One year ago today: August 25, 2024, anything like fair.
Five years ago today: August 25, 2020, a forgotten birdhouse design . . .
Nine years ago today: August 25, 2016, Autism, Shmautism.
Random years ago today: August 25, 2015, too tolerant.
Taking a closer look at the z-box with a lid, I was reminded of the ammo box seen at Fort Payne a couple weeks ago. It was not reinforced and used ordinary T-hinges, which attach easily to the outside of the box. There were other ammo boxes that had extra reinforcement in the form of wooden interior corner “triangles” and others with strips added across the wood grain. These would be easy to cut and attach, the more so with the brad nailer. It makes the already-strong z-box even tougher and I can always make them stronger using screws.
This tool box should by now be somewhat a familiar design. It is exactly twice as long as a z-box, That Golden Ratio proves its worth again. The box handle, it I buy instead of make, will cost more than you see here. This is a trial to see what doesn’t work. For example, there is no commonly available length of wood screw to attach those end pieces. I once had a box of drywall screws that worked, they had a shiny black finish that looked good. But I’ve not seen them in years. Listed as 2”, they were actually 1-15/16ths. Don’t buy the spar pack at Lowe’s, those poke through.
My plan is this afternoon, take a nap. When I waken, I’ll remember where I bought them, a sure sign of advancing years. Hey, at least I remember. Then off to therapy, which is getting more like a workout. The sessions are now under the Rule of Diminishing Returns so the staff has me bordering on aerobic sometimes. And they grill me for progress reports. Yes, there is great progress—but short of recovery. My ballpark is I’m running between 60% and 70% of my normal these days, which is about 50% of what it should be. Do the arithmetic.
What’s more, it’s no illusion that moving around has caused me some weight loss beyond the quick check at the clinic. I attributed that to the few pounds most people lose with a simple change of routine or actually walking their dog. I don’t perceive it directly but moving around is easier and good enough for me. Let’s check the news for any opportunities to make snarky remarks, er, I mean for current events, you know, opportunities to use my immense personality and popularity for the good of mankind. Or some shit like that.
I drive past the neighborhood lumber store on the way and I’ve long learned to connect the the number of pallets with how things are businesswise. They are not replacing their stock. Oddly, this is the way many people utilize government grants. I like the owners but that could be the case here. Get a grant, sell off the stock, pocket the money, and do a Chapter 13. Most locals do not like this and I see nobody much shops there any more. What is my interest? I should walk in and offer them a flat price for that whole shelf of hardware.
What’s this? Dr. Pepper is buying a Dutch coffee company? Dr. Pepper, not Pepsi, is the second highest selling soft drink in the USA. But Americans drink over 500 million cups of coffee every day. Keurig, the k-cup coffee people, are involved. Coffee has doubled in price since 2020 meaning there is big money involved. As long as I get my coffee, I’ll be okay. But I would point out that over half my income these days goes to food, gas, and utilities.
The Black Crack, Utah.
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What’s not up to chance is my fried rice recipe. The one with ginger and curry, reminds me of the time the hillbilly ate a week’s supply. Hey, I’ve been hungry myself like that. Do I, wait, yes I do have a picture of today’s batch. While additions can vary, this is just the basic receipe and it follows experience. It can be chicken or pork, this is pork. Fried in coconut oil and garlic, with celery and onions only. Don’t complicate the flavors. Moat exact is the spicing, ½ tsps each of ginger and curry, a dash of paprika.
There’s Cracker Barrel, backpedaling on their woke fiasco, but it’s kind of late in the game to have gone there, what, after witnessing Target and Bud Light? What fools. Euthenasia, we see Canada is expanding its death programs to include minors. What’s scary is something like 96% of those who choose assisted suicide are White. One thing I’ve never agree with is putting mental patients into hospitals at taxpayer expense. The families should have to pay just like with any other children who get sick. Sorry, I will not bend on this one, not now that insanity is known to run in families.
Fallacy of Composition, that’s what you call the debate tactic of switching between the big picture and small picture. Now the Democrats are calling the thugs arrested in DC the “victims” and the flag-burning law a move to take away your right to private property. Some El Salvadoran has brought flesh-eating maggots back to America.
The trip today got me through another chapter of “No One Cares”, but I do have to keep reminding myself this lady is over 30. If I had never worked at the phone company, I would not believe such ditzy broads could exist. She’s falling for some guy because he has brown eyes feels “breezes” when she walks around naked. Her hated mother-in-law just crashed her Mercedes through the wall, so maybe this story will pick up yet.
Aha, I remembered the black screws are in a loose carton at the west end lumber yard. A pound for me is a large supply. The difference in length has something to do with the shoulder of the screw. By way of explanation, these screws are mainly used to reinforce box corners where strength is wanted, such as the tool boxes I am planning.
Another rainy afternoon got me watching some documentaries of how the world has unfolded in relation to my youthful plans. They were so disheartening I had to watch them. I admit I had no idea what I was up against—but I did know it was not a fair contest. One facet that always irks me is these photos of how “rough” celebrities of my time had it. Robin Williams had to work as a mime in Los Angeles. Cher was arrested for stealing her mother’s car. I mean, WTF? You had enough resources to live on handouts in Los Angeles? Your mother had a car? Spare me such hard luck stories.
It’s fun watching this Narnia tale for the first time, about a ship that gets towed by a dragon. I don’t know this tale but great special effects. They could have chosen better looking gals but that’s a 1990s thing where they won’t show any sexpots. Great animations and imaginative scenes. Especially the rat, that is a masterful production.
An e-mail from Steve that he’s in the middle of moving, so we may have a place to rehearse by September. His best contributed tune so far is that “Sweet Blossom” by Cravin Melon(?) but he’s left it with me so long I can solo the whole tune on bass, including the instrumental break. That’s the tune that has no real bass line, so nothing that fits is “wrong”, and he’s already seen how duo arrangements can maximize the presentation.
And beside, if you leave a tune with me too long, I’ll steal the show without over-playing a note or upstaging anyone. That’s show-biz. And I know because I just got a call from Tennessee and things are not going as planned. The recording industry is corruption defined and I side-stepped, sticking with live music. My point is, you have no idea HOW corrupt it is. In case you are wondering, to “expedite” a contract these days costs $8,000 under the table. Cash.
ADDENDUM
Whoa, talk about enshittification. Trying to find the meaning of the photos now showing up everywhere (that I use) with the prefix OIP. Not one direct answer in the first page, but I think it means Online Image Processing. Another of those gems like Calibri and png that nobody asked for.
Since you are still reading all the way down here, I’ll end with what is probably good news. I know, “probably” isn’t a proper money word. You know that Caltier has not been forthcoming with much of their situation with the regulatory issues. All they’ve said is they are working on some government bureaucratic issue. So what I’m about to tell you fits exactly with questions I’ve asked here because asking Caltier goes nowhere.
I mentioned a few months ago that $500 somehow appeared on my account, no explanation. I’ve said that even if there are no dividends, I’m satisfied that Caltier is still operating these rental properties—and doing so in a manner I understood from the beginning. Each property must be self-sustaining as to full operational costs plus a profit. I’ve blogged more comments on how my [Caltier online] transactions listing shows hundreds of small daily returns. They are still there, unexplained, now over 1,100 of them. And I also have a small amount invested in their “art” fund which speculates in art, gold, and such.
One idiotic aspect of Caltier is they report the return on all these funds in one big commingled sheet. The most accurate records of what goes where are here on my computer. I would expect any returns not portrayed as monthly disbursements to appear somewhere else, but they never have. And that includes me wanting a statement stating $0.00 if that is the case. So, it was with some surprise I noted my account now contains another $2,749 more than my records show from March this year when the troubles began. That [figure] includes the mystery $500.
Have they sold something? Is that money paid from rentals? I don’t know. That’s where the “probably” comes in. Folks, we now have over $26,000 in Caltier and I could not tell you how 24.9% of it got there. But I do know I stuck with the investment through some shaky times. Did you know, on average to keep a pet dog for 12 years costs a national average of $42,000. If you do all the calculations, that is twenty times what my parents. We didn't have a dog.
