Cool and kinda damp, but maybe we’ve turned the corner more solidly into Fall. It was 57F yesterday morning, but still 75F at midnight. No rain in the forecast for at least a couple more days though. That’s starting to be a problem. A grass fire somewhere in town seems pretty likely under these conditions. Everything is turning brown.
I didn’t get anything done yesterday morning. I had a roll with my egg for breakfast and the carbs put me to sleep at my desk. I got up a couple hours later and did my service call. It was another failing input port on the home theater Denon receiver. Denon must not be what it used to be, I’ve got a stack of failed units now. They are far more fragile than they used to be. The enshittification of everything continues.
I got home and did some piddlefarting around, after stopping at HEB for groceries. Kid snacks and soda, with some clearance wine marked down 50% really added to my ticket total. I filled the cart without a lot of sale items and it showed. Some random guy even commented that I had a huge load in the cart.
Dinner, internet, and some reading rounded out the day.
Today, D2 has to be at school an hour early for a competition. Joy. I’ll be getting up to make sure she has what she needs, and a ride. I won’t enjoy getting up early, but it’s great to see her thriving and committed to the activity.
I’ll spend the rest of the day doing pickups and working the list.
And if I can get to Costco, I’ll be adding to the stacks. TP isn’t on sale as often as it used to be, and my stock runs down faster than ever. I’ll have to make two trips buying the limit when it’s on sale to keep up. It should be on sale this period.
Our needs and wants evolve over time and with changing conditions. We need to adjust our preps and stack accordingly.
nick
Sponsored by Winston in primetime. The commercials are on YouTube for those of you who are sticklers for sources.
Remember, what is seen once cannot be “unseen”.
73F and saturated this morning.
Kids are moving. D1 will drive D2 earlier after all, so I just have to get them out the door. I’ll be napping after that.
n
New and improved weapons systems— more steps along the path
—
Army asks Dynetics to build air defense system with missile interceptors and a future laser weapon
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/55322359/leidos-air-defense-system-with-missile-interceptors-and-future-laser-weapon
—-
Army asks Northrop Grumman for GPS-guided kits to transform artillery shells into smart munitions
Conversion kit uses signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) to guide artillery shells to their targets with accuracy of 10 meters or closer.
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/55323772/northrop-grumman-corp-gps-guided-kits-to-turn-artillery-shells-into-smart-munitions
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And this last one, that assumes battlefield nukes and/or surprise nuclear explosions.
Intellisense asked to build and test auto-darkening goggles for eye protection from nuclear flash blindness
Contract will ensure aircrews can carry out their missions safely amid nuclear explosions by protecting against flash blindness and retinal burn.
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/55322672/auto-darkening-goggles-for-eye-protection-from-nuclear-flash-blindness
n
Sometimes other people’s computers go down. Which kinda negates the benefit of having “pros” to do your online stuff…
Alarming reality exposed by global internet meltdown… and why Amazon’s crash is only the beginning
Most of America was asleep, but a few night owls on the East Coast found their Disney streaming services stall. As the eastern United States awoke, the scale of the problem became clear. One third of all online users worldwide interact with Amazon Web Services (AWS) daily, according to DeepField Networks: companies ranging from Venmo to Reddit to Ring all rely on AWS servers. And, on Monday morning, the system was down – crashing a significant portion of the internet.
n
Hot Skillz!
We had a lousy table for our anniversary dinner Saturday night. The really ugly part was having to listen to the fintech “bro” — twat — at the next table brag about mistreating his last girlfriend.
During our anniversary dinner.
Fintech twats always have the $7000 watch. I couldn‘t see from where was sitting, but my wife said that it looked expensive.
I haven’t had time to call and complain to the owner of the restaurant yet. They were closed yesterday.
You can’t hate these liars enough:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/10/21/charlotte-schools-reverse-course-on-kirk-rock-memorial-n2665225
So a superintendent making north of $200k, withe the aid of a “Communications Dept” makes a demonstrably false and possibly libelous statement accusing students of wrongdoing, then comes up with a new obviously discriminatory and racist policy.
I’d give the school board the choice of firing everyone involved or facing a lawsuit.
Hmm. We just bought a Denon for the BOL to drive our Teufel speakers. It wasn’t cheap. I will be talking to our sparky about some proper surge protection …
About 43F at dawn. A beautiful windless morning here in the California high desert.
Today should be a repeat of yesterday, 82F predicted, for a swing of 40F.
—–
I didn’t notice the AWS outage, but I was busy with small household tasks & repairs for most of the day.
Probably a repeat work schedule today, the lower back is hanging in there with small, time-spaced tasks. But some tasks, like winterizing the swamp cooler on the roof, are going to be unpleasant.
—–
I noticed that the 9W LED bulb in the garage, that runs continuously, is out this am. I think about 5 years continuous duty, so 44khrs. I will check for an identical in my stashes.
To quote myself from yesterday:
It was a balloon:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/the-mystery-object-that-struck-a-plane-in-flight-it-was-probably-a-weather-balloon/
MrsAtoz and I are on a sojourn this morning to get new military retiree IDs. Everyone is supposed to have a new style ID by the end of January 2026. I’ve been to Nellis AFB many times when the Twins were minors to get IDs and such, but haven’t been there in a couple of years.
You would think the goobermint would issue non-expiring IDs to retirees, but no. My current one expired over 10 years ago, but the goobermint said to keep using it. MrsAtoz used hers earlier this year and got a “you know, this ID is expired” comment, but TSA let her through anyway.
“It was a balloon:”
My first thought. They routinely ascend to 80-120,000 ft.
My DOD ID has no expiration date. Pppfffffftttttt.
Now, whether that ID is properly in the system, and will allow me on military bases, is another issue entirely.
My VA ID, which was supposed to let me on the base, and has in the past, failed to work last time at Randolph in Texas. The scan came up expired. The ID is clearly not expired as shown on the ID. The clod that entered the information when I got base access probably put the date into their system incorrectly.
You could ask the Chinese Embassy, apparently they (MSS) would know…
The lights are done. They light the cabinets up real well. Under cabinet LED light bars by GE. Seven watts of juice so, about 60 watts incandescent.
I didn’t have to drill a hole. I had the thought that maybe there is a gap between the cabinet sides and countertop. Not quite a half inch, just right.
That’s another project done. Now for the wonky range control.
I had my right eye cataract surgery this morning. My right eye now sees distance, kinda, but it cannot see up close. I have removed the right lens from my glasses. I suspect things will be better tomorrow. Part of the problem is the fact that my brain has to reprogram itself, that will take a while.
I now have six holes laser drilled into my right eye to remove my astigmatism. Hopefully it was fix my glaucoma in that eye also.
It will. Right now your eye is swollen from the trauma of the surgery.
I did not know they could do that. I will have to look into having that done as I have significant astigmatism in my left eye that cannot be corrected with glasses.
That was explained to me that such an affliction was going to happen because of age. Reading glasses are almost mandatory for older people to read up close. The lens is not as flexible as when young. Now you have a fixed lens. Get some reading glasses when all the procedures are done. Enjoy your distance vision.
You should also be able to see things more clearly, the sky is bluer, everything not as dull and slightly brown.
The key take-away from Lynn’s comment is that he has not only a hole in his head but six holes in his head.
Does that include the mouth, two nostrils and two ear openings. I have met Mr. Lynn and he looks normal from outward appearances. I can’t vouch for when he gets home.
I did not know they could do that. I will have to look into having that done as I have significant astigmatism in my left eye that cannot be corrected with glasses.
My eye surgeon said that that up to one diopter of astigmatism can be removed using the six laser device. It is remarkably quick, taking only 90 seconds or so.
That was explained to me that such an affliction was going to happen because of age. Reading glasses are almost mandatory for older people to read up close. The lens is not as flexible as when young. Now you have a fixed lens. Get some reading glasses when all the procedures are done. Enjoy your distance vision.
You should also be able to see things more clearly, the sky is bluer, everything not as dull and slightly brown.
My wife has the monovision. Her right eye is full distance and her left eye is 1 or 2 diopters less than full distance. She can read without reading glasses with some light. And she can drive without glasses.
I may get my left eye done with monovision also, depending on how well my right eye turns out. I have been left eye dominant all of my life, I have read that one can switch dominant eyes, even at my late age.
@denis, the denons in question are on a full time UPS, with surge suppression. There is a whole house surge suppressor on the house service too.
When we lose a port, usually the video output port, I believe it’s due to EMP rather than voltage surge on the supply, as there is a 50ft horizontal cable attached to the output port. We lost gear at both ends of that cable run many times, 3 projector input cards, and at least three denon output ports.
This new issue with the input ports is a puzzler, mainly because the cables are not long, and they are further protected in the metal rack enclosure.
The angry pixies go where they will though, so it’s
alwaysusually a crapshoot assigning cause.We’ve had all the kinds of damage on the site, powerline surges killing wall warts and UPSs, lightning strikes on DSL lines coming into the rack and smoking stuff, EMP from nearby lightning strikes inducing spikes on long cable runs, and smoking wireless gear, age related ‘tin whiskers’ killing devices, you name it, we’ve probably had it.
Sometimes the nature of the failure is obvious, sometimes it’s implied by the timing and circumstances, and sometimes its a mystery.
My point is, the surge protector might not be enough. If it’s really big money, treat it like a ham radio and disconnect it from everything in a storm.
n
Refurbed MacBook Air $180:
https://deals.newatlas.com/sales/macbook-air-13-3-inch-8gbram-128gb-mqd32ll-a-mid-2017-refurbished?utm_content=PS-8132&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=apple-macbook-air-133-2017-i5-18ghz-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-refurbished-2025-10-16&utm_source=newatlas.com&utm_term=SALE-312617&_bhlid=259c757cda1b61cf3b68785df4efa19972e40389
Seems like a bargain.
Yes, you can. The brain adjust very quickly to changes in sensory perception. Amazing in my opinion. I don’t think I could tolerate mono vision, having each eye with a different focal distance. I opted for distance vision and use reading glasses for working. Seemed like a reasonable option for my needs.
At the time I had my eyes done, I was water skiing and biking. Being able to see distance items, buoys and such in the water, was fairly important, especially the green buoys. Biking without glasses was nice. I also wanted to be able wear regular sunglasses, like off-the-shelf stuff. Having worn glasses since I was seven regular sunglasses was something I wanted.
Intel chip, no thanks.
I can’t find a problem with either of these stories
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-21/fatal-lapd-pursuit-live-tv
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-21/woman-shoots-man-suspected-of-groping-attacking-customers-in-compton-store
Maybe add a few coils to that 50 foot cable. Change the harmonics or whatever it’s called. And is it really grounded? Could be a faulty cable with damaged shielding, too.
Cataract surgery is in my future. My optometrist has referred me to an ophthalmologist, but that office hasn’t contacted me yet.
So I’m curious to hear all that you went through. What after-care instructions did you receive? How soon will you be able to drive again?
I’ve been having a high pitched noise the the bathroom for the last couple of months. I don’t know the frequency, I don’t have a way to measure it, but it’s lower than a chest freezer’s whine and much louder.
I sure like it waking me up in the middle of the night. Gotta go pee, anyway, right? Might as well get up before almost bursting.
It sounds like it’s coming from the sink faucet. Run a bit of water from that sink or from the hall bath sink and the noise stops. The plumbing is in a common wall. Turning the water off to the faucet doesn’t stop the noise. No faucets drip.
So today the noise was happening. Flushing the toilet makes it stop. And today I noticed that as the tank was almost full the noise happened…. but bobbled (for lack of a better word) as the tank filled.
I think I found the problem. Next time it happens I’m turning off the water to the toilet to make sure.
I suppose after nine years the toilet innards are nearing their replacement time. It’s a Kohler so all the stuff with flaps is different. But I figure it’s leaking water. Slowly. Just enough for the water valve to open a tiny bit.
Like a whistling wing window on a car.
Another project, right?
“The key take-away from Lynn’s comment is that he has not only a hole in his head but six holes in his head.”
Six new ones plus what he already had.
Success! The Mrs and I have new military retiree IDs. They confiscated mine at the gate since it was expired and gave me a “we took your shit” memo. I told MrsAtoz to hide hers. I had to go to the visitors center to get a pass, then on to the ID section. I had a 10:00am appointment, which we still made, and were out of there in 60 minutes, while non-appointment walk-ins got to wait 2 hours just to get to the ID desk.
They print the cards right at the ID desk. They look sort of like new drivers’ licenses. The guy said there is even a blank spot on the ID where the next iteration will have a chip like passports. At least the ID says “INDEF” on it, but I’ll probably be required to get a new chipped ID before I croak.
I had mono vision done 10 years ago (thanks, Mr. Ray). I find that close vision is dependent on light. Once I’m in the reading groove, with good light, I have no problem on reading devices (iPad, Kindle, etc.). I always wear a pair of clic magnetic readers around my neck for really small print or low light.
And, yeah, wearing regular sunglasses is nice. I just got a pair of Oakleys with a pack of chinesium replacement lens blades of different colors so I look cool.
2017. Intel. Apple no longer supports those with Mac OS, but you can probably boot Linux.
Still, the battery may be limited, and all of Apple’s laptops are disposable, designed for about 8 years of service.
Time’s up!
Wait to see what Apple does with the rumored $600 Mac Book using an iPhone CPU. If you really want a Mac, that is worth exploring.
I haven’t seen DisplayPort capability on anything below $500 so that capability alone justifies the pricetag.
An iPhone CPU will be one monitor over USB-C, but that should suffice for most users.
Soft-on-Crime Philly DA Larry Krasner Let a Predator Walk—Now a Beauty Queen Is Dead
21-year-old Keon King was arrested and charged with kidnapping and other charges in Scott’s disappearance. It turns out King — as always — was a career criminal who was repeatedly set loose by the justice system, including Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/10/21/kada-scott-philly-da-n2665261
“systemic issues”?
Sooner or later some grandparent, parent, sibling, friend, or maybe a total stranger is going to go full Dexter on one of these craven cowards. I hope they choose well and have a lot of time to make the point horribly and effectively.
Roommate had cataract surgery. A couple of months between eyes. As best as I remember, it was “just sit, watch TV, rest, and use these drops until the bottle runs out”. So, almost two weeks of eye drops. He could drive after a week.
He said the drops sting. I don’t know the level. I think Visine stings.
He really liked the fix.
His second eye bled internally. He was really freaked out to wake up the next morning and blind in one eye. I called in sick to work and took him to the eye doctor.(1) “I don’t have an appointment!” “Yeah, I don’t think you need an appointment today”. They made him sit maybe 10 minutes and called him in to for an exam. It was a leaking artery or vein, I forget, but don’t worry about, this happens once in a while which is why we don’t fix both eyes at the same time. It will clear up in a few days. Four days later, all clear and he’s having a great time with his vision.
Reading glasses? He went to Dollar Tree. Like $1.25 a pair. I can’t tell you how many pairs of readers I tossed after he died but the van and truck and jeep each have at least two pair in the glove box and cubby holes.
(1) My bitch boss (same age as me) tried to write me up because she’s the Boss and I didn’t call in sick more than two hours before my shift started. Shift started at 6AM and what? I’m gonna tell a night stocker what exactly at 4AM? And who is he gonna tell? The store opened at 6AM and the very first floor manager usually started at 8AM. Also, you never have a problem with me running cash control, like, MY JOB, and also being the only checker for a couple of hours. Give me your home phone number for next time. I didn’t get written up.
And yeah. We did carry the discussion to the Store Director’s office. Sure, he’s gotta keep folks happy. I finally said “I was looking when I found this job and I’m not taking this petty abuse. Fire me so I can collect unemployment.” End of discussion.
I flushed the toilet a few minutes ago. Yeah, the toilet is making the noise.
Time to shop for a new Kohler style flap. Maybe a fill valve, too.
Thanks for the downside info!
You can tell if it is the flap leaking by puttting some food coloring in the tank. If the water in the bowl changes color, then it’s the flap.
It could be the floating thing on the valve set too high. Adjust the float level to see if that will stop the leak. If not, it could be the float valve seal.
But, not too hard to replace the whole assembly – fill valve and floater and seal. Just replace everything. Getting the whole replacement kit is not that expensive.
Texas. Well water. You need a new flap.
The myth in the cities is that the municipal water all originates in the reservoirs, but Texas is draining the aquifer at an alarming rate with all of the growth.
We replace the toilet flaps regularly.
Jerbs, son. Gotta have them jerbs.
The irony is that the goal of the “resistance” is to have a pretty blonde co-ed at one of their protests being shot dead by police or National Guard, preferably on camera.
Republicans turn into cowards as soon as the thought enters their head of “That could be my daughter or granddaughter.”
Cataract surgery is in my future. My optometrist has referred me to an ophthalmologist, but that office hasn’t contacted me yet.
So I’m curious to hear all that you went through. What after-care instructions did you receive? How soon will you be able to drive again?
I will drive to myself to see my eye surgeon tomorrow, the day after the surgery. It should be interesting.
I got the Clareon monofocal IOL lens in my right eye. I can see far with it but I will need readers for computer and books.
https://www.myalcon.com/cataracts/clareon-iols/
I am putting three types of drops four times a day for two weeks in my right eye, then three times a day for a week, the two times a day for a week. I have to wear an eye shield nightly for a week.
I have an outstanding water softener. Fleck. This nigga ain’t been scraping lime rings outta toilets with a razor blade for many years now. Ditto aerators clogging.
Could be. But I have touched nothing. I will double-check. Thank you much for the reminder.
Ok, looking at Big River, they have silicon flap rings. Like $8 for three. Various models of valves. Or you can replace the valve guts for $25 or so BUT that involves removing the tank from the base.
$8 is looking real good.
Anyway. Now I know what is causing the noise. It’s not some WTF water pipe leak under the house. And that was a real big worry.
The water here is from the “I forget the name” big aquifer that runs south from Dallas. The well is 280 feet deep and the pump is at 220. By memory. Why the 60 feet difference, no clue. I don’t think Austin can tap this aquifer. Austin has the Colorado river and the lakes. Round Rock, no idea.. Anyway, plenty of dissolved minerals.
Dissolved minerals make for healthy bones, right?
When we went to Palm Springs for a conference in the Spring, we stayed at a hotel on the big Indian reservation in town. The water had so much mineral content that it looked like diluted milk coming out of the tap and sitting the glass.
I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but, ever since then, I’ve had a problem with a recurring rash that developed on the back of one knee which is only under control, not completely resolved. Three separate GPs have looked at the spot and managed to fix a different part of the problem, but the rash continues.
Maybe add a few coils
– that exact thought occurred to me when I was writing my comment. Should act like a choke.
—
When my toilet is making the high pitched whine, it’s the fill valve. Usually there is a little bit of grit stuck in it. You can remove the top, and the middle part, (they are under pressure so shut off the feed valve first), turn the feed on a little to flush the path, and reassemble. That usually does it for me for a while and it’s both cheaper and quicker than replacing the whole valve assembly.
Of course if your flap is leaking, the valve is operating as it should to turn on the water and refill the tank. Check the rim of the flap and tank for grit or goo. The flaps are cheap and easy to replace.
n
Yikes?
Will you be able to see the gauges?
I currently wear bifocals. Distance vision in the main section, but the lower section uses my “arm’s length” a.k.a. “computer monitor distance” prescription, it has the advantage of keeping everything on my dashboard (including the systems screen) in focus.
Yes. It is a systemic issue that money from outside the county (congressional district, state, etc) is allowed to influence the election.
The odds of this being fixed through “the democratic process” is nil because the people – and I call the corrupt, subhuman piles of garbage who infest elected offices “people” only as a courtesy – who would be needed to change the system benefit mightily from it.
(See also: exemptions for lawmakers from the irrational laws they inflict on the peons)
Diluted milk looking water? That’s crazy.
Gonna go to hell for this. But I scraped a shin on a picnic bench. It bled. It healed Then it got itchy. Oh. This only on one leg.. Scratching the itchy spot with my other foot didn’t spread it. Various athletes foot stuff did almost nothing.
So then I have messed up toenails. And then. After like 10 years.
Ivermectin. Injectible. Don’t inject it fool.. Squirt in into a spoon. The taste is sort of like green antifreeze. The itchy scaly patch on my leg went away. Healed up. Toenails, well, they grow real slow. Give the dogs a squirt for heartworms and such.
So ruin the fun of spraying the bathroom with water?
Hrummph!
Of course you shouldn’t do that. You’re supposed to spray the bathroom with a different watery fluid from a different hose.
The weather forecasts this time of year are less than reliable.
A couple of years ago the low prediction to be was 55F. Mid October. Get up to pee at 2AM and it’s 26F.
Ok. I hauled in several bags of pellets for the stove today. Then I hauled in my last three potted plants. I have a couple of garden hoses to disconnect and faucets to wrap.
Yeah. Maybe the first freeze is a week after Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s tonight.
There is a chill in the air.
FDA Stayed Silent As Internal Reports About Potential Tylenol Risks Piled Up
https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/21/fda-stayed-silent-potential-tylenol-risks-internal-reports/
The appropriate House subcommittee should subpoena Mosholder ahead of public hearings to include the appropriate FDA bureaucrats who made the decisions.
I’d be happy to assist if waterboarding is needed.
That happened to me when I had the vitrectomys. Freaked out does not come close to describing the feeling. It took a couple of weeks for it to clear up. The eye was black and purple and looked horrible. The surgeon called me on Saturday, his day off, to reassure me that it would be OK.
You should have no issues and will see fine with eye based on my experience. The drops are an antibiotic and a steroid. From my experience follow the instructions to the letter. Failing to do so can be a painful experience.
The rash responded to a combo steroid shot the regular GP gave me, and I have a tube of ointment from my wife that knocks it back. If the texture gets “bumpy”, the third GP gave me an antifungal cream which works.
Most of the time, I just have the discoloration. The flare ups are definitely stress-related.
No chlorine, but the stream leaves the tap sterile. Keep the floors clean, and mopping up isn’t a problem.
It’s only sterile if you don’t already have an infection. Plenty of those going around though.
n
Will you be able to see the gauges?
I currently wear bifocals. Distance vision in the main section, but the lower section uses my “arm’s length” a.k.a. “computer monitor distance” prescription, it has the advantage of keeping everything on my dashboard (including the systems screen) in focus.
I have worn progressives since 2005, 20 years now. I have removed the right side lens since it is a -7.25 and I need zero on top now.
I just went out to the truck and started it up. I can see the gauges but they are very blurry. However this is a F-150 4×4 with the max tow package (transmission temperature gauge added) and the gauges are big. Like, big hands big.
It has now been 12 hours since they put in the dilation drugs (at least four times) and my right eye is still dilated.
“The Dragon Awakes- a guest post by the Phantom”
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2025/10/20/the-dragon-awakes-a-guest-post-by-the-phantom/
“The dragon slowly became aware that something was tugging insistently on his face. It wasn’t painful, more as if somebody had grabbed his mustache and was gently pulling on it. He opened one basketball-sized eye a crack and discovered a small boy, about eight years old, dressed in some sort of colorful costume. Clearly not his, the outfit didn’t come close to fitting properly. The little oil lamp on the ground was no better than it needed to be, clearly something seized from the trash and pressed into service. The boy had hold of his whiskers and was yanking as hard as he could. Being a dragon bigger than a city bus, it didn’t feel very hard. He opened his eye a little wider and looked at the boy, who froze in mid-yank.”
““Kid,” he inquired quietly, “do you really think that’s a good idea? Pulling on a dragon’s whiskers like that?””
“Emerald Blaze: A Hidden Legacy Novel (7)” by Ilona Andrews
https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Blaze-Hidden-Legacy-Novel/dp/0062878360?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number six of a six book and one novella (seven books total) paranormal romance fantasy series. I reread the well printed and well bound novella MMPB published by Avon in 2020 that I bought new from Amazon in 2024. I have the last book in the series and will reread this soon.
Totally cool series for me. This makes the fourth series that I have read from Ilona Andrews, a husband and wife writing team based here in Texas. The Innkeeper, Kate Daniels, and The Edge are the other series of books. They are now starting a couple of new series of books.
The Hidden Legacy Universe is a complex place. The Osiris serum that induced magical powers in humans was released to the general public in 1863 and the world was never the same. The Osiris serum has three results: death, paranormal powers, or paranormal powers with a warped human body. The serum was banned after a while but the world was irreparably changed since the paranormal powers are inheritable. Families starting breeding children for strength in magical powers with breathtaking results. Magic users are segregated into five ranks: Minor, Average, Notable, Significant, and Prime. The Prime families operate mostly outside the Federal and State laws since they are so powerful and incredibly dangerous.
Catalina Baylor is Nevada Baylor’s younger sister and a Prime Siren. Nevada is wed and gone so now Catalina is running the show. And now Linus, the long term friend of the House Baylor and former speaker of the Assemblies of Magic, revealed himself to be the Warden for the State of Texas and ha made Catalina his only Deputy Warden. Her newest client is finding out who killed the mage cleaning up the one square mile swamp mess in Jersey City in Houston, Texas. But lots of dangerous creatures are living in the swamp, mostly man made creatures.
Arabella Baylor is Catalina Baylor’s younger sister and a Prime Beast that is unknown to the general populace. She can transform to a 65 foot tall beast but, she has trouble controlling when to transform. The only other recorded person who had this power could never control their transformations or reason while in beast form so the populace is incredibly scared of her.
Alessandro Sagredo is a Prime Weapons Teleporter, a retired assassin, and an exiled Italian count. He is staying with the Baylor family now since his family exiled him for turning down the three rich heiresses that they set him up with.
The authors have a very active website at:
https://ilona-andrews.com/
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (11,484 reviews)
Lynn
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2025/10/21/john-brennan-referred-to-doj-n2195320
Brennan is a traitor who conspired with others to substitute their agenda for that of the citizens of the United States and their duly elected President.
After he’s indicted the DOJ should have a conversation with his lawyer and lay out his future: The rest of his life in a 6×8 concrete cell with a pit toilet, bad lighting, worse ventilation, and a bed that only folds down for use for six hours night. Three lukewarm meals a day with no identifiable components or flavor. Recyclable paper clothes. The air scented heavily with cat piss alternating with hog shiite..
Any leniency will be determined after he spills every single thing that he knows about the conspiracy and it gets cross-checked for accuracy and completeness against all other information pried from underlings. Any shortcomings and he gets shown to the cell with one addition: a Robin Williams Memorial Leather Belt.
There’s a reason that Dante imagined a Traitor’s Circle in Hell, and it will probably need a HUD loan.
Sat out for a bit reading. It’s a bit windier tonight, with a few more clouds, but it’s still pleasant out, even sitting still.
I like taking the time to sit out and read, although it does feel a little selfish.
Meanwhile, two auctions I was bidding in closed tonight. I won some stuff for the BOL, most prepping related was a 100 amp automatic transfer switch for a generator. There was some decorative stuff for the BOL too. And some lawnmower parts.
Eventually, everything comes thru the auctions.
Time to start getting ready for bed though. I lost too much time today because I only slept a couple of hours over night, and woke several times because of bad dreams, and my nap doubled in length. Given that the kid may have infected me, and my body needs sleep to fight off any infection, the nap was worth it, but still sets me back.
So, time for a shower and bed.
n
I’ve become skeptical about lifelong vision correction. Not entirely; I’m aware that poor vision is a real thing, but I’ve started to wonder how many people have only a temporary need for correction during growth periods. I’ve been wearing glasses since 9th grade, probably needed some correction for about 2 years prior to that, but went long periods without requiring any change in prescription. In retrospect, I wonder if I would have adapted to non-corrected vision at those times. When I last got glasses, I noticed within a few weeks that my distance vision was slightly better with the main correction while driving but inside the truck, I could see better without either the main correction or the reader correction. For the last five or six months, I’ve not been using my glasses for extended periods, essentially not at all on my weekends, and only at work during the week, when the convenience of the bifocal reader lens is useful. I’m now using glasses about 32 hours a week total. The result seems to be that my distance vision is mostly impacted by the astigmatism in my left eye, which means in daylight it’s fine. At night, the bright lights are stars. I still need readers, but if I can get the astigmatism corrected, I may not need glasses for anything but reading.
I’ve been binge watching Game Of Thrones all day on HBO. It is obviously not set on Earth. It is incredibly brutal. I wonder how true it is to “Songs Of Ice And Fire” ?
“Deadly Serious: Trump counterterrorism program kills 370 jihadists in 9 months, official reveals”
https://justthenews.com/government/security/deadly-serious-trump-counterterrorism-program-kills-370-jihadists-9-months
“Seb Gorka also issued a stark warning that the administration plans to dismantle terror cells that snuck onto U.S. soil under the Biden-era border policies as well as supporters funding groups that spread anarchy or assassination plots against Americans.”
A good start but an incredibly long road that will probably end with the USA on its own against the Caliphate.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/