March 3, 2020

Yesteryear
One year ago today: March 3, 2019, the dependency voters.
Five years ago today: March 3, 2015, actually, I will play “free”.
Nine years ago today: March 3, 2011, “it’s still warm”.
Random years ago today: March 3, 2004, I said “faggots”, yep.

           Wait for news, the tornado missed us by 7 miles. In fact, both the pets and I slept right through it. The neighbor was awakened at 1:30AM by what he thought was lightning, but it was transformers popping up along Lebanon Pike. I knew nothing till next morning when I awoke to a dead calm that has persisted since. And darkness. No electric, so I didn’t get my morning coffee. The radio was no help, there is a strange blackout of any news despite the fact 26 people are dead. Maybe the spin-masters can’t figure an angle to blame this on Trump.

           There was no electricity all day, I’d like to mention that the longest I ever went without power overseas was in Thailand, back in 1985. That was 48 hours. I’d like to see how long it takes in America. The transmission towers are less than two blocks from here, and the substation (same one you’’ve read about the homeless camp ) is 7 miles away. The cable TV (for the households with generators) was restored by morning. No other news is available, it might hurt the tourist trade.

           Here is a picture of my living room. Ut-tut you digital pirates out there. This is copyrighted material. Let’s not have anyone posting similar pictures or I’ll set the DCMA people on you, and that includes that azz-clown Togla from Turkey. He’s the Turkey you get to thank for the Last Laff feature of this blog. Early reports say 22 people have been killed.
           No, wait. Closer examination shows that is not my living room. It is a picture of the white doggie eating dinner by candlelight. I hope I didn't just infringe my own digital rights here.

Picture of the day.
Mike Nesmith wearing aviator glasses.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Here’s two nutmeg corncakes, very similiar to coffee cake, baked up just before the storm hit. This was my only treat for the entire time, which nobody knew how long it could last. The radio stations colluded to pretend it never happened. This is a new tack because normally they milk something like this for everything they can get. That, and the picture doesn’t really fit in any place else. This is officially the food mention as required by the mysterious blog rules that so frequently parallel the mood that I’m in.

           Something has come up. The neighbor two doors up has a vehicle he cannot register. For clarity, he does not know how to complete the paperwork. He bought it from a company where the wrong person signed the title transfer. When he went back in a week, guess what? The company had folded and disappeared. He does not have the know-how to wade through this and after talking to him, well, he’d just get more confused going on-line.
           I checked out the vehicle and it is nice. A Lincoln Pathfinder. Here’s the situation. I know how to get around this bad title, but it costs around $1,000. It would not be worth if for him, but it would be for me. Are you with me so far? I’d have to charge him $2,000 to do it for him. The Blue Book on this SUV is $10,500, but it is not in prime shape, having been parked for years (something I have a little experience with). It probably needs another $1,000 in tires, battery, A/C recharge, that type of thing. It completely outclasses what I’m driving now.

           The problem with just ditching the title and calling it abandoned is a prime example of state corruption. Most states won't let you claim an abandoned vehicle. Instead, you are required by law to pay for it to be removed by a registered towing company to a compound, where 120 days hours later it is sold at auction--you do not get a penny back. You get stuck with the bill for obeying the law. Sick, sick, sick.


           But assume I can get around the problem and buy this van. And it would also cost more in gas, insurance, and maintenance. It boils down to what he would sell it to me for, and the corruption in Florida. You see, Florida does not have a proper abandoned vehicle registrations system. It is quite easy, you enter the VIN (Vehicle Idendification Number) into the system. If it is not reported stolen, you get it for a probational period, say six months. If, after that, nobody reports it stolen, it’s yours. However, Florida does not have that system because they don’t make money on it. And that is what constitutes corruption.
           You see, a non-corrupt department would evaluate performance based on the amount of good duty it performs. It is a sad day when government is based on the profit it creates for the state. I will balance these factors with a number of other considerations. In the long run, I estimate doing things my way costs around 20% more at the front end. The astute may have noticed when I complain, it is more about issues, less about individual instances of getting tickets, fines, and hassles. That’s because I rarely get any. I save 200% at the other end, and that is no estimate. Do the math.

Last Laugh