One year ago today: May 11, 2017, Gee, Buzz . . .
Five years ago today: May 11, 2013, two different authors.
Nine years ago today: May 11, 2009, the you're-supposed-to-know' shit.
R'andom years ago today: May 11, 2014, originally, it was 7.5 minutes.
I think I finally looked forward to this Friday off to do nothing the way married men begin looking at life when they turn 30. Bwaaaaa-ha-ha. My people visiting New Orleans say stay away, the prices are outlandish. And these are not people to balk at a $20 breakfast. This is what happens when the government runs the printing presses on overtime. I stopped at the new Hardy’s out on the highway, only to find out all their coupons are for off-hours only. Anyway, I tried the chili dog, finding it kind of bland. Kind of rubbery, actually. A quick snack there is going to run you close to ten bucks.
Myself, I like new things. And on the 25th, down in Bartow, they are holding a workshop on how to repair old books. True, at my age I should only attend seminars that attract single women, but I actually would like to learn how that is done. I’m pumping a fortune into the economy every month, so it’s okay to take these free courses at places I only visit.
Maybe tomorrow for pictures of the batbike and my valiant effort to get the thing started after sitting since last August. The battery was kaput and I think the old solenoid finally seized. That’s because enough time has passed that I forget where I stored the one I bought as a backup. Examining the photos of the tow camper shows it has the same hitch as my Mark II, so I got a plumbing wrench to remove the ball hitch and left a note for Agt. R that I’ll need the truck tomorrow. I want the trailer in my yard before I leave for Miami, slated this Sunday morning.
[Author’s note: this situation needed a tow is so typical in my generation. Everybody needs a hand with everything, but when you need the simplest thing back in return, well! Everybody’s too busy, or has company, or has to work that day, yadda-yadda. I may have to arm-wrestle somebody to tow that camper 11 miles. I don’t have time to get a trailer hitch installed on the station wagon before I leave day after tomorrow. Plus, that costs $250 these days. Not counting the hitch.
I had planned for the hitch anyway, as I want three vehicles capable of towing that hot dog cart, and I insist on standard hitch sizes. Folks, unless you have a big reason, buy the big 2” bulb. It’s the standard, I think. At least in my mind, you cannot have a hitch too big, just too small.
I canceled the plan to leave Saturday because things stacked up with this camper deal. It worked out because it turns out nobody will be home that day. Louis has graduated from medical school. It’s hard to believe I’ve know that brat for 19 years. He cruised through on a scholarship and bursary, JZ is super proud of him. But it is no secret he was the only candidate for the money since his relatives set the fund up specially for him. The primary qualification was the uncommon surname, but still, it will look great on a resume. Went through school on grants and free money. Can you just imagine my parents ever doing something like that.
JZ was in a mood, which tells me he’s been compared by others to this kid now a doctor of internal medicine. The abrasion is that they tried to make JZ a doctor and it just was not in him. He never wanted to be a doctor, he wanted to be a contractor. And as the biggest qualification for becoming a doctor in America remains having other doctors in one’s immediate family, he got zero financial help to start that. By the time I came along with the money, it was far too late. Even the housing boom was over.
Rolls Royce dash veneer.
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Do I have a wee eye for art? It depends on things like this next photo. I was aiming for the price tag on the big fan at upper right and when it turned out like this, I present it as art. So it might not take third prize, but if you are here for the odd times I come up with something amusing, here she be. Some of these catch my eye because, like the Wal*Mart aisle photo, they come off the dash cam upside down. When I don’t recognize the photo until it is uprighted, I find gems like this.
I did get an hour off after all. So I grabbed that bass and memorized the vocal notes to “Running Bear”. I’ve discovered a neat way to emulate that Indian tom-tom sound during the verses that would horrify a music teacher. I simply play it wrong and leave it like that. I sing by memorizing the actual staring notes. So sure, I can still sing the song on key even if half the bass notes are off beam. It’s a hoot. I’m getting close to a novel bass line with the other tune of this week, Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy”, a tune I sort of used to dislike if I heard it more than once a year.
Old Manfred also sings at the very top of my limit, so instead of changing the key, I sing this one at half-volume and punch it up with a bass line that is unison two octaves lower, so it sounds to the untrained ear like harmony. Don’t mistake what I do with talent, this is a mechanical process and I’ve spend nearly a week (about an hour per day) on that one song. You know what’s rotten about coming up with these original bass sounds? It’s how a talented person, or even a semi-talented one can instantly copy your idea. Like it was nothing. My family are lifetime experts at this, so I know exactly how the process works.
Hence my saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of annoyance.”
I found out just today that Oprah is no longer on television. Shows how much I know on that topic. The people said she overstayed her welcome. So what, she’s a billionairess, uh-oh, another coined term. Mind you, I don’t see it doing her a lot of good, I put her in the same league as that Whoopie freak, that is, not fit company for man or beast. Ah, I heard some back-of-the-room snark say I’d do them for their money. Nope, I’d turn them down flat and get all the money I need from the publicity. I do watch videos and today I picked up a two-footer flat screen for $15. There was no way to check it in the store, but the menus all worked, so I took a chance. If it’s hooped, I’ll use it for a security cam display. Wait for the pictures, this blog is not based on visuals, so pictures are always a treat.
More on the attic fan, it’s not so simple. I think I’m going to install a switch downstairs as a master control. It’s not needed except I think it might be. You see, when the evening turned cold, the fan stayed on until the attic got below 80°F. Thus, the attic is staying daylight warm two hours after sunset. I love the way the fan keeps all the rooms at an even temperature, although I can still feel that temperature rise steadily during the days. When I turned the fan off, it was 78.8°F inside, virtually ideal for me.
Then I walked into the kitchen. Within minutes of the fan shutting down, I could feel the radiant heat on the three exterior walls. I’ll need time to think this through. That means the fan is not cooling anything, it is merely distributing the temperatures evenly. There has to be a compromise in here somewhere. A breakeven point where I can let the fan take over until I can insulate that kitchen, the last project on my list. Why did that kitchen heat up so rapidly? It means at some point, I’ve been air conditioning a sauna. Well, we shall put a stop to that.
ADDENDUM
On day 161, I broke my 1500 calorie limit. My normal consumption is between 600 to 1200 calories per day but this time I was well over. I made a batch of Alabama biscuits. They are the same flour-water-lard as any other but you add dissolved yeast. You let it sit an hour but the dough doesn’t rise, you still have to add baking powder. The yeast is a flavoring, like. Well, the batch came out tasting so much like fresh bread that I wound up eating the entire tray. I’ve been a baaaaad boy.
Thanks to the tow camper, I spent my entertainment budget so I really don’t know if I’ll enjoy this trip to Maimi. I rather work on the attic, I’m happy now but the sincere hot weather isn’t around yet. Every day counts in the spring and fall windows of daytime niceness. I need just eight more hours up there. The fan, I just left it on full blast. Eventually, I’ll tune it to match the desired interior temp plus 13°F. And I’m considering matching the air flow with soffits only from the north side of the bedroom extension. I chose a fan that moves twice the volume of air indicated as a minimum. So far, the fan works so well that I may be able to cut out the R30 and the kitchen A/C. Then again, ask me if that’s so in August when the temp and humidity are both at 99.
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