Fri. Sept. 12, 2025 – to do or not to do, that is the question

By on September 12th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Coolish start, getting warmer, until finally hot… two days so far and more to come. It got to the middle 90sF yesterday and it was too hot to work in the garage.

So I did electrical stuff repair in the afternoon. Got several small things off the list. Did some domestic bliss. Cleared a drain in the master bath. Laundry. Cooked dinner. Pork chops frozen almost 3 years ago. I ended up baking them as it was easier and took less intervention on my part. Canned corn, and leftover mashed potatoes filled out the plate.

I haven’t bought any meat on my last few grocery trips because there wasn’t anything on sale. I bought 18 pounds of brisket this time because prime was on sale for less than $5/pound. Even 80/20 hamburger was $5/pound. I’d rather have the brisket.

Today I’ve got a doctor appointment in the morning, so I have to remember not to eat or drink before I go. Then I’ll work the list. Not going to the lake this weekend as I have my hobby meeting. We’ll do our after-show discussion, and review, which will take a while. W does think she’ll head to the BOL and might take D1.

D2 has some friend stuff to do all weekend. Of course, if I’m not feeling well, plans might change.

There is always something you can do. Always something you can learn. Always something you can stack. Get to it. Times are getting spicier.

nick

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Thur. Sept. 11, 2025 – Never forget. Never forgive.

By on September 11th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

The terrorists murdered our people, and our government betrayed us in the aftermath.

—————-

Cool today to start, but then hot in the afternoon. Yesterday started at 64F, then 74F, then 84F and I’m sure we hit 94F in the afternoon. Today should be the same.

I got a few things done, but had the unscheduled need to take D1 to the Doc in the Box, and later the need to grocery shop and pick up her Rx. In between I did a couple of pickups. One of the more interesting was a 3M Speedglas welding hood for D1. It’s got a bigger glass and is about half the weight of my 30yo automagic darkening hood. IDK if she’ll end up taking a welding class at school, or if it will just be me teaching her what I know, but having a good hood makes it so much easier.

The rest of the stuff was medical bits and bobs, and stuff for the BOL.

In the evening we had a pep rally. W and I went but kept our distance from everyone as we don’t know yet if we’re infected with D1’s crud. I hope we can avoid it as I’ve got a lot to do.

Today will be Dr. Dad, and then my normal stuff for a Thursday. I don’t like doing anything serious on this day, any more than I do on Memorial Day or Veterans Day. I don’t let it paralyze me but it still affects me.

The world can change in an instant. Stack.

nick

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Wed. Sept. 10, 2025 – oh, once more with feeling…

By on September 10th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool and dry? Well, less damp anyway. It is supposed to be clear for the next couple of days and if it’s cool for at least part of the day that will help me enormously.

I got a few things done yesterday. Did my pickups. Stuff for the BOL, the kids, and me. It took up almost my whole afternoon. I see now where all my time was going. I’m working on that, but can’t stop completely.

I did get the grass mowing finished, and I did some electronics troubleshooting. And I cooked dinner. That has to count for something. There was kid taxi service as well.

Today will be more of the same, with some extras thrown in. I’ve still got the list after all.

Stack useful things, not just obligations and tasks you’ll never get to. Just saying…

nick

W’s birthday is coming up, so I better start thinking about that.

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Tues. Sept. 9, 2025 – yep, Tuesday again

By on September 9th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cooler and less moist. Forecast calls for a few days of clear, and I’m hoping for yesterday’s beautiful weather. It did get hot, high 80s or low 90s, but the humidity was less than 50%. Soooo nice.

That prompted me to do some outdoor work. Cut the grass. Sorta. Mostly. Details in yesterday’s comments. Did some cleaning up and some pickups. Moved some stuff around. Then, because I had the soldering stuff out, I got a couple of fixes done too.

I am hoping to do much of the same today. Pickup, sort and arrange, get some work done at home, etc. Rinse and repeat.

It’s baby steps, but still steps.

I’ll take my wins when I can, even if they are teeny weenie.

And I’ll take stacking as the easy way.
n

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Mon. Sept. 8, 2025 – a new week, same old list

By on September 8th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Rain yesterday. Maybe rain today? The nice thing was it lowered the temperature and cleared out some of the crazy humidity. Not so nice was interfering with my plans. I guess it’s just too bad for me. It would help me for it to be cool and not raining today though.

I got nothing done on my list yesterday. Even though I was up early, all I did was nap, read, and watch some auctions close. Gah. The list gets longer, and I’m not making progress.

I’ll work on that today. I have a couple of things I can pickup, and a long list of things to do, but little actual motivation. And that is my real problem. Malaise. Ennui. Depression? Dunno. It’s mild, whatever it is, but it does drag a bit. Work and progress should help with that though, and be good in their own right.

I’ll try to make some progress, if you try too.

n

(I’m stacking anyway, if much slower than two years ago.)

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Sun. Sept. 7, 2025 – more time to work

By on September 7th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

It’ll be coolish to start and get very humid later. Because that’s the pattern. SO very humid. Just standing around yesterday I was soaked with sweat. It was tolerable when I sat out by the fountain at night with a breeze.

I did get some stuff done Saturday. My fuses finally came in, so after my pickup, I replaced the fuses at the shop. Finally I have light everywhere and the A/C in the office area works. I unloaded the shelves I’d picked up and left the A/C running so that it should be cool enough to get some work done there today.

Which is the plan. Head over there with a load of stuff to be sold, and get some organizing done. That’s a lot easier when sweat isn’t dripping off your eyelashes. Some domestic bliss probably needs to happen too. Like lawn mowing. And cleaning some stuff up. And maybe tuck pointing the flagstone front walk…

Unless it rains.

But there are things on the list to do if it rains too.

Stack. Work. Improve.

nick

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Sat. Sept. 6, 2025 – Saturday. Huh.

By on September 6th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool to start, stifling to finish. I have to say that sitting out in the heat watching the football game made me think I felt feverish. I just wasn’t comfortable, and this despite being pretty comfortable all day. Sure the sun was hot, but it usually is. I didn’t even want to sit out and have a tiny little fire last night. Today will be like that too, in all likelihood.

I got some stuff done, mostly pickups. I was tired. Not really motivated. And when I got back home, I stayed home even though I had a couple of hours I could have used. The parts I ordered didn’t get here, and I couldn’t face the shop with 90F+ temps. I’m weak.

Today though, it’ll be different! Yeah, maybe not so much. I’ve got a pickup between noon and three, but otherwise I’ll be working my list. I’m caught up on the internet, and with my auctions, so I’m out of excuses. If the fuses come in, I’ll head to the shop for at least a little while. If not, I’ll work here.

There’s no shortage of work to do.

Or things to stack, people to meet, or skills to learn. Get busy!

nick

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Fri. Sept. 5, 2025 – so long first week of September… you were short

By on September 5th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool, then warming. Humid and stifling when the breeze stops and sun like a laser beam… or was that yesterday? Why yes, it was. Later in the day was actually nasty while it started ok. I’m going with more of the same for today. Nice orange moon though.

Well, like most weeks, I did do two pickups yesterday. One was some general stuff for the BOL, one was a pump for the irrigation system at the BOL. The current pump seems to work, but it WAS underwater for a week when the lake flooded. That can’t have been good for it. Usually the pumps in the auctions are returns fraud, someone buys a new pump and returns their old rusty POS for a refund. This one was in the box, with the shipping covers in place on the inlet and outlet.

Today I’ve got two pickups, on opposite sides of town. One is a couple of freeze dried meals. I didn’t look closely and it turns out they are not even worth $1 each to me. But I bid, so I’ll pick up the two lots I won. I can combine that part of the trip and grab another pickup nearby. Then it’s off to the north side of town and three invoices at one seller. It’s the seller who was going to pack it in, but decided to keep trying. He’s still not making much money in the auctions, but he’s pulling out good items and selling them elsewhere. Reselling as a business is NOT as easy as people think it is.

D2 has a football game to march in tonight, so I’ll try to make that as well. Where has this week gone? Starting a day late sure shortens the week.

Some parts I needed came in too, so I can do more work at the shop, which will help me work on getting a bunch of stuff out of here and sold. Baby steps. But still steps mostly moving forward.

Always be working. Always be stacking.

nick

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Thur. Sept. 4, 2025 – time keeps on slippin’ into the future…

By on September 4th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool to start, hot later, and damp the whole time. Like yesterday. Extra damp, with actual moisture from the sky in the afternoon. That’s what we got, and what we’ll probably get again.

I did manage to solve my client’s issues yesterday, and fairly expeditiously at that. Two cable issues, one dead input port, and some changes to control programming, along with some network work and the troubleshooting effort, so just like old times… kinda satisfying actually to have clear problems and clean fixes.

Didn’t get a whole lot else done though. Office stuff mostly, some small bits of domestic bliss. Cut my hair. Looks good to me. No one else seems to notice. Cut an inch off my beard. Ah, the life of excitement and intrigue.

Today I will probably do pickups. I won a new irrigation pump for the BOL and a couple of small things. Pumps are $350-450 so picking one up cheap makes sense. Most of the auction lots I was outbid, but not by much. Prices are down, or there is a lack of bidders. Time to consolidate what I have.

And stack that stuff high!

Like all y’all, right?

nick

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Wed. Sept. 3, 2025 – mid week already

By on September 3rd, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Slightly cooler. Slightly less moist? Might be. Yesterday was fairly nice but did get hot in the afternoon. I expect more of the same today. Small changes over the next few weeks until suddenly it’s Fall again.

I got a few things done. Nothing like the list I’d hoped to do. Picked up stuff, mostly for the BOL, and dropped it at the shop. Amazing how quickly a space can fill up with the contents of two storage units, some stuff from a third, and stuff from home. I really need to get the fuse for the electrical service, and get the A/C running so I can spend some time organizing and getting rid of stuff over there.

But that’s for future me. Today I’ll do some office stuff- I’ve got a bunch of mail to send, and then head to my client’s house. I’ll remote in and see if I can see anything wrong, but I’m betting I need eyes on the problem. Sometimes it’s much faster and easier to look in person.

Then I’ll do some of that list here… if I can. It gets longer every day, and my motivation flags. I’ve got y’all to keep me honest though.

Stack, fix, improve, and do what’s needful.

nick

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