One year ago today: August 17, 2016, thoughts on stupidity.
Five years ago today: August 17, 2012, alternate spellings of s-i-d-e-c-a-r.
Nine years ago today: August 17, 2008, “encapsulation”.
Random years ago today: August 17, 2014, Xcurrency - the death of a concept.
Ribs for breakfast, and that’s livin’ large. Up before daybreak, I got the remainder of the living room insulated. Some of it is temporary, I say, as I listened to NPR and that Markowski guy who, while he gets his facts straight, tends to misinterpret them in his favor. We all do, okay, but we aren’t broadcasting it nationwide. The constant headline these days is the violence in Virginia, still. Read my lips—the people who hold protest marches, if they follow the rules such as getting a permit where required, have a right to peaceful assembly. Even if that gathering includes swastikas and political salutes. Though, some could argue, since it is a threat, this sign is crossing the line.
The Watchdog of Wall Street tends to often focus on the other streets, the ones out of his domain. Generally, he is okay by pointing hypocrisy and abuse, so he still gets a big thumbs up from me. Like the rest of the chickenshit media, mind you, he is not naming names. Who is the person that told the police to stand back until violence occurred? Remember, I’m believe the names and phone numbers of the immigration people who allow terrorists into this country should be published on-line. Hey, they use your files against you, it would be just a taste of their own medicine.
Myself, I believe everyone has a right to his own opinion. But I do not agree that his opinion can be forced on others. I saw the photos of the marchers armed with rifles and combat gear, yet there was nothing to indicate they whether they were looking for trouble or expecting it. Generally, the left is trying to make a big deal that Trump did not automatically condemn one side. Could it be that they were not doing anything illegal? Many would find this a disturbing trend, but that is many, not all, not even a majority. My conclusion? To anyone who was relying on political correctness to protect themselves, maybe it is time to reconsider that strategy?
The 60% chance of rain kept me inside long enough to find a DVD I have not see. Angelina Jolie in “Tomb Raider”, an obvious take-off on every previous such production. Man, if I had her plastic surgeon, I’d be 6-foot-2 and lookin’ good. She was chiseled back in 2001. There were some robotics but nothing innovative. The planets in alignment ancient artifact missing father spies everywhere movie, lots of angles on Jolie’s boobs for the little boys in the audience. But only one good shot of her wind gap. She’ll always be the queen of the botox lips.
Miss Oregon.
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This is not a micro-controlled model. It is taking the domino shaped grey tiles and placing them in a pattern across the floor. This is similar to the machine that builds the plastic houses in Australia and somewhat similar to a machine I saw that lays an entire pallet layer of driveway blocks in 30 seconds. The writing is on the wall for human labor. I’m miffed because I didn’t think of building this gadget. Somebody still has to keep the hopper filled but that could be said of most machines.
But I lived through the actual changes to society that computers have spawned. I saw the transformation first-hand and it was not always for the better. I watched those jobs that had programmable tasks get taken over and I also witnessed some jobs (like my own) get changed to match what the computer could do. Another questionable trend was I watched computers go from feared and questionable objects to trusted sources in the administration business. It’s probably true that computers are no more accurate than the paper files they replaced, but we are solidly in the era of truth by majority rule. If fifty computer files say something is true, people are going to believe it.
The book, “Showdown At Hole-In-The-Wall” is slow reading. It’s full of gruesome passages including poisonings and beheadings. It isn’t your standard western tale and I don’t recommend it, so I’ll tell you the plot so far. This lawman gets shot by couple who have taken up with a sadistic bounty hunter who wears wigs made from rotting human scalps. Everybody is after the same outlaws for different reasons. The bounty, revenge, and recovery of stolen horses. Lots of bushwhacking, which is likely closer to went on than showdowns and quick-draw contests. And everybody is after the hunter’s pretty wife, who likes wearing "too-tight" britches. Da-yum, Marshal Dillon, you oughter see this'n.
“The last thing I want to do is insult you,
but it is on the list.”
~ unknown
Talking money, let’s us take a closer look at that overnight train trip idea, maybe for September. Three hundred bucks to New York for a cup of coffee? I’ve done worse. Back in Montana, we used to drive 64 miles (round trip) to the nearest diner that was open late after work. Then again, Montana has real highways compared to Florida. The kind where people actually drive the speed limit and use the left lanes to pass. Some kind of trip is in order for me, now that the eclipse is a no-go. I will never forgive the party that caused that cancellation, incidentally. All I’m saying is that trip was planned years ago and the money was set aside. Instead, I may get to ride the Amtrak. Not much of a trade.
[Author’s note: the photo is of the Housing Works coffee shop somewhere in New York City. I can’t plan on visiting, since I don’t know the city and can’t take a chance of missing a train. Last time I did that, it cost me $180.]
I’ve put $2,000 in materials into the house this year, though that includes nearly $400 in related items such as repairing that shed. That got most of the tools out of the house and I’m glad for it. Let’s peek at some other budget categories so you can compare to what you spent. Don’t get dismayed if your costs were higher, since I already have most of what I need and don’t have to shell out for big deals. Coffee, that’s sit down café coffee, including coffee from library machines, I’ve spend $189.34 this year, January through June. That’s very close to the dollar a day estimate. Groceries total is $994.31 bearing in mind I cook a lot from scratch. Here’s some other [selected] budget categories:
Gasoline: $426.09 – compare that to your gas-guzzler car.
Books & Magazines: $92.01 – I have no qualms buying used books.
Thrift Stores: $303.26 – all that shopping I do and that’s all I spent.
Restaurants: $417.09 – this includes my travel meals, usually to Miami.
Tools: $265.92 – I’m way behind buying new tools.
Entertainment: $1,743.21 – a third of it in Miami in June and July.
Just don’t compare too hard, since my budget is a highly-evolved tracking system to control any runaway costs. Yes, I’ve been hit with extraordinary expenses but this year the total is just $1,189 of which $740 was plowed back into the Rebel. The rest was items like batteries and tires, these are consumables when you own motorcycles. If I didn’t say, the replacement sprockets on the Rebel improved the overall operation of the unit. It rides smoother, quieter, and is more responsive to the throttle. And until the clutch plates get hot from highway travel, it is easier to change gears.
There is a group who always gripe that the radio doesn’t just give the temperature, but also the heat index. For the previous week and projected forward, that index is around $108°F every day. Those numbers are up there because being 50 miles inland, this town does not get cool ocean breezes. The Gulf of Mexico can make any day a blast furnace. So my guess is you can easily tell which people who don’t pay attention to both the actual temperature and that heat index. They don’t drive motorcycles.
ADDENDUM
Ha, did you hear the NPR news this morning? The census shows that there are 3-1/2 million more registered voters in the USA than there are living adults. Did you spot the downplay? Right, not every adult registers or votes, so the situation is actually much worse. But going with the lower number, the program pointed out many states don’t have a population that big. In California, there are 13 counties with 138% voter registration. All over America, these fraudulent voting areas have one thing in common. They are heavy Democrat supporters. Voting to separate you from your paycheck.
So here’s my investment advice, and like George Carlin said, he speaks with as much authority as the Pope. He just doesn’t have as many people who believe him. So it is with my guidance here, me, the guy whose stash is buried in Colorado. It goes like so: think about why they say put your emergency money in nice safe bonds or equity. Now think about why you put your money in safe investments. Now think about what happens if anything goes wrong in the economy. If you have done the above, now think about why it is you actually think if anything goes for a shit, you are somehow going to be able to get your money back out of those places. In another of my opinions, the next big crisis will be financial. Do you honestly think you will get back your money from a government-regulated investment? If so, I got one word for you. Greece.
Oh, that’s right. The mainstream media casually mentioned the seizure of liquid assets over $30,000 and then just as rapidly let the story drop. No sense causing panic in the land. Besides, Greece is a faraway land of which we know nothing. It could never happen here. That the computers and ATMs that froze the cash used American software to do the deed, well, that was pure coincidence. Like anyhow, how would I know if the systems being sold to Greece weren’t changed for their “special circumstances”? Besides, it’s not as if I live in the land of Elvis sightings.
To keep us on an even keel, in my spare time (both minutes of it) I’ve designed a change to the way that I file pictures. This type of filing is not an easy task since no categorization method is ideal. I adapted what I felt was a natural method. Remember a picture you took and notice one of the primary indexes in your mind was the date. “Oh yeah, that was Marion and I in Oregon back in 1992.” Since the search criteria on the computer is the file name, you want to keep it short. Thus, until something better comes along, I’m predicating the pictures after August 8 or so with a year and month. A picture taken today would be saved as 2017-08 DESCRIPTION. Year and month only. All other schemes were rejected as too cumbersome. I take an average of 15 pictures per day of which 6 get saved. That adds up quickly so keep it simple.
Here’s a quiz for you. What was the name of that eastern tyrant back in the 60s who sent his murderous armies in to crush rebellion and force seceding states to remain in his union?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
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