Cool and damp. Starting in the 50sF and warming, only to end up back in the chilly and damp area. If we get clear sky and sun, it will be great though, like yesterday.
I arose late, got a big (for me) breakfast and enjoyed my coffee and chatting with my wife. When I finally got around to working, I banged out a couple of quick little things, then got started unloading and sorting, as well as converting the garage from cooling to heating. I got most of that done, and decided to get some Christmas decorations out. We didn’t get to the tree, but maybe that was because I fell asleep after dinner for a while.
Today I’ll finish the decorations, do more sorting and putting away, and whatever else I can do without starting a big project. I’ve have decided to stay until Monday afternoon, mainly because I like it up here and haven’t been up in a while. Too many little things are piling up. Of course the same is true at home.
I’ll play it by ear.
And I’m making a list of things to add to the stacks here. I can’t believe I don’t have jelly and jam for toast, except one jar…
Stack. Check. Re-stack…
nick
I agree with you about the cold, Lynn. Feeling cold takes the fun out of it. It seems to be linked to advancing age – the cold rarely bothered me in the past – and maybe also to losing some blubber in my case.
I am no angler, but I am nevertheless perfectly capable of sitting around, drinking beer and telling tall tales without a fishing-rod.
Now it’s really time to get up. Wishing you all a good Sunday.
On my first attempt I DNFed Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Circa a couple of years later I zoomed through the book and went on to devour the rest of his output.
Sometimes you’re just not ready to read a particular book.
If you have slugs or moles in your mass, either you’re Richard Gere or you have bigger problems than corrosion of your pipes.
Living in Vantucky, I went through a series of progressively heavier coats until I ended up with a mens almost knee length 700 fill down parka from Lands End.
Finding knee lengh in a mens style was really hard, and when we moved to Austin broke, I worked hard to resist the temptation to turn in the coat for the cash under the LE guarantee.
A couple of times, I’ve had comments about wearing a womens coat, but the arrangement of the snaps and side zippers for wallet access are clearly meant for a male.
It would have been much easier to wear the North Face Metropolis we have at the house which fits me extremely well with a boxy cut, but that coat was the status symbol female outerwear in Seattle circa Winter 2012-2013, and the crossdressing would have been obvious.
Find a way to watch “Dead Again” starring Thompson and her then-husband Kenneth Branagh.
Branagh directed.
“Dead Again” also features Robin Williams in what I think is his best dramatic role despite being obviously improved. Williams has the burden of selling the ridiculous premise behind the film, and sell it he does. Big time.
The legend is that Sir Kenneth just put Williams in front of a camera on the set and let him rip for an hour to capture the pivotal moment. Once the character was estabished, Williams filmed his other scenes interacting with Branagh and Thompson.
Fascinating. I just received a letter from the Social Security Administration confirming my in-person appointment to claim my SS benefits. Only…I never made any such appointment.
I suppose there could be an innocent explanation. Since I retired this year, I know the Swiss equivalent of SS has contacted the US. Maybe that somehow triggered the wrong process?
However, to be paranoid, I will send a registered letter stating that I never made an appointment, and anyone showing up claiming to be me is committing fraud. Any other steps y’all think I can or should take?
If you’re going down the Christmas Hallmark movie rabbit hole. Find “Broadcasting Christmas” starring Dean Cain and Melissa Joan Hart.
When I had Cain sign his comic book at a con last year, we joked about that movie and how people always ask him about kissing Terri Hatcher but not Hart.
Cain told me that Hart has a large, attractive alpha male husband who is not in the movie business and that limited the kissing to one chaste scene. Cain joked that he would kiss the husband.
“Broadcasting Christmas” also has Cythia Gibb, Hallmark “mom” role regular playing against typecasting, who was still unbelievably hot ~35 years after “Fame”.
Last night, while Christmas shopping for movies for family members on Amazon, my wife almost made the mistake of ordering he most recent version of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” starring Elizabeth McGovern for herself.
I stopped her and told her to go find the 1982 version with Jane Seymour and Ian McKellan. That’s the definitive version for now.
I also recommend Thompson’s first film, “The Tall Guy”, co-starring Jeff Goldblum, but I admit that the flick is an acquired taste. The added challenge with screening the digital copies currently available is that the transfers took place under the “golden” era of Harvey Weinstein at Miramax, and about 10 minutes of the movie is missing in an attempt to make the DVD release more accessible to Americans.
Request a statement from Social Security regarding your “account” and all of the activity related to your SSN.
They send one to most US taxpayers roughly once every decade, part of the charade of the system being a trust fund.
(Sticklers: see Helvering v. Davis)
Have you run a credit report from the big three US reporting agencies lately?
The US government authorizes annualcreditreport.com to provide a free service.
https://www.usa.gov/credit-reports
Well, another day of infamy.
45F. Sunrise in half an hour, looks cloudy. Enough light to go for a walk with the dogs.
I woke up during the night with an idea. “Meatballs” made with canned Corned Beef Hash. Maybe with an egg or two mixed in as a binder.
No idea where that idea came from.
I can’t blame autocorrect for that one.
How would you cook them? Even with egg, I’m not sure that they’d stay together once the fat got hot enough to be slippery rather than sticky.
You might get wonton or dumpling wrappers and fill with hash. In a pinch, get a tube of biscuit dough, roll each biscuit into a 5″ circle, put in a tablespoon of hash, and fold like a dumpling.
Does that mean “understandable by Americans” or “acceptable to thin-skinned, intolerant Americans who can’t separate the art from the artist and who are always looking for an excuse to be offended”?
I wrote Hallmark and said I had an idea for a new script and asked if they were interested. Hallmark said “No, thanks. One is enough”.
Well, Apple did it again. I bought AirPods Pro 3. I removed the AirPods Pro 2 from my account and from FindMy. They no longer appear anywhere on my account. I gave the AirPods Pro 2 to my son as I no longer need them.
He tries to link them to his account. Nope. Apple says they are still assigned to my account. I contact Apple support. Their solution is to re-pair them to my account, reset the AirPods, then remove them from my account and FindMy. Yeh, Apple, I did that when I got the AirPods Pro 3.
Now I have to wait until the 20th when we make the trip toe Hendersonville and go through the process again. Apple cannot, or won’t, reset the devices based on the serial number. I get why Apple does this to prevent theft. But when the devices clearly are not on my account, there is no theft involved.
This time I will be doing it all while in possession of both accounts and will see what happens. Gggrrrrrrr.
The SSA actually sends me a statement every year, without asking. So that is good FWIW, I cannot register on their site, because they require a US phone number. Brilliant.
Much the same for the annual credit report: the web page won’t even display for me, presumably because I am outside the US
Poor Ray. I think I mentioned recently that I haven’t touched anything Apple since the ][ e. There is a reason. With Apple, everything is either super easy or outright impossible. I always found the impossibles.
That’s OK, Greg. We love you as you are, even if that is your thing. Go for it.
Understandable by Americans who might not get certain obscure cultural references, both UK and US, and be offended that no one attempted to explain the joke. Those people have run the entertainment industry for the last 20 years.
The most butchered scene involves a doctor with unusual behavior and the last name Karabekian, which I’ve always looked at as a Kurt Vonnegut reference, but YMMV.
Brad: https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Temporary-Cell-Phone-Number
Similarly, try a commercial VPN and set location to US.
Beyond the issue of whether it is gender appropriate, the North Face does not have side zippers for ready access to pants pockets.
I’ve done much crazier things for Halloween and cons.
I’m not going to worry about what your kids see if you’re bringing them to a show with tentacle porn being sold openly in the vendor areas.
@SteveF: Thanks for that. I have a VPN. Not too worried about my credit rating though, since I’m not in the US any longer. Still I suppose it would do no harm to lock things down, if that’s possible from abroad.
Hadn’t thought about a temporary phone number. I suppose I’m worried about the SSA assuming it will be permanent, and that they can use it. Given how many expats there are, it is pretty weird that the government can’t deal with international numbers.
Is he/she/it single? I hear Mr. SteveF is looking for his next wife.
I own five of the movies on the list, including … “Jackass: The Movie” … ?!?!
https://movieweb.com/quentin-tarantino-list-top-10-best-movies-21st-century/
“Hot Fuzz” in the top 10. By the power of Grayskull!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cun-LZvOTdw
Sorry to disrupt your matchmaking, MrAtoz, but my gender identity is SuperStraight.
(As an aside, note the histrionic hysteria of the GLAAD write-up of men who don’t want to date mentally ill men.)
Say your customers are stupid without using the word. Yeah, maybe the joke goes over your head, so what? Maybe you try to figure it out. Or not. Gosh, someone might learn something.
Did you try annualcreditreport.com directly?
Be aware of the imitator sites with slight modifications to the name.
If all else fails, try Experian.com. The report from them may not be free, however.
All three bureaus will let you do a free annual report directly from their sites – this is how I do it. They are tricky in trying to get you to sign up for paid services, which isn’t required.
Hot chicks on Sunday for SteveF
https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2025/12/they-got-beat.html
I was to guess, I’d guess that 10,000 fraudulent calls per hour were coming from India, Nigeria, and North Korea.
And yet the scammers and call centers that want my house can easily get US numbers.
n
That’s different, Nick. You’re just an ordinary person, not someone important like a federal employee.
https://x.com/realtraderjill/status/1997658774522196076?s=46&t=Z2_O4B3M1xCFlaJBahp_1A
The blonde is physically attractive but should be drowned.
The brunette… Holy smokes! Her boyfriend needs to put a ring on her finger today.
Wrong day again, Nick. This is, I believe, the third time in a few weeks, despite your having said “Wow, it’s a long time since I did that.” Could it be … that you’re getting old? Forgetful? Worn out and decrepit? If you’re not sure if you’re old, past your prime, and past your time, ask your teenage children. They’ll give you an unbiased opinion, no doubt.
Teenagers have many opinions. Few of them should be heard.
Well, the problem with the AirPods is solved. It seems the ownership of a device is stored on the Apple servers and on the device. Or pieces of the ownership. It was necessary to reset the AirPods to allow my son to connect them to his iPhone. At some point the AirPods do phone home, but only when restarted and paired.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” – origin unknown; falsely attributed to Mark Twain
Walmart is wacky. I ordered “Campbell’s Chunky x Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Cheese with Potatoes and Chorizo Soup, 18.8 oz Can” because it sounded good. $1.98 a can.
I put a case in my cart plus six extra cans to get free shipping. Pay shipping or buy three extra cans, decisions decisions.
They split the order. Ten cans in on and six in the other. I’m fine being short two cans since they didn’t charge me. It was delivered the next day from the local store by a nice lady.
Today I get a notice they are shipping. Via FedEx. From California. Two cans of soup.
By golly, order completed a week later.
Seems like a way to make money the slow way.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Campbell-s-Chunky-x-Pabst-Blue-Ribbon-Beer-Cheese-with-Potatoes-and-Chorizo-Soup-18-8-oz-Can/17193956260
Today’s Tyler Durden cowardice protecting the mainstream media bias.
This pinhead screams “HBCU”. I’m not buying any of the background or stories from the relatives.
Or the relatives. How far do FBI covers go?
The name “Benny Crump” is all I needed to see.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/mainstream-media-jumps-bogus-narrative-j6-pipe-bomber-trump-supporter
That matches my experiences.
I think it was last year I ordered 4 gallons of kerosene, and it came in a box of three and a Singleton. So the next time I ordered six to make it easy to store, and it came instead in a box of four and two Singleton’s. I think the next time I ordered it came as all Singleton’s.
And simiarly, for other things.
—
And no, I have no idea while Singleton is capitalized…
“UK Scientists Demand Free TV Time to Deliver their Emergency Climate Briefing”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/12/07/uk-scientists-demand-free-tv-time-to-deliver-their-emergency-climate-briefing/
Help, our jobs are in danger !
“Exploring Home: Book 12 of the Survivalist Series” by Angery American
https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Home-Book-12-Survivalist/dp/0996696075?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number twelve of a twelve book apocalyptic EMP series. I read the well printed and bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback self published by the author in 2023. I do not know if there will be any more books in the series but I will probably buy them if so.
It has been a year since the giant nuke was exploded above Kansas. The resulting EMP destroyed the electrical systems and computers inside the USA without a sound or flash. The nuke was so strong that even England was affected. Since then, half of the USA population has died due to starvation and violence.
The series starts off with a technician on the road walking home from Tallahassee to Orlando in Florida after a USA wide EMP event. He travels mostly by foot over 200+ miles with a 60 pound backpack of goodies that he had in his car (food, water, night vision goggles, sleeping bag, poncho, tarp, small stove, two guns and ammo).
He uses his SweetWater filter to get drinkable water for him and his companions since he only started his trip with two gallons of water and a half dozen MREs. Basically, the author feels that a lot of people will lose their inhibitions when all the conveniences of modern society go away as the technician has to kill three people in the first 50 miles.
Prior to this book, a Chinese invasion fleet off the west coast of the USA was nuked by the USA military. In response, the Chinese nuked a military base in Florida, also nuking Tampa as a side effect. The USA military did not continue nuking targets in China. But a Russian invasion fleet has landed on the eastern side of Florida and the Russians are sending out scout units which the USA Navy and Army are fighting off.
The USA Army has deposed the traitor President of the USA and is trying to re-establish law and order in the USA. They have asked Morgan to be the civilian governor of Florida and Sarge to be the military governor of Florida. But Florida, like the rest of the USA, has been decimated and there are small pockets of survivors holed up around the place.
Note that the first book in the series is one of my six star books.
BTW, the author has a website at:
https://angeryamerican.com/
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,513 reviews)
Lynn
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
“The laddy”, surely.
@lYNN
it’s thinking like that that inflicted Samuel Delaney on us.
There’s a good reason for hanging on to lousy fiction: If someone you know is in the hospital, is looking for something to keep him occupied, and likes to read, and you don’t like him, give him half a dozen really bad novels.
Jails also accept book donations. If you think that two months in county isn’t enough punishment for most criminals, donate some really bad books for them to read.
@Denis
It’s too bad you missed System 7.0-7.5 running on a Mac IIci or Quadra with MS Office 6. The Quadra was faster, but some genius decided that the ability to pop the top, add RAM, replace the power supply (theoretically–never needed to), and swap the drives–all independently and without tools in the IIci–was unnecessary, and they put the RAM under the PSU.
“Campbell’s Chunky x Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Cheese with Potatoes and Chorizo Soup, 18.8 oz Can”
Pabst?
No.
No, no, no, no , no.
I made a large pot of chili today.
The base was 4.5 pounds of ground chuck and twelve cans of various (mostly black) beans and diced tomatoes. (FYI, I like a number of different chili recipes, and this one has beans).
The regular price on beans is $1.78 a can. Tomatoes about the same. Onions $1.99 per pound. Bell peppers $1.49 each. Spices, half a small can of chipotles, and some jalapenos to finish up.
Store prices would be $20 for the cans and $22.50 for the meat (4.5 at $4.99/lb, $2 for onion, $2 for red bell pepper, and I’m at $46.50.
Safe to say this is a $50 pot of chili.
I predict jacking grocery delivery trucks is going to become a thing soon.
Chili used to be a cheap meal.
n
Females have headed home. I’m staying until tomorrow afternoon.
Got my Christmas decorations up. Tree is up and decorated.
I’ve got some more putting away and sorting to do tomorrow. I don’t think we’ll be back until after Christmas.
Gave my buddy his (wrapped) gift.
Think it’s time for a hungry man dinner, then some fire time on the dock. I put out two electric heaters, one gas heater, and loaded up the fire ring. I’m getting some time on the dock!
n
John Hinderaker writes at Powerline Blog:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/12/supreme-court-to-rule-on-birthright-citizenship.php
Note that the paper was published May 22, 2025.