Cool and damp, maybe cold and wet. It’s been gradually getting warmer, and I’m hoping we can stop freezing at night, but it IS winter… And winter in the northern hemisphere is generally cold.
Did my pickups yesterday. Talked to my auctioneer about getting stuff back in the auction… and he’s just about ready. We also talked about the state of the industry and some new players getting started, while some old ones fade out. It’s easy to buy, and much harder to sell…
Then I spent the evening at the theatre, with W and D2. It was a good show. Well sung, well produced, and generally just really well done. I forgot the main leads were kids, that’s how good it was. D2 thinks she would like to attend this school, but it’s crazy expensive. The education is top notch, focused on college and beyond, and very well regarded. It’s also academically much more challenging than the school we’re zoned to, where D1 is currently enrolled. I think we’re going to have some tough discussions coming up.
We’ve been prepping for college, but not for spending college money on a high school.
Freaking kids grow up so fast.
That’s why you gotta stack while you can. You never know what the future will bring.
nick
My wife has started teaching a “technical English” course at the trade school where I have been helping out. Remember that English is a foreign language for these kids. Anyway, her latest topic: screws and bolts.
Now, I know what a screw is, and also what a bolt is. I would also be wrong, or at least, not entirely right. We all know that something like a wood screw cuts its own threads on the way in, whereas a bolt attaches to a pre-threaded nut.
It’s the edge cases that get you. If you have something that looks like a bolt, but what is goes into is a threaded hole that is an integral part of the object being assembled, then it is technically a screw. Then there are all the oddball terms. I know what a “set screw” is, but never heard of a “grub screw” (even though it turns out that I have seen and used them).
Add in some differences between languages and cultures to confuse things. Apparently, the discussion is going to continue this week…
The screws that do not go into pre-threaded holes are called wood screws or sheetrock screws. The name typically indicates the purpose. The screws that go into pre-threaded holes are called machine screws. Then you have bolts that go into holes that do not have a corresponding nut. Think head bolts and manifold bolts on a car. Bolts get differentiated from screws because bolts typically have a hex-head for some type of wrench regardless of the nut requirement. Yes, it is confusing.
And speaking of English. My upcoming three week trip to Europe this August partly consists of two weeks babysitting two children of one of our former exchange students. They are just learning English and the parents want to immerse them in English for two weeks. We will stay at their apartment in Munich and spend the days with the kids while the parents are at work. I am no so certain their school English teachers would care for the southern accent.
To add to the above.
We had one exchange student return to Germany and used the word “curfew” in one of her English classes. He English teacher in Germany said there is no such word. The student yes, there was, as she had experienced a “curfew” a couple of times because of some issues. (We tended to have more stringent rules with exchange students as we responsible for someone else’s child).
Her English teacher refused to look up the word and was adamant she (the teacher) was correct and the student was wrong. Done deal.
So I wonder how some of the words we use, such as ain’t, y’all, holler (as in a place), youngen’s, etc. will come across. I don’t use those word on purpose, they just soft of come out. My wife is even worse. She mixes up words and uses the wrong word at times. I used to correct her but that did not go over well.
Two weeks for mullets, a fondness for NASCAR, and “bless your heart”? I have faith in you!
Howard Caine, who portrayed Major Hochstetter on “Hogan’s Heroes”, most Americans’ idea of “Gestapo” was Jewish and born in Nashville.
After “Hogan’s Heroes” ended, Caine became very serious about music, particularly the banjo.
Mexico Plans to Change Constitution to Protect Drug Cartels From U.S. Military Strikes
How about:
Trump issues EO renaming Mexico “Fentanylia”?
One of the YouTube channels I follow belongs to an individual who spent time in serious adult prison.
He’s noted a marked increase of prison management techniques and terminology creeping into everyday life since the pandemic, notably the term “lockdown” and the foot silhouettes placed on the floor in stores denoting where inmates -er- customers are to stand while waiting for a register.
I don’t even go in Harbor Freight anymore after one incarceration experience during the pandemic trying to check out with a $20 caliper and not realizing that the footprints denoted where to stand “in line”, the queue hidden down one aisle for al of the registers.
We passed on the “opportunity” after child #2 was accepted at Savannah College of Art and Design, and the estimated tuition/room/board bills would have resulted in us taking out Parent Plus loans exceeding our non-401(k) IRA balances.
There really has to be a limit. At least with overpriced college experience you are somewhat protected by the Borrower Defense mechanism covering the kids with loans.
I’m still waiting to see what the insurance renewal hit will be from Snowflake’s accident totalling the RAM in December. The other driver has a lawyer and seems to want to go after the personal injury limit of our policy so he can get a new truck.
Along with Ze Kampfs for Ze Skippy, Australia imposed a lot of curfews during the Pandemic Kabuki, which the US studied implementing.
Several “Judges” here in Texas floated the concept of curfews IIRC.
He’s noted a marked increase of prison management techniques and terminology creeping into everyday life
– for years I’ve been railing against the use of prison language in school management.
They slip to “early release” instead of “early dismissal” often. I called them on it, and was met with denial until I pointed to the LED sign in front of the school…
They have “general population” or “genpop” for the mass of students.
There are plenty of other things, starting with simple attendance being the base. Do your time, and get released. Period. No other real requirement. The institution only gets paid for the kids’ presence. Nothing else.
The guards run snitch networks, spy, and develop intelligence on the kids.
Their rights are significantly reduced while in the building.
Lots of other similarities.
See also “school to prison pipeline” which is 90% BS but like any good story has some truth in it.
n
45F this fine grey and damp day. My coffee is ready though.
n
LOL! All this will do is enshrine Cartel crime into the Mexican constitution. Do they really think that will protect them from tRump? I’m all for Joint Special Forces operations against the Cartels. “If you won’t do it, we will.” We can use all the billions we are saving on Ukraine to protect our OWN borders.
I remember Best Buy during COVID. The stores had hundreds of ”foot print” guides to the registers. But, even worse, were the “one-way” arrows alll over the store. Ridiculous.
LOL, this is probably appropriate in Chicago schools.
Wow, Woody lays into FauXi:
Woody Harrelson tears apart Anthony Fauci in extraordinary Joe Rogan chat
He brought up FauXi’s Folly with AZT during the “AIDS” crisis. FauXi is the US’s Dr. Mengele. He used us dirt people to test his “thought experiments”, ie, no science needed or involved. I hope Woody can borrow some of Musk’s security team.
Where was Woody Harrelson four years ago?
Or Joe Rogan?
Or The Daily Mail?
Or Trump, who called the jabs “beautiful” and continued to do so well into last year.
As a charter member of The Control from before the Kabuki started, I have a long memory because the insults and threats came from many places, including my own household and even this space.
One way arrows are another prison concept along with lines on the floor denoting where to wait before proceeding to the counter which I still see at the local HEB in the pharmacy area.
“The Blues Brothers” has the line on the floor as a gag in the scene with Frank Oz as the property room clerk near the beginning of the movie.
Where was Joe Rogan four years ago?
Counting his phat Spotify cash.
https://www.axios.com/2021/04/29/joe-rogan-walks-back-anti-vaccination-spotify
That’s one way. Another would be make tariff rates a sliding scale, include remittances in the tariff, and key it to the illegal border intrusions. Drug and immigrant crossings rise? so do tariffs. Illegals’ crime rate goes up? so do tariffs. Mexico reduces the drug and illegals moving across the borders? down come the tariffs. Then set the baseline to a smallish percentage of current rates.
OK, this is a little bit less orwellian than originally reported.
International flight, and agency reviewing it that is tasked with doing so. Still intrusive, but less so than scanning passenger lists.
n
OK baby duck.
n
re: expensive high schools and theater programs
I sent 2 of my 3 sons to a Catholic high school for 4 years each, to avoid the toxic public school in my city. I moved to another city when my youngest entered high school, so he went to a well-regarded public school.
Many of the other parochial school dads commented on how happy they were at graduation, since the full-time tuition at the local state university was cheaper than the high school tuition. Fortunately, I was well-paid at the time, and it didn’t hurt too much, but it was an awful lot of money.
Third son went to a public school with an excellent theater program. He’s a pianist, guitarist, drummer and he sings.
After graduation, he started working on all their musicals as paid adult staff. He plays piano in all their rehearsals, rehearses the leads with their songs, and provides other support He also plays in the pit and helps rehearse the student pit musicians. In addition to that, he works with the school choirs as rehearsal and performance accompanist. He also works at the nearby university with choirs and vocal students.
He’s recently started as music director for summer musicals at the university. This year, he’s doing School of Rock, the Musical. Last year it was How I Became a Pirate.
None of which is helpful to Nick, but he’s making a living as a full-time musician in several part-time roles without a degree. Perhaps spending money on better secondary education is worthwhile if it gives marketable skills.
– yep. whenever I hear or read that, I know I can discount everything else that person has to say on the subject.
And for a “doctor” to say “this false belief that Black people are somehow biologically different from white people” is outrageous.
Has this guy ever heard of skin cancer or sickle cell?
I’d bet he supports mammograms, pap smears, and prostate cancer screening for “every body” too. Can’t let biology or genetics influence care decisions.
n
Fredericksburg has been trashed by both locals chasing AirBnB gold and transplanted Californians building wineries, but the place has a long way to go before it is Aspen.
The Auslander, pictured at the bottom of the Mail’s story isn’t exactly haute cuisine and serves a lot of fried foods and meat.
My wife’s associate in Vantucky finished residency at Houston Methodist San Jacinto, and the local hospital in Fredericksburg sponsored her to start a practice starting in June of that year. By March the following year, the idiot husband, the “spirits blogger”, started Tweeting about exploring options for getting out because they couldn’t stand the place.
Lifelong Texans.
To be fair, that was 2010, and the husband did something bad that Fall running for Mayor as a fringe loony candidate.
Still, they were both spoiled rich kids and “Pro” alcoholics. You would think that they would be right at home in Fredericksburg if it was headed towards “Aspen” level smug. Their kind of peeps.
To recap: “Pro” as in the Hunter S. Thompson sense of the word: ”When the going gets weird, the weird turn Pro.”
LOL LOL LOL Front Page! Front Page! Front Page!
Political guru predicts Trump White House will COLLAPSE within 30 days
Ole SnakeHead will say anything for a buck and the LSM will gobble it up if it is anti-ORANGEMANBAD!
Hey, doosh, it’s already been over a month and things aren’t changing. Winning!
When the associate first started working at my wife’s office, her (the associate’s) cell phone would buzz non-stop with Fredericksburg numbers. They left town so quickly that the local hospital had not been able to find a replacement in the clinic during the notice period in the contract, and the cell phone was the “call” number for emergencies.
The girl just cackled with delight everytime the phone rang with Fredericksburg, TX showing as the origination point of the call.
This illustrates my point that you can build and equip a clinic, but even in the “next Aspen” finding staff will be a problem.
Finding staff who really give a cr*p? Good luck with that.
I think the Cartels have so corrupted Mexican authorites that tariffs would make no difference to them. The money and threats to key authorites families would keep the dope crossing.
DOGE alert: our troops are being robbed and starved
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/02/doge_alert_our_troops_are_being_robbed_and_starved.html
Find some pos old federal property, preferably one that has a lot of asbestos and other contamination. Spend nothing on abatement–just put in cells. No toilets–buckets with lids and two trips a day to a real toilet. Three meals a day, just like the photo in the article above.
Find out were the money has been going, and put the ones responsible in the “new” facility. Find every report on the shortfall, trace the distribution, and jail anyone that saw it and did not take action.
Start at the bottom and work up: Cooperate, and we’ll take treason off the list of charges. When we get high enough, treason stays on the list and we go for the death penalty. No deals.
Jesus Christ Superstar goes queer
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/02/jesus_christ_superstar_goes_queer.html
Tony Evers Aims to Change ‘Mother’ to ‘Inseminated Person’
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2025/02/23/tony-evers-on-mothers-being-inseminated-person-n2652643
Let’s just say, Tony–hypothetically, of course–that youare arrested, charged with corruption, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to prison. What are the odds you would become an “inseminated person” on a regular basis?
Wow, only 11 days to the houston area hamfest. I’m a bit behind in my preparations to sell there. And it conflicts with my non-prepping hobby meeting this year…
I better get off my assets .
n
How sad. I vividly recall, in primary school, coming across the word “cressets”, and the teacher asking what it meant. Most of the class, like I, had no clue, but I figured out from the context what it must be, and offered my guess. The teacher sent me to the back of the classroom, where there was a “concise” dictionary of English in two volumes, each of which probably massed as much as I did, to look it up. There was no such thing as “no such word”.
The poem we were reading was “The rider at the gate”, by John Masefield, and my deduction about “cressets” was right. A lesson about the power of the pen that stuck with me.
“He isn’t ‘forgiving’ debt. He is taking the debt from those who willingly took it out to go to college and transferring it onto taxpayers
–And this is why it MUST be ended.
n
>>D2 thinks she would like to attend this school, but it’s crazy expensive. The education is top notch, focused on college and beyond, and very well regarded. It’s also academically much more challenging than the school we’re zoned to, where D1 is currently enrolled. I think we’re going to have some tough discussions coming up.
Does her desired career path / job prospects depend on both this specialized(?) HS plus college? If so, is it college just for the sake of the degree or rather acquiring more specific skills? If it’s the former, would an Associates from a local community college suffice?
My first run in with clueless teachers was in kindergarten. The teacher asked what rolls. I said a cereal box. I was sent to the vice principal’s office for being a smart alec and was paddled with on strike. I tried to explain we are Quaker Oats which came in a round container. Myself and my brothers played a lot with rolling containers. The teacher had never seen them and refused to acknowledge her lack of knowledge.
69 years later I still remember that incident. It shaped my disrespect for clueless teachers and administrators. And I would tell them so which really didn’t help my classroom standing, and grades. More than a few times my answer on tests was correct, but wrong according to the teachers. Who refused to admit a mistake.
I can tell that I am in Oklahoma now. The Rest Area has “Caution: Venomous Snakes In Area” signs.
It is up to Trump to enforce payment at this point.
That will get the Progs stirred up so I know it hasn’t happened yet.
Please. My wife’s active duty nephew used the freshly-expanded off-base housing allowance to buy a house in Georgetown, TX last year with a zero-down mortgage for which I could never qualify with my salary alone and would be a stretch to qualify for on our joint income.
On top of the house here, he has a rental property in Clarksville, TN, also purchased with an off base housing allowance, albeit less generous since he bought the house three years ago.
I understand that he *might* be called on to die for his country one day, but the nephew isn’t doing too shabby for a J-school degree and no real marketable job skils beyond being able to peddle BS.
Give that task to the IRS. Put a lien on everthing the debtor owns if they miss even one payment. If they still have a balance when they apply for SS, tell them their monthy payout will go towards debt until paid off.
Don’t sell him short. He qualifies as a politician.
The existing enforcement mechanisms, including wage garnishment, were very effective pre-pandemic.
Biden should have started enforcement in November, but he kicked the can down the road after the election and left it up to Trump.
I have a divorce court proceeding on the other monitor while I watch some auctions close.
The dude makes $200k / yr.
He got the waitress a job at his company, then married her. She makes $22K. She has three kids, by three fathers, none from her husband. One pays a few hundred in child support. One pays sporadically, when he works.
He borrowed against his 401K for part of the down payment on his house, and used about 200K in savings. Mortgage is about $850K, with monthly payment, ex tax and insurance, of $4200.
She wants to force the sale of the house, split the proceeds and go her way. TWO MONTHS after they got married, they started talking about divorce, because her therapist helped her figure out she didn’t really love him.
DUDE. Stop simping. Just stop. She’s a bottle blond, 3x single mom, not bad looking, but DAMN. What did the guy think was going to happen? The mortgage is his alone, but her name is on the house. They signed just after marriage, although he put the down payment/earnest money before the marriage. Don’t know how it will end but his lawyer is fierce.
n
Judge kicked her out, no spousal or child support, move out at the end of the school year. And an order not to involve the police during those two months.
Simp dodged a bullet.
n
I forget when I last posted. Nothing much happening.
The hamburger patties I grilled to vac seal and freeze turned out tasty. Before this past week of freezing my a$$ off I grilled a package of HEB’s fajitas and some boneless chicken thighs. I’m almost done, maybe Thursday.
No broken pipes this year. But 12f isn’t as cold as zero. A bit of drizzling rain. Nice stuff when it’s 22f and it’s time to walk the dogs. No snow to speak of, just a very light dusting of powder.
Today was sunny and made it to 70f. I can feel my toes for a change.
When I paid the property taxes they acted like it was no big deal to change the name on the bill. Just bring the death cert and will and no problem. Not so. Now they want the will probated. What a waste of time and money. It all goes to me, no one else. Oh well. I found a lawyer. Maybe $2000.
So fill out a ton of paper. List possessions and itemize items over $500 in value.
Estimate what the contents of the house are worth. I put down $2000 and good luck getting it. Garage sale prices.
Look, I know what I paid for most of what is here. But the TV? It cost $2000 almost 15 years ago and now you can buy a 55″ for less than $500 at Wal-Mart. The stereo is older and is a “theater in a box” that was almost $500 in 2005. What does a 15 year old fridge go for? With luck there’s $150 in sales with the three items.
Sure, the grandfather clock is worth something. It was a kit, cost $850. The rosewood china cabinet is worth something, I inherited it and he paid like $8500 (because it has a dent) at Scandinavian Furniture way back in 1988. My Glock. The Henry .22.
But the rest? It’s almost all antique knock-down furniture from K-Mart and Wal-Mart and Ikea. A couple of Lazy Boy chairs and a not so comfortable loveseat.
Kitchen stuff? No clue. No where near what it would cost to replace, might get 10¢ on the dollar.
I think the newest thing in the house that is not food is the Keurig Duo sitting on the kitchen counter. It is almost three years old.
I’m taking the paperwork to the lawyer tomorrow.
Like they say, “Форwард!”.
same thing, expressed twice.
Sigh. I forgot to grab my phone charging cable at the house. It is always something when I travel now.
I had one in my travel bag but I think my wife borrowed it.
Please. My wife’s active duty nephew used the freshly-expanded off-base housing allowance to buy a house in Georgetown, TX last year with a zero-down mortgage for which I could never qualify with my salary alone and would be a stretch to qualify for on our joint income.
It is the enlisted getting screwed as usual. The officers are always taken care of.
@lynn, ask at the desk of the hotel. They should have a box of them left behind by other guests.
n
Five things I did this week.
Milled two carburetor shafts for larger throttle plates. Required me to figure out how use the new to me, mill, including located the right cutting tool and how to properly clamp the throttle shaft.
Installed the new throttle shafts into the carbs and fitted the carbs using new fuel bowls after fitting the original accelerator pump assemblies to these fuel bowls to the 3×2 intake manifold including modifying the throttle linkage for proper operation.
Located all of the parts for a 428CJ carb so I could send it out to be replated (colorized). The carb was just a main body, base plate and metering plates. I had to locate fuel bowls, secondary throttle shaft actuator assembly, choke assembly and all internal parts for these.
Located the special fuel bowl and a choke asembly for a 390 GT carb so I could send it out to be replated. (This carb is also completely disassembled. I may not have all of the parts for it. I won’t know if I do until my search for the parts is successful or fails.)
Disassembled the driver’s door for my ’70 Maverick and replaced the door handle. (I still need to replace the door locks. I have some but may need to get them rekeyed.)
USB-micro and Lightning are obsolete but a business simply putting them in the trash is against the law.
Sigh. I forgot to grab my phone charging cable at the house. It is always something when I travel now.
I had one in my travel bag but I think my wife borrowed it.
@lynn, ask at the desk of the hotel. They should have a box of them left behind by other guests.
I went out to my truck first and dug around. My charging cables were in the bottom of my console. I have no idea how they got out of my travel bag into my console.
BTW, the USPS NCED hotel is run by Marriot now. Not as friendly.
When I traveled all over and rented cars every week, I carried my own GPS and I’d sometimes forget the cable in a rental car. Hertz almost always had one at the desk if I asked.
Hotels ALWAYS had a big box of adapters, even when every cell phone had its own style connector I could usually find one that fit.
Now pretty much every bigger gas station and every truck stop has a wall of USB cables.
n
Good to hear from you Paul, and Bob…
n
When I paid the property taxes they acted like it was no big deal to change the name on the bill. Just bring the death cert and will and no problem. Not so. Now they want the will probated. What a waste of time and money. It all goes to me, no one else. Oh well. I found a lawyer. Maybe $2000.
So fill out a ton of paper. List possessions and itemize items over $500 in value.
Good luck ! It took my wife two years to get her dad’s will probated during The Koof. Everything was done over Zoom. Not the best way but it worked.
The rental car companies sell the chargers at the desk now.
USB-micro and Lightning were easy to replace, but the new phones are pickier about USB-C cables.
The other travel accessory which is quickly becoming a necessity as more manufacturers eliminate the 12 V outlet in cars is a “data blocker” for the dash USB-A or USB-C port.
Eliminate the 12 V outlet and that’s one less dedicated circuit with its own breaker.
If you’re still working through 80s/90s “Star Trek”, keep “Enterprise” in mind.
Like the other three series from that production era, the writers, cast, and crew seemed to finally find a groove in the fourth season, but “Enterprise” was abruptly cancelled at that point.
I caught an early episode the other night, and was reminded that, even in weak episodes, Scott Bakula was always good.
The mainstream media cancelled Carville over a remark he made in a class at Tulane a couple of years ago, but he was in trouble with them for a while for not being 100% onboard with covering up for Biden.
Lynn, you already have some good suggestions on charging cables, but here’s another. I have bought them from Dollar Tree with good luck. Note: “Dollar Tree” not any of the others. I have no experience with those others. This includes Micro USB and now USB-C. The micro USB cables would sometimes limit charge current, but the USB-C cables don’t seem to limit current in my experience. Most seem to work as well as the ones that came with my Samsung phones, although they are not as rugged. I don’t use many cables, because my latest phones can do induction charging, which saves wear on the connectors and cables.
Dollar Tree stores seem to be almost everywhere I go. I also like some of their LED light bulbs, which last almost as long as the big name brands in my experience.
>>When I paid the property taxes they acted like it was no big deal to change the name on the bill. Just bring the death cert and will and no problem. Not so. Now they want the will probated. What a waste of time and money. It all goes to me, no one else. Oh well. I found a lawyer. Maybe $2000.
So fill out a ton of paper. List possessions and itemize items over $500 in value.
Unfortunately too late for Paul, (well only for the past, still time for the future), get yourself a revocable living trust and avoid all the hassles of probate.