Daynotes On A Budget, V6.0

Another OFIM (TM Bob Walder), as it tends to go in my world. Slept horribly last night, and woke up at 4:44 am.  The alarm goes off at 5:45 am for me, so I get a few minutes to sit here, get the eyes to blink in unison, attempt to ease into the day by discovering what, if anything, happened overnight, and then prepare for the day.  By about 6:15 I get the shoes on, pull on my sweatshirt, grab my mug, and encourage the dogs to head upstairs with me.  Once I hit the first landing, I divert to the freezer in the garage, grab breakfast, and then consider if I need additional cold caffeine beverages in the fridge upstairs, then hit the last six steps.   Once I'm upstairs, I unload my stuff onto the kitchen stove, and put food in Cheyanne's bowl, by the time that is complete, she's usually right behind me.  I remove the baby gate blocking off the kitchen - as puppies are well-known connoisseurs of kitchen garbage.  Freyja has a predilection for paper towels ...

I get it.  I am now an old man, though inside me somewhere is still that little voice that says "when you grow up, things will get better..."  I think that little kid needs a bit of education...  But then there's the multiple loads of bullshit I encounter on a daily basis. So yeah, I'm making a mental list.  Recently, it occurred to me that there are quite a few organizations that very clearly do not want my business.  I am a very big believer in good, solid work, solid items, well-made items that last.  I do not follow this philosophy all the time, because there are times you need to learn.   For example, my basic philosophy when it comes to tools is buy the best you can afford/get your hands on - unless you don't know what you're getting.  I could have, and have, spent thousands of dollars on tools.  Some of them have worked out, some have not.  But the general idea for me when it comes to getting a new tool is to step back and as...

 Well, I'm pretty worked up about quite a few things lately, as one might expect.   However, this putz hit the ball right out of the park - foul ball, that is. For the record, here's the link to the article on CNN : https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/us/parades-independence-day-july-4-ijdgi-cec/index.html .  This poor, sad fellow has never had fun at a parade. Yeah, I get it.  I'm warped.  When I was a little kid, the memories are still there of hopping onto the back gate of the station wagon with my dad, and watching the parade pass by.  Back in those days, when the American Flag passed, you got your ass up, your hat came off, and you stood at attention.  Every damned time.   But back then it was usually not only showing respect for the flag, but also showing respect for those who carried it.  Often they were older men who had been soldiers.  Most of the early parades I remember are from the late 1960s into the early 1970s.  ...