Month: October 2024

Mon. Oct. 21, 2024 – counting down to Halloween

Another beautiful day. Cool, then warm, and sunny and clear. Like yesterday. It did get to 80F and the sun was warmer, of course, but still a very nice day. I would like the same today. Unfortunately, this is like the 5th week without rain, so we are having a drought. Some of my potted saplings dried up before I noticed.

Yesterday’s work output was a mixed bag again. Small jobs, and one big one got done, so that was good. I cleaned more of the outdoor shelves that used to have food and cleaning supplies on them. That has been neglected for far too long. The bottom shelf is about half eaten through with rust too. That was the shelf with 6 gallons of bleach bottles sitting on it. Even without real leaks, the chlorine plays holy heck with steel. I’m betting a little got by the cap seal when the contents expanded and contracted with changes in temperature. That and the wet goo from the failed cans of fruit combined to eat the shelf. I’ll just swap the shelf for another one, since I have them. I’m glad I didn’t put the bleach on the top shelf.

The failed fruit cans are why I keep the cans in plastic bins in my main storage area. If a can fails, it doesn’t contaminate everything else on the shelves, only what’s in the bin. It also keeps dust, dirt, and rat poop off the cans. This is something to think about if you are using my milk crate system to organize cans. I think they better have a plastic layer between crates to protect the cans below.

After cleaning the shelves, I started clearing a path into the garage, so I could swap out the 7cuft chest freezer with the fridge I bought a couple of months ago now… It’s been running in the driveway like some hillbillies live here. Since my jobs are fractal, with every job involving several other jobs first, it took a while. Eventually though, I got the way clear for the chest freezer to come out and the fridge to go in. Then it was dinner time…

Today I’ll see about emptying the chest freezer into the other freezers and the top of the fridge. If I could, I’d find a place for the chest freezer too. Although it IS nice to have the freezer as a backup. If someone gave me a deer or a pig, I wouldn’t have room for it without using the backup, or if the backup was full.

After getting that sorted, I’ll do some more cleaning and organizing. Maybe a bit of repair on the auction item. It’s got a noisy fan that is either the processor fan, or the PSU. I think it’s the PSU, which is easy enough to fix as I have a stack of PSUs…maybe. Fingers crossed.

Then I have to get some stuff listed for sale. It’s been too long since I had money coming in, and there have been a lot of outflows… and I’ve got some big ticket items waiting to sell.

And now that I have most of a path into the garage, I’d like to get our normal Halloween decor out. I haven’t decided on the big display yet, but the smaller stuff can get set up. And maybe that will be enough this year. Dunno. We’ll see.

There might even be some stacking involved.

There should be.

nick

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Sun. Oct. 20, 2024 – lather, rinse, repeat…

Same as yesterday. The weather. Cool, warming later, clear and sunny. Which is AWESOME!!11!!1 I like Fall. I like Spring. I tolerate Summer as best as I can because that’s the price to live here, in a robust economy. Winter just reminds me of Chicago and growing up, but it’s not real winter. I rarely get to wear sweaters and I don’t live in a jacket. On the other hand, I don’t have to shovel snow.

Saturday I did manage to get some stuff done, and made progress on other stuff, and even got started on some stuff that has been on the list for a while. It was a little disjointed but since progress was made, I’ll take it.

Now today I just need to build on that success… or at least keep it moving forward. That is the goal. We’ll see how well I can execute.

That whole “fractal” nature of the tasks does sometimes get in the way. And sometimes I take the easy task, even though the more important task is waiting. Hopefully I can get a couple of important tasks done today.

If not, we’ll do something else.

Stacking will surely be involved.

nick

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Sat. Oct. 19, 2024 – sometimes when a daddy and a mommy love each other very much…

Cool. Nice. Cool. Fall is here. Winter will be along presently. Yesterday started cool and remained cool all day. I did wear shorts, but mainly for the ease of movement. It’s gotta be pretty cold, or I have to be sedentary for me to wear long pants. Today should be nice and cool too. And still the clear sky. We’ll probably get drowned around Halloween…

Spent the day doing little things. Mainly I was poking at the auction stuff, trying different things to get it working. I did have some luck updating software and hardware, but I still can’t get the thing to connect with USB. At it’s heart, it’s windowsXP embedded. I was able to get access to the actual OS, and checked the device manager for USB issues or devices with a yellow triangle and there were no issues. The stupid thing just isn’t looking like a device to the main box… which is one of the reasons I’ve never liked USB. To many ‘smarts’ in the accessory, and no recourse if there is a problem.

Today will be more at home stuff. Probably a little more poking, then mostly outdoor stuff. It would be nice to get some Halloween decor out too.

Or maybe it will be attic stuff.

Dunno, but I’m starting with a later wakeup call.

Speaking of wakeup calls, the news should be full of them for you if you haven’t got stacks. Get some!

nick

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Fri. Oct. 18, 2024 – astounding tales of derring do…

Cool, bordering on ‘cold’. It was 51F yesterday morning and stayed cool all day. I didn’t see the temp in the afternoon, but it was still mild, with a beautiful clear blue sky. 61F at dinnertime. Great day. And forecast calls for a couple more…

Did my kid duties. Took youngest to get her teeth twisted. She might have them off before Christmas, certainly before Valentines. Time flies. Took her back to school. Did my pickups on the south side of town. Did some more work on my auction purchase. STILL can’t get one piece to talk to the other with USB. Tested my repair and it seems fine. (repair was to remove a damaged USB port, steal one from a hard drive dock, and put it in the auction item. Got to use my new Hakko desoldering gun. Works a treat!) Replaced a power supply that was putting out 3 volts under load instead of 12, but the problem still persists. Eliminated my USB port completely, tested the ports on the controller, and no joy. It’ll still bring good money, but about half what it would have brought if I could get the two pieces talking. Still a big win.

Picked up the kid, took her to her appointment, the other called and missed her bus so she needed a ride, then had to go back and get the first kid, dinner happened, then the kid’s nightime activity needed a drop off and later pickup. Domestic bliss, I get a double helping on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

After all that, I moved some stuff to the attic and baited two new style traps. I used some vanilla Oreos. Hmmm, blondies… and got a hit in the first hour. That is a dead rat on camera 12… I hope the other trap gets one too, and that it was quick enough the others don’t get warned off. I kinda expect that it will be like everything else, new trap style kills one rat, and never another. They learn.

Today is more of the same, with less kid shuffling…

I’ve mentioned it before, but make sure your stacks include stuff to deal with vermin. Rats, ants, roaches, mice. All will want your food, and will spoil what they don’t eat. Plus, the missus won’t be on board with eating roaches for extra protein…

Stacks, they are good.

nick

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Thur. Oct. 17, 2024 – … will search forever more, for the band on the run…

Cool. Maybe even staying cool. Yesterday never made it out of the 70s at my house. It was nice. Of course, I was inside, but it was still nice. I wouldn’t mind more of the same today. Mid 70s F… sunny and clear.

I wasn’t feeling top notch, and D1 stayed home sick, so morning was quiet and involved some extra sleep. Then I started on some repair projects, one on the stuff I drove to Austin to pickup, as that payoff should be a few grand, and the top one on the pile, since I had the soldering and desoldering stuff out…

I changed a USBa port on the auction stuff, and changed out a failed voltage regulator on a Goodwill pickup- a modern and fairly inexpensive Fender guitar amp and speaker. Dinner interrupted before I could test my fixes, so that will be today. While the soldering stuff is out, I’ll see if I can crank out another repair or two. Then there is all the attic and outdoor stuff to get to.

I did some research on attic insulation vacuums. I won some bags in an auction, now I need to find either a rental place, or a contractor, to suck out all the failed blown in insulation in my attic. That project has been delayed for a couple of years and needs to move forward. Rats and heat were the main reasons not to. Heat’s gone, and the rat battle is never-ending. The new insulation is sitting in the attic. Time to move that forward, at least a bit. Having a contractor do it would be best, if the price was right and if they’ll work with me on the amount of crep that is up there in the way. I really just need to redo the main part of the attic. The parts that were never disturbed by remodeling or use are fine. Well, as fine as they ever were, which is pretty NOT fine by modern standards. Not something I’m eager to spend time and money on, but something needs to be done.

Oh, and today is Thursday, which means a several hours of ferrying kids around. Starting with orthodontia and the school run this morning.

It’s a great life if you don’t weaken. I’m working on strengthening and flexibility …

Stack, it’s the easy thing to do…

nick

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Wed. Oct. 16, 2024 – tiny little slivers of metal, inside of me…

Cool again, and getting cooler in the morning. Still getting warmer in the afternoons, but not AS warm. Fall is here. Winter is on the way. Forecast says “no rain” for another three days at least, so I ran the sprinklers in Houston too.

Ran them for a couple of hours, actually, because I forgot they were on. Oops. But at least the yard is pretty wet. I just turned on the individual zone by twisting the valve, which meant I had to twist it back to close it. And I got distracted. I took a few minutes and replaced another wonky head before I really started running them so most of the water ended up on grass, not concrete. It’s still less than if I ran the sprinklers all the time, but more than nothing. It’ll show up on the bill for sure.

Did some things during the day but wasn’t really productive. I’ll have to do better today. Just knowing my afternoon was already spoken for kinda put a damper on the size of the stuff I could do. And I’m still in a bit of a funk. That’s feeling better though, even if my body feels worn out. All that bending and carrying at the BOL, and maybe a touch of something the kids brought home from school, and I’m not at 100%, for sure.

So today will have to be whatever it is. If I feel like I’m coming down with something, I’ll take it easier. If not, I’ll try to get at least one big task done. That means doing 100 smaller tasks, but it’s probably doable. Short week, so I hetter get something done.

And some stacking should probably happen. I picked up a pork loin for $2.25/pound and need to process and freeze that. That will count as stacking…

Sure, and my girlfriend is Morgan Fairchild…

Anyway, learn from my slackitude. Stack something.

nick

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Tues. Oct. 15, 2024 – so much to do, so little motivation…

Cool, but still warming later, all the way to hot, depending on where you are. At the BOL, it was tolerable, except in the sun. In Sugar Land, 99F. Today will likely be similar… and no lake breezes for me.

I got a late start Monday and eased into the day… but I did get stuff done. Not finished, of course, but made progress. Ran the sprinklers all afternoon again, and now most of the back yard isn’t crunchy. Still have dead grass and crunchy weeds in the front, because the sprinklers really don’t work well there. Yet. Maybe some day.

Continued insulating and putting up paneling to fix the walls I had to open up after the flood. I realized it’s money and time I didn’t expect to spend. The time is the worst part… did some other small chores around the place too. W was painting all weekend, then cleaning. If you aren’t there, it’s surprising how dusty it gets and how many spiderwebs the place will sprout in just a couple of weeks. Cleaning is a never ending chore, and we don’t even have a sandy beach.

Today I’ll be working the list at home. And doing all the normal things. Plus the extra things. Lots of kid stuff on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that kills my afternoon. It’s good for the kids though.

I’m stacking time with them, and that’s good, even if I sometimes get frustrated by all their demands on my time. Being the stay at home means doing the delivery and taxi runs…

Stack some time with loved ones, the memory will help when times are tougher. And stack some food, because everything is better on a full belly.

nick

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Mon. Oct. 14, 2024 – to the victor goes the spoils day…

Cool to start, warming later. Another clear day. It’s pretty hot in the sun, despite the thermometer saying mid to high 70s. It’s nice with the breeze and in the shade.

Didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped. Dang sprinklers ate more of my time. If I run an aux pump on the input side of the jet pump, I can get the big pump to run the sprinklers. I’ll run them again today. It’s probably too little too late, but it can’t hurt to put some water on the crunchy grass.

I’ll do what I can to continue closing up walls in the dockhouse. And I will probably pull in the speaker wires. I put the pull lines in the conduit yesterday. I need W or one of the kids to feed the wire while I pull though, which is why I didn’t just do it yesterday.

It’s a big list, and it ain’t getting shorter…

Meanwhile, things continue to deteriorate, and get weirder. Stack what you can, because time seems to be getting short.

nick

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Sun. Oct. 13, 2024 – nice day at the BOL

Cool start, warming over the day, and cool in the evening… really nice. That was yesterday and I hope today as well. It’s still a little too hot to be in the attic, but it’s getting there.

Did my hobby meeting. Nice to see the guys. Glad that one of them was still with us.

Loaded the truck and headed up. Listening to the audiobook of The Golden Compass. It’s pretty engrossing. I’m three hours in.

Today I’ll unload the truck and start installing insulation and paneling. Or maybe pull wire to the speakers. OR maybe try for both. I’m sure I’ll find something to do. I don’t think I’ll cut the grass. It’s pretty dry. I might string trim around the front of the house as I didn’t do that when I mowed last. There is always something.

And maybe I’ll organize the shed so I can fit more stacks… I’ve got to clean and place and fill the new water tank too. Yeah, always something.

Get started, keep moving. Stack.

nick

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Sat. Oct. 12, 2024 – 10.12.20.24 – non-prepping hobby day, or get out of the house and make friends with people day

Cool and clear. Really nice Fall weather, although the grass is crunchy from lack of rain. Still, really nice for working outside. And I do have outside work to do…

Yesterday I didn’t do too much of it. I did get to my rent house and solve the plumbing issue. I dropped off one of the 4 things I meant to take to my secondary location, the other three were left sitting in my foyer. Doh. Did one pickup of a rat trap, and then hit Home Depot for insulation and paneling to repair the flood damaged walls in my dock house at the BOL. Also got some spray foam, and a few treated 2x4s for the dock, and the bill was over $500. Yikes.

I spent too much time commenting on other peoples’ blogs too. The perennial “what radios should I get” and “you don’t need a ham license, TEOTWAWKI won’t have no FCC” discussion came up over at Cmdr Zero’s place. He’s also asked for opinions about fuels and power for BOL, so I spent some time on that. It’s not like I don’t have this place that could use some content… or something.

Today I will do my meatspace networking and interacting with actual humans. When that’s done, I’ll change trucks and head to the BOL. Lots to do up there. W has stripped the ‘popcorn’ off the hall bath ceiling, so I’ll get shanghai’d into doing the spray and knockdown texture so she can paint it later. That wasn’t on my list AT ALL. On the plus side, I probably won’t have to cut the grass… it is crunchy according to her. Grass doesn’t grow without water.

There are other projects in the dock house that I can do too, like finishing up the speaker install, and maybe working on the rotted window sill. Or hanging a TV and getting the wii set up there. Or hanging the IR heater strips on the dock so I can be warmer this winter while having my tiny little fire and radio time.

Plus there are “winter is coming” things to do…

At least the rent house plumbing wasn’t a big issue.

Stacking is EASY compared to maintaining multiple properties. So do some! It’s the easy way out…

nick

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