Category: march to war

Another cool start to the day. Supposed to be clear, so it will warm up later and probably become a very nice day. Moist though. You could smell the damp in the air yesterday.

I didn’t do much except auction stuff in the morning yesterday, and then my appointment took all afternoon. New doctor, and I like him. He is looking at some bloodwork, and I’ll be looking at the [presumed] hypoglycemia in a couple of weeks. Real testing and diagnosis would be nice, especially as he says they have meds to smooth out the carb crash that comes with it.

Took a swing by Goodwill on my way home, and picked up a nice Orvis shirt for $6. They don’t recognize it as a premium brand. To be fair, since Orvis went offshore for manufacturing, it might not actually be a premium product, but it’s still a premium brand.

Went out to eat for dinner. Then I spent a few more hours pulling stuff out of my office and cleaning under it. Yikes there is a lot of hair and dirt. And a bunch of random tiny bolts and screws.

Today I will get up and get the kids out of the house, then do some auction stuff. I have one pickup scheduled for the afternoon, and one I need to schedule.

As I clean the office, I’m certainly finding projects that need to be finished, materials for projects, and useful things that I’d forgotten about. It’s like shopping your closet. Stacks are only useful if you can find the stuff. It’s a good idea to go through it all every so often, check the condition, and check that it’s still needed. And hey, you might find a new watch somewhere in there.

Sort your stacks, and add to them.

nick

Cooler, damper, winter? Maybe. Still supposed to be clear though, so if it’s a bit cold, then warmer, like yesterday, that will be fine.

I did a bunch of little stuff yesterday, and I’m starting to build a bit of momentum. Of course something will derail that but I’ll deal with it when it comes. Until then, slow but steady, chipping away at low priority but necessary stuff I’ve put off too long.

I am clearing piles of stuff in my office. One of the piles included receipts going back to 2018… so I did find a few things to keep. Some purchases should really be documented, since they come with other paperwork anyway. And sometimes it’s good to be reminded how much you paid for something- either as a ‘score’ or as an object lesson in what not to do.

I also got some piles of stuff sorted. At the moment I’ve got a bin of “parts or craft”, “fix this stuff”, and “working small electronics or gadgets.” Found a bunch of stuff I’d forgotten or misplaced. Nice watch. Handy talkie. Repair parts I’d ordered. I’m vacuuming as I clear parts of the floor. There is a shocking amount of hair that isn’t mine, and little bits of debris everywhere.

I like to be surrounded by ‘stuff’ but it’s getting out of hand. So I’m poking at it. We’ll see how much progress I make before getting pulled off to something else.

Today though, D2 has her school activity ‘work day’ followed by a party. W has a doctor appointment in the morning, and I have one in the afternoon. It’ll almost be like a regular school day, and I won’t have had enough sleep.

What doesn’t kill us leaves marks…

Stack something!

nick

Cooler today, at least to start. Then warmer. Still supposed to be clear for a few days. It got chilly last night. This is the time of year in Houston where we run A/C during the day and heat at night…

Did a bunch of small things yesterday, including laundry and cutting my hair. Shaved too. Spent a fair amount of time sorting paperwork and various other things into bins. I am making a little progress on cleaning and organizing my office, but it’s slow going. Stuff does tend to pile up.

Today will be a continuation of yesterday’s tasks. A bit of network change, a bit of Christmas decor coming down, a bit of sorting and organizing. Some cleaning. Some cooking too, if I get to it. We’ve been eating mostly leftovers and quick to make food. W is cleaning up her computers and fully moving into the macbook.

D2 starts up school activities on Monday, although class doesn’t start until Wednesday. I’ve got an appointment Monday afternoon, and maybe a pickup, so anything I get done today is something I don’t have to find time for on Monday.

Baby steps are still steps, right? Right.

Still gotta stack though, as the changes and instability in the world don’t seem to be decreasing.

nick

Cold and clear, warming later. Should be a nice day. Yesterday was surprisingly warm, and even stayed reasonable until about 11pm when temps started to drop. With the dampness, it was downright chilly. Of course, that makes sense for New Year’s Eve.

Didn’t do much during the day. Did one pickup of two invoices– mostly stuff for the house. Did some other piddly things around the house too.

Not gonna do much today either. I’m thinking that I’ll cook something nice though. It won’t be a traditional New Year’s Day big meal. Maybe a nice beef roast…

It’s traditional to make some resolutions to change, and some predictions for the year, but I just expect more of the same, only worse. At some point, we’ll turn a corner, and there will be optimism and hope but not this year. I think we’ll see more assassinations. More crime. More unrest and political violence. There will be a whole lot of pushback from those exposed and much grasping at straws and attempts to maintain the status quo.

Desperate people do desperate things. Don’t be there if you can avoid it.

And of course, see to your preps and bolster your relationships.

Stack.

nick

Cold. Cold and damp. The front moved in, and now I’m waiting for it to move out. Working outdoors when your hands hurt is less than appealing. 30-40F is cold.

Slept in yesterday. Then did my ‘leaving the BOL’ stuff, and did the ‘taking down the Christmas stuff’. Also spent about a half hour talking to my neighbor and his wife, and about an hour to the father of another more distant neighbor. I’m a people person. Kid asked me why I talk to so many other people, and I told her “How can you learn anything if you don’t ask?”

Today we’ll play it by ear, but the list is long and my motivation is short… but I know I need to start hacking the list down. So we’ll see what the weather is like and go from there.

I can always do indoor things. I can sit at my computer and do auction stuff, or year end business/household stuff, or even networking stuff. But I should do some big, easy physical things so there is visible progress.

Fake it til you make it? Or a lifehack…

Stacking is easy.

nick

Warm today? Or just wet? Why not both? It was much warmer yesterday than I expected, getting into the low 80sF in the sun, and well into the mid to high 70sF in the shade. Humidity was high too. It was still above 70F at midnight.

I got a few things done, but not all that I wanted to. A desire to quickly wash my truck so that I can better monitor the leaks underneath led to a long distraction involving pressure washers, ordering parts, and the sun going down. I did get a load of stuff moved to the shop, so at least that went well.

Today I’m working the same list. And moving present wrapping up the list. The girls want to do Christmas presents at the BOL, so everything needs to be ready by Tuesday afternoon latest. I need to identify any shortfalls or inequities early enough to remedy them… or there will be heck to pay.

I’ve got most of my shopping and stacking of presents done, but one kid might have gotten more stuff stacked than the other. If I have to, I can hold her to the smaller number of presents the other one gets, but I’d like to give them the stuff I stacked over the year. I wouldn’t have stacked it if I didn’t want them to have it.

Normal prepping stacks will have to wait. I’ve got holiday stuff to do.

nick

Warm to start, but supposed to plummet. We’re supposed to get a freeze sometime soon. Probably not until tonight though. It was crazy humid yesterday. Dripping wet and dew everywhere. Warm too. Pretty gross all in all. A bit cooler would be nice, but dropping to freezing is not nice at all.

Had my non-prepping hobby Christmas party. It went well and a good time was had by all. W even got a pretty great gift. She stole a Klein multi driver from one of the other ladies. That lady has the best luck finding the real, good gifts, and the worst luck with people stealing them. I think she had her gift stolen 5 or 6 times. She did end up with a nice set of Husky brand screwdrivers, but the Klein was better.

Today I’ll sleep in a bit, then do house stuff. It would be nice to get the tree up, and decorated. And I have to take a look at replacing the headlights on my Ranger. They are awfully dim. I’ve got replacements here but haven’t taken the time. Now it’s time.

I’ll probably do some freeze prep too. The sprinkler backflow preventer needs to be drained. I usually forget and have to rebuild it. Maybe I’ll remember this time.

In any case, the usual stuff is waiting along with some new items on the list. It’s a great life if you don’t falter. So don’t falter.

Stack.

nick

Cool and clear, sunny and warmer later. Nice, for cooler values of nice. Yesterday was very comfortable from about 10am to 6pm. Too cool before and after. Today and tomorrow should be the same.

I didn’t do a run from storage to my shop, but I did get a bunch of domestic bliss done. I cut my hair, washed and folded laundry. Cleaned some stuff up. Got out some more Christmas decorations.

I’ve been cutting my hair since the wuflu lockdowns, but I dropped my clippers and they haven’t been the same since. The last couple of times were very slow, and the result wasn’t up to previous times. My backup clippers were at the BOL, so I had a chance to bring them home this week. What a difference. Wahl Pro are smooth and quiet compared to the cheaper Wahl clippers. Don’t know why I kept the basic ones here and put the nice ones in the closet at the BOL, but they won’t be going back there. I have another set of basic clippers there anyway.

Clipper cuts might not be your choice, but having specialist tools for the specialist jobs makes them easier. At least have a set of good hair cutting scissors and combs. A couple of safety or straight razors and a styptic stick and strop would be a nice deep prep. Nail care tools are essentials too. Remember that infections used to be deadly and could be again. Taking care of fingernails, and especially toenails, is critical for good health.

Even if you usually have someone to do certain things for you, having the tools and some practice doing it yourself is valuable, whether it’s hygiene or auto repair.

Stack the stuff you need to do the common jobs you normally outsource. The day might come where it saves your bacon.

nick

Cool, like jazz. But moist, like cake. And clear, if I get my way. Dunno if the universe will feel like it though. It got into the 60sF yesterday and I took off my jacket and overshirt when I started sweating… but only in the sun. Shaded areas were still cold.

I did auction stuff in the morning, then a pickup in the afternoon. I took one load of stuff from storage to shop, but I’ve got a half dozen more to do, and nowhere in the shop to put the stuff. I have been just dumping stuff in, but will need to organize it a bit better to make room for the rest of it. Crazy.

Took the truck to the mechanic but he begged off until Thursday afternoon. He had some emergency work to do on two cars and his bays were full. I’m ok, it’s running and driving ok. I can wait.

When I got home I put out some more decorations.

Today I’ll do more of the same. I can put out some inflatables, and hang some lights. I can also move the stuff at the shop, and take another load there. It would be nice to get my shopping done for the non-prepping hobby potluck, and get my white elephant gifts wrapped too. Kids both have other commitments so it’s just me and the wife. They kids usually enjoy the dinner and gifts. The guys look forward to seeing them, as they’ve grown up attending, and they work the yearly show with me.

Oh, well, time passes and kids grow.

And stacks age out, so go through your stuff and start replacing the breakage. The good stuff isn’t gonna stack itself.

nick