Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Set my new rat trap yesterday. Baited with a nice, tough piece of raw chicken skin. I tied the bait onto the trigger with not one, but two pieces of steel wire to prevent it being stolen. This morning the trap was still set but the bait was completely gone, with the two steel wires still wrapped and tightly twisted around a chicken-skin shaped piece of thin air. <shrug>

Could you poke the wire through the chicken skin before tying it to the trap?

I can sometimes catch mice with peanut butter on the trap.  It's sticky enough that they have to sit there and lick it off, which proves to be their downfall.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Could you poke the wire through the chicken skin before tying it to the trap?

I can sometimes catch mice with peanut butter on the trap.  It's sticky enough that they have to sit there and lick it off, which proves to be their downfall.

I will do that.

Peanut butter is a good bait for mice. I'm not sure about rats. Worth a try if the chicken skin fails.

[andidante]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

By the way, happy Independence Day to those of you celebrating today! Forgive me if I was slow to remember. I think a bit of feasting with close friends and family is the norm? Hope you had a good time.

 

Listening to Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera. Can't remember which album that one is off of, but it might be her first after leaving the Mouseketeers (or what ever it was called). Back when she looked like she bathed more often. CA isn't a favourite artist of mine, but she does have a bit of talent and has produced some good tunes.

 

Thanks Netfoot! I didn't do anything much to celebrate as I have to work today. People didn't go too crazy with the fireworks most likely due to the fact that it was 112 degrees today. 

You made me LOL with the CA comment. 

[Netfoot]

Just finished the Space Cadet movie. You need to know the plot details, because you need to know how stupid Hollywood is.

1. Heroine gets thrown out of astronaut training because she is a dumb-ass who forged her resume.
2. Remaining trainees get sent into space.
3.  Space station gets hit by meteorites so the crew are trapped and have 72 hours to live.
4. Heroine figures out how to save them.
5. NASA agrees to send her into space to try it.
6. Heroine launches, and saves the day using only Gurlpower and a Bedazzler. I kid you not.
7. Everyone lives happily ever after except bully girl who gave the heroine some fatigue at the start of the movie.

Now, it's obvious this movie was targeted at kids. But I have a hard time believing that anyone old enough to understand the dialogue wouldn't immediately recognize what crap this movie is. Surely kids are smarter than that? I have to believe it. Or should I believe the inherent message? Which is that everyone under the age of 25 is a complete idiot and everyone else is only marginally smarter than that?

A Bedazzler. I'm not kidding.

[Netfoot]

Testing my new rat trap. Check the video!

The trap is not armed -- the spring arm is not set. To add a bit of up-bias to the tripwire (which would normally come from the spring arm) I have added a small section of rubber tube underneath it. 

Pressing down on the trigger should cause the sear to disengage from the tripwire, allowing the spring arm (were it set) to flip up and over and blammo! But there is no release when the trigger is depressed, even when pushed right down as far as it can go.

The trap is obviously faulty. I will adjust it if possible, to get it to work a little better. 

By the way, high marks for video image stabilization technology! Wanna see how bad my hands shake these days? This will give you a laugh...

 

Edited July 5 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ok. The tripwire is too long as supplied. It goes onto the sear but when the trigger is depressed the sear does not disengage. To fix, I need to stop the tripwire protruding into the sear too much. I can shorten the tripwire, or:

I've bent the staple holding the trigger (and acting as it's pivot) to the right. This moves the trigger away from the tripwire so the two do not engage so deeply.

Here she is, loaded with chicken skin.

Mo found me doing this so now there is no more chicken skin available. It may be difficult to see but there are two wires coming up through the trigger and the chicken, twisted together. Then the ends of each wire are twisted to each other, and the excess cut away.

The job may not be the prettiest but that piece of chicken can't be slipped out from under. The wires penetrate through the skin in four places and the ends are twisted together in four places as well. So, let's set it out and see what happens!

ETA: Is that a Mozie moustache hair on the sear? Yes. Yes it is.

Edited July 5 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Testing my new rat trap. Check the video!

Video link says access denied.

[Netfoot]

58 minutes ago, b4pjoe said:

Video link says access denied.

Whupps! My bad -- should be fixed now.

[Netfoot]

Remember the 1" high carbon steel ball that I used as the core for my keychain charm?

Ooooo yeah!

That's 1¼" and 1¾" high carbon steel balls! The latter is about the size of a golf ball but it weighs considerably more!

Watched Rambo: Last Blood this afternoon. That's the fifth and final movie in the franchise. Stallone said he was willing to go again, but he would start encroaching on Steven Seagal territory, then. Did you know that the first Rambo movie did not (and was the only one not to) have the name in the title?

Mo just came in, peeped out the window and departed again. It is a cool night with a pleasant breeze in the window. Nothing found when on Garden Patrol except the Velcro cable management strip from the 12v charger I found out there yesterday. No point admonishing my baby for that.

I've mentioned (ad nauseam) that my taste buds are playing games. One thing I've noticed tastes wonky is baked beans. I don't eat them all that often because they go best with toast. But I was curious. Normally these days, when info but I buy baked beans I buy the cheapest brand I can find. But last time I went shopping I splurged $2+ on the smallest possible tin of beans by the standard bearer: Heinz. Had them for lunch today with sausages. Now I now: Even the Heinz baked beans taste like shit. Fortunately, dinner was quite edible. A pan-fried chicken breast with onions & gravy, and two smallish potatoes, boiled and then browned in the hot oil. And I managed not to screw up the gravy! So, result!

While watching the movie this afternoon, I heard a loud blammo! from the bedroom. Raced in to see what I'd caught but alas, nothing! The trap had been sprung but the miscreant had escaped. Maybe the trap was too easily spring now? Allowing even a sniff at the bait to set it off, before the target got their head well into it?  I tweaked the hardware a bit to make it a little less sensitive and reset it. That trap has a double spring. I have to use two hands to set it and I'm sure if I make a mistake I will end up with a broken finger. What worries me most is what would happen to the sweetest, fuzzy nozie in the world if it went sniffing out chicken skin! I am taking particular care to place the trap somewhere Mo shouldn't be snooping. But he is a very active little thief...

Speaking of bait, the wire through the skin seems to be doing the job. Despite the trap being thrown over 12" when it was sprung, the bait was still firmly in place when I went to investigate. 

My furniture guy came around and showed me a few things he wanted made and provided some of the wood. There is another piece coming tomorrow. Four different jobs he wants doing. Good. One job is the frames for a type of shelving units. In purple heart. He provided the purple heart but I think he has underestimated how much will be needed. A unit 6' tall with shelves 1' apart will require 46' of wood. He had provided me with maybe 60' in total. He is not likely to get more than one unit out of the provided lumber.

Assuming that the required sizes can be cut from the lengths provided! Got to do the math on that. First got to work out a design because that will Determine widths to be cut from the provided boards which will determine whether I get 60' to work with or perhaps less!

(Mo has just joined me. He smells fine. His tummy is in very great need of a rub! It often is.)

One of the jobs is to cut tapered legs from a 4-square. Even though it will actually be more like 3½", my table saw had a cut depth of 3⅛" max. So each cut will require that two cuts be made, from opposite sides of the wood. Perfectly aligned with each other. The job would be much easier if I had a compound miter saw, but I don't.

Just gone midnight. Let me see if I can get a good night's sleep tonight. Was getting done cramping in hands and feet earlier. Wait! Ninja Mo has vanished! Ok, will read until he ninjas his way back, then I will call it quits.

Edited July 6 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Good nap this afternoon! Woke up, recovered my Croc 

and brewed a mug of tea...

[Netfoot]

Blammo! Large mouse or small rat - it is no more! Trap reset...

It's after midnight, so no dilly-dally!

The 4x4" lumber I  was promised would arrive today? Didn't. 😠

Barry White sings Just The Way You Are. Seems I like old music. Even when I am listening to "modern" the stuff in my collection, it turns out to be 25 years old. And then this comes on. It's a cover of a Billy Joel song from 1977! That's 47 years ago!

A couple days ago I noticed a little cut on the cutest nosie in the world:

Directly above his left nostril. It looks sort of white. I think he cut this trying to get through the wire on the gate. The guy next door has recently acquired a new doggie and he will not keep away from our gate. The other day I opened the gate to get the van out and he wandered right in! I had to physically chase him away. So Mo now spends most of his day with his nose pressed to the gate. I just hope that thing heals up and goes away. That face is too pretty to be spoiled with a scar!

Had two chicken wings for dinner. And a Bosc pear. I like pears. I prefer Anjou pears but around here you don't get to buy what you want. You buy what you can get!

Not sure where the pear came from. No recollection of buying one. Found it in the back of the fridge. When I first spotted it I thought it would be mushy and horrible, fit only for immediate disposal. To my surprise, it was firm and good and when I bit into it it was crisp. Not even fully ripe yet. It was a pleasant desert. Must have been in the fridge for weeks!

Screwed up the chicken wings: forgot to cover them in my homemade dry-rub coating before popping them into the pan. In my own defense, it was after 10:00 PM and I was rushing. Well, they came out tasting fine anyway. I've made up a new batch of Hotchup. Ketchup, pepper sauce, celery salt, dried parsley & basil flakes, and something else, I forget what. Smoked paprika? Tastes fine. Squirted some of that on the side of the plate and dipped the wings sparingly in it.

I wonder if you could add mayo & finely diced pickles and have hot thousand island? Hotthou?

Lunch was macaroni with sausage & tomato sauce. Very basic. I ate most of it and Mo helped me finish off the remainder. 

I used the last teabag in the box this evening. There is another box in the fridge. It contains 25 bags. But I'm also low on sugar, and milk. Which I can't find any to buy anyway! Well, I can find the horrendous expensico Carnation, but not the Pine Hill 

Spent some time working on a software project but didn't get far. Made progress, but it's looking like it will be a fairly long & complex job over all so what I was able to accomplish today is not much, in the great scheme of things. Thank goodness I am not doing this with a deadline staring at me. Spent too many years doing that. 

Ok, past midnight so I will post and try for some sleep. Had a sweet but brief nap this afternoon. Will hope to sleep as well tonight.

Mo came and played a game on top of me as I napped this afternoon. Not TT as he frequently does. This game involved the ongoing battle between a fearless puppy and an evil plastic bottle. The bottle had to be chewed into submission. This had to be done while it was being stood upon and ground mercilessly into the soft tissue of a napping sidekick. And the bottle had to be frequently thrown into the air and pounced upon, just as it landed. Especially if the landing zone happened to be anywhere on the napping sidekick. Occasionally the sidekick would fling the bottle across the room but in those instances it had to be immediately retrieved and returned to an area of soft tissue...

The sidekick was a bit stupid. Otherwise he would have flung the evil bottle out the window! At the very least that would have delayed it's forceful return to the delicate area around his navel.

Sleep! (Where did that puppy get to, anyway?)

[b4pjoe]

Remember tropical storm/hurricane Beryl?

Tropical Storm Beryl Is Starting To Strengthen And Will Be A Hurricane At Texas Landfall

Edited July 7 by b4pjoe

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, b4pjoe said:

Remember tropical storm/hurricane Beryl?

Tropical Storm Beryl Is Starting To Strengthen And Will Be A Hurricane At Texas Landfall

This is not good. Barbados is small and easily missed. Texas on the other hand...

I've always felt that our location plays a significant part in how we "dodge" hurricanes and tropical storms each year. We are 105 miles closer to the African coast than the next island in the Caribbean archipelago.

Storms draw their destructive force from the warm, humid air of the ocean beneath them. They organize, form and strengthen as they move forward and the point of significance seems to be in that 105 mile window. Many times I've witnessed storms slide past 40-50 miles away without ruffling our hair but then go on to devastate St. Vincent & The Grenadines. When you add in the extra distance to travel up through the Greater Antilles and into Florida, or across the Gulf of Mexico and into Texas, the potential for increased destructiveness is obvious. 

And as I've said, the larger landmasses are too big to miss. We can hunker down, hold our breath and hope that if it misses us by 50 miles we will be OK. But if the storm approaches the US seaboard, a 50 mile miss is still a hit, albeit on someone else.

Best wishes to all Texans and anyone else threatened.

(Do we actually have any Texan posters in the group? Funny that I have little idea where any of you guys are located. Just doesn't seem relevant in this medium.)

Edited July 7 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

I am in Illinois. We are going to get rain from Beryl on Tuesday and Wednesday. We might get some thunderstorms and maybe tornadoes which are both common here but right now it just looks like a couple of days of rain which we need.

[Spunkygal]

I’m in north Texas. We are praying for rain from Beryl but more importantly praying for the safety of everyone on the Texas coast.

[Browncoat]

I'm in Virginia.  We're not meant to get much of anything from Beryl.  Maybe a few tangentially related showers, but Beryl itself should be fairly far west of us.

[Netfoot]

I'm thinking about you all (especially @Spunkygal who seems closest to the action) and hoping everyone can escape any ill effects from Beryl. Living out here on a rock in the ocean, we have a tendency once the storm has passed, yo to wipe our brow with a phew! and then forget about it.

It's been raining heavily all afternoon and I'm now hearing the rumble of thunder in the distance. Probably just a regular, unremarkable rainstorm. I must say that so far, Mo has shown no concern at all about the weather. Old Dotty was a bit scared of thunder. His solution was to make sure it didn't catch him! He would run up and down, from one end of the house to the other, back and forth, for hours on end, until the thunder went away! 

Stay safe, people!

Edited July 8 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Thank you but my area is in no danger. We could desperately use the rain though. 

[Netfoot]

A huge flash of lightning and a tremendous peal of thunder and Mo (who was curled up near me) nearly jumped out of his skin! But then, so did I.....

Two more of the same! I think that second one actually struck very close because I heard the strike and a split second later came the thunder. Wild! It continues....

Edited July 7 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Had relatives in Canada messaging me to ask about today's thunderstorms. How did they even know? Rain stopped around 8:30 so we quickly did our Garden Patrol. Took the opportunity to see if the gate had been melted by that crazy lightning strike earlier in the afternoon, but no damage seen there or anywhere else, so maybe it only sounded like the gate got hit.

Listening to Edwin Star's well known track War. Funny how such a well known track could essentially be a one-hit-wonder.

Cool breeze in the window tonight. Hope Mo wants to cuddle. Could use a little fuzzy warmth once the lights go out. But the last time I saw him, he was lying on the wet driveway directly in front of the van, essentially halfway under the front bumper. Why is the silly baby out there lying on wet ground? Doesn't he know there is a warm, dry place for him here with me? And where he might get a tummy rub or two if he played his cards right?

I had four chicken drumsticks in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Thought I'd have two for lunch and the other two for dinner. Moved the package down into the fridge at 8:00 this morning, but at 2:00 PM, they were still a bit icy! So, no lunch. However, at 8:00 this evening, I cooked all four of them and had them all for dunch/linner. And I could have eaten twice that many. They look like a lot on the plate but remembering that ⅔ of a drumstick is throw-away bone... I have two chicken breasts thawing for tomorrow. Maybe one with chips at midday and the other with black-eyes and rice later in the evening? 

Watched a movie called Hitman this afternoon. A bald Timothy Oliphant with a barcode tattoo of the number 47 on the back of his head. Plus some young bit of fluff that I am thinking was supposed to be the movie's hot, sexy girl but who left me completely unmoved. I believe the movie was based upon some video game that I've never played (presumably of the same name) so perhaps it was an incredibly good interpretation of that game? But from my perspective, it wasn't all that great. There were two sequels but TO declined to participate. That usually isn't good.

Still no sign of my 4x4" lumber. Not surprised. It's Sunday. And we had a thunderstorm for most of the afternoon and into the night, after all. Didn't do any work in the garage. Not with stormy weather. Although I did notice that when the rain was at it's worst and the lightning was cracking down all around, there was not a breath of a breeze and the leaves on the trees were completely motionless... Weird.

I've almost finished book #5 in the Egyptian series I've been reading. The Egyptians are still battling the Hyksos who took the lower Nile and are looking to form alliances with the Minoans and Babylonians who also have reasons not to like the Hyksos. There are plenty of side stories and entertaining interludes but I am pretty sure the Egyptians will come out of it on top. Less than 100 pages to go. Hopefully I can get them finished in the next few nights. After that, only the 6th and final book will remain.

You know how you feel when you approach the end of a good book. You are looking forward to the conclusion but you regret that it will soon be over. I'm experiencing a bit of that here. I've enjoyed the read. It isn't that I'd say this series is tremendously fantastic, but it's good enough that I've been enjoying it a fair bit. I will regret when it's done.

Only 22 teabags remaining. But sugar is also low and milk remains for only two maybe three mugs. I could go get another $3.99 Carnation milk, but don't actually have $3.99! I will have to skip tea until I get my next welfare cheque. Which I think is due on Friday. But I might not get it until later (like the following Monday) because I have to wait until the landlord checks his mailbox. They (Welfare) did say they were putting a "direct deposit" system in place, hopefully in July. But who knows?

Anyway, I'm going to end here and read a while until either Mo comes in or I give up on waiting for him. I have not slept well for the last three or four nights. Just can't drop off.

This afternoon I wandered into the bedroom and he jumped on the bed. We had a lovely little cuddle for a few minutes! He really is a sweetie-pie! Later, after the lightning was at it's worst, I lifted him up in my lap like when he was an itty bitty puppy. He is now a good bit bigger than then! And it was at least 5 minutes before he would go down again.

[Notabug]

29 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Had relatives in Canada messaging me to ask about today's thunderstorms. How did they even know? Rain stopped around 8:30 so we quickly did our Garden Patrol. Took the opportunity to see if the gate had been melted by that crazy lightning strike earlier in the afternoon, but no damage seen there or anywhere else, so maybe it only sounded like the gate got hit.

Listening to Edwin Star's well known track War. Funny how such a well known track could essentially be a one-hit-wonder.

 

Edwin Starr had at least on other big hit in the US with '25 Miles' back in the late 60's.  Great soul voice.

[Netfoot]

50 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Edwin Starr had at least on other big hit in the US with '25 Miles' back in the late 60's.  Great soul voice.

That's true; I'd forgotten. There was nothing wrong with his voice. It's just strange and unfortunate that he didn't find the wider success I think he deserved. He didn't even make any money!

https://www.loudersound.com/features/edwyn-starr-war

[DMK]

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Do we actually have any Texan posters in the group?

Not part of the group but this is the only forum talking about it. I’ve been up since 5am sitting through it. I’m in Galveston county, about 4 miles inland from the bay. It’s still not really finished blown through my area yet.

[Netfoot]

35 minutes ago, DMK said:

Not part of the group but this is the only forum talking about it. I’ve been up since 5am sitting through it. I’m in Galveston county, about 4 miles inland from the bay. It’s still not really finished blown through my area yet.

What can I say? Hang tight!

I've got a niece who (as far as I know) lives & works in Houston. I'm trying to find out whether she is there now but so far, no word.
 

[DMK]

It’s finally cleared out here. Never lost power, I must be on a hospital grid. My dad lives on Galveston island and he evacuated to my house beforehand so now we’re just watching all the local news coverage and waiting for power to be restored to his house. Whenever that may be…

[Netfoot]

3 minutes ago, DMK said:

It’s finally cleared out here. Never lost power, I must be on a hospital grid.

Good to hear.

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

I've got a niece who (as far as I know) lives & works in Houston.

I've just discovered she is in NYC at the moment.

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, DMK said:

It’s finally cleared out here. Never lost power, I must be on a hospital grid. My dad lives on Galveston island and he evacuated to my house beforehand so now we’re just watching all the local news coverage and waiting for power to be restored to his house. Whenever that may be…

Daddy was smart! Good luck to y’all down there!

[Netfoot]

Beryl appears to be heading northeast over dry land and losing strength. Have not heard any bulletins or news reports so hope there has been minimal disruption & damage. 

Here in bed with Mo. Came from the shower at 11:40 and found him curled up in bed already! So the door is shut, there is a cool breeze in the window, Mo is snuggling up against the small of my back nibbling my toes and I'm listening to Love Is by Vanessa Williams. I'm not a fan of hers, but this is a pleasant ballad and I enjoy hearing it. It's actually a duet, with a vocalist called Brian McKnight and the pair of them do a very creditable job. I'm not actually sure if it is a duet. They don't sing together but rather sing alternating parts. Only at the very end do their voices actually come in together. Is that still a duet? Not very knowledgeable about music, so can't say one way or another.

So I didn't sleep well last night. I would read until I started dropping the book, then turn off the light and... not fall asleep. Light back on, read another couple pages until I start dropping the book again, light off, no sleep. Gave up at 3:15 and made myself a mug of tea, and watched a bit of a movie while I drank it. Back into bed at 4:30 and did fall off to sleep. Opened my eyes at 10:30 in the morning feeling very, very tired. That's not normal. But I've had trouble sleeping for several nights now. This happens to me from time. It got so bad once I had Dr. Kristi prescribe some super powerful sleeping pills. (She didn't like the idea and would only give me two.) They didn't work. 

Around lunchtime I pan-fried two chicken breasts and cooked a pot of tasty rice. It contained black-eyes, carrots and three leaves of pak choy. Two of the leaves were a shrivelled at the edges so I  only used the stems but the third was perfect so I had just a little of the leafy bit but a good amount of the celery bit.

The plan was to have half the rice with one breast for lunch and save the rest for dinner. Unfortunately I got greedy and ate it all for lunch. 

By three I was exhausted. My 4x4" lumber still has not turned up and I spent some time finishing that movie I started in the middle of the night. (Universal Soldier with Jean-Claude Van Damme). I lay down at Three and fell instantly asleep, not waking until six. (That won't make getting to sleep tonight any easier!)

Rooting around in the fridge I found a lonely pack of ramen do that along with a sausage sliced julienne made up my dinner. Well, perhaps not quite as finely cut as julienned?

Mo is now insisting I open the house and let him out. I don't feel inclined to do that. I want to finish this post and kill the lights. But if he makes too much of a fuss I will either clobber him with a pillow or let him out and relock the door. 

Tomorrow is Tuesday. And it's time I check my meds and look to renewing my supplies. I think I need a new prescription from Dr. Kristi. Dr. Jacinto should be OK as far as that is concerned. 

How stupid the system is. I see Dr. Jacinto on 23rd. But I run out of meds before then and will have to resupply. What happens if she changes my meds a few days later? A bunch of expensive drugs will have to be thrown out! Not that I expect her to change anything significantly. I hope I'm wrong but this will be the first time I've consulted her since February. I don't think my health is actually a priority with any of those doctors down at QEH. Maybe I'm wrong.

Since the meds are not completely controlling the symptoms of the MG I doubt there is any room for titrating anything downwards. She might actually put things up a bit! 

OK, Mo has settled. (When the neighbor's pot-hounds start dogerwauling is when he thinks he needs to go out. When they quiet down he relaxes again. But this is a good opportunity for me to turn the lights out. 

So, to sleep, perchance to dream....

[b4pjoe]

14 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Beryl appears to be heading northeast over dry land and losing strength. Have not heard any bulletins or news reports so hope there has been minimal disruption & damage.

Just getting lots of much needed rain here in Illinois all day and tonight until about 2:00 am Wednesday.

[Netfoot]

Poor night again last night. No sleep until around 4:00 AM. But no nap today so maybe I will get down early tonight. 

In bed with a glass of iced water, a puppy by my side

and the fan blowing a cool breeze from the window onto my skin. Door is locked and I am not interested in opening it again.

This morning I made a brew and when it came to pouring the milk, the little Carnation carton was practically empty. I poured boiling water from the kettle into it, sloshed it around and poured it into the mug. Needless to say, not the best cuppa I've ever had. And no mug after lunch, nor after Garden Patrol.

Not that I actually had any lunch, mind you! Dinner was macaroni with diced sausage and onion. Not very tasty. Think fuel, not food. No point eating if the food tastes awful. Unless you need to fuel up. A week or so I was saying how the wobblies has greatly reduced. But yesterday and today were quite bad.

The grass was wet this evening as we Patrolled. Earlier, Mo came in demanding to be dried off. I was not aware that it had rained and when I took up the towel I discovered that he was quite dry! I think we had one of those three second rain showers. He got a few drops on his fur and came to be dried even though he wasn't in any way wet. But he likes being dried off, so I spent the next 10 minutes toweling him vigorously, and taking special care to do his feet, tail, ears, etc. Who is the bigger fool, he or I?

Still no 4x4" lumber.

Listening to Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve. A great track from my favourite album from a great band. But most of the tracks from Urban Hymns are cracking good. 

Now, my phone which has been behaving itself quite well for the last couple of weeks has just tried to eat this post. Twice. 

Mo joins me... No he's gone again. But for about 3 seconds I got a snuggle and he got a tummy rub....

Ok, so I am embarking upon Pharaoh, book #6, last in the Egyptian series. At least the print is of a reasonable size. The last one had super-fine type which made it quite hard to decipher. I will read until I start falling asleep with the book in my hand and dropping it. Then I will kill the lights and hope to sleep right through until I have to let Mo out with the dawn.

[luv2lurk]

Well, the remnants of Beryl have now made their way to Ontario, Canada. Heavy rain, t-stoms and risk of a tornado in some areas.

[Netfoot]

29 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

Well, the remnants of Beryl have now made their way to Ontario, Canada. Heavy rain, t-stoms and risk of a tornado in some areas.

Quite a lady!  😐

[Netfoot]

The 4x4" lumber arrived. In three pieces because it's easier to handle in the saw that way. Also, two 2x4". 

I carried them from the gate to the saw. One piece at a time. And was completely exhausted. 

Minor upgrade to the saw; added a new scale and adjusted the pointer so I can set the fence distance from the blade (which sets the width of the cut). The old scale which was printer on a metal strip was so rusty I could hardly read it. The new scale has already started to rust since I bought it but it will be usable for a while still. And when I bought, I bought four. 

Was stepping over and down when my foot found a little block of wood that is an off-cut from breaking pallets a long while ago. All those scrap bits were thrown out or so I thought, but this bit was obviously missed. 

There was a rusty nail in it. It punched right through my Croc (right hand side of the photo)

and deep into the sole of my foot.

So there I was with my shoe nailed to the bottom of my foot...

After a while I was able to pry it off. It actually doesn't hurt very much. Hardly at all! And I'm not sure that's a good thing. 

I distinctly remember going to Dr. Kristi some time ago and getting her to administer a tetanus shot for a similar issue. Unfortunately, that could easily be over 10 years ago now....

Anyway, got some good lumber so now I can do some work!

[Notabug]

31 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

The 4x4" lumber arrived. In three pieces because it's easier to handle in the saw that way. Also, two 2x4". 

I carried them from the gate to the saw. One piece at a time. And was completely exhausted. 

Minor upgrade to the saw; added a new scale and adjusted the pointer so I can set the fence distance from the blade (which sets the width of the cut). The old scale which was printer on a metal strip was so rusty I could hardly read it. The new scale has already started to rust since I bought it but it will be usable for a while still. And when I bought, I bought four. 

Was stepping over and down when my foot found a little block of wood that is an off-cut from breaking pallets a long while ago. All those scrap bits were thrown out or so I thought, but this bit was obviously missed. 

There was a rusty nail in it. It punched right through my Croc (right hand side of the photo)

and deep into the sole of my foot.

So there I was with my shoe nailed to the bottom of my foot...

After a while I was able to pry it off. It actually doesn't hurt very much. Hardly at all! And I'm not sure that's a good thing. 

I distinctly remember going to Dr. Kristi some time ago and getting her to administer a tetanus shot for a similar issue. Unfortunately, that could easily be over 10 years ago now....

Anyway, got some good lumber so now I can do some work!

If it has been more than 5 years, you should get a booster.

[Netfoot]

47 minutes ago, Notabug said:

If it has been more than 5 years, you should get a booster.

Ok, thanks!

Thought it was 10 years.....

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Ok, thanks!

Thought it was 10 years.....

They last for 10 years unless you have an incident.  Then you need a booster.

[Spunkygal]

5 hours ago, Netfoot said:

The 4x4" lumber arrived. In three pieces because it's easier to handle in the saw that way. Also, two 2x4". 

I carried them from the gate to the saw. One piece at a time. And was completely exhausted. 

Minor upgrade to the saw; added a new scale and adjusted the pointer so I can set the fence distance from the blade (which sets the width of the cut). The old scale which was printer on a metal strip was so rusty I could hardly read it. The new scale has already started to rust since I bought it but it will be usable for a while still. And when I bought, I bought four. 

Was stepping over and down when my foot found a little block of wood that is an off-cut from breaking pallets a long while ago. All those scrap bits were thrown out or so I thought, but this bit was obviously missed. 

There was a rusty nail in it. It punched right through my Croc (right hand side of the photo)

and deep into the sole of my foot.

So there I was with my shoe nailed to the bottom of my foot...

After a while I was able to pry it off. It actually doesn't hurt very much. Hardly at all! And I'm not sure that's a good thing. 

I distinctly remember going to Dr. Kristi some time ago and getting her to administer a tetanus shot for a similar issue. Unfortunately, that could easily be over 10 years ago now....

Anyway, got some good lumber so now I can do some work!

Nail in the foot? Story of my childhood. My feet were nail magnets.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Nail in the foot? Story of my childhood. My feet were nail magnets.

Yeh, I've been here before. I have to get a prescription from Dr. Kristi some time in the next week so I will see what she says about it. 

Mo just came in and went straight to my glass. Unfortunately, there is no water in it. So he is lapping hard at the ice. Wait.... OK, just gave him a cube and he is crunching it up on the foot of the bed. Now my feet will be cold and damp all night.

Listening to Vengeance by Zack Hemsey. Heard this on the soundtrack of a movie and tracked it down. Bought the album online for a few bucks... Normally I don't do all this buying of online music nonsense. I have a tall stack of actual CDs because that's the way God intended it to be!

Today I have been working on my medication programme. I don't work on it every day and I don't work too hard. But the old script is 1,000+ lines long and flakey. And it isn't very flexible. So I want to replace it with something leaner and meaner.

(He's finished with the ice and departed.)

I've got it (the new program) to the point where it can read it's input and parse it into meaningful datasets. The original program can do this, but the revised code uses a much cleaner method that will accommodate changes to the structure of the input data more easily. And since there are a few changes I would like to introduce, that is a good thing.

(Mo is back. I think he wants another ice cube. Tough luck, pupper! He's departed again. And now I can hear him making a row outside.)

I store information on each medication. For instance, when and how many I acquired, and how many I take a day. If I know when I got them, I use a computational process to work out how many days have passed since then and since I know how many I take each day, I can compute how many I have left and when I will need to go and get more. 

Started with 90, take 3 a day, it's been 19 days, so I should have 33 remaining. 33 days from now is X date so get more by then. 

But I'm contemplating an iterative process instead. Start with 90, count forward from then day by day deducting 3, when I hit today I will know how many are left. Keep counting days until the quantity of meds drops below the daily requirement and you will know what day you need to acquire more by.

This sounds like a more long-winded process and it is. It will take perhaps 100th of a second to compute instead of a 1000th of a second so that doesn't matter. But the iterative process allows me to have dosages that are not consistent day by day. I used to be on 1½ warfarin a day but 2 on Friday! If I am counting forward day by day subtracting the day's dose, it will be easier to recognize that the day being considered is a Friday and subtract the appropriate number. Far easier (I think) than computing that it's been 19 days and trying to figure out how many Fridays were in there.

Anyway, I also did a little work in the garage and built a simple drilling jig for the drill press. I have to make some furniture feet and they have to be drilled and counterbored for four fixing screws. Easier to get the holes consistent with a jig. The last batch I made I had to drill them by hand and it was a real PITA.

Miserable day with no tea. Tomorrow I think I will try tea with a few drops of lemon. I am OK with lemon in tea instead of milk, I guess. But I really do prefer milk. By Friday I hope to have a welfare cheque in hand so I should be able to afford a 333ml Carnation milk for $3.99. That's a cent per  milliliter! I will just have to send a stroppy message to Wayne about Pine Hill's refusal to produce evap! (He works more on the production of beer but I'm sure he can fill me in about the milk side of the business!)

Slept soundly last night until around half past four when I let Mo out. Then on until Breakfast Meds. Hoping for a repeat tonight. 

Will post now, read for a little while and then pull the plug. 

Edited July 11 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

31 pieces, 3¼" x 3¼" by 1½" thick.

Very simple job. Clean cut one edge of the 2x4, flip it around and cut to width (3¼"). Set a stop block to set cut length to the same as width and cut, cut, cut! Stick each piece in the jig on the drill press, brrp! brrp! brrp! brrp! Four counterbores per piece. Change drill bit, repeat, brrp! brrp! brrp! brrp! Four thru-holes per piece. Done!

Should have been able to shape these pieces in an hour if I didn't keep having to stop to rest. 

The sanding went well, and took about one hour because when I got tired I refused to stop.

ETA: Just looked at this photo and spotted an error! One up from the bottom two: The four corners are not sanded! Dug it out of the box and held my breath (because my KN95 was not to hand) while I did the corners on the sander. Checked each piece - it was the only one that needed to be touched-up.

Edited July 11 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Tired tonight. No surprise. Just had a proper scrub in the shower. Sawdust and (presumably) sweat caked onto my abdomen from the sanding. Right where the disk-sander throws it at me. Scrubbed everywhere of course and found lighter concentrations everywhere from my scalp & face to behind my knees. Had issues (well one issue) with the sander all day. Will explain another time. 

Listening to Some Folks Are Hollow by Ian Brown. Brown was the front man for The Stone Roses. I've heard it said by critics that he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. I actually like his voice. And I have since his Stone Roses days. He is occasionally referred to as "Monkey Boy". For no reason other than he supposedly looks exactly like a chimp! Maybe...

The plan for dinner was to boil some short pasta (penne, cavatappi, elbows, what have you) and toss it in a sauce made from bully beef, onion, the last two leaves of pak choy and a small tin of tomato sauce. What dinner turned out to be was the same as lunch - nothing at all. Just couldn't be bothered to get out of my chair and cook anything. Since there is no cheese, bread or crackers, eggs or sausages, ramen or anything that would make a quick meal, I have had nothing all day. Except tea.

I have 16 teabags left. But there has not been any milk since yesterday. I had tea with lemon today but I really do prefer milk. And now, since I scraped the last grains out of the bowl for my last mug, there is no sugar either.

The bank account has 76¢ I it. Better leave that there. My pocket has $9.20 in it. Which is more than I was expecting. That would buy me a 333ml Carnation milk and a kilo of sugar, but not a bag of chow for Mo. Which is a priority because his chow is low. The welfare cheque never showed but I've not seen the landlord all day so it might be sitting in his mailbox. I might get it tomorrow or not. Assuming that I have more cheques to come, which has never been confirmed one way or another.

My guy said he would try to get some money for me and come collect the little sofa-feet before lunch tomorrow. I told him "No rush" because I think it is best if I don't give the impression I'm too desperate. Because I'm not. Not yet, anyway. There is food in the house. 3-4 bags of pasta, most of a bag of rice, two tins of corned beef, a few carrots, a few onions, a couple cans of vegetables (channa, pigeon peas, black beans), quite a bit of flour... Even some more chicken bits frozen and a pork roast I am not sure how best to cook. Mo and I won't starve just yet.

I'm still hoping he comes to collect his sofa-feet, though. (And in fact, I have no idea if they are for sofas or for something else entirely.)

Tomorrow, I have more feet to make. Out of the 4x4" lumber. Taller. Have to be made completely differently. Scratching my head to figure out the best way.

Mo was dozing in bed when I came in. He requested a tummy rub and he got it! But now he has gone to lie on the tiles right next to the bed. Today he stole a hole-saw and a precision sanding block. He didn't get spanx. He didn't even get a bollicking! He got a pat on his head to reassure him he wasn't going to get spanx.

Been working on my program again but I think I will have to throw out most of what I've done today. I got carried away and coded up an elaborate set if auto-formatting routines to perform debugging output. Debugging output doesn't have to be fancy! And if I want this program to be lean and mean, I do not want pages of complex debugging routines which, once the program is finished and working will probably never get used again. And possibly even deleted as no longer necessary. So tomorrow I will delete all the work I did today. Most of it, anyhow. Because I discovered and corrected a bug in how the program was parsing prescription repeats.

That data is usually a number which indicates how many repeats/refills remain on my current prescription. So, "2" means I have two repeats while "0" means I have to get a new prescription from the doctor. The program sends a Telegram to my phone to tell me what prescriptions I need and from who.

But some medication has no repeats. Say I step on a nail and Dr. Kristi puts me on antibiotics for 10 days. When the 10 days are up, I don't need to go get more. In which case the data will say "No" indicating that no repeats are necessary. Well parsing that piece of data was working well providing it was a number. But "No" was throwing a spanner in the works. It was easy enough to fix the error once I'd spotted it. So that was in fact the only productive thing I did on that program all day. I was only working on it on my frequent  rest breaks between garage work.

All day, I've been working with a cramp in my right hand. My thumb won't relax and wants to curl up in the palm of the hand. 

I can force it out of there, usually with the help of the left hand, but it just creeps right back again. It has made woodworking difficult, it has made using the computer mouse difficult and it has made using the phone difficult. And I'm sure it will make getting to sleep difficult because it hurts. For some reason it's the index finger that hurts, even though the cramp is in the thumb.

Anyway, it's minutes to midnight and I want to try for a good night's sleep. So I will end here. Mo has disappeared but is probably lying in the passage. He relocates several times a night but usually I can count on him joining me in bed for at least a while, once the lights go out.

Midnight! I'm gone.

Edited July 12 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Tired as I was, I didn't fall asleep until after dawn. Then I slept until 8:45.

Was hungry when I woke (no food yesterday) and decided to go buy milk & sugar. 

No Pine Hill evap. Carnation 333ml for $3.99 not available. Forced to settle for 250ml for $2.95 instead. Price pretty much the same per milliliter but can't afford two, so have to settle for less milk. (Pocket now contains 25¢...)

Brewing up now.

I had a problem with the sander yesterday when doing those feet. 

This:

Is not a block of wood. It is a block of crepe rubber. Crepe rubber is the simplest form of rubber there is, apparently. It's just coagulated rubber-tree sap. When I was a kid we all wore "crepesole" shoes. Called that because the soles were made of this same stuff. 

It has magical properties when applied to sandpaper that is clogged up with sawdust or whatever. Check out this video (32 seconds) to see what I mean.

The sanding disk is beat to hell because I've been using the same disk for years! But the magic block of crepe rubber restores the clogged sanding disk to a condition where it can still be used some more.

I would normally sand 3-4 parts, use the crepe block then do the next 3-4, etc. But yesterday I could not find the block! Not until late last night did I locate it in an obvious place. So all that sanding yesterday was laboriously done with a clogged sanding disk. 

I just heard the kettle click. Time for tea!

[Netfoot]

The time is 9:14 and I showered and in bed with a cool breeze in the window. Mo was here a moment ago but had wandered off for now. 

Listening to When We Were Fab by George Harrison. A somewhat obscure but fairly cheerful song of his. I like the Beatles and believe they were a tremendous band in their time. They changed the face of music. After the breakup, all four of them continued to produce great music, with Lennon & McCartney naturally being the most prolific, but with George & Ringo not without something to show.

My guy never showed today but I got a message to say he would bring some money tomorrow around 9:00 AM when he comes to collect the small feet. I hope he does. Mo ate the last of the chow for dinner.

I cooked penne and a sauce made of corned beef & black beans, with onion and tomato sauce. It tasted like... soap. I usually describe the food as tasting metallic. But sometimes it is more of an unidentified chemical taste. Today, it was distinctly soapy. And no, I didn't accidentally drop in a bar of Palmolive. Had the leftovers for dinner. Still soapy. Mo didn't object to it tho....

(Speaking of Mo, he just came in and is now looking out the window.)

I worked on the 5" tall feet today. Cut them to length out of the 4x4" square stock and squared them up. They were not 4x4" nor were they square. I ended up with 20 pieces 3-7/16" square and 5" long. Then I spent the remainder of the day trying to devise a reliable way to cut tapers on all four sides. I had three pieces of scrap to try ideas on. (I had to cut out and discard a large knot, and two of the pieces of stock left me with ends too short by ¼" to be used.)  My first idea looked good to begin with but did not pan out. My second idea would work but it will only taper the lower 60% of each leg. It would be better that more of the leg was tapered.

The trouble is that my table saw blade can only be raised 3⅛" out of the table. (3" is pretty standard for a 10" table saw.) so to cut those legs means I have to make two cuts, one from each side. And the two cuts have to meet & align perfectly in the middle of the wood or you get a nasty, unsightly result.

OK, 21:39 and the reason for me being in bed so early is so I can try and get some sleep! So g'nite, yawl! Catch you up tomorrow.

 

[Netfoot]

USA: 3rd World country.

[andidante]

40 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

USA: 3rd World country.

Very scary thing today!! I cannot believe what has happened to this country.

[Netfoot]

They started blaming the victim yet?

[Spunkygal]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

They started blaming the victim yet?

What do you think?

[Notabug]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

They started blaming the victim yet?

No, not that I've seen, but I think we probably need to steer clear of politics here.

[Netfoot]

54 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I think we probably need to steer clear of politics here.

Seeing on how much the admins want to throw me off the forum on a good day, I think you are right.

[Netfoot]

I will try posting tonight. I'm very angry and agitated and since I can't express my anger... The 'roid rage from the prednisolone, usually mild and occasional, isn't helping.

Mo is rolling around in the bed behind me, playing a game. I don't know what it's called but it involves rolling around on his back, growling loudly and kicking me repeatedly in the butt with his two back legs. 

I have elected not to shower tonight despite quite needing one. This because when I got up to come to bed I immediately felt so dizzy I had to hold on to a tool rack wondering what I was doing, until it passed. Perhaps wet feet on tiles is contraindicated.

Mo is now bathing my left arm which is making the phone difficult to type upon. Not sure if this means he feels I need a bath, or if he simply likes the taste of dirty me. 

Listening to My Best friend's Girl from the eponymous album by The Cars. I'm rather fond of this track. But then, the band can lay claim to a rather long list of tracks that I am find of! 

Cleaned up my program today. By eliminating 90% of what work I did last time I worked on it. Sun off a function into a separate program called Finger. It is extremely simple. It recommends which finger I should stick to do my blood sugar tests. And it lets me know if I should be testing at all! 

It simply rotates me through the eight available fingers, alternating hands, so I don't end up sticking some fingers more than others. And since Dr. Kristi recommended testing twice a week, I try to test every three days. Should I ask it to recommend a finger on one of the two intermediate days, it advises me not to test.

Speaking of Dr. K., I have to get a prescription from her tomorrow. I need to go to the polyclinic & QEH and get a new batch of meds. A little natter with her would be nice, but she is always busy and I don't like the idea of occupying her time when there are sick people sitting in the waiting room that actually need medical assistance of some sort. But maybe a blood pressure test would be a good idea. 

Mo has left the room but not the building. Because the door is locked. Once upon a time he used to open the locked door and go out. I started using the bolt until he broke it. He broke the replacement as well. So there is no bolt any more. But he no longer opens the door. Maybe he doesn't know there is no longer a bolt...

No sign of the landlord and no sign of my welfare cheque which may be in his mailbox. Now, he keeps that locked but I have a long pair of hemostats. I could probably fish out any mail in his box through the slot, take anything with my name on it and replace the rest. But it would be a bit embarrassing if he rolled up while I was doing it. And nosy neighbors might just take note as well. Not to mention I'm pretty sure it's illegal. 

Worked on those 5" legs again today. Thought I had it but alas, no. And I destroyed one of the legs in the process. If only my band saw was working! It would be a simple task with that because the resaw depth of my band saw is 12½" so the puny 3½"-ish legs would be no trouble at all. Alas, the band saw needs two tires, and a bunch of smaller parts like bearings and guides. Which would come to just over U$50. Plus a new blade which is another U$45-50. I could get a blade locally for just over 100 dollarettes which is about the same, but I can only get a ¾" blade locally whereas the imported blade would be a 1" blade which is better for resawing. 

Tried to watch a Charles Bronson movie from 1987 (I won't tell you the name) but while I tried three separate sources I have not been able to find it. It may turn up later. Meantime I started watching something called I Saw the Devil. Secret agent vs. serial killer. Entirely in Korean, but well subtitled. I was watching for a fair while and checked to see how much longer it had left to run. 1½ hours! So I paused it and came to bed. (That's when I got a really bad case of the wobblies and abandoned the idea of a shower.)

The caffeine in all the big mugs of tea I've been drinking probably aren't helping.

Had corned beef & cheese cutters for breakfast and lunch. Skipped dinner.

There are a pair of fuzzy, black feet peeking out from under the bed. It would appear Mo has not left the room!

Well, it's two minutes to one in the morning. I got precious little sleep last night because I kept getting up to check the news. Which was contrary to my plan. And tonight my Korean movie had essentially delayed me again.

I have finished the 6th and last book of the Egyptian series I was reading. I enjoyed reading them. Not the greatest literature, but entertaining in a simple, straightforward way. The eunuch slave Taita is an amusing. Perhaps the vainest character I've ever encountered. More even than Doyle's Sherlock. Absolutely convinced of his total superiority in every possible way. From appearance to zoological knowledge. And everything in between, like swordsmanship, flower arranging, application of makeup, design & construction of jewelry, battle tactics, etc. But none of the other characters ever say or do anything to contradict his high opinion of himself. However, the books are written in the 1st person for the most part. So perhaps he is deaf to any opposing opinions on his abilities. Or perhaps simply chooses not to record such opinions!

I have a small pile of books waiting in the wings but I won't select one tonight. I'm going to post this now, and turn the light off. I will ignore any urge to get up to check the news. 

Hope the landlord shows up waving a cheque tomorrow. Could use some extra groceries. 

Edited July 15 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo and I set off this morning to visit Dr. Kristi, the polyclinic & QEH in search of meds. It was madness at Dr. K. but eventually I had a nice long chat with her. We are stopping the Verapamil to see if that helps with the blood pressure which is still a tad low. As for the cramps she says I should eat a banana a day, but since I have 25¢ in my pocket.... I like bananas. I would gladly eat six bananas a day. 

By time I got to the polyclinic it was after midday and nearly 1:00 by the time I left. No way I was going to QEH after that so we came home again. 

For some reason, wherever I went people were laughing at me 

and I have no idea why.

Anyway, no sign of the landlord or my next welfare cheque (assuming I am getting another one).

Gotta go feed Mo. Who I had to chase out of the house this morning with a walking staff! When I opened up, it was wet outside. Mo went out and got dripping wet then came in, jumped on me and dried himself off. Then out again, and back. I tried pushing him away but he thought it was a game. So he continued. I began swatting him with a pillow, but that only made the game more fun! Eventually, I had to get up and run him off with the bamboo walking staff I keep but by the bed. The bedsheets were soaked completely through by this time.

Right. Food for Mo.

Edited July 16 by Netfoot