December 14, 2020

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 14, 2019, Miss Ukraine, stripped.
Five years ago today: December 14, 2015, finally, a use for NPR.
Nine years ago today: December 14, 2011, early solo plans.
Random years ago today: December 14, 2002, book reports?

           The Taurus is toast. We put it back on the hoist and removed the cover plate to find the rear suspension is that non-adjustable unibody junk. I’m slapping new tires on the back for one more major highway trip and unloading it. Those tires, 15” are also getting tricky to find. I’ll probably overspend on a Transit Connect. That design is far more suitable for my changed needs and I need more cargo space, or suspect I am going to need it. My latest pet peeve are dealerships that post vehicle ads without an asking price. “Come on in, so we can shine you up in person.”

           Here’s something you’ve never seen before. That’s my blog, I didn’t say it was fascinating, only that you saw it here first. This is sextant fluff. Odd they would pack a precision instrument in a material that deteriorates in storage. This green foam crumbles to what you see here after two years out in the shed. The shed is ventilated, dry, and everything does well there except some books. This mess means the sextant will now get a nice wooden box, and a nice cloth wrapping that lasts. I even saw a fur boa (scarf) that would make a great lining. Strange, that original packing would not have lasted six months in a tough marine environment.

           With the office back up front, things are moving along again. When I last worked up here, both houses to the south were vacant. Now the one with kids has a weird acoustic. It sounds like they are right here in the front yard. I’ll get used to it. The noise is right outside the window. All the better to see when the yard needs weeding and mowing. I was out there at 3:20 PM taking a sun sight, wondering how rust I’ve become. First thing, I read the sun 21° 05.8” above the horizon. Let’s calculate the Sun’s geographic position at that time. The sextant is a Davis Instruments Model 25.

           I took this reading at 19:20 GMT, at which time the Sun was calculate to be at 111° 14.9’ West of Greenwich, and the declination was S23° 03.41’ Since the Sun is below the equator this time of year, I calculate I am at 89°59.2’ West and 23°16.4’ North. Let me plug those into the Internet and see how far off I’m at. First noticeable defect, the on-line apps lack the option to enter the data in standard format. Many don’t even allow the degree symbol. Gee, you millies, nobody 2,000 years ago thought of using decimals, so you must be real smart.
           There I am, in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, west of Havana., south of New Orleans. Anybody out there laughing at my horrid accuracy? I got two things to say about that. One, I have not seen how close the other guy came after several years of no practice, so it is hard to say if I’m that far off. Two, when the Chinese take out the GPS satellites and people discover all the main roads are blocked and all the paper maps are outdated, we’ll see who finds the safe routes faster.

Picture of the day.
Welcome sign.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I have the same question about these Chinese and Soviet spy women. I don’t get it. With one, maybe two Russian exceptions, these women are not near pretty enough to temp all but the most desperate men. Or did I just answer my own question? Don’t get me wrong, I have spent a lot of time in Asia and I know what sexy Chinese, Japanese, and Thai women look like. And this Fang Fang is a mediocre rice-burner at best. She’s too puffy, plain-looking, and she plainly has to pose to get any attention. I would walk right past her in a night club.
           That Swalwell has to go, people even dislike saying his name. But if Fang Fang is his taste in women, we don’t want the guy driving a garbage truck for the system. He is so stupid when asked what his relationship was with her stated it was “classified”. He’s no prize either. And her name sounds like the latest model of Chinese anti-ship rocket.

Last Laugh