One year ago today: July 29,2021, that van’s only trip.
Five years ago today: July 29, 2017, the scooter quit soon after.
Nine years ago today: July 29, 2013, predicting Gates.
Random years ago today: July 29, 2007, the original Taurus, sigh.
Oh crap, the pre-dawn radio said temps today will be well above normal, and normal is the nineties plus. I’ll give a go at some work but I see a day in the shade. The electric chain saw has sheared a pin of some kind. It’s internal, so do I take it apart or replace it for $50? The radio waves are alive with news that the MSM has finally admitted Trump is going to win in 2024—which is weird because he isn’t running. Thus, I say it is some kind of stunt the D-people are up to. My plan is to make up a cheese and mushroom omelet and contemplate a refill. Good morning.
I’ve decided to brave the heat and do some lighter chores. This view shows the “Chinese Hat” squirrel baffle with a plus. I chose the slightly heavier metal to keep the array from swinging in the wind and dumping seeds. This hood is a couple pounds more and unexpectedly creates a small dry shelter in that I’ve seen the smaller birds keep feeding in wind and light rain that easily causes the lighter metal to frisbee and pancake.
I left the workshed roofing to overhang the north side a good two feet, where the summer sun would otherwise really beat down. That was last year but I just today found the result. That small pocket of cooler air made the whole shed tolerable with just the fans working. With circulation alone, you find yourself moving around to where the fans are, but with the northwest door open, ah, I was out there three hours already, a record for this weather. Regular breaks are still needed and the shed fridge needs restocking. But I worked all morning.
I also used some time to research the chain saw problem. It’s a plastic planetary gear inside that strips easily. As normal with Harbor Freight, there are no replacement parts and the design is “weirdly different” than any other chain saw gear. So it is a goner, even though that motor is working just fine. A Craftsman that is repairable is only $15 more and I think that is the way to go. Now figure out how to recycle that HF Portland motor.
Vermont, San Fran’s real crookedest street.
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Our squirrel can defeat the oldest baffle by hanging upside down, but he can’t manage it for more than a few seconds. See footage. Crappy footage because this guy will not act out when I’ve got the camcorder. The design of this cylindrical feeder (for larger birds) means the regular “hat” design won’t fit, so I’ll modify the feeder. It’s me or that squirrel, folks. And I have the advantage for I possess opposable thumbs. Ta-dah. I’m going to put in some more time later when the east side gets some shade. I played a small guitar set and a phone call from Wilford indicates the club, which is otherwise quite fancy, seems to be desperate for something that day. Is it some holiday?
The quick logic says it is thus a gig nobody else wants. But is is also the classiest place in this nothing city. It has that restaurant atmosphere where people go who would never be caught dead in a bar. This is me repairing a tambourine. Glue in all the cracks with clothespins binding them tight. So, here is what I’ve come up with. First, I want $150 plus tips and three free drinks each for the band. A three hour set, not four hours—because we don’t have the material. Tell me what you think:
We bill it as an open mic, and we get to stage a fake rehearsal on Sunday (day after tomorrow). The premise is Wilford and I have to play everything the best we can. Some things you don’t know is if I can show Wilford how to play the tambourine real quick, there are another six tunes I can add just on the bass. With two twenty minute breaks, the stage time is 140 minutes. I have my old stage patter routine from bingo which takes up one minute between each song minimum. The average song on my list is just under three minutes because I leave out many of the instrumental breaks. Can you see where this is heading?
This show could not be done with my Fishman, as I would need at least six inputs. Vocals for Wilford, myself, and potentially some actual talent. One jack each for Wilford’s axe, my bass, and a guitar rigged up just in case. That leaves two spares on my Gigrac and I have to dig out both the speakers and the cables. Ah, I just remembered where I have the poles, and I’m glad I kept that mic boom in the shed. It will be rusted, er, I mean seasoned, by now.
Two hours later, I have most of the material and found another half set of old sing-a-long material if I can get some audience participation. All the supplies necessary were neatly packed away, some of it not touched in ten years. The only things not where I thought were microphones, but there are only so many spots they could be. Wilford is slated for just past noon tomorrow for a quick tambourine session and if I didn’t say, he was able to follow my finger patterns on the chords, which means (ha-ha) not every mistake would be pinned on me.
And how about that South African electric company. They fired all the white engineers and replaced them with coloreds. The grid collapsed and the locals are cutting down the power poles for firewood. The leftists are trying to hire the whites back but none are taking the bait.
ADDENDUM
There are some articles about returning samples from Mars but none give any real detail. Most involve a second lander with a rocket to return the Perserverance rover but no word on how it would acquire the payload. I’m reviewing my navigation arithmetic and theories.. If you try this, don’t blame yourself for not understanding the explanations.
There are no good versions. I’d have a stab at it, but I’m still a rookie. The problem is putting the pieces together, which I’ll describe and then point out one of the major stumbling blocks.
I’ve learned the procedure for sight reduction, which works by establishing a fake or phantom point that is nearby to where you think (using ded reckoning) you are using a set of rules many find confusing. That point is important, because the Almanac gives you a bunch of information. Then you take your information and compare it to the known point. This is the part that throws many, because in a sense, you have to think backwards. I’ll explain.
Nature, for all its wonderful magnificence, cannot predict or calculate its own future. Man, on the other hand, has learned how to measure things and can predict in advance where things will be. One such product is the Almanac, which tells you where objects in the sky will be a year in advance. Thus, when you take a sextant reading, you will need to compare it to one of those objects whose position was calculated quite a while ago. It’s confusing to newcomers, but once you “get it”, the rest is easy enough.
I know you don’t likely have time to follow any of this up, but let me further explain one part of the process, the part that contains that phantom spot, called the AP for assumed position. There are three points. One is where you think you are, just explained. The second is the spot on the planet where the Sun was directly overhead at the time you took your sextant reading. And third, the assumed point. You choose that assumed spot by “thinking backwards” to what is usual. That’s because you’re a fixing it so the answer is whole number, no fractions.
If I ever get it down, I may have a go at explaining how it is done so beginners can follow along. Some of the existing material is very good—once you know what they mean. The old COIK Syndrome again. I’m greatly enjoying reviewing all this, it’s a hobby that comes and goes, which is a result of it having no practical use in my life. Sometimes I just like it.
