OK, 78F and 90%RH this morning. Maybe kissing summer goodbye was a tiny bit premature.
I have my ‘non-prepping hobby’ meeting this am, followed by kid sports, then work…
I’ve got to get stuff out of the driveway and garage to make room for the new stuff coming on Monday. I’ve been slack about it all week but suddenly the week is gone. !Aye, que loco!
Reading through some old RBT posts looking for references, and I’m feeling like it’s time for another muslim terror attack. They had a certain rhythm to them, and it feels like that time. I hate that what I just typed might be true.
Keep stacking folks, the world and the people in it didn’t change because Trump got elected.
n
Reading through some old RBT posts looking for references, and I’m feeling like it’s time for another muslim terror attack. They had a certain rhythm to them, and it feels like that time. I hate that what I just typed might be true.
I think the Islamic crazies will lay low as long as Trump is President and nationalism is on the rise in Europe. In many countries, they are still a minority surrounded by the genetics only two generations removed from fighting the most brutal wars in history.
Islamic crazies are not lying low. There are still trucks driving through crowds, still acid attacks, still gang rapes. And there are terror plots still being foiled in the US and UK and maybe in other European countries. (Though in the US there’s always the question of whether they’re genuine, “grass roots” plots or “astroturfed” by the FBI.)
Wizard of Id: A bear in the woods
https://www.gocomics.com/wizardofid/2018/10/13
Groan !
Still in the 50s here at midday. But the trees haven’t turned yet.
Next Saturday I am taking the Mississippi Enhanced Concealed carry permit course. I won the tuition at a friend’s of the NRA dinner a while back.
Mississippi enhanced permit holders are allowed to carry in some locations in Mississippi that regular permit holders are not. Examples include polling places, public portions of state government buildings, courthouses, public schools including colleges and universities, athletic events not related to firearms, bars and restaurants, passenger terminals of airports (meaning before you get to the security checkpoints) and churches. The enhanced license also allows for carrying in federal buildings, but only in the sense that the state won’t charge you if you carry in federal buildings. The federal government, however, will.
Mississippi has no training requirements for the regular concealed carry permit, simply live here for more than two years and stay out of trouble. The enhanced course covers the legal aspects of self defense and has a range qualification. I’ll be taking my M&P Shield in 9mm as that’s the one I suck least with.
From yesteray,
I’d like a big floor safe like The Salt Lick has at the entrance to their catering pavilion. Preferably, one without a digital lock.
My middle brother built a new bank in Stafford, Texas about 20 years ago for Sterling Bank. He bought an old 1920s walk-in vault from a bank being closed in central Texas. Cost him a boatload of money to move it and install it. About 200 ft2 inside. Kinda looks like this.
http://kcstudio.org/that-old-bank-vault-in-the-basement-kansas-city-public-library/
He bought the bank about five years ago for a branch of his new bank.
https://www.sotb.com/locations.aspx#panel503
@hcombs
Excellent, sir!
It used to be that one could apply for a Florida CCW permit as a non-resident. The advantage was reciprocity with a large number of states. Washington state also used to have good reciprocity, however application as a non-resident was in person (in the late nineties not that time consuming, could be done as a long afternoon layover on the way somewhere else).
From a legal defense standpoint I think having a CCW is worth the time and effort. A good CCW class can help you articulate why carrying is a Very Good Idea Indeed without giving much fodder to the anti-anything’s.
Qualifying gun… I think some states limit your carry gun to what you qualified with?
Alaska does not (CCW not required here to cc but still smart for legal defense to have one).
It used to be that one could apply for a Florida CCW permit as a non-resident. The advantage was reciprocity with a large number of states. Washington state also used to have good reciprocity, however application as a non-resident was in person (in the late nineties not that time consuming, could be done as a long afternoon layover on the way somewhere else).
When we lived up there (2010-2014), I remember the CCW age in WA State was deliberately set to a number which nuked reciprocity with many other states.
People in Texas are surprised when I tell them that WA State doesn’t lack for gun stores. The Cabelas in Lacey has one of the largest gun departments I’ve seen in the entire chain, possibly rivaling the flagship in Nebraska … or at least the way the flagship used to be before Bass Pro bought out the company.
Storm update: I just ended a phone call with a woman I know who is a lab tech at one of the two hospitals. BOTH hospitals have been completely evacuated due to storm damage, and are not capable of admitting new patients. As of now, we have no hospital beds for a county of ~ 175,000 people. Both are ‘functioning’ as stand alone ERs to triage inbound people, but anyone who needs to be admitted is being moved west. Her info is that a couple of ICU patients did not survive the evacuation, but this is *not* confirmed. Her hospital has power, the chain has managed to bring in tankers full of #2 diesel. What it does not have is potable water or a functioning sewage system. Obviously restoring water & sewer will be top priority but KB is ignorant of how long this will take.
Those deaths are on Trump’s head, of course. He denied the truth of climate change and cut all FEMA funds, so every climate-related death is his fault. Climate change can do anything, including cause earthquakes, and women, children, the elderly, minorities, the less fortunate, and the transgendered are most impacted, so Trump must be impeached to stop this genocide.
Dilbert: Dogbert, say it is not true !
http://dilbert.com/strip/2018-10-13
OK, everyone knew this already.
Anyone saying we don’t have inflation is a liar. A couple of months ago someone, not me, was using the tractor and forgot about the blade on the back. Hit a water faucet. I heard the pipe snap inside the house.
Guess who got to dig it up and fix it? 🙂 Of course it was Sunday and the local hardware joint is closed. Well, the faucet was dripping and if the pipe is already broken, might as well replace the faucet. I’d hate to fix everything and snap the pipe while replacing the faucet so I get to start over.
The neighbor stocks a lot of plumbing stuff. Like the way some of use stock canned veggies. But he’s always out of pipe glue… and I have that stocked.
I borrowed a faucet from him. Today I went to the local hardware joint and oh, hell no. $12.99 to replace a $2.95 item. The exact same.
Sure, it was $2.95 in 1995. Yeah, I have a receipt and I know where it is. I was expecting to pay $6 max.
I’ll see what Lowe’s and Home Depot have next week when I go to Marble Falls.
I’ll see what Lowe’s and Home Depot have next week when I go to Marble Falls.
Outdoor faucet? You won’t find anything decent at Lowe’s and Home Depot. At least, not anything that will last.
I paid $7 for an outdoor faucet at a plumbing supply in Temple last year.
Needed to order some parts from my Cub Cadet RZT 50 riding mower. A piece on the front of the deck on the underside came loose and jammed the blades. Lot of smoke from the slipping belts was the first clue. I was able to remove the piece by removing the remaining three of the five bolts and finish mowing.
It did not make sense to me what the piece was for until I started mowing again. Seems it is a shield to keep the air motion from the blades from exiting out the front. When I ran over the leaves from one of the trees it became obvious as I became shrouded in a cloud of dust and leaves.
I had to search for the book on the mower to order parts. Found it in a stack in the garage where we keep all the manuals for everything we buy for the house. Surprised me to learn that I have had that mower for 11 years. Longer than I seem to remember.
Went to the Cub Cadet web site to order parts. Saves on tax and I got free shipping. Could have used a local dealer but it would have cost more.
Ordered new front deck plate, the bolts as the others were showing signs of rust, new discharge chute as the old one is cracked on the supports and needs replacing, new mulching plate as the old one was run over by the kid that mowed my lawn when I was in Europe, new bushings for the front axle pivots which are showing signs of wear and have a lot of play. $190.00 in parts.
Inflation is real as was stated earlier. The mulching plate was $22.00 when I bought it in 2007, now it is $58.00 (I checked other suppliers). The discharge shut is $75.00 for the assembly when all I need is the semi-hard plastic part but I have to get the entire mounting kit with the chute. Needed four bushings, upper and lower, for two spindles, and five bolts at $2.65 each.
Should get me through one or two more seasons. The mower runs really good as I have taken good care of the mower with regular maintenance. Engine starts easily. Change oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and plugs (with anti-seize compound) at the beginning of each season. Had to do the fuel pump about five years ago, been solid since. I make a special trip to a station with 100% gas and treat the gas with fuel treatment. Grease the spindles, axles and and axle pivots each season. Battery is kept on a trickle charger during the winter months although I am on my third battery as I only get about four years out of the battery.
In a couple of years I will probably buy another zero turn mower. I am really leaning towards this mower.
Oh yeah, inflation is eating us a tiny bite at a time.
The Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage I buy for the kids went from a 16 link pack to a 12 link package while they were “redesigning the package”– “same great taste, new look.” This was in the last month or 6 weeks. Price stayed the same, although they had 50c off coupons during the transition.
Cereal boxes at the grocery are so skinny I’m surprised they stand up. Costco has bigger, heavy boxes and the price per box is lower too.
Bacon went from a 2lb shrink pack to a 1.5 pound shrink pack. Price per pound– well one of the acceptable brands is usually on sale for about what the old price was.
Spiral slice ham and smoked salmon are about the only things I’ve seen any price deflation on, and they are about where they were 3 years ago.
Turkey is higher and never got cheap after the holidays.
King Crab is $32/lb and I remember when it would go on sale for $10.
n
In a couple of years I will probably buy another zero turn mower. I am really leaning towards this mower.
Nice! Out of my price range because I’m a cheap “pick a word”.
May be the last mower I ever buy if it lasts as long as my current Cub Cadet. I want something comfortable and better than Home Depot sells. In 12 years I will be almost 80. At that time I will be paying someone to mow my yard.
I’ve got a box of new hose bib faucets. I pick them up for $1 or $2 if I see them. I’ve used them on the house, and on the rain water collection barrels.
I get the OLD ones that have been in Oldman’s garage for a couple of decades….
n
(plumbing parts and deck screws, anchor bolts, and other hardware are worth picking up, you will need them, they are expensive, and the time you save by having them is great.)
May be the last mower I ever buy if it lasts as long as my current Cub Cadet.
Understood.
My first rider was a Murray from a far south Home Depot when Home Depot was still a new thing. Way back in 1993 or 1994. 38 or 40 inch cut. I wore it out. I didn’t have a tractor so I bought a little dump trailer and hauled bags of concrete and rocks all over the place. Mowed the whole place, what could be mowed, once a year for several years. A well spent $850 or so.
Then someone in the family died, so the executor kept the deceased’s Ford tractor for himself and gave us his Yanmar. That took a lot of work off of old Murray and demoted it to just mowing the yard.
When Murray started to smoke and use a quart of oil per half tank of gas… yes, LOTS of smoke…. I started shopping and found George at Tractor Supply in Cedar Park. “George” because George Straight was doing TS commercials at the time. 42 inch cut and about $1000.
George the 1st was a dud. Brought it home, filled the oil and gas, etc., mowed the back yard and when I turned it off it backfired. Loud and with a funny pop noise. Never got it to run again, even with a shot of ether. When cranking it to start is was like the spark plug was missing. I took it back to Tractor Supply and they tried telling me it needs to go to the shop for repairs. Ah, no. I mowed for an hour and it is dead…. if you can make the sucker run, ok, to the the shop. Otherwise, I want another machine or a refund.
I got another machine. Sometimes it sort of backfires when it runs out of gas. My push mower does the same.
So….. I’m on my second rider since 93-ish. George is showing his age (mostly from sun fade) but still runs like a top, the oil is clean. I get to turn 61 at the end of the month. I expect George to last another 10 years. After that, who knows.
Keep stacking folks, the world and the people in it didn’t change because Trump got elected.
And yet, the party that lost has yet to get over it. Something changed.
Macabre news of the day:
A friend of a friend has been diagnosed with disseminating esophageal cancer. he is in his seventies and has chosen doctor assisted suicide in lieu of chemotherapy.
The bucket-kicker, as it were?
The prescription is $700!
The possibility of jokes are endless, I’m sorry to say. Is Medicare going to cover that? Will it be a deductible on the estate’s liabilities? Should Blue Cross be relabeled Black Noose?
@Nick
Wait until after Thanksgiving and pick up a couple turkeys on sale. You needn’t get fancy brands, in fact house brands usually go cheaper than butter balls and the like.
Then get out your pressure cooker and 1 quart Kerr jars and start canning your ass off with kids, friends, and neighbors and make a Sunday of the affair.
You can do soup; you can do just the meat, you can do gravy and in addition you will have a lovely supply of turkey breast to feed everyone that day and or the next.
Last week I finished off my final quart of turkey meat I canned up post-Christmas last year. A couple weeks before that was 16 oz of gravy I made from drippings. If you are frugal, almost none of the bird goes to waste, and at $0.79 per pound it’s a hell of a deal.
He needs to spend all his money so he is penniless, charge the prescription on a credit card, let the credit card company eat the expense.
When my mother died she owed about $450 on Discover and was basically penniless. What little money she had we quickly pulled from her bank account and myself along with my brother and some of the grandkids went out for a stack dinner on her. As for Discover they never got their money. Threatened to take my mother to collections to which I was perfectly content and told Discover so.
And for the record I did not know you could get a prescription for assisted suicide and have it filled.
I was going to stock up on turkey but the sales never happened. They didn’t have a large inventory left over. $1.29 /lb isn’t bad, but it’s not “cheap”.
@paul, I meant that the basic nature of the world and people hasn’t changed, the political part is rearranging, and people are caught up in a manic phase, but still essentially the envious, murderous, sexual beings as ever was…
nn
Anyone else seeing very slow internets??
I switched us to our gigabit switch, and tested and we’re getting dsl speeds. even weirder, my upload is double my download at 10m and 5m
Should I start looking at config issues with the switch? Maybe I’ve got a loop going on,,,,
n
When I first moved into my current home, March of ’88, that first summer was miserable. I used a 22 inch walk behind mower, self propelled, and it would take me seven hours to mow my yard, the area behind me, and area to the side. If I didn’t mow they would quickly become overgrown.
The next summer I purchased a Murray riding mower, single cylinder, I think a 36 inch cut. Got the job down to about 3 hours and eliminated all the walking. Had that for about eight years when I stumbled across a Sears 46 rider, two cylinder, that someone had returned. Sears wanted $800.00. Jumped on that deal. Time was now about 2.5 hours to mow. More power, faster speed, wider cut.
In 1997 I borrowed a friends ZTR to try and was immediately hooked. Went and bought my own. Mowing time was down to about 1 hour. Yes, it did make that much difference. Went from a 46 inch cut to a 50 inch cut. But it was so much faster, turns were quick, basically now had power steering, and a little more power. I can mow as fast as the mower will move without difficulty except in a couple of spots.
One thing about ZTR mowers. If you are going down a steep hill you are not turning. Always mow up or sideways. I have been stuck in a ditch four times with this mower. Twice got the wife to help using the old Sears mower (deck is now removed so just a tractor) to help by pulling, once with the neighbor pulling, and once I just yanked the mower out with the pickup.
Tires up front are a problem with the recommended inflation pressure. Get the tires in a rut on a sharp turn and they pop off the rim. Can be reinstalled but takes an air compressor, valve stem removed, and some jiggling of the tire. I now run the tires at 40 PSI rather than recommended 15 PSI. Minimized the tires coming off the rims.
Still one of the better options for mowing. Fast, easy to maneuver, and easy to operate.
Well, ok then.
My phone is on Straight Talk. The first was a Samsung Galaxy S2. I got it on sale for like $280. I rooted it after a few months just because. And somehow during updating the OS a year or so later, I bricked it. It was on AT&T’s network which isn’t so great here. So I went to wally world for a new phone. Now I have an LG that I really like (although the camera sucks compared to the S2) (but, $120 vs an on sale $500 phone, yeah. ) and it is on Verizon which works great here. Not any luck figuring how to root it….
Meanwhile, while I’m paying the same, my data plan has increased from 2 GB to 10GB. I somehow use about 700 Mb a month. Just checking e-mail and this site once in a while. It’s mostly the crap on the phone constantly updating the ads or something called “bug fixes”. Funny, the stuff I’ve paid for, other than Torque, NEVER update.
My wanting to root the phone is so I can tether it to my PC when the ISP dies for whatever reason. I’m not interested in using the phone as a hot spot, my PC is on Ethernet so a wi-fi spot is useless. Yes, I can do some of what I want on my phone…. on a tiny little screen that is not a 24″ monitor.
So, I went to the the Straight Talk FB page and asked a simple question. “Can I use my sim in a different phone because I want a better camera and bigger screen?”
Their answer, a week later, is “Please enter your 10 digit mobile number to receive an SMS with your PIN. You can check your data usage, service end date, add airtime and more.”
Quite useful, eh?
So, I guess I’m going to stuff my sim into a friend’s spare Blackberry and see what happens.
Bleh.
Nope. I run from my Netgear Modem, to a Netgear Nighthawk Router which is connected to another switch at each computer. All gigabit stuff. No issues anywhere. Thus each computer runs through two switches before getting to the modem. I need the ports in each location where the computers are located.
I think I have about 16 devices connected, wired and wireless.
Wait until after Thanksgiving and pick up a couple turkeys on sale.
My local HEB grocery store never marked down the turkeys. Even past New Year’s Eve.
And I was working there and watching….
Hams /might/ get marked down a couple of weeks past Easter.
Why a switch at each PC? Surge suppression? As in better to zap a switch than a NIC in a PC?
Maybe I’m just slow tonight….
A friend of a friend has been diagnosed with disseminating esophageal cancer. he is in his seventies and has chosen doctor assisted suicide in lieu of chemotherapy.
Sorry to hear that. Esophageal Cancer is a nasty one. One of my first cousins died of that 3 or 4 years ago at age 42. His mom (my aunt) and his siblings still grieve for him. He passed away 9 months after his back broke due a tumor in his back. He never walked again after that.
I have not made a moral decision about the doctor assisted suicide. One, it is an incredibly personal decision, not to be questioned. Two, it should be allowed under very strict circumstances. Three, my daughter has talked about it.
Doctor might be able to prescribe something relatively painless (and without other horrors) and it keeps blame off bystanders or whoever…
And it’s less messy than a gun in the mouth (with potential blame on bystanders).
Suicide to get back at others is all wrong, of course, but if one reaches a point, notably with hopeless disease or something, it should be an appropriate human right. There’s still responsibility, I think, to discuss it (as calmly as possible) with family and friends.
And… I’m open to other ideas on all this…
If you do not own your own life, none of the other rights and freedoms mean anything.
n
I need the extra ports at each location. I am not going to run two or three cables to each location. Easier to just use the existing cable that was I ran many years ago before I had so many devices and put in a switch to get the extra ports. And there are only four ports on the router which would have required an additional switch at the router location. A couple of small switches were cheaper and just easier.
I feel that everyone has a right to decide to terminate their own life. Such a decision should not be carried out until counseling with a doctor and a disinterested party schooled in such decisions. Once all three agree the choice has been made based on reasonable decisions then terminating one’s life should be allowed.
My aunt wasted away in a nursing home for four years, those last two years being nothing but laying in bed. They would wake her up to scrape yesterdays food off one end and shove some more in the other end. My aunt had always been adamant she did not want to live that way.
Had assisted suicide been available I am certain that would have been her choice. She was no longer mentally sound so such a decision would have fallen on me. I feel that would require a higher level of support, perhaps a couple of doctors, and a couple of counselors schooled in such matters. Five people to agree on the decision. Such a decision would have saved two years of a living non-existent situation and many thousands of dollars for nothing.
People that are involved in the decision should exclude religious people unless specifically requested by the people involved. Pastors and other church leaders should not be mandated by the state as religious leaders decisions will always be biased and not based on sound advice or concern for what is best for the person involved.
A drug regime that involves one drug administered via IV that puts the person to sleep. Another drug that removes all sensation of pain. The third drug should be one to stop the heart. Problem with that is that someone would have to administer the drugs. Thus an automated machine that will administer the drugs would be required. The person, or their legal representative, would be required to push the button to start the machine.
There should be the requirement that three witnesses be present during the process to ascertain that only the persons allowed by law started the process. A doctor should be one of those people to certify the death. A legal representative for the state to certify the process was voluntary (or carried out by the person’s representative). As many family members desired should also be present such additional family members having no say in the process.
I am open to other options because I have not fully thought out the process.
jim~, is your friend by any chance an ex USN diver? There have been a lot of those guys develop that cancer; it seems to be associated with the use of the chemical re-breather units as opposed to the conventional SCUBA.
@pcb_duffer
Dunno. Interesting correlation.
I rather doubt a handful of phenobarbital, a few Fentanyl patches and a good bottle of whiskey amount to $700…
About 2 months after my Dad died, they sent my Mom to collections – even though we were paying off the balance a little each month. I took the call when they first called her. They ID themselves as a law firm collecting for Discover and wanted payment in full right away. I told them I had no idea who they were and had no proof that they actually represented them. They replied “but we are a law firm!” I told them that made me trust them even less and until we had proof they really had control of the debt, we didn’t want to hear from them and that any calls would be reported to the FTC as a violation of the debt collection laws. I pinged the estate attorney and he said that when we got a letter from them, fax him a copy and he would take care of it. He tied them up in paperwork for 6 months or so. Finally, they threatened to sue. He said “fine, go ahead”, knowing they wouldn’t. And they didn’t.
A friend has a company that does software for attorneys that do debt collection tailored to getting payment for judgements and the like. He knew the firm involved, essentially called them bottom feeders in the industry. They probably bought the debt for 5-8 cents on the dollar. Thing is, if Discover hadn’t done that, they would have gotten paid, with interest.
I was to the point of telling Discover to either cancel the card or be prepared for some massive charges. I would find the sleaziest part of town and drop the card on the sidewalk and drive away. What happened at that point was Discover’s problem. So cancel the card, write off the debt or enjoy the results.
Same crap happened with the cable company, Charter I think. I called them to cancel the account and come get their equipment. Charter said I had to bring the stuff back to their office. I said nope, not doing that. If they want it come get it.
Charter never did pick up their stuff. Got a letter from them with a charge for final month on the account and $400.00 for cable equipment. I just tossed the letter. Never found out the final result.
If I were to pull my mother’s credit I suspect I would find several judgments against her. Probably has a credit score in the low 100’s. I tried to find all the companies to which she owed money to inform them to close the account and write off any balance as they were not getting paid due to the estate having no money.
Myself and my two brothers had to pay for the funeral as my mother had cashed in her funeral policy. My vote was to let the state pay, pauper’s grave, and sell her current plot back to the cemetery and pocket the money. My two brothers overruled me so we each had to pay $1,700.00 for the funeral.
When a person has wishes that they want when they die they have better have made arrangements to cover the cost. Otherwise they get what they can afford based on the funds they left. To stick others with the cost sucks in my opinion.
As for creditors, suck it up. You gambled and lost if the person has nothing.
Law firm that is a bottom feeder! Say it ain’t so.