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A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. I am not pro-Trump, but pro-American, plus I truly love watching liberal scum squirm. I am not for or against any political party. Liberalism is not a political party, but a social cancer. It is wrong to steal money and it is just as wrong to elect people to steal it for you. One more thing, never argue with a man who buys his printer ink by the barrel.

October 8, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 8, 2024,the only customer.
Five years ago today: October 8, 2020, starting on the floor.
Nine years ago today: October 8, 2016, off-campus coffee.
Random years ago today: October 8, 2011, 20 bands, 7 girlfriends.

           Oh, crap. The new clip you see of the dishwash Olympics was an error. The previous and popular robot link just got overwritten and probably lost forever. I’ll find something more suitable shortly, but this proves a different point. It’s that video, it was produced on Sora, the latest Apple offering. The significance is that app requires almost no skill to produce video as realistic as this. Forget having video as evidence any more, this will be a major upset to the courts. I say that, even though I am not a fan of dirty police tactics. Like showing the witnesses a video, then having them pick suspects from a lineup. “Gee, officer, I’ve seen that guy before.”

           Gold passes $4,000 but I don’t see the feeding frenzy. Silver, which by the historical ratio of 16:1, should be trading at $250/oz is dawdling along at $48 bucks. That big “Nazism is back” kerfuffle in the European press after a government minister was stabbed has taken a turn. It was a far left politician stabbed by her 15-year-old adopted black son. No comment, except that the police were called out to the same place earlier this year on a similar incident. And after four seasons of declining revenues, Florida cities are tearing up the rainbow streets. That includes, they say, St. Petersturd, Tampon, and Queerwater.
           Here’s a can of how exciting today is likely to be. This is a product favored by the Bearded Viking, so I picked up a can. Pricey, but then you don’t need to fuss with brushes, cleaning, or storage. And he seems to apply one layer where I have to use up three. Anyway, I did barely five minutes work this morning and needed a break. I set the alarm to wake up a second time at noon. Not a good sign. I’m reading an odd spy novel called “Icon”. It’s directionless so far, just talk about spies and their handlers and where they get posted. It’s like the Ruskies never figured out to transfer their people and watch who follows.
           A.I. is great at translating Chinese tattoos. One popular item is, “I like your sister,” another is “those who repair roads and bridges will die with nobody to bury them:” Sounds like a culture we could really learn from. California, where 65% of the world’s A.I. companies headquarter, passed the first A.I. laws—but I read them and they don’t mean much, mostly recommendations that you or I would favor if we wanted to protect any advantages we discovered.

           Forget progress this morning—have I discovered another aspect of aging? Last week when I worked several hours hunched over the floor joists, I had to rest extra. Y’day, I was in a similar stance working on that saw, which is so heavy it must be set on the ground. Nothing special or strenuous, just the posture working that height and I’m fatigued. My system does not like it and lodges a complaint next day. It’s enough to demand a day off, so now that manner of work requires two day’s planning. Let’s me enjoy my ever-popular birdie visitors. For unknown reasons, my game camera recorded nothing for the past 28 hours, even the twenty times I walked past. Fresh batteries last week.

           The last audiobook talked of a Quonset hut, so I looked up if they are still around today. Yes, but in dozens of formats, none of which are really genuine. Here’s one I fund clever, it spans two shipping containers. It’s meant for machinery storage and the covering may be plastic. Still, kind of clever for under $10,000.

           I was seeking something liveable and ran into the term “barndomium”. There are kits under ten grand, but they are pretty basic. Here is a picture of the kit you can get for $8,500 and it could do in a pinch. But making it even mildly comfortable would cost you. Some kits have weird shaped wall panels probably to maximize the metal strength. None were a simple copy of the original huts. My conclusion: stick with one of those Home Depot sheds that are already like small cabins, or find a good used one at ShedSmart.

           Low energy kept me idle. I searched for a video on machine learning. It’s an A.I. app I feel is the closest to reality. I read an article on this in 1981 and saw a video of how, instead of programming for the task at hand (called narrow A.I.), the code was instructions on how to memorize, in this case, human behavior. A type of harness was fitted to humans performing a task, in this case spray painting furniture. After about ten different operators were recorded, the robot arm could expertly paint. The shock came when the operator cranked up the speed dial.
           The robot arm could effortlessly paint two chairs per second. A bank of four arms painted all 120 chairs they had in 15 seconds. That’s ten jobs gone in a wink, and this was nearly fifty years ago. To me, this brings into question the concept of a living wage, in particular, the worker expectations. When I got out of college, you took the job that paid the most and hoped for the best—and it was a daily struggle. My first year on the job required fourteen work days per month just to pay the rent, food, and costs of getting to the job.
           Then you listen to today’s demands. They won’t take a job unless it pays enough for everything. Microwave, computer, cell, car, that is, a degree of luxury. Don’t say those things were not invented yet, that isn’t the point. These are things you work toward, not sit around refusing jobs because they don’t hand them to you instantly. Just sayin’.

Picture of the day.
My Morning Jacket Band.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Recalling as a lad some of the army surplus Quonset huts on farms and supply stores, I found this black-and-white that spells out the manufacturing process. I do remember that galvanized steel “costed $100 more” and many farmers did not pay it and lost their sheds in a few years. All the huts I’ve seen were insulated and finished on the inside. I vividly remember army barracks when I was four years old and the stacks of green army blankets. And the aroma of the coal oil heaters, the only entertainment was a set of bar bells. Yep, Quonset, the IKEA of the housing industry.

           Working on the hinge jig, I may have something to test shortly. Here’s view of what I’ve got so far. The solution to the jig staying level is I simply made the tale piece longer than would ever be likely to use a hinge that size. By making the cutting slot closed at both ends, the trouted is fit down into the box instead of slid in from one side. It is the piece underneath that determines the depth of the cut. The older piece can be seen at the top of the jig, with shows the depth of a trial cut. The jig is then held in place by the weight of the router and a slight thumb pressure to keep it snug into the corner. The sides of the jig are correctly spaced already for left or right.
           This jig was a learning project. Lesson one is that I do no really have the correct tools for this kind of precision. The jig worked okay on a test piece but I had to accept a slight difference in the hinge placement left to right. Tomorrow I’ll make the tailpiece even longer to span the fill size z-box. The lids on my boxes, possibly.

           My electric bill has officially doubled in three years. I have no plans for conservation as other expenses like tools and materials have fallen off now that I have an equipped shed. Trips to Tennessee are reduced and same with Miami. Some of the cost-cutting measures of the past 90 days have sort of become permanent. I no long buy much coffee downtown or buy new books. And since no local clubs have any entertainment, I rarely go out on Fridays like I used to.
           As you’ve figured out, the old club was run into the ground by the city people, so even the weekend Karaoke is gone. The DJs around Polk actually chase people away. Too loud, and I like loud. They also play what they like regardless of the crowd, so last Friday I was there for an hour and did not recognize anything.

           Interesting. Anticipating the capability to audit every tax return since day one using A.I., the tax department has announced it will fire 50,000 of its 88,000 staff. Bottom line, people, is if you don’t do something now, in 2029 they will put all of you in jail. From their viewpoint, most of you voted “against” them and you need to be taught a lesson. A.I. will comb through all social data, methodical and unblinking. You done been told.

ADDENDUM
           I’m not a big tea drinker for several reasons. One is I can’t take it unsweetened, another is I’ve never learned to tell good or not. That’s changed. I read that quality control over in Sri Lanka had drastically improved. And yes, it has. Regular generic brands taste as good as any. I bought a sampler pack and all of them are winners. I examined the box, it is now sealed and there is an inner liner as well. It won’t change my old habits, but I’m impressed.
           Some time ago, I read articles on tea production. A tidbit that stuck with me is the shape of the tea bags. It is not random, they spend a fortune inventing the double-fold bag. (I believe the correct term is “double-chambered.) That is why you see experienced tea-drinkers give the bag a little shake before use.

Last Laugh

October 7, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 7, 2024, why FEMA sucks.
Five years ago today: October 7, 2020, a grouchy start.
Nine years ago today: October 7, 2016, Category Zero.
Random years ago today: October 7, 2010, playing it wrong.

           The majority of American jobs over the past 30 years have been intentionally watered-down to where they can be performed by unskilled labor. Because there was a seemingly unlimited supply of it. I see both sides of the issue. Employees wanting a living wage and employers seeking to minimize costs. There was always a bigger issue—who was maintaining the system while this was going on? It was a shrinking cadre of older, but skilled workers with experience. That source began to dry up around 2010 when they started retiring en masse.

           I spotted this trend in the 1990s, that the new people getting hired did not know their stuff, but salvation was at hand because a then-new device could substitute for lack of education—it was called the computer. I also knew that was a temporary fix, that if the solution was not “in the computer”, these people were lost. There were other factors, but today I see a parallel with A.I. There are no more skilled technicians. They were not needed for the first 20-30 years of the computer revolution, and now the skill set has been lost.

           It’s easy to imagine a lot of Boomers regretting they won’t live long enough to take these “whiz kids” and “computer geniuses” for a ride. Here’s the view of the grey saw, laying on its side. The wing on the left is slated for removal, most fasteners have been soaking in oil overnight The unit has a heavy duty fence, I’ll try to get this tool into place and tested today. We have another hot spell. If I’m successful, the saw will be under the shed overhang. If this works right, I can handily reinforce the roof to avoid exposure to wind-blown rain.

           This is the condition I received the saw, it has been stored inside. Still, it has become a major effort taking most of the morning. I’m pointing at one of several angle brackets added by a previous owner. These may have to be cut away. There are eight of these and they are rusted in place. I have not tried all the options yet, I awoke famished and prepared a big bowl of grits. Topped with onion and turkey gravy.
           Now, I’m sleepy again (which explains why I'm sitting instead of working right now.) The good news is this blog passed another milestone for views. Should I call a publisher or let somebody else deal with that and then sue? (That’s an old joke around here, let somebody steal my material, then take them to court after they’ve don all the hard work.) I mean, in America, suing is easy because it, is full of socially rusted bolts.

           This just in, JZ was in the hospital. He’s released and back home, but the fact he’d check himself in means it was serious. Says he’s fine, but knows that the first time [I recovered] I was also fine, which was 22 years 1 week ago. And JZ would rather starve than tell anybody he was hungry. I think he only phoned me because he knows I visited his sister, Alaine, who I might add is just as gorgeous as ever. They’ve always been the closest in the family and now I know it was a stroke that I blame on the COVID vaccine. He’s the only acquaintance I know who got the jab, although I’ve heard of a few others.

Picture of the day.
Coffee-producing areas, Nepal.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I’m serious about that saw and it has become the object of today. Here is a sort-of view of the table tilt gears. They worked smooth once the oil had time. Compressed air and a brush got some parts shiny again. I’m not about to click the thing on until it’s as clean as I can get it, the wiring is shielded and looks intact. It’s past noon and break time a week into the shutdown. People may start to figure out how little we need government.

           A radio is connected in the scooter shed. Trump has finally accused the Somalian of immigration fraud. The penalty is deportation. Chicago and Portland seem to have hundreds of people in the streets who don’t seem to need day jobs. A White British gal kidnapped and raped by Muslims threw herself out a second-story window to her death. Terrorist have been arrested for putting bounties on ICE agents. But, I have a saw to fix.

           There’s the innards of the grey saw. Two spiral rods for adjusting the blade. I’m about to see what gives. Can you wait ten minutes? Okay, now you can wait four hours because I’m still trying to get the last five bolts off that saw. I’m saving those wings in case I every need any bulletproof armor. The sort of good news is the bolts were chromed, so the rust was more like tarnish. But the nuts and heads were an admixture of sizes, ranging from 7/16ths to 5/8ths, and not matching pairs. There was even a 17/32nds which I had to cram off with a metric. I finally quit around 5:30PM.
           I checked the motor for resistance and it looks good. But I’m not turning the unit on until it is flat and level. I recall now what one problem was, somebody had turned the saw past the 45° angle and it slipped off the threads. It’s back on now but there’s still something haywire. I’ll get it. The saw is a Sears, an ancient Sears, so the quality is there. If only I can coax it back to life.

           Here is the creepy oil, I guess it’s called Kroil. This can is a ten year supply for me, but there is a manufacturing defect that lets the aerosol pressure die in hall that time. There comes a time in every blogster’s life when a defunct can of oil becomes blogworthy. It could be a consequence of moving to Florida. It’s sad to see, but then it is more information than the cat posts.
           Festus Tuesday gave way to a movie, the Bill Murray show “Quick Change”. I liked it right away because of the portrayal of how idiot mistakes so quick compound themselves. We watched half for now, I opted to get home before the daily downpour and then zipped downtown for some needed supplies. On the return, I saw the club was totally empty, so I stopped in to see the new guy. A few people filtered in, so I asked if he’d like to see an experiment. Sure.

           I played some select tunes on the juke box, and the place livened right up. There was even a babe (playing pool with her husband) that made requests. What a difference, and that is what is lacking in that joint. Atmosphere. The last people would remote the juke box down for country and crank it with the shigga-boogah.
           The poor guy, the new server, was born unable to hear music properly. I’ve never heard of this, but he cannot follow drum beats very well. But he sure spotted the difference, things picked up when there was the right music and slumped soon as I quit plugging in the money. Hey, I get paid to entertain. But, I know the staff gets a certain amount of free credits and he saw the effect.
           How was your Tuesday?

Last Laugh

October 6, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 6, 2024, fakest rallies e-ver!
Five years ago today: October 6, 2020, finally, 1100 watts.
Nine years ago today: October 6, 2016, shut down by 3:30PM
Random years ago today: October 6, 2014, “The Rat”.

           Up with the Reds, Mr, & Mrs. And we are sharing the gourmet seeds with a three squirrels who have defeated the latest baffles. I’m out there this morning putting up more baffles to find what combination is the next round of Squirrel Wars. The game camera poised where the rodents have figured some way to make the leap. What a joke and waste that $30 “squirrel proof” feeder that turned out to be. The good news is the Reds and I had great chow this morning. I made spuds boiled with bay leaf, a bullion cube (for salt) and hints of garlic and nutmet. Served with chopped onion and sour cream. That’s it (except for coffee), nothing else wanted or needed.

           Oops! Security breach, you don’t get to see the birdies together. How about this great scene of Mr. Red having brunch y’day morning. He’s got all the female company he needs, as the gals have learned to share the feeder. I see the gourmet food does have some milo mixed in. I will avoid that brand. Milo gives the birdies heartburn. Too bad I can’t pick it out for the squirrels, huh?

           Will silver top $49 today? (Later, nope.) I’ll be last to know since I have to walk back to the cabin and bring up the computer. Let’s see if there’s any news. I watched some deep fakes produced by Sora, the Apple app. If the material was not so ridiculous (Steven Hawkins on a skateboard ramp), the average Internet addict is not going to be able to tell what’s real. (Hint, fake is when you see the video of Hitler and Michael Jackson arguing over who invented the Moonwalk.) And somebody has finally banned illegal aliens from food stamps, but will it be enforced?

           What a laugh, a publication by college professors how the latest crops of new students are complaining they have “never been taught” to read entire books. They did not expect it would be necessary. Here’s a telling video about Whole Language, which started as phonetics. Apparently it now teaches students that the importance is on analyzing individual words to their own feelings. Love the passage where the narrator defines the concept of reading a book as one word after another until there are no words left.
           It was a no-chore morning, though I did take a much closer look at the hinge mortise jig. The original schematic was for door hinges where the frame was just wide enough to keep all surfaces flat enough for the cut. This failed on narrow wood, my max size is around 3/4” and tere are zero designs on-line that address this. I need a tour of a cigar box factory. Later, here is one of the mini-boxes with a layer of white paint. Makes it look albino. Another coat tomorrow.
           You cannot simply extend the block to the other side of the box rim because there is no way to clamp it without getting in the way of the router plate. Somebody somewhere has solved this before, but if I cannot find him, I’ll have to reinvent the wheel. I’ve noted that moving the hinges just 1/4” closer to the sides (the hinges go on the back only), it is a standard lumber size. Hmmm.

           There was also time to look more closely at the tune “Interstate Love Song”. That is not really a bass line, but the manner of muddle you get by handing a guitar player a bass. Almost every measure contains a forth, not my strong point. But, if you say anything, some numbnuts will point out they made money. The riffs are archetypical guitar schlock, with one or two insignificant changes each verse.
           What I’ve done is analyze the tune into three different motifs. Each one can be arranged into a standard but solid riff—the very technique I use on stage to the dismay of any guitar showoffs. The patterns “capture” the feel of the song, which percussion and lead cannot really impart on their own, each lacking enough expression. So far I’ve only got the parts isolated, not put back together as a stage darling should. I may do this just because I can. And I’m not saying so at this point, but some of the phrases sound better when I play thirds. Here’s a sample from the actual Songsterr tab.

           For non-music players, a fourth is just scale tones four “notes” apart, and that is the way guitars are mostly tuned. In this example, you see these are all notes played on the second fret. It isn’t the notes that are important, but the interval between them. The lazy-man’s riff. Trivia, what saves many guitarists from playing this boring pattern is the way the second highest string on a guitar is tuned to a third, not a fourth. So using the same lazy fingering patterns, you get some real piano music. It’s when the guitarist moves to the lower strings or to the bass that you get the monotony.

Picture of the day.
Binna Burra rainforest campsite.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           We won’t know until later how the squirrels are dining. I’ve put up metal shielding on almost the enter nearby pole. I can hear the squirrels chattering disproval. Hey, they are lucky I won’t target practice on them. The only logical spot to do any battery work is the old fence lean-to on the north. I cleared a space, it’s still going to take hours to get it underway. More important is the new shelving, both in the big shed and scooter shed. Add an hour to clean the area enough to go to work. That scooter shed accumulated a lot of stuff over the years.

           I took a break and did some design work on the hinge jig. It has to be exact so I would up suing some of the precision rulers and markers from the navigation kit. I sure do miss not buying a dado blade when they were still available locally. Without proper camera gear, I can’t show you the ruler up close, but it is graduated to 1/64th of an inch. You can make out the rectangle to be cut out for the router bit. I did not get far with this exacting work today.

           What I did manage was some more box work and I painted one of the mini-tool boxes to see if that makes a good difference. Where did I get all this white paint? I sliced a few of the larger fence pickets in half, which is a convenient size, while listening to Hannity of the FM. He was better when he stuck to the facts rather than taking sides. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the big HAMAS attack and they still have hostages. No, I will not support any American intervention, and for that matter, no help to Americans who travel to that part of the world.

           The scooter shed is cleared out and most of the base for the work counter in place. There is no getting around it is a lean-to and open to the elements on the north side. It decide to pour rain and get windy. I measured out a spot for that grey table saw, can anyone remember where it came from? I think somebody gave it to me. It has a huge table wings which I went to remove a year ago and found it bolted on with rusted carriage bolts and angle iron that would not budge. I got half the bolts loose, the rest are soaking in Kreepy Oil. After those wings are taken off, it is an ordinary 27x27” table. I’ll post a picture tomorrow, after the rain.
           Here is the base for the saw, sturdy as it gets. Whatever was wrong with it, I forget, but I will modify it for the special task of ripping boards. When I examined it long ago, it has excellent blade cranks, which I also soaked in oil. Before we move on, there is also a pic of pallet lumber that’s been planed, stained, and a layer of spray poly. It’s nice, but nothing special.

           This just in, ICE has raided 50 cities simultaneously, arresting 17,200 gang members. And stepped up replacing rogue immigration judges with military lawyers. The only difference, folks, is who is giving the orders. Then I find this Chevy Chase movie called “Nothing But Trouble”. I never did care for Demi Moore, she just isn’t that hot but tries to project that. Hard to believe she was once the highest paid, talk about luck.

           You know who isn’t lucky? Miami real estate people. A stagnant market for 90 days spells trouble. Miami real estate is a pyramid scheme and no new suckers are coming in at the bottom. And we receive another wordy e-mail from Caltier, who do everything except explain in plain English why dividends are paused. If it is really nothing, why has it been nearly eight months?

           nd to you guys and gals over 40, it is not your imagination. There is really nothing to do, all the good ones are gone, and you are already slowing down. The solution is, of course, to bring everything you needed for a good time with you. But, thinking ahead is not most people’s strong point. That, and everything you like to do costs twice as much. In a larger sense, that makes life after 40 a lot like visiting Hawaii.

ADDENDUM
           That was JZ on the phone. It’s no secret he got the shot. I did not learn until after or I would have dragged him away from that fake clinic. Sad to report, yes, JZ does have all the vax-induced symptoms. And he finally admits downplaying it all because I gave him supreme hell over six years ago. With permission, here are the symptoms:

a) pain at injection site
b) sore joints and arthritis
c) nagging mild headaches
d) sore leg and forearm muscles
e) shallow breathing

           And sure enough, when he finally went in for help, heart problems. He says he went in next day after I left, but I know he waited ten days. JZ does not keep any records, so this blog remains the clearest documentation available. Same for most people who don’t have a historian in the family. The impact of this is that JZ does not have the same perspective that we are the last of the old guard. Like so many from a large family, there is no big network of acquaintances that might at least be able to give a third opinion.
           JZ explains that part of his slow response is that he’s had mild arthritis for twenty years and says the COVID pain is similar. He reports the worst is the way the shot aggravated this condition. He’s seen my spine X-rays and concurs with the docs at the clinic—I have arthirits, I just don’t know it yet.

Last Laugh

October 5, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 5, 2024, 3,933 out of 4,290.
Five years ago today: October 5, 2020, printing it up.
Nine years ago today: October 5, 2016, motorcycle radiator.
Random years ago today: October 5, 2005, a 20-hr day.

           Up at dawn, it’s pancake day. I edited 88 minutes of video and less than 8% is good footage, which is about normal. It is all good camera-work, but pets take a special knack. The pet blessing is better than many a pet show due to its own randomness. That’s what you see here, pooches and the shelter by the church statue, actually, you can’t see the statue. It is at the base of the cross a little to the left.
           Much of my travels were before blogs were invented. I dutifully recorded for years the effect this had on me, mainly great sleep and wonderful dreams. And this short trip to the coast and back had the same effect again after all these years. All too rare. This year’s ceremony brought out some 30 pets. It’s open to all, just don’t expect any religious stuff, it is all about pets. The most you’ll here is references to St. Francis, a patron saint.

           Eight e-mails off to interested parties, [turns out ]there was no really good video. And the new camera has a minimum focus of nearly two feet. Let’s glance at the news, then find something to do for the day. I don’t feel up to any big projects. So I’m giving you all the day off. Without pay. Throw on a DVD and I’ll make the coffee. If there’s nothing good, find something ad-free. Or just throw on “Sahara”. The plan isn’t to do nothing, that’s for zombies, but to do only fun. There you go.

           After all, turns out I did get things done. Here’s the fix to the pneumatic lines. When first installed, the single hose was near the center of the work area. We’ve come to rely on air tools, so this T-fitting had to be adjusted to aim at the side of the room. We now use many air tools. This shows temporary octopus fitting as I have other work to do before that air line is complete. Tomorrow I have to buy a 5-foot copper tube, now $2.60 per foot. I need only 4 feet but you can’t buy that. The photos also show the last of my fancy brass fittings.

           I bought lots when they were half of today’s price and this is the end of my supply. I was sure I had a length of copper pipe, but it has disappeared The photos show the fitting, then the old facing downward. I had to remove that bracket and heat the pipe until it moved horizontal in the last panel. I got lucky, the solder sealed again without much ado.

Picture of the day.
California almond plantation.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Zero surplus energy today kept me in the sack until 4:00PM, is there enough time left to get anything done today? Can I get away with this photo of our group at the Pet Blessing? Here are the seven pets for which I had pictures. The general rule is they must be recent pics, or near the end, or in the case of Sheba (with the big ears), when they were little. Alas, that left out Vina, the kittycat and Seven, who now weighs 100lb. But I have no pics, so they missed out this year. Here’s the crew, see if you can place any of the names.

           They are, in any order, Chloe, Sheba, Chooks, Sammy, Lillie, JeePee, and Sparkie. In Nashville, only Chooks and Lillie are still with us. The long drive back y’day finished up our mystery audiobook, and the motive was money. This very well-made story gets a poor rating from me, because the guilty party is plunked into the plot at the end. No tantalizing clues like a good novel should. This book must have mentioned chicken pot pies fifty times, as in how bad they are. Here’s how things wrap up in the final half-hour.
           Barry, the son of the murdered lady is a carpet cleaner, who some ten years earlier, had borrowed $200,000 from a neighbor for a night club that failed. The neighbor, an heavy equipment operator, knew the only way he’d get his money back was when Barry inherited his mother’s property in Florida. But when she started donating all her money to the church with the fake apparition, she had to go. The neighbor had a Quonset hut for his machinery, and his wife, a good shot (because she was screwing the guy who owned the rifle range, was doing the killings from inside the hut’s rooftop ventilation louvers, where she was lifted up there in the bucket of the excavator.

           The investigators, who had now upset the entire town, grabbed another round of pot pies and went home. None of the story up to that ending had any ties to the killings, but as I mentioned, [the plot] makes a rousing good argument against dirty police tactics. It is expected all the damage is forgiven because they got a conviction.

           My shift in the shed today was three hours, all logistics. The sole of my shoe came loose in Punta and when I went to fix it, the darn thing has a hole worn in the middle. I fixed it anyway. The old rule applies that all shoes become slip-ons and then around here they become work shoes. I just put new heels on this pair a year ago, it’s the closest thing I have any more for dress shoes. Folks, there comes a time in every man’s life, if you live long enough, a big day involves copper tubing and contact cement.
           Wait, I do have something different for you. Here is a third of the clocks in my domicile, which includes the work sheds. I do have twelve clocks around here but my camera batteries went dead walking around taking pics. I was constantly barked at by the new tribe of three squirrels, who have defeated my latest barriers to the bird feeder. It got dark or I would have set up the game camera. If this is what they call a fun day in retirement, now you know why I love playing in a band.

           I’m back inside, twilight this far south is like less than twenty minutes. So move fast. I’m perched at the computer, about to check if anyone has even noticed the government shutdown. First, let’s see what Signalman Sam has to send in semaphore. (All your other favorite blogs do these things so I have to keep up, right?) I receive code at 30 characters per minute easily, many times faster than I started with Morse. There he is flapping his arms again, today’s message is: CAPTAINS ORDERS REVERSE COURSE. Semaphore is all caps, no punctuation, and in the navy, numbers are spelled out. That was too easy, let’s do another. FLEET OF TEN SHIPS SEEN THREE MILES SOUTH.
           One more, then coffee time. That boy loves to wave like a maniac. CONTINUE TNE MILE PAST PINE ISLAND. Including the spelling mistakes. There are no other good semaphore sites and this one is suffering from the MicroSoft disease. That’s where they sell you the book but never expect you to finish it, so the last 2/3rds has never been proofread.

           Five days of government shutdown and no apparent effect on the system. Lots of talk, but most of it is by “experts” who think government waste and efficiency have become so rooted in that fixing it would hurt too many people. They insist you must keep robbing Peter because Paul might complain, and Paul votes for them. Another military dumps MicroSoft Office for Office Libre. I used Libre briefly but way to many bugs, and despite claims it was not really compable with Word and Excel. What’s the threat? MicroSoft is moving toward enforced cloud storage. I would not store crap on MicroSoft memory, much less any military secrets.

ADDENDUM
           Here’s one for you. There is a desperate Leftist quest to find anything that discredits Trump. Now the MSM in on about the used of unclaimed cadavers for medical training and research, which (they say) might include the Israeli Defense Force. The issue, says Fox News, is that the bodies are sold and used for experiments without consent. Question for Fox, if the bodies are unclaimed, who is they should ask for consent? Some smart aleck posted just use the auto-pen.
           That’s the same smart aleck who keeps posting he wants his $5,000 DOGE rebate. It’s all publicity, for he knows the reason the checks never came. DOGE merely identified the waste, it was up to Congress to act on it. They never did. Ero, there is no rebate money.

Last Laugh

October 4, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 4, 2024, $65 = $71 (inflation)
Five years ago today: October 4, 2020, in the trash.
Nine years ago today: October 4, 2016, out of Miami!
Random years ago today: October 4, 2018, blog standardization day.

           Up at 6:00, we are off to the pet blessing in an hour. I have included pets from out west, this should be a fun day. A coffee, a refull, and off to Punta Gorda, lunch is planned. I have the pet photos and Alaine’s mini-tool box in the van, hoping for some great photos. The trip is up to two hours, so we’ll find out who the shooter is. And give me time to assess the effect of Bidenflation on my situation. I know already that my core costs (see addendum) have ballooned from 33% of my pension to 55%.

           I’m a half-hour late getting away. While I have dropped my rule about short-sleeved shirts in church when it is over 85°F outside, I still require a tie. I have one nice blue shirt left and could not find a tie without some green in it. Took time to look and I was almost late. This policy does, at times, make me a bit overdressed in my group, but I don’t care. At 8:14AM we are away.

           The one time adequate margins were set, the traffic was so lite I arrived 45 minutes early. A chance to chat, but Alaine is the chairperson of the pet committee so no visiting until later at the fancy restaurant. Say, in that picture just now. That tray full of doggie toys and treats there. Doesn’t that look so familiar? I forget how many years this is now, but the ceremony is now streamlined and first dibs went to a blessing the pets not present. And a reading of the Rainbow Bridge.
           A new touch this year was the presence of small pet urns. Ours are in Tennessee, but pictures take their place. I could not locate a picture of Seven, but Sheba was with Sparkie, Sam, JeePee, Chooks, Lilly, and Chloe. Here’s the family portrait.

           Alaine and I are regulars and I am so, so bad at names and faces. But enough people remembered I took pictures that I was asked to take a number of portraits. The pet staff was a favorite. Those a cell phone photos, so unless they send any to Alaine, we won’t see them. The ceremony has come a long ways, they now have matching tees and the system is really getting efficient. We had the canopies down and packed in minutes.
           The order of pets is also better, they know to do the small and excitable first. Only one cat this year, which is unusual. But doggies galore. I finally met Boomer, who I’ve nicknamed Fluffy. This is the newest, still a puppy. If I didn’t mention, Snookie passed away several months ago. He’s the familiar tyke you see in the “PHOTO DELAYED” placeholder. Did you know he has a bass solo named after him? Called “Alaine & Snookie”, there is no practical way to upload MP3s to this blog. That’s okay, it was just a backing track and you can hear all the mistakes. But how many have even that named after them?

           On the radio driving home, I heard the stat that only 28% of Americans trust the mainstream media any more. That’s an all-time low. And that’s a peanut butter average, among Republicans only 8% believe the usual sources.

Picture of the day.
Miami Beach 1990.
(The pavilion is Penrod’s)
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           Tradition means the staff (and me, too) meet across the say for a brunch. Once again, I was the only male present but I’m used to it. By chance one lady mentioned her granddaughter had gone into biomedical engineering. It’s a career I might have chosen, had I know as teen such careers existed. She gets to actually build circuits. Design, test, and construct. At the phone place, once we isolated a problem, we just replace circuit cards in the racks until it started working again. The kitchen only serves fish & chips on Fridays.

           So, I picked the next closest thing, a breaded shrimp sandwich. To my surprise, it was an authentic Louisiana po’ boy. Not the gazillions of sandwiches with the same name, but the real thing like I have not had since 1984. Not battered shrimp, but breaded on a hoagie with only tomato, lettuce, and tartar sauce. Great fries, but the treat was the sandwich, I didn’t want it to end.
           That’s good eatin’, but it’s a 150-mile round trip and, with a coffee, $20. The King’s Den, but you have to argue with the robot to open the gate unless you let them photocopy your ID, which I won’t do. Start to back out, and they will open the gate. Another good thing about that restaurant is something unusual in Florida—they know real Americans like their coffee before, during, and after the meal. None of this aperitif nonsense. Yep, that sandwich, I was truly impressed.

           I have a few pet photos, check tomorrow. These are difficult subjects and many of the pets at the event are not used to thirty other dogs around at once. Also, as the pics are for Alaine, they are taken at the highest resolution on my equipment, something like 56k for stills on this unit. They cannot be edited on the camera memory, unless you want to wait five minutes per photo. The plan is to download them and work with copies, but the download took so long, I grabbed the bass and played until 10:25PM. Now I’m too whooped to start a big project like video editing.

           This being our only chance to visit in a year, Alaine borrowed a golf cart (the complex around the King’s Den is a golf course) so we had a tour of the super nice houses around the grounds. And a precious half-hour to visit, she knows of my aversion to driving in the dark, very sweet of her. We chatted about JZ for one simple reason, well known to the universe. He is damn stubborn about seeing a doctor when he knows darn well something is wrong. Well, this time I got a shocker. He often joked about things giving him a stroke.
           He wasn’t kidding this time. And there I was, egging him about travel and visiting. What a tough customer, all he said was he had a couple medical appointments. But, he was okay when I saw him on September 9, and did not land in the hospital until the 19th. However, he all manner of symptoms and I did say to him it sounded like a potential stroke. Okay, see this mini-clip? It was a joke, this was made from the tail end of this little ride as the camera battery went kaput. Hmmm, 500+ hits later, I guess it is kind of famous at that.
           Here’s a mine-treat for you. The golf cart trails are beautifully landscaped with little bridges. I wanted to photo one but my Panasonic battery died—after capturing just a few seconds of vide. I promptly tagged it “The Famous Gold Cart Visit”, certainly a first for us. Here’s this otherwise pretty useless video, which generated 528 hits, meaning somebody likes it, so it stays here.

ADDENDUM
           This curious calculation is something you’ve heard me call by many terms, such as “the cost of standing still”. It’s the opposite of disposable income, that is, income minus expenses. But most people only have rough ideas of those expenses beyond the fact they have a total. And that total for their month ahead is largely guesswork. Mine is not, I have a defined allocations for what accountants call fixed expenses and variable expenses. My fixed has plunged since I bout this place. It’s the variable expenses that are causing concern.
           Gasoline is a variable, the more you use, the more you pay. The price of gas to Nashville and back is the prime example. In 2017, it was $185.57. Today it averages $312.07. Numbers like this must be killing most people, but as usual they grin and bear it. Or put it on their credit cards. I put more faith in finding a job, but like what could they do? Wal*Mart greeter? For the record, there is little chance I would ever write for a living. Because most people do not realize that is a full-time job. And since it pays nothing until you win, it’s also a rich man’s job.

Last Laugh

October 3, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 3, 2024, doggie food.
Five years ago today: October 3, 2020, that puppy’s now 100lb.
Nine years ago today: October 3, 2016, trapped in Burger King.
Random years ago today: October 3, 2003, I quit.

           It was a shed day, and here are a couple photos of the progress on the small tool boxes. You are probably used to seeing the process by now. Quantity over quality becase that is what I’m equipped for, both in tools and skills. There are five in this batch, all from the same pallet, two are giveaway samples and the others I will test painting or something. They look like what they are, very unfinished.

           The dowels used for the handles has again increased in price. That single component adds $2.00 in direct materials to the cost of each box. Labor costs I don’t base much on, since that is notional, but every such project is very sensitive to this expense around a trained cost accountant.

           Have you seen that lady who says the solution to White underpopulation is harems. It’s not, she points out, what people think. She parallels it to the reality of what’s going on. Thousands of single mothers and too many surplus males of poor quality, she just says it much nicer. Women how have more equal pay and each wife would be in her own house. It would improve the race, as only the best men for the task would breed children. She never mentions that creates masses of inferior males who would then have to resort to the leftover women who are not marriageable. But I say, come to think of it, that’s what’s going on out there anyway. See addendum.

           Fortified with grits, sausage, and three mugs of (McD’s) coffee, come on, World! Ten minutes of semaphore and checking the news. Some folks are up in arms about Palantir, the one big database I warned them about forty years ago. I ran myself through the system and my ancient information is in there, but the alligator will eat me last. I have not lived at that address for 26 years. The city thinks I am an 83-year-old woman named Lara. (Turns out she did live here in 1986.) I’ll say it again, the only way to keep info off the Internet is to no let it get there in the first place. And Trump is talking about a $1,000 tariff rebate check.
           Next, twenty minutes on the bass. I mapped out a generic line that will work for any chord pattern. Many, like the Beach Boys, leave out the four chord in the chorus, again a trick to make the harmonies easier. Now, let’s get in the yard and begin by relocated the satellite dish bird feeder. To make squirrel life that much more difficult. Then a final trace of every circuit in the old panel to eliminate any more surprises like that AC wire. It was hot, you know.

           Here are four of the five boxes now ready for use, except finishing. I hesitate to paint or stain because the raw lumber really soaks up the liquid. However, I have two gallons of used paint that may be approaching its expiry date. That will have to wait since these few boxes have already gobbled up a lot of time, probably because I was having lots of fun.
           Some things to notice would be the better match of lumber, where each box is made from a single plank as much as possible. The box bottoms may vary as they are not matched at all. The end-holes are drilled differently so that there is a more consistent amount of lumber around the diameters. The box in the lower left is for Alaine, you can see the row of “screwdriver” holes. These boxes are kind of the most rustic thing at her place, so it surprises me not if this winds up as a window planter or something.

           Taking another look at the song “Cottonfields”, I’ve decided I don’t like any of the versions and the one I like the least is Creedence. The reason is when I was little I heard a version that had the lyrics most others leave out (I got a nail in my tire, had to walk a long, long way to town). There seemed a time when a dozen bands released the song but I cannot find the one I liked. My theory is that song lends itself to great harmonies. And if you want three or more people singing the same thing, it makes sense to drop the verses.
           I was sleepless, so watched one of my favorite movies, “The Martian” because I find every scene believable. It’s not to bad a movie if you fast forward past all the sucky parts back on Earth. While the movie happens, I’m getting a head start on my year-end. Did you know my original “reverse retirement” idea came about this time of year when I was on my paper route? It was the day I could not see clearly to the end of the road three blocks away. Age was happening and I was still poor. No, that was not odd I thought this because I already knew I was losing a much bigger race. I knew I was trapped in an empty and hollow life. A few months earlier, I had received 2ȼ interest in my bank, which triggered my thinking.

           I decided I wanted 10ȼ per day. Problem. This meant saving up the $1,000 which would require [I calculated] three lifetimes. Sorry, I can’t recall the exact specs, but a million was a much more magical number back then. I had no way of calculating all this, even calculators were ten years in the future, and more like fifteen where I lived. But a thousand, that could be done. For me, $1,000 was the goal because it was 10ȼ per day. There is a sad downsize to this, as you may have read, when I got to $54, my bank account disappeared. I realized a pile of money was too much of a target. Stay with me here.
           If, instead of having the thousand dollars, if I put the 10ȼ a day in the bank, I would have the identical income as a $1,000 savings bond. Stay patient, I’m getting to it. For I also figured out something else. It was not the savings that got you ahead. It had to stay there because you could never spend it or you’d cut off your income. Yet every kid knew saving up got you ahead. If it was not the $1,000 that got you ahead, what was it? What was left? It was that lousy 10ȼ.
           What I did not figure out was how cruel people were and that it would take me another twenty years before I could do anything toward investing. I tried and failed as many times as anybody else who has ever started a savings plan. You are lucky to last two months.. Everybody I knew who had that much got it for free, true, there are exceptions but I had never met any. There were still a few more elements to the equation, like realizing you must plan to die with that core money in the bank (so to speak).
           And in the end, it was that 10ȼ that prospered because it grew into other ideas. By age 28, it was $19.34 every payday, and the rest is history.

Picture of the day.
Russian diamond mine.
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           Did I just catch hell from a proper lady. The feeder was empty as the latest squirrel had learned to swing on the dripper hose. So I had to relocate the dish and fill the tube. Since the dish has to be bolted in place, I chose that for the cooler early morning. While the feeder tube was still empty. Well! Mrs. Red immediately informed me the folly of my enterprise. The good news is my hearing is back to normal.

           Here you go, a pic of the finished birdbath. Yep, it’s the repurposed satellite dish. You can see the anti-squirrel metal on the post and a bit of the au natural Florida winter foliage in the background. You can’t see the effort, how I had to grow a third arm to clamp this in place to keep it level before tightening enough bolts to keep it steady, as it is now a bit lower and I’ve seen raccoons climb that high.

           I finished up two more of the small tool boxes, putting extra screws and a screwdriver holder on the special model for Alaine. No news from Punta yet, but she could call any time. Some last minute shopping got my van sideswiped at Wal*Mart, a scratch down the passenger side. Which brings me to the mystery, “Holy Ghost”. Now five dead and the town can figure out who’s sleeping with who just by watching who the cops interview next. The audiobook is a disappointment for sure, as all the characters introduced so far are accounted for.
           That means unless the Virgin Mary herself is the perp, the killer has to be somebody not even mentioned yet. That makes the whole story up to this point a waste of time. What fun is all the sleuthing ends with some random shooter? But, with one disk left, we can’t quit now. By the time nobody is caught by police snooping, it means there is somebody smart enough that money is involved. Alas, this story has not provided even one clue who that could be. There is something, the third person shot was a widow who was giving big money to the church.

           Ha, Trump just fired 5,900 queers from the military and another 5,700 in the reserves. The left roars that Trump has “lost support” but this fools nobody. Wars are rarely won by people in high heels and the majority of the troops support him. There were also comments about fatties, suggesting the brass could use a little PT themselves. Trump is decimating the opposition. The simplest tactics are the best because the Democrats contrived them to use against any populists. And Trump is certainly that. Who better than a clever business man to do a Sun Tzu on his enemies.
           The blog that dares show you failures has a classic for you this evening. Here is the Sudoku (little joke there) finish on two of the boxes. Because, it is the only finish I know how to apply o pallet lumber. What is the fail? Have you guessed? I was hoping the application would darken the laser embossed brand logo. Nope, it obliterates it. But there is some way to get around this if you give me enough time to think of it. Another consideration is that these boxes have a lot more angles and surfaces which significantly increases the time requirement with the blowtorch.
           It’s nothing, but I can see how the lack of education or training for me parallels my music career. If I had gone to carpentry school, I suppose I would have learned all these things. I could say the same if I had gone to Juilliards. So I will say again, when I suggest I did something original, I’m not saying I invented it. I’m saying I learned it on my own, I did not copy anybody, so to me, it is original. Now be fair, I’m not the only one who thinkis this.

ADDENDUM
           This situation exists already and more than many realize—which explains why all the good women are gone. They’ve got the good men, who are also gone. Elon Musk pays women to have his children and raise them, but the terms are confidential. Many women are better off than on welfare and as they have separate living arrangements, do not have to commingle or live with the other “wives”. If viewed differently and without stigma, the situation makes plenty of sense. If you are wondering about any historical lead-up, this is the way many Mormons lived before statehood banned it.
           I heard the lady out and she addresses some real concerns. In a sense, these wives would know each other enough to form a supportive network when they get older and would normally have a harder time finding someone. You can watch the video here, just ignore the really aggravating broad on the left who is constantly trying to push her agenda.

Last Laugh

;

October 2, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 2, 2024, they're a majority.
Five years ago today: October 2, 2020, silver at $24.
Nine years ago today: October 2, 2016, a boxy look.
Random years ago today: October 2, 2006, These Boots.

           It looks like another beaut of a day, so here’s breakfast in the making. That is my blog food mention, WIP, so use your imagination. It is real French toast, or is that Freedom toast? This is how a camp cook makes it, and note the coffee. It’s expensive but comes with a tale from the trailer court. I could be the reason McD’s has excellent coffee. The details are buried deep in this blog somewhere, but here’s the short version. A McD’s manager asked me why I ordered my McMuffin and then bought my coffee across the street. His coffee was half the price, but I told him I’d pay top price if their coffee was as good. He asked if I’d put that in writing, I did, and since 1984, McD’s has had great coffee.

           The fifth month passes with Caltier doing nothing that can be detected from the outside. However, all their offerings now carry a flag saying “coming soon”. All funds have a closing date but what difference that makes I have not determined. The same date as their last disbursement (May 12, 2025, they announced a $500 million fund.
           That’s ten times the size of Fund 1, which I invested in, so they are now a big player in a big game. But they close it to non-accredited investors, the opposite premise of what Internet investing was supposed to offer. I have money in the Income fund, which closed end of last year, but it shows as still active and operating. However, that’s the fund that speculates in paintings, rare cars, and Swiss watches, so don’t expect dividends.
The fake news is crowing that employment fell by 32,000, claiming it signals a Trump failure. They forgot to mention most were caused by one or two companies—and America is hoping this shutdown results in 750,000 civil servants getting the boot. Good morning. It will be if silver tops $48.

           You know all those rubber stamps with cat’s paws and so on? I kind of knew they were laser cut, but thought it was some special process. Other than that I may have the wrong kind of laser, this is something I’d like to try. I even have some of the blanks around except have long forgotten where I put them. Viewing the instructions shows it’s an easy process but gather from the videos a lot of people struggle with the mirror image requirement. I have been trying for years now to find a stamp “For Deposit Only” that fits on the comment space of an ordinary money order.
           No dice, the stamps are huge, as in 4” square, useless really. And pricey, $16 each. So next time you need to stamp a full sheet of paper, Office Depot has you covered. I had other plans for the blanks but now it my brain that is blank. I don’t remember. They talk a lot about the aroma of burning the rubber and specify the depth of cut, something I can’t do with my toy unit. But I have the option of making many passes. I remind all that this was the purpose of buying this small unit—to answer this type of question. Would I share this technology? Sure, but only with all the fantastic people who have helped me out so far.

           The shutdown has zero effect at street level so far. Although I am not a strict Trump supporter, I am 100% behind his agenda of destroying the left. Good way to answer anybody who thinks I support Trump is that I consider him to be right 51% of the time. He is too friendly with certain groups Americans hate and he should at least never talk about his stance on vaccines. The more I read about the rules of a shutdown, the more it appears Trump has methodically backed the Democrats into a corner—and by using their own duplicity against them.
           For instance, it was Democrats themselves who championed the bill that if a shutdown lasts 61 days, the whole bunch can be fired. That means Trump need only stall them until December 1 to do to them what they planned to do to his people. Worse, Democrats are stuck trying to sell voters who are being bled by Obamacare on providing free medical to illegals. They are so screwed they don’t know it, but they know who to thank, and worse, why. They should never have attacked his family, that was stupid beyond repair.

           It signals that the Democrat bag of dirty tricks is empty. They have only bad choices left, including civil unrest, and assassination. By mid-November, many are saying, Trump will have troops loyal to him in every Democrat city, ready to stomp on any violence. I think the Democrats are nuts to think the military will ever follow them now, not with Trump getting rid of all the Biden-era queers and the prevailing sense that that the overseas votes were interfered with.

           AC transformers, I have the very high-quality one salvaged from the old kitchen store. The theory I knew by the sixth grade, but I’m determined to find out the practical side. The first thing I learned, just today, is why so many transformers have so many pins. The one I want to test has twelve. It is because the transformer can be configured in many ways. Different input and out put voltages, but that explains only eight pins. Maybe these things are also “metric”. We shall find out, and, as ever, provide the simple explanation.
           The first challenge is predictable—Internet experts. The ones who have only transformers with clear labels showing all ratings and pins. Must be nice. I had to scan mine at 600 dpi to get this information. No indication of voltages, which is primary, no amperage, nothing. Neither of the apparent part numbers (Invensys 010-00126-00, or Eaton 2510013A01) brings up a datasheet. The Eaton number appears on some order sheets, but it’s the old give us your life history and well contact you back after they calculate how much transformer you can afford. I did once see the video I wanted, but A.I. has made it impossible to locate it again.

Picture of the day.
Chinese rapeseed farm.
(a.k.a. Canola oil
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           Out to the shed, a wonderfully cool afternoon. I’m putting bottoms on some unfinished boxes. Take it easy, and so should you, easy for me to say as tomorrow is my day off. I’m looking more closely at the variations in pallet lumber sizes. I built the bottom plates separate and individually, which takes time and labor. If you see pics, then I kept busy. It is just past noon and I’ve got five things on the go. Charging auto batteries, laundry, moving lumber, you know, busy stuff.

           Here is an example, changing the battery on my wristwatch. Is this a real video, or me showing off that even my coin batteries now have a fancy wooden case. You tell me. Actually, I got lucky, there was a 377 in there but I almost missed it. A 377 is the tiniest cell made and hardest to find, yet it is common in wristwatches.

           Music. No gig lined up tomorrow, so time off. But you know, I’d rather just spend time in the shed. Steve was in contact to mention his new place has a garage we can use. He’s till stuck with that terrible truck his brother gifted him, so unreliable I don’t dare rehearse over here. I discussed the logistics with him, correctly guessing he finds my material overwhelming. If you are thinking that’s funny because most of my tunes are uber-simple, well, not if you didn’t grow up with ir. I hit this same barrier with other guitarists—they don’t normally sit down and play my selection of music. As the Hippie pointed out repeatedly, my taste in music sucks.
           The guy’s problem stemmed from never really listening to my bass, he heard only the same generic playing he expected from wannabes. Now, Steve, he’s worked with me on arranging and he’s one of the fastest to catch on I’ve seen. You’ll never him say things like “bass is easy” because he’s seen it done right. So, here is the situation from my side. If he plays his own material, get me a list of it. Maybe he has enough for a set by now. I see two outcomes, both with several facets.
           More music follows, but first have a gander at this laser blueprint for a working rubber band piston. You may recall I made of these years ago cutting the layers with a scroll saw. If you missed that, you cut all these pieces out of thin plywood. Then you fasten the layers so the inside is the moveable trigger mechanism. I wonder what I did with it? Back to music.

           Number one, I learn all his material and he does all the singing. I’m okay with somebody else doing all the work. It allows me to step back and do what I do best, play bass and be the stage darling all over again. It’s funny, because Steve is so new that this would not in the least threaten him. After all, I’m just standing there playing bass. On my head, backwards, left-handed, and firing off impossible passages on one string. Hey, as I’ve said many a time, never over-play your band, but out-playing anyone on stage is fair game, most guitarists think it so normal they don’t miss it until it’s gone.
           And two, if I don’t have to sing, I can zoom in on arranging bass lines. I know that over the short run, my bass playing gets progressively closer to playing more of the fills the other guy can’t. As long as we are concentric about putting on the best possible show, the overall act improves into the impressive. Bradford hated to get on stage after us, but since he never played anything I knew and never did like practice, there he was. It would take some slick solo playing to match the sound of the Prez & I, who practiced every week.

           The neighbor was over to chat, he’s got a system to record movies off his TV. I know the science but it is something I’ve never done. He mentioned a Bill Murray movie I could not place, name’s “Quick Change”. Some kind of bank heist. That’s an option, for how rare I never heard of a Bill Murray film—unless it is a total dog. I think I’m good motivation because I can see the neighbor’s door from my shed window, and he gets up and moving around when he sees my lights on. Hey, this is important therapy for some.
           Soon, I’m fixing the fence on my grey table saw which will have one job: cutting box bottoms. It’s the slowest part of the assembly process, made slower by how often I have to walk out to the neighbor’s shed to make a cut one kerf width.

ADDENDUM
           Civil servants are not the object of my pity. They produce nothing, and every one of them that exists takes away a part, however tiny, of your freedom. They number about the same as the homeless, who also lack my sympathy—but I have reasons for this. I knew very well what it is like to be young and in the situation where there are no prospects of ever getting ahead. You know the minute you quit school, voluntarily or otherwise, you are facing a lifetime of drudge labor and debt. The problem is that welfare has grown so luxurious that it has become a career choice.
           When I look back on my early life, if welfare back then had included an apartment, food, phone, cable, microwave, and half the things you get today, I would have opted for it. Why punish yourself with the freedom of working in a lumber mill? Why work your life away when you have the option to merely waste it? And in comfort, too.
           I’m saying I was there and know what it was like to be forced not to give up. And people today should be allowed the same choice in the matter. Everything I have around me today that I worked a lifetime for, you can now get for free by going on welfare. And I’d have a good back, good shoulders, good eyesight, and more spending money.

Last Laugh