Sat. Jan. 31, 2026 – getting cold again..

By on January 31st, 2026 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

Still cold, and headed colder. Supposed to get a hard freeze this weekend. Yesterday never warmed up much, staying overcast and mid 50sF for most of the day. I expect we’ll start cold and get colder today.

I had a eye doctor appointment in the morning yesterday, early enough that I was fighting my wife for shower access, and yet late enough to fill most of the morning. I did come home and mess around before going out to do pickups. They were not an efficient use of my time or gas as they were widely spaced, and the stuff wasn’t super valuable. Sometimes all your unlucky stacks.

Today the kids are busy, but at least nominally I am not. In fact, I’ll be working the list. Once I get up.

There will be some weather related stuff to do too, I’m sure. Maybe I’ll put a space heater out in the garage. It’s getting pretty cold out there and a freeze might have unfortunate consequences for some of the stuff stored there.

I’m sure I’ll also continue sorting and stacking both at home and the shop.

Stuff isn’t gonna stack itself…

nick

42 Comments and discussion on "Sat. Jan. 31, 2026 – getting cold again.."

  1. brad says:

    I had a junk call today.  I don’t know why they bother me.

    May be just random. But also, they tend to target older folks, in hopes of getting someone who is maybe a bit confused, maybe in the early stages of dementia.

    Speaking of which: y’all know about the grandkid scams. Now, with AI voices, there are scams where the voice really sounds like your grandkid.

    Oh, and just wait until the sex robots arrive.

    Still a few more years. There are enough lonely males out there who would want a sex robot, but most will want plausible deniability, i.e., “I just have it to do the household”.

    Robots like Tesla’s Optimus will be marketed as household help, and be exactly that. Then they will make human-looking versions, which will become ever more…um…complete.

    Give it a few years…

  2. Denis says:

    Saturday. Good morning. Is that the time already? I have to get up!!

    Stuff to do. Hunting season is over now until the roebucks open again in May. Time to empty the car of all the woods gear, do a clean, tidy and sort. Put stuff away.  Probably do a laundry load of “delicates”; wool and silk cold-weather clothes. Turn out all the pockets. Clean and wax my Meindl boots (Pecard’s leather wax – it smells nice and is kind to the hands), clean and oil the rifle, clean the binoculars, sharpen and Renaissance-wax the knives, etc. etc.

    Maybe my missing FLASHLIGHT will turn up, but I’m not hopeful. Order another either way. I might give the car its annual wash, although I think I will wait with that until road-salt season is over.

    Shower and breakfast first, though. Is there any milk in the house? Might need to go shopping. IfI  go shopping, I’ll be near the recycling depot, so I should bring glass bottles, cardboard and old batteries too. Fractal jobs.

    Have a good Saturday.

  3. Denis says:

    @denis, your link is wrong.  I wanted oboe music, instead I got a wild boar hunting video.

    Cool rifle, though.

    Odd.

    This should get you to Morricone conducts Morricone…

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s7w-IeNR9ko

  4. Greg Norton says:

    I’ve never bought into the concept that Redmond was interested in running Windows on top of Linux, but one of the two key pieces which I believe would be necessary for that to happen would be a closed source rewrite of Systemd to function like Windows.

    That chances of that rewrite project taking place just got lower.

    https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/29/lennart_poettering_quits_microsoft/

    As long as Microsoft continues on their current trajectory with Windows 11, more people with “obsolete” hardware are going to explore their options beyond Windows 10 once free extended support ends next year.

  5. Ray Thompson says:

    Two inches of the frozen fluffy precipitation is on the ground and more lightly coming down. I expect another inch by the end of the day. A really dry snow because it is 15F.

    The property tax relief check from the state for being a disabled veteran arrives today. Exempts the first $175K of property value for city and county taxes. Texas is better as Texas exempts 100% of property tax on the primary residence. A nice benefit.

  6. Greg Norton says:

    The property tax relief check from the state for being a disabled veteran arrives today. Exempts the first $175K of property value for city and county taxes. Texas is better as Texas exempts 100% of property tax on the primary residence. A nice benefit.

    If you are on 100% disability, Texas exempts 100% of the property taxes. Beyond that, the rules get complicated following the “reform” in 2023.

  7. MrAtoz says:

    Tee hee:

    Oh, NO! Secretary General Warns that the UN Might Be on the Verge of Financial Collapse

    No more “diplomats”, especially from Mooslim countries using diplomatic immunity to shit all over NYFC. Breaks my heart. I hope tRump holds back all dues.

  8. Lynn says:

     Now I have cataracts; I wonder what it’s going to be like as I go through the surgery and lens tuning with that process.  I plan to keep shooting regularly.

    No tuning whatsoever for me.  Both of my eyes are now 20/20 now.  My eyes previously were 20/450 and 20/725.  I do have to use +1.25 readers for computer and +2.00 readers for reading books.

  9. Lynn says:

    Today started at 6am and then 630 am in the deer blind at 23 F.  It was nippy.  My brother brought two 1 lb propane heaters which helped until the wind came up.

    My brother has 75 to 100 white tail deer on his 200 acre ranch.  We had 18 deer come by but not the deer that he wanted to cull.  It was fun watching the deer, the males beating on the females for the corn, etc.

  10. Greg Norton says:

    No more “diplomats”, especially from Mooslim countries using diplomatic immunity to shit all over NYFC. Breaks my heart. I hope tRump holds back all dues.

    The strip club business in NYC would collapse without the stream of foreign money.

    Watch “Anora”.

  11. drwilliams says:

    Ridiculous!

    https://ace.mu.nu/archives/flashlights.jfif

    At least half the FLASHLIGHTS! are not attached.

  12. lpdbw says:

    I only have one “attached” light, on my tacky tactical AR.  With foregrip, red dot, backup sights, sling.  Way over the top for me, but at least no bayonet chainsaw.

    That reminds me I need to change batteries in the FLASHLIGHT and the sight.  And maybe take it to the range for some exercise.

  13. lpdbw says:

    Catherine O’Hara

    Demond Wilson

    These things don’t always come in threes, but often enough to make you wonder.  Who’s next?

  14. MrAtoz says:

    plugs?

  15. nick flandrey says:

    Jeez, looks like I did my first post in yesterday’s comments again.   Old geezer like me probably shouldn’t be allowed near a computer…

    n

  16. nick flandrey says:

    Just build the camps and ovens, Keefe

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/01/30/starmer-government-greenlights-15-minute-city-trial-enforcement/

     I wow.    Next comes the gates, then the walls.  Or maybe they’ll just geofence with every new car being required to respect the boundaries.  Has no one heard of the Warsaw ghetto?   Someone will find a way to game the borders and fence the undesireables.

    FFS people.

    n

  17. nick flandrey says:

    Maybe Dr Jill can nurse him for the next decade?

    n

  18. nick flandrey says:

    This attached glucose monitor is like being a cyborg.   It’s pretty cool to see how my body reacts to food in real time…

    At $10/day, I hope insurance will pay for at least a couple more so I can experiment with eating different things, but if they won’t, it might be worth it for me to pay on my own.

    n

  19. lpdbw says:

    Query:  Tai Chi, yea or nay?

  20. drwilliams says:

    Plugs?

    No. I want Dr. Jill to die with her arm up the arse of that meat puppet. 

  21. nick flandrey says:

    Tai Chi, yea or nay? 

    – wrt?   I studied and practice Tai Chi Chuan for many years, and it increases strength, balance, and flexibility.   It’s what I mean when I say “I should start stretching again” because stretching helps your practice immensely.

    I have felt the other things you are supposed to feel, the ‘flow’ and the feeling of my chi moving me not my muscles…  I’ve seen demonstrations from advanced practitioners that I can’t explain.  My own eyes, and in the room…

    Even without the woo woo, it’s worth doing.   I have been looking for somewhere to go to start back up, but I’m not finding anything serious anywhere near me.    Also, yang style is the easier, more accessible form that I learned back in the day, while most of the serious guys want to teach chen style.  For someone looking to start and mostly focused on health benefits, you definitely want yang style.

    n

  22. drwilliams says:

    Clinton appointee orders release of illegal alien, gets date wrong, raves, exits room peeing on robes:

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/01/31/judge-orders-release-of-viral-father-and-son-duo-held-by-dhs-n2670466

    Our judicial system needs to be cleaned out. 

    Where is Hercules when we need him?

  23. drwilliams says:

    In 2024 this is what you hoped for,

    this is what you prayed for,

    this is what you voted for.

    So why are you questioning every decision he makes now that he’s back in office?

    God didn’t save his life to let him make mistakes.

    He knows what he’s doing.

    Maybe it’s time to STFU and let him cook. [see photos at 00:20]

    This has been a public service announcement paid for by the Dilley Meme Team

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/donald-trump-endorses-this-message.php

  24. drwilliams says:

    Ignorant leftists proves herself unfit for office, gets slapped unconscious by Big D:

    Boston’s Mayor Wu: “Every single human being has the legal right to come to the United States and seek shelter”

    Governor Ron DeSantis: “Well, just not in Martha’s Vineyard from what I hear…”https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2026/01/31/heavy-d-with-the-tko-ron-desantis-blasts-michelle-wu-over-immigration-rights-n2424531

    https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2026/01/31/heavy-d-with-the-tko-ron-desantis-blasts-michelle-wu-over-immigration-rights-n2424531

    [pulls out the 10-key]: Let’s see: 4 billion (rounded) divided by fitty = [squints at tape] 80 million.

    When she wakes up tell Shelly we start shipping her share Monday.

    Shades of John Brunner! Who knew we could stand all the illegal immigrants in the U.S. on Martha’s Vineyard?

  25. drwilliams says:

    ICE can stay in Minnesota, judge rules

    Minnesota cannot order ICE to leave, judge rules

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/ice-can-stay-in-minnesota-judge-rules.php

    FIFY

    And Keith X is a woman beating, whiny little snot.

  26. drwilliams says:

    AF Branco Cartoon:

    Indictment: Don Lemon Pie

    https://townhall.com/political-cartoons/afbranco/2026/01/31/213411?hpnl=true

    suggestion for future:

    Conviction: Don Lenema

  27. Greg Norton says:

    Governor Ron DeSantis: “Well, just not in Martha’s Vineyard from what I hear…”https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2026/01/31/heavy-d-with-the-tko-ron-desantis-blasts-michelle-wu-over-immigration-rights-n2424531

    The airport on Martha’s Vineyard is located in a very remote area of the island. IIRC, the state got a judge to issue an injunction against future Air DeSantis flights due to the costs involved in finding the migrants a place to stay after landing.

    We drove by the airport several times criss crossing Martha’s Vineyard for “Jaws” tourism two years ago. 

  28. drwilliams says:

    A Voter Fraud Reckoning in Georgia?

    Recently, I had a conversation with Garland Favorito, a co-founder of VoterGA, which is a nonprofit organization promoting election integrity.  Although the raid had not taken place at that time, Favorito identified several issues that might explain why the FBI is now seeking records.

    Immediately after the 2020 election, six poll-watchers claimed that several ballots contained anomalies.  The signature ink appeared to be toner, abnormal paper was used, or the ballots lacked creases, even though they had to be folded to fit in the mailing envelope.  Most of these ballots lacked markings for any of the down-ballot races.

    As a result, Mr. Favorito filed a lawsuit, seeking the right to inspect the paper ballots.  He was denied access because, according to lower courts, he lacked standing.  In 2022, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that he did have standing.  Nevertheless, Fulton County has refused to give access to the ballots.

    Other problems in the election records include the following:

    • Fulton County has acknowledged that, contrary to legal requirements, 315,000 early vote ballots were unsupported by signed poll worker tabulator tapes.
    • Garland Favorito also noted that thousands of scanned ballot image files were “impossible.”  For example, the tif image files were dated hours or days in advance of the SHA authentication files, even though the two files are produced simultaneously.
    • 4,000 image files had precisely the same timestamp, even though it takes about 1 second to scan each one.
    • 130,000 mail-in ballots had no SHA file whatever, even though SHA files are required by Georgia law.
    • For almost 18,000 votes, there are no paper or image files whatever.
    • There was a report (from an election staffer) that signatures were not reviewed in Fulton County, despite a legal requirement.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/a_voter_fraud_reckoning_in_georgia.html

    I count 467,000 ballots that should not have been counted (assuming the complaints are unique ballots) plus the unspecified “thousands” of “impossible” ballots, plus every ballot with a signature that was not reviewed.

    That’s more than enough to prevent the certification of ballot totals from Fulton County.

    The same courts that prat about “standing” turn around and allow blatant violations of the voting laws and whine about “disenfranchising voters”. Every unlawful vote disenfranchises voters, and if it’s done as part of a conspiracy to tip the count away from the lawful winner, it disenfranchises thousands.

    The remedy is to hold the votes responsible for electing officials that are careless, incompetent, or dishonest–aka “You disenfranchised your own selves when you elected charlatans. Do better or your next votes won’t get counted, either.”

  29. nick flandrey says:

    @greg, is Fulton county where you blamed the libertarians for voting their conscience?   It was somewhere in Georgia, wasn’t it?    

    Not trying for snark, but maybe there was someone else to blame?

    n

  30. drwilliams says:

    “Immediately after the 2020 election, six poll-watchers claimed that several ballots contained anomalies.  The signature ink appeared to be toner, abnormal paper was used, or the ballots lacked creases, even though they had to be folded to fit in the mailing envelope.  Most of these ballots lacked markings for any of the down-ballot races.”

    Neither the courts, nor the Democrats, nor the LSM gave a flying f*ck when presnted with strong evidence of vote fraud. The only thing that those groups were concerned with was preventing anything from being investigated.

    12
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  31. Lynn says:

    “Virginians Just Got a $600 Power Bill Wake-Up Call”

        https://www.cypher-news.com/2026/01/virginians-just-got-a-600-power-bill-wake-up-call/

    “Grant here. You hear about whacky liberal climate policies, but rarely do you get to see them hit people right in the pocketbook. In the great and rather blue state of Virginia, residents are freaking out as their utility bills have gone from manageable to the rate one would pay for a semi-luxury car. Let’s break it down.”

    “A new video is going viral of a Virginia woman who opened her latest power bill and realized something was seriously off. It had jumped from a normal $200–$300 range to more than $600 overnight. This spike wasn’t from blasting the AC or leaving lights on; after all, bills don’t triple because of behavior. They tripled because of Democrat-driven climate agendas.”

    I hope Virginians really love their new dumbrocrat masters.

    Hat tip to:
    https://thelibertydaily.com/

  32. Lynn says:

    “Epstein Victim: Bill Barr, Leon Black “Present” While Jay-Z and Harvey Weinstein Abused Her”

       https://thelibertydaily.com/epstein-victim-bill-barr-leon-black-present-while/

    “Newly unsealed files from the Department of Justice have thrust several high-profile figures back into the spotlight of Jeffrey Epstein’s sordid world. A redacted FBI intake form from July 2019 details harrowing accusations from a woman who says she was repeatedly abducted, drugged, and sexually assaulted in settings tied to the convicted sex offender. Among those named in her account: rapper Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, billionaire financier Leon Black, and former Attorney General William Barr.”

    “The document, part of the latest Epstein files dump released by the DOJ, paints a picture of repeated trauma spanning years. The victim described being snatched from her home in 1996 by an unknown person, only to wake up in what she believed was Epstein’s Florida mansion.”

    Well, well, well.  Wasn’t it Bill Barr who said Trump was a shame to the country ?  

    Look who participated in abuse of a woman.  Dare I say rape ?

  33. Ray Thompson says:

    I am amazed that there are three million, plus, pages of documentation on Epstein.

  34. Greg Norton says:

    @greg, is Fulton county where you blamed the libertarians for voting their conscience?   It was somewhere in Georgia, wasn’t it?    

    Not trying for snark, but maybe there was someone else to blame?

    Most of the stories I’ve seen about the fraud indicate that the suspect ballots tend to ignore the down ballot races.

    Statewide, Purdue won reelection in the November election, but he was 11,000 votes short of the 50% + 1 vote needed to avoid the runoff against John Ossoff.

    60,000 voters chose the Libertarian candidate in the Senate race, but only 30,000 voted for the party’s choice for President.

    Of course, how 11,000 Libertarians (guessing) voted never would have mattered if 200,000 Purdue voters from November hadn’t stayed home for the runoff..

    John Ossoff is … how should I phrase this … of the Hebrew persuasion … cough … and a big victory margin in the core of the Atlanta metro would have raised suspicion.

    Ossoff plays well in the northern suburbs, but not in Fulton County and points south.

    Even a big Warnock victory in those precincts would have been odd,

    The Libertarian Party in Georgia needs an enema. IIRC they were also a deciding factor in Warnock’s reelection in 2022 running a former Socialist.

    6
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  35. nick flandrey says:

    Home from a high school musical.   No feedback, but sound wasn’t as good as our middle school.   Some good voices, and a couple of really good performances.   One of D2’s friends has a really good voice.  Who knew?

    I’ve seen less appealing performances from “professional” theater.  Like this one.

    The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?

    is a 2000 Tony Award-winning play by Edward Albee. It tells the story of Martin, a,50-year-old architect, who falls in love with a goat named Sylvia, causing his 22-year marriage to Stevie and his relationship with their son to collapse. The tragicomedy explores themes of taboo, social morality, and the boundaries of love. 

    That was more than two hours of my life I’ll never get back.   At least I enjoyed watching the kids in this show.

    n

  36. Greg Norton says:

    Well, well, well.  Wasn’t it Bill Barr who said Trump was a shame to the country ?  

    Look who participated in abuse of a woman.  Dare I say rape ?

    GTE legend is that upper management had a flat-out orgy to celebrate closing the deal with Bell Atlantic to create Verizon.

    Bill Barr was General Counsel at GTE who helped mastermind the “merger of equals”, his tenure and mine with the company overlapping for all but a few months.

    Barr’s father also was the headmaster at the private school in NYC where Jeffrey Epstein taught math on shaky qualifications and educational background.

  37. EdH says:

    Looks like it might get brisk in Barbara’s neck of the woods tonight.  

    5F @ 22mph,  ouch.

    Maybe that”s normal?

    “We are Sparta!”

  38. nick flandrey says:

    One of the interesting things about the constant  blood glucose monitor is seeing the shape of the curve as it fluctuates.    Bread with the meal means a sharp pointed triangle shape.   Straight slope up to a point, then straight slope down to the baseline, sharp corners, like an equilateral triangle.    Rice and beans is a very smooth rise, smooth curve and then down into a smooth curve, like the top half of a sine wave, but with the curve in and out more curved…. 

    I don’t know what any of it means, but I’m confident that if I need to make changes, I will be able to make choices that will get what I need.  And the zero carb lunch (pork tenderloin, celery, a bit of cheese) had no effect on the baseline, maybe a couple of points but mostly straight.  I’m  a cyborg with a process dashboard!

    n

  39. Nick Flandrey says:

    Barr’s father also was the headmaster at the private school in NYC where Jeffrey Epstein taught math

    It’s a big club, and we ain’t in it.  

    Which is fine with me.

    n

  40. Nick Flandrey says:

    31F.  I’m going to bed.

    n

  41. Lynn says:

    I forgot to mention that there was still snow on the ground in the shade at my brother’s ranch.  Freaking cold !

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