May 15, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 15, 2021, overnight—for that bunch.
Five years ago today: May 15, 2017, I now dislike drywall.
Nine years ago today: May 15, 2013, beware of Florida “sales”.
Random years ago today: May 15, 2009, my “userability” standards.

           Today I woke up like a survivor. It’s a flu alright but I’m not letting it slow me down completely. There a ton of chores and I’ve be out there right now, except it is 5:30AM. Instead, I built up my strength with a breakfast of scambled eggs with mushroom and chese, fresh baked bicuits (from a can) and coffee. Lots of coffee. I discovered how little I know about Honda Civics, which to me was always just another car. Could not even tell you what year these things are. This might not be the most hectic day, as we start off with a few words on jigsaw blades.

           A few years back I ranted how they changed to a different shank. Not the change, but that the new blades were not compatible with the old tools. That’s pure millennial shit and why Europe has to make laws so you don’t need twenty rechargers for twenty devices. Y’day at Wal*Mart, I got this package of what claims to be “universal” bits. These millennials lie like sidewalks, remember that $54 phone battery? So here’s the package I bought, now sold in five-packs, another millennialism. We’ll see if they fit once the sun comes up.

           Get ready for a few days of bad posts. The desktop computer I bring along for these extended trips gave out on me. The five beeps, a sure sign that the CPU is shot. That’s my second last XP secure computer, they are getting really hard to find. I buy them in batches when I can find them, anything past XP is junk, and suspect junk as well. I’m using the tablet for posting meanwhile and these things are not designed for productive work.
           Look back at the pic of the saw blades. Notice anything? They are packaged to stand out from the carton and the number “10” is prominent. I just wanted one blade, so as I opened the blister I realized the number was designed to fool the unwary into thinking there were ten blades. The 10 refers to the teeth per inch. Yes, I realize the buyer should be wary and all that. What I’m saying is that in a society of decent men, one does not have to be that sort of wary.
           Twenty minutes later, far longer than necessary, I got the blade changed and it does seem to work well in the old style of brace. I have the radio on NPR and it looks like Finland did joint NATO. These are idiotic moves designed to foment trouble with the Ruskies and there is a pattern to it. Ultra-MAGA, the term. I did not know the Bidenistas spent six months cooking it up as a derogatory term. What a pack of morons. Trump must be delighted, the term is great and I may use it as a compliment.

           You’ve come to the right place for advanced advice on building turtle coops. The new improved model will not be as light but well within the weight limits of the Reb. It has to be flipped over once in a while becuase of leaves and debris. So I was out there puttering. The Reb got back from church and watched me for ten minutes without me awares. She reports the speed at which I work these days is “truly remarkable”. Add the heat and the lack of cool breezes, I’l admit I was no speed demon. Nothing like the bumper car at the market y’day, where I put the pedal to the metal. I tore up the pet food aisle and spun a donut between canned goods and vitamin supplements.
           One thing good, the blades seem to fit the jig saw, that is, the old model. That’s the Craftsman that requires two different screwdrivers to swap out the blade. I never could but anythign deep or straight with these tools. I tend to use them only when nothing else will work.

Picture of the day.
Finnish landslide.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           By mid-afternoon, I’m just getting the end panels on the turtle coop. The wood got soft so the screws were not holding well. The slats will be replaced by 5/4 deck lumber, that’s me pointing at the results. The new doggie, Chooks, does not watch m e work like Sparkie used to. I miss the moral support. Did I say Sammie turned 13 this year so his days of chasing anything are over. He never used to tug at the leash just to go back home but I know how he feels. I‘m dipping into the house every half-hour to cool down. I’m now informed we are going to a movie tonight, her pick. Later, she couldn’t pick, so there is a new Thai sushi place. I don’t do sushi but I lived in Thailand for 77 of the best weeks of my life. Just not all in one big stretch.

           Much as we like movies, our tastes diverged over time. I like action, special effects, spies, intrigue and have no problem with chick flicks. But I draw the line at animation, which she likes artistically. The rationale of spending $40 on a cartoon escapes me. She decided on the sushi but as soon as we walked in I smelled Thai cooking. Sure enough, the chef had apprenticed in Thailand and had a total of 30 years experience. I ordered my traditional dish of angle noodles, chicken, chopped onions, ginger, peanuts and sauce. Huge portions. Prices to match.
           My Thai was rusty but they’ll remember us. I’ll probably kick myself later because I don’t think I’ll stay up for the eclipse. If I’m awake already, fine, if I hit the sack, nothing will get me back. Later, I missed it but these days everybody has a camera, so if anything special happened, we’ll know. Building turtle coops can be tiring. Especially over-building them so that nobody cn possibly worry about chance escapes.

           Finland joins NATO and hours later Sweden follows. This is now getting serious. Russia gets flanked and it is a telling argument, some say, why women should not be allowed in politics. (Look at the elected leaders of Sweden & Norway.) It is the exact wrong move if they think they are as vulnerable as Ukraine, which is essentially a non-nation. Or that they had to worry about the same fate. They had little Russia wanted, until now. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

           Here’s one thing moving in the right direction. This is a can of pears, but look at the directions ingredients. A year ago, this would have been a list of chemicals and additives. The other neat thing is this is from the dollar store. We’re hoping this is a trend away from junk food. I picked up several cans of other foods to show the Reb.
           Even items like chicken a-la-king are down to a few ingredients that can be safely consumed. There is nothing to indicated if this chance, or an actual return to common sense. It will soon be twenty years since I’ve regularly eaten beef, and four years for pork. On the other hand, them chickens best watch out.

Last Laugh