Sat. Jun. 1, 2024 – Saturday, in the dark, I think it was a month to July….

Cool to start but surely getting hot later. Unless it’s pouring down rain. Which is apparently a possibility. ‘cuz that’s what we need today. More rain.

The ground is getting saturated, and the trees are falling over whenever the wind blows.

I started yesterday with the best of intentions, got thwarted by my own procrastination, and ended up just doing auction stuff anyway after wasting the whole morning. Then I did some grocery shopping and loaded the truck for the BOL.

Now I’m up here, and my day will be dependent on the weather. I’ll either clean up debris, and load the truck for a dump run, or I’ll hang out indoors while it rains. I’m tempted to stick around if it’s storming, in case the power goes out again. Locals say the number of outages and the length of the outages are unprecedented. I say it’s probably the new normal for one reason or another. Some sort of automatic failover to a backup power supply is nearly at the top of the list now…

Infrastructure is awesome when it is intact. Lots of ways to break it, and only so many ways to fix it. Plan for losses.

Stack what you need to be 80% or more of what you are now. You’ll be better off than almost anyone else, and the 80/20 rule of thumb says you will be maximizing your result vs effort and resources.

Or choose a different path, but I think our choices now will be the major factor in how we live 1,2,5,and 10 years from now.

Stack.

nick

53 Comments and discussion on "Sat. Jun. 1, 2024 – Saturday, in the dark, I think it was a month to July…."

  1. Greg Norton says:

    –George Zimmerman got away with murder.

    Do you mean the White Hispanic George Zimmerman?

  2. brad says:

    Not so long ago, I created an X/Twitter account. Not that I really wanted one, but there was something I wanted to read, so I gave it. I’ve used the account sporadically since.

    Talk about bubbles. It took their algorithms no time to zero in on what kind of content I agree with, and now that is the only content I see. It would be easy to suppose that everyone shares my worldview. I presume the same is true for liberals – they see content that reinforces their view of the world.

    Polarization turned up to 11. This cannot be healthy for society.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Johnny Cash’s opinion is an important historical document, and Rosanne is _____ for treating it like a hidden secret to pull out at night and gloat over. The snarky part of me observes that she evidently didn’t learn much that she put to use effectively.

    The list isn’t in the new Cash museum in Nashville?

    Chances are that the document is lost.

    Watch “Hurt”. That’s the state of the old HQ/museum when Johnny and June died after the building sat for nearly a decade.

    At some point, we’ll have to finish our Tennessee trip.

  4. MrAtoz says:

    They will make a try for Trump using someone with a mentally unstable “history” (they will say) who has mysterious gaps in his immediate past, and who inexplicably manages to penetrate multiple layers of security.

    They have shown themselves to be stupid enough and frightened enough and smugly superior enough to try. 

    There are a lot of people who will gladly light the match rather than see this country descend into a dark night of Democrat authoritarianism.

    This election is going to be a test for the Secret Service. BTW, whatever happend to that female SS agent who said she wouldnt take a bullet for tRump? She was probably promoted by plugsy. tRump should just fly to Florida and refuse to be sentenced. Let’s see what happens then. Will the SS clash with NY trying to GET tRump? Will DeSantis refuse to extradite him? I’d love to see this happen.

    I think CWII is possible, but not in the near future. tRump’s non-election won’t set it off. There will be fires and riots, but that will calm down. plugsy won’t help with increased taxes and rules and regulations up the arse restricting our freedoms. The POTUS after plugsy (it won’t be The Kamel) could be key. By then, the sheeple will be hit in the face by taxes and restrictions and could light the fuse.

    The PLTs, Dumbo’s, and Deep State are going to do everything possible to bring back abortion on demand as a Constitutional right, even if some SCOTUS judges need to be “removed”. This will be a powerful incentive for sheeple to vote Dumbo by feeding their vices. Next will be disarming the sheeple. We all know the Constitution of the United States, and it’s Bill of Rights, is the number one target for the PTB. That old piece of paper is the only thing standing between us and a King. We are the only nation in the World that has such a great thing.

    For now, keep your powder dry and stack gubs.

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  5. Greg Norton says:

    Talk about bubbles. It took their algorithms no time to zero in on what kind of content I agree with, and now that is the only content I see. It would be easy to suppose that everyone shares my worldview. I presume the same is true for liberals – they see content that reinforces their view of the world.

    X/Twitter was an easy target for grad thesis work going back to when the service got popular after the dopamine hit of the app appeared. This tapered off with the company restricting the API access, but a lot of the research was probably mined to increase ad revenue.

    Also, xAI has $6 billion to spend on … something.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    We adopted a kitten from the local shelter and picked her up after spaying on Wednesday.

    The documentation says that she was part of a feral family found by Animal Control in Cedar Park.

    Maybe they were distant cousins of @pauls resident cat population.

    The kitten is a bit of a wild child, but she’s not so feral that she bites or is uninterested in interacting with humans.

    Let the crazy begin.

  7. Greg Norton says:

    Will DeSantis refuse to extradite him? I’d love to see this happen.

    The Palm Beach County Sheriff answers to the Governor, but Palm Beach Police have jurisdiction at Mar-A-Lago, hence the coordination on the FBI raid.

    The Sheriff’s HQ sits on the other end of the causeway from the estate, however, on the most direct route to the airport.

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    Gorgeous day today.  81F and sunny with clear blue sky.    I don’t want to do any work…  

    But too much needs to be done.

    So I better get busy.

    n

  9. Nick Flandrey says:

    coffee so good… but I forgot the cream at home…   quel tragique

    n

  10. Ken Mitchell says:

    Nick, most varieties of coffee creamers are sold by mini-marts and small markets all around the country. There’s probably one even in YOUR remote location. 

  11. EdH says:

    Looks like a Starliner scrub.

  12. drwilliams says:

    “coffee so good… but I forgot the cream at home…   quel tragique”

    Creamer is just chemicals. 

    MacGuyver it up from stuff under the sink.

  13. Ray Thompson says:

    There’s probably one even in YOUR remote location.

    If not one today, just wait a week.

  14. drwilliams says:

    “Do you mean the White Hispanic George Zimmerman?”

    Yeah, who attacked Obama’s son, who was just out walkin’ around

  15. lpdbw says:

    creamer /= cream

    Two different animals.

    I’m surprised he doesn’t have canned cow in his stacks.

  16. drwilliams says:

    Ah, you know it’s officially a Saturday in June when dozens of ashholes decide to get on their motorcycles and inflict their 100X louder that cars noise levels on people trying to enjoy an afternoon at home.

    I have a design for a device with an acoustic sensor that drops a 750-lb rated aircraft cable head-high across the road when a motorcycle approaches. 

  17. dkreck says:

    I have a design for a device with an acoustic sensor that drops a 750-lb rated aircraft cable head-high across the road when a motorcycle approaches. 

    Acme brand?

  18. drwilliams says:

    Pop -n- Roll

  19. Ken Mitchell says:

    I’m surprised he doesn’t have canned cow in his stacks.

    It’s called “Carnation Condensed Milk”, and I’m pretty sure Nick HAS some – but probably can’t FIND it before coffee. 

  20. drwilliams says:

    Sesame Workshop (aka Sesame Street):

    “We pimped out Cookie Monster for the Hair-Sniffer-in-Chief, but Elmo is a stuffed animal too far.”

    https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/06/01/sesame-street-scolds-biden-for-ripping-off-elmo-n2174931

    FJB: “So when Jim Henson called me all excited about a new green dog character named Kermit, I said Whoa, Jim! That’s kind of a copycat of Clifford! Why don’t you make him a frog, instead?”

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    Indeed.   Creamer is not cream….     I have some “Moos” creamer, which is UHT half and half, but I need to put 6-8 of them in the mug.   Kinda expensive.

    I have canned “Media Crema’” from Nestle, which is a decent substitute but still has a bit of a caramel taste from the canning process.   One can is too much for a single day of coffee.

    I even have a jar of dehydrated powdered heavy cream in the long term cabinet, but as soon as I crack it open, the clock is ticking on all of it…

    The kicker is that I went to the grocery store before I headed up.   I forgot to get myself cream.   My wife also went, and got me a quart, just in case, which she told me about as I was packing my cooler for the trip…  but I forgot it at home.

    The nearest quicky mart is only a minute or two nearer than the grocery store, but either is a 45 minute round trip… with the HEB taking longer inside.

    We’re not Alaska, but rural Texas is rural.   Going into town isn’t an expedition, but it’s not something you do without thinking about it a bit… and if you’re smart, you combine several trips.  (and it’s about 2 gallons of gas, which is $6 or more around here.)

    In other words, you CAN go get stuff if you forget, but it’s  a lot cheaper in money and time to bring it with you or grab it as you go past on your way here.

    n

    (like ice cream.   We don’t actually have any here, because even with a cooler, it melts on the way.)

  22. Nick Flandrey says:

    Added, I drank my coffee black with sweetener…  which I sometimes like to do anyway.

    n

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  23. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’ve moved a whole lot of fallen limbs, and all the cut up logs from the downed tree, loaded up the construction debris from the flood, and now I’m going to mow.   Then I’ll shower and head home.   I sure would like to just hang out though.

    n

  24. drwilliams says:

    @Nick

    “Going into town isn’t an expedition, but it’s not something you do without thinking about it a bit… and if you’re smart, you combine several trips.  (and it’s about 2 gallons of gas, which is $6 or more around here.)”

    Combining trips is more efficient of time and gas. 

    https://libquotes.com/napoleon-i-of-france/quote/lbe4h8x

    I have a tree removal project. There is a limb that could be removed to make it easier, but it is out of reach of the pole chainsaw. I ordered a rope saw this week to add to the kit. I’ll need to take down a couple smaller limbs with the pole saw, then I get to practice my throwing skills. Everything is a process.

  25. paul says:

    Buy half and half.  The stuff at HEB says Ultra Pastyoureyesed.  I’ve never had it go bad, even a month past Best By date..  Or a jar of Coffee Mate or Cremora.

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  26. Greg Norton says:

    (like ice cream.   We don’t actually have any here, because even with a cooler, it melts on the way.)

    Most HEB stores have dry ice near the registers.

  27. drwilliams says:

    Sure enough, ratings for the WNBA are crashing after an initial boost. All the hype in the world provided by Clark isn’t enough to make up for how garbage the rest of the league is. It’s a bad product filled with bad players. Whether it’s jealousy, racism, or something else, many of them seem content to keep making McDonald’s money while flying coach rather than helping their league succeed. The WNBA deserves what it gets. 

    https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/06/01/the-wnba-has-decided-to-set-itself-on-fire-n2174942

    The ghetto thugs will win if the league doesn’t tell the refs to call the game by the rules.

  28. EdH says:

    Ah, you know it’s officially a Saturday in June when dozens of ashholes decide to get on their motorcycles and inflict their 100X louder that cars noise levels on people trying to enjoy an afternoon at home.

    My wide spot in the road is unfortunately a local ‘destination’.   It has gas and cold drinks.

    The loud bikes are bad enough, but for that extra special something some have installed radio’s loud enough to be heard over the bike.

  29. EdH says:

    I just spent an hour installing my Midea U shapped window a/c.

    it’s a great air conditioner, super quiet and very efficient, as good as you can get short of a heat pump.

     Unfortunately it’s marred by a horrible stand, that appears to be an afterthought. It is too big in one dimension and not as wide as the window in the other.   It is made of Cee channel and leaves a giant gap underneath at the sill that you end up having to stuff with foam and rags.

  30. paul says:

    I’m waiting for the Mailman.  Is he going to put the package in the mailbox or bring it to the house?  I never know anymore.

    I have the boneless thighs in the fridge and ready to grill.  Why heat the house?  I cut the chicken into about three bite chunks.  
    Half is in a marinade of Sun Bird Szechwan stir fry mix with a couple of tablespoons of chili garlic sauce.  I don’t know if it will work but it seems like a good idea.

    Half is sprinkled with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and some jerk seasoning.  Stacked up in a bowl so both sides of the chicken gets happy.  I just got a beer from the fridge and I should have covered the bowls.

    I’ll be eating on this for several days.

  31. Greg Norton says:

    The ghetto thugs will win if the league doesn’t tell the refs to call the game by the rules.

    The TV ratings would crater if the refs called the games by the rules.

    The big TV partners, Disney/ESPN, CBS/Paramount, and Scripps Howard (Ion), aren’t exactly rolling in cash these days, and Amazon is desperate to promote their less popular streaming disasters to a female and/or urban audience.

    Cough … “Rings of Power” … cough.

    It is hard to believe that just four months ago CBS/Paramount had the “Taylor Swift” Super Bowl and a significant investment stake from the Geico Gecko.

  32. Lynn says:

    “Drakon” by S. M. Stirling
       https://www.amazon.com/Drakon-S-M-Stirling/dp/0671877119?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Book number four of a five book science fiction series. I reread the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen in 1996 that I bought used on Amazon since I could not get a new copy, being out of print. I have read all five books in the series. The series is probably finished as the author has moved onto several new series.

    On a parallel universe Earth, it is the year 2442 AD. On this Earth, Europe lost WWII to the Drakons who used atomic weapons on all of the capitols. Then World War III occurred in 1999 between the massively bioengineered Homo Drakonsis and the Homo Sapiens. The Homo Drakonsis won and carefully bioengineered the Homo Sapiens into Homo Servus. Earth has less than a half billion population now with most industries in space scattered around the Solar System.

    In an FTL (faster than light) gateway experiment gone wrong, a 400 year old female Drakon is transported to our universe and Earth in the year 1995 AD. She lands in New York City, takes her bearings, and sets out to build a gateway back to her Earth so that the Drakon can invade and convert our Earth to look like her Earth with the Domination. After all, her 200+ IQ and warrior skills enable her to find scientists and lead them also. But, a colony of Homo Sapiens from Alpha Centauri detect the interuniverse wormhole and send an agent to follow her.

    The author has a website at:
       https://smstirling.com/

    My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (197 reviews)

    Lynn

  33. Lynn says:

    “Watch: Hezbollah Shoots Down Large Israeli Drone In Expanded Fighting”

       https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/watch-hezbollah-shoots-down-large-israeli-drone-expanded-fighting

    “Friday saw intensifying fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border as Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets in an expanded assault on northern Israel, some of which were sent to areas never hit before since the conflict started last year.”

    Lots of wars going on out there.

  34. Bob Sprowl says:

    THe middle east is another mess that beyond Bidden’s capability.

  35. drwilliams says:

    “The TV ratings would crater if the refs called the games by the rules.”

    What tv ratings? and is Disney/ESPN big any more?

    Fill the seats and you can get ratings. Don’t and it’s worse than FJB faking a half-full high school gym–nobody’s interested except the player’s moms.

    The violence escalates and Clark gets hit or hits the maple resulting in a career-ending injury, she sues the refs, player, coach, team, league and the owners for $500 million. The refs lawyers cut a deal in return for their testimony about the instructions they received to ignore the league rules on violence for the sake of “ratings” and the WNBA is history except for the trick-or-treaters wearing some old jerseys. The bad girls find out they can’t even cut it taking orders at Denny’s and even the pimps aren’t interested.

    The NBA let violence get out of control fifty years ago. If Rudy Tomjanovich had not survived the sucker punch that separated his face from his skull the league might not have survived. 

  36. ITGuy1998 says:

    THe middle east is another mess that beyond Bidden’s capability.
     

    To be fair, the Middle East can’t be fixed. Unless you count turning all the sand into glass. 

  37. Lynn says:

    “Carbon Dioxide and a Warming Climate are not problems.” By Andy May and Marcel Crok

        https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Carbon-Dioxide-and-a-Warming-Climate-are-not-problems_Final_Submission_no_logo.pdf

    “Observations show no increase in damage or any danger to humanity today due to extreme weather or global warming. Climate change mitigation, according to AR6, means curtailing the use of fossil fuels, even though fossil fuels are still abundant and inexpensive. Since the current climate is arguably better than the pre-industrial climate and we have observed no increase in extreme weather or climate mortality, we conclude that we can plan to adapt to any future changes. Until a danger is identified, there is no need to eliminate fossil fuel use.

    Hat tip to:
    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/06/01/bonus-gets-it-wrong-about-may-and-crok-2024/

  38. MrAtoz says:

    I may have to move up my prediction on CWII:

    Meanwhile: President Biden Approves Strikes on Civilian Targets in Russia With US Missiles

    The shite is quickly hitting the fan thanks to plugs.

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  39. Lynn says:

    “Blinken To NATO Leaders: Ukraine Has ‘Strong & Well-Lit Bridge To Membership’”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/blinken-nato-leaders-ukraine-has-strong-well-lit-bridge-membership

    Blinken is a tool. Can we tie him to a tree in the area where the Russians will advance next into Ukraine ?

    Any addition of Ukraine to NATO will result in swapping nuclear weapons in Europe.  Hopefully we in the USA will stay out of the nightmare.  

    I will be unhappy losing all of my customers in Europe.

  40. EdH says:

    Observations show no increase in damage or any danger to humanity today due to extreme weather or global warming.

    It is, like Evil Clowns (do you remember those … better days, better days) a moral panic .

    Combine that with the Academic need for relevance, the Governmental need for an excuse to grab power, and the private industrial sector need for money, the media’s need for sob stories – and you have where we are today.

  41. Greg Norton says:

    Combine that with the Academic need for relevance, the Governmental need for an excuse to grab power, and the private industrial sector need for money, the media’s need for sob stories – and you have where we are today.

    Relevance? Try grant money, particularly the cash filling the soup bowls from the Federal Government.

  42. paul says:

    The chicken turned out as expected.  Both flavors.  Yummy!   Note to self, omit the teaspoon of sugar the mix calls for.  Instant Stick to grill. 

    Tonight’s movie was Tombstone.  First time to watch it. It’s kind of a complicated movie.  I need to watch it again.

    Just now caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  A freaking two inch long scorpion.  It’s been squashed.  I don’t know where they are coming from. 

    I did pet several kittens.  I have three on the back porch.  Two are white with some tan on ears and tail with very bright blue eyes..  One is ptich black with bright green eyes.  Mostly friendly, too. 

    Out at the feed shed, more kittens.  Looks like a couple litters out there.  I counted six kittens the other day.  They scatter when I get there.   So no telling exactly.   No black kittens, a couple of calicos, and three white with tan markings and a couple of yellows.

    Over at the EDC the black calico has at least one kitten.  Yellow.  That promptly ran under the building. 

    So out of five hugely pregnant cats,  I have signs the four had babies.   Cat food is cheap. 

    The momma cats are cool with Penny and Buddy.  The kittens, not quite yet..  🙂 

    Almost time to walk the dogs. 

    That was my day.

    Not a bad day actually. 

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  43. paul says:
    Any addition of Ukraine to NATO will result in swapping nuclear weapons in Europe.  Hopefully we in the USA will stay out of the nightmare.  

    I’m pretty sure the USA is pushing this via NATO.  

    Why they want to open the canned sunshine is unknown to me and really, my opinion or vote doesn’t count anyway. 

  44. EdH says:

    Relevance? Try grant money, particularly the cash filling the soup bowls from the Federal Government.

    That’s pretty much what I meant, but there’s also the rush of going from an obscure & dubious specialty field ( … guys who think they can predict the weather a hundred years in advance … ) to jet setting somebodies hobnobbing with  big name politicians and Hollywood stars and being praised for saving the world!

  45. Greg Norton says:

    Blinken is a tool. Can we tie him to a tree in the area where the Russians will advance next into Ukraine ?

    Blinken put together the list of intelligence operatives who signed the letter stating that Hunter’s laptop was Russian information. That’s how he got the Secretary of State job.

  46. drwilliams says:

    With Son Hunter Strapped for Cash, Joe Biden Mortgages White House for $10 Million

    https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2024/06/01/hunter-biden-is-broke-and-his-secret-civil-case-isnt-going-well-n3789481

    Yeah, I made up the header. 

    Looks like Hunter agreed to pay his ex $500,000 or so a year. 

    On Jan. 29, 2021 — just after President Biden’s inauguration and following a year-and-a-half of legal jousting — a D.C. court found Hunter was in breach of his divorce agreement and owed Buhle more than $1.7 million in spousal support, legal fees and interest since their 2017 divorce…

    In November 2021, the court appointed a special master — former D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Morin — to help adjudicate the dispute…

    In April 2023 Buhle’s representative filed a blistering motion stating that the president’s son had continued to not pay alimony and paid her only $35,815.50 in 2022 when Morin was controlling the process.

    Wonder what that “special master” DC judge corruptocrat is getting paid.

  47. drwilliams says:

    What is Hamas Hiding in Rafah, and Why Doesn’t Biden Want the IDF to Find It?

    https://townhall.com/columnists/bonnie-glick/2024/06/01/what-is-hamas-hiding-in-rafah-and-why-doesnt-biden-want-the-idf-to-find-it-n2639836

    Oh, not much. More than 50 tunnels that cross into Egypt, some tunnels big enough to run full-sized trucks  through, weapons the U.S. sold to Egypt that are now in Rafah…

    Our satellite intel must not be worth shiite if we didn’t know about trucks running in tunnels…

    Oh, wait… Never mind.

  48. drwilliams says:

    Saw this as a truncated title in a link:

    Academic Study Bemoans Lack of Climate Change

    which would be perfectly accurate if an honest academic did a study.

    Yeah, the last one died and will be mounted when they get their next shipment of carbon-neutral stuffing.

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    General Dynamics’ New 155-Millimeter Shell Factory Opens As War Cycle Kicks Into Higher Gear

    “… will significantly increase our country’s ability to manufacture parts that are used to produce artillery ammunition.”

    one of the signs war is coming, building facilities to build war materiel.

    ———-

    Home.   Rained buckets here, nothing at the BOL.   Some evidence of recent rain when I came thru Conroe and the Woodlands.

    ———-

    @EdH

    It is made of Cee channel and leaves a giant gap underneath at the sill that you end up having to stuff with foam and rags.  

    There are other supports available on amazon.  I’ve seen several styles come thru my auctions.   The one I bought which is just ¾” steel tube shaped to hold the unit up, also left a big gap.    I slit a pool noodle to fill the gaps.   Worked very well.

    n

  50. Greg Norton says:

    General Dynamics’ New 155-Millimeter Shell Factory Opens As War Cycle Kicks Into Higher Gear

    one of the signs war is coming, building facilities to build war materiel.

    Vanguard, Blackrock, and State Street putting your 401(k) money to work.

  51. nick flandrey says:

    Frito ™ pie for dinner.   Eaten from bowls, like some sort of snootie folks, instead of from the bags like God intended.

    And an early night.

    n

  52. Brad says:

    Blinken To NATO Leaders

    We really need a return to the days when leaders led from the front. It’s too easy to send other people to the battlefield.

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