Saturday Comments

 

I saw this on The Daily Timewaster as part of his weekly Friday feature. I wanted to read what the decal said on the tank, so this is enlarged from the original. I still don't know what kind of bike this is, but I really like the look of this thing. The seat looks like what's on my old Ducati Sport and it's got the same vibe as the old 450 Scramblers. I really like the looks of this thing - the high pipes, assuming it's a twin, especially. However, a trip to the car wash after riding on the beach is going to be a necessity. That salty sand will play hell on all the aluminum bits.

A couple of things about the fires out in California. I've been wondering how the fires started but haven't really seen much on that. However, looks like it might have been the result of humans, either accidently or deliberately. I read that Oregon was sending 60 fire trucks to help out but they had to stop and go through a DOT check before they could continue on. Also, one of the two planes that scoop up ocean water for firefighting had a collision with a drone some chucklehead was flying even though the FAA had declared a no-fly zone over the area. 

And one last thing. Once again, it's been proven that we can't rely on the government to be there for us in our time of need. In California's case, not only not much help during the crisis but at least partly responsible for it happening. Definite shortage of real leadership in this country.

Check your preps, my friends. Review your emergency plans, one for leaving, one for staying, and a Plan B for both. 

Staying cold around here and we got several inches of snow yesterday. I was afraid of that happening since I know the Missus doesn't want me shoveling with the recent eye surgery. I think I could easily push the shovel rather than actually shoveling the sidewalk, but other than getting the mail and checking on the chickens, I'm going to be riding the recliner for a few more days.

Eye Ball

 

I'm not sure but I think this is the version I heard on the Waterford jazz station the other night. It was about 1:30 in the morning and I was in that twilight moment just before falling asleep and this one seems like it was designed for that. Rather long at seven plus minutes, but it's worth the listen. And it's not the kind that will give you an earworm. For me this is the type of background I like when I'm studying and I'm about to embark on that journey again.

The follow-up appointment with the eye doctor went well. He said everything looks good - I'll have to take his word for it because I can't see anything except a blur and that bobs up and down. He said there's an air bubble in there that will slowly go away and my vision will improve greatly after that. I asked him about restrictions and since I had my USA Boxing hat and my eye looked like it had taken a hard shot, he told me no boxing and then he clarified what I'm actually to do. Basically, I'm supposed to just be lazy until I come back to see him in a week. So that's the plan.

Eye Surgery

 

I had my eye surgery yesterday. According to the doctor it went well. The only hitch was I came out of the anesthesia before he was finished. The last few minutes were rather painful but the nurse had told me while getting me ready that if I needed anything I was to say stop. I can normally handle that sort of stuff without crying, however. In fact, I usually get my fillings done at the dentist without getting numbed up. I also had a root canal done that way once. I don't know that I'd recommend that, but my pain tolerance is pretty high if I have a few seconds to get my mind right.

The cool thing about being awake was I was able to see what was going on in my eye in real time. I saw him peel the membrane off the retina using tweezers and then clean up inside the eye with a vacuum - lots to be said for modern medicine, at least as far surgical advancements go. 

Everyone I came into contact with at the out-patient surgery center were nothing but nice and professional. That always helps. I'll find out today what I need to do going forward after the check-up. 

Difficult Choices

 

I came across an article on the old internet of things that Kentuckians are now going to have to choose between a medical marijuana card or their firearms. A new law went into effect January 1st, but since smoking pot is against federal law, if you register for a medical marijuana card you aren't able to fill out honestly the 4473 firearm paperwork when purchasing a firearm. And if you've previously bought a weapon or ammo, it looks like you'll have to give it up. So, if you want to own guns and smoke reefer, it looks like you'll have to decide which law you want to break. Cash sales from private individuals would seem to be an option - like people have been doing for years, regardless of the legalities.

I went to the opening of Coach Jen's Jen-nasiun Monday evening. I helped her out with her first group of boxers - small group but a good way for her to start out. I've got my eye surgery today, so I won't be able to help any for a couple of weeks, I imagine. I'll find out more when I see the doctor tomorrow for the follow up. 

The television was on yesterday afternoon while I was waiting on the phone call from scheduling to get my arrival time for surgery. When Carter arrived in Washington and the band started playing, I told the wife they should be playing Salt Peanuts. Since they didn't, I did.

Music & Fabrication

 

The Missus found the movie Hell or High Water on the "smart" TV while I was fixing supper Friday night. Not a bad flick - decent story line and enough action to keep me interested. Also had a good soundtrack. This one was the first cut that I heard. I rarely hear any Townes van Zandt, since he's not much of a presence on the stations I listen to, those being the ones I can pull in due to the limited reception out in the shop. In reality, he probably doesn't get too much airplay anywhere.

Likewise with Guy Clark. If I had my own radio station, both of these guys would get played on a regular basis along with quite a few other artists that I like that aren't exactly a great commercial success. When I was at the high school my buddy Kevin and I looked into starting a low wattage station. The idea didn't meet with great success from the man in charge, so we dropped the idea. Now there are other ways to select what you want to hear on your own playlist, I just don't partake of any of them. I did have SiriusXM radio in the truck when I was working at the college my first time around. I enjoyed many of the programs during my commute and I was traveling more then, so it was worth the money. Now, most of my driving is local so I'm lucky to hear three songs in a row.

I figured out a work-a-round on importing photos from the phone. Not the most convenient way of doing business, but until I take the time to look into it a little deeper, at least I'm able to post some project photos - now I just need more progress on the projects. But the sled is done.

Cold weather is here and will be for a while - morning temps are in the teens, so I'm going to work on a few inside projects until my eye surgery later this week. I started another book and when I finish that one, I'll start studying for my General license and watch my Then Came Bronson movie I've been saving.  

Winter Weather

 

Looking like winter now. It's been pretty mild so far but it was mid-twenties yesterday morning when I went out, it warmed up a bit later and started snowing in the late afternoon. Nice pretty snow with big flakes. The photo is from the files since I still haven't figured out how to get my pictures downloaded from either the email account or directly from the phone. I had a reader who was gracious enough to recommend a way to download the pics directly to the hard drive but I haven't mastered that yet. I followed the online directions, the screen message said the transfer was successful, but I wasn't able to locate them on the computer. Otherwise, there would have been a finished photo of the sled and an egg.

I'm down to only three chickens these days and the egg yesterday was the first one I've seen from them in a couple of months. Seems like a strange time to start laying with the cold and the short daylight, but at least I'm getting a small return on my investment. I need to decide if I'm going to stay in the chicken business or not. The coop yard needs some work and a half dozen chickens are not really economical anyway. But I do like keeping chickens.

Since the sled job is done, going to spend a little time on some more cleaning and organizing and then try to get back to finishing a couple of things. I had a meeting with the finance guy yesterday morning and started working on getting a room set up for the ham radio. As it stands now, I've got a power supply, my new radio and my old Heathkit receiver I put together years ago to accommodate. I've got a good FM receiver and mediocre speakers in there already. I need to throw, give, or donate some things away - like out in the shop and the barn, too much stuff. At least things are moving in the right direction.

State of the Union

 

That pretty much describes me these days. Maybe not too much ruder, but older and definitely more intolerant. If St. Don can drive the snakes out of Washington like St. Patrick did in Ireland, my mood may improve some - but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

I think most everyone will agree that the Covid -19 was a gigantic scam-o-rama right from the start and it's done irreparable harm to people's health, finances and education. Knowing that, I just read where some pork producers are injecting the hogs with a mRNA vaccine, for what purpose I don't know, but according to what I've read there hasn't been any safety testing done at all. What could possibly go wrong with that?

I also read that New Jersey started the new year dropping the requirement for new teachers to pass a basic education test prior to getting their teaching license. If they can't read, write or do math, seems like there shouldn't be a place in a classroom for them. According to the article I read, classroom teachers can earn $80K per year. That's substantially more than I ever made, and I had two Batchelor degrees, a Master's and a skilled trade. I would think someone needs to look into why people are no longer willing to go into the teaching profession if $80 large won't entice them. 

And one of my pet peeves: trucks that can't haul anything. Fortunately, it's still possible to buy a 2-door pickup with an 8' bed for around $40K, which isn't all that bad as long as you can live with a vehicle that's very much utilitarian - which is precisely what I think a truck should be. But as always, to each their own.

I'd buy one of these bad boys for $10K or maybe the Hilux if they were available in the US. Between the Chicken Tax and regulations, however, that's not likely to happen.

Anyway, here's hoping for a better 2025 than what we've seen the last few years. "Hope springs eternal in the human breast", and all that.

Best wishes for peace, prosperity and good health to you all this year.