One year ago today: August 19, 2022, 3 feet of silo.
Five years ago today: August 19, 2018, Tarpon Springs.
Nine years ago today: August 19, 2014, nothing Earth-changing.
Random years ago today: August 19, 2019, Sparkie at the vet.
An inch and a tenth of rain overnight. Makes me glad I got the hillbilly up on the roof to fix them shingles. Everything is thoroughly soaked, so let’s see if I get into town before noon. It’s heading for 95°F today, silver is $22.76 and ounce, and the Canadian dollar is pegged at 74¢. Chicken and grits for breakfast. No squirrels, but evidence of squirrels, so they’re out there. Biden wants to bring back masks and lockdowns; this time he’ll get nowhere. Vaxxed people are offended over predictions they are dying at 35 times the normal rate. So, as the saying goes, why argue with them? All you have to do is wait.
It’s a small town about to be swallowed by the Tampa suburbs. It seems to consist of one big shopping center and a lot of residential neighborhoods. I spotted a BAM (Books-a-Million) and decided that’s the plan. I had to park a quarter-mile away, the shopping center was packed. There were people by the thousands but disappointingly, no pretty women. My theory is these cities attract all the youth from the surrounding towns but they did not wind up in Brandon, that I can tell you. All the gals I in the demographic I like were chubby, tattooed, or appeared to have issues. I headed for the magazine rack.
The character of these malls has changed. Most stores fall into three or four categories, mostly expensive clothing. Then electronics, though more properly one should say stereos, TVs, and cell phones. The only big store was Dave’s Sporting Goods, but to my surprise they had no guns. Mostly bicycles, hiking gear, and more fashions. One display was thermal drink holders, or as they say, “beverage sleeves”. The brand name is Yeti, I balked at the $35 sticker.
They are aluminum and have around 8 sizes to fit cans, bottles, and cups. A good solid metal item but over the centuries, I’ve learned to drink 12 oz. liquids before they have time to get warm. Although I had $120 on me, I opted for $30 worth of gas and a coffee at Dunkin, a couple miles back eastwards. Beware, the entire highway between Brandon and Plant City is in terrible shape. Like the truckers have been using it for a shortcut.
Pincushion typewriter.
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Nor did I get any books. I found the craft section, one shelf, and a few hard-covers caught my eye. A book on how to ID wood, but I got that on-line. Some birdhouse plans. And a few household hint types. Y’know, one thing that should have come down in price since the Internet is books. The several I looked at weighed in at $20 each. Again, I’ll pass. I have the money but the information they contain just is not worth that much to me. How did I wind up at a shopping mall, I quit that years ago. Well, the highway sign said “Town Center”, and when I got there they meant “Towne Center”. Millennials.
He wants to invest, but it seems my warnings have made him over-cautious, and that was not my intention. He knows what saved my neck many a time was having a pile of money tucked away. There was no need for him to learn that part of the lesson, yet he has absorbed the concept enough to put aside $10,000. Too bad, as it just sits there, for he well remembers the few times I was down to my last $100 and I can’t blame anybody who won’t take that risk.
I had the Ebola audio-book playing, the plot is a deadly outbreak, which the US quarantines the entire African continent and a bunch of warlords go on a rampage. The US, which is incapable of leaving other people alone to solve their own problems, sends humanitarian workers who the locals absolutely hate. Of course, she is also a single mother who used to date the President’s best friend, all made for Hollywood. But the war parts are great because they are using the latest exoskeletons. They run circles around the jungle types and are full of snappy Rambo-comments.
JZ also great for initial medical advice if you only need to decide if you should see the doc. I believe he has two years med school. I explained about the incident where I saw motion out of my right eye and also how I don’t have to look off center any more to see the full movie screen. I think it was due to poor blood circulation, he says it is related to overall health. That I don’t get as sick as most people when I have a cold or the flu, which is generally true. But I think what he means is I don’t get flatted by such things.
Yeah, well he’s not the one developing arthritis. It seems to me I was warned in the 1980s I’d develop arthritis but I forgot. Anyway, as for investments, JZ is convinced I will live at least into my mid-80s. Yeah, but what do you do with your money at that age? You certainly are not going to give it away, not after a lifetime of going without because the world is full of welfare cases. That’s correct, my largest single expense in life has been income tax, followed by rent.
ADDENDUM
Typewriters. You’d think they are all but disappeared, but sales have been steady for ten years, albeit only a few thousand per year. Who is buying them? According to the always-truthful folks over at the BBC, security agencies. That includes the Russian state agency (FSO) and the CIA. Typewriters are unhackable and each can be matched to the documents it creates. Newspapers are also requiring them for certain staff writing jobs. They say you are not a nerd until you take your typewriter to Starbucks (a meme). I gave my typewriter to Marion sometime in the early 90s, she too eventually moved to a computer.
The thing is, I word process many letters and if I find a suitable portable, I may buy it for the novelty. I consider a “hand-typed” letter every bit as personal as hand-written. And word-processing is not far behind, if you have even a mildly unique way of formatting the letter.
Two hours later, mucking around with that tune, nothing spices it up. I printed out the sheet music, vacuumed my piano keys, and tried all know variations that fit. No progress, every popular bass line is either too sparse or too busy. I’ll sleep on it a bit. There’s that violin lick at the intro, but rapid 8th notes are not the best idea for stage work. Leave it, something might suggest itself. Here is a copy of the violin riff.
