A personal post

6/23/26:

It is easy to be hard on folks. It says in the New Testament to be forgiving. Maybe 70 times 7, or something like that. Obviously, I can be unforgiving at times.

With all due respect for the rights of those with whom I disagree, I say that you are totally full of shit. But I forgive you for it.

Of course, it is not unknown for me to be totally full of shit too. So that makes us even.

12/16/16:

After that last post, which was very unsympathetic to the lefties, I now write a post that some may think as an appeal for sympathy.

Those who disagree with me may read it with pleasured scorn.  They might well be glad to hear that I am having troubles.

Troubles indeed!  The worse trouble in this world that a man can have.  A matter of life and death itself.  All the while, not having any monetary means by which to meet that challenge.

A lot of lefties are quite rich, you know.  They could help, but would they?

Would I even bother to ask? 

Ask for what?  Well, I would like to get my biopsy done at MD Anderson in Houston.  The doctor there is highly recommended, but need I 26.5k bucks to get a consultation, which is money I do not have.  By the way, that money does not pay for the biopsy itself.  You can see that this will run into quite a bill.

I may have other options, but this one is preferred.

I would accept help from most quarters.  But if the price is too high, I will choose another option.

Announcement: Medical issues

6/9/26:

It is interesting to go back and read a post like this from the past... This was the first manifestation of symptoms of which would later be diagosed as cancer. The tests came short of what would have been necessary in order to discover it at that time. The test? An MRI was necessary. X-rays were simply inadequate. The X-rays did discover something unusual about my tailbone. I was asked if I had broken it at one time. To my knowledge, I had not.

The nature of chordomas is that they grow slowly and do not go metastatic like many other cancers. For that reason, it went undiagonosed for nearly five years! How would've things gone if I had gotten an MRI? Hard to say, but I thought about that. Five years earlier would've have meant no ObamaCare. It would've likely meant that surgery would've been prescribed, and from what I've heard, a wheelchair in my future.

The cancer grew bigger and more dangerous all the time. Yet things worked in my favor. I have pondered over that many times.

Sometimes there are no answers for why things happen the way they do.

May 4, 2012:

I've been dealing with a medical problem for the last few days that has kept me from my job.  It now appears that it may do more than that.  I thought it was manageable, but evidently it is not.  There is a likelihood of a lot of tests to determine what the problem is, and depending upon that, a possible hospital stay of an uncertain duration.

So this is a bit of a notification that there will be light posting until the situation plays out.

With respect to all my writing about political matters, and Obamacare, no matter what happens, I am content with my decisions.  I never expected a handout from anyone and have always did my best to give value for value.  I have lived my life in accordance with that.  I would have liked to have done better, but that may not have been in the cards.

I don't want to sound morbid here, but my condition may be serious.  If I am fortunate and it is not all that serious, I will be back soon.

One further thing.  I feel my latest work has been my best.  The bit about Seinfeld really does describe what is happening and it has a medical ( psychological) side to it, in Dr. Sanity's opinion ( and obviously I agree).  Frankly, I think the entire country and world is sick in spirit.  There needs to be a renewal.  But like my own situation, until one recognizes a problem, one can't begin to deal with it.  Hopefully a problem will be recognized and dealt with in time before it becomes too late to deal with it.

Breitbart died and some people seem to find satisfaction in it.  That is what I mean by a spiritual sickness.  By the way, I don't compare myself to Breitbart, but I have something in common with him.  Hopefully, I haven't made the same mistake he did.

Update:

I went to the doctor and at the moment, things do not appear to be as bad as I may have feared.  It appears though that the situation has still not completely resolved, as to cause and so forth, so more visits are likely in the near future.  I thought I might be in a hospital tonight, you see.

Blogging should resume on a light schedule over the weekend.

A tendency for self-deprecation

Maybe I've had this trait forever. Or maybe it was something I developed over my life as a type of wisdom obtained from the school of hard knocks.

Sometimes it goes too far.

I call myself a Keyboard Warrior. True enough, but I have done some stuff before. So maybe that is giving the impression that I will do nothing but talk or write.

"Doing Nothing" ain't me. If that impression is given from my self-deprecations, then it is the wrong impression.

I DO believe in taking action. Action is called for right now. Blaming things on my age is not a thing I want to do. But reality is reality.

Action is needed now. The question is who, how, and when?

I suspect that there won't be any action, and people will dismiss me as well. But they've already been doing that anyway.

Even Keyboard Warrioring is more than most people do. The fact is people don't want to do anything. Not even the simplest things. Even the most "safe" things.

Unless I am wrong, we have swerved into a time in which taking the easy way out ain't an option.

Two options are available. 1) fight back or 2) surrender. I think that unless I am reading people all wrong, that the second option will be taken.

I am writing this in connection with the stolen election in California. It's not like this was unexpected. People expected the election of 2020 to be stolen. This was well in advance of the election. True to expectations, that's exactly what happened.

But nothing was done to stop it. Therefore, why wouldn't it happen again and again when there's nobody willing to put a stop to it?

So keyboarding is about all I can do right now. Not that I haven't already done more than almost everybody else does.

I won't self-deprecate THAT.

A little reality here

The corruption in California is blatant. It should make any decent person angry. A call to action may seem to be equivalent for a call to violence. But make no mistake. It is not the time for that.

Is it ever a time for violence? Yes. There's no doubt that there are times when violence may be the only response available.

But for me? No. I am in no condition for a physical fight. If I am unwilling or unable to fight, perhaps I shouldn't suggest fighting.

I cannot shoulder a weapon and march. Simply not possible. I can fire a gun. That much I can do. Anything physical. No.

Wars are for the young and able-bodied. We may be on the cusp of a war, or a surrender. Take your pick. This corruption is so blatant that it should be considered intolerable. But what can you do about it? What WOULD you do about it? What are you prepared to do about it? If history is any guide, there may be words and that's about it.

Words has gotten us nowhere. Just sayin'.

All I can do is defend my space. But that has always been the case. But that is easily defeated.

Robert Ringer

5/19/26:

Just watched something about Ayn Rand on Tubi. This made me want to review what I had already written on that subject, because of a rule I have; which is this: do not re-invent the wheel.

But not all rules are always followed...

Anyway, I wrote that Robert Ringer ( in the 2010 section of this post) made me aware of Ayn Rand. That is not entirely true. I remembered seeing Ayn Rand on television in the 70's on the Phil Donhaue Show. So I already knew a little of Ayn Rand before reading about her in Ringer's book.

Let's say he made me MORE aware of her. Mainly of her importance in his own success, which he wrote about in his book.

That's it as far as Ringer is concerned. The Tubi show was more of a biographical whole of Ayn Rand, from her very birth to her death. You can probably find it on Tubi with a search function which Tubi has, which most likely direct you to the person of Ayn Rand. Just in case anyone is interested in her works.

Ayn Rand was considered by her opponents to be "controversial". To which Ayn Rand would probably say "so what"? Yeah, I'd have liked to have known her personally.

So that's that on that subject.

1/16/26:

 

Update:

  In this post, at the third paragraph or so, there was a mention of Leonard Peikoff, who wrote a provocatively titled book.   The title is The Ominous Parallels.

  I'm sure that I've read the book, and may have owned it.  I don't think I have it now, though.  I've largely forgotten about the book, except the names, obviously.

  There's a lot of mention about a rise of fascism in this country.  It has certainly gotten a lot of mention, but not this book.  If you want to discuss fascism, and what it actually is, you should at least have a philosophical basis for that discussion.  This book could provide some information on that topic.

  A study of history could be in order as well. In my opinion, too many people flap their gums without knowing of what they speak.

12/21/10:

Ringer is the guy who wrote "Winning Through Intimidation".  I mentioned this guy in an earlier post, but I can't remember which one offhand.   Or how to find it in my own blog.  But it is in here somewhere.

But my own disorganization aside, I recall writing that his book made me aware of Ayn Rand.  Eventually, I got around to reading "Atlas Shrugged", and another one of her books, "Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal".  I can't say that I became an Objectivist.  But I can say that her works convinced me, even though I did not need all that much convincing.  When Ronald Reagan said that the Soviet Union was the Evil Empire, it could have come out of my own mouth.

I read a book by Nathaniel Branden, who is or was an Objectivist.  And in an earlier version of this blog, back in 2004, I reviewed a book by Leonard Peikoff, who was closely allied with Ayn Rand.  So, I am familiar with that philosophy.  Not necessarily a fully fledged member of it.  This is not to say that I am against it in any way. I tend not to be a joiner, nor a Kool Aid drinker or any flavor.  I tend toward an independence that runs almost to an extreme.

It would be easy to dismiss me as a kook.  Perhaps that is what many people think.  If so, then so be it.  I can't be who I am by pleasing other people, and in the process, sacrificing myself for their approval.

I favor Capitalism, but I am not going to drink that Kool Aid either.  So, when I suggest that we use the external tank from the shuttle derived launcher, I feel it is in the spirit of Capitalism, but not necessary in the letter of it, down to the last dotted "i" and crossed "t".  To me, there is no need for that kind of purity of principle.  For I am a practical man.  Some have said "too practical", but it is what it is.

I mention these names so as to inform people of the direction from which I am coming.  With a few caveats sprinkled in.  For what it's worth, the last thing I would suggest is to keep a boondoggle or create a new one.  If I thought this is in effect of what I was proposing with these external tanks, I would drop the idea in a heartbeat.

Update:

One of the commenters yesterday asked why put up one of these big stations?

Here are 4 reasons:
1) To use it to generate artificial gravity.  Tethers could be used, but a solid structure could be better.
2) To use the huge volume for storage and habitation.  Machines could be installed as well to enhance capabilities.
3) Cheaper to reconfigure what is already in orbit as opposed to building it and launching it from Earth
4) Want to use it for deep space missions.  Take this station to the asteroids and mine platinum for profit.

Here are few more:
Testing techniques for in situ resource extraction using the ET's for that purpose.
Testing techniques for tethers while constructing the station.
Testing skills for managing artificial gravity systems.

Who the hell is "Greg"?

In order to locate my blog using a search, I encountered this AI analysis of this here blog. The first one, awhile back, of these analyses -- amused me. This latest one has me a bit concerned.

It's "analysis" seems to say that this blog is like Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy", when this "analysis" feels to me like 3 Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not To Come".

One thing I should be a bit more careful about. I'm merely offering my opinions of the scene. I'm not claiming to be an expert on anything that I'm writing about. From time-to-time, I realize it might get to be a bit too much, and to tone it down it a bit.

So, "who" is this person---meaning me. I've written many posts about myself, so it really shouldn't be a mystery. If it appears that way, it is because I do intend to keep my privacy within the constraints of how much of that is even possible anymore. Whoever is smart enough to do an accurate "analysis" of this blog would certainly have enough chops to know who I am.

I DO know a little about computers. I would definitely counsel EVERYBODY to be careful about these blasted things because they could become troublesome, and especially these days with AI. AI may not necessarily be a good thing---Know what I mean, Vern?

Here's a quote of said "analysis".

The Boots and Oil blog is a personal political commentary site authored by an individual named Greg. The blog primarily focuses on US politics and current events, featuring curated social media clips, news articles, and videos, all accompanied by the author's own critical, often satirical, observations.

Key themes and topics covered on the blog include:

Sharp political criticism of figures from both major parties, with frequent posts targeting Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and the "Establishment GOP."

Election integrity and legal issues, such as critiques of Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel and discussions on proof-of-citizenship voting laws.

Media and censorship, with commentary on government-funded censorship and the influence of foreign propaganda. International affairs, including US involvement in Ukraine and relations with China. Conservative and libertarian perspectives, often expressing skepticism toward government overreach and a strong defense of constitutional rights.

The blog is organized with labels like "Major Topic --- Politics" and "Sundry Topics --- News and Current Events," and it has been actively updated as recently as April 2026.

Alice Cooper--- No More Mr. Nice Guy

3 Dog Night Mama Told Me Not To Come

War Stories

  1/30/26:

  You know, the deeper I read into this post, the more painful it is.  Oh, well.

  It says down below, and is a true story; that I wrote software to assist in my trading.  It may be hard to prove, and memories may not be as accurate as I'd wish it to be, but in the sense of the software working or not; I darned near made a fortune off of one attempted trade.

  I put in a limit order for a stock called Broadvision, and I was attempting to buy it at its low in a cycle.  This trade came VERY close to executing, and then took off on a major rally.  You can always say "if", but "if" that one hit, I'd have had a nice little stake to set me up for future trades.

  Did my software help me find the fish that got away?  I'd like to think so.  As for JDS Uniphase, or whatever it was,  I could've bought that one based upon my software.  The trouble is that I waited too long.  Market timing ain't easy, don't ya know.

  Come to think of it, it's more like a casino.

  I'm not too sure that the market is really on the up and up. Well, that's a revelation. /sarc

9/28/25:

As can be seen in the post below this update, once upon a time, I was thinking of marketing my own software. As a matter of fact, I did do that before. It wasn't profitable, so it couldn't last. It would be nice to make some money off those programming skills. Yep, I'm thinking about that as a way to make money. Money-making isn't the goal of this blog anymore. It was in the beginning, but not now.

The blog could be used to practice some html skills. Updating my skill sets and then trying to make money again may be in the cards. But that kind of thing is very time-consuming. It takes a commitment of sorts. For example, I am committed to this blog. If I wanted to scale back on that, I could. I am also commmitted to making something out of my off-grid project. That has been on hold for years now. I still have the land. If I had more money to spend, I could do more on that. Right now, it is out of the question. Hence the idea to make some money.

2/29/24 : Update to Sept 22, 2012 post:

This is interesting in light of what I wrote yesterday about the random walk theory. I'm sure that I had heard about the random walk theory back then, but did not read up on it. I dived into the markets with the idea to beat the markets because I thought I could. My methods didn't work out, but it seemed like I came close. You can only beat the markets if you find an inefficiency in it.  I was using a home grown software package that I also intended to market if it ever worked.   Of course, it didn't.

But what if the markets are rigged? You can get that impression. Indeed, there is crooked shit in the markets, and you can definitely get burned. I know that from first hand experience. Never did a comprehensive tally of my winnings and losses in the markets, but I'd say I lost more money that I gained.

What about the markets today? I am still of the opinion I had when I tried going short in 2009. The markets are bound to crash at some point, but as with all things, it is very, very hard to judge the timing of it.

end update, the original post from 2012 follows directly below:

The stock market is a bit nuts right now, so I'm not in it.  But it may be useful to go back and tell a few of my investments and why some worked and others didn't.  Or, to put it more accurately, why I think it happened the way it did.

I thought about getting into the markets back in 1987.  I talked to a guy about a stock broker job and it seemed like he wanted to hire me, but I got wet feet.  Not too long afterward, the market crashed.  It seemed like a good decision.

By 1998 though, I decided to get in.  Online trading made it easy for anyone and the market was going gangbusters, so I was in.  But I got creamed.  One of the first stocks I tried was Computer Horizons.  This was a Y2K stock, and by 1998, it had seen its better days.  But this was not obvious, at least to me at the time.  But there was a pretty strong hint.  It is called a head and shoulders type chart.  By the time I started trading, I knew what a head and shoulders chart was, and I saw it for Computer Horizons.  The trouble is that I didn't believe it.  So, I invested anyway and got my head handed to me.

To make matters worse, I did what you shouldn't do.  I averaged down.  I knew this was against good practice, but I did it anyway.  It only added to my losses.  Being stubborn when you are wrong only makes matters worse, you know.  You have to be able to admit to yourself when you are wrong.  Did I learn this lesson?  No, because a couple years later, I did it again.

By 2001, the bull market was over and I decided to stay bullish.  Big mistake.  I bought a stock called JDS Uniphase.  As with Computer Horizons, it became obvious that was a loser, but I didn't want to believe it.  So, I averaged down and only added to my losses.  The fate of that stock is hardly any better than Computer Horizons.  While Computer Horizons has gone out of business, the last time I checked, JDS is still kicking.  But that investment would never have paid off.  There are times when I look back and think that it might have if I waited a little longer, but time muddies the waters a bit.  Closer examination showed that it was a loser and the loss could never be regained.

In both of these cases, I really didn't know what I was doing.  That's why I lost so badly.  So, I stopped speculating in stocks and tried some other stuff.  Stock picking ain't my game.  But what game could I play and win?  I tried currency trading and precious metals.  Currency trading didn't work.  There was a reason why it didn't work.  Currency trading is highly leveraged.  If you time it wrong, you can be wiped out and wiped out fast.  It was too hard.  Precious metals did work.  I think it worked because the risk was limited.  Your investment can never be completely wiped out.  It will always retain some value, so if your timing is right, you can make money.  If your timing is wrong, you can get back most of your money.  Yes, and this did work for me.  I regained most of my losses from before, plus a small profit.

Despite all the failures, I wouldn't condemn trading.  There were plenty of opportunities to make a killing, but it didn't happen.  I just ran out of time.

For instance, just before the market started on its last upward blowoff top in 2000, I put in an order for Broadvision.  The order nearly completed when the rally began.  That meant I missed the boat by 3/8, which is about 38 cents per share.  If that order filled, the potential would have been a 20 to 1 return on my investment.  Of course, I would have had to had played it right to get that, but the opportunity was there.  There are many stories like this that I could tell.  But it never did happen.  I had to understand what a blowoff top is and why it was a blowoff top.  I had to understand how doggone hard it is to judge a bottom perfectly and buy at the bottom.   It is also doggone hard to judge a top too.  But this is possible, just not possible to do with great precision.

By 2006, I still wanted to trade stocks so I bought a stock called Altair Nano.  They made batteries intended for automobiles.  But in 2007, things started going south for the economy.  Fortunately, I saw and remembered that you don't want to be long in the markets when the economy tanked.  I sold and went short the entire market.  That play worked like gangbusters.

Going short is high risk though.  It worked for me because I was right.  But if you're wrong, your losses can be unlimited.

By 2009, I was absolutely convinced that current economic policy was nuts.  I tried going short, but I got my butt kicked.  I've been out ever since.  Sure, I could have gone long and made big bucks, but I have no confidence in the markets.  For I've learned that when the market turns against you, losses can mount very fast.  I wouldn't touch these markets with a ten foot pole.

That's a short history of my doings in the market.  Basically, it all boils down to learning from the school of hard knocks.  You learn what works and what doesn't.  Besides that, you learn about yourself.  For example, some people can tolerate risk better.  I'm not one of those people.  A high risk play is probably not for me.  You have to know these things if you want to have any hope of success.  Another thing is that you can make plenty of money if you are right.  Likewise you can lose your butt if you are wrong.  So you better be right.  The opportunities are there as long as the market is sane and working properly.  I don't think it is right now.

This sucks

This may be getting too personal, so if you don't like that kind of thing, ignore this post.

12/11/25:

   Actually, a small subsidy could help pay for the Ivermectin I'd like to use. That bill is now before the Senate, or it may have been voted down already. Not to complain here about getting or not getting a subsidy to pay for a highly overpriced generic, but the GOP needs to DO SOMETHING, and not be seen doing NOTHING in the face of Democrat intransigence. The Dems don't give a rat's rear end about helping anybody, they just want to exploit the situation.

   The position that the party is taking is not going to win votes. It won't make any difference in MY vote, but I don't speak for anybody else. The GOP is screwing up here. The GOP is allowing the filibuster rule that the Democrats don't want to stop THEMSELVES, but will use to STOP THE GOP. If you don't fight fire with fire, you are going to lose. That is all.

12/10/25:

  This may be too personal, but here goes anyway.

  The ObamaCare vote is of interest to me because of my own condition. Unfortunately, it may be getting worse. The reason for this is unclear, but there may be a way of settling that issue. I don't look forward to that. But that is something I have to decide for myself.

  I bring the political fight over it into the discussion, not because I want more subsidies for myself, but I'd rather have CHOICES. I feel as though I'm being herded into doing what I don't want to do, all because of what some powerful people want to do to all of us.

  I'd like to try Ivermectin for awhile. My doctor advised against this, but things being the way they are, I have my doubts about her advice. It's all because of the way things were handled during COVID. The trust is gone, and that didn't have to happen.  I feel that chemo is being pushed on me, when there may be other options.

  There's nothing wrong with trying Ivermectin, but I object to the prices being charged for a generic drug. I could pay for all of it myself, but why so much for a generic drug? Unfortunately, I think that the prices for generics are way too high because policy makers, in all their wisdom, want the prices to be high. Those of us who may need help are being denied our choices.

  I've sat on this for months now, without taking action. I feel as though my options are being limited by those who have power to affect these things.

  Now it is becoming clear that this may have bad results for me personally, but I accept the consequences of my own decisions. For better or worse. But the cost of this treatment, and having to do it the way that I would have to do it, leaving me frustrated and angry. Why SHOULD I be denied something that MIGHT work?

  I know what they'll say. The doctor said that it wouldn't work, but didn't these doctors say a lot of other things too? That's the way it is now, and none of this was necessary. It was a struggle over politics. The answer is not reward these people, but to hold them accountable. But how do you do that?  BTW, the doctor gave some lame-ass answers to my questions.  Another opinion.  Maybe.  I'm kinda stuck here, though.  Just bitching to be bitching, I guess.

  People won't listen. So there it is. It may be too much to share, but that is what it is.
 
  My tone has gotten a bit nasty, I'm trying to be reasonable here. But it isn't a reasonable time these days. Anyway, that is all.

Stuck on stupid

10/8/25:

Canceling out. This was a silly dream.

10/6/25:

Python course is completed. Now on to Linux.

Update later: I'm moving through Linux pretty fast. There's a crap load of courses to take in this project. It will take quite awhile, even at this pace.

10/4/25:

Getting close to the finish line for the first subject of this course.  So close that I can smell it.   If anyone's curious, the first course is Python.  Python is a computer language.  I'm so out of it with this coding business that I don't know what good Python's for.   It's been over 20 years since I did any coding at all.  A lot of catching up to do.  I'm so old that I could remember writing code in Fortran and Cobol.  Plenty has changed from those days.

10/3/25:

The going's getting rugged...  It's already near noon, and just now I'm getting to this blog.  It's because it is so doggone time-consuming to do programming.  This blog also is time-consuming.  Therefore, posting is going to suffer a bit.

Bottom line is this:  If the blog doesn't pay $$$, then I need to find a way to make some money.  Life as it is too-constraining without the $$$ to do things.

No intention to monetize blog, but that could change.   However, I won't do anything to lose my independence to say whatever I please.  Bear with me on this.  It really does look like time-management may be an issue.

10/2/25:

Rut roh! Another toughie popped up on my radar, and it shot me down! Ayeeeeeeeee! I must've lost some pep in my step or something. That one shouldn't have been tough as it was. The solution seemed "elegant", but I've got a headache now.

10/1/25:

Actually, I am plowing through this course pretty fast.  The online course keeps track of your progress, and compares it to others' progress.  Stimulates competition, I suppose.  Anyway, I am catching up pretty fast.  It may take awhile to see how I really stack up.  Compared to the beginners, which I am NOT quite that, but a beginner with regards to the course material itself, I am kicking butt.

But I won't get too proud about that.  Heck, it wasn't even my idea anyway.  You know, all this competitive stuff isn't always a good thing.  It's like Murphy's Law.  It's not always best, but that's the way to bet.

9/30/25:

As I dilly-dally my ways through the muck and mire of modern life, I am sometimes struck in the head by something from somewhere unknown.  ( don't take me literally )

This morning I had a helluva time solving a moderately hard programming exercise.  In the old days, there was just one time in which I could't figure it out on my own.  This morning was a repeat of that experience.  I said "uncle" on the problem because I didn't want to make a career out of a programming exercise.

After awhile, the commonalities of the old days and the current day came back to me.  I was stuck on stupid.  That was why I couldn't solve the problem.

Maybe because I'm not physically up to par this morning.  But what was the excuse back in the old days when I was a young whippersnapper?

Sometimes there's just no excuse for being a dummy.  Just trying not to get stuck on stupid.  The fail-safes didn't work this morning, drat it.

 

Up the proverbial crick without a paddle

Let's get personal

This is going to be a bit of a personal post. Why make one? Well, it is being mentioned as being a personal type of post because this isn't really supposed to be Facebook. There is no need to share every damned thing with every damned body. However, that may be a bit of a flawed attitude. One thing that it could definitely be is dysfunctional. There are times when you must mention something. The trick is to know when to say when.

That time may be now, as far as this blog is concerned. So here goes.

There have been other times when I mentioned personal stuff on this blog. I shared the fact that I got diagnosed with cancer, and it was life-threatening. It might be useful to the readers to know if I should not blog anymore. On this side of eternity, one is able. On the other side, it is no longer possible. As of now, I am still around. That isn't going to be a permanent situation. Everybody has to go through this little bit of reality at some point.

There is no mention here of impending doom. However, the progress of things are in an unfavorable direction, which is unavoidable. It may be delayed for awhile, but it is inevitable at some point that it will no longer be delayed. Although doom is not imminent, at least not to my knowledge, there are some issues that are making themselves known.

One issue is a lack of mobility. It's getting harder and harder to get around. To that end, I've been casting about for solutions to this issue. There's solutions out there, but those solutions are on a continuum of feasibility.

It is always handy to have someone around. There's Wishbone, who is right next door. But he's got his problems too. Everybody does. You can ask for favors from folks, but let's face it. If you ask for favors, you will be called to do a favor from time-to-time. I don't really like to ask, but there are times. If I need a ride, I can ask. While I was still in Houston, I could get Uber to take me somewhere if I didn't want to ask. Or a cab. However, out here in the Hill Country, Uber isn't really available. Maybe that would be a possible solution if a request to send an Uber all the way out from Austin to come pick me up, but that would seem absurd. Indeed it would be.

What other solutions are available?

Personal transportation is pretty handy. I can still drive. My van is still operational. But what if it breaks down? You can get help from the insurance policy with a road service contract. In case of a breakdown, just call the service, and if you need a tow, then it is possible to use that means to get around to a repair shop. Indeed, I've done that before.

This post is getting long, so maybe I'll shorten it up a bit. There are times when you can't drive, and somebody may not be handy. Then what? If all other solutions won't work, then try a motorized device. With that in mind, I purchased a small scooter. I had one of these back in Houston. I decided I couldn't keep it anymore, and gave it away. Now I can use one again, so here we are. A small scooter may have enough range to get to a nearby grocery store. Or around this property. Actually, this property is rather large. Not large if your mobility is still good. But mine isn't.

E-bikes are a popular item these days. The scooter wasn't all that much, but it may not be good enough for all possibilities. An e-bike would have greater range than this electric scooter. It can go faster, too. Maybe a scooter would be better for really short trips, and an e-bike with a top speed of 30 mph could be good enough for longer trips.

Next up is the problem of storage. Where do I keep these gizmos? It's a bit too crowded in here for all of them, but perhaps one can be inside, and one could be in the van.

But what if the scooter breaks down? Use a cell phone, I suppose. Geez, I think I worry too much.

Christmas is done for another year, back to nose to the grindstone

12/28/23: Update to the post of 12/26/23:

Been going at it pretty hard for several weeks now. That is, with respect to the address change. A few things I'm finding out along the way. The main thing is that it is hard to overcome inertia. Take a big ocean going oil tanker. It takes MILES to get that thing to a stop once it gets going. Once it gets going, it's got that inertia thing going for it. It's really hard to get things turned around and headed in a different direction.

I can make the move out now, if it were possible to move into the new place. But there's still time before that happens. In the meantime, I'll still keep prepping. Yes, I could make the move now, but now it is a matter of completing the move. This means a crap load of things on the to-do list.

The second thing is my capacity for physical labor has diminished a lot. If I am not careful, I will hurt myself. In fact, I've strained myself a bit already. I guess I don't know but one thing and that is to go full tilt. It may take awhile for me to get moving, but when I do, I really don't want to mess around.

There has been a lot of changes lately. That's another thing. You could get out of whack pretty easily when things are in a state of flux. The changes mean things aren't in their usual places. I'm trying to keep that at a minimum. I like an orderly situation, if you please.

That's all for now on this subject.

end update, the original post follows directly below:

It's a bifurcated lifestyle right now in these parts. Part of the day is devoted to living, the other to this blog. I'd like to keep the blog, and that's why I keep writing something every day. Until nobody comes, that is. What's the point if nobody comes? Somebody comes here, or is it a bot? Either way, it could be bad. I don't know people very well, and who knows about the bots? Not exactly a Field of Dreams. If you write it, they may not come.

I'm tearing down a lot of work over the last several years. The trailer faced the west and caught the sun in summer. That can get mighty hot in these parts. So I built some shade to protect against the ferocious sun. It helped me get by all these several years, but it is now time to go. But not out West, old man.

I want to take the trailer with me to my next address, but that might not be possible. I have to see if it is still road worthy. Therefore, all this junk has to be torn down. It is junk by now. A lot of the wood is rotting from exposure to the elements. Some of it is still in fairly good shape. The build up of shading is preventing me from determining if there's been any damage to the trailer that might prevent it from being usable for habitation going forward. But first, it must be road worthy.

The new place is not far. So the trailer only needs to make a short trip. A 500 mile trip is out of the question right now.

Things are a bit up in the air, so to speak. Decisions have to made, maybe some hard decisions. Decisions that I may not want to make. But time waits for nobody.

Funny thing about how people are. I think I write stuff that should be interesting, but for some reason, it isn't. I think people have their heads up thir asses. But I don't want to be that way. Whatever the world does is what the world does. I just have to do what I have to do.

I want to keep the blog, but that might be something that has to go. A lot of time gets spent here. If it doesn't result in anything, then what's the point?

Organization

The legendary football coach Bear Bryant said that you should work on your weaknesses until they become strengths.

One weakness that I seem to have is a lack of organization.  It has been noted on this blog, and is something that I do something about from time-to-time.  But not often enough.

I think it may be important enough to make a habit of organizing something every day.  Time to get organized.  ( for the upteenth time )  Maybe I can remember it this time.

I hate bullshit

Update:
11.12.18:

It is ironic that I like to use this movie to illustrate that we live in a Matrix, and that isn't bullshit.

The bullshit is the Matrix.   If you want to clean up the corruption in Washington DC, you will have to overcome the bullshit.  The bullshit is coming at us 24/7.  It comes from all directions, continually.

How do you cut through the bullshit, and get people to understand that our safety and security comes down to a simple question:  do you want the truth or not?  If you do not, then you are lost.  You are like the Cypher character in that movie, who betrayed his fellows in order to gain a little advantage for himself.

With respect to the Mueller investigation, I do not believe that is grounded in truth.  The whole thing was started with the allegation of Russian hacking of the DNC.  If the DNC really cared about security, they wouldn't have been hacked, if that is what happened.  I don't think it happened.  Besides, the DNC didn't prove it anyway.  They got the FBI to okay something that wouldn't stand up in any courtroom because it was hearsay.  Hearsay isn't truth, or isn't regarded as proof in a court of law.

Consequently, the entire Russian conspiracy angle was built upon this, which wasn't proven, and therefore cannot be considered as TRUTH.  It is plainly and simply BULLSHIT.

Mueller's investigation is BULLSHIT, because it is based upon BULLSHIT like this.

But there are GOP types who approve of Mueller's investigation because they want to enable the BULLSHIT to succeed.  Now it has succeeded, and the Dems control the House.  The GOP didn't want to govern, because that is also BULLSHIT that they serve us in order to convince us that they really mean what they say.  Which they don't.

The latest BULLSHIT is that divided government is a good thing.  This particular brand of BULLSHIT is to immobilize us, and thus prevent us from cleaning up the corruption that is killing this country.


9.5.12:

That's my attitude about truth.  I hate bullshit.  I think this makes me different, because I get the impression that more people than not are the other way around.  They hate truth, I hate bullshit.

What gave me my latest inspiration was while I watching videos yesterday.  I was watching some videos of the matrix when I came across something that gave me the reaction above and I thought "bullshit!"  My suspension of disbelief was stretched to the breaking point.



I got about halfway through this video when I thought "BULLSHIT". But why? The Matrix is all about virtual reality. It is the very definition of bullshit. You have to accept that in order to accept the movie. But the very premise of the movie is bullshit itself. The rest follows immutably from this premise. If you respect the truth, you cannot respect this movie. It is total bullshit. If you love bullshit, you will love the movie.

The truth cannot be virtual. The truth must be immutable. It is the perception of truth that is malleable. That's what people who love bullshit know. They know they can distort the truth to their advantage, which is why they love it so.  It's what gives them their power.  Their power comes from ability to lie and get people to believe their lies.  It is their lies that threaten to destroy our freedom and put us in chains.  For you see, this is what they want.

A little more self-disclosure here with a story that I don't like to tell. It is about me and my oldest brother. I am told that he thinks I'm so very funny because I am so serious. There's a running joke in this family about an event that happened when I was about 10 years old with my oldest brother. The mere hint of this incident is enough to bring a hearty round of laughter. Yes, I can laugh about it. I have a sense of humor. Maybe not a very good one, but I do have one.  I consider it a saving grace.  If it weren't for this, I would have been in a madhouse years ago.

The story is about a fruit pie that I had bought for my lunch the next day. My brother found this fruit pie and he ate it. When I discovered that he ate it, I protested it and this is what he found was so funny. He made a big joke of it and said "You wouldn't have liked it anyway". That phrase is enough to make us all laugh today. But at the time, it wasn't so funny. I said "yes I would have!" And he kept insisting that I wouldn't have and I argued. He thought it was so hilarious that I would seriously argue the point, I gather.

You know, people like my brother. But I am not so likable. I wonder what is so likable about what he did? But people like it anyway. It just goes to show you something.  Something dark about human nature.

I think what it shows is the way liberals react to conservatives when they earnestly try to peel away all the untruth about liberalism. The liberals will sneer and make fun of conservatives for their earnestness. It is like my big brother who made fun of me. The liberals think they are so smart and the conservatives are so dumb. It may be true too, if the respect for truth is dead in the people.

Let us hope that this is not true. I think there's reason to believe that it isn't true. Why? It is in the movie The Departed. I saw that this movie is fairly popular to rent. Why? The way that it ends. The bad guy gets whacked in the end. People like that. The morality that is confirmed is why they like it, I think.  They wouldn't have liked it if the good guy got whacked in the end. That's why I'm encouraged. Morality isn't dead yet, but it may be on life support.  That is why we in the Western Civilization are so deeply in trouble.  The liberals have gotten us ensnared so deeply in their lies, that we are confused about our morality.  Let us hope that the confusion can be clarified and reaffirmed.  If we can do this, we may find salvation.

Lite posting.

I'm in beautiful downtown Irving Texas for my follow up MRI.

Those things are a pain in the butt.

Be back soon youse guys.

Update @ sundown:

Back again.  This is a lot like work.  One good thing about it.  I get to get away from the bugs.  As soon as I got back, I was greeted by a swarm of bugs.

Bugs gotta bug.

Obligatory, 9.11.18

Running low on data.  I can post sparingly through the rest of the period, which
is about eight or nine days.

Doing mostly housekeeping stuff around here.  Also, maybe some navel gazing.

Putting it another way, I am taking stock of my situation, and thinking forward
a bit.

As for the navel gazing, I recall a self-improvement technique of writing down
some "virtues" that were meant to correct some faults.  Each day you were
supposed to write down what you did wrong, and think about ways to correct this.

As a matter of fact, I do this anyway.  However, it isn't directed at myself
personally.  When it does get to that, I call it "navel gazing".

So, as an example, I have a fault of being disorganized.  This actually fits into
a category of the seven deadly sins.  Of which "sloth" is one of them. Sloth or
something like it.  In my case, I am a sloppy, disorganized, and careless person.

After 2 years in this trailer, I still don't know where I put everything.  Things
get lost or misplaced on a frequent basis.

Legendary coach Bear Bryant was said to have taught that you should work on your
weaknesses until they become strengths.

Am I still disorganized, relatively speaking?  Probably.

Also been looking at budget situation.  Also 911 anniversary.  Now I am getting
pissed again.  If I didn't spend so much time getting pissed about this stupid-
ass, chicken-poop politicians, maybe something might get done around here.

Hurry up and wait

Or is it, wait, then hurry up?

Seems like I spend a lot of time doing not very much, then all of a sudden, I need to hurry up.

This morning, I have spent a bit of time thinking about myself.  This is what I have come to refer to as "nazel gazing".  A huge waste of time.  Or is it?  It seems to me that a person is what he is, and there is not that much that can be done about it.  But that could be wrong.  When is this a rationalization for failure?

As I have written in previous posts, when discussing myself, I have consulted a good many self-improvement books.  What I have also noted, is that these self-improvement books have not had much of an impact.  Seems to me that I am not that much different than what I have always been.

One thing I remember about these books, is seeing how to put oneself on a program to better oneself.

While I was sitting on my butt navel gazing about all this, I suddenly realized something.  I may lack much insight into myself.  This is why I cannot discover my faults and work on them and make some real progress.  So, instead of improving myself, I give up.

Ever hit a wall, and it seems like it is impossible to get over it?  It is impossible because you think it is impossible.  But sometimes a thing really is impossible.  How to know the difference?  How do you know when to quit?

Some people will say to never quit.  Well, I don't have a problem with quitting.  Quitting comes easy for me.  Maybe a bit too easy.  I do think also that you never say never.  Quitting on something may be the best way to respond to a situation.  Perhaps the key is to know when to quit.

There is room enough for improvement, but nobody is perfect.  Seems to me that this can be an excuse or a reasonable explanation.  But to discover which could be the challenge.

Today is the day...

Updated,

5.22.18:

Kinda figured I was approaching the anniversary of the completion of proton therapy.  After one year, it seems to be about the same as before, in terms of symptoms.  A couple of MRI's have confirmed that the treatment has stopped the growth of the tumor, but it isn't going away anytime soon.

The next MRI is slated for sometime in the summer.

Just glad to be alive and doing better than I was doing before.



Originally posted on 5.22.17, starts below:


 ... of the last treatment for this chondroid chordoma.  It didn't metastize, according to the doctors, and so the odds are in my favor.  However, it won't be possible to know the effectiveness of this treatment ( proton therapy ) for another three months.  At that time, it is likely that I will come back here to Irving, Texas for a follow up examination.

Until that time, I can focus in other things.  Like this blog.  Bet you are excited about that, eh?  Can bots get excited?  heh, heh

There is work to do at the trailer, which is where I now reside.  It is in the Texas Hill Country, about an hour's drive from Austin.

Hopefully, nature didn't take over the trailer while I was gone.  Another reason not to go tonight, as I don't want to sleep with the bugs when I get back.

If I left immediately, it would take nearly midnight to get back.  Don't want to try to deal with problems at that hour.  So, I will wait.

Update(s) 11:35:  

Got my to-do list made up.  It is prioritized and everything.  Now all I am doing is dreaming about things.  Now, ain't that a big waste of time?

20:52:

When you finish your therapy, you get to bang a gong.  So, I did it.  Before doing my bang-a-gong, I asked how hard can I hit it?  "As hard as you want", said the Doc.   So, I hit it really hard, but aside from making a lot of noise, it didn't break.

Buh-bye!

Laws of Money

Once upon a time, when I was still a youngster, I wanted to be rich.  I found a book about money, and decided to read it.

Obviously, the book didn't make me rich.  But there was something in it that has remained with me all these years.  The book said that if you do the right kinds of things, the money will take care of itself.

Maybe you cannot get rich off that advice, but it is worth remembering. 

Doing the right thing avoids a lot of bad things, and one of those bad things might well be money problems.

Another side of that is to worship money as a end, as opposed to a means to an end.  Money is the means to good ends, but it can also be a means to bad ends.  If you worship money in its own right, then that is a bad end in itself.

So, maybe you don't get rich off that thought.  But who cares?  Money is not going to be an end to itself for me.  Maybe I thought I wanted to be rich, and the truth of the matter is, that I didn't really.

Don't be a wanker

I got a good laugh out of that expression when it was being used in a conversation recently.  But what makes a thing funny is the degree of truth in it.

So, it raises a serious question.  What does all of this really accomplish?  I am referring to everything that I am doing right now, including this here blog.

Well, let's look over the "accomplishments".  Almost a half-million pageviews, over 11k posts, not nearly all that many comments ( over 300 including a great deal written by me ), over a period of more than seven years.

That's the blog.  In comparison to other blogs, not that hot.  But better than nothing.

I've gotten 3 1/2 years paid off of my property out west.  I have practiced the hell out of my severe conservation techniques for preparations for living in the desert.  I am sure I can subsist off of five gallons of water per day.  Not so sure about the electricity, maybe under 3 kwh per day.  Not real sure about my power generation system that I will use.  Don't have a shelter up.  Don't have a septic system, which is required by state law and the terms of sale.

The big hangup now is money.

I could put the costs of the thing on credit, it is the paying off of the debt that is the trouble.  But as of now, I still have good credit.  That counts for something.

I have a trailer, but I don't know if I want to use it out there.

In short, I could be positioned to make the leap any time I want.  It is a matter of being ready.  I am wondering if I could ever really be ready.  My health is a concern.  A big concern.  Not to mention security.  There are bad dudes in the area.   So, there's that.

It would be a big leap of faith to go soon.  So, if I don't go, does it mean that I am not accomplishing anything of substance, or like what the title says?

Is it just jerking off, then?  What do I really want out of this is key.  Would I be satisfied with moral victories, or is that is being a wanker?

It isn't bothering me, in case anybody is wondering.  Perhaps "success" is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, if you can't take a joke....

Keyboard Warrior

Originally posted on 2.22.17, updated on,

11.15.17 :

9:30 am

It seems that arguments like this may be persuasive to some people.  It is not persuasive to me.  As I wrote before, even if he was guilty of this, if it is not illegal, then I think it should be ignored.  The important thing to me is that he defends without reservation, the Ten Commandments.

As for the "rule of law", the people shouting it the loudest in this case, care about it the least.  They don't care about the girls, they don't care about the rule of law.  This is just a political prop for them.

A bunch of judges in robes do not make the law themselves.  They should not legislate from the bench.  Our judicial system is out of whack as well as the rest of our society.

Maybe that can be fixed, maybe not.  In my opinion, Judge Moore would be a great Majority Leader of the Senate.  Take that McConnell.


8:30 am

Everybody is taking a shot at explaining what the deal is about Roy Moore.  It is about the Ten Commandments and taking an unswerving fidelity to it.  That is what Roy Moore has done, and the people of Alabama supported him in that.  However, the people in the government do not.  Hence, the conflict.

Our government will abide by the rule of law, or it won't.  When it doesn't, it will become a law unto themselves.  Is that not what is happening here?

The ruling class only defers to democracy when it agrees with them.  That's what makes the Russian collusion allegations absurd on its face.

Likewise with the young women accusing Judge Moore.  If they really cared anything about young women being raped, then there would be an insistence upon chaperones.  It used to be so.  But the ruling class really don't care about that now, if they ever did.  It is merely a prop for their politics.  An excuse, if you will.


11.13.17:

A blast from the past...  Reading this makes me understand that I have made real progress in my fight against cancer.  I no longer need nearly as much pain medication.  I suppose I could do without it if I wanted to.  The pain is not so bad anymore.

What brought me to this post is what I do on this blog.  Yes, I am a Keyboard Warrior.  I don't do real fighting.  But nobody does that anymore in our society.  Everything is metaphorical.  You have "revolutions" that aren't literal revolutions, for example.  The Reagan Revolution, it has been called.  But no blood was shed.  No dead bodies in the streets.  Real revolutions have those kinds of things.

Even though I am a Keyboard Warrior, I like to keep things real as possible.  Indeed, I would like to actually DO things that may make a difference.  So, to back up what I say, I have committed considerable amount of time, expense, and yes effort-- to my off-the-grid project.

Yet, it is still more idea than substance.  Nothing is out there, but the broken remains of what I attempted before.

As for the bigger picture, the broken society in which we live, I can only be a Keyboard Warrior.  I can only write about things.  I cannot literally fight in the streets, but if the time comes, I will defend myself and what matters to me.  I will defend it with everything I have got, including my own life, if it comes to that.

We need warriors in our society.  Words are not enough.  Being right is not enough.  You have to back up what you believe by actually doing something about it.

The GOP wants Roy Moore to resign.  Really?  For what purpose would that serve?  Does that advance the things that the GOP claims to support?  Or does it enable what you oppose?  I think the RINO faction are only enablers of that which is damaging the future of this society.

So, to do something significant: try asking yourself this: do you support the Ten Commandments or not?  Ask the RINOS that, and see what their response is.

I would support Moore even if he is guilty of what they say he is.  That is because he supports the Ten Commandments, and that is more important to me than Moore's alleged lack of moral perfection in this case.

Let's not have the RINOS, like the McCain's and Bushes, fool us into thinking that they are with us.

We need warriors, and those guys won't fight.  They'd fight US before they would fight the left.

Just tryin' to keep it real, ya'll.


The original post follows:

Hey, yeah.  That is what I am.  Hey, I cannot even keep my eyes open half the time.  I am so doped up on meds that I am sleepy all the time.

So, if I write something like the GOP going on offense, I certainly don't mean ME.  I couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag right now.

Keyboard warriors are just words in cyberspace.  Not that I don't want to be taken seriously.  On the other hand, I am basically an ideas guy.  Ideas guys vs. Action guys.

When I am not half asleep, I'm at my brother's repair shop.  He does real stuff.  Fixing a car is real.  Buying one not so much.  I am more inclined to buy one.

What's that you say?  It just seems to me that if you know how to get one running right, it is a lot better than buying something.  You don't always have the option of buying one.  Buying one is a big step away from making one or fixing one.

I started in the auto repair biz when I was young.  I didn't stick with it.  There's the difference between him and me.  Not that I don't stick with things.  But fixing cars requires something that I seem to lack.  He says it is persistence.  But I don't think I lack persistence.  Maybe it is persistence combined with audacity.  You have to be audacious to do some of the things he does.  He does stuff I would never do.  It seems rather chancy, I would say.  Like putting a junk car on to a trailer. 

He spent an entire morning doing that.  The junk car had no wheels, as he took the axles off and  used them for another project.  No place to put the wheels.  Try to imagine getting a junk car on to a trailer without the benefit of wheels.  That's just the beginning.  You have to get the trailer there, which was tricky in itself.  There's not that much room.

I could go on, but you should be able to figure it out.  Keyboard warriors don't put junk cars on trailers.  It is the real deal to do stuff that is real.  Let's not kid oneself.