June 21, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: June 21, 2021, millennials don’t sell the batteries.
Five years ago today: June 21, 2017, Johnny Cash & Carole Kaye.
Nine years ago today: June 21,2013, elect themselves a share.
Random years ago today: June 21, 2007, Public, ok. Anonymous, not okay.

           What gives? Five hours for a haircut and some shopping. I could not resist pirating this photo off the net, but there was no info on whose it might be. As ever and when necessary, the photos are altered to be blog-standard. I’m now the proud owner of a $60 wrecking claw and the actual tool once you pick it up, is astoundingly heavy duty. To bad I arrived home without the energy to test it out. It’s substantial; I’ll weigh it in the shed later.

           Down south for a haircut, I stopped in at the thrift for some work clothes. Dang, they had four suits, the classic pinstripe never-out-of-fashion that I look best in. They would all have had to be taken in and some were “bankers” suits, that is, the most worn threads were the elbows and trouser seats. They sure looked good on me as over-size they were, but I spent the $60 on a wrecking claw.

           I got half my shopping list done, I deserve the rest of the day off. Once again in my life, I’m paying attention to the gas needle. There are 639 pavement stripes from my place to the cheapest gas, now $5.95 per gallon. Nobody likes this and rumors abound of energy rich states, which includes coal and hydro, seceding from the union. It would not take much since most of them are already pissed off about other things already. And there would be no civil war this time, as the right to secede has been affirmed countless times.
           My unqualified opinion is that the states could easily break away and join back later, only after their rights have been reasserted. The federal government gains control over the states by funding things like the interstate highways, obamacare, schools, and a quagmire of licenses, grants, and transfer payments. Do as they say or risk your bridges falling down, type of governance. But, the people with energy could easily fight back by raising prices for others, a the “bad” states tend to have no such resources. I don’t know, what does New York produce these days? Are there even any factories left in Pennsylvania?

           You might have to focus to see the subject of this photo. It’s a path to my shed, the waist high grass is gone. I got the mower started, details later. This area grows anything and the grass stays wet until the sun is well up, making it icky to walk through the blades to the back shed. It took two minutes to cut this path after waiting two weeks to find the correct socket to fit the mower.
           The guitar player guy responds well to coaching. Over time I’ve found a number of guitarist quirks that cure best if nipped off in the bud. One of the most usual is a tendency to “match” what the rest of the band is doing. That’s your sure-fire way to get a bland sound. Sure, it works for a few tunes, but most people eventually grow out of such music. What I do is challenge the guy, saying I’ll intentionally try to throw him off and he’ll do it right just to win.

           This individual, no nickname yet, is taking a major course in nursing and is on summer break. Economically, this works well. Most bands are a massive initial effort, usually six to eight weeks, and after that a good deal of repetition. When I was in school, that paid off, since the music is a great tension-killer the majority of progress (if any) happens on semester breaks.
           Turns out he did see me but can’t place where. He described my act at the Fubar, but he’s never been there. But he’s heard me at Karaoke and explained what got him was the presentation. You know about this, how I don’t look at the screen. I let the audience join in, keep up a light banter, walk over to my table for a sip during the instrumental breaks. I do that last one to demonstrate complete familiarity with the timing. And he noticed (somebody finally notice!) that how I work the room is completely dependent on spur-of-the-moment, that is, impossible to be rehearsed. We are slated for Friday noon in the kitchen over here. Gives me time to clean up a bit.

Picture of the day.
Home recording studio.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           What I could not find is a heating pad. The Reb says the best are the type that fit like a small cape, with a neck strap. This can be worn moving around or sitting. I type at least one hour per day, which is sufficient therapy she reports, but of all the dozens of designs I saw, none were of this model. This blog is a journal, so bear with me while I record some details. For all the Internet talk of using copper pipe for compressed air distribution, not one of them bastards mentions the fitting needed to make these couplings. The stores are no help because the compressor guy does know from plumbing, and the hardware guy thinks all ¼” fitting are the same size.

           Here is the insect spray I’m going to try in the new fogger. I’ve never consistently used the hand sprayer, likely because of the need to work the plunger with my right shoulder. Anyway, let’s see if Ken Sanchuk (who still owes me $1600) can follow along. You see where I’m pointing? The label says this product will kill 235 insects. Well, gee, Ken, I dunno. I figure there are that many just in my cabbage patch. That’s a joke, son, I don’t have any cabbage plants. Yet.
           Gas oil mixture for the mower and whacker is $9 per quart, so I invested $6 in concentrate to mix myself. The problem with the whacker is elusive, but I have some theories. One is that I did not cut the return line short enough and it is beneath the surface. The carb can’t pull gas hard enough through that setup. I’ll try that solution, as gas line has become expensive and you know those little bulb primers, the thimble things to start the engine. They are now $4.50 each and you must buy two per package. Millennial marketing. They also come in two sizes, figure that one out. Make one size and let the guy pump it a few more times, dammit.

           Chicken has doubled in price and I managed to find a 15/16” socket that might fit the lawn mower. The compressed air is a handy boon to the shed, so I’m designing a small lean-to out back and wiring up an inside switch. For now I’ll use the 25-foot hose meant to reach to the front yard and figure out these pipe fittings as I go. The guitar player is rescheduled for Friday, this guy has a bit of promise in that he’s aware if we connect with any few clubs, the money becomes decent. My monthly budget is already $162 over comparable to 2020.

           It’s already late afternoon this first day of summer and siesta time. We got a mild windstorm on the rise, I don’t mind those at all. Reminds me of the change of seasons on the prairies where I spend far too many years of my youth. My neighbor at the back took a road trip to New York (State) and just got back. Like many, he does not really know how big and wild and empty that area is, he was at a wedding in the mountains. And reports it was down in the 40F° range. That’s intolerable for a Floridian, must less it being a warm summer. I suspect he isn’t doing all that well but he’s happy enough.

           Here’s the redneck electric starter for the mower. I’ll haul out the Wal*mart drill that kills a battery every ten minutes and dedicate it to this contraption until I find the correct starter housing. Shown above, the socket is a 15/16ths, costing only $4. The identical socket when called a 24mm is priced at $9. It fits down the top of the mower, shown here with the cowl removed. A large nut is exposed down the shaft and a few cranks with the drill fires it right up.
           Return tomorrow for a description of the first use of the wrecking claw. The mower started so easily, I had time to test the bar on seven palates. Normally, I would allocate 140 minutes to get those to the stage of cleaning the nails. Incidentally, if I want that nail punch tool, I may have to drive to Orlando. Anyway, I got all six pallets dismantled in 34 minutes, including separating and stacking the lumber. The wrecking bar and operator with zero experience is thus slightly more than four times faster—and the claim that it splinters less wood is true, but it isn’t perfect on that count.

ADDENDUM
           Have you heard of “Beyond The Screen”? That lady who forked over private Facebook documents has come up with an idea I like. She proposes specialized training for lawyers who can take on class-action suits against Big Tech. She points out most lawyers are at a massive disadvantage going up against corporate insider. The service would assist both users and investors against corporate malfeasance, such as when Facebook releases “inaccurate” data. And the Atlantic (magazine) describes Google results are now a “zombified wasteland”.

Last Laugh

Guess who.