Cool and clear, nice. Chilly even. I wore a coat while waiting for the bus. It did get warmer, but the wind was blowing like crazy. It was blowing enough to bring down branches and to move my truck around on the freeway. Today should be the same, maybe less windy.
I decided yesterday to make my pickup in Austin, so I jumped in the truck and went. Had to unload some stuff first, and there were some other things to do, so I got a late start. That meant I could shop the State Surplus store, but didn’t have time to hit the Goodwill bins in Austin. Ah well. It’s been three years since I got anything in the surplus auction there, and they’ve redone the freeway, and the store in the mean time. The interchange was confusing before, now it is baffling. HATE the roads in Austin. Lots of cops hanging out too.
So today I’ve got to get stuff together for my local auction. I’ve got some bigger things to get to him later today, but should take a couple of bins too. I’ll have to hit my storage unit, and my secondary location. On the plus side, everything I take him is something I don’t have to deal with again. Stuff is leaving the house and the units, and turning back into money.
Money is good.
Money buys stuff. Stuff to stack.
Stacks are good.
But, if you can’t stack, learn something or meet someone. That’s good too.
nick
If the Electoral College isn’t abolished by then.
Even if it isn’t, Texas is headed down the path of being a reliable Dem state in the urban areas like California. That may well be enough to swing state-wide races. The Republicans in charge here don’t care and cut deals like the upcoming surplus giveaway to preserve their dwindling power.
I received a text message on my phone yesterday, “Voting YES on Props 6, 7, and 8 is the conservative way to keep Texas strong.”
Really? Lets see.
Prop 6 creates a water infrastructure slush fund to enable more growth.
Prop 7 is the generator slush fund for the Gecko.
Prop 8 is a broadband gimmie for “the poor”.
Yes, “conservative” all the way.
Interestingly, the message came from an 813 (Tampa) area code.
Ew. That’s why I so seldom leave the property: There’s people out there. Ew.
More Islamic fun in Europe: A guy whose asylum application had been rejected some time ago: he shot some people in Sweden while chanting the usual phrase. The press is blaming Swedes for having burned a couple of Korans. What they should be doing, is blaming the Swedish government for not physically deporting the guy back to Tunesia. Why did they let him hang around illegally?
Lots of border checks are being resurrected within Europe. Theoretically not necessary, because we are one big, happy continent. In reality, every country is getting tired of the illegal migrants. However, there is too little effort to secure the outer border to the EU, and basically zero effort to round up and deport the illegal migrants already here.
That will come. Conservative parties are winning elections on this issue. If the governments don’t get a clue soon, they will be replaced.
Countries that have let parallel cultures evolve within their borders (France, especially, but also Sweden, Germany and the UK) will have an especially tough time. Those cultures must be stamped out: integrate or leave. Harder to do, after you’ve given the immigrants citizenship.
Successful dental procedure yesterday. I had to have a tooth pulled. It had previously had a root canal and crown. Sometime in the recent past it cracked (beneath the gum line). I know it cracked not from pain, but a little white bump (infection) at the base of the gum on that tooth. My dentist confirmed with an x-ray and scheduled the extraction for yesterday. I use sedation for the big tooth events, thankfully which are very few. It’s the #13 tooth, so not visible, even with a smile. He also did the prep work for an implant, which will happen in about 4 months. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing.
I have in implant on one of my front teeth. It is a tedious process. The gum from the extraction is allowed to fill in with bone and heal. Then the gum is cut open and the bone is drilled for the implant support which is inserted. The gum is stitched shut to allow the implant support to heal and the bone to fill in around the support and the gum allowed to heal. Next the gum is cut open again and the actual post is inserted into the support. The gum is allowed to heal.
Next is the really painful part, the actual post to support the tooth is installed in the base. It has to be torqued to a specific amount and that twisting feels like they are ripping the jaw apart. The gum is allowed to heal. Finally the actual tooth is installed.
The process for my tooth took a year to accomplish from first extraction to the final tooth. During the process a temporary tooth was provided just to make it look OK. Since yours is not visible they may not do that. Or they may have to put something in to keep the other teeth from moving.
My insurance did not cover the implant except for the surgery to do the extraction and the installation of the base. That was considered surgery and not cosmetic. I had to have the tooth surgically removed as it was broken off below the gum line. A root canal had been done years prior from being broken during a racquet ball match. Attempts to repair eventually failed.
Of course this was 28 years ago and technology has probably changed a lot since then. New techniques and new materials.
I had a tooth pulled around the first of June of this year. The tooth had become loose because of pressure from the other teeth pushing on the side. The tooth had also become infected. I dosed up heavily on Amoxicillin the day before but it was not enough. I was in a hurry as I was leaving for Europe in a couple of days for 26 days and needed the tooth out quickly.
The dentist numbed the area, three times, but it was not enough. Infections upset the PH and the Novocain will not work properly. The tooth had to be pulled with almost full feeling. Yee-ouch, that was painful, put me in tears and I think my fingers dented the armrest on the dental chair. I stayed in the chair for another 20 minutes to get the throbbing to subside.
Not something I recommend.
It was 48F waiting for the bus this am. Currently 50F with the sun up. Clear. Still.
Wife has a sore throat, doesn’t feel well. I’m guessing the same cold I just finished up, or some crud she picked up traveling or from family over the weekend. In any case, not a happy camper.
Took the brat to school. Had my breakfast. I’m going to get a cup of decaf brewing, because it’s chilly in the house. Not chilly enough to run the heat, but still chilly.
Sorted some more auction stuff, LP records. I”ve been lucky and grabbed some good stuff for my collection, and some stuff that should sell well. It’s not 80s pop, or early rap, those bring really nice money, but it’s close. I’ve got time to do a few things at home before I need to start gathering stuff to drop off.
n
Belgium. Time to reset the ‘islamic terror attack’ day counter back to zero.
“Trust the science” they say…
Not trustworthy.
n
Not a scientist—a fraud.
Charge, try, find guilty, and execute. Money is fungible. Diverting $500 million from better uses is tantamount to murder.
(Yes, same applies to the Somali-centered diversion of kungflu funds from lunch programs, both the perps and the government drones that failed to supervise)
In the same vein:
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2023/10/17/the-fda-is-hiding-the-ball-on-covid-vax-study-n585293
Just drop the top three tiers of FDA into the courtyard from their office windows and call them “resignations”.
I didn’t go to the dentist for a long time – roughly from age 24 to age 35 or so. I’ve always been hard to numb, and my last dentist didn’t numb me properly for a small filling and struck a nerve while drilling. I never enjoyed the dentist to begin with, but my goodness.
Finally had a tooth hurting that made me go. I ended up needing two teeth pulled (right side back molars, top and bottom, no replacements needed) and three (I think) root canals, along with a couple minor cavity fills. I had the major work done under sedation – at the time is was oral sedation. I don’t remember any of it.
This time he used IV sedation. Kind of the same deal as the oral route – took a couple pills and hour before. The difference is this time I have no memory of anything. I remember them calling me back at 0700. My next memory is sometime around 1700 when I got up to change and have some eggs my wife made me. I then went back to sleep. I woke up a few times overnight, but I slept for the better part of 24 hours.
Insurance covered the tooth extraction, but will not cover the implant. I had the option for a bridge, but I’m just biting the bullet and hoping for a one and done solution. The timing is as good as it can be, as I will have my wife sign up for the max in her FSA for next year. That will pay for most of the implant and let me pay in nice monthly installments. Plus save a few bucks in taxes, as well.
Btw, after returning to the dentist, I go religiously every 6 months for my cleaning. I’m lucky to have good teeth overall, and I hope to keep them that way.
Dentists and numbing. I also have problems. One dentist explained that there are two routes some nerves can take through the jawbone. Dentists aim for the more common route.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12639279/Huge-comet-three-times-size-Mount-Everest-violently-exploded-racing-Earth-scientists-say.html
– duck and cover… duck and cover….
n
It MIGHT get close enough to Earth to be visible. But only in relatively dark-sky conditions.
Seems Papa Murphy’s $10 Tuesday became $12 in September, up from $10.99
Of course. More SNAP spending is potentially extra money in Papa Murphy’s coffers.
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/snap-benefits-increase-eligibility-requirements-change-2024/story?id=103657033
The dirty secret of that Papa is that he can take EBT cards where Papa John cannot.
Alan: No HOA, I won’t buy a house with a HOA. I’m in the county. No shooting within 50 yards of a public road or a house.
My gun range will be for myself and my immediate family – son and grandaughter.
Hi Bob,
Is this no shooting within 50 yards of a public road an Alabama law or just good common sense ?
Is that any house or is your house excepted ?
I don’t know of any law like this in Texas but, I am not a lawyer.
PET scan results posted to my Dr’s portal, and they show NO signs of the bad stuff they were looking for.
That is a huge relief.
Still need to meet with the Dr to review the results because I’ve still got something bigger than expected, and still have to do the endo/colonoscopy next month, but that is one possible bad thing out of the way to something like 95% certainty.
n
He also did the prep work for an implant, which will happen in about 4 months. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing.
Still expensive ? My wife had one done ten+ years ago. $7,000 and several visits.
The odds of a comet hitting a person are low.
The odds of a comet hitting a person while he’s listening to Slim Whitman’s Greatest Hits is much lower.
Therefore, make sure to listen to Slim Whitman’s Greatest Hits on loop until the danger is past.
If you add your tinfoil hat, the odds are even lower. Plus, there is protection from any stray cosmic rays.
Wrapping your entire body in tinfoil is even more effective.
Follow me for more life hacks.
“I mean, it’s a good job we’ve got a last desperate million-to-one chance to rely on, or we’d really be in trouble!”
–Guards! Guards! Sir Terry.
n
Your robot overlords are coming for you: https://youtu.be/jACJruCzUzY .
Dentists and numbing. I also have problems. One dentist explained that there are two routes some nerves can take through the jawbone. Dentists aim for the more common route.
I have the genetic aberration with a nerve in both paths. Two nerves per tooth. It takes eight shots to get me numbed down.
Your robot overlords are coming for you: https://youtu.be/jACJruCzUzY .
My dad walks like that. He cannot feel anything below his knees so he takes really short steps to keep from falling.
Age 85 is horrifying.
Yep. Total is $6500. Insurance pays roughly $3k. Almost a grand of that is the IV sedation for the two visits where drilling/jack hammering is happening. That is completely covered buy insurance. I’d pay that out of pocket if I had to. I’m sweating just thinking about it.
My primary office PC is now Windows 11 Pro. Microsoft graciously upgraded me last night. What a deal.
So far, everything works. So far.
Yes, I was not ready. Just setting up my seven Command Prompt windows was a pain. Obviously the new programmers in India cannot calculate font sizes to pixels. So my 80×25 screen is 65×21 to get the same effect. Lovely, just lovely.
“I’m sweating just thinking about it.”
memories of junior high.
“Jim Jordan FALLS SHORT in first vote for House Speaker: Disaster for top conservative as MULTIPLE GOP colleagues vote against him and sink his bid to replace McCarthy in more embarrassing scenes in Congress”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12640867/House-speaker-vote-2023.html
“It was the first time a vote for speaker was taken the the House floor since Kevin McCarthy was ousted two weeks ago”
“Jordan could only afford to lose three Republican votes to get to a 217 majority”
“The 20 Republicans who voted against Jordan sunk his bid Tuesday afternoon”
What a mess.
“Quite so…”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/10/quite-so.html
“Matt Bracken posted this picture on Gab. It made me laugh, partly because it’s funny, but also because it’s true. No man can get pregnant. Period (you should pardon the expression). If someone threatens to harm him/her/itself if you don’t agree with the contrary . . . well, that’s their problem. It’s not yours.”
Of all the crazy stuff going on now, this offends me the most. Men walking around stating that they are women and walking in to women’s bathrooms.
Let the mess continue. What exactly is so critical?
P*ssing away more money and antagonizing the Russians in Ukraine?
Another $100 Billion for Israel?
“Israel and demographic reality”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/10/israel-and-demographic-reality.html
“”Simplicius The Thinker” has published an article on his Substack blog discussing various aspects of the conflict between Israel and the Arab world. It’s worth reading in full, but one aspect of it that struck me was his brief analysis of the demographics involved.”
I have wondered about this many times. Israel lives in the mouth of the lion. Not a safe place to be.
Whoever was attacking my web server has given up again. My web server load is down in the teens now. Maybe the single digits soon.
If the server is sufficiently hardened against any possible attack incursions, they will give up.
But that hardening takes some effort. As you probably know, there are lots of resources and guidance to get that hardening. The Internet Storm Center (www.isc.org ) is a good resource. There are tons of technical papers there.
Glad to hear, though.
I’m glad that this was posted. I’ll accept it as a warning as I will be there in two months.
I did that once, at Walmart. More of a fast walk. The cleaning lady that told me I could not do that. I explained to her that unless I did there would be a mess on the floor that she would need to clean as the men’s bathroom was closed for cleaning.
The stalls are private anyway. Well except for noises. I used to think men’s bathrooms in Walmart were disgusting. I have been schooled.
Today’s unlicensed usage of my software comes to you from Donetsk, Ukraine. Calculating chemical processes using stolen software in the midst of falling rockets and other nasty things.
The stalls are private anyway. Well except for noises. I used to think men’s bathrooms in Walmart were disgusting. I have been schooled.
My wife was in a public restroom a number of years ago. Her stall was out of toilet paper so she asked the person next to her for some. A male voice responded and handed her a amount of toilet paper. The entire event did not bother her in the slightest according to her. After all, she has put up with me for well over forty years. And yes, she said it in that way too.
If the server is sufficiently hardened against any possible attack incursions, they will give up.
But that hardening takes some effort. As you probably know, there are lots of resources and guidance to get that hardening. The Internet Storm Center (www.isc.org ) is a good resource. There are tons of technical papers there.
Glad to hear, though.
I use a dedicated web server at https://www.pair.com/ for $310/month. They handle everything including blocking intruders at their outer ring. If you become intolerant, they block your IP address at their main network switch. I am not sure how long the block is for, maybe forever.
Pair uses a 64 bit version of FreeBSD that they have personally hardened for all of their shared and dedicated servers. And FreeBSD is fairly hard out of the box. There is no way that I have time or energy for managing my web server personally. Pair does a great job in managing web servers and keeping them up.
Uptime ! Uptime ! Uptime !
If the server is sufficiently hardened against any possible attack incursions, they will give up.
But that hardening takes some effort. As you probably know, there are lots of resources and guidance to get that hardening. The Internet Storm Center (www.isc.org ) is a good resource. There are tons of technical papers there.
Glad to hear, though.
BTW, the typical attack on my web server is to download an image file thousands of times a minute. The same image file over and over again. The only way you can stop it is to block an IP address. Typically there are 32 attacker machines.
Slim is also effective against Martians. when Mars Attacks!
Another $100 Billion for Israel?
Israel needs warm bodies for the long run much more than money.
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/10/israel-and-demographic-reality.html
And women willing to have more than one baby. Not many of those nowadays except in the slave nations of Egypt, Iran, Gaza, West Bank, etc.
The odds of a comet hitting a person are low.
The odds of a comet hitting a person while he’s listening to Slim Whitman’s Greatest Hits is much lower.
Therefore, make sure to listen to Slim Whitman’s Greatest Hits on loop until the danger is past.
Or while watching “Asteroid City.”
>> My wife was in a public restroom a number of years ago. Her stall was out of toilet paper so she asked the person next to her for some. A male voice responded and handed her a amount of toilet paper. The entire event did not bother her in the slightest according to her. After all, she has put up with me for well over forty years. And yes, she said it in that way too.
Spare a square?
>> Wrapping your entire body in tinfoil is even more effective.
Worked for Chuck McGill…sorta…
“Tesla’s Bill to Fix a Rain-Damaged Battery: $21,000″
https://www.extremetech.com/cars/teslas-bill-to-fix-a-rain-damaged-battery-21000
“The automaker told the incensed couple that water ingress wasn’t covered under the battery’s eight-year warranty.”
One wonders how the rain got in the battery ?
No mention of whether they bought the car new or used.
Hundreds Killed by Islamic Jihad After Misfire Causes Explosion at Gaza City Hospital
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2023/10/17/did-hamas-rocket-misfire-just-take-out-a-hospital-in-gaza-city-n2629969
Hamas announces attack on Haifa.
Live Al-jazeera shows rocket going up, then coming down on hospital.
Hamas tries to blame it on Israel.
“secondary explosions within the building”?
Gee, who do we know that stockpiles weapons in hospitals and schools?
No mention of whether they bought the car new or used.
The article does not even say which Tesla model it is nor how many miles were on it.
“This Israeli’s Tesla saved him. Hamas tried to shoot the engine but when they saw it was electric they hopped in their trucks … the Tesla outran them at 110mph ON FLAT TIRES all the way to the ER ”
https://notthebee.com/article/wow-israeli-survived-attack-from-hamas-and-outran-killers-with-tesla-model-3-that-took-insane-damage-and-still-was-able-to-navigate-him-to-the-er
Ok, that is impressive.
Someone watched too many screenings of the John Woo/Chow Yun Fat classic “Hard Boiled”.
Someone watched too many screenings of the John Woo/Chow Yun Fat classic “Hard Boiled”.
Huh ? Never seen that in my life.
The hospital shootout in “Hard Boiled” is one of the all time best examples of the Hong Kong action genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP9iKK1FgS4
The craziest part is that a lot of the flicks were rated for ages 10+. Family entertainment.
No sex, drugs, or nudity. Just lots of killing with obvious fake effects.
“The Killer” is another Woo/Fat classic. The movies are often sold in a DVD 2 pack in the US. That’s how I have the movies in my stash, but VHS was the best way to watch those.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtuWGO6JD38
WWpD (What Will plugs Do) when he gets to Israel? Take a nap. Change his diaper. He couldn’t negotiate his way out of his soggy Depends. Even if you hate tRump, he got things negotiated.
Two carrier groups going to the Med. We are getting mighty thin on systems and ammo. And, dipshit Yellen says we can afford two wars? eff her! More taxes on us dirt people. There is no way we can FIGHT two wars anymore.
And those taxes will remain long after any hostilities have ceased. No tax has ever been rescinded. We are still paying to connect rural areas with copper phone lines. Probably a hundred people on the staff that overseas the operation.
“And, dipshit Yellen says we can afford two wars? eff her! More taxes on us dirt people. There is no way we can FIGHT two wars anymore.”
We’re spending far more than a war on all kinds of benefits for the illegal alien invaders.
WWpD (What Will plugs Do) when he gets to Israel? Take a nap. Change his diaper. He couldn’t negotiate his way out of his soggy Depends. Even if you hate tRump, he got things negotiated.
I think that Biden is going over there to threaten Netanyahu against “invading” Gaza.
Young man who doctors thought had the flu details harrowing seven-month health battle after broken tooth ends with him having OPEN-HEART SURGERY – and leaves him with $830,000 worth of medical debt
– per our discussion the other day.
n
My father was once the assistant manager for a medical research lab; when the custodians didn’t show up, he, as the only non-degreed person, stepped in. He told me that women’s rest rooms are generally INCREDIBLY filthy. He told me that he finally understood why the custodians spent so much time cleaning the women’s room, when they spent hardly any time on the men’s room.
Went to an estate this morning. I got there 15 minutes late and what I wanted was already sold. Oh well. I ‘ll try again Thursday. The rest of the morning I sorted/consolidated small parts. In the afternoon spent 2 hours striping a ’66 Galaxie parts car. Got the rear axle loose, the rear bumper off and many small parts removed. It’s a Florida car; the frame is so rotten you can break pieces off with a small hammer.
Bass Pro Shops sent me a 10% off email for online purchases. Spent two hours trying to get the their credit linked properly (a Capital One card). The gun I was going to buy is not available. Stuff happens.
@bob, if the universe fights me that hard, I usually figure it’s trying to tell me something. Mostly, if I wait, something better comes along.
n
It’s a Florida car; the frame is so rotten you can break pieces off with a small hammer.
What ? Did they drive it through the surf ?
Sounds like a Michigan immigrant to Florida.
>> Ok, that is impressive.
This too…
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7bxq8/a-21-year-old-just-solved-a-2000-year-old-mystery-in-world-historical-breakthrough
>> It’s a Florida car; the frame is so rotten you can break pieces off with a small hammer.
What ? Did they drive it through the surf ?
Sounds like a Michigan immigrant to Florida.
Coastal car…the salt air will eat it.
@Lynn you’re probably aware of it, but, in case not, have you tried the new windows terminal app? Essentially it gives a tabbed interface to your terminal sessions, each tab can be cmd, powershell, linux (if you use WSL) and you can set the size at startup in the way god intended by defining columns and rows.
Apologies if trying to teach you to suck chicken embryos
The telling thing about the situation in Gaza is this: no Arab nation is willing to take refugees from the Gaza strip.
As far as the hospital is concerned: it is entirely believable that Hamas would bomb their own hospital, precisely to create outrage against Israel. That wasn’t a misfire. This situation is going to get really, really ugly.