7-15-25 Mon/Log

 W: 318.4                BS: 103

• Dishes
• Laundry 1
• Laundry 2
• Laundry 3
• Make burger rolls
• Taxi
• Vacuum
• ?

Was a very dreamful night last night, and this morning I woke to the dawn. Not well rested, but thoughtful.

I can see where my subconscious, my ID, was working through issues from way back when. Things I was angry about then, and never resolved.  I think that's healthy to see them again and consider it all in a new light.

One thought keeps coming back from last night.  Yes, I was angry often and for many reasons.  You know what?  I can't recall a single time anyone in my family cared enough to ask me why I was angry.  Perhaps that is what my ID is trying to show me.

Meanwhile, there is excellent coffee in my mug.  Coffee so good it must be a reward for a lifetime of hard work.

Thinking on the purpose of 'law' lately, and the balance involved.

On the one hand, for my entire life I have told myself, "Self, lawful and unlawful have nothing to do with right and wrong.  Never did, never will".   Always remember it was legal in our nation to own other humans, and unlawful for women to vote.  If those egregious situations existed and only now are considered wrong, or immoral, based on our changed perspective, what will our future selves think about our current laws?

The point to that is law is not the final answer to any moral question.  Law is simply force applied to human conduct to achieve an end.  Neither the law, the force, or the end are inherently right.  In fact, far too often, they are very, very, wrong and should be resisted like a slave running for his very life. Remember, the running slave was the lawbreaker, not the overseer with a whip.

On the other hand, we exist as a nation because of laws.  We are a nation of law.  The founding principle of our nation is that laws apply to all people, regardless of their station in life.  Ideally, under law, there is no 'class' nor 'privilege'.   To knowingly violate the law is to destroy a bit of our nations existence. The greater the law, the greater the damage.

Fast forward some 250 years to today, and what have we?   Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

• Now, right is wrong and wrong is right.  Words no longer have meanings we can rely on.
• Now, a vast number of our laws have been created to benefit individuals, political parties, companies, and industries to the detriment of the body of citizens.
• Laws are often not enforced.  When they are enforced, it is done so in an arbitrary and capricious manner.  Not only can one not know how they will be treated under our current legal system, one can seldom even be sure what is lawful or unlawful.  Police, prosecutors, and judges too often make it up as they go.
• The wealthy, powerful, and famous expect to be treated differently under the law.  They expect it, and almost without fail they get what they expect.  We are no longer all equal under the law, if we ever were. Now the difference, the gap in how law is employed, is massive, systemic, and irrevocably damaging to our society.
• The law, now more than ever, is perverted into a political weapon.  This takes what used to be called 'the Majesty of the Law' and turns it into a manure pit for politicians to swim in.

Am I incorrect on any of these points?

Extrapolate.  What is the likely outcome of our current situation?

7-14-25 Mon/Log

 W: 318.6                BS: 104

• Coffee maker
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Laundry 2
• Sort clothes and put away
• Vacuum down
• Vacuum up
• Vacuum stairs
• Meds
• Make dinner for girls
• Chuckins
• Make-can pickles
• ?

When I retired I was 370+ pounds of unhappy fat man.   That was the beginning of 2021.  Now I am 316.8 pounds, but... that hasn't changed in a year.

It's time to rededicate myself.  I want to crack that 300 pound barrier by the end of the year, and drop another 20 pounds by my birthday in 2025.  That's 37 pounds in 18 months or so, and should be very doable. 

Our diet is reasonably healthy, but I can cut a bunch of carbs still.  It's time to start tracking meals again, and relearn the value of 'No'.

HT to Peter:

Here is a VERY clear lesson for the US.  Will anyone here listen?

Roast garlic and Parmesan cheese sauce..

 

I was up at the crack of 8 or 9 am this morning, putting garlic in the oven to roast.  For a dinner thing tonight, I am making roast garlic parmesan sauce to top baked potatoes.  It's a froup dinner, with everyone bring something.  We are bringing the sauce, crumbled bacon, chili topping, pickled shrimp, tomato-mozz salad, and pineapple upside down cake.

BTW.... when Princess said brush some dark rum on the cake, she DID NOT mean until it wouldn't soak up any more.  Ooops.  My bad.  Maybe she could have been more informative of her wishes.

Back to the sauce...

Two entire heads of garlic, cut in half, drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and baked at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Let cool, and squeeze out the guts for the sauce.

In a sauce pan, cuzz we are making sauce, dump in a chopped shallot and a knob of butter.  Set on medium heat and stir once in a while till the chunks brown up. Stir in a few shakes each Harissa and Cayenne powder.  Set aside.

Grab that chunk of Parmesan and get you grating about half a pound of that stuff.  The real cheese, in a brick.  If you use the shaky cheese just give this up and buy sauce in a jar.  They will like that better down at the communist party meeting.

Back to the pan, add a stick of butter and set it to medium high. Toss in the roast garlic, and enough fresh ground black pepper to give you concerns.   Stir until it all melts and gets gooey, and then add about 4 heaping tablespoons of flour.  Keep stirring till the flour cooks and the mass is a bubbly cauldron.

With the heat at medium high, add about a cup of Half & Half.  Stir constantly, and scrape the fond off the bottom while you do. As it comes back to a boil it will turn super thick and seizy, so add more Half & Half. Repeat till it looks thick but slightly loose.  Now dump in all that grated cheese and turn the heat down to medium.  Keep stirring as the cheese melts. If it gets too thick, add a little more Half & Half.  Turn the heat to low and repeat till you get the consistency you desire.

The rest is optional, but I choose to do it. I add about an ounce of Worcestershire sauce, and some more cayenne.  Make sure there is enough black pepper in there as well.  Then, grab your handy dandy stick blender and go to town.  Keep at it till it's smooth as silk.

That's it.  Keep it warm till you slather it on something.  Pasta, a baked potato, a sandwich, an old shoe, a grilled pork chop. Whatever; It makes anything better.

It won't freeze or can well, but it can hold in the fridge for a few days just fine. It will solidify, but a little heat and stirring will bring it back.

7-13-25 Sun/Log

 W: 316.6                    BS: 136

• Cook all the things for the thing
• Dishes
• Vacuum
• Laundry?
• Pick the garden?
• Go out and do the thing
• ?

Why?  Because I'm Jack Burton, that's why.

7-12-25 Sat/Log

 W: 315.0                BS: 125

• Groceries
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Vacuum down
• Vacuum up
• Lunch out
• ?

Did the thing and got some sleep.  Not enough, but certainly made up for some of the deficit.  I nearly feel human, for a given value of human.

LOL.....   Real ad running on TV in California.

It was national rum day... or maybe international rum week.... or sumpin.  Whatev, I bought some rums.

7-11-25 Fri/Log

 W: 318.8                BS: 92

• Dishes
• Laundry
• Order groceries (Giant's site broken)
• Decide on Sun Din
• Vacuum everything
• Make zucchini bread?
• Sourdough bread?
• Make pickled shrimp
• Mow a little?
• ?

Awake since 2:30 am.

Giant groceries weekly sale flier comes live on Friday, and that is when I search for deals and make up our grocery pickup order. Yeah... about that. The flier came live, but sadly the pricing did not.  *Everything* is ringing up without the sale price.

Billy-Joe-Bob's Bait, Tackle, and Discount IT Emporium has struck again.

7-10-25 Thur/Log

 W: 319.0                BS: 76

• Elven travails.... as in 'house elf'
• Trash out
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Vacuum up & down & stairs
• Tend garden
• Pay some bills
• ?

The Zucchini are not happy.  I'm seeing the squash just rotting away.  Too much rain is my guess.   Darn it, I was thinking about zucchini pickles.

My internal survey says this rings true.  The number of assassination attempts made on Trump show this, and the violent left wing wackos feeling emboldened enough to slither out from under their rocks also shows this likely to be true.

On the one hand, assassination and violence, but on the other hand they expose themselves to be dealt with.  

The lesson right now is, stay prepared to defend against violent psychos at all times.  Most of the media and much of their self-appointed political leadership are giving the whackos moral coverage, while they themselves remain safely in their political bunkers.  Every day, more whack jobs are counting themselves blessed unto their socialist gods and heading out for some satisfying mayhem and ultra-violence.  

Stay strapped.  It may be a while till we cull the psycho herd of their dangerous members.

7-9-25 Wed/Log

 W: 317.2                BS: 96

• Dishes 1
• Dishes 2
• Upstairs trash & vacuum
• Vacuum downstairs
• Driving lesson
• Boy to doc
• Tend garden
• Order her muck boots
• Zuch cracker
• Clean kitchen
• Make pickles
• ?

The morning take....

7-8-25 Tue/Log

 W: 317.4                BS: NA

• Order Drugas
• Dishes
• Laundry & put clothes away
• Groceries
• Vacuum upstairs
• Tend garden
• Dehydrate shredded zucchini
• Make pickles?
• ?

Then:  "Grow the green things!  I loves the green things!" she said.

Now:  "What the hell are you going to do with all that?" she said.

The dehydrator is now loaded with shredded zucchini.  When it's well dried, I'll break it up and put it in sealed mason jars to store.  Nice to have on hand for breads, soups, stews, etc.

Cukes?  Pickles!

Grok is an artificial stupid?

 Yesterday on a long drive, My thoughts wandered as they do.

I was cogitating on Grok, and it's blatant mistakes regarding the flooding in Texas.  Grok listed Trumps budget cuts of 2025 as a leading cause to the NWS giving bad service, thus many deaths happened. Grok gave a list of sources, all major media outlets which have lost their journalistic integrity over the last few years, if they had it to begin with.

The obvious problems here being deeply biased sources widely noted for highly creative reporting (lying), the fact that the 2025 budget has not taken effect yet so cannot have influenced the situation, and the NWS and NOAA both having at least doubled staff for this recent event. In fact, they are being blasted for posting TOO MANY severe weather warnings.

If a human had looked at these media stories and researched the reality behind them, finding actual facts instead of Trump hating fantasy, we might call that person intelligent.  They dug deeper.  They might even make some intellectual leaps and begin asking questions about other possible reasons for the high number of deaths in the flooding.  That would be good thinking, and mark that word; Thinking.

If a human simply compiled the major media reporting into one story, regarding it all as given true without checking any part of it, we might call that person stupid.  They chose not to think, but to simply parrot.  This not be the action of an intelligent person, but a dull-witted person.

What did Grok do?  The same as our second human case.  Grok compiled many major media stories into one without digging for the reality behind them.  Grok parroted, and did not think.

Perhaps Grok is not an 'Artificial Intelligence'.  Perhaps we humans chose the wrong term to apply to Grok and other computer programs like that.  A better term just might be 'Artificial Stupid'.

7-7-25 Mon/Log

 W: 316.8                BS: 152

• Dishes
• Laundry
• Dehydrate veg
• Sort and put away laundry
• Vacuum
• Clean sink area
• Clean toilet
• 
  

Rough night for missus and her spawn. One is now locked in a psych ward.

Too much Scotch for me last night. Repercussions.

Good coffee though.  This mornings tongue tingler is Cafe Du Mond chicory blend.

Zucchini chips, take II.  The last batch was sliced too thin, and stuck to the bare racks. Yes, I saved the shreds for cooking but they were not the chips herself wishes.

This batch is sliced about 1/8th inch thick, drying on silicone sheets, and sprinkled with Harissa powder.  This may be 'The Way'.  If so, I will make a bunch of them for the fam.

I'm also thinking about shredding zucchini and dehydrating that too.  It would be nice for breads, gratins, and soups.

Joining this chip experiment are the tomatoes I picked yesterday and a few peppers getting close.  No point letting any of it go to waste when I don't have to.

A sea change in battle tech?

The Ukrainian war is showing us a growth in drone and internet battle tactics development as only war can do.  The up-to-the-second intelligence gathering via the internet is eye opening.  The effect of drones on tactics and logistics is fascinating.

My question:  Is there any sign the US military is paying attention, or is this yet another case of preparing to fight the last war instead of the next one?

7-6-25 Sun/Log

 W: 316.6                BS: 113

7-5-25 Sat/Log

W: 319.8                BS: 76

• Dishes x2
• Vacuum
• Movie
• Laundry
• ?

7-4-25 Fri/Log, July 4th

 W: 318.8                BS: 126

• Make dip for the thing tonight
• Vacuum up & down
• Driving lesson
• Pay a bill
• Dishes
• Laundry
• ?

Herself requested blueberry fruit leather.  So it is written, so it shall be.

So it begins.....

7-3-25 Thur/Log

 W: 318.4                BS: 104

• Trim and mow!
• Trash out
• Vacuum
• Carry & sort laundry
• Laundry
• Dishes
• Blueberries at 11
• Make fruit leather
• Can blueberries
• Dehydrate blueberries
• Check grocery sales
• Taxi
• ?

First nice weather in a while, but hot.  If I can get my butt in gear early I can get something done before the heat gets too rough for me.  For a given value of 'something'.

Super crusty sourdough to have blueberry jam on!

The grocery store still has pints of blueberries at $1.77, so I got two mores cases.

I canned 12 pints of whole blueberries in light syrup.  4 pints of blueberry compote for pancakes and such.  4 dehydrator trays of heavy blueberry leather for herself, and another quart of dried blueberries for the pantry.

Blueberries are a family favorite.  They are available fresh for just a short while each year, and at this price very rarely indeed.

7-2-25 Wed/Log

 W: 322.0                BS: 140

• Dishes x2
• Driving lesson (canceled)
• Vacuum
• Can blueberry jam
• Laundry
• Start bread
• Pork carnitas
• Trash
• Taxi 1
• Taxi 2
• ?

12 pints of blueberries on sale = 11 1/2 pint jars of blueberry jam.  Herself's favorite.  Probably a years supply, plus some to give away.

I went to the library to get my passport ordered this morning. After filling out forms and waiting in the 'screaming children' section for 30 minutes, the library-child said I had the wrong 'form' of birth certificate.

I said "This is what the state sold me online!".
She said "Yes, but this is the short form and we need the long form".
Biting my tongue I walked away without a word.

Sitting in my truck, I went on-line and ordered two copies of my birth certificate from the state. There was NO CHOICE regarding what kind I'll get, but they did ask why I wanted it for and I checked off passport. We shall hope..... 50 BUCKS worth of hope.

Arriving home, I find an e-mail from the state. They want two more forms of government ID before they can send a state government admission that I exist.

Let's recap, I cant get a passport (Federal government ID) because the state gave me the wrong birth certificate (State government ID) so I had to pay Mo..Mo....Mo....Money to get the correct state government ID (MAYBE correct), but now the state government wants two more forms of state government ID before they will give me the state government ID that will let me get the federal government ID.

And they wonder why we hate DISLIKE them with the burning passion of a thousand demons roasting in hell.

7-1-25 Tue/Log

 W: 318.4                BS: 129

Engage thinker.....

• Library (papers)
• Blueberries
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Vacuum up & down
• Wings
• Zuke chips
• Tzatziki dressing
• Blueberry jam
• ?

I woke up that kind of foggy where one doesn't know what day it is....

I mostly always take two melatonin before bed these years.  I sleep ok-ish.  The Doc gave me Hydroxyzine if anxiety is an issue, and mild as it is it sometimes is a help.  She also gave me Baclofen for back pain, once again mild to the point of not being there at all, but occasionally useful.  Both are practically placebos and both meds are 'fill as needed', which means about once every 4-5 months.

Last night, I took them all.  Melatonin, hydroxyzine to relax, baclofen for back spasms, and even Tylenol for the back pain as well.  A real cocktail, only no booze.

The sleep record above is the result.  I assumed rockhood for the night, and woke groggy but rested.  Huh.  Not even the regular 2am WTF.

This may be one of those back-pocket things that get whipped out to save the  rare day it's needed.

Ain't tech neat?

 

This is a graphical representation of my sleep patterns last night, as captured by Samsung watch and smart phone.

The light blue represents REM sleep (Dreams).

As we can see, there was the 2am WTF that happens every single night.  I don't recall what it was about, but it triggered the old noggin to dive in and come up with enough crap to keep me awake for an hour.

Some mornings I just give in, make coffee, and get the day started (for a given value of 'started').  Some mornings, like this one, I thankfully managed to do some more of the sleep thing.

See the long baby blue patch right before I woke for good for the day?  Yeah, so I recall that dream just fine.

I was joyfully reaming out a dealership technician at full teacher/shop voice, assured that No Word Would Be Missed.  By anyone.  In the whole building.  Sparkles the wonder genius had been trying to tell me my Ford Fusion really needed a new pitman arm.  Problem being the Fusion does not have a linkage steering, thus no pitman arm.  I was incensed, and loving every decibel of it.  I was about three layers into his hide and headed for the core, with him starting to shake, when I noticed a manager behind him, grinning ear to ear, and making ass-chewing motions with his hands.  

I winked at the manager, and went back to the core dig at full volume.  That's when I woke up... dang it.  That dream was the most fun I've had in a long time.

6-30-25 Mon/Log

 W: 318.8                BS:  76

• Fuel truck
• 11am groceries
• Auto store?
• Laundry
• Dehydrate blueberries
• Vacuum up and down
• Clean off porch
• Trim? (weather)
• Mop kitchen & living room
• Stow drinks
• Yogurt
• Put feet up and stare hate at the gouty big toe.

Back to the hot wet, and not the good kind of hot wet.

**************************************************************

My credit reports are locked.  Are yours?  Here is a good reason to do that.

***********************************************

Look, all I'm saying is SOMEONE around here better start eating their @#$%!& daily cucumber!

This is..... CNN

(X) then claimed that (Y) was hoping to inherit the mantle: “(Y) is doing what he’s doing now because in his mind, he thinks that somehow he can inherit the cult of (Z). That when (Z) is aged out and when the devil takes him home, when he goes back below earth, from whence he came, when his soul — when the man — when the creature to which he has sold his soul takes him — he thinks that he will inherit that cult … they all think it. They think they can inherit the cult.”

I'd like to say the names were changed to protect the innocent, but who really knows?  What we CAN say is this is an A-1 psychotic rant.  It's also quoted straight from a CNN broadcast and a daily personality being paid astronomic sums to spew this stuff.

I recall when CNN came into existence (yes, I am that old). To me it was fascinating, and I ran it in the background at the shop all day long.  News!  Straight hard news, unlike anything from any other source.

Now, I can't remember the last time I watched CNN on purpose. It's devolved into pure Pravda, with side trips to psycho land as represented here.

6-29-25 Sun/Log

 W: 319.2                BS: 152

• Mow & Trim
• Clean up ft porch
• Sourdough
• Dishes x2 
• Sinks, counters, stainless
• Laundry
• Vacuum
• Get Ford running
• Meds
• Shot
• ?

20 minutes outside.  Start the mower, start the car with a battery charger on it, spend a few minutes mowing the road front, throw out a shitty-kitty box and collect the mail

20 minutes, I am dripping and breathing is uncomfortable.  It's only 77 degrees out there.  

By the way.... Holy Mud puddles Batman!  The ground is so soft and saturated the mower was sinking as I drove over the lawn.

First color of the season!  What you are not seeing is the backside where a rooster has eaten a big hole in the tomato.

Sourdough, with dried horseradish leaves, dried roast onions, and caraway seeds.

"What do you seek?"

"The nexus.  The Market.  That place where trading is done".

"You seek the Market.  I see.  For what reason do you seek the Market?"

"For my reasons.  It matters to no one but me".

"That remains to be seen.   I will give you that answer in exchange for a moment of your time".

"A moment of my time? Do you wish to ask me something in return?"

"No young one, for you know nothing I need.  A moment of your time... a moment of your life.   The price is a small piece of your existence.  A moment of it.  That is the cost for my answer".

"You want a moment of my lifespan in exchange for an answer that once given, you still have?"

"Yes child, you understand well. It is your need, as you say, not mine.  Choose now, for I grow weary".

"I moment of my life, in exchange for knowing how to reach the Market.  I agree".

The hooded figure vanished from the shadows, and Joseph blinked.  Without understanding how, he now knew the way to reach the Market. His soul shuddered as his universe shrank by a single breaths worth of time. An awareness he didn't know existed swirled and screamed in his mind.  Every fiber of fear and danger exploded in him, and just as quickly smothered like a drenched campfire.  He gasped and hung onto the new knowledge he had traded part of his life for, feeling it trying to drain back into the shadows of time.

6-28-25 Sat/Log

 W: 318.2                BS: 108

• Trash out
• Taxi 1
• Taxi 2
• Taxi 3
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Vacuum
• Box bathroom stuff
• Shot
• Yogurt
• ?

Memories are triggered by smell, taste, and sometimes sight.  Something large, or maybe something small, mundane even.

Orwell's 'Doublethink' is in full play across the political spectrums.

6-27-25 Fri/Log

 W: 320.4                    BS: 107

• Upstairs trash
• Grocery shop
• Pick up groceries
• Start yogurt
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Vacuum
• Feed fowl
• Extra Lasix
• Booze fairy
• Bread?
• ?

Prediction for New York City

 NYC is fixing to elect radical Islamic socialist Mamdami as mayor.

Since 2019, New York City has lost 158 medium to larger companies, mostly in the financial field.  With them over $1 Trillion dollars of managed assets have gone as well. Roughly 15% of the high wage earners ($500,000 plus) have left the city permanently.

My prediction:  In the twelve months after Mamdami taking office, the city will lose as many companies and as much in assets as they did in the previous six years combined.  The city will also lose at least as many high wage earners in that year as the previous six combined.

6-26-25 Thur/Log

 W: 318.4                BS: 92

• Dishes
• Chuckins
• Fix hoses
• Water garden
• Make daily tea
• Passport apt
• Feed store
• Vacuum
• Laundry
• Wipe & Dust
• Do a window
• Boxes to truck and delivered
• Taxi 1
• Taxi 2
• Taxi 3
• Taxi 4
• Trash
• ?

Our trash hauler is a small company. They even answer their phone... with a human!

The guys on our truck haven't changed in... two years? Two VERY hard working Hispanic guys. I'll bet money they did the legal route too.

Every couple months I run them out bottles of homemade wine when I see the truck. Today in 90 degree heat it was a couple bottles of ice water for each of them. I also wave and yell thank you when I'm outside during pickup.

Wanna bet I can put a dead mule out by the can and they'll take it without a question?

Starting in a day or two, I think we will have a steady overabundance of cucumbers.

Risky Business...

 

I had a taste on my mind.  A mixture of flavors, and an idea for what the sum of the parts would be.  Tonight I tried it, and it's .... acceptable.

I call this 'A Risky Business'.

• 1 jigger of cask strength whiskey (Town Branch)
• 1 jigger of amber rum (Goslings, from Bermuda)
• 1 jigger of our homemade Limoncello, which I suspect is a bit less sweet than most
• 2 shakes of Peychaud's bitters

Stir down, and pour over ice with a slice of lemon.

This checks off sooooo many boxes in my little black book of taste.  Sweet, but not too sweet.  Smoky, tart, smooth, and a party at the back of the tongue.

I can't stop sipping this dangerous Risky Business.

6-25-25 Wed/Log

 W: 318.4                    BS: 139

• Pay bills
• Dishes 
• Laundry
• Water garden
• Vacuum Up & Down
• Clean kitchen
• Straighten 
• Bathroom rack
• PC
• Taxi....wtf

11 am, 90 and climbing.  It's the kind of weather where much of the inside of the house counts as 'working in the heat'.

That includes the bathroom, where I assembled this shelving unit today.

We have two window AC units upstairs, but window location on the antique home means both units are on the same 20 amp circuit.   Well, a 10,000 BTU window unit can draw up to 12 amps under full load.  If both units run for any length of time (More than 15 minutes) the breaker will flip as designed.

So.... we sacrifice our empty-bedroom AC during the day when this phenom happens, so the kids hallway can be livable.  At night, it doesn't seem to be an issue as long as I set them at a reasonable temp.

The shelving?  Time for people to get their %$#@ in order.  We do NOT need 6.2 gazillion bottles and tubes of chemical laden low-value/high-profit product as seen on TV.