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Category: government

Tues. Jan. 21, 2025 – actual snow. And a new President.

Well, IDK what it’s going to be like today. Real snow started at about 2am, and I went to bed. The forecasts are all suspect, so I’m going with “temps around freezing” with some precipitation. I don’t really expect there to be much accumulation when I get up today. I could be wrong. We’ll see. And I have no idea at all what to expect today and tonight, except that it’s about 90% certain to be less than what was predicted.

Spent yesterday buttoning up the BOL, driving home, and then doing a couple of small things to “get ready” for the snowpocalypse…. Mainly doing something to protect the hot water heater on the side of the house. I insulated all the lines last time it got cold. That has worked fine. I put a 100w flood light under the unit by the lines and valves, and put a metal screen over the whole thing to block some of the wind. Hopefully that will be enough. Turns out, putting the water heater outside the conditioned volume of the house is risky. I won’t be doing that again.

My doctor’s appointment for today got cancelled so I’ll probably just stay in and do some cleaning/organizing and some computer work. Maybe I’ll get the wifi changed over to ubiquiti WAPs like I’ve been planning. It would be nice to get a pi-hole set up too, although I’m not ready for that. I should really pull some backups too.

There’s always more to do. Always be working…

and stack some good stuff…

nick

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Mon. Dec. 9, 2024 – a whole new world… [musical notes]

Cool and dreary again. Probably. Or not, since the national forecast has us clear for a couple of days. It never did stop drizzling or “heavy misting” yesterday. Everything outdoors was thoroughly wet by the end of the day. I’d like some dry out time, and some clear weather to get the rest of the decor up…

Because I didn’t get any of it up Sunday. I did get the toy room/library/junk pile mostly cleared out. Not completely done, and didn’t get a tree yesterday, but made a lot of progress. There was a ton of stuff in there that I’d forgotten about. Right now it all looks worse, because it is scattered around the house, and sorted into other piles, but I can get that cleaned up pretty quickly. I’ve had to go through some of it as I dug it out, and that slowed things down.

Dinner was pork loin roast. I used to package it in 2 pound servings, but now I generally like a three pound roast for the family. So I had to pull two from the freezer, one from 2022, and one from 2020. Both were still tasty if a little bit too lean. I was still buying at Costco back then, before I decided their pork was too lean to cook well. We’ve got 1 pound of leftover for lunches.

Today I’ve got a full plate, ‘natch. I should get to my secondary, the rent house, and possibly an auction pickup or two, as I’ll be on the right side of town. I like to combine trips if possible.

But the Rent house will take a couple of hours if I count the shopping time, and if it all goes perfectly. If it doesn’t, could be a big project. I might push it to Tuesday, and just get the stuff I think I’ll need today. I’ll basically do what I can to move stuff along, with an emphasis on getting the house ready for Christmas, and getting my stuff done for the Christmas potluck for my non-prepping hobby. I’ll try to combine stuff to save the time of driving across town.

Of course anything can happen and the universe tends towards maximum perversity…

Which is why we prep. All kinds of extraordinary things going on in the world and the country right now. The status quo could change in a heartbeat. Or sudden lack of one. Keep stacking, keep working.

nick

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Thur. Nov. 7, 2024 – so it’s all so very obvious now, is it?

Cool but still damp. Clear and sunny warming things up later. Yesterday was pretty nice by the afternoon. It’s great to drive around with the windows open, even if you might need a bit of heat or A/C to put things right. I need another warm dry day to get my decor dried out and put away.

Yesterday I did some auction stuff. Did one pickup on the north side. It’s near the LDS thrift store, Deseret Industries. I always go in and shop when I’m in the area and it usually pays off. This time I got an Aquatainer for $3, two big spools of direct burial cat 6 cable, which I have plans for here and at the BOL for $25 each, and a big old CB radio for resale, either at the Hamfest or online… and I got some irrigation supplies and some medical stuff too. Then I got the kid from school, and did stuff at home including some domestic bliss. I’ll fold the clean clothes later today.

Today I’ll be trying to rent a drywall cart to help with moving my new bed, and doing other stuff on the list. I rented the trailer so that’s done. I shouldn’t have any pickups, and kid taxi duties don’t kick in until 3pm so I MIGHT be able to make some progress around the house. That’s the plan, Stan.

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I’m finding the news to be entertaining… lot’s of “this is why the Kamel failed” articles. NOW they see it, NOW they know it, NOW it’s so obvious. Well, where were you last week, or the previous months when it was obvious to US? In South Park getting high on your own smug?

The only question now is, well there are lots of questions. Still plenty of uncertainty, even if one branch of the tree is known. We’re on the “Trump won the election” branch, but it forks and twists, and is riddled with parasites, storm damage, weakened branches, etc… There are still a million bad things that can happen, but now there are also good things too.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and try to get through it.

And stack of course.

nick

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Fri. May 31, 2024 – School’s out for summer… school’s out for ever….

Or not. But it is summer and summer temps are here. Not quite on the 10s which is my own phrase for when it’s 80F at 800AM and 90F at 900AM, and 100F at 1000AM… soon though. And rainy, probably for the next 4 days. Just what I need.

Spent the day at my client’s poking at things. What details there are in yesterday’s comments. Basically I hate “automagic” programmer BS. That’s probably the root cause of why I’m not an apple fanboi. I certainly had exposure to them during my formative years. Never ‘took’ for me though. I did make progress and fixed a number of issues. It’s always nice when I can do that.

Today is going to be a couple of pickups, and also me attempting to get my truck registrations up to date. We’ll see how long that takes. While I’m doing that, I’m going to apply for the Radio Operator plates too. There is a small opsec issue with the plates, but anyone sophisticated/knowledgeable enough to look them up can probably dox me anyway from my regular plates. The advantage is having the same plate on both trucks, and having only one renewal date.

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In bigger news, they found Trump guilty of something. This is surely someone’s red line, and signal to go active. And if not this one, then sometime soon, and someone serious. I’m looking for “terror” attacks on infrastructure, and around NYFC in particular. Could be anything though. Might take a bit for them to update plans, etc. Or they might be ready. Or we could see a false flag, since I’m not the only one speculating…

And the flip side is that it will surely embolden both our domestic lefties and foreign devils. Watching the crowing on tv yesterday was kinda bizarre. No one ever thinks they’ll be out of power, or out of favor, but history shows us that the pendulum swings and what is sauce for the goose quickly becomes sauce for the gander. In 10 or 20 years I hope they think it was worth it to destroy what we had to get the orange man.

In any case, ordinary folks are going to be in a world of hurt when it all kicks off.

You’ve had time to prep, use the remaining time wisely. Stack all the things, and keep your personal awareness level HIGH.

nick

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Thur. May 25, 2023 – ..until morale improves. Then the REAL fun begins.

Cool start to the day but should be sunny and hot later.   Yesterday turned out ok for us, no rain, no bright sun for most of the day.   It was a bit sunny in the later afternoon.  Hoping for similar today, but with a bit more sun.

Did my two pickups on the south side of town.   Found a neighborhood I didn’t expect, with a very ‘out in the country’ feel, right in between the ghetto and the ‘hood.   Big lots, old homes, real country boys… guy had a bunch of great older reference books on “rebuild society” topics.  Lots of tools, and clearly enjoyed his hobbies.   The other pickup was sort of “general merch” and is always good for some household item.

The pickup nearest to me was a heavy steel door for the BOL, a bookcase for D2, and some other misc. stuff for some other projects.   Pickup truck is about 1/3 loaded, waiting for the rest before heading up this weekend.

And I’ll load up later, as we haven’t decided whether to head up tonight or tomorrow.

Before that, I’ll  be spending some more time trying to get at least the expensive PTZ camera to work with the new NVR.   Even at my hourly rate, it’s worth poking at it for a while.   I can do some at home, but will really need to head out to the site to find out if I can make it work.

It would be nice to do some more cleanup and organizing this morning, but work slipped to today, so it is what it is.

I’ll be taking some more stuff to stack at the BOL.    If the SHTF, “they” will definitely come looking for “it” for whatever value of “it” you like.   If people are hungry, they’ll look for food.  If jones-ing, they’ll be looking for drugs or booze.   If it’s biggov, they’ll be looking for control, and we know what they’ll be coming for.   Split your stacks up.   Hide your tangibles.   Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.   Fallback positions are a good thing.  So is ‘hiding in plain sight.’   Harden your heart, and your house.  Be prepared to degrade gracefully.

And stack, what you can and while you can.

nick

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Sat. Apr. 30, 2022 – may go north today…

Forecast for another nice day.  Yesterday certainly was nice, although humid.   Evening was very nice.  It’s nice when it is nice out.  So nice.

Did some errands.  Picked up some stuff. Took the smaller kid to swim practice.   Talked to a septic contractor.

Today I’ll take the smaller kid to swim, then either head to the lake, or work around the house.  I really need to get up there, but there is a ton of stuff to do here too.  Having my wife and one kid out of the house makes it easier to do stuff here so I should take advantage of that, right?  Oh, and the HVAC contractor wants to look around again and get a contract signed and I’d have to be here for that.

On the other hand, not having D1 here to manage the dog means I have to do it.  That complicates going to the BOL, as he can’t be trusted not to bolt.  I did not and do not want to be one of those people who are bullied by a pet, arranging everything around that pet.  Him climbing onto the kitchen table is pretty close to the last straw.  No good solutions to this problem.

I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.

There is always something you can be stacking, always something that will improve your position.  Find that thing, and stack it, find that thing and do it.

nick

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Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – you load 16 tons and whadda ya get???

Cold today.  Yesterday was rainy in the morning, but dried up and got hot in the afternoon. Temps  started dropping in the late afternoon and it was down to 42F at 11pm.  Wind was variable but quite gusty.  Stuff was blowing around in the yard and driveway. Today is supposed to be cold with overcast.  Joy.

Did my pickups.  Got some stuff for the BOL.   Got some stuff for this household.   Picked up a couple of small things to resell to pay for the rest and one item for my hobby.

Got stuff to donate to school.  White man’s burden?  Noblesse oblige?  Can’t call it either, but in our district they definitely expect parents with the means to step up and contribute in some way to the schools and the district in general and there isn’t a lot of diversite’ above certain income levels.   It’s not just income though, it’s free time and the ability to work at something effectively.  The loss of the fraternal service organizations and their ‘women’s auxiliary’ and the womens service clubs was a nearly fatal blow to US society and western culture.  “Moms’ Clubs” and other informal groups are stepping up, but they lack the continuity and structure of the old groups.  The transition from high trust to low trust is everywhere and increasingly common.

Stuff for the BOL is piling up.   I need to close so we can start moving stuff out of my spaces and out to the country.  Unfortunately,  unless the title company pulls their head out of their backside, I don’t think we’ll be closing on Monday.

There is the additional macroeconomic consideration too.  We transferred a bunch of money into one place, in preparation for buying the BOL.  Now Canada has gone and said they will seize bank accounts if they feel like it.   That SHOULD cause a bank run.  There is some suggestion that at least a low key bank run is happening.  A real bank run could cause widespread damage and disruption worldwide, but certainly in their largest trading partner, the US.    So, I want to get the transaction done without delay, so as to avoid getting screwed if the banks shut down.

And all of the vehicles need maintenance of some kind.  Ranger and Expy need oil changes.   Expy is going to need new front brake pads soon.  Wife’s minivan probably needs everything…  it never ends.

The house still needs all the stuff it needed a couple of months ago, with the only exception being that the water heater is installed and making hot water.   Not completely installed, or anywhere near finished, but installed.

After a month or two of feeling resigned, I feel like fighting again.   Not rested, but going back at it anyway.

I’m stacking, hopefully the right things, and you should be too.

 

N

 

(and congrats to everyone that is, Mr Lynn, Mr Atoz, and anyone else who is trying out a prep, or stacking.)

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Fri. Dec. 3, 2021 – work work work. While the world burns…

Last day of cool and clear this week, maybe. ‘Cuz they lie. And they’re wrong. It’s been clear but really quite humid for as cool as it is. That isn’t a super comfortable state.

Spent the day at my client’s house working on his upgrade. Felt like I really made some progress, but there is a bunch more to do, and some of it involves more Ubiquiti UniFi stuff. I will get to that last, I think. And I’ll be back over there next week as well.

Puppy is doing fine. Eating, running around the back yard, sniffing frantically. There was some sort of stinky wildlife skulking around last night. Zeus was very excited, and he got to bark at a cat! Made the cone of shame more tolerable, I’m sure.

Home Depot had several green leafy vegetables in pots for planting when I stopped in two days ago. It must be still fall planting season down here. Not much dirt for the raised beds, but at least most of a pallet in bags of the kind I like. I think I’ll try to get a few more bags this weekend. I didn’t see ANY seeds and the whole display was missing. Could be they were cleaning up and changing out that area, or it could be that they sold out. If you want a garden this year, you might want to secure some seeds, bug killer, fertilizer, and whatever else you need. Stock up early and avoid the rush.

Might go look at a lake house this weekend. The house looks nice, the part of the lake is less developed, and it’s difficult to get to the property. All good things in my book. Septic, propane, city power, and water. There must be a reason that part of the lake is under developed though, and I think it’s because the lake is very shallow there. My wife will be checking the lake depth chart today. 5 ft is ok, 1 ft of depth is not. Inflation continues to eat away at our savings. Buying a white elephant property would too, but they call it “real” estate for a reason.

I am trying to get to Costco today, but I’ve got other things to do before heading to my client’s place. I got more of an item that is a steady seller for me. Not huge profit, but every sale counts. I also got some stuff for a future lake house in another auction. It’s either a great score, or there is something I couldn’t see in the photos. I’ll find out later today.

The doddering old fool in the Whitehouse continues to decline. He can’t help but make up stuff, and he’s as incoherent as ever. If it weren’t our country and our lives on the line, it would be funny. As it is, it’s just a harbinger of bad times ahead.

So get to stacking. Because they are coming.

nick

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Fri. Sept. 17, 2021 – another week gone in a flash…

Slightly cooler, still humid, maybe rain. Had overcast most of yesterday and some threatening clouds, but never did rain where I was. It’s lot easier to do auction pickup with the pickup truck but then I need to be fairly confident that it won’t rain.

Pickups are the order of the day, at least the order of the afternoon…

Yesterday’s pickup went well. Got stuff for my non-prepping hobby, including something to flip. In the late afternoon, I finally got together with the craigslist flake and did a deal. Sold my $5 auction purchase for $250. I wish I had more of them… I do have more high value items to sell, I just need to get busy with listing them.

I am starting to see a difference in my house, my office, and my secondary location. It’s just slow going.

And I want to go faster, because the decline is accelerating. The latest is fedgov limiting the drugs that 7 southern states will get to treat covid. We’re using up too much, what with our not vaxxing, and not cowering, so they need to save some for the others, who might need it later, because we’ve been BAD and don’t DESERVE the EXPENSIVE treatment. So, people in Florida and Texas can just suffer and die. If there’s anyone thinking that “well they should hold some back for the other people who might need them later” contrast this action with NY Governor sending State Troopers to other parts of the state to seize ventilators for NYC’s use in the early lockdown days.

The uniparty intends to bring us to heel. I don’t think that is going to work out like they think.

USE the time that’s left. Always be improving your position. And stack stuff. Lots of stuff.

nick

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Thur. Aug. 26, 2021 – month is winding down

Hot and humid. Chance of rain. Almost a surety that it will rain SOMEWHERE in Houston. It got pretty hot yesterday. I think my weather station topped out at 104F in the sun. It was still over 80F at dinner time, and just 80F at midnight. I did drive through some rain during my errands too.

Did a lot of running around yesterday. Did some thrifting too, since I’ve got a guaranteed auction coming up and he’ll take the stuff to his warehouse. There were a couple of good scores.

Today I’ll be packing up stuff for my non-prepping hobby show this weekend. So far they haven’t asked me to help load a truck today, so it’s all my stuff to get ready. I really hope some or all of it sells.

Moving the stuff is the important part, getting some money is second. Hanging out with people who share an enthusiasm is pretty cool too.

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I got a funny phone call yesterday. Out of the blue, someone from the local Republican party called and asked if I wanted to be a precinct chair. It turns out the precinct is basically my neighborhood, and a couple of blocks around it. The duties seem to be trying to get out the vote, shaking hands and knocking on doors. I’m actually considering it, since I encourage all y’all to get involved with local politics. Well, if not involved exactly, at least familiar with the people and the process. IDK if I would be good at it, or want the exposure, or would be acceptable to them. Everything they said about Kavanaugh could have been said about me… only the names and places were different. The 80s were a great time to be coming of age…….. Anyway, no one’s had the position in years. This tells me that the local R’s might be trying to up their ground game.

That they think they can overcome fraud with effort is funny. And I don’t actually care about most of the R’s, since they turned out to be politicians first, deep staters or quislings second, and generally not people I’d put in charge of a Prom Committee, but they at least aren’t actively pushing socialism. We can continue to pretend things are normal for a while longer. And it might lead to some good insights… or a spot in front of a pock marked wall. That last being the important bit. Hard to be the grey man when people know you as part of a political machine.

I’ll put it in the ‘meatspace baby’ pile for now and give it some thought. I don’t see much upside to doing it, and a lot of potential downside.

We’ve still got some time, use it wisely. Stack all the things!

n

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