Category: WuFlu

Thur. Feb. 17, 2022 – Entropy, perversity, and tyranny — the universe must love them

Cool and damp.  Like yesterday turned out to be.  We got some rain in the morning, and misty drizzle later too.   Just enough to be grey and damp, and to make the road slippery.  It was warm long enough that I ended up turning on the A/C before bed as temps in the house crept up to 77F.  That meant 82F in my office which was just too dang hot.  We’ll see how today goes, but I need to do the pickups I didn’t do yesterday, so I’m hoping it’s not too wet.

 

I was coughing and didn’t feel great in the morning so I took a wuflu self test.  Negative again.   That’s something like 6 times I felt bad enough to test, and yet still don’t have the coof.  I’ll head to bed early as the universal remedy for sickness.

Spent most of yesterday on domestic bliss.  Did 2 loads of laundry, folded same.   Did some cleanup and putting away of stuff that’s been out for far too long.   Did some restocking of cabinets.  Then got the kid and went book shopping at the thrifts.   She bought more clothes than books, but did manage to find a half dozen.  Prices in the independent thrift store were high.   Much higher than normal.  It could be a new manager setting prices more aggressively, or it could be inflation showing up in the staff’s perception of what a good price would be.   I managed to get a couple of books, and a benchrest for shooting gubs.

Today I’ve got pickups if it’s not raining.  That will free me up to get out to my client on Friday.  Bought some stuff to donate to daughter’s school.  Wife is already donating both our time this weekend, and something they need in the theater showed up in my auction.  Funny how that happens in my life.

The world continues in its tendency toward increasing tyranny.  The latest from our neighbors to the north slid right by, with nary an objection, and might be used lightly this first time.   They always come back and use it full strength at some point though.   I’d be decreasing my cash in the bank, and increasing my valuable stuff close at hand.  No one ever thinks they’ll come for them, until it’s too late and they have.

The tendency toward increased perversity should be obvious after 10 minutes review of current pop culture.  It wasn’t that long ago that a band could sing a song based on Bible stories.   In fact many bands could do so and each could make it their own, and no one would object, and most people hearing it would already know the story.   Today the dominant pop culture celebrates drug use, violence, misogyny, obscenity, and pornography.

Our president says the smartest guy he knows is a crack head who films himself using drugs and having sex with whores, and who can’t even keep  track of his own laptop with the videos on it, as well as evidence of his other crooked deals.  The previous Democrat administration was so crooked, listing the crimes would get a novel with that plot thrown out as completely impossible fantasy.

Legal abortion, which was supposed to be ‘rare’ has killed 23 million black babies alone, by some estimates.  The social “reforms” of the 60s and 70s have destroyed the black family, destroyed the cities and black neighborhoods, and encouraged a culture of decadence and dependence that has poisoned the soul of black America instead of uplifting it.

This person is reading stories to our kids in the library, and this person is now in charge of our nuclear waste…  At least he has some background in the field, but he seems to have gotten the position “because of” not “in spite of” his clear mental illness.

 

I’m not just a grumpy old man complaining about the kids today.  This stuff that would have been unimaginable a decade ago is really happening.   And it’s being CELEBRATED.

The center cannot hold.

You and I don’t have enough preps.  Stack it up.  Keep it secret.  Keep it safe.

n

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Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to , cry if I want to, cry…..

Good weather today, clear and while starting off cool, getting to shirt-sleeves weather.  Now, that’ll bring the rain…  Yesterday was like that, with occasional and local overcast.  Everywhere else got a nice sunny day.

 

I’ll laugh and sing if I want to, too.  People can come along or not.

 

Did my pickups.   One advent calendar, Lego, check.   One squishmellow, check.  Pump for the BOL. Some tools that I was looking at online but yesterday found for no money in a thrift store.  Set of nice kitchen knives including Henkels and Kyocera ceramics from the same store.  Fun fact, you can clean up the small nicks in your ceramic blades, and sharpen them, with a diamond “stone”.   I use an inexpensive flat plate with diamond dust impregnated to quickly clean the edge and put the bevel back.  Easy and keeps a midly expensive blade working longer.   Digital handheld scanner, new in box.  Don’t know if I’ll keep it or flip it.  Some other stuff for here and for there ended up in my  truck too.

Dinner was from a local japanese takeout.  I STILL haven’t found anyone who makes a katsudon.   CRAVING IT.  This place has a katsu plate which is not the same thing at all.

I love  western culture and living in a first world country.  I’m going to miss it even more than I’m already starting to in the coming years.

Today I’m doing auction stuff, organizing and testing mostly.   Then pickup D1 from school and go shopping for books.   I’m NOT taking her to B&N.   We’re hitting the thrifts and maybe Half Price Books.  Passing our culture to the next generation is important.  My culture reads books.  Lots of books.

Speaking of books, picked up one nursing book and one on steam generation and steam power, emphasis on theory and practice, written for the skilled trades in the late 1800s.  Realized that I can move a good chunk of my  reference library to  the BOL!    MOAR BOOKS!!!!

Peter at BayouRenaissanceMan notes that there is a list of prescription drugs that .gov lists as being in short supply.  I posted to a similar list before wuflu, but it’s here somewhere.  Be interesting to see what’s changed.  One other use is to see if your Doc is substituting an available but less effective med for the one that would be preferred, if it were more widely available.    Work the system and get extra of what you need.  Expect to pay for them yourself.  You are worth it.

And for Pete’s sake, and for your own, stack stuff up.

n

 

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Tues. Feb. 15, 2022 – some days it’s just a journal…

Cold changing to cool, changing to really pleasant later in the day.   I really enjoyed yesterday afternoon.  Blue sky, nice breeze,  moderate temps.  I’ll love another couple of days like that.

Spent the morning at my desk then on a pickup in Sugar Land.  Then on to my secondary location.   After that it was pick up the brat (couldn’t resist the rhyme, but she’s really very sweet).  We went grocery shopping, picked up some cards, then got dinner started.  Played my third game of chess and lost.  Made a stupid mistake and didn’t defend my king properly.  We replayed from that point on and I eventually won, but it took a lot more than the 3-4 moves I initially thought it would.   I’m liking playing with a 10 yo.  Probably wouldn’t like playing with someone who knew all the games and moves for thousands of variations by heart.

Today I’ve got a whole bunch of pickups in the same general direction, so I’ll do a big loop.   It’s mostly stuff for this house or the BOL.   I keep bidding on kayaks but I don’t want to pay!  I’ll get one eventually for cheap enough that I can afford it AND the foundation work…

Speaking of fixes, at the BOL they have a system to pump lake water into the grass sprinklers.   That pump is about the only thing I’m worried about freezing last week.  Anyone know if a ‘shallow well jet pump’ is what that might be or if such a beast is appropriate for that job?   There are a bunch of them in the auctions this week, and it seems like the universe telling me something…  Signs and portents, they are everywhere.  It’s just one of a thousand small jobs that might or will need to be done pretty soon after we take possession.  The list of stuff is long.  The house didn’t have much maintenance for the last dozen years, and no style or tech updates in 40…

There’s always something more to do.  The plumbers came back and finished their work, so now the rest of putting the wall and ceiling back together is on me, as well as the siding and any sort of dressing up that the piping needs.  I hope my wife will arrange the electrician, or I’ll be doing that too.  I need two of me.

It’s all in the service of getting set for what’s coming.  Old water heater was failing in 2008 when we bought the house.  We got our money’s worth but it was WAY past time to replace it.   Same with the HVAC system.  The trick will be finding a replacement as sturdy, simple, and long lasting.  The shortage of very high end systems may work in our favor there.  I don’t need a Lambo, I need a Ford truck.

There’s always more to stack, another skill to learn or practice, more gear, more parts… more people.  Get busy!

 

n

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Mon. Feb. 14, 2022 – Valentine’s Day in the US, so pony up for the pretty….

Cool, clear, some wind…  I hope.   Yesterday was, with a gorgeous sky.   I could use more nice days, without the freezing howling wind.

Did some stuff during the day, but mostly auction shopping for the <s>new house</s>  BOL.  Then ran a couple of errands, swung by the storage unit, and got ready for today.

Pickup and drop off today, with a visit to my secondary.  Then daddy and D2 will do some projects or play chess… and dinner, etc.

I feel more sense of accomplishment when I don’t list all the things I am not going to get done.  Funny that.

Getting to be time for some planting.  Officially, we could still get a frost, but it doesn’t feel like it this year.  I need a plan for home and for the BOL.  We’re still a week or more from signing, but there’s a lot to do and I’d hate to miss a planting because I didn’t do the planning.  I’m bidding on another of the seed displays too.  Isn’t it Alas Babylon that the lady decides to store seed packets as light and cheap trade goods?

Needles and thread might be a good choice too.   The old treadle powered sewing machines are going for crazy money in the estate auctions.   Hundreds of dollars if they are in good shape and running.   Electric ones, unless they are brand new and feature rich, are going for $20-50 for the most part.  Older Kenmores are solid machines and can be had cheaply.  If you don’t have a sewing machine, I’d recommend getting a used one, and a basic book on sewing, and use it.  Since the crowd here is mostly men, use it to do some masculine stuff, like making your own web gear, or covering some old furniture… or make a shop apron.  Or doll clothes for the kid.  Think of it as just another power tool to learn and use.

Stack some tools and the knowledge to use them.  Stack the stuff needed too.

 

n

 

(and get something nice for your spouse.  you need the support and help.)

 

 

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Sun. Feb. 13, 2022 – Friday the 13th falls on a Sunday this month…

Cold again, and still damp.   I could barely walk yesterday morning.  And it was blowing to beat the band.  Today should be more of the same.

Did my stuff yesterday.   Been doing a lot of driving around so I’ve got various audio books in the vehicles to keep me interested and awake.  I am finding that I really like it, if I like the reader.   In the pickup, Frozen Heat, Richard Castle.  Melodrama in the pretend style of pretend author, spun off [or filled in?] from the TV show Castle.  Nathan Fillon in the original role, and I keep trying to hear his voice, but the reader does a good job despite not being Fillon.   It’s silly, and very much a ‘play within a play, within a play.’   Really liked the show, and I’m enjoying the silly book.  It has some easter eggs, like a cop duo named Malcom, and Reynolds and it doesn’t take itself seriously.

In the Expy, Einstein, Walter  Isaacson.  Well read, it’s a bio of Einstein along with an explanation of his ideas.  Very accessible, and I’m learning things.

Also in the Expy, when the kid is in the truck, The Magician’s Nephew, Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis.  Produced by Focus on the Family, it’s a dramatization and is fully produced with voice talent, sound effects, etc.   I read through the Chronicles many times, but don’t remember this one so it’s fun to hear it.  All of the discs in this set are well done, with the exception of a VERY strange vocal acting choice for Aslan.  Recommended if you liked the stories.

I ran out of the Louis Lamour stories, but I found some more of the Sherlock Holmes, and I’ve got a couple more of the Richard Castle books too.   Audiobooks on CD are cheap on ebay, and I’m really enjoying listening to them, which I really didn’t expect.  Beats the snot out of AM talk radio….

 

I’ve talked to a lot of people this week, during my errands.   Most of them thing wuflu is about over, and certainly treating it as a special ongoing disaster is D O N E done.    There is a broad awareness of coming hard times.  People see the shortages, they feel the pinch of the inflation.  Let’s Go Brandon got a return chorus from the group at my hobby club meeting when someone mentioned inflation.   There are a lot of retired technical specialists and small business owners in the group, but this is the first year there has been much mention of politics.  It’s normally a politely politics free space  focused on our common interest.   I spent about 10-15 minutes talking to one of the guys about lakehouses, rent houses, and how he’s selling stuff off and getting out of his investments.  He figures property is about as high as it’s really likely to go, and interest rates will kill it.  I’m kinda inclined to agree.  And everyone was talking about supply chain issues and scarcity impacts on construction, repair, and the economy.

 

Do your own research, draw your own conclusions, but I’m betting on “much worse before it gets better” and while I can’t pick a specific time, “soon” seems about right.   Stack all the things.   It’s gonna get sporty.

nick

 

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Sat. Feb. 12, 2022 – non-prepping hobby day

Cool and damp but clear and not cold… I hope.  Really nice yesterday as long as you were in the sun.

Got a bunch of stuff yesterday, drove all over town.   Picked up D2 from early dismissal, and went out for more.

Today I’ve got my quarterly hobby mini-swapmeet and get together, which will keep me occupied for a few hours this morning.  Then I’m driving out to Conroe to pick up some patio furniture.   Aluminum chairs and table, definitely not new, but holy cow the stuff is expensive new.  Used will be  just fine for a while.

I’ll be away from the keyboard but will check in.  Keep it to a dull roar…

 

and stack something.

n

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Fri. Feb. 11, 2022 -02112022 – well this week zipped by….

Cool, eventually, but starting cold.    It was 38F Thursday morning, but 54F at midnight, with gorgeous skies and temps in between.

Got dressed and did some small things to get ready for no water most of the day, but then I left… so I didn’t have to suffer the consequences of not having a pitcher of drinking water available.   It wasn’t really a big deal.   There was plenty  of other stuff available, and there were hundreds of gallons I would have used if needed.

Drove around and did my pickups.   Hit the Habitat reStore, and a couple of thrifts looking for stuff for the lakehouse.  Got stuff to resell instead, and stuff for this house.

Did I mention I bought a little boat?  Well, I un-bought it too.  It was a vintage Terry bass boat, a project about half done.  It was cheap, and the repairs were straightforward.  BUT I found out yesterday that it didn’t have a title.  It’s a huge pain in the butt to even try to title an old boat in Texas.   The official TX agency says “Don’t buy a boat without a title in Texas!” right on their website.  So I told the seller I wouldn’t be buying it after all.  Saves figuring out how to get it here… and doing the work.  I’ll need to do some work, no matter what I eventually buy, simply because I can’t afford and probably couldn’t bring myself to buy a new boat anyway…  but this one isn’t THE one.

If you own stuff with titles, put them somewhere your heirs and assigns can find them.

Today is more pickups.  First auction stuff, then D2 from her early dismissal, then another pickup or two.  And shipping.  Sold something so I need to find it and ship it.   I should probably do some cleaning up around here too.

Mundane, everyday life.  Cook, clean, work, repeat.

And stacking, don’t forget that.

n

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Thur. Feb. 10, 2022 – oh yeah, that’s a lot of stuff to do

Cool, possibly not cold, but who really knows?  The shadow knows.  But not the weather liars.  It been freezing overnight the last couple of nights but very pleasant during the day. Could be that today is the same, with nice clear skies.  That is what I’m hoping for anyway.

Did my TV hang at my client’s house in the morning.  Got help from a friend and I was glad to have him there.   75″ Sony TVs are not light.  Not as heavy as the old plasmas, but still pretty heavy and awkward.  I spent a couple of extra hours there and subsequently didn’t get anything done at home that needed to be done.  Those things all got pushed to today.

There is a plumber coming by at some point this morning, and I’m suppose to be ready for him by clearing out his work area, and putting a mounting board on the side of the house.   I’m also supposed to be doing pickups for a bunch of lakehouse stuff, today, tomorrow, and Saturday.  Complicated by having my non-prepping hobby quarterly swapmeet and get together on Saturday… and I really need to attend as I’ve been stacking stuff to sell there.

All in all, a busy few days, and I don’t know if I’ll even make it to everything.

At least the world held together for a few more days.

Stack what you can.

n

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Wed. Feb. 9, 2022 – client day, so afk, brb

Cold, clear, kinda damp. Yesterday started out below freezing.   It did get into the 60s during the day, but what a start.  Today should be very similar.

Did some stuff around the house in the morning, and then headed to my secondary to drop off all the stuff still in the back of my pickup.  Then off to Costco to buy a 75″ TV.  They are giving away the additional 3 year insurance with big TVs so for ~$1K I got the TV and the extension.   Took that out to my client’s house and unloaded it into the garage.   Tried to install the mounts I had, but neither was going to be good.  Made it to the electronics store just before close and bought two new heavy duty full motion mounts.    Then home to make dinner.

Today I’ve got to mount the TVs.  I’ve got a friend helping me.  Freaking TVs are too big.  It’ll take a bit longer than I expected because I’ll have to hang the mounts first, but should be done in a couple of hours.  Then I’ve got some pickups to do, and some getting ready for the plumber tomorrow.  It just never ends.

Should be a mad scramble of a day.

Trying to stack some do-re-mi, and get work done while there are parts and workers.

Take a look at what you can ‘bring forward’ and get done now.  You might not be able to later.

Oh, and stack all the things.

n

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Tues. Feb. 8, 2022 – the center cannot hold…

Cold edging to ‘cool’ later in the day.   Supposed to be sunny and clear, mid 60s at some point.  That would be nice.

Spent Monday sheparding the HVAC guy and managing my renters.  Didn’t get much done on the list.  Picked up D2 and we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon breaking down bulk meat and vac sealing it.  LOTS of opportunity to talk about economics, preps, sanitation, and cooking.  She weighed, ran the vac sealer, and marked the bags.  It was a nice hour and a half together.

I did get a couple of things put away, and made one small repair on something for my swapmeet.

I looked up the Houston area Hamfest, to see if I wanted to try and sell some stuff, or wait for the Hamfest, but it’s been canceled for this year.   That’s a real bummer.  No explanation was posted.

Today I will be heading to my client’s house.  I’ll set the new TV mounts, and get ready for Wednesday, when I think I’ll have some help  to hang the danged things.  They are just too high and too heavy for me to feel safe doing it by myself.  Getting older, and hopefully wiser.

Do what you can while you can.  Things continue to get weirder.   Stack it up.

n

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