Cold but clear. Warming later but IDK how much. Funny thing is that at the beginning of the week the forecast was for warming. Cooling happened. Oh well, that’s why I no longer pay much attention.
Thursday was a lot of cooking, some great smells and even better tastes, sitting around watching tv, and the smallest bit of work… and only because it enabled cooking.
I made bread in the machine. Had to hit one of my “bread kit” buckets for sugar. The buckets have 10 pounds of flour, 5 pounds sugar, yeast packets, and a liter of peanut oil. I realized I should add some salt to them too. Add water and there are several variations on bread that can be made from the bucket. I’ve got buckets of the bulk ingredients and salt, oil, and yeast in other places, but the “kit” bucket puts them conveniently together. Oh, there is a pound of corn meal in there too, for variety. Yeast was from 2022 but worked fine.
All the milk for cooking was LaLa UHT full fat milk in shelf stable half liter cartons. I keep them in the fridge for even better life. They are a great choice to have milk on hand in places where you don’t use enough to keep fresh around, or don’t have fresh. I have the single serving box milks too, but they tend to age out before we use them. They won’t kill you, but the taste changes and they get chunky like tapioca if you let them get more than a few months past ‘best by’.
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Plan for today is to put up the Christmas lights and some decorations, and then maybe do some of the other stuff on the list. The attic work gets pushed to another day.
We’re headed home on Saturday, without much time to do more than pack up and secure the house. I don’t think I’ll get into the bigger projects in the attic without an extra day of wiggle room. I’d love to stay until late Sunday like normal, but wife and kids have stuff to do in Houston, and I have an auction pickup Saturday afternoon- ham radio stuff for me and for my swapmeet in March.
“Plans are worthless, but planning is invaluable” or something very close to that was said by a very successful General. I’m going to go with it.
Do some planning. Use some preps. And do some stacking. Maybe there will be a sale!
nick
The VW “cheating” scandal ended the Clean Diesel dream.
Slackard? The curb weight probably made it a fun car regardless of the acceleration.
A VW microbus weighing as much as a Tahoe is not going to be as fun as a Type II with less than 100 HP.
That was pretty stupid. Save a few bucks along the way, at the price of nearly demolishing the company in the end. Granted, VW also has other problems, like having missed the boat on EVs. Combined result is that they are now laying off thousands, and closing factories.
All part of the demise of the German economy. Which is being accelerated by some really stupid policies. My favorite at the moment is the proposal by the SPD (political party) to modify the law about insulting politicians. At present, you can go to jail for up to three years, if the politician can claim your insult somehow impacted their ability to do their job. The SPD wants to remove that restriction, so that just insulting a politician is enough to land you in jail.
Stinkin’ totalitarians and wannabe dictators are everywhere.
VW engineers outsmarted the “best and brightest” in the EPA and that was not going to stand.
What brad said about Germany +1.
Just spent over 500 bucks on a 4-unit Asus AX Wi-Fi Mesh system for MiL’s house. BiL is very capably installing Cat6 cables in the house, so we can use that for the backlink.
Internet service is via line of sight radio to the village water tower, then via glass fibre to the outside world. Radio link is the same price as incumbent Telco’s 3.5 Mbit twisted copper pair service, but guaranteed 10x the speed. No-brainer.
Have a look on YouTube for a 1980s documentary series following a group of Royal Marine Commandos taking the training course for the Arctic and Mountain Warfare cadre. There is a fantastic segment of the guys roughing it in the wilds of northern Scotland, starting off in their birthday suits and a set of WWII woolen garments. Like “Alone”, but for grown-ups.
Some people here thrive on the crowds and consider it a real adventure. I know a couple of people that only shop on Christmas Eve and relish the panic, the crowds, the stalking for the gifts.
We are in Atlanta with friends for Thanksgiving and have been doing so for 25+ years. Many years ago the women would get up early, like at 4:00 AM and head out shopping for 5 or 6 hours. The men would wander out about 9:00 AM and make at most a couple of stops.
We would get the Wednesday paper that was a couple of inches thick with all the inserts. Spend hours looking at all the ads to find out where the best deals were and plan the shopping trips.
The web has changed all that. Now I get emails, go to sites for information, and mostly order online for delivery in a few days. Or there is in store pickup. There is no longer any real need to fight the crowds or even leave the house.
Many Black Friday deals now extend for a few days before Friday and a few days after.
@nick,
I have read that the Mr. Heater stuf — at least, the “Buddy” stuff — uses a somewhat fragile catalyst sheet, and it’s particularly susceptable to dust contamination. So it’s probably a good idea to make sure it’s carefully covered when not in use.
May not apply to the entire product line, but a word to the wise etc. etc.
Ny old roommates wife and her BF used to do the Black Friday thing, hanging out together, making lists, staying over to get a head start, all that jazz.
Age, becoming empty nesters, shopping the internet, all that acted to reduce the appeal, but the big thing was the rise of aggression, theft, and even violence in certain demographics.
it’s been years since they did it. Sad.
I have also heard that the ignitor/pilot assemblies can change over time, even for the same model, and are not compatible sometimes.
Could be dis-info from competitors I suppose. Never had a problem with mine.
It is a beautiful, crisp clear day, 46F, sunny and bright. The kind of day where everything is so sharp you can cut your eye on it.
I’ve got biscuits in the oven and french meat pie for breakfast.
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@lpdbw – thanks for the heads up. I will put a cover on it as the garage is super dusty. This one is a “blue flame” one that doesn’t use the catalyst blocks but I’ll still cover it. The “Gasland” heater I set up for the dock has the blocks. I’ll cover it when not in use. My Mr Heater Lil Buddy style heaters go back in their boxes when not in use.
I’ve bought a bunch (10?12?)of the small ones, single bottle size and a couple of two bottle ones, and only two had issues. One needed a new thermocouple. The replacement part fit properly. I can’t remember what the other needed but I didn’t get the part. I can see where the blocks might be fragile but they are well protected most of the time. I have a spare unit for parts if needed.
They do say not to use the hose and a BBQ bottle unless you also use the filter. I have several filters but haven’t tried the hose and big bottle with any yet. There is moisture or dirt in cheap LP gas that clogs the ceramic block if not filtered.
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WRT “finally get in the black” Friday, mostly it’s a black mark on our culture at this point. Online shopping should have smoothed the peaks and valleys of seasonal buying anyway, by making most things available year round.
People waited to buy Christmas presents because they were the type of thing that wasn’t in the stores all year, or they were ‘saving up’ or counting on seasonal bonus money. Credit cards smoothed out that sort of thing too.
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If you do venture out, stay sharp, lots of nuts out there.
n
Looks like my only Black Friday deal is with Lands End. They’re my most reliable source of jeans, and they’re offering free shipping on top of the sale price. Plus, they actually accept a Swiss-specific payment method that we use. So I will have enough jeans for a couple of years…
I basically only ever wear jeans. After I can’t wear them to teach any longer, they go into the pile for wearing when working outside, or whatever. That pile is approaching epic proportions…I need to throw 90% of it away…
There’s a new place in Switzerland that sells Western shirts. I’ll probably place an order with them, and if they’re decent I’ll skip Boot Barn (whose prices have gone nuts).
Last year’s Fall trip took us past Lands End HQ in Dodgeville, WI several times.
This year’s trip included driving through Freeport, ME, LL Bean’s home base.
LL Bean gave the impression of doing better financially, but this was another year removed from fairly severe Covid lockdowns in both Wisconsin and Maine.
A lot of the economy in southern Wisconin was just beginning to recover last year when the resumption of the paused student loan payments in November 2023 truncated what was a promising late Fall tourist season in the region, as the weekend getaway from Chicago suddenly wasn’t affordable without the Biden Bux.
The big hotel serving Lands End HQ is still on the market.
https://www.cbre.com/properties/properties-for-lease/hospitality/details/US-SMPL-127206/hotel-and-waterpark-3591-wisconsin-23-dodgeville-wi-53533
The last time i went “out” for Black Friday sales was for a Playstation 3, so about 20 years. If it is not online, I don’t buy. This year I got a tool on Amazon under BF sales. That’s it.
Anything on my Big River Wish List with a Black Friday price requires Prime to get that price.
I can wait until January.
I tried to watch Capote last night. After half an hour I still didn’t know what was happening so I hit eject.
I did watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Good flick. Kind of long but the story kept moving.
Both are on the Library Thrift Shop stack.
The third film, “Prisoner of Azkaban”, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is where the “Harry Potter” film series really takes off creatively.
I have the single serving box milks too, but they tend to age out before we use them. They won’t kill you, but the taste changes and they get chunky like tapioca if you let them get more than a few months past ‘best by’.
Won’t kill you but it will kill me. Been allergic to milk since I was 45. My Flemish grandmother was allergic to milk since her birth.
@Brad: When I was working I always bought my dress shirts, button down collars oxford, from Lands End. Then, I quit wearing Levis and now only wear Wrangler jeans with Western shirts from Boot Barn. As I type now, my shirt is a Wrangler from Boot Barn.
W2 and I watched Civil War last night. Not exactly what the trailers portend, but close. The actors’ performances and the cinematography hold the film together, with several riveting scenes. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD
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Why wasn’t POTUS in his “impenetrable(?)” bunker?
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/11/29/cnn-isnt-handling-trumps-win-well-n2182612
Down the cute to the dustbin of history.
>> Started watching another season of “Alone” with the kid. D2 loves that show. We talk about the approaches and choices the contestants make and take, and what mistakes they make over and over. Spending too much effort on a shelter is the biggest and most common mistake. You have to do the hard work when you are fresh, but you don’t need a mansion. One guy built a log cabin, slept in it one night, then realized he was starving with no success getting food, and tapped out.
The woman that tapped out admitted to spending too many calories on her log cabin, and she had no success getting food either. They both built square cabins with thick logs. Heavy logs. Logs that took effort to cut and move. You don’t need a shelter to last the winter if you can’t feed yourself for 3 weeks…
I really like the show and I think there are a lot of harsh lessons and hard truths if you are looking for them. Lots of application to a post apocalypse or “head to the forest and live off the land” scenario.
I’ve seen some of “Alone” and similar shows and really don’t understand why building up an initial food supply isn’t ‘job one.’ Even casting for fish burns some calories.
Currently watching “The Summit,” because…the first episode was entertaining enough…and then you’re hooked. Basic group/team strategy combined with physical exertion tasks in New Zealand. Some of the locations are stunning.
Marc Andreessen] Tech Billionaire Tells Joe Rogan the Govt. Plan ‘to Control AI’ is Why He Left WH Meeting, Endorsed Trump
FJB wasn’t running those meetings, so who was?
>> Trump mentioned in one of his speeches that he hired a new security team after the shooting incident. I am wondering if he will be keeping them on after Jan 20. I would.
Wouldn’t hurt if some were ex-Mossad.
ROFLMAO…
https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2024/11/29/trump-drives-democrats-insane-with-the-funniest-christmas-vacation-parody-video-youve-ever-seen-n2182601
Obama, whether or not he was in the room.
The tech guys wouldn’t show up just because Corn Pop requested their presence.
Wee Pierre arrives to bend the knee.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2024/11/29/justin-trudeau-donald-trump-canada-tariffs-mexico-florida-immigration/
VW engineers outsmarted the “best and brightest” in the EPA and that was not going to stand.
Bosch management is the culprit here. The amazing diesel emissions two stage reactor that Bosch created was undersized for the diesel motor. The cost was $200 each. A properly sized reactor was $400 and VW held Bosch to their price quote so they went with the undersized reactor. I also suspect that the car did not have the room for the rightsized reactor, or two of them.
Bosch sold the same reactor and software to Porsche and Mercedes also. There are still questions about who all knew about the fudged software.
Chemical reactors are very tricky beasts. The kinetic design is an art, not a science. Bosch made promises that they could not keep and then doubled down on the technology. They should have come clean to their customers.
Best Star Trek Commercial Ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0V_8AbEHYA
More Alone binging. We’re watching the season from 2023, so one short of current.
There have been a few surprises. But also very typical behaviors. Survival school instructors typically fail out early. People who are getting by without issues last until their first hardship. “Missing family” is a stay killer.
After tonight’s ep it’s down to 4 people.
At some point, you are down to catching mice and rats with deadfall traps, even though they are only about 30 calories each. Might as well start that early…
You’re not getting big game. In 10 years, only one or two people took a big game animal. No one has taken a bear. If that’s your plan, and you can’t or won’t adapt, you’re going home.
Preserving food is hard. Catching enough to not starve is hard. As a lone wolf it’s damn near impossible. Division of labor and group efforts make it possible to get “extra” food, and thus civilization is formed.
All the skills in the world won’t help if you get hurt, or if the thing you are the expert at just isn’t there.
Techniques that get you food while you aren’t there are vital to surviving.
EVERYONE underestimates the amount of game they need to maintain body mass and activity level. 100 mice, 5-7 squirrels, several birds, or just one big fish per day. EVERY day. A handful of blueberries and 4 mice a day is a GOOD day for some of the contestants.
40 days in and the contestants, even the ones that are very successful getting food, have lost a pound a day, on average. If they didn’t start with 40 extra pounds, they are in dire shape.
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You probably don’t have enough stored food, and living off the land, even for experts, in a wilderness where game is abundant and there isn’t human competition, is a recipe for slow starvation.
I need to store more fats and proteins. And salt.
n