Cool, but forecast says no rain, so that is a plus. And cool means mid-60s or a bit more. It was actually warmer than that yesterday, but the rain made it seem colder. Cool drizzle on your head and neck just seems cooler for some reason.
I ended up taking the Expedition and doing my pickups. It wasn’t ideal for some of the items, but they fit, and didn’t mess it up. I’m glad I did because the rain started about half way across town. It also means I didn’t get to drop off anything at my auctioneer. I did stack up several bins of stuff near the door, so at least it’s ready to go when I finally get the word.
One of my stops was an auctioneer who has sold a bunch of stuff for me in the past who told me to check back with him in a couple weeks to see if he could take a couple of pallets of more “industrial” stuff. Well, he said he’s too busy still. Bankruptcy business is picking up. He’s jammed. Good for him, less good for me. Sh!tty for the businesses.
Speaking of, I saw a couple more places closed up, James Coney Island (hot dogs and fast food) and another Jack in the Box. The news is full of bank branch closings but I haven’t noticed any in our area. We have some storefronts that are vacant, and some ‘one off’ restaurants that can’t seem to get open, or stay open, but I’m not seeing widespread commercial vacancy nearby. Yet. LOTS of multifamily housing still going up though, and storage facilities.
Today I have a local pickup to do, some stuff to move around, and continued auction prep activities. If it is dry and I’m home and I have time, I might add some Christmas decoration. Between the dreary weather, and the monochrome color scheme in the neighborhood, I’m suddenly feeling like adding some color. Maybe not what I did last year, but something. We’ll see. Lots of real work to do.
First though, I’m sleeping in. Sniffly with some sneezing and I’d like to get a jump on it with some extra sleep.
Trying to keep my health up with the weather and everything that is going through the schools and workplaces at this time of year is proving to be more difficult.
Stacking stuff, as long as it’s not new purchases from stores, is getting easier. Seize the opportunity if it presents itself. Otherwise, proceed with caution. But do stack…
nick
The best oatmeal I ever had was Bob’s Red Mill Oats that I flocked myself. The flocker is in storage somewhere, since I’m carnivoring it. It is a nice wood and steel model. My late Mom said it was the best oatmeal she ever had. It takes longer, but the process of flocking and cooking is calming.
Multifamily or multi-Soy Boy?
Austin has a lot of the latter going up.
WRT to compact hole punchers, the racking effort increases as they get smaller. I am a fan of the LCP. Mine is DA, and I assume all the variants are; there is no time wasted/strength required to create the first hole. It comes with a pocket sleeve that keeps its existence hidden when carried in a loose pocket (like in chinos or cargo shorts) or the “secret” zippered “mobile pocket” on the right seam in certain dressier pants. I believe I have seen a back-pocket “wallet” designed for it, too.
Whether CC or OC, I always carry DA or wheel, but I keep the pull weight pretty heavy. It is kind of the opposite of what one wants when hole punching actual paper. I personally would not carry anything with a heavily modified actuator. I like my feet and other lower body parts as they are.
I have a friend who carries the LCR wheelie in her purse. I occasionally remind her that she becomes vulnerable if someone steals her purse. The former marine just glares at me when I do that, so I don’t worry too much about her.
+1 for the LCR.
@nick
Gwenith Paltrow quackery
Ok that’s some imagery. I missed that particular self care weirdness. Nope on that one.
Health. Take care of yourself, Nick. My husband tends to catch pneumonia annually between December / January. Getting run down as we age has nastier consequences than in our misspent youth.
@lynn
Napoleon
I am so glad you liked the movie. I wanted to like it, the style just didn’t succeed in communicating to me. Incredible individual.
—
Coffee shop across the street that serves most of the employees in my building is closing because of safety problems. The owners in an excess of compassion provided coffee and comfort to homeless starting before the pandemic. Now the majority of their clientele in the shop at any given time are addicts, who don’t buy coffee, or nurse one cup for the whole day. I stopped going a couple years ago because it was unsafe. They removed all the tables and chairs, hired security, but they’d already established a pattern. All they succeeded in doing was driving off most of the remaining normals.
No one seems to be doing any pondering of where the displaced addicts will go when their cozy hole shuts down. I expect many will wind up in the arctic entry of my building and that’s going to be spiffy. Our mayor has presented multiple well thought out plans to address the safety and care of our homeless only to have all of his ideas killed by our assembly. The assembly then wipe away their crocodile tears and make the news as they decry our mayors cold hearted ineptitude. It’s sickening how the assembly lies and lies and lies.
Stack. Hard times begun and ramping up. I don’t know anyone who isn’t struggling in some fashion these days.
I keep up my wheelgub practice on general principles and fun, but I’m fortunate at 69 years old to still have good hand strength and dexterity so autos and I get along just fine. All of them, from my Taurus TCP .380 to my 1911s. Worst is my pair of Ruger Mark I .22s. Which, of course, aren’t called Mark I, since that designation didn’t exist before Mark II, III, and IV came along. Practically antiques, they are. I bought the newer one in 1977 and inherited the older one from my brother.
I don’ t have an LCP but the Taurus fills that niche. I think .380 is a fine defensive caliber, but I also think the threat profile has shifted to potential multiple attackers, so 6 or 7 rounds may not be sufficient. Plus, I want to join the 21st century and go with a red dot.
Yes, I’ve rented a basic P365, and the jury is out. I had difficulty with the iron sights and the small grip, so I’m looking at the P365XL, which has a longer sight radius and a bigger grip, and the red dot changes everything. But I can’t rent that one, so I’m probably going to take a leap of faith. I have rented some with red dots, so I’m hopeful. Groups shrank right down.
My gun dealer tried to talk me out of getting the manual safety on the P365XL. He claims it’s poorly engineered, and he dislikes safeties. But I’m old, I trained a bit with the 1911, I don’t want to shoot myself drawing or reholstering, and Mas Ayoob is a fan of safeties for other reasons, including weapon retention. I’ve got thinking to do.
I like the option of engaging the manual safety on the M&P shield, but carry with the safety off, so the manual of arms is identical to the glock.
——————————-
Cool but not cold, not raining at the moment.
Woke at normal time with abdominal cramping and sweating, thought I’d be in for a rough day. Sat for a short while and went back to bed, woke again feeling fine. So I kinda slept in, although it was interrupted.
Need to shower and start my day.
Wife is headed to airport shortly so I’ve got the brats, and I probably won’t be able to work them like a rented mule… no latrines to dig, no taters to grub…
D1’s sudden interest in computers, especially getting her chromebook recovered and running has a curious timing with getting popped at school for some inappropriate search terms… the right hand of investigation isn’t instant, but it is rubber glove thorough when the district sees lawyers and liability in their future. The search happened after school, long after most of the staff had gone home. From staff arriving until she was pulled out of class for a talking to, less than one hour, possibly a lot less if the staff member starts when the kids start.
And then a request for snapchat. Um, no. no, with a no, and a no.
n
Got home, dug us out. Ran the batteries down on the snowblower, shoveled while they charged, had a coffee, ran them down again, finished by hand. A neighbor helped. The snow was heavy, but not as bad as I expected. What a pile!
Well I made it to the post office in time there was a pretty long line of people waiting to drop off packages so the doors were still open. That’s one $5 eBay item that’s going out. I’m in the money. I’m in the money.
N
@nick:
But do you have what it takes to get along?
If you have enough money, well, see the clip I posted yesterday. 🙂
Bankruptcy business is picking up. He’s jammed. Good for him, less good for me. Sh!tty for the businesses.
I have read that 80% of small businesses in the USA are in the ditch. Mine being one of them. I need to make some tough decisions before the New Year.
Napoleon
I am so glad you liked the movie. I wanted to like it, the style just didn’t succeed in communicating to me. Incredible individual.
One thing that I failed to mention was that time changes were not handled . One minute Napoleon was showing the Austrian duchess his bedroom, the next minute he was holding a baby boy. I think that Ridley Scott was so anxious to cover everything that he got lost in the details. Dad thinks that he should have made a 10 or 12 episode series instead.
Well, that should help me balance the scales a little.
Coming out of the Post Office, a woman approached me and asked if I could give her a ride. She’d locked her keys in her car and needed a ride to her apartment to get spares. Older, indian (dot), dressed WAY down…
Since I’ve got some
burgla….locksmithing entry tools in my truck, that’s what I offered first. The keys were on the front seat. I used my new air wedge but was afraid to push too far, and couldn’t quite get my fiberglas rod into the vehicle to push the unlock button. Since that part of her story checked out, I asked where she lived, and it’s a complex only 3 blocks from my house, and I was heading home anyway soooooo…. wary of a scam I drove her there. She’s a retired NASA Mechanical engineer. Very politically right, and disgusted with illegal immigration and slow joe and the ho…At the apartment office there is a delay for maintenance to get a key and open her door, and I have an attack of the same GI distress I had in the morning, so I tell her I’m going home to use the bathroom, but I will be back. Don’t think she believed that part…
I went back and she was there, (still wary and looking for the scam, I expected more story, more delay, more change of plan, or an appeal for money, but nope…) had her keys and was ready for a ride back to her car. So I took her. Car unlocked, she asked for my number and off I went.
So- not a scam, helped out someone who needed it, and feel like I added some points to my karmic balance… and what a world we live in that I couldn’t (and still can’t quite) believe she just genuinely needed some simple help.
In any case, it worked out, and I did my good deed.
n
I don’t know your market at all, but: could you find a buyer? Some big oil company? You’re near retirement, it might be the right time anyway. They can deal with the hacking.
That’s kind of how it went with our (my wife’s) whisky business – too much hassle for the money, take the out we could find.
Contrast with America ca. 1960.
Plenty of psychos, but still so rare that it wasn’t really dangerous picking up hitchhikers. Which we did, on a family vacation, in 1964. I remember one sailor we picked up in New Mexico on our way to San Diego, and we left him on the road when we stopped at a motel for the night. He wasn’t very successful overnight, and we picked him up again further down the road the next day and took him the rest of the way.
Now psychos and sociopaths and other mentally ill are everywhere, and if you don’t question people’s veracity and motives, you’re the one who’s crazy.
I don’t know your market at all, but: could you find a buyer? Some big oil company? You’re near retirement, it might be the right time anyway. They can deal with the hacking.
That’s kind of how it went with our (my wife’s) whisky business – too much hassle for the money, take the out we could find.
The only people interested in us are bottom feeders. That what happens when you are in the bottom of twelve suppliers to the market.
I have gotten four emails this tax season from the “IRS” claiming I have a refund from last year. They kindly provide a link to resolve the issue and get my additional refund. The real IRS does not send emails. What amazes me is that there are people that continue to fall for the scam. The stupid walk among us and vote. That is scary.
I have basically completed my taxes for the tax year 2023. I have some final numbers for the subbing which will not be available until my pay stub on 12/14. I also have some minor interest amounts for December that I will have on January 1. Dividends by January 4. I cannot file until the end of February as the documents from Ameriprise don’t arrive until the middle of February.
Next year I have to deal with RMD. I will need help working the numbers to get them correct as the penalties for not pulling enough untaxed funds are severe. My investment advisor will do the leg work at no (direct) charge. He still gets his commission.
The tax laws in this country are absurd, much too complicated. Without TurboTax it would be difficult and tedious to do the forms.
This year the TurboTax activation is tied to a user account. Only 5 activations allowed per account. I have been offered copies in the past by friends that buy the product. I decline as TT provides a real benefit and is worth paying for the product so I pay each year. Some forms are not available for e-file until the middle of January. I have filed on a Sunday in the past, money is at the CU by Wednesday of the same week. E-file is fast, secure and easy.
Sounds like quick, active measures are needed. What would it take to rise up a couple notches? Would a few beatings of key people do it or would arson and murder be required? If in doubt, go big. Remember, it’s better to be sitting back later, wondering if those steps were really necessary, than to be sitting back later, wondering why you held back from taking the necessary steps. It’s the old saw: The worst regret is mourning the chance you never took.
I finished The Olympian Affair (2023) by Jim Butcher, 2nd book in the Cinder Spires series.
Actually I re-read The Aeronauts Windlass (2015), since I had forgotten most of it.
Enjoyable.
The milieu is a little clearer: sci-fi not fantasy, Earth about 10,000 A.D., but portrayed more as similar to Napoleonic era Europe. There are the usual tropes, but the un-veiling of the real bad guys – aliens, probably – is waiting in the wings for the 3rd (or later) book.
Wikipedia has a pretty good synopsis, if you are into spoilers.
Well then. I may or may not have screwed up. But I did it. I looked both ways before stepping off the curb to cross the street. There may be a maniac cruising along at 70 mph coming around the corner. Shrug.
I told the 401k plan to start sending me $1000 a month. Starting January. They withhold 20% for taxes. You don’t have a choice other than withholding more. So I’ll get an $800 check a month and then I file at end of the year to get that 20% back.
Ok…. IRS doesn’t charge until you reach $13,600 or so in income. You get double that filing as married and that adds a lot of slack. But I’m floating in my head the interest from Savings and T-bills and allowing some extra slack.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some “payment fee”. Tacked on top of the management fee they get whether my total balance goes up or down… they get their 3.xx% no matter what.
I guess I’ll see how this works soon enough.
Anyway. It’s done.
Fiddling about with computers today.
For some reason the ancient MacBook Pro wasn’t backing up, turns out to be a cable issue (easy fix). Time Machine is now running … but I have never really been comfortable with it, I will manually archive on some media.
Moving info to the middle aged Intel-based mini, keychains & stuff. It is at Sonoma.
Updating the M2 mini to Sonoma, oddly I had to manually trigger it with a reboot.
Order some RAM for the A1224(7.1) iMac, I will put Linux on it and give it away.
Shredding a box of bills & statements. Oddly the bottom few inches were from a few years back, when I became Medicare eligible. I was getting pounds of mail a week from various healthcare vendors, many with my personal info already filled out, all on heavy stock that clogs the shredder. I must’ve gotten tired of shredding them back in the day.
I still get offers this time of year, but nothing like when I first became eligible.
Congratulations! It’s a big step, I started a couple of years ago and it still feels weird.
Excellent. The 20% withholding is the minimum. Must be some law. I get most of my withholding back when I file. I owe taxes each year because of dividends, interest and SS. Half of the SS gets taxed. Fortunately VA benefits are not taxed. Your $12K a year will adversely affect taxes on SS if you are drawing SS. The IRS will always get their pound of flesh. Your $12K a year may also satisfy your RMD if you are 73 or older. The RMD can come from one account as long as the amount satisfies the RMD from all IRAs. There are exceptions that generally don’t apply to mere mortals.
I don’t know Ray. The IRS says:
“In the year you reach full retirement age, we deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit. In 2023, this limit on your earnings is $56,520. We only count your earnings up to the month before you reach your full retirement age, not your earnings for the entire year.”
So, if SS doesn’t count as income and I’m getting a grand a month (before withholding) from my 401k…..
I think I’m cool. I’ve never made a lot of money. I hit almost 35 grand a couple of years. Could have made a lot more but driving almost 2 hours into Austin to get to work and the same back to get home? No. I have other things to do besides driving 4 hours a day. I have 26 acres and a house and everything is paid for so it’s all fine.
Time will tell how the IRS treats me.
That is earned income generated before full retirement age. After full retirement age there is no restriction on earnings.
What I am talking about is tax on SS income. Almost half of my SS income is being taxed. I earned $3,300 last year as earned income.
That distribution from my IRA puts me over the limit.
The tolling company has been a revolving door of talent since they fired me. If you need to park Junior Senior developer someplace, the office is a straight shot down I-10/SR 71 from Katy.
Maybe your son could rent from Tony in that town he’s developing east of Bastrop.
National Instruments cut people again this week. That place was famous for not having layoffs.
My auctioneer cut staff hours.
n
Reacher Season Two, Dec 15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJGBVNRwl_U
Pizza for dinner tonight. I really like our local place, and I grew up in Chicago eating pizza that was unique to each store… and worked in a family pizzeria for years, eating pizza most nights. It’s that tasty.
n
I started watching Reacher after seeing so many entertaining clips, but I gave it up for the same reason I stopped watching X-Files back when: I got tired of ‘here’s the evidence… And it’s gone!’ for several seasons.
Lee Child’s plotting is far from perfect, but his Jack Reacher character is finely drawn. So far Alan Ritchson has done a credible job, he’s had a good supporting cast, and the port to the small screen has been pretty effective. Season Two is based on one of the better books, IMO.
The tolling company has been a revolving door of talent since they fired me. If you need to park Junior Senior developer someplace, the office is a straight shot down I-10/SR 71 from Katy.
Yup, he is the big decision. I have found him two jobs in the Houston area and he has turned down both of them. He may regret that. One of the jobs is still hiring though. And, pays better than me with better benefits.
https://grabagun.com/kel-tec-sub2000-green-9mm-16-1-barrel-17-rounds.html
$289 after rebate. That’s a pretty great price.
I want one, will just check with my local first before pulling the trigger.
n
I am often attracted to Kel-tecs. That one plus a couple of 33 round fun sticks, and you’ve got yourself a truck accessory, suitable for storing behind the seat.
That one plus a couple of 33 round fun sticks, and you’ve got yourself a truck accessory, suitable for storing behind the seat.
– pretty much my exact plan.
n
It will be “interesting” to see how that works out for me, being outside the US.
Amazon BANS $169 FlipperZero gadget which has triggered new TikTok prank wave because it can switch off phones, TVs, hack game machines and clone credit cards
– just when the thing was gaining traction…
n
Available from Temu or AliExpress?
FlipperZero – just shows how completely insecure radio controls and NFC really are. I mean, it’s great that your key fob is tied to your car, but if it always broadcasts the same signal, it’s easy for some other device to copy it. If you make the signal vary, for example, by time → that would be a lot more secure, but also introduces new failure modes.
I have a Keltec Sub2000, and I’m not especially happy with it. I’ve only but 100 rounds or so through it, but I find it difficult to aim; my head doesn’t bend that way. It’s probably just a matter of practice.
Places I’ve Never Been
I have been in many places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots.
Apparently, you can’t go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.
I’ve also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.
I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and co-workers.
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity anymore.
I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.
I’ve been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.
Sometimes I’m in Capable, and I go there more often as I’m getting older.
One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!
And, sometimes I thought I was in Vincible but it turns out I wasn’t.
People keep telling me I’m in Denial but I’m positive I’ve never been there before!
I’m hoping to avoid Continence…
And more and more I think of the Hereafter — several times a day, in fact. I enter a room and think “What am I here after?”
http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2012/08/places-ive-never-been/
h/t to the Ace Of Spades Saturday Night Joke, which published a slightly different version.
“I hope that the karma will f*** up Mike Love’s meditation forever.” –Dennis Wilson
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/worst-rock-lyrics