October 3, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 3, 2025, harems, she said.
Five years ago today: October 3, 2021, best so far.
Nine years ago today: October 3, 2017, raising my house.
Random years ago today: October 3, 2009, eat my dust.

           Ta-da, our first successful outing, since January. A trip made for it’s own sake on a near perfect Florida day. Welcome to the 2026 Blessing of the Pets. Also the test of the KAI, how nice to feel a bit of luxury again. Who remembers Boomer? Look, he remembers you. This year was low-key. I believe this is event eight and I’ve been to six. It’s a 140 mile round trip if you know the side roads. I do. Boomer was the most energetic and, sensibly, small doggies again dominated the show. It’s the right size of a show for many, 40 minutes.

           This year Sammy was specially mentioned. An extra blessing for pets who crossed the bridge the same year. There were so many new people this year, Alaine and I had all our pets blessed at once and moved along. One couple had a singing dog but he got stage fright.

           It was a great visit and Alaine was truly sensitive to how much I’ve slowed down. There is little hiding from her that I am aware my recovery is not stellar. Hey, I’m not the only one, when she suggested we stop for pizza instead of the usual sit down dindin at the King’s Court, that was unanimous. Something I have not had in years, Domino’s. And I recognized the street it was on, isn’t that something that spells motorcycle. I recognize the road but not where it goes.
           Everything stayed in low gear, I must have looked funny shuffling across the parking lot. Maybe I just notice because it all happened to me in January, none of this aging gracefully for me. The ceremony was nice but also familiar to us, so JZ was mentioned. I’m not alone thinking he needs that hobby. You know, it was Alaine and I working together that got him to even start using a cell phone and that was over ten years ago. Even then, we had to make it an Xmas present.

           The event was mostly smaller dogs but I tried to get you some of the bigger pooches. These are the most majestic this year.

Picture of the day.
The outside edge of Oklahoma.
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           It was a short ceremony, with a reading of St. Francis’ life, why he is usually depicted with a wolf and a bird. I was mostly immobile so I went over my pics to find one that most typified this year, and how about this. A jolly dog owner and three ladies with four small doggies. Yep, that was the crowd this year. Somebody counted, it was 63. For Florida, that is a turnout.

           By 12:30PM it we were both tired, so we took the vote on pizza. As usual, this is the real after-event and most people will do what Alaine does, so we had a lot of company at the parlor. Outside, so the doggies could attend. At the churche, everyone got a coupon for the pup cup, I an surprised how many people think their doggie “might not like the treat.

           Alaine sprung for the pizzas, which has a small side story. She doesn’t care for the crusts, which I consider one of Domino’s best products. So I get her crusts. And finally, I was full. I get the sodas and here is a view that, I think, reflects on our characters. I go for the trusted brand name with an A&W root beer, she like that lemony drink I never heard of. Or maybe I have. Anyway, there is our personalities, both arriving in Port Charlotte, Florida, by totally different paths.
           A few local personalities showed up, including Alaine’s hubby, but everybody breezed through without even saying hello. Including the deacon, but I suppose the affair has become pretty routine by now. A lot of people did not stay around. And this year’s pictures may be disappointing because I wore out fast.

           The KIA behaved beautifully, so I was home by 3:00PM. Alaine called it short, wise, but we barely had time to visit. And much of that was over brother JZ. She has always watched over him and kept the guy on an even keel. We chose nothing but have affirmed that he should make some changes. If he was to ride the train here for the blessing, the station is just 8 miles from my house.

           The Reb called. California wants another showcase. The price tag is $20,000 and she doesn’t have it. This business is a racket. It is odd how one of the riskiest of occupations attracts people who don’t like to take chances. I have to think this one over. This was a day and a half. The van radio picked up a Def Leppard show, including a tune called “Pour Sugar On Me”. From 1987, when I was alive and well and, unbeknownst to me at the time, at the height of my rock music career, I swear I never heard that tune before. Their signature hit, and I drew a blank.
           In a way, it makes sense. Some years before that, I had grumbled how rock had degenerated into three copycat bands stringing together old music and stage clichés Well, I just defined that song--a string of boring patterns from years gone by. I don’t care for blues, but at least it evolved. Rock did not. I made some hot cocoa and fell asleep for 13 of the next 15 hours.

Last Laugh

October 2, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 2, 2025, long-winded.
Five years ago today: October 2, 2021, worse than IKEA.
Nine years ago today: October 2, 2017, begin my retirement budget.
Random years ago today: October 2, 2014,beginning navigation.

           That was the lovely Alaine on the phone. I’m glad she called to confirm, although I she is up-to-date from talking to JZ most days. I’ll never be an easy phone contact. Just remining she’ll be there early, but I know she’s checking in on me. I still require naps on most days and hope I will even be company. I also mentioned I have asked others to send photos of their pets from afar to participate. She said great, but she is not as involved this year. Not a good signal.
           Here are some boxes I put together for the pet blessing. They are for utility, not for sale, and here is why. Last year they had the usual commemorative ribbons and such at the donation tables, and I don’t forget as often as others that Port Charlotte is a coastal city. So at Alaine’s table everything was in boxes when the wind picked up. But I only had two boxes. This time we have six. Maybe more if it stays this balmy.

           As you know, October is annual turnaround. Most lives without a master plan are a waste. One item under review is this blog. I have been unsuccessful in blocking the thousands of “empty” hits arising each day from the Seychelles. It appears to do nothing but throws my metrics so far off balance, I do not know if I’ve ever really reached by goal of one million hits. That was slated to have happened this month when projected several years ago.
           Los Angeles has a new 10-1/4% sales tax. Trump just got a Biden judge to rule blocking illegal voting is unconstitutional. Since 2019, hiring of workers older than 65 has grown 80%. That could be interpreted wrongly until you learn hiring of under 25s is down 45%.
           TWe get to do a little blog cheating and today’s pics are from tomorrow. Here is one of the most popular items. Neat little boxes at the donation table. I’ll talk about them more, but they don’t exist until this afternoon. The white bandanas are this year’s participation souvenirs. You may note a shit toward more “symbolic” photos like this. My days of shimmying up a pole to get you the right angle are more limited nowadays.

           If my stats are wrong and knowing 5,000 hits don’t just happen here and there, the challenge is to either expose the abusers or take advantage of them. I cannot do this without altering the basic premise of this blog. I would have to change how it is presented and this is the part of the year that happens. Just be aware it is a society of lazy, entitled, and unoriginal people forcing this change upon us from the outside.
           Two things I’ve discovered in this research were expected. One is that there is no single service that offers what I want. Every offering has some downside that I have avoided or blasted in the past. The most likely solution will be moving this blog to a subscription-only service. While income is nice, I’m aware that the wild skew in earnings (concentrated at the top) mean all newcomers are facing the “fame prerequisite”. I don’t know if my million plus hits places me in that crowd. Stay tuned—I do know the accounts that succeed are updated daily and all others that skip days eventually decline out.

           Keeping abreast of military tech is a natural adjunct to my interest in military weapon history. One of the most persistent myths is that the WWII flying wings were stealth technology. That concept was decades into the future, the 1940s people were seeking longer range and lighter craft. Two more misconceptions are the swept wings of the Me-262. (It was totally to keep the center of gravity in place when the engines turned out longer than planned.) And the tricycle landing gear. It was to keep the jet exhaust off the tarmac. There were other reasons, but the exhaust concern was the big one.
           I may go down as a critic of undeserved reputations because I find, in my thousands of hours of reading, very few real cases of men who actually deserve being called self-made. Forgive me if I think Whittle, inventory of the British jet engine, not that marvelous once I learned he father owned a machine shop. I could quote many instances, but all I’m saying is too often I find these people are not as far from their starting posts as they’d have us believe.

Picture of the day.
Wild and wonderful.
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           Another cheat, this pic is also from tomorrow. But the blessing is a high-regarded event in our circles and this is the small pavilion. Almost too small, as 60+ people arrived this year. JeePee would have been the star of the show. Biggest event yet but for Alaine and myself it was low-key. The overcast kept it cool enough for the whole ceremony. We sang along and I got in a few pictures of the bigger animals. But I was not up to any mingling.
           If you look close at the far right side of this photo, you might see Boomer. He already sees you.

           In the shed with Tampa NPR painting horrible picture of America, We are all depressed and wondering about aimlessly because prices are so high. It’s their borderline insane policy of trying to blame everything on Trump that isn’t working. But that’s not my area though it is hard not to form an opinion. For example, people remember how gasoline under Biden went from $2.29 to $3.89 and now the Democrats want you to be furious because under Trump it went up another 30 cents.
           What surprises me is I never thought about the possibility that many high-placed Democrat civil servants might be basically honest people if they were allowed to be. It would explain why there are so few arrests just before the mid-terms when a swoop was expected. Trump is easily clever enough to know they just need a little incentive to play nice. If he does it that way, he would not have to replace them. Just a few high profile cases would be enough to put the fear in them. And go after the rotten Republicans to make sure the fake news reports it all thinking it is in their favor. It costs a lot less, as well.
           In the end, no new boxes were made this afternoon. That is how hair-trigger my energy reserves are. I ran the laser, the easiest chore around here, and I still flaked out until 6:00PM. I had to do the yagasuki finish, even though it obscures the laser marks. I also slept through a downpour of some proportions. You can tell because if the water runs off fast enough, it carries a lot of sand along and I walked over small dunes.

           Blessings of pet pictures is now standard, so each year I print up new ones of I can. Enter Win 11, which refuses to search on Lili’s name. That’s where these XYZ types are heading. I know there are over 800 pictures on that computer with the name Lili. But according to MicroSoft, I have never taken a picture of the Reb’s cat.
           The next step is to paste a printout of the pet pics on a rustic piece of wood. Should be easy, right. That is a common type of wood around here. I got it, though the world conspired to stop me. I won’t even tell you, except I grabbed a piece wood from the drawers I told you would not “behave”, the perfumed wood. Unless some super-heroes arrive before 2040 these millennials and zoomers are going to crash and burn. They spend more time making sure nothing can be pinned on them than getting anything else done.

Last Laugh

October 1, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: October 1, 2025, anti-boredom app.
Five years ago today: October 1, 2021, push F11.
Nine years ago today: October 1, 2017, no books, just weights.
Random years ago today: October 1, xxxx, WIP

           While I always detested women who go on dates just so other people pay for their stuff, I was surprised there was a government response. It seems there was a site men could check for women doing this that disappeared the same time as a government dating site appeared. This should be good for laughs. Government-approved women. Certified virgins, makeup-free. My mission for today is to get $300 on my utilities.

           By noon, it’s done, but one more I report exhaustion from doing nothing. Other than walking few grocery aisles, it was all a few hours of easy driving. Yet I had to haul my ass in the door, thank the stars I bought coffee. This condition is not acceptable. But I discovered how to make a poor man’s Medionoché. That’s the Cuban sandwich with everything in the fridge. Well, remember that pack of baloney? My last onion, last tomato, and I was on my way. See addendum for more on this crossword and why they have become rare around here.

           I plan a lean month ahead. I came in under in September, but there were circumstances. I had no energy to do anything that cost money, and some of my household goods went below restocking points. Example, I was down to one can of Carnation in reserve. Like the rest of America, I am not happy with the price of food. We’ve had wars before and they do not triple prices. My 2023 $4 tray of chicken just cost me $13.
           Any picture today will be luck. I got in the door, checked my e-mail, now I refuse to get. I put on the second half of my Uma Thurman movie, one of the “Avenger” series I otherwise don’t care for. If all housewives looked like Emma, I would have gotten married when I was 15. Hours are passing today while I remain in limbo, vegetating. Yes, the first thing comes to mind is the old people I saw in that rehab facility. But then I recall that those were unabated write-offs who did not get that way all in one-quarter of a century.

           And who told you Trump was likely holding back until the last political moment? The latest projections are that all ten house Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are about to be wiped off the charts. All ten, just like that. There are at most 30 days remaining for the left to come up with something or be laid bare trying to cheat. Instead they are focusing on fake “official” announcements that Trump’s approval ratings are the lowest ever at 38%, avoiding mention the same polls show them at 7%.
           Just watch them squirm. The pattern is known to the public thanks largely to both the Internet and Trump. Before, it was a relay of a fake Democrat accusation, full fake news coverage, the debunk, then on to the next. They tried that with COVID. Ha-ha, bygones, let’s carry on. Trump said hold on. There is no longer just a drop of the accusation or the rare apology. Trump rightfully points out that the debunk turns the accusations into malicious defamation. And the voters, while not necessarily pro-Trump, see the need to vote against making sure they don’t get away with that again.

Picture of the day.
Route 66 view.
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           Aha, I’ve wondered for years when Trump would distance himself from the old-school Republicans, who are indistinguishable from their opponents. They were all paddling the same canoe. The message from Trump at his visits and rallies is not along party lines, but upon the need for a new and improved front against communists and crazies.
           Stop the presses. This just in, by special request. It’s a triple view of the Mitchburger. Ingredients by CostCo, I now of just one for sure. It is the 1-pound patty. I have no details yet. But that is definitely mayo on the bun. All the basics are there. There you have it, finally a burger that matches what people really want in a home-cooked meal. There are more pics in the file, but this is the one most blogworthy. More as I receive notice. Mitch is aware his burger, which has not yet won awards or been championed by any franchises, is a serious contender not to be brushed off.

ADDENDUM
           McDonald’s is losing traction, so this week corporate announces an $8 billion “modernization” campaign. Fact is, they are losing business because people don’t like paing restaurant prices for fast food. The obvious fix is to lower prices, but there is on reason the won’t. Because they can’t. I think the recent DOGE and USAID shakeups have choked off millions of backroom deals and there’s your major source of the problem.
           I had a series of bookmarks to check [McDonald’s] prices, but every one of them has gone dead. You can get prices for Indonesia and Brazil, but not Kentucky. Who will buy a small fries for $4.50 when a five-pound bag of potatoes costs less? I side with the camp that says if McDonalds, as it is today, was to launch as a new product with no existing customers, it would be bankrupt in a couple of months.
           If New Mexico’s $5,000 per incident fine is enforced, the old Facebook app owes them billions—it turns out Facebook gave out 43 million customer files. Remember that Cambridge Analytic scandal? They still have not paid up. And speaking of fakes, my favorites are the ones I warned everybody about. One of the first was and it was not real data breach in any sense as Facebook gave them the data. Shock was how much data had been collected and how much of it was never Facebook’s business to begin with.

           Another life-long habit killed by prices was my daily crossword and coffee. You have not heard of those in a while, not with both the coffee and the newspaper each costing $3. Why not but a crossword booklet? Simple, aficionados know there is a difference. Most booklets are “themed”, it’s hard to define.
           Nursing schools under fire for leading students to believe full-time jobs awaited them upon graduation. I was aware of this stunt 30 years ago Before you go, McDonald’s Archy (sic) has been the center of a racist controversy. Really? Yes, it seems customers overwhelmingly want their robot to be white. They will form queues and wait rather than order from nearby other colors.

Last Laugh

September 30, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 30, 2025, a busy enough day.
Five years ago today: September 30, 2021, thieves, amplifiers, pipes.
Nine years ago today: September 30, 2017, the thrift near Parrish;
Random years ago today: September 30, 2007, there was a pub.

           Y’day was cancelled (which is not to say I did nothing the whole time), but this morning was the payoff. Other than and easy sore throat and hourly dry cough, I’m back to my 40% level. Big French toast and coffee meal to get me going, I know to pace it. I was up at 5:30AM and worked with my filament tester, making you this video. This is not patentable or that inventive, but it is remarkable for my skill level in April of 2016. I recall the devil of a time I had with this gadget, and how until now how I forgot it.

           It’s a device to test the individual filaments. Outside, you can click on the signal light and go check. The brake light is a bit tricker. This gizmo is designed for one-man operation, but I overlooked that to get at the bulb, enough work has to be done that you would just replace it anyway. This typifies the type of small project that I like right down to this day.

           I burned nine laser labels using the disks from the biscuit joiner. I won’t use them unless a new project asks for them. The joints are nice but they are not strong enough on pieces big enough to warrant joining in the first place. And again pondering what I could have with the laser that isn’t competing with the dollar store. I lack imagination. But I did have a go at the part of this device which will not work, the pilot light. It is connected in parallel with the of/on switch and it tests okay with the bench supply. Y’know, I read somewhere that LEDs won’t work if they are “overpowered.”
           But, where did I read that. Anyway my bench supply is limited to a an amp, but the transformer here (leftmost in the picture) is tapped of 120V. I need to find that formula. But later, it’s finally the end of September and I need a nap. By pure coincidence, the mileage on both my vehicles has passed the 2/3rds mark of my projections. The KIA is at 197,000. Comparatively it is in much better condition overall. Tampa reposts a big jump in used are prices based on three-year-old units. But if people will spend $32k on a used car, there is no talking sense to them.

           Tel Aviv claims a high-jacking was avoided on a flight from Dubai, but most American are wary of any such reports. To many false flags and inside jobs. My electric bill is $85 more than last month, but I’ve also been home more to run the A/C, so it’s a bargain. The successful Starlink launch is the first of 26 more to place what is basically a whole new duplicate Internet it place. All banks, media, retail, and government will shortly move on to it. Overnight.
           Government-issued digital ID will be required to access this new system. That is why Trump’s announcement of amalgamating today’s 29,000 government websites and databases into one big central system is so timely. Content and participation will be 100% government controlled. The old Internet will not survive for long.

           Then again, there is an aspect to the one-big-database concept that would please me. It’s the ability to bill people directly for their political views. That’s a direct replacement for the current unfair tax system. The only people who support it are living off it. I would love to see it replaced by a system that bills people for their “causes”. You like single mothers on welfare, you pay your share along with the other like-minded.
           This is something new that has never been tried before. It could not have been done in the pre-computer era. But if fully implemented, I believe it would cut wastage in half. Like they say, a staunch Republican is a Democrat who just won the lottery. “Yes, but now it is MY money.”

Picture of the day.
Pop’s 66, Oklahoma.
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           Further analysis of my utilities show the increase is totally electric. $112.89. I may install a timer in the shed, as twice I forgot the compressor on overnight, though generally, billing rates are 18% higher over just the past two years. Remind me to drop in to see my real estate lady soon as this flu is over. This month also coincided with a meter-reading that carried a $53.37 correction. There goes the October mini-travel budget. That, and still no reliable guitarist. Not a peep from either, like Florida, mostly talk.
           Mind you, the holdup with Steve is his job. I have a solution for lack of practice time. Book himself as an open mic and see who shows up. Most of the low-musis budget clubs are clustered in his area. Hang on, let me look at his list. I’m back, yes, we have more than enough material to pretend I’m an itinerant bass player who walked in. What we lack in musical finesse is easily clobbered by the presentation once we get into the music. I’ll send him a note. Everything musical in Florida is a long shot.

           Here’s something, in 2025 Seattle passed a minimum wage bill for restaurant workers, and attached it to adjustment for inflation. That means in 2027, busboys and dishwashers will be making $22.14 per hour. Already, 450 restaurants have closed. But I see the other side of the coin. These outfits underpaid their staff for so long it became standard operating procedure.Many more will close and it serves them right.
           It is seven weeks to election and politics is mingled with everything. This is no ordinary mid-term, so I’ve been watching. It is astounding that the Democrats are still making the same promises they have never kept. They are all for lower gas prices, sure, until they win, and it shoots up to $12 a gallon as they try to force people to buy electric. The impression I get it is they think it is working, just listen to their timed press releases. Due to the Internet, it is not working. Every time, for instance, they post gas is $4.50 under Trump, some smart aleck posts those $7.50 prices under Biden they hope you had forgotten.

           That was JZ on the phone for 42 minutes. Mail from five days ago is just arriving, and that’s the first-class stuff. I’m glad he called, even though he dropped out, the guy has far more medical knowledge than you’d guess. Confirmed it was a sinus infection, but baterial, not viral. He always heads for emergency where I see it as a last resort. He says I’ll be okay by Friday and to not worry about spreading it, I’m past incubation. This got us to talking about the changes in the past two years. One thing we both remember is how Alaine, his sister, never introduced us to her young single, slim, attractive, career girlfriends. Bless her heart, but she will only set up meetings with the very worst of women. No skills, no schooling, no spirit, boring, unattractive, you name it, not one redeeming quality.
           She means well, we would be upgrades (to say the least) for any men those gals would ever meet, but Alaine does not see that it is a massive step down for JZ or I. The worst ever was that time she thought a good match for me was a lady at the supermarket. A 56-year-old grandmother bagging groceries who had just got out of a mental hospital. But, I can’t blame Alaine because this has happened to me a number of times. And it makes you question what your friend must think of you to think such baggage is a good match.

           Remember my hatred of Greyhound? They are still up to no good. The company is tightly held by anonymous owners whose attitude is that only losers still ride the bus. And get a load of Lamonica, the black lady who got 17 years for blocking and ICE agent. She gets pregnant thinking it will keep her out of a prison cell. Wrong Some smart aleck wrote they should just “keep the niglet in jail, it will save time.” Hey, I call ‘em as I see ‘em.

ADDENDUM
           I’ve was millennialized today. One thing about power supplies, AC to DC, is that they can’t easily be tested with a probe. The emit a fierce amount of AC waves that don’t let you get near the DC leads. So, one relies on the datasheets, and it was millennial time. My quests in an E190248 submodel HF48209. Easy, until you meet the goof squad. They all write that the transformer is 120VAC to “240”. 240 what? It doesn’t register volts, but it probably is. That is not the point. These days when you ask for a datasheet, you get some ass-clown’s company that’s trying to upsell you to a thousand. Up yours, millie, I searched for a datasheet, not your stupid order form.

Last Laugh

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September 29, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 29, 2025, early A.I. comment.
Five years ago today: September 29, 2021, the finest omelet.
Nine years ago today: September 29, 2017, three years before teletype.
Random years ago today: September 29, 2004, arguing with Cubans.

              I awoke with just a headache and sore teeth. Weird, but I’ll tell you what is the real headache. I used my oldest and most trusted version of Excel, the spreadsheet MicroSoft pretty much forced on us. Well, today I went to update my old records to restart January 2026. I was kind of out of commission an just got to it. This is one single account that did nothing but sit there and collect interest. The difference is this time the software is installed on a Win 11 computer. What a friggen nightmare.

              Excel has gone drastically downhill by doing the opposite of what it should. No, your workforce is not more skilled. The software is designed to let the unskilled become even more mindless. Of course I want old and new sheets open at the same time. That is what the hell I’m doing. Updating and closing the old books. No way.
              Strange invisible links, formulas that would not copy, bad instructions. All so some dumbass secretary who knows nothing can make the numbers look right without knowing how that happened. And links that re-established themselves even after you close and reopen the sheets. Where do they even find such imbeciles?
              Today, you get some battery lore. I seem to have rotten luck with them. They work until the first time I don’t use them for a while, be it a week or a month. This illness has me stopped dead so I’ll use the time to delve. It also reminds us the blog means the best parts of my day, not the other guy. This time I had the brand new rechargeable game camera battery start giving out on me in after only 60 hours drawing 2ma. Possibly, when it comes to battery polite society, I’m the outcast.

              The lawyer movie was called “The Verdict”. Very good portrayal, but at the ending they ran out of money and had to clip it at the point where the sleaze phones and he lets it ring. Now I pause here because of pain, it’s damn weird. It is a pressure pain inside my frontal cheek sinus cavities and any motion aggravates it. Even leaning over to take a knife out of the drawer, anything and it becomes a stabbing pain back to my eardrums. Cancel this morning, except the news, which is kind of disjointed.
              You see, it’s a worn-out tactic but the Democrat control over the media lets them push a demoralization campaign. It must work, or they would not persist. But this time they have a problem. They have spend a fortune spreading the word that Trump has lost popularity and rates and has fallen behind. They have spend millions this time and it is a flop. The independent polls, the only ones that mean anything, show Trump support in the MAGA bloc is running at 98%, the surprise is that it isn’t 100%. It was 99% in 2024, so the Democrats are wasting what little money they have left. The good news is the lady baby-killer (Clancey) is going back to trial. Hormones, my eye.

Picture of the day.
Abilene, Kansas.
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              Only a mild decline in symptoms kept me at home by now. My plan is to eat soup, I will not be moving my mandibles, no sirree. And I found some old Uma Thurman movies where she wore no camouflage. Trump says no deal on student loans for worthless degrees, but dang, he did not say which those were. I imagine gender studies tops the list. I dozed off and awoke at 8:00PM feeling much better. No joy, however, this was one of the weirdest of attacks on my already-weakened system ever. Pretty damn unusual, I think this is a warning.

              Let me put it another way. If I had continued deteriorating at the same rate today as y’day, I would probably be very near death. Instead, I’m hunting around for my misplace navigation text and noticing another decline in my touch-typing. By late evening, the sinus pain down to 1/10 but it will not be forgotten. This required around two hours of hold cold against the sites, so the morning could still bring another attack. That’s what kept me up last night for hourse. The pain is also moving to the sides so my teeth aren’t aching, though don’t chew too much.
              I’ve had bouts before, but this flu I will remember. I don’t remember how to play Fur Elise, the best piano piece ever. And I have not played it in 20 years all the way through. But 40 years ago I played it every day. Probably 800 times in my life. The time I recall most was the day RofR and I were over at Dr. Hunters, as his wife wanted to hear it. I never did play it all the way through without a mistake, but that day I made only one. I hesitated one note. I could not play it today, don’t remember the notes except the easy part.

              In a way, this forced convalescence works gives me time to work at my desk. I keep finding gadgets I built as much as ten years ago, then forgot. Here, for example, is a signal light bulb tester. It plugs into 110, but rectifies it to 12VDC. Plug an 1157 (most popular signal and brake light) and hit one switch to test the brake filament, another to test the signal (and much brighter) filament. Complete with pilot light, I may even spruce this up with some laser lettering. I did not study transformers until years later so this device surprised me. It’s a bulky affair, but beats walking back and forth to test it on the vehicle. The robot club quality is evident.
              What’s this? Dynamic pricing comes to McDonalds. Prices vary depending on time, location, your credit score, and what you spent last time. Because people don’t hate them enough already. I’m so glad Tampa radio has somebody standing by 24 hours a day that will pray with you if you call. And how about the ongoing praise of the 12-year-old on her annual diaper drive? Nothing spells Third World like teaching your kids to beg early.

ADDENDUM
              I stayed in pain all day, giving me time to elaborate on the Win 11 spreadsheet nuisance. The application has become oriented toward the dumb and stupid user—parallel to what happened to word processing twenty years ago. They put in so many gimp features that the package became impossible for educated users. I mean, what manner of moron composes a sentence without knowing the first letter is capitalized? MicroSoft, that’s who. Ah, you might think, just disable all the gimp features. Wrong, you can’t, and over time most of them come back without being asked.
              So how have spreadsheets degenerated? Redmond would have noticed long ago that ignoramuses use mostly single-layer spreadsheets. It makes the sheets large, cluttered, and inconsistent. The answer is links—but those require planning and education to do right. I have encounterd offices with staff so unskilled to transfer data, they print out the entire spreadsheet and key it in a second time. Here's another battery picture, and why not?

              My spreadsheets are almost entirely links—but I put them there myself and know how they work. So I know when they don’t, and I know when the other guy has screwed up. My accounting software (the budget) is not a page of cells where you plug in the numbers—which is roughly where MicroSoft starts buggering around. For example, I do not comb through my bank statement and separate the deposits from the interest from the withdrawals. I key each figure into one of three columns, and those contents update all my reports instantly.
              You’ve seem me post bits of these boring sheets over time—but how many of you know to the penny what your CD is worth today, or even care. I suppose some folks like being poor. But now the formulas no longer cut and paste. They will not even paste as text, including when you first paste them into word processor, then copy it back. Worse, many times it comes back with an identical looking formula and says it is a “corrected” version. It isn’t.
              Nor do I appreciate Excel analyzing my formulas, which average 72 characters long, and thus above their pay grade. I cancelled Festus Tuesday, whatever I have is some opportunistic bug. I don’t have any cold compresses, but I have many cans of ice cold ginger ale, which helps. And to really clear up, I have my firey hot Carolina reaper sauce. If you don’t know what that is, I suggest you approach the peppers at an angle.

              I’m inside, no fever, but not feeling right. Here is a small bettery that just quit working on m. These are sealed unit and rechargeable, so I will check for the obvious before putting it on the exchange rack. The new unit bought last week is on the charger, it lasted only a few days when operating the 5V Arduino. The on-line goofs all say the same, that the batteries can be restored wit baking soda, Epsom salts, and topping the cells. They lie. None of those things work reliably enough to be worthwhile and all take far longer than they say.

Last Laugh

September 28, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 28, 2025, no fireworks today..
Five years ago today: September 28, 2021, took me 42 years.
Nine years ago today: September 28, 2017, another Florida scam.
Random years ago today: September 28, 2006, 38 minutes by bicycle.

           Am I the only one hesitant to admit this heart operation marks a permanent change in lifestyle? Because it is not entirely the heart. Parts start slowing down and disobeying that have no excuse for wear and tear. There’s no way my forearns or outer thighs should not be 100%, then I walk to the shed carrying a drill. You know what I’m talking about. I have a note from Aliane she’ll be at the pet blessing an hour early, which might be the best chance to visit. Remind me to build her some boxes. Duly noted, Starship made it into orbit this morning.

           Starting y’day, I have the flu full blast. The respirator lady said 20 days, which puts me still in the danger zone for the ceremony. Sore throat, coughing, but no fever or aches. In fact, this morning I worked the bolt cutter. What? Yep, the bulk of screws to hold drawer pulls are a “big quarter-inch: too long for my Fake box, so must be nipped. They are too tough for pliers and sawing is too slow. This is where you find out it takes the full 12” size, which are not designed for two-handed use. Wire fence break-in only.

           Any smaller size and the jaws won’t open enough for the screw. You wedge the cutter in your lap and work the other lever, the result always leaves a tiny flange on the threads that you must grind off to get it started again. I’m on day 242 and stable, but not progressing. Yes, folks, without a miracle, I think it is getting permanent. It doesn’t mean no more fun times, if Tay-Tay dumps that sworly guy, I’ve got the doorbell working again. Just in case. Oh, I know I’m lucky to be alive, but I’d be even luckier with a little spunk.
           There is no excitement today, you get some photos, but just those things that interested me. That meets the criteria, so here is a picture of the burn barrel now so full of ashes I can’t tip it to empty it. Such things were unheard of before. Since you loved that pic, here is another showing the overhead shelf from y’day is already full.

           By mid-day, I’ve got slight chills and a very bad throat. It’s mild but my upper teeth are all aching in the sockets. This is going to be a grind. I sat down and read a book on air conditioners. The days when I can write about record 300 mile motorcycle trips are, I think, for me a thing of the past. Now, repairing an appliance is a big deal. There’s more to it, mind you, as one of the inventors who transfixes me is Birdseye, the guy who discovered (not invented) flash frozen food. The Disney version is that it hit him watching ice fishing, how the fish froze solid in seconds. They tasted better and he went on to become a millionaire.
           But for me, not so fast. This supposedly happened somewhere in the Laborador wilds. I know it did not or could not, for without the “invention network” of the world, he must have known about electricity, artificial cold, production lines, and how did he know to look for ice crystal formations, for that matter, where did he get the microscope? Most American homes did not even have a freezer to keep his food until after World War II. I’ve seen the desolate arctic and know any one of those things is impossible—unless you aren’t telling the whole story.

           Tampa radio asked Boomers what piece of advice the would give today’s teens. I had no spontaneous answer. But I would say throw out that television and read two hours a day.

           Since my throat and sinuses can’t get any worse, I’m going to sit right down and watch a movie I’ve wanted to see since 1976. But I don’t remember the name, This is a job for A.I. I’ll describe the plot and let the robot find it. The movie about the lawyer from back when lawyers did more of the leg work and dirty work themselves, so he tracks down a nurse I a negligence case.
           I like the movie for its early portrayal of how little it means when evidence is gathered illegally. But, I would have got suspicious immediately when a sexy women showed any interest it me. I’m not that good-looking. And I would have used her to set up her cohorts

Picture of the day.
Los Angeles fire, by satellite.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
           How about this pic of the Lucida box. This nicely shows the fence picket wood after a dunk in the stain. This result is entirely predictable. If you’ve not seen one quite so pretty, I’ll bet it has something to do with the cost. Retail, getting this plain brown finish costs close to five bucks. At this point we have to quit. Most flu symptoms have abated, but a a new problem is worrisome. For my own record, I’ll describe it the usual three different ways somewhere here.

           I still have the deep cough and taking expectorants, but every other hour with some nasal drip. Sore throat, but diminished by 70% pain level from late evening last. Stiff joints and back, but no worse than historically and the expected weariness. Mild but constant headache.
           What’s new is face pain. If it was sinus, I’d directly, but it is a band on both cheeks below the sinuses. Is that possible? This diagram shows the location so there is no doubt it is a sinus infection. What’s alarming in the degree of pain. More than 6/10 but it is enough in that area to bring everything to a stop. This is not ordinary sinus pressure, but a real deep agony that may get me to emergency.

ADDENDUM
           I’ve got two oddball opinions for today, as I sit here with such a sore throat and congested lungs. I have a theory why most Amway startups failed. While I also believe there are other reason, including how most people are rotten salesmen and Amway is a part-time job, I say the unspoken reason is American shopping habits. Most people do not plan ahead very far, usually a week at most. I don’t buy a year’s supply of laundry detergent, and I’m a master at budgeting Few people are aware of their true household costs.
                      The other item is a surge of hard-luck stories on the media these days? Is there something I don’t know about going on? Because I will tell you right now I do NOT believe 99% of these bullshitters who say they had to drop out of high-school “to help support the family”. This continent is a bloody welfare state and, barring abuse, nobody has ever gone hungry. That is complete bullshit, and a lame cover story.
           How about this pic of the Lucida box. This nicely shows the fence picket wood after a dunk in the stain. This result is entirely predictable. If you’ve not seen one quite so pretty, I’ll bet it has something to do with the cost. Retail, getting this plain brown finish costs close to five bucks.

           The reality is most dropouts could get jobs and make a go of it up to around 1970. Anyone with aptitude could get an entry level position and move up rapidly. Then along came the Democrats and took away all those jobs. And they got away with it because of complicity. Joe Average, as long as he’s got his six-pack and remote does not give a damn who takes over City Hall or the School Boards—until it is too late. Anyway, losers best know I grew up around drop-outs and I’m not buying that family support bull-donkey.
           There’s people spewing out the nonsense that anybody can run a small business. Nope, the majority are not cut out for it. Worse, America has made it incredibly difficult for the average person by creating a scenario where even the smallest business has to go through hoops. My first business was a coin laundry, did I ever mention that? I must have. You bet it taught me a lot. Like which practices, if not for being labeled “business” would be borderline criminal for most people.
           It taught me how “successful” marketing was just short of false advertising. And how “competition” and “efficiency” were more like a dishonesty contest. But, it mostly taught me a business startup is a rare success, that operating a shop is best left to those who were born into it or already comfortable. This dovetails with what I’ve said about starting a band. Starting it easy, how many times have I done it?
           And if you see someone cutting down a Flock camera, no you didn’t.

           Last for today, I fell asleep early but awoke at 1:00AM in discomfort. All flu symptoms and not just sore throat. This is suffering to just be waited out. Why do my teeth roots ache? That’s a new one on me. Everything hurts, so is it age or the flu?
           I did get up later and if this insane hurt does not abate, it is hospital time. It is not my teeth, but the top of the bone where the roots are nearest the sinus cavities. I am in real pain but it is subsiding. This is new. It makes my whole face sensitive, I cannot shake or move my head and any change of pressure causes a five-minute throbbing agony. That includes lying down on a pillow.

Last Laugh

September 27, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 27, 2025, they also get lost.
Five years ago today: September 27, 2021, 320 gallons.
Nine years ago today: September 27, 2017, a generic day.
Random years ago today: September 27, 2005, first in-house digital pic.

           Internet to the rescue, the CEO of Flock redacted (edited out) the street view of his own home. Thousand of Google-mappers quickly flagged his law as a “public toilet”. Yes, Starbucks closes 250 stores, but the one that counts is the outlet in Riverside (Burbank). It’s the iconic White boy joint and few things better demonstrate the hollowing-out of Californian society. They are running out of net contributors to steal from. More closures are expected, interestingly the office is planning on the very thing I always despised about Starbucks: they killed the free refill.

           Even so, I’m not keen on $3 for a cup of so-so product. The ads that say $1.95 are bogus, most locations the smallest size is the 12-oz tall. I find it brackish. I wonder how any unionized shops are affected. I turned the bird fountain on early this morning, causing an all-day frenzy. The whole system needs maintenance, maybe soon.

           Something is out of whack this morning, it was 60°F and I had to crank on the room heater. This is December weather. Minnesota Democrats voted 100% against removing dead people from their voter rolls. I say the desperation has only begun. I have a few more words about California because I lived there when today’s rot was just starting. Up to around 1985, the State was billed as the opportunity center.

           After all, did not all the Okies who make the trek fifty-some years ago all now have bungalows in the suburbs with nice reservoir-watered lawns? By 1990, no. Millions were arriving in California with no marketable skills. It was ripe territory for Democrat/Socialist politicians to promise them welfare by any other name by taxing the minority. For me, the corrupt system was typified by the hospitals.

           I witnessed two changes get underway that became standard across the nation. They were the hospitals overcharging insured patients to cover the uninsured. A greedy practice that sent medical costs into the stratosphere. The other was the lucrative practice of insurance companies challenging every claim, not on its merits, but because by then they knew credit cards made it easy to starve people into submission. Hence, Starbucks is a side joke, it’s when the hospitals get any hungrier that I’m watching for. Those would rather collapse than revert to a supply and demand situation.

           It stayed cool until noon, I used the time to move supplies around. The main effort was to stain around five or six boxes, including the custom box for the Lucida. I recorded this process to show how it moves along some eight times faster than brushing, but if the pieces are bigger than the tray, it is back to brushing. The plastic gloves are not very effective and stick to each other. A session with the stain is around and hour, or not worth the setup. Each time wrecks a sponge brush and the pieces dry a pale color. Later, this second video is a documentary for myself. You can almost see the wood soak up that costly stain.
           They [the pickets] are meant to just stay that dry stain color, I’m reminding of the iron bath that “paints” snow fence. It’s the cheapest color, the reason you see so many red barns. When I say plain, I mean a single layer of stain with no coating. While easily copied, I’m not worried about competition. This coloring would cost around $5 to $7 if the stain was not free, that is, more than the total of all other materials. And for the overall process, if anybody wants to copy that, let them. Not so many people have $2,000 to build that first box.
           Radio 100.7 from Tampa, all talk was clear and I like to listen to the type of sob stories that get called in. They are so much funnier than live hard luck stories. I’ve never had a financial advisor, mainly because every one I ever heard talk (which is what they do) has just been somebody who read the same textbooks I did, often with less understanding. Plus, as commissioned salespeople they often try to please the majority. I don’t have much in common with people who want to save money but still dine out three times a week. They will demand different behavior from an advisor.

Picture of the day.
Somewhere in S. Carolina.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Ice cold applesauce and hotdogs. I made it inside before the Florida afternoon inferno. I tried rigging up a shelf under the saw canopy, a place to store boxes that I to look seasoned but not baked. However, some of the special long planks have warped on me and I’ll have to clamp the boards in place to fix them. Hell with that, I got a soda and sat down. I don’t think I’ll get up a spell. I’m more into reading the sheet music to Croce’s “Carwash Blues”, maybe I’ll learn it. Overall, I got a lot done this last week. But it stopped any sense of recovery progress.

           This sore throat is lingering and the pet blessing is next weekend. Cannot have both. It cooled again and I burned a pile of waste wood, keeping an eye on the fire by finally getting the clamps out and slapping the shelf shown here. Not heavy duty, it is meant mainly as a storage and aging area for empty boxes. Keeping the boxes inside the work shed eats into my workspace. This sort of work is actually very slowly bringing a sense or organization back to this place.

           Interesting, Liberia. Illegals who refuse to go back where they come from, or are refused by same, are being flown to Liberia. It’s a fifteen-hour flight and I disagree that the US is paying for their room and board over there. True, it’s cheaper than welfare or prison, but still a waste. Put them to work. There is no longer any excuse for Liberia not to have the cleanest toilets., freshest vegetables, and cheapest hookers in the hemisphere. Now they have someone to do the jobs Liberians won’t do.

ADDENDUM
           I heard this one early today:
           There's a saying about women, "They wait for men at the finish line; they're not cheerleaders encouraging you to play to win."

Last Laugh

September 26, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 26, 2025, he’s always golfing.
Five years ago today: September 26, 2021, around $10 a day.
Nine years ago today: September 26, 2017, no call for it.
Random years ago today: September 26, 2018, the hot-dog idea.

           Do you know what a router plane is? A hand-held tool that chisels out hinge mortises, the cutouts I now make with a chisel. I’ve noted some chisels are better, so I looked at this tool because it looks like perfection. At $416, I would hope so. Hand me my chisel. By the way, nice box. It’s still pre-dawn and all I want t do today is build boxes, some special odd sized for some of my lesser used tools, like the Lucida (which I find difficult to work). Buoyed up by not having to spend $1,100 on the van transmission, we are happy this morning.

           Aha, Gulf overcast means a cool day. Later, I was several hours in the shed and we now have a box for my red floor jack, or shop jack, whatever. I cut the blanks for other boxes, but today was for my tools and instruments. For example, the Lucida drawing tool, which I have yet to put to the test, comes with a ridiculous drawbag. Difficult to carry it would bang against everything you stroll past.
           This jack box was a challenge in some ways, and I left it big enough (I think) that a tire iron will fit in diagonally. If not, I’ll cut a hole. One of my prize drills from 2014 had given up. That irks me because they have perfect storage and are not that much used because each has one standard bit. The jack box rivals some of the bigger boxes I’ve built. Using my early technology, boxes above 12” in any dimension use screws. The screw shanks are always the next size up from the recommended, with pilot holes to prevent cracking.

           I’m back inside running the laser, noticing that due to my flu, I’ve used up all my ginger ale. Big deal? No, but it’s an event not as infrequent as before, so I must report it. The undocumented life is not worth living. Here’s a picture of lunch, that’s an Angus beef pattie in the pan, I’m no longer fond of ketchup.
           ’ve misplaced my glue dip and can’t find my 18V drill. They are around, but waste time. This “memory loss” is nothing compared to others, at least I have a system. There is rarely any panic or running out. Any system is better than none, especially when you have to work next to such people.
           Kind as they are, I’ll have to ask the lumber people to let me again choose the pickets myself. They got the straight part, and no knows on the edges, but there is more to it. Some of theirs had high moisture content, split near the ends, edge discoloration, and things they could consider, like a mar in the wood right where the laser logo would be zapped. To keep them happy, I’ll give them each as small unique gift if only I could think of something.

           Here is the “jack in the box” without the lid, which has to be precisely made. This style will have a rope handle, possibly two, it is not meant to be portable. More like transportable. Y’know why this isn’t mu favorite picture today? Because everybody will look at the jack first instead of my lovely, careful, and practical work on the box. Sigh.
           Lovely, it did stay cool way past noon. I’m now inside with my laser, cooking up a couple fake boxes, and then two button boxes. This is the third time I’m tested resting up before any chores rather than after, and it seems to be a better way. I’ve used the laser so much it has become commonplace, like just another printer, I don’t even think about it. Totally routine.

Picture of the day.
French pastry chart.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Here is your mystery object of today. What is it? Not the background, but that thing sticking up in the middle. I’ll be nice and just tell uou. It is a small box being painted green resting on top of an old overturned coffee can, which is in turn capping an old metal fence post. It’s a great way to spray paint because there is 360° access and things dry fast in that sunny spot. We’ve earned a nice lunch, how about a cheeseburger deluxe on a Kaiser. Good,.wit some beef now back on my diet, no sense living on pudding alone. The Reb, who can see items on my budget, thinks that is hilarious. I say that anesthetic warped my taste buds.

           Let’s grab coffee and the news. Once more politics crowds out all, but the presence of alternate news sources is really put a crimp in the Democrat pre-election antics. They post a list of promises Trump never kept, but within minutes somebody is posting list of which Democrats voted to block each one, including their phone numbers. When they try the old gas-prices trick, the Biden prices appear right away. Remember his $8 per gallon? They were counting on you having forgotten.

           Another weird platform is the ever-louder left saying the number of queers and trannies being elected is a sign of their acceptance as “normal”. Nonsense. Most people are comfortable enough to just want to be left alone, so it is the self-absorbed jackasses who get into politics.
           I was partial to the idea of going out, a rare nice Saturday, but my sore throat got progressively worse until I could scarely swallow without making a face. It’s the ordinary flu, I’ve had it before. I choose to stay put so it’s not like I’m dying. And what is this glue dip I mentioned? This is to address the problem of my glue joints where a crosscut meets the flat surface. It soaks up all the glue. I’ve seen how others apply a layer of glue and let it dry to seal the ends.

           That uses a lot of glue. But, I drained all my old glue bottles into one and found it makes a nice paste in which to dunk the ends. I don’t know if it works and that was to be tested. Given enough coffee, it will turn up. Note to myself, is that not around the 15th item I’ve lost track of in this manner?

           Here is my doorbell back on the bench for repair. And that is part of the challenge—it works on the bench but not on the wall. Applying a little robot club savvy, I quickly found the issue. See that resistor, the grey rectangle leaning at an angle? Was only letting 1 amp through, I needed 2 amps.

           Yep, I stayed home and watched some tutorials on A.I. Most of it appears to be text, modeled on millions of recorded sentences via cell phone technology. The aspect that most resembles what I want is called “long document preparation” or similar. It’s already having the same negative effect as other millennialware. Designed to make tasks simpler, it creates a whole workforce of people who use it to make things more complicated to save their jobs. Expect documents of extraordinary length with a year or two.
           Over the years, you’ve heard me mention public and private key encryption. It is formally known as RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) and has been the standard for decades. This is the system that uses factors of huge prime numbers and takes forever to crack. Until now, it seems. In a difficult-to-read Ars Technica it seems somebody has spotted a pattern. Really, a pattern?
           If certain parameters are known, there is now a process that predicts the private key without going through all the factoring. This is further evidence that quantum computing will easily crack the codes, but also provides for new algorithms that will eliminate those patterns. This, by the way, is the basis of the big stink over in Europe against the Apple cloud. It also gives you some indication how important phone tracking of your identity is. Apple’s Passkey is the same as the other cloud systems—except the Apple key does not require user identification. And that is really what the Eurocrats are going ballistic about. Your identity is more important than your data.

Last Laugh