Hot in Houston. Probably wet too. This year seems like it’s been really cool and really wet. The cool I’m ok with, the humidity, you just have to endure.
Started the day at the BOL. Did some messing around on the water with boats. Did some puttering and putting away. Poisoned ants. I don’t think the stuff I used works as well as the stuff I normally buy. We’ll see for sure when I get up there again, but I’m pretty sure the mounds I treated on Saturday were still alive on Sunday, and they should have been dead. I borrowed a different brand from my buddy, since I’d run out.
Made it home through a couple of storm cells. It’s been very localized storming in Houston. When a storm fills the whole watershed, it’s a much bigger problem.
Today I’ve got a couple of pickups. I might let D1 drive me around as more ‘check ride’ and time to teach. If she’s interested. If not, it’ll just be me.
I’ve got plenty of other things on my list too. I’ll get to that as I can.
And I need to go through my canned goods and find out what popped. Something stinks…
Stack more than you think you’ll need, and ‘breakage’ won’t be a big issue.
nick
In theory, Wayland offers better security and performance with the tradeoff of the current period of backwards compatibility problems.
I’m not convinced, but I thought Systemd was a fad that wouldn’t last.
Last year I signed up to start getting Swiss AHV (social security) starting the end of next month. It suddenly struck me that I have heard absolutely nothing – no acknowledgement, nothing. So I sent off a registered letter today, asking what the deal is. The odds are good that – because my situation is complicated – the application got shunted aside and forgotten…
I should also get a small pension from Germany. I am pleasantly surprised that I am getting prompt answers from the relevant German offices. One of those answers tells me that, because of agreements between the two countries, I have to register for the German pension in parallel through both Germany and Switzerland. So I have written yet another letter to yet another Swiss office, to find out how exactly I am supposed to do that.
Bureaucracy, you have to love it..
On a much more fun front: Since I got my Braumeister repaired, I’ve been getting my beer shelves restocked. Today, I’m brewing a rye beer. It has a strong, slightly sour taste – not unlike rye bread in that sense – but quite good. Rye is a very traditional grain here – apparently it grows better in the mountains than wheat.
Doesn’t rye have a mold that causes hallucinations if it gets wet?
FWIW, I love rye bread, but can’t get good fresh rye here.
———–
synchronicity
—–
Sunny, 90F in my driveway (in sun), and looks like a hot sunny day.
n
When I sas a DEC customer and later, employee, we had bookshelves dedicated to the VAX/VMS manuals. We called it “the great Orange Wall”.
I remember often going to the documentation to find system servivce procedure calls, with the exact name of the system service and the parameter lists, with data types.
The coworker in the next cubicle to me had encyclopedic memory, and as often as not I could just ask him instead of going to the bookshelf. He was amazing, and one of the more eccentric people I worked with over my career.
True, true. I can’t believe how smooth my SS and Medicare applications went. All online with no problem.
I order German pumpernickel off Amazon. So good! And it keeps a long time. I wish I could find some with just rye, salt and water as the ingredients. The stuff off Amazon probably has to meet some ridiculous FDA standard for shelf stability. Just amazing what you get with three ingredients and low heat baking for 24hrs.
On New Orleans:
I’ve been there during its stable days. In the early ‘80’s The Army Aviation Association of America had a conference there. A bunch of us car-pooled from Fort Riley, KS for the convention.
The family went there in the ‘90’s on a road trip. We went up in the arch. We had lunch on the Robert E. Lee paddlewheel. We loved the mashed potatoes so much, MrsLTCAtoz asked the chef for the recipe. He actually came out and told her how he made it. I can’t eat less than three helpings when she makes mash.
Hoping the interwebz iz forever:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/07/pediatrician-fired-for-post-claiming-pro-trump-voters-got-what-they-voted-for/
I grew up in the St. Louis area, so when you say “up in the Arch” that’s what comes to mind.
A quick search didn’t show any Arch in New Orleans. Please enlighten me.
There are paddlewheelers, or used to be, on the St. Louis riverfront. I spent many happy hours on the Goldenrod Showboat listening to jazz.
I believe the Robert E. Lee was an occasional visitor there, but I could be mistaken.
My mistake on that, you are right, of course.
Happy belated Roswell Saucer Day!
In 1947, my “real” parents came down from the skies and dropped me off in a stasis-pod in Roswell, New Mexico. I was created as a DNA experiment in an alien laboratory. The Grays returned in 1955 and took me to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and let my “fake” parents adopt me. I have a long scar on the back left side of my skull where a tracking chip was implanted. Through my dreams, I know I am abducted regularly to check how I age, so They can adjust their DNA formula. I turned 70 this year and am a testament to the Gray’s technology.
Happy belated Roswell Saucer Day!
Hoping the interwebz iz forever:
Is it just me or are the Dumbo/PLTs being particularly ugly ghouls about the flood deaths in Texas? This ghoulish attitude and trans-nuttery could crush the Dumbo’s during the mid-terms. There are some really despicable Humans on this planet.
Germany allowed the US Spec Ops freak show command at Mac Dill to blow up their gas supply and, with it, their industrial economy which kept the plates spinning.
Coast Guard Hero Scott Ruskan Saves 165 in Texas Floods During First Rescue Mission
“Honestly, I’m mostly just a dude. I’m just doing a job… Any one of us… would have done the same thing.”
Thank you, Scott.
EPA Suspends over 140 Toxic Employees Who Wrote Letter Denouncing Trump Policies
“More than 170 EPA employees put their names to the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation…”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/06/epa-suspends-over-140-toxic-employees-who-wrote-letter-denouncing-trump-policies/
Should be able to get 80-90 out of the 100 “anonymous” pretty easily. What do you bet they used government email?
How long before a PLT doosh-judge rules, “you can’t do that, only I can…”? Denigrating your boss or his policies should be an immediate firing. Or, you don’t like it, quit. Why do goobermint employees think they are untouchable?
lpdbw
You didn’t work for a large yellow machine manufacturer did you? I too had a fellow employee in charge of our VAX. He had a “special memory.” I once asked him how he could do all that stuff that was in our “orange wall!” He told me he read all of those manuals – Once! He didn’t need to read them again! The stuffy management over him could not control him. He operated on another plain of existence. He eventually quit. Last I heard he was a gourmet chef somewhere.
Yes, a yellow machine manufacturer, no, probably not the one you’re thinking of.
We made custom earth-moving machinery purpose built for digging, shaping, and paving canals, both V shaped and flst-bottom V shaped. Like the California Aqueduct, for instance, most of which was built using our equipment. Also boring eequipment for the MX missile project.
The coworker I mentioned was 2 jobs later, at DEC. He went on to work, eventually, on the Apache project.
The truck saga continues. I will probably repeat myself somewhere along the lines. As for Mr. Lynn; eat your heart out.
I ordered a retractable step that will attach to the driver’s side rear bumper, or frame in that area. The dealer said they will install it when I bring the truck in for the protective coatings inside and out. It was part of the sales deal.
It is still strange that when starting the vehicle, there is no engine start. The A/C starts so the air starts becoming cold due to the electric compressor. Backing out of the driveway, no engine, just electric. I have to start moving forward before the engine starts.
The heads up display does not play well with polarized sunglasses. Tilting the head makes the display brighter, or almost completely disappear. I had to buy some non-polarized sunglasses and that made the HUD much better.
I have not found anywhere on the multiple display options where the number of gallons of fuel consumed can be displayed. I miss that.
Insurance on the truck upped my car insurance about $600.00 a year, that was more than I expected. I suppose because of the trim level, newness, and cost to repair. I hope it is not because the vehicle has a high theft rate. There is an option in the FordPass app to completely disable the truck from starting, even if the person has the key. That makes me think that theft is a problem. Fortunately I live in a low theft area. I can’t say the same for Knoxville where public housing is rampant.
Since you all reminded me of my eccentric co-worker, I did an internet search and discovered he’s got a Wikepedia page. Not just worked on Apache, was one of the founders of The Apache Software Foundation and author of a couple of Apache books.
synchronicity
What in Germany is not collapsing ? The power grid, the natural gas grid, the energy intensive employers, …
The truck saga continues. I will probably repeat myself somewhere along the lines. As for Mr. Lynn; eat your heart out.
How many miles did your 2008 ??? Ecoboost F-150 have on it ?
I am having an argument XXXXXX discussion with my nephew who says that no ecoboost v6 has hit 150,000 miles in one piece.
I told my wife that I want an A = Auto 4WD F-150 and she told me maybe in 5 years.
I was sliding all over Port Lavaca last Saturday morning in my 4WD F-150 wondering if I needed to change from 2Hi to 4Hi. An Auto mode would be nice.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/07/07/dhs-revokes-temporary-protected-status-for-honduran-nicaraguan-migrants-n2660004
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/07/07/charlie-kirk-got-an-interesting-call-before-trump-signed-the-reconciliation-package-it-wasnt-good-n2660013
Who is “they”. Name them and watch the “Roaches Scurrying when the Bathroom Light” speed records fall. Name them and I predict that some will choose to become expats rather than pay what it will cost for extra security. Hint: Take your families, and companies, too.
Musk is a smart lad but he needs to check his closet for big boy pants and maybe read an H. Ross Perot biography.
see also:
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/07/07/shocker-are-deep-state-forces-pushing-for-amnesty-for-25-million-illegal-aliens-n2191342
2014 F-150, 135,000. One of the reasons I got a new one. I was told by an independent mechanic that at 150K engine failures were not uncommon for the Ecoboost.
https://thefederalist.com/2025/07/07/exclusive-brennans-fake-russia-collusion-assessment-even-more-corrupt-than-current-report-shows/
“We have a double cell that was approved as perfectly suitable for the J6 patriots, or we have some other single cells that you might consider upgrades. Up to you, John. Testify, don’t testify. We’re taking applicants for potential cellmates right now. Funny, a bunch of them aren’t even convicted of anything and want to room with you.”
>>I have not found anywhere on the multiple display options where the number of gallons of fuel consumed can be displayed. I miss that.
@Ray, try posting here: https://www.f150forum.com/search.php
I had a post and it vanished. Odd. Does an umlaut matter?
After years, since 1980 or so, of “just 10 million” illegals they now admit to 25 million. Which says my estimate of 100 to 150 million illegals is perhaps on the low side.
Go home. Make you own country great. Auslander raus.
No, really. We’ve got the recipes, you can go home now.
Freefall: Walking
http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff4300/fc04240.htm
My wife has never offered to catch a squirrel for me.
After years, since 1980 or so, of “just 10 million” illegals they now admit to 25 million. Which says my estimate of 100 to 150 million illegals is perhaps on the low side.
Go home. Make you own country great. Auslander raus.
No, really. We’ve got the recipes, you can go home now.
My SWAG is 40 million illegals.
Cool. I got a thumbs down. Ok. Now you talk about your view.
The floor folks sales guy is coming Wednesday. On the phone there was a very brief and quick mention of a 100 sq ft minimum.
I measured the hallway. 38 inches by a few inches longer than 20 feet. It’s going to have to be enough if they want the sale.
Bedrooms have carpet. My office/library room is officially a bedroom. The dogs and I like the carpet.
I had a post and it vanished. Odd. Does an umlaut matter?
@paul, if I knew how to insert one I’d try. The comment editor does a whole lot of things besides put your text into the comment box, and I don’t have the documentation, if it’s even in there. It might do some text “sanitizing” too. It was tripping over some keywords that were pretty common. NO idea where that setting came from. Since it’s working pretty well lately, I’m inclined not to mess with it.
n
The 20 year amnesty deal didn’t happen in the mid 2000s. A deal similar to the 80s amnesty is coming, maybe with Speaker Jeffries in two years.
A deal now would cost Speaker Johnson his job.
The attempted deal under Shrub ultimately cost the Bush cabal the Governor’s Mansion in Florida in 2018, as their point man on the bill in the House, Adam “Opie” Putnam RINO-Lake Wales, lost the primary to DeSantis.
Is there a standard for drapes? I mean the curtains.
Like X amount of window width need Y amount of curtain width.
What I want to do is to replace the vertical blinds covering the sliding door in the living room. On a cold day they are as useful as hanging a cheap threadbare flannel sheet. I assume they are just as spiffy on hot days.
I have the wood stove in one corner. So I don’t want center pull. I want all drapery to pull to one side, away from the wood stove. And pull far enough to uncover all of the sliding door glass.
Maybe someone here has an idea?
@paul:
Past experience suggests a minimum of 1,5x, 2x is better.
G.
Theatrical drapes are specified by the % of “fullness” with 0 being flat.
The more fabric, and the thicker/heavier it is, the more it will block sound and insulate.
n
All the noise about amnesty All happening because lots of someones in DC are getting their dicks sucked and the lawn service is cheap.
Make me Dictator for one year. Y’all wanna protest ICE or anything at all while waving your countries flags while burning the US flag? Go for it but please note the National Guard and Army folks will not be firing tear gas from their machine guns.
One year. That’s all I ask.
Lots of yummy pizza in DC.
Need a lot of labor to make that pizza.
In California, the fax line account gets billed in the maid’s name while the toll tags belong to the gardener.
The official copper line demographics in CA are so wrong, and the phone company *knows*.
Cool. I got a thumbs down. Ok. Now you talk about your view.
I got TWO thumbs down !
Freefall: Walking
http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff4300/fc04240.htm
My wife has never offered to catch a squirrel for me.
But my dog has tried to catch many squirrels.
And I have eaten squirrel with fried chicken a few times. My grandfather used to instruct us to come inside and notify him every time we saw a squirrel on the roof. He always nailed it with his single shot .22.
Waste not, want not.
@paul
”Maybe someone here has an idea?”
If the issue is thermal and you don’t hate the look of the verticals, you might consider a window film that blocks IR
“Federal judge blocks Planned Parenthood defunding in Big, Beautiful Bill”
https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/federal-judge-blocks-planned-parenthood-defunding-big-beautiful-bill
Sigh. Just another judge violating SCOTUS rules.
“Trump tax bill expands leasing, tax credits for oil and gas while cutting environmental regulations”
https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/government/article/55301323/trump-tax-bill-expands-leasing-tax-credits-for-oil-and-gas-while-cutting-environmental-regulations
“The tax bill repeals the methane emissions reduction program under which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides financial incentives to encourage the reporting of greenhouse gases, the monitoring of methane, and the reduction of methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas systems.”
Yes ! The methane tax was designed to kill the oil and gas industry.
I am hearing that the BBB has many more gotchas for the green crazies than I heard before. I am beginning to believe that there was a lot of false reporting about the BBB.
District court judges want nationwide injunctions? How about we require them to get a majority of the 677? They can have a court convention to hammer out the procedural details—ever one will need to pay their own way, with no unseemly contributions allowed lest they want the impeachment hammer to bacate their office.
Pearls Before Swine: TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome)
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2025/07/06
Trump is fighting every side. The liberals say that he is doing too much and the conservatives say that he is not doing enough.
Four years until the financial apocalypse of the USA according to the documentary “The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047”
https://www.amazon.com/Mandibles-Family-2029-2047-Lionel-Shriver/dp/0062328247?tag=ttgnet-20
The People spoke, Congress enacted the BBB, the President signed it into law. Then one turd-bucket judge says you can’t do something “because I say so”. There needs to be more done than a scolding by SCOTUS. Impeachment must follow for these activist turd-bucket judges.
Only 15 Federal judges have ever been successfully Impeached, the last two happening in 1989.
Kunstler’s column this morning indicates that the BBB cut the $7500 EV tax credit and battery manufacturing subsidies which is what soured the bromance between Trump and Musk.
I mailed my wife’s Amex payment, addressed to a Dallas PO Box, the day before the Juneteenth holiday, and the check wasn’t processed until late on July 1, right as we were about to pay online to avoid penalties
I mailed my bill payment on Wednesday, addressed to Carol Stream, IL, and I received email this evening to confirm payment was received.
My bill was small, without any travel expenses which could accrue interest if not paid on time, but my wife’s bill had two plane tickets for an upcoming conference trip as well as the fees for the event itself.
More truck stuff. I am still learning.
There are cornering lights that activate when turning. They help on dark corners. The headlights are auto dimming. The lights switch immediately to low but when switching to high it takes a second for the lights to reach high. Pulling in the turn signal will immediately turn on high. That indicates the gradual brightening is intentional, for some reason. Of course the lights come on automatically when it gets dark. The actual light switch is in a poor location in my opinion.
New Superman looks like another pass:
https://redstate.com/katie-jerkovich/2025/07/07/james-gunn-appears-to-now-be-lowering-superman-expectations-with-latest-comment-n2191353
“Who told you you could do that?”
“Good point! It just so happens that LA Mayor Bass has offered me an official job with a title of LA Sanctuary and Eminent Domain Enforcement Officer. I’ll be asking ICE and the National Guard to self-deport before I have to start working to my new job description. And by the way, don’t be touching that new pipeline from the Missouri River to LA–the city council passed the ”eminent domain” annexation unanimously.”
Pompeii guard dog mosaic back on show
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33677957
Wonder if there’s a market for ancient mosaic kits? Etsy?
“There are cornering lights that activate when turning.”
Dad had a 1990 Crown Victoria with that feature. Nice, especially out in the country trying to read numbers on mailboxes
Congress could just declare a moratorium on paying federal judges for the duration of any “national injunctions”.
@greg, I just pay mine online. Chase visa too.
Anything else isn’t worth the hassle or grief..
n
“Trader’s Leap (23) (Liaden Universe®)” by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
https://www.amazon.com/Traders-Leap-23-Liaden-Universe%C2%AE/dp/1982125675?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number 23 of a 34 book space opera series with psychic elves in space ! I count the series as 29 books as there are 29 novels plus 5 collections of short stories. I read the well printed and bound MMPB published by Baen in 2021. I have two more books in the series and I plan to order more as they come along in MMPB.
Over a thousand years ago, the Liadens and several others escaped from a dying Universe to the present Universe with Terrans and such. The dying Universe is still leaking spaceships and other flotsam to the Liadenverse. Along with live people. And in the very recent past, the
Korval clan, whose founder was the pilot of the universe traveling space ship, has been ousted from the Liaden planet to Surebleak, a harsh and underpopulated planet by Terrans and many others. The rest of the Korval clan is slowly rejoining the others at Surebleak. And other Liaden clans are moving themselves to Surebleak to follow Korval wherever they may go as the Captain of their destinies.
The Clutch Turtles, a space born race, are big fans of the Clan Korval and their sentient tree. In fact, they moved the Clan Korval and their sentient quarter mile tall tree from the Liaden planet to Surebleak, a harsh and underpopulated planet by Terrans and many other races. All of
the races in the new Universe are very careful around the Clutch Turtles due to their light year spanning powers and huge incredibly fast space ships. The Clutch turtles have just sent a newly hatched emissary to Surebleak with an important warning.
https://liaden.fandom.com/wiki/Clutch_Turtles
Master Trader Shan yos’Galan is taking the main Korval space ship, the “Dutiful Passage”, with its crew of hundreds to new space stations and star systems to establish new trading routes that have not been destroyed by Korval’s enemies. And his assistant trader daughter Padi is working on getting her trader status while her psychic powers are blossoming.
BTW, Sharon Lee’s reading order of the series is:
https://sharonleewriter.com/correct-reading-order/
The first book of the series, “Agent Of Change” is in my six star book list.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,284 reviews)
Lynn
>>I have the wood stove in one corner. So I don’t want center pull. I want all drapery to pull to one side, away from the wood stove. And pull far enough to uncover all of the sliding door glass.
@paul: if you need the width of both panels a few safety pins to join them together and then you can open the combined set both to the same end.
https://www.costco.com/maxwell-total-blackout-window-curtains-52-x-84-2-piece-set.product.4000313087.html
Amazon has finally filled the Kindle app hole where you could use an old version of the Windows app to download a book. I just bought a book and tried the work around and all new Kindle books won’t download. I returned the book for a refund.
I created a Kobo account and purchased the same book for the same price. The Kobo web site lets you download books to your Mac/Win download folder. If there is no DRM, it shows up as an epub. If DRM’d, it shows up as a download link in Adobe Digital Editions DRM. The Obok DeDRM plugin will take care of that. This is the first book I’ve bought on Kobo. I’ll have to find something I want that has DRM and try it in Calibre.
Amazon now has lost all ebook sales to me.
Amazon now has lost all ebook sales to me.
– most of what I’ve read in the last year, leaving aside the ‘urban fantasy’, was on Kindle unlimited. Does kobo offer similar? And can you read the kobo books on a kindle paperwhite after you get done processing them?
n
I don’t know if Kobo has an “unlimited” feature. I just want to own books I buy and right now Kobo lets me do that. Calibre will convert epub, mobi, azw, kfx to one another with no problem. I sync to a Boox color ereader. I haven’t used my Kindle in a while and it’s boxed up, but it should be no problem, especially if it is an older one. Getting books off a new Kindle (2025) will be a problem, but putting them on shouldn’t be a problem, just convert to azw and the book should load fine. There are some new vids on YT covering the topic.
I don’t know what’s worse, Amazon “licensing” a book or author’s that go along with it, but Amazon ebooks are where authors can make money. It is getting worse than the music industry.
People are mad at Amazon. I can tell because they are uploading “bought from other than Amazon” ebooks to Zlibrary. I check there first to see if somebody has given Amazon the finger. Then I’ll buy from Kobo to support the author.
List? What list??
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-client-list-trump-administration
If he didn’t keep a list, and blackmail people, then the only explanation for all the rich and powerful people he had access to is that they ALSO liked young girls and didn’t mind hanging out with a convicted sex offender… is that really the message they’re going with?
It’s dirty. Stinks. And is another example of how we’re not going to vote our way clear of this mess.
n
I’m pro-abortion, but I never understood why PP received federal funding. It should run as a charity.
This.