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Tues. Nov. 25, 2025 – 112525 – plans, I’ve got ’em

By on November 25th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall, lakehouse, march to war

Cooler, wetter, darker? We’ll see. It did rain yesterday. And lightning. And sun. So we had all the weather. Might get the same today.

Yeah, it was a bit of a dog’s breakfast yesterday weatherwise, and that got me in a weird headspace which meant not a lot got done. I needed good weather to move out of my storage unit. Didn’t get it. I had enough to do some cleanup in the driveway though. And I did some cleanup indoors moving stuff into the attic. I’ve been taking stuff out of the attic too. There’s a bit of a sorting and shuffling and re-stacking going on.

Today we’ll see what happens with the weather. If it’s good, then I’ll get at least a load moved. I won’t be loading up for a trip to the BOL. W and I decided that the kids have too much going on this week. So instead of a nice week off, we’d have a non-stop tight schedule of moving from here to there. It sucks. I really needed to get 4-5 days of work at the BOL with some cushion if things went badly. No way I could get that if they were leaving Friday morning. I’m unhappy about how this week is shaping up, but it will be more relaxing and a lot less hectic if we do the holiday here.

One of the activities scheduled was going to the Renfair on Sunday. I would like to go this year, and that meant coming home on Saturday anyway. Get there late, leave early, nah. Not this time. Like I said, it sucks. Stuff changes though and you have to deal with reality.

Dealing with things as they are rather than as they “should be” is a skill that can be practiced and learned. It’s vital to success if you are not a chosen one with a smoothed path. But it is a pain in the fundament.

Keep working. Keep stacking. Don’t lose heart.
nick

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Mon. Nov. 24, 2025 – 112425 -close but no cigar

By on November 24th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall, lakehouse, long-term food storage

Forecast says “possible thunderstorms” for the whole SE of Texas, and we had overcast yesterday. Cool weather too. I expect today to be similar, and maybe tomorrow too. I’m hoping that it is dry though, since my intent is outdoor tasks.

Since I got nothing done yesterday. I woke with really severe lower back pain and stiffness. It was bad enough to make me nauseous. But it improved throughout the day to the point where I almost felt back to normal but was still moving cautiously.

Today, if I’m feeling ok, I’ll mess it all up again by moving more stuff out of my storage unit. That is my main goal. Where and how we spend this week and the holiday is still a bit fluid and up for grabs, but W and the kids will be home today and tomorrow for D1 to work her new job. IDK if I’ll head up tomorrow during the day, or wait for later. It will depend on if I can load the truck without getting wet.

I had plans for this week at the BOL, mostly involving electrical and networking in the attic, but now with less time there, and possible pain, we’ll have to just play it by ear. I really need to get stuff done up there, and it’s stuff that takes more than a day at a time.

Owning any property puts extra stress on you and your resources. Owning a remote property increases both. Owning multiple properties, and being older and beat up makes it even more difficult and painful. Something to keep in mind when looking for BOL property, or even a retirement property.

On the other hand, it’s kinda hard to complain about owning multiple properties. It’s a fortunate position to be in, and one we actively pursued. It does have challenges though, and that is simple truth.

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. And stack.
n

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Sun. Nov. 23, 2025 – bring on the Thanksgiving pie

By on November 23rd, 2025 in culture, decline and fall, long-term food storage

Warm again, and moist. Hopefully not raining, although the grass needed the rain. It would be nice to get back to mild Fall days, after the warmth and humidity.

I didn’t get anything done yesterday. Nerves in my back were pinched and I couldn’t get them to release so I mostly just laid in bed. Usually some stretching and hip rotation and whatever is misaligned will get fixed, at least to baseline for me. Not happening yesterday though.

Today we’ll see if it’s improved any, and then I’ll beat myself up moving out of my storage unit! Cuz I’m so snart. Stuff needs doing, and I’m the only one to do it, so whatever it takes…

That’s kinda the story of my life. I should be used to it by now.

Stack if that’s all you can do.

nick

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Sat. Nov. 22, 2025 – not at the BOL

By on November 22nd, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Warm and wet. It was still in the upper 70sF when I had my little fire last night. And it got into the 90sF during the day. At least this afternoon there was a bit of a breeze. That stopped after dusk, except for when the lightning came. Didn’t ever actually rain though.

I did get some small things done. Another load to the shop… but it did look kinda threatening later in the day so no load from storage.

We decided to stay in Houston this weekend, and we still haven’t worked out exactly when and for how long we’ll head to the BOL. D1 has her new job on Tuesday, and then Friday. That really doesn’t work for family Thanksgiving at the lake. Dang kid couldn’t wait to apply another week? I don’t think anyone is going to enjoy Black Friday being her second day on the job.

Today I’ll start moving stuff out of storage in earnest, weather permitting. If not, then I’ll do some stuff here. Either way, there will be work. Can’t waste the days if I’m not going to work at the BOL.

Then list is long, and time is short, although motivation is at ebb tide levels.

I’m just going to plod forward. Stacking and working to improve.

nick

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Fri. Nov. 21, 2025 – I don’t know what I don’t know but I know there are things I don’t know

By on November 21st, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Milder today, I hope. Yesterday turned out to be not so bad. It wasn’t as humid as Wednesday, nor as hot. And there was a bit more sunlight. Up north it would be an Indian Summer. Here it’s just Houston weather.

I didn’t get much done in the morning yesterday. The meds hadn’t completely flushed out, and I was feeling weird. Took more of a nap than usual, but felt good when I woke. I am stiff and sore, but I don’t feel like there are any skeletal issues. Just avoiding neck problems is a blessing.

In the afternoon I got my pickups done, mostly stuff for the BOL, and even moved a load out of storage. Plenty more loads still to move, but I’m chipping away at it.

It’s getting past time to figure out what we’re doing for Thanksgiving. We want to be at the lake, which means buying the meal and fixin’s, which means a bit of planning. There is also the complication of the kids’ activities this week and D1’s new job. Her second day working will be Black Friday. That should be bad for SO MANY people…

Technically I have a pickup or two north of here today. Both are on the way to the BOL, so I could grab them on my way past– if I go. But I’ll be up there during the week and for Thanksgiving, so I should probably keep moving here… Choices need to be made, and I’m just not feeling it.

Some things will happen, and some stuff will get done. It just might not be me doing them. Or at least, not PLANNING to do them.

I’m planning to continue working my list, and adding to the stacks.

That’s enough for now.

nick

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Thur. Nov. 20, 2025 – do I feel sore today, why yes I do

By on November 20th, 2025 in computing, culture, decline and fall

Warm and moist. Ewwww moist. It was super gross and moist yesterday. It did get better later in the day. I’d be happy if it was NOT so gross and damp today.

I did my volunteer day at the middle school. We got a lot done. Sound kid graduates to High School next year and his crew don’t want to step up and do the main part of the job. I will probably be doing some intro classes next year in the hope of stirring up some interest in the crew position. Business continuity isn’t just for businesses. If you have a group and some people do the important and difficult jobs, but you don’t have anyone to step in if they disappear, you aren’t going to last as a group.

Today I’ve got home stuff and a couple of pickups to do. Routine stuff. Ordinary stuff. Probably some domestic bliss too. Ah well, some days are just that, ordinary.

So on an ordinary day, do ordinary stuff. Like working. Or stacking.

n

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Wed. Nov. 19, 2025 – volunteering today

By on November 19th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall, march to war, personal

Warmer. Damper. Maybe wetter. We’ll see. It was 71F and very damp when I went to sleep. During the day it was very nice. Some clouds, but no rain. Hoping for more of the same today.

I did some stuff. Went to my client’s house to pick up my check and look at something else for him. Solved a tech issue while I was there. The Christmas light guys had left some connections in the mud and they tripped a GFCI that took out my wireless link from the gate back to the house. The first question when troubleshooting should always be “what changed”. Of course if you are really coming in blind, the first question should be “did it work before?” THEN you ask what changed.

I followed that up with three pickups in the southwest of Houston, and then home. Leftovers for dinner and kid taxi service took up most of the rest of the evening.

I did sit out for a tiny little fire and a book, and the possum came along the same route as before to get a drink from the ‘pond’. Then he departed without ever looking at me. The pond must be on his patrol route for every night. I’d bet there are some humans (probably walking dogs) that have a patrol route ever night too. I might have to enable some of the AI features on my newest camera and see if I get a log of any pedestrian traffic.

And maybe I should look at some of my commercial WAPs to see if there is a ‘presence’ log that captures passing wifi or blutooth traffic. I’ve had building something to do that on my low priority list for a long time. Two instances have already happened, the teens stealing from cars, and the mail thief, where it might have been useful to see what their car or phones are named…

So many things. So little time and motivation.

Today I’m helping my wife at the middle school theater. I’ll do some of the sound notes from last year, and help her with installing some other donated equipment. Should be able to get done by late morning. Might have to follow up another day. I’ve got pickups in the afternoon, and moving another load from storage to the shop on my calendar. We’ll see if that happens.

Meatspace and community involvement is important. The appearance of being normal folks, and being helpful to others is a good thing to have on your side, no matter who you are. It probably won’t save you if things go horribly wrong, but it might smooth out some smaller issues. Can’t hurt, and feels good. Win-win.

Always be working to improve your situation. Sometimes that is relationships. Sometimes it great big heaping stacks…

nick

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Tues. Nov. 18, 2025 – gobble gobble soon, too soon

By on November 18th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

More warm afternoons with cool mornings coming our way. MIGHT get some rain in there, at least for part of town. We had some pretty dark clouds during the day and I was sure we’d get sprinkles in the late afternoon.

I did small stuff yesterday. Dug out a UPS and ordered replacement batteries. The cheapest place to get them was Home Depot, store pickup. They are fairly common 12v 9AH AGM batteries, joined with tape and a proprietary mounting plate. That is true for most UPS batteries. They are proprietary modules built up from commodity batteries. If you do a little work, you can replace the individual batteries and save a ton of money.

I also did some cleaning in my office, which lead to me throwing out the big color laserprinter in the corner. I did some cleaning at the shop too, replacing a ceiling tile, moving some stuff around, and making room for the stuff in my last storage unit. I managed one trip from the unit and just dumped the stuff at the shop. I’ll do that again today.

I also hit a pickup for 4 invoices, mostly stuff for the house, but a few things for the BOL. I’m sure I did some other stuff too, but I can’t remember it.

Today I’ll head out to my client’s house to pickup my pay for the year. I always say I’ll invoice more frequently, and this is the third year I kept finding reasons to push it back (to include one more visit) until a year had gone by. There is also an open issue he wants me to look at so I’m going there, not just waiting for the mail.

After that, I’ve got some pickups on the southwest side of town, and then home.

Dinner will probably be some steaks from 2023. Or maybe ham slices with mac n cheese. Depends on my mood and how many people are going to be home.

Take some time to go through your preps and “shop your closet”. I’m betting there is some stuff you forgot you had… once you know, you can stack the stuff you still need.

nick

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Mon. Nov. 17, 2025 – I get more done alone

By on November 17th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Cool but warming. Clouds in the sky, but no rain. NICE. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow if we’re lucky. It’s still getting into the 80sF in the afternoon, and the sun is still crazy hot.

Did a few small things yesterday. Vacuumed the ranger, mostly. Pulled some stuff out from behind the seat. Stuff tends to collect there. Some of it was preps that needed cleaning or refreshing. Some was auction items that fell in the cracks.

Did some other auction stuff, and some minor cleaning. Not the productive day I was hoping for.

Today I will do better. Seriously. Yeah, I know.

Stack it up monkey boy.
n

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Sun. Nov. 16, 2025 – momentum, trying to keep moving

By on November 16th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall, lakehouse, march to war

Cool, then warm. Really, several nice days in a row. Maybe even a week’s worth. I’m all for it. It’s been a mild year so far, and I’m finally enjoying it. Hope we get more.

I spent Saturday doing small things that have been on the list for a long time. Not quite piddlefarting around, but pretty close. It’s not the progress I’d like most, but it is keeping some forward progress. And it’s working on my physical surroundings, which Jordan Peterson says is important. I’m inclined to agree.

Today will be more of the same, since I know I’m not headed to the BOL. Maybe I’ll get a bigger task started, or even finish something. At this point, I’m counting any progress at all as a win.

Much of what I have been doing is taking me deep into some stacks that I haven’t poked at in a while. The outdoor stuff really hammers home the “dark” part about good storage locations. Even stuff that only gets indirect and occasional sunlight is breaking down from UV. Some of my storage tubs and a lot of the lids have become brittle. Some look fine, but fall apart when I lift them, with big chunks of plastic breaking off. Even some milk crates are showing signs of becoming brittle. Plastic buckets too. Cool, dark, and dry if you want it to last.

Check your stacks. Maintain them. Add to them.

nick

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