Category: personal

Thur. Oct. 31, 2024 – Happy Halloween!

Muggy, warm and damp. Possibility of rain. Yuck. Weeks of dry and cool and the day thousands of people will be out walking around and it is wet and warm. Yuck. We actually had dripping from the sky most of the day yesterday, although it didn’t really puddle, it did get everything wet. And it was very warm.

I did some stuff around the house, then got one pickup done. It was lots from several auctions, so it was time to get the stuff. Then I headed to school for D2’s rehearsal and my volunteer hours. At her school, parents are expected to volunteer time throughout the year to help the kids or the school activities. My wife and I help in the theater program, since that’s our background. I’m doing sound this time, even though that was very secondary to my work and school experience.

The school has a very capable system that hasn’t really been maintained, adjusted, or properly configured for years. It’s been slowly added to and modified, and cruft from second hand knowledge and minimal training and understanding has built up to the point it needs to be cleaned out and reset. And I guess I’m the man to do it. Joy.

On the plus side, the system has built in features that should make their lives easier and shows sound better once we get them configured and active.

On the minus side, a lot of that will be opaque and not at all obvious to the incoming users, who will probably start making changes based on their ignorance and the need to get stuff done.

I’m headed there this morning for a couple of hours to get started.

Then I’ll be putting finishing touches on my Halloween decor and getting ready for trick or treaters. We get about 120-140 kids most years. I’ve got big bags of candy… and I’m not afraid to give it away.

It’s a weird holiday, but one I enjoy a lot. Hope you do too.

n

(not much stacking for me, but should be some for thee..)

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Wed. Oct. 9, 2024 – if you don’t stop that, you’ll go blind…

Cool and clear in the morning, warming later, but not getting hot hot. Just warm hot. Probably not even more than 90F… which describes yesterday too. And probably tomorrow as well.

The cool morning helped me do a couple of small things outside. I did a repair in the garage, poked around the yard. Looked for rat carcasses (and didn’t find any). Did my pickup, got the kid… did some small things around the house. But mostly I was looking at hurricane stuff, talking with mom and my sibling, and trying to figure out what will be happening this weekend.

I’m betting on a lot of wind, water, and devastation. I’m hoping the people I know and love avoid at least one of those three. It seems to unlikely that they’ll miss them all.

Today I’ve got one pickup and one dropoff. The pickup is a 55 gallon rotomolded water tank. The dropoff is a “safe” I opened and fixed for one of my auctioneers. I like opening the cheap “safes” and making them work again. It usually doesn’t take much to open them. Don’t use them to secure anything important. I consider being able to get into stuff, like “safes” or lockboxes, or vehicles, or doors, to be an important skill. Bypassing locks, brute forcing them, or “picking” them, are all fun and fascinating things to learn about and do.

Skills, I’ve got a few, and they are quite varied… stack some skills, and some stuff.

nick

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Sun. Aug. 25, 2024 – last day of my hobby thing…

And it will still be a hot one. Because yesterday was, and it’s still Summer in Houston. There might be a little relief from the humidity though. When I got home yesterday a little bit of localized rain had cleared some of the humidity and it was almost nice out in the evening.

Got my ice and got to the venue on time. Set up the tables and spent the next 9 hour talking to people an trying to sell them stuff. It was tough. The mood on the floor was very subdued compared to previous years. I was selling $3, $5, and the occasional $10 or $20 item, and not doing much in the way of combined sales. Things got better before lunch and when the general admission started, and I sold more higher priced items and more combinations.

By 230pm the crowd started to thin, and several vendors packed up their tables. It felt very late in the day, and by the end of the day even more people had packed up early. Not good.

People I chatted with all blamed the economy, and everyone was very aware of price inflation for groceries.

We’ll see how today shapes up. Sunday has always been a slower day, and one that some vendors skip. I hope it isn’t a ghost town today.

So I’m off to do my thing, and then pack up and head home later.

I’ve talked to a LOT of people and gotten a feel for the lay of the land, which is always useful.

And I’m feeling like I should redouble my prepping efforts. It’s getting worse, but stacks will help.

nick

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Sun. July 21, 2024 – got stuff to do. Do I have the time and motivation?

Hot and humid again. And still. It didn’t feel as hot Saturday because of the patchy clouds, and light overcast, but it was still 90F in the shade at 6pm. Various parts of town got some dribbling spatter, but no real rain that I could see.

Headed out to do a pickup, some material for pipe refurbishment, and ended up chatting with a guy for an hour. The pickup was at the liquidation of an auctioneer I used to buy from all the time. That was pre-covid. His wife died and he quit selling shortly after. Stuff just sat for 5 years and he finally had to get rid of it because the landlord died and they want the land back… One of the interesting things was that the neighborhood, a real shite hole, looked like it might be improving and even gentrifying. People were fixing up houses, and building new houses on the lots. Unfortunately, the re-birth didn’t happen. It was still pretty much the same neighborhood, although he said that hispanics moved in and drove out the blacks that had been there forever. I see that particular demographic change all over Houston, and even other cities. Millions of illegals have to live somewhere…

So I chatted with him for a while, then hit Goodwill looking for shirts and pants, but ended up buying some vinyl albums. Place was busy with resellers and hipsters.

On my way home I ended up stopping to help a guy unconscious on the road. I see people sleeping in the open all over Houston now, but this guy was half on the road, half on the sidewalk, and well dressed. It looked like he’d fallen and hit his head. By the time I got back around, parked and headed toward him, a lady and another guy were there too. He woke up, seemed sorta ok, admitted to drinking the night before, and didn’t want to move from where he was. I gave him a bottle of water, and left. Started rethinking that as I drove away and decided to circle back and see if he’d moved or improved. He hadn’t. He was passed out again in the same spot.

The other people had left him too. The thing I was thinking was that heat injuries present like drunkenness- slurred speech, confusion, shuffling … so I checked him out again. Got him sitting and talking. He was only sweating from his scalp. No slurring, no odor, and it’s 5pm, 10+ hours since he was drinking. I got more of his story, tried for a medical history, but got no response to questions about blood pressure, diabetes, blood sugar, etc. He’d lost his phone, but still had his wallet in his pocket. No one I could contact for him. His speech was clear but he went from passed out to voluble to passed out. I asked if I could touch his arm, and he was cool and clammy. That isn’t good. It’s almost as bad as hot and dry. And then he passed out again. Time for 911. His breathing went from normal to shallow and rapid shortly after the call. That’s another bad sign.

The big red bus arrived, two HFD EMT’s got my synopsis, and he sat up and was chatty again just as they arrived. One of them felt his skin and they quickly got him on the trolley and into the ambulance to transport him. That was it for my involvement, and I headed home.

I am sharing the story because I’m still thinking and re-thinking about it hours later, and it helps to put it in words.

Why did I notice him? There are bums all over Houston, especially “inside the Loop” which is the area closer to downtown. Many are crashed out during the day.. but they are in the shade, they will cross their legs or arms, something to suggest that it’s intentional. This guy was sprawled, head on the sidewalk, legs and feet over the curb and in the street, arms splayed out. In full sun. Bums aren’t clean or well dressed. This guy was both. He was wearing shorts and a collared shirt. His small backpack/bookbag was next to him. He was on my left, on the cross street, and 50-60 feet away.

It just didn’t look right and caught my eye. Because I pay attention to the bums, I knew that he didn’t look like one, and wasn’t in the right place to be one.

It’s hot. I know people are at heightened risk of problems when it’s hot. That added to the ‘not looking right’. It caught the attention of an older black woman, a middle aged hispanic man walking with his family, and me– so I knew I wasn’t reacting inappropriately, the other people saw something concerning enough to park and get out of their cars, and check. As I was trying to get the guy sitting up, I said “come on and sit up, you don’t look like the kind of guy who should be laying in the street” and the lady said “that’s what I thought too”… so I felt like I wasn’t overreacting, or misinterpreting the situation.

Since I’m not an EMT or professional, and because the guy seemed to have control of his faculties once he sat up, I couldn’t dive into a medical assessment, and if he was just drunk, I didn’t think calling the cops would improve his situation, even if they’d respond, so I talked to him. Tried to find out his mental state, and if there were any other problems he was aware of having. Since he wasn’t answering health questions, it seemed like he’d just had too much to drink, and I’m sure that was the hispanic guy’s conclusion when he left after I initially did. But even if he’d been drinking, it didn’t mean he wasn’t having a heat related health emergency.

I thought about it. He was passed out when I arrived, when I returned, and then again while I was talking to him. He had literally not moved an inch. His head was in the same puddle of sweat when he laid back down. In between he seemed lucid and not drunk but wouldn’t try to move, or drink the water I gave him. Didn’t add up to “let him lay on the street.” It also didn’t match up with the other cases of heat illness I’ve seen, except for the clammy skin. 100+F in the sun and the guy is clammy. He’s clearly not thinking straight. And then he falls over again…. so yeah, 911 and get him some real help.

I hope he’s ok. He said he was 3 month sober until the night before when the woman he met encouraged him to drink with her. I asked him if he had a sponsor I could call, if he was in a program, if there was anyone I could call, but he’d lost his phone. Couldn’t even give me his sponsor’s name (IDK if that’s normal but the second A in AA is “anonymous” after all…) People used to carry “In Case of Emergency” cards in their wallets, now it’s all on their phones. Having a couple of contacts on a card in your wallet would be a GOOD IDEA ™.

It’s been 15 years, 7 months, and 13 days since I quit drinking.* I never did a program or went to meetings, but I am familiar with the basics from friends who went that route. It’s not something I think about much, and not part of my identity as it seems to be with so many people who can’t wait to tell you they’re “in recovery”. And yet it comes up surprisingly often. I am amazed by the number of people over the years I’ve “testified” to, or given some encouragement. I hope it’s helped them and not caused them to look at me and go “o h h e l l n o, I’m not turning out like him!” 🙂 Maybe it was the heat, or maybe this guy just fell off the wagon and his body reacted badly to it, or maybe he had another medical issue, or maybe he had all three things going on. I didn’t feel right walking away from him once I got involved.

Moral of the story? Keep your eyes open. Know what is normal for your area and the people in it. Act if you see something wrong. If it doesn’t look right, trust your unconscious brain to be bringing stuff to your attention, and then GIVE it some attention. And there are still good people out there, that are willing to overcome their reluctance and see if they can help. (not me, the other folks that stopped)

Awareness is a prep. Local knowledge is a prep. Basic first aid is a prep. Acting on what you see takes practice and cultivating a willingness to do so. It’s a skill too and needs exercise.

It wasn’t the stacks that helped this time, but I’m sure they will help in the future. Stack like your life depends on it.

nick

* I don’t keep track of the elapsed time anymore, I do the math when I need to.

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Mon. July 15, 2024 – a new week and a new start

Hot and humid still, and again. No rain yesterday for me, but maybe for others in Houston Metro.

I did my thang yesterday morning, poking at laptops and drinking my coffee. Then some clean up, some generator messing about, and off to get fuel. Got some. Checked on my secondary location (my stuff is fine.) Came home and power is restored… so I have a bunch of cleanup and putting away to do. And then maintenance on stuff. But I have power again, so that is good.

Today I’m dropping D1 at a day camp, and maybe doing some other stuff. Wife and D2 will be home. Then I’ve got more cleaning to do, and some organizing. There is a never ending list…

And it’s all easier with power.

So stack what you need to provide some of your own. I’m taking a good hard look at mine.

nick

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Thur. July 11, 2024 – the recovery continues… also Kwikimart Day…

Still hot. Still humid. Still summer in Houston. Still really just the beginning of hurricane season.

I hid from the heat most of the day. Read. Minded the generators. Had “Walking tacos” which are like “Frito Pie” except taco meat and fillings in a bag of Doritos(tm), not chili and toppings in a bag of Fritos(tm). Spent a few minutes cleaning my office. It’s hot and dark in there so I gave that up pretty quickly.

And today might be pretty similar. I’m toying with the idea of doing some work on the vehicles. I have new headlights for the Ranger. Fog lights for the Expedition, and new license plates for both. I should install some radio gear too, to go with the plates. But it is so hot I’m afraid to do much with no cool house to go back to. I’m really feeling the heat, almost like after my heat injury. Don’t want to get back to that mess.

I’ll find something to do, I don’t have the time to just lie about reading, not really, no matter how uncomfortable it is to work or how worn out I am by the labor.

I will try to do some stack sorting at the least, and I need to get out and refill gas bottles and gasoline cans. We could be at this a while.

Wife and kids are contemplating heading to the BOL, where there is power, a/c, and internet for work. I’ll stay here and mind the house. Kids have been really good so far, but are getting a bit stir crazy. D1 wants to go out with her friends, but D2 is ok with books and internet so far. Neither wants to clean house or do chores.

Heck, I don’t either.

Stack something, you will use it eventually, and be glad you had it…

nick

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Mon. July 8, 2024 – will we blow away? will we float away? only time will tell

Because it’s gonna be hot and humid unless it’s actually storming. And then I won’t care because I’ll be inside anyway. Supposed to be a hurry-cane headed this way. I’m not feeling the urgency for some reason.

I really do hope it’s a ball of nothing but some heavy rain. We’ll muddle through in any case.

Yesterday was mostly getting stuff buttoned up at the BOL and heading home. Didn’t do a lot of storm prep here because it was raining when I got here. Since then it cleared and hadn’t rained any more when I wrote this at 1am.

Since I’m completely unprepared, I hope it’s nothing. In case it’s not, I guess we’ll fall back on the preps from the last 15 years…

Y’all be safe out there, as it’s sure to suck for someone.

Mean while, think about the hazards local to you and stack accordingly.

nick

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Sun. July 7, 2024 – still plugging away at it

Hot and humid. Didn’t rain yesterday, might today, might not. Even if the macro forecast is correct the micro (local) weather can still be different. Rain, at least a short quick shower, would be welcome.

I didn’t do much yesterday. Got a nap. Read. Ate. Played a game with the family. Played pool with D2. Hid inside.

Today I have stuff to put away, cleanup to do, and “going home” stuff to sort out. If we go home today. Could be we stay another day if the weather in Houston is bad, and it’s nice here. Well, relatively nice.

Flexibility is good. Procrastination is bad. I will probably poke at the irrigation system some more, maybe even plumbing in one of the backup pumps. They are smaller, and might not really get the job done in the long run, but might be a stopgap. Getting the irrigation running has been a thorn in my side for a year. I’d really like to put it behind me.

So I can move on to the next issue.

I’m stacking projects like they were assets instead of liabilities. Dang.

Stack something GOOD.

nick

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Sat. July 6, 2024 – another hot day, more little jobs…

Hot again. We might have gotten some rain overnight, it was in the forecast and there was some lightning in the surrounding areas… but it will probably still be hot.

Spent the day chatting with sibling and spouse. They are athletic and spent the morning jogging, and out on the kayaks. But it was HOT and humid so we spent the afternoon in the shade, just sitting.

I did do some more investigation into my sprinkler pump. It’s not holding prime. I may have to open it up and see if the impeller is worn out. The grass went from “could use some rain” to “dry and crunchy” in the last couple of days so I would really like to run the sprinklers.

The garden is still producing but if we don’t water it, or get some rain, it will be done soon.

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Today will be about spending some time with guests before they head to the airport. Then I’ll do some work. Probably. But it will be small jobs.

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It was great to have the community gather for the fireworks. Lots of people in the park, lots floating in boats to watch the show. Lot of flags and even some bunting on the houses I can see. Nice to come together.

Work on stacking some friends and neighbors. You’ll need them the most when things get tough.

nick

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Wed. July 3, 2024 – plumbing. Yuck. and then family, yea!

Hot and humid, with it staying in low to mid 80s at night. With some storm action possibly coming for the weekend, I’m looking forward to a couple more days of nice (but hot) weather.

I started in Houston Tuesday after driving home at midnight. Plan was to take the kid to the dentist, get my fangs cleaned, do a pickup and head back to the BOL with my hand snake, and sewer cleaning machine. Then I’d pull the toilet and unclog the pipes, and all would be good for the rest of the family to arrive today.

Most of that happened. My hand snake was too short, and my powered snake was NFG. Houston weather took its toll on the motor. So I have a plumber coming some time this morning. Sucks that I had the tools and the knowledge, but didn’t take good enough care of the tool. I used it more than once so it paid for itself almost double, but today’s bill would have been avoidable too.

Stacks are no good if they rot.

And if you are responsible for your own infrastructure, you better be ready to step up. I thought I was ready, if reluctant. Nope.

———————————————————

I am really liking the small shortwave radio I’ve been using lately.

https://www.amazon.com/Eton-Executive-Aircraft-Shortwave-Leather/dp/B000NOSCN0?tag=ttgnet-20

It’s compact, really pulls in the signals, handles SSB very well so the ham bands are easy to listen to, and it’s pretty ergonomic- I can run it by touch in the dark with its large display giving a lot of info. Fine tuning in SSB, and easily select-able bandwidth filters are icing on the cake. It could use a better way to stand it at an angle, and the leather case doesn’t play as well with the antenna as I’d like but those are quibbles. I’ve recommended not getting a small SW radio in the past, but I like this one a LOT.

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Today, after the plumbing is sorted, I’ll be getting ready for guests and knocking small things off the list.

Then maybe I can relax a bit with family…

And stack some good times. These are the good ol days.

nick

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