Sat. Oct. 14, 2023 – Solar eclipse today… and my non-prepping hobby

By on October 14th, 2023 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

It was warm as the devil’s backside yesterday and just as sweaty, so I’m hoping today actually is cooler, like Fall is supposed to be. It’s still not “winter” or “summer” in Houston, so it could go either way. There were threatening clouds too, but I didn’t personally see any rain. Somebody probably did.

I did my running around, several pickups, and arranging for a drop off later today, and on Tuesday. Ran the kids back and forth from their events too. Didn’t make it to Costco, or into the attic for some Halloween decor.

Today is busy too. Starting out with my non-prepping hobby, then eclipse watching with the kids if possible, then drive out to an auction pickup. My wife wanted some more patio furniture for the BOL, and I won some more in an auction. Grabbed a few more things, since I was going there anyway. Then if I get back in time, I would really like to get some preliminary decor out. I’m feeling a bit slack this year. Doesn’t matter that I’ve got this cold, no one cares. And I don’t actually want it to delay me either. So I’ll push through.

The world continues to get crazier. Thankfully there wasn’t much from the “day of jihad”, outside of the stabbings and chanting “Death to Israel” and “Death to the USA” that I’m sure played a big part in the various gatherings worldwide. Doesn’t mean there won’t be more. I think the chances of something bigger than Ham-ass killing jews and getting themselves slaughtered in return just got downgraded a notch. I still think we’ll get more involved, and then China will move on Taiwan, but that will wait for another day.

Meanwhile, think about what losing Taiwan will do to global manufacturing, product availability, price, and the stock market. And what that will do to our economy. Plan for it. Stack while you can.

nick

78 Comments and discussion on "Sat. Oct. 14, 2023 – Solar eclipse today… and my non-prepping hobby"

  1. SteveF says:

    Fortunate no one was killed.

    Every building or car fire with no fatalities is a waste. Think of how many people you wish would just die in a fire. And do they ever do it? No! That’s what’s wrong with the world.

  2. PaultheManc says:

    For those not directly following world news.  The Australians have rejected via referendum the addition of a specific indigenous ‘Voice’ to the Constitution.  The Labour party (remember Jacinda Ardern) has been defeated in the New Zealand general election and will be replaced in government by a right of centre coalition.

  3. Nick Flandrey says:

    Supposed to be sunny later, and not quite “hot”.  Should be good weather to view the eclipse.

    Making coffee.  I’ll buy donuts.   

    Enjoy the day, but still keep your attention up.

    n

  4. brad says:

    Think of how many people you wish would just die in a fire. And do they ever do it? No! That’s what’s wrong with the world.

    Oh, I feel that. I have a couple of excellent candidates.

    But then, I’m a grump just now. There was “an accident involving a person” on one of the major train lines. Which is the nice way of saying that someone decided to end things by throwing themselves in front of a train. Since they picked a major axis, the train schedule for the day has been destroyed. I’m killing hours in a restaurant, hoping someday to get home. When the next train that direction finally runs, it will be totally overfilled, standing room only…

  5. Ray Thompson says:

    Which is the nice way of saying that someone decided to end things by throwing themselves in front of a train.

    In Atlanta many years ago there was a man threatening to jump off an interstate bridge. During rush hour. Horrible traffic was made even worse as traffic in both directions was stopped by the police. Calls into local radio talk shows was almost universally “just push, or shoot, him” so traffic can move again.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    In Atlanta many years ago there was a man threatening to jump off an interstate bridge. During rush hour. Horrible traffic was made even worse as traffic in both directions was stopped by the police. Calls into local radio talk shows was almost universally “just push, or shoot, him” so traffic can move again.

    In Tampa, potential jumpers from the Sunshine Skyway bridge would result in traffic being stopped on both spans while FHP talked them down. It got so frequent/annoying that in the early days of the Internet in the mid-90s, someone created a Skyway Bridge Jumper Pool page as both a gag and a way to teach himself web technology. The page was an immediate sensation.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    For those not directly following world news.  The Australians have rejected via referendum the addition of a specific indigenous ‘Voice’ to the Constitution.  The Labour party (remember Jacinda Ardern) has been defeated in the New Zealand general election and will be replaced in government by a right of centre coalition.

    The right is on the move in the rest of the world, but realize that “right” in a place like New Zealand probably means the unjabbed in camps would have five nights of hot water instead of three weekly.

    Meanwhile, here in Texas, the “right” puts on PR stunts involving abortion restrictions, banning “confirmation” gender transition surgeries for minors, and the border situation, but left and right are about to give away the state’s surplus to the schools and local governments to use to continue to spend on nonsense while hiding the property tax increases for the next two years in temporary “compression” of rates. This is considered tax “reform” by the Republicans who nominally run things until the next rolling blackouts happen close to an election month.

    I’m not kidding when I write that the actor Matthew McConaughey could end up as Governor of Texas with the right set of circumstances. All right, all right, all right. The crowd already treats him like he’s Governor at UT Austin football games.

    Did I mention Warren Buffett’s generator slush fund, also on the ballot?

    “Republicans” will vote for the cr*p with a straight face.

  8. MrAtoz says:

    My neighborhood is very quiet. I have space for a gun 100 yard range with a nice 50 foot high earth back stop,  but I’ll need to buy silencers.  I didn’t realize that silencers were so expensive; the lowest price I’ve found it almost $400 each, some are $1200.  The paperwork to get one would dauting.  Apparently it costs $200 for each silencer and I should form a trust to pass them to my heirs or they will be forfeited.  There is an eForm to do this but it requires the serial number so I have to buy it and them apply for the license before it can be shipped.  There is no way to see if I like the fit on my gub.  None of the above should be consider absolutely correct as the rules are difficult to read.  Much worse the any IRS guidance.  

    Sites like http://www.silencercentral.com do all the paperwork for you. Worth checking out.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    Sites like http://www.silencercentral.com do all the paperwork for you. Worth checking out.

    We used to have The Silencer Store in the shopping complex near the house featuring Hobby Lobby and Fedex. One stop does it all.

    I’ll have to look for it the next time I go to Fedex. Hobby Lobby closed and moved out, which is kinda surprising around here.

  10. drwilliams says:

    @BobSprowl

    Get professional advice on the trust.

    Strongly recommend looking at this guide:

    https://silencerco.com/how-to-buy/

    Their products are not inexpensive, but the quality is very high.

    Another scope to consider:

    https://vortexoptics.com/

    and a useful guide

    https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/moa-vs-mrad-reticles/

    In both cases the long gub selection will determine the choice of accessories.

    WRT the Maxim devices, some are dedicated calibre and others are somewhat flexible. Weight is a big consideration for those of us with more life experience–putting an extra 10-14 oz at the end makes a difference. Have relistic expectations about the effects, too. The result is sound reduction to about the level of an impact wrench taking a lug nut off a car (before the high-pitched spinning), and the sound impulse is flattened and much less identifiable.

  11. drwilliams says:

    If Hamas leaders had any smarts they would hire Leon Panetta to cast doubt on the atrocity claims. Someone who is still sticking by the Russian disinformation line on Hunter’s laptop should be able to do that with a straight face:

    “Photos can be altered, yanno.”

    “Where is the proof that these maps of school locations and instructions for killing women and children were not fabricated?”

    “I talked to former SecState Hillary Clinton and she is convinced that bleach and a cloth were involved, and is willing to give a speech on the matter for $700,000”

  12. drwilliams says:

    NASA just launched the Psyche mission—no one knows what it will find

    Psyche is going to a metal world with plasma engines and lasers. It’s not sci-fi.

    The estimated value of the minerals on Psyche itself is in the range of $10 quintillion. That’s 400,000 years of the US GDP, or about 7 trillion times the cost of this mission.

    https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/nasa-is-about-to-launch-a-mission-of-pure-discovery-to-a-metal-asteroid/

    Yeah, and the UN wants ownership. Screw them.

    I’d be surprised if Elon doesn’t have a plan to manufacture Teslas on-site and drop them directly into the backyards of customers from orbit.

  13. Greg Norton says:

    If Hamas leaders had any smarts they would hire Leon Panetta to cast doubt on the atrocity claims. Someone who is still sticking by the Russian disinformation line on Hunter’s laptop should be able to do that with a straight face:

    I spent most of 2021 at a DoD wannabe contractor cabal company with Clapper on the board of directors, continuing to defend the laptop story as Russian disinformation … until he couldn’t.

    Clapper disappeared from the board not long after the WaPost and Pinch’s brood at the Times issued their mea culpas, but people still pay him to do, well, something, probably similar to whatever Hunter provided to Burisma.

    10% for the big guy.

    After a year, with the damage to my career from the firing repaired, I moved on. The company never sold anything to the Pentagon and got bought by someone else earlier this year.

  14. Greg Norton says:

    I’d be surprised if Elon doesn’t have a plan to manufacture Teslas on-site and drop them directly into the backyards of customers from orbit.

    An education process is taking place in North Austin right now about repairing hail damage on Tesla vehicles and the insurance companies approach to full coverage claims.

    What? You thought the Gecko would take care of you in that situation?

    The Gecko loves his float, but he doesn’t like claims. Neither do Flo, Limu Emu, The General, or any of the other Capos in the insurance rackets.

    Elon will sell Tesla owners insurance, but they have to submit to correcting their regular driving correction email recommendations or face rate increases.

    Of course, the traditional manufacturer’s repair costs are through the roof — have you priced late model Ford paint matching lately? However, any competent body shop can repair an F150 … for a price … where Tonymobiles require Tesla to do the work or the owner will void the warranty.

  15. Ray Thompson says:

    The Gecko loves his float, but he doesn’t like claims. Neither do Flo, Limu Emu, The General, or any of the other Capos in the insurance rackets.

    In my last wreck Traveler’s would only pay reduced value because of a wreck. There was no prior wreck, just the one for the claim. Their response was that if the car was repairable it would have reduced value. The car was being totaled so all they would pay was the reduced value. I balked and was told “if you don’t like it, sue us in court.”

  16. SteveF says:

    I’d be surprised if Elon doesn’t have a plan to manufacture Teslas on-site and drop them directly into the backyards of customers from orbit.

    Would these airdropped Teslas come with reentry-burn-proof space toilets? Asking for a friend.

  17. lynn says:

    My neighborhood is very quiet. I have space for a gun 100 yard range with a nice 50 foot high earth back stop,  but I’ll need to buy silencers.  I didn’t realize that silencers were so expensive; the lowest price I’ve found it almost $400 each, some are $1200.  The paperwork to get one would dauting.  Apparently it costs $200 for each silencer and I should form a trust to pass them to my heirs or they will be forfeited.  There is an eForm to do this but it requires the serial number so I have to buy it and them apply for the license before it can be shipped.  There is no way to see if I like the fit on my gub.  None of the above should be consider absolutely correct as the rules are difficult to read.  Much worse the any IRS guidance.  

    American Rifleman magazine has been testing silencers.  They are not happy.  One .22 long rifle gun has increased from from a six inch drop at 100 feet to a 5 foot drop at 100 feet.  Not good.

  18. lynn says:

    A reputable place to buy a silencer or five:

       https://www.silencercentral.com/

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    Headed out for pickups and dropoffs…

    Eclipse was cool.   Never got really dark, but the light def changed quality.   Had the neighbors and a couple of extra kids looking thru the glasses.

    It’s really nice out, clear and cool.

    n

  20. Brad says:

    I’ve never used one, but I have never head good things about silencers. They do affect the shooting, and they don’t reduce noise nearly as much as people expect. Certainly not down to the little pops in the movies.

    Are they really worth it?

  21. Ken Mitchell says:

    Anybody who’s interested, we didn’t have the best weather here in San Antonio, but the Sun kept peeking through the clouds and occasionally I got some good views.  I pointed my old Astroscan telescope at the Sun and the eyepiece at  a sheet, and the projection was sometimes clear enough to see sunspots.  And sometimes the clouds were just thin enough to look directly at it.

    I took some pictures…..   https://photos.app.goo.gl/WyYs93WxWSWwbga68

  22. paul says:

    Good pictures Ken.  I snapped a few shots of leaf shadows that looked like fish scales. Or nail clippings. 

  23. Lynn says:

    I’ve never used one, but I have never head good things about silencers. They do affect the shooting, and they don’t reduce noise nearly as much as people expect. Certainly not down to the little pops in the movies.

    Are they really worth it?

    My buddy with three of them shoots frequently with his silencers.  Loves them.  Does not use hearing protection with them, claims it is not needed.

  24. drwilliams says:

    “Would these airdropped Teslas come with reentry-burn-proof space toilets?”

    You have them mixed up with SpacLoo’s “Toitas”.

  25. drwilliams says:

    Experts predict a million refugees might flee the Gaza Strip amid the war between Israel and Hamas, and socialists and far-left lawmakers said America should welcome them.

    https://hotair.com/headlines/2023/10/14/progressives-pushing-wh-to-take-in-some-of-the-million-gaza-refugees-n584791

    How about we ship progressives to Gaza to help?

  26. SteveF says:

    Does not use hearing protection with them, claims it is not needed.

    Depends on what you shoot, I suppose, and how damaged your hearing already is.

    Are they really worth it?

    • Protecting your own hearing: Not worth it in my (not extensive) experience. If you’re not already half deaf and aren’t firing .22s, you still need hearing protection. Maybe not as good as you would without the suppressor. (Though note that my hearing is very very good and others might have other results.)
    • Cutting down on annoyance to neighbors or animals: May be worth it. Situation dependent, but worth a shot, pun intended, if you don’t have a tyrannical government which illegally regulates, restricts, and taxes them and makes simple experiments burdensome.
    • Disguising where a shot is coming from: Possibly. They’re useful if unaugmented human ears are being used for the tracking and shooter location. If electronics are being used, I don’t have personal experience but reports are that the systems aren’t fooled by suppressors. Those reports may be more marketing hype than reality. A suppressor which vents all of the noise to only one side may be effective; that’s speculation on my part, not experience.
    • Close-up assassination: Not worth it unless you have a small caliber, subsonic round fired from a single-shot or a semi with a locked bolt. And, I need to point out, unless you are a crack shot; that wimpy round is just going to annoy the target unless you put it right in his eye or heart. (This is the one where Hollywood totally lies to us. Yes, it’s true. You can demonstrate it for yourself: Work the slide of an unloaded semiautomatic pistol. You will find that it makes more noise than the pfft! pfft! of repeated shots in a movie. Try to find the will to go on living after learning that you’ve been lied to your whole life.)
  27. drwilliams says:

    Please send to 10 of your friends and make this the face of progressives for the next election:

    https://twitter.com/SaraGonzalesTX/status/1711775488115384538

  28. drwilliams says:

    An open letter from Fern Oppenheim

    As a child of a Holocaust survivor in whose memory I write, I have spent my life trying to understand how such a heinous crime against humanity could have happened. The short answer is that the groundwork needs to be carefully laid.

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/10/an-open-letter-from-fern-oppenheim.php

    500 words of brilliance.

  29. drwilliams says:

    If someone started a GoFundMe to send The Squad to Gaza on a fact-finding mission, how long would it stay up?

  30. JimB says:

    That article about MOA vs MRAD reticles reminded me a little of…

    I once saw this on a TV nooz show, honest:

    “If we changed to the metric system, the distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco would change from 400 miles to 650 kilometers. However, it wouldn’t take any longer to drive there, because instead of driving at 60 miles per hour you could drive at 100 kilometers per hour.”

    Seriously.

    I really wanted to add:

    “The real problem would be that instead of getting 30 miles per gallon, you would only get 13 kilometers per liter.”

    Yelling at the TV doesn’t work. Sigh.

  31. MrAtoz says:

    Good pictures Ken.  I snapped a few shots of leaf shadows that looked like fish scales. Or nail clippings. 

    The sky cleared up by me close to the SA airport. I took a photo of the “fish scales” also. I took a photo at 3X with my iPhone. Looks cool like a giant searchlight. I walked my doxie during the show. He looked up at me after like he was saying “Is it OK to poop now?” Which he did.

  32. drwilliams says:

    “If we changed to the metric system, the distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco would change from 400 miles to 650 kilometers. However, it wouldn’t take any longer to drive there, because instead of driving at 60 miles per hour you could drive at 100 kilometers per hour.”

    updated for EV’s:

    “If we changed to to electric vehicles, the distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco would not change. However, it would take much longer to drive there, because instead of driving at 60 miles per hour you would average 30 miles per hour with frequent recharging stops.

    If you relied on solar panels on your vehicle to recharge your battery, you would arrive a month later* than someone roller blading on the shoulder of the road.”

    *In summer. In winter you would never get there, because you would freeze to death first.

  33. Alan says:

    >> In my last wreck Traveler’s would only pay reduced value because of a wreck. There was no prior wreck, just the one for the claim. Their response was that if the car was repairable it would have reduced value. The car was being totaled so all they would pay was the reduced value. I balked and was told “if you don’t like it, sue us in court.”

    @Ray, presuming the other driver was at fault, did you file a Diminished Value Claim against their insurance company?

  34. Alan says:

    Gub nerds will prefer suppressor vs. silencer.

    Similarly, magazine vs. clip.

  35. Bob Sprowl says:

    Thanks for all the comments on silencers.  The middle of my property has a fifty foot deep drop off then goes back to the same level as the front and the very rear is about 60 feet deep at the same level as the house.  My lot is about 200 feet wide and 750 feet deep.  All of the lots on my side of the street are similar.  I’m the only one who keeps the “gully” cleaned up.  I think I can lay out a 75 yard range diagonally cross the gully and have the upslope on the far side be a earthen back stop.  None of the properties on behind our lots have homes at the back of their properties.   

    No one shoots on our end of the street.  Someone shoots behind the houses on the northeast end but we don’t know who. I’m hoping a silencer will reduce the noise so it is not bothersome.  

    I realize that they reduce a 160-180 DB sound to 135-155 DB.  Maybe that will be enough and maybe not.  If not there is range a about three miles away.

    I found out more about the silencer trust deal.  If I own a silencer I can loan to others if I am with them.  Otherwise they can’t use it.  If the silencer is in a trust, it is a shared ownership and we can use all use and share it with others if anyone of us are present.  It the owner (not in a trust) of the silencer dies, it has to be surrendered it to the ATF until the new owner pays the $200 tax.  If the silencer is in a trust and one of the people in the trust dies their name is removed from the trust.  People can be added by getting approval from the ATF, a hassle but not much more than that.

    I’ve probably have something incorrect in the above but I’ll figure it out …

    We’re considering my son as the initial trustee. 

  36. Ray Thompson says:

    @Ray, presuming the other driver was at fault, did you file a Diminished Value Claim against their insurance company?

    His insurance said I was 15% at fault even though he pulled out in front of me. It took a month to get his lowlife insurance company to respond. I had to file under uninsured motorist. My insurance company had to deal with his insurance company. I was informed by my insurance agent that insurance companies do not pay diminished value.

    The travelers adjuster took off money for tire wear, seat wear, steering wheel wear. Nickel and dimed everything. Told me if I did not like it I was welcome to take Traveler’s to court. Then the adjuster informed me that Traveler’s would win and file against me for legal fees. Whether he was blowing smoke I don’t know.

    Traveler’s insurance company, or their adjusters, are scum.

  37. SteveF says:

    Traveler’s insurance company, or their adjusters, are scum.

    Pretty sure you can slot in the name of just about any insurance company and the statement will be just as true.

  38. paul says:

    I had Traveler’s for house insurance.  Paid about $1200 a year for 10 or 12 years.  Punch that into your adding machine.

    We had a storm come through.  Not quite a tornado when it hit us but enough to have rain coming in all open windows on all sides of the house at the same time.  The dogs were not amused.   Knocked down a bunch of trees and one tree crushed the pump shed.  And plenty of hail.

    I could have taken care of all of it by myself.  But…. call and file.  Been paying, right?  The adjuster was sorta “wow, you have never filed a claim”.  So.  We got a few grand to start to pay for tree removal and replacing the roof and everything.  Had to submit receipts to get the rest.

    Still got your adding machine out?  Traveler’s paid us almost $5800 when it was all done.   They doubled the premium the next year.  For one claim ever.

  39. Lynn says:

    His insurance said I was 15% at fault even though he pulled out in front of me. It took a month to get his lowlife insurance company to respond. I had to file under uninsured motorist. My insurance company had to deal with his insurance company. I was informed by my insurance agent that insurance companies do not pay diminished value.

    I do not like these fractional at faults.  That is not right, either you are at fault or not at fault.

    My brother-in-law had a wreck with somebody who backed out of their driveway into him.  The cop assigned 45% of the blame to my BIL and said that he was speeding.  The cop was not there so how did he know my BIL was speeding ?  Answer, he did not, he guesstimated it.

  40. Lynn says:

    “Stock Up Now: Best Buy to End DVD, Blu-Ray Disc Sales in 2024″

        https://www.pcmag.com/news/stock-up-now-best-buy-to-end-dvd-blu-ray-disc-sales-in-2024

    “The retailer is phasing out the physical media sales to make space for other products.”

    I was wondering when everyone was going to drop DVDs and Blu Rays when Netflix killed them off.

  41. Nick Flandrey says:

    A really big chunk of the country  still rents from Redbox!   outside of big cities the bandwidth drops precipitously or gets REALLY expensive.   Lots of people only have internet on their phones and don’t stream because they don’t want to watch on a phone.

    My client, 26 miles from Houston, in the middle of lots of new development but out in the sticks, CAN’T get anything better than DSL, and not fast DSL, like 25/725 speeds.   He could stream on that, to one device, but there was always buffering, and certainly not 4k.

    At the BOL we use 4G lte which isn’t fast enough for my wife to use her VPN and company server based apps.   HughesNet is the only choice, since starlink shut off signups.  NO DSL at all.  

    BestBuy wants to get rid of physical media, probably because no one comes into the store anymore, and washing machines and appliances take up more space than other items.

    n

  42. Lynn says:

    “Ice cream and potato chips are just as addictive as cocaine or heroin: research”

       https://nypost.com/2023/10/14/ice-cream-and-potato-chips-are-just-as-addictive-as-cocaine-or-heroin-research/

    I can quit my HEB Chocolate Chip Ice Cream any time I want.  My half gallon that I bought Wednesday night is only 75% gone.  My wife has been in it too.

    Hat tip to:

       https://drudgereport.com/

  43. Paul Hampson says:

    A best before trial – Idahoan Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes, in a sealed 4 serving individual sale packet, best by date of 12 Sep 2014;  I came across a stash of 10 of these I bought on sale some time in the past.  I prepared one packet according to the microwave instructions this morning, just add water.  After letting it sit for a couple of minutes we tried it, could have used a bit of butter added and seemed a little gritty, but no sign of spoilage or significant loss of quality or taste.  I added an egg and ~1/4 C. whole wheat flour and cooked little patties in a bacon greased skillet until browned.  They were fine and we’ll be having them as a breakfast side for the next few days.

  44. ITGuy1998 says:

    @Nick: I received an email from starlink last week that said they are opening up access everywhere. I didn’t read the fine print, but you might want to check availability again.

  45. Lynn says:

    “Israelis raze Palestinian pizzeria to the ground after it used picture of kidnapped grandmother in mocking advert”

        https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12630141/Israelis-raze-Palestinian-pizzeria-ground-used-picture-kidnapped-grandmother-mocking-advert.html

    “A bulldozer could be seen ramming into the building and pulling it apart while reversing in a video recorded in the West Bank town of Huwara.”

    The Palestinians have a cultural problem.  The Israelis are going to change the culture by any means necessary.

  46. Lynn says:

    @Nick: I received an email from starlink last week that said they are opening up access everywhere. I didn’t read the fine print, but you might want to check availability again.

    Starlink stopped my $20/month surcharge for being in a congested area last month.

  47. Lynn says:

    I am working on my 2022 income taxes.  Having to study up on Tax Basis and deducting Net Operating Losses.

    Monday is tax day.

  48. Lynn says:

    I spent the afternoon working at the office complex killing fire ant beds at the main office building.  I also used my portable ladder (my F-150 truck) to replace all the outside light bulbs (20 total).  The existing LED floods were burnt and discolored. I put in plain old LED bulbs, 100 watt equivalent.

    https://www.amazon.com/GE-Daylight-Replacement-General-Purpose/dp/B08RSVVPNP/

    I talked with one of my neighbors for a while. She hates me because I want her to help pay for the road maintenance on my property that she drives on every day. Quote, “that’s not right Lynn”. I have spent $80,000 in the last twelve years on the roads on my property. And she wants me to fix the potholes in the road at the back of my property. I ain’t doing squat.

  49. drwilliams says:

    “Ice cream and potato chips are just as addictive as cocaine or heroin: research”

    No effing agenda there. Nosiree. Move right along and sign the free needle petition.

  50. drwilliams says:

    The travelers adjuster took off money for tire wear, seat wear, steering wheel wear. Nickel and dimed everything. Told me if I did not like it I was welcome to take Traveler’s to court. Then the adjuster informed me that Traveler’s would win and file against me for legal fees. Whether he was blowing smoke I don’t know.

    Tire wear my arse.

    I’d just smile and suggest that after I played the video of him threatening me in court and won my judgement, I’d post it on the internet and then he could have good luck finding a new job after Traveller’s fired him.

    Or I might go with Plan B and see what the new adjuster said. 

  51. Paul Hampson says:

    Insurance companies are in the business of making money for themselves and their stockholders, period; and laws require all but the very rich to carry at least vehicle insurance.  

  52. drwilliams says:

    @Lynn

    Does your zoning permit agriculture?

    A small hog confinement building at the back of your property, say 100×300, would make a nice project, especially if you used the manure to produce methane to run a gennie. 

    Then there’s the yearly road closure for maintenance, starting Dec 22 this year with a 2′ trench for the new culvert completed just in time for the contractors Christmas shut down. “Yeah, well, they had the equipment in the area and offered $500 off if they could get started early. Since I’m paying for it myself…”

    If it’s a private road, what’s the law on speed limits? 5mph ok? I’d put up a “No Jake Breaking” sign for sure, along with crossings for ducks, alligators, and wild boar. “Photo Radar Enforced” is a good one.

  53. Ray Thompson says:

    I do not like these fractional at faults.  That is not right, either you are at fault or not at fault.

    The state police that investigated the accident put 100% of the blame on the other driver. His insurance thought otherwise. My insurance, which had already paid me, tried to get their money from his insurance company. I don’t know if they were successful.

    Since it was a DUI, what insurance did not cover the other driver had to pay, by law, or go to prison. 

  54. drwilliams says:

    I mentioned Harbor Freight as the source for a couple things in a post yesterday.

    One of their tools that I have is the 9-pc Wobble Socket Extension Set (re $14.99, but 9.99 on sale). If you have one of those vehicles where the last bolt on the starter is a real bear, this might help you out:

    https://www.harborfreight.com/wobble-socket-extension-set-9-piece-67971.html?utm_source=unknown&utm_medium=publitas&utm_campaign=october-parking-lot-sale&utm_content=Wobble%20Socket%20Extension%20Set,%209-Piece

    You can apply torque with these that would pop the roll pins on a universal joint.

  55. Lynn says:

    “The Climate of Fear: Youth Mental Health in the Throes of Climate Change

         https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/14/the-climate-of-fear-youth-mental-health-in-the-throes-of-climate-change/

    “We live in an age of unparalleled wealth and comfort, where bogeyman must be created because they don’t actually exist.”

    Adapt or Die.

    This is the way.

  56. lpdbw says:

    The more I learn about dieting, the more I’m convinced that food addiction is real.

    And the closer you can get to “real” food vs. processed food, the better.  

    For decades, doctors have been telling people to eat less and exercise more, and then blaming those same people when that advice doesn’t work.  As it doesn’t, for 99% of people.  This leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type II diabetes.  Then the doctors say you’re incurable and put you on insulin and start cutting parts off your body until you die, blind and in pain.

    And people look up to doctors?  For heaven’s sake, why?  Prescribing a treatment plan you know will fail, and then blaming the patient?

    Ketogenic diets of various types are the most successful long-term weight loss strategies, and satisfy completely (or with very minor supplementation) your nutritional requirements.   But it does take a commitment to get through the phases.  Fat adaptation is the first, and hardest phase.  Then you need to realize that it took you 25 years of eating wrong to get in the situation you’re in, and it could take just as long to get out of it.  You’ve damaged your body by eating processed foods over a long time, and you may need multiple interventions to regain (most of) your health.

    There are finally doctors out there who recognize that type II diabetes can be put into complete remission in an achievable way.  Several of them have lost their medical practices by going against the “standard of care”, which I described earlier:  Medicate, amputate, supervise the decline and death.

    One of the doctors I follow is Dr. Annette Bosworth, and her approach to the keto diet is based on her long-term practice dealing with drug and alcohol addiction.  Because it’s the same problem.

  57. Lynn says:

    If it’s a private road, what’s the law on speed limits? 5mph ok? I’d put up a “No Jake Breaking” sign for sure, along with crossings for ducks, alligators, and wild boar. “Photo Radar Enforced” is a good one.

    I have several signs on the road already.

       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089OUGX0?tag=ttgnet-20/

       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX2JHZQ?tag=ttgnet-20/

       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XKU28O?tag=ttgnet-20/

    I’ve got another one but Amazon dropped the sign about private road.

    I’ve got more signs about no swimming in my snake and alligator infested ponds. My insurance company requires those.  Each pond has both signs.  

       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009L9YYPS?tag=ttgnet-20/

       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KE8RRQ?tag=ttgnet-20/

    I have to replace all my signs now since they are all severely faded.  My wife calls them old plain white signs.

    I have the mountain lion cross sign since I watched a mountain lion crossing my road one dark night. That was neat and rare in these parts. Only one of those in every county of Texas.

  58. SteveF says:

    And she wants me to fix the potholes in the road at the back of my property.

    Fill them in, but ¼ of them are filled in the way the “insurgents” in Iraq filled in holes in the road. Place bets on how long it’ll be before she drives over one of the specials.

    Or build on drwilliams’ suggestion. Make the potholes worse and tell her they’re speed bumps because she was driving too fast on your private road. Can’t she read the sign? It’s posted at 2mph.

    Or get into the Halloween spirit: dig up her ancestors and plop the bodies into the potholes.

  59. SteveF says:

    Lynn: how about putting up one more sign: If you can read this sign, you are no longer a trespasser. You are now a target.

    7
    1
  60. MrAtoz says:

    The more I learn about dieting, the more I’m convinced that food addiction is real.

    And the closer you can get to “real” food vs. processed food, the better.  

    Yuuup!

    Since I went carnivore (still learning), core to eating is nothing processed. Easy on carnivore (animal, salt, and water), not so much on keto. People trying to make their favorite foods keto style are just processing the food themselves.

    Today I had 4 strips of bacon and 4 eggs around 10:00 and a nice ribeye around14:00. It’s 20:30 now, and I’m not hungry.

    I haven’t had alcohol for 6 months now and don’t miss it. Working on cutting out the coffee. That’s gonna be tough.

    I find I spend a lot less time cooking, more on goofing off on hobbies.

    P.S. Watching a lot of YT videos on how the American diet evolved into a plant-based, processed diet. Who knew 7th Day Adventists, Kellogs, Grahams, Ancel Keys, and masturbation is behind it all. Yeah, masturbation.

  61. Greg Norton says:

    “We live in an age of unparalleled wealth and comfort, where bogeyman must be created because they don’t actually exist.”

    Adapt or Die.

    This is the way.

    Quoting the Baby Yoda show, now?

    Waiting at Safelite the other morning, the “GMA3” program had a Doctor Barbie yapping about new studies which show the effect of climate change on babies in utero and how it can traumatize the child for life.

    And, no, not a transgender Doctor Barbie like in the movie. She looked real enough to me.

  62. Lynn says:

    Lynn: how about putting up one more sign: If you can read this sign, you are no longer a trespasser. You are now a target.

    That is too aggressive for me.  I would like for us to get along some day. 

    My other neighbor who drives the road is just crazy.  He is now trying to rent 15 acres of his property to anyone, his RV park appears to have failed.

  63. Greg Norton says:

    I have to replace all my signs now since they are all severely faded.  My wife calls them old plain white signs.

    I have the mountain lion cross sign since I watched a mountain lion crossing my road one dark night. That was neat and rare in these parts. Only one of those in every county of Texas.

    Get a “Low Flying Aicraft” sign. That will really make them wonder.

  64. Greg Norton says:

    My other neighbor who drives the road is just crazy.  He is now trying to rent 15 acres of his property to anyone, his RV park appears to have failed.

    I’m guessing that the dominant demographic of the RV park would have been similar to the mobile home community hidden around the corner from our rental house in Vantucky. I got curious and took a drive through there … once.

    https://maps.app.goo.gl/zz3rjRsVUrrxnCnM9

  65. SteveF says:

    Working on cutting out the coffee.

    ???? Why do you wanna do a fool thing like that? Don’t you know that if you replace coffee with water, lemonade, tea, or milk, you can lose up to 90% of the remaining joy in your life?

  66. Lynn says:

    “Sweep of the Blade (Innkeeper Chronicles)” by Ilona Andrews
       https://www.amazon.com/Sweep-Blade-Innkeeper-Chronicles-Andrews/dp/108014398X?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Book number four of a six book paranormal fantasy romance science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) illustrated (kinda) trade paperback published in 2019 by the author that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that “Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. And yes, this is science fiction, there are spaceships, teleportation devices, beam weapons, and space stations.

    Dina Demille is an innkeeper in Red Deer, Texas. Only her Victorian inn is not like a typical bed and breakfast, it is an intelligent magical haven named Gertrude Hunt for aliens coming to Earth or using Earth as a way station. Dina does have a permanent guest, a retired Galactic aristocrat named Caldenia who is hiding from several bounty hunters, who paid for permanent room and board.

    There are many inns like the Gertrude Hunt on Earth, that is because Earth has been designated as Neutral Ground for the various Galactic races, many of whom don’t get along. That’s why Caldenia is safe within the confines of Gertrude Hunt, the inn has many powerful weapons to protect itself and guests. Several of the bounty hunters are still chasing Caldenia for the massive bounty and have taken on the Gertrude Hunt Inn to their dismay.

    Dina rescued her sister Maud who had followed her exiled husband to the closed planet Karhari being used as a penal colony with their daughter. Any space ship shuttle landing on the closed planet without permission would be shot down. And the Holy Anocracy (represented by House Krahr, the space vampires) does not give landing permission to any one outside their clan. So Dina got Arland, the Marshal of the House Krahr who owed her a favor, to take her to the planet and help rescue her sister.

    Arland is an unmarried man and Maud is a widowed woman with a half vampire half human daughter. And Maud is a fighter who can hold her own with any of the space vampires. So Arland invites her and her daughter home to his planet to meet his family. His family occupies the entire planet…

    The authors have a website at:
       https://www.ilona-andrews.com

    My rating: 6 out of 5 stars (yup, I don’t need a second read for this one)
    Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (12,942 reviews)

  67. drwilliams says:

    I haven’t had alcohol for 6 months now and don’t miss it. Working on cutting out the coffee. That’s gonna be tough.

    Replace alcohol and coffee and you would lose 180%.

    Anyone trying to replace my coffee would lose 100%, probably 25% at a time if it was cantaloupe day. If it was grapefruit day things would get very dark quickly. 

  68. drwilliams says:

    @Lynn

    It’s really too bad that the feds “waters of the United States” scam has been voided. You could have fenced off the whole rear of the property and claimed it was protected.

  69. drwilliams says:

    “At the time of this report, over 3,000 people have been killed in the dispute between Israel and Hamas.”

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/nyc-department-of-education-gives-schools-long-list-of-websites-to-address-mideast-war-many-of-them-hold-a-strong-anti-israel-bias

    No. Over 1,000 people in Israel were killed by Hamas terrorists, Hamas being the duly elected government of the Gaza Strip, and terrorism, genocide and crimes against humanity being their chosen stock in trade. The inhabitants of Gaza do not therefore deserve the courtesy of being called “people”.

    It’s worthwhile to note that the same scum danced in the streets after 9/11, and the U.S. media did everything in their power to deny it.

    To anyone that claims that such facts are attempts at “dehumanization”, the reply is simple: They have spent decades and generations and countless unforced acts of barbarity dehumanizing themselves. 

  70. Nick Flandrey says:

    Yeah, masturbation.   

    Kellogg.   Read his actual words about how to spot a female masturbator.   Guy was obsessed.  And with bowel movements.

    American farmers, the most productive in the world, needed somewhere to sell all that corn and corn byproduct to.   We used to sell it to the Soviets, even during the height of the cold war.

    Feed the cattle on shredded phone books, sprayed with nutrient solutions, feed the people on corn… 

    n

  71. Nick Flandrey says:

    Yeah, masturbation.  

    – and then consider that the mechanical vibrator was invented because a psychologist was tired of getting a sore hand from masturbating women as a treatment for – well about everything, but mainly “hysteria.”

    n

  72. Lynn says:

    Anyone trying to replace my coffee would lose 100%, probably 25% at a time if it was cantaloupe day. If it was grapefruit day things would get very dark quickly. 

    I have one cup of coffee per day.  Ok, two on Saturdays.  With white chocolate mocha on Saturdays only.  Hearts patients with atrial fibrillation are not suppose to have any caffeine even though I have had a successful ablation.

    What is cantaloupe day ?  What is grapefruit day ?  I have a suspicion.

    I have a beer every two or three months.

  73. nick flandrey says:

    Watched Caddyshack with the kids.   They marveled that it was ‘just funny’.   They weren’t trying to push a view, or make a point. 

    Both wished they still made movies that way.   

    Don’t worry kids, I’ve got over 800 ripped so far, and most are from before 1990….

    n

  74. Gavin says:

    he closer you can get to “real” food vs. processed food, the better.

    I’ve meandered my way to a diet which is now about ½ meat, ⅓ vegetable/fruit/leafy thing and 1/6 carbs/sugar/alcohol, but not fanatical about it. It’s let me drop to my lowest weight in maybe 30 years, and 30 lbs lower than my peak weight (at which point I frequently literally could chew but not swallow… internal architecture may be non standard). Combined with a fairly physical job, I’m in better shape than I have been since my 20’s.

  75. drwilliams says:

    “What is cantaloupe day ?  What is grapefruit day ?  I have a suspicion.”

    Cantaloupe is cut in two with a 12″ chef’s knife, sliced into wedges, and the rind is removed. It may be further reduced to smaller pieces.

    Grapefruit is cut in two with a 12″ chef’s knife, then segments are removed with a serrated spoon.

    Coffee carafes are calibrated in 6-oz cups, but I use a 12-oz mug. Today I brewed two 60-oz carafes and drank about 72 oz, chilling the remainder. I drink chilled coffee (not diluted by ice) year-round. I also make cold-brew on occasion.  

    Prior to the first cup–minimum–of coffee the forebrain is marginally awake and general operations are under the control of the lizard brain, which is more likely to use the immediate “through” solution to get the coffee that the slower “around” solution. 

  76. Nick Flandrey says:

    it’s let me drop to my lowest weight in maybe 30 years, and 30 lbs lower than my peak weight

    this is one of the things I’m currently looking at with the Dr visits.  Is my weight loss normal, due to diet and exercise changes, or is something else going on?

    Before my wedding 18 years ago, wife and I both went on hard core strict Adkins diet, and we both lost weight quickly, and mostly kept it off for years.   It took a lot of work and real changes in diet to do so.   My current situation has not involved any effort or changes, other than generally trying to avoid carbs at breakfast and lunch, and the physical exercise involved in the work at the BOL, which is mostly easier than general construction labor.

    Cut your sugar intake, as processed sugar or carbs, and you will lose weight and fat.  High levels of sugar in our diet is very unnatural.

    n

  77. JimB says:

    I have those Harbor Freight wobble extensions, and they are good. I also use universal joints for sockets, but I sometimes wrap them with tape to keep them from flopping around. Another very useful item is an impact flex joint. This is a type of spring loaded trunnion joint, which is strong and doesn’t flop.

    Really can’t have too many tools for tight places.

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