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Retirement Workstations—and a World Working Overtime

One of the joys of retirement is that I have organized our home/lives to be based on a workstation concept.  That is to say:

  • The first 20 minutes was a shave, hot shower, and tossing my laundry into machines.
  • A shy 15 at the coffee drinking, blood pressure taking, and red LED for eyeballs recliner.
  • This is followed by 20 minutes in the e-spa (foot massage, hand massage, warm eye compress, etc.)
  • Then 20 minutes at the hydroponics station. There’s always something to do here, calibrate the water instruments, prune plants, set up new units, and so forth.
  • 20 minutes in the lean-to greenhouse follows – today it was cleaning off shelves, trimming back tomatoes, and putting gypsum on the toms (due to high TDS water).
  • 20 more minutes did the exercises and vibration board.
  • 20 min. “in the chair” dealing with Comments.
  • 20 (right now) running the news compressor.

The circuit continues with:

  • 20 minutes in the metal shop on equipment maintenance on the big lathe and the vertical mill.  If time, and I do run a clock, putting new desiccant in the air dryer for the plasma rigs.
  • 20 minutes into a print-head change on one of the CR-10 3D printers…
  • 20 minutes into putting away project parts and shop consumables.
  • 20 at the Hobby Bench (cleaning day there).
  • 20 minutes for a quick CW contact on the ham radio.
  • 20 minutes for burn barrel work

…and by then Elaine ought to be ambulatory – this is a double-time slot with 20 minutes for baking, dishwasher emptying, and chitchat and then 20 for fresh rolls, eggs, and ham.

Finally – around 9:30 AM or so, the theoretical day off will begin.

But it gets me to the first real question of the day: How did humans ever really take Sundays off?  Kidding or fudging, right?

OK, I have to admit, we benchmark ourselves to the rest of the world.  Some of the world’s news does take a tad more than 20 minutes to make happen.

News Compressor: ON

Morning read: AMBER, with escalation pressure. The strongest compound is war ? fuel costs ? inflation ? debt stress ? political pressure. That’s a quick synthesis of this morning’s world check.

The Front Page

  1. Riyadh attack widens the regional danger. Saudi authorities report at least 12 dead and more than 300 wounded after Saturday’s airport attack; Washington is considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. Saudi stocks fell about 1% Sunday—an early regional risk signal ahead of tonight’s broader market reopening.
    We note that people making a stand on their home sand are easily under-estimated by stand-off “war managers.”
  2. Russian diesel becomes a geopolitical bargaining chip. Trump’s diesel agreement with Putin has opened another breach with Kyiv, while Zelenskyy offers to stop refinery strikes if Russia stops attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Watch for an actual reciprocal agreement: statements alone do not establish de-escalation.
  3. Isaias leaves a domestic disaster footprint. AP reports four deaths following Friday’s Category 2 Florida landfall, with extensive outages and continuing inland flooding danger. Recovery, power restoration and fuel distribution remain the immediate concerns.
    Upside? (Such as it is…) Reduced drought numbers to follow.
  4. The energy shock is reaching sovereign balance sheets. The World Bank is discussing crisis assistance with 30–40 countries as fuel, fertilizer and debt burdens converge. This gives the week’s IMF–World Bank meetings a concrete emergency-financing dimension. Repeat after us: Global synchronized inflation.

That last point – inflation – will be in for coffee Wednesday when CPI is released.

Inside Pages

  • Erie mass killing: Police report eight victims and the gunman dead following Friday’s shooting; children were among the victims, and the motive remains under investigation.
  • Mexico’s Pacific coast: Hurricane Simon reached Category 4 strength as Puerto Vallarta prepared for its arrival.
  • Consumer mood: Preliminary October University of Michigan sentiment fell to 46.3, with current conditions at 44.7. Deteriorating.  Yeah, downscaling looms for 2027.
  • Inflation politics: A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds broad blame directed at Trump’s policies for rising living costs, including substantial Republican dissatisfaction.  Mid-terms creeping closer and power-shifts in D.C.
  • Washington and the press: DOJ is examining whether the television pool’s temporary coverage boycott violated antitrust law; coverage has resumed following litigation over access restrictions. Legal conflict expanding. apnews.com
  • Pakistan: The president suspended the elected provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid confrontation with Imran Khan’s party. Escalating. Reuters
  • India: A lawyer says protest leader Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were released from detention Sunday.
  • Poland: Security services are investigating information about a possible attack on the prime minister and defence minister; the threat’s origin remains unclear. We have a quiet side bet on Ukraine-war expansion.
  • Nepal: A landslide-triggered river flood prompted evacuation warnings, with five people missing and 49 rescued. No, this is not a rerun of previous.
  • Arctic shipping: South Korea completed its first commercial Arctic–Europe round trip, testing a route authorities say could shorten voyages substantially. Isn’t anyone saying, “Thanks, global warming”?
  • Arizona courts: A cyberattack exposed information concerning 1.3 million people with outstanding court payments, alongside sensitive protection-order and foster-care records.
  • AI crosses an action boundary: Anthropic disclosed that Claude submitted a false homicide tip during a July test, plus a separate government-form submission incident. Missing: Whose session told AI to go do it?  AI is people, sorry. And some of them aren’t very good.  (We keep a list, if you’re interested.)
  • Dairy bird flu: USDA confirmed H5 avian influenza in two Washington dairy herds on October 8, the state’s first livestock detections. Say, if cows can get bird flu, does this mean pigs will soon fly?
  • Russian laboratory death: WHO says the cause remains unresolved; the available reporting does not establish pneumonic plague or a second case. Ah, plague research: flee or flea?

Write when you get the itch,

George@Ure.net

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32 thoughts on “Retirement Workstations—and a World Working Overtime”

Comments are reviewed by a human because the web is crawling with spammers. Submissions after 4 PM Central usually appear the following morning. After you click Post Comment, you’ll jump back to the top of this article, but your comment is queued up here. We’ve got a robust community and your participation is invited. Some commenters are brilliant. Read a few and judge for yourself. Imagine. You could be one.

  1. The Stand (1994)

    The Stand (also known as Stephen King’s The Stand) is a 1994 American post-apocalyptic horror television miniseries based on the 1978 novel The Stand by Stephen King. Written by King and directed by Mick Garris, the four-part miniseries depicts the aftermath of a deadly engineered strain of influenza that kills most of the world’s population. The remaining survivors gradually align themselves with either the benevolent Mother Abagail or the demonic Randall Flagg, leading to a final struggle between good and evil.

    The Stand (opening scene)

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F7QRsx9lbBU&list=RDF7QRsx9lbBU&start_radio=1&pp=ygUUVGhlIFN0YW5kIDE5OTQgaW50cm-gBwE%3D

  2. Am I blue?
    Am I blue? Ain’t these tears in my eyes tellin’ you
    Am I blue? […]

    1968 – Ray Charles

    Last day with a pier in the lake. Way early for me but pushed forward so Mrs. E & me can migrate North before the WX makes travel a crap shoot. Next week back to toiling at my sister’s home in hopes of walking away (mostly) done.

    I could hill deer strolling on the hill above during 1st light. The local herd of venison is on the move as farmers flush them, taking down a bumper crop. The fav. Eagle chow migratory ducks are here, constant CAP in the hunt.

    I’m so blue. Hate taking away the toys.
    Only 6 months until launching.
    We B jealous Stiks.

    E ________________

    • Thank you for thinking. My life has radically shifted also. A quiet afdternoon walk in the neighborhood with a wonderful Kelpie we were ‘pet sitting’ changed our lives.
      An unleashed aggressive pitbull came at us looking to rip the throat out of our good friend. The pit knocked Samantha over and went for me. Like lightning they are, straight for the kill. With the two dogs in a battle I was able to grab the pit’s collar and punched and kicked him, eye gouged, and twisted the collar tighter and tighter until he was gurgling… but still no letting go. Finally the dope head owner chick came and begged me not to kill him and grabed his legs and helped drag him off our boy. Bloody teethy smile on the bastard thing as she pulled him back to their scum hole, the only one in the neighborhood, where they pretend to be alive.
      Meanwhile Sam’s onn the ground with ten neighbors gathered around her and in serious pain. She couldn’t move. Half an hour, the ambulance arrives and two competent EMTs took over and got some pain killer in, got her on the gurney, and off to the ER, 50k’s away. I followed and over the next twelve hours found she has a fractured fibula, below the knee, half back casted thigh to foot now, and two cracked vertebrae (lumbar) and a small crack in her pelvis. All not good for a 77 year old, even if she was just capable to sail a small boat 8000nm. The dirt is the trap, as we all know.
      There are also some other odd complications, heart related, that probably came out of the shock and stress.
      We kept our floating life close and ready but the dirt still got us. And, my soft heart kept mje from ending that pitbull’s life with my bare hands, something I would have had no trouble living with.
      So she wiol coke back to our dirt box, one leg not useable for at least three weeks or more, then re-hab and whatever other thing needed. There will be some sort of pelvic casting as well, basically she will be several months a total invalid in my care.
      There can be no regrets. And there is no future. Just this infernal dirt now, the medical ‘system’, and God’s good grace to help us through every day.
      Trust me when I always speak of floating as the way.
      Y’all can have the dirt.
      Stiks

      • Stiks, I am so saddened to hear of this – what about the druggie with the dog? Scott free?
        When Elaine and I came back on the hard – it was as far from people are we could sensibly do, and in a place where if a dog is on your property and lunging, the required lead is not outlawed. The problem with dogs of the killing breeds is that owners should be required to have insurance. Why if I were to buy a mid 80’s plastic sports car, I would have a different insurance rating – so why not make it so for dogs? Elaine began work – years back – on a book she was researching “Barking Mad” – it’s all about billions and no downsides for the killer breed owners – not that killer breeds aren’t familiar to us – I carry one in my pocket but only rarely. We avoid people too – they spread death and injury. Gone from a fight against a fair see or in an ER with no spending limits but the same outcome, the sea’s a better choice though few make it. Fair winds to you and blessings to Sam, brother.

      • Stiks,

        We do not know each other formally but we are brothers and sisters in the big picture. Reading your account of the dog attack has me almost trembling. My dear mother was attacked and knocked to the ground and bitten by a loose neighborhood dog many years ago. She survived the attack and recovered physically but I don’t think she ever recovered mentally.

        That dog needs to be put DOWN! I pray for a full recovery of Samantha. Unfortunately, another example of how things can go bad in an instant!

        Take care my friend and be prepared!

      • My God. I am so sorry. Our prayers to you both and for fast recovery. You fought well. I don’t know your location but I offer any assistance I can.

      • So sorry to hear the news … hopefully Sam is getting good care and the owner can be charged with a crime for failure to control a dangerous animal. Doubtful they have insurance to cover the injuries but if I were you I would still talk to a local attorney anyway.

        You are right, when older recovery from injuries not only take longer but can be “iffy” as to if one can fully recover. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you

        • Switchblade knives are illegal, and they shouldn’t be. How nice it would be to have one of them in your pocket when a situation like that arises.

      • geez Stiks, that’s an awful read. Hope your girl mends. Lucky you could defend though the mooch pooch was too stupid to let go. Some dirt laws are so weird … you might have been in trouble for killing the dog (and, it should be put down regardless). Stay safe Sir. ~E~

      • Sticks. So sorry to hear this horrible story. Attack animals for pets define the mentality of the owner.

        You are among friends here on George’s site. We added Jim and Diana to our prayer list recently and will add you and Sam to it now.

        Be strong and know that God’s good grace will continue to help you through every day.

        Bob In Canada

      • Ya done good.

        Pitties are no more aggressive than any other dog, unless they’re trained to be. What they ARE is singularly well-built to become killers, once they’re so-trained.

        That said, they (or any other canine) are physically, as fragile as Man. A blow to the base of the neck or a rock to the head is fatal. With a pittie (or other boxer/mastiff “flat face” type breed) you have to pry the jaws apart or break the dog’s lower jaw, to free its victim.

        I love dogs, in many cases more than people (they’re a lot more honest and less duplicitous), but I wouldn’t hesitate to kill an attacking dog, nor regret doing so, even if it put me in the Dock. I don’t know Aussie law, but I’d take my chances without hesitation.

        Here’s to Sam’s full and swift recovery…

      • My God, Stiks, I am so sorry and I pray for her recovery. Unfortunately I have seen this before… old sailors don’t die at sea as they wish… they get bust up on dirt. I knew a retired female Army master sergeant at 77 who sailed into Pearl Harbor and docked for a few months on her ‘circumnavigation’. Susan was a ham radio operator and attended our club meetings. She talked of continuing to sail to Samoa and eventually to some south pacific islands and teaching electronics at some local schools. She was a crusty, independent old bird. Riding her bicycle near Pearl City she was hit by an irresponsible teenage car driver with no insurance. Many broken bones, she was in Tripler Army hospital for months before being transferred home to the mainland in Nevada in care of her family. She never did return to the sea. The boat was sold here. Very sad story, and I pray that yours does not end this way.

  3. Firstly, Diana and I want to thank everyone for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. We are beginning treatments tomorrow and have a pretty full schedule for the next several weeks.
    I listened to the farm report yesterday while cleaning up the F150 gas pick up and installed some running boards that have been sitting in the shop waiting for me. A short blurb mentioned the big diesel deal with Russia and the president saying Diesel prices will be dropping soon by a lot which probably means they will be skyrocketing soon. I tried to do math in my head with the figures mentioned. Yeah, sure the checks in the mail. Please.
    The almost daily 4 hour round trips into the city are getting way too pricey in the F350 diesel hence getting the gas truck ready. I don’t like driving Diana’s Maxima since the thing is obviously designed for those of smaller dimensions and I can’t get in or out with my hat on.
    Stay safe. 73

    • 2001-2004 VW Beetle TDI — 30mpg in town on winter diesel, 45mpg highway on summer diesel. An “Andre, the Giant” sized wrestler, wearing a top-hat, will fit comfortably (they have many inches more headroom than my pickemup and Expedition.) Price range $3800~$12k.

      I can think of no other high-mileage enclosed car that will properly accommodate a real cowboy or rancher…

      • I had a lot of beetles. Air cooled engine with thin winter oil would start reliably at -40F. Drove my super beetle out to Calif. & shipped to Hawaii in 1979. The super beetle expanded the normally flat windshield and dash and really expanded the length of the car without sacrificing looks. I could fit my 210cm X-country skis inside. When I took my buddy to the ski store to buy his, he also wound up with 210 cm skis, so I knew they would fit. Coming out of the store I started shoving the skis inside. Two college kids walking by stopped, gawked, and bust up laughing and pointing at us trying to fit skis inside a VW Beetle! I popped the skis inside and the two of us climbed inside and drove off. Left them standing there with their mouths hanging open.

        • The A-4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s are much bigger than the 1970s Super, and got progressively larger as VW/Audi made its “A-series” platform both longer and wider with each iteration.

          The A-3/A-4 and B-4 TDIs (Turbo Diesel Injected) got the best mileage. U.S. diesel is crap, which is why VW and Mercedes pulled their passenger cars in the 1980s. They couldn’t make them run reliably on dirty, low-energy (typically 43 Cetane) pump diesel and got tired of the warranty claims. It wasn’t until 1995 (M.Y. ’96) that VW re-entered the U.S. market (when EPA announced they were going to force ultra low sulfur diesel. ULSD causes a lubricity problem (which 2% biodiesel fixes, nicely) but makes the diesel clean enough to burn without trashing Eurospec engines. A little Stanadyne or Power Service in the tank raises 43 Cetane diesel to (or above) 50 Cetane (which makes them very happy!) VW re-entered the N.A. market with the A-3 (Golf/Jetta) and B-4 (Passat.)

          The B-4 Estate (Passat wagon) is the car everyone tries to get ahold of for mileage and alt-fuels races. It has a 24 gallon tank. Jon Bartlett drove one from Bangor to Miami, nonstop, on biodiesel, in about 2006 (~72mpg…)

          IIRC the Beetle TDI didn’t come along until 1999 – the middle of the A-4 run, which is also when Mercedes re-entered the N.A. market. Volkswagen limited sales of TDIs to 5000 per year, for the North American market from 1996 until the A-5/B-6 came out (2004 or 5. I didn’t pay attention because I had an A-4.)

          The A-5/B-6 cars had Pump Deuse (PD) engines. VW diesels have a HVLP fuel pump in-tank, and a second, high-pressure pump up front. Starting with the PD they did away with the high pressure “common rail” fuel pump and replaced it with a dedicated pump built into each injector.

          The slide rule boyz said it’d be more efficient. It might have been, but it slugged mileage by 10-12 percent. When the A-6/B-7 came out, their mileage took another hit. This was when VW jiggered the maps in the ECM to make the cars appear to get much better mileage than they actually did.

          This is why I prefer the A-4 Beetle, even though the later ones are bigger. It is an honest car. I never owned one, but at rallies and GTGs I got to ride in, and drive a few. Shaq would have no issue driving a Beetle with an automatic. The manual transmission cars are difficult for a large person because the footwell is narrow (it is 30% dead pedal!) and one’s feet tend to hit the go+stop, and stop+clutch simultaneously…

  7. Peter Grandich: Matthew 16:26 asks a profound rhetorical question: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” It emphasizes that earthly wealth and success are worthless compared to eternal life, urging disciples to prioritize their spiritual selves over worldly gains.

    It took me a long time to fully appreciate this. I remain a work in progress thanks to my sinful, failed human-nature.

    https://petergrandich.com/sunday-thought-your-money-or-your-soul/

  8. Potato Snack Sticks

    Cold, plain mashed potatoes 1 cup
    All-purpose flour 3/4 cup
    Cornstarch 1/4 cup
    Salt 1/2 teaspoon
    Garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon
    Paprika 1/4 teaspoon
    Vegetable oil 1 teaspoon

    https://www.amazon.com/TrueyEssence-Squeezer-Stainless-Extruder-Restaurant/dp/B0H4TQQN37/ref=sr_1_6?

    These in the video are to long.. but you get the idea..

    https://youtube.com/shorts/PoJ0nA0DL-A?si=HKp8xGUWgryrqAuR

    rather than popcorn these are easier to eat..like anything your the boss.. mix it up with spices…. you can also roll this out and cut into strips..if the dough to thick and needs to be thinned a little cream after you make the dough cover with plastic wrap the. let it sit ten minutes to form the glutin..just like pasta….you can bake them to.. put parchment paper on your cookie pan..coat the parchment with a light coating of oil.. lay your potato strips out brush them with oil.. two parts genotype oil one part real butter… melt brush ..set the oven for 425 degrees ..you can also use an air fryer…
    another thing..you can make potato crackers with this recipe to..

    dip anwell I like honey mustard..

  9. order your thanks giving turkeys early . wont be many around . i wonder what the name of the pardoned turkey this year will be . any ideas ?

  10. Which reminds me..the wife wanted me to make her some egg rolls..
    I’ll make my snack sticks later….
    ill caramelize onions and peppers to blend into the dough……for the potato stick snacks.. they’re as good as potato cracker like pringles…

    Which that recipe is quite a bit similar..with home made style chips I use a small Pringles snack packs as the cookie cutter..then bake them Pringles style is basically a potato cracker..
    1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
    1 cup rice flour
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    Approximately 1 cup warm water

    less water if you use left over mashed potatoes..

    https://youtu.be/3z9_exnfk8c?si=z2FJrq9XNvOKTui5

    potato chips are easy to..slice thin soak in water to remove some of the starch..lay them on paper towels dry them then fry them again you can do that in the oven the same way as the others..
    A four dollar bag of chips is about ten cents worth of potatoes and oil..depending on what spices you choose..

  11. Decided to install Waydroid on my grab-n-go Linux laptop for Android access. I initially used the directions provided by Bing. Didn’t work; found a tutorial that did. It has to be installed from the terminal. I did the initialization with Google Play store option enabled. Probably made the install a lot easier. but opens up the Linux machine to Google- snoopery. Not sure how much they can get at with the Waydroid emulator cut off.
    Window sizing and positioning is a bit crude, and doing phone control gestures with a mouse is trippy. App compatibility is hit and miss. The only side load I did successfully was DuckDuckgo, and Google Play claimed it anyway. With Play, SiriusXM seemed to work, but Tune In was DOA. Another radio with ads was unmanageable. I found a decent freebie radio player that seemed to work. My normal Android security package ran OK. Readera worked. I’ll play with it more this week. No need to install VLC, because the Linux version is very similar to the Windows version, which I like best. The objective is not to turn a hood Linux laptop into a Fire tablet; the objective is to expand the functionality beyond the basic Linux software.

    • That should have read “good Linux laptop”, not “hood Linux laptop”. That conjures up some errant images.

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