I doubt I would have made it through electronics school. If the material is taught half as crazily as the texts are written, I would have quit on my own. I know from reading a bit on engineering, the same nonsense exists there as well. I could say I read the text countless times, but my habit of writing the date in the margin means we can find the actual count. I’ve read the section shown 12 times over the past year and I’m not done yet. There are several ways to interpret that; let’s see who reaches the right one.
How’s this hobby going? I don’t know; there is nothing to compare it to. We’ve built some sophisticated circuits yet can’t repair a radio. The fairest conclusion is don’t gauge it by the same standards as college. Right now, the infusion of a thousand dollars would make a huge difference. We need select integrated circuit chips by the hundreds and the largest breadboards made. I’ve had to use as many as nine breadboards on one circuit because I ran out of room. Progress in the past year is thus highly dependent on what is being evaluated.
The day was completely taken up by a lengthy club meeting. Please don’t conclude we sit around a table in the boardroom discussing strategy. Ut-tut, we are always working on something while the discussion is happening. Here is a remote gate mechanism that quit working at the church. The sharper-eyed will quickly note the increasing appearance of club-standard equipment in these photos and the empirical way it gets used. If it’s on a test bench, it’s me; if it’s on the ground, it’s Agt. M. If it’s a picture of a puppy, you’ve reached Imgur by mistake.
Independent study is kind of my department. Agt. M would rather tear things apart and put them back together. We have established roles, where he will present a circuit board, I will identify the functions of the pieces, and we communally diagnose the problem. It works quite well, especially when the club buys lunch. At the bakery. Sadly, the extent of the flood damage is great. More than I care to calculate at this point. All prototype boards are lost, along with most metal tools except the drill press, which was located up on a platform. Everything stored was a completed lesson or little used item, so it was more like losing some favorite toys than anything that could hurt us financially. To make up for it, when we went online for information, the best that came up was what I’d published myself and then forgotten. Complete with color diagrams.
By late evening it cleared enough for me to head over to Karaoke. The place was deserted except for the few camp followers. I sang six songs but find I can’t really get into a tune with an empty house. Plus, there are never any single women at these shows. Afterward I stopped (on the way home) at Show-Offs to find much the same situation. And the new band has not called back this week, not a good sign. I hope they call, but I was not impressed by how they faked all my songs while I sat down and learned the list they gave me to perfection. That’s show biz.
Canadians and stupid people will only keep their promises if it is easy to do so when the time rolls around. Never you mind what brought that on.
ADDENDUM
I’m was cooped up half the day, resulting in much more book learning, planning, reading, and the usual stuff any enterprising person would do with an unexpected day off. It’s not that I don’t watch Tarzan reruns every summer, because if they were entertaining, I surely would. Besides, living with a budget is a dynamic thing, not a one-time sit-down. I keep an eye on most things, for example, this week I paid my first bank fee of the year.
That’s a good item to example out. My bank fees in the past six years are:
2006: $ 7.50
2007: $71.50
2008: $22.50
2009: $ 0.00
2010: $ 2.00
2011: $8.00
2012: $2.00
Reasoning says the total in six years of $113.50 is too much. Early records are not as complete for I often did not add explanations. In 2007, my illustrious ex-business partner sent me a check in foreign currency that cost me a lot to cash—and took sixteen weeks to get the money. I have no idea what he was thinking.
Still, that’s $113.50 less enjoyment I got out of life because of the banking system’s mania of pecking away at smaller accounts they perceive as working class. My goal is zero fees, well within the capability of anyone who can plan a month ahead. Budget constraints began for me September 18, 2006.
Now might be a chance to check inflation as it applies to me. The point where I began keeping track was January 1, 2011. Nothing spells inflation for me better than the rate at which I take money out of the bank. Those are my fixed expenses. Fixed is not to be confused unchanging. The blue line shows my expenses, the pink line is the rate at which those expenses change. There is no way to extrapolate dollars off this chart, though I’m sure somebody will try.This represents the data for the previous 17 months and the trend is apparent. See if you can spot in the chart these other events.
A) Where point I began operating the scooter (pink)
B) How scooter travel saves me money over staying in town (blue)
C) Where inflation caught up with my lifestyle
Inflation for fixed expenses hit me 14%. The primary cost increase has been the scooter. Unlike a lot of people my age, I know I can’t afford to operate a car. Who wants to know what the yellow line is? Easy, rent is still my biggest expense. The line is not my rent, but where I’d be, on average, if I didn’t have to pay it. The argument to buy could hardly be more earnest. Once I purchase, it will be decades before inflation will outpace me again. Others who don’t feel the need to plan will probably get what they deserve.
Johnny Cash
Don Gibson
Don Wilson
Trish Yearwood
Nancy Sinatra
