7-2-26

 W: 322.0   320.2     BS: 78        BP: 152/87

We cool the house with window AC units.  It works well until it gets really hot, and then an electrical issue pops up.  One AC downstairs does fine.  One unit in our bedroom and another in the kids hallway takes care of their rooms.  The problem is... in this very old house both upstairs AC units are on the same electrical circuit, and there is no way around that.

The circuit can handle the two units coming on sporadically to keep things cool, but when it gets above 90 or so the AC units want to run full time... and the circuit breaker will heat up and trip.

Our solution this week;  Kids AC stays on, ours in our bedroom is unplugged, and we adults are sleeping in the living room.

Hey, not the best of all possibilities, but at least we have the option to sleep comfortable. Thank God we are not French or English.

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7-1-26

 W: 320.4        BS: 114

My weight is up a bunch in just a day or so.  Sodium, 'easy' food choices, and heat.  This will be interesting.  Balancing my bodies need for sodium against the fluid buildup that sodium causes.  Especially with the coming weather.

I think today will be very light on food, but heavy on liquids.  Of sodium, I'll shoot for bare minimum to sustain.

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Hard water issues. Not frugal... smart.

The well water here at Castle Welling is hard.  How hard?  When I had it tested years ago, the technician whistled as he saw the results.  All he had to report was 'higher than'.  Higher than his test materials could show.

We live with it.  Water softener, as painful as they are. It occasionally moderates the problem, but never all the way to zero.

So, we live with it.  Many cases of bottled water to drink, and sometimes for coffee when I feel bougie.   Keep the softener filled, with my back aching as much as my wallet, and we learn some tricks.

#1 on the trick parade is vinegar.  It's cheap, safe, plentiful, and melts away mineral scale buildup, given time.

Here we see an outside hose nozzle getting it's bi-monthly treatment in vinegar. It will soak for roughly two hours, which will clear the scale from the tiny holes in it's selecta-spray device.  It will once again flow as designed.  Our only choice to fix the blockage is replacing it at $15 a pop.  I'm going with 'No', one of my favorite words.

Once that quart of vinegar is done at the hose nozzle, it will find the kitchen sink nozzle thrust into it overnight.  Once that is done, it will service the shower nozzle (on a hose).  Once done that chore, it gets saved for the dishwasher as a cleaning agent mid-cycle.

If the coffee maker is due a cleanse, it is the first patient before even the hose or sink nozzles.  Coffee is important. Still ends up in the dishwasher though.

$3.94 in vinegar can keep all these things functional for months on end.   That makes sense.

6-30-26

 W: 318.4        BS: 118

90 today, 90's and 100's for the foreseeable forecast.  So.... what better time to wake up and have no water?

A guy more adulty than me is on the way to see what's what.  Greatest fear is an issue with a well pump 200-300 feet down in the well.

(Update).  We now have a new well pump, and water.

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Does Hamas execute gay people? Do gay people support Hamas?

Does Hamas execute gay people?
Yes, Hamas executes people for being (or being accused of being) gay. Homosexuality is illegal in Gaza under the British Mandate Criminal Code of 1936 (up to 10 years imprisonment for men), which Hamas enforces as the de facto authority. Key documented caseIn 2016, Hamas executed senior commander Mahmoud Ishtiwi (also spelled Eshtewi/Ishtewi), a top figure in its military wing (Qassam Brigades). He was accused of "behavioral and moral violations" — widely reported as homosexuality — along with theft and possible collaboration. He was tortured for over a year (beatings, hanging from the ceiling, sleep deprivation), confessed under duress, and was shot. Israeli forces later recovered Hamas documents in Gaza tunnels confirming the details of his ordeal and ongoing internal hunts for suspected gay members. This case was covered by:

• The New York Times (2016)
• Haaretz (2024)
• Human Rights Watch
• UN reports

His family and some accounts claimed internal rivalries played a role, but the homosexuality accusation was central. Broader pattern

• Torture and extrajudicial killings: Gay Palestinians in Gaza report arrests, torture (hanging, beatings), forced "morality checks," death threats, and honor-based violence. Many flee to Israel or elsewhere. Hamas monitors social media and enforces strict Islamist standards.
• Internal policy: Recovered Hamas files show a "morality" system punishing same-sex activity by death within the group.
• Societal reality: Openly gay life is impossible in Gaza. LGBT individuals face family ostracism, violence, and Hamas repression. Reports from refugees, "Queering the Map," and human rights groups document this consistently.

Homosexuality is not always formally listed as a capital crime in Gaza statutes (unlike in Iran or ISIS), but Hamas applies the death penalty in practice through its militant/religious enforcement, especially internally. This aligns with their Islamist ideology, which views it as a grave sin. Claims of routine public executions for civilians are harder to verify amid the chaos and secrecy in Gaza, but the persecution—including executions—is well-documented and not in serious dispute by credible sources.
Do gay people support Hamas?
Yes.
Do I have a clue WTH is going on?
No.

6-29-26

 W: 317.2            BS: 118            BP: 139/70

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More serious than funny, but very true.  Folks who understand this
are folks who understand history.

If you know, you know.  Remember this when you 
begin thinking AI is all that and a pack of crackers.

I feel.... targeted.

Stay calm, and stay ready to defend yourself.

Yeah, shopped or AI'ed, but the premise is spot on.

'Let New York die'

"I have zero interest in helping anyone who hits themselves in the head with a frying pan while complaining about a headache. Once I tell you that, you might want to stop hitting yourself in the head, and you don’t, I’ve lost all interest in your pain or the damage it’s doing.

New York City can die. There was a time when the fate of the economy of New York was the fate of the US economy. Not anymore."

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New York City just had an election.  Less than 10% of registered voters went to the poles.  That 10% was composed of Socialists and the radical left, thus NYC got exactly what it deserves.  My sympathy card withered away.

6-26-26

 W: 318.2            BS: 104            BP: 134/76

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This year I am FINALLY doing the trimming and tying I always said I would.

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