One year ago today: October 31, 2017, they stole my M&Ms.
Five years ago today: October 31, 2013, the incredible sidecar trek.
Nine years ago today: October 31, 2009, "He's driving a Cadillac!"
Random years ago today: October 31, 2014, some closing facts ($$$).
Zits. That may be an odd way to start. But hey, if you wanted the same old every day, you’d be reading the New York Times. This blog is not afraid to roam. The thing about being old is I could not grow my own, so it was millennial technology to the rescue. This is a package of peel-and-stick artificial zits. Patented world-wide (www.igotzits.com), it even includes a free tattoo which I have not checked. There are 25 zits of various sizes, so for some teenage chocaholic that works out to almost a 96-hour supply. These may be part of my Halloween costume, I’m thinking. They cry out out, “Squeeze me.” And with a realistic filling and a popping noise, who needs the real thing?
You see, women are looking for Mr. Perfect. El problemo: such men are either fictional or in love with themselves. Ergo, women’s Plan B must be to find a man they can manipulate into becoming ideal. This I know because they never stop trying. Are you still with me? They must be looking for a man who has nowhere to go but up. (That’s a figure of speech, Dawn.) I just know that is the sort of man they want because, look around, that is what most women have, right? I ask you, now isn’t that impeccable logic? 2.5 billion women can’t be wrong. I mean, could they?
Therefore, I sat down and made up a necessarily short list of things about myself that needed improvement. Leaving no stone unturned. Then it hit me. How about a gal that helps me get rid of zits? This combines visual improvement with the surefire element of maternal instinct. With such flawless groundwork, you might be asking why I still have this packet of ersatz zits? Could it be I wanted to have the only blog in creation with two words back-to-back that ended and started with the letter ‘z’? That’s interesting conjecture, but the sad, sad outcome is this plan collapsed when I discovered the zit glue would not adhere to anywhere but on my face. Incoming visual!
Gotcha! C’mon, you should have seen that one coming a mile away.
Next, I have a progress report on my dovetail box. It now has a frame, a feature that revealed by 45° miter box is also off alignment. This frame is to hold in a sheet of wood to form a bottom for the box. Ultimately I plan to learn how to cut a slot in the wood, like the way they make drawers. For now, I’m still working on my dovetail skills and I’ve read the manual lots of times. So, the box looks home-made, but it is surprisingly strong. I can always use another box because they are useful for holding the more important things around here.
Cut an air conditioning port in the shed wall. It’ll be easy. Four hours later, I got done the first part. I had to make some extra cuts not planned. Here’s a picture of the A/C frame, it’s solid treated 2x6” fastened with 3” exterior deck screws. I needed a break and decided to try the dovetail jig on a new box. I found out that your router bit can get loose and slice into your tool, wrecking the $16 drill bit. It will also chew up the template fingers if you remove the bit before it stops completely. Despite all that, I got a second box almost done. That’s almost until I get another router bit.
I’ve got the technique of laying the pieces out and numbering them. But what isn’t clear is how to make the cuts on the front and back panels parallel mirror images. The manual only shows cutting the first piece. To cut the other side as shown in the manual, you would have to turn the pieces upside down. But the manual says don’t to that. I’ll figure it out. The answer is probably to center the pieces very carefully, that is, much more carefully than I seem to be capable. You know what I’m thinking? Just router pieces twice as wide as you need plus a pin width, join them, and then cut them in half edgewise to the size you want.
I conclude Michael is to the Jackson Family what Paul is to The Beatles. An iffy performer who, because of a close association with a formerly popular band, got listened to often enough that he became a star based on album sales. That is important, because a head start like that means even more people will buy it because it is trending, not because it is good. But standalone? I would not buy anything from either of them. Although McCartney’s music is a closer match than Jackson’s, neither of them is as good as what first made them famous. I can recognize McCarney’s music, but I never did listen to the Jackson Five. I heard them once on TV and that was enough to know the group was better than the individuals in it.
Did I just say ‘problematicized’? Sorry, no such word, but no other word conveys the correct meaning. This blog reserves the right manufacture words where ordinary English fails. This is not new, but a policy since before day one. The average American adult can identify 40,000 words, although his reading vocabulary rarely exceeds a third of that, his spoken vocabulary even less. In Florida, his thinking vocabulary can be scribbled in the margins of the sports page.
Cape Town.
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It was under the house and thank goodness I had the foresight not to fasten the floorboards over in the kitchen. To run in the dishwasher and dedicated microwave circuit cost $50 just for the cable. But we are nearing completion and I should have the circuits wired in a few days. To put this work into perspective, when I acquired this place, there were 8 duplex receptacles (16 plug-ins) in the building. Two in the kitchen, two in each bedroom. The kitchen was taken up by the fridge and microwave, I had to make coffee on the stove at first. I’ve put in a lot more than outlets, things like dimmers, vanity lights, exterior sockets, ceiling fans, sconces, and of course the attic lights and fan.
Of those receptacles, 89% are 12/2 wiring for 20 amp service, or better. This is not messing around, this is a complete upgrade to an old building. There are no repairs, it is all either replacement or new and better than code. Every detail is covered, even the exact distances between cable staples down to the correct size of Marr connectors. That’s them twist-on plastic thingees when you pigtail or splice. In many cases, code is exceeded by twice, for instance, it is six feet or less between any outlets anywhere.
[Photo delayed]
Before I let you go, here’s a pretty sight. This is my front yard facing the bird sanctuary. The feeder and mister are in the shade in the background. Look at the size of the pumpkin tree. That’s the park bench I refinished, ready for Chumley to loll around on all day. The flower pot and table are decoration. I’ve always had far too much to do for sitting around during the day. And night time is mosquito season, something I did not know until after I arrived. There are solutions, I just haven’t tried any yet.
The scooter is not yet test driven, that will likely be tomorrow morning. I’m three days behind thanks to that water leak and tomorrow is taken up already. If I do get my traditional birthday break, it will be barely in time. As for the amplifier, I may be in luck. I perform surgery on it soon enough. I knew there was a reason it went on sale.
ADDENDUM
I drove the scooter downtown and almost back. I pushed it the last three blocks. Whatever the problem is, it is compound. The new spark plug merely performed temporarily better on the limited remainder of the system. Anyone who has worked with deteriorated farm machinery knows this affair, where a new component overtaxes the entire engine. I bumped into Brad, who just got back from a music festival. Except, it was mostly not musicians. I saw the video of last year, it’s in Georgia, I think. Anyway, the stars are these two disk jockeys who play prerecorded material to a laser show. I guess they are unaware that was common thirty years ago. It’s magnificent, but it is not music.
All they can do is add bigger amplifiers and more powerful lasers. I had the same “I dunno” feeling when rock videos first appeared. They are offered as music, but it is recorded and most of what is recorded is mediocre, they call it the B-side. Filler music. I listen to recorded music a lot, but I’m fussy. If I do acquire a recording, it is mainly to learn how to play it. While I have access to almost every song in history (via contacts), on my computer here now, I have maybe 350, of which I can play custom bass lines to around half. And sing around 60 of them. By dropping my standards to Polk level, I could double that in a wink—and do it on guitar.
I have never been averse to that idea. And yes, I’m taking my bass and amp with me on the pending trip. Remember what happened in Aurora. That remains the top performance in my life.
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