Still hot in Houston, and muggy too. It started mid 70s, got to mid 90s on my driveway, and ended with mid 80s even until 10pm… and humid the whole time. I’m hoping the BOL is a couple of degrees cooler.
Today should be busy. I’ve got to get some stuff at Lowes for the projects at the BOL, but IDK which project I should buy for… maybe both. I’ve already got a truck full of stuff to go up, including more insulated chimney sections for the woodstoves. I never thought someone would USE and then return chimney pipe. That is what they did though. 4 of the five sections have soot in them. People suck.
I also picked up two steel cabinets to use as pantry. With critters, dust, moisture, etc. I’ve decided to try cabinets and not open shelves. Even with the lidded plastic bins, (which I’ll keep using in the cabinets), food isn’t as accessible or protected as I’d like. Looks bad too. It was ok during the wuflu lockdowns, but it’s looking bad now. Anyway, I’ve got to get them out of the truck so I can load it for the BOL.
And I need to do some grocery shopping for a nice meal for my wife’s birthday celebration. I pulled last night’s steaks out of the deep freeze, and they had 2021 dates. They were marked prime sirloin, which is what I’m still buying when it’s on sale, but they were SO MUCH better than the current meat. The grain and texture, the amount of connective tissue, it just didn’t compare. So not only is meat more expensive, standards have slipped too. I’d like to get her a couple of nice tenderloin filets since we don’t eat them very often. We’ll see what Costco has.
If they have some nice meat, I’m sure it will be pricey.
Lot’s of running around to do today. And then load the truck and head out…
I will bring some more TP and paper towels with me to stack at the BOL… there is likely to be something you need to stack too. Figure it out and act.
nick
I didn’t even know they tried a remake.
Someone missed the point of the original flick by gender swapping the leads, and that is serious disrespect to Glenne Headley.
Fortunately, we’ve passed Peak Girl Boss, but it is too late for Hollywood as all of the major studios except, possibly, Sony circle the drain.
Sony screwed up “Ghostbusters” again, however.
As much as I loathe “Mr. Holland’s Opus”, people are still going to watch that flick 50 years from now.
And, “Dick Tracy” got an amazing BluRay about 10 years ago.
I was going to comment that you can’t make good art while pushing an agenda but the original Aesop came to mind. We still read his little stories. The difference, at least with a couple of minutes thought, early in the morning, is that Aesop was capturing and codifying “universal” truths, based on observation, and with ongoing benefit to society.
It is observable that some people work harder and have more success than others, and that there are consequences to that. Some of those consequences are more beneficial to society than others, so Aesop encourages those. What I don’t remember his tales doing is inventing new ways for humans to behave… and pushing those.
—————
Coffee is in the cup and tasty this morning. Sun is starting to peek out. Looks like it will be a lot like yesterday weather-wise.
I’m gonna be sweaty loading and unloading the truck.
n
@paul – I installed Ubuntu 24.04 clean on my Thinkpad T470 this week. Other than Firefox and Thunderbird now being Snap packages and slow to start, the release seems stable.
I keep current Ubuntu on my Thinkpad, but the layered updates had taken their toll. I hadn’t installed clean since … 2018?
Fedora seems to do a better job with “in place” release updates. I’m hoping that continues to be the case with Fedora 41 since I have a problem starting recent Fedora 40 kernels beyond 6.8 on my home server.
The server is not something I want to recover from the point of a clean install.
I was waiting to see what the details of this would be…
Kentucky sheriff shoots dead judge in his county courthouse office – after casually asking junior staff a simple question
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13872119/Dark-history-court-chambers-Kentucky-judge-gunned-sheriff.html
n
The new frontier of terror… could our PHONES be used against us? Experts reveal whether your smartphone is safe
anything can be used against you. If you don’t want to be killed as part of an operation against terrorists, the simplest way is to not be part of a terrorist organization.
n
Going in a while to have a meeting at local coffee shop with Jenny, her husband and daughter.
I’ve installed Xubuntu 24.04 on an older laptop. The installation process did not run smoothly. I don’t now remember the specific errors, but I had to try a couple of times before it worked, and I still get an error on startup. That was a month or so ago – hopefully, they’ve cleaned up a few more problems, but it seems like it’s taking a lot longer than with previous releases.
I really need to install it on my two main machines (desktop + laptop), but I haven’t found the motivation. I always do a fresh install, because upgrades always leave a lot of crap behind. However, while most apps get installed in one big command (“apt install x y z”), there are always a zillion little things that have to be setup, and it just takes a lot more time and patience than I have at the moment.
Around a couple of corners, I am supervising a student project using docker. So I have had to use docker for the first time ever (for myself, I use LXC). Turns out that the docker installation is a pain. In the Ubuntu 22.04 software collection, the installation simply does not work. Try number 2: install the snaps. Turns out that they have security restrictions on the files they can access, so that didn’t work either, at least, not for this project. Thy number 3: install the current versions from docker repository itself. ChatGPT game me the precise, fairly complex instructions: I was impressed – they worked flawlessly.
I understand the point of snaps: They are self-contained and can be cleanly removed, and the developers can package exactly the dependencies that they need. But, somehow, they always seem to bring problems with them (see above). I much prefer native installations. Ubuntu, unfortunately, is packaging more and more stuff as snaps.
Today’s smarty-pants phone can definitely be used against your wallet. Except for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It is the best cell phone in the Solar System. It literally “gives you wings” to Elysium. Us cool kids will all have one.
Sniff. I love you, Apple. Sniff.
@CowboyStu
Going in a while to have a meeting
See you in a couple hours
”meatspace, baby!” with a nod to Nick (grin)
Reports are appearing that Iran hacked into and stole non-public Trump campaign information, then gave it to the (then) Biden-Harris team.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fbi-reveals-iran-hacked-trump-campaign-materials-and-gave-them-bidenharris
This kind of begs the question… if both Putin and Iran actively support one of two candidates for the presidency, for whom should reasonable people vote?
I have to say, the all-election-all-of-the-time media and online coverage is really, really tiresome. I think it will be unbearable if it keeps up for another five or six weeks, which it inevitably will. I suppose I am guilty now of adding to it. I am certainly glad I don’t have to vote in the election, not that its outcome won’t affect me…
Life continues to imitate “The Simpsons” art.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/microsoft-strikes-deal-to-reopen-three-mile-island-site-of-the-worst-nuclear-accident-in-u-s-history-to-power-its-ai-data-centers/ar-AA1qUyBo
Cue the “Hank Scorpio” end credits theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdbBv8PQ3E4
Best episode of “The Simpsons” ever.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Placed on Suicide Watch Amidst Legal Troubles
– “Hmm, ya don’t say… ”
Battlespace prep. Lots of famous, powerful, and celebrity people partied with P Diddy.
n
Sad. Diddy was awesome in “Get Him To The Greek”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loPTJxKN8fo
At some point, film comedy will return.
But it might be a while before Hollywood can make anything like “Get Him To The Greek”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liOGAw-F8P8
Believe it or not, the creative team’s next flick was “The Muppets”.
This is insane:
Twitter Wonders ‘Who’s in Charge’ After Jill Biden Shockingly Presides Over Cabinet Meeting
It’s probably not a precedent, but Holy Cow! Is Plugs so incapacitated that he can’t make a cabinet meeting? Does this confirm what I believe has been happening for some years: that Doctor Jill is in charge?
As the comments say, the LSM stands there: “This is normal.”
Our Elites:
Lockdown Lovebirds! Doctor Couple Demanded School Closings While Engaging in Wild Adult Parties
Get those filthy kids in masks! Now! Pass the lube and condoms, please.
You can’t make this shit up.
We worked hard for this. Joe and Kamala understand.
Jenny, her husband, daughter and I had a wonderful time together.
“WhistlinDiesel Cybertruck Durability Test #1”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK_EJ3DyiiA
This is the finest destructive testing that I have ever seen. Both the F-150 and the Cybertruck were tested extensively. Both had issues but the F-150 was still rolling under its own power at the end when the Cybertruck bricked itself.
BTW, I hate the steering wheel on the Cybertruck. Steering wheels should be round so you can drive with your knees at 80 mph while eating a BBQ sandwhich from Buc-ees. Not that I have ever done that. OK, less than a dozen times.
The throttle pedal test was the best. I had that problem on my 2005 Expedition but it still worked.
Typical afternoon with a Turo rental customer.
The Fed gave the car industry a gift this week. It isn’t about the retail customer nearly as much as the floorplan at the dealers.
At least for now.
What? No drink? Savage, just savage.
“As homeowners pick up the pieces after Deer Park pipeline fire, they now turn to insurance claims”
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/deer-park-pipeline-fire-homeowner-insurance-damage/285-b8cfe3d0-066a-4639-a0fc-51b68f568682?ref=exit-recirc
“DEER PARK, Texas — With the Deer Park pipeline fire finally extinguished, questions continue to arise about who will process the insurance claims.”
“We’ve seen the devastation this pipeline fire has caused — the outside of some homes have been melted and others have been waterlogged.”
“You might remember the Hutto family who we spoke to Wednesday night. They met with their insurance representative Thursday morning and there’s no definite timeline on these claims.”
In theory, the insurance claims go back to the vehicle owner who ran over the pipeline valve. I doubt that owner has enough insurance to cover the tens of millions of dollars in damages. Just the lost natural gas alone was probably fairly expensive.
What? No drink? Savage, just savage.
I would need a third arm. Those Buc-ees BBQ sandwiches are huge.
“US SEC intends to seek sanctions against Elon Musk in Twitter probe”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-sec-intends-seek-sanctions-200024996.html
“(Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Friday it intends to seek sanctions against Elon Musk after he failed to appear for scheduled testimony for the regulator’s probe into his $44 billion takeover of Twitter.”
“Lawyers for Musk called sanctions “drastic” and unnecessary, saying his testimony has already been rescheduled for Oct. 3.”
This smells very political. SCOTUS does not like administrative judges doing the job of courts of record.
At a certain point “Act of God” clauses kick in and limit the damages paid by the insurer.
Most people will be go to their homeowners carrier who will, in turn, see what is available from the various responsible parties. No one should hold their breath waiting to get made completely whole, however.
After today’s trip to the grocery store, I’m pretty much set until the end of November if not end of December. Other than bread, beer and dairy.
I bought three packages of Hill Country Fare fajitas. I like them, they are easy to grill and there’s enough there to last a week. Two are in the refrigerator’s freezer to freeze. One in in the fridge for, oh, Monday.
Three packages of four little bacon wrapped steaks. In the freezer. One steak a week or so is plenty of supper with a handful of fries or egg noodles on the side.
A couple of boxes of frozen breaded shrimp. Air fryer works great!
I bought a couple of two+ pound packages of hamburger. I’ll split that into pound portions tomorrow. That will be three more pounds in the freezer with one pound for tacos tomorrow and Sunday.
A few bags of french fries and tater tots and tater crowns. More air fryer stuff.
I spotted the little pork loins. I didn’t see the plain but the seasoned ones are blandly seasoned ok. I have two in the freezer. They are easy to grill.
Bought some jerky, half and half and Milk Bones. Small tub of sour cream.
So I have everything but the hamburger unbagged and sorted out. I put the hamburger in the fridge just to turn around and there’s Buddy. Daintily carrying a pork loin by the corner of the package and headed for parts unknown.
All of this stuff today… and I’m not even considering the rice and pasta and Keystone canned meats I have. Plus Spam and canned hams and tuna. And canned veggies. And Auguson stuff.
A pretty good supper is a can of Keystone beef. The 28 ounce can. A couple of cans of canned potatoes drained and rinsed, a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of well rinsed corn. Toss in some barley for extra interest. Simmer on low until the barley is cooked. That’s several days of supper for me.
Crazy.
Wunderground is saying that it is 104 F out there. Whew !
Paradise Ranch in McKinney, Texas. I love the enclosed swimming pool.
https://www.havenhometeam.com/paradise-ranch
Only $5,900,000.
Hat tip to:
https://www.carpro.com/blog/real-estate-watch-dfw-area-home-complete-with-20-car-showroom
“IDF Confirms Death Of Senior Hezbollah Leader Ibrahim Aqil”
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/idf-confirms-death-of-senior-hezbollah-leader-ibrahim-aqil/
“The Israeli military announced that they have taken out Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of the Islamist terrorist group Hezbollah, who was held responsible for the 1983 attack on U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, which resulted in the deaths of 220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and three Army soldiers.”
“Israeli F-35 planes fired several missiles at a building where high-ranking Palestinian and Hezbollah terrorists were meeting. Reportedly at least 15 were killed, amongst them Hezbollah’s number 2, Ibrahim Aqil. They decided to meet as pagers were dangerous. Exactly as Israel hoped and the boom. Well done! Kudos.”
Israel is cutting the head off of Hezbollah. This is War ! War is hell !
Also note that Israel’s continued usage of the F-35 with its larger fuel capacity and more efficient engine that can go further and loiter a while.
“Elon Musk Predicts Dems Will Import, Legalize Enough Migrants to Ensure ‘Permanent One-Party Rule’ if Harris Wins 2024 Election”
https://resistthemainstream.com/elon-musk-pinpoints-sinister-plot-if-harris-wins-2024-election/
““My prediction is that if Kamala wins, the Dems will import and legalize enough migrants to ensure a permanent one-party rule that is increasingly socialist (to a confiscatory level) and repressive,” Musk claimed.”
Musk saw this happen in South Africa. I suspect that Musk thinks that the USA will become the same as South Africa being overrun by illegal immigrants.
I never liked swimming much.
In fact when it was assigned to me in high school as a mandatory “elective” I just skipped every session and went to the library and read.
At the end of the season the coaches realized what I’ve done, and I was made to swim (slowly & badly) the length of the hundred foot pool to prove that I could swim. That was the only consequence. I didn’t tell my parents – and since I didn’t get a whooping – I’m guessing they (the coaches) didn’t tell them either.
My school counselor was a drunk who always smelled of bourbon, and early in my freshman year – after he accused he me of lying about my phone number (we had moved to town the week before and I got one digit wrong) – we never got along. In fact he made sure that I never got a single elective that I chose.
50 years ago now, I’m sure he’s dead, and the coaches are probably dead as well, but it’s still rankles a bit.
“Regarding J.D. Vance’s Rent-a-Dog”
https://rumble.com/v5fotlf-regarding-j.d.-vances-rent-a-dog.html
So the dumbrocrats are saying that Vance’s beautiful German Shepard is a rent a dog ? Really ?
Weird.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
A deliberate poke in the current admin’s eye, but since he killed Americans it makes it harder for
JoeJill Biden to complain.My school counselor was a complete nonentity to me. I used him as a utility, and there wasn’t reallly much choice for electives for those of us who were on the college bound track. I was shy and awkward and we never talked much.
However, he had my test scores, grades, and knew I could be successful.
There were two things that he did that, looking back, impressed me.
First, when I was registering for the SAT test, he noticed that I only had one college receiving the score. I had my heart set on MIT, and had never considered any place else. I even dumped the Georgia Tech mail in the trash when they reached out to me.
He suggested that MIT was limited in the number of freshmen they would accept, and it would be a good idea to have a backup choice. So at the last minute I added the top tier state engineering school, University of Illinois.
MIT rejected me, and I was devastated. Even more irritating because they accepted two of my classmates who had never heard of MIT until I told them about it.
I went to U of I with a chip on my shoiulder, but got a good education out of it. Years later, I learned that during my time at school, it was considered one of the top 3, neck-and-neck with MIT and Stanford.
The second thing he did was he uncovered I was the victim of a vendetta from a teacher, who was grading me down intentionally because of a prank I pulled. Rather than seeking to discipline me through official channels, he was marking me down to barely passing in Physics.
As pranks go, it was innocent. Even affectionate. And nerdy.
I did not complain to the counselor, but he sought me out for a final interview as a Senior, and I had already been accepted to U of I, so my last semester grades were irrelevant. He asked about my grades in Math, English, German, etc., and I told him A, A, …
Then he asked about Physics, and I said “ I think I’ll pass the course”. That got his attention.
I never heard another word about it, but I got a C in the class, and the teacher’s contract was not renewed. It would have been his tenure year.
“Report: Hezbollah Had an ‘October 7-Like’ Attack in the Works Before It Was Blown to Smithereens”
https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2024/09/20/report-hezbollah-had-an-october-7-like-attack-in-the-works-before-it-was-blown-to-smithereens-n2179576
“Reports have since emerged that Hezbollah was planning an “October 7-like” attack on Israel codenamed “Conquer the Galilee.” October 7, 2023, was, of course, the day that Hamas terrorists from Gaza conducted a merciless assault on Israel, resulting in the barbarous murders of thousands of Israelis and the kidnappings of hundreds more — many of whom are still being held hostage nearly a year later. “
There is no way that Israel is going to allow that to happen again.
Ok, just watched Prometheous and almost everyone dies. The “question” wasn’t answered. I’ll have to watch it again.
McKinney, home of one of the first $80 million high school football stadiums in Texas.
Truck is loaded. Headed out in a bit.
—–
there’s Buddy. Daintily carrying a pork loin by the corner of the package and headed for parts unknown.
– @paul, that had me laugh out loud. Thanks for that.
——–
Musk knows what happens to a country when you put the terrorists in charge, and when they fill every position with a patronage rather than a merit… to punish the people who built the country up from mud huts.
He’s building his escape hatch, but needs more time.
——
Went looking for something I hadn’t seen in more than 4 years, and dug it out without a problem. As long as I don’t move or reorganize stuff, I can find it in the stacks.
—-
Ice cream man just drove down our block! Density of young kids must have hit critical mass.,.
n
Yeah. Buddy the Beagle is a pretty cool dog. His house training, well, I have pee pads scattered about and when does #2, he does it on the area rug in the living room and they are dry. Not cool. But it is what it is.
I had classes like that. For real, “American History” and the coach teacher barely spoke English. I’d go to the library and and read. Shelve books to help. Fix the Xerox machine. Fix record players and film strip projectors. Still passed with an A on all of the classes I ghosted.
And Buddy the Beagle? He’s kind of a pain sometimes. But he makes me laugh everyday.
Ok, just watched Prometheous and almost everyone dies. The “question” wasn’t answered. I’ll have to watch it again.
You have to watch the sequel to get questions answered. I never did. Too creepy for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien:_Covenant
McKinney, home of one of the first $80 million high school football stadiums in Texas.
Can you imagine the property taxes on that place ? Probably $200,000 per year.
Yeah. Buddy the Beagle is a pretty cool dog. His house training, well, I have pee pads scattered about and when does #2, he does it on the area rug in the living room and they are dry. Not cool. But it is what it is.
Yeah, we don’t have area rugs anymore but half of the house is carpeted with a dog pee resistant carpet and pad. And I have three XXL pee pads spread throughout the house. And sometimes she still misses. But most of the time she hits one of the pads.
Our County Judge KP George just got search warrant served on him by the Fort Bend County District Attorney today for impersonating county inhabitants, just like his buddy Patel who is charged with four felonies and three class A misdemeanors for impersonating people on the intertubes.
https://www.fbherald.com/news/investigators-link-gorge-to-fake-racist-social-media-posts/article_c36eeb5e-20d4-5d4a-ac44-218a10d6613a.html
and
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/fort-bend-county-judge-kp-george-taral-patel-warrant/285-fa84af8b-9c63-402c-97d7-257a88490357
“High-profile defense attorney Rusty Hardin confirmed his firm is representing George.”
You only go to Rusty Hardin when things are bad, real bad.
When is our Harris county judge going to face justice?
Apropos of nothing, our property taxes went up 8% today, without any voting, which is theoretically required.
Lena needs to be jailed, or committed, or both.
“S&W® MODEL 1854 LEVER-ACTION RIFLE 44 MAGNUM”
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/sw-model-1854-lever-action-rifle-44-magnum
I need a new .44 mag lever action rifle. The wife said “NO!”.
I have to think about this.
When is our Harris county judge going to face justice?
Apropos of nothing, our property taxes went up 8% today, without any voting, which is theoretically required.
Lena needs to be jailed, or committed, or both.
And you have lost your honest District Attorney, Kin Ogg.
The new guy is a long time friend of Lena, she even reportedly bankrolled his campaign.
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/05/harris-county-district-attorney-primary-kim-ogg/
Super nice visit with CowboyStu today. My daughter really enjoyed meeting him, “he was so nice!”, as did my husband. I’m so glad he had time. We chatted and visited and just enjoyed each others company. A highlight of our trip.
Made it up the mountain, a bit of hail, a smattering of snow, and big fat drops of rain that meant business. The skies cleared just in time for the outdoor wedding of my niece.
It was dark by the time we left the reception, we’d promised daughter we would stop at a local skatepark. Despite the dark we found it. To our delight there were skateboarders! Our daughter got a lesson on how to do a ”drop in”. Fierce kid.
These are the good old days.
Out of cell service most of the day and one skimpy bar tonight if I stand in just the right spot of the AirBnB.
Exhausted. Time for rest.
Musk knows what happens to a country when you put the terrorists in charge, and when they fill every position with a patronage rather than a merit… to punish the people who built the country up from mud huts.
He’s building his escape hatch, but needs more time.
Yeah, that escape hatch is not very big. Maybe 200 once per year or so. And the conditions are way more primitive than Antarctica.
When is our Harris county judge going to face justice?
Apropos of nothing, our property taxes went up 8% today, without any voting, which is theoretically required.
Lena needs to be jailed, or committed, or both.
Our County Judge just increased his salary salary by 14.25% to $200,145 per year in 2025.
Of course, it looks like he was involved in some hanky panky in the 2022 election now. He just hired a very high priced lawyer, I suspect that he had to pony up at least $100,000.
It starts small… I was thinking that he needs to build up the orbitals first, or maybe concurrently given the time it takes for the trip. Get some industry in space. Get a whole lot more people living and working there, doing for ‘on orbit’ work what he’s done for the launch industry.
n
It starts small… I was thinking that he needs to build up the orbitals first, or maybe concurrently given the time it takes for the trip. Get some industry in space. Get a whole lot more people living and working there, doing for ‘on orbit’ work what he’s done for the launch industry.
n
Sounds like the perfect setup for Pournelle’s “Fallen Angels”.
https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Angels-Larry-Niven/dp/067172052X?tag=ttgnet-20/
“A deliberate poke in the current admin’s eye, but since he killed Americans it makes it harder for
JoeJill Biden to complain.”Hope they follow up with a claim on the $7 million bounty for Beirut 1983.