Just An FYI

Posted on by accordingtohoyt

Unfortunately it looks like the house won’t be ready and myself out of here till the 11th or 13th next month.

By that point my online presence will be dead, and my indie publishing nearly so. Sorry. I might also be depressive because I hate being away from my husband for so long. No, not hate, so much as I get a little more depressed every single day.

It is what it is. I have about five guest posts waiting, but the internet is so bad that anything online takes hours.

Meanwhile Barbarella #3 is out: the tentacle edition!

184 thoughts on “Just An FYI”

  2. Could be worse, Sarah – you could have caught the COVID as my daughter and I did. We are just now, after more than two weeks and separate trips to the emergency room, beginning to feel better.
    I had to bail on a profitable potential local market, through feeling so ill and out of it. But we’re supposed to start feeling better and more energetic in a week or two.

    4. Glad to hear you’re both doing better. Just found out that three weeks ago I spent about 45 minutes unloading a trailer with someone who went down with the WuFlu the next day. Glad I spend so much time outside soaking up the vitamin D… and so much for contact tracing.

    1. I’m getting more anecdotal reports of wuflu than usual. Ones from people I know or from places like here. One of them had been vaccinated twice and got sick enough to worry her spouse. Our son had it. He described his experience as, “bad cold with a touch of asthma,” and had hit the, “I’m bored,” stage the next time I spoke to him.
      What bothers me is in both cases they had multiple tests after showing symptoms. Which, at the very least, suggests people are going to get very ill or die from other stuff because everyone’s focused on the ‘rona.

        2. This was really good, thank you.
          I discovered my personal fear is much greater than I’d imagined. I prayed and cried this morning, and that helped.
          I’m praying for Sarah and all the Huns.
          I feel very ill equipped, but then everyone else probably feels the same.
          Onward.

      2. Hearing that as well. The office I work at is heavily vaccinated yet we’re having more people out for it than we did last year.

        On the other hand, we’re getting no info about deaths, so it’s impossible to know much. I’ve started asking people I can trust if they personally know anyone who has died from covid, and found two, so far. The curious part is both of them were siblings (40’s-50’s). That, and the stories the media loves to find about whole families getting wiped out by it makes me suspect there is a very strong genetic factor, possibly risk of heart disease? that controls fatality rates.

        Everything is so buried in the noise it’s hard to pick out any useful information save, this is not Smallpox. If it was Smallpox, we would all know at least one community gutted by it.

        1. A friend of mine just tested positive. She’s 36, fully vaccinated, and so far on day 6 has only had loss of taste/smell, but of course most of her friends are commenting “OMG I hope you’re okay” like she’s fixing to die any minute now.

          The only time/place she could have caught it was at a concert where they checked vaccination status at the door and everyone was masked. I’m 99% positive that neither she nor any of her friends will take the obvious lesson that vaccine passports and masking are futile.

        2. Indeed – what I’ve been saying all along: if the Commie Crud was anything like the 1918 influenza pandemic, we would all know people in our circle who had died of it, often more than one. There would be whole small communities gutted. Instead – it’s barely noticeable for most people, knocks some of us for a loop without necessarily requiring hospital time, but kills only a very, very few.

          1. I now have more relatives dead from “shut down all non-emergency care” than from the kung flu (large, extended family that gossips a lot)– and there’s a good chance we could add four more to that list.

            All cancer.

            1. My mom took the jib jab and two months later had a stroke, went into hospice, and three weeks later, died.
              After 18 months of isolation, shame, and bullying from her ALF.

              The only people I know about are people who are so brutalized by all this ‘Rona lie they’re better off in heaven.

              1. So terribly sorry for your loss. I haven’t seen my parents for a few years now, but at least they’re not isolated from family that lives near them, and have local great-grandbabies to cuddle, too. The isolation of the elderly seems more terrible to me than anyone seems willing to admit.

                1. Thing is, to talk about it based on the facts I personally know of, I would have to provide personally identifying information, and also describe my own complicity.

                  Whenever I start putting the latter into words, I decide that it is better to fix it than to describe it to unrelated people. Then I don’t follow through on fixing it.

            2. I’m sorry to hear that.

              We got extremely lucky in that regard. Our grandmother passed away from congestive heart failure, but she had been able to live in her own home and either have grand kids live with her, early on and at the end afford a live in nurse for the last stretch.

              And when she finally went into the end decline, it came when her state has relaxed all their travel restrictions, so her children and most of the grand kids were able to get up there and be with her at the end.

              But so much of that was pure luck. It could easily have ended with her locked in alone with no-one around.

          2. If the communist Chinese common cold was anything like the 1918 flu, the death toll would be more than 220 MILLION by now. More than 3 million in the U.S. alone.

            I just saw a YouTube video made in late 2019 that reported more than 8,000 U.S. deaths from the normal, seasonal flu BEFORE anybody even heard of this ‘2019 CoV2’ virus that had just started spreading from China.

            They’re trying to terrorize us with a bad flu, and the sheeple have been bleating and stampeding for TWO YEARS!! They instantly believe every new lie, and forget all the earlier lies.
            ———————————
            It takes a LOT of education to make them that stupid.

  4. Welllll …. shucks.

    By that point my online presence will be dead, and my indie publishing nearly so.

    We better put i a call to Miracle Max.

    Oh well, like kidney stones this, too, shall pass. Painfully.

    In other thoughts, I was considering that AntiFa is well named, given that the most historically important anti-fascists were Antifaschistische Aktion, described at Wikipedia as

    was a militant anti-fascist organisation in the Weimar Republic started by members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) that existed from 1932 to 1933. It was primarily active as a KPD campaign during the 1932 German federal elections and was described by the KPD as a “red united front under the leadership of the only anti-fascist party, the KPD.”

    In the postwar era, the historical organisation inspired new groups and networks, known as the wider antifa movement, many of which use the aesthetics of Antifaschistische Aktion, especially the antifa moniker and a modified version of its logo. During the Cold War, Antifaschistische Aktion had a dual legacy in East Germany and West Germany, respectively. In East Germany, it was considered part of the history and heritage of the KPD’s successor, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. In West Germany, its aesthetics and name were embraced by Maoists and later autonomists from the 1970s.

    [SNIP]

    The late 1920s and early 1930s saw rising tensions mainly between three broad groups, the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) on one side, the Nazi Party on another and a coalition of governing parties, … Under the leadership of Ernst Thälmann, the KPD became a Stalinist party that was fiercely loyal to the Soviet government. Since 1928, the KPD was largely controlled and funded by the Soviet government through the Comintern.

    So, give credit for historically honest labelling.
    ~

    1. Well yes, they are essentially a direct descendant of the original Communist revolutionary group, and, surprise, the current version are communist revolutionaries. They believe everyone who is not a communist is a fascist, and that violence is not only justified but warranted against all who disagree with them.

      Although they are only on the radar of people in the USA since their actions in the recent decade or so, they have been around Europe terrorizing people for many decades, including carrying out outright assassinations of political officials and other people they oppose.

      Of course, the Democrats view them as their foot-soldiers in bringing about their quest for absolute power and the “fundamental transformation of America”, which is why Democrats refuse to prosecute them and try to pretend they don’t exist.

  6. ((Hugs))

    Take care of yourself, and take all the time you need to recover from this. Though an occasional “I aten’d ded” update would be much appreciated (either from you or by proxy).

    We’ll survive, and be waiting for your return.

      3. And her take on it is, as usual, hilarious in its understatement.

        I am curious how she was able to breath. I’m very curious how that gets resolved.

        The only critique I have is, they feel to tight for the characters to breath. I feel like the segment with the replacement ship could have almost been its own book, with the book break being when the ship came apart dumping them into the ocean.

        Hopefully the next arc they’ll be able to give more pages/issues to develop everyone. I expect it’s a tricky balance to give time to develop while also not dragging the story out in magazine form like that.

  10. Remember the motto of the International Plumber’s Union-This Too, Shall Pass-and get done the big things on your plate right now. Everything else can be done later, and trying to force yourself to do it is going to drive you crazy.

    Good luck to you, fingers crossed.

  11. Sometimes it is good to take a break from online interactions for a bit. Even if it is involuntary. Staying away from the spouse still sucks, though.

    You’ll get through this. Chin up, Miss Sarah. The last stretch is usually the longest and the toughest, but once it ends… Well, there’s a different beginning awaiting in the wings. With all the troubles and problems to overcome that such things bear, but new ones!

    At least there are still books. And with writing… well, sometimes the best stuff I’ve written (in my opinion) have come from the worst times in life. Okay, that’s not the best way to think about things, but bright sides, right? Always gotta be at least one.

  13. Hang in there. This WILL get better once that house is off your back. And we’ll be around, along with everybody else.

  15. We’ll be around. Unless we’ve all run off and are cavorting, frolicking, and committing not-random acts of mischief. Or BBQing a dinosaur.

      1. Embrace the healing power of “and”!

        After all, dinosaurs ate other dinosaurs. Hmm. How big is this BBQ going to get if Fluffy is giving joyrides for food?

    1. Next thing she knows, Kurt Eichenwald will want an autographed copy….. Such is the price of fame….

      2. The artist didn’t try to draw them, coward! Though in context (oh, what context!) he perhaps couldn’t draw them without violating the Teen+ rating. 😉

          1. But we didn’t see them used when the guy got “close and personal” with Barbarella. 😀

      3. Don’t forget to take care of yourself every day..that’s how you’ll make it through….And Cthulhu is always awesome!

        1. 1 Great Old One.
          10 CIA Hellfire R9X, Flying Ginsu”s
          1 Supertanker full of olive oil

          Heat oil to boiling
          Dice great old one
          Drop the chunks in the oil and cook until crispy.

            1. Aren’t you supposed to wash away the brimstone first?
              Or do some folks prefer it for a little extra heat?

  17. Sorry things have hit a rough patch. The kitties and I wish you luck as always. I’ll see if one or more of them might cooperate for a picture or two soon if that might help.

  19. ((Hugs)) If it all goes hot, you now have a safe place to run to. Turn your back on the internet, sneer at TV news, and if you can, write. It might not be what you think you ought to write, but who cares?

  20. What everybody already said. Look, you don’t need to post every day. Or every second day. Some of us have working memories. You’ll be done with this move sooner than I could get a letter from the other side of Africa in 1970. We old farts can handle a bit of delayed gratification! Just take care of yourself and we promise not to wreck the place while you’re otherwise occupied.

  21. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers. Please do not descend into despair. So many look to you for guidance and encouragement. You are a light in their lives. We often don’t understand why we must go through times of struggle. A year ago I had to close my business because of covid restrictions. I was very angry and sad for some time. A year later, I now see that it actually was a blessing in so many ways. I needed that time to refocus myself and find a different path. Wishing you peace and blessings. Take good care.

  28. Bugger.

    I’m so sorry to hear that.
    (I mean, we’ll be missing you and all, but the hits to your sanity and bank account are much more of a concern. Much more so than leaving us without adult supervision.)

      1. Half? Gadzooks, are you an optimist.

        Even limiting the government in question to merely the Feds I would put the Over/Under at Seventy-five Eighty percent. In some states and municipalities the percentage approaches one hundred and the political leaders ought be put in Time-Out.
        ~

        1. I’ve worked with my local government. I suspect you’re right about the >80%. The higher level the person is, the more likely they need real supervision. We had our chimney repaired almost two years ago. There was an emergency permit involved. (No heat or hot water in November in New England is a Not Good Thing™.) Started calling the town in January about getting the inspection so they could close it out. I left at least four voice messages (no one ever answers the phone), and what with WuFlu arriving finally gave up. As far as I know, the permit still needs to be signed off on. At this point I’m waiting to see if anyone ever notices.

          And then there’s our partisan town clerk…

            1. The current system does seem like it’s trying to make the spoils system look good. At least if it’s the mayor’s cousin Viny screwing up the work, the mayor can pop him upside the head for hurting his re -lection campaign.

  29. Just some thoughts on keeping an online presence going? Could be you need an online sub (someone you trust to post things when access is limited)? Or does the web software you’re using allow scheduled postings? Hey, we could always take turns posting snippets from the canon, a bit from here, a slice from there… of course, an irregular posting of your choice of pictures or other teases for responses, comments, and so forth? How about that old and tried, a round robin with various folks kicking in their favorites? Of course, there’s always recycling aging posts… just some thoughts. Hugs, too!

  31. I realize this is an idea so extreme as to stun the auditor, but sometimes you have to take a day off and sharpen the axe spend the day in a vegetative state. Snooze, putter about, drink herbal tea and read something irrelevant.

    I learned that after Forty the batteries don’t recharge as quickly, and after Fifty they sometimes require drastic steps.

    As for battery life once you pass Sixty years – it isn’t enough to merit discussion, so you best conserve what you have and coast on the downcycles.
    ~

    1. I’ve been dragging from a combination of allergies, the Crud (ah, the joys of working around little vectors!), and general blahs. I was grumbling this morning as I got up to go walking “I shouldn’t feel this flat!” Well, I’m not 30 anymore, either, and I’ve been running non-stop since early August. Maybe that has something to do with it. Ageing is not for sissies.

      1. You’re a better man than I Gunga Din. The thought of fencing with all the stupid things my limbs do here at 60 is not something I can contemplate…

        1. Spent a lot of morning running a gas-powered trimmer for the first time. Shrubbery looks better, but I can only raise my arms a few seconds before they start feeling too heavy to lift. Recovery time sounds like a really good idea.

        2. Well, I just turned 60, and have decided I want to see if I’m up to blacksmithing. Now I just need to have time and money at the same time to get some lessons.

          I figure it would either kill or cure my shoulder issues.

  32. What’s annoying for me, I’ve got vacation time I’m going to lose before the end of the year, but I cannot afford to travel anywhere farther than a local park (no, I don’t mean Disney) otherwise I’d volunteer for dumb labour.

    1. Used to run into that constantly at my last job. Could only carry over with permission and took extraordinary reasons. Only one “approved” was because hubby had hip surgery and needed someone home 24/7 for up to six weeks … as it happened, it was one week. As it turned out the requirement was until he was off the “good stuff” 🙂 That left me with 4 weeks of “use it or loose it” at the end of the year. Meant end of November and entire month of December off, with holidays. Boss was not happy. Hey, his rules. Could have let me carry over again, wouldn’t (it helped that by then was “fire me”, subtext and shut up). I can always use time off during the holiday months. (Or could. Retired now.) The year I retired was almost as bad, for the same reason, only by then hubby was retired, so taking a couple of weeks during the summer took care of that.

      Point is. Staycations work. Just don’t get pulled into work.

      1. I’ve been using the staycation route, built a shed, ran some lighting around the house, put more shelves in the garage, cleaned the bookshelves up a bit… I needed to go back to work as I was overworking at home! 🙂

  33. Hugs– I always hated it when my late-hubby and I were apart. If you need to talk or something I’ll send you my phone number or email. Let me know. Please don’t contract into yourself.

    1. Agree. I hated it when hubby was transferred 600 miles away and we did not move the household. He was home every weekend. It was a long 17 months.

  35. Hey, remember how I was questioning “Long Covid” and wondering if it was any different from “Long Flu”?

    Well, this article says it is, because it’s not like “Long Flu”, it’s like “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity” and “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” — i.e. a psychogenic syndrome of affluent middle-aged women that mostly derives from depression, and is relentlessly hyped by the media.

    https://spectator.org/long-covid-myth/

    RTWT

    1. I find the most striking commonality omg the syndromes cited, they are orbit around a known gov’t lie, or high deception incentive.

      One of the possible origins of Gulf War Syndrome was we torched one of Saddam’s warehouses and dumped a whole plume of precursers over our own troops, and we pretended it didn’t happen because unfit did, we would have had to clear him out then.

      Have no idea if that really happened or not, but if it did, the gov’t had every incentive to pretend it didn’t. So, who knows?

      1. He mentions that in passing:

        There are also offshoots such as Gulf War Syndrome on which I have extensively written, for which nobody has posited any causes that makes sense or to which any more than a small minority of alleged sufferers were exposed (such as depleted uranium, in this case.) The very term “syndrome” is a red flag in that it means a constellation that may have no more connection than the stars that make up the Greek ones, with two points of light somehow signifying a dog.

        1. Yeah. That’s what I was referencing. All of the syndromes orbit around things the government has incentive to lie about. And I suspect that is a large part of why they are never resolved. Any resolution, one way, or the other, requires a degree of trust that no longer exists.

          Like “covid toe. ” I’ve read elsewhere that’s a symptom of vascular damage, and made sense as a covid symptom if Covid-19 is more of a vascular disease than a true lung disease. But again, the government was super invested in its own theories so, that was publically discounted by all Right Thinking Peoples, so who knows?

            1. Although CCP is already trying to push back that it’s a hoax to discredit “socialist paradises”. 😎

              2. Like Cuba?

                I don’t get why leftroids are so upset with us for isolating Cuba so that the Cubans can enjoy all the benefits of communism without our interference.

                1. Welllll … where’s the benefit of the slave labor Workers’ State wages if sanctions block exploiting your labor cost advantages over free economies?
                  ~

            2. Yeah. Especially since there were several perfectly reasonable possible explanations for it, including the bug spray overdose+ and the wolf-tone issue++

              +One theory is the Havana’s were over using a mildly neurotoxic pesticide and inadvertently poisoning the staff. There are a couple of pesticides that are precursors to nerve gas, that if you just dump them in stupid volume will cause neurological harm. If they were, though it would be a sign of incompetence and the abysmal safety record of Communist States and very embarrassing.

              ++Apprently if you’ve got a lot of devices that communicate using ultra-sonics in one spot, and don’t know what you’re doing, you can get them generating wolf tone harmonics that really mess up younger folks with high hearing range. I’ll have to find the article again but there was an ultrasonics researcher who managed to nail his grudents real good with a wolf tone he could not hear. However, Havana stuffing the embassy full of ultra sonics implies they are spying on our diplomats, incompetently, so we also could not admit that without a diplomatic incident.

              Might be neither of these, but once again, they cannot be considered or truly dismissed because the folks who would investigate it have a big conflict of interest.

    2. I just thought it was really stupid of folks to assume that just because WuFlu wasn’t regular flu, everyone it doesn’t kill should bounce back within a few days. I had flu and pneumonia back in January ’01, and while I was only out of work about 3 weeks, I was not up to snuff for months.

      I have my suspicions that Chronic Fatigue is probably “subclinical” hypothyroid in a lot of cases. Women aren’t allowed to have any hormone or other health issues, it’s always all in our little hysterical minds. Like my daughter who was told her pain was all psychosomatic and she should just exercise more, until we got her to rheumatology to be told: “I’d have been far more surprised if she told me she *didn’t* hurt all the time”. She has Ehler’s-Danlos and scoliosis (think Richard III’s back, and that was her spine before surgery) as well as multiple concussions during her last few years of school.

      And on the Covid front, I’m waiting to see if we get more info on the Judas Priest guitarist who’s just been hospitalized for cardiac issues. The guy is only 41. My first thought was to wonder when he was vaccinated and which one (they’re Brits, so probably AZ). Several other commenters on the Sabaton Fans FB page had the same thought. Because rock guitarists tend to be pretty damn athletic, and if he had heart problems you’d think they’d have shown up before now.

      1. No idea, but I’m pretty down about the rest of the tour being no-go. I had tickets. (Yes, they will be rescheduling, but . . .) I hope the gent recovers without any long-term problems.

        There are some congenital heart things that don’t show up even when you think they should. Peter Maravich (“Pistol Pete” ) was 40 and had played basketball as a pro for 10 years without any problem. Then he dropped dead during a “fun” game.

        1. True, but still, his age and the fact that he’s probably vaxxed just ring bells, even if they are imaginary. The actions of TPTB™ are enough to make all of us into paranoid conspiracy theorists.

        2. Also, the concern that someone brought up is that even if the tour is rescheduled, it might not be Sabaton with JP. And while we have nothing against JP’s music, we’re going to hear Sabaton. Pity we can’t just have the guys finish the tour doing a double set. But that would upset the JP fans probably so…

          1. That’s my worry, too. I got the ticket to hear Sabaton, with JP as a bit of a “since I’m here anyway.” *shrug* Not much I can do, other than keep an eye on Sabaton’s website and make darn sure I don’t lose my ticket.

        3. I don’t remember any of the names, but I remember hearing about sudden heart failure as one of those (sad) things and at least one example who was a runner. Not sure it was anything congenital, just… something where from outside, everything seemed to be okay, picture of health, and then very suddenly it Wasn’t.

      3. A lot of neurological diseases/disorders also cause major fatigue, and those sometimes don’t get diagnosed until you have other symptoms and someone sends you for MRIs and other tests.

  36. Sarah: Take care of yourself, your house and your paying work. The assorted gallery of Huns will be hear when you get back….without even trashing the place 🙂

  37. Prayers for your family and move inbound. God’s ways are wiser than ours. Might be He has this time set aside to give you something wonderful!

  38. Moving is hell. Ours is not as bad as yours; we might be done by the weekend. Prayerful thoughts headed your way that yours becomes easier and you are able to be with Dan soon.

  39. OT: Tomorrow in the Western church is the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. (No, this does not mean the sports team. *sighs in cat at The Guy On The Back Row who was fixin’ to ask*)

    1. Speaking of kids. I have a new great-niece as of yesterday first thing AM (12:30 AM 9/28).

      20 inches
      6#s 9ozs
      full head of hair
      Logan Ruth P.

      FYI. We are now home as of 11 PM PST 9/28. Long day yesterday. Last round on Tetons, then home for 13 hours of driving. I actually got to drive. About two hours freeway driving before Boise. Then 3 hours in to Bend on Hwy 20. Although he may never let me drive a two lane highway again … I won’t pass; except at designated two lane passing lanes, which were “lacking” … Especially as tired as I was, it was right as the sun was going down, then dusk with horrible depth perception. Two reasons: Couldn’t see and I’m not going a lot faster than the semi I was following anyway. Difference was being able to see.

      Trip was fun. Goals: Get away. Photo Autumn Colors. Get away. Wildlife photos were a bonus. (Although surprisingly Elk were a bit lacking in Yellowstone and Tetons. Saw some. Just not as abundant as prior fall seasons. Did not see Grizzly mamma #399 and her 4, almost 2 year old cubs … pouting …)

      2. Congrats on the new great-niece. I’m glad to hear you had a good trip. My wife and I were out there about three weeks ago, on the maiden voyage of our homebuilt camper. Only a few trees had changed when we were out there. I also experienced a scarcity of elk as compared to my previous visit to the area, though the bison in Yellowstone were as abundant as always and the moose were easy to find in Teton at dawn and dusk. We had a wolf run across the road right in front of us, but he was past in a few seconds, too quick for a photo. I had a lot of fun, and my wife, who had never been out that way before, really enjoyed it.

        When we got back, I caught up on some YouTube travel and RV channels I follow. Turns out we were in the background of the Abom Adventures video at Rushmore. Also, the site we had at Gros Ventre campground in Grand Teton was just a couple loops away from where the couple with the Long Long Honeymoon channel were staying.

        1. the moose were easy to find in Teton at dawn and dusk

          –
          Yes. We saw one Bull, two cows with calves, and heard a lot of moose bugling… heard the elk too, both are distinctive. Saw a lot of moose, elk, fox, bear, etc., last spring (2021). But last fall, only saw elk, bision, and pronghorn. Might say YNP and Tetons visits are not rare for us, but haven’t been an annual or more occurrence, until now. Last fall and spring, the YNP/Tetons were targeted designations. This time they were (more or less) on the “way home”, 24-ish hour stops. Not our first trip to RMNP either, only it has been 25 years since the last trip (probably the last time, for reasons, among which is the “timed entry” process).

          Never seen a wolf, as many times as we have been there. Don’t have the patience to sit and wait for a long distance sighting, and anything else is pure luck. Ditto for the Bears. Even when you take the routes that they (bear or wolf) have been hanging out regularly. Hiking? No thanks, do not want to meet a bear on a trail. Besides YNP closes down trails where bear are known to hang, especially in the spring.

          We enjoy taking people who haven’t been to a National Park. In 2010, we traveled with a couple from Scouts, to Yosemite. She’d been as a young teen, but he had never been. Last Fall sister and BIL joined us in the trailer at YNP, before they headed off on their own trip over the Beartooth Hwy. Then this last spring to Tetons, before heading out for their long drive to New Orleans (and points between). Sister hadn’t been to YNP/Tetons, or any other NP since she was 9 (camping/hunting, yes, NP no), he’d never been. (We kept telling them that they were the reason we weren’t seeing wildlife where we expected wildlife 🙂 …)

          homebuilt camper

          –
          That is neat. How’d it work out?

          some YouTube travel and RV channels I follow. Turns out we were in the background of the Abom Adventures video at Rushmore. Also, the site we had at Gros Ventre campground in Grand Teton was just a couple loops away from where the couple with the Long Long Honeymoon channel were staying.

          –
          Wow!

          This was our second trip since we sold our last RV setup last fall (we’ve more or less had one since ’90, before we tented for 12 years). Still figuring out the on-the-fly hotel setup. RNP we had reservations months in advance, but weren’t sure what days, nor where, we’d be for the last days. Learned to make reservations as soon as we knew where we’d be when while we had cell coverage. The problem is the dog. She is a Med Alert Service Dog, so pet not friendly have to take her, only some try to “require” SD Id. (Sigh. In the US there IS NO Legal Official Service Dog Id/registration/card ,,,) We prefer to frequent pet friendly establishments for a lot of reasons. Just this last weekend was the last busy weekend for the parks. (Anymore last minute RV reservations can be a problem too. Used to be a pattern you could exploit.)

          We sold the RV (truck/trailer) because hubby wanted help driving and for some reason not willing to have me (learn) to drive the tow setup (especially across Idaho where the wind blows hard enough that the wind mill farm setups are shutdown). Go figure. The intent is for me to, now, “share the driving” … ROTFLOL … I drove 5 hours of the 13 hour trip home … The 20 hours drive to RMNP, driving in parks, drives between parks? Not a minute or mile driven … It is not happening … and not a battle I choose to deal with …

          1. Yes. We saw one Bull, two cows with calves, and heard a lot of moose bugling… heard the elk too, both are distinctive. Saw a lot of moose, elk, fox, bear, etc., last spring (2021). But last fall, only saw elk, bision, and pronghorn. Might say YNP and Tetons visits are not rare for us, but haven’t been an annual or more occurrence, until now. Last fall and spring, the YNP/Tetons were targeted designations. This time they were (more or less) on the “way home”, 24-ish hour stops. Not our first trip to RMNP either, only it has been 25 years since the last trip (probably the last time, for reasons, among which is the “timed entry” process).

            Thankfully, none of the parks on our trip had “timed entry” in effect. I know from experience they have serious crowding and traffic problems at some of the parks, but I think addressing it by expanding/adding parking lots and adding a few passing lanes would be a better solution.

            Never seen a wolf, as many times as we have been there. Don’t have the patience to sit and wait for a long distance sighting, and anything else is pure luck. Ditto for the Bears. Even when you take the routes that they (bear or wolf) have been hanging out regularly. Hiking? No thanks, do not want to meet a bear on a trail. Besides YNP closes down trails where bear are known to hang, especially in the spring.

            One of our two bear sightings was one the edge of a trailhead parking lot. We were going to go hiking from there, but between the bear and the bearjam-induced delay, we decided to skip the hike.

            We enjoy taking people who haven’t been to a National Park. In 2010, we traveled with a couple from Scouts, to Yosemite. She’d been as a young teen, but he had never been. Last Fall sister and BIL joined us in the trailer at YNP, before they headed off on their own trip over the Beartooth Hwy. Then this last spring to Tetons, before heading out for their long drive to New Orleans (and points between). Sister hadn’t been to YNP/Tetons, or any other NP since she was 9 (camping/hunting, yes, NP no), he’d never been. (We kept telling them that they were the reason we weren’t seeing wildlife where we expected wildlife ?? …)

            I think that’s the best way, after you’ve been once yourself. My wife hasn’t been to many of these places before, so it was a lot of fun seeing things like Old Faithful and Mount Rushmore through her eyes. If we’re blessed with children, I hope to take them and repeat the experience.

            Although at Rushmore I couldn’t help but look up at the four faces up there and apologize to them for not getting that whole “eternal vigilance” thing down.

            homebuilt camper

            That is neat. How’d it work out?

            Much better than I feared, but a bit worse than I’d hoped. Despite a few problems early on during the drive out, and a few brief stops for some improvised fixes along the way, we got to enjoy our time in the Black Hills and the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area. The still-incomplete electrical system worked, the battery charged, the fan and lights ran fine. The mattress was comfortable. Critters couldn’t get in, the rain stayed out. Everything mostly held together until on the way back, just shy of the Missouri River, BOOM!, the front of the camper practically imploded.

            During the last week of my mad rush to get the camper far enough along to be campable, I hadn’t slept nearly enough, so memory, judgement, etc. suffered somewhat as it dragged. Thus a few important things were missed during the build, like snugging down the nuts & bolts, or a good job with the electrical tape backing up the connectors at few electrical junctions, or installing half of the structural cross-pieces for the area most subject to aerodynamic stress while towing. I recommend sleep. Four days a row averaging 3 hours per night is NOT a good plan, especially after three days of getting a little less sleep than normal.

            So anyway, there I was on the side of the road, just outside Nebraska City, with the front of the camper open to the sky. We apparently lost a few pieces of clothing somewhere between the BOOM! and stopping, because somebody pulled up and let us know. I made a very crude fix on the side of the road then limped into town and bought a sheet of plywood from a lumberyard. Within 45 minutes I had patched things up well enough to complete the journey back to Ohio. The remainder of the trip was uneventful.

            –

            (Anymore last minute RV reservations can be a problem too. Used to be a pattern you could exploit.)

            So I noticed, at least at the really popular areas. They closed all the camp showers in Yellowstone for the year, but we still couldn’t find more than a single night campsite at any of the reservable campgrounds, so stayed at the closer of the two KOA’s in West Yellowstone, but had to settle for a back in site. I managed to snag the only campsite at Gros Ventre that was available for both our nights there. OTOH, the KOA at Buffalo, WY was no more than 3/4 full, the city park campground in Scottsbluff, NE was maybe half full, and the Double Nickel Campground near York, NE was perhaps 2/3 full. And all of this was a few days to weeks after the “summer season” was over with.

            We sold the RV (truck/trailer) because hubby wanted help driving and for some reason not willing to have me (learn) to drive the tow setup (especially across Idaho where the wind blows hard enough that the wind mill farm setups are shutdown). Go figure. The intent is for me to, now, “share the driving” … ROTFLOL … I drove 5 hours of the 13 hour trip home … The 20 hours drive to RMNP, driving in parks, drives between parks? Not a minute or mile driven … It is not happening … and not a battle I choose to deal with …

            I’ve so far done all the driving when towing, but we’re both still relatively young. Maybe once I get the hitch on our SUV she might try to tow, but she wants nothing to do with driving the old van we towed with.

            1. closed all the camp showers in Yellowstone for the year, but we still couldn’t find more than a single night campsite at any of the reservable campgrounds, so stayed at the closer of the two KOA’s in West Yellowstone

              –
              2020 all the campground showers were closed too. Our RV had a shower, we just preferred the camp ground showers if possible (gray water storage).

              Used to be you could go without reservations in any of the campgrounds. We’d time it to be there waiting at 10 AM, and get sites for three or 4 nights, then move to the next campground (Madison, Mammoth, Fishing Bridge. then move to Grand Tetons … by the time we got to Fishing Bridge, we needed the power hookup). This doesn’t work anymore in Yellowstone. Hasn’t been a good idea in Yosemite since late ’90s. In 2021 ALL campgrounds in Yellowstone and Teton are reservation required. Used to be some that were first come first get.

              If we’re blessed with children, I hope to take them and repeat the experience.

              –
              Strongly recommend the Jr Ranger Program. Yes, worth every single minute!!! We took our son to Yellowstone/Tetons at 14 months, again ages 5 with his cousin, also age 5. Yosemite age 25 months. Rainer/Helens age 3. Banff/Jasper age 4. Rocky NP/YNP/Tetons/Dinosaur NM, age 8 (4 junior rangers earned). Note, we also backpack (or did …). Son is an Eagle Scout, so a few years mostly backyard wilderness, which isn’t lacking in our neck of the US. Note, his first camping trip (scans RV) was Aug ’89, where his great-grandparents met him.

              I’ve so far done all the driving when towing, but we’re both still relatively young.

              –
              We’re not, “young”, anymore. Just the other half prefers to drive. NOW (at almost 70) has decided he wants help driving. It isn’t like when towing we didn’t both keep an eye on the road and what was going on around (at least what one could see). At 65 I’d have to learn to get it home, once … One item had we kept the setup, would have been addition of a tow camera to mount on the back of the trailer. Already rigged trailer with leveling hitch and sway bar, both 100% needed in the high deserts of Idaho, Utah, and other places, because of the wind. Our over all tow length was 40′, 17′ Chevy xcab, and 23′ trailer. Selling in 2020 got us top money for both the trailer and the truck. Could have gotten more out of each (overpriced each), but that we would NOT do! Top of the resell estimate, yes; above that, no. We’re using the earnings off that money to pay for the hotels we use on trips.

  41. Posted this status over to the Diner at Baen’s Bar since it’s been a while there’s been a Schrodinger Path update.
    You do still have friends and fans there.

    1. Anywhere with an open WIFI signal would work with a VPN, just make sure it’s a reputable VPN vendor

        1. After spending a night in a motel where the only way to get a WIFI signal was to stand in the parking lot, I bought an adapter with a set of antennae that’ll pull a signal from half a mile away. You’d figure laptops would be made to deal with crappy signal power, but that would make sense.

          1. There’s only so much you can do with a card the size of your thumb inside of its guts; the ability to not be snapped off usually takes priority.

            I’ve got a couple of the cheap antenna adaptors for the kids’ laptop, too. 😀

          2. Wavelength is an important thing for an antenna, or an array of antenna.

            I don’t know the wi-fi frequencies myself, and am too fried for the conversion, but wikipedia says that 2.4 gigahertz (120 mm) and 5 gigahertz (60 mm) for common. Half wavelength for the second is still 3cm, so ‘inside a laptop case’ is a little bit restrictive for designing an antenna. Okay, there are other limits, and it is clearly doable.

            Antenna receiving work because the EM wave creates a current on the surface of the antenna conductor. This is part of how the EM in the air at one power level gets turned into transmission line signal at the antenna port at another power level. The ratio of the power level in air and the transmission line is the antenna gain. People usually think of this as being a constant, the same in every direction, but it is not, especially for directional antennas.

            The design constraints on a laptop antenna mean that the gain will be smaller than a larger, better unidirectional antenna. And, the signal going to a laptop is not going to have the same strength from every direction. If you had a high gain, directional antenna that you could turn in the right direction, you could get more distance with less interference from stuff at the same frequency coming from different directions.

          3. Wavelength is an important thing for an antenna, or an array of antenna.

            I don’t know the wi-fi frequencies myself, and am too fried for the conversion, but wikipedia says that 2.4 gigahertz (120 mm) and 5 gigahertz (60 mm) for common. Half wavelength for the second is still 3cm, so ‘inside a laptop case’ is a little bit restrictive for designing an antenna. Okay, there are other limits, and it is clearly doable.

            Antenna receiving work because the EM wave creates a current on the surface of the antenna conductor. This is part of how the EM in the air at one power level gets turned into transmission line signal at the antenna port at another power level. The ratio of the power level in air and the transmission line is the antenna gain. People usually think of this as being a constant, the same in every direction, but it is not, especially for directional antennas.

            The design constraints on a laptop antenna mean that the gain will be smaller than a larger, better unidirectional antenna. And, the signal going to a laptop is not going to have the same strength from every direction. If you had a high gain, directional antenna that you could turn in the right direction, you could get more distance with less interference from stuff at the same frequency coming from different directions.

          4. Cell phone as wifi connection, VPN on laptop, done. If you don’t have a cell phone signal, then satphone. The only real question is cost vs value of connectivity.

  45. Moved residences 15 times in my life so far.
    I don’t enjoy them.
    It’s a lot of work.
    However, since the alternative is moving the world while I stay put, it’s easier to move me.

  46. A Babylon 5 reboot has been announced. JMS is involved with it. Don’t get me wrong. I love the series. But why? The original is great, and has aged reasonably well. A reboot can only screw it up, imo.

    1. I have zero interest in a “reboot.” There’s no way it’s going to get filmed unless it’s fully Woke.

      G’Kar: “All my life… I have been responsible only for myself. When I risked, I risked alone to avoid making others pay the price for my mistakes. They want me to choose them another way. What if I show then the wrong way? What if they come to me not because of the lesson but because of the teacher? I worry, Ta’Lon, that my shadow may become greater than the message.”

      Ta’Lon: “If that happens, I give you my word that I will personally kill you.”

      G’Kar: [upset] “This is supposed to put my mind at ease?”

      Ta’Lon: “I’m a warrior. It’s what I have to give. You and I both have our burdens to bear, G’Kar. I will carry mine, if you will carry yours.”

      — Babylon 5, “The Ragged Edge”

      2. “All my life… I have been responsible only for myself. When I risked, I risked alone to avoid making others pay the price for my mistakes. ”

        Says someone introduced as a member of the ruling oligarchy of his planet. When you decide to seek a position of power over others, then every time you exercise it wrongly, others pay. It’s the nature of power.

      1. On the Completely Woke network? I think I’ll pass. While it would be foolish to insist that there’s no room for improvement, this does not seem likely to offer hope.
        ~

        1. I dunno.

          When someone pulls off a masterwork once in their career, then comes back decades later to try to redo the masterwork, the second try is very often much better. Oh, wait, I’m reasoning again from ‘data’ not based in reality.

          Yeah.

          It is possible that he has been working on his craft, and has improved significantly enough to surpass the original.

          Maybe the B5 remake will be good, maybe the next iteration of Who will fix things, but I have yet to see the original B5. I’m not sure the series price for DS9 is reasonable, but SG-1’s is, and I remember liking both.

          I don’t watch much TV, and haven’t run through so much of the stuff available that I need risk wasting my time with stuff whose quality hasn’t been vouched for.

          1. 23 years later, Babylon 5 is still the best show that’s ever been on the idiot box. Stargate was good (until Universe), the Star Treks were good (until Voyager), but Babylon 5 has got ’em beat. Consider it vouched for.

            1. Remake has not been vouched for.

              Original is vouched for. Which means it is on the list of things to watch before trying anything new from Hollywood.

        2. Well, on the upside, if it’s on the CW that means there’ll be lots of hot starlets and bed hopping among the main characters.

    3. I’m with Junior, why a reboot? I know we can’t continue it because many of the critical actors are gone. And yes its special effects are period specific to the early 1990’s. BSG’s reboot went in a totally different direction in some ways from the ’80s, The Star trek Movie reboot pretty much mangled Star Trek in weird ways. We keep rebooting Batman moving closer and closer to Frank Miller’s Dark Knight. Will this retell the same story with differences (yes wokeism worries me on that front JMS seems to be on the liberal end of the political spectrum) or just launch in another direction (if so why call it B5?)? Maybe it could fix the mess that was the Telepath War in Season 5 (some of the worst SciFi since Star Trek TNG decided the Enterprise need an empathic Zampolit), but I wouldn’t bet on it. Like much of Hollywood trying something new and exciting is not where we want to go. B5 has a Very small (if devoted) following. Pleasing them is Not going to be easy, not like there’s a lot of name recognition there to go off of.

      1. There’s apparently already at least one difference. The source I saw on this mentioned that the series starts with the arrival of Captain Sheridan, an EarthForce officer with a mysterious past. That would suggest that Sinclair’s out. And the “mysterious past” bit suggests that they might be merging elements of his background with Sheridan.

        1. Yeah that doesn’t surprise me too much. My memory (from way back in GeNIE and net news days) was that JMS had built himself exit ramps for EVERY major character. That way if someone left he could use the exit ramps to move folks out of the story without mangling his overall arcs too badly. Michael O’Hare (the actor playing Jeffery Sinclair) and JMS parted (allegedly without rancor) at the end of the first season so JMS used the exit ramp he had for Sinclair and brought in Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan. I suspect the original arc had a single commander for B5, so JMS has just chosen the name that will have slightly more familiarity for his new commander. At present I remain skeptical, but will wait and see.

          1. IIRC Michael O’Hare was having Mental Problems so had to leave. From what I’ve heard, people thought it amazing that he was able to play Jeffery Sinclair in a later episode. Apparently it was obvious that he was having problems at the end of the first season and in that later episode.

          1. People were theorizing on it over at Ace’s blog. The most common opinion was that they wanted a room with windows so that you could see the bright sunshine outside, but couldn’t find one big enough to hold all of the reporters.

            However, at least one commenter noted that since the sunshine outside is faked, we have no idea what this was actually done. And it’s possible that there was a need to adjust his schedule for reasons, and they took it at a completely different time of day than what the window shows.

            1. It might be excusable if for one moment I could convince myself they’d as cavalierly treat a similar act by the prior administration.
              ~

            2. The cynic in me asks who checked the validity of the photo and how do we know they’re trustworthy?

              Because Deplorables Fake Photo would be a line, now wouldn’t it?

              1. Wouldn’t be the first time. During the 2020 election, there was a video circulating of Biden telling a crowd that he was in one state, while a sign right next to him declared that he was in a completely different state.

                Turns out it was a fake, combining audio from one rally, and video from a different rally.

                I’ve no idea why someone would feel a need to do something like that, but there you go.

                1. Basically, just because we have a mutual enemy in some extremely vile people, who often speak falsehood, doesn’t mean that the people ‘on our side’ are all good and truthful.

                  Side picking isn’t entirely a rational decision, and it very much isn’t always simple and deterministic.

                  Some of the people who have elected to favor Trump, and really dislike Biden, would include a few that have habits of falsehood and view it as profitable.

                  Of course, we have also seen a seemingly ridiculous number of false flags.

        1. Agreed, and plain old grocery shopping is turning into a serious drag because of it even in a red area of my newly blue state.

          1. a few pop up here, but mostly it is not so bad. Very purpleish area on the WI/MI border (lots of union nutters working for Mainette Marine and whatnot) but no big pushes for stupidity. Partly because Whitless The Wonder Stasi is up for election against the former Detroit Police Chief, so she opened the state early, and Evers was chopped off by the Wi Supreme Court and Legislature so it was never that rotten on this side the river (I work in WI, live in MI).
            I think here at work we are supposed to, but I’m in a 2 acre building alone today.
            Still no word on SloJoe’s mandate from Corporate, as well. My boss is at home due to his teenaged stepson coming down with the WuFlu over the weekend. (“I got a headache” one day and the next night at supper . . .”Dad, I just noticed I can’t taste my food”)

            1. “Still no word on SloJoe’s mandate from Corporate …”

              About that, they haven’t any idea what the OSHA rule will be …

              Say, Where Is That Biden Regulation on Vaccine Mandates?
              … Seven days ago, this newsletter noted that President Biden’s vaccine mandate for employers had not yet been issued by OSHA, two weeks after Biden announced the new policy.

              A week later, not only has OSHA not issued the rule, but the Biden administration apparently has no idea when the federal agency will issue the new regulations.

              [SNIP]

              Businesses are starting to get irked, not just with the delay, but by the fact that OSHA has indicated it’s not interested in hearing from businesses on how the mandate could be best implemented. The Coalition for Workplace Safety — which includes groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Association of Home Builders — wrote a letter full of palpable frustration to OSHA’s current head, James Frederick, the acting assistant secretary of Labor.

              “This ETS is expected to be the most far-reaching standard ever issued by OSHA, and public input will be critical,” the Coalition wrote. “Numerous trade associations, which are member organizations of the coalition, have reached out to us with questions their members have posed regarding the ETS and related implementation. Many of these questions are detailed and nuanced. OSHA should consider these questions and seek written input on a draft standard from stakeholders before issuing any ETS. To do otherwise invites avoidable implementation challenges and costs that would undermine the effectiveness of this ETS achieving its goals.”

              [SNIP]

              As noted a week ago, businesses have a lot of questions about how this new mandate is going to work. What is considered documentation for proof of vaccination and how will booster vaccinations be factored into compliance? Must an employee be “fully vaccinated” in order to work? How will the requirements address natural immunity? Will individuals that have contracted COVID-19 be required to be vaccinated or submit to testing requirements? Will the requirements only apply to vaccines that are fully approved by the FDA? (The other day in my local pharmacy, a guy said he had gotten one shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the United Kingdom and wanted to know whether Pfizer or Moderna were compatible with it.) What are the consequences of falsifying one’s vaccination status and does responsibility rest with the individual or employer? If an employee takes a COVID-19 test but the results are not yet available, is the employee allowed to continue to work pending the results? Should employees choose not to vaccinate, is the company or employee responsible for securing and paying for testing? Will paid time off be required for weekly tests?

              Once enacted, the mandate will almost certainly face immediate legal challenges. …
              [END EXCERPT]

              Apparently it is this administration’s policy to shoot first and draw the target aim afterward.
              ~

              1. “how the mandate could be best implemented” — by forgetting all about it, as the FICUS evidently has already. It was a stupid, evil idea in the first place.

  48. “He should put more of his energy into getting into orbit than lawsuits. You can’t sue your way to the moon, no matter how good your lawyers are.” Elon Musk

    1. The Snark is strong with this one. Yeah Actually making the BE-4 engines work would be a better solution than whining for Mr Bezos, but that is hard…

        1. Come now, there’s know reason to nuke the moon. OTOH, Washington, Beijing, Ottawa, Berlin, Paris, Canberra, etc.

        2. I recently saw a report (at Instapundit, IIRC) that researchers have determined that colonists will be able to convert lunar rocks into water and oxygen.

          This means that Greens will do whatever necessary to prevent the moon’s despoliation, obstructing all visits.
          ~

          1. “This means that Greens will do whatever necessary to prevent the moon’s despoliation, obstructing all visits.”

            Just tell them all you found up there is green cheese. These are not the lunar colonists you are looking for. *jedi hand wave* Also, people believe actions over words, so if you *really* believe there are too many humans on the planet (let alone the moon), well, what could be more sincere and groundbreaking than applying it to yourself, first?

            Also also: WordPress, please stop giving me edit buttons on other people’s posts. I might like to edit my own typos, but I don’t need to mess with other people’s, on another person’s website! Sheesh.

            1. I’d like to be able to edit my own typos, like “know” rather than “no” above. I noticed it about two seconds after I hit “Post Comment,” of course.

              1. Put a one minute time limit on edits, say. That would be wonderful! Given that out of every, say ten posts, I think I make about eleven typos…

  50. I have found good news at Baen Books. In February, ‘A Call To Insurrection’ book 4 in the Travis Long series by David Weber, Tim Zahn and Thomas Pope. In April, Wen Spencer’s next Elfhome book ‘Harbinger’ and ‘Into The Real’ by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer. Two books by Jane Lindskold sound promising, ‘Library Of The Sapphire Wind’ in February and ‘Aurora Borealis Bridge’ in April.

    I know Baen done our Space Princess wrong, but they still sell good books by good authors. I order the Bundle every month.

      1. I just checked; Wood Sprites was published in September 2014 so, 7 1/2 years of waiting. Hey, faster than George R.R. Martin! She’s built an amazing world, filled it with wacky characters and dark conspiracies, shown us an impending apocalypse…I want to see how it all ends.

        1. And she did the Project Elf Home shorts compilation but yeah. I read somewhere she thinks a book a year is max output. End of that has the first bit of Harbinger (Tink learns of the Twins)

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