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Sun. Sept. 28, 2025 – might head out today

Cooler than it has been, then warming like usual. It was 66F when I went to bed, so I’m thinking it will start cool too. It certainly got warm in the sun, well into the 90sF yesterday afternoon. With the dampness, it was actually chilly last night.

I got stuff done during the day, but it wasn’t stuff that was high on my list. I mostly pressure washed stuff. Had to be done, in fact was overdue to be done, but it probably could have been put off some more. It was low involvement and fairly low effort though which suited my mood. I even took down most of the kids’ play structure before losing the daylight. That’s an end of an era.

I’m beginning to think that I need to actually start exercising in some real way. I’ve always added and lost muscle rapidly as needed, but I’m finding it easier to lose, and faster, than in the past. If I want to stay strong, I’m going to have to work at it, and I hate the idea of that. I’m thinking something like a bowflex, where I can do a 30 minute circuit, just to stay ahead of entropy. I’m open to suggestions and any first hand experience.

Today I’ll do some more domestic bliss and home stuff, but I’m also thinking about heading to the BOL. If I go, I’ll stay overnight and come home Monday night. I’ve got a load of stuff to take up, and I’m sure that entropy has had its messy fingers all over my stuff up there. Something needs attention, it always does.

With the cooling days, I might have switched to A/C in the garage just in time to need to switch back to heat… it’s been a weird weather year.

Maybe time for some Fall planting?

Planting is a prep, as the learning curve for growing food is steep.

Much easier and more reliable to stack. Probably best to do both.

nick

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Sat. Sept. 27, 2025 – starting at home, might head out

Cooler than the last couple of weeks? It was 74F when I went to bed, so it’ll probably be low 70sF this morning, and get hotter throughout the day. Pretty boring weather for the last few weeks. Better than hurricanes I guess.

Did some office stuff and auction stuff in the morning. Took some stuff out of the house in the afternoon. Then did kid stuff until late. I tested several types of hearing protection last night. It was too loud in the stands and next to the band, so I brought my Walker in ear active noise reduction, my Axil in ear, and some passives that I didn’t get to.

The axil in ears are linked by a wire with two little control things on them. They were pretty much just like I remember, having them in sounds like not even wearing them, except that loud noises are reduced to the base level. They are very transparent sounding, but the lowest level of compensation is slightly too high for me. Ie. they are too loud.

The Walker Silencer ™ in ears are separate units for each ear, and are about the size of a sewing thimble. They are more muffled on the low setting, but you can raise the compensation until they sound transparent. They are VERY uncomfortable in my ears. The earpiece is dense foam in a cylindrical shape, and puts a lot of pressure on the inner canal. I wore them for the rest of the game, and I couldn’t wait to get them out. It takes some getting used to them when they cut the sound too. One ear would often trigger just before the other, which was noticeable. And the active noise suppression makes your ear feel ‘pressurized’ when it’s active.

Also, because loud noises (like the loud and overly enthusiastic mom behind me) trigger the reduction, you lose other sounds too, like my wife talking to me. In all, they don’t have swap-able differently sized earbuds, the noise suppression is not super sophisticated, and they are uncomfortable for me, but they do work on crowd noise and yelling. They do pair with blutooth, so you could link them to a phone or radio, although I’m not sure how the mic would work with blutooth.

Next time, I’m going to try changing the earbuds on the axil actives, and I’ll try two different passives. One designed for shooters, and one designed for ‘concertgoers.’

(Wife tried the ‘silicon loop’ passive ones widely marketed to concertgoers and sleepers. She’s happy with the size earbud she picked and their performance.)

People with normal hearing are probably ok in crowds where noise is in the mid 80 to mid 90s dB. With my existing losses, loud sounds can be painful, and I don’t want to lose any more, so I’m wearing ear pro.

———–
If I stay home today, I’ll be working the list. I’m making slow progress on several fronts, and I don’t want to lose what momentum I have.

I should go to the BOL. I’ve got a truckload of stuff to take up, and I’m sure the yard needs work. I also just don’t like it to sit empty for more than a couple of weeks.

But the easy choice is to stay home. (Both kids have activities this weekend, or we’d all be going up.)

Whatever I do, I’ll be stacking and working to improve.

nick

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Fri. Sept. 26, 2025 – who am I kidding?

Same as yesterday, with less rain cloud? National forecast shows clear for Houston, so yeah, cool in the morning, warm later, hot to end the day. Same same.

So, did I get anything done? Well, yes I did. I got my pickups done. I got some stuff out of storage for a project my wife wants to do. I stopped by my auctioneer to see if I could get in line anytime soon (not yet.) I came home and we had leftovers for dinner. And the kid taxi stuff got done too.

Today I’ll be taking a load of stuff to the shop. I’m still on the fence about going to the BOL solo on Sat/Sun so IDK if I’ll load the truck for the trip or not. I have one pickup in my neighborhood. If it’s not too hot, I may spend some time organizing at the shop. I would like to get out of my last storage unit this weekend, if I don’t go to the BOL.

I don’t think I’ll have time to turn money into noise and smoke today. There is kid stuff to get ready for too, as D2 has a football game tonight and would like to see some parental support…
which is one reason I might not head out of town.

Time management has not been my strong suit this past few months.

And time keeps on slipping into the future.

Well, I’ll keep plugging away, and keep stacking too. That’s all I can do.

nick

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Tues. Sept. 23, 2025 – daylight come and me want go home

Same same. More clouds today than yesterday and yesterday there were clouds. Some moisture from the sky even, depending on what part of town you were in. East side had a massive storm cell parked over it in the afternoon, and north of Houston had dark clouds with a spattering of rain. So, did it rain in Houston yesterday? Well, there was none at my house.

Picked up my solar panel, another 200w panel. $13 for this one, new in box. The round trip added some cost. Then I came home and went shopping. Soda is finally on sale again. Meat still is not. It’s been a really long time since pasta was on sale too now that I think about it. Got the kinder some ice cream but I’ve been abstaining for the last month. My gut feels better without it.

Store was completely out of Gold Bond Medicated Powder, original recipe. There was a spot for it, but no product in any size. Grr. I’m down to my last sprinkle and I’ll have to try the drugstore today. Normally I’d go to the OTC drug cabinet, but I must have raided that, or taken it to the BOL and not replaced it. Prepper fail.

Having to make a special trip takes time and effort. Might be easier to order from Amazon… and it would be if I wanted to wait several days. I’ll stop at CVS.

Today I need to do some pickups. I am limiting my buys and which auctions I’m buying from. I shouldn’t need to do a pickup every day. That’s where all my time was going.

And of course I’ll be working the list. At least with D1 driving, she’s doing most of the kid taxi stuff on Tuesday and Thursday. I don’t get to see the kids much though and that’s beginning to bug me. It’s the natural order of things, but still a bit sad.

I’m sure there is prepping to do, stuff to stack…so I better get busy.

nick

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Mon. Sept. 22, 2025 – yes, we have no bananas

Cool-ish, warming to hot. Because Houston. It got to 96F yesterday, and started warmer than the past several days. Then it rained and that cooled everything off a bit. Still was saturated though.

I got up far too early, dunno why, cooked my wife breakfast. Apparently there is this thing called “birthday week” where the birthday girl gets special treatment for the week, not just on the day. Who knew? I made an omelette. Saturday was a frittata. Of course there was bacon too.

Then I moved some stuff around and did some small jobs before deciding to finish the pressure washing and install my new 20ft flagpole. The rain came just as I was finishing that up. I poked at a few more small things after that. Dinner was a take and make meal from Costco. Those sou vide meals are cheaper than Burger King and a whole lot better, and they are very convenient. I usually freeze them until needed.

Today I’ll be working the list. I’ve got more stuff to move out of the house as part of the wife’s push to move stuff around. And I’ve got to do some ebay listing. Time to generate some cash, or at least start the process. I’ve got some outstanding invoices and other monies due me that I need to get on top of too.

And I’d like to take a load to auction. The scrap yard needs a visit too.

I’ve got prepping to do, mainly generator stuff, and I need to make some room to do it, and make some time. All while whittling away at the list.

Always be working. Always be stacking.

nick

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Sun. Sept. 21, 2025 – more stuff to do.

Cool, then warm, then hot. And even into the night, still pretty warm. It was in the 80sF at 11pm yesterday. I didn’t even want to sit out with a tiny little fire and a book.

I did spend Saturday doing the stuff my wife wanted me to do. I made two trips to the shop to move stuff out of the house. It was pretty hot in the shop, and I didn’t have the time or motivation to move much around there. The A/C did start up, and all the ice was melted off of it, but something isn’t right with it.

The compressor runs, even if the control panel is set to ‘off’, and none of the controls actually work, except on/off/and temperature. Good thing I have A/C units to spare. And good thing it’s getting cooler.

I did make a nice dinner for W1 and the kids. It wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than going out.

Today she’ll be working D2, and I’ll just continue on the stuff I have on the list. With additions, because OF COURSE stuff got added. D1 has some plastic hanging off the bottom of the car that needs to be zip tied up or removed so it doesn’t drag and catch. And I’m sure there will be some other new thing that needs urgent attention…

But that’s all just normal. Do what you can with what you have, and the time you’ve got. And stack.

nick

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Fri. Sept. 19, 2025 – “… people say we monkee around…”

Cool then hot. When you’re hot you’re hot, so cool you’re hot… I feel like singing today. No idea why. Anyway, yesterday was as expected and today will probably be too. Unless the forecast squeezes just a little rain out on us.

I did get a bunch of things done yesterday, but they were all little, and at home. I put off pickups until I had my pickup back, and just stayed home and chipped away at stuff.

I broke down the brisket, and cooked some. 3 pounds in the crock pot with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and four onions sliced thin. 6 hours later, it was filling the house with good smells. Unfortunately, the beef fat I was rendering on the stove didn’t smell so nice. I did get 2 cups of tallow at the end of the day, and I’d have just thrown that fat out. There was almost a cup in the crock pot too, but I didn’t render that.

As a side I made a recipe for dinner rolls from a magazine put out by our local electrical co-op at the BOL. Every month they feature other co-op members’ recipes. They were quick and easy, even from scratch. Unfortunately, the gamma seal lid on my bucket of flour failed, and the bucket went wet and rotten. I had a backup, so I opened that and made the rolls. That’s the second bucket of flour to turn into stinky glue.

My storage conditions sux teh bunnies, so I’m glad I don’t have even more breakage, but gamma lids are supposed to be good. They aren’t fool proof, and I’m the fool to prove it. Use a real lid for long term, and gammas only for the bucket you are working out of.

Moisture is my biggest problem with long term storage of anything, followed by sunlight. I’m the opposite of a cool dark place, and it shows.

Still, nice to know I can make light fluffy rolls with simple ingredients and only a little time. I think we’re most likely to be eating flat bread during any prolonged event, just because you don’t have the time for rising dough, or the energy for long baking. Just look at what poor people around the world eat, and it’s mostly flat bread.

I may try them with bacon fat instead of ‘solid vegetable shortening’ next time, just because I’ve got more bacon fat, but I try to make a new recipe as closely as possible the first time.

Late in the day I got my truck back. I’m $1500 lighter, but the A/C works again, and the oil got changed. There is a list of things that need attention, but most of it isn’t critical or in the budget for this year. In a couple more years it will be an antique and then maybe I’ll do a half arsed ‘restoration’ for D2. I can’t replace it for $100/ month, and that’s about what I’ve been spending on it. Plus, it’s a simple and reliable design, without all the tracking, ads, and “driver assistance” that I don’t want.

Today I’ll be doing those delayed pickups. And more stuff around the house. I have two specific missions for W as birthday requests, so I need to get them done.

Of course there are all the usual things on the list too, and stacking. Busy busy me…

nick

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Thur. Sept. 18, 2025 – yep, it costs more and takes longer, every time.

Weather is the same today as yesterday. And the day before. And before. And next. Cool to start, hot at the end, humid all along.

So, did I get anything done yesterday? Why no, not really. I did one pickup. Went by my shop. Authorized my mechanic to fix my Ranger, mostly. Did some other stuff, but nothing on the list. Kid 2 came home from school not feeling well. I did make dinner, and it was good.

Today though, today I’m doing stuff. Or maybe not. I don’t have my pickup truck so there are things I’d like to do that will be harder, or that I really can’t do, like moving out of another storage unit, or taking some shelves from one place to my shop. Even going to the Lowes and picking up 10 gallons of kerosene is harder without the Ranger. Wahhh wahhhh wahhh. I’ll figure something out.

It’s just not what I want to do, or thought I’d be doing.

But that’s life. Just gotta keep plugging away.

Gotta keep working and learning and stacking.

nick

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Wed. Sept. 17, 2025 – this time for sure…

Cool again, but then warm again, and then HOT again. We almost got some rain around 6pm, which cooled things down as the front moved by, but it was 92F before that. And pretty humid too. Time for Fall to get here.

I did some things in the morning, doing some small things in my bedroom and closet that I’d been thinking about for a while. Just rearranging stuff really. There’s more to do, but I broke the logjam by finally starting. I hope. Then I fell down a rabbit hole with some network stuff.

I did get one ubiquiti access point configured. I have another that shouldn’t take but a minute, and then I’ve got to install them in the attic. The one that took some skull sweat wasn’t resetting, or configurable, or upgrading properly, so when that got resolved (by using a different ubiquiti tool) I was pretty happy. It’s a $400 access point I picked up at the goodwill bins for about $3. Yeah, getting that to work for me kinda rocked. The other came from my client’s house during one of the upgrade rounds, and it configured no problem.

What I can’t do yet is get them off my normal network, and I can’t get them to use an alternative DNS server. ATT doesn’t allow you to configure their router to use anyone but them, as they mine that and sell it. I’ve got several devices I want to stop seeing ads on, but can’t configure manually, so I need the wifi or the main router to assign an alternate DNS, whether that’s a pihole or 9.9.9.9 or some other ad blocking service.

I have been looking at used ubiquiti gateways and they’re pretty cheap on ebay, so I may just do that. Then I’ll have control over it at a whole ‘nother level. The added advantage is that I’ve already spent time and energy learning to use the ubiquiti stuff at my client’s house, so I can save some effort. The other choice is to change the way the APs are configured, and set them up as a portal (like in a coffee shop or business lobby) and connect the devices to them. There are additional issues there though, and I’d have to learn more about that functionality.

I’m bummed because I thought I’d just be able to config the APs to give out a different DNS server… and I just had another idea about how to do that which I’ll have to explore today… See, talking through a problem can help. The normal setup and use just passes the routers DHCP and DNS to wifi clients too.

In the afternoon I did my pickups, got stuff at the grocery store, and dropped the Ranger off at the mechanic shop. Then I walked home. D1 picked up D2 and took her to her Tues/Thur activity. Sometimes having minions helps.

Today I’ll do a bit more cleanup in the bedroom and closet, a bit more networking, and maybe a bit of other stuff. I do have a pickup locally, and I can take some stuff over to the shop using the Expy when I do that pickup. Even if it’s raining, the Expy will keep the stuff dry. Tiny little steps, but all stuff that needs to be done.

I’ve got a brisket to portion and freeze, so that will be adding to the stacks. It’ll also probably end up being dinner too.

Stack while you can. If assassinations aren’t enough to kick off the next stage, something else will.

nick

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Tues. Sept. 16, 2025 – uh oh, someone’s birthday is coming fast

Hot later but cool enough at the start of the day. Yesterday did fit the pattern. It was a little cooler because of the overcast, but still unpleasantly hotter than the morning.

Some stuff got done. Some stuff didn’t. I did my pickups, even the far one, although I was 2 minutes late. They’d locked the door, but I called ahead and they left my stuff outside for me.

It was a lot of driving around and it took most of the afternoon. It’s very clear where my time has been going.

I did find time to change out the fuse in my dead battery charger. And true to form, it instantly blew. When gear has a blown fuse, there is usually a reason. I’ve got too much to do, so I salvaged the case and cables, but put the board in the recycle pile. I’m thinking about mounting a mobile radio in the case. Project for future me.

Today, I’ve got a few more pickups, and some grocery shopping to do. Kid2 needs stuff for band (and the Band Supporters ‘band’ together to provide it. I’m a band dad.) Normal day for me. Maybe I’ll get a chance to do something else on the list. Probably not though.

Time to set aside some time to really hit the list. Like the week at the BOL, I need to dedicate time. Kinda hard with the other stuff going on though. We’ll see what I can figure out.

Out there in the world, I’m assuming the tit for tat is starting. If you haven’t been completely grey for the last 5 years, assume someone knows your politics and doesn’t like them. Keep your eyes open and your weapons close.

AND stack. Because crazy knows no bounds and things are gonna get crazy.

nick

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