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A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. 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.

April 7, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 7, 2025, a good old wristwatch.
Five years ago today: April 7, 2021, the phosphate museum.
Nine years ago today: April 7, 2017, passing on the cost.
Random years ago today: April 7, 2008, it isn’t really digital.

           French toast and look at today’s crop of celebrity offspring, the children of famous Boomer personalities. Pretty sad, and talk about mousy women. It’s a soggy day, I’m low on coffee, and my phone bill is overdue. Perfect for a small project, I think. Incoming calls work and I just used 13% of my battery on the phone to Tennessee. To discover anew how slow things move in the music industry before you get a hit recording. I’m cheered up, today’s “medical” is confined to the addendum below.

           Knowing I’d tucker out early, I still got to the lumberyard for pickets, only to discover (same as months ago), everybody is out of 1-1/4” crown stables. So over to Harbor Freight where I found a box of 2,500 half price. This saved me enough for some goodies, then over to the Thrift before closing. I scored a brand new toaster for five bucks. Meh, they are all cheap these days and take far too long to pop the first slices.

           Here it is, from the blog that dares. Our feature this morning is the box of staples. Vigilance is more important now than ever, for nobody can foretell which such event will be the winner. It depends, how many people today bought staples and a bundle of test leads? These are the second-worst brand out there. I cut most in half for power supplies. The worst brand are the type with alligator clips are so bad it hurts your fingers to open them—but then slip off by themselves when used.

           At the tool store, I saw this item on sale. What used to be a fairly expensive gadget now sells for less than a bottle of beer. It’s an A/C voltage detector. Cheap enough to leave in the tool box. But here’s something, I set it on the tray next to my bass and it sounded. Huh? There are no live electric circuits on a bass and if there was, it must be a tiny inductance. Nosiree, shown here I ran the length of the strings and cables. In theory, unless a string is vibrating, there should be no signal at all.

           For the moment, I have no way to test if this is possibly something dangerous on my instrument. It poses some interesting theories—unless there is movement, there should be no inductance. It’s a crummy video, but that AC flasher follows the strings, pickups, and photo cable into the amp jack. I did not know that. My presumption was the system was idle until the string generated a tiny signal across the pickup magnets. Wrong, it is a strong signal present when the cable is plugged into the amp when the power is on.

Picture of the day.
Only in New Zealand.
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           I’ve begun a new audiobook, details to follow. So far, it is about four girls who killed somebody in Canada. It’s laughable to hear them go on about suffering when such deprivations were everyday for some of us. It’s relative, but I don’t consider hardships to mean not enough .22 bullets for target practice. I read some critiques on Nashville bar bands, a bit of humor, since the reviewers are rarely impartial. Telling a country band their setlist is the “wrong generation” while extolling the virtues of a Grateful Dead tribute.

           The evening began with a Festus movie. This one had Kitty doing some real acting, Matt managing a couple cameos. Kitty shoots a bad guy whose brother comes after her. It was a rainy day kept me inside, so after I tinkered with some electronics, wondering where my fancy Radio Shack breadboard has disappeared. Tennessee? I’m sketching out a battery supply I can switch up to 12VDC in increments of 3VDC. It’s the same old, most of my test circuits are 5VDC and they don’t make such a battery.

           What do I do to run low on coffee? I stay put and go on-line. This activity will always assure you there are people far worse off. Here is Paris Hilton proving she got a Thigh Master for Kwanza or something. She’s 42 now. Dang, the link got lost, so see the substitute pic below.

ADDENDUM
           Politics. Georgia’s Democrat candidate says, if elected, those who voted for Trump will lose Internet access for four years. NASA cannot even video their own launches without glitches. And pooh-pooh to people who did not listen to warnings that having a 401K these days brings in the government as an unwelcome partner. Seems there is trouble in New York, but those people get what they vote for.

           The Kimberly-Clark warehouse has been hit by arson, threatening half of America’s supply of toilet paper. I watched a video of a modified paper shredder turning old plastic into pellets, which were then fed into a heated hopper. The resultant thread went to a 3D nozzle which printed out building blocks. Then another video of 3D “trimmings” chopped up in a blender and remelted. Maybe time to look at my printer again?

           Medical stuff still takes a chunk out of each day. Reb’s best friend is not faring well out in California. Remember the metal rods placed in the Reb’s arm? One has to be moved but that presents a big money problem—exactly as I warned if you don’t have a big cash reserve. I sent money for Chooks to get blood tests, but there is not enough for any vet bills that would ensue from that. I’m planning on a one year recovery after April 26, so I’ll be little help. If I’m here in April 2027, I may eat a steak. You know, to test my system.
           We further talked about how dependent I am on music and even good advice does not help because there has to be a spark before any new hobby starts. She understands that even the best hobbies quickly become solitary as you get older and the ranks thin out. I have a sad tale on that one, her mom collected stamps, a pastime that has fallen off. There were great volumes, leather bound, but none of the stamps had any real collector’s value. Kind of like vacuum tubes.
           When in Los Angeles, she had the books appraised and, well, they replied the best thing would be for her to donate the set to a younger enthusiast. I have about the same odds of meeting anybody into electronics or navigation, so music it stays. And even with entertainers, few are on the same wavelength.

Last Laugh

April 6, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 6, 2025, $17 per hour!
Five years ago today: April 6, 2021, some e-car pricing.
Nine years ago today: April 6, 2017, thoughts on this cabin.
Random years ago today: April 6, 2010, no “yobs” here.

           In the door of my fridge, do not confuse my Eqyptian raspberry jam with the chili peppers in oil. It’s an easy early morning mistake most people make only the once. It’s a cheery morning and I’m wanting some small boxes, the kind for components. I’ve got some energy, but we’ve had false alarms before. It says here Trump has a new destination for illegals who do not want to go home. You know, the bunch fleeing not persecution, but prosecution. The Congo awaits.

           What a great strategy. It’s win-win for the African nation. Millions of inventive hard workers who built the USA (we are told) arriving with tons of American savvy and job skills. Kinshasa may well become the next economic powerhouse. What’s more, the new people will bring along their contemporary values of property ownership to a nation “deeply affected by humanitarian realities”.

           By noon, I got underway. Some light work on wood scraps and the discover I have no 775s, a generic type of small DC electric motor, very easy to work with. I think I have one in an old electric drill, can I salvage it at today’s energy level? Why not check back later and keep blog readership high at the same time? Panasonic, the swell bunch who makes their own camera models 100% incompatible, has actually built something I like. Shockproof, waterproof, 30fps, with a second forward-facing “selfie” screen. Tiny, and only $30.

           As usual, because I like it, Wal*Mart does not stock it and all the positive reviews are part of a promotion. Also, I do not know anyone who can order it for me, even if I give them the cash, all their accounts are already overdrawn. Don’t nobody say I’m a hypocrite for “hanging around” with losers, there are, present company excepted, no winners in this vicinity.

           Later, I found a 775 and it is drying on the bench. Hunt around here for a picture. Some of you may recognize this very common motor now that it’s been pointed out. Here’s an item, the English say killer seals are eating all the dolphins. Fact is, no animal can cause the extinction of another unless humans cause it. And it looks like Argentina may start up the Falklands war again.

Picture of the day.
Australian pony club.
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           By 2:00PM, I failed at today. A couple tiny tasks around noon landed me flat with fatigue. Check later, I’m recording this in real time. Of course I hate this routine, I truly dislike idleness and foolishly tried to fight. Wound up faint and scraped my shin. Nap time. Wait, all is not lost. By 5:00PM I got up, went out into the back yard and fixed the privacy fence.

           It is the fence set 30 feet back in this photo. Most of those pickets were lying on the ground. You can see the dirt. The old staples had to be pulled, it was not until after I found this spot was a wind channel. A quick heft said each [picket]was within my weight limitation. By drilling pilot holes and starting every screw, I was able to re-affix all nine panels in not much more than an hour. So there, world, you did not stop me today.
           Fun enough it was dismantling that old Ryobi drill. The plastic housing resisted whacks from the sledge hammer a while back, but it was no match for a carbide saw. There was even time and inclination for a little shed maintenance, a plan assisted by a late afternoon drizzle. The sad news is my bench power supply, intended for tiny components, will not start this for a test., but I got this far. If I went 1% too much lifting anything, I will feel it by morning, so keep ready for a big day off.

           Another run at “For What It’s Worth” on the bass did not produce good results. It is a guitar riff which can place physically impossible finger spreads. Another discovery is none of the tabs or tutorials are accurate. There are nuances on the recording that are subject to interpretation and some are taken too far.

           There are passages that show this was a very early attempt at bass fills, resulting in several spots where the 1966 sound is “wrong” for today’s ear. I’m kind of committed now, or as the saying goes, I don’t do this because it is easy, but because I thought it would be easy, I’m betting more people know the drum beat than that bass line.
           If I can’t get the original bass line to sound better, I’ll emulate drums, but that negates my darling bass scales and makes me find “drum” notes. This is a great way to make mistakes on stage. The left hand, after thousands of hours, does not like “wrong” patterns and this song is full of them. Ha, sleepless at midnight, I located two bass tutorials attempting what I just described as mistakes. At least they tried. There is a trick to making descending scales sound smooth on bass, but they must not teach it right a guitar school.

ADDENDUM
           A healing feeling. I awoke (finally) at my standard 5:30AM. I have a tightness across my chest that feels like bones knitting back together. No pain, but a numbness under the surface and an uncomfortable sensitivity to any pressure on the incision. It is a sensation of bones finally settling back into place. I could feel the area adapting and this time it is staying. Couple that with a better sense of taste (I crave cereal more than ever before). What’s this?
           JZ likes jasmine rice, I don’t care for the taste of perfume. Did I mention he is an inattentive food shopper? Good, because he winds up handing me things he doesn’t care for, which is often something I like. And I got a family size box of grape-nuts flakes. Did you know the product contains no grapes or nuts. And that is today’s trivia. I wound up eating a third of it. That was the high point of the morning, folks.

           I learned which hospital tests hurt, and have been calling the worst a “mid-line”. To me, t made sense, since the jab was near the middle of the arm and gave access between external and internal. That, and the staff clearly pronounced it that way. Turns out the correct term in “med-line”, right, medicine line?
           My old back injury as returned, which could be part of the recover process. This was the steroid shots that barely worked, mind you that is all they had to do. The pain is somewhat different after walking for five minutes. JZ has said some of the blood medications could be the source here. Blog rules I must record anything that goes wrong and this means overall.
           At midnight, I sat and listened to the rain. This recovery is taking far longer than anything I experienced in life. Much slower than my original heart troubles of 2003-2010; but those did not involve incisions. It is another difference because without said weakness, I would have a hard time sitting motionless for so many hours/. The healing becomes very perceptible, dozens of small pains that shift around, all seeking an equilibrium that has been drastically upset.

Last Laugh

April 5, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 5, 2025, jailed for winning.
Five years ago today: April 5, 2021, “journaling”.
Nine years ago today: April 5, 2017, it’s a cannonball.
Random years ago today: April 5, 2013, silver glare.

           Are you as bored with this medical episode as I am? Today I squash the situation report into the addendum. Thanks for putting up with my constant attention to health, worse, it won’t change until I have a return to some level of activity. I see now that building boxes was a sign of a longer and more gradual decline. As always, it is comparative. Some people naturally do nothing. A.I. will be most helpful to such types.

           The project being considered for now is a mini-table saw. It’s past my endurance, so all I’m after for now is gathering the materials. Other than box lumber, I have placed an embargo on most purchases. I think by the upcoming weekend, I’ll be able to gig. Looking over Steve’s list for anything I missed, there it was. The correct name is “For What It’s Worth”, from 1966. One of those tunes nobody listened much to the bass line. I could not play blues-jazz fusion back then, but I’m about to give it a whirl.
           Mind you, this morning was better, the more after a fortifying breakfast. Hotcakes and fried sausage, coffee, and seven meds next to the mouse. Face it, except by luck, I cannot make proper hotcakes. This has never stopped me from trying. Let’s get something done today and I don’t care what—it is almost dawn already. I am committed to accomplishing something, even if it is invisible knowledge.

           Today’s off to a good start, I heard tractor noises. Howie has the old John Deere apart, and confirms the two-piston design explored here recently. The explanation was and is: pure simplicity. Here you see the two piston shafts and the radiator that works on convection only. No pump. Howie has seen a 1 cylinder, a Porche model A111. Runs smooth, he adds, due to near-perfect counterbalancing.
           Um, when he checked on me last day, he rang the doorbell. I did not hear it, only aware when the phone rang. He knew I was in and he could hear the bell. Since my hearing is fine, I’m planning a possible flasher in the back room. My explanation has to be those new pills, though none of them are mood-altering. Anti-inflammatory and blood thinners, mostly.

Picture of the day.
Ford factory, S. Africa.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I got all the way downtown, which cost me $90 plus another $60 for 3/4 of a tank of gas. The haul includes 46 pounds of doggie food, which the passersby who helped me load it said was “not that heavy”. By noon, it was sweltering. I have allocated $400 for gasoline this month, almost 7 times my usual budget. Checking the news, I see MicroSoft has issued the same warning I did years ago: don’t trust Copilot. Oregon reports a “dangerous” 25% increase in measles death this month. From 3 cases to 4. One of my search criteria is for authentic equipment and I found an old movie called “Sea of Sand”, dated 1958.

           Cranking the volume so I could work and watch, there was a scene where the navigator takes a sextant sighting. Dang if it didn’t click. We don’t know what star he shot, but the reading was 36°41’18”. We know the latitude is the Sahara and they are, dead reckoning, east of Greenwich. No luck, even assuming the star was overhead, this plots them off the coast of Somalia. But I had to know.
           The blog that dares now brings you the potato video, as usual safe-for-work no sound. I may not eat much, but it is the best. Here is supper and breakfast. Not shown are the carrots and lots of gravy. Thick biscuit gravy. It’s not just for breakfast any more. Just think, a once-proud cross-county motorcyclist, reduced to peeling spuds—but hey, I made the effort to record it. Hungry? Help yourself, there is lots.

           Later. I rekindled the bass line to “For What It’s Worth” and I can play it. It’s a guitar riff but I’ll fix that. This time I have the Songsterr notes and I see why that was so tough to learn when I was barely a teen. It has octave double-stops on the lower strings, a very sparse technique. As usual, playing it live is a real treat to an audience who never quite listened before.
           The heat crept to the low 90s, so I settled in and parsed this old song, now 60 years old. I really don’t like those guitar-like bass fills. In tunes of this sort, I usually amalgamate the best parts of each verse or chorus. This time, I think I may play the drum part, that is, follow the drum pattern but with bass notes, my specialty. Later, I got it, but not the passing notes and that is a tremendous amount of work in that particular song.
           This was a nothing afternoon though I may have broken the hospital three-hour sleep routine. I stayed up 17-1/2 hours without dozing. How about unexplained events in my work shed? It was not that windy, yet I found a dozen pint paint cans on the floor. Pieces of wood seemingly flung around. And some of my best tools lying in the dirt. No animal tracks and if it was wind, nothing lighter was disturbed.

ADDENDUM

           This is now the 9th week of recovery, I had planned for a total of 12 weeks. But I will not meet that deadline. I’ve had memory lapses after the anesthetic. The gasoline to Miami is a frightful expense. Food remains bland but I get a distinct and encouraging “knotting” feeling as my chest bones repair. I can play bass and I have been, up to an hour per day. I’ve never spent so much time sitting at home; it is a behavior I associate with study and driving. My inability to see close-range objects on end is now become a significant problem.
           Here is a typical medicine bottle, I noticed that this amber liquid had condensed inside the sealed glass. Shown here, the metal flange is removed to remove the top. It emitted a horrid smell, which I instantly plugged and took this photo. To think just days ago the contents were injected into my bloodstream.

           I’ve picked April 26 for a big review. It would seem I’ve beat the odds. But no dancing yet. When I say memory problems, I mean like taking five minutes to recall my own e-mail passwords. I feel fully mobile but with the restriction of fatigue. Notably I can now raise my arms past shoulder-height. My leg has nerve damage but does not interfere and both my hands still feel numb. Full recover, they said, will take a year. Are you prepared to wait that long before I can report any adventures?

Last Laugh

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April 4, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 4, 2025, the finish line.
Five years ago today: April 4, 2021, no rifles.
Nine years ago today: April 4, 2017, who remembers $45,000.
Random years ago today: April 4, 2007, I took this pic.

           Well! All may not be lost. I awoke with unaccustomed energy and threw on some raspberry muffins before reaching for the bass. I have Steve’s old song list, which is a year old on my files. He has not gotten back to me, so I chose the easiest tunes, such as “Runaround Sue”. Of course I dislike songs chosen without regard to what the rest of the band plays, but that is a parameter unlikely to change in my lifetime, which was recently nearly foreshortened. How slow is it around here? The top story is a muffin and songs from 1960.

           Droners, mostly. Who really wants to hear Kid Rock crooning that he can’t find love? Then again, Petty’s “Breakdown” is on the list. And it has all those wee empty spaces in the bass line, a half-measure long. Spaces that I know if he is strumming, he cannot play the fills. Interesting. Ah, the sun is up and I set some baking dishes out. Don’t like scrubbing baked on crusties? Just set the pan in my special rack in the back yard. Trust me, in the morning it will be spotlessly clean.
           My after-hospital diet includes a lot of soup. Is it therapeutic? I need to get back to solid grub, which is my excuse to start with pizza. The point is, I cannot find my cooking with soup book. There was some real gems in there. Aha, the book title just hit me and I found the website. See, blogging is useful.

           Disappointment in my home. Here is one of the muffins and boo-hoo, I cannot taste anything. Such a great aroma I had planned a breakfast muffin-fest. How cruel, me, reduced from national-scale adventure to muffin-crying. I finally finished “Death of a Kingfisher”, the audiobook. In the end, it is quite the adventure and yes, I recommend it. Full of quaint British quirks and superstitions, the culprit is totally a surprise.
           The book is also an unmeant exposé on police tactics that I have always been against. It is this business of “interviewing” people who are neither suspects nor witnesses under threat of being charged with obstruction. Then permanently keeping the files even after the case is closed. As usual, the police questioning is not confined to the crime, rather personal information, especially who is sleeping with who. Including the totally innocent people on the tour bus miles away, the police created such files on 68 people.
           Amusingly, the book has numerous references to the Internet, to let you know small town constables are no slouches when it comes to technology. Did you know in Scotland, it is the police and not you who decide if you can speak to a lawyer?

Picture of the day.
Toledo, Spain.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This is a DIY rheostat I built in 2 hours. It isn’t done, I have to install a solid base and attach a knob. The bird is a ceramic parrot who already asked the question, why build this device if I don’t need it? Easy, there is more to it and most people did not build anything new today just to see how it works.

           The rheostat is the round disk, some call it a trimming capacitor, in this case 5K. The blue connector is for house wiring, but make this easy to connect and, equally important, disconnect. Okay, now explain the resistor and LED.
           That’s easier still to tell, it is a safety resistor, just 100 ohms. Follow the logic. The rheostat has some iffy characteristics. One is that the wiper arm can be turned full off. That means if this unit is attached to any assembly which may not have its own resistor, you’ll burn something out. What’s more, I’ve attached an LED to the circuit. I’ve learned to add pilot lights to my home-made gear. If I have the energy later, you’ll find a demo. With just the light, this circuit behaves exactly like a dimmer.

           Monitoring my healing, those leg incisions are taking their time. There is progress, but they wounds need to be covered, which cause delay, and I don’t know if it requires draining or drying. So circumstances made the decision for me. I leaned back from my soldering and noticed the wound patch was missing. A search found it in the shed, that was more than three hours ago and it looks okay. Aha, no immediate danger. Is this important? I switched to a lighter and more breathable paper bandage.
           I was busy all day, no nap because although I’ve got the fatigue attacks, they are less intense and the transition is smoother. Take it slow, I’ve had several relapses. Ideally, this means I can take on more exciting projects, any one of which could break this medical spell. I did not know this was a holiday weekend, there are no religious items on my calendar, though I’m okay with most traditions. By request, none of my prescriptions are taken after 6:00PM so my sleep pattern should return. We are going to do this, folks.

           Later, let the record show that I stayed home. The neighbors checked on me, I was invited to Karaoke, but I chose to write letters and watch a movie. Without a band to play in, I’m not much good for socializing.

ADDENDUM
           In news I will remember from today, top story is what happened after US cut of aid when the African governments refused to reform and allowed 750,000 people to starve. All White males in German between 17 and 45 now require permission to leave the country. Amazon has lowered membership fees for anyone on welfare. Rumor has it the Epstein files are so bad they have to fake another Moon shot.
           It is hilarious how the Democrats got themselves maneuvered into defending rapists, terrorists, and serial killers. This will not end well for them. The toilet vent on the Artemis froze over, NASA is tilting the craft toward the Sun to thaw it. They are millennials, why don’t they just vote that the toilet fix itself?

Last Laugh

April 3, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 3, 2025, 15 songs.
Five years ago today: April 3, 2021, a biscuit joiner.
Nine years ago today: April 3, 2017, I have a yard, finally.
Random years ago today: April 3, 2005, web “age shrinkage”.

           Things are not back to routine, but this time we are ready. Nothing planned except the option to take a nap on demand. Who’s with me? Funny, no word on the DEI launch since the liftoff, at least not to we non-TV types. I want some Italian wedding soup and five days off. Let’s check the news feeds. Trump will fire Bondi, for underperformance in going after his enemies. And she’s too old to start on OnlyFans. Some yahoo won $27 million right after his wife divorced him. CNN says since robots are slaves they should be black, not white.

           Such topics say I’m really cooped up all day and staying still. I got lots of practice at it recently. My routine is slowly returning, but expect generic posts for a while yet. My leg wounds are not doing the right thing, or else taking their time about it. I now wish I’d stayed on a few more days at JZ’s, I told you the guy is a restaurant cook. We have a working formula, I buy the food, he cooks it. How sad it is these days so many men have trouble forming adult friendships and think it is others who are queer. Both JZ and I like women only, but in Florida, we know we are the minority.
           The picture of the Shahed suicide drone is unique. This one was listed on Ali Baba for $35,000 bucks. Listed for “aerial map” and “pesticide” spray, included is an A.I. target system that can lock onto buildings. The sad news to those who bought before it was banned—it is a cheap Chinese knock-off.

           Upon return, my appetite, or more accurately my gustatory sense, abruptly fell. The periods of no flavor are getting shorter, but do not coincide with hunger pangs. It's fun being famished but nothing appeals. Actually, I have dealt with this before and my solution is package food, like today’s scalloped potatoes. If the taste is gone, why not chow down on something with all the same taste. Impeccable logic, folks.
           There is a new virus spreading, called HMPV, has symptoms identical to the common cold. According to official authorized government-approved sources (no less), the infection rate is “lower than influenza” but “higher than COVID”, the same people want you to know this is “notable”.

I’ve been out of commission, or partially out, now four months. Long enough for me to forget where I put things and now I’ve lost my great Radio Shack powered breadboard. I’ll find everything, it just takes time and I’ve never been great at organizing small tools.

Picture of the day.
Hoover Dam, by drone.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           What’s this then? Rather than work, where I might instinctively lift stuff, I gathered some scraps together to make toy boats. We never know which of these projects could become my destiny. These are a mix of Jenga blocks, some kid’s toy blocks, and the fence dog-ear ends I used to throw out. There are infinite shapes but I stuck to those I read in that otherwise boring “oil tanker” book from just a while back. The airboat shape is easy, in fact, all these were easy.

           The neighbor was around, he was also in the hospital again this week. What can I say, I’m recovering, he is maintaining. The desperate CNN of MSM infamy has now enabled on-screen gambling. For example, people who participate can bet on whether a newscaster will utter a certain word, or what price celebrity junk will bring at auction. I predict so much cheating that the authorities will step in.
           China has begun testing an amphibious drone carrier. Like an aircraft carrier, it is designed for long-range operations. The Chinese have said they successfulyl tested swarms of 200 drones operated by a single soldier. The US has finally developed a drone that uses no Chinese components. It can be repaired in the battle area using 3D printed parts. It turns out Chinese cars can be remotely disabled after all. And some judge named Ahmet has again declared Trump responsible for J6, and just in time for the midterms.

           I’ve been after building a small table saw for years. Dumb me, I could now really use one for the condition I’m in. I need a project and so do you, reading all this boring stuff.

ADDENDUM
           I’m still bound to document my condition, this blog has rules. My recovery overall still feels like 40% (of normal). Fatigue attacks are decreasing, now 2 or 3 per day, each requiring hours of rest. The hospital really disrupted my sleep cycles, I’m still waking up every 3 hours. But at times, I now get 7 yours and I rarely have trouble falling asleep.
           The medications must be helping but I have not required any pain-killers since a day or so after surgery. Pains are what I’d expect, the bones and incisions, but there is a balance between intensity and duration I can handle, so no pain-killers, please. The antibiotics keep the incision sites tender to the touch and cause a consistent 23 ml average drainage, meaning the bulb stays. My appetite is lowered, taste is returning enough to get me eating well—but with a preference for soft food. Like porridge and soup. My fluid intake, including coffee, remains high.
           I’m flexible enough again to shower well and can walk continuously without rests if I pace myself. I feel better if I walk with a stoop. My bruised up arms from the IVs and needles are still sore and mending awfully slow. I have eyebrows growing back but coarse and uneven. Gout attacks are milder and confined to big toes. The numbness on my outer left thigh is persistent and has occasional hot flash spells. A momentary searing pain.
           One blessing is that I can sit up for hours. No need to constantly shift between sitting and lying down, and I can walk in a slow shuffle out to the shed. Where I discovered a rat has set up residence. The reason for always sitting or lying for an hour was due to pressure points, which are no longer an issue.

Last Laugh

April 2, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 2, 2025, another guitarist.
Five years ago today: April 2, 2021, Applegate was easy.
Nine years ago today: April 2, 2017, remember the blaster?
Random years ago today: April 2, 1976, my earliest letter record.

           Is life getting back to a normal pace? Seems like 90 days since any progress. Look at me, watch one rocket launch on TV and I need nine hours sleep. It’s subliminal. Fortified by a breakfast of pork chops and egg on toast, I set out at 10:00AM for my 1:00PM appointment and barely got there on time. Welcome back to Miami, but there is a spot of good news that will have some communities screaming. There are roadside notices that blocking the left lane is illegal, signs that usually mean a crackdown. The law states you just move out of the way if a faster vehicle wants past. The law is not much enforced and you can figure out why. They are handing out $150 dollar fines, at least on the freeways.

           This purposely blurred photo shows my current meds. It’s not as bad as it seems, as many are similar for specific treatment. For example, two are anit-biotics, three are to prevent ulcers or upset tummy, and so on. It is actually only three new meds: tummy anti-ulcer, two anti-biotics, and a treatment against skin infections. That last one played a role in where I am today. Reading the labels, the docs did not like fluid pressures. Relax, as this photo includes my five existing “lifetime” treatments such as anti-diabetic and I did mention the gout preventative. Gout isn’t funny.

           The importance of today is the first of many checkups, this will be ongoing. For the record, it now costs $110 in gasoline for the round trip. My dislike of the grenade is no secret, see addendum for specs. The purpose is to keep fluids away from surgical wounds and they are more careful than ever with my case. I’ve dutifully kept a log and the volume is consistently 23 ml, meaning the docs want the tube left in place, and a trip to checkup every week. Good-bye for now, Tennessee.
           I know how medical is dominating my days, yet there is progress. The $95 pill has an instant effect, along with its terrible moldy taste. It goes to the incision site and creates a slight numbness and tightness, But these are not listed a side effects, so have some healing happening. I record no pain or side-effects except moments of fatigue. Not sleepiness, though certainly a good snooze helps. That is honestly all I have for you this morning.

           While in the Pinecrest library, I called JZ over to look at the number of attempts to access my account. None were successful and most were Google. A surprising number were LinkedIn, a site that was supposed to keep your data secret—but thinks they have a right to the data. They’ve been called out for spyware, which is delivered by MicroSoft via all those fake updates. I warned against the LinkedIn since 2004. Their app was inventorying our hard drives. Since MicroSoft took over, you can presume they are now looking at everything else on your computer.

Picture of the day.
Albanian women’s prison.
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           JZ is planning a trip to Punta Gorda in a few weeks. Good, mind you I see him as cooped up all day, but I know all kinds of people who hole up with a TV and think they are relaxing. He has a shopping bag full of Alaine’s gear, so I volunteered to deliver it. I’ve not seen Alaine in months. It’s too big to take on the bus, which is what he’s planned. Into my van and I took 27 to Moore Haven, then CR 74 into Punta Gorda, the scenic path. Alaine met me half-way, near the church where I got my best chop saw.

           She had time for a bite, myself, no tastebuds. Did I mention it comes and goes. It was too early to celebrate when I did. We stopped at an Italian spot and got stuck an extra half-hour by a Gulf downpour. For me, I chose to sample the Italian wedding soup. I’ve only seen it canned and now I like it. Think of it as minestrone with added mini-meatballs. How nice, as could taste it all for that moment. Sadly, little Gogo is gone, age 15 years. Little tyke was blind, I don’t resolve these things well.

           You’ll find few pics this trip as a persistent light rain kept my camera in its case, so I don’t have the name of the restaurant. It’s next to the pizza place on Rampart and Rio de Janiero. But I have all the non-mainstream trivia you want (but this isn’t a trivia site, ha-ha). It is called wedding soup due to a mis-translation. Nope,nnothing to do with weddings. It is just another of those south of the Alps they eat almost daily. Made with chicken stock, I may learn to like it, imagine, an Italian food with no tomato.
           I left early over my well-known aversion to night driving and just made it home to find, get this, a fatigue attack coupled with insomnia. I got to stay awake for hours enjoying nothing. I’m beginning to fathom how the imbecile-making movement was founded.

ADDENDUM
           The grenade is a proper device, called a Jackson-Pratt Bulb Evacuator. I verify that is what it does because the surgery wounds remain dry. I took a peek on-line and was happier because I see I have the smallest or most minor version.

           The unit is well-designed but designed to get in the way. Still, it does the job of keeping fluid away from any healing site, and for the files, the swelling around my chest stitches is going way down.

Last Laugh

April 1, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 1, 2025, good American crud.
Five years ago today: April 1, 2021, on the verge.
Nine years ago today: April 1, 2017, another deadbeat.
Random years ago today: April 1, 1981, Tsawwassen.

           This worked out to the first real day off this year. Stress-free is the major component. Here’s what I found worth recording, there is no goal for it to make any sense. JZ has a new coffee maker—but got one of those models that does no turn off after a couple hours. I never did trust those things. He also listens to Channel 7 news, so, he’s no inkling of the changing values of America. He’s no idea about any of the drastic “pro-right” events and moods. But he does remember as a lad how his dad would gather the family to watch space launches. And there is one later today.

           We visited a new museum, or did we? Firstly, I drove us over to the Pinecrest library, whose staff is about as xenophobic as it gets. They must methodically pore over the books and computer logs for any hints of exposure to any agenda but their own. Right away, JZ and I hit the book sale rack. I found no audiobooks, JZ found an expensive photo book of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. And bought it. Good, I’ve read all the other books in his place many times over.

           Except this 800 page volume of general topics which has an okay atlas. Okay because it is around 25% biographies of people you never heard of. We could not find a decent map of the Gulf, which has a name change after it passes through the Strait of Hormuz. That waterway averages 60 miles wide, but there are only two lanes. Each two miles wide, one inwardbound, the other outwardbound, with a median, also two miles across.
           It makes for somewhat disjointed convo, since I care not about personalities and JZ knows nothing of the military or economics of the program. For example, the US follows conventions in not recognizing any national sovereignty over that international waterway. Between 12 and 14 tankers sail through in an average day. JZ calls it the “Gulf of Vermouth” and thinks the whole region is really one big secret nation. He could have a valid point, there.

           This picture is a lot of seized cookies, they are fake Oreos. The blog mention is because the way the logo was printed on the dough. It was made on a 3D printer. And represents a new high in meaningful millennial brain-ability.
           JZ mentions there is a military museum just opened up. No address, but last time I was at the railroad exhibit, I saw a poster saying the old cadet barracks was to be painted up. It being just noon, I drove all the way out there against protests the building did not exist. But there are mentions of it in this blog, so I knew the structure was there. The accompanying photo is NOT the same as today, this is an old picture of the way I remember it years ago.

           Did we visit a museum? Yes and no, this place was not a display case of weapons, rather a concept called a “community museum”. The focus was on the local people who served and died in the big wars of the previous century.
           I found the room with a wall display of the Miami medical team and was abraded to find no mention of JZ’s father. This could lead to something because JZ’s place has several awards and certificates of his father’s contributions. JZ and I have, over years, talked of what will happened to all those items when we are gone, so this is a new and possibly significant avenue. There is one award that stands out, it is trimmed in gold foil—I’m saying his dad deserves at least the same recognition as what I saw in that room. It is not my decision, but I informed JZ I would mention it to Alaine. And I got the business card of the head of the museum. I will do nothing without permission

Picture of the day.
Merkur Bingo Hall (London).
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           Tradition, we headed for the County Fair, arriving and 2:00PM to find the place vacant and shut down. We learned from a parking attendant the gates do not open until 4:00PM. What the? Imagine, getting GenXed by Broward Country. No sign at the entrance, all the cones and lanes so no nothing until you drive into the complex. No way I could deal with a two-hour wait, so the vote was we drive to Sedano’s and stock up. If you know what to look for there are real bargains to be had. I got the thin-cut sirloin pork chips with no fat, a party tray of shrimp, and headed back to the condo, where JZ always keeps plenty of rice on hand. It was a feast.

           A late dinner I mean, when we arrived, I once more was hit with fatigue and zonked. I left instructions to wake me up before the satellite launch, scheduled for 6:30PM give or take a NASA hour. What follows is not supposed to make sense, you see, while JZ thinks the crew are “astronauts”, I consider them a pack of jokers on a publicity ride. So, picture this, two old guys, both staring a boring commentators and making better comments ourselves. Example, JZ starts watching the weather map animations showing the wind currents.

           I bet him $15 we could go sit on his balcony for an hour and we would not see a single white arrow in the sky. But that idea got the axe since we could not find any beer in the fridge. However, we later concluded the launch might be a cover up. The rocket was really a missile headed for Teheran. A sneak attack of the most sinister stripe. And that whisp of smoke from the turret was the crew, toking a Cuban cigar in celebration of their free ride on the taxpayer dime.
           Don’t pooh-pooh the logic. Look closely at this picture of the countdown. Big rocket, painted orange to get your attention. Moments after ignition, the whole scene is blanketed with smoke so nobody will notice in the lower right is a near-exact replica of the Pahokee water tower. A clever disguise, indeed.

           I was later to learn Alaine, true to the family tradition, had watched the launch from their back yard. Once it go in the air, it arcs over, which her husband was quick to point out that means it is falling back to Earth on a trajectory toward Iran. See, men know about these things. I’m the one who first noticed once the smoke screen wafted away, the water tower had been replaced by a Styrofoam duplicate.

ADDENDUM
           Club 33. It’s off limits, today I’m referring to the location in Orlando. It is a private club where VIPs and celebrity types can dine in peace. Initiation fees are reportedly $25,000 with annual membership dues of $10,000. I wonder if I’d meet Taylor there, since she has shown a distinct aversion to hopping over to my club, just 40 miles away. This is why keeping my appointments in Miami is important. Time is short and the club waiting list is over ten years long. Even the entrances are hidden from the public. I like the way the tables are twenty feet apart. So the Tay and I can have our intimacies, type of thing.
           I wish I had some of my old-style adventures to report. I know, these days it is books, treatments, and curiosities. I need a 300% improvement just to return to base. The slowdown in lifestyle was inevitable, but I can hope. Did I not just read how Tay has stopped seeing what’s-his-name? Don’t try telling me it is all coincidence. Like the Democrats who categorically swore their election computers were unhackable now saying Trump is planning a steal.

Last Laugh

           This is an Oklahoma City manhole cover. It shows a map of the city, along with a white dot showing where you are. This is either great tourist-industry foresight, or an admission of how badly their DEI policies have gone off the rails. It was used for a blog placeholder, but got 1,421 views, so here it stays. Enjoy.

March 31, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 31, 2025, what music!
Five years ago today: March 31, 2021, talking navigation.
Nine years ago today: March 31, 2017, I speak HTML.
Random years ago today: March 31, 2015, just not my star.

           Here’s the battery heading for Miami later today, and a view of the gas-powered pressure washer if I can figure a way to get it lifted up into the van. It’s kind of heavy duty, but the sucker will peel off auto paint. It is getting promoted to the Robot club, where it will find lots of work. What a morning for my coffee maker to act up, which makes everything else a chore. This is the washer from the Prez before he moved, he is aware I intended to ship it to the club if I was not using it much. The sulfuric acid bottles, seen here, are coated with six years of dust.

           A lot of logistics show that I’m behind on everything. Do I catch up or hop in the van and go stay in Tennessee until June? It’s a toss-up except I have to stay near enough Miami to ensure this time I’m recovered. Quite realistically, I can’t much afford to be this long out of commission. I can tell you who will have it worse—credit card users. Have you heard of Google’s “verifiable intent”. It’s the cover phrase for them authorizing purchases on your behalf. The plan is that A.I. is given your specs, like “find me the best tennis racket under $400” and the system takes care of the rest. This could fuel the next round of comedy movies and stand-up routines. Who remembers, “I said oatmeal, not smoked eel”?

           The good news is the chest repair this time feels like it is healing. My long term speculation is that this bypass buys me another twenty years. But behave, this incident is more than a warning that after a certain point, most ailments can come out of the blue. As I read the hospital reports, I’m drawn closer to my conclusion that my situation is a “hospital infection”, of course nobody is going to spell that out for me. Nothing I caused myself this round required 7 doctors on the case.

Picture of the day.
Cindy Crawford & daughter at age 19.
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           If you are reading this, chances are I drove to Miami y’day afternoon, and won’t be back until late Thursday. Yes, it is costly and grossly inefficient, but my recuperation is getting done, so I’ll gladly pay up. Here are five of the seven new audiobooks, purchased from the library over in Bartow. The best source is the south end branch, because the atrocious levels of adult literacy in that town assures you of a boundless selection of brand new books and CDs, never touched.

           That was JZ on the phone. Do not read me wrong and think I said he was a terrible money manager. I did not, repeat, did not say that. I said he manages his money the same way as most people. My backup phone is on his account, so it gets paid when he does his own.
           To keep away from deadlines, I pay up two months, always a month in advance. Well, for most consumers, two months is a galactic future beyond their maximum planning horizon. JZ regularly forgets I’m paid up, yet he’d be affronted if he knew I write such things down. There you go, I did not say anything. He feels that because I was in the hospital, I [must have] lost track of the payments, but I stress this is NOT a JZ thing, it is the natural course that most Floridians would follow.

           I should have contacted him y’day, but the time was wasted chasing around with local issues, like electricity. That’s Florida. It also means I got none of my own stuff done, like how about some laundry since three weeks ago? Can Florida spare me enough time for laundry. Y’know, it is also strange how people who never manage money properly are, after enough time put it, psychologically opposed to learning it right. Alas, that is my pal, who says pay up.
           That’s a mini-universe in itself. Things have massively changed twice, since I’ve know the guy. Once, when I lived off my savings for six years, and once again when I retired. These events shifted ballast over here, but nothing changes out there. Example, JZ thinks I could easily sell the pressure washer in Miami for $300. But who can be bothered? List it, deal with a buyer, meet up, all of this costs money and time that non-financial minds tend to ignore. If Agt. M cleans two cars, it has paid for itself.
           I kind of advised JZ that it has been years since I quibbled over $20, that he could have come got the washer any time he wanted, and I am not equipped to sell large merchandise on-line.
           In the end, I could not lever the washer into the van, so it has wait another turn. I know there will be a turn because of how I feel, which is around 40% of normal.

Last Laugh

March 30, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 30, 2025, the pessimistic view.
Five years ago today: March 30, 2021, brunch at the Cozy Cove.
Nine years ago today: March 30, 2017, beware of City Hall.
Random years ago today: March 30, 2001, no soup for you.

           Four hours to sort things out, what a waste of time. We have electricity back, cut off for $61 overdue, the city is just proving what ghastly money managers they are. Grubbing for chump change. I have a list of items jotted down from people met at the hospital. One insisted I listen to a band called “Snake Oil”. Do you have any idea how many bands have that name? I’m still weak enough to take the day off, whence I watched a clip on Voyager 1 approaching a distance of one light-day from Earth. That took about 50 years.

           It says here Miley Cyrus is thankful Disney took a chance on her. New York has taken over a shopping mall to let homeless people set up tents inside. France has put some twenty freemasons on trial. This morning, I got by catching up on details that made it through while I was away. It turns out trivia is king on the app once known as youTube. What a wasteland that has become, choked with junk that just can’t pass the three-finger test.

           By noon, I was pretty much crawling. I had to do old-school banking because I am all out of deposit slips and my ATM cards are expired. Heart problems never seem to happen in isolation when I’m concerned. Since I was downtown, I stocked up on essentials and made it over to the library for more audiobooks. “Bullet” is finished, it turns into a crazy twist at the end, since the “killer” was not the guy she shot and she winds up a fugitive in France. I have six new mysteries, the format that dominates audiobooks, but also a novel theme about a village that renames an old plot as a “fairie ring” to boost the flagging town coffers.
           This morning’s photo is the excellent book from the Clewiston Thrift. Amazing well-written for what is largely a documentary. It flows like an imaginative tale and the vocabulary is superb, the logic is a treat to follow. Take the photo, it would probably not be posted today, at is shows an older White man posing with lots of slim, proportionate, young White girls. That’s Carrier, the A/C guy, at the 1939 expo. The book points out how his invention caused the world’s largest cities to grow in the tropics where just decades ago, all were in temperate zones.

Picture of the day.
Stolen Voter ID lists.
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           Doing my best to avoid hospital pics, this one is over a single request. My reference to the “hand grenade” is this drain mechanism. It has the same hydraulics but better ergonomics, using the same sponge system as the bulky Roomba. A pliable bulb the size and shape of a grenade. This shows around 20ml of fluid that would normally seen into bandages. They don’t want that, so a slight squeeze on the bulb, as is shown here, creates a mile back-pressure. Emptied daily after recording the volume, and 20ml is really nothing.

           Back to Miami again, maybe tomorrow, I did not get the rest I craved, this is my third night home. I read more of the literature to find this is normal, so I played bass for an hour and got some banking out of the way. What’s this? $300 for a doggied blood test! That dog is the one who really got the presidential suite, gets to sleep next to a princess more than I do, and eats food from Aldi’s.
           I am now personally convinced there is a direct corelation between sedation and gout.

ADDENDUM
           I bought extra data this month, wanting to stay as inactive as I can until the stitches are gone. Remember the Gruman X47 and it’s variants? I consider it a billion-dollar joke, often taking years do develop what is mostly and outdated concept. In its current form, it is pilotless and being tested from an aircraft carrier. It seems to use no systems that are not already in operation elsewhere, such a GPS guidance, and refueling from drones.

           Hmmm, my comment above about the three fingers needs a boost to explain. It is a referral to A.I. videos, whereby the software, or at least a lot of the current apps, has trouble generating hand pictures with four fingers. This can be spotted easily when the subject picks anything up and, at least briefly, has only three fingers. It is a poor-man’s test you are being duped. Why duped? Because A.I. does not arrive with a warning sticker.

Last Laugh