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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.

May 22, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 22, 2025, orders, but not sales.
Five years ago today: May 22, 2021, half are bad.
Nine years ago today: May 22, 2017, because nobody knew.
Random years ago today: May 22, 2009, and discovered popcorn.

           Tomorrow is a holiday. It marks the 30th year of my retirement. May 23, 1996 is the date I stopped wasting my life as a wage slave. Yes, I worked since, but like rich kids, only if I felt like it. I do not have anything planned, but if I stay on the health recovery trail, I may one day be able to say I beat the system by not being a wage slave more than half my life. I pause here to shoo away those who mistakenly think I said I was rich. Far from it, I’m just “rich in other ways” than they had intended things to be. I’m up to the doggie pound with this month’s donation soon as it reaches 9:00AM.

           This box has multiple logos The average box would have just one, as the “full size” burns require 7+ minutes each. Credit for this goes to Bryne in Texas, who suggested the concept. Paint turned out to be smelly and slow, and the branding iron too expensive. Enter the laser, which has already been used a hundred times. The other methods were also messy and more dangerous. The laser needs tending while burning, but you can get other things done in the meanwhile.

           Something physiological is happening, and it is positive. Finally, I can sense a noticeable return of strength, which was the most prominent lacking aspect of recuperation. I don’t mean I’m back, just that I’ve returned to a more comfortable level, such as lifting and carrying five pickets at a time y’day without having to map it out. And I now get at least some warning of approaching “devitalization”. Like today, I was able to plan delivering the doggie donation at the pound. Though, I was unable to lift the bag. Soon.

           There’s a news item for you. With equivalent training, says Boston College, older employees not only learn A.I. faster, they are nearly half again as productive with it. Say again what is replacing these flunkies and DEI hires. I shall attempt to build six matching boxes this afternoon, blogworthy because I’m back able to plan ahead that far.
           On the way downtown, I turned toward Parker St. and saw the restoral happening on one place I looked at. Ten years back, they wanted $180,000 for this house. It was pretty run-down so I doubt I mentioned it. It was a contender, look at it now. One disappointment was that gable above the porch. I thought it was a studio, but it is a skylight for the stairwell. I don’t do stairs well in these times, bit of a pun there.

           It’s noon, is there any news worth the listen? Alberta. It seems, has a copy of the Centurion Project, which Democrats say helped Trump “win Michigan”. This is nonsense, relying on general public ignorance of software. It’s nothing but a database loaded with Alberta voters which is public information. But listen to the reports coming out of Ottawa. It is, they say, a list of “every judge, lawyer, politician, journalist, and elections investigator”. Not mentioned are yoga instructiors, custodians, and vacuum repairmen, but that’s another story. And, absolutely of course, the RCMP are treating the database as a “security breach” by “right-wing separatists”. Oh, Canada.
           But the best is how Trump is playing the Democrats like puppets. He’s got them screaming that illegals don’t vote, but are desperately trying to block IDE agents from the polling stations, duh. Such hypocrisy is hurting them badly in the ratings. What’s crazy is the number of people who think if they can get rid of Trump, things will return to the “good old days”. The fact is, right or wrong, good or bad, Trump has so awakened America to the machinations of left-wing politics that there is no going back. Millions who suspected things were wrong now know for sure—and what to watch out for since it is plain the bad guys will try it all again, given the chance.

Picture of the day.
The 500 Club dive bar.
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           I was at the doggie pound but could not budge the food bag, again standing there while some lady sheriff picks it up like nothing. Back home I decided a trail production run of small boxes. They will look similar to what you’ve seen, but are carefully scribed to get two units out of each small picket. (7/16 x 4 x 6’). These got the benefit of experience so it went fast for a new design. Here are the six carcasses, which were also a test of making a matching set.

           This was documented. If you are nice, I’ll get you a video of the assembly process. Note the boxes individually have matching shades, that doesn’t happen by itself. The average time on this is close to 18 minutes per unit, so I’m taking too long. There is a final step, placing knobs, for a thumbhole would weaken wood this small.

           This work has replaced all the boring therapy instructions and it’s getting easier. All the work is done standing up which is good. Don’t expect much more any time soon, though I’m pleased to say today’s work did not present any great difficulty. Look for another photograph of these boxes with drawer pulls attached. Classy stuff. Indeed, compared to before. My supply of that hardware is approaching zero.

           Give me a moment to record some logistics. These boxes are very handy for keeping organized, more so if I add a divider like y’day. But the logo presents a challenge. These boxes are slightly smaller and warp easily. This is dealt with by mapping 26 staples per box in a pattern that keeps the edges flat. For how long, I do not know. It’s part of our investigation here.
           The assembly requires extra attention and these boxes are too small to place under the laser after assembly. Printing in advance would entail even more work as the pieces have to match up. I have an idea, you know the biscuits from the jointer? It might prove easy to print those separately and tack them onto the front plate. Let me know, but wait until I get you some pictures first. I mean, do your other blogs give you that kind of respect? Riddle me that.

ADDENDUM
           So much for “uncopyable” formats on-line. Here is a demo, millennials, of how it is done properly. I was shocked to read that 99% of today’s greatest generation of computer-literate users had to be shown by somebody else how to use their apps. That’s horrible, only one in a hundred can figure things out for themselves. This is a GIF made from the latest youTube anti-piracy postings. Not perfect, but more than adequate. Is piracy illegal? Yes, but only if you steal sales away from the creator. That is not happening here. (They’ve already changed the law away from the creator to the owner.)
           My beef is with the faction that would make even viewing it a crime. In this case, they took it upon themselves to place something on-line that could appear on my computer. It is them that should seek permission. I naturally claim fair usage, as I am not selling anything. But they would have it so you pay a fee for each view—and I am totally against any laws that, for their enforcement, require mass surveillance of all users. Their proposed system is so prone to abuse that I would question if their true intentions had anything to do with copyright concerns.
           youTube has been slobbering for years to set up memberships to charge users by the look. They would do it instantly if they were not certain it would create all new competition. I’m old enough to remember when youTube was free posting only to display your wares. That is, cheap advertising and publicity only, as it should be.

Last Laugh

May 21, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 21, 2025, like briquettes.
Five years ago today: May 21, 2021, twice a year for me.
Nine years ago today: May 21, 2017, in the new workshed.
Random years ago today: May 21, 2015, --if you have faith.

           Biscuits and gravy, I’m getting more ambitious with breakfast and more exposed to Tampa radio. Here’s hot biscuits, help yourself. This morning’s talk show was about how people disappear from your life. I say so what, others seem to traumatize over it, so I had to listen. This one crazy lady said she was “evolving” as she flipped from one shallow trend to the next. Her friends didn’t like the “changes”. Makes me wonder if my predilection for new things falls into the category of trends, but then I remember I don’t really rub elbows with sketchy people.

           I got some extra fence panels, the small ones, which made today’s post because I carried them five at a time without effort. To be accurate, the is the first day that I’ve not been anxious over my exertions, mild as they are. The doctors y’day bolstered my confidence I took a movie, but it didn’t turn out, so here is a picture of where the cardinals live. These trees are a type of hedge left growing along my south perimeter.
           The moss is left because it prevents and larger or predatory birds from getting into the thicket. See video. The cardinals are clever, they don’t fly directly to and from the nesting area. They go through the branches on the adjacent tree, then across the northern trees, approaching the back yard from the north east. Still insecure about my endurance, I spread the pickets out in the sun to get a more accurate moisture and thickness measurement. Lady Raccoon also eats well, and when I was away, a mouse got the loaf of bread I left atop the fridge. Lady gets it.

           Iran places a $57 million dollar bounty on Trump, then claims to want negotiations. Russian nuclear missiles no longer target US cities in the first strike, but the massive sitting duck bases the US needs to field world-wide power. All such warheads must have some form of satellite guidance, so keep an eye on those as a first indicator of attack. To those who laud Canada as a “free country”, there’s the man who decided to fight a traffic ticket. He appealed and went through the Canadian justice system to be finally vindicated—which took 19 years.

           Speaking of Canada, what is with the rumor of crashing real estate prices. Probably nothing, but there seems something behind a stock of surplus condos unsold due to fees and costs that have increased out of sight. House prices have been so out-of-sight for so long, the condo market is what’s left up there. And now that might be in trouble.

           Be assured I read up on anesthetics before my recent and by far most serious medical affair. The one that scared me most was loss of brain function, which apparently is one in every thousand. Today, for the first time, I was able to step through an entire celestial navigation example without notes or double-checking. This is a careful statement, because most people could readily memorize the formulas—and unfortunately, that is how the subject is taught. I set out to avoid that by understanding what is going on. And today I managed all the “paperwork”. That means I did not physically take a sextant reading or draw the chart. But those are routine mechanical affairs that fade compared to the logic involved in the calculations.
           All on a scrap of paper and in my head. I was only 400 miles off. The real practice in not the readings or charts, but using the tables. And my advice is you scrap the GPS and get an Almanac and a mid-latitude Sight Reduction book. On the drive back, a thought made me chuckle. It hit me how Sight Reduction, once known as the St. Haillaire method, but have formed. The guy was on a ship trying to maintain position while subject to tides, currents, and drift. He did a fix, then later noticed the shift. So he thinks, instead of doing the whole calculation from the stars, why not use the last position and measure how far from there?
           He would quickly spot that having a known calculation from where he last anchored made life easier. From there, it is not a big leap to realize the need for a book of every possible position on the exact hour the world over. That is what Sight Reduction is.

Picture of the day.
Illegal “manjha”
(Glass coated kite string.)
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           Not out of the weeds yet, my siesta turned into five hours in the sack. This would be great retirement news for some people I know. And this, after my first seven-hour snooze last night. That left me enough daylight to create these two boxes. See any difference? Of course not except for the divider inside. These are prototypes made from one picket. There are slight dimensional changes. The total materials cost for each unit is $0.9623 including glue and 26 staples. Construction time, including moving the lumber and a couple mistakes was 54’52”. It does not include preselecting the lumber to have no side knots, or the time and transport. The point is, we have a box that could sell for $5. As always, the boxes are very strong.

           The other invisible change is that I planned and made this boxes with having to pause. I’m not the human dynamo yet, but able to sustain two hour to say the day was not wasted. That’s it, except for another picture here of “marine rope”. I recognize it but do not know why it is called that. I’ve seen it made of poly and of hemp, I suppose it is resistant to environmental factors. I use if for box handles and picked this up last week. Yeah, and then forgot it in the van.

           Ignoring my over-consumption of coffee lately, I got in by the air conditioner and found a Sheen movie, “The Arrival”. Not a blockbuster but well acted. I’m just at the pat where these guys always have a rich but ununderstanding girlfriend. The old plot, scientist makes contact but nobody believes him. It moved slow enough that tested 8 laser logos on these boxes. The best results are the menadala (round) patterns. I’ve found the patterns look less “Wal*Mart” if you put a pencil strategically where the moving laser head will rock the unit. And the favorite of the favorite patterns is that “Fake” symbol from last day.

           The bottleneck remains the time required to position and burn the logos, but as Bryne from Texas advised, it adds real value to the object. Sort of confirmation that at least somebody once had a use for it. Taking a break to scan the national headlines, what a fury over the election in Kentucky, with the Democrats focusing on ballot-cheating. Too bad for them, comes across like they sure know it when they see it. Fact is, the loser, Massie, was voting against Trump. I only recall him from how he voted against the border wall funds, when was that, 2019?br />
           Digital pricing, have you followed it? If you signed up for things like grocery cards, it has been following you. This is where the price changes based on your profile. With face recognition a reality the price you pay is determined by your shopping history, income, location, and routines. Where did they get all this information? You gave it to them. They know how much can be extracted from each customer without losing the sale. The price you pay is factored on data such as

• Your health
• Your income
• Distance to shopping location
• Pay dates
• On-line search history
• Car model
• Religion
• Browsing activity

           Then you’ve got A.I. about to enter the game. Nobody can predict that impact, especially because corporations won’t admit where things are going until after the infrastructure is already installed. And you know who is really responsible? Pay up.
           Around the 1:00 hour mark, I realize I have seen this Sheen movie from this part on. Much later, around 3:20AM, I was awakened by searing pain in the ring fingers of both hands, around 5 or 6 out of 10. But just for maybe two minutes and faded away along with most of the numbness from the past six months. Only a slight sensation remains, barely noticeable. I love it. Since I was wide awake, I did a plot for Arcturus, again by memory. That is, not by memorization, but by knowing the theory behind each step. Wow.

Last Laugh

May 20, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 20, 2025, 106°F.
Five years ago today: May 20, 2021, other temporary arrangements.
Nine years ago today: May 20, 2017, it’s a rock tumbler.
Random years ago today: May 20, 2012, Liz was special.

           Miami round trip, with favorable results from two doctor visits. Is it gas prices? Because I was to town and back in record time even keeping the Hundy below 60mph. Bottom line, today was concerned with medical checkups and I can’t make it more than that. The result is the end of an era, that is, the last of my ties with Miami soon as I can find local medical. I am now officially a permanent resident of central Florida. I’ll still have a trip or two over loose ends, but my 27-year connection to life in the Deepest South is over.

           Here’s one of the delights they don’t mention in the tourist brochures. Florida summer is also bug season. I had to pull over four times to clear the screen. Curiously, Agt. M and I texted, and why is that curious? Because I was using the $10 per month “church” phone and he is in Romania.
           Isn’t that something, this millennial-think phone service. I can communicate with Europe on a hand-held device, but cannot dial Canada because it is not “in North America”. You know how I feel about those who conspire to make money in this way, in case anyone has forgotten I am a plain-clothes redneck. You don’t work, you don’t eat, and sitting in Starbucks figuring how to shaft people on cell plans is not a real job.

           Tennessee is now in focus, with the guitar player calling about rehearsal. We finally have a slot, this upcoming Sunday. It won’t take much to get stage-ready, just ironing out a song list. Our initial stage time is just 90 minutes, enough to play 12 songs. It’s more the timing of the upcoming trip, the only one I plan to make this year for sure. Yes, I was talking on the car phone, as we once called them. If things don’t pick up, this will be one of my shortest tours to Tennessee ever. Relax, the money is the same but we got us a slowdown that is lasting this year.
           What happened with my checkups? Recovery, just not total. The results of my labs show a completely balanced condition, even if I don’t feel it yet. I don’t grasp the exact meaning but I read pages of printout all indicating I was within parameters with one historical exception. I still have high cholesterol—but it is half what it once was at my high-stress job. Then a check with my heart place who basically took one look and said I’m good to go. So I won’t see them again, and I have one remaining set of checkups in August.

           There you go, nothing spells recovery better to me than three docs saying I’m okay for three months, just check in. However, a conversation with my nurse practitioner leaves no doubt I will need a long-term cardiologist near this cabin. And I have not been successful in finding one in nine months of searching. But that was due to the waiting time for an appointment and unlike fou months ago, I am now fit to make that wait.
           On parting, I chatted with my practitioner, who had a surname I could not place. It was a Dutch name and I kick myself for not spotting that. Why? Because as a student of the Boer War, I should have recognized names like Koos de la Rey, the Lion of West Transvaal.
           I arrived early due to such light traffic, that I opted to drive back to the cabin rather than visit. Normally, I check in on JZ but he had some school plays to attend until late. Being still prone to fatigue attacks, I used the remaining sunlight to return home.

Picture of the day.
England’s largest vertical farm.
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           There is no radio or nothing in the Hundy, which always gives me time to think and plan. Realizing I’m at a major life decision stage, I made it a long trip. I have misgivings about this tour to Tennessee, but it is financially necessary. I stopped at Punto Rojo for a sandwich and coffee. It’s got the most authentic café con leche, which I take without sugar. That’s one long story, involving a shopping district, a one-armed Argentine fighter pilot, and a coffee contest. No sugar, or I don’t like it. The story is buried in this blog somewhere, good luck finding it. These days, sandwich and coffee? $19.

           The Reb called, the album release is still timed for August, the amount of work put into this is staggering. My role is minor, I played no part in the music or recording, but my own future is resting plenty on this outcome. The one certain thing on this upcoming trip is we’ll make time for our traditional dinner on the town. She has been in that studio for thousands of hours and thanks to my condition at this truly important part of our lives, I land in the care unit. Life can be cruel.

           Meanwhile, all I want to do is stay put and get my therapy exercise building boxes. The medical reviews are great but I’m still plodding along. Tell you what, here is a picture of today’s utterly beautiful Florida sunset, with a storm brewing over the Gulf of America. This is facing east of Moore Haven, the coast is around forty miles over the horizon. That’s a wrap for today, but I did stop in at the old club to chat with Wilford. His photography is getting markedly more professional, I hope he makes a real success of that. The club was empty.
           Wilford is the guy who draws those super great chalk ads you see for daily specials. I have not found time to go in on a Monday and check his art show. He supplies all the art stuff and has also taken to run a pot luck dinner. Like myself, he will often “improve” store-bought items with healthy ingredients. But where I’ll add an egg and milk instead of water to muffin mix, Wilford makes up entire casserole dishes which would strike fear into those on a diet. He photos the ingredients and turns out giant size dishes. Well, free food—this puts a whole new spin on my sense of art appreciation.

Last Laugh

May 19, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 19, 2025, my most important event.
Five years ago today: May 19, 2021, that wood, that floor.
Nine years ago today: May 19, 2017, panning for shark teeth.
Random years ago today: May 19, 2007, is it that important?

           Some cheeriness to get us underway with morning coffee. The game camera, after so much waiting, finally got our Lady Raccoon stopping by for brunch. This was y’day morning and it shows quite more detail than at first. She still drinks from the bird dish even if other water is available. She is well-fed when she picks at the food as seen here. Her shuffling shows the arthritis I’ve seen progressing and she is not as agile climbing the pole. But she is alive an well and I’m putting an egg out for her later this morning. Welcome back, Lady.

           I’m not that spry myself. Maybe a few hours in the shed, as I have the option to drive to Miami later today, or tomorrow morning. While the Thursday opening is not confirmed, it’s a good bet it will be. I feel like building boxes today, a small matching set for electrical components or something. The onset of fatigue is mercifully taking longer, though by the month, not by the week.

           One for-sure around here is we know how long batteries last. That applies to AA and AAA cells which have their own database. That is how we know something changed three years ago this week. Cells that used to last in usage four months, like wireless mouses (not mice, mouses) and small electronics dropped to five weeks. Because the records are by battery size, it just took a while to spot the period the deterioration began. Calendar says food mention, so it’s a breakfast medley, spuds, sausage, eggs, with fried red onions. And listening to NPR.
           If you ever feel down or dumpy, listen to a call-in program on NPR. You’ll cheer up realizing what dismal lives their audience leads. Would you take dating advice from a queer from Tampa? Some would. This week’s gist is the old kids-no-kids marriage issue. I take sides on that one with a “yuge” distinction—the attitude of the married couple. I’ve always seen marriage mostly as a final admission to settle down and have kids. What I don’t like is the couples who got married so he could finally get steady sex and she to get a steady supply of money.

           Here’s some feral cats snooping about the back yard. Notice how the tabby cat gets stopped by the baffle pipe. Why would a cat try climbing that tree? We may never know.

           We have the election year viruses hitting the news again, and they are pushing the nonsense that 70% of people are vaxxed. That’s got to be media hype. If you meet anybody jabbed, they are likely to express regret for it. Absent from the broadcasts is the very mention of the turbocancer situation. Don’t expect mercy, as the general attitude is sheeple deserve their consequences and the vaccine hoax is just one more example.
           There’s no word for it yet, but when the MSM tries to use its standard foolery on-line, it can backfire. Most of it takes the form of laughable disappointments because USAID money is cut off. They try to fake raise money or gaslight it. Like that lady Senator who tried to raise $100,000 for her defense, claiming she had 119,000 followers only got $790. Or witness there has not been a single rap song on the Billboard Top 40 since USAID quit propping up their album sales. Tens of thousands of black focused web sites have disappeared.
           Much as I disagree with releasing partial counts during active voting, this time the alarm is raised. There are 12 RINOs in the news as anti-Trumpists, and 10 of them, by the looks of early stats, are on their way out, and it is barely noon. Cheating is too dangerous, but they seem to have counted on “past performance” momentum that is not there any longer. They’ve disgusted their own votership. How about the entire MS NOW crew demonstrating their complete ignorance on famous lines from the Constitution, duh? Ah, I heard someone back there ask, if I don’t watch TV, how do I know what gives with MS NOW. That’s easy, I, at the mall, once walked past a TV playing an MSM newscast, so I know just as much about them as the rest of you. Skeptical? Try me. But the rule is no names, I don’t give a FF about their names. Nor would I have any idea why their names are important to others. A clone is a clone.

           My study today was a look at the variety of laws that address “destruction of evidence”. These vary by jurisdiction, in many it is a subset of tampering with evidence. This is where things get sticky. There is no clear distinction between what is evidence and what could be anybody innocently erasing some old files. It’s a touchy area, because when charged with such an offense, there is the implication that you willfully destroyed evidence against yourself—and you have a Constitutional right against self-incrimination. You might think this is an unsolvable paradox, but in reality, most lawyers and judges take sides very quickly. Personal property which you have every right to destroy could suddenly become evidence without your knowledge. I just plain do not like such laws.

Picture of the day.
Texas bat-watching.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This time you can ask if I’m work tired. I was in the shed most of the afternoon working my normal pace, or justabouts. Without thinking, so there’s an improvement over having to plan to walk across the room. I slapped together a box shelving unit to shove some of the boxes into order instead of stacked on my nice carpeted bedroom floor. It looks messy because I’m not done organizing. If you say that type of box-bench-shelf could some day double as a window planter, go to the head of the class.

           Hello, the Reb from Nashville. No activity on the Caltier account yet so Thursday morning I’ll get on it. I cannot put a trip to Tennessee off much longer. I still have unfinished business from August last year when that adventure was called off due to health. Things are on track for the album release, which burns up everybody’s time over there. It means, for the first time, if the Reb and I want to visit, I will have to time the drive for a few days in June, if not it’s wait until August and my doggie will be 14 by then.

           The Israeli David’s Sling (renamed 2006 Raytheon “Magic Wand) has a new A.I. guidance system. This old hardware with new guidance totally illustrated how warfare has changed from physical vehicles to electronics. It lacks the publicity of systems like Iron Dome and has my attention because of the “warhead”. Unlike other missiles with explosives and proximity fuses, this weapon has to actually hit the target.

           The first two stages are conventional and, to me, are reminiscent of the Rheinbote, 1944 German technology. But electronically, it apparently can pick out highly maneuvering targets using sophisticated jamming, which I’d like to see. There is such a gap between the invention and adoption, it makes me wonder what might have been had I gotten a head start, and I mean that relatively—remember everyone around me had the so-called advantages some would point to.
           It’s not a big asset if everyone of the competition has everything you do. I feel my most productive years would have been age 24 to around 38. The exact years I had to sacrifice everything or I’d be starving now. Life has been nasty that way. Years wasted paying rent and taxes so others could have an easy go of it. But that’s another story. My interest is how the missile finds the target. It is launched vertically, therefore dives down on the target, meaning it must discriminate it from ground clutter before anything else works.

           How about the GenX media expressing a desire to return to land lines, film cameras, and handwritten letters. Gee gosh, is that what you’d call future shock revisited? It’s a little too late for the masses. If only somebody had warned them and warned them and warned them.

ADDENDUM
           I laughed at gold panning in Florida in 2016. I knew my cohort had not done his research, but his knowledge of the land eventually proved somewhat useful. That was Agt. R before he disappeared into the wilds south of Brooksville. Panning in the river at Wachaula, a half-hour from here and I’ve never otherwise been there. When I saw the price of “official” gold pans, I’m reminded to take the handles off any old frying pans around here.
           The FBI are moving toward that system that monitors license plate, but on a national scale. Scary, once again because it does not confine itself to criminals. Of course some will say that makes the opponents paranoid, when in fact they simply do not to live in a surveillance state. I can see some jurisdictions removing the plates. It is really the opponents who are paranoid, it reminds me of that story about the people trapped in an elevator when the cable breaks.
           As the cage speeds toward the bottom, one guy says, “I have an idea. Just before we hit bottom, everybody jump.”
           The other passenger scream at him, “What an idiot! That won’t work!”
           He replies, “Okay then—don’t jump.”

Last Laugh

May 18, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 18, 2025, a delightful departure.
Five years ago today: May 18, 2021, who were not pilots.
Nine years ago today: May 18, 2017, first big project.
Random years ago today: May 18, 2014, Russian health food.

           Some possible sadness, everyone. While we have a plump new family of very well-fed brownish-grey birds, we have a missing raccoon. She has not been around to her feeding dish, which I maintained randomly to ensure she did not get dependent. Even put some of her favorites out, leftover macaroni and bread crusts. Nothing touched in five days and if I did not say, there is a bad aroma occasionally in the kitchen where I’ve chased her from under the floorboards before. Today contains a pic of a yard plant that is actually flourishing in my sand patch.
           Here is your photo-tale that shows how the flat repair turned into an all-morning jamboree. The flat was getting faster and this tire has defied every attempt to find the leak, including replacing the stem. No luck, so if I’m going downtown might a well do some bills and shopping—knowing it will take twice as long as ever. Make that all morning. First you see me using the Bauer to top off that tire. It was then that I noticed, although the rear tires are the same make, they are not a matching set. Normally I would replace both.

           Nope. Over at Wal*mart, the shop won’t touch the $116.46 job because, shown here, one of the studs is missing. Policy. So then to the tire shop in Winter Haven. No sense wasting any more time on this and speaking Spanish helps override difficulties with the odd stud gone away and high prices. There you see the repair completed for $45 in cash. There is a neat Spanish word for cash, “efectivo” that opens a lot of doors. Sadly, it takes the younger people a moment to recall that this word really means “under the table”.

           This put 40 miles on the car, so I drove the extra 5 miles to the discount for cash place. That came to $3.90 per gallon, that’s almost 50¢ a gallon cheaper than in English. So I tanked up, getting home late to find we have an appointment on Thursday. Good, I sunk the bucks into the vehicle just in time. The primary (elections) for the mid-terms begin this week in many states, so I was listening to NPR, the anti-Trump network. They are going on about Trump having a low 44% approval rating, but fail to mention that is twice as high as any Democrat candidate anywhere else.

           TMOR, the primary is where each political party chooses who they want to represent them if more than one person in the same party is running. This was normally a sleepy event but this time the weak and RINO Republicans are being weeded out wholesale. The Democrats finally caught on and are pouring millions into races out in Idaho and Wyoming, but it is probably too late. They can hardly win on issues, those nasty approval ratings again, and smear campaigns take time to orchestrate.
           Watch for violence and sabotage. My instinct says the Democrats were taken by surprise and know this round could seal their fate as a political entity. If Trump planned this, it is a masterstroke. They are not going to give up without a fight and they have killed before. California is the worst in that the Left figured they had the place sewn up, but rumor is three times as many people are voting Republican than they bargained for. Could this be the long-awaited upset of the Democrats and their New World Order. The one that puts them in charge.
           Something has to jolt the masses into action, maybe the choice between food and gas to get to work will wake them.

           Glancing at the FBI budget reveals a trend I never liked—the spending of millions to track down petty thieves. Make that worse by adding in cold cases, but I stress I’m only against wasting public money when the quarry is non-violent and not committing more crimes. I read about seven agents traveling across six states, running up a $3 million dollar tab to catch a guy for breach of probation. He was a hacker and there is no doubt the Feds hate anyone who is better at that game than they are. Hacking is wrong, but if he never steals anything, is it $3 million dollars wrong? I say no, not when there are others hacking election computers.

Picture of the day.
Complete radio station, nowadays.
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           Wise as I’m getting, I took a long snooze and finally got up with the energy to cut some box places with the relatively unused arm saw that is frozen at 45°. Actually, it wasn’t, but it was so hard to adjust, I jammed it there just after Xmas—and am just getting to it now. This cannot directly use the Golden Ratio jigs made up for my regular boxes. But hey, I made those when I had to. It took a lot of hours to get the existing jigs to work, methinks I will have to repeat the process from scratch, as even on-line they avoid this topic—unless you have a major sliding compound miter saw.

           I have a desk model but will not quite slice through a standard 3-1/2” standard lumber size. The bigger saw, the one I used today, does not slide, causing the same situation in a different dimension. I do not own a decent table saw. Both saws are required to build a box, and today I cut just the four sides of a sample, which is on the laser just now cutting the Kooters logo. It is a large (3” diameter for my equipment) mendala that labors my equipment and takes forever. It will stall out the laser of moving too slow and too long, and cannot pick up where it left off if you let it cool down.
           The limitations of the small laser are more apparent, though the real constraint is my imagination. What can be done with this that nobody else is doing, yeah, I know, easier said than done. But the overall lack of innovation for (three American) generations now must leave some kind of opening.

           The neighbor was out painting so we had a visit over the back yard fence. Both of us chuckle to hear others say they have hobbies like us, as in music and painting. You just know they are lying, anyone who thinks playing live music is a casual pastime for extra money should have to spend a year in Nashville. (I save money with music, not make it.) Why does something tell me that 3D printer will wind up the same, as in something that is supposed to be fun and money, but is not. I found once again I’m adjusting my budget and that larger printer may not be in the works. When the shop removed the flat this morning, I asked the owner if he could spot what was causing the issue. Easy, he said, your rear alignment is out.
           This was the problem with the Ford and I know how to work around it. Calculate the offset of replacing a tire every 8,000 miles against the cost of an alignment. I was quoted $260 so that is within range, just not right now. And the Hundy is not for heavy use. It’s already saved my bacon well over the price tag of $3,000 so I don’t mind keeping it in decent shape. I asked two places about drilling that 1/4 inch hole through the firewall for my starter, both did not have the drill bits.

           Staying put tonight, I read the latest on robots and drones. The Chinese have a giang bugger than can scale walls. It won’t be long before one yards off with an ATM or two. My evening was not the usual tired time, I watched some movie clips. Best were scenes from “Greyhound”, a movie about u-boats. Interesting for me because I recognized a lot of the charts, commands, and lingo the sonar people were using. All from reading navigation and I saw the Morse code light flash the number 9.
           Then a couple videos on so-called advanced bass techniques. All dominated by guitar players who really don’t know how to play bass. First mistake is using your fingers. It deadens the sound and in any case, is a phony technique championed by Guitar Center to sell bass lessons. The average walk-in has seen stand-up bassists pluck the strings and is easily convinced that’s how you do it. Some of the advice was good, like keeping your fingers close as possible to the strings and one dude actually hit on playing thirds, but as a finger exercise.

ADDENDUM
           I wonder, can that anesthetic have long-term effects? This morning I had to shrug off that identical “fog” that persisted a few days back in January. It’s easy to test, try a couple word puzzles before morning coffee. Not exactly scientific, but you’ll know. Or try some meridian angle math in the east or south. For once I have the time to sit and think. Over the past two days I’ve experience burning, stabbing sensations where the nerves were dulled, like they are trying to come back. But they don’t, the long-term numbness is as bad as the first day. I’ve just learned to live with it.
           In all these decades, I have finally met another writer. That’s not somebody who writes for a living, but one who enjoys writing. I doubt I’ve ever known somebody who does it for a living. Then, my next-to-last guitarist begins actually answering e-mails. He’s on my “casual” list, folks who I think may be interested in a subset of my goings-on, and of course he will know about Kooters by now.
           He does not know about the blog, but would know that anything written will have a permanence not attained by talking. Kind of like recorded music. So, with that unique permission, let’s see what he has that is blot-share-able. He is a published author and has these book-readings, a part of publishing I never cared for. But you get that a lot in the entertainment field. Somebody you wouldn’t know writes a hit song and strangers become fascinated by what he did before.
           The Prez had two grandkids when he moved, now he has four. Family barbeques and always some wonderful crisis, not to mention I saw his garage. He kept all the paraphernalia of his own crop, so the new kids get all the real toys. What today’s wusses would call danger toys.

Last Laugh

May 17, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 17, 2025, getting up again.
Five years ago today: May 17, 2021, 67 cents a pound.
Nine years ago today: May 17, 2017, this means you.
Random years ago today: May 17, 1998, a book review.

           It’ already half-way to noon, I slept in, but I found this old footage from 2012. It’s a sidecar jaunt through beautiful Coral Gables, Florida. That was also a Sunday, rare because a few weeks later I rode all the way to Denver and stayed there for months. It is not adventure that lacks around here. But even the right spirit needs money and youth—the best I can do is claim I never wasted a opportunity. How I’d live to have the sidecar back on the road. With the right equipment, even Tampa becomes an exciting town.

           Sunday morning and Rick, the guitar player called. He’s not from Polk because he keeps in touch regular where others have trouble answering e-mails. He’s not as mobile a I once thought and his new lady just wrecked his car. I have t get new tires on the Hundy, I got one going low and getting worse. Rick is slow to respond with music and old music it is, he is 71 but in a much different “age group” than myself.
           I made up pancakes and spent the morning as it should be. One neighbor working on his tractor, the other building small wishing wells. Did I say about that? He builds novelty lawn ornaments and why don’t I? Because he has a house full of wife and kids that can ring up sales 24/7. The neighbor behind is painting pictures, and across the way no sign of life in months except the porch light at times. About as far as you can get from GenX America as you can get without going hermit.

           It’s a new set of rear tires for the Hundy. It’s within budget but I see the a battery light. Not good, this is a new $165 battery. I’ll check the alternator for voltage, the only test I’m equipped for. Um, alternator testing was one of my first gripes about stupid millennial posters. If you go on line and search for this test, 90% of the responses will be from dumbtard millennials. The very reason a consumer would want to test an alternator is to see if it needs replacing. Yet these videos show some gimp testing the unit on a work bench. That, folks, is a special kind of stupid.
           This morning was for planning and review. Like most Americans, I’m spending twice as much on food while the government is trying to tell me inflation is 8%. They don’t know I keep tbs and $20 worth of groceries in May 2023 now costs $38. Checked also was the gasoline budget, not looking good. I’ve earmarked tomorrow for vehicle maintenance, it’s news not for the work, but that I feel well enough to schedule it. I could not find any problem with the alternator just said, which means it might be something parasitic. Very hard to find in older vehicles where each department runs its own wires.

           In further planning, I have a 180-day supply of meds, which are the standard heart pressure, thinner, cholesterol, and water, plus what I now know is permanent anti-gout and diabetic. That let’s me keep a half-year planned. My condition still wavers but stays consistent over a day or two. Well more than enough for me to look right through this summer and to November. Nine years past my planning horizon. That is, zero long-term plans that did not originate before that time, and I’ve been living mostly by budget guidelines in a world changed out of most recognition.
           I’m playing Green Day tunes, a band I never cared for, driving two vehicles, and where I once wrote down PINs and data I didn’t want to lose, I now etch the information by laser into wood keychain strips. This is now some 30 years since retirement, that is since I got up to go to work. I obey my own rhythm, I wonder if history would rate me a success on that? I did not plunge into youthful debt and waste my life on payment plans. But I still paid.

Picture of the day.
Wat Samphran, Thailand
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           It is 3D printer time. Allocating 2 hours study time for each 30 minutes hands-on, I have examined the apparatus and found all parts there—so it seems. The print nozzle has a temperature and positioning gauge not explained very well, but we have not yet turned the printer on. It is under a blanket in the red shed lean-to. It needs a better roof over it and a sturdy bench to rest on. I’ve talked with Mason, the student, and explained the rules to him.

           A problem already. If the printer came with a flash drive, it is long lost. It contained the full instruction manual, sample print files, and slicing software. That last item could be critical. I cut today’s study short over this, but went on to find the Flashforge site seems to have a page to download those exact files. Whew! I downloaded the manual and what looks to be a version of the infamous OrcaSlicer.

           Hmmm, the literature I have read tells me there is, once more, far more capability in the machine than most people ever use. Unless I have a superior college grad, experience tells me there is a classic mismatch between the dude who sets the machine and the one who operates it. I’d best be careful not to wind up being the one with the headaches. I was not impressed by the mass amount of filament needed or the price tag. Mind you, I did learn to like my laser, did I not?
           Here are some cautions in the printed matter: Do not print anything illegal. Never make food storage vessels. Don’t make any electrical appliances. Do not put printed objects in mouth. The hear impossibility of inventing anything new with the device means I have allocated only enough money to figure out how this thing works, not to put it into production. Here’s a view of something I found rare – useful items printed in 3D. A fuse holder, desk vice, model train boxcar, and stackable ammo boxes.

           Next it makes sense to investigate what could be printed. Like the laser, the market is already flooded with all the easy, corny, novelty, and impulse items. Hence the conclusion these tools are only good for prototyping, requires a lot of brainwork. Can you thing of a small, useful, sellable item that could not be produced more cheaply in China once you invent it? My thinking is I would like to see about printing some plastic gears. I scrolled through a thousand pages of on-line designs without seeing anything with real appeal.
           For me, the hope is to combine these technologies with other things I can do that others might not find so easy, but that’s another chapter altogether. But, no need to convince me it only takes that one good idea, though for me it would be fifty years too late. But I am stunned why nobody has yet invented things like a sextant that reads automatically. (There is a Korean model with a digital read-out but that’s not what I mean.)

Last Laugh

May 16, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 16, 2025, at light speed.
Five years ago today: May 16, 2021, they’ve learned . . .
Nine years ago today: May 16, 2017, offending the unsquitable.
Random years ago today: May 16, 2012, on stenography.

           Let’s get to that Kooter’s logo. It’s the color design India cropped me off their web page. Nice, but not suitable for laser imprinting. Grab a coffee and let’s see what we can do. Photoscape to the rescue. First, turn in black and white and get rid of that shaded background. Brighten it to the max and do the same with the sharpening filter. Keep looking, you will find the setting that lets you crop circles. Ha-ha, did I just say crop circles? The trick is keep what you want printed above the laser’s white or blank resolution.

           mmm, only a half-hour and we have something usable. Take a look at the two side-by-side, the rendering direct from jpeg, then the final output for now. I know that Adobe has the function of changing these graphics to SVC files. But I don’t put Adobe on an Internet computer because I’m not quite that stupid. Without a vector file, each logo requires ten minutes burn time. With accompanying sparks and aroma. Fun and games‽ (Yes, that is an interrobang, and if you see the phrase “hard-to-find 3rd IQ digit” on-line, yep, that was me.)
           These views show the results almost to scale but otherwise not that accurately. It appears number three looks best, but it is number four. And the fifth is a “vector” that is junk. Since the software file has no visual edit, you cannot remove that outside border. And the graphic is a lame outline, similar to that Arduino scribe or sketching program I tried many years ago.

           I’m inclined to grab another coffee and a sandwich. Start with this video of that yard grass I left growing by the privacy fence. It is now eight feet tall and wafting in the warm morning breezes. The sun is up and I want to build that window screen. Do you think I should get rid of the word Kooters and focus on just the turtle logo? Done. Change the burn depth to minimum, who knows, shallow might work for this purpose. And I do not mind that laser moving fast enough to keep the wood cool to the touch. I’ve done this before and found the darkest colors are inconsistent—but is it the laser or the material? Only enough coffee can solve such dilemas.
           The tradeoff with my equipment is time or bother. You can lighten the scan by moving the laser faster, then darken the imprint by making more than one pass. This won’t do, so I stepped through each “free” vector converter on-line. The results are a mixed bag of crap, let’s say I’m still working on it. I cannot be the only person unhappy with the offerings. To date, I would warn impatient people away from laser etchers. There are dozens of desolate dead-ends awaiting you. For example, scorched tabletops, disappointing delays, countless bad results, and the need to have an attended and convenient work table nearby—as if your desk is not already cluttered enough.

           It’s pork fried rice for brunch, by mid-morning I am still on the vector conversion path. As usual, 99% of the services are dirty, lying, cheating scum with their fraudulent “free” claims. Worst are the douches who step you through a “free” trial and zap you with their lame price at the final stage. They must figure you won’t back out now. What complete and utter lowlifes, the strange part is how they think they have latched on to something new. The same scams were around along before the Internet—but nobody was ill-bred enough to do it for a living.

Picture of the day.
South Haven, Michigan.
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           According to the James Webb, this 71-galaxy cluster is the largest known single object in the universe. Here is you speeded up pirate copy for those, like myself, don’t think publicly-funded offices should be able to copyright anything. It is near the edge of the event horizon, but don’t quote me on this. NASA has a bad reputation for miswording these type of discoveries. Meanwhile scientists say they are baffled at the increase of AIDS-like turbo-cancer among vaxxed young people.

           By 6:00PM, I made it to the shed and built this “bedroom box rack”. I’d measured it out before January and made several errors. Thus, my net gain shown here was one box. It looks neater, you did not see it before I landed in operating theater. My bedroom doubles as a hyper-convenient workshop and that’s the way it will be. The rack was really so I did not have to move more than two boxes to get at anything and for that, it works admirably for a two hour project.
           As shown, the boxes are just thrown into place to get them out of my way. I’ll make it more efficient. This is the first real strutcture I’ve built from pallet skids and it was fairly nice to work with. Mind you, keep your clamps handy or it becomes a two-man job. Since this worked well, I think I’ll make a bench along the picture window with storage underneath. What do you think?

           My music blurb, which states I am interested only in a duo, has alerts a Lakeland five-piece outfit has been checking and re-checking recently. So I pulled up their profile and so can you, at youTube, They are a five piece, but I’ve jammed with the singer and lead player some five years ago, probably in Auburndale again. They do the Legion circuit and they are loud. Big bands are almost a full-time job.

           I see inquiries from Billie Dee, the drummer lady who sings up a storm. She goes by the handle “Skintickler” and I recall she is looking for a full band. You cannot go that route in this area unless you have an inside with the local clubs. I do not. I have an acquaintence with some of the owners and managers of the mom & pops, the only clubs I’m ever likely to gig. Nonetheless, I am out there and know who to call if the time ever comes.

           Which brings us to tonight. I would normally have invited India, but decided to check out Kooters on my own. The guitarist, Jack, was not there. I was way in the back but instantly recognized superior vocals—and also how-and-that the lady with the guitar was not playing most of the time. Aha, I’ve seen this before. Who remembers the mother-daughter band that gave me the runaround? I hesistated because I did not recognize the daughter at all. I remember the girl at 13, not the married woman at 23. But when she began singing her old song list, it clicked. That’s the daughter and she’s back from Nashville.

           Maybe I’m smug from calling that one right so long ago, but I know the ropes. They didn’t bomb, but Nashville is a canyon you cannot cross in two jumps. I introduced myself and she definitely remembered me, which is what counts in this game. They are looking for a bassist, and get this, have been through several. That means the local group, which I don't chum with.

           Aha, again, for the reason I hinted as a warning ten years ago—these other yahoos are failed guitar players and will never stick around. Tell you what, here is a video clip. Recognize the lady? I didn’t, but that is one familiar stage. I’ve played there some 30 times. Remind me to send a copy to the Prez. Let this band happen and there will be no looking back. I already know her entire song list but it is a different band without the mother.

ADDENDUM
           It seems Trump’s policies are causing disruption over at OPEC. People tend to forget that organization is a cartel with the sole purpose of inflating oil prices. That tactic works when there is nobody competing with lower prices. That is exactly where Trump is applying the pressure. I don’t know the finer points, but if the cartel falls, the gas should be under a dollar per gallon. I gather the situation in Venezuela could cause the Saudis to increase production at a lower price, which is not compatible with a cartel’s “artificial market discipline”.

Last Laugh