Hot and humid, sunny. But if you are in the shade, it’s manageable. That describes yesterday afternoon too, although it was mid 90s or higher…
I walked home from the car repair place, took about 1/2 hour, and I was pretty warm by the time I got home.
Speaking of car repair… I do some maintenance. I check oil, fluids, tire pressure… I take care of tires and run a good spare. I monitor my gas mileage and pay attention to noises… that said, I have a tendency to let things go and then fix them after they break. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that my truck needs a bunch of stuff when I do take it in for service. In this case it needs front brakes, some heater hoses (21 years old), gaskets, and a lot of bits and pieces. It’s not getting the bits and pieces. Crumbling and rotten hoses? Oh hell yes. That leaves you stranded on the side of the road. Brakes? Yes. I’m hard on brakes, and you need to be able to stop. Noise in the power steering pump? Not a concern at this time…
They are supposed to be done later today. We’ll see. It should be around $2000 for everything. I said no to about $1200 in additional work that is either not critical, or can be done later. It’s not a restoration, it’s about having a reliable vehicle. And I can buy a lot of motor oil for the $900 a new oil pan gasket costs to install. Yeah, I looked several places and that’s not out of line. Apparently there is a lot of stuff in the way and the book says 6.5 hours… F you Ford. Oil pan that takes 6 hours??
I’ll swap the Expy for the Ranger and get it smogged, then I can proceed to get legal again. Although technically my parts truck needs to be registered as ‘non-op’ to be fully legal… and I don’t think that’s happening. If I’m not driving it, why should it be registered?
Didn’t get a lot done yesterday. Wasn’t feeling great most of the afternoon, then D1 needed chauffeuring around. Still not feeling 100%, but need to actually suck it up and do some stuff today.
Entropy increases. The fight against it never ends.
Stack the good stuff.
n
Venezuelans are not Cubans. Republicans especially need to get hip to this fact soon.
Part of the problem used to be Deborah D’Souza appearing on Cutie Pie’s program and with other conservative hosts, but, as of late, I haven’t heard her on the shows which try not to peddle as much schtick as Hannity.
I’ve never been in a BurgerFi, but we do like Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, part of the same company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myCLtDZI_6s
Anthony’s was a partnership between the owner of Fort Lauderdale’s old school (think mafioso) restaurant, Anthony’s Runway 84, and Dan Marino. If those guys sold the operation, things are bad.
Parts of Florida never really shut down in 2020, but, apparently, that wasn’t enough for BurgerFi/Anthony’s to emerge from the pandemic unscathed … along with many others.
Fauci needs a Nuremberg-style tribunal.
Alabama is the same. Gov is going to get their tribute no matter what.
I just had my A/C manifold box replaced. A couple of the diverters fell apart, from use. The cost to replace it was $1445.00. For $200.00 in parts. Installation requires removal of the entire dash. 11 hours by the book. Based on looking at the old part the system was designed to fail after so many years of operation. I suspect Ford knew this when designing the part and knows it now. It’s not like the part gets exposed to abuse, just normal use.
I have also just discovered that our local water department is on the hook for $400K in unpaid bills from consumers. Of course the regular customers have to make up the shortfall. During Covid the utility was not allowed by federal decree to shut off the water of those that did not pay. Several losers in the area took advantage of that, leaving the area when Covid was over to skip out on their bills. I suspect they also stiffed the electric company in the process.
What Fauci and the feds did during Covid negatively impacted everyone. There was no positive outcome in any of the mandates. Except Fauci and the drug companies that made a lot of money. People lost thousands of dollars and jobs. Companies failed. Yes, some people died and I suspect they would have died regardless of Covid. The flu would have removed many of them from circulation.
Don’t forget Costco, Sam’s, Home Depot, and the other “essential” businesses which were allowed to remain open as long as they served the Illness Kabuki Agenda by enforcing masking.
If you forgot the mask, Sam’s near our house was happy to provide one … from a box marked indicating that the contents would not stop the spread of respiratory illnesses.
Somebody also made a lot of money selling cr*p masks.
Never forget. Forgive only when it is sought with humility, even the Orange Man.
While on the subject of agenda advancement. If the parents can afford the $90 plus shipping for the set as a child’s toy, something tells me that the family is not living in a “tiny house”.
Look, Timmy, you can pretend to be a hipster “software developer” living in Austin. The tiny house is all you will be able to afford once your company replaces you with AI, but you will be happy.
https://www.playmobil.com/en-us/tiny-house-/71509.html
RE USAA savings account:
It is not a true savings account, it is a partial refund of insurance policy “subscriber” fees. They sent you a small part of it – aboput 10% – regularly based of the amount they a holding.
It’s on my calendar. Looking forward to meeting EdH.
84F and damply overcast.
Coffee should be ready soon.
I’m not ready though. Re-read one of the Murderbot stories before bed. Stayed up too late. I wasn’t really tired anyway.
n
Today is a day that will live in infamy.
I turned 69 years of age.
On a sad note, my HS graduation class was pretty small. About half of my Senior friends from HS are dead from: accident, suicide, COVID, and natural causes. Never look up your HS Senior friends.
“I wasn’t really tired anyway.”
put that on a t-shirt
I concur!
“I wasn’t really tired anyway.”
– which is really shorthand for “my brain is too swirly atm to relax and sleep, so I need something to distract it…”
n
“Jay Leno Gives Hilarious Response When Asked If He’s Done Bullet Test on Cybertruck, “Yeah, Just Drive Around L.A.” (VIDEO)”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/jay-leno-gives-hilarious-response-when-asked-if/
I love Jay Leno. True humor.
I have enjoyed Jay’s wit for a long time. Also a nice guy. He worked hard, and is now living his dream. Watch his interviews on Jay Leno’s Garage and notice the respect he has for his guests and loyal employees.
Many thanks.
Likewise here.
Is There a Racial Component to the Recent Controversy Involving Caitlin Clark?
https://www.barnhardt.biz/2024/06/04/pridemonth-lets-cut-the-crap-wnba-star-caitlin-clark-isnt-being-regularly-assaulted-on-the-court-because-shes-white-shes-being-physically-assaulted-because-she/
Just passing on a link.
I watched Downfall last night. Pretty good movie, just like folks said.
It was in German with English subtitles. I don’t know if there is an English version. My German is almost enough to order from a menu and it seems odd that I understood about every 15th word.
Leno was the safe choice for NBC twice, but Letterman and, to a lesser extent, Conan, are the legends.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13489825/student-loan-debt-forgiveness-private-program.html
n
Borrower Defense as a loan forgiveness mechanism that so-called “good” schools don’t want to see widely used. God forbid the truth come out about the long term value of some of their degrees.
And it isn’t just underwater basket weaving programs. The individual I indirectly know who graduated in CS from [the most expensive engineering school in the US] is still unemployed.
All CS degrees have a fleetingly short shelf life, but a piece of paper from the institution where he graduated is supposed to set you up for life given the right first job.
“Bird Flu Outbreak May Have Originated From Laboratory — Study”
https://www.infowars.com/posts/bird-flu-outbreak-may-have-originated-from-laboratory-dr-mccullough/
“Dr. Peter McCullough said in a post on his Substack Tuesday that the current H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) outbreak may have came out of a laboratory. The revelation was based off a study he coauthored, published Monday.”
““The above circumstances prompted us to pose a question—namely, it is possible that HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b evolved not in nature, but as a result of serial passage or other Gain-of-Function (GOF) research in a laboratory? The evidence we have uncovered thus far strongly raises the suspicion that this is indeed the case,” McCullough said on his Substack.”
“In fact, when former CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield was interviewed recently he bragged about being able to weaponize the Bird Flu in mere months.”
Well of course Bird Flu came out of a lab, that is where Covid 19 came from.
Why are these people creating new diseases and why are we not executing them ?
Surely a four inch diameter pole with a sharpened point awaits their sitting pleasure. Vlad used to say that their screams were better than just about any revenge.
“Garage doors on raised house in Nassau Bay bewilder social media users”
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/harris-county-house-elevated-garage-18117308.php
Anyone that lives on the Gulf Coast understands this picture.
“Another state will take away Texas’ claim to the world’s largest Buc-ee’s”
https://www.chron.com/culture/article/largest-bucees-where-19494322.php
Don’t worry, Buccees will build another superstore in the Houston metropolitan area.
I am wondering why Buccees does not build their stores on both sides of the freeways now.
“Tesla likely to spend $3 billion-$4 billion on Nvidia hardware this year”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-likely-spend-3-billion-182841266.html
Gonna need a few natural gas fired gas turbines also.
I called USAA and basically they transferred his account to my name. Sure seemed like a lot of fussing to drop a driver from the policy.
They canceled his USAA credit card. I think he used it twice. By accident. They suggested I contact the credit bureaus to freeze his SS number.
Yearly miles on the vehicles was 2000 miles each. I dropped that to 1000 each. Hey, HEB is 8 miles round trip a week. Tractor Supply is about 30 miles round trip almost every three months. Yeah, Wal-Mart is on the way.
Anyway, dropping the miles and a suddenly five weeks shy of 80 driver dropped the premium a whopping $63 per 6 month policy. I expected more. The bill is stupid high and in my head works out to plus $120 a month. Yeah, $3+ a day for auto insurance for cars that go somewhere once a week, if that often.
My electric bills are less than the auto insurance.
But it’s done. Next on the list is changing the name on the house.
Even better, one of those places that is an island between the highway. Those are cool.
“Ford’s US sales soar 11.2% in May, powered by hybrids, trucks, and even EVs”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fords-us-sales-soar-112-in-may-powered-by-hybrids-trucks-and-even-evs-133455264.html
Momma’s getting new wheels !
“Biden gets Trumpy on immigration”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/biden-gets-trumpy-on-immigration-181129087.html
Somebody just told the moron that he is weak on immigration so he looked in Trump’s playbook for a solution.
All this time, Biden had this in his back pocket. He could have pulled this out of his pocket anytime in the last 3.5 years. Yup, a moron since he is blaming all of the illegal immigration on the repuglicans. People see and understand that Biden is a moron.
“Thieves in California are now stealing fire hydrants and everyone is asking the exact same question that you’re asking”
https://notthebee.com/article/thieves-in-california-are-now-stealing-fire-hydrants-and-rest-assured-everyone-is-asking-the-exact-same-question-that-youre-asking
$6 worth of scrap metal at 4 cents/lb ? Are you kidding me ?
“California: Where you gotta put locks on the fire hydrants.”
The Beaver is all about the tax breaks, and the surrounding commercial property has to make up the tax revenue shortfall.
The first “Florida” store in Pensacola was actually built in Alabama because the previous Governor would not push legislation to rebuild the freeway exit in Florida to Buc-ee’s management’s satisfaction.
I’m ready for the AI boom to end.
Hopefully, the garage doors are faux and a real wall got built right behind them.
A place that sells guns and donuts ! Sign me up !
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=7860188610755048&set=gm.8385210271492356&idorvanity=167159596630839
Hopefully, the garage doors are faux and a real wall got built right behind them.
Nah, just needs a ramp.
You know, that is how I ended up with a 38 kW whole house generator. I’ll bet the pier salesperson gave the homeowner the 16 foot piers for the price of the 10 foot piers.
I asked for the 30 kW generator and the salesdude upgraded me to the 38 kW generator for free.
“Elon Musk’s X Asks the Supreme Court to Weigh in on Jack Smith’s Trump Search Warrant”
https://thelibertydaily.com/elon-musks-x-asks-supreme-court-weigh-jack/
Can I nominate Jack Smith for a four inch diameter sharpened posting too ?
While resetting rat baits in the attic I put my foot thru the ceiling in the kitchen. That meant fixing it as there are rats in the attic… So out comes the scrapers, tape, compound, etc. I have a failed seam in the bath ceiling that has been waiting for new mud for .. a while.
So both have a coat of mud on them now.
Didn’t have that on my list for today.
n
“SpaceX Chips Away at Starlink Latency With New Record”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-chips-away-at-starlink-latency-with-new-record
“Starlink achieves ‘a new internal median latency record’ of 28 milliseconds, Elon Musk says.”
Starlink is definitely getting faster with more bandwidth.
I reprogrammed my WAN MUX box the other day to use the AT&T DSL lines just as backup if the Starlink fails. I am getting great speed from Starlink.
Could be worse. Could have put two feet through the ceiling and smushed your dangly parts on a 2×6 joist.
Bright side!!!
Could be worser. Could have put two feet through the ceiling, smashing your dangly parts on a joist, been trapped there by splinters and nails, and been eaten by rats.
SteveF wins.
“Qualcomm CEO says Arm taking 50% of the Windows PC market in five years is realistic — some OEMs expect Snapdragon chips to be 60% of their sales within three years”
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/qualcomm-ceo-says-arm-taking-50-of-the-windows-pc-market-in-five-years-is-realistic-some-oems-already-expect-snapdragon-chips-to-be-60-of-their-sales-within-three-years
I would not be surprised.
I like this place. It’s not all Serious and Professional or even Adult all of the time.
>>”I’ve never been in a BurgerFi, but we do like Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, part of the same company.”
There was a Burger Fi on S. Howard Ave. when we were in Tampa. The food was okay, it was their custard-based shakes and concretes that we really enjoyed. Now we get them at Culver’s.
Anthony’s was good, but not quite what was available growing up in NYFC.
Oh yeah, and TWO kinds of impalement. Variety is the spice of life!
Learnt something new here today: custard-based shakes and concretes, At first, I cringed at eating something with crunchy pebbles in it, I see Freddy’s is an east of the continental divide thing.
Maybe the pebbles are something fun like Pop Rocks.
Speaking of, there is a “The Habit Burger Grill” place under construction here. Having seen that, we tried one on our last out of town trip, and it was pretty good. There are so many ways to make a burger, that everyone probably could find something to like. Welcome to our town.
Interesting, their locations are bicoastal, with a big gap in flyover country. Hmm.
To be fair, our personal favorites are mostly family-run places. Most of the big chains pump out mediocre stuff. Some have good coupons, though.
Pop rocks would hurt the current generation of p#ssies.
n
>>“Another state will take away Texas’ claim to the world’s largest Buc-ee’s” According to documents filed with Marion County, the travel center will include 120 gas pumps, 28 electric vehicle parking spaces and 750 regular parking spaces.
I thought they were against so much parking?
Re: ‘The Habit Burger Grill” – I’ve been a fan for many years. Had one nearby while living in Utah, and then one showed up in WA about 35 minutes from home.
Good burgers, although they discontinued the ‘tri-tip’ grilled sandwich. Fries are good and crunchy, and the onion rings are tasty. They also have grilled chicken sandwiches. Hand-made milkshakes (chocolate and strawberry) are good. Prices are reasonable.
Service is usually quick, although the shops might have limited seating. But always a treat when we head down that way – it’s nearby the nearest Costco.
Recommended.
>>If I’m not driving it, why should it be registered?
Alabama is the same. Gov is going to get their tribute no matter what.
Same in Newsom-ville.
The only downside is that your propane tank will empty faster with the bigger generator.
I’m annoying the dogs today. I’m pacing around the house and it bothers them. Bothering me, too. I have something sorting out in the back of my head.
Too hot to wander around outside. It was pushing 100F this afternoon.
The only downside is that your propane tank will empty faster with the bigger generator.
Natural gas from the meter. No propane here.
FEMA will shut down the natural gas in a neighborhood after an extreme event but it is rare, very rare.
So far.
Oh, and for all you “could be worse” people: Silver Linings
So far.
Oh, and for all you “could be worse” people: Silver Linings
Port Lavaca, Texas had the natural gas shut in after Hurricane Harvey landed as a Cat 5 in 2017. I think that they turned it on back on after a week and the local utility ensured that everything was ok.
Only if Microsoft makes their own chip and licenses the design.
It was pushing 100F this afternoon.
– it was 101F in my driveway this afternoon.
n
Atmos Energy shut down gas to a Fancy Lad development in Leander during the worst hours of the freeze in 2021. The reason still hasn’t been disclosed beyond an “unusual” demand curve threatening a collapse of the grid.
Shutting off gas at an individual address still requires a truck to roll so the neighborhood shutdown was the only way to resolve the problem with everyone “working” from home that night, fingers crossed that Presidents Day would dawn without a mishap.
Swimming naked.
@Nick
As I’ve said before, I’m done with Ford, as far as new vehicles. I have a lot of knowledge of their older vehicles and wouldn’t hesitate to leverage if the right opportunity came along, say a 2011 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis under 100,000 miles–cruise all day in comfort at 85, and easy to work on, unlike anything with a transverse engine.
“Noise in the power steering pump?”
Had a pressure hose fail on a Ford power steering system. Started as a couple drips and I thought I had time. Then it let go, dumped fluid, and the pump ran dry, which kills them almost instantly. $750 for new hose and pump. What did they say about the noise?
@Lynn
“California: Where you gotta put locks on the fire hydrants.”
Make it a felony theft due to fire safety, and felony for a scrap metal dealer to buy one. Upon conviction, give them a choice of 12 months in jail or getting a tablespoon of lighter fluid applied to their privates, followed by a match.
Pump’s been making noise for years. The stop leak stuff worked, but it does still groan a bit. I’ve got a donor truck in the driveway if needed.\
n
@Lynn
“Can I nominate Jack Smith for a four inch diameter sharpened posting too ?”
How about 3.990″ and ream it to 4.000″?
I just don’t buy burgers, either fast food or restaurant, since I can do them better.
I’m spoiled by my beef supply. I fired up the grill Sunday and did a steak, burgers, and brats. Shut the charcoal off and have enough for half the next charge.
I make four burgers from a1.5-lb chub. Perfect size for me, as I usually have two, and if I do two chubs, that gives me four for leftovers.
I also halved and pitted two nectarines and grilled them, too. Nice desert, also goes well on the burger.
Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
What’s the last thing that goes through a bugs mind when it hits the windshield?
His ass.
@Nick
“I’ve got a donor truck in the driveway if needed.\”
Before you do any transplant, check the organs carefully to make sure the part numbers match. Ford is notorious, particularly with alternators, and the metal is the last word, not the databases.
Please stick to your guns, Jeff, and keep WaPo on the path to Diversity Inclusion and Equity.
In fact, I can’t think of anything more equitable that a billionaire putting all his money down to his last non-nickel five-cent piece on DIE to win.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has Pancreatic Cancer
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/06/rep-sheila-jackson-lee-has-pancreatic-cancer/
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has Pancreatic Cancer
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/06/rep-sheila-jackson-lee-has-pancreatic-cancer/
I ain’t saying nothing. I will pray for her.
“Newt Gingrich: The Fake Conviction”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/newt-gingrich-fake-conviction/
“As an historian, I am really bothered when I hear lawyers on television describe these proceedings as though they were somehow related to the rule of law and the normal legal process.”
“It is clear that what happened to President Donald J. Trump in Judge Juan Merchan’s court was not a legitimate conviction. Nearly every element of the prosecution was false. Therefore, the outcome is false.”
“To say President Trump is now a convicted felon – as the left and its propaganda media allies are practically singing – is to legitimize the most corrupt judicial event in American presidential history.”
“The burden of proof is not on President Trump. He remains an innocent citizen framed by an astonishingly corrupt district attorney, judge, and Biden Justice Department.”
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has Pancreatic Cancer
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/06/rep-sheila-jackson-lee-has-pancreatic-cancer/
I ain’t saying nothing. I will pray for her.
Indeed. She needs it now more than ever.
I will pray for her.
– for a swift end to her suffering. And swift only because I don’t have a specific list of people who she has damaged or destroyed, only the general damage she has done.
n
Maybe that’s why she ran for mayor of Houston? To be closer to home?
Doesn’t make sense to me.
n
$70M in losses last year and a 50% decrease in readership and the worker bees are concerned about THAT.
Methinks the two are not unrelated.
n
Finished re-reading another Murderbot story. I enjoyed them as much this time as the first time. Plus they are barely novella length, which makes it easy to read them while doing other stuff.
Definitely recommended.
n
CA has had PNO (Planned Non Operation) since the early 1990s. (I am away from my records for the exact year.) This keeps all records alive for a small one-time fee, subtracted upon full registration renewal.
Before PNO, we didn’t pay anything, but on renewal had to file an affidavit that the vehicle was not operated, parked, or transported on public roads to avoid late fees. This required a trip to the DMV. With PNO, renewal can be done by mail, and no swearing. Works great.
I have used both processes a few times, and really prefer PNO.
We also have a permanent trailer license plate. I converted a utility trailer for something like $10. No more annual renewals or fees.
We still have a terrible governor and most of the legislature. The big cities do a good job of keeping the homeless away from our nicer remote areas.
Been retired just over 6months now and having occasional weird brain farts, a work problem will pop into my head. (Software testing/QA or Linux admin) And my brain feels it has to worry away at it until I find a solution I don’t mind, but, who do I send the bill to?
I just hit 51 and I can’t wait until I retire. I think healthcare will be the thing that keeps me working longer than I want to. I could likely retire at 55 if it weren’t for that…