April 13, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 13, 2022, but screw it.
Five years ago today: April 13, 2018, behind the legal system.
Nine years ago today: April 13, 2014, shoulda stuck with bingo.
Random years ago today: April 13, 2019, when she’s not looking.

           Since this is likely to be a nothing day, I’ll mention food. Always good for the ratings and today we feature sneaky food. I believe that is a blog first. Here’s a view of Snapps, and it says “appetizers”. Pick up a couple boxes. But nowhere on the front of the box is there a warning you can’t just heat these up. You get home and read the directions, the first clue is there are no microwave settings. Ah, then you notice in far lower right corner. You have to bake these things, which takes close to a half hour. Appetizers, my eye.

           Wait, there’s more. Here’s something I never thought I’d see in America. SPAM by the slice. You know, this used to be a nice country before they let in all the shithouse people and you know exactly what I’m talking about. This, folks, is why the USA won’t last as one nation. Sooner or later you have to cut off these have-nots when you realize they never intend to support themselves beyond a subsistence level. Don’t be fooled by what they’ve learned to say for the camera, they like to live that way.

           Ha, did you see Elon Musk make mincemeat out of that woke BBC reporter who tried to Musk into saying the wrong things? What a classic, Musk presses him for an example and he squirms for a journalistic eternity before admitting, roundabout of course, that he lied. Outfits like the BBC don’t appear to realize the world has spotted the pattern their people been trained to use. We’d like to see a lot more of this. I believe once a news service takes sides, they should no longer be protected by any amendment. News and defamation have become too muddled in their brains.
           How’s our tea light doing after 48 hours? Not so great. It is still flickering, but not enough to be seen with the lights on. Still, giving them the benefit etc, the light is working away. I suspect these are purposely made to use up batteries that are already near the end of their shelf-life. This was a wonderful morning, all told, and I’m crawling back in the sack to sleep until noon. Then, I will look deeper into TURO.

           That idea has limitations, including no one-way trips. But that’s understandable. Examining the testimonials they present isn’t ringing all that true. You know how some people with AirBNB took out mortgages to buy houses? That effect is double with cars. I suspect many people buy a car they can’t afford by renting it out. It’s a dumb thing to do, which might explain why there are so many of them. My market strategy would have to be a wee bit different. Pet-friendly? Super clean? We are only ten minutes from the airport, so give me time to ponder.

           Let’s check the news feed. Folks, there are several states where you can be arrested for criticizing public officials. You were warned when these laws were put in, but you ignored them. Using the latest MicroSoft OS will result in them cramming ads down your maw. Presume every video taken of you in a sex act is going to wind up on-line, dummies. Arkansas will require ID to open social media accounts, claiming it is for minors, but the true goal is opening the door that requires all users to give up anonymity. And Indiana is the only state where police are not allowed to lie to get confessions. And even then, that applies only to minors under 18. To you, they can lie any time. Including in court, it would seem.

Picture of the day.
Fake western movie town.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Let’s get up on the canopy and see what we can accomplish this afternoon. Four and a half hours without calling the ambulance. Quick check, I finished fastening the sheathing, added two layers of foil insulation, and covered the lot with tarpaper. Up and down the ladder around 30 times. At least it wasn’t windy and I guarantee you that canopy is not going to leak. I could not find a way to have the reflecting foil onto a dead space, where it works best, but any foil is better than none.Two layers, one up and one down. I don’t have the shingles yet and I want to use that roof for practice. If JZ shows, it will be done in a day.

           Thursday, payday at the mines, and they had to call out the riot squad to the old club last night. Seems like the troublemaker was a newcomer with a fat wife who he decided everybody was after. Knocked over some guy and got away. Myself, I’m going out tomorrow to see the live entertainment, overall, that’s the mail reason anyone over 50 would go out in central Florida. This morning, some twit said she often told men in clubs she had a boyfriend to deflect them. All I did was ask if that was before or after she let them buy her $40 worth of drinks.

           The new Karaoke song I chose, “Red Solo Cup”, has a boring bass line. This will be the first tune I chose to sing first, then to play the bass later. How to deal with this situation? Spice up the bass line if possible. If you listen closely, there is a nice slow banjo lick in the background. The question is, can this be adapted to the bass? That’s why they brought me along, I think of things like that. That would be something if I manage it.
           Something else is getting in the silo. Small, but clumsy. The rat I trapped y’day found a nice home by now in the code enforcers yard. Why no news on the European cash limit. If you spend over a thousand Euros in cash, you are breaking the law. Could the Europeans have surrendered their freedoms that easily? Or is their government media just choking off the reports?

           Later. I got it, banjo on the bass. I knew banjo licks were simple but they are definitely not easy to play on a guitar-tuned instrument. It’s unnatural and amounts to what are mistakes on the bass, but I got the notes down. This involves breaking some rules and going against years of discipline. This, however, is something I’ve been up against many times. It seems impossible now. Keep at it. Then with a day or two, I’ll pick up the bass and be able to play it without a hitch. For those interested, the habit that must be over come is playing the root note as an eighth as the last note of a measure, and then again on the first beat.
           If I’m not mistaken, this is what gives the banjo a lot of that characteristic sound. Two root notes syncopated in this way. I can hear it in my head now that I know what to listen for. It is only a matter of practice to be able to command the fingers to do the same. I got as far tonight as playing it steadily but slowly for eight measures in the key of A. That double note makes changing keys a problem. I’ll get it. I’ve hit barriers like this an in a few hours we’ll be pickin’ banjo on the bass.

           To celebrate, I drove out to the old club, where I found Wilford chatting up the skinny blonde who likes me, but she’s too young. Not for me, just too young. Wilford is learning theme songs from TV shows I never heard of. I mentioned the canopy and as luck would have it, he knows a guy trying to get rid of some shingles. With more luck, this could be free as in the guy hand them left over from his own roof and just wants them someplace else.
           The phone rang at 4:30AM, the wee doggie had a stomach bout. There is a tame but stray dog hanging around my yard, very skittish. Unapproachable, but that is cured by hunger, he (I think) is well-fed but no collar and what is he doing here? I’ll keep an eye on him.

ADDENDUM
           So this Black lady, a single parent, protests because her first grader was suspended 17 times last year and 20 times this year. Here’s the best of the posted replies.

1. He was in the first grade both years?
2. Teach him not to act like a n*******.
3. Tells you what kind of shitty mother you are.
4. That’s no way to treat a 12 year old!
5. Have you tried having his father speak to him?
6. Sheeit.

Last Laugh