think I still lived on the bank of the six inch deep Brazos River.  The only water going down the river today is recycled pee water from Sugar Land.  There is no way they could get a paddle wheeler up that river this summer like they did in the 1800s. There are three paddle wheelers stuck in Waco due to the bridges. One of them is over 600 feet long.

  3. ITGuy1998 says:

    I’ve seen items recently that were sold by/shipped by Amazon that were marked as “just” Prime and not two days. Wondering if they’re (Jeff’s AI) accounting for the Tuesday holiday plus added volume from summer Prime Days coming on the 11th and 12th. Then add on any ‘heat dome’ air flight delays and possibly some up-coming UPS labor action, although TBH haven’t heard any updates recently.

    More often than not, it takes at least three days for prime packages to reach me. I definitely wouldn’t have Prime now if I didn’t get it for half price. even then, the value is questionable and I might reconsider.  

    Speaking of Prime, the third and final season of Jack Ryan has the first two episodes available.

  4. SteveF says:

    There is no way they could get a paddle wheeler up that river this summer like they did in the 1800s.

    Anthropogenic Global Warming, which is real, destroys everything. Sad, really.

  5. JimB says:

    Prime for half price, might be worth it to me.  Frontier, our landline and DSL company, gave us a year of Prime for free a couple years ago. I didn’t use it much. I have also signed up for one month free trials directly from Amazon,

    I thought I might try some of their streaming services, but didn’t. Maybe some time later. If good, the price might be worthwhile. I have YouTube TV, and it is way more expensive.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    I like figuring out scripting and query programmers, I like working with SSIS for SSRS reports though I don’t like what the code looks like under the hood. But I’m no programmer and while I recognize there are better more efficient ways I’m probably not going to master them. ChatGPT may be a useful tool, however there’s a brain thing going on with good and great programmers (some of you gentlemen posses it, I don’t) that is innate. You can get to be an adequate programmer with hard work, humility, and hanging around good and great programmer, but I’m pretty sure if you don’t have the knack you’re not going to develop it through force of will. 

    I’m the last person you want to write SQL or design database tables, but my half a**ed attempts have ended up in some extremely critical projects over the last 30 years.

    I hate being idle so I’ll do those things and pray someone’s better tables and queries come along later. Sometimes they don’t, and it seems like that happens in direct relation to the heat anyone stepping into the job will face.

    Right now at work, we ship boxes which run ChatGPT and were the first to market with a turn key solution according to an email I also received on Friday so you can imagine the heat there.

    BTW, I know it isn’t ChatBot, but that’s more fun to say/type.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    Huh, not just rural stores, amazon has several third party sellers, only 2 left in stock, delivery 7-10 days, which really means it’s not in stock, but drop shipped.  Every comparable unit is also 7-10 days.

    This is a bad week for waiting on anything electrical or telecom infrastructure related which personnel drawn from the 20% of the working population who possess the capability to do something useful like manage an inventory in a specialty warehouse.

    The Federal holiday isn’t “Monday”-ized and everyone with some ability knows better than to be on the clock tomorrow.

    The Old School Marm Chief Justice of the Supreme Court knows about p*ssing off that segment of the population. That argument from Friday was threaded extremely fine, similar to the jab mandate overturn.

    Of course, we may still learn the consequences of our “foolish” political choices yet.

  8. Denis says:

    I scored a nearly complete used set of my favourite WMF stainless steel cookware for a reasonable price on eBay.

    Alas, the seller didn’t see fit to indicate that “used” in this instance included “and never properly cleaned”. I just spent two hours on it with grey scotchbrite and ceramic hob scouring liquid.

    Now it is running through a 70C dishwasher cleaning cycle with some (I expect) citric acid dishwasher cleaner (what are “nonionic tensides”, anyway…?). Fingers crossed for sparkly clean in a couple of hours.

    Not how I had planned to spend my Sunday

  9. Nick Flandrey says:

    Vertical.   Feel a bit hung over, so I’m behind on fluid.     

    Got bacon and coffee cooking though, and today I may have a frozen hash brown as well.  Living large!

    @denis, I’ve scored some really nice cookware by being willing to clean it, and not just cast iron.   I’ve got some great stainless pans, nice and thick, but if you don’t know how to use them, they will get crusted food stuck to them.   Some people don’t know how, some are unwilling to clean.    A couple I bought at a yard sale, I could practically SEE the whole story of the young bride and the ‘bridal registry’ pans.  I’ve pretty much stopped buying good cookware, as there is so much of it in the thrifts.    Cast iron has to be something I’ve never seen, or an antique like Griswald.

    Currently 82F, part sun, and a breeze across the lake.

    n

  10. drwilliams says:

    @Denis

    “I just spent two hours on it with grey scotchbrite and ceramic hob scouring liquid.”

    For future reference if you haven’t tried it, Bar Keepers Friend is an excellent non-scratch cleanser that loosens things up if you give it a good soak.

  11. brad says:

    Ok, color me dumb, but: what’s the deal with dirty stainless steel cookware? That’s mostly what we have, and we’ve never had issues keeping it clean.

  12. EdH says:

    LMG’s and now RPG’s…

    https://www.snafu-solomon.com/2023/07/french-rioters-insurgents-fire-rocket.html

    We had best hope that the millions of unemployable ’youths’ flowing across our borders don’t play any violent “video games”. They might get ideas.

  13. JimM says:

    “… what’s the deal with dirty stainless steel cookware? That’s mostly what we have, and we’ve never had issues keeping it clean.”

    That is because you are willing to do the bit of work that it requires, and do it promptly rather than repeatedly waiting until next time. I keep the stainless frying pan that I use most very clean, but my wife’s favorite cookware tends to accumulate baked on grease and food residue over time. 
    In addition to the cleaning products others have suggested, I get good use out of baking soda, salt grains, and Dawn Dissolver. Dawn Dissolver saves a lot of work in cleaning off hardened oil & grease, although it doesn’t do much for carbonized deposits. It is also easier to keep cookware clean if you use an induction stove, as that limits the temperature of the outer surfaces to approximately the cooking temperature you are using.

  14. Lynn says:

    “Roadkill” by Dennis E. Taylor
       https://www.amazon.com/Roadkill-Dennis-Taylor/dp/1680683128?tag=ttgnet-20/

    A standalone science fiction space opera book, no sequel or prequel. I read the well bound and well printed POD (print on demand) trade paperback published by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency in 2022. I have really enjoyed all of the series and standalone books published by the author, especially his Bobiverse and Outland books.

    Jack Kernigan thought he was having a bad life when he got thrown out of MIT for a false accusation. Then he wrecked his dad’s delivery truck on a lonely road, hitting an invisible object. The invisible object turned out to be a seven foot tall toolbelt wearing squirrel who died. And then he and his two best friends found the invisible spaceship that the invisible squirrel came to Earth on. They managed to get on the spaceship which was run by an AI that Jack named Sheldon. And that is when things got weird.

    I really liked this book since it is just a good old pulp story. I rated it so high because I stayed up too late last night reading it. And, I will probably reread it some day. And, I liked the ending a lot, not rushed, not too long, just right.

    The author has a website at:
       http://dennisetaylor.org/

    My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (903 reviews)

  15. Lynn says:

    My neighbor’s and mine yard guys just cut down a 40 foot tall cypress tree on the neighbor’s yard.  The tree was dead and had a large bee hive in it.  They both got stung and now there are pissed off bees all over our yards.  I have no idea if these are honey bees or killer bees.  They have not been aggressive in the past.

  16. drwilliams says:

    when idiots write:

    When FDR was garnering praise for helping the working class, the average life expectancy in the United States was only 60.7 years. So, while most workers would pay into the system, few would live long enough to collect benefits.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/06/the_worlds_largest_ponzi_scheme.html

    Virtually everyone who writes about social security makes the same dumbass statement, which is laid bare with a small correction:

    the average life expectancy at birth in the United States was only 60.7 years

    That number is irrelevant to any proper analysis. The relevant numbers are life expectancy for the population for each year during which they contribute to social security, and the life expectancy at retirement.

    From 1950 until 2020, the life expectancy at retirement for a white male went up about five years and the age of full retirement went from 65 to 66. Since then full retirement has gone to 67, so on average people are working 2 years longer to get to full retirement and then survive 3 more years (as compared to 1950).

    I’ve yet to see a reasonable treatment of social security viability based on the relevant actuarial numbers and allowing for external political affects.

  17. drwilliams says:

    @Lynn

    “The tree was dead and had a large bee hive in it.”

    Quick! Dibs the honey!

  18. Lynn says:

    From 1950 until 2020, the life expectancy at retirement for a white male went up about five years and the age of full retirement went from 65 to 66. Since then full retirement has gone to 67, so on average people are working 2 years longer to get to full retirement and then survive 3 more years (as compared to 1950).

    I’ve yet to see a reasonable treatment of social security viability based on the relevant actuarial numbers and allowing for external political affects.

    The head of Allied Wealth predicted on the retirement radio show this afternoon that he expects ALL Social Security recipients to take a 20% haircut on their monthly pension after the 2024 federal election.  The money is just not there.

    Grandma ain’t gonna like it.

  19. SteveF says:

    he expects ALL Social Security recipients to take a 20% haircut on their monthly pension after the 2024 federal election.

    My dad’s been predicting this, not with any joy. He figured that he already wasn’t going to get back what he put in, even without figuring in inflation and certainly not figuring in what he’d have made if he’d been able to invest his “contributions” himself. With a cut coming, the theft will be even bigger.

    Also, the last time we discussed social(ist) (in)security, he finally acknowledged that I was right all along and probably won’t get a dime back from the system. Heh. Financial planner and successful investor: 0. Cynical bastard: 1.

  20. SteveF says:

    Short essay on race and disparate outcomes.

    Cold Fury

    Daily Pundit

  21. Lynn says:

    he expects ALL Social Security recipients to take a 20% haircut on their monthly pension after the 2024 federal election.

    My dad’s been predicting this, not with any joy. He figured that he already wasn’t going to get back what he put in, even without figuring in inflation and certainly not figuring in what he’d have made if he’d been able to invest his “contributions” himself. With a cut coming, the theft will be even bigger.

    Also, the last time we discussed social(ist) (in)security, he finally acknowledged that I was right all along and probably won’t get a dime back from the system. Heh. Financial planner and successful investor: 0. Cynical bastard: 1.

    I expect Social Security to be saved by means testing.  Soon.

    Or, I expect Social Security to be saved by the seizure of all IRAs and 401Ks.

    Or, it could be both because Medicare needs to be saved too.

  22. paul says:

    Karl at the Market Ticker says SS is breaking even if not a bit more.  

    What is effing the deficit is the medical stuff.  

  23. SteveF says:

    Karl at the Market Ticker says SS is breaking even if not a bit more.

    I’m not sure if my conversation with my dad distinguished between the two commie programs. Probably doesn’t matter, as SS’s bottom line on the official balance sheet doesn’t matter because the “lock box” is a lie, the general fund’s cupboard is bare, and rolling the printing presses can’t last forever.

    5
    1
  24. Lynn says:

    Karl at the Market Ticker says SS is breaking even if not a bit more.  

    What is effing the deficit is the medical stuff.  

    Social Security is forecasted to double over the next decade as the last of the baby boomers retire.

    So is Medicare.

    From 2 trillion $/year to 4 trillion $/year.  It is tough to pay now.  Both will be almost impossible in the near future.

  25. Greg Norton says:

    Or, I expect Social Security to be saved by the seizure of all IRAs and 401Ks.

    I doubt they’re going to seize the private pensions and 401(k)s at this point, now that they have demonstrated the ability to print the $5-6 trillion dollars which seizure would raise and get away with it.

    Plus, seizure would be money out of the pocket of Black Rock, State Street, and Vanguard, which control most of the major corporations and actually hold the bulk of the retirement accounts.

    What? Oh, you need to read those Fidelity letterhead mailings more carefully.

    The three owned 20% of Disney the last time I checked, with other institutions owning another 40%. 

    BTW, I looked at getting back into DIS, but it is obvious the big players are making the share price tread water, waiting for some kind of hit to inspire the dumb money to run back into the stock. Maybe they’ll get luck with “The Haunted Mansion” or next year’s “Dead Pool”.

    “The Marvels”? That’s a Nissan paid infomercial about Brie Larson’s waist at this point.

    If nothing pops for The Mouse, to borrow a quote from Shrub, “This sucker could go down.” 

  26. Lynn says:

    “Once the Floodgates Open” by Bill Quick

        https://www.dailypundit.com/dailypundit.wordpress/2023/06/28/once-the-floodgates-open/

    “The semaglutides were the first really effective weight loss drugs to hit the market.  Wegovy, the version of Ozempic approved for weight loss, was the first to score big, with the single semaglutide it administered.  Eli Lilly is marketing tirzepatide, which activates two weight loss hormones, and expects FDA approval for its use for weight loss later this year or early next year. It is even more effective.  And now…”

    “Experimental drug could offer more weight loss than any drug now on the market, study finds”

    I have to admit, I am tempted.  I weighed 205 in college, I weigh 251 now.   Weighing 205 again would be awesome but the hunger pains are not worth it.

  27. Alan says:

    >> Caught some of the NASCAR Xfinity (second tier) race today on the first ever streets of Chicago, and dispite all the anticipation what I saw was boorrring. Single file racing 95% of the time with little opportunity to pass. Race was called for the day due to lightening in the vicinity. Resumes tomorrow AM and the the Cup race in the afternoon. They need to leave the street racing to the Indy and F1 cars.

    Like I said…Indy cars…and yes, he walked away… 

    https://the-race.com/indycar/pagenaud-rolls-nine-times-in-massive-indycar-practice-crash/

  28. Alan says:

    >> There are three paddle wheelers stuck in Waco due to the bridges. One of them is over 600 feet long. 

    Waiting for the next Cat 5 hurricane? 

  29. Alan says:

    >> Speaking of Prime, the third and final season of Jack Ryan has the first two episodes available. 

    Yeah, but waiting for all of the episodes to drop so that we can binge.

    So, supposedly, Jack’s doctor GF somehow reappears. We shall see… 

  30. Ken Mitchell says:

    Lynn writes:

    Weighing 205 again would be awesome but the hunger pains are not worth it.

    Bill Quick reports that Mounjoro, the drug he used,  suppresses the feelings of hunger, so no hunger pains.  Go for it!

  31. Greg Norton says:

    Waiting for the next Cat 5 hurricane? 

    That could happen this year in Texas given the water temps in the Gulf right now.

  32. Jenny says:

    Put three more rabbits in the freezer this morning. Last rabbit standing (from the February litter) has nice conformation. Nice length of loin, meaty hind quarters, shoulders balance the backend well when walking along. Broad forehead, broad rib cage, muscle well distributed on hind quarters and loin with some nicely meaty shoulders. I had thought this was a male. If so would replace my current buck (this juveniles father) as has a better calmer temperament which would be very nice. 
    Alas, the handsome rabbit is a doe. I already have three does, which is one more than I’d like. 
     

    So this last nice looking juvenile will go in the freezer as well. Soon. 
     

    Cleaned up my slaughter area. I dispatched outside and processed inside as the mosquitoes are horrid. Used a six foot ladder to hang the carcass. Since I’m short that mostly worked. 
     

    Then I did a deep clean on the rabbitry. Distributed many buckets of manure through the yard. Cleaned wire on cages, rinsed out the poop chutes and urine buckets. Raked the ground clean. I should sprinkle some stall sweet under the lower row of cages but ran out of steam. 
     

    The four week old kits got damp from the hose despite my care. So handled each and toweled them off. I will hit the empty cages with a propane torch and disinfect, then move the four week old kits away from their does. 
     

    Next litter is due July 11. I’m on track to exceed last years rabbit production. 
     

    Made dinner, getting cleaned up while I wait for it to cook.

  33. Greg Norton says:

    @Ray – Any suggestions for one way ground transportation from BNA to Clarksville next Saturday morning, most likely arriving at the destination after the rental car counters close at noon in the small town?

  34. SteveF says:

    I had thought this was a male. … Alas, the handsome rabbit is a doe.

    Did … did you just assume the rabbit’s gender? <howdareyou.wav>

  35. Ray Thompson says:

    Any suggestions for one way ground transportation from BNA to Clarksville next Saturday morning,

    Uber? That’s all I’ve got.

  36. Lynn says:

    >> There are three paddle wheelers stuck in Waco due to the bridges. One of them is over 600 feet long. 

    Waiting for the next Cat 5 hurricane? 

    The paddle wheelers ran between Waco and the Gulf of Mexico from 1875 ??? to 1910 ? when they built the first bridge over the Brazos.   Those tall smokestacks on the paddle wheelers are about 60 to 80 feet tall.  Three of the paddle wheelers stayed in Waco for some reason, they used to paddle around Possum Kingdom Lake and Lake Waco as tourist attractions.  I think that they are gone now.

  37. Lynn says:

    Weighing 205 again would be awesome but the hunger pains are not worth it.

    Bill Quick reports that Mounjoro, the drug he used,  suppresses the feelings of hunger, so no hunger pains.  Go for it!

    Yeah, I saw that he dropped 90 lbs with Mounjoro.  Unfortunately, it is a prescription drug, weekly injectable.  That means you gotta find a doctor to prescribe it to you.  And my GP just quit.

  38. RickH says:

    Unfortunately, it is a prescription drug, weekly injectable.  That means you gotta find a doctor to prescribe it to you.  

    And it’s a bit expensive.  Drug cost of “Mounjaro 2.5 mg/0.5 mL subcutaneous pen injector” for me via Humana is $635/month. 

  39. lpdbw says:

    So many Mounjaro/Bill Quick things.

    If you go over there, let me know how my rants read.  I think they’re calm, cool, collected responses to a near-troll.  OTOH, I can understand how people could interpret them as spittle-flecked  handwaving at nonexistant clouds of insects.  I would contend that those people simply have no clues about the actual science behind human dietary management.  They may be as ignorant as doctors.  Or I may be a maniac.

    If you are pre-diabetic or actually type II, I understand you can get coverage of Ozempic or Mounjaro through health insurance.  Still not cheap.  Wegovy and off-label semaglutides, not so much.  The manufacturers have special discount programs for Type II people.

    I’ve tried keto a few times, with limited success.  More success than failure, but never sustained long-term loss.   Also never regained everything, so the slow long term trend is down. I lost 60 pounds in 2020 and even with my ups-and-downs have kept at least 40 of it off.

    Lately, I’ve started watching lots of Dr. Boz videos and other videos, and added MCT oil and dihydroberberine into the mix.  Hunger is still a thing, but most of the time I can simply ignore it.  I’ve lost 12 pounds in the last 2 weeks.  

    My alcohol consumption is also way down, and it wasn’t excessive before.  I was a 3x a week drinker, and I had my first Scotch in 2 weeks tonight.

  40. lpdbw says:

    That means you gotta find a doctor to prescribe it to you.  And my GP just quit.

    It’s easy to find doctors who prescribe it.  The challenge is to find a non-quack or a traditional internist who will.  All the “medi-spas” or places with weight management programs offer it now.

    I”m seeing my new, non-Methodist primary care doctor for the first time in about 2 weeks.  I picked him because he’s listed on the FLCCC website as willing to prescribe Ivermectin.  He’s a kidney specialist who will do primary care.  I will be discussing Mounjaro with him.

    I’m still not ready to pull the trigger, but I am convinced that the unknown long-term risks of this new drug can hardly be worse than the known risks of obesity.  If this round of keto fails me, I am happy to have a fallback plan.

    I figure if I’m suing Methodist, I probably shouldn’t use their services.  Plus, I can’t trust any Methodist doctor based on their slavish compliance with “Standard of Care” and corporate directions, specifically:  Patient presents with covid, send them home until they can’t breathe any more, and then put them on a respirator, which kills half of them, and by no means prescribe Ivermectin or HCQ, or anything, for that matter.

  41. Paul Hampson says:

    I’ve scored some really nice cookware by being willing to clean it, and not just cast iron.

    I’m remembering my first cast iron pan from Goodwill, ca 1970.  A quarter inch of coke bonded to the bottom that I literally chipped out with a cold chisel over a few hours; it’s still my favorite every day pan.  I got a couple of others since then and later inherited my mom’s.

  42. drwilliams says:

    Over the years I’ve probably had 100 utility knives. Most have been retractable unless they have a fixed home on a particular bench or a leather sheath.

    Most of them have been Stanley, and a few years ago I bought half a dozen of the 10-989 Swivel Lock. I’m sending two of them back to Stanley, both barely used. 

    One is the worse for wear, having been accidentally loaded with two blades (Stanley) stuck together, which promptly jammed and would not retract. After trying subtle methods, I resorted to a 4-lb mall on the anvil to free the blades. The pot metal of the body failed and is now in 10-12 pieces. 

    The other jams and refuses to open better than half the time, unless tapped on one side and then the other and gently cajoled with soothing words. 

    Those knives will be  sent home with a Stanley 25-ft tape measure, which jammed 60-seconds after being removed from the plastic card. When disassembled I found that the blade was fine, but a tiny piece of the case had broken off and rendered it useless. The damage either occurred to the tape without damaging the package or it was damaged before packaging. Either way, too delicate for real use.

    (I do have a favorable opinion of the Stanley Fatmax blades, which do seem to last much longer. I have not tried the Stanley “carbide” blades which are not a carbide alloy but described as carbide laser-bonded to the cutting edge and then diamond ground. )

    I pulled out a 25-year-old utility knife that I recalled as working very well, but was retired because I could not find the non-standard blades. Visited their website and found that blades may be available, and wrote them an email to confirm and inquire about the newer design that takes universal blades. The reason to go to the trouble is that this knife uses a Delrin slider in the pot metal housing, giving it a very smooth operation, unlike the steel galling up the pot metal which is Stanley and most others.

    I have not been impressed with most of the newer-style folding utility knives. One brand got returned when the blade kept pulling out with cutting cardboard. I recently bought a package of two (48-22-1503) Milwaukee Fastback , one metal body, the other plastic, but don’t have enough usage on either to report.

  43. Nick Flandrey says:

    WRT weight loss- Before my wedding we did hard core Dr Atkins.   We were absolutely strict and extended the 2 week induction to three.   The hunger and sugar craving was bad.  That is what induction is there for, to break that habit and loop.   Lost 10% of my body weight in the first two weeks.   Over the next two phases lost even more and got used to the choices and meals.   I even stuck to it while doing trade shows. 

    Lost from 235 to 190lbs in a couple of months.   At 190 I look a bit gaunt, so I stabilized at 195 for years on phase 4 of Atkins for Life.   Over time we added back carbs and sugar and I gained some back, somewhere between 210 and 220.   Over the last year and a few months, I’ve been gradually losing weight and have been under 200 consistently for at least 6 months, and maybe 9.   I don’t track it.

    I cut portion sizes- went from 2 extra large eggs to one large egg for breakfast.   I eat three slices of ham and some cheese for lunch.   Dinner is whatever I cook for the family which lately has included much more rice and pasta than previously, and more prepared meals.    I mostly avoid carbs except at dinner.

    I also eat a half cup of smoked almonds mixed with M&Ms every night as a bedtime snack.   If I don’t eat something late, I don’t have the energy to get up in the morning.

    I’ve been doing gentle isometrics while laying down after stretching and adjusting my lower back to tighten my belly and lower abdomen.    

    I’ve lost belly fat, and flattened my belly.   I’m down a full pant size, maybe two, depending on cut.

    In general, my diet is high fat, high protein, and low sugar/carbs.

    I’ve also been working harder because of the BOL, and sweating MUCH more.

    n

  44. Nick Flandrey says:

    Got some stuff done today.  Spent 45 minutes looking for the plumbing parts I brought up with me.   VERY frustrating.   

    Several people have stopped by or asked D1 about the work I’m doing, so they notice…

    Gonna have to bust a move to get everything done before my machines turn back into pumpkins.   Seems possible, the side patio is coming out easier than the back so far. [touch wood]

    IDK if I”ll have enough good fill dirt.  I can get more by enlarging the earlier hole, but that will take time I don’t want to spend.    It’s gonna be close. And I’ve got tons of sand left over no matter what I do.

    I’ll be hitting it hard tomorrow.

    n

  45. Alan says:

    >> The head of Allied Wealth predicted on the retirement radio show this afternoon that he expects ALL Social Security recipients to take a 20% haircut on their monthly pension after the 2024 federal election.  The money is just not there.

    Grandma ain’t gonna like it.

    Gotta educate Granny and all her cohorts exactly whom to ‘pull the lever’ for now rather than having them crying come next November.

  46. Alan says:

    >> I’m not sure if my conversation with my dad distinguished between the two commie programs. Probably doesn’t matter, as SS’s bottom line on the official balance sheet doesn’t matter because the “lock box” is a lie, the general fund’s cupboard is bare, and rolling the printing presses can’t last forever.

    All we need is more paper and ink…what do you think Janet’s been hoarding in those empty Fort Knox vaults? And there’s still those trillion dollar coins the Mint is ready to start stamping out.

  47. Alan says:

    >> Bill Quick reports that Mounjoro, the drug he used,  suppresses the feelings of hunger, so no hunger pains.  Go for it!

    I’ve read several articles stating that these drugs tend to require on-going maintenance doses or the hunger/eating/weight returns.

  48. Alan says:

    >> Made dinner, getting cleaned up while I wait for it to cook.

    @Jenny, hmm…rabbit stew by any chance?

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    Dang, just read my email and the new dumpster won’t be here in the morning.   They only have one guy available and he’s booked.   I really don’t have time to move the stuff twice and I lose my machines …

    n

  50. Alan says:

    >> Any suggestions for one way ground transportation from BNA to Clarksville next Saturday morning

    Sorry @Greg, couldn’t resist…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcXpKiY2MXE

  51. Jenny says:

    @Alan

    rabbit stew by any chance?

    Rabbit enchilada pie, kind of. Using up leftover rabbit from last night – cube cooked rabbit, add can of black beans, green chilis to taste, generous handful of frozen corn, generous handful of leftover rice. Oh and that tomato languishing on the counter, diced fine. Salt, pepper, ground cumin. Rosemary and marjoram because they smell good. Cook on stove until bubbling. Layer of corn tortillas in a 9×13 pan, slop in the rabbit mixture. Grated cheese across top. more corn tortillas that have been cut into triangles. More cheese. Hmm. Top is dry and I have no enchilada sauce. Drizzle with rabbit broth to moisten tortillas. 
    Bake at 360° f until it smells good. About 35 minutes. 
     

    Four of us wiped it out. It was good. It wasn’t enchiladas of course, but I was jonesing for them today and this was my nod to them. 

  52. Jenny says:

    @SteveF

    assume the rabbit’s gender

    I dare lots of perhaps inappropriate stuff. Sexing rabbits is hard and they are uncooperative. They can kick their hind legs and rake you with their little knives even when holding behind their head. Plus you’re trying to see if they’ve got a little pink taco or little bitty burrito. At 4-6 weeks old. Glasses are required and they’re squirming and scratching like homicidal jerks. You can hear them shouting in their brains “bad touch!!!”

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