It is Sunday, and we are back in Hog Manor, to the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the other residents, except Small Dog, who was atypically (for the family; typically, for a dog) glad to see us.
We arrive amidst a severe Diet Dr. Pepper drought, which makes the two cans sacrificed to the false gods of TSA yesterday all the more poignant a loss. When time to render unto Caesar arrives later today, we shall circulate around the various retailers until we have scored the precious brown fluid, essential to maintaining the serotonin levels required for sustained gun-blogging.
It was a very good trip and will be repeated soon. At the moment, we are all dressed up to exercise, and have discovered the old mercury thermostat in the music room/exercise room, which is inexplicably its own heat zone, has gone the way of all ancient electrics, and has flickered its soul to the wind. There are, in fact, some rather alarming scorch marks inside that provide some clue as to the modality of its demise. This sort of simple, low-voltage, two-wire mercury thermostat is no longer made, so we shall have to substitute something for it.
Since the change from mercury switches was driven by EPA, not technology, we expect the substitute to suck like an EPA-approved vacuum cleaner wouldn’t. We’ve half a mind to release the mercury into the environment as payback.
In the meantime, exercising in ambient temperatures in NH will not be terribly bracing, as the mild weather has mostly continued. (We doubt the temperature drop has been so kind to the musical instruments.) At present, it’s freezing out, and it will only get into the high thirties, according to the Apple weather app, but Apple and the Weather Channel agree that the week will see high temps around fifty, so that better days for catching up on neglected work on the grounds lie ahead. Most importantly, it’s past time to drain and seal the fountain till spring (you really don’t want to deal with a freeze-cracked fountain. Don’t ask how we know this).
In the spring, we’ll also have to have a real electrician replace the hack that got us through the fountain season, with something that’s, well, done by a real electrician and up to code. Or we’ll pay a guy with a bulldozer to put an end to the beastly thing.
So today is off to a slow start. But actually we’re pacing ourselves for tonight’s airplane building session.
(At some time today we’ll post yesterday’s overdue Saturday Matinee (Bridge of Spies, still in theatres) as well as the TW3 for Thanksgiving Week. But we can’t say for sure when -Ed.)
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
13 thoughts on “Sunday’s Slow Start”
Ah, another slave to his house! Now I don’t feel so bad as a fellow house maintenance slave. Always something.
I recently broke a decades old addiction to Diet Coke and other diet soft drinks. It’s hard, but it can be done. Some of the benefits of quitting – a tremendous reduction in flatulence, no more need to pee in the middle of the night, and no more logistical problems during travel. There are probably other benefits that I can’t immediately recognize. It was hard, but worth it.
What you need is a nice cup of tea 🙂
What is this “cup” you speak of?
Tea is consumed cold, sweet and in 44 ounce glasses.
I can see I am on a losing battle here!!
http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Tea.jpg
I have felt your pain on the lack of Dr. Pepper, good sir.
The current selection of battery powered, silicon diode controlled thermostats are noted for having more computing power than the Apollo Command Module had on hand. Then again, even your basic, non-smart, cell phone today has that.
Even the jack simple ones are near mind numbing in their complexity. The instruction manuals are written in a font mandating the use of powerful magnifiers and the services of a Chinese translator, since the Engrish instructions are near indecipherable.
The one in service here now has nearly been consigned to the target range on more than one occasion. But, as there are no better replacements, we have been forced by circumstances beyond our control to learn it’s idiosyncrasies.
Aspartame can be unhealthy and most pilots I know avoid it. Some have lost their medical from it’s effects. Something you may want to look into.
>We’ve half a mind to release the mercury into the environment as payback.
I’m annoyed about the ban on mercury button-cell batteries. A number of older cameras (and other equipment) used the mercury cell to power the meter, due to the stability of the essentially flat discharge curve. Some of these cameras (and other devices) lack the circuitry to compensate for voltage varying as a function of remaining battery capacity. And the replacement zinc-air cells don’t work as well as mercury cells. This also impacts hearing-aid wearers. And don’t even get me started on how much nicer mercury sphygmomanometers (blood pressure thingies) are to use than the aneroid models. Our clinic has two contraband mercury BPTs that are probably gonna get us a no-knock entry from the EPA one fine day.
Mercury in batteries=bad. Mercury in medical devices=bad. Mercury in those dreadful CFL bulbs*=good. Pick one narrative and stick with it, dammit.
*yes, I know there’s little mercury in a CFL bulb, but still. Gotta admit I’m quite impressed with some of the new LED “bulbs” though.
I replaced six excellent GE 65w Reveal floods with LED equivalents. I’m burning 6x 8w/hour (48w/hr) or 768w (x 16 hours) in a typical winter’s day. versus 390 w/hr and 6.24 Kw with the GE Reveals. Light appears to be just as good. The Reveals had a pretty short half-life, too.
***we shall circulate around the various retailers until we have scored the precious brown fluid, essential to maintaining the serotonin levels required for sustained gun-blogging.***
That is what is referred to as *Armorer’s lubricant***
*Armorer’s lubricant*
Oh, so sorry sir. For special, one off projects, or when someone came by with a paper bag and a sheepish look on their face, we dealt in products from Kentucky.
ernie – the correct phraseology is “cold caffeine with lots of sugar”, heh, heh, heh…