Again with the hot and humid – tempered by rain storms. It’s getting to be a regular thing here. Yesterday was more of the same. At least the gully washers drop the temp for a while.
I took the kid to her orthodontist, did auction stuff, then a pickup while dodging T-storm cells, then home to get the kid on cleaning duty, then dinner, kid activity, kid retrieval, and all the other joys of domestic life.
Today will be similar. D1 to the airport, off to spend a week with grandma. Then some pickups while I’m in the area. Then home to get the other kid back in a cleaning mood…
And a trip to the store to get butter of all things. I’ve been pulling from stock to use some of the frozen butter, and not replacing it with regular Costco visits – since my visits to Costco are not regular anymore. Someone used the last of it and didn’t let me know, so when I went looking in the stacks for more, there was NONE. I can’t really believe it, but NONE. I will be rebuilding the butter stocks. Butter is like bacon, it is on the critical supplies list. I do have powdered butter as backup, but would prefer not to break the seal on the jar.
If you are like me and have been doing this a little while, maybe you are also like me and have gotten a bit complacent about preps. Twice now I got a little wakeup call. Only having 10 gallons of gas at the BOL was a surprise. Running out of butter at home was a shock.
Time to look at some stacks and be sure they are what I think they are.
nick
@Lynn, condolences – may he rest in peace.
I worked for a time for Racal Electronics in the UK. It was headed by, in my opinion, an excellent leader (Chairman), the late Ernie Harrison. I was told that he had a principle that no company within the group should be larger than 1,000 employees, based on his belief that a CEO couldn’t be close enough to the detail with larger numbers. He also basically sold off the company, as he realised that the share value did not reflect the total value of the component parts of the business, and therefore not giving share holder value. A major element of this is that Racal were an early investor in mobile phones. The total company value was not much more than the mobile element alone.
I’m sorry to hear that.
2018. “Me Too” was going full steam ahead.
Even before then, while we were in Vantucky, there was an incident with a girl from … Intel … ? … who was involved in the Linux USB drivers, and she walked away over criticism from Torvalds with a lot of fanfare.
Kernel maintenance isn’t just the Benevolent Dictator but what I call a “Hierarchy of Benevolent Dictators”, and that arrangement doesn’t always co-exist with modern Corporate America’s policy of “providing opportunity” even in cases where the individual is not up to the task.
Condolences Mr. Lynn. It is never easy, but the process was quick, which is a blessing. You knew it was coming. Now take care of your mother as this will be difficult for her after 66 years. Don’t be afraid to get help.
Off to Las Vegas for 6 days. 112F is the temperature today. We are staying at the Luxor (Pyramid, with the big light at the top) and will be staying inside most of the time. Our former exchange student arrives tomorrow for four days. We arrived a day early and are leaving a day after as the airline tickets were cheaper.
The hotel rates are weird. Friday and Saturday night the cost of the room is $189.00. Sunday night the room cost is $19.00 (Nineteen). Over our stay it averages out to a good rate for top tier hotel in Las Vegas. We have stayed in less hotels, and nope, not worth it.
Sorry Lynn. Bad/Good news. Went through it with both my parents.
Take care of Mom and yourself.
@lynn, please accept my condolences as well. Losing my dad affected me in ways I’m still trying to figure out. He was in my dream the night before last, along with his mother, who hasn’t visited in a dream for far too long.
He lives on in the lives he shaped. Sometimes I can feel one of my dad’s expressions on my face, from the inside.
Your dad will live on in the family he created, and in the people he touched.
nick
73F and drippy. Moving early to get kid1 to the airport. Tea is in the mug with coffee to follow.
n
We stayed at the Luxor … geesh … 25 years ago.
The hotel used to be nice, but that was a really inconvenient location.
$19/day on Sundays makes me wonder what it is like now.
Don’t forget the dam tour (“Beavis and Butthead Do America” reference).
@Lynn – so sorry for your loss.
I stayed at the Luxor about 5 years ago and it was nice. Certainly better than Bubba’s Tropic Resort or some such place we stayed at previously. The MGM Grand was a little too expensive. Plus the people we are meeting are staying at the Luxor.
Plane to Atlanta is delayed. We now have 40 minutes to catch our next flight. Doable if in the same concourse, questionable if not.
Security was easy this time. No taking off the shoes, the laptop stayed in my backpack. Of course I still got the full body scan and for some reason the agent didn’t like my right arm as he needed to the touchy-feely. All the pockets have to be emptied. I was told I could leave my watch on my wrist. Last time in Atlanta I was chewed out for leaving my watch on my wrist. So much for consistency.
A coke, in a bottle, is $5.00 in the airport, that would be $2.59 in a convenience store, or $1.29 at the grocery store. McGhee Tyson airport is a sorry excuse for an airport. One place to get food past security, and they know it. Pay the extortion or do without loser.
The airport is redoing the parking and navigating the area is a mess. Long term parking is a quarter mile away as the crow flies, about 2 miles by driving. The shuttle is supposed to run every 15 minutes. Actually more like every 25 minutes. So I chose the garage parking where the airport has jacked their prices up to $22 a day. Thieves. I guess I shouldn’t complain as Atlanta is $25.00 a day for off airport, covered parking.
@Lynn: All the best to you and your family
The shoe removal policy ended within the last day or so,
Laptop Is always an unknown, but I travel with a POS that no one would steal.
I used to be concerned about my Switch Lite popping out of the scanner unattended, but the kewl kids have Switch 2 now.
I’ve never had to remove my watch, even when I wore something pricey.
@Lynn; my condolences on the loss of your father.
@Lynn: My condolences also.
Mr. Lynn, my condolences on the loss of your Dad.
I dont think sanity prevailed as much as marketing for pre screening being blatant about one upside being not having to remove shoes. A lawsuit was inevitable.
The number of clueless dolts, and the level of stupidity, is just astounding. Have this people never been on an airplane?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/james-gunn-stands-firm-on-superman-movie-s-political-message-tells-critics-screw-them/ar-AA1I80dl?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=8dfc5a95d56a4a16b4b2160ebbad0e84&ei=36
Kindness and inclusion as long as you agree with me. Gotcha.
@lynn: I am sorry to hear about your loss.
He’s in a better place, but I know you and the family are hurting now, my sympathies.
Kid safely on her way. One pickup done. Three invoices, but one pickup. I drove by the other and the line was long, and my bladder full, so I returned home.
Time to switch trucks and get the other stuff.
n
Lynn, I’m sorry to hear about your Dad.
At the beginning of April, the main Warner Bros store on the lot in Burbank had very little DC.
Warner had $40 billion in debt at the time. You would think that they would want to sell some merchandise to the Spring Break crowd, especially with a new film less than three months from release.
the main Warner Bros store on the lot in Burbank had very little DC.
– china china china… supply issues?
n
With Asians, it is often fake cluelesness. I have heard anecdotally of the women giving elbows to the ribcage in crowded airport situations around here.
Our Colonial masters.
Currently at 38K feet at 513 MPH. About 600 miles to go to Las Vegas.
The flight was late leaving Knoxville. We just made our connection in Atlanta. We were the next to last people to get on the plane and had about 5 minutes to spare. I had contacted Delta and got put on standby for a 3:53 flight with a confirmed backup seat on a 5:53 flight. I guess those got cancelled when I boarded the plane.
“Hamas asked for it, and it looks like they’re going to get it – good and hard”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2025/07/hamas-asked-for-it-and-it-looks-like.html
“Two interesting developments may offer a solution to the hitherto intractable problem of Gaza and its Palestinian residents.”
“First, Israel is reportedly arming “anti-Hamas militias”.”
Interesting.
They had plenty of Harry Potter merchandise.
The tour includes a stop at a supposedly well stocked “Friends” store, but we didn’t take the tour this time.
We were trying to make the Griffith Observatory before 5 PM traffic.
Which reminds me – The Griffith Observatory is not quick stop for pictures of the Hollywood sign like the guidebooks proclaim it to be.
Plan on at least two hours and a hike of more than a mile each way for parking during daylight hours. Lots of Asian and Subcontinent tourists.
Let us know. Mine isn’t bad, but it also gets a little worse each year.
AT&T just informed us they know our internet is out and they expect to get it back up – by Thursday morning sometime.
Their outage map runs in a long, narrow strip. They say it’s a fiber failure. I’m assuming a backhoe, but it’s a weird shape.
I have my mobile hotspot turned on. It’s slower, and we proabably won’t get our NCIS fix tonight.
So I went and got my heart echo done. A woman called me yesterday and told me that I did not have any insurance so the cost would be $220. I called her back after working hours when I discovered the voice mail. I get there today and offered my Medicare card, my drug card, and my Part G supplemental card to the lady. Magically the $220 fee went away.
My heart volume ejection fraction is up to 60%. I don’t believe it. My heart volume ejection fraction was 43% after my first heart attack in 2009. It was 54% two years ago. and my valves are super tight, like a 40 year olds. Maybe that double heart ablation in 2018 did fix me of every problem.
H&I has two “NCIS” episodes every weeknight. Broadcast TV.
I don’t know who the affiliate is in Houston. In North Austin, I need to use an antenna in the attic to get the Kileen/Waco affiliate.
They were running six nights of Original Series and Stage 8/9 era “Star Trek” every week, but that got cut back to five.
I wonder how much more Wegovy “The Twilight Zone” sells on Sunday nights.
Pearls Before Swine: Youth Hostel
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2025/07/08
Groan !
Sometime.
Texas sold its soul for AT&T Fiber so the regulation is different than for traditional landline and DSL.
That said, my copper line was out for a week recently because the tech couldn’t access the backyard where the line went into the junction box connecting our cluster of houses to the central switching office.
Checked in at the Luxor Hotel. The place is as big as I remember it being. The price of food is horrible. A hamburger, fries, drink and a shake came out to $43.00. Wife and I were hungry and did not feel like going out into the heat to look for a place to eat that involved walking in the heat. I know there are places to eat that are not too far to walk. But at 110F I am not putting forth the effort for the walk.
The hotel is $768 for 5 nights, averages out to about $153.00 a night. Not too bad for a decent hotel in this part of Las Vegas. I suppose I could have stayed in Larry’s Shack-O-Love for a lot less. I have my UV light with me and Larry’s would probably freak me out. But I am at that point in my life where I like quality rather than cheap.
Our former exchange student arrives tomorrow, some time around 10:00. They are staying in the same hotel, but for three nights instead of our five nights. I think we are going to Hoover Dam, or whatever it is called today tomorrow. They have a rental vehicle so it shouldn’t be too bad.
The cab ride from the Airport to the hotel was $33.00 including the tip. Not too bad to go two miles as the crow flies, 6 or 7 miles as the cab travels, I guess.
The Las Vegas airport has gotten quite large. A long walk to the tram, then a tram ride, then another long walk to baggage claim, 16 carousels. Our baggage was already on the carousel when we arrived. It used to be called McClarin or something like that and is now called Harry Reid. I have no idea when the name changed.
Hoover Dam. As time goes by and the last members of “The Greatest Generation” die off, Roosevelt isn’t remembered as fondly as he once was.
The Pinball Hall of Fame moved to the south end of the strip, not far from the Luxor. If you’re into that sort of thing, the collection used to be very extensive when they were housed in the old Color Tile store way off the strip.
The casinos no longer run food as a loss leader. My mother-in-law constantly receives flight and hotel room offers for the Cesar’s Palace in New Orleans, but the catch is always the food costs.
Alternatives to the hotel restaurants in New Orleans are a haul from the Convention Center and casino area.
Sadly, The Holy Cow Casino and Microbrewery on the north end of the strip in Las Vegas is no more. That building had a lot of history.
The company relocated everything to their other location Big Dog’s, but that is far from the strip.
And it looks like the KISS Wedding Chapel and Mini Golf is no more in Las Vegas.
However, Little Gene Simmons is still presiding over ceremonies at the renamed facility.
https://rocknrollchapel.com/gallery/
Well, that ruins my entire trip. I am going home tomorrow on the first flight I can find.
I forgot my USB-A charger that I use for my hearing aids case to recharge my hearing aids. I have two cases with me. One that has its own battery so I can recharge on the plane. The other case is the main charging case. They use the same cable, USB-A to micro-USB. I do not have a wall charger with me that has USB-A. Oops.
Or so I thought. I have a multi-port adapter that I use with my MacBook. Internet, USB-C, HDMI, and a couple of USB-A ports. I connected that to my MacBook Pro and surprise, that adapter provides voltage to the hearing aid case. I am saved.
I am using my MacBook Pro, connected to power, a measly 35 Watt charger, to charge my Apple Watch, my iPhone, my AirPods, and my hearing aids, all at the same time. Ain’t technology wonderful.
What are you doing with a laptop in Vegas?
The vampire lesbians’ stripper show is calling your name.
Or the “Chix With Dix Revue”.
Whatever you’re into, you can find a place to indulge in that town.
Now with weed!
Megyn Kelly Breaks Down Why She Thinks Pam Bondi’s ‘Days Are Numbered’
https://redstate.com/katie-jerkovich/2025/07/09/megyn-kelly-breaks-down-why-she-thinks-pam-bondis-days-are-numbered-n2191428
bye-bye
@ray, you can always ask the front desk, as they collect the ones left behind. The business center is another place to ask.
—–
we got a ton of rain today, but it’s nice now. I actually hydroplaned a couple of times on the freeway at 40mph. There was an inch or more water on the road, on a hill, it was coming down so hard. Sunny and cool atm.
n
“Texas flood death toll rises to 119, deadlier than Hurricane Harvey”
https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-flood-hurricane-harvey-20762835.php
“Search and rescue teams are several days into their search to locate the 161 missing people.”
Oh my.
That is my plan tomorrow. Right now my kludge solution is working and I don’t feel like getting dressed.
May I have your frequent visiter club card number so I can get a discount on the show?
Nah, I read the reviews and they were disappointing.
I may see the Blue Man Group show again. Last time I saw that show it really funny and quite enjoyable. And the theatre is in the hotel so no getting outside.
Now if I could find Vampire Lesbians with Dix and Midgets, sign me up. Funny or not, it might just exist in Las Vegas and I would not be surprised.
Blue Man Group is back at Luxor?
We saw them there before they really hit big with the Intel commercials.
Following the Intel ads, Blue Man moved up the strip to the Venetian.
My wife wants to go to the “Pawn Stars” shop if we ever return to Vegas. She had a conference trip scheduled during our sentence in Vantucky, early in the show’s run, and planned to go to the shop, but her *associate* pulled rank — Daddy’s cash counts for more than seniority — and went with the idiot husband instead.
Rental car counters usually have a display of chargers for sale. You could always ask the exchange students to look while waiting in line.
Just don’t go sticking it in strange holes in Las Vegas hotel rooms or rental cars. You never know what you might pick up that way. 🙂
Seriously, get a USB-A data blocker before the next trip. I have one from Plugable in my laptop bag, but I use a PortaPow from Amazon at work with my corporate laptop.
Plugable has better build quality but limits current to 1.0 A. The PortaPow is built like cr*p but your devices will charge faster, especially if you use a USB-A 3.0 socket.
“Nah, I read the reviews and they were disappointing.”
Failed to measure up?
If things weren’t wacky enough…
n
I bought the USB data blocker to keep the kid’s phone from activating Carplay when she gets in my truck and plugs in to charge.
n
Fired up my phone’s wifi hotspot, connected the Roku, and got my 2 hours of netflix.
I was surprised but I suppose my 5g phone is better than I hoped. Also, our TV is old, so it’s not like I’m doing 4k or better.
Now connected to my laptop and catching up on the news.
I think it was better without internet. Except for missing the NCIS thing.
I’m headed to bed. The house is too quiet, and I’m tired from my early start and all the driving in the rain.
n
@MrLynn.. Thoughts are with you and your family.. Remember the good times, and take each day as it comes.
@MrLynn – sorry for your loss. Lost my father several years ago after 4 years of micro-strokes that left us with a constantly changing father after each one. Lost my mother to diabetic complications. Remember the good times you’ve had. Also my dad comes in my dreams sometimes. Those times are pleasant. Weird maybe at times but never bad.
@MrLynn
Sorry for your loss, as someone said me, he is better surely and you more calmer, no waiting phone calls and worrying about how make things better for your parents