Cool again, and wet. 60sF to start, and finish, and maybe in between. Like yesterday. Although there was an occasional patch of sunshine, it was mostly overcast with a light drizzle yesterday. Sometimes that light drizzle turned into a heavy downpour. Like always, it really depended on where you were in town and when. I think today’s forecast is the same.
I ended up staying awake all morning, despite the poor sleep, I wasn’t really sleepy. So I got my auction stuff done, then headed out. Scrap yard first, very small payday. Not monetarily worth the time, but I did get a load of stuff out of the driveway and out of the shop. Then to The Woodlands to pickup two auctions. Both invoices were mostly food. Coffee and lunch treats were on sale…
Then it was back to Houston for the second pickup. One stop on the way home from there, and it was time to start dinner. That no one was home to eat. I guess I should look at the family calendar. The pork tenderloins will be just as delicious today.
I do have a pickup today, I bought more of the medical rolling laptop stands that had the LiION battery and charger in them. It’s a great battery and the charger is hospital grade. I also might do an optional pickup if I have time. It’s one I usually combine with another, but IDK if I’ll be getting anything in the other auction. I’ve been cutting back. Still, can’t pass up the batteries as that is a weak area in my solar and prepping plans. Hospital grade baby!
Keep looking for holes, and fill them with stacks…
nick
I love pork tenderloin. Invite me!
Wednesday. Good morning! I just got out of a training session about chairing meetings. Mostly a refresher for me, but the trainer is an absolute mistress of her craft. If she gave a course on “panoramic views inside a ping-pong ball”, I would sign up for it. Excellent use of a morning. Now to do some productive work…
I seem to have a reasonably high tolerance for “strong sensation”.
I had an invasive medical procedure some years ago. Nobody had mentioned anaesthesia beforehand, so I wasn’t expecting any. The doctor apparently forgot to administer it, although it is part of the procedure, and he only did so when the theatre nurse freaked out after noticing a loaded but unused syringe… The procedure was certainly more comfortable without the strong sensation, but it was tolerable with it, as I wasn’t expecting painlessness.
Same with recoil from gubs. It’s there, and it can be a strong sensation. Don’t let it dominate.
Now… white asparagus with ham, chopped eggs and melted butter for lunch, I think.
65F and overcast. Street looks dry anyway. Might be some ‘early morning low clouds’ out there too.
———–
I’m napping once everyone is out the door. Another short night, with poor sleep. And an alarm waking me before I was due to wake anyway. I thought about muting them before bed, and ate a Nutty Buddy instead. It didn’t quite last until morning. I still strongly suspect it’s measurement error rather than a real thing.
———–
New camera for the side of the house came in yesterday. Maybe there’ll be time today to bang it into place. It is much smaller and less noticeable than the cam I was initially going to use. Now that project can move forward anyway.
———–
I’ve had a snack, peanut butter and sliced apple, so that should carry me for a couple of hours.
n
James Dalton: “Pain don’t hurt.”
You can’t hate them enough:
Yale Elite’s War on Boomers: ‘Tax the Olds, Evict Them, Retire Them — Their Stuff Belongs to Us Now’
Logan’s Run comes early. Why not put Futurama suicide booths on street corners. When you turn 35, report for disintegration.
The NYT is the fish wrapper of record. Why would they run such a trash article unless they were total commie pinko bastards?
Other than some hazy clouds the latest California storms haven’t been very dramatic locally. Winds, but that is normal.
That dumpster is still available, I need to start filling it.
—-
I think my tax refund has arrived, I’ll have to check later.
Is that a response to MrAtoz’s commentary on Yale professors and the NYT staff?
I woke up to read an email from our HOA in San Antonio. “If you can safely turn off your gas, please do so. Evacuate the neighborhood immediately! Two houses were blown up by a gas leak!” WTAF! Checking the Express News, and yes, there was an explosion. I don’t have gas at the SA house and didn’t realize there was even gas. All our neighbors are electric only, like us. They turned the power off for 8 hours, and the UPS died at the house. I can’t log into the server. The cameras are back up, so the internet is working. I can’t see any houses burned down. The PTZ on the garage can look up and down the street, and I see no craters.
My daughter will go to the house later today to start up the Mac mini and NAS. Check if the UPS is on and charging. Start the attached drives, one holds the Apple TV library and one is for backup.
Truck roll to fix an IT problem, give the daughter her $400 service fee?
—
I’ve rolled to my client’s house to turn UPSs back on. Some will recover, some sit there waiting for you.
—
Just got the email that one of my prescriptions is ready. Do I want to prepay the copay? 53 cents. That’s the one my dr wanted to replace with something newer. Naw bro, works fine.
n
Unlike certain readers of this site, who have gas everywhere.
“Three victims identified as gas leak source confirmed in North Side explosions”
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/three-being-treated-after-natural-gas-explosion-at-north-side-home-fire-department-says
Following that link got me a brief flash of the page, then a “whoops, something went wrong, visit our home page” error. Turning off javascript and reloading got me the page without the error. I guess they don’t like direct linking.
n
Snicker. It’s a gift, that keeps on giving.
Lunch at Schlotsky’s today. About what I remember.
“Yale Elite’s War on Boomers”
Ivy League campus poofters. Please drop by for a talk–there’s better people would like to have your seat.
Lunch ended up happening much later than intended, with the result that I felt the need for something substantial.
I revised the planned asparagus “à la flamande” into spirelli pasta with asparagus and ham in an asparagus parmesan cream sauce. It was delicious, rich and filling (tip: cook the pasta in the cooking water from the asparagus), but now I am feeling like early bed – maybe even hibernation – is on the cards.
That is helped by the fact that I just spent a couple of hours after work dealing with boxes and buckets in the garage of range brass that needed putting away. That stuff is heavy; I probably moved a few times my own bodyweight in metal. A fair portion of it is .22 casings, which will need separating out and bringing to the scrap metal place. I am hoping for a moderate windfall for my efforts.
In the course of my tidying, I seem to have discovered some ammunition in a calibre for which I don’t think I have a rifle. Dilemma – do I give it to someone with the correct rifle, or buy one for myself? Hmm.
Here’s How Trump Can Nuke Virginia’s New Gerrymandered Map — And It’s Brilliant!
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/04/22/heres-how-trump-can-nuke-virginias-gerrymandered-map-n4952052
and no reason not to.
Someone needs to do a little economic consequence computation, and see what kind of hole gets blown in the VA state budget if Arlington and Alexandria get returned to DC.
VA state tax rates are 2% to 5.75% (above 17,000), so most of those cities are at 5.75%.
Washington DC rates are 4% to 10.75%, with 60,000-250,000 at 8.5%.
That means most of the government workers in those cities are going to see a 50% jump in their state tax rate, and some even higher.
Delicious.
@Denis
“In the course of my tidying, I seem to have discovered some ammunition in a calibre for which I don’t think I have a rifle. Dilemma – do I give it to someone with the correct rifle, or buy one for myself? Hmm”
Not a good reason to expand your caliber inventory. Try swapping for a caliber you use.
I’m working on decreasing the number of calibers I need. Since ballistic testing has put paid to 40 S&W, I intend to convert my last handgub in that cal to 9mm–just as soon as I use up the cartridges.
“Jumper: A Novel” by Steven Gould
https://www.amazon.com/Jumper-Novel-Steven-Gould/dp/0765357690?tag=ttgnet-20
Book number one of a four book science fiction series. Or is it a fantasy series ? I have read this book several times, maybe seven or eight times now. I read the well printed and well bound second edition MMPB published by Tor in 2008 that I bought new from Amazon. I have two other editions of the book in the original MMPB and trade paperback. I am reading the other three books in the series now.
The first time Davy jumped, he was sixteen and his drunken father was beating him. The second time Davy jumped, he was on the road and a number of men were getting ready to rape him. The third time he jumped, it was planned.
This is another book that Heinlein would be proud of. The first time that I read this, it was after “Reflex”, the second book in the series, also highly recommended. BTW, another reviewer stated that this is one of the best revenge books of all time, they are not wrong.
Per the American Library Association, Jumper was one of the 100 most frequently banned books in America 1990-1999. The author is very proud of this fact.
There was a same named movie made from the book in 2008. More of an inspiration as it was not very faithful to the book. There was a book published for the movie by the author but, that book is not canon so I ignore it even though I own a copy. There is also a TV series on Youtube called “Impulse” like the third book in the series. The only similarity it had to the book was its name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=holzBghWTlY
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars (yes, this is one of my six star books, deal with it).
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,988 reviews)
Lynn
I haven’t read the book but liked the movie Jumper.
“Newsom Orders Reservoirs Emptied In Preparation For Fire Season”
https://babylonbee.com/news/newsom-orders-reservoirs-emptied-in-preparation-for-fire-season
Probably true.
A Virginia Circuit Court Has Just Ruled The State’s New Congressional Map Unconstitutional
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2026/04/22/virginia-supreme-court-has-ruled-the-states-new-congressional-map-unconstitutional-n2674913
The Dems violated the safeguards built in to the VA state constitution.
That won’t keep the VA Supreme Court from doing whatever lefty partisan thing they want to find in a penumbra in a vodka bottle under Hillary Clintons vacation home.
There is still nothing on the deposit pre-notification from the US Treasury. Seems strange as it was against my draft account whereas all my money from the treasury goes to my money market account. Where the treasury got the draft account number I have no idea. Especially from the San Francisco office where my primary finance center is Kansas.
@Lynn – consider the source of your story – that source is satirical, not actual news.
Actually, the water storage in northern CA is in pretty good shape. The storm the past few days here has dropped good amounts of rain. a long with snow in the mountains – enough snow to require chains and closures over the mountain passes in northern CA.
Most reservoirs in CA are at 90% capacity and above.
oh, gee, fooled me, too.
I’m nearly certain that he did, hence his “Probably true” statement. Meaning: Probably true, in spite of the source.
But the Bee at least admits to being satire. CNN, M-SNOW, ABC, AP – all the typical dumbo sites – they spew falsehoods and enemy propaganda and pretend to be telling the truth.
“Enemy propaganda” often being anything you don’t agree with.
And occasionally being “Don’t bother me with the facts, my mind is made up”.
@OldGuy; TheBabylonBee.com is SUPPOSED TO BE humor and satire, but too often it is “Tomorrow’s News Today”, and ESPECIALLY about Cacafornia. Sometimes I think that the Sacramento legislators read the Babylon Bee site, and think, “Hey, that looks like a GREAT idea!”
Again, if it weren’t for projection, liberals would have nothing.
Who let the troll out! Woof!, Woof!…WoofWoof!
“Jumper: A Novel” by Steven Gould
https://www.amazon.com/Jumper-Novel-Steven-Gould/dp/0765357690?tag=ttgnet-20
BTW, I am reading the series again as a celebration to Artemis 2 making it successfully around the Moon. The fourth book in the series has extensive space stuff with Space Gurl !
“Famous UFO Researcher David Wilcock Dead from ‘Apparent Suicide’ TWO DAYS After Posting Video Warning About How it’s ‘Scary’ that ‘Scientists Are Going Missing,’ Previously Posted About How He’s Not Suicidal (VIDEO)”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/famous-ufo-researcher-david-wilcock-dead-apparent-suicide/
“This latest death fits directly into a disturbing pattern that The Gateway Pundit has been reporting on for weeks.”
“As we have detailed in multiple articles, the FBI under Director Kash Patel has launched a major investigation into the mysterious deaths and disappearances of at least 11 high-level U.S. scientists with access to classified information in nuclear, aerospace, propulsion, missile technology, and UAP-related programs.”
“President Donald Trump has publicly stated the White House is looking into the cases, describing the string of incidents as highly suspicious.”
Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.
I finally hanged / hung / whatever a couple of mirrors today. 22×30 inches. I wanted them centered with the windows. And on the wall between window frame and room corner. Middle of mirror same as middle of window. Almost perfectly level, the bubble just touches one side of the center segment. What’s that? 1/64 of an inch across 12 and ¼ inches? It looks good.
The two pictures that were on the wall will find a new place. And then I’ll hang the vac sealed bags on the picture hooks to hide a grand each. Yeah, nuts. But if I need a couple of grand “right now”, I got it.
And the folks reading this are the only ones to know this.
Apparently, some commenters here think that anyone who disagrees with them – by comments or downvoting – is a ‘troll’.
But it indicates to me that it must be easy to hurt the feelings of those that accuse me of being a troll just because I express a different opinion than them.
I don’t care if others think I am a troll, although I don’t agree with that characterization. I am just adding my comments and/or opinions without being bothered if they offend others because they may not agree with their me. I am not disagreeing with others just to be ‘trollish’.
For me, say what you want. I might agree. I might think you are full of processed dog food.
It’s fine with me if you think the same about what I say.
I’m like, wanting to hear all sides.
The weed smoking club -er- “think tank” known as The Texas Tribune pretends to be a real newspaper, and a lot of people who don’t live here buy the deception because the “facts” presented fit their ideology and are not paywalled like articles at The Austin-American Statesman, Austin’s actual paper of record.
BTW, Gannett sold The Statesman to Hearst shortly after Trump was sworn in for the second term last year.
Except this is not disagreeing, this is putting others down who do not agree with your opinion.
Again, that is not what you did. Dissenting opinions are OK, putting others down because you don’t like their opinion, will not endear you to anyone here.
You might as well read Facebook memes instead of The Texas Tribune. Or The Atlantic or Salon or Huffpost if you want feel you have read something “like official professional journalism.
I think folks confuse The Texas Tribune with The Texas Observer. The Observer was a good mag.
I don’t know about the Statesman. The last one I saw was at WalMart. $2.50 for a weekday edition and the freaking Greensheet which is free was larger.
The Statesman was done and over with when they sold their printing plant on Riverside and started having the paper printed elsewhere, in San Marcos if memory serves.
My bladder woke me at 3am. What the heck? Did one of the dogs imitate a 3D printer? In the bedroom? Almost eye watering. No, nothing I can find. The living room smelled ok. Both dogs are sound asleep making their little snoring noises.
Buddy the Beagle ripped one in his sleep. Skills, he has a few.
“U.S. Gov’t Could End Up Owning 90% Of Spirit In Rescue Deal”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-admin-nears-possible-rescue-deal-spirit-airlines-14000-jobs-risk
“Both reports state that the draft deal could provide up to $500 million in financing in exchange for warrants tied to a large equity stake, although talks remain ongoing and no final agreement has been reached.”
I do not like this.
One of my dogs was asleep in the middle of the living room floor. Let loose a giant, prolonged, ripping fart. Woke up and jumped up and ran in circles, looking at her butt. Then looked at my wife and me accusingly. No, dumbhead, that was all you.
Let them fail. Pay the unemployment benefits and move on. They went into protection twice iirc already. THEY set their fares and if they set them too low, then too f’ing bad. I’m tired of bailing out companies that made bad decisions the cornerstone of their business.
n
The Atlantic is now the personal mouthpiece of Steve Jobs widow.
Trump and/or Sean Duffy must know someone in the C suite.
Trump and/or Sean Duffy must know someone in the C suite.
I think that Trump does not want any company with more than 10,000 employees to fail.
You think what OldGuy said was putting someone down?
There is still a post live on this blog calling another commenter the n word.
Go clutch your pearls somewhere else.
It takes a lot more than just being on the wrong side of issues to be a troll. That’s just a starting point.
Sneering, condescension, intentionally missing the point and the humor take it a step further.
Relying on any mainstream media service as evidence is just sad. The recent rule from others is ‘you don’t hate the media enough”. The rule I developed on my own, since the early 1980’s, is this: when reading/listening to any mainstream story, figure out what they’re lying about, and if it’s just incompetence, or malign. If malign, is it personal or anti-American?
Making fun of Gavin Newsom is the least he deserves. Defending him is a sign of seriously bad judgment, perhaps to the level of mental illness or significant impairment.
Enemy propaganda is, essentially, propaganda that aids our enemies. Like, for instance, lying and saying “diversity is our strength” or “Trans women are women” or presenting anonymous sources as gospel when it’s rumors about our administration ( cf. Hegseth, Patel) but sitting on evidence about Smallwell and any other Democrat sexual abuser, for years and years. Promoting, or perhaps even producing, false stories like the Charlotte “fine people” hoax, the Russia Collusion hoax, and all the other similar hoaxes.
I think the Troll accusation is misplaced in this instance. This is a simple difference of opinion, brought on by ignorance and programming. Leftists seem to be more susceptible to the fallacy of “I’m better educated and always right” than Righties or Independents.
Of course, “Troll” could just be shorthand for “ignorant and programmed”. But that’s not how I use it.
Sniff, sniff. I will have to cry myself to sleep. Oh, the horror!
Link?
I don’t recall anyone calling anyone else that word. Numbskull, yeah. Is that the n word?
Oh, and oh my god someone said ni gger the world is gonna end. Stop the “n word” garbage and just speak English.
Spirit deserves its fate.
Anyone who believes otherwise should be prepared to share their personal experiences flying on the airline.
I did. Once. That was enough.
Dania Beach also raises the possibility of Jewish and/or Cuban mafia involvement.
Nice going, Paul. You’ve made the prophecy come true.
The n-word isn’t forbidden if it’s widely used in casual conversation, music and film.
Reserving it for the exclusive use of a particular group–and note that you can’t sort the group with a skin duskometer–is just a cheap power play, made even cheaper by the rampant anti-Semitism of that group.
Oh hey. While we are digging up posts with un-pc words, have you found any faggots?
Even I, rude and crude as I am, would never call someone a faggot. A “flaming bundle of sticks” absolutely. And then laugh as they tried to process that as an insult. 🙂 English is a wonderful language.
Take me with a big pinch of salt. Blazing Saddles is perhaps my favorite movie. In the Top 10 for sure.
The Sheriff is a N-bong bong. No no no! The Sheriff is a N-bong bong. And then the band plays and here, a hearty handshake and we welcome our new Sheriff, the nigger?
It was funny then, it’s still funny. It’s actually funnier now what with the flaming bundle of sticks folks getting all riled up and noisy.
Negros call each other ni gger all the time. They did it back when I was 10 years old, so, 1968, and freshly moved to Mobile.
That’s why I want to hear all sides. As perfect as I am, although not quite the SteveF level of perfect, I’m willing to admit I’m wrong. Might not be very happy about it…. but ain’t that part of being an Adult?
There is still a post live on this blog calling another commenter the n word.
– yeah, I’m gonna need a link or a retraction. I read every single comment, and I think that might have caught my eye.
n
Virginia Judge Rules VA Gerrymandering Vote Unconstitutional
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/04/22/virginia-judge-rules-va-gerrymandering-vote-unconstitutional-n3814190
Lays out the many defects in the process, including illegal votes by the legislature, violation of the constitutional vote % requirement and anti-gerrymandering language. Ballot language was also found to be “misleading”.
This one is so bad that it’s difficult to see how the Dems thought it would hold up for any period of time.
Trump needs to consult with the VA Republican Party. Returning the north part of the state to Washington DC would do some economic damage but ejecting most of the troublemakers and turning their own attempts to disenfranchise half the voters into a de facto disenfranchisement of them (no voting congresscritters in DC).
Remember the last time a troll used that? Obvious bullshit. When did the two above show up? Putting commenters down is troll behavior.
I can provide the link. Are you going to delete the comment and permanently ban the person who made it? The comment clearly violates the “comment guidelines“ for this blog, so it’s important to know whether the consequences will be applied universally.
Goodness. One evening that I don’t wish you all goodnight (I fell asleep while typing the post…), a troll appears and a flame war breaks out.
Paul, the “not as perfect as SteveF” comment and the Buddy episode had me howling.
Goodnight?
Paul, here’s a cartoon à propos “flaming bundles of sticks” and the hilarious English language.
Yes to Denis. May cool heads and jovial kidding prevail. (Except to pubis. Where did that return from?)
I can provide the link. Are you going to delete the comment and permanently ban the person who made it? The comment clearly violates the “comment guidelines“ for this blog, so it’s important to know whether the consequences will be applied universally.
– ah, a rules enforcer. Provide the link. Re-read the comment policy. Pay particular attention the the part above the line.
n
A couple of nights ago I might have mentioned that there wasn’t any frog mating activity going on around my “water feature” and that the nights had been quiet. Or maybe that was a conversation I had with my wife… in any case, the frogs are out in force tonight. They are painfully loud while sitting there, and something about the sound causes a resonant whine in my left ear that is annoying. That happens sometimes when something aligns with my deficits.
71F and damp is pretty chilly when you are sitting still and reading for a couple hours. I hope the mating calls produce some mates and the season passes in a few days. I need to get a new fish to eat the tadpoles…
No cats tonight but one very slow moving and odd sounding aircraft flew over. I suppose it could be lifeflight, but the sound was different from a helo, even a jet powered Dauphin. Dang big quad copter if that’s what it was.
The population at the halfway house must have rotated again, as neither of the guys who normally come home late were out tonight, not the walker or the guy with a car. Also the guy with a pickup truck hasn’t been in the driveway for a few days and a new car is parking on the street. The neighborhood’s biggest issue with the facility is that the residents change without notice, and frequently.
I’ve had my tiny little fire, so it’s time for a shower and bed.
n
We have a comment policy? I thought we all just spouted random nonsense, apart from SteveF, who spouts targeted nonsense…
Oh, btw, can anyone recommend a ‘dressing’ product for mustaches? I’m letting mine grow longer than I ever have and I’m trying to train it into a handlebar. I’ve tried beeswax, a ‘light’ product from Cremo, and a ‘stiffer’ styling paste from Cremo. That works for a while, but doesn’t hold for more than an hour or two. I don’t like it getting in my mouth, and it’s messy with certain foods….
n
@denis, Usually it’s entertaining or interesting nonsense… at least the commentor thinks so. 🙂
n
I sometimes get those conversations too; married bliss.
I like frogs, but they are loud when amorous. When we fixed Oma’s pond, I got her an appalling cheap plastic solar-powered frog figurine with LED frog eyes that light up and blink at night. She loves it. There is no accounting for taste.
https://www.pecard.com/
It’s pretty good for most applications.
/JK. Try Proraso Moustache Wax. I don’t sport whiskers, but their shaving products are excellent.
https://proraso.com/en/products/beard-and-moustache-care/
I suppose someone does. 🙂
She loves it.
– that right there is the important part.
n
administrivia note- in keeping with RBT’s longstanding policy of obfuscating certain keywords that might cause nanny filters to blackhole the site, I have retroactively inserted a space into the word in question in comments above. That is the ONLY reason I made any change. (it’s also why most commentors politely refrain from outright swear words, although I’m not sure anyone remembers the reason other than it’s the culture here.) I’m not even sure that nanny filters are still a thing, or if it’s even important now that the site isn’t home to the educational books and science kits, but I am continuing the practice.
https://www.pecard.com/
– FINALLY, a face cream for me!
I have the recommended brand in a shaving soap (I think, I’ll have to look in the drawer), I’ll look for the wax. Thanks!
m
The discussion of frogs reminds me of an old joke …
What are frogs saying during mating season?
Male Frogs: “Wanna do it?”
Female Frogs: “Gotta headache.”
Hah, the variety of the calls is actually pretty incredible, with a main trilling one, but several that are more like rapid fire knocking that are even louder. I was barely able to hear someone in the distance doing a mag dump, and if I wasn’t sensitive to the sound of gunfire, I’d probably have missed it entirely.
Now I’m really going to bed.
n
Those darned amphibians are ruining your neighbourhood.
Whoa, we have comment guidelines. Who knew ?
https://www.ttgnet.com/journal/discussion-and-comment-guidelines/
https://www.pecard.com/
It’s pretty good for most applications.
/JK. Try Proraso Moustache Wax. I don’t sport whiskers, but their shaving products are excellent.
https://proraso.com/en/products/beard-and-moustache-care/
I think my friend at church recommended the second website to me when my beard was four inches long and very unruly. He told me to oil my beard and to watch some youtube videos on profiling my beard. Instead, I cut three inches off my beard and it is already back to two inches long and getting unruly again. I just could not do the oil my beard thing.
I get curious about the aircraft overflying my neighborhood, too. Most of them are transmitting ADS-B, so I can look up some details at https://www.flightradar24.com/
Law enforcement has been exempt from ADS-B “out“ requirements for at least a decade.