Rain continues. With a multi-week dry spell, finally getting some rain is nice, but getting caught up in a day or two is not great. Some people are going to flood… not me, but someone.
Spent part of Saturday driving around to do auction pickups. Spent part of it doing domestic bliss. Part of it I hid while W was doing a deep clean on D2’s closet… the height of exciting.
But not every day is exciting or interesting. Some days are just days. And that’s ok.
Like today. After sleeping late, eating a leisurely breakfast, I don’t know what I’ll do. Oh, I’ve got a list. I’ll be checking it twice. I’ll fall further behind my goals and desires when I don’t get stuff done. But there probably won’t be any major drama or excitement. At least I hope not. There will just be steadfast plugging away…
Keep the faith, and keep stacking.
n
Chuy’s used to be fairly cheap and kids would eat there, which is usually tough with that restaurant genre.
With adults,, Dos Margaritas Por Favor always works, especially in Austin, where Chuy’s originated.
Mexican food done properly involves a lot of prep. Everyone wants a Work From Home job since 2020.
Prep killed Chevy’s when they went national.
What was interesting about Chevy’s was the Californian expats being protective of the place as the quality declined. That’s probably why the chain hasn’t gone the way of Casa Gallardo or Chi Chi’s despite the multiple Bankruptcies, acquisitions, and failed mergers with other brands.
Chevy’s used to openly publish their recipes in a cookbook to discourage home experimentation with replicating their flavors.
Just go to the restaurant.
We have the cookbook at home somewhere. Ingredients such as achiote paste and chipotles were not common in grocery stores 25 years ago outside of California or Texas, but those flavors are what separated their food from Chi Chi’s.
Yeah, Amazon now, but not back then.
And the achiote paste available on Amazon is not the same as from scratch. Again, prep.
Canned chipotles can get you 90% there for a whole lot less work, but Chevy’s used to reach for that extra before their first Bankruptcy.
The former Chevy’s location in the Crossroads shopping complex outside the Lake Buena Vista entrance to the Disney property in Orlando was, like the nearby Pizzeria Uno in the complex, the busiest in the chain even as the strip mall circled the drain.
I’m really hoping the rumors are true and DeSantis is considering a long term lease on the land for a Casa Bonita instead of building the offramp project currently on hold forever… or at least until the Dems win back the FL Governor’s mansion.
Ok. Forever.
AoSHQ Bonus Saturday Night Joke:
The Presidential election of 2024 was too close to call. Neither Donald Trump nor Harris had enough votes to win. There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges, etc., but it was decided that there should be an ice fishing contest between the two candidates to determine the winner. A week-long ice fishing competition seemed to be a sportsmanlike way to settle things, and the candidate that caught the most fish at the end of the week would win the election.
After much back-and-forth discussion, it was decided that the contest would take place on a remote frozen lake in northern Wisconsin. There were to be no observers present, and both politicians were to be sent out separately on this isolated lake and return at 5 P.M. with their catch for the day to be counted and verified by a team of neutral parties.
At the end of the first day, Trump returned to the starting line, and he had 10 fish. Soon, Harris returned and had no fish. Well, everyone assumed she was just having a bad day or something and hopefully, she would catch up the next day.
At the end of the 2nd day Trump came in with 20 fish and Harris came in again with none.
That evening, the Democrats got together secretly and said to Harris, we think Trump is a low-life, cheatin’ son-of-a-gun. Tomorrow, don’t even bother fishing. Just spy on him and see just how he is cheating.
The next night (after Trump returns with 50 fish), the Democrats got together for the report of how the Republicans were cheating.
Harris shook her head and said, “You are not going to believe this, he’s cutting holes in the ice.” (H/T Diogenes)
I told this to Mom and Dad this morning. They loved it.
Thanks for the joke doctor W. !
Good joke.
Then I ran across this for another laugh…
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/03/worlds-largest-gps-penis-traced-across-bannau-brycheiniog-for-charity
75 miles! and it was a fund raiser.
Casa Gallardo! I grew up in the St. Louis area where the chain began, and the restaurant in Fairview Heights was my favorite!
I haven’t thought about them in years.
@dkreck
Wow! A bigger schmuck than Schumer.
I spent the night in Fairview Heights once. Within a year, both the Red Lobster and Best Buy within walking distance of the hotel were the scenes of violent race incidents which made national wires.
That was almost 15 years ago. I’d hate to think about what it is like now.
@drwilliams:
At least he did it for charity.
G.
Ah, a beautiful sunny day and not too hot yet. Everything is wet still, and anything that catches water is holding a few inches. Humidity didn’t seem crazy high when I went to the garage looking for more cream, but I’m sure it is saturated.
No Halloween decor coming in today… I don’t want mold growing…
=========
I liked the trip down memory lane with the link to that Fifth Element retrospective, but I agree with the commentors that the video title was clickbait. I never understood that movie, but it’s visually stunning and has an incredible cast. The effects hold up surprisingly well.
————-
n
So they did file. And as predicted and foreseen by every REAL conservative, all that free money destroyed the company.
n
Fairview Heights is nearly adjacent to East St. Louis.
East St. Louis was a mob town full of gambling and prostitution when the mafia ran it in the early 20th century. Very little violent crime, because that was bad for business and they took it seriously.
When the mob pulled out, the black gangs took over, and it went from 75% white and affluent to 95 % black and universal poverty. Same gambling and prostitution, but danger on every corner.
The danger spills over into nearby communities, and many of the whites nearby remember happier days, and that they were forced to move out in fear for their lives.
Ferguson and the incidents there in North St. Louis were signs of racial tension. ESL is a seething hotbed of racial hatred.
The city’s peak population in 1950 was 82,000. Its current population is 18,000 after white flight.
Growing up as I did in tornado alley, we used to joke about weather forecasters saying “An F4 tornado hit East St. Louis last night, and did 5 million dollars of improvements.”
TGI Friday’s has been on the edge since the late 90s, when they were roasted by Mike Judge in “Office Space”, but the movie alone was not the cause of the chain’s demise.
Judge has a knack for cultural observations if he is free to work without “PC” concerns.
Ironically, the filming location for “Chotchkie’s” was not an actual TGI Friday’s location. The building has been through several name changes since we’ve lived in Austin.
Picture from the game Friday night. It was called a touchdown.
https://raymondthompsonphotography.com/Greenback/content/PB011002_large.html
It would not have been in pro (and perhaps college) football as the ball has to be on the field side of the pylon. In high school all that is necessary is to touch the pylon according to an official. To me that seems wrong as the pylon is out of bounds. But the official explained that touching the pylon breaks the plane of the goal line and as long as the player is not touching the ground it is touchdown.
Good job by the official making the call as it is really difficult to see that the player’s arm is not touching the ground.
The prior image is here: https://raymondthompsonphotography.com/Greenback/content/PB011001_large.html
I think in this image it appears that the ball has crossed the plane but due the angle I am not certain. The shadows would not be for certain due to the position of the light pole being on about the 30 yard line in back of the player.
@Nick
“I liked the trip down memory lane with the link to that Fifth Element retrospective, but I agree with the commentors that the video title was clickbait. I never understood that movie, but it’s visually stunning and has an incredible cast. The effects hold up surprisingly well.”
Definitely clickbait.
I don’t have the DVD with the additional material, but watching this made me put it on my list. The 4k version is deeply discounted and I might go there, too.
HUGE: Muslim Minneapolis Somali Community Leaders Endorse Donald Trump
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/11/02/huge-minneapolis-somali-muslim-community-leaders-endorse-donald-trump-n2181428
Incredible. At least a year too late to make a difference in this election. All three branches of state government in the hands of Walz and his fellow travelers, the two major papers whoring for the Democrats, and the radio and tv not far behind.
Unrestricted right to abortion in the state constitution, up to and including full term. Aborted child delivered live is supposed to get “hospice” care, which standard is apparently met by a blanket to keep them warm as they die.
Trump DOJ should raid hospitals and doctors records and bring charges for murder.
Who ya gonna believe?
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/11/who-ya-gonna-believe.php
The surprise here is that CNN is willing to provide the side-by-side comparison. Saves the Trump campaign some editing for a new commercial, as if they don’t have enough material.
Harris whoring herself for votes is not a surprise, and doing it in previous appearances has been documented, so it’s just a small step into the abyss of ultimate stupidity to put it on video and make it easy.
Shotgunning
“You have to be right on those birds, because the pellets come out of the barrel in single file.”
–Ward Clark explains the full choke on his 1940 Winchester Model 12 Black Diamond trap gun.
https://rumble.com/v5jzha1-shotgunning.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp
@Ray Thompson
“Picture from the game Friday night. It was called a touchdown.”
Nice photos as always, Ray. I’m sure that young man will enjoy having the memory captured.
Bad Daddy.
Nothing else matters to ~ 50% of the electorate. We’ll see if that is enough on Tuesday.
Nothing like a pen that doesn’t work.
I recently opened a package of pens and discovered that 6 of the 15 were shells–they did not have tips or ink. Now I have another that won’t feed the ink, so they are going into a lab oven for a few hours in the vertical position at 100°C. First failure after that and they are out.
I just ordered three packs of retractible rollerball Pentel Energels in assorted colors. I acquired one somewhere that was running out of ink–it would write a line and quit–and liked the feel and the ink line. A timely find, as I was getting sick and tired of removable caps between having them pop off and get lost or be so hard to seat that you can’t open them with one hand.
A good pen should be dependable, lay down a uniform line that dries quickly and does not smudge or bleed through, have waterproof ink that is uv resistant. I don’t write for more than a few minutes at a time, but need a barrel that is large enough and textured for a good grip.
And they shouldn’t leak on airplanes. (Uniball Vision, I’m thinking of you)
I have a lovely 10 or 14k gold fine felt tip pen that I picked up at an estate sale years ago. Neither it nor the refill have a maker’s name, so it’s retired. Too small in the barrel to be comfortable in my hands, anyway.
I still have the stainless Parker pens that were my favorites in high school, but the XF and XXF refills are too rare for daily use.
Sunday marks “Global Godzilla Day,” in honor of the 70th anniversary of the day in 1954 when the first movie about the Japanese monster debuted in movie theaters.
https://redstate.com/beccalower/2024/11/02/celebrate-global-godzilla-day-with-the-re-release-of-surprise-hit-minus-one-big-news-on-sequel-n2181432
“With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound…”
zilla-god
n
I just bought a 2-pack of those, and the extra rubber tip over the ball surprised me.
My previous ones were
stolenborrowed from my girlfriend, and so had the rubber removed already.The medium points are great. The extra fine, not so much.
My wife and I used to LOVE going to Chevy’s back in Cacafornia, but Navin Gruesome killed off everything pleasant about the “golden” state.
>> Like today. After sleeping late, eating a leisurely breakfast, I don’t know what I’ll do. Oh, I’ve got a list. I’ll be checking it twice. I’ll fall further behind my goals and desires when I don’t get stuff done. But there probably won’t be any major drama or excitement. At least I hope not. There will just be steadfast plugging away…
The older I get the more I realize that some things on the to-do list are just never gonna get done…
>> A good pen should be dependable, lay down a uniform line that dries quickly and does not smudge or bleed through, have waterproof ink that is uv resistant. I don’t write for more than a few minutes at a time, but need a barrel that is large enough and textured for a good grip
Fisher Space Pen? N.B. never had one but from what I recall it might meet all your requirements.
The pen I mostly use is a pencil.
I believe there are Fisher refills that fit Parker pens. But not the other way. Fisher are shorter but there’s an adapter.
So you can maybe continue to use your favorite Parker pens.
Academy will be the next big box store to circle the drain.
I went into the Cedar Park store today looking for basic sweat shorts, and the store looked like a war zone. Even the Academy store brand had limited stock, both in XXL.
Kohl’s was in worse shape, but Kohl’s put itself up for sale last year and couldn’t find a buyer.
“they are going into a lab oven for a few hours in the vertical position at 100°C. First failure after that and they are out.”
Temp was too high, ink expanded out the pressure relief. Wiped them off–4/5 failed to lay down a continuous line. Bye, bye Pilot Precise.
@lpdbw
These are 0.7mm. Unfortunately, I now find that the Energel series has two types of refills. My failing pen has an LRN7–“N” for “Needle””? There is also an LR7. We’ll see what I ordered.
BTW, I was reminded again that thermal printed receipts are ephemeral and illegible after a few months. Get in the habit of scanning or photographing the darn things if you need the record.
@lpdbw
“I believe there are Fisher refills that fit Parker pens. But not the other way. Fisher are shorter but there’s an adapter.
So you can maybe continue to use your favorite Parker pens.”
Lots of options for medium point, but none but vintage for XF and XXF.
In Case of a Trump Win – Democrat Governors Are Preparing for Violence
https://redstate.com/jimthompson/2024/11/03/in-case-of-trumps-win-democrat-governors-are-preparing-for-violence-n2181450
Most of the prep consists of making sure the antif wing of the party has a place to sleep and plot, as well as enough HD gift cards to get supplies.
Really, talk about kabuki theater. If the FBI wasn’t such a group of incompetent DF’s too busy trying to entrap low-IQ white guys into badly written schemes to start a revolution with FBI-supplied weapons, they would have 99% of the potential bad actors identified and have their itineraries before their debit cards pulled the airline ticket payments from their trust funds.
Senator Tim Kaine (Communist, VA) was on SNL in violation of FCC rules:
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/11/03/snl-skit-with-time-kaine-but-theres-a-big-problem-there-too-n2181461
(watch the video–I’m with Elon)
and it would have been absolutely hilarious if they asked him what city his Antifa son was planning on visiting to watch election returns.
Does anyone other than media watch SNL?
n
One in four Americans predict riots after the election and 10% fear a civil war whoever wins, poll finds
– – Those are only the ones who will admit to it in a poll.
n
In Portland, the only time authorities cracked down on ANTIFA during the 2020 riots was when the violence got into The Pearl, the Hollywood District, or the ritzy suburbs out near the zoo – like Dunwoody, where Linus Torvalds lives.
I’m sure the post election response will be similar.
Meet the Emhoffs: The curious case of Kamala Harris’s ‘big blended’ family revealed
– this has been on the DM home page for much longer than I expected. Someone is keeping it there.
———
And anyone notice that the Dems seem to all have messed up families? While the Reps have mostly normal families?
n
Old people.
18-49 demo is about 1 million right now, but the broader audience runs about 4 million. This is an election year so Boomers will watch.
OTOH, “Svengoolie” gets about 1 million on MeTV every Saturday, with a far more fractured network.
The “Star Trek” episode which aired last night on MeTV was “Bread and Circuses”.
I don’t know if that was just a coincidence.
Ok, you guys convinced me. I just watched Godzilla, King of the Monsters!with Raymond Burr. On Tubi, with a bearable amount of commercials.
May be the first time as an adult with knowledge of filmmaking techniques.
I have an appreciation for how they blended in the new footage and body doubles for the Japanese from the original version.
I also read a synopsis of the original version, and I’m happy that I watched on with less Japanese preaching to us Westerners about the horrors of war.
Not my cup of tea, but I have no regrets.
See Minus One, if you haven’t.
Sunday evening palette cleanser:
https://hotair.com/headlines/2024/11/03/a-massive-pile-of-leaves-and-a-launching-lab-named-stella-n3796641
– seeing this more and more. Cops going after petty offenses for white middle aged males, but leaving real crime alone.
It’s NYC chasing down a guy for buying single cigarettes instead of a pack. And killing him during the arrest. Instead of shutting down organized crime and gangs.
n
Given how busy tomorrow looks to be, maybe I should shave and cut my hair tonight…
Since I have an extra hour…
n
“BEMs: Bug Eyed Monsters: Book Four, the New Frontiers Series” by Jack L. Knapp
https://www.amazon.com/BEMs-Eyed-Monsters-Book-Frontiers/dp/1083070010?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number four of a eight book science fiction space opera series. I reread the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2019. I have all eight books in the series and am rereading them now with the number seven and eight books that I just bought from Big River.
Wow, great story with lots of character development and action. An older engineer buys a bunch of Nikola Tesla’s journals in an old chest and spots a design for an “electric turbine” that was never built. He builds a working version of the electric impeller (a device that converts electricity into motion) after many restarts and has an anti-gravity device. The rest of the story concerns project funding and building various containers for the electric impeller and various peoples trying to steal the design.
This book is specifically about the aliens nicknamed the Flickers introducing themselves to the humans. The Flickers have much more advanced technology than the humans including FTL and totally automated space ships. But the Flickers are not the only aliens out there.
The writing of the story is a little bit rough, a little more editing would have been good. But for me, the story is always the most important thing. This is my second read so that makes it a five star book for me.
BTW, this is not the first time that a story has been written similar to this. Several stories have “magical” engines for space drives. A very similar book is John Varley’s most excellent “Red Thunder” which uses the squeezer drive.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Thunder-Lightning-Novel/dp/0441011624?tag=ttgnet-20/
The reason why I like these stories so much is that it is not just the new drive device, it is also the design and work to build the container around the new device.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (187 reviews)
Lynn
ah, I feel better now. Nice tight haircut, smooth cheeks, and ready to face the day. Tomorrow. After some healing sleep.
n
Arlo And Janis: Fall Back
https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2024/11/03
I want interest on my hour that I lost last spring !
Hmmm.
It seems I have a package held up in customs, I need to copy this link that somebody texted me and then click on things…
oddly enough I don’t recall ordering anything from overseas…