Page 110 of 135

May 19, 2021 – Covid Day 14

May 19, 2021 /

I am calling it. It has been fourteen days since my symptoms first appeared and I am about 98% over it. My personal experience with Covid is that it has been way overblown and people have been scared, hyped and programmed by the experience.

This post is going to be an opinion based on my personal experience. I fully admit that not everyone had the same experience as I did. I know people that were hospitalized last year and were on a ventilator for a week. That being said, never let a good crisis go to waste. Here s a day to day description

  • May 6, 2021- A increase in mucus, increased swallowing and the feel like something is stuck in the throat
  • May 7, 2021- A repeat of the previous day with a slight increase
  • May 8, 2021- Body aches and a mild fever. I measured 99.6 degrees F three different times in the day
  • May 9, 2021- Continued body aches but no measurable fever. This was the day that I took my test
  • May 10, 2021- The aches were decreased and my sinus increased, feeling better
  • May 11, 2021- Full congestion. I got a positive Covid result today.
  • May 12, 2021- Adding running nose, plus I also went to bed after work and slept all night
  • May 13, 2021- Still congested, nose not running anymore. Went to bed at 7pm.
  • May 14, 2021- Congestion decreases significantly. Feeling like I am on the downside.
  • May 15, 2021 – Congested, feeling like I have been sick this week but definitely feeling like it is almost over
  • May 16, 2021- Everything is basically normal minus the congestion but I can breathe through my nose.
  • May 17, 2021 – Full energy, still congested
  • May 18, 2021 – Still congested
  • May 19, 2021 – Still congested

By my account, it seems like that is pretty mild. Contrast this to the last time I got sick in February 2020. I had several days of fever (starting on Valentines Day). In about a week, I developed a cough, which I never really had with Covid. The cough was so severe, that I could not sleep. I spent at least three nights on the couch to get away from everyone and to sit upright which helped. I probably got ten hours of sleep on those three days.

This has been one of my most mild sicknesses that I can remember. It could be that because of all the things we have heard about Covid that I was prepared for the worse. But, I think that it could be that this was really overblown. The hype cycle began much the same as H1N1 Bird Flu or H1N6 Swine Flu. The difference with this one is that people started getting tested and positive results. It used to be said that it wasn’t worth the cost or the time to test for influenza.

Once positive results were reported, there was a wave of paranoia and hypocondrianism set in. I have observed it on multiple occasions with my recent experience. I wanted to get tested and get a positive result so I could definitively say that this whole year has been a giant brainwashing activity. And I think that my experience is proof as such.

It has never been about Covid, but developing pneumonia as a result. Pneumonia can come from a variety of sources including influenza as well and it has always been an underreported killer, especially of old and frail people. The sad thing is that the world will never be the same. Cancel culture driven by ‘Karens’ has shamed people into wearing masks for something that has always been around and always will be.

The celebration of the ‘Vaccinated’ and the fallacy of getting back to normal is another delusion. The fact that you can now feel good about not wearing a mask outside if you have been vaccinated is BS. My wife, who was vaccinated was the one who got this first. You just cannot make this up. Remember that we only needed two weeks so that we can flatten the curve? By my math, that was over fourteen months ago and we are still locked down.

Maybe you can tell that I am worked up. I guess that I am upset that people are so gullible and lack the capability to assess the facts. More so, I don’t think that they are even looking for facts but feeling and reacting to information that someone else is saying. Gone are the days that people are skeptical of new information; it seems as though if the source came from our camp of belief then that is vetted information.

End Your Programming Routine: I am going to be ending this here. I know that if you are reading this, you probably agree with me or maybe you stumbled on this and are triggered. In the end, I don’t care how you believe, just able to justify it with facts. Maybe if someone creates a compelling argument, I will change my opinion. Right now, I am seeing a serious lack of critical thinking and analysis.

May 18, 2021 – Framing Basics, Planning for the End

May 18, 2021 /

After yesterday’s heavy self reflection, today we are going back to skills. I had fully intended to get through framing in one shot, but I got a little too wrapped up in pressure treated and the foundation part that I realized this was going to be too much for one post.

In this post, I am going to talk about the little details that will make a huge difference in the outcome of the overall product. So let us get into it. First of all lumber selection and conventional wisdom. Framing an exterior wall would be 2×6 studs and framing that is 16″ on center. This allows for the correct width and thickness of insulation, door openings would fit prehung doors properly and building materials are measured in these types of increments. A 4×8 sheet of drywall will fit perfectly when framed in this convention for instance.

Interior walls are commonly framed using 2×4 walls with 16″ on center. Sixteen inches on center means that the center of one stud is 16″ from the center of the next stud.

With the price of lumber, I examined a lesser used technique of framing 24″ on center. This amount of spacing is often used for sheds, outbuildings and value structures. But my number one goal was comfort. And unfortunately, the cost of 23″ width insulation was five times what it costs of 15″ insulation so the cost proposition was twice as expensive to frame in that manner even though it would have saved about a quarter of the lumber.

Another cost saving technique I did exploit is to use ‘Utility’ grade 2x4s. I found at a local bargain building materials store, I could buy Utility grade 2x4x8 for $5 a board whereas a stud grade (#2 or better) was $7.43. Now, this is not a load bearing structure and I am only using one face. But If I were needing two faces of the 2×4, I would want to be a little more picky. Below is a typical Utility stud.

When building new walls in an old structure, you have to account for non level surfaces. That means that each stud is nailed in place with a technique called toe-nailing or nailing at an angle into the bottom plate. In my back wall, there is about 1/2″ slope from the middle of the wall to the corner. The stud length varies across the run of the wall.

I used both techniques where possible. The traditional nailing through the wood on a flat surface is on the left and toenailing is on the right.

Also, there are some tricks to framing so that you have places to attach the inner surfaces like drywall and sheathing. The picture below shows some extra surfaces to attach drywall.

End Your Programming Routine: Trust me, I have gotten to the point where I am trying to hang drywall in space because I hadn’t learned to think ahead yet. Planning with the end in mind will help tremendously when it comes to cost or efficiency and even the best possible outcome.

May 17, 2021 – The Best/Worst Things

May 17, 2021 /

This is something I have been thinking about for a long time, years in fact. I don’t think that I have completely reconciled until now. I think sometimes you don’t do it until you are forced to make a conclusion. And once that happens, you can keep challenging your conclusion against the evidence.

What is this all about? Well, for a long time at least professionally, I have been interested in doing my part to make the environment better. I get frustrated when the organization does things that don’t make sense or are repetitive. I think that has partially been responsible for me quickly advancing and eventually getting to the point where I end up running my own department. Here is where the best/worst comes in.

In my very first job, I was asked to go to South Carolina to help get a new plant get up and running. They needed someone with some personal discipline to establish the new quality system that a customer was asking to implement. They also wanted some help with maintenance of the computer and controls system. I said yes.

I was starting from ground zero, there were absolutely no expectations and no real plan other than the loose objectives that I was given. I started inventing things to do and ways that I could be helpful and contribute to the overall output. When the fruits of my labor starting paying dividends, I started working on things that I wanted to do. I built cabinets for the lab, I participated in the construction of new space, I learned how to run data cable and I ran new drops every time we needed one. I basically did whatever I wanted to do.

But, because I was successful I started having difficulty with being around others that were not doing as well. It frustrated me that I would work 60 hours a week and others not only worked less but also failed at the tasks they were doing. It felt like I had to do everything I wanted to see it done right. I am being a little coy but for instance my department took over formulating because Quality would always end up having to adjust it in the end.

I got to the point where I needed to make a change even though it would seem like I could do whatever I wanted. I later came to believe that a change was necessary because I just wouldn’t stop. I might have worked myself to death if I was allowed to. I needed to learn how to say no and let people fail, even if it meant that I was going to fail as well.

After a rebound job, I started at a new place. We had chemistry and shared the same spirit at least for the first four years. I built a lot of social capitol within my own office. Then, we were acquired by another company and I was skeptical. Then, I started working with the new people and I was miserable. After three years I got a chance to run my own group out of my office. The first couple of years were great, I again did what I wanted and built and ran my team the way that I wanted to until it became a growing concern within the office.

Management started wanting to help me out and add more things to my group. That included hiring someone to oversee and mentor me. It turned out that person wanted to fundamentally transform my group and I was no longer running it. I suppose what I considered the worst was there were so many problem areas within the company that this was the one that they chose to address, the one that was running the best. I couldn’t take it.

I suppose a bigger man would have tried to get the best out of the situation and I choose to just give up. In my heart of hearts, I knew that no matter what, I wasn’t going to be happy even if things returned to normal. So, here I am with two situations where I was at time completely happy with the circumstances but yet utterly miserable. What is there to learn from that?

How can it be that you get exactly what you want and it makes you hate it at the same time? Is it the pursuit that makes us happy or is the idea or something else? This is the hard part because now I have to figure out what it actually means. My hypothesis is that these circumstances are more of a destiny fulfilled and time to move on. Maybe said another way, when you get what you think you want, you find out that really isn’t what you thought you wanted.

To be clear, I never thought my future was to be a middle manager. I do know that a lot of my assumptions and ideas were validated through the process. Despite the fact that I am confident in the results, it is a hollow victory to be right and validated. It is probable that when someone was driven by spite, there is no satisfaction in completion.

I told my boss numerous times before I quit and even after that he didn’t need me to run the group but he kept insisting that he did. Unfortunately within four months after I left, the entire group was disbanded because over half the group quit, following me leaving. It wasn’t me that was necessary to keep the group together, it was the fact that they fundamentally didn’t understand how to work with and within the group. And to get down to brass tacks, that was the very reason why I wasn’t happy either.

In retrospect, I feel like I should have quit several years before I did. But, then I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn what I did from those extra years. To top it off, I am still not sure what I am supposed to be when I grow up. For sure, I am going to keep looking for the answers and hope to not repeat the same mistakes.

End Your Programming Routine: What are we supposed to learn from all this rambling? I suppose that what I would like to get across is to consider your experiences and look for meaning and try to make it better for the next time. Right now, I see myself tracking into the same lanes that I was in before, and I don’t really want to do it again. So, hopefully, it is not too late to avoid a similar kind of fate as some of my previous jobs.

May 14, 2021 – 1984 2:2

May 14, 2021 /

We have definitely made the transition from doom and gloom to a new world. I feel like it is echoing what is happening in my own life, but maybe that is a matter of perspective. I kind of gave up on independence and self employment to move to security and the known of employment, at least for now. Everything is new and exciting and tolerable at least for a period of time.

That doesn’t mean that the insidious is still not in the background, it is just veneered for now by the new surroundings and and experience. I keep telling myself that life is about perspective and that you have to want the situation to be good so that you can have the right attitude about the situation. The truth is that I believe that to be true, but where is that line between lying to yourself and and settling in to accepting your reality? I guess that we will have to stay tuned to see the end.

In this chapter, We see Winston rendezvous with the mystery woman that we now know is Julia. It seems like there is a lot of double entendre. Was Julia really interested in Winston? Did she represent her outward appearance and visible interests and commitments. According to her, participation in the Junior Anti-sex league was the best cover for destroying it from the inside.

Seeing is believing, or is it? I guess that you will have to stay tuned to see how it ends, unless you have already read the book. But, everything that we see from Julia is that she is pro-establishment, but everything that we hear from her is that is her cover for being anti-establishment. What basis is there to believer her other than Winston wants to? Sometimes when you want something, it doesn’t matter what the truth is.

I still think that discretion is important. From what I have seen, there is little reason to actually trust Julia, especially given the overall environment. But, I suppose loneliness is a strong motivator especially if you want to believe. The End You Programming Routine today is If you think it is too good to be true, it might be.

Have a great weekend, I am looking to kick Corona and make some more progress on the office.

May 13, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

May 13, 2021 /

There are two things on my mind today and they sort of go together. The first one is an update on the belly band holster from December 17, 2020. I have tried it a number of times (maybe 20). I have ultimately stopped using it because the Velcro was rubbing raw spots on my body. I could wear it about three days in the same position and then I would have to move it. I don’t know if that is a function of the design or what.

At the time, I was doing a lot of moving. I would sit for two minutes and then get up and walk around. Maybe it was the up and down along with the bending and such, I don’t know but I suspect that it was the sitting that rubbed the Velcro more so than being upright. I won’t say that I am giving up on it, yet. I like the concept and the comfort (mostly). It may mean that I need to investigate a better built brand. The one that I have does work. As long as I am healed from the abrasions, I can wear it for a couple of days no problem until it starts scratching again.

The second thing I wanted to talk about is a concept that I have named ‘Running Dirty’. It implies that you are doing something that you should not do. Things like driving without a license or expired tags for instance. In this case, I am talking about carrying concealed when prohibited by policy at work. In my last three employment stints, policy expressly prohibited carrying concealed.

Now, this is a slightly sticky situation. On one hand, I absolutely endorse the right of companies to set their rules and policies as it has always been private property (in my case). But really, what is the aim? In my opinion, it is a liability play. The companies figure that it would be cheaper to pay off victims of some sort of crime rather than permit employees to potentially have the ability to defend themselves.

Let us analyze my recent stint as a driver for Amazon. When you pull up to the station, every door is marked with a ‘no firearms’ sign. It is expressly forbidden to carry a firearm, a knife or pepper spray. We were told as drivers that we did not have to make any delivery where we felt unsafe. I would argue, how do you know it is an unsafe situation? If I knew for a fact, of course I wouldn’t go into it policy or not. I am driving a loaded truck, alone into unknown situations.

During Christmas time, there was a UPS driver that was kidnapped and his truck was stolen in Portland. That could have just as easily been an Amazon driver. I was also bitten by a dog, not severely but it could have been worse. I heard of other drivers getting yelled at and threatened to be shot for trespassing when the accidently went down the wrong, poorly marked rural driveway. I would argue that drivers are some of the most vulnerable jobs out there. Sounds like a good case for ‘Running Dirty’ to me.

End Your Programming Routine: Ultimately, you have to assess your risks and rewards. I am always going to side on safety over policy. I doesn’t mean that I would or do carry everyday (or do I?). That’s the point. You might want to look at the Belly Band type holster if you need deep concealment because you cant get caught printing or brandishing.

May 12, 2021 – One Track Mind

May 12, 2021 /

Yesterday I revealed my affliction. I am in quarantine until Sunday by request of the county. I definitely have stuff that I want to get done and not over do it at the same time. So, I will keep going on my office project.

I have three walls up and I don’t have enough lumber to finish the fourth wall. As much as I want to finish the framing, I can’t leave to get what I need. Fortunately, I can shift gears and work on other aspects. To wait it out, I am going do the following things.

  1. Box in the HVAC duct with rigid insulation
  2. Start the rough wiring, High and Low voltage
  3. Cobble leftover rigid insulation into the bays that are less than 14 1/2″ in width, but after the wiring
  4. Start working on the door. Remove door from the jamb and all hardware. Clean-up loose and flaking stain. Sand and prime door. Cut to height.

I am going to keep it short today for a number of reasons. But there are some pictures of my progress so far.

End Your Programming Routine: Always have contingency plans in your back pocket because you never know when your circumstances will change. As I have been trying to cashflow this project, I had already had thoughts about overrunning my current material stock until the next payday. My real surprise is that I have moved much quicker through the framing than I estimated. I am going about twice as fast as I projected.

May 10, 2021 – Framing Basics, Know Your Foundation Materials

May 10, 2021 /

I know that I want to keep this project on course by continuing to provide ‘how to’ information and not just a status report on my projects along with editorials. So, I thought that I would do a mini series on framing. I don’t claim to know everything but I think I know the fundamentals and I think that I know enough to help the layman or uneducated make better informed decisions. So, what is there to know about framing with respect to materials?

The first thing to know is your application. Is the project outside or inside? Will it ever get wet or touch the ground? Is it going to be load bearing? How is it going to be constructed?

Let’s start talking about ‘Outdoor’ versus ‘Ground Contact’ pressure treated lumber. Depending on what part of the country you live in, some of these products may be more or less accessible. Pressure treated lumber has only been around for about forty years or so, so good building practice is always in order and trumps appropriate materials.

You will see at the home center materials marked ‘Outdoor’ lumber. These are wood species that naturally rot and insect resistant like Redwood, Cedar, Cyprus and some exotics. Depending on the species and grade, they are often significantly more expensive than pressure treated. They are also not grade stamped for loads and spans. For those two reasons, their best uses are fences, decking, railings, outdoor furniture and other non-critical applications.

Pressure Treated is usually hemlock in the west or southern yellow pine in the east. These are treated with a solution of what is called ACQ or Alkaline Copper Quaternary. I won’t get into the science of it all, but that treatment helps defer wood deterioration. You can often times identify the materials by their appearance because they appear green or dark brown.

A better way to tell is that the material is stamped or tagged.

I am old enough to remember the big switch from CCA to ACQ in wood treatment which happened in 2004. The reason I bring it up is fasteners. You see, you cant just use any old fastener and expect it to last. What can happen is a galvanic reaction between copper (in the treatment) and iron (in the fastener) will corrode the fastener into nothing.

For that reason, all fasteners should be hot dipped, galvanized or coated (with paint, not vinyl). But not marked ‘bright’ or electrogalvanized which looks very shiny. The same goes for screws. The good news is that is all sorted out now, so if you buy new fasteners you wont have incompatibilities. I still have fasteners from before the switch, so I need to be mindful of where I put them to use.

There are a slew of plates and connectors and other things depending on what you are doing may or may not be necessary. And frankly, it is beyond the scope of the basics. They are referred to as ‘Simpson Ties’ and there are good reasons to use them for hurricanes and earthquakes and even rot protection.

Lastly, pressure treatment does not absolve good building practices. I have seen (and have) many rotten fence posts because water cannot leave the post when encased in concrete. Another thing I do is treat cut ends with canned preservative when using outside because the treatment does not penetrate completely through the board.

End Your programming Routine: There is a lot to know even to get started. Knowing your conditions and application will enable you to get help in selecting the proper materials if you have questions.

May 7, 2021 – 1984 2:1

May 7, 2021 /

Happy Friday. I am hoping that you are heading to a restful and fulfilling weekend. I have a lot of irons in the fire myself, not to mention that we are in Covid quarantine which actually may help me keep working on my projects. I got my first wall framed up last night and I am hoping to frame up the second one today or at least this weekend.

Section 2 marks a distinct change in the book. We move from the setup and into the story. Winston gets a surprise interaction of a very non-permissible nature. He is going to meet a mysterious woman on a very different premise than he anticipated.

Jumping into the concepts of the chapter, I would say that they are fairly simple and sort of intuitive. It doesn’t take a lot of digging or interpretation of the chapter to dig these out.

Risk versus reward: For whatever reason, we as humans all have desires. Sometimes the desire is so tempting that it consumes your thoughts. The prudent person would weigh the cost benefit of the decision and assess the risk. In this black and white world of 1984, there is a lot more gray than might meet the eye.

Another way of putting it is that rules are known and clear, but the enforcement or ability to enforce them are not as straight forward. That leaves a crack for the thought to skirt the rules and that is the risk reward calculation in this scenario. Some people of course just do things anyway. I guess that they don’t have the ability to comprehend the penalties for the risks.

Always use discretion: One of the reasons the characters are able to operate in the gray is that there is not as much technology and infrastructure in place as there is today. The ability of a few to monitor the many is limited by the capability of the age. Of course, just like ‘Newspeak’ it is very difficult to know the truth.

In this type of environment, it is best to always act as if you are always monitored. It is a little more difficult to treat people and relationships that way. A constant state of unknown/fear/suspicion can have an effect on the psyche. It is not really a world that I want to be a part of, but that is the state of affairs here.

End Your Programming Routine: My approach to analyzing 1984 lends to making this application fairly easy. You should do the best you can to always make a risk versus reward analysis in new, big or difficult decisions. I think often people don’t really realize the situation until it is too late and a little thing becomes something large. Likewise, I think it is always prudent to use discretion. I guess that is the kind of guy that I am.

May 6, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

May 6, 2021 /

Today is the 250th post. Just a warning, I am going to be all over the place today and not very Tacticool. First of all, when I was planning what I wanted to write about earlier this week, I was having trouble coming up with a relevant topic, or at least one that I wanted to write about. Part of the reason is that I have been actively out of the scene for several months now. With the ammunition and component shortages everywhere, I have moved my focus into other things for time being.

Second and more recently, Covid has struck the house. We are in quarantine but even more so, I am needed to perform all of the caretaking duties. I am finding it difficult to have any free time with all of the activities that the kids are involved in and where I am needed the most. I have plans and I have ammo, but I don’t have time. For all of you wondering, my wife was already vaccinated.

When I look at my families’ schedule (outside of work), every other Monday is a local youth group, Tuesday is Boy Scouts, Wednesday is another youth group, Friday I am playing city league softball with my wife, Saturday morning is trap and Sunday is church. One of my sons has been given the lead in a play to happen this summer, so we will see what commitment that entails. The other week he said, I need to find something to do on Thursday and I said as long as it doesn’t involve me having to drive you to get there or participate in some manner.

To be honest, not all of those things require active participation. It does however require planning and coordination of transportation and meals to be done on time as well as active management of the household on other fronts like chores, homework and pets. My silver lining is that Softball ends in two more weeks and Trap is officially over we are practicing until the state tournament at the end of June.

I should also like to mention that I am extremely bad about planning activities, like Mother’s Day. I have been thinking about it for a month but still haven’t gotten anything done. So, I guess tacticool is far from the mind. And I think that is how I want to end today.

End Your Programming Routine: I thought what I was going to say when I was going into this was that no one should be a one trick pony with interests because if it ever became non-accessible, you become crazy. I still think that is true, but now I am thinking that also evaluate your commitments to make sure they fall in line with your values and interest.