Hot and wet. Or slightly cooler and wet. We got rained on late in the day yesterday, but it came down in buckets. Rained at the BOL too. I think today will be clear, but the humidity will probably be high. It was 78F when I went to bed.
I spent Saturday moving out of one 5 x 10 storage unit. And shuttling the kid around. I had a surprising amount of stuff in the unit, despite it having been burgled twice. I’ve got my next couple of weeks to go through it and sort it. Some I can sell on ebay. Some will go to my local auction, and I think some will just go in the dumpster. Lots of books to add to my library too.
Today we’re headed to the BOL to join my wife. I’m hoping for nice weather. I need it to be dry enough to mow… and W wants to run the boat. I’m taking a load of stuff, but not as much as most times. Two weekends in a row, and a serious reduction in auction purchases means there is only a little pile to go up this time.
Improving the BOL is a long term prep, and it takes a lot of time, money, and energy. But it’s worth doing. Even if it means stacking twice as much…
nick
Slept well last night. Finally adjusted to the time change. It took me much longer this time than the last trip. I have no idea why as I did everything about the same.
Tomorrow is the trip to Munich where we will stay for 16 days. Longer than we have stayed anywhere in one place in Germany. In fact, this will be our longest trip ever to Europe.
We got a message from our host, our former exchange student, that her kids are getting really excited for us to arrive. I have no idea why the kids think we are special except that we are from a different country. Maybe because it is something different for them, and for us.
We were going to depart from Haltern but will instead depart from Essen. It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow and the Haltern train station has no rain protection whereas Essen does. It is a straight shot from Essen to Munich on the ICE.
And I see where Alabama lost to an unranked opponent. Alabama’s glory days are over I think with the departure of Nick Saban. Or maybe it is the normal cycling of football glory. Florida used to be the top opponent for TN, then it was Alabama, next I think it will be Georgia. And for the most part, I really don’t care.
Alabama’s glory days have been over for a while.
Saban’s career ended in Tampa almost two years ago.
Player payrolls and the transfer portal will be brutal on NCAA coaching careers.
The Manning family is probably already working the phones looking for a new home for “Arch” now that his draft prospects have dimmed.
Meanwhile, the last Texas quarterback, Quinn Ewers, run out of town with another year of eligibility by impatient alumni, landed a spot on the Dolphins roster.
Doh!
DeBoer is not the answer in Alabama. With the current state of college football, I don’t know who the answer is. Too much money flying around. I do know the answer isn’t to bring Saban back. He was definitely on the downward slope of his career.
Bama should never have been ranked 8, and Florida State shouldn’t have been unranked.
Loading up and heading out. W says that radar shows storms in my path but it’s blues sky here.
Can’t do much about storms.
Talk amongst yourselves…
n
Creepy Dude Ruins Young US Open Fan’s Day—but Then the Story Takes a Surprising Turn
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/08/30/creepy-dude-ruins-young-us-open-fans-daybut-then-the-story-takes-a-surprising-turn-n2193418
Polish millionaire buinessman comes to America to see the U.S. Open
Snatches hat signed by Polish tennis star for young fan.
Gets identified by the internet, which is in the process of destroying his business.
FAFO.
Yup, a despicable cretin. The term “Ugly American” is a misnomer.
Slept well last night. Finally adjusted to the time change. It took me much longer this time than the last trip. I have no idea why as I did everything about the same.
I have always had trouble going east to Europe with the time change. Going west to Japan was always much easier.
Hot and wet. Or slightly cooler and wet. We got rained on late in the day yesterday, but it came down in buckets. Rained at the BOL too. I think today will be clear, but the humidity will probably be high. It was 78F when I went to bed.
It poured on me yesterday when I left Rosenberg. When I was passing through El Campo, it was dry as a bone.
Some images from Germany.
https://www.raymondthompsonphotography.com/Germany
All taken with my iPhone 15 Pro. The only camera I have on this trip. More than good enough.
Two years ago in Tampa, Saban was 30 seconds and one blown call from a 10-3 ”win”.
He lost that night, regardless of what the score said.
Saban wouldn’t escape Raymond James with a win this season.
G2 (possibly G3) GMS expected Monday night: https://www.spaceweather.gov/news/g2-moderate-g3-strong-geomagnetic-storm-watch-0102-sep-2025
LOL, Go Woke, Go Broke:
Families can no longer afford Disney World… but they’re saving thousands visiting cheaper alternatives which are ‘BETTER’
Watching Disney self-destruct in real time. Dumb. CrackHead Barrel found out the hard way.
I don’t recommend the All Star resorts under any circumstances.
I realized this weekend when we stopped to give The Beaver money that Cracker Barrel’s new interior design themes are a shot at Buc-ee’s success.
Maybe Cracker Barrel should start with cleaning the restrooms more frequently. That’s what made Buc-ee’s brand originally.
Just clicked over for a casual view of the ol’ 401k. Since January, after eight months, my balance is down $950. I’m pulling $1000 a month.
Huh. That seems good. Pretty sure it’s all fake and gay or whatever the cool kids say now.
It is all fake. I have about 42 grand of my money in there. Pre-tax deposits. I want my money back. So, I figure I will have that back in about three more years…. and all the rest is just extra gravy.
So I’m drawing a grand a month. They retain $200 per month for taxes. And mumble mumble the numbers in my head and I think that if I get a tax refund of $2400 I got the math right. If not, I’ll lower the monthly draw.
This year is just my SS and interest. No happy surprise death benefits. Yeah, I will have more interest. I didn’t spend the death benefits, I stuffed it all into t-bills. So SS and guessing about $4500 in interest income.
I’ll know more in a few months.
It’s not High Finance. I’ll never be a millionaire. Might should buy a lottery ticket once in a while. What would I do with a million bucks? I have many ideas.
Judge Blocks Flights to Reunite Guatemalan Children With Parents—Even As They Were Boarding the Planes
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/08/31/judge-blocks-flights-to-reunite-guatemalan-children-with-parentseven-as-they-were-boarding-the-planes-n2193447
The government of Guatemala should file suit for damages against the judge and the “advocacy groups” on behalf of the parents.
The judge will be found immune–if she can make an argument that the “advocacy groups” have any standing. Maybe even if not, but force her to defend herself. The DOJ should decline to provide counsel, citing interference in Article I duties.
The “advocacy groups” may be vulnerable. Let’s find out.
‘Destroy the Idea of America’: Shocking Rhetoric at Pro-Palestine Conference
If any of these people are here on visas, I hope Rubio took good notes.
Wait…… What? The feds are illegally deporting illegal aliens invaders?
I don’t know what these folks are smoking. But it’s loco stuff.
Nah. Get out the machine guns. Build the wall.
Very nice BBQ (sit down dinner, actually) at the neighbors tonight.
Tri-tip, beans, watermelon, buttered bread, real home made mac&cheese, etc. Delicious. Brownies & ice cream and cake for desert.
I miss my appetite at being 18. Or even 40, or 60.
Meals like that deserve to have people going back for seconds and thirds, but I just couldn’t.
Been a long day. Not a hard one, but long.
Left the house early with three teenage girls, and arrived with the same number, which is good.
It did finally storm on us as we drove, and it came down pretty hard for a while. It was still raining when we got here. I ate two donuts and crashed out in the recliner. Dunno what everyone else did. The sun supposedly came out briefly.
Dinner happened. Played a game after, then read for a while. Read for an hour on the dock with a tiny little fire.
Radio wasn’t bad. I tried out a tiny little unbranded chinese radio that did pretty well. It might be the ‘stuff in a pocket on your pack and forget it’ short wave for those that just want a check box covered. More on that later.
Time for a shower and bed.
n
Oof…apparently I overdid it on Saturday. Wanted to finish the current stone wall, and clean up the extra rocks that were laying around. Sore back – just muscular, but still…one too many rocks lifted.
Officially retired as of today. Still working 40% at the old school, and – dunno – maybe 20% at the trade school. Given the payout from the pension fund and the Swiss version of social security, our income won’t change much for now. Which is good – we can save another bit for when that is no longer the case.
I knew things would be complicated, but geez. Having worked in the US, Germany and Switzerland, it turns out that there are bilateral agreements in every direction, and everybody wants everybody else’s information. US and Germany don’t start paying until age 67, so I have another two years to get Germany and the US sorted out.
I have quietly not mentioned that I also worked in the UK, and the bureaucrats apparently haven’t noticed. It wasn’t for long, wasn’t for much, and I don’t even want to think about trying to coordinate even more bilateral agreements. I’ll just have to live without the (probably) GBP 2.50 per year I might get…
– – – – –
Just out of curiousity, a question for y’all: Has the MSM there ever shown the picture of the Scottish girl brandishing a knife and an axe? It’s a powerful image and story, and someone on X suggests that it has never been shown by any mainstream media. It has not been shown here – I only know about it from the Internet.
For anyone who hasn’t heard the story: The girl (14), her sister (12) and a friend were stopped and molested for the umpteenth time by some migrants (a man/woman couple, maybe some others). The couple physically attacked the sister, and the girl shouted “Don’t f***ing punch my little sister, she’s 12.” She brandished a knife and an axe – obviously, this wasn’t the first time they had been assaulted. One of the migrants filmed part of the encounter, which is where the image comes from.
Did the police arrest anyone? Of course they did! They arrested the girl, because carrying a knife is illegal.