Thur. Oct. 14, 2021 – falling behind, ever farther behind….

Hot and humid, but maybe a bit less so today than last week. Or even yesterday. I would like the rain to hold off though so I can use my pickup truck to move some things.

Did my errands yesterday. Flipped one auction item to the auctioneer for cash while doing the pickup… didn’t make what I hoped to make but did keep the auctioneer thinking favorably of me. And I’ll eventually get more stuff in his auctions. Meatspace baby. Relationships. Trust. Mutual self interest. These things need building up as much as your stacks of buckets and cans do.

Daughter had a little mishap after dinner that I’ve described in yesterday’s comments. It brings up some interesting discussion points regarding medical preps. Do you keep stuff that you don’t actually know how to use? Or do you fear ‘getting yourself into trouble’ with it? I’m firmly on the side that stacks material that is far outside your competence to use, especially with medical preps. Having a Doctor in your group, or just access to a doctor, maybe by radio or cell phone will do you no good if you don’t also have the stuff that he can direct you to use. Worst case is me using the stuff to ‘wing it’ if it all goes pear shaped. Slightly less worst case is me learning from the reference material how to do better than just winging it. Having the stuff and learning how to use it, or being advised on its use, or even trading it later to someone else is all better than not having it when it is needed.

Don’t be afraid to stack something you aren’t able to use. You might learn, someone else might use it on your behalf, or you might just exchange it for something you need more later on.

Stack ALL the things*

nick

*start with the basics, then get more advanced in every area. Don’t skip something that becomes available out of order though. You might not get a second time.

55 Comments and discussion on "Thur. Oct. 14, 2021 – falling behind, ever farther behind…."

  1. SteveF says:

    Didn't take long for W1 and D1 to be seen.

    I find it interesting that you feel the need to number your wife. Got another you don't mention? Making plans for the future? Things that make you go "hmm…"

  2. Nick Flandrey says:

    I wondered how long it would be before someone brought that up!  I think it's about 4 days since I first used it?  Some time before that I mentioned thinking about using it and the trouble it would cause me 😉

    It's kinda like saying "I'd like you to meet my future ex-wife…"  

    I remember someone joking about wife number one, who he was still married to some decades later….

    I guess I'll drop the joke now.  Easier to type though….

    n

  3. Nick Flandrey says:

    Amish again. 

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10089795/Michigan-high-school-cancels-classes-43-million-campus-massive-food-fight-brawl.html

    I don't see any evidence of a "food fight".

    No one was seriously injured in the fights, the district said in its statement.

    'After the school was settled and students returned to their classrooms, a police investigation into the fights determined that it could be gang related and additional fights could occur,' the Detroit Public Schools District said. 

    'To ensure the safety of all students and staff, a structured and controlled early dismissal process was used.'

    Beverly Johnson, a parent, told Click On Detroit that the problem had been brewing for a while. 

    'Every day since school has been in, it's been ongoing,' she said. 

    'Fight, people bringing weapons. They fight all day in school. 

    'Parents bring other kids up here to fight kids. It's out of control. 

    'My baby called me and told me that she couldn't breathe and that she was on the way to her next class and they pepper-sprayed her.' 

    The school will hold sessions with parents and pupils this week to try and get to the bottom of the trouble.

    The school, in a rapidly-gentrifying suburb of Motor City, was refurbished nine years ago at a cost of $43 million, with a state-of-the-art computer labs, an auditorium, gym and classrooms.

    –there's the old bugaboo – gentrification.   Although there is no evidence that gentrification had anything to do with the fight, since the school is about as homogeneous as it's possible to be. 

    Students are 99.2 per cent black, and the students do not come from affluent families: 90 per cent receive free school meals.  

    –and gee, a school has classrooms a gym and an auditorium.  Wow.  Looks like the problem isn't with the school facilities… and I'm sure it's not the faculty since it never is, so who does that leave?   Maybe the ones who "need early intervention."

    'Is what you're doing right now worth the next 10 years of your life being taken away from you? Twenty years of your life being stripped from you? 

    'And having honest conversations.' 

    Williams said there should be more early intervention, to stop the problems escalating. 

    'There should be programs like ours set in place in schools to resolve a lot of these conflicts before they happen,' he said. 

    'Build relationships on the ground so that we don't get to the point where we have a bunch of police officers running and tackling kids inside a school.'  

    n

  4. MrAtoz says:

    I'm getting 500 errors

  5. MrAtoz says:

    Nope, I'm trying to post about Mr. Nick numbering is offspring. 500 error every time.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    Popovich red pilled himself long ago. CC was like Hitler. Now, let me enjoy my millions, peons.

    The NFL owners want a stadium in San Marcos suitable for hosting Super Bowls, with the party split between 6th Street in Austin and the Riverwalk.

    Coach Pop will bring the wine from his private reserves.

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    completely ignoring the fact that a high school in south Chicago is largely hispanic

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10087991/Chicago-high-school-slammed-bending-woke-mob-video-homecoming-goes-viral.html

    And completely ignoring the facts for the narrative.

    BTW, look at the f#xing playlist.   WAP?   I've talked about that one before.  If that one is on there, the others can't be too wholesome either.  No one is complaining about lyrics from WAP played at a high school dance????

    n

  8. Greg Norton says:

    BTW, look at the f#xing playlist.   WAP?   I've talked about that one before.  If that one is on there, the others can't be too wholesome either.  No one is complaining about lyrics from WAP played at a high school dance????

    Meghan thee Stallyn (sp?), half of the "artistic" duo behind WAP headlined at Austin City Limits opening night two weeks ago.

    As tightly puckered as the sphincters are in the city these days, the politicians made sure nothing prevented the festival from proceeding as planned.

    The people who decide these things have chosen to have the US adopt the Amish culture as the general norm.

  9. drwilliams says:

    AP: Heating costs to soar as Biden begs fossil-fuel companies for rescue

    LOL

    GS

  10. lpdbw says:

    re: W1

    I had a boss once who sent a congratulations card to a newlywed couple with this inscription:  "First weddings are always so special".

  11. Pecancorner says:

    https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2021/10/13/wed-oct-13-2021-getting-back-to-normal/#comment-220296

    Power outage here.  … After waking up a bit, and giving the wife the portable oxygen machine, found one of my FLASHLIGHTS, which led me to the LED headlamp (on top of the fridge with other FLASHLIGHTS). Out to the garage, manually raise the garage door (not too hard – springs were replaced a couple years ago), and roll out the generator a few feet into the driveway.

    … hook up the 30 amp cord to the bypass switch I installed about 4 years back (about $500 – and wired it myself). Flipped a couple of switches, and the power is on to essential circuits. … 

    Fired up the oxygen generator, swapped it for the portable one.

    All is well. Although I did notice that the fridge is not on a generator-powered circuit. Or the bulb is out. Hopped on the computer to check the local utility's outage map. (The cable modem and wireless routers happen to be on a generator-powered circuit.)  …

    Good preps, and sounds like a seamless use of them.  Isn't it great when it all works like one planned it? 

  12. Pecancorner says:

    Recommendations please?  I'm thinking about some kind of off-grid universal phone chargers for Christmas gifts.  Budget around $50.  Solar/wind/wind-up/battery-type? People will use their cars to charge generally in a power outage, so this would be a backup to that.  

    There are a million of them out there and they all look the same to me.   Suggestions on specific models/brands, or even just what features I should look for would be veyr useful.

    Thank you much in advance!

  13. Greg Norton says:

    Recommendations please?  I'm thinking about some kind of off-grid universal phone chargers for Christmas gifts.  Budget around $50.  Solar/wind/wind-up/battery-type? People will use their cars to charge generally in a power outage, so this would be a backup to that. 

    After we were stranded in the parking lot of Gatorland past closing time in March because my mother-in-law carelessly failed to make sure her door closed fully, causing the battery to die, we now carry a Noco jump start gadget on trips. The device can double as a USB charger and is FAA approved for carry-ons. It also has a … dare I say it … flashlight (ok, I said it).

    I keep the Noco charged when it is idle at our house.

    Price is slightly above budget, but how far above depends on the vehicle you intend to jump start.

    I bought a Noco powerful enough to start my wife’s Explorer 3.0L V6. We generally rent a similar vehicle or smaller if we fly.

  14. MrAtoz says:

    I've had and used this Anker solar charger for years:

    <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone-Galaxy/dp/B012YZXMZS/ref=asc_df_B012YZXMZS/?linkCode=df0&hvadid=198071814168&hvpos&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3688056147616880342&hvpone&hvptwo&hvqmt&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvlocint&hvlocphy=9028086&hvtargid=pla-377882955742&psc=1%5C%22%3ESolar&tag=ttgnet-20 Panel, Anker 15W USB Solar Charger with Dual-Port and Foldable Panel

    There are cheaper knockoffs on Amazon. If you want something with a built in battery, prices go way up.

  15. MrAtoz says:

    I've tried to post the above link several times, but the link won't close correctly with the link "button".

  16. Nick Flandrey says:

    I bought a bunch of the S brand jump start packs that costco carried for a while.  Never got one to work as a jump starter, but my wife loves hers as a power bank.   They are the size of a paperback book, cost about $60.  She uses hers all weekend at GS camp.

    GoalZero is 'the" brand in the power bank market, but you pay for name too.  'Course, they're probably less likely to burst into flame than some knockoff china crep put together out of the rejects bin…

    n

  17. drwilliams says:

    Ad seen on another website announcing Amazon Deal of the Day Oct 16

    SK hynix Gold S31 1TB SATA Gen3 2.5 inch Internal SSD | SSD 1TB

    Good ratings.

    Any experience here?

  18. ~jim says:

    I've tried to post the above link several times, but the link won't close correctly with the link "button".

    It's done that since before the makeover. I finally gave up.

    One problem I'm having now is selecting more than one word in the comment editing box using my Android phone.

    @Rick

    Why the power outage? Weather seemed fine down here in Seattle.

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    Sweet jebus, I looked at the lyrics for the other songs on that playlist.

    SUBURBAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL, from pictures they are about 60% white.

    in the first ten songs, ONE could air without cuts.

    1 “come and put that p#ssy on me, don’t be runnin from me, if I like it, I spend money on it…”

    2 “you a turnt up little thotty [That Ho Over There] ain’t no wife about it, I’ma f#ck her friends and send her back to metro housing…”

    3 “feeling all over my body, you know how I like it, ain’t gotta tell you what to do..” –this is one that might get air uncut, but on TV it would have a warning for depictions of mental illness.

    4 “all the crazy sh!t I did tonight, those would be the best memories, — blah, “best therapy for me”… more mental illness

    5 –in spanish, dominican slang, repeating the phrase “the blowj0b” as the chorus, 25x each instance, with more references to oral sex throughout, for 3 and a half minutes.

    6 — vulgar and swearing, but only a little sexual content, mainly bj and c(l)ock.

    7 — about 12 words total, repeated for several minutes, could get radio play, about drinking shots.

    8 –mainly a dance video, most of the YT comments are from people about liking the song in elementary school

    9 – not even gonna obscure this one. “give a booty a ‘5’, I like my b***hs real thick lol, mo’ thighs, richer than ya old head n***a no lie, stacks in the p#ssy hole, call that the g spot, real gentlemen, f#ck and never call again”

    10 “these b!tches love Sosa, O end or no end, F#cking with those O boys, you gonna get f#cked over, [fer]rarri’s and Rovers, these hoes love Chief Sosa, hit him with that cobra, now that boy slumped over.”

    –a few that maybe could get air

    17 The Twerkulator “yeah bitch I’m from the city (Miami), I’m lit-ty, diamonds drippy, eat my p#ssy, that’s a quickie, I’m twerkin’, p#ssy poppin, like a cuban b!tch at Tootsies, I’m a City girl, y’all b!tches is some hoochies…”

    And that’s as far down as I really want to go.

    –suburban Catholic high school. And I’m 90% certain the playlist was approved before hand because that’s how it used to work.

    n

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ok, got the server error trying to post the comment above. 

    Selected and copied, then made a new comment with "placeholder" as only text.  Submitted that, ok. 

    edited comment, highlighted all, then pasted the suspect comment whole, saved and it was fine.

    Something is parsing the comments, but doesn't parse the edits….

    n

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    oh and it is 75F and raining out, with some lightning in the distance.

    And gunshots, 8 of them nearby and co-incidentally just as my wife walked up to the door after taking the kids to school.

    n

  22. Greg Norton says:

    Things that make you say "hmmm"…

    At about the 4:25 mark in this video, the vlogger finds the Chuckie dolls in the Spirit Halloween store and notes that the face is off.

    Yes, the Chuckie doll no longer resembles Jon Gruden, as they have for decades prior. Think about the lead times involved in production of the products in that store.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENEyYDChiBo

    And the video predates the scandal breaking and Gruden’s resignation.

  23. Ray Thompson says:

    Back from RV camping. Nice weather, cool nights, sunny days. Probably the last time for the year. Will winterize the RV in the next month.

    Got some sad news while I was gone. My long time dentist of 33 years passed away suddenly. He was on vacation visiting family when one of the arteries to his heart burst. Game over within seconds. He was younger than me, getting close to retirement. Had scaled back his practice to only long term patients, me and the wife being two of those people.

    Life's a bitch, then you die.

  24. Greg Norton says:

    –suburban Catholic high school. And I’m 90% certain the playlist was approved before hand because that’s how it used to work.

    You really think "Catholic" in the school name is supposed to make a difference?

    The famed British prostitute "Belle de Jour" (“Secret Diary of a Call Girl”) is well known as having attended the big Catholic high school outside Tampa.

  25. Brad says:

    I think RBT used to introduce Barbara as his first wife… 

    Meanwhile, those Amish kids – what do you do with them? They aren't learning in school, they won't get useful job skills. They are – at the risk of channeling SteveF – a waste of oxygen.

    Seriously, WTF do you do with an entire subculture of idiots like that?

  26. Ray Thompson says:

    WTF do you do with an entire subculture of idiots like that?

    Make them politicians.

  27. Geoff Powell says:

    @nick:

    Interesting that the community that produces these "lyrics" (note the scare quotes) is very big on "respect". I don't see much, if any, respect for women, not even their own girlfriend/wife.

    Note: I am very much not a fan. My tastes end with William Walton, and go back (very far back) from him. Most recently listening to Vivaldi's Mandolin and Flute Concerti.

    G.

     

  28. Nick Flandrey says:

    @geoff, they use the word respect but it's really a 'face' culture like an asian culture.

    you can't be SEEN to be disrespected.  (to use a word I hate, but that is widely used and captures the idea, which is why it's widely used, I guess.)

    It's also all about appearance.  Starving while wearing $1k shoes.  The gold "grill".  Insistence on certain name brands, etc. 

    Like china, it's all a thin veneer of glitz smeared over a wall built from garbage and rubble.

    They crave the appearance of wealth (the 'markers' for wealth) because they don't understand they're just putting on the skin of dead money.   Oprah made the leap to genuine wealth.  Others have too.   They didn't do it by buying shiny carbon chunks or flash cars.

    And  there are probably deep cultural pressures from a nomadic tribal past that emphasized portable, personal wealth.  In other cultures it's not taken to the same extremes though.

    n

  29. Geoff Powell says:

    @nick:

    It hadn't crossed my mind that, as you say, this is a matter of "face", but now you mention it, it seems right.

    As for me, I could care less… but it would be difficult.

    G.

     

  30. ~jim says:

    It looks like King County Metro here in Seattle is experiencing the same sort of service interruptions as Southwest Airlines. I wonder what could possibly explain it?

    https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/king-county-metro-cancels-more-than-25-bus-routes/NBCKV6IJC5CL7LV46WMOJFNFXQ/?outputType=amp

  31. ech says:

    That is so that they can stay in Texas and not get NASA involved, takeoff in Texas, land in Texas, no circumnavigation of the globe.

    NASA has no role in regulation of commercial spaceflight. The FAA does, and has an office dedicated to handling those launches – space tourism, commercial satellite launches, etc. Because of treaty obligations, it's a federal matter.

  32. Nick Flandrey says:

    And the fragile web continues to shred as the goodwill and hard work of the sons of Martha evaporates…

    n

  33. Nick Flandrey says:

    @paul,

    did you ever have more unusual 'symptoms' after trying the ivermectin?

    n

  34. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well, not mohammed, unless he took the name as part of his conversion… but still SJS.

    Espen Andersen Bråthen has been identified by Norwegian media as being the 37-year-old Islamic convert arrested over the bow and arrow attack in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg that killed five on Wednesday night. Bråthen was identified by several neighbours as the attacker before a YouTube video was uncovered in which he reads out a kind of manifesto, describing himself as 'a messenger' with 'a warning' before adding: 'I testify that I am a Muslim'. Meanwhile court documents revealed that Bråthen had a lengthy criminal history, including an incident in May last year in which he threatened to kill his father while carrying a handgun. Two relatives subsequently took out a restraining order against him. Bråthen also has convictions for aggravated theft and drug offences going back at least as far as 2011, and does not appear to have held a job since the early 2000s.

    n

  35. Nick Flandrey says:

    I could care less… but it would be difficult.

    –LAZY!  Come on man, you can put some effort into it!

    n

  36. Mark W says:

    >W1

    Risky, dude.

    >Popovich red pilled himself long ago. CC was like Hitler. Now, let me enjoy my millions, peons.

    What a POS. Lives in a huge house in the gated Dominion subdivision in the NW part of town. I was in a fancy restaurant a few years ago that had a locker reserved for him containing very expensive wines.

    Does he not realize 1492 was inconceivably different from today? Things he is doing now will be considered evil by future generations. Must be nice to have your head that far up your own a**.

  37. paul says:

    did you ever have more unusual 'symptoms' after trying the ivermectin?

    None at all.  Not so much as a sour burp like the multi-vitamin gives.

    The acid stomach thing seems to be less.  I haven't consciously changed how I cook or what I eat.  Sinuses are clearer and I'm sleeping like a rock. 

     

  38. Nick Flandrey says:

    Listening to the scanner again.   Surveillance and takedown op happened near me, then almost to my rent house…

    Drugs I think.   The twist is that the bad guys seem to be running a counter-surveillance op too.  Multiple vehicles seem to be involved.

    n

  39. ~jim says:

    What's the name of that recent science fiction show about alien metal fragments attracting stuff and doing weird things?

    I saw one or two episodes and can't remember the title for the life of me. 

  40. Alan says:

    >> It's kinda like saying "I'd like you to meet my future ex-wife…"  

    I remember someone joking about wife number one, who he was still married to some decades later….

    I guess I'll drop the joke now.  Easier to type though….

    You could always move to Utah…they're a little more understanding if you have a W1 and a W2. 

  41. Alan says:

    >> What's the name of that recent science fiction show about alien metal fragments attracting stuff and doing weird things?

    I saw one or two episodes and can't remember the title for the life of me. 

    Debris?

  42. MrAtoz says:

    >> What's the name of that recent science fiction show about alien metal fragments attracting stuff and doing weird things?

    I saw one or two episodes and can't remember the title for the life of me. 

    Debris?

    That's it. It was cancelled after one season.

  43. ~jim says:

    _Debris_. Yeah, that was it, thanks! I kinda liked it. Will have to hunt it down again. 

  44. RickH says:

    Why the power outage? Weather seemed fine down here in Seattle.

    No storms or winds last night here. No sirens indicating a car into a pole. I suspect a weak tree or branch into a power line. Not uncommon here in the land of trees.

    Power was back on about 430am – so about a 4 hour outage. I was dozing in the living room, with a non-working light on. If clicked back on when the power came back on. Woke up, turned off and disconnected the generator, flipped the switches on the bypass switch to 'normal', moved the generator back into the garage, shut the garage door, and went back to bed. A five-minute max startup/shutdown.

  45. Pecancorner says:

    Thank you everyone for the recommendations. Sounds like a power bank is what I am after.

    Sometimes I am so far behind in the world of technology that I don't even know what things are called much less what they do. LOL   So all your details were very helpful.

    I think instead of surprising people, I will tell them what I want to give them and ask them to pick the one that works for their needs/equipment/cars. 

  46. Nick Flandrey says:

    @pecancorner, I was at costco today and they have the S brand ones in stock for $60.

    There were a bunch of other things that weren't in stock though.

    I got the second to last bundle of paper towels in the store.   There was no charmin blue, only about a pallet of scott individually wrapped rolls (ie, commercial), and only a couple of pallets of kirkland sandpaper.

    No lamb roasts.  No gatorade in bottles that I noticed.   They were almost out of black bins with the yellow tops and last time I was there they had a whole pallet rack full, like a 40ft x 40ft wall of them.

    All the canned veg were national brands, and they were kirkland.   They had some beans, but not a lot.

    Rice was available for <40c / lb, up to about 60c/lb.   Flour and sugar were a couple pallets each.

    They were running sales on batteries, smokehouse almonds, and windshield wipers.   Wipers were essentially buy 3 get one free.  Almonds too.  Batteries were duracel so I passed.  They were still more than the kirkland.

    Christmas toys were moving well.  Lots of baby yoda.  Some harry potter, lego, books galore.   Some lights and decor, a few fake trees.  Holy cow, when did fake trees get so pricey?

    Spent a ton of money.  Freezers are all full to bursting.

    n

  47. Greg Norton says:

    All the canned veg were national brands, and they were kirkland.   They had some beans, but not a lot.

    The local Costco didn't have Kirkland Organic vegetables the last time we stopped, but the national brand they did have was priced like organic.

  48. Greg Norton says:

    I got the second to last bundle of paper towels in the store.   There was no charmin blue, only about a pallet of scott individually wrapped rolls (ie, commercial), and only a couple of pallets of kirkland sandpaper.

    Costco has successfully created another "shortage" to move the excess inventory I noticed building at our store. Nothing matters except cashflow at that place.

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    Well, I hope they bring some of that excess out to the floor…  and I can't really imagine a business that doesn't want to sell its inventory.    If they've got some in back, the kid stocking the floor didn't know about it.

    n

  50. Greg Norton says:

    Well, I hope they bring some of that excess out to the floor…  and I can't really imagine a business that doesn't want to sell its inventory.    If they've got some in back, the kid stocking the floor didn't know about it.

    If they have merchandise in the store it is out there. Cashflow is priority #1.

    Every now and then, the local store brings in an albino-looking woman, "Jan the Man" ("Silicon Valley" reference, but work in IT and you know the type) to move the upgraded memberships at the checkouts with a bit of trickery.

    The last time my wife wasn't paying attention and got scammed, the upgraded membership didn't even make it out of the store.

    "You just bought this."

    "Yes. Mr. High Pressure did his job."

    "Who? (beat) Oh, OK, I know who you mean. $60 will go back on your card."

  51. Alan says:

    You've got to spend $3,000 a year to break even with the Executive membership. Even with enough Kirkland dog food to feed three dogs we don't consistently average $259 a month.

  52. drwilliams says:

    Groupon has periodic deals for Sam's Club and Costco new members. They tend to be a bit better for higher-level memberships, so that absorbs part of the cost.

    Sam's Club Plus membership is 2% back, so breakeven would be $55/0.02 = $2750 if that was the only benefit. But free shipping for online items and discounted optical if you don't use insurance can pay for it in one purchase. Plus also gets early hours, which was significant pre-vaccine.

    The most significant advantage for Sam's is that I've never seen a gun banning sign at any of their stores. As long as Costco feels they should ban guns, I will feel that they don't need my money.

  53. drwilliams says:

    I missed this at the time, but have bumped up against it three times in the last two weeks:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Universal_Studios_fire

  54. ech says:

    So, the union that represents film/TV crews goes on nationwide strike Monday at 12:01 AM Pacific if they don't have a deal. Their strike plan is in place, with picket lines planned, signs made, etc.

    The issues are restoring concessions made to streaming content productions in the last contract, working conditions, and pay for lower end jobs. The union had 90% turnout and 98% approval for the strike authorization vote. The concessions have already been restored for directors, writers, and actors in their just-signed contracts. Rumors are that Comcast (NBC/Universal) has been the main stumbling block for an agreement.

    Some of the working conditions requests are pretty reasonable: time for lunch, bathroom breaks, enforced max hours per day (the directors and actors already have much of this), limits on night shooting cutting into weekends (i.e. no more "F U Fridays"), etc.

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