I sleep good, having done what I can get done, and knowing It’s an honest living.
Is there something better?
Monthly Archives: September 2024
Brands
I tend to associate brands with corporations. I have found that corporations are pretty much the reason prices have been gouging us to the bone. Corporations have been raking in record profits, handing out insane year end bonuses, and beating us all down with hyper inflated prices, well above a respectable profit margin, and very much outpacing inflation.
All the while, they are not paying a fair share in taxes. Plus a lot of the money they don’t spend on themselves, goes to politicians, to grease the rails, to keep things just as they are.
So brands, to me, represent something I don’t care much for at all. But to some degree you can’t get away from it. The cars we drive, the food/drink we consume, the stores where we buy these things, all corporations with a “brand.”
You can’t get away from it. But I do work at limiting my handing $$$ to them. Most of the time I’d rather go home and have a peanut butter sandwich, rather than grab a burger in town at a corporate fast food joint. If my needs require me to walk into a Wal-Mart (corporate!) I do my damndest to just get the 3-4 things I actually need in there. I truly despise every moment I spend in a Wal-Mart. We generally try to get more of our necessaries at a smaller, local food store. My wife feels exactly as I do.
I don’t wear hats, shirts, or pants, emblazened with corporate logos. I refuse to advertise for them. Now if they wanted to pay me to wear that stuff, we could talk.
Corporate brands are nothing more to me, than artificially created propaganda, intended to get you to associate with their specific, brand. Once you’ve done that, who gets your money? They do.
I ain’t buying it. Fuck ’em.
How To Read Code
The orange dumpster fire, recently said something along the lines of: “It’s too late for another debate.”
Using my handy dandy decoder ring, I read that as: “I really don’t want to be emasculated again on public TV.”
Did anyone else see the MSNBC presentation “From Russia with Lev,” last night? All the dots connected from the inside. With the bonus claim, that Faux News was involved directly, with the entire freaking encyclopedia of lines crossed, and laws broken. Like we didn’t know that already… But to see the claim matter of factly presented, gave me a moment of schadenfreude.
If you did not see it, and are of moderate political tendencies,* I urge you to find it. I tried posting the link here, but could not get it to play. Maybe you will have better luck.
*There’s no helping those who are too far gone.
Best Advice…
I know I mentioned this somewhere recently, so forgive the old man rambling again thing.
When I was a kid, I had a job for a little while with TWRA, (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency,) much of the job was about opening and closing gates to allow water in/out of wildlife areas, putting in crops on wildlife reserves, and generally doing things to help foster wildlife in general.
One of our jobs was to acquire stakes to make crappie beds with. They had a sawmill in Natchez Trace State Park, and we went there to cut logs down into stakes, which were then taken out in boats, and driven into shallow water as crappie beds.
At the sawmill, there was a grizzled old sawyer, who sized me up, and offered me the best advice I have ever recieved.
“Never stand up if you can sit down, and never sit down if you can lie down.”
I was 16 or 17 at the time, I thought it was cute, bordering on funny, but not exactly ha-ha funny. But the older I get, the truth of that wisdom, becomes clearer every day.
The second best wisdom I have recieved was “Never believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.” Which is truer today than it ever was.
Energy
What gives me energy?
Anticipation of a good day diving.
Playing music with other people.
The knowledge that I have to complete 3 tasks before I can get to do the thing I need/want to do. Hopefully that energy lasts through the tasks that need doing, so I can actually do the other thing. I’ll bet that actually makes sense to some people besides me! Example: I have a batch of shells that need processing today, so I can get to a music event this afternoon. Observing, not participating, unfortunately.
Getting the call, a friend in need.
Hopping on a motorcycle and going for a ride. Oh, hey everybody, I picked up a motorcycle about a month ago! I grew up riding dirt bikes, I climbed the hills, jumped the jumps, popped the wheelies, and in general had a great time. Had a couple of Harley’s too, as a young adult. Then I went motorcyle-less for a long time. I finally had to face up to my innate desire to ride, and got a bike. It’s a 2004 Honda Shadow Spirit, 1100cc, king/queen seat, in blue. I went and got my motorcycle endorsement, because I’m “sorta” old and freaking responsible now. So I’m all legal. But yeah, knowing I’m going to get to ride, definately gives me energy.
Coming up from a dive, and seeing the biggest, blackest, meanest storm you’ve ever seen, coming down the river in your direction, will perk you up a little bit. If you want a thrill like that I can hook you up.
So, basically, anything that feeds my adventure junkie, gives me energy 😉 So, c’mon, let’s go!
Pop Quiz!
Which of these statements are actually true?
- Babies are being aborted at 7-8-9 months, and killed after they are born.
- Immigrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield Ohio.
- Countries are sending their criminals, terrorists, and insane asylum inmates here.
- The orange idiot has a “concept,” for a better insurance plan than the AFA.
- They are coming for your guns.
- “Everybody,” wanted Roe v. Wade put to the states.
- Nancy Pelosi was responsible for security on Jan 6.
- Kamala Harris was sent to talk peace with Putin.
- Biden has taken money from China and Ukraine.
- We have given more aid to Ukraine than European countries.
- Crime is up.
- Central Park Five all pleaded guilty, then changed their minds.
- Donald Trump is a fine upstanding citizen, and is really looking out for your best interests.
- Two cities in Minnesota were burned to the ground.
If you are having trouble deciding which statements are true, there’s a good reason for that. It’s all BULLSHIT!
Bullshit, straight out of the mouth of the lying-est sack of shit I have ever had the displeasure of having to witness, as POTUS, and would be POTUS.
Can we please flush this orange turd in Nov.?
This Evening?
I have today and tomorrow as good working days. Then it gets rainy/windy for a few days. So I go to the river, and dig shells today.
When I roll back in this evening I have to unload my take, store them in the shop, and put water in the buckets they are in, so they can hopefully stay alive for a couple of days. (They are a lot harder to process when they start dying.)
Then I have to take stock of my gear, make sure everything is up to snuff, and gas up the boat for the following day. Pre trip inspection goes like this: bags/flags/buckets/tools/fuel/wet suit/cooler. By now it’s darn near dark.
Day two, same as day one.
Then the day after that, I have to cook all of them out. Estimate 750-900 lb green shell for 2 days. Then, when I can manufacture a minute, I have to bag them up, according to predetermined sizing, and weight, for sale.
…and that folks is how two days of work, turns into nearly four days of work. Then it takes me a couple days to get over my exhaustion and pain, so I can go again. I have to be careful the entire time, not to have a muscle spasm, because then I’m done for a good while. Have to pace myself, and rest when necessary. Believe it or not, getting the shell is the easy part.
Wife is going with me today, so I’ll have a deckhand 😉
P.S. Our local buyer is currently shut down. Or I’d sell the shell green and avoid the extra work. But, there is an out of state buyer who wants them. So, they have to be processed. I also had to get a commercial tag for my 3/4 ton truck, as hauling shell out of state is interstate commerce. Also, have to carry $300,000 of liability! (all tax deductible!) And, if that isn’t enough, I have to keep a log of any commercial trip. Plus… The state of Tennessee wants to be paid a shell tax! (The buyer takes care of the tax, but it’s another step in the process.) Are we having fun yet?
It takes me a good while to get up enough shell to make a trip. Which by itself, is one long day. My truck is rated for hauling #3000. That is also the maximum weight I can legally carry, as that brings my total weight, truck and load, right up to the commecial tag rating of #9000 total weight.
I can only make three trips a year, as there is a limit to how much $$ I can make in actual profit. To be honest, it’s about all I can handle anyway, and that’s pushing it. But I’m going to get what they will let me have dammit.
Everything is loaded up, I got to go.
Personality Trait Red Flag?
A person I’ve just met, who has to announce their particular religion, in the first few moments of meeting them.
I’m a natural born skeptic, I find all religions equally laughable. When someone announces their religion right off the bat, I feel like they are looking for the secret handshake, an attempt to curry favor on the basis of their religion, and not on who they actually are.
I’ve seen far too many overtly religious types, who are anything but, actual followers of their professed religion. They use it as a tool. To get the job, to get the favor, to see what they can get out of you.
I do not generally judge a person by their religion, or lack of it, I judge a person by their actions.
…and if your religion is the basis for you being a lying, thieving, manipulative, wife beating, child abusing, bigoted jack ass, then it apparently hasn’t taken.
You’ve seen them too. Or, maybe you prefer not to look.
“By their actions, you shall know them.”
Far From Home
Having grown up in an owner operator trucking family, and also ventured out a bit on my own, working for a trucking outfit, I’ve travelled a bit. I have been from Seattle to Miami, and from Maine to L.A. Seen a great deal in between. Few states I haven’t been in.
I was driving a 13 speed truck when I was 12. An early start.
I learned how to work on our truck. My stepdad was an old school trucker, who had been around the block a time or two. I learned a great deal from him about driving big trucks, as well as how to work on diesel engines, and the things that make them go. We didn’t pay to have things done we could do ourselves. I still carry that attitude with me. We didn’t do transmissions or rear ends, but everything else, we had the tools, and the know how, to handle.
I’ve been working on a motorcycle that was acquired lately, because I can. Replaced the coils in it, because after a time running @ 60-65 mph, it would spit-n-sputter, and sometimes die. 20 minutes later it would fire up and run again. Bad coils have a habit of misbehaving in such a manner. Took it for a ride yesterday, and the issue persists. So I’m looking around for hint or a clue, and I spotted a wet fuel filter, way down deep under the bike.
I pulled the filter, and you should have seen the brown crud that dumped out of it. New filter, fuel line, and a new fuel pump on the way. I think this might be the culprit. (It’s a 2004 bike, that only had 7064 miles on it, so it sat a lot. Which is not good for vehicles in general.) Being mechanically inclined, and having the experience of working on that truck, prepared me for most of my adult life. I’m still reparing most things that need fixing, which is darn near everything sooner or later. Though, I still have a car that myself, a good mechanic in town, and the Ford dealership have, to date, been unable to fix. I haven’t given up yet, but have been to busy and/or too tired to mess with it. It’s on my list.
Among other things, I also worked as a deckhand for a towboat company for a couple of years, I rode the Illinois, the Ohio, the Missouri, and the upper and lower Mississippi rivers. I learned how to handle rigging, ropes, capstans, and how to use a fid to splice rope, both poly and steel. Also, learned how how to make bumpers out of rope, for getting into and out of locks/dams. To this day, my rope experience pays me back in dividends. Knowing what knot to use for what situation is very helpful. Knowing how to splice an eye into a rope, or splice two rope ends together, is damn handy. Knowing how to properly use a cleat (Kevel, pronounced Cav’el, on towboats/barges,) is something I still do often in my boating/diving adventures. I also got to see much of our country from another perspective, from the rivers that run through them. I’ve seen big river towns lit up at night, and enjoyed the serenity of sitting on the front of a tow (a group of barges tied together with steel wire rigging,) far from the noise of the towboat, and only hearing the water lapping up under the barges as the town slips by. Pretty cool. You had to be there…
Of the many things I’ve learned in life, two would be: You can never have too much rope, and there’s no such thing as extra tarp! 😉
So, the things we learn in our travels, as young men and women, can be quite helpful in life later on. Though I gave up driving trucks, and riding towboats a long time ago, the experiences gained are invaluable to me still today.
Still shifting gears after all these years 😉
…and there’s no such thing as “far from home,” when you know how to find your way back, and can meet, and beat, the problems that pop up along the way.
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
Evidence Based Reality 