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Category: decline and fall

Tues. Aug. 22, 2023 – just a bit cooler, mostly from overcast

Hot, but a little bit cooler. National map has us on the edge of a system for the next couple of days, and we seem to be getting some overcast and cloudiness. That is definitely helping with the overall temps, but it’s still hot and humid by any measure. Only 103F in the shade yesterday. It was less than 100F for longer though, and cooler overnight. We may finally be getting a break.

I did my auction pickup (for the BOL) and chatted with the auctioneer for a bit. He’s noticing several new businesses opening that have bins full of merch from the same sort of sources he has. They have different models for selling. He’s going to try some new stuff too. There is a lot of competition in the secondary/reseller space, and a lot of evolving business models. I think that like most markets, it will consolidate and regularize and that will happen fairly soon. Some deep pocket big players will enter the field and the mom-n-pops will be forced out. Year, maybe two…

D1 hurt herself at school, so picking her up killed my late afternoon plans. Nothing too serious, just bruising. We went grocery shopping instead. I scored some meat, finally. Choice sirloin cap roasts, $5.50/pound. I bought 5 or 6 for the freezer. Made one for dinner that was well received. In the store I was giving lessons on prices, grades, moving up and down market, and inflation. They had very few items on sale this month. Lays Classic potato chips are now $5/bag. They used to be $2.50 for the same “party size”. That’s 100% price increase in a year or two. Other items are up 30-50%. And there were things I would normally buy that weren’t available. The bill is getting bigger, and the shopping cart isn’t as full…

Today is another auction pickup day, but also a drop off day. I’ve got a pickup truck load for the auctioneer. It would also be nice to do settlement and get paid for a few of the previous auctions. I’ve been letting that slide for various reasons, but I don’t want to get too far behind. And some money coming in never hurts.

Some of it I’m stacking. Some of it I’m using for improvements. Some is just daily living. But all of it is cheaper through the auctions and thrift stores than it would be through retail.

Save some money, use it for stacking!

nick

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Mon. Aug. 21, 2023 – lots to do this week, 1st full week of school too…

Hot, yep. Humid, yep. Miserable outdoors, yep. It does seem like this has been going on for longer than usual, outside of the drought year. Funny that I’m not seeing huge scare stories about the drought.

Lake at the BOL is still higher than last year too.

I did mostly small jobs all day yesterday. Other than cutting the grass in the back yard, I was doing non-essential or low priority jobs. Some for auctions, some for household cleanup, some just domestic bliss.

One of the things I did that definitely could have waited, but fits in the cleanup and auction categories, was going through a couple of pairs of boots in the closet. Had to determine if they were for me, and fit, or if they needed something before going to the auction. I ended up cleaning, conditioning, and even touching up the color on several pairs. At some point I picked up a box of leather paints and leather dyes. It’s pretty cool to do some quick fixes and have a dramatic improvement in look. Most boots and shoes look much better just with a leather treatment and a brushing. It’s definitely a prep to have good quality footwear and the tools to maintain it. Plus it is a lot cheaper to keep a pair nice than to replace them, or to get a used pair and bring them back to like new condition.

Today I should be able to take some stuff to my local auctioneer. Wife will be happy to have the bins out of the foyer. I should also list some high value items on ebay. It would be nice to do a couple of quick sales and make some money. Since I’ll be home this week and coming weekend, this will be a good time to list some things I think will sell right away.

While doing the other auction stuff I’ve also got to start pulling stuff together for my upcoming swapmeet/convention/show… It would be nice to make some real sales there too.

Focus this week will be on selling and getting ready to sell, so tangentially on money… Money is a prep. Earning it, spending it wisely, saving it, and making it work for you are all skills you can improve. Work on your money skills.

And stack. Always stack.
nick

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Sun. Aug. 20, 2023 – I’ve let some stacks run down a bit…

Hot, blah blah blah. Yeah, still 100s in the afternoon, and sweatier than a hoor in church… gonna be a while yet before that changes.

I did one of my pickups yesterday, missed the other but he said he’d hold my one small item until the next pickup time. Along with some stuff for the house and the kids, I got two five gallon gas cans. I had sworn off buying used gas cans, because the seam cracks open at the handle eventually, but they were very cheap, and I’ve just retired 2 that had cracks or leaks. I still need to go through my remaining stored gas and see what is ok, and what is not. I usually refresh it all when the hurricane season starts, but I didn’t last year or this year. Slack. That’s me.

It’s not the only thing. I’ve been eating from the stacks too. Meat’s been so high lately and the sales have been less frequent, so I’ve been buying less. Several trips in a row I didn’t buy any meat. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that I’ve got less in the freezer than I’d like. Partly that’s from moving some to the BOL, but it’s also from eating it.

The fact is, I’ve been coasting here at the house while focusing on the BOL. That might be understandable, but it’s also not great. Staying current is hard enough with one location. Keeping two stocked and with some semblance of “eating what you store” takes more effort and intentional effort at that. I need to do some ‘re-balancing’ and refocusing, as well as catching up on some other chores.

There is always something that needs doing. The trick is doing it.

So do it. Fix. Improve. Stack.

n

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Sat. Aug. 19, 2023 – more whinging less work!

Hot. Check. Humid. Check. Houston. Check. Summer. Check. Good, glad that’s covered.

Maybe we’ll get a little break. It was all the way down to 87F when I went to bed. I’m not holding my breath though.

Did my pickups yesterday and not much else. It was crazy hot, and my head was still thick with whatever I was/am sick with. Could be the coof, got no idea. Not interested in testing.

I feel a bit better today, so maybe I’ll get a bit more done. I’ve got two pickups to do, stuff for the BOL and a small thing for D2. I forgot to get it for her yesterday. Wife decided to stay here and do work around the house instead of heading to the BOL. I was hoping for some time alone to really focus on work, but since my head is still a bit off, I guess that wasn’t going to happen anyway.

My plan is to do some of the stuff I keep putting off. We’ll see how that works out.

First thing is a decent night’s sleep.

And then the stacking and improving will commence…
nick

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Fri. Aug. 18, 2023 – still not 100% but pushing on …

Pushing on in the HEAT. Lots of heat and humidity. Well into the 100s every day. I have to say it’s starting to get a bit old. But you do what you have to to get by.

Spent yesterday in the jury selection process, but got rejected this time. Details in yesterday’s comments. Didn’t feel great but didn’t blow my nose or cough the whole time, so I am better.

Not completely better. Still a bit shaky and a little bit “off”. I’ve got some pickups to do today, and more ‘getting ready for my regional get together’, as well as ‘getting stuff stacked for the auctioneer’. That’s what I’ll work on today.

Wife and kids want to go to the BOL this weekend, but I’m not feeling it. They might go without me. Given that I was there without them last weekend, there is a kind of symmetry to it.

In any case, I’ll be working here or there to improve my situation… and stacks. I’ll be stacking as soon as I can get to the store…

nick

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Thur. Aug. 17, 2023 – jury duty today, so offline until they boot me out…

Hot and humid, sunny. Forecast says three more days at least. Gah. I’m pretty much over the heat. I maybe looking for it during the cold season, but right now? I’d take a few 10s of degrees lower…

Spent yesterday asleep as much as possible. And I’m feeling a lot less snotty. Head still feels ‘overfull’ and I’m one deep breath from a cough or a sneeze. Kids needed chauffeuring around and I did have a pickup or two to make.

Today I’ve got jury duty. I show up at 8am, sit around for a while, then get sent home. Best case. Worst case would be selected for a case then sequestered. Every other time I’ve just been sent home at some point in the morning. Fingers crossed.

Participating in the judicial system is an important civic duty, but no one really likes it. That’s why I say that being any elected official should be like jury duty, with people looking for ways to avoid it.

I’m still going to go and let them decide they don’t need or want me…

Meanwhile, stack some stuff. Bacon for example. You probably don’t have enough. Turns out I don’t and that is a shocker…
n

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Wed. Aug. 16, 2023 – still not feeling 100% but got stuff to do… and first day of school!

Hot and humid for the first day of school. WAY too hot. Part of the reason for not attending school in the summer was because of the heat, and later the expense of A/C. They have moved the start so far forward that it’s still summer.

So we have “First day of school” happening. Should be interesting for kids that have been sleeping in until noon or later.

I’ll have my own issues getting up at 6am.

But I’ll do it. And there will be breakfast… which will probably go uneaten. Dang kids.

Then I’ve got a pickup or two, and I’m sleeping as much as I can. Oh, and I’ll have to get D1 from school in the afternoon. Hope that isn’t a trend.

Not much prepping gonna happen today, just using the stacks to feed the family.

Doesn’t mean YOU can’t stack…

nick

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Tues. Aug. 15, 2023 – sneezing and snotty..

Lots of heat, lots of humidity. Joy. And more to look forward to tomorrow too.

It was so hot yesterday I really didn’t get anything done but unloading, putting stuff away, and buttoning up before leaving. That and my oncoming sniffles.

Been a long time since I caught anything. Not liking it any more now than before. Fluids and rest. Joy.

I’ve gotta get back into the swing of things here, the school year is starting up. And I’m snotty.

D2 to orthodontist, stuff to auctioneer- maybe, and more home stuff.

But all I want to do is sleep. Well I guess I’ll have to suck it up and do what needs to be done.

Maybe I’ll clean my office some more. That’s a low engagement, low effort task that has real benefits. Whatever I end up doing today, it won’t be rocket science or anything that needs a big wrinkled brain.

TEOTWAWKI isn’t waiting for me to feel better, so keep stacking!

nick

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Mon. Aug. 14, 2023 – a new week, same stuff needs doing…

Hot, yeah unto the third number place… yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And sweaty humid too. I feel like summer should start winding down soon.

Did a bunch of smaller tasks yesterday. Tried to stay in the shade and order the jobs to follow the sun, but did get stupid in the afternoon and baked my brains in direct sunlight. I’ll try not to do that again.

Today I’ve got some stuff to button up before heading home, and maybe I’ll do some electrical work if my buddy comes by to keep an eye on me. Don’t like working on electrical by myself. Power should be off, but accidents happen. Glue should be dry on my plumbing from yesterday, so maybe I can find the next break in the irrigation ‘trunk’ line up to the front yard. It sure would be nice if the buried line to the other side of the driveway was still intact…

At some point, I’ll call today “Good Enough” and head home. Probably. I’ve got stuff to do in Houston tomorrow.

The pace of work up here has been on the slower side, but that’s because it is HOT. I’m still making forward progress. Which is important.

Stack some skills along with your food and goods. You’ll be glad you did.

nick

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Sun. Aug. 13, 2023 – Serendipity

Of course it’s hot and humid today. It’s summer. It’s a bit hotter than usual, but not hotter than EVAH!11!1! And it looks like it will continue to be hot here for a while…

Did my thing yesterday. Met with people and shared our common interests. We’re counting down the days until our regional tradeshow/swapmeet/convention, and our pre-registration numbers are stronger than last year. There was talk about people still coming out of their covid ‘shell’…which is frankly amazing to me. We’ve been back to “normal” for long enough I find it hard to remember when we weren’t. I’m not sure what I feel for the people who are still living under the cloud of the chinese bioweapon, sadness? Pity? Both mixed together with a dash of disbelief? I hope they come to Texas and see how they could be living again.

After that I loaded up the truck and headed to the BOL. And when I got here it was HOT. The wind was blowing and it felt like leaning into an oven. I was going to mow, but decided to take the dog for a walk and see my friend the fisherman, and take a look at the work he’s been doing on his house. We ended up sitting in the air conditioning and chatting for a couple hours. I’ll mow today. Meatspace.

Made my dinner and went down to the dock. It was still in the low 90s and the lake wasn’t feeling cool, but sitting still in the gentle breeze wasn’t too bad. The sky was a bit hazy, but the Milky Way was out, and there was the tail end of this week’s meteor shower to look for. I saw a couple dozen shooting stars, about half were dim and short, but almost a dozen were really bright and long ones. One I could see go from white streak to orange red as it broke up. Really pretty nice.

That kept me down there past my cigar, listening to the radio and watching the sky. WRMI Legends, playing all the hits of rock and roll from the last several decades. They even do “instant requests” playing stuff the audience picks from their song library through the website. Shortwave radio on 9.455Mhz. Their playlist is very eclectic. The DJ was in a mellow mood last night, but where else can you hear “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”, “Cat’s in the Cradle”, “the Tracks of my Tears”, “Rag Doll”, and dozens of others in the same hour? Fleetwood Mac to Bobby Darin? I love the serendipity of radio. After 50 plus years of listening to popular music, there was very little I couldn’t sing along to, and very few songs that I wasn’t happy to hear.

Serendipity plays a big part in my life. I need something and it shows up in the auctions. I need a job, and someone who knows someone I know gives me a call… I get back in touch with a girl I knew because of an email address on a fund raising appeal that was cc’d to me and I end up married to her… Stuff that pushes the bounds of probability happens to me all the time. Serendipity and synchronicity. It’s a charmed life now, but it wasn’t always. I can appreciate it now, knowing how it used to be.

And I want it to continue, to see where it all leads, but there are people and forces who want to bring it all down. We don’t get to choose when we live, or what happens in the world, but we do get to choose how we respond. I choose to get through whatever is coming, and to see what the next era looks like. My grandmother saw the birth of manned flight, and men landing on the Moon. I can’t predict what my kids will see but I want it to be more than flickering shadows on the walls of our ruined civilization. So I prep, to give them the best start in whatever comes next.

You can too. Stack it up.

nick

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