It’s called life,,,
Feeling much better today. Whatch’all didn’t know was that I put new wheelbearings on Buffalo yesterday. Yes, while fighting of internal buggies n such, but before I tipped the bottle,,,
and that wasn’t the danged problem.
Pretty much knew it when I jacked up the front end and didn’t get ANY wobble or wiggle out of the suspected bad side. (note, I just did wheel bearings on her two years ago, and those were definitely bad). well, money spent, send it. go through all the motions and I slways do suspension parts in pairs: anything else is false economy.
and the noize was exactly the same as before.
Low Differential fluid,,, Topped of the front diff and the noize abated. GM front drives are always in motion, just not fully engaged across both wheels.
I feel a bit miffed that I didn’t figure that out before I went and spent a chunk of cash on the parts. BUT, I have two good bearings sitting on the shelf for the future (not a danged thing wrong with them so I boxed em and when/if these bearings start to fail, there they are.).
Its one thing to be mad at myself for a simple (NEWB) mistake, but then, I am not turning wrench everyday like I usedta back in the day…. Nor is my hearing all that these days. That I could hear it tells me it was getting really bad. but diff gears are robust, they just need lots of lube to not burn up.
It’s called life. We age, things fail, on us and things around us, and we keep moving forward in time, until such time as we don’t, but time never stops. Mistake made, and may be made again later down the road. BUT, next time, I check fluids before I go dropping cash.
It’s kinda icky out today. Grey April skies, threats of rain (that we need!) and chilly. Seeing how I just fought off the bugs, I think I wanna hold off on kayaky stuff today, maybe even build a fire in the stove to knock the chill in the house down. (gotta watch that though, its real easy to turn the house into a literal oven.)
And that means I work on writing stuff,,,, Still working on that re-write and sequel so there is that,,,,
more laters as I get the gumption,,,
in the course of human events
People live, people die, life carries on, and the world continues to turn.
When we are at our lowest, I think its good to remember the above. WE, individually, will cease to be, but the rest of this semi-psychotic mess we call a species will carry forward. If we are remembered or not is ENTIRELY up to us, and what we do. Will we be remembered in fondness? Or will our name forever be attributed to some evil or sickness?
I can think of a few public figures right now that are rapidly earning something along that last,,,, no names need be said, do they?
I posted up a video recently of a young man in GB that is just ripping apart the viral threads with a baring of his soul. In that video he says that he only wants to leave something good behind. I think “Mission Accomplished” would be the operative words here. His viewing counts gain by millions each week. When I posted the vid, it was below 4 million,,, this week, its well over 8 million and climbing still. I wish only the best fo the man: from what I have read, he deserves it. His art may not be for everyone (I know a couple of people I showed it to, sorta wrinkled their nose at it,, but others, totally sucked in and it “Clicked” with them, same as it did me.). He is leaving something positive for millions behind,,, if he were to do nothing else the rest of his life,, there will be some that remember him,, And in positive light.
I think that is all any of us wish for, ultimately,,, To be thought well of when its all said and done for us.
Thats part of why I wrote the book I did,, and why I intend on doing more there. I wanted to come home and work on them today, seeing how it was a rainy cold mess out,,, BUT, too much for this one jack of all trades to handle today. More tomorrow. I was joking with my dad that we may be burying Bossman this week: when he writes my check he may have an aneurysm,,, Maxed hours every day and there is still one more to go, and I have enough on my list for 3 more full days, and thats just the shop time I know about, installs may add to that. Bossmans BP may spike, but I know the revenue I generated this week more than justifies the expenditure for me,,,, He’ll get over it,,,
Darkness is falling, its been a grey day, and soon, furry lumps will be arriving, wishing me to dry them off, feed them and make them places to curl up (like my lap,,,). Any work I start now may get interrupted, repeatedly. BUT, here I am, on the Mac, tapping out a post and once I fire this off, I am opening Vellum and getting busy until such time as Grizz and Mama start insisting they are the absolute priority and nothing else will suffice.
To be honest, I haven’t paid one iota of attention to the world at large this week, other than my daily reads of BCE, Sarah WRSA, Cold Fury and Liberty’s Torch,,, (and the comics, DBD, GG, and LFG,,, two are very non-political.). For what its worth, doesn’t seem to be much movement on collapse, WWIII, or The Not-so-Great reset,,, Usual swirling of the bowl going on, and, well, dongivafuk these days…. I can’t stop it, I can’t control anything past my personal space (which is as far as my arms reach) and I will roll wth the punches as they came and as I can,,,, I think thats all any of us can do.
In the meantime, I work on that ‘legacy’ I want to leave behind, the words going to print, and the ones here that will vanish when this site is shuttered after my demise. (no I ain’t dyin’, not today anyways,,, what the future holds is anyones guess, and I may be around for another 30 plus years,,, We will see,,,,). Keep the prep thing going while there is still that luxury, keep making alternative plans, three ways in, five ways out,,, two is one, one is none,,, Rather be looking at it, than looking for it,,,, Little blurbs that seem cliche, but are sound wisdom. Things we need to carry forward for the generations that will replaces us. Some of the ideas I wrote into Wings,,, facts that are not taught in the Indoctrination centers,,, concepts that are dead simple, but complicated to express to those blinded by the mental gymnastics they are taught.
We all move on, none get off this rock alive (not yet anyway,,, )and none are immortal: death comes for us all.
But we aren’t done yet, and there is still much we can do.
So get to it.
just a hypothetical you understand
Soccer-mom; rushing to get the kids to soccer practice,,, 6 kids in her 7 passenger mini-van and as raucous as 6 excited kids can be,,, Rushing, running late, pushing that speed limit just a touch,,,
Blows through a yellow that turns red as she passes the middle of the intersection,,,
Gets to the soccer fields ‘just in time’ for the kids to make practice or game or whatever,,, Watching the kids, her phone starts beeping with messages.
“Distracted Driving 1PT”
“Excessive speed 2PT”
“Failure to heed traffic device 2 PT”
“Running Redlight 2PT”
“More than 4PT in 30 days, License suspension, 6 month”
“Driving without a DL, Misdemeanor, bench warrant issued”
“This is your friendly neighborhood Insurance agent; due to an increase in the points against your license, we have suspended your insurance policy on all vehicles,, have a nice day’
“Driving without insurance, 2PT”
“More than 8PT in 30 day period, Second misdemeanor, Bench warrant issued”
and as she is reading these, blood pressure rising, the Police cruiser pulls up to her mini-van followed by a tow truck and another larger van with the sign “Child Protective Services” emblazoned on the side,,,
Guys, I like my tech, but I don’t trust it with my life,,, and every time I go into pay my insurance premiums, I see that ‘red-dot’ thingy that would track my vehicle and allow me a ‘significant discount’ on my insurance,,,, Um, NO, and not just NO, but FUCK NO,,,, I have enough bad mojo in a ‘smart phone’ that has become so ubiquitous in our everyday lives,,,, and yah, I know they track me that way too, but so far, they haven’t TOTALLY turned it into a weapon,,, The above scenario is NOT freedom,,, Its a prison without walls, where you are permitted certain liberties until such time as they say you aren’t,,,
and there are days where I wonder just how far away that scenario is from reality.
And no, I didn’t get a ticket or anything today,,, Just saw way too many “Legally Authorized” Highwaymen out today. Enough that the main drag of 25E looked like a Kmart with dozens of blue light specials going on.
what is????
I’m reading today,,, well, I read EVERY day, but sometimes what I am reading is simple escapism books, to take my mind off the day/week I am having, or just to forget about what a mess things are, even if for a short moment.
BUT, this book (as linked in last post) Fun to read, and probably a bit more to digest for some people, as in, read a chapter and let it ferment in the back of the head for a few days before moving on (had a few books like that, stuff that went off like a time bomb weeks months years after reading it). and in reading it, I realized that some of what he is saying is the same shit I have been saying in other ways, here, off and on, for several years.1 Like the conversation between Mackey and Nudge at Macks deathbed; The two minds thing and the one WE think is in control, isn’t. That gets brought up, and a particularly good case in the debate is made.
Is it truth?
What is???
My truths may not be your truths. You may feel very strongly that the Holy Trinity is FACT, IRREFUTABLE and to say otherwise is HERESY. Ok, thats YOUR truth,,,
Mine is a whole lot more forgiving, but still requires ETHICS and MORALS, and that whole ‘eternal damnation’,,, entirely in YOUR court, up to you, your choice.
Actually, I really liked Sarahs definition of TRUTH (paraphrased because I can’t find the original now).”Truth is what remains when everything else has faded away.” And in keeping that in mind, we will all know, individually, the truth, eventually, when ‘this reality’ has faded away and we leave it. To say yours is the ultimate truth is rather narcissistic, but really, who am I to say you are wrong. I freely acknowledge my beliefs may be wrong, and I may even outgrow them as I learn more. I may even come around to your way of thinking,,, Who knows.
What is TRUTH,,,,
What I do know, we may be created in the image of God, but we are most definitely flawed: that is a truth. Not that its a bad thing, but we are not perfect and thank the lord hallelujah AMEN for that!!!! Perfection across an entire species would be boring and likely detrimental to its survival. We each have individual strengths and weaknesses and those, across the board average out for the better for the SPECIES. Occasionally, one weakness (usually seen as a strength at the time) rises to the surface and things get really ugly for a short spell. BUT, the majority usually reacts to bring that one bad apple back to the fold, or just eject it into the void for recycling.
where am I going with this?
we are broken.
we are not perfect.
we are absolutely BEAUTIFUL in that fact
and I know I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Y’all have a good evening, more tomorrow when I get a near a keyboard,,,,
1 “Learning is finding out what you already know, Doing is demonstrating that you know it, teaching is reminding others that they know it just as well as you. We are all learners doers and teachers.:” From Illusions, by Richard Bach
early mornin’ ‘sits n tinks’
some posts have no point to be made, just me talking to the aether, letting my consciousness see what the other side has been doing in the off-times, or just letting the stew settle so the good bits float to the top. Pretty much whats going on here in this one.
I have a full plate this weekend with the NewYears Get-together of Kayaky Friends. And a slam build of a Ergometer for B. B and I have been handling the logistics of Donor Parts and lumber and other odds and ends that will be needed, and all of that will be coming together on Saturday morning. Gotta keep T happy too, since they are the hosts of the Get-Together, so B can’t be ‘in the garage’ as much as he would like. LOL. Like I keep telling him though, building things is how I “play”, and its ain’t work to me. And with both of us doing it, all the odds and ends already in one place, the build is just details at this point, shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours at most.
BUT, He is going to have zero excuses come race time,,, (evil grin)
about the only aspect of this build that will be different, is setting up some fold-away brackets to lock the unit so it can’t wobble. T may want to play with it and her Duck doesn’t wallow in the water like our boats do and that wobble may put her off: hence B wanting those anchors. (and yes, T raced last year as well, )
Long ass day yesterday, but with the added hours and the added pay increase, my check was ‘comfortable’ to me for the first time in well over a month. IF they can keep the hours flowing in similar fashion, I may be able to turn this financial wreck that has been building since September, around. I can’t say the Zon knocking the price of my books down hurt me, since pennies are all I have ever really seen in royalties, and in one way, they may be doing me a huge favor at this stage: getting my name out there more.
Really need to work on that myself, not rely on others for it. (and I have been, but in drips and drabs.). Self promotion is NOT a introvert strength. And I wonder how many people reading this site swear I am NOT an introvert: lol. It’s a whole lot easier to ‘let my hair down’ with the filters of internet proxies. And when I do similar in public, it takes me days to recover my energy levels: its part of why I am the ‘early riser’ when camping. I need that ‘me time’, silence, watching the world wake up in its own way, to at least get a surface charge on my internal batteries. And I can spend some of that time with four-footed furries and not hinder the recharge. Mostly because the fff’s are so intune with the world around them, they don’t interfere with it.
Remember Sasha watching the sunrise? She sat there ‘recharging her battery’ for nearly ten minutes, watching the sun come up, not twitching a muscle. It was quite sublime seeing a dog acting that poetic.
Obviously, I find mornings to be the best part of every day. There may be those days where its at some other point, but this time,,, where I don’t have to worry about the world interrupting “me”,,, (and why I prefer the Mac over the phone or PC, no pop ups, no annoying programs running in the background that demand attention when you least expect it, and I use the phone as my hotspot, located out on the porch for maximum reception; no pings, dings or whoop-whoops of incoming messages.). Yeah, this time of day is my ticket to peace of mind. And I probably need to become even more of an early riser.
to let those of my readers interested, know what the status of Wings II is, Using the PC for the re-write is a must now. I can not get the Mac to open ANY of my files on WIngs,,, I have tried several options and the best was to use Vellum, only to find out that half of the story was not saved in that format. (9 chapters made it, dunno where the other 20(?) vaporized to.). BUT, it gave me a chance to really play with Vellum and that is what I am going to use for the final format. I really like options it had versus what I had used.
Yea y’all, I am WORKING, even when I am playing,,, i just really TRULY despise using the PC these days, but, if it works,,, The other option is upgrading my Mac, which is in need of it,,,, but, $$$$$. and y’all know how that works.(and NO, emphatically NO, that is not a bleg for help, “I’ve got this” )
Sky is getting light, must be sunrise, and that means my world is about to start getting a little furry as the kittehs wake up and realize that Dads up, coffees on, and that means CREAM!!! little flippin socialist scrounge-monkeys that they are,,,,
strange, productive and strange
gonna start this off by admitting that son of bossman tossed me a bone,,, a little extra on the paychecks. not an insubstantial amount, (though not near what I could be making in a better location, I will say that, but “BETTER”}
And I had to take a short day yesterday because our gas supplier screwed up and dropped us a tank of Tri-mix. 90% helium, 7.5% argon, 2.5% CO2. A TIG welding gas, not MIG. And boy howdy did my MIG hate that shit. I managed one bead and knew something was off. checked the bottle and made the call. Luckily, today was our normal delivery schedule and they made good on bringing my normal refills and replaced that bottle with the ‘right stuff’. I would love to TIG our stuff, but its not profitable for us to use TIG. and its galvanized stuff so quick and dirty MIG is the best way to go. We used to braze this stuff and that went through the roof around six years back. A 10# box of rods for brazing went well over a Benjamin and boss man was livid. I made the suggestion of MIGing everything and Son of Bossman agreed, and even told me later that the MIG had paid for itself in less than 6 months in what it saved them.
They have done well enough that they bought a new Miller-matic 210 dual voltage unit and that thing is just the bees knees in my world. Made for welders, by welders with all the bells and whistles you could ask for and MULTI-PROCESS so I could TIG with it. I have Stick welded with it and its just as smooth as a MIG weld if I crank the amps up (Like you should to some extent.) It even has dual gas ports on the back side: one for the MIG, and the other for TIG. Son of Bossman has mentioned that he wants to buy the gear to do TIG, but I just can’t see the oldman parting the purse strings for that at this point. and not much need anyway. (but it would be nice to weld our aluminum gates instead of ordering them when needed,,,, Just not much demand of them right now.)
Came home, did some logistics with B for the upcoming weekend. We are not only having a get-together of KrazzeeKayakers, we are building him an ergometer too. GOOD, He is my race buddy and I want him conditioned for doing that 13 mile run as well as me. As long as all the parts are in order, it won’t take but a few hours to rig it up, and get things tuned for use. The second version only took me a few hours and we have mine to copy from. easy peasy.
but today FEELS weird. I mentioned that. and its nothing I can put my finger on. Just odd. Strange weather blowing in? I know ol Arthur was bugging me yesterday mornin’; but not today. We either have a lull in winter on top of us, or we are in for a flippin’ heatwave,,,, But I think the bone chilling cold is away for a bit (February is usually our IceBox month,,,, followed by cold wet March and flooding,,,,)
Dunno.
again, it may be that lack of sleep thing, but this time, I have a culprit. GRIZZYKAT!!!!! That little bastard was bouncing in off my head about once an hour last night, yowling about “its Rainin’ Da!!! Makes it stopS!” *sigh*. Rained off and on all night, but didn’t really get cold. I think the night temps actually came up a couple of degrees. It’s January and I did NOT have a fire, two nights in a row,,,, whoa!!! (I do tonight, but mostly to knock down a ‘damp’ house feeling, and the temps are supposed to drop into the low forties tonight.)
Maybe THAT is whats got me feeling ‘off’,,,,
Totally ignoring the world at large right now. don’t want to spoil the vibe I am building for the upcoming weekend. If there is something about to blow up, LET IT. I’ll be cool on my little island of friends, playing with boats and toys for boats,,,,
Oh I SO WISH,,, purrrrrrr!!!! Not to be YET,,,
Life carries on,
Way back in me early years, I read Orwells 1984, and before that date. I was like 12 when I read it, and while the story gave me the willies, even then, my early years, I ‘knew’ that it was a story and that no society could go so far down the tubes as described.
Boy howdy was I frickin’ wrong.
What I didn’t understand at the time was the “Mob Rule”: That a mobs intelligence is one half of that of its dumbest member. And a society is a Mob in a very real sense.
Look around you. We joke about the Enemedia being Orwells MiniTru, but when I read articles like Doctor Malone discussing how mRNA tech history is being re-written,,, Are we really all that far from it. Constant surveillance through devices we readily carry daily,,,, Maybe the information flow is far too great to keep up with, but the point is the same. Once you become a target, getting your information becomes stoopid easy, and the way the laws are arbitrarily applied, and as numerous as they are, they will find something to stick you in a cage. Yah, we have the MiniTru, We have the Big Brother surveillance. Our ‘military’ is rapidly become the Ministry of Love with our perfumed princes of the potomac ignoring the basic premise of a military and pushing the inclusivity and diversity schtick. We have a figurehead that fully represents what the shadow government thinks of our Untied Staatz (HT to BCE for that’un).
BUT,
There was a poll recently (and while I don’t give much credence to polls, this one seemed ‘mostly honest’) saying that 28% of the population feels they may need to take up arms against our government. and 68% of the rural population feel threatened by our government in a very real way. (Personally I think the numbers a tad higher, but people will tone down in a state where they are paranoid of being targets.)
I think whats bugging me the most is how the US, while it has been at the forefront of most everything the last 100+ years, is lagging behind across the board this round. Canada had the Trucker Convoy and stalled an entire country for months. The US repeat was a popcorn fart in comparison. We have the Dutch Farmers shutting down thier country in response to government overreach, and here,,,, crickets. The Yellow Vest riots in France, that as far as I know are still off and on, and the people rising up against totalitarian overreach ’round the world, yet here,,,, The only riots we have seen are the burnlootmurderwegetpaidtodothisshit groups that have Soros fingers so far up their anal cavities,,, The only “Insurrection” event was so peaceful,,,, you know the one, the one that AOC swears she almost died in. yeah,,,,
And yet no one ever mentions the burning dumpster fires and pink pussie hats of 2017 with minimal arrests and near zero coverage (and only positive coverage of the pussiehat shit) by the enemedia,,,,
Do I want a fight? Not really, but its obvious that TPTB DO!!! They either want it here so they can ‘find reason’ to implement the ‘final solution’, or they want a world war so they can ‘rally support’. And the attempts are so farcical that even the dumbest member of my work force sees it.
They know if they really push for the gun control thing, going straight to confiscation, they will spark off the next Civil War, and I think even they know that is a game they won’t win. BUT, they so want to be “The Power” all while having this delusional game plan.
I look at the “you will own nothing and be happy” plan. And I can see how they think it will work. If you could get it in a static laboratory environment, it MIGHT work for a few years. Problem being, the world is NOT a static environment, and people are NOT widgets that Always operate perfectly. We are human, we make mistakes, and we adapt. People like owning things. Even apartment dwellers like being able to say that they OWN something, even if its just the car they drive or that superwidescreenTV with the 30000W sound system and the 64bit octocore processor gaming computer they play with. You want proof that people like owning things? Look around at all the storage rental places. If that isn’t sign that people want to own things, even if they can’t keep it with them and are willing to pay for a place to keep it,,,, Storage rental is a big business with lucrative cash flow.
Personally, I don’t want to ‘rent my life’ from others, knowing that if I were to say the wrong thing to someone, that I could be doxxed and suddenly all those things I ‘rent’ would be pulled, up to and including my means of income. That situation, which is what Soros, Schwab and the Davos peeps want for the rest of us unwashed masses, would lead to a three tiered world. You would have THEM, (S,S,&D crowd) US, those just trying to get along, and then the shadow world, blackmarket etc.
Even Orwell described that in 1984. Winston bought his notebook from one of those people in the shadow world. He ‘rented’ his hideaway crib where he had his dalliance with the girl from the same people. There were three tiers there as well.(while not a proof that the ‘new world order’ is a failure out of the gate, but it does show that others have thought this through to fruition and the fallacies are obvious.)
I don’t want to live in Winstons world. I’d rather load the Ghostboat with as much as I could carry and head out, tempting fate and the environment. At least there, the rules aren’t arbitrary and applied at whim. Mamanature may be a bitch, but she doesn’t shift the rules ‘just because’.
Not that I am worried about things going that far. The backlash is growing, and while the MINITRU doesn’t cover it, the internet is NOT silent, and the signal is still getting through. Look at Sri Lanka, look at the how certain countries are getting very little coverage (India is one that ‘isn’t playing’, China, Russia, none of them are ‘falling in line’ with the NWO plan,). The signal is there, IF you know what to look for, and that keeps this thing from rushing headlong into that ‘utopia’ they envision.
Even if things fall so far, life carries on. Look at how people lived during the seige of Stalingrad. There was still day to day taking place at the end of the German Reich, and after the firebombing of Dresden. It may not be anywhere near the levels of comfort we are used to, but people carry on, food makes it to a table, even if that table is a napkin on a lap in the basement of a burned out basement. It may not be filet mignon, more likely rat or cat or a can of cat food, but someone is going to be eating, and able to carry on the next day to do it all again. Selko was very good at describing life in Bosnia, and if things continue forward at pace as I see it, WE will see that here. At least in the cities, maybe not so much in places like where I live, but even here things will get ‘rough’.
Ok, enough with my meandering thoughts today. Part of my thinking is due to a weather shift today. I am thinking that we are in for one hella bad winter forthcoming and maybe I need to double up on my wood pile. At least I still have time and resources to do so. So, think about what we are seeing, what I discussed above, and then get your butt in gear to do some prep of your own. IF you live in a city or the burbs, and can’t get OUT, by all means prepare anyway, but think seriously about “SmellSec”. The smell of cooking food will carry for miles and when people are hungry, their noses are as good as a dogs. Its not just the means, but what you do to insure you can KEEP IT.
This too shall pass, right?
Yay, Four day weekend!!!!!
NOT!
Long story, but plans that were made back during the early parts of summer (say three months back) have been hulled below the waterline by Bossman.
IF, I don’t use that lever of mine and tell him to FOADIAF.
He “generously, gave us” Monday the fourth off, (without pay,,,) but to make our hours back up, we get to work that following Friday. Umhmmm,,, Well, I had made plans to be at the camp on Thursday eve, since we have been working Mon-Thurs the last month, and have two full days/three nights with friends, and NOT have to inconvenience the work environment.
NOT SO MUCH NOW.
To say that the last month or so, my frustration with the J.O.B. has started stripping out any benefit I receive in Monetary compensation. I fought tooth and nail with myself the last week, maybe two weeks, to get up and go in.
And the key point is this one.
And when you find out, inadvertently, that said person makes the same rate as you,,,,
As happened Thursday evening, on my way out,,,
Makes me think that I may be taking a Vaca week, without warning, and spending some quality time getting my head in order, and damn the finances for a bit.
Maybe this is the nudge I need to get off my ass and walk away permanently from a VERY Toxic relationship/Job.
Is the timing optimal? Hell no! Is it EVER?
But one thing I am is resilient,
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
ROAD SIGN, SHIFTING LANES AHEAD.
Sat on the porch yesterday as I was tapping that out, dusk coming down fast, and suddenly Mama-kats’ ears perked up and she was all attention towards Unc’s garden. First glance all I see are the usual 5 rabbits playing and eating my yard/weeds. (I really need to mow that section, but I like watching the bunnies,,,). Well, that wasn’t it, Mama never gives the Buns a moment of attention (with the exception of that one she tried to adopt 2 years back.) OOOHHHH!! Now I see it. Ear flicks from the bean patch; Three Doe wandering through the garden. Unc is on vaca in Floriduh and that section of our little hollar has been VERY quiet the last week, AND, my Cuz moving into the hollar on the other side of me has created a disruption in their usual pathways.
While I like watching them, what I thought was “well, I know when things get tight, where dinner is coming from”. Between Thumper and Bambi, the kids n I are not going to starve, but gonna have to be a stealthy hunter and keep the bangy bangs subdued.
It’s funny, I have a dog for security, but its Mama-kat that always warns me when wildlife is on the move. The first time she did that ear perk thing from the porch was when the Bear was eating up the corn patch, and she went all growly about that one. Voo? notsomuch,,, Even with the breeze blowing bear stink his way, the most noize he made was a snore. Great security eh? LOL. Love the mutt, but other than companionship, he is about the most worthless,,,,,
Today, to get rid of some of my stress from the opening subject, I did my usual therapy: I Went kayaking. Did some exercises I picked up from “Dancing with the Sea” and while I am still shaky on that whole edging thing, I did see improvement. Just have to keep at it. Will say that my confidence in waves is better, and not just because of the exercises, but because of a boat that was designed for that stuff. Blue Jean is one hella boat and I would be even more ecstatic about her if she weighed 30# LESS. She runs right at 70# empty, which means nothing much ON the water, but that transition between transport and the waters edge is beastly. And most of my put-ins are not at boat ramps where I can use a dolly/cart.
I was out in a shallow spot, wedged between two spits, the water is only 3′ deep and its along a route to a wider area that the power boaters love to get to, usually bow up making lots of noise and waves. Well, those waves focus into that little bay and being shallow, the waves even whitecap. I sat out there, about 100′ from the shore, and those waves were hitting me from all directions and I never once felt ‘tippy’. Mostly the boat, but there was that ‘paddle’ thing Paulo talks about in his course, and it DID change the game. One set of waves washed my decks off, from the side, and I never wobbled.
I paddled back to my put in with a shit eating grin on my face.
Im knee deep in water, to show how shallow this part is.
I love this boat!!!
I have some serious thinking about what I want moving forward, and there is a set of ears I need to borrow, real soon. Some things just don’t translate well in blogging and when you need to bounce ideas off someone else, blogging lacks.
(and a lot of this transition thing with the J.O.B. is why I have been dropping the ball with the world at large. I have to live my life as best I can, and right now, I feel like that has been way more difficult than it should be, and NOT because of the inflation hitting us sideways. No, this is at the spiritual level and I need fix that before I can ‘fix’ the world, if ya know what I mean.)
Keith Richards and the end of the world
What if, just as in Noahs day, God were holding back the destruction of the world, waiting for Methuselah to die; only this time around, ‘Methuselah; is Keith Richards,,,,
Just a thought that crossed my mind of late, Thought I would share and give ya all a laugh.
And the world turns on
I’m actually in a fairly good mood today. Took Blue Jean to Laurel Lake and put a few miles on. Several broad reaches across wide open water: quarter mile and half mile types. Then the sea-doos and yayhoos started running amok, and while I am well used to the waves, what I could never get over is being ran over by one of those fast movers, and from the way they operate, I don’t think they watch FORWARD too well. Saw one fast mover catch air off a wave and the way he landed, I don’t think it was an intentional ‘jump’. No thanks, I’ll get my narrow long self off the water and let y’all play. I had a few hours of goodness out there.
Came home, and took the new to me boat back on the river for small spell. Last night, talking to B, decided to try moving the seat position back a notch (1″) and see if that slows down the turning transition in her. Not that it was out of control, but I had to make a lot of corrective strokes to keep her in line, Moving things back did seem to help ‘some’, but I think the nature of the boat is for that sort and nothing else. A boat I have to grow into,,, That ain’t a bad thing.
And kittehs,,, The boys are off sowing their wild oats. Grizzy finally hit his hormonal levels, and is staying out all night now. Haven’t seen him or Zooms in two days, with the exception of a few minutes in the wee hours last night: Grizz came in around 3 am and greeted me/demanded more food in the bowl. I’m hoping the little rat will keep out of trouble, but he is a Tom, with the gear, and I know better. He’ll get his butt kicked and come home to be tended to for awhile, then when he gets that urge again, back at it. I know that one day, one or both of them won’t return home because they went ‘too far’ and met an end. I could ‘alter’ them, but after the experience with Voodoo and his alteration, I swore I would never subject another animal to that travesty, no matter what, and all the ‘its better for the animal’ arguments, won’t sway me an inch,,, IF God had intended them to be ball-less and hormone neutral, he’d have made them that way: Who am I to think I know better. The only argument that might sway me is the “so many homeless pets”, but when all of my pets have been abandoned by others,,, That argument is bunk as well. My boys have a good home, if they chose to stay here 24/7 and its far enough out that their efforts will be few and far between in success, so even that argument doesn’t hold a lot of water with me.
ON THE HOME FRONT,,,, As if I needed any more incentive to want to move from my location,,,, Who ever said that God doesn’t have a sense of humor. One rather like my Da’s: Morbid and twisted, but kinda funny after the fact. The property next to mine was owned by one cousin for years. He never did a danged thing to it. There is an old abandoned house on it that finally succumbed to gravity a couple years back (after a couple of poplar trees had grown through the roof). 3 acres, mostly returned to a natural state.
Well, Seems Cuz 1 needed cash in a bad way. Cuz 2 just sold a house in a neighboring town and wanted to buy something ‘closer to his roots’. Doesn’t sound too bad so far does it? Problem is, Cuz 2 is a wastrel, and his kids are known thieves, and there have been several instances of him and Ol’lady having rather loud and intense squabbles that usually involve police. (and this area is on the edge of two counties, so jurisdiction gets questioned or shunted off a lot, and State Troopers have to pick up the slack. Time to response is usually measured in HOURS and occasionally in DAYS unless a body is involved.)
For the first time in seven years, I started locking my house and shed. I had to shift some things around in the shed to store the tools I used to keep on my porch for working on kayaks. I’m locking my truck and its tool box up, at home, where I used to not worry about such. (I had to dig through keys to find the door keys, if that says how comfortable I have been leaving my place unlocked. Not anymore,,,)
He moved a fifth-wheel camper in last night, says he is going to build a house there. He is a masonry guy, but knowing some of his history, I see that camper becoming ‘the house’ and a shed or two added in to spread the family around, but a house??? Not so much. At best, I expect him to lay a block foundation and move in a trailer, maybe. Yeah, its family, but being family does not automatically earn respect, it only gains you forgiveness others would not be given. This particular case has, in my opinion, worn that forgiveness paper-thin. Also, my opinion: He and His are the epitome of “White trash”,,, I don’t hold it against Cuz 1, but danggit, my little corner of the world just shifted in a bad way, and I don’t like it.
At least I don’t have to worry about him or his stealing my kayaks. There is no way they could sneak them off this hill without passing 4 places that would see it. It’s the little stuff like tools and computers that I worry about. And the pets. Not sure how the brats will act around animals that aren’t people shy.
Elsewhere is sure looking damned good to me right now,,,, And I don’t even know where that is,,,
But I am still in a better mood than I was 12 hours ago. Water therapy is a wonder,,,, Wave actions do amazing things to lower back pain too.
Cynic!!!
I don’t like being the cynic, I don’t like going through my days always seeing the negative. I have to make effort to see positives and BOTH wear me out. One because it burns energy to keep moving, the other because it takes energy to wade through the mess of the world to find the diamonds.
Maybe thats why I like my four-feets so much. They don’t have a malicious bone in their bodies, and everything is fine in their world so long as Dad is around and the food bowls are full. I can just relax around them because they don’t give a rats ass about the world at large. And they make me laugh with their innocence: very few people other than children have the same effect.
I try to emulate the approach to life of my fuzzies, but the world refuses to go’way. (I’d have to find a retreat REALLY far out to do that)
There IS good in the world, and every-time I find it, it has one aspect that reinforces my view on things: NO GOVERNMENT. People are basically good at heart, and it shows in how we interact on a personal basis. Not all mind you, but MOST. There are the evil shits of the world at the local personal level, but they can be avoided or dealt with, again at the local personal level, and they have little effect over the bigger picture. Unlike Xi-den, and other world leaders pretend. Those shitstains make choices that affect millions of innocents directly, and yet are never held accountable. Seemingly: Their time will come, and NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE. Whatever ‘maker’ you believe in, there will be a reckoning for them, and I hope such entities will find that the penance is far worse than the crime. Maybe they will return as a lab-rat in one of Phizers lab,,,, or as a beagle pup with its head locked in a box and its vocal cords paralyzed (looking at you Faucocini!!!).
Again the Taxicab Confessions from 2012 is making it rounds again, and is still as relevant now as it was then(HT to Francis for linking this again) That the troubles of the country could be resolved by ‘noon tomorrow, just by dragging 100 people to street and putting a bullet to the back of the head’,,,, I think the number is closer to 535, but we all know that is just the visible part of the problem. It may put the “Skeered” into those NOT visible, but I would be surprised if that invisible sector doesn’t have back up plans in place for ‘that day’.
Yeah, I’m a Cynic. I would cheer the event, but I would be looking for the snap-back to happen at the same time.
The worst part of being the Cynic: When I have ‘had enough’ and wish it would all just burn down. Happens often enough that I know how to fight it back, but there are days where that is a struggle unto itself. Those are the days where I pull out certain books and delve into knowledge reinforcement: I know there will come a day where the rebuild begins and people like me are going to have to do what we can with what we have and the ‘what we have’ may be a whole lot of nuthin’. The advantage is that we are not starting from ground zero, IE, in a cave with a stick and rock and no knowledge. We still stand on the shoulders of Giants and their accumulated knowledge is all around us. One of those books is “build your own Metal working shop from scrap’ by the late Dave Gingery, RIP. Now, I know many a machinist that see the Gingery builds and give them the side-eye, but when you are starting from nuthin, I can’t see where the Problem is. You can use the first build to build better(including getting rid of that RH threaded lead screw for a proper LH thread one) and each evolution resolves to higher accuracy. You could build those ten thousandth accurate machines from the one you built from scrap, you just have to be meticulous in your efforts and advance your skills to harder materials(IE Cast Iron). And it all starts with a home-made foundry using materials that are ubiquitous in the world. Aluminum scrap, Sand, Clay and Charcoal. (and yes, his stuff is clonky, and over-engineered, but some of that has to do with the strength of Aluminum versus Cast-Iron. ). (another source for stuff that can be done in the ‘backyard’ is ClickSpring on UToob. Do a search for that name and the AntiKythera device and you will find a rabbithole that will swallow you up for DAYS!!! link is to the first in the series.)
Not that we would ‘Need’ to go that route; there are many a home machine shop scattered about the country, and many a ‘hobby machinist’ that could/will fill (some of) the gaps of the JIT system as needed when such time comes. Even the 3D printers will be useful so long as they can keep in feedstock. (and I have been looking into a 3D printer for making my patterns for casting. Been using wood, bondo and wax, but they tend to be ‘clonky’, not the materials fault, but the pattern makers fault.). and there are benchtop CNC machines that make detailed milling of soft materials fast and plentiful. There is a growing list of ‘Makers’ out there that will fill the gaps when things get downright stupid in the global supply market. (there is an app where you can order custom made parts, in bulk, for your idea from such ‘makers’, though I don’t recall what that app is currently. I need to research that again and get digging.)
My “Cynic” takes a break when I pick up the tools and books; Thats when the Rational Optimist in me breaks its chains and surges to the forefront, knocking the Cynic on its heels. I have so many ideas in my head that the RA wants to create, yet the need to eat takes precedence. Maybe I could sell my products, but there is ZERO market here local for such as Kayaks, Greenland paddles, or homebuilt tools that you can buy at Lowes or Harbor Freight, cheaper than I can buy the materials to make them out of. So, I work for others for now, doing what I do, including making tools and jigs to make my job easier, faster, more accurate. At least in writing, my works are selling (some, but nowhere near enough to count on.) and I keep plugging away here on the blog; venting, waiting, watching,,,
And that watching and waiting,,, Can’t trust much of anything these days. So many sources are compromised, and yet so many still trust the Enemedia to do the right thing, which they have proven time and again since 2008, they won’t do: TELL THE TRUTH. BCE and others have shown that the whole missile on a train station in the Uke is most likely a false flag done by Krainefeld to genny up support from the ‘free world’. (note: I say ‘most likely’. not a claim to fact, but the evidence is pretty damning.) Seriously, NOTHING about the current distraction of the week/month rings true; doesn’t matter what side you look at. And the fact that of all the wars in the last 40 years, THIS ONE, is the most obscure and obfuscated one we have ever seen, even with the plethora of smartphones and cellular/internet services. Seems to me that there are underground actors at work suppressing and massaging the messages, long before the Enemedia get their grubby tentacles on it.
And it is all to hide the fact that the VaxxnottaVaxx is literally killing folks, and not just a few, but in gobstopper numbers. The Reports for “All causes” as listed by the insurance agencies is going off the charts, and that is causing many agents to peak blood-pressure levels. (and probably creating more deaths from the BP spikes when they see the P&Ls for the last year.).
and to hide the shenanigans of the FRAUD from the eyes of the sheep. Can’t have the Gaffs and what not hitting the plebes full in the face: Pitchforks and torch sales might go up. As well as tar, feather pillows and fence rails. They definitely do not want to see a surge in Hemp Rope sales,,,
But people are becoming ‘Woke”, and not in the sense the Lefties have claimed as their own. Oh no, quite the opposite in fact. Disney is in for a make-over if they keep up their Grooming standards, and when the dam breaks, Pedo’s around the country are going to be scrambling for outbound flights in record numbers. Or dying,,,
UPDATED
Thanks to Irish for posting this. Perfect addition to this post
Thinkin’, prolly won’t be popular
But then, Popularity is not my forte. Never was popular in school, and never cared even then.
Sitting here thinking about some of my reads. And yeah, a lot of it is covering old territory around here, but sometimes a different spin on the same thing can give it a different perspective that can enlighten.
I’m feeling more than a little burnt out on the way of the world currently, and that little post along with updated napkin math got me to thinking; ‘whats worth saving?’. I mean, currently, medical care is so off the wall in pricing, that unless you are covered under serious insurances, you are going to go bankrupt if you have something major happen to you. It wasn’t all that great when i was young and married, and it has steadily grown worse over time, with the last 14 years seeing escalation of it. And then you see that Doctors are now considered middle class in income yet their education expenses tripled or more over the same decade plus. One of the incentives they used to pursue has been obliterated.
I shouldn’t have to explain it to my regular readers, but the above situation started long ago with Medicare that morphed into medicare/medicaid and became the diabolical marriage of BigPharma/Corporate Medicine/Government. When they found they could manipulate the costs and raise profits (capitalism, but with evil intent) and also found out that having only one source they needed to bribe to push through ‘chemical advancement’,,,, The encroachment of higher prices was faster than the subjective inflation. (example from personal experience: tobradex(sp?). It’s an eye ointment that also has a low level steroid in it. Here in the US, a 1/20 oz tube runs over $300. Same stuff in Mexico; $5 and is available without prescription. I needed it when I caught a piece of spat on my eyelid and said eye swelled up like a rotten plum. The stuff worked great but was more than double the price of gold by weight at the time.). Not much here that I feel is worth saving EXCEPT the people that actually do the medico stuff. Get rid of all the Regs that muck up the system and let the Docs and Nurses do what they love and are good at. Let Free Market enterprise determine success/failure again. Is the Doc is a butcher or a hack? Yeah, some are going to die, but his career won’t last long enough to make it a huge problem. And let Civil law be the arena to handle malpractice, without a corporate umbrella to shield the incompetent
Ah, but that brings forth another problem that I will touch on before I wrap this piece up,,,
And the Education,,, That one is taking hits left and right since Coronaphobia and it’s ongoing demise. People are paying far more for education these days, either outright in tuitions, or vicariously in taxes, but the end products have become liabilities across the board. When we spend more, per capita, for education than any other country in the world and yet we are ranked quite low on the lists of ‘developed countries’ (thirteenth of some such if’n I recall correctly,,,). Our STEM programs are taking the hits as well because the basics are having the bar lowered in “Equity” to make those not capable feel better about themselves. (positive feedback loop, NEVER a good thing.). Add in the scenario being played out with the ‘don’t say gay’ bill in Florida(that doesn’t even mention the word Gay) and you see what our education system has evolved into and it has nothing to do with the THREE R’S. (and most of my readers know that I am always ready to jump on the soapbox railing about how fucked our edjumikation (indoctrination) system has become. Of course seeing the infiltration of Marxist and Gramsci ideologies permeating our institutions, both higher and lower, it was just a matter of time before the basics would be dropped off altogether, wasn’t it? Nope, The current trends in Education need scrapped and we need to return to locally controlled, locally funded education, with PARENTAL controls. Another of those points that needs addressed before the big changes can take place IMO; IE parents that need to ACT like parents, not just funding for their genetic spawn for others to raise.
and I don’t even want to go(but will) into the 367versions of gender being pushed around like tokens of privilege. Still very much the “Male/Female/Hermaphrodite and THATS IT for gender” philosphy. Gay, Necro, pedo, Trans, whatever those things are, ARE NOT gender; those are sexual fetishes and ARE A CHOICE, or a mental illness that needs addressed. As I was saying to Sis just a day or so ago “What someone does behind closed doors AS LONG AS BOTH PARTIES ARE CONSENTING ADULTS, means nothing to me. You can even tell me, and I might even be sympathetic to you, but DO NOT TRY TO FORCE ME TO ACCEPT YOUR SHIT!!!!” and most definitely do not use ROL to make it so. Seems to me that most states have Sodomy laws on the books, and the only time I have heard of them being ‘enforced’ was in cases of underage victims/Rapes. Even ROL recognizes “Consent ” these days, in those cases where people wanna pack fudge,,, And I haven’t heard of any cases where some homosexual was jailed, or executed for their fetish HERE IN THE US, but I sure have heard of that happening in the ME. Y’all may wanna tone down a bit before you piss off enough “normies” that they decide the Muzzies have the right of it. (and I have to laugh at the silence of the Feminazi’s in the case of Lia whatshisname winning the womens swimming competition. Talk about wearing the pie in the face,,,,). That whole gender thing is NOT part of the saving I see needed.
but the napkin math. The numbers presented, and while I didn’t verify the math involved, are reminiscent of times gone by. People today can’t fathom making $.13/hour or such. They don’t see the ‘value’ that has been erased since those days when people would consider that ‘pretty decent’. They don’t understand that at that time, a flipping quarter would buy a GOOD meal at a restaurant, including the drink. A pint of beer off the tap at a bar may have cost a nickle then. Even in recent times in my world, I worked for a man that paid me a dollar an hour. Payable in Silver coins of face value. At that time, I was ‘making’ anywhere from $14/hour to $21/hour depending on the rate of the day. That rate had nothing to do with how much work I put forth either, I busted my chops for that buck an hour because it was better than anything else being offered around my area then. (oh, and how the Infernal Rectum Stuffers HATEZ coinage for wages. They can’t keep tabs on that sort of pay.). I don’t always agree with Aesop, but his point is one I have been trying to make for years, and while some people get it, most others only see the numbers, not the real values. Even at current flooding of currency in the markets, going back onto a gold standard, or some equivalent, would be shocking, but the end result would be STABILITY. The only other option is tacking on extra zeroes, and we all saw how that worked for Zimbabwe. The Federal Reserve is NOT one of those things we need to save.
And then you have the Media. Media has always been biased. At one time, there were as many newspapers in NY as there were political groups. Each had a bias towards reporting what they stood for. And you could read several to get a fair shake on what the truth was. NOW, well, bought and paid for is what our media is. That i have to read overseas media to filter through the crap on these shores is the very thing Orwell warned us about when writing about the MINITRU. And while I don’t believe Orwell would be shocked by the events of the day, he would be quite dismayed that his warnings were so blithely ignored.(or was it that some took it as an instruction manual instead????). What to do about the media??? Can’t buy them out unless you are at the level of those that currently own them: Only thing I can see is to create anew in other venues and hope to grow an audience (Blogging?, SocMed? gotta stick to your guns, right? Here I am.) Nopes, dont wanna toss the Enemedia any life preservers.
and that is really what is needed. Shadow worlds that operate alongside the current fucking mess so that when said mess finally collapses under its own weight of regulation and obfuscation, there is already a structure ready to take its place. (And I could put up several links here for suggestions but to be honest, there are just to danged many ti list without making this post a cluttered mess.) It sounds like a pipe-dream, but there is NO OTHER WAY, or as one said “replace the tyranny a thousand miles away, with a thousand tyrants one mile away.” And there will be the creatures that created the mess we are in now, trying to fill niches in the new system. That will be the biggest threat to its survival. We saw it with the Tea-parties, we saw internal squabbles tear apart the PatComs, and we squabble still about details. All I can say is; Break down your local area into what MORALLY will withstand the tides coming and BUILD from that moral foundation. If it be using the members of a church to build that foundational group, then DO THAT,,, Again, read “Dies the Fire” to get an idea of what building group will look like if we DON’T get that shadow world built.
But I think we can all agree, that what we have is NOT going to last much longer. And a part of me thinks if some of the speculation about a third term of Oblammy-o-boy, wiggling his way in through a loophole,,,, Well, if that happens, I think the kick off won’t be too far along the road. Or the Implosion as the rest of the world fully realizes that what was is no longer and those greenbacks they have been using are toilet-paper (and many aren’t all that far from it now,,,) There may not be a new reserve in BRICS, but I wouldnt be at all surprised to see a mass exodus from the USDollar into some other basket currency.
keeping this one simple, NO LINKS
Just me talking out loud and may meander a bit: just follow along.
I really thought that with the COviDiocy Narrative falling apart was a sign that, COLLECTIVELY, the Human Species was on its way back to sanity. Guess it just goes to show, that Goebbels was right. Feed the lie, no matter how big and the people will begin repeating it for you. I watch on other sites, in comments, and see Obviously intelligent people regurgitating the Media spin as if it were gospel sent down from on high.
One Key point. Of all, ALL the talking and talking before Putin sent in his troops, Putins message was the ONLY ONE that never veered course. There were times where he BEGGED “Listen to my words” but the message was always ignored by those with the means. Even now as tactical considerations force changes in actions, his message is still the same. Buffer zone against NATO, allowing Soveriegn Russian peoples a say, and De-militarize the Buffers.
Is Putin a THUG? Yes, but all Poly-Tickian’s are THUGs. I have argued that case multiple times. And yet most of those that argue against me aren’t seeing that they are supporting THUGS by endorsing “THE BIG LIE” and we need to squash Russia/oust Putin/get vaxxed/ vote Dem/ respect pronouns,,,. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Weekend “Heads on Pikes” bowl as alluded to by a commenter. One big issue with it though: At what point do WE become the THUG. And by creating such an event, someone MUST become the THUG to make the determination that someone else is a traitor/tyrant/AINO.(American in Name Only)
Pandoras box indeed. Do YOU really want to go down that path? I don’t.
I’m tired. I am watching the world rip itself apart because of serious communication issues: the same issues Conservatives have with Lefties. There is ZERO DIALOGUE OR DEBATE. When someone says, THIS IS MY LINE, and you keep pushing the issue, writing Sanctions, giving aid, or igniting revolutions, you are POKING THE BEAR, and eventually that BEAR is going to eat your face off.
Maybe this leads up to what Dopey-Joe was trying to sell us about Build Back Better: IE, He intends to Burn the whole world down so that we HAVE TO BUILD BACK. I dunno, but seeing truly intelligent people spewing artificial talking points without doing ANY due diligence of questioning the LYING MEDIA that has been LYING for TWO FRICKIN’YEARS (and the evidence mounts but of course, the WAR has sidelined ANY discussion about that, now hasn’t it?). Seriously, you have been lied to for two straight years; about coronphobia, fraudulent elections, dangerous gene therapies, etc. You were starting realize it, maybe even say something about it, and then “WAR” and suddenly you trust the Media again?
Gullible much?
All I want is to make my way in the world with as little interference of Government as possible. Paying taxes galls me, but I do it so the THUGS will leave me alone. But the Hidden taxes we are seeing come to light (called inflation) are eating away at my ability to make my own way. I know that I am not alone in this. Fuel costs are just the tip of the iceberg, the hidden 90% below the water line will start to be felt across the board in the next few weeks. And you have Pee-Lousy saying we need to stop buying oil from Russia. (and we started buying oil from Russia to offset shutting down the Keystone Pipeline and other Oil production) She thinks this will quell any Empire building they have in mind , (debatable aspect of whats going on, seeing how Putin has never veered from his message AND continually shows he is a TRUE Nationalist with his Country FIRST, Unlike OUR “representatives” who are continually showing they are willing to sell out to whomever will kick back that 10%,,,, Even to the point of risking Nuclear Annihilation, and they are skirting that particular , But I digress) She either doesn’t understand that cutting off Russian Oil to the US after shutting down our OWN oil production is going to do one thing only and HURT RUSSIA ISN’T IT. OR, she knows it, and WANTS to destroy what’s left of our economy. If you really want to hurt Russia, OPEN THE PIPELINES. DRILL BABY DRILL. Get the flow of oil going so hard and fast that the price drops into the negative zone (remember when people were paying others to take the oil off their hands in 2016-17? Thats because the flow was so fast they couldn’t off load it and it was costing them money to ‘store it’ at the shipping points.). BUT NOESSSSS, Can’t stop the Green Plan. Can’t stop the Great Reset. They want SLAVES who own nothing are are ‘happy’ (wonder when the mandatory xanax prescriptions will roll out? Maybe right after they eliminate cash,,,,)
These Geriatric Pustules don’t give a hot damn about the Country, its Future or YOU for that matter. They are all stinking rich via Graft from shady political deals, not actual business savvy, and THEY HAVE THEIRS AND US UNWASHED DEPLORABLE SERFS need to shut up and do as we are told. It isn’t about MONEY, its about POWER and they mean to have and hold it even at the cost of destroying the very thing that produces that power. (I have no problem with the Rich: I aim to get to “well off” myself. I DO have a problem with CON-Artists, and our Government is flat full of them.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Know what I really want? I just want for one day, just one day, the veil of deception be lifted from everyones eyes. EVERYONES. If I could ask God for one miracle, it would be for that to happen for just twenty four hours.
*sigh*. God said he would no longer interfere, though some say he ended the world in water the first time, the second time it will be in fire.
If THE FRAUD keeps up, that is all I can see in our future.
watching, just watching, for now
Bit of a wild day today at the J.O.B. Nothing worth noting, but it was off my normal scale of day to day and refreshing in that sense. Get home to happy kittehs enjoying the spring-like weather we are currently experiencing; grab and enjoy as much as you can, cuz it ain’t gonna last. In another 48 hours, they predict the temps are going back into the basement for a few days. C’est la vie.
Batten down the hatches too. Local predictions are calling for high and gusting winds over the next 72. All the kayaks are tied down: don’t want to see them in my trees or anything. A year and a half ago when B, M and I were playing at the lake, gusting winds were tossing Duk!k and Serena around like they were leaves.(I seem to recall I was in the Jefe at the time trying to learn to roll at the time.). The two boats combined weigh less than Ghost and have a rather large side profile: wind can play havoc with them.
Watching things. Wondering what shenanigans the FRAUD has in store for the Freedom Convoy upcoming. Sarah has some damned good points on that, that I highly tihink all Freedomistas need to consider. Especially that part about
And the reason they’re desperate for it is that’s the only way they can win. THE ONLY way.
So for all the truckers out there that are taking it to the streets, so to speak, HEADS ON SWIVELS. Vet every one in your groups, and emulate the Canuks up north and clean house, keep it peaceful, and help the areas you are in. Those truckers were cooking dinner for the homeless, cleaning up trash in the streets, shoveling snow: basically all the things that the local government had been slacking on from all accounts I have read. Even the Media trying to bash them using the talking point of “lawlessness’ had their faces rubbed in the fact that crime was down across the board for that area of Ottawa. We have a working model, it needs polished and implemented “American Style” now.
Don’t start nuthin, won’t be nuthin’. Unless the FRAUD tries to go full Fascist and there are enough people watching NOW that the FRAUD will have to show their hand. Even if that hand is PAntiFa/Burnlootmurder thugs. Aren’t many people buying that crap anymore and I think the balaclava faced thugs KNOW it.
Honestly, I am just waiting. Things are going to get worse, I don’t think there is any doubt of that, but in which direction remains to be seen. Hell, it may be so chaotic at the outset, that no one will be able to see the direction things are rolling for months, maybe years. Pray Lord that we don’t see years: the body counts would be staggering, and not just from ‘troubles’. ( I know far too many people that wouldn’t survive a week without Grid Power, They wouldn’t know how to make food if they couldn’t ‘nuke it’.)
Straits of Meh!
So here we are, The Good Ship Dio’s Workshop, aground, rudder fouled and rigging shot through by ScamDemic fallout. First Mate Voodoo is running about 30% both physically and mentally, and the passengers, Grumpykat and her boys, are wondering when we are going to hit a good port of call, not this barren mess they see off the bow. The WindGenny (called J.O.B.) is moving enough electrons to keep the bilge pumps running so the lower holds aren’t flooding, but not much more. We may be aground, but we are not sunk, so there is still hope of better to come.(and the corollary of that: could get a shit ton worse, but we’ll strive for the better.)
TIme for Cap’n Dio to strike out land-bound and get a lay of the area, maybe see if any of the charts we have on hand match what I see. Currently I am looking at a peak on this shoreline; a peak I am calling mount WTF!!! and I will head there to get a better view horizon to horizon. Maybe there is a way off this rock yet.
We all make choices, some times those choices work for us, other times against. Some of my choices, solid when made, did not hold up to current events or the black swan of a purpose made virus and the gullibility of sheep. Nor were my choices made with the idea that maybe, the federal government would make the same stupid fricking mistakes it made in the 1920s and collapse an economy. If you aren’t feeling it yet, stick around, you will. While I knew the economy was tanking, I missed the ‘slowly, then all at once’ aspects of things. And I admit, I floundered in the good times of Trumps economy. When I should have been sticking to my guns, I started playing a bit more than I should have.
Went to a local grocery store, one where I am a regular and have a decent rapport with the manager. They were in the middle of a floor renovation this last week. Took out one entire row of shelving, split the remaining rows in half and ‘added’ a middle walkway through them. I asked what was going on (this is not a big place) and was told, byt a regional type working there at the time ; “we’re remodeling to bring the store up to date”. Talked to the manager as I was leaving and her response was “they cut the shelving down to make it look like we have more stuff. Too many products we can’t get anymore.”
Think this is going to wrap up with some Selection cycle? I think not.
I personally think this is just the top of the hill and that the snow is still falling while the ice shelf below the snow is creaking frightfully. I haven’t paid much attention to what the markets are doing the last month or so, but I would say that they look a lot more shaky than that ‘To Infinity and beyond” shit they have been doing since 2008.
Choices. I have some choices to make and sooner than later. You all know one of them and that one keeps getting put off; I won’t go into details of that right now. Another choice is to take one of the several offers I always have laying around, but there is that ‘grass is greener’ thing, that is never the case. One master traded for a different master is still being owned by someone else. And that is where my angst with all of this is laying. I don’t WANT another J.O.B.
I’m getting a view, and looking for some landmarks to shoot an azimuth for: Figure out just where the hell I am currently. Maybe I can get something to make sense on the Straits of Meh.
___________________________________________________________________
I wrote the above yesterday afternoon, and scheduled it. Between then and what you are reading now, I chanced upon this post by Sarah at the Mad Genius Club. This is her group of fellow writers and a hella resource for up-n-coming writers (such as meself) so may not be for everyday reading for most peeps, but is on my daily check out. With all the fun and games of fouled rudders and no bearings on upside-down charts, I missed this post the other day.
Let me face one fact, right up front: My problem right now is as simple as this: Depression. Yup, I’m feeling more than a touch depressed right now, between Dawg, finances, and lack of relief by kayak/camaraderie of friends, I hit my slump. What really tipped the scales was seeing my tax documents for the year,,,,, No need to share that figure, but it was quite a bit lower than I expected, to the tune of ten grand lower.
Soooooo,,,,,, I read Sarahs “Be the unicorn” and sat back and thought about things a bit. She’s right!!! In my mind, (and it’s something I work hard against) I am so flipping average as to be flat boring. Its a self image thing, one reinforced over decades by some that would have me be ‘just that!”. High school counselors, some of my teachers, a few acquaintances that I thought were friends, all fed the self-image that I am not worth the mould that God made for me.
*cough* Look out on your porch at those kayaks YOU built, Dio. Look on that book shefl where the books YOU wrote are sitting, Look at the ‘me wall'(I can’t, its in boxes still) with pictures and backstage passes from all the years touring with ‘rockstars’. Look at the White House Communications Citations from 2004,,,,,,,,,,
No, I am not average, no matter what my self-image is. I may not be that wildly successful person that my Da wants of me, but, DAMMIT, I’ve done shit,,,, DO SHIT, that ‘average’ people only dream of. (and thats part of why I don’t want a J.O.B. I have enough skills and talents that I should be able to make my own way without the ‘one good day job’.). And with the writing thing, I may be way behind on ‘paying my dues’, I am quite aware of that, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make it pay SOMETHING, in the meantime. I am no Terry Pratchett, nor Heinlein, but I can spin a tale, and get people to forget about things around them for just a few minutes. Thats not ‘nothing‘.
Still, I need to get my bearings. Things are changing in the world, in my world, and seriously, after seeing that W2 for 2021,,,,, No, that shit can’t stand. I did ‘alright’ seeing how I am not buried in debt, but that level of income does not bode well for moving forward either. As I stated above, the J.O.B. has been keeping the bilge dry, but sure isn’t powering the radar or GPS or the radio in the Goodship Dio’s Workshop.
NO, This is NOT a bleg for donations. If you feel the need to support me in anyway, buy some of my books and give them out. I would much rather that than someone sending me ‘sympathy monies’. (Sarah had a special case and as many donators said, they were just returning the favor of good work provided non-gratis, previously. I know I am not in that boat, yet. )
I’ll be working on that ‘getting my bearings’ for a bit-while yet; I don’t jump just because it looks good; I like a certain amount of insurance/assurance as well. (and no, OhioGuy, the lottery ticket DIDN’T Pan out, or this depression would be kicked like a bad habit.). I’ll keep posting, just wanted y’all to know that I ‘feel better’ now. Knowing is half the battle, Right GIJoe?
all over the place blurb
THIS makes me happy.
I was watching my meters all day (off n on) checking to see how my new PV rack performed vs the Roof-mount that I had been using. MUCH BETTER. Heck, even towards the end of the day, when the sun had set but there was still light out, I was seeing 13.4 vdc at the meter. May not have been enough juice to push the electrons INTO the batteries, but there was still some usable juice feeding my ceiling fan (that NEVER gets shut off. Poor thing has been up there running purtmuch non-stop for 6 years. I shut it down only to clean the cobbies off.)
And all of that playing with wires, batteries, panels and other sundry parts of a system, with the current events of a supply chain issues, I was reminded of one of Oblammy-o-boys legacy items to the rest of the free world. Many people don’t recall it, but people like me, that rely on batteries for our daily power, recall it quite well. Oblammy shut down the LAST lead mine in the US. It did far more damage than you can account for to justify some Environmental issues that didn’t exist. Yeah, lead is poisonous to people and many living things. So what; that lead is still there in the ground doing what its been doing since it came to reside there, and it may even leach into ground water from that point. Doesn’t matter. What it did to the industry was force most battery manufacture to CHINA. There are still a handful of US makers, and they rely on battery recycling to compete, which is a good thing since Lead/Acid batteries are 98% recyclable (or better, I don’t recall the actual numbers) Unfortunately those batteries also tend to be priced quite a bit higher than the Chineessium variant. And rightly so, since the latter don’t hold up as well. My Deeps that I paid top dollar for? 6 years of service. The chineesium version I recently picked up (4 months ago) toast; can’t hold a charge over 12.2. They were ran down ONCE, and that set the stage for failure (deep cycle my ass). That the older US versions are holding the line says a lot about the difference in quality. Yeah, i’m kinda pissed about it, but I do know “you get what you pay for”. I did expect a bit more than 4 flipping months at those prices though,,,,
So, while playing with all that stuff yesterday, I pulled those two boat anchors out of line, and set them aside for later replacement. I don’t want them damaging the good units, dragging them into the depths of failure. I haven’t the funds to do a full replacement, yet, but its taken a priority. And it WON’T be with the same. I’ll eat that loss by replacing them with a top notch American brand. In the meantime, I baby the units in place, which means that I will be spending a bit more for fuel to run the genny when I need AC power. (computer time is the majority of that.)(my Honda genny will run 8 hours, wide open, on a gallon. I use the eco feature and I get double that, and my lappy doesn’t mind the difference. My power tools do, but not the ‘puter.)
Now, Yesterday I mentioned DoomnGloomers talking about how the failing narrative of ‘Rona is nothing to get excited about, and how I do not agree with them. I said that said failing narrative is the foundation of growing skepticism across the board. Well, yesterday I was vindicated in my thinking by something overheard at the local foodmart. A older lady, talking about how she forgot how good it feels to not be wearing a danged mask, and how people smile at her more, and that maybe now the supply chains will get busy getting her favorite stuff back on the shelf. She missed the point that GOVERNMENT is to blame, but she does get that all of the many issues were fomented by the whole shutdown thing. That she openly stated she felt good without a mask tells me she has been one of the many brainwashed and is now seeing things ‘a bit differently’. This failing narrative is failing like the house of cards it was. Much faster than I expected.
I am just waiting for the spin up in retaliation from our current Inept FRAUD. What happens next is anyones guess.
Not happy
Sorry for the lack of posting, been busy, its cold, and days are short, so I squeeze in what I can while I can. Staying up on the latest outrage of the FRAUD is at the low end of that list (but I do keep a weather ear out for sudden shifts in tyranny to make sure I am not caught broadside)
Trying something a little different with the kayak. Its not new; others have done it and reported good results, but I am not happy with what I am seeing. Ok, gotta bring y’all up to speed here. In both Serena and Duh!kee, I used a two part polyurethane system from Spirit-line. Good results, but it can be finicky about repairs and re-finish. Most people just ‘deal’ until such time as its time to re-skin. Well, this time around I chose to go with regular spar varnish and pigment it like I do the two-part (very successfully at that).
MEH!!!
It soaks into the fabric very well, maybe better than the two part stuff does (less solids, more carrier solvents). and it takes pigment pretty well too: nothing separating out when it gets on the fabric. BUT,, That finish is totally lacking any luster or appeal. Its a smooth satin and I had to double check to make sure I hadn’t picked up a satin varnish ( ( didn’t, its high gloss). It looks ‘Okay’, but it certainly lacks the ‘POP!” that the two part gave to Serena.
*sigh*
And I am to far along and committed to a system to make the change to the other. Heck, once that first line of coating went on, I was committed with no recourse for correction.
But I will not be using it again.
And I already told myself “Self, you shoulda tried it on a peice of scrap FIRST”. Self responded that at the price I am paying for spar varnish, I was committed to the system and a test strip would have done little to my resolve. Both selves are right. I would have found a use for the spar varnish elsewhere, but at $18/qt and I bought a gallon, I was determined to use the crap on this boat. Should’ve stuck to ‘tried and true’. Live and learn, and I did learn and won’t be repeating this little screw-up.
Honestly, it looks like I painted the hull with a satin house paint, not varnish. Blech!!!
On other fronts, I have a 2 gallon pot of chicken parts stewing on the woodstove, and will be adding my dumplings in tomorrow after I skim out all the bones and other inedible parts. That will keep me fat and happy for a week. And the Kittehs are digging on the ‘other parts’ that they were given. Grizz is especially fond of the livers and did something out of character for him: He growled at Mamakat when she went sniffing at his share.
It’s winter, chicken n dumplin’s are winter food and after a week of Chili, I needed a change-up. (but DAMN that last bowl of Chili was EX-SEE-LANT!!!).
May have a winter paddle forthcoming with B. Watching weather and if things look stable, we are planning on a day trip out in the frosty cold waters of somewhere here local. Maybe my fugly boat will get to make her first trip. Even though the ‘paint job’ is shitte, there were a lot of cool features added in that I really want to try out. That hard deck, the bulkhead foot brace and a slight shift in the hull design. Yeah, I should make one change, try it out then incorporate it into another boat with another change: thats proper protocol when doing things like this, but then, I am anything but a proper kayak designer. I figure if any one of the changes is bad, I will know right up front seeing how this is ‘almost’ the same boat that I started with. (same length and beam, new ribs but same profile other than less rocker, which is a change I do know the results of.)
Ok, Grizz figured out I am seated and not moving, so its lap time for him. I’ll post more soon.
kayaky NOPES mehbes, and oh-sh!t-yeahs
First up, NO, I am not letting the world at large slow me up in my personal endeavors, and neither should you. I may get the depressions, blahs and what not, but I am not going to stop being ME, just because there are evil shits loose in the world that aim to make us serfs, slaves or DEAD.
and with that little rant out of the way, onward to the point of this post in general.
been doing the experimentin’ things, and was quite pleased with one in particular, nut just this morning, figured out that its a damned NOPE!!!
What that experiment entailed was trying to find a different material combination to make this kayak skin out of. Materials in question, Ballistic nylon (known unit) Polypropylene cloth (unknown), combined with Two part Polyurethane,(well known) and polystyrene resin (known unknown) and combinations there-of. Ballistic nylon and Polystyrene, rocking for coamings and other hard points, SUCKS for skin. the resin doesn’t flex like it did early in the experiment process. It now cracks, and cracks mean leaks. A leaky boat is not my goal. the two part is the way to go no matter what cloth I use, and the BN for making the hard points (vs the glass since its TOO fragile in those areas. The polypropylene works for the skin, but nothing else no matter what I use for the resin. And I like the polypropylene since I can shrink it with a heat gun and it is NOT hydroscopic like the BN is. That was my biggest beef of all with Serena: if the humidity was high (or she had been capsized and filled with water) her skin would go all loose and floppy. Not really an issue performance wise that I noticed, but she looked bad and it would take weeks for her to dry out enough to tighten back up.
Now, the Oh-Sh!t-Yeahs. Single chines. 
With the rocker knocked down to near nil, single chines look awesome on this hull. What I am doing is a single chine between keel and gunwale, with a false chine at the base of the gunwale( to smooth the lines) that will allow some flex of the skin before it hits rib at the waterlines. That set, she has a very shallow v at the cockpit area that rides true up to past the feet and well past the cockpit before converging towards the ends. Very sweet liines that way and better cut into the water without plowing. With that shallow V, she will have good stability in all waters even if she feels tippy in the calm. She will feel tippy, but not nearly as much as her former self did. The former ‘shallow v” was very short, less than 4 feet, and was almost useless with that radical rocker stem to stern. The ONLY advantage of that rocker was maneuvering, and she was so daggum long, even that was a chore: she didn’t have that spin in place thing going like the Jefe does. (and the Jefe is ALL rocker in ALL directions)
Now the Mehbes: Still have a couple ribs left over from redoing the original ones. Ones that I replaced just because of changes in lengths or didn’t like the original bends with the new units installed. And I think, I am going to use a couple of those ribs combined with fiberglass/resin to make the new deckbeams that need replaced. I dropped rib seven in place of one of the deckbeams ‘just to get a look-see’ and the profile was encouraging. Those ribs are well cured white-oak so a layer of glass wrapping them will be even stronger, and lighter than the 3/4” laminated beams I am replacing. I will have the chines cut tomorrow, the wood is sitting in my rafter right now with the splice curing under clamps. I should be able to lash it in before dark tomorrow and then, flip the old (new) girl over and start on the deck. (I have the bow cutwater done, and the stern will be pretty quick too. Pics of that forthcoming.)
And I am not worried about keeping to pure skin-on-frame materials for the build, nor strictly tied and mortis/tenon construction. Yes, the keelson and chines are tied in, but that is not because its traditional (it is) but for flexibility of the frame as a whole. I am not building a traditional Greenland type kayak, I am building MY version of what I have wanted, and what I found works for me. (thanks Ghostboat for showing me a different path). I know the mortis and tenon build method works, as well as lashing: Duh!kee is still holding together after 3 years, me beating on her in less than optimal conditions, sinking her, capsizing her, and even jumping on her to show others that she is one tough boat. Yeah, the method is tried and true and proven over centuries of use in bad conditions. And it’s not like I have been a purist from the get-go anyways. Using two part poly on synthetic skin, using synthetic sinew to lash the boat together, Yeah, Not so much a purist as THIS IS BETTER, DO IT! LOL
Apologies for the Hiatus.
just going through the routines currently. Fighting a mild case of depression, a usual for me this time of year, and no need to delve into the ‘why’s’ as there is reason enough watching the world slowly devolve; like watching a dementia patient slowly slide into the final state. Oh, wait, just like watching Emperor Poopy-pants the first discuss the economy by citing “I. Pencil” for dummies after reading only the opening chapter.
Lots of good stuff out there on the webs, Sarah’s pointing out that our IMMIVASION is nothing new and very much an old tactic for softening up a resident populace. I take back my statements of “replacement population” and will resort to “INVASION FORCES”: in all reality, there are real fighters in that mess, and I have mentioned to keep an eye out for ‘strange conex boxes’ in obscure locations. And if you find one before kick-off of the festivities, consider it an early Christmas for you and yours, distribute accordingly, and KEEP YOUR DAMNED MOUTHES SHUT!!!!
Just going through the routines. Going to the J.O.B. every day, making sure to represent my skills the best way I know how, and watching the supply chain issues slowly creeping our way. Granted, we have had supply side issues for months now, but I am beginning to see them stratify into my areas. We are down to roughly half a bundle of pipe that I use for building most of our products. A quick calculation tells me that if we don’t get a shipment in this Friday, I am on temporary leave until such time as we have the materials needed. I currently have 4 pages of build notes, and those four pages easily burn through our existing stock and into another bundle, and NOT BE COMPLETE. And those pages are added to daily.
No, that’s not the cause of the depression. Honestly, I could take the next month off and it wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit. Might dig into my finances, but it wouldn’t bother me to maybe get some of those other things done thatI get distracted away from by having the daily duty of making a paycheck, (and feeding four-feets, keeping the homefires burning (literally this time of year) and all the other stuff that accumulates on a single dood curmudgeon living on a hill in KY)
YAY, Grizzy just brought me a very young mouse, quite dead, and looking pleased as punch with himself. ANother problem that irritates the hell out of me this time of year, and my Furbabies are doing danged good at dealing with it. (and when he isn’t looking, in the toilet it goes. Don’t want him thinking I don’t appreciate his ‘gift’.)
One thing that messes with me this time of year, probably the trigger for my depression is loss of daylight. I work through most of the daylight hours, then have almost none to work with for ME/MY PROJECTS, and I start feeling behind the eightball on things. That usually leads to me scrambling to ‘catch up’ and that is ALWAYS when the mistakes start piling up. I may not focus on “Perfect” but I hate redoing any work, especially due to me getting stoopid and (feeling) rushed. I am also wating on the fabric for the kayak build. Ordered, but, yet again, the company I ordered it through is sitting on things. I may have to start digging for a different company to deal with that I can rely on. This is the third time they’ve done this. The last two times, Order confirmed, but nothing ever shipped. At least they didn’t charge the card, even though it approved and showed transaction complete, it was never finalized on that end. Just frustrating when you are counting on something to complete a project, and find you have even longer to wait as you look for an alternate source/product/material to replace the original idea. At least this instance, this is a rebuild, and I am in no rush to complete since its colder than a witches teat in November (It is November Dio) and the water levels everywhere around here are sorely lacking for any reasonable paddle fun. Like B says, most of the creeks are ‘frigging goat paths” right now. Even the Cumberland river nearby is a ‘float scrape, scrape PORTAGE, float scrape” trip, and thats just in the first down-river mile from my place. It may be awhile before I can test float the “Rebuilt Kayak carcass formerly known as Serena/now Selkie”, and I want to do it on river as I want the current for testing handling and stability. Static water of an inland lake won’t do in this case. Just fiddlin’ details that I am trying to correct in this build.
Oh, yeah, for the test float, I won’t be using the new (when it ships if it ships) skin. I snagged a poly-tarp from the billboard guys and that will be my makeshift skin for the test float. (gonna look kinda funny with a giant cheeseburger design on the skin,,,, sure won’t be a permanent thing,,, ) Polyester shrinks under heat, so I can stretch the ‘skin’ on, then use a heat gun to tighten it up. Its already waterproof so I don’t need to seal anything up for a test run. Its not like I am going to try and roll it, and if I capsize, its a wet exit, swim for shore kinda day then. I don’t see that as an issue though, Serena was stable as all get out and I am not changing much in the hull shape in the cross section, just the longitudinal. If anything, she will be more stable since I am widening the beam by one inch and bring the CG closer to Keel by flattening that rocker. (and anyone that ever saw me in Serena prior will choke on that ‘stable’ statement, her primary was shit, but her secondary was a brickwall. She just ‘felt’ tippy in flat water, but she was stable as can be in wild water. A definite confidence builder when the waves started breaking on her bow. Even with that ‘brickwall’ secondary, she was an easy roller, and surprised the hell out of me at the pool. ). Maybe I can get some serious work done on the frame this weekend and get closer to that test day. As for a repeat of the time loop thing, not a complete fit this go-round. I had Serena wrapped and tested prior to T-day in 2019, and skinned and sealed by December 1. That may not happen again due to the skin supplier. (one alternate, pricey, but doable, is from an airplane materials supplier. Same concepts, and I can get NON-FAA certified material for this to save a little cash. No need to have the FAA dealing with a silly single seat boat, eh?)
outside of my darkened thoughts, Da is doing good. Bored, what with me gone during the days working, and not having much time between getting home and total darkness. Came home today and he and a neighbor were playing with a backhoe and digging the ducks a larger wading pool. Funny part is, they aren’t even HIS ducks. They belong to a local Gentlewoman Farmer, but Da goes out and buys 50# sacks of feed for them (and her free-range chickens), built them a pond so they didn’t have to risk going to the river, and even built them a nest site under his porch “so if the weather turns, they don’t have to waddle home”. He comes off like a mean grumpy bastard to most people, but the man has a soft heart for animals that most people would never guess at.
I wonder where I get it. LOL.
Anywhoos, y’all take care, I’ll be back tomorrow with something more inline with the currents of this blog. Just needed some ‘Me’ time.
random misfires of a cold addled brain: Saturday edition
Lets face it, I’m getting old. Or as a buddy of mine likes to say; “Ain’t gettin’, GOT!!” Yeah, that. I’m 53 years young, but even I have to admit my best days are behind me, at least physically. Its time to start considering (past time Dio, PAST TIME,,,,) how to make my brain the highlight of my endeavors, not my back and brawn.
I started writing to vent, because the forum I had been using folded due to lack of membership, and I had been kicked off Frugal Squirrels for ‘being aggressive’. (Like I said then, I just calls it as I sees it.). Well, that’s not entirely true; I had made an effort to write while in HS, was in all the creative writing classes and College prep courses for writing and english (Hey, We even had a Sci-Fi class, and looking back, I see now why the teacher was perturbed by the ‘isolation’ of ‘one genre’.). I even posted a pic of my hand written dribbles here before. And remember, My Counselors were very much against me doing anything creative, doing everything they could to herd me into management of some sort. All of this was Pre-internet days, (Remember MS-DOS? Yup, THOSE days.) and pre-Indie publications, the intimidation factor was well built in and I didn’t pursue writing for ‘reasons’, not all were internal.
It wasn’t until the net really took off that my typing was anything other than mediocre and when I started posting on the web, my typing took off too. THAT was when I realized that I could get my ideas out faster via keyboard than by that chicken-scratch looking crud I warily call ‘handwriting’,,, And its a whole ton easier to hit the save button on a screen than scrawl out the ideas on paper, then hen-peck them onto a screen to do the same thing. Now, I just need to practice setting things up, plot and premise, on paper, first, then let the pantser in me run amok (within the boundries of the plot that is. Yeah, that’ll work,,, gonna take some practice to keep that Muse on a leash, so to speak.)
Now, this comes around to “what do you really want?” and its always a sticky point for me. I have no desire for fame. SERIOUSLY, NONE!!! I like being obscure, odd, whatever. BUT, I sure wouldn’t mind the cash flow. LOL. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery a lot more bearable. And I do understand that at some point, one brings the other (Sarah’s recent windfall showed her she is more famed than she had any idea of.). ((IN EDIT, I realized that I fairly well eluded that question, didn’t I?))
To put it another way, the same way I explained it to Granbehbie: ‘IF you can find 100000 people willing to pay you a dollar a year for what you do, then you will be making $100000/year.” ( last I heard, lil-girl was bringing in a couple hundred a month on Utoob goofiness and she only recently turned 13. Way to go, but don’t stop there Girlly!). Look closely at the numbers of donors and the amount that Sarah gained. Spread out, it comes to about $100/person, and many people spend far more than that a year on less substantial things. (like $8 lattes, but I digress). A Franklin a year for access to someone that helps ground and center you with sound advice and rock solid standards,,,, Sounds like a bargain (and I still need to hit that donate button, just waiting on checks to clear on monday morning).
No reason to pick that apart anymore. She earned it and then some, and I would encourage her to keep taking the steps that Muir and others, including second son, suggest of doing an annual drive. Stop looking at the premise of book sales only, start looking at the sell of the words in general.
and thats where I am at. I don’t want to ‘work’ for someone else for the rest of my days, and I have to face the fact that ‘retirement’ age is accelerating at me more every year. (I will never ‘retire’, I’ll just keep burning the candle till I drop, same as my Da.). There are times where it ‘pays’ to pay someone else to do things for you, freeing you up to focus on your stuff. I see it and feel it weekly where I am current: bossman and son have the time to take care of their stuff during the day while the crews go out and do the jobs that bring in the money for them. WE the workers, on the other hand, have to take a loss to do things like doctor visits (a double loss). No complaints, thats how capitalism works, and anyone that gripes otherwise is a borderline socialist. (and it took awhile to learn that one myself,,, Never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer)
And I have no illusions that what I am looking at is very much WORK. Hell, I have stated that several times here: writing those two books was more work than I ever expected. And the deeper I delve into it, the more work I find. The writing as actually easy, when it flows. Its getting it to gel into something salable,,,, And its not just work to make the words salable, its work to build your community, find your market, etc etc etc.
Sounds like LIFE.
I’m researching some things now. I am thinking about doing something quite specific through SubStack, leaving the blog here for my rambles and what not. I don’t want to be completely POLITICK no matter what I do, since all of that gets my BP going faster than my Ex-wife would. I do have other aspects of my existance that I could focus on, like my kayaks or going off-grid, prepping or just how to be not so static in life. (lord knows my life has been anything but static,,,).
Just keep showing up for the beating and eventually, you will find your niche,,,, right? or is Keep showing up and make the ruts deep enough that no-one can drag you out? LOL. Maybe a little bit of both, eh? Maybe I just need to take the plunge, and do it. This dipping my toes in the water to see if its warm will never get me swimming,,,
Dark Holes
Not Black holes, just dank and dark holes that appear and drag a psyche towards despair and apathy. recent events with Sarah’s community of ‘Odds’ raising the bar on “How IT’s Done” let me take a few in introspection on my desires of the blog. Ain’t gonna change a thing, and live with the lack of commentariat: I get feedback of a sort by the numbers, though I never know if its GOOD or BAD, just that the traffic flow is either up or down. And occasionally I do get a Tamalanche (any one remember that term and how it came about?)
Clotshot strikes again? Bosses Son had a “bro” that passed recently. It coincided with the clot shot perfectly and surprised the hell out of everyone around them, including the docs; but not me. When SON was telling me the details, I asked “He got the shot recently, didn’t he?” and the answer was ‘within two weeks”. Interestingly, even with the Flu season upon us, what I am seeing and hearing is more heart attacks, like many many more, and usually ‘out of the clear blue’. In the last month, I know of 5 peeps that have passed over, all heart attacks, and only one was ‘expected’. And not all of them were of that age when you expect shit to go sideways with a quickness. And to whit, every single one of the vic’s, had received the clotshot at least once; one was on his third round. Not sure if this is a valid data point or not, but every single one was male. Haven’t heard of an women getting the shot and then dropping of heart issues, but that may have more to do with the ‘patriarchal’ bent of this area. Yes, there is still separation of men and women in information (IE Gossip) that you won’t see in other places. That male thing appears to be similar to how the younger demographics are playing out with the shot as well. Most likely to have issues with the ‘side affects’ are the younger males. Not trying to raise alarm here (thats already done) just trying to gather as much intel for people as my little world gives me. Maybe I am paranoid, but I am far closer to the point of “am I paranoid ENOUGH?” and I am trying to keep from crossing the line of “enough” to “straight jacket”.
Toss the dawgs a bone to keep ’em quiet. I hadn’t said much about the revent (S)election Cycle, and what I do have to say about it is one anachronism: TINVOWOOT!!! The turnover in Virginia was not a win, and those that started crowing about ‘the tides turning’ need a good slap upside the head. This was the bone to shush the dawgs for a spell while the steal continues on behind the scenes. THEY GAVE UP VIRGINIA TO TURN DOWN THE HEAT,,,,,VA votes still rigged but ‘surrendered’ to ease the growing heat. VA was rigged, but not to win, but to lose by the closest of margins, Rigged voting was caught live in internet JPGs with time stamps, and they still ‘lost’. WHY? To keep the heat down on the frogs to keep us IN the pot. JMO of course, and that leads me into the next dark hole,,,,
Aint nuthin’ new: people are people and desire to survive is hardwired into us. Others more than usual, but survival of the fittest is not just a postulate. In some, that desire to survive, or more specifically PROSPER sometimes takes on a life of its own and can be interpreted as GREED. I don’t like using that word since any disparity in outcomes can always be interpreted as ‘greedy’ by the ‘have-nots’, but when I start seeing the “Pee-lousy-ees” and “Screw-more’s” in the world,,,, IMO, anyone that would knowingly work to make a slave class for their bidding is no longer human and needs removed from the equation. Sure, maybe there are some people in this world that are too dumb to get out of their own way: that’s what the Darwin Awards are for.
We haven’t hit the bottom yet, but its getting close, I can feel it. Not even going to try and prognosticate a time-frame, but its coming. But like Sarah says, They lose, we win. They don’t account for the tenacity of a people that are not hardwired for monarchy.
Xi-denlandia, home of the obscure and deluded
a different perspective on whats going on down south.
THings are getting sporky and NOT ONE MEDIA outlet is talking about it in any way shape or form. PRAVDA means TRUTH. Did we learn NOTHING from the Russian experiment?
Yup, last night I made a trip to the store for a Coke (been cutting back, but,,,,) and the Enemedia was spouting something about Kamala-laladingdong trashing the US again. Ok, thats a positive since she is a sitting VP, even if illegally ensconced, and the bitch shits all over the country she ‘represents’. Good optics there, you heels in air whore.
BUT,
Nada about the southern border becoming a hotbed of fun and games of the third world order.
And it is all about “REPLACEMENT POPULATION” and the Cartels are making BANK on it. I never knew about the wrist band things: thats a new spin on this mess. It shows that even the cartels have to package deal the product to keep up with it. And that brings up: where the hell are these people getting the money to pay the cartels to move them? Seems to me that someone is supplying a certain amount of lucre Why would someone pay three grand to come to the US when that same three grand would set them up quite nicely in some of the places they are bailing on. Incentives on this end, IE Free welfare promise and edu-mi-cation. Short term thinkers for certain, because TANSTAAFL is damned near a natural law. What we have is collapsing before our eyes and teetering on sudden implosion.
And I thought I was up on things in my research for “Wings”. LOL.. Damn, this world is heavy into Wide Open throttle towards hell and we ditched the brakes somewhere around 2019.
I keep watching the markets for that seismic disturbance indicating full melt down, but all I keep seeing is the deadcat bounce.(not the proper term, but it sounds cool.) Manipulated much? Someone is making bank on this mess, but it sure isn’t the small investors or the producers of real goods. And that ‘Someone’ is using it to destroy this place. THAT!!! Christ in a handbasket, this shit can’t be written like a story, NO ONE would believe it. I know for certain that if someone had traveled back just two years to warn of us of what we have been witness to, They would have been locked up as KOOKS with a quickness.
Choices
SO, took Serena to the river. Didn’t make it to the water. Got a little ticked off at the situation at my usual put in/take out. Someone had dumped several tons of trash in the area where you can park at. This shit happens far more than I care to mention here. I call it the “someone else’s problem” solution, and around here, its common place. It will wash downstream in late winter when this area is prone to flooding, but that just puts the problem in someone else’s lap/backyard/riverfront/lower falls area. It is a problem and one that no one around here seems to give a damn about. Call the police and they ask if you saw the person, have video (and won’t do more than take a report if you don’t.) or have a bill or something with an address on it. Dunno ‘bout you, but I really don’t want to spend my afternoon digging through several tons of someone else’s shit to see if MAYBE, they left evidence of WHO they are.
And I picked up a roofing nail rolling out of there. Slow leak, easy fix, but dammit, if it weren’t for that crap tossed away in some ‘no-name’ back hollar, I wouldn’t have had to fix squat!!!
SO, I came home to cool off and do something productive. Even had Serena on the horses, knife in hand, and,,,
COULDN’T DO IT.
ROFL.
Ever had to put down a pet? It’s not quite that level of ‘couldn’t do it’, but not far from it either. She is a “made by hand, BY MY HANDS” boat and while I do want to fix some of her issues, if I cut that skin, she is no longer the same boat.
I made a compromise with myself (and her). I am going to build a new coaming, using a mold and fiberglass, and if it turns out right, THEN we do the reskin. That is one of the issues I want to fix. Her coaming is kind of pinchy. I can wet exit just fine, but its the getting in part that sometimes rips off skin. And I can’t loan her to anyone unless they are my size or smaller, and she rides where I am about the low limit of her ‘needs’.(My usual set up is to load camp gear, even if its just a day trip, just to ‘balance’ her ride) New coaming, +2” in width and length and see how things turn out. Not used to using fiberglass ‘in the raw’ on a mold, so this one is a learning curve for me. Spent the afternoon making the stuff I need to make the mold, put Serena back on the truck, just in case, and played with cats. Still miffed at the pile of trash in my only local place to hit the river, but it seems like I am the only person here local that sees it as an “Issue”. Frustrating, but, like I have said here before, “this area is not going to change FAST.” and that is one of those things that may never change around here. (like dropping off the pets in some no-name hollar when the cost of feeding them goes up. Another BIG issue around here.)
Winter is coming
(all meme’s Courtesy of Irish, many many thanks.)
Been a lot of medical ‘enlightenment’ within my immediate family of late. Between the death of my mother, my Da nearly leaving us recently, BIL and Sis’s auto accident,,,, Yeah, its been one hell of a year for education in what our health system has become. As commenter, Dirtroadlivin has expressed here, it’s no longer a healthcare system, but a SICK-care system. This meme illustrates the mentality that I see is so prevalent among most ‘Doctors’ attached to a hospital system.
There is a Nurse Practitioner here’bouts that I have had dealings with. Occasionally I will blow a gasket or hydraulic line and need the services of someone with good stitching skills, and she hasn’t let me down yet. And we have such wonderful conversations about how screwed up the system is. She opened an Urgent care site, and yes, its a franchise thing, BUT, it is not attached to the main system directly and she has a little more leeway in how she can handle most situations. And I much prefer her attentions than those of the local hospitals for closing me up. With the hospitals, in both cases, I ended up with a black mark on my credit score before I EVER knew there was a bill, and both places were paid in cash with receipts showing “Paid in Full”. It wasn’t the hospital that sent things to collections before a bill was ever sent, it was the Doctors associations that did it. In both cases, the bill was for over a grand. And both sit on my credit record because the entire thing, STINKS of fraud, and I can take the hit for the next seven years.
But thats not all of it. There is an entire industry that is collusion with the SICK-care system. The Media. I know the following meme is faked, but it illustrates that just fine and it doesn’t take a genius to see that this “could” be a real headline in the press, if they felt they needed to make a point to keep the sheep in line. (and its ripped from the fact that Joe Rogan was indeed prescribed Ivermectin and kicked the ‘Ronas. They had to belittle it some way so they called it “horse medicine” even though the original intent of Ivermectin was PEOPLE, in Africa.)
And they get away with it because so FEW seem to have ANY critical thinking skills. Well, maybe more than a few, and those more than a few don’t pay any damned attention to the media whores anymore. Its the ones that still buy their crap that don’t ‘Think’.
And then we have the whole ironic fact that our governent is actively attempting peer pressure to force DRUGS on the population. After years and years of “this is your brain on Drugs” advertising, they turn around and try this shit. And this meme is not lost on many, Its that stupid, what they are trying to do. You really have to wonder what the real intent behind their drive is. It sure isn’t a health issue. I say its all about control, but there are several points that say its about population reduction, and I find it hard to not believe that. Especially with the recent issues that popped up in Israel. Control, definitely. Pop Reduction, quite possilby. Need to remove a control group to cover their asses? Wouldn’t doubt it for an instant.
And we all know that the entire system is corrupt from top to bottom. That BIG PHARMA and the FDA are pretty much married to each other is obvious to anyone that has done any travel overseas and found that meds HERE, and meds THERE are completely different in pricing, and availability. There was an OTC drug in Europe, and for the life of me I can’t recall its name, but its a Controlled substance here in the states. It was the best damned headache relief I have ever used. BUT, I can’t recall its name. There is one that I do recall though. Ketoprofen. Went by the trade name Orudis KT. Kicked my backpain FAST. Then it started getting popular and suddenly, it was rumored that some college kids found out that it, on an empty stomach, taken with a coca-cola would get you high, and WHAM!!!! The FDA made it a controlled substance. Only, it was only a rumor, and IMO, certain bigger pharma companies were seeing a drop in their OTC Pain relief sales and bought some FDA cronie. Now, I can’t even get a scrip for Ketoprofen because the company that made it went bankrupt fighting the FDA’s decision.
I have been driving myself nuts trying to answer the one question that keeps coming back time and again; “how do WE, the little people in the world, the ones that actually make the whole thing functional, FIX this shit?” And I keep coming up with one answer, even though I HATE it. We can’t. Let it burn. Its gonna suck big green greasy donkey dicks for a long time, but what we have now, is NOT fixable without tearing it all down first.
We have to get mean, we have to pull consent, and we have to stop letting the big faceless corporations milk us for everything we have, then piddle it back to us as “services” that don’t balance the books. AND its not JUST the SICK-care system. Its THE FRAUD, The MSM’s, our SMEducation System from K through PhD; there is a lot of rot in the system that needs removed.
I keep writing this, and I keep coming up with some drivel that sounds like marxist bullshit, and I KNOW that is not what I mean. There is a lot of GOOD in the world, but there is so much that is in control of big corporations with the only intent being to drive up returns for the investors. There is a reason most doctors offices have more ‘nurses’ running accounting and paperwork services than actual nursing functions. The Administration section of most hospitals has more people working in it than the medical staff, and I saw this first hand when I worked in IT, at a hospital . I saw what was happening in the Medicine side of thngs all the way back in the early 90s. If I was prescribed something, I would go over the border to a ‘Pharmacia’ and get what I needed for about a tenth of the cost here in the states, AND in most cases, didn’t need a Scrip to get it. I bought a bottle of E-mycin 200mg/500count for $3, no scrip, no questions. (and yes, some people are gonna get all bent out of shape that “people would get themselves killed if we didn’t control those things”. Really? DO you think that shit like ‘Uncertified Pharmacists’ don’t exist now? Here? Guess what, We call them “Drug Dealers”,,,, If you think that, Search this page for my “there aughta be a law” posts for a full scathing of your backside.)
yeah, I keep coming back to the BURN IT DOWN so we can build it back, Right, this time. Or at least better than what we have devolved into. Yes, the experiment is over, but experiments MUST come to some end, or there will be nothing learned.
I think we have learned a lot from this one. The hypothesis may need a tweak or two, but thats how we improve.
Dio's Workshop 