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If buying is not owning, then piracy is not stealing.

TMOR (to my overseas readers): this blog
DOES NOT represent any average American life-style.
This blog GoFundMe: Each as if my own.

Warning. This blog has evolved through many phases and earlier posts did not allow for links that go dead or change. I never intentionally link to sites that require memberships, accounts, or log-ins. Same with sites that don't pass my stringent filtering system. Thus, I encourage readers to NOT follow any links that attempt to redirect, use cookies, or are obvious wrong material for this publication, which is essentially PG13.

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.

November 1, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: November 1, 2025, pigtails, yep, I’m sad.
Five years ago today: November 1, 2021, my last Halloween gig.
Nine years ago today: November 1, 2017, no fame & fortune.
Random years ago today: November 1, 1977, playing accordion.

~            What’s this? Caltier has a building for sale. That is potential good news, even if they present it as “re-financing”. Later, the Reb reports and encouraging call from the company honcho. Reddit and a zillion other companies that piggybacked of the detestable Google are circling the drain. Why? Because they can no longer grease the SEO palm. A.I. doesn't do "referrals"--but now that Google has proven on-line advertising is a cash cow, it won't be long. My hope is whatever emerges does not sell out to Google.
           Up late and up early, it’s a dreary fall morning. Hooks wanted walks at 5:00AM. We got soaked but he knows that means a towel rub, so to heck with raincoats. Ooops, I've run afoul of the iMac pages glitch. That's where you export the first copy to a Word compatible format, but forget iMac does not preserve that path. Subsequent saves are to their proprietory Pages format. I forgot. Dang, I can see your files, but I cannot open them. Again, I will try for photos instead.

Picture of the day.
Near Marfa, TX
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~ ADDENDUM
~ Last Laugh

           x margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em; margin-left: 1em;

October 31, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 31, 2025, the balsa wood section.
Two years ago today: October 31, 2024, fact: boxes need shelves.
Three years ago today: October 31, 2023, every lesson.
Four years ago today: October 31, 2022, legitimate means $$$.

You'll have to wait. I forgot the iMac cannot be set to save in DOC mode. Each "save" has to be an export to that format. I'm old enough to remember when Apple was a reputable company that would have, on principle alone, made it compatible with "IBM" text files. I'll hunt for some photos, but that is all you get until I convert the files.

Here is the Halloween fundraiser at the school next to the library. Interesting, kids learning to play in a band. Where I fought impossible odds, it is now a credit course.

October 30, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 30, 2025, no warrants, you say.
Five years ago today: October 30, 2021, good old Cash.
Nine years ago today: October 30, 2017, I still like that fan.
Random years ago today: October 30, 2014, six bedrooms.

           If you are reading this, I’m still in Tennessee. Probably at the library in Franklin.
Hey, there’s that babe again. She’s 4-foot-7. In my time, I've read about and admired stone fences. I've seen pics of fences 800 years old. Today, was the first time I saw one for real. Turns out it is decoration for a shopping center. Sigh, due to intense traffic I could not get a closeup, but according to the books I've read, this is a faithful replication. (Real fences end somewhere real.)

           We found out how the Tennessee DMV does business. I was out there in the cold 30 minutes before opening time. Only one person ahead of me, but they do not open at 8:30AM like the sign on the door. Nope, they shuffle around inside for a half-hour. So the now 30 people in line are shivvering. Then some DMV type comes outside to go down the line to exclude anybody for any reason. The one lady, picture too small, another need more ID, and so on. Myself, one pieces of mail did not have the Zip Code. A bank statement I'd changed last month. So, it's back here next week for another wait, and since my old ID is more than 6 weeks expired, I must take a new driver's test. Have not done that since I was 16. That's the test I failed seven times.

           Next, some banking. None of my statements have been arriving since I put in the change of address. Remember the difficulty I had finding the new address in Franklin? I'm not the only one. The building street number is the same as the apartment number. So, Chooks and I drove all the way out to Hermitage and got official copies of everything. Then over to the library thinking I'll give you all the updates. Wrong. The units have been detuned so they will not transfer files, and the latest version of Notebook does not recognize Apple text files. Yep, computers were supposed to stop people from making these same stupid mistakes all over again. I con't be here long enough to set up a new computer like I used to. On the way back, I'll side-trip to Donelson and see if the old guy has any old units for sale. Don't it beat hell when you have to resort to that?

           The picture of the pretty girl stays.

           I’ve lamented how the system is constantly tightening up, but in the wrong way. You can get a thousand more informed opinions on that. They mostly miss the point, which is how the system brainwashes then into thinking it is for their own safety, etc. As said, the cops already know who all the bad guys are and where they live, but there is no money in arresting the kingpins. The real goal has always been to get everyone on a police file, regardless of how honest they are. And that is one scary situation. (Again, sorry for any repetition, as the blog here is written on two different computers.
           Today was the outcome of a PPP (poor people problem) that began October 11. Because the van has not been road tested for lack of money, I hesitated to leave until the morning after the check cleared, which was this last Wednesday. If I had the cash, I would have left the weekend before. So I get to Tennessee to find they will not auto-renew registrations if left over 90 days. This is day 91.

           You must show ID, so I went to the Homeland Security place and showed them all my paperwork. Nope, they said, your insurance info does not list your home address. They are in the same building as the DMV, who now say since my license expired more than six months ago (they don’t care if you were in the hospital), I must take a new road test.
           So, you may get this information twice, since I was on this project since 6:30AM and it is now 3:30PM. And that morning cold did not do my ancient bones a lot of good. While in the neighborhood, I took Chooks for an extended walk around the Hermitage library. He remembered it once he heard his paws crossing the wooden plank way. He dove straight for his old shady spot and if I moved fast enough, I’ll have video of him rolling like puppy.

           I’ve lamented how the system is constantly tightening up, but in the wrong way. You can get a thousand more informed opinions on that. They mostly miss the point, which is how the system brainwashes then into thinking it is for their own safety, etc. As said, the cops already know who all the bad guys are and where they live, but there is no money in arresting the kingpins. The real goal has always been to get everyone on a police file, regardless of how honest they are. And that is one scary situation.
           Today was the outcome of a PPP (poor people problem) that began October 11. Because the van has not been road tested for lack of money, I hesitated to leave until the morning after the check cleared, which was this last Wednesday. If I had the cash, I would have left the weekend before. So I get to Tennessee to find they will not auto-renew registrations if left over 90 days. This is day 91.

           You must show ID, so I went to the Homeland Security place and showed them all my paperwork. Nope, they said, your insurance info does not list your home address. They are in the same building as the DMV, who now say since my license expired more than six months ago (they don’t care if you were in the hospital), I must take a new road test.
           So, you may get this information twice, since I was on this project since 6:30AM and it is now 3:30PM. And that morning cold did not do my ancient bones a lot of good. While in the neighborhood, I took Chooks for an extended walk around the Hermitage library. He remembered it once he heard his paws crossing the wooden plank way. He dove straight for his old shady spot and if I moved fast enough, I’ll have video of him rolling like puppy.

Picture of the day.
Cabin ruins in Arkansas.
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           Needing just a short siesta. Chokes and I ambled out to the van. Now I can see his arthritis. I’m sticking to my routine of more shorter walks, where the Reb takes him out an hour or more. I also give him more leash, I figure the doggie knows where he wants to go. This evening is was over to the library (which is closed) where he knows we walked y’day. We went along the same path but I could hear a band playing. Here he is staring through the fence. I have vidoe, but it seems all the library computers have removed any editing software.

           So, we headed that direction and found a large crowd of middle-teens with a band setup. A fundraiser, they said, with about 200 attendance. It took me back 60 years, because this is how the bands sounded when I started. Not bad, but far from slick. Yes, I’ve always assumed that bands who had any form of support would benefit by not having to go through the meat-grinder. Nope, here were kids four and six years older than I was in the day, hitting the same walls. I know, but I thought bands becoming an accepted recreation could skip this phase.
           What do I mean by that? Well, think of the odds in my day of my band playing at my own high school. Impossible. Even to strangers in town, you were a dirty rotten hippy who never took a bath and played Beatles “devil music” and lived on LSD. Which I’ve never even seen. I know better than to guess how these kids are managing.

           Let Chooks meet the babes. Like so many, I’m convinced I grew up in the last good times. My theory remains how these teenage gals should have it all their now way. Instead you got the goths and the tattoo lady, pardon me if they just are not the same.
           I’m working on a meme, which I’ll post under my avatar one I refine it. I’ll describe it and let you see if you can streamline the wording. lt’s how so many XYZers whine that the Boomers shipped all the entry level jobs overseas, then imported 50 million illegals to depress wages. Now this meme in meant to jolt a few brains, so stay with me here.

           Why wouldn’t they ship the grunge jobs overseas?
The fact is, the Boomers piled so many opportunities and entitlements on you XYZers, how were they know you lazy ass-clowns would turn out such incompetent losers you wanted to start at the bottom?
           Karaoke occupational hazard. That is not until next Monday. So I stuck around for a brew and wrote two letters (JZ & Hersh), when a fat boy at the far end of the bar sneezed openly. Within the hour, I have a sore throat and a cold sore. This is the generation that will be taking over.

           I began reading my DOS chapter on modems. Why? It was one of those subsurface skills I looked up when I need to, never memorized. What changes all that? MIcrocomputers. They can only communicate serially, which is how modems work. To be fair, the complication with modems is not the data transfer. It is the whacko ways that the “engineers” made the hookup and protocols. I’m only interested in direct connect communications at this point, even though in 1982 I was one of the first to use dial-up bulletin boards

Last Laugh

October 29, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 29, 2025, capable & experienced.
Five years ago today: October 29, 2021, signifying "acceptence".
Nine years ago today: October 29, 2017, the end of the Palmdale cracker.
Random years ago today: October 29, 2006, me, at 161 pounds.

           If you are reading this, I am in Tennessee. So much for getting anything done. I flaked out until 6:00AM and decided to water the doggie. Out we went, bravely into the Tennessee darkness. Where he instantly went into snuffle mode. He’s still in a mood but seems to remember who is on the leash that lets him lead the general way. Instead of ten minutes, we were out there forty as he checked out every bush, hydrant, and fencepost. We got back, I flaked out again until 2:30PM. Cancel today.

           Of course, I don’t mean cancel your daily report. You have direct access to the captain’s log, I have woman’s indignation, it’s called, so I knew in Eufaula there would be no coffee when I got here. So I bought a 24-pack. Smart move. Today will be me, the pooch, lots of coffee, and I like to read/study. I left my DOS book around here years ago (in Hermitage) and found it. Good, because I found something else.

           I found last time I was here in July, it was hot. This time it was not. I did not fare well. This set me back two months, if I had to compare. All my old injuries re-appeared and some new ones let me know the seriousness of my operation last winter. I got Chooks out in the mid-afternoon when it’s warmest, and yep, the aches subsided. So, with a little timing, we should be okay unless we get a cold snap. I see the latest thing the climate people have glommed onto is the polar vortex.
           I picked up the chicken that will get Chooksie back into orbit, but my gawd, the Tennessee food prices. How can people here afford that? I know, put it on the credit card and worry later. I opened my travel kit so find all my shaving gear was missing. Must have left it at the hospital, that the last time I opened my jumbo travel case. Okay Chooks, car time, the nearest dollar store from here is six miles away. You know, in the other part of town.

           You’d think iMac would make it easy to transfer files. Back home, we boiled up ten pounds of chicken. Hooks can tell by the aroma, and by the sound of me cussing that there is no salt and pepper here. They all say they don’t buy it because they don’t use it. Yeah, well how come my supply, stashed way back in the cupboards, is always used up when I get here? Riddle me that.
           There is another way to get Chooks to settle to the routine. Let him meet women, and he bumped into a cutie right by the library. She walked past, but turned around. See that? That’s my boy. We wound up talking for almost five minutes, Tennessee gals always seem so nice. It was another five-minute walkie that took a half-hour.

           I plunked him on the memory foam in the van, and you are reading this, managed some computer time at the library. I cannot find the iMac command to save this a plain text. If you are reading this, it is because while Microsoft is royally screwed up, their latest crop of idiots are so predictable. (I copied and pasted it to a notebook file.) The good news is soon as I got off the library elevator, I noticed the woke bunch was gone. Now there was a guy behind the counter who did not speak with a lisp.

           Okay, you get to keep this babe picture as well.

Picture of the day.
Fort Massachusettes, in Mississippi.
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           First thing I checked was if the censorship was taken off the computers. It was, you can again access any site you want. Did the library mend their ways, or are they hedging their bets. Libraries need funding. And Trump knows who has been censoring. In a similar even, the California DMV is trying to recall a lady who’s license plate reads RVRTSEA, I don’t get it. Am I missing something. Then again, if has to do with something sleazy, I’m okay not knowing. Later, it is interpreted by Jews as meaning "from the river to the sea", the Arab expression for wiping Israel off the map.

           Tennessee has better Thrift stores. I scored an oscillating fan for the van and an almost priceless 3.5” floppy reader. If you wondered why I’m refusing my DOS, I have decided to hunt for an XP computer while here and I may have some 1990s material to post. There is an old joke, what is the difference between DOS and MicroSoft application? Answer: about $100.

           The election draws near, and while I support neither party for their agendas, I am very much against communism and corruption. And the liberal mindset that fosters such philosophies. The steal is still on, but this time they know they’ll be met. The MSM has been silent on asking Trump where the payouts are from. They know it is from tariffs and don’t really want people knowing how successful that has been. Or knowing the country can be run entirely with tariffs. Nobody will ever be able to vote taxation in again.
           Mind you, careful the tariffs are used to boost the economy, not turned into just another source of government social funding. Welfare hurts every facet of society. That is, the tariffs should be used 100% to spur industry and commerce, which distributes death through wages. That is, not used to distribute wealth through public services like welfare. A bit of healthy pain is overdue for all parties that live off the taxpayer.

           It is foolish to ignore the dozen major stats that show we are worse off than 2006, but they are only indicators. The American economy is quite resilient and often those factors offset each other. If there is another housing bubble collapse, good. More people will be able to afford them, and so on. I pay more attention to the numbers that have no pressure to balance. Like broke people who would live off credit cards rather than mend their ways. Then again, the reason they are broke is likely they don’t think they are doing anything wrong. Duh.

           My DOS review is going fast, then again, I have a background using that cryptic command set. On the long drive, a distant memory told me that modems have a direct connect (not dial-up) mode. I was thinking of this because I don’t have the Arduino shield (baby board) for such communications. I got to thinking that would be an interest research project since Tennessee Thrift stores still sell a lot of old modems. Anyway, just a thought, as modems are designed for telephone use and some have built-in blocks to stop them being used else wise.
           For clarity, I have a couple surplus routers. That’s the 1992 version of plug-n-play. I want to see if two modems could “twaddle” to each other. It’s a bit ambitious, so don’t be surprised if all I do is read up on it. I’m starting with information I last thought about 30 years ago. It’s a blur, like the difference between WiFi and wireless internet. It took me years to figure out the major difference was the range—and that only because the wireless people began censoring.

Last Laugh

October 28, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 28, 2025, they get paid well.
Five years ago today: October 28, 2021, they never tasted lamb.
Nine years ago today: October 28, 2017, totally ignored me.
Random years ago today: October 28, 2009 peek-a-boo.

           Just a half hour late, I was passing Gainesville before I noticed I’d forgotten my prescription. I can explain. Normally I take a different route, but this time I had to check the bank. I’m used to hopping in without my checklist. Everything else is fine and the last check cleared. I called ahead to Valdosta, Tonio is working and he has a crew in the truck. And it’s a bigger truck every time I see the guy. There he is now.

           News to me, his wife likes the boxes, mentioning the printing. See, I told you that laser adds more than it’s value. I still have no boxes sold, but Tonio is well-stocked with boxes now. He’s got the “jack in the box”. I had to ask if his wife would see those as well, and he says definitely. There you go, Tonio doesn’t know it but he just convinced me to get the larger laser.

           Not making any good time this trip, the new route is 38 miles further. But the timing should be the same since avoids that patch around Atlanta. You can follow on your atlas. Why not GoogleMaps. Well because the tiny viewing area does not allow most users to spread out the display like a folding map. I know, you’d think by now these XYZer would have invented a thin screen pocket map that opens to 4 feet by 2 feet and shows every road in the world. But they are too busy shilling on line that both political parties are the same.
           I take the usual path to Valdosta, the through west Georgia from Tipton. Some of the most beautiful countryside. There’s other places in the world, but to me they aren’t the same. Either too spectacular or too “oriental”. It’s divided four-lane except a few stretches. And Eufaula cost me an hour.

           And you get to keep the picture of the pretty girl. Here's the video.


Picture of the day.
Yogi's Jellystone Park.
(It's in east Texas.)
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           Eufaula was never intended to be a waypoint, just an side trip to see. It may well replace Macon at the halfway mark. Their Wal*mart is five miles south of town, make it six because to turn around and get back, it’s a drive to the next intersection. And that was part of the problem, it seems the “rebuild Alabama: money has reached that town and the’ve changed the road system. Not left turns everywhere, including the old trail I memorized to east Montgomery.
           You don’t want to get lost in that area, since it appears whoever planned things presumed every route must twist and turn but the only place anybody wants to go is Atlanta. I suspect people who live in Montgomery understand that, ha-ha.

           It stretched into a 15 hour trip. That van is equipped for siestas, but the Reb has a plane to catch. I drove the last 90 minutes in darkness, you just know how an old motorcyclist loves freeways in the dark. I arrived around 8:30PM local time to discover the Reb would be a few hours late. Snooze time.

           She came in at 10:30PM, a hug and drop off Chooksie, who will go into one of his funks. Playing orphan, shivering for no reason, refusing to eat. He forgets, I know the routine. Soon enough, his diet change to real chicken will jolt his doggie memory cells. Then I’ll start following me around in the house. Then he gets to sleep all day except when I take him for extra walks.

           But not before taking stock of the place. The Reb has been on the road since July, so there is nobody here to ride herd. It shows, I mean, how long has that smoke detector been chirping and why are there dishes in the sink. It’s small stuff, but Nate should be taking care of things without her being boss. But, he managed to fall in the tub and crack a rib, so we’ll cut some slack.
           The iMac computer was not serviced and is useless, so tomorrow it is library time. Apple computers were supposed to be intuitive. This iMac is a POS. It’s now as bad as Google for no back, cancel, or delete icon. When I left in July, I had ordered the microscope camera eyepiece, which they said was out of stock and I could not wait. With good intentions they finally shipped me a different item, the kind I did not want.
           I usually buy a data cable here rather than bring one from the cabin, since I usually lose or forget them anyway. Knowing the power-cable not data-cable scam, I found the the nextXYZ rip-off. They renamed it a “sync cable”. The difference is one extra wire, the scam is quadrupling the price.

ADDENDUM
           JZ is not doing well. I have not relented on my steady pressure encouraging him to get out of that city. But the odds are against it. Three contributing negatives are him losing his truck, then that license, and now loss of outside influence. He always has his large family but that does not get you any fun at the club. And, when I’m not there, if I didn’t say, he’s quit going out looking. It’s not any secret, when I’m around he meets the women. All he has to do is make up his mine, in that context he’s like most men. So no finger-wagging.
           I’m considering stepping up the pressure. We are old pals, but his experience and approach are a study in contrast. JZ has never been on stage, and the prettier the gal, the more he feels daunted.

Last Laugh

October 27, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 27, 2025, the GenX bulb.
Five years ago today: October 27, 2021, Cash, top dog.
Nine years ago today: October 27, 2017, Wilmington, once.
Random years ago today: October 27, 2007, What vending license?

           According to an on-line analysis of my writing, I use semi-colons, hyphens, ellipses, colons, and brackets more often that the next 3,622 people. Makes sense. Another phone meeting with the Reb, this folks, is why I do not like the recording industry. Money-hungry clowns, the only major business that it still run totally on bribery, favoritism, and kickbacks. America’s best talent does not stand a chance against people who buy the agent a new sports car. Yes, it very much really works that way.
           Dang it, I missed mail call. Typical, I know every side road and shortcut to the post office, but today they got me. One intersection had me waiting for 23 cars. Plus, one time in twenty, my KIA sliding door does not close all the way. Fine. Except, KIA starts an alarm ringing, and in case you have a low battery, disables the timer that turns the interior light off after a minutes. Figure that one out, the light stays on when the door is ajar.


           Here's a shot of crossing the Chattahoochie tomorrow afternoon.

           Now, for sure, JZ will call when I’m on the road. Screw USPS, I have described how first class mail means nothing anymore, while the stamps still cost first class. Bunch of woke bastards. The Reb has to fly to Boston for a show, which upsets other plans we had. That’s a lot of why I never got into recording.
           Just as I settled in to copy the files I need to take with me, my Internet quit. The bill, due Thursday, was paid a week ago and I’ve still got 9GB left of my extra “hospital” coverage. I drove downtown only to learn it is an outage. Get it together Boost. I bumped into the server from the Stable, who knows Josh. so he may be in touch. It seems the Stable may never be a pub again. For the life of me I can’t think what else would be in that location. This town cannot support another pizza joint.
           Trivia. The guys who invented bubble wrap were trying to create a unique wallpaper. All the original drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia were looking for water.

Picture of the day.
Meteorite museum, Albuquerque.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Feeling just a slight relapse, I took a two hour break. I put the finishing touches on Tonio’s tool box. Then at final assembly, one of the pieces broke. It was an easy repair but things, at this stage, should not be breaking. To the rescue, I hauled out my calipers. Sure enough, the 7/8ths drill bit is 1/128th smaller than the 7/7ths dowel. This is why, if things has gone right along, I would be making my own dowels by now. Instead, the kit is sitting in a box out in the living room.

           I worked in the shed until dark. Finishing some work, finally the Internet restored. But no pictures today unless you want more boxes. Maybe I’ll come back tomorrow and post some for you. I am complete geared toward a trip to Tennessee so not much else is to be expected. It now takes a full day to pack and ready for the trip. It was not long ago if you ran out of anything on the road, you stop at the nearest Thirft. Quilts, pillows, work shirts, may of my tools are from that source.
           That changed three years ago. Since then Thrift prices have cascaded. Those $2 quilts now cost $12 and spare computer cables have all but disappeared.

Last Laugh

October 26, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 26, 2025, in memory of Marion.
Five years ago today: October 26, 2021, the Florida doggies.
Nine years ago today: October 26, 2017, a great skill.
Random years ago today: October 26, 2012, a dozen, you say.

           Alright! Day four without big symptoms, is this the awaited turning point? Today I test the new setup in the “camper van”, the KIA. We are back to a minimalist blanket, fan, and light. The rest, you buy on the road. Want to write? Find a library. Coffee is hard to find thanks to many generations of wimps, but there is always WaWa. For overnight, we have earplugs and knowledge of all the best Cracker Barrels in mid-Georgia. If you need a real meal, Eufaula or Macon still have mom & pops.

           Audacity, the audio editing program, has changed. The app that counts for 100% of my pirated evaluation music has somehow disabled the direct record function. There was nothing wrong with the old version but no way would they leave that alone. The latest release, called “Audacity4” is more graphical, if that is what you want in an audio environment. Thank goodness I have the legacy versions tucked away. But my updates are turned off, so how did they get into my computer and make unauthorized changes? It’s what GenXers do instead of getting real jobs.

           Three hours later and I was in the shed. This is great, no diminishment in stamina. I built four boxes for Tonio, the one who appreciates them the most. Shown here is his almost completed “Jack in the Box”, it still needs a coat of poly. I had to raid some of my older pieces to get the hardware and this is the “weathered oak” finish that grows on you once it is dry. It’s just so unlike other stains, it even avoids knots on its own. Most of today’s work gets a coat of poly because we have so much extra from the recycle this time.
           Here’s a picture of applying the stain. At first it acts like grey paint, but once it soaks a big, the effect is a bit remarkable. It really does resemble old fence or bar wood. But to do large areas with this stain would be kind of expensive. I’m planning a long evening off, I’m surprising myself how much work I’m getting done. Coffee and a movie, though I often watch two movies, back and forth. It has to do with slow scenes, I skip them or zip them.

           Early voting has begun and there is already a trend. Every big media poll publish that the Democrats were leading by double digits. However, some 25 million people have already voted and this massive “blue wave” has not materialized. Not even close. Still, the blue waves don’t start until after midnight. That’s why I am against announcing any totals until the polls are closed.
           The neighbor was over, we may cancel Festus in case I can’t wait around. We have a standing arrangement to get each other to emergency on demand. I knew he was diabetic, but not that he has had anemia since he was 40. I’ve never known anyone with anemia but I hear they can drop nearly as fast as a vaccinated liberal soccer player. You heard me.

           The left is trying to bury the pre-election story of Omar. Don’t look at me for pity, I know that no such person was ever legitimately elected in the USA. I also believe that when politicians or civil servants commit a tort, they should be tried as criminals, not plaintiffs. Arrested and held in jail until a trial, no bail. But that’s just me. So far.
           Am I getting old? Hank Williams III, grandson of Hank, Sr, turns 55 next year. He tried everything from metal to hellbilly (gothic cult), but following the money, he’s back to recycling (cranking out) grandpa’s tunes. This should convey the extent to which country music is a closed society.

Picture of the day.
6-layer airplane glass.
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           The Prez sends a note they now have a golden retriever puppy. I’ll ask for pictures. He is a solid fan of chatgpt for artwork, though I find output on the bland side. Should not A.I. create spectacular portraits on demand, better than any single human could produce? Over here, I built a special wooden box to hold my electric blanket. Now, I can’t find it. I made that box specially so the blanket and charger would be easy to throw in the van. Good thing I got a head start, but man, I find that situation so damn frustration.

           Here’s the beginnings of Tonio’s new improved tool box being measured out for a fit. The dimensions are just enough to be able to pick tools out around the perimeter of the interior, no larger. Larger means heavier. These are light duty boxes, handy for a vehicle, nothing much more. You want big tool boxes, head over to Granger. By coincidence, it was exactly one year ago I began building Tonio’s first box, and there is a picture of it three days later. It looks flimsy compared to today’s output.

           And I really should write a book on my theory that you can tell if a person is what by noticing what they don’t complain about. I would need a name for this, something snappy. Soon as truly free A.I app shows up, maybe I will. But I recall the first time I used one, it was on Ray-B’s laptop and he was very touchy about what not to ask it. What good is A.I. at that point. Ah, you want an example of my theory, what can I tell about a person by it.

           Let me think. For a good comparison, it should be something familiar that I would notice is absent in other people who are, shall we say, non-starters. Ah, I got it. Ask yourself, in the past five years, how many times you’ve complained about a pen running out of ink while you are writing. (Hunting around for a pen doesn’t count.) There you go, I can tell an awful lot about you by something like that. In 27 years in Florida, I’ve never heard anyone with that complaint.

           Wait, you have not seen enough box pictures. Here’s the two from y’day drying in the sun. And the wind, another terrific wind storm, but not as bad as it gets. As a reward, I made a feast. Turkey and potatoes, with corn. Simple, delicious, and easy enough. Tampa radio reports Haiti is being overrun by Haitians. A proposed gun law would make carry legal nationwide. Anti-gun people don’t like to point out it has always been illegal for convicted criminals to carry. Without the absolute right to self-defense, it is questionable how well the law would work. They’ve kind of left it too long.
           I missed the exact workings, but the Supreme Court says the SAVE database can be used to purge voter rolls. Brazil has an election upset after polls are allowed to stay open after the official deadline, a scene many Americans recognize. The left must wait until the count is finished to know how many votes are needed to steal the race.

ADDENDUM
           The downfall of the Internet, it’s sad to watch. This is based on the premise that the original purpose of the Internet was to disseminate free information. What has changed? Oddly enough, paid information has crowded it out, coupled with what looks like a refusal of youth since 1990 to take jobs in mines and factories. They are entitled to office jobs. Why would I say that, and how could something that costs money replace something that is free?
           The answer is that it is not free. A good example is road maps. They are still useful for people whose lives are a larger than a flatscreen. Thirty years ago, you could search for a road map of Alabama and get fifty maps back, take your pick. Try it today. You get almost anything except a map. Did the maps just disappear? Hardly, A.I and satellite imagery make them easy—but posting them on-line costs money. Those who continue to post need to make money to post.
           Hence, the free sites wither away and are not really replaced or crowded out—the paid sites are the only ones remaining. And the field is so competitive, almost nobody puts out a simple road map. Instead you get crap like “Top 15 Small Towns” and “New Congressional Districts” that cannot be filtered out. I find that truly laughable because it’s the people who will need it the most that made it unusable. They are about to “inherit” the most complicated infrastructure in world history and every search brings back advertising of some ilk.

Last Laugh

October 25, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 25, 2025, I lifted the house.
Five years ago today: October 25, 2021, another dud band.
Nine years ago today: October 25, 2017, about that transfusion . . .
Random years ago today: October 25, xxxx, WIP

           I think I can predict something today. My food budget has categories listed on a spreadsheet, and these change with time. Today I scrolled own and found an item that was one row off the bottom. What’s this? I have an unspent $27 allocation for chocolate. Check back later, this could be a fun shop. Now there is an interesting comparison. In 1966, the average house cost $15,500 which is roughly 450 ounces of gold. Today, the same house costs $732,000 which is only 180 ounces of gold. You lost money.

           Since I’ll be passing through Valdosta, I sent Tonio a message that I have some boxes for him. They are a great improvement over last year's, I got him a Jack in the Box, a K-box, a Z-box and if I have time, a few Fake boxes. Why? Because I got up today feeling no wear and tear from the past two active days. We’re still sub-standard but three consecutive days is a milestone. All the boxes to Georgia have custom logos, a form of advertising.

           Here is the sort of finished box for the Lucida drawing tool. Note the fancy piano hinge, just don’t look too close. These instrument cases are a specialty item. The box as shown has many mistakes, as I don’t pretend to be an expert on custom cases of this sort. But it sure beats the plastic, or sometimes cardboard, boxes these things come in nowadays
           All I need is an order for 200 regular boxes to make the game worth the candle. But it is a saturated market and everything is priced out of sight. What is needed is a novel idea and that is not so easy. For now, if Tonio gets any inquiries, I said just tell the facts, that you get the boxes custom-made in Florida and you have to know somebody. Y’know, tease them a bit. The power cables for the float charger, are now installed and invisible from the roadway. There is no dreaded HOA in this area, but the city is an equally detested watchdog.

           It got dark on me, so I finished hobbying for the day by etching this logo. I would state again that the addition of this tiny bit of decoration is responsible for instant appeal on these ordinary boxes. This one is a Z-box, a design that is falling out of favor to the K-box. The slightly smaller design does not require extra cutting to get a good box bottom.
           The laser is now a necessary part of the construction. Memorize some stock phrases like this one (“PRIVATE STOCK”) and your people will love you. If stuck for a slogan, zap their e-mail address or the current date. Anything that shows the wood was given attention works fine. Consider a laser just as important as buying a chop saw. There is no stain or finish on these larger pieces as I cannot find a way to keep the liquid from deteriorating, even when poured back into the original can.

           The election swamps all else on-line, the left is cranking up their oldest tactic of blaming the other guy, this time with electricity bills. Democrat states pay double the rate of red states for power, which is largely taxes to support their “green” mandates. It’s rather pathetic because blaming that on Trump requires a absurdly brain-dead voting bloc. But, places like Pennsylvania repeatedly vote in the worst liars. Maybe something in the water?

Picture of the day.
Solar farm in Finland.
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           I used some 4-inch wood screws to secure the windows along the north wall, as the Hundy is parked in the alcove. Anybody could stand behind it an not be seen from the street, so it’s just a precaution. Remind me to replace the batteries in all the phony cameras. I made a big helping of fried rice as a reward for keeping up a pretty good pace all day. I’m duty-bound to record my condition, the blog is a harsh master. Ha.

           Before that “old lady” report, here is the almost finished Yeti box. If I head out in the next week, this is how it travels. Yes, the power cable is exposed on the front, but any other arrangement means a larger box and this unit is already slightly too big for my equipment.
           It was determined more important to keep the cables tucked behind the battery. I’ve not decided if a lid is in order, but I would not mind a 12V octopus. The unit has just the one the left, which is rather sub-optimal for vehicle use.

           The slight numbness remains in my small fingers and under the skin of my left thigh and across the chest. Is it diminishing, or am I just getting used to it? I’d say fifty-fifty on that. The flu from that Karaoke mic (August 19) still lingers as sniffles and morning sore throats. I scanned some photos from 2003, the toothpick sightseers. Was that really so long ago? The pictures got set aside because it was around June of that year I began unexplainedly gaining weight. The rest is history.

           And so with more information from Mitch, who remembers things differently than myself. Example, the time we never got paid for helping “brand” calves. I remember we castrated them. He recalls a time some greaser picked me up by the throat at recess and I passed out. In high school I was always the youngest and lightest in the room, I believe at that time I weighed around 114 pounds. Greasers was the nickname for hoodlum tough guys at the time, who hated hippies and put bear grease in their hair for those Fonzie haircuts. Or so the rumor went.
           His father and uncle had operated a small saw mill. They built most of the saws and trimmers by themselves. This was in the 70s, long before any blog material. Mitch says he worked in the mill as early as 1966, so he was just a kid. I was unaware he never got paid, but I did know nobody got rich off all that work.

           Here is my outdated wall map, with antiquated placenames like New Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Ontario. However, the roadways have not moved and I won’t make any jokes about freeways that disappear because nobody laughed last time. I’ll cap this evening with a movie or two, maybe a documentary. The new youTube format is bad, with A.I. gearing the material down to gimptard speed. Most of it is not new anyway, and most run several times longer than necessary. You get provocative titles, then crappy repetition—and it’s getting worse as all the easy topics are already taken.

Last Laugh

October 24, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 24, 2025, generic information.
Five years ago today: October 24, 2021, 90% honey.
Nine years ago today: October 24, 2017,$12,000 on sale.
Random years ago today: October 24, 2016, bryophytes?

           Back to work, a second okay day found me outside getting the KIA ready. It has not been on any long trips yet. You know that excellent little compressor I got in Tennessee that finally gave out? I replaced it with the identical model—except it wasn’t identical. This pathetic new model takes six minutes to charge while the old unit took two. The old unit could keep up with a pneumatic tool and with up to 30 seconds of air blasting. This one starts to die instantly. Boo, Harbor Freight.

           Of course, in my condition, I must be prepared for nap time on the road, so I moved the bedding from the Hundy to the KIA. This is no fast job. With the seat down, I can stretch in the Hundy, not in the KIA, so it has to be fitted just so. Plus anybody who has had to move large pieces of memory foam knows that stuff does not like to cooperate

           I checked the fluids and discovered one tire has a broken valve stem. While this goes on, I have more Jim Croce music stud in my head, the car wash song. It brought back memories of Sweet Judy and one of the few things I did not like about her. She and her other rich friends had all these jokes about students finding summer jobs. For me, finding something that even paid the rent was serious business.
           While it’s not certain, if I do make this trip, that’s my winter holiday. That is it, like I told you, it how costs $1,000 to go to Nashville and back for week, up from $316 just nine years ago. Mind you, I’m now driving a truck (SUVs are trucks) and the KIA has a V-6 that really hauls ass. The book says 2.4L, but it looks to fill the entire engine compartment with nothing to spare. I have never tromped the pedal on this vehicle, never had to. But I’m lucky if I get 25 mpg on the road.

           Why did the bedding take all morning? Well, in this picture you can see the blankets and pillow set up. But always check first, as you don’t want to find surprises out on the road in the dark, or during really bad rainstorms. That’s the best time to nap, you get off the road and the rain keeps the van cool inside. So naturally, I was compelled by high club standards to crawl up in there and give it the user-test. When I woke up, it was noon.

           I am also putting the finishing touches on the Yeti case, and I got genexed. They design the battery to very fine specs, but the necessary power cables? Why, that is somebody else’s job. I had cutouts for where the two cables (one 12VDC and one 110VAC) feed out the back, but did not measure how far the stupid plugs extend out of the casing when plugged in.            Some of the staples had to be pulled. I got it over with, but you’d think by now the people who design these things would find something that works right. Instead, we have a three generations of lazy dorks who can tell you any problem you can even remotely tie to them is always somebody else’s fault.

Picture of the day.
New Orleans eviction.
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           How poor was I in my teens? The poorest, and to this day, I have habits that prove it. One of my favorite snacks is day-old hamburger buns, toasted, with jam. Today, I prefer imported Egyptian raspberry jam, but the buns remain. Now that I’m not rejecting all beef any more, I have the buns around and my habit returned. Sigh.
           What’s this, the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are training “leaders” to form mass tenants organizations. The goal? To refuse to pay rent. Video from England shows the police slapping duct tape over the mouth of a man arrested for wearing a hat with a Union Jack pattern.

           Here in the States, we have an emerging problem. Disappointing voter turnout. In 2024, something like 64 million people, most of them Christian Republicans did not vote. Mind you, the count is based on early voting and most Republicans vote in person. California has refused to enforce voter ID laws and getting away with it. If the Democrats steal this election, there will be violence on some scale. I’m glad I’m 40 miles from any Blue city.
           A John Hopkins study shows 97.5% of Israeli inhabitants have no ancient Hebrew DNA. That’s the same school whose students have said reading too much makes you lose touch with reality. So instead of reading more about shift registers, I played bass for 45 minutes, including a tune I haven’t touched in a while. Freddy Fender’s “Wasted Days”.

           In the background a string of videos came up, clips of women 25 to 55 on about the problems of dating. Of course this got my attention, I love it when the shoe is on the other foot. I repeat that I am NOT that interested in their sob stories. Most of them are trolling, not dating, demanding things they could not possibly offer in return. You know, retro-active virgins, what’s the on-line term, “thirst trapping”? But what does interest me, you already know.
           I will not listen to men who complain about not meeting women. That situation is 100% their own fault, if not more. They are complaining about not meeting any women at all, the opposite of my predicament. No folks, what grabs my interest is one select portion of what these women say—the part I’ve always paid close attention to. You learn a lot by observing such behavior.

           They are, like myself, complaining about quality, not quantity. Give a man enough quantity, he’ll choose the pretty one. Give the same to a woman, she’ll go for tall men. It’s genetically hard-wired. Yes, there is something different now—the Internet has created a whole new class of women who know they belong to the same club. You’d think they’d benefit from collective experience. Instead you get droves of women who divorced because they found their husbands boring. Ladies, I got news for you. Most men are boring, and your marital status can’t change that.
           Women complaining about quality has always intrigued me. They have an infinite selection and still can’t connect. Yes, I do use the input to modify my search. If you have 27 minutes, here is a video I watched. My trained eye spots the two widely-spread categories. The women who have something to offer, and the majority. For me it is easy, if I walk into a place full of the latter, I walk right back out, but I admit I like a room full of women drinking and dancing. It’s my stage perspective at work, I think.
           Incidentally, to my naysayers, I can prove it any time. If I’m in the place, within 15 minutes some woman will be over talking to me and checking me out. But never the woman that I want. Those all seem to be taken. But I get to pick the venue, I play minute attention to where good women go looking. Very minute.

ADDENDUM
           I just saw the belt for my dryer “on sale” for $89. That’s another verification of how stupid the average consumer has become. Since, if the belt was available here as advertised, it would retail for $9, that implies the other $80 is shipping and handling. Think that one through. If Wal*Mart ordered a hundred of these things, the shipping and handling per belt would be negligible. But shipped one-by-one, the total multiplies out to $8,000 paid by the consumers so the store can save about $100. Yet some people swear shopping on-line saves money.

Last Laugh

October 23, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 23, 2025, not his fault . . .
Five years ago today: October 23, 2021, almost 35 hours.
Nine years ago today: October 23, 2017, out of practice.
Random years ago today: October 23, 2009, a barbeque guest.

           Up late, I watched a video on the future of woodworking, using 3D printing. That’s a bit misleading, as the wood is not printed. It is the jigs that hold the wood, allowing these curved shapes to be cut. This means if I don’t learn to use that 3D printer, I could be left in the dust. Imagine the rapidity of changes when the 3D printing becomes A.I. controlled. Hey, at least none of this will take me by surprise.

           I don’t want to wind up with the same non-understanding I have of wireless Internet, even after years of usage. That is correct, I do no know if there is any difference between WiFi and wireless Internet. I failed at the onset to find any source to explain it to me in plain English. Maybe they are the same, maybe different, I just plug in the device and try everything till it begins working.

           Yes, I snapped at a doctor last February for an unauthorized transfusion while I was under. Am I over-suspicious? Tell that to the 18,000 patients who were vaxxed while anesthetized at the Hospital of Colorado. Never sign the electronic admittance form, turns out the hospital was getting a kickback for the shots. So-called permission was hidden deep in the electronic lingo.
Thinking ahead, I got all the November bills paid in advance and set aside the cash for the trip. This had me downtown for hours and I finally got that retard RCS (Google spyware) disabled and back to Samsung voice-to-text.

           But this involved taking the phone to the shop and having the tech bugger around with it for an hour, which is not an option for most. This RCS is deeply embedded and has to be shut off each time it self-reactivates. The world will be a happier place once Starlink puts Google out of business.
           Here’s video of some of the dozen wasp’s nests I’ve ended since I last crawled up there to knock them away. (Some of these are old.) Why the affinity for my doorway? It's a mystery. You can see the screw I as repairing when they drove me back. I have to move the ladder into place, which may eventually happen. One day. Another favorite wasp hangout is above my kitchen A/C, which has not worked in a year because all the money got shipped out of town.

           While over there, the Boost babe came on duty. I’m normally against mingling unless the male is White. Don’t you be wagging fingers, I could care less except that the females generally wind up on welfare for life and I don’t like paying for other people’s irresponsibilities. There’s always exception and this little gal is totally Americanized in a near perfect little package. Just to see a waist like that makes paying the bill a treat.

           Today’s PPP was printer ink. Normally I would buy on sale only in quantity, but today it was a special trip over. Full price was $44.95, which costs more than the printer. I would point out that all morning I somehow kept up a fairly normal pace without pushing myself. While this is not the long-awaited quantum recovery, that is twice this week. This blog is also the only record of my diet, so changes get noted. It is now accepted that the month in the hospital made changes, possibly permanently so.
           A couple examples are grits and tea. The hospital grits were thicker, and that’s now how I like them. I still add a hint of garlic, but I now like grits with added bits like onion, or a sprinkle of Parmesan. Plain grits are fading. And same with tea. Maybe that hospital coffee-drought for a month turned me desperate. They had coffee, and it you like Folger’s, it was not all that bad. Myself, I barely made it, how I almost went desperado.
           And don’t get me started on muffins. Moist, hot, steamy, make your own analogies. Here’s a tray of eight just out of the oven. What? Well, you blinked again.

Picture of the day.
Large lab-grown meat factory.
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           Arriving home too late to start anything, I wrote letters. And examined the budget. I spent $66 on postage stamps in the past 12 months. For future historians to reconcile, this year (not 12 months like the budget), I have spent (oops, this material got deleted).

           And my once 19-item personal mailing list has shrunk to 4 people still left alive. There are an additional 7 people that I e-mail fairly regularly that are not on any list kept here. In my adult life of letter-writing, I have received maybe 8 letters in return. Let me check something, hang on. Yep, this year I have mailed 24 personal letters so far. A third of them to JZ, as it is the only practical way to keep him in the loop.

           How do you like my latest coffee stash? The smaller hanging bin visible at the top was just not keeping up. Still cautious over too much exertion, I read some complicated material on shift registers again. Man, this would have made so much sense and helped so much 45 years ago, but along came life.
           What I learned was the registers are a logical extension of a single type of D-latch. It’s a type of memory circuit that can be set and reset following a regular electric pulse known as a clock signal. It now makes sense how and why these things behave as they do, and dismays me how so many engineers must have struggled to memorize all this rather than learn it.
           Here’s something that will make sense to a few. Logic gates reflect the condition of their inputs, but they have no memory. When the inputs change, so do the outputs. If you want the gate to remember the last setting until you reset it, you make one change. You add at least one link from an output to loop back around as at least one input. Now it will “remember” the last value, but only until you hit reset, or as any computer user knows, until the power goes out.
           A register is when a bunch of D-latch gates are strung together in series. You must add a few controls to make it work, but here is something I find most interesting.

ADDENDUM
           How about I finally learn to line a box with felt? I’ve half-done this before, getting a few hints from on-line videos. This time, I’m set out to learn the best and proper way that works for me. Was I in for a disappointing couple of hours. My oath, I just got dragged through some of the worst, and I mean worst, video postings I have ever seen. And I have seen rotten music and computer crap that was hard to get any worse.

           Where can one even start? The biggest problem was the boring dumbfecks who make the recordings. Useless, mouth-breathing, monotone, fat slugs who have not even rehearsed. I do not care if the box is for your cousin in Duluth, I do not want to hear about the church bazaar where you bought it. I searched for a how-to video. Show me how to cut the pieces and how to glue them in place. That’s it, not a tall order.
           You know what is even worse? These dismal AOLs who don’t even narrate. Instead they blast their stupid taste in music and presume you know what they mean. I do not care about your like button, I don’t want to hear about your sponsor, and if you got a third world accent, please just go away. Go get your own Internet.

           Later, lining these boxes is another skill. I don’t know if I am interested. It requires very accurate cutting using unfamiliar materials. I can’t find my glue gun and sprays are messy. I’ve got a couple crude boxes finished and they are utility grade.
           Wait, there is one more thing. If you have a speech impediment, and that includes a fag lisp, politely go kill yourself. You do not belong in front of a camera blocking the way. Go prove your point elsewhere, ain’t nobody got time for your crap. As for the most racist tribe on Earth, you’ll find them in New Zealand. They call you racist if you won’t let them help themselves, but you cannot join their tribe unless you have Maori DNA. Their recommended minimum is 5%.

Last Laugh