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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6-25-26

 W: 316.0            BS: 150        BP: 154/85

Good for me to sweat a bit I think.

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The butter bread recipe, without the butter.  Substituted a few tablespoons of EVO, and added 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats.  Added a few more rise/fold sessions too.  Brushed with egg wash and sprinkled everything seasoning on before baking.

Now THIS is bread we could eat every day.  3/4 of the loaf vanished to people munching on it.  I'll try making toast in a few minutes.

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Reported that Trumpster is losing patience with the Tribe of Stupid in the battle against the Tribe of Evil, even though they are the same tribe.  Maybe because they are the same tribe?

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The Postmaster General says he will follow orders, till Judge Autonegator rules that he shouldn't.  Then they all wait on various other judges to weigh in until the boss judges shoot down Judge Autonegator yet again.  Meanwhile, the rot keeps eating and eating.

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I wonder...

Perhaps an old man's memory has a 'Facebook' feature where it pops up stuff that happened on this day back in.....

I recalled this morning.... Explaining to a customer their new car's engine oil needed service on a regular schedule or their warrantee would be voided.  Said customer responded "Why should I pay to take that oil out and put other oil in?  Oil is oil".

I remember thinking "Well shit is made of food so why buy food when you can just eat shit?"

Which is what I DID NOT say.

I'm not sure if there is a certain percentage of idiots everyplace, or they were just attracted to that shop for some reason.