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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.

Apil 12, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 12, 2025, no kitchen floor, dammit.
Five years ago today: April 12, 2021, Typhoon Hari-Kari.
Nine years ago today: April 12, 2017, candle sinkholes.
Random years ago today: April 12, 2019, morning at the lake.

           A fine morning, for relaxing. A lost of editorial for you today, as nothing else happened. For those who think that cloud storage is anything new or special, here is a view of the first rig. This is 2007 tech, around the same time I had a similar setup at the old shop on Hollywood, with 8 drives. This one had 45, the difference being I would never have thought the public stupid enough to store data on somebody else’s hard drives. I guess at any given moment, two of these drives were about to crap out with your data.

           Hmmm, you cannot read or tell time in a dream. And in your life you will unknowingly walk past 14 murderers. I spent the morning surfing. And reflecting. Changes are pending if only because people are up the creek. Don’t ask me where people are getting $11 for a package of chicken that was $4 last year. I’m looking at options just up to the end of 2027—because I’m guessing by that time, people without a viable network will be past desperation, although in the USA this is unlikely to incite anything. Skip this morning if you don’t want my philosophy on this.

           I admit, my years of formal planning are over, I had no plans to live this long. But items like my household budget carry a certain momentum that keeps finances on an even keel. This blog is also a great way to make comparisons. Others write memoirs—but too often use that to correct mistakes and polish images. This blog does not do that, the events stand as recorded including bad decisions and instance where I’ve changed viewpoints. During 2027, this blog will pass from a hobby to an established record, viewed over one million times.
           It was not a goal but a million is nothing to sneeze at. It kind of proves the old maxim that it takes twenty years to become an overnight success. September 2006 was when the daily posting began here—also coinciding with recovery from another health episode. I find some early posts erratic and contradictory. But that is an accuracy impossible to achieve when people wait for old age to jot things down. I regularly review things and people I have long forgotten.

           Here is a picture of the NerfGel ammunition. Packs of 5,000 pellets that soak up to size. Quite the toy but enough to be dangerous to idiots.

           Another divorce in the news, where the wife does not find out the husband has no assets in his own name. Proof of my assertion that the British legal system does not work so well when you have somebody you can trust. It is now 5:00PM and yes, I did sleep all day. Will I get anything accomplished in the remaining sunlight? Details are sparse, but Bezo has announced development of a reactor that can produce oxygen from lunar soil.
           I read, or tried to read, an article on the use of quantum computers to crack encryption and passwords. Um, I quickly got lost. But I did spot a pattern in the descriptions. There are flaws in the approach itself that the pundits are straining to ignore or downsize. I won’t get deep into it, but this is something similar to the IBM code that MicroSoft messed up. No built-in safeguards, no anti-hacking measures, an attitude that encourages virus attacks, and vulnerabilities that require constant updates.

           All the software houses are chasing the first-to-market strategy. Because they have never tried anything else. In other news, the founder of OnlyFans died last month, age 43. Something ironic about that. I just discovered a website CourtWatch that tracks Florida judges who let criminals out on a promise to appear. I hope it goes viral.

Picture of the day.
Amish used buggy lot.
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           Not so fast, by 5:20PM I’m back in my easy chair. Going off the antibiotics has consequences. I re-read the literature on these drugs, which are used in combination with, in my case, two stomach prescriptions. I’m vulnerable there, it landed me an extra week in ICU. These prescriptions run a week past the end of the antibiotics and I’m suddenly queasy. I’m staying away from power tools for now. Reading is a great alternative hobby for such spells.
           So let’s peek back at the Moon oxygen. There’s a lot of it in the dust, but it is tightly bonded with the rock, much of which is titanium. And just awhile back I commented on the difficulty of separating them. Now, using a nuclear powered microwave, they got a working prototype. Another headline concerns difficulty of recent computer grads, as A.I. is already doing most of the entry level jobs. Well, face it, today’s grads have not been exactly stellar. What caught my attention is a Chinese program that, I feel, is long overdue in America. Genius classes.

           The Chinese model is angled toward competitive career demands instead of general research. The model is, however, correct. How I longed for such a program as early as third grade—why was I never allowed to progress faster than the slowest classmates? And tons of remedial classes and help for the slowpokes, but only one scholarship for the top students between them, two if you were lucky. The Chinese program sifts students and selects the very best.

           And selective it is, with just 100,000 picked in all of China. The Financial Times calls it a “talent supply network” and some grads are already making fortunes. Soon, the term “gift class” may refer to more than a type of lessons. It is new, as it has big focus on A.I. What a boon for some, a chance to outdistance the pack instead of grubbing by at a lumbermill to make ends meet. I would have, given the opportunity, stayed in school until I was 45. Then launched a company to cure cancer.

           Here is an invention potentially bad, a bicycle bell with a new feature. There has been an increase in accidents in people wearing noise-canceling headphones who annot hear the bells. I consider that entirely their own fault, serves them right. The headphones work by emitting a counter-signal of the opposite phase. The new bell sends two sounds, one that causes the “blind spot”, the other that sends the signal through the opening. This will not end well.
           Later, I did not set foot outside, an entire day lost. Not ill, I spent the day inactive, not daring to stay too far away from the coffee pot, the ice water in the stove, and the bathroom. I suspect there will be more days like this. Hey, it was my decision to document my own aging process from the inside out. No calls, no texts, no e-mail, but at least if this becomes routine, I have some things to look back on. This, all told, was as nothing a day as ever around here because it was my call.

ADDENDUM
           Quick health review, must keep up to date. Maybe not so quick. Best is a return of sensation to my ring and pinky fingers of both hands. My precious bass fingers. Doc says that was poor circulation, yeah, well not that my circulation has been good for 60 days, what is the holdup? I’ve taken to wearing the LifeVest but I probably don’t need it. I did not have heart pain or real shortness of breath since this time and do not have them now. Both leg wounds are still open but healing, I get slight cramps and think they had to take out more vessel thank planned.
           My chest is a big wound, now bristling with bits of suture and leaving a ragged scar. My abdomen has several slow-closing puncture spots where they attached something or other. But no torso pain of any sort as would be attributable to this period, and that’s for nearly two weeks. There is a numbness across the upper chest, the pectorals and down what my diagram called gluteus medias. Only when touched, so they do not interfere with activity, but neither is getting better in any regular time scale.
           Still weak as ever, the days are more even [more balanced], such as y’day when I did not have any fallout from four hours standing while in the shed. Don’t interpret this as any strength gain, I must move around quarter-speed at all times. For the longest time I found it more comfortable to shuffle along in a stooped posture. That’s going away, I’m glad, because it looked funny. I take longer to catch my balance and my poor arms are finally cleared of IV bruising.
           The literature they gave me lists over thirty side effects and around the same warnings. I must wear buttoned shits instead of my favorite tees. That’s due to having to raise my arms too high and the slight pressure the material places across the chest. The sutures are clear, but manage to poke through the fabric. The incision is well enough no bandages are needed. A small cushion is required to wear a seatbelt.
           Food taste is fairly normal again, just not always. It is nice to be able to toss around at night. Sadly, I’m missing the finest winter we’ve had this decade. The sunlight feels super healthy and a slight night chill is mildly refreshing. As said, longer sleep hours are returning. I calibrated my bathroom scale and I have lost 14 pounds. However, that is not from watching my diet.

Last Laugh

April 11, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 11, 2025, the owner himself.
Five years ago today: April 11, 2021, Ayock.
Nine years ago today: April 11, 2017, candle economics.
Random years ago today: April 11, 2014, we want real adventure.

           It you later find the phrase “celebricity stunt” on-line, I coined it here just now. Another mediocre actress is claiming the authorities pounced on her, in this case ICE. Am I the only one who has never seen ICE going after White folks? What’s this, pressure from Islamics to portray their beliefs in a “more positive light” has a group declaring the Alamo was a Muslim affair.
           Why such a good mood? My first ten hours of good sleep since January 29, folks. Plus, while I don’t know if there is any connection, the ceasing of 70% of my post-op anti-infections has accelerated return of my taste buds. That is why I made up this victory breakfast around an hour ago, with unlimited refills. No crazy partying yet, only a slightly faster return of normalcy.

           Is it finally time for Ireland? The news reaching here is either censored or obviously tainted. I opted for a morning off so you get another tale from the trailer court. It’s the stifling of my career as a portrait painter. When I was nine, I got a beautiful 24” wide pad of painting outlines that mother had mistaken for a coloring book. In the back were instructions how to gradually start and learn color complements. I had no paints, so I bought a package of 48 colored pencils. What could go wrong?
           There was a pencil sharpener by the back door that the old man had liberated from the school supply room. Without thinking, I proceeded to begin sharpening. I got about six done with the bellowing came about how rotary sharpeners “waste” the pencils and to cease immediately. I had no idea there were any pencil sharpener experts in the vicinity until that moment. Father had spoken.
           This “waste” only occurred when sharpening several pencils, so I was the only family member affected by this new edict. Since it would take weeks to sharpen one pencil per day, I tried to sharpen them with a jackknife. This did not allow colors to be smoothly shaded to match the color templates in the book. In the end, none of the pages in that book ever got colored, but I kept it for years—to have it lost in a basement flood. I kept the crayons and a couple years later won second prize in a local art contest that I did not even want to enter. But that is another tale.

           It says here the richest woman alive today is Alice Walton. She rings in at $134 billion, not bad for 76 years of being born right. Poor old gal, it must be so hard for her to meet sincere, natural men tho’ by her age, she should know that Saturday is Karaoke night. Not that I’d recognize her right away but there would be signs. Like when the bar suddenly goes silent and are just the two of us left at the counter when the DJ says, “We have a request for ‘Folsom Prison Blues’.”

           ICE is now looking into birth tourism schemes, some 41 years after I wrote about the topic. Yep, 1985, while I was in Asia, sadly, the records are hand-written and unless I get some help, may never be published. Smartphone trivia, the average user checks his phone 144 times daily. If he checks while on the job, there is a 23 minute loss of productivity over the distraction. Here is a video of testing a motor without using PWM, it's here for looks, and I had no other place to post it. So there, compare that to what's doing.

           Productivity is usually defined as profitable in the end. I am finishing the excellent book “How We Got To Now” by Steven Johnson. He eloquently shows how inventions are dependent on far more factors than being first with an idea. Some thirty inventors produced functional light bulbs with a glowing filament in a vacuum up to forty years before Edison. The one concept the book barely mentions is a common fact in this blot. It is that all the traditional conditions for success are missing something. Rather, they inject a type of fake social reasoning after the fact. Work hard, believe in yourself, never give up, and more blah-blah. I will never be heard but I’m here t tell you that all of those factors put together are not enough.
           It is the organization of society itself that stifles so many ideas. Unless it can be packaged and sold, it will not fly. Few people have tried as hard as me to invent or innovate or create something that will last, but there will always be somebody who points out I did not quite do enough—in their thinking. I did not even have a work shed, which I can avow is far more important than your average university degree, until I was almost 60.

           There is one facet of all this that has intrigued me more. How did these inventors learn what to invent? I took computer courses for years, and there was no mention of search engines. How did Jobs learn about the personal computer concept? I was just short of desperate to find something in my 20s, if there had been a source of these ideas, I think I would have found it, yet I was twenty years ahead of the pack and could not even find a job to use my computer skills. Now apply that to dozens of other aspects and fields.
           Nowadays, I know much more about the process. I realize now I did not have the resources to wait until my name was called. I had to take the highest paying job I could along with the rest of the working class, no matter how unrelated the work or the location to a career. And you can add in that on the shop floor, the working class are not your best friend but more.usually a nasty, dirty enemy who see your education as a threat to their job. Like my family, their attitude is if you were really tired, you’d be able to sleep through their deafening roar.

Picture of the day.
1902 Studebaker.
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           A perfect mildly warm day got me out to the silo, where boxes had been tipped over. No critter much bigger than a rat could get in there. I heard a buzz, finding my old 3G phone still plugged in the charger. It was still receiving a signal from Google. Today was only four hours, but it was a solid four. I worked bare-chested and that warm sun felt great on the damaged spots. There is no shortage of small tasks and clean up, the point is I was able to get it done without once feeling any strain and I know I lifted or shoved 20-pound objects without thinking. I’m getting there.

           Still unable to locate my fancy breadboard, I put in time with the birds, they know human movement means grub, but I not tame them. Memories of Memhis won’t allow that. We have a juvenile male woodpecker with a red crest, I set the game camera to try for some movies for you. I also boxed up a few hundred vacuum tubes, I’m not going to be around to sell them in eBay. Find the buyer, move the tubes out. There was supposed to be a little room in the shed for a work space at one time.

           One tool that did not get properly sited was my large radial arm, the one with the jammed tilt. It is jammed at 45°, which is good for it is my best tool for cutting that angle. No way I can move it around, but it is on my list. Here’s my stunt double lasering a front panel for some capacitors, making it easier to fine tune amp circuits. I still have not got one working because of the widely varying parameter for the resistor ranges. The plan here is to set one resistor, then use this new variable assembly. Screw the calculations, which seem to apply only to theoretically perfect components.
           Here is the small power supply I got together, but maddeningly, it does not work. All the wiring and joint test okay with bench power. But switching to battery, it sits there and I busy connected in series, so the independent switches can supply 3, 6, or 9 volts. But at the lowest setting, it will not power up. I’ll tear it apart for a complete rewire.

           Other than that, I could simply have a batch of LEDs that need more than3 volts to trigger. That would be most rare. I’m glad I still like this challenging desk work, thinking ahead. I don’t care if I’m an invalid long-term, this hobby far beats anything else. Like television, I mean. This is week four that I’ve kept confined mostly indoors. It’s peculiar in the sense I planned just in case for this type of retirement a good ten years ago. True, this place is not fixed up, but who was to know Tennessee would happen?
           Later, I awoke near midnight with an opioid withdrawal. I know what they are now and this was mild. Id fallen asleep reading with the book in my hand. The pages were just beginning to turn black with tiny golden flame outlines around some of the letters. Don’t fight it, the illusion will not last. How anybody could enjoy this is a puzzlement.

           Something has to be done in case inflation keeps eroding the money. I have exact records as well as experience to guide my decisions. This is why I am concerned now, rather than behave like those living off credit cards. I do not track every expense, rather those unavoidable expenses of operating the household. Items like auto repair and gasoline are considered part of it. And I have calculated the amount of income needed to keep ahead of the wolf. This is a concept that has not let me down. Arrange my affairs, that is, so by the time I’m hurting, the situation for others will be so dire that something will give.
           The stats I use date back ten years. I know my worst years was 2022, during which I instituted the cost-saving measures I still use today. Household expenses of that year were $10,410 and that dropped to $7,540 by last year. But cost-cutting is not the answer. And household is now my smallest living expense. Gas and groceries have burgeoned to $340 per month. I anticipated this overall situation more than twenty years ago and have guidelines, one being I must not rely on being able to work at all.

           This is not just having a job. It includes a lot of the work I do for myself around here that otherwise would cost. Essentially, I need to invest in something that pays me just $10 per day. At my historical performance rate of 7%, this means cobbling together $53,000 just for starters. I’d be remiss to not notice that would have been the amount in Caltier by now if they had performed as promised. Anyway, all this has to wait until I can back on my feet.

ADDENDUM
           Europe, which essentially means Germany, is considering a law that prevents people with “anti-constitutional” views from buying a house. No conviction or criminal record needed, as the government would have absolute rights. Yes folks, it is only a matter of time. Dugan, the “judge” who helped an illegal escape out the back door of her court has failed in a final attempt to claim immunity. The illegal has been deported to Mexico and she could get five years. Bring it on.
           IBM, notorious for hiring illegals and DEIs, has been fined a piddling $17 million. They were accepting government money while abusing guidelines for hiring Americans. It is common knowledge IBM is notorious, but my surprise is why is IBM getting any government money?

Last Laugh

April 10, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 10, 2025, cancel today, I said.
Five years ago today: April 10, 2021, remember the Dawnster?
Nine years ago today: April 10, 2017, that toy sandblaster.
Random years ago today: April 10, 2016, on finding this cabin.

           I stayed up to watch some eerie documentaries on cloning, now that technology has gone way past Dolly, the sheep. Scary, as all cells carry the potential for mutation, but most mutations are clobbered by the DNA from two parents. Cloned cells have one parent and accumulate the mutation tendencies. The experimental limit is around 50 generations for most mammals. It is 5:30AM and I tried to find the source of this quote: “I'm not here to save everyone. I'll save the people I want to save. If you're more trouble than you're worth, you're getting dropped.” Leave a comment if you know where it is from.
           This box is being fitted with panels, and makes the top story in that I normally do not make square boxes bigger than 5-1/2 inches. But this one is destined for a

special purpose, to house the very few remaining paper photos that have survived in my life. Hundreds have been lost and damaged because of no really secure place to keep them. There will be room for a few other trinkets, but once I’m gone, odds are this will wind up at the local dump. The only value is sentimental.
           There’s taking some caliper reading, which I’ll explain later. Today’s pics are out of sequence, but you’ll figure them out.

           xGoing off half my prescriptions has not chased away drowsiness, so I’m going to list my generic activities. It’s something I want recorded for it was a happy pattern I’ve had for years that is now being upset. Note this is a broad outline of what would happen on a day around here when nothing else happened, got that?

05:30AM - awake, check e-mail, make breakfast.
07:00AM - go back to sleep, I dislike dark mornings.
09:00AM - write letters, update books and accounts.
10:00AM - check yard, mail, birdfeeders.
11:00AM - free time, this can be very productive.
14:00PM - siesta or movie, depending on temperature.
15:30PM - projects, reading, planning, study, shopping.
17:00PM - computer time, including blogging activity.
19:00PM - free time, usually music, with coffee & supper.

           No, I don’t have a regular noon break. And those inspired days I work for hours in the shed often get recorded as special times as they change this pattern. Along comes this past 90 days and its 3-hour sleeps, forced inactivity, bouts of fatigue, and i’s mayhem with most of my normal disposition and any normal planning gets defenestrated. Funny thing, most of the patients I met in the hospital would not likely notice any changes, ha-ha.
           It’s now 10:00AM, the feeder is empty, and let’s watch the news. I agree, people found incompetent to stand trial should be given the maximum sentence without a trial. Trump has “ramped up” the long overdue immigration of White South African refugees. All scientists agree when you censor the ones who disagree. The Pentagon wants to establish refueling depots at Port Moresby, Darwin, and the southern Philippines—sound familiar?

           Have you heard of the Israeli stink bomb? It’s used for crowd control, a chemical that reeks of sewage. It cannot be washed off for days. It’s made from yeast and baking soda, sprayed from a water cannon. Well, the police forces in northern India tried it and sent it back. It had no effect on crowd control in those regions. The Delhi police remarked the protestors could have drunk the stuff and asked for seconds.

Picture of the day.
Moon mining robot, prototype.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I took inventory of some electronic parts, including a much closer look at the 775, the standard motor in many electric drills. This, and other motors, often have a removable metal ring, which I have not discovered the reason for, but it brings the total diameters to some common dimensions, such as 1-1/4” and 1-1/2”. I ration myself two hours to learn about these motors and their power requirements.

           Meanwhile, in the last 60 days that have given me so much disruption, a tree has grown up and blocked my other bedroom window. That’s your reminder every sheltered spot in Florida is a starter jungle. Photo nearby, it’s tricky to see, but it is the tall thin strip of leaves right behind the glass.

           After siesta today, I got out into the shed four hours, enjoying the freedom of movement and the perfect weather. I finished up some small boxes, fitted for laptop hard drives which I often substitute for pen drives, which get lost too easily. Oddly, there is a standard lumber size that fits these drives, though how that got past the millies is a question mark.

           I won’t be moving any large lumber pieces a while yet. But I have oodles of scrap lumber which can be slapped into smaller boxes, like the one I’m holding here. I often use them as dividers in larger boxes, their main virtue being their strength. Boxes are a good sign of my general recovery, it’s easy to see how I’m plodding along, I thank you for that round of applause. May boxes again begin to creep back into daily life. Right now, I’m planning some locking cupboards in the scooter shed.

           Let’s see what Gab.com has to say. A motion that women should have to tattoo their body count, with those over 10 registered as train stations. Gab now marks posts with the flag of the host country and certain commentators have disappeared. Poof! Trump cut 275,000 undocumented immigrants off social security. New York proposes a race-based tax system. Here’s a winner from NYC: “Spreme Court.”
           This was a good day, no fatigue from the hours in the shed and a great snooze in the chair, omens of a larger improvement. I’m still moving half-speed. Except on bass. I can fake most of my semi-famous runs using three fingers instead of four. Who was that famous violinist who purposely broke strings? It’s late, look it up yourself.

ADDENDUM
           A night with the LifeVest proved more than comfortable, my next goal is to have that cancelled. It is a portable defibrillator. Other than a thirty-year-lasting murmur, there are no irregularities in my heart rhythms. Four of my six new meds are ended, all anti-biotics and post-op stuff. I am not thrilled with how all this treatment has magnified a few of my other barbs, like gout, my inability to see narrow items, and a returned of some muscle aches. That is, things that should not have been affected at all.

           To offset this, I have another comfort—heat. I’m set up to have an extra warm zone in my vehicles, office, and bedroom. But only when I want it. During intensive care I developed chills that stayed on. I just like he option to zap any chills. Here I the small “hard drive” box described above. This is only to keep the wiring organized. And keep the blog display more balance, you do know this blog is formatted for desktop. I believe in the future, there will be some form of return to full-page displays. It is just impractical to research large blogs on a phone-size window.

           It’s non-blog footage, but I recorded two monologues of my early recovery. It was more like watching those TV stoned, mumbling half-wits going through withdrawal. Months later, I see aspects of that behavior still holding over. The only cause of such grogginess would have been anesthetic. Can this [anesthetic] result in or trigger characteristic “old guy” patterns of activity? If so, that’s my incentive to totally recover. I don’t want to act 90 unless I am 90. I sent the recordings to the Reb, who agrees that is not myself.

           How about the latest Hellfire missile? This 1970s tech weapon is still a workhorse. Constantly upgraded, I was reading about the Ninja model. Instead of exploding, it flips out razor sharp whirring blades at the last split-second. The blades can slice through metal. No explosion means very little collateral damage. Y’know, while watching the videos, I saw numerous conventional uses of the Hellfire and there is something new and strange about the warheads. There is a smaller but brighter detonation.
           And the Artemis crew is now farthest away they have ever been from a Waffle House. And it was 18 years ago Marion moved to Denver, 14 years since I’ve seen her, and now she’s gone. I noted the date, April 10. I was under immense pressure, unable to work, but faced with decisions made under such circumstances that they cannot be explained later. One was to delay taking my pension another 4 years, which proved most wise ten years later under Biden.

Last Laugh

April 9, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 9, 2025, “could explain . . .”
Five years ago today: April 9, 2021, Prince Who?
Nine years ago today: April 9, 2017, learning about gold.
Random years ago today: April 9, 2008, Marion moves to Denver.

           Off to Miami, an e-mail y’day after I fell asleep, so we are up at 5:30AM. Reminding the world I fast by default on all medical meetings, I have the new Chick-fil-a $7.99 special on the brain. Most of my life I’ve had an aversion to rough towels and cold water [on my legs, which shocks my system]. Keeping all my attached apparatus dry is a challenge and an hour ago I ran out of hot. Not a great start and a mere shadow of my earlier times. If I did not say, today is 11 weeks since the bypass. Be patient, everybody is saying, the signs are good.

           I took old Hwy 27 and arrived two hours early, meaning the Robot Club swung into action. It may still lack the adventures of long ago, but the pace ramps up. It rained all the way from Okeechobee, so it was wiper blade time. The unit was $36, they sell the whole assembly, not just the blade. Five minutes with the club and we had things working for $7. I still don’t have proper nicknames for the boys, but the guitar student has been practicing with focus.
           At this pace, he will be in a band in a couple years. I’ve long lamented there was nobody to coach me at 8 years old, yet there is no reason I could not have learned it at that age. Instead, it took me twenty years on my own, let me double check. No, i was twenty-five years before I developed my bass style. Before then, I played ordinary bass.

           This was a planned one day trip and I got flak already for no visiting time. The next chance is the week of the 20th. As I left for Miami, I got this shot of that house next door. Here is a delivery truck with enough drywall to refinish the entire place. In a sense, with the house market what it is, even a fixer-upper to this degree makes sense.
           For clarity, today means no more wires or tubes during the day, though the life vest is night wear. This is an awaited event, as the tube made it trick to sleep on my side, which is how I read an hour a day or more. Another plus is the soap and water wash they had me use did not clear away all the detritus which accompanies such deep incisions. But the doc got it all with one swipe, quite painless and amazing. The scar will still be ugly.

Picture of the day.
The Oscar Committee, I think.
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           This is the Nerf Pro Gel Fire, and it is full automatic. It this the answer to my squirrel infestation? The background tale on this puppy is the instructions are bad, so they keep showing up as Thrift donations. So Agt. M got this unit for $4. The snag is the company does not make it clear the pellets, seen in that round hopper at the top, must be soaked in water.

           They become beads that splatter on impact. This is where you make the squirrel association. On full automatic it spews 400+ rpm and at 200 FPS, the pellets are nearly hilinvisible. Mr. Squirrel, you have met your match.

           Next, to the clinic and I can report I am now free. Of tubes and wires, that is. I still have the nighttime monitor but during the day I’m back to full movement and loving it. Yep, I’m ahead of schedule and the removal of the chest tube caused a slight easing of general nerve “fuzziness”. The appointment time is also doubled and we know from history my recovery always accelerates if I’m getting daily chores done. I have not yet followed up with my other doctors but it is common knowledge pills with 00 refills means they are not over-worried.

           Since I did not spend my money on wiper blades so much, I picked up this windshield repair kit. Fifteen bucks, so we finally get to see if this junk really works. That hairline crack on my screen could have gone anywhere, but this is Florida. It has now worked its way to exactly across the spot on the window in front of my eyes. If this doesn’t do the trick, it is a $400 repair.
           Plan on a real visit next trip, I am committed to stay with “the family” at least two days. Hey, the kids holler for all the attention and the club is on the verge of re-activation. During the past week, not on person came to my door, much less anyone to help me life that pressure washer.

           Plus, we have overdue planning and I am keen on getting investment accounts for the boys. This time, I will center them in Tennessee, from which you can infer the local account was not protected well enough—this was expected and predicted but it is also a lesson every non-rich person can only learn the hard way.

           The clinic I visit for now is nearby the big West Maine shop in Ft. Lauderdale. I intend to drag Agt. M in there for minimum two hours. I’m shopping for a metal sextant but that is price-driven at the moment. We are again looking a something the club can sell. Where I dislike checking for orders every day, he is put off by packaging and shipping. Last time we kicked this idea around, I did not have a cabinet full of shipping materials.
           Remember Secret Woods? Or was it Snyder Park? They are close, and a check with my own blog shows it was Snyder, the last great free concert with the Hippie. Nobody showed up. I wouldn’t have either if I’d known there was no advertising and the Hippie thought word of mouth was enough. So much for his management skills.
           The rain would not quit, so Agt. M used the passkey for us to pull under the church balcony to change that windshield wiper. I decided to get out of there to be home while it was light, forgetting how touchy the gas pedal on the KIA can be and all I did was chirp the tires. No big deal as I high-tailed it out of there amid a hail of plastic beads.

ADDENDUM
           We have a typical Democrat-generated problem with Pam Bondi, the one who screwed up the Epstein job. Some say she does not have to testify because she was subpoenaed as AG and she is no longer AG, others say she must testify because she was AG at the time of the subpoena. It’s the type of issue that deliberately ties up the courts, a libtard specialty. It was wasted time of this nature caused me to stop following election debates in the 90s. People were unemployed and the politicians were blabbing about climate change.

Last Laugh

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April 8, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 8, 2025, my first amp fail.
Five years ago today: April 8, 2021, VPN early warning.
Nine years ago today: April 8, 2017, the long way home.
Random years ago today: April 8, 2005, DVD lobotomy.

           Beware of grouch, I seem to have a bad batch of grits. You bet quality varies but I’ve got some that never quite firm up enough for my liking. That would be slightly less mushy than mashed spuds. Sabotage? There’s also the fact that I’ve learned to mention food often and early, it keeps readership high. I should have monetized this ages ago, but that is how much I disapprove of intrusive advertising. I’m saying real grits can be eaten with a fork. What’s with 1-1/2 toasters? Logic.

           There will be no somersaults this morning. How to get that pressure washer into the van. How about a fresh toaster hypothesis? This blog is okay with wild guesses that many folks miss. Okay, we all know the displeasure of a two-slice toaster when one of the elements burns out. They are unrepairable, so I began marking the slots and I have a possibility. Probably not, but have you ever noted which element tends to burn out? (Sorry for the bad grammar, but without grits things can get disjointed around here.)

           Here is what I’ve uncovered: the broken element tends to be next to the interior divider of the toaster. My theory is that the burned out face will be on the side that is empty when you make only one slice. That is the element that gets exposed to the full radiant heat that would otherwise be absorbed by a slice of bread. Once again, your favorite blog easily finds a topic that millions on the Internet never imagined, so there. Some toasters indicate which side to use for one slice. As for the countless repair instructions on-line, none address the cause of the breakage. Duh.
           At the Thrift, I saw this box of brass stencils, so I spent my dollar to investigate. I’ve never seen these before and wondered why such fancy metal. That part, I don’t know yet, but these are for some embossing process. Only one of each character means they are not for ordinary use. I have a full set of 1” size which sells for over $100. For now, I’ll write them as just a more durable type of ordinary stencils. My research on-line today is the increasing number of videos showing ways to recycle expensive 3D plastics.

           Still pondering the pressure washer, I watched two documentaries on Chinese city life. Pretty dreary at best, the one showed a single lady who openly tells that it is dreary. How entire days can pass without ever saying a word to another human being. On the other hand, I often pay extra for such a privilege. They have a lot of automated food service, but then again, it is copied from America with an eye to avoiding hiring low-caliber people. I admit I used to hang out a malls. I had no money to shop there, but the you could not beat the pretty women.
           Some critter, maybe not a squirrel, has emptied my birdfeeder. I’ll set up camera. I also tipped the bird bath in January to curtail mosquitoes and now cannot lift it back into place. This I compared to the Chinese lady and point out a major contrast. She is all about how there is nothing to do all the time, I’m wishing I had the time to do everything. And the energy, later I may drive to town for some gourmet coffee. And pay ahead on the electric and phone because Florida is full of “them”. And what if the doc wants me to stay around Miami again.
           Later, it is a squirrel, an energetic one who can leap an impressive distance. Not having time to plan, I moved the feeder back 18”. To buy some time to think.

Picture of the day.
Texas cargo theft ring.
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           Cancel the afternoon. I made it to the dog pound, leaving here at 2:00PM and not getting back until 4:30PM. Somehow, I hit rush hour. Or some accident on the Tampa-Disney run has all the crazies diverted through town. I don’t like the new guy at the office, he’s snarky and ferret-like. I had time for the latest audiobook, it’s three teen girls who shot their father. He was disciplining one for sleeping with a married man. I can say already the plot is written by a Canadian due to the strange set of values that keep showing through, especially that quirky concept that if they are right and you are wrong, it somehow changes things.

           The tip-off is what I mean by Canadian. They think if they do not personally rob you of the camera, it is not stealing, say for instance they make a law. There is also the idiotic attitude that if they do something a certain way, others should be compelled to do the same, like pay high taxes.

           Back in the day, I had an analogy that would not be relevant now. It’s when cameras were expensive and Kodak owned the film process. Capitalism has a nasty side in that the moment you gain any wealth, you must begin to protect it. My example compared the camera to wealth, but the film was the income. While film was available everywhere, owning and operating the camera was for those who could afford it. If you do not protect the camera, it will get stolen or expropriated.
           I had time to plan a small motorized device. The photo is a comparison of the popular motor sizes, the 775 is on the right. I want a tiny vertical drum sander I can use on my desk. The 775 may wind up getting a transformer made from an outdated charging station.

           Home to exhaustion and no word from Miami clinic. It’s expected, but no how-to videos could be located to show use of brass stencils. So, I figure they line up just like I did and the concept of brass is to make them last longer and stay easy to clean. But what if you need a double letter? I admit to zonking for six hours, giving me just enough time for a big snack before midnight. I want to be fasting if I get a morning appointment. Overall, I’m doing well, it’s a cool spell so I’m able to wear long-sleeves. It better hides the tubes and bandages.

ADDENDUM
           In the news, a 40-ish pinhead becomes the first conviction under Melania’s A.I. law—you can’t deep fake non-consensual sex. The freak who killed Iryna has been declared unfit for trial. Minnesota is a leading proponent of a wealth tax—a concept I have pondered since my first paycheck. The concept is fine, to slow the accumulation of wealth into the hands of a few who have the clout to manipulate the system in their favor.
           I draw four distinctions on the topic. Is the wealth earned in the owners lifetime or inherited? Is the wealth invested in tangibles or sitting in the bank? Few people will think this through. Everything I own of value, I paid taxes on the money earned for it. Therefore, I should not be taxed on it again. However, all of my income producing assets are financial, that is, I own no plant and equipment. This is consistent with my philosophy that if you invest after-tax dollars, it means you have sacrificed and risked money and thus are entitled to the returns because of what you own, not what you earn. (This formula means after you are 40, before that, it falters.)
           It follows that on inherited money, there was no sacrifice, that is, that money invested was not earned and taxed like income. On the other hand, it is not the poor or working class who create the factories and railroads that in turn create jobs for the masses. It’s too broad a subject, but I am following the lunatics of Minnesota to watch how badly they screw this up.
           Watched video on the so-called race riots in London. Looked more like a ballet dance.

Last Laugh

April 7, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picture of the day.
Only in New Zealand.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.


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

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

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

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

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

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

Last Laugh

April 6, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

Picture of the day.
Australian pony club.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last Laugh