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Month: September 2023

Sat. Sept. 30, 2023 – “nuttin’ to do Abe, nuttin’ to do…”

Definitely cooler now than a month ago. A bit of chill even in the morning air. Plenty of damp though. Extra helpings of that. Although it threatened to rain with patchy dark clouds, it missed me all day yesterday, and the clouds helped with the sun too.

It was cool enough to work on the roof getting the downed limb cut up and off the roof. Did so, and the roof is in pretty good shape. There are a couple of ridge vent shingles that I should replace and one or two roof shingles. I probably won’t, as I think it will be more disruptive to the roof to tear out the old and install the new, than to just live with the lumpy damage. Unless it leaks, then we’ll fix it.

Spent the evening with a small group of dads from the kid’s school who support a couple of the extra activities by selling concessions. Nice group of guys, I’ll do what I can to continue participating. Several I already knew from other school and community groups. There was a time in my life that I was ready to move cities if I ran into someone I knew while out and about. Now I understand the value of community a bit more.

Whether you are sizing up your competition, trying to find allies, or just looking for friends, getting out and meeting people in your area is going to be critical if you don’t already have ties to your community. I know my thinking on this subject has changed. Let’s say it’s “evolved” or “become more nuanced.” Whatever you want to call it, I’m convinced you need to know them, and they need to know you. It might be a carefully edited version of you, (but don’t think you can fool people), but they need to believe they understand you to trust you. You will also likely benefit from being able to trust (at least under a limited set of conditions) other people. Or you’ll know that they will never trust you, or that you can’t trust them. Knowledge is power.

And of course, so are resources. Keep stacking.

nick

Read the comments: 47 Comments

Fri. Sept. 29, 2023 – finally Friday, or OMG!! week is gone!11!!!1 you decide!

Cooler definitely. But still getting brain broiling hot in the afternoon sun. Truck is so hot I burned myself on it. Not just “Ouch, that’s hot” but actual burned skin. It’s cooler than a month ago though. Fall is here. Or at least we can see it from here.

Spent yesterday on auction stuff. Did a pickup, and ran by my auctioneer to see if I can bring stuff next week (yes, probably.) Prices were low for yesterday’s auction though. Since it was hot, I didn’t get up on the roof and do my lumberjack thing. I’ll do it today though, pretty much running out of time.

Then I’ve got some domestic bliss to take care of, followed by some meatspace activities. D1 has a home game that I’d like to see. And later, a bunch of the dads are getting together to pre-grill burgers for Saturday’s concession stand in support of the Debate team. Sounds like a social event more than anything. Several of the dads from school and swim team are involved so I’ll have someone to talk to. I’ll meet some other people too, and who knows what could follow that? Networking, and getting to know your community. Both important preps.

Take advantage of whatever opportunities you have to leverage existing relationships or groups into meeting some more people. That is going to make all the difference in the world later. ‘No man’s an island’ is going to take on even more meaning if things go pear shaped. IDK what your need will be or what sort of group you’ll find yourself in. Maybe you’ll be at the Green Dragon. Maybe you’ll be a Committee. Maybe you’ll be a direct action cell. Or maybe you’ll just swap recipes and cleaning tips (for handloads and firearms, natch, what did you think?) Knowing people and being known will help.

And stacks of course, they’ll help too.

nick

Read the comments: 55 Comments

Thur. Sept. 28, 2023 – Running out of September, better order some more in…

Cooler, and wet. Rained yesterday late evening and the ground is still wet. Dunno what today will bring, but I’m thinking hot and humid, although maybe less so than this past week.

I didn’t get my lumberjack fix in yesterday. I did auction stuff until I had to run out and do errands. I did get my locksmithing done at the rental house. A long time ago I shared that I thought it was a good idea to collect all the permits, certificates, and licenses you could while civilization was still a thing. One of the ones I looked at was locksmith, as you can carry some useful tools that would otherwise get you arrested in most jurisdictions. It’s not a bad little side gig, or even full time gig, either. And while I didn’t get the license (wasn’t clear that I wouldn’t need to apprentice) I got a bunch of the tools and some reference material, and learned some things.

Locks and geeks go way back together, so there is precedent, plus I was always fascinated with bypassing locks, starting with a book on Harry Houdini I got while in grade school. In any case, I can do the basics, and even some of the intermediate stuff, and I’ve got tools to do more involved things as well. There isn’t as much crossover with some of the ‘communities of interest’ I participate in, but there is a wealth of info available online.

The basics that I think are useful and should be achievable by almost everyone? Install locksets, knobs, and hinges. Use specific re-key kits to change pinning and replace cylinders. Use a bump key. Pick cheap locks and cylinders. Open a cheap locking container (sold as “safes” but are really just lockboxes). Enter your own vehicle without keys (slimjim or other bypass). Use a ‘jamb knife’. Know the weaknesses of the most common padlocks, cylinders, and how to bypass them. Own the tools to accomplish all this.

Of course, being an actual locksmith requires more than this, cutting keys and programming car remotes seem to be the most common retail requests, and both require specialized tools. Responding to lockouts and opening cars is probably the most common field task. There is a specialized toolkit for that too, and mounds of reference material. Then a 16 yo kid on a wrecker pops the doors with a slimjim faster than you can get your fancy kit out…

Anyway, locking stuff up effectively is important, and likely to be more important as civilization falls. Bypassing those locks has a place too. Something to consider.

Improve your skills. Get the specialized tools you need. Stack.

n

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Wed. Sept. 27, 2023 – I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK… and a locksmith too

Slightly cooler, then just as hot as ever. Well, high 90s, not low 100s but it will feel the same. We’re on the downslope toward winter, but still have a way to go. It certainly got hot enough yesterday afternoon for me to be moving slowly when outdoors.

Speaking of which, I got little done. I got to my rent house, intending to finish the lock work, and discovered I’d left the locks at home. Brought the re-key kit, but left the locks. Ended up taking the trash to my dumpster which is nearby so it wasn’t a total loss.

Had my auctioneer beg off for this week. Dang. I was on a roll and had momentum. That’s gonna delay getting stuff out of here. It will mean I can focus on other parts of the list though.

Like getting this tree branch off my roof. I have a plan. It might be dumb and foolhardy, but it’s a plan. I think it can be done safely and without a lot of fuss. We’ll see. Then once I find the locks, I’ll head to the rent house and finish up there. I can continue to an auction pickup, or head to school to pickup the kid when I’m done with that.

Should be a full day. If I don’t falter.

Keep improving. Keep stacking.

nick

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another absent friend, Dave Hardy, or OFD as he was usually known here. It’s been five years since his passing, and I miss his perspective and (cough) willingness to share. The religious aspects, from someone who rediscovered his faith, were particularly interesting to me. Raise a glass to “Absent Friends”.

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Tues. Sept. 26, 2023 – Taco Tuesday! Just kidding. Thin gruel again.

Warm and wet. Fall in Houston. Soon enough it will be cold, but maybe we’ll get a bit of Fall in between. It was nice at the BOL until it got hot. And apparently there was a mini-storm at home yesterday evening, but I missed it. Weather. Bah.

I spent yesterday wrapping up some loose ends, and trying to knock off a few smaller projects. It got pretty dang hot in the afternoon, so I took a short breather. Sat in the shade on the dock and watched the hummingbirds for an hour. On of the things I like doing at the BOL is bird watching. I’m not “into” it, but I do think it’s fun to see who’s around and I’d like to encourage more feathered friends to come by. When I noticed the hummingbirds were back, I refilled the feeders. They were nosing around one of my kerosene lanterns (red, and hanging on the dock) which if you squint looks a lot like a feeder…

So I put a feeder down on the dock. They were chasing each other and running each other off of the feeder. The little bodies slamming into each other in flight makes more noise than you’d think, and they vocalize too. We have a little flock, at least 6, maybe more, all swarming that feeder on the dock. It was quite entertaining to sit there and have them just 5 feet away. I got a better look at them than I’ve ever had before, and I’ve never had a chance to watch them interact.

One lesson I learned years ago when I used to travel 100-250 days a year for work- you take your joy where you find it. It was a lot of fun watching the fierce little birds zipping around.

Today it’s “back to reality, back to life” at Casa De Nick. I’ve got to unload my truck, figure out what to do about the limb on my roof, load up more auction stuff, and generally do two days of stuff in one day, to get “caught up.” I should try to make some progress on getting the new “pantry” setup, setup. Or clean my office, or list some ebay stuff, or test some stuff for ebay, or any of the other 10000 things……. Something will get done, we’ll have to see what.

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The invasion continues, the political shenanigans are just getting started, the war drums are beating, and the people are pulling back and making plans while looking for someone to blame. Stack what you need. Or go hungry.

nick

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Mon. Sept. 25, 2023 – still working, still sweating…

IDK yet if it rained, but it was still hot when I went to bed. The breeze had picked up and I had a nice night on the dock watching lightning on the horizon. Pretty light show. Supposed to be a little cooler today, but that is predicated on the idea it stormed. Dunno if it did.

I spent most of yesterday in the garage. It was motivated by needing to place the pool table, but you all have heard me talking about cleaning and organizing for several visits. This time, it got done in depth. And it took two days. But now it’s done for a while. There are still things to sort out, and a shed and ‘workshop’ to do the same thing to, which not coincidentally will get even more stuff out of the garage. What I didn’t get done was any exploration of why the irrigation pump stopped working.

So that will be today’s task, weather permitting. Cut the pipes, pull the pump, open it up and see if it’s nothing but GrapeNuts ™ sized pieces of metal, or if there is some other issue. The motor is spinning but the pump isn’t sucking. And that sucks. (ha, couldn’t resist.)

If it is raining I might just call it a day early and head toward home. Plenty to do there too.

There is always plenty to do.

And stacking. There is always stacking to do.

nick

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Sun. Sept. 24, 2023 – a day that won’t live in infamy and probably won’t be special at all…

But it is likely to be hot. We are on the edge of a system and supposed to get rain, which would cool things down a bit, but who knows what will actually happen. It was hot enough yesterday that I was moving slowly and trying to keep up my fluid intake.

Did some cleaning and organizing. LONG overdue but not a priority until now. Didn’t finish so I’ll be continuing that today.

Spent time with the family paying a game and watching a movie, then I spent some time on the dock remembering my absent friends.

The night was warm at 85F but the breeze picked up and it was pleasant over the water. The list of absent friends gets longer, but I suppose that’s how this part of life works. I realize most of them were older than me, 10-20 years, and mentor figures mostly, and I wonder who will sit on a dock remembering me. I left the business without ever being “one of the old guys” and developing relationships with the next generation coming up. I suppose it will be family, and maybe a few guys I’ve never met in real life…

Hopefully that will be decades in the future, and I’ve got some time to work on the next generation. None of us know the appointed hour and some of them had damn little warning, so make the most of what you’ve got.

Do what you can to thrive, not just survive. Stack some stuff, and spend some time on friends and family.

nick

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Sat. Sept. 23, 2023 – 092323 – from dust we were made, and to dust we return

Cooler up here, but still muggy. No idea what the forecast calls for, except generally hot and humid. The edge of the T-storm zone in the national forecast moved and so Houston and the BOL are not near it anymore, at least for a day or two. Still summertime though and that means hot and humid.

Yesterday was eaten by ducks. I put some details in the comments. Fallen limbs, messed up lock cylinders, stuff to do that didn’t get done… and then finally driving to the BOL.

Today will be clearing a space for the pool table, unloading it from my truck, and looking at the irrigation pump. And any other small thing that pops up. There are lots of things to choose from.

Always be working to improve your position. That means in your social networks too, and I don’t mean social media. Get out and talk to some people today. Reinforce some of the shared bonds.

And stack. You’ll need both.

nick

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Fri. Sept. 22, 2023 – SS, DD. Rinse and repeat…

Cool would be nice, even followed by warm, or hot. Since we’re gonna get the warm and hot, it would be nice to get some cool. It wasn’t cool yesterday morning. Oh, it was cooler, but no chill in the air, and it got H O T hot… It was 88F after dark. National forecast has us on the edges of potential T-storm activity. Now that I’ve got a pool table in my pickup, I REALLY don’t want rain. Usually the edge avoids getting any. Fingers crossed.

So I did get my new pool table picked up. It was heavy. IS heavy. But I managed with help from my wife. I won’t be happy until it’s safely unloaded.

Did my computer repairs too. There is detail in yesterday’s comments, but the short story is– PSU was bad. Got that swapped and I’m back to computing like it’s 2005. Ok, 2010. What can I say, I like what I’ve got and see no reason to change.

Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes it’s not. LED flashlights are an example, as are digital mode trunk tracking scanners. There has been a lot of improvement in some things. Sleep systems, tents, clothing too. Most of us prepping probably acquired stuff some time ago, and it was late in it’s life then. It might very well be completely out of date now, and superseded in almost every way.

Take a look at your preps, and even your daily use items, and look for stuff that has been significantly improved with time. Really consider upgrading anything you identify. Like LED flashlights, modern first aid gear, and food that will store well, we are surrounded by choice and increased function. Take advantage of that.

And stack like your life depends on it.

nick

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Thur. Sept. 21, 2023 – Today we’ll see how clever I am…

Cool and damp. Slightly less so than last week. It’s been getting into the low 90s and higher in the sun by later in the day. That’s still pretty hot, and the sun is like a laser roasting the top of your head and back of your legs. Hot.

On Wednesday, I did mostly auction stuff. Two pickups and a drop off had me crossing town. And I had to dig through a storage unit for the drop offs. I did pick up what I hope will be a drop in replacement for my main PC, and some scaffold to use at the BOL. I’ve been trying to buy scaf for a year, but it always goes for too much money. This isn’t what I’d prefer, and it’s too short, but it will do for a start. Turns out that there are a ton of things that make life easier in the country. Scaffolding is one of them. Heavy equipment helps too.

Today will be eaten up with getting a pool table for my wife. Yup, that’s what she wants. So I got one in the auctions and it even comes with all the accessories. But I’ve got to disassemble and transport it. And at some point, someone will have to reassemble it… I really hope it’s a three piece slate. Because my ToDo list is fractal, I need to clean up and move a bunch of stuff to get my drywall cart out of storage, and ready for use. I’m sure there will be more things to do to get ready to do things…too.

While I’m messing around with totally unrelated things, go to the gun store and buy something. Then stack it up.

nick

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