Sun. Dec. 24, 2023 – Christmas Eve

By on December 24th, 2023 in culture, decline and fall

Cool and wet. Was raining when I went to bed, probably raining when I got up, and still raining. Or not and I’ll fix this part of the post… It as grey and overcast, with some patchy clouds in different parts of town, and as I drove around there were places with wet pavement, but I didn’t see any rain until well after dark. That is not what was forecast, but I’m glad it held off.

Did two small pickups then headed home. Wrapped presents, messed around. Lazy day while the kids took turns playing video games and my wife alternated wrapping with reading on the couch. Somewhere in there one batch of cookies got made. There will have to be some more made today, or there will be foot stomping…

I’m pretty sure I’ve got all my presents wrapped, at least the ones I’m going to give this year. Some will slide a couple months and be birthday gifts, since it turned out I had plenty for Christmas. More than I thought I had actually. I will need to make another check of the present closet, and a couple other places, to be sure.

I intend to do some cleaning, some organizing, and some relaxing today. And I’ll eat some cookies if someone makes some…

Today and tomorrow are for stacking memories.

nick

62 Comments and discussion on "Sun. Dec. 24, 2023 – Christmas Eve"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    Finished wrapping presents and decided to watch the amazon version of Reacher.   It was on Freebee or some app on the FireStick for free so I tried.   Dunno if it was the internet, the stick, the app, or something else but it kept freezing, audio and video would get out of sync, occasionally it would go back to the main menu, show an “Up Next” popup on top of video, and all manner of errors and poor performance.

    “Reacher” is popular right now, and everyone was home watching something via the Internet last night. Contrary to popular belief, resources are limited for streaming and delivering content that way is a lot less efficient for a mass audience than putting a program on linear broadcast TV/cable.

    Amazon had the double whammy of a popular program and providing the resources on demand for all of the other streaming services via AWS.

    IIRC, Peacock streamed their first NFL game last night so a learning curve was probably involved for their admins, which made life inconvenient for everyone else.

    In theory, Apple doesn’t use AWS, but I don’t believe that. I met one of their admins at a Linux event locally about five years ago, and, when I reluctantly shared my suspicions about the point of Swift, he showed me his high end Android phone, communicating the message that he got the job done, customers and shareholders first, without drinking the Kool Aid.

  2. Greg Norton says:

    IIRC, Peacock streamed their first NFL game last night so a learning curve was probably involved for their admins, which made life inconvenient for everyone else.

    All of the studios know that they aren’t going to make as much money streaming content vs. linear TV (cable, broadcast) and physical media.

    If Bills-Chargers had been a big matchup at this point in the season, streaming on Peacock would have cost everyone a lot of money vs. linear TV, both in terms of resources required to deliver the content and loss of ad revenue. Network, individual teams, and the NFL.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    One last piece of US Schadenfreude from The Mail to sell papers ahead of tonight’s “Beyond Paradise” Christmas Eve special kicking off the holiday events on BBC One.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12897647/Texas-crash-dead-passenger-Houston.html

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001tvp5

    “Beyond Paradise”, being set in the UK and not a French co-production, is a little more “woke” than the parent entry in the “Para-verse” franchise, but nothing on the magnitude of “Doctor Who” right now.

    Still, Kris Marshall must be emasculated from time to time since the show airs on BBC One.

  4. MrAtoz says:

    Finished wrapping presents and decided to watch the amazon version of Reacher.   It was on Freebee or some app on the FireStick for free so I tried.   Dunno if it was the internet, the stick, the app, or something else but it kept freezing, audio and video would get out of sync, occasionally it would go back to the main menu, show an “Up Next” popup on top of video, and all manner of errors and poor performance.

    I download all my favorites to my Mac Mini for this reason. Also, the High Seas people like to chop out commercials and other crap. I still watch stuff streaming since I have Apple TV+ and Netflix (paid by the company), and others shared with the family.

    The Twins laugh at me: “ Old man, just stream it.” When SHTF, they grumble: “Old man thinks he did something.” Then they watch off my Mini with more grumbling. Millennials.

  5. EdH says:

    In theory, Apple doesn’t use AWS, but I don’t believe that. I met one of their admins at a Linux event locally about five years ago, and, when I reluctantly shared my suspicions about the point of Swift, he showed me his high end Android phone, communicating the message that he got the job done, customers and shareholders first, without drinking the Kool Aid.

    What is your hypothesis for Swift, other than not being an awkward and overly verbose 80’s language?

  6. MrAtoz says:

    I canceled my Sirius/XM account for the Subie yesterday. I decided to use Apple Music (the company also has a Spotify account, which I can stream). I can’t justify S/XM and Apple Music. I don’t see myself going anywhere in the Subie anymore where I need a satellite subscription. Apple Music works great on Home Pods with Siri, too.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    The Twins laugh at me: “ Old man, just stream it.” When SHTF, they grumble: “Old man thinks he did something.” Then they watch off my Mini with more grumbling. Millennials.

    The American studios know they will make less money streaming than they will with linear TV or physical media, but the genie is out of the bottle in terms of the audience preference for the convenience.

    Right now, the monthly price on all of the streaming services is artificial, much like cell phone monthly bills, and does not begin to reflect the true costs of building the delivery mechanism.

    Netflix makes money, but NFLX has a PE of 50. That won’t last.

  8. lynn says:

    Finished wrapping presents and decided to watch the amazon version of Reacher.   It was on Freebee or some app on the FireStick for free so I tried.   Dunno if it was the internet, the stick, the app, or something else but it kept freezing, audio and video would get out of sync, occasionally it would go back to the main menu, show an “Up Next” popup on top of video, and all manner of errors and poor performance.

    We have Amazon Prime so I watch Reacher on it with a Roku Ultra box.  Works perfectly.  Great rendition of the series.

  9. lynn says:

    What is your hypothesis for Swift, other than not being an awkward and overly verbose 80’s language?

    It is a creation of Apple to make stuff hard for developers just like Microsoft made C# for.

    C++ works great for user interfaces and calculations both.  It has to be recompiled is all.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    What is your hypothesis for Swift, other than not being an awkward and overly verbose 80’s language?

    Lock the business logic for the third party apps into Swift.

    C++ can be compiled on Android or readily converted to Java.

  11. Ray Thompson says:

    Christmas tomorrow is just the wife and I. We will unwrap gifts that we already know what they are. We either bought them for ourselves, or the other person told us what to buy. We will get up at normal time, around 8:00 AM. Breakfast, Open gifts. Watch the Rose Parade. I will watch a couple of football games, wife will watch Hallmark.

    One football game, Alabama and Michigan is sort of the like the last several presidential elections. I hope they both lose. I find no joy in either team winning and going to the national championship game.

  12. lpdbw says:

    We’re doing Christmas today.  Roast beast is in the oven, cinnamon rolls ready to go in, focaccia was made last night, buffet will be set up at one o’clock.

    This avoids the whole multi-family conflict tomorrow.

  13. Greg Norton says:

    One football game, Alabama and Michigan is sort of the like the last several presidential elections. I hope they both lose. I find no joy in either team winning and going to the national championship game.

    Alabama looked bad against my alma matter in Tampa in September. That was very nearly a 10-3 game until the refs made a bad call in favor of Alabama with 33 seconds left. Upset was in the air for 59:27 of the clock.

    TV money. Rose Bowl. This season is probably Saban’s last hurrah before he goes out after an upset by a patsy team in the next couple of seasons.

    FSU has a point about the playoffs. They should know – my alma matter beat St. Bobby and made him look old with a freshman quarterback, which led to Bowden’s forced retirement and the Jimbo drama trashing football programs across two schools.

    They’re still tallying the losses in Tallahassee. The accountants have only just begun in College Station.

  14. ITGuy1998 says:

    Bah Humbug to you Bama haters!  j/k

    I’ve been in Alabama for just over 25 years now. I only chose a side (Bama or Auburn) after the boy chose to go to Tuscaloosa. Even without rooting for Bama, i would not be disappointed in seeing Michigan lose. I’d also like a Bama/Texas rematch.

    Roll Tide!

  15. JimB says:

    We dropped DirecTV a few months ago, and bought a new Samsung TV. The only subscription we have is YouTube TV, and we use the app on the TV to get the cloud DVR. Really miss having a local DVR to serve all content, although the “DVR” content works OK. I won’t watch anything with commercials, so select channel OFF. Wife can’t get used to the horrible UI on the TV, and I find it miserable too. I used to think DirecTV was bad.

    Thinking of getting a Roku, but then I might not get the auto 4k upscaling on the TV.

    The programming nowadays is mostly worthless. I am determined not to go back to DirecTV.

  16. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ah, you sportsball guys… 

    It’s still raining, steady drizzle with some gusting wind here in Houston.  It’s warm, high 60s or low 70s so no chance of a conversion to snow.   We have had snow at Christmas time more than once while I’ve lived here.

    Should be time to start baking soon…

    n

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    @jimb, my client had DirecTv for as long as I’ve known him, more than a decade… closer to two… and he dumped them as soon as we got the fiber working.    He had 3 tuners for the main house, one in the guest house, and one in the kids’ playroom.   They watched them A LOT, but they were gone without a backward glance after the fiber.

    He uses apple tv, with his adult kids using roku as well to access netflix and other streaming services.   I think he has 4 apple TVs now and the kids use the roku or netflix built into the sony TVs.  I advised leaving the TVs off the network, but it is convenient for them.

    n

  18. JimB says:

    @Nick, we only have one digital TV, but I also watch YT TV on my computer and phone. The UI on the computer is the best, and all content is synced between them, so I do as much interaction as possible with the computer.

    I wish I could install the Brave browser on the TV, so I could watch YT videos commercial free. I suppose I should get one of those minimalist deck-o-cards W11 computers for the TV, but the wife would probably not like it.

    And… no one needs to suggest Apple TV. I had my fill of Elysium while working, and as a result have never owned a fruity product. Get off my lawn!

  19. MrAtoz says:

    And… no one needs to suggest Apple TV. I had my fill of Elysium while working, and as a result have never owned a fruity product. Get off my lawn!

    That reminds me, I need a new iPad Pro next year to keep my ticket to Elysium current. Sniff.

    Thanks for the reminder!!! Sniff.

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/spartan-armor-systems-flex-fused-core-iiia-soft-body-armor/ 

    20% off on soft body armor.   No endorsement, no affiliation, but something everyone should consider.

    n

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    These have to be some of the stupidest people alive…

    Uber and Lyft Drivers Stage Protest at Atlanta Airport to Deliberately Leave Holiday Travelers Stranded (VIDEO) 

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/uber-lyft-drivers-stage-protest-atlanta-airport-deliberately/ 

    There is no way the terms of their employment could be any clearer or more transparent.   Just because the gig economy sux, and the math hampered end up life hampered, you’re not getting any sympathy from your customers by making their lives harder…

    n

  22. Ray Thompson says:

    Roll Tide!

    That’s what I said to my washing machine as I watched the suds, sudsing.

    horrible UI on the TV, and I find it miserable too

    Thinking of getting a Roku, but then I might not get the auto 4k upscaling on the TV.

    Welcome to a new level of stupidity. Or maybe that is just the Xfinity app on the Roku. Navigating around either is not for the faint of heart. Each streamer has their own way of doing things and remembering what is what is not easy for mere mortals.

    Ah, you sportsball guys… 

    I really don’t care who wins or loses. I will watch TN play because I like to watch them play. Whether they win or lose I don’t get any thinner, richer or younger. Although I may lose some active brain cells.

    As for Michigan vs Alabama, I wish both would lose. I would much rather have seen FSU in the playoffs but feel it would have been a real embarrassment against any of the teams in the final four. I get really tired of all the talk about Saban. In TN it used to be about Florida and Spurrier, probably the most hated man in TN football ever. Although Kiffin and Jones are in the running and on any given day would give Spurrier a run for the title.

    There is no way the terms of their employment could be any clearer or more transparent.

    I have taken Uber to and from Smyrna and the Atlanta Airport a dozen or so times. During the busy times the fare is close to $60.00. Less busy times about $35.00. I have never had any issues and I generally tip the driver $10.00. A 45 minute drive got the driver between $27.00 and $40.00.

    Is it worth it to the driver? One of them was driving a new, high-end BMW. There must be some profit incentive. I know that auto insurance about doubles if the vehicle is used for ride sharing. I wonder how many have really told their insurance company. An accident with a passenger and without telling the insurance company the coverage is zilch.

  23. SteveF says:

    It’s been above freezing and drizzling all day here, pretty much exactly what one wants as a lead-up to Christmas. Not wet enough or cold enough to make the chickens uncomfortable, so they’re happily running around grubbing.

    Took The Child and elder son, here for the week, up for brunch with my family (with wife and mother-in-law tagging along at the last minute). Same place with the same management as last year, same time of year as last year, fewer people at the table than last year, but total bill up 35% from last year. So, how’s Build Back Better working for the rest of you?

    Christmas tomorrow is just the wife and I. We will unwrap gifts that we already know what they are. We either bought them for ourselves, or the other person told us what to buy.

    The Child is getting clothes from me. Not just clothes but heavy clothes suitable for working in a shop or for doing yard work. She knows about them all because I had her try them on. I may have mentioned, when I was getting her kitted out for welding, that it’s a challenge to find work clothes in her size. Most everything in the stores is Men’s L through 2X, which she could use as a blanket but not as a jacket. Plus a pair of sneakers, to replace the pair which Grandma seems to have poured mop bucket water into. (We’re not sure that that’s what happened, but they were soaked and stank horribly. And it would be in keeping with the increasingly erratic behavior.)

    It’s hard to get anything for her because I get anything she needs during the year, plus I’ve given her a credit card to use as she wishes though she has to justify each purchase. (In six months there have been no problems at all, showing that she is more trustworthy than either of my wives.)

    I’ll give cash to the mother-in-law, as she needs some from time to time and has no other source of funds.

    I got a small turkey to cook tomorrow, mainly because it was really cheap when I was getting other groceries. Not sure it’ll be defrosted by morning but I’ll figure something out. Wife and m-i-l are making a full Chinese spread, which is, like, totally traditional for Christmas. Daughter and I don’t plan to have any of it because of previously-expressed concerns about hygiene during preparation, serving, and consumption.

    I wish I could install the Brave browser on the TV, so I could watch YT videos commercial free. I suppose I should get one of those minimalist deck-o-cards W11 computers for the TV, but the wife would probably not like it.

    Modern TVs usually have a lot of input ports. Can’t you have the tiny computer feeding the signal when you’re watching but leave the direct internet connection and cable and whatever also connected, for your wife’s use?

    20% off on soft body armor.

    Not in NY. Illegal for the peons to purchase or own so the companies won’t ship here. If the unblessed want to get body armor, they have to shoot a stupid pig in the head and take his/hers/zirs. Not that I’m telling anyone what to do or anything.

    The Twins laugh at me: “ Old man, just stream it.” When SHTF, they grumble: “Old man thinks he did something.” Then they watch off my Mini with more grumbling. Millennials.

    The Child sometimes attempts to tease me about being old school but understands and agrees with my preference for physical media under my physical control, even if most of what she watches is streamed. She’s seen movies or novels disappear from the internet, aside from issues caused by overloaded servers or similar problems. Beyond that, she’s aware that a properly-functioning house and car and computer don’t just happen, they take ongoing maintenance and repair. I’d say that I lucked out in having a “Daughter of Martha” who doesn’t think that things just automatically keep working, but in truth I don’t know how much is her personality, how much is from seeing the work I put into things (and, for the past year, having her help), and how much is something else.

  24. Nick Flandrey says:

    One of my siblings is still working thru a settlement after being T boned by an uninsured (streetracing) driver while in a rideshare vehicle.

    The rideshare company provides insurance for drivers, iirc.

    n

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    @steve, if it won’t thaw, spatchcock it.   It’ll cook quicker too.

    For small and female versions of work clothes, try Cintas or the traditional work clothes providers.   Pretty sure Cintas sells online.   I’m talking about the uniform, shop towel, linens rental companies.    I know they have 6x female pants… because I’ve seen them.  Should therefore have petites as well…

    n

    Red Kap seems to be another brand, and there are a bunch on ebay.

  26. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ariat (the boot people) also have a line of female work wear, Rebar ™ … 

    n

  27. Brad says:

    Wishing y’all a merry Christmas 🙂

  28. drwilliams says:

    Federal Judge Sides with Osage Nation, Orders Removal Of 84 Wind Turbines

    In 2014, the federal government filed a lawsuit seeking a judgment that Enel had engaged in unauthorized mining. That still didn’t stop the company, which commissioned the wind project in 2015. Since then, Enel, by my calculations, has been collecting about $10 million per year in federal tax credits. And remember, the company has been getting that $10 million per year before it sells any of the juice from the project.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/12/23/federal-judge-sides-with-osage-nation-orders-removal-of-84-wind-turbines/

    I’m not familiar with this project and the associated court cases, but the paragraph above is bizarre.

    How could a foreign company be collecting $10 million per year in federal tax credits after it had been found to be unlawfully mining? Whose palms were getting greased with what?

  29. Greg Norton says:

    Bah Humbug to you Bama haters!  j/k

    I’ve been in Alabama for just over 25 years now. I only chose a side (Bama or Auburn) after the boy chose to go to Tuscaloosa. Even without rooting for Bama, i would not be disappointed in seeing Michigan lose. I’d also like a Bama/Texas rematch.

    Even though they lost, Alabama exposed Texas’ weaknesses which led to Oklahoma winning the shiny metal hat for the strippers.  “Seven Wins Steve” is still on the hotseat in Austin as a result, even if he wins a national championship.

    The alumni are not fond of Steve Sarkisian.

  30. Greg Norton says:

    The rideshare company provides insurance for drivers, iirc.

    The rideshare company covers the driver while the fare is in the vehicle, but not beyond that time.

    The driver still has to tell their personal insurance company that they are using the vehicle for commercial purposes.

    And I know of at least one case where the ride share company hung the driver out to dry in court, getting excused from liability because the company’s lawyers were able to prove that the driver did something stupid which resulted in the accident.

  31. Greg Norton says:

    The Child is getting clothes from me. Not just clothes but heavy clothes suitable for working in a shop or for doing yard work. She knows about them all because I had her try them on. I may have mentioned, when I was getting her kitted out for welding, that it’s a challenge to find work clothes in her size. Most everything in the stores is Men’s L through 2X, which she could use as a blanket but not as a jacket. Plus a pair of sneakers, to replace the pair which Grandma seems to have poured mop bucket water into. (We’re not sure that that’s what happened, but they were soaked and stank horribly. And it would be in keeping with the increasingly erratic behavior.)

    My daughter wears Duluth Trading overalls everyday to school (don’t ask) and she’s barely an adult female Small.

    Some Duluth things hold up, but not everything. Be aware of this and use the return policy whenver necessary.

    She is the reason we went to their outlet in the boonies of Wisconsin on our trip. 

    And it is a real outlet. We scored a pair of overalls for her.

    BTW, if in doubt, size down with Duluth.

  32. drwilliams says:

    Busy weekend.

    Went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch yesterday. Clientele appeared to be about 60% ethnic Japanese. Ordered seafood stir-fried ramen despite knowing that it was contra-indicated by the season and the location (too far away from the ocean plus a small restaurant not likely to have good seafood connections). Decent, nonetheless, but I know I can order better next time.

    Saw Godzilla Minus One in a nearly empty clean theater, sitting in my preferred row immediately behind and above the handicapped row, which was empty. The movie reportedly had a $15 million budget, and the CGI was sparing but effective. A bit slow in parts with good character development, good actors, and good sets. Only distractions were a bit of sound in the wrong channel at times (such as having boat and water sounds entirely to the right when the scene is a conversation on the deck) and some instances of the dubbed dialogue not a good match for what was spoken (my Japanese is below minimal, but I confirmed my impression with a Japanese speaker). For a low-budget film that did not attempt to keep adrenaline shooting through a firehose, I’d recommend it. Full real butter on a tub of popcorn, reloaded once, and augmented with a smuggled 3.27 oz. “share” package of Peanut M&M’s which I did repurposed as “individual”. 

    Trailers include the new Ghostbusters and a spy/action called “Argyle” that drops in February and might be worth a look.

    Watched the first four episodes of Reacher S2 over the last two nights. I consider the story (Bad Luck and Trouble) one of the better plots from the books, and so far the changes are not distracting, and in one case pleasantly surprising. (no spoiler, look up the cameo if you want))

    S3 has been greenlighted and may already be in production. With an established hit I hope they turn the crank faster. At 8 episodes per season there is no reason they can’t meet a yearly schedule, and if they are smart they will mine the  works in “No Middle Name” for some shorter 2-episode productions.

    Ritchson is a good fit for the Reacher character, but with more than 30 books of material there is no way they will get far at one book per year. Two would be easily achievable–16 50-minute episodes per year is far short of the output that was routine in television for decades–and there are plenty of horrible examples from recent successful shows to learn from and avoid. 

    I suspect a lot will depend on how comfortable Ritchson is with the work load and what kind of practical adaptions are made to the stories. Based on the book selection and the successful (after four episodes) introduction of some of the Special Investigators, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were plans to add some new material along the way. 

    Note that the above is my own speculation, as I’ve not wasted time on any internet fanboy discussions. 

  33. Greg Norton says:

    I got a small turkey to cook tomorrow, mainly because it was really cheap when I was getting other groceries. Not sure it’ll be defrosted by morning but I’ll figure something out. Wife and m-i-l are making a full Chinese spread, which is, like, totally traditional for Christmas. Daughter and I don’t plan to have any of it because of previously-expressed concerns about hygiene during preparation, serving, and consumption.

    Hot Pot?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXDqbxB-qI8

  34. EdH says:

    The Child is getting clothes from me. Not just clothes but heavy clothes suitable for working in a shop or for doing yard work. She knows about them all because I had her try them on. I may have mentioned, when I was getting her kitted out for welding, that it’s a challenge to find work clothes in her size. Most everything in the stores is Men’s L through 2X, which she could use as a blanket but not as a jacket.

    Have you tried the shops that cater to latinos? A labor crew I worked with a few years back was mostly immigrant El Salvadoran and the men were small , maybe 5’ and change (but impressively tough, worked like machines, could probably pick me up with on hand).

  35. EdH says:

    Personally the insulated Dickies bib I bought recently is just a bit ‘snug’ (ahem!) across the waist.

    Me:  Guess I should plan to lose a few pounds.

    Seamstress (aka college friends wife): You know that’s not happening.  Return it & get a size up, I will hem the legs.

  36. Alan says:

    Well, after managing to evade it for almost four years, I’ve finally been infected by the Fauxi Flu. 

    Feel kinda MISERABE. 

    And once again the concierge membership pays off. Had my Doc on the phone within half an hour on Xmas Eve.

  37. Greg Norton says:

    We have two variants of “Chicago” deep dish pizza in the works tonight:

    Uno – Flakier crust made with olive oil and prebaked for 15 minutes. No top layer of crust. “Sauce” mostly diced tomatoes

    Giordanos – “Stuffed” pizza with toppings and cheese inside two layers of crust, topped by sauce. SIx tablespoons of margarine give the crust the chain’s signature taste.

    We mix things up a bit with both pizzas, and final bake takes place on the gas grill with pizza stones for really precise control of temerature.

  38. SteveF says:

    Personally the insulated Dickies bib I bought recently is just a bit ‘snug’ (ahem!) across the waist.

    Wanna make yourself feel even worse? Find a recently-made pair of trousers that fit you, size 34 or whatever. Button them and then get a tape measure and find what the distance around the waist is. It’ll probably be an inch or two more than the nominal waist size. The amount varies, but most brands and no-brands do it.

    All: Thanks for the suggestions about “minus-size” work clothes. I think she has everything she needs except either trousers or bib overalls of heavy material. I think the overall would be better, more flexible for different weather conditions, but she’s hesitant, and I don’t want to spend the money on something she won’t want to wear. On the plus side, she seems to be done growing, so getting quality should last her a decade.

  39. Greg Norton says:

    I did a last minute shopping trip up to Ollie’s in Killeen today, in search of the D&D items Hasbro dumped on their liquidators in the last few weeks.

    Geesh, name a Disney bomb from the last 10 years, and a toy is probably available at Ollie’s.

    The store in Killeen had “Tomorrowland” toys. Not many, but a few.

    I struck out on the D&D game items. I did see a few action figures for the 40th anniversary of the CBS Saturday morning “Dungeons and Dragons” TV series, however.

    “Eternals” toys were plentiful.

  40. Greg Norton says:

    Wanna make yourself feel even worse? Find a recently-made pair of trousers that fit you, size 34 or whatever. Button them and then get a tape measure and find what the distance around the waist is. It’ll probably be an inch or two more than the nominal waist size. The amount varies, but most brands and no-brands do it.

    My wife bought a Hecho en China Ms. Marvel costume for the group Halloween theme at work.

    The tunic arrived fitting exactly as measured, but the pants were way too big through the hip by about six inches.

    I joked about wearing the costume at the next con we attend just to make trouble, and to my surprise, the tunic fit me when I tried it.

    The pants will have to go, however.

    The Chinese must think Americans are huge and prone to lying about measurements.

  41. Nick Flandrey says:

    I got sidetracked in the garage, when a pile o stuff    STACK shifted and fell…   It was one of those areas where I’d just been piling “like” with “like”.   SO I spent some time sorting and re-stacking.   Pleasantly surprised by some things, like having more holster choices than I thought, and some spare mags for gubs I didn’t (still don’t, probably, for all anyone knows) have but do now…  Found some mags to sell too.   Stuff I’ll never get, like 45ACP single stack…

    Put some away, sorting some to go to the BOL.  I need a suitable storage area at the BOL first.  I’ve got a 4 drawer fireproof lateral file cabinet at a friend’s place.    It makes a great cabinet for ammo and parts as the build is crazy heavy duty.  It’s also more secure, and can be made even more so, than a metal cabinet.

    I need to rent a special trailer to move it safely though.  It’s lined with cement-like material and weighs more than a gub safe.

    I definitely recommend a two drawer fireresistant file cabinet, especially from the 50s, 60s, or 70s, as a good place to store ammo.   They are air tight, heavy duty, and fire resistant, after all… and you can just add more under a workbench or shelf as needed.   As a bonus, they don’t look like a gub safe, and with care, leverage, and wheels, you can maneuver one around yourself.

    —————-

    I also checked on some deep storage, and unfortunately the weather got in.   Couple flats of canned veg and several gallons of peanut oil will move to the “breakage” side of the ledger.  I was looking for more liquid ABX hand soap, but I guess we’ve used it all.  Unless there is some at the secondary location, we went thru a couple gallons since 2020 started.

    ————–

    The other day I also discovered that water got into a bucket of flour.   IDK if the rat gnaw marks on the lid actually penetrated, or if moisture got pumped in with changes in temperature (like my stored gas cans) but there was hardened flour around the edges of the bucket.   Before I throw it away, I’m wondering if there is something I can do with it.    There is a sort of modeling clay you can make with salt, I’m wondering if I could make catfish bait balls or something similar.   Flour is cheap though, and it’s probably not worth the space and effort.  Heck, in harder times, I’d eat it.  The part that got wet is easy to sieve out…

    \

    My storage situation mostly sux.

    n

  42. Nick Flandrey says:

    @greg, 

    Do you or anyone you know know anything about this guy and his product?

    https://www.mingobroresin.com/product/surf-and-sun 

    I was thinking about a set of dice for D2’s birthday in a few months.   I am not sure he’s the guy I saw before making resin dice on youtube, I guess I could do a search.  I like the blue set…

    n

  43. Nick Flandrey says:

    This is the generator I picked up.   After fees and tax it was ½ retail price before tax.

    https://wenproducts.com/products/wen-56400ix-super-quiet-4000-watt-rv-ready-electric-start-portable-inverter-generator-with-fuel-shut-off-and-co-shutdown-sensor 

    I’ll do a quick review when I get it unboxed and running.

    n

  44. SteveF says:

    re the spoiled flour, if you don’t find another use for it, give it to a rural neighbor to compost.

    You could feed birds with it. Basically, mix up hush puppies, fry them, and set them out. Since you also have peanut oil to dispose of, you might try stirring the flour into the oil to make a stiff dough and either bake it for the birds or just set it out. We couldn’t just set it out here, because it would freeze into a brick, but you should be able to do it there.

    Still, that involves effort and more importantly, time. Just take it all to someone to compost.

  45. EdH says:

    When in doubt, buy the FORD! 

    https://jalopnik.com/ford-f-150-comes-to-the-rescue-after-tesla-cybertruck-g-1851092936

    Years ago I saw a “Hummer Recovery Team” bumper sticker on an older Willy’s, made me smile.  Probably Gov. Arnold era, there were a lot of fools about with more money than 4-wheeling skills according to a couple of friends in the hobby.

    So, history is rhyming again…

  46. Greg Norton says:

    Good Lord, the Yucs now have as many wins as they did under Brady last year, with a trip to Carolina and New Orleans left on the schedule.

    Baker Mayfield got hot at just the right time. He’s also a free agent after this season.

  47. Greg Norton says:

    Do you or anyone you know know anything about this guy and his product?

    https://www.mingobroresin.com/product/surf-and-sun 

    I was thinking about a set of dice for D2’s birthday in a few months.   I am not sure he’s the guy I saw before making resin dice on youtube, I guess I could do a search.  I like the blue set…

    No, but he may not be at the cons in our general area.

    I’ll scrounge and see what vendors I’ve bought dice from in the past. 

    One couple from Georgia were really nice and had a table at C2E2. The name escapes me right now, however.

    C2E2 is the big kahuna of general cons if you can find an excuse to be in Chicongo in what is usually freezing weather.

    We lucked out in March 2019 when we went.

    Dallas Fan Expo will also have dice vendors, but a game shop in your area may have locally sourced dice as well.

  48. Greg Norton says:

    Well, sooprise! The last two months have probably been very good to the municipal bond dealers handling Texas debt.

    The property tax “reform” passed in November is actually a big property tax increase to pay for the bonds in many areas, with the first two years covered by the state government’s surplus until the $17 billion runs out.

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/texas-tops-us-states-2023-143050370.html

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    Dinner was sliced pork loin, previously cooked, and frozen.   Packet of brown gravy.  Stovetop dressing mix from box.  Can of corn.   D2 slurped up the gravy from the plate.   

    Also, bagged salad mix.

    Very easy and convenient.  Also tasty.

    Now, to open some presents!

    n

  50. Nick Flandrey says:

    The rain stopped this afternoon and the sun even poked thru for a bit.

    n

  51. Lynn says:

    “Biden-Harris Administration Announces $600M to 11 Grantmakers to Fund Thousands of Environmental Justice Projects Across the Nation as Part of Investing in America Agenda”

         https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-600m-11-grantmakers-fund-thousands-environmental

    “Grantmakers selected to reduce barriers to federal funds and issue thousands of environmental justice grants over the next three years”

    Why do I doubt that Congress authorized any grants for the EPA ?

    Hat tip to:

        https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/12/24/environmental-justice-ubumes-everything/

  52. Lynn says:

    “City People”

        https://areaocho.com/city-people/

    “This lady finds mountain lion on her patio”

    Shoot.
    Shovel.
    Shutup.

  53. Nick Flandrey says:

    One round of presents opened.  Did streaming video with grandparents and my siblings.  I got a lot of pajamas.

    Some licorice and a nice big coffee mug too.

    Ma belly is full with cookies…

  54. drwilliams says:

    If you don’t get to bed and get to sleep, Santa will pass this house right by…

  55. nick flandrey says:

    Both kids were still up but when I just checked, D1 was asleep with the laptop playing vids a foot from her face.  D2 finally turned out the light and was asleep too.

    Time for some Christmas magic. 

    Now that the gunfire has died down.  Don’t want to catch a stray.   LOTS of gunfire this year, and a sh!tton of fireworks.   It isn’t usually this noisy.

    Temperature has dropped, I can see my breath outside…

    n

  56. nick flandrey says:

    And the wind began to howl…

    Crazy windy.  I’m off to bed so the jolly fat man can do his business…

    To all a goodnite…

  57. Lynn says:

    One round of presents opened.  Did streaming video with grandparents and my siblings.  I got a lot of pajamas.

    Is that a hint ?  Or did one person mention it and the rest went “idea !”.

  58. JimB says:

    Very quiet here, as usual. We get a few fireworks on New Year’s eve at midnight. More on Independence Day.

    Merry Christmas, and to all a good night!

  59. EdH says:

    Hmmm, there were a few fire works, and some bottle rockets last night, the first for this neighborhood.  Things continue to slowly decline.

  60. Terry L. says:

    @SteveF  I’m a little late to the party, but https://dovetailworkwear.com/ deals strictly with women’s work clothing.  Got a pair of pants for my wife and she really likes them… except in the winter.  She says the rivets are cold!!! 

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