Cool again, but warmer later. Yesterday was nice too. We’re supposed to have clear weather for a few days and increasingly warmer temps. Nice.
Didn’t do a lot yesterday. Still in holiday work avoidance mode. Did some small things like moving stuff around in my office. Took down some lights. Sorted some stuff. Not much, but every bit helps. I’m eating the elephant a bite at a time, but sometimes I think the elephant is still growing.
Today I’ll do a bit more. I’ve got a pickup to do, I think, and a trip to the post office. I’m sure more will make itself known as the day goes on. This mid week holiday messes with my head and the rhythm of my life. I’ll get over it, I’m sure.
This is a good time to do a bit of reflecting, inventorying, and possibly recalibrating. Needs and wants and even capabilities change with time and circumstances. It’s always a good idea to make sure your efforts align with them.
Stack what you need now that you have taken a good look around.
nick
Friday. Good morning!
The sun is up, but obscured by clouds. It looks like it might snow a bit.
I noticed that the windscreen wipers on the car are worn out. I have replacements, so must install them.
I also want to pass by the automobile club offices and get them to reinitialise online access to my membership account. The portal has got into a death loop of asking for credentials, but not accepting them, and resetting the password doesn’t work because their system says that the email address has no credentials. Grr.
Wishing you all a good day!
Never forget that Bondi and Rick Scott RINO-FL gave us “Treyvon” when the prosecutor at the local level would not indict George Zimmerman.
Plus, there are whispers of Bondi and a certain “church” based in Clearwater, FL which go back to her days as the primary deputy to Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober whose own rise to power happened via a mysterious set of circumstances.
I could have done a better job of vetting Bondi than the Dems in the Senate. The fix was in.
Somalia’s Foreign Minister, UN Ambassador, Ran Health Care Corps in Ohio
https://www.frontpagemag.com/somalias-foreign-minister-un-ambassador-ran-health-care-corps-in-ohio/
Somalis, Tramps, and Thieves.
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2026/01/oh-nicely-played-sir.html?m=1
1251 after the corruptocrats steal 99%.
Prepper fail. The new windscreen wipers don’t fit. Grr. Will have to return them and get the right ones.
I’m in that exact situation with the preferred “Hoopla” ebook app/service through the LA County Library system. Stuff borrowed not through Hoopla, through Amazon for example, still works.
68F mild breeze, sunny and humid. Nice, especially for January.
——–
Slept poorly. Unusual for me. Coffee and breakfast are almost ready.
Motivation. It’s what’s lacking.
n
That’s what coffee is for.
And if the coffee doesn’t provide enough motivation, that’s what coke is for. -aine, not -a cola.
And if the coke doesn’t do it, that’s what meth is for.
Though coke makes your nose fall off and meth makes your teeth fall out. I’m not sure why increased motivation comes with loss of body parts, it just does.
-amphetamine, not -methylene blue.
Keep it going, people.
“Ram Finally Gives The Power Wagon The One Thing It Always Needed”
https://www.carscoops.com/2026/01/2027-ram-power-wagon-upgrade/
“The new 2027 Power Wagon doubles towing capacity, adds Cummins torque, and brings long-awaited updates when it lands in the second half of 2026”
“6.7-liter Cummins engine makes 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft torque.”
I may need one of these.
“Ram Finally Gives The Power Wagon The One Thing It Always Needed”
A driver that is not a flippin’ idiot?
An actual prescription for microphallusicm?
An operating manual that is more than the one-word version printed on the tailgate?
Automatic parking that can keep it between the lines?
Removal of the tailgate magnet that keeps it Three-feet off the bumper of the car ahead?
Planning on moving a house?
Starting price of $88K. Yikes!
I saw a stat that the average price of an F150 going out the door is $60k.
Plus eight cylinders will increase Stellantis “gas guzzler” penalties and the extortion the company pays Tony.
Stellantis effectively paid for the R&D on the Jesus Truck since they didn’t have EVs going out in large numbers and still really don’t have a presence in that market.
Wow! That’s almost enough to pull a trailer holding your mom!
(Feel free to substitute “Donald Trump’s ego” if you live south of the yomamma line.)
TLDR: A diesel engine.
I always assumed they had one for the commercial sector, actually, a bit of a surprise.
That I can believe after paying for my 2025 F-150. And viewing a couple other vehicles on the lot, Platinum and Limited.
Very high maintenance costs for what most will be a grocery getter. Lose one injector and all must be replaced at the same time at about $1.2K each, almost $10K. Then factor in the high cost of oil changes, DEF fluid, fuel filters and separators, and other maintenance, ouch. Then the cost of Diesel, Of course they do get more MPG.
A few guys with tiny pee-pee’s will have a 4″ exhaust pipe installed and get a power chip that allows hard acceleration to blow soot out the exhaust. In my opinion anyone caught by LEOs pulling such a stunt should have the vehicle impounded, permanently.
Never forget that Bondi and Rick Scott RINO-FL gave us “Treyvon” when the prosecutor at the local level would not indict George Zimmerman.
Plus, there are whispers of Bondi and a certain “church” based in Clearwater, FL which go back to her days as the primary deputy to Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober whose own rise to power happened via a mysterious set of circumstances.
I could have done a better job of vetting Bondi than the Dems in the Senate. The fix was in.
Bondi is cleaning a modern day version of the Augean stables. I doubt that she will succeed.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/augean-stables
Planning on moving a house?
Towing my 38 foot Airstream that I also want to buy.
68F mild breeze, sunny and humid. Nice, especially for January.
My truck is telling me that it is 87 F outside. All of my air conditioners are spun up and running.
That’s what coffee is for.
Nah, coffee is just to lubricate the pipes.
BACON is for motivation 🙂
Planning on moving a house?
Towing my 38 foot Airstream that I also want to buy.
Just getting the $88K truck past the wife will be a Herculean task. The Airstream will be a Herculean Squared task.
The longest I can find is 33 feet and starts at $185K. The biggest issue with that model is that you have to travel the length of the trailer to pee in the middle of the night as the bathroom is at the rear, the bedroom at the front.
“Elon Musk’s Tesla loses title as world’s best-selling electric vehicle brand”
https://www.chron.com/business/article/tesla-loses-best-selling-electric-vehicle-title-21273141.php
“Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.”
“Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.”
This is not a fair comparison as I do not think that BYD electric vehicles meet USA safety standards and are not buyable in the USA.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/26/cars/china-byd-profile-tesla-rival-intl-hnk
Do you really think that $88K would be the price? By the time you add some reasonable options, like heated and cooled seats, etc. you are probably looking at six figures.
We have been to many RV shows, shopped for about 5 years to find one we liked. The Airstream trailers were definitely nice. Very well built and some great options. Other trailers offered more features for less money. Slide-outs are almost a necessity, more than one is good. Airstream has no slide-outs.
We like the door between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer. We like the kitchen on the back of the trailer as having a kitchen in the middle really breaks thinks up and restricts some usage.
We dumped the RV mattress and purchased a memory foam mattress. We took out one of the side cabinets in the bed area so we could put in a larger mattress.
We dumped the fold out love seat and put in two powered recliners. We replaced the cheap TV with a much better, and slightly bigger version.
We added shelfs in the bathroom and hooks outside the bathroom to hang coats. We replaced the A/C inlet/discharge for a much quieter version so we could hear the TV.
Our only mistake was not getting one slightly longer to give more room at the foot of the bed. But we don’t spend waking time in the bedroom so not a big issue. There are length limits in state parks and adding a couple of feet might have been a problem. In one state park it would have been impossible to fit in any site. As it is now the trailer just barely fits under the shelter.
The Herculean solution may be needed. How many bureaucrats can fit into the underground tunnels and meeting rooms?
Where is the outside door? The kitchen sink?
The longest I can find is 33 feet and starts at $185K. The biggest issue with that model is that you have to travel the length of the trailer to pee in the middle of the night as the bathroom is at the rear, the bedroom at the front.
Yeah, I shot from the hip on that one. I used to tow a 48 foot gooseneck enclosed trailer with four ? axles so I guess I got the 38 from the 48.
An advantage of the distant bathroom is that one does not have to smell the bathroom while in bed.
My bathroom is next to the bedroom, the bedroom has a door we rarely close. Odors from the bathroom have never been a problem. There is a powered vent in the ceiling.
The particle size of the soot from diesel engines is in the “notch” that is not filtered out of the air by the human body’s filters and gets into the lungs where it is not easily removed by the natural clearance mechanisms.
The Geico Gecko had a big investment in BYD until last September. IIRC, that ran for a couple of decades.
BYD had a huge year, but other countries are starting to consider steep tariffs against the Chinese to prevent dumping of vehicles below cost.
The local Dodge dealer doesn’t need another $100k vehicle he can’t sell.
Their lot is full, including a couple of EV Charger abominations that no one wants.
The Ford dealer is in worse shape. I know that they hide vehicles off property at a quarry about five minutes away.
Friday night, now Saturday morning. Home late from the opera. Heavy snowfall en route made for treacherous and slow driving conditions on the way home. Had a couple of beers with friends upon arrival. A jolly evening altogether.
The Magic Flute was well done. The soloists were good, with the exception of the Queen of the Night, who sadly really only squeaked out the high notes. My favourites of the evening were Papageno and Sarastro. Tamino had a nice voice, but the tenor was too old and portly to be convincing as a handsome prince and the love interest for Pamina.
Nick would probably have faulted the lighting for being a bit too dim, but as we had seats quite near the stage (parterre, row 8), I wasn’t too bothered. Overall, I found the orchestra a bit too loud in comparison to the singers, but that might have been due to our seats close to the pit.
Anyhow, it’s high time for bed. Goodnight!
Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year
Chinese Red Army BYD, which CLAIMED to sell 2.26 M vehicles last year.
— I don’t believe anything the chinese say. Everything they do is minimum effort, minimum cost, thin veneer over shlock…
——
home from my pickup. Hit Costco for a fillup, and to get my second helping of charmin, limit two… They had slabs of meat with $350 sell price on them. They had single cuts of japan wagu with $250 and up on them… who has the money for that?
Also hit Lowes for spray paint, and lucked into rough sawn cedar boards in the 50% off cart. Straight and good condition, and just what I need to fix the board and batten siding on my dockhouse. Sometimes the blind squirrel finds a nut.
——-
Thought I’d sold an ebay item, the last one for my buddy and me to split, but he didn’t respond to my counter offer. It was $1 more, so that I could send him a message and remind him it’s local pickup only. His account is Sugar Land, so I didn’t think that would be a deal breaker. Oh well, maybe it was just the holiday.
Time to cook some meat for W and D2. They’re watching The Hobbit.
n
Rankin-Bass or Peter Jackson?
Warner Bros. censored the Rankin-Bass version during the time my former corporate masters at the Death Star owned the studio.
I shudder to think what Netflix will do to the Warner back catalog.
Peter Jackson…
And they will gut the titles, remaking everything with gender and race swaps…
n
Alcoholic Supergirl is first up followed by Black Snape.
“Washington State AG Warns Citizen Journalists To Stop Investigating Somali Daycares Or Face Potential Hate Crime Charges”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/washington-state-ag-warns-citizen-journalists-stop-investigating-somali-daycares-or-face
Can we file hate charges on the Washington State AG ?
“Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down California Ban on Open Carry of Firearms”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-california-ban-on-open-carry-of-firearms-5965490?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=TheLibertyDaily
“The ban violates a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling because open carry is ‘part of this Nation’s history and tradition,’ the new ruling says.”
Yes ! We are getting closer and closer to Constitutional Carry from state to state.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
Currently 74F with a warm, moist breeze. Not what I expected for this evening.
n
“The Interventions Aren’t Working Any More”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2026-01-02/interventions-arent-working-any-more
“Panic is beginning to show up in the financial system.”
“As I noted earlier this week, rumors are swirling that a large, systemically important financial institution is being forced to liquidate its precious metal short positions. We get strong evidence of this from the CME Group which has suspiciously raised margins on precious metals futures trading for the SECOND time in one week (first on December 26 and again on December 31st).”
“The CME raises margins in this fashion whenever it begins to lose control of the precious metals market and is desperate to “flush out” a lot of positions. The fact it has done this TWICE in the last week alone suggests us someone “big” is likely on the wrong side of the precious metals trade.”
Uh oh. The last time they played this game, we ended up with defaulted credit swaps from Bear Stearns swamping the financial system in 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Stearns
“”Then It Is War”: Elon Musk Responds After Somali TikToker Threatens His Life”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/then-it-war-elon-musk-responds-after-somali-tiktoker-threatens-his-life
“A Somali TikToker (account now defunct), first highlighted by Libs of TikTok, mocked Americans about alleged Somali-linked fraud in Minnesota and pushed dangerous rhetoric suggesting Elon Musk was “about to die.” Such statements fit a broader alarming pattern surrounding the Democratic Party’s normalization of assassination culture against Musk and President Trump supporters.”
“”I wouldn’t worry too much about him. He [Musk] about to die,” TikToker “dowza.z” stated in a short 30-second clip. The account has since been taken down, and it remains unclear whether the TikToker deleted the account or whether the dangerous rhetoric directed at Musk violated the platform’s terms of service.”
Musk knows people. I wonder if his personal security budget has hit $300 million per year yet.
“Southlands (Lee Harden Series (The Remaining Universe), 10) by DJ Molles
https://www.amazon.com/Southlands-Lee-Harden-Remaining-Universe/dp/107025200X?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number ten of a eighteen book apocalyptic science fiction series. The series is segmented into eight books (two of the books are novellas), six books, and four books. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback published by D. J. Molles Books in 2019 that I purchased new in 2025 from Amazon. I own book 11 in the series and will read it soon.
Captain Lee Harden of the US Army is a member of the US Special Forces. His duty is to live in his remote US Army built home with a steel and lead concrete bunker underneath it. Any time the US government gets nervous, he goes down into his bunker with his dog and locks the vault door. He then talks with his supervisor daily over the internet until released by his supervisor to leave the bunker. His duty is to stay in the bunker during any event and come out thirty days after he has zero contact with his supervisor. Then it is his duty to find groups of people to restore order in his portion of the USA.
Then one day, Captain Harden has been sitting in his bunker for a couple of weeks and his supervisor does not call. A plague has been sweeping the planet and things are getting more dire by the day. Apparently the infected do not die but their brains are mostly wiped out. Zombies. A month later, Captain Harden and his dog emerge from their bunker to find a total disaster with infected roaming the countryside.
Captain Harden’s home and bunker were burned out after everything to eat or shoot was stolen by a gang of bad guys. But he has a secret, he has ten bunkers built by the U.S. Army strategically located around South Carolina. And only he can open the bunkers. But the bad guys are chasing Captain Harden to get the rest of the food and ammo from him. And nobody trusts anybody.
Captain Harden is recovering from his injuries at one of his bunkers. But Fort Bragg still needs diesel fuel to patrol, make the fence electricity to keep the primals out, and run the tractors planting the fields making their food. A cartel from Mexico has moved into Texas and has restarted one of the refineries. But they are selling the diesel to the fake USA President, not the eastern seaboard states.
The author has a website at:
https://djmolles.com/blog/the-remaining-universe-reading-order
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,370 reviews)
Lynn
Musk has had attempts already. He couch surfs partly to avoid having a fixed address to attack. IDK what his budget is, but I know there is one.
n
I think I’m going to read for a bit in bed, and get some sleep. School next week, and I’ve been staying up too late.
n
>>Ah, nothing like the sounds of lawn mowers on New Years Day.
[Well…seems that clicking the “Submit Your Comment” is still required. Apologies for the tardiness.]
Not many mowers here in the SW desert. Some industrial vacuums to help suck up some of fine dust could help though.
Happy New Year to one and all that make this a great place to hang out…and even learn a thing or two…
Even about flatulence!
Sleep. That didn’t work out.
I read, but instead of getting sleepy, I finished the book and I’m still in a weird headspace that doesn’t seem at all sleepy.
Body seems tired, brain not so much.
I’ll try having a snack and then go lay down again.
n