Bizzy morn’n.
Been up since 5, catchin’ up and emailin’ stuff, not much time for a good post.
High thee over to BCE’s and check out his Droney post,,,,
one of my emails was to him this AM about that very thing,,,
and that got me to thinking about “Wings”,,,,
I started writing that book (long before it became ‘book’) right around the end of Oblammys second of three rounds, and as Trump was coming online. The only reason I stopped my foray into FPV was due to Trump starting the trade war with China and blocking a lot of gear that I was in need of. (most of the vids in BCE’s post are from overseas. Mostly due to the fact that they were still getting the toys we were denied by that mess. At least the ones within my budget of broke-dick,,, you seen the price on DJI FPV goggles? Sheesh!!!)
You can watch those vids and with very little imagination, see weapons potential. Just the simple E=MVsq/2 equation being applied, and you have weapons potential. add on micro-explosive material and things get even more interesting. Think the amount of HE in a 40mm grenade,,,, thats about the size that OTS drones could carry EASILY with no loss in performance. And OTS could be upgraded with better motors, better airscrews, more battery (which are explosive in their own way) and for not much more than the original price.
The Battle space is evolving,,, Think Gen6,,, where the serious contenders never even put boot on ground,,,,, Shit right out of Sci-Fi pulps.
Anywhoos, off to the J.O.B. or me n kittehs (and dawg) starve (not really, I have means that don’t need ‘cash’,,,, but you get my point,,,)
It’s been a Meh!nday
Only one ‘exciting’ revelation: Bossman informed me today that the new gate control motors are enroute. These are the heavier duty ones rated for 2.5 ton and 90′ travel. That should do the trick, fingers crossed.
And like I told him, “we’ll install the ‘old’ motors on some residential unit and they will be just fine. (which is what they were really designed for IMO)
B dropped in here on the blog last night and left his suggestion for what to do with Lizzy, and I had been considering that as well, What would really help at this point is to have her out of sight, out of mind, IE: in Frillin’ SC with sis where she and her S.O. can play the market place game for me (and yes, I will be giving them a percentage of the sale for their troubles.) IF, and only IF, she doesn’t sell by, oh, say, July of 2024, maybe even stretch that out to September, THEN, she goes under the knife and I make changes. Her hull is safe from me till then.
Shoulders are screaming at me today. Hefting rolls of wire strains things: I ain’t 20 anymore,,,, That grunt labor shit is for the birds and young bucks. My normal routine can be labor intensive too, but usually has much more brain activity involved, not so much BACK and BRAWN. At least I have muscle tone from all that paddlin’ to keep me from falling out.
At least I managed to get my hours in today. Much better than the one and half I made on Friday,,, (and I was the only one on the clock friday with heavy rains forcast all that day.) Off season can be a craps shoot for hours; grab what ya can where ya can is the rule of the game come winter time. If that means I am grunt labor to install fence line, so be it. (but I should be back on my regular rotation with the new motors coming in.)
Gotta tell ya,,, I don’t have much love for this time of year. Bachelor that I am, few friends, fam’s scattered about the entire country,,, Holiday seasons suck ass. That is why Lizzy was gnawing on my foreleg so much yesterday: my hind brain is looking for projects to distract the forebrain from self-pity and depressions. Toss in the world on a virtual razors edge of ‘sorta sane’ bordering collapse,,, Yeah, I need that distraction when the days are short and I have oodles of time before sleep engages me. Writing, yes, but I need physical activity as well; things to keep the forebrain occupied while the backbrain chews on the ideas to put into print. I am a pantser,, there may be research done, but there are no ‘notes’ prior,,, its all straight from the hip and cleaned up in editing. (Imagine I am the court recorder typing away while the drama unfolds, and that is how I write. The drama may be playing out in my head but the analogy holds.) Facttoid for ya: Wings was more than half written using my phone while at work at the Vault. I would have down moments between vaults to weld and I would tap out a couple paragraphs. That was written as blog posts or ‘radio series’ from the old days, and it evolved into a book. (and I dropped several chapters from the blog posts while editing because they just didn’t fit right. Still have them, of course, but haven’t found their spot in the puzzle yet.
AH, but what to do right now,,, Going into the months ahead, short hours of usable daylight (after selling them to others),,,
I has ideas, and Lizzy isn’t on that list. Lyssa either since what she needs requires warm temps to work properly (epoxy stuff, and she doesn’t fit inside) Then there is the option of re-skinning Duh!kee,,, That one is gonna get wild for sure with all the refinement of my Kayakeducation since she was built. Will need to order new skin for her, but that’s a bit down the road. (and the price came back down on those some, closer to what I spent when I built Serena.)
No, I ain’t ever gonna settle into ONE thing,,, My mind doesn’t work like that. Hell, I never read just ONE book; I usually have three or more open in various stages of completion, and I bounce from one to the other and never ‘hiccup’ the storylines, or information in technical stuff. Even with the kayaks, I am learning history of, building techniquies and material usage, all while learning more about paddling them, and working at a full time (ish) job and writing at night,,,
No wonder I am single with Katz,,,,, Krazy Kat Dood! ROFL,,,,
I’m tired. I’m rambling. and my brain is close to ‘shut’er down’ mode.
and its only 6pm (and dark as pitch outside,,,WTF? Hatez winter,,,,)
Here, have some stolen Meme’s, and I’ll get back atcha tomorrow,,,,,
The Sunday kayak-y post,,,,
Self Confession here, getting in type so I can see it and work with it.
My biggest issue with Lizzy Nordkapp is that damned Ocean cockpit. 16×22 opening that requires a bit of contortion, even with my narrow ass, to get into. She has always felt tippy to me, but no more so than say Duh!kee, and Duh!kee HAS dumped my ass in the drink, yet I never wrote her off. The reason she (Duh!k) sits so much now is 1) her age: she needs reskinned and 2) I’ve picked up better boats since December of 2018 when she was built and 3) my skills have evolved. The reason Lizzy Nordkapp sits so much is that cockpit: it makes me paranoid that I won’t be able to escape if things go sideways and upside down.
Selling Lizzy has proven to be a trial. I’ve had her listed twice now and each time, the offers were more ludicrous than the one prior. I get LOTS of ‘oh, thats a beautiful boat’ comments, but when it comes to buyers, its always “As old as that is, I’ll offer (my asking price minus 75% or more) but not a dime more”,,, And its not like I am asking for any thing outlandish. $100 over my initial purchase and only because I have fixed the spiderwebs in her hull and re-gelled it, and added a cockpit cover (which is $100 in and of itself.)
So, I have the option of transporting her to my sisters in SC where, maybe, hopefully, she fetches what I am asking (or more,)
OR
I destroy her intrinsic value and make her usable by me.
What do I need to do to get to that ‘usable by me’ state?
different style cockpit Something closer to a keyhole type so my long ass legs and narrow ass don’t have to practice Houdini moves, in or out.
Hatches. Do away with those dinky VCP hatches, open them up and make some dual hatch covers like BJ has (and my prior long boat, Ghost, who had the same type.) I don’t have leaky hatches on BJ, and,,, AND, I can get my gear in them, where with whats on LIzzy, I can’t.
She’s fiberglass (Doilan and Resin, which is the Brit equivalent of Ballistic Nylon) I have means, and ‘fixing’ would be cheaper than trying to find a replacement.
Am I trying to jump through hoops to justify cutting up a perfectly good boat that has some value somewhere in the world (though I have yet to find to WHOM,,,)
Maybe. She is a twitchy boat, and every review on this particular breed says that she is not going to babysit you in ANY way and demands constant attention like a jealous lover or something, and that makes me think I should leave well enough alone and part ways (with cash to me of course) (side note, one guy I read on a regular basis was always a hardcore Nordy guy, who recently switched to P&H and doesn’t regret it at all, and wonders why it took him so long. He says now that he is in something else he can see all of the design flaws that he kept excusing away,,,,)
But she is a boat I have on hand, is 17’+ in length and has the ability to haul all of my gear (volume says so) and I do know she is one hell of a fast boat.
And there it is,,, Do I use her as my winter project and hope for something (destroying her value since she won’t be original anymore) OR, do I just make the choice to transport her elsewhere and hope to get my money back in selling her. These are the thoughts that pass across my mind every damned time I walk out the door (she is in the cradles on the porch so I can’t help but see her.) Or do I just list her with “OBO” and hope I get something out of her,,,,
Obvioulsy, I am in no rush. I won’t be transporting her to SC until I have Buff in a state I call reliable (getting there, only a couple more tweaks needed: also called new tires.) And I haven’t started cutting on her: I haven’t even drawn any lines to see what I think would work (nor have a bought the tint for gel coat to match her deck. If I do this, it will look right even if not BE right.)
Not really asking for opinion, but if you feel like chiming in, feel free. FYI, she is over thirty years old, and there have been millions of kayaks made and sold since she came out of her molds. Her value is ‘relative’ only to older kayakers IMO,,,, (and that is part of why I keep the debate alive in my head.)
((on another note, when I have listed Lizzy, I was offered more for her skirt, cockpit cover and Chimp Pump individually,,,, IF I modify her, those won’t be re-used and I could sell them,,, ))
scarcity=innovate
Today, I’m running on the theory that Introversion is a corrollary to autism, and that my autism is kickin’ it hard. Dunno, but with all the redefining of the world going on, I can play with words just as much as the next guy and get a pass,,, Right? LOL
ANyyWhhhooosss,,,, Some of ya might be surprised at the inordinate amount of time I spend scouring over maps. Maps of rivers, roads, geological formations from simple to continental sized. Maps are usually followed by Utoob searches and other online resources (Cuz no ONE place has all the truth, you have to glean the nuggets out of the bullshit.)
And those maps start ‘stories’ in my head, peopled by characters, some of whom are regulars in my head (T and G) or newer, not quite fleshed out versions (Teena) or like the one thats here to visit today, no name, can’t even see a face, but I sure have a grasp of his abilities: and the bastach is bangin’ away on an anvil in me head as I attempt to type this out.
Now, some of my pouring over maps is induced by Mark E early this year and late past year. I keep looking at the rivers of the Tennesee Valley: Cumberland, Tennesee, couplaothers, and how all of them are intertwined and walking all over the damned place, one minute south, next north, or so full of ox-bows that you could walk a straight line faster than float down it.
But it amazes me how far INLAND you can get before you run out of water. (that autist thing kickin’ it guys, bear with me) I could put in here at the house, and with only one portage (updated, TWO portages, forgot about Cumberland Falls.) needed, could go all the way to Mobile AL, NawLins LA, or reverse course at some point and hit SinSin-nasty, and Pittsburgh, among others. Even take a ‘left turn’ and go all the way to and past Minneapolis,,, Or take it to Jolliet, hang a right, and hit the Great Lakes at Chi-congo,,,, From there, Canada, all the way to where the F ever, up the St Lawrence and to the Atlantic.
None of this is new to me, The Great Loop is a known and well traveled “bucket list” adventure of many. People ‘live’ that trip every day/week/year, sometimes multiple times in a lifetime.
BUT Looking at it,,, wow!!! blows my mind, it does.
And what REALLY blows my mind,,, That back in the 1800’s, it was cheaper to ship Bourbon from KY, to NY by sending it down river to the Gulf and up the Atantic seaboard than to cart it across the mountains. Five times longer trip but safer and cheaper,,, Frillin’ krazy that is. It shows just how much we have come to depend on our system of highways in just 60 short years, doesn’t it? What happens if the left gets its way and does away with Fossil Fuels all together and insists we go all electric? We start sailing Bourbon down rivers again,,, It will get there just as fast and with a whole lot less energy (since the boats would be using the energy of down river currents, or wind born currents UP the coast.
When shit gets scarce, is when people (like me) start to look at the alternatives and get really REALLY creative about solutions. “Can’t” ain’t a word we wanna hear; its the worst form of curse word in our books.
FYI, that is where the character in my head came from,,, and why he is now using that powered hammer he created on that anvil. Its gettin’ loud in me head: MF’er has worse hearing then me. Not sure what he’s building but it has something to do with all these rivers and he is definitely expecting me to write about it soon.
Have any of ya ever read the Riverworld books? The river that had every living soul of the world reincarnated on it to relive life. Innovation was the key, born fully adult with all your memories but have literally nothing but the resources of the natural world: yet they came up with steam engines, riverboats, steel industry, etc etc
I never finished the series to be honest with you, I grew bored with it, but the first two,,, that whole innovation and make do coverage; Man! that shit hit home with me.
And that series of books was at the start of my self-education that took me light years past the meager attempts of educating me that was done by the SYSTEM,,, LOL That mess didn’t so much educate as steer away,,, I hold those attempts in contempt to this day and swear that people need to get thier kids OUT of that system if they can.
But I digress. Austist,,, LOL
If ya hadn’t figured it out, I am making fun of some jackanape on Utoob that posted some vid that all Introverts are autistic,,, no link, don’t want to feed his lists.
No, not Autistic, but ADHDAF as Sarah likes to say,,,,
Anywhoos,,, Rivers, Maps, Bangin’ in me heads,,, Dood really needs to go get a cuppa and chill for a minute,,, sigh
Yeah,,, Rivers. Kayaker, wanna travel, gettin’ older but not so old that I am broke down and not worth a shit (yet), and bouncing off the walls wanting ‘something’ to either give or retreat in this mess of our modern world that is falling down around our ears, induced by the ideas of people not founded in realities.
and in some ways, that is to our benefit. Bring on massive scarcity, people will innovate solutions from available resources. BUT, the Asshats that are pushing this don’t understand that ‘the mother of invention’ can’t be influenced like that. What she comes up with will be unique, effective, and NOT OF THEIR CHOICE. And it most likely won’t be that ‘green solution’ they desire. More likely something from our past that was discarded for reasons, but is now viable and ready for primetime. (I say that because we really haven’t come up with anything ‘new’ in decades, but the innovations that were left behind are still there, waiting to be picked up again if needed.) We live in interesting times, and where we go from this point has MUCH potential, but only if left unmolested (hint to the asshats: get your paws off our innovative ‘get-r-dun’ spirit.)
hmmm?
me head went quiet,,,, What’s that MF’er up to in there?
Not finished here, but wanna post before the Furries warp my thought lines,,,, (they’s wakin’ up now) SO, drop in and leave a comment and see what evolves here. Laters,,,,
Bizzy day, no post
Godsons Birthday party, kayaking that needs squeezed in, and all around runnin’, runnin’, runnin’.
Will try to post up something later, but well, life happens, right?
stay sane, keep on livin’
back later or tomorrow.
Updated at noon(ish)
Sounds like me,,,
A long read for ya, that isn’t mine, but,,,,
He goes on about that ‘Calm Mind’ thing and even quotes Musashi (one of my early studies and beginnings in philosophies.) Musashi was a huge influence on me since I was reading the Book of Five Rings when I was 12,,,, Shit like that carries with you, and may not seat well for years, but it DOES SEAT EVENTUALLY.
that calm mind thing,,, Too many times I have been in a situation where the people around me are shitting bricks and I am just calmly ‘putting out the fire’,,, In two instances, EXACTLY THAT, putting out a fire. My motorcycle caught fire while I was working on carbs, GF freaking the fuck out, even screamed, and I calmly (but very quickly) walked across the garage to the fire extinguisher and did what was needed. No thought about it, just deal with the problem quickly before it escalates (and blows that tank of fuel sitting right above it, sky high). Later she commented; ‘I’ve never seen anyone move that fast!’ but I felt like I was taking it easy. Another point was when I caught myself on fire while welding. No panic, just get the flames out and deal with the burns (if any, there weren’t) later. I did get warm,,,, 😛 I never panicked,,, just slap out the burning pants and watch for smouldering points that could flare back up.
You meet people and sometimes you can see that ‘mindset’ in them. Some it only comes out when shit’s gettin’ heavy. and some, when the shit’s gettin’ heavy, fold like deflated balloons or go full panic mode, running around like their heads were on fire. B is one that I have seen go cold and precise when the heats on: thats the window into his head of ‘no panic, just deal’: that mind of clear water, able to flow and fill the gaps as needed.
Or like we were taught in the Corps: doing nothing will get you killed, doing something can get you killed, but doing something will likely get you through. Improvise, adapt and overcome. Right or wrong, DO SOMETHING,,,
You can’t live in the future,,, you can plan to live there, but HERE, NOW, is where you live, how you approach that says more about your state of mind than any words you can declare.
Am I a prepper? Yup, but I don’t LIVE prepper,,, I consider it insurance, like life insurance, or car insurance. You invest for the bad, but you don’t marinate in it. I have seen some that dived deep into that prepper mode and dug in so deep they can’t find the way back out, and live exist in a constant state of ‘what if’. FUG that!!!! I have no control over solar flares, mad dictators with nukes, or economic time bombs. I can only deal with today as it arrives, plan for worst case what if’s, and be flexible enough that if plan A shits, I fall back to whatever DOES WORK, there is no plan B,,,,(or is that my plan B? Improvise, adapt and overcome? Yah, likely, I am a MacGuyver after all.) I have my little homestead, water, power,,,, Basics, really. And I know there may be a day where I have to walk away from even that. (always have two exits planned,,, I have three, maybe four, but ain’t sayin,,,) Why would I ‘just walk away’ from all I have built? Because I can do it again: BUT ONLY IF I AM ALIVE TO DO SO. Now there may come a day where I won’t be able to say that: too old and beat down, loss of willpower, brain injured, what have you. And when that time comes, I Stand. I may die on a pile of brass. I may die in my simple bed: NO ONE KNOWS, and I am not one to waste a moment thinking about HOW, but what I am going to do between now and then, and try to get it all in,,,
I prep. And I keep on livin’
Stand,,,,
Going through Fakebook tonight, only to catch up with Fam n Friends, and keep seeing the ‘stand with,,,,’ in profiles.
Israel, Ukraine, who ever, doesn’t matter,
but it bothered me.
Why?
These are Americans (note the small c from my usual spelling,,,) Do they NOT see the destructiion of this very country happening? Do they not want to keep America, The United States, OUR COUNTRY, together, viable, back to healthy and Fuckin’A’;awesome? I don’t get it. I really don’t.
And I read something out of Russia this morning before leaving for the J.O.B.,,,, Isn’t THAT what this country should be doing? Hold the cards close, keep the idea of self-sufficiency alive and REMEMBER all the times you’ve been shafted before, BEFORE committing to promises?
Way back when I was a young’un, There was a term that confused me: ‘indian giver’. Y’all recall that term? My confusion was lack of education, maleducation, miseducation, what have you. After years of learning history, I understand it was referent to OUR government and their decidely nasty habit of writing treaties and then re-nigging on them.
Thing never really change, do they?
Here I am, 55, Gen-Xer, doing what I was taught and learned on my own, trying to make a lif1e while the country is falling down around our ears. 10 more years and I would technically be allowed to retire (I never will, even if things were going great,,, Work is in my blood, even with the kayaks trying like hell to kick it to the side) I know the promises made of “social security” are ‘Indian-giver’ promises. Some are getting them: my generation, even after paying in our entire lives, will never see a penny. And while I can’t speak for my peers, I am okay with that, because, in some small way, those I do care about are collecting on that promise while they still can. Dad for one, and I don’t look at the deductions on my pay stubs as stolen money anymore, since dad IS collecting on it. My little contribution goes straight to him (in my minds eye)
Not even slightly concerned about never seeing that ‘retirement’,,,, I just want a country I can STAND for, and the PTwB are killing that peice-meal every day.
I STAND FOR THE U.S.! dammit!!! And anyone that posts that “I stand with (Insert country here)” that isn’t America shows me just how ‘programmed’ they are, not their philantropic side,,,,(they will stand with whatever latest ‘Thing” the Enemedia is selling this week. The U.S. is not on that list written by traitors and haters of Freedom.)
And I know, AmeriCAn Principles are not a country, but a state of mind, ideology, near a religion if you will (also Christian in heritage) and so long as someone like me is alive and breathing, that idea is NOT DEAD.
but it sure seems like its on life-support some days,,,,,
to all of those on Fakebook, if you post ‘I stand with’ anything but America or The U.S.,,,, you’re getting shadow banned on my feeds. Sorry, thats just the way it is. Your loyalty to that country that bore you and raised you to this level should be your first and foremost, but those same people NEVER post about the state of the nation.
I do this not out of hate, but love. I love my country. I have been elsewhere and seen how it is there, and this country always ‘Won’ my heart. I can only hope that those that ‘stand’ for places they have neither been, nor have any understanding of, will wake up and see that this country is in dire straights.
__________________________________________
Project on Lyssa has been completed tonight. Was able to move the seat pan back a full two inches, and instead of reinstalling the backband, I made a pad that sits against the back bulkhead. Very comfortable in testing here in drydock, and I will, hopefully, get some water time in this weekend and put it to the real test. That, and see if this ‘move’ improves her unladen performance. Not holding my breath, but hopeful.
Nothing new today from the J.O.B.,,, didn’t go out to work on monster gates today like I figured I would be. Seems bossman listened to my statement of “we have a problem” and is doing some thinking. GOOD! Should have done that from the start, maybe even consult with your installler and get an opinion on gear, BEFORE INVESTING THOUSANDS,,,,
but,
I’m just the welder, right? (no, I am NOT ‘just’ any ONE thing there. too many hats, and that should have been considered as well. Not my circus but I am one of the monkeys, and it shows.)
darkness has fallen fast out there tonight. I was using a headlamp to finish the work on Lyssa, then came in to post, and TOTALLY missed out on the sunset,,, sigh,,,, there’ll be more,,,
I do so like to sit on the porch and just let that scene unfold for me. Another of those ground and center events I need in my life.
anywhoooz,,,, more tomorrow,,, Keep on livin’
Dio's Workshop 