October 24, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 24, 2022, a civilized $3.
Five years ago today: October 24, 2018, Miami 99.
Nine years ago today: October 24, 2014, Megatoad.
Random years ago today: October 24, 2020, random $5 bills.

           Yes! House prices continue to fall, but not yet plummeting. The corporations must be giggling and rubbing their hands together. However, their glee may be short lived as dozens of houses appear daily listed below $300,000. Even the biggest outfits can’t take body blows to the value of their inventory in a balance sheet society like America. This morning, we go to the lumber depot and find a stain that darkens pine, but not too much. I have small amounts left and they tend toward a reddish mahogany or oak, I want darker but more like maple or chestnut. Will Minwax make my dream come true?

           Peggy has sent a note about Saturday Karaoke in which she admits her primary goal was to meet me in person. She admits to at least the normal amount of Florida skepticism and still refers to my show as me being “a ham”. I know there is a term for this because I’ve asked about it in this blog many a time. It’s where people can accept accomplishment or success in strangers but not in anyone they know. As always, I view that attitude as declarative of the sort of people they hang with in their day-to-days.
           Apparently right until I got up and sang she held suspicions I was a blowhard phony, including my original advertisement for a guitar strummer. I have to allow she could have the same syndrome as my family, where they are so unused to giving compliments that even if they finally do, they lack the technique and vocabulary. They have a worried look that it might go to your head and they already know everybody who does things in life is an egotistical bastard. Nope, better they constantly let you know that take away the hard work and dedication, you really aren’t any different than they are.

           It says here I get a $300 cash bonus. Does anybody fall for that? Then the fine print say to “qualify” I have to rack up $3,000 in new purchases in the first 90 days. Y’know, on the other hand I do wish some people are suckers enough to go for that. The entire American system needs a shake-out that throws these credit junkies into the streets. No mercy. Did they consider the effects of their spending sprees on other? Nope, so they are all about ignoring the plight of others and consider it normal that others can’t “afford” things on credit. That’s a funny thing about these people living on the sidewalks. Every one of them at some point had a credit card and couldn’t pay it off until it was revoked.
           They carry with them an attitude about money in that they don’t like others who invest. They see that activity as part of the problem, that is, part of the reason they could not get ahead. Those “other” people kept investing, which amounted to ripping off the public. Why, them airlines and railroads and factories should build themselves without greedy people putting up the capital. Those people just use the system to get rich, the evil bastards.

Picture of the day.
The ugly North Michigan U.
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           This latest box incorporates a number of features, including a fake “cedar” aroma on the interior. It was a great afternoon in the shed and all to myself, no interruptions.. I even found time to scoop major sawdust from the chopsaw. I would not blame you for taking the rest of the day off an writing letters. Before that, I was over to the neighbor to discover he had afternoon company showing up much later. This mean canceling “Gunsmoke Tuesday”. And anyway I’m more inclined to call it “Festus Tuesday” for food reason.

           Here’s the box with a little decoration. It is not finished, just treated with English oil. This is built from two pieces of lumber that were just about identical. I could not find the exact pecan color I wanted, giving me a reason to go downtown tomorrow. I have not had a sit-down coffee in a while and not much all since prices tripled. I finished the English murder mystery and the solution was a bit too “Sherlock” for me. For instance, I did not pick out from an earlier chapter that the man rubbing his hands together was left-handed.
           In the end, Tucker the landlord was dumped by his wife, the dweeb who let him take care of everything and “kept secret”. The murder investigation turned up documents that all the rental properties belonged to her and her brother rather than her and her husband. So that it is clear, the Tucker’s son was the one who got Cathy pregnant. Cathy gave up the child to the Bannisters, who killed Cathy in a rage when she wanted the child back. In the end, the grandparents got custody. Mrs. Tucker got the child while Cathy’s mother, a wealthy American, kept the money flowing.

           I’ve begun the next audio-book, it already reminds me of most textbooks on electronics. It concerns ultra-modern warfare in 2020 from a book written in 1990. It utilizes that quirky mind-set that if somebody tells you an acronym, you instantly memorize it and realize its full implications. The Russian leader was killed by a great American patriot and the plot seems to be revenge. So, the first two disks have been an education on acronyms. “Yes, Colonel, the RDTMS-13 has two YJ-10Bs and uses the AV92DAAG so don’t forget to de-prox the Hyper-K-Rogs.”
           It’s an interesting fantasy of what might have been had Reagan’s Star Wars been implemented. A scram-jet to a permanent space station flown my amateurs using controllers from an Atari game pod. So far the dead Russian’s son or brother or something has sent two agents posing as Lithuanians to steal the ashes of the patriot. They break into his tomb using tools hidden inside a model airplane and discover later the urn was a fake.

           One more thing about the box before I let you go. It has the same effect on others as the boxes I saw 15 years ago have on me. People think it is just marvelous how all the pieces fit, especially the hardware. Yet as the box’s builder, I know where all the imperfections are, which makes their reactions amusing. When finished, I’m giving this box to the neighbor because he asked for it. It is very strong, you could jump on this box and it will not break.
           On the other hand, I have another pair of planks that I could use this experience to make even a nicer box he would like even better. Notice the lid looks funny because it does not overhang the front. And in the picture with the open lid, you can see the second screw from the top of the front plate is a little out of alignment, and so on. The box has no handles as it is intended to be picked up by the sides of the lid. That, and the only handles I have are the wrong size. Also, the lid is on backwards.

ADDENDUM
           Later in the morning the transaction notice arrived that the Caltier account has passed the $15,600 mark over 5-1/2 weeks early. Wow. Mind you, there have been some corners cut. The siding on my cabin is 75 years old and I’ve needed a new kitchen stove for two months, but I made it. The confirmation won’t arrive until late5 this week, still, it is a done deal. Even if there is no disbursement end of this month, I would need to add only $48 during the next 36 days to reach the goal. Now, about that stove . . . .

Last Laugh