One year ago today: April 4, 2014, the Legion gig,
our best--but not good enough.
Five years ago today: April 4, 2010.
Ten years ago today: April 4, 2005, PC Professor gets an F.
MORNING
Brazing. The club is taking another look. My guess is we should go ahead and buy a cheap assembly and test it. Like the welding machine, nobody out there was of any real use when it came to advice and knowledge. Everybody you ask tries to steer you astray in some way that invariably turns out to be their own self-interest, usually trying to sell you something they know damn well you don’t need. What’s the bet I get the same [runaround] with brazing?
Typical of what you’ll find is the Durafix demo. It is not what I wanted, but is interesting. The metal, I think, is not aluminum or even an aluminum alloy. It is a solder-like material that dries and looks like aluminum. You can tell by the flame that an ordinary propane torch is sufficient, but the video avoids saying so. This photo shows a type of torch nozzle (around $35) used for brazing.
It does not specify whether you MUST use this type of nozzle to braze even if does fit onto an ordinary propane bottle. The Durafix just mentioned melts like solder and will not stick to steel. And it costs around $2 per rod. Yep, anything from these people except a straight answer.
While each video tends to have a valid point to make, that point is never quite the question that you asked, which is what you need to know to get started. I found a kit at Home Depot that uses bottled gas. And at ten bucks a bottle, I need a lot more information before I make the leap. Please don’t tell us Wiki is good, because we are not looking to pass a chemistry exam. For instance, Wiki just says brazing involves using “a gas”. Yeah, Wiki, you we got some gas for you, too.
Is camphor considered a pleasant aroma? If it doesn’t smell like flowers or food, it isn’t incense as far as I’m concerned. Somehow I have a package of “camphor” scent in my stockpile. Who wants a house that smells like cold medicine? Except, it isn’t even that because I’ve noticed it does not clear up your sinuses. Why don't strange penguins come to my door and steal my camphor incense?
Anyway, let me tell you about the bakery this morning. That old coot was in there again causing a ruckus. Did I ever tell you about this one? He’s an old eastern European Jew with an attitude. He calls other Europeans his “slaves”, which riles the staff. He always shows up by taxi with more bags than he can carry and expects others to help him. He brags about how he collects reparation payments from Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. He would have been about 1 or 2 years old when the war ended. He also talks continuously and loudly about how the Jews will take and are taking over the world.
NOON
“Don’t pick some [college] just because you think it’ll be easy to get laid there . . . . that’s a good reason to pick a lot of things, just not this.” --Sam Halpern
As I pulled up to the yard, I thought, “If those were painted grey, would they not look like concrete blocks?”
You don’t know, but this is my only parking spot, but it is also the spot that can be seen from the main highway if somebody knows where to look. To the right of the picture can be seen the bed of the camper pod, with the old blue piece of floor material resting on it. I’ve always been touchy about that wagon being stolen just because it would be so easy.
I also noticed that, despite it being a breezy day, the wooden boxes stayed put. Real concrete is expensive, heavy, and I don’t exactly have a supply of the stuff sitting in my back yard. Say, behind the batbike is Pete, the Cactus. He was slightly higher than the boxes when I moved in for six months, what, four years ago now. If the fake concrete plan doesn't work, I'll have some handy boxes for my growing supply of plywood scrap.
I’ve not a thing planned for this beautiful day, so check back and see if I wind up building a concrete block. I’d rather be at the beachfront playing and singing Johnny Cash, but of late the options for that have dwindled considerably. Don't give up either, I've totally recovered from giving more blood to my primary care clinic than I would to the bloodmobile. I may actually go out on this beautiful Saturday, yet.
If you think this idea is really dumb, what will you think if I told you I forgot it was Easter? It was, I noticed, a little quieter out there all day. But I'm immune to traffic noises. My upbringing doesn't consider American Easter as a religious event anyway. I also do not at all care for that marzipan filling they put inside Easter eggs. Whoever came up with that hated kids. Give me chocolate and don't be a penguin about it.
EVENING
Woo-hoo I just scored another one of those $40 quartz halogen table lamps for $2. The only thing wrong with these is the burned out bulb because people don't know where to buy the replacements. It's a $3 bulb, shown here in working order.
For that matter, the place tonight was so boring I took out a pencil and worked on some specifications. There was one woman in the place and she was playing pool. At times a familiar rock tune came on the juke box, but it was mostly old man music. However, the bar maid is from over at Buddy's and she offered that she would not be averse to the idea of bingo at this club. She said the place misses my Karaoke act. (I let the audience sing along with me.)
But bingo over here? Myself, I think the crowd is wrong but who'd have thunk, on that basis, that it would be such a hit at the old place? Stay tuned on that one, since now the majority of the staff (but not the management) have seen my show. It is not your grandmother's bingo.
ADDENDUM
This is the gazebo, the only one ever owned by somebody I know from way back. The other photo a few weeks back was from a real estate brochure. I wanted real pictures. This is the result. It looks smaller and halfway down the hill. And the locals refer to it as the “pagoda”. What do you suppose this all means? Should I make a pot of tea while I’m waiting for some paint to dry? These and pressingly urgent other issues will tell you where the needle rests on the Florida thrill meter today.
Ah, why don’t we have laws in America that criminalize unpaid debts? The reason is plain and fancy at the same time. We live in a credit-based economy and it would be impossible to enforce debt payment. Secondly, our society will also assign debt and it would be political madness to jail somebody for a debt he did not take on willingly.
The very premise of our money system is that all real debt is voluntary, that is, you cannot force somebody (like me) to borrow money if he does not want to. So what kind of involuntary debts am I talking about? Alimony and child support come to mind. I’m also becoming of the opinion that students at the age of 18 are being coerced into education loans which they do not comprehend. Are student loans the new first mortgage?
And this begins my fourth month of not playing in a band. I have found out I never developed the “skills” that other men have to ward off loneliness. I don’t like pool or darts, I have no idea how to put the squeeze on a flabby-armed barmaid or how to whoop like a banshee over games on television. Worse, I’m far too old to start learning things of that nature with absolutely no scientific or intellectual content.
I have to get back into a band, any band. On principle alone.
Last Laugh
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