Hot and humid, no break from the weather today. Crazy hot with the high humidity.
Did some stuff yesterday. One pickup. Ran the kid around where she needed to go. Had to blow off 2 pickups that will have to happen today. Did a minimum of cleanup and sorting.
So today I have to catch up with where I should be to get ready for my show. I’ve got storage units to go through and stuff to find. I’ve been stashing stuff all over, so now I need to bring it together. And it will be hot and sweaty work.
I’m not looking forward to the work, but I would like to sell some of the stuff and get it out of the way. Money is nice too. More money is extra nice.
So I’m doing my bit in the secondary economy by moving stuff from people who want to get rid of it to people who want to have it, and getting my middleman fee when I can.
It’s a hobby, not a side hustle, but it plays off my reselling anyway. It’s not an income, but it funds my hobby leaving the other money for life and preps.
I treat my ham radio stuff the same way. It has to be self funding… otherwise it feels selfish.
And I get to meet and talk with people from all over the country while I’m trying to sell, which is also very nice. I’m sure to learn something I can use elsewhere.
All of which is to say, get out and do some things. Join a club, take up a hobby, take a class, get a table at your local swapmeet… and then talk to people. It takes practice, and it pays dividends.
And stack, don’t forget to stack.
nick
Lynn asked: “Where is this “secure compartment” in a vehicle ? I can tell you that the glove box is not secure.”
Amazon, for example, sells a “basics” lockable box for under USD 30. They even claim “This case is California DOJ certified as a firearm safety device.”
Amazon Basics Portable Security Case Lock Box Safe, Combination Lock, XXL, Black https://a.co/d/iffdGeZ
I have, and use, something similar, which fits nicely and discretely under the driver’s or passenger’s seat, and which can be attached to the seat frame with its supplied cable.
A little search time with Google or the Ducks will bring up several similar and alternative offerings, at various levels of robustness and various prices.
If you are DIY inclined, it is not difficult to make your own, but much stouter, version of the Amazon-type locking box using a small domestic “safe” and some heavier-duty cable or chain, or even bolt it down. It won’t have the California DOJ certificate, though.
Obviously, no security measure of this kind is perfect – at some point, a dedicated thief will simply steal the whole vehicle. However, a locking box will thwart dilettantes and opportunists, and might slow down the dedicated.
Andy Beshear is another pol with Daddy issues.
He’s Governor because voters in KY remember the father’s time as Governor fondly.
The pitchfork SKUs will disappear from the shelves long before the sheeple realize what’s happening to them. Tractor Supply is 97% institution owned with 12% of the stock in Vanguard’s hands alone.
Dollar General, often the last gasp of retail in a community after Walmart gives up, has similar ownership numbers.
Forget the Soviets. Vanguard will sell the rope they use to hang us.
That’s a lot of juice, 44kwh/day. Ok, maybe he has a big house running air conditioners. We use about 14kwh/day (no AC), if we don’t charge our car.
— Divemedic is in Florida, looks like a pretty nice house, and is running two A/C units iirc. He’s running two powerwalls as storage.
———-
Another hot day on the way. Trying to get the kids out the door.
———-
I really hope the football coaches are paying attention to kid health and modifying their practices accordingly so only a couple of kids die this year. Talk about unnecessary deaths…
———-
We have the same bus driver as last year. He was very consistent and reliable. He’s trying for the same this year, but it takes a few days for the routes to settle as kids show up and fail to show up.
Hard to find people to drive the busses, let alone good ones.
n
The basis of investing is compound interest.
The basis of progressive government is compound stupidity.
News out of the DNC:
There is no difference between the integrity of The Kamel and tRump. Now, look at their policies. I want lower taxes, less goobermint, and crimmigrants kicked out. Only tRump will bring this.
I watched about 10 minutes of the DNC, enough to catch the end of the Mooch’s speech. Then I had to go barf (or felt like it ) The same campaign rhetoric I heard four years ago, and eight years ago. Only this time the promises of last year has made the economy, inflation and international relationships worse.
To see these people in the crowds, waving their little sticks with vote on them, as if that is going to make a difference, is just plain silly. I also noticed that the Mooch made many references to black. They have got to keep racism alive. The MSM did not help as any time something black was mentioned the camera would focus on a black person.
Nothing about what the democrats can do improve the country. Just blowing their own horn and what they want the country to be, without any rational way to get there. Between worthless statements and attacking Trump, the entire process was a waste of good electrons.
The entire convention is a propaganda event. A lot of noise, a lot of money spent, for nothing in return. Unless one counts the primal orgasms that must have occurred in a few of the attendees while watching the Mooch and Obutwad.
Important lessons from Wranglerstar:
My situation has gotten worse,
As you get older, you gotta know your limitations. Kind of dumb driving 20-25 miles from home in the wilderness, on a 4-wheeler, with no comms. Then thinking you’ll just heal after obviously breaking some bones. Also think twice living too far from medical services.
23.5 KW per day for my house in July near Montgomery, AL. One person, all electric with a new AC unit a couple of years ago.
I will admit that the TV and related devices have been unplugged since March Madness ended in April. That will change when football begins. My shop electric bill decease (separate meter) will, no doubt, offset most of that.
Oh, man. 135KWh/day on average at my place.
I put in 2 new 4-ton AC units with good SEER ratings, all LED bulbs, HE electric appliances, and the only EV that gets charged is a golf cart.
Yeah, big house in FL, pool and hot tub pumps, irrigation pump, ceiling fans we keep running. Wx controls the TStats, but it’s mostly 75 to 77. Sometimes she brings it down to 73 “just to get out the humidity”; I have fleece throws strategically placed for that. Hot tub is propane heat.
@crawdaddy: that’s a crazy amount of power. Is the house poorly insulated? You must be looking at power bills near $1k/month – some investment might pay off…
@Brad – the bills are actually less than my last big house (4K ft2) in a deep-blue state. I guess electricity is just cheaper in FL.
Yeah – I was pretty surprised when I checked my average daily usage on the provider’s web site after seeing the other numbers posted.
I’m wondering if it is due to the ceiling fans – they may be worth replacing, if so.
I’ll look at the rating on the pool pump, but it would be surprising if the ROI on replacing it would be worthwhile, now that .gov is interfering in that market.
The 2 HP irrigation pump is new, so there’s no savings coming there.
I was at 95KWH average per day in July. 1.5 ton and 5 ton heat pumps for the house, and a mini split for the garage.
That’s a lot of juice, 44kwh/day. Ok, maybe he has a big house running air conditioners. We use about 14kwh/day (no AC), if we don’t charge our car.
My house uses about 100 kwh per day in the a/c season. South Texas, need I say more ?
3,300 ft2, two a/c units a 3 ton for the common areas, and a zoned 4 ton for the four bedroom areas. We keep the common areas at 72 F, our bedroom at 71 F (I like to sleep burrowed in blankets), and the daughter keeps hers at 70 F to 68 F due to her constant low grade fever.
We also have several tvs, rokus, computers, etc and an electric double oven. Oh, and an electric clothes dryer.
Another new coffee drive thru going in near my house this year is Dutch Bros.
The stock is at 124 PE. That’s a lot of coffee.
The stores must be partially prefab. I don’t remember seeing the building before this week, and construction looks almost complete.
Dutch Bros. is a sign of Oregonian infestation.
There is one in Oak Ridge near where I live. Always people in line. I refuse to be in any line for a $10.00 cup of coffee.
We’ve got Dutch Bros popping up around here too.
n
“Chronicles of the Lensmen, Volume 1 (Triplanetary, First Lensman, Galactic Patrol)” by E. E. “Doc” Smith
https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Lensmen-Triplanetary-Lensman-Galactic/dp/1568658044?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number one of a two book space opera science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound hardback published by the Science Fiction Book Club in 1998 that I bought used from Amazon recently. In fact, I was inspired by Heinlein’s “The Pursuit of the Pankera” that I read recently to read this book. I have ordered book two of the series and will read it soon.
https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Pankera-Parallel-Novel-Universes/dp/1647100291?tag=ttgnet-20/
This book actually consists of three books published by E. E. “Doc” Smith. “Triplanetary” was published in 1948. “First Lensmen” was published in 1950. And “Galactic Patrol” was published in 1950. The books are dated by time with what was normal in the 1930s and 1940s is no longer normal for our times other than a minimal segment of the United States society.
“Triplanetary” starts off with a detailed conflict between the Arisians in our galaxy and the Eddorians in a second galaxy over two thousand million years ago. The two galaxies are colliding over and incrdible period of time and the two races are conflicting for control of the merged galaxy. Also detailed is the various time periods on Earth and other planets that the Eddorians destroyed in order to maintain their supposed supremacy over the galaxies. They even caused a nuclear conflict between Atlantis and her colonies.
“First Lensmen” is the story of the Arisians contacting the Virgil Samms to become the first Lensman and spread the Lens technology among individuals who are deserving of the technology. Other technologies are rapidly advanced such as multiple light year speeds of space travel using inertialess generators.
“Galactic Patrol” is the story of the various conflicts between the Eddorian supported space pirates and the Arisian supported Lensmen. Most of the book is about Rod Kinnison’s various exploits to expose and destroy the space pirates that are plaguing the commerce of the galactic free planets.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)
Lynn
Round Rock had just one until recently, located at the freeway exit for IKEA.
Which reminds me – the Swedish food area of IKEA is really looking grim as of late. The Jammy Dodger knockoffs haven’t been in stock in raspberry for at least a year at at Round Rock.
>>Breaking News
After two weeks with Harris, Tim Walz announced he has signed up again with the National Guard, and requested deployment to
Iraq.China.FIFY… and Timmy… and Lassie.
Lassie … Lassie ….
Well, there you are. Finally …
What‘s the matter girl? What? Timmy‘s running for Vice President?
With who?
Oh, Lassie, now stop picking on Timmy. He can’t help it if he gets into Momma‘s special plants behind the barn and goes delusional.
Just as long as he doesn’t take up wearing my bullet bras again. That Principal can find a new ringer for the girls’ basketball team.
@lynn
I read this while in high school, and several times since. The other series from that period is the Skylark series, also a great read, as is his standalone novel ‘Spacehounds of IPC’. I was not so impressed with the Family D’Alembert books, though.
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2024/08/21/here-we-go-rfk-to-give-live-address-on-friday-on-path-forward-n3793476
I first ran into Dutch Brothers in Spokane, when visiting a few years back.
Much better coffee than Starbucks, and cheaper. Still not as cheap as making it at home, but we were in a motel at the time, so it was a good copromise. There’s one in Katy at Morton and 99, practically in my neighborhood.
Our neighborhood Scooter’s only lasted a couple years and it’s shut down now.
We’ve got a Tim Horton’s in the area. It’s meh, but still better than Starbucks.
I don’t know how Starbucks stays in business.
Of course, the only time I stop at any of them is if I have an early morning errand that gets me out of the house before coffee. Rare these days.
“11-year sentence for Milwaukee woman who killed her sex trafficker draws outrage”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/19/chrystul-kizer-milwaukee-sex-trafficking/74864773007/
“Chrystul Kizer was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the murder of Randall Volar, who is believed to have been trafficking her since she was a teen. Sex trafficking survivor advocates are angry.”
Don’t kill your pimp in Wisconsin. They treat that as a murder for you defending yourself.
“Kamala is Going to Drive Gold to $10,000”
https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/kamala-is-going-to-drive-gold-to-10000-151320/
“Gold recently hit $2,500 marking an all time record high.”
“The reality is, there’s a very good case to be made that gold is still quite cheap compared to its trajectory. It’s possible that in a few years, $2,500 gold could look remarkably inexpensive.”
“Not to be overly dramatic, but Kamala Harris is a big reason why.”
$10,000 will just be a temporary stopping place for Gold.
Oh, man. 135KWh/day on average at my place.
I put in 2 new 4-ton AC units with good SEER ratings, all LED bulbs, HE electric appliances, and the only EV that gets charged is a golf cart.
Yeah, big house in FL, pool and hot tub pumps, irrigation pump, ceiling fans we keep running. Wx controls the TStats, but it’s mostly 75 to 77. Sometimes she brings it down to 73 “just to get out the humidity”; I have fleece throws strategically placed for that. Hot tub is propane heat.
@crawdaddy: that’s a crazy amount of power. Is the house poorly insulated? You must be looking at power bills near $1k/month – some investment might pay off…
He has high humidity in the house due to living in Florida. It takes a LOT of energy to condense water out of air, 1,000 btu/lb of water condensed. Actually cooling the air is much less energy, 1.0 btu/lb/F. We have the same problem in South Texas. Every one within a hundred miles of the Gulf of Mexico or any other warm (above 70 F) body of water has the same problem.
My heatpump system has a setting called “de-hum”. It lets you adjust for humidity. The outside unit has two speeds. The blower has a variable fan. Even with the system set at 80f, the system will run on low speed outside and very low fan inside. The fridge is louder. Just to dry the air. Once it hits that setting it speeds up and cools the house. When done cooling it runs the fan a couple of minutes get all of the cool (or heat if heating) into the house and just happens to dry the coils. I don’t get the wet a/c smell.
In the Secret Set-up menu I can change how the t-stat acts. Are we going to be strict about the temperature or be loose. That is, set at 80f and keep it there within a half degree. Or don’t worry, be happy and cycle on at just before it gets to 82f and maybe cool down to almost 78f. I have it set to loose. That saves at least one cycle per hour…. start=up surge and all that.
The electric bill for July says 21 kWh a day. It will be more this month. It’s 108f outside. It’s 80.7f inside and 54% humidity. The system just turned on.
Just turned off. 80f and 53%. Ran on low speed.
I called Ronnie last week. He replaced one sliding door with a new door. Then replaced the other sliding door with windows. He installed the storm door on the front door. He remodeled the master bath. He does good work and seems reasonable on the price of his labor. We had Jeff replace the rest of the windows. That made a huge difference on the electric bill. They are trimmed outside but we never got around to inside trim. I just want the windows trimmed in like around a door jamb, no window sills because I know me and flat surfaces collect stuff. Make pretty work.
Then I want to get window shades. Not for privacy, for blocking the sun and maybe a bit of insulation. I might go with mini blinds but they block a lot of light. I think I want the fabric shades that are like bellows. You have air pockets, aka insulation. You can raise them from the bottom, you can lower them from the top. Double hung windows, sometimes you want to open the top window. I saw them at Lowes a few years ago. Might not even be a thing for sale anymore. I’ll go shopping after the windows are trimmed.
Just hit 110f. The hottest I’ve seen here, ever, was 113f. It’s 102f in the attic.
“Pervert: Obama Mocks Size of Trump’s Manhood”
https://www.toddstarnes.com/values/pervert-obama-mocks-size-of-trumps-manhood/
Um, how does Obama know this ? Do all Presidents have to get their manhoods measured ? Flacid ? Or … ?
Can’t count flacid. It might be a cold day. Some guys are showers. Growers. Whatever.
Pretty awesome. National politics are down to “my dick is bigger than your dick”. /s supplied for the impaired. 🙂
Delusional yuppy, Beemer wannabes, driving a Hyundai, looking for status.
“Target may have solved one of retail’s biggest problems: Theft”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/target-may-have-solved-one-of-retails-biggest-problems-theft-103150947.html
Yeah, they put everything of high value behind locked doors. That means that an employee has to judge you for your pay ability and get the items out for you. In some cases, they make you pay right there.
This transition from a high trust society to a low trust society sucks. It is going to get worse.
Can’t count flacid. It might be a cold day. Some guys are showers. Growers. Whatever.
Pretty awesome. National politics are down to “my dick is bigger than your dick”. /s supplied for the impaired.
So who is Kamala going to compare her breast size to ???
“Kamala Harris’ wealth redistribution plans could prove both costly and ineffective ”
https://www.theblaze.com/news/kamala-harris-wealth-redistribution-plans-could-prove-both-costly-and-ineffective
I guess that I will be moving my IRAs to a numbered bank account in Switzerland. Oh wait, they don’t do that anymore. Maybe Jamaica ?
Just hit 110f. The hottest I’ve seen here, ever, was 113f. It’s 102f in the attic.
We are only 100 F at the moment here. The day is not over yet. We were 104 F yesterday, the a/c on my old 2008 Highlander was overwhelmed. I came back to the office well sweated.
Might need some freon. The van needs a can about every year and a half. It’s a 2004 and it’s not going to the shop for needing freon once in awhile.
Someone said “don’t you need gauges and all that?”. Yes, that’s probably best but Jim borrowed that stuff last year. I just connect a can and the system sucks it in. No big deal.
“The Atlantic hurricane season is taking a late August siesta. What’s going on?”
https://spacecityweather.com/the-atlantic-hurricane-season-is-taking-a-late-august-siesta-whats-going-on/
“In brief: Has the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season been a bust? In short, no. However, we are enjoying a rare period of quietude in late August, and with temperatures incredibly warm in the Gulf of Mexico at present we’ll take it. To get a better idea of what’s going on, and to understand why September is likely to be active, we are sharing this post which was originally published by The Eyewall this morning.”
Be happy ! We are still recovering from Beryl here in my neighborhood. I had my gutters in the front of my house replaced yesterday since Beryl ripped them loose from the house. No insurance of course, way below my deductible.
“Um, how does Obama know this ? Do all Presidents have to get their manhoods measured ? Flacid ? Or … ?”
Rumor has it that Barry’s is in a jar on Michelle’s shelf, so they measured hers instead.
“BREAKING: Biden and Harris Were Cooking the Books the Whole Time! 1 Million Jobs VANISH in Downward Revision – Trump Responds to Fraudulent Jobs Numbers (VIDEO)”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/biden-harris-were-cooking-books-whole-time-1/
The lesson from this is that we cannot trust ANYTHING coming from the federal government. They lie all of the time now.
A uncirculated 2024 Eagle is $3350 at the US Mint website right now.
“Economy watch: Don’t believe the politicians. No improvement is in sight.”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/08/economy-watch-dont-believe-politicians.html
“The news media keep trumpeting economic “good news” – which is largely made up out of whole cloth, ignoring the reality of what’s going on all around us – but if you dig down and look at the fundamentals, things are still very fragile.”
Keep on stacking your preps ! These are the good old days.
So my 1994 half ounce coin is worth about $1500? The one I bought for face value? Nice.
Last month here was 60 kWh per day, but that was with our upstairs AC off of the schedule and locked at … 75?
High temperature in Far West San Antonio; 111 today. I don’t know if that’s a record, but I can say that it felt like walking into an oven. But very dry.
Book reviews: I’ve enjoyed reading and re-reading the “Lensman” series over the years. The “Skylark of Space” series is pure space-opera stuff; discover a threat today, invent a weapon tomorrow, and win the way by the end of the week. Fun, but no more substance than cotton candy.
Coffee: I’m no judge; I never drink the stuff. But there’s a new Dutch Brothers place nearby. And a “CosMc’s”, which is apparently a McDonalds attempt to skim off the “luxury coffee” craze.
Florida does not see 100s. At least not on the Peninsula. The tradeoff is that you will rarely see a low below mid-upper 70s from the end of April until the first cold front sweeps through in October.
And humidity at rain forest levels is a constant, even in open areas without trees. The irony is that most of the Peninsula has been in perpetual drought for the last 25 years.
Home design has lost its way in the state in the last 30 years. Arthur Rutenberg/US Home houses in Pinellas County built in the late 70s were the high water mark of energy efficiency and durability in storms hitting the state. It has all been downhill since.
My guess is he has a large house by the few pictures he has shown. With high ceilings. 15 foot vs 8 foot. That’s a lot of extra air to cool.
An Eagle? You will want to shop around for a dealer, but that would be in the ballpark.
My guess is he has a large house by the few pictures he has shown. With high ceilings. 15 foot vs 8 foot. That’s a lot of extra air to cool.
Huh, I do not remember any pictures of his house on his website.
Have the refrigerant level checked. I can still get cold air out of my 2001 Solara without an issue.
The 2018 Camry takes a while to cool down if the car has been sitting at work all day in the sun.
Leaving the office this afternoon, I noted that the cooling fans on the Tonymobiles were screaming. I wonder what that does to the range.
The McDonalds near the house is mobbed in the morning.
I wonder if a CosMc’s is coming when the salad drive through across the street closes.
The location is right on what is fast becoming a popular commuting route for the Colonists driving to Dell and HPE from their developments about 30 minutes north of my house.
Divemedic has posted pix of his new house, they had built. It looks like a nice Florida house, high ceilings, probably one story, lots of coves and detailing in those ceilings, open plan, lots of space. My sibling has one that is probably very similar. People the live there want the lifestyle and the houses reflect that.
n
Hold my beer. July PGE (electric only, So Cal Gas not included) has been high. due to the extreme heat we had. 80 kw a day. Problem is the price.
Tier 1 576 kw @ $.388
Tier 2 1728 kw @ $.486
Tier 2 102 kw @ $.486
$1125.19
June was only $972.00
Solar contract done and installed next month will bring it to about $375 every month from now on.
California really sucks nowadays.
@paul
Saw this in my mailbox today about cellular shades vs. blinds:
https://www.popsci.com/diy/cellular-shades
I would use window film where direct solar is a problem. It will reflect IR and UV, so about half the heat never gets in.
https://redstate.com/beccalower/2024/08/21/texas-ag-paxton-opens-investigation-after-reports-of-orgs-secretly-registering-illegals-to-vote-n2178382
Send someone in undercover and see what happens.
Hold my beer. July PGE (electric only, So Cal Gas not included) has been high. due to the extreme heat we had. 80 kw a day. Problem is the price.
Tier 1 576 kw @ $.388
Tier 2 1728 kw @ $.486
Tier 2 102 kw @ $.486
$1125.19
Wow, I am paying $0.13/kwh at home (new flat rate contract) and $0.11/kwh at the office (old three year contract) here in Texas.
The latest home bill was $400 (approx) and the latest office bill was $325.
My new A/C is having trouble keeping up. It’s 75F in the house and it’s set to 73F.
—
And my renter just texted, says her a/c isn’t running, the condenser fan is buzzing but not spinning.
It’s always something.
n
Spent a chunk of the day dealing with the front end noise on the Ranger.
I broke the shock on the passenger front, and damaged the wheel bearing. I vaguely remember hitting a really bad pothole on the freeway. the “BONG” noise I heard in the parking lot must have been the shock banging the spring.
While they were underneath, they noticed the water pump shows signs of leaking. Lots of dried residue around it. So that will be replaced too. looking at about $1700 total as this is not something I want to undertake.
n
And I’ll be renting a trailer and pulling it with the Expy to get my stuff to my show. That’s IF I can find a trailer to rent. There is one closed 5×8 on this side of town, and IDK if they’ll rent it to me until Monday. They have to call, as the online tool only does 2 day.
n
Time for a shower and an early bed.
n
>> While they were underneath, they noticed the water pump shows signs of leaking. Lots of dried residue around it. So that will be replaced too. looking at about $1700 total as this is not something I want to undertake.
Not that you probably have the time (or money?) but has the truck reached the “$1,700 is too much to invest in it” stage?
Is a jug of water pump ‘stop leak’ something viable?
So…no surprises from Big Mike…but perhaps we have a new player “negotiating” to stir the pot. I hear they call him Little Robbie.
More to come perhaps on Friday…
Have the refrigerant level checked. I can still get cold air out of my 2001 Solara without an issue.
The 2018 Camry takes a while to cool down if the car has been sitting at work all day in the sun.
Leaving the office this afternoon, I noted that the cooling fans on the Tonymobiles were screaming. I wonder what that does to the range.
Not sure if it’s a coincidence or not but our 6 year-old Nissan LEAF EV has one of the coldest A/C systems that I can recall.
Have the refrigerant level checked. I can still get cold air out of my 2001 Solara without an issue.
It is fine. I had the a/c rebuilt three years ago. It works fine below 100 F, I suspect that the condenser needs replacing now. My 2008 Highlander has 160,000 miles on it. I am driving it over to San Antonio in a couple of weeks to a engineering conference. Saving miles on my 2019 F-150 which has 45,000 miles on it.